RPG Final Quest for Glory 2: The Final Battle

[Charles]

Charlie Bin Laden sat on a rock, cradling his knees, staring menacingly at the night sky. Behind the terrorist leader, lie the crumbled remains of his terrorist headquarters. Wisps of smoke rose from the charred remains of his base and curled up toward the heavens. Not even Laura dared approach him.

Charlie's turban lie unraveled beside him. Occasionally the night breeze animated it as if it were a snake. The terrorists huddled together and shivered in the cold desert climate, staring desperately at the silhouette of their leader. Silently, the revolutionaries implored one another to do something, [i]anything[/i], to stir Charlie from his silent rage.

But Charlie would not move; he sat still as if he were a statue, only momentarily raising a hand to catch grains of sand that swirled through the air about him.

What remained of Charlie's terrorist army had long fallen asleep in the cruel desert sands, when a single figure emerged like a black monolith on the horizon and drew closer until it stood right beside the brooding criminal mastermind.

"What do you want," Charlie Bin Laden said.

"I like what you've done with the place," a familiar voice said.

Charlie laughed softly. "We were so foolish," he said, "In this circus of war, who would have thought it would be the ringmasters who would play the fools?"

"He's quite mad, you know," The Grape Ape said, "It's not just about us, anymore. When you sent me into oblivion I had a vision and I believe that it foretold this very crisis. Gavin went mad when Kumite failed. Do you see the remnants of your base?"

The Grape Ape extended his arm and pointed a crooked finger at the rubble.

"Of course I see it," Charlie said, "My video games were still in there."

"For once in your life, be serious," The Grape Ape commanded, "If there is one thing that you and I can both agree upon it's that we care about OtakuBoards. We might have differing ideals but we both want the best for the forum."

"I've lost track of what I want," Charlie said, "Just leave me alone."

"Listen," Grape Ape said, "When Kumite failed, Gavin went mad. He vowed to take revenge upon OtakuBoards for turning its back on his efforts. He became determined to make the entire site as desolate as Kumite. He will not stop until OtakuBoards as a whole looks like our bases."

Once again, Charlie looked up into the eyes of his adversary.

"I'm no hero," Charlie said, "I'm just an old dog of war. There's nothing positive I can do. You should be more than capable of holding your own against Gavin."

"It's not Gavin, that I'm worried about," Grape Ape said, "It's his accomplice that concerns me. You're the one who once again gave life to his accomplice and you're the only one that can vanquish him once again."

Charlie suddenly sprang to his feet and clutched the Grape Ape's shoulders.

"Accomplice? You don't mean---betrayed--by [i]him[/i]?" Charlie said.

[Shy]

“[b]I had destroyed The Beast ages ago, but I fear my forces will not be enough to do it again. We must work together to save these message boards.[/b]”

“[b]There is nothing worth saving here,[/b]” Charlie Bin Laden replied, “[b]The Beast is a cancer to this community. If he truly has freed himself from my control then I fear everything is lost already.[/b]”

Grape Ape looked towards the once-great Charlie Bin Laden with pity. Only hours ago the terrorist leader had rallied both factions against the traitorous Gavin, but it appeared that Charlie’s rousing speech was little more than words.

“[b]You sit here, Charlie, as if we have all the time in the world,[/b]” Grape Ape said, “[b]Crystia and Fluff are transporting my injured to a nearby medical facility… leaving only a handful of active agents to the cause. I still haven’t heard from Hard Candy or Ploppy…[/b]”

Charlie’s eyes suddenly filled with rage.

“[b]--It was only recently that you had sent those agents to destroy my base! I hope that The Beast has done what I cannot, and finally disposed of the cursed Ploppy the Spaceship![/b]”

A brilliant burst of pink light exploded in front of Charlie as he shouted, knocking Grape Ape to the ground and waking up the sleeping terrorists. With perfect timing, two mysterious figures in pink cloaks and fedoras had appeared. The strangers’ hats were slanted to obscure their faces, but there was only one man who could pull off an entrance like that.

“[b]…N-- Nerdsy?[/b]” Grape Ape asked as he wiped the sand from his eyes.

“[b]We come from the future, brining with us news of a great reckoning to come![/b]” Ploppy shouted as he pointed towards the sky, “[b]My son and I have traveled a lifetime to warn you of your imminent destruction![/b]”

“[b]Son?[/b]” Rai asked as she examined the second cloaked figure, “[b]Is that you, Nomura?[/b]”

The young man nodded.

“[b]There is much to be explained, Rai, but we must first deal with the matter at hand. Your husband, Gavin, has assumed control of the decommissioned OtakuBots. While he and The Beast are only two, they wield an army of [I]hundreds[/I].[/b]”

Charlie stood up and adjusted his turban.

“[b]Very well then. If we are to stop Gavin we must first stop the OtakuBots. Grape Ape, we can use Gadget to trace their signal to Gavin’s headquarters.[/b]”

Ploppy nodded in agreement.

“[b]But we must hurry,[/b]” Ploppy replied, “[b]If Gavin and The Beast are aware that Gadget still remains, they will stop at nothing to destroy him. He is the only tool we have for locating their secret base.[/b]”

“[b]It’s not that simple, Ploppy. Gadget is not with me.[/b]” Grape ape said.

“[b]But the historical records say that he‘s with you![/b]” Nomura exclaimed, “[b]I knew our travels would disrupt the timestream, father![/b]”

“[b]Such is the price of us interfering with mortal affairs, Nomura. Tell us Grape Ape, where is Gadget‘s head?[/b]”

“[b]My CTU agents are the ones who have Gadget.[/b]”

Charlie Bin Laden shook his fist in anger.

“[b]Then we must hurry, my new friends. Our injured allies will be helpless against the full force of Gavin and the OtakuBots.[/b]”

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="Navy"]Prem 2.0 stood up just after Shy announced that they had to go to the other CTU agents. After Prem got killed by the Beast, a rage welled up inside him for the monster. After that, Prem had to be put under reconstructive surgery to heal his wounds. Half of his new body is in fact robotic.

[B]"I'm ready!"[/B] Prem shouted. [B]"I Won't let that bastard get away with this!
Gavin and the Beast are as good as gone. I'm ready if you all are" [/B]

Prem put his arm out and he pressed a button on a metal plate that was attached to his arm. His hand transformed into a small gun, he energized it and shot the air. The shot blew through the night awakening the others even more.

[B]"They decided to put a gun on my hand after they reconstructed me, so if it proves useful; I'm ready to battle if necessary. Not only for Charlie, but for Grape Ape, and my other comrades." [/B]Prem smiled a big smile. he looked at the others with a gleam in his eye.

[B]"So, when will this mission get underway? Because I'm part robot; I'll have fun annihilating the OtakuBots. Gavin and the beast are going to wish they never messed with us. "[/B][/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[size=1]"[b]And lo, the children of the wicked and corrupt lie together in the face of God's sacred fire. This situation must be dealt with swiftly.[/b]" Alex's fury was barely contained as his fist holographic fist slammed onto the table in front of the other three opaque figures. Gavin understood his anger all too well, not only had they failed to kill Charlie and Grape Ape or any of their underlings, they had actually forced the pair into a desperate alliance.

"[b]Agreed. And the arrival of the two temporal interlopers complicates matters further. They likely have information and technology which will pose a thread to us.[/b]" Janus' hands rested steepled in front of his face.

"[b]So how do we proceed ?[/b]" The figure to Gavin's right remained inscrutable from the holographic display.

"[b]The head of the Otakubot Gadget must be found before we can continue any further safely. It is possible that with the right equipment the CTU and Terrorist forces will be able to trace the signal you used to take over the android's body. It is... surprising that the head survived the blast, none of the simulations predicted it.[/b]"

"[b]You believe that those who spurn their time as set by He that dwells ever above us has caused this ? [/b]" Alex's tone had calmed.

"[b]It would make sense. The fact that the bombs destroyed only the headquarters of our enemies but killed no personnel indicates that the bombs may have been shielded and then the bases detonated to make it appear as if we succeeded. All of which would require knowledge of our future actions.[/b]"

"[b]The the path is clear then. We must attend to each of these matters separately but at the same time. Assassination and acts of terrorism will no longer be effective. Our methods must become more subtle, yet more direct. The time travellers must be eliminated, along with the remains of Gadget. I shall see to the latter personally.[/b]" Gavin's half mask shifted to the opposite side of his face, changing from a bone white to a pitch black..

In turn the other three holographic brethren slowly vanished from the meeting chamber, leaving only Janus. Two OtakuBots flanked the doorway, each of them was an advanced model, far more so than the ones which had failed their tasks so miserably only days earlier. They could not afford mistakes now, steps and measures would have to be taken. His footfalls echoed through the metallic, sterile corridors of their headquarters, the laboratory guarded many of their most precious secrets, one of which lay on a surgical bed. Her eyes fluttered open, an expression of confusion across her face, but only for a moment. A wide smile broke across and she spoke flawlessly.

"[b]Father ?[/b]" [/size]

[Guest The Blue Jihad]

...nightfall. Darkness. The true Mother whose love was brutal, unforgiving, and never unconditional. Her love inspired fear. From fear, came anger. Anger bred hate. Hatred begat power. But through power, there is victory. And through victory, my chains are broken.

The beast's chains are no more. The mad king's crown of thorns no longer rested gently upon his head. What once were tears of joy for his glorious empire, are now tears of blood streaming down his sullen, cavernous cheeks. Oh, how Charlie Bin Laden has fallen. His death will be slow and painful. The beast will savor the taste.

The king once led an army. Now he stumbles through the sand with a doomed caravan of battered souls...and many of his followers will not last through the night.

[TheShinje]

Jeremiah looked to the sky, perhaps it was a futille hope, but he pined for the rich blessing of the martyr Naps to fall upon the jihad and OBCTU to enable them to overcome the great enemy of the boards.

He could not believe that it had come to this, hell, five months ago if somebody had suggested to him that he'd be fighting alongside Grape Ape and Ploppy like he was perparing to right now, he'd have laughed in their face. Alternatively, had it been suggested to him that he'd end up standing against the Beast, he would have perished the thought...

Jeremiah looked to the sky once more, before throwing down his Naps icons.

'I knew there was nothing to your legend other than useless Mow, Meows and Therepaws...'

Jeremiah joined his jihad borthers and their newfound CTU allies in solemn silence, and perparation, for the greatest tribulations to come...

[Gavin]

[size=1]"[b]Do you understand what I'm asking you to do ?[/b]" Gavin's tone was gentle, almost paternal. She simply nodded back to him slowly and exited the laboratory.

He moved over to one of a half-dozen computer terminals, each of them designed to upgrade and heavily modify the hundreds of OtakuBots he'd taken from his time with both CTU and the Terrorists. The CTU androids were of far better construction than their terrorist counterparts, but the latter group's combat protocols made them worth the effort to upgrade. TO-01's schematics came up onto the screen in front of Gavin, the unit had been the designated 01 due to it's abnormally potent weapons systems and AI, even before the Four had added further enhancements. He actually had to admit, Charles had done a very good job with this one, even if it was now going to help them eliminate every single entity on OtakuBoards.

Many of the OtakuBots lay in a sort of stand-by mode beneath the base, powered and ready for orders, but unable to move or act of their own accord. Not that it mattered really, the OtakuBots taken from CTU had already had their personality and sentience sub-routines wiped, and Charlie hadn't exactly fancied the idea either, so the Terrorist units had never even had that programming in the first place. It made them perfect for the tasks the Four had assigned them. TO-06 had been ordered to perform reconnaissance with The Beast, whom Gavin knew as Alex. He activated it's optical transmission package, which after a moment relayed video-streams of approximately two dozen people around a number of campfires. One prominent voice could be heard far more easily above the rest.

"[b]So, when will this mission get underway? Because I'm part robot; I'll have fun annihilating the OtakuBots. Gavin and the Beast are going to wish they never messed with us.[/b]"

A wide smile broke across his face. Seemed Prem had survived being fed to Alex previously, but the idea that he would be able to defeat any member of the Four, or their OtakuBots was very amusing, simply due to the ignorance it was spoken out of. Disabling the feed and leaving the room, Gavin entered the elevator that would bring him to the surface. Accompanying him would be TO-03 and CO-05, both of whom would be carrying any equipment he might need should foreseeable irritations arise.

|||||

TO = Terrorist OtakuBot
CO = CTU OtakuBot[/size]

[Shy]

Sanguinius, Webster, Fluff and the others were packed into a plain white moving van as they headed across the desert and towards medical attention. While Fluff legally wasn't old enough to operate a motor vehicle on OtakuBoards, her frequent complaining eventually forced Shades into handing over the keys. [I]It’s the middle of the night and we’re stuck in the desert,[/I] he thought as he justified his actions, [I]What are we going to do? Hit a cactus?[/I]

Crystia, Sanguinius, Webster and the dog sat in the second row of seats, while the injured CTU agents such as Birmingham or El Kabong were asleep in the back. In spite of all of their setbacks, the brave agents were determined not to lose another soldier in this war. The hospital was only an hours drive away, and with the way Fluff was speeding they would be there in no time.

“[b]Reboot 100% complete![/b]” Gadget’s head announced as it rested on Shades’ lap, “[b]Good morning everyone! I had the strangest dream-- hey, what happened to my body?![/b]”

“[b]That wasn‘t a dream, Gadget,[/b]” Crystia replied, “[b]Things have gone from bad to worse.[/b]”

Webster stared out at the darkness.

“[b]I hope that Grape Ape is alright. He shouldn’t have visited the terrorists alone.[/b]”

Sanguinius nodded.

“[b]However, Grape Ape made our orders clear: Deliver the injured to the hospital. Taking care of our own is our first priority.[/b]”

WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP!

The vehicle began to drag sharply to the right. Panicking, Fluff quickly pulled over and most of the group went outside to inspect what had happened.

“[b]I didn’t hit anything, did I?![/b]” Agent Fluff asked as she covered her eyes.

“[b]I don’t believe so…[/b]” Webster. “[b]But it’s much too dark to see.[/b]”

“[b]I can fix that. Go-Go-Gadget lights![/b]”

Suddenly powerful beams of light began to shoot out of Gadget’s eyes. Shades held up and pointed the machine’s head light a flashlight onto the vehicle.

“[b]Wowzers! My sensors indicate we have a flat tire.[/b]”

Crystia sighed.

“[b]Of course we do. Seriously, why do these things always happen to us?[/b]”

“[b]Webster, can you check to see if we have any spares in back?[/b]” Shades asked.

Agent Webster rummaged through the back of the van for a few moments.

“[b]It appears someone has removed all of the equipment we would need to do that. Including the spare tires.[/b]”

“[b]Gavin again![/b]” Gadget shouted in anger, “[b]When I see him I’m going to bite him so hard!…[/b]”

Sirens blared in the distance, and from over the hill a pair of highway patrol cars could be seen steadily approaching.

“[b]Oh good. I‘m sure the police can call a tow truck for us,[/b]” Shades said.

“[b]I wouldn’t be so sure about that.[/b]” Gadget replied, “[b]My Go-Go Gadget sensors aren‘t reading any life forms within those patrol cars. It‘s almost as if they are driving themselves…[/b]”

Fluff quickly stuffed Gadget’s head inside of her duffle bag.

“[b]You hide in here, Gadget. I don’t like the looks of this.[/b]”

Aaryanna, Fluff's canine companion, began to growl as the police cars drew near.

The two police cars eventually pulled up to the van, and a quartet of uniformed officers approached the group. Aside from their different hair colors, the four looked completely identical to one another.

“[b]Is everything alright, civilians?[/b]” One of the officers asked, reaching for his holster.

------

Go CTU, go!

[Guest The Blue Jihad]

"Er, yes, officer...uh, everything is fine. We just blew a tire and we can't find our spare," Crystia replied, "but everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?"

"[B][COLOR=Red]Step forward.[/COLOR][/B]"

"I--we'd like to just continue on our way. We have a few wounded friends who desperately need immediate medical attention and--"

"[COLOR=Red][B]FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH DIRECT COMMAND. Termination required. OtakuBots, punish and enslave! Terrorize![/B][/COLOR]" The order was a cruel, graveled, guttural digital roar.

The four officers broke apart into millions of lines of hologram projection code, then streamed back into the four police cruisers. Then there was silence. During that uneasy moment, Gurt, Treu and Sonic approached two of the vehicles.

Those would be their last steps, as two large spiked rods sprung out from behind the cruisers' headlights, spearing them all straight through. There was a vicious, demonic grinding as the vehicles' body panels began shifting. Legs emerged from the rear axel. The doors swung open as giant mechanical arms appeared. Finally, the hood and grill separated, sliding over to the back, replaced by a robotic helmet with burning red optics found only in science fiction nightmares.

The bots now stood in a circle around the disabled van and speechless CTU agents. The bodies of Gurt, Treu and Sonic were tossed into the center. Now the fear that paralyzed the agents gave way to sheer panic. Two groups of three began running. Crystia, Webster and Fluff ran in the direction of the hospital. And civilization. Throne, Wanderlust, and Starbucks headed toward a not too distant mountain range.

The OtakuBots moved to give chase, but a hiss over their com systems demanded otherwise.

"[COLOR=Blue][I]Nnnooooo...thosssse arre miiiinnne.....that mounnntaiinnn willl be theiirrr grrrravesss....[/I]"
[/COLOR]
"[COLOR=Red][B]Alternate instructions?[/B][/COLOR]"

"[COLOR=Blue][I]Yesss. Tearrr apaartt evverrrythiiinng beffore youuu. Leeave nothinng aliiiive....[/I][/COLOR]"

"[COLOR=Red][B]Affirmative. OtakuBots, TERRORIZE.[/B][/COLOR]"

Dead men and dead wood tell no tales. But the dying? They scream to the stars.

[Nerdsy]

[color=deeppink][i]Previously...[/i]

I don?t know how much time passed after I infiltrated the terrorist camp. It felt like weeks. Operation: Puppies had been completed successfully, and the terrorist?s shrine was a smoking pile of rubble. Unfortunately, the explosion had the unforeseen side-effect of disrupting my equipment; the communicators were dead, and I was no longer receiving the signal from the tracer Madhat planted on my son. I had no way of locating him.

I had to be careful; I had already been discovered once. Fortunately, it was some bottom-tier terrorist I had never seen before. He kept shouting about he was the boss and how I was his arch-nemesis or something. He seemed more interested in boasting than with catching me, and I managed to dispatch him quickly and effortlessly.

But time was running out. I needed to find him quickly; I could not hope to remain undetected for much longer. And then I saw him, sitting in a clearing filled with the tallest grass I had ever seen. He was alone; I approached him slowly, cautiously.

[b]About time, father. I?ve been waiting forever.[/b]

I wasted no time and activated my force field; I wanted to make sure no one would interfere.

[b]Ah, father, once again, hiding behind your technology.

I?m not hiding. I?m just making sure we don?t have any unwanted company. I suggest you come quietly; I don?t want to harm you.[/b]

Nomura sneered and withdrew a long cylindrical object from his belt. [b]I doubt you could if you tried. You see, I seem to have inherited some of your technological genius; and from what Charlie?s told me, you were never much of a fighter.[/b] With a faint click, the object whirred to life, bathing us in a bright pink light. [b]Prepare yourself, father.[/b]

[b]Wait... is that a lightsaber?

Uh... yeah.

You brought a [i]lightsaber[/i]?

Yeah. Didn?t you?

No! Why the hell would I bring a lightsaber? Those things are dangerous!

But... I thought you realized we had this whole Star Wars motif going on.

That doesn?t mean I?m going to start haphazardly swinging lightsabers around! [i]Think[/i], boy!

I didn?t think you?d-[/b]

Suddenly, an explosion erupted close by; the ground rumbled beneath our feet, knocking us both off our feet. A wave of fire barreled toward us; there was no time to react. We could not hope avoid the flames. The explosion connected with my forcefield, and suddenly I was in excruciating pain. I had never before experienced something so horrible; it was like every cell in my body was slowly being ripped away.

I eventually found myself laying facedown in the tall grass. It took a supreme effort for me to stand; every part of my body ached, and I would have liked nothing more than to lay facedown in the dirt forever. I took in my surroundings, which where completely different. The terrorist camp appeared to be completely demolished in the explosion; I was gazing at a desolate wasteland, completely barren except for the circle of tall grass I was standing in.

Next to me, Nomura stirred.[b]What happened?[/b] he moaned.

[b]A bomb went off. The terrorist camp has been completely destroyed. And you?re hurt, I told you lightsabers were dangerous.[/b]

Nomura leapt to his feet; there was indeed a mostly cauterized gash on his left arm. He screamed at me, enraged. [b]You damn counter-terrorists! You would actually sink so low as to nuke our entire base? You?re despicable.

The CTU did not set off that bomb. We would never do that.

Oh? Tell that to Sephiroth.

That was one building, not your entire base. I should also remind you that Madhat gave your companions plenty of time to escape.

Then who the hell set it off, then? CTU members are the only ones who would have a reason to bomb us. And who the hell is that?[/b]

I turned on the spot, and saw a figure approaching us. It was difficult to make out at first, but even at that distance I knew who it was. The figure was, with the exception of his clothes, completely identical to myself, right down to the scar on his left cheek.

[b]N-Man?

Hello Master. I have been expecting you.[/b][/color]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="Navy"]Prem was still standing, wating for the command. Suddenly he felt something strange, the sensors put into his brain cought an odd transmission. Suddenly Prem hopped around the campfire.

[B]"What's the mater Prem?" [/B]Grape Ape asked. Prem lookeed around him.

[B]"Don't you guys feel anything strange?" [/B]Prem asked.

[B]"Prem what's going on?"[/B] Grape Ape asked loudly.

[B]"It's nothing, I just sense something." [/B]Prem sat back down and his arm turned back into a hand. hescrathced his chin then looked at the future Nomura. [B]"So, you're Nomura from the future, right?" [/B]Prem walked over to Nomura.

[B]"Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"[/B] Nomura looked at Prem.

[B]"Well, then what happens to me during this battle?"[/B]

[B]"Premonition, this is not time to be asking questions about what's going to happen to you" [/B]Grape Ape snapped. Nomura nodded and looked at Shy. Shy sat down without another word.

[B]"Well Prem my friend... you die."[/B]

Prem looked at Nimura with a frown. [B]"I... d.. die?" [/B]Prem laughed. [B]"You were always a kidder Nom, that's why you and I are friends!"[/B]

[B]"[I]Were [/I]friends you mean. You die after an OtakuBot pressed your self-destruct button. Of coarse you destroyed a few, but that didn't stop them. And so you know ahead of time, your gun won't be that useful. You should stay back in the sidelines, unless you wish to die." [/B]

[B]"Okay then, guess I'll stay back..."[/B] Prem went from happy to fight, to sad and depressed in a atter of minutes. he was shoked. what if they lost the final battle? Then what would happen? prem didn't want to think of the consequences. He just put his head down and ceased the conversation.

Grape Ape just sighed. [B]"No one should have to die. But this is war, of course some lives will be lost." [/B]Grape Ape looked over at Charlie. Whatever they would have to do they better do it soon. Prem knew something wasn't quite right. He just hoped the other CTU agents weren't in trouble.[/COLOR]

[Shy]

In the confusion of the attack Sanguinius, El Kabong and Shades had managed to hide themselves behind a sand dune to evade the OtakuBots. The scene was straight from a nightmare as the strange mechanical beasts ripped the van to shreds, searching desperately for Gadget.

“[b]This is downright disgusting,[/b]” El Kabong whispered, “[b]I’m about ready to pull out my trusty gee-tar and show these robots a thing or two…[/b]”

“[b]There’s nothing more we can do, Kabong,[/b]” Sanguinius said with a heavy sigh, “[b]Throne, Sonic and Gurt are lost... I fear the worst for the others.[/b]”

Shades adjusted his sunglasses.

“[b]Now is not to be afraid, fellow agents. Though some of us may be injured, we have to ensure that the others make it to safety.[/b]”

The OtakuBots, unable to find anything in the van, turned their attention towards the fleeing agents in the distance. Though they were running as fast as they could, Fluff and the others would never be able to outrun the machines if they gave chase.

“[color=red][b]AWAITING UPDATED INSTRUCTIONS… NEW OBJECTIVES OBTAINED: DESTROY ENEMY COMBATANTS AND RECLAIM OTAKUBOT PROCESSING UNIT![/b][/color]”

“[b]They must be looking for Gadget….[/b]”

El Kabong stood up and withdrew his guitar.

“[b]You two look after the others. I’ll create a distraction.[/b]”

“[b]El Kabong, you can’t![/b]” Sanguinius shouted, “[b]They’ll rend you![/b]”

The young man merely nodded.

“[b]Perhaps… but at least I’ll go down fightin‘.[/b]”

Shades and Sanguinius ran after Crystia’s group, using the darkness of the desert sand as their cover. Their movements were immediately noticed by the OtakuBots as they walked by.

“[color=red][b]ENEMY COMBATANTS SPOTTED. STAND DOWN AND BE DESTROYED![/b][/color]”

“[b]This is it, Shades![/b]” Sanguinius cried as the mechs aimed their glowing shoulder cannons towards the duo.

“[b]Not if I call help it![/b]” El Kabong shouted as he charged at the OtakuBots with his guitar, “[b]OLLLLLAAYY![/b]”

With a mighty blow El Kabong struck one of the OtakuBots in the leg, sending it crashing to the ground. The three remaining machines quickly adjusted their focus to the lone aggressor, and began firing a hail of bullets at him.

“[b]It will take more than lead to stop a handsome masked vigilante![/b]” El Kabong laughed as he used the fallen OtakuBot for cover. It was then he noticed a flashing red button on top of the OtakuBot. Sanguinius and Shades could only watch in horror from the distance, for they knew that their friend had sealed his own fate.

“[b]'OtakuBot Emergency self-destruct button,' eh?[/b]” El Kabong laughed as he placed his hand on the machine's chest, “[b][I]Don’t mind if I do![/I][/b]”

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]Something seemed to have distracted the bizarre robotic creatures that were pursing them. Crystia didn't know what but still in the end they were too far away from civilization to out run them. But then to her utter shock Agent Fluff let out a shrill whistle.

"[B]What are you doing? Do you want to attract their attention?[/B]" Crystia said in a harsh whisper.

But what she was doing was made clear seconds later when Aaryanna shot out of the darkness and ran straight to her mistress.

"[B]Well I'll be.[/B]" Webster exclaimed. "[B]I thought she took off for good.[/B]"

Fluff shot him an irritated glance. "[B]Of course not silly. Bichon's are very smart. She was waiting for me to call her back.[/B]" She turned back and whispered something to Aaryanna while scratching her ears. A moment later Aaryanna took off in front of them. Easily avoiding anything in her path as she dodged between rocks and outright leaped over other things with ease. Moments later she was gone.

Crystia just shook her head. "[B]Lets get going, whatever distracted them won't last long.[/B]"

Fluff smiled. "[B]If Aaryanna gets back first it won't matter. I sent her to get something for us.[/B]"

The three continued on their way, both Crystia and Webster wondering just what in the world Aaryanna could get that would possibly make a difference. After all she was too tiny to really carry anything, wasn't she?

Crystia glanced back to see that some of the OtakuBots were starting to give chase. If what Aaryanna was after took too long, it wouldn't do them any good. But then to her surprise Fluff let out another shrill whistle. Shocked she looked back to see Aaryanna returning, a small type of rod in her mouth.

"[B]How did she manage to retrieve that so quickly?[/B]" She gasped even as she ran.

Agent Fluff just laughed. "[B]I told you Bichon's are smart. Besides they're great agility dogs as well. They're known for their speed and ability to run obstacle courses.[/B]"

She smiled as Aaryanna reached them with a burst of speed. Stopping to give Fluff what she was carrying. Fluff didn't waste a single moment, instantly she activated the strange rod, only for beams of darkness to fly out in all directions.

"[B]What in the world?[/B]" Webster exclaimed.

Bands of total darkness were strewn all over the place, randomly covering things in huge strips. Fluff grabbed both of them and dragged them into one of the strips.

"[B]There,[/B]" she said even as she let go once they were inside the band of darkness.

"[B]I don't know what those robots are, but even their sensors won't be able to penetrate spoiler tags.[/B]" She laughed. '[B]They'll have to check each and every one to find us. Now lets get going![/B]"

Determined to make it to civilization the three took off in the general direction they had been going, careful to stay under the narrow band of darkness.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Wondershot]

"Well, unusual as it may be for me to admit it, that was actually some excellent thinking."

The compliment came out rather suddenly, and Webster's trio of companions jumped in surprise at the sound of his voice. Crystia and Fluff both pointed their Rods threateningly at him. The wooded area they were crouched in was close to the road, so everyone was rather high-strung, having been expecting an ambush for the past half hour.

"Will you be quiet! We're almost there, and you are about to blow our cover!"

Fluff's raspy whisper cut through the air, but she relaxed her arm and put the Rod away a moment later.

"...and thanks."

This, however, was not the end of the fearsome foursome's trouble, as they soon found themselves face to face with a land bridge with two OtakuBot guards holding their position steady. Were this just another adventure, our heroes would have been able to sneak past them when they turned their mechanical heads like good idiotic AI, but this was not the case, as these robots were quite focused.

"However, I doubt even we will be able to hide while attempting to traverse that bridge. It would be best if we disable those two before attempting it."

Crystia and Fluff looked at each other meaningfully, Mod Rods at the ready. However, Webster instead opted to raise his hand, but Fluff noticed that it was shaking.

"If I may, I think I might be of some use this time."

Fluff rolled her eyes.

"That would be a first. What have you got for us, W?"

Webster raised a single index finger to indicate silence, and proceeded to reach his right hand into his breast pocket, from which he retrieved...

"A mustache? You can't be serious."

Fluff looked over at Crystia.

"Then again, when is he not?"

Webster proceeded to gingerly apply the fake mustache to his face, and then reached into his pockets to retrieve a coarse white dust, which he proceeded to sprinkle all over his face.

"What is that?"

Webster glanced sideways at Crystia, and quietly mouthed two little words.

"Sea Salt."



"[color=red][B]NO TARGETS SIGHTED, MAINTAINING CURRENT POSITION...[/color][/b]"

...

...

"[color=red][b]TARGET FOUND! INITIATING PROCEDURE![/color][/b]"

The OtakuBot Duo proceeded into the woods, but were then pushed back by a white-haired man with an equally white mustache. He was speaking loudly to no one in particular, but seemed to be carrying on a fairly jovial conversation.

"Ah, sim, mas ainda temos so um pouco de tempo para acabar com isso."

"Oui, oui, mais avec ce plan, on ne peux pas échouer!"

"Well, aren't we confident today, my good man?"

"Sim, nao vai ser problema nenhum!"

Webster proceeded to laugh jovially while the OtakuBots scanned him head to toe.

"[color=red][b]PROCESSING...ONLY 50% OF FEATURES RECOGNIZED...PROCEEDING WITH COMPLETE SCAN...[/color][/b]"

Upon hearing this, Webster turned to face one of the two bots.

"Desculpe, senhor, podes me dizer onde e que fica o hospital? Tenho um encontro muito importante."

The OtakuBot whirred briefly.

"[color=red][b]TRANSLATING...'EXCUSE ME, SIR, CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHERE THE HOSPITAL IS? I HAVE AN IMPORTANT APPOINTMENT.[/color][/b]"

Smiling slightly, Webster turned to the second Bot.

"Ah! Mais votre ami est vraiment fluide avec son Portuguais! Qui avait lui enseigné?"

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...YOUR FRIEND IS QUITE FLUENT IN PORTUGUESE, WHO TAUGHT HIM?[/B][/COLOR]"

Shivering with anticipation, Webster turned back to the first Bot.

"Well, I'm sure your French friend might be able to explain to me how one might get to the hospital?"

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...BEM, TENHO CERTEZA QUE O TEU AMIGO FRANCES PODE ME DIZER ONDE E QUE FICA O HOSPITAL?[/B][/COLOR]"

Webster returned to face the second.

"Sim! Eu preciso de saber agora!"

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...YES, I NEED TO KNOW NOW![/B][/COLOR]"

The first bot then turned to face the second, Webster took a step back.

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...SIM, EU PRECISO DE SABER AGORA![/B][/COLOR]"

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...OUI, J'AI BESOIN DE SAVOIR MAINTENANT![/B][/COLOR]"

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...YES, I NEED TO KNOW NOW![/B][/COLOR]

Webster whispered surreptitiously into the first bot's ear.

"You know, you really should change tense, old boy. Helps with the explanation."

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...TU SABES, TU DEVES FALAR EM NOVO TEMPO, VELHO. FACILITA A EXPLICACAO.[/B][/COLOR]"

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...TU SAVAIS, TU AVAIS BESOIN DE CHANGEZ TON TEMPS, MON AMI. CA AURAIT AIDÉ L'EXPLICATION.[/B][/COLOR]"

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...YOU KNEW, YOU MIGHT CHANGED YOUR TENSE, OLDING BOY. HELPING WITH THE EXPLAINED...[/B][/COLOR]"

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...TRANSLATION ERROR, UNABLE TO TRANSLATE...[/B][/COLOR]"

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...TRADUZIR...ERRO DE TRADUCAO, NAO E POSSIVEL DE TRADUZIR.[/B][/COLOR]"

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...TRADUZIR...TRANSLATING...ERROR, ERROR...[/B][/COLOR]"

"[COLOR="Red"][B]TRANSLATING...UNABLE TO TRANSLATE...FICHIER DE LANGAGE CORRUPTED...ERRO DE SISTEMA...[/B][/COLOR]"

Webster backed off further while the two bots continued on their feedback loop of death, and shielded his eyes as their heads popped off with a loud bang, sending a shower of sparks every which way. When the heads landed, Webster bent down and picked one up morosely. Cradling it in his arms, he saw that it's eyes were filled with the Blue Screen of Death...in several languages. Agents Crystia and Fluff approached. Crystia was the first to manage speech.

"Como e que?...I mean, how did you?..."

Webster turned to face her, his eyes sad.

"You simply have to initiate a loop wherein you set the default language of both bots. Then you speak to one in English, and it translates back from the default language. Eventually you start a loop wherein the two bots try to translate each other endlessly. After that, it's a matter of masking a tense change as an imperative which causes the grammatical structure of the languages to break down...the language comprehension centers crash..."

Webster held up the Blue Screened head.

"And this happens."

Even Fluff couldn't help but stare slack-jawed at what she had just witnessed.

"Wow, that was...really cool, actually..."

A moment later, Webster's eyes filled with tears and he turned his head shamefully. Fluff laughed slightly.

"What's the matter, Agent Webster? A little salt get in the eyes?"

Webster, voice shaking, barely managed a comprehensible reply.

"I...I swore..."

Fluff looked on with curiosity, and Crystia approached slightly.

"I...I swore on my mentor's grave...that I would never do that again..."

Fluff leaned in to listen, Crystia looked at Webster's back.

"Mentor's grave? What?..."

Webster turned his head back towards the bridge.

"I...I was a young firecracker once, much like you, Agent Fluff. I was taught the ways of language by my mentor when I first went to CTU, and he informed me of the CTU's tireless efforts to develop a language translating machine that could operate on several levels and in different languages at once. He then, in trusting me, decided to tell me about the feedback loop that the scientists were trying to correct. As a practical joke, I decided to try it on the translating machine when he was not around. I initiated the loop, people rushed in to stop it..."

He shuddered as a man's scream cut through his mind.

"People...died...when it exploded."

He took a long, shaking breath, and began to traverse the bridge. Crystia and Fluff followed.

"My mentor, he never looked at me the same way again. His health declined quickly after the incident, and the last thing I told him was that I would never use my language powers to cause destruction, only to help people understand each other."

Webster, still holding the head, held it briefly over the edge of the bridge before releasing it, watching it disappear down into the gorge below. Crystia and Fluff looked at each other and began whispering confidentially to each other.

"Wow, who knew?"

"Your mother, probably, since she would have been around at the time."

"Oh...wow, maybe that's why she's been telling me not to joke around so much."

"Maybe that's also why Webster's been so serious...and hard on you."

The two of them looked back at Webster, who was furiously shaking the salt out of his hair and trying to dry the tears from his face. Unable to achieve the latter task, he then turned back to face his companions and attempted, failing again, to restore his usual tone of voice.

"Well, now that this is settled...I must ask that you continue to spread your spoiler tags, Agent Fluff, as our pursuers have doubtlessly heard the explosion."

Fluff stiffened, and saluted briefly before proceeding.

"Yes!"

As she did so, Crystia looked back at Webster and saw that a massive smile was now on his face. Fluff noticed it as well, when she turned around.

"Hey, what are you smiling at?"

"You, Agent Fluff. You just followed a direct order immediately...from me."

Crystia turned around and looked at Fluff in shock. Her face was quickly changing to a very red shade. Fluff did her best to splutter out an answer.

"No, but...you...I...I wasn't following an order! It was just a good idea! My good idea! You don't even have any authority over me, Agent Webster!"

Webster's smile became wider, and his tears finally dried.

"No, of course I don't, Agent Fluff. Proceed."

Agent Fluff nodded sharply in response, and did as Webster asked. He turned to continue down the bridge, but Fluff called back to him.

"Agent Webster!"

Agent Webster turned to face Agent Fluff once more.

"Yes?"

Fluff drew a line across her upper lip meaningfully.

"Mustache."

Webster reached up and felt the mustache still on his lips. He recoiled slightly in surprise, having completely forgotten it was there.

"Oh, of course. Thank you."

Slipping it quietly into his breast pocket, Webster turned to proceed down the bridge, so that the others wouldn't notice his face quickly turning as red as Fluff's.

[Gavin]

[size=1]Watching the screens of C0-18 and CO-19 turn to static Gavin's grip on the steering wheel of the transformed OtakuBot tightened significantly. His foot pushed down harder on the accelerator, changing the whipping by scenery into a vague blur of motion. If Fluff, Crystia and Webster managed to get the disembodied head of Gadget to Grape Ape and Charlie it would prove a disastrous setback. Pulling into the industrial sector of Otaku City TO-03 relayed a bio-scan of particular interest to the Four's leader, one life sign with a particular energy signature, that of a mod rod.

Swerving, he redirected the vehicle towards the river bank, arriving moments later. The figure was waterlogged with a gaping wound in her chest, her auburn hair stuck to her paling face. Gavin smiled, recognising her instantly and withdrawing a cylindrical object from the inside of his robes. With a snap-hiss a blood red energy blade crackled to life, thrumming violently . A look of panic spread across Gurt's face as she tried to force her body to respond, half-heartedly her hand reached for the mod rod tucked into her belt, her fingers inched closer and closer, but with an elegant swipe of his beam weapon, Jamie was left with a freshly cauterised stump.

She screamed in pain for only a moment, as Gavin stabbed forward, plunging his lightsaber through her chest at her heart, left with a final expression of shock Gavin removed the mod rod from her corpse, twirling it in his fingers for a moment before storing it within his dark cloak and stepping back into his robotic car.

"[b]One down, three to go.[/b]"

Plotting in the last known co-ordinated of the two fallen OtakuBots Gavin grinned maliciously to himself. The fact that two moderators were guarding the head had added complication to the assault. He could have taken either of them individually, but even his skills weren't enough to defeat a pair of staff members in close combat, but now that he had Jamie's mod rod, he could isolate them and strike. He'd go for Webster first, without a mod rod of his own, it would be a short, an entirely one-sided fight.

Arriving outside the forested area and exiting the transformed OtakuBot Gavin sighed, observing the remains of the other two units he'd sent out with Alex. Obviously The Beast was tracking them as well, which decreased the remaining CTU agent's chances of success even more. Pushing a button on the remote communicator attached to his wrist, he watched as the pale opaque image of Alex was projected via hologram.

"[b]You've arrived, good. I'm tracking the second group about two and a half miles north-east of your current position, they do not possess the head, so you need worry about them any more. The first group was headed west towards the road, catch them.[/b]" Although he could barely make out The Beast's face, he was sure there was a look of maniacal hunger on it.

"[b]Confirmed.[/b]" Breathing slowly, Gavin sprinted into the woods, gripping his weapon tightly in anticipation. His cloak billowed slightly against the slight breeze moving through the trees. He assumed the group would be running as quickly as they could, but adrenaline would only sustain them for so long, and assassinations had been his speciality both before and after he had left CTU.

Leaping onto a particularly tall branch of nearby cedar, he surveyed the area. Given the late hour it would be nearly impossible to see the agents, but he needed to know approximately how far they were from the road. If they managed to get to it and requisition a vehicle, it was possible they'd get to the allied forces of Charlie and Josh before he could catch them. Dashing forward he picked up his own speed, he could taste their fear on the wind...

"[b]Listen to that.[/b]" Crystia paused for a moment, withdrawing her mod rod.

"[b]To what ?[/b]" Fluff did likewise.

"[b]That's exactly it, I don't hear anything... Everything just went quiet a few seconds ago.[/b]"

"[b]You don't think it's more of those machines do you ?[/b]

"[B]No, we'd hear them coming. This is something different, like a shadow on the wind.[/b]" Crystia turned to face Webster, and gasped, spotting him tied to a nearby tree unconscious with a smoking wound in his shoulder. Fluff held her dog tighter, moving closer to her only remaining companion.

"[b]I've found you...[/b]" Pulling back his hood, Gavin perched on the branch a few feet above Webster. The black half mask covering his face made him look even more demonic than usual. Fluff gasped, recognising the mod rod in his left hand.

"[b]Crystia that's Gurt's mod rod ![/b]" She pointed to the object in Gavin's hand, Crystia put out her own and forced Fluff's hand back down by her side.

"[b]I know Fluff. Just stay close.[/b]" Her voice was almost a whisper. Staring back up at Gavin she spoke louder and more confidently. "[b]What do you want Gavin ?[/b]"

A sly smile broke across Gavin's face. "[b]I want Gadget's head. Give it to me and I'll let you both scurry back to Charlie and Josh unharmed. But...[/b]" He raised a finger in front of his face. "[b]If you try to run or fight, then I'm afraid I'll just kill you both and take it. I really have no interest in either of you, and poor Webster will only last so long without help.[/b]"

"[b]You're despicable Gavin. I can't believe I thought you were a good person.[/b]" Fluff had found her voice again.

Flipping down from the tree a few meters in front of them, he activated the lightsaber mod rod and pointed the blade towards the two women.

"[b]So, what'll it be ?[/b]"

||||||

[url=http://fc03.deviantart.com/fs15/f/2007/032/5/3/The_Lord_of_Grief_by_turin_the_forsaken.jpg]Something close to Gavin's robe's appearance.[/url] [/size]

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]?[b]'OtakuBot Emergency self-destruct button,' eh?[/b]? El Kabong laughed as he placed his hand on the machine's chest, ?[b][I]Don?t mind if I do![/I][/b]?

[B]"Oh bugger."[/B]

Grabbing Sanguinius's shoulder, I spun and crashed us into the dirt. The explosion pressed us down hard; my teeth ground together at the force of its pressure, and I clenched my eyes shut against the flying sand.

The moment it passed, I hauled my comrade to his feet, shoving him harshly forward.

[B]"Run!"[/B] I cried, after spitting out a mouthful of dirt. [B]"I'm right behind you!"[/B]

That, I reflected, was what I got for being so long gone. I must have passed out in the ether after completely draining myself. When or how I got back to HQ ? or rather, its ruins ? I couldn't exactly recall. My head was starting to come back to me, though, and it occurred to me that in my current state I was ill-equipped to handle such an arbitrary scenario. I focused while I ran.

[I]?Let's see. What was it? Oh, right: click [U]left[/U] analog stick for view shifts....[/I]

[CENTER]--------------[/CENTER]

Shades stumbled as he fled, nearly pitching headlong into the sand. Sanguinius shot a concerned glance backwards.

[B]"You okay?"[/B] he called.

[B]"Yeah, I'm fine,"[/B] returned Shades. [B]"Don't worry about it."[/B]

They ran for a few more minutes before pulling to a halt. Neither said anything at first, too busy catching their breath. They exchanged looks while they panted: Sanguinius's tired, Shades' wry.

[B]"Drat,"[/B] Shades pronounced finally.

[B]"Amen,"[/B] agreed Sanguinius. [B] "Now what?"

"Well, obviously we need to reconnoiter with Fluff and the Blither-Man."

"Who?"[/B]

Shades grinned. [B]"Webster, I mean. Sorry,"[/B] he added.

Sanguinius gave him a strange look. [B]"Okay,"[/B] he went on, [B]"we know we need to find them and stay with them, but it'd probably help if we knew where we were."[/B]

[B]"Possibly. Of course, it'd be just as well if we knew where [I]they[/I] were."[/B]

[B]"I don't follow."[/B]

[B]"You will in a second...."[/B] Shades trailed off, then gave a slight start. [B]"Got 'em. We go thataway."[/B] He pointed as he spoke. [B]"At least you can follow me physically if you can't conceptually. But eh. Let's go."[/B][/FONT]

[Treble]

[SIZE=2]Gavin?s lightsaber mod rod was merely a foot away from Crystia and Fluff.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2][SIZE=2][B]"So what'll it be?"[/B] Gavin inquired.[/SIZE][/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Crystia and Fluff slowly stepped backwards while continuing to hold up their mod rods in defensive stances. It was obvious that they were trying to come up with a plan that will allow the whole team to flee safely. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Meanwhile in Fluff?s duffle bag, Gadget remained awfully silent. He felt upset that he wasn?t able to assist his comrades earlier during the battle against the OtakuBots. However, it was necessary for him to remain quiet throughout the whole encounter with the OtakuBots. If the ominous machines would have heard his voice earlier, they would have done everything they can to get their hands on Gadget?s head, or at least increase their AI to a higher level to outsmart the group.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Gadget was uncertain as to what to do in situation like this. Without his body, there was physically nothing he could do to help his comrades.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Suddenly, while fiddling around with his radar sensors inside his head, he was surprised to see that there were a few people coming towards their location. His robotic sensors assured him that these people weren?t Otakubots, but rather allies.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Gadget looked straight up through Fluff's crowded bag and into the gleaming skies.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2][B]"Perhaps there is hope for us after all."[/B][/SIZE]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="goldenrod"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Shades and Sanguinius came in view just in time to catch the edge of Gavin's declaration as he waved his lightsaber mod rod a mere a foot away from Crystia and Fluff.

"[B]So what'll it be?[/B]" Gavin inquired.

"[B]That's a problem,[/B]" Shades said thoughtfully as he watched Crystia and Fluff backing away slowly, their own mod rods held up defensively.

"[B]Look,[/B]" Sanguinius indicated Webster who was tied to a tree. "[B]We've got to get him down, he won't last long like that.[/B]"

Sanguinius and Shades started to move along the perimeter of the area towards where Webster was tied to the tree only to halt when a barely perceptible noise of a pebble being dislodged caused Gavin to whirl and face them.

"[B]Well, well, well. Not much in the way of help I must say.[/B]" Gavin grinned. "[B]It does make it more fun though.[/B]" He readied his lightsaber mod rod. "[B]Now the question is who wants to die first?[/B]" He took a step towards Shades and Sanguinius only to halt at an audible clicking sound.

"[B]No one's going to die Gavin.[/B]" Fluff said disdainfully as she raised her mod rod, now combined with the spoiler tag rod. Without hesitation she activated it, sending a beam of darkness out, only now when it touched something it was tightly bound by the band of darkness, having been reinforced by the power of her mod rod. Aaryanna was no where to be seen.

Gavin dodged to the right narrowly avoiding the beam of darkness, and then again backwards to avoid Crystia who had moved to capture him with her own mod rod. The fight continued, with Fluff attempting to trap Gavin while Crystia tried to get him as well. Shades and Sanguinius along with Webster and Aaryanna forgotten as the battle raged on.

"[B]Surely you can do better than that[/B]." Gavin grinned maniacally at them as it was clear that he was evading their attacks with ease. While they struggled to evade his own attempts to kill them.

Fluff just narrowed her eyes and then whistled shrilly while Crystia launched another attack meant to catch Gavin. An attack that he dodged with ease but not in time to avoid a small white blur as it caught the back of his robe with a growl and pulled him off balance, just enough for Fluff's next attack to catch him full on, slamming him back into another tree not far from where Webster had been tied up.

The darkness wrapped itself around Gavin, pinning him to the tree. Fluff sagged to her knees with relief, opening her arms to Aaryanna who excitedly jumped into them.

"[B]Good girl![/B]" Fluff exclaimed.

"[B]Well, that takes care of that.[/B]" Crystia said as Shades and Sanguinius came over, carrying the still unconscious Webster.

Fluff put Aaryanna down and stood back up. "[B]No it doesn't. Gavin's got a mod rod, all that will do is hold him for a while. We'd better hurry and get to the others before he breaks free.[/B]"

With renewed determination the group continued on their way as fast as possible. If Gavin got free too soon and caught up with them, Fluff was sure he would not fall for the same trick a second time. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Guest The Blue Jihad]

The mountain trio were unsatisfying. Their blood was thin. Their flesh was mottled. Their bones were brittle. And their hearts were sour. Barely a meal for a small child. They were weak and feeble, and the slaughter brought no joy to the beast, for its claws tore easily through the three, separating flesh from bone, hand from arm, blue and bloodied slice after blue and bloodied slice. Yet the beast's hunger still raged within. It craved better flesh and stronger souls. Its twisted, demonic eyes turned to the darkness, searching for a proper feast...[I][B]Gavin[/B][/I].

His failure echoed through the darkness. The beast felt his crucifixion. And his pain. His soul is a tortured one. A broken man, hung by his own arrogance and pride. Yes, his soul will satisfy the hunger.

~*~*~

"[COLOR=Blue][I]Gaavinnn....[/I][COLOR=Black]"

"[B]Ugh...[/B]" The battered warrior slowly opened his eyes.

[/COLOR][/COLOR]"[COLOR=Blue][COLOR=Black][COLOR=Blue][I]Youuu...have ffffailedd meee...[/I][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]"

"[B]No, no, I haven't. I-[/B]"

"[COLOR=Blue][I]NNO! Nonnne of yourr excussssesss. I willl...fffinish them myselff...[/I][/COLOR]"

"[B]Please, I-I b-beg for your mercy.[/B]"

"[COLOR=Blue][I]Mmmercy? Why should I grant youuu annny mercccy? Why shhould I not carvve your heart out offf your chesssst? Your ssoul will taste magniffficient![/I][/COLOR]" The beast grabbed Gavin's throat.

"[B]Because we are--urk--we are...outnumbered![/B]"

"[COLOR=Blue][I]Ttthinketh youu that numbersss scare mee? I am the darknesss! The shadowsss. I willl devourrr all of their heartss![/I][/COLOR]" The evil tightened its grip.

"[B]Please, I--beg you![/B]"

"[COLOR=Blue][I]You...shall be ssspared. Youu...will sserve mee now. Nnow...come! Those fffools havve gainned grounnd becaussse of you but they arrre nnnot fffar enough...they will allll die...[/I][/COLOR]"

And so it began, a new master and its apprentice, both embraced by the shadows, the darkness as their guide...

[Shy]

Having no way to communicate with their CTU allies, Ploppy and Nomura ultimately decided to head towards Otaku City. It was hoped that the two groups could reunite at the medical facility… but if things had somehow turned for the worst, at least the morgue was across the street.

Grape Ape wanted to stop and catch his breath, but he refused. Together their forces might be enough to stop Gavin and The Beast, but separately each side was vulnerable. Any hope of victory rested on Gadget’s metaphorical shoulders; recovering him as soon as possible was key. Premonition 2.0 couldn’t help but notice the troubled look on his new ally’s face.

“[b]Grape Ape, this might not be the best time…[/b]” he said, the human half of his face attempting to form a smile, “[b]But I have a question to ask.[/b]”

“[b]Go on.[/b]”

“[b]Nomura claims to have traveled to the future with his father, Ploppy. Do you think I’m really destined to die in battle like he says?[/b]”

Grape Ape chuckled to himself before changing back to a more serious expression. Even though he tried to be a strong and dedicated leader, he couldn’t help but find the humor of the situation. If anyone in their ragtag bunch would have questions about the future, it only seemed appropriate it would be a member by the name of “Premonition.”

“[b]After my defeat at the hand of Charlie Bin Laden I saw what I believe to be a horrible vision of the future, Prem,[/b]” Grape Ape replied, “[b]But why would I be given the chance to see the future if it weren’t to change it?[/b]

“[b]You have been a valuable member of your group, Prem, but you should refuse to believe that your story ends here. If anything, this vision of things to come should motivate you to fight again The Beast and Gavin more than ever.[/b]”

The road to Otaku City was long and perilous. They had been walking in the darkness for hours already, and it would be many more before they reached their destination.

“[b]This recent chain of events certainly has been interesting, if not a little difficult to follow,[/b]” Rai muttered as she rolled her eyes, “[b]I do have to say, though. Gavin certainly never showed this much ambition while we were together.[/b]”

“[b]Perhaps you need better taste in men,[/b]” Ploppy replied callously. Rai merely sighed.

“[b]You do have to admit, it’s very… attractive.[/b]”

“[b]It won’t be attractive when he’s wiped out these boards for good,[/b]” Jeremiah said as he glared at the young woman intensely.

“[b]Oh I’d beg to differ. There’s something about an apocalypse that sparks passion between two people, sometimes three…[/b]”

Grape Ape turned to Charlie Bin Laden, who had remained silent for much of the journey.

“[b]You certainly chose some strange teammates, didn’t you?[/b]” Grape Ape asked with a grin.

Silence. Charlie only remained deeply in thought, but Grape Ape continued his one-sided conversation anyway.

“[b]When we reach Otaku City. We need to warn them about what’s going on. Perhaps we can drum up some support from the staff and--[/b]”

“[b]STAFF!?[/b]” Charlie exploded at Grape Ape, his blank expression was now replaced with a look of outrage, “[b]If those blind figureheads had only listened to my demands in the first place, we never would have gotten to this point.[/b]”

“[b]Regardless, we need all of the help we can get.[/b]”

Charlie Bin Laden withdrew a crooked silver dagger from his turban and smiled.

“[b]We started this, old friend, and no matter how large our army is it will be us who finish it.[/b]”

Grape Ape nodded, and the journey continued.

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="Navy"]The journey went forth. Prem decided to stay close to Charlie and Grape Ape, just in case anything interesting would pick up. Prem wanted nothing more than to end Gavin and the Beast's meaningless charade. He took into context what Nomura had said. besides worrying for his future prem had a feeling of hate for the Beast more than Gavin. He wanted to be the once to kill the Beast. At least he should be there to witness that monster's gets everywhere.

[B]"Prem, why are you so high-strung on the Beast?"[/B] Grape Ape asked. Prem just looked up to the sky before even answering.

[B]"Well, I don't really know. I've had a strange feeling from hat thing ever since Charlie released it onto the world. For some reason I feel like I have to kill that thing, even though I can't. I feel like I should, for... Nonentity."[/B]

Shy nodded. [B]"I'm sure there's more than 1 way to kill the beast, we haven't found another weakness... yet.?"[/B]

[B]" I seriously doubt that Grape Ape. He's invinsible. We could distract him or knock him down on his ass, but that's it nothing else."[/b]

[B]"Ah, you were paying attention I see, that's good. Just keep a close lookout for him, you might just be able to escape if your lcuky. He may have one weakness, but he doesn't necciserily have all the cards on his side."[/B]

[B] "Why did you tell me there's a might be a weakness, then test me?"[/B]

[B]"Ah, Prem Well, you see, if you akownledge that you can't win by killing the beast, then you just have a chance of survival. I jsut wnated to know if you knew. I've been wondering, why were you acting strange at the campfire?"[/B]

[B] I felt like the others were in trouble. I could sense the Beast and Gavin near the others. When I was at your base a few weeks ago. How exactely will Charlie kill the beast anyways? Magic, using his very own mod-rod, what?"[/B]

[B]"You'll just have to find out and see Prem." [/B]Shy teased. Prem smiled a little bit as he suddenlty stopped walking.

[i]I don't see why I should have hated Grape Ape, he's a good person to lookup to in this world.[/i] As the group kept walking, Prem took back everything he said about his enemies. But he didn't want to admit it.[/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]Footsteps. Spaced as far apart a possible. Running speed. Four people. One of the set of tracks indicated twice the normal weight of a human male. Either Shade or Sanguinius was carrying the injured Webster... perfect. Gavin tensed for his approach.

"[b][COLOR=Blue]N[/COLOR][COLOR=Blue]no! Mmmove nott! Thisss is what you sshall do...withh yourr weeaapponn, youu will crripple themmm. Mmmake thee wweeakened onne ssscreaaammm![/COLOR][/b]"

"[B]But what about the others?[/B]"

"[COLOR=Blue][b]Payyy them nno mindd. The darrknesss is a powwwerffull ally...it ssshhall brriing the mmmaster Aaryanna to usss. Now, go![/b][/COLOR]"

"[B]Yes, my master.[/B]"

Dashing with the darkness' love, Gavin had the element of surprise. Gadget's radar could not pierce the embrace of the true Mother. The moonlight illuminated his armor in an ethereal glow, beautiful yet deadly. His devotion to the darkness had strengthened him, transformed him. His enemies would be unable to so easily recover this time. Gavin?s mask shifted back to the opposite side of his face and regained it?s bone-white colouring. He removed the mod rod from inside his cloak, and readied it.

?[B]Strikethought[/B]" It was barely above a whisper, inaudible on the wind.

Gavin seemed to materalize right out of the shadows. His darts found their target. Shades fell, screaming, as crimson ran from his left thigh. Fluff and Crystia returned fire, but their bolts hit nothing but darkness. Gavin had already launched himself back into the shadows.

Fluff, Crystia and Webster frantically swung their mod-rods around.

"[B]What--just--happe--[/B]" Fluff exclaimed.

"[B]It...was...Gavin?[/B]" Crystia replied.

"[B]What happened to him...[/B]"

"[B]I don't know. But I don't want to be here to find out. Come on![/B]"

Webster hoisted Shades back onto his shoulders and the four stumbled on.

"[COLOR=Blue][b]Youuu...hahahah...youuu arrre abbouutt to witnessss the powerrr of the daarrknessss...[/b][/COLOR]"

Fluff stopped. "Wh-who said that?!"

"[B]Fluff, what are you doing?!? Come on![/B]"

"[B]No, Webster, Crystia! Did you hear that?[/B]"

"[B]Yeah, you were hearing us getting the hell out of here![/B]"


[b][u]Within the Darkness[/u][/b]

"[COLOR=Blue][b]Ssshe iss delayeddd. Evvverythiinng is as tthe darrknesss hasss ffforeseeeennn....[/b][/COLOR]"

"[b]Then all plans will soon come to fruition.[/b]"

[CENTER]||||||||||[/CENTER]

[color=red][B]Please Note[/B][/color] anyone involved in the group above, this is central to the progression of the plot, so there is a rough story which Josh, Charlie, Alex and I would like followed:

[list][*][font=verdana][size=1] Gavin will not engage the group again directly after injuring Shades.[/size][/font]
[*][font=verdana][size=1]The darkness will blind the team.[/size][/font]
[*][font=verdana][size=1]Aaryanna becomes separated from them with Gadget's head. She believes she hears something in the distance. The rest of the group do not realise this until later.[/size][/font]
[*][font=verdana][size=1]Gavin will focus only on Aaryanna because she has the head, beginning a fight with her.[/size][/font][/list]

I would ask it goes no further than that as there is a very significant plot point to come after it.[/SIZE]

[Japan]

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Laura walked alongside Charlie as they fell back a bit from Grape Ape and the others. Laura stole a glance into Charlie's eyes. His eyes seemed emotionless from their lack of twinkling that she always saw when looking at them. Their gazes met and Laura quickly turned her head away. All that she saw from his stare were anger and hatred. Braving another look, she saw his hair flow about his face and his hands clench into fists.

"...Hun?"

No answer. Thinking that he didn't hear her, she playfully latched onto his arm to try to cheer him up. At full force, he thrusted her off of him. Laura fell backwards with a thud. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Sweetie, talk to me. Please. I can only help if you talk to me."

"Don't bother me!" he barked in reply.

Stunned, Laura ran up ahead to the others, trying to wipe away her tears with her sleeve.[/COLOR]

[Charles]

The threat of an oncoming apocalypse lingered in the air like the smell of an oncoming storm. A storm of ash and hopelessness. The rules of reality were compromised and the talons of betrayal had wounded Charlie Bin Laden, preparing him for the talons of death.

Charlie watched as Laura scampered away to join the others. Her sobbing, trembling figure merged with them in the darkness and they seemed to him, one amorphous blob. They were all pitiful to Charlie, each and every one. Experience had taught the terrorist leader what the idealistic fools could never know. The Blue Beast could not be defeated, not by them, not by anyone. The Grape Ape knew the sad reality of the plight well, for once had he vanquished the Beast and once again did it rise, as if the interruption of its existence had been nothing more than a mere matter of inconvenience. When James ushered The Beast into the foulest pits of hell, many thought it gone forever, but return again it did, smiling its crooked smile, as if thankful for the vacation.

The Beast would forever be given flesh as long as there existed men to nourish it with greed, jealousy, desperation, selfishness.

Charlie stood still, watching as the others marched on, completely forgetting about him. He pitied them, for they marched a march of certain death and they marched it well. Oblivious, naive, most certainly doomed. The desperation of the idealists did nothing but titillate The Beast.

Charlie pitied Gavin too because Gavin, he knew, was nothing but a pawn--just like him. Loyalty, friendship--they were nothing to The Beast. Concepts like morals, ethics, values--these things never entered the Beast's mind. The Beast lived for the abstract--it lived to satisfy the most basic desires that gave it life. When Gavin's bitterness and desperation exceeded Charlie's, The Beast decided to follow him; that was all there was to it.

Charlie peered through the darkness, not of the night, but of the cavernous hallow where any semblance of a human heart once existed. A forum full of spinsters and fools that would always battle his every effort to improve their condition. The CTU itself was a manifestation of their idiocy. They were not worth the effort anymore. A single, solitary shiver ran up his spine.

"Go ahead and die," he said, "See if I care."

What bothered him more than the distinct and very real possibility of death was that even as he uttered his bitter words, Charlie wondered if he truly meant them.

[Horendithas]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=Indigo][I]If only Gavin had not gotten free so quickly![/I] Crystia thought to herself as they guardedly continued for civilization, still keeping an eye out for Gavin who had yet to show himself again. With two of their party now injured their speed was greatly reduced and worse yet agent Fluff was positive that she heard something that the others did not.

[I]Where is he? Why hasn't he shown himself again? [/I]It was not like Gavin to back down. [I]He's up to something,[/I] Crystia thought to herself, but the question was, what? It was even more nerve wracking than engaging in battle, waiting for that moment when your opponent did strike. [I]Dammit! What are you up to Gavin![/I]

As if to answer that thought, before they had taken more than a few steps bands of darkness shot out from the darkness as spoiler tags were strewn all over the area, blanketing everything in darkness. Making it impossible for them to see each other.

"[B]Careful everyone! That had to have come from Gavin![/B]" Fluff's voice rang out.

"[B]Keep moving! Try to to find one another![/B]" Crystia called out, and though she found some of the others, if not for their speech she couldn't tell just who they were.

"[B]I'm terribly sorry about that.[/B]" Sanguinius said when he accidentally grabbed Crystia in the wrong spot. Immediately switching to her arm.

"[B]Forget it.[/B]" Crystia said abruptly, "[B]Who else is with you?[/B]"

"[B]I've got Webster right here.[/B]" Sanguinius replied. "[B]And Shades though a bit put out is next to me.[/B]"

"[B]Keep moving! Aaryanna and I are heading towards you![/B]" Fluff called out.
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=1][COLOR=Indigo]
Crystia could hear Aaryanna growling just off to the right as well as agent Fluff's words of reassurance to her. T[I]hank heaven she's safe. [/I]Crystia thought. [I]We need to find her in this darkness before Gavin does.[/I]

Crystia continued towards civilization and what she thought was agent Fluff's location, not realizing that the darkness was fragmenting their voices, causing them to actually be moving apart instead of towards one another.

She and the others did not hear Aaryanna growl and leap out of her mistress's arms to chase after something she heard. Nor Fluff's cries for her to come back as she chased after her. They would not realize that they had been seperated until it was too late.

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[/SIZE][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][LEFT]
Quick note here: Aaryanna has indicated that she will take it from here and start the fight between her and Gavin.
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