RPG Final Quest for Glory 2: The Final Battle

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="goldenrod"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]"[B]Gah![/B]" Agent Fluff exclaimed as she stumbled over an unseen rock. It had been dark before, but now with the spoiler tags Gavin had strewn over the area, vision was impossible. She couldn't even seen Aaryanna and she was holding her in her arms!

"[B]I hope we're almost to the others,[/B]" She told Aaryanna who merely whined a bit. Agent Fluff had only taken a few steps when with a growl Aaryanna leaped from her arms and took off. Instantly vanishing into the darkness.

"[B]Aaryanna! Come back![/B]" Fuff cried as she took off after her, running as fast as she dared. Several times she tripped and went sprawling only to get back up and keep running. [I]I have to find her![/I] Fluff thought as she ran. [I]Aaryanna would never run away! She must have heard something important.[/I]

A few minutes later Fluff reached the edge of the spoiler tags that Gavin had used to confuse the group. Upon entering the faint light that was available Fluff stopped and looked around, she was at the edge of an old abandoned town, the buildings mostly in ruins. Just at the edge of the ruins was Aaryanna, standing on all paws, growling at something just out of sight.

"[B]Aaryanna! You come here![/B]" Fluff shouted as she ran to where she was located. She was about to pick her up when she realized someone was standing between the two buildings, the shadows hiding their face but she knew who it was.

"[B]Gavin,[/B]" Fluff said with a growl as she pulled her mod rod free. It was still combined with the spoiler tag rod.

With a hiss Gavin activated his own lightsaber mod rod. "[B]Don't think I'll fall for the same trick again Fluff. You should have accept my offer from before. Now even if you did give me Gadget's head, you are still going to die.[/B]"

Agent Fluff took a defensive posture, "[B]No one is going to die Gavin.[/B]" In the next instant Fluff shot a beam of darkness at Gavin, but this time he simply deflected it with his light saber mod rod. [I]Damn![/I]

Immediately he countered with a strike meant to cut her in half, but Fluff jumped backwards out of range and countered with a strike, sending shards of mod power to skewer Gavin, only for him to dodge the shards.

Fluff took advantage of her smaller size to slip into one of the demolished buildings through a crack too small for him to fit through. Once inside she turned and started charging up a wave designed to send the outer wall crashing down on Gavin who was cutting the building with his light saber to make an entrance. At the last second as the wall started to collapse from the wave of power from Fluff's mod rod he jumped backwards narrowly avoiding the falling bricks and debris.

Quickly Fluff attempted to move to a more defensive position, leaving the building and entering a small clearing in the ruined town, only to halt when Gavin suddenly landed right in front of her, his blade already swinging down. Fluff moved to dodge before the blade hit, [I]NO![/I] She thought as she realized it would hit. But then a small white blur caught her attention as Aaryanna once again caught Gavin's robe and gave it a yank, throwing him off balance, resulting in his swing going wild.

"[B]Meddling pest![/B]" Gavin snarled as he attempted to strike Aaryanna who had already moved out of range.

Without hesitation Fluff struck again, leaving Gavin with barely enough time to counter. But then before either one could move Aaryanna let out a pitiful whimper and ran straight to her mistress, running right between Gavin's legs causing him to stumble backwards.

"[B]What is it Aaryanna?[/B]" Fluff asked, but then as something terrible emerged from the shadows she knew. It was the Beast. Fluff went stiff with fear. [I]Gods! [/I]And for a moment she couldn't think, she knew she lacked the power to stop the beast. [I]I have to delay them somehow, until the others realize I'm here! [/I]

"[B]Go and find the others Aaryanna![/B]" She cried as she readied her mod rod once more. With a shot Aaryanna took off. [I]I hope she finds them in time.[/I] Fluff thought as she slowly backed away. [I]I don't know how long I can keep them at bay. [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[size=1]Turning slowly, Gavin watched as the ancient evil that was The Beast drew slowly out of the shadows, his head bowed down as his master approached. Even the light from the glowing beam of Gavin's weapon seemed to dim in the presence of this monster.

"[b]The mongrel has gone my lord, as expected. I shall finish the girl at your command.[/b]"

[color=blue]?[b]Yesss my apprenticcce. Yourr hattredd makess youu powerrfulll. Go, killl herr and take backk that whicchh belonggss to usss.[/b]"[/color]

Aaryanna watched in rapt horror. As evil as Gavin had seemed to her, all along he had been merely the servant of another far greater malevolence.

"[b]As you command[/b]"

A wicked grin grew upon the Beast's hideous face at his apprentice's acquiescence. Gavin paced forward and reassumed his stance in front of Aaryanna, the lightsaber?s blood coloured blade thrumming almost... hungrily. He even looked different, his face was paler, his features sharper, his eyes which had previously been a warm shade of blue now seemed tainted with steel. He reached out with his free hand towards her.

?[b]Give me the head Aaryanna, your death does not have to be painful. As fallen as you consider me, I am not without mercy to those who have fought well.[/b]? Even his voice seemed more ethereal than before, like he was less human.

?[b]No. I won?t give up Gadget to you or the Beast. If you want it, you will have to take it ![/b]? A goldenrod blade emerged from the tip of her mod rod. She saw a tiny, approving smile break onto Gavin?s face.

?[b]Then let?s end this.[/b]?

He sprang towards her faster that she expected, but her counter was flawless, bringing her blade into contact with his. White sparks shot out between the point of contact between both of them. Spinning on his left foot, Gavin lashed with the sole of his right foot, out connecting with Aaryanna?s midsection and sending her tumbling back along the ground. The Beast cackled in delight at his student?s prowess, clapping maniacally and calling for more.

[color=blue]?[b]Gooood, gooood. Now finisshhh herrr Gavinnn.[/b]?[/color]

Moving in for the kill, Gavin brought his lightsaber above his head and struck down vertically on Aaryanna?s skull. As the blade connected he instantly realised something was wrong, the weapon moved weightlessly though his enemy without any reaction from her. Instead ?Aaryanna? became a pile of HTML coding. She?d used an image duplicate, evidently she was more skilled than he had given her credit for. That was good, he wanted a better fight.

Ducking, Aaryanna?s own lightsaber passed inches above him, threatening to sever him at the shoulders. Bringing her own blade down in a striking motion, she passed it through Gavin?s shoulder but instead of blood, only more coding spilled out.

?[b]You?re not the only one who knows how to use an image substitution.[/b]?

Turning, she expected Gavin to attack, but was faced with only emptiness. Spinning 180 degrees, she called on a line break to stop a hail of strike darts her opponent had summoned., but again he seemed invisible. Only the sudden sound of his blade alerted Aaryanna to his position and the quick movement of her blade blocked his attack. Switching to a one handed grip, which given his physical size and strength was enough to hold the colliding blade, he stuck forward with his fist into her face. Reeling at the physical pain and the blood now coming from her nose, Aaryanna attempted moved back into a defensive stance, but Gavin?s next attack came too fast. In a single swift movement he literally beaten the weapon out of her hand and shouldered her down onto the ground. They both knew the fight was over...

?[b]Now hand over the head.[/b]?

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

I hope I wrote you correctly Aaryanna, if I didn?t just tell me what?s off and I?ll try and change it.

Alex will be introducing the next plot point, as it was his idea originally. And yes, he was meant to be reminiscent of Palpatine the way I wrote him.[/size]

[Shy]

The group had continued walking for many more hours, but finally, the lights of Otaku City could be seen on the horizon.

“[b]We should be there by sunrise,[/b]” Ploppy said sagely, “[b]I only hope that we aren’t too late.[/b]”

Grape Ape wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed. This war was relentless, and the fate of the message board may very well on his shoulders. If Webster and the others weren’t waiting in Otaku City, if the worst had happened, they would have no way of locating the base -- it would be too late. [I]Perhaps..[/I] Grape Ape thought to himself, [I]Perhaps it’s too late already…[/I]

“[b]None of this makes any sense![/b]” Rai exclaimed, “[b]I‘ve been thinking about this for hours… Alex I understand, but Gavin is a good member, right? Why would he try to destroy us?![/b]”

Nomura placed his hand on Rai’s shoulder to try and calm her down.

“[b]It’s alright, Laura. From your perspective I can see how crazy everything might seem, but this is the result of a bizarre chain of events that ultimately doomed OtakuBoards.[/b]”

“[b]My son is right[/b]” Ploppy replied sagely, “[b]To find the origins of Gavin’s rage, we need only look back to Otaku Idol 2.[/b]”

Grape Ape’s eyes widened after hearing this revelation.

“[b]You mean it‘s my fault?[/b]”

“[b]Not entirely, Grape Ape. Gavin’s love for this site nearly eclipses your own, but after so many years he felt trapped by his status as a 'regular' member. He had longed for a position among OB’s elite staff: the power, the sense of fraternity, the fangirls… it was all too tempting for him…[/b]”

“[b]So when Otaku idol 2 rolled around, Gavin saw this as his last chance to be somebody,[/b]” Nomura added, “[b]The enormous failure of his proposed event, Kumite, is what pushed him over the edge for good.[/b]”

Rai began to chuckle to herself as Nomura spoke.

“[b]Gavin had been angling for a staff position for years,[/b]” she replied, “[b]That hunger for power is why the role of moderator has eluded him, not Grape Ape or anyone else. Everyone knows you don't become a moderator by asking to become one.[/b]”

Ploppy nodded in agreement.

“[b]Whether or not this is true is besides the point. Gavin feels these boards have been in sharp decline for years. He and The Beast long for a return to the OtakuBoards of old, and will stop at nothing to accomplish that.[/b]”

“[b]Then we stop him![/b]” Premonition said proudly, “[b]Grape Ape has banished The Beast before. He’ll simply do it again.[/b]”

Grape Ape lowered his head in shame. Silence.

“[b]What’s wrong, Ape?[/b]”

“[b]As others have said, I only halted The Beast temporarily… after each banishment his thirst for blood only grows stronger. And now, without my mod powers I fear I’m helpless to combat him and Gavin.[/b]”

“[b]And that you are, infidel,[/b]” Rai replied smugly, “[b]You, and anyone else without a mod rod will only get in the way of this coming battle. Once we reach Otaku City I suggest you all make peace with the great Jenovah, and leave the final battle to Charlie.[/b]”

Japan turned to Rai.

“[b]You can’t mean that. We’re all in this--[/b]”

“[b]You are nothing but an appetizer to The Beast, woman![/b]” she screamed, “[b]Charlie Bin Laden knows our cause is doomed, and that is why he has left us to wander the desert alone.[/b]”

"[b]The pressure is simply getting to him is all. He needs some time to himself.[/b]"

"[b]No deary. He needs some time away from [i]you[/i]. When you betrayed him to join the CTU it broke his heart, and he'll never forgive you for it![/b]"

Grape Ape reached for Japan to comfort her, but it was already too late. Her eyes filled with tears, the young woman ran frantically towards the bright lights of Otaku City, alone.

[Charles]

Silence. Complete and utter silence. The disturbing silence of war. The desert seemed completely unaware of an oncoming force so fearful in its potentialities, so absolutely terrifying, that every man, every fighter, became nothing but helpless playthings under its demented will. The desert seemed indifferent to the losses about to be incurred by unrelenting, undiscriminating war.

Charlie Bin Laden wasn't sure how long he had been wandering through the desert. After all, he too was at war--with himself. Seconds. Minutes. Hours. Days. The concept of time meant nothing to him. Charlie Bin Laden merely shuffled through the sands of his own self-loathing, a broken man with little purpose other than to wander through the expansive abyss of the desert until he collapsed in private. His features were sharp and angular and his garments had been reduced to tattered rags.

This was war.

When at last his legs were prepared to buckle underneath him, Charlie Bin Laden noticed a small enclosure of trees. A hallucination. No vegetation, no living thing could possibly exist in the harsh climate in which he wandered. Charlie Bin Laden marched in rank and file, the hallucination having already earned his contempt for giving him a reason to live a few moments longer.

The threads of Charlie Bin Laden's imagination were very powerful. His ravaged feet embraced the moist, lush carpet of mud and vestige underneath him. The trees seemed to bend behind him, blocking the off the pathway in which he entered. What made Charlie Bin Laden curious, seemed to have hanged him.
Then again, perhaps he was already dead.

His route of escape closed, Charlie fell to his knees and noticed, for the first time, an expanse of water before him. Without thinking, Charlie lunged at it like an animal and greedily wet his scorched throat with the delicious liquid. When he had his fill, he merely stared at his reflection, as if seeing himself for the first time in a long time.

Charlie Bin Laden's observation was then abruptly disturbed by a flash of blinding, white light. The terrorist leader scrambled back on the palm of his hands as the light expanded and engulfed the mysterious space. From within the light, two silhouettes began to emerge.

"Charlie Bin Laden," a familiar voice said, "What is the matter, do you not recognize me?

"What's up, buddy?" the other shadow said.

"God?" Charlie Bin Laden said.

"We always were egotistical, but I think you're pushing it a bit much," one of the figures said, emerging from the light.

What Charlie Bin Laden saw was a phantom that made him shiver to the bone. The other figure emerged and Charlie's eyes grew with madness and disbelief.

The two mysterious visitors were exact replicas of himself.

"Devils!" Charlie exclaimed, "Why do you torment me so?"

"Come now," one of them said, "Stop being such a petulant child.

"Yeah, get a grip, dude," the other said.

"Who-who are you?" Charlie asked. His voice was thick and hoarse with terror.

"We are you," one of them answered. "I am Crazy White Boy."

"And I am The Great White Frying Pan Man," the other said.

"We see that you are confused," Crazy White Boy said, "And you have a right to be. You see, Charlie, you lost a big part of yourself a long time ago."

"You lost us," Frying Pan Man said.

"I don't understand," Charlie said, rising to his feet.

"You don't seem to understand much of anything lately, do you?" Frying Pan Man said.

"It goes like this," Crazy White Boy said, leaning his elbow on Charlie's shoulder, "Somewhere along the line, you lost sight of what was important at OtakuBoards. Somewhere along the line you became bitter and resentful. That's when you stopped enjoying OtakuBoards and lost touch with Pan Man over here."

The Great White Frying Pan Man glared at Charlie Bin Laden.

"And then, " Crazy White Boy said, "You stopped caring about putting effort into your posts. And then you lost touch with me."

Charlie Bin Laden fell to his knees and bowed his head.

"What does it even matter anymore?" Charlie Bin Laden said, "I'm doomed anyway. We all are. It's Alex. There's no way he can be defeated."

"Alex is not invincible," CWB said, "But you must become what you once were in order to combat him. You must become the man who was once ruled OtakuBoards with an iron fist. You must pull yourself back together and ascend to a level that even that Beast cannot fathom. Together, we must once again become Charles. Take my hand, boy."

"And mine too! You may be fractured, but you can be fixed!" Frying Pan Man said.

Charlie looked up at the two phantoms, extended his hands and grasped theirs. All at once a warm, white light engulfed them all. It seemed to wash the pain away.

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="Navy"] [B]"I hope Japan is okay?" [/B]Prem said. he was worried about Charlie, he seemed to have lost hope. Inside Prem knew that the beast couldn't be destroyed. Shy only told him to wait and see to cheer him up, but Prem knew better. Prem had suddenly realized that something in the city was waiting for him.

[B]"Hey, Grape Ape."[/B] Prem whispered. Ape looked at Prem.

[B]"yeah, something the matter?"[/B] Ape asked. Prem just looked around.

[B]"I need to leave for a bit, something is waiting for me in the city. Mind if I go see to it?" [/B]Prem asked. He didn't want to just up and leave without saying anything. Ape nodded.

[B]"Go. Do what you have to do. When your finished with it, come find us, okay?"[/B] Prem nodded and ran off.

~~~~

Prem ran toward the edge of town as fast as he could. He saw his old apartment, where he moved to shortly after joining the terrorists. Relocating so he wouldn't bring hate into his family. He walked into his dark apartment. everything was just as he left it. he entered a closet. then turned on the lights.

Inside the closet were about five guns, a few bombs and other various weapons.

[B]"Why not equip?"[/B] He said to himself with a smile on his face. He picked up the guns and a couple of slings and put them on his body. "Well, better get back to the others."

~~~~

Prem went back to the others as fast as he could.[B] "Hey, I'm back. Had to get something to defend myself with. Sorry for the wait. Shall we get on with this then, no more watiing."[/b] [/COLOR]

[Guest The Blue Jihad]

"[B]...I'll never turn anything to the dark side...[/B]"

Gavin took a single step forward. "[COLOR=Red][B]Pitiful. So naive. So simple. So...prideful. That was always your bane, Fluff. You always believed yourself to be faster and stronger than you really were.[/B][/COLOR]"

Fluff inched backwards. "[B]No, you're wrong. I know what I'm capable of, that is all. You two won't get away with this. Help will come for me. Aaryanna is a smart dog. She'll find her way through the pitch of your blackened hearts.[/B]"

"[COLOR=Red][B]Two? Your eyes deceive you. And so does your judgment. You're so sure about your chances. If it weren't so pathetic, I might find it entertaining. The beast has shown me many things within the darkness, Fluff. I--[/B][/COLOR]"

"[B]No! You--you don't have anything left![/B]" Fluff stood. "[B]There is no "I" in you anymore. There's just darkness! And Aaryanna will--[/B]"

"Yip yip! Yip! Yip!" The dog's shrill bark sent razor blades to Fluff's ears and daggers into her heart.

"[COLOR=Red][B]Heheh...you mean [I]that[/I] dog[/B][/COLOR]," Gavin chuckled.

"[B]No...how...no...[/B]" Fluff sobbed.

"[COLOR=Blue][I]Yessss...Iiii toldd youu. Ttthe daaarknessss is quite powerfful. Thisss tiny beasst would never have ffound itsss way hommme. It...ssssurely would have diied ifff the darknesss did not ggguiide it ttto my...looooving arrmsss.[/I][/COLOR]" The beast emerged from the darkness, with Aaryanna in its arms. As the beast approached, it handed the dog to Gavin. "[COLOR=Blue][I]Now, Fluff...nnnow....youu will beearrr witnesss to the powerrrr of the darknessss. Thee ttrue Motherrr will ttake youu...[/I][/COLOR]"

Fluff fell to her hands and knees out of desperation. Her tears flowed, soaking the sand before her. "[B]No,[/B]" she whispered, "[B]it can't be like this. It can't end like this. Mother...she can't be the darkness.[/B]"

[center][COLOR=DarkOrchid][I]...daughter, I am here...[/I][/COLOR][/center]

"[B]Mom!?!?[/B]"

"[COLOR=Blue][I]Yourrr heart isss miine! Your sssoul is mmmine![/I][/COLOR]"

[center][COLOR=DarkOrchid][I]...NO! You will not take her![/I][/COLOR][/center]

And lo, there came a blinding light that scorched the sands and brought down the heavens. When Fluff opened her eyes, the beast and Gavin had vanished back into the shadows, and there, standing before her, was Mother.

[center][COLOR=DarkOrchid][I]Aaryanna...you've grown so much.[/I][/COLOR][/center]

[LEFT]"[B]Mom, I missed you so much...I was so scared.[/B]"

[center][COLOR=DarkOrchid][I]You are safe, little one. There is nothing to fear.[/I][/COLOR][/center]
[LEFT]
"[B]I love you, Mom.[/B]"

[center][COLOR=DarkOrchid][I]I love you, too.[/I][/COLOR][/center]
[LEFT]
Clapping. Mean, terrible, slow clapping. Fluff and Mother turned. "[COLOR=Red][B]It's just so touching, this little family reunion[/B][/COLOR]" Gavin said as he strolled out, completely unscathed, of the darkness. "[COLOR=Red][B]It's moments like this that make it that much easier to destroy everything you hold dear.[/B][/COLOR]" He raised his mod-rod at Mother.

Fluff leveled her mod-rod and spoiler wand directly at him. "[COLOR=Black][B]If you pull that effing trigger, I swear to Heaven and Hell that I'll rip you apart like the Goddamn animal you've become. Kill my Mother, and you effing suffer a fate worse than death.[/B][/COLOR]"

"[COLOR=Red][B]Fluff! Language, language, language![/B][/COLOR]" Gavin chastised. "[COLOR=Red][B]Especially not in front of dear old Mum! And you've got me pegged all wrong, deary. I'm not going to kill Mother. I would never kill Mother. Wouldn't even consider the idea. But [I]that[/I], on the other hand? [I]That[/I] will kill Mother.[/B][/COLOR]"

The beast exploded out from the darkness onto Mother's back and sunk its fangs deep into her alabaster neck. Mother screamed.

"[B]MOM! NO![/B]"

The crimson streamed out as the beast's powerful jaws plunged their daggers deeper. Mother's blood quickly turned to black. The poisoned tongue of death was in her now. The beast was releasing his venom. The corruption had begun.

The beast leapt off of her back and let her crumple to the ground. Its snout glistened red and black. It motioned for Gavin, then turned to Fluff.

"[COLOR=Blue][I]Ifff you want to sssave your precciousss Motherrr...meeet me in Ottakku City. Bring mmme the heeaad of Gadgettt and I will prrroviide youu the annntidote ttoo the poison that now scourgessss through her bllooood...[/I][/COLOR]"

With that, the beast and Gavin sped off into the shadows, to Otaku City, leaving Fluff and Aaryanna to cry over their Mother.

[center][I][COLOR=DarkOrchid]...daughter...do not cry. I still live.
Take me to Otaku City. We...will prevail.
We must.[/COLOR]
[/I][/center]
[/LEFT]
[/LEFT]

[/LEFT]

[Wondershot]

"He's still out?..."

"...can carry him any...."

"Can't leave..."

Webster awakened to the sound of what seemed to be a surprisingly heated argument. The first thing he noticed was that Agent Shades was lying down next to him, somewhat uncharacteristic of...oh, Webster sees a leg wound. He rouses himself to hear an explosion of anger from a female voice.

"You can't carry him anymore?! Fine, I will!"

Agent Crystia then turns to pick up Webster, only to notice his change in position and jumps back up.

"Oh! Webster! You're back!"

"I don't recall ever having left."

Webster painfully returns to his feet, looking with great apprehension at the hole in his shoulder. He examines it carefully with his extremely limited medical experience. Gavin's weapon did a fine job cauterizing it, so he was unlikely to bleed out from it, but he would have to get to a hospital soon to check the blood flow in his entire arm, as it was devoid of feeling.

"Damn, and that was my writing hand."

"Well, that settles it! Webster is up, so you just help Shades up and we can get moving again!"

Crystia began marching in an authoritarian fashion towards the brightening lights of the city in the distance. Sanguinius reached an arm out for Shades, and Webster began following, but the wound in his arm was troubling him quite a bit.

"Agent Webster, come on!"

Crystia's voice in the distance beckoned, but Webster reeled and fell backwards upon trying to run in her direction. She stopped and ran back to check on him. Webster began struggling to his feet.

"Webster, you okay?"

Webster nodded briefly to Sanguinius, despite the fact that he was quite certain he was not.

"I have a...an extremely low blood pressure, I really can't operate normally without..."

Webster reeled again as the blood began draining from his head once more. Sanguinius threw an arm against him to prevent him from falling over a second time.

"Okay, that's it. Crystia, you help Shades, I'm carrying Webster."

Sanguinius cracked his knuckles briefly, but Webster began wandering off, checking his pockets with his left hand.

"What are you doing, Agent Webster?"

Webster turned around, and in his left hand he flashed a PDA at him.

"Look, if you try to help me we're just going to slow down far too quickly. They'll be on us in a second."

Webster, to the best of his ability, began punching numbers into the PDA. Sanguinius motioned to Crystia and Shades to move ahead, but he remained.

"Stop being so stubborn and let me help you!"

Webster, having finished punching in his numbers, slipped the PDA back into his inside breast pocket.

"No, Agent Sanguinius. Now I will help you."

A moment later, Sanguinius became aware of the sound of an approaching airplane. In a moment it came into view. Extremely large, flying at low altitude...a tactical airlift plane.

"Now, we see if my training finally bears fruit."

The plane, on final approach, opened its cargo bays wide and dropped a massive package, wrapped in plastic, right between Webster and Sanguinius. He jumped back as it made a massive crater where it landed, and Webster approached it reverently. He proceeded to delicately tear the plastic off, and Sanguinius examined it more closely. It looked like a monolith of some sort, extremely large and dense, with a leathery exterior. Webster smiled as he pointed to a section on the side of the slab.

"We knew it as X-OED3."

Sanguinius examined the spot where Webster pointed and could make out letters, embossed in gold print.

[I]The Oxford Dictionary of English
Third Edition
PROTOTYPE[/I]

"The largest compilation of the English dictionary known to man. Every term, expression, neologism in the whole almighty English language. It was meant to be developed as software, but he decided to design a book prototype for defensive use."

Sanguinius watched as Webster began pulling the book from its crater with great effort. Once he did, he pulled a series of straps out from under the inside dust jacket and clipped them to his body. The book then enveloped his entire frame, like the roof of a house.

"It's the ultimate form of defense known to Otaku or man. Nothing can penetrate close to a million words sealed beneath a fireproof dust jacket and kevlar hardcover. It will slow me down greatly, but it will also slow down our pursuers, and likely keep me alive until I reach the destination, regardless of who is attempting to attack me."

Sanguinius, while somewhat impressed with the sight, can't help but shake his head.

"No, I'm not..."

Webster reaches out and grabs him by the shoulders.

"Listen to me, Agent Sanguinius. Our mission is to get as many personnel back to the city as possible, and it is more than likely our groups will rendezvous back at the hospital. If you go, then you will be able to assist in any effort that they may undertake, as well as ensure your continued survival and most likely mine. However, if you stay behind, this dictionary won't be able to protect both of us, and we will likely perish when our pursuers catch up. Now, what do you believe is the more plausible course of action?"

Sanguinius pauses for a moment, then regards Webster and nods briefly. Webster smiles.

"Good. Go on ahead and tell the others what is happening. I will not catch up, but at least our pursuers won't either. If you doubt my return, then just point everyone back in the direction of myself and Agent Fluff once we are assured of backup. All right?"

Sanguinius nods briefly.

"Good, go on, then. I'll see you some time from now."

Sanguinius turns towards the city, but gets one last look at Webster before running in the direction of the lights. Webster sighs heavily and slips the X-OED3 more comfortably over his weakened shoulders. He begins his plod, knowing that the dictionary will slow him down but ultimately keep him safe from further harm. He smiles with reminiscence as he trots slowly along the path.

"I guess this is my last gift from you. I promise not to use it to harm."

He looks up at the stars, and for the briefest moment, imagines someone smiling down on him.

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]Moving silently through the darkness towards Otaku City, Gavin's speed and pace shifted, bringing him beside The Beast.

"[B]Master, I have an errand to attend to. I will meet you and the others at our rendezvous point before the exchange.[/B]"

The Beast howled in laughter, dark, cold, joyless laughter. Even Gavin couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort at something so utterly unnatural...

[color=blue]"[b]An errranddd ? Nowww whatt mighttt thatt beee Gavinnn ?[/b]"[/color]

He remained silent for a moment. "[b]I have a particular soul I wish to offer to the Darkness for the coming battle.[/b]" The Beast grinned, it's teeth still black with the venom so recently injected into Mother's bloodstream.

He had not expected Mother of all people to arrive in on their battle, but Gavin supposed he should have, the cub is never without it's mother's protection. Love. He gritted his teeth at the thought of it, how his own love for OtakuBoards had been taken gladly and never been rewarded. Instead he was forced to watch idiot after idiot join the staff, while he was left to fight it's enemies.

Then came Kumite... the last straw. He had given them all the opportunity to be part of something great, but instead they had accepted mediocrity ! He could pinpoint that as being the moment he lost faith in the boards completely, but it was not until his exposure to the KUJA virus some months later that his loss of faith had been transformed into utter hatred.

Seeking out the Beast had been the next logical step. By himself he lacked the power to destroy OtakuBoards, and Charlie was the eponymous rebel leader who would gladly step into James' power vacuum. No... Gavin needed Alex, and knew that with his retained abilities, Charlie would be the one who'd have to resurrect it. Little by little he's poured the idea in the terrorist's mind: that bringing back The Beast would tip the balance in his favour against the CTU. Three times he was rebuffed, but by the fourth, the grain of truth wrapped in a lie seemed to have taken root and the ancient evil he now kept pace with was resurrected.

It seemed instantly Alex had known it had not been Charlie's idea to summon him, but like Gavin it played a role that suited them both. Offering the terrorist leader it's power in return for the souls of the damned and both agreed, but it had all been merely a ruse.

Gavin could remember their first meeting so clearly, he had sought out The Beast in the dead of night while the others slept. But the creature had been expecting him... it saw the darkness in his soul and his desire for destruction, and both pleased him. An unnatural blackness spread out and enveloped all corners of the room and Alex offered Gavin the power he desired... He accepted it readily, but in return, The Beast infected the remaining portions of good from Gavin's soul...What was left could barely be called a spirit, it had been mauled and left diseased and weakened. Fed with anger, hatred and pain...

"[b]White... I want to claim White's soul.[/b]"

The same horrible laughter penetrated every facet of his mind. Slowly Alex nodded in agreement.[/SIZE]

[Japan]

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Laura wandered aimlessly in the slums of Otaku City. The bright neon lights flashed on various signs, welcoming strangers into bars and prostitute houses.

It started to downpour hard. Laura just let the rain soak her clothes. She didn't care anymore. Hearing trance music from one of the bars, she walks in, wanting to drink away her sorrows. As she stepped in, she noticed many eyeing her.

Laura sat down on the nearest bar stool.

A tall guy with a deep voice leaned down from the otherside of the counter. "What can I do for ya, miss?"

Laura glanced up and her jaw dropped in surprise. G'GREG???"

"Laura?"

"Where the hell have you been?"

"I retired to this bar. Such as life when you are no longer a moderator. What do ya want?"

"Mango flavored rum mixed with sprite please."

Greg quickly grabbed a beer mug, mixed the drink and gave it to Laura. After a few sips, Laura glanced down at concoction, her frown returning.

"What's wrong girl?"

"I left the Counter Terrorism Unit for the Terrorists because I wanted to be with Charlie, but ever since that havoc of Gavin and the beast, Charlie's been really cold and moody to me. It makes me feel like he doesn't love me anymore."

"You've got to be kidding me. You two have been close since the day you've met. Quit being all mopey. He cares for you it's obvious."

Laura sighed.

Greg smacked her with his towl.

"Ow!"

"Don't be such a worrywart"

"Okaaay. I better go check on the others. They might need me. Oh, here is the money to pay."

"It is on the house now get out of here."

Laura nodded and rushed out the door to the hospital.[/COLOR]

[Shy]

Otaku General Hospital was easily the finest on the internet. Thanks to an outrageous amount of private funding, Otaku General had maintained a spotless safety and patient satisfaction record for the past decade. Even when it was known as “Absolute Gameboy General Hospital” the friendly and knowledgeable staff made every effort to achieve consistency and excellence. Grape Ape and his crew had arrived early in the morning, but the injured were quickly ushered to the appropriate specialists.

Dr. Azure Wolf, chief of surgery, made certain that each and every member was thoroughly inspected and properly treated, despite their political allegiances or post counts. While the others were being looked after, the good doctor called the recently reunited Crystia and Grape Ape into his spacious office.

“[b]I just want you both to know that we’re giving your friends the finest care available,[/b]” Dr. Wolf said as he offered the pair a jelly bean from his candy dish, “[b]Shades is coming out of the anesthesia right now. Once he comes to he should be walking normally without any trouble.[/b]”

“[b]That’s great to hear, Doctor,[/b]” Crystia replied as she wiped the desert sand caked onto her face, “[b]I just hope Webster and Fluff are found soon. I feel awful for leaving her in the desert like that.[/b]”

Grape extended his hand towards Crystia.

“[b]You made the right decision. Fluff may be young, but I have no doubt that she and the others will be fine.[/b]”

Dr. Wolf nodded.

“[b]OB Staff has been notified. Moderators are combing the desert for everyone as we speak.[/b]”

Crystia sighed.

“[b]If The Beast doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be,[/b]” she replied softly, “[b]If we don’t find her soon I’m going back into that wasteland myself.[/b]”

There was a knock at the door, and Japan popped out from behind it.

“[b]I’m sorry to interrupt, everyone -- I just wanted you to know that I’m safe, Grape Ape. Rai knows just how to push my buttons… part of me thinks I joined the CTU originally just so I might get the chance to arrest her.[/b]”

Grape Ape and Crystia laughed.

“[b]Yes. Assuming we hear from Charlie Bin Laden again, the first thing he needs to do is shut that girl up.[/b]”

“[b]So yeah…[/b]” Japan said sheepishly, “[b]Sorry again for interrupting. I guess that’s all.[/b]”

“[b]Laura. Wait![/b]”

Grape Ape stood up and turned towards Japan.

“[b]Sorry, Dr. Wolf. I trust Crystia can deal with anything you might need.[/b]“

“[b]No problem, Grapey. I’ll make sure we’re ready to head out when you return.[/b]”

“[b]Thank you, Crystia.[/b]”

Crystia nodded, and Grape Ape followed Japan out to the hallway.

“[b]What do you need, Grape Ape?[/b]”

“[b]I have an appointment with James very soon.[/b]” he said, “[b]With Charlie M.I.A. I was hoping you’d stand in for him during our conversation.[/b]”

Japan smiled.

“[b]I’d be honored to. What do you need me to do?[/b]”

Grape Ape raised an eyebrow as he inspected Japan’s conservative attire.

“[b]For starters?[/b]” he replied, “[b]Wear something that shows off your boobs.[/b]”

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="goldenrod"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Fluff didn't clearly remember when Webster found her and Mother struggling towards Otaku City. From the very beginning, from the moment Gavin and the Beast had left, Mother had been unable to move without help. And all Fluff could remember was how with each step her Mother's strength gave out, little by little. Without her and Webster to help her, Mother would have collapsed, overcome by the poison long before they reached civilization and the startled moderators who had been helping with the search for them.

All she could do was stare blankly at her surroundings as help was organized and Mother and Webster were both swiftly taken to Otaku General Hospital. Even as she was taken there as well, Fluff couldn't forget Gavin's words about how she had fooled herself in to thinking she could do more. [I]It's my fault.[/I] She thought miserably,[I] It's my fault that so many died and Mom was hurt.[/I] Fluff held Aaryanna tightly as she was ushered into the hospital, responding dully to the staff there as well as to the other agents who were glad to see that she was alright.

Once it was clear that her injuries were not serious, she was ushered to the pristine waiting room while they tended to her Mother. For now, she would have to wait, but surely they could do something, couldn't they? The doctors here were the best weren't they? Fluff was fighting to hold back the tears when Crystia finally found her. Without hesitation she came over and put her right arm across Fluff's shoulders when she sat down next to her.

"[B]I'm glad you're safe,[/B]" She said with a smile. "[B]I was worried when we got seperated by the darkness. I was about to go and hunt for you myself.[/B]"

"[B]Gavin was toying with me, wasn't he?[/B]" Fluff asked Crystia, but when she hesitated instead of answering, Fluff turned and glared at her. "[B]Answer me![/B]"

"[B]Fluff, it's not that simple.[/B]" Crystia hedged.

"[B]Don't treat me like a kid.[/B]" Fluff said, starting to cry. "[B]If I hadn't thought I could do more than I can then Mom...[/B]" she choked. "[B]Mom wouldn't have gotten hurt saving me from being killed. So please tell me the truth.[/B]"

Crystia sighed a bit. "[B]I'm sorry Fluff, but even though you did tie Gavin to the tree with the spoiler tags, it was clear that he was far better at battle than you are. [/B]" Crystia looked away. "[B]To be honest, I doubt I could beat him either."[/B]

"[B]I'm sorry Crystia,[/B]" Fluff sobbed. "[B]It's all my fault.[/B]"

"[B]No Fluff, you did not fill Gavin's soul with hatred, he did that himself. The only thing you're guilty of is being overconfident.[/B]" She ruffled Fluff's hair. "[B]Now no more crying okay? The doctors will fix Mother up in no time you'll see.[/B]"

Fluff just nodded, but inwardly she couldn't forget the Beast's words about an antidote. The Beast had sounded so certain, so confident that Mother would die without it. Fluff just kept holding Aaryanna while she waited for the doctors to tell her how Mother was doing. [I]She just has to get better! [/I][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]Otaku City, the bright centre of culture and civilisation for the denizens of OtakuBoards. It was beautiful in a morbid sort of way, like fireflies trapped in a jar with no air holes, they'd flitter and buzz about in an elegant light show, but eventually, one by one they'd all drop dead. The night sky had been overcast for some time, but now the first rain drops fell against the cityscape and dappled the left side of Gavin's face. It would be the perfect backdrop for what he came here to do, the moderators would never expect him to strike so directly, he could have made it look like a mugging gone wrong, it happened from time to time in a city of nearly nine thousand.

But he wouldn't, he'd decided that already, Gavin would kill 8-Bit as he'd been prepared to kill Fluff, in single combat, and finally he would prove himself the superior one. His cloak fluttered gently against the wind, covering the mod-rod he'd recently acquired. Gavin had been sitting on the lightning rod atop the skyscraper that housed the moderation staff of OtakuBoards for the ten minutes, just savouring his own emotions, anger, hatred, pain, vengeance. Each of them gave him strength, not that he'd need it against him opponent. His wrist shuddered for a moment, before an opaque blue holographic figure was staring at him.

"[b]Why are you here Gavin ?[/b]" The voice was cool, cold even but sincerely surprised.

"[b]It doesn't matter. I have a personal matter to attend to before the meeting, but I will be there.[/b]" His response was as cool as the question.

"[b]Very well. We're nearly ready on our end. By the time you have the head, we should already have the target.[/b]" She smiled, like a predator that was stalking it's prey.

"[b]Good, the Master and I will return with the head soon. After that we'll move on to Phase Three.[/b]"

"[b]Confirmed.[/b]" The imagine blurred slightly before disengaging, leaving Gavin alone again with his thoughts, but only for a moment. He swan-dived off the lightning rod, free-falling thirty feet through the open skylights.

Removing the mod rod from his robes, he altered the coding of the floor below, increasing the padding to prevent him breaking his legs on impact. The sensation of hitting the ground was thoroughly off-putting, like diving into quick sand as Gavin was enveloped up to his waist by the marble effect floor tiles. Reverting the code back to it's original format, he was quickly freed as the tiles newly found spongy mass dissipated, he moved silently through the corridors of the building until finally Gavin stopped in front of a particular office. Guilded into the door in front of him were two words: Event Master.


[u][b]Three Minutes Later[/b][/u]
8-bit had never really had a chance, though to his credit, he had put up an admirable fight. His Ban Hammer was still wrapped in his severed hand a few feet away from the majority of his torso. In less than a second after he had taken Stephen's weapon, Gavin had reduced him from a person to a pile of dismembered body parts. It hadn't been nearly as satisfying as Gavin had hoped, indeed for a moment he almost felt a shade of remorse, but this was quickly devoured by the instincts honed in him by The Beast.

He peeled off dead fingers still gripping the staff weapon as it reverted to it's original blank state. Gavin smiled viciously to himself, revelling in his latest trophy. The meeting would begin in less than half an hour at the designated co-ordinates, opening the large windows overlooking Otaku City Gavin once again considered the view before the dive.

||||||||||

Not the best ending I'll admit, but it suffices for the moment.

I'd prefer it if 8-Bits death doesn't come to the others attention until after the deal. There's no reason it should as the attack happened at night, and he won't be missed until the morning.[/SIZE]

[Japan]

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Laura peered at Grape Ape. "Wear something...that shows off my attributes that only Charlie has seen?" Laura sighed.

With that she finally nodded and left for a nearby store.

The nearest store was Hot Topic. It was locked but she didn't care. She disarmed the alarm and broke into the store by shoving her elbow into the glass door.

Once inside, she found a crimson tank top that showed off her cleavage and bust. Her tanned skin glistened some in the dim light of the emergency exit signs because of doing so much running. After the tank top, she found a denim mini skirt that came with a silver belt chain accessory. Throughout the belt, there were various quartz crystals. Looking at herself in the mirror, she nodded in approval.

[I]Now shoes...[/I] She thought to herself.

Over in the corner she found some leather boots that tied with laces on the front. "Woot!"

She grinned as she walked over to the other accessories. She grabbed a black leather cord that had a silver heart charm and a black head band. Looking at the mirror one more time, she twirled around admiring her outfit.

She left a hundred dollar bill on the counter near the cash register and left for the hospital.

When she returned, she ran up to Grape Ape and posed. His jaw dropped. Quickly recovering from the shock, he nodded and beckoned her to follow him.[/COLOR]

[Shy]

Grape Ape had been to the OtakuBoards Staff Forum more times than he could count. After all, he had held more staff titles than anyone else in OB history… but this was the first time he had ever gone in as a ‘regular’ member. Somehow on this trip the white marble columns seemed taller, the artwork more abstract and the stone gargoyles more imposing than they ever had before. While both he and Japan were casually dressed, this meeting would be nothing but business, and Grape Ape knew it.

After exchanging pleasantries with Lady Asphyxia the pair were escorted to James’ private quarters in the East Wing. Lady Asphyxia feigned a smile for Grape Ape, but there was something in her eyes that made both he and Japan uneasy.

“[b]Is everything alright?[/b]” Grape Ape asked, “[b]We’ve known each other too long to keep secrets.[/b]”

The young women sighed.

“[b]It’s just difficult to look at you anymore, Grape Ape. The Otaku Times is printing the worst sort of stories about your alleged ‘War on Terror.[/b]’” she replied softly, “[b]Some are calling you a washed up old war horse, willing to risk the lives of his teammates no matter what the cost.[/b]”

“[b]It’s not like that at all![/b]” Japan huffed.

“[b]The numbers don’t lie, Laura,[/b]” Lady Asphyxia said as she adjusted her corset, “[b]Your old colleagues in the staff have tried to remain supportive, Shy, but we can’t stand to lose anymore friends…[/b]”

The trio approached an enormous oak door and stopped. Lasy Asphyxia turned the monogrammed brass door handle “J.B.” and motioned for the others to enter.

“[b]This is your stop.[/b] she said abruptly. Grape and Lady Asphyxia locked eyes before she began to walk off, the clacking of her stiletto heels echoing through the hallway.

“[b][color=#606060]Why if it isn‘t ‘Grape Ape‘ himself![/color][/b]” A familiar voice called out from the room, “[b][color=#606060]Please, please. Come in![/b][/color]”

Japan and Grape Ape walked slowly into the enormous bedroom, which seemed to stretch on forever. Posters of old video games, heavy-metal artists and beautiful women decorated the burgundy walls. Each piece of furniture, right down to the electrical outlets were hand-selected by James himself to create the ultimate living and work space. In fact, if it weren’t for the California King-sized bed and mirrored ceiling one might think they were in an art gallery rather than a bedroom. James lounged comfortably on his mattress, relaxing in his a bathrobe (and little else) as the bed slowly rotated.

“[b]This place creeps me out,[/b]” Japan whispered as she approached James. Fortunately for her, the sound of her voice was drowned out by loud didgeridoo and tribal music playing from the speakers.

“[b][color=#606060]It‘s good to see you in Otaku City again, Grape,[/color][/b]” James said as he took a sip from his martini glass, “[b][color=#606060]And it‘s always a pleasure to see you, Japan. My, you‘re looking lovely tonight…[/b][/color]”

“[b]Um. Thanks, James.[/b]” she awkwardly replied.

“[b][color=#606060]I was working on a few things before you entered and I was wondering… have either of you heard of Twitter?[/b][/color]”

“[b]Isn’t that where people make really, really short blog posts throughout the day? I’ve read them before and they seem like a complete waste of--[/b]”

“[color=#606060][b]That’s right, Japan![/b][/color]” James said with a proud grin on his face, “[b][color=#606060]Twitter is key to the new version of OtakuBoards![/b][/color]”

Grape Ape’s eyes widened.

“[b]Huh?[/b]”

“[b][color=#606060]I think it‘s the next logical step forward for OB. Between this, podcasting and my new e-book on string theory the new site is going to be ultra-fun![/color][/b]”

“[b]That’s very nice and all, James,[/b]” Grape Ape replied, “[b]But it’s very important that we walk about Gavin.[/b]”

James’ enthusiasm seemed to deflate as soon as Grape Ape had begun speaking.

“[b][color=#606060]Gavin?[/color][/b]”

“[b]It’s he and Alex. The two of them have formed a dark alliance to destroy OtakuBoards once and for all.[/b]“

James rolled his eyes.

“[b]But it’s true,[/b]” Japan added, “[b]Gavin has stockpiled and reactivated all of the old OtakuBots. He has an army of hundreds at his command.[/b]”

James patted Japan on the head and ran his fingers through her hair.

“[b][color=#606060]Hehe. Dear Japan. Have I mentioned that you look great in that low-cut top of yours. But you don‘t know the site like I do. My boards have defenses to prevent anything like that from actually happening. You‘re both acting as if the sky is falling.[/color][/b]”

Grape Ape snatched the glass from James’ hand and smashed it against the floor.

“[b]The sky [I]is[/I] falling, James! Sandy, Arcadia and countless others are dead. Gavin isn’t some random hacker. He knows this site and community intimately, maybe even better than you do. I need your help and resources to come up with a defensive plan,[/b]”

James began to giggle to himself.

“[b][color=#606060]It’s the same old story with you and Charles, Shy. ‘[I]Kevin is destroying OB,’ ‘kuja is destroying OB,’ ‘Newbies are destroying OB,’ ‘We don‘t have enough newbies.’ ‘More rules,’ ‘Less rules…’[/I] When does it end? Sometimes I wonder if you and those other pests won’t be happy until the site really is dead![/color][/b]”

“[b]And if you don’t do something it will be![/b]” Grape Ape barked.

Japan began to clean up the broken glass off of the ground as James walked towards his bookshelf. Grape Ape, furious, followed closely behind.

“[b]Are you even listening to me?[/b]” he asked.

“[color=#606060][b]Oh, I’m listening.[/b][/color]” the Site Director replied, “[color=#606060][b]But you’re hardly making any sense. I thought I’d try to organize my large collection of erotica while you continue to pollute my site with more drama.[/color][/b]”

James pushed his reading material aside and reached for his admin stick.

“[color=#606060][b]I suppose you‘re expecting a more formal response than that, though. Let me start from the top…[/b][/color]”

[quote name='Grape Ape']It’s he and Alex. The two of them have formed a dark alliance.[/quote]

“[color=#606060][b]Why does Alex and Gavin working together have to be a ‘dark alliance?’ I‘m all for members forming new friendships on OB, and I think it‘s one of the best aspects of my site.[/b][/color]”

[quote name='Grape Ape]The sky [I]is[/I'] falling, James![/quote]

“[color=#606060][b]You‘re obviously missing the point I was trying to make. I was making a literary allusion, not referring to the actual sky falling, lol. Apparently now you think OB is doomed [I]and[/I] the sky is falling![/b][/color]”

[quote name='Grape Ape']Gavin isn’t some random hacker. He knows this site and community intimately, maybe even better than you do.[/quote]

“[color=#606060][b]I seriously doubt that, lol. I lead the boards in terms of trends and style. Not only because I run the site, but because I know what‘s best. Always. Everyone assures me this is true, so any claims Gavin makes about his knowledge of the site are grossly exaggerated, lol.[/b][/color]”

[quote name='Grape Ape']Desbreko smells.[/quote]

“[color=#606060][b]Look. That isn’t even appropriate. There’s no need to let this discussion devolve into pointless name-calling. I‘ve made my stance very clear on this, and I‘m not going to let this circus continue any longer. If you have any suggestions or feedback you can send them to me via private message.[/b][/color]"

“[b]But--but I didn’t--![/b]”

“[color=#606060][b]Keep your drama to yourself! Thread closed![/b][/color]

With a simple wave of James’ admin stick Grape Ape was jettisoned from the room by a powerful, invisible force.

[Japan]

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Laura looked towards the direction of where Grape Ape was thrusted. A look of concern and worry overcame her as a shiver ran down her spine. Turns out that James was slightly trailing the back of her neck with his pointer finger as he circled her. A slight grin of amusement flashed across his face.

"Yes?" Laura asked sternly.

"My dear, you do look lovely."

"Glad I please you" Laura replied sarcastically. "What do you want of me? Why did you just thrust Shy out and not me as well?"

"Shy was getting on my nerves, as usual. I want to make it clear that I found his ranting very disagreeable, so henceforth it never happened."

"Bu-bu-but," Lara said.

"You on the other hand," James interrupted, "I have a great interest in you."

"Oh?"

"Yes, how would you like to reside with me and the others in the staff forum? Do you hear it, Laura? The Anime Lounge is calling your name. [i]Laura....Laura.....[/i]"

Laura quickly beamed before she realized what she was doing. She looked down to hide it as she started to turn red.

"Don't tell me you do not want it. It's obvious you want it."

Laura shook her head vigerously.

[I]This is not the time for this![/I] she thought to herself. [I]No! I...I shouldn't even be thinking of this! Charlie? Wait, he doesn't even care for me. He told me to leave him alone! Laura, why are you even thinking of this? He is just stressed. He loves you.[/I]

"UGHHH!" Laura screamed as tears started to poor down her face.

"Lovely? Do you want this awesome mod rod?"

Laura pushed James onto the bed. He landed with a pretty hard thump. He growled at her with a smile.

"THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR THIS! While we are standing here, you in your own little world, Gavin and the beast are LOOSE! They want to destroy this place that many hold dear and you are infatuated with my body? Some site director. Pfft! How much of an ass can you be?"

At this point, Laura was seething with anger. After yelling that out she was out of breath and breathing heavily.

"Oh Laura," James said flatly, "You and your band of drama queens have far too much time on your hands. Now I suggest that you contribute to the forum in a constructive manner. We don't always have to press the nuclear button every time you get your panties in a bunch. Although, I myself would like to get your panties in a bunch--"

"That's enough!" Laura shouted, "If you won't help us then I'm going to demand help from the entire community!"

"Oh, you're perfectly right. I have had enough. The Suggestions & Feedback forum is no place for feedback. We have discussed the matter privately and I have given you my decision. From here on out, I will be cracking down on any unnecessary drama that I see. Your problem is just a minor quip on OtakuBoards. I assure you that fun and happiness are flourishing around the site. The drama that you and your friends are creating is only a microcosm of what goes on here. Now get out of my sight. This discussion is closed. "

Laura rolled her eyes in disgust.

"We are in trouble and we need your help! Or it is the end of site as we know it. Please help us defeat them."

James frowned and shook his head. He turned his back to her.

"I said [i]closed,[/i]" he hissed with his arms folded. He turned to face her again with an icy stare and extended his arm to point to the doorway.

Laura glared at him for a moment and slapped him hard across the face.

"Cowardly Bastard!" she yelled as she ran out of the bedroom in tears. [/color]

[Charles]

As The Grape Ape and Japan descended from the zenith that was the OtakuBoards Staff forum, The Grape Ape noticed DigitalBoy2007 languishing at the entrance. He sat with his knees bent up to his chest and he sullenly rested his chin in the palms of his hands.

"DigitalBoy? Is that you?" Grape Ape asked.

"Oh hello, Shy!" DigitalBoy exclaimed.

Suddenly, Grape Ape's radio crackled to life. Premonition 2.0 desperately called out to him through the receiver.

"Grape Ape! Grape Ape! Come in!"

"I'm very sorry, but you'll have to excuse me. Just a moment, DigitalBoy," Grape Ape said.

"No problem, I understand," DigitalBoy said, returning to his former post.

Grape Ape unfastened the radio from his belt and sluggishly raised it to his mouth. He looked much older than he was; distress had reduced him to a state of utter exhaustion.

"Roger. This is Grape Ape. What is it?" he said. He said "I've had a very long day, so I hope to Adam this is important. Over."

"Sir! Sir!" Premonition said.

"Calm down, Prem" Grape Ape said, "Take a breath and tell me what's wrong."

"10-4! It's Charlie Bin Laden sir!" Premonition said, "He's nowhere to be found. I sensed a large burst of power-an explosion coming fifty clicks west from here and then his life signal just disappeared. I've combed the Member's List and his profile has even vanished. Sir, I don't know what to make of this, but it doesn't look good! Do you think he's--"

Before Premonition could finish the sentence Laura had snatched the radio from Grape Ape's hands. She burst into a deep sob and her cries faded into the back of Grape Ape's mind as his mind trailed off in both physical and mental exhaustion.

"Are you okay, Grape Ape?" DigitalBoy said. He raced toward Grape Ape and lent himself to the weary CTU leader as a crutch.

"I'm terribly sorry, DigitalBoy," Grape Ape said, 'I'm just a bit tired. By the way, you never told me why you were here."

"Oh, that's hardly important right now. Just look at you," he said, "But if you must know, I am waiting for an audience with James and Desbreko. I received a private message from Desbreko requesting my presence here." DigitalBoy stared longingly at the twisting golden gates. He continued: "Apparently they want me to join the staff for OtakuBoards Evolution. James sees a lot of potential in me; he thinks I might make a good administrator some day, even."

The Grape Ape's mouth opened wide.

"Oh my," DigitalBoy said, "You really don't look good, you're very pale."

But the Grape Ape didn't even hear him. He thought back to his premonition. Knowing what he did now about Gavin's jealousy of underserving others getting promoted ahead of him, he wondered if this would be the fuel that would motivate Gavin even further. It was all coming together as he had seen. The fateful destruction of OtakuBoards suddenly seemed more unavoidable than ever before.

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]Prem - in a frenzy - ran toward the location of Grape Ape. He felt a weird energy around the city. Almost evil and malicious. Somthing was right. Prem ripped off his false skin to reveal his robotic left arm. A bolt had gotten loose in all the comotion.

After a few minutes, Prem 2.0 arrived at Grape's location. He stopped suddenly, gasping for breathe. [B]"Grape... I got here... as fast as I could."[/B] Prem looked at the gates and saw DgitalBoy. [B]"Hey DB."[/B] Prem said huffing.

[B]"Prem, what's with the metal arm?"[/B] DB asked.

[B]"After I got killed, I was reconstructed. I'm now installed the the best in grammatical equipment, to supress almost any error. I'm half-robot now, so my abilities have been jacked up. Great for the battles that lie ahead."[/B]

[B]"Sorry Prem, but save the reunion for later. Check the members list again, hurry!" [/B]Grape Ape yelled. Prem closed his eyes and went deep inside his computer mainframe that was implanted into his brain.

[B]"Sorry Ape, but Charlie is deffinitly not in the lit. The list doesn't lie. The worst must have happened."[/B]

[B]"Don't talk like that, we can never lose hope..."[/B]

Prem wiped the sweat from his forehead. [B]"I agree, giving up will only make victory easy for Gavin and The Beast. Wait..without Charlie, we never stand a chance against that monster. What now?"[/B]

Grape Ape shook his head. [B]"I do not know..." [/B][/COLOR]

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial][I]—Whoo. This is fun. What happened to gravity? Can't get a system readout....anesthesia, maybe? Must be pretty potent stuff; diamorphine hydrochloride? No, that'd be heroin. Must be morphine sulfate. I'm back in first-person, too. Must have been one doozie of a hit.

—Wheee.

—'Course, I should probably find consciousness right about now. I'm not doing any good floating about in my head. As fun as this is.

—Well, except for the black part. That's kinda boring.

—Aaanyway....[/I]

[center]------------------------[/center]

The first thing Shades noticed was that he was lying down and he appeared to be in a hospital bed, confirming his suspicions about the medication.

The second was that he was missing his sunglasses. With a sigh, he produced a pair from underneath a bedside stand, donned them, and opened his eyes.

A female doctor was giving him a very bizarre look.

[B]"I won't ask how you did that,"[/B] she started, [B]"but I'll need you to take those off again."[/B]

He cocked his head at her. [B]"I don't believe I've had the pleasure,"[/B] he said. [B]"Unfortunately, I'm afraid I don't have the time to rectify that oversight, much as I'd like to. I've been out for far too long as it is. This is the second time now, and it's starting to annoy me."[/B] He offered her a pleasant smile. [B]"I'm sorry if that's a problem."[/B]

Grabbing something metal and launching it at the overhead light, he rose, slid into the nearest shadow, and was gone.



After retrieving his clothing from under the nose of a startled intern,, he reappeared in a janitor's closet, where he proceeded to change quickly. No sense in running around in that flimsy, ridiculous hospital gown. It made his rump cold, among other things.

That done, he checked around the hall for any potential observers before exiting the closet, and he discovered that he'd emerged in the hospital's basement.

[B]"Now I know why Nightcrawler prefers to [I]look[/I] where he's going."[/B]

He hadn't been down here before; he hadn't even bothered to scan the blueprints at all, reasoning that he'd never need to come down here. Obviously that wasn't the case anymore. Might as well do some mapping while he was here, he thought, so as not to waste the time.

He scanned around while he walked the sub-terrain, checking for the others he had been with. Apparently they'd all gotten back while he'd been out; he felt Sanguinius, Webster, Crystia, and Fluff all inside the building. (And the yip-dog. To bad she was a small critter, he might have liked her otherwise. Shades couldn't stand small dogs, even the better ones. Aaryanna did seem to have some redeeming qualities, though, so he wasn't getting the same strong urge to punt her.)

It bothered him how easily Gavin had incapacitated him. Normally he could have shrugged off an injury like that through force of will, but he wasn't feeling entirely himself – he supposed that that might somehow explain things, like how those shadows had been managing to disorient him. Even if the Beast had manufactured them, they were still just shadows; he should have been able to at least manipulate them.

Perhaps, also, he might have sensed the presence of the person he had just barely managed to avoid stumbling across, he thought abruptly. They were still a good thirty feet apart; Shades slipped behind a support column to watch.

He recognized the person as Terror Stick, the terrorist who'd attempted to feign defection before CTUHQ had been demolished. He was busy fiddling with a large, suspicious-looking parcel or sommat.....

[B]"Oh, crap,"[/B] Shades whispered tensely.



He slid out from the shadow behind an open door and headed for his teammates, ignoring the astonished stares of the hospital staff. They were gathered outside one of the wards; Fluff looked like she had been recently crying. Inside was, according to his sensors.... [I]A. M.[/I]?

[I]—Bloody hell. When it rains, it pours.[/I] It figured that he didn't have time to join them. He stopped when they noticed his presence.

[B]"We have a situation."[/B][/FONT]

[Guest The Blue Jihad]

[B][COLOR=Black]Gavin[/COLOR][/B]. What once was weak and futile now preyed on the weak and futile. The predator was born. No, it was [I]re-born[/I]. A powerful apprentice he had become. Strong. Brutal. Cruel. He was becoming one with war. The darkness grows, and now carries the howls of the broken spirits in the CTU.

[COLOR=Blue][I]"Mmmm....dissssent...theirrr confffusion. Their worrrry. Ignorranccce. I can tasste it...Otakku Cittty isss weakennned."

[/I][/COLOR] [center][center][I][COLOR=darkred]Cowardly Bastard![/COLOR][/I][/center][/center]

[COLOR=Blue][I]"Aaahhh...the agonnny is sssswweeet. She feeellsss deeelightfffull! Sssuch angst and sssadness. The darrrknesss would haaave welcommeddd her. But ssshee iss weakk. The darknessss would consume her. No matter! Her deatth will be most deliccioussss. The Motherrrr will enjoy her fffall…andd they runn! The ffemale, the ccyborgggg, and…the ppuurrrple one!"[/I][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]“No, Japan! Wait! Don’t go! Grape, come on!”[/B][/COLOR]

[B][COLOR=Purple]“You—ugh—keep running after her, Prem! I’m just—gasp—a bit out of breath!”[/COLOR][/B]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]“Aaagh damn it! Japan!”[/B][/COLOR]

Japan stopped and turned. [COLOR=DarkRed]“Leave me alone! There’s nothing any of us can do now. It’s hopeless!”[/COLOR] Tears welled in her eyes.

Prem 2.0 sighed. [COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]“No, there’s always something you can do. There’s always something we can do.”[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed]“I’m scared…angry…I don’t know what’s going on anymore. First James, now Charlie…”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]“We all have our own demons to face.”[/B][/COLOR] Prem put his hands on her shoulders. [COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]“You need to face yours.”[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]“Oh, silly Premonition. You’re so clever.”[/COLOR] Prem looked up. Japan spun around. [COLOR=DarkOrchid]“No, really. You’re adorable. Both of you! Sickening, trite and annoying, but adorable all the same.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed]“…Rai.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]“Like my new outfit? There’s something about a form-fitting, sleeveless leather jumpsuit. Makes all the men go crazy. What do you think, Prem? Does this give you a tingle? Or did those big, bad cyber implants make your special place go away?”[/COLOR]

Japan stepped forward. [COLOR=DarkRed]“Get out of here, whore. At least I have standards.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]“Japan, Japan, Japan. I have standards, too! I expect a man to at least be in the same state as me, and if he isn’t, then I at least expect him to do something more than just random phonecalls. If he ever calls, of course. Though most don’t. The sex is just too much for them to handle.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed]“Sex?[/COLOR]” Japan replied, [COLOR=DarkRed]“You don’t know what sex is. You don’t celebrate your sexuality. You flaunt it.”[/COLOR] The two were now a few feet apart.

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]“Aw, when you’ve got it, you flaunt it, darling…I’d hoped you would know that, but ah…”[/COLOR] Rai glanced at Japan’s attire, [COLOR=DarkOrchid]“I don’t think you have *it* to flaunt. You’re so tragically boring, dearie.”[/COLOR] Rai paused. [COLOR=DarkOrchid]“I’m going to enjoy killing you.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]“Not on my watch, temptress!”[/B][/COLOR] Prem 2.0 leaped up, with his arm cannon readied, a plasma round loaded. [COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]“You will not touch he—urkrkk.”[/B][/COLOR] He looked down at his chest. There, speared through his alloy combat chassis, was a demonic arm twisting from the shadows behind him.

[COLOR=Blue][I]“Hahahahha! Fffffool! Youu believvvedddd ssshe to have commmme here alonnne? We are the darknessss! Wwhere there isss one, there isss allll!”[/I][/COLOR]

Prem 2.0 tried to swing his cannon around to fire at the voice of the beast.

[COLOR=Blue][I]“Ann…offfering to the darkness?!? Yessss we ssshall take thisss!”[/I][/COLOR]

The beast ripped the cannon off of Prem’s forearm, tearing away flesh and bone, leaving little but a bloodied stump. Premonition wailed.

[COLOR=Blue][I]“Yes! Ssscreaammm for the darknesss!”[/I][/COLOR] The beast threw the arm cannon away into the night, then grabbed Prem’s gruesome stump and shoved it in his face. [COLOR=Blue][I]“Tassste yourrsselff, young one! Lettt your tonnngue bearrr witness to your demisse! Now, give mee your soulll!”[/I][/COLOR] With that, the beast let go the cyborg’s arm and plunged its claws into his chest. Premonition’s heart was still beating when the beast swallowed it whole.

[center]~*~*~
[/center]

[COLOR=DarkRed]“Oh my God…”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]“Yes, dearie. That’s what you and your cutesy little CTU agents are up against. Isn’t it terrifying? It’s terrible. It’s evil. It’s…kind of arousing. I think I’m actually a bit wet! I wonder what dearest Charlie would think. I think he’d be fairly excited about the prospect of fucking me.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed]“You bitch!”[/COLOR]

Japan produced a tiny dagger from her corset and charged.

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]“Tsk tsk, so predictable”[/COLOR] Rai scolded as she quickly side-stepped and used Japan’s momentum to flip her off the side of the bridge. Rai paused briefly and frowned when she heard only the dagger splash in the shallow water below. She approached the edge to find Japan clinging to a thin outcropping. [COLOR=DarkOrchid]“Oh, Japan, it saddens me so to have to do this. We could have been such good friends. Maybe even best friends. Now, not so much. Stilettos always were the best for stepping on people. Goodbye, Japan.”[COLOR=Black] Japan's skull struck the rocks below with a sickening crack.[/COLOR]
[/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=Red]“Hello, Rai.”[/COLOR][/B]

Rai turned. [COLOR=DarkOrchid]“Hello, darling husband.”[/COLOR]

[center]~*~*~[/center]

[COLOR=Purple][B]“…you. Pin me when I’m down. Monster.”[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Blue][I]“Aaaahhhh, yesss…dearest ppppurrplllle. How issss the leggg? Ittt was a weak toxinnn afffter all.”[/I][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Purple][B]“Humor me.”[/B][/COLOR]

[LEFT][COLOR=Blue][I]“Youuuu have my attentionnnn. Sssquanderrrr ittt nottt.”[/I][/COLOR][/LEFT]

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]"[b]Time to go... my dear.[/b]" He'd licked his lips adding the last words, a sort of sexual hunger she'd never seen in him before, it was attractive. He even looked different than before, his body was more toned, every muscle perfectly defined, a sense of anticipation was building in her.

She took his outreached hand and he pulled her close, close enough so that their lips were only centimetres apart. She wanted him, her body remembered him, and she had no doubt his body remembered her. As she leaned in to connect their lips however, his eyes broke with hers and glinted with... excitement. Turning, she watched The Beast approach them, his mouth breaking into a malicious grin.

"[b]The Darkness ripens Master. The time draws near.[/b]"

[color=blue]"[b]Yesss... The Darknesss sensesss what isss to commme. It hungerrsss for itt.[/b]"[/color]

"[b]Then we should not keep It waiting. The exchange for Gadget's head is soon. Should we bring Rai with us ? It would be amusing to see the reactions of her previous colleagues...[/b]" Gavin's smile mirrored The Beast's own.

[color=blue]?[b]Nooo... Sheee mussst be preeeparredd forr the Darknesss too consumme her fully... ass it did youuu my apprenticcce.[/b]?[/color] Gavin looked at her, almost as if he were looking through her... into the depths of her soul.

[color=DarkOrchid]?[b]I want this Gavin. I want whatever has made you this way.[/b]?[/color] She stroked along his chest with her fingers.

"[b]Make no mistake my love, this is no simple play for power. Once you have sold your soul to the Devil, he holds it forever... But in exchange you will be so much more than you ever thought possible.[/b]"

[color=DarkOrchid]"[b]Then let?s go to Hell together hubby.[/b]"[/color] She smiled and kissed him, as the shadows closed in over both of them.

Their legs were wrapped together in a lover?s embrace. The change had already begun, her skin was pale like ivory, her lips the colour of fresh blood. Breaking their kiss he bit down on her bottom lip, she moaned in pleasure arching her body against his thrusts. Her nails pierced the skin on his shoulders in ecstasy, life?s essence mixing with the darkness. Sweat glistened from both their bodies, and then time itself seemed to stop in the gloom around them, for one brief moment as their dark love was consummated. They laid together in one another?s arms, in the darkness for what seemed like eternity.

||||||||||

Ugh, I don't know what's wrong with me today that those two scenes just wouldn't come out right. I'll probably end up rewriting it altogether.[/SIZE]

[Wondershot]

A maniacal laugh cuts through the air and stings Webster's ears. Though he is unfamiliar with its source, he does know that such a laugh in a hospital can mean nothing good. He glances up at the nurse tending to his shoulder wound with a local anesthetic, and sees her eye the hallway in curiosity.

"Who was that?"

Her voice belies any sense of panic or frustration at the current situation. Natural, given that she has only been assigned to treat the wounds Webster has sustained, but if that laugh means what Webster thinks it means, there could be far worse awaiting her in the near future. She wheels at the sound of Webster trying to rise from his bed unsuccessfully.

"Hey, stay down. I still have to finish up."

"Can you just dress it and let me go outside for a minute? I have to see who that is."

The laugh pierces the air once more, and Webster is convinced that he can make out a voice. The nurse continues.

"You're highly anemic, you shouldn't even be standing with a wound like that, and I still have to disinfect it and stitch it up."

Webster lies back in bed, unsatisfied, and eyes the massive X-OED3 sitting unused in the corner of his room. He turns his head in an attempt to make a final plea.

"Look, I'm an agent of CTU, and that voice could mean some real trouble for all of us, and unless you want to risk the idea of this hospital being overcome with far more people bearing more wounds than myself, I suggest you let me out into the hall right now to see what the situation is."

The nurse looks out into the hall worriedly. She shoots a pained expression back in Webster's direction before rushing outside, returning a moment later in a wheelchair. Webster eyes it suspiciously. He doesn't have a leg wound, so it seems fairly arbitrary to ask him to get into one of them.

"Is that absolutely necessary?"

"Hospital policy, either you ride in one of these or you go nowhere."

Webster sees that the nurse will not sway on this issue, so he reluctantly climbs in...



"Look, Terror Stick, I'm sure there's something..."

"SILENCE! You have no idea the wrath the Terrorists are capable of! Your CTU has been destroyed, so we will shape the world as we see fit at last!"

"You don't understand..."

"It is you who does not understand! Finally, the world is at our mercy!"

The sound of creaking wheels temporarily diverts the madman's attention, and the crowd surrounding him, including the CTU agents, briefly parts to admit the wheelchair-bound Webster, nurse at his back.

"Actually, the world is at the mercy of others, now."

Terror Stick spins on his heel, clearly distraught, but then bursts out laughing at the sight of an immobile Webster. He reaches into his beard and produces a sharp-looking knife, advancing on Webster.

"Well, if that is true, then at the least, I can exact my revenge on the CTU!"

The knife comes down, and Webster moves to deflect it with his namesake pocket dictionary. However, when the two come into contact, the knife, apparently made of rubber, bends harmlessly.

"What is the point in that? You said it yourself. The CTU as we know it is gone, and so is your organization. We both have much more worrisome threats at hand."

"You..."

"As a matter of fact, several of our agents and your collaborators have died, and the remainder have been forced to ally themselves with us in order to survive this threat."

"Liar! This can't..."

"What's more, there are many of them in this hospital, which you are disrupting! How can you expect to accomplish anything by hurting your own partners?"

Terror Stick freezes and pulls back, he wraps his arms tightly about his ominous parcel. Webster places a hand on his chin thoughtfully.

"Is that a bomb, Terror Stick?"

Terror Stick plants his back against the parcel.

"You...You'll never get that out of me!"

"It's something, but I can only speculate what."

The crowd wheels again and sees Agent Shades approaching from the other side of the hallway. The tension reaches a fever pitch as Terror Stick can't decide which end of his package to guard from the approaching agents.

"So, if it's not a bomb, Terror Stick, what is it?"

"That's something you'll never know until its too late!"

"Fine, then I'm off."

Webster motions briefly to the nurse at his back, and the two begin their return to Webster's room. Shades glances in his direction.

"What’s your plan, Webster?”

Webster motions for the nurse to stop. She sighs but doesn’t turn him around. Annoyed, he forces his head back around to look back in Shades’ direction.

“Well, clearly there has to be some sort of explosive somewhere, as you have just stated he doesn’t seem to be carrying it on his person. Maybe it’s somewhere in the hospital.”

A wave of panic ripples briefly through the crowd, and people mutter to each other briefly about the possibility of a bomb. In the distance, a doctor’s pager begins beeping incessantly. Shades looks back at Terror Stick, smiling.

“I saw you, you placed it...”

“Let me guess...in the Department of Nuclear Medicine?”

Both Terror Stick and Shades spin on those words to face Webster.

“How...how could you know something like that?”

Webster grins briefly at the waver in Terror Stick’s voice.

“First of all, because you just admitted it. Second, you would know that we have methods of detecting radiation or nuclear material which would make your bomb difficult to find...unless it was already surrounded with such material in a facility such as this, which is normal. If the bomb is here, then you would likely put it...”

“The basement! The Department of Nuclear Medicine’s power room!”

The nurse finally obliges and turns Webster around to face the pale doctor standing in the hall, looking at his pager with great apprehension.

“They found a strange object there, lots of flashing lights, looks like...”

Webster glances in the direction of the CTU agents and Terror Stick.

“I’m going to get a look at it and inform you guys once I find out what it is. I’m not very experienced with disarming bombs, but I’ll let you all know if I need help. You guys just keep our friend here busy and don’t let him attempt to pull any detonation switches...make sure you check that beard of his for one.”

Webster cranes his neck upwards at the nurse.

“Basement, please, we have a bomb to disarm.”



“Oh, no...”

The medical staff, while doing their best to keep their distance, can’t help but look curiously at the brightly-colored box, decorated with many an LED and digital readout, though the information displayed across it wasn’t that clear. Surprisingly, this is the one type of bomb that he is familiar with backwards and forwards, but he would have also preferred to have to face any other bomb, as this one was easily the worst. He glances around and, with some effort, manages to turn his wheelchair around to face the crowd of medical technicians.

“It’s called an F-bomb.”

The technicians look at each other with some worry, though none of them are aware of exactly what it means.

“As I mentioned, because of its proximity to the Nuclear Medicine department, it is masking radioactive material, so if it does go nuclear, it would vaporize the whole street.”

The doctors and nurses all begin muttering to each other, and one of them steps forward...

“How...how would it go...off?”

“Any number of ways, it’s motion and pressure sensitive, the screws and clamps are all wired to the detonators, and it’s on a remote switch and a timer. Suffice to say, we can’t move it, smash it, dismantle it, and we don’t have much time to disarm it.”

Webster glances around at the medical staff.

“However, there is a way to disarm it...the Doctor told me how.”

The doctors look at each other, who on earth in this hospital would know how to disable something like that? Webster laughs slightly.

“Not any of you, my mentor, a doctor.”

The staff all look at him angrily.

“Well, go on, then! Disarm it so that we can deal with that maniac upstairs!”

“Not that simple. I’m wounded, and have only dealt with such a bomb in theory. The risk is too great for me alone, which is why I need your help.”

Webster wheels around and glances at the bomb.

“I’m going to need a generator, at least a dozen alligator clips, a scalpel, a penlight, a small fiber optic camera, and a member of your surgery team to do the work for me while I talk him through it. Also, someone get back upstairs and tell the rest of the agents what sort of bomb it is, and that I should be able to handle it. If all goes well, we can be done here in fifteen minutes...assuming the timer leaves us that long.”

Webster spins around once more and looks at the medical staff, frozen in fear. He rolls his eyes and shouts at them.

“Stat!”

They all scatter in search of the objects that Webster indicated. He spins once more to look pensively at the bomb. Though he feels confident about the method of disarmament, one small slip would spell doom for a city block, so he has to relieve himself of the tension. Though his palms are sweaty and his forehead slick with moisture, he does his best to keep his voice calm and his thoughts clear, and hopes that he gets a good surgeon to do the work.

He looks up at the ceiling, imagining the sky above.

[i]Doctor...You taught me well...I merely hope I can follow through.[/i]



OOC: I’ll write another post later about disarming the bomb.

[Treble]

Tears continued to stream down Fluff’s eyes as she held her hands against her face. As much she tried, it was too difficult for her to hide her tears. Upon seeing this, Crystia leaned over to her and gently pulled Fluff’s head to her shoulders. Doctors hastily ran in and out of the emergency room where Fluff's wounded mother lied resting on a coma bed.

After hours of waiting outside the room, a light that was above the emergency room’s door flashed a bright red. As soon as the light faded away, an exhausted doctor filled with sweat all over his face walked out of the emergency room towards Fluff and Crystia.

“[B]How’s the situation, doctor?[/B]” Crystia asked curiously.

The doctor wiped the sweat off his face and stared into the ground shamefully .“[B]I’m sorry, we did everything we can to get the malicious poison out of her, but unfortunately, the toxic proved far too strong for our current technology.[/B]"

“[B]What are you saying, doctor?![/B]” Fluff shouted at the doctor while her voice became distorted, “[B]She has to live, I wouldn’t be able to live without her.[/B]”

The doctor’s eyes bounced back up as he stared into Fluff’s teary eyes. “[B]I truly am sorry, but the poison has already spread all over her immune system at a rapid pace. As a result, your mother is getting weaker and weaker by the second.[/B]”

“[B]No, this can’t be happening, not to my dear mom.[/B]” Fluff sobbed.

Unable to withstand all the commotion, Gadget leaped out of Fluff’s stuffed bag and landed hard on the solid ground. The head swayed around for a little a bit until he was able to stop himself from rolling around.

“[B]Yeouch![/B]” Gadget cried in pain, “[B]That hurts![/B]”

Surprised by Gadget’s sudden appearance, everyone stepped away from the head.

“[B]Gadget, what in the world are you doing?[/B]” Crystia inquired.

“[B]Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you guys, but we’re running out of time.[/B]” Gadget said impatiently.

Crystia’s eyebrow angled upwards as she picked Gadget up from the ground.

“[B]What are you talking about?[/B]”

“[B]While Fluff was separated from the group out there, she had an encounter with Gavin and the vicious blue beast. Agent Mother was also there to assist Fluff in battle, but the foul beast latched onto Agent Mother’s neck unexpectedly and injected the deadly toxic into her body.[/B]” Gadget said.

“[B]That monster![/B]” Crystia exclaimed in anger.

“[B]But that’s not all, he made a deal with Fluff, in bargain for my head, the beast will give Fluff the antidote that will be able to cure Agent Mother’s wound.[/B]”

“[B]What?! That’s ludicrous![/B]” Crystia yelled out.

“[B]True, but we have no other choice. I’m merely a CTU OtakuBot (CO) who has only one purpose in this war, to assist the CTU for greater good. Too many comrades have died in battle for our cause, and even more lives will be lost if we do not concur with the beast.[/B]” Gadget said.

“[B]Don’t say that, Gadget. We will never sacrifice an agent to the dark side. Man or robot.[/B]” Crystia said firmly.

Gadget looked straight on with a troubled face.

"[B]I know, but this war has carried on too long. I’m starting to wonder if Grape Ape even has it in him anymore. Grape Ape has put in a lot more effort than any of us has throughout the war. As a result, his body has become fatigue from this never ending war.[/B]"

“[B]Gadget, I think your system is starting to malfunction again.[/B]” Crystia said hesitantly.

“[B]Unfortunately, it’s not. I know for sure that Grape Ape could have prevented all those deaths if he would have been more focused in battle. After the destruction of the CTU headquarters, he seemed to have lost that vigilant side he used to have. He’s burned out.[/B]” Gadget said.

“[B]As true as that may be, he is the leader of CTU. And as the leader, it is up to him to decide as to whether or not we should exchange you for the antidote. Or at least come up with a plan to outsmart Gavin and the beast[/B].” Crystia sighed.

The head jumped abruptly in excitement.

“[B]As I said earlier, time is running out. We do not have time to come up with a plan. The decision needs to be made now, and who knows what’s going on in Grape Ape’s mind. He may be the one who is malfunctioning. For the sake of CTU, exchange my head for the antidote![/B]”

Suddenly, out of nowhere a panicked nurse came rushing in towards the group. Before talking, she took one large breath.

"[B]One of your brave agent is downstairs trying to disarm a bomb! I think he may need your help.[/B]"

"[B]What?! [/B] Crystia asked surprisingly, "[B]Which agent was it?[/B]"

"[B]Uh.. I'm not sure, but he had an enormous dictionary by his side.[/B]"

"[B]Ah, Agent Webster. Did he specify what type of bomb it was?[/B]"

"[B]If I remembered correctly, he said it was the F-bomb[/B]."

After hearing what the nurse said, everyone glanced at each other with their eyes wide opened.


-----------------------------------------------
OOC: I'm not sure if this is what you wanted, Shy. Let me know if I should fix something up.

[Nerdsy]

[color=deeppink][b]Master, we should leave. It is not safe here; [/b]

My doppelganger motioned for us to follow. I did not question him; I trusted him as much as I trusted myself. After all, he was my creation. My son, however, was not so trusting.

[b]I’m not going anywhere you tell me what the hell is going on! Who is this jerk, Ploppy?

Not now, Nomura, if he says it’s dangerous then we need to move. I’m going with him; you can do what you want; but if you want to live, you need to come with us. Lead the way, N-man.[/b]

I turned and left without allowing my son to respond. I heard him jog to catch up, but he said nothing for the rest of the journey. We traveled for what seemed like hours through a completely barren wasteland, broken only by the occasional forlorn pile of rubble. Finally, we reached a pile of rubble bigger than the rest; N-Man slowed to a stop.

[b]Where are we?

We are in the remains of Otaku City, Master. But it is not yet safe to talk; the eyes of the Otakubots are everywhere. Our transport should be arriving shortly.”[/b]

As soon as the words left his mouth, the earth before us split open and from it emerged, to my utter amazement, a telephone booth. Without a word, N-Man stepped inside and began dialing on the phone. Nomura and I quickly followed. It was an uncomfortable experience; the three of us nearly filled the booth.

N-Man hung up the phone, and with a horrendous jolt we moving underground. The sounds of smooth jazz filled our ears; no doubt to ward off unwanted intruders. We reached our destination and I let out a gasp as the doors opened to reveal a sigh I thought I would never see again.

[b]I can’t believe it. You’re hiding [u]here?[/u][/b]

It was a relic of a bygone era, with an appearance to match the chaos of those times. In the most rudimentary sense, it was a bar, albeit abnormally large and anarchic. The walls were not painted so much as they had paint cans smashed against them. Large splotches of every color imaginable intertwined into a horrible conglomeration, broken every now and then by a poster of Dragonball Z or Digimon. The walls were littered with graffiti, which ranged from utter nonsense to statements proclaiming how much James sucks and what his mother does in her spare time.

Televisions were scattered about the room, each hooked up to a video game console. Several had been completely smashed and left to lie on the ground. Broken chairs were also strewn about the room, no doubt the remnants of several bar fights. Above the bar itself was a large portrait of a man thrusting his fist into the air and shouting.

Nomura gaped, taking in the full horror of the room. [b]What is this place?[/b]

I tried to keep the nostalgia out of my voice as I replied; I don’t think I succeeded. [b]This, Nomura, is the Secret GD. Before James became mayor, Otaku City was a chaotic place; complete and total anarchy. The mods were nonexistent, and even the admins barely ever showed their faces.

But all that changed with James. He brought order to this town. Unfortunately, not everyone was happy with that. A group of oldies, led by thimoc himself, created this place as a last bastion for their idea of Ultra-Fun. I’m ashamed to say it, but I’ve participated in more than a few anti-James rallies here.[/b] I turned accusingly to N-Man. [b]But I thought it was destroyed when SEEL attacked the Old City.

No, Master. Only the entrances were destroyed. However, since then, efforts have been made[/b] –

A loud crash interrupted him; Nomura had knocked over another television. He stood there, visibly perturbed. [b]Damn it, Ploppy, I don’t want a history lesson! Tell me what the hell is going on!

Nomura, I’m afraid everything I can say will be a history lesson. We’re in the future.[/b] He didn’t even flinch when I informed him of our temporal displacement, and I couldn’t help but crack a smile. [i]Of course he wouldn’t be disconcerted with something as humdrum as accidental time travel.[/i] I thought. [i]He’s my son.[/i]

[b]I don’t know for sure why it happened, but I can hazard a guess. I won’t bore you with the techno babble, but let’s just say that’s the last time I build a force field generator using parts from a broken down TARDIS.

As for this handsome young fellow?[/b] I gestured towards our host. [b]Well, I guess you could say he’s your real father. He’s an Otakubot I modified to house my genetic material in order to create an offspring. I sent him into the future in an attempt to keep my genetic offspring – you – safe from the undesirables of the world. It would seem I failed.

Wait... you made a [u]robot[/u] to [u]father[/u] me? Why didn’t you just do it yourself?

What, you mean... physically? Ew, that’s gross. You’re gross.

Oh, grow up, Dad. So, wait, if he’s my father, then... who’s my mother?[/b]

Suddenly, the powerful aroma of chocolate chip cookies hit us like an F-bomb to the face. From behind us, a sing-song voice announced the presence of Nomura’s mother.

[b]Hello, boys, glad you could join us! I just took these cookies out of the oven.[/b]

Nomura turned, slowly, to face his mother and let out an audible gasp. He appeared to become light-headed, and began to swoon a little; I managed to reach out and grab him before he fell over.

“[b][u]Rai is my mother?[/u][/b][/color]


_______________________


Um, I'm going to be in the future for a few more posts. If anybody needs "Present Ploppy" information, feel free to PM me.

[Shy]

Never before had Grape Ape felt so helpless, so weak. Before his eyes two of his most loyal allies, Premonition and Japan had been murdered in cold blood. Thanks to The Beast?s toxin Grape Ape could barely keep his head up, let alone take on this new Axis of Evil by himself. Rai?s betrayal did not surprise him in the least, but he never expected that he could be ambushed like this on the streets of Otaku City.

The Beast grinned fiendishly as he stood over Grape Ape, licking his chops as if preparing for another meal.

?[b]Yyyourrr friendsss haaave faaallen,[/b] the words fell from The Beast?s mouth effortlessly, ?[b]Withh noone to ssstopp uusss The Darrknesss willl conssssume thissss ssssite.[/b]?

?[b]I?ve stopped you before. And if I don?t, Charles will.[/b]?

?[b]Charrless!?[/b]? The Beast seemed repulsed by the mere mention of the name, ?[b]Clutccch to your foooolisssh hopesss iff youu mussst. It will make yourrr defeat that much sssweeeter.[/b]?

The Beast ran his finger along his tongue as he stared at Grape Ape.

?[b]Yesss?. Perrrhapsss your blood will sssatissfyy The Darknesssss more than the othersss?.[/b]?

?[b]If I had my mod rod right now, so help me, I?d?![/b]?

Grape Ape watched helplessly as The Beast conjured enough shadows to engulf the bridge entirely. No longer able to see his foe, Grape Ape could only hear the voice of his archrival.

?[b]Your posssition isss not your power?[/b]? he replied, ?[b]Yoooou were once a mighty fffoe? but now? your causssee isss losssttt?[/b]?

In an instant the shadows disappeared, and so with them did The Beast. Grape Ape struggled to stand up on his, but finally managed to do so. Everything was happening so fast, the young CTU leader rubbed his forehead as the poison slowly worked its way out of his system.

He looked down below to see a crowd forming around Japan and Premonition?s bodies: keeping the photographers and passerby away were a small crew of moderators, quietly carrying the two corpses into a black ambulance. One of the staff members, Retribution, instantly locked eyes with Grape Ape as he peeked his over the bridge.

"[b]You wait right there, Shy![/b]" the young moderator shouted over the whispers of the crowd, "[b]I've got a few questions for you![/b]"

Tears rolled down his face as Grape smashed his fist against the bridge in frustration. For the next several hours he would be far too busy explaining himself to mourn the passing of two more of his friends.

[Terror Stick]

Terror Stick watches as doctors, nurses, patients, and CTU agents fumble around in the halls. CTU agents rush to find the bomb and disarm it, all the while Terror Stick looks on with a devilish grin upon his face.

"It appears as if my plans have gone up in smoke, but appearances aren't always what they seem. Gotta go!" Terror Stick yells as he thros a smoke bomb to the floor flooding the halls with a thick white mist. He seemingly vaporizes with it, leaving the onlookers confused and distressed.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Fluff sits by her mother's side, holding her hand tightly fighting back the tears as she stares at her mother's pained face. Crystia, alarmed after hearing of the bomb, is reluctant to leave Fluff and Gadget alone, but the prospect of bomb exploding within the hospital is the greater concern.

"Listen, you two, stay put while I assist the others in disarming the bomb. Promise me." Crystia says.

She gets up stiffly, as if her body is being torn between the two dilemmas and heads for the door. When Crystia finally reaches the doorway, she stands in the threshold and looks back at the devestated trio.

"Listen," she says, "We just have to have faith in the right people. I know that your heart aches, but don't forget to listen to that little voice in the back of your mind. Beasts do not bargain, you two. Be careful who you place your faith with. Please, stay put."

With that, Crystia is gone, leaving Fluff and what remained of Gadget by Mother's side. As Crystia leaves the room, a wild eye peers through the crack of the door watching over them--an eye of a beast they had forgotten about. The eye of a beast that is much closer than the one they now fear.

"Fluff, you know what we must do," Gadget says, "Although Crystia is right--that it is dangerous to bargain with beasts, we also cannot bargain with time. Mother's time is running out and if we remain here, she will surely expire."

Fluff stares at Gadget, lost in thought. She listens to her heart, she listens to that little voice in the back of her mind, she listens to evey fiber of her being and they're all screaming the same exact thing.

"I can't sit here and let my mom die," Fluff says, "She means everything to me. If it means saving her, I'm willing to put my own head into the jaws of the beast. Let's go, Gadget."

In one swift motion Fluff returns Gadget's head to the duffle bag and starts for the door. When she reaches it, she grasps the handle and looks back at her mother, an expression of anguish overtaking her face, despite her best efforts to smile.

"Hold on mom," she says, holding back a sob, "I'll be back--with the antidote!"

With that Fluff closes the door, revealing her maniacal grandfather. Little did anyone realize that the bomb was a phony--a decoy meant to lure the CTU to the basement so that he could assassinate Fluff. Terror Stick couldn't explain why he hadn't dispatched her when he had the chance. It wasn't exactly love, or sadness, or even sympathy, for he no longer retained those things. Perhaps it was simply the memory of them that stayed his hand. For when he saw Mother lying there the way she did, suddenly the landscape of his mind changed.

Slowly, hesitantly, he approaches Mother.

"Blast you!" he says, "I was supposed to be the one to finish you off!"

Terror Stick withdraws a large sledge hammer from his beard and raises it above his head menacingly.

"I could do it right now!" he exclaims, "I could!"

The old terrorist glares down at his daughter and remains frozen on the threshold between the human decency he once possessed and the monsterous nature that had since possessed him. The image of his daughter fills his eyes and for a moment, just a moment, his bottem lip quivers.

"Curse you!" Terror Stick says, "Finishing you like this would be too easy. There is no way that girl of yours can match that Beast. Surely he will eat her up!"

Terror Stick waits for a reaction and gets none.

"Gah!" he says, "That girl even looks like you. Perhaps it would satisfy me to finish her off. Why should I allow the beast the pleasure. After all, his lisp is as long-winded as his dreadfully boring posts! Then it is settled, I shall recover the antidote so that I can return you to your former health and then kill you and that wretched brat in your top form! Yes, I'll recover the antidote even if I have to pull it from the beast's hide myself!

With that, Terror Stick vanishes from the room, determined to prove to himself that he is the biggest monster on OtakuBoards. Meanwhile, a faint, barely perceptible smile appears on Mother's face and a single tear in the corner of her eye.