RPG Maverick Hunters: Personification

[Domon]

Uh Final Flash didn't you read ZeroSaber007's post and mine? Now my head hurts. Should i just edit or what?

[Break]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Final Flash [/i]
[b]Everyone else (Nova included ;))[/B][/QUOTE]

[size=1][color=crimson]Good. :)

PS. YOU FORGOT ABOUT THAR GIGABYTE! Never worry. He are be run away.

(sorry, I'm in a crazy mood.. I'll post once I've calmed down)[/size][/color]

[Zerosaber]

I'm dead Oh great . wait didn't i just post something saying I was in the alpha vehicle with Fenir

[Chaos]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Zerosaber007 [/i]
[B]I'm dead Oh great . wait didn't i just post something saying I was in the alpha vehicle with Fenir [/B][/QUOTE]


Flash said you were dead, [b]or something[/b]. You need to read what people post. -_-

[Domon]

Medra i read your post and it was the one that said that Shadow was almost dead, i emphasize almost. and he repaired himself. Please can we just correct these errors and get on with the RPing?

[Warlock]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Domon [/i]
[B]Medra i read your post and it was the one that said that Shadow was almost dead, i emphasize almost. and he repaired himself. Please can we just correct these errors and get on with the RPing? [/B][/QUOTE]

Okay, let's double check this. Shadow has repaired himself, from major damage, in the period of twenty minutes, maybe thirty or slightly more, but that's pushing it. Now, [i]that's[/i] impossible. Well, not completely impossible, but you shouldn't even be walking around at that stage...

And now, something short to get this going again.
__________________________

[I] Lying on the seat next to Iota, or more approapiately sitting, Warlock was a complete and utter mess. [/I]

[I] His helmet had lost practically it's entire top, and tufts of hair were poking out. His face had scraps everywhere, mechfluid flowing out. His torso armor was all but gone, as was the armor on his arms and legs. There were bits remaining, but they were hanging on by a thread. [/I]

[I]The 'jumpsuit' of sorts Warlock wore under his armor was strangely intact for the most part, but looked like it wouldn't take much more before it just shredded. And the parts of synth skin that were showing had mechfluid either still poring out or sticking. [/I]

[I] Overall, he was a mess. He'd be out of fights for a while. And if he wasn't looked at and repaired within the next few hours, there was a chance his reactor just might fully collapse from the strain, and finish him off. [/I]

[I] Time was of the essence. [/I]

[I] And as he continued to lie there, he mumbled occasionaly, something fairly rare in reploids in this state of injury. It was fairly unclear to what he was saying, but some words could be picked up. Mainly names... [/I]

[I]Blues. Roll. Kalinka.[/I] 'That'[I] Alexis Cossack. Thomas, sometime with dad afterwards. Rock. Wily. Zero (said with hate, by the way). Bass, once. Auto and Fliptop, also once. All the people who had affected his life. But that wasn't all. Iota, said with some kind of embarrasment and slight affection. [/I]

[I] And Flash. [/I]

[Zerosaber]

OOC:Shadow is working for a new age reploid parts designer, Shadow is how shall we say "Entitled to test new product designs." Which are in the prototype stage so he has access to all new designs and like i said, the progam is limted otherwise it would over heat causing massive if not leathal damage. So please bare with me on this.
----------------------------------------------------------------

[i]Shadow standing staring at the reploid standing in front of him. With his respective weapon drawn as well.[/i]

?????: Who the hell are you and what are you doing in this vehicle?

Shadow: Names Shadow I'm looking for the reploid known as Warlock. Seen him?

????: Why are you looking for him??

Shadow: That information is classified.

???: Like i give a damn. Give me answers or its eternal slumber for you.

Shadow: [i]Looks at him with an ice-cold stare.[/i] listen you, now its my turn to ask questions now. Who are you? Where is Warlock?

????: My name is Fenir, and i don't know where he is and if i knew why the hell would i tell you??

[i] Shadow stared at the saber and recognized the power signature and the signature somehow reminded him of something he had seen a long time ago.[/i]

[Talon]

[color=ocean teal][i]Xion sat in the vehicle, clutching various parts of his body, mainly focusing on the front of his armor, when Demos took his shoulder.[/i]

[b]Demos:[/b]Kid, you need to see a doctor, and bad. Take a look at your back.

[i]Xion looked down at his back and almost vomited. His entire back was torn, shattered, or broken in various areas, but in the center, where most of the shock from the large cylinder had been focused, his core reactor was cracked and leaking blood and mechafluid. Xion pushed Demos away as he saw the mechafluid hit a spark from his damaged buster, which he'd been careless enough to drop next to his waist, and caused a small explosion and sending Xion flying, his back and, now, parts of his chest torn and bloody. He lay there, falling into unconsciousness. As he was knocked out, he caught a glimpse of his cracked HUD reading "Torso damage 100%, critical damage. Reactor shutdown imminent." and heard Demos yelling aloud.[/i]

[b]Demos:[/b]****! We need a medic, fast! Hang on, kid! We need get to HQ! And somebody put the damn fire out!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anybody have a problem with this post? If so, PM me and avoid spamming anymore.

[b]Edit:[/b]Any better, Medra? And play Circle of the Moon, it kicks more *** than Advanced Wars....[/color]

[James]

OOC: Okay, this isn't too confusing. Let me very briefly explain. EVERYONE apart from Warlock and Iota are currently in the Alpha. Those who are injured are receiving treatment and the others are doing whatever they do on the way home from a big mission like this (presumably being very reflective lol). That's basically how it is so far.

Now for my latest post... ^.^;;;;

[color=#507AAC][i]After only a few minutes, the missile streaked its way back into the atmosphere, leaving a white trail in the sky behind it.

Now was Proteus' chance. Once again, he attempted to communicate with Hunter HQ...[/i][/color]

[color=green][b]Enter Connection Destination:[/b] Maverick Hunter HQ
[b]Password:[/b] *********

Checking...
..............
.................done.

[b]Welcome to Maverick Hunter HQ, [/b]Proteus[b]. Please select your destination from the following options:

[u]Information Center
Recruitment & Training Department
Weapons Systems Department
HQ Security
Diagnostics & Repairs Department
Education & Higher Learning Center
Maverick Hunter Library
Used Parts & Storage
Transportation Department
Political Sciences Center (Now merged with Foreign Relations Dept.)
Maverick Hunter Administration[/u][/b]

...
......
.........[b]You have selected:[/b][u] Weapons Systems Department[/u][b].

Please choose a sub-section from the following menu:[u]

Heavy Weapons Department
Missile & Ballistics Laboratory
Laser-Based Weapon Systems
General Firearms Development
Shield Production
Environmental Integration
Adaptive Cellular Modulation Laboratory
Anti-Gravity Devices Center
Missile Testing Range 1-50
Missile Testing Range 50-100
Satellite-Guided Technologies
AIWS (Artificially Intelligent Weapons Systems)
Materials Center[/b][/u]

...
......
.........[b]You have selected:[/b] [u]Active Cellular Modulation Laboratory[/u][b].[/b][/color][color=#507AAC][i]

Proteus was moving as fast as he could. He used his eyes to scroll through the listings on his HUD. And finally, he found it! The ACM Program was called "Advanced Cellular Reconstruction Device". It was still in development -- Proteus had no idea if it'd work. But he knew he didn't have much choice.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, activating the program inside his internal computer systems. He looked down over himself and found his arms and legs shrinking; they were receeding into their sockets. The titanium was warm and the cells in his limbs were retracting into his body, in preparation for redistribution.

Suddenly, Proteus fell away from the missile. His limbs slipped out of the steel bars as they dissappeared. He looked up and saw the missile proceed ahead on a slightly negative angle. But something was wrong. The missile wasn't simply moving out toward the ocean, like Proteus had expected based on its prior course. It was slowly turning around in mid-flight...and heading back towards Maverick Hunter HQ.

All at once, Proteus became extremely alarmed. He expected the missile to blow itself up somewhere in the ocean! And now here it was, aiming itself at the Hunter HQ! This was Dr. Karman's plan all along, it seemed; send the missile in some arbitrary direction to give the Hunters a false sense of security. And then send it spiralling into the HQ compound with Proteus attached. What a grand plan -- one which now seemed almost inevitable.

Proteus closed his eyes. He wanted to give up right now. How on Earth could he stop this missile?

And suddenly he remembered. "Advanced Cellular Reconstruction Device". Proteus searched back through the program internally and found the following dialogue:[/color][/i]

[color=green][b]Process Complete. Please designate reconstruction destination.[/color][/b]

[i][color=#507AAC]Proteus knew it would hurt, but he had to do it. Once again, he closed his eyes and concentrated hard on the program.

Two lumps appeared on his back, underneath his armor. The lumps grew and stretched downards over his back. They were pushing hard at the armor; crushing Proteus' synthetic spine inwards against his silicon organs. Proteus clenched his teeth. Normally he didn't feel pain, but this time, he could feel everything in his body being forced forward by the cellular growth. And then, relief; the two lumps tore verticle strips in the back of Proteus' armor. As the curved surfaces slowly emerged from underneath his armor and began to unfurl, Proteus knew it had worked.

There he was, falling through the sky with two large metallic blades protruding from his back. But they weren't blades; they were wings.

At first Proteus found it difficult to move the wings. His body wasn't used to them -- it had only just reconstructed the cells from his arms and legs. But with great effort, Proteus began moving the wings slowly -- guiding them to catch the wind and subsequently sending himself higher in the air...toward the missile.

But how to destroy it? Proteus had an idea. Once more, he accessed the reconstruction program. This time, he instructed it to remove some of the cells from his wings and distribute those cells to his right arm socket. Within moments, the program responded -- the wings slowly receeded and he felt his right arm socket open; his right arm rebuilding itself from within the socket.

And now he could fix the problem. Proteus reached down and ran his fingers over his right thigh. The titanium skin on his armor recognized his fingerprints and his thigh split in two, revealing a small chamber with various cubes locked inside. Proteus took a cube and as he removed his hand, his thigh closed itself once more.

Proteus angled his wings downward slightly and gave chase to the missile. He was above it and falling at a similar speed -- it was now a matter of catching up.

Proteus pushed himself forward through the air. He used his anti-gravity feet to provide extra boost, whilst also angling his wings aggressively in an effort to reach the missile. He sped up rapidly and almost felt as though he was going to completely bypass it. But as he passed, he took the cube and slammed it hard onto the side of the missile's hull. Quickly, Proteus opened his wings and immediately rose several hundred metres above the missile (almost getting burnt on the way past its engine -- it was at a 90 degree angle at this point, right above Hunter HQ). Proteus utilized his HUD hastily, sending a detonate command to the tiny cube.

Proteus continued to rise in the air. Now he was further away...he still couldn't operate his wings properly. And he had no idea where they would take him. All he knew now was that he'd done all he possibly could. He sighed and floated through the clouds...his destination and fate were unknown...[/i][center]

[/color][b]Back at the Missile...[/b] [/center] [i][color=#507AAC]

For a few moments, the tiny cube did not respond. It was struggling to receive the incoming communication from Proteus. But finally it did. The top half of the cube began to glow bright red -- a warning light. And then it twisted counter-clockwise...then it stopped. It beeped once and twisted in the other direction.

And suddenly, the sky was filled with fire. Pieces of sharp metal and rubber wiring were sent spewing in all directions. The thunderous boom of the actual explosion came half a second after the initial visual blast -- the resulting boom was so loud that it shattered windows in the streets of the city below. Large fuel pumps and torn steel belts were screaming through the sky, setting off hundreds of smaller explosions around them. It had ended in what amounted to nothing more than a fireworks display for the residents of the city. Little did they know how close they had come to death...[/color][/i]

[Flash]

[I]Maverick Hunter HQ was buzzing when the squad got back. The missile had halted the base to standstill, full alert, with many preparing for the worst. The Hunter's SDI missile defence hadn't activated itself for some reason, and the missile slipped through, unharmed, fully armed. Firewalls were down. Turrets and other defence structures were offline.

Hackers. The bane of a computer-reliant civilization.

As he Scrolled over pages and pages of reports, Signas noticed a pattern--These Hack signatures matched the ones found just over a year ago, when an unknown hacker cracked into the Maverick Hunter main database. Signas threw the papers down on his desk. Someone knew their system. And he'd be damned if he let them keep playing the Hunters like this.[/I]

[B]Signas:[/B] Get our best counter-hackers onto this guy, ASAP.

[B]Operator:[/B] Yes, sir.

[I]Signas turned around, hearing the doors to his office swing open. In front of him stood the Elite squadron. Signas gave the group a quick once over. Many of them looked damaged, and Xion and Fenir were nowhere to be seen.[/I]

[B]Signas:[/B] I... take it you were successful?

[B]Demos:[/B] Your mission was virtually a death trap. We encountered two heavily armed Cyborgs, two Mavericks and three Replimasters. Xion and Fenir are both critically injured in the Infirmary, and I'm -this close- to kicking your as[b][/b]s..

[I]Demos heard a small snicker behind him. He knows the voice at once. The Veteran hunter clenched his fists and teeth, and closed his eyes, turning his head to the left to catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye.[/I]

[B]Zero:[/B] You probably deserved it. You managed to let a missile through. What'd you do? Miss it? It's pretty big. Or maybe you just didn't fire at all. What'd you do, drop your buster and--

[I]Before Zero could finish his sentence, Demos had landed a massive left hook straight into the crimson hunter's jaw, sending him spinning to the marble floor. His synthetic titanium jawbone was cracked, and a massive gash dominated his cheek, leaking out a dark red fluid. Demos continued barking at Signas like nothing had happened, while Zero sprawled on the ground, holding his face.[/I]

[B]Demos:[/B] ...What's more, the tower [I]collapsed[/I]. Looks like you won't have any problems with that anymore. Unless you're keeping something [i]else[/i] from us.

[I]Demos glared at Signas coldly, before walking swiftly out of his office, waving his hand to the Elite squadron, signalling their dismissal. This sortie was officially over. As Demos walked out the large oak doors, Signas called him once more.[/I]

[B]Signas:[/B] Demos... You haven't seen Proteus around, have you? We can't locate him anywhere in the facility.

[B]Demos:[/B] I can't say that I have. Maybe once pretty boy down there gets his face glued back together, you'll have him go have a look. It's all he's good for.

[I]Demos smirked at Zero, and walked out. Elite squadron followed after him, all heading their seperate ways for the time being. Signas ordered a medic to his office, and then went back to looking over reports.[/I]

[Chaos]

[i]Demos was utterly disgusted, dispite the fact that he had just snuck Zero in the jaw with enough force to put a hole through steel. The fact of the matter was, his team was in shambles. What little rescources they had were being tattered and torn. What's more, he couldn't depend on Signas anymore. His incompitence was eminent.

Walking slowly to the Infirmary, he looked over his shoulder, making sure everything was clear. It was at this point that he darted towards Parking Block C-47. Making sure, once again, that the coast was clear, he stepped into the parking lot, swiftly running behind parked vehicles.

He sits in the shadows, and waits...[/i]

[James]

[color=#507AAC][i]Proteus sailed through the clouds on his titanium wings. His eyes were closed. Various internal systems (including GPS) had been damaged beyond repair. It was impossible for him to know where he was -- let alone even consider returning home.

He didn't know what to think or feel. Right now he was overcome with indifference toward everything. He just sailed through the air for hours, his eyes closed shut. He didn't care where he landed. He almost hoped in the back of his mind that if he kept sailing upwards, he'd crash into the hot sun.

But nothing happened. The clouds below slowly cleared and just beyond their outstretched plumes, Proteus saw an expansive island. It looked like some sort of resort, but Proteus didn't have the energy to zoom in and learn more. He decided to land. There was no reason to continue and if anything, he might just be able to find a way of communicating with Hunter HQ from the area.

Proteus once again reached into his cellular modification program and as he did so, his sharp wings receeded into his back. His limbs fully regenerated and he began to fall sharply.

He spun himself around in the air, so that his feet were facing the ground. And he quickly activated the anti-gravity soles of his titanium feet. They glowed a soft blue, as Proteus gently descended from the sky toward the mysterious island.

As he came closer, he noticed that one side of the island contained what definitely looked like a resort town. The other side, however, was dark and foreboding. He didn't like the look of it at all...[/i][/color]

[Talon]

[size=1]Dr Cain is dead, so let's just say you're talking to... Dr Jim. And EM, as... interesting as your RPing is... It doesn't fit in with the history of MH [i]at all[/i]. Sorry.[/size]

[i][color=ocean teal]Xion woke up in a capsule filled with some sort of liquid. The liquid, it seemed, was repairing him until he got a closer look at the micro-bots in the liquid. In walked Dr. Jim, carrying a cup of coffee. He looked at the capsule Xion was in, then at another one. Xion, though it gave him a hell of a headache, turned his head to see the other capsule. In it was Fenir, who Xion had to admit, looked in much better shape than Xion did. Xion looked at the readouts on his now-repaired HUD. His torso was still torn in half, his back was fully repaired, though the human tissue was severly scarred, his reactor was repaired slightly, though if it wasn't fully repaired soon, his body would be in a capsule for the next eighteen years. He went back to sleep...

[b][u]Dreamscape[/b]

James woke up in his bed, letting the morning sun bathe his sheets. He jumped out when his dad walked in, carrying plans for his new robots.[/i]

[b]Thomas:[/b]James, look at this. What do you think I should name him?

[i]James looked over the blueprints of a boy-like robot. He looked over the red helmet, the gray torso armor, and the sunglasses. He looked at the other pair of blueprints suspiciously, but cleared his throat and spoke.[/i]

[b]James:[/b]Blues. We oughta name him Blues, dad.

[b]Thomas:[/b]You little scamp! You read my blueprints! That was what I was planning in the first place. Well, anyway, I want you to come and see the new thing I'm working on.

[i]Dr. Thomas Light led his son into the laboratory, showing the nearly completed forms of Rock, Roll, Blues, and several other large robots, one with a scissor-like thing on his head, one with a torch on his head, one that looked like a burly construction worker, one that looked a bit like a bomb, one in a weird jumpsuit, and one in an eskimo outfit. He showed James the other robot, set apart from the others, in black and red armor. Then, with an air of a man about to show his greatest achievement, he uneiled the AlarisX armor.[/i]

[b]Thomas:[/b]My son, this is the peak of power in this age. Any robot equipped with this armor will be able to control two swords, the second one will be an upgrade, two busters, again, an upgrade, and will be able to move fast and with great agility. A human in this will simply feel great weights in his legs and arms. I hope one day to cross the barrier between robot and human and create an actual cybernetic organism with full human capabilities, but the strength and resiliency of a robot...[size=2]...robot....[/size][size=1]...robot....[/size]...

[b]End Dreamscape[/b][/u]

[i]Xion woke up again after the dream, his back and torso fully repaired. All he needed was some new armor. Xion opened the capsule, stepped out, and looked over Fenir, who'd been moved into a bed. Xion jumped into the air and checked his HUD for the time. He'd been in the capsule for three hours. His reactor was still in a slightly bad condition, but he could manage for a few hours. He gripped his sword, walked out of the infirmary, and ran full into Dr. Cain.[/i]

[b]Jim:[/b]Hmm....alright. You can walk around for now, but you must be back here in four hours. I need to give you an entirely new reactor. The fluid in yours, which was mostly blood when I looked at it, has turned stagnant. You have five hours of power. Be back in four.

[i]Xion strode out into the parking lot, not noticing Demos behind the bikes in the shadows. He grabbed his Alaris, revved it up, and rode out to the ruins of Dr. Thomas Light's lab...[/i]

[b]Demos:[/b]Where the hell is that kid off to now?[/color]

[Warlock]

[I] A scanner in one hand, a small micro wielder in the other, Iota just grimly checked Warlock's life signs and intergrity, finally deciding that she was going to have to do as Demos said, and bring Warlock to Hunter HQ. [/I]

[I] Both Warlock and Iota were currently in the female's apartment, still missing a wall from the last time they were here. Warlock, his armor now removed and now simply lying on her bed in his jumpsuit, didn't look good at all, chunks missing, and the occasional spurt of electricity. [/I]

[I] Time was up. He needed a very good doctor, and he needed it now. [/I]

[I] Sighing, she put away both the scanner and micro wielder, and leaned forward to pick Warlock up. The moment she'd got a good grip on him and was pulling him off the bed, he began to mumble. [/I]

[B] Warlock: [/B] "No, Blues, we can't leave the lab... Not now... Please, not now..."

[I] More of his past was been told to the world, as his neural net slowly began to degrade from lack of power and injury. [/I]

[I] Slowly, as to not damage Warlock any further, Iota began dragging him to her car. [/I]

_______________________________

[I] A while later, she drove the hovercar right up to a checkpoint, feeling the eyes of security drones and the small number of Hunters manning the entrance to the entrance. One walked over, tapping on the driver's side window. [/I]

[I] Seconds later it slid down, showing Iota's smiling face, the injured Warlock sprawled against the other chair behind her. [/I]

[B] Hunter Guard #1: [/B] "Name please, and reason of visit."

[B] Iota: [/B] "Iota, and I'm coming in to visit."

[B] Hunter Guard #1: [/B] "...Right. And who's the behind you?"

[B] Iota: [/B] "A friend. He just got really tired from the long trip."

[I] She made sure to try and keep Warlock out of view, lest the Hunter have a chance of recognising him. Slowly, the Hunter guard turned to one of the others. [/I]

[B] Hunter Guard #1: [/B] "Could you bring a scanner over here?"

[I] Slowly, another Guard walked over, a scanning device in his right hand. Reaching the window, he settled his eyes on Iota. [/I]

[B] Hunter Guard #2: [/B] "Stay still. I'll just quickly give the car a scan."

[I] And so, he quickly used the highly advanced technology to scan the car. Strangely enough, the moment he had finished, he signaled one of the others to open the gate. [/I]

[I] Smiling, the Hunter Guard leaned forward. [/I]

[B] Hunter Guard #2: [/B] "Wouldn't want to keep a pretty girl like you waiting. And try to keep Warlock better hidden next time, would ya?"

[B] Iota: [/B] "Um, thanks."

[B] Hunter Guard #2: [/B] "No problem. When he comes to, tell 'im Factor owes him."

[I] Winking, Factor, the Hunter Guard, sent the hovercar through the gate, and into the extremely large Hunter compound. [/I]

[I] It seemed, despite all the fuss and controversy, all the rumors of him turning Maverick and even attempting to assassinate Signas, Warlock still had a few fans... [/I]

______________________________


[I] In not too long, Iota and her hovercar began to glide into Parking Block C-47. [/I]

[Talon]

[color=ocean teal][i]As Xion sped across the sands of the desert to the area where Dr. Light's lab once stood in a destroyed city block. Xion wondered why so much of the world was now desert, but he used his memory and dream to locate the bomb-shelter where his father's lab once was located after the attacks by Wily and his Robot Masters. As he walked down the stairs, he saw a switch in the wall. As he pressed it, twenty or so computers sprang to life. In the corner, a capsule began operating. Inside was an image of Dr. Light...[/i]

[b]Image:[/b]My son...if this capsule is operating, it means that I died before your system was fully strained against the virus Wily created with the Zero model. James...do you remember the AlarisX armor I once told you about? If so, the you ought to know that you, of course, are the cross between humanity and robots. Well, I made a change to the armor's system. I programmed the double-blade and double-buster upgrade into it, and i made it operable only to your vital signs and biorythm. Now, my son, step in and become a powerful ally to good!

[i]Xion stood, walking into the capsule. All at once, a sensation of pain, yet joy, flooded into his system. A bright field of light surrounded his body, changing it subtly. Suddenly, as the light subsided, he found his body greatly changed. His body gleamed a dark blue, his legs and arms in black sleeves with dark-blue gauntlets and boots, the boots of leather but the gauntlets of metal. Two swords, sharpened to a one-thousandth the thickness of an atom, gleamed in his hands. He felt a superb charge in his new busters. The AX-armor over his black shirt covered his torso. He looked down and noticed his reactor, though still cracked, was a new model. He jumped and found himself much lighter. He checked his boots, noticing that he now had a dash function. As he walked out to the bike, he saw a mirror and noticed that his eyes had changed to a crytal clear light-blue. He smiled, grabbed his bike, and motored off to HQ to get his reactor fully repaired before it blew up again....[/i][/color]

[James]

[color=#507AAC][i]Proteus carefully landed on the nearest rooftop in the city. He briefly surveyed the area; to the west, he saw a large beach and resort. The rest of his immediate area seemed to be some kind of small city. And toward the east, he saw large foreboding mountains with arms of fog enveloping them.

Suddenly, a door on the rooftop opened. Several men in uniform approached Proteus, machine guns at the ready.[/i]

[b]Guard 1:[/b] Who the hell are you?!

[b]Guard 2:[/b] Hurry up! Show us some I.D.!

[i]Proteus looked around and backed away slowly. He had no idea what to do. He felt weak and confused...not himself.[/i]

[b]Proteus:[/b] I...I'm not going to hurt you...I just need somewhere to rest...

[b]Guard 1:[/b] Somewhere to rest huh? We don't take kindly to reploids in these parts. You best get back to where you came from.

[i]Proteus grunted and tried to activate his anti-gravity platforms...but they didn't respond. He had spent too much energy on the flight...on landing...it was all too much. Right now he couldn't even check his own power levels. Something was seriously wrong.

Proteus backed away further, toward the edge of the rooftop.[/i]

[b]Guard 2:[/b] Heh...there's nowhere to run, reploid. You're surrounded. Give yourself up!

[i]Proteus' vision began to blur. All he could hear were voices on all sides, telling him to give up. He wanted to scream out loud and make them go away. [/i]

[b]Guard 3:[/b] Right, that's it. Aim, men!

[i]The group of guards aimed their machine guns squarely on Proteus. His titanium armor was littered with shining red dots -- most centered squarely over his chest. Proteus looked at the nearest guard. He had tears in his eyes; he was so confused. He felt like a newborn baby...

As the rooftop exploded in flashes of light and sound, Proteus reached out to the nearest guard. He reached out helplessly, an expression of intense pain burned onto his face. But nobody could hear him. His cries were drowned out by the roaring of heavy gunfire.

Proteus closed his eyes and stumbled backwards as mechfluid poured from the deep gashes in his armor. He held one hand over his chest, paused for one very brief moment as if to reassure himself, and then he fell backwards from the rooftop. He fell through the air, columns of clear-blue mechfluid streaming from his body. And with a final thud, his body landed in the alleyway behind the building.

He lay there, amongst the building's garbage. His eyes closed, his hand over his heart. He lay there. And he did not wake.[/i][/color]

[Flash]

[I]After removing most of his battle armour, Reverb fell backwards onto the bed in his room. He was exhausted. His first major sortie... And what a sortie it was. The Rookie Hunter tilted his head to the side, only to notice that his Roomie, Proteus, was nowhere to be seen. Reverb just closed his eyes, and let it go. Proteus was probably just taking a day off in the city. Reverb's eyes opened slowly, and he fumbled at a control panel next to his bed. He pressed a large green button, which activated some kind of mechanism. From the base of his bed, a large metal cover slid foward, soon covering the whole thing. There was a sheet of glass over his his face. Reverb closed his eyes again as two large plugs inserted themselves into his shoulders. Slowly, they began the process of restoring his Internal power battery.

Iota quickly had Warlock in the Sub-Level 5 Infirmary. This infirmary was rarely used, but it was still staffed. Thankfully, everyone stationed there were from Warlock's time as a Hunter, and were fond of the Light bot. They were more than happy to repair the ex-Hunter back to normal--And even offer him a few upgrades. Namely, a more advanced Generator system. His old one was good, but was notorious for overheating in the desert. Iota sat to the side, watching as the medics and mechanics worked feverishly on Warlock. There was a noise. Iota looked to the door, and noticed a shadow. It quickly darted away, noticing Iota. The female reploid stood up, drawing her Revolvers. One of the medics repairing Warlock looked up.[/I]

[B]Medic:[/B] Is there a problem?

[B]Iota:[/B] I think so... Just... Lock the door behind me. Listen for my voice before you open it again.

[B]Medic:[/B] I... Alright.

[I]Iota walked out of the Infirmary, the large doors sliding shut behind her. She heard a shrill beep to signify that the doors were sealed. Stealthily, she walked to the right of the infirmary, down a long dark corridoor. There it was. Down the end of the corridoor, backed against a wall, was the shadow. It was dark, and too far away to see easily. Before Iota could enhance the image, it darted away again. Iota swallowed her fear, and began to pursue the creature.

She reached the end of the corridoor, and turned left, following the being jumping in and out of the shadows. She aimed her guns and fired as she ran--Sadly, she missed on both shots. Fustrated, she tried again, nailing a shot right into the back of the thing's leg. It stumbled initially, before it regained it's composure and continued.

Iota took note of numbers on the walls as she ran. The creature and her were progressing further and further down into the bottom levels of Maverick Hunter HQ. Finally, the creature stopped. Iota slowed down, moving foward carefully, guns aimed and ready. As she moved toward the shadowy creature, it turned to face her, before scuttling away. Sighing in annoyance, she dropped her guns to her sides, walking to the end of the corridoor.

But as she reached the end of the hallway, there were no more turns. No more stairs. Instead, there was a large room. The corridoor followed onto a balcony, which lead onto a catwalk. The catwalk was suspended over what looked like a dark wasteland, bare, barren rock. The two opposite walls looked standard, but there seemed to be no end to the rocky wasteland. It drifted off into the darkness on either side. Cautiously, Iota stepped onto the steel grated balcony, the sound of her step echoing through all the desolate corners of the cave. As she made her way to the catwalk, she noticed something. In the recesses of the cave, there were what appeared to be something laying along the ground. Now that she looked closer, she saw the same things lining the entire bottom of the cave. She leaned over the side of the Catwalk, and let her image enhancement give her a better picture. In a split second, her view was enhanced with lighting and focus.

The image was still grainy. But there they were. Lying along the bottom of the subterranean cavern were bodies. Rows and rows of dead, lifeless bodies.

Iota didn't know what they were. Human, Reploid, Cyborg. It didn't really matter. There they were. She wretched. This was a disturbing sight. She decided to ignore the shadow she had seen, and get back to the infirmary. She had questions that needed answers, but right now, her priority was to get out of the cavern. The last thing Iota wanted was to be caught, and risk the chance of suffering the same fate as the thousands below her. She glanced at the number written on the wall in large, messy red writing.

'-11'

She gulped. Iota had no idea she'd come down so far. Regardless, she had to leave.

Keeping her guns at the ready, the female reploid ran from the cavern, praying that Warlock would be ready soon. He'd know what to do, she reassured herself, as she reached the turn back into the main corridoor.[/I]

[Warlock]

[I] As soon as Iota had left, the medics nervously returned to their work on Warlock, finishing off the detailed insertion of the new generator system, microwielders and other repair tools carefully sizzling wires and such into place. [/I]

[I] Immediately after completion of their complex task, they began to run some quick tests on the generator, before beginning to place protection, namely armor, around the outer case of the generator to help protect it incase Warlock's main set of armor was compromised. [/I]

[I] As the minutes ticked by, and as they continued upon their work, some became more nervous. Some were used to working in combat scenarios... But a few of the others were suited to work in base, and the cryptic way the Iota had acted made them feel as if there was some kind of Maverick outbreak in the base... [/I]

[I] Eventually, one of the medics voiced his nervousness, the first to say something not repair related. [/I]

[B] Medic #1: [/B] "Should we... I don't know, activate Warlock? His buster system is operating, and if something were to go wrong..."

[B] Medic #2: [/B] "What do you [i]mean[/i] go wrong? We're perfectly safe here, deep in the base."

[B] Medic #1: [/B] "But... I just have a bad feeling. At this stage it won't halt the repair process if we were to activate him, so I don't see why not."

[B] Medic #3: [/B] "...Okay, fine, switch him on. But I also think there's absolutely nothing to worry about."

[I] The first medic just nodded slowly, still seeming slightly nervous, and with the help of another medic powered up the reploid. [/I]

[Domon]

[i]Fenir awoke with a jump, that dream, that dream felt so real. He looked down at his body and realized that he still was in real crappy condition, he slumped down and watched as the medics started to repair the damage to his entire body, after awhile he started to feel groggy and then he fell asleep.[/i]
------------------------------------------------------
Sorry about not posting very much, i just am really distracted.

[Chaos]

[i]Demos stalked his way to the Barracks, silent and sullen as usual. It would be another few hours before he knew if Warlock would survive or not. So help them all if Warlock died, or wasn't able to be reactivated. Every person on this dammed Earth would feel the misery that would seep into Demos' blackened heart.

The normal hustle and bustle of HQ seemed to be in a lull today. Not too terribly suprising, with all of the recent events. A lot of Reploids were mostly at the explosion sites, and some were trying to increase HQ's firewall defences.

It was at this time of rest, Demos noticed his brother was nowhere to be seen, and neither was anyone else. Taking this brief chance to slide into the main, low-damage Infirmary, he got what little damaged circuits he had repaired in a RR tank. His armor was thereafter polished to a nice chrome-buffered finish, and he removed the NF-R908 chip from his buster, and deposited it in the Armoury as he walked past on his way to the Mess Hall.

Seeing literally no one there, he took this chance to order a French Vanilla coffee, not that he needed it. He just liked the taste of coffee for some odd reason.

Ordering quietly, he sat at a table in the far corner, taking this rarity of a chance to relax. It was such a good thing to be able to sit and not have to worry about an up-coming mission, or having to deal with Signas' stupid--[/i]

[b]Intercom:[/b] "Would Demos and Havoc please report to Signas' office immedietly? I repeat, Demos and Havoc, report to Signas' office on the double. That is all."

[i]Spoke too soon...[/i]

[Talon]

[color=ocean teal][i]Xion pulled into the parking area of HQ, checking his reactor's meter. He looked distressed as he ran through the base to the underground area where the reactor repair areas were. He hastily knocked on the door to the area where the reactor installment was performed.[/i]

[b]Medic #1:[/b]Who's there?

[b]Xion:[/b]Xion, AlarisX unit 01, here for reactor installment or repair. It is recommended that my reactor be reinstalled to a newer, more armored version with better output.

[b]Medic #2:[/b]Open up, Warlock's awake and it's Xion. Xion wouldn't worry Iota.

[i]The door opened and Xion walked in, sealing the door behind him. He laid down on the table without noticing the red and black reploid sitting on the table next to his as the medics hooked him up to a temporary power source and put him into a deep sleep. As Xion slept, Warlock grabbed the video recording that Xion had been making the whole day since the takeoff of the Alpha and gave it to the medics. One of them put it into a holo machine while Xion slept, his reactor installment going without a hitch.[/i][/color]

[Flash]

[I]Iota slammed the door of the Infirmary behind her. Her artificial heart racing, beads of sweat running down her forehead. She looked around. The Mechanics were finishing up on a now active Warlock, and it seemed that Xion was there as well. Iota approached the table where Warlock lay, his chest opened up. He looked vulnerable--Something Iota hadn't seen Warlock as at all. Warlock groggily turned his head, looking at the female reploid.[/I]

[B]Warlock:[/B] Did you find it?

[B]Iota:[/B] Find what?

[B]Warlock:[/B] That... shadow you were chasing.

[I]Iota raised an eyebrow. She thought he'd been asleep.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] How'd you know that?

[I]Chuckling, Warlock tapped the side of his head, his temple.[/I]

[B]Warlock:[/B] Heh heh... I just know.

[I]Warlock smiled again, and Iota couldn't help but do the same. 'What a mystery', she thought to herself.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] No. I didn't find it. But...

[B]Warlock:[/B] But?

[B]Iota:[/B] Oh... I mean, nothing. I didn't see--I... didn't find anything.

[I]Warlock's expression changed. Frowning slightly, he questioned Iota cautiously.[/I]

[B]Warlock:[/B] Iota... You're not keeping anything from me, are you?

[B]Iota:[/B] Of course not. Anyway, how's Xion doing?

[B]Medic:[/B] He's fine. Though we've found something...

[B]Medic #2:[/B] Yes... Something abnormal, in his CPU. Long term memory, it seems.

[B]Iota:[/B] Do you have any idea what it is?

[B]Medic:[/B] I'm afraid not. At first, we thought it was a strand of viral coding, but that wouldn't be supressed so deep in his CPU. This is something else. But for the time being, it's unidentifiable.

[B]Medic #2:[/B] It shows no sign of deteriorating his body or mind. At present there's no reason to investigate further, or even tell him.. Doing either might damage him more.

[I]Iota nodded, and turned back to Warlock. The Medics were closing up his chest, and running a few vital checks via advanced computers to make sure the Ex-Hunter was back to optimum status. Once Warlock was in the green, they propped the bed up, helping him get to his feet. He held his forehead briefly, before shaking it off to regain his composure. He stood, looking just as strong as before. Iota smirked.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] Good to see you back to your old self.

[B]Warlock:[/B] Yeah, but looks like I'll have to get myself a new Helmet and--

[B]Medic #3:[/B] Trenchcoat?

[I]Warlock looked behind him. There stood a female medic, fairly young looking, holding a Trenchcoat in one hand, and Warlock's helmet--Fully repaired, tucked under her other arm. She approached Warlock, and handed them both to him.[/I]

[B]Medic #3:[/B] I took the liberty of fixing them both up while you were under the knife... I hope you like them, Sir.

[I]Warlock smiled at the young reploid. He examined his coat and helmet, and nodded.[/I]

[B]Warlock:[/B] Thanks, I appreciate it. And you don't have to call me Sir. Warlock's fine.

[I]The young reploid smiled back, and Warlock put on his jet black coat and ridged helmet, pulling the visor down. He grinned, happily. He felt better than ever--The Medics had done a great job at fixing him up.[/I]

[B]Warlock:[/B] Thanks alot you guys, It really means alot to me.

[B]Medic:[/B] Think nothing of it, Warlock. Feel free to give us a visit down here if you ever need something else fixed up.

[I]Iota and Warlock left the sub-level 5 infirmary whilst the Medics returned to supervising Xion's reactor installment. The two Ex-hunters walked briskly down the corridoor, heading back to the sub-level 3 parking facility, block C-47. They reached the door to the lot, and stopped.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] Warlock... I've been thinking...

[B]Warlock:[/B] Yeah?

[B]Iota:[/B] There's alot of things we don't know about the Hunters. Unanswered questions. Untold Secrets.

[B]Warlock:[/B] That's true.

[I]Warlock, as old as he was, still knew that there were many secrets about the history of the Hunters, and the Maverick Virus itself. 'If only Flash was still around...', he thought. 'Flash would be the one most likely to know anything..'.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] Well... I think I'd have a better chance at finding the truth... If I rejoined the Maverick Hunters.

[I]Warlock raised both eyebrows beneath his visor. He hadn't seen this coming at all.[/I]

[B]Warlock:[/B] You'll rejoin? Here?

[B]Iota:[/B] It'll be no problem. I've commanded squadrons before, you know.

[B]Warlock:[/B] I guess so... But what about me? I'll be lonely.

[I]Warlock joked, forcing Iota to giggle. But deep down, he wasn't joking. He would be lonely. He'd much rather have Iota stay with him... But he wouldn't tell anyone that.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] Get a grip. Anyway, I'll be your informant from the inside, you know?

[B]Warlock:[/B] I guess so. I don't really have a direct informant.

[I]Iota smiled.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] Great. I'll head up to the Commanders office now. Signas, isn't it?

[B]Warlock:[/B] Yeah... Signas. Trust me, with this pushover in charge, you'll have no trouble getting in. Hell, raise your fist to him and he might even appoint you Squadron Commander.

[B]Iota:[/B] Heh heh.. Well, you take my Car... And my keys. Lock up my house.

[I]Iota dropped her Key ring in Warlock's hands. He took them, and looked up at Iota.[/I]

[B]Warlock:[/B] You've hardly known me a day, and you're giving me your house keys?

[B]Iota:[/B] I want them back, ya know.

[I]Warlock shrugged, and put the keys in his pocket.[/I]

[B]Warlock:[/B] Okay then. And your Car?

[B]Iota:[/B] Leave it in my garage. Don't even [i]think[/i] about taking it back to the desert with you.

[B]Warlock:[/B] Heh heh. I wouldn't dare. Good luck.

[I]Warlock entered the door to the parking lot, and Iota continued up the corridoor, reaching an elevator. She stepped in, and pressed the button for the nineteenth floor. The lift stopped at sub-level 2. In stepped Demos. The two were both slightly surprised to see each other.[/I]

[B]Demos:[/B] Iota, right?

[B]Iota:[/B] And you're the Elite Squadron Commander, Demos.

[B]Demos:[/B] Heh. Good memory.

[B]Iota:[/B] We were together.. What, all of a few hours ago?

[B]Demos:[/B] Heh heh... Anyway.

[I]Demos pressed a button on the Elevator panel... Nineteen. Iota raised an eyebrow.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] You're going to see Commander Signas as well, then?

[I]Rolling his eyes, Demos replyed, cynically.[/I]

[B]Demos:[/B] I'd hardly call him a Commander.

[B]Iota:[/B] So I've heard.

[I]The elevator stopped again, this time on floor seven. Another familiar face stood there when the doors slid open. This time, it was Havoc. He nodded to Demos, and pressed the button to the nineteenth floor, as well.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] Havoc... You're going to see Signas as well?

[B]Havoc:[/B] Yeah, me and Demos were called up. Guess you didn't hear the message.

[B]Iota:[/B] Oh, okay.

[B]Demos:[/B] So, Iota, what business do you have with Signas?

[I]Iota smiled at the veteran Maverick Hunter.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] Oh, you'll see.

[I]The elevator went 'ding', and the doors slid open, revealing the nineteenth floor lobby. Iota took a seat, while Demos and Havoc approached the large, oak double doors that lead to the Commanders' office.[/I]

[Chaos]

[i]Demos swung the left door open with a huge amount of force, nearly tearing it off the hindges. Signas was turned around, facing the wall in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingertips. Havoc entered the room behind his brother's wake, calm like nothing had happened.

Demos leaned forward, his hands bracing against the fake wood desk, while Havoc sat in one of the exectutive-like seats that were placed in front on Signas' desk. Demos waited expectantly for what Signas had to say. But Signas never came out with it.[/i]

[b]Demos:[/b] "Whatever you want Signas, out with it now. I was enjoying what little free time I can get, and you go and call me down here and give me the silent treatment. What's the deal?[/b]

[i]A few more seconds of silence pasted, before Signas' chair squeaked gently as he turned around. Signas' face bore one of disappointment. When he spoke, he spoke as he was talking to a child who had done something wrong.[/i]

[b]Signas:[/b] "...I heard a rumor that..that Warlock was with Elite Squad at the Silo today. I also heard another rumor that you, Demos, specifically told a female Ex-Hunter by the name of 'Iota' to bring him back here for repairs. Is this true?"

[b]Demos:[/b] "More or less. Some of us might be not be here ifit wasn't for him... In any case, Warlock did nothing wrong. Merely, he was a good member of society helping us out. Anything you say cannot change that."

[b]Signas:[/b] "Very well. Just...get out of my sight. Both of you. This sortie has brought out the worst in us. But Demos, you need to learn to control your temper."

[b]Demos:[/b] "Whatever. Iota is, actually, here to see you. You'd best hire her on the spot. I want her acting as Supporting Second XO by the end of today..."

[i]With that, Demos and Havoc left Signas' office, Havoc giving Iota a small wink, and held the door open for her...[/i]

[James]

[color=#507AAC][i]A young woman with long, dark hair made her way down a corridor. It was white and sterile with few noteable structural details on the walls, ceiling and floor. The ceiling was glowing softly, casting a white light throughout the seemingly endless network of corridors. The woman was flanked by several men in white coats who were muttering amongst themselves nervously. But she didn't seem to notice; rather, the expression on her face was one of determination...determination and a sense of satisfation. This was familiar territory and the woman's expression indicated that she was in complete control of the situation.

As the group approached the end of the expansive corridor, the very faint outlines of a door became visible and almost instantly, the door folded itself open to accommodate the group. Behind that doorway was an enormous, octagon-shaped room. The walls were puncutated with various computers and medical devices. And despite the small teams of surgeons and nurses working in the area, the room itself still gave a sterile and lifeless impression. In the room's center lay a single operating table. And on it lay a single figure.

The woman approached and stood next to the figure. She ran her hands over its cheek gently, causing clear-blue mechfluid to streak over the soft silicon skin. One of the nearby doctors approached and stood on the other side of the table.[/i]

[b]Doctor:[/b] Dr. Karman, I'm happy to see you finally.

[i]The woman pressed her finger to her lips, motioning for the doctor to lower the tone of his voice.[/i]

[b]Dr. Karman:[/b] Is he alive?

[i]The doctor nodded and pointed to various sockets that had been plugged into Proteus' armor.[/i]

[b]Doctor:[/b] Yes. Barely. We have spent the last hour refitting much of his silicon skin. We also had to repair several organic membranes within his body and we are now adding fresh mechfluid to what little he has left. He will not be able to function until he has at least 50% of his mechfluid restored.

[b]Dr. Karman:[/b] How much did he lose in the incident?

[b]Doctor:[/b] Around 85%.

[i]Dr. Karman looked over Proteus' severely damaged armor. Several sections had been torn off by the continuous thud of heavy weapons fire. The silicon skin was visible underneath. His face looked more peaceful than it had done before. And his fibre-optic hair was partly covered with light blue mechfluid; some of it was matted down over his forehead. Dr. Karman sighed. Even though she had wanted to destroy Proteus for his failure to infiltrate Hunter HQ, she also felt somewhat attached to him. He was one of a kind; the only reploid in the world with ACM technology. And even though, in many ways, he had failed Dr. Karman's interests and goals, she was nevertheless intensely proud of her creation...[/i][/color]

[Flash]

[I]Iota smiled at Havoc as she entered Signas' vast office. Signas was sitting at his desk, looking slightly agitated from his meeting with the two Hunters. Iota approached him, noticing that the Commander looked as if he was waiting for someone. 'Could it be me?', she thought to herself as she walked foward.[/I]

[B]Signas:[/B] You must be Iota.

[I]Iota nodded. She stood casually in front of the Commander's desk, as there were no chairs around. Not that she'd need one--The meeting would be short.[/I]

[B]Signas:[/B] Well, I know why you're here. You want to become a Hunter again, don't you?

[I]Signas spoke with fustration. He sounded angry, and fed up. Iota could tell--Her advanced hearing had a Stress-recognition feature. She paid it no notice.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] Yes, I do.

[I]As Signas opened his mouth to speak, someone else stepped out of the Shadows from behind Signas' desk. He was tall, above six feet, with emerald green eyes and a bald head, a black tattooed line running from his bottom lip to the bottom of his chin. He was clothed in a full-length black trenchcoat, with electric blue piped rimming. He had a long black braided ponytail around the back of his head, and wore a frown on his face. His name was Duke.[/I]

[B]Duke:[/B] You've been found conspiring with an Exiled Reploid, and that constitutes as treason. Why, you deserve to be court martialed, not let into the Maverick Hunters. In fact, it would seem you were once a Maverick yourself. Your reputation preceeds you, Iota. You would be wise to leave now, before we assume you as the enemy.

[I]Iota was shocked to say the least.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] Who the hell do you think you are?!

[B]Duke:[/B] I don't think I am, I know I am. And I am Duke.

[I]Signas grinned. 'Finally, with Duke's help, I might regain command of the Hunters...', he thought gleefully to himself. Something he hadn't had for a long time. 'Ever since Flash was killed, everything's turned to hell.'.[/I]

[B]Signas:[/B] Get out of my office.

[B]Duke:[/B] Don't go wandering.

[I]Iota angrily pivoted and headed straight out of the Commanders office. 'Who the hell is this Duke guy? No-one told me about him. What a Jerk.'. Suddenly, what Duke had said hit her. Don't go wandering. 'Did he mean... What I saw on sub-level eleven? But... He couldn't know. Then again, he knew my name... Who is this guy?'.

Her anger turning to anxiety, she entered the elevator, only to see that Demos and Havoc had not left the floor yet. She put on a disappointed wry smile.[/I]

[B]Demos:[/B] Huh? What's wrong?

[B]Iota:[/B] It looks like I won't be getting in.

[B]Havoc:[/B] You're kidding..

[B]Demos:[/B] ...I am so sick of that [i]idiot[/i] Signas... He knows we're understaffed and overworked.. And here he is turning down some of the best talent we've seen all year?! What's he thinking?!

[I]Demos' knuckles turned white with stress. Clenching his teeth, he slammed down on the 'Open Door' button.[/I]

[B]Demos:[/B] I've had enough.

[I]Demos stormed into Signas' office. He brought his clenched fist on the Commander's desk so hard that it nearly cracked in two. He didn't even notice Duke at first, but soon enough, Demos reared his head and glared at the mysterious figure.[/I]

[B]Demos:[/B] Who the hell are you?

[B]Duke:[/B] My name is of no importance to you, for you will only address me as 'Sir'.

[B]Demos:[/B] How about you tell me who you are, or I blast you a new as[b][/b]shole right in the middle of that shiny forehead of yours.

[B]Duke:[/B] Au contraire, Demos. You are far inferior to me. You wouldn't so much as scathe me.

[I]Demos' eyes flared with rage. Arming his buster. Demos considered in which way to annhilate Duke, and how to do the same for Signas. Duke smirked at Demos' obvious enragement.[/I]

[B]Duke:[/B] Calm yourself Demos, or I'll have you in permanent Isolation.

[B]Demos:[/B] I'd like to see you [i]try[/i] to get me into Isolation, baldy.

[I]Demos averted his gaze from Duke, and set it back on Signas, who was looking very smug. Demos leaned over the desk, grabbing Signas by the collar.[/I]

[B]Demos:[/B] I'll slice that smug complexion off your face, you pathetic excuse for a Commander. I'm enstating Iota into my squadron, whether you like it or not.

[B]Duke:[/B] That goes against---

[I]Before Duke could finish his sentence, Demos snapped. He Aimed his buster at Duke without even taking his eyes off of the quivering Signas. Duke reacted with lightning speed, his eyes glowing, and the energy ball stopping dead in it's tracks. Demos raised an eyebrow. With a flick of his wrist, Duke disapated the sphere of light into a thousand fragments. Demos remained unimpressed. He threw Signas down into the desk, and left the office, not even giving Duke a second glance. He reached the elevator, and stepped in calmy, pressing the button for the third floor.[/I]

[B]Havoc:[/B] How'd it go?

[B]Demos:[/B] He'll need a new desk.

[I]Havoc knew at once what that meant.[/I]

[B]Havoc:[/B] Welcome to the squadron, Iota.

[I]Iota smiled at both Demos and Havoc.[/I]

[B]Iota:[/B] Thanks, you guys. Oh, and Demos?

[B]Demos:[/B] Yeah?

[B]Iota:[/B] Who's that Duke guy?

[B]Demos:[/B] I have no idea. But I have a feeling he'll be becoming much more annoying in future.

[I]The elevator continued down the shaft, silently and quickly reaching the third floor...[/I]