Trials of Hatred

[madman5]

(OOC Yeah if u want to get in on this story thats ok with me. This is really just a side-story that starts in Columbus and moves towards Chicago and soon gets in with the Touch the Source story then leaves again. Anyway it starts with a guy named Arcbourn(and its not my psycic version radlin). If u want to delete this then go ahead.)

The wind was eeriely strong for this time of night. Something didnt feel right. My brain said it was just weather but my heart knew it wasnt. I had been trusting my heart ever since that horrible night. I yelled out into the night in my hatred for him.

"You shall taste death before you know it Prexis."

"Father i have reports from the guards."

My anger quickly died at the sound of Elona's voice. It was the only thing keeping me from insanity.

"Father?"

Elona's voice calmed me long enough to respond.

"Well what are those reports hmm?"

She could see through my harsh voice. Only she knew of my pain. She had seen it too. The death of her mother still haunted her in her sleep. I would always wake-up to the sound of her screeming.

"The East,West,and North Gates are secure."

"What about the South Gate?"

"We havent had any reports for 3 days now."

I frowned at this. The South Gate was the passage to the Party Base.

"Go gather some of our best soldiers and tell them to meet me at the Comm. Tower."

"Yes father."

In half an hour we where ready to check the South Gate, but we didnt have to. The Party came to us.

"Draw you're weapons men!"

As we prepaired for battle I felt Prexis' presence. That magic wind that pained my heart. I lit my sword in my rage and gave the command.

"Attack!"

I jumped into the group of Party warriors and lit there damn bodys on fire. When it all ended I yelled to my assault general.

"Statis report."

"We have wounded but no casualties."

"Whose wounded?"

My anger was still showing in my voice.

"Well sir....ah....you are."

In my rage I didnt realize that i had been hit 5 times, 2 hitting my Kevlar vest, 1 in my left arm,and 2 in my left shoulder.

"Minor wounds general. Lets get back to the Barracks for some rest."

I walked in pain, not because of my wounds but because Prexis was still out there with the nerve to send me this band of shitty soldiers to deal with. But for once in a long time my brain gave me the best answer. Prexis was focused on Chicago.

"If his fight is there than I shall meet his fight with my rage."

I went to sleep that night dreaming of the path to Chicago.

"Not heavily guarded," I muttered.

Soon I shall meet the fight I want I thought. Soon......

[madman5]

Arcbourn awoke and quickly told his daughter what she had to do.

"I need you to look over this outpost while I go to Chicago to find information on Prexis."

"But father..."

"I have to go Elona...I just have to. I already got the South Gate back up. All you have to do is make sure that this outpost stands till i get back."

"Ok father."

[Graeme]

(OOC: Try not to take this as criticism madman5, but rather as constructive criticism to help improve your writing, and make the rest of our lives a little easier.

We ask that all participants of PvR write in Proper English, or close to Proper English, so that the writing can be easily interpreted. That means you've got to spell check any work you post, as well as look for grammatical errors before you post. It also means you have to break up your writing into several smaller paragraphs.

When everything is bunched together into one giant bunch, like your previous post, it makes it very hard to read. It means your thoughts aren't organized when you write, so they aren't written down organized. We can't spend the extra time figuring out what your character is doing, and where is he is by the end of your post. Also, remember to start each bit of dialogue from different characters in a new paragraph.

I'm not saying your writing is horrible, madman, it has potential. But it does need a lot of work. I can help you along, and help you become a better writer, but you have to be willing to spend a little time fixing your errors. It's great to see people that want to work on PvR with us, but we still have to keep PvR organized and clean, or it won't be fun to RP in.

Thanks,

Radlin)

[Ghost213]

Talis awakes. It is early in the morning and there is frost still on the blades of grass.


"Very cold", is all he says as he arises and gathers his gear.


As he heads towards the road he thinks aloud,"I should definitely find a place to stay. Winters in Chicago are harsh and I will surely die of pneumonia if I don't find warmth and a way out of the cold."



All he has wanted since that hellish day is to kill Prexis himself, but not for himself. Only for his family. They were all he had, that which kept him going, striving to be the best he could. Now a new thing drives him: revenge.


He watches as the people pass and thinks to himself about that day. He wishes so desperately that he could just reverse everything since May 2007. He wants his family alive, and at this thought shudders as he sees the images of the soldiers of the party breaking into his familys home and killing everyone. He himself barely escaped through the underground passage his parents had made for them in case of a raid on their home. It worked, but sadly enough, only for him. This is what drives him. This seething hate towards his foe, Prexis, the one who orderd his family killed.
He thinks of all this as he walks heading towards a shelter, hoping to see a radical somewhere near, someone who can give him a way towards his goal. A way to get some sort of reprimand, or at least a way to Prexis...

[Ghost213]

As he walks, Talis sees a few of Prexis's goons harrasing a woman. Not liking this much, he walks up to one of the goons and taps him on the shoulder. The goon turns and says "wha-"
Right at that momet he falls to the ground dead, a hole between his eyes. He looks at the other two, and says "heres your chance. Leave or die."
Without hesitation the goons run, dragging their dead comrade with them.

[Kazansky]

Alexei Kazansky was quietly sitting in his jeep nearby, when two goons dragging a wounded comrade ran up to him. "What the hell happened?!" He said. One goon replied, "This madman shot Boral in the head! Lucky for us he was merciful enough to let us go..." Without another word, Kazansky shot the soldier in the head, as the other pissed in his pants and shuddered. "Get back out there and shoot him. Me and my Rooks are coming with you.

The soldier stepped out back into the alley, tip toeing quietly as to not draw Talis' attention. Before he knew it, Talis had shot him. Kazansky was livid and crushed the soldier's head with his boot. "Rooks -- that Radical scumbag is giving us trouble. Take cover and open fire." Talis raised his weapon again, but Kazansky's Rooks had already deployed their knockout gas. In an instant, Talis had been knocked unconscious, and the last thing he saw, although in a blur, was a gas-masked Kazansky laughing mockingly over him.

[Vhaeraun]

Andrew Masters watched the exchange from above, on a roof top. He could almost feel the effects of the gas, but drew his cloak around him tightly and began inhaleing that way. He took a good look at the man standing over the unconscious one, and made a mental note that the pair may become aquainted soon.

He saw the man begin to look up, but Andrew Masters twisted in circles and dropped behind the short wall of the roof. He casually walked over to where the jeep sat, and calmly twisted himself down the roof and onto the ground behind the jeep. He crawled under the jeep and grabbed onto the bottom, lifting himself up under and began his wait for the group to come and return from whence they came, taking Andrew Masters with them. They had probably heard Andrew Masters's name before, but no living person could attach a face to Andrew Masters's name. Andrew Masters was a bird of prey. He could watch from a distance and scope his prey out, waiting for the right time to go for the kill. Andrew Masters has had a long time to perfect this technique of cat and mouse, and he could do it without his prey having any idea that he was about to die.

[Kazansky]

"Sensors detect foreign object, sir." said one of the Rooks to Kazansky. He was pointing to the jeep. Kazansky slipped his rifle under the jeep and felt around. He didn't feel anything. He punched the cyborg Rook on the head and said, "When we get back to Svokom, we're gonna install new V8 implants on that malfunctioning op sensor of yours." The five men boarded the jeep and drove on to Svokom, with Masters clinging below, silently waiting.

Upon arrival at Kazansky's Svokom HQ, the jeep parked at a designated parking garage as Masters quietly snuck away, avoiding the Rooks and Party soldiers passing in and out of the garage. Kazansky and his Rooks dragged Talis' body into the cybernetics enhancement chamber, as Kazansky muttered, "This Radical will make a fine new cyborg. Neural editions, optical enhancements, titanium skeleton... with his already efficient fighting skill, this one should be about as good as a Rook. Maybe even better." Kazansky ordered a soldier to strip Talis and put him into the Cybermatrix, a machine used for easy assembly of human and mechanical bodyparts. The machine locked Talis into its oval-shaped harness and its disection parts closed down on his head, arms and legs. Minutes later, the transformation was complete. Talis was now a cyborg. Kazansky laughed maniacally as Masters watched quietly from above.

[madman5]

(OOC: WOW!!! Im gone for....um...forever and people use my story! Awsome! Unfortunatly Arcbourn is no longer with us. My new charicter shall do. Elona is like 30 somethin now...more later)

[Kazansky]

(OOC: To Ghost213 "Talis") If you think all hope is lost for your character you are dead wrong. Analyze my last post thoroughly and you'll find out that your character is still alive, but more importantly, still a Radical.

[Vhaeraun]

Andrew saw the inhumane treatment of the prisoner, but having never stood with the "good and righteous", he delighted in the transformation; delighted in the gruesome treatment of the prisoner; delighted in the end result. Never before had he seen a machine such as this which could create cyborgs. Andrew quietly dropped from the jeep and rolled out from under it. Using his cloak to keep him hidden, he silently crept through the compound, keeping a lookout for any cameras or soldiers- 'Rooks' as the head man had called them- making sure that he did not get caught. He crept through as silently as a cat, scoping out the compound. He was looking for the commandant's office so he could await the man's return so they could work out a business oppertunity.

Andrew walked around a corner and saw a group of Rooks approaching. Thinking quickly, Andrew leapt into the air and grabbed a pipe above. He pulled himself up onto the pipe, and the group passed below. Andrew waited until the last one passed under, then dropped behind the straggler and took out a switchblade. He crept up to the Rook's back, and put the switchblade to his throat. The Rook froze, and Andrew whispered into his ear, "You move or cry out, you die. You are going to lead me to the office of your commandant, or else I kill you. Will you cooperate? Or do you die?"

The Rook said quietly, "Do not kill me. I will cooperate."

Andrew let the Rook go, but quickly put the switchblade against the back of the Rook. Andrew said, "Walk. If you lead me somewhere I do not want to go, you and whatever help you lead me to will die."

The Rook nodded, and Andrew followed the Rook to the office of the bases' commandant. Andrew saw that the door was flanked by a pair of Rooks, and he saw to the Rook he followed here, "You have outlived your need to me. Good night."

Andrew whipped the knife around the Rook's head, and slit his throat. He eased the body to the floor, and looked at the Rooks in front of him. He removed his other switchblade, and whipped both of them at the Rooks around the door. A blade flew into the throat of each guard, and both dropped to the ground, dead before they landed. Andrew stepped over the bodies and entered the door. He casually walked around the desk in the room, and sat down in the chair behind the desk. Andrew began his wait for the commandant to arrive.

[Ghost213]

Talis awoke in a barracks. He at first didnt realize the transformation he had undergone. Then he felt it, the metal on his arms. He rose from the bed, hearing the metal clink on the cold cement floor. His vision had also changed, his sight being sharper. He tested his reaction time, feeling faster and stronger. He at first felt anger at the Alexi, but decided better to escape. He realized he still had a will, and figured that to be a mistake made, and made his way to the door.

"Halt, you are commanded not to leave". Shit, a guard, thought Talis to himself.
He noticed he didnt have his guns, so having to think better, decided to kill him by snapping his neck. He walked up to the Rook, as they had been called, and before it could scream, he broke its neck. Then he decided to hide the body in the nearest closet. He crammed the body into the closet, and being done, made his way to the exit. No one had seen him leave the barracks, neither leave the compound, for they were to busy investigating the rooks found dead and the person in the office still killing rooks left and right. Noone saw him at all, he just slid out and made his way onto the road and into the forest. There he made a run and left the compound, knowing they would soon discover him missing and would find his trail. "Good" he thought, he wanted the nearest rook to rip ITs body parts off, for he was still fuming about the horror he had been made into.

[madman5]

Takeno briskly walked up to where Elona was standing. It was best not to startle her on this day, the day her father left the outpost. He died shortly after reaching Chicago. He took a sniper round to the head and fell to the ground dead. Elona took the news hard. Her entire family had become erradicated by Prexis' agents. She was always sad, and covered it up with anger, just as her father did. Takeno was the only person who she allowed to see her cry. He had become like a father to her.

"Elona, there is a distubance in the Southern Quadrant. Should I send a squad to deal with it?"

Elona paused for a minute. Her father was always concerned with that area.

"Send a scout team to determine the type of squad needed."

"Yes Elona. Right away."

As he walked off, Elona began to think about the situation. The Party base had been inactive for several years. Why was the Party becoming interested in Columbus now? She thought she should investigate personally. No, that would be foolish. Takeno told her to think twice before acting. She sat observing the work of the soldiers from the Central Barracks of the outpost. Several suburbs surrounded the Barracks. The city was slowly growing as the war pressed on.

An hour later, Takeno returned to give her the scout's report. He did not look happy.

"Well, what did they find out?" Elona could tell that Takeno wasn't in a good mood.

"They were captured, and all but one were turned into cyborgs. He was sent back to warn us of our doom."

"This is not good." Elona did not want to do what she did next. "I want you to go with your best samurai's to the base. Kill all but their leader. Bring HIM to me."

"Yes Ma'am." Takeno knew this was hard for her to do, but sending him was the only option. His survival instincts would keep him alive. He hoped this mission would not be his last. What the scout described was cruel and scary to even the war scared Takeno.

"Make haste Takeno."

[Ghost213]

Talis had escaped, but he knew they would be after him soon. He decided that he would need a hiding place and some new clothes. He hoped that there was someone nearby that could help him. He had grown tired from running and soon stopped to rest. He began to think. What would be his next move, now that he was just the same as any of the other cyborgs owned by the party. It would be alot harder to convince the radicals he was on their side. He would have to prove himself.
He needed weapons, and he knew where to get them. There was a safe house in the nearby Chicago suburbs, where he sometimes slept. He had hidden a few weapons and was sure they would still be there. Thats where he would head, to the suburbs. " I hope they reconize me," he thought to himself, "I ll need the help".

[madman5]

(OOC:Just a quick one, gunna play WC now.)
Takeno departed from the outpost with 30 of his best samurai at his side. They were the most leathal assasins at the Radical's command. The only problem:They stayed with their Sensei, Takeno. As they were marching to the cyborg lab, they spoted a shadow in the distance. Every single one of them was hidden within seconds. As the figure aproached, Takeno leaped out of cover wielding Tatsumasa. He placed it aganst the mans neck. He was a cyborg.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now."

[Ghost213]

"I am not what you think!" said Talis. "I was made into this horror by a commanding officer named Alexi." Hoping that this was a leader of the radicals and not one of the party, he introduced himself. "My name is Talis. My family worked for the radicals. They were, however captured and executed" said Talis, very mournfully. I only wish to hunt down those who did this and crush them like the cowards they are. But I have been made into this, THIS THING!, and now fear that you are afraid of me, and will not help me. So maybe it is better if you do just kill me, for what use is a cyborg to the radicals. If you, however, do spare me, I only ask to help you and to be given a place in the radicals.

Takeno lowered his weapon. "Alright," he said. "We could use your help now"

[Kazansky]

"Sir, the new Radical cyborg project has escaped." a Rook said to Alexei. "What do you mean, 'escaped'?? HE'S ONE OF US!! Wasn't he under the mind control drug after the operation?" The Rook shook his head. "Aaaargh!!" Kazansky slammed his iron hand against the wall. It made a large dent. "Who's the jackass who forgot to give him the mind control serum?!" Kazansky shouted lividly. "That would be Dr. Korshkov, sir. He simply forgot to put it in." Kazansky's eyes glared. "I knew that senile old fool would mean trouble to us one day. Kill him and search the area. We have a cyborg to hunt down."

Kazansky sent the Rook off and returned to his office, to take all of his frustrations out on his furniture. He was surprise to find his Rook's bodies lying around, with their circuits all sizzling and blue sparks coming out from their necks. He entered his office to find Andrew Masters sitting behind his oakwood office desk. Kazansky raised his weapon and threatened Andrew, "You - peasant. Get the fuck out of my office." Masters wouldn't respond. He simply sat there with his emotionless green eyes peering at Kazansky. Kazansky grew impatient and opened fire. With lightning quick speed, Masters swung his switchblades and deflected the bullets, causing them to ricochet into Kazansky's iron clad chest. The bullets bored into the armor and stayed there. Alexei barely flinched. Masters crossed his arms and smiled halfway. Kazansky glared at him. "I have a business proposal to make with you, Alexei." said Masters. Kazansky replied, "You're talking to me as if we're old friends. I have no idea who you are." Masters replied, "My name is Andrew Masters. I have an affiliation with no one. You can trust me." "I trust no one." Kazansky shot back. Masters went straight to the point and looked into Kazansky with his green eyes. "Make me a cyborg. I will fight for the glory of Prexis. No mind control is needed." But in actuality, Masters had something else in mind. He would become a cyborg, kill this son of a bitch officer and use his new metal endoskeleton to suit his own whims.Kazansky laughed, and then did something very strange. "Sure. Why not?" he said happily. Masters was at a loss. He just sat there, not knowing what to say. Could he trust this gas masked freak? Was this a trick? Andrew's mind surged with questions.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Rooks searched the building for Talis and Takeno. A group of Rooks finally caught them near a barracks, full of ordinary Party soldiers. Takeno, Talis and their 30 samurai were cornered by goons and Rooks with assault rifles and miniguns with cyborg sensors. This was going to be a great battle. Steel on steel. Honor versus programming. Sword versus bullet. The radicals prepared to fight in what seemed to be their final stand.

Masters gave Kazansky a quizzical look. After about half an hour of engaging negotiations, Masters reluctantly agreed to become a cyborg, although he had no idea what Kazansky had in mind for him. After the meeting, the two proceeded outside the office and walked into a different room. This room was completely black with strange ritual paintings and pentagrams carved on the wall. There was a mechanical device similar to the cyborg machine in the room, but it had no clamps for the limbs and head. Masters asked, "What the hell is this? Some trick??" Kazansky assured him, "That room you saw awhile ago was for creating Rooks from common Party soldiers or Svokom agents. This device you see here is for creating superbeings. We never use it because it takes up too much energy. After one use, the building is blacked out for the rest of the day." Kazansky laughed. Masters still did not trust him. He noticed the symbols and writings on the wall. Most the text was written in Cyrillic, a script he could not read. And some of the other words were in Romanian, a country associated with Transylvania and the legendary Vlad Dracul. "If you screw me up, I swear I will kill you." said Masters. Kazansky nodded and called out in Russian to some people behind a curtain. They marched out in a single file. They were all wearing black robes with their hoods up, and chanting something in Russian, "Naturiya mertviy i svobodniiiiyy..." went the chant.

As Masters got into the machine, he was growing more uncertain by the minute. The chanters gathered around masters in a semicircle, as Kazansky gave him the thumbs up while punching some buttons on the master keyboard. The chanting grew louder, until it reached an ear-piercing scream. But master was looking at the chanters. They were all on the floor, lying prostate. He looked behind him and he saw hooded, faceless figures all in black with blood red eyes coming out of a black vortex. One of them bit him, and before he knew it, he was changing color himself! His muscles were tightening as a black skinlike substance crawled over him from the wound in his neck. In seconds, he had lost his free will, but he felt stronger. Much, much stronger. He could feel no pain, and from out of his hand, he found his old switchblades, with a black coloring to them. Kazansky dangled a pendant in front of him. It was made of silver and riddled with Cyrillic inscriptions. Master tried to do what he originally came for and tried to strangle Kazansky. He couldn't do it! His limbs failed to respond! "Congratulations, Masters. You have just experienced what it is like to have your soul absorbed by a Romanian strigoi!! You're my slave now, and your soul rests here in this pendant. The only way of freeing yourself is if you destroy it. Heh... that's not gonna happen anytime soon, now is it?" As my first order to you, I want you to go and find Talis and Takeno from the Radicals and decapitate them. Bring their bloody heads back to me." The new Andrew rose up in a cloud of black smoke and flew through the walls, seeking his first target.

[Ghost213]

"Damn", thought Talis. He knew this battle would be hard fought. "Alright, Takeno, go for their vital areas." Secertly he knew this would be his last battle, but all the same, he was going to try. "Arrrgggh". Off went one of the heads of the Rooks. Talis grabbed the gun and before they knew it, half of the rooks were mowed down, with bullets in their chests. All of a sudden, gunfire broke out. There was complete and utter chaos for about 30 seconds, then it all stopped. There was a cloud of smoke, and Talis couldnt see anything. He knew that he couldnt have killed all those rooks. As the smoke cleared, he saw a man, in all black, staring him in the face. He spoke something in Russian that Talis barely understood. "The fight is over, comrade, now the battle really begins." Hoping the samauri were still behind him, Talis decided he would fight. "I'm not scared of you." Talis stuck the gun into the belly of the black clad warrior, and pulled the trigger. Shots rang out, but the warrior still stood. "UHH...Guys. I think its time to run!" Turning around, he saw the samauri had already fled. Talis burst into a full sprint towards the woods, hoping to lose the warrior.

Talis kept running until he found the samauri. "OK, I think we lost him. Now what", asked Talis, gasping for breath. He hoped that they would help him now. "Can anyone tell me what that was?", he asked quizically, "I mean seriously, the guy didnt die from bullets! Its like he didnt even feel it. He does, however, have a huge ass hole in his stomach, so he wont go far."

They led Talis to the nearest Radical camp, and bandaged his wounds. He was given a new set of clothes, a trench coat and a cloak with a hood, and a Colt '58 Peacemaker, the very same weapon he had before. "Thank you", was all he could manage as he set off. He now had friends, and was a member of the Radicals. "Maybe", he thought, "maybe I can finish what I started."

[Vhaeraun]

Andrew smiled. The bullets did nothing to him. They passed through his body, but he felt nothing. He would have to compliment Kazansky about the remarkable ceremony they had done on him. First, however, he had two priorities: One is to kill the people in front of him. Two is to find a way to break the hold Kazansky has over him. Andrew hesitated a moment to let the pair of men in front of him to run away, then calmly strolled after them. He was in no hurry. The longer he was away, the more time he had to think.

He watched them run through a door, barricading it behind them, but it did not stop Andrew. He brought back his fist and slammed it through the door, wrenching it from its hinges and rending it from the wall. He still calmly strode after, laughing as he saw the futile attempts to stop him. A group of Rooks walked into his path and, not knowing who this being was, began to shoot Andrew. Andrew smiled once more before crushing the skulls of the Rooks with not even a second thought. Andrew continued his stride, never slowing down, never speeding up.

Andrew watched them rush into a forest, and he stopped for a moment, as to give his prey a false sense of security. By now they are probably saying that they had lost their assailant, and when they least expect it, Andrew will strike, bringing them all to their knees.

[madman5]

The news came at dawn. Takeno and his samurai were turned into Party loyalists. Columbus was doomed. Elona was alone once more, but not for long. Soon she would be with her family again. But, she had to do something first. She had to end Takeno's suffering. She gathered her forces together for one final stand. She wept as she saw Takeno come near. She would not hide her sadness now.

(OOC:Would be longer but my computer killed my first one before I could post it. :()

[Ghost213]

The news hit him like a ton of bricks. The very same Takeno he had helped and had returned the favor, now was a party loyalist. Talis found out from a passing Radical convoy. He felt remorse for the Radicals, but knew he now had two people, maybe more after him. This could be a problem, he thought, so he decided he would have no choice but to head to Chicago, and after he retreived his **censored**nal, head to the Radical camp, where it was rumored Elona, one of the heads of the Radicals was entrenched. Hopefully, she could allow him to help her with whatever she needed done. He desperately needed to gain her trust. Maybe she could help him get near Prexis. That is what he needed, to kill the grandest foe he could have. But before that he had to shake the new Takeno and whatever the hell else is chasing him.

Chicago, 11mi
"Hmm," thought Talis. "Reaching Chicago will take another 4 hours. This means that by tonight I will reach the safe house." Talis pulled the cloak close around him and walked aginst the wind, hoping the safe house was still there.

[kongurous]

(see character information in the new character creation database, and please pm me if i screw this up as I am inexperienced to this form of RP)

Ryan stood in the darkest patch of shadows he could find, spying Talis but trying not to let his presence known, by sensors or otherwise.

"Just like deer huntin' in the Smokies," he thought. "This may be easier than I thought."

He smirked in the darkness, and kept his eyes on Talis. Despite his inexperience, hunting deer and turkey and other sensitive animals has it advantages, and knowing when and where to strike is one of them. He didn't plan on attacking Talis, he knew any form of cyborg could overpower and kill him easily. Just in case he was discovered by Talis or any other Radical, he gripped his Deagle with mixed feelings of his own insecurity, and his fierce loyalty to the Party.

[Kazansky]

APCs and Svokom Land Assault Vehicles roared through the forest, filled with Rooks and Party soldiers - their black and grey camouflage contrasting with the equally dim forest. Alexei was in the command APC, sitting uneasily in the driver's side passenger seat. A cyborg Rook drove the vehicle. He pondered,"Talis... that dissident borg... we need to find that bastard and shut him down... FOR GOOD... We cannot let something as powerful as him stay in the hands of the Radicals..." Suddenly, the radio crackled. The voice of a Party officer came in clearly, "Major Kazansky, one of our agents is in the area, Ryan McCarter. Your objective is to link up with him and try to find a way to get back your new 'project'." Kazansky replied, "Any support on this one?" the officer replied, "Yes, major. You will be looking for McCarter along with the Party's 5th Militia unit." Kazansky nodded to himself and said, "Roger roger. Will contact McCarter. Advise on frequency." the officer then replied, "106.30, Kazansky. Please contact Svokom for further details." Kazansky replied, "Yes sir. That will be all sir, thank you. Long live Prexis, Kazansky out."

Meanwhile, Masters' strigoi flew through the trees, searching for his designated prey. Suddenly, he stopped. An unknown figure stood hidden between the shadows of two large rocks. It was McCarter. He wanted to attack, but this new body would not allow it. Somehow, the strigoi shell prevented Andrew from harming Party members... but Andrew's impatience was soon put to rest by the sight of another figure that McCarter was spying on. This was his target -- the cyborg Talis. He circled in the air at treetop level, like a vulture... waiting for the right time to strike.

Kazansky and his band of Rooks suddenly appeared on the scene, and he smiled as he saw that everything he needed was here all at once. His project, Talis; the angry but powerful Andrew Masters circling in the air above them; and the Party's resident Davy Crockett, Ryan McCarter, hiding behind a rock above them. He himself hid from view, and commanded Andrew Masters with his talisman to set down on top of a tree. The strigoi obeyed. He then radioed McCarter to take on Talis together with him on the count of three...

[kongurous]

Ryan smiled as he heard the message, and checked his pistol's magazine. Deciding his aim was good enough to take out a bear with the ammo left, he silently aimed and prepared to pull the trigger.
"I'm ready when you are, Major. McCarter out." he radioed back and smirked, as this was his first engagement out of training.
He pulled the trigger as far back as it would go without firing and heard "3" go over the radio, and he fired, and missed by half an inch. Having probably ruined the attempt on Talis and revealed his position, he fled back into the shadows, hiding unseen and virtually unheard.

[Kazansky]

Talis flinched at the bullet, and scanned his surroundings, confused... "Kazansky to McCarter -- what the hell was that? I could have sworn that you were at good enough range to take him out! I'm calling back my Rooks." said Kazansky, confused and disappointed. He then used his talisman and was about to order the strigoi to swoop down on Talis when McCarter replied, "Major, I strongly suggest that we try to take this guy out slowly and stealthily. If we screw up one more time, he might just find us. Let's try it again when I change position." McCarter stealthily ran from his hiding place to behind a large tree and hid there. "This time, let's try it my way... I'll give the signal." he said as Kazansky waited, impatiently.

[Ghost213]

Talis took off, having nearly been shot. "**censored**", he thought," I need a way outta here and fast!". He burst into an all out run, seeing a black figure in the air following him. Remembering the figure, he stopped. He knew that the black warrior wouldnt shoot at him, instead the bullet had come from a different angle. He knew there was someone else after him. He looked around, scanning, searching for that hidden foe. "Found him," Talis smirked. He burst into another run, stright toward anoter target, one carring a gun. Talis is on him on a second. With ferocious strength, he ripped the gun free. "Dont shoot at me, Got IT!?", just as soon as he was there he was gone, back on track towards Chicago.

[kongurous]

"Damn it all!", Ryan shouted. He pulled his SAW out of it's holster, and fired well over 50 shots from his SAW in Tali's general direction, certain that at least one of them hit its target, when one only did actually hit, and it hit right at the joint between the left arm and the torso, which probably would have shot off the arm or at least render it useless for life on a normal human.

"Major Kazansky, to answer your surpisement on the fact that I missed my first shot, I haven't slept in 48 hours, so I'm surprised I even got as close as I did. And don't worry, I will personally make sure whatever the hell that s.o.b. was goes back to the corner of Hell it came from. McCarter out."
After finishing his transmission, he took off after Talis. He knew he could not catch a cyborg, but at least he could keep the cyborg's trail, which is another benefit to have grown up with a gun in your hand and a deer on your back.

"Major, this is McCarter again... you don't think you could spare a fast vehicle, do ya? I don't think I'm gonna reach your "friend" in time, and I don't want the Radicals to have such a weapon."

"Fine, I'm sending you an APC and three Rooks. Don't lose track of Talis, and do not, I repeat, do not let any of my Rooks die, or I will make sure you die in the same way. Kazansky out."

As soon as Kazansky's radioed voice left his ear, an APC pulled up beside him, with the three Rooks inside. After getting in the APC, Ryan literally put the pedal to the metal, and sped off towards Talis, determined to make sure that... that abomination of human flesh does not live to see another moon rise.

[Ghost213]

Talis heard the vehicle coming up behind him. "**censored**", he thought. He decided to finish this once and for all. He pulled out his Peacemaker and set himself on the side of the road, back a ways toward the direction he had come from. "This is it". The vehicle sped towards him as he took aim. Talis put all his concentration on this one shot, then he pulled the trigger. All he saw was a gargantuan explosion as the gas tank on the vehicle exploded, sending its passengers into the air. "Good shot", thought Talis to himself. "Now time to finish the job." He walked up to the wreckage, and killed all three rooks, but couldn t find the hick. He decided it best to leave as fast as he could, and burst into a full out run. He was 3 miles outside Chicago, it wouldnt be long now.

[kongurous]

He was injured all right, definitely injured. He couldn't feel his legs, but dared not look down, and saw blood, reflecting the fire from the explosion, in his eyes.

"Damn it all!", Ryan thought.

Drawing his remaining strength, he pulled his SAW from its holster and leveled it to the direction of Talis. Taking the best aim he could, he fired off the remaining 150 rounds, not really caring if any of them hit, and it was more to signal Kazansky or any other Party members than to hit Talis. He radioed the nearest known Party positions for help, and got the medical staff of the 5th militia speeding towards him. He also radioed Kazansky, apologizing for his failure and that his death, or injuries that would surely take him out of the fight for a while, was in vain.

Then, he sighed and watched the sky as consciousness, and perhaps life, slowly left him...

[Kazansky]

Ryan woke up in the forest, inside a tent... it seemed. A man in white stood over him, but he could not make out a face. "God?" he muttered. The man in white shook his head, "Close... I'm Dr. Oleg Krovin, co-director of Major Kazansky's Rook project. You were in pretty bad condition when we found you at the crash site. Uh oh, here comes the Major-- good luck, pal." The doctor stepped aside. Ryan's vision slowly returned to normal. "What the HELL did you think you were doing, huh? That was an expensive vehicle, maggot!! Three of my Rooks are out of commision indefinitely, and here YOU are, replacing them!" Ryan was confused... "'Replacing', sir?" Kazansky leaned over and put his mask into McCarter's face. "You heard me, comrade. 'Replacing' them. That is... if you want to... I tire of doing this." Ryan was still very much confused. "Come again, Major? I don't know what you mean." Kazansky shook his head, "Dr. Krovin, explain." The doctor briefly nodded and said, "We're biologically and mechanically enhancing you with our latest carbon and titanium implants!" Kazansky pushed the doctor aside, "We're gonna make you a cyborg, soldier... that is... if you accept. It would be pretty nice to see a cyborg chasing another cyborg, now wouldn't it? Your kind are rare these days-- specially trained Party members with killer reactions and battle experience... Rooks are just ordinary soldiers, nothing like real fighters at all. It's your decision, McCarter." All the surgeons and soldiers in the tent stared at him in anticipation.

[kongurous]

"All right, Major. I'll do it. This better be worth my while, though. I almost died and I don't want to almost die again."

Ryan layed down, confused and feeling like the room was floating. "Wait a minute, floating? Must be some kind of drug, either that or I really am dead. This better not be painful.", and more random thoughts soon followed as the preperations began. He thought of his home, at least what he could remember of it, and his longing to return to it, sometime after all this was over.

"Oh, and Major, feel free to deduct the price for the APC from my payroll. I doubt I will need the money anytime soon." After that, he decided staying awake was pretty pointless, and he quickly fell asleep.

[Kazansky]

"Doctor, prepare the portable Cybermatrix. We're gonna have to do this right here." said Alexei to Dr. Krovin. The machine was set up and placed over McCarter's body. Kazansky manned the computer and selected the suitable implants. "X10 Optical Scanner, X8 Arms, X8 Torso, X8 Legs... and a... nah, we don't really need to put in the mind control any more. If we do that the only word Ryan could say would be 'Party'. Oh, and one last feature. Ryan, m'boy... we're gonna test our new gat implant on you... Adding XW-25 mini-gatling gun to right hand... there. Done. Now all we need to do is wait for the machine to fill in the orders and we're finished." The machine whinned and closed McCarter up in a black metal shell while steam poured out of its sides as its hydraulics complained. Seconds later, a new Ryan McCarter emerged... armed with his own Gatling gun.

[kongurous]

Ryan stood with surprising speed, and look around, trying to get a feel for his new body. Enhanced vision, enhanced speed, just about everything enhanced. He looked down at his right hand, staring with half awe of his new weapon, and half mourning. Since he was right-handed, he would have to get used to using the other half, and to using his gatling gun.

"Major, where can I test out this sucker?" he asked hollowly, still trying to figure out how to work his new sets of vision.

"Leave the tent and take a left and you will see the target range." Kazansky replied.

Ryan followed the directions, and took aim with pinpoint accuracy and let loose a barrage of leads towards one of the bulls' eyes, and shooting out the entire center of one in less than a second. He could make pinpoint movements in 1 tenths of a second, and could shoot just as fast. Now, it was time to return the favor to Talis.

[Ghost213]

Talis reached the safe house, only to find it abandoned. "Shoot", thought Talis, knowing this was his only chance at receiveing help. He found his arsenal intact and loaded up on weapons and ammo, including a Peacemaker, and a Rifle. He stepped outside, knowing he needed to be on his way, cause the party was surely on theirs. Looking ahead, he saw his assumptions were right, seeing the black warrior ahead about thirty meters. "God, when does this end", said Talis, knowing this was going to be a battle no matter what. He pulled out his Peacemakers, prepared for a fight, and prayed very hard. The black warrior stepped forward. Slowly at first, then with increasing speed. Talis opened fire. Hitting his mark every time, the warrior stopped, then kneeled down on one knee. "I got him, now time to run." Talis took off as fast as he could, hoping to lose the black warrior before he got up.


He found an abandoned apartment building and decided it the best place to hide. Going inside he saw it wasnt abandoned at all, in fact it was a headquarters of some sort. He walked in and was greeted by a woman.
"Welcome", she said. "My name is Elona"
"Good," said Talis, "youre just the person I was looking for"

[Kazansky]

"Well... that was quite a shot there, McCarter. I'm sure you would show the same amount of skill against Talis." said Kazansky, loading his rifle. Ryan grinned. The two left the target range and met up with a couple of dozen Rooks. They had no idea where Talis went since they last saw him when he blew up the APC. They decided to let Masters in on it. Kazansky used the Talisman, and he could see in his mind's eye what Masters was seeing. He was at the safehouse, where Talis was last. Apparently, Andrew had been following Talis on sheer will alone. He seemed to be hurt for a second, then his strigoi body repaired its damaged areas and he stood again.

"Follow him. You know where he is." ordered Kazansky. Masters levitated for a moment and flew in Talis' general direction. In minutes, he could see that he had arrived at an apartment. "Wait on the roof" said Kazansky. He then ordered his Rooks and McCarter to get into an APC and proceed towards that location. Talis was in deep shit now...

[xhaven09]

Out of the darkness Alucard appeared beside Kazansky and said,"What is my order sir?". And waited for Kazansky to speak to him.

Alucard followed Kazansky who was presently chasing Talis. "Sir, would you like me to shoot Talis to slow him down"Alucard said readying his pistols while waiting for the order.

[kongurous]

Ryan, along with the Rooks, got into the APC and sped off towards Chicago.

"Only 3 miles? I could have made this on foot in 10 minutes or less running!" He thought.

He had shortly mastered using his left hand, finding it a tad more useful than the right, for some reason. A few minutes later, they were in Chicago and found Talis just as he entered the apartment. Ryan left the APC and took aim with surprising speed, and fired his high-powered mini-gatling in the general direction that his thermal vision sights said Talis and another person, probably a Radical, were located. McCarter then proceeded into the apartment, followed by the Rooks.

[Kazansky]

"McCarter, I think we've got him. Let's get up there and check it out." said Kazansky proudly. They sped up the staircase and found the room that McCarter had drilled with bullets. There was one body lying there. They turned it over and saw who it was... unfortunately, it wasn't Talis. "Who the hell are you?!" shouted Kazansky. The man, shot in the arm, replied, "M... my name is... is Alucard..." McCarter grabbed him by the collar and asked, "What's your affiliation. I can tell if you're lying... my sensors read your heartbeat you son of a bitch!!" Alucard groggled a reply, "P... par... party." Kazansky slapped his forehead. Ryan let go immediately. "Whoops." was all Ryan had to say for himself.

Kazansky said to McCarter, "Ooooh... I could have sworn that was a Radical... it's okay. Friendly fire isn't rare. Talis probably ran off with a good amount of damage. He's probably still in here." McCarter breathed a sigh of relief. He feared that Kazansky was going to discharge and disassemble him.

"As for you..." Kazansky said to Alucard, "I don't remember sending you out on this mission. How did you end up here?" Alucard replied, "P... Prexis sen... sent me." Kazansky crossed his arms. "That's rich." he said, "This is a private mission. Oh, who the hell cares. Rook- wrap this man up and see that he's in fighting condition. He's stuttering over a freakin' flesh wound for Prexis' sake." The Rook injected Alucard with a pain killer and he was soon in good condition. "Let's hunt for some cyborg..." said Alucard.

[kongurous]

Ryan switched to his thermal sights, looking around various parts of the apartment that would lead to an escape route. He got a faint flash of thermal energy and then nothing.

"Major, I think I found our little friend. Follow me."

McCarter, Kazansky, and the Rooks went towards the area where the flash was, and there was fresh, warm blood, amongt other things required for a cyborg to run, on the floor. A lot of it.

"Who ever went by here was wounded. And judging from the splatters, it was quite a big bullet. If we follow this trail, I think we will get to Talis."

He switched back to normal view, and followed the trail to a fire escape. The trail continued downward until it lead to someone sitting against the wall.

"Major, I think we found Talis. What should I do with him?"

[xhaven09]

Alucard quickly ran next to Ryan and said,"Why not end it here, lets kill him!". Ryan was just standing there waiting, thinking what to do with Talis.

Alucard pointed his gun at Talis and waited for the command to shoot. Still thinking what to do, Ryan was just staring at Talis, either to shoot him or to take him as prisoner.

Then Kazansky came close, He too was thinking, Alucard was still pointing his gun at Talis.

[kongurous]

Ryan leaped down to figure and held it up by the shoulder, seeing that it was indeed Talis.

"Hello, Radical. Remember me? You blew up my APC and nearly killed me. And then, just to get you back, I became a cyborg. Don't that make you feel special? Thanks to you, I lost my right hand, and I think I might return the favor with interest. Say hello to Satan for me.", McCarter said to Talis, and proceeded to blow Talis's neck and head off and threw the corpse into it's own puddle of blood. Then, he blew off Talis's right hand and put a bloody boot print on the corpse's chest.

"Major, Target eliminated.", McCarter radioed to Kazansky.

[Ghost213]

(ooc: uh... i kinda screwed up this, so disregard my last post if possible. Ima take a break to let my creative juices kinda build up a bit. Sorry my bad

[Kazansky]

(OOC: Thanks for starting a new storyline, Ghost213. :) But uh... the name of my drill instructor is mentioned in my bio. His name's Yuri Valin, but hell, I'll play along anyway. Does anyone know where Vhaerun went?)

Kazansky had dismissed McCarter and contained the strigoi before he entered his office and stood in shock. He took off his helmet and mask and rubbed his eyes. "Uh... Sergeant Kruchev? I thought you were assigned to Chechnya!" Kruchev replied, "I was. I met a Party member in the Russian Army there. He showed me the light -- and now, I am a member, too, of SVOKOM-- your agency, Major. Oh, and I'm not a sergeant anymore. I'm a polkovnik (Russ. Major), the same as you. Drogan removed his hat and took out a bottle of vodka from under the desk. "It's good to see you again, Alexei. This calls for a celebration." Kruchev filled two shot glasses.
"Nastrovya."
"Nastrovya."
The two old war buddies drank until the point of vomiting, just then, a Rook came into the office. "Sir, Prexis is on the videophone. And if you don't mind me saying sir, you are NOT in a good condition to be speaking to him." The Rook then left the room, and Prexis' face instantly appeared on the video monitor. He was looking very upset.

[kongurous]

Ryan ventured deep into the countryside of Chicago, not thinking of what the consequences might be. He sighed, and again thought of the Smokie Mountains, until his sensors flashed and revealed a large convoy of Radical supplies and men heading into Chicago from the east, about 2 kilometers north of his positon. He radioed all nearby Party forces and stealthily got close enough to see the convoy and took aim at the rear supply vehicle, noticing that this was near where Talis and taken Ryan's hand and other body parts and saw his Deagle and SAW laying in or near the road.

"Majors, sorry to interrupt anything, but I have just spotted a Radical convoy heading into Chicago, about 1.5 kilometers outside the city. Requesting reinforcements, or dust-off. McCarter out.", McCarter radioed to Major Kazansky, Major Kruchev, and, unintentionally, to Prexis.

[Kazansky]

Prexis was cut short by McCarter before actually saying anything to his drunken officers. "Gentlemen, we seem to have a problem. As Ryan McCarter mentioned about the Radical convoy, that also happens to be the mission I was supposed to send you two on. The Radicals have taken hold of one of Major Kazansky's Cybermatrix devices." Prexis glared at Kazansky. "They are presently transporting it to a base far away from Chicago, sources say that the most likely place for them to bring it to as of this point is their Communications Center in the Grand Canyon. We never had a chance to shut that station down due to its heavy defences. I trust that you both will handle this quickly and easily. Oh, and Mr. McCarter should be of use to you in the Grand Canyon. If you do not bring back the device, I will have all three of your heads on a platter. Prexis out." Kazansky burped, "Did they just get one of my machines?" Kruchev replied, "Dah." "Damn..." said Kazansky.

Suddenly, Kazansky remembered McCarter's request, and in his half-consciousness, paged for a MIR Chopper and an APC stuffed with Rooks to deploy to the previously established coordinates.

[Ghost213]

"Kasensky. Maybe we could test one of my new devolpments on this mission."
"What would that be," Replied Kasensky.
"My new attack chopper, the Razor. It is twice as fast as any Hind and has armament to challenge even the best armed F-15 Tomcat. It has been in devolpment and is in need of testing, and I implore that we use it on this misson.
"Hmmmm....", said Kasensky. "You say it has never been tested? Do you know wether it will preform to specs"
"It has been tested, but not in battle conditions, only on survey, and it preforms well. And with your cyborgs flying, the response time of the pilot will be increased, thus increasing the response time of the chopper itself. Those radical bastards wont know what hit them."
Both of the Soldiers began to laugh.


"Sir, target in sight." said the cyborg. The chopper was preforming perfectly, even better than Kruchev had expected. He was pleased. They had already managed to prevent the convoy from reaching thier destination, and had them pinned down inside the canyon, with all exits closed.
"This is like shooting fish in a barrel, eh comrade", said Kruchev.
"Just like it", said Kasensky.

[kongurous]

McCarter smirked as he locked a silencer into place and let loose 500 silenced rounds in about 5 seconds into the rear vehicle, setting it ablaze and sending men and machinery everywhere. His sensors said that the Party was on it's way, and, again, McCarter smirked and annihilated another vehicle and more Radicals. After setting another Radical excuse for a mechanical object ablaze, he decided he had done enough and sat back and watched, turning off his sensors.

[Kazansky]

(OOC: So... lemme get this straight... Ghost213 is Major Drogan Kruchev??)

[kongurous]

(OOC:the character creation thread does not lie. Ghost213 is Major Drogan Kruchev)

[Ghost213]

(occ: i changed sides, tis more fun if youre not being hunted by four or five people.)

"Good job, Ryan. It is nice to have a cyborg on the ground, eh Kasensky?", said Kruchev. "It makes me wish i were down there, killing those Radical Fools, thinking they had a chance of stealing your cybermatrix."
"Yes, it is nice, comrade."

"Ive found the cybermatrix, Kasensky."
"Good.", said Kasensky."Now make sure that they dont go anywhere with it before we get there."

[kongurous]

"Uh, sirs, requesting dust-off. I think I've done enough, and I need to reload my weapon."Ryan radioed to Kazansky

"Dust-off granted"Kazansky replied, and within 5 minutes, Hinds were there to pick-up McCarter. They ferried back to the munitions tent, where the backwoods excuse for a soldier known as Ryan McCarter would be at home amongst the weapons and ammo. He grabbed some drums for his gatling gun, and grabbed a couple extra pistols and his next stop was the medical tent.

"Doc, you here?"

"Yes, what is it?"Dr. Krovin replied.

"You don't think you could make it so that I could switch between a hand and a gatling gun, do ya?"

"I geuss I could, Mr. McCarter. Is that what you need?"

"Yup."
"Alright.", is all the Doctor said, then numbing McCarter's arm. Ryan looked away as the doctor worked and soon, the workings were complete. Ryan now had a right hand, and a weapon, and could switch on the fly.

"The Radicals won't know what him them.", Ryan thought to himself and chuckled.

[Kazansky]

Major Kazansky and Major Kruchev were ordered to be given anti-alco drugs to kill that stupid hangover feeling. They were soon back and perky again, and Kazansky was breathing down on the Radicals with his battalion of T-90s. "If you hit the Cybermatrix, consider yourself liquidated!!" Kazansky yelled at his gunner. The Rook gunner simply nodded and aimed for one of the transport trucks. It blew up, and Radicals were flying like they were born for it. Kazansky then shifted his attention to the idiots who were running towards his battalion with AK-47s and M-203s. "What the HELL are they doing?!" Said Kazansky. Major Kruchev was busy in the air, piloting his MIR chopper. "Kazansky, I don't see govnoi (Russ. shit) from up here. I think the Cybermatrix went through that tunnel."

[Ghost213]

"Alexi, lets follow them, but with enough units to wipe them off the face of the earth. I do believe we have found their base, and I also think this is our time to anhillate the resistance in this area."
"I agree, Drogan. Let us follow them in with Rooks.

After amassing a large force of units, Drogan and Alexi followed the covoy(what was left of it) leaving a trail of wake all the way through the tunnel. Soon they were inside the complex, destroying all that even showed signs of resistance. After hours of battle, they finally were in control of the base, and had the cybermatrix back in Alexi's possesion.

[kongurous]

When no-one was looking, Ryan got enough fuel for an APC to get him to Canada, found him and APC, and drove south. He didn't know where he was going, or even why he was going anywhere, but something compelled to go south, and his sensors also showed some movement, so he had enough fuel, and a good enough motive for leaving the area without permission.

[Kazansky]

One of Kazansky's Rooks sensed that McCarter was apparently deserting them. He warned over the radio, "Ryan McCarter-- you are in violation of Party military code 135. Deserters will be shot!!" Ryan kept going. The Rook radioed Kazansky, "Sir, McCarter is deserting us." Kazansky shook his head in disbelief. He then radioed McCarter, "Soldier, what in RED HELL are you doing?! I demand to know the cause of this irrational behavior!! Return now or my men will have you shot!"

[kongurous]

"Sir, you don't need me at the moment, and I won't be gone for long. I'm sure you can handle things while I'm gone, and don't ask why I'm leaving, because I don't know, just something compells me to return to my birthplace, at least, what's left of it. See you in 3 days, McCarter out.", McCarter radioed back to Kazansky and turned off his radio, and the radar signal of his APC disappeared.

[Ghost213]

Kruchev walked up to Kasensky. "Let the boy go comrade. He may be a cyborg, but he still has a brain and therefor still has feelings."
Kasensky thought for a moment."You're right. But I still want him to be followed by someone. Send a rook after him, and keep tabs on all his movements."
"As you wish, comrade."

[Kazansky]

Meanwhile, Kazansky's Cybermatrix was still on the move.

"MOVE MOVE MOVE!!!" Yelled a Radical as he motioned for his men to load the Cybermatrix into what seemed to be a giant chopper. Rooks were on the scene in seconds. Kruchev was up in the sky, and he wasn't about to let the chopper get off the ground. The Rooks then took their weapons and proceeded to drill the grounded chopper full of holes. They then went to examine the device. One of the Rooks shook his head, "No... it can't be... that's not right." he then radioed Kruchev. "Major Kruchev, please inform Major Kazansky that the Cybermatrix was a decoy. It's just paper mache, sir. We don't know where the real machine has gone off to."

[Ghost213]

"Major Kasensky, we have a slight problem. The cybermatrix was a decoy!!!" Kruchev felt more than a little nerveous as delivered the news to Kasensky. "What do you suggest, eh Major. It is, after all, your cybermatrix. And you have most of the resources at your command. In my opinion, the best place to search is in Chicago, where it was stolen from."
Kasensky pondered for a moment. As he was thinking, a Rook radioed in to tell him that Prexis was personally coming to see him. "Damnit. Kruchev, we have an even bigger problem than the Cybermatrix. Prexis is coming tomorrow to see us. And I am sure it wont be a congradulations meeting."
Kruchev thought, then radioed back. "It is okay, comrade. We shall just find it before he arrives. Like I said, lets have someone search for us, like a Strogi, or maybe a few cyborgs. We know have the locations of their bases at least. Those Radical bastards wont be able to hide that big a machine for very long. Orrrr... Maybe thats what Ryan saw. We shall just wait for his return, and humor Prexis in the mean time."

[kongurous]

McCarter was unaware of the fact that the cybermatrix was a decoy, he was just on his way to home, or at least as close as he could get to it. His sensor's were off, but he heard the sound of leaves and sticks crunching under immense weight, and he then saw a huge Radical convoy going through a gorge. They had it all:tanks, man-portable SAMs, man-portable SSMs, machine guns, the works. McCarter only had enough time to get out of the APC and hide before it was engulfed by a high-explosive tank round.

"Major Kazansky, Major Kruchev, this is Private Ryan H. McCarter. I have found a huge Radical convoy transporting supplies, as well as something else, I can't tell what, approximately 15 kilos south-southwest of your present positions, requesting IMMEDIATE reinforcement, my gun can't take on depleted-uranium armor!", McCarter radioed to the Majors.

"This is Kazansky, reinforcement on the way, McCarter, we will be there shortly. How long do you suppose you could hold out if they spot you?"

"I'd say say about 5-30 minutes at most. Sending you a visual right now"

He sent the Majors a visual of the convoy, which held the real cybermatrix, it was going quite slow and most of the supporting infantry were just standing, waiting to be sniped.

"This will not end we...", McCarter was in the middle of his sentence when fully-automatic fire from one of the tanks' co-axle guns. He rolled to his left side, and ended up in the sights of one huge T-90.

"Oh crap.", were the last words to escape the cyborg before a high-explosive round went off at his feet and send him into a tree, uninjured but unconscious.

[Kazansky]

Kazansky smiled and radioed Kruchev, "Major, it looks like comrade McCarter found the Cybermatrix!! We still have the problem of Prexis, though. Let's split up. I'll take care of Prexis, while you reinforce McCarter." Kruchev replied with an "Affirmative, Major." And took a couple of dozen Rooks to McCarter's location, while he himself took to the skies in his chopper.

[Ghost213]

"Hahahaha", came the sadistic laugh of Kruchev as it did every time he was in the heat of battle. They finally had cornered the foolish Radicals. He almost had them defeated. Soon enough, he thought, I will have this machine back. I shall turn all the half-dead Radicals into cyborgs. More units to dominate with.
"Uhhh, sir we have a problem," Raidoed one of the Rooks to Kruchev. "There are reinforcements coming in, enough to stop us. Hmmm....thought Kruchev. Is it time to-
"Major, what shall we do?"
"Deploy the mutants"

[Ghost213]

"Are you sure sir," said the Rook, sounding more than a little worried. "Yes, release them, or else." Kruchev knew that the mutants would be a danger to everyone down there, including people on the Party's side. But the trial results would be what he was wanting. More strength than a rook, maybe even a cyborg once the next batch of them is done. The willingness to go on, even after being severely wounded. Yes, he thought, they would be quite interesting.

"SIR, they are destroying everything, they may even destroy the cybermatrix!"
"Employ the Synapse Chip, and pray it works". Kruchev had given the order that he hoped proved his creations could be controlled. Soon enough, the mutants settled down, and began only killing Radicals, more methodically, more intelligently, just as Kruchev had hoped. His experiment had worked, and he now had the cybermatrix. All that was left was to tell Kasensky. He began to radio in to Kasensky, when his Razor began to malfunction, and crashed, Leaving Kruchev unconsious, and Kasensky without information on the Cybermatrix

[kongurous]

Ryan regained consciousness and noticed the mutants, dead bodies, and neutralized Razor.

"Am I in Hell?", he said to himself.

"No, but you're going to be if you don't tell me what happened to the cybermatrix.", Kazansky barked over the radio. McCarter looked about, and saw the cybermatrix, intact, but slightly damaged.

"Sir, I have located the cybermatrix. It's slightly damaged, so it does need repair. And Kruchev's Razor malfunctioned, I would suggest you send some medical personnel."

"What happened to the APC you stole?"

"It went boom, courtesy of the Radicals. And cancel those medics, I'll carry the good sir Kruchev."

"Fine. Just don't get him killed, I have enough problems to deal with."

"Say some of the stuff you have to sort out with Prexis is my fault. The Party needs you more than me."

"Tell me that again when you get back here, I want to hear you say it in person, because you really don't want to know what Prexis does to those who don't do their job."

"Yes sir! McCarter out.", and with that, McCarter picked up Major Kruchev, and started a brisk run back to base.

[Kazansky]

(OOC: More strength than a rook, maybe even a cyborg once the next batch of them is done.

Rooks ARE the cyborgs.)

Kazansky arrived at SVOKOM HQ in the nick of time. Prexis' limo was on the scene, and he was just getting out. Kazansky hurriedly walked up to meet him. "Uh... Prexis, sir. I'm glad to see you here, sir." Prexis grunted in reply, "I know about your little mistake." Kazansky shook his head, "Mistake? What mistake?" Prexis replied, "Play dumb with me and my men will fire upon you. Your mistake concerning the theft of the Cybermatrix. There was apparently someone who ratted it out to the Radicals. One of your cyborgs... I believe. It wasn't that he did it intentionally. He just forgot to do anything about the signal blockers surrounding the Cybermatrix's bunker." Kazansky removed his helmet. "McCarter? No... it can't be..." Prexis replied in consolation, "We're not sure who it is yet."

Suddenly, the two men saw a figure in the distance running at superhuman speed towards them. It was McCarter, with a body on his shoulder.

[kongurous]

McCarter stopped in front of Prexis, looking as if he's bowing, but more to put Kruchev down. Ryan was panting hard.

"Hail Prexis. Hello Major Kazansky. Major Kruchev is on the road to becoming conscious again, and I am REALLY considering asking for a raise. It seems the Radicals are a little too well-armed for my liking, and I get the suspicion that we, all three of us, are thinking along the same lines. Forgive me if I'm not respecting my rank, but I suggest some sort of recon mission or somethin' like that, and maybe a clear of my schedule for the next day or two so I can finish adjusting to this new body. Feel free to ignore that last one. And if you think it may have been me to tell them, I will tell you right now that my sensors and blockers and all them fancy doodads were on when the cybermatrix was stolen. And I think, especially Prexis, you would know that I put the Party and all it's secrets before me and my life."

"We can't let you have any time off until we find out who stole it. Sorry, Private, you're still on duty.", Kazansky said.

"It. Would. Figure.", McCarter stated in a smart-ass tone. He then stood and proceeded to the armoury.

[Ghost213]

Kruchev awoke in the hospital's recovery ward. "Where am I?", he questioned.
"In the recovery ward", said the nearest doctor. "You were severly injured, but that is all due to the concussion you recieved. Most other injuries were mere sratches or bruises, nothing you won't recover from.
Kruchev got up, stumbled a bit, then sat back down. "Damn my head hurts. Do you have any medicine for a headache, doctor?"
"Yes, hold on for a moment," replied the doctor, walking over to a small box. He pulled out a bottle of a clear liquid, and agiain reached in and pulled out a small syringe. He proceeded to withdraw some of the liquid and inject it into Kruchev's arm. Moments later Kruchev passed out.


Later, Kruchev awoke again. He felt fine, minus a slight pounding in his left temple. He stood up, finding he was no longer dizzy. He checked out of the hospital, and proceeded to Kasensky's quarters to find out how the meeting with Prexis went.

(OOC: I wasnt sure if a rook was as strong as a cyborg, although I had a feeling that they were one in the same. Sorry my mistake >.<)

[kongurous]

McCarter stopped Kruchev as he made his way to Kazansky's quarters.

"Move, Private, or I will have you deactivated and turned into scrap."

"Sorry, sir, but I need a thank you.", Ryan said slyly.

"What do you mean?", the Major asked.

"I saved your life after your Razor malfunctioned. I would like a thank you, or at least a promotion or a raise!"

"I'll talk it over with Kazansky, now move it."

"No, I need an answer. I believe in an eye for an eye, and we will meet again on the battlefield sooner or later, and if you want me to save you again, you'd better repay me."

"Then I'll make a note to make sure we don't meet again."

"I will keep in touch, Major, remember that. You have 24 hours to give me an answer, or a reward." and with that, Ryan continued his walk to the armoury.

[Kazansky]

Meanwhile, at an undisclosed Radical base in the mountains...

The Radicals were moving with sufficient speed in their armored convoy, with the cybermatrix being hauled along behind them. Suddenly, they recieved a message on their radio. "This is the White Rook. Do you read me?" a deep, guttural voice asked. "We read ya loud n' clear." replied the driver. It sounded like he was from Texas. "Alright, Sergeant Kranger. Did you acquire the machine?" asked the White Rook. "Yup. Sure did. It's sittin' nice and tight at the back of this 'ere convoy." Kranger replied. The White Rook was quick to respond, "Excellent."

[Ghost213]

Kruchev walked to Kasensky's quarters, and let himself in. He found the Major sitting in his seat, reading a paper, and sipping a large glass of vodka.
"How was the meeting with Prexis?", asked Kruchev.
"It was a terrible ordeal, my friend. He nearly decided to have me shot. And another thing, I am almost postive that there is a leak somewhere in our ranks. The problem is I cannot find out who it is. So right now I am drinking away my problems, and trying to figure out where the leak is. But enough of that, drink, and drink much, for we did get back the cybermatrix."
"And besides, whereas it wont help my headache, it will make me feel a bit better than I do now."
Kasensky poured him a glass, and Kruchev took a seat. The glasses klanked together, and they both began drinking away the night, eventually passing out in seperate parts of the compound, having decided in a drunken haze to try to find the cyborg responsible for the leak.

Kruchev awoke with a severe headache, worse than the one he started with yesterday. He was near his barracks, but appearantly had not made it in time before he passed out. He stood up, and thats when it hit him. He has heard a rook behind a wall, last night, making an out of base transmission to someone. He couldnt remember who the rook was, but he had an idea, for the voice sounded farmiliar, and decided that he best had tell Kasensky all that he knew.

[kongurous]

McCarter walked over to Kruchev and chuckled, a lit cigarette in his mouth.

"You have really gotta drinkin' problem, you know that?", Ryan chuckled again.

"Shouldn't you be dead?", Kruchev asked flatly.

"Shouldn't you be unconscious?", again with a chuckle at the end. "The rook you're looking for is called the White Rook."

"How did you figure that out?", the Major shouted.

"My little secret.", and with that, he turned and walked towards the armoury, chuckling again.

[Ghost213]

Kruchev walked into Kasensky's quarters, and proceeded to tell him everything he knew.
"You know, Kasensky, I didnt know the name of the rook until McCarter approached me and told me. Then he told me it was a little secret that he knew. I think he either knows who this rook is, or......"
Kasensky finished the sentence. "He is the White Rook. We have a problem. We need to wring all the info out of McCarter we can. He is a threat if he is the white rook, if not he will help us or else."
"What do you suggest, comrade?"
"Bring him in. He will have an idea about what is going on, but all the same keep it secret. Drug him afterwards, then ask all the questions you want. You have full interragation power, so if he resists. Shoot him.
"Understood, Comrade. I shall do what I can."
With that Kruchev walked out, and began his search for the White Rook.

[kongurous]

McCarter walked out of the armoury, his cigarette having long gone out but still in his mouth. Kruchev stopped the McCarter, as he was walking towards the barracks.

"I need to speak with you comrade.", Kruchev said.

"About wh--", before McCarter could finish his sentence, he was drugged and unconscious for about 5 minutes, waking up tied to a chair with a gun to his head.

"Where the hell am I?"

"That isn't important. What is, is the fact you know about this 'White Rook'", Kruchev said, turning on a bright light and shining it in McCarter's eyes.

"If you resist, I have orders from Kazansky himself to kill you."

"You wanna know about the white rook? Fine, I'll tell you. I have known him for quite awhile, long before he was a rook. He served the Party, but deep down, I knew he wanted to be a Radical, but he also didn't want to die, so he stayed with the Party. He got mortally wounded, and was turned into a rook and took the alias he is now known by. Only a few know that he as betrayed the Party, and I don't even know where he is. That's all I know. Go ahead and run a lie-detector test on me if you want to."

"I believe you comrade. For now. If I find out you lied, I will kill you, even without Kazansky's orders."

"Yes sir. Can I return to my barracks now?"

"Fine. And don't mention this coversation to anyone outside of me, Kazansky, and Prexis, understood?"

"Yes sir!" McCarter rendered a tight salute and both he and Kruchev walked off.

[Ghost213]

Kruchev met Kasensky outside the compound in which he had interrogated McCarter. He lit up a smoke, one of the ones McCarter had had. "He doesnt know much, comrade. He may know this rook personally, but I doubt he will give him up. He says, however, that others know about this rook, also personally. We may have more than one defector if this is true. I doubt this also, but I think we should tighten security." With that Kruchev finished his cigarette, and walked off to his bunker to sleep.




(OOC: I probably wont be able to type for a while, cause ill be at my moms and i have to damn near beat up my brother just to get on the computer, but ill do my best to type later today and tomorrrow.)

[kongurous]

McCarter was still on his way to the barracks when a voice called to him from the shadows.

"Pssst. Over Here!.", the voice whispered.

"What the hell?", McCarter said, the barrels of his gatling gun spinning.

"It's me, the White Rook. Our operation hasn't been found out yet, has it?"

"'Our' operation? This was all your doing. And I didn't even know where you were when that over-zealous new Major Kruchev interrogated me! And, I'm sorry, but you are a traitor, and traitors to the Party must be punished.", McCarter said gravely. "I'm sorry, but I have to tell the Majors. MAJOR KAZANSKY, MAJOR KRUCHEV!!! I FOUND THE WHITE ROOK! HE'S OVER HERE!!!"

Within minutes, guards and both Majors had arrived and the White Rook was arrested for further interrogation.

"Uhhh, sirs, do you mind if I do the interrogation?", he asked.

"What do you mean?", both majors asked in unity.

"I mean, I know what will make him talk."

"Out of the question. We will take care of this, you get some rest. You have done enough for the Party today, and if we think we will need you, you will be contacted. Dismissed.", Kazansky said and walked off.

"Yes sir!", McCarter saluted, and walked off, happy that the fact he was involved with this incident was still a secret, for the time being at least.

[Kazansky]

Kazansky knew of the constructions and design of his own men. He got his toolbox and chained the White Rook to a steel post. He then removed the mask and skullcap, revealing a shriveled face beyond recognition. "Jesus. We don't even know who he is! The database will never find a match. Major Kruchev, can you help me out? Grab that screwdriver over there. Take down the arms and legs." Kruchev started disassembling the arms and legs, while Kazansky began interrogating. "Why did you desert the Party, Rook?" the Rook did not reply.

Suddenly, just as soon as the legs and arms came off, a biological blue slime spewed from the sockets. "I don't remember putting that in..." said Kazansky, with a tone of worry.

[kongurous]

McCarter again found an APC, and took enough fuel for a good while, and drove off in no particular direction. He was hoping just to find a place away from the compound. FAR away. Reaching his destination, about 4-5 kilometers outside of the compound, he found a serene pond. McCarter got out, and sat next to the water's edge, looking into the sky and tinkering with his gatling gun.

"My betrayal isn't worth what the Radicals said they would give me, hell, they haven't even payed me yet!", he thought to himself, and then got back into the APC and drove back into the direction he thought was the base to confess, since his sensors were off, but instead of seeing security towers and such, he saw pillars of smoke and Radical artillery and tanks, and infantry swarming through breaches in the wall. McCarter drove the APC to a safer position, thinking enough APCs had been destroyed on his part, and sped stealthily towards one of the Radical tanks. It was an ABRAMS M1A2, a pretty rare tank in this day and age. McCarter boarded it, tore open the hatch, and shot everyone in it with pinpoint accuracy, and aimed the turret towards one of the artillery pieces, which was a howitzer.

"Did these guys raid an old US army base or somethin'? They're using American equipment!", he thought and fired at the howitzer, which was then immediatly blown to pieces of scrap, followed by hundreds of transmissions to watch my fire.

"HA! They still think this tank is on their side. Well, how about I show them what an ABRAMS can do?", McCarter again thought to himself.

He fired on two more pieces, and then placed a grenade on the control console of the tank, and quickly left to radio the base.

"Majors Kruchev or Kazansky, can you read me? Either our base is under attack, or the Radicals are out of whack, and I have visuals of their forces and their equipment, requesting immediate assistance or orders."

Only static answered back.