Special Branch: The Chasing of Wild Geese.
POSTED BY: seryn
UPDATED: Tuesday, August 22, 2006 13:25
VIEWED: 17628
PAGE 4 of 9
The mechanic was a bit of a surprise. The easiest description that came to mind was “hick”. He was a clean cut, farm boy with an easy smile. At six foot two, he looked like he’d be more at home fixing tractors than transports, but Citizen had vouched for his work and with Safe’s experience with Citizen… that was good enough for him.
Having sent messages to Soul and the Dagger, Safe left Citizen to the negotiations. Safe then followed the mechanics directions to find the place to rent a hover-mule. The “Carson’s” place, he said, was about a Kilometer down the road. It was quite apparent by the way the mechanic had literally spit the name out, that he had no love for these people, but as they were the only ones with a hover-mule for rent, there really was no other choice.
As Safe turned down the dirt lane to the Carson’s place, he was beginning to understand the mechanics hesitation to use these people. The front of the ramshackle, what looked to be a ranch at one time, building was littered with hover-mules in various stages of disrepair. The sound of a heated argument came from inside the building.
Not wanting to walk into the middle of a domestic squabble, Safe stops at the foot of the front porch. “Hello?”
The screaming and yelling stopped like a switch was thrown and a man’s voice calls out “What do y’want?”
“The mechanic up the road said I could rent a hover-mule here. Is this the Carson place?”
At that, the front door is flung open and an overweight balding man steps out followed by a thin shrill looking woman sporting a black eye, her left arm hanging limp at her side. The man slicks back his remaining hair, adjusts his cheap suit jacket and smiles a wide crocodile smile, showing off his gold tooth. “Rube sent you?? Well then… seems that hayseed… er … respected business man has a nose fer business after all. What can I do fer you?”
Safe gritted his teeth. This man set his nerves on edge. It was all he could do to stop from punching that gold tooth down the other man’s throat. Taking a deep breath and making sure to unclench his hands, Safe addressed the man. “Mr. Carson I presume?” Safe didn’t offer his hand. “I’m looking for a hover-mule to run… errands in town. I need it big enough to haul supplies and crew members.”
“Well then, you’ve come ta the right place. Follow me.”
During the brief tour, the woman’s eyes keep darting to the woods behind the house, like a hawk watching for a mouse. Her eyes would then dart back at Safe and slide over him from head to toe. Safe felt greasy, when under her scrutiny.
Tuning Mr. Carson out, Safe chose the hover-mule in the best repair that would suit his purposes and quickly closed the deal. When Mr. Carson offered his hand to close the deal Safe just glared at him, making no move, again, to raise his hand.
Finally away from that place Safe piloted the mule back to town. ‘What are they hiding back there?’ he wondered, then vowed to have a quick shower as soon as he got back to Epsilon to wash off the Carsons.
Safeat2nd, Chief Handyman of Destiny
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It had been hours since Needy and Seryn were in the Nandi, searching for their missing friends; hours since Needy started to lose control. But even now it still felt like the world was spinning around him – a ship caught in a tailspin, hurtling towards a planet’s surface, with him at the pilot’s seat unable to pull out of it.
Out of control; out of his body; out of his mind.
Sounds and images bombarded him, as if his life was flashing before his eyes and his time was almost up.
From the perspective of a person looking on, they couldn’t have guessed what was going on in the companion’s mind. Although the vacant expression on his face testified to the fact that he was “out of it” - this wasn’t such a simple daze. This was a mind-trip, pure and simple. A reality-bending hallucination that took him on a journey through what was real and unreal, past and present - the line between such being impossible to determine.
It started simply like this:
He could sense the being by his side, whilst hearing from a distance the words of Seryn as she had spoken to him. Although he would slip in and out of his trance-like state, a part of him felt that he was no longer there with Seryn, but that his consciousness was now being divided between two worlds – the seen and the unseen.
The being would not leave him, even when it was out of sight; it was not out of mind. It was a lingering presence. But soon, even that fact didn’t bother him, as it too faded into the background.
Soon other people - who existed only in the companion’s memory - took up residence in his mind
These voices from his past drowned all other thoughts out, and reminded him of events that led him to where he was today.
"...do what you want... you've never been anything more than a disappointment..."
"...she used you..."
"...you've betrayed the trust of everyone..."
"...you can't save her..."
"...no matter what you do...you'll never..."
The memories had come flooding back to him. Memories of past loves; past disappointments - those left behind. Memories he wished he could forget. And some memories that had been forgotten, that had been locked away.
Answers to questions he had sought for were buried deep within his subconscious.
He knew who the other Needy was, the one who had joined the crew of Sereni-Tree long before his arrival.
He knew the true identity of the being, the one that disguised itself as Serenity.
And he knew what mission it had in store for him – the reason why he was brought back from the brink of death.
If only he could warn...
BLAM.
The answers that he had just discovered were suddenly blasted from his mind, as a gunshot shattered all other thoughts.
The same gunshot that had sealed his fate not so long ago.
-----
Needy. Male Companion:
First Boy Whore of Destiny
Incredibly Confused Companion of SereniTree
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
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The memory was so clear. It was as if he was back there. He could feel the sharp thud in his chest, then the blood that trickled down soon after.
He could remember no pain, just the shock of it all. At that instant in time, he had questioned whether it was really happening to him. Was it a dream? No, it was real.
A fact that was made apparent as he collapsed to the floor, his head cracking on the hard pavement.
That he felt.
The memory was no longer just a simple memory.
Needy was back there. Experiencing it all again. And there was nothing he could say to those that came to help him. He tried to speak, but nothing came out of his mouth, nothing but blood.
Not again. he pleaded to whoever could hear him. Not again... please
A white flash overcame him.
"There is a reason for all of this" a voice told him. The voice beckoning forth from a ethereal being.
"This was where I first saw her" Needy thought, and indeed he was right. After his "death" he found himself in the companion house - or at least a place that resembled it - being attended to by someone. Someone close to him. At first he thought it was an angel. That he was dead. But soon he recognised the face - it was Serenity. No, it was someone who had chosen to appear to him in her form.
This was where it all began
"There is a reason this has happened to you" she reiterated.
"This isn't a memory. She never..."
"No, this isn't a memory" she spoke, answering a question he never uttered. "I've brought you back here so that you might understand"
Needy remains silent, unsure how to reply, if one is even necessary.
The Serenity-Being continues. "You need to let go. Let go of the past, those thoughts that plague you."
"What if I can't", Needy asks just before his surroundings change around him. No longer present at the companion house, he looks around to discover he is back in the alley where he was shot.
"You died here once. Do you remember?"
"Of course"
"Then that life is over. The man you were is gone. You have been reborn. Will you not take this opportunity to start over?"
"But... there are many things I didn't... I wasn't ready"
"People rarely are. But you cannot continue if you don't let go of it all. Now"
"And what about those from my past?"
"All will become clear in time. Patience. You must learn patience. Put out of your mind those things that trouble you."
"I can't…"
"Yes you can. I'm here..." The being approaches Needy. "...to help you. To guide you." Reaching out its hand and resting it on the companion's forehead, the being utters its final words "You are not alone.”
The words ease his soul and he finds an inner calm wash over him
“Wake up” the voice says… only this time, it’s not coming from the being in front of his eyes.
*****
Needy awakens from his trance, his consciousness rejoining his physical body.
Standing in front of him is Seryn, who had just gotten through shouting at the companion and the woman sitting next to him.
The sudden change in environment takes him aback, so much so that he is unable to react to the rapid turn of events. The sheriff and his guards enter the cell, grab Vixen and drag her away whilst the Sheriff personally takes delight in knocking Seryn unconscious.
Seconds pass before Needy realises what had just happened.
Attempting to stand, he collapses to the ground in a dizzied state.
Not ready to stand yet he realises.
Not needing to be able to stand to check on Seryn though, he crawls across to her, checking her head for any major injuries.
She seemed fine, even though she was knocked out cold, but for some reason, he felt guilty, as if he was responsible.
He leaned across and brushed the hair from her face, gazing at her quiet beauty, whilst he waited for her to regain consciousness
Even though he was sure she couldn’t here him, he spoke softly to her anyway. “Seryn? Don’t worry. I’m here now. You’re not alone”
Feeling that soothing calm pass over him once more, he adds “None of us are”
--
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Kyra:
Earlier: Apollo’s Bank
Nothing. It had all been for nothing Kyra thought to herself as she sat on the bank by the river.
She and Payne had arrived by copter within half an hour, and yet, despite the record time, they hadn’t found anything. Their young source, a boy named Steven, claimed to have seen a fighter ship in the vicinity – a ship that had belonged to the rebels – but by the time of their arrival, it was nowhere to be seen. Their journey had been a wasted one.
The youngster couldn’t even provide a description of the three people he saw leave in the ship because he was too far away.
She had been foolish to get her hopes up, that tracking down the perpetrators would be that easy. She had only wasted time, time she could have spent on getting Milton out. She wanted to blame Clayton for dragging her out here, when there was nothing here, but it wasn’t his fault. He had done what he could to try and help her, he wasn’t to blame. They were. If only she knew where the rebels had gone now. Somehow, she will track them down. She had to.
A buzzing in her right pocket startled her.
It was her mobile cortex.
After breathing a deep sigh, she took it out and accepted the transmission.
It was Carl.
“What is it?” she mumbled, not really wanting to talk to him, but being unable to afford not to.
“I need you to come down here”
“What?”
“I need you here at the office”
“Why?”
“I just… I need to…”
“You know what? I’m not in the mood for you and your excuses…”
“It’s about Needy.” He cuts in, before she terminates the call
His words have the desired effect as she freezes on the spot. She begins to stutter “wh-what about him?”
“Some new information has come up you’d want to know”
“What is it?”
“I’d rather tell you in person”
“I don’t care. Tell me now.”
“Kyra…”
“Carl!”
He hesitates before responding. “We’ve just received word from a witness that was there during the firefight…”
Kyra stares at the screen, her eyes begging for him to continue
“He’s dead Kyra. He was shot that day. Died on the scene. I’m sorry”
“No, he can’t be…” she mutters, fighting back the tears “… why would they take him if he was already dead. It makes no sense. They might have been taking him to get help”
“I know it’s hard to hear but why would they do that? These are cowboys; they don’t care about civilian casualties…”
“… but he might be alright…”
“There was too much blood loss for anyone to survive”
“How do you know? Your source could be wrong”
“He made a positive id. And we went to the site, had jimmy run a sample on the blood. It’s his”
“No!”
“I wanted to tell you earlier but I had to be sure, I couldn’t tell you if there was any doubt”
“NO!” she screamed, throwing her cortex into the river, before bursting into tears.
“No” she repeated again and again as tears streamed down her face.
From across the river, Clayton looked up and saw his partner in distress, but he was unable to reach her – the bridge he had crossed was half a mile away, and the width and depth of the river was too great to easily get across.
As he contemplated running to the bridge, so as to make his way to her, he watched as she got up and ran from the spot where she had been sitting
“Kyra!” he shouted across to her, but either she could not hear him or she did not want to.
The copter he thought, she’s going for the copter
By the time Payne had ran to the bridge, crossed it and reached the landing spot for the copter, Kyra was long gone, as was the transport.
He had no idea what was wrong or where she had gone, but instinct told him that Helo was sure to be one of her stops.
-----
Needy. Male Companion:
First Boy Whore of Destiny
Incredibly Confused Companion of SereniTree
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
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OOC: I'll try and post soon but I've got a lot on at the moment, got a fair bit of thread catching up to do too.
More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.
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OOC- IM BACK BABY YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It may not last but ill try my best and if i fail som1 else can make me do stuff
Dr Chow Had fallen asleep in John Does room. She found his quiet pose helped her think and she had been doing her paperwork in his room the few days he'd been here. Sometimes shed tell him all her problems and imagine he was the perfect guy and hed just listen never stirring.
But he was now
His eyes opened with a flash blazing emerald into the gloom. He didnt feel groggy mentally but his muscles were atrapheet (??) and he imediatley recoiled his advances. After a moment he sat up and looked round the room and saw the woman
Doctor-Aliance-Feds
He swung himself out of bed and used the side to steady himself from falling over. Hobling to the edge of the bed he found his clothes cut to ribbons. It could have been the ribbon or the ER but he couldnt wear them. Underneath them were a handheld computer pab and a silver case like something youd put your glasses in.
Wisp grabbed them both and spotted the cabinet across the backwall. Opening the door he found a pair of scrubs folded neatly.
Scrubs were the perfect cover in a hospital all the lowly porters and nurses wore them and everybody ignord the people in them. A sterile invisibilty cloak.
He stole a glance at the doctor while dressing and saw his flying jacket next to her fuly intact.
"Thank God" He whispered to himself, his voice groggy from underuse.
He opened the computer and selected a radar map of the hospital floor and set off to the lift trying to act incospicuous.
With a bit of creative hacking he manged to travel to the reception floorwithout setting off any alarms. As he steped out of the lift he saw two men in suits at the reception desk wearing blue gloves. He dodged out of sight and listened
"Hi how can i help?" Said the young blonde at the counter
"Were here to see a John doe on the fifth floor was brought in by some children a few days ago"
'Thats me' he thought to himself 'Why are they after me?'
They stepped into the lift at the other side as Wisp remained hidden. He pressed a button on the silver case and it transformed into a pistol which he hid out of sight as he snuck out of the door into the early morning dew.
"Now where are the others??"
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No, this isn't right. Ok, up we get.
"We have to do something."
Needy shot her a look, then grinned. "Finally!" He slapped her ankles lightly and pushed her boots off his knees. The sudden movement caused her to loose her balence, and almost fall butt first from the bench. The table stopped the fall, but the rum bottle was the sacrifice.
She watched it fall smash and spread out over the floor, and was kinda glad at how little she cared. One of the thought swimming round her head for the last few hours had been that drinking was a really really bad idea in her condition.
It had been the reminder of that condition that had spurred her into action. She didn't want to stay forever in some backwater where she had bitten the only guy capable of delivering the kid.
So action it was. But what to do?
Needy stood, stretched a little, then helped her up. She declined the hand, and rose herself, not a hint of drunkenness. Instant sobriety - it was a trick she'd learned long ago. They made their way throught the low room, and she paused only long enough to lean into the guy who she could see from under the table, and whisper "great cleavage mate" before they opened the door to blinding daylight.
Now that was not fair.
The Nandi lay only a few miles out of town, but she was useless to them until they needed to go elswere fast.
The Halo facility was in the next town over, larger again, it had a hospital and, she imagined, a lot more unsavory types for hire.
She had a feeling before they left, mixing with unsavory types was going to become necessary. A better chioce was good.
She wiped the dried blood form her forhead, and pointed along the road that lead to the larger town.
"Fancy a walk?"
Needy ignored her, he was facing back the way they had come, eyes shielded beneath his hand. She soon picked up what he was watching - some kind of land vehicle, moving incredibly fast.
Needy held his arm out to her, guiding her back to lounge casually against a building. The vehicle neared the town, the shapes and blobs becoming easier to make out by the second.
She started to grin around the same time as he did.
"Cavalry's here..."
ooc - Yey! Wisp is back! we missed you, I was going to write a Vixen pov, but it wouldn't have been anything special, so i'll leave it to you to do that. Great to have you back!
Safe - if you didn't want that last bit to happen, tell me and i'll erase it.
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OOC: sorry for taking so long i had a writers block on this anyway here is a small Ghost POV, which should be followed by a Shadow POV and a Truth POV when i get them written. This should also help bring the kid trio in contact with the rest of the group.:endOOC
Ghost whimpered quietly as her hiding spot began to move, pain coming from her broken arm. Shadow had hid her here after Mr. Carson saw them returning from town. She had been there a loooooong time, and then she heard yelling and screaming and banging, and then there was silence. So much silence she almost got out to see if she could find Truth and Shadow. Then she heard Mr. Carson’s voice and Mrs. Carson’s and someone she didn’t recognize. Then the world began to move and was alone, alone and scared.
She didn’t know where Truth and Shadow were.
She wanted to cry, but the last words both Truth and Shadow had told her were Stay silent, and Stay put.
So the young girl stayed hidden in the mule’s storage compartment.
OOC: i don't remember if hover mules have storage compartments or not i was thinking of this as more of a big toolbox (well not very big but...) or small storage compartment for tools or spare parts or something
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Outside the hospital was a a small military compound probably for security with a bared gate. Outside was a bustling town with a few ships coming and going.
Wisp placed his weapon in the inside pocket of his flying jacket and casually walked to the road block.
"ID" Said the guard with no sense of enthusiasm or anger.
"I left it inside sorry, ive got one at home though so ill use that to come in tommorrow"
"Sorry no can do. Some Brass just said we cant let anyone leave without it"
The guys in the suits Wisp thought still having no clue of why they were after him
"No problem ill run up and get it" Wisp cursed silently as he strolled back to the main door. He had to go but how??
He absently pretended to look for something in his pockets while he came up with a new plan when suddenly he found something in his pocket.
He pulled it out and found it was a door card belonging to a Doctor Chou. It must have fallen out of the doctors pockets and into his or she could have put it there but thats far fetched.
Wisp didnt know this but she had actuall borrowed his jacket the following day as she had forgotten hers.
'If i see her again ill thank her'
He walked to the gate and entered the town disapperaing into the hustle of life.
................
The two men arrived at room 5:25 where they expected the John Doe {Known to them as William Spacer}.Upon entering the room they found the bed was empty and a young woman was asleep in the chair by the window.
The men exchanged a look and the first went to her and lightly shook her. She stirred sleepily
"Hello" She said with a start "Can i help you??"
"where is this patient"
She looked to the bed and was starlted again by his absence
"I dont know he was in a coma"
"Dont worry" said the second man "He cant have gone far"
She smiled at him and pinched he ear as she always did when she was nervous, She didnt see him take out the pencil sized device as the first man closed the door.
-----------
OOC Ill leave Vixen till i know where everyone is again
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OOC: I just want to say how much I'm enjoying this story so far!
Seryn, that is what I would have written, in fact I had written, for meeting up.
Wisp good to see you back!
April, exactly what I had in mind, a stow away in a storage compartment. Why can't hover-mules have storage compartments?
Citizen, catch up when you can.
I'll try to write more, but I'm in another softball tournament this weekend, so It may not be til Sunday.
Safeat2nd, Chief Handyman of Destiny
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