Special Branch: Secrets and Lies
POSTED BY: NEEDY
UPDATED: Friday, August 3, 2007 14:54
VIEWED: 18697
PAGE 4 of 8
Safe punched the door in frustration, “Gorramit!!” Stepping back from the door he puts a hand on one hip and pinches the bridge of his nose with the other. Think, dammit!
Silence interrupts his thoughts. Safe looks up slowly and then around at the people gathered there. They all stood quietly, some lost in thought others waiting expectantly.
Sighing, he understood what it was they were waiting for and he didn’t like it one bit.
“Alright, already… what are you all just standing here for?” Safe glared around at the group. “Do you even know? I’ll tell you what it is, you’re waiting for someone to take the lead and if it’s me you’re wantin’ to do it, I’ll tell you right now. I DON’T WANT THE JOB!” He glared around at the group again. “But as I see no other way around it, I’m gonna lay down some rules.”
“You wanna be a crew; you gotta start acting like one, right here, right now! It’s the only way we’re gonna get anything done. There are NO loners in a crew. Just so you know, I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty and I expect you all to be the same. I won’t ask you to do anything I wouldn’t do myself, nor will I sit around doing nothing but barking orders while you do all the work. That said, when I ask someone to do something, I expect it to get done with no backlip. I don’t care how you do the job, just do it….”
“Wait a minute!” Liam had stood quietly absorbing all of this, but finally he had had enough, “This is MY ship and MY crew.” He looked for support, but found only stares. He turned back to Safe and found him scowling back at him, one eyebrow cocked. Over Safe’s shoulder, he could see Jack, the beginnings of a wicked grin forming on his face like he knew what was coming next. This only served to bolster Liam’s indignation.
“Who are you anyway to…” Liam started but Safe had finally had enough, his arm snakes out rabbit punching Liam in the face, breaking the man’s nose. Liam’s head snaps back and he drops to the floor. Scorpion glares at Colm, daring him to move.
“I’ve had enough of YOUR lip for one day. As, I suspect, have the others.”
“You brode by nothe!”
Safe looked down at Liam, “Consider yourself lucky.”
“Ok, crew, lets get cracking. We’ve got a ship to catch. Seryn, lets get a head count. Find out who’s missing. Jack, get Wisp and Liam to the med bay. If he gets lippy, hit’im again. Soul, take Colm, there’s a cabin that’s locked up tight. I wanna know what or who’s in it. Scorpion, you and Maxine get to the bridge. Let’s get this boat moving. Versa, you’re with me, back to the engine room.”
_______________________________________________________________
"Got a headful of lightning
And a heart full of rain
And I know that I said
I'd never do it again
Oh and I love you sweet baby but I always take the long way home."
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SR doesn't flinch, but when Safe struck Liam something inside him snapped.
These people were victims, pushing them around made as much sense as burning the toys of a crying child. He knew that Safe meant well, but he didn't sign on for this. He wasn't going to question Safe, but he didn't have to stand idly by and watch him turn into a screaming tyrant either. SR had been a pirate quartermaster for a long time and it was his job to see that the crew stood on equal terms with the captain. Violence was a necessary adjunct of the job, but it was best directed at ones enemies and not at one's crew.
As Maxine led him forward to the bridge he excused himself and stepped into the lavatory. He washed his face and looked into the mirror. He loved Seryn, but this Seryn didn't know it and couldn't be bothered to listen to him and that was a rusty piece of shrapnel in his heart. What did he have to stay for?
SR turned out the lights and dissappeared.
Later the only trace to be found would be a the phrase "deal me out" scrawled in grease pencil on the mirror.
The western bank of the Don river Late September 1942.
"Comrade Ragent I see the Partisans have come to make a glorious difference in our battle against the fascist invaders."
"Comrade Sargent, you know as well as I, that in this great system of ours that one must give one's all for the people's defence. Beside I couldn't let you have all the fun."
"You don't have any of that special vodka of yours do you?"
"I'll trade you my last bottle for a good rifle and twenty bullets."
"Have you lost all reason, you need a good coat first."
"I will kill an enemy officer and take his coat, Comrade Sargent. With luck I will have nineteen bullets to spare."
"Or you could shoot that fat commisar over there."
"Not sporting enough, besides better to have him as the obvious target for the enemy to aim for, rather than you or I, Comrade Sargent. Let them do their job and we do ours."
OOC: I might be back later.
Scorpion Regent
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Milton woke suddenly, sitting up and gasping for air.
He felt like he had been drowning, and only now was he getting the needed oxygen.
As his breathing slowed and he regained control, he looked around.
The room was dark and small. Various pieces of equipment gathered dust around him. Useless fei-oo. It seemed to Milton to have been left here in storage for quite a while.
Beside him, Needy stirred.
"Where are we?" Milton asked
Needy was weak and drained. In fact, he recalled a time a few months back when he had awoken in a similar state, right about the same time his journey had begun.
It took all his energy to move his mouth to speak.
"We're on our ship." He spoke in a dry,husky tone.
"What? How? That's impossible" Milton exclaimed, but Needy of course was not surprised. Milton was confused, even after all he had seen, but he ignored the major questions for now and simply asked "What do we do now?"
"You need to go" Needy replied, his voice softening somewhat
"What?"
"Go. Find Amy."
"Then what?"
"You'll figure it out" Needy uttered, slowly rising.
"What about you?"
Needy collapsed again. "I'm going to rest"
Milton stood and did as he was told. He didn't know how he could help Needy, he didn't think that he could. And he knew he was no hero, but nevertheless he had to do what he could. Amy and the others... they had helped him. It was time he returned the favour.
Quietly he opened the door and stepped out of the storage room.
Sure enough, he was on board the Epsilon.
Slowly but surely, whilst remaining as silent as possible, Milton closed the door behind him and made his way to the living quarters.
-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?
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She was dimly aware that Safe was speaking, but it didn't seam important. Even when he said her name.
It mattered very little.
What mattered was that this hunk of crap wasn't moving. Why? Her son was moving steadily further and further away from her and there was nothing she was able to do.
Safe was shouting, but it really didn't mean much.
She didn't even have her remote for the Nandi with her - it was in the med bay. Useless.
She turned. Liam was on the floor, blood smeared accross his face. From his stance, his expression, it was Safe who had thrown the punch. Something about that struck her as wrong.
Safe turned to look at her - counting something? What was the point of that? Her son... he was helpless, Sykes was there - but who was to say that... She... hadn't taken him out? All of the children, Liams children...
Her blood boiled, Safe had no right, none at all...
Before he knew what was happening Safe was against the wall, Seryns scraped and bloody knuckles wrapped around his throat.
The others were frozen, their loyalties with Safe but knowing that she wasn't an enemy - or was she?
Everything had crystallised. the only thing that mattered now was the engines, getting them working again, but she couldn't leave Safe - he was loosing it, even on short aquaintance, she new he wasn't the sort of man to floor someone who was no danger to him.
She increased the pressure around his throat, his skin was reddened now, he strained and grabbed at her arms, neither of them had any idea where her strength was coming from.
'All of you! The engines - get them back on line. Identify the problem, fix it. Now. '
Her voice was hard, crisp, it tolerated no excuse, brooked no refusal. Inside her something like elation unfurled, locked up for so long, the pirate in her masked and concealed, instincts to lead suppressed, her heart beat quicker, adrenaline kicking in - this was how things would be done now they would get the Epsilon back. The others hesitated.
"Go." She didn't wait to see if her orders were followed, she assumed they would be. By the time she turned back that way, should someone not have obeyed her - well, she'd deal with it then.
Turning to Safe her expression changed. It didn't soften, but it opened, it let him know that she bore him no ill will, but that this was the way it was for a while...
"Pick him up." She looked to Liam, but the man was already on his feet, bracing himself against the bulkhead as he wiped at his face with his shirt sleeve. Turning back to Safe she inclined her head to the other man. "Check you haven't broken it then both of you follow me to the bridge. I want to know whats going on and then I want it sorted. Soul?" She knew the other man would have paid about as much attention to her orders as to an ant in the grass, but it was worth a try.
"In one of the crew quarters, some items you may be interested in, you may not be, but then again... get SR to show you where" she looked to Safe, "once you've checked the bunk Safe is interested in, then join us on the bridge."
Safe, to his credit, had recovered his composure, straightened his back and was, albeit roughly, checking Liams injuries. She knew she'd face repercussions from this. But that meant nothing, she was getting her son back, she was taking them to a safe place, she was giving them a chance. She and the Captians would have plenty of time to slog it out once they were at leisure.
For now, it was her call.
Squatting beside Wisps prone body, she picked him carefully up and made her way towards the med bay.
ooc - hey! the bitch is back! was getting sick of mopey Seryn, so brought back the feisty version and then some.
I apologise if it interferes with anyones planned story arcs. If it does, let me know - someone could always knock her out cold, i don't mind. Of course now they'd have to watch their backs once she woke up.
I have no ideas how you're planning to get back to the Epsilon - next post was going to be them getting to the bridge, demanding the full story from Liam and then her dema
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OOC: Nope, I'm good Seryn. I think you explained it quite well actually. I was going for the frayed nerves thing, so Safe is not acting as rational as he would normally. I think Needy was leading up to this kinda of confrontation amongst the crew anyway. After all, they have been on the run for quite sometime with realatively little sleep and really don't know each other all that well yet.
_______________________________________________________________
"Got a headful of lightning
And a heart full of rain
And I know that I said
I'd never do it again
Oh and I love you sweet baby but I always take the long way home."
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OOC: Okay, here I go. PLEASE let me know if I need to change anything. Oh, and who is this "Colm" that I'm with?
Walking the halls, Soul actually cracked a grin. Just moments before, Seryn had taken to giving out orders. As much as Soul loathed being given orders, he had to admit, something needed to happen, and if Seryn hadn't stepped up, then Soul would have. So he was heading to check out the locked room, but then after that, he would decide what he would do.
Maybe.
Colm pointed out the locked door, and then Soul waved him away. Not everyone knew what he could do, and he prefered to keep it that way.
Taking a deep breath, Soul took three steps forward, and he was inside the room.
"So Liam isn't a liar. Interesting."
The room had indeed been gutted by a fire. The bunk was nothing more than tattered remnants of a mattress hanging to a metal frame, and the small table was blackened. Anything that had been out in the open would have been destroyed. Soul just hoped that no one had been inside.
He made a quick inspection of the room, but found nothing of interest. He was about to leave when he noticed a panel above the bed that wasn't quite fastened down. With one firm tug, he yanked it loose, and from the resulting hole, he produced a small computer pad. He thumbed the power switch, and miraculously, the pad hummed to life. The screen was blackened by the smoke, though.
"Seems like a job for Soul." He chuckled to himself.
Closing his eyes, he reached out through his neural interface and tapped into the pad. It took only a moment of digging before his eyes shot open.
"Oh, this isn't good."
* * *
Two minutes later, he was on the bridge, and he pulled Safe to the side.
"We have a problem."
"You think?" Safe replied.
"Snap out of it," Soul barked under his breath. "People are looking to you for guidance."
Safe took a slow breath. "Sorry. Getting a little frayed."
"As is everyone," Soul stated. "As am I."
He produced the computer pad. "This belonged to her, and what's on it has me more than a little concerned. This is bigger than me. Bigger than you." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "She had two goals, and apparently she hit the jackpot when we arrived. One was me. My former employers seem to still want me either in their posession, or dead. Whichever is easier."
"What's the other goal?"
Soul stared straight into Safe's eyes. "The president."
OOC: It's about midnight here, and I'm not sure if I'm remembering everything correctly, but I hope this works!!
Oh, and SR, if you're still hovering out there, you don't need to leave. That's what's fun about these threads. Not everything goes the way you think it should. You just have to roll with the punches. Besides, it makes for a pretty damn good story, if you ask me.
______________________
Soul, Security Chief of the Sereni-Tree, Captain of Destiny.
Mantichorus: "So is there a reason they call you 'Soul'?"
Soul (after a long pause): "Yeah. Because I have one."
I'm blogging about the novel I'm writing! Stay informed, and keep me inspired! Please!
http://havenofsouls.blogspot.com/
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OOC: I had no clue I would be so missed. I "left" for a couple of reasons. I was leaving town and going dark in the real world. I didn't want to back Safe's move and I needed my character out of the way where he won't get in trouble. So for right now SR is on ice, so to speak, at the battle of Stalingrad. I can't promise anything, but I imagine that Seryn's irrestable pull will draw SR back even if he doesn't know it. I have some ideas for how to make that interesting, that is, if it does happen.
Scorpion Regent
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OOC: Glad you've decided to stick around SR, we might not have always seen eye to eye bt your last post has left me really intrigued - there's so much potential in the character, can't wait to see what you've got planned when you make your return.
Milton stalked the corridors of the ship silently. He had a vague idea of where he was heading, but that's all it was, a vague idea.
He was going on instinct, he didn't have a neat little map of the ship in his head - he hadn't been on board that long - but he knew the children's room was somewhere along here.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap
The sound of footsteps stopped Milton dead in his tracks. They weren't his own. He didn't know whose they were, all he knew was they were getting louder.
Getting closer.
He scurried to the side, hiding himself behind a girder close to the wall.
He couldn't risk getting caught, not now.
The sound of the steps got closer until they suddenly stopped, mere feet away from him.
Milton breathed deeply and his heart beated rapidly.
-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?
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Boros:
Clayton sat by his desk staring at the piece of paper in front of him.
The sheet represented all the information he had gathered thus far on the investigation, a map of events that somehow seem linked to the man they call Needy.
Bernard "Needy" Needham
Associates:
"Seryn" - possible alias - got herself and N arrested by local lawmen
Kyra - former lover. Currently missing. With N?
Milton - former protege. Taken from Helo Holding Facility. Currently missing.
Serenity - Member of resistance. Sought help from N re Heinz. Reported to have wings
History:
- Claire Conway "returns to life" and murders family and friends
- Firefight in Northtown district, location of N's companion house, between Alliance officers and presumably members of a resistance group.
Note: Witnesses of the firefight report the male companion, N, was shot dead
- Heinz (local mobster; history with N) found dead on Commerce, Garrison.
Note: Numerous accounts of a "body-jumper" spirit were reported in and around the location.
- Sky above Boros flashes red, coinciding with the return of marked ships. N appears to be one of the passengers.
Note: A similar incident was reported, but has yet to be confirmed, over Earth-That-Still-Is last year
- N and "Seryn" are arrested by the local sheriff for assault. They soon escape
- N and members of Resistance are held by Crimson Guard.
- N manifests powers of telekinesis, murders CG officers.
Clayton tried to make sense of all that was written
Its all connected, it must be.
Some of the pieces seemed bizarre and out of place, but he was sure that it would all fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
He just needed to see the big picture
"Still working on the case?" Carl Perry asked, looking over his shoulder.
Clayton turned suddenly, attempting to hide his notes.
"It's about him isn't it - Kyra's old boy?"
Clayton didn't need to answer, Carl already knew.
"I'm not stupid. In fact, even if you were the only one looking into it, I'd say it was an interesting mystery."
"What's that?" Clayton asked quickly
"I've read your notes. Your files. It's all very well and good trying to find proof of the weird and the wonderful. Just don't do it on my time."
"No, not that" Clayton elaborated "What about me not being the only one?"
"Yeah, that's what I was coming to tell you. Johnny was paid a visit by a guy wanting to know about Needy. About Kyra's story. Anything out the ordinary with the guy"
"What did Johnny say?"
"He said HE was better off talking to someone who knew, like Kyra, only she's not here"
"What guy?"
"Johnny didn't know, didn't get a name."
Clayton sat there confused.
"But he did get a number" Carl added, passing a card over to his reporter. "Said if he remembered anything, he should give him a call. Maybe you should."
"What, give him a call? I don't know the guy"
"No, but maybe he knows something you don't."
Carl began to walk away.
"What happened to not working on this case on your time?"
Carl turned back "You're not going to drop this till it's solved. I want this over and done with, come back to me when you're ready to get back to work"
"Thanks Carl" he called back
"Don't thank me. You're on suspension, without pay. Now get it done"
Clayton grabbed his notes, threw them into his bag and headed for the door.
-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?
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OOC- I apologise everyone but i have just left my uni flat so am staying in youth hostels for the next month- this means my posts might get a little patchy but dont worry!!
Im gonna try and put something down for vixen in a few days and ill be back fully by july!
And this plot is smoking!! Loving Feisty seryn and tired Safe, Not forgetting crazy Needy, And SR!! Please return when the real world gets boring!! [/i}
www.myspace.com/didxl
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