Special Branch: Secrets and Lies
POSTED BY: NEEDY
UPDATED: Friday, August 3, 2007 14:54
VIEWED: 18697
PAGE 7 of 8
Excerpt from the auto-biographical book "...And Nothing But The Truth" by Kyra McTaggert:
The Dwarf seemed to be running smoothly, sailing through the black after the crew's stolen ship, that is until the young soldier known as Wisp took a turn for the worst.
The vessel's pilot Maxine had jumped to life to save the man's life... I guess she was doing her best to make up for the rest of the crew - they had hardly been much help. Still, I guess in their situation, they could hardly be blamed for being wary of others.
I stepped away from it all. I couldn't help them, I had next to none medical training, and my queasiness when it came to blood pretty much guaranteed I'd be useless in any other way.
I had kept Julie and Linda company for a while whilst Soul talked to Liam, but after that was over, I was on my own. They wanted to stick together.
Soul kept quiet about the whole conversation, at least to me, I still don't know if it was because he didn't trust me, or if he felt it would be better if it didn't get out.
Whatever the reason, he knew about this "weapon" the ship had concealed somewhere, and by the look on his face, he didn't like it.
It was as if he knew that helping them deliver it, was going to be trouble than it was worth.
---
Soul quietly stepped out into the corridor, leaving the cockpit for somewhere even less homely.
He didn't want any of this, it had been a supremely bad few days, and it weren't over yet.
If what Liam had told him was true, and Soul was sure it had been this time, then the most valuable person on this ship had yet to be discovered. But that was about to change.
"Where is he?" Soul had demanded of Liam
At first, the captain had refused to say, but soon succumbed - not by force, but by the need to.
"Same place you got that" Liam replied, eyeing the laptop in Soul's hands.
"That's impossible, I checked the room out."
"We didn't make it this far by hiding one of this group's best kept secrets simply under the bed"
Soul glared at the man. He didn't know whether to like him more or less for his abilities to hide something this grand from the Alliance, and do it right under their noses too.
"Where" Soul asked.
"In the wall"
Soul raised his eyebrows as part of a question that didn't need asking.
"The wall's a fake" Liam explained "The real wall is a few feet deeper. There's a grating in the bottom right corner, partially obscured by the desk. Loosen that and you're in. Got a bit of leg room, not much. Not real comfortable I imagine, but enough to keep you out of sight."
Soul entered the blackened room once more, the smell of burnt wood reminding him of a happier time, back when things were simpler, a lifetime ago.
The desk in the corner was just as it had been before, only the grating stood out even more now, knowing its implications.
Moving slowly towards it, he crouched and whispered words that couldn't be picked up from where Kyra was standing.
She had followed him in the shadows. Quite how Soul had not picked up on this fact was maybe down to the fact that his mind was elsewhere. OR maybe he did know, and didn't have the heart to turn her away.
But as she peeked into the room, she could see the man slowly pulling off the grating, first one side then the other - he didn't want to alert the others - then when he was done, he pulled back, as if waiting for something.
Then, "the something" appeared.
A man exited from behind the wall.
His clothes were dusty and his face was covered in dirt. He wiped his eyes with a clean bit of his wrist that had previously been covered by his sleeve, and slowly crawled towards Soul.
The mysterious man's eyes were a brilliant green, and though his clothes were dishevelled, his hair a mess, there was something very familiar about him. She knew him. She didn't know from where, but she was sure of it. She knew him.
Just then, those brilliant green eyes settled on Kyra. And the way he froze alerted Soul of her presence too.
No point hiding now she figured as she stepp
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Safe looks up at Maxine, “Nice work there.”
Maxine shrugs “Fly enough medical evacs and you pick up a few things, ‘sides it’s not like we were exempt from being shot at.” She says the last statement like it left a bad taste in her mouth. “When the medics go down, someone has to step up.”
Safe lets the words hang in the air. Shame had sealed his lips. The Alliance had ordered the medical evacs to be fired upon, a back-breaking maneuver meant to demoralize and weaken the Browncoats resolve. It went against all his principles but war was war.
“Is he going to be all right?” Safe said, finally breaking the silence. He avoided eye contact under the pretence of cleaning his hands.
“Yeah, but he needs to see a doctor sooner than later.”
“Hey, wait-a-minue!” Safe said looking up. “We have a doctor on board!” Hopefully he was on the Dwarf and not on the Epsilon.
****
On the Epsilon:
Ciaran, Needy and Milton stared at each other in the cramped cockpit, Vixen lay crumpled at their feet.
Who were they seeing? Ciaran thought, trying to plan her next move. Judging by the look on the Boy Whores’ companion’s face, it was someone totally unexpected… a loved one perhaps? No… someone he wanted to get close to...
“We need to tie her up.” Ciaran said looking into Milton’s eyes with what she hoped came across a slightly panicked yet breathlessly attractive. C’mon, take the bait
Milton bent to help Ciaran/Amy tie up Vixen.
“What are you doing.”
Needy’s words stopped him short. It wasn’t that it was said with force or even surprise, it was the flatness of it that gave Milton pause. He looked up at his mentor questioningly.
“Tying her up. You yourself said she wasn’t to be completely trusted.”
Ciaran inwardly ground her teeth while maintaining a puzzled look on the outside. This mission wasn’t turning out to be the ‘cake-run’ she expected it to be. DAMN! Who is he seeing?
_______________________________________________________________
"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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Quote:
Originally posted by safeat2nd:
“We need to tie her up.” Ciaran said looking into Milton’s eyes with what she hoped came across a slightly panicked yet breathlessly attractive. C’mon, take the bait
Milton bent to help Ciaran/Amy tie up Vixen.
“What are you doing.”
Needy’s words stopped him short. It wasn’t that it was said with force or even surprise, it was the flatness of it that gave Milton pause. He looked up at his mentor questioningly.
“Tying her up. You yourself said she wasn’t to be completely trusted.”
"No" Needy said to Milton, before looked up at Ciaran with a blazing intensity that could not be mistaken. "She's not"
He could see straight through her veiled persona. She wasn't Soul's Ciaran, she wasn't Amy, and she certainly wasn't the person Needy's brain told him she was. She was a facade. A fake.
Quote:
Originally posted by safeat2nd:
Ciaran inwardly ground her teeth while maintaining a puzzled look on the outside. This mission wasn’t turning out to be the ‘cake-run’ she expected it to be. DAMN! Who is he seeing?
As she struggled to discern his thoughts, Milton stopped what he was doing and looked up at the both of them, staring at each other.
Then Needy's face when blank and his tone cold "You can't trick the trickster"
Ciaran's face dropped and, with a slight hint of fear in her voice, she asked "What?"
"I. See. You." Needy responded before driving the palm of his hand into her chest, throwing her across the room.
"What the...?!!" Milton exclaimed scrambling to his feet. He began to run to "Amy", but Needy had grabbed him by the scruff of his collar.
"It's not her." Needy said.
"What?"
"Open your eyes" Needy instructed, placing his hand on Milton's head. Then without warning, a short burst of energy shot from his palm, sending Milton crashing to the floor.
Shaking his head, he looked back up at Needy standing there ominously. "What... what's happened to you?!"
"He's gone crazy," "Amy" said "you've gotta stop him"
Milton gasped as he took it all in, whilst behind him "Amy" called out to him again.
"You've got to stop him!"
Needy had never looked so menacing from up there, towering over Milton as he crawled backwards. With Vixen still out cold, he was on his own.
"I can't..." Milton began to break down.
Then Needy opened his mouth to speak again, his tone as terrifying and intimidating as ever. "Look at her!"
"No" Milton pleaded.
Needy bent down and lifted Milton completely off of the floor with one hand
"Please..." Milton continued.
"Look at her!!" Needy growled, forcing the young protege to do as he asked out of fear if nothing else.
There, the helpless form of "Amy" stood, her head bleeding and tears beginning to run down her face.
"Hundan" Milton muttered under his breath. "How could you..." his words trailed off as the form in front of his eyes began to change.
The image of "Amy" blurred, morphed and melted before him, until all that remained was something else. Someone he'd never seen before.
"See her true face" Needy told him, lowering his arm so that Milton's feet touched the floor once again.
"Wh..." was all Milton could manage.
"Ciaran's" teeth began to clench and the anger rose in her.
"The game's up" Needy told her "you've got nothing on us. Now let's finish this"
-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
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http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?
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Ciaran’s gaze darted from one man to the other, a bead of nervous sweat ran down the back of her neck. She could feel her time running out and she was low on options. Drastic times call for drastic measures.
“Can’t you see??” She pleaded to Milton. She figured him for the weaker willed of the two especially after seeing the steel in Needy’s gaze.
“It’s not him, it’s her!! She’s making you see something else. Making you see me as someone else!!” Ciaran wondered at the wetness forming in the corners of her eyes… tears?? “Don’t you think if I were her or she, me, that I would’ve attacked by now?? You’ve seen what she did to the others, right?? Think about it. You KNOW me!”
At Ciaran’s first words, Milton looked at Needy, doubt creeping into the pit of his stomach, then back at Ciaran who once again appeared to him as Amy.
“He attacked first!!’ Ciaran pointed an accusing finger at Needy. Upon noticing that her finger was shaking, she lowered to her side in disgust. “HE lifted you off the floor with one hand! How do you explain that??” It was working! Confusion was now clearly evident on Milton’s face.
“Go ahead, ask him how he did that? How did he make you see me as someone else??” Ciaran now concentrated solely on Milton. Frankly, Needy’s stone faced expression was starting to unnerve her. “GO AHEAD ASK HIM!!”
The yelling had brought Vixen back around. She chose though to continue to play possum. It gave her time to assess the situation, and find her opening to strike. More importantly she wanted to see how this new Needy was going to act. See how this was going to play out. If nothing else, she was an opportunist.
Finally, Milton did exactly what Ciaran had set him up to do.
Vixen watched the events unfold like slow motion. Milton turned his full attention from Ciaran to Needy, the question forming on his lips. Ciaran raised a gun from out of nowhere. At her current aim, the bullet would pass through Milton and hit Needy.
Vixen was in the right position to kick Milton’s feet out from under him, taking him out of the line of fire, but she didn’t. She had time to jump up and distract or disarm the Wisp imposter, but she didn’t.
Needy’s arm flew out, knocking Milton to the side just as Ciaran/Amy/Wisp pulled the trigger.
The guns retort was like an explosion in the cramped confines.
The bullet caught Needy square in the chest driving him backwards against the bulkhead. He slumped forward momentarily, then did a very strange thing. He straightened back up. The hole in his chest slowly closing back up, leaving only the torn and charred shirt as a reminder of what happened.
Interesting… Vixen thought.
“.....” Milton gapped.
“Impossible!!” Ciaran screamed and emptied the remainder of the clip into Needy’s chest, continuing to pull the trigger long after all the bullets were spent.
OOC: I'll be away on holidays starting next Thursday for 2 weeks. Going out east, Nova Scotia bound. I'm gonna fish and eat seafood until I bust 
I'll try to check in when I can.
_______________________________________________________________
"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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Cally's Cafe, Boros:
Clayton stood up as Kurren entered the quiet little diner.
The two of them acknowledged each others presence, and the large man began to make his way over towards the reporter.
Kurren was a large muscular man, but not so much that it made him stand out from the crowd. He was dressed subtly in dark grey trousers, a plain sand-coloured shirt that clung tight to his well-toned body, and a light jacket. His dreadlocked hair was tied at the back, coming down below his broad shoulders.
The man, who chosen profession could be simplified as being "an avid collector", pulled out the chair across the table from Clayton and sat down.
Clayton's lips pressed against each other, and he sat down again, hoping he hadn't drawn too much attention to them.
"So... talk" Kurren instructed.
"You first" Clayton threw back at him.
"No. You wanted this meeting. I came here to meet you. You've offered nothing so far." Kurren paused. "You first."
Clayton wasn't backing down though. "Look I'm a reporter, I can help you track this man down. This Needy character? I know him, I know all about him, what he's capable of. And I know you. You need my help"
"You don't know me, nor what I'm capable of" Kurren said, standing up to leave. "Don't waste my time again"
Clayton watched him walk away, desperate to stand his ground, but failing miserably in achieving anything by it. "Hey" he called out, but Kurren was already out the door.
---
The reporter would follow him, Kurren knew this. Clayton needed him more than the bounty hunter needed Clayton.
As he walked away from the diner, he could hear the man coming after him. "Hey" he called out, causing Kurren to slowly turn.
"Alright, okay, I'll tell you what I know" Clayton surrendered.
Kurren didn't respond, merely waited for him to continue.
"So this guy, Needy. He's in over his head. It's because of what happened to the CG right? What he did. That's why you're here right? It's why you're looking for him"
"What about the CG?" Kurren searched
"They arrested him, him and his friends. Held them in containment for a while until he..."
"Yeah?" the bounty hunter asked in a gruff voice.
"Until he punished them for what they did."
"He killed them" Kurren clarified
"No he... defended himself"
"He slaughtered them"
Clayton was about to defend the companion further, but ultimately stopped himself.
"Your friend is a dangerous man." Kurren said "What is it you want?"
"I want... I want you to tell me where he is."
Kurren smiled slyly. "I thought a man with your resources would already have that information"
"I've told you what I know, now you tell me what you know" Clayton demanded.
"That's not how this works" Kurren revealed.
"No? Then how does it work?"
"I walk. Now" Kurren turned from the reporter and walked off.
"Hey!" Clayton called out but the man wasn't listening.
People in the street began to notice the two now and had turned their attention to them as they passed by.
"You can't stop him you know that." Clayton shouted at the man "He killed your friends, and he won't spare you"
Kurren stopped and turned. "Is that a threat?" he called.
"Just a fact."
"Is that right?" Kurren replied "How would you be of any help then?"
Clayton walked towards him, closing the gap and hopefully reducing the chances of others hearing anymore of their conversation.
"I can get close to him. You... he'll smell you coming from a mile"
"And how would you stop him?"
"This isn't the only time something like this has happened. You need someone close to him... someone to make him see sense."
Kurren stopped to think about this for a while, before coming to the conclusion "Yeah, you're right. Someone close to him. I'll keep that in mind." At that, he walked off again.
Clayton jogged to keep up with him, but when he reached his side, Kurren suddenly turned, slogged him in the stomach and threw him to the ground.
Dust rose up from the earth as a breathless Clayton looked up in confusion.
"Not
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The Sun beat down fiercly on the clear blue water wipping up faint trails of vapour which contrasted against the backdrop of the sea reaching out below the cliffs. Around the pool sat a crisp sandstone Patio with a single lounger shaded by a single umbrella. A waitress appeared from behind a bamboo bar across the pool carrying a tall drink with beads of sweat pouring over the glass. She was amazingly beautiful; tall, blonde hair, legs that seemed to last forever, and she wore a sensually revealling bikini and serong.
She delivered the glass to a young man layed on the lounger who lowered his sunglasses as she approached. She placed the glass on the small table beside him and spoke in a husky sexy voice
"Is there anything else I can do for you??"
"I hope Im not interrupting" A tall man dressed in a very crisp white suit had appeared from nowhere.
Wisp waved a hand at the waitress who strutted away obviously dissapointed. "Your different from the last one"
"Perhaps. I must say this is all rather cliched" He waved a hand around the beach resort situated on a cliff top. The waitress was now naked and swimming in the pool.
"Hey you cant invade someones coma and then complain about the scenery" Wisp lifted the drink and began sipping it as he threw a loose shirt around himself. "so to what do I owe this pleasure"
"Dangerous games are afoot and you will soon find yourselves in over your heads."
"Hey we can all handle ourselves pretty well, weve beaten the alliance often enough"
"You will be facing foes much worse im am just here to prepare you"
"Well can you prepare me later after me and Juanita over there have had our fun, or is that too cliched?"
The tall man turned and walked away disappearing into the wind as Wisp took a serious thought with his drink in the privacy of his own mind.
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OOC: LOL, excellent post. I kinda wanna stay there with Wisp now. Things seem much nicer there 
Quote:
Originally posted by safeat2nd:
“Impossible!!” Ciaran screamed and emptied the remainder of the clip into Needy’s chest, continuing to pull the trigger long after all the bullets were spent.
Ciaran's mouth remained open as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened, how the man that should by all accounts be dead, was still standing.
Milton was on his back, shielding his eyes from the gut-wrenching sight of seeing his friend being hit with bullet after bullet.
Meanwhile, Vixen remained still, both shaken and thrilled by what she had just witnessed. She continued to play unconscious, but the time to act would come soon enough.
Needy, leaning back against the wall, breathed deeply and slowly as the final bulletwounds healed over. Inside, some of the bullets had punctured major organs, but it was of no ill-effect. They had healed over almost instantaneously.
He looked up at Ciaran, his expression reflecting annoyance more than anger.
She gasped and struggled to find words that would not come.
Then, something distracted her attention - a flashing red light and a double beep sounded from the navigation system.
She turned suddenly and attempted to fire her weapon at it, but to no avail.
This was all Vixen needed. She launched herself up from the floor and threw herself at the woman, before Ciaran barely had a chance to acknowledge her.
Meanwhile, the navigation system continued to beep, waiting for someone to switch it off.
The ship had reached its destination - Santos
-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?
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Vixen caught Ciaran around the waist in a tackle. Driving up and backwards, Vixen lifted Ciaran’s feet clear of the floor and slammed her into the cockpit hatch. The door popped open and the two tumbled through the short connecting passage into the medical pod, landing in a tangled heap on the floor.
Vixen cartwheeled to a standing position, only to find Ciaran already standing. A sneer curled Vixen’s lips, as the two circled each other.
An overwhelmed Milton stood in the hatch, appalled by the scene before him yet thrilled at the same time. He turned to Needy, expecting to see the husk of his former mentor, but instead found himself looking into his piercing eyes. That’s when the world shifted for him. Everything he thought he knew flew out the window. Instead of being dead, Needy breathed deeply, like he was trying to catch his breath after a long run.
“It … takes… a… bit…” Needy managed a reassuring smile, or at least what he hoped was reassuring.
Milton turned his attention back to Vixen and Ciaran mainly to avoid looking at Needy. His mind kept slipping away from any effort at understanding. Besides the fight was something he understood, something… real. “Souldn’t we do something?”
Needy raised an eyebrow, “You really think… you would… make a difference?”
Milton considered Needy’s words as he watched the deadly dance. This was no ordinary brawl. These women very clearly didn’t need weapons to be considered dangerous.
Vixen had the grace of a dancer while Ciaran exuded the confidence that comes with years of experience.
Vixen lashed out first. Palm out, fingers curled, she drove the heel of her hand at Ciaran’s nose. Had the blow connected, it would have shattered Ciaran’s nose, a deadly blow. But Ciaran wasn’t fooled by Vixen’s feint, and caught her by the wrist with her left hand. Using Vixen’s momentum against her, Ciaran drew Vixen towards her, clotheslining her with her right arm, dropping Vixen to the floor.
Vixen lay on the floor gasping and clutching at her throat. She rolled to the side almost instantly avoiding the kick aimed at her head.
Milton jumped in. Maybe he sensed that Vixen was labouring, maybe it was a misplaced sense of chivalry, but the bravery fueled by whatever his motivations were, quickly left him once he was face to face with a snarling Ciaran.
“Out of the way, fool!” Ciaran’s kick drove Milton backwards into a gurney. His fall accompanied by the cacophony of falling metal instruments trays.
On her feet again, Vixen still laboured to breath. Ciaran’s blow had collapsed her windpipe, and the lack of oxygen, combined with the exertion, was starting to take its toll on her. As such, Vixen was able to avoid Ciaran’s kick, but got caught flatfooted by the follow-up spinning roundhouse kick.
Vixen collapsed to the floor, all the fight sapped out of her, and Ciaran dropped on top of her, a knife appeared in her hand from a scabbard on her boot.
Holding her knife to Vixen’s throat, Ciaran leaned close to Vixen’s face, “I’ve had about enough of you meddling fools! Don’t you realize what’s at stake here?!? Of course you don…” Ciaran pauses in mid sentence as Vixen’s gaze shifts to something over Ciaran’s right shoulder.
Ciaran turns to find her field of vision filled with a metal tray. The force of the blow, drives Ciaran off Vixen and leaves her a moitionless, crumpled heap on the floor.
Vixen looks up at a panting Milton in disgust, the bent metal tray still clutched tightly in his hands.
Milton looks from Ciaran to the tray in his hands in horror and abruptly drops the tray, wiping his hands on his shirt as if they were dirty.
OOC: Sorry for the long post. it's all Needy's fault.
_______________________________________________________________
"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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"Wisp."
Wisp looked up at the sound of his name. Juanita waved to him, motioning for him to come to her.
He stood to comply when he noticed that she was further away than he had first thought. In fact the more he looked at her, the further away she seemed. It was like looking through the wrong end of the binoculars.
The funny thing was, the further away she got the louder and more insistent she became .
"WISP!!"
OOC: Wisp let me know if this derails your plans. I loved your post and had idea about how he should wake up. If it's wrong, I'll delete it.
_______________________________________________________________
"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: It's not my fault! Okay, maybe a little
Ciaran remained still on the floor, as Milton looked down at her, fear unmistakably drawn on his face.
Vixen reached out and clutched her throat, still struggling to breathe whilst feeling the slight cut the knife had made.
"Er... you okay?" Milton asked, still in shock.
Vixen blinked her eyelids whilst subtly nodding her head. She even managed to wheeze a "thanks"
He crouched down and offered her a hand up to which she replied gruffly
"No, I'm good. I'll lay here for a bit"
Milton smiled slightly, some of the shock wearing off, though his hands still shook.
"Just..." Vixen uttered, still clutching her neck "make sure she's out of it"
Milton moved away from Vixen and prodded the still form of Ciaran, pushing her onto her back. Either she was a very good actor, or was indeed out cold, dead to the world. Her breaths were shallow and blood seeped from the cut in her lip.
"Yeah" he answered "you're good"
Vixen nodded in agreement "I know"
Milton smiled even more, his spirit being calmed.
"You be alright for a sec? I'm just gonna..."
"Yeah" Vixen strained her throat.
-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?
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