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 Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2015 5:59 am
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The moment Astriad pulled her clothes off, Crowe quickly looked away, blushing lightly at the same time. It's not that Crowe hasn't seen a woman changed clothes before, it's quite normal in the squad changing room back at the vault. But it was different with Astriad, he thought that it would be rude if he would've stared at her changing her clothes. He stood straight up, like a soldier with his hands on his back whilst his eyes were looking somewhere else.
It was a surprise indeed that Astriad started to use "you and I" instead of her usual "that one and this one". To him, Astriad was trying really hard to let herself fit in with all of them. It's great that she's trying even if she stuttered every now and then, it's a good start. "I was just doing what I had to do. I can't let you get yourself in danger. It's my responsibility to keep you alive.", said Crowe with a low tone. Maybe it was more than just his responsibility, maybe it was because Crowe had develop feelings towards Astriad, that he might not even know himself.
As Astriad gave him a sudden hug, again Crowe was shocked. He could feel her head pressed onto his chest. The way she hugged him, made Crowe reply with also a hug. "Don't push yourself too hard.", said Crowe as he placed his left hand below Astriad's chin and lifted her face up. Bending a bit, Crowe came close to her face before giving her a kiss on her lips. It felt warm, blood rushed through his veins. A mix of nervousness and love rushed through his body as their lips made contact.
"I love you.", the last sentence came out of Crowe's mouth as the day turned dark. Nightfall came upon them and the wind around blew gently. The abandoned construction build were lightened by a few torches and flashlights, guarded by a number of Sprinters. |
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Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2015 4:25 pm
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Astriad felt as if that one moment, when his lips touched hers, no matter how brief in actuality was frozen in time. Ever since she bumped into Crowe, she had experienced a number of firsts, this one being her favorite to date. She now understood more than ever why the masters forebode physical contact, because her heart was pounding, and her chest felt lighter than a down feather. Astriad felt invincible like a piece that was missing so long finally was replaced to make her whole. She let out a sigh she had never heard before, a sigh of pleasure, and abruptly put her hand over her mouth almost apologetically.
Then he said the same words her mother left her on the audio tape. Her mother was right she had no idea what the word means. She always assumed it means that she cared so much for her she did not want her to die. Obviously Crowe felt that way or she would not be standing today. Astriad looked him in the eyes and smiled. " I think I love you as well." Astriad loosened her hold on Crowe still feeling giddy from the his returned embrace and the kiss.
Sylvia opened the door, witnessing her son confessing his love for Astriad. Motherly tears started to surface but she pushed them back. They had a hard decision to make.
"It's about time! Everyone your age has paired up already. The sleeping area is ready. Unless you want a private room no one is using the 'Managers' Office." She said in a cheeky tone before returning to a more serious face.
"Unfortunately, Captain you have to wait to sleep, because there is a group of Garrison Officers at the gate. They are injured and claim to not be aligned with Burke I need your judgment to assess the situation. The more bodies we have the better off we are. Come on, I'll have someone send her some food".
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Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2015 7:16 am
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Crowe froze as he heard his mother's voice. A drop of sweat could be seen as a sign of nervous from his mother seeing him in a position so close to Astriad. "O-oh mother, what are you doing here at times like this?", a gulp could be heard coming from Crowe's throat. He listened to what his mother had to say before nodding. His head turned to Astriad before running his fingers slowly through her hair.
"You go ahead and have some rest. I have some business to attend to.", said Crowe before giving Astriad a kiss on her forehead.
Walking out of the door, Crowe walked with his mother towards the gate. "Where is Victor?", asked Crowe to his mother. "He's already there, keeping an eye on them.", replied his mother as both of them made their way to the entrance. Crowe grabbed a gun from a nearby table before going out to meet these Garrison officers.
Before doing anything else, Crowe would meet up with Victor first. "So, what's the situation?", asked Crowe while his eyes scanned the surroundings around them and the officers.
"Some injured Garrison members, claimed to be tossed out into the wild under Burke's orders. Not well equipped, only have their knives with them. Probably one of Burke's way to punish people. New members of the Garrison, according to their IDs, but there are also a few unidentified people with them. You should check them out.", said Victor, as he already checked them before asking Sylvia to call Crowe over. A nod was given to Victor by Crowe before making his way towards the scared group of people.
"So, who's the leader here? Or someone who's been keeping everyone safe?", asked Crowe with a low tone to make sure that he's not scaring them. A young woman, probably at the age of 20, lifted her hand. From her expression, Crowe could tell that she wasn't ready, and she was scared. Her eyes filled with fear, body shaking. Crowe signaled her to come close to him for a closer inspection. The girl slowly made her way towards him, with one of her hands applying pressure to her shoulder. Crowe grabbed her dog tag and checked it to make sure that it was legit, and also checking her name. "Mary, why are you out and your squad out here? Garrison officers aren't supposed to be out. And you know that right?", asked Crowe before calling a medic to check her wounds.
"Y-yes, but we h-had no other choice. It was under Commander B-Burke's orders. We didn't do anything, we just did what we had to d-do..", Mary fell down to her knees before started crying. "Whoa calm down, you're safe now. But before that, please explain further.", said Crowe after he also knelt down in front of the girl.
The girl calmed herself down and wiped her tears. "We were on patrol duty and of course, we had to walk around the Vault area. We met with a few outsiders who told us that they were from another Vault, that they were attacked by some unknown creature or whatever. So, we brought them to Commander Burke to ask him for help. But we we're ordered to transfer them back to their vault. I tried to tell him that their vault was already gone, but Commander Burke insisted. He said that there's no place for extra people in the Vault. We didn't get any supplies nor weapons to bring with us. He said that we cannot go back to the vault unless these people are back to theirs. We tried to find shelter, but were attacked but...I don't know what. We panicked, and we ran. I don't know what hit us, but some are injured. Including me.", explained the girl to Crowe.
"These wounds, are probably gunshots. But the bullets are unknown to us. Probably something hot, some kind of laser of some sort.', said the medic to Crowe.
"Alright, escort these people into the building. Guards, make sure that you barricade the gate before midnight and keep constant watch of the surrounding from the rooftops. Do not, I repeat, do not provoke any creature you see with gunfire. We need to avoid fighting around this building's area. Medics, tend to their wounds and make sure that all of them are in good condition. Victor, these people are in your hands now. Keep constant watch over them and lead them. These people are under your guidance.".
"But what about the unidentified people?", asked Victor. "Bring them to Sylvia after their wounds are healed. She'll know what to do. Let's go.", said Crowe as he waited for everyone to make their way inside. He stayed last to get inside the building to make sure that there's nothing to be worried about. A sigh came out of his mouth before walking in, signaling the guards the close the gate. |
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Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2015 8:28 pm
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Zorad, an alien Hunter scout had not returned when Neebles had relived him. Unknown to Neebles, Zorad had witnessed him planting and incinerating the body. He followed Neebles but lost him after the river. Zorad decided to search around to see is Neebles was hiding her somewhere.
Several days after the traitor fled, Zorad found foot prints that eventually led him to a cave entrance. Through his reptilian like yellow eyes Zorad could sense the heat of the two officers standing guard deeper within. An undiscovered vault. Zorad thought though smugly to himself. He would get an advance bonus and a medal for finding this dwelling. Zorad found cover and reported back to the General. He decided to keep his suspicions of Neebles quiet since he had no hard evidence. Neebles was the most prestigious Scientists in the city and a false accusation would not be taken lightly.
" General Dorock, Zorad reporting." An image of Dorock appeared on his communicator.
"Heard, Zorad why are you still scouting? The traitor has been found." Zorad choose his words carefully before he responded.
" I found evidence of vault humans and took the initiative to investigate. I found a dwelling, what are your orders?" The image of Dorock looked pleased. "Well done, Zorad I will send you a unit of half breed soldiers to assist in eradicating every human in that vault. They are under your command. If there are infants, keep them alive and bring them back. Aid should arrive within the hour. There will be a medal ceremony in your honor upon your return."
Fifteen alien half breed soldiers arrived in a sand colored hovercaft. Zorad took it upon himself to dispatch the guards. Before they entered he ran down his plan with the others. "I will find the security office when I find the most populated area I want you to throw laser grenades by the dozens. In the mean time three of you cloak up, find where they keep the children, take all the infants back to the vehicle and await my orders. The rest of you keep cover until my signal."
They were able to eradicate most of them with portable vaporizers and laser grenades and their laser gun side arms. A small group was able to escape however Zorad felt they most likely would not survive, there for they counted as dead. As they sped home to the city Zorad grinned at his communicator as he transmitted the results to the General who was very pleased.
"We even brought all of the human children for a snack for You and our Supreme lord Gorlack. I hope that is all right." Dorock's toothed mouth grinned, saliva forming at the thought of sweet tender human flesh.
"Well done, indeed."
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Just as Astriad, started feeling uneasy being alone in the room, a girl with short ash brown hair came in juggling tray of food and a box full of stuff. Quickly, Astriad helped her by removing the tray from the top of the box.
"Thanks. Sometimes trying to save time, makes things more difficult. Ok so there is all the stuff Crowe wanted from his room." She said as she put the box on the table. "Oh hey! Those clothes fit I was afraid they'd be too big I already knew they'd be too long." Astriad looked down at her clothing, still holding the tray. "Much thanks, they fit better than what I was wearing. " The girl put her hand over her mouth before saying,"Oh hey! I Heard you talked in the third person I guess it was just I rumor." Astriad shook her head " I did, but I realized that I don't have to live by their rules any more.
" Okay, well I would normally stay and keep you company while you eat but if we take those people in they're gonna need medical assistance. I was the one who fixed Victor up. Man is he a big baby. Anyhow enjoy your food, oh and I'm Sandy by the way. There I go again introducing my self at the goodbye. See ya in the morning."
Astraid ate her food, sad she could not ask Crowe what any of it was called. With the box of stuff in tow, she was able to find her way to the sleeping area, claimed a sleeping bag with a blanket and went to sleep hoping the people wanting in did not have sinister intentions.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 6:27 am
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The time went deeper into the night, the moon now stood straight on top of the abandoned building. Crowe placed his firearm on the table nearby the entrance and grabbed a katana, which was slanted on the side of the table. Instead of carrying a firearm, he decided to bring a katana with him since in case of anything happened inside the building, shooting will cause the abandoned building to be more damaged.
Strapping the katana on his waist, Crowe walked towards the sleeping area, which was located a few floors above him. While on his way, he encountered Victor walking out of the 'medical ward'.
"Crowe!", he called as he rushed towards Crowe with a walkie-talkie in his hand. "I have a report. It was from one of Sylvia's acquaintance. He contacted me, stating that the Vault was under attack. It was a very clean swipe. No survivors, they were probably the last. The children were taken away by the aliens that attacked. I'm very sorry, Crowe.", said Victor to Crowe as he nodded towards the 'medical ward', hinting that the group of Garrison squad was the last of them.
Crowe's eyes went big in shocked, his grip on his katana tightened as he felt some sort of mixed feelings inside of him. "The children, we need to save them as fast as possible. I need your help again, Victor. Meet you by the entrance in an hour. Bring only a few that could fight.", said Crowe as Victor nodded. A plan, possibly a suicidal one, but Crowe just had to go save the children before they could reach the Alien Lair.
Crowe continued his way up to the sleeping area. Entering in, Crowe saw Astriad in a sleeping bag with a blanket covering her. Without him even noticing, his mother came to him from behind. "I heard what Victor said, and you have my permission. Make sure you make it back here alive. I need you back here. I'm sure Astriad wants the same. Oh, and bring her to my room. I'll take care of her and she'll be safe there compared to here.", said Sylvia, before she would head to her room. Crowe nodded, as he slowly walked to where Astriad was sleeping.
Crowe knelt down next to her and proceeded to gently lift her up, hoping that she wouldn't notice.
Entering his mother's room, he laid Astriad down on the bed before leaving the room. "Bring them back to safety, Crowe. They're depending on you.", said his mother to Crowe before he would shut the door behind him.
His eyes could be seen full of confidence about this. He went down to the entrance and met up with Victor. Along with him was Mary, all patched up and a few other Garrison and Sprinter members. There were a total of six of them. "Is this enough, Crowe? Mary wanted to come along. She said she wanted to redeem her 'cowardice' of leading the group earlier.", said Victor. Crowe looked at Mary as she gave him a nod. "I'm good to go, Captain. I won't let you down.", she said as she tightened the grip to her rifle.
Everyone nodded, and was ready for this. Grabbing the gun from the table which he placed earlier, Crowe also nodded. "Let's go. The children needs us.", he said as the entrance slowly opened up. They marched out towards a hardened sand roadway that could lead to the Alien Lair.
Crowe issued an order for them to take their position around the road, creating an ambushing formation. With the sands being higher than the road, it would be easy to hide. Crowe laid down on the sand and pulled out his scope, checking the area for any sign of aliens.
A few minutes later, they spotted a sand colored rover, slowly making it's way on the road. Behind it was a few alien soldiers, escorting the children who were forced to walk on foot. About six to seven of the aliens were on foot, while the other was in the vehicle.
As the slow moving vehicle passed them, Crowe showed a signal to his squad to attack the aliens who are walking. At the same time, Mary and the others had their aim on different aliens, making it very easy to take down the aliens at once. Successfully taking down four of aliens with a simple head shot, the other three aliens went into an alerted state. Without giving them a chance, Mary and the others opened fire, carefully attacking the aliens to make sure that they won't hit the children.
All of the children knelt down on the ground in fear, with their chained hands covering their heads. The vehicle stopped, and five other aliens came out of the back. Crowe and Victor handled this swiftly as they quickly ambushed them with a rain of bullets. They counter-fired at both Crowe and Victor, grazing Crowe on his waist. It was not a deep injury, but it felt like it was burning his flesh. This didn't stop Crowe though, as he continued to wipe the aliens off their feet.
Finishing the attack, three others came from the driving seat of the vehicle. Crowe and Victor at this point ran out of ammunition. But he remembered that he brought a katana with him which was strapped on his uninjured waist. Crowe proceeded to jump down on the road and quickly rushed at the three aliens at full speed. Before giving them the opportunity to shoot, Crowe swiftly draw his katana out and sliced through their weapons and three clean strokes. This would be impossible with a normal katana, but this was forged from a rare material, the same material that the alien weapons were made out of. This was his late father's ceremonial katana.
Gripping the hilt of the katana tight, Crowe quickly sliced one of the aliens in half. Due to the size of the aliens, it was quite easy for Crowe to move around with speed. Killing one angered the other two alien. They managed to caught Crowe in track and stopped him with a very powerful punch to the stomach This punch was so strong that it threw Crowe towards the vehicle. Blood spurted out of Crowe's mouth as he leaned on the vehicle, exhausted and injured.
"Puny human, you thought you could take us on alone? The General would be happy if we were to bring your dead body with us. It would be a feast!", said one of the aliens.
Before they were able to lay their hands on Crowe, Victor stood on top of the vehicle and jumped down on one of the aliens. With his machete, Victor plunged it deep into the alien's head. The alien screamed a few seconds, squirmed around in pain before dying. One alien left, this one was took down by Mary as she first shot it on its legs, crippling it down on the ground.
Mary walked up to the alien, who was laying down injured, probably cursing in their language. "I'm sorry, but that won't be happening anytime soon.", said Mary to the alien before shooting it in the head. the others came to where Crowe, Victor and Mary was along with the children.
Seeing Crowe injured, Victor rushed towards him and held him. "Crowe, Crowe! Are you alright?! Stay with alive goddammit!", screamed Victor at Crowe. The children, which were released, rushed towards Crowe and swarmed him. "Brother Crowe!", they screamed as tears filled their eyes.
Blood spurted out of his mouth again as his lips curled into a smile. "Stop screaming, let's just get back 'home'. I'm tired." said Crowe as the others sighed in relief. Victor proceeded to start the engine to the vehicle that they aliens drove and all of them entered the vehicle as Victor, Mary and Crowe sat at the drivers' seat.
Reaching the abandoned building, Victor, Mary and the children rushed towards the 'medical ward' with Crowe. Crowe laid down on the bed, as the medic team patched Crowe up. It was a long procedure, and Crowe fainted during the process due to blood loss. The children and Mary waited outside the ward, but Victor went to Sylvia to tell her about Crowe.
Walking in Sylvia's room, she was still awake, but Astriad was still sleeping. "Sylvia, Crowe got admitted into the ward. He was badly injured. Very badly injured.", whispered Victor to Sylvia, and making sure that he wouldn't wake Astriad up in the process.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 4:08 pm
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