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Post by Farren on Jan 6, 2013 15:30:13 GMT -8
I should've stayed in New York...
That's what I muttered silently to myself as I trudged down the barren road, heading for the California coastline near Hermosa Beach. Three years ago (or was it four?) I'd been a barely employed semi-graduate of PHS #552, the only place I'd ever felt even somewhat at home. Then I got the offer of becoming the guidance counselor at another corporal punishment school, #259, out on the west coast. Seemed like a smart move at the time, went out and starting laying plans to exact some revenge on the system. Next thing I know, all hell breaks loose and the world is turned into a bad Mad-Max remake. So much for fame and glory in sunny Cali'.
Fast forward a year since the world went to hell and I'm a homeless wanderer in his mid-20's without even a motorcycle to his name anymore. I'd sought better chances up north, heading for Canada and looking for fresh starts, but everywhere I went was more of the same. Terrified communities, roving gangs, and the kind of violence and brutality that'd make a feudal king teary-eyed. Now here I am, beaten but breathing, heading back to the last place I could have called home, a deserted house near the beach.
I'd snuck through the controlled territories on the way here, Barker's and the gangs and whoever else. I'd gotten good at keeping a low profile. Now though I was in Crows' territory, at least that was who I heard had claimed the area now. Whoever held it, I just hoped they'd let me pass without incident. I'd hidden something...special...back at the old house, and I wanted it back.
The sun setting in front of me, I adjusted the straps to my rucksack and glanced over and saw the sign marking the former edge of city limits to Hermosa. Place looked like a ghost town, but I'd seen worse up north. At least there were buildings left here. My stomach growled something fierce and I laughed bitterly to myself. Could really go for a boardwalk hot dog right about now.
I walked down the center of the street, passing an old apartment complex, when the glint of metal in the sunlight caught the edges of my eye. I turned to my right just in time to see a crossbow bolt fired at my head. Falling away fast enough to avoid a head shot but still feeling the steel tip slice across my cheek, I hit the ground and looked up to see four big dudes all armed with machetes and baseball bats descending on me from the apartment complex. I ripped my pack off and scrambled to my feet, bracing for the fight to come.
"Man, they'll let anybody into this neighborhood these days!", I cursed.
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Jan 6, 2013 17:38:45 GMT -8
Well, this might get interesting... Lucien thought as he watched from rooftop of a nearby building, laying prone so he couldn't be spotted by anyone on the ground. He saw the man approach, but his real objective was reconnaissance of this little gang of thugs.
There had been five reports of attacks in the past two weeks, and being the junior member of the Crows, he got the assignment that no one else wanted to do. He had tracked them to this old apartment building, it seemed to be their temporary base of operations. Lucien didn't understand their mentality, the place was a wreck. Even from down the block, it felt dirty.
He lifted his hand to his ear, and clicked a button on the little bluetooth earpiece. Speaking softly into it, he said, "Brother DeChain reporting. I have a visual on them, plus one newcomer. They seem to be provoked and attacking. So far, my position is not compromised. Please advise."
A voice crackled back from the earpiece. "Acknowledged. Maintain position for now. No need to blow this whole op in the first stages of recon. Over."
Lucien nodded slightly, even though no one could see him. He would watch what happened next. Though, his instincts told him that the newcomer could take care of himself.
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Jan 6, 2013 21:09:47 GMT -8
Waiting nearby for the signal was Delilah, two of her Tengu lurking in the shadows nearby as they watched the situation unfold.
In Crow territory, incidents of theft, murder and rape had a strict no-tolerance policy. When the accused were found guilty, they were executed. There was no room or or ability to maintain prisons in this new world order, and Delilah herself was very much against keeping alive anyone who willingly jeopardized the survival of another human. She also considered it far kinder than letting them loose in Barker territory. After the first couple of weeks when the Crows first started implementing these laws as part of their governing body, there was a brief spike, then decline in these incidents. As a result, the Crow's territories were among the safest and most loyal to their protectors, and had been for almost a year.
The problem without a real functioning judicial system, however, was proving guilt.
Running off of anonymous tips, the Crows would send their forces to investigate the situation, stalking a suspect for days, sometimes weeks in order to get a glimpse at any hint of the described wrong-doing. It was the only way the system could be described as fair and just.
And so, the mechanic (and auxillary leader of Crows in absentia of "Unfettered" himself) would wait until the men actually did something with their weapons before getting involved. Though she was pretty sure where this was headed.
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Post by Farren on Jan 7, 2013 19:46:05 GMT -8
The four men charged like tongueless demons, evil intent burning in their eyes but silent as the grave. The smallest one, wielding a machete as long as his arm, was the first to reach me. He swung hard straight down, aiming to cleave my skull in two. I sidestepped to the left, let the blade fly past and ricochet off the asphalt. Before he could bring the blade back up for another swing I threw a heavy downward left hook and caught him on the chin, hurling him into the ground, out cold in one blow. His hands went limp and dropped the machete; I slid my toe under the handle and flipped it up into the air, catching it just in time to block another attempt on my skull, this time from a baseball bat.
The wielder was a bit bigger this time and though the wood of the bat became stuck in the blade I was driven to one knee, barely containing the force. I released the machete from my right hand and rolled backwards into a tight crouch, but before the man could compose himself I sprung off my toes and speared him shoulder first, so hard I could hear a rib collapse next to my ear. We landed in a heap right in front of the last two villains, one each with a bat and a machete.
Hunger was getting the better of me and I couldn't react fast enough. I took a crack to my spine from the bat, lightening flashing across my eyes from the pain. I managed to scramble away just as the machete-man brought his weapon down, right into the abdomen of the man I'd just speared unfortunately. The cut man howled in fury, clawing at the gushing wound and probably praying his intestines didn't fall out.
I pushed off the street and back to my feet, my eyes locked on the final pair. Not more than three yards apart, I could see their faces plain as day. Dirty, bearded...desperate. It was the desperation I saw most. I'd seen it hundreds of times before. Men at the end of their ropes. Dying on their feet. So determined to survive that they could ignore the wails of their comrade, slowly bleeding out right at their feet.
I pushed back the sting in my back and the hunger pangs in my stomach. Through gritted teeth I said, "I know what you want, but you won't find it here. I'm unarmed, I haven't eaten in four days, and I still took down two of you in seconds. Take your mate and go, you might still be able to save him. Stay...and we'll all die."
Their faces were stone. It didn't look promising. "Where's Liam Neeson when you need him...?"
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Jan 7, 2013 20:08:56 GMT -8
As Lucien watched the unfolding scene, his instinct proven right, he smiled a small smile, as if congratulating the newcomer on his ability. Though, there seemed to be a look on his face at points, especially when he was talking to the men... It was a look that Lucien knew more than most. Hunger.
That's good enough for me, Lucien thought. He rolled over, laying on his back, and faced the sky for a moment. Laying down like this, his voice wouldn't carry as far, and he was less likely to be seen while off-guard. He clicked the earpiece.
"Brother DeChain to First Black. Intent is positive, violent and murderous action has been proven. You are free to move in and apprehend."
He took a drink of water, and wiped his brow with an alcohol towel. With the sun beating down on him, he was practically sunbathing. Wiping his hands clean with the same towel, he turned back over and continued surveillance.
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Jan 8, 2013 19:42:33 GMT -8
She waited, listening to the sounds of combat before she was given the all clear by Lucien. She didn't have to see what was going on to know what was happening; the sounds of cloth shifting, the crack of a rib, wood hitting bone, the sucking of punctured flesh, resonated within her mind as a macabre ballet.
"Brother DeChain to First Black. Intent is positive, violent and murderous action has been proven. You are free to move in and apprehend."Delilah tapped her bluetooth to respond. "Acknowledged. Moving in now, over and out." With a jerk of her head, she motioned to the rest of her team to follow her. The eight of them moved quietly through the side streets of Hermosa Beach, spreading out to surround the now three standing men. Unsheathing two of her three knives, Delilah prowled forward behind the men with Talon and Nigel flanking her.
She raised a fist, slowing their pace as they came up behind the men while the one who was being assaulted spoke."I know what you want, but you won't find it here. I'm unarmed, I haven't eaten in four days, and I still took down two of you in seconds. Take your mate and go, you might still be able to save him. Stay...and we'll all die."No dice, it would seem. The men only stared him down, starting to move slowly forward.
It was not for Delilah to determine why they were after this man or why they were after anyone at all. Their reasons, motives, needs, wants, didn't matter much to her in the long run. The Crows provided for the citizens they protected and, for those who sought to take advantage of that charity, it often wasn't enough to sate their need to survive. Worse still was when the roving gangs of the Neutral territories tried to come in and take what aid was given to the peoples who lived and worked with the Crows. Thus, it was up to them to prevent and eliminate any and all who sought to threaten the modicum of peace they had managed to instill here. It wasn't like these men didn't have options...the fact that they put their own survival ahead of someone else's life to 'secure' their own only hastened their own ends. Ironic, yet fitting.
"Go."
Nigel rushed forward the last few paces toward the exposed backs of the men, lifting his cast-iron tonfa and twisting the grip in his hand, making the long metal arm spin as it cracked against the side of the man with the machete's head. The impact dropped him immediately, and he was either out cold or very much dead.
The man with the baseball bat got the shorter end of the deal; Talon threw one of his two hatchets from his place just off to the side of Delilah and it embedded itself just to the left of his right shoulder blade. The man would scream in pain, dropping tohis knees as he tried desperately to get the weapon out of his back.
Delilah walked forward as this went on, calm and businesslike. Blue eyes swiveled from side to side as she took in the area, looking for more potential threats. Though if there were any, Sergei and Heather waited on the sidelines with their wrist-rocket's loaded with heavy metal ball-bearings. As Nigel and Talon cleaned up (apprehending the four men by binding them with pieces of rope) Delilah would walk past them and to the man they'd been assaulting with a look of concern. Replacing both her knives in their sheaths, she held out an oil-stained hand to him, a mark of her trade.
"Delilah Black, First Crow," she would introduce herself as quickly as possible. "Are you alright?"
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Post by Farren on Jan 9, 2013 8:29:09 GMT -8
I was slipping more than I thought; I didn't realize the second group had surrounded me until they were practically on top of us. Shooting quick glances all around, I could sense these guys were different than the first ones. They were calmer, more collected, and as I found out in the next instant, significantly more deadly. Before the remaining two attackers could blink they were torn to shreds, bound, and being hauled away. I simply stared and said matter-of-factly, "Well...that was brutal."
A woman strolled toward me, quite pretty actually, and extended a greasy hand in hello. Delilah Black she called herself, First Crow. I eyed her up and down for a second before shaking her hand firmly. "Farren. And I'm fine, been through a lot worse then these guys. Bit hungry though, could use a feast or forty."
I let go of her hand and walked over to pick up my meager pack, knocking off what I could of the road dust. Slinging it over my shoulder, I watched as the other men worked to remove the four attackers. I knew what they had in store was not going to be pretty; I almost felt bad for them. Though something about the situation still nagged in my mind, I turned back to the woman and said, "First Crow huh? So I guess it's true that the Crow gang controls the beaches now. Things sure can change in a year."
I rubbed my back where the bat had hit and finished by saying, "What happens now? I don't suppose you'll just let me mosey along...?"
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Jan 9, 2013 13:57:55 GMT -8
Lucien, having seen that the job was finished, climbed from the rooftop down the rickety fire escape, which was surprisingly intact. As he ran to the rendezvous point to join the others, he heard the man introduce himself as Farren.
Approaching Delilah, he stopped and said "No signs of additional forces. We're good." He then turned to Farren, and took a good look at him. From the rooftop, Lucien hadn't seen his face very well. He looked terrible, and very hungry. Not as hungry as he was, but hungry. Lucien decided it was best to introduce himself as well.
"Lucien Dechain, nice to meet you," He said, not extending his hand. He would look to Delilah then, and gave her a look that asked how to proceed. She was the boss, after all.
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Jan 9, 2013 18:35:51 GMT -8
"Farren. And I'm fine, been through a lot worse then these guys. Bit hungry though, could use a feast or forty."
Hungry, huh? "Good to meet you...maybe we can help you with that," Her head turned slightly as Lucien came to stand beside her, smiling her thanks to him with a quick nod. She looked back as Farren approached, now laden with a pack. Behind her, the mess of the four men was quickly but quietly hauled off to be burned on a funeral pyre on the beach.
"Lucien Dechain, nice to meet you,"
"First Crow huh? So I guess it's true that the Crow gang controls the beaches now. Things sure can change in a year."
Delilah's eyes followed his hand, watching it rub the sore spot on his back. Her lips pursed slightly; he was injured? Damn. They should have moved faster, taken them out before anyone got injured. They would have to work on their timing a little bit more.
"What happens now? I don't suppose you'll just let me mosey along...?"
Delilah shrugged amicably. "I could, if you want. I am curious to know what your business here is and we can't afford to make to many chances. Still, I'd like to give you the benefit of the doubt," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder further West, towards the beach. "Our base is at the Southern Lifeguard Station. We have hot food, warm beds, running water, and supplies if you have need of them. I might recommend heading there first if your business can wait. If not, Lucien here and myself would be happy to escort you to wherever it is you need to go and back to the base if need be."
Smiling slightly, the mechanic held her hands palm up, to show she wasn't hiding anything. "No strings attached. Once you're fed and clothed, if you don't want to stick around, you don't have to." Delilah took a moment for her light blue eyes to look him up and down, "Though if you did want to, i certainly wouldn't say no. You're a good fighter and trust me, we could use that."
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Post by Farren on Jan 9, 2013 20:01:55 GMT -8
Hot food, showers...things I had long thought gone from the world. I was tempted to say no, to keep to myself, but my stomach would have none of it. Fear gives man wings but hunger keeps him grounded. I'd traveled half the west coast and back to be here. Another day was just another day.
I nodded to the thin young man, wondering if he may be as hungry as I was. "Lucien, good to meet too." I turned back to face Delilah, no hiding in my eyes what I was truly thinking. "A meal and a bed would do well, thank you. The Lifeguard Station is relatively near where I need to be anyway, so a detour shouldn't hurt. As far as staying...we'll see. I've never done well in groups. Didn't learn to share in kindergarten and all that."
I started to walk towards the pair of Crows when a familiar glint of metal hit my eye. The crossbowman. He wasn't one of the four attackers, he was still in the complex! The Crows had their backs to the complex and so couldn't see what I saw. I sprinted forward, crashing between Lucien and Delilah, running full speed toward the apartments. "GET DOWN!!" I screamed.
A half second later the sniper fired. I watched in slow motion as the bolt flew. In an act half-planned, half-instinct, I swing my pack around and held in front of my head, catching the bolt just before it would have split my skull. The pack held it but the tip still pierced through, gouging just past my head and slicing off the top quarter-inch of my right ear. I threw the bag aside and howled in a mix of pain and fury. I never stopped running.
The next few seconds were a blur. Somehow I scaled some rubble near the outside of the building, clambering into the second floor window from where the bolt had been fired. Before I knew what was happening, the sniper was underneath my fist, his face turning into hamburger meat. I stopped when I couldn't see any teeth left. I hauled him over to the open window and pushed him over the side, dropping him to the ground below. My body shook with adrenaline, hunger, and shock. Fear and hunger do much to a man, but rage can be the strongest of all.
I called out, "I hope...you have something to drink, too..."
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Jan 9, 2013 20:43:27 GMT -8
Lucien had just finished nodding back at Farren, having heard Delilah's invitation, when Farren started forward to them. Then, without warning, he bolted between them, screaming.
"GET DOWN!!"
Lucien would immediately shrink to a crouch, remembering his training, and turned just in time to see a man in the complex firing a crossbow at Farren's head.
Oh Fuck.
While Farren ran up into the building, Lucien ran towards the complex wall, out of sight of the shooter that Lucien had just scanned for, but apparently missed. As he heard the sounds of teeth being knocked out of a face, he quietly whispered to no one in particular, (but if he were to choose, to his superior officer, whom he owed three lives so far,) "There was only four. I scanned nine times, there was only four..."
"I hope...you have something to drink, too..."
Lucien did, in fact. Readily available. But, the germs...
Lucien took a large drink from his two-litre bottle, and then saved the rest for Farren. He would drink more when they got back to base.
He stood up, making sure that he wasn't missing anyone else, and saw a blood spot on the ground nearby. Examining it closer, there was a distinct part of Farren's ear in the pool. If Lucien had anything to vomit then, he would have. But, seeing as he didn't, he started hyperventilating. Picking up the ear piece, he examined it as best he could. It looked reattachable, but not in his shaky hands. They needed to get it on ice, though, and quick. And Farren himself needed medical attention besides that.
"Let's hurry back to base, if that's the case. Farren, you can have my water. You'll need to keep hydrated if you have open wounds."
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Jan 10, 2013 0:53:49 GMT -8
If Farren was thinking anything remotely suggestive about Delilah, it went completely unnoticed. She was an intelligent young woman...but was completely unable to see herself in any way, shape, or form as attractive.
And if the author of this post misinterpreted the look he gave her when it may have been instead a trepidation to willingly go somewhere with a virtual stranger, then, Delilah would choose to politely ignore it.
"A meal and a bed would do well, thank you. The Lifeguard Station is relatively near where I need to be anyway, so a detour shouldn't hurt. As far as staying...we'll see. I've never done well in groups. Didn't learn to share in kindergarten and all that."
A grin started to form on her lips as he strode towards them, only to fall in confusion as the look of panic bloomed on his face. "Wha--"
"GET DOWN!!"
Delilah dropped reflexively to a crouch at the command and rolled sideways into a doorway. Her back against the frame, she lifted a hand to her bluetooth, firing off instructions as she looked behind her, "Sergei, Cain, Nick, double-back and flush out the buildings in the area, we're under--,"
"...didn't copy that, you're under what?"
"Uh," She watched as Ferren scaled the building, pummeled the would be assailant within and then unceremoniously tossed him out the window. After a beat or two of silence, she rolled back out from cover and onto her feet. "Belay my last, just...follow that first bit. Over and out." She ran a distracted hand through her raven black hair, casting a sideways look at Lucien. A little disappointed (though she wasn't up-in arms about it, he was still new and just out of basic training), she gave his shoulder a squeeze as she walked back towards the building.
"I hope...you have something to drink, too..."
She looked backwards at the sound of Lucien dry-heaving and grimaced. the poor kid wasn't used to the sight of blood yet...wait, blood? Looking back up at Farren, her keen eyes spied rivulets of blood running down his cheek and neck from his ear.
Stooping, the cogs turning within her mind,Delilah stooped to pick up the bolt that had shredded Farren's pack and ear, examining it closely. Specialty, not your run of the mill stuff. She pocketed it for now. Later, there would be questions.
"Let's hurry back to base, if that's the case. Farren, you can have my water. You'll need to keep hydrated if you have open wounds."
"Good idea, Luc," she said with a nod of agreement. But a wistful grin pulled her lips as she looked up at Farren. "We also make our own vodka. And I think I have a bottle of bourbon stashed somewhere..." She looked for a long hard moment at the would be assassin, eyebrows drawn together in deep thought. If he was still alive, she would drop to a knee and draw her tanto, plunging it through his eye and into his brain to still his tremors once and for all.
Perhaps the new man would be trouble after all, if indirectly. All the more reason to keep an eye on him.
"Let's get back to the base to get that ear stitched up. Lead the way, Luc."
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Post by Farren on Jan 14, 2013 3:56:14 GMT -8
OOC: Sorry for the wait, new apartment moving and such.
IC: I heard bourbon and that was all I needed to know. "Sounds like a plan..." I gathered up my meager belongings and hitched them over my shoulder. I could see Lucien pick up the sliver of my ear off the ground, what he planned to do with it I had no idea but I was too tired and in partial shock to care. I could feel the warm trickle of blood on my neck but not much else. "Lead the way" I groaned as I fell into step behind them.
FAST FORWARD
In a few minutes we were nearing their base and I was starting to calm down, the adrenaline easing out of my system. I turned to Delilah as we walked and asked, "So how long have the Crows held this territory? Last time I was here it was still neutral and practically a refugee camp. And hopefully I don't overstep my welcome, but now that you have it, what will you do with this land?"
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Post by Delilah A. Black on Jan 15, 2013 0:57:38 GMT -8
The three would walk in silence for the most part as they walked through Hermosa and back to the base. Here and there, signs of activity would be noticed; people clearing rubble, repairing the exteriors of houses, some trading and bartering, some organizing supplies for wider distribution. As they neared the water front, to their right would be a large group of men and women being taken through a set of exercises with the instructor pacing the front line. He had a Corporal's booming voice as he shouted to the people before him;
"UP! DOWN! HOLD! GET YOUR DAMN STOMACH OFF THE GROUND, KALE! ON YOUR FEET. JUMP! SQUAT! JUMP! KNEES UP PEOPLE, HUG EM TO YOUR CHEST IF YOU HAVE TO! DOWN! PUSH-UPS!"
"So how long have the Crows held this territory? Last time I was here it was still neutral and practically a refugee camp. And hopefully I don't overstep my welcome, but now that you have it, what will you do with this land?"
Delilah chuckled, humming quietly to herself the first few bars of "A Whole New World" before speaking. "We were allowed to set up shop here by the people who had claimed this territory for their own. Our former Zero --that's what we call our founders-- Kiyoshi ran some bandits out of the area. Ever since, we've been attached to making our lands better, rebuilding. Harvesting and making our own food, protecting our borders from Barker with our military. Showing the people there's an alternative to Barker, you know?"
Coming up to the Lifeguard Station they would find the smallish, three story building buzzing with activity. Additions were still being made on the exteriors for a well defended barracks, and protective walls were being built around the immediate board walk area. There were docks and a plethora of life boats attached to them, should the need arise to evacuate civilians.
She walked in through an open side door that led directly to the mess hall. It being later in the day, but before dinner, there wouldn't be a line up to teh cooks station. On the menu today? Pan fried calamari with whole grain rice and salad and a roll to go with it. And a single ration of potato vodka, should they want it.
Delilah would stopm turning to look at Farren. "This is where I leave you for the time being, I'm afraid. I have to see to the disposal of those men who tried to kill you earlier. Eat, refresh yourself, sleep if you want to. When you're ready, Lucien here will take you to my office and we can talk, if you like." She gave him a nod and a smile before looking to Lucien. "I'll leave him in your care."
And with that, she departed, her mind filled with reports and curiosities about this new man.
((OOC: Not leaving thread, just leaving room for you two to talk if you want...as well as character continuity. Girl has shit to do.))
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Jan 15, 2013 22:56:21 GMT -8
{OOC: Apologies for this post right from the get-go.}
Lucien would enter the safehouse with them, smelling the food wafting through the air. His stomach rumbled loudly, so he found a jug of water and a plastic cup, and poured some. When he finished drinking, he would look to his superior officer, giving her a nod as she took her leave.
He would find a place to sit, watching as Farren did his business, getting food and stuffing it down his filthy human filth-hole and such. He would wait, not even going near the food that was available, the smell in the air enough to make his mind go into panic mode. For now, he would wait for Farren to be done.
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