The smell of incense.
The calming sound of flowing water.
The boy stirred from his restless slumber. The pain in his body was long replaced by a grudging ache. He sat up in a rush, violent memories jolting him to his senses.
He studied his surroundings. A large cave with a tiny stream of clear water running through it, glittering in the sunlight radiating in from the mouth. It was lightly furnished with a quaint, wooden dining table. A couple of lit incense sticks in a thin vase were the only items on it. Weapons, in all shapes and sizes, were displayed along the vast walls of the cave. He took one step forward and a glint of metal caught his eyes.
Thats when he saw her.
She was a beauty. From the polished, black surface or the hilt to the intricate designs etched into the scabbard, she was like a shy maiden, beckoning him. Slowly, hesitantly, he walked towards her and, gently, stroked the polished surface.
"You have good taste. She suits you."
The boy spun around in horror. Shocked that there was another presence in the cave, he was ashamed that he had let his guard down. Towering in front of him was a man clad in simple robes and wearing a gentle smile; his eyes however was that of a snake ready to strike.
"Impressive. Your thinking is already that of an assassin's. So, do you like her?" The man-with-snake-eyes gestured to the temptress on the wall. He grabbed the katana in one hand and pulled the blade from the scabbard in a smooth, practiced motion. She sang through the air, beautiful notes in a tragic melody.
"This sword came from a time before the Nuclear War. It is one of its kind, carved in a perfect harmony of balance, weight and endurance. Beautiful and vicious." He explained, with a longing look at the flawless blade. He thrust the katana back into the scabbard and, after one last glance, extended it, hilt first, towards the bewildered boy.
"Its yours, if you want it." The boy grabbed the alluring sword firmly, should the man changes his mind.
"But first, you need to learn how to use it. You were lucky that you weren't killed by the Slavemasters before I got there." He paused, "You have talent."
"Talent for what?" The boy rasped, a parched throat getting the better of him.
"Why, to kill of course."
~
"So now you want my help, motherfucker? After saying that you want nothing to do with me? Hmm, Captain Taylor, sir?"
Captain Taylor sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for what I have said before. Just deal with the threats."
"Fine by me. But it will cost you double."
"Why you double-crossing son-of-a..."
"You did mention one of the fuckers is Deathtrap, the renowned Poison Assassin? I'll fucking say that the bitch will cost you double."
"Fine. Just make sure you earn it." Captain Taylor slammed the phone. Assassins. He despised them. He could not understand why one of the higher-ups will send one to work with him. And of all the assassins to receive from them, he would receive a Raider Assassin.
Raider Assassins, scum of scums. While most assassins preferred to stay out of the limelight, this type is different. Like the arrogant bastards that they are, they broadcast their presence, with their coloured hair, tattoos and piercings. They love the violence, and are attracted to it like moths to flame.
But Captain Taylor had to admit, they were lethal, fearless killers, and thanked god, as an afterthought, that he was working with one of them and not against. Vice should handle things. But better to be safe than to be sorry.
"Stations 3 and 5, proceed to delete all the data of the experiments. And send reinforcements to sectors 1 and 6. Proceed to scan the skies for a drop ship; I want to know which bastards are foolish enough to try to break into Jakron."
"Sir, erm... There seems to be a problem."
"What is it now?" Today seems to be the day for problems.
"Err.. All c-c-communications are down, sir." One idiot spoke up.
"Sir, all our equipment are unresponsive!" Another idiot shouted.
"Sir, all of our data is being uploaded." A third idiot announced.
"What?!" Captain Taylor drew his weapon. How did they...? A virus? But to input a virus, one must enter it directly into the mainframe...
"Good evening, gentlemen." A man in a tuxedo literally materialised in front of him. He had blonde, slicked back tidy hair and a frail-looking body. Plus, he seemed unarmed. Captain Taylor was certain anyone in the room could take him.
But the man strutted confidently, as if slowly enjoying the gazes of everyone in the now-silent Control Center. He looked at Captain Taylor in the eye with silent contempt.
"Captain, please do take a seat. You seemed to be awfully stressed. Do not bother raising any alarms or firing any weapons, it will just waste your time and mine, which is infinitely more precious. As we speak, my nanites are already infiltrating your system, enabling me to be in control."
Captain Taylor was stumped. "H-how did you infect the nanites..."
"That, my friend," the tuxedo-clad man interrupted,"...Is a good question. The mainframe must be directly accessed for any viruses, or nanites, to be effective. So, you thought that you would be secure, not knowing that yours truly was operating right in front of you.
I would love to explain the dynamics and the brilliance of my light-bending technology exhibited by individual nanites that is woven into my tuxedo, but I am afraid that I do not have the ti..."
Taylor whipped out his revolver, pointed it at the man and fired with a loud bang. His eyes bulged as he saw the round slow down and lose momentum as it approached the man, clanging loudly in the silent room. Such an incredible sequence of events it was that each person blinked, not quite certain what they had just witnessed.
"I told you not to waste our time. Ta-ta, Captain." The man said nonchalantly as he left the room. The mechanical doors slid close as he left, trapping everyone inside.
~
1.Grab the victim's face from behind using one hand. Allow The soldier to inhale poison of choosing. Allow yourself to be noticed but make sure cover is nearby.
2.Hear the words "There he is!". Followed by a hail of bullets and lots of dust.
3.Use the dust cloud to your advantage and slip away, targeting another poor man.
4.Repeat first 3 steps.
A time-honoured recipe to kill an army using poisons. Deathtrap used it repeatedly since his youth, and gained infamy steadily. He was having a time of his life. And these young men were still lightyears away from catching up to him.
Nevertheless, he was not as young as he used to be. Bones creak where they should not and muscles ache in places even Deathtrap did not know of. He is definitely too old to be doing field work, yet a mission got more complicated than it should because of an incompetent Demolition Assassin.
"Damn you, fool. Are you finished,yet? That entrance was supposed to go 'boom' before the prisoners are released." Deathtrap seemed to be speaking to himself, a sign of senility at the very least.
"I told you to bring the detonating cig! So this extra work is your fault, dammit. Now shuddup and let me work." Big Bang's voice was heard with utmost clarity. The nanites were really an impressive piece of work.
Deathtrap paused in surprise, for three reasons. One was that he was not used to being treated this way, not in his youth at least. But that was more or less expected when dealing with Big Bang. The second, more surprising reason, was the irritating slang that Big Bang normally carried was noticeably absent. Perhaps there is more than meets the eye with the Demolition Assassin.
Third was that there was no more gunfire.
As the clouds slowly settled, Deathtrap strained his eyes. The tanks and soldiers were retreating. Strange indeed. He noticed the silhouette of a man as the air cleared.
The man must be tall, probably around 1.9 meters, but he was hunched over with long arms dangling in front of him, almost reaching the ground. He was wearing a device on each of his arms that resembled a metallic glove, clasped onto the man's hand and arm, presumably his weapon of choice. His spiky hair was coloured brightly in red and green, as if dyed by a colour-blind hairstylist. Face and body was strikingly decorated with a variety of piercings and tattoos.Deathtrap knew just what type of assassin he is.
"Yo, old bitch! Wassup motherfucker! HEEHEEheeheehaHAHAhaha!" the Raider Assassin screeched.
Deathtrap was weary. This was one of those new-age assassins, and he had not dealt with one before. Raider assassins break every rule of the assassin book, and are the very definition of the word 'unorthodox'.
"Is this the famous fucker? The one and only Deathtrap? Damn! Can I have have your autograph, huh?"
Deathtrap's eyes narrowed. He knew that there was a method to the madness. The annoying voice, infested with vulgarities, and appearance were meant to distract and intimidate; they were meant to break the usually rational thought of an opposing assassin. Even now, the Raider Assassin seemed to be brimming with arrogance. Deathtrap found himself being circled slowly, like prey eyed by a careful predator.
"Hey Big Bang, you know your 15 minutes?" Deathtrap whispered fiercely.
"Yea? I told ya, I'm workin' awn it."
"You now have 2 minutes left."
"Whut? But..." Big Bang's voice disappeared as Deathtrap willed the nanites to cut communication.
He turned to the multi-coloured freak.
"Sure," replied Deathtrap, "You want it? Why don't you come closer? I will sign it for you.
With your blood."
1.Grab the victim's face from behind using one hand. Allow The soldier to inhale poison of choosing. Allow yourself to be noticed but make sure cover is nearby.
2.Hear the words "There he is!". Followed by a hail of bullets and lots of dust.
3.Use the dust cloud to your advantage and slip away, targeting another poor man.
4.Repeat first 3 steps.
A time-honoured recipe to kill an army using poisons. Deathtrap used it repeatedly since his youth, and gained infamy steadily. He was having a time of his life. And these young men were still lightyears away from catching up to him.
Nevertheless, he was not as young as he used to be. Bones creak where they should not and muscles ache in places even Deathtrap did not know of. He is definitely too old to be doing field work, yet a mission got more complicated than it should because of an incompetent Demolition Assassin.
"Damn you, fool. Are you finished,yet? That entrance was supposed to go 'boom' before the prisoners are released." Deathtrap seemed to be speaking to himself, a sign of senility at the very least.
"I told you to bring the detonating cig! So this extra work is your fault, dammit. Now shuddup and let me work." Big Bang's voice was heard with utmost clarity. The nanites were really an impressive piece of work.
Deathtrap paused in surprise, for three reasons. One was that he was not used to being treated this way, not in his youth at least. But that was more or less expected when dealing with Big Bang. The second, more surprising reason, was the irritating slang that Big Bang normally carried was noticeably absent. Perhaps there is more than meets the eye with the Demolition Assassin.
Third was that there was no more gunfire.
As the clouds slowly settled, Deathtrap strained his eyes. The tanks and soldiers were retreating. Strange indeed. He noticed the silhouette of a man as the air cleared.
The man must be tall, probably around 1.9 meters, but he was hunched over with long arms dangling in front of him, almost reaching the ground. He was wearing a device on each of his arms that resembled a metallic glove, clasped onto the man's hand and arm, presumably his weapon of choice. His spiky hair was coloured brightly in red and green, as if dyed by a colour-blind hairstylist. Face and body was strikingly decorated with a variety of piercings and tattoos.Deathtrap knew just what type of assassin he is.
"Yo, old bitch! Wassup motherfucker! HEEHEEheeheehaHAHAhaha!" the Raider Assassin screeched.
Deathtrap was weary. This was one of those new-age assassins, and he had not dealt with one before. Raider assassins break every rule of the assassin book, and are the very definition of the word 'unorthodox'.
"Is this the famous fucker? The one and only Deathtrap? Damn! Can I have have your autograph, huh?"
Deathtrap's eyes narrowed. He knew that there was a method to the madness. The annoying voice, infested with vulgarities, and appearance were meant to distract and intimidate; they were meant to break the usually rational thought of an opposing assassin. Even now, the Raider Assassin seemed to be brimming with arrogance. Deathtrap found himself being circled slowly, like prey eyed by a careful predator.
"Hey Big Bang, you know your 15 minutes?" Deathtrap whispered fiercely.
"Yea? I told ya, I'm workin' awn it."
"You now have 2 minutes left."
"Whut? But..." Big Bang's voice disappeared as Deathtrap willed the nanites to cut communication.
He turned to the multi-coloured freak.
"Sure," replied Deathtrap, "You want it? Why don't you come closer? I will sign it for you.
With your blood."
~
"Boss, Mr. T has taken over the control center. He is waiting for Big Bang before he can release the prisoners."
"Thanks Scope. So, what is the hold-up at Big Bang's end?"
"It seems that a vital piece of equipment is left on board. Right now, he is using all of his expertise and some ingenuity to try to collapse the entrance. Under heavy fire, I might add. Crosshair is now working double time to cover both Rounin and Big Bang."
"I thought I assigned Deathtrap to cover him instead?"
"You did, boss. But Deathtrap is now busy in a face-off with a Raider Assassin. Identity unknown."
"Raider Assassin? I hope it is not Vice. Because if it is, this has just gotten even more complicated. Tell Deathtrap not to confront directly, just delay."
"You want to save the Raider Assassin, boss?"
"No. It is Deathtrap that I'm worried about."
"Thanks Scope. So, what is the hold-up at Big Bang's end?"
"It seems that a vital piece of equipment is left on board. Right now, he is using all of his expertise and some ingenuity to try to collapse the entrance. Under heavy fire, I might add. Crosshair is now working double time to cover both Rounin and Big Bang."
"I thought I assigned Deathtrap to cover him instead?"
"You did, boss. But Deathtrap is now busy in a face-off with a Raider Assassin. Identity unknown."
"Raider Assassin? I hope it is not Vice. Because if it is, this has just gotten even more complicated. Tell Deathtrap not to confront directly, just delay."
"You want to save the Raider Assassin, boss?"
"No. It is Deathtrap that I'm worried about."
~
Whisper struggled to keep up with the quick-footed Jack. She could not believe it- he was not even panting. The two have not spoken since they landed on the roof, though she was dying to interrogate him. She could sense a blanket of intensity over the atmosphere; the usual smile on Jack's face seemed to have subsided to mere simper.
Big Bang's voice blasted through her ear drum. "I did it! I freakin' did it! Who's yer daddy?! Who's yer daddy?!" Whisper cringed.
Almost instantaneously, the lights went out. Mr. T must have switched off the power, just as planned. Now is the hard part.
At this very point in time, thousands of maniacal, insane and very lethal assassins have been freed. The collapsing of one of the entrance was to direct the prisoners to the remaining entrance. This is to a perfect opportunity to create chaos and free their man from Jakron. Whisper knew that the prisoners should not get free. It was simply too dangerous. And to prevent that is left on the thin shoulders of a Martial Assassin and a Sniper.
Crosshair was slowly tiring. Was it the thin air from such a high altitude? Or the piercing wind sending chills to his spine? Or maybe a few hundred inmates trying to escape from the dreaded Jakron?
He was instructed to kill on sight any of the prisoners escaping. He thought it was just one escapee, maybe two. Crosshair watched the spectacle of humanity trying to jump out of windows and squeezing through the main entrance.
He fired round after round in a frantic pace, each one meeting his target. But he knew he could not keep this up much longer. And neither could Rounin.
The Oryza native was slashing and slicing with everything he had. The Jakron Guards largely have ignored him, turning their attention to the larger crisis, seemingly realising that Rounin was helping them contain the situation. Rounin, weary already from the fight against the guards, was battling freedom-crazed prisoners, all ex-assassins, at times 2 or 3 at a go.
Crosshair blinked. He cannot falter here. Rounin needed his cover fire and without it, he would surely die.
Big Bang stopped running, witnessing the gruesome scene. The immortal Deathtrap lay on the ground, in a pool of blood. The Raider Assassin standing over him, keen, 5 inch long nails extended from a device clasped around his hands, dripping with blood.
The sick monster turned to Big Bang, insane red eyes filled with blood lust, eyeing his knew prey. Big Bang felt dread spread fill his heart, and anger fill his head. He clenched his demolition gloves and turned a knob to maximum power.
But the Raider Assassin turned away, ignoring him, a predator full from a bloody meal. With the agility of a long armed monkey, he faded away into the fog.
Big Bang hesitated, then rushed to the fallen Deathtrap. His fingers touched the cold flesh of the neck, fervently feeling for a pulse.
Please do not die. Big Bang has seen enough death of the ones around him. No more.
And there it was. Faint, but there. Big Bang sighed.
"Yo, Scope. We need a pickup here."
Whisper saw the door. And a huge door it was. Made up completely of steel, it was 7 feet wide and 20 feet high. She blinked. What is on the other side of that door? It was obviously still electronically locked, most probably operating from a remote source of power. All the trouble to keep one man imprisoned? What kind of man is he? Or rather, what kind of monster is he?
Jack reached behind and drew his katana. Slowly, deliberately. The mild, metallic resonance reverberated through the empty, narrow corridors. He lifted his katana up over his head, and closed his eyes, smile not present.
When he reopened them, his eyes was resolute. 2 quick purposeful strokes, too fast for average eyes.
There seemed to be no effect on the heavy door, as Jack sheathed back his katana, his smile slowly retuning. Then a small cracking sound is heard followed by the collapse of the huge steel door with a deafening clang.
Whisper stood, stunned. A realisation hit her and she smiled. Just one more confirmation was needed before she would take action.
Big Bang's voice blasted through her ear drum. "I did it! I freakin' did it! Who's yer daddy?! Who's yer daddy?!" Whisper cringed.
Almost instantaneously, the lights went out. Mr. T must have switched off the power, just as planned. Now is the hard part.
At this very point in time, thousands of maniacal, insane and very lethal assassins have been freed. The collapsing of one of the entrance was to direct the prisoners to the remaining entrance. This is to a perfect opportunity to create chaos and free their man from Jakron. Whisper knew that the prisoners should not get free. It was simply too dangerous. And to prevent that is left on the thin shoulders of a Martial Assassin and a Sniper.
~
Crosshair was slowly tiring. Was it the thin air from such a high altitude? Or the piercing wind sending chills to his spine? Or maybe a few hundred inmates trying to escape from the dreaded Jakron?
He was instructed to kill on sight any of the prisoners escaping. He thought it was just one escapee, maybe two. Crosshair watched the spectacle of humanity trying to jump out of windows and squeezing through the main entrance.
He fired round after round in a frantic pace, each one meeting his target. But he knew he could not keep this up much longer. And neither could Rounin.
The Oryza native was slashing and slicing with everything he had. The Jakron Guards largely have ignored him, turning their attention to the larger crisis, seemingly realising that Rounin was helping them contain the situation. Rounin, weary already from the fight against the guards, was battling freedom-crazed prisoners, all ex-assassins, at times 2 or 3 at a go.
Crosshair blinked. He cannot falter here. Rounin needed his cover fire and without it, he would surely die.
~
Big Bang stopped running, witnessing the gruesome scene. The immortal Deathtrap lay on the ground, in a pool of blood. The Raider Assassin standing over him, keen, 5 inch long nails extended from a device clasped around his hands, dripping with blood.
The sick monster turned to Big Bang, insane red eyes filled with blood lust, eyeing his knew prey. Big Bang felt dread spread fill his heart, and anger fill his head. He clenched his demolition gloves and turned a knob to maximum power.
But the Raider Assassin turned away, ignoring him, a predator full from a bloody meal. With the agility of a long armed monkey, he faded away into the fog.
Big Bang hesitated, then rushed to the fallen Deathtrap. His fingers touched the cold flesh of the neck, fervently feeling for a pulse.
Please do not die. Big Bang has seen enough death of the ones around him. No more.
And there it was. Faint, but there. Big Bang sighed.
"Yo, Scope. We need a pickup here."
~
Whisper saw the door. And a huge door it was. Made up completely of steel, it was 7 feet wide and 20 feet high. She blinked. What is on the other side of that door? It was obviously still electronically locked, most probably operating from a remote source of power. All the trouble to keep one man imprisoned? What kind of man is he? Or rather, what kind of monster is he?
Jack reached behind and drew his katana. Slowly, deliberately. The mild, metallic resonance reverberated through the empty, narrow corridors. He lifted his katana up over his head, and closed his eyes, smile not present.
When he reopened them, his eyes was resolute. 2 quick purposeful strokes, too fast for average eyes.
There seemed to be no effect on the heavy door, as Jack sheathed back his katana, his smile slowly retuning. Then a small cracking sound is heard followed by the collapse of the huge steel door with a deafening clang.
Whisper stood, stunned. A realisation hit her and she smiled. Just one more confirmation was needed before she would take action.
~
Behind the large door, was a large, spacious laboratory. It was brightly lit and spotless, a sharp contrast to the dark and damp interior of Jakron. A laboratory inside a prison? Why?
Jack and whisper entered the bizarre dimension, footsteps echoed across the empty space. Equipment and notes were strewn all over the place, as if a large crowd left in a hurry. Bodies of indescribable, grotesque creatures, suspended in large, fluid-filled containers, were arranged neatly side-by-side in a monstrous display.
As Jack and Whisper weaved through the network of abominations, Whisper noticed that Jack was no longer smiling. In fact, his eyes have narrowed to a frown and his hands were clenched tightly. It was as if she was looking at a totally different person, a very angry person.
"What are these horrid things?" Whisper questioned to no one in particular. She realised then that her own temper was rising.
"Experiments." Jack said, with obvious disgust. "To create the perfect assassin. Modifications of hormones, muscles and bone. Tempering with the senses and the brain. Torturing of the soul."
"Are you saying that these things were once human?" Whisper asked incredulously. She eyed another deformed specimen, refusing to believe.
"They are still human." Jack replied.
Without another word, they both made their way to the end of the room, where another door stood. A thunderous, ear-piercing roar reverberated from the room. Whisper charged her Colossus Cannon.
Whatever was in there was going to be really big, and she had better be prepared for it.
Jack and whisper entered the bizarre dimension, footsteps echoed across the empty space. Equipment and notes were strewn all over the place, as if a large crowd left in a hurry. Bodies of indescribable, grotesque creatures, suspended in large, fluid-filled containers, were arranged neatly side-by-side in a monstrous display.
As Jack and Whisper weaved through the network of abominations, Whisper noticed that Jack was no longer smiling. In fact, his eyes have narrowed to a frown and his hands were clenched tightly. It was as if she was looking at a totally different person, a very angry person.
"What are these horrid things?" Whisper questioned to no one in particular. She realised then that her own temper was rising.
"Experiments." Jack said, with obvious disgust. "To create the perfect assassin. Modifications of hormones, muscles and bone. Tempering with the senses and the brain. Torturing of the soul."
"Are you saying that these things were once human?" Whisper asked incredulously. She eyed another deformed specimen, refusing to believe.
"They are still human." Jack replied.
Without another word, they both made their way to the end of the room, where another door stood. A thunderous, ear-piercing roar reverberated from the room. Whisper charged her Colossus Cannon.
Whatever was in there was going to be really big, and she had better be prepared for it.
~
Not for the first time in that eventful day, Whisper found herself dumbfounded. Chained to the wall by shackles at least 30 centimeters thick, was a human, yet not a human. Muscle upon muscle was the most apt description. Muscles in places where there should not have muscles. This was not a human, it was a tank.
The creature turned its head and caught sight of them, sad eyes observing them. Was there perhaps a tint of recognition within those eyes? She could not be sure, but her suspicions were confirmed when Jack spoke.
"My friend, what did they do to you?" Jack was not smiling, and has not been smiling for a while. What replaced the smile was a frighteningly grim look, eyes with a dangerous glitter. His fingers reached back to his katana handle, and with lightning-quick swiftness, slicing the shackles open. The creature flopped to the ground, a cloud of dust swirling up.
"How do we get him out of here? He must weight at least 400 pounds" asked Whisper, regaining her no-nonsense demeanor.
Jack took a needle out from a device on his wrist and pricked the monster-man in the neck.He did not seem concerned. Even his smile was returning. "Give him a few more minutes." He said as he gestured to the behemoth.
True enough, the Creature slowly picked himself up. His breathing had slowed down, and his eyes were alert , no longer sad. Furthermore, Whisper saw a small, wicked smile appear on his grotesque face. The creature looked at them each, as if thanking them and rushed into the wall.
Whisper blinked. He ran into the wall. From the top storey in Jakron, he ran through the wall, like it was paper. And landed on top of the positioned Securus. As he landed, his weight caused the massive ship to even dip a little. Whisper was now sure she had seen everything.
Jack chuckled. "Let me introduce. This is Carnage."
"All right, target acquired. Let's get the hell out of here." A relieved voice of Scope sounded off.
The magnificent S.S. Securus slowly hovered over Jakron, a giant enjoying its silent ascension over the smothering chaos. Crosshair slumped over the railing at the edge of the deck, exhausted. He watched uninterestedly as the Jakron guards get control of the prisoner riot. They were professionals, organised and efficient. They were also beaten by a rag tag group of killers, with no prior experience of cooperation whatsoever.
This might actually be fun.
Then he caught sight of two familiar figures on the roof top. A chill ran down his spine.
Whisper was brandishing her gargantuan weapon at Jack. Jack, hands raised and still smiling, was speaking to Whisper as if they are sitting down having a cup of coffee. What the hell was going on? Has Scope realised the stand-off yet?
Crosshair thought about notifying Scope, then decided against it. He would see how this plays out. Besides, this was quite interesting.
He focused his unique eyes into the action, and started to lip read. What he saw, caused his jaws to drop.
God damn it. He hoisted his faithful Gausk sniper rifle to his shoulder and started to take aim.
The creature turned its head and caught sight of them, sad eyes observing them. Was there perhaps a tint of recognition within those eyes? She could not be sure, but her suspicions were confirmed when Jack spoke.
"My friend, what did they do to you?" Jack was not smiling, and has not been smiling for a while. What replaced the smile was a frighteningly grim look, eyes with a dangerous glitter. His fingers reached back to his katana handle, and with lightning-quick swiftness, slicing the shackles open. The creature flopped to the ground, a cloud of dust swirling up.
"How do we get him out of here? He must weight at least 400 pounds" asked Whisper, regaining her no-nonsense demeanor.
Jack took a needle out from a device on his wrist and pricked the monster-man in the neck.He did not seem concerned. Even his smile was returning. "Give him a few more minutes." He said as he gestured to the behemoth.
True enough, the Creature slowly picked himself up. His breathing had slowed down, and his eyes were alert , no longer sad. Furthermore, Whisper saw a small, wicked smile appear on his grotesque face. The creature looked at them each, as if thanking them and rushed into the wall.
Whisper blinked. He ran into the wall. From the top storey in Jakron, he ran through the wall, like it was paper. And landed on top of the positioned Securus. As he landed, his weight caused the massive ship to even dip a little. Whisper was now sure she had seen everything.
Jack chuckled. "Let me introduce. This is Carnage."
"All right, target acquired. Let's get the hell out of here." A relieved voice of Scope sounded off.
~
The magnificent S.S. Securus slowly hovered over Jakron, a giant enjoying its silent ascension over the smothering chaos. Crosshair slumped over the railing at the edge of the deck, exhausted. He watched uninterestedly as the Jakron guards get control of the prisoner riot. They were professionals, organised and efficient. They were also beaten by a rag tag group of killers, with no prior experience of cooperation whatsoever.
This might actually be fun.
Then he caught sight of two familiar figures on the roof top. A chill ran down his spine.
Whisper was brandishing her gargantuan weapon at Jack. Jack, hands raised and still smiling, was speaking to Whisper as if they are sitting down having a cup of coffee. What the hell was going on? Has Scope realised the stand-off yet?
Crosshair thought about notifying Scope, then decided against it. He would see how this plays out. Besides, this was quite interesting.
He focused his unique eyes into the action, and started to lip read. What he saw, caused his jaws to drop.
God damn it. He hoisted his faithful Gausk sniper rifle to his shoulder and started to take aim.
~
Whisper smiled. Her ear-rings were emitting a powerful electro-magnetic pulse, killing all communication of the nanites in Jack's body to the Securus. Now, she can have a heart-to-heart talk with Jack.
"What do we have here?" Jack said, not sounding too surprised at being in the wrong end of the Colossus Cannon. In fact, he seemed more interesting in admiring her silky, black hair dancing in the crimson of dawn.
"What do you think, Jack? I want a rematch."
"Oh? A rematch, huh."
"Yea, I finally have you in a place where we can have no interruptions."
"You want a fair duel. I'm sorry, I can't do that." Jack replied, dipping his head in a regretful gesture.
Whisper was enraged. "Why! Damn you! Why not?"
"Because, in a fair duel, you cannot win me, my dear Whisper. And I do not want to kill you. Now, please, let us return to the ship so we can leave this horible place."
"You want to run away?"
Jack grabbed his katana and swiftly drew it in an overhead motion. The motion was so smooth, it seemed to create vapour from thin air. Whisper reacted, firing off a fearsome blast, sending a great chunk of the roof hurtling to the ground.
Jack had dodged the attempt, so quickly he seemed to have disappeared. Using one foot to pivot, she swung around, only to receive a bone-jarring smash into her jaw from the hilt of Jack's sword, sending her to the concrete. As she struggled to her feet, he casually kicked her, flipping her face first on the ground.
Whisper felt a familiar chill up her spine as she felt the cold, metallic feel on the back of her neck.
"You still have much room for improvement, Ms Susurro." Jack whispered, as if feeling sorry for her. "We can continue this another time, when you have gotten better. Meanwhile, let us go back and enjoy the victory of today, shall we?"
Whisper gritted her teeth, choking back her fear and tears. "Damn you, Jack. Damn you, Ripper."
"What do we have here?" Jack said, not sounding too surprised at being in the wrong end of the Colossus Cannon. In fact, he seemed more interesting in admiring her silky, black hair dancing in the crimson of dawn.
"What do you think, Jack? I want a rematch."
"Oh? A rematch, huh."
"Yea, I finally have you in a place where we can have no interruptions."
"You want a fair duel. I'm sorry, I can't do that." Jack replied, dipping his head in a regretful gesture.
Whisper was enraged. "Why! Damn you! Why not?"
"Because, in a fair duel, you cannot win me, my dear Whisper. And I do not want to kill you. Now, please, let us return to the ship so we can leave this horible place."
"You want to run away?"
Jack grabbed his katana and swiftly drew it in an overhead motion. The motion was so smooth, it seemed to create vapour from thin air. Whisper reacted, firing off a fearsome blast, sending a great chunk of the roof hurtling to the ground.
Jack had dodged the attempt, so quickly he seemed to have disappeared. Using one foot to pivot, she swung around, only to receive a bone-jarring smash into her jaw from the hilt of Jack's sword, sending her to the concrete. As she struggled to her feet, he casually kicked her, flipping her face first on the ground.
Whisper felt a familiar chill up her spine as she felt the cold, metallic feel on the back of her neck.
"You still have much room for improvement, Ms Susurro." Jack whispered, as if feeling sorry for her. "We can continue this another time, when you have gotten better. Meanwhile, let us go back and enjoy the victory of today, shall we?"
Whisper gritted her teeth, choking back her fear and tears. "Damn you, Jack. Damn you, Ripper."
~
Pickup swooped down in the open-air dropship, a much smaller, faster ship than the Securus. He witnessed Whisper being escorted into the back of the Dropship by Jack. Turning to Jack, he asked, "Sounds like the gig is up. How did she know?"
Jack turned to him, and smiled. "Because of how I reacted when I saw Carnage. She knew that I had met him before and had therefore planned this whole operation. Besides, she has good intuition."
"So what do we do now? Kill her?" Pickup never did like blood. He hoped that was not the solution.
"Nope." Jack said as he knelt down examining something. "She has too much pride to give up on trying to beat me. She won't say a word, not that it matters now."
"What do you mean?"
"Someone else knows who I am. And he is bound to tell the whole damn ship about it." Jack said as he observed the 2 parts of a sniper round, sliced by a very sharp katana.
Jack turned to him, and smiled. "Because of how I reacted when I saw Carnage. She knew that I had met him before and had therefore planned this whole operation. Besides, she has good intuition."
"So what do we do now? Kill her?" Pickup never did like blood. He hoped that was not the solution.
"Nope." Jack said as he knelt down examining something. "She has too much pride to give up on trying to beat me. She won't say a word, not that it matters now."
"What do you mean?"
"Someone else knows who I am. And he is bound to tell the whole damn ship about it." Jack said as he observed the 2 parts of a sniper round, sliced by a very sharp katana.
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16 comments:
Hey all,
so this is chapter 4. What do you think? Any questions about the characters or events? Any mistakes? There is bound to be some as I did not really check the English nor have the time to.
Anyway, Wen The Brothers might bring some very exciting changes to the blog, so 'stay tuned'.
I wonder you could do a character profile so it will be easier to follow up the story?
Anyway, this assassin-based story reminds me of another story based on the same thing. Have you heard of Jimmy Coates?
Well, there's one part I feel you could improve on:
"Is this the famous fucker? The one and only Deathtrap? Damn! Can I have your autograph, huh?"
It would be better if you write:
"So you are the famous fucker, the one and only Deathtrap? Damn! Can I have your autograph? Heeheeheeehahahahaha..." (Then you could add the part about Deathtrap was irritated with the Raider Assassin's mocking.)
There's a few more:
In your blood." should be With your blood."
She could not believe it, he was not even panting. should be She could not believe it - he was not even panting.
There seemed to be no effect on the heavy door, as Jack sheathed back his katana, smile slowly retuning. should be There seemed to be no effect on the heavy door, as Jack sheathed back his katana, his smile slowly retuning.
On the whole, I think that you should put in more tension in the story and write in a way that the readers can visualize the story instead of just reading words.
I hope my comment helps. (:
Finally! A constructive comment. And I truly appreciate it.
About the character profile, we have already created one... Just waiting for the correct time to put it up.
I also sincerely apologise for all the grammatical mistakes and the such. It was written in haste, especially the latest few parts, without editting. Reason being: lack of time through other commitments, low hit count, and an ongoing process of remaking the blog.
Yes, thats right, we are going to remodel the blog. So hang tight, exciting changes coming up.
Please note: Even with all the corrections that ツバサ alerted me to, I KNOW there are still more mistakes out there and will correct them when I have the time. Meanwhile, it will make my life a lot easier if more people would alert me to them.
Can't wait. *Will be following closely*
To tell you the truth, I only skimmed through the story (I'm very busy lately too.) I will try to find a time to scan through the whole thing thoroughly again, and give you a proper comment on the whole story up till this chapter.
Again much appreciated. May I ask, who is Jimmy Coates? And some examples of his works would be nice.
Jimmy Coates is a series of books written by Joe Craig with its main protagonist Jimmy, who was an assassin created by the British secret agency NJ7. Jimmy did not want to be the Brit's assassin, so he ran away from NJ7, earning himself to become a wanted boy in the world. At the same time, there were 2 more child assassins like him out there...You can read the first book in the series Jimmy Coates: Killer (UK version) or Jimmy Coates: Assassin? (US version) to get some inspirations.
Alas, the time to read is never there. But Thanks for the heads up. I'll check it up when I can.
So what do you think? New format, with more features to come. And a resolution to the 4th chapter, at long last.
Pls note that the blog is not complete, so be patient as we are working on it among our busy schedule. Comments, suggestions and criticisms are welcome, as usual!
Hi,
I’m starting up a new enterprise selling ebooks (pdf Adobe Acrobat documents) to bloggers.
To get my venture off the ground I’m offering to make a pdf document out of the archives of your blog for free.
I’m sorry to comment out of the blue but I am a real person and this is a real offer.
(Check out my facebook page if you don’t believe me: John Murphy University of Leeds - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=197815932&ref=profile)
Please email me back at JOHNPIERSMURPHY AT GMAIL DOT COM if your interested. You could then offer this ebook as a free download to vistors, email it to friends or relatives or even sell it. Your readers can then read the ebook when their offline or even put it or their pdas or iphones to read on the train or bus.
Thanks,
I can understand the acts of the boy... what else is the value of your life if you merely exist for the benefit of the others anyway? Better risk that life and get the chance to have freedom.
You can't blame a guy to fight for his survival, even if it means to kill another being. Ethics are fine when there is an order to your life. If not, it is down to the survival-of-the-fittest.
Off to the next chapter :P Looking good, I'm starting to see the sub stories and backdrops that you're creating coming together :)
That is good to hear. Have a good read!
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Don't let gaming consume your life. Too much video games can be unhealthy. You need to be sure that you do other activities too. Online Games can be addictive, so just make sure that you moderate your usage.
In today's gaming world you can oftentimes find lots of stuff available on the Internet. You will be able to download games for your game playstation, PC or mobile device. While convenient, it's also somewhat risky. Don't buy on a whim; make sure you evaluate your budget first. Before you spend your hard-earned money on a new game, do some research on it first.
Make the screen brighter. If you can't see the game, you won't be able to play well. You may find that you're frequently being attacked because you can't see. Increase the brightness so you do not miss anything, even if it ruins the dark atmosphere of the game. It will make the colors easier to distinguish and you'll be able to spot your enemies before they spot you.
If you come across a difficult game that is causing you to feel frustrated, it is a good idea to put it aside for awhile and return to it later. If you're not playing particularly well, try switching to another game to avoid frustration. Avoid frustration as it can negate the positive aspects of gaming.
Buy used games. New online games can cost more than fifty dollars. Spending that amount of money only to find out that the game isn't your cup of tea is a costly mistake. If you buy used, you may be able to get 25 percent to 50 percent off of a game that you are interested in.
Never clean your system, no matter the age, with strong cleaners. Lightly blowing can help to remove dust, and this is often all it takes to get things up and running. You can destroy your system if you use harsh chemicals on it.
If you have children, ensure that you're limiting the amount of gaming play time your children have. Try not to let your kids play for over two hours every day since it can rearrange their priorities and strain their hands and eyes.
There are some educational video games. These games are a safe bet for young children. Titles aimed at older children or adults often contain violence or other content unsuitable for children. Check out online reviews from other parents so you can discover appropriate games for your child. Purchase only these games.
Buying a new game is tougher than you may think. You might waste a lot of money on a game you end up hating. Read game reviews before making a purchase.
Figure out how to operate the safety and parental controls of any gaming system that comes into your home. You can likely make adjustments that keep kids from viewing mature content. Some allow each gaming profile to be customized separately, allowing adults to enjoy games not meant for younger audiences.
No matter where you are playing the game you will have a great time! Keep learning so you can always be on top of the best recommendations and techniques.
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point.
You definitely know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting
videos to your site when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?
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