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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:10:26 GMT -5
Hello All,
As you are probably aware, I was away this week and so didn't have time to write a show for today. So instead, I'm going to tell you a story. A story involving all the diverse and wonderful ACW characters that we all know and love. Please bear in mind that this is a "stand alone" tale: in tems of the actual fed, none of this actually occured. It's just a bit of fun to fill the gap, and hopefully be mildly entertaining as well.
I've interpreted people's characters and tried to keep their actions and such true to their creator's visions, but if you see anything that you don't think quite fits, don't worry; as I said this is just for a laugh and doesn't have any bearing on the fed proper.
So, that said, are you sitting comfortably? If so, then I'll begin..............
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:11:26 GMT -5
GAME ON:
An ACW Adventure
It was late afternoon on a normal Friday as the bus stood and awaited its passengers; the luggage bays had already been packed to bursting with rucksacks, camping equipment and a whole host of other items that were already testing the bus’ suspension. The doors to the ACW arena were flung open, and joint chairmen Gingerdude and WCW led the way out to the waiting vehicle, followed by the massed ranks of the ACW roster. Rather than their stage wear, the group was kitted out in their normal clothes and were evidently prepared for a trip of some kind. “I don’t see why we have to go on a stupid bonding exercise,” moaned Rey, “I’m about as bonded as I want to get with the rest of you guys.”<br>“The feeling’s mutual, McFoley” hissed Rose from behind him, “But we don’t have an option in this. Since WCW discovered you could get tax breaks if you trained your staff so many days a year, he’s had nothing in his head but the thought of the cash he can save if the business is accredited.”<br>“Hey holmes, don’t sweat it,” said Latino cheerfully, carrying a crate of beers on each shoulder. “This could actually be kind of fun.” “Yeah, it’ll be alright for you” grumbled Rey, “You and AK will probably spend most of the weekend getting back to nature while the rest of us are bored out of our wits.”<br>The parade ground to a halt at the entrance to the bus, and WCW addressed his troops. “Alright everyone, now make your way on to the bus in an orderly fashion……..”<br>No more could be heard as the rest of the party scrambled on to the bus, and a mass fight broke out for possession of the back seat. The bus rocked gently back and forth on his axles and WCW slapped a hand across his forehead; the shouting and general uproar was clearly audible to Ridley as he paced across the asphalt with 2 druids in tow. “You are sure you understand my instructions?” said Ridley, keeping his eyes on the bouncing bus. “Yes my lord,” confirmed druid 1. “We are to perform all the normal rituals at the proper times, and re – paint your personal quarters.”<br>“Good. Do not disappoint me.”<br>Ridley waved away the druids and gave WCW just a cursory glance as he stepped on to the bus; the back seat battle, which had been on the verge of cooling, kicked off for round 2 with occasional flashes of lightning from within indicating that the lord of hardcore was not entirely happy with the seating arrangements. The two druids watched from a distance, and then turned to walk back to the building; as they did so #1 plucked up the courage to ask the question he had waited all week to ask. “Did you get the tickets?”<br>#2 smiled. “Best seats in the house…..with a slap up dinner afterward. The decorators will be here first thing tomorrow, they should easily be done before our taxi gets here.”<br>#1 grinned back, then looked concerned. “What if our lord finds out?”<br>“He won’t. The further he gets from the demon pit, the weaker his link to it will become….and that portable altar was too heavy to get on to the bus so he said he’d just have to wing it”. The two druids reached the arena entrance; once they had gone inside a very faint echo of singing could be heard from within the passageways. “Let’s do the timewarp again…….”<br> On the bus everyone seemed to have finally found themselves a seat although many people were still wandering around. WCW climbed aboard, took a look at the chaos and slumped down into a free seat. “Driver, let’s go,” he sighed. The doors slid closed and the bus began to pull away; almost at once a new argument started over what should be put on the stereo. The bus was quickly split into 2 sides, with half the roster arguing for Abba Gold while the others favoured the more robust strains of Velvet Revolver. Just as it seemed that a stalemate was inevitable, Skurai presented the group with a third option. “Hey guys,” Skurai called from somewhere near the front, “Check out what I found in AK’s stuff during the move, it almost got left behind!”<br>AK leapt out of her seat and tried to catch a glimpse of the CD case, but Skurai had already stuck the disc quickly into the player. A hush descended as everyone listened for the beginning of the first track, but this was quickly transformed into gales of hysterical laughter as the opening chords of “The right stuff” were heard. “NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK?! shouted El Loco over the noise, “Could you possibly own a more appalling record?”<br>AK turned an interesting shade of scarlet and buried her head in her hands. “I was 10 years old, damnit! Everyone was into them, and besides I fancied…….”<br>AK stopped herself just in time, but everyone had already shut up once more and was looking directly at her. “Come on AK, you can tell us,” said Rose, smirking from the back. AK sighed and realised the issue wasn’t going to go away. “All right, if you must know I had just a tiny little crush on………..”<br>Everyone leaned forward in their seats; “……….Mark Wahlberg”. The bus erupted once more with screams of laughter. “MARKY MARK?!” yelled PDogg, “Man, that is just wrong!”<br>“All right P, I was just a little girl. I’m not ashamed of something that I got over years and years ago.”<br>“Are you sure about that?” said Ridley, stretching out over the back seat and looking up into the ceiling, “because that would be one hell of a gimmick match.”<br>“Yeah,” grinned Double – Oh Four, “Latino vs Wahlberg, winner gets the girl.”<br>Latino snorted. “Holmes, I’d take him apart, no trouble.”<br>“Not if he paralysed you with his terrible singing,” sniggered RDK from behind him. “I mean shit, AK, that is seriously messed up.”<br>“Yes thanks P, I think we all get the point. Give it a rest.”<br>The bus began to calm down, and peace was restored as the vehicle cruised along the freeway. …. …. “Hell man, Marky Ma –“ THWACK. PDogg’s head bounced against the reinforced glass window and he slumped in his seat. “Thanks Blade.”<br>“You’re welcome.”
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:14:34 GMT -5
After several hours on the road, the bus pulled up next to a pathway leading into a dense forest. The doors of the bus slid open and its passengers disembarked in a less than controlled manner. Ginger organised the unloading of the luggage from the storage bays, and all the equipment was distributed amongst the party. Pdogg was a little disconcerted to find himself loaded with a sizable trunk, and on reading the label he discovered it belonged to his girlfriend Dream. “What on earth have you got in this thing, honey?” Pdogg gasped as he struggled to lift it. “Oh, just the essentials,” said Dream in a distracted manner, flicking away a buzzing insect and not looking too thrilled at the prospect of a hike through the woods. At the head of the party, WCW had pulled out the map sent to him by the campsite and was considering it carefully. “No sweat everyone,” WCW called out to the rest of the group,” It’s just a 20 minute stroll through the forest to the site. Follow me!”<br>With that, WCW strode confidently off along the path, and a straggly line formed behind him as the party began to make its way into the woods.
Three hours later, the mood was most certainly worsening amongst WCW’s team. “We have been past that tree before,” grumbled Spider, picking twigs out of his hair from the low hanging branches. “I recognise the knots on the bark.”<br>“Dude, we’re going around in circles! This blows!” complained Bob. WCW flushed with anger. “We are NOT lost, I know exactly where we are. We’re just taking the scenic route, that’s all.”<br>“Yeah, because we all really wanted to see that damn tree six times” said Spider sarcastically. WCW decided to ignore Spider for the moment; there would be plenty of opportunity for him to book him into a six on one hardcore handicap match when they got back. Instead, he stopped and looked at the fork in the path the group had just come to, and tried to decide which way they should go. In one direction, the path looked perfectly normal; it led off into forest just like that which they had been tramping through since the start, and WCW’s heart sank. In the other direction, however, the forest looked quite different; the trees were closer together, the light less bright, and the path was overgrown with brambles and nettles…….it looked as if no one had trodden that way for months, if not years. All of this, of course, went straight over WCW’s head; all he could think was that they had certainly not tried that path before, so it stood to reason that it might very well be the route they were looking for. While WCW was making his decision, further back in the line Pdogg was getting very tired from carrying Dream’s trunk; hot and bothered, he dropped the trunk to the floor and gave it a kick. “What in the blue hell is in this thing that’s so heavy?” groaned Pdogg, and he flipped open the clasps to peer inside. What he saw was unexpected, and Pdogg tried to stay calm as he tapped his paramour on the shoulder. “Dream, sugar, you do know that this is a camping trip, right?”<br>“Sure, I’m not completely thick you know. Why do you think I’m wearing these crummy boots? They do absolutely nothing for me.”<br>“I was just wondering…….seeing as we’re miles from the nearest electricity supply……….why you thought we needed this.”<br>Pdogg held up a large and heavy object; Dream scowled at him and folded her arms. “That is my industrial strength hairdryer, and I can’t live without it!”<br>The people in earshot started to snigger. Pdogg turned red with embarrassment and then abruptly dropped the dryer back into the trunk, which also contained evening wear, high heeled shoes and various other effects not normally associated with the great outdoors. “Fine,” snapped Pdogg, “if you want this junk, you can carry it” and he stomped off toward the front of the line. Dream prepared to launch into a “men are rubbish” tirade, but thankfully everyone was spared this as Amo chivalrously picked up the trunk in addition to his own baggage. Dream gave Amo a flirtatious smile, and Amo grinned back while attempting to pose; PDogg just rolled his eyes and followed WCW as he led his crew down the dark and mysterious path. No one was aware that they were being watched by several pairs of eyes from the shadow of the trees as they passed by…………
“Well it’s not the campsite, I’ll admit that,” said WCW, “but it’s better than nothing.”<br>Yoko looked up at the building and frowned. “That is entirely a matter of opinion, Mr. Co – Chairman”. The house was the very image of a gothic pile; built of grey stone it had large windows, miniature towers and carved gargoyles in abundance. It was also in a state of disrepair and it looked totally deserted; the daylight was almost totally gone but no lights were evident in the building. The strangest thing about the house was that there appeared to be no road connecting it to the outside world; it was as if the forest had sprung up around it and sealed it away. “We can’t just keep walking around in the woods, guys,” said Ginger. “Let’s at least see if anyone is at home.” Ginger walked up to the massive door and used the knocker; the sound of iron on wood reverberated around the group and was swallowed by the trees. Ginger waited a few seconds, but there was no response; as he stepped forward to try again he inadvertently pushed the door itself, and to everyone’s surprise it swung open a little way. Ginger took hold of a flashlight, and cautiously entered the hallway……..
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:17:58 GMT -5
Several other people had flashlights with them, and the beams played around the room as the party entered. The hall opened out into a very large room which had several pieces of furniture in it, but these seemed to have some kind of dustsheets over them. All around the room stood candelabra, and on one wall there was a huge open fireplace. “Anyone remember to bring any matches?” called Ginger. There was a brief pause, and then suddenly all the candles in the room blazed into life along with the log fire, and everyone shielded their eyes until their vision adjusted. Ridley unrolled his eyes and joined everyone else in making a more thorough appraisal of their surroundings. The interior of the house, unlike the outside, was in very good condition; the group fanned out and removed the dustsheets to reveal an opulent selection of furnishings. Whoever owned or had owned the property was evidently a wealthy person, but there was no sign of any actual habitation of the house as everybody gratefully flopped down on to the couches, chairs and Persian rugs for a well earned rest. “This beats a shitty little tent any day of the week!” grinned Rey as he put his feet up on a coffee table. “You said it,” agreed El Loco, “but who does this place belong to? And why would they leave the door unlocked and open so anyone could wander in?”<br>“Who cares?” said Jack Fury, stretching out on the floor. “What I want to know is, do they have any food in this place? I’m starving!”<br>A general hubbub arose as a number of people agreed that they were all hungry. WCW put his hands up for silence, and then made a decision. “All right, a place of this size has got to have a kitchen. I think we should spread our efforts and check this place out; then we can all meet back here in 20 minutes and discuss what we’ve found. I want volunteers to check the kitchens and staff quarters, the first floor, the second floor and the basement – the rest of us will look in the rooms here on the ground floor and hang out here. Any takers?”<br>“Lord Ridley and I will examine the second floor,” said Rose quickly; Rose was very impressed by the dark gothic overtones of the house, and she was keen to find the master bedroom which she hoped to make use of later in the evening. Ridley just shrugged and smiled, squeezing her shoulder with his sharp nails in what passed for an affectionate manner for him. “Count me in too,” said RDK, “we’ll get done quicker with three.” “Kitchens, that’s me!” called Rey, and El Loco also nodded. Skurai stepped forward, with a smile: “I think I’ll accompany the pocos……..we wouldn’t want them to eat all the food without sharing it, would we?” Rey scowled, but did not protest. “I will handle the first floor,” said Blade, “would anyone care to join me?” Yoko and V3 indicated that they would do so, and Blade was glad of the company; the house, for all its splendour, was making him feel a little uncomfortable but he could not place his finger on why. “So that just leaves the basement,” said AK. “I can deal with that, it shouldn’t take long.” Everyone waited for Latino to chime in, but he seemed to be taking a nap on the couch; either that, or he wasn’t keen on the idea of poking about in the grimy area under the house. AK just raised her eyebrows; “I guess I’ll have to check the wine cellar on my own then”. Latino’s eyes snapped open and he was back in his feet in a blur; “Hey guys, what are we waiting for?” he beamed, and everyone just smirked knowingly. “Bob and I’ll go with you too,” said Amo, “the basements in these old places can be pretty big”. “All right then,” said WCW, “you lot go and see what the rest of the house holds…….and we’ll meet back here in 20. No fooling about, ok?”<br> As the volunteers began to disperse, none of them was aware of the shadowy figure watching their every move from the secret control centre high up in the attic space of the building. The man reclined in a high – backed chair; his waist length white hair glowed in the light of the multiple monitors, but the rest of his pitch black outfit absorbed the light like a black hole. “Minion, is everything prepared as I instructed”<br>A second figure approached the chair; from its size and the metallic sheen of its body it was obviously not human. “Affirmative, master. Do you wish us to begin the operation?”<br>“Yes. Do what you like, as long as you bring them to me alive.”<br>The robotic figure spun and turned to march away as it had come, but after a little distance it stopped still. “Master…………how do you wish us to handle the dark one’s servant?”<br>The seated figure smiled, and his eyes glowed an intense green colour. “I will handle that matter personally”.
The main staircase of the house was wide and grand; a central flight of stairs led up to a landing area before the staircase divided into two parts, with smaller staircases winding their way to the first and then second floor. The house seemed to be divided into two main wings, and a long corridor led off in each direction from the stairs on each floor. Blade and his companions stopped on the first floor as they had agreed, leaving Ridley, Rose and RDK to continue on to the second floor. From the landing here it was possible to look all the way down to the ground floor hallway, a considerable distance. “So where should we start?” asked RDK. Ridley looked quite bored by the whole business, and he looked both ways down the corridors before choosing a direction at random. “Right, I suppose……..It’ll probably just be bedrooms and storage up here. Let’s get this over with.”<br>Ridley walked off into the east wing of the house, and RDK followed; Rose also started in that direction but then, just very faintly, she thought she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Rose turned and looked down the opposite hallway; nothing stirred, but something seemed to be tugging at her, urging her to go in that direction. Not really understanding why, Rose began to walk away from her allies and into the western portion of the house.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:20:06 GMT -5
“You know,” said Bob, twirling his flashlight about, “this space would make one hell of a club, if you cleaned it up.” The basement was indeed a grand space, with arched ceilings and carved buttresses at the foundations of the house; like most basements however it felt damp, and the lighting was somewhat less than adequate, hence the continued need for flashlights. It was also filled with junk, which Amo was cheerfully moving about in the search for anything of interest. “Guys, AK and I are going to look in the back,” called Latino. So far the search had yet to reveal any alcoholic storage, and Latino was determined to discover any such delights that existed. As Latino and AK’s flashlight beams disappeared, Amo removed a stack of boxes from by the wall, and with a grin he called Bob over. “Look what I found, man!” said Amo. Hidden in an alcove behind the boxes was what appeared to be a skeleton; however its size was unusual as it was slightly larger than even the considerably well built Amo. The skeleton wore a few items of armour, and Bob and Amo looked at it curiously. “Man, this looks like a movie prop or something,” said Bob. He took hold of the skeleton’s right hand, in which there was a jagged blade. “Whooo, I’m gonna get you!” Bob joked, waving the skeleton’s arm about; Amo smiled, but he had never really liked these kinds of spooky things, and he had a nagging thought in his head that this particular nasty was something he had encountered before……
As Rose trod along the candle lit corridor, she peered into the rooms on either side; they seemed perfectly normal, but there was something odd about the place, something which at first she couldn’t place. But as Rose moved deeper into the house, she realised that there was no consistency of date in the furnishings and decoration; a 1900’s style room could be found next to one that looked like the kind you might find in a large modern home. The other strange thing was that all the rooms looked entirely unoccupied; everything in them looked pristine and new, even those items which were clearly antique in nature. “What is this place?” Rose wondered, and she began to feel uncomfortable; she was just about to turn back when her ears caught the strains of music echoing through the corridors. Rose listened, and although she didn’t recognise the music it had an ethereal quality; the music began to get louder, and Rose suddenly discovered that she had been walking the whole time she was listening, and the hallway she was now in was totally unfamiliar. Rose was becoming more and more nervous, but she found herself unable to resist the siren song and she kept walking until finally she found herself in front of a huge pair of double doors. Something in Rose’s head yelled at her not to open the door, but she took hold of the handle and slowly the door swung open…………..
“This has to be the most pointless exercise ever conducted in the history of mankind,” RDK moaned as he opened the door to yet another bedroom. There seemed to be little of interest in the east wing, and it only took Ridley and RDK a few minutes to move from one end to the other. “Crap, crap, crap, dull, crap…” commented Ridley as he kicked doors open in sequence, but then as he booted a particularly ornate door he was brought to a halt. “Now this is a bit more like it,” said Ridley, and letting RDK go on ahead he stepped into the room. The centrepiece of the chamber was a grand four poster bed, its supports carved in a manner not dissimilar to Ridley’s own throne in the demon pit; the whole room was decked out in dark red and purple drapes and tapestries. Ridley ran his hand along one of the bedposts, and he grinned as he thought of what Rose would like to get up to in a place of this kind. Just as Ridley was trying to remember if he had packed spare razor blades, a chill ran down his back and he realised he hadn’t set eyes on Rose since they reached the second floor. “Oh, Alexaaaaaandra……” Ridley called; he waited and expected to see her slink though the door at any second, but no reply was forthcoming and Ridley’s heart sped up just a notch. Without warning, there was a loud THUMP from the other side of the room, and Ridley walked over to the large wardrobe on the far wall; he sighed, and decided that Rose was playing mind games with him. “Come out, Rose, we can have our fun later,” said Ridley. Another THUMP, and Ridley started to get just a little uncomfortable. “How did you slip past me anyway? Are you stuck? Hold on, I’ll get you out.” Ridley put his hand on the wardrobe door, but before he could pull it a huge, cadaverous hand burst through the wood and grabbed him around the throat. Ridley was lifted off the floor, and he saw the shape of what would once have been a very powerfully built man lurch out of the wardrobe. The corpse’s eyes were grey and glassy, and the stench of decay flooded Ridley’s nostrils as the creature groaned and lifted a long and chipped machete in its other hand. Ridley had come up against zombies hundreds of times while engrossing himself in the Resident Evil series of games; the videogame violence sometimes helped him to keep a grip on reality when fighting opponents in the ring was not a possibility, but the experience of meeting one in the rotting flesh was still a shock, even for him. The zombie still had its hand through the wardrobe door, and this gave Ridley an idea; with all his strength he kicked back against the door and smashed it into the creature’s head, weakening its grip just enough for Ridley to burst free. As Ridley belted into the corridor he could hear shouting, and as he looked down the corridor he saw that RDK had also been introduced to some former houseguests. Ridley rushed in to help RDK, who was fighting bravely against a clutch of more normal sized zombies; together they kicked and punched, wrenching off putrid limbs with their bare hands, but still the zombies kept coming, clawing and biting wherever they could. For every one that they managed to put down, another 2 barged their way into the hall, if necessary trampling over those in front in their urge to get at the fresh meat in front of them. There was a sound of splintering wood, and the massive zombie that Ridley had discovered earlier smashed its way out of the master bedroom; Cursing, Ridley was forced to turn his attention back to the muscle bound cadaver, and he beat the creature back a little way with flailing fists. Ridley smiled a little as he kicked the creature to the carpet, leaving a visible indent in its head; from behind him however he heard a cry of pain, and the colour started to leave his face as he saw RDK being hopelessly surrounded by the marauding horde. Ridley sprang forward, but the ghastly ex – bodybuilder grasped his leg, and Ridley could only watch as RDK was swept away from him down the corridor and out of sight. Ridley’s expression hardened into one of fury, and he ripped his leg free before standing back up, his whole body shaking with rage. As the zombie lurched back to its feet Ridley suplexed it over his head before it could react, and clawed at its flesh as he let out the power of his own inner demons; the pair were locked in combat for several long moments before something in Ridley’s head flared, and he swung around toward the east wing as if he had just heard a blood – curdling scream…….
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:22:12 GMT -5
On the first floor, Bladeshadow and his companions were getting the job in hand done in double quick time; the east wing revealed just a series of sitting rooms and storage, with most of the furniture again covered with dustsheets. The east wing seemed to be almost identical, but a surprise awaited the 3 explorers; at the far end of the east wing light was streaming through glass doors, and as V3 opened them a blast of hot air swirled around the trio. “Wow! Look at this place!” said V3, and he stepped out on to the balcony with Yoko and Blade behind him. The three were standing on a raised platform, with steps on either side down to ground level; before them was an immense glasshouse, filled with tropical plants of every shape and colour imaginable. A path wound its way into the miniature jungle, lit by small globe lights; as the group watched, there was a bang behind them and the doors back into the house slammed shut. Blade tried the door, but it was sealed closed; feeling more and more uneasy, Blade tried to smash one of the glass panels but the glass was exceedingly tough, almost as if it had been designed to resist any such attempt to break it. “I don’t like this one bit,” said Yoko. This place is creepy………” As Yoko spoke, Blade heard a very faint swish of air, and instinctively he tackled his friends to the floor. “Down!” he yelled, as the sharp white pin – shaped missile lodged in the wall at chest height. All three looked out over the edge of the platform, and there was a painfully loud buzzing as a huge, yellow and black striped insect hovered up to face them…… “SHIT!” yelled V3, and before either Yoko or Blade could stop him V was on his feet and running down the stairs. The insect gazed at Blade and Yoko with its crystal red eyes before zooming after V3; V reached the bottom and threw himself to the ground just managing to avoid the stabbing motion of the insect’s front spear – like appendages. Blade and Yoko rushed down to join him, and they hauled him up by the arms before running in the only direction open to them – into the mass of greenery beyond.
El Loco’s uncanny ability to track down snack foods hadn’t failed him. “Hot Pockets! Excellent!” he grinned as he passed out an armful from the walk – in larder to Rey, who spread them over the long wooden kitchen table. “Skurai! Make yourself useful and find the microwave!” Rey called through the door; in the next room Skurai just gave a small sigh. Skurai had not felt entirely comfortable since they had left the rest of the group in the front rooms; something was nagging him, and he couldn’t quite work out what it was, but he knew it had something to do with the inconsistency of the different areas of the house; there had been no electric lighting in the first rooms the group entered, but here the decoration, appliances and the like were all modern and up to date – it looked as if the staff part of the building had been literally tacked on to the older house. Back in the kitchen, Loco’s inspection of the room soon revealed the microwave to be sitting in a corner; Loco whistled as he threw a couple of hot pockets in, punched in the time required and pressed Start. There was a crackle, and then the tube lights in the rooms fizzed and died, plunging the place into darkness. “Ah, crap!” Rey moaned, “You must have shorted out the fuse, genius!”<br>Loco glared, even though he couldn’t see a thing – there were no windows in the kitchen. “Don’t blame me, I barely touched it!” Rey stumbled about in the darkness; he stubbed his toe on something hard and then blundered into what he took to be El Loco. Rey smacked his elbow on the stone floor and swore. “Bollocks! That really hurt…….are you ok man?”<br>“What do you mean, OK, I haven’t moved……..I’m still over here by the stupid microwave.”<br>“So who did I just walk into…..SKURAI! you prize prat, I thought you were next door. Well, are you ok then?”<br>There was no response. Rey picked himself up and poked “Skurai” in the chest. “Didn’t your mom ever teach you any manners when she wasn’t banging some guy for cash? Hold on, I’ve got a lighter here somewhere……..”<br>Seriously pissed off, Rey pulled out his lighter and flicked it. He looked at the chest plate of the creature standing in front of him, and his legs began to feel unsteady as he looked up at the insect – like armoured warrior in front of him. Loco stared in disbelief; he knew what the thing was, but he still couldn’t accept that he was actually looking at one of the foes he’d happily spent hours blasting to bits in Metroid Prime. “It’s………it’s a………it’s a space pirate!” Loco whispered. The space pirate looked down at Rey, and then in one smooth movement it grabbed him by the collar and slammed him straight through the solid wooden table, sending the lighter bouncing away and extinguishing the only light in the place. There was an ear splitting crash, and Loco’s paralysis was broken as he spun around and ran toward where he thought the door was; the second waiting pirate dropped from its cloaked position on the ceiling and delivered a single shot from its freeze beam weapon, instantly encasing Loco in a block of ice. From the doorway into the next room, Skurai watched silently, fighting to keep his cool and stay absolutely still. Skurai, unlike the unfortunate Poco Locos, was not rendered blind by the darkness; he had always been interested in stealth tactics and technology, and expecting to be camped out in a dark forest he had brought with him his special forces night vision goggles. They certainly hadn’t been cheap to buy, but Skurai knew that they were now the only thing that gave him any chance of avoiding the pocos’ fate. As the two pirates began to sweep the kitchen, Skurai realised that there was no way out of the room he was in, and his courage began to slip as the first pirate blocked the only exit from the kitchen as the second advanced toward the small room Skurai was currently in………<br>Suddenly something clicked, and Skurai realised that there was one option open to him. The laundry chute was narrow, but Skurai didn’t have any choice; he opened the cover just as the pirate puit its head around the door. The pirate loosed off a freeze ray shot, but Skurai was too quick; he jumped into the chute and slid down it just in the nick of time, and above he heard the roar of frustration from the pirate as the solid chunk of ice stopped it from following him.
Back in the main sitting area, none of the other superstars had any idea of the chaos that was starting to unfold elsewhere in the house. WCW had kicked everyone off of the longest couch and was lording it over the others; Ginger stood at one of the windows and stared out, looking at the brooding forest and not feeling 100% happy. “I don’t like the feel of this place, you know?” said Ginger, to no – one in particular. WCW glanced over and sneered at him. “You’re just jealous because I found this place, and you didn’t.”<br>Ginger just sighed and ignored him. WCW stretched out and waved a hand at Monkeybaal. “Monkey, get me a scotch on the rocks, and be quick about it.”<br>Monkey looked over at the drinks cabinet. “But this stuff doesn’t belong to us. Are you sure……”<br>WCW gave him a nasty glare. “When I tell you to do something, you do it, Monkeyboy. Now hop to it.” Monkey looked angry at the insult, but he bit his lip and walked over to pour the drink. Carefully he measured the liquid, and turned around to face back into the room again. WCW smirked. “Make it a triple……I’m not payin.’” Before Monkey could pick up the bottle again, there was a sizzling sound and a blast of some kind of ray shattered the glass in his hand. Everyone was jolted by the sound, and they were all forced to dive for cover as a further round of shots flashed across the room………..
Amo couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had come over him in the last few minutes, and he hoped that AK and Latino would finish whatever they were doing quickly so that they could get back to the rest of the gang. Half – heartedly he poked around in the clutter; his heart almost jumped out of his chest when he felt a cold hand slap on his neck. “Aaaaaaagh!” yelled Amo. He whirled around with a huge punch, and only Bob’s speed stopped him from being knocked out that instant. “Shit, man!” Bob cried, “Take it easy! It was only meant to be a little joke…….chill.”<br>Amo frowned. “Not funny, Bob. Could we just get this done in a mature manner?”<br>Bob sighed. “I’m sorry man, I didn’t mean to freak you out.” Bob walked away around a covered piece of furniture, and Amo breathed deeply. “Whoooooooo………….”<br>“Bob, cut it out. You sound like a fucking Ric Flair clone.”<br>All was silent for a few moments, and Amo started to relax just a little. Around the corner, Bob was inspecting the contents of an old chest, when he also felt a cold, thin pinch on the back of his neck. “Jesus man,” said Bob as he jumped a little, “You’ve got a nerve. Just what do you………..”<br>Bob’s voice tailed off and died as he turned around slowly and came face to face with a grinning skull, with red light burning in its eye sockets. “Oh SHHHIIIIIIITT!!”<br>Back around the corner, Amo scowled. “I said cut it out Bob. I’m serious.”<br>“Amo! Please! HHEEEEEELLLP-“<br>The hairs on the back of Amo’s neck stood on end as his friend’s voice was abruptly cut off. “ Bob? Bob? Stop messing about!” Amo shouted, but he was already running toward the last sound that he heard. Amo rounded the turn, and his blood ran cold as he laid eyes on the skeleton which he had discovered earlier with Bob suspended in its grip, a couple of feet off the floor. Another two stepped out from the shadows, all with the same burning eyes, and Amo started to break out in a cold sweat as he finally put a name to the nightmares in front of him. “But they can’t be……they can’t be Stalfos!” Amo stutteed, as the first of the new arrivals began to advance on him, its sword glinting in the dim lamplight.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:27:51 GMT -5
Rose stared in wonder at the sight before her; the ballroom was huge, with ostentatious chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. The room would have graced the palace of any king or emperor who ever lived, and Rose’s footsteps echoed on the marble floor as she walked toward the far end of the room. On either side of the dancefloor, there were pedestals with suits of armour, again from different time periods and countries; Rose looked at these, and although she recognised some she had the strangest feeling that they had not belonged to any warrior of this world. At the far end of the room, the moon shone through the towering windows, and in front of these was the source of the mysterious melody; a grand pipe organ, floridly decorated and carved and supported by the forms of two huge rearing serpents. Rose’s heart began to race as she approached; seated at the organ was a black clad figure, with long white hair which stretched down to his waist. The figure continued to play, his music reaching a soaring crescendo just as Rose came within a few feet of his position, and he let the final notes die away into the echoing space; Rose was overwhelmed by a sense of recognition, and yet she could not put a name to the figure….. “Do you like this house of mine, Alexandra Kaesar?”<br>The voice was smooth as silk and yet also viciously edged. Rose was taken aback that the person knew her name, but she remained her cool self as she answered. “I do.”<br>The figure paused before turning around, throwing his long coat aside as he did so. Rose stared, and as her grey eyes met the luminous green of those of the seated man she struggled to rationalise what her mind was telling her. “That is good………..because this is the last place you will see in your meaningless life.”<br>Rose continued to stare at Sephiroth, whose face spread with a murderous smile. “Take her.”<br>The room suddenly became noticeably colder, and Rose watched in horror as the serpents flanking the organ began to flinch, then twist away from the structure and slither menacingly toward her. Their bodies shone with metal, but their movements were as fluid as those of any living creature, and Rose started to back away, summoning all her reserves of skill and mental toughness to try and figure out a way to deal with the nightmare creatures before her……….. As Rose looked around the ballroom for a means of escape, she quickly decided the idea was a non – starter; the only doors were those she had entered by, and they would almost certainly be sealed. The snakes were both at least 20 feet in length, and large enough to swallow a person with ease; as the first serpent lunged, Rose dived aside and rolled back to her feet. The second snapped its jaws just inches from her head, and Rose instinctively kicked the beast to force it to recoil. From the corner of her eye, Rose spotted something that might give her a chance; gambling everything, Rose bolted across the room and snatched up a spear from one of the suits of armour. As the first of the serpents closed on her once more, Rose jumped back from its strike and jabbed the spear at its crimson eye; blood spurted from the wound and the snake reared back in pain. Rose felt a little thrill run through her body, but her joy was short lived; without warning the second serpent lunged from the side and sank its fangs deep into her shoulder. Rose screamed in pain and Sephiroth smiled malevolently as the serpent began to envelop Rose in its coils……..
Somewhere in the depths of the glasshouse, V3 was pale and gasping for breath as he slumped against a tree trunk. “Jesus, man, I hate creepy crawlies!” V3 whispered. “What the heck was[/i[ that thing? Neither Blade nor Yoko answered; Yoko was as mystified as V3, but Blade had a nagging feeling that he should have recognised the creature. God, it was so hot, so difficult to think…….. Blade glanced at V3 and Yoko, and saw that they too looked very tired; the air seemed to be thick with a glittery kind of dust. Something triggered in his mind, and Blade looked up…….. “Guys! Come on! We have to go, NOW!” Blade yelled, jarring Yoko and V3 back to consciousness just in time. Blade tried to pull V3 up, but as he did so he was smashed in the chest by something small but powerful, and he flew backward. “FREE! BUTTER – FREE!” trilled the fluttering creature in front of him. V3’s face was frozen with fear, but the attack on his fried shook him out of the trance – like state. V3 leapt forward and hit the creature with a tackle of his own; as he struggled against beating wings, a fine powder began to discharge and V3 inhaled some of it before he realised what was happening. Blade and Yoko were back on their feet, but as V3 tried to get up he felt every joint in his body starting to stiffen…… “St – st – un spore!” V3 gagged as he finally twigged what was happening. “R-r-run ……”<br>Determined not to abandon their ally, Blade and Yoko held their breath and ran forward; as they did so however there was a rustling above, and Blade only just managed to pull Yoko back as a razor – sharp claw slashed the air in front of them. Time was stopped for a second as Blade and Yoko stared in disbelief at the beast now standing on top of the immobile V3. “SSSSSSSSSCYTHER!” the creature hissed, and it tensed its muscles to strike…… Without a word, Blade and Yoko spun around and belted into the dense foliage as fast as their legs would carry them, with the scyther flying right on their tail.
“E – series Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon and Zeta, deploy!”<br>The robots which filed into the room from the corridor were all alike, but their body casings were different colours. They all carried the same laser weaponry, and from their hiding places the ACW crew watched them in a mixture of confusion, wonder and fear. The first round of firing had claimed casualties; J Bone, Kid Krash and Gooeygarth had been standing next to a grand piano at the time of the assault, and all 3 now lay motionless on the floor in front of it. Kross could see them clearly as he crouched behind a table, and his compassionate nature meant that he could not leave them if they were hurt. Gathering his courage, Kross crawled carefully behind the furniture and under the piano until he was just behind them. Kross felt for a pulse. “Are they…..dead?” whispered Double oh four, who was just a few feet away. Kross shook his head. “No……..but they’re out cold.” Kross spoke just a touch too loudly; Alpha swivelled its head, pointed its weapon and fired at Kross at point blank range. Kross gave a small cry and keeled over next to Kid Krash; Double Oh looked shocked, and then with a yell of anger he leapt up and threw himself at Alpha. Double - oh speared the robot to the ground and ripped off one of its metal arms before Beta zapped him into unconsciousness; everything stopped for a second, and Ginger’s anger flared. “Guys, these things aren’t messing around – if we all charge them at once we can take them. On the count of 3……….”<br>“Screw that……Every man for himself!” WCW yelled, and he was already running toward the door as a laser shot struck him in the back and he fell. The robots started to saturate the room with gunfire, and all hell broke loose as the group scattered in different directions. Ginger lost track of where everyone was; he saw several people run out of the door into the rest of the house, but there were cries from outside and the sound of more laser fire indicated that there was a second robot squad waiting for any escapees. In the main room, Kain and Tyd formed an unlikely team; they smashed 3 of the 6 robots out of operation before they were taken down. Ginger saw Monkey and Liljakie fall as they tried to attack from a distance, hurling plant pots and vases at their foes; BK London heard Jakie’s cry and tackled two robots to the floor at once, but more were already being sent in to replace those that had been destroyed, and he too was quickly knocked out. Ginger dodged the laser fire and tried to look out of the door; in the corridor he could see the wrecks of four or five robots, and next to them were the slumped forms of Orochi, Spider and Jack Fury. Shouting erupted behind him, and Ginger wheeled around to see Pdogg smashing a chair against Zeta, as Dream dived for cover; a spray of fire destroyed the remains of the chair in Pdogg’s hands and took him out at the same time. Ginger scanned the room for anyone still standing; he could see several bodies lying behind the now wrecked furniture, but he had only identified Venom and Tyrant when one of the bots noticed him, and Ginger tried to turn and run only to trip over TNT, who was lying directly behind him. The robot stomped over and pointed its gun directly at Ginger; Ginger froze, but the robot was suddenly dropkicked by Brian Carnage, and Ginger rolled aside as the gun went off. A second robot arrived to back up the first, and it dragged Carnage away; the first robot turned back to Ginger and put its hard metal foot on his back as he tried to scrabble away. “The boss wants to see you,” the robot intoned in a flat metallic voice, and Ginger felt a blast of pain up his spine from the laser ray before he passed out.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:29:50 GMT -5
Rose’s cry of terror was like an airhorn blast in Ridley’s ear; even though he was engaged in mortal combat with the machete – wielding zombie, his heart almost stopped as his powers carried her scream to him even through the distance and the chaos. Ridley yakuza – kicked the zombie in the head and then started running through the hallways; his senses drew him toward Rose, but as he ran he could hear the zombie closing on him, and Ridley’s fury flared once more as he knew he would have to finish his pursuer once and for all. As he ran, Ridley passed a room and suddenly knew what to do; he doubled back and slid beneath the zombie’s machete swing to get inside. Ridley had only seconds to act, and he knew that if his hunch was wrong he was dead; without pausing Ridley ran past the stuffed and mounted hunting trophies to the gun cabinet on the far wall. The zombie smashed part of the wall down charging into the room, and with a roar of triumph it leapt toward him, swinging the machete downward; at the last second Ridley swivelled around and blasted the zombie’s head to bits with the double barrelled shotgun he had ripped out of the display case. The recoil threw Ridley back against the glass and he winced from the cuts to his back, but all such thoughts were instantly wiped out as he bolted out of the room with the shotgun and a pair of cartridges in hand, flying though the corridors until he saw the wooden double doors ahead and with a yell of rage kicked them open…….
Latino’s spirits had been greatly revived by his eventual discovery of the wine cellar, toward the back of the basement. “Orale Mamacita!” he shouted as he wandered about, looking at the various dusty bottles and taking an occasional mouthful from a classic Cava Brut he had come across, “this stuff is real classy! You want some?”<br>AK just smiled. The bottles were certainly aged, and many of the classic wine houses of Europe and the New World had contributed to the extensive collection. As she finished looking over one of the racks, a very slight hint of movement was caught in the beam of AK’s flashlight, and without pause for thought she pointed the stream of light in that direction. The sight which met her eyes almost made her vomit on the spot, and she dropped the last bottle she had picked up, sending to the floor where it smashed loudly. Lation heard the breaking glass, and was by her side in seconds. “Hey mamacita, are you ok?” he panted, before he too saw the gruesome scene and had to struggle to keep down the bile that surged in his throat. The man had evidently been dead for some time, although not long enough for the maggots that infested the corpse to have pupated. “Holy crap,” Latino whispered, “Who do you think this guy is? And what’s he doing down here? Do you think someone was trying to hide his body?”<br>AK shook her head. “I don’t think so….he’s sitting up against the wall. It looks like he got here under his own power before he died.”<br>Latino stepped a little closer, and as he did so he noticed 3 shiny metallic objects next to the body. 2 were odd cylinders without tops or bottoms, about 8 inches long and with a few buttons on them; the other was a flattish metal item, about the same size as a large calculator and a uniform silver colour. Latino held his breath as he reached down to pick them up, and the pair looked at them closely. “What do you think they are?” AK asked. Latino just shrugged. “Beats me………but I guess if that guy doesn’t need them any more, I’ll keep them.”<br>“Are you sure?” said AK with a note of worry in her voice, “Those things might be what got that guy killed in the first place.”<br>The two continued to look at the mysterious objects for a few seconds more before they were startled by a loud crash, and the sound of shouting a short distance away. “That sounds like Amo! Let’s go!” Latino yelled, and the pair rushed back through the racks until they were brought skidding to a halt by the raging battle in front of them. Two Stalfos were circling Amo, their fixed grins an image of menace; Amo was covered with scratches and cuts, and he breathed hard as he kept his fists raised in a defensive position. Latino stuffed the mystery items in his pockets to free his hands before rushing in to attack one of the two stalfos; Latino thought he knew the creatures somewhere in the back of his head but the question of how they came to be there, or what they really were, was pushed out of his head by the rage he felt at seeing a friend in trouble. Latino swung a huge kick at the stalfos, and it shattered into a heap of bones. “Take that, skeletor!” Latino yelled, but Amo just shook his head. “No good. Tried it………..”<br>As Amo spoke, the stalfos reassembled itself and promptly gave Latino a bony middle finger salute before striking him to the ground. Latino felt a sting as he touched the gouges on his cheek. AK pulled him up and the pair jumped back from the stalfos’ sword swing. “You two……..get out,” Amo wheezed; he was looking extremely tired and weak from the continuous assault. “I can’t hold them much longer…….”<br>“What about Bob? Where’s Bob?” said AK, trying to stay calm but looking more and more shaky each second. Amo closed his eyes and clenched his fists, shuddering with anger: “Too late……….they……took him…..” A tear formed in the corner of Amo’s eye; with his eyes closed, he suddenly realised he could hear something growling a few feet above his position. Amo opened his eyes again, and suddenly he glanced up at the top of the wine rack just behind his companions – “Look out!” he cried, and Latino and AK leapt aside just in time to avoid being crushed by the lizard – like creature that sprang at them. The creature snarled, and another three flexed their claws from vantage points on racks above the floor. “Please…….go!” Amo cried, and Latino and AK had no choice to flee into the depths of the basement as the Stalfos closed in on Amo, swords raised.
Blade and Yoko ran through the forest, their lungs burning more with every second; the scyther was right behind them, and several times it took a swipe at the nearer of the two; Yoko winced, and felt a thin trickle of blood start to run down her back. Suddenly the pair burst out into an open area, and before them was a wide circular ornamental pool; a path ran all the way around the edge, but there was also a less obvious route; large lilypads formed a kind of stepping stone path across the water. Yoko and Blade dived in opposite directions, and the scyther flashed past them; it flew ahead a little way before turning around. As Yoko lay on the grass, she saw something sticking out of a tree stump, and her expression hardened. “Can you draw that thing away for a few seconds?” Yoko called to Blade. “Sure, but what good will that do?” Blade called back; then his eyes alighted on the object that Yoko had seen, and he understood. “Are you sure? This will be very dangerous……”<br>Yoko nodded. “I’m tired of this. I’m going to show this overgrown grasshopper who’s boss.”<br>Blade rolled to his feet, and waved his arms at the Scyther as it raced toward him. “This way, freak!” Blade yelled, and he raced away around the pool with the scyther hot on his tracks. Yoko flipped to her feet and dashed toward the tree stump; her movement attracted the scyther’s attention, and it abandoned its pursuit of Blade to bear down on her….. Yoko reached the stump and ducked down as the scyther passed just inches above her. She wrenched the axe out of the stump and started to cross the lilypads; her speed was much reduced and with a hiss of triumph the scyther flew low over the water, claws outstretched….. At the last second Yoko whirled around and swung the axe; she severed one of the creature’s claws and it made an enraged buzzing as it wheeled around for another strike. Yoko jumped aside to another lilypad, but the scyther cut a gash along her side; as the blood began to flow the scyther flew up high and then dropped into a divebomb attack. Yoko steadied her self and locked eyes with the creature, and Blade could barely watch as the scyther screamed down……. With supreme timing, Yoko swung the axe over her head and buried it in the skull of her assailant. The scyther screeched and thrashed in the air for a few seconds before falling, and sinking like a stone into the pool. Yoko breathed deeply as she watched the bubbles subside, and then turned with a smile back to Blade on the far edge. Blade smiled back, but his expression crumpled into one of horror as he saw a huge, dark shadow from an underwater creature rising rapidly to the surface just feet from his companion. “RUN!!” Blade yelled, but it was too late. The water surged as the Tentacruel rose, its tentacles thrashing about; Yoko did not even have a chance to cry out before the rubbery arms wrapped around her, and the beast dived back down into the depths taking her with it. Blade was ready to leap into the water, but as he was kneeling at the edge he forced himself to stop; in his mind he knew that the water was probably infested with such creatures, and that he stood no chance of being able to save his friend. “Why is this happening? Where did these things come from?!” Blade shouted as a tear ran down his cheek. He stood up at the water’s edge, but before he could think any further he was picked up and hurled powerfully to the ground by a pair of thin vine – like tendrils. Blade opened his eyes and looked up, and rolled aside just in time to avoid being stomped by the pale green beast rearing above him. Blade instinctively sprang back to his feet, and again had to dive aside as the new creature charged him. “MEG – AN –I – UM!” bellowed the monster, and Blade didn’t hang around; with all the speed his ninja training could bestow he raced away into the thicket with a new pursuer to evade.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:34:04 GMT -5
As the serpent began to crush her, Rose struggled to make sense of what was happening. The guy in the room with her looked exactly like the Sephiroth character from FF7, down to the tiniest details of his clothing…..but it couldn’t possibly be him, this all had to be some kind of sick joke……didn’t it? Rose was trying to figure the situation out, but the pain became worse as the snake constricted further, and Rose’s mind began to cloud with fear as she gasped for breath, but then there was a great bang as the doors to the room flew open, and Sephiroth smiled darkly as the person he had been waiting for entered. “THE CHAMP IS HERE!” Ridley roared; he was already reloading the shotgun as he stormed into the ballroom, but what he saw brought him to a standstill and even the lord of hardcore was inwardly shaken by the scene in front of him. The first serpent, injured by Rose, hissed and darted toward Ridley, who calmly emptied a cartridge into its brain; Ridley’s eyes blazed with cold anger as he advanced toward the figure in black, reloading with his one remaining shot as he did so. The guy looked sort of familiar, but since Ridley couldn’t be bothered with anything that didn’t feature obscene amounts of gory death every five minutes he did not recognise him by name. “Mr Ridley, how good of you to join us,” Sephiroth said, stepping down from the organ dais for the first time and walking forward to meet the new arrival. “I don’t know who you are, donkeyknocker, and I don’t care,” said Ridley, levelling the shotgun at Sephiroth. “Your manner tells me you’re the one who’s behind all the shit happening in this place, so you tell that piece of crap over there to let my associate go. Otherwise, I’ll take great pleasure in splattering your head all over these fine floor tiles.”<br>Sephiroth just continued to stare at Ridley, and as he did so Ridley sensed……..something, it was most strange……..almost as if he knew this person from somewhere. Sephiroth shook his head and laughed softly. “You really are so predictable, Ridley………I’m almost disappointed in you. If you think you can take me, then I invite you to try it. Use the gun, your wrestling skills, anything you like……..I’m waiting.”<br>Ridley raised an eyebrow; the man was tall and toned, but certainly nothing Ridley hadn’t dealt with before. With lighting reflexes, Ridley blasted his remaining shot to decapitate the snake holding Rose, then in a single fluid movement jumped and spun the shotgun to swing the butt at his foe. There was a swish of air, and Ridley was kicked back hard; he skidded backward on the marble for several feet before stopping, and when he looked at the shotgun he discovered that he was only holding a part of the barrel; the rest of the weapon had been cut right away. Sephiroth cut a few practice strokes with his sword in the air, and smirked as Ridley got back to his feet. “Lord Ridley!” Rose cried, and Ridley turned to her; she threw him a broadsword from a nearby set of armour, and Ridley grinned as he charged Sephiroth once more. Ridley swung his sword, but Sephiroth just cut a piece away; to her horror, Rose remembered that Sephiroth’s blade could cut through any material. Ridley though was not about to give ground; he dodged his opponent’s next swing and drove the jagged edge of his shortened blade into Sephiroth’s arm. Sephiroth roared as Ridley pulled away from him, and with a powerful kick Ridley forced him to drop his sword. Ridley grinned and gave his foe a quick DDT before reaching down for the dropped blade; He raised it to strike, but suddenly a great flare of pain surged through his body and he clutched his burnt hand as he let the sword fall, slipping to one knee. Sephiroth coolly collected the sword, and Ridley could not stifle a cry as the blade was driven first through one shoulder, then the other, so that his clothes began to be rapidly stained with the flowing blood. “Fool,” sneered Sephiroth, “none but I can wield the blade Masamune!” With inhuman strength, Sephiroth clutched Ridley by the neck and lifted Ridley off his feet as he resheathed his sword; Rose rushed toward him, but with a flick of his hand Rose was smashed aside by an unseen force and she lay still on the cold marble floor. Ridley flailed and clawed at Sephiroth, absolute fury surging through him, but his attacker was unmoved and he began to walk toward the towering glass windows. “Far, far too easy……” Sephiroth hissed as he came close to the window; Ridley’s blood was dripping down on to the floor and his vision became blurred as the loss of blood took effect. “I had hoped for better from the legendary lord of hardcore……..you are not yet worthy to face me.”<br>Sephiroth drew Ridley close, and fixed him with an ice cold stare; “I dismiss you from my presence….if you have the will and the way to fight your way to me again, I will be waiting for you on the top floor of this building. I will give you this motivator; your companion is not yet dead, but I think I shall soon tire of keeping her alive……..do not keep me waiting, my patience is thin already. Now, be gone!”<br>With that, Sephiroth hurled Ridley through the plate glass; Ridley just caught a glimpse of his evil smile as he plummeted toward the ground, and then everything went black.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:35:11 GMT -5
Running through the claustrophobic confines of the wine cellar, Latino and AK could feel the breath of the scaly terrors pursuing them, hot on their backs. “Shit!” Latino shouted as one took a swipe at his shoulder, “What is this? Jurassic fucking Park?” The pair kept running, until suddenly they were confronted by a t – junction ahead - “Split!” AK yelled, and as Latino bolted left she made a dive to the right, and the lizards were momentarily confused so that both she and Latino were able to slip around a few corners and gain just a little breathing space. Separated, Latino wanted to call out to AK, but he knew that doing so would reveal his position; his heart raced at an insane speed as he saw a long shadow approaching, and glancing around him he grabbed two bottles, one in each hand. With his back pressed against the rack, Latino held his breath and waited……..the creature was right up level with him now, and Latino waited until the very last second before shattering the vintage bottle over its head. The first lizard fell over, and Latino jumped out and swung the second at the one he knew was right behind; the second bottle also broke, but as Latino stared he realised this second beast was larger and more resilient. Time seemed to stop for a second, and then Latino, like Amo, was hit by a bolt of realisation. “No way………..these things are from those Zelda games!” Latino thought, but he didn’t have any further time to dwell on this before the dinalfos in front of him shook the glass from its head and shrieked with anger. Latino shot off down the corridor with the creature clawing at him; Latino kept running, and suddenly he realised the path he was following was a dead end. Latino almost crashed into the wall; he spun around, and the dinalfos flexed its claws as it closed in. Latino glanced around him, and realised he had only one option; again, he waited for the beast to leap into a pounce before he jumped up and grabbed on to the wine rack next to him, scrabbling upward just as if he was climbing a steel cage. The dinalfos snarled and jumped after him; it sank its claws into his calf, but Latino was already at the top and he pulled himself free stifling a cry of pain. The creature was already starting to climb up after him, and Latino made a quick decision; he dropped straight down to the other side and with all his strength pushed the rack over. The dinalfos had just got one claw to the top before the rack fell; it shrieked as it was crushed and Latino raced away before its alarm call alerted any of its cronies. Latino hurtled through the labyrinthine cellar; he searched for AK, but there was no sign of her or the other lizalfos and dinalfos. Just as Latino was beginning to think that there was no way out, he rounded a corner and saw something that made hope flourish anew. The window was only small, but it allowed a stream of light down from the ground level of the garden above. At first glance there was no way to reach it, but his previous experience had given Latino the clue he needed; there was a large barrel nearby, and by using all his strength Latino was able to push it into position beneath the little window. Latino climbed up on the barrel and unlatched the window hook; a few pieces of brick and mortar flaked down, and Latino realised that the wall here was unstable and could easily collapse at any minute. Latino jumped down from the barrel and was about to set off into the cellar again when there was a loud crash a short distance away, and a reptilian roar. “Mamacita!” Latino yelled; there was no reply for a few seconds, and then a faint response. “Latino! Where are you?”<br>“Here!” Latino shouted back. “Follow the sound of my voice!”<br>A few more seconds passed, and then AK skidded around the corner, and the two quickly hugged one another. “Let’s get out of this hellhole,” said Latino, and he climbed up on to the barrel. “Let me test this first mamacita, I don’t know how safe it is.” Latino carefully propped the narrow window open, and squirmed his way through the gap; a few more small chunks of brick fell, but there was no sign of a more serious collapse. Latino breathed in the cool night air, and sighed with relief as AK stuck her head through the window and began to pull herself up. Latino knelt down and took her hand to help her…… Suddenly AK cried out as claws slashed into her leg muscle. Latino was almost smashed head first against the weak wall as both he and AK were dragged backward; Latino grabbed on to AK with both hands and pulled with all his might as the beast in the cellar pulled in the opposite direction. AK couldn’t stop a yell of pain as she was yanked back and forth; Latino struggled to hold her and sweat began to soak his t –shirt, but the creature below was stronger and he could feel his grip beginning to slip. There was a cracking sound and Latino could see that the wall above was coming under stress from the knocks it was taking; Latino’s arms felt like they were about to break but still he held on. “Hold on mamacita, I’m not letting go!” Latino implored, but as he said this he glanced down into the cellar and saw with horror that the dinalfos had been joined by the remaining two lizalfos. The dinalfos glared at him, and Latino almost thought he saw it smile as the new recruits jumped up and grabbed AK around the waist. Latino’s look of panic was the last thing AK saw before Latino finally lost the battle; she screamed as she was hauled back into the darkness, and at that very second the weak wall also gave up; the outer wall collapsed, shattering the wooden window frame and glass, and completely blocking any access to or from the basement. Latino stared in shock at the result, and then dropped back on to the grass, staring up at the sky as tears ran down his face. Latino wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, but eventually he picked himself up and started walking slowly along the side of the building; clenching his fists, he resolved to find out who was responsible for the night’s events, and make them pay……..but first he needed to see if anyone else had escaped the house of horror.
Ridley lay on the grass for several minutes after he came to; he kept his eyes closed, and silently mouthed a string of arcane words. Ridley waited, but nothing stirred in the night around him, and although he felt dizzy and weak he hauled himself to his feet and staggered over to a stagnant dark pool a short distance from the wall of the house. Ridley stared into the water, but all that he could see was his own reflection; the wounds he had received were clearly visible. “You useless piece of SHIT! Where are you when I FUCKING need YOU?! Ridley bellowed at the water. His words floated away into the night, and all was quiet again…….
“Flattery will get you everywhere, Ridley.” The voice was sharp as a thousand razor blades, and the surface of the water rippled and then surged as the terrifying form of Asmodeus rose smoothly up from the water. “You would do well to curb your tongue, worm, I do not take kindly to your attitude.” Ridley just glared at his demonic mentor. “I know what you want, and you know what I want. Give me the means, and I will slaughter everything in that building, in your name. Don’t try to bullshit me, you’ve already close to orgasm over the thought of that much destruction.” Asmodeus’ eyes glowed brighter for a second. “Such a lovely way with words………but I can’t deny the accuracy of your statement. Very well………” The wind suddenly rose, and red lightning streaked across the sky; the moon was covered by a sudden, strange black cloud for a few seconds before its light re – illuminated the scene. Ridley grinned, and his sanguine red eyes glowed almost as brightly as those of Asmodeus; his street wear had been replaced by his full set of robes and spiked shoulder pads, and he seemed to have grown a couple of inches taller. In one hand he held his trademark barbed – wire bat; in the other, a vicious – looking chainsaw. All his wounds appeared healed, and the moonlight gave his white skin an even more eerie character. “Now go forth, for I have made you invulnerable to their puny weaponry. Do not stop the slaughter until you have covered this cursed place with blood, in worship of me. “<br>Ridley just ran his forked tongue around his lips. “There will be no survivors, m’lord.”<br>With a single kick, Ridley punched a hole in the outer wall, and his baseball bat spontaneously burst into flames as he stepped through and set out on his hunting expedition.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:39:33 GMT -5
A flaming item of any description would have been of great help to Bladeshadow as he crashed through the glasshouse jungle; although he was faster than the chasing Meganium, his pursuer was relentless and Blade’s legs ached with the buildup of lactic acid. Suddenly Blade skidded to a halt, and he realised he had reached the far end of the building; with only seconds to react Blade jumped sideways and the meganium burst out of the forest, crashing into the toughened glass head first. With this latest threat literally knocked out, Blade glanced around, but there seemed no obvious way to go; Blade cursed, and then with a flash of inspiration he began to climb one of the tall palms nearby. Blade climbed up to the very top, and he had a bird’s eye view of the whole area; in the distance he could very faintly make out the door by which he and his friends had entered, and Blade’s heart sank as he thought about them once more. “So here I am, stuck at the top of a tree in a bizarre mansion, with a load of creatures which don’t exist,” said Blade to himself. “I could sure use a little luck right now……”<br>“Hey, holmes! This is no time to be building a treehouse, esse!”<br>Blade whipped around, and hope re – ignited in his mind and soul as he saw Latino waving at him from a walkway on the wall near the ceiling, about 50 feet away. Blade wondered how he could reach Latino, and then he remembered the lilypads on the pool. “I’m coming over,” Blade called, “stay there!” Taking a deep breath, Blade tensed up his muscles and then made a jump toward the nearest treetop. He slid down a little way and Latino’s heart leapt into his mouth, but Blade quickly regained the lost height and continued on his way, gradually getting closer to his destination although he was forced to detour several times in order to take a route that he was physically capable of crossing. “Nearly there, esse!” Latino called as Blade came within about 15 feet of him. Blade grinned. “Piece of cake.”<br>A shrill screaming cry made Blade cover his ears, and he yelped as something large and shiny shot past him; pain flared along his back, and Latino yelled out as he saw the long red claw marks begin to well up with blood on Blade’s back. Both Blade and Latino looked around them, and it didn’t take them long to spot the Skarmory soaring around in the space above the trees. “Quick holmes, let’s get out of here!” Latino shouted, and Blade readied himself for the next jump; before he could make his move, however, the steel bird swooped in below him and with its metal wings sliced the tops off all the trees around Blade, effectively isolating him. The skarmory issued its cry once more, and then brought its talons forward into strike position, racing toward Blade at an impossibly quick speed; Blade knew there was nowhere to go and he shut his eyes as Latino watched from the walkway, unable to do anything………. There was a flash of light, and Latino felt something soft barge past him; the Ninetales was leaping into the air before Latino had any time to see where it came from. The blast of fire from the creature’s flamethrower just singed the top of Blade’s hair, but it caught his attacker full on in the chest, and the steel bird’s inherent weakness to fire attacks caused it to be instantly KO’d; as soon as the attack hit, the mysterious fox pokemon vanished into thin air. The skarmory plummeted straight down to the floor and lay motionless; Blade opened his eyes and looked down in amazement at the melting mass. “Man, what happened?” said Blade. Latino looked just as stunned. “It was………I don’t know what it was, esse. It was white, and it could breathe fire, that’s all I know.”<br>Blade took a final look and then started climbing down the tree; he slid down quickly and then walked the short distance to a tree right next to the walkway above before climbing up to hop on to the metal bridge and join up with Latino at last. Blade looked at the items Latino was holding, but he decided now was not the time to ask about them. “Let’s go find somewhere a bit more peaceful,” said Blade, “then we can talk about all the crap that’s been going on here.” Latino nodded, and led the way out of the door and into the night air.
Up on the top floor, Sephiroth watched from the upper gantry with satisfaction as his captives were being brought to the main laboratory; one by one they were placed into glass tubes which rapidly filled with a thick green liquid, suspending the unconscious occupant within. Many of those being brought were unfamiliar to Sephiroth, but others he mentally ticked off a list in his head, and he smiled as he thought about what he was going to do with certain members of the group. A small radio pin on his collar crackled, and a robotic voice spoke into his ear: “MS to Master, come in please.”<br>“Receiving, MS. Status report.”<br>“We have intercepted and captured almost all the targets – four confirmed outstanding, but we will need to sweep for any stragglers.”<br>Sephiroth looked around him. “Latino, Skurai, Drag – Bladeshadow, confirm.”<br>“Affirmative….and the dark one, as you ordered. What is your command?”<br>Sephiroth smiled malevolently. “Initiate plan 12 Beta. Then you have permission to destroy them in whatever way you like – just make it agonising. And make sure that Latino goes last – I want him to see the others die.”<br>“Understood. MS out.”<br>Sephiroth watched for a few more moments and then something caught his eye. “No……..not that one,” he called to one of the dinalfos, “Take her to my personal quarters.” Sephiroth seemed a little divided over what to do, but then he turned sharply and proceeded out of the lab, though a pair of doors and up a spiral staircase until he came to a room high a the top of one of the towers. The room was unfurnished apart from flaming torches around the walls, and a single, huge ornate mirror standing in the centre. Sephiroth approached the mirror and sank down on one knee, bowing his head. “Everything is proceeding as you have ordered, Sire,” whispered Sephiroth, an audible hint of nervousness in his voice. “Excellent………..you have done well, my servant. That arrogant fool has fallen for my brilliant plan……he thinks he will gain untold power, but instead I will be the one who finally defeats him and takes all his great strength for myself…….and then, I shall wreak havoc upon all the pitiful creatures of this world!”<br>Sephiroth shuddered, but he kept still with his head lowered. “You promised me vengeance on those who betrayed me……..but what of the others?”<br>“Keep them secure while we carry out the necessary ritual. Then, they will be my first victims…….the first of thousands.”<br>“As you command, Sire.”<br>Sephiroth dared to look up for just a second, but he was filled with fear at the sight of the figure in the mirror, and he lowered his eyes once more. “Complete your tasks here, and then bring the necessary items to the roof so that we may begin. I grow tired of waiting…….”<br>The mirror blazed with light for a second and then was entirely normal once more. Without a second’s delay, Sephiroth hurried from the room and almost broke his neck rushing down the stairs back to the lab.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:40:43 GMT -5
Skurai crept slowly through the basement with extreme care, stopping and listening every few yards to make sure nothing else was close to him. As he went he passed by the wreckage of the earlier fighting, and as he slipped between the piles of junk like a shadow he heard the scrape of bone and claw on the stone floor, and he peered around a stack of boxes to see what looked like a large skeleton and a reptile of some kind pacing up the stairs toward the light streaming from the door back into the main house. Skurai hugged the damp basement wall and very, very cautiously he began to climb the steps; all was quiet above, but he waited almost 15 minutes before silently opening the door and stepping out into the corridor. Moving with absolute stealth, Skurai passed by the main staircase and, holding his breath, he opened the door to the main room where he had left the rest of the roster. The door was only just hanging on to its hinges, and Skurai had to very gently lean it against the wall to stop it falling before he took in the effects of the pitched battle that ad taken place there. The whole room looked like a bomb site; barely a single piece of furniture had survived without damage, and laser burns covered the walls. On the floor were the mangled parts of the E series robots destroyed in the fight, and Skurai bent down to examine them more closely. Just then, Skurai thought he saw a fallen tapestry twitch, and he flattened himself to the floor and lay still. Skurai watched the tapestry, and it twitched again, very slightly; Skurai silently got to his feet, picked up a broken chair leg and approached the long swathe of material. With the chair leg ready in one hand, Skurai took hold of the edge of the tapestry and jerked it away……. Dream was too shocked by her sudden discovery to scream immediately, and fortunately Skurai dropped the chair leg and covered her mouth before she could make a sound. “Ssssshh!” Skurai hissed, “Don’t make a sound! Do you understand?”<br>Dream looked scared, but she nodded and Skurai took his hand away. Dream breathed rapidly, but then she gave Skurai a weak smile. “Am I ever glad to see you……….I thought I was the only one left.”<br>Skurai crouched down next to Dream and looked around. “It was a mass attack, huh?”<br>Dream nodded again, and her eyes began to well with tears. “It was awful…..I’ve never been so scared. P….one of them tried to shoot me, but he protected me………” Dream looked like she was about to cry loudly, and Skurai rolled his eyes. “Did you see what happened next? Where did they take everybody else?”<br>Dream shuddered. “Up. I heard them moving up the stairs………that’s all I know.”<br>Skurai stood up. “Right. I’m going to try and find the others………you should get out of here. Take a flashlight, but don’t turn it on until you’re away from the house. Take your mobile as well…..head away from here, as far as you can, until you get a signal on your phone, and then call 911. They should be able to track you from the call……..then tell them to get their helicopters in the air, a house like this shouldn’t be too hard to spot. It’s the best chance we have.”<br>Dream shook her head and looked frightened. “No………please, I can’t go out there alone. Can’t I go with you? I won’t make a sound and I’ll do whatever you tell me to. I have to find P………he’d look for me. I’d rather face those robots again than leave him here.”<br>Skurai sighed. “If you must. But you’ll have to keep up with me, I don’t have time to cut my pace.”<br>Dream stood up. “So how are we going to get up to the top of the building? The main staircase is probably heavily guarded.” Skurai smiled. “There are other ways…….If you know where to look for them.”
Out in the gardens, Blade and Latino slumped down against a twisted tree and caught their breath. “Holy shit, esse……..” Latino half – whispered, “What on earth have we stumbled on here? None of these things should exist, none of them! They’re just made – up characters from videogames……..”<br>Blade nodded. “I have no idea…….but one thing’s for certain, we have to find everyone else, and quickly.”<br>Latino looked at the dirt. “If any of them are still alive, holmes.”<br>Blade looked up at the sky. “I didn’t see either V3 or Yoko actually die, even though there was plenty of opportunity for those pokemon to kill them. I don’t think that was the plan of whoever’s behind this. Did you see anyone actually get killed?”<br>Latino thought for a moment. “No, esse. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get moving!”<br>Latino was on his feet, but Blade pulled him back to the ground. “Hold your horses partner, we know at least one person died in there……..that guy you and AK found. We should examine those strange objects you brought with you, they just might give us some clue of what’s going on…….something we can use to formulate a strategy. If we storm back in there now, we’ll be overcome before we even get back into the hallway.”<br>Latino and Blade looked at the objects; the two metal cylinders were as mysterious as ever, but as Blade looked at the silver rectangular object he had a flash of inspiration. Picking it up, Blade squeezed the sides and the object flipped open, revealing a touchpad and an LCD screen. “Whoa, holmes,” said Latino as the screen began to flicker into life, “it’s some kind of pocket pc.”<br>As the little computer came out of hibernation mode, words began to appear on the screen; Blade and Latino both craned forward to read the document as it was gradually revealed to them.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:45:23 GMT -5
EXADIA CORPORATION PERSONAL PROJECT LOG – SECRET – AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY
Project Startup: Week 1
We stand on the verge of a unique and stupendous achievement. After many months of research, our scientists have developed a theory that may make it possible, through the use of nanotechnology, to bring objects conceived as data in a computer environment into the real world, with physical properties identical to those which the objects possessed in electronic form. Some very early tests have been conducted on simple items – an apple, a ball and other such things – and although some problems have to be ironed out, the first results are very promising.
Week 4
Today our project took an entirely unexpected, but incredibly exciting turn. We had just finished materialising a small family car and were taking our lunch break when we heard the sound of the equipment being fired up by an unauthorised person. On dashing back to the lab, we discovered one of the junior technicians holding a small, baton – like object; it seemed somehow familiar to me, but it was only when a vivid blue laser beam was projected from one end that we all realised what our young assistant had done. Upon questioning by senior members of the project team, it was discovered that the young man was a Star Wars aficionado, and had experimentally imported a set of schematic data for a lightsaber which he found on the internet into the main computer system. Such an item, obviously, is a thing of fantasy; but apparently this did not prevent the equipment from rendering it in a working form. I was so excited by this that, like most of my colleagues, I did not notice that the young man in question had disappeared from our team in the following days……..
Week 6
Work is proceeding at a rapid pace; we have managed to produce working reproductions of vehicles, weapons, and other items from a variety of sources; most productive by far, however, has been our work on replicating objects from a variety of popular videogames. Everyone is on cloud 9; we are all going to be rich beyond our wildest dreams, for there will be many thousands of people who will pay a great deal of money to own one of these items! However, I personally think we can go further………I am planning to approach my superiors very soon with my ideas, and I hope that there will be someone among them who can appreciate my genius………….
Week 9
Finally! I have received permission for a limited test of my theory. Until now, we have used our nanobots to create objects using the molecules from inanimate sources – metals, plastics and the like. Of course we tried to create living things too, but we were not successful……we succeeded in “building” a common mouse from these materials, and while it was perfect in every way physically, it was just a shell – it was dead, and no amount of CPR or other treatment could revive it. What I realised, that no one else did, was that you can only produce “dead” items from “dead” materials – but if you were to start with something which already possessed that vital spirit, that spark of life, then you might be able to use the process to alter its physical form to something of your own choosing. So we took a live mouse, sedated it, and set the system to work; the speed of the transformation was astonishing, and the mouse was transformed into a sparrow before our eyes. We all waited nervously for the sedative to wear off, and well………you should have seen the celebrations when our newly created bird opened its eyes!
Week 11
What an announcement! Today, we’ve been told that the head of Exadia himself is going to visit us, and that we’re all going to get a big surprise. I can’t wait to find out what it is – a huge bonus, a Ferrari……..the possibilities are endless!
At this point, the log appeared to stop suddenly. “Well that tells us something, at least,” said Blade. Latino looked at the screen and furrowed his brow. “Hang on esse, we’re missing something here. The scroll bar shows that we’re only halfway through the document, but the rest of these pages are blank.”<br>Blade and Latino looked at the computer for a little longer, and then suddenly Blade had a brainwave. Carefully he highlighted the blank pages, and crossing his fingers, he pressed the “text colour” button for black. Instantly the blank pages were filled with more writing, and the pair began to read once more, their hearts racing faster as they started to understand the true nature of what they had been facing.
Week………who knows?
I pray to God that this is discovered by someone who can help us, though I know the chances of that are slim. There was no warning…….one moment we were assembled in the lab, waiting for the “visit” by the head of the company, the next we were all gasping for breath as the air turned bad. Those bastards gassed us, and brought us to this place……we didn’t have any choice, we were told that if we didn’t follow orders or tried to escape that our families would be shot in their beds. So here we are……we may be captives, but at least we’re not the ones that they’re bringing here for us to experiment on. I have no idea why they’re making us do this, but from the looks of things I’d say someone wants their own personal army of videogame characters. One of my friends told me that the corporation is planning to charge the super – rich huge amounts of money to have the chance to fight zombies, robots and such in a real life videogame; if that’s the case then we may never get out of here……we’ll be turning these poor waifs and bums into mindless slaves, and they’ll be killed as fast as we can make them. I don’t see how things can get any worse……..
Scratch that, it’s worse. MUCH worse. This will probably be the last thing I write, I’m injured pretty bad but I think I found a good hiding place. I’d rather die here than end up like my poor, poor friends…. But at least the company top brass got what was coming to them. It was a big showcase visit, all the important people were here I think, and they wanted us to demonstrate the metamorphic process to them. So they brought in this young guy, he didn’t look like our normal kind of waster and he wasn’t panicing at all, like they normally do, he was very calm and matter-of-fact about the whole thing. So they strapped him into the machine, and we started it up…….and that’s when things went haywire. The computers went berserk, and nobody knew what was going on…….I felt a cold chill run up my spine, and then suddenly the capsule opened up without us doing it, and the guy stepped out……….but he wasn’t the robot that we had programmed the system for, instead he looked just like a character I’d seen when browsing the restricted data files. I don’t know the name, I never was into videogames that much, but I guess from what happened next that he must have got the abilities of someone real powerful. The place was in pandemonium, the big cheeses were shouting for the guards, but then the guy just sort of grinned and produced this kind of ball from somewhere……..I ducked behind my workstation so I didn’t see exactly what happened, but from all the screaming I could tell it was pretty bad. I only had time to grab my pocket pc before I made a run for it, crawling along the floor; as I got to the door I saw the prototype of our mobile system, and I grabbed that too…….I don’t know why.
Focus, focus dammit, I must be losing blood fast……I guess I don’t have much time, so I’ll finish up as best I can. In the chaos I managed to finally get out of the lab………I never would have guessed that this whole thing was hidden in a mansion like this. Don’t ask me how, but the guy who we tried to transform for our visitors somehow got control over the people we had in storage awaiting transportation…..I could hear my pals begging not to be turned into slaves but it did them no good. I ran, but the guy in black was on to me and I got two of the e – series robots on my tail; I got almost to the ground floor before they hit me with a couple of plasma shots. The door was blocked by skeletons, so I only had one way to go; I fled into the basement and then threw myself down, lying very still. The E – series came down and looked me over, and fortunately I fooled them; they thought I was dead so they left me here. Once they’d gone I crawled around in the dark until I was too tired to move any more; I knew that I wouldn’t survive for very long so I decided to write this in case anyone ever finds this terrible house.
If you’re reading this, the chances are you’re in a similar situation to me; I can only hope that you’re fit enough to be able to do what I couldn’t and use the prototype gauntlets to give you a chance to escape. There are two, and one is enough for a person; simply lock the gauntlet on your arm, and it should start up automatically. You’ll feel a sharp pinprick as the nanobots are released into your blood stream; once that’s done, choose the form you want from the list given on the LCD screen and press go. For safety, the nanos are pre – programmed to restore your original form after 1 hour, so don’t activate the system until you absolutely have to.
That’s about it. Good luck, reader, whoever you are………
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:49:07 GMT -5
Both Latino and Blade were silent for a few moments as they finished reading. “So……..these monsters used to be people?” said Latino slowly. Blade nodded. “And there’s some head honcho controlling the whole setup, someone who wasn’t a part of the company that originally started doing these things.” Blade stood up. “I think we both know why we haven’t been killed already…….whoever’s doing this obviously wants more people for his sick little game. So we have to find out where everyone else has been taken, and bust them out before anything bad happens.”<br>Latino balled his hands into fists. “So, are we gonna try out these fancy bracelets? We need all the help we can get if we’re going to stand any chance.”<br>Blade looked carefully at the gauntlets. “I guess we don’t have any choice.” Tentatively, Latino and Blade placed the silver devices around their wrists. Each felt a brief, sharp pain as the injection system fired, and then the little LCD touchscreens came to life. As Blade and Latino scrolled through the list of available characters, they could not help but feel a pulse of excitement as they thought about what they were about to attempt; Latino only got halfway down the list before he whooped and punched the air. “HELL YES! Esse, I got mine picked!”<br>Blade craned over and had a look. “Hey, nice one. I think I should choose something a little different then, that gives us some options.” Blade continued to peruse the list until finally he found exactly what he was looking for. “Ok, I’m ready,” said Blade, and Latino grinned. “I bet you picked some badass ninja, didn’t you?”<br>Blade smiled. “Not exactly……..anyway, you’ll see in a minute. Are we ready to do this?”<br>“Holmes, I’m always ready.”<br>“Alright. On the count of three……….one, two, three!”<br>Latino and Blade pushed the buttons on the gauntlets; there was a low hum, and then a blaze of light swirled around the pair so that they could see nothing but brightness. After a few moments the light died away, and the two looked at one another with grins as wide as the grand canyon. “Esse, we’re back in business. Let the ass – kicking commence!”
“Uhh…….my head feels like an 18 wheeler ran over it. Arse.”<br>AK wasn’t feeling too hot as she started to come around; even the soft light in the room hurt her eyes at first, and she squinted until they adjusted. As this was happening she remembered what had happened to her directly before she passed out, and she shot bolt upright as the memory of the dinalfos galvanised her. Now fully awake, however, she realised that she certainly wasn’t in the basement any longer, and she looked around at the new room which she found herself in. The room was large and tastefully decorated; it reminded AK of an open plan apartment, albeit one whose owner was something of a fan of classic country house furnishings. The walls were wood panelled, and along with the high backed armchairs and the wooden scroll – motif bed she was sitting on, the room also contained many shelves of books and a very large desk. The one totally modern addition to the room was the plasma screen which hung above the open fireplace with its bearskin rug. “Ah, you’re up and about. Excellent.”<br>AK swung around and stared at the man in the doorway; as he approached she had a feeling of recognition, although she wasn’t sure where it came from. “So……I’m guessing you’re the person in charge here, wherever here is” said AK carefully, not sure if the man was friend or foe. The man smiled. “That is correct.”<br>“I feel like I should know you from somewhere……….have we met?”<br>“Oh yes, most definitely. Of course, I didn’t look like this before. You’ve changed a little too…….have you lost weight?”<br>AK was starting to get a little creeped out. “I have……..do you mind if I speak frankly?”<br>“Not at all.”<br>“Why are there game characters all over this house? and why are they attacking us?”<br>Sephiroth smiled again. “You always cut straight to the point, Alicia………I’ve always liked that about you. I’d expect no less from Smackdown’s #1 diva.”<br>The cogs turned in AK’s head, and she put her hand over her mouth in shock as she worked out who she was speaking to. “Good Lord! Gamer, is that you?”<br>WWE Gamer just smiled a little more widely. “I knew I couldn’t fool you, AK……..”<br>AK was still trying to sort out this new information in her head, but her mind flashed back to her friends; she also remembered how unstable Gamer had been during the breakup of GFWWE and she knew she had to be very, very careful. “It’s obvious we were all led to this place by you for a reason, and I’m not even going to ask how things ended up like this. Where is everyone else………..please tell me.” Gamer clapped his hands twice, and the plasma screen came to life, revealing a shot of the main laboratory. AK stared at the tubes containing her friends and colleagues, and part of her wanted to smash Gamer’s head against the wall without delay; outwardly though she stayed very calm, and she forced herself to keep her anger in check. “Are they alive? And what are you going to do with them……with us?”<br>Gamer sat down next to AK on the bed and put an arm around her; AK had to use every bit of self control she had not to shudder or try and kick his balls back into his body. “Well, that largely depends on you, my dear.”<br>AK kept her eyes fixed straight ahead of her. “What do you mean by that?”<br>Gamer sighed. “I’ve waited a long time for this day……..you don’t know how many times I’ve dreamed of taking revenge on WCW for what he did to me, for destroying all that was important, all that I worked so hard to create. And now I have him and all his associates, right in my grasp…….the possibilities for what I might do to them all are endless.”<br>Gamer paused briefly. “But then I thought, when I’ve done the deed, had him begging for mercy and driven in the knife, what then? I’ll be back where I started, everything will still be in ruins. I knew there had to be some way forward…..and as I was planning this whole little enterprise, I thought of you.”<br>AK turned and looked at Gamer properly for the first time. “Me? Why?”<br>“Because unlike those other douchebags, you never abandoned me.”<br>AK was quiet for a few seconds. “I would have stayed, if you had wanted to carry on with GFWWE, you know that. I only signed a full contract with GFWCW when you disappeared, and didn’t tell anyone where you were going……so I guess if you want to put it so dramatically, you’re right.” Gamer gave her shoulder a squeeze. “You’re too good for those idiots down there…….which is why I want you to stay here, with me. Together we can rebuild what was lost……we can make a grand new empire, we can have anything we want! With this technology, there is nothing we cannot make real!”<br>AK was silent again for a few seconds. “So, let me try and put two and two together here. If I agree to remain here with you, you will let everyone else go, unharmed?”<br>Gamer nodded slowly. “As much as it will gall me to see those traitors waltz out of here, yes.”<br>“And if I decline your offer?”<br>Gamer smiled again, but this smile was ice cold. “Then you get to watch me transform each of them into my personal slaves and destroy their memories and personalities, before you share their fate.”<br>AK sighed. “All right, I guess I don’t have an option. But I want you to know that I’m doing this for them……..I was very angry with the way you disbanded GFWWE, and I’m even more angry with what you’re doing here.”<br>Gamer smirked. “I can live with that. Oh, and by the way, before I let the others go there’s one little task I want you to do for me………just a little something to prove your loyalty.”<br>The screen flashed back into action, and a shot was shown of one of the corridors. Someone was walking down it; suddenly a clutch of zombies burst out of a room and attacked. The figure did not panic at all; there was a crunching sound of chain on bone, and the walls were splattered with rancid flesh and blood as the zombies were cut to pieces on the spot. The figure proceeded closer to the camera, but AK already knew that it could be only one person. Gamer watched the live feed. “ACW’s favourite psychopath, in all his insane glory.”<br>Ridley chainsawed off a zombie’s head, and had a quick bout of soccer practice with it before moving out of the shot. “I want you to kill him. Now.”<br>AK went pale. “You’re joking, right?” One look at Gamer’s face told her that he was deadly serious. “No…….I can’t. Not even him….I won’t commit murder, not for you, not for anyone.”<br>Gamer just shrugged. “Well it’s your call, my dear……it’s his life against everyone else’s. Take your pick.” Gamer waited patiently as AK struggled with her conscience. Finally, she lowered her head and stared at the floor. “I get some kind of weapon to fight with, right?”<br>Gamer grinned. “Of course, my sweet……I have something very special for you. I wouldn’t expect you to face a maniac unarmed…..I want you to be victorious, after all.” Gamer’s green eyes glowed faintly, and an e – series robot stepped into the room. “Take Miss Kitsune to the preparation room and dress her for battle…….code Tallon4.”<br>The robot saluted, and AK walked over to the door. She took a last look at Gamer, and then followed the e – series away down the hallway. Gamer lay back on his bed and smiled to himself. “Well this should be very interesting………very interesting indeed. I’ll almost feel sorry to execute the survivor myself.”<br>Gamer grinned evilly. “Almost.”<br>
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Aug 12, 2004 16:54:59 GMT -5
In the main laboratory, things had quietened down; the only activity was from two generic – looking robots which were finishing the job of populating the glass tubes. “Number 352……status report.”<br>“Scanning……..All captives sealed in immersion tanks. Correction: 1 outstanding, Female.”<br>The subordinate robot rolled on its wheels over to where Rose had been placed on the floor after being brought to the lab. Its superior also rolled over and then turned to leave the room. “352, complete your task and then report to the power room for recharging. Confirm.”<br>“Confirmed.”<br>The second robot wheeled away and out through the main doors of the lab, which slid shut behind it. The first swivelled around and extended its pincer – like arms to pick Rose up. Just as it came in close, Rose snapped her eyes open and smiled at the automaton. “Error! Subject should not be conscious! Sedation required!”<br>From the front of the robot a syringe emerged, but Rose just grabbed it and ripped it away before rolling backward and regaining her feet. “Error! Error! Er…..”<br>The robot didn’t get any further; without pausing Rose walked up to the robot and kicked its head right off of its metallic body. With a smile of satisfaction Rose stamped down on the head until the lights inside went out and she was sure it had been deactivated. Then, she made a quick circuit of the room; her anger flared when she came across RDK, but her look became even darker as she discovered that Ridley was not among those being held there. Rose looked at the control equipment and the transformation pod in the centre of the room, but she did not know how to deactivate the system. “Nobody treats Pain Inc. like this……….Nobody!” Rose whispered to herself. Carefully she dragged the wrecked robot out of immediate sight, and she thought about what to do next; as she did this she looked up into the ceiling, and she smiled once more as an idea began to form in her mind.
Back in the corridors of the house, Gamer’s defence team were finding that their jobs had suddenly become a great deal harder. Three lizalfos pounded together down a hallway; suddenly from one of the rooms a figure dressed from head to toe in a suit of green body armour stepped out and sprayed the lizalfos with a burst of automatic rifle fire, dropping them instantly. Another door burst open and four space pirates rushed out, with their plasma guns already drawn; they hurtled toward their target and fired, only for a second figure to jump out and hold up a shield whose surface was a shining mirror of metal. The shots rebounded, and the pirates were shredded by their own weaponry. “Wow, this thing really does work!” said Blade. He straightened out his green tunic, and gave the master sword an experimental flourish. Latino walked up behind him, patting his assault rifle. “This is awesome holmes, if I was a cyborg all the time I’d never lose a match again. I don’t feel even slightly out of breath, and we’ve been doing this for 20 minutes.”<br>Blade smiled. “I knew you’d pick Master Chief if he was in there. Being Link’s pretty cool too…..those fire arrows are the business.”<br>The pair walked down the corridor; they were back on the first floor and were looking for a way to move upward, the main staircase being too heavily blocked even for them. As they rounded a corner they heard more gunfire, and they pressed themselves to the wall inside a doorway. “Do you think someone else is still on the loose?” whispered Latino. Blade clutched his sword. “If they are, we have to help them. Come on!”<br>Blade and Latino ran down the corridor; suddenly a group of Cerberus belted from around the bend and charged toward them. Latino shot a few before they reached the pair, but as they braced for battle the zombie dogs shot past them and continued to run as fast as their legs would carry them. “Whoa! What was that all about?” said Blade. Latino didn’t answer, and Blade turned back to see a terrifying figure almost filling the width of the hallway in front as his robes billowed around him. “Well, well, well. How marvellous………I wondered when I’d get to have some real fun.”<br>The voice was almost painful, as sharp as the sound of nails on a blackboard. Blade stared. “Is that Ridley?”<br>Latino swallowed nervously. “Yea, I think so……..esse, they must have done something to him!”<br>Ridley grinned, showing his razor sharp canines. “I’ll give you to the count of ten. One two, ten.”<br>Ridley let rip with the machine gun he had torn from one of the robots he had dispatched, and Blade and Latino dropped to the floor; Latino returned fire, and Ridley ducked into a side room for cover. “Come on esse, we’ve got to lose him!” Latino shouted to Blade, and the two jumped to their feet and started running as Ridley stepped out of the door way and followed, smirking. Blade and Latino kept running, but they couldn’t drop Ridley; whenever they tried to glance behind them a quick burst of bullets kept them on the move. “He’s playing with us!” Blade gasped as the pair found themselves in a dead – end corridor; the light seemed to visibly dim as Ridley loomed into view at the far end and began to advance at a steady pace. The two heard the machine gun click as Ridley levelled it at them again, and the pair dived into the nearest room, slamming the door and pushing a dressing table up against it. There was a thump as Ridley kicked the door; luckily for Blade and Latino it was a heavy solid wood door, and even in his enhanced state Ridley couldn’t knock it down. Everything was quiet for a few seconds….. “Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in…….” Ridley trilled in an almost childlike manner, before laughing in a way that chilled Blade and Latino to the bone. Latino checked the ammo in his rifle. “Ridley, esse, it’s us! Latino and Blade! We found these doohickeys that changed our appearances! You have to stop, holmes!”<br>A pause. “I’m sorry, gentlemen, but even if that’s true I don’t have an option here. Needs must as the devil drives……in my case, literally”. Blade and Latino looked at one another. “He’s lost it…….I really think he’s serious,” said Blade. Latino nodded. “Perhaps he’ll get bored and leave………..that door’s really strong. How’s he going to get in?”<br>Latino’s question was answered by the sound of a small engine revving into life, and Blade and Latino jumped back in shock as the wooden door began to splinter. There was a crack as the chainsaw cut through, and then with a huge punch Ridley smashed away a chunk of the panel so that he could look through the door at his trapped prey. “Heeeeeeeeerrrrreeeeee’s RIDLEY!” he yelled, in his best Jack Nicholson impression, and Latino and Blade started to get really worried as Ridley started widening the hole. Latino tried the window, but as Blade had guessed it was as unbreakable as that in the glasshouse, even with their enhanced powers. Blade drew his sword and took up a fighting stance. Latino stared. “You’re not actually going to fight him, esse?”<br>“Fight him? I’ll damn well kill him if I have to,” said Blade, with cold resolution in his voice. The gap was getting wider, and Latino also nervously readied his weapon as Ridley withdrew the chainsaw and prepared to burst in…… With their eyes fixed on the door, Blade and Latino didn’t see the secret panel in the wall slide open behind them. Before they could react they were grabbed from behind and pulled backward; the panel slid back into place just a fraction of a second before Ridley shattered the top half of the door and leapt into the room. “Stay absolutely still” Skurai whispered in the darkness, and Blade and Latino didn’t need to be told twice. Ridley stalked about the room; he looked suspiciously at the panel and was about to give it a test with the chainsaw when there was a loud crash just outside, and a Machamp stormed in swinging its fists. Ridley quickly jammed the chainsaw into its chest and through the other side before slicing off all four arms; as he stopped the motor and wiped the saw on the room’s curtains Ridley felt a twinge of tiredness, and the image of Rose lying on the marble floor returned to his mind for a second. Ridley’s anger flared once more, and remembering his own personal mission he strode purposefully out of the room, determined to find the person responsible and give them a masterclass in the art of pain.
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