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Post by Christian on Dec 24, 2005 21:31:01 GMT -5
Kevin Berger sat to take a breather in the work pits in the heart of Apocalypse's city. He reminisced about the days long past when most of the people who now whipped him called him "friend". Most of the members of his old squad in the Ares Dorm would sit around when not deployed and play games, laugh, watch movies, and be otherwise merry. They were so close, in fact, that the two captains allowed a psychic at the institute to open a telepathic link between them for times in dire situations.
Those captains were Kevin "Frenzy" Berger and Christian "Ravage" James. Since Ravage's defection to Apocalypse's Horsemen, where he spent a short time under the guise of the Horseman of War, that link was kept unused, unneeded, and thought of in ill-regard.
Cole "Rumble" Alden noticed his friends quiet demeanor, and took a seat beside him, "Hey, cappy, what's wrong? I haven't seen you this silent in years?"
Kevin had no intent to answer. He just sat in despair and glum, finally believing the words of the slavers who told them there release was never coming.
Without warning, his head picked up, eyes wide, "No...slagging...way...," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"What, you just look like you saw a ghost."
Kevin smiled, "I just got a note from the kid in the back of the class."
"Oh," Cole said, laying down to a prone position, "and what did that backstabbing moo-cow say to you?"
Kevin shook his head, "I'll tell you when I believe it." He replayed the mental message over and over again in his mind:
Hold on, Frenzy, assistance is prepping to roll out.
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Post by xt on Dec 24, 2005 22:49:05 GMT -5
X-T shook from the news of Laura's death, but they had to move on.
"Ready to work with all of you. I'm sure we're gonna take down this evil forces, once and for all," X-T said with detirmination, a smirk upon her face.
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Post by Midnight on Dec 25, 2005 11:24:54 GMT -5
"What reason is there to join any side?" Midnight asked coldly, black eyes blinking as the light changed. The darkness started to give way to this unnatural light, the clouds dissapating on all sides of her until she was outlined in light. But still she stood, a young woman, looking to be only twenty-one. Her skin was soft and she had a splattering of freckles across her nose. She might have been almost beautiful, but a demon stared out of those bottomless black eyes and crazyness danced about her features. "You can't hurt me, Iris. But believe it or not, I can hurt you. Remember Amelia?" A slow smile crept over her lips and her eyes were unfocused.
Jazz nodded at Raphael, secretly glad to know that she had a use and could be an aid in this struggle. She was not good at leading or coming up with what to do, but as long as she knew what she had to do, she could do it. Otherwise, she shrugged off the pity she saw in their faces. Yes, her mother was dead and she did not know her father. But that had only hardened her and prepared her. No more being afraid. Someone else's family was at stake, and they were as much her own family as her mother had been. No more being afraid. She would work to save them, to spare them from her fate, to thank them for taking care of her. No more being afraid. "Just tell me what to do."
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Post by Health on Dec 25, 2005 11:30:22 GMT -5
"Midnight, stay away from her, stay away from my family, or I'll kill you with my bare hands," Iris growled before her eyes fluttered a little and the light flickered. She was still so weak from the lifting of the vow, but she still kept a steady gaze on Midnight.
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Post by raphael on Dec 25, 2005 14:03:32 GMT -5
"you are my eyes Jasmine, I need you to be my look out and tell me what direction they are coming from." He knelt down on he knee and pulled out a trinket. It was the heavy crux that had belonged to her mother. Raphael had held onto it until he could train Jasmine a little more, but it was important.
"This was your mother's, now it is passed to you. In time I will teach you its value, just as I taught your mother. Control comes with practice and patience." Raphael pointed to the scar on his face, "We all make mistakes, some are unavoidable. We practice so that we can avoid situations that lead only to mistake."
"prepare yourselves, we leave shortly."
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Post by Midnight on Dec 25, 2005 14:45:46 GMT -5
"Does it really matter to me how you kill me? Seems that you are trying to do that anyway, reguardless of whether I touch your daughter or not. What are you gonna do to convince me?" Midnight could see that her prey was weak, and stood resolutly, making her strength seem all the more stronger for she had strength while Iris was lacking.
Jasmine solomnly took the heavy iron cross from Raphael, tears brimming in her green eyes. Something of her mothers... "Thank you," she said, her voice a whisper. Control comes with practice and patience. Control... something she completely lacked. Maybe she could learn.
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Post by Health on Dec 25, 2005 14:50:35 GMT -5
"Nothing, I have nothing to convince you with, but the rebels are going to win this battle. You might not realize how powerful Amelia is, but she is, and now that she's with her father the rebels will defeat Apocalypse," Iris said the light flickering even more as her face began to grow paler.
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Post by Midnight on Dec 25, 2005 14:55:18 GMT -5
"Rulers come and rulers go. The darkness lives on," Midnight shrugged off what Iris was saying. On the edges of the light, darkness started to creep in, growing as the light flickered. "Amelia may be powerful, but you may not be there to see her last battle." Holding her hands out in front of her, palm upward, she let the darkness swirl in mini-tornados above them. This formed into large black balls, like cannon balls, the surface sparkling in the fading light. Then in a sudden motion, Midnight swung her hands forward, throwing the balls at Iris, flying toward her, hard as rocks.
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Post by Health on Dec 25, 2005 14:58:22 GMT -5
Iris tried she really did to throw up a sheild but the first ball smashed through it hitting her square in the chest, knocking her back, and then the other balls hit her over and over again. Iris went flying into a nearby wall and then to the floor. She groaned and slowly got up.
She wiped blood away from her pale face and glared at Midnight, "I pity you Midnight, you may control darkness but it was yourself that made you evil."
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Post by Midnight on Dec 25, 2005 15:10:40 GMT -5
"Pity yourself, then," Midnight responded, dulling herself to verbal blows, for it seemed all that Iris had to offer in way of defense. "You chose 'evil' yourself. I was possessed, you were perfectly sane." Walking closer, the woman bent down to study Iris. Then snapping her fingers, she formed an image of Amelia, Mazarus, and Raphael out of the darkness. "Know these people?" Midnight asked, walking around the figures. "Watch." Manipulating the darkness, Midnight caused their mouths to open in a silent scream, the smokey bodies to writhe. "I can do that to them. I've done it to others."
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Post by Health on Dec 25, 2005 15:15:17 GMT -5
"Don't, please don't!" Iris said her eyes fulling with tears as she stared at the images, "No, I won't let you," Iris said swining her staff wildly at Midnight only to miss and become unbalanced and fall to the floor. Pain rushed up Iris's body, several of her ribs were broken from the balls, and who knows what else. But she needed to fight Midnight, if Apocalypse lost Midnight then the rebels would have a slight chance.
"I chose evil in moment of insanity," Iris said from the floor, "Apocalypse took that moment to secure me to a vow and I had to follow evil."
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Post by raphael on Dec 25, 2005 15:17:01 GMT -5
Raphael put a hand on Jasmine's shoulder, it had been so long since he had been able to show an emotion. Maybe it was his daughters return, maybe it was his impending doom.
Raphael gave Jasmine a knowing look and then said, "I need to don my armour. The first time is never easy, but it gets better with time" Raphael lied, it never got easier, battle was never something to take lightly.
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Post by Health on Dec 25, 2005 15:20:18 GMT -5
Amelia bit her lip and frowned, she felt like an alien here. She barely remebered her father or brother, she felt like they were complete strangers and as she watch Jasmine and Raphael speak to one another she felt a dark place inside of her form. Wishing that Raphael would show her that type of closeness and affection.
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Post by Midnight on Dec 25, 2005 15:20:38 GMT -5
"You have no choice in the matter," Midnight replied, giving Iris a kick to prove her weakness. "I didn't choose evil, and yet it came upon me." Midnight then leaned close, her face right next to Iris's. "And with that came insanity." She must have been one of the few crazy people who actually knew they were crazy. "Enough about me. I wonder what Morbid is doing right this second." She paused to lift a finger to her forehead as if thinking. Then with a snap of her fingers as if she had just hit upon it, she said, "Oh right. I told him to kill Amelia."
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Post by Health on Dec 25, 2005 15:24:21 GMT -5
"What?" Iris cried knowing now that some of her ribs were truely broken, trying to get up, "How could you she's innocent in this affair. She's always treated you with kindness," Then as Iris managed to get to her feet she spat at Midnight, it was red spit, but spit in disgust.
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Post by raphael on Dec 25, 2005 15:29:46 GMT -5
Mazarus got up and walked over to his sister. "It has been far too long sister, it is good to see you again." He hugged his sister.
Raphael turned and looked at his daughter. It hurt him to see her, to him she had been dead for so long and now here she was like a ghost. "I missed you daughter." Raphael was having difficulty thinking straight. He didn't know how to treat his daughter. She had been the enemy for so long. He dropped to his knees.
"my sins can never be forgiven child, I should have traded my life for yours, but it would have solved nothing, Apocolypse would never keep his word."
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Post by Health on Dec 25, 2005 15:33:26 GMT -5
"Dad, Marazus," Amelia cried taking them both into a hug, "Nothing can be changed now, it's the past. We have to save the future now," she said taking in the warmth of the hug.
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Post by Christian on Dec 25, 2005 20:03:10 GMT -5
Christian smiled. For years all he had seen was tears of pain and anguish and sorrow and abuse. It was a welcome change to see the type of emotion he witnessed now.
"Raphael, sir," he asked, raising his voice to be heard, "Would it be possible to have a word with you?"
He looked at Amelia, still wrapped around her family, "In private, if possible."
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Post by raphael on Dec 25, 2005 22:49:20 GMT -5
Raphael nodded to the boy who had come in with his daughter. He said gruffly, "yes, speak while I don my armour." Raphael lead the way down the stairs and into the back room where he had stowed the armour all those long years.
"speak your mind boy."
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Post by Christian on Dec 25, 2005 22:55:20 GMT -5
It took a moment for Christian to conjure up his thoughts. THere was alot to say, little time, and less chance Raphael would honor his request.
"I know full well you don't plan on coming back from this battle," He started, "I have every intention of serving under your command until the end, but this is one directive I will not let you carry out."
A cold, serious demeanor crossed him, "You have a family, sir. Mine is gone. Your sins, you've deemed unforgivable. Mine are not. It was my taking to Apocalypse that ended the life of my best friend, Zeb Long. All I request, is that when your time comes, you hand me the torch, and let me take your place. I think I deserve that much."
Christian knew in his heart that he didn't deserve anything, "You daughter Amelia, Aribeth, whomever you chose to love her as, need a father. Apocalypse hasn't been one."
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