Anakoni Stark Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 [FONT="Times New Roman"]It's been awhile since I've made a thread about anything; now seems like a good time to break that silence. Over the spring holiday I got back into writting this story that was supposed to be done last semester for my forensics course, but I got lazy and never finished it. (although I passed that course with an A-) To kill time here at home, I decided to give it another try and this is what I've come up with so far. I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I have been writting this. Feel free to critique the story, I need more ideas on where this should go. _______________________________ [B][U]Chapter I[/B][/U] [I]Experience is one thing you can’t get for nothing[/I] – Oscar Wilde Water, it’s a calming placebo of sorts for me, but for others it can be a cold fear that stops them in their tracks… Personally, I find it to be better when it’s hot but, at least its running--- Right? I hear a loud thud, shouting and constant throbbing. The throbbing grew closer, the voices were louder and clearer; the water became colder and eventually it receded. “[B][I]Shepard, Shepard… Are you still in there?[/B][/I]” one of the voices inquired, as the two people who stormed the shower stall helped me up. I tried to say something but instead coughed up about a cup’s worth of water and gasped. My vision slowly blurred into focus and the cybernetics came back online as I tried to put a name with a face, I heard the other one relay back to some sort of HQ that I was recovered and in the process of being escorted out of the crime scene. I began taking stock of my being, everything felt fine; except the fact that I still had those new arms and eyes that my benefactor had given me. I didn’t want any of this but who was I to say no? I mean I was out for quite some time as they put it, after my incident. I let out a sigh of relief that I was found; that’s when three agents from The Corporation came into the bathroom and threw me onto a stretcher. “[B][I]Wait, where are you taking him? He might have evidence![/B][/I]” Relay insisted, while the other two Corp suits started fastening me to the stretcher as I began to struggle. “[B][I]Hold on, this isn’t right! I didn’t do it! Maybe we can talk this out![/B][/I]” I screamed but the Corp suits carried on with drugging me up and wheeling me out of the hotel room. “[B][I]What do we do with him?[/B][/I]” I heard as my cybernetics began to shut down and my body grew weaker, the leader of the pack laughed and said, “[B][I]He knows too much about the mission, the solution is elementary… We kill him.[/B][/I]” My name is Alexander Shepard and 14 days ago, I was the only thing standing between us and total annihilation. [B][U]Chapter II[/B][/U] [I]Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication[/I] – Leonardo Da Vinci The buzz of my answering machine woke me up this morning; it was the sweet sound of my coworker, Symantha Laurent, once again with a wakeup call but this one seemed a little more concerned than her usual ones… “[B][I]Hey Mr. Shepard, it’s the 18th of June 2027… Just calling to get you up this fine Friday morning… The doctors told me that they’re reactivating you today; I wanted to call and be the first to hear how you’re doing. You really left me worried after your incident… Since you aren’t picking up the phone. I guess you’re not up yet. Well, I’ll see you at the lab![/B][/I]” The tape clicked and announced that was the end of all incoming messages as I got up and slowly shuffled to the panoramic windows of my Miami mansion; the house’s AI began to retract the shutters while my new eyes began to saturate my line of sight with the blinding flood of sunlight… I sighed in relief as the optics activated the protective UV lenses. When I retracted the lenses, I looked at what the hell those doctors had done to me. New arms; new eyes and a retracting blade in my left forearm popped out as I wondered how much of me was left to be organic. Once my eyes adjusted to the sunlight, I looked out into the city’s skyline, nothing in my city seemed to adapt to this new fangled façade the rest of the world had taken. Most of the original architecture has remained the same since the start of the 21st century, albeit… There are some slight renovations to help ease the city into the current state of the time; like these pesky Virtual Interfaces that pop up almost anywhere and bother with assistance which really isn’t needed, along with mechs that do the simple mundane jobs and the influx of intergalactic residents. As I got dressed my mind began to slip in and out of the event; I can hear the crushing of the metal and the desperate scramble of traffic trying to get out of the way, I can feel the car getting airborne and landing in a skid sunroof first, I can smell the smoke and fire from the wreckage. I can taste my own blood coming out of my mouth. Voices, worried and in a panic--- they’re coming closer… One of them emits a gruesome scream, I look around to see why this person is screaming and, I try my best to hold in my own fear… As I see my arms ripped from my body about 10 feet from me. Once I snap from my trance-like nightmare; I notice that I’m sitting in my new car with the engine ready to leave for work… “[B][I]What the hell brings all the aliens to Miami anyway?[/B][/I]” I wondered to myself out loud as I peeled out of my neighbourhood and onto the freeway towards the crime lab.[/FONT] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakoni Stark Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 [FONT="Times New Roman"][B][U]Chapter III[/B][/U] [I]All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.[/I] – Ralph Waldo Emerson As I pulled into the parking lot of the crime lab I heard something that caught my interest on the radio, “[B][I]Hope everyone’s Friday is going as planned, this is Achilles and you’re listening to Live BPM 107.5, sponsored in part by The Corporation; Discover difference, discover The Corporation. I know who’s Friday would be going in the right direction; Dr. Shepard of the Miami-Dade Crime lab, as he’s being awoken from that terrible episode that happened five years ago… Well, what do you know; the phones are lighting up, it seems like you guys have something to say about this one, let’s go to our first----[/B][/I]“ I turned the car off in disgust; I thought that internal affairs had kept this within the department and my lab… Then again knowing that Kevin Dresdner, the head of the PD, would be up to no good and looking for another 15 minutes of fame; would have publicized my “unfortunate occurrence” to pick on the CSI unit once again. I got out of the car, walked up the steps and looked out into horizon. Streams of different thought are running rampant through my head; [I]Five years, it’s been that long? Why couldn’t my team prevent this leak? Who is The Corporation? Who gave me the second chance to live and the new Mustang? If it’s been five years why haven’t I aged?[/I] The rush of cool air snapped me back to reality, as the automatic doors slid open and the building’s AI welcomed me back. While I walked through the complex the AI had been bringing me up to speed on what has happened, I blocked out what it had been telling me and noticed that everyone in my lab had the countenance of shock on their faces. I was thinking the same thing that they assumed: [I]we thought you were dead! This must be some sort of joke the department must be playing on us.[/I] Yeah, I’m as clueless as the rest of you. As I was extracting the epithelia from the hilt of a blade from the latest case, there was a knock on my door; it was my partner Symantha Laurent. About 5’8”, with that nice slightly tan complexion; slender build, high cheekbones, jade green eyes and blonde hair along with other prominent features it’s made me think, You could’ve gone on to be a model, and yet you decide to work here of all places, and torture me with your good looks? Her English accent is what always melts me, I don’t know why but I think I have something for girls raised in England. “[B][I]Dr. Shepard![/B][/I]” she almost screamed as she rushed in and gave me a hug, “[B][I]I missed you too, Sam. How has my lab been treating you?[/B][/I]” “[B][I]It’s been well to me… You know; I’m no longer that clumsy Level 1 that you decided to tutor back in 2022, I’m now a specialist in ballistics and trace, studying anatomy and also I’m now a Level 3, your Assistant Shift Supervisor.[/B][/I]” “[B][I]A lot can change in five years, apparently, Laurent.[/B][/I]” “[B][I]I know, did you get my phone message from this morning, Doctor?[/B][/I]” I nodded and went back to placing the epithelia samples into the centrifuge, when I heard her ask, “[B][I]Doc, can you take off your shirt so I can see what they’ve done to you?[/B][/I]” Definitely, something I really didn’t expect to wake up to, but how could I deny my partner, especially when she’s so good looking? I sighed as I removed my lab coat, took my shirt off and threw it on a chair. “[B][I]Arms and eyes are a given… Your eyes weren’t dark red before the operation and the lenses didn’t behave like those of a camera…[/B][/I]” she noted as her flashlight shined in my eyes, causing the lenses to contract and expand in a rapid manner. She began taking notes on her datapad and my onboard computer began identifying her, at an alarming rate my line of sight filled with statistics such as her name, occupation, and age, then it gave me more meticulous data such as what type of firearm she was carrying, her blood pressure and a quick summary of wounds she had sustained. She continued to take notes as I muttered the analysis to myself, “[B][I]Alright, I can see the scar on her collarbone and the signs of fatigue, but where is the bruising my analysis mentioned?[/B][/I]” Faster than I could sneeze, my lenses changed my depth of vision from the normal wavelength of light to the UV level and it revealed those bruises I wondered about, one on her left eye, several along her arms and a couple on her legs. From what I could deduct these were not the [I]everyday-oops-I-have-to-stop-running-into-these-things[/I]-type of bruises, the ones on her arms were consistent with a fist, and the shaping of the ones on her legs are regular with kicks. I began to wonder if she was being abused by someone, at which point I asked, “[B][I]Are you alright? Being rebuilt and everything, I couldn’t help but notice that there are numerous bruises on your body.[/B][/I]” She did not answer my question. With my line of slight back to the normal wavelength, my stats told me her heart rate went up slightly after I asked the question, that’s when I started hearing Symantha’s voice, but her mouth wasn’t moving. “[B][I]Holy crap, how did he know that? I took all the precautions to prevent them from being seen at work, I don’t understand how he can just look at me and practically sum up my life at home![/B][/I]” Wait… What, her mouth is isn’t moving, I don’t get this; unless I’m… Symantha cleared her throat and asked me if she could continue her documentation, I told her to keep it going, that’s when she pushed record on the datapad and put her hands on my chest and pressed lightly. “[B][I]Right lung… Left lung…[/B][/I]” I exhaled, trying my best not to feel awkward as her hands continued to examine how much of me was left. I’m hoping she’d give me an answer to how much of me remained after surgery. “[B][I]One, two, three, four ribs on the right side… And, three on the left. The texture of your skin still feels like skin to the touch but if I look closer, I can see evidence that they stuck something between you… Like they ripped out the parietal peritoneum and replaced it with Kevlar. Amazing that your musculature remains the way you kept it before the incident. Nice and fit, with the six pack like I remembered.[/B][/I]” Bulletproofing? Why would I need such a thing, who did this to me? Could it be tied to the publication of my incident? Her hands continued to work around my body, down to my legs now. “[B][I]Well, I can tell you that your femur, tibia and fibula are organic… But your patella, tarsals and metatarsals are not , they’re much denser than bone… Maybe more Kevlar?[/B][/I]” “[B][I]If those are Kevlar, then why can I still bend? Possibly carbon fiber?[/B][/I]” I asked, Symantha hushed me and turned me around. Her hands were now on my back, and my spine. “[B][I]There’s more dense material in C2, C4 and C5…God, has anyone told you how amazingly fit you are?[/B][/I]” Her hands continued along my back, while my mind wondered what life would be like if Symantha was the one to settle with. I can see us, living happily in this same city, same mansion, but we’d be out of the service then. I’d be working on music and she’d be cooking endlessly. That girl really loves to cook, there’s never a time when I visit her where she’s never got some sort of cooking utensil in her hand. “[B][I]She’s great; wouldn’t give her up for anything in the world.[/B][/I]” I murmured, as she turned me around again. Symantha was surprised that the doctors managed to salvage what they could, she said the amount of damage I received would have killed a normal person; she turned off her datapad and started eyeing me as I put my shirt on. I think she has something for the looks, I can’t help that I’m half Spanish and half Russian. One side is forever endowed with charm and good looks and the other is fueled by perseverance and strength. “[B][I]How did you do it? How did you survive and keep your Spanish accent?[/B][/I]” Symantha asked me “[B][I]I guess my lineage has something to do with it, you know how they say the Russians don’t go down without a fight… As for the accent, I guess the galaxy doesn’t have enough mestizos.[/B][/I]” I answered, all of a sudden I realized that we were really close to each other. That’s when the AI chirped in asking if I wanted to examine the case’s victim. [B][U]Chapter IV[/B][/U] [I]Extreme remedies are appropriate for extreme diseases[/I] – Hippocrates I walked out of the DNA lab down to my favorite place in the entire complex, the morgue. Cold and quiet; to be honest, I think the loudest thing I’ve ever heard in my body fridge would be the saw opening up the skull to determine if a subdural hematoma (blood clot in the brain) was the cause of death. The morgue’s mech assistants were heaving the body onto my table as I was walking in and whistling that song Down by Blink 182, I know it’s relatively dated but it’s pretty damn good. “[B][I]What do we have here?[/B][/I]” I asked as I stretched my fingers, before I could begin the examination itself, my internal computer began analyzing my subject, although I didn’t get any identification it did give me cause of death though. Electrical burns and multiple ballistics wounds within the torso due to the shrapnel of an electromagnetic pulse grenade; I also noted that were various tool marks along the forearms and there was signs of conjunctiva petechiae (bloodshot eyes), along with bruising on the neck consistent with strangulation. Judging by the depth of the wounds on his arms, the strangulation and the EMP grenade to the stomach, I’ve concluded that this guy was tortured. My question now is by whom? I can’t think of any crime syndicates within the city or state, who would go as far as blowing up their victim once they’re proved to be useless... Since this autopsy was easy, I’ve ruled this one as a homicide. I reached over the table for my camera to take reference photos, when I heard something fall to the floor. A soft pinging noise, followed by a high pitched sustaining beep, my internal computer had shown me the hazardous materials symbol. Then an explosion, I could feel massive amounts of electricity surging through my body as another grenade exploded, I could see the small flash from the grenade and the lab’s safety systems kicking in then, I blacked out. [I]I’m screaming in pain as the doctors are wheeling me through the ER ward, with rapid fire speech and the morphine slowly flooding my endocrine system, they pushed my gurney through numerous doors until they stopped in a very cold and bright operating theatre. I can still hear the numerous voices all talking at once, and some a much more agitated tone. I can hardly see the bright lights and silhouettes of the numerous surgeons. “[B]Dr. Shepard, can you hear me?[/B]” one of the voices asked, in a calm and soothing tone, how could she be so unperturbed in a situation like this? I wondered. I groaned and she took that as a yes, the questions continued. “[B]Are you in any pain?[/B]” “[B]Well my arms are missing and my legs are broken, how DO you think I feel?[/B]” I replied in a sarcastically agitated tone. “[B]Can you tell me how this happened, Alexander?[/B]” “[B]I was driving back to the lab and along the SR821; this big rig cuts across three lanes and fishtails my Camaro. The rest goes by too fast for me to remember.[/B]” I can hear the sound of two surgical saws powering up and more of that rapid fire speech, sounding more worried this time. The saws were getting closer to the remains of my arms. “[B]No, wait… what are you going to do with those?[/B]” I asked nervously “[B]Do not worry, Alexander; this won’t hurt a bit.[/B]” The calming voice reassured me. “[B]Whatever you---- AHHHHHHH![/B]” I screamed as the saws were working their way through the bone, muscle and bits of flesh. I could feel spots of my cold blood hitting my face, I could smell the burning friction of the saws spinning their way through the bone, I could hear the voices becoming more distressed but now they were worried, as I looked around I could see the silhouetted hands coming down on my torso and felt this small but sharp pain running through my chest. That’s when the morphine kicked in, as the hands took some sort of nail and hammer contraption and in one swift pound they managed to break open my ribcage. As I was fading out, the voice reassured me again “[B]Alexander, do not fear; for you’re now in the hands of one of Miami’s best surgeons.[/B][/I]”[/FONT] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakoni Stark Posted April 1, 2010 Author Share Posted April 1, 2010 (edited) [FONT="Times New Roman"] [B][U]Chapter V[/B][/U] [I]Never mistake motion for action[/I] - Ernest Hemmingway As I groaned and slowly regained perception, my augmented body ached in natural pain while the rest of my morgue remained unscathed. That's when I saw Symantha in the morgue's upper level observatory, trying to see if I was alright. "[B][I]Don't worry; I'm fine for the most part, Laurent.[/B][/I]" She looked down at me, with a countenance of relief and then she started to worry again, "[B][I]Alexander, are you sure you're alright? Should I take you to the hospital? Is the evidence compromised? How are the aug----[/B][/I]" "[B][I]Like I said, I am alright.[/B][/I]" I reassured her in a slightly annoyed tone, she began making her way down to the body fridge. She opened the door and I couldn't help but think to myself why such a good looking innocent girl would be working in such a dark and meticulous place. She went over to the body I was examining and began taking reference photos as I quietly double checked to see if I was really ok, all of the augmentations seemed to be functioning fine, but this message ticked across my line of sight that read: [B]This system is attempting to recover from a serious error, please seek your administrator to recalibrate your system.[/B] Wait, what? I don't understand, do they mean my internal computer or the enhancements? And who the hell would my administrator be anyway? I can't seem to remember the name of the surgeon, or anything really; post-incident my memory has been relatively absent. "[B][I]Well, I managed to compare the tool marks on our victim, Andre McGrath; 32 from Coral Gables, he worked for one of those advertising firms that has The Corporation as one of their clientele. The tool marks came back to the tools we seized from the suspect from that case from 2022.[/B][/I]", Symantha told me, I didn't care much for my case now; I wanted answers and starting with the surgeon who turned me into [B][I]this[/B][/I] might provide some insight. "B][I]I know I'm going to sound like a douchebag for saying this, but I can't go with you to chase this one, Sammy; I need to find out who did this to me; I'm tired of getting the 'holy shit he's not dead!'- Expression. I've been dead for five years, and being asleep for that long, I just can't wake up and pretend that nothing happened.[/B][/I]" I told her with a new founded sense of longing in my voice, although I could sense in the back of my mind that I had popped some sort bubble of hers, she never really got to work a case with me before because my department was stretched so thinly that she'd be busy organizing the evidence locker instead of processing and gathering it or working on other mundane jobs. As I began taking off my lab coat and leaving the morgue, I told Symantha to bring one of those newer Level 1s with her and that I would make up for my sudden departure by making dinner for her at my place. She just kind of stood there, most likely disappointed in me, but I need to do what has to be done. "[B][I]The name of the surgeon who brought you back from the dead is Adele Glass; she lives in Biscayne Bay, I'm pretty sure she programmed her address into your interface somewhere.[/B][/I]" Symantha told me with a hint of aversion in her voice. I thanked her, and she left without making any sort of eye contact or acknowledgement that I was there. Great, my first day back on the job and what's happened so far? Well I keep getting the holy-crap-he's-alive-thing, I got electrocuted in my own morgue [I]and[/I] I just rained on the parade of my partner; let's hope that my confrontation with Ms. Glass won't be so ill-fated. While I was walking out back to my car, I ran into Dresdner in the main lobby. "[B][I]Why aren't you going with Symantha for evidence collection?[/B][/I]" He asked me; that was all he had to say to set me off, I ended up grabbing him by the collar and slamming him into one of the glass walls of the complex hard enough to the point where the impact caused the glass to crack. "[B][I]One question for you, Kevin; Why did YOU publicize my death? So you could score another shred of false credibility?[/B][/I]" That's when Oliver Adams, one of the newer CSIs; took note of the noise and intervened. He pulled me back, saying that utilizing half a million Credits to inflict a new definition of the word [I]Pain[/I] upon a lowlife like Kevin wouldn't solve any problems. I like the kid, for someone who hasn't been living here long; he definitely knows what's what and how to work around the hectic party-centric vibe that the city seems to represent. I asked if Oliver if he would be the one working with Laurent; he replied positively with that new-guy-enthusiasm that all of the newbies seemed to possess, as we walked out to the parking lot and to our cars. I watched the two of them get into one of the SUVs and drive off, as their vehicle got smaller in my line of sight; my eyes zoomed in on the rearview mirror and Symantha looked into it with the I'm-sorry-for-getting-mad-at-you-for-being dead-for-five-years-two-months-and-six-days-will-you-forgive-me-look. My internal computer chirped in asking if I wanted to send a text message to her phone. [I]Are you serious? I'm a mobile phone now too? What else is Glass hiding from me?[/I], I wondered as I confirmed the command. [B]Awaiting input, speak to send message.[/B] My display flashed, as I got into my mustang and started it up, the prompt continued to blink at the lower left hand corner of my sight as I drove to the address. I didn't say a single word, trying to follow the directions my GPS was giving me in that oddly enthusiastic car salesman voice and thinking of what exactly I should say. My mind was trying to come up with the least clichéd lines to make me sound less like this monster that Adele had turned me into and more like the charismatic Doctor Alexander Shepard, which Symantha Laurent was assigned to work with five years ago. After mentally reciting some lines that reminded me of corny love movies, I had realized that I had wound up parked in front of a dilapidated warehouse. The prompt continued to flash in the same spot and I quickly muttered something just to get it out of the way. I began to wonder if my internal GPS was on the same level of unreliability as Google's attempt to map the other galaxies, with caution I took my revolver from its holster as I walked up to the front door of the storehouse. The door is ajar, I pushed it open and my user interface seemed to disengage itself, the hissing of the hydraulics that replaced my joints seemed to make itself audible. [I]This is not cool, am I really trying to blow my cover here?[/I] I thought as I scanned the building to find my "benefactor". Despite its trashed exterior I was quite surprised that Adele had managed to turn a warehouse into an excellent living space, then again; from what Oliver had told me about how much rebuilding me had cost her, this probably was like spending money at the grocery store. Among the extraordinary living amenities that are found in a rich mad scientist's abode, I had noticed that there was an extension to the house, which is probably where Glass spent most of her time rebuilding me. I heard a soft but persistent snapping noise coming from the living room area, as I walked in, the sole occupant of the house did not even turn to see who had entered her home. "[B][I]Excuse me, Ms. Glass? I'm---[/B][/I]" "[B][I]Ah yes, Doctor Alexander Shepard of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab, I was beginning to wonder when that grenade explosion would send you looking for me.[/B][/I]" Adele had finished my sentence for me, she turned her head slightly signaling for me to sit on the couch next to her. As I sat down next to her, I was amazed by how beautiful she looked. From what I could tell she looked to be in the late twenties, with that sand dusted, Middle Eastern complexion, brown eyes, slim build, dark hair; Her English accent only seemed to be the tip of her beauty. "[B][I]You took the words out of my mouth, Ms. Glass.[/B][/I]" I sighed as I began to loosen up, and relax a little bit; she did not look up and take note of the 6'3" , well built, tanned Latino with dark red camera lenses for eyes and robotic arms. She just sat there concentrating on peeling pistachios from their shells and depositing the meat of the nut into a wooden bowl. She smiled slightly as she continued to do the meaningless deed. [I]Why is she smiling? Am I really that funny?[/I] I wondered, that's when she shelled her last one, put the bowl on her coffee table and said "[B][I]Please, call me Adele. Since you've been out there so long, I have a feeling that I'll have a lot of readjustments to make. I want you to strip down and get back into the garage, Mr. Shepard.[/B][/I]" [B][U]Chapter VI[/B][/U] [I]In order to arrive at what you are not, you must go through the way which you are not[/I] - T.S. Elliot While Dr. Shepard laid on the cold metal slab, with his legs, torso and neck sliced open, and a needle in his left eye; his partner was arriving at the apartment of Anton Falk, the person of interest in the team's last known case. The pair had brought him in previously after finding his fingerprint on the handle of the murder weapon. The appearance of the apartment just seemed to scream that he was hiding something, for it was as clean as Symantha's home; after meeting Alexander (and learning of his death) she had tried to break out of the OCD cycle that had claimed her as child, but still the disease has had a death grip on her. Symantha sighed and looked around for anything that could bring Anton back to the crime lab to question him again; she had begun to process the living room as Oliver was searching the other rooms and walkway of the apartment. As the two were processing the room, a white windowless van had pulled into the parking lot next to their truck; two sharply dressed agents got out of the car and began making their way up the apartment building. Adele looked at the horridly disfigured corpse that lied there with the lungs and other vital organs still visually functioning, and continued to carry on with her surgery; Shepard's right eye had focused on her, she tried to ignore it, but she could always feel Alexander's eye looking at her, as if he had a million questions to ask; she kept reminding herself that this was merely a firmware upgrade and that his questions were much smaller than what she had rebuilt him for. Adele's mech assistants began removing the bones from Alexander's leg, when Adele finally succumbed to the infinite inquiries that Alex had been waiting for. "[B][I]I know you only have one eye at the moment, Alexander; But I can tell you have plenty of questions, from the way you've been watching me.[/B][/I]" She told the corpse on her table. He emitted this growling noise as if to say well [I]no fucking duh, Ms. Glass.[/I] She began to explain that she got involved in the Reficere Project as a lowly nurse's assistant, but as The Corporation began raiding their base of operations, their numbers dwindled in a rapid fashion. How could a shadow organization find another and eliminate it? Shepard wondered, Adele had said there was a mole within the project who leaked everything about the whole operation. The Corporation is the world's largest pharmaceutical company, they have managed to cure most diseases, and they also have this reputation for keeping their business practices and ethics out of the public's imagination by also utilizing its own self-funded task force. The extent of their brutality can be summarized in one incident; back in the year 2019, the French government had brought up a fact that one of their immunizations from the flu had caused a number of riots within the city of Paris at a UGA (United Galactic Alliance) meeting that year. The pharmaceutical giant saw this as a threat to their spotless reputation and sent the militia of their French branch to eradicate the entire city. Now all that remains of the city of lights is a derelict Champs-�lysées, an eroded Arc de Triomphe and a weathered Eiffel Tower. Adele had learned of the incident while rebuilding Shepard (the first time) and decided to look into what had driven the Parisians into madness after the injection. The chemical makeup consisted of Fatal Arterial Injected Logarithms and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, she soon began publishing it on social networks and sending out grassroots PSAs defaming The Corporation, the company feared losing their reputation as the world's best source for medicinal needs, so they decided to release the formula into the Earth's atmosphere. The effects were violent at first, but as time developed some of those who were affected rebounded from their deranged states of madness and regained limited control of their blood thirst. They had envisioned their rightful place back into society after being deemed monstrosities by those who were immune, they formed their own governing body, People for the Ethical Treatment of the Insane. Unknown to the public, the PETI struck an under the table deal with The Corporation to help them regain face. The two planned to take over the world, but even those living in the shadows have motives they conceal from their allies. Since Adele was one of the major sources of funding out of those who were spared from the attacks from The Corporation; it made sense to give her a major boost up the command ladder, and she went from lowly nurse's assistant to chief surgeon in a matter of months. Meanwhile back at the apartment complex, the two suits had effortlessly made their way through the front desk and were walking up the stairs to the Falk residence, when Oliver halted the two at the door. One of the suits responded by leaving a silenced bullet in Adams' head. The other of the two suited assailants, pulled out a rag doused in chloroform as they entered the apartment. As she was processing the kitchen to find some incriminating evidence, Symantha knew that something was wrong and had her hand resting on the hilt of her 9mm pistol. Before she could turn to see what was amiss, the agent with the chloroform had made its move by covering her mouth and nose. She struggled slightly, then her body had fallen limp, one of the agents began carrying Laurent back to the van, while the other dragged Oliver back into the apartment and tossed a couple of triggered explosives deeper into the apartment flat. The two dark figures moved swiftly through the Miami sunlight even with the sleeping girl on their shoulders. The agent who wasn�t loading Symantha into the van, stuck a few more triggered explosives to the truck Laurent and Adams had arrived in. After a couple of moments with struggling on how to put an unconscious girl into the back of a van, the two agents were disappearing into the rush hour traffic as a deafening explosion was produced from the apartment complex. Alexander was now sitting at Adele's kitchen table, wearing a pair of basketball shorts; helping himself to another swig from the vodka bottle and another bite of a rudimentary vegetarian sandwich he had made. The firmware upgrade proved to be successful, Adele had coated the few bones he had left with a dense sort of metallic paint. She also reprogrammed the cameras in his eyes, installed a GPS transmitter and an implant that sits on top of the thyroid cartilage surrounding his larynx, which enabled him to communicate with whoever was tuned to a certain frequency, it also allowed that person a direct visual feed of what he was seeing along with being able to track his location. "[B][I]To be honest, Ms. Gla--- Adele... I think that entire operation was like getting a haircut.[/B][/I]" Alexander implied after taking another chug of the vodka, Adele was sitting across from him eating a bowl of oatmeal and stopped with the spoon in her mouth as she heard Alex's remark. She gave him a look for saying such, and the two continued to eat breakfast in silence. That's when Alex's phone began playing Obstacle I by Interpol, and broke the stillness. He pulled the phone closer to him, looked at the caller id and threw the phone against the wall. Adele shuddered as the phone hit the wall and deactivated, but she immediately went back to fixing her gaze upon Shepard. Alex was taking finishing the last of his sandwich when he began hearing Adele's thoughts. "[B][I]Now that I've successfully finished his firmware upgrade, I think he'll be able to stand a chance against PETI. Those insane bastards don't think that the normal ones can't fight back? Let's see how they fair up against a fully developed hybrid, a good looking one at that too.[/B][/I]" Adele took Shepard by the hand and led him into her room, as Shepard was feeling uncertain about Glass' newfound intimate longing for him. While Symantha was waking up tied to a chair, in a dimly lit room with various tools along the walls.[/FONT] Edited June 11, 2010 by Anakoni Stark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakoni Stark Posted April 28, 2010 Author Share Posted April 28, 2010 (edited) [FONT="Times New Roman"][B][U]Chapter VII[/B][/U] [I]A people that values its privileges above its principles soon looses both[/I] - Dwight Eisenhower A chilling scream rouses me from my sleep, I jolt awake to find Adele wrapped around me. I can't believe that she's the one who dehumanizes me and yet I wind up sleeping with her. It would have been better if I was waking up to the sounds of the gulls calling and Symantha clutching onto me. I leave the bed as slowly as possible to prevent from waking Ms. Glass, and replace my void with a pillow. She doesn't notice the change in shape. [I]Goddamn, she's a heavy sleeper.[/I] I thought as I pulled my Chuck Taylors on, that's when I noticed my phone on the kitchen floor. The screen read that I missed one call from the crime lab. Oh, jeez, I left Sam out there, technically alone; there's something that Dresdner could ***** at me about. "[B][I]Oh, Alex; where ever you are, make this pain stop.[/B][/I]" Symantha's voice is in my head again, and it doesn't sound like she's on her period. I open my phone and try calling her it went straight to her voicemail prompt, complete with her failed death metal growl. I snap the phone shut and throw it against the wall again, this time producing a hole. This outburst of rage finally rouses Adele from her sleep. I light a cigarette, take a swig from the vodka bottle and start heading back out to my Mustang. "[B][I]Hey Shepard! What about this hole in my wall? Are you sure you're allowed to head out there with only a pair of jeans and Chucks?[/B][/I]" I hear her yell as the vodka bottle shatters on the floor, which produces another shriek of dismay from Ms. Glass. Music to my ears, she apparently doesn't know how this city runs; I guess that's what happens when you move to one of the most humid cities stateside after spending life holed up in a prissy university close enough to the north pole that you can�t tell if the sun's up half the time. Or decide to rebuild a bartending psychologist who spends daylight as a forensic scientist, for that matter. I'm peeling out of Biscayne Bay and decide to call the team's homicide detective, Marcus Fierro, to get any information on Symantha's current condition and location. "[B][I]Dr. Shepard. Hello.[/B][/I]" He greets me in Italian and I return the salutation in Russian. "[B][I]Hey Marc, I've been trying to reach Sammy but she isn't picking up her phone... Have you heard from her?[/B][/I]" I inquired, I could hear him rolling his office chair across the floor and the distinctive clicking from his keyboard over the phone. As the computer was trying to triangulate her position, Marcus began asking if something had happened to Ms. Laurent when I saw and heard Symantha screaming in pain stripped down to her underwear, covered in bruises, cuts and getting branded. I groaned at the vision when Marcus asked me if I was still there "[B][I]Sparviero, are you there?[/B][/I]" he asked "[B][I]Of course I am, Marc... What're your results on the triangulation?[/B][/I]" I replied with a hint of vengeance in my voice "[B][I]She's being held at The Wind tower downtown on the 15th floor, Sparviero.[/B][/I]" "[B][I]Alright, you'll find me there. Don�t bring any back up.[/B][/I]" I told him as the call terminated. I threw the car in reverse, going against the flow of the interchange and spun the car around. I realized that the Mustang was going through oncoming traffic, that's when I flipped on the siren; and like a school of fish avoiding the great white shark, the pedestrians began to swerve out of my way as I sped down the freeway with the siren blaring. I continue down the freeway in this manner until I noticed red and blue lights in my rearview. [I]Goddamnit guys, don't follow me.[/I] I thought to myself and out of nowhere the patrol cars backed off. [I]That's strange, it doesn't work out that way; usually they keep following me until I get on the radio and scream at them to turn back...[/I] I pondered as I merged into the proper lane and floored the accelerator while mindlessly shifting gears. All I could think about was Symantha's wellbeing and how much of a grilling I'd be getting from almost everyone in the department for leaving my newly appointed second in command out there with next to no experience with how to deal with a hostage situation. After weaving in and out of the dense rush hour traffic; I finally make it to the Wind tower, I jump out of the car and as if on command my user interface has initiated the Adrenal Response Command, which allowed me to run twice as fast as I normally do, my line of sight had changed from the normal wavelength to a hybrid between thermal and x-ray vision, which had canceled out the sunlight and left me with a thermal printout of everyone within the building along with vital printouts of certain individuals. I looked up towards the 15th floor and I had located where Symantha was being held; Her x-ray wasn't looking typical. This is definitely not good I thought to myself that's when Adele had chimed in on my internal radio. "[B][I]I just patched Marcus through to you, Alexander. He's standing by waiting for your next command.[/B][/I]" She had advised. [B][I]Alright, Marc; I want you to infiltrate the room and secure the package; it's beginning to wear thin. Incapacitate the other two, and leave them for me.[/B][/I]" I muttered as I began running up the stairs. When Oliver told me to find something else to redefine [I]pain[/I] upon, I sought this as an opportunity. I rushed into the room and tackled the nearest of the two suits. He came down with a slam, and I began to beat his face in; I also noticed that the punches I was throwing were quite strong once my victim's face slowly turned to mush. I was amazed with this pristine strength that I had, and rose up to unleash hell upon the second victim. I began with a right hook to his temple. I kicked him in the torso and brought my elbow down on his skull while he was sprawling on the floor, ensuring a concussion... But I wasn't finished with him; I grabbed him by his upper right arm and pulled until I heard the ripping of the joint from its socket. Then I did what I thought I would never be able to do; I beat him to death with his own arm. I finished off the surviving suit by placing two rounds into his chest. I slid over to Symantha and began undoing her bounds; she looked into my eyes with a slight bit of fear. Once I had finished I told Marcus to radio for the paramedics, he began to leave the room and making the call. I fixed my attention back to Symantha and my internal computer began giving me a diagnosis of her injuries. That's when she leaned forward and tried to give me a hug, I held onto her as if she was the only person in all of Miami that had mattered. We both broke down and sobbed in the bloody and destroyed suite. "[B][I]Everything will be fine, my little sparrow� You are safe now.[/B][/I]" I murmured to her in Russian as the sirens grew closer. [B][U]Chapter VIII[/B][/U] [I]A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history[/I] - Gandhi I was in the middle of examining the rest of the suite when the rest of the evidence collection teams started to converge on my crime scene. [I]So much for discretion[/I] I thought as some of the others began to interrupt the traumatic silence of the room. I began taking pictures of the tools on the walls which were most likely used to extort information from Sammy. Pliers, various knives, along with other mundane objects that I have a brand new abhorrence towards. In the bathroom I found the branding iron that was used on the girl, I looked back out into the living room of the suite and my mind began reconstructing the appalling interrogation that occurred here. Once the mental restoration started, it couldn't stop. I kept hearing Symantha's screams and cries of pain in my head as I was collecting the evidence, with every article that I tagged and bagged the echoes of her torment became louder in my head. My mind began to slowly unravel as the sounds of inhumane extortion became crystal clear, that's when Marcus snapped me out of my nightmarish trance. "[B][I]Shepard, what's the matter? You have that look on your face again.[/B][/I]" Marcus noted in Portuguese as he pulled me towards the window of the suite. "[B][I]I can't believe I let this one happen, Marcus. If I'm the one they wanted, they should've just hunted me down and ripped out my entrails while I was on Adele's operating table...[/B][/I]" I replied in English while looking down toward the street. I noticed that news vans were starting to gather around the front entrance of the tower and the reporters began making that pool of annoying blabbermouths who would make getting back to my car a ******* mess. On the opposite side of the media clutter, I saw Ms. Laurent getting checked out in the ambulance truck, I looked behind me and noticed that there was congestion still in the entryway, and to make matters worse I heard Dresdner's nasally shrill yell at the end of the hall. I sighed and lit a cigarette. "[B][I]Wait... What?! You're the boss, Shepard... But even you know you shouldn�t smoke at a scene![/B][/I]"Marcus interjected. I walked back to the entryway of the suite, turned around and gave him a look that said [I]Could- you-take- care-of-this-for-me?[/I] Then I ran straight for the window at full force and jumped out. The shattering of the glass along with the gasps (and a groan from Marcus) of disbelief were the last things I heard as the wind started howling around my ears. I'm falling down 150ft face first, I continuously turn my body during free fall so I'll land on my feet, and close my eyes. My mind flashes back to that dream I had two days ago; [I]it all plays out the same but as Symantha comes closer for a kiss, we�re violently interrupted by those guys in the suits as they storm my mansion with guns blazing. I pull Symantha close and turn my back toward the hail of incoming bullets. I can hear the hard pinging of the shells coming in contact with my armored upper torso, I can smell the strong scent of the gunpowder mixed with the ocean breeze, I can see the number of suits increasing at an alarming rate. I can feel Sammy clutching onto me even tighter but what breaks me is the sound of Symantha's whimpering. She sounds so scared and confused that I actually don't know what to do.[/I] I'm awakened from my daydreaming as my feet make impact with the ground. The shock from the fall was violent enough to produce fractures within the concrete, this caused the media mob and Symantha to turn their attention towards the landing zone. I exhale to collect my thoughts, stand up and begin walking towards Symantha; as I'm walking towards her my user interface flashes another message: [B]Autopilot Enabled, now disengaging you from the system.[/B] [I]Wait, what? I don't understand what is happening.[/I] I thought as I continued to walk toward her, we�re getting closer, she opens her arms for a longing embrace. My arms also begin opening up, but my left hand is beginning to curl into a fist, and the forearm blade projects itself from its sheath. Symatha's eyes widen in horror and I'm trying my best to regain control of my body, but I end up stabbing her in the chest. It happens all within the span of less than a second. She screams in pain as the seven inch blade makes its way through her as I watch in horror as this happens, I try to comprehend why such an event would turn out this way; then it all clicks in my mind. Adele said she had looked through my files during the Recifere Project and must have put two and two together. I stood there appalled by the fact that she had turned me into her puppet to seek revenge along with trying to win my heart, while Sam had begun gasping for air. Then I felt a piercing pain from my left shoulder blade, and another shock. After being electrocuted once by that EMP grenade, you'd think I'd be used to being electrocuted. No, of course not. The shock coming from whatever had gotten stuck in my back was much stronger than that of the close range EMP, this piercing made the grenade feel like getting sent through a giant wad of wet noodles. Whatever this thing is, it's really smart... The object did not channel its electricity to Ms. Laurent, the shock coursed through my veins and disrupted my interface. After what seemed to be an eternity, the surging through my system had ceased. My display read a new message: [B]Autopilot disabled. All remote users have been disconnected from this system.[/B] I was slightly relieved but not completely, as I noticed my blade still stuck in Symantha. My mind began to worry as the blade slowly retracted itself back into its sheath and out of her chest. When the blade fully withdrew, I turned Symantha towards me and looked at where the blade had entered; it turns out that the stabbing had done no major damage, with the exception of a scar near the left side of her collarbone. That�s when I felt a tap on my shoulder; I turned around and saw a 5'6" female, with dirty blonde hair, a slender and athletic build, a slight tan with hazel eyes that gave her a presence that said [I]Mr. Shepard, you could become my next hit if you mess up again.[/I] "[B][I]Who are you?[/B][/I]" I asked as she pulled out the arrow that protruded from my back, she smiled slyly and replied in a slight French accent, "[B][I]My name is Katia Miruna.[/B][/I]" While she was returning her arrow to her quiver, my internal computer came back on and began retrieving information about Katia; her occupation is an assassin, with excellent marksmanship with most firearms and an outstanding bill of physical stamina. Further analysis revealed that she is of Japanese and French descent, but beyond that my computers couldn't pick anything up. I kept my wits about her even though there was part of me that trusted her immediately. The three of us were looking back up towards the hole in the tower's glass wall as Marcus' head came into view with a mutual silence, when the clamor of the media rapidly grew closer. I turned to get a glance at the large crowd of cameras, overhead microphones and inquiring voices, when Katia told me to bring the other two back to my house and four of us would divulge in our next plan of action there. When I turned around to ask if she knew where I live, she was gone. [I]**** that, I think it'd be best for us to head down to my uncle's house instead. What if those suits are raiding the mansion right now?[/I] I grabbed Symantha by the hand and ran us both to my car, as the media closed in on us, and told Sam to text Marcus to tell him to meet at a house in Little Havana. I spun the tires of the car to build a smokescreen to cover our escape, as I drove out of the building parking lot. While in the back of my mind I wondered how my uncle Victor and my cousin Sarah would react to [I]mi regreso de los muertos.[/I][/FONT] Edited February 28, 2011 by Anakoni Stark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakoni Stark Posted June 12, 2010 Author Share Posted June 12, 2010 (edited) [FONT="Arial"]My apologies for being out for so long, I've been working on the novel while the boards underwent maintenace. Just finished re-edting my last two posts because the formatting got screwed up in the transfer process. -_-[/FONT] [FONT="Times New Roman"][B][I]Chapter IX[/B][/I] [I]Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are[/I] â?? Bertolt Brecht Weâ??re on the road now, heading toward a diner that has been in Alexanderâ??s family since the 1980s. I look at him with an expression of concern; his eyes meet mine as I focus on the invariable â??dilationâ? of his pupils. I began thinking about what life with Alexander would be like but my mouth said something completely different, â??[B][I]How did you survive that 200 foot fall?[/B][/I]â? I asked as I began to blush, placing my hand on the stick shift, which I hope detracts from my obvious infatuation on him. â??[B][I]The carbon fiber tarsal and metatarsals must have absorbed and displaced the shock elsewhere.[/B][/I]â? He answered without making eye contact, but he also put his hand on top of the stick shift, and I could feel his grip tighten on the shifter knob with a slight smile on his face. I think that means he might like me or something, Iâ??ve always found myself thinking about him a lot, although I do fear that I will not be able to live up to his professional expectationsâ?¦ Iâ??ve heard from Marcus that Alexander is very meticulous with evidence collection, an excellent marksman with a no-bullshit-approach towards everyone and everything. As he shifts gears and turns the wheel, I keep my eyes on him. [I]For an android, heâ??s pretty damn good looking--- wait, wait. Stop, Symantha, be professionalâ?¦ Thatâ??s what he expects out of you.[/I] I think to myself while looking at his cut and lean physique; I guess thatâ??s proof that even after being dead for five years persistence is one hell of a motivation tool. How could he keep that kind of figure after being inert for so long? I pondered, as he cursed under his breath in Russian towards his GPS unit. That overly eager voice must really bother himâ?¦ As the Innerpartysystem remix of [I]She Loves Me So[/I] by Anthony Green began playing on his stereo, the next thing he said totally caught me off guard. â??[B][I]Symantha, usted no tiene que preocuparse por tratar de ser tan cortés y dejando una buena impresiónâ?¦[/B][/I]â? He said as he turned to look at me while he slowed the car to a stop at the traffic signal, but I looked at him as if to say [I]Yeah, rememberâ?¦ Iâ??m from London. I donâ??t speak Spanish.[/I] He groaned as he noticed my confusion. â??[B][I]How do you say it in Englishâ?¦? Donâ??t worry about being so polite and leaving a good impression.[/B][/I]â? He said in with affirmation in his voice, as he squeezed my hand when the light turned green. Itâ??s nice to know that underneath all that armour thereâ??s a heart still in him. His musculature, while not on the verge of body builder status, is quite a sight to be seen against his olive skin; especially factoring in his vegan diet. His raven black hair seems to compliment the dark red camera lenses that have replaced his human irises, his hands are slightly rough to the touch, but yet warm; his grip is slightly overpowering yet gentle. He sighed as he killed the engine when we pulled into the car park, and then began questioning me about everything that had happened at the suspectâ??s house; I told him I couldnâ??t find anything and that we probably wonâ??t be able to find anything because those two in the suits had torched the place. I was expecting him to get all angry with me like his boss, Dresdner, but he nodded and said that weâ??ll still bring him in on probable cause. He then asked me about what I knew about the suits who were interrogating me; I didnâ??t want to think about that so I stalled for time by remaining quiet. This marks the third time that he made eye contact since the start of the car ride, his eyes studying into my gaze and the lenses constantly contorting, trying to find answersâ?¦ The fact that our hands were still atop the shift stick, with his fingers tapping onto mine didnâ??t help with our stalemate, my breathing became less uniform; my mind is ripped between telling him about how they almost broke me open and just pushing him back into his seat and letting him know what five years, two months and six days of anxious waiting could do to a girl who works with one of the smartest minds in all of Florida. As I slipped my hand out of his grip and crawled into his seat, I noticed a stain of an olive coloured paint on the top of my hand. This caused me to become apprehensive, â??[B][I]What seems to be the problem, Alexanderâ?¦ Is there something bothering you?[/B][/I]â? He looked awash in some other thought but he snapped back to reality as he responded â??[B][I]The crashâ?¦ It came back, again.[/B][/I]â? He said with a slight bit of hesitation in his voice, as if he were afraid to answer me honestly. Matter of fact, I think we both were a bit timid about what we were going to do next as our eyes and hands began wandering, with our lips finally touching. [B][U]Chapter X[/B][/U] [I]Every man prefers belief to the exercise of judgment[/I] â?? Seneca The assassinâ??s motorbike pulled into the parking lot of a weathered diner, she smiled when she saw Shepardâ??s last name on the sign, which read [I]bienvenido[/I] on the glass door in large green letters. That smile turned into a frown after walking past Shepardâ??s Mustang and noticing the windows were fogged over. [I]This one has many things to learn if heâ??s the one that will put an end to the madnessâ?¦[/I] She thought; Katia wasnâ??t in the mood for dealing with juvenile behavior, so she rapidly tapped on the window, with the handle of her katana, to let him know that she was not a happy camper. Alexander pushed open his door and groaned, as the sunlight exposed more than Katia wanted to see, Alex blinked a few times then it struck him that the French-Japanese assassin was standing in front of him. He felt like his pants were down and truth be told, they were lost in the back seat. He gasped in shock, and he felt like he was going to be executed right then and there, as Katia let an annoyed hiss escape through her teeth. She threw her jacket towards Alexanderâ??s lap; he caught it with cat like reflexes and tried to tie it around his waist. â??[B][I]I canâ??t believe thisâ?¦[/B][/I]â? Katia scolded as Symantha began to rouse from the passenger seat, thatâ??s when Alex got out of the car and the trunk popped open to reveal a small locker, once the locker was opened Alex walked over with a smirk on his face and got dressed; a pair of jeans along with a new pair of black Chuck Taylors and also taking a sports blazer jacket, a shirt and a pair of shorts. â??[B][I]Donâ??t lose faith just yet Mademoiselle Miruna; Iâ??m not a total slacker. I just kind ofâ?¦ Uh, got side tracked is all.[/B][/I]â? Alex said as he gave Katia her jacket back and clean clothes for Symantha to change into, Katia cursed to Alex in French but before he could turn his head and use another charismatic remark she had disappeared; thatâ??s when he noticed his lower lip was bleeding, he looked at Symantha with a look of interest, Damn, she mustâ??ve really missed me he thought. Symantha was dressed and ready to go, but she looked in one of the passenger mirrors and noticed her face had sizeable spots of olive color, she then looked down at her hands and saw more of the same olive colored blemishes on both her hands; as they walked to the entrance of the tavern, her eyes shifted toward Alex to confirm if she wasnâ??t tripping on some illicit substance. She let out a groan when she found out that Alexâ??s torso and arms were reduced to gun metal colored armored muscles. He gave her one of those goofy grins that always reassured her as he opened the door. The two walked in as the sounds of the early morning silence was replaced with raucous voices and hoarse laughter along with the sounds of oldies music from various Spanish countries saturating the numerous conversations. The two were greeted by a distant Buenos Dias. Sam began her way to the bathroom, hoping to wash away the strange coloring from her skin, although she kept her attention forward, she could feel the localsâ?? eyes staring at the [I]pendeja[/I] and hear the vulgarities that were disguised to the normal outsider by the loud acoustic guitars and rapid fire Spanish lyrics. When she finally made it into the ramshackle bathroom, she sobbed to herself as the water was running hoping that it prevented Alexander from detecting her distress. Alex was surveying the restaurant, and noticed all the familiar faces who he had worked with from time to time when things were manageable at the lab. He saw the dayshift barkeeper, Nataliya Kozel, brown haired, slim with eastern European features that the American girls wish they had; an immigrant from Ukraine, she was abandoned during a family holiday in Miami after an undesirable altercation at the age of 15, after a rough year floating through foster care she was picked by Victor Romanov to fill in for Alex when he left off to study in Spain and subsequently took care of the dayshift when Shepard became a CSI. The only thing Alexander found to be odd about her was the fact that she does not speak English although she can understand the slurred orders made by the drunken chauvinistic men who perched themselves until Alexander came in for nightshift. He heard Ramón Albano, the tavernâ??s loud Venezuelan cook, at the age of 33; he had looks that even intimidated those chopper bikers who came in on Wednesdays and thought they owned the place, albeit to the staff of El Borracho Shepard (The Drunken Shepard) he was the type who was just a softie who was into jazz and cooked as if he worked on a luxury space installation, which one of the reasons why the tavern is so popular in Miami. But to Sarah and Alexander a guardian, who always made sure they stayed out of trouble and was there for them when their uncle Victor was away in foreign countries committing espionage to keep the country safe. Then there was the head waitress of the tavern, Cameron Fontaine, at the age of 26 she found her job through Facebook, she came to Miami from Dallas. She was another one of those brunette girls that turned Alexander on; she had the looks and knew quite a bit, plus she has the Southern drawl and knew how to handle firearmsâ?¦ After all, she is from Texas, she has been trying to win Alexander over, but the only thing that was holding her back was the assumed language barrier between him and her, living within Little Havana for five years; one would assume sheâ??d pick up on some Spanish words but she did not, and still hasnâ??t. From the corner of the tavern he heard someone raise their voice and noticed that the guy was dealing with his cousin; the second waitress and manager of the establishment: Sarah Romanov, she looked more Cuban than her father, with olive skin, black hair, a more-than-average build and features that always brought in the annoying out of state, (or worse out of country) male tourists. She used to be loud and aggressive before Alex died, but since then sheâ??s become more quiet and calculating like her father. Alex began to quietly make his way to the spot that was beginning to draw everyoneâ??s attention and noticed from the corner of his eye that Katia and Marcus had entered. With a flick of his left wrist, his forearm blade exposed itself; this caused some of the onlookers to put two and two together and a collective gasp punctured the ambience of the restaurant. Before the perpetrator could realize why everyone around him were struck by fear, Alex grabbed him in a chokehold with his blade at the perpetratorâ??s neck. The staff of the tavern came to the area to try and resolve the situation but alas, what they saw had also left them dumbfounded. â??[B][I]The cat would eat her fish, but wouldnâ??t wet her feet.[/B][/I]â? Alexander hissed into the drunken manâ??s ear in Russian. The cold blade was close enough to the frightened gangbangerâ??s neck that Alex wouldnâ??t have to do much to off this lowly drug dealer. â??[B][I]Que? I donâ??t understand what youâ??re saying holmes![/B][/I]â? the drunk screamed in English, the tension in the restaurant intensified as Alex reassured his vice-like grip on his victim. â??[B][I]Why were you arguing with this waitress? Whatâ?¦ Was the food not what you expected? Were you trying to argue your way out of the tab? Or were you trying to harass this waitress with threats if she didnâ??t go with you?[/B][/I]â? Alex replied in Spanish, as he pressed his right foot into the back of his victimâ??s heel, producing a girlish yelp of pain. â??[B][I]I wasnâ??t trying to do any-any-thing man, I swear I wasnâ??t![/B][/I]â? The gangbanger stammered, his friends at the table were too afraid to threaten Alexander after noticing he wasnâ??t human. â??[B][I]Who drinks till bottom, lives without mind.[/B][/I]â? Alexander growled in Russian as he pushed the inexperienced aspirant into the crowd, the drunk scrambled to his feet and ran for the door. The blade retracted back into his arm, but then he realized that the gangbangerâ??s friends were still sitting in the seats, probably scared shitless. He flicked his left wrist again and the blade produced itself, he put his palms on the table and looked at the three who remained. â??[B][I]If you donâ??t take my moment of generosity for granted, youâ??ll be nextâ?¦ Although I wonâ??t be so forgiving.[/B][/I]â? He said in Spanish, the dark red camera lenses lit up to help get the point across. The three also scrambled out of the restaurant as fast they could without looking back. Katia smirked from her barstool while Marcus began dispersing the tension by reminding everyone that this altercation would be resolved in a matter of minutes. Alexander sighed as the blade retracted back into his arm. He walked over to the bar, hopped the gate and began heading downstairs into the basement, hoping that the futon was still there and it was, but Katia was sitting on it; with bits of apple on the futon, she was working on her third when Alex saw that it was occupied. â??[B][I]Alexandre, I may have spoken too soon. I applaud your performanceâ?¦ I think you will stand a chance against our adversaries.[/B][/I]â? She noted as she bit into the apple and a few more bits fell onto the mattress. He was studying his reflection, as Katia continued to munch on the apple, noting the fact that the Adele managed to suspend the signs of aging, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes wondering why she did such a thing (along with when Katia would give him some answers) He was growing tired of running in circles. He exhaled and opened his eyes, then noticed a black and silver rosary hanging from the edge of the mirrorâ??s frame, he took it and placed it into his pocket; Alex knew he was going to need it if he was going to prevent the world from slipping into madness. As he turned around, he noticed that Katia was gone but the bits of apple still remained on the futon. Thatâ??s when his cousin, Sarah, made her way down the stairs and along the hallway that led into the single room. She slowly made her approach but her pace became quicker when her instinct had restored confidence and knew her cousin was standing in the room. She ran into him with a full force hug, and began to cry, not out of sadness; but tears of joy, she was happy to know that she didnâ??t have to worry about the rumors anymore. â??[B][I]Yes, itâ??s okay. Itâ??s really me.[/B][/I]â? He replied in Russian as he hugged her back.[/FONT] Edited June 12, 2010 by Anakoni Stark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakoni Stark Posted June 12, 2010 Author Share Posted June 12, 2010 [FONT="Times New Roman"] [B][U]Chapter XI[/B][/U] [I]Be regular and orderly in your life, so you can be original and violent in your work[/I] â?? Gustave Flaubert Once my cousin had let go of me, I began clearing off the bits of apple that covered the otherwise clean mattress and collapsed onto it, I knew that time began taking its toll on the eatery my ancestors built when I saw the amount of wallpaper had deteriorated off of the walls, they were becoming grey and clammy with very few patches of dull green slowly eroding, I noticed more signs of decay upstairs but I canâ??t seem to recall them at the moment. My cousin pulled me up as the rest of the staff began making their way down into the break room, and truth be told; I was more scared of heading back upstairs to see them because letâ??s face it: an android walks in to a bar and scares the shit out of four moshenniki (pretenders). I donâ??t think that would bode over too well with the first responder on sceneâ?¦ Yeah, odd colored people and animals with multiple appendages are normal but everyone freaks out when they find a humanoid with a blade underneath his left forearm. I shake hands with everyone again what discerns me though is; although the shake of Ramón was quite strong and affirmative, Cameronâ??s grasp seemed somewhat weak and nervous, while Nataliya just looked at my hand and didnâ??t shake it, her amber eyes looked timid. â??[B][I]Donâ??t worry; it is fine if you donâ??t shake, Nataliyaâ?¦[/B][/I]â? I said in Russian as I looked into her eyes, trying to be as human as possible, â??[B][I]I know Iâ??ve been gone for quite awhile and it will take some time to get used toâ?¦[/B][/I]â?she cut me off with a hug and a deep passionate kiss. [I]I donâ??t get itâ?¦ Since Iâ??ve become less human, have I suddenly become more attractive or something?[/I] I thought to myself when we heard something crash through the window. On instinct, I sway Nataliya to the side as my ARC kicked in and ran up the stairs. I just hope thereâ??re arenâ??t any civilians in the restaurant, judging by the overall threat I have on my hands, I donâ??t think I have time to perform autopsies on almost 500 thousand people. I see that the restaurant has cleared out but in thereâ??s this abomination standing in the broken glass, itâ??s the size of a boar with a set of tentacles protruding from its back; the face seems to be a horrid cross between an insectâ??s eyes with a jaw of a baby hippo. Its call sounds like a dying dog, yet the teeth that lined the mouth are razor sharp like those of a great white shark. I hopped over the gate and told Marcus to stay downstairs with the staff and lock the door behind him; I highly doubt that the police academy went over how to kill aâ?¦ Whatever the hell this [B][I]thing[/B][/I] is; I flicked my left wrist to expose my blade, yet for some reason I feel like this unpleasant anomaly was either a success or failure on behalf of The Corporation. I used the bar table to jump upward to give my blade the heightened advantage, but it wrapped a tentacle around my torso at the top of my jump, and it began thrashing me around like an upset child would with a worn out ragdoll. Although most would think that being an android would cancel out painâ?¦ Well let me tell you something my friend; whoever told you that must have been living under a goddamned rock for most of their lives. It slammed me into a table, and the first contact felt like slamming into a tree but as the height progressed; every contact felt like getting thrown into walls of increasing resilience; wood. Then concrete. Then metal. I was feeling slightly dizzy, but not completely out. I tried bringing my left arm down to cut myself free, but it decided to drag me along the wall straight into the jukebox with blinding speed. The pain in my head is getting worse, and it seems like my body is just as fragile as it was on the day of the car crash. The anomaly found temporary enjoyment in repeatedly slamming me against the floor, and then it emitted this disgusting squeal as I saw an arrow protruding from the right shoulder. Thank God sheâ??s still here; I thought this thing was going to try its hardest to rip me apart. My moment of relief was short lived as it threw me into the bathrooms and began going after Miruna. I crashed through the wall. Thatâ??s when Symantha came to see why the Kool-Aid Man found it funny to break into the girlâ??s bathroom. â??[B][I]Doctor![/B][/I]â? She exclaimed as she came over and helped me up â??[B][I]What the hell is going on out there?![/B][/I]â? â??[B][I]I just got my ass kicked by a pig monster.[/B][/I]â? I replied weakly, the expression of confusion on her face was priceless; she took the .357 revolver from my holster and tapped my torso with the nozzle. â??[B][I]Now Shepard, do you know how embarrassing it would be if the department found out that their only android got wrecked because of a pig, hmm?[/B][/I]â? she asked me with a slow and tempting tone, followed by a pat on the cheek; thatâ??s all I needed to get back out there and show that thing what happens when you mess with a pissed off Spanish-Russian android. I charged into the pig-monster whilst it was trying with much effort to grab Katia, which caused it to fly out of the door and onto the empty street. â??[B][I]Well, hello againâ?¦Shit face.[/B][/I]â? I mutter under my breath in Russian, I felt victorious as my tackle seems to have scared that thing offâ?¦ No, wait; itâ??s turning [B][I]around[/B][/I] and making a bee-line straight for me. With its rows of finely honed teeth exposed and jaw wide open, I warmly accept its challenge and begin running towards it as my protective lenses slid over my eyes. While I was sprinting towards my adversary, Katia began firing arrow after arrow into the exposed right side of the beast. I changed my position ever so slightly to convince this thing was going to have a new metallic chew toy to mess with, but what it did not expect was I ran my blade from its left cheek to the left flank. [I]Demonic pig filet anyone?[/I] I sighed and slowed my sprint to a jog back towards the remains of the bar as everyone regroups and stands around a roundtable that has been snapped in half. I rejoined the circle and the shades retracted; everyone, except Katia and Sam, seemed to be in a mixture of confusion, shock and awe. I shot a look at both Laurent and Fierro; they immediately took out their cell phones and made calls to the department. I looked at Sarah, and then looked at the wreckage one stupid pig caused; the staff of the tavern also fixed their gaze upon the debris riddled restaurant we called home. â??[B][I]How are we going to explain this to Uncle Vic?[/B][/I]â? I asked in Russian, the eight of us shared a mutual silence as we surveyed the damage. â??[B][I]Tell himâ?¦ We switched the menu to complete Vegetarian.[/B][/I]â? Cameron replied in English. [B][U]Chapter XII[/B][/U] I have noticed that nothing I never said did me any harm â?? Calvin Coolidge As Marcus began sealing off the street with the black and yellow holographic tape, Alex and I went back to his car to retrieve our examination kits. Iâ??m hoping that the people Iâ??ve called didnâ??t pass this up to Dresdner; although Iâ??ve only seen Kevin once or twice, the way Shepardâ??s mood changes from jaded to seething after Kevin decides to chew out the doctor for the most minute things, Iâ??m glad that I havenâ??t held any sort of exchange with his boss. The awkward midday silence was quickly replaced with the sound patrol cars and the rest of the evidence collection team arriving, and it seems like the entire cavalry has arrived. The rest of the dayshift crew passes through the holotape, and with no sign of that short, angry, high pitched snob known to the rest of the team as El Chupacabra; it always makes Shepard laugh when someone says â??[B][I]Heads up, everyone! El Chupacabra is coming![/B][/I]â? Although I will never understand why he finds it so goddamned hilariousâ?¦ There are eight---- I mean seven, people total on the dayshift crew, including Marcus, Dr. Shepard and myself. Aside from Shepard I trust at least one of them, Juliet Cardoza; at the age of 24 she came from San Diego after working with the SDPD for 2 years as an officer, the rest of the team have dubbed her as the Filipino Lucy Liu due to her strong resemblance to the Chinese actress. Sheâ??s one of the two surviving Level 1s we have on the team the other being Eli Scott, he hails from Eastern Canada and he moved out here to Miami about a month ago, heâ??s stands at 5â??8â? with an average build and a brown mullet, heâ??s quite bright for being the youngest on the team; at the age of 20, he can process fingerprints and DNA with speed and almost over-achieving effort, I have reason to believe that Shepard picked this kid to become his apprentice due to his efficiency and his optimism. Then there are the two Houtman twins James and Steven, they came down here from Portland before Shepardâ??s death and started as lab technicians but Iâ??ve noticed that their amounts of knowledge that they gained in the lab work have reached the point to where I think a bit of field work wouldnâ??t hurt. They are the second tallest on the team at 5â??11â? with lean builds, and dark brown hair. At first I couldnâ??t tell them apart, but as time pressed forward Iâ??ve noticed that Jamesâ?? hair is straight and Steve has curly hair; also it helps to know their ways of processing evidence and confronting suspects; James is quick and aggressive whereas Steve is meticulous and calm. They also have a tendency to speak Arabic and blast progressive rock from their offices in the lab; it seems that Shepard approves of this as he periodically gives them the thumbs up as he walks past their office all the time. I was taking scene photos with Eli as James, Steve and Julie were trying to find evidence within the restaurant when Katia pulled me aside, â??[B][I]Ms. Laurentâ?¦ Why donâ??t you and Shepard go take some time to yourselves? I believe that the two of you have been through enough already.[/B][/I]â? She suggested as she lowered the camera from my face. I am not in the position to argue with her, seeing that sheâ??s right about the fact that Iâ??ve been cut up, burned and stabbed. I begin packing up my kit when I realize Iâ??m still alive and judging by the size of Shepardâ??s armblade I shouldâ??ve died. â??[B][I]Symantha, my arrow caused his entire body to spasm which in turn retracted the blade and prevented him from going all the way through.[/B][/I]â? Katia answered in a [I]matter-of-fact-tone[/I]. I sighed in relief as I thought he had hit the left subclavian artery, but what lingered in my mind was the reason why Shepard would do such a thing, especially to the girl that he loves. â??[B][I]Those questions that you have about him can most likely be answered in his user manual; heâ??s hidden one in the glovebox of his Mustang and he has another copy at his house, as for the crime scene; Marcus and the rest of your team will take care of it.[/B][/I]â? Katia injected before I could ask any more questions about the android I work with. I also saw Alexander packing up his things and walking to his car, I reluctantly followed him. We both threw our kits into the trunk and climbed into the car; the 620hp engine roared to life and the pony car is well on its way back to the Shepard residence. [I]I wonder where he gets the money for a car like this; these things went out the window almost two decades ago.[/I] I pondered as I began absorbing the sights of the interior of his aged car; most of the panels are made of made of woodâ?¦ Oak to be exact, the material looks like mesh but it feels like leather with memory foam filling in the driver and passenger racing seats. Its windows are heavily tinted, the cabin cancels out exterior and engine noise, no wonder this car is so refreshing to sit in. The centre console is probably the only modern piece of this aged vehicle, itâ??s a touch-screen interface that controls everything from the air conditioning to the GPS and everything in between, it also has a subtle but hypnotizing screen saver if I stare at it long enough. The carâ??s smells strongly like that new car smell but with stale hints of sex, I donâ??t mind it much but; if he were to have someone else sitting with him, the pungent scent would stand out more than a tourist trying to figure out the map of the London underground. His metallic fingers tap the screen a few times and his stereo booms to life with a heavy blues infused rock beat, the display scrolls by: Now Playing â?? No One Knows / The Queens Of The Stone Age. A slight grin stretches across his mouth as he begins humming along to the song. Weâ??re at a stoplight now, I look at Alex and it seems to be heâ??s lost in his music, he rapidly taps the steering wheel with his index fingers, what astonishes me is he can actually keep up with the tempo of the drums. As the light turns green, weâ??re still at a standstill and I notice heâ??s still absorbed in the music; thatâ??s when the carâ??s onboard AI chimes in with a soothing voice now, no longer that irksome car salesman voice. â??[B][I]Dr. Shepard, please enter your destinationâ?¦[/B][/I]â? it sounded like one of those Manchester butlers that the rich and snobby have at their disposal. Alex replied in Russian and the computer chimed again, as the car began driving itself. Well, thereâ??s another modern day feature, autopilot. He turns up the stereo as the song enters its instrumental break, and Iâ??m still intrigued as I watch his fingers keep pace with the swift drum pattern. I know that those who rebuilt him arenâ??t that smart enough to program something like this into his system, interesting. Alexander eventually falls asleep in his seat, while I was watching the screensaver slowly lull me into snoozing; I remembered that Katia mentioned that his instruction manual was in his glovebox, I popped it open to find a single datapad. I return his revolver in place of the instruction manual; I activate it and to my luck, the title reads: [B][I]An Instructional Book On How To Take Care Of Your Proto AT-001: Version 3.2[/B][/I] but my happiness is struck by confusion when I begin reading it; itâ??s written as if he wrote this to himself. I begin flipping through it learning about numerous things about his rebuilt figure, ranging from what material his armour is made of (a composite of mostly carbon and other metals) down to what to do if he actually loses power and is reduced to practically nothing. [I]Oh Christ, thatâ??s a disturbing thought...[/I] I flipped past that section trying my best to not let my curiosity take over and begin studying on his armaments, but soon enough my fear had succumbed to my inquisitive nature. [B][I]If in the unlikely event that the armor decides to shut down, either due to physical trauma or otherwise; do not--- DO [U]NOT[/U] under any circumstances give anyone the telltale sign of your death. To whoever is reading this: Make no attempt to come back and try to resuscitate me; I am only a prototype and there will be a time where the prototype will be phased out eventually.[/B][/I] I dropped the datapad in my lap and looked over at him, Iâ??ve actually never seen him this relaxed before, he was either always down in the morgue, ripping bodies open or out in the field trying to solve a case. Every time I see him, heâ??s always preoccupied with something that doesnâ??t seem like he enjoys it, at one point he came over to my house, on business which really bothered me. I wanted to scream at him for letting the mission get in the way of his social life, but why would I want to berate my boss about collecting evidence and not sitting down for some wine? I began studying his face, and I donâ??t know if he realizes it but he kind of looks like Kal Penn, that guy who played Kumar from those two really old Harold & Kumar films, thus making my infatuation on him even greater because I watched the two films in high school and considered Kal Penn to be my celebrity crush. I held onto his right hand during the rest of the ride home. While I was fading into sleep I would stroke the top of his right hand with my thumb, he responded to this by slightly tightening his grip and rubbing my left middle finger with his right index finger. As the car purred along the freeway, the thought of losing him still lingered in the back of my mind and it scared me.[/FONT] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakoni Stark Posted June 12, 2010 Author Share Posted June 12, 2010 [FONT="Times New Roman"][B][U]Chapter XIII[/B][/U] [I]I must lose myself in action, lest I wither in despair[/I] â?? Tennyson The soft chiming of the open car door alarm woke me up from that well deserved nap, I felt like I could find the cure to some sort of terrible disease or run for miles on end. [I]Oh, waitâ?¦ Iâ??m an android; I can do those things already.[/I] This got my mind thinking about that small animal that tore apart the family restaurant, it did look sickâ?¦ [I]Lupus, perhaps?[/I] The warm Monday night breeze feels great against my armor, but the stench of testosterone and that new car smell seems to outweigh the humid air saturated with sea salt. I get out of the car to find Symantha sitting on top of the trunk, staring off into the shoreline, I sit to her left and we both fix our gaze. The gulls begin their nightly departure with their cries and begin flapping away towards the city, when she puts her head on my shoulder. â??[B][I]I know why you stabbed meâ?¦[/B][/I]â? Symantha mused in a trance-like state, I brush a couple of stray locks of golden hair from her face and exhaled â??[B][I]Autopilot, is what almost got you killed Sam.[/B][/I]â? I told her, I felt really guilty for doing such a thing, but I was at the mercy of Ms. Glass and she left me with no options. Symantha took my hand and began gently tugging on my fingers, thatâ??s when I realized we were parked in front of my house. I hopped off the trunk and took her hand, leading her towards the two large stained glass doors. Most of the girls that I have brought back with me have noted that the motif of the 10,000 square foot house reminded them of stepping into [I]an ancient museum[/I] with the strong presence of Italian Baroque architecture and the usage of darker colors contrasted by the few white spaces. Along the walls of the foyer and most of the house there are paintings by Karl Buriullov that reflect my Russian roots, although the ash wood floors, the sculptures that adorn some of the floor space and tezontle countertops hint at my Spanish origins also. â??[B][I]Shepard, your house is quite relaxing.[/B][/I]â? Symantha noted as she stood under the chandelier trying to absorb everything at once; honey youâ??re not the only one whoâ??s told me this. I think to myself, as I went to shut the door. She began making her way to the kitchen, and then she called my name in that I-need-backup-here-tone, I ran to the sound of her voice. I was surprised to find that there were groceries on the main countertop, and one of the ceilingâ??s tiles had been moved; I told her not to worry when I pulled the note off the refrigerator door and explained to her that my uncle Victor was here and did some shopping for me while I was out; he moved the ceiling tiles to make a clean entrance and get away because my neighbors still think Iâ??m dead. After I told her what he does for a living, she calmed down and with the assistance of the houseâ??s AI she began moving all of the food items into place while simultaneously preparing as if she was going to cook. I sat down on one of the faux leather couches in the living room; trying to put the pieces of this insane puzzle together in my head, but my mind just began to reel uncontrollably. [I]Why did they pick me to be their guinea pig? How the hell does Katia keep following me? Is there a link between that viral infection and The Corporation? Or is there a link between this homicide case and The Corporation?[/I] My mind continued to spin, firing off question after question with more uncertainty than wondering if a movie adaptation of a video game would be a good waste of 15 credits. As if on command, my subconscious became uneasy; I felt like someone was watching usâ?¦ Not through my optic/auditory feed, but through one of the windows of the house. I sprang up and ran to the glass door of my backyard, faster than most people could pronounce the names of the artists who built the sculptures. I scanned the patio and the shoreline to find whoever was watching us, subsequently I asked the AI to run a total exterior scan of the mansion for any sign of intrusion and to my frustration the scan turned up negative. â??[B][I]Hang on tiger; it looks like you just saw a ghost. Whatâ??s wrong doc?[/B][/I]â? Symantha inquired as she slid a baking pan into the oven. â??[B][I]Someone or something is watching us, Ms. Laurent.[/B][/I]â? I responded with a sense of hesitation gnawing at the back of my mind. The AI chimed in reminding us that we had about an hour long wait until whatever she was baking was good to go, I took the opportunity to run downstairs to the basement while Sam asked the AI where the master bathroom was. Before we parted, I grabbed Symantha by the hand and I asked her the question that has been bothering me since I came back on Friday morning. â??[B][I]Symantha, those bruises I saw on Fridayâ?¦ Has your girlfriend been abusing you?[/B][/I]â? I asked in the softest voice possible. Prior to my car crash, she was dating this girl from Romania who was attending the University Of Miami on a student visa; they met in one of her anatomy classes and got along right away. Up until the point I saw the marks; they seemed to be perfect for each other. I guess I was wrong. Symantha didnâ??t answer my question, I let her slip from my hand and she ran upstairs. While I left to the basement to fire up my computer and began researching everything that had caused my mind to spin. â??[B][I]This is quite a nice armory you have here, Alexandre.[/B][/I]â? Katia remarked as she was testing the weight of an M-16 assault rifle. I continued to type away furiously, trying to find the answers. I kept looking through all of the search engines but I kept getting hits for interspecies porn and real estate adverts. [I]Yuck.[/I] â??[B][I]Merci, Mademoiselle Miruna. I have a question for youâ?¦[/B][/I]â? I turned my chair to face her, she was looking down the sights of one of the prototypes that I havenâ??t finished yet. I didnâ??t mind that Katia kept popping up out of thin air anymore, Iâ??ve gotten used to it. â??[B][I]On the way to the house, were you followed?[/B][/I]â? I questioned her as she began looking through the ammo crates, trying to find munitions for her machine pistols. â??To be honest, Alexâ?¦ I donâ??t think anyone really knows youâ??re alive; people assume that theyâ??ve been seeing a ghost.â? She replied, I groaned as I went back to my research while she continued to reload her weapons. â??[B][I]Although, doctorâ?¦ I have been hearing that thereâ??s a bounty on your head.[/B][/I]â? Katia informed me with that matter-of-fact-tone. I stopped typing, walked over to the armory and took a seat on the bench where the prototypes hung on the shelf in their unfinished glory. My eyes met hers and by the way she stared at me, I could tell that she wasnâ??t joking. She then produced a small box like contraption from her jacket with two wires hanging off of it and two pads on the ends. Kind of like a really small defibrillator, she attached the two pads to different sections of my torso, fiddled with the console and then I felt this slight tingle; you know like that feeling you get when your leg falls asleepâ?¦ Except it wasnâ??t confined to my leg, it was all over my body. I asked her why she was doing this, although my words came out slurred; I was surprised that she understood what I said. â??[B][I]Hopefully it will prevent another person from hacking your systems, Alex.[/B][/I]â? She answered, while I tried to ignore the numbing feeling that had plagued my body, my mouth felt like a liquid tongue surrounded by razor sharp teeth, thus rendering my speech to be analogous to the words of those drunkards at our tavern. [I]Wait, who aside from those psychos from The Corporation would want me?[/I] I thought to myself, but what really got me was Katia answered my question â??[B][I]Everyone is looking for you Alex, the thing is youâ??re the first successful android that humanity has builtâ?¦ Youâ??re the pinnacle of human design; you could be their ticket to making humanity a serious player on the galactic level.[/B][/I]â? She explained as my vision blurred out of focus and body began to tremble slightly. She held my hand as if to tell me to calm down; that the overwhelming subliminal pain that Iâ??ve been enduring for the last two minutes would be over soon. [I]Why is The Corporation trying to kill me?[/I] â??[B][I]They want you dead to accelerate their plot for world, and eventually galactic dominance.[/B][/I]â? [I]Why did those doctors pick me to be their experimental subject?[/I] â??[B][I]They wanted to take the candidate who possessed an impeccable bill of health, due to your diet, how-many-ever pushups and crunches you do daily; along with the numerous martial arts that youâ??ve been studyingâ?¦ Itâ??s obvious why they picked youâ?¦ As for making your reactivation public knowledge, I donâ??t understand why theyâ??d do such a thing.[/B][/I]â? [I]Does that explain why I have a bounty on my head?[/I] â??[B][I]Like I said before, yes.[/B][/I]â? She gave me the slightly annoyed look. [I]How in the world can you read my mind?[/I] â??[B][I]Thatâ??s for me to know, and for you to never find out.[/B][/I]â? [I]In that case, would you like to stay for dinner?[/I] â??[B][I]That would be quite pleasantâ?¦[/B][/I]â? A soft beep then the pins and needles feeling ceased, Katia pushed the software upgrading equipment aside and pulled an AK-47 off one of the shelves, undid the safety and began firing at my torso. The bullets felt like small bits of heat radiating their way into the muscle, to be honest; that felt great. As the rifle expended its final round with a click, I began thinking about Symantha; all those bruises and cuts she sustained within the last four days, not to mention that my armblade went into her. We both began our way back up into the kitchen as the AI rang and plated the food. An hour goes by and Katia and I were amazed by the fact that Symantha managed to pull off a decent steak dinner with the soy based meat substitute, as I finish my third glass of the Dolce Cava I notice that Symantha still hasnâ??t come down from the shower, [I]what could keep her locked up there for so long?[/I] I pondered as I began my way up to my room, although with the ascension I still had the feeling that someone was watching us. Sometimes, I think that that when my grandfather built this house he didnâ??t realize that his only grandson would be the main occupant of the mansion. The master bedroom takes up a little more than half of the upper level, and astoundingly enough itâ??s the only section of the house to have carpeting. All of the walls were painted a cool and rich shade of brown and the carpet itself is a deep shade of blue to the point where it looks to be almost black, and it is very comforting against my feet. My bed is on the left side of the suite and the frame still carries that Italian Baroque theme within the delicacies of its oak construction. My walk in closet is arranged by shade from black to white, my watches and only pair of sunglasses sit atop a jade carved nightstand in the center; while my shoes line the base of the in the same color coordination scheme. My bathroom is on the far right side of the suite, past the walk in closet. The sink and toilet are the only parts of the bathroom that are outside, in the corners of that end of my room. What strikes me odd is my shower is in a separate room of the suite, away from the minimal bathroom just across from the closet. I notice that the lights in the shower are on, and I knock on the door lightly and open it. I found Symantha has curled herself into a ball sitting against the wall, fully clothed with the warm water running. I close the door behind me and sit with her. â??[B][I]Honey, whatâ??s on your mind?[/B][/I]â? I inquired as she put her head on my shoulder â??[B][I]Iâ??m scared. I didnâ??t want to tell you that I felt self-doubt when we walked into your restaurant, these bruises, cuts and the paint reminded me of my last fight with Sonia, my interrogation with the suits and reading your orders on what to do if you die.[/B][/I]â? She mused; her voice was quivering severely, as the paint was running off her skin and into the drain. She finally let her emotions out, weeping into my shoulder. I lifted her by the chin and brushed away the tears and stray dull yellow strands from her face. I looked deeply into her green eyes and kissed her on the lips, as if to tell her: [I]Do not fear my little sparrow, I promise Iâ??m not going to let you go.[/I] Although in the back of my mind, I still felt as if the stalker was still on the mansionâ??s grounds. [B][U]Chapter XIV[/B][/U] [I]Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them[/I] â?? Dion Boucicault Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. The alarm clock rattled against the ash wood nightstand with every drone, Shepard was less than half awake when he began pawing at the table to shut off his alarm clock, he tried and tried with no luck. He let his left hand scan the table for the ringing culprit, once he had his grip on it he threw it away with sufficient force to cause it to shatter against the coffee colored wall of his bedroom. With a sigh of relief he turned over and went back to sleep, but to his puzzlement he did not feel Symanthaâ??s slender and somewhat chesty figure on the left side of the king sized silk covered mattress. He groaned in protest and got up out of bed. The blinds were already flooded with daylight as he stretched and yawned to bring his mind back from the intense, wonderful and relentless love making from the previous night before. He shuffled to his shower, unaware of the Spanish and Russian dialects bouncing off the walls of the lower level of his house. He cranked on the hot water valve as hot as his body would allow; then rinsed himself of the sweat, testosterone and other bodily fluids that were associated with the half finished bottle of Dolce Cava, wine glasses and two sets of worn out bones. He smiled at the thought as he turned off the water, dried up and wrapped a white bath towel around the lower section of his torso. The AI chimed in and greeted him while he began spraying on the skin paint before walking out of his room; he returned the salutation as he proceeded down the stairs and to his surprise as he walked into his kitchen; he noticed that the three waitresses from the tavern were helping Symantha prepare for brunch. He felt somewhat embarrassed at first, but then he realized he was in the company of three girls who were wondering what he looked like underneath the expensive polos, black jeans and the Chuck Taylors. He let his pride get the best of his interest and decided not to head back upstairs and get dressed, this was met with a glare of disdain from his cousin. Once again the feelings of paranoia spiked in his mind, he instinctively ran to the backyard window to try and find the voyeur who got off on watching one of the smartest minds in Miami jumping into the sack with some unknown [I]pendeja[/I]. What amazed the girls was, as he ran, the towel remained in place much to their revulsion. He grunted in frustration and brought his fist against the wall with a dense metallic thud. His skin paint flaked off, just a bit while the wall remained in mint condition. The girls became tense when he punched, Sarah; his cousin was already used to hearing him slamming against things when he was provoked. Good thing grandpa placed a few sheets of metal between the wallsâ?¦ She thought, but the other girls found out that when Alexanderâ??s blood was running it also caused their interest to become even more piqued. Hot Russian-Latino rage; it was certainly what got [I[their[/I] blood running. He sighed and sat at the head of the dining table, as the girls took their places and the AI began plating the food. He was amazed that the two waitresses and his girlfriend managed to put together a breakfast consisting of faux omelets filled with three types of substitute cheeses and mushrooms. The plate of fresh fruit along whole wheat toast slathered with that chocolate spread to the side and washing it down with freshly squeezed orange juice, caused him to have that warm fuzzy feeling in him either thatâ?¦ Or it was heartburn in the mulatoâ??s chiseled chest. â??[B][I]Wow girlsâ?¦ Iâ??m impressed; I think your combined cooking skills could outdo Ramónâ??s bar food.[/B][/I]â? He said with a slight laugh in English, while Cameron choked down a gulp of her orange juice. After knowing him for five years, she always assumed the 26 year old bartender was a Cuban immigrant who knew fluent Russian. The look on her face as the words left Alexâ??s mouth was inestimable, Symantha took Alexâ??s hand and smiled, she also was feeling great after their four hour sex marathon. Everything seemed as if it shrank back to normality, but the sentiment of anxiety remained in the back of his mind. The feeling kicked him in the face as the round from a sniperâ??s rifle cracked through the kitchen window, and dug into the wall. The groupâ??s laughter and banter suddenly fell silent, the five of them paralyzed in fear. Alexander couldnâ??t let the apprehension get the best of him; he couldnâ??t die a second time. Not for her. In the fraction of a second the houseâ??s security systems kicked in; the windows were shut with titanium shades, the doors sealed themselves airtight. Shepardâ??s mind eased off slowly as they made their way to the basementâ??s armory. The panic switch in his mind became jammed in the on position when the lights went out. Instinctively his ARC kicked in as he took the prototype flamethrower-shotgun off one of the shelves and ran upstairs to find his assailant; he was glad that the armoryâ??s thick steel door shut behind him. Alexander made it up to the main level of the house, checking each room with his shotgun at the ready. He grew uneasy knowing that he was the prey of a predator that knew how to get under his skin, was this guy the sick fuck that was here last night? He thought as he checked the stairway, something was really amiss as if someone was behind him, stalking his every move. He turned in a heartbeat and scanned the area behind him but he found nothing, this really made his stomach turn. Shepard slung his shotgun around his back and flicked his left wrist to expose his armblade; he stood motionless in the middle of the kitchen, slowing his breathing and effectively bringing his heart rate almost down to the speed of the bird on his office desk that tipped its beak into the glass periodically. This allowed him to silence the anxieties within his psyche and focus on where his killer could be, he heard something drip from the corner of the room, a smirk came across his face as he taunted the opponent in Russian â??[B][I]Seriously? In Russia, the water drops you.[/B][/I]â? He said in that sarcastic straightforward tone, this had set the wheels in motion as his assassin dropped on top of him and tried to drive a needle into his eye. Luckily enough Shepard caught his attacker by the throat just mere millimeters before he got another lobotomy, he tightened his grip on the assassinâ??s neck. Alex was sickened at the appearance of the attacker, it looked human but he could tell that the 5â??8â? male was clearly infected with the virus; its left arm replaced by a winding of veins and infection, while the right side of his body seemed to be fineâ?¦Minus the cracked and bleeding skin covering the non-infected limbs. The eyes of the madman seemed as if it was drenched in the disease; looking into those eyes was like staring into bloodshot yellow orbs, which may have been glowing. What scared Alexander the most was the width of its jaw which seemed to open to an inhuman size, as it tried to use an intimidating scream of sorts, to reveal multiple rows of razor sharp teeth that were lightly tinted in a red hue, most likely from eating his victims. The assailant had turned the tables in his favor by wrapping its left arm around Alex and simultaneously tossing aside his shotgun, which had mutated from limb to tentacle and seemed impervious to the stabs of his armblade. It mutates on the fly, thatâ??s fucking wonderful Alex thought as the monster pulled him closer to its jaw. The aggressor had its prey finally in its hands; the only thing left for him to do was to consume Dr. Shepard to finally get The Corporationâ??s sinister plan for domination moving; the monster liked to watch Shepard squirm as he tried to break free of its grasp with no sign of success, it began tightening its grip on him. That armor couldnâ??t last forever, even with the ARC activated Alexander began to feel the air being squeezed out his body. Deathâ??s hand was beginning to extend out to him and Shepard almost took his offer as the resounding and horribly satisfying sound of his armor crushing from the pressure rang throughout the house. An unexpected grace caused the monster to drop Shepard and scream uncontrollably, writhing in pain. Alexander came back around and saw that the monster drew blood from its compression, which the same blood seemed to cause excruciating pain to the intruder of his house. He retrieved his shotgun and unloaded a shell into the monsterâ??s left leg. This in turn doubled its pain and causing it to scream bloody murder, pun intended. He slowly walked toward the interloper, as he pumped another round into the chamber. â??[B][I]You might want to refund your employerâ??s money; this model is not for sale.[/B][/I]â? Alexander said with the same black, hot rage that he had earlier that morning. He unloaded another shell into the intruderâ??s right leg, which produced another scream from the helpless once human man. A smirk came slyly to Shepardâ??s lips, Music to my ears he thought as he pressed the reloaded barrel into the alienâ??s right arm. The alien shuddered in fear that seemed to any other person as a sign for clemency, but to Dr. Shepard mercy wasnâ??t in his vernacular. Well, at least not in the case of the poor sap who sold his soul to those warped minds from The Corporation. With that same devious smirk on his face, Shepard blew off the manâ??s right arm. The alien produced another scream, this time sounding more human, Shepard reloaded his shotgun once more and pressed the barrel to the intruderâ??s head. â??[B][I]Any last words, you bottom feeding piece of scum?![/B][/I]â? Alexander growled in Spanish, applying the slightest bit of pressure, which caused the nozzle to leave its impression on the manâ??s forehead. If truth be told, something deep inside Alexander had surfaced, he found justice in tormenting his victims. â??[B][I]One thing my employers wanted to tell youâ?¦ Our games are just beginning.[/B][/I]â? The man coughed as a drop of Shepardâ??s blood made contact with the manâ??s chest, this produced a final hoarse scream of pain; Shepard silenced him with a shotgun blast to the head, splattering grey matter against the ash colored floorboards as the security systems began reverting the mansion back to its normal state and the girls made their way back up to the main level the house. When a rumbling caused the entire mansion to shake and the panic switch in Alexâ??s head was ready to flip again, as he ran outside to his front yard. He had noticed that a good majority of the business district, deep within the city was up going up in flames as the smoke darkened the sky. â??[B][I]Itâ??s not the end of the worldâ?¦[/B][/I]â? Alexander mused with the towel still wrapped around his legs. â??[B][I]But I can see it from here.[/B][/I]â? Cameron noted as the four of them stood in awe.[/FONT] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakoni Stark Posted August 19, 2010 Author Share Posted August 19, 2010 [FONT="Times New Roman"][B][U]Chapter XV[/B][/U] [I]The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it[/I] â?? Henry David Thoreau I shambled back into the house as the damage of my injury began to set in, trying to make my way down to the basement. At the halfway mark, I could feel that my entire body was beginning to give up. I collapsed on the stairs, with the revolting sound of my armor banging against the surfaces it made contact with. [I]I am definitely going to feel that one tomorrow morning[/I]. I thought to myself as I slammed against the cold and decrepit cement floor of my basement. My shotgun discharged a round into my torso, amplifying the excruciating pain I was suffering. I could feel the buckshot burning into my crushed midsection, I groaned in pain as I began dragging myself to the lab at the other end of the basement. With every scraping of the metal, I could feel the broken shards of my ribs just barely poking into the internal organs and as I look back toward the staircase, I could see that I was leaving a trail of smeared blood behind. If I was looking for a way to remind me that Iâ??m still human, this instance was practically screaming it at me. I pushed on dragging myself, hoping to get my hands on a syringe and test tube; I finally figured out that Iâ??m immune to the disease and my blood can be used as a bio weapon of sorts against The Corporation. Hopefully I can engineer a cure to launch into the atmosphere before the rest of the world gets shot to hell in a hand basket. I made it to the intermediate mark and sighed the walk to my lab is much further than I remember. I continued to heave my metallic corpse toward the first steps to what will be the biggest ego bruiser in history but I heard two squishing pops from my chest. My display flashes the following message: [B]Critical internal damage sustained, backups are now active â?? seek medical attention[/B]. I ignore the pain and keep trying to reach for my supplies; I manage to pull myself at least a centimeter closer when a sharp gasp and the sound of a panicked female voice were the last two things I heard before I blacked out. [I]Sheâ??s great wouldnâ??t give her up for anything in the world[/I]. I slowly come back around to find that Iâ??m in my morgue with multiple sets of robotic arms in my chest. I look around with my mind swimming in a million thoughts, [I]Whatâ??s going on? Why my morgue? Who brought me here?[/I] I continue looking around; hoping that none of my CSIs come in here to find their boss in a very compromising position, then my mind hits the wall with trepidation. [I]What about the supplies?[/I] In the midst of my mind being worked up, I begin trying to remove the robotic arms from my opened wound and ripping off the numerous wires I had hooked into me when I heard a familiar voice; my body began to relax due to the morphine and other drugs flooding my system, much against my chagrin. â??[B][I]Alexandre, calm down. No one knows weâ??re here.[/B][/I]â? Katia remarked in that same tranquil voice I heard five days ago, from the upper level observatory as I sunk back onto the metal table without much protest. Soft whirring of the robotic arms and the hum of the refrigeration unit had caused me to drift off to sleep, although I wish I had stayed awake for the reason that my dreams were far from pleasant. The slam of the morgueâ??s doors awaken me from a nightmare-stricken nap; as my eyes readjust into focus, I can feel someoneâ??s hand holding onto mine noting that the operation is done. I turn my head to the right and see that Symantha is at my side; the smile she had as I was waking up just pulls at my heartstrings. I keep looking around to see if anyone else is near, and to my relief itâ??s just me and her with Katia no longer up in the viewing deck. My relief is transitory as I realize that Iâ??m on the metal slab with nothing on, my mind tries to come up with excuses just praying that her eyes wonâ??t wander past my torsoâ?¦! â??[B][I]Iâ?¦ uhâ?¦ This isnâ??tâ?¦ umâ?¦[/B][/I]â? I tried to steady my words but my mouth continued to stutter, she laughed that relaxed girlish laugh I heard after our first night together in my car as she stroked my right palm with her thumb. "[B][I]Itâ??s okay, Alexâ?¦ Iâ??ve seen that much of you twice already.[/B][/I]â? She reassures me as I slowly try to bring myself off the table but she holds me back with her left arm telling me that the surgery may be over but the bones are trying to reconfigure themselves and if I move I could totally screw it up. I donâ??t want to have a propensity for another horrendous nap where I spend more time worrying than sleeping, [I]Thank you very much.[/I] I prop myself up with my elbows and become conscious of how cold I keep this place. â??[B][I]What about the syringe and test tubes?[/B][/I]â? I inquire trying my best to hide the fact that Iâ??m shivering, she smiles again and giggles pointing to the table on the left side of the room. [I]Heâ??s so bad at tricking me into assuming heâ??s not cold[/I]. I hear her think as I notice that the test tubes are on a rack with some of them already filled with a crimson substance. I sigh in relief as my body begins to shiver quite hard. â??[B][I]Alexander, I know youâ??re strong but like you told me; donâ??t try so hard to leave a good impression.[/B][/I]â? She told me in that [I]down-to-earth[/I]-tone as she left the morgue. To try and minimize the trembling I lied down on the table, took a deep breath and closed my eyes, my body stabilizes but I startle slightly as I heard the door open again. I assumed the dead position and waited for whoever it is to leaveâ?¦Hold on, thereâ??s more than one person in hereâ?¦ Oh [I]hell no[/I], I wouldnâ??t care if it was any other mass of people, but Iâ??d recognize those voices anywhere. The rest of my team is the same room, and I donâ??t have anything to cover up. [I]My Tuesday afternoon couldnâ??t give any worse could it?[/I] I reassure myself but my confidence falters quickly when I hear a gasp and hurried footsteps toward my table. â??[B][I]Oh my Godâ?¦ Dr. Shepardâ??s dead?![/B][/I]â? Eli exclaimed as the rest of the team rushed over to the table and looked down. â??[B][I]Yep, thatâ??s our favorite doctor on the table.[/B][/I]â? Steve commented as Juliet broke down into hysteric sobs, Steve seized the opportunity and tried to comfort her; I always suspected that he liked her or something. Another slam from the morgue door then I heard Sam and James conversing, most likely James was informing Symantha about my untimely death. I knew she was a good actress, with a persuasive breakdown as she pulled a sheet over my face. She informed the team that she would take care of the rest of the arrangements. â??[B][I]Weâ??ll find his killer, all of those other cases? Put them on hold, if it were any of us on the table he wouldâ??ve avenged our deaths before calling it a dayâ?¦[/B][/I]â? She said using a tone that reminded me of myself, it made me proud. She continued to brief the team about their new mission and she convinced them to bring in Anton Falk and Adele Glass, which is good for all of us, maybe they could tell me where we could find The Corporationâ??s base of operations and weâ??ll give them a one way ticket to hell by detonating their HQ with the cure. Symantha gave them their assignments and dismissed the rest of the team. [I]At least I can die with a single shred of dignity to my name, thanks Symantha.[/I] She waited until the doors closed and the voices faded down the hall; thatâ??s when Symantha pulled the sheet off of my body which was the signal that we were alone. I rose up off of the table and exhaled while rubbing my eyes, she went to go check the centrifuge as I slid off the cold metal slab. â??[B][I]What? No clothes are you kidding me?[/B][/I]â? I asked her lightheartedly, Sam began extracting the test samples of my blood that have been transfused with different antigens with a slight laugh. â??[B][I]And here I wasâ?¦ Just thinking they rebuilt you to be a badass killing machine, Alex. If you were worried that I was going to think of you differently, rest assured that I donâ??t .[/B][/I]â? â??[B][I]My lab coat, very thoughtful.[/B][/I]â? I mused as I threw it on, she gave me a look and asked â??[B][I]Well wouldnâ??t it seem odd if I just left to the house to pick up your clothes? â??Oh donâ??t mind me, Iâ??ll just be putting these clothes on one of our test dummies, he said it was okay.â??[/B][/I]â? I smiled and began helping her with administering the trial antidotes on infected tissue samples that Katia had recovered while I was sleeping. After numerous retests with different antigen combinations, we still had no luck. On a hunch I took a bit of unaltered blood and placed a drop on the biggest tissue sample we had (the remains of the person I killed earlier this morning) to our amazement, the torso began to sizzle and the tissue died almost immediately. â??[B][I]Yahtzeeâ?¦[/B][/I]â? Symantha said under her breath as we realized that we found our solution to the problem that grew exponentially. â??[B][I]I donâ??t get it but okayâ?¦[/B][/I]â? I answered with a smile on my face, I donâ??t think those motherfuckers will know what hit them. I was ecstatic upon our discovery of the antidote, pacing back and forth trying to figure out how we were going to actually utilize it. [I]Constructing hollow point bullets full of my blood? No, I have too many different types of ammo to build that many. What about rebuilding Katiaâ??s arrows with the arrowheads drenched in my blood? Yeah that could work, I think itâ??d be cooler if her arrows exploded on contact, Iâ??ll have to test that.[/I] Finally it dawned on me; I went into the storage room of the morgue and retrieved a 25ml syringe with two pints of blood that the doctors extracted during my death and an intravenous line. When I walked out of the storeroom, Symanthaâ??s eyes widened with concern, a gasp escaped her lips as I stick the IV line into my left arm which fed the two pints of blood back into my system while I prepare to extract more of the crimson liquid from my right. I jabbed the syringe into my right ulnar vein and motioned for Symantha to pull the plunger up, she stood there will that same countenance of disbelief. â??[B][I]Well, Ms. Laurentâ?¦ The world isnâ??t going to shake off this virus by itself now, will it?[/B][/I]â? I asked her with that goofy grin I always put on that seems to ease her out of anxious situations; she snapped out of her trance with a slight nervous laugh, helped me collect the syringe sample which she then stuck a stopper on top of the needle and placed it in her pocket. I pulled up one of the stools and took a seat while the IV line slowly fed blood back into my system at the same time as Symantha sat on one of the metal tables as we both share a silence for what seems to be a perpetuity then at that moment out of nowhere, she gives me this hard to read look and promptly leaves the morgue. [I]I didnâ??t even say anything.[/I] She comes back with what Iâ??ve been waiting for all afternoon, a clean change of clothing. Finally. I think as she gives me one of those sappy I-really-like-you-looks, what she said as I was finishing up by putting on my blazer on really struck the cringe nerve and the funny bone at the same time. â??[B][I]I couldnâ??t stand to watch you freeze your cocones off, Alexander.[/B][/I]â? She noted but realized that she had mispronounced a word then began to try and shrug it off. â??[B][I]Ugh. Next time when youâ??re referring to that part of the body, just use the word Pelotas instead.[/B][/I]â? I told her in that slightly annoyed tone. She returned to sitting on one of the metal tables as I sat back down in the chair and we both went back to sharing that reciprocated silence again. [I]I wonder why weâ??re just sitting in a body fridge when we could be out there preventing the downfall of society.[/I] I thought to myself as Symantha fixed her gaze upon clock. To my surprise the surgery took a little more than five days time as the digital display reads: [B]Sunday â?? June 27 2027 09:23PM.[/B] We continue to exchange sighs as the hum of the refrigeration unit continues to drone on. The silence lasts for half an hour when she finally breaks the tranquility. â??[B][I]Alexanderâ?¦ I know this is going to sound immature but could we play a round of 20 questions?[/B][/I]â? she inquired, I laughed slightly and agreed to her game; I mean if Iâ??m going to save the world then I have to learn to loosen up even just a bit. If only I knew it wasnâ??t going to be a round of [I]I-want-to-know-of-your-personal-history.[/I] â??[B][I]Mmmâ?¦ where were you born?[/B][/I]â? She starts off with that sound of inquisitiveness in her voice. â??[B][I]Barcelona, España.[/B][/I]â? I answer with a nostalgic smile slowly forming on my face. â??[B][I]Oh? I thought you were Cuban?[/B][/I]â? â??[B][I]No thatâ??s from my dadâ??s sister.[/B][/I]â? â??[B][I]Speaking of your familyâ?¦ Those two and the girl standing next to you in the formal photo on the kitchen counterâ?¦ Is thatâ?¦?[/B][/I]â? Samâ??s words seemed timid and less calculated. â??[B][I]Siâ?¦ Itâ??s all I have left of them. My mother worked with the CIA and my father worked for the NSA, they took a job while we were living in Englandâ?¦ I was 14 at the time and my sister was eight, since we had no familial ties in England; they decided to send me to Miami to live with my uncle. I donâ??t understand why they didnâ??t let me stay in Spain with my little sisterâ?¦[/B][/I]â? I can recall arriving to my cousinâ??s house for the first time in 2013; my uncle had that stern [I]no-bullshit[/I] military type attitude but he hid it well, whereas my father was one of those people that made others do a double take at his credentials to confirm he was a spy, my mother in contrast was a Russian immigrant who served as a translation specialist who gave off the assumption that she had just arrived in America. Unlike all of my other relatives who were also in the national security business, Victor showed that he cared for the family name by trying to find out what happened to my parents after they were declared missing in action three years after they dropped me off. Up to now; heâ??s had no luck although it seems that my uncleâ??s inner Russian perseverance has motivated him to keep look for them during his time off from being an â??international stock brokerâ? as he puts it. What he doesnâ??t know is that both Sarah and I found out his actual occupation as a spy after we stumbled upon some documents as we were reading some novels in his office from some third branch of the government that I havenâ??t heard of. â??[B][I]Sorry about that, Alejandroâ?¦[/B][/I]â? She looks at me as if sheâ??s trying to apologize for committing a horrendous offense, although I donâ??tâ?¦ [I]Wait, did she just call me..?[/I] The questions keep going. â??[B][I]I read the manual in your car, who was behind the console when you stabbed me?[/B][/I]â? I could sense a feeling of retribution in her voice, this one I have no problem answering. â??[B][I]It was Glassâ?¦[/B][/I]â? I answer, and then I decide to make the answer even better â??[B][I]When we bring her in you can run the interrogation, give her a piece of your mind also.[/B][/I]â? I tell her as a smile quietly forms on her face, not any type of smile but one of those [I]I-know-this-one-wonâ??t-end-nicely[/I]-type of smiles. She hops off the table and walks closer to my seat, as she checks how much blood has been pumped back into my system I take her phone out of her pocket and begin dialing a number. â??[B][I]Alejandro, whatâ??re you doing with my phone?[/B][/I]â? she asks, once again calling me by my Spanish nameâ?¦ [I]I donâ??t know if I should be glad or frustrated.[/I] â??[B][I]Linking you to my user interface, Symanthaâ?¦ That way youâ??ll be able to see what I see and hear what I hear from the computer downstairs in the basement.[/B][/I]â? I tell her, thatâ??s when the IV monitor beeps and stops siphoning blood to my veins. I remove the needle from my arm and the robotic aids place the IV back into storage, I sigh in relief as I return the phone back to Samâ??s pocket. Iâ??m definitely ready to go home after sleeping on a cold metal table for a day, even the faux leather couches back home sound well-appointed. After walking out of the crime lab we made our way to the parking lot; Sam walks to her Audi Rs4 and takes my lab coat as I make my way to the front passenger seat but a whistle from her stops me. â??[B][I]Alejandro, you canâ??t sit up front...[/B][/I]â? She warns me, before I could ask why she answered my question, â??[B][I]Why? Because people think youâ??re dead, and if people do see you what if those people work for The Corporation, hmm?[/B][/I]â? â??[B][I]Youâ??re right Samâ?¦ Well then where am I sitting?[/B][/I]â? I responded, as I looked at her quizzically, thatâ??s when she popped open her trunk door and motioned for me to get in. â??[B][I]Oh you have got to be kidding me right?[/B][/I]â? â??[B][I]No, I am not Doctor. Now get in before someone finds us.[/B][/I]â? I groaned as I climbed into the small space and the trunk door came down. [B][U]Chapter XVI[/B][/U] [I]It is not the possessions but the desires of mankind which require to be equalized[/I] â?? Aristotle The long ride from the crime lab back to the mansion seemed to take a toll on both Alexander and Symantha. She was more concerned on how their plan of attack was going to play out, while he was wondering when itâ??d be safe to get up and move. A 6â??3â? male in a 14 square foot box wasnâ??t the best idea and Shepard would send the memo to everyone as soon as he woke up. Unlike Alexâ??s car which had autopilot, Symantha didnâ??t have such opulence and driving in the dark with little sleep began to get to her. She fought against the oncoming wave of fatigue by sipping on the lukewarm coffee that had been sitting in the cup holder since that morning. Even with the six shots of espresso in her drink, it helped just faintly. She found herself rolling down her window hoping that a rush of cool air would keep her up, but then apprehended that she lived in Miami; there would be no such thing as a cool breeze in the middle of June. In disgust she rolled her window but before it was half way up, she heard sirens closing in on her car coupled with the red and blue lights flashing in the rearview mirror. With a sigh of frustration she pulled over and glanced at the dashboard clock. [I]Itâ??s 1:30am, why me? Shouldnâ??t they be at home sleeping or at least picking on someone who isnâ??t working?[/I] She thought as the police officer walked up to her window. â??[B][I]CSI Laurent, what were you doing at the lab?[/B][/I]â? the officer asked with a hint of aggression in his voice. She knew exactly what to say if something like this happened during her pick up mission. â??[B][I]Oh, I forgot my mobile phone in my office.[/B][/I]â? She replied calmly, but the feeling of insecurity nagged at the back of her mind. â??[B][I]Alright then.[/B][/I]â? The officer noted, he bid her goodnight signaling the end of the conversation but as Sam was rolling up her window she noticed that the officer wasnâ??t returning back to his car. He stood there, in the same place as she began to peel away and back onto the road. She drove wide awake after her unorthodox stop with the feeling of uncertainty keeping her alert. To help ease her mind she had retrieved Alexanderâ??s magnum revolver, in exchange of the crimson syringe from her glove box, and held it in her right hand, hindering the ability to hold the steering wheel proper. Not even ten minutes had passed when she got pulled over again, she groaned in remonstration as the officer was walking up to her window, then she noticed it was the same car that got her earlier. [I]This guy must be a sick pervert or something.[/I] She thought to herself as she holstered her gun at the hip. At that moment, in less than a second, a tendril had busted through the window and violently tried to pull Symantha out of her car. She screamed as it dragged her out onto the humid street. Symantha tried to reach for her gun but the attacker made it difficult to retrieve, as it thrashed her around in midair. While being tossed around she continued to reach and noticed only one of the abominations had to be dealt with. [I]One canâ??t be that bad, right?[/I] She thought as the alien slammed her into the hot pavement. She ignored the pain as the monster loosened its grip slightly. Sam took that opportunity subsequently, faster than her brain could register; she retrieved the gun and fired a killing headshot. [I]I guess hanging out with Shepardâ??s cousin has its benefits.[/I] Symantha thought as she got up and brushed herself off. She was feeling proud that she didnâ??t have to wake her friend to help deal with the slight altercation. The relief was short lived when an inhuman shriek pierced the muggy early Thursday morning as another tendril wrapped itself around one of her ankles, and dragged her along the pavement. She pulled out her gun but couldnâ??t get a clean shot for it had exposed its broad mouth with multiple rows of sharp teeth which had a slight reddish tint to them. To the alien, she seemed like a delicious late night snack; but to Symantha the prospect of getting turned into a chew toy wasnâ??t on her [I]list-of-things-to do-before-death[/I]. Once again Symantha screamed, but this time she needed Alex to hear her. She tried to slow down the tumultuous drag by firing at the open mouth but the .357 rounds seemed ineffectual to the monster. â??[B][I]Dr. Shepard! Wake up! I need you![/B][/I]â? she shrieked as her voice began to break into terrified sobs and the revolverâ??s hammer clicked against the barrel. Alex slowly roused at the noise, and then his mind went into overdrive. He popped open the trunk, stood up and fired a mini rocket out of the swordâ??s sheath on his left forearm. The monsterâ??s head exploded into a mass of red and black viscera, and its bodily functions had ceased. Alex hopped out of the trunk, and ran to Symanthaâ??s aide. He picked her up and carried her back to the Audi, their eyes met and they were smiling at each other. â??[B][I]Wellâ?¦ I see you can take care of yourself for the most part, Symantha.[/B][/I]â? Alex noted the dead body with the single gunshot to the head. She laughed lightly, relishing in her moment of glory but that recognition was short lived as her laughter fell silent, remembering the alienâ??s friend that tried to eat her just seconds earlier. Not wanting to seem like the damsel in distress, Symantha slid from Alexâ??s grip and limped back to the car. [I]For the most part, Shepard? Donâ??t chastise me.[/I] She thought as she slammed the driverâ??s door, hoping that he heard her. Apparently he did as he stood there in slight confusion, but when Symantha looked through the rear view mirror; Alexanderâ??s countenance of mystification had washed away replaced with a blank expression before the trunk door came down. [I]Seriously, why the hell would he do such a thing?[/I] She thought as the car began on its long haul back to her bossâ?? home, she would continue to ask herself such questions and try to answer them, even though she came up with more outlandish theories rather than fact, until they reached the mansion. When Symantha extinguished the engine, she noticed another man standing at the steps of the Shepard manor. He looked like one of those drill sergeants she had seen barking at cadets when she worked as an intern at the naval base, but from what she could tell was he was far too old to be yelling at trainees, although it seemed that he was disciplined to at least immobilize someone in a few seconds if not kill them. The unknown man began making his way to the car and Symanthaâ??s mind immediately snapped to protecting her sleeping cargoâ?¦ Even if he was an asshole to her sometimes. â??[B][I]Thatâ??s far enough, sir![/B][/I]â? Symantha warned as she stepped out the car with .45 pistol loaded, the man complied with her warning as he stopped mid step and brought his hands up slightly. â??[B][I]Symantha, no need for alarmâ?¦[/B][/I]â? The man replied, his voice was gruff and stern yet there seemed to be a slight bit of compassion buried in there somewhere. His face seemed worn and aged but exhumed a slight sense of fear to others, maybe it was the five oâ?? clock shadow and the dark brown hair with patches of grey he was sporting. His green eyes slightly contradict his well built stature, they possessed a aura of honesty with a hint of straightforwardness. The way he dressed though really didnâ??t scream [I]killing machine[/I] but more of a [I]I-donâ??t-mind-that-Iâ??m-53-Iâ??ve-still-got-some-life-in-me-[/I]type of vibe, with a dark grey sweater and dark brown cargo pants. â??[B][I]Where is the boy, Sam?[/B][/I]â? the man asked calmly but still Symantha was tentative about his motives. â??[B][I]I have no clue what youâ??re talking about, sir.[/B][/I]â? She lied hoping that her cargo sensed that she was in a state of foreboding peril. â??[B][I]My employees told me that the two of you would be staying here.[/B][/I]â? He answered still keeping with the composed tone but there was minor irritation in his voice. [I]Shepard must be on everyoneâ??s Christmas wish list[/I], Symantha thought. She was more worried about who this man really was and what he would do to the both of them if he didnâ??t get what he wanted. â??[B][I]My daughter told me that the two of you stopped at our restaurant.[/B][/I]â? The man mentioned, then Samâ??s feelings of indecision withered slightly as she holstered her pistol. She finally figured out who this man was. â??[B][I]Mr. Romanov, donâ??t scare me like that.[/B][/I]â? Symantha said with a laugh of relief which was met with a look of disdain from Victor, her laughter faltered immediately; as she knew the older man meant business. The two of them walked over to the trunk of Laurentâ??s Audi and Sam popped it open to find her boyfriend fast asleep. â??[B][I]Doctor Shepardâ?¦ weâ??re home.[/B][/I]â? She said sotto voce, this was met with a grumble of protest from Alex. â??[B][I]Thereâ??s someone here whoâ??s been wanting to see you.[/B][/I]â? She told him as she shook Alexander gently. â??[B][I]Who would that be, Laurent?[/B][/I]â? Alex answered sleepishly with his eyes still closed. Victor took that as the cue to wake his nephew. â??[B][I]Alejandroâ?¦ Horoshij jastreb, utrom.[/I][/B]â? Victor replied, at that moment Alexander roused slowly at the sound of a familiar voice, when Shepard came to his senses he saw that his uncle was standing in front of him. Alexander hopped out of the trunk and gave his uncle an almost overpowering hug. Shepard was glad to see another face he could trust after going through the motions of skepticism and fear that others seemed to possess after learning of Alexanderâ??s restoration. When Victor let out a cough to let his nephew know that he was on the verge of choking; Alex released his grip and the three of them made their way into the house. Upon opening the door, Shepard was surprised to see that his cousin was nowhere to be found. [I]Thatâ??s odd; typically Sarah would be hereâ?¦[/I] Alex thought to himself as he walked into the kitchen and began raiding the fridge for his favorite comfort food, peanut butter. Although he had a feeling that if his uncle was at the house; there usually is some sort of disturbance within the family, so his inner bartender kicked in a pulled a bottle of Patrón from the wine cooler underneath the kitchen table. â??[B][I]You canâ??t make mojitos with peanut butter, Alexâ?¦[/B][/I]â? Symantha noted as she pulled a shot glass out of the dishwasher. Alexander gave her a [I]no-duh-Sam[/I]-look as he set the salt plate between the two of them and opened the jar of peanut butter. Alex poured Sam a shot when Victor cleared his throat and squeezed his nephewâ??s shoulder. â??[B][I]Alejandro, I have news about your parentsâ?¦[/B][/I]â? Victorâ??s words seemed to be slightly hesitant but the amount of positive anxiety running through Alex as he ate the peanut butter made it hard for Shepard to detect his uncleâ??s improbability. A deep sigh escaped from Victor before he continued but Alex caught onto what was bothering his uncle so much as Shepard swallowed the spoonful of the stocky spread. It no longer felt to be comforting instead it became obtrusive and sickening. He tried to wash the feelings of oncoming mourning with a chug of the Patrón; he relished in the burning sensation the alcohol had on his esophagus but as it reached his stomach, the remorse came back to haunt his conscious even more. On the outside he appeared to be composed but on the inside he was infuriated; wanting and ready to rip the next person to shreds. Alex set the bottle back down, still keeping the calm demeanor yet Symantha sensed there was slight resentment in his stature. She took his hand and their eyes met once again, but she noticed something new about his expression. His lenses had changed color to a deeply animated shade of blue. Symantha knew immediately it signaled that he needed time to find some sort of reprieve. He left quietly to the garage to fire up his motorbike. Alexander sensed that his girlfriend was behind him, wanting to say something but, she could not find the audacity to do so as the motorbike roared out of the garage. Alexander knew of the only place that would help him assimilate the complicated truth he didnâ??t want to believe. He pulled up to what seemed to be a store with blackened windows on the outside; but on the inside there were small wooden pews, the rest of the room was quite derelict except for the wooden cross and altar in company with the recently painted portraits of Archangel Michael and Mother Mary on the interior of the blackened windows. His bikeâ??s engine snarled once more before he pulled the ignition, which caused a few car alarms to go off, alas in this area of town everyone knew about Alexanderâ??s Daytona Triumph 675 motorbike and paid no mind. The sound was quite harrowing yet there seemed to be a feeling of approaching doom in it; for Shepard had a feeling that he was not alone. Making his way to the building, he noticed that the front door was ajar. Father Enrique wouldnâ??t just leave the door open if he isnâ??t here. Shepard thought while the ARC kicked in as he instinctively began checking the room with his revolver. Something caught his attention mid sweep; he recognized the silhouette of crossed katanas and the black leather jumpsuit crouched over in the middle of the main walkway. He rushed over to see what had the assassinâ??s interest and what Alex saw fueled the anger burning within him to exponential levels. â??[B][I]Mademoiselle Miruna! How did this happen?![/B][/I]â? Shepard exclaimed as the ARC began giving him a visual read out of his cousinâ??s injuries. The results were horrendous; starting with her broken legs he had found that her left shoulder had been dislocated, an open wound on the right arm with numerous cuts and bruises on her body in the midst of two entrance wounds in her chest. Luckily the bullets got caught in her ribs, resulting in two minor comminuted (where fragments of bone have splintered into small pieces) fractures one in 3rd right rib and the other in the 5th left rib respectively. â??[B][I]I found her like this Monsieur Shepard.[/B][/I]â? Katia informed the doctor as he took off his shirt and wrapped it around the gash on Sarahâ??s arm; she reacted to this with a weak smile and cough. â??[B][I]Hey cousin, howâ??re you feeling?[/B][/I]â? Alex inquired; his voice was hasty nonetheless relaxing and collected to keep Sarah calm as possible while his left hand contorted into a set of tweezers. â??[B][I]Alex, Iâ??m sorry I got you into this messâ?¦ The man wouldnâ??t stop gawking at me in the club, even after I set him straight with a couple bruisesâ?¦ Then he followed me out andâ?¦[/B][/I]â? Sarahâ??s emotions finally gave way as a tear ran down her face. Alex took her hand as he dug into the first entrance wound and clamped down on the bullet, followed by squeezing her hand gently. The sound of resulting snap seemed to be both an opportunity and a hindrance; on the bright side it was one down and two to go, conversely she screamed loud enough to distort Shepardâ??s HUD paired with a vice like grip on his right hand. His tweezers retracted slowly to reveal a deformed 9mm round and he smiled. â??[B][I]See it wasnâ??t that bad now was it?[/B][/I]â? Alex needed to keep Sarahâ??s stress levels down to make his impromptu operation a success. As he discarded the bullet into one of the spare evidence collection bags from his pocket, Sarah found enough energy to help her cousin with finding the man who did this to her and continued speaking. â??[B][I]He seemed to be in his late 20s, Americano with styled brown hair, he was quite pale possibly out of country touristâ?¦ Smelled of cheap vodka and inexpensive cologne but what got me was his voiceâ?¦ his voiceâ?¦[/B][/I]â? Alex told her to stop right there for he had sensed that she was about to break down again; at the same time as he got a grasp of the second bullet. Alex motioned for her to be quiet while the bullet came out with a hollow popping squish. Shepard then discarded the bullet in the same fashion as the first. Something caught his attention in one of the windows, a bloodstained pass to Ink, a nightclub in downtown. He walked over, picked it up and upon further examination of the church he apprehended that this was not his primary crime scene but a dump site. Alex began collecting evidence around the church to find that the assault on Sarah started with the harassment at Ink then worked its way to the shoreline and ended here; all the while Katia helped Shepardâ??s cousin get back on her feet. Though something had caused Shepardâ??s feeling of doubt to spike again, he felt as if another set of eyes were on him. He walked out of the church to find the source of his persisting dilemma, as he made eye contact with a man loosely fitting the description of Sarahâ??s attacker. Alex stared the man down expecting his next move, the man continued to stand there unaffected by the androidâ??s intimidating gaze. As Katia carried Sarah out of the church, Shepard came to their side and with the antagonizing sound of Sarahâ??s shoulder being relocated by force, the assailant broke out into a frenzied sprint with a mocking laugh. Shepard wouldnâ??t let him get away with that disdainful luxury as Alex began chasing after him. [/FONT] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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