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(NEW) New Sparta - Chapter 2

 
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misterbiz
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PostPosted: Wed May 08, 2013 8:19 am    Post subject: (NEW) New Sparta - Chapter 2 Reply with quote




Biz Bit: This is a collaboration between Sagittaeri and myself. It is going to be a twisted sci-fi tale filled with horror, intrigue, suspense and lasers. So sit back and enjoy our sordid little tale. And as usual, prologue has no dp.

Disclaimer: Violence and Language to follow. A lot of it.

Prologue

Tanner

The camp sat a bit in the distance. Its lights illuminated the nighttime desert like some sort of unholy beacon. The concrete buildings within the camp sat in a near-ruin state. The streets laid empty with the sole exception of a handful of soldiers that acted as heavily armed guards. Their white uniforms almost seemed to glow.

“Fuckin’ Fect mother-fuckers,” Tanner Afaro, a red-headed sixteen year old growled, lowering his binoculars.

“How’s it looking, chief?” a voice said to his right. Tank, as Tanner was most often called, looked up from his crouching position and shook his head. The person his eyes came into contact with was tall and scrawny. A light mop of brown hair sat atop his scalp and helped to bring attention to the two saucers the young lad called ears. He was dressed in a black jumpsuit and boots. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of bug-eyed goggles.

“It’s quiet, Twig. Real quiet. Only see a handful of them out there. No civvies though. Looks like they’ve already moved all the Norms.”

“Bastards,” Twig muttered. Tank nodded in agreement and rose to his feet. He patted Twig on the shoulder and turned around to face the others that had accompanied the pair. There were three of them, which made the entire group five in all.

The middle of the trio before him was a short-ish individual, probably about five foot even. He had blonde hair which was shaved into a crew cut. He was dressed similar to Twig with the exception that he had nothing covering his almost unnaturally blue eyes. The jumpsuit he was clad in almost seemed like a couple of sizes too big. Everybody called him Tiny. Standing to Tiny’s left was a young woman with long blonde hair that had the tips dyed purple. She was clad in a midriff tank top, to perfectly show off the tattoo of a serpent that circled her belly button. She also wore a pair of baggy black pants complete with a set of rainbow colored suspenders that hung limp at the sides. Trix. The final member of the crew was an older woman, at twenty years of age. Her dark crimson hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. Her outfit comprised of a loose fitting black t-shirt with a large blue ‘T’ in the center of it, a pair of form fitting blue jeans, and a pair of acid green sneakers. She referred to herself as Tessie.

“Tiny, what we got in terms of gear?” Tank asked.

The diminutive individual flashed a wide grin before turning around and taking a few steps away from the group. After a couple moments, he turned back and re-approached the group, a large duffel bag hanging off his shoulder. He dropped it in front of him and stared up at Tank with a bright smile.

“Two laser pistols, five blades of the kitchenette variety, blowtorch, pliers, chocolate bar and hedge-clippers,” Tiny said.

Trix turned her head and stared down at him. “You brought a chocolate bar?”

“Yes. I had a craving while packing. I’m weak,” he said.

“That’s saying something,” Tessie said.

“Children, settle,” Tank barked. “Now, Tiny, you and Trix get the pistols, you’re better shots. Twig, you get the clippers. Tessie, you’re a bit of a pyro, take the torch. I’ll take the pliers and each one of us gets a blade. Tiny, go ahead and eat your fucking chocolate. Got it?”

The others gave him a salute, and in a companionable silence, Tiny opened the bag and dispensed the equipment in the manner that Tank had ordered. Once everything was ready, Tank motioned with his head and together they slid down the hill and made their way toward the eerily silent refugee camp in the distance.

As they strolled, Tank allowed his thoughts to wander into the memory of the last time he had seen his little brother. It was last year, just after the announcement of the segregation camps, where his kind---the ‘Norms’---were being rounded up into. The pair of brothers had been in their adoptive home, watching their favorite TV show, The Adventures of Icarus Faraday. Then it happened. A news story interrupted the program.

“Breaking news,” the anchorman had said, almost breathlessly. “A vote has just come to pass. A Second Segregation is going to be instituted immediately. In addition to reusing the camps from the First Segregation four years ago, several old ruins have been converted into makeshift refugee camps. Starting now, the Norm Control Services will be tasked with gathering up all Norms and escorting them to their nearest camp. A representative from the Global Senate has asked that no Norm resist this. We seek only to protect all Norms and Fects the best way we can. That is the end of this message.”

As the message ended, the ten-year-old boy who was sitting cross-legged on the floor cast a gaze over his shoulder at his big brother. The squirt didn’t say anything but Tanner Afaro could see the fear the boy had in his eyes. It wasn’t just any other fear. His baby brother was terrified.

“Let’s go,” Tanner said, rising off of the couch and raced upstairs, the sounds of the younger boy’s footsteps followed behind him. “Riki, grab your suitcase and pack your clothes. Quick.” The younger red-headed lad nodded and ran to his room. Tanner strode to his closet and pulled out a large red suitcase. His mind abuzz, the older boy moved around his room, grabbing only the essentials. He packed a handful of clothes and a couple of pictures of his late parents---stopping only for the briefest of moments to gaze at them. As he was finishing up, he heard the familiar small steps behind him.

“I’m ready, Tanny,” his little brother piped. Tanner gave the boy a pat on the shoulder and took the suitcase from him.

“Let’s go,” Tanner said. Without another word, the two slipped out the back door and started to run. They didn’t have a specific destination. They only knew they had to find a place to hide. They had heard rumors that another segregation was coming. Tanner had been around to experience the first one and knew that as long as he was alive, he would never allow his baby brother to be subjected to the same pain and suffering those camps had brought.

For several blocks, everything went well. Then...then it happened. A few yards away, there was an almost unnaturally white glint. Fects --- they were here! Spinning around to run, they ran straight into another pair of soldiers carrying plasma rifles.

Dropping the suitcases, Tanner leapt forward and sent a punch up to the jaw of one of them. The soldier responded by driving the butt of the rifle into the elder Afaro brother’s temple, knocking him to the ground, blood trickling down his face. As he started to get up he saw his little brother smashing the soldier in the groin with a tiny fist. The man bent forward in excruciating pain, both hands covering his balls as his rifle clattered on the ground. Tanner pushed himself up and grabbed the smaller lad by the wrist.

“We gotta move!” he shouted while scanning around for an escape route. However, before they could take a step, another Fect came at them from the side and swung the rifle at Tanner! Prepared this time, the teenager blocked the attack with his forearms and gripped the weapon with both his fists, resulting in the two struggling wildly for a few seconds. Without warning, a plasma blast suddenly punched through the Fect’s skull, creating a spray of blood behind the Fect as he fell limply into the ground! By reflex, Tanner turned towards the source of the shot---only to find his ten-year-old brother falling on his ass at some distance away, his tiny arms wrapped around a still-smoking heavy plasma rifle! Gaping in shock, by the time Tanner was able to move, the younger boy was already surrounded by the soldiers!

“Run, Tanny, run!” the ten year old cried while trying to fight off the soldiers with his little fists. Not heeding his little brother, Tanner started towards them. He watched in horror as a blast from another plasma rifle sailed in from the far side...and caught the smaller Afora in the left arm!

“Riki!” he roared.

As Tanner broke into a run towards his injured brother, a stout teen with a crew cut suddenly appeared from around the corner and yanked him away. “Too late, chief,” the newcomer whispered intensely, shoving the elder Afaro in the other direction. “He’s got some fight, and they won’t let him die. Promise. Now, let’s run!

Tanner backed up a step, and the last thing he saw was his brother’s terrified blue eyes.

“Tanner, everything ok?” a voice said, ripping Tank away from his memories. As the world came back to him, he found himself standing in front of a chain link fence. He let out a sigh and looked at the blonde girl who had spoken, staring into her worried blue eyes.

“Yeah, Trix,” Tank answered. “Just bad memories.”

“The Round-up?”

“Yeah.”

She gave a nod and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. There was a slight chuckle from behind them and after a couple seconds, Tiny stepped in front of them.

“Get a room, you two,” he said.

“Yeah, lovebirds, we’ve got work to do,” Tessie said, joining her much shorter comrade.

“Think it’s wired?” Trix asked.

“Most definitely,” Tank replied.

“How long we got?”

“Less than a minute.”

“You think we’re gettin’ out alive?”

“Four teenagers and a twenty-year-old against an army of trained Fect soldiers. Odds favor death.”

Trix let out a sigh at Tank’s last words. Tessie gave him a look and in response, he nodded. Tessie looked back to the fence and immediately began to torch a hole in it. Off in the distance a siren began to wail. It wouldn’t be long before they were swimming in soldiers. Over a minute later and Tessie was still cutting.

“Faster,” Tank said.

“Shut it, Tank,” she snapped.

A few yards away, the first Fect appeared. Tiny raised a laser pistol and fired it, causing the figure to drop instantaneously. After a couple minutes, the cutting was done and the group slipped through into the camp. Desperation was starting to flood Tanner. He needed to find his brother, and fast. If the rumors he had heard were true, the Norms were getting shipped off the planet tonight, and he was either going to get Riki back before that happens, or die trying.

Henrikson

“I want ice cream!” pleaded the five-year-old boy at the dinner table.

His mother shook her head. “No sweets or ice cream after dinner, sweetie,” she said sternly, even though there was a smile on her face. “So, anything happened in school today?”

Rik shook his head. “No,” the child said softly, looking down surreptitiously.

“Please,” Tanny, his big brother, cut in. “He got into a fight with Robbie today.”

“Oh?” their father looked up from his dinner. “You hit a kid?”

His brother scoffed. “Worse, he just stood there and let Robbie beat him up!”

The large man sighed and wiped his mouth on a napkin. “Rik, why didn’t you fight back?”

The young boy didn’t answer. So, his mother intervened instead. “Honey, we have two cats and a dog because Rik couldn’t leave them alone on the streets. Isn’t it obvious?”

“Rik?”

“I don’t wanna hit anyone. It’ll hurt them,” he muttered at the table.

Tanny rolled his eyes. “Oh, please, you’re just scared!”

“Am not!” Rik turned towards his brother. “I hate you!”

Children!” their mother suddenly slammed her palms on the table. “Tanner, stop being cruel to your brother. And Rik, you don’t use the ‘h’ word unless you mean it.”

But, he had meant it. Just because Tanny was ten years old, it didn’t mean he can be mean to him. Rik pouted unhappily but didn’t say anything.

“On the upside,” his father said after a moment of silence. “None of us are going anywhere tomorrow. Not school, and definitely not work. Not with the plague going on all around us.”

The young boy looked up at that, his curiosity already buried any unhappy thoughts he had earlier. “What is a ‘plague’, daddy?”

“It’s a...a serious sickness. You can catch it if you go out and meet other people.”

“But, why do only the Norms fall sick?”

“Everyone falls sick, Rik. But, because the Fects are genetically perfect, they can fight it off better.”

“Is that why grandpa, grandma, and uncle Jerry are coming here? Because they’re Norms, like us?”

His father reached out and tousled his hair. “That’s right, Rik. We stick together as a family.” As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Rik looked expectantly at his father. “You can get the door,” his father chuckled in reply.

Squealing in excitement, the child jump off his chair and darted towards the front door. He pulled a box from beside the shoe rack and placed it in front of the door. The five-year-old climbed up and reached for the lock, but then he suddenly remembered what he was supposed to do first. “Who is it?” he called out.

“It’s your grandmother, little punk,” came the reply from behind the door. Giggling a little, the little boy unlocked the door, jumped off and pushed the box aside.

“Okay, you can open the door now!” he said proudly.

The door swung open...but instead of seeing his grandmother, he saw a soldier in white uniform, with a hole in the middle of its head! Blood was spurting from the front and back of the wound. The walking corpse took a step towards him.

Horrified at the gruesome image, the young boy stepped backwards and stumbled, landing on his bottom. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

“You shot me,” said the corpse, its bloodshot eyes glaring angrily at him, its teeth blackened from rot. “Why did you kill me?” the soldier screamed, its hand extending out towards the boy!

Turning on his side, Rik scrambled away from the rotting hand, managing to stand up at some point. Never so afraid in his life before, he ran back into the dining room. “Mommy! Daddy!” he cried, only to find out that there was no one in the dining room. He spun around, desperate to find his parents, and the room suddenly deteriorated before his eyes! The walls began to bleed bright red, the electric lights exploded and sizzled, and maggots were crawling out of the food. “Tanny!” the boy cried desperately, tears running down his face.

Suddenly, the boy’s teary eyes fell upon both his parents, lying down against the wall. There was blood oozing out of their eyes, ears, nose and mouth. No. They had died from the plague. No. A bony hand gripped his shoulder and spun him around, and the lifeless face of the Fect soldier was only inches away, the bloody hole on its head so large that he could see through it.

Sitting up suddenly, Rik pulled the thin fleece blankets towards him, sweating and shivering at the same time. He was inside the dormitory, he noted in relief. The dozen other kids were lightly snoring around him. Suddenly realising he had been crying, he quickly wiped away the tears with the back of his hand, angry at himself. He was no longer five. He was eleven now. An adult. He shouldn’t be crying.

“What did you dream about?” a voice to his right suddenly asked.

He turned away from the little girl and said nothing.

She looked at him curiously. “They said we’re going to space today.”

Rik ignored the girl and pulled the blanket over his shoulder.

“Why won’t you speak? They said you haven’t said anything for a year. Did someone steal your voice?”

Silence.

“Okay, then. It’s nice to meet you,” the little girl chirped and walked out of the room.

The young boy still had his voice. But, he didn’t trust anyone. His parents had told him to never trust anyone. He should have listened. Everyone were liars. Especially little children. He was an adult now, at eleven, so he knew better. If only he was an adult back then, too. If he was, then he wouldn’t have convinced his parents to take in a lost child hiding behind the looted supermarket. The child had told him that he wasn’t sick. That he had never bled from his nose or ears or eyes. He lied. The child died a few days later from the plague, and Rik’s parents started bleeding from their noses. They died a few weeks after that. If only he had listened to his parents, instead of trying to help the hungry child.

Quietly rolling out of his bunk bed, the young boy lifted up the corner of his foam mattress and grabbed his hidden stash of muesli bars. Making sure that the other children around him were still sleeping, he pushed the bars into his pants. He knew a quiet place where he could eat secretly. As he was leaving the room, however, he noticed a little girl crying in her sleep. It wasn’t his problem. He couldn’t trust anyone. She was probably trying to trick him, too. He forced himself to walk past her bed, doing his best to ignore her light sobs. As he did so, however, he dropped one of his muesli bars onto the mattress next to her head. He wasn’t being nice. He had too many bars and couldn’t eat them all, anyway. He had wanted to get rid of it, he told himself, before leaving the dormitory.

Suddenly, an alarm blared all around him! Momentarily panicked, at first he thought they had caught him with the muesli bars. However, from what the soldiers in white were saying to each other, he soon realised there were intruders inside the compound! His heart fluttered at that knowledge...it must had been his brother! Tanny was finally coming for him! Smiling widely, he looked around wildly, as if expecting his brother to suddenly jump out of nowhere and grab him.

A hand gripped his left hand suddenly, pulling him in another direction. He spun around excitedly. “Tanny---” he stopped when he realised it was only one of the Fect soldiers, dragging him and all the other Norms towards a large blue building. He was afraid, but it was okay. His brother was coming. He was going home.

Tanner

After clearing the first section of buildings, the full force of the Fects started to appear.

“Separate,” he shouted. “Tiny, with me, you three, head east.”

Turning to the right, he ran down what could be called an alley. A Fect came around the corner and was met with a blade to the throat from Tank. Without hesitation, he shoved the body aside and kept moving.

The camp seemed to go on forever. Tiny took care most of the subsequent Fects, dropping any they had come across with a surprise shot to the head. After what felt like a hundred miles of running and dodging Fects, the very ground beneath him seemed to start trembling.

“Oh no,” Tank muttered, realising what it had meant. “Oh shit fucking shit!” Throwing all caution to the wind, he rounded a corner and raced down a street filled with Fects. A gunfight broke out behind him, presumably between Tiny and the rest. As Tank approached one that had yet to be fired upon by Tiny, he plunged the knife into the unsuspecting man’s chest, yanked it out, and kept running. Another Fect stepped in front of him, the pistol trained behind him. The brawling teen decked him in the face and before the man could recover, Tank grabbed his weapon and used it on him.

As the Fect fell, he saw it. An enormous blue building in the distance. Even from here he could make out the sign that read ‘Shuttle’. He had to hurry. Utilizing every ounce of strength and speed he could muster, he charged forward like an enraged bull. The gargantuan building got closer and closer. He was going to do it. He could feel it. He was actually going to win!

Then, as soon as the thought of success entered his mind, it vanished. A large Fect came from the side and drove him into the ground. The bigger individual rained a flurry of punches and elbows down onto the teenager. Tank curled up and covered his head with his arms, realizing just how physically inferior he was compared to the genetically enhanced Fects.

“Hey, Fect fuckface,” he could hear Tiny’s voice. The vicious beating from the soldier suddenly ceased. “Pick on someone your own---” his friend’s words were cut off. Tank opened his eyes and looked up. The large man had Tiny by the throat. In horror, Tank watched as the soldier snapped his friend’s neck, the sickening crack cutting through the air. As his friend’s lifeless body was tossed aside, Tank’s senses returned.

He reached up, pulled the Fects sidearm from its holster and fired a laser beam into the large man’s chest, before pulling the pistol up and burning a hole through the bastard’s skull! For a moment, he thought this meant he still had a chance. However, the universal forces once again proved him wrong as the Fect’s heavy body fell forward and pinned him to the ground.

In the distance, a cacophonic roar of giant rocket engines and the screeching of a large metal door sliding can be heard. Above the enormous blue building, a vast shuttle rose and lifted off toward the heavens.

“Riki,” Tank roared. “Riki! No!”

Tank continued to scream and struggle against the dead weight on top of him until he was surrounded by his enemies, dozens of rifles pointing down at him. He stopped. Barely feeling the moisture on his face, he realized that he had truly failed.


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Seraphi
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PostPosted: Wed May 08, 2013 2:17 pm    Post subject: Re: New Sparta Reply with quote

Love it!

Its intriguing, action packed, and has a great bunch of characters. And all before the start of the first chapter! All in all its the beginning of what I'm sure will be an amazingly epic story! I think this collaboration is going to go very well. Very well indeed.

Two teensy weensy things:

misterbiz wrote:
Its lights lit up the nighttime desert like some sort of unholy beacon.


Illuminated (This is a personal preference suggestion, rather than correcting an error. Forgive me for I could not resist.)

misterbiz wrote:
“Breaking news,” the anchor had said, almost breathlessly.


Anchorman

I can't wait for more! Keep up the awesome work guys!!! Very Happy
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PostPosted: Wed May 08, 2013 3:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey guys!

This is looking very promising so far, though I expected nothing less from the two of you. Wink I can see the best of you both coming through in this already and it's clear that you've been working hard alongside each other to create this new tale. Sagi's realism and character believability combined with Biz's trademark horror/action that can be seen in Eternia and Kissing the Darkness...I can see this turning into something very interesting. I can't wait to read more! Smile


I found a couple of things during my read through...


Quote:
Its lights lit up the nighttime desert like some sort of unholy beacon.


I know Seraphi already mentioned this, but I just wanted to second it. 'Lights' and 'lit-up' are just too similar. Illuminated, as Seraphi suggested would make it flow alot better.

Quote:
He patted Twig on the shoulder and turned around to face the others that had accompanied Tank and Twig.


Given that the names of the two characters are already mentioned in close conjunction to the specified mentioning, I think that this part would have better flow if replaced with 'the two of them' or even just 'them'.

Quote:
As they strolled, Tank allowed his thoughts to wander into the memory of the last time he had seen his little brother. It was last year, just after the announcement of the segregation camps, where his kind---the ‘Norms’---were being rounded up into. The pair of brothers had been in their adoptive home, watching their favorite TV show, The Adventures of Icarus Faraday. Then it happened. A news story interrupted the program.

“Breaking news,” the anchor had said, almost breathlessly. “A vote has just come to pass. A Second Segregation is going to be instituted immediately. In addition to reusing the camps from the First Segregation four years ago, several old ruins have been converted into makeshift refugee camps. Starting now, the Norm Control Services will be tasked with gathering up all Norms and escorting them to their nearest camp. A representative from the Global Senate has asked that no Norm resist this. We seek only to protect all Norms and Fects the best way we can. That is the end of this message.”

As the message ended, the ten-year-old boy who was sitting cross-legged on the floor cast a gaze over his shoulder at his big brother. The squirt didn’t say anything but Tanner Afaro could see the fear the boy had in his eyes. It wasn’t just any other fear. His baby brother was terrified.

“Let’s go,” Tanner said, rising off of the couch and raced upstairs, the sounds of the younger boy’s footsteps followed behind him. “Riki, grab your suitcase and pack your clothes. Quick.” The younger red-headed lad nodded and ran to his room. Tanner strode to his closet and pulled out a large red suitcase. His mind abuzz, the older boy moved around his room, grabbing only the essentials. He packed a handful of clothes and a couple of pictures of his late parents---stopping only for the briefest of moments to gaze at them. As he was finishing up, he heard the familiar small steps behind him.


This probably looks a little intimidating, but I assure you it's nothing huge, so don't worry about it, lol! I just needed to take a piece of text large enough to illustrate what I'm about to say. These paragraphs begin in the past tense, as if Tanner is looking back on the memory. But a little way in, it changes to present, so that needs to be sorted out, either to have all of it being in past tense, or into present, and have it in the sense that Tanner is almost reliving the memory. It continues after the quoted area slightly also. It's a mistake that I've made several times before now though. It's very easy to slip between tenses like this, as I'm sure you both know. Smile


Keep up the good work guys! This is looking really fab! Smile

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PostPosted: Wed May 08, 2013 10:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like, very entertaining you two. Reading it was a bit tough though. There was a part where there was a bunch of banter with no one's names on the lines so I had no idea who was talking, and your transitions could use some real work. The idea is very interesting And I can't wait to read more! Way to go guys.
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PostPosted: Wed May 08, 2013 11:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yay people are reading this! Very Happy Thanks!!!

I've taken all suggestions and updated them accordingly...perhaps except for the past tense present tense thing, because I wanna discuss with biz about that first. Wink
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PostPosted: Wed May 29, 2013 12:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote



Chapter 1

The Milky Way was clearly visible on the Martian night sky, a sight that was now lost on Earth due to its light pollution. Everyone called Terraformed Mars the green paradise. Having grown up on Earth, he hadn’t understood what that had meant, until he set foot on this planet. Rainforests, vast oceans, red rocky deserts, majestic clouds, and peaceful rivers. All lost treasures that were once plentiful on Earth. It was the place where everyone wanted to be, and only the most privileged had the chance.

“I can never tell if you loved the moon, or hated it,” commented Alexis, sitting on the patch of grass next to the twenty-seven year-old soldier.

Tank kept his gaze on the shimmering ring-shaped moon. “The moon’s actually Noah’s Ark, the colony ship,” he said instead and pointed up at it, while subtly leaning sideways into her head. “That’s why on some days, when the ship is aligned correctly, we can see right through the center.”

The young woman with long golden curls smiled. “I grew up here, Tanner. I know what the moon is.” She leaned back to pick up a glass of white wine from her other side.

The red-head soldier returned the smile, but his eyes were still locked on the moon. “But, did you know that the ship is so large that a hundred thousand people can live in it? There’s a whole city in that thing.”

“I also know that the Norms were banished to that ship ten years ago,” she retorted smartly.

A flash of old memory entered Tank’s mind uninvited. It was an image of a shuttle leaving Earth, the very one his little brother had been on. He quickly pushed that memory away and stretched his arms. “So, are your roommates home, tonight?” he turned and asked with a sexy grin. “I would move out of the barracks, if it wasn’t so expensive.”

“There it is again.”

“What?” he asked innocently, trying not to laugh while reaching out for her delicate hand.

But, she swatted his hand away, surprising him. “Why is it you never tell me anything about yourself?” Alexis was frowning. It wasn’t a cheeky frown, he realised. She was upset.

“What do you mean? You know plenty about me.” He lowered his voice into a register he knew she’d respond to, for good measure. “You’ve seen all of me, many, many times.”

She didn’t rise to the bait. “We can’t talk about your family. We can’t talk about your past. And now, apparently, we can’t talk about the Norms.”

His smile vanished. “Babe---”

“If you really want us to move in together, you’ll have to open yourself up to me.”

Tank blinked. Move in together? “Wait, I didn’t---”

“Save it. That’s what you were getting at with your whole it’s too expensive to move out alone.”

Fuck, how does she do that? He felt his cheeks heating up a little. She was the only one who could make him feel this way. After a short pause, he turned towards her and smiled uncertainly. “So, we’re moving in together?”

“God, yes. My roommates are too nosy about our sex lives, and it’s just weird to do it in the room next to the barracks with all your friends listening.”

Yes! Tank smiled genuinely at her nonchalant reply. She had just agreed to move in together! He cleared his throat subtly, trying to mask his elation. “And don’t get me started on the bed sheets,” the soldier chipped in seriously. “I mean, we wash them every day, but you really don’t want to know how many couples are using them!” A thought suddenly gnawed at him. Why did it seem like moving in together was a bigger deal to him than to her?

The beautiful woman turned towards Tank at that, an eyebrow raised. “The bed sheets?”

“Yes.”

“You’re a big, strong, soldier, fearless in battle, crawled through mud and crap, covered in scars...and the bed sheets are what gets you?”

“They were terrible sheets.”

Alexis laughed at that. “Aww, poor baby. Don’t worry, I already know which bed sheets to get for our new place.”

Tank’s wristpad beeped loudly at that moment. However, he ignored it, leaned back and looked into her large brown eyes. “Hang on, you’ve already picked out our sheets?”

“Shouldn’t you get that?” she quickly gestured at his wristpad instead.

The soldier allowed a grin to form on his face. “You’ve been thinking about moving in together, too, haven’t you?”

She pretended that she didn’t hear him. Unfortunately, her cheeks betrayed her. “Check your wristpad already!”

Leaning forward, Tank kissed her and examined his wristpad at the same time. The text ‘WHERE R U’ was displayed across the curved plastic screen on his wrist. He pulled away quickly and stood up, wiping her lipstick from his mouth. “Oh fuck, fuck, fuck...I’m late!”

She stood up, perplexed. “For what? I thought you got a day pass?”

“I’m supposed to give Aaron a ride to the mines---it’s his first day!” he explained quickly before sprinting towards the rover at the edge of the clearing.

She blinked. “You’re running off in the middle of our date...to give a sixteen year-old boy a lift?” she asked, sounding astounded at her date’s peculiar choice of priorities.

“I’ll be back in a jiffy, babe!” he shouted from the edge and pulled himself up into the rover, unable to keep the grin from his face.

“Should I be worried at how happy you are to leave me...for a boy?” she yelled back good naturedly at the soldier.

Tank turned on the electric engines and stepped on the pedal, causing the rover to kick some gravel behind it as it skidded away from the clearing. As he was driving away, however, he stuck his head out to retort his reply at the young woman in the clearing. “Nothing to worry about, babe, he’s just my little brother!




The handcuffed young man in a prison jumpsuit stared down at the unopened chocolate bar in his hands. Images of his best friend’s neck twisting grosteaguely...the sounds of it snapping pierced through the air...the lifeless unblinking eyes staring at nothing and at him at the same time. The images wouldn’t leave his head. He had gotten his best friend killed...for nothing. Tiny had trusted him, and paid for it with his life. Yet, his little brother was still gone.

“...robbed the life of four of our soldiers in the compound. There is no doubt the defendant is mentally unstable and is prone to extreme violence. Thus, I cannot, in good conscience, recommend the defendant to be released into the colony ship with the other Norms. Instead, the prosecution will pursue the---let me remind the jury that the prosecution does not take these charges lightly---the prosecution will pursue the death penalty, in the case of the state versus Mister Tanner Afaro, a Norm terrorist.”

“Objection, your honor!”

“On what grounds?”

“The statement is inflammatory, your honor. The prosecution has yet to prove that my client is a terrorist. More importantly, the genetic makeup of the defendant is irrelevant to the case and should never have been mentioned to a jury comprising of only Fects!”

“Sustained. The jury will disregard the last sentence of the prosecution’s statement. Would the prosecution like to revise their closing statement?”

“No, your honor. The prosecution rests.”

A large double door suddenly burst opened and rapid footsteps echoed around the hall. When it stopped, Tank could hear intense whisperings between his defense attorney and the newcomer. But, he ignored it and kept twiddling the chocolate bar in his fingers. How did he get his hands on it, anyway? He vaguely remembered crawling desperately towards Tiny’s lifeless body before he was taken away by the soldiers.

“The defense, your closing statement, please. The defense, please give your closing statement. The defense---Mr Dewitt, would you like to share your discussions with the court, or should we take a recess while you conclude your affairs?

The clearing of a throat. “I apologise, your honor. The defense would like to submit new evidence.”

A chair slid loudly along the wooden floor. “Objection, your honor! The prosecution hasn’t had time to examine the new evidence!”

Sit down, Parker. Objection overruled. The prosecution will get their chance of a rebuttal a few days from today, if deemed necessary. Defense, come forward to the bench with the evidence.”

“Yes, your honor.” Heavy footsteps moving towards the front of the courtroom. “Your honor---” The beeping of a device downloading the digital evidence. “According to the lab results, my client is genetically enhanced.”

Whispers erupted around the courtroom. “Order in the court! I don’t understand. According to the defendant’s own testimony, he claims to be a Norm.”

“My client lied. Tanner Afaro, is in fact, a Fect.”

Tank finally tore his eyes away from the chocolate bar and looked up, confused. That couldn’t be right. He was a goddamned Norm, he was sure of it. Why would his parents lie to him?

“The defense will now like to move for a mistrial, as the entire case had been built upon the false assumption that my client is a---in the words of the prosecution---a ‘Norm terrorist’. There is no need for my client to leave Earth, and thus, he should be trialed in a juvenile court in a timely fashion, like all the other sixteen year old Fects.”




“Tank, whaddafuck took you so long!” the to-be-miner teenager with black hair shouted while scrambling onto the rover.

“Language, Aaron.”

“Tonight’s my first day at work. First day!

The soldier spun the steering wheel and pulled the rover away from the kid's modest house. "I know, I'm sorry, buddy. Look, I'll talk to your boss, let him know it's not your fault."

The teenager groaned. "You're kidding, right? The foreman totally hates me. Now he's going to hate me even more!"

Tank grinned at the younger man. "Then you shouldn't have dated his daughter."

"I didn't know who her father was at that time---wait," the black-haired teenager sat up and stared intensely at Tank's mouth. "There's lipstick on your...oh. You were on a date with Alexis, weren't you?"

The soldier smiled as he steered the rover up a red hill. The frequency of lamp posts quickly diminished as they exited the town. The roads were more and more lit up by the gentle sheen of silver moonlight.

"I knew it! Dude! Why didn't you tell me? I could've gotten a lift from someone else!"

Tank peered sideways at the younger man and chuckled. "What, and miss your first day as a big working boy?"

Aaron slugged the soldier in his shoulder. "Seriously, dude! You're not meant to leave in the middle of your date!"

Tank guffawed aloud at that. "You're giving me relationship advice? Really?"

The rover was now driving along the lake, but it was so pitched dark that the only thing visible on the large body of water was the reflection of the moon. "So? How did it go?" the black-haired teenager inquired curiously.

A small smile formed on the soldier's lips. "I did it. I asked her to move out with me, and she said yes."

Aaron whooped excitedly at that. But his good mood quickly deteriorated into melancholy. He leaned onto the dashboard and gazed up at the shimmering ring-shaped moon. "It's a full moon tonight," he muttered before glancing at Tank. "Did you tell her about Riki?"

Shocked, Tank stiffened. He hadn't heard that name for years. "Who?"

The teenage boy glanced up at the moon again. "Is that where he is? You have that 'look' whenever you’re looking at it. Is that why you want to go to Noah's Ark so badly?"

"Aaron, stop," the soldier snapped. Then, he softened his tone, although, it was still tense. "Where did you hear that name?"

"From you, five years ago," his young friend replied and leaned back onto the chair. "When a creepy drunk-ass stranger walks up to an eleven-year-old you and calls you 'Riki' while crying like a baby, you tend to remember it."

"I wasn't crying---" he stopped and inhaled. "This is rich, coming the kid who lets others kick him around like garbage. Who put a stop to that, huh?"

The younger man huffed. "I was perfectly fine! I could've stopped it myself if I wanted too." Aaron crossed his arms and lowered his voice. "I just don't believe in stopping violence with violence."

"And that's exactly why I had to step in," Tank said quietly, smiling a little. A large and brightly lit structure came into view. Yellow and blue lamps were evenly scattered around the mining sector. Flushed against a red rocky cliff was the crowded mine entrance. It was busy as always, even though it was night time.

"There's an opening for Noah's Ark in the military."

Surprised, the soldier turned his head towards the boy.

"I heard my mum talking about it with someone on the phone. Apparently, some soldier broke a leg or something, so they're looking for a replacement."

Slowing down the rover, Tank parked it a few hundred yards from the mine entrance. He didn't say anything.

"You're going to leave us, aren't you?"

Swallowing, Tank realised he didn't know what he wanted. He was building a life with Alexis on Mars, the green paradise. He has been with his squad mates for nearly a decade, and they were his family. He had even become quite fond of the brat, Aaron.

However, his real little brother was somewhere up on the moon, assuming he was even still alive.

"Tank, if you're leaving, you have to tell me about Riki, first. You can trust me, I swear."

The soldier laughed a little at that. It was the second time today someone had asked him to reveal his past to them. "Tell you what, buddy. I'll tell you everything before I go anywhere, promise," he assured the teenager. He had meant it. Somehow he knew he could trust the kid with his secrets.

Smiling widely, Aaron gave his older friend a fist-bump, climbed out of the rover and ran into the mines to start his night shift. Tank briefly wondered if the foreman was as sadistic as his young friend had made him out to be. He chuckled at that thought.

Pulling open his wristpad, he instructed it to dial a well-connected contact he had made when he first arrived at Mars. This woman was a 'Humanitarian', or more colloquially known as a 'Norm-sympathiser'. So, even though she was a Fect, she understood his plight and was on his side.

"Hello?" a female voice said from the wristpad.

"Diana, there's an opening in Noah's Ark---"

"Stop, I know. I sent in your application three hours ago."

The red-head exhaled in relief. However, he was still unsure. "Be straight with me, Diana. What are my chances?"

"Very good. I think you'll get it."

"You said that last time. And the time before that. And the time before that, too."

"Tank, it's different now. You've finished serving your criminal sentence with flying colours, and for once, you're one of the better candidates for the position."

His emotions were mixed at the news. He was finally going to the moon. But, would Alexis understand him leaving? He had to get his brother out of that colony ship. If he was still alive. He had to save him. He had to. They both could have a life here, on Mars. He only needed to get Riki some fake identification. He hasn't figured that part out, yet, but he will. Twelve years. Tank couldn’t believe it had been that long! Fuck, will he even recognise his little brother when he finds him? He’d be twenty-two, now! If he was still alive.

"Hey, Tank, there's more.” A hesitant pause. “There are reports of some...mutilations, in Noah's Ark."

"Mutilations?"

"Apparently, some psycho killer is on board, and they're killing the Norms in the colony."

His chest tightened at that. Riki was on board with a psycho killer? "Can you find out more about it?"

"Yes, I'm collating the---"

The call suddenly fizzled out.

Puzzled, Tank tapped the wristpad a few times, but all he could hear from it was static. Outside the rover, the workers of the mines started becoming agitated. Curious about what was going on outside, Tank put away his wristpad and climbed out of the vehicle. Something was wrong, he realised. Something was...'moving'. He had felt this, once, before, a long, long time ago.

The deep rumble was becoming more and more apparent, and it emanated from everywhere at once. It was becoming oddly difficult to stand up straight on his two feet. The blue and yellow lamps around the area exploded one by one, causing the nearby miners to scramble away in panic and confusion.

"Oh, fuck," Tank muttered, understanding descending upon him. This was Mars, it wasn't supposed to happen here!

"What's going on?" a mine worker ran up to Tank and demanded. He was hysterical, clearly struggling to grasp the situation.

Tank grabbed the frenzied miner and planted him next to the rover. "Hang on tight," he told him. Then, he turned and faced the entrance of the mine. There were two ten-story-scaffoldings on either side of the entrance, and they were both swaying dangerously from side to side. Oh, fuck. He quickly cupped his mouth and leaned forward. "Everyone, get away from the entrance, NOW!" he roared.

Most of the workers heeded his instruction and started to evacuate the mine entrance. Unfortunately, some of them were too late --- one of the towering scaffoldings tilted, bent, and snapped! There were a lot of screaming as the entire ten-story structure came collapsing into the ground, kicking up a tremendous amount of red debris into the air, blinding everyone in the area!

The miner behind him grabbed his arm. "What's going on?" the frenzied man asked again.

Tank turned to shield his face from the incoming cloud of red dust with his arm. Fuck, fuck, fuck! The only things he could hear now were the screams of the miners and the metallic creaking of the other scaffolding. Risking a peek over his arm, the soldier caught a glimpse of a large metal beam falling in his direction!

Crash!!

In an instant, the vehicle next to him was completely crushed by the fallen object, and he was thrown a few feet away! Disoriented from the event, and trying to shake away the ringing in his deafened ears, Tank slowly scrambled up and looked for the miner who was standing next to him before the crash happened.

“Fuck,” Tank cursed aloud. The miner was on his back with a large glass shard protruding out of the right side of his chest. He was wheezing painfully. Dashing forward, Tank attempted to stop the spurting blood with his hands. “You’re going to be fine,” he told the man, unsure if he believed it himself.

Terror naked in his eyes, the worker looked up at the soldier. “What’s going on?” he asked for the third time, his voice growing weaker as he wheezed in his next breath.

Tank tried to smile reassuringly and pushed his hands harder over the bleeding wound. "I've been through this once, before, on Earth," he explained quietly to the dying man. Glancing off in the distance, he could make out a section of the city’s skyline. A cloud of red dust was swirling around the center as a building tipped and slammed against another. Like dominos, they tumbled until ten massive skyscrapers had been reduced to mounds of nothing. In his mind, he swore he could hear the screams. "That...was an earthquake."




“The fuckin’ gods themselves don’t want us on this planet, that’s what it is,” growled Commander Matthew as he stepped out of his rover a few feet away from Tank. “Private Jensen Queen, prep a fuckin’ rescue team to enter the mines!” barked the commander at the top of his lungs. “Private Holly Bennett, get someone to blast those fuckin’ rocks open!”

The cloud of red dust had mostly settled and the destruction was even more catastrophic than Tank had imagined. The collapsed scaffolding had struck the building next to it, ripping half the building open. So far, they had already counted over fifty fatalities in this area alone. No one knew what was going on inside the mines after the entrance had collapsed. All electronic communications were still jammed by an unknown source. Fuck. Aaron was inside the mines. That stupid brat.

Tank glanced at the doctor next to him as she pulled a bag over a dead body. The shard was still sticking out from his chest. Only, the man was now dead. Tank wasn’t able to save him.

“Private Tanner Afaro!”

Responding to the call, Tank spun around and saluted. “Sorry, sir! I’m ready, sir!”

“You better fuckin’ be! For fuck’s sake, get someone to secure that fuckin’ scaffolding!”

Tank glanced up at the other scaffolding, the one which hadn’t yet collapsed. He swallowed nervously. It didn’t look steady at all, as if it could fall over at any moment without warning.

“I got this one, commander,” said the foreman of the mines before Tank could say anything.

Commander Matthew glared at the younger soldier. “Snap out of it, private! You can grieve for the dead, later.”

The soldier looked at his commanding officer pleadingly. “Sir, I would like to go into the mines with Jensen.”

Private, I decide where you fuckin’ go and what you fuckin’ do, is that clear?

“Sir, please, Aaron’s in there,” Tank tried again, not bothering to hide his desperation.

With a huge sigh, the commander shut his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, he looked at Tank with disdain. “Fine, get outta here and report to fuckin’ Jensen!” he barked.

Tank smiled appreciatively. “Thanks, commander!” he saluted and scanned around for Jensen.

“Private, your priority is the safety of all the miners, not a single teenager, you got it?” Commander Matthew shouted at Tank as he was leaving.

However, Tank pretended he didn’t hear that. He had to save that brat no matter what! He just had to. Fuck. However, he was a soldier, which meant he had to follow orders, too. What should he do once he was inside the mines? If it comes down to Aaron’s life and the other miners’, should he still follow orders?

Jensen and Holly were arguing about something when Tank approached them.

“Just blow up the rocks with a few well-placed charges! If we wait any longer, they’ll run out of air!” argued Jensen.

“You don’t know that --- the explosives could trigger another collapse and kill the miners! We should take our time and cut it open carefully with lasers,” reasoned Holly.

They were debating the best way to re-open the entrance to the mines, Tank realised. Dammit, there wasn’t enough time for this! It was at that moment they both simultaneously turned to face him, surprising him a little.

“Tank,” called Holly. “You’re our tie breaker!”

“Just tell her we’re better off blowing them up, already!” Jensen chipped in impatiently.


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Last edited by sagittaeri on Wed May 29, 2013 3:28 pm; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Wed May 29, 2013 11:40 am    Post subject: I Think. . . . . . Reply with quote

I see great potential in this. . . . .Sex, Psycho Killers, Marsquakes, not to mention the wanton ending of human life Razz I love it! So much fun death here, and there, and there, and there Razz *Grin* Anyways, this was fun.


Not really a complaint, but I would like to see more reason behind the absolute trust our hero seems to have in his lover and the random young man. I got the feeling that I was missing something important with how he just seemed to, despite his not talking about his past up til now to them, have a faith in them that was complete. Anyways, just thought I'd mention that Razz



DP. . . . . . .Lasers. . . .Charges. . . . . .I vote a mix of both. Some low level charges to lessen the blockage, followed by some quick laser work! (I also vote Aaron survives this, not in the least because it's my Dad's name *Grin*)


Great chapter, and I can't wait to see what you two come up with next chapter! Go go go!!!!
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 7:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Sagi and Biz!

Great new chapter! (Sorry it took so long for me to post a reply *dons the shame hat*)

One of the things I really noticed in this chapter, that I love, is the technology. It's got that futuristic vibe (lasers, wristpads, electric engines <-well its high-tech and futuristic to me, lol) but we still have that present day grit, like rubber tires grinding on dirt roads. I guess what I'm trying to say is the technology doesn't feel like its being stretched and overly exaggerated. It's understandable and still slightly relatable. And I like it.

Also, the twist that Tank is a Fect? Brilliant.

I'm excited for Tank to get to Noah's Ark, to see who goes with him and who is there. But first, there are problems to be solved....

For the DP, I'm going to agree with Pope. Take the best of both the bomb and laser and have at that blockage! Maybe drag a scientist type down in the hole to perform "what the hell just happened?" tests as you search for survivors? That might be dangerous, but what's a little walk on the wild side compared to important scientific discovery?

You guys are doing a fantastic job! Can't wait for more! Very Happy
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 6:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey guys!

My apologies for the lateness, I have been very busy over the last week, and any time that I have had, I've kinda used it as recovery time, lol! But better late than never.

This is an awesome second chapter, and has only improved upon the first in my opinion. Smile The flow of the writing is very good and the character of Tanner is becoming more fleshed out as a person. It's good to read about him in an environment where he's not in action mode, as it gives one a better insight into his character. I'm dying to hear more about Riki's experiences since the brothers were parted also, and how different their lives are in comparison to each other.

Just a small typo here...


Quote:
There were a lot of screaming as the entire ten-story structure came collapsing into the ground, kicking up a tremendous amount of red debris into the air, blinding everyone in the area!


Should be 'was', I think, or 'there were a lot of screams'.

For the DP...I'm with the others. I'd not read the other comments before posting, and upon finishing the chapter, I was thinking almost exactly what Pope had written, lol!


Again, awesome chapter, and I can't wait to read more! Keep up the good work! Smile

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PostPosted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 6:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for reading and commenting, everyone! I love you guys! Very Happy

Anyway, the poll is up. Wink
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 11:03 am    Post subject: Voted Reply with quote

Yays, voted Razz Winning with only one vote *Giggles*
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 11:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tanner

Tank thought for a moment before deciding. He looked to Jensen and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Jensen. Get two low level charges and place them on opposite edges of the opening. We’ll blow them. That should cause a bit of damage to the rubble but keep the mines more or less stable. Then---” he turned his attention to Holly. “---we’ll take the laser and carve the rest of the way in. Are we in agreement?”

Holly nodded. Tank looked to Jensen who did the same. Without any more words shared between them, they got to work. Tank gave them space as Jensen grabbed the charges and sprinted to the collapsed opening. He moved around and set a charge on each side before moving back. The three of them gathered behind a blast shield where the detonator rested. Tank pressed it and within milliseconds the ground shook slightly from the blast. Before the smoke cleared, Holly sprung into action. She marched into the smoke and proceeded to cut through the rock with her laser pistol, carefully adjusting the aim and intensity with surgical precision to avoid hitting anyone.

Tanner watched impatiently and as she was finishing up, he grabbed an electronic lantern, strode from behind the blast shield and started toward the entrance. Without a thought, he shoved past the remaining stone. A handful of workers lay deceased on the other side. They were the few that managed to reach the entrance but just weren’t fast enough to get out before it caved. A little farther in, he moved past a small amount of injured survivors. It appeared there had been a small cave-in in that section of the mines. He wondered if Jensen’s explosives had caused it. Still no sign of Aaron. Turning his attention back to the depth of the mines, Tank pressed on. Jensen and Holly would take care of the survivors.

While walking and searching for Aaron, his thoughts drifted away...

He was sitting in a bar, his sixth glass of whiskey half empty in front of him. He was alone in the bar save for the bartender. He finished the glass off and raised his hand in a silent order to the barkeep to replace it. The man obeyed and Tanner downed the new one in a single long gulp. Tanner repeated the same motion. The bartender eyed him for a moment and got him another. As he polished it off, a commotion started behind him.

A group of five soldiers entered the tavern laughing and joking around. Tanner glanced over his shoulder at them. He recognized a couple of them from the barracks, but the rest were strangers or might as well been with the way the booze was starting to hit him.

He looked back to the barkeep and pointed at a bottle of premium tequila that sat on the shelf. Then, something happened that surprised and angered him. The bartender said no. Without a second thought, Tanner rose and hopped over the counter. The man behind the bar started to back up. Tanner walked to the shelf and grabbed the tequila bottle he ordered. He opened it in one motion and poured the bitter drink down his throat. The bartender tried to stop him but he was quicker. Tanner dodged the man and smashed the bottle over his head. The bartender dropped and Tanner stepped over him to get a fresh bottle. As he opened it, he felt himself being yanked back over the bar. The group of fellow soldiers were all over him, paying him back for assaulting the barkeep. In the midst of the beating, he blacked out.

When he came to, he was outside the bar, face-down in the red dirt. Rolling on his back, Tanner’s gaze caught the shimmering ring-shaped moon in the Martian sky. A familiar feeling gnawed at him. He looked away. Still drunk, Tanner unsteadily pushed himself to all fours and finally to his feet. After flipping off the front of the building and then urinating on the side of it, he started on his way. To Tanner’s intoxicated mind, the streets might as well have been a giant labyrinth. For what seemed like hours and felt like longer, Tanner staggered along, hoping to find another bar. His thoughts were a giant hodgepodge of self-pity. The only thing clear in his mind was his brother…and how he had failed him, yet again.

Several blocks into his journey, he saw a small figure standing on the street. As Tanner got closer, he could see that it belong to a young boy, probably no more than ten or eleven. The mere sight of him brought back every emotion he had been trying to drown out with booze.

“Riki,” he called out to the figure. The boy stared back at him with uncertainty. The big man sped up, an act that only ended with him collapsing at the feet of the kid. He grabbed onto the boy’s feet as tears started to erupt from his eyes. He stared up at Riki and dragged himself up to his knees before pulling his little brother into a tight embrace.

“Riki, I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Look, dude, I’m not Riki, my name’s Aaron,” the kid shouted as he started to struggle to get out of Tanner’s python like embrace.

Tanner said nothing in return. Instead, his body just shook violently with mammoth-sized sobs. The child began to scream out for help. Tanner continued to sob for a few moments…and then everything disappeared and his thoughts returned to the present.

Tank was much farther into the mine now and there was still no sign of his young friend. A handful of soldiers, including Jensen, were now with him in the search for more survivors. After a couple of minutes, the ground beneath him started to shake. Shit...not again! Tanner looked behind and called out. “Jensen!”

Seeming to understand what Tank was trying to say, Jensen nodded in silent agreement and hurried the group back towards the entrance to get the rest of the miners out. In a few seconds that felt exponentially longer, the sounds of a tunnel caving in could be heard echoing around the red walls of the mines. Luckily for them, it wasn’t at the entrance of the mine. The sound came from deeper into the blackness.

Once the earth was still, the Tank stopped following the group and turned around once again. Aaron was still inside somewhere. Without wasting anymore time, he hurried back into the depths, this time ignoring everything and anyone else but signs of his young friend.

Within just a couple minutes, the light from Tanner’s lamp fell upon the pale flesh and dark hair of a teenager. At that moment, the whole world seemed to stop. Tanner’s heart froze in his chest. It was Aaron. His blood seemed to freeze as he simply stared down at the young boy who had become a surrogate brother for him. When some semblance of reason popped back into his skull, he dashed forward and tried to pull Aaron from the rubble.

An agonized scream tore itself from Aaron’s lips. A large chunk of rubble had the teenager’s legs pinned while another piece was driven into the boy’s chest. The boy’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as Tanner knelt down towards him. Tanner wanted to say something to him but the words didn’t come. Instead, he grabbed the teen’s hand and simply held it. Tears rolled down his face as he watched the last remnant of life drain from Aaron’s fearful eyes. The teen continued to gasp and tried to speak, until in one frozen moment in time, he just stopped. “Aaron?” Tanner held onto his hand tightly, trying to convince himself that what he was seeing wasn’t real. “Aaron?” It couldn’t be. He couldn’t lose another brother. Not again.




Unfortunately, it was real. It was all too real. Aaron was one of the many casualties in the colony. In the days that followed there were investigations as to what happened, a few single memorials, and a large one to honor all the deaths. Tanner ended up falling back into his old drinking habits. The barstool became his second home and more often than not, he would end up staggering home or sleeping in the streets. After about a week of ghosting through his job hungover and drinking away his memories, he was at it again in a bar when the front door opened and Diana walked in. Tanner looked over to his contact for a moment before glancing away. The woman approached and sat next to him, placing a manilla envelope on the bar in front of her.

“So,” Tanner said. “What’s the bad news?”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s the only time you ever come in person. If you got good news, you call. Let me guess, I’m not going to The Ark.”

There was a small sigh as Diana placed her hand on Tanner’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. One of your squadmates got it. Private Bennett. I’m sorry, Tanner, I really tried to get you up there.”

Tanner shrugged her hand off his shoulder and raised his hand to order another drink. The bartender looked at him cautiously and glanced over at Diana who gave him a nod. Without a word, the bartender poured Tanner some more whiskey and sat the glass in front of him. For a moment, Tanner just stared at it. He could hear Aaron’s voice in his head, chastising him for taking this so hard. He could hear the exasperated sighs that Alexis had been making as of late. While she was definitely not happy with Tanner’s grieving process or lack thereof, she never pushed him on it. Eventually, he reached for the drink. After pouring the drink down his throat, he looked over toward his contact, his eyes landing on the manilla envelope that she had brought in.

“What’s that?”

She hesitated and started to reach for it. “Nothing.”

Tanner shot a hand out and pulled it away from her just before she was about to grab it. He shifted his gaze from it to her and saw how she avoided his gaze. That gave him an idea of just what was inside. It had to be the reason why he was rejected. That was the only reason she would bring it with her and try to hide it from him. Flipping it open, he pulled out a mess of reports and photos.

It wasn’t his rejection. It was far worse. There were images of people that had been torn in half. Tools being used as weapons, the reports listed numerous vicious attacks by person or persons unknown. Tanner stared in disgust before tossing them away from him. Something was killing Norms up there. It wasn’t just murder. It was full blown slaughter. He hadn’t seen Riki’s name or face on the reports, but that didn’t mean that he was alright. But even if he wasn’t a victim, Tanner didn’t know how long that would last and he was stuck on the so-called Paradise.

“Tanner,” Diana said soothingly. “I know you want up there. I know why you need to, but, maybe next time…”

“Just leave me alone,” he said, ordering another drink.

“Tanner...”

Tanner said nothing in response. Diana sighed, gathered her papers and left quietly. For a while, Tanner just sat and drank. At some point, a group of his squad came in and started to drink noisily at the opposite corner of the bar. His eyes found them and saw that Ms. Holly Bennett was among them. She was the one who stole his spot on The Ark. She was the one in the way of him seeing and protecting his brother again.

His eyes stayed glued on her as he drank, right up to the moment she left with the rest of her group. Without thinking, Tanner stood up and followed along behind her, his drunken angry thoughts telling him that he had to try and get her to back down and let him go to The Ark instead. About a block from the tavern, the group split up and Holly headed down an alley by herself. Tanner followed.

“Holly,” he called out, doing his best to keep his words unslurred. Holly jumped and spun around to face him, a small smile appearing on her face as she realized who it was.

“Tank,” she said. “You scared me. Did...did you follow me from the bar?”

“Yeah. I heard about you going to the Ark.”

“Yeah. I just got the news today. Isn’t it great? I’ll get to see the stars from the middle of them!”

“I want you to surrender your spot,” he said, stepping closer to her on unsure footing. “I need this more than you do. I deserve that spot. After all the shit I’ve had to deal with on this rock, I need up there. Please, just step down and let me have your spot.”

She blinked and frowned at that. “Look, Tank, I know you’ve been trying to get off the surface for a while and what happened to Aaron hit you hard, but this is a big opportunity for me to try and maybe help out some of the people up there. I’m really sorry, but I’m going.”

She turned to walk away. Tanner followed along behind. She had to change her mind, he had to get up there. Riki needed him. If he didn’t make it to The Ark, then surely his brother would be killed.

“Please, Hol,” Tanner begged. “I need to go. I’ll give you anything. Just turn them down. Just say no. You have no idea how much I need this. We’re squadmates, we help each other out.”

“I’m sorry, Tanner,” she said without turning around to face him. “I’m going. Go home, get sober and maybe you’ll get the next opening.”

“But no one knows when that’ll be. Please, Holly, I’m begging you.”

“The answer is no, big man. I’m sorry. Maybe next time.”

Maybe next time. Each time he was rejected, that was the words they used. Maybe next time. Yet the next time would come and he would again be passed over. There would never be a next time. There was always going to be somebody ready to steal it from him. His blood started to boil as he thought of those three words. Three insignificant little words that always prevented him from reuniting with Riki. The anger inside of him took complete control. With a slight growl, he grabbed a nearby brick and quickened his pace before slamming it over Holly’s skull.

His squadmate staggered forward and turned around with anger and surprise in her eyes. She said something but the rage filtered it into white noise. Without thinking, he raised the brick again and brought it down into her temple, sending her to the ground. She stayed down for a moment before staggering back to her feet. She looked to Tanner before turning and starting to run down the alley. A brief call for assistance made its way to her lips but the big man stopped it short.

He dropped the brick and wrapped a thick arm around her throat, cutting off all air and screams. She bucked and kicked under his grip as she clawed at him. The clawing turned to slapping as if she were tapping out in one of their sparring sessions. Still, the vice his arm formed around her neck held firm. Gasps and coughs pushed out of her throat as her fighting became more feeble.

“I need to go up there. I have to go,” he told her. “I have to go. I have to go.” He continued to chant until her body was limp in his hands. Even though she was limp in his grasp, he still held tight. The drunken rage blinded him to the fact that she was most likely already dead. Once his senses returned to him, he released his grip and stared down in shock and horror at what he had done. His hands shot to his skull where they ran through his hair. His heart was slamming against the back of his ribcage, though it wasn’t the anger now. It was fear. He dropped down and pulled her onto his lap. He patted her cheek lightly.

“C’mon, Hol,” he said. There was no response. “Look, I didn’t mean it, okay. Just open your eyes. Wake up. Please.”

Nothing.

He shook her lightly as tears streamed out of his eyes. “No, no, no. Come on, Holly. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. Please wake up. You can have it. I’m sorry. I’ll wait. Just don’t be gone. Not you too. No.”

He shook her harder and gave her face a couple more solid slaps to try and revive her. She just laid there. Tanner pulled her up and squeezed her as tears poured down his cheeks. He pushed out a few more sorrowful apologies through his numerous sobs before gently lowering her to the ground and standing back up.

It was official. His squad mate was dead. Taking a couple steps back, he turned to the side and let his stomach contents eject themselves. Giving a final look at his late friend, he staggered out of the alley, trying to figure out what to do and where to go.




So what does Tank do? Grab a ship and bolt to The Ark? Go off and pretend like nothing happened and hope he gets sent up officially? Head back to the bar and drink the memories away? The call is yours.


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Seraphi
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Joined: 25 Oct 2012
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 4:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey you two, great work on the new chapter! I like how we learn about Tank bit by bit by way of flashback (but he sure is one hell of a hot mess isn't he? XD)

For the DP...it’s reckless, but I think his best bet is to steal a ship and go to The Ark on his own. Holly’s death isn’t going to look accidental, so I would think an investigation would take place around it before they elect someone to go up in her place. (And there are circumstances that would definitely point to Tank as the culprit.) Before he sets off, though, he should lay low until the alcohol, or at least most of it, wears off – if he can’t control himself to keep from strangling a member of his squad, how is he going to fly a ship? Maybe he can go to Alexis, or a friend/acquaintance that is unmentioned as of yet, for a bit.

Another option would be for him to steal away on a supply, or some such other, ship. He just has to have enough of his wits about him to not get caught, haha.

Loving it guys – keep going! Very Happy
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sagittaeri
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 6:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yay, thanks for reading and commenting on it Seraphi!! XD

Hehe yeah, Tank is so messed up...am I a sadist that I enjoyed writing him that way? Razz


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Tank will suggest to lessen the blockage with a small charge, and laser the rest. Then:
Get Aaron out of this mess. Nothing is more important!
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Mars isn't supposed to have earthquakes. What is happening? Someone must be able to explain it!
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Who Voted: PopeAlessandrosXVIII, Seraphi, Tikanni Corazon

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