Darzul
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Post by Darzul on Apr 7, 2010 23:11:02 GMT -6
"Then it's settled," Darzul said, smiling thinly. "Thank you, Taka." Darzul then pressed a button on his phone. "Sargeant Relas, have one of yours bring a car around. They are to take Taka Riskan wherever he needs to go, as a guest of the Vorcan Army."
He looked back up at Taka. "We'll contact you once we've found a candidate and completed their therapy. In the meantime, we need to discuss a classified Vorcan Army matter, so if you'd please excuse us..."
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Maku
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Post by Maku on Apr 7, 2010 23:38:00 GMT -6
Taka nodded, standing and turning to leave. When he noticed Maku was still seated, he stopped. "Maku?"
Maku turned, smiling as best he could at his twin. "Go on without me, Taka. Assuming I'm not intruding, I'd like to stay. There's some...business...that I think ought to be shared with General Vorca and Captain Apek, in addition to whatever else this is about."
Noting the look on Taka's face, Maku dropped the formal tone. "Look, Taka...I'll get in touch as soon as I can. I-" Maku halted. He'd just about said he'd give Taka a call when he was done here, but then he remembered the work he'd had to do just to scrounge up the coin for his brief call the night before. He doubted he could pull that stunt again anytime soon.
Taka sighed. He decided he liked Maku better when he wasn't second-guessing himself. Sure, he was usually murdering people when he was like that, but he knew what he was doing, at least.
Turning to face Darzul, Taka cleared his throat. "General, is there any way I could see Maku in person for a little while after your meeting's wrapped up? I know he's been a bit of an ass, and you don't owe him much, but there's some things I need to talk with my brother about that your payphones apparently won't accommodate, time-wise."
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Darzul
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Post by Darzul on Apr 7, 2010 23:44:47 GMT -6
Darzul sighed. These two were starting to get on his nerves. Maku was a fine soldier, and Taka seemed like a pretty decent kid, but if you put them together...
"If you want, you can stay on base until we're through here," Darzul conceded. "Shouldn't take more than a few minutes. After that, we'll give your brother ten minutes to talk with you. Then he goes back to basic for the day."
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Maku
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Post by Maku on Apr 7, 2010 23:46:16 GMT -6
Taka nodded, smiling. "Thank you." Turning to leave again, Taka spared his brother a frustrated glare before leaving the room.
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Darzul
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Post by Darzul on Apr 7, 2010 23:57:16 GMT -6
Darzul finished his own drink, and then picked up one of the two the twins had refused. "Okay, Onnie, now I need you to promise me that you aren't gonna freak out when I tell you this," Darzul said.
"Okay, I won't," he said, smiling. "How bad can it be?"
"Private, this probably won't mean anything to you, but if the name does ring a bell, I need you to stay calm as well." Darzul then took a deep breath. "I think the White Death is here in Thoncir."
Apek's face immediately shifted to apprehensive anger. "That is not funny, Darzul," he replied.
"No, it's not," Darzul commented. "But while I was trying to catch Taka, I found one of his victims in the alleyway. Decapitated, with an impossibly thin and clean cut. His head was still sitting on its neck when we found the body." He paused for a moment. "And there was a message carved in the stone behind the body. 'The White Death Lives', it said.
"Oh, God," Apek said, starting to pace. "Oh, good God..."
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Maku
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Post by Maku on Apr 8, 2010 16:56:50 GMT -6
Maku caught Taka's glance, and let out a sigh. He knew their conversation wouldn't be terribly pleasant, and he couldn't say he was really looking forward to it.
However, his train of thought was broken as Apek's angry tone caught his attention. He'd obviously missed some part of the conversation, but as Darzul's explanation only served to panic Apek further, Maku's confusion grew.
"What's the White Death?" Maku asked, painfully aware that he was missing something important.
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Darzul
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Post by Darzul on Apr 8, 2010 18:40:51 GMT -6
"To be perfectly honest, we're not entirely sure," Darzul said. "The White Death is something of a mystery."
"What we do know is that he's humanoid, he wears an Oledian Army uniform - including a hood that covers its face and one of those ninja masks - and he's fast as shit."
"Stands about 5'7", 5'8" maybe," Darzul interjected. "I'm sure he's lost the uniform since the war, but you'll still know him when you see him. That white hood and mask are his calling card, and he uses a sword. Looks like it's made of wood, but the damn thing is sharper than any blade I've ever seen."
"He kills quickly, uses that blade and nothing else," Apek added. "You can barely tell people got cut until the severed part falls off." Apek paused. "He started off hitting our sleepers in the Empire," Apek continued. "The farther into their territory you went, the more likely you were to get a glimpse of him."
"Of course, not a whole lot of people got a look at him without getting killed," Darzul mentioned. "We don't know his name, what he looks like, or much of anything about him. He shows up, kills people, and disappears. Honestly, trying to stop the White Death played a big role in the Reyone Army starting their supersoldier project. I mean, we had that ArkAngel guy, and probably a few other Uniques that weren't as well known, but we never really got a chance to send another powered soldier at him."
"And now he's apparently here, in Thoncir," Apek said. "Obviously, we're not the Reyone Army, so we don't really know where he stands with us. But if he is an enemy, this is some serious shit."
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Maku
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Post by Maku on Apr 8, 2010 19:40:32 GMT -6
Maku was stunned. Partly because this White Death sound like a serious threat, if that was his angle, but more upsetting, from their tones, Maku could have sworn that Captain Apek and General Vorca were almost afraid. Well, Apek was obviously spooked by the news, but Darzul? Anything hardcore enough to unsettle the General in the first place gave Maku more than enough justification for the involuntary shudder that ran down his spine.
"So...what do we do? Is this going to effect the VA program the way it did the Reyone experiments, or do we ignore it until it's clear what he wants?"
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Darzul
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Post by Darzul on Apr 9, 2010 14:38:25 GMT -6
"Well, for now, there's not much we can do," Darzul said. "All we can do is wait for him to contact us, either with a message or an attack. At least then we'll know where he stands."
"Beyond that, we obviously have to break the news to the Army," Apek said. "This might be the single greatest threat we've ever had, and they deserve to know."
"I agree," Darzul said. "Once boot camp concludes for the night, I'll call everyone into the great hall and make the anouncement. Also, the sooner we can get a candidate and start the therapy, the better."
"Just be careful how hard you push the process," Apek said. "And make sure you outline the risks."
"Between my blood and Taka's gift, the risks are very acceptable," Darzul said. "But I will be careful about asking for volunteers."
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Maku
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Post by Maku on Apr 15, 2010 1:10:34 GMT -6
Maku straightened as Darzul brought up Taka's involvement. This was why he'd stayed behind: to set the record straight.
"Sir, speaking of my brother...I have been openly disrespectful to my superiors, and I'd like to apologize for my misconduct."
"I'm guessing you know about the circumstances leading up to the tribunal yesterday, and between my behavior then and now, I have acted in a manner unfitting of a soldier in this army."
Maku finished his apology, but his expression was no less determined than when he'd entered the room, and seen Taka seated opposite General Vorca.
"But sirs, Taka is my twin, the only family I have. After I was exiled from our village, he left our parents, our friends, the only home he had to chase me across two continents, with nothing but the hope that he could find me again. He's been through hell once already because of me, and if I can spare him further hardship, I will."
"In all other things, the Vorcan Army is the highest authority in my life. You say jump, I ask 'How high?' But where my brother is concerned...I put my family first, sirs. I just wanted to set the record straight on that."
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Darzul
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Post by Darzul on Apr 15, 2010 12:15:47 GMT -6
"I understand," Darzul said. "Family is very important," he added, a momentary glint of sadness in his eyes.
"But that doesn't excuse your behavior as of late, private," Darzul said, returning to his old self, but with just a hint of anger in his voice. "You haven't even finished basic yet, and so far you've manipulated our health care system to give your brother free treatment, going AWOL to do so, at least on paper. Then, when you come back, you take us all through this three-ring circus of a tribunal, making a lot of your superiors look bad, particularly captain Apek."
"But what pisses me off the most," Darzul said as his voice lowered while his anger grew, "is your deliberate, blatant insubordination against the highest authority in the Vorcan Army, in front of a civilian. If I can't keep the lid on some buck private on my own base, how the fuck am I supposed to control crime and poverty out in the city?" Darzul asked.
"I like you, Maku," he then added. "I honestly do. You have a lot of guts. But for someone who spent 6 weeks under Marcellus Draco, one of the toughest, meanest sumbitches to ever turn a civilian into a soldier, I'm astonished at how little discipline you've obtained. You say the Vorcan Army is the highest authority in your life, which is nice to hear, but even better to see."
Darzul paused. "I've given you a lot of leeway, private, because of your service to Thoncir against Shard, and because I try to be accommodating to Uniques in general. But if you ever make me, my command, or my army look weak again, I will personally beat seven shades of shit out of you. Do I make myself clear?"
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Maku
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Post by Maku on Apr 25, 2010 0:12:23 GMT -6
Maku sat up straight in his seat as Darzul's tone changed. A sad look had flashed across the General's features, and Maku had been wondering what it meant, but those thoughts fled as Vorca went about setting the chain of command straight.
Maku almost spared a thought to wonder how much worse his situation would have been if Darzul didn't like him. However, as soon as he heard General Vorca describe the beating he'd receive if he didn't shape up, he decided he'd rather not know.
"Clear as crystal, General Vorca, sir." Maku said, saluting as best he could from his seated position. He mentally kicked himself for attempting it sitting, but the gesture was done before he could think about it.
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Darzul
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Post by Darzul on Apr 25, 2010 2:12:02 GMT -6
Darzul returned the salute from his chair, stifling a grin. "Glad to hear it, son," Darzul told Maku.
He then looked at Apek. "Okay, I think we're done here," Darzul said. "I'm gonna make the announcement tomorrow, this is kinda delicate. I'll need some time to prepare."
"Good thinking, sir," Apek said, finishing his drink and leaving the office.
Darzul then looked at Maku. "I think your brother's waiting for you, private," he said. "Just remember, ten minutes. Any longer than that, and Draco is gonna make you run until he gets tired. Not that you needed me to tell you that," he added.
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Maku
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Post by Maku on Apr 30, 2010 1:03:01 GMT -6
Maku nodded, standing from his chair. "Understood, sir." Smiling slightly, Maku turned and left the General's office. At the Command Center's front desk, Maku found Taka waiting for him, along with a man he assumed was there under Sgt. Relas' command.
Taka glanced at the driver, signaling the man to lead the way out of the complex. He'd brought a 4-door car with him, with a divider between the driver and the back seats. Apparently being considered a guest of the Vorcan Army was no small honor.
As the driver climbed into the front seat, Taka took his place in the back, leaving room for Maku as he slid across the bench seat.
Maku slid in after his brother, closing the door behind him. As soon as the door shut, the driver started the car. He tapped his watch in view of the twins through the glass divider, letting them know their time had started before he set off towards Maku's dorm.
"So how did you wind up here?" Maku and Taka spoke in unison again, chuckling for a moment in response.
Taka spoke before Maku could start again. "What are you doing here, Maku? Is everything alright? What are you doing in the military?"
Before Maku could reply, Taka held up a hand. "And no trailing off, or avoiding the answers, or any of the nonsense you've been pulling the last few days. You owe me that much after the hell I went through coming here."
Maku sighed. He'd nearly started explaining it all away as being too complicated, but Taka had caught him before he could start. He would have been happy to hold off on explaining all this, partly because he'd already told the story more times than he cared to count. For a full week afterwards, the Shard Incident had been the talk of the mess hall, and Maku and Drixel had been hounded nonstop for details until everyone had heard a version of the tale.
"About a week after I left the City, I ran into an angel in Reyone Field. I still don't know what was going with him that day, but he attacked me, and I was hurt pretty bad. That's why My arm's the way it is. He came to his senses after the fight, and flew me here, to the hospital.
A week or so later, I went back, hoping for some more painkillers, and wondering how much PT might cost me. It...it wasn't good. But, the doctor I met with told me that the Vorcan Army was always looking for recruits, and members received free care at the hospital. I was desperate, so I came here and signed up.
That day, Shard attacked. Drixel had met him before, but all I knew was that he had something to do with Baalaose. Me and Drixel fought him, and we took him down, but we both got hurt pretty bad. They wound up amputating my arm and giving me a robotic prosthesis, and then I went back to basic. Drixel signed up that night to cover his bills, actually."
At the look of disbelief on Taka's face, Maku sighed, realizing why his twin was struggling to believe him. The plates covering his arm were themselves coated with synthesized skin, copied from samples of his own tissue. To a casual observer, it was indistinguishable from the real thing, and Maku had his arms covered the entire time the twins had been around each other.
Rolling up his sleeve, Maku turned his wrist so that his palm was facing up. Tracing his fingers along the edge of his hand, Maku found a seam where two plates met, and pressed the edge of one plate down. It sprung back up, slightly raised from his forearm, and Maku pulled the plate back, revealing a complex arrangement of pistons, wiring and cables inside his arm. Making a fist caused the pistons to move accordingly, and Maku saw Taka's eyes widen at the display.
Pressing the plate back into place, Maku pulled his sleeve back down. "I'm an amputee, Taka. Without the Vorcan Army footing the bill, I'd be in debt so deep, I'd never work my way out again. It was the only way. Now, I think I need to be here, to learn to fight alongside others, and protect someone else for a change. This is good for me, Taka. That's why I stayed."
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Post by rilkan on May 5, 2010 0:55:39 GMT -6
Taka was speechless for a long moment after Maku's display. It honestly was an amazing prosthetic, Taka himself hadn't noticed any difference in Maku's movements, and if he hadn't, few would. And if the Vorcan Army was really so important to Maku, then it explained some of his nerves around Vorca and Apek. He had his guesses as to the reasons for his brother's outburst, as well, and he didn't doubt that Maku had gotten in a fair bit of trouble for it.
Taka swallowed hard. "Th-thank you...I won't question this Army thing again. I wish...I wish I'd been there to help you, though...I could've saved your arm before you had to do something so drastic..."
Maku sighed. "Taka...don't do that, okay? Leaving the City, coming to Thoncir when I got hurt, joining the Army, those were all my choices. There was nothing you could have done."
Maku was quiet for just a moment, hoping his words sunk in. Then he realized something. "Speaking of the City, why are you here, Taka? What happened over there?"
Taka gave a sigh of his own. "Maku...I'm not really sure. Everything happened so fast, and Nate and Sarah keep glossing over things. I know the situation's worse than they keep hinting at, but I can't get a straight answer out of either one."
"As far as I know, some guy's been running around the Inner City, uniting all the gangs. A week or two ago, he finished the job. Yesterday, he took over."
Maku was taken aback. "What do you mean, he took over? The City's twice the size of Thoncir, easy. There's no way anyone could take control of the place in two weeks without the CPD knowing about it, and if the CPD knew, then so would Nate."
"He didn't take over the whole thing. Not yet, anyway. From the sounds of it, he must have spent some time planning this thing out. Then, yesterday, he surrounded RS17. Rolled into the place in jeeps, took out the CPD and everyone inside. They came and took me right out of the hospital. They shot the director in front of me. I didn't even have time to try and fix him..."
Taka had leaned forward while he spoke without realizing it, and now his arms wrapped tightly around himself. He continued speaking, but the look on his face made it clear his mind was reliving the events as he told them.
"They took me to the Boarding House, they'd already rounded everyone else up. Then...then he showed up." Taka shuddered. "He promised he'd let us go if I healed his arm. The thing was broken bad, Maku...another week or so, and he'd have died of blood poisoning. But the bones had already set, I told him I couldn't..."
Taka's breath now came in short gasps, and he forced himself to take a deep breath. It didn't seem to have much effect. "He...he broke his arm with a crowbar, right there. Beat the thing to a bloody pulp, told me to try again...Maku, I've seen people in better shape after you were through with them. I healed it, and then he told his men to take aim."
Taka closed his eyes tightly for a moment, and when he opened them again, he was back in the present. "Jeremy...he teleported us here. As well as he could, anyway...I think maybe he went too far, or took too much...he fell apart on the way here, Maku. Literally fell apart. I showed up in traffic downtown, I think...when I woke up, I was at the hospital, and you and Apek were there."
Now it was Maku's turn to be speechless. He felt the car pull to a stop, and glancing up at the driver, the man flashed Maku a 'V' sign with his fingers. Two minutes.
"Taka...what did he want? Why target RS17? The CPD wasn't much of a threat to anyone who could pull off something on that scale. Hell, the only reason they ever found me was because of Nate, and that was borderline dumb luck."
Taka looked away, scared to admit the answer. He'd almost felt the hatred flowing off the man himself, even without Nate's gift to help. No one had told him why Roland had attacked, but after everything he'd heard and felt from Nate and Sarah since that night in the bar, Taka had pieced it together.
"He wanted us, Maku. He hates us. With everything he is, I think. People like us, people with powers. I don't know his reasons, but this guy, Roland, he hates Uniques. And he hates us enough to unite all the gangs in the City under his banner and plan out a military-style takeover just for the chance to shoot us in the open."
A knock at the divider window signaled their time was nearly up.
Maku stared incredulously at his twin, recognizing the fear reflected in the eyes that mirrored his own. "Taka...I'll do something about this, I promise. I'll talk to Apek, or Darzul. They'll listen, and we'll-"
Taka held up his hand, cutting his brother off. "Cut the crap, Maku. Darzul's got his hands full as it is, I could tell that from meeting him. Between this supersoldier program and whatever else is on his plate, I doubt he'd care about things happening in a city a continent away. Just...forget about it, okay? Worry about yourself. Graduate, do whatever Army guys do after that. I have every intention of making myself at home here, and trying to forget what happened yesterday."
Maku's door was opened, and their driver stood expectantly outside.
Taka kept his hand held up, cutting Maku off before he could start again. "You've gotten in enough trouble today over me, Maku. Go back to work. I'll be at Drixel's place, and I'll be here once this program starts up."
Maku shut his mouth, nodding sadly as he resigned himself to leaving the car. With one leg on the ground outside, he stopped, reaching across the back area of the car to rest a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Taka...it's good seeing you again. I wish there was a different reason you were here, but I wouldn't trade you being here for anything. Take care of yourself, okay? I'll see you."
With that, Maku released Taka's shoulder, stepping out of the car. With a quick nod to the driver, he headed inside the dorm complex.
Taka nodded as Maku said his goodbye. Once his brother had left, the driver poked his head in the door.
"Where to, Mr. Riskan? I'm to take you wherever you need to go."
Taka gave the man Inor's address and thanked him for keeping an eye on the time for him and Maku. Then, once he'd shut the back door and gotten the car moving again, Taka leaned his head back, stretching out in the now-roomy back area of the car. He was looking forward to going home.
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