Into the Black

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #580 on:** December 20, 2013, 03:34:22 AM

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bushwacked · **Reply #581 on:** December 20, 2013, 07:15:29 AM

Marcus only switched the headlights back on once they'd reached the main road. He took a left, heading back towards the city. "Stash your gun under the seat," he told Aaron. "It'd be stupid to be stopped by the police now." They sped past a delivery truck heading the opposite way, but Marcus didn't pay it any attention.

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"Woah, they're in a hurry," Axel said as the car sped sped past them, fast enough to shake the truck. Turning his attention away, he scanned the road left and right. "I wish the signs for it didn't stop a couple of miles back... I don't think we missed the turn off though." He caught sight of an old beaten track leading off to the right. "Hey, I think this is it!" He brought the truck further up and saw a huge dark shape in the distance. "Yeah, we're here," Axel confirmed to his two passengers.

He continued over the trees, and after a while came to a clear patch of ground surrounding the factory. Heading down, Axel brought the truck to a stop on the overgrown grass, facing the dilapidated building. "Well... cheery place isn't it?"

Suddenly, Kojuuro's shout echoed through the silent night air: "ADRIAN!"

Axel frowned. "He doesn't sound too happy... HELLO?" he shouted back.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #582 on:** December 20, 2013, 01:12:00 PM

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aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #583 on:** December 20, 2013, 06:49:57 PM

Lily perked up when she heard Axel's voice. "Axel!" she cried back, staggering to her feet and limping towards him.

Once they'd reached each other she threw herself in his arms. "It was horrible!" she cried, getting blood all over his shirt, "Those agents, they came back and everything went wrong...Kojurro and I can't find the others...I got electrified..."

Other than her injuries, both of her irises were now red, and there was a gray tinge to her skin that wasn't present last time she and Axel had seen each other.

bushwacked · **Reply #584 on:** December 20, 2013, 07:42:23 PM

Axel hugged Lily tightly, pressing her against him. "It's okay... it's over, you're safe now..." he murmured, trying to calm her down. His stomach was tying itself in knots. What the hell happened here? Where's everyone else? Emilena and the others had been so confident!

Axel's eyes narrowed. That wolf in the suit... he came back. That son of a bitch. "You got electrocuted? How, how badly are you hurt?" As he looked down at her, Axel noticed for the first time how ashen her skin looked.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #585 on:** December 20, 2013, 08:38:49 PM

"That's one of the things..." Lily broke off. Part of her wanted to lie about it, or not bring it up for fear that Axel may stop wanting to help her, but she had to tell someone. "I was pushed into a booby trap. Emilena said the trap used lethal amounts of electricity, enough to kill an unprotected human. I have bad burns and I'm coughing up blood but... I should be dead..."

Serris · **Reply #586 on:** December 20, 2013, 08:53:05 PM

Soren dashed into the building with his shotgun at the ready.

He rasied his gun but stopped when he saw it was Kojurro. "What's going on?" he asked.

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Anne sat in the truck and sighed. All this time, she was wondering what the hell was going on with so much noise and excitement.

Oh well, time foróHer hand-rolled marijuana cigarette was gone! She swore as she frantically crawled about the rear compartment, looking for the precious spliff.

bushwacked · **Reply #587 on:** December 20, 2013, 09:02:38 PM

Axel felt sick on hearing her condition. He looked down at her face, and was shocked when he saw how nervous she looked. "Hey, come on," he said, looking into her eyes (which, he noted with some alarm, had both changed to red). "Remember when I said I was with you until the end? I meant it. You don't have to be afraid of telling me anything."

He looked around. "Right then, let's find the others and get the hell out of here. This place gives me the creeps." Holding Lily to support her, he headed in the direction Soren had gone.

"Kojuuro!" Axel said when they'd caught up to the pair. "Lily said something went wrong... Where's Adrian? Emilena?"

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #588 on:** December 20, 2013, 09:15:43 PM

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aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #589 on:** December 20, 2013, 09:47:21 PM

Lily hugged Axel tighter. "Thank you..." she whispered. "Thank you for everything...I could never tell you how much it means to me..."

When they headed to the bottom of the stairwell, Lily gasped at the sight of Adrian. "Oh my god...is he...?"

She looked around and noticed a cell phone, presumably dropped by Adrian. She scanned the names, and noticed Marita's. Emilena mentioned her being at the hospital...

Taking a chance, she dialed the number. Adrian needed all the help he could get.

Serris · **Reply #590 on:** December 20, 2013, 10:19:08 PM

Soren slung his shotgun over his back. "I'll go retrieve his body."

He shook his head. "F---, if only Axel and I had gotten here sooner!"

He clicked on his exoskeleton's worklights and headed down the stairs, the light soon getting swallowed by the darkness.

Pterano · **Reply #591 on:** December 20, 2013, 11:03:05 PM

Tony stumbled across the newcomers and the pair he was familiar with, but he still didn't see his captor. He noticed a big exoskeleton, descending towards a hole. Looking from one person to another, he noticed the cellphone being used. He'd need to make use of that at some point. "Um... is there anything I can do to help?" he asked, partly out of concern (it was clear to him someone was injured, and he feared the worst on that now), and partly because he wanted to use that phone.

Nick22 · **Reply #592 on:** December 21, 2013, 12:51:54 AM

marita answered the phone' Hello?' she replied ' who is this?' she asked.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #593 on:** December 21, 2013, 01:04:08 AM

"You don't know who I am but you have to trust I'm a friend of Adrian's," Lily stammered. "He needs your help!" she read off the address of the robot factory. "Bring whatever medical supplies you've got!"

Nick22 · **Reply #594 on:** December 21, 2013, 01:08:06 AM

we'll get there as soon as we can ' Marita replied" what happened?" she asked.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #595 on:** December 21, 2013, 01:17:59 AM

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aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #596 on:** December 21, 2013, 02:32:51 AM

Lily started to tell the story, then stopped. "Oh, what's the use?" she hung the phone up in frustration. "Look at him. He's already dead!"

She dropped to her knees and let the phone clatter back to the floor. "What are we doing out here...?" she asked nobody in particular, burying her head in her hands and squeezing her eyes shut. "We're all going to die, just like Adrian and Emilena. If they can't survive, how are we supposed to?"

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #597 on:** December 21, 2013, 02:37:59 AM

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Serris · **Reply #598 on:** December 21, 2013, 02:50:32 AM

Adrian was indeed alive but trapped under a rather large piece of rubble.

Soren turned to Kojuuro. "Kojurro, I need you to carefully pull Adrian away from the rubble once I lift it."

He turned the his exoskeleton to the highest setting and bent into a squat. He placed his hands under the piece of rubble and began lifting it. The suit's artificial muscles strained as it slowly began to budge the nearly three ton piece of rubble. "Now!" Soren shouted.

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Anne turned to Axel. A lit marijuana joint dangled from her mouth. "So, how do you know Soren?"

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #599 on:** December 21, 2013, 03:54:29 AM

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