... I hate her. I... Colton said I didn't know what that... what that meant... he was right... I really... really... I... after everything she did... she... ow... oh...
I want it so... so badly... Cardamine... No, no... I can't... can't think about that...
Carmen Lopez... she... it... she said she just wanted to talk... we'd met her before... she was a little strange, but nice enough... but she wasn't. She... she attacked us... well, no... she threw us into some kind of prison, though... ow... and she wanted... I don't even remember... but she wanted us to tell her something... something we didn't even know... I told her I didn't know, but she kept asking anyways... she hurt me. She threatened to... oh... do something really... I don't even want to think about it... she didn't, though... didn't let...
I'm so hungry... she didn't let us eat for days... or drink... or anything... and... she was... was going to... to make Colton take... I mean, she was going to force Colton to take Cardamine. I told her he wasn't... was already addicted... and she believed me... that was really, really good. But she was doing the same things to Colton... and then she decided... she gave... me... it. Cardamine. It was... I want it. I really... no, no! I can't think about that... it hurts... I've never felt this bad before... I think I'm sick, too...
Colton's been great, though... we managed to escape... I don't really remember how. We went to Manhattan and hid somewhere... Colton wasn't really doing well, and... and I wasn't sure what do to... some weird people eventually showed up and tried to... to attack me while Colton wasn't there... they weren't very smart, though... I told them a little piece of wire was an explosive or something... they actually believed me and ran away. I went and found Colton... we... we left. We came back here... to this... this... secret place... and Colton... he's been great... he's been... he's been a huge help, he's... he's done a lot for me... it must have been horrible for him, too, but he hasn't complained once...
...
Ow...
... Poor Colton... after everything out there... in the Border Worlds... and when we got back, something happened to him... he kinda flipped... and... and G- Greenburg... oh, he's just as bad as Carmen! He said I did that... to Colton... to COLTON! Me! ... He... he threw me in a cell... Colton almost... k- killed himself... I stopped him, and Greenburg threw me in prison! And then... he kept talking about Kusari... he thought I was some kind of agent or something... I told him about my uncle... and about... anyways, he didn't believe me... he wouldn't even let me call Mom and prove that I wasn't from Kusari... and... he did... bad things to me. He made the guards take all the furniture out of the room... and made loud... really, really painful... sound. All the time... all the time... I couldn't think... I couldn't... anything... and he said he was going... going t- to... to let his guards... do the same thing Carmen said she'd let HER guards to later, when they captured us... and... and... he said Colton... Colton was... was dying... and... it was horrbile. I lasted forever... but Colton came. He made Greenburg stop... Greenburg wasn't happy... Colton was alright, though... finally... he helped me... then we went to go meet Carmen after that... a few days later... and...
When Yoko recovered from the Ordeal and we finely contacted the outside world, we found out Stanley was missing.
The complex was attacked as we tried to leave. They were quickly killed, a few blasts from a transport turret has that effect on people
I tracked him down, he was on Manhattan with a certain associate of his. When we entered Manhattans orbit, that cow Carmen was there. She chased us across Liberty She captured Stanley.
Me and Yoko managed to evade her. We made a deal with Carmen and her employer to meet on Freeport 10 in the Tau 37 system. We really had no chance against them if they used the same tech as before, so I called in the AID teams, four squads of them that brought the total up to twenty.
Yoko had a bright idea to use EMP grenades against them; we loaded up two carts with EMP grenades and headed to Freeport 10.
When we arrived all hell broke loose. The EMPs worked a treat, as soon as they hit the exo suits the goons stood little chance. Carmen was stuck in cover and couldnt escape, the only problem was Mr X the old man would just not stay down, at least five clips into his armour and he kept coming. It took a grenade to his solar plexus to knock him down, permanently I hopefully.
We escaped with Stanley, we lost eight of the AID. I took that quite hard.
> One new transmission...
> Sender: Yoko Mori
> To: Gail Marshall
> Subject: Update
> Open? Y/N
> y
> Opening message...
> Loading...
> Loading...
> Loaded.
> Playing...
Hi again, Mom.
That idea sounds great. We were actually just thinking about asking you about that. Business has been really hard lately, and we've had some other... um... problems, too.
We'll come tomorrow if that's alright with you. I mean, I hope will. Time can get kinda weird in space sometimes... anyways, it'll be great to have a vacation... particularly back home on Pittsburgh. Colton can come too... right?
We decided to take a little vacation on Pittsburgh to visit Yokos mother. When we got there, it wasnt all together going well for her family, some small time gang decided to terrorise the neighbourhood.
Aside from that little niggle things seemed to be in order. I planned to go after the gang, but my plans were a little bit spoiled when, surprise surprise, another group of Kusarians appeared. Oh and somebody who looked like my clone. Took a few stabs to the neck to bring him down.
I tried to examine the body, but we were forced to run, yet again, because of the Kusarians. When we got to the Luna, we were surrounded by them, we had no escape at least thats what I thought.
A flashbang exploded in the middle of us, blinding me and the others. When we got our sight back the Kusarians were dead, yet another miraculous save by some random person weve never met, he saved our asses though. When we lifted off we were attacked by several fighters, the mysterious stranger managed to draw them off and allow us to escape into orbit.
Once we hit orbit we were pursued yet again by several fighters, we were getting away before we ran into a fairly large ship. We didnt get any scans from it before I managed to get us into cruise and escaped
I was at that pointing getting very tired of people trying to kidnap or kill us.
Our vacation didn't go so well... but I never expected this.
One of the guards at the place tried to... to do something pretty horrible to me... I'm kinda getting used to that, I guess. Colton stopped him, though... he saved me. Again. So we - Colton, Mom, the Littletons, Dan, and I - moved to some old mansion that belongs to Colton's mother... everything's getting really weird again. Some person - he wasn't much taller than me... he didn't look like an adult - came and attacked poor Amy. Colton managed to... um... well, knock him out. So now he's keep watch to make sure the person doesn't wake up. Watching a Kusarian boy... ew. I wish he didn't have to... but I guess he does.
...
...
...
Only... a few more hours... until his shift is over... I can... stay... awake...
Yet another Mori has come slithering out of the shadows. This one is quite young, calls himself Manabu, sneaky little shet at that. Managed to find out where I and Yoko have moved to. It seems we wont get a chance at a normal life anytime soon.
He managed to get into the high rise mansion... Somehow. He had Yokos friend Amy by the throat before she escaped from his clutches. He was hurt pretty badly when we captured him, whoever hurt him, hurt him badly. He required a sizeable blood transfusion from Dan, I had to call in a favour from my old family doctor, but we saved him for all the good it has done.
We had him under guard for quite a few days before he awoke. He wanted to speak to Yoko alone, I made yet another bad judgement of allowing him to speak to her, but he appeared very weak, so I thought no harm would come from it.
I was wrong. He escaped, I banged my head up fairly badly while chasing him. Dan didnt seem best pleased by it, then again if a knife had been held to Yokos throat, I wouldnt be either.
This Edward Masterdon, reporting for the Central News Service
Sadness struck the small company of Aves Industries last night, when the owner and chairman of the company, Stanley Davis, was found dead at the family home. Details are limited it at the moment, but sources say that several other bodies were found, one of whom is suspected to be Mr Daviss mother, Jessica Davis.
A spokesman for the family has asked that the family be allowed to grieve without interruption.
This is Edward Masterdon, reporting from AIL HQ. Goodnight
A long shadow plays over the pitted surface of Maine as a dark shape floats between it and the bright New York sun. It slips across the small moon and, after several long minutes, fades away as the ship that cast it moves on.
Yoko Mori sat down on the edge of a large couch in a high class New London apartment building, her young face etched with worry. Who killed Stanley? Was Colton going to be alright? Poor Colton... his mother and his brother, all at once... it's terrible... why?
As rain pounds to the ground, a thin figure slips through the dark alleyways in the bottommost slums of Manhattan, the specifics of its slight form masked by a heavy raincoat. The figure strides across the slick, wet pathway to a derelict apartment building and out of sight.
Mori Masahiko directed his personal shuttle to the floor of the tiny hanger, then quickly got out and strode to his luxurious quarters aboard his family Yacht. As the door closed behind him, he couldn't help but wonder... What is he up to? Why is he doing this? I don't trust him any more than I did a year ago. I knew he wouldn't stay down long... and fraternizing with the Gajin. How foolish. He is not to be underestimated. I must not let my guard down.
On an open plain on Planet Cambridge, a man stands, his emotionless face buffeted by the wind as he stands stiffly and motionlessly in a single position... almost as if he is waiting for something. After several minutes, he gets whatever signal he was waiting for and sprints off across the plain at a surprising rate.
Mori Tadao stood just inside the window, looking out at the massive hulk on rusting metal idling in one of the many shipyards of the Fort as dozens of workers in survival suits clean and polish the hull while making small repairs on the external systems. It would not be much longer at all. The Legion would prevail... and his uncle would be avenged.
The foul stench of death is on the air as Hisoka movs through the depths of the Citadel. He makes no obvious sign that he even notices the smell except for a brief order, given to one of two aides, for that particular part of the ship to receive a thorough cleaning the next day. Hisoka slowly but firmly walks along the hallway and towards the command center of the ship, questioning his other aide the entire way.
"It goes well?"
"It does.", comes the equally terse reply.
"Excellent. Make sure we capture all of them. Be aware that our primary targets have become withdrawn as of late. I believe Masahiko may be responsible for this. We cannot have another failure. Dismissed." With a smart "Yes Sir!, the aide hurries away to pass along his leader's orders...
Throughout the ages, many people have pondered space.
Some worshipped it.
Some philosophied on it.
Some studied it.
Some ignored it.
Some lived in it.
What is humanity, really? The emotions? The conflicts? The freedom?
What is death? An end of life, most would say. But what is life? What is sentience?
Can death itself be reversed? Can it be prevented? Is it a man's body and mind that makes him, or something more?
These are questions for the ages.
We've finally arrived. I still miss home sometimes, but the war is completely unacceptable. Why do people insist on killing each other? I'm supposed to be patriotic and support the Emperor's guardians, but how can I support death? Why?
...
We're here. Just another load of refugees now. It was hard enough to find a refugee transport out of Kusari, and even harder to find one all the way out here to the edge of Sirius. Omicron Theta. Imagine what father would think. He's probably furious. I couldn't stay, though. Not to support that. People are dying. Why?
I guess I'm stuck out here, now. I wonder what I'm going to do? I have to make a living somehow. It's not safe out here, either.
Stars vanished. Occluded by a hulk of metal, blotted from Tenmas sight. He felt choked in the shadow it cast, positioned as it was between the sun and the Umibozu. Darkness calls to dark and Tenmas soul shifted, restless. The cockpit, airless, seemed slick. The surfaces sweated with anticipation. Tenma raised a hand, slapped the side of his helmet, dropped his hand to the control panel. With a gloved finger Tenma punched on the scanner and code unravelled on one of the many screens. This one stood to his left, lower than he liked. It forced the hulk into his peripheries.
So many thousands of heat signatures, boxed together. Kenzou Tenma-Taii swallowed his sudden empathy. Muscles corded beneath the skin stretched over cheek and jaw.
Ohayo gozaimasu, Tenma said into the waiting microphone built into his helmet. His tone was leaden, far from the simple joy with which he most often spoke those six syllables. The soft final ss shifted to a harsh z. Welcome to Tau-29.
Silence for five heartbeats. The hulk continued to burn its way across the system, the engine trail a tainted yellow, a taint that washed over Tenma. Unconscious of the act, Tenma brushed at the upper edge of his control desk, to wipe away the sickening lustre of that light.
Thank you, good day to you as well. Words dripped from the helmet speakers, saccharine and flavoured with a Kusarian accent. Hardened by two days in twenty-nine, Tenma felt a momentary waver. Perhaps they were just- No. Okinawa, those are the orders. The orders he supplied to them all.
Hokkaido; he missed the soft hues, the concealing clouds. There at least, a measure of leniency could be allowed. Not here, not where every signal, every breath found its way into corporate databases, to be mulled over, leaked to press and police. If he were not the model, he would become the example. Twenty-nine.
Conversation with Oni. A monster who chose a human voice, a human face, a demons tongue. A humans smile. Tenma unravelled the intricate play of words, sought the cruelty behind it, found it, recoiled, and then forged deeper. And met volleys after volley, green and fierce. It was enough to hold him at bay, the Umibozu twisting, whining as its prey escaped with each inevitable K. The armour too thick, too hardened a shield, the excuses boiled up as a jumphole grew larger.
Event horizon. Kenzou heard the phantom scream of thousands taken beyond the sane lands and into nightmare. He was alone then, with his own unsated demon, the Umibozu that seemed at first reluctant to turn. Reluctant to obey a flawed master. A failure.
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