Pandora's Dream Ic

[Pyromancer]

Alex raised one eyebrow. "Hey, I'm just trying to make sure noone comes down on me. Besides, there's still plenty at the bank."

He leaned forward, still avoiding looking at her. "A couple of the weapons for the, ah, discussion with the dragon tomorrow have to be controlled by a computer program. The designer made it to closely resemble a strategy game. You probably know how to operate it more than I do, so I was thinking that you should be the one operating the weapons."

[Nikolai-097]

(OOC: I'm going to time skip it forward a few hours, most everyone seems to be done with the days activities, so this should move the story along somewhat.)

Ryan woke up as his alarm clock began its routine beeping at five am. He rolled out of bed and walked over to his closet. He decided today was a less formal event sort of day and thus took out a set of cargo pants and a hoodie. He attached his holster tot he back of his belt, and put his knife on his left hip, both covered by the hoodie. He grabbed something from the fridge and began eating. His phone rang and he grabbed it, getting ready to tear who ever was calling a new one. It was still early, and he hadn't had much sleep. Fortunately, he noticed that it as Balika before starting his rant. "Yeah boss?" He and Balika conversed quickly, and Ryan found out several things. First, he had to do his regular rounds, then try to get a contact from the S.W.A.T. group, and finally a dragon had arrived. As he hung up he reflected on the dragon. The only reason he believed it was because Balika had told him. Even still, he was not quite convinced.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. The dragon wasn't important yet, he had more pressing business. He entered his car and started his rounds. His first stop was the cleaners, not only did they have a payment for him, but he wanted his suit cleaned.

[Phoenix Fang]

Tirla

I stirred, lifting my head and opening my eyes to find Cassy laying atop of me. It took me a minute to figure out what had happened. As soon as her teeth had left my skin I'd settled down and fell asleep. There was a blanket draped over us, so Cassy must have draped it over us. I took a few moments to simply get my head clear, and then gently shook her shoulder. She lifted her head and smiled at me before sliding off so I could get up. I sat up and stretched before moving to the kitchen to make some coffee. All the while I noticed her eyes following me, and I started to wonder if she'd make an advance on me, but then again I was wondering what I'd do.

Andaria

(I'll wait on her cause she gets up a bit later than others)

[Conrad LeStrange]

~I am not an evil man.

They say I am evil... because I put the lives of the many before the lives of the few. They say I am evil because I would sacrifice a hundred men in a heartbeat... to save a million. Times have changed in this new world. We can no longer afford to be 'politically correct' and sit on our thumbs while monsters ravage our streets. We can no longer sit idly by and watch criminals stealing what little we still have, then slap them on the wrist and set them loose again. This world has been thrown into chaos. I will bring order. I will punish the wicked without remorse. I will cut down the self-righteous. I will do my part to save us all... and bring death to those who threaten peace. Justice... by any means necessary.~

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"My hands are covered in blood.
With each action... more blood coats these hands of mine."

I stared out the window of my office without feeling. The sky outside was just showing the first light of day... and with that light came the realization that another day was beginning. My fingers trembled with the power of it... the power of that knowledge... and it was as if electricity coursed through my veins. I stood, and immediately found myself pacing the office floor. Hours could have gone by like that, but a young man in a Terrace Hill guard uniform stepped inside and interrupted my train of thought.

"Warden, Governor Schollitzer called while you were asleep. The Deputy Warden took the call. He wrote down all the details for you, so I thought I would deliver it in person. Basically, its just a notification that he is transferring a large number of 'abnormal' prisoners from Woolitzer Rock Maximum Security here to Terrace Hill. He says he wants them dealt with quietly... and not to contact him until the problem is solved."

I nodded, took the note, and silently went back over to my desk. The screensaver had kicked in, so I jiggled the mouse and took a seat. I typed up a hasty memo, distributed it over the prison network, and eased back into my chair with a sigh. This... was the highlight of my day. Abnormal prisoners always meant those touched by the cataclysmic 'event'. That they were always sent to Terrace Hill meant we never had to leave the facility and hunt them down. They simply came to us. It was, for all intents and purposes, the perfect set up.

The officer departed, and I again turned in my chair to stare out over the city beyond. From Terrace Hill you could see most of the Downtown Metro Area... though we were situated far enough into the Industrial Park as to meet 'public safety regulations'. The Downtown Metro Area was a shell of its former self... riots and panic having left many of the oldest buildings in desolate ruin... but it still shone (albeit through a deal of tarnish) as a tribute to what a handful of men and women with ambition could accomplish.

I allowed myself to return to my thoughts... basking in the early morning glow of sunlight coming up over the looming steel skyscrapers.

"These bloody hands will rebuild a city...
... and shape it in the image of Progress."

[Phoenix Fang]

Tirla

I watched the coffee brew for a moment and then turned to look at Cassandra, "I'm gonna go change?" Why had that come out like a question, damn this woman was confusing me, or at least doing things to my mind. She smiled and nodded, obviously not going to make a move today. But as I walked past I heard her whisper to herself, "She's not ready, not to mention she's gonna go out today and see if that dragon's taken care of, I know her, she can't not put her foot forward to help."

Damn it, now I had more things to turn over in my mind, and she was right, at least about the dragon. There were times the heightened senses were not a blessing, but that was what being a paladin was, being the pinnacle of might and magic.

I slipped into my bedroom and quickly dressed, putting on simple black undies and bra, a pair of blue jeans and a soft green tank top. Then I moved to the closet and removed a suit case and took it back out to Kitchen/living room and sat at the island counter top. Cassy came over and looked at the case, "Whats that?"

I flipped it open and pulled out the project I was working on, "This, I'm hoping it'll help keep me alive in future fights once I finish it." After the event I'd been playing one of my favouriate games, Oblivion, and took a look at the Mythril Armor. Which was basically an intricate chainmail with pauldrins. What I had in my hands was little more than a chainmail tank top that would barely cover my bust, but it was a work in progress, and it was make of adamantium. But sense it was in essence hundreds of chain links put together, it was actually pretty flexible.

She looked at it carefully as I took out a jar with chunks of silver in it and a small so that I could knock off several small bits so that I could add a few links. I did this everyday, added just a few links so i didn't waste too much energy.

Andaria

I slipped through dreams, looking for what would entice me this evening. I had the energy that I needed, but while my body slept, I never did, so I always looked for entertainment. Sometimes I slipped into a dream and played some character in a fantasy, having adventures and such forth. But tonight, ahh, here we go, a woman, dreaming of another. I slipped into the dream of a woman in russia, and ended up tied to a bed... oh, this should be fun.

[Arachnion As Captain Jack]

Rachel woke up, the dream of the night already fading into only a few details. God damned smartass inner python... she sighed and left a message for her boss. A short kitchen search later yielded her a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice to drink. Rachel started eating at a table between the kitchen and living rooms.

big day coming...god I'm tired.

[Pyromancer]

Alex was in trouble. He was out on a hit, trying to take out a death knight that had been sending Balika death threats. Alex had gotten into position to snipe the hooded knight from the roof of a neighboring building, but when he pulled the trigger the knight vanished and Alex had to roll to the side to avoid a stab meant to punch through his lung. The fight had gone on from there. Now, Alex and the knight were on opposite sides of the rooftop. Alex was sliced up and exhausted. The knight hadn't even been scratched, and now readied his sword to impale Alex throught the chest. The vampire knew he couldn't dodge, so he crossed his arms in front of him, closed his eyes, and braced for the sword strike that would end his life.

He felt something warm and wet dripping on his arm. He opened his eyes to see a terrible sight. Rachel was standing between him and the knight, facing him with the knight's sword sprouting from her chest. Alex stared in shock as the knight pulled his sword from the girl's body. Alex caught her as the knight laughed and shook his sword to clean it of blood. "What's wrong, vampire? Upset that I killed your little b****?" Alex cradled Rachel's body as he shot a hateful glare at the knight. "You're a monster." The knight laughed again as he pulled off his hood. Alex stared in shock at his own face. "You mean WE'RE a monster!" The knight laughed maniacally as he swung the sword down on Alex.

Alex sat bolt upright, breathing heavily with sweat covering his body. His hands clenched the wooden bedframe hard enough to make it splinter. He continued breathing as he looked around the room, calming down as he realized that the entire incident was simply a nightmare. He lay back down and massaged his temples. What kind of crazy nightmare was that? After about ten minutes of this he sat up and got out of bed. He dressed himself in blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a gray jacket, then headed down the stairs. On his way to the bathroom he saw Rachel in the kitchen. "Morning Rach."

[Kilroywuzheere]

"Which do you chose?" one of Charles' squad mates said to him. He looked around... A dark interrogation room? A single light swung above him, lighting himself, and almost nothing else. He attempted to rise, only to find his hands stuck to the chair. He fell on his face, the chair on top of him. "Come on Charles. You're better than that," his team mate said. He felt himself being picked up and placed back into a proper position. His eyes were adjusting to the darkness now. What was he doing here? "You didn't do it..." A gun was thrown to his feet, a simple pistol. "Fulfill your duty."

Charles woke up to the sound of an alarm, the one meant to wake up everyone sleeping. He rose from the cot and went into the showers. 'What did that dream mean..?' he thought, soaping up his body. He thought about it through all his morning activities, shaving, getting dressed.

"Something's on your mind," someone said, wrecking his train of thought. "C'mon, whatca thinking about."

"A weird dream. Still have no idea if its supposed to mean something or not," Charles responded.

"Well, no time to talk about it now, we have a briefing to go to. Apparently, they're bringing in a lot of help in on this one."

--

Nergal woke up from a dreamless sleep, finding himself in another motel. He'd come here last night, after that bar. Grumbling, he rose and washed his face. No real time for a shower, he didn't like to stay in one place long. His clothes already reeked so much of blood that it over powered everything else anyway. Not like anyone noticed, and if any did, they kept their mouth shut. He walked by, picking up his sword, slinging it onto his back, placing his shield over it. He walked out, beginning to roam the streets. Maybe that damn mage would come back... He kinda wanted to finish their fight.

[Der Kojote]

Peter woke up after a decent nights sleep Jacob however was asleep. "well at least you don't make noise i only have to deal with you for 8 hours... he grabbed his staff and practiced a bit of Bojustu. "reminds me of the gold old days when i wouldn't have to deal with this..." he grabed his cell and called alex and rachel. not carring if it reached the answering machine or not, "hello guys yes it's peter, i'm going to check something and see if have some "intel" before we all go running off, i need you to check with that pladin and see if she can help if need arise. thank good luck." he went flying out the door and to check if the goblins had done some scouting.

[Arachnion As Captain Jack]

Rachel was eating her cereal when Alex sat down.
"Hey..Alex, what do you have planned to do if the dragon listens? I mean, the swat team is still gonna try to-" the phone started ringing, cutting Rachel off.

"..Great. I'll get it." She picked up the phone, and made a bit of a scowl as Peter finished up his message.
"..Man has never heard of manners..That was Peter, the flying mage. He's going to try to interrogate some goblins before meeting up with us."

Rachel went back to eating her breakfast.
"..So..how was your night?"

[Pyromancer]

Alex rubbed his eyes as he sat down at the table, trying to wake himself up. He glanced up when she asked him on the dragon and waited for her to finish before answering both questions. His face was troubled as he answered the second. "I had one Hell of a nightmare. Don't ask about it, because I doubt you'd want to know."

He shook his head as his face changed to a serious look worthy of a military commander. "As for the dragon, well, I know of some caves nearby that the dragon might be able to hole up in if we can get it out of town without being noticed. Worst comes to worst, we'll be caught in a firefight between us, the dragon, and SWAT. At that point our top priority is going to be getting out of there alive, even if it means losing some equipment." He tilted his head to the side slightly. "Speaking of which, will you be operating the weapons I asked you about last night?"

[Conrad LeStrange]

~I am not an evil man.

They say I am evil... because I put the lives of the many before the lives of the few. They say I am evil because I would sacrifice a hundred men in a heartbeat... to save a million. Times have changed in this new world. We can no longer afford to be 'politically correct' and sit on our thumbs while monsters ravage our streets. We can no longer sit idly by and watch criminals stealing what little we still have, then slap them on the wrist and set them loose again. This world has been thrown into chaos. I will bring order. I will punish the wicked without remorse. I will cut down the self-righteous. I will do my part to save us all... and bring death to those who threaten peace. Justice... by any means necessary.~

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________


"A city... ruled by merciless justice...
... built upon a foundation of death."

"Warden... are you in here?" Came a voice from behind me... a surprisingly soft tone for the Deputy Warden I had come to know throughout our years of working together. I swiveled my chair around to face her, offering the closest thing I could manage to a smile these days.

"Yeah, Trinn... I'm in here. I was just admiring the city this morning." I offered, though it wasn't entirely true. I had gotten lost again, for the sun had moved several feet from where I remembered it being last. "... so much work we have to do. I sometimes wonder if my ideas are too large for one man."

Her smile was genuine... the contours of her face made it evident. She didn't know I could read her emotions like an open book... that she displayed everything so readily. Once upon a time, that very fact had made me question her readiness for the position of my successor. Now, as she spoke, I remembered why I had made my choice.

"Will, I have never met a more driven man. A more... insightful man. This city... this state... this whole damn world... it's gone to complete chaos. There are literally monsters roaming the streets. Mythical creatures... things right out of Walt Disney's twisted nightmares... are running about stirring up havoc and killing people! That is more weight than any one person should have to shoulder.
"But you? You have us. You are not alone. The vision is yours, yes, but we are here to help bring it to the light of day. If we had to burn the city to the ground and build it from scratch... you would be the only person I trusted to manage it. You could have been the DA. You could have been Chief of Police. You chose to punish those who threaten to destroy the greater good... and do so by whatever means necessary. Sacrifices will be made in the name of progress. This is the burden our souls will bear. We should all be so strong as you to bear the guilt of sin without succumbing."

I was made more resolute by her speech... and again I felt my confidence returning. No, there was no task too large. There was no dream unattainable with the new knowledge of the powers I had received. For in fact, a pair of blackened firearms with streaks of silver interwoven like marble sat upon my desk now. I eyed them only momentarily, before gesturing to them for Trinity's sake.

"I found the answer to those strange compulsions of mine... after speaking to Dr. Schroeder in the psych ward. It would appear... he and I... amongst others in this facility... have been affected in the same way. The compelling urge to craft... such weapons as these... are common among two certain classes. They call themselves Paladins and Death Knights. They are the driven. The unstoppable forces. He told me... there were others here in this very prison. He told me... that you, yourself, were very likely a Paladin."

Trinity's features suddenly shifted. She went from curious, to something akin to being angry. I merely raised a hand and laughed.

"No... no... he did not reveal your secret by choice. I told him... I saw that your sidearm had changed the last time we spoke. He also told me you were becoming obsessed with knowledge of the old laws. The old codes. He said you were having headaches... and writing strange oaths in the night. I pieced it together, and the good doctor merely confirmed it."

Her lips twitched... and for the first time I could discern nothing from her expression.

"Will, you really shouldn't have pried so much. It would have been easier... if you had just gone on thinking I was normal like everyone else. That way... you could ha-"

She never did finish the sentence. The blackened pistol I had come to call 'The Hangman' found itself in my fingers. Her own motion indicated she had had the same thought... but only a moment too late. The first shot fired was the last of the encounter... for when the smoke cleared, my oldest friend lay upon the floor slain.

I knew that expression upon her face, now. It was treachery.

I rose to my feet, moved around the desk, and pried my obsidian casing free of her chest cavity. It took a little work, but the small black-razor shell came out conveniently in one piece. I closed the spring-arms and pocketed the bloody projectile, then knelt down and hoisted Trinity's lifeless frame into my arms off the ground. I don't know why I spoke to her as I made my way through the empty halls of the prison... but I felt again compelled to.

"The burden of guilt... was too much for you to bear, I fear. I am sorry. Truly. I had feared it would end this way. Since the events of that evening... I knew one of us was destined to fall. I had prayed it would be me."

I left her corpse in the medical wing with Dr. Schroeder. He would perform the final tasks of closing her wound and making the proper funeral arrangements. There would only be the paperwork for me, now. And a hole. There was a sudden emptiness inside, now. I knew it was an emotional response... something I rarely felt... but I could not quite tell why. Only as I made my way back to my office did I figure out what caused it. Staring at the green-crystal sidearm my Deputy had dropped upon her death, I pieced the final clues together: It was not my oldest friend who had died. The last friend... the last person I could trust... had just attempted to kill me. Now she was dead... and I was truly alone.

I bent forward to grasp the weapon, only to howl in pain as it's surface burnt my skin. Suddenly, the knowledge of why this happened came over me... and I shook my head with a sigh. That could not have come to mind... before I burned myself? No, of course not. It was a small toll, by the standards of Karma. My second attempt was made with more forethought. I opened the glass display case, moved aside the picture of my graduation from the police academt, and turned back to grasp the weapon. Though it burned with all the intensity of holding a molten piece of steel, I carried it over and placed it respectfully within the case. Closing it, I stepped back and nodded.

"Rest well, Deputy Warden Trinity Willkis. The burden of guilt is all mine again."

How much time had now passed? I checked my watch and found that... fifteen minutes ago... I had only just woken up.

"It is shaping up... to be a very eventful day. When the prisoners arrive... I think I will go down and pay them a visit. I seem to be in need of a new Deputy Warden, as well. Yes... a very eventful day indeed."

I busied myself, then, with watching my hand slowly heal. Burnt flesh tingled with sensations as energies within my body went to work. I still could not understand the workings of my new gifts... but slowly I was coming to see they were not merely gifts. Much like a 'miracle'... they came with a price.

"The lawbringer will be he who suffers most...
... for the burden of guilt is his alone to carry."

[Phoenix Fang]

Tirla

I slid a chunk of silver from the jar, and using a small hammer and chisel I rendered it down into smaller bits. Once this was done I turned on my stool, reached down, and removed a cookie tray from the cupboards, setting it on the counter and dropping the bits of silver upon it. My eyes focused on a single one as I settled my gaze upon it, and with a bit of practice I started weaving my will through it. Looking for the paths, the weak spots, embedding it into the metal. After a while the silver began to shimmer, shake, and finally, melt. It became a gel, one you could almost see through. That was step one, the hard step.

I reached forward and pulled the creation I was working on forward, dipping the single link in on the next row into the gel. In my mind I saw the gel slowly take shape, weaving it into that link and the one, a single line, moving like a snake till it's ends met, linking it into the mesh I'd created. That was step two.

Finally I wove my will into it again, urging it to harden, to become what I needed it to be, and it became Crystal, silver veins wrapping about its insides. Adamantium, unmoveable, unbreakable, unstoppable. Step three, done, now to repeat the process.

When all was said and done, there were five new links added to my chain mail shirt, eventually it would fall to cover my hips, and have sleeves to cover up to my wrists with pauldrins upon my shoulders and bracers upon both wrists.

Finally I sat back and took a deep breath, needing a few minutes recover. When I was done I gathered up the chunks of silver I hadn't used and slid them back into their jar. Next I took a spatula out of the drawer and began scraping up the remaining gel that I hadn't used, it was now blue in color, and once the jar I was using was full, I'd take it to Nightside, there were always witches or something there willing to by it off of my. Though, I was thinking of taking some of it and asking to have greaves and a helmet made. it wouldn't be as good as adamantium, but mythril would likely stop an obsidion bullet, and it was far easier to make than adamantium. I laughed at the thought though, once it was all finished, I was gonna look like a knight, though trade in the platemail breastplate for a shirt of chainmail. And then Cassy would have me make the pieces for my bike.

Cassy looked up at me with a puzzled look, and I answered before she could ask, "Oh, just a thought of How'd I look after I get all the peices made that I want, I'm gonna look like a knight."

She nodded and then turned her eyes back to my project, "I want you to bring this to work, anytime you have free time, I want you working on this. You say it could one day save your life, well I want that day to be sooner than later."

I looked at her and was about to protest that it would exhaust me, but she put up her hand, "You either bring it to work everyday, or on the days that you don't I won't allow you to work, I'll send you home to work on this."

I sighed, I was a paladin, I could take her out in a moments notice, but she was my best friend and my boss, and this was a battle I couldn't win.

Andaria

I left the dream quite sated, haveing been both fed and pleasured. The woman in russia would wake with a smile upon her face, but me, it was still too early in the morning for my body had yet to wake, so it was on I went, slipping in and out of dreams, looking for something to entertain me till I woke.

[Nikolai-097]

Ryan dropped off his suit at the dry cleaners. The owner passed over a small stack of bills. He looked nervous and apologetic at the same time. "I'm sorry Ryan! Really! Business hasn't been good recently. Just give me a few days and I'll get the rest." While listening, Ryan had been counting the money. The owner was short $150 from his $400. Ryan thought back. This guy has been good for a long time. This is the first time he's failed to produce for me. He turned to the owner and told him, "It's all right. I'll cover you this time, since you've been good to us. Make sure you make the payment next time." The owner's thanks fell on deaf ears. Ryan entered into his car and pulled out his wallet. He added the money the owner owed and left. The next stop was one of the Cartel's dealers. This guy wasn't going to be as lucky if he hadn't made his quota. He already owed the Cartel a lot, and despite numerous reminders, hadn't been paying up regularly.

[Arachnion As Captain Jack]

"Ah..well, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to.." Rachel put down her spoon. The cereal had been okay, really..but there was still the rest of the day to do. And...if there was a three-way shootout, She'd be the one responsible for clearing a path out.
"Yeah..I'll operate it."

Rachel stood up to leave.
"C'mon, let's go say hi to Tirla. You've never met her or her friend before, have you?"