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Post by Golurkcanfly on Apr 19, 2014 17:09:24 GMT -6
Just gotta keep going... Gotta make it outta here...
Mark ran with staggered breath away from the burning building that began to collapse behind him.
We could finally take them down...
The Conduit's face turned from a pained expression to an elated one as he continued sprinting until he made it to a shaded alley close to a particularly putrid dumpster before heading out into the open again where a bright searchlight shone upon him.
"Stand down or we'll be forced to shoot!" sounded from a helicopter that flew above Mark and circled him. "Subject 001, stand down!"
Fear grew in Mark's eyes before dropping a bowling-ball sized sphere onto the pavement and firing a thick stream of horrifying flesh that knocked the helicopter away before exploding.
This is just the beginning...
Panting could be heard as he recollected the metal ball and sprinted to an open field filled with gravestones, Oakland Cemetery as foot soldiers began to enter from the surrounding streets.
"Fear me, for I am death, destroyer of worlds." He spoke with an exasperated tone as he squinched his eyes shut before pressing the two sides of the sphere together, surrounding the entire area in blue crackling energy.
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Post by GX1997 on Apr 19, 2014 21:28:40 GMT -6
It's almost time to go pick up Bear. I should probably start heading back... Who's phone is ringing? That's an annoying ringtone.
Alexa was on part of the Atlanta Beltline, that particular section's entrance was right across the street from her apartment. She was going south on the trail, getting some fresh air after she dropped her dog off to be groomed. After she was able to build up a little more speed and pass the other people on the trail, the ringing didn't stop or begin to sound distant.
Wait...that's my new ringtone. I need to change it back later.
"Hi Lydia. How have you been? ...A series of interviews featuring most of the female cast members? Hmm...that might be fun. Thanks for giving me a heads up before the reporter calls, I'll look at my schedule and figure out what day would be best."
With the main reason for calling already taken care of, Alexa and her friend were just catching up as she turned around and started to head back to pick up Bear. She hadn't gone very far before she had to stop and get off her skateboard because a large group of people were walking in the opposite direction, and they obviously weren't going to move and share the trail.
I wish people would be a little more courteous sometimes. It's not like they own this place, I have just as much right to be here as they do.
"Yeah, things have been going pretty well lately. I still have some scenes I have to shoot in a little over a week, so I'll see everyone on set then, if we don't run into each other at the bakery first. By the way, did you ever try th-...!"
The next thing Alexa knew, was pushing herself up from the ground, just then becoming aware of a dull pain, presumably from being thrown to the ground. She could only hear a horrible ringing sound, her vision was blurry, and she was having a hard time keeping her balance.
This pain...I have some injuries, but they're not that bad. What happened? Judging by what I know from my symptoms... Oh no. Did something explode?!
As her vision began to clear up slightly, Alexa was horrified by the sight of dead bodies near where living, breathing people had been moments before. It took all the strength she had to turn away and not get sick, but no matter what way she looked, it just got worse. And there were buildings that had been completely destroyed. Horrible pictures and memories replaced logical thought as she began stumbling towards the center of the death and destruction, partly looking for survivors and partly just plain lost and wandering.
Why...? How did this...happen? It's all gone. They're all gone.
As she unknowingly walked too close to a crumbling building, one more thought went through her mind, just before she would pinned underneath falling debris and lose consciousness.
Why am I still alive?
----
A week later, she woke up and once again saw the now familiar lights of her hospital room. Since that day, a lot of things had changed in the city, and more changes were coming. Alexa had a bad feeling about what might happen that day. |
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Post by Golurkcanfly on Apr 19, 2014 22:44:56 GMT -6
Okay, if I stop buying Glacier Dew for a couple of months, I might be able to get a new laptop. Maybe a nice one that could play some of the newer games on medium settings. No, that's too expensive. Maybe I could invest in some comic books, or I should finally renew my Heaven's Hellfire subscription so I can get back with the gang. What was I, a level 78 Ophanim? Probably, anyways-
"Jesus Christ on a stick." Nathanael somehow spoke aloud seriously as the power in his apartment shorted out, causing him to lose his internal monologue. "Why can't the stupid horse-puncher get a good fuse box!?"
Nathan slowly got up from his moderately nice couch before heading out his apartment's door and down the flight of stairs into the basement in order to investigate the electricity situation.
Oh, it's just the breaker. What in Inferno was that crazy ratbag next door doing!? Nevermind, I'll just flip this here and-
The room suddenly filled with azure energy as the circuit breaker box exploded and Nathanael felt a sharp pain course through his entire being. He wasn't sure how long he'd been out, but when he awoke, he felt alive, no, more than alive, full of energy, but at the same time he knew that he wouldn't be able to go anywhere for long. The same couldn't be said for the room around him, though. Whatever had just happened wrecked the entire basement. Nathanael slowly tried crawling towards the pile of rubble that now blocked the door before he began to lose his grip on the world. He then heard muffled voices from the other side of the rubble.
"Hold on, I think I can hear someone breathing!" he heard a male voice call before he heard the rubble shifting. "There's a survivor trapped in there! He must have escaped the blast!"
Nathan himself soon began to remove small pieces of concrete as his vision began to tunnel. Just as he was about to black out, he heard another voice call, a familiar voice.
"Hold on, that's my nephew!" he heard his uncle tell one of the emergency workers as a small hole was cleared through the rubble. "We need to get him out quickly!"
---
Now, one week has passed. After only a few days, they let Nathan out. His rate of healing was remarkable, and he was in full working condition by the fourth day. Being the busybody he usually is, he immediately began to tend to his job at his uncle's place. After all, he owed him his life. Business quickly picked up as one of the refugee camps was only a block away, and this was a cheap spot to eat. Nathan himself stayed at the camp since his home too was destroyed, and this is where he is currently.
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"Mrs. Alexandra Carter?" a low and powerful voice boomed through the door to her room as it was knocked on. "We are agents of the CDDA. May we come in? We're checking in on all the survivors. It is our duty to help those in need when we are not busy with our other work."
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Post by SwordMasterEX on Apr 20, 2014 6:14:46 GMT -6
Allisa sat at her desk reviewing the questions she had prepped for her latest interview. However this wasn't another sh**ty politician trying to get good publicity or a celebrity discussing their latest project; this was Vincent Banks, one of the former top researchers at the C.D.C. and the current head of the C.D.D.A. With any luck this was going to be the interview that launched her career in hard line investigative journalism. All she had to do was try and pry the truth out of him, or figure out a way to obtain it from behind his back. A task she thought looked a lot easier on paper. She briefly stood up to look out the window when she noticed a bright flash. The flash exploded in a grand display of Azure energy consuming a portion of the city with it. Luckily the CBS building was about a mile away from the perimiter of the explosion, so she was safe, but the damage it caused made it hard to look outside. A quick succession of three knocks gets her attention as she turns to see an intern with a headset saying something.
"I-I'm sorry did you need something?" Without skipping a beat the intern repeats himself.
"Boss wants you on the scene ASAP." He leaves before receiving a proper response as her usual crew rushes by her office. Right. Can't think too much about this. Gotta keep a straight face when I'm on the air.
"News of the blast that devastated our beloved fourth Ward is beginning to surface as authorities try to find the source of the explosion. For more we go live to our on the scene correspondent, Allisa Miravalles." The monitor switches over to the site of the ruins where Allisa stands with a microphone in hand, wearing a somber expression similar to the one used by the anchor. "Allisa, what can you tell us about the blast?"
"Well Stephany from what our analyst have determined, the epicenter of the blast was right here in Oakland Cemetery. Power outages are to be expected throughout the county and police will be on the lookout for any characters with suspicious behavior. Property damage is expected to be in the millions as many people have lost everything in this tragedy, including loved ones." Her voice becomes a little more emotional as she progresses. "We have no official death toll as of now, b-but it is easily in the thousands. However our first responders are doing everything in their power to ensure as many lives are saved as possible. And for those which lost their homes, word from the govenor is that a refugee camp will be set up until the reconstruction of the fourth ward is done." She regains her composure as she continues. "And we should follow their example. For we may have lost a part of the city, but now is not the time to mourn for it. For now we must try to help one another as best as possible."
"And is there any word on the cause of the blast?"
"One theory being explored right now is the possibility that this may have been the work of a conduit. Past examples certainly show their capable of such fearsome feats, but as the inFamous Cole MacGarth displayed, they are just as capable of being far more selfless than any human. Some have postulated that this is the work of an experimental government weapon, but no evidence currently supports that theory. Back to you Stephany."
"Wow. Some intense things to consider. If this truly was the work of conduits, Atlanta might have something to fear. More on that later. In other news a local teen boy's body was discovered this morning dead at the site of a gang shoot out...."
Allisa let out a sigh as the camera man signaled they were off the air. "Why did I have to get this assignment?"
"Uhh, isn't this what you wanted A-"
"Who would ever want this?! I wanted to expose some big scandal, not cover how an entire section of town was blown to bits! Do I look like a monster to you!?" Rubbing her temple she waves him off. "Well since we are here, make yourself useful and help find some of the survivors."
"S-s-s-sure thing boss." He nervously adds as he rushes off to put away his equipment and find clean pants.
Allisa begins to lose hope in her search as she sees any place where a body might be buried, there usually isn't one. And just as she thinks about turning back, she spots the outline of a girl under a pile of rubble. "Freddy!" She calls out loudly. "Get over here and help me get this s*** off her!" Together they push the largest chunk of brick wall of her. "Well she's not as f***ed up as some of the others, but she still needs medical attention."
"Didn't your mom keep a swear jar around the house?" Freddy ask innocently.
"My mom was Mexican. She kept a belt and a bar of soap around the house."
"Ouch. I thought that was jus- wait a minute, isn't this that actress you were suppose to interview next week?"
"Does it matter? Like, at all? Whoever she is, we're bringing her to get some help." Although now that I see her in better lighting, she does look an awful lot like Alexa. too bad I didn't bring my boxset to get it signed. Not that she could right now anyway.
Soon after while driving back, She got a call she was more than tempted to ignore. "What is it Lee?"
"Hey, what's with the sour tone? I thought you'd be more excited to hear from me."
"Is it bad news or good news?"
"And what's up with being so direct? Did pleasant conversation get assaulted by-"
"Really not in the mood for this right now. Good or bad?"
"Fine, fine. It's a little bit of both.Banks cancelled the interview scheduled for tonight."
"WHA-"
"Woah, calm down, calm down little missy. I called his secretary, she explained everything. The meeting was rescheduled to next week."
"Oh, thank god. I was almost sure I lost my shot."
"And here's the bad news."
"Wait you mean the cancellation wasn't the bad news?"
"Even worse. She said the new meeting place was an upscale restaurant! Can you believe it?"
"*sigh* I was worried you were serious for a moment."
"Hey, I'm always ser-!" The voice was cut off by the dial tone as she immediately hung up. I guess it doesn't really matter where it happens, but a fancy restaurant? Does he think this is a date?
---
Allisa had just stepped out of the gym's shower after a long session of practicing her kickboxing. She saw her phone was buzzing like crazy after she changed into a fresh pair of clothes. One text from Lee and 10 missed calls. The message simply read Meet me at Fat Phill'ys. Urgent! She decided she'd be worse off not going and departed for the chicken joint after saying bye to her friend. She found Lee in his usual spot at the usual time (12:00 P.M.) and she took the open seat across from him. She also noted the place was more packed than usual.
"So what was so urgent? Did you get the dirt on Vincent I wanted?"
"Of course! I'll tell you after they bring out my order." The need to face palm was clearly visible in her eyes as he obliviously waited for the order of a dozen hot wings.
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Post by Golurkcanfly on Apr 20, 2014 8:23:12 GMT -6
Nathanael rolled out of bed as the intercom-broadcasted alarm went off for 6:30 before accidentally bashing his head against the metal frame that supported the thin mattress.
Ow.
He rubbed his eyes before slowly getting up and stretching when he noticed something odd about the bedframe.
Wasn't that painted black before? Nah, they need to save every penny they can get with disaster relief.
Nathan yawned as he slowly walked over to a small plastic bin which held his clothes and pulled a set of his preferred outfit that they had procured before putting it on and heading out of the small curtained area that was his room.
"Save America! Not Bio-terrorists!" he heard shouting from near the entrance of the camp.
Not again.
"Take your schtick elsewhere!" Nathan called back at the protesting crowd that blocked the exit. "No one likes you Lifeline activists here! You're also in the way of people who have lost their homes, and the term is Conduit! Bio-terrorist was a term coined by the DUP in order to place distrust in Conduits so they could stay afloat! What kind of stupid do you have to be to not know that!?"
"Are you saying that you're one of them freaks?" A particularly loud protester approached Nathan with a sneer as he popped his knuckles. "Do you know what I do to those, 'Bio-terrorists'?"
"Conduit." Nathan corrected the man once again as he cracked his neck. "And I'm saying that you're in the way of decent people trying to get to work, so go, take your freedom of speech to a street corner or something, you bigots."
The rowdy one almost let loose a fist at Nathan before another one of the protesters grabbed his arm and let Nathan pass on out of the camp.
At least some of them have some sense of decency.
Before long, he had made it to his uncle's restaurant, but business was oddly slow in the morning. The first customer didn't arrive until ten, but then the place was bursting with people. At noon, an interesting woman walked in and sat with a not-so-interesting man who was about to get his batch of hot wings.
Welp, Raleigh's using the restroom, so I guess I'll go in her stead.
Nathanael took the freshly dipped batch of hot wings and put it in a paper bucket that he then carried over to the woman's table.
"Is that all?" He did his best fine waiter impression as he looked at the man who was too busy mowing down the hot wings to notice, so he turned to the woman. "Anything for you, lady?"
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Post by GX1997 on Apr 21, 2014 10:45:34 GMT -6
The CDDA? Aren't they supposed to be investigating the cause of the blast? Unless...they're looking for possible suspects, or trying to get eyewitness accounts of what happened.
"You can come in. But please, it's Miss Alexandra Carter, not Mrs."
I'm not married, and I don't plan on getting married anytime soon. The least they could do is use the proper title when addressing me.
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Post by SwordMasterEX on Apr 21, 2014 12:14:22 GMT -6
"No I'm good, thanks though... I've already had lunch." She is clearly more turned off to the suggestion by Lee's eating than by anything else. "Well actually, you might be able to get me something. See if you can't find my friends manners somewhere on the menu." Flipping his ponytail back, he responds, "And if they're too expensive a diet coke will do just fine."
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Post by Golurkcanfly on Apr 21, 2014 13:38:07 GMT -6
"Sorry Mrs. Carter." A man with round features and a relaxed face came in wearing a black suit along with another agent who looked much sterner and older. "We're here to ask you several questions, some of which you can omit answers to if you wish."
The stern one set down a small brown bag on the table next to Alexa as the affable one sat down in a chair.
"First question: What was the last thing you saw before the explosion, and what was the first thing you saw following it?"
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"Uh... I'll just get you the Coke." Nathan replied, showing his obvious inexperience. "So... what are you folks doing here today? Most people here are refugees, but you don't look like you're living in the camps."
He motioned towards a group of men wearing raggedy clothing on the other side of the room.
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Post by GX1997 on Apr 21, 2014 15:17:21 GMT -6
Again, Mrs. is the title of a woman who has been married. I haven't, so the proper title is Miss.
Alexa sighed, and then one of the men asked her two questions.
"My back was turned, so the last thing I saw was just the trail ahead of me. The first thing I saw after that..." Alexa paused, trying to remember what she saw after she could see well enough again. "I just turned around, and saw the destruction in the distance."
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Post by Golurkcanfly on Apr 21, 2014 15:26:21 GMT -6
"Did you feel anything?" The friendly one asked. "Any impact from the explosion or strange effects afterwards? Some of our scientists have hypothesized that whatever caused it is similar to what caused the Plague seven years ago in Empire City. Rest assured, there have been no cases of said Plague."
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Post by GX1997 on Apr 21, 2014 15:38:50 GMT -6
"No, I was far enough away that I wasn't caught in the blast at all. I did end up going into the area to try and see if anyone survived, but by that time it was all over. Other than...the burning smells coming from the...bodies.... I felt completely normal, aside from almost getting sick from that and what I was seeing," Alexa said, reacting appropriately to each thing she described. "...It was horrible there."
...Why am I not telling them the complete truth? What good does it do for me to lie to the CDDA about where I was when it all happened? They're just trying to piece together what happened.
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Post by Golurkcanfly on Apr 21, 2014 15:53:03 GMT -6
"Have you taken a Conduit+ test before?" The agent continued as the other one gave Alexa a stern look. "If so, what were the results. The explosion was some sort of bio-weapon, so we need to confirm its effects on both Normals and those with the Conduit gene. Don't worry, I'm Conduit+, same with the other man here."
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Post by GX1997 on Apr 21, 2014 16:06:15 GMT -6
"No, I haven't. Are there any risks associated with the test itself?" Alexa asked.
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Post by Golurkcanfly on Apr 21, 2014 16:29:13 GMT -6
"Nope." The agent answered with a smile. "The DUP had some scanners that were able to identify Conduit+s in only a few seconds. Though, these were rare and we're never mass produced. However, we have sensory and blood tests, but we only have the blood test with us now. Would you like to get tested? Don't worry, it'll only hurt for a second."
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Post by GX1997 on Apr 21, 2014 17:16:38 GMT -6
"Shouldn't a doctor be the one to do a test like this?" Alexa asked.
That one guy is really creeping me out... He looks very angry, and I think that's just what he looks like normally. I'd hate to see him if he really did get mad.
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Post by Golurkcanfly on Apr 21, 2014 17:31:08 GMT -6
"It's just a finger prick. Plus, your doctor already knows, but since the test requires fresh blood, he couldn't supply us with what he already had." The when calmly explained as he grabbed the brown bag and took a small device that looked like an electric thermometer out along with some cookies. "The cookies are for you, I baked them myself, so tell me if anything's wrong."
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Post by GX1997 on Apr 21, 2014 18:34:59 GMT -6
"I think I'll pass on the cookies. No offense, they look good, but I just don't eat sweets."
Alexa looked at the device they used for the test, and after a moment, she reluctantly agreed.
"I hope you know that I can't stand needles and all kinds of other stuff like that. I promise not to totally freak out though, so don't worry."
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Post by SwordMasterEX on Apr 21, 2014 18:52:53 GMT -6
"What are we doing here? Lee eats here practically everyday. And apparently he started his diet yesterday." Her voice laced with serious skepticism.
"Half the wings is half the calories. That's just basic math." This only prompted an eye roll from her "And Allisa here has me meet with an assortment of shady figures and white collar crooks to dig for stories. And as her connection, I get to choose where we meet."
"So are you new here?" She ask with mild curiosity.
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Post by Golurkcanfly on Apr 21, 2014 19:09:31 GMT -6
"I've been working here for three years." Nathan told her as he bent over a bit. "I'm the one that makes the wings, and for some reason, our waitress decided to go on break a little early. Friggin slacker. Anyways, so you're a news reporter? That's probably why you look vaguely familiar. Tell me if there're any problems with the wings; I'll be in the back, making the wings, because that's my job."
---
"I meant that you should probably eat the cookie, because you will feel pretty faint after this. Anyways..." The other agent grabbed the device and pressed it against the back of Alexa's hand which caused a surge of electricity to flow through her as it took a small blood sample. "Sorry about the shock. It's needed to properly excite your blood cells. So, last question, my buddy here's a big fan of yours, would you mind signing him an autograph?"
The mean one rolled his eyes as the friendly agent took out a small pa of paper.
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Post by GX1997 on Apr 21, 2014 19:20:28 GMT -6
"I would, but I think I'm going to be sick... By the way, thanks for the warning about the shock," Alexa said sarcastically, although she really did look like she didn't feel well.
Really, why wouldn't you warn someone about that first?
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