The night was young and the stars were just beginning to appear in the sky above Athens, the last trace of the suns falling below the horrizon. A figure dressed in black stood gazing at one of the new signs that the Sentinels had installed in Athens, running his fingers through his blonde hair as he read about the newly designed Notum Towers. Being able to claim his own territory and defend it was definetely an appealing thought, though he was no soldier he knew how to fight, the sneaky way at least. Slowly he shifted his Rifle from its position on his shoulder to drop it in his other hand, securing it to a strap and slinging it over his back as he turned and walked away from the sign. Checking his timepiece, an ancient style pocketwatch that he withdrew from his pocket, he noticed that he was already running late, his idle musings had cost him valuable time.
Jogging towards the gate that would take him to West Athens, the figure let his mind wander, thinking of the person he was going to see, her beautiful smile and amazing laugh bringing a smile to his face. Passing the guards with no quarel he made his way across the bridge that crossed a small inlet that held a few sunken ships and a seeminly abandoned set of docks. The figure slowed as he approached the gates, this being his first time to West Athens he noticed how radically different the structures were here, nothing like those within the city walls. He never imagined he would find himself in a Clan city, growing up on a small farm in Clon**** he honestly never thought he would see anything but the small home he had grown up in and the fields every day.
The man walked slowly up the hill and around the corner to the street that passed the local Grid Access Node and would take him to his destination, The Cup, and inside the woman he had come to see, Tristalyn. Slowly he made his way down the street, glancing around to see who was present, members of a few clans congregated around the Grid Node but none paid him any heed as he made his way to the door that would take him into The Cup. Stepping inside the man was surprised, he had expected maybe a dozen people but instead found at least twice or maybe three times that many. Slowly he made his way across the bar, glancing around and seeing many Mockers about, many of them armed, slowly he made his way to a table and then she caught his eye. There she was, sitting on the table next to her wife Xellina, the magnificent Tristalyn, he wanted to go up to her and say hello, to tell her how much he thought about her, but he could not. With a slight sigh the man made his way through the crowd to a table near the back, keeping a clear line of sight to Tristalyn the whole time, having a seat he tuned his shiny new comm unit to Gridstream's frequency and placed it over his ear.
As the night went on he decided to get a drink, standing slowly he made his way across the dance floor to the bar, comming the closest to Tristalyn as he had before and he felt his heart begin to race, moving slowly to the bar he asked the bartender for something to drink.
"We only serve Clansmen here." growled the burly Atrox bartender as he wipped up a bit of spilt alcohol from the table.
Sighing the man made his way back to his seat, slumping down wishing he had brought something to drink with him, and he closed his eyes as he listened to Tristalyns sweet voice comming to him across the grid. He jerked upright some time later, realising he had fallen asleep he quickly looked around, it seemed even more people had shown up, as his eyes searched the room for Tristalyn he did not see her, Xellina was sitting on the table but Tristalyn was no where to be seen. Slowly he stood and wandered around the bar, hoping to see her, his heart sank when she was no where to be found. Slowly he made his way outside, feeling miserable for his inability to stay awake and the nights failure. As he stood outside on the street the man looked up to the stars, the same ones he had looked at so many times from home, then he turned in the direction of the sound of running feet, Tristalyn was running towards him turning into The Cup as she passed him.
He smiled broadly, his night not a failure yet, rushing back inside he glimpsed Tristalyn crossing the floor, making his way to a seat closer to the crowd the man quickly sat watching Tristalyn. Before long she rose again, heading for the door, this time he got up and followed her, hoping to say hello before she got to far away. As he stepped onto the street she was no where to be seen, waiting patiently he was rewarded by seeing her again, but before he could think of what to say again she ran past and inside. Making his way inside yet again he began to wander through the crowd, staying standing this time, watching her closely the entire time. Slowly he came to realise he was being watched, he did not know who it was or from where, but he did catch a half glimpse of an Opifex hiding in the shadows behind a table a few minutes later.
Trying his luck again the man headed to the bar, again the bartender told him off, refusing to sell to him because he was not a Clan members. Sighing again he asked the fellow sitting at the bar if he would purchase him something to drink, a bottle tapped against him and he turned to face Tristalyn, a delicate hand outstretched offering him a drink. He was so close to her, his hand actually touching hers as he accepted the bottle, smiling happily he managed to stammer out a polite thank you. His heart was pounding in his chest after stopping for a moment when she had approached him, he moved to have a seat and again he watched her, more amazed than ever at how beautiful she was.
The night ran on and finally the words he had dreaded were spoken, the show was comming to an end and Tristalyn was leaving. He watched her sit with her wife amid a sea of rolling hairballs known as leets, he wondered if Xellina knew how lucky she was, being married to someone as amazing as Tristalyn. He shook his head and took a long drink, watching Xellina stand and announce that she was leaving. He thought he may get the chance to speak to her about Tristalyn so he quickly stood and followed her out the door. He saw her standing in the street, slowly he walked up and saw her slide a Gamma Ejector from her coat, turning to face him he smiled to her.
"Don't think I didn't see you in there." said Xellina, a slight hint of anger in her voice as she spoke.
The man was confused, of course she had seen him, he was there listening to Tristalyn's show, and then she pointed her weapon at his chest, his eyes going wide and his heart beginning to beat rapidly as fear claimed him. Then another exited the bar, a large weapon held in his hands as his eyes scaned over the man in black, his finger seeming to tighten on the trigger a bit"
"And who might you be?" spoke Doncarnage, as the man in blacks NCU told him, Doncarnage's eyes showing that he was clearly upset.
"I watched you. Both times my wife left to visit the bank, you followed her." spoke Xellina, her gun still leveled at his chest.
"I...I....I just wanted to say hello....I like her show..." spoke the man in black, the fear he felt clearly heard in his voice.
The two standing before the man in black were clearly hostile, both armed, and seemingly both willing to kill him for something he didn't know he had done. They both eyed him and then Doncarnage inserted a clip into his weapon, bringing it to rest across his arms, His blue hair making him seem almost comical if not for the large scar that diagonaly crossed his face.
"Breath wrong and you're dust." spoke Doncarnage, a threat that carried much weight in this situation, and the man in black raised his hands above his hair, the bottle clutched in his right hand shaking visibly.
The two questioned him with Doncarnage doing most of the work, making threats and asking more questions with each answer, the man in black doing his best to stutter out answers through the fear that gripped him. While he was being questioned another man exited The Cup, standing behind him quietly, his eyes covered by a dark pair of sunglasses but the man in black knew that he was being studied, his NCU identified the man as Valaik. He turned his attention back to the two more immediate threats in front of him as Doncarnage finished his questions, glancing to Xellina.
"Hmmm. Well tell you what sonny, you run along like a good boy but you watch yourself, got it ?" spoke Doncarnage to which the man in black nodded quickly.
"Good, Now Scram." With that the man in black dashed down the street, past the grid node, and crawling on his hands and knees up over the hill there, falling and rolling down the other side.
The man in black ran quickly back to Athens, passing through the gates and down seemingly identical street after street, comming to the Wompahs and rushing into the one that would take him to the city of Tir. His skin tingling from the wompah's transport the man in black glanced around seeing the abandoned Council of Truth building behind him, then began to run west, making his way through the sprawl. After many twists and turns he finally came to the door he had been to early that day. He tapped the code sequence he had be taught into the door and quickly stepped inside, the door sliding smoothly open and shut as he entered. The room was barely lit, shadows flicked everyone from the candles on the table, a lone figure sitting behind a display terminal on the far side.
"T..t...they know I was there watching her....I..I...I did what I could to convince them otherwise but they didn't believe me..." stammered the man in black, to which the figure behind the table rose, a dark cloak flowing around him as he did so.
"It is quite alright my friend. Your work is done, you have collected the information I need with the sensory net you wear." spoke the hooded man, his voice soft and caring as he ushered the man in black to a chair opposite his at the table, letting the man in black rest for a moment.
The man in black, Cristyro by name finally began to relax, the man who had given him the task to watch Tristalyn was happy with him, he was thankful for the work and it had given him a chance to see Tristalyn. Smiling happily Cristyro leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, picturing the image of Tristalyns face and the sound of her voice in his mind. A scream pierced the silence of the room, Cristyro's screak of agony as a large blade burst through the front of his chest, having just split his spine and heart in two. The scream quickly changed into a gurgle of blood as Cristyro began to spit up blood, choking on the very thing that had kept him alive for the first 23 years of his life. The hooded figure moved before him then, an evil grin visible beneath the hood as Cristyro felt his life fading, then the same blade that had ended his life came sweaping at his head, shearing through his neck and decapiating him as the cloaked figures fingers tightened in Cristyro's hair.
The cloaked figured chuckled lightly as he held the severed head in one hand and the blade that had ended the life of the headless corpse in front of him in the other, slowly setting the head and the blade next to the terminal on the desk as he made his way round to sit in the chair opposite the corpse. Turning the head to face him the cloaked figure inserted a data cable into a previously hidden access jack behind Cristyro's right ear. A broad smile crossed the cloaked mans face as information began to scroll across his screen.
"Very good work farmboy. Really is too bad you had that birth defect that kept you from insuring. You might have been useful again." the room was filled with maniacal laughter as the cloaked man patted the severed head with a guantlet covered hand.
The screen was filled with three images, two he had seen before, the third new. The computer listed the name of each under their pictures. Tristalyn, Xellina, And Thyme. The last name was known to him, someone he had met in the past, but the farmboy's mind had tagged her as a rival for Tristalyn's affection so she would have to be dealt with as well. He selected the picture of Tristalyn and enlarged it to fill the screen as he leaned back and steepled his gauntlet coverd hands before him.
"Soon my love, very soon. Those that are not worth of your affection will be removed for you and I will take their place. Only I can love you like you truely deserve. Yes, very soon."
Very nice story. You have talent.
Hmmmm...
