This page conserves the character fiction forum of the Agora forums. The posts have been left unformatted to make it easier for users to copy them here and paste them into the new forums.

Oren Itanooren12/10/08 18:25View
Missy12/10/08 22:22View
The backstory of Vulpes.Vulpes12/11/08 01:46View
Erica KesselErica Kessel12/11/08 07:52View
Missy's Story.. a Do-over and another ChapterMissy12/11/08 22:38View
UsrBinPerl12/11/08 23:48View
oren12/11/08 23:57View
Kwekwe's BackstoryKwekwe Karu12/12/08 01:02View
UsrBinPerl12/13/08 00:35View
Eternal SunsetMissy12/13/08 12:19View
Kit Ristow12/14/08 00:01View
ShyMathys12/14/08 00:27View
MasksAlissa12/14/08 00:58View
Lorae12/14/08 01:24View
UsrBinPerl12/14/08 22:07View
Missy's Story Continued..Part 3Missy12/16/08 08:43View
Missy's Story Part 4: Innocence ShatteredMissy12/16/08 18:34View
Missy's Story Part 5: Innocence AnnihilatedMissy12/18/08 17:16View
Small DangersVox12/18/08 21:36View
Saint of The Abyss: Part 1Luciferiel12/19/08 05:21View
Zero....-1Justa Zero12/19/08 17:38View
Zero....1Justa Zero12/19/08 18:26View
Óðr’s Daughter. Chapter I: A Guiding DreamAsil Karu12/20/08 02:39View
Omega To Alphaerinnic12/23/08 16:49View
Her Bloody Tears [-Past Event-]Methias12/23/08 18:09View
Lost Kitsune - A Shattered MindKiera12/25/08 18:51View
Usr's story Part IVUsrBinPerl12/27/08 20:34View
The EssexHeir Maelstrom12/29/08 04:23View
Kwekwe's shameKwekwe Karu12/30/08 18:11View
Joint Round Robin Fic Anyone...?erinnic12/30/08 19:07View
God Was On Her Lips As She Diederinnic01/02/09 23:31View
Love and Betrayal - A New Beginningkessjuliesse01/03/09 13:46View
The Diary of Cody Woodhencodywoodhen01/05/09 21:35View
Missy's Story Part 6: Innocence AbductedMissy01/07/09 06:23View
Cursed BladeYannis_Martynov01/08/09 21:27View
Story Thread: Community Round Robin Ficerinnic01/09/09 23:25View
The demon withinCanly Fargis01/11/09 16:14View
Ziau- CoLA's Very Own CasanovaZiau01/13/09 02:09View
Twisted Attentionserinnic01/21/09 20:34View
Inspiration- music and roleplayZiau01/26/09 08:01View
Compilation! Where were you when it all happened?Ziau01/28/09 09:12View
The Clock Struck MidnightMalice Ashdene01/28/09 22:31View
With Precision- a poem by Kelly Welch A.k.A Ziau Jua.Ziau01/29/09 04:36View
Alisa's dicovery of a new world (character sheet + story)Alisa Draconia01/30/09 19:17View
The Shadow Stepper- Ziau the Enshadowed.Ziau02/01/09 07:26View
Krista Lemon arrives to the streets of Lost AngelsKrista02/03/09 00:09View
Back Story Upto the Excile of Rune.RuneCrimson02/03/09 21:59View
War with the Brood, war with the Coven, and the Pack.Ziau02/07/09 04:11View
-- Halcyon's Backstory --Halcyon Nacht02/08/09 00:22View
Planer/Exonar family (aka, Erinyse, Khalan, Viridian, Cummere, Selena)Cummere Mayo02/08/09 03:53View
Kit's BackstoryKit Ristow02/10/09 18:40View
Eyes in the DarkKeyla02/11/09 09:47View
Surfacing Part ILlyr02/13/09 22:21View
Surfacing Part IILlyr02/13/09 22:35View
Tama-Chan: A Cat's Story (Tamara's background)Tamara02/17/09 07:35View
Project: A map of Post Apocalypse North AmericaTamara02/17/09 19:21View
Dreamtime RevelationsWinter02/19/09 18:08View
Reaver-the echo of the BlackwindAntiZero02/23/09 00:43View
On the Origin of SpeciesTamara02/25/09 22:38View
ConfessionKit Ristow02/26/09 01:39View
Personnel File: Pointe, Zsuzsanna C. (Inactive, Deceased)Su Pointe02/26/09 03:32View
Malice, in a Different Kind of WonderlandMalice Ashdene02/27/09 18:07View
The Dark of InspirationKit Ristow03/01/09 21:42View
Jheric: CrucifiedKayle Ashdene03/03/09 10:53View
It's my lifearsene_Braveheart03/05/09 18:18View
The Tradgedy of the HybridDigital Enigma03/29/09 07:09View
The Sin of Wrathmolly switchblade04/02/09 21:28View
Golden BoyEphran Ehrler04/15/09 06:12View
Story About A GirlAesendria04/24/09 15:34View
Climaxe by Smith and WessonSloan04/28/09 06:19View
My new project ATTENTION Russian Characters!Ziau05/01/09 06:42View
**NSFW** A Typical Tuesday Night for MissyMissy05/06/09 20:48View
Post your profile links!Cortero Landar05/07/09 10:25View
Making Logan SufferAesendria05/12/09 07:09View
Jeanne VarunJeanne Varun05/14/09 08:24View
The Vanguard's True PurposeLogan05/16/09 01:03View
Cortero's Infernal ArmorCortero Landar05/16/09 06:52View
Bookstore SurpriseAesendria05/16/09 23:16View
Post your profile links if you have in-story info in them!Cortero Landar05/18/09 10:33View
PromisesAesendria05/24/09 02:44View
Cyber Evolution Bios, Anur Seda, Cyber Reaper, and Commander of CETheassassin06/08/09 11:28View
Was any of it real?Youko_Giha06/12/09 15:28View
A shift in prioritiesLogan06/17/09 04:21View
Going homeLudvig06/17/09 19:10View
'Ren in Japanoren06/18/09 23:11View
Thelma across the boardThelemaJuliesse06/26/09 15:09View
Pre-fiction: How Kayteear got here.Kayteear07/15/09 16:43View
Story TimeCharissa07/17/09 19:03View
Pack Airship RP.Tai07/27/09 02:49View
My CharacterLilith1308/05/09 22:34View
LilithLilith1308/06/09 09:30View
The Haunter in the DarkShadow08/14/09 21:50View
The Flying HeadsKwekwe Karu08/16/09 16:52View
Why selling coffins is impossible in CoLAZiau08/23/09 04:14View
Paint it red!Ziau08/23/09 07:51View
Young Cowards.Ziau08/23/09 08:28View
Great video for RPers and people passionate about writing.Ziau09/05/09 08:55View
Dux - 264 BCDux09/10/09 18:41View
The Thing at South Gate SanitariumShadow09/15/09 22:09View
♪♫ Do you wanna RP my avatar ♪♫Kayteear09/17/09 14:45View
Jessica's MotherJessica Susser09/21/09 04:19View
Ziau Challenged me to. NSFWChasityDawes09/21/09 07:17View
The Divine Machine.................Theassassin09/21/09 22:29View
I Bleed my Blood for Myself.Ziau09/22/09 22:28View
Cronicle of a deathKayteear09/24/09 01:34View
"Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself"DavidJoshua Artful09/26/09 17:07View
Old Versus NewDigital Enigma09/27/09 20:28View
The Shadowed Order, The Eternal Order, Ordo MachinaTheassassin10/06/09 06:55View
Elamyrath's HistoryElamyrath10/10/09 00:52View
The here, the now, the dead. The Minus.TheMinus Ziskey10/10/09 12:41View
Before bed ritual.Amy Guisse10/17/09 04:13View
Alone?Ike10/18/09 15:34View
IS this High School again?Theassassin10/24/09 12:49View
Sidhe vs DrowOrlok Lectar10/29/09 04:08View
Daddy bluesarsene_Braveheart11/17/09 19:01View
Chronicles of SIEagentlyseria11/22/09 12:27View
The Lady In Black(A Drokan Exile Twisted Love Story)AntiZero11/29/09 06:36View
The growing Darkness.Leirain Koray12/01/09 11:04View
The lycanKayteear12/01/09 16:00View
City of Lost Jackman: The Untold Hollywood BlockbusterAntiZero12/02/09 07:11View
Coming home for christmas ..Kes12/10/09 22:17View
Bunneh Vs. Lich, DBZ styleKarsha Yutani12/14/09 11:59View
A FarewellRoland12/16/09 20:50View
Of Death and RebirthDigital Enigma12/21/09 20:14View
The Story of ReocoReoko Farspire02/06/10 20:47View
Homecoming......... The Story of Orpheus DarkfoldOrpheusDarkfold03/11/10 02:27View
The Story of Orpheus Part 2OrpheusDarkfold03/13/10 23:15View
Who owns who?Kayteear03/22/10 22:03View
Missing the Oceanricercar03/23/10 22:27View
Letter to the editor: Manners in LATink03/25/10 16:58View
Chasity BackstoryChasityDawes06/14/10 19:43View
Something Black and Violent...DavidJoshua Artful06/19/10 22:23View
Doctor Visiterinnic07/12/10 04:26View
Gabby Perdidevacantghost07/19/10 04:42View
PosterMessageDate
Vulpes((Hey all, if anyone notices any errors let me know! I am trying my best to improve in writing so any critique is welcome. And now, the story!))

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Raymaker, Vulpes. I.D. number seven three, three, three six nine. Code word is Vulpine. Requesting access with clearance level Alpha." the fox like figure spoke into the intercom. It was routine, one he had to go through every day and every night. Each and every time he passed through a door, accessed a terminal or even ordered food he had to recite those words off to let people know that he was exactly who he said he was. It always puzzles him why this was needed since, apart from the other experimental subjects; no one even remotely looks like him.

An electronic beep and hollow female voice declaring "Access confirmed" brought the vulpine creature suddenly back to reality, snapping him back to focus. Soon the large mechanical doors emitted groans and creaks, sliding open. Fluorescent light spilled in from the adjoining room, doing little to chase the shadows away in the revealed corridor but making it bright enough to pass through unhindered and illuminating his figure. He was dressed in fatigues, camouflage patterned pants modified to let his tail stick out and a camouflage patterned shirt with name badge sitting on top of an olive drab tee. Vulpes muttered as he moved through, wishing he didn't have to go through this day in and day out. Little did he know that once the day’s events had unfolded even the memory of wishing to forget would be lost.

He moved barefoot down the metallic hallway, padded feet making gentle thuds on the polished floor. It was one leniency he was allowed, and when rules and regulations were so strict, he took advantage of every inch of freedom he could get. A man in a white coat skitters by him, heading back into the room he just departed from, no doubt having to go through the script of code words before being allowed access as well. He pitied him.

The hall was long, stretching as far as the eye can see, its sides only being interrupted by the occasional door or hallway leading down another path into the depths of the subterranean bunker. Vulpes hadn't even been through half this place as time to explore just was not in his schedule. Usually all his time was sucked up with training. He had daily tests, weapon and armour trials, as well as briefs and classes on the various points of combat, weapons and weapon systems and social etiquette and mannerism. The last one was found odd by most of the staff but they were deemed necessary for when the existence of these 'experiments' was to come to the light of the people. The guys at the top figure that it would be good 'PR' if Vulpes was not seen as just a killing machine ready to go berserk but as a rational and functioning creature that could adapt to peacetime life. Either way he didn't mind it as it was a change from the core material.

A pair of guards slowly came into view, flanking a rather sturdy looking door, much more elaborate than the others passed. Vulpes moved up to the two soldiers and twitches his tail a bit "So, you guys going to let me in?"

"Oh suuuuure, fuzz ball... right after you give us your credentials." The guard on the right replied followed by both guards grinning. They knew how much Vulpes was irked by the routine and took great pleasure in razzing him about it. The one on the right looks back at Vulpes "Come on, I know you know it."

"Fine." muttered Vulpes before he continued, "Raymaker, Vulpes. I.D. number seven three, three, three six nine. Code word is Vulpine. I am requesting access to pass with clearance level Alpha."

"Very good, fuzz ball...." The guard on the right said patronizingly, the smile on his face stretching from ear to ear as he reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a circular cookie and holding it out to Vulpes "I think that deserves a biscuit."

"Ha, ha, ha..." grumbled Vulpes as he snatched the cookie from his hand and then tossed it back at his chest. The guard mocked ducking for cover as he laughed, only further flustering the vulpine "you guys going to let me in?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah fuzz ball..." The guard replied as he moved to a hidden terminal "Just couldn't pass up the opportunity."

The guard cleared his voice and pressed a button "This is Baker, Tom, eight, four, four, two, one, two. We have a code 10. Requesting doors unlocked. ID is confirmed Raymaker. Authorization: Alpha."

A speaker at the top of the door cracked to life "Confirmed Sergeant Baker. Checking with command... Request is a go. Door control is green. Clear the locks."

Both guards stepped from the door as it began to slide open. Vulpes gave a nod as he began to step into the darkened room, a green hue illuminating the front of his body as he pressed in. When the doors began to close Tom quickly turned and called in "Have a good day, fuzz ball!"

The closing doors sapped the remaining light from the hall, dropping Vulpes into a near pitch black state except for the electronic glow of distant screens. If it were not for the fact Vulpes was fox like in nature he may have needed a flashlight in these conditions. Instead Vulpes' eyes shimmered as he moved towards the consoles, picking outlines of figures behind them.

The screens flickered and flashed as monumental amounts of information passed before them or, as static screens were swept by bars and scan lines, keeping current situations updated. Some screens had readouts of the current work being run in a lab, videos playing as the scientists toiled or setup a test run that needed to be recorded. Others had radar displays and sentry gun video feeds, keeping watch on the surrounding hillsides.

As Vulpes approached a figure stood up, a clipboard in hand. His arm outstretched once Vulpes was in shaking ranger "Ahh, Vulpes. There you are. I almost didn't hear you coming up."

"If that is the case then I am doing my job..." Vulpes replied as he first gave a salute and shook the person’s hand "Commander Vulpes reporting as ordered General..."

"Jackson. General Jackson is all you need to know right now son." The man smiled widely "They certainly have kept you in line with regards to proper protocol. I was reading your file before you came in. It is quite impressive. At ease, Commander. Come, have a seat."

Vulpes moved to an open chair facing the one that the General took a seat in. Jackson picked up a cup that was resting in a cup holder built into the arm, taking a soft sip before continuing "it says here you are one of our mixed experiments. If I read this right, they have part kitsune, lycan and human in you. I admittedly thought they would be foolish using a frailer creature like a fox but I know when I am wrong and the scores you've been posting certainly prove that."

"Thank you, Sir." Vulpes replied, giving a little bow "I have tried my best."

"Indeed you have been," Jackson replied "You performed well in the solitary confinement scenario and the pack resistance test, something we had trouble with our lupine mixes in the past. Also your agility is top notch and your marksmanship is astounding."

Jackson took another sip, flipping the page "You scored high on intelligence, improvisation and leadership skill tests. We were pleasantly surprised to say when you pieced together a weapon from that pile of old telephones. I should say that set a new... tone... for us."

Vulpes put his paws on his face as the General chuckled "Sorry could not help it. Anyways, I just have to say you are a shining example of this program. So much that I wish to discuss possibly having you in the first squad to go active. Now, I can understand any reservations you may have about this as there will be a huge burden on you and the others selected. You will need to put on a top-notch performance so we can get more funds and resources green-lighted to us. With any luck you also may help turn the tides of this war back in favour of the humans. We have been losing it for far too long and we need to fire back. So what do you say, Vulpes. Can I count on you to continue your stellar career and make us proud?"

"Sir... I..." Vulpes was astonished, at a loss for words. Here was his ticket out! Out of the routine, the mundane repetition of his everyday life "Yes... I mean, yes Sir!"

"Good. I knew you wouldn't let me down." Jacks smiled and stood up, offering his hand to Vulpes again. "We will begin advancing your program right away. I want you ready for deployment by the end of the week."

"Yes Sir!" Vulpes replied again, his tail wagging behind him, very excited "I will be glad to the change and will put every ounce I have into it."

"Excellent." Jackson, replied "Let’s just... private? What is that noise?"

A soft quick 'boop' repeated from a console, emitting in time with a red light that was flashing. The private was typing away franticly, shifting one radar screen along a map to a focus point. The bar that swept across it briefly illuminated a white patch as it passed across it. On the next pass there were two, and then three. The private spun in his chair "Sir, we have multiple contact on an incoming vector to our facility. Estimated distance is ten miles and closing."

"Are they friendly?" Jackson hurried over to the console, followed quickly by Vulpes. Jackson stared as the bar swept across again; the white blotches had grown into a large blob "Are we expecting anyone?"

"Negative, Sir. You were the only scheduled." The private replied "No friendly would travel in this area either. It is a no fly zone to keep our location a secret."

"Get me sentry four and five zoomed in on there now!" Jackson ordered as he turned to another soldier at one of the other consoles "This base is now on an orange alert. I want all personnel activated and to ready stations on the double."

A loud alarm began to blare, an orange light flicker on and off and the along with the slow grinding chime of the siren. Two of the upper screen flickered from static to camera views of the outdoors. On the horizon a thick black mass could be seen sweeping towards the area. Jackson almost snarled "Demons... and it looks like vampires are coming along for the ride too. Probably have a few human traitors in there with them. Private, make that red. All personnel are now on pre-evacuation procedure. Activate the sentries. We're not fooling anyone anymore; they are heading right for us."

"Commander Vulpes," Jackson turned to the fox and breathed out, red light illuminating both their faces with each pulse of the now hastened alarm "looks like we have no choice but to activate all of you as of now. We've been sold out and they are coming right for us. They would be wandering if were any other way. You're to come with me. Private, I want this room rigged for post-evac protocol 459. Total destruction if you can. We can't let them have one byte of information. Vulpes, Lets go."

Both of them began a slow run out of the room, the door opening without and procedure or commands, all the security having been disabled. As they headed down the hallway a low thrumming sound began vibrating through the complex. The outer sentry guns and inner artillery had come online, beginning its assault on the incoming forces. As both males charged down the hall Jackson spoke quickly "There's not enough time to suit up in the prototype armour. They are coming in too fast and there are too many of them to even try holding at bay. We're just going to load it all in crates onto the choppers and get the heck out of here. If need be we'll get you guys suited up at one of the waypoints. Right now what we're going to do is get you a gun and then I want you to cover the airfield while we evac. You're unit will be the last ones out. I trust under your guard we'll all make it. Meet up with Baker and Hobbes. They should be at the main door by now and with your other squad mates."

They reached the armoury doors, unarmed soldiers pouring in and armed soldiers squeezing their way out. Both sides made way for Jackson and vulpine to slip in, and in seconds Jackson was picking up large rifle and tossing it to Vulpes before grabbing a handgun and smaller rifle for himself. Jackson nodded to Vulpes "See you up top." before heading out into the masses, barking orders as he moved.

Vulpes headed down an opposite passage, moving fast until he came to a stairwell. He took each step with leaps and bounds, wishing now he had time to put on his boots as the concrete stairs did nothing pleasant to the pads of his feet. The thunder of guns grew louder as Vulpes progressed up, the illumination began to grow brighter, and suggesting the door at the top of the stairs was wide open. He had to pin his ears down as he got near the top as to him; it was starting to become deafening.

With a final few Steps Vulpes was greeted with a passageway out into the light. He had to shield his eyes a moment before stepping out. The airfield was like a courtyard, helicopters in grid like formation surrounded by high walls on all sides. It was built this way to help conceal all the equipment from the outside world in a chance something prying scanned by. A group of soldiers quickly snapped to attention. One of them approached as Vulpes' eyes began adjusting. Once he had desensitized he began to recognize Tom.

"Sir, what the hell is going on?" Tom shouted, trying to be heard above the roar of artillery "What do we do?"

"We're bugging out, full evacuation." Vulpes shouted back "One hell of a swarm is coming this way and we're getting the hell out. Though, lucky us, we're covering the evac."

"What are your orders then, Sir?" Baker asked "What... what do we do?"

"Baker, take five over to the North-East choppers. I'll take the East set with my group here. We will be the closest to the incoming." Vulpes instructed as he turned to another soldier "Jones, I want you and another five to go to the South-East choppers. Get people organized there, get them loaded and get it done fast. We've got about three hundred personnel and equipment to pull out of here in less than fifteen minutes."

All the soldiers nodded and took off, heading to their respective points. Vulpes grabbed his group and began barking orders to them "I want every chopper packed as tightly as possible. Help them load if need be. We don't have much time at all. Civilians and unarmed personnel get out first. Then, once no one else is left we bugger out, got it?"

Vulpes breathed deeply as they came to their post. The men moved quickly to begin assisting as Vulpes took a moment to glance up.

The sky was littered with chemical trails from rockets, all heading in a unified arc towards the closing swarm. Tracer rounds launched in a stream off the flanking hillsides, intersecting with some of the trails as the auto-turrets burned through munitions. The valley certainly was a formidable fortress, but he and everyone else knew in reality they could not stop an assault of this magnitude.

Coming back to reality again Vulpes watched as huge doors opened up along the walls, revealing massive elevators all around. Literally everything was being brought up at once. Scientists and soldiers were driving forklifts filled to the brim with crates. Anyone who wasn't driving a forklift had their arms packed full of boxes and supplies and even with all that there were still boxes on the lifts.

The mass of people came towards the choppers from all sides, pilot coming up and dumping their loads in the back first before starting up the propellers. One by one the helicopters sputtered to life, rotors begin to twist as black plumes puffed from the exhaust. The roar of the guns was soon replaced by the whirring of blades and the chaos of people as everyone tried to get loaded as fast as possible. Vulpes ran to the closest forklift and helped push a skid into one of the large helicopters, slamming it back against a wall as the next forklift was already raising its load onto the helicopter's bed. The load was filled in less than thirty seconds, a few personnel being squished into some side seats before the thumbs up was given to the pilot. Everyone cleared away as the first sets of helicopters began to take off.

It was a bit of an uplifting sight, a hope that they would make it out of there, that there was time to survive. The first set of choppers quickly disappeared off into the distance but there was no time to admire their speed as there still was a lot to do. Everyone was working furiously to get the remaining choppers loaded with goods and personnel, pushing and cramming as much wherever they could. It was all going relatively well until a loud and deep rumble was heard in the distance, followed by another. The loudspeakers across the air field crackled to life "Outer guns are down! I repeat! Outer guns are down."

Things flew into chaos right there. Boxes were being dropped, helicopters taking off with partial loads as pilots got antsy. One began taking off with a scientist clutching to the skid and only stopped when Jackson threatened to shoot the pilot at rendezvous if he did not. Things were being thrown into disarray and non-essentials were now being selected to be left behind. Despite all this the stream of choppers leaving continued, whittling down the number of remaining from dozens to single digits. The general took his leave on one of the next choppers, heading out to be within range of the first group to co-ordinate at the rendezvous.

Vulpes moved to his helicopter at this point, making sure his essentials got loaded. His ears perked as he searched about, calling out "Where's my armour and weapons crate?"

A few moments later a forklift skidded up, a soldier calling out "I think this is it, right?"

Vulpes hopped out of the chopper and inspected the crate. It was a wood frame over a locked metal box, the wood bearing his name and ID number on each side. With a nod he said "That should be the last box. It is a tight fit; jam it in as best you can then get to your ship."

They squeezed the box into the side, doing their best to last it in before the soldier saluted and headed off to his ship. Things were looking good again as the last forklifts skittered form the lifts to the choppers. That is, until the guns on the close hill suddenly burst into flames.

"Evac, now!" Vulpes yelled out, hopping off the side of the helicopter and waving to the remaining soldiers on the tarmac "Everything else, forget it! Get your bloody hides in your choppers!"

The sky over the hill darkened as the approaching swarm of demons and other beings closed in. Vulpes could make out even a few human machines flying alongside, attack helicopters mostly. He cursed as he shoved soldiers on board his helicopter, yelling out to the other two of his squads as well as his own pilot "Take off, now! Go, go, go!"

Both of the other helicopters began to lift as the pilot of Vulpes' craft jammed the throttle of their ship, letting it get a bit of height before he plunged the joystick forwards to set it on a quick pace forward.

The swarm behind was already at the walls of the bunker, shredding the last of the sentry guns and tearing into the artillery with loud explosions. Vulpes looked back as one of the soldiers beside whispered "I hope no one got left behind..."

Vulpes shot a glance over at the soldiers, feeling the pangs of worry tug at his mind, but he was quickly jolted from that though as the helicopter banked sharply, the sizzle of a missile streaking by. The pilot turned around and yelled "Hang on tight! We've got bogeys!"

The trio of helicopters were being hotly pursued by a few gunships, plumes of smoke coming off their wings as another salvo of missiles screamed towards the fleeing forces. The pilot jammed a button a few times, sending a shower of flares off behind them, diverting the missiles enough that combined with another sharp jerk of the ship the missiles just sizzled past the helicopter again. The pilot them pushed the helicopter low, skimming down over a hill, putting some terrain between the pursuers and them for the moment.

Vulpes grabbed a flight helmet from the rack behind him and pulled down the microphone, speaking into it quickly "Mayday, mayday. We've got multiple bogeys on our tail, requesting vector to nearest friendly intercept for support."

"Vulpes, you guys are going to have to run it. Scramble is still a few minutes out. Suggest diversion to City of Lost Angels. Try and shake them through the structures." crackled the response over the radio. Vulpes hung up the headset and called to the pilot "Know where that is?"

"Sure do... spent my hours on leave at some of their establishments before the war spread." The pilot replied "hang on; we're going to have to turn hard."

The trio of helicopters wheeled their course around, heading towards the city. They kept low and fast as they knew their pursuers were not far behind. The ground began to flatten again, leaving the ships out in the open as once again the black dots of their attackers became visible. On the horizon pillars began to rise from the ground, structures gaining more and more detail as they progressed. The pilot gritted his teeth as he shot a glance back "it is going to be close..."

They had just made over the outskirts of the city when the missile alarm screamed again. The Pilot jammed the countermeasures button again but this time it failed, only half a spread coming out.

"Shit!" Cursed the pilot as he jarred the joystick hard, turning the helicopter almost on its side. The crates in the bay shifted and began tumbling out. Vulpes clung onto the inside of the helicopter for dear life, having not strapped in yet. He looked just in time to see his armour and weapons plummet into the city and cried out "No!"

As the helicopter straightened out Vulpes then looked to his side, in time to see a line of bullets rake one of the other helicopters. Black smoke poured from the wounded ship and it careened off path, heading off behind some buildings as the speakers crackled to life "Mayday! Mayday! This is Baker! We're going down in the city! I repeat! We are going down in the *crsh*....."

"Damn it all!" Vulpes cursed as he got up; going for the headset again "This is Vulpes. Baker went down in the North end. I repeat! Baker went down in the North end of the city, over."

He set the headset down and stepped towards his seat but instead was greeted with the hard metal floor of the helicopter's bed as the pilot jerked hard and jammed the counter-measures again. Vulpes groggily tried to get up but soon found he was moving. He thought it was his head swimming until he realized he was slipping out of the helicopter. He lunged, trying to grab hold of anything, anyone something to keep him anchored. Soldiers reached for him, trying to grab onto anything they could of him while hanging on themselves. Vulpes dug his claws into the bed of the helicopter and just at the very end they caught purchase on where the bedding separated between the sheets... and then... his claws didn’t....

He felt... strange... watching in slow motion as the soldiers in the craft looked horrified, as the rotors spun gracefully in the air, sweeping in slow circles overtop the banked helicopter, the silhouette growing smaller, blue sky peeking out around its form. He sort of pawed at the air, feeling light as a feather as the ship grew smaller and smaller, a steam of light chasing after it from the tracer rounds being fired from the pursuing ship. It all got smaller and smaller, growing less important the farther he got from it, looking almost dreamlike and peaceful.

Suddenly his vision went black, his mind ablaze as white seemed to tug at the edges and streak across his blind vision. He dragged along something and then again, a white hot flash and he knew nothing more.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The dust settled around the prone figure on the ground, the grass nearby flattened and torn as the figure seemed to have dragged his form a small distance before collapsing again.

He slowly began to sit-up, wobbling to and fro as his paw came to his head. He opened his eyes a crack and shut them immediately, the light blinding and making his head hurt worse. He breathed a sharp breath and coughed, his chest aching, a piercing pain on the inside. He clutched his chest, groaning as more and more of his body woke up, alerting him to how much he hurt all over.

Once again he attempted to open his eyes, managing only slits as he surveyed around him and himself with blurry vision. There were things on him, things that looked foreign, all, all in pieces. They were thin... like... like cloth. Clothing... that's what the thing was called, he thought... clothing. He was sitting on something... the green stuff... grass... Why could he not remember this?

His head throbbed as he began to try and stand, wobbling and teetering, not sure how to keep his balance. He looked down at the ground, a visible imprint on it where something of his size must have lay. He then looked up slowly; causing his head to swim as he noticed the building's roof had a large dent and a noticeable streak of red leading down to that imprint. His head throbbed again and his eyes closed, causing him to stagger away from the light, heading across the street in a dizzying pattern. He needed to get out of the sun... needed to just be away from the pain. He wandered and weaved with eyes opening only periodically until he came to a large door. There were words, LIBRARY. It sounded harmless. He pushed his way in and was greeted with stares. He blinked gently and mumbled "Hurrt..."

Someone stood up and approached him, muttering "Jesus... what the heck... what or who are you?"

"I... I don't know..." Muttered the fox like being "I... clothing... grass...."

The fox leaned against a wall and began to slide down, the pain overwhelming him. As he blacked out he could barely make out the ensuing conversation. Another called out "What is it? Who is it?"

"Vulpes..." The first said softly, plucking what remained of the fox's shirt of his shoulder, the name tag remaining on the last shreds of cloth "His name is Vulpes..."

"He... or it... looks beat up. Take it upstairs. The doc is up there, he can fix him up. I think..." With that both dragged the limp creature into their arms, taking up to where he would be healed and join the ranks of those in the City of Lost Angels.
12/11/08 01:46
MissyPsst! Bet in the first line (inside the brackets) should be "best" I'm willing to 'bet' :P Hehehe. Still a great story Vulpes.. just as wonderful as the first time I read it!12/11/08 03:26
erinnicgreat story :)12/11/08 06:54
VulpesThanks both of you.

[quote=Missy]Psst! Bet in the first line (inside the brackets) should be "best" I'm willing to 'bet' :P Hehehe. Still a great story Vulpes.. just as wonderful as the first time I read it![/quote]
Gah, got that one and managed to ruin the title of the thread while at it. Anyone know how to fix that?
12/11/08 07:05
MissyIt's actually a bug I think. As soon as you try to edit the subject line or something it gets lost and then the only way to access the thread is by clicking on the time stamp on the right hand side of the screen. Someone already mentioned it in the Bug Fixes thread I believe, along with the blacked out quoted text that only shows up if it's highlighted. *Shrugs* No biggie really. You just have to make sure to have a subject line and/or description for any new threads to make them as accessible as possible to as many people as possible (took me forever to figure out how people were accessing the ones without subject lines in 'em. >.>)12/11/08 11:37
Vulpes((Decided to add a little more lore to my backstory. Going much further back this time, right to the beginning. As always I would love some feedback on this. Also, can anyone tell me how to restore the subject or should I ditch this thread and create a new one?))

A small tape is found on the ground, scattered in the remains of what used to be a huge subterranean complex. Upon its top is a label:
Video Document 818.2.445
Project: Genetically Engineered by New Technology Life-form Experiment (G.E.N.T.L.E.)
Description: Recording of initial negotiations

Slipping it into the player causes some static to appear on the screen which, after a little bit, fades as a picture comes through.
---------------------------------------------------

“Madness, this is absolute madness!” A well decorated military uniformed man raved, pacing along the edge of a long table. At the head a very finely dressed individual, a scientist in white lab coat stood alongside. The uniformed man turned and pointed at the man in the business suit “This is lunacy, absolutely crazy! I have never heard of something so farfetched in my life! Where did you come up with this insane idea? You must be dreaming if you think it is possible.”

“General, I assure you, this undertaking is not only possible, but quite doable if we can secure the resources and manpower to make it happen.” The suited man replied as he motioned to the scientist “We have poured extensive resources of our own into doing the research needed and building our own connections to see if it were feasible, and, if our calculations are right, with your support it can come to be.”

“Have you listened to yourselves speak these last few minutes?” The General replied, staring at the two. He brought his hands up to his temples, rubbing up and down in a circular motion “You are suggesting that we, this organization and yourselves, build a hybrid creature of human, fox, and kee... kit... whatever you call those damn Japanese demons to fight for our side? I think you’re mad. Heck, I think you’re beyond mad. You’re bloody lunatics.”

“Sir, it isn’t as farfetched as you think.” The suited man motioned to the scientist “Dr. Roberts here has done a lot of work with his team. Just listen to what he has to say.”

“General, I understand your scepticism completely and assure you if I were on the other side of this conversation I would be reacting in a fashion quite similar to your own.” Dr Roberts assured as he adjusted his glasses on his nose, pushing them up higher on the bridge “but, what you may not know is advances in genetic engineering has jumped by leaps and bounds. Governments have been too busy worrying about stability to bother interfering with our work which has allowed us to pour resources and time into our studies without the scrutiny and moral issues that politicians tend to burden such with. Given this unhindered state discovery after discovery just tumbled out of our work, enhancing what we already knew and opening new doors, new ways of doing things and new possibilities of what we really can do. We’ve unlocked more of the secrets of how cells work, how to program them to act in specific manners, and, most importantly, we have been able to fuse nonhuman genes with human genes, creating hybrid cells that are fully functional and able to duplicate themselves at an enhanced pace.”

“I see you’ve been using the rapid collapse of this world to play God...” The General snorted as his arms folded across his chest, puffing it up as he glared at the two “So, besides now being able to perform acts of abominations, what does this mean? I am hearing a lot of jabbering and nothing concise. I don’t want your technical babble filling my head with fluff. I want answers, I want specifics and I want them now.”

“Yes, sir...” Dr. Roberts gulped as he glanced at the man in a suit. The man nodded to Roberts, indicating to Roberts to go on. Dr. Roberts swallowed and paused a moment to come up with a summary “Basically, what I am saying is we can fuse a human with an animal of choosing and have it develop in a normal human life span.”

“A normal human life span, you say? So what? It will be ready after thirty years? Twenty years? Ten? I assume this thing needs to be born and grow, right? So while the world is falling apart you want us to sit here and play daddy for this creature.” The General put his left hand flat down on the desk, shaking his head “Can you not see how crazy an idea that is? We might be blown to bits before we even get to see its second birthday! And where is the demon part you talk about? You’ve said nothing about that.”

“I... err... see your point.” Dr. Roberts conceded gloomily as he looked towards the suited man “I... well; Mr. Fisher here thought it was a good idea. Mr. Fisher, why didn’t you think of that? Why did you say kitsune as well? I don’t know anything about them.”

Mr. Fisher breathed out, giving a glance at the two. He moved his elbows onto the table, tenting his hands in front of his face as he spoke “What if I told you both there was a way to do it in less than a year?”
Both Dr. Roberts and the General gave an incredulous look at Mr. Fisher, disbelief spread across their faces. The general spoke first “Are you hard of hearing, Mr. Fisher? Poindexter over there said it would develop at a normal human rate. One year is not normal.”

“I agree with the General.” Dr. Roberts chimed in “If we accelerate its growth we accelerate its death. I mean, condensing even just until it reaches a mature age of say, sixteen or seventeen human years into one year would mean it would only live about five years tops. That’s hardly something to invest in.”
“You are both assuming we are starting from scratch with this creature. That we have to start with a birth.” Mr. Fisher responded as he pulled up a briefcase. He spun the tumblers and unlocked it, pulling out a set of papers for both men “Now, the information before you has never been released to anyone but me and a very select list of people at Raymaker Industries. It has been on a need to know basis and will stay as such. Dr. Roberts, you have experimented with stem cells and how they can be used to cure a condition by modifying the genetics of a human to not contain a fault, correct?”

“Yes, I have...” Dr. Roberts replied confusedly as he flipped through the pages, reading them quickly “We have done extensive work with such and would even incorporate such into creating our being.”

“What if it were possible to do just on a much grander scale? Not just change a single gene but the whole genetic structure of a current human to be a new creature?” Mr. Fisher pointed to the papers, tapping at the one in Dr. Roberts’ hands “What you have in your hands is the process for completely transforming a developed human into a fox, human and kitsune hybrid through the use of very, very unique methods.”

Both of the other men continued to read through the papers, silently scanning the pages, taking in every detail. The general was able to finish first, shaking his head a bit as he slammed the pages down “I only understand about half of what is going on in here. What you’re talking about is taking an existing human and changing them, making them this mixed creature, our fighting machine you kept talking about. I only know of creating things from the beginning, not changing things that already are. Poindexter, what is your take on this?”

“I can hardly believe a word in here.” Replied Dr. Roberts “I mean... The technology seems sound, but, not the methodology. A human could not survive such a change, it would be so random and dispersed, critical systems changing without their brain knowing how to handle them. They would die before this ever completed. How... how are you going to manage this?”

“With both your resources pooled and a little help from some friends.” Mr. Fisher grinned wide “A normal human would indeed perish from such an ordeal, but, say those cells were also infused with the essence of a more magical being, a kitsune. Then they would be able to persist if we induce a state of long term hibernation and regeneration, something such demon-like beings are well used to. We will keep the changing human in a bio-tank, erase its memory and once it has finished changing, wake it and begin education in whatever we wish.”

“I may not know a lot about science here, but, I can see one flaw in this here plan...” The general retorted, almost sarcastic in tone “Where in the hell are you ever going to find one of these key... kit... whatever the hell they are, and convince it to let you use it for your freak show here? I haven’t even heard of the damn things let alone seen one so I don’t think one is just going to sashay into this meeting and offer itself to you.”

“I concur,” Mr. Roberts nodded his agreement with the General before continuing “This seems hardly believable. You are speculating such beings exist and that such being would grant you permission to do what you’re about to do.”

“Let me tell you a little story. You see, Raymaker Industries has been around quite some time doing what it does best over the course of many years. We have international divisions spread out across the globe and in our time have made many... interesting connections. We have offices in North America, The United Kingdom, South Africa, Germany, India, Australia, Russia, China and Japan. Through our Japanese division we were able to come upon some very... powerful clients and formed certain contracts. With the seemingly imminent collapse of the world we have been able to make some very special requests and by working closely with our contacts we have come up with this plan.” Mr Fisher leaned back in his seat “To put it in short, if you guys can supply the resources and hold up your ends of the bargains, we can make this happen. That is a promise.”

Both Dr. Roberts and the General fell silent, seemingly pondering over what had put before them. Dr. Roberts looked absolutely befuddled by what he held in his hands, his hand running continuously through his hair. The general on the other hand wore a hard face, expressionless, calculating. Time seemed to tick slowly as Mr. Fisher watched them both, trying to size them up. His business sense waited to what he thought was the right time before he pressed “So what do you say? Do we have an agreement? If this works you, General, will have an army of super soldiers at your disposal, ready to take back some of what was lost, to be the big hero, and you, Dr. Roberts, will be hailed with the likes of Einstein and Newton, honoured by every society that remains on this planet and your name burned into the tomes of history. What say you?”

“I... I can make this happen.” Dr. Roberts stammered as he looked over the pages “We have some of the technology already built and the rest can be fabricated in a manner of weeks. I can delegate all my teams to you as well without many questions asked. I am sure you can take care of the executives for me. That leaves just you, General.”
“This is crazy...” The General started off, pursing his lips as he gave one last hard stare at the paper, trying to intimidate it to give out any last pearls of information. He set the paper down, letting out a long breath “But... it is just so crazy it might work. I am going to want charge of this, Mr. Fisher. You can take care of the business end but tell your big wigs that I am calling the shots. Nothing happens without my consent, nothing is slipped past without my eyes having seen it and I can pull the plug on this at any time.”

“I am sure that can be agreed to, General.” Mr. Fisher nodded and stood up “I will notify my superiors and we will work out some sort of agreement.”

“Now, I haven’t heard yet what you want from my end, Mr. Fisher.” The General replied “I figure security is going to be on that list, but I am assuming more.”

“You are indeed correct, Sir. It seems there is a bit of a businessman in you.” Fisher replied, a smirk on his face before it faded and he got down right to the point “We will need access to a subterranean facility, the power to purchase military hardware to arm those at our facility. I dare say your units are ill equipped with their government issue. We want any force supporting our base to be outfitted with the best. We want to purchase a fleet of lynx helicopters and gunships for protection, with your air force supplying the pilots. Also, we’re going to need some of your own scientists working for us. If we’re making a soldier we’re going to need to also craft some armour and weapons specifically for him. No sense having a super soldier without a super weapon.”

“I’ll have to have a chat with my fellow colleagues but I have a few favours I can call in.” The General replied as he moved his arms behind his back, frowning as he thought. He walked over to a screen, turning on a projector and bringing up a global map. Using a remote he began to zoom in on the West coast “The best place I can think of for a base would be the Rockies, somewhere in the North, Washington or British Columbia area. Winters will give us a strategic advantage once we get settled down in there, the harsh weather will be a burden to any strike force, meaning we could bank on working relatively unfettered until spring thaw.”

The general panned the screen around, moving over the mountain chain until he came to a potential site, gesturing as he spoke “Here is one place, a nice valley. We could put fortifications along the ridge like so, concealed in the natural foliage. The mountains also give us a rather progressive escape plan. We can just try to follow the chain south until we have shaken whatever is following us, especially if you are getting us those lynx helicopters. We could be in Mexico in less than five hours with one of those. Though, we’ll want a few backup sites as well... somewhere a little further to the South. California area may be a good place. If site one gets overrun we pack up and head to site two. Now, I have one question, where are we going to get our subjects?”

“That can be easily done.” Mr. Fisher assured “Our planning has been very thorough. In fact, we already have picked out our initial subjects for the first run. We have an algorithm that was produced by ourselves and our connection that selects prime individuals from the populace for our experiment. Once we have all signed and are ready to go our subjects can be... acquired... and the preparation process will commence.”

“You’re going to kidnap them?” Dr. Roberts coughed out, looking bewildered “Just up and grab them like that?”

“This is war, Roberts.” The General chipped in before Fisher could address him “If something is needed to stop our annihilation we must take it. Else we leave ourselves open to being wiped out through inaction. Sacrifices are made so the rest may move on.”

Dr. Roberts fell silent, looking troubled by all this. Fisher glanced between the two and piped up “Think of it as saving them from what else is out there. Walking the streets now they could easily be embraced by a vampire, consumed by a lycanthrope, cleansed by an angel or twisted and tortured by a demon. Here we give them a chance to do something about it, to be something to be admired, a guardian of society.”

“I guess...” Dr. Roberts muttered being a little comforted by the words though still troubled. He breathed out “I think I can handle it, if you put it that way.”

“Good.” Fisher replied “This plan needs all three of us to move on. We cannot have anyone having second thoughts. Now, are we ready to agree to the terms?”

Both of the men nodded in response to Fisher. With that, Fisher reached into his briefcase once more, pulling out a single sheet of paper “Alright, Dr. Roberts, I need you to sign here and General, here. This is just an initial agreement pledging your support based on terms that we shall work out next.”

Dr. Roberts and the General took their respective turn signing the page, with the General handing it back to Fisher. Fisher smiled and picked up the tape recorder “Go, now that that’s out of the way I want to also take an audio recording of our vocal agreement. A man is only as good as his word. What each one of us shall do is state our name, position and our pledge of support. I’ll start first.”

Fisher flipped the tape recorder own and spoke into it “This is James Fisher, Chief Officer of Special Interest. I hereby agree to pledge my support to the joint project.”

With that the recorder was handed to Dr. Roberts. He cleared his throat and spoke “This is Doctor Timothy Roberts, Research Lead at Synglabs. I hereby pledge my support to the joint project.”

Roberts offered the recorder to the General. He gave it a suspicious glance before taking it into his hand. He stood tall, taking in a deep breath and eyeing the recorder once more before holding it to his mouth “This Is General Adam Jackson, Commander of NATO’s remaining Western forces. I hereby agree to pledge my support to the joint project.”

The General then handed the recorder back to Fisher. Fisher clicked it off with a wide smile and slipped it into his briefcase. “Good. Now, let’s get down to specifics...”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tape crackles and sputters, going into static. No more can be learned from this tape.
02/21/09 16:13
codywoodhenBTW, I gave this a title and a description, but... I know for sure it's the wrong ones. You should be able to edit your own title back in, or... post the title you want, and I'll change it back to what it should be.02/22/09 11:55
VulpesThat one looks fine, I am just glad to have a title again. Thanks, Cody.02/22/09 12:42
Render time: 0.02 seconds - 10 Queries Site Created By - Gamma Wave Games Design Team. 35,977,201 unique visits