Re: The Great Belligerency [Round 2: New Shambhala]
02-04-2011, 11:46 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by slipsicle.
Minutes previously...
The girl had finished her climb, and was now in the rather sizeable ventilation ducts above her goal. It was cold. The air passing through them was frigid, obviously working hard to keep the room below well-cooled. She loosened a grate above the door into the room, and waited for her patsies to leave the room. The first one left, and she sent off a short, pre-prepared message. Then the other...
As the door was closing, she dropped silently down into the room. The girl took a step forwards, towards her target's exposed back.
"I know why you are here," rumbled Minotaurus.
The girl paused, and the minotaur turned. "I was once in a situation very similar to yours. I and one other escaped, and shortly thereafter found I myself under the employ of someone with a vested interest in these sorts of things. I have been charged with protecting those interests, when necessary."
Minotaurus placed two massive hands on the table before him and leaned forwards. "Of the seven of you, six have guardians assigned to prevent their deaths. You do not. I am keeping you here until you die." Minotaurus reached under his desk and pulled out a small device. Holding it in his meaty palm, he thumbed the display, and the room exploded. The explosion ripped the girl to the side, launching her into a wall. She heard gunfire on the other side of the door, and attempted to stand groggily. The guards would search inside soon, and she had to leave.
She grimaced. Minotaurus had been expecting her. Ignoring the more worrisome implications of that fact for the moment, she knew her current identity was compromised. Well, it was about time she went back to being "Julia" again. Taking off her face-obscuring visor, the girl darted back up into the ruined ventilation system, tracing her steps backwards until she found a relatively open space, where she began treating her wounds, and shifting her bone structure back to its previous state.
As she tried to focus on her more immediate problems, like getting to the bottom before Phil, her mind kept stubbornly drifting back to Minotaurus's last words. She knew he meant it. He'd established that fact when he sacrificed himself in an attempt to kill her. It wasn't the first time the girl had dealt with those willing her death at any cost.
But still, she was relieved that he was dead.
---
About ten minutes later, the girl kicked out a grating in an alleyway behind the building, which itself gave no sign of a massive battle raging within. The girl dressed in some plain prison-like clothing she'd stolen from the building's holding cells a few minutes before, and she was now back to her original look, though slightly more haggard-looking, and with a few rather ugly bruises. "Julia" walked out of the alley, quickly ran across the promenade a short ways and hid behind a trash unit. As she waited, she wondered about the guardians Minotaurus had mentioned. If they existed, why didn't he use them to shoot her down? It wasn't as if he had some problem with killing her himself...
She frowned. Something didn't add up.
She heard noises from the building, and she waited until she was certain Phil and Cole had dispatched every threat before shakily revealing herself. "P-Phil?" she said in a fragile voice. "Julia!" Despite his suspicions, Phil was still genuinely glad to see her alive and well... relatively. "What did they do to you..."
Julia looked away, tears welling in her eyes. "It... it's fine... really..."
Phil obviously didn't think so. He took Julia by the shoulders, and looked directly into her eyes. "I promise you. They will all pay." Looking back, he wasn't really sure what had made him say that, but the look in her eyes was worth it. It was almost worshipful.
Cole strode over. "What is this all about, Girnham?"
"Well..."
Julia piped in. "Oh it was terrible! I was kidnapped by these... these... thugs and they held me hostage! Used me to control Phil!"
"... yeah, I was getting messages telling me to lead you to the top of this building. They said they'd kill her..." Phil paused. There was something off about this, but he couldn't place his finger on it.
Julia turned to Phil. "I heard them talking about Vandrel, Phil! They were furious with him, something about a sanctuary for humans at Administration!"
A good idea, thought Phil. But there was still something... "Julia, who kidnapped you?"
The girl looked away. "I... I never actually saw them... but I think they were aliens!"
"But you never saw them. What makes you think they were aliens?"
"Well... they put these things on my ears that blocked out everything, but also were like... speakers! I could hear their voices in my ears, but I think it was translated. Who else would do that but aliens?"
She had a point. But now Phil was able to place what had been bothering him. This was the same group that had commanded him to slaughter a station full of aliens, and then tasked him with guiding Cole to this building, obviously so they could meet with Minotaurus. But why? And who caused that explosion?
Cole spoke up. "Well I suppose that answers my question." He glanced at Phil, then at the girl, and took Phil off to the side. In a low voice, he asked, "Is she dangerous?"
Phil looked back at Julia briefly. She was standing somewhat awkwardly, obviously unsure of herself, looking at the pair expectantly. "She's harmless," probably, "we can trust her." Maybe.
Cole nodded. "Then she's not a threat for the moment." He walked back to the girl, and Phil followed. "I should be going. Minotaurus gave me some useful information before he died."
The scientist didn't even wait for an acknowledgment before he strode off, leaving Phil and Julia alone. Phil shifted, trying not to look at the girl.
If she was telling the truth, that meant there was a third, powerful and entirely unknown faction which seemed to be working towards its own goals in this city. If she was lying...
If Julia was lying then she was more dangerous than Phil had previously been willing to believe.
The girl had finished her climb, and was now in the rather sizeable ventilation ducts above her goal. It was cold. The air passing through them was frigid, obviously working hard to keep the room below well-cooled. She loosened a grate above the door into the room, and waited for her patsies to leave the room. The first one left, and she sent off a short, pre-prepared message. Then the other...
As the door was closing, she dropped silently down into the room. The girl took a step forwards, towards her target's exposed back.
"I know why you are here," rumbled Minotaurus.
The girl paused, and the minotaur turned. "I was once in a situation very similar to yours. I and one other escaped, and shortly thereafter found I myself under the employ of someone with a vested interest in these sorts of things. I have been charged with protecting those interests, when necessary."
Minotaurus placed two massive hands on the table before him and leaned forwards. "Of the seven of you, six have guardians assigned to prevent their deaths. You do not. I am keeping you here until you die." Minotaurus reached under his desk and pulled out a small device. Holding it in his meaty palm, he thumbed the display, and the room exploded. The explosion ripped the girl to the side, launching her into a wall. She heard gunfire on the other side of the door, and attempted to stand groggily. The guards would search inside soon, and she had to leave.
She grimaced. Minotaurus had been expecting her. Ignoring the more worrisome implications of that fact for the moment, she knew her current identity was compromised. Well, it was about time she went back to being "Julia" again. Taking off her face-obscuring visor, the girl darted back up into the ruined ventilation system, tracing her steps backwards until she found a relatively open space, where she began treating her wounds, and shifting her bone structure back to its previous state.
As she tried to focus on her more immediate problems, like getting to the bottom before Phil, her mind kept stubbornly drifting back to Minotaurus's last words. She knew he meant it. He'd established that fact when he sacrificed himself in an attempt to kill her. It wasn't the first time the girl had dealt with those willing her death at any cost.
But still, she was relieved that he was dead.
---
About ten minutes later, the girl kicked out a grating in an alleyway behind the building, which itself gave no sign of a massive battle raging within. The girl dressed in some plain prison-like clothing she'd stolen from the building's holding cells a few minutes before, and she was now back to her original look, though slightly more haggard-looking, and with a few rather ugly bruises. "Julia" walked out of the alley, quickly ran across the promenade a short ways and hid behind a trash unit. As she waited, she wondered about the guardians Minotaurus had mentioned. If they existed, why didn't he use them to shoot her down? It wasn't as if he had some problem with killing her himself...
She frowned. Something didn't add up.
She heard noises from the building, and she waited until she was certain Phil and Cole had dispatched every threat before shakily revealing herself. "P-Phil?" she said in a fragile voice. "Julia!" Despite his suspicions, Phil was still genuinely glad to see her alive and well... relatively. "What did they do to you..."
Julia looked away, tears welling in her eyes. "It... it's fine... really..."
Phil obviously didn't think so. He took Julia by the shoulders, and looked directly into her eyes. "I promise you. They will all pay." Looking back, he wasn't really sure what had made him say that, but the look in her eyes was worth it. It was almost worshipful.
Cole strode over. "What is this all about, Girnham?"
"Well..."
Julia piped in. "Oh it was terrible! I was kidnapped by these... these... thugs and they held me hostage! Used me to control Phil!"
"... yeah, I was getting messages telling me to lead you to the top of this building. They said they'd kill her..." Phil paused. There was something off about this, but he couldn't place his finger on it.
Julia turned to Phil. "I heard them talking about Vandrel, Phil! They were furious with him, something about a sanctuary for humans at Administration!"
A good idea, thought Phil. But there was still something... "Julia, who kidnapped you?"
The girl looked away. "I... I never actually saw them... but I think they were aliens!"
"But you never saw them. What makes you think they were aliens?"
"Well... they put these things on my ears that blocked out everything, but also were like... speakers! I could hear their voices in my ears, but I think it was translated. Who else would do that but aliens?"
She had a point. But now Phil was able to place what had been bothering him. This was the same group that had commanded him to slaughter a station full of aliens, and then tasked him with guiding Cole to this building, obviously so they could meet with Minotaurus. But why? And who caused that explosion?
Cole spoke up. "Well I suppose that answers my question." He glanced at Phil, then at the girl, and took Phil off to the side. In a low voice, he asked, "Is she dangerous?"
Phil looked back at Julia briefly. She was standing somewhat awkwardly, obviously unsure of herself, looking at the pair expectantly. "She's harmless," probably, "we can trust her." Maybe.
Cole nodded. "Then she's not a threat for the moment." He walked back to the girl, and Phil followed. "I should be going. Minotaurus gave me some useful information before he died."
The scientist didn't even wait for an acknowledgment before he strode off, leaving Phil and Julia alone. Phil shifted, trying not to look at the girl.
If she was telling the truth, that meant there was a third, powerful and entirely unknown faction which seemed to be working towards its own goals in this city. If she was lying...
If Julia was lying then she was more dangerous than Phil had previously been willing to believe.