Magda McFarlin Magda listened with interest to the exchange between the three men. It took a couple of seconds for the meaning of Hanson's last phrase to sink in. "Rescue?” Magda said, looking at the general and then back at Hanson. “You saying you think that thing hasn't killed those missing men? And if so,” she looked back at the general and narrowed her eyes. “What the hell was it rescuing them from?”
General Strike "Pff -another lame phrase Doc came up with. The "idea" for these creatures as he said, was to use them in combat situations when normal technology couldn't rescue people. Then why would he make them predators to begin with?" Strike retorted at Hanson, his yellow eyes sparking with anger, "I say they are likely dead. These things are too risky already -and as you said before Hanson, you had to give Raider tranquilizers. If that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous then i don't know what is." "But they aren't sir. Doc made them just for these kids of situations," Hanson said, looking confused, "They are predators because they need a lot of energy to do these things -herbivores certainly can't. And their feeding habits are actually an advantage if a W.A.R-Beast and rider are injured and can't find help. They survive off the organs, leaving the meat for us -the humans- to eat without competition. And as for the tranquilization, Doc just doesn't want Raider to get loose like Taiga-" Strike waved the boy off, looking off to one side and chewing the inside of his cheek, "Rescue . . . tch -then why didn't they just bring them back to base? That's the safest place i know of around here." Hanson swallowed and patted Raider's head, and the creature blinked its large, red eyes at them before turning and walking through the forest again. Its fan-shaped ears moved fom side to side alertly, and its nostrils flared to catch any scent. Whatever could make even this large dragonoid -its body length easilly fifty feet- edgy must be dangerous. "Raider might say otherwise . . ." Hanson said warilly. Taiga -Project Zero She lowered her head and watched the human girl curiously with its one good eye. Though she seemed unable to see -as both her eyes were glazed and blind- the creature sensed an extreme awareness about things around the human. She didn't smell any of the black stuff that came with the bang-pain things, so she edged closer and cautiously nosed the girl, ending up making the child sway back for a moment. The creature looked up and around them, making an odd barking noise in its throat. It smelled its clan-mate. But there was no response otehr than the rattling of the branches in the wind, and the creature quieted, its tail twitching and ears flicking back and forth. More clouds began to cover the sky, and the temperature dropped a bit. Cold. Bad cold. the creature thought, remembering what the nice human had told her. Humans didn't survive well in cold. The girl needed to be protected. Deciding that it would be dangerous to fly was the wind picked up, the creature stepped forwards and coiled its body around the girl, keeping her against the soft skin of its belly for warmth. She needed to be safe.
Stephen was speechless.A Dragon. An honest-to-God dragon had just fallen out of the sky. You've finally lost it Stephen. Came a voice in his head. And Stephen was inclined to believe it. He sat their dumbfounded, just staring at the beast. Taking note of its thick-looking scales and powerful muscles. He glanced down at his rifle. It would have to be a HELL of a shot. If he took a shot. Stephen took note of his pulse and smiled. He felt excited. Alive. Even with the cold anxiety running up his spine, he felt better than he felt in years. Then he noticed a slight a movement on the horizon. He squints eyes trying to make out a shape. It was a woman. Young. Looked about late teens, early twenties. From the distance it looked she wore a headband over her eyes. Was she blind? What was she doing out here? The questions raced through Stephens head, until he saw the creature raise its head towards her. OH no, oh no, OH SHIT! he said louder than he would of preferred. His mind raced as the creature approached the girl, coiling itself around her body. What's it doing? he thought. Is that constriction or cuddling? Dammit. I barely understand bear and deer behavior. Let alone a DRAGON. Gulping down a gut full of nerves. Stephen rose from his hiding spot, clutching his rifle tightly. On instinct he reaches for the necklace under his shirt, idly toying with the ring that acted as a pendant. Whether it was heroics or curiosity that drove him closer to the creature and its (possible) captive, when the creature, the dragon, turned its baleful eye towards him, his heart sank. This is what I get for wanting to leave the cabin.
Taiga -Project Zero The dragon looked up slowly from where she lay, her fan-shaped ears pricking as her one good eye caught sight of a human male approaching -one of the longer bang-pain things in his grip. He stunk of fear, and the dragon knew that a scared human was a dangerous human. An icy breeze caught the side of her neck, and though the creature could stand temperatures well below zero she shivered -twitching off some snow that had built up on her back. "Whenever someone is scared, they can do things they will regret later. It is your job to keep them calm. . ." the voice of the nice one reminded her. She needed to keep it calm. Both of them. The young girl she was curled around wasn't entirely fearful -but wary. She knew how powerful this creature was. The dragon curled up a tad more when the man came closer -sheltering the girl lest he shoot at the dragon and accidentally strike the female. Her muzzle curled a bit to show a row of hooked teeth the size of kitchen knives, but she didn't growl. The dragon lowered her head until it rested in the snow, tilting it so that she could take some relief from the pain her bleeding eye was causing her. She didn't need to worry about the humans being in danger here other than from the cold -at least not yet.
Wing Wing smiled when the animal curled around her. She now knew of it's good intentions. The smile quickly faded though, a human had just walked out of the bushes. She could hear him reach for something around his neck. Was it an amulet or ammunition? Why did he approach such a large creature if he was nervous? Then it dawned on her, he thought the animal would hurt her. She cursed softly under her breath as she prepared to confront the problem. She'd never been much of a talker, this man made her scared and uncomfortable. Her hand reached out to scratch the creature on the belly. She just hoped the creature wouldn't get hurt by the man. Taking a deep breath she noticed the unmistakable smell of gunpowder. shit! This man was armed. "Why do you come armed? I do not think she's dangerous. Not to us at least." The beast seemed intelligent enough to understand her, she promised herself to find out just how smart it was, but that could wait.
Magda McFarlin Sitting on the back of the large lizard, Magda listened carefully to the conversation between the general and the private. She listened to more than just the words. She heard the things that weren't said, the tone of voice and the emphasis on each word. It seemed strange to her that the two men seemed to have different views about the WAR-Beasts. “...why didn't they just bring them back to base? That's the safest place i know of around here." The general was saying. Magda watched Hanson as he petted the creature's head. He seemed happier in the company of Raider than of the general. "Raider might say otherwise . . ." Hanson said. Magda looked back at the general. An ugly suspicion was forming in her mind. She was beginning to think she had shot the wrong monster.
Hunter Strike They arrived at the base after several minutes, and as they exited the forest they could see the mountain arcing high above into the clouds -the small group of cement bunkers huddled at its base. Wire-topped fencing surrounded the place, and a tall sentry tower overlooked the surrounding landscape -a machine gun posted along with a soldier in the shadow of its roof. A second towards the back of the base stood crumbled and burned by acid -clearly a mark of the first creature escaping. Raider walked with long strides through the gates, and everyone could immediately see and hear that this place was short on help. There were no soldiers walking around, but there were many tanks, helicopters and off-road jeeps parked to one side of the base, some slightly covered by snow and one tank badly dented and scored by claw marks. Raider snorted, flicking his tail, and Private Hanson helped everyone off of Raider's back and led him into a larger bunker without a word. It was ominously silent here. "Well, welcome to Area Zero." Strike grumbled, pulling his scarf over his mouth as the temperature dropped a few degrees and snow began to fall. Waving them on, he led them towards another bunker. It was labeled "W.A.R C.C."
Art Green They entered the military base, and he could tell that they weren’t doing that great. He hardly saw any guards, and the few people milling around wore lab coats not Kevlar. “Finally, I thought we’d never make it to this place.” He kissed the ground for emphasis before turning back to the group. “Now what? General you got some super secrete way to kill these things? I know, I bet you have to consult your decoder ring first.” That’s when he noticed a wall of weapons at the back of the bunker, a whole armory just waiting to be deployed. His face lit up like a school girl, as he ran over to it. “I call dibs on the bazooka.” He picked up the massive weapon, and aimed it at the roof. Oh yeah that’s just what he needed.
Magda McFarlin The base was deserted, or may as well have been. Magda shrugged off Private Hanson's attempt to help her down, and leapt to the floor. The kid, Art something or other, leapt down from Raider and kissed the floor. Magda turned to look for Hanson: she wanted a private word with him. Hanson was leading Raider into a bunker, there was no way she could speak to him without the general seeing. The general lead them to a bunker. Magda read the initials WAR CC at the entrance. Perhaps, here there would be some answers. All Magda knew is she was no longer assuming the WAR beast in the forest was an enemy.
Hunter Strike "Though i would like to kill it just as much as you would ," Strike said to Art, "It is not my exact job to kill it -we first need to try and capture it." Opening an iron door, the general ducked inside the bunker and released a cloud of smoke. Jumping back and coughing violently, Strike waved away the smoke and cursed under his breath. "Doc! What are you doing in there!?" he yelled, and the sound of glass shattering could be heard. "Gah! You're back! S-sorry general b-but the X-wing-" a nervous voice called back before a high-pitched screech was heard and a resounding crash, "C-catch it!" he yelled to someone else before a fussy-looking man with spectacles and a lab-coat stumbled out of the bunker and into the light. Blinking, the man jumped and started to stammer something, but another screech made him duck as a vial flew over his head and shattered over the ground. "G-Ghost is not cooperating very well to being cooped up -and the tranquilizers have a bad effect on him." the doctor stammered, and Strike glared at him. The small man shrunk visibly and ducked back inside. More voices could be heard, but they were muffled under the screeching of the creature the group had yet to see. The smoke cleared and Strike finally stepped inside, and his eyebrows rose as he spotted a dragon that looked more like a glass statue struggling against its bindings as it was tied down to the table. The doctor jumped back as a bout of flame came from its jaws, and the creature had the nerve to look very annoyed. It had no forelegs but an extra pair of wings -thus giving it the name X-wing. Finally secruing the creature, the doctor sighed in releif and slumped in a chair, wiping his brow, "Didn't expect you to be back so soon -or maybe the egg hatched before i was prepared . . ." he muttered to himself, then he looked up and his eyes widened in alarm at the number of people present. "I -uh -I'm Doctor Gerome." he said nervously, glancing at the baby dragon when it snorted, sending a plume of smoke up to the cieling, "Gah next time i am going to ask him what abilities these things will have . . . this one nearly burnt down the base . . ."
Art Green He had put back the bazooka, albeit rather reluctantly, and followed the group into the room. He was surprised by the sleek baby dragon chained to floor; its body was almost translucent, yet still glimmered in the light. He was also aware of its coiled muscles, sharp talons, and the three foot flames it was trying to let out. The doctor who had greeted them sat down. He looked rather bumbling especially with those round spectacles. But since Art’s institutionalization he was always mistrust full of guys in lab coats, and he wondered at what kind of man this really was. “So this is what the little hell raisers look like.” He walked up to within a foot of the beast. It jerked forward as If to attack him but its restraints held it firmly. "Gah next time i am going to ask him what abilities these things will have . . . this one nearly burnt down the base . . ." “First off, who is him? And just what kind of abilities do these guys have Doc?”
Magda McFarlin Magda watched Art pick up the bazooka. This was her chance. With the general's focus on Art, Magda slipped out of the door. Outside, it was still. No one on patrol, no security. This was the strangest Military Base Magda had ever seen. She walked back to the bunker, to which Private Hanson had led Raider. Walking in, she saw the giant lizard. Private Hanson was stroking it and talking to it gently. “Hey,” she said, raising her hand in greeting. “I think we may have got off to a bad start, but you seem like a conscientious soldier. And you seem to like Raider, there. How about telling me what is really going on?”
Doctor Gerome Strike left the bunker, muttering something about needing to check in on another person, and Gerome jumped as Art adressed him. His eyes widened almost impossibly and he did a double-take. "Y-you . . ." the man swallowed and struggled to keep from stammering, " Excuse me, but is your name Art Green? I think-" the man swallowed and hastilly backed up as a light came into Art's eyes, waving his hands frantically to placate him, "I don't mean trouble honest -it's just that- "What's going on now Doc? Is ghost acting up?" a voice spoke up as a young boy with green eyes pulled aside a curtain and looked at Gerome curiously before his eyes settled on Art, and his face showed absolute shock as his jaw dropped. "ART!?" he squawked. Private Hanson “Hey,” she said, raising her hand in greeting. “I think we may have got off to a bad start, but you seem like a conscientious soldier. And you seem to like Raider, there. How about telling me what is really going on?” "Oh?" Hanson said in surprise, turning to look at Magda, then shrugged, "Honestly I don't really know. Things have been going on that make Raider jumpy -and Taiga escaped with Kirk in her clutches. . . I think they know something we don't." he said lowly. Raider bumped him with his head, and Hanson went back to polishing the W.A.R-Beasts scales. The creature's eyes were slightly glazed -he was clearly tranquilized, "We have to keep them tranquilized now since Taiga got out, and with the new one finally arrived we'll have our hands full. I hate having to do that to him -Raider really doesn't go crazy all that often and he's not doing so well in practice now . . ." Hanson smiled at some memory. "Know how an eagle can catch a bird in mid-air? That was the first thing that I learned to do with him -fall off his back and let him catch me so that if i ever do fall out of the saddle I know I'm safe." he said pridefully, pointing at the creature's talons, "He can also hold you still if your back's broken until the proper medics can get to you. To be honest I can't think of any better way for rescue to be done in battles. The enemy would be so scared they'd run on sight!" he laughed. Project Zero -Taiga She felt something shift, danger was coming. Before eithe rof the humans could react the dragon had grabbed both of them and had taken off, beatign the air with her wings in a wild attempt to gain height. Turning, she headed towards the base. She didn't want to bring them there, but they would be safer there than in the forest -she couldn't bring then back to the cabin. She would come later to get them again.
Art Green "ART!?" His face became deathly pale as a young boy stepped into the room. “No, this can’t be. Your dead, I saw you Die!” His hands were trembling, and tears began to fall freely down his face. He’s not real Art. He can’t be. Peter stood before him, the same as he’d always been. “What the hell is this doc!? You give me some kind of drug?” He turned on the Doctor, pushing him against the wall, rage contorting his face. He could still see the dead body, the crimson blood pooling outward in the snow. The doctor tried to stammer, but the words wouldn’t come. Then Art felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. “It’s me Art. It’s all right, it’s me.” Art let go of the man and fell into his brothers arms. He sobbed like a baby as he clutched him. “You’re alive.” He managed to gasp between heaving breaths. He was never letting go again.
Magda McFarlin Magda walked over to Raider and put her hand out, just as she used to do with horses, as a child. Raider stretched his head forward and allowed Magda to stroke his nose. “So, these little fella's aren't really dangerous, then? Funny the General, didn't mention it - he led me to believe they were a danger to humans. When I saw the other one appear, I thought it was going to kill the kid: I shot it in the eye. I am beginning to think I made a big mistake. What is the General's problem, anyway?”
Peter Green Peter hugged his brother and smiled embarrasedly but tears flowed down his face after being so long without him. "Yeah, I'm alive." he said, then pulled gently away from his brother and pulled his shirt off to reveal massive scars. Stretching his arms carefully, scales stood out against the boy's skin, barely noticeable as they were the same color as his body, "Doc fixed me up somehow . . ." "Took two years before you woke up. I still can't beleive the formula worked even though i managed to patch you up." Gerome said, rubbing at his throat. The baby dragon started sqeaking pitifully and Peter turned to look at it, frowning. "Doc, why is Ghost tied up?" he asked, and the doctor paled before the dragon suddenly slithered out of its bindings as if its body was liquid. Landing on the floor with a click of its claws, the baby scampered over to Peter and the boy scooped it up, laughing as the baby dragon buried its face in the side of his neck as if it was scared. "He nearly-" the doctor started but sighed in resignation as he was ignored. "Like him Art? He's the third one doc managed to bring to life. Remember how i used to always draw dragons before we went skiing that day?" Peter said, and he smiled pridefully as his chest puffed up a little bit. "What he means is that he's the one responsible for making them -at least the blueprints." Gerome said, wringing his hands and goign to find something to do in the back of the room. Private Hanson Hanson snorted, "Little -I'll have to remember that one. We're not sure how big Raider's gonna get. And as for the General . . . I don't know." he said, looking a tad confused, "They always get edgy when he's around, and Taiga slashed him when she escaped. Maybe that's why he doesn't like them." Raider leaned into Magda's hand when she petted him, making an odd rumbling noise in his chest like a purr. Hanson grinned and reached up to scratch the creature's fan-shaped ears, "The goal is to have more of these guys so that we can actually use them. Right now they're only an experiment by the government's standards. The only problem is . . ." Hanson seemd to mull it over but decided to tell Mgda anyways, "All the ones we've gotten are male -and one out of a thousand survive. Taiga -or Project Zero as the General calls her- is the only female we managed to hatch. Doc thinks she's the neutral one that can be used to produce many other types. Raider's for big recues, and the new one in Doc's lab is meant for spying form what I've heard." "And about shooting her in the eye -well that might take a bit to heal but i think she'll know if you don't mean her harm. These guys are pretty darn smart -smarter even than most dogs i've seen." he said.
Garan Letarim Garan had quickly gone away from the others as soon as they landed in the base. Naive as he was, he finally realized that the general hadn't told him everything. And that made him angry. He walked round in the snow for a while. It was all like a dream. An awesome dream. He envyed private Hanson so much for being allowed to fly dragons! Still thinking, Garan sat down in the cold snow and looked at the clouds with a longing expression.
Taiga -Project Zero The dragon landed in a heap at the edge of the woods, barely avoiding crushing the humans it had in its grip. Raising its head wearily, the dragon spotted a man sitting in the snow. He had jumped up quickly when she had appeared, but seemed too shocked at the moment to move. Project Zero let go of the blind girl and the other human male, letting them stumble towards the other of their kind. Without even glancing back, the dragon took off again and headed towards the forest.
Wing The creature finally landed and left her stumbling in the snow. Her heart was racing from the flight, making her focusing more difficult. Bumping into someone, she lost her balance. She was muttering an excuse when she realized the wonderful creature had flown away. She sighted, clearly disappointed. Then her focus came back and her breath got caught in her throat as she heard the new person. The one she had recently bumped into. A string of curses went through her head as she now was cornered by two men possibly armed. She finally settled on 'shit' and turned to face this new guy.
Garan Letarim Garan was interrupted from his thoughts when Taiga suddenly appeared by the treeline. Garan jumped to his feet and ran against the dragon who dropped two humans. A woman and a man. Before he could do anything, Garan stumbled into the two. "Shit! Are you alright?" Garan said. "Come, it's snowy and cold out here" He tried to lead them to the hangar the others had gone into and picked up his rifle on the way.
Wing The stranger tried to lead her towards what seemed to be a large building. She took a few steps away from him and the other man. "Who the h*** are you?" She couldn't understand why the creature had left her alone with these people. "What is going on?" She wondered who made the screeching noise. Whatever it was were inside that place. She hoped it wasn't in pain.
Private Hanson "Raider?" the private suddenly said as the draogn's head shot up, his fan-shaped ears pricked. Letting go of the reins, the man climbed up onto the creature's bare back and clung to the padding of fur there. Holding out a hand to Magda, he pulled her up behind him as Raider walked slowly out of the bunker, his head moving side to side like a serpent as he scented the air. Hanson didn't even bother to try and stop the draogn as it walked out of the boundaries of the fence, and the soldier looked up as he saw Garan struggling with a girl in the snow. "What's going on here?" he yelled, but had to grasp onto Raider tightly as the dragon lunged forwards and snatched up the girl in his jaws, away from the other human. Growling, he set the girl on her feet then nudged her slightly, nostrils flared as he caught the scent of his flock-mate. "Okay . . ." Hanson said, sounding confused, "Umm, may I ask your name since Raider obviously can't?"
Wing "Okay . . ." Hanson said, sounding confused, "Umm, may I ask your name since Raider obviously can't?" Wing reached up and adjusted her headband before answering. "I'm Wing." She scratched the giant creature on the jaw. "So he's called Raider?" The smile was back on her face. She wondered what these creatures were called, they was like nothing she had ever seen before.
Art Green "What he means is that he's the one responsible for making them -at least the blueprints." He watched in terror as the baby dragon scuttled towards his brother, who then proceeded to pick the thing up as if it were a long lost puppy. “I don’t understand you made these things?” He was in shock, his brother was alive, and now apparently the things he had sworn to kill were, somehow the creations of his brother. He looked at the dragon in the boys lap. Then he remembered all the sketches his brother used to do, and he couldn’t help but see a resemblance. “Look I don’t know all that’s happened here and I may never know. But I think we need to get out of here Pete. We can start over fresh, on some tropical paradise somewhere. Just me and you, it’ll be like old times.” His eyes pleaded with his brother. Someplace safe, where I can protect you, he thought but didn’t add. There was nothing good to be had here. And he would be damned if his brother was taken away from him again.
Magda McFarlin Magda sat on Raider and stared at the girl, and Raider's reaction to her. They seemed to have an affinity. Where the hell did she come from? "Hi Wing," she said. "Raider obviously likes you. Where did you come from?"
