Nocturne

[Hazak]

The human species has hit a breaking point. To live or die off? For as long as they can remember they have done very little evolve ever since 'civilization' had been established. This worked for countless centuries but now nature has decided to force the species back into the fray. The planet has started to shift environmentally, calcifying in many places. Becoming one with the ocean floor in others. The populations of the world started to shift into large cities. Creating in enclosed civilization in a sort of bubble. Humans of course still required the natural resources of the world and thus needed a way to compete with the evolving habitat and other species. The government decided to advance genomes of humans. Allow particular people to do advance task that normal humans were not capable of. Such as utilize the oxygen in water or extremely resistant skin. The government utilized these individuals for years and now a new task will arise for them. An anomaly has been spotted outside one of the last standing natural forest. A rift some call it, to another world it would seem. The world seems to contain an atmosphere similar to our own thus the world governments have agreed to issue out special recruits, from different disciplines to retrieve information about this new land and if it could aid in the recovery of the human species.....welcome to Nocturne

 

[Hazak]

"And so he jumped up on stage and TOTALLY started break dancing!! You know how it looks in those really old videos in history class and stuff? SO anyway I turn to Marc and he drops his sticks and joins him!! It was INCREEEEDIBLEEE! So cool! And then he started to... "


Lance could never cease to amaze himself. He woke up everyday knowing he would have at least one conversation with a complete moron yet he still woke up and refrained from strangling any of them. Well....most of them, but that was beside the point. Amy Kislinger was his newest artist this year and she blew up fast. The lack of clothing and "perkiness" also helped, but she put out decent pop hits that also had the ability to keep the teens blowing mommy and daddy's cash on tickets and albums so what did Lance care about her intellectual contribution to society?


"So whaddya think mister Cray-cray Grey-grey? Think I can pull all that off this year?" She leaned in with her dark brown hair and light blue highlights dangling in his face.


Lance raised an eyebrow, giving her the necessary illusion that he was listening...or cared. "Sure, Amy, I don't see why not. You are quite a capable young lady." He gave a soft confident smile.


"Ooooh thank you thank you. I'll send the plans to your assistant in a few days 'kay?" She leaned in and hug him across the desk then skipped her way out his large office.


"I swear I should have a drinking problem.....perhaps that is a problem in itself?" He mused this idea to himself as he paced the office looking at his multiple awards. He stopped at his large window over looking the city. Cliche of course but what powerful man didn't want a nice window overlooking his city. The phone suddenly rang. And it was coming directly into his office so clearly the assistant knew it was important or they really wanted to be out of a job. Lance lazily picked it up smoothing back his hair in the same motion.


"Greyfield speaking."


"Hello, Mr. Greyfield this is Officer Michelle. Speaking in regards to the upcoming mission. We would like to go over some further details with you if that would be okay? Just a few things you and your sister should know as civilians. Before I proceed I just want to make sure that you.."


"Let me stop you there Officer if you don't mind, hmm? I have placed a decent amount of money into this field trip. Enough to pay for salary for at least I don't knoooow maybe 10 years. So yes, yes I am sure. I will be going on this mission now please finish releasing the worthless air out of your mouth before I request to speak with your superior that way I can have a conversation with a creature at least somewhere near my class.





The breeze hit her face, as she looked off into the darkness of the earlier morning. Arlet was not fully dressed. She was wearing her tank top and gym shorts but decided before she did anything this morning she would look at the sunrise. It was a routine she did before she started any mission. She sat with her arms and faced on one raised knee and her other crossed under her. This mission was a little different for her. Typically she knew the risk and the people involved were also capable of handling whatever may happen. This time around she had at least four civilians and if the briefings were correct so far, and Arlet made sure they were two of them were just really reach people who seemed to have their eyes on being one of the first people to actual pass into the other realm. Arlet found the name that the new has started to call it. Nocturne. True it had a dark, purple haze around the entrance but if logic held up there would have to be some sort of light source if humans were capable of living in the area. The night was chill as the sun started to rise and then Arlet saw it. 400lbs (181kg) of shear primal muscle. A new species tiger that developed after the world started to change. This one was special. It had half a jaw and approach the edge of the dome every morning near Arlets little place. They had a special bond. Throughout her training Arlet constantly went into the Wilds. The areas that were deemed inhospitable to humans. This big guy has attack her several times and she evened the score a few years ago by breaking his jaw. She hasn't had to go into the Wilds for sometime now so her friend seemed to want a visit of sorts. It was curious to her though, he some how found her and anytime she was close to the Wilds, and yet she found comfort in his appearance. He was a constant in her life that she could understand.


"Do tell me old friend. Will you be the last thing I see one day?"


The beast just sat there pacing and staring into her eyes.


Then her phone rang. "I guess the answer shall have to remain a mystery to both of us for awhile." She then stood up and walked inside. Her morning at least was over. It was time to begin her mission...

 

[Aura]

Claire nervously eyed her watch once again, half-expecting and half-hoping that somehow time would stop if she showed enough awareness of it. Time continued to pass at an obscene rate however... wasn't a watched pot not allowed to boil? Shouldn't the passing of time halt as she glared at her watch... if anything her watch would probably break under the weight of her stare. She had been fortunate enough to find a bus that went as far as it did and as close as it did to the site even if it was as late as it was. She had to wait an extra half an hour for the arrival of this bus than she would have wanted to, and she wasn't certain how long it would take her from the departure site to get to the site where she was supposed to be in such little time.


The bus stopped and she waved at the driver before pulling out her phone and checking her coordinates versus the coordinates that had been given to her. She frowned noticing that her calculations had been off and that the bus wasn't nearly as close to the location as she had been told that it would go. She should have planned better... what exactly had she been thinking when she thought that bringing a vehicle was a bad idea? She was already borderline late without having to walk to the vaguely defined destination... she supposed it made sense that the barrier would be in the middle of nowhere, but she didn't exactly want to walk too long or too far given the kinds of creatures that now roamed the ruined earth.


"Nocturne?" a low voice asked and she practically jumped out of her skin before whirling around to the source of the voice. It came from a polished man who might have been very attractive if it weren't for the sharp coldness in his dark eyes and the way that his jaw seemed clenched even as the rest of his body appeared relaxed. She couldn't imagine why he would be tense however, as his vehicle was magnificent. She didn't know much about cars but it was a dark sleek convertible with its top down. It's interior was shiny leather and she swore that she could practically smell the newness on it. She could never be tense in a vehicle that looked like this.


"How did you know?"


"I didn't, so I asked. I figured as much since you're practically standing in the middle of nowhere with a backpack large and full-looking enough to have your whole life packed inside of it. Am I wrong?"


"Uh... no, you're not wrong. My name's Claire, are you part of the expedition?"


He scrutinized her for a moment, "Chris Collins. Were you planning to walk the rest of the way?" he asked and his lips pulled into a thin line.


"It sounded like we'll be gone for a long time and my sister said that she desperately needed to borrow my car while I was gone and she conveniently took off for the weekend with it instead of dropping me off. Plus, knowing my luck it would get towed or sold if I left it in the middle of nowhere."


"I'm not too concerned about getting towed," Chris murmured hitting a button and the roof began to close, "Get in. I'm on the late side, but if we had to wait for you to walk to the location, we'd be lucky to leave today." she thanked him profusely before hopping into the vehicle just as the roof slid back over the car. It was timed rather fortunately as he stepped onto the gas after she was settled and a brief moment later a cloud of dust enveloped the car... nothing too unusual given the dried pathetic state of the Earth, which was obvious any time one left the pavement, "I've had my eye on the newest model anyways, it would be a godsend if something happened to this old thing." he motioned to the vehicle and Claire tried to keep herself from physically grimacing. She hoped that he was just trying to show off for her and that he wasn't just that arrogant... either way, she couldn't imagine what he would have thought of her car.


"Besides, you're making the assumption that we'll come back," he added though his tone was wry, but light. It was obviously supposed to be a sad attempt at a joke though she opted to ignore it.


She was about to ask him another question, like how he seemed to know where he was going considering that they were both in the middle and now off of the nearest road, when they reached a fenced area that looked surprisingly military. The fence was intimidating, but they quickly found a gate where a monster of a man met them with a sharp critical glare. Their IDs and passes were shared and he barked the command for them to get out of the vehicle where their bags were seized and their bodies searched with a brief patting of their figures. Claire was certain that the man had lingered a moment or two longer with Chris than with her, but Chris either was oblivious or chose to remain oblivious to the lingering touches. Her finest years had been spent with military men so she knew that her traveling companion could probably do worse.


"It appears that you two are the last of your team to arrive," he said passing back their belongings which had been cleared and deemed acceptable, "Lancaster and the other members are waiting at the site, but we will be sending you forward with Victor Ramirez," and another older man just as large stepped forward from behind a nearby building as if on cue... Claire really had to wonder if they had practiced this beforehand due to the perfect polished nature of it all.


"Pleasure to meet you. Stryker, Collins," he murmured with a broad grin and a casual tone that was fairly irregular to the men on duty that she had spent time with and then shook their hands individually, "Let's go. I haven't had the chance to meet Lancaster, but I hear she's a real piece of work and we're behind schedule," he said in a tone that indicated that he probably wasn't too concerned about their schedule and motioned to a small all-terrain vehicle that they piled onto. No sooner were their belongings and persons secured before the small vehicle surged forward a sharp snapping motion that might have been Victor's attempt at giving them whiplash before even leaving.

 

[Hazak]

Three figures approach from the military camps entrance. Two men and a lady. They seemed to have used a military vehicle to move around the base. One decently dressed, seems to have a few dollars in his pocket. The other older gentleman was an officer of some sort judging from his build and get up. The lady while attractive was...clearly outside his inner circles. But it was not his job to talk at the moment. Lance was of course the second to arrive. This was abnormal to him, this Lancaster woman seemed to run off air because she apparently, according to her was at the camp 3 hours before he arrived. Doing what? Who knows. As strange as she was she was professional and that gave Lance a bit of confidence in his investment. She was also a pleasing site. Small and tight. She was basically all muscle, built like a small wild cat. Her face however beautiful, stayed in a blank almost lifeless gaze. It reminded him a little of Aarti but Arlet did not have the same worries as his twin which worried him all the more why she remained like that. As the three approached, Lance gave them all a warm smile and waved but made a joking thumb gesture towards Arlet indicating to address her before they said anything else. He placed his attention for a moment with his sister. She was very quiet...as usual. She sat in her mission outfit, a jump suit of sorts, lazily playing with her crossword. She decided to 'highlight' her hair this time with streaks. The Voice made it rather a pretty blue but it gave off any eerie glow. On their first meeting he was afraid that Aarti would be sent back by Arlet but maybe Aarti's quiet and obedient behavior won her over. Or the fact that he paid enough money to the big folks that Arlet figuratively couldn't say no. Either way it was a win for his sister.


Arlet sat cross legged on top of two rather large metal crates. She was going over the mission briefing notes for the fourth time today as the others approached. As they approached she placed the notes next to her and waited for them to come towards her. Everyone on the mission team had finally arrived and were rather late. The two civilians were fine but Officer Ramirez took a far too casual approach to everything. His resume showed it. He was rather skilled, so much so that she would gladly place him on her team, were that the only factor she cared about. The rest of his file showed the issue, he didn't always think things through and Arlet was clearly seeing that now. She did not wait for anyone to speak. She hopped down from her "perch" and quickly took note. She was the shortest....of course. She did not completely know why this bothered her so much but she always had to see if anyone around happened to be smaller. Childish, she knew, but all humans had their weak points. She placed her hands behind her and spread her legs slightly. She spoke with a quiet authority, her voice was not too sharp to make some one feel belittled but it also was strong enough to dissuade any objections.


"Good morning everyone. I am Commander Arlet Lancaster. I will be heading this 7 day mission, so for the next 168 hours you will take all your orders from me. If this is an issue with anyone you are free to leave right now." She paused allowing anyone who wanted to leave a moment. She continued after a moment. "This mission has several factors for you to consider. One is, of course, military in nature. We are to secure all of you from the start of the mission to the end. Officer Ramirez will be second in command and will also aid me in this matter. If I am unable to continue my duties or we find ourselves separated you are to refer to him until I am capable of returning to my duties. The second objective is to set up VPS points. Military issued vehicle propulsion systems, that uses an electrical magnetic pulse. They send passenger carrying pods at an accelerated rate of 110 miles (177 kilometers) an hour. We will set up one after our first day in Nocturne and then the other on the 5th day. Mr. Collins and myself have experience with these and will help expedite the process. This will aid in reaching other previous locations if the mission continues past the first week. Third, will be cultural and scientific investigation. Ranging from biological information and if present, to the understanding of the sentient lifeforms around. If the mission in jeopardized in anyway I will take actions to fix the issue as quickly as I can prioritizing your safety first."


She then turn and placed her had on the crates. "In these crates are your caches. Each is armed with a combat knife, pistol and 3 boxes of replacement ammunition, a flash light, a water filtering bottle, a sleeping bag with insulation, rations for 14 days, a flare gun, epipen, first aid kit, and a homing beacon. The beacon will go off whenever you approach any of the equipment issued from here, including other backpacks. Before we proceed with the mission if you have any questions, concerns, or opinions voice them now."

 

[Aura]

Victor had waited to accompany Chris and Claire so they had arrived fairly late and it wasn't a surprise when Arlet immediately launched into her spiel. He was good at listening when he wanted to be, and for now she hadn't said anything that he could take any objection with. It was fairly obvious that nobody had lied to him about her having a stick lodged someplace dark and generally unpleasant, but that was the nature of the career that he had chosen. His thoughts wandered briefly as he wondered for a brief moment if the technology caught up if they would model robots after her as she had presented herself thus far as the very definition of "by the books"... her type was the wet dream for commanding officers versus his nightmare. It was almost funny that someone like him was even going along at all... he was only still here because he was a very lucky soul and that his deviations usually ended up fortunately.


"No, ma'am," he barked before folding his arms.


"I'm... I think I've got it," Claire said uncertainly. Her stomach had been twisted up since hopping into the military vehicle, but she had dismissed it as motion sickness from Victor's driving. The feeling hadn't diminished despite stepping out of the vehicle. It... was probably just the whole disappearing into another world jitters catching up with her. Maybe that's why she hadn't tried to hard to get her sister to come back with her vehicle or why she hadn't intended to bring her vehicle with her all along... fear. She had been able to hide from it, but it still managed to sneak up on her. She took a steadying breath, Commander Lancaster seemed to have everything figured out... she felt that she could trust Arlet with her life. Her breath turned slightly ragged when she quickly jumped to the idea that in precious minutes she might just be relying on these complete strangers to help safeguard her life.


Chris nodded throughout Arlet's speech and momentarily after Victor and Claire had spoken he added, "Makes sense. Let's not burn too much more daylight," he added reaching for one of the crates


"If you too have got any concerns or questions then make it fast," he asked glancing over at the other two dark-haired members of their trip, "because we've got places to go."

 

[Hazak]

Lance chuckled to himself. The way this Chris fellow addressed him was amusing. Its almost as if he believed to have some kind of authority on this mission. Amusing. But he did have a point. The day would not wait for them. He stood up brushing himself off and moved to grab his equipment. He felt a brush a against his shoulder as Aarti moved slowly to get hers as well.


"Hey, are you ready little one? Today we go forth towards a new horizon, albeit a bit of a stranger horizon but new regardless." He gave her a gentle smile that was only reserved for her eyes. He then also handed the Claire lady hers as well.


"You will be wanting this I assume, I am Lance Greyfield and this is my sister Aarti. A pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand to her but also made sure he was addressing the entire group as well. "I do hope you are all rather excited. I hear Commander Lancaster is one of the best. Let's hope that holds up, hmm?" He said the last part jokingly. He wouldn't take anything other than the best. And this Lancaster was clearly capable. He moved towards her in his smooth graceful steps and waited for the little leaders instruction.


Arlet scanned her group they all for the most part seemed comfortable about the ordeal and made little fuss. So far Victor behaved as he should though Arlet was not sure how all of their egos would meld. particularly the engineer and the business tycoon. She shouldered her sniper rifle and moved with almost cat-like grace further into the base where the "gate" was located. She waited for the rest of the crew the follow.


They all felt funny to Aarti. Their breath seemed calm but everyone had some anxiety about themselves and the others. Did they all know this? But brother was still around and he said this would be fun. He can't call her little one this time though because there was another little one. Stern and stiff but cute, some what like brother.


They will be fun to play with wont they?

 

[Aura]

"Thanks," Claire said and she offered Lance a polite smile before reaching for his hand and shaking it. He seemed nice enough so far, but there was something similar in his manner to Chris... he talked to everyone through her, which never failed to feel weird when it happened. He wasn't directly off-putting like Chris was, however, so that was promising... if he was arrogant like the lawyer was then she hadn't seen it yet. She truly hoped that she wouldn't see it later though... arrogance was a disgusting trait and it never failed to be repulsive.


Claire glanced over the crew and shouldered the bag that Lance had handed to her. She had packed the handful of books that she didn't feel comfortable not bringing, but thankfully her work would mostly be observational and would be done with a pen and paper. She watched Chris shoulder his bag and she swore that she momentarily saw him lean backwards underneath the weight before he readjusted for the weight. He probably had the most equipment of the whole group due to the role that Arlet had announced him having. She wondered what the other two did, the one who had introduced himself as Lance and the other woman, who bore a remarkable resemblance to Lance. Their bags didn't look heavy the same way that Chris's did, but she wouldn't know until later when she found out. She edged towards the other woman, feeling the kinship of gender as an immediate draw, she had no interest in women sexually or romantically, but she always found that she clung to other women when she felt nervous.


"What course of action do you recommend Commander Lancaster?" Victor asked approaching her. Considering his body type was fairly bulky he tended to move with a quiet ease. Stealth was something that he had picked up long ago due to his adoptive muscle memory, he would never move as quietly as Arlet was capable of doing, but relative to his build he was considerably above average when it came to came to such things. He had approached her because he was already impatient and excited to get moving and into Nocturne. He had never found much pleasure in the precious moments before action and he found that those moments were the ones that dragged slowly by. He wanted to know how long it would be before they would be crossing through the barrier and he also wanted to know where she wanted him in the line-up... he could only hope that he would go first... there was some undeniable thrill to being the first one of the expedition to cross. He felt his lips form into a grin after he had asked the question, just thinking about the mission.