Fantasy The Awakening reupload (always open)

[King Hastur]

Wrath hesitated to respond. Lilly at least gave them an escape route but they would never get out with the base in lockdown like it was. It bothered him to think that he only had to use 'that' to get out of this place. He just hoped the old man was still as predictable as ever.


"Move" Wrath said as he nudged Corliss out of the way and took over the computer from her. His fingers worked in a blur as he patched into the alliance HQ mainframe and accessed the control overrides for the base at the final stage he was shut out and prompted for a security login. Wrath's fingers paused over the keys for a few seconds before he typed something in.


"Authorization code approved. Have a nice flight Mr. President" the computer vocalized and the hangar doors began to slide open.


"Get us out of here" Wrath muttered and left the bridge heading for the main area. He really needed a drink.

 

[Aquaria Wolf]

"Hadrian, take off, let's go swimming."


"Of course. Shall I create a path to Asia?"


Corliss shrugged. "I don't care, let's go home for a bit I guess." She followed Wrath and looked at him, questioning. "President? I'm hoping that you just have some serious hacking skills, and aren't actually part of this damn alliance. I need to know who you are before we get there, Hadrian is one thing, this place though, I can decide on whether or not you get to stay." She pulled out two things, a bottle of pills and a can of beer. "So let's talk."

 

[King Hastur]

Wrath knew it was a mistake to use that login.. for more reasons than now. If Corliss was not already marked by the top brass of the NA alliance she would be now. He knew she would not leave it as him just saying he did not want to talk about it. If the roles were reversed he would be suspicious too. Thinking quickly he grabbed both the beer and the bottle of pills. A little tough love may be good for her, and may get her to not ask him about the subject.


"You can't have you cake and eat it too" Wrath said holding up the bottle of pills. "Pills or answers. Choose one"

 

[Aquaria Wolf]

"You're not my parent." She said annoyed trying to grab the pills from him. "I may not be able to have my cake and eat it too, but luckily we're talking about who you are, and not cake. Give them back."


She paused for a second, wincing again. "This is stupid, just give them back. It's not what you think." She sat back down and glared at Wrath, this toy was much more work than her other ones. How did she end up in this mess? Oh yeah, wrong flight chart, monsters, idiot scavengers, all that. "You think I'm some junkie doing whatever to get back to the drugs, don't you?"

 

[King Hastur]

"Maybe" Wrath said and then slowly shook his head. He would use a lot of underhanded tactics but somehow even for him this felt wrong. He set in pills down in front of Corliss and then took a seat, staring at her. "Or maybe I think you are strong enough to not rely on them so much." There was a minute of silence between them before Wrath cleared his throat and look away.


"Anyways, I am not an expert hacker.. so don't expect me to work miracles in situations like that" Wrath sand and thumbed his noise a little. "It doesn't take a genius to do what i did...when you know the password" his voice trailed off to a mumble towards the end.

 

[Aquaria Wolf]

Her eyes widen. "So, you're the president. Great, I'm harboring the president who probably ordered my execution." The plane lurched violently, but Corliss didn't look phased. "Please tell me you're just the president's gay lover, and that's how you know the password, or maybe his bastard child." She grabbed the pills and swallowed three.


"Don't you think if I could I would have stopped? This isn't what I wanted, this wasn't something I decided to experiment with or anything. Last time I tried to stop I lay in a coma for three days. Anyway, this is my first in a week so don't start there. Hadrian keeps me in line pretty decently."

 

[King Hastur]

"Someone get the young miss a prize" Wrath said and his shoulders slumped. Apart from his family that was still searching for him to this day - Corliss was probably the only other person that knew. "More like an adopted child, they probably wouldn't look for me as hard as they do" Wrath leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.


"You have no idea what kind of monster he is. There were hundreds like me...hundreds" Bones crackled as Wrath's hands subconsciously curled into fists. Wrath took a deep breath and had to will his hands to relax. "Enough. Storytime is over are you satisfied now?"

 

[Aquaria Wolf]

She snorted. "Not even close. Let's go back to when you were a wee toddler, and were adopted. . . by the president? That's quite the interesting story. That's great, just . . Hadrian how are we going?"


"We're hidden and sunk, but it's a good ten hour swim till we get there."


"Hear that, Wrath? We've got ten hours for you to tell me all about yourself. That beer's for you, by the way. I don't drink. How about we play a game of truths, you tell me something about yourself, ask me a question and I swear to tell you the truth. Alright?"

 

[King Hastur]

"Do you know anything about how special abilities manifest themselves in humans?" Wrath said as he downed the beer in a few gulps, he would need something stronger than beer. He was way to sober to be forced to tell this story. He reached into his pack and pulled out a large canteen he normally saved for special occasions. "It usually a very, very, very small percentage that shows up naturally. Society calls those people geniuses. A program was made to try to increase those odds. I am sure every country has it's own version of the program. In the NA alliance there were thousands." Wrath stood and started pacing back and forth taking draws from his canteen.


"Pain. Terror. Grief. Rage. They figured these could be used like a battering ram to cause breakthroughs in youths thought to have the potential for magic. To make them into loyal weapons to serve the military". Wrath remembered the body scan Hadrian had done when he was being checked over for wounds. "You thought most of those scars were from the beasts out there? No. They were from a decade of torture and fighting to the death against other children for scraps of food. The weak died out, to make it so the strong would develop a taste for blood and violence. The survivors were "adopted" into the president's family. All three of them." He finished his rant and sat back down at the table, his eyes flashed at Corliss. He couldn't really blame her but was still hostile at being forced to relive it all again.

 

[Aquaria Wolf]

She was quiet for a while. That was an interesting story. Hadrian was right, Wrath was going to prove to be very very useful. "You ran away? Where are the other two? This program, how much of the military was involved in it? How old were you when you were adopted?" Corliss stood up and began to pace around. "Don't be upset with me, hotshot, we're just getting to know each other. So, tell me what you've been up to since all that drama went down, besides becoming a thief."


"I have no records of you existing." Hadrian said, quietly. "Ever since I met you I've been scanning for your profile, on all the databases, every single one, you do not exist."


Corliss frowned. "Why on earth did you not tell me about this, Hadrian?"


Hadrian ignored Corliss' question and pulled up the files on the President and his family.

 

[King Hastur]

"Doesn't surprise me if all records of me existing are gone, at least from official records" Wrath replied. Though likely all the higher ups knew his face and he was an extreme person of interest wherever he showed his face. That was usually why he preferred the seedier towns along the frontier. "And I am not a thief, I am a scavenger. You leave a ship sitting in a junkyard, you should not expect to come back and find it in one piece. You are just lucky Hadrian was there"


"I don't know the specifics of the program, I don't even know if they have run it again since the last one only produced three of us out of thousand as for the other two-" Wrath stopped as a image of a smiling girl flashed into his head 'big bro!'. "They are gone" Wrath said with a sense of finality. In truth he ran away as soon as he was given even the slightest leeway. He had been running the frontiers ever since.


"This should go without being said, but if you so much as utter a word of this to anyone." Wrath finished darkly before he sat down and started tracing a scar running another his cheek. It was the girl in his memories that had given him that one after all.

 

[Aquaria Wolf]

"Hey, I didn't think I'd have to babysit my ship, I only left to fix her, anyway Mister Scavenger, if they're both gone, that makes you three times as valuable." Corliss watched him trace a scar and wondered if that had to do with his past family. She continued to pace around. "I think you'll like my place, it's build into a sea mount, around Asia. It's untraceable, and quite beautiful. I've made a few modifications to it since I've owned it. You keep telling me truths, and not asking any questions. I usually wouldn't help you, but it seems unfair to let my newest toy play a game he barely knows." She shrugged and grabbed a microwave bag of popcorn. "Want some?"


She threw it into the microwave and let it pop away. "Come on now, tell me, what truth am I giving to you?"

 

[King Hastur]

"I guess you forgot our deal about you calling me a toy" Wrath said slowly shaking his head and the suddenly burst forward and wrapped his arms around Corliss in a uncomfortably tight bear hug, just as he promised he would. Truth be told some popcorn did sound great, something about salty snacks after a drink and a rant just seemed right.


"What truth huh?" He pondered allowed while still trapping Corliss. "Most information about you i can probably pry out of Hadrian. Guess the simple stuff will do, why are you doing what you are doing and what did you do to piss off the NA. Other than travelling with a Class 'S' traitor that is."

 

[BELL]

Clint walks the streets of London, his large sword sheathed and wrapped in bandages. His red coat, the edges riddled with bulletholes and torn from claws, doesn't have room to flow in the wind. Kaine, his wolf, walks beside him. People walk around the two, but the space they make isn't very big, it's impossible for a large gap to open up in crowded streets like these. Clint looks around, at all the machines, at all the people. He, like Wrath, doesn't officially exist. Few that try to survive in the abandoned areas do, whether they faked their deaths or just plain don't exist on any record, like Wrath, and himself. Clint had learned a bit of Wrath's story once, over a few drinks during winter. Clint keeps walking, looking for a certain building.

 

[Whale]

Marvin walked around to where she was brought. "Well hello? I'm here for the attack on australia it loops like!" She called, groveling in annoyance. "Why those stuck uo whippersnappers. They don't know when to help do they? Now where am I supposed to go?" She waddled down the halls holding her cane tightly. Marvin was ready to hit any kid that came looking for her.

 

[Aquaria Wolf]

"Ew, let me go." Corliss struggled against Wrath, pushing him off. She grabbed the popcorn and threw it at him. "There you go. All I did was do a few jobs for the NA, and then they decided that they couldn't let me live, shame too, they were good clients. I'm guessing they're hunting me now, which is why we're going to my place to crash for the next week or so. I'll have Hadrian leave a fake trail to Africa or something and they'll eventually give up on me." She sighed and continued pacing. "This is the first large scale disappearance I've done before."

 

[King Hastur]

Wrath smirked and caught some the popcorn Corliss had thrown his way before popping the kernels into his mouth. Corliss began to pace back and forth, though he was not sure why. Wrath had suspected as much that Corliss did not have a very deep connection to her employers but it was always good to know he would not have to watch her every move for betrayal.


"It's not very often a woman invites me to her place" Wrath said, trying to lighten the mood a little. "You look pretty good in a dress by the way. Doesn't really fit the image of 'you' that you have established though."

 

[Dolches]

Lilly had made it to a part of the Oceanic Alliance,she didn't know where,but she was there. She was looking for a spot land,but with no luck.

 

[Aquaria Wolf]

She impatiently waved her hand at him. "It's nothing, as my new toy you should get acquainted with us anyway. Dress?" She asked quizzically before looking at herself. "Ah, forgot about that. My image? I can fire a sniper rifle just as well in this as my usual outfit. Albeit, I hate wearing these things, so don't get used to it." Corliss finally quit pacing and threw herself into a chair. "I haven't had a proper job in over a month, and now I have to go on vacation. You better be a very interesting pet, or else I'll start to question whether or not this whole trip was worth it."

 

[King Hastur]

"Alright truth time for real" Wrath said, leaning back in his chair and balancing on the back two legs. He wondered how long it would take to get to her 'base' and what they could do. Now that the NAA knew where he was, or at least where he had been, they would be hunting him. Especially the president, once he found out he would scour the area. Wrath had worked had to make certain he left no trace for the first few years, then the scrutiny had died down. He had hoped the president had thought him eaten alive by monsters.


"Why do you keep on calling me your pet?" Wrath asked more out of curiosity than anger.

 

[Aquaria Wolf]

"That's what you are to me, a pet. Something that's fun to play with, but can be reckless and idiotic. You didn't want me to call you a toy, but isn't a pet just another type of toy?" She sighed and pointed out the window. "Look, the whole world is turning on each other in war, but the sea is relatively untouched." The scenery outside was really beautiful, the water was a sharp blue colour, and the reefs were covered in an assortment of underwater flora. Schools of shimmery fish past by the window, sharks and rays lazily skimmed the tops of reefs. "Toys, pets, humans, they're all the same to me really. Should I make you a collar?" Her question was genuine and she waited for his response, observing his reaction carefully, like a cat with a new plaything.

 

[Dolches]

Stanford looked around and saw Marvin,was this really who he was told to protect? He looked at the picture he was given,yep,perfect fit. He sighed as he walked towards her,his jobs were getting weirder and weirder every week.

 

[King Hastur]

Wrath snorted and looked out at the ocean. She did have a point about that. Humans did not really want to venture underwater despite most of the planet being covered by it. There are been attempts at colonizing cities under the ocean but Wrath had never heard of anything succeeding. Even using magic it was not a cost effective way to live and was far too vulnerable to attacks.


"One day I will change you. Just you watch" Wrath said as he stared out into the darkness where the running lights of Hadrian could not reach.

 

[Aquaria Wolf]

She frowned. "Why would you want to change me, I'm quite pleased with who I am now. Is that a no to the collar? I think you'd look quite nice in one." Corliss yawned and rested her head on her hand. Hadrian pulled up a map, with a bright blue light indicating where they were.


"We're still six hours until we've landed." Hadrian informed them.


Corliss sighed. "What do you do for fun? Besides steal things that is. Oh, I know, tell me about your magic, I want to know how that works. How much of your strength is magic? How about your skills in general, is that part of the genius gene or magic?"

 

[King Hastur]

"Augmentation. It's... unique" Wrath said and began to twiddle his thumbs. "There is magic that can enhance a person's strength or speed. That is not uncommon as far as magic users go, but the effect is fixed and finite. Mine can only be used on myself but it all... scales". Wrath cracked his knuckles, there were a lot of people out there who would love to have his magic but even after years of invasive... tests... from the NA alliance they could not replicate his ability.


"The stronger a person is, the stronger they will be with the spell. The faster they get and so on and so forth. It effects only my physical abilities so that is why i never bothered training myself with fire arms like certain fiery young women. So to answer your question, it is hard to say exactly how much of my strength is magic. It does allow me to do things a human could never normally do but no matter how well trained I am the human body is still not meant to use that much strength."