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February 10, 1998 |
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Hell’s Kitchen...…
Yosannah looks up at the clouded sky, "You sure it’s safe here?"
Torsus smiles and offers a willing hand, "Completely. Just don’t walk out here alone acting scared."
Yosannah hesitates and reaches for Torsus’ hand, "Acting…?" She pulls her jacket closer to her with her free hand.
Torsus grins, "Just keep out of those dark alleys there." He grins, "I’ll take you elsewhere, okay?"
Yosannah nods, "Yeah… I don’ t know how I ended up here, but let’s go."
They slip down an ally and through a hidden door into
The Shadow Syndicate…
Torsus walks in with Yosannah. Baron and Tarkus are present. He says to Tarkus. "lost and scared, would have died. God I’m a saint." He grins.
Yosannah looks around in interest, "Huh. Whodah thought this was all back here."
Tarkus slides an extremely large table forward, alone, toward the middle of the room. He looks irritated, but nods to Torsus and Yosannah.
Torsus turns to Baron, "Heya. I’d appreciate it if this woman got protection from the syndicate while she presides in Hell’s Kitchen.
Yosannah looks from one man to another.
Tarkus glances at Baron, apparently waiting.
Baron slides his gaze around the woman, nodding after his critique is done. He smiles faintly, "That can be done. What’s your name, miss?"
Yosannah bites at her lower lip, "Ah, Yosannah. Or just Yo… actually…"
Torsus grins, "Thanks Baron." He nods to Tarkus again, and takes a seat.
Baron nods again, tickling the air, "Would you be kind enough to step into my office, Yo." He turns without a response, "I’ll be out in a second, men."
Tarkus disappears in the main hall. He returns, carrying three chairs in either arm.
Yosannah glances at Tarkus in faint recognition, but then seems to brush the thought off.
Torsus give Baron a –look-, then nods, "Sure."
Tarkus grunts, then heads back toward the main hall, repeating the chair ritual.
Baron slips through a door, holding it open for Yosannah.
Baron’s office…
Yosannah glances around the office as Baron pads around his desk, dropping himself in his seat. He punches a few keys on his keyboard, letting his gaze run to the woman, "Alright, Yosannah, what is it that you desire – need?"
Through the one-way mirror, Dalin is seen entering from the main hall.
Yosannah seems puzzled, "Nothing, really. I ah. I just got lost in the alleyway…"
Baron lets a chuckle rumble his lips, "That Torsus can be protective. What are you doing in the City? They way Torsus said ‘while she’s here’ made be believe that you’re not from around here."
Through the one-way mirror, Dalin tucks his hands into his coat pockets, "Lo, Tarkus," he offers upon spotting the large man, "feeling any better."
Yosannah nods and removes her jacket, "No. I think I wandered into the wrong shadow."
Baron bobs his head, "Ahh. Alright, you know about shadow. Where are you from?"
Yosannah seems skeptical, "Why? Is there a problem?"
Baron chuckles gain, tossing his feet atop his desk, "Not at all. But, sounds as if you want to get back home. Perhaps I can help.
Through the one-way mirror, Tarkus nods, "Aside from nearing the limits of my endurance, yes. I don’t mix with wounds well, so the tend to pack up and leave."
Yosannah gazes at the activity through the mirror, "I’m from the Sun."
Baron asks, "Would that be where Stone lives?"
Yosannah nods hesitantly, "Yeah. And I’m wondering if that’s a good thing or a bad thing."
Through the one-way mirror, Dalin asks, "Anything else wrong."
Through the one-way mirror, Tarkus hmmms, "The thought of the struggle I’m about to gothrough for relatively nothing doesn’t fucking brighten my day." He sighs, "I need a drink."
Baron nods, "He’s a friend."
Through the one-way mirror, Stone arrives from the main hall.
Baron glances through the mirror, "Speak of the devil."
Yosannah seems relieved, "I can’t believe Stoner never told me about this place."
Baron slides his gaze along her stare, "I don’t like people knowing about this place."
Yosannah shrugs and continues to watch out the one way mirror, "Secret," She laughs nervously, "You’re not going to kill me or something, right?"
Baron laughs at her, "Of course not. Just don’t go blabbing the locale around, eh?"
Through the one way mirror Tarkus turns to Stone, "Glad to see you could make it, Stone."
Through the one way mirror Stone nods and looks at Dalin, "Do I know him?" he asks Tarkus.
Through the one way mirror Tarkus shrugs, "I don’t know. Say… you wouldn’t happen to have a drink on you, would you?"
Through the one way mirror, Stone reaches into his pocket, "Spare Diet Coke, that’s about it.
Why?"
Through the one way mirror, Tarkus replies, "I need something to calm me down."
Through the one way mirror, Stone says, "I don’t think you want a Diet Coke then. Things that bad?"
Yosannah motions toward Tarkus, "I met him once you know."
Baron says, "Oh? Good man, good man."
Through the one way mirror, Tarkus releases a slight chuckle, "Well, we’re a little more than outnumbered, and I haven’t been able to get much sleep lately. Along with that, folks in the World’s End must have labeled me a fun target to shoot, because I’m getting torn up every time I go in there it seems, and I no longer even have to /seem/ like I’m getting involved. My mother in shadow always told me I was special. Guess so."
Baron asks, "Would you like to go out there?"
Yosannah shrugs, "I guess, last time I saw him, someone had knocked the crap out of him… It looks like I’ be interrupting something though…"
Through the one way mirror, Stone asks, "By when?"
Baron stands and Yosannah gathers up her jacket.
Through the one way mirror, Tarkus shrugs again, "As soon as possible? The Japanese have already reached the western coast and claimed the defensive stations there. I don’t know how long before they begin moving again in our direction.
Baron and Yosannah enter the dojo where the others are conversing.
Stone says, "I got two words. Primal Chaos." He then glances over at the newcomers, "Hey, Yo. Not-Yo."
Baron says, "Hey… Not-Yo, too."
Dalin smirks, commenting, "Was thinking of the same thing."
Tarkus asks, "Just how am I going to summon Primal Chaos? I’ve hardly /heard/ of it, let alone seen it, or tried it."
Yosannah crosses her arms after putting on her jacket.
Stone replies, "Primal Chaos is ugly. Probably rip up most of the shadow too."
Tarkus nods, "That’d be a no no. I’m going to release a biological weapon on the Japanese fleet after the troops move away, then confront them head on, with troops I have hidden and waiting." He snorts at himself, "That’s my plan."
Baron hmms, then starts his stride again. He moves to Dalin’s side, leaning against the wall. He tucks his arms together, over his chest, leaning to whisper to him.
Yosannah pulls her hair out from under her jacket and inches her way towards Stone.
Stone asks Tarkus, "How many troops would make a difference?"
Tarkus leans back more, lifting his char into its hind two legs. He says, "Depends on the quality really. If they were skilled and the like, another couple thousand would reach a zone of comfort."
Stone looks at Yosannah, "Gonna help them beat up on the Japanese?"
Yosannah humph’s, "I happen to like Japanese…"
Tarkus comments, "They happen to be attacking."
Yosannah glares at Tarkus, "I don’t suppose they have a reason now, do they?"
Stone grins slightly at Yosannah.
Tarkus nods, "They’re greedy, and they want something here."
Yosannah raises an eyebrow, "Oh? Are they the ones who keep knocking the crap out of you? Every time I see you, you look worse and worse."
Tarkus says, "That can be attributed to my lack of sleep, which is due to my running all over hell to set up some sort of defense to keep this city in one piece. Or, if you’re referring to the trouble that seems to sniff me out in the World’s End, I have nothing to do with it."
Stone shrugs, "So, don’t go there."
Yosannah shrugs, "Hey, whatever…"
Tarkus replies to Stone, "I can’t get a fast, free drink anywhere else, and sometimes, somehow, I manage to go in and out without being harmed."
Stone smirks, "Ryker’s bar won’t serve you for free?" Cheap bastard."
Tarkus says, "I’ve left part of myself there every time I have gone. My ratio of harmed to unharmed is better at the World’s End."
Yosannah chuckles as she kicks her heal into the ground.
Stone heh’s, "You just need to strike fear instead of hatred."
Yosannah looks up at Stone and rolls her eyes.
Tarkus says, "Revlos told me the same thing. I remember thinking that as I made an attempt at achieving such and was shot in the back, numerous times."
Stone tells Tarkus, "Well, after this is all over, I’ll give you lessons or something."
Tarkus sits at the far end of the large table in the middle of the room looking irritated and exhausted. He asks Stone, "Lessons on what?"
Stone says, "Not getting beaten up."
Yosannah smiles knowingly at Stone and nods her head.
Tarkus says, "Just how do you teach that?"
Stone shrugs, "How should I know? But I could try."
Dalin asks Tarkus as he nods at Stone, "So, is he one of us too?"
Tarkus glances at Dalin, "No, a friend though."
Yosannah yawns and reaches into her jacket pocket, pulling out a pack of gum."
Dalin nods, tucking his hands in his coat’s pockets. "Good." To stone he asks, "Hey, you got a name?"
Tarkus repeats, "His name is Stone."
Stone looks at Dalin. "And you’re Dalin of Helgram. What are you doing helping out here?"
Yosannah pops a stick of gum in her mouth and then offers one to Stone as he talks to Dalin.
Dalin smiles a bit, "You can find the strangest people here. Guess we all got our reasons."
Stone takes the stick of gum with a nod and a smile to Yosannah and starts to unwrap it. He says to Dalin, "Heard you were a liar and a spy. Plan on screwing over my buddy Tarkus here?"
Dalin smirks, "Interesting rumors, Stone. I’m curious as to their source?"
Tarkus watches Dalin, seemingly interested.
Stone smiles as he pops the gum in his mouth, pocketing the wrapper, "I’m sure. Anyway, if you are thinking of messing with Tarkus, don’t I have investments here."
Dalin squints at Stone, still looking rather surprised. He glances at Tarkus, "You sure your friend here is really sane?"
Tarkus nods to Dalin, "Positive."
Stone asks, "By the way, Dalin. You seen Phillip lately?"
Dalin’s gaze returns to Stone, and he shrugs, "Yeah, I see Phil every now and then."
Stone says, "If you do before I do, tell him Stone wants to bend his ear a bit about assassinations and other fun things. He’s the one person who came up with a want that I couldn’t satisfy within the prerequisite time. I’ve always been impressed by that."
Yosannah rolls her eyes and tugs at Stone’s jacket."
Stone chews his gum and then looks at Yosannah, "Mmm?"
Yosannah leans toward stone and mumbles, "Get me out of here, this is a bore."
Dalin smirks, "He’s at Helgram quite often. I’ve even heard he was sleeping there, but as we know, one should never believe the rumors."
Stone gives a vague nod to Dalin as if not quite listening to him. He then says to Yosannah, "Soon." He finally looks at Tarkus, "A thousand trained troops you said?"
Tarkus nods, "If that’s possible, yes."
Yosannah crosses her arms and cracks a bubble in Stone’s direction.
Stone says, "Trained in what? Leningrad style combat?"
Tarkus hmms, thinking, Then, he says, "Actually, trained in guerrilla warfare would be more valuable, as I’d like to stop the Japanese well out in the desert to the west of this city."
Stone nods and thinks, "Well, the Sun’s been a bit short of mercenaries lately. I think the aliens are stealing ‘em." He looks at Yosannah, "You been probed by aliens recently. Y’know. Greys."
Baron laughs, hearing stone. He shoots Tarkus a look, arching a brow.
Yosannah simply sighs.
Stone explains to Yosannah, "C’mon. We have to save these nice people. Besides, I’ve invested money here. Going to release movies here too. And I don’t want to have to add Japanese subtitles."
Yosannah offers, "I know some very cool movies with Japanese subtitles… ‘Sides, don’t you think we should take are of stuff at home before you dump money into this hole?"
Stone says to Yosannah, "Like what? Home stuff is all fine and dandy. Anyone discovered a super energy source in the Sun, it’d be warehoused and they’d be shot within twenty-four hours."
Yosannah okays and pops her gum.
Dalin looks over at Baron, "How many Japs?"
Stone looks back at Tarkus, "And what do you have to pay them?"
Tarkus says, "Diamonds enough to fill their panties."
Baron laughs at Tarkus, replying to Dalin, "Too many."
Richard lights a cigarette, "Do we have an estimate of what would be the primary targets of the Japs in Hell?"
Yosannah studies Richard as he has been silent until this point.
Tarkus says, "They’re after a stone they’re calling amecite."
Richard nods, but doesn’t look satisfied, "A stone. Ya mean they’re after some chunk of rock?"
Tarkus says, "A chunk of rock that could, apparently, offer a leaner, more efficient, and more readily obtained source of energy than anything else on this planet."
Stone tells Tarkus, "Been doing some mental figuring. If you give me a week and an orientation squad, I can have a thousand men for you. They’d be trumping in one at a time, which would be a hassle, but workable if you were ready for them."
Tarkus nods, "Orientation squad? That could be ready in ten minutes."
Stone looks at Yosannah, "See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?"
Yosannah shrugs, "I guess, Can we get out of here now,"
Tarkus nods at Stone, "Do you have a way to contact me when you know what you can bring?"
Stone takes a trump from his jacket, "Let me drop Yo off, Tarkus, and then I’ll be back in a bit."
Yosannah mumbles, "Thank god."
Tarkus nods, "Sure thing."
Stone takes Yosannah’s hand…
Banished Sun, Darkened Forests…...
Stone gestures, "How’s this."
Yosannah brushes off her jacket, "Fine. Thanks. You going back to that place?"
Stone nods "Have to save the world, you know how it is when you’re the idol of millions."
Yosannah shrugs, "Yeah, yeah." She whaps him on the shoulder, "Get outtah here."
Stone hehs and takes out a trump "Be seeing you…"
Yosannah backs away and watches as Stone vanishes in a rainbow sparkle…