Central Park

[Yolanda Riona]

Posted by GUN on Mar. 31 2008,23:45
A long column of military and civilian vehicles started pouring into Station Square about mid-day in Station Square. The convoy which had escaped the carnage in Capitol City had traveled all through the night. And only stopped once when refueling trucks arrived to top off the gas guzzling military vehicles. But other then that they'd traveled all through the night.

By now, the rumours of the total annihilation of Bradford Airbase had filtered through the ranks of soldiers and civilians alike. And now, many of the troops were highly demoralized by this terrible news. Many believed only a miracle could save them now. And many of the civilians were clinging to the hope that Sonic the Hedgehog would save them. For others there was no console. They'd lost everything back in Capitol. And now, reports of the similar attack on Radical seemed to further dismay them.

At the heart of Station Square's Central Park. GUN had set up a temporary military mustering area. One half of the park was literally littered with troops, tanks and other vehicles. The other was a sort of refugee camp. It was primarily a place where those who had escaped could come to get food, water, some rest even. But mostly it the military was frantically sending swarms of bus loads of civilians out of the city, sending them to outlying areas that would be of less prime tactical value. GUN wanted to evacuate all of the civilian population so that if the enemy just decided to obliterate the city like they had Bradford, there would at least be no civilian deaths.

On the outskirts of the city, enormous lines of GUN anti-air missile batteries were being hastily erected and camouflaged to better give the enemy the illusion this city was similarly undefended. Heavy lifting VTOL aircraft were placing missile and heavy gun batteries onto the roof tops as well and temporary enclosures erected around them make them appear like extra ventilation systems. Infantry, tanks, sniper, every defense GUN tried to set up was made to make it appear they weren't there at all.
Posted by Samuel Fence on Apr. 03 2008,15:32
Fence Arms had been working overnight too. By the time the Radical City survivors arrived at Station Square, they’d notice that every single billboard along the major highways featured Fence Arms advertisements. Many looked to have been hastily pasted on. Sections of the paper billboard ads flapped in the wind, like the worker hadn't had enough time to properly apply the glue. Even more surprisingly, these ads would have had to have been created within just the last 24 hours, because they made reference to the alien invasion.

"Protect your loved ones from the alien menace with a load of buckshot! Buy the new Fence Arms X47 Shotgun today!"

"Send them home deaf with the LD32 Screamer pistol! Available now from Fence Arms!"

"Need some self defense from our uninvited guests? Genuine Fence Arms weapons and ammunition on sale at premium prices throughout the city!"

Seemed that after Fence Arms got word of survivors evacuating Radical, they'd really twisted some wrists and bribed a bunch of folks to get this emergency ad campaign running in a hurry. Also, Fence Arms trucks were parked at locations throughout the city, rapidly selling weapons and ammo to anyone interested, even with the prices marked up 150% or more. In fact, a few trucks were set up just outside the GUN staging area in the park.
Posted by GUN on Apr. 03 2008,18:55
Well, considering that the military was now basically the acting law. Many of the Officers within GUN getting things organized immediately took a dislike to this rather under-handed business deal. ESPECIALLY for the sake they were bringing arms and ammunition here with thousands of panicked civilians.

They're job was to work with police in maintaining order and more importantly evacuating the city. With Fence trying to pawn off every pistol, shotgun and semi they could unload (completely disregarding all required firearms sales regulations) both the officers and police feared it was only a matter of time before someone started going on a rampage looting the city for all its worth. And whats more an armed civilian population was more inclined to stand their ground. And the military didn't want to have to worry about fighting alongside untrained, uncoordinated civilians, especially in how high their casualties would likely be. Plus, the police did not want so many weapons put out onto the street. It was a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Gang violence, armed robberies. No, this was not going to be allowed to happen.

So, while the police started cracking down on every single Fence truck selling off weapons and ammo and telling them to obey the standing evacuation order or suffer severe fines for disregarding all the weapon regulations, the military came along and 'confiscated' every round of ammo, rifle and shotgun they were carrying.

And quite frankly the military didn't really care if the vender's protested considering that this is a state of war, and they are authorized to take all measures necessary to to their job. At the same time, they also planned to make use of all that ammunition if needed. But, for now not a dime of money was exchanged. And if the dealers didn't like it, tough beans, this was the price of war. MAYBE, command would look into paying back for the gear they confiscated. But for now, they were taking what they needed.
Posted by Nail Strafer on Apr. 03 2008,19:11
Samuel anticipated the law wouldn't be real impressed with this maneuver, so he made sure to have his employees anticipate this.

As soon as the first truck was hit though, the other trucks began radioing each other on CB radios. As quickly as they'd set up shop, they started closing down. All the trucks that weren't busted yet beat a hasty retreat back to the Fence Arms factories.
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Apr. 05 2008,13:40
The steady hum of the engine was the first thing Jodie picked up as she slowly awoke. Her eyes remained closed a while yet, her mind still wallowing between dreams and reality. She noticed her head was rested against something scaly and solid and her eyes peeked open. Jodie's peered up to find Dromar sitting next to her. The anger he had shown prior had long since faded from his face though. He now appeared just as exhausted as the rest but alert. His eyes caught hers within seconds.

"So, ya finally awake, eh Jocie?"

Jodie just groaned. She removed her head from his shoulder, now resting it on the wall behind her.

"Slept through the night, you did. We're in Station Square now. Dun sound like we'll be here for long though."

Memories fluttered back to her of the other day: the festival, the attack, Rios..

"How is he?" she asked suddenly. It was the first thing she had said since what had happened the other day.

"Your brother? Fine, he is. Laurelle worked wonders. The other medics too."

Jodie slouched in her seat, relieved at least for the moment. Then her attention turned to the others.
Posted by Dan Dark on Apr. 05 2008,17:25
Dan has been slumped against the wall, arms crossed, head bowed slightly, listening to his mp3 player through a pair of "ear buds" (or whatever those things are called); noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, though, he sits up, pulling one of his ear buds loose as he does, and looks over towards Dromar and Jodie.

"Well.. you slept alright, eh?" He offers a weak smile. "Glad to see someone did."

He shrugs slightly as he finishes; by the way he still seems tired and only half-awake, it's clear he didn't sleep so well. Not that he hadn't tried to, though. After seeing that everyone was more or less out of it and trying to rest, he had decided to try to do likewise, but after a half hour or so of being unable to get comfortable, he gave up and decided to just listen to his mp3 player instead. He did eventually nod off then with it playing; which likely would have confused anyone close enough to have somehow heard the music that'd been playing at the time; it would seem at least half of the music on that mp3 player is either rock or metal of some sort. Nonetheless, though... He'd woken back up sometime in the early morning, still tired, but not enough so to actually be able to fall back asleep. And so he'd simply sat there, listening to his music, still musing over the events of the previous day.
Posted by Roberta Marigold on Apr. 08 2008,14:45
((I'm not starting with this character too early, am I? And am I starting in the right place?))

The wind tossed all-around GUN platoon leader Roberta Marigold's blond hair around. It would've been a pleasant day if not for the alien invasion. She was stationed at one of GUN's disguised missile batteries; she herself was dressed in a suit and tie like an innocent business-woman pausing to observe the view.

From there, Roberta watched as one soldier tore a Fence Arms poster off a wall. She had been unfond of Samuel Fence ever since she first saw their ads.

Ugh. I can't believe that in times of crisis like this, all that damn grizzly can think of is making a quick buck. One of these days I'd like to march into his office and give him a piece of my mind.
Posted by GUN on Apr. 15 2008,19:12
"Lieutenant." One GUN Sergeant shouted as he ran up behind Maria with a crisp salute. He was dressed still in his military green combat uniform with a standard full automatic machine gun hanging loosely across his chest. While some of the officers, like Roberta, had chosen to dress as civilians to keep the enemy from suspecting anything was up, most of the NCO's and grunts still bore their standard combat dress but were sticking to hidden locations like building interiors or foxholes. "Sounds like those Fence Arms vehicles are trying to make a quick get-away out of the city before we can confiscate their weapons and ammo. Should we halt those vehicles as they leave the city and force them to turn over their gear, or should we let them go?"

Meanwhile the vehicles that were carrying Joycelyne, Dan and the others would soon come to a halt just inside the park. Troops, officers, or NCO's most likely started coming around and one by one had the trucks, APC's and other vehicles disembark. The troops in the convoy followed orders given out by military police troops to head to the marshaling areas while others directed the civilians into the temporary refugee areas. There they'd be able to find a free, hot meal, medical attention and places to rest and sleep.
Posted by Roberta Marigold on Apr. 15 2008,20:31
Roberta turned her head to look at the sergeant that'd spoken to her.

"Let 'em go. They're the least of our worries, and we should concentrate our efforts on defending the city from more serious threats." Though I'm not entirely sure that alien invasions are more of a danger to the city than weaselly business practices...

...Fifty years ago, back when she was Maria, Roberta would never have thought she'd end up this serious and militaristic. The hands of fate certainly do make things interesting sometimes.

Shadow... I wonder... where are you right now? Will you help us like you did before? Will you fulfill the promise you made me all those years ago... once again?
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Apr. 15 2008,22:13
Jodie took a better look at the group sitting before her. Dan wasn't kidding, really. Most of them looked like they had seen better days. She stared a moment at a raccoon and his feline wife huddled together with their child and the reality of the situation finally sunk in. They were homeless. Capitol City had been overtaken and not even GUN could stop them. And what of Sonic?

As she pondered these thoughts, the truck lurched to a halt. Its back doors were instantly swung open. Brilliant morning daylight tore at her groggy irises and she squinted through it to see a few armed GUN soldiers hustling to get everyone out of the back. She grabbed her footlocker and did as she was told. Dromar remained behind with Riarios. He was last to get off, helping with the stretcher. Jodie almost protested when they abruptly went their separate ways, then noticed her guardian's cell phone drop from his pocket. She went to pick it up and hand it back to him, but by the time she'd reached it, he was gone.

Jodie, Laurelle, and Dan were soon after directed to a tent with the rest of the refugees in the truck. A ferret who looked to be in his early twenties instructed them to stay put there until further instructions were noted.

The vixen took a seat in a corner of the tent, looking uneasy at all the discouraged faces inside. She hated all the misery and just really wanted to get away from it all. Her stomach was still doing somersaults over her brother's injuries and the idea that their home was really gone only further caused her to despair. She turned Dromar's cell phone over and over in her hands, ignoring the other two for a moment. Just thinking...

And then it hit her. She flipped open the phone and skimmed through the saved numbers. Where was it...? What was his name? Gabe? No, no... It was-

Gail Strafer

Hitting the send button, she held it to an ear and waited as the phone began to ring...

Posted by Dan Dark on Apr. 16 2008,13:10
Dan quietly follows after Jodie and Laurelle into the tent, his hands buried in the pockets of his jacket, pulling it close about himself. Even for as quiet as he is normally, he seems subdued, and not just from the lack of sleep, clearly; it's an expression shared by many now in the wake of the events at Capitol City. He doesn't even seem to acknowledge the military ferret's instructions to them, although after a brief look around, he joins Jodie over in a corner of the tent. She seems distracted, and doesn't pay him much mind. ...Not that he could blame her. He was having a hard enough time trying to come to terms with what had happened himself, and he had only been a guest in that city, barely there more than a day, but.. Jodie.. she...

The fox shakes his head quietly, pondering.. What sort of person could willingly, knowingly, inflict such pain and suffering on so many lives? Civilians.. people just trying to go about their lives.. who'd posed no threat? GUN, sure.. He'd heard rumors of what had happened to Bradford Airbase... What had happened was awful, to be sure, but.. not that this made it somehow any less horrible, but.. it made sense, at least! It was a military base, after all, not a defenseless city...! A capitol or no, what sort of.. of monster, could..?

He sighs quietly, resignedly realizing that thinking about all of this, just getting himself upset.. it won't do any good. And so, he casts another glance about the tent. They have a couple tables set up with food available; nothing fancy, of course, probably just MREs, in fact. Which wouldn't actually be a bad thing; although he knew older concepts were said to be awful, the current iterations were supposed to be reasonably edible... Dan stares for a moment, considering. He doesn't have much of an appetite at the moment, though he knows it may be a good idea to try to eat something anyway...

Dan shrugs and shakes his head, smiling slightly, suddenly amused by how he's putting so much thought into whether or not to take just a mere couple steps; he probably could've gotten up, grabbed something, and sat back down already in the time he's taken now just thinking about it. And so, his mind apparently, finally, made up, he starts to stand up, and looks at Jodie again. He's thrown by the cell phone for a moment, not wanting to interrupt, but, seeing how she's not saying anything, he guesses whoever may be on the other end hasn't picked up yet, and decides to ask anyway, though trying to keep it quick.

"Hey, uh.. Jodie? I was gonna go over, look at the tables, grab.. something, to eat.. And, well.. If you'd like, I could grab something for you, as well, while I'm up there...?"

Posted by Laurelle on Apr. 19 2008,11:14
"That's a good idea Dan. Go fill up some plates. Thanks. We should all eat, life goes on you know guys, even if you don't know where it's going it still needs food." Laurelle seems tired but resiliantly positive. She's been taking shifts with the medics, and had remained behind a moment to check that she wouldn't be needed before heading to the civilian area with the others.

"So... better lay out the signal then. I guess. No rest for the wicked." She checks her medallion is showing and puts her bag down in front of her, pulling out a little medic banner and settles down to wait for people to come over.

*Sorry, I was checking in the croos country thread...*
Posted by GUN on Apr. 19 2008,18:46
[Meh, no worries, been there lost track of that... XD]

"Very well, Ma'am." The sgt. replied, saluting crisply. "One more thing, LT. Command wanted a sit-rep on the cities defenses. They want you to report to the CC tent in the park."

"Oh... by the way, Ma'am. That convoy of civilians that came in this morning; I heard a rumour come out of there. I guess a couple medics helped pull some guy out of a wrecked building with the help of a fur... a bushbaby or a lemur or something. By the sounds of it, this person seemed like some kind of civilian medic. Thing is, they think she was using some kind of magic mumbo jumbo or something. I personally don't really believe in that kind of stuff, but, with this fight coming up, we may just need all the medics we can get? It might be worth looking into it. I think the girl was at one of the refugee tents if your interested."
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Apr. 19 2008,22:05
Jodie nodded slightly towards Dan, but that was the only response she gave to him. It was apparent that whoever she was calling had picked up. She chattered away for a while, looking shocked and raising her voice on several occasions. When she finally hung up the phone, the vixen was quick to pull herself to her feet.

Her attention turned to Laurelle first who had just arrived back. Feeling she should at least fill in her newly acquainted friends to not be rude, Jodie finally spoke up.

"I was just checking up on some friends. One of them is missing, so I'm going to go look around and see if she's around here... and I was wondering if you and Dan when he gets back. If you two'd give me a hand."
Posted by Dan Dark on Apr. 20 2008,21:23
Dan nods in return to Jodie, acknowledging her response, but not wanting to interrupt her any further. He jumps slightly then as Laurelle chimes in, and offers an embarassed smile towards her.

"Oh, Laurelle? Of course! Sorry, didn't mean to be excluding you.. didn't see you came in.."

He seems to trail off and shifts awkwardly for a moment, before nodding again and heading off over to the tables. Despite the number of people present, there's not much in the way of lines, and what is present moves quickly; whether this is because of the effiency of the military's set-up, the overall atmosphere of loss and pain resulting in most people having little appetite, or, more likely, both, Dan doesn't actually bother to think about too long. Rather, he just gets into line, approaches the tables, and picks up two plates of food - to save time and help keep things flowing, different plates have already been prepared and set out. It's nothing fancy.. but it looks alright, at least.

Suddenly remembering he only has the two hands, and, not wanting to risk making a mess dropping anything, he decides to return to their seats then, figuring he'll make another trip to get drinks and something for himself. He arrives about as Jodie is finishing explaining to Laurelle about her call, and, though he doesn't catch all of it, he seems to have gotten the basic idea.

"Oh? What's this, now..?" Dan quickly glances around for a spot to set the plates down, and does, remaining standing himself, before looking back to Jodie, a bit concerned. "We're.. looking for someone?" He doesn't seem entirely sure, since he hadn't heard her clearly say as such, but guessed, basing it on how this was immediately after getting off the phone.. it seemed likely. Either way, though, he seems willing to help.
Posted by Roberta Marigold on Apr. 21 2008,05:11
((Log in, log out, log in, log out. I hate all the account-switching I have to do on SA sometimes.))

"Very well, I'll be right there." A sit-rep? There's been no sign of the Imperium so far, so what could there be to report on?

Roberta climbed down the fire escape of the building to reach the ground, and began walking towards the park.
Posted by Laurelle on Apr. 21 2008,16:11
"Ok, sure. Noone seems to be hurt right now, I guess everyone's been with the forces and had a medic in their truck. Let's get going. Who are we looking for? Fill us in. We can eat on the way, stretch our legs out a little." Laurelle flips the little banner back into her bag and stands up, ready to go. She accepts food from Dan and starts in on a sandwich.

Posted by Nail Strafer on Apr. 21 2008,17:44
[From Station Square Airport]

A taxi pulled up at a street bordering the camp. Gail and Carrie stepped out. The old wolf assessed the scene. Looked quite chaotic really. There were thousands of people here...many of them crying, or shouting, or whatever kind of anguish he could think of. It reminded him of the images he'd seen when Chaos destroyed this city two years ago. He didn't know how he was going to find Ayecaye in this mess, but he just had to try. It was all he could do. He began asking anyone who was near if they'd seen a young fox girl with a spiked band on her tail.
Posted by Dan Dark on Apr. 27 2008,13:41
(Okay.. it's been.. almost a week now? I know some people are going to be busy, of course, what with the spring semester finishing up, but.. Anyways, figured, what the hey, bug, see if I can get someone to respond... And, threw together a posting order.)

[Posting Order: GUN, Roberta, Jodie, Dan, Laurelle, Nail]

(This isn't necessarily final, though, and, honestly, I could see changes being made to simplify things - for instance, if everyone is going to be looking for Ayecaye, it might make more sense for Nail to post before the others. Likewise, GUN and Roberta could be switched, depending on circumstances. *shrugs*)
Posted by Roberta Marigold on May 01 2008,11:40
((...Are you sure it's my turn right now?))

Roberta finally arrived at the central park, discarding her business-woman's outfit at the gate on the way in. Locating the appropriate tent, Roberta stepped inside and sat down on a folding chair.
Posted by Josh Auckland on May 04 2008,15:35
[Don't mind if I hop in do ya?]

Josh was only half aware of how severe the situation was and seemed more interested in the science behind the situation than anything.

He had been taking one of his token morning strolls when the news of Capitol City had crested the news waves. Rather than being scared though he had almost drooled instead. Even now as he wandered through the refugee packed park he was rambling off number to himself in an excited tone.

"...with a theoretical weight of 17,000 tonnes that would mean they would have to produce a strong magnetic field to enable anti gravity flight. Unless they were using standard chemical propulsion for atmospheric lift and hovering...no...that would take thrust levels so great they'd need a fuel reserve larger than Capitol itself! Hmm...and that beam...it would have to exceed power levels exceeding standard beam technology in order to produce so much static backlash. Hmm...ooooh this is cool!"

Josh paused in mid step, looking up and glancing around. "Huh? Wait a minute...where am I? Am I lost? Wait, what do I mean am I lost? Wait...who is this I? Is I me?"

Pulling a slightly confused face for a moment he tapped the back of his head and frowned. Absently he looked at his hands, noticing the tag round his left wrist. "Oh yeah, I'm Josh, silly me!"

Posted by GUN on May 04 2008,21:15
"Lieutenant Marigold, come in, come in." Ushered a gruff looking bearded human bearing the rank insignia of a Colonel. He currently appeared rather occupied with a large map sprawled out on an equally large map in the center of the tent. "No, reposition the flak cannons here, and put the missile batteries here." he said to another officer beside him also looking over the maps.

"Lt." He said, addressing Roberta. "How are we looking out there? Defenses readied? How are your troops moral holding up?"
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on May 10 2008,13:17
[Sorry for the long wait, guys. Let's finally get things rolling again~ I'm going to make a time skip for our group, if none of you mind (it's been so long anyway).]

Between Jodie, Laurelle, and Dan, they covered most of Station Square's central park. She had made sure to brief them prior on both Ayecaye's and Gail's appearance should they run into one of them before her. The vixen imagined, however, that the old wolf was more likely looking for AyeCaye than them at the moment. Not that she'd blame him.

By the end of the search, they'd managed to unite with Gail, and, unexpectedly, Carrie. Still, his younger daughter was no where in sight. A sinking feeling started to fill the pit of Jodie's stomach as she gazed from one to another in hopelessness. If AyeCaye wasn't at the park or with her father, there was only one place left that she could be. She had a feeling Gail knew this as well.

And then she caught sight of them. Jodie hadn't seen them before since they'd been behind the two older furs. She looked at them curiously. Babysitting, were they? Gail certainly didn't seem to be a likely candidate for their father. Or perhaps they were Carrie's? She didn't ask.

Posted by Dan Dark on May 11 2008,22:19
If Dan had met Ayecaye before, even once, he probably would have little trouble recognizing her if she where there, but, just going off of a description, even with it being as accurate as the one Jodie provided, he couldn't help but wonder if he might have missed or somehow. Or hoped that were the case. Yet after reuniting with Jodie and Laurelle, and meeting up with Gail and Carrie, and seeing that they, too, had all met without success, as evidenced both by their expressions, and simply her absence, it is impossible not to start worrying, fearing the worst.

After a long moment's silence standing there, though, he frowns suddenly, as a thought crosses his mind.

"Is it possible she might have gotten out of the city another way..? With friends, maybe..?"

He speaks a bit slowly, and quieter than normal, clearly a bit uncertain, but trying to be hopeful, even though it's also clear he already realizes it's a long shot, at best.

His expression changes somewhat from worried to still obviously worried, but also a bit curious, upon taking notice of Gail's two younger companions. In the crowds, and the confusion of their searching, he hadn't realized they were with him.

"Oh? Um.. Gail? ... Who are your friends?" He looks towards the two, and smiles weakly as he does; given the current circumstances, the question is a bit off-topic, but, nonetheless, seeing as how they're with him, it would probably help to know who they are, at least.

[Edit: Last two 'paragraphs' added in, by request from Nail, to provide a way for Nail's kids to be brought into the topic - apparently they're with Gail, but.. he forgot to mention them originally. So.. yes. Retcon. XP;;]

Posted by Laurelle on May 12 2008,16:06
*here's the deal, I know it's me, but I'm on exams and I need to push up my average and I've been looking at this three times today and my brain is just fried. So move on without me, and I'll be back to normal soon. Sorry.*
Posted by Nail Strafer on May 13 2008,00:43
Gail blinked, then he looked down. He'd forgotten he had his grandchildren in tow completely...with how hard they'd been searching for Ayecaye. So, he softly smiled, and pushed them forward. "These are my grandchildren. Jodie...Dan...Laurelle...I'd like you to meet Cebran..." The young red boy fox waved, flashing a big smile. "...And Ellia..." Though none of them had ever met Nail before, if they had, they'd notice she appeared to look like a female version of Nail. Same gray fur color, plus the same yellow eyes. She smiled softly but otherwise didn't make any gesture.

"I'm glad to meet you, Mr. Dan!" Cebran said, holding his hand out for a handshake. Gail certainly was glad Cebran appeared to be eager to meet new people. With this new start in life, it would be a very helpful desire indeed. Ellia though seemed slightly shier, and more afraid. Was she fearful of this new world she was entering, after leaving F4?
Posted by Roberta Marigold on May 13 2008,04:15
Roberta crossed her arms, and then uncrossed them again.

"Everything is in top condition and we're ready for trouble, but there's no sign of the enemy yet."
Posted by GUN on May 13 2008,19:19
"Good." The Colonel replied with a grim, but wearily grim expression. "That has me worried. The enemy surely should have attacked us by now, keep up the assault while they still had the initiative. Now I'm concerned that they might be digging in at Capitol, expecting a prolonged campaign. We can't allow them to set up adequate defenses. Otherwise it will be all but impossible to stop them. Furthermore, if they're allowed enough time they might be able to make repairs to their damaged ships. We need to strike back. And soon. Command is already in the works for a counter-attack, and I'm told a Special Forces team is being readied as we speak. But what exactly they're planning is beyond me. Lt. I have an assignment for you. I need you to take a small recon force to Capitol. Assess the situation and be prepared to provide fire control for incoming far-support."

"I'm afraid we can't spare many soldiers for you on this mission, Lt. The colonel and myself have been ordered to maintain most or our forces here in case of enemy assault." The Major cut in. "We figure they'll be watching out for signs of a counter attack, so I suggest moving on foot to the city once you enter visual range."
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on May 15 2008,22:45
Jodie suppressed an annoyed groan. She'd never really liked cubs. Why did he have to bring them along? Wouldn't this just further complicate things? But as she mauled it over briefly in her mind, she quickly came to realize that he probably had a good reason for them to be with him. She nodded mildly towards Elia, seeing as Cebran already seemed caught up bugging poor Dan. Cebran, what an odd name, she thought to herself. Then shrugged. She'd heard of weirder ones. Who would name their kid Knuckles, after all?

"So, what are we going to do? I didn't spot AyeCaye anywhere. She could be back at Capitol for all we know. And if that's true, what are we gonna do about it?"
Posted by Dan Dark on May 18 2008,00:37
"And it's nice to meet you, too, Cebran."

Dan smiles politely as he reaches down to shake the younger fox's outstretched hand. It seems a little silly, maybe, but he seems good-natured about it, and genuinely a bit amused. He didn't always care for kids; he often hardly knows what to do or say around people his own age, let alone those not even more than half it, but, even so, there is just something about youth. The sometimes present childish innocence, or perhaps just knowing how they still have so many possibilities ahead of them still...

He stands back up, and, having heard Jodie's question, his smile fades as he turns back to her and Gail, replaced by once again by a look of worried concern, though it is now partly veiled - with the kids there, he almost automatically tries to downplay the situation, or, at least, conceal how serious it might truly be, so as to avoid worrying them.

"Well... She could still be there, yes.. but.. we don't know that. There is still a chance she might have gotten out.. isn't there?" He turns to address Gail directly now. "Do you have any way of trying to contact her, perhaps? With the state the city was in.. it.. might be a long shot.. I know... but, nonetheless, it could be worth checking, couldn't it? And.. even if we would have to go back.. we'd know she's okay, and have an idea where to start looking.. right?"
Posted by Nail Strafer on May 20 2008,20:10
All these questions... The temporary relaxation he'd felt in introducing his grandkids had just left him...replaced by that terror on what could have happened to Ayecaye. "I...don't know. She doesn't have a cell phone. I'll call the house, but I don't think she'd still be there..." Gail pulled out a cell phone and speed dialed his home phone number. The dial tone rang several times before the answering machine picked up.

"Hello, this is the Strafer residence. If you need to talk to Ayecaye, Carrie, Augustine, Spyke, or me, Gail, just leave a message at the dial tone. Thanks!"

Gail sighed. Well, it was worth a shot anyway. He hung up. "Nobody's there. Of course... Maybe we should just keep searching and see if we find her here. It's all we can really do. I'm not as young as I used to be. I'd think I'd just get captured myself if I went looking for her back home."
Posted by Roberta Marigold on May 21 2008,04:29
Roberta nodded.

"You can count on me, Colonel. When should I set out?"
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on May 25 2008,14:41
Jodie stood stock still for a moment, deep in thought. Her brows furrowed. Just keep looking in the park? They'd already spent at least an hour doing that. She'd asked around anywhere and everywhere she could have and she was sure the others had done the same. Of everyone she had questioned, no one had spotted a fox of her description. And how could they have missed her with that oversized spiked choker on her tail?

And now AyeCaye's own father was just going to give up on her if she was back at the city? Just what was he thinking? Was everyone's fathers as careless as Gail? Even if he had a valid point, she'd always thought a family as close as they appeared to be would give it their all to keep each other safe.

"Then I'll go."

She said it softly. Then looked over at the others.

"I'm not going to leave anyone behind like that. I'd regret it for the rest of my life. Even if she..."

She paused.

"We have to try though. So, just tell me where and I'll set off."

If Jodie knew she sounded crazy then, she sure didn't show it.
Posted by Dan Dark on May 25 2008,21:29
Dan looks over at Jodie quietly, more inquisitive than surprised, oddly enough, then nods his head slightly, lost in thought. He realizes it should sound insane.. But... His hand drops to his side and gently brushes the revolver holstered there, whilst he goes over options in his mind, and after a moment, he looks up again and nods firmly.

"I'll go with you."

A pause.

"You're right. We have to at least try. So long as there's some chance.."

He pauses again, and looks directly at Jodie.

"I'm going along. I don't know if my presence will make any difference in finding her, the overall outcome of this.. but if things would go badly, and I wasn't there, when I could have been..? I realize whether or not I'm there might make no difference in what happens.. but there's no way of knowing. And I'd never be able to forgive myself if I chickened out now, and things went wrong, when I might have been able to make a difference.."

"Also.." He offers a weak smile. "I'm going to be worried either way.. might as well try to do something about it." A small grin starts to form at this point, as he's about to make an attempt at humor to lighten the situation slightly, but it falters, as he realizes it may actually be a serious issue. "And.. I think I might actually be better off going along with you, than staying here, and.. having to try to explain to Dromar..."
Posted by Jet the Hawk on May 26 2008,00:31
[from Escaping Capitol]

Jet and Manic blasted into Station Square, leaving the supersonic Gravity Dive just outside the city limits with a resounding sonic boom. Jet steered them into the city, going at an even pace of about 150 mph, high above the ground so as not to hit anything. As they approached Central Park, Jet noticed an enourmous amount of activity. GUN troops seemed to be everywhere. "I hope they don't try to shoot us down," Jet said to Manic.

Luckily, it appeared as though there were no aliens here yet, and the aliens hadn't followed them. As long as they had no problems with GUN, they were safe, for the time being. Jet looked around for a medical facility to treat his injured leg or a pawn shop to sell his stolen alien blade at. "Hmm... I'll leave it up to you, Manic," he said, removing his riding goggles to get a better look at things. "Should we go for a medic first, or try to sell the sword?"

He continued to circle for a couple of passes, then began to decend slowly, watching and ready to move fast if GUN fired on them or somthing.
Posted by Laurelle on May 26 2008,02:19
"Well, if you find her, and maybe if you don't you're going to need a medic on the team. So that makes three of us. We always got taught that if there was a chance, and no immediate danger to ourselves, it was our duty to take it. So, let's go."

*Sorry for another epic level fail post, felt you needed some opinion from me at least, last exam tomorrow. Been ill as well though...*

Posted by Nail Strafer on May 26 2008,10:27
Gail's eyes popped wide open. "You three are going in there? Are you crazy?" Then again, he felt a pang of shame. They were willing to save his daughter, but he wasn't? When she was his own blood? "I'd like to go...but who would look after Cebran and Ellia?" He hastily added the last bit on. He couldn't believe he was saying this though. Seemed like a rather incredible thing for him to do...to just leave behind Ayecaye...

But something did bring him back down to earth, from the heroics. "But how do we know Ayecaye is there? What if she didn't get on a bus with the other civilians? What if she took off running towards a different city?" Wait... What time did the attack occur? "The attack occured around midday, yesterday, right? That means Ayecaye was most likely at school...which is near the middle of the city. So, she'd have a very hard time escaping. Maybe it is likely she didn't get out..."

"In any case...if we want to start a search, the best place would be near her school." He let out a little sigh at that idea. Like he said, it was near the middle of the city. That meant they'd have a lot of defenses to get past....

"Hey...wait a second." He whipped out his cell phone, and dialed Nail's number. His son picked up in about two rings.

"Uh...kind of busy right now dad..." he said, obviously using caller ID to identify him.

"What? Did you get that chaos emerald?"

"Yeah...we got it. Joseph's down for the count. I shot him in the shoulder, same place you did."

That made Gail burst out laughing. "I guess he's got the Strafer curse right now, eh? Maybe Cebran could shoot him in the shoulder next."

Cebran's eyes shot up at that comment.

"Anyway...as soon as Mack gets here, we're going to try to get this emerald to GUN, so they can get the emerald to Sonic."

"Really? Well, I heard rumors that there's a big commotion in Capitol City right now. Maybe he caused it? Anyway, I've got a group of people who's about to go there right now. Ayecaye isn't here at the refugee camp...so we think she might be there in Capitol still..."

"WHAT?! Goddamnit... Well, anyway, I think I'd like to join this group too. She's my little sister after all. I'll come too after I give the emerald to GUN."

Gail grinned. "Sounds good to me son, I have to look after your kids anyway."

"See you in a few hours then."

Nail hung up, and Gail turned to face this new rescue party. "You may want to hold on. I think my son, Augustine would like to join you. But don't call him that. Everyone refers to him by his nickame Nail. Anyway, he should be here in a few hours time, if you're willing to wait."

Posted by Manic the Hedgehog on May 26 2008,11:09
Although he be a thief, Manic was more concerned about Jet's foot than the loot they'd get for the sword.

"Let's find a medical center pal. That foot looks awful!"

Manic was shaking, but not as much as last time. He was getting used to the Gravity Dive.
Posted by Roberta Marigold on Jun. 01 2008,13:38
((Are you sure it's my turn?))

"As soon as you can."

"Very well, you can count on me."

As Roberta left the tent, she let herself get lost in thought.

The situation at Capitol is very grave, I suppose. We don't get a lot of alien invaders. I hope we can-

Roberta's thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she tripped over something and nearly fell flat on her face.

"Whoa!" Aargh... I've gotta watch where I step.
Posted by Links Prower on Jun. 02 2008,15:00
[Forget Josh. XD]
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Jun. 04 2008,17:17
Although Jodie wasn't one to eavesdrop on someone's phone conversation, Gail hadn't made much effort to avoid it. Add in the factor that he'd mentioned a "chaos emerald" and his son apparently shooting someone, the vixen had a bad feeling about just what she was getting herself into, joining up with Nail. Sure, she cared about AyeCaye, but there had always been a sort of mysterious air coming from the Strafers, like they had been hiding something.

"Alright, what's this all about? A chaos emerald? Why in whatever god's name would he have one? And what's this about shooting someone?"

She folded her arms with a grim frown on her face, brows arched. Perhaps it would have looked more intimidating had she not been half the size of Gail, but regardless, it was obvious Jodie wasn't pleased by all this sudden swamping of new information.
Posted by Dan Dark on Jun. 04 2008,22:12
Dan crosses his arms similarly, and frowns, though for a different reason, apparently - he seems to just be thinking over everything that's just been said. Jodie had a point.. How the heck did they just happen to have a Chaos Emerald? It'd be a plus if they could get it to Sonic, or at least GUN, but, even so.. it'd complicate matters... Perhaps more importantly, though.. this Nail person... The fact that it sounded like he'd gotten into a fight of some sort did strike the fox as a bit suspicious, but, not necessarily a bad thing; it also sounded like he'd come out of it alright, and, considering what they were talking about trying to do, having someone with some sort of experience along wouldn't be a bad thing... But...

He looks back up, and directly towards Gail. "A few hours..? I know we could use the help, but it's been the better part of a day already.. it'll take a while to get back there... Do we really have time to be waiting around?"
Posted by Jet the Hawk on Jun. 04 2008,22:29
Getting no resistance from GUN, Jet glided down to the ground, landing near the nearest medical tent. He dismounted, and when Manic had dismounted as well he propped his EX Gear against the side of the tent, then he limped in. The medics quickly took him to an empty bed and got to work.

Not long after, Jet walked out of the tent, still with a slight limp, but much improved on before. His leg had been treated with aneseptic, stitched, bandaged, and placed in a splint for good measure. "There you go, Manic," he said as he left the tent. "I'm all patched up and ready to go." He pulled out the stolen sword and flipped it in the air before catching it again. "Now how about we cash in on this sword, then try and find you an Extreme Gear, eh?"
Posted by Manic the Hedgehog on Jun. 07 2008,14:02
Manic took out the Infinity Cube from his vest pocket and glanced at it.

"Yeah, I have a few things in here I need to rid of anyway!"

He grabbed Jet's Extreme Gear and handed it to him.

"But are ya sure you can board in that condition?"
Posted by Laurelle on Jun. 08 2008,12:20
*Okies, I'm all back and ready to go!*

"Hey guys, cool it! We're in it to look for his daughter, yes? And that's what we're going to do. Not meddle in family business. I admit I'm curious, but we jumped into their ship not them into ours. It's his little girl, and he must be worried, but if there's something we need or someone we should wait for, then we should follow his lead. Unless you suggest we split up?"

This last comment Laurelle says in a wry tone, to lighten the situation. Truth to tell, she's a little concerned by the fox's blithe conversation in so public a place, but since she'd been swamped by the children she didn't want to worry them. Seeing as how they were about the same size, Laurelle had always been the subject of a lot of attention from children, and luckily she enjoyed their company. Through the conversation she'd been quietly chatting to them, keeping them distracted, but now, sensing that they might pick up negative vibes and become concerned, especially with talk of shootings, she steps in. To mediate. As always!
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 08 2008,12:26
Gail's eyes widened at the sudden flurry of questions. He knew his son was a good kid, but he supposed that conversation he'd just had with him on the phone sounded rather...suspect. Gail and Nail had spoken to each other about topics like that so casually that he hadn't even thought of what the others might think. Thinking on his feet...he decided to phrase the events in a way that made Nail look like a good guy. "Well Jodie...the Joseph I was talking about was Joseph Hitomi, a legendary thief. And he was trying to make off with a Chaos Emerald. My son's been tracking him for a while, and it sounds like he finally caught him and got the emerald. He's a...mercenary, you see..."

---

In the meantime, Nail had been scanning the crowd, looking for familiar faces, when he spotted Gail over there, talking to three people. A purple fox, a blue fox, and a....bush baby? Well, okay. Maybe this was the party he was going with. All of them looked like civilians though. Well, he too was a civilian technically, but he had combat experience. In any case, he strode over, unaware of the argument that they were having over his trustworthiness.

"Hi dad...are these the people I'm working with?" He scanned the group again...and felt a pang of confusion when he noticed their expressions.

"Oh...uh...hi Augustine." His dad looked kind of awkward.

Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Jun. 08 2008,15:28
Jodie eyed him suspiciously a moment longer. Anything to do with chaos emeralds was leery in her book. And he was a mercenary on top of that? Laurelle had raised a point though, so she backed off at least for the time being. Fortunately for Gail, that was around the same time Nail had made his entrance. She glanced at him, quickly noticing the resemblance between father and son.

Even without the old wolf speaking a word, there was no doubt in her mind that it was none other than Augustine. Or Nail. While she had found his nickname peculiar earlier, the occupation Gail had mentioned offered a good reason for him to have obtained it at some point. In the back of her mind, she wondered just how seasoned of a shot he was or if it was all talk. Then again, anything involving a chaos emerald had to be dangerous... and it looked like he'd gotten through it in one piece.

It was around then that she realized how pathetic the group probably looked to him: a ragtag team of recently acquainted friends off to save a teenager from the "aliens". She rolled her eyes, trying to ignore that fact though. Whoever they were, they had invaded and destroyed her home, hurt her brother, and wrecked hell on everyone else in the vicinity. Sure, she had run away. Who wouldn't in such a circumstance? But with a friend in need in the middle of the carnage, she wouldn't leave Ayecaye behind. None the less, in her frustrated state of mind, she took Nail's tone of voice as condescending.

"You have a problem with that? You should just be happy we all want to go out of our way and help your sister."
Posted by Spaz on Jun. 08 2008,21:23
The sun isn't too bright but Spaz still wears his sunglasses proudly. He was walking without any company amongst the crowds of Central Park. People hummed in their own personal conversations all around him. He made stride amongst the groups of people, juggling a few rocks he had picked up. The city was hyped up, and he enjoyed the energy.

Spaz kept juggling until someone threw a quarter at him. Thinking it better to stop, something caught his eye. It was a purple fox with multi-colored hair. However, it wasn't really her that grabbed his attention but her pants; They were cool. They were black and white like a checkerboard. She looked occupied, but he didn't seem to particularly care. He walks up to her and says "Do you want to play checkers?"
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Jun. 08 2008,21:40
[Not to stick it to you or something, but I get the impression that you're a little uninformed about what's going on in Station Square. Currently, it's under martial law by GUN because of all the recent attacks on the other cities. In short, there's a lot of civillians in medical tents and all that jazz and lots of people running around in uniform. It's not exactly your every day Station Square. XD; ]
Posted by Spaz on Jun. 08 2008,22:00
(Spaz could stroll casually through a battle field. He lets everything roll off his shoulders. I'd even go as far to say he likes all of the action, just as long as he isn't in it.)

Posted by Dan Dark on Jun. 08 2008,22:16
Dan, on the other hand, jumps slightly at Nail's sudden appearance, and stares at him quizzically for a moment, before pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, glancing at the clock, pocketing it again, then looking back and forth between Gail and Nail, clearly a bit confused.

"..... That was.. fast... I thought you said a couple hours..?" He blinks slowly a couple times, confused... and then a cat randomly walks up and tries to ask Jodie to play.. checkers? Dan just stares at this point, confused beyond the point of being able to form cohesive sentences, and so makes no further attempt to add anything for the moment.
Posted by Laurelle on Jun. 09 2008,04:13
"Well, none of you wanted a delay. Lets get moving. I'm sure all the very reasonable explanations will present themselves along the way."

Laurelle says calmly and starts preparing herself to leave.
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 09 2008,18:17
Nail raised an eyebrow at Jodie's words. "Jesus woman...I only asked if you were coming. But okay...I'll show a little more respect from now on. In any case, we can have our introductions while we're on the way there. I want to get there, right now."

He gave a glare at the cat who'd randomly walked up and asked to play checkers. "Games? This is no time for games. Can't you see what's going on around here?" He waved his arms at all of the distraught civilians and military presence. "Maybe you should think about what you're going to do if the aliens attack here too."

He turned back to his party. "Come on guys. Let's go. I have a car waiting on us." And then he turned back to Gail. "Look after the kids, okay dad?"

"Sure son," Gail nodded. "Just come home safe, all right? And bring back Ayecaye."

"We will." Nail was already walking away and chatting on the radio. "Uh...Cammy...get the car ready, will you? I've got our attack team now..."

[To Ride to Capitol, Cross Country.]
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Jun. 09 2008,18:47
The vixen backed off after Nail's comment. He had been gruff about what she'd said, but then Jodie supposed she wouldn't blame him. In fact, she was surprised how well he'd taken it. Jodie had the impression that he would have flipped out. While she was deciding to speak up again, someone stepped up to her.

Jodie blinked. Then blinked again. A cat stood before her now, asking her the most absurd and out of the blue question she'd ever heard. She would have thought he was being smart had it not for the way he carried himself and his tone of voice. He was dead serious. The vixen stood there, at a loss of what to say at first before composing herself.

She was coming to realize just how pissy she'd been lately. It was very unlike her. The vixen never thought herself as being someone that seemed to have PMS every few hours. Slowly slipping a hand down her face, she sighed and mumbled calmly.

"Sorry, but this is jus' a really bad time. In fact, I'm heading out now and... Yeah, I have to go. I'm sorry."

She glanced briefly at Gail and tried to smile, despite her weariness.

"We'll find Ayecaye and get back here, pronto. If you see Dromar, tell him I just went to catch some z's. He'd never agree to this, but... I have to grow up at some point."

With that, she headed after Nail. While not as small as Laurelle, her pint size compared with Nail might have made her look a little silly following him.

[Ditto.]
Posted by Spaz on Jun. 09 2008,19:18
Spaz yells after them smiling, "Psh, Aliens, all you gotta do is sneeze on them. Just don't bend over, those dudes are crazy with their probes."

Still smirking, Spaz goes back to juggling rocks.
Posted by Dan Dark on Jun. 09 2008,19:23
The blue fox, though, still has nothing to add to the conversation, which is perhaps just as well. He got the impression that things had already calmed down, due to the urgency of their mission, but, even so, he'd rather not risk making things worse. Or.. either way, he can't think of anything.

And so, he offers the kids a friendly smile, hopefully a reassuring look, a polite nod towards Gail, an apologetic shrug towards the cat with bad timing, and then quietly follows after Nail.

Walking away, he catches the cat's comment, and can't help but grin slightly and shake his head.

'Somebody's watched a couple too many movies, eh? Heh... ...'Course, it's not like I'm one to talk...'

He shrugs slightly, and continues on after Nail and Jodie.

[Yep. Following them two.]
Posted by Jet the Hawk on Jun. 09 2008,22:58
(Well, at least it won't be so confusing now that a bunch of people have left. Let's get on with our plot then, eh Manic?)

Jet laughed and took the board. "Don't worry about me, I got here on this leg, didn't I?" He chuckled again and shook his head. "No, I'd be more worried about you riding. Riding is in my blood... but you're gonna have to learn." It may have sounded a tiny bit arogant, but Jet said it goodnaturedly, and meant no harm by it. "Alright, let's look around. There's gotta be some kind of pawn shop or collectors shop or somthing around here," Jet walked off towards the edge of the park, motioning for Manic to follow.

It took a lot less time than Jet thought it would to find a suitable buyer. Set up on and around the grass were a good deal of stands an small pavilions, taking advantage of the huge crowds to peddle their wares. There weren't that many, but there was one that caught Jet's eye. He wandered over to a stall marked "Souvenirs of the Invasion". It was being run by an old bear, whose grey fur was very long and most of it was braided in dreadlocks. He wore strange green-and-yellow sunglasses with swirl patterns on the lenses, and a large tinfoil hat sat upon his head. "This looks like one of those loony types," Jet whispered to Manic as they approached. "It'll be real easy to sell this off to him."

Jet walked up to the stand, holding his board in one hand and the sword in the other, behind his back. "So, what's up with the tinfoil?" he said conversationally. "It keeps the aliens from getting into my head, man," said the bear in a very lazy, laid-back drawl. "Definetly loony," Jet whispered to Manic. "Tell me, I can see you sell..." Jet motioned to what the bear called "souvenirs", which consisted of many bits of tin foil, some spoons, and some t-shirts with "I saw an alien" badly markered onto the fronts. "...trinkets, but do you buy them?" "Does it have to do with the aliens?" the bear asked, his ears perking up and his eyes alight behind the wierd glasses. "Yep," Jet said, and he revealed the sword. "I stole it from one of the aliens in Radical. They gave me this, too." Jet nodded at his injured leg. "So, how much will you pay for a real alien artifact?"

A few minutes later, after very little haggling, Jet walked away from the stand, minus one sword but plus a good hundred thousand dollars. "I was saving this for college, but this is way better!" The bear had said. Jet was just amazed that the bear, which was already quite gray, was just now saving for college.

Jet turned to Manic after they were a ways away. "Okay buddy, your turn. I've led you around for a while to sell my stuff, now you find somewhere to sell yours. Well pool the money and see if we can't get you an Extreme Gear, eh?"
Posted by Manic the Hedgehog on Jun. 10 2008,06:50
[Here comes more of Manic's wacky references]

Manic threw the Infinity Cube up in the air, caught it and repeated. What he had to sell was just as rare as Jet's sword, not usually seen in the area. They walked around some more, passing by a bunch of stores and stands with crazy names, crazy owners and weird junk.

"It's like these people saw this coming," he remarked

Eventually the duo came along another small shop similar to "Souvenirs of the Invasion". This little nugget was called "Distant Treasures". From what Manic could see, they weren't so distant. A few power rings here, some old echidna artwork there. Not exactly what you'd expect.

"Can I help you gentlemen?"

Looking up, Manic and Jet came face to face with tiger. He was tall, somewhat slim and wore a cheap, black suit with a monocle. A pencil mustache was drawn at the end of his snout and he spoke with a Curry-ish accent.

"So you take Distant Treasures huh?" mused Manic, "Well what about these?"

He dumped the contents of his Infinity Cube all over the table, except for his drum set. The strange items included...

A gold coin with a star imprinted on it.
A plunger that smelled like rabbit.
A silver rupee.
A golden banana.
And a small ball that was red on top and white on bottom.

Oh the dangers...and trashcans that Manic had to go through to get those items. Apparently the tiger wasn't an idiot afterall as he began to drool over the various items Manic had layed out. He knew what they were and they were sure to fetch a pretty penny.

"Oh please let me have them! I'll give you everything I have in my money box!"

"Which is?"

Manic and Jet came out with five hundred dollars. The hedgehog expected more, but he wasn't willing to take the guy's leg like he had offered. He was even surprised the hack had that much cash.

"Well that was kind of a rip-off," he said, "So how much do we have total my esteemed avian friend?"

[Heh heh, guess the items!]

Posted by Roberta Marigold on Jun. 10 2008,10:25
((I know where all of Manic's trinkets are from. What I'm wondering is how he got his hands on them.))

((Say, when's my turn? I think I've seen more than one cycle without me.))
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 10 2008,11:13
[Just a note, Kitty. I changed my plan about the emerald. In case you didn't notice, I gave it to our new Shadow player instead of GUN.]
Posted by Dan Dark on Jun. 10 2008,13:21
[I agree with Kitty's comment, there. Know what they all are.. but where on earth did he get all of those? (This is earth.. or, one version of it, anyway...) but, ah well. He's not trying to use them, it's just to make things a bit more interesting. Long as it stays that way, there shouldn't be any problems.]

[But, yes.. You guys have skipped Roberta. And, for that matter.. kinda completely lost the posting order. You'd jumped in in the middle of the existing one, actually.. Anyways, though. So.]

[Posting order: GUN, Roberta, Jet, Manic, Spaz.] [Effective as soon as Laurelle posts again to move to the new topic.]
Posted by Laurelle on Jun. 10 2008,15:48
"Well guys, good to meet you. We'll be back really soon!" Laurelle cheerily waves to the children standing with their father and heads on out with the others. She's a little taken aback by all the fast talking and the gravity of the situation, but after all this is what she came to the area to find, her inner strength and capabilities. So, she's taking this chance to prove herself, and also she wouldn't like to have any of her new-found friends hurt and know she could have been there to help them.
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 11 2008,08:49
[Laurelle, we're waiting on you in Cross Country, Ride to Capitol. Also, Gail is the kids' grandfather, and Nail is the father.]
Posted by Roberta Marigold on Jun. 15 2008,05:44
((So I gathered. Should I post my exit yet?))
Posted by Manic the Hedgehog on Jun. 19 2008,18:02
[I'm making my post!]

Manic counted the cash while Jet sat and rested his foot. He had to convince the hawk to sit for a few, being a bit too proud to admit his was down and out. The sword and the other various items gave them a total of $1,100.

"Ya think it'll be enough?" he asked
Posted by Spaz on Jun. 22 2008,00:59
Still Spaz shifts aimlessly between many people, trying to avoid looking at anyone selling merchandise. He didn't have any money and didn't want to see something he knew he couldn't buy. Then again someone did throw quarters at him for juggling, and that #1 foam finger did catch his eye... Spaz shook his head at himself, smirking. While walking, another person caught his eye. There was some green parakeet looking dude with what looked like one of those hover board thingy's. He glanced down at his sad little skateboard he had under his arm (Yes he's jugging with a skateboard under his arm). Wood, metal, and grip tape... that was all.

However he wasn't really overcome with envy. He had heard of the sport before but never found the idea appealing. Being able to fall considerable distance and be fine was one of his few abilities, and that took the danger out of the game for him. Besides, he liked the manual dexterity involved in a traditional skateboard, and Spaz preferred more simple of things. Though he wouldn't say no to testing out a overboard thingy. The green parakeet dude looked familiar, as if he was someone significant. Maybe he was famous? Then again maybe not. Having nothing else to do, and finding some interest in this green guy, Spaz thought perhaps it would be cool to maybe ask him about his hover board thingy. He approaches the green parakeet dude and friendly inquires,

"Hey dude, you skate much?" Spaz points at his hover thingy, "I mean, obviously it's a bit more advanced than this artifact here, but it caught my eye. Is it built for ramp tricks?"
Posted by Roberta Marigold on Jun. 24 2008,17:37
((Know what? This topic's too slow. I'm outta here.))

After picking herself up, Roberta collected her recon team and got into a freshly fueled military jeep at the edge of town. Starting the engine, she began the journey to Capitol City...
(EXIT ROBERTA)

Posted by Ozzy on Jul. 17 2008,00:02
((Yo. Room for one more to enter?))
Posted by Sonno Blackmore on Jul. 19 2008,17:45
(Sure, if Jet ever gets back)
Posted by Ozzy on Jul. 23 2008,01:46
((Alright. Enough beating around the bush. Time to actually post.))

"A refugee camp? What will you accomplish by going there?"

"Nothing."

"This attack is out of the hands of bounty hunters. Whoever has been doing this is far too powerful for one man."

"I know."

"You won't get any money for going there. No glory. If you get involved, you'll be lucky to come back alive."

"Maybe."

"Why are you going there, then?"

"They've suffered more then I ever will, and I have a duty far more important then bounty hunting"

Ozzy cleared his mind. For some reason, that exchange from the other day still stuck in his mind. His old friend meant the best, the nerdy raccoon he was. He knew Ozzy couldn't end the pain the refugees here felt. He just wanted the bat to be spared from succumbing to the unrelenting sadness that could only have come from witnessing this.

The bats fingers strummed the metal strings of his guitar. The device was off. It wasn't a weapon today, and it wasn't to be one if he could help it. It was no more then an instrument. A simple device whose sole purpose was to send a beautiful sound through air choked with cries or pain and anguish.

What started off as a few simple notes grew into a simple song, echoing around the park, providing even the softest bit of comfort to who needed it. At least he hoped. Maybe he couldn't fight this threat. It simply wasn't his fight yet. Still, if he could stop at least one tear from falling, he would have considered this trip a success.

[Yolanda Riona]

Posted by Cho Zin on Jul. 28 2008,15:31
(Ok Ozzy! Time for use all to start movin!)

Cho Zin had lived in Station Square for only a year. But in that time he had seen and heard of all the things that had gone down. Today was just going to be a normal day though. You know go by the bazaar and pick up some food for the weak, maybe find a new bow for him violin, the one he had was wearing out but it still did its job. Well after that Cho would most likely head over to the book store after that and grab a few new one.

As Cho walked around the bazaar inspecting the food and items for sale he saw many refugees hanging around the bazaar... looking for hand outs most likely.

"Urgh... These refugee are like a cancer on the city... there slowly spreading threw the city giving off there gloom and infecting the rest of us with it..."

Cho then reilized that it wasn't there fault that they were here. They were forced out of there home to here. The only place unaffected by the attacks.

"Ha. Listen to me being all high and mighty. Some one should do something about these guys. There so sad all the time..."

Then Cho Zin heard the sound of music floating threw the air. It was soft at first. Then it slowly built up. Cho had been struck with an idea... Hopefully it would cheer up these sad sacks refugees. Cho start to look for the source of the music. He intended to join in, that is as soon as he found out were the music was coming from.
Posted by Tancer Fang on Jul. 30 2008,16:12
((Coming in from Enter Trace, just for a lil' bit))

The silver hued vulpine continued the throttle on his chopper, going a moderate pace. The wind blowing through his darker purple hair, being waited down, moved as if a gentle breeze was flowing past him. Not the 20 MPH gust that currently befell Roxie. It had never struck him before how empty the city felt, sure the refugees where here, but the retst of the city was slowly being abandoned. save for the all the coppers. He spoke to Roxie, but didn't look back, no use wrecking his ride now.
"Whacha think is goin' on, babe?" He asked with a rather perplexed tone.

Posted by Roxie Valas on Jul. 30 2008,16:35
Roxie enjoyed feeling the breeze in her hair. It reminded her of when she ran; how the wind felt like it would carry her into any direction she wanted it to. It was then that she took a good look at what was before them.
People. And lots of them.
"I think they are...refugees..." she whispered to Tancer. It was then that she recalled the rumors that were going around the outskirts of Station Square. The reason why ol' Jack didn't want her to venture out by herself, no matter how strong she was.
"They're here because of what happened in Radical and Capitol City."
Posted by Manic the Hedgehog on Jul. 30 2008,16:46
[Jet or no Jet! I've waited patiently all summer!]

Manic left Jet to rest his wounded leg. He made his way up the row of stores and curios, twiddling a drumstick in his hand and whistling a tune. More refugees and scoundrels made their way into the area, looking for supplies or shelter.

"That's just awful!" piped up an obviously female voice

The green hedgehog noticed a group of people gathered around a wooden table. Getting a closer look, Manic saw that they were watching the news on an old portable TV.

"That's right Bob," said the reporter, "What was thought to be another threat from Doctor Robotnik turned out to be an alien invasion. As you can see, Radical City is now a desolate wasteland with no signs of life anywhere. A few alien drop ships hover just overhead. Reports from our sister station claim that the majority of the alien armada are in Capitol City where hero, Sonic the Hedgehog, is battling them as we speak!"

Manic rolled his eyes and groaned. As usual, the Blue Blur was getting all the action while he was missing out. He always missed out on the good stuff, whether it be fighting aliens or getting layed. Before you knew it, Sonic would be endorsing Soap shoes again.
Posted by Ozzy on Aug. 03 2008,17:56
((Sorry. Wasn't aware it was my turn already. This is going to be a bit of a crappy post, though. Lacking inspiration))

Ozzys hearing was well beyond that of a normal person, and the TV was barely audible enough to be heard, even from the distance between him and Manic.

"Alien invasion?" Thought Ozzy "First a fat guy with a bunch of robots, now this?"

Seems there was more on his mind then just moral support. After all, sometimes helping people is just through moral support. Other times, it's through hunting down whatever's harming them and stomping them into the ground.

From the blurred veil that covered Ozzys limited eyesight, a rabbit walked into view, seemingly towards him. A simply nod of the head acknowledged his existance.
Posted by Cho Zin on Aug. 03 2008,18:32
Cho Zin smiled at the Bat as he walked over to him in response to head nod. Cho then asked with a bow before opening his violin case.

"Mind if I join in with you?"

Cho then popped open his case, grabbed hold of his Violin with his right hand using the utmost care. He then retrieved his bow from the case as well in his left hand. He stood ready to play. He now listened to the guitar. the sound the came forth from it. As he listened he thought of something that would compliment and not over power the overall softness of the notes being played. Then Cho started to play starting with a soft draw across the strings to step in, then he played a few more draws across and that evolved into a little rhythm that went well with what was being played.
Posted by Tancer Fang on Aug. 03 2008,21:05
Tancer eased the bike to a halt, there where just to many bodies in the way to continue any further. It seemed he had gotten side tracked and rod his cycle into the crowd just to far.
"What rumors would those be?" you miss things being on the road for weeks on end.
Posted by Roxie Valas on Aug. 05 2008,21:19
[Sorry guys! I was busy studying and taking college exams]

Roxie leaned into Tancer's ear so he could hear her whisper.
"There was an alien invasion. It attacked Radical City and Capitol City. Radical is a mess and who knows what's really going down in Capitol." She nodded towards a television set that was on a news station.
She sighed as she leaned back. Her ears picked up the sound of a violin and guitar playing a soothing melody. Roxie purred in content. Good music was so hard to find these days.

Posted by Tancer Fang on Aug. 10 2008,21:07
(((I can't take it no more boss, I'mma leg it! I mean I am exiting the thread, which mean Roxie is too unless I'm dumping her here, lol)))

Something urked inside the silver hued fox, Some thing about these refugees tugged at Tancer. He swung the bike aound in a complete 180 degree turn. Having to use mainly his own muscle and not the power from his engine.
"Eh, Listen babe, these guys are a severe drag and sucks what happened to them." He revved his motor, accelerating out of the center of the city.
"Any places you wanted to go, you know, with out all the homeless."
It was hard to tell if Tancer was a jerk at times.
Posted by Maddock on Aug. 10 2008,21:29
(Ok Manic hasn't posted for like 5 days so Ozzy your up.)
Posted by Manic the Hedgehog on Aug. 11 2008,12:08
(The hell it is!)

Manic continued to walk on, feeling bored and an itch to rob someone. These people hardly had anything left. It would be heartless to do such a thing.

"Maybe I can find a chick to show me a good time," he said to himself

Like that was going to happen. The Earth was doomed, Jet seemed distant all of the sudden and Manic was stuck here waiting to earn his wings in Extreme Gear flight.
Posted by Ozzy on Aug. 11 2008,17:55
Ozzy smirks a little as the rabbit makes his request.

"I'd be crazy to say no. Let's rock." Says the bat, a nonchalant throwing of the devil horns with his right hand.

He plays a slow set of notes. He didn't know what style of music this newcomer was interested in, so Ozzy made it as easy as he could to allow the rabbit to join.

"You can call me Ozzy, by the way." he adds, his head down and his hair running over his face brought about by Ozzys showy and melodramatic demeanor.
Posted by Cho Zin on Aug. 11 2008,20:41
Cho smiled at the bat. He wasn't the kind of company he would keep normally, the rocker type that is. They always seemed way to into them selfs and mostly empty headed. Cho Zin was more of a classical kind of man himself, though he had to admit that he liked the sound of the guitar coupled with his violin. Still in the end.... A musician is a musician, and music is music.

"Yes. Lets us... "rock"."

Cho played along with the bat on his slow tones, this was nice but Cho thought they could use a little more "substance" so he started to slowly introduce some or complicated yet still pleasing draws and plucks.

"You may call me Cho Zin. It is a pleasure to meet you Sir. Ozzy."

Posted by Roxie Valas on Aug. 14 2008,09:27
Roxie nodded at Tancer's words. There really wasn't much she could do here. Might as well go someplace else.
"Hey, why don't you pick where to go?"
She asked Tancer; her last pick obviously wasn't all that great.

[sorry for such delay and for such a crappy post. school is starting soon and I'm busy trying to fix my schedule so I can graduate early]
Posted by Manic the Hedgehog on Aug. 17 2008,13:51
Again Manic trudged on, looking for something to do. Jet surely needed some rest. Walking around some more, he came upon a rabbit and a bat. Both had instruments.

"Well what do we have here?"

The duo began slowly, keeping a steady melody going. What they needed was a beat! Manic reached into his vest and pulled out his Infinity Cube.
Posted by Jack-the-Hedgie on Aug. 17 2008,18:03
Ozzy chuckles sheepishly "Sir, huh? No need to be so formal"

The simple sound of the bats guitar grew more complex to match the sound of the violinist, creating a dramatic build. He threw his head back a bit, tossing strands of hair aside to allow one of his eyes a chance to see ahead. In the blur in front of him, a patch of green. The sounds of his guitar bounced around this mysterious figure, something only someone with hearing like Ozzys would notice until they finally managed to turn it into the hedgehog that had approached. Ozzy couldn't make heads or tails of the device he carried, but he was greeted nonetheless with a flick of his wrist, making a simple, nonchalant wave in the brief moment he had between riffs on his guitar.

((Whoops. Accidentally posted with the wrong account.))

Posted by Cho Zin on Aug. 18 2008,14:35
Cho Zin gave a small little chuckle before saying.

" If you insist... Ozzy. Hmmm.. Seems we have visitor. "

Cho continued to match Ozzy, the sound was that of two cultures mingling and trading back and forth there opinions with one another. Cho moved his eyes off of his fingers for a moment and looked over the green hedgehog, he held a strange device in his hand and he seemed to fall into the theme of what he always thought a "punk rocker" would look like... but Cho gave him a small nod of acknowledgment non the less. Who knows? He could prove to be more then he appears.
Posted by Manic the Hedgehog on Aug. 21 2008,18:13
[It's been a few days]

Manic grinned and clicked the side button on his Infinity Cube. Instantly, his entire drumset shot out (in perfect form) next to the rabbit and bat. Hopping onto the stool, he pulled out his drum sticks and began a steady beat.

"Mind if I join you gentlemen?" he asked
Posted by Ozzy on Aug. 21 2008,20:37
Ozzy blinks. In fact, he stops playing for a brief moment to give his eyes a good rub. Was his already bad eyesight deceiving him? Couldn't be. The instrument was there clear as day. He could hear its presence. He didn't know how, but this hedgehog just pulled an entire drum set out of hammerspace.

"That's a pretty nice trick you have there" Ozzy responds with a chuckle "By all means, please join in."

After that small disruption, Ozzys playing continued, now making sure to allow this new drummer to enter this evolution of sound.

"The name's Ozzy." he adds.
Posted by Cho Zin on Aug. 25 2008,17:49
Cho stopped playing for a moment as he stepped back from the once small cube now full drum set. He looked at the hedgehog and spun his bow in his hand like it was a baton while he look over both the instrument and its owner.

"Strange. You can join us, since Ozzy has no objections. But could you tell me how you just made that cube turn into an entire drum set?"

Cho Zin then stood back into position and quickly worked back into playing along the side of the guitar.

"By the way. sorry for being so rude. My name is Cho Zin. A pleasure to meet you... your name is?"
Posted by Manic the Hedgehog on Aug. 28 2008,17:18
Manic smiled and sped up the beat a bit, hoping the song would pick up some more.

"The cube? That's classified my friend!" he replied, "As for me, the name's Manic!"

A good way to break the duldrums, Manic was glad to find others with a love for music. Some jammin' could reset the depressing mood of the area.
Posted by Ozzy on Aug. 30 2008,02:48
Ozzy chuckled some. So this guy wanted to keep things secret. That's fine. After all, it's not immediately obvious that his instrument was a weapon.

"Good to meet you. Now then. I hope the two of you can keep up. Things are just about to get fun."

Ozzy waited until the right moment in Cho's violin. He didn't want to interrupt or break up the rhythm, and he especially didn't want to show off and knock out the rabbits sound entirely. The strings made up the last few moments of their little intro.

Then.

A long, drawn out note erupted from the building melody before Ozzy kicked his act into high gear. He sped the tempo as far as the two others would allow. The acoustic sounds of the guitar grew more electric as the internal power source of his instrument supplied the necessary power. The soothing sound of Chos violin created a nice back up. Manic supplied the beat. Now that Ozzy had found himself a nice little group to rock with, he wanted to be sure that he could put on a show to remember. The people here had suffered enough. Time to give them at least one break from the misery that these aliens had caused.

((Urk. I hope it isn't too obvious that I've never studied musical terminology))
Posted by Cho Zin on Sep. 04 2008,18:54
Cho gave a smile to the hedgehog and without a word he continued playing, making sure to keep up with the speed of the music. Then as Ozzy started his musical eruption Cho Zin started to play at a more Allegro speed. Cho played with more feeling as the three of there sound intertwined and complemented each other. As this trio of musician's music spread out across the park, the wind begain to pick up. Cho's magic was beginning to softly leak into his violin and push the air around in a playful manner. Cho then thought to himself.

*Yes. Let us show the invaders that we are not a defeated people.. That they can crush are cities, destroy are homes, and take our loved ones. But we will never abandon one another out fear or sadness.*

Cho, hearted by his own thoughts looked at the people around the park and then to Manic and and Ozzy. Cho looked at them and said.

"Though we may not be out there fighting these invaders face to face, we can not give into the despair they have brought... And we can not allow these people to give in ether!"

With that Cho Zin's magic flowed more freely into his violin. He played stronger and with more skilled movements. He tried to not up stage his musical counterparts. He now wore a small grin on his face as the wind around them began to twirl the leaves on the ground and push dirt and light peaces of newspaper around.
Posted by Manic the Hedgehog on Sep. 17 2008,17:49
Manic let his arms flow freely, totally digging what Cho was preaching! Suddenly, his medallion began to glow and just like Cho, his music began to turn into magic.

"Man I love my job!"

The beat went faster as Manic raged throughout his drumset. He only hoped his companions could keep up.

"Yeah! Let's RAGE!" he yelled
Posted by Ozzy on Sep. 17 2008,22:55
Ozzy always knew there was a magic in music. However, with a strange burst of wind, and an unusual glow from his hedgehog companions medallion, there were forces at work here that went beyond what a mundane person can do.

Well. That's plain lovely. Turns out some unseen force wants to upstage him. What's a guy like him going to do to keep up with people putting on a show like this?

He pointed the guitar up into the air, out of the way of anyone who might have gotten too close. A turn of the volume knob was all it took to make his simple instrument something more. Another strum of the guitar discharged a dazzling beam of light that blasted through the air, illuminating all around. The tempo increased once more, creating a light show for this impromptu concert. If someone unseen force is kind enough to make this little show more entertaining to watch, it would be wrong for him to not try and keep up.
Posted by Razzo24 on Sep. 18 2008,15:43
[Continued from the Alleyway]
*Razzo wandered towards the park, following the sound of the guitar. When he saw the bizare lightshow that came with it, though.. he dropped his duffle bag n amazement, guitar carse still across his back.* "Whoa..." *he whispered for the second time in less than an hour. Whoever this was... he was good. REAL good. Still, Razzo was no slouch himself.. he simply headed towards the lights (after picking up his jaw and his bag), and sat near the group*

"This a private party?" *he asked, setting down his bag and motioning to his own guitar* "or can I jump in with you guys?"
Posted by Cho Zin on Sep. 18 2008,16:48
Cho Zin smiled as the group began to flex not only there musical muscles but also there magical ones as well. The once down on there luck refugees now watched on in amazement and joy as the trio took these sad sacks minds off of the sorrow of what had happened to them and what was happening out side the city... Cho now decided let loose of some of his magic. After all it had only been trickling out up till now. So, with a smile on his face Cho caused the wind to really get to moving. As his magic began to flow out it cause miniature tornadoes to pop up around them here and there. They were not big enough to cause damage but big enough to pick up all sorts of things lieing around. Out of the crown came forth, what at first glance was just another Hedgehog. But upon a closer look revealed that he was a little more then just a Hedgehog.. He had ears of a cat and a tail to go along with it, He was black in color witch to Cho was a strange and rare color to see on a hedgehog. His eyes also held a strange glow to them that almost seem other worldly. But before Cho Zin could even begin to try to find rhyme or reason to these strange aspects the Hedge/Cat asked if he could join in. So Cho Looked at the Hedge then over to Ozzy then over to Manic and said.

"Well, Sir. We have reached the crescendo* of this musical release. Why not join us next time we play here. You would be more then welcomed."

*b: the peak of a gradual increase
(Edit: Well this arc is come rapidly to a close so lets wrap up are play shall we? sorry Razzo. You came a little late to the party.)

Posted by Manic the Hedgehog on Oct. 01 2008,15:36
Manic was a slave to the rhythem and couldn't hear Cho over the loud beats of his master drum kit. Back and forth he slammed his sticks down upon the drums, matching Fear Factory's drummer in skill.

"Yeah! WHOO!"

Chains of memories in recent time suddenly seemed to disappear. Manic had forgotten why he even came to Station Square. Maybe it was to jam it out with total strangers. Who knew.
Posted by Razzo24 on Oct. 02 2008,12:24
*Razzo naturally just took Manic's exclamation as a go-ahead, and began opening his guitar case*

"Well, that's two..." *he said, pulling out Marmosa and getting in position to start playing along. Before he did, though, he looked at Ozzy* "You cool with a second guitarist, man?" *he asked*

[Cho Zin]

(Ok guys, Lets finish this soon. We don't have much time before this Arc is over and I kinda want to get in on this pirate assault thats going on. )

Edit After Ozzy posted: Sorry If I sounded like I was trying to rush anyone I really was just getting your attention on this thread again guys, take your time and don't rush. I'm fine with this running its proper course, just as long as its running. @_@)

[Ozzy]

((I'm so sorry this took so long to write. Wasn't really sure what to say))

Ozzy gives a grin to the fourth newcomer.

"Of course I'm okay with it. Sit down and join in!"

Although this little symphony had to draw to a close before too long, Ozzy wasn't quite ready to let it end. Especially not without seeing what this recent addition to the band could do. he turned his guitars weaponry down until it faded away as his enthusiastic shredding died down to a simpler rhythm, falling back to let the others do their thing. He'd end it when he was sure everyone was good and ready to.

[Cho Zin]

Cho Zin looked to both of his musical companions and they gave to go head to the new hedgehog. Then in his normal mono-toned voice Cho said.

"Hmp, seems I've been out voted. Play on then, hedge."

Cho Zin fallowed Ozzys lead and stemmed his magic flow causing what was picked up in the torrent to fall to the ground, then fallowing the magic he lightened up on his music play, allowing the new entry to there group to have center stage. Cho Zin was some what interest in what this hedgehog had to offer, musically that is.

[Manic]

"I never agreed!" shouted Manic over his drumming

Too late, as the newbie started playing. All well, the folks of Station Square were enjoying the show and that's all that mattered.

[Razzo Brizman]

*It WAS too late, and by the time Manic objected Razz had already begun to strum. He started humming a bit, following along with Ozzy's playing at first.. then began to break off on his own, showing off a little by varying from the main rhythm to solo, his playing style showing off his big brother's metal-core influence. It had been soooooo long since he'd played with a group.. this plane was awesome already!!*

[Razzo Brizman]

((No posts in over a month... did I do or day somethin wrong or is everyone just gone?

[Rasha Tailor]

[Fact of the matter is that Sonno (Manic's player) and Mad (Cho) have all but disappeared off the face of the board. If you need help getting started elsewhere or if you want to try and get in touch with them, let me know.]

[Jack-the-Hedgie]

[Plus, the time skip has kinda complicated things further. Maybe we should see if we can just end the thread and send our characters elsewhere]