The LPA
Experienced Novice
?Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.?
Posts: 142
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Post by The LPA on Jun 14, 2009 21:15:33 GMT -5
On this warm evening, the Blue district, quiet since the destruction of the Palace and the overthrow in the Regent's regime several weeks ago has come under a new, tenser air.
Banners with the Commitsar's profile slaps loudly in the wind against the buildings they hang from. Billets ordering Marshall law have been plastered on lamp-posts, beside billets commanding that anyone with information concerning counter-revolutionary or Regent loyalist be immediately reported to the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs, a newly created policing agency that oversee all political dissidents and operates the the prisons. Mixed amoungst those are propaganda posters displaying patriotic and nationalistic slogans, claiming that these things must be done to establish and solidify the new nation.
The last few nights have been filled with apprehension and terror for the citizens as accused dissident's are arrested, their homes raided by the Comissariat's secret police to be thrown through a kangaroo court and liquidated or simply imprisoned without trail. It's startling reminiscent of the days before the war, with an enemy with an all to familiar face.
Connolly has been spending much of his time since the Commitsar's award ceremony, trying to figure out what is going on with this government he helped create. So far he's met nothing but resistance by Party officials.
At the hospital, Oliver has been making remarkable strides in recovery. All ready able move about in the bed without much pain and the doctors claim that at this rate, he should be well enough to move about in a few more days, if he doesn't re-injury himself in the process of being difficult to the hospital staff.
It's dinner time now, and Oliver has a tray of bland and easily digested foods infront of him, still unable to eat regularly due to the pain medications. Iole has been brought a rubbery chicken dish with some unidentifiable sauce and juice.
"Iole, te'l me t'is. Why does t'e green gelatin an' t'e red gelatin taste exact'y t'e same? Why bother coloring t'em at all if t'ey aren't different. It's bollocks!" He looks to Iole's meal. "Ye gonna eat t'at?"
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Post by Iole on Jun 14, 2009 21:20:19 GMT -5
::Oliver's single eye widens when it lands on her plate, finding the chicken already gone. Iole finishes licking her fingers::
Does that answer your question?
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Post by Oliver on Jun 14, 2009 21:30:23 GMT -5
Oliver, surprised though knowing her as he does, it shouldn't come to any real surprise but he plays along anyway. "By go's woman, ye shou'd take up competition eat'in! How do ye not get a stomach grumb'e, I'll never 'now." He spoons some red gelatin into his mouth. "C'ange of subject. An' idea w'ere Connolly has been..?"
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Post by Iole on Jun 14, 2009 21:35:27 GMT -5
I imagine he's had his hands full. It's tough work keeping a new government up and running.
::She keeps her thoughts and worries to herself, the hope that the Captain's found Oliver's safe ride out still in the back of her mind::
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Post by Oliver on Jun 14, 2009 21:51:19 GMT -5
"Ya... I imagine." Takes another bite. "Feel 'ike t'at I'm trapped in a bubb'e in here, wanna 'now w'ats go'in on."
::At the Office of the Commitsar::
"For your approval, comrade."
An adviser hands Reynard a folder with several sheets of paper, he flips through them, reading information of note and highlighting a few words here and there.
"Yes, let the Party know. I want them gone by morning."
"It will be done, comrade." The adviser takes the folder and departs as Reynard stands and turns to his long windows behind his desk to watch the sunset over his new city-state.
"Ahh, death. The solution to all problems. No man - no problem."
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Post by Iole on Jun 14, 2009 22:12:08 GMT -5
::Iole shrugs::
Eh, the celebrating's kind of died down and people are trying to settle in. Kind of boring really.
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Post by Oliver on Jun 15, 2009 16:28:35 GMT -5
Violette peaks her head in, looking tired but pleasantly occupied with standing in a dull hallway.
"So Rattie, going to get better so I don't stand here anymore. It's not good for a lady's back."
Oliver shoos her.
"Ah ye spend enou'h time on ye back as it is, t'is gives it something else to do." He teases. "W'ere's Sid?"
"Went back to shower and clean, hope you don't mind him crashing at your place? He said he'd make an extra mess just for you."
"Ain't t'at kind'a him."
::At Party Headquarters, Officers mess::
"Hey comrade. See the latest report."
Connolly is approached by a another officer, Capt. O'Neil during evening meal. O'Neil throws down a document beside Connolly then takes a seat beside him.
"What is this?" Josh asks, putting his spork down and picking the document up.
"Just got out of a meeting with Col. Brenin - excuse me, Marshal Brenin. New list of political undesirables and counter-revolutionaries, might want to read some of the names."
Connolly eyes O'Neil warily, then scans the document while O'Neil continues to speak.
"Reynard and Abbas want to see them eliminated post-haste, the purge begins shortly. Thought you might want to know."
Connolly shakes his head, angry and shocked. "No-no, this is not right. They can't be serious, I've fought with these men... they are good men- Oh dear gods-"
"I see you came across those names."
"I got to go, comrade." Connoly quickly jumps from his seat, thanking O'Neil.
"I understand friend, why I didn't see or hear anything."
"Thank you, thank you, now I must go." Connolly quickly leaves the mess to the inquiry of O'Neil if he could finish the meal he left behind.
Once outside, Connolly gets on the radio and immediately contacts Sid. "Sid, come in, SID!"
There's silence on the other side, now more frustrated and frantic, he yells into the receiver. "SID! You bastard pick up! SID!"
"Aye, sir, stop screaming. I was in the shover."
"Sid, thank gods, where are you?
"At Ollie's flat, cleaning up."
"Good, grab whatever you can of value from there, including clothes and whatever else. Meet me outside in half an hour."
"Vhy, vhat is going on?"
"Can't explain on here, just do it. I'm getting a car and I'll bring it around. Quickly."
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Post by Iole on Jun 16, 2009 1:28:12 GMT -5
::Iole slugs Oliver's arm playfully::
Don't talk to a lady like that, it's disrespectful.
::The three of them laugh lightheartedly until the door to the room is thrown open so hard it hits the wall. They look up to see four armed LPA men in full combat gear march into the room in single file. The first two kneel on either side of the doorway while the last two stand directly behind them. They're wearing the Estharian armor that's being handed to the more elite soldiers, their visors down preventing their eyes from being visible. All four have their automatic rifles trained on them::
??: Well well well, back from the dead twice I see. You're a resilient little rat aren't you.
::A steady click-clack of heels signals the entrance of a face Oliver had seen recently in his nightmares, and had hoped never to see in reality any time soon. She grins at him with her red lips and her blue eyes glisten behind her rectangular glasses. Alicia brushes a stray bang from her face and pulls it behind her ear with the rest of her hair held in a slicked tail.::
Astaroth: Looks like we'll have plenty of time to get reacquainted.
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Post by Oliver on Jun 16, 2009 2:17:20 GMT -5
Violette was taken by surprised, knocked across the head and to the ground by one of the soldier. Her head bleeds and she remains still against the hard linoleum floor.
"Violette!" Oliver yells as he pops up in the bed, he's trapped by damn if he'll let them take him laying down. "Iole- i's her! T'e woman from Inter'al Affairs." Oliver grows. "Come t'finish me off. C'ever us'in LPA uniforms to get in here... how many Dragoons ye execute to get to me?"
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Post by Iole on Jun 16, 2009 2:26:26 GMT -5
::Alicia adjusts her glasses while Iole takes a protective stance in front of the bed::
Astaroth: I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about. You shouldn't be all that surprised really. After all, some of the old police force got absorbed into this new government. I am simply acting on the Commitstar's orders. I have a warrant here for your arrest.
On what grounds?! He's not going anywhere unless you have just cause for an arrest.
Astaroth: Oh but he is going. Actually so are you Miss Blakeney. There's a warrant for you here as well.
::She pulls the documents from her blazer::
Astaroth: Word's out my young friends. The Son of the Betrayer and the Witch's Surrogate? Just one is a cause for worry. But two sounds more like a conspiracy to me. And it seems our friend Reynard agrees.
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Post by Oliver on Jun 16, 2009 2:34:55 GMT -5
::Meanwhile, outside::
Connolly and Sid screech to a stop just a few hundred meters from the hospital entrance, up head are several vans and a black town-car. The Commissariat of Internal Affairs had beaten them too the hospital, Sid curses as Connolly reeves the engine, and turns into the service entrance leading to the back. The car stops near the service entrance and the two exit the vehicle, Sid checks his shotgun and Connolly draws a pistol.
"Ready?" Josh asks, looking to Sid.
"Alvays."
The two run off to the service entrance, hoping they aren't too late.
::Inside::
"Lies!" Oliver screams. "Reynard wou'd never do t'at! If ye come to ki'l me, fine but don't dare say t'at about the Commitsar... I'll bite ye face off again."
He reaches for Iole. "Don't read t'at, is jus' swill by some beat'in 'ittle 'itch!"
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Post by Iole on Jun 16, 2009 2:43:02 GMT -5
::Iole stands ready, her arms morphing in their dragon form::
I knew Reynard was a despot the moment I saw him up close for the first time. But I never would have imagined he'd climb into bed with monsters like you.
::Alicia shrugs. Iole flexes her claws, getting ready to tear her enemies. She's already planning out how she'll dispatch them and hopefully distract them long enough for her to take Oliver and jump out the window. But how was she going to get Violette out? Nyx and Eva are out of range. She couldn't just leave her here. But she doesn't have time to think because the soldier's make the first shots. She crosses her arms in front of her, blocking the bullets and letting them ricothet off her hardened scales. One of the soldiers is struck in the leg where a spurt of blood juts from the wound created by his own bullet. Iole charges him first, seizing the gun by the barrel and flipping over him, ripping it from his graps. She swings it in a circle over her head, clocking all four of them in the face. Alicia ducks and backs out of the room in time to avoid it. Next Iole sinks to the ground and spins her leg out, kicking their feet out from under them::
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Post by Oliver on Jun 16, 2009 2:59:04 GMT -5
Oliver ducks his head as the firing and fighting begins, when it ends, he looks up to see the four soldiers on the floor and Alicia missing from the room.
"Da'm girl..."
The moment of calm is shattered when the observation window is blown open by a charge, the bang rings loudly and the flying glass forces Oliver to cover his face. From their three more armored LPA soldier pop up, their rifles trained. More appears to flood into the hall way, covering Alicia, and from the outside window, two red lasers streak into the room. The dots landing on both Oliver's and Iole's head from two LPA soldiers on repel lines outside, aiming in through the window. They are surrounded.
"Iole..." Oliver weakly says. 'T'ink t'ey expected t'at..." He looks to the widow, then to the hall, unsure what to do next.
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Post by Iole on Jun 16, 2009 3:04:15 GMT -5
::As soon as the beams land on their head, Iole spreads her wings, shielding both hers and Oliver's face from their aim. With a bit of difficult maneuvering, she kicks the door shut and breathes fire along its edges to weld it into the wall::
Oliver, do you trust me?
::Even as she speaks they can hear the soldiers in the hallway getting ready to ram it as more can be heard with their feet pounding as the fill the hall::
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Post by xX????Xx on Jun 16, 2009 3:22:00 GMT -5
Outside, the two men on the repel line kept their eye trained on Iole and Oliver. However, one of them starts to feel a tug from above. He looks up with a questioning face.
"...?" "Hm, must be my imagination..."
The tug happens again. "!?' "What the hell??"
His friend on the another side hears over and has his eyes trained Iole and Oliver. "What is it?" Silence.... "Hey..." ... more silence. He finally turns. "I SAID--"
He see not only his friend gone but the rope... "Uh...??" Before he could even look around, a shadow outline of a man swings from above and kicks the other soldier out of the line, pummeling down to the ground. He is stopped do the momentum of the swing, but with right time, he jumps off from the wall with rope at hand as he swings right into the window.
In almost harmonious timing, the soldiers finally break down the door... right when he dives with the Night Siren grenade at hand. He throws it near the army of troops and Ashtroth... and as if time slowed down, Iole could barely see the face of the man... but his bionic eye glows an ominous red pupil at her.
Before she could make it out, the grenade explodes not only giving out blinding light but a shriek of a Siren. You could hear the screams as the group are blinded and mind-raped of the shriek.
The light fades enough for Iole to see he is gone like a ghost while the group is still in pain.
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Post by Oliver on Jun 16, 2009 3:22:28 GMT -5
Hearing the commotion, Sid and Connolly fear the worst as the around the last flight of stairs to the seventh floor. Bursting in, they take a tactical stance, finding no soldiers here, they charge into the hallway with Oliver's room and find the soldiers blinded and staggering about the hall in a painful daze.
"Ollie!?" Sid yells, coming to the shattered window, knocking a soldier away and blasting another. "Iole!?" Connolle yells as he trails Sid, and taking out another two with pistol rounds to the head. He volts over the blown in door.
"Come! Quickly!" They both yell, Sid jumping the window into the room. Connolly rushing into the room through the doorway. "We got a car and a way out of the city, hurry quickly." Connolly quickly grabs a wheelchair from a corner and drags it over.
Iole's wing shield, having saved them from the blindness, he looks to Connolly. "'bout time ye showed, here, help me in- an grab me stuff from t'e tray."
Without another word, Connolly lifts Oliver up and into the chair, while Sid covers. He taps Iole. "Come, let's move before they recover."
Without a word of protest, Connolly and Sid usher them out of the room. Connolly wheeling Oliver while Sid assists Violette who is still out, over his shoulder to help drag her out, all the while covering their back.
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Post by Iole on Jun 16, 2009 3:27:19 GMT -5
::The five of them pile into the car, Iole getting in last in order to use her wing to shield them from gunfire once they're in sight. They take off down the street with a screech. Meanwhile, Alicia returns to Oliver's now empty room to watch them leave from the window overlooking the street::
Astaroth: Run little girl, run.
::She turns away with a smile::
Astaroth: I'll get you my pretty. And your little rat too.
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Post by Oliver on Jun 16, 2009 3:51:18 GMT -5
As they drive away, and in the relative safety of the dark city streets. Sid and Connolly breath a sigh of relief as they watch the mirrors, no followers.
"Bloody good you held them off, Iole. What the hell did you do?" Connolly asks as he turns a corner. "Tried to get there as fast as possible, didn't think they'd hit you first like that. If I had only known Reynard would go to this length..." He sighs. "Dunno what to think anymore."
Oliver however, remains quiet, staring distantly at the back of Sid's seat's headrest. Violette beside him has finally woken up and is muttering out curses as she holds her hand to her head, trying to stop the blood. It's bleeding badly, but so would any head wound.
"So... is true? Reynard did t'is?" Oliver questions, his voice weak but rising with anger and hate. "He ordered t'at... t'ing to arrest Iole an' me."
Sid and Connolly look to each other breifly, then turn back to the windshield. "Yes, Ollie." Sid speaks, remorsefully. "I'm having a hard time absorbing it as vell."
"A'l I did... created t'-t'is?" His head painfully turns to look out the window, to the streetlamps with billet's and propaganda, the long flowing banners of Reynard's profile, half constructed statues and monuments, and soldiers once again raiding of homes just now, their uniforms have changed. Another night of terror, like all those Oliver suffered under before the war.
"No, Oliver, Reynard created this." Connolly interjects, then ceases talking further, before changing the subject. "A blockade runner has agreed to wait at the air-docks, took some bribing but... it's your best chance you have to disappear."
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Post by Iole on Jun 16, 2009 4:02:11 GMT -5
That won't be enough.
::Iole squeezes Oliver's hand::
She's just going to keep coming after us. Alicia's... different then Reynard. I don't know what they're trying to do in working together, but it's pretty clear she has a different agenda. She's going to keep coming after us no matter how far away from the city we get.
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Post by Oliver on Jun 16, 2009 4:16:59 GMT -5
"Maybe... maybe not." Connolly mutters, looking for cross traffic as he takes a left onto a boulevard. "What more could they want from you once you get over Lindblum boarders?"
"The Party's power is strong, but not that strong." Sid adds, resting his head against the car window.
Oliver leans forward and taps his head against the back of Sid's seat. "No-no-no-no!" He rubs his forehead into the leather. "I'm gon'a be sick..." he spits out, "W'y-my friends... t'e protests, the war, a'l we sacrificed to make t'is a better p'ace an' look at it!" He moans through tears, banging the window beside him with his fist. The noise causes Sid and Connolly to jump in their seats, and Violette to groan out.
"Rattie, please, haven't we been hurt enough. Leave the window alone and save your hand." She mutters with her head back. "This isn't over, yet, least not for us."
"Vhy ve're getting you out of here, both of you. Your fight ended vhen the Palace fell, let the rest of us continue the fight for the dream."
"A counter resistence is already forming, not everyone is happy with the new regime. Separatists within the LPA and CWP are breaking off, a new coalition is forming." Connolly says as a matter-of-fact. "But, that's for us to worry about. You just have one thing to fight for and protect in your life now, talking to you, Iole." From the back seat, they can see Connolly break into a tiny smile.
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