[b]Gemma[/b] “Dunno.” Twain answered Gemma. "Zesiro, call up TIGER. I’d like to have them on standby. Make sure they know not to move in until I say so.” “You call TIGER.” Zesiro frowned and reached into his pack for his radio. It was odd that with access to such advanced technology that they chose to use something old fashioned. “You have [i]one [/i]job.” “That’s not true.” “You are the communications officer. Communicate.” Zesiro had the radio out, a curling black cord connected the piece he held in his hand to his backpack. He played with a few knobs before he began the broadcast… “[i]Awe[/i], Den Mother. Gonna need you on standby…” After a moment. “Heard. Ready to---” There was a noise, as if someone on the other end of the line grabbed the radio. There was then a string of indescribable Spanish coming through the radio. “Learn English.” Zesiro rolled his eyes. “Learn Spanish. What kind of communications officer only speaks [i]one [/i]language?” This was the Spanish speaker now speaking English. A woman’s voice. Deep and velvety. “That is not my code name.” “Dunno. I thought it was clever.” Zesiro typed a few buttons in his pack. “Here is our approximate locale. Sending you coordinates.” “Russia? What project are you on?” “Tell her it’s class---.” Twain tried to cut in but Zesiro had already opened his mouth and revealed... “We are chasing MOON.” “--iffied.” There was a moment of silence. “I’ll be there.” She said. “No no no… On standby.” Twain winced. “I’d tell her that but she hung up.” Zesiro feigned a look of defeat and put away his radio. Zesiro turned to Gemma with an explanation. “That was Rozalind. She used to be on our team, on MERCY. Her and Twain didn’t get along. So she got ‘promoted’ and is heading up TIGER now.” Twain put some [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ]music [/url] through the vans speaker system. ~~~ It took 24 hours to reach the site. The van was packed with winter gear and climbing equipment. It was standard procedure to pack for whatever wilderness might be nearby. The things they hunted often hid in the untamed territory… They had to leave the road, as it seemed to wind around the mountain rather than up it. They would pack up, gear up, and head into the snow. The feeling, unlike anything Gemma had sensed before, would grow stronger as they neared. Icarus would help the girl if she felt weak, or over particularly treacherous obstacles. They would stop and rest every so often. Zesiro scratched his head over a map of the area or played on his game-boy during the breaks. Twain would chat with Gemma, ask her how she was feeling and other questions about what she was sensing. Icarus was quiet. They followed the plume of smoke. Eventually, they saw ruins ahead. An old castle on a cliff face. “This isn’t on the map.” Said Zesiro. “Of course not! It is a secret lair of evil!” Twain joked. “Lets split. I’ll go East, Zesiro, you and the boys go West. Icarus...” Icarus was already gone. So quickly and quietly did he disappear, one might wonder if he hadn’t gone invisible. “Yeah, that. Gemma… ah… um… Why don’t you wait here.” [b]Alexander[/b] The girl scowl as her arrow missed the agile man. “Cold fingers.” She cursed and began reeling back looking for the shelter of her He rolled toward her, he seemed to move faster than a man should be able to… [i]'I can’t let this bastard get the best of me. Not now...' [/i]She only had only been able to find three arrows. However… he didn’t know that. She drew her second arrow as she took a long leap up onto the rock she had previously been hiding behind, and took aim… [b]Alex[/b] The man stopped at the sound of his voice. He stopped crawling away, and turned an eye upon the young prince. It was desperate, and venomous… like an animal in pain. With a shaking hand he grabbed the hem of his coat, he turned away and tried to cover his face. [b]Will[/b] “Avalon.” Dzel answered as she followed Will into the tunnel. "Where are you from?" It seemed a bit warmer inside, but perhaps that was only because they were sheltered from the biting wind. There was a set of craggy stairs to climb. Then they would reach a landing, and come to a wide room. Inside the castle was protected by most of the erosion that had eaten away the outside of the castle. Evidence of the castle's grandeur remained in this room. Winding lines carved into the rock. There were even [url=http://www.radford.edu/rbarris/art216upd2012/unicorndefends72.jpg]tapestries[/url] still on the walls. On the floor, and certainly not ancient, there was an awful lot of stuff. Black backpacks and boots. 12 sets of each. [b]Dimitri, Herbert, Ryann[/b] [b]IF[/b] They were to search, they would find a stairwell in the corner under the roof. It would lead down several flights then come to a landing which led to a room. Inside the castle was protected by most of the erosion that had eaten away the outside of the castle. Evidence of the castle's grandeur remained in this room. Winding lines carved into the rock. There were even [url=http://www.radford.edu/rbarris/art216upd2012/unicorndefends72.jpg]tapestries[/url] still on the walls. On the floor, and certainly not ancient, there was an awful lot of stuff. Black backpacks and boots. 12 sets of each. And two people. [b][i]Will and Dzel.[/i][/b]