[IC] The Day The Earth Fell

[Exit]

"Decisions.... fucking decisions...."

Clo was exhausted. Her mind reeling, her body aching from pain and excursion. For the past half hour she'd spent her energy trying to air lift a pair of lost children back to the city. She gotten far, only a handful of miles out but there in the middle of the Red Waste she'd hit her limit. Her wings, as large as they were, could not support the weight of all three of them. And so there she was, a girl burdened with protecting the lives of hundreds of people, collapsed and out of breath in the dirt.

Her eyes drifted from the blue sky to the children standing over her, their sodden forms shivering and clutching each other in fright. One was a boy, blonde hair and green eyes. There was mud caked on his face and a sliver of blood from a cracked lip. The other was a girl and probably the boys sister. Slightly taller than the other and just as afraid. She too was in need of a good bath.

...Bath...

She chuckled at the thought. Here she was about ready to tell these kids to get and clean themselves off when she was lying on the ground caked in dust and grim and blood. Pulling them out of that horde hadn't been an easy task. She'd severed more limbs in those few minutes than she'd done her entire life. Still, even as the smell of decayed flesh reached her nose and made her stomach turn, she knew what she'd done was necessary. If she hadn't intervened when she did, they'd be dead. Instead, here they were standing next to her confused and scared... but alive. Now all that was left was to keep them alive. Their safety for the moment was fleeting. Some few hundred yards away was a large mass of the dead moving in on her position giving chase to the meal that was stolen from them. At the rate the three of them were moving, the dead would catch up easy enough and all though Clo would have no problem getting away, it was the children that would be in danger. She wasn't about to gamble with their lives. The solution was simple: she'd give them a head start, time to move to the safety of the walls while she held the monsters back and try to dwindle their numbers down before they reached the city. She hadn't realized it yet but the approaching horde was the largest yet. The threat they posed was immense.

Taking one last gulp of air, Clo breathed out a silent "Fuck" and pushed herself to her feet. The siblings looked to Clo, the angel that had come to their rescue in the darkness and pulled them to safety. She could only imagine what they were thinking, what kind of creature she appeared to be in their eyes. A young girl shrouded by the sun under wings of black, like shadows that sprouted from her back and poured into the air around her. Their eyes followed the outline of her shoulder and continued from the blades to the edges of her wings. They both looked mesmerized, squinting against the sun as they admired her form. Smiling, Clo cleared her throat to get their attention and shaded them from the sun with one of her wings.

"Ever seen an angel?" She asked them, stepping closer and kneeling down to their height. The boy shook his head but the girl glanced at her wings before turning back to Clo. "Oh no no. I mean a real angel. Here..." She pulled them in close and then pointed out in the distance toward the horizon, her finger pressed against the point where the sky met the ground.

"I don't see anything..." The boy said after a few seconds of nothing.

"Give it a moment... She's lazy... and sometimes a little slow..." Clo smiled. Sure enough there in the sky was a flash of light. It was small and only lasted for a split second but it was sharp and easily noticeable. Few made regular trips out of the city and fewer made more trips than Clo. One of the things she'd learned early on before becoming a Harpy was how to find her way back. Her sisters had been given the title shortly before she had and whenever Ramera took to the sky, her metallic wings were beacons of light reminding her which way was home. She was never lost in the Red Waste, even this far out.

"That's an angel... a real one. She's beautiful, made of light and can fly like me and her wings... they shine in the sun... not like mine." She flapped her other wing around for added effect. Even with the sun shining down on it, it held it's dark color refusing to glisten in it's caress. "And you know what's the best part?"

"What?... What's the best part?" The girl chimed in next nearly jumping out of her worn shoes as beings of light filled her imagination.

"There are two of them, one for each of you."

"Does the other one have shiny wings too?"

Clo turned to the boy, completely caught off guard by the honest question. "Well... no. But... she has candy. Lots of fucking candy." The boy just stared at her. "You do know what candy is right?" She asked to which he shook his head. "Whatever that's not important... the important thing is that they're angels and you're always safe with angels... I promise. So here's what I need you to do." She pointed once again at the horizon. "That flash of light will lead you to them. Just follow the light... Don't stop for anyone or anything and do not stray. Follow the light and you'll find the angels. And take this." Clo folded her free wing down in front of her and pluck one of the feathers. It was covered in blood. She grimaced before tossing it to the side. ...Don't want them thinking I'm dead... The second one she pulled was clean and she handed it to the girl. "Hold on to that. Don't lose it. When you find the angels you give them that okay?"

"What about you?" The girl reached out and touched Clo's forearm, the soft of her hands pressing against Clo's rough and dirty skin.

"I'll be fine sweetheart. I have a lot of bad guys to kill."

[Luminance]

Time passed rather uneventfully as Anora continued to watch the Red Waste from her vantage point atop the wall. The sun had been making its way higher in the sky causing the temperature to become warmer in a fairly uncomfortable way. But despite this, gentle yet clear notes continued to pass her lips forming a more upbeat melody than her one earlier that morning.

How quick things can change when we least expect it. She mused to herself as she shifted her position and stood up to her full 5'4" height, her legs complaining in the form of pins and needles from the abrupt movement after many hours in the same seated position. Taking a few steps to her right in an attempt to get rid of the stiffness in her legs she froze in place when she heard the Leader of Paradise Land call out her sister Ramera's name and then the Gate Keepers Name. Looking over in the direction of the commotion Anora saw that there was a little gathering along with Paradise Leader Ravenia, and even the Doctor, Tobias his name bubbled up in her mind and she couldn't stop the smallest of smiles from forming on her lips. It looked to be important maybe she should go over?

Then as fast as her smile appeared, it was gone.

N-no... I haven't been summoned so I should get back to my watch duty. She told herself and with the slightest of reluctance tore her gaze away and back out towards the Red Waste. Something tiny moved out in the distance and straight away caught her attention. Straining her eyes she looked closer at the same spot and sure enough whatever it was she saw was coming closer from the direction that she had last seen-

Clo! Her eyes widened and the melody she had still been singing caught in her throat. Her dearest sister Clo went out in that same direction! Now on high alert Anora's wings spread wide and with a single flap, she was airborne and heading in the same direction. Her sister also had wings but the lack of seeing anything airborne made her extremely worried. What if she has bitten off more than she can chew, again?! More flaps of her wings had her picking up speed and her left hand reached for the flare gun while her right hand moved to the hilt of her rapier which resided right next to her bag of sugary sweets.

Anora could only hope that she was overreacting, it wouldn't have been the first time she's done such a thing with regards to her adoptive sister. It seemed that habits were hard to break.

[Twilights Curse]

Tobias or Alpha depending on who was talking to him would nod. "alright, if you are sure and not a problem on any unecessary lighting" he said, smiling at her when she once again posed the statement about him becoming a warrior. "perhaps it is time, and i do help out in the red waste when able, but im the only medically trained individual you have, and even im not immortal, if something happened to me, you'd be without someone to take care of the sick" he posed, before he thought a moment. "but" he'd never before said that. "if you'd wish to train me, then i'll agree to becoming a warrior as well" smiling at her, his father's words running through his mind, to help Paradise.. and this would help he was sure. he would reach into his pocket and pull out the little vial and applicator. "here you go, open up and let me see" already unscrewing the lid when he had to take a step back, the lid half off as. "Ramera, always a pleasure" he said in response to her cold sideways glance. "you do realize its been ten days since i asked you to come in for a check up, i dont suppose you'll make the time today while its still light out" he inquired as he got the applicator ready and began stirring the medical glue for Ravenia for when she was ready to have it applied once done discussing things.

as he readied the glue, out of the corner of his eye he saw shadows moving overhead and instinctively looked up just in time to see Anora taking flight, and with a purpose. following in the general direction she was going, he looked out over the horizon of the Red Waste. "i believe Anora sees something" he said aloud, moving closer to the edge as he stared. "but what, i cannot tell you, i cannot see that far" turning back around to look at the two he was with.

[Metronome]

Was is possible for someone to fall asleep while walking? If so, Isam was pretty sure he was capable of it. Today wasn't near as bad as some, where he would let himself get so tired that he would begin to hear things. He knew, however, that that stage was right around the corner if he didn't rest. But every time he closed his eyes to sleep, he heard screaming. He would see blood and the faces of the people that died because of him. He would wake up in the middle of the night, covered in a cold sweat, because he could hear them begging him for their life back. Did Isam believe in ghosts? Sometimes, he was sure he did.

His steady steps on the gravel was just about the only man made sound he could hear. Not many people were up at this time of day, with the sun only just now peaking over the landscape. Isam was a man that liked his space, but that didn't mean he didn't like people. He often found that people were the best distraction from himself. If he could keep his mind busy, it wouldn't torment him as much. If he really got involved, sometimes it wouldn't torment him at all.

He looked down at his boots as he walked. The same boots he wore almost every day. Isam wasn't too into fashion. He usually wore cargo pants, like the grey ones he had on today, and dull colors shirts. The black tank top he wore now showed off a few of the scars that graced his arms, not that he particularly cared. His curly hair was left down, the unruly black creature almost reaching his shoulders. When he found the time to brush it, it would actually take on a silky texture, but Isam rarely had time to tame his hair. The closest he would come would be putting it up in a pony tail.

Isam was halfway between sleep and awake when he was hit by something. Someone. He was almost knocked off his feet, being taken by surprise. Isam wasn't a tall man, but he was solid. He staggered back a couple steps and looked up to see who had ran into him. It was a women; he was pretty sure he had seen her around before, but he couldn't place a name with her. She was pretty. Pretty rude.

"Sorry," Isam said, his voice thickly accented. He didn't have enough fight in him to argue his case. "I'll do better next time." The way he delivered the last line made it sound very insincere; sarcastic almost. He bent over to pick up his house keys, which had fallen out of his pocket when she ran into him, and stuffed them back into his jacket.

[pyroman]

Hearing the voice of The Raven, Marcus turned his head to look at Ravenia. He smiled at the woman and nodded to both her and himself. "I've been busy." Was all that he said, in a voice that was just a little quieter than the one that she had used to talk to him. His night not only consisted watching the gate, but also thinking about what to work on next. As he watched the rising sun, he heard his name being called from the person that he last spoke to. He was unsure why people were out in the red waste, but he said nothing as he nodded to his leader. He made a mental note to start working on defense mechanisms for outside the walls, specifically for problems like this. Crowd control and redirection. Of course, it would be difficult to lead a hoard of the dead away from a large food source, but that meant that he needed to start working on it as soon as possible.

"I'll put the gate on lock down. If you'll excuse me." He told his leader as he used the same line that he used to scale up the wall. He didn't want to disrespect her by leaving without a word, so even if his words were few, he hoped that they were enough to excuse him. He used the same grappling line that he used to scale up the wall to scale down it, and in little time he reached the ground. He had to get to the gate to put it on lock down. While he did originally plan to upgrade the wall so that his simple shack turned into a control center, he didn't want to risk having someone open up the gates and allow the dead or any unwanted company into Paradise. His metal control was a perfect way to lock up the gate, and that also meant that he was the only one who could open it. The downside to that was if he were to get injured, or hurt in some way that kept him from the gate, he wouldn't be able to open it for people who needed to get in.

He stood in front of the gate and took a calm stance, holding his arms out in front of him. Before he could bend the metal to his will, he had to establish a connection with it beforehand. Because he had done this more than once with this particular set of metals, he already had a strong connection to it. It took him much less time to connect to the metals than it did when he first assumed the position of gate keeper, only taking about a few seconds now. With fluid motions of his arms, the metals moved around all around the gate and it was securely locked down. With a soft and barely audible sigh, he smiled to himself and scaled back up the wall.

[Merman]

TheCheshire said
Ravenia chuckled at Sun's words. "It's hard to show the respect of a Leader to somebody who is younger than you. It was a battle being appointed Mother. Many people have come to accept it, but it doesn't mean they like it. I mean, they know I work hard for them and that I would do my best, but they still see me young and inexperienced. I don't know why, though. The Mother before me was sixteen when she was appointed." Ravenia said with a chuckle as she thought to her predecessor. She had been very respected, Ravenia could only hope with time the people came to see her truly as Mother.She was brought from her reverie suddenly at Sun's quick words. She trained her eyes on him fully as he hastily told her about his dreams. Knowing just how pertinent dreams could be, Ravenia listened intently to Sun. Nodding her head, Ravenia tilted her head back and eyed the sun too. "Knowing your dreams, we have anywhere from a matter of an hour to seventy-two hours for this to happen." She stopped for a moment, thinking something over, chewing her inner cheek in heavy consultation. "Sun, go find Shaylly for me, I'm going to need her to do a wide perimeter sweep across the Red Waste. Have her report to me here at the gates. Send a warning out that all traveling outside of the Paradise is strictly forbidden for the next few days. I need to alert the Harpies and the Gate Keeper." Ravenia said quickly, clutching Sun's shoulders firmly as she eyed him carefully. "Thank you, little Sun." She said as she gave him a smile and turned quickly towards the walls

Sun looked to his mistress intently and nodded in agreement. She was right. Not always was the case with his dreams, but generally they occurred within a 72hr period from the point of him having the dream. This was especially helpful as they generally had a specific timeframe to work with. Although...a previous incident that occurred that Sun dreamed about didn't take place until a month later. Luckily that incident was avoided and dealt with accordingly, although....barely. Sun had three forms of precognition. His precognitive dreams occurred almost every night. But...because the precognitive dreams he had were so vast, they were many times confusing and often, very violent. Almost like a danger sense. Yet of course, many of his dreams of the future were about completely random things and absolutely pointless. His precognitive dreams were on random roll, he could virtually dream about just about anything.

Now his premonitions. These were probably his best way of gathering information. He didn't have to be asleep to get a premonition. And many times, if he focused on a specific person or object, or just happened to be in a certain area, he could trigger a premonition. To him, they were like teaser video clip in black in white. Usually, these premonitions were no more than 10 and some of the images flash by so quickly, he can't make out every detail. Unlike his precognitive dreams, which are drawn out and very detailed. Nonetheless, his premonitions provided him with quick access to the future and a general understanding of what was to come. Not only that....but sometimes his premonitions were of the past as well. And then of course...his Lovely Ghostwriter ability was very peculiar.

Sun Nodded when Ravenia told him to find Shaylly. "Understood mam. I'll try and find her right away.", he said diligently, almost proud that he was useful to her. He smiled warmly as she placed her motherly hands on his shoulders and thanked him. He blushed once more, tagging his scrawny fingers into his hair bashfully. "Of...of course my lady. No thanks necessary", he said in a slightly awkward tone. When Ravenia took off towards the wall, so he did, heading in the opposite direction and calling out for Shaylly as he ran through the city. Hopefully he would find her soon. And if he didn't, he'd head back towards the front gate where Ravenia headed off too. He'd assist her in any way he could. He wasn't the best fighter...but his Blessed ability was particularly useful against the Dead.

[docblargle]

Jacob gazed at the red wastes for some time. He occasionally came up here to remind himself why he even bothered with the power plant. It wasn't for a predictable reason like he didn't want to live out there though. He had done so for years. He just didn't want a witch hunt following him across the wastes. That would just be annoying. He stared off into the distance until he heard a commotion down on the Paradise side of the wall. Just as he was glancing over, Ravenia made her way to the top of the wall, calling for the Gatekeeper. A second time on the wall for her was never a good sign, so Jacob immediately tensed up into what he considered his business personality. As expected, Ravenia came calling for him soon after she finished with the Gatekeeper. "Jacob! We are going on strict lock down for the next few days. There will be no lights allowed to be used at night, there may a horde of Dead traveling our way soon and I don't want to bring any unnecessary attention to us. I want you to shut down all outside lights leading into the city, as well. If anybody comes to you with having a problem with this, they will answer to me. Leave the medical center at full power, we will just cover up all of the windows to keep it from lighting up too brightly.", she said. Jacob curtly nodded his head and muttered "As you wish", before climbing back down the wall.

Jacob made a break for the plant's control room. And who else was on duty but freaking O'Malley. O'Malley saw him coming in and readied a snarky comment, but was cut off as Jacob started shouting, "Set the plant to city lockdown mode! Cut all power to lights but the ones in medical! Ravenia's orders!" That shut him up, as O'Malley immediately took off for the command console. He started running through the protocols, but suddenly stopped. With a voice of alarm, O'Malley said "Powers, the system is still cycling this morning's jump start! We can't power down! It will be in the system for another 2 hours." Jacob swore under his breath. There was a fix for this, but it wouldn't be pleasant, least of all for him. "We don't have time. Where is the jump start energy in the system, exactly? I'll siphon it back out." O'Malley tapped a few more keys on the console. "3rd sublevel, section 38. But Powers, that will leave the system destabilized for the next hour. Power will be all over the place." Jacob was already running out the door, as he called back "Then triage accordingly. Nonessential systems will be down for the lock-down anyway. It shouldn't be too hard."

Jacob arrived at the section of the grid the jump start was passing through. Green energy was shooting down various pipes and cables. Jacob through off his gloves, and grabbed the connection cable that led energy to the next section, and braced himself. As the green energy reached his glowing hands, Jacob sucked it back into his body. Enough energy had been pumped in to make the process painful, however, so Jacob cried out in pain as he absorbed the radiation. When he finished, Jacob staggered back, and felt his side. One big lump of a tumor now resided there, lightly pushing against his clothes. Jacob hit the intercom that led to the control room. "O'Malley, the jump-start was siphoned out. Go to lock down. I'm heading back to the wall to help with potential defense." With that, Jacob put his lead lined jacket and gloves back on, and ran for the exit.

Jacob returned to the wall to find that the gates had already closed. Everything was going according to plan. He climbed back up the wall to find Ravenia still there, along with Tobias, the doctor, Ramera, and Marcus, the gatekeeper. He spoke directly to Ravenia, saying "I have set the plant to city lock-down mode, but there was a complication in powering down. The power grid might be a bit unstable for the next hour, but with the lights off it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

[Kaiden]

Shaylly straightened the goggles around her neck and flicked the hood of her jacket over her head. She hung her ear buds, that had dropped and were falling loosely from the base that sit in her pant pocket, and tucked them in to the front of her shirt. Little did she know that her crash in to Isam would allow her to hear Sun's urgent calling.

She took one last deep breath as she regained her composure. The interruption to her normal morning routine was unwelcome but seemed to be in truth an accident; she could not blame the stranger for her unattentiveness. "Forget about it" she said, not wanting to apologize but not wanting him to linger on the incident that seemed to be both their faults. His heavy accent drew a curiosity out of her. They had a few strict foreigners but it was hard for anyone out side of the states to get to the land, leta lone all the way through to their safe haven. The entire planet was in shambles, littered with the Dead and the ones willing to do anything to survive. Shay tilted her head, looking at Isam. He was a handsome man and she very much liked his beard and long hair. "My name is Shaylly" she said finally, extending her gloved hand to him. The Land was too small of a home to not eventually get to know people. Sooner or later everyone would know each other on a personal level or they would have to resize the city. She didn't think it was smart to have enemies within her own city; they had enough of them on the outside.

Shaylly's attention was caught when she saw a glimmer of light shining above. She knew who this was, Anora, flying above as their main warrior and protector. She learned a lot of her skills from the Harpies and had a lot of respect for them. She found it curious though of Anora's flight pattern. Something wasn't right. Every day was the same, her flight of surveillance was the same. She could feel the slight difference and it put her internally on edge.

Suddenly, Shaylly's eyes were torn from the sky by the sound of her name being called. She recognized the voice immediately and the concern she felt for Anora's flight pattern only increased seeing Sun searching intensely for her; something was definitely not right. Down the street she saw the boy running and shouting her name. She called back to him, waving her arm. "Sun! Over here!" As Sun would make his way over towards her and Isam, Shaylly bit her lip with concern, looking down at him. Standing at 5"7 she was normally a formative figure for a woman but especially in comparison to little Sun. She felt much love and care for Sun though, and revered him with immense respect due to his important abilities as a Blessed One. He was, to her, a symbol of sweet innocence, something that seemed rare in their current times. Sun was one who could instantly put her in a calm state.

Shay glanced to Isam, unsure if he knew who Sun was. She didn't want to assume the worst so she let her furrowed brow relax and forced a wide smile for him. "What's up buddy? What can I do for you?"

[Exit]

--Cypher--
"You should eat."

Cypher planted himself into one of the wooden chairs and pulled up to the small table. Laid out in front of him was a plate of baked miniature potatoes, blue broccoli, and glowing yellow rice. Although a strange dish in the twenty first century, the meal was considered a delicacy considering how hard it was to grow and gather such ingredients in the irradiated Waste, much less find them all on the same plate. It went without saying that providing someone with such a meal was meant as the greatest form of hospitality. And... sitting across from him was the woman from before now in a visibly better state than she'd been left in earlier. Their doctor, aptly named Doc, had the impressive ability to multiply living cells assisting in anything from healing organic tissue to growing foods at an incredible rate. It only took him an hour or so with the girl to get her body back to a healthy state. However there was also a downside to this ability, a rather dark use that well suited a specific purpose. Information was the greatest weapon a man could have and at times, it took... pressure to get that information. Normally the human body could only take so much but with the Doc at Cypher's disposal, new meaning was added to the word "endure". People always tried to hold out but in the end they broke... every time. The woman had already caught on to this and she knew that if she didn't play nice, there was a hell worse than the Red Waste awaiting her. Upon being told to eat, she complied, picking up the fork he'd provided and shoving a few bites into her parched mouth. Not only was she anxious about her future, she was also ravished and only too happy to oblige. After swallowing an unfinished portion whole, not having the patience to chew the bite completely, she washed the clump down with a swig of water.... and then another... and then a third. Liquid spilled out the side of her mouth in her haste to siphon the fluid down. It'd been a long time since she had the luxury of clean water and she wasn't going to let the opportunity go to waste, especially if this was her last.

"Slow down before you choke." Cypher chuckled as he watched her scarf the meal down. She'd only just begun and already the plate was half finished, the glass completely empty. He had it refilled much to her surprise. "Seriously... slow down... and don't worry about the water." He noted her surprise. "There's plenty more where that came from." He said motioning toward the filled glass. She paused mid-stuff, staring at the man who had her tailed and beaten, trying hard to understand what was going on. However, there was nothing to find in his eyes and so she continued, content to have her fill if that was what he wanted. It was indeed. He remained quite the entire time she ate, bringing her a second serving when requested, albeit much smaller than the first and refilling her cup every time it was empty. When she'd finally slowed to a crawl, signaling that was nearly full, Cypher began.

"Do you know what this is?" He asked, placing a large tome on the table above her plate. She looked down at it, trying in vain to read the markings staring up at her. After a few minutes of wasted effort, she gave up and shook her head. Returning to her plate, she began to pull another bite into her mouth when she was suddenly stopped by a pair of hands, hands she recognized. Shea caught her wrist before she could get the metal in her mouth and twisted hard, wrenching the fork from her fingers. It fell to the floor, precious slivers of rice spilling everywhere. Without skipping a beat, she'd caught her left as well and yanked her arms behind her and around the chair. The quick motion, the tight grip and the awkward position of her arms shot pain straight into her spine and she screamed out, rather loud. Sure she'd been roughed up before by men and women alike but even then the hurt was never this bad. It was as if her sense of pain had been heightened, as if someone had turned her sensitivity way up. She hadn't noticed before but now... it was near unbearable.

"Hurts doesn't it." Shea hissed in her ear. The woman could only manage a painful moan in response. "Docs got a nasty habit of messing with those who mess with us. You think he was fixing you up? Please...." She chuckled, fighting back the devilish laugh bubbling up inside her. "The cells of your nervous system were nearly doubled... you're ultra sensitive. So when I do something like this..." Shea clamped down hard on a bit of skin with sharp fingernails eliciting an intense howl from her victim. It was music to her ears. "Oooh... That's right. I'm surprised you hadn't noticed until now."

Cypher watched the punishment unfettered. "The man in this book may have been one for forgiveness..." He knelt down to the woman until he was mere inches from her sweating face. Her mouth hung open in pain as she struggled to suck in precious air. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes struggling to focus on him. "...But me?... I'm not your savior."

"So... shall we begin?"
--Clo--
Meanwhile... Clo struggled in her uphill battle against roves of the undead. Stuck on the ground as her wings recovered from over excursion, she kept her distance and used her metal bat as little as possible. Sure she'd been given a sword from her sisters as a gift for being accepted into the Harpies but the weapon was her most prized possession. She kept the thing clean, neat, untouched and safe. The day she let irradiated blood blemish it's steel was the day she died. For now it was her bat and the half clip of 9mm rounds left in her pistol. Even then, as her situation deteriorated, she kept on with a single thought in her head...

...Five hours to the city...
She dumped another round into the closest of the dead, causing it's head to explode.

[Merman]

Kaiden said
Suddenly, Shaylly's eyes were torn from the sky by the sound of her name being called. She recognized the voice immediately and the concern she felt for Anora's flight pattern only increased seeing Sun searching intensely for her; something was definitely not right. Down the street she saw the boy running and shouting her name. She called back to him, waving her arm. "Sun! Over here!" As Sun would make his way over towards her and Isam, Shaylly bit her lip with concern, looking down at him. Standing at 5"7 she was normally a formative figure for a woman but especially in comparison to little Sun. She felt much love and care for Sun though, and revered him with immense respect due to his important abilities as a Blessed One. He was, to her, a symbol of sweet innocence, something that seemed rare in their current times. Sun was one who could instantly put her in a calm state.Shay glanced to Isam, unsure if he knew who Sun was, then crouched down to meet him closer face to face. She didn't want to assume the worst so she let her furrowed brow relax and forced a wide smile for him. "What's up buddy? What can I do for you?"

Sun ran intensely in search of Shay. His two hearts pumping more than he used to. Double thud his hearts went. But luckily, a benefit of having two hearts is that one's endurance and stamina are incredibly vast. And Sun's small frame allowed him to dart around without breaking a sweat, as if he was gliding on ice. As the wind blew his hair wildly, he ran through an a very thin but long alleyway, knocking over a pale of paint sitting on a beam of wood. He only had the slightest moment to take notice of the Graffiti on the wall. (Sacred...) something it read, with what looked like a large hand reaching out towards a small hand. Sun made a sharp turn onto Chalice street, almost knocking into a lamp post. He called out once more "Shay!", his high voice shouted out. Nothing.

He continued on, passing by the thrift shop he had aquired his peculiar skeleton hairpin from. It was a gift to him from his adoptive mother, it represented his fortitude against the dead. Or at least...thats what he thought it meant. Sun was definitely the type to always try and find deeper meaning in most mundane and seemingly unimportant of things. Sun ran non stop for at least a good 10 minutes, his two hearts beating immensely to keep up with his tempo. He paused for a moment after going down a few more blocks and called out once more..."Shay!". Nothing. He continued on, but luckily...not far. Shay was down the next block, standing and looking a little flustered near Isam. Sun knew of the man, but didn't particularly associate with him. "Shay!", he called out to her as she called out back to him. He sprinted up close with an obviously worried countenance. He took a moment to politely bow to Isam before diverting his attention back to Shay and gently grabbing her left wrist with both of his delicate soft hands.

He let out a deep sigh and looked upon her face. She was such a lovely indiviual who he cared deeply about. If anything, she was like a big sister to him. Such an admirable and steadfast example of an honourable human. Especially one who could handle her own without the abilities of a Blessed One. His peculiar angelic and feminine eyes glazed over her as he spoke. Sun let out a soft chuckle, but then became serious. "Thank goodness I found you Shay. It's not what you can do for me, but what you can do for Ravenia. I had a dream, and there is danger coming this way. A horde of Dead chasing behind two small kids. Maybe just a few years younger than me. I'm not sure when it is going to occur exactly, but Ravenia told me to fetch you because she thinks it may be upon us soon. We must hurry back to the front gate immediately. It's incredibly urgent Shay.", he let out like a scurried mouse. With his hands still lightly clasped around her left wrist, Sun took a moment to look at Isam and gave him a nod. He was too shy to ask for his assistance, but hoped that the strong-looking man would get the idea and coming along as well. He slightly pulled on Shay's arm in hopes she would follow with him back to the Gate where Ravenia was, or at least...was headed to.

[Metronome]

Isam hesitated before taking Shay's hand and shaking it. Men shaking hands with women was a Western culture, something he wasn't quite used to yet. But like many things, it was just something else he had to learn.

"Isam," He said simply.

Across the city, Fen had begun a curious search for his housemate. It wasn't that he was particularly nosy about Isam's business, it was just that the man worried him sometimes. What if he had another one of his episodes and got himself in trouble? Fen could remember several times that he'd taken Isam by surprise, and had found himself flat on his ass quicker than he liked to think about.

It didn't take him long to hunt the man down, what with his keen nose. Fen spotted him in the road, talking to some woman. He'd seen her before, but he didn't know her name. But the short and curly haired man was impossible to mistake.
"Hey Isam!" Fen bounded up about the same time as Sun did. Fen recognized him. He was one of the, what they called, "Blessed ones", like Fen. He was pretty cool, or at least Fen thought so.

Isam turned to look at Fen, who stood back while Sun talked. He couldn't help but notice that the younger man had, yet again, left the house only half dressed. It seemed that running around the city half naked was something that Fen did at least once a day, if not all day. He looked back to the boy, Sun, who was talking to Shay. It was something about the Dead approaching the city; that they may be in danger. Fen perked up.
"I'll come," He piped in. "I'm sure Ravenia won't mind the help."

Isam was concerned as well. Sure, he was tired, but sleep could wait. The thought of being under attack already had adrenaline running into his blood. Years of survival outside of the city had taught him to be ready on a moment's notice.
"Is there anything I can help with?" He asked.

[TheCheshire]

"I'm not dead, yet, Doc. I'll come in for a check up as soon as possible." Ravenia said with a wink. Her eyes went back to Ramera as the eldest of the sisters was in range. "Yes, Sun had a dream that there were Dead heading out way. We don't have a good time line as to when they'll show up but we need you and your sisters on alert for the next seventy-two hours. Each of you will have a twenty-four hour shift. We need sharp eyes from above at all time." Ravenia said as she looked from the eldest of the Harpies to a flash of white out of the corner of her eyes. She watched as Anora shot out off across the Red Waste towards something in the distance.

"Ramera, call all available Blessed Ones and Warriors to the gates. I want the archers posted high! The Dead are coming." Her voice was quick as she suddenly took off back down the wall towards a shed. "Doc, come with me! We may need your skills!" Ravenia called over her shoulder as she suddenly leaped off of the wall and caught one of the grappling lines, sliding down so quickly that she tore the flesh from her hands. She ignored the pain and blood and quickly raced towards one of the solar cars that Jacob had created for them. They were fast and dangerous when it came to the open land. He had even included a back up battery for night when the moon wasn't bright enough. "Gate Keeper, open the gate!" She called out, jumping it into the driver seat and quickly turning the vehicle on. She had the vehicle ready before the gates in a fury of flying dirt in no time, waiting for Tobias to join her.

She looked to Marcus next. "When Shay arrives have her man one of the vehicles instead. I'm going to get to the children first and have the Doc bring them and Clo back. I'm going to divert them away back across the Red Waste. I'm gonna need a ride." Ravenia said, flashing a wide smile.

[Exit]

--Clo--
The sound of metal crushing bone filled the air as Clo pushed her bat through yet another skull. The impact was loud and hard, sending a mist of red blood and bits of rotting meat toward the sky. "54!" She said aloud to no one in particular. A second stepped forward, it's arms stretched out and it's fingers reaching for her throat. With her right arm still in full swing, she followed with her left arm instead, leveling the irons of her pistol with the exposed bone of the snarled nose in front of her. She pulled the trigger expecting to add one more tally to her kills.

Click.
"Shit!" Dead fingers grasp her forearm, pulling her from a retreat and straight into a mouth full of teeth. Her right hand reacted faster than she expected, flipping the bat around until it was pointed right at the zombie followed swiftly by a lightening fast jab and more force than she'd meant to use. The metal tip slipped right between it's gaping maw and burst through the back of it's head. Unfortunately with all the extra kick she'd managed to send both her and the not so fresh corpse crashing to the ground. She quickly rolled to the side, the baseball bat still impaled in it's latest victim. It was immediately overtaken by the rest of those pursuing her.

"Time to get the fuck out of Dodge... right?" She second guessed her use of an out dated phrase, wondering if that was the proper time to drop such a line. There was no one around to tell her differently so she figured she was in the clear and immediately leaped into the air. Her black wings shot to their full length and grabbed at the sky raking air from around her and forcing it toward the ground in an attempt to gain lift. However, she hadn't given the muscles time to fully recover and after a few pained flaps, she came crashing back down to earth. She landed in an exhausted heap, throwing dust and dirt everywhere.

"Damn.... damn it damn it damn it!" She yelled out, pounding her fist into the ground a little too hard for her own good. "If only I'd spent more time fucking flying around." She flapped her bruised knuckles around in the air in a pathetic imitation of herself flopping around in the sky.

Clo rolled over on her back spent yet again and in the same position she'd been in only minutes earlier. On her ass staring at the blue sky. It was true: having been forced to remain on the ground with her wings tied up the majority of her childhood, she'd grown to hate her wings. They had been the first and most obvious sign that she wasn't a normal human being. They were the reasons she was imprisoned and enslaved and why she blamed herself for the death of her parents. She grew to loath them and vowed to remove them when given the chance. Then came her elder sisters. Just like her but at the same time just as foreign. They were beautiful, their wings magnificent in the sunlight but hers... ever black and dark. When they'd rescued her, she'd finally been given the freedom to fly. Their beauty was her inspiration to keep her wings but the lingering hatred prevented her from using them all the time. She spent most of the day on her feet and did as little flying as possible. Now she was paying for it. She was going to die in the Waste miles from home alone.

"Ugh... this sucks." She continued speaking to no one but then strained her chin up and her head back so she could look in the direction of the city. She stared at the reversed horizon, the glint of light flashing across the Waste trying to light up a dark world. "Sorry Anora... Ramera... Hopefully you two got my message. Hopefully those kids are going to make it... hopefully the dead will have their fill of me and turn around..." She smiled at the thought.

"Heh... guess I did save your asses. I might be scrawny sis but I'm quite tasty I promise." She chuckled half-heartedly. "They'll have their fill... I'm sure."

[Twilights Curse]

Tobias would smirk, nodding. "oh yes, i believe that as much as i do the others around here coming to see me of their own free will, we are a stubbon lot you know" knowing full well she wouldnt come in for a check up unless she was hogged tied and already knocked out. the moment the command was for all the blessed ones and warriors to move to the gates, and the archers to take their positions Tobias turned. "on the way" he said, fogetting the rope he simply stepped off the side of the wall, dropping to the ground fast enough but then he dropped even faster and he hit hard, falling to his knee only before he stood, dusted himself back off before he looked up, seeing the solar steaker as he called it coming barrelling around.. the fall had triggered his body to respond, his muscles and bones had increased in durability and strength, taking the sudden fall with ease, though it took him a little longer to move, sprinting didnt seem to work, he now weighed a lot more.. eight steps, each one slamming into the ground making a mini dust cloud before his body returned back to normal, even the tail was gone as he lept into the passenger side. "ready when you are" looking to Marcus as he got his orders from Ravenia, before they were tearing out across the red waste.

"if you think im going to leave you out there alone, you seriously need that check up Ravenia" he said, looking at her. "leave me out there and you bring the children back, i'll be fine among the dead and you know that" wasnt the first time he had given the go to leave him, and each time he'd made it back either on his own or they'd find him a little worse for wear, his clothes torn and in rags but he was fine. so far he always adapted to the threats that arose.

[docblargle]

Jacob watched as Ravenia and Tobias took off in one of his solar cars, barely noticed in the commotion. He smirked to himself as he thought about how people claimed he had created them. He had done no such thing. The solar cars had already been here, rusting in junk piles. All they needed was a few repairs, an augment to their power systems, and a single radioactive jolt to kick start them. Figuring there was nothing left to do but wait for action, he gazed back out at the red wastes, and pondered.

Jacob's reputation was strange in the Paradise Lands. Only a few of the blessed ones treated him like a normal person, and they were mostly higher ups. Even they would occasionally show him pity, which was the last thing he wanted from them. Everyone else either loved him, or hated him. Most hated him, because of his particular gift as a blessed one. Jacob couldn't really blame them. Many of their loved ones had gotten sick from radiation at some point, and here was a man who could command the very poison in their bodies. Only a few loved him, due to the contributions he had given the city. Without his work, the power plant would have given out five years ago due to lack of new uranium cells. Those few also credited a few new advancements in the city to him, such as the solar cars. They called him "The light of the city". In all honesty, Jacob had merely found a few remaining devices in the junk yards that mostly worked aside from lack of power. All it took was a modification to the power source, and one little jolt to fix them. Jacob had no problem telling this to the more annoying of his fans to shut them up. It rarely worked.

Jacob glanced to see who remained on the wall. Only Marcus seemed to be anywhere near him. Marcus was a brilliant inventor in his own right, and the only person Jacob had ever shown his precise technological modifications to, albeit grudgingly. A few more recent developments, particularly to the wall, couldn't have been done without his help. But as much as Jacob respected his work, he still wasn't particularly chatty with him. If Marcus wanted to talk, Jacob would talk. Until then, he would silently watch the wastes like a stoic guardian.

[TheCheshire]

Ravenia hit the gas hard, the solar powered car barreling out across the Red Waste. Having placed a pair of dark sunglasses over her eyes to block out the sun and the dust, Ravenia almost sneered at Tobias. "Like fuck I'll leave you out there!" Ravenia snapped, a little more heat than she expected to her words. It wasnt very often she got angry like that. Clearing her throat she spoke again. "Like you said, Doc. You're the only doctor this place has. We wouldn't last a sickness season without you... You can always replace me, I'm just the leader. You can always find another face to take over Mother. But your talents are fee in between."

She paused for a moment in brief silence as she focused on the landscape before her. She had almost caught up to Anora. She barely saw the kids ahead. She chewed on her sore cheek as she thought of when Tobias had first arrived. How he had came ragged and looking almost broken, stumbling through the gates. "Besides, I don't know what I would do if you didn't came back.." Ravenia said softly enough that she hoped he hadn't heard her.

[Kaiden]

Shay smiled as Sun took her left wrist in his delicate hands. She was wary of those who touched her but Sun was not one of them. His touch was soft and always welcome, the sweet reminder of the good that's left in the hell hole that they lived in. She always thought of the day when Blessed ones like Sun over populated the world. It seemed to be the cure for their poisoned planet. War, death, evil, carnage, everything they knew to survive was not what Shay believed Earth needed to heal. Perhaps with more Lands like theirs they could eventually overtake the Dead across the globe and begin healing their planet.

Shaylly focused her wandering thoughts back to Sun in a quick moment, taking in everything he was saying. Although he spoke fast his words were crisp and clear and Shay understood the gravity of the story revealed. It had been awhile since their last attack by the Dead, so long that people had seemed to get used to the peace, not expecting another attack any time soon. Shay was always on her guard though, training, being trained, ready for their next attack. This was her sworn duty and her purpose in life. But she also had a goal to fly for her brother. She was going to be allowed a test flight in one of the few fighter jets they housed. They barely used them for real flight, saving them for the most serious of attacks as it took too much of their resources to use and was too much of a risk to fly unless truly needed. Shay doubted today was worthy of using them, which meant her first flight would be postponed. She hid the heavy disappointment she felt, like an anchor that sunk from her chest to the pit of her stomach, and focused on what was more important.

Shay felt Sun beginning to pull on her arm, urging her forward to the gates to meet with Ravenia for further instructions. She took a step forward to begin following Sun when her attention was pulled for a moment as she saw Fenrir had joined their conversation. She was glad he was willing to help. She knew Fenrir was a Blessed one as she had seen his ability during a story telling night in the city. Not only was Fen great with his story telling but he incorporated his own shape shifting in to the story to make it more alive and exciting. It was a much needed distraction for the people, especially the kids. She had been listening from afar and enjoyed his performance but she had never met him face to face. She wasn't entirely sure of his name but was guessing on her memory from listening in that it was Fenrir. She nodded to Fen as he agreed to come then turned to look at Isam as he asked how he could help them. Her dark eyes scaled his body from his face, up alone his body, to his head, then back down to his body again. He was strong. Hopefully he was smart too. "Yeah come with us Isam. It sounds like we'll need all the help we can from our strongest."

She herself was strong in build. Her frame was lithe but muscular, her body fat down to around 13%; her endurance was in peak performance as she pushed herself every day in training. When all else failed with weapons and brute force, she might need to run to escape and she was ready if it was ever needed. "Let's go!" Shay grabbed Sun's wrist as he held hers and raced by his side towards the gates. She kept in good speed with him, hoping the others would keep up as Sun explained they had to move in haste.

When they arrived to the gates and Shay didn't see Ravenia she then looked around for Marcus, the Gate Keeper. She knew him well as she had spent a lot of time when she first had arrived here watching the lands with him at the gates. She enjoyed the quiet and at the time didn't have much desire for sleep. Many of her first nights were restless, full of nightmares of her escape to the city and the loss of her family. Marcus allowed her presence and she enjoyed the distraction from her own mind. She got along well with him, she believed, because of her equally matched stubbornness and her complete lack of knowledge in technology. She leaned on Marcus for support when learning to fly the jet simulators and how the machines technically worked. But lately with her new role in keeping the city fit and healthy, and perfectly fine to get a full 8-10 hours of sleep, she didn't see much of Marcus or spend much time with him face to face. It was nice to be with him again but the circumstance was unfortunate. "Marcus!" Shay called out for him. She had let go of Sun's hand and was placing her arm lightly around his shoulder. Sun was to Shay like a brother she cared deeply for. Her real brother, Shane, was gone and would never come back, but it was nice to have the same love for another to share with. It helped heal her in a way.

[OoTrillionoO]

"Yes, Sun had a dream that there were Dead heading our way. We don't have a good time line as to when they'll show up but we need you and your sisters on alert for the next seventy-two hours. Each of you will have a twenty-four hour shift. We need sharp eyes from above at all times," Ravenia shifted her eyes, something catching her attention. "Ramera, call all available Blessed Ones and Warriors to the gates. I want the archers posted high! The Dead are coming." With her orders, Ramera turned away, raised her wings high and lifted high into the sky, with each flap she grew higher and higher, and soon she was able to see all of Paradise. It wasn't very often she got to use her ability for nothing more than practice, but she'd driven the signals into her head enough times that she was able to perform them with ease.

Seemingly seconds later, Paradise began to appear as just the size of a quarter. Ramera decided that this was most likely optimal height. She brought her hands close together and began churning her fingers, specks of light began emanating from her palms, the dust like substances began to twirl and spin in between both of her hands, the amount and brilliance quickly growing, and in just a matter of seconds the dust had already formed into a baseball sized orb. But, it wasn't large enough; she continued its growth, forcing it to expand in size until it was as wide as her shoulders. At that point, she dropped the orb, its brilliant glow being more than enough to catch one's eye. She assumed that the blessed ones and warriors knew the signaling she'd established with Ravenia. She didn't carry a flare gun and this was her only way of communicating to those within the city. She gave a hard downward flap of her right wing, causing the orb to spin and dance in its downward descent, specks of light creating a dazzling trail following behind it. Assuming the current breeze would remain at least semi constant, the orb would land almost directly in front of the gate. Now to signal the archers, she thought to herself before something caught her eye in the distance. The horde was remarkable, something truly enormous. To think that such slow creatures were able to group up into such large masses. Up so high she was unable to make them out individually, but it definitely consisted of the dead.

She trailed after her orb in its descent, making a mental note to consult with her sisters about their newest watch schedule. Actually, she wondered why she hadn't seen her sister's while she was so high, signaling from above. "Well, guess that means I get the first watch," she said out loud, she was sure she'd see them soon enough. She returned her gaze to the horde, debating the possibility one of them went in alone. No, Anora wouldn't have done something so reckless without a good reason. Clo... maybe, but there would have to be at least some sort of reason behind it she wiped her forehead with her palm at the thought, bringing it back surprisingly wet. The accompanied use of both her light, and her wings was beginning to take its toll on her.

Now that she was much closer to the city she was able to see some of the people already beginning to show at the gate. Word must have already spread, regardless of Ramera's signal. Good, then at least she was sure they understood. At this point, she began to generate two smaller orbs in either of her palms, feeling the dust shift between her fingers, and then she threw them both diagonally underneath her feet, their paths criss-crossing, both leaving trails of light in their wake, gently shimmering downwards before disappearing. Her signal for the archers was complete. There, now her duties were complete. She flew close to the wall, noting that her sisters weren't anywhere to be found. Something was amiss. She was sure she would have attained her sister's attention with her first signal, and yet she hadn't seen either of them at all.

[Merman]

Sun wrenched a bit forward in the direction of the gate, trying to get Shay to come along with him. His urgency was evident, but the strong confident and assuring smile of Shay made him feel much better. When it appeared that she was about to follow him, her motion stopped, as her attention had been diverted to The Blessed One Fen. Maybe it was due to his precognitive abilities, but Sun knew just about everyone, or at least...knew of them. He was more of the silent type who enjoyed hearing others speak and coagulate with eachother. He was such a wallflower and eventhough he was aware of most people, he wasn't particularly familiar with them. But of course, he was still always on his P&Qs and diligent to show respect and generosity.

He hadn't realized that Fen had came upon Shay at about the same time as he did. But when Shay nodded to Fen's request to assist them, Sun nodded as well, his light little head bobbing up and down innocently. His attention then followed Shay's once more, who seemed encouraged by Isam's willingness to help as well. He looked strong that was for sure. Sun glazed his eyes over Isam like a porcelain doll before rediverting his eyes back to Shay as she semi-yelled LETS GO! Her strong hand gripped around his as they made a break for the Gate.

As they ran, Sun looked behind him, hoping that Isam and Fen were not too far behind. Although, both men were incredibly strong, so they probably wouldn't have an issue tailing them. When they arrived at the gate, Shay affectionately wrapped her arm around neck like an older sibling would. She called out to Marcus as his eyes followed to the man's frame. Sun also took notice of Jacob and waved somewhat innocently to him and smiled warmly. Jacob probably didn't know, but Sun thoroughly enjoyed his company. He was such an odd indiviual and his semi-fame in the Paradise walls was certainly a chuckle, but Sun knew that Jacob didn't actually invent the solar cars. A premonition can inform you of that.

Whether Jacob noticed Sun's wave or not, he wasn't sure, as he looked back towards Marcus the gatekeeper, keeping quiet and letting Shay do the talking.

[Metronome]

Isam didn't fail to notice Shay looking him up and down, sizing him up. He, however, refused to do the same to her. He had been taught by his mother, when she was still alive, to keep his eyes on a woman's face, and nothing else. The old bird, bless her heart, had been avid about teaching her son to respect people the way they ought to be respected. He could still tell, however, that Shay was a strong woman. She must have been, or else they wouldn't be calling for her in this time of need.

Everything happened quickly. One moment, they had been standing there discussing the issue, and the next, they were running towards the gate. Isam, even in his state of mental exhaustion, was in good shape. He kept up with the other two fairly easy, his boots pounding on the pavement as he jogged/ran. Beside him, he caught of glimpse of brown and tan fur.

Fen had slipped out of his sweatpants and shifted. As a wolf, his shoulders stood taller than Isam's head; his paws were big as tires. The massive creature had no problem keeping up with the three. He loped along, his large strides seeming effortless. Upon arrival at the gate, Fen skidded to a stop and looked around at the crowd that had gathered. He recognized a few faces. Marcus was there; his robotic body parts were unmistakable. Fen's tail wagged in greeting as he looked at the man.

He recognized Ramera, one of the harpies. They, of course, where probably one of the first informed. The harpies were the city's best sky watch. Fen was captivated by them; they were like angels in the sky. Nothing like the horrible creatures, also called harpies, that were in his books. He gave her a look and a tail wag as well.

And then there was Jacob. Fen didn't really know what to think of him. He never spoke to anyone, he didn't seem too overly friendly, and he kind of gave Fen the creeps. His tail stopped when his eyes landed on the man, and he quickly adverted them back to the other, friendlier faces.

Isam, who wasn't quite the social butterfly that Fen was, hardly knew anyone there. He was a man that liked to keep to himself, and maybe a few of his friends. Most of his friends, however, lived in the area in the far left corner of the city, sometimes dubbed 'Arab town'. Most of his group, the one that he had painstakingly led here, had all settled in that one area. Few of them spoke English, and the ones that did only knew a few crucial phrases. This had more or less isolated them from the rest of the city, making them like their own, small community.

A lot of his group still considered him their leader, even inside their new city home. That was part of the reason Isam lived on the other side of the city from them. He wanted to make it clear that he was not the leader of some some foreign cult that had just shown up on the city's doorsteps. The group of Arab town was free from his command, whether they wanted to be or not.

Isam came to stand by Fen, who was his closest friend here. It was hard not to like the younger man, although Isam had tried at first. The way the man often went around half dressed had rubbed Isam the wrong way at one time. But the longer he knew Fen, the more he understood. Where Fen had come from, clothing was something foreign. Being raised by wild animals was bound to leave a few strange quirks in a man.