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[Zephyr Shenkiken]

Rebuilding in process...

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

WHOOO FOUND STUFF!!!

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

How will mankind meet it's end?

This question has existed as a constant source of curiosity since mankind has seen itself as unstoppable by anything walking the earth. We were justified in our confidence. Our tools, our weapons, our knowledge. They are peerless under the sun. {b}We{/b} are peerless.

And so this question reigns as a fun game of sorts until we see the end is near. Mankind panics when such things are preeminent no matter how groundless. Until {b}they{/b} revealed themselves we could have never known how far off we were from the source of our end.

War, Meteors, Global Warming. None came close to the Alius. After all, what better way to feast upon the unstoppable masters of the Earth than to exist in their guise?

The Homo Alius have existed since the days of the neanderthal. Their name means "Other Man" and they seem just that. Like us in more ways than looks, but unlike is so many other respects that they are not human. In the days of the ancients they learned from our ancestors on how to use tools and hunt. This knowledge went to the killing of the weak and secret eating of said victim. Throughout history cannibal tribes and individuals have been spoken of with fear and disgust. If only we knew.

Careful planning placed them in power among our nations, and a swift execution lead to their victory over and submission of the human race.

We have fallen. That leaves nothing left to do but stand.


{i}I guess this is my final entry in this journal. Everyone was wrong. The Master's Empire they call their nation. They think they're the new masters of the world. The Alius have overrun every one of our bases aside from this one and at this very moment I hear the gunfire and the screams of my brothers and sisters at arms. Today, the generals decided that we will not fight to the last man. A decision many of us first men did not enjoy. We regulars will die here today. Our higher ups and combat trainers will be evacuated so that our tactics and abilities can live on in future hopes of a rebellion. I suppose it's for the better.

The Alius have breached our outer perimeter. My time is soon. At this point, everyone I know besides the soldiers in my company are food. For that, I will kill as many as I can. Not only for revenge, but because every one I kill is one that won't get the joy of fathering more of these fucked up offspring.

I wish I still had the strength to believe in God, but how can I now? Making man in his image seems like some kind of sick joke. Either he screwed up big time or they're the chosen, not us. Why can they f*ck our women and make man-eating babies? What kind of sick shit is that? And if we screw their wenches, guess what comes out? Man-eaters. Mankind was fucked from the beginning of time. I can't help but laugh to myself thinking back at how we really believed ourselves to be so almighty that we could save or destroy the world. Now here we are, might as well be on the bottom of the food chain. I hear rifle fire.
I remember when it started I was still back at home. I was at school actually. The teachers called an emergency meeting and we all had to watch the news. The president had gone f*cking insane we thought. He was talking about a new era with new masters. Then people started dying. Right there on television. The speech continued through the gunfire and screams. Men and women on the screen began telling us they would appreciate our surrender. I couldn't believe my eyes. A kid to my right -Charles I think- stood up and said "Kill the bastards!" and the teacher in the back of the room rushed forward and stabbed a pen through the back of his neck. Children started mobbing and fighting with teachers and other student. Someone screamed "They're all eating us!". I've never ran so fast in my life. It took so long for the military to get sorted our from all the Alius that our resistance was haphazard. My dad and brother both died in that same day. This was no war. This was genocide.
So God, is this the rapture, or did we just f*ck up and you gave up on us? Either way, I have to go.


{right}Pvt. Eric Mitchell Right{/right}{/i}



And in Year 0, the old masters had been slain.

Two-hundred-twelve years later they stood one last time.

.......................................................................................................

It's not much but it's the original opening. I also found my first add but there's not much big picture info in it. Still it's a start.
******************* ******************** **************



{center}{i}Laughing in the face of death leaves you wide open.

~Erol Arman Bernhardt~{/center}{/i}

It was bright out today with a slightly chilly breeze that kept the temperature at a pretty constant level between warmth and cool. In truth it was a very nice day. Among the hordes of bodies moving about on the sidewalk went one unnoticed. Dirty blonde, pair of expensive sunglasses, light blue short sleeved and collared shirt under a wind-breaker jacket, a pair of casual jeans and appearing to be in his mid-twenties. He carried a modest looking binder containing a manila folder with a review checklist inside. People carrying these were usually decently paid workers hired by booking and/or travel agencies to find out the best places to stay so they could find out what places to pitch to the customers. Sometimes they were encouraged to look somewhat mundane as to avoid raising any alarm to the current customers. Some people see men in suits and immediately assume something amiss. Indeed, the most striking thing about this man was his frame. Built like an athlete, he was very much in shape. This man approached a nearby hotel called Summerset Inn briskly and with a purpose. He was in fact, a part of the most hated men and women in the world right now. If not from a defect at birth, or rather a mutation; the people around him would pick up his scent then kill him almost immediately before someone cooked him. As normal as they looked, the mobs of people were not, in fact; human. They were Alius. Homo Alius scientifically. They were the natural enemy and predator of human beings, and their reign over mankind was not a pleasant one.

After winning the war, they enslaved the human race. No more than cattle, workers, and whores (separately of course), humanity had fallen hard and landed harder. Mankind was, after all; the primary food source of Alius. Without ‘sape’ as they called it, Alius would become sick and weak. Even now, they walked around eating just as man had long ago. Snacking on things reminiscent of hot dogs, and hamburgers, but less than 2% of these were made with any beef or pork which are the only other meats Alius can eat. Those two are highly unhealthy meats for Aliuskind, but cheap for them. The hated man passed by a pedestrian on a cell phone on one hand and a sandwich heavy on the human in the other. Though disgusted, enough field experience and his previous time on a farm himself had made this operative in particular immune to the scent of cooked human flesh.


{i}Ten days after my birth I was named Erol Arman Bernhardt. Erol meaning brave, Arman meaning bold/hardy man, and Bernhardt meaning bold as a bear. I guess either my parents didn't know the meanings, or they expected a bold hardy son. Instead what they got was a premature birth that barely made it, and a childhood full of stringy muscle and sickness. It took ten days to finally name me because my mother was barely coherent until then due to the strenuous process of birth and slave work. My father had been loaned to another 'farmer' for two weeks to help pick an early bloom of tomatoes.

The first thirteen years of my life were filled with general unhappiness and work. Everything else was intensely lacking. I had two crushes back then. One was a girl that had the same birthday as me. She died because she was hit by a car while running away. The other was two years older and died one year before the raid that caused my escape. She had these gorgeous long dancer legs. Sadly that memory is closely followed by the sight of them being flayed at the thigh for their meat. Living on a farm meant living in lower class society where barbarism was as common as missing teeth. The killings always happened the same way. First you’re stripped down, washed, and tied up. Then you're hit twice in the back of the skull with an axe before they remove the head. After that comes the dissection, hollowing, cleaning out, and separation. Once the parts are separated, they wash them and begin skinning, chopping, and flaying. It's the most horrible sight you can possibly imagine. The Alius are merciless in their desecration. They play with the breasts and/or genitals of the dismembered bodies because they think it's funny. It makes me wonder if we used to do this to the animals we'd slain for food.

When I was fourteen I had my first run in with the Mak Shi, an Alius terrorist group bent on making an anarchist state within Terra Novus. That's the name the Realm gave our lands. They often raid farms and large houses in search of slaves or livestock to eat, and prostitutes to add to their own collection. Their training is decent, but their numbers and versatility makes them a true fighting force. The Mak Shi flooded in and my parents were among the first to be slain. They'd already began setting fire to the huts to burn slaves out. With no alternatives left, I fled. There were some woods out behind the house of our owners so I booked it into those. A day or two later, Regan found me and told me about the LSO. Once she got me to HQ, I learned how I'd escaped. Apparently, I'm some sort of mutant. Now, nine years later, that mutation is crucial to our revolution.{i}



He stopped at the door above which was a couple of floors worth of hotel and a sign to the left reading “Summerset Inn” and pulled a small flip cell phone opening it and dialing the encryption code.

"E..l?" came a feminine voice. It was just beyond the verge of irritation, "E...ol can y... he...r me? I'm st..ting to get ...r signal. Erol?" it continued,

"Yeah Claire, I'm working right now." he answered standing aside and politely nodding to a passerby entering the hotel.

"You remembered to dial the encryption code I see. Good." came a reply along with a much-improved tone, "I've been having a little computer trouble. I don't like it. Something in the area is messing with my signal." Claire warned. He could hear her typing as she spoke. Likely trying the find the source of the jam. Erol took a glance around,
"Well maybe they already knew about it. They're really perceptive so it's hard to hide anything from them." replied Erol with a chuckle.
"Oh really, is it green?" he asked slipping in the color as a code word for "ready" or "clear".

"It's green except the twelfth floor. That's your hot zone so be careful once you get there. Remember just get in, plant the devices, and get out. I can do the rest overnight once those are in.”

“No need to repeat yourself. I think I can at least remember that.” He continued as he entered the hotel. The woman at the front desk smiled at him,

“Hi, welcome to Summerset Inn. Do you have a reservation?” she asked turning her body towards a computer and hitting a few keys.

“Okay, bye.” Erol finished as he closed the phone slipping it into his pocket as he looked up at the blonde woman smiling back,

“Hey, actually I’m not needing a reservation. I’m from a travel agency to give your hotel once over little inspection. If you pass someone else will be contacting you’re the Summerset company and setting up reservations for a more extensive review.” He spieled immediately as he opened the small briefcase just enough to pull out the manila folder with the review sheet and placing it on the front desk. The woman looked at him slightly confused, but understanding. “I’m just going to need you to sign here to confirm that I was actually here.”

“Oh, okay.” Replied the woman. Her nametag read “Stacy”. Erol looked over at the rest of the lobby seeing a few security officers, a fire exit, a flight of stairs, and two elevators. The interior was nice, well lit, and smelled nice. Next to the desk stood three women in maid outfits. They were human. This was obvious due to the small metal collars around their necks. These would shoot several rows of spikes into their throat if they left the area for more than two minutes or if a button was pressed from a remote.

“So what company are you from exactly?” she asked,
“They will remain anonymous until they decide to contact you.” Replied Erol as he continued to survey the lobby.

“Okay, but sir I have to warn you now. You won’t be allowed on the top floor.” Stacy blurted quickly as she looked up at him making it clear what she was saying was important.

“Oh? Why not?” Erol asked leaning in expecting a secret. Stacy smiled coyly and looked around for a second before leaning towards him,
“Thomas Gray the Official is gonna be here sometime tomorrow.” She said smiling. Erol’s eyes flashed behind his sunglasses,

“Oh, if that man will be here I’m sure you’ll pass just fine.” He replied taking the folder and the sheet back. “If you’ll excuse me.”
......................................................
The room was dark aside from the bluish glow from several monitors. A slender dark haired woman stood from in front of one and groaned,
"God I hate this part." she whined grabbing a bottle of water from her desk and drinking for a moment before looking back at the group of people behind her at their desks. Another woman looked up wearing a headset and then back at her monitor.

"Goodness Claire, just sit down and wait. It's Erol we're talking about. I'm sure he'll be done in no time." said a male voice from behind. Claire turned seeing Gavril,

"Oh my if it isn't Dr. Volynski. And how is SM2 doing?" she asked with a smile seeing a person who wasn't too busy to talk to her. He walked over looking at her monitor for a moment,

"Lirogeis is doing just fine Claire. He's been here for almost two years and you still can't remember Subject M2's name? My goodness." Gavril teased smirking under his scruffy five o'clock shadow. He had his glasses hanging form his shirt pocket. He only wore them when he was working and that was most of the time. Claire could tell he'd been busy for a while. His thick brown hair was a little on the long side and he hadn't shaved for at least a day. Still, though she would admit he was reasonably attractive (though he wasn't her type) Claire loved his icy blue eyes.

"I'm sorry Gav, I just have so much trouble remembering names of people I've never talked to. You know that. Why can't I just go talk to him?" she asked quizzically leaning on the desk behind her and folding her arms.

"Don't get comfortable. I mainly just came in here to tell you Regan's about to show up soon. You know how she likes to keep an eye on Erol and such."

"Oh shit, my area's a mess. She's gonna be pissed." Claire said smirking. For some reason she took a bit of pleasure in providing just a little annoyance in the MO's day. Not enough to piss her off or course (since the last time that happened she was forced to shave her head), but just enough to strike up a little bit of conversation with her boss. Depending on her mood, she might just get a joke or two out of her.

"You know that doesn't really bug her. As long as you keep doing what you do best. Your job." Gavril replied, putting on his glasses signifying that he was about to go back to his lab.

"Oh, hey you didn't tell me why I can't ever talk to Lir." she piped. Gavril sighed smiling a little,

"Because Claire, you'd probably piss him off. Not that it's hard to do. Besides, Angelica's working with him today."

"Really? Oh come on, a cute lady like me?" she joked batting her long eyelashes. Truth be told she was very lovely, gut Gavril wasn't fooled by her coyness.

"Claire..." he chuckled walking over and whispering something in her ear before backing away and looking at the blushed look on her face as she met eyes with him.

"Oh wow, he is?" she asked surprised before laughing, "Oh well okay then. Now I know something about him. It'll only help when I get to actually have a conversation with him." she replied defiantly.
................................................................
{i}That's three. One more to go.{/i} thought Erol as he stepped back into the elevator. The devices he placed were called Echo Emitter. They released a sub sonar frequency that was undetectable without a Echo Receptor. It uses this wave of energy to map out entire buildings and detect heat sources. Unfortunately, the top floor is very important to have an Echo Emitter attached to. The good thing about that, was that the Echo technology was created by Vadim Volynski. The former head of the scientific studies making the LSO the only operators of said technology. Erol had already had plenty of time to examine the elevator. There was a camera right above where he was standing, leaving him in its blind spot. At the moment, that wasn't important. He'd already pressed the button for floor twelve and was heading there from the seventh floor. One EE had been placed on the elevator in the blind spot behind a handicap support rail, the other was on the third, then the seventh. He just needed one where the "Money" would be. The doors opened and he came out quickly. Immediately there were two men in suits on him,

"Sir admission to this floor is prohibited to civilians." one said coming to his side to walk him back to the elevator.

"Whoa, sir I just need to go..." Erol replied somewhat frantically sporting the slightly jittery and hunching demeanor of someone holding their urine. The second guard came up on the other side of Erol,

"Not here, sir."

"But I really have to use the men's room. Do you think you could point me towards it?" Erol asked, "I didn't even mean to come to this floor, I just pressed a button to try and get to someone who might know where they are." The first man looked around and then back at his partner,

"Um, well look you come with me. I'll show you really quick. There are some on the next floor down." said the second man.

"Oh thank you sir." Erol replied.

Lead to the door of the men's room, Erol opened it and turned thanking and waving to the man he'd found out was named Charles. Charles left without saying much and got back into the elevator. Immediately Erol reached into his pocket pressing a button on a small trigger that used yet another feature of the EE's. Every camera except those on the twelfth through ninth floor was now frozen. It wouldn't give him long, especially if there was a person on one of the security screens who was just standing still in mid stride. Erol quickly made his way up the stairs seeing Charles just pressing the elevator button. Since the elevator's acceleration was a little slow he just might make it up faster. At least that's what he was hoping for. He dashed up the stairs and opened the door at the top peaking through seeing the other guard looking over a the elevator as he heard Charles coming back up. Erol strolled in swiftly and placed the small adhesive Echo Emitter on the back of a stand holding a lamp before smoothly moving back into the stairwell. Typing the encryption code into his phone he texted "Mission Complete. Pulling out. Ready for extraction in five minutes." After sending the message was coded to "Okay honey I'm done, I'll call you in five minutes." Encryption was very important on the mainland. Otherwise the Alius satellites could pick up your signal. Luckily, the LSO could hack three specific satellites and move their transmissions back and fourth between them to keep their data from settling and being discovered.

Reaching the bottom floor again Erol put on a charming smile seeing Stacy again, "Well I'm just about all done." he told her as he headed over to the slaves nearby the desk. Stacy grinned back,

"What, you have to make sure their collars are good?" she asked.

"Yes, it's for safety of staff and customer." Erol replied before asking the slaves to turn around. He reached up to the metallic collars removing the very back of one to look at the innards. It was fully operational until removing a small metallic piece controlling the magnets in the piece of machinery. He leaned forward as eh fiddled with it whispering, "If you had any plans to escape let them go. Focus on staying alive. When the time comes we will extract you. Tell the others, understood?" The now bewildered looking woman stared straight at the wall,
"Yes," she rasped. She was trying very hard to hide the excitement in her voice. Erol smirked and deactivated the other collars secretly making sure to leave the piece inside the collar's case, just in the wrong place. "Well, that's about it. If they have any interests your employer will be contacted soon enough."

"Okay, you have a nice day." Stacy said smiling before looking back at the slaves and frowning, "Well, he's leaving now." she growled. They bowed and she smiled again looking back to the LSO member,
"Fucking idiots I swear..." she joked hushed. Erol twitched slightly but managed to keep his smile,

"Right, you take care too."
.....................................................

By now the Echo Emitters had worn off and would appear as temporary technical difficulties. Still, Erol was glad to be widening the gap between himself and the hotel. After all, he'd only brought a pistol with him. A USP.45 to be exact. On these recon missions he'd usually store it in his belt under his shirt as was the case. Something in his core had urged him to pull it out and put a couple of the rounds in the woman at the front desk's face, but he had tons more self control than to pull something that brash.

As he passed through a set of buildings he removed his sunglasses revealing a pair of oddly colored turquoise eyes that had a glimmering ring of green around the iris. Erol pulled out his cell phone again waiting. He'd need to contact Claire again to make certain he was able to go to the mainland base right now. He was lucky in the sense that one of them was close by enough to walk to, but it also meant he wouldn't have the added security of a vehicle to conceal himself. Just as he hit the six button he heard a brief footstep from outside the alley. It stopped abruptly as if the person had been moving quickly before. Erol paused slowly slipping the phone back into his pocket and kneeling as if tying his shoe, but instead grabbing the throwing knife hidden under his pant leg. . He pulled a small mirror out of his pocket and looked behind him seeing a hooded head slip back around the corner of the building out of sight. Erol put the mirror down and stood slowly making his way forward cautiously. Just when he was out of sight from the crowds outside the alley there was a shift in movement behind him and then the sound of sliding gravel. Heart racing, Erol turned pivoting around in a 180 degree motion. The figure was headed straight toward him. His hand gripped the handle of the knife loosely flipping it blade up in his hand. Aim, level, release. The knife shot out twirling end over end just glancing the arm of his target which winced and pulled away in the opposite direction. A sharp clang was heard as the knife hit brick and the figure rushed into Erol trying desperately to punish him with wild untrained strikes. This was no assassin that was for sure. Erol blocked a wild hook and grabbed the ripped sleeve pulling his attacker over against a wall. They jerked away letting the sleeve rip all the way down and off before hurling a punch into his ribs. Erol barely winced. There was no real power in the hit. No body, no pivot of the hip. Grabbing the arm Erol and added some force as he pinned the attacker against the wall. The enemy made a sound that immediately caused Erol to pause. It was somewhere in the middle of ecstasy and frustration. It was decidedly feminine. He peered under the hood seeing a pair of golden-amber eyes and tan skin and dark locks fell down under the hood on her shoulders beneath the jacket. The girl was absolutely beautiful. No, downright sexy. As Erol held her there kept against the wall with the weight of his own body, he could feel breasts on his chest. Large firm ones. Hiding his blush he looked down at her neck seeing an obvious tan line from the collars slaves are given with the tell-tale bruising near the carotid arteries in the neck were the pressure sensor is. He also noticed a strong scent of acorns.

“So you’re human?” Erol asked keeping her pinned. She spat in his face,

“Yeah, and you’re pretty weak for an Alius you swine.” she growled. Erol turned his face away letting go and wiping the spit away. She smacked him, hard. Harder than the punch had been even managing to snap his head back. He looked back wide eyed as she went to hit him again. He caught her wrist,

“I’m human, and a member of the LSO.” he replied quietly. She continued to glare. Erol let her go and finished wiping the spit off his face. The woman stood still for a moment.

“Are you really?” she asked hesitantly but still aggressive.

“If I wasn’t you think I’d have hesitated to pump up with augere and rip you apart in front of all the people out there?” There was a pause and finally she blushed,

“Good point.” said the woman looking away, “I’m sorry I thought…well.”

“What that you’d go down anyway so you’d take someone with you?” Erol chuckled pulling his phone out again and holding out his hand making eye contact with a now seemingly embarrassed female warrior, “I’m Erol. Welcome aboard if you’re coming with me.” Quickly the woman smiled,

“Oh, right. Um, I’m Alex”

[Matt]

I think I loved this one - or I remember being excited about the characters. What happened?

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

Basically it got stuck and hung up on some other writers (no one here included in that) and at a bad time. Was going through a lot of attempts at fixing some drama stuff and verge of huge breakup (which eventually happened with Stilavon) and move to Michigan and blah blah blah. Long story short is I wasn't on writing for nearly a year and ended up losing all of my notes for the story. Some of you may remember how much info I had typed out on Beastblue (at that time your name was Chaoharte I believe) but I had nearly twice that on the laptop.

I was AMPED about that story but it all fell apart.

[Quaddy]

I...totally dropped the ball on posting my addition to this.

So, I will do that now.

Regan Michaels had very little associated with her that wasn’t fear-based. She had earned the hatred of many, the respect of some, and the love of still fewer during her tenure as the leader of human resistance. The Lion’s Cub, which she had been named in her youth as Astor’s young protégé, had become a full-grown lioness herself, a mighty warrior bred to smite the evil that plagued the earth. There were stories about her, fanciful myths that seemed to have sprouted up with every step she took or weapon she discharged with perfect elegance. A few were plausible, though only one or maybe two had any ring of truth about them, and even those were warped almost beyond recognition. Ironically enough, Regan supposed, the leader of the LSO—the last bastion of human freedom—had become something greater than human herself.

She was a hero, after all, with the future of humanity riding on her shoulders. Good thing they were so broad, or else she might not be able to handle it.

“Alright, you witless wonders, how’s the drop going?” The blue light of the computer screens illuminated a face that might once have been soft, and maybe even baby doll beautiful, but seemed all the more menacing for the vestiges of femininity that yet lingered like shadows about her eyes and lips. Regan swept into the room like a vengeful wind, the kind of which destroys perfectly good picnics or unsuspecting cities, ignoring the scrambling nervousness of her men on the scene.

As always, it seemed that one of her men insisted upon testing her patience. “Claire, your station is a deplorable mess! We are in charge of freeing the human goddamn race from the likes of Alius scum and you’re waltzing around like a schoolgirl at her homeroom desk. Organized space equals organized missions! You fuck up, we’re all dead. And I’ll be damned if I let you live long enough to fuck up.”

“Yes ma’am,” Claire clipped out, saluting mockingly. She enjoyed angering Regan, who wasn’t really prone to outbursts or great displays of emotion. Regan supposed it was just to make sure that things didn’t get too serious and generally allowed the ribbing. A little joviality among the ranks wasn’t a bad thing, good for morale and an everyday reminder of just what they were fighting for. A reminder that they were fighting for the rights of humanity…a reminder that the LSO was probably the closest thing to freedom that any human could possess in this world. Laughter, pure and simple, reminding her men that there was such a thing worth fighting for.

But Claire did have a rather unfortunate habit of picking the wrong moment to provoke her MO. And a joke at the wrong moment was provocative in all the wrong ways. “Chande! If I see your area in such a state of disarray again, you will be training your replacement before I demand your resignation! Got that?” Regan’s face was impassive, only the ice in her dark eyes revealing the anger boiling beneath her coffee and cream skin.

“Yes, ma’am.” Claire returned to her screen, quietly clearing her desk and organizing it to the MO’s liking. Regan quirked her eyebrow, small smile nearly invisible to the other people in the room. She wasn’t kidding—far from it—but Claire’s submissive response to her order was amusing if nothing else. “Now, tell me how our little project is doing.”

“It’s going well,” Gavril replied. “Erol knows what he’s doing.”

Regan snorted. “More like none of those Alius morons know what he’s doing. He’s entirely too reckless sometimes.” Leaning against one of the desks, she crossed her arms, feeling her knives pressing into her ribs. “He’s gotten in, though, and laid the charges? I’ve got street teams waiting to hear from me.”

“He’s succeeded in placing the charges, boss,” Claire replied. “Everything appears to be green.”

Regan sighed, wincing slightly. She’d tied her bun too tight that morning, but she would have to wait until she got back to her rooms here at MB1 to fix it. It would never do to have her men see her in too informal a state. Especially not on the precipice of such an important mission.

The LSO were not terrorists. At least, not on the same level as the Mak Shi, who killed and tortured Alius and human alike, all to create a state of anarchy on Earth. No, Regan thought, the LSO did not kill for the sake of the chaos it created, but to restore humanity to their rightful state of dominance. Earth was their home, their planet, their world. The Alius had stolen it from them. And they meant to take it back.

“Good. Forward on all missions. Alert the street teams that the bombs will be detonated as soon as the rabbit is in place.” Regan allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction, nodding and rubbing her hands down her arms in a gesture of comfort. It was as human as she got in the presence of her men while on the precipice of such an important mission. She was their leader, a person of strength, a human with the fate of humankind held tight in her hands.

The Lion had died to give her a chance. She would not ruin it for him. Regan Michaels was the fourth person to hold the title, the first woman, and the youngest. Three great men had held—and died in—the position she now held, and Regan planned on winning it for them, for her men, and for the good of humanity.

She created of herself a legend that could not be brought down.

A myth.

The Daughter of the Lion.

“Call me if anything should go wrong. I have a meeting with Taran about some weaponry.” Regan ran her hand over the tattoo of the lion’s head along her arm and sighed. “One of Astor’s projects that I want to finish.” She received a desultory salute from the folks in the room, which she returned with one of her own before heading for the door and the lift that would take her to the lower levels. Taran’s workroom was, by necessity, kept as far from the living and working areas as possible.

As she stepped onto the platform, Regan heard Claire’s voice. “Regan…I have some news for you.”

“Oh Lord, what’s he done now?” Regan didn’t even bother stepping out of the lift. She had a feeling she’d be storming back into it if she left anyhow, so she didn’t bother wasting the extra energy. “Picked up a woman?”

“Actually…” Claire’s voice rang back. “Yes. Yes he did. And she’s up on the upper level. Erol says to tell you that you have another fighter on your hands, once she’s trained.”

“A replacement fighter, once I’ve killed him,” Regan muttered, running a hand over her face. Why did her men insist on doing stupid things? It was as if they {i}enjoyed{/i} giving their MO gray hair. And, knowing them, they probably did.

A subtle reminder that the Daughter of the Lion was, in fact, as human as anyone else. Just with a hell of a lot more pressure.

There went her visit with Taran.
{center}*****{/center}

{i}”Get her to a surgeon.” Astor glared at his men as they stood, unmoving in their shock. “NOW!”

Suddenly, the room burst into life as doctors and assistants started shouting. One of them took the girl, only twelve, into his arms and laid her out on a stretcher. Her chest lay open, ravaged by a knife wound, blood seeping through the makeshift tourniquet that he had created of his own jacket. The poor child was ashen, her sun-darkened skin shining with an unnatural pallor in the halogen lights of MB1. She should not still be alive.

And yet Astor had found her lying in a field, bled out almost beyond salvation. But her eyes, dark and shining, had met his from within the waves of grass; and there had been power in them, and defiance. Pain, yes, and even some fear, but she had not resigned herself to death. She had been hacked open with an Alius knife, but they had not eaten her; instead, they had left her to die there in that field.

Astor had known it would be a mistake to leave her there. The Fates had brought her to him, and he would not ignore their call.

She had reached for him, lips moving soundlessly as if she would speak to him. So young and yet so beautiful, so brave as to meet his eyes with pride and fearlessness. A daughter to fill the void of his missing children, the dark hole left lingering in his heart all these years.

Astor looked down at the girl on the table, dark eyes finally closed as if the child sensed that she was in relative safety. He wondered why the Alius had left her to die rather than consume her. Likely, they thought she was already dead from her wounds; the Alius did not enjoy the taste of dead meat. Or had she fought them off? No, there had been no bodies remaining.

Why, then, was she still alive? And what did that portend?

He smiled, reaching out to run his fingers through limp curls, and hummed a lullaby he used to sing to his youngest daughter. “You’re going to be fine, little one. Astor’s gonna keep you and raise you himself. No human’s completely safe in this world, but I promise you’ll be as safe as anyone can be these days.”

“Astor, Commander. The surgeons are ready for her.” Astor nodded and watched as the little girl was rolled away. “Jeremy. Take care of her, will you.”

“We’ll do our best, Commander. She has lost a lot of blood. Luckily, it appears that none of the major organs were damaged, though it seems as if a few of her ribs were nicked and her spleen has ruptured.” Jeremy, his resident surgeon, watched with Astor as surgical assistants rolled the child through the door to the surgery room. “They did a number on her.”

Astor nodded gruffly. “See that she lives, Jeremy. The Alius don’t let many survive. This girl was strong enough to keep herself alive all this time, don’t do anything to make her struggle for naught.”

Jeremy saluted smartly and then slipped into surgery. Astor sighed and rubbed at his temples. “She will be the daughter of a lion, if she survives.”{/i}
{center}*****{/center}

“Bo-oosssss!” Erol grinned and tossed his jacket onto a nearby table as Regan sidled—nay, stormed—into the room. He was every bit deserving of his namesake, the rake, the bad boy, the Hollywood actor of the world before Alius. Except that he wasn’t. Which made his current behavior all the more inflammatory.

Regan crossed her arms and glared. “Bernhardt, I hope for your sake that Claire is joking about a new member.”

“Why ever for, boss lady?” Erol waggled his eyebrows, suspicious behavior if ever there was any, and held his arms out as if to say ‘what did I do’. His eyes sparkled. If Regan weren’t already aware that Erol knew exactly what he had done, the false naiveté in his emerald gaze would have confirmed her suspicions wholeheartedly.

“Because you were out there on a recon mission, you idiot! A set-up mission! You know, those ones where you {i}don’t{/i} do stupid things like picking up drifters and bring them down into MB1. Intelligence missions. The ones where you’re supposed to act intelligent!” Regan threw her hands up into the air in frustration. “She could be a spy! Did that thought ever cross your mind?”

Erol wiped the look off of his face and leaned against the wall. “Boss, she passed all the tests. Nothing was found. She’s clean.”

“Yes, and we’re all perfectly aware that the Alius had no means by which they can circumvent our security. She is human, that much is very true, but who’s to say she is not a tool? You are invisible to them and so we use you. But it is hardly unlikely that such a tool is not available to the Alius.”

“Aw, boss lady, you are stark raving bonkers. She’s clean, alright? You gotta trust me, eh?” Erol gave a wry grin and stood off of the wall. “You took a chance on me. You brought me in here and trained me. As such, I am a protégé and share some of your understanding. Believe me when I say this girl is clean.”

Regan stared Erol down, her eyes meeting his. “What is her name, Erol?”

“Alex.” Erol grinned. “And she’s a damn fine fighter. Almost took me down and I was trained by the best.” Another flash of the movie star, the Hollywood rogue who’d smoked and drank his way into stardom and then into an early grave. Erol lived dangerously. And it was probably Regan that had made him that way, turning an accident of birth into a savior for humanity. He realized that he was a weapon and meant to be used. And he would probably die for it.

So Regan trusted him. “Alright. Bring her down. I’ll see to it that she is made well aware of just what honor she has been given.”
{center}*****{/center}

{i}”Run!” Astor turned on his heel and tore his way through the grass, silver blades cutting into his skin as he ran with nothing but the moon and his fear to guide him. He had a feeling tonight was the night.

The night he would die.

Next to him, Regan loped, graceful as always in everything that she did. A true warrior, a more-than-able successor. He could feel destiny shrouding around him, gathering like thunderous rain clouds, building toward something great. But he could also feel that it was not his destiny.

His part in destiny was done. And now, now it was her turn. His beloved Regan.

Astor knew she was young, perhaps too young to take over. If he could have, he would not have left her so soon. But it must be her and no one else. For destiny bid it to be her. And the Lion did not ignore destiny.

“Regan, take them all and go.” Astor turned to her and smiled softly. She was hard, like a leader, but she was fair and caring and would take care of them all. Because it was her destiny. Just as it was his to find her all those years ago, to find her and raise her as his own, to make of her the Daughter of the Lion. The leader. And, if he felt his destiny aright, the final leader of the Resistance. The one who would find victory for them all.

The true leader of the Resistance. And the greatest.

“Aye aye, Astor,” Regan replied, nodding and jogging ahead to the front of the group. She was a great fighter, but an even better tracker. Regan would find them a place to hide.

Astor turned, his guns at the ready, and fired into the darkness. He could hear them, smell them, feel them running toward him. They would not let him live as they had let her live so many years ago. Almost ten now. Behind him, he could hear echoing shots as Regan cleared a path. She hadn’t even questioned his order.

Aye, she would make a great leader. And she would make the many sacrifices all the more worth it, when she won it for them all.

Astor charged, a smile on his face, and headed into the fray. He knew the Alius would take the time to feed on him, maybe even killing a few of their number in the feeding frenzy. His only regret was that they would never find his body, never give him a proper burial and reunite him with his beloved. But the sacrifice needed to be made.

Astor went down smiling, even as teeth tore into his flesh and wiped him from the face of the earth.{/i}
{center}*****{/center}

“So, you’re Alex.” Regan hid her grin when the girl jumped at her arrival. A warrior, hmm? If Erol had, indeed, been taken down by such a jumpy child, he would need more training sessions. She would be merciless indeed. “Erol says you passed the tests.”

The girl was pretty. No wonder Erol had been so keen to bring her in. And she did spin gracefully, turning on the ball of her foot and only just resisting the urge to drop down into a windmill kick. Regan could read the reaction in the twitching of Alex’s muscles.

Perhaps she would be an asset after all.

“Who…who are you?” They had left her in a small room with only one door, and one that was impossible to open from the inside. It wasn’t precisely a prison cell, but only because people in this room stood a very good chance of getting out of it within a few hours. Once, of course, they’d gotten through Regan.

She wasn’t the MO for no reason, after all.

“I’m Regan.” The girl’s eyes went wide. Ah, so she either knew about the Resistance or Erol had told her just who she dealt with. “MO of the Resistance.”

Alex fidgeted just slightly. “I…I…”

“You are going to have to keep your mouth shut,” Regan finished. “If you think you can do that and, for the love of God, listen to me and not to Erol, you will not only do well here, you might even survive for some short period of time. Sound good?”

Alex nodded. “Of course, ma’am. I would be honored.”

“Good. Now, let’s get you out of this room and show you around. Erol says you almost did a number on him. If so, you’ll be a good help around here. No one manages to keep that boy under control very well.”

[Quaddy]

That was my first addition. I still had it on the computer.

[Aldersmaine]

Hang ups happen, but they can always be picked back up.

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

Wheeeeeee!!! I'm so gonna build this campfire back up when I get the chance. There was so much cool stuff for it. I may or may not wait until the Renegade/Rebel Earth series finishes though. Most of my military and rebellion thoughts immediately put me in Tada mode which can be a scary place.

[Quaddy]

There's one more campfire about Rebel, man. Keep that in mind. Resurrection Earth is third in line.

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

Yeah I remember. That's why I said i was waiting for the whole series to be done. I think it's a good idea to wait to completely channel that energy.

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

But oh my goodness does reading those additions get my brain churning the gears again. I need to start re-compiling all the information. That will take some time and a lot of the operatives were based off my real life friends lol.

This is a good one though. I remember I was SO very excited about it.

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

Weird, I googled Erol's full name and found Magistricide: The Hunted still exists on Writing.com...not sure how.

but I got this...


How will mankind meet it's end?

This question has existed as a constant source of curiosity since mankind has seen itself as unstoppable by anything walking the earth. We were justified in our confidence. Our tools, our weapons, our knowledge. They are peerless under the sun. We are peerless.

And so this question reigns as a fun game of sorts until we see the end is near. Mankind panics when such things are preeminent no matter how groundless. Until they revealed themselves we could have never known how far off we were from the source of our end.

War, Meteors, Global Warming. None came close to the Alius. After all, what better way to feast upon the unstoppable masters of the Earth than to exist in their guise?

The Homo Alius have existed since the days of the neanderthal. Their name means "Other Man" and they seem just that. Like us in more ways than looks, but unlike is so many other respects that they are not human. In the days of the ancients they learned from our ancestors on how to use tools and hunt. This knowledge went to the killing of the weak and secret eating of said victim. Throughout history cannibal tribes and individuals have been spoken of with fear and disgust. If only we knew that the worst lived 'sleeping' among us.

Careful planning placed them in power among our nations, and a swift execution lead to their victory over and submission of the human race.

We have fallen. That leaves nothing left to do but stand.


August 13, 2079 Borneo, Philippines- Base 34

1st Pvt. Right, Unit 772 Red Company

I guess this is my final entry in this journal. This shit is so fucked up. Everyone was wrong. The Alius have overrun every one of our bases aside from this one and at this very moment I hear the gunfire and the screams of my brothers and sisters at arms. Today, the generals decided that we will not fight to the last man. A decision many of us first men did not enjoy. We regulars will die here today under guns and brutal beatings and torture. Our higher ups and combat trainers will be evacuated so that our tactics and abilities can live on in future hopes of a rebellion. I guess it's better in the long run but what the hell are we gonna do?

We've been pushed all the way from the States to the fucking Philippines and the Alius have breached our outer perimeter. I won't live too much longer. At this point, everyone I know besides the soldiers in 772 R-Company are food. For that, I will kill as many as I can. Not only for revenge, but because every one I kill is one that won't get the joy of fathering more of these fucked up offspring. How will those assholes like knowing their father was taken out by the enemy?

I wish I still had the strength to believe in God, but how can I now? Making man in his image seems like some kind of sick ass joke. They look like us, talk like us,and even sleep with us, but they fucking EAT us. Either he failed us big time or those pieces of shit are the chosen, not we humans. Why can they fuck our women and make man-eating babies? What kind of sick shit is that? And if we screw their wenches, guess what comes out? More man-eaters! Mankind was fucked from the beginning of time. Fucked! I can't help but laugh to myself thinking back at how we really believed ourselves to be so almighty that we could save or destroy the world. Now here we are, might as well be on the bottom of the food chain. Damn they're getting close.
I remember when it started I was still back at home. I was at school actually. The teachers called an emergency meeting and we all had to watch the news. The president had gone fucking insane we thought. He was talking about a new era with new masters. Then people started dying. Right there on television. The speech continued through the gunfire and screams. Men and women on the screen began telling us they would appreciate our surrender. I couldn't believe my eyes. A kid to my right -Charles I think- stood up and said "Kill the bastards!" and the teacher in the back of the room rushed forward and stabbed a pen through the back of his neck. Children started mobbing and fighting with teachers and other student. Someone screamed "They're all eating us!". I've never ran so fast in my life. It took so long for the military to get sorted out from all the Alius that our resistance was haphazard. My dad and brother both died in that same day. This was no war. This was genocide.
So God, is this Armageddon, or did we just fuck up so bad you gave up on us? Either way, I have to go clean up your mess.


Pvt. Eric Mitchell Right




And in the new reign of Year 0, the old masters had been slain.

Ten years later in the Year 10 the Alius began a system called the Master's Empire.

Finally, in Year 61, the Alius began the Realm. Unchallenged, they truly became the masters of the new world.

Over two-hundred years after their fall the old masters stood one last time.

In Year 212 the Last Stand Operatives are formed from the ashes of humanity's former glories and teachers. Decades of secret training and passing of skills and techniques comes to it's culmination. They are named from the quote of the first Master of Operations:

"So they say man has fallen. Well if we're down, what can we do but stand?"

~Aiden William Colt~


As well as Stilavon's old add.

[Quaddy]

If you upgrade again, you might gain access to those campfires once more.

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

Probably, I'll need to start it over again anyway. Gotta replace Stil's character.

[Aldersmaine]

Is she just. . . Out of the picture now?

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

Basically yeah. Haven't really talked to her in a long while now. According to my side of the story, she really fucked up with her friends here in okc. If you want her side you can track her down on facebook I'm sure lol. For me, no.

[Quaddy]

I know, but you can get ahold of your first addition and whatnot. It's OK, though, my favorite part of my first addition doesn't involve Alex directly. It's the part where Erol acts like his namesake.

[Aldersmaine]

Tis sad, but I won't push the topic.

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

Yeah it's sad, but we've both moved on so i try not to hold a grudge really. I'm more disappointed than angry.

And yeah I remember I really liked that add Quaddy. It definitely fit perfectly.

[Quaddy]

I quite enjoyed it, myself. There are characters I like to write for more than others. Regan started out rough, but it got easier as the addition went on.

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

Yeah, after Anti-Hero cruising and we've got our bio's up and such I'll start rebuilding this.

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

This'll definitely be another one where I need people to play multiple characters. I'm only inviting trusted people on this one.

[Matt]

Those are the best kind.

[Zephyr Shenkiken]

Yup, but everyone is busy right now and we gotta focus on all these other new and rebooted campfires. I'm content with just rebuilding some of the things I had planned for now. Coming up with people's characters and stuff.