Day 1: Aridia
At the entrance to the de Mon Castle Grounds

A slight smile crossed Christopher's lips as he heard the cold, yet feminine voice behind him proceeded by a gun c**k. "A 08 hand held, carbon fiber gun with a silencer and full cartridge. I must say, not many women would have the nerve to shoot me with one of those, especially in the open...." The bounty hunter said with a slight smirk as he turned to see his opponent.

The woman in-front of him bore a strong resemblance to Vange... well, namely in the face. The hair color was all wrong, blonde not brunette and clothing was more... fancy. Still, the voice and face fit Christopher's old student and ex-flame.

"Should I check you in or do you want to have it out here, dear?" the bounty hunter said cooly as he made a slight flick of his wrist, dropping a small handmade pistol into his waiting hand.

Day 1
Arida, Arenico
Outside de Mon Castle's Gate

"It's not my weapon of choice, but who am I to complain?" Vange said, keeping her eyes on him and her gun level. Her blonde hair was a mess and her feet were cut up from the cement, but she stayed focused.

She chuckled scornfully. "For years I've searched for you...and now I find you by accident in the middle of a freak showdown. Isn't life funny?" She kept an eye on the pistol in his hand.

Day 1:Aridia
Outside de Mon Castle Gate

"Yes, life does have its funny moments." Christopher said straightening up, though constantly on the ready to strike first if needed. "Personally I thought you were either dead or had retired. After the incident at the factory, anyone in there right mind would have taken a break. But then, we are not fully in our right minds, are we?"

For the first in a very long time, Chris was hoping not to have to kill the person infront of him. This wasn't because of any affection or deep conviction about shooting a woman, it was more a sense of self preservation. He needed to get out of Arida to get paid and he had found a comfortable place to stay. Besides, that Candi girl did look fine...

-Day 1-
Arenico, Diabolis
Downtown, On a Rooftop
Previous Post

Gideon shook his head, backing away and pulling Edwin with him. "No officer, please. I promise you, we didn't start that fire. We never would. You must believe us!"

As he spoke, two more police officers emerged from the stairs and came to join their leader. "I don't," said the Chief of Police. "Now stop this nonsense. You will come with us now."

"No," said Gideon. The boldness had left him, and he was suddenly becoming very afraid. "Stay away from us!"

The police ignored him and began to advance. "Don't be a fool," said the Chief.

"Stay away!" Gideon spread out his hands as if trying to block them. As he did so, something strange happened. It began with a rush of wind through his hair, then the air in front of him seemed to ripple as though it was water. For a split second, he caught sight of what looked like rectangular block of air, it's color faintly silvery. Then it was flying away from him, simultaneous with the motion of his hands. It collided with the three policemen, who were blown off their feet as if hit by a solid object. They flew across the rooftop and crumpled in a heap.

Gideon's mouth fell open, and he stared down at his hands I'n disbelief.

"What just happened?" gasped Edwin.

Gideon shook his head. Did I just do that?

But the police were already scrambling to their feet - and this time, pulling pistols from their belts. "They're dangerous!" shouted one of the officers, pulling away from the others and charging, aiming his weapon.

Gideon swung his hand. Again, he felt that gust of wind and saw the air shimmer silver, this time following the motion of his hand. It seemed to become more solid the farther away it got. It slammed into the incoming officer, knocking him off his feet. His pistol fired off into the sky, and Edwin jumped, clutching Gideon's arm. "Gids, we have to get out of here," he breathed.

"I know. Come on!" The two of them ran to the rooftop's edge, opposite the police and the flaming casino. Heart racing, Gideon looked down, scouring the building for anything he might have missed, any other way down. Then he spotted it, an escape ladder that had missed his observation before, it's shaky rungs leading down, down, down.

Gideon pushed Edwin towards it. He heard shouts - the police were running toward them again. With an outward gesture of his hand, Gideon send them all flying backward. Then he swung his leg over the railing, felt the rungs of the ladder beneath his feet, and began to climb down.

Wind buffeted him. Suspended like a bug on the side of the skyscraper, he steeled himself and forced himself not to look down. One false move, one slip, and it was all over. He could hear Edwin descending the rungs furiously just below him.

They had gone down perhaps a floor when the police reached the rooftop's edge. "They're getting away!" shouted one, the same man who had tried to fire on them before. He pointed his weapon and, before the Chief could stop him, pulled the trigger.

And in that instant, many things happened at once.

Edwin's scream of "Look out!" was drowned out by the pistol's deafening explosion. Gideon flung his hands up as if to defend himself. He heard a clang and watched as the bullet ricocheted harmlessly off another block of solid, silvery air that had materialized above him. But before the shock could register in his mind, his lack of balance sent him toppling backwards off the ladder. In panic, he reached out for a rung - but grabbed Edwin instead, yanking him off and sending them both into a freefall.

Day 1
Arida, Arenico
Outside de Mon Castle's Gate

"Absolutely not." Vange said, the left side of her mouth lifting in a slight smile, but not a cheerful one. It had a devious and wicked look to it. "What are you doing in Arida?" She lowered the gun to her side, but still kept her finger on the trigger.

She knew it could possibly be a mistake, but she also knew Christopher better than most. Though he was a ruthless killer, she was confident that he wouldn't lay a hand on her. Then again, maybe he had changed...

— Day 1 —
Parksville, Erbaine
Palisade National Park
The Compound
Terra bit her lip as she watched the wolves disappear into the forest. Everything was changing.

She put her arm around Loretta, trying to console the sobbing girl. She didn't know what was wrong with her—if it was just shock, or something more serious—but Loretta's communicative abilities seemed to be shot. Maybe they'd be able to make some sense of it after she calmed down.

"We don't have that much daylight left," Terra said, glancing at the sun. "Lui, do you know where your parents are? Are they okay? And what about Mason?"

— Day 1 —
Parksville, Erbaine
Palisade National Park
The Compound

Lui shook her head. "I tried contacting them, but nothing works. You saw the Jeep. Anything less than that is dead."

"Let's get Loretta back to my place and see if we can figure out what's going on..." Lui ran a hand through her dark hair. "I'll check on my parents when I get everything sorted out in my own head...I mean, what would you think if your daughter showed up with fangs and, currently, a less-than-sane mind? They'd think I'm crazy...and maybe I am. I sure feel like it..."

She helped Loretta to her feet and said, "It's alright, Loretta..."

Day 1: Aridia
Outside de Mon Castle Gate

"The usual. Had a job to do for some high payers. Turns out there was a banker that was not giving his clients all their money." Christopher said as he relaxed slightly. Seeing as how Vange had lowered her gun, he didn't think a shoot-out would be happening anytime in the very near future.

"I would hazard a guess that you are here for a job as well... or are you just trying to get a tan at the beaches?" the bounty hunter said with grin, though at the moment the smile was not of the charming variety but more of a mocking smile.

Day 1
Arida, Arenico
Outside de Mon Castle's Gate

"Both. I might as well enjoy it while I'm here, hmm?" Evangeline gestured to herself, tanned and clad in a little black dress. "Unfortunately, my prey cornered himself in a highly populated area, thus I had to back off or blow my cover." She stuck her index fingernail between her teeth, "Senator Raines was a nice guy. Shame I have to kill him." An impish chuckle escaped her lips.

-Day 1-
Judicia, Erbaine
Post Supernova
Previous Post

Liam listened to Dr. Dreyman speak. "We'll have to do without major technology, electricity, gas, all that-- for a long time, though. Perhaps forever," the doctor said.

Liam wanted to say something, but he couldn't think of anything intelligent to say. His brain was awash with information. He listened numbly, unable to formulate a response until the doctor asked him if his palms hurt. Then he panicked.

Hurt? They should hurt, but they don't... Liam swallowed hard. His palms didn't hurt, but of course he couldn't tell Dr. Dreyman that. Not when he wasn't sure why they weren't hurting in the first place.

"Of course they hurt," he lied as the doctor cleaned off his hands. "I had an encounter with some broken glass." He shrugged lightly. "It's nothing to be too concerned about," he said, even though everything in him screamed otherwise. He forced a smile. "I'm fine."

~Day Two~
~Between Brink City and Parksville~

Around 11 a.m., the Archers and the Kingsleys had finally reached a point where it became prudent for them to separate. The Archers had insisted on waiting until they found another ride for the Kingsleys, but it hadn't taken long. As Dr. Archer noted, a crisis tended to bring out the best - and worst - in people.

Margery Adams - "Please call me Mary," she had added after introducing herself - was also on her way to Parksville, after visiting a sick friend in Handon (a small town a little north of Judicia). Her car smelled of cats and perfume, but Mary was a pleasant enough person. All through the three-hour drive, she and Michelle had chatted like two birds, about people they both knew in Parksville, the supernova, and the future.

Mary had heard all sorts of stories - including several about some people suffering from "radiation poisoning". "Don't go by me, but an engineer in Plymouth told me the government's rounding those people up, to keep them from infecting the rest of us," Mary said.

"Is radiation poisoning infectious?" Michelle asked curiously.

"Dear me, I don't know. I almost failed high school science, you know. Passed by the skin of my teeth." She heard Mary lean forward slightly. "Blue Ridge, two miles. If you two are hungry, we could stop for something. I should probably stop for gas, anyway - for the car, that is. Though if you want something spicy, I'll get the other kind too."

In the backseat, Josiah coughed. "I could go for something," Michelle said. "Non-spicy."

A few minutes later, Michelle could feel the car slowing down as they got off the highway. Her brother reached up and tapped her shoulder lightly. "Just past a sign," he said. "Forty miles to Parksville."

"Well, looks like my neighbor will get out of feeding my kitties tonight," Mary said cheerily. "Now, where would you like to stop for dinner?"

Day 2: Arida

When you hear gunfire, you run and hide. Every man, woman and child in the projects knows that. It is something that is engraved in the very heart of those unfortunate enough to have been born, lived, and died in those shadowlands. These are people who do not think of growing old. They know they will be forever nineteen, forever twenty one, forever twenty five. Death comes early—and violently.
Yet, that early morning, Nina didn’t run. She simply stood, frozen, her eyes wide and fearful as the seconds slowly ticked by. A lot can happen in those little shards of time. Finally, Nina jolted to her senses, and turned to take cover.

Too late. The searing pain of a bullet ripping through her flesh caused the little girl to stumble and skid across the gravel road. The world flashed by in a blur of blues, yellows and greys. The loud screams of rubber against asphalt rang in Nina’s ears as the nine year old clawed at the botts dots, trying to steady herself enough to get up and out of the road. She collapsed, the searing pain in her back seeming to spread to her face as it slammed into the ground. She lay there, gasping, the world slowly turning red as blood oozed from her brow into her eye. As much as she tried, she could not summon the strength to lift her hand to her face to wipe it away. The world around her was like a ghost town. There were none to see her, and those who might would not dare come out of their havens of safety.

It was not right for a nine year old to die, not in the middle of a busy road. Yet there, writhing in a glassy crimson pool of her own blood, Nina’s life was slowly slipping away from her. Her small body slowly steadied, now only convulsing in small jerks, then lay still.

Day 2: The Convent

Xandria leaped to her feet, grabbed the lantern and her bag, and took off after Allee. The two burst into the kitchen a few minutes later. Sister Theresa threw up her hands and came toward them, as the other nuns smiled and nodded, then went back to their work.

“I’m glad to see you girls are up bright and early,” she began, giving each girl a quick hug. “We have quite a few mouths to feed. Fortunately, some parents have already arrived to claim their children. I expect more throughout the day, but I am afraid we will still have a half dozen or so at the end of the day. But right now you shall sit down and eat up. We will take care of the children today. You must go with Father Fallon and minister to those in danger. We have decided that we will open the lands of the convent to those who need protection.”

“What about the gunfire? What is happening?” Xandria demanded as Sister Theresa steered them to a table and commanded them to eat.

“It appears that gang wars have broken out. They’re more violent than any I’ve ever seen before.”

Day 1: de Mon Castle Grounds
Candice finished gathering the last bits of the fire’s ash into her satchel, and then rose carefully, doing her best not to get any dirt on her clothing. The natural light was nearly gone, and the hours since the supernova had ticked by quickly. Candi shook her head and wandered down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“Do we have food ready for everyone?” Candi asked absentmindedly as she washed her hands.

“Yes’m,” Annie said, hurrying past. “And, like you said, we have a table set for the household staff as well as yourself.”

“Have the majordomo invite his newest help in, also,” Candi said, leaning forward and inspecting her eyebrows. “I think we have an extra seat or two.”

“It would be a shame for it to go to waste with such a handsome young man available,” Annie commented, then ducked as Candice’s head shot up and stared at her.

“Annie, we have no idea where that man turned up from, and I would suggest you be careful.”

“Yes’m,” Annie nearly whispered, scurrying out of the room. Candice shook her head and finished her touch-up.

~~

“Sir?” Frank asked, the boy standing about ten feet away from Christopher and Evangeline.

-Day 1-
Arenico, Edge of Downtown Diabolis
-Doran-
Doran stared at himself as if he was in total shock. He should be dead… or at least crumpled on the hood of that squad car like a tossed away piece of note paper. Groaning ever so slightly and feeling a strange tingling weariness overtake his limbs.

Hearing footsteps, he looks up to find a young man standing at the front of the car, holding out a hand, “Woah.. I saw you fall, are you alright!?”

“Um… yeah, I’m fine really…” Doran answered, taking the young fellow’s hand and standing with some effort, “Thanks for the hand though.”

The kid stared at Doran hard, “Dude, you sure? You ought to be dead! You fell like from two stories!”

“Yeah, I guess so… I’ve got to run, ok? Thanks for the help…” Doran said, suddenly feeling an urgent need to get away from him, and away from all people until he could figure out what was going on. But he also felt a nagging feeling that he shouldn’t hide right now.... there were bound to be people needing help… he could figure out his own problem later.

He took off at a jog away from the young man, down the street that was rather packed with groups of people standing or milling about. He found the first alley that he could and ran into it, pausing a moment, as it wasn’t usually a good idea to head into an alley in Diabolis. He shrugged though, not really frightened about being mugged in this case. “Now…” he said to himself, as his boots crunched on the gravel, “What could have possibly happened?” He mused to himself, looking around for what he would normally use to get into the higher levels. He glanced at his hands, the strange symbols, and then back up.

His eyes locked onto a thick window ledge that he could easily use to climb, under it was a dumpster. He prepared to run and jump, and took three steps when he stopped himself, “No… I have to figure out what happened first…” he said out loud, “Let’s see… I ran and jumped nothing abnormal...” he crouched and stood a few times, testing his leg muscles. He hopped, first on one foot, then the other, then with both, still nothing.

A puzzled frown appeared on his face and he gritted his teeth, turning down the alley and taking a breath. He took off running then, and did his best to put all his energy into the run. As soon as he did, he felt himself burst forward, and before he knew it, the brick wall of the building at the end of the street loomed up in front of him. He winced as he put up a hand as if to block himself from hitting it. Instead of slamming into it, he was propelled the other direction, slamming into the ground hard.

Panting, he sat up, and found himself staring at the new symbols on the back of his hands. They were both glowing, an eerie blue-white light that lit the shadows of the alley around him. Licking his lips he shook his head, somethin’ really messed up has happened….

He watched the glow fade and his flesh returned to normal, Still determined, he gritted his teeth and rose to his feet. This time, gazing straight up, he reasoned that if he couldn’t jump as he normally would, maybe he could jump straight into the air and catch what he was aiming for. Either that or he was going to have to learn to turn this off…if that was possible.

He crouched, then threw himself into the air, feeling a burst of energy below him as he rocketed up, scrambling for purchase and managing to catch the edge of an overhang two stories up. He pulled himself up and teetered there, pressing his back against the bricks. The ledge was only an inch or two across. He steadied his breathing, and shimmied along toward a sturdy drainpipe that ran from the ground to the roof.

As he swung out onto it, he felt his foot slip, and he tensed, crying out as he lost his grip. But he didn’t fall, “What’s this now!?” he exclaimed in horror as he looked back to find himself hanging over the ground two stories below, not holding onto anything, but not falling either…

-Day 2-
Arida, the Convent
Previous Post

Allee nodded as she scooped oatmeal into her mouth and listened to Sister Theresa speak. She was absentminded and distracted after not sleeping well the night before. Her brain and heart wouldn't stop racing at a speed only suited for NASCAR drivers, and her nerves were beginning to fry. The supernova had turned her life upside down and she was still trying to fit together the pieces.

It was apparent that she was expected to go down to the city and "minister to those in danger," whether she wanted to or not. She knew it was the best thing to do, but it sounded a bit daunting. Taking care of other people could be difficult, especially since Allee wasn't sure how to take care of herself. Oh, well. She could only plod along like a robot and try to do the best she could.

The oatmeal tasted like sawdust in her mouth, and eventually she pushed the bowl away, half-eaten. "I'm ready to go if you are," she said, turning to Xandria.

"Good. Father Fallon will be here any moment," Sister Theresa said with a small smile. There was a knock at the door. "In fact, that may be him now."

Day 2: Burg
Downtown, Precinct Headquarters

The supervisors office was nestled in the back of the court house, behind several now open-air offices. It had taken Malcom a bit to navigate through the dilapidated building, even with the help of some of the security forces. Lawrence was now sitting in an over-decorated room with a young man that did not resemble the mental image one would have of a man named "Alfred McArthur".

"I'm so glad to finally get to meet you, sir! I've heard so much about you and your family. If there's anything I can do to be of service, just let me know." McArthur rambled out with unrestrained glee.

Good heavens, you'd think he had met Jack Bloom... Lawrence thought as he shifted in his chair, still wondering why someone so young would be in-charge of a precinct. "Thank you, but I really doubt there will be any need for your serv.."

"Oh! But there may be. You never know, I mean especially now. And especially with those... "radiation poison" victims out there." the young man rudely interrupted. It didn't help his first impression on Malcom any that he did the hand sign for quotation marks, either.

"Yes... well, thanks." Lawrence paused for a few seconds before continuing. "What I really wanted to come here for was to invite you... and the whole enforcement team, here, to my place. Er, my mansion. For a party."

It was obvious that McArthur had never learned the political Golden Rule of keeping a poker face as a huge, rather stupid looking smile came over the young politicians face. "Oh... my...! Wow! Thank you SO much, Mr. Lawrence! I'll be sure to pass around the word. Umm, when will this party be, exactly?"

"Whenever would be most convenient. Would the day after tomorrow be good?"

"Drat... I'm afraid I have a new shipment of troops rolling in then... How about tomorrow evening?" McArthur asked hopefully, nearly bouncing up and down in anticipation.

"Tomorrow night would be fine." Malcom said with his usual air of suaveness. "Will 7:00 as the starting time do?"

"Perfect! I'll be sure to spread the word around the precinct." McArthur seemed to be preparing to say something else when his portable phone began buzzing. "Great... more work... I'm afraid I need to cut this visit short, Mr. Lawrence."

"Perfectly fine. I know how business goes..." Malcom said with a knowing smile. "Farewell, McArthur. Keep the troops in-line..." Lawrence said as he stood and began to leave the office.

"Goodbye, sir! See you tomorrow evening... thanks again!" Alfred called after the local billionaire before his attention was pulled away by his phone and a news updated on his reader.

-------------------------

Day 2: Burg
In A Side Alley

It wasn't the best place for a meal, but it was secluded... for the most part. The stray cats were a bit of a problem, though Selena was a cat type of person, so it could have been worse.

"You're not getting any of my soup, kiddo..." the red haired girl said to a young black cat that was currently perched on the ledge beside her. "... O.K, fine. You can have a spoonful." Selena finally relented as she scooped out a spoonful of soup and dropped in on the ledge by the cat.

Once she was finished with her food, Selena went back to traversing the city. She decided to head for the center of Burg, unfortunately that was one of the bigger mistakes of her life....

------

Day 1: Aridia
At The de Mon Castle Gates

"Indeed..." Christopher replied as he unabashedly examined Evangeline's curves. Still the same after all this time. the bounty hunter thought remembering the old days when Vange was just a young huntress trying to desperately make a name for herself.

A genuine charming smile came over Chris's face as Vange let out one of her impish giggle/laughs. It was her tough shell, yet buried girlish nature that had attracted him to her in the first place. Heh, a mistake I've learned to both regret and never make again.

"Aye, what is it lad?" Christopher asked as he turned to face the boy who had called him "sir". The bounty hunters demeanor easily switched back to being cool, suave and somewhat distant.