RolePlayGateway™

"Couldn't you have booked me a morning flight?" Randall asked wearily of his briefcase, which was sitting partially open in the backseat of his car. "An 11:30 p.m. flight? Seriously?"

"I'm sorry, sir. You did ask me not to worry about flight time."

"Right, right."

As he pulled into the airport parking lot, his heart began to beat faster. What would Zee say when she saw him? Would she be angry? Upset? Would she even try to attack him, or maybe kill him? Would he be able to...?

"Sir, you're blocking the road," an angry voice said, interrupting Randall's thoughts. It was a T.S.A. officer, and he looked just a little irritated.

"Er, sorry about that," Randall mumbled, driving into the parking lot to find a stall. As he shifted his car into park in the closest spot he could find, his cell phone rang. Richard's personal number was displayed on the screen.

"Hey, bud."

"Randall, it's all set. You have a conference with the president himself and his son, Kyle. It will be a meeting about academic prospects at Harvard."

"Oh, lovely. Couldn't you think of anything more creative? Now I have to prepare something."

"Well, I thought it would be the best way to get his attention."

"Right you are. What time is the meeting?"

"First thing in the morning. You're to check in with Linda Daniels."

"Alright, did you get me a hotel at least?"

"Yes, yes. You're usual. A first-class Westin resort."

"Just fine. Thanks, Richard. Get some sleep now, okay? I'm flying out in about an hour." Click.

Randall groggily gathered his things together and made the short walk to the airport terminal. After checking-in and about a 30-minute wait, he boarded his American Airlines flight to D.C. Upon landing, he got into a taxi headed for the Westin D.C. Resort, located in a tactical location across the street from the White House.

The room that he got, room #715, had a nice view of the city, a spacious balcony and a bed that looked much more comfortable than any he had ever slept in. After carefully closing his room door and securing it, he placed his briefcase on the ground and activated the computer, which nearly collided with the chandelier as it opened. He closed the drapes and sat down on the bed, which indeed was heavenly.

"Alright, time to come up with a reason that Harvard would want a talentless snob like the president's son..."

"Good luck."

"Thanks, computer," he answered sarcastically.

Amaya froze as the voice stopped her. Keeping her head down, she turned her head just enough so that one eye could study the girl. Her ears twitched a little as she clutched her pack a little tighter. "What you want?" She nonchalantly asked, her free hand in her pockets. Red hair brushed against the female as the wind played with the two of them. Soon a third came along making Amaya a little uncomfortable. If this was a White House executive, she was cooked!

Her mind began to wrack with ideas as to how to elude this person. Say the alarm wasn't her? Nah, she looked too suspicious. And with her skin tone and ears...she was one messed up looking kid. Biting her lower lip, she made sure to keep herself in check, emotions in line. Was this really end for her? Was she really going to get caught up in this and sent to jail? From what she read, the old Rebellion wasn't exactly invited into a nice room with tea and cookies. They were locked and tortured, and some even killed.

Like her father.

Anger welled up inside her, showing through the harsh green of her eyes. She couldn't help it. The Rebellion was partly the reason why her father disappeared...but what if this was her salvation? What if he intended to be taken and left clues for her to find? There is only one way to find out and if being caught was that way, then well she had to do it.

(( I have to go, please don't get too far without me!!))

" Did... did you do that? " Zee asked incredulously, but a wide grin already spread across her face. The green eyes sparkled with mischief; and the dark bob blew lightly in the breeze. " You did, didn't you? " Zee's grin widened even more, if that was possible, just to show that she approved of the mischief and that she was a friend.

This was perfect. A hacker. Just what the Rebellion needed; someone who could tap into Government information and close off the cameras. Perfect, perfect, perfect-- Zee looked back to Xealis, the smile becoming contagious.

But wait-- would the strange, purple-skinned, pointy-eared girl want in? Would she support the Rebellion, or did she fight for the Government?

" Hey, " Zee smiled, introducing herself. " The name's Zee Williams, VP's daughter. Don't run; we're on your side. " Whichever side that was.

Her head immediately tilted upward at the question. As the wind blew between them, she reached up with a free hand to take the two pins from her hair. The bob immediately fell down to her shoulder covering the point of her ears enough to make her appear halfway normal. She was still a little unsettled as the girl, now known as Zee, was speaking about the hacking in the open! As if cameras weren't everywhere...

With a sigh, she rubbed at her forehead before turning halfway to face them. "You want answers, you follow me. You don't talk at all until we reach our destination...understand?" She hiked her pack over her shoulder staring coldly at the two. "And to answer your question, Yes. And don't tell me you're on my side...you don't even know me. Besides, you might as well be Government with the title of "VP's Daughter."...but I've been surprised before." She rolled her eyes a little before turning, striding quickly down the street.

It still baffled her as to why the girl began smiling like a joker when she figured out Amaya could hack. So what? Hacking came to her as natural as breathing. All she had to do was seek out the Machine Spirit and adhere to what it wanted. The particular Spirit in the White House just needed a little ego stroking and coaxing. Honestly, it was a slob, totally lazy, and would let her in the system with a few kind words and empty promises. How typical of the Government... Shaking her head, she made sure to take the route that she had bugged earlier on the way to the White House. She wasn't sure how long the cameras had projected false images, but she hoped that Security would be paying more attention to other things at the moment rather than bugged systems...

"Dr. Leung, what is it that you think you're doing?" Boomed a harsh voice from behind Mattox who had been hiding in the lounge for the afternoon, dozing in and out of a light sleep.

Mattox shot upright and turned to face his 'mentor', someone who he really didn't need but who he had to act as a shadow for. "I was relaxing ... 'm not feeling well," he said groggily.

"Yes. We all know how 'sick' you get. You know, you're a disgrace to real doctors."

"Oh," Mattox replied in mock sadness, "and I was trying so hard."

"Here," the doctor said handing Mattox about six different clipboards. "Do these charts for me," and he walked away.

Mattox rolled his eyes and threw the clipboards on the leather couch, "he didn't say please," he said miserably and grabbed his sweater. Mattox left the hospital and walked to and down '1st Street' with no particular destination in mind. He turned right and followed the street. Mattox then got within earshot of an alarm sounding and looked up from his 'very interesting' feet to see the White House with a lot of commotion occuring.

He saw a couple of girls running after this ... other girl? He wasn't too sure if it was a girl or not, the being had purple skin after all and that just wasn't normal -- he wasn't sure whether to laugh at the sight of the 'girl' or not.

He heard a voice saying that the system had been breached -- the government system. Could this have something to do with the new Rebellion? Mattox became excited. Could those girls have something to do with the new Rebellion? He decided to continue walking nonchalantly toward the girls, hoping to hear something that interested him.

Suddenly the purple girl began to walk away and he stopped, kneeling down. Mattox pretended to tie his shoe so as to create some distance between the girls and himself. His heart started pounding heavier as he became more excited with the fact that he'd be ... really it was sort of stalking. But Mattox was too worked up to really care of how this made him look.

Xaelis's frame perked up as she monitored the two's conversation. A thin line of a grin brushed its way across her pale face, as she gave a nod.
Just what we need indeed, Xaelis thought to herself, though didn't bother to speak. It'd of just cost them more attention.
A nod and grin was enough, though, to satisfy any, or so it seemed.

It striked the woman as a bit odd, though, having seen Amaya with a hoodie on.
Xaelis scanned the premisis, it wasn't like the so-on-task Government to be late in catching someone, especially a hacker.
The girl was right, they had to get a move on.

Xaelis motioned to Surinelle, waving her hand madly so she'd catch the girls' attention.

Come on! She thought to herself, not wanting to yell, cause any wrong person to look her way.

Xaelis dropped her hand, silently noting a suspicious boy, he was 'tieing' his shoe, she could only hope though, right now, that he wasn't a part of the government.
She shook her head, trying to ease her mind away from thoughts that clouded her mind. She was now ready to follow Zee and Amaya.

Surinelle hugged them back and smiled at Xaelis's nickname for her. "Hey..." she started to say when all of the sudden the alarms started blasting. It made her jump and she instinctivley reached up to cover her ears when Zee and Xaelis took off running.

"Whaaa..." she stammered when she saw what was happening. She saw the strange girl with the weird purplish skin tone. It must be the hacker she thought. Surinelle was so confused but she started to run to, and luckily she was very fast and wasn't out of breath from running before. She was vaguely aware of the conversation Xaelis was having with her boss, but she was tried to focus on what Zee was saying.

Surinelle was focusing intently on Zee when Xealis was waving her hand around trying to get her attention. Come on she seemed to try to be saying. She was about to follow them when she noticed a boy who appeared to be tying his shoe, but you never knew these days. He could be some evil goverment spy. Surinelle hurried to cath up with them.

A loud beeping noise broke Randall's concentration as he crafted a perfect copy of a Harvard acceptance letter. One of the monitors on his computer displayed an alert, "White House Security Compromise detected."

"Computer, what's going on there?"

"There was an alert set off a few hours ago. I apologize for the delay in relaying this information."

"Who was involved?"

"Impossible to say, sir. I'm afraid the sources we have there are not reliable."

Randall cursed loudly to himself and stood up from his chair so violently that it tipped over backwards and fell to the floor. "Why do we even bother?"

"Please calm down, sir."

"Computer, I am an employee of the government. Why can't I get better information?"

"Remember, sir, your department's branch is quite separate from the White House. They do not fully trust your loyalty."

"Hmph. A missed opportunity to catch the New Rebellion in action, that's what it was! What if there was sabotage involved? What if their computer systems were compromised? Doesn't anyone think about these things but me?" he growled, throwing his jacket into a messy heap on the floor. "Information is key to finding out what this so called 'New Rebellion' is up to!"

He agitatedly paced back and forth, running his fingers through his hair in consternation. "I have information that there are Old Rebellion members within the White House itself! And clearly, if Zee is there..."

Randall's voice trailed off at the mention of his old comrade's name. If Zee was there, then what? For all Randall knew, maybe Zee didn't know that he was a turncoat. Maybe she thought that his failure to contact her was based on some other reason other than betrayal? But no, Zee was smart - too smart. She would see through him like freshly polished crystal. Would the other members of the Old Rebellion be there, too? What would they think of him? No, he had to stop thinking that way. He had a job to do.

"I have to get in there and have a talk with as many people as I can. Even... even Zee if it comes to that."

Randall shook his head and sat back down on the bed. "Well, if anything, I'll be able to get something out of that numbskull, Kyle. Computer, I hope you're recording this. I may need to refer to it later."

"Yes, as always, Mr. Smith."

A light rain was starting to fall outside now, covering the hotel window tiny, sparkling beads of water. He was determined to get in there and find out more, whether the President and his exalted "Executive Staff" liked it or not.

Cipher knocked another one to the ground. "Your footwork was all wrong, you keep up like this and I'll just end your miserable existance. I mean how are you going to protect our beloved country if you can't knock me down you little punk." Cipher says disgustedly too his newest student. The other mena nd women in the dojo just seemed to snigger and chuckle because they all heard tehs ame thing from the hardassed instructor. "Now get up and this time try not to fall over your own two fee...." A bell rang out in the dojo. "Well thats it go on home all of you." Cipher put on his red trenchcoat and walked out. he pulls his cell out and sits in his office. "Sir your new recruits are blathering idiots, none could get through even teh first day...uh-huh...alright...sure." He closes his cell. "Well thats more money going for a better cause." he says noticing the money go into "his" bank account.

Zee followed the strange girl and said nothing, though she was itching to point out that the Government was probably too busy rebooting the system and 'patrolling the perimeters' to care about watching a skinny street in town where barely any cars were skimming through. And that they were too lazy and overconfidant to play back the tapes. She knew this, because she had actually been in the security room; and yet she didn't point this out, because the girl didn't trust her, and what if by some slim chance she was with the Government?

But anyways. Surinelle and Xealis had caught up, and that was good. But.... there was also some guy behind them, who was following them. There were a number of different reasons he could've been following them for; but little to none of those reasons were good. But as they rounded a corner, he stopped to tie his shoe; still causing a dilemmna. But for now, Zee would let him stay. At least unti; he had revealed himself.

((I'll post something more decent tomorrow. Really sorry about it. But this should give you some background about Troy.))

A throbbing pain in the head woke her up. "Ungh..." She moaned, as she struggled to open her eyes and move her aching head towards the direction of the source of pain. She bumped her head on the headboard of his bed again. "Are you alright Mr. O'braitear?" A soft and gentle voice asked. "Please... call me Troy." She answered with a rough and deep voice. From the corner of her eye, she swore she saw one of the female guards almost drool at the sound of her voice. "What do you want?" She asked.

"The CD, Mr. Troy, if you please." The voluptuous government official who had greeted her earlier requested.

The sleepy Troy reached under her pillow and brought out a small CD inside a clear CD case, "In midi format, just as requested." "A pleasure doing business with you Mr. Troy." The official smiled, and with a sly look on her face, she knelt beside Troy on the bed and kissed Troy on the lips. Within minutes, the official and her agents were gone from the apartment unit.

Troy wiped her lips with the back of her hand as soon as they left.

Tanzinite walked down the street, her training for today had just ended. She hated this place. As she continued to walk she thought about the rebellion. She hadn't seen any of those people since it was broken up. A sigh escaped her lips as she continued to walk by the white house, not paying attention to the people outside. It was starting to get dark now; she pulled her jacket tighter around her as a wind blew.

Amaya said nothing as she led the small party. Twitching her ears, she sensed a follower, her fists slightly tightening at this point. She didn't mean to grab this much attention due to her little virus trip. Without telling the girls anything, Amaya quickly made a right turn into an alley way, going down straight before starting a sprint. She felt the rain slowly began to fall on her form as she sped up, her hair brushing against her neck and ears. She went fast, but slow enough so that the girls knew where to turn leading the male...but to where? Amaya's mind began to wrack with ideas with where to go. She had two safe houses east of here that weren't far. Unlike some others, she made many little places her safe haven not trusting to leave everything in one place. That's what happened to the old Rebellion. They stayed in one place for too long...according to the records left by "Traitor." This person, whoever it was, spilled everything. There was nothing wrong with informing their members, but if the new Rebellion wanted to be kept this time, they would need a tighter leash, and an even tighter iron fist among the group.

Though her thoughts were busy, Amaya's feet let her directly to another alley that was a dead end. Quickly, she jumped to the left, hiding in the doorway of one of the buildings hiding herself from the two girls and their follower. She steadied her breathing trying to blend in with the shadows at that the building made. The fact that it was getting dark also helped. For once, she didn't curse her flamboyant skin or her obnoxious ears. They could be blessings when they wanted to. Her eyes were set forward on the dead end waiting for the other three to catch up.

Then she would make her move.

The girl in front of them started to run, and Zee cursed under her breath. She sprinted after her, glad that she was fit from hours of work-outs that Dad had made her do. Sometimes the old man's training actually paid off.

Rain began to fall, drizzling lightly on her uniform at first, then steadily picking up to a tat-tat rhythm, finally coming to a crescendo and plastering her hair to her head. Zee didn't care, she would think up an excuse later.

The strange, purple-skinned, pointy-eared girl made a sharp right, leaving Zee in her own momentum to keep going until she could skid to a halt a few feet in front of the alley entrance. And in new shoes, too. So much for that new-shoe shine. Zee spun around on her heel, assuming a brisk pace to come back to the entrance.

It was a dead end. A dark, cold, empty dead end. Damp, dirty, silent..... Pain and fear gripped Zee, threatening to send her mind back to those horrible months. Her heart accelerated its pace, as it always did, and the pounding ensued in her ears. Damned claustrophobia.

But Zee pushed on with a look of determination on her face, though her pace was decidedly slower and more cautious; warning bells screamed inside her head. It was a trap. And a good one, for anyone who knew that the determined girl wouldn't stop now.

" S'cuse me, I know you're here.... please, I just want to talk." Zee spoke into the darkness, but no reply came immediately. " If I wanted to turn you in, the officials would've been here by now. But then, why would I want to turn you in? " Zee only spoke to calm her nerves; the silence in the dark alley was remarkably similar to the silence of a certain darkened room. The sound of her own voice helped to sooth her fear; knowing that she wasn't tied up anymore, wasn't going to be blindfolded and gagged again. It helped; but not much.

Zee's hands shook, and not from the cold. She had stayed here too long already; a few more minutes and she would be rocking back and forth on her knees, muttering to herself madly and blurting understandable words like, " Help!! " and " No... " at intervals of minutes. But she was too stubborn to let herself leave now.

Amaya looked over to where the girl stopped. Her ears twitched a little trying to pick up vibrations from the others' footsteps. As the rain fell, she felt a slight annoying urge to pull the girl into hiding with her. Maybe she should let at least ONE of them in on the hide away.

Turning her head, she made a small "PSST" noise, bringing out her arm to wave the girl over. She did this maneuver quickly a few times before placing her arm back into the shadows. "Hurry up and hide!" She hissed as the rain fell down a little harder. "Someone's following us, and I'm trying to catch him! I'd like it if you didn't exactly draw too much attention!" Her eyes were slightly harsh as she kept to the shadows, hair brushing against her face whenever she moved.

Zee chewed on her lip, feeling stupid now since the girl hadn't been hiding, just trying to catch a stalker. She nodded her head and walked over to the alcove, slipping inside next to the girl and sighing shakily. She tried not to think about claustrophobia too much; it only made her worse, therefore it was better not to remember that she was deathly afraid of dark, cramped, dank places like these.

But there was absolutely no way in the world that Zee would back down now.

Zee dared to look around in the alcove a little more, then noticed that there was an extremely well-hidden door there. So that was why the strange girl had chosen this dead-end place. The thought of another place to escape to made the empty silence a whole lot easier to bear.

Zee sighed and tried to concentrate on her own breathing, trying to make it even and steady. Like that was ever going to happen. The other girl didn't seem to be worried at all. Not a bit..... Zee envied her a little, strange as she was. The purple-skinned girl hadn't been in the old Rebellion, hadn't suffered in the interrogation chambers, hadn't had to pay a price for being able to strike at the Government.

Or maybe the sacrifice was just hard to see.

Everything was a blur to Xaelis. So many twists, turns, a dead end.

Before she knew it, Xaelis was whiped into a shadow. She knew exactly why, too, but for clarification, she listened in on Amaya who seemed to blend perfectly in the darkness.
Confusing arose within Xaelis, her pale skin probably being the worst of the group. It wasn't hard to crouch though, so she did just that, at Zee and Amaya's feet.
"Don't mind me," Xaelis said, her first words to the Hacker.
A grin traced her lips as wisps of the Old Rebellion came to mind.

So many times had they hid just as they were now, so many times had they killed, though only when really needed.
Aside from the torture, the traitor, that damned dark room, the Old Rebellion was something good too actually look back on.
Nostalgia knocked on Xaelis's head as she led herself back into reality.
As she looked around her, pitch black was all Xaelis could see. Even as she knelt down, clutching herself, the bad side of everything always creeped in.

A shaking hand touched Zee's leg, softly, as in no meaning of fright.
"Zee," Xaelis whispered. She wanted to tell her it was okay. Despite their age difference, Zee and herself had known each other quite a long time.
It's okay Zee, Xaelis said to herself, the words also comforting her own thoughts, her own fears which seemed to dangle in front of her, taunting her to no end.

Only vaguely aware of what was going on, Surinelle silently followed Zee and Xealis through the twists and turns of the darkness. She heard the shaky breathing of her friends, and fear began to stir inside of her as well. In some odd way, it was a thrill, too. It made Surinelle remember her times in the Old Rebellion. She smiled in spite of herself, and looked at the people around her.

Zee, such a strong girl, who had sacrificed a lot to be a part of the Rebellion. After all her dad was the VP of this horrid place.
Xaelis, the most loyal person she had ever known. All she had wanted was a better place, and to get rid of the goverment.
And then there was this girl who had led them here, to catch the stalker. It seemed that she was not a foe.

Surinelle started to think about herself, as well. Why was she apart of this anyway? She hadn't sacrificed anything, she didn't have anything. She did want a better place, that was certainly true, but she was not as strong and loyal as Xaelis. If she had to, would she die for this cause? Probably. No one would miss her if she were gone. That was probably the reason why she did join, to have people care, and to care about others, others she didn't even know. It was a good feeling to help people.

She followed Zee's gaze and had to look closely to notice what she had. It was a door. A door that would go unnoticed from anyone trying to follow them. Not daring to make a sound, Surinelle mentally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they had an escape plan if they needed it.

Mattox began following the girls. He felt proud mixed with a small dose of adrenaline as he followed the four. At least he felt that way until they started to run again; the pride disappeared once he realized that they knew they were being followed. He wasn't all that stealthy afterall. But the adrenaline remained.

He picked up speed, walking as fast as he possibly could, not quite running as Mattox was still trying to seem like a random stranger who wasn't stalking a group of girls. He must look like a major creeper, he thought to himself. Mattox saw the last girl turn into a narrow, dark alley way. He had been taught as a child to stay out of such places ... on the other hand, he had also been taught about cardiothoracic surgery, and so far that wasn't working out too great for him.

He stood looking into the darkness, debating with himself whether to enter the passage or not. Mattox was about to turn and find shelter from the rain, but the realization of actually being part of the new Rebellion hit him and he stepped into the darkness, although slowly. He couldn't see any of the girls, but kept edging on with his hands out in front of him as if blind so as not to hit anything. Mattox jumped slightly when he hit the wall even with the speed he had been going. He smiled at his foolishness and turned around, wishing that his eyes worked better in the dark.

Where were the girls? People don't just disappear.

Mattox stepped away from the wall, "hello?" He said in an almost-whisper and timid way.

"Retiring early, Lieutenant General?"

Felix stood at the entrance of a door, a little apartment area that was apart of the miltaries offices in DC. The sky was darkening from the cloudy forecast. It would most likely rain. Felix stuck his hand out the open door to test if a droplets were falling. Misty stuff. Felix turned to see Major Marie Joannes, one of his trusted helpers. She kept him organized and up to date, else he would never go to a meeting. She had blond hair and green eyes with a fair complexion. She seemed to be very tidy and orderly.

"Yes, I think I will Marie."

A man came running down the stairs, he seemed a bit anxious. A Corporal Steve Aardwolf. He was the computer specialist. He had black hair and brown eyes. He was pale from lack of sun exposure and his clothing was as well very orderly. He wore glasses that seemed very nerdy to Felix. "Ah, but Felix, sir! Those reports about the hacking and the cryptic conversations popping up. Shouldn't we do something?"

Felix shook his head in a no. He picked up an umbrella from one of the stands in the town house like apartment. It felt like the house had seem many years, old and without a lot of technology upgrades. "Like what? We are a military division, not the CIA or FBI. Let those lazy junkies deal with it."

"But sir!"

Felix open the umbrella, pointing it behind him as he walked to the first cement step of the stairs going to the path below. The umbrella was all black other than a picture in the middle of it. A big hand was on the outer surface, one middle finger sticking out of it. Steve looked at it a bit shocked and Marie gave a small sigh. Felix started to walk down the stairs to the street.

The two came to the door, staring out to Felix. Marie spoke up, "Would you like me to call a cab?"

"No thanks, I like the rain. I think I'll walk." And then with a quick turn. "Oh Corporal."

Steve stood to attention.

"Go ahead and watch them. Tell me tomorrow what you find."

Steve saluted, responding a "Yes sir!" Before running off inside.

Felix gave a smile and wave to Marie before he began walking down the street towards his hotel. A nice place, where a lot of military high ranking officers were being held. At least he could get a drink with a couple of them. Some scotch would be good.

Walking for at least a few miles, Felix was still in shape from military duty. The rain was starting to come down harder, luckily he wore his black boots. With the umbrella he would avoid getting his favorite beret wet, oh and his formal wear. Never know when a general would call you in for a meeting.

Then Felix saw the strangest thing. a couple of girls darting by one with... long ears and purple skin? Kids... He sighed. Are they tattooing their whole bodies now? Man... And the ears? Jeez that kid use surgery. Felix also noticed some boy following as well.

Well... this looks fun. Better than generals at the bar. Maybe I can get a story or two. Even if they were muggers or something, the shirt I have has kevlar threading. Can't get shot or knifed easily. Felix shrugged and followed the kids. They were darting every once in a while, going back and forth. The boy seemed to be stalking the girls, easily identifiable by someone from the military. Tying his shoe? Got to be joking.

The boy was making speed, but Felix was able to keep up. Running miles everyday made walking easy. He followed the boy into a dark alleyway. He could no longer see the girls and he seemed to have lost them as well. The boy then meekly said 'Hello.'

Felix answered, probably scaring the lad. "Hello."