London Life System

Cathy winced for him when she saw the wound, the nurse had finished with her, and after telling her to stay put for a few hours she left. Cathy shook her head. She probed the tight bandage with the tips of her fingers. "I reckon I could walk." she blew her fringe out of her eyes. Then returned her attention to Charm. She smiled gently, glad that he hadn't asked about Lucas, the less they talked about him the easier he would be to forget. "That's a long time to have to stay in a bed for." she frowned, "How long have you been here?"

She gave a light laugh when he mentioned covering her ass. "I think I do pretty damn good on my own." she played with the dressing for a moment, pushing her hair back when it fell into her face. She'd had all of her small wounds cleaned, the large gash on her leg being the worst of it. She'd be out again the next day though. Only serious injuries would keep a soldier bedridden. She could see why Charm was there though. She was kind of glad that he was.

---

Tyler kicked a stray stone, his hands in the pockets of his loose tracksuit bottoms. He'd gone back to his quarters to change and wash up. He felt terrible for what he had said to Cathy and knew that he shouldn't have. Sometimes he thought that he should just not talk at all. He was heading towards the main tech area, he liked the techies, most were not the most popular within the Life System due to the fact that they were the ones with the biggest brains. He made his way down to another level and found the right room. Poking his head in he almost laughed. Max was asleep, his head on his keyboard.

Tyler flicked the light on, then off again, then on.

"Max, come on kid, wake up." he needed to talk.

Max was swimming in the biggest lake he'd ever seen. He'd never seen a proper lake, only the ones he'd seen in books. It was interesting, swimming... It was pretty much flailing around like an idiot to keep yourself from going under the surface. It was suddenly much harder to keep above the surface as he could no longer see, and then he could, and then he couldn't, and then he could again.
There was a loud voice from nowhere calling to him, telling him to wake up. It was then he realised that he was asleep.

"I'm working!" He declared loudly as he shot up in his seat, randomnly mashing at the keyboard in an attempt to cover up his accidental napping. His plan didn't quite work out though, as he over-leapt up in his seat, tipping the balance so much as to fall back in the chair. He awkwardly fell out of the chair to the side, curled up for a moment as he groaned quitely. He should've had some sort of counterbalance for that chair - he'd stop falling out of it so often.

When he eventually uncurled himself, Max looked to the doorway to find a familiar looking De-Man standing there with an amused expression on his face. It was then noticable how dark it was, even darker when the lights were off. Feeling at his face, Max realised that he was still wearing his goggles.
He really did need to sort his life out at the moment. He awkwardly lifted the goggles from his tired eyes, looking wearily up at the De-Man that he could now clearly see.
"Tyler?" He questionned the older guy, rearranging himself so that he was sitting on the floor cross legged, awkwardly trying to pick up his fallen chair.

"How come you couldn't wake me up more gently...? Cup of coffee perhaps." He moped, searching the doorway that Tyler stood in with hopeful eyes as he looked for another familiar face that he couldn't find. Looking to Tyler again, he continued, "Where's Cathy?"

Fox walked next to her trying to determine how it is that she saw with that blind fold over her eyes. As his combat boots tapped against the ground, he reached up and removed his helmet letting his brown hair spill out. Shaking his head to free his hair, he pulled his mask down as well. The cool air felt nice, as the mask and helmet cause a good deal of heat. It was great for the outside as it was cold... so cold, but in the life system it was quite warm, a little too warm for a helmet and mask.

Tyler laughed as Max had his little fit. Moving forward he picked up his chair, he looked down at the kid. "Sorry, I didn't have time for coffee." he shrugged as he sat on the chair he'd just picked up. The mention of Cathy drove some more guilt into him. "It's bad Max, she wont ever admit it, but that was the worst." he shook his head. "I'm sorry Max." He had just started talking, he didn't mean to, he didn't want to upset the techie but he really had a problem with keeping his mouth shut. He put his head in his hands, it wasn't like he could stop now. "They came out of no where, yah know?" he swallowed. "We lost Lucas." Max would know that that meant, Lucas and Cathy had been inseparable the last month or so. Everyone knew the risks of getting close to someone. "She's in the infirmary, don't worry though, she'll be normal again by the time she gets out." he didn't mention that he'd said something to her that she'd probably never forgive him for.

Max didn't quite appreciate Tyler's laughter, or the fact that he didn't have time for coffee. There was always time for coffee. He was glad that he didn't have to fumble about with the chair anymore though, not making a move to try and take the chair from Tyler; quite happy to be on the floor, at least he couldn't fall down again from here.

His face screwed up a little with concentration as Tyler suddenly started talking about Cathy, his head tilting to the side slightly as he wondered whether he'd missed something. His question seemed to be answered though as Tyler apologised, glad that he wasn't just being stupid. It was understandable to be a little guilty after a big demon attack, as this seemed to be the case, but Tyler seemed like he was on a totally different level here. His jaw dropped slightly as he heard that they had lost Lucas. He couldn't help but grimace at the thought of Cathy right now, all banged up in the infirmary and all upset over Lucas. The pair had been too close for her not to be upset by it. It hurt to see Cathy cry. She was his oldest friend.

Tyler seemed to have been effected by it too,
"If you're feeling guilty about Lucas, you shouldn't. It's dog eat dog out there, well Demon eat De-Man and Human... technically... but still. It's not your fault, and I'm sure Cathy will understand that."

He sure hoped that was what he was looking so glum about. Otherwise he was going to look a bit stupid.

Charm rolled his eyes.
"Meh, been here for three weeks already." It was more than he was proud of. "And it was just a scratch..."

*3 weeks prior*

A single drop of sweat rolled down Charm's face and landed on ground as he marched up the small hill. Looking around, he sighed and set down his rifle. Turning around, he signaled to George, who quickly scurried over, a 10-gauge shotgun in hand.

"Alright, I'm sure I can get a decent shot at this angle," Charm said as he pointed. at the entrance of the London Life System, overlooked by their current position. Sitting down, he brought his backpack in front of him, and pulled out an unfoldable bipod.

"You think they'll come again, sir?" George stuttered as Charm set up his rifle position.
"Don't worry kid," Charm laughed in response, "those two have crawled around the entrance every night for two nights straight. If I've learned anything from being out in the fields, is that these things aren't all that intelligent. Don't worry, they'll be back".

Finishing his adjustments on the scope, Charm loaded a magazine into his rifle and chambered a round in.
"Is there anything I can do from now, sir?"
Charm waved him off.
"Just watch my back as usual, k? Keep a 10 meter distance. If anything with more than two legs happen upon us, let them have it"

Turning back onto his stomach, Charm hoisted the butt into his shoulder.
"Now we wait."

*Six hour later*

Night had fallen some time ago, but Charm still watched through a set of binoculars. The two demons that had been harrasing the East Entrance recently, which high powers had sent Charm to take care of, were nearly two hours overdue.

"Shit..." Charm gritted his teeth. He had a clear shot at both the East and North Entrances. And the South Entrance was easy to defend from the inside due to terrain. But the sentries on the West Gate would have problems....

George groaned a bit, but Charm didn't even bother looking up. The greenhorn had been up for nearly forty hours, having gone directly with Charm after returning from his patrol. He was doing okay for a youngster.

Charm checked his watch again for the sixth time in five minutes. Tick....tick...tick....2 hours overdue exactly.
"Alright, eff this."
He sat up, and rubbed his eyes. Hoisting his rifle off the bipod, he turned to the sleeping George.
"C'mon kiddo, fishing trip is over. Wake up, we're heading ba-HOLY SON OF A..."

Parts of George's corpse were strewn around, and blood dripped from the demon's mouth as it looked up from its late night snack. The silence it had kept was torn by it's snarl as it dashed towards Charm.
"Mother fu..." Charm fell back, and ignited a flare from his pack. Dropping his rifle, he quickly pulled the revolver from his coat, and fired. Two shots pierced through the armored chasis, and the rest just bounced off as if they were made of rubber.
Charm quickly dodged to the side as the demon pounced. Grabbing his hammer-ax out of his pack, he looked back to see the claws of the demon, outreached, and the heavy blow of it on his chest knocked the wind out of him. They both went down.

When the dust cleared, Charm kicked the unbreathing corpse off him. He had luckily lodged the blade side of his tool into the demon's neck just in time. Heaving for breath, Charm tried standing up, but collapsed immediately. Turning his flashlight on, he looked down to see the hole in his abdomen, then to his intestines strewn about 3 meters away.

"Shit...." was all Charm could mutter before it all went black.


"Yeah...." Charm groaned, "Just a scratch..."

Tyler laughed again, Max was kinda cute, he had assumed what most people who are not soldiers assume. That soldiers feel guilty when their friend die. He would mourn the loss of his friend but he'd never feel guilty for having lost him. He shook his head and put it back into his hands. "It's worse than that Max." his voice came out muffled. "I said something that I shouldn't have." he didn't want to admit to it, Max would probably hate him too. He stood up and held his hand out to the kid on the floor. "I'm going to go and see Cathy, you can too if you like, but she'll probably shout at me." he frowned, "Actually, I think she might even shoot me."

---

Cathy frowned as Charm trailed off, he sounded sort of sad about his 'scratch' she'd never found out what had happened to him. She'd just known he was here, but hadn't realised that he had been here so long. She'd never been close to the guy so she found that she knew very little about him. Besides when you had a job like hers you didnt really keep track on the people who weren't in your team. When he repeated it being a scratch, she laughed. "Just a scratch? You don't need to be a manly man around me." She'd seen her fair share of manly men falling apart, it was something that was acceptable to do. Her thoughts went to Lucas and the way he used to be, so sensitive, so caring. The need to see him again hurt, she kept trying to push him away but he'd only died an hour or so ago. She wanted to see him. It hadn't been far from the East entrance really, had it? She could go out and find his body, and give him a proper send off. A lot of the time the scavengers would pick up bodies, it wasn't a soldiers job, it was thought that they shouldn't have to be subjected to more gore than necessary. She wondered if a team of scavengers had found him yet. It had only been an hour, so probably not.

"I need to go." she whispered, standing up. A nurse instantly ran towards her. She sat back down. The medical staff were like hawks. Turning on her bed she leant over it, forgetting her untrousered state, and took her radio from her trousers. "Commander?" she waited.

"State location."

"Infirm, can't get out."

"Cathy?"

She smiled, glad that Becca was the current commander, she couldn't be bothered with protocol. "I need to know when the next team of scavengers are leaving from the east entrance, over."

A pause then, "In exactly half an hour. Is this because they will find Lucas?"

She swallowed, "I want to be the protecting officer Beck."

"Cathy, you know I can't authorise this."

"I want to be the protecting officer, I'll go without authorisation."

She waited anxiously for Becca to radio back to her. "Be there in half an hour"

Sarin woke up after having slept a while. Her face was dried with tears. She wiped her face and sat up. She grabbed her scavenger pack and made sure everything was in it. She cursed when she couldn't find her jacket. The damn kids had stolen from her again. She got up and went to their little hideout. She took out the pickax she used sometimes. She kicked the door open and raised her pickax. "Give me my stuff, everything you stole". They laughed at her. She walked over to buddy and her pickax landed an inch near his hand, "Get it now, or I'll have the soldiers in here, you know most crimes are punishable by being sent out there." The men still didn't give her, her stuff. Sarin cursed and took out the food rations the doctor gave her, "Trade?" They eagerly took it and handed everything they stole. She put on her jacket and gloves and went to her cot, and folded up her blanket. She wouldn't give them anything to steal.

She went over to the gates. "Its not time yet for you Sarin" said the man at the gate controls. "I just want to wait here in silence, is that ok?" Buddy nodded and she sat down, her back close to the gate. She put the hood up of her jacket and listened quietly. All she heard out there was the wind, but it was enough. Sarin was terrified of the outside but she had no choice. She opened her bag so she could see the baby blanket her mother gave her and sighed. Things would be easier if she had anyone that cared but people just looked at her like she was strange. "Here" she said. The man handed her a tea. She smiled, "Thank you, sorry I yelled at you". He shrugged, "I'd be cranky too if I was going out there".

Sarin waited in quietly, enjoying the rare tea. They had found a way to grow certain plants underground when there was electricity. Thats what Sarin would love to do, the greenhouse. She sighed and sipped her tea. It warmed her blood and made her feel better.

The wind blew up the dust about the banks of the once flowing Thames River. A large pack of Demons were scurrying about, small and hunched creatures each only 4 feet tall and black as night, searching for anything that expelled energy on which they could feed. The ruins of Parliament and the once grand clock tower Big Ben were casting their shadows across the ruins of old London. The pack was scattered and foraging in sets of two to six through the crumbling structures.

One of the Demons spotted a strange black object hidden in a pile of rubble. It had apparently once been housed in a jewelry box, but with time the box had broken and rotted away, and if his nose was right (and they usually are) that black rock was full of energy. To be exact, it was more energy than this little demon had ever sensed from anything, even from the massive pack leader, and yet he was not smart enough to think twice before grabbing the 6 inch long 3 inch wide stone and toss it into its mouth. It didn’t bother chewing, that might release the precious energy the creature was after, and to solve this it swallowed the shard whole. Soon after it felt a strange sensation, or rather the lack of a familiar one, which made it wonder for a moment what, was wrong. The hunger that had not been quenched forced the thought out of its mind and sent it off to find more food. The strange stone had been so full of energy, and yet the demon didn’t feel the usual instant satisfaction that came from eating such an object. Too bad, as it would prove to be the little monsters last meal…

It returned to its partner and they looked thorough a nearby building, a building that was uncomfortably close to a Life Systems entrance…
Back its partner the othe demon was found messing with some human. For a moment it thought the man was alive, but it wasn't like the demon was a doctor or anything. The body was just laying there and in an attempt to see if the human was alive the creatures partner was biting at its arm and leg and pulling it back and forth, attempting to wake the man up long enough to absorb any energy the human had left in his body. The first demon graps a leg and nibbled as well, but soon had to drop the human so as to grab its stomache, the first abdominal pain that the beast had ever felt was making the strange shard pop back up into its mind. This was just not its day, and it wasn't getting better.

Max did feel stupid as Tyler laughed at him again, frowning slightly as Tyler said that it was something worse than that. How could it be worse? It all seemed to become clear as he mentioned having said something he shouldn't have. He took the hand that was offered to him, wobbling a little as he stood.
"If it was anything that make her even more upset than she already was, then perhaps she'll let me test out my new gun on you." He said, his tone without any hint of a threat in it, and his grin also made no hint towards actually going through with what he said. They had to stick together, moreso during the hard times like this. It was bad enough with Demons attacking them, without attacking eachother.

"But seriously..." He continued, turning to a workbench to his left, picking up a pretty large gun and strapping it onto his back. "I need to get a test on this thing, so maybe it will take Cathy's mind off things. Blowing things up always makes people feel better."

He sighed heavily, hearing his bed calling him in the distance. He could also faintly hear a coffee machine out there calling his name. Max didn't want to complain too much about his tiredness, seeing as Cathy was probably in a much worse state than him. He could go get something afterwards, or maybe sleep for an entire day.
"Right, get out of my workshop." He said, shooing Tyler out so that he could turn out the lights and lock the door behind him.

~~~

Kianne sat on a hard bench, one leg bent with the foot on the bench infront of her. The folds of her dress fell away from her leg, allowing her to reach the laces of her long heavy boots. It was time to take the scavengers out again, to collect whatever oddities they could find. She gently put her foot back on the ground, now brushing her long snow white hair round one shoulder, allowing it to fall down her right side. She could then comfortably pull up her hood, casting her pale face into the shadows she felt more comfortable in. She got to her feet, sorting out her dress. Most found it strange how she could wear a dress when going out on the surface, she too thought it strange. But it was about what was comfortable when in a fight, and this was just it.

She reached for the strap that held her dagger, lifting her leg back onto the bench so that she could strap it to one thigh. On her hip was a loop of metal chain, a dagger's blade hanging from the end of it. They were her best friends, the only two she could really rely on to be there for her.
When she was ready to go, the De-Man left her quaters, slowly making her way for the nearest doorway for the surface. She was going to be there early, but there was nothing unusual there then.

It never took long for her to get to the doorway, and surprisingly... there was a scavenger already there waiting. She was even lucky enough to have a cup of tea in her hands. She stopped nearby to the doorway and the girl stooped nearby. Kianne glanced at the guard that was minding the doorway, nodding slightly towards him; though she got no reply. No matter, at the end of the day, it was her kind that was keeping the humans alive.

((Sorry about the absence. Back now though:) ))

Strangely enough, Chiyen found herself adapting as the walked. The idea of strolling along with a human soldier shouldn't have felt natural in any sense of the world, but this guy Fox almost seemed to make it normal. She heard the slide of metal and fabric as he removed his helmet.

After only a few moments they reached the tall structure that was the principle housing structure for the De-Mans. The building was noticably more advanced than the rest of those around the Life System, but no one objected. The building was fitted with stronger doors, ones that could be locked from the outside, and a stronger security system. It was "necessary". The De-Mans needed controling, especaily the young ones.

"Here we are..." Chiyen mumbled, unlocking the door and pushing it open.

((It's ok))

Fox whistled at the sight of the tall building it was quite nice, his eyes though noticed the locks were backwards. He followed her up the steps, trailing in her step, wondering what he was going to do know. As the door slid open, Fox stretched to attempt a peek inside the dark building.

"How many people live here?"

Chiyen pushed forward, her fingertips trailing over the walls. In a normal building the room across from them would hold a common area where people could spend time. Instead, there was a storage area, cluttered with looming, heavy machinery that no one was sure the function of. The inhabitants of this building weren't supposed to associate with anyone, let alone with each other. The leaders of the system were constantly in fear of a mutiny, though they practically salivated over the power of their "private army".

"There are not many of us. Maybe twenty. They implant new ones in new mothers every four years or so, once the youngest ones have learned to behave and can control themselves enough not to hurt anyone. Or themselves. Our rooms are on this floor. The upper levels are for... for training." Training, experimentation, punishment. She stopped as her hand slid over the fourth door she had touched. This was her room. She had a sudden wave of shyness, a reluctance to show this stranger the pathetic room that was her living quarters, the only thing she could call her own. But, she shoved past it. The fear of losing this strange new feeling was much greater than any bit of shyness. So, she shoved the door open resolutely, blocked eyes turned toward him in quiet curiosity. What would he think of it?

Her living quarters were only one room, simple white walls and linoleum floors. There was a small, two-burner stove next to a sink closest to the door while the other side of the room was dominated by a bed, one chair, and a table with an old radio on it. It wasn't much of anything, that much was obvious. But it was hers and she walked in, determined not to be ashamed. She perched herself on the bed and gestured toward the chair. "Please, make yourself at home," she said, reaching up to undo the knot in her blindfold. ONe thing that she did like about the simplicity of her room, it made her condition easier. There was very little for her to become distracted by there.

There was a great pain in the small demons abdomen, a burning that it couldn’t quite place. Still, it did not despair, it assumed it was just taking a bit for the strange shard to break down. One of the human books he had read had called it, what was it again? Indigestion. That’s right, soon this small demon would have much more power, and it was headed for the top, headed to become an Abyssal Demon. It wasn’t stupid like the rest, well not by demon standards anyway, and had learned many things. It had learned to read from one of the older demons, well not directly as most don’t give up their secrets easily, and had even learned how to speak Basic English. Its mouth was still too gnarled and broken to articulate the odd words but it knew the pronunciation all the same.

“Well aren’t you an oddity?” a strange voice asked in the demons head, making it scratch at its scaly scalp, “You are a strange one my friend, you could one day be an Arch-Demon at this rate,” the voice added, speaking in the demon tongue. The voice was followed by a sharp pain, as if something was pressing against its skull from within, “Too bad, such potential…At least you can teach my the modern tongue before, well, you'll see my friend...”

Fox stepped into the room looking around with a eager curiosity. He always wondered at how they lived, and found it quite bare. It wasn't to out of the normal as Fox's room was also bare, but more out of convenience than need. He tended to be outside more than in, so a room he could sleep in once n'awhile was more needed than a "home". He had seen other peoples room and admitted to himself that compared to theirs her's was barren.

Walking to the indicated chair, he sat down lightly placing his helmet on the table. He noticed that her ebony skin was a stark contrast to the white washed room, which made her stick out, and her fiery red hair didnt help. He wondered how many humans besides him were here, and in his thought he light scratched his eye length brown hair in wonder.

His thoughts were interrupted with her movements to remove her blindfold. He was curious as to what was wrong with her eyes, and would lie that he was deeply curious to see what lie underneath.

Sarin nodded to the de-man but didn't say anything. She zipped up her jacket, feeling warmer from the tea, but she knew as soon as the outside air hit her she would be cold. She counted down the seconds till the soldiers called them back. Sometimes, Sarin was able to forget the cold. In a way, scavenging was exciting, because you never knew what you would find. But, as the years went by, they were going further and further away from their little safe place. Sarin had been out, what, five hours the last time? It had been too much for her. She hadn't eaten enough and she got sick and the soldier had to help her the rest of the way back. The doctor had given her vitamin shots and a good large meal. He had said he would make sure scavengers get more food, she knew it would never happen. Sarin took a deep breath, this was her life, she had to make the best of it.

She closed her eyes and pretended to be in one of the few books they had found. The air was warm, the water was clear blue, and there was a grainy substance called sand under her feet. She smiled a little, the pretending warmed her up a little and cheered her up.

The black cloth was wound around her head three times. Chiyen paused in removing the last layer. "Would you mind holding still... very still... for just a moment?" She didn't wait to hear is assent. She pulled the shade from her eyes after taking a deep breath and then opened the silver-white orbs, taking in the world warily for the first time since that morning. The scientists had begun encouraging her to go without her blindfold more and more, hoping to force her to adjust. She found herself clinging to it like a child to a beloved blankie. More than anything else, the darkness comforted her.

She let her attention scatter for a moment before bringing it firmly back under her control. She surveyed her guest for the first time, appreciating his fine, yellow hair and pale skin. He looked different than he had in her mind. After a moment she registered the look of complete confusion on his face. She blinked and then smiled, reaching under her bed to find the small cooler filled with ice that held her meat ration for the day. Another De-Man had traded her his ration as well in return for a favor. There would be enough for them both along with some bread.

"I am strange," she said with the same quiet smile, moving slowly so that she could watch her own hand. "Many of us do not turn out exactly right. I see everything, I hear everything, it's too much for me. So, I wear that. It's comforting. And I get by on what I can hear and smell and feel." She took the meat to the stove and laid a sheet of metal over the burners, setting them to heat. "It's the way it has always been for me."

Fox was startled by her eyes which ironically were his favorite color silver. He stayed still and listened to her talk, he didnt quite understand, but than again he probably never would fully understand. He lowered his eyes, he knew full well the problems with De-man as when they went rogue 9 times out of 10 it was he who was sent to kill him. It was hard each time, he had heard so many stories... and it never got easier. He was not trained for killing demons that was a part time job, his real purpose was De-extermination.

Turning slowly as to not hurt her eyes, he trailed her with his eyes. He wondered briefly if he meet her expectations than decided he probably didn't. He was normal looking, if anything the outside world gave him a hardness in his face. He couldnt imagine how it would feel if everything was more intense, if even looking at something could cause so much pain.

Lowering his eyes he couldn't deny that she was... strange, even for a De-man. "Not strange, just different. I suppose its good for everyone to be different. Wouldnt be much of a point if we were all the same"

When the nurse had her back turned Cathy jumped out of the bed, she pulled on her trousers and limped to the door as quickly as she could. She waved goodbye to Charm as she slipped out and closed the door behind her. One in the cool corridor Cathy began to limp towards the east entrance, the scavengers would be gathered by the time she got there. She recognised a few of them, a De-man named Kianne being the one she saw first. She tried to limp less as she adjusted the strap that held her gun to her back. Nodding to a few of the scavengers she went to the operator of the gate, "I think everyone is here, once we've sorted the bolts you can get it open can't you?" she sounded as she always did, calm and precise. Turning she smiled at Kianne.

"I guess they have put me with you for the patrol?" she asked as she went to the door and unbolted it. She took a deep breath as pain sparked in her leg. Once unbolted the mechanism sounded as the operator fiddled with the switches that operated the door. She turned to the group of scavengers. "Okay, you know the drill, stick close to us. One more thing though, we're also looking for..." she swallowed. "A body, okay?" licking her dry lips she turned back to the door as it clicked open. Taking hold she pulled it wide enough for one person to slip out at a time. Then went outside. It was getting dark, this group of scavengers would probably be the last before night fell.

The world before her looked ill, everything was grey and broken. She knew that this entrance opened into what had once been a river bed. She edged outside, the cold catching her a little by surprise. She knew that they'd been by the clock tower when they'd been attacked and wanted to head there, but knew that she couldn't seem too over anxious. She'd have to let the scavengers walk their usual path as if she hadn't been there when the soldier had been killed. She sighed, taking a few steps out into the river bed.

---

Tyler stepped back as he was ushered out of the work room. He stood back as Max came out, still grumbling. Once he'd finished locking up they began to work their way towards the infirmary. Tyler found himself very interested in the new gun. "So what exactly is the ammo on that thing like?" how many lives could a perhaps more powerful weapon save? They passed a few people as they walked, but most would be gathering in the main hall to eat. Tyler didn't feel like eating, he never did after loosing someone on a mission. "What is its potential?"

When they reached the infirmary Tyler pushed open the door to find that Cathy wasn't there. He entered the room, the nurses all turned to look at him and Max, frowning when they realised that nothing was wrong with them. "Was Cathy here?" he asked.

A nurse nodded "Yes, but she left of her own accord." She sniffed, clearly unimpressed.

"Where did she go?"

Kianne nodded to the young scavenger that was sitting at the gate, watching the girl for a moment as she went into her own little world. Probably psyching herself up for another adventure out on the surface. Her attention was soon turned to another girl that approached, and by her appearance and the large gun on her back - this was a soldier. A roughed up one at that, there was a faint smell of fresh blood coming from her, and the limping wasn't a good sign either.
She couldn't help but be a little worried as the girl said that she was going out on this patrol today too. It wasn't a good idea for this soldier to be out when she'd just been hurt. By the fresh blood, Kianne guessed that this soldier had already been out on patrol today.

It all seemed to make sense though as the girl spoke of a body that they were to look for. Her eyes narrowed slightly in the shadow of her hood, not liking the sound of things at all. This girl seemed to be going out just to find the body, and she was putting everyone at risk doing it.
The scavengers followed her out of the door, Kianne quick to follow. She caught up to the solider, gently taking her arm and stopping her - letting the scavengers go ahead a little, not wanting them to hear the conversation.
"I don't think this is a good idea. If I can smell the blood on you, the demons are bound to as well. You can't even walk, let alone run properly. You're a danger to yourself and the others like this." She told the girl, her voice barely more than a whisper.

She glanced at the scavengers for a moment, soon turning her attention back to the soldier,
"We can still find the body you're looking for. You don't have to push yourself to find your friend." Kianne said, trying to add an air of sympathy to her voice. She understood that the girl didn't want to leave her friend's body out here to rot with the demons, and if she was told who she was looking for, Kianne could even promise to bring them back.

~~~

Max was glad that Tyler was interested in his inventions. At least someone other than Cathy and a couple of other soldiers were wondering what he was up to. Most didn't bother asking, not believing it was possible for a young Mechanic like himself could make anything that could help in a massive way.
"I'm not finished with the design of it yet, this on has a pretty hefty bullet on it though. It's more of an explosives canister." He explained, not sure if he made much sense, and he didn't want to give too much away. It ruined the surprise of it. "I know it's got great potential though, just need to get it working properly."

The frown on his face returned when he saw that Cathy was not in the infirmary, glancing at Tyler as the nurses said that she'd left on her own accord. That didn't sound like her. If she had left, she would've usually come to his workshop; but she hadn't past them on the way. He glanced at the little watch on his wrist, noticing that the last scavenge was about to go on. They'd probably bring back any bodies from the last patrol back.
"You don't think she's gone to wait for the scavengers to bring Lucas back, do you?" Max suggested, looking to Tyler with a deep look of concern.

"C'mon, we need to go to the RiverDoor. That's where the last scavenge will come in at." He said, tugging at Tyler's shirt as he closed the infirmary door and moved in the direction of the door he'd spoken of, hurrying a little.

Sarin sighed as she went out. She was apart from the other scavengers who had no interest in her. She rolled her eyes and looked up, letting her hood fall. She looked up and could start to see some of the stars come budding out. She had never seen them in the full oncome of night. It was too dangerous. She noticed the sun and moon was out and smiled. "When the sun and moon are out, the devil is beating his wife". It was something her mum used to tell her that her mum told her. It was a little comfort to her. Sarin took out her pickax and began to look for anything. "Hey!" she yelled to the other scavengers. They stopped, like her or not, when they were out here, communication and sticking together mattered, "We should west, we've been going farther and farther east. I think west was an industrial district". The scavengers didn't like her but they nodded and together they changed directions.

Sarin noticed a confrontation between the de-man and soldier. "Hey, you guys going to watch our back or have a fight? Come on guys, you're the only protection we have". Sarin had a scolding look. Sarin didn't need her only protection fighting over something frivolous. She shook her head and continued with the scavengers. One of the girls came over and offered Sarin a ration, "Thanks". The scavenger nodded, "I heard you were sick". Sarin nodded, "Malnourished, I had to be practically carried, which is why I don't want to go hours and hours east".

There wasn't much to scavenge these days. Still, they looked. Sarin did notice something but it was far in the distance. "Stay here" she said to the others. She noticed the soldiers had trailed far behind. "Dammit" she cursed. She took off her pack and took out her blanket, "Here hold this for me". She ran a good distance, still in the range of a bullet, but she was on her own if the bullets missed. She got on her knees and saw a brand new sappling that was just now daring to come out of the ground. She digged with her pickax several feet into the ground. She quickly saw the blanket would not work so she tied threw it around her arm and took off her glove and put the dirt and roots in her glove. She stood up and looked around her. She hated how quiet it was. "Just hold on little guy, we'll get you out of the cold and away from those creatures". She put the sappling in her pocket, it peeked out like a timid child. She looked at the land, vast, dead, gray.

She heard the other scavengers call to her worryingly. She made her way quickly, not running, but not walking. She made it back to them. "God dammit Sarin, you could have gotten us killed". Sarin shook her head, "It was worth it, how often do we fine anything green and growing. Look, lets make this quick. I think there is a reason we never find anything green. I'll walk away a little away from you guys in case". She put away her blanket and took out her flashlight and walked a fair distance from them. Sarin didn't want to be the cause of their deaths.

The Demons looked over and spotted the humans a few hundred yards away. They also spotted two other demons of their tribe who had noticed them and were creeping up to make an attack. The one holding on to the human corpse’s foot was not bright though. And rather than join in a surprise attack it lifted its head back and let out a howl that echoed across the area to summon its brethren. The horde would gather in moments, but the good thing was that if the humans heard the howl and looked for the source, they would spot the two would be ambushers and the body of their comrade. The bad thing was that to get to them they must take on a football field of distance and a gathering pack. The smarter little demon was again hearing a voice that asked him to explain what was going on, and again the pain shot up in its belly.

Sarin heard the howl. "Demons!" she screamed. Her and the other scavengers began to run back to the soldiers. She noticed two who had tried to creep up on her. She quickly darted away from them and pointed and yelled. "Demons, demons" she yelled, trying to get the soldiers attention. She shoved her flashlight in her bag and held onto her pickax tightly, ready to use it. She knew to aim for the eyes, the only place her pickax could puncture.

Cathy swallowed, "I'm fine, its a scratch." she levelled her gaze with the De-man, "We're stronger than we look." she heard Sarin calling to them and pushed passed the De-Man, trying hard to hide the slight limp. "We have a duty to these people now." she growled. She moved to keep up with the scavengers, scanning their surroundings. Sarin had run off, and someone shouted after her, Cathy winced. "Keep it together." she snapped as she lifted the gun off of her back and held it in her hands, ready. A sigh escaped her as Sarin returned to them, she didn't mind the scavengers moving about but she hated when they went off on their own.

She looked to see where Kianne was. The last time she had been out it had been with Lucas and Tyler, two people she trusted with her life, now she was out with a De-Man she hardly knew. A howl went up then, and she looked in its direction, it came from the clock tower where she knew that Lucas had died. Could the same group still be there? Chewing on him? She shuddered. That was when she saw them, the two demons that had been creeping up. "Shit." she wasn't leaving Lucas out here, not again.

"Get inside!" she screamed at the scavengers, "Don't just stand there shouting about them!" she ran, adrenaline kicking in to hide the pain of her leg, but she found that her run was awkward. She aimed and fired, hitting the closest demon in its right shoulders, of course that wouldn't be enough. She cocked the gun. Checked over her shoulder, "Get inside!" she ordered. There were more than she had first anticipated, a few coming to line up on the higher ground. She bit her lip, they were close to the entrance, if she ran she'd make it, but she'd have to take out the closest one first. She fired again, hitting the same demon. Human weapons just weren't powerful enough to take the things out in one hit. She fired off a final shot, hitting his head, the head exploded. She fumbled for her radio, and found that she had left it back in the infirmary.

The demon's 'partner' of sorts let off a louder howl, and charged her.

---

Tyler sighed, "I don't think she'll benefit from seeing the body." he shook his head. Walking beside Max as they made their way to the east entrance. When they reached it something was off, no one but the guard was there. He thought the worst. "She isn't stupid enough to go out after him? is she?" of course she was. This was Cathy they were talking about and she wasn't in the best of minds as it was. He went to the guard to clarify that she had indeed gone out with the scavengers, which was when he heard the howl. It was muffled by the thick walls and door but his hearing was a little better than that of a normal human. "Open the door."

"We can't..." the guard began.

"Open the fucking door!" Tyler shouted. The guard nodded and ran to the controls. The door opened a little and Tyler moved towards it, gripping it he pulled it open. "Max I think it's time to test out that weapon of yours."

(Please note that he isn’t always this powerful, 5,000 years is a long time to gather energy. Plus its and intro, so he might seem stronger then he will be in the RP. And without further a due, ladies gentle men: Saber!)

The little demon who had eaten the shard wasn’t feeling well at all, the pain in its stomach had turned into a full blown torrent as the burning that had seemed so slight now filled the small brain of the beast. It watched as the pack of dozens that it was a part o started to rush out to assault the now open entrance to the system. A loud blood lust roar echoed above the chattering of the advancing pack of demons. They were beginning to converge as the cry of the two demons near the surface gate. The approaching humans who were clearly there to save their comrades body, where closing fast. But form the shadows of the ruins more and more black figures began to surface, soon another single roar tore the sky as the dozens of shades moved every closer.

The one demon and its partner scurried back, the one who had eaten the shard moving sluggishly, to the amassing horde of demons. They were instinctive creatures and fled the fire from the humans to the safety of their numbers. The horde before the gate would no doubt be a massive blow, and even if the System could repel the borders, the away team was not going to be going home, not with an entire pack barreling down upon them.

Of course, the sluggish demon never made it to the horde, not after the pain reached a boiling point and the energy within was finally released.
Within the belly of the beast the shard had been exposed to a large amount of stimulants that made the shard that had been so inactive come to life. Though the demons in London were unaware, Thousands of miles north, a strange and humanoid demon stood and roared in anger. The foolish creature had just released an energy that the demons had feared for millennia, the power of a people who almost drove their race to extinction. (This has a bit of a Dr. Who vs the Darleks feel doesn’t it)

The shard broke, and so did the small demons body. Its stomach began to glow a reliant red as the white light released from the broken shard beamed through the beasts blood red and black scales. It bulged suddenly for a moment before all that was left was a mess of flesh and black blood. The creature had burst, and was now replaced by a strange orb of white light. It seemed to mesmerize the horde that was gathering beyond and it morphed slowly into the form of a tall man. The light fading as the figure of the being within began to appear.

The tall figure that stood there now was an oddity. A male with slender bone structure and a soft face with very calming green eyes. No, not green, red, no blue, or maybe… The eyes which this strange being used to survey the scene before him (namely, the scavenger party) where changing color every few moments through a slow shift in which they turned grey before changing color once more to a new shade of the spectrum.

The beings face was so serious, as if there was nothing but the facts in the world, at least for a moment of time. That moment passed, and the serious look was replaced by that off a yawn. The being stretched and yawned some more, turning about and rolling its shoulders it nodded in greeting to the humans and continued its survey but stopped just before turning to see the horde of stunned demons behind him.

“5,000 years will give you one hell of a cramp.” The man said in a strange voice, while the major tone was baritone, the sound echoed as if a whole choir had spoken in time.

The man was completely at ease considering the demons behind him, which he had seemingly yet to noticed, were starting to be less interested in what this newcomer was, and more interested in the waves of energy he was emitting. He should be tasty!

The closest demon to the man was the others partner, and it jumped at the chance to engorge on such power that it might become the leader of the pack. Literally it jumped at the chance and at him, in a foolish grab for the power. Of course it never got its chance to take a bite…

The Being didn’t pause or look back, but the moment the demon was airborne and closing in for the kill the man turned about on his heel in a flash of movement, his right hand coming up to grab the demon be the throat and old it aloft. The creature struggled in the beings grip, and the whole affair grew stranger still. He had grabbed the demon with his bare hand and yet the demons draining of his energy seemed to do nothing to him, even as it bit at the air eating and gulping down what energy it could from the aura of the man he seemed completely at ease.

“You’re a bit eager aren’t you,” he said as he tightened his grip, “Hmm, seems you’ve brought friends.” He added with a look beyond at the advancing pack.

His right hand began to spark slightly, finally beginning to glow and seemingly becoming sheathed in bolts of energy that jumped through his skin into the demon. At last he seemed to release the creature, in time for a bolt of lightning to dance across its scales, and let it begin to scurry back to its pack. Mid run however the bolts seemed to shrink and cut into the beast, as they closed in the demon was cut by the energy into several pieces, its black blood splattering over the head of the closing horde.

He glared at the beasts with deep hatred and glanced back at the Humans. “You don’t mind if I handle this alone do you? Hate to steal all the fun,” he lowered his right hand and allowed the bolts of lightning to strike the ground as they spread from his arm, “but 5 millennia is a long time to sleep. I think I’ll cut loose for a once.” This was going to be fun, so long in a sealed state meant that he had a lot of power he needed to release…