07-12-2016, 03:59 AM
Anger boiled inside Abner, threatening to burst through his skin. The only problem was that he had nowhere to direct it. Trent and Kristen certainly didn’t deserve any of his rage, and Colonel only probably didn’t. Either way, Abner didn’t dare lash out at the robotic member of their party, for he still didn’t trust the machine to not simply walk away. If that happened, Abner wouldn’t be able to protect these secondaries alone. They weren’t totally unlike the rookie Stormtroopers Abner used to supervise in the Nexus, except Karl Jak hadn’t bothered to give these two any weapons.
So, he kept his mouth shut. Abner instead lit a cigarette and led the team down the dark street. The dark night was aided by the island’s mysterious fog and inclement weather, bringing visibility to an all-time low. Trent and Kristen wandered blissfully ignorant in the middle of their party, but Colonel followed at the back, paying great attention to make sure they weren’t flanked by anything. Abner was at least grateful for that.
It was all he could do to keep calm as they moved down the street. Years of training and experience informed him how exposed and vulnerable they were as they searched for refuge. His heart pounded and adrenaline pumped through his body. What lurked beyond the fog was the unknown, and that threat was always the most terrifying prospect. The seasoned veteran knew that he had to keep it together, though, because if he let himself be overwhelmed by the situation, he wouldn’t be able to react appropriately when an actual threat emerged.
Suddenly, there was a gasp behind him, followed by several quick, pained breaths. Abner turned around to see Trent collapsing to his knees, and a trembling Kristen clutching him tightly. Abner was beginning to understand Colonel’s various shades of monotony, so he was pretty sure he saw a twinge of confusion on the solder navi’s face.
“Trent! Trent!” Kristen screamed, fighting back tears as she held onto the hyperventilating boy tightly.
“What happened?” Abner tried to keep his voice low as he quickly dropped to a kneel by Trent and Kristen, looking the boy over for an open wound of some sort.
“I...I…I can’t do this,” Trent stuttered out. He wasn’t too loud, but he sure wasn’t quiet, either.
Abner groaned. They hadn’t been ambushed, or hit a trap. The secondary was having a small panic attack. How could he forget, in his struggles to keep himself in balance, that these unexperienced teenagers were far more susceptible to a breakdown?
“What’s wrong?” Colonel’s tone was direct and demanding. He wanted facts and information. This wasn’t easy to explain to a machine.
“Cover us for a minute,” Abner snapped back up to him.
“Get him up and get him moving,” Colonel firmly ordered his fellow prime as he scanned the area. Not only were they easy to see, but now they weren’t hard to hear, either.
“Just give us some fucking overwatch, Terminator,” Abner said back just as sternly. He then looked to Kristen, who also seemed to be bordering on hysterics. Seeing Trent lose control was causing her to freak out too, and Abner knew he needed to stop this chain reaction swiftly. “Keep it down, goddammit. We’re already sitting ducks without everyone hollering.”
“Sorry,” Kristen said, then covered her mouth with both hands, clearly to prevent herself from saying much more. Her eyes stayed on Trent, clearly broadcasting her primary concern.
“Hey, Hey!” Abner shifted his attention to the actual problem at hand, grabbing Trent by the shoulders. “I need you to get it together, right now. We have to keep moving.”
“Mr. Jak is going to come get all of us. He wouldn’t abandon us,” Trent said, his speech rushed and slurred. “Let’s just go back to the bar. I don’t want to know more about this island and I don’t want to run into anything else.”
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea, Trent,” Abner said, trying to sound reasonable and in control.
“It would be preferable to standing in this street,” Colonel chimed in.
Abner briefly scowled, struggling to maintain his composure. It had been a lot easier to give a pep talk with an emotionless white helmet masking his own expressions. Robbed of that luxury, he sure didn’t feel as convincing.
“Are you sure?” Kristen questioned from behind her hands.
“Not you, too,” Abner immediately ordered the girl, looking between the secondaries as he spoke, now. “Look, I’ve been doing shit like this a long time, and I can tell you that the only people we can really trust are ourselves. I need you, both of you, to get it the hell together to we can find a safe place to sleep it off.”
“Movement,” Colonel announced as he peered down the street. His voice was just the right volume to get the urgency of his message across. “Unable to identify.”
Abner hoped the machine was just saying that to stir the secondaries into running, but the chill he felt run down his own spine was enough to convince him that they weren’t alone.
“Trent, you’ve got to trust me,” Abner said, watching as the boy’s breathing slowed to normal. He seized that progress and continued to calmly goad him towards action. “I’ve gotten a lot of people out of a lot of shitty places, but I need your help to do it again. All you have to do for now is get up, and walk to that building a few yards to our left.”
“The one to your right is more defensible,” Colonel volunteered relevant information, once more.
“The right, then. Whatever,” Abner mumbled, then stood up, pulling Trent to his feet as he did. Kristen, luckily, stood beside them of her own volition.
“I don’t want to die here,” Trent stuttered the words out, plainly speaking his paralyzing fear.
“If a bum like me can make it all the way to Omni, you can get off this damn rock,” Abner said, patting the boy of the shoulder. That statement elicited reassured looks from Trent and Kristen, as well as a curious glare from Colonel. Knowing what their escort was really capable of seemed to pacify the secondaries.
“Okay, let’s go,” Trent spoke with fake determination, though he did seem a bit more encouraged. Abner had given him a little inspiration, and he didn't want to collapse in front of Kristen again, after being here because of her in the first place. It was enough to allow him to put one foot in front of the other for the time being.
The four of them hurried to the building that Colonel had identified, and Abner wasted no time forcing the door open. They piled into the dark building, and Colonel closed the door behind them. He wasn’t sure what he’d caught a glimpse of, but he certainly didn’t want to directly engage it without knowing more. The robot glanced over to see Trent and Kristen sitting on the floor, while Abner looked around the immediate area.
A low growl caught his attention, though thankfully it was coming from outside the premises. Not that he expected the walls of this building to protect him, but the concealment was enough to put him at ease. He creeped to a window and looked out into the street they’d just been standing in.
Half masked in the fog was the creature that had chased them into the town in the first place. It was prowling the streets, and obviously still hunting for them. Abner dropped to a kneel as he peered out, and silently mouthed a few of his favorite curse words. Sensing something was wrong, Colonel slowly approached Abner, keeping his hand extended towards the secondaries like he was telling a dog to stay.
“What is it?” Colonel asked, not approaching the window, since there was no real point if Abner could just tell him what was out there.
“That thing that chased us in here,” Abner quietly said, trying to discern the monster’s features. The fog made it difficult, but he already knew he hadn’t seen anything like this beast before, even in all his travels. Even under the darkness of night he could see the powerful fangs that had come so close to devouring him once, already.
Colonel paced a few steps back with that information. He stayed near the secondaries, and carefully watched Abner for the slightest reaction. They both knew what that monster had done to the man made of stone, so it would tear through any of the others in the group much quicker.
Abner watched as the massive creature spun around, suddenly. It must have caught a whiff of their scent, or maybe he wasn’t hiding as well as he thought. It didn’t matter, because he knew the game of hide and seek was over. Abner stood and ran towards the other three just as soon as he saw the beast’s new focus.
“Move!” Abner ordered, and Colonel responded by dragging Kristen to her feet.
The monster ripped through the wall, sending shrapnel and splinters in every direction. Abner stumbled forward from the percussion of such a violent entrance, but he regained his balance and ran after the other three survivors. Fortunately, Trent and Kristen were not seized with fear this time around, instead overtaken by their “fight or flight” reflex, and were both following Colonel. Abner fired a few stray shots back at the monster with his pistol, but it didn’t do anything except stun the beast temporarily, as expected.
Just as soon as they crossed the building inside, Colonel leaped from a window. The secondaries hesitated when they approached it, but Abner shoved them out without even thinking about what might be on the other side. They fell forward, but having lost his momentum, Abner couldn’t jump out after them in a hurry. Instead, he ran down a separate hallway, barely dodging the beast as it tore through the wooden structure of the house. As he fled, he could feel the heavy breath on the back of his neck, and drops of saliva hitting him. He didn't want to know how close he was to those jaws. Another opportunity for escape presented itself soon enough, and Abner jumped out of another window and into the night, then hit the ground and rolled down a small hill. He fell off a small ledge, and landed on cement. Groaning and mumbling, he got to his feet, only to see Colonel and the secondaries approaching. At least everyone was alright.
The beast ripped through the wall, and the four remained in silent agreement on what to do next. They took off down an alleyway, with Colonel on point again and Abner taking the rear. Once more, they would have to lose this thing, or find the opportunity to kill it.
So, he kept his mouth shut. Abner instead lit a cigarette and led the team down the dark street. The dark night was aided by the island’s mysterious fog and inclement weather, bringing visibility to an all-time low. Trent and Kristen wandered blissfully ignorant in the middle of their party, but Colonel followed at the back, paying great attention to make sure they weren’t flanked by anything. Abner was at least grateful for that.
It was all he could do to keep calm as they moved down the street. Years of training and experience informed him how exposed and vulnerable they were as they searched for refuge. His heart pounded and adrenaline pumped through his body. What lurked beyond the fog was the unknown, and that threat was always the most terrifying prospect. The seasoned veteran knew that he had to keep it together, though, because if he let himself be overwhelmed by the situation, he wouldn’t be able to react appropriately when an actual threat emerged.
Suddenly, there was a gasp behind him, followed by several quick, pained breaths. Abner turned around to see Trent collapsing to his knees, and a trembling Kristen clutching him tightly. Abner was beginning to understand Colonel’s various shades of monotony, so he was pretty sure he saw a twinge of confusion on the solder navi’s face.
“Trent! Trent!” Kristen screamed, fighting back tears as she held onto the hyperventilating boy tightly.
“What happened?” Abner tried to keep his voice low as he quickly dropped to a kneel by Trent and Kristen, looking the boy over for an open wound of some sort.
“I...I…I can’t do this,” Trent stuttered out. He wasn’t too loud, but he sure wasn’t quiet, either.
Abner groaned. They hadn’t been ambushed, or hit a trap. The secondary was having a small panic attack. How could he forget, in his struggles to keep himself in balance, that these unexperienced teenagers were far more susceptible to a breakdown?
“What’s wrong?” Colonel’s tone was direct and demanding. He wanted facts and information. This wasn’t easy to explain to a machine.
“Cover us for a minute,” Abner snapped back up to him.
“Get him up and get him moving,” Colonel firmly ordered his fellow prime as he scanned the area. Not only were they easy to see, but now they weren’t hard to hear, either.
“Just give us some fucking overwatch, Terminator,” Abner said back just as sternly. He then looked to Kristen, who also seemed to be bordering on hysterics. Seeing Trent lose control was causing her to freak out too, and Abner knew he needed to stop this chain reaction swiftly. “Keep it down, goddammit. We’re already sitting ducks without everyone hollering.”
“Sorry,” Kristen said, then covered her mouth with both hands, clearly to prevent herself from saying much more. Her eyes stayed on Trent, clearly broadcasting her primary concern.
“Hey, Hey!” Abner shifted his attention to the actual problem at hand, grabbing Trent by the shoulders. “I need you to get it together, right now. We have to keep moving.”
“Mr. Jak is going to come get all of us. He wouldn’t abandon us,” Trent said, his speech rushed and slurred. “Let’s just go back to the bar. I don’t want to know more about this island and I don’t want to run into anything else.”
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea, Trent,” Abner said, trying to sound reasonable and in control.
“It would be preferable to standing in this street,” Colonel chimed in.
Abner briefly scowled, struggling to maintain his composure. It had been a lot easier to give a pep talk with an emotionless white helmet masking his own expressions. Robbed of that luxury, he sure didn’t feel as convincing.
“Are you sure?” Kristen questioned from behind her hands.
“Not you, too,” Abner immediately ordered the girl, looking between the secondaries as he spoke, now. “Look, I’ve been doing shit like this a long time, and I can tell you that the only people we can really trust are ourselves. I need you, both of you, to get it the hell together to we can find a safe place to sleep it off.”
“Movement,” Colonel announced as he peered down the street. His voice was just the right volume to get the urgency of his message across. “Unable to identify.”
Abner hoped the machine was just saying that to stir the secondaries into running, but the chill he felt run down his own spine was enough to convince him that they weren’t alone.
“Trent, you’ve got to trust me,” Abner said, watching as the boy’s breathing slowed to normal. He seized that progress and continued to calmly goad him towards action. “I’ve gotten a lot of people out of a lot of shitty places, but I need your help to do it again. All you have to do for now is get up, and walk to that building a few yards to our left.”
“The one to your right is more defensible,” Colonel volunteered relevant information, once more.
“The right, then. Whatever,” Abner mumbled, then stood up, pulling Trent to his feet as he did. Kristen, luckily, stood beside them of her own volition.
“I don’t want to die here,” Trent stuttered the words out, plainly speaking his paralyzing fear.
“If a bum like me can make it all the way to Omni, you can get off this damn rock,” Abner said, patting the boy of the shoulder. That statement elicited reassured looks from Trent and Kristen, as well as a curious glare from Colonel. Knowing what their escort was really capable of seemed to pacify the secondaries.
“Okay, let’s go,” Trent spoke with fake determination, though he did seem a bit more encouraged. Abner had given him a little inspiration, and he didn't want to collapse in front of Kristen again, after being here because of her in the first place. It was enough to allow him to put one foot in front of the other for the time being.
The four of them hurried to the building that Colonel had identified, and Abner wasted no time forcing the door open. They piled into the dark building, and Colonel closed the door behind them. He wasn’t sure what he’d caught a glimpse of, but he certainly didn’t want to directly engage it without knowing more. The robot glanced over to see Trent and Kristen sitting on the floor, while Abner looked around the immediate area.
A low growl caught his attention, though thankfully it was coming from outside the premises. Not that he expected the walls of this building to protect him, but the concealment was enough to put him at ease. He creeped to a window and looked out into the street they’d just been standing in.
Half masked in the fog was the creature that had chased them into the town in the first place. It was prowling the streets, and obviously still hunting for them. Abner dropped to a kneel as he peered out, and silently mouthed a few of his favorite curse words. Sensing something was wrong, Colonel slowly approached Abner, keeping his hand extended towards the secondaries like he was telling a dog to stay.
“What is it?” Colonel asked, not approaching the window, since there was no real point if Abner could just tell him what was out there.
“That thing that chased us in here,” Abner quietly said, trying to discern the monster’s features. The fog made it difficult, but he already knew he hadn’t seen anything like this beast before, even in all his travels. Even under the darkness of night he could see the powerful fangs that had come so close to devouring him once, already.
Colonel paced a few steps back with that information. He stayed near the secondaries, and carefully watched Abner for the slightest reaction. They both knew what that monster had done to the man made of stone, so it would tear through any of the others in the group much quicker.
Abner watched as the massive creature spun around, suddenly. It must have caught a whiff of their scent, or maybe he wasn’t hiding as well as he thought. It didn’t matter, because he knew the game of hide and seek was over. Abner stood and ran towards the other three just as soon as he saw the beast’s new focus.
“Move!” Abner ordered, and Colonel responded by dragging Kristen to her feet.
The monster ripped through the wall, sending shrapnel and splinters in every direction. Abner stumbled forward from the percussion of such a violent entrance, but he regained his balance and ran after the other three survivors. Fortunately, Trent and Kristen were not seized with fear this time around, instead overtaken by their “fight or flight” reflex, and were both following Colonel. Abner fired a few stray shots back at the monster with his pistol, but it didn’t do anything except stun the beast temporarily, as expected.
Just as soon as they crossed the building inside, Colonel leaped from a window. The secondaries hesitated when they approached it, but Abner shoved them out without even thinking about what might be on the other side. They fell forward, but having lost his momentum, Abner couldn’t jump out after them in a hurry. Instead, he ran down a separate hallway, barely dodging the beast as it tore through the wooden structure of the house. As he fled, he could feel the heavy breath on the back of his neck, and drops of saliva hitting him. He didn't want to know how close he was to those jaws. Another opportunity for escape presented itself soon enough, and Abner jumped out of another window and into the night, then hit the ground and rolled down a small hill. He fell off a small ledge, and landed on cement. Groaning and mumbling, he got to his feet, only to see Colonel and the secondaries approaching. At least everyone was alright.
The beast ripped through the wall, and the four remained in silent agreement on what to do next. They took off down an alleyway, with Colonel on point again and Abner taking the rear. Once more, they would have to lose this thing, or find the opportunity to kill it.