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 Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 1:31 am
During this time of the night most of the two brigades that Lt. Col. Rhodes had kept with him from his Battalion were asleep. There were a few men stationed all around the barrier, the large fence which had been constructed to keep people in.
Two men kept watch at the front gates, and there were two men on each of the four general corner areas. There was no need for a commanding officer to tell them what to do, they simple waited and watched, and did their best to stay awake. They would have their break when morning came and the sun began to rise. But for now, currently around midnight, they were vigilant at their stations.
And since there was no need for a commander currently, Warrick Rhodes should have been sleeping. But something was weighing heavy on his conscience, and he didn't often sleep much anyway. When he did his sleep certainly wasn't restful. Especially not tonight, when the presence of the barrier between himself and those who he had been ordered to quarantine rose from the ground and stretched toward the sky, a solid reminder of something that felt vaguely unjust.
And yet, what choice did they have? This was not only for the military's protection, but for the protection of those inside the town as well. Not to mention to keep anything from spreading to other towns. They were not yet sure if the chemicals that had seeped into the innocent people of this town would be carried with them. Another puzzling thing was how some people seemed unaffected, or immune. Which made it that much harder to sleep. Evacuating troops was one thing, but the citizens all had to remain where they were. There was no way to know how long anyone had been exposed. And people, as a general rule, were liars.
With these thoughts in his head, and other things plaguing his fairly young and yet incredibly worn down and tired mind, Col. Rhodes found himself wandering somewhere between checkpoints. He was on the east side of the enclosure, strolling nearly silently beside the fence. Every so often his eyes would catch small movements, or lights flickering on and off within the town. And then he would glance toward his encampment, and then ahead again to continue his walk. Above all other things, Rhodes was a solitary man.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 1:59 am
He had come to this place just like he had gone to any other place. He came, he made money, he bought food, and he was on his way. He had no permanent home to speak of. The world was his home and never wanted to stay in one place for long. For more than just one reason. But this time was different. This time he couldn't just be on his way. He had spent so long running from the law to keep himself from behind bars. Yet here he was, in a cage. He was in a thriving town, but he was stuck. He couldn't leave. This HAD to change. Before he went insane.
Ace was hidden in the shadows of a couple local shops that were located near the east side of the town, closest to the wall in which he couldn't help but to think of as his prison. The young man had wedged himself between these two buildings and he was waiting for his instincts to tell him when to act. He stared at the chain-link fence, narrowing his eyes at the structure. The distaste etched into his features were clear. He almost felt as if the fence were mocking him. He was so close to the outside world, yet so far away. He was going to get out of this city tonight. The military wouldn't stop him. They had never stopped him before.
Suddenly Ace found himself dashing from the shadows, making a straight line for the fence. he didn't hesitate to leap right onto it, clinging to the chain-links. When his body came in contact with the metal, it made a terrible clashing sound in the silent night. But Ace didn't care. He climbed his way up that fence, expertly making his way to the top. Maybe there was barbed wire, but that made no difference to him. The barbs caught his skin and clothes in a few places, but he made it over, dropping down onto his feet on the other side. The side that led to his freedom.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 2:15 am
The sound of something hitting the fence was only mildly startling for a man who had been wandering the border of it for days at night. There was always someone trying to get out. But it did kick in War's combat senses, and his eyes zeroed in on the source of the sound right away.
He watched briefly in wonder as the young man, only a dark figure to him from where he was standing, reached the top of the fence and evaded the the heavily barbed wired at the top of it. As he landed Lt. Col. Rhodes' eyes narrowed at bit, but not in a hostile manner, simply in a mildly confused, way. They soon widened a bit with intrigue as well.
It was dark, and War was mostly silent. He was not surprised he had not been noticed. He closed the distance between himself and the figure fairly quickly, his footfall still quiet on the dirt, and withdrew his issued pistol. He pressed it very lightly to the back of Ace's head.
"Evening'," he said. He was generally pretty polite. And he supposed, now that he could make out that this was just a young man, he had no need to be terrible alarmed. Unless, of course, this young man was already driven mad by the chemicals seeping up from underground. After all, he had somehow made it over the barbed wire...
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 2:46 am
He would call it an adrenaline rush that got him over the fence. Or his undying need to keep himself out of a cage. That's what the town was now. It was just a cage. Maybe not to some people. But it certainly was to him. Ace wasn't meant to be kept behind bars. Not only that, but if the military were confining him... that wasn't something that he could allow to happen. Ace had a particular grudge against the military, though the reason behind this was hard to tell. Maybe it was because he was a common criminal. Or maybe it was something more.
Ace looked down at his hands. They were bloody. His gaze traveled up his arms which were also cut up from the heavy barb wire. He took a minute to stare at his bloodied skin and a particular rip he had made in his pants before his eyes shifted again up towards the barbed wire in which he had conquered. The young man took a minute to wonder how he had done it, but then something was pressed up to the back of his head. Something hard and cold. And then a voice. It wasn't any voice that he recognized, but Ace knew that he had been caught.
For a minute he stood silently and then slowly he raised his hands. The palms of his hands were tattooed with very specific transmutation circles. Other than this he did not move. "So, you got me." The young man said in response, his back still to the lt. colonel.
Suddenly Ace dropped down to his bloody hands, ducking away from the pistol and hooking one of his legs under War's feet in an attempt to trip him and throw him off guard. "But you won't keep me, dog!" Ace added, taking off as fast as he could if you could possibly get away from the man.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 2:59 am
War was pretty used to being called names. Especially when in uniform, as he was now and was most of the time. A lot of people seemed to have something against the military for one reason or another. But War himself owed the military as debt, not only as a serviceman but because of his personal history. At least in his mind, he did.
He was also pretty used to being attacked. And luckily for him when it came to close, one on one combat he was usually bigger than his opponents. And in this case that was definitely true. So he was not knocked off of his feet by the smaller, younger man. He glanced down, however, distracted by the attempt, and when he looked up again the young man was running.
He sighed. He really wasn't feeling up for a chase tonight, but shooting at the kid seemed unnecessary and like it would attract way too much attention. He didn't want to risk drawing soldiers away from their posts and leaving vulnerable areas unmanned. So he stuck his pistol away and took off on foot after the fleeing former-detainee.
When he came close enough, he thought about shouting a warning. But he had a feeling that this wouldn't stop the runner and would only waste his breath. He pushed himself a bit further and threw his weight in an attempt to tackle Ace. If it worked he would use his weight to pin the teen down. If it didn't Ace would probably get away.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 3:14 am
Ace hadn't even paused to see if he had actually tripped the much bigger man or not. However, he sure had distracted him enough to be able to get a head start. And that was all he needed, right? The young man pressed on as fast as he could, well aware of the footfalls of heavy boots behind him as the military officer chased him down. Ace forced his legs to work as hard and fast as they possibly could, putting as much space between himself and the wall as was possible.
Ace was small, so he was quick. But he certainly wasn't trained in the military. And it probably didn't take too terribly long before War finally caught up with him. The teenager could feel that this man was right on his heels. He pressed on, his feet moving as quick as he could go. But then suddenly he felt a weight on him. A weight that kept him from going any further and crushed him right into the ground.
The young man cried out in surprise when he was suddenly tackled from behind, a funny 'oof' sound escaping him as he was smashed right between the ground and the other body. And being that War was much bigger than him... well, it was a very successful attack. However, this did not keep Ace from continuing to struggle. He writhed beneath the lt. colonel, kicking his feet uselessly. "I am trying to escape! Get off of me!" He yelled, equally as useless as the flailing.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 3:26 am
It was hard to control how much weight you were putting on someone when tackling them, especially if you want to tackle them successfully, so Warrick was very aware of the fact that he had probably hurt the kid at least a little when he crushed him into the ground. However, before checking to make sure the struggling young man was okay, Warrick reached up quickly to make sure that his scarf was still in place. And luckily for the Lt. Col., it was.
Once that was settled, he returned the free hand to press down on one of Ace's shoulders in an attempt to get him to stop moving around so much. He shifted himself up a bit more so that he was sitting up, one leg on either side of the writhing body beneath him. He could see that Ace was covered in blood already, and he wondered if he had done any damage to him with the initial smash into the hard ground.
"I am aware. I am afraid I am legally bound by the Military of the State and the government in general to prevent you from doing so. This town is under quarantine for the time being until the problem can be solved. We are doing everything within our power to do so," he said. This speech was well-practiced. He had given it a few times before. People were always coming to the fence, begging to be let out. Whether they had anywhere to be or not, people didn't like to be shut in. It created a general panic.
"I am going to have to arrest you and return you to town with the next investigation team effort, or lock you up until further notice if you refuse to cooperate and prove to be a flight risk once again. This is for your own good and the good of others," he let go and paused briefly to pull his scarf up a little bit more, making sure it was secure once again, then went on, "... You should allow me to get you somewhere where you can be cleaned up as well," he commented at last.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 3:47 am
Ace continued to struggle beneath the much bigger body, even though he knew that this would get him nowhere, just wear him out in the end. But if he absolutely HAD to go, he wasn't about to go quietly. To be perfectly honest, the teenager would do everything he possibly could to make a hard time for a military officer. Of course, many people did not like the military, but Ace had his own reasons for this. Though these reasons were unknown at the current time.
The body on top of him was heavy, and all of the struggling and writhing and flailing was really starting to tire him out. At this point, he knew that he would not be able to throw the military man off of him. So slowly his attempts to break free were becoming weaker until he eventually collapsed, the side of his face pressed against the ground. Ace side heavily, blowing up a puff of dust from the dirt beneath him.
"You can't keep me." The teenager said again, still refusing to allow the older man to win even though he had clearly won this battle. "All of you filthy dogs have the same damn excuse. You always say things like 'you were just following orders' or 'you were legally bound by your duty'. They're just excuses for you to do things that are unjust and unfair." Ace definitely seemed to hold his own grudges. "Arrest me with your excuses, then. But you won't keep me." Ace could feel the stinging from the cuts in his hands and arms. His knees felt as if they were scraped now and he could almost feel the bruises already.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 4:12 am
Just like military men always said the same things, those who opposed them tended to say the same things as well. They were always spewing accusations of injustice, of unfairness, of ill-intentions. War was fairly certain that he was upholding the law FOR the protection of citizens just like this one. But his conscience was already eating away at him, and the words did not help this fact. He wondered how soon they could wrap all of this up. He wondered if there would be a cure for those already lost to the madness, and if there wasn't...
He pushed the thought aside now that Ace had stopped struggling. At least he could get this matter under control. But the words were still bothering him. War was sensitive about people calling him something he was not. Especially about people calling him a liar. A brief memory he would never be able to get rid of wriggled it's way free of it's bonds in his head and moved itself briefly to the forefront of his mind. His face contorted a bit in response to it, but only the scrunching and narrowing of his eyes were visible.
After a moment he carefully moved himself off of Ace, and then stood with a firm grip on one of Ace's arms. He didn't feel the need to get his gun back out. He figured at this point he could hold onto the young man well enough. "People will say a great many things to justify a great many things. But they'll choke on even the most well-practiced lie. You should train yourself to spot it. It will save you a lot of time wasted on suspicion," he stated.
And with that said he began to tow Ace back toward the encampment not far away. It was a risk taking him near the other soldiers, though they were ALMOST certain this was no contagious but rather a response to the area. Still, the fact was they didn't know how long yet it took for the toxins to kick in once they had gotten into someone's system, they could not let anyone go free until they were certain they were not affected. It was just dangerous. Because of this, he pulled Ace toward his own tent, which was fairly well secluded from the others.
On their way they passed a few soldiers, who suddenly became very alert at the sight of Lt. Col. Rhodes. And even more once they noticed he was not alone, but escorting an un-uniformed young man who was covered in blood. "Sir, may I inquire about the situation and offer assistance?" A young soldier asked, flanked by a couple others. "No. Get back to your posts," War responded calmly. "Yes, Sir," the soldier said, and they all turned to go. But they were whispering amongst themselves as they want, and War's eyes narrowed slightly as what they were saying. He was a great listener.
"What do you think he did to that kid? Where did he come from, anyway? ... Is he really a vampire?"
"No, stupid. That's just a nickname. 'Vampire Alchemist', because he transmutes blood,"
"... Still, do you think he'll eat him?"
"SHUT UP!"
War didn't stop despite hearing this. He wasn't about to reprimand the curious, annoying as they were. He couldn't blame people for saying what they would think and say anyway. What did it matter if he heard them? At least wonder stung less than blatant accusation. And anyway, he had just about reached his tent. Once he did he pulled Ace inside, and grabbed a rope he'd been using to tie some of his belongings together so he didn't lost anything. He liked to be organized if he could.
"Metals... I noticed your hands," he said, moving around to bind Ace's hands with the rope in a tight military knot, doing his best not to make it hurt but to make sure it would hold. "I wonder what you do with them... Still, it saves me time not wanting to risk any sort of metal constraints. I'd probably have to wake someone up to find some," he wasn't normally a chatty man, but he didn't normally have company. Once Ace's hands were tied, behind his back most likely, he walked the young man over to sit him down on his cot. And then he moved over to sit at his desk chair, turning it around so he could face him. "You won't get far if you do try to run," he added, "Not with your hands tied... Do you have a name? I think I should file a report," he said.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 5:25 pm
Ace couldn't object as the military officer yanked him up to his feet by his arm. There was really no use in trying to run again, was there? He would just get caught again. Obviously the older man was faster and bigger and stronger. Ace was a small young man. He didn't quite look his eighteen years, though it wasn't hard to guess that he was some form of teenager. He couldn't do anything but give in... for now. However he did give the lt. colonel a very dirty look. "People will never trust me, so I will never trust people." He muttered as War began to guide him towards where the troops were camped out.
The other officers who approached were also greeted with a very dirty look. There was no doubting Ace's distaste for the government. Though despite his stubborn, angry glares, his posture suggested someone that was more or less defeated, his eyes staring at the men from under his brows. And then they continued onward, and Ace couldn't help but to glance back over his shoulder at the men, mildly curious about their hushed conversation about his captor.
The teenager's eyes flickered to Warrick. Yes, he had heard about the Vampire Alchemist through word of mouth. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is a monster. Warrick didn't look like much of a monster, but he worked for the military, no questions asked... so he had to be some sort of monster, right?
Ace didn't bother to make a scene as Warrick tied his hands behind his back, though he couldn't help but to be slightly disappointed that the lt. colonel wasn't less observant. The tattoos on the palms of his hands made it blatantly obvious that handcuffs would be all too easy for him to get out of. He continued to glare at the man as he spoke, though he never said a word himself. Even as Warrick set him down on the cot and took a seat across from him. He just continued to stare in a very nasty way, sitting with his hands tied securely behind his back. Ace didn't answer right away either. But when he did, he responded by spitting at the ground near the older man's chair.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 5:43 pm
Warrick's eyes shifted to the ground when Ace spit at him. They remained there for a few moments even. But eventually they moved back up to the younger man. He subconsciously tilted his head to the side slightly as he took another few moments to look him over. He seemed so young, and his attitude was so hostile. It had been a while since Warrick had met someone who seemed to hate everything he appeared to stand for so much. He wasn't sure if it was refreshing or discouraging.
Despite these thoughts, he folded his hands together politely in his lap and kept and even tone, "I apologize for not having a more comfortable place for you to sleep. I umm,..." he suddenly felt awkward. And he didn't like the feeling. As an officer he should have never had to experience it. He made a quiet noise, displeased with himself. "I'll get some food," he said then, standing up and exiting the tent promptly.
When Lt. Col. Rhodes returned it was only a few moments later. And he was not alone. A young woman was with him, carrying a bag and a canteen. "Thank you, Lieutenant," he said as she sat the things down near his desk. She was a pretty girl, dainty with long honey colored hair that was put up and slightly dirt smudged peach skin. Her eyes were very blue. "You are welcome, Sir," she said, then glanced at Ace with suspicious eyes. She flicked her vision back to her superior.
"Permission to speak, Sir," she said. War looked a little surprised, "Granted," he said carefully. "... Sir, we have... Places to keep people," the young woman said carefully. War's eyes narrowed briefly, "I am aware, Lieutenant Branyon. Are you questioning my authority?" he asked, oddly defensively. "No, Sir," the young woman responded immediately. She glanced at Ace, then back at Warrick, "... Sir... Please try to get some sleep, you look... Really tired,... Sir," she added.
Warrick looked surprised again, then a little self-conscious. In fact he even blushed lightly, though much of this was covered up. "Dismissed," he said. The young woman smiled a little, "Goodnight, War," she said, then turned to leave. Warrick looked back at her very suddenly, looked like he wanted to say something, then sighed and turned back to the things she had set down again instead. "Are you hungry?" he asked, clearly speaking to Ace now that the woman was gone.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:11 pm
Ace would have been content to stare at the older man with that nasty look plastered on his youthful features. He would have been content to sit and be angry and scheme a way to escape. However, the teenager couldn't help but to be slightly taken aback by the lt. colonel's awkwardness and then once again surprised by the suggestion of going to get food. Did he mean for both of them? Ace's eyes followed Warrick as he got up to exit the tent, a disbelieving look reflecting in the gaze.
As soon as the older man had disappeared, Ace immediately went about twisting and pulling at the restraints around his wrists. However, he didn't get very far before Warrick returned to his tent and the teenager was forced to stop fighting with the rope. His eyes flicked to the pair as they entered, that hostile scowl returning to his young face. He gave the woman a particularly bad look, practically sneering at her in response to her suggestion of taking him elsewhere. Where COULD they possibly take him? If they put him behind bars, he could just transmute the bars to escape. But apparently this lt. colonel was smarter than that. Ace's glare followed the woman as she was dismissed, however it didn't take very long for them to fall back upon the other man.
Was he... offering him food? Ace gaze Warrick a very strange look, like he didn't quite understand. The man was hardly treating him like a prisoner, even though he undoubtedly was. He had brought him back to his own tent after capturing him, and now he was offering him food. WHAT WAS THIS GUY?
"Yes." He said finally. Because he was.
Ace was a criminal. He made counterfeit gold out of ordinary metal to sell for money. Even that was just enough to get by. He didn't make TOO much, otherwise someone might become suspicious too soon. He knew how to work the market. He was very skilled at what he did. Anyway, who was he to turn down a free meal when it was offered? To be perfectly honest, being stuck in the town for as long as he had been... he was running very low on funds. And the people he had conned knew now that they had been, so the teenager had to be very careful. He never stayed in one place for too long for this particular reason.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:24 pm
"That's good. I brought some back," Warrick stated the obvious. It was clear the bag that the young woman had been carrying had food in it. "Well... Lt. Branyon brought some back," he corrected himself, never one to take credit for something he did not do. He picked up the bag and the canteen and wandered over to where Ace was sitting. He set the canteen down next to him, and the bag at his feet.
"I'm going to untie your hands... Even though I just tied them up. It would be embarrassing for you and I both if I tried to feed you. I would just appreciate it if you wouldn't try to run because I don't want anyone to start shooting. You might get hurt and it could cause a panic, then maybe others would get hurt as well. I prefer not to see people get hurt, especially people who are my responsibility. This includes you and all of my Battalion," he stated. It really would be a shame for Ace to try to get away and get himself injured or worse.
As he worked to untie Ace's hands he couldn't help letting his eyes catch the blood all over the young man. Blood was something he was very familiar with. It was a large part of his life, and not just because it was inside of him or because he was a soldier, but because it was the source of his strange alchemic power.
He set the ropes aside once Ace's hands were free and then backed off immediately. Ace would find some good bread and probably a few other things, maybe even some fruit, at his disposal in the canvas bag. The canteen was full of clean water. But he might also have been creeped out by the fact that War was staring at him. The older man didn't even realize he was doing until he had been for a few moments, and then he shifted his gaze away to stare at the door of his tent. "If you'd like to get cleaned up that can be arranged," he said. And then he was quiet. War didn't speak often, and he wasn't going to eat. That would require taking off his scarf. Not a chance.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:52 pm
For a brief moment Ace couldn't help but to wonder HOW exactly he was going to eat with his hands tied behind his back. An image of just using his mouth flashed across his mind followed by an image of the lt. colonel feeding him right before the older man actually commented about it. Yes, that WOULD be very awkward and embarrassing for the two of them.
And then it registered that Warrick was actually going to untie his hands when the man moved over to actually accomplish this task. The military officer was strange. Aside from the tackling and tying up, Ace almost felt as if he was being treated like a guest instead of a prisoner.
"You are very sure of yourself, lieutenant." Ace said, putting emphasis on the last word in almost a demeaning manner. Once his hands were free, the teenager rubbed his wrists. Having pulled on them while the older man was out of the tent had made them tighter, so the skin there was just slightly reddened. He took a minute to glance over the tattoo on his right hand, noting the blood on his hands and arms from the cuts in result of the barbed wire. Then he slowly curled his fingers closed so that his hand was in a fist.
He really was more or less a mess. From his bloodied hands to the rip in his jeans to his scraped knees. Ace's eyes shifted to the canvas bag full of food and the canteen full of water before they flickered back to Warrick. "Do you treat all of the people who try to escape like this? I should have done it sooner." He said, reaching into the back and grabbing the loaf of bread. He didn't even seem to mind that his hands were filthy as he took a chunk of the bread, dropping the rest into the bag and shoving some into his mouth.
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Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:08 pm
"It's Lieutenant Colonel," Warrick corrected. A habit. He would have corrected anyone just this way, despite knowing that Ace probably didn't care and was trying to be demeaning. Lieutenant Colonel was shortened to Colonel if anything. But he decided that one correction was enough. Aside from adding his name, of course. "Lt. Colonel Rhodes, actually," he finished.
He had looked back at Ace by now, of course. He had to figure the kid had a reason for being so hostile. No one had that look in their eyes without a reason. He knew that look. It was always such a strange feeling, having all of that hate and anger directed toward himself. But it came with the uniform and he was accustomed to it. Such was a military life.
"I haven't caught anyone else," he finally answered, then added, "Not personally," to clarify. Others had probably breached the perimeter, or at least come very close to doing so. Warrick didn't do much as far as real action a lot of the time. Not anymore, anyway. Sometimes he missed the adrenaline rush, and sometimes he was relieved not to have to do anything he would think about too hard later.
"You can sleep there," he added after a moment, almost as an after thought. He didn't use his bed much anyway. When he did sleep, not for very long hours at a time, he often feel asleep in his chair at his desk. He could do that well enough tonight. He wondered if Ace would try to leave... But he had warned him. Someone would catch him.
After another few moments he reached up and adjusted his scarf slightly, then moved to turn his chair away from Ace altogether. He stared at his desk for a moment or two, then grabbed a notebook and a pen and began to document something. Probably writing up a report about Ace's escape, or maybe some other business. Either way he was almost entirely silent as he did whatever he was doing.
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