ClapTrap
Radio Bob Approved
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2022
- Messages
- 241
- Thread Author
- #1
C 1 7 : R L . D E F E N D E R - 2
JACKSON COOK
STATUS: ALIVE
LOCATION: CITY SEVENTEEN, BULGARIA
"<:: Commander has finalized authorization for transfer. At least one thing's gone right this month... ::>"
STATUS: ALIVE
LOCATION: CITY SEVENTEEN, BULGARIA
"<:: Commander has finalized authorization for transfer. At least one thing's gone right this month... ::>"
- S E A T T L E , W A S H I N G T O N
CITY 21 - MAY 19TH, 2018
-
- "<:: Inadequate. Request denied. ::>"
-
The monitor flickers off, leaving nothing but the reflection of a broken facemask in the black mirror. Flecks of red and yellow dried and fresh blood mixed together along all areas of the facemask like a morbid painting, seeping into the creases of its cracked visor and obscuring half of the man's vision within.
Fortunately, it wasn't all his own.
The discouraged Rank Leader falls to his knees with a heavy thud, crashing into the cold Nexus concrete and gripping the edges of the terminal in anger, sorrow, and most painful of all, defeat. Beyond the walls of the city was more than simply war, famine, or disease. It was the apocalypse, with all three clashing together and conglomerating into one, large mass of cancer:
The Xenian Growth.
Countless thoughts and impossible alternatives impeded the man's thought space, pressing his forehead gently against the edge of the terminal as his hoarse, disconnected breathing took precedent in all physical actions, his brain in a completely different realm. There was no clear solution. Only guaranteed death and compromise, at best.
What felt like an eternity in his own mind is suddenly cut off by the distorted and desperate pleas of colleagues over his radio, requesting guidance through the rioting, outbreaks, and general turmoil of miscommunication in command. His cold, gray eyes break away from his self-inflicted trance, peering around to assess his current surroundings following the isolation into his own mind, before centering onto the radio itself. Conflicting voices of those hopeless and those optimistic continued to bark at each other over the radio over what to do next, grating the Rank Leader's ears like the screeching wheels of a braking train.
Quick composure reassembled the broken man's mind like tape to a shattered vase, allowing him to speak once again onto the soundwaves of all those damned and still associated with the Civil Protection of Twenty-One:
"<:: Enough. Steel yourselves and prepare for immediate infestation across all districts. ::>"
Fortunately, it wasn't all his own.
The discouraged Rank Leader falls to his knees with a heavy thud, crashing into the cold Nexus concrete and gripping the edges of the terminal in anger, sorrow, and most painful of all, defeat. Beyond the walls of the city was more than simply war, famine, or disease. It was the apocalypse, with all three clashing together and conglomerating into one, large mass of cancer:
The Xenian Growth.
Countless thoughts and impossible alternatives impeded the man's thought space, pressing his forehead gently against the edge of the terminal as his hoarse, disconnected breathing took precedent in all physical actions, his brain in a completely different realm. There was no clear solution. Only guaranteed death and compromise, at best.
What felt like an eternity in his own mind is suddenly cut off by the distorted and desperate pleas of colleagues over his radio, requesting guidance through the rioting, outbreaks, and general turmoil of miscommunication in command. His cold, gray eyes break away from his self-inflicted trance, peering around to assess his current surroundings following the isolation into his own mind, before centering onto the radio itself. Conflicting voices of those hopeless and those optimistic continued to bark at each other over the radio over what to do next, grating the Rank Leader's ears like the screeching wheels of a braking train.
Quick composure reassembled the broken man's mind like tape to a shattered vase, allowing him to speak once again onto the soundwaves of all those damned and still associated with the Civil Protection of Twenty-One:
"<:: Enough. Steel yourselves and prepare for immediate infestation across all districts. ::>"
V A R N A , B U L G A R I A
INDUSTRIAL 17
JUNE 20TH, 2018
"<:: Garbled message, but understood. Stay safe. ::>"
Awake.
Stuffy room, cold sweat. That aching discomfort and gnawing headache has returned. You're looming a gaze around the darkness, dazed from both the slumber and the damned pains.
"Where am I? Bunk beds... I was sleeping. How long has it been? D-5 hasn't returned from his recon yet.
Might be in trouble.
Metal walls... Cold to the touch, despite feeling like I'm in an oven. Fortified. I must be safe... But where is D-5?
. . .
Wait... No. Industrial. I am in a Nexus, in an Industrial sector of Seventeen, within Bulgaria, and over five-thousand miles away from Seattle. Five-thousand miles away from-,"
Stop. It has been weeks since you left Seattle. When is this going to stop?
Relieved, dopamine shutters over your ape brain like a junkie's fix -- and only just. The guilt outweighs the joy, encroaching onto the psyche like the Xenian Growth itself.
Good. The guilt means that you still feel something. You deserve guilt. It's only fair, considering those you left behind succumbed to a fate worse than death. But, at the same time, who are you to feel guilty? Shouldn't you be enjoying every breath you take? In honor of their sacrifices?
Selfish of you to sour their memories by feeling so sorry for yourself. Now, clamber your lazy ass out of bed, and trudge on with your meager existence - until you catch that bullet you so knowingly deserve.
R E L A T O N S H I P S
(Ask to be added)
Love > Admires > Respects > Trusts > Friend > Acquaintance > Neutral > Distrusts > Dislikes > Hates
Richard Kauffman ( @ZeroPants ) [ADMIRES & RESPECTS]
I promised I'd get you out alive, even if I wouldn't be the one to directly do it. I think you trusted those refugees more than you should have, but... I hope you're safe, minister - wherever you may be. You deserved better than Twenty-One.
Ilya Zima ( @ZeroPants ) [TRUSTS & FRIEND]
KING One called you an idiot, but endearingly so. You seem like a goober, but at least you also seem educated in your field of expertise... Whatever that may be. You have massive shoes to fill now that Hex is gone.
A bit of a coward, but at least you're honest about it. Better to be cautionary than brave with your type of status, I suppose. It was fun while it lasted, Zima.
. . .
Actually, it was terrible. No fault of yours, of course. Stay safe, egghead.
'Flyboy' ( @SifTheAI ) [FRIEND & ACQUAINTANCE]
You are one of the strangest, yet kind creations I've ever come across. You were some semblance of optimism and humor in Seattle, and even more-so now in Industrial. I worry for what they may repurpose you for in the future.
Never got to give a farewell to you. I don't think artificial intelligence can get into the afterlife, but I hope an exception is made for you, Flyboy.
Until next time.
STICK-9 ( @Julia Jazmin ) [FRIEND & ACQUAINTANCE]
One of the few who managed to survive alongside me in Seattle. You are the only semblance of therapy I have to cope with what experiences we both shared. There's comfort in knowing that I am not wholly alone from bearing those horrors.
Industrial seems to be just the level of chaos you thrive in, Niner. Don't be a stranger.
Centurion Shaw ( @Furious ) [TRUSTS & NEUTRAL]
I generally hold negative opinion towards the M.A.A., but you were intelligent. You were capable of holding down and wrangling your men when you had to, and commanded respect when they were in your presence. You had also craftily discovered a method of escape, after I had lost all hope. I wonder where you are, now...?
JUDGE-1 ( @Kaffee ) [TRUSTS]
Haven't seen enough of your work to judge you entirely. I think the trust has been well-put onto you, however. Even if we're desperate for Rank Leaders, you've proven yourself to be more than capable for the work thus far.
I hope the Commander seeks you out instead for the position of Captain in Industrial. Maybe you're made of stronger stuff for that city than I am.
VICTOR-7 ( @M U Z U N G U ) [TRUSTS & ACQUAINTANCE]
Get yourself and the rest of your colleagues out of here alive. I struggle to rest easy whilst juggling yours among mine. Nobody deserves to die in a city like this.
It was shaky. Maybe it was best you and your people weren't in that cataclysmic fight at the end. Hopefully, you finally get some rest back in Twenty-Four.
VICE-6 ( @Vinyl ) [DISTRUSTS]
Dead man walking. I don't know what your intentions were, or whether or not you caused the deaths of both yours and mine, but you're a fool. If they end up sparing you, then maybe Twenty-Four really is in much worse shape than I thought.
City Administrator Reyes Vuente ( @Furious ) [HATES]
I don't know how you managed to slip from justice, but I pray that wherever you are, you're suffering. I hope the synthetics hunt you and your nephew down like dogs and tear apart that fucked-up face even more. Your sickness won't plague this city anymore.
A stain. The Industrial Sector has already forgotten about you. Was it worth it?
- - -
† THE FALLEN †
Doctor Hex Sanchez † ( @Imperator RAD-X ) [RESPECTS & FRIEND]
I cannot say I am surprised by the manner in which you died. It still hurts, regardless. You were as crazy as they came, but at least there was a method to the madness. You were not plagued by morals nor emotions wholesale, but rather what you knew to be the best option for humanity's future, no matter what. Now that you are gone, it feels as though there is a void in the city. Rest easy, doctor.
DEFENDER-5 † ( @Hayden ) [TRUSTS & ACQUAINTANCE]
You embody my failures -- a searing, painful reminder of all those I let down in Seattle. Though I did not witness your death, I know, deep down, you did not escape that hell. I cannot forgive myself unless I know I am forgiven, so consider my personal burden to be your eternal memoriam.
JUDGE-15 † ( @Leudoberct ) [FRIEND & ACQUAINTANCE]
Though we hadn't known each other for long since my transfer, I could tell that you were a solid leader. Kind of an asshole, but at least you were honest about it. Don't think I've forgotten about the unit who did you dirty.
VICE-9 † ( @vilhjalmrf ) [RESPECTS]
I can't seem to get a read on you, but maybe that's the point. Your men respect you.
A dark, painful reminder to how fragile this existence is -- a life snuffed out within the time of a glance... I am sorry your final moments were within this city of all cities. I will make sure your men know the valor and prowess you fiercely demonstrated within your final fight.I have a feeling I may not be far behind you... I've witnessed too many friends and colleagues meet their demise. It's beginning to be too much.
Can't forget what I've witnessed, despite memory treatments. Your demonstration of leadership will carry on with me into Seventeen.
KING-1 † ( @Sachimii ) [RESPECTS]
Among the most competent of intention threes I've ever seen in my career. Though you're purposefully vague in what you divulge, and it's obvious at times when you have ulterior motives, that may be why I respect you. You'll go far in Twenty-Four.
I'm sorry, son. That Grotto talk solidified my thoughts on you being among the best of your detachment. Twenty-Four will certainly feel the loss of one of their greatest minds.
Unknown Freed Vortigaunt † ( @HadeZord ) [RESPECTS]
An intelligent, emotional well of life -- gone, because of a war. I've seen the utility and comradery you aliens reveal when you wish to. Maybe, you truly aren't as different as most say. Though your appearance still makes me uneasy, your importance of life is no different than that of a human's. I hope, when this is all over, there is harmony between your kind and ours. Rest well.
HELIX-9 † ( @Imperator GOOSE-X ) [DISLIKES]
To think I gave you advice on how to handle your rage and pains, days before you'd murder your own Rank Leader. Were you contemplating driving a dagger into my back as we talked? You lost nothing from your beating, yet still decided to take a man's life because of it -- days after it occurred. You're just a scared animal, driven by reactionary instincts and nothing else.
Likely dead, now. Traitor.
Frederick White † ( @Lord Beckett ) [DISLIKES]
The administrator's lapdog. There was no sense to your brutality -- just a sycophant who craved the indulgence of his own twisted fantasies. In the end, it caught up to you.
INDUSTRIAL 17
JUNE 20TH, 2018
"<:: Garbled message, but understood. Stay safe. ::>"
Awake.
Stuffy room, cold sweat. That aching discomfort and gnawing headache has returned. You're looming a gaze around the darkness, dazed from both the slumber and the damned pains.
"Where am I? Bunk beds... I was sleeping. How long has it been? D-5 hasn't returned from his recon yet.
Might be in trouble.
Metal walls... Cold to the touch, despite feeling like I'm in an oven. Fortified. I must be safe... But where is D-5?
. . .
Wait... No. Industrial. I am in a Nexus, in an Industrial sector of Seventeen, within Bulgaria, and over five-thousand miles away from Seattle. Five-thousand miles away from-,"
Stop. It has been weeks since you left Seattle. When is this going to stop?
Relieved, dopamine shutters over your ape brain like a junkie's fix -- and only just. The guilt outweighs the joy, encroaching onto the psyche like the Xenian Growth itself.
Good. The guilt means that you still feel something. You deserve guilt. It's only fair, considering those you left behind succumbed to a fate worse than death. But, at the same time, who are you to feel guilty? Shouldn't you be enjoying every breath you take? In honor of their sacrifices?
Selfish of you to sour their memories by feeling so sorry for yourself. Now, clamber your lazy ass out of bed, and trudge on with your meager existence - until you catch that bullet you so knowingly deserve.
R E L A T O N S H I P S
(Ask to be added)
Love > Admires > Respects > Trusts > Friend > Acquaintance > Neutral > Distrusts > Dislikes > Hates
Richard Kauffman ( @ZeroPants ) [ADMIRES & RESPECTS]
I promised I'd get you out alive, even if I wouldn't be the one to directly do it. I think you trusted those refugees more than you should have, but... I hope you're safe, minister - wherever you may be. You deserved better than Twenty-One.
Ilya Zima ( @ZeroPants ) [TRUSTS & FRIEND]
A bit of a coward, but at least you're honest about it. Better to be cautionary than brave with your type of status, I suppose. It was fun while it lasted, Zima.
. . .
Actually, it was terrible. No fault of yours, of course. Stay safe, egghead.
'Flyboy' ( @SifTheAI ) [FRIEND & ACQUAINTANCE]
Never got to give a farewell to you. I don't think artificial intelligence can get into the afterlife, but I hope an exception is made for you, Flyboy.
Until next time.
STICK-9 ( @Julia Jazmin ) [FRIEND & ACQUAINTANCE]
Industrial seems to be just the level of chaos you thrive in, Niner. Don't be a stranger.
Centurion Shaw ( @Furious ) [TRUSTS & NEUTRAL]
I generally hold negative opinion towards the M.A.A., but you were intelligent. You were capable of holding down and wrangling your men when you had to, and commanded respect when they were in your presence. You had also craftily discovered a method of escape, after I had lost all hope. I wonder where you are, now...?
JUDGE-1 ( @Kaffee ) [TRUSTS]
I hope the Commander seeks you out instead for the position of Captain in Industrial. Maybe you're made of stronger stuff for that city than I am.
VICTOR-7 ( @M U Z U N G U ) [TRUSTS & ACQUAINTANCE]
It was shaky. Maybe it was best you and your people weren't in that cataclysmic fight at the end. Hopefully, you finally get some rest back in Twenty-Four.
VICE-6 ( @Vinyl ) [DISTRUSTS]
Dead man walking. I don't know what your intentions were, or whether or not you caused the deaths of both yours and mine, but you're a fool. If they end up sparing you, then maybe Twenty-Four really is in much worse shape than I thought.
City Administrator Reyes Vuente ( @Furious ) [HATES]
A stain. The Industrial Sector has already forgotten about you. Was it worth it?
- - -
† THE FALLEN †
Doctor Hex Sanchez † ( @Imperator RAD-X ) [RESPECTS & FRIEND]
I cannot say I am surprised by the manner in which you died. It still hurts, regardless. You were as crazy as they came, but at least there was a method to the madness. You were not plagued by morals nor emotions wholesale, but rather what you knew to be the best option for humanity's future, no matter what. Now that you are gone, it feels as though there is a void in the city. Rest easy, doctor.
DEFENDER-5 † ( @Hayden ) [TRUSTS & ACQUAINTANCE]
You embody my failures -- a searing, painful reminder of all those I let down in Seattle. Though I did not witness your death, I know, deep down, you did not escape that hell. I cannot forgive myself unless I know I am forgiven, so consider my personal burden to be your eternal memoriam.
JUDGE-15 † ( @Leudoberct ) [FRIEND & ACQUAINTANCE]
Though we hadn't known each other for long since my transfer, I could tell that you were a solid leader. Kind of an asshole, but at least you were honest about it. Don't think I've forgotten about the unit who did you dirty.
VICE-9 † ( @vilhjalmrf ) [RESPECTS]
A dark, painful reminder to how fragile this existence is -- a life snuffed out within the time of a glance... I am sorry your final moments were within this city of all cities. I will make sure your men know the valor and prowess you fiercely demonstrated within your final fight.
Can't forget what I've witnessed, despite memory treatments. Your demonstration of leadership will carry on with me into Seventeen.
KING-1 † ( @Sachimii ) [RESPECTS]
I'm sorry, son. That Grotto talk solidified my thoughts on you being among the best of your detachment. Twenty-Four will certainly feel the loss of one of their greatest minds.
Unknown Freed Vortigaunt † ( @HadeZord ) [RESPECTS]
An intelligent, emotional well of life -- gone, because of a war. I've seen the utility and comradery you aliens reveal when you wish to. Maybe, you truly aren't as different as most say. Though your appearance still makes me uneasy, your importance of life is no different than that of a human's. I hope, when this is all over, there is harmony between your kind and ours. Rest well.
HELIX-9 † ( @Imperator GOOSE-X ) [DISLIKES]
Likely dead, now. Traitor.
Frederick White † ( @Lord Beckett ) [DISLIKES]
The administrator's lapdog. There was no sense to your brutality -- just a sycophant who craved the indulgence of his own twisted fantasies. In the end, it caught up to you.
Last edited:
