There were always risks to working the street when trying to dig up information. Surveillance in the heart of DI was a hard thing to manage without being noticed. Cameras, security systems, high paid guards. And that was just the commercial sector. There was always the risk of running foul of a government-paid sort. A cop that actually gave two flying fucks and had a half decent eye for detail was a headache he rarely had any interest in dealing with. Luckily for him, Hood was very good at his job. His old job.

METZAVED Solutions held an office in one of the city's less prestigious high-rises. Still a sign of a very succesful company that there head offices were in Moscow, let alone only a few miles from the Red Square. To one of those 'careful eyes,' there was no way someone like Hood fit in with the local foot traffic. Tall, well built, and far too still. Everything about the man denied the likelihood of him being a computer programmer or common businessman.

Luckily, he did look like, and did work as, a security specialist and had the cards, equipment, and trade lingo to pull it off. After nearly a week of observation and espionage, Hood had gathered the information he needed. Persons of interests, financial and familial connections. Hell, he even knew what schools the Board of Investors had attended and what clubs they had been in...which, oddly, had proven the hardest part. Sad that a prestigious university had been harder to crack then a world-class programming company.

With the information gathered, it was just a matter of sorting through it for the next piece of the puzzle. He knew that someone was watching for whomever was poking around. The timely death of Mr Volodya Fyodorov, of Krasnyy Medved Security Solutions, the night he had given Hood the information that had led him to METZAVED, was ample sign that they were watching for nosy folks, but were probably expecting a reporter. How aggravated where they that no reporter had wormed out of the dirt yet?

As he often did when not working, Hood traveled by foot or metro. Considering the time of year, and the distance from METZAVED Solutions back to the safe-house, the metro was in order. He was one of few who enjoyed a small pocket of space on the otherwise crowded subway cars, and equally one of the few that had n real worry of pickpockets. In fact, he always hoped one would try their luck...but they never did.

The ride from the city center to his stop took the better part of an hour, and the train was steadily less crowded at each stop. It was still early in the day, such that most folks were headed the other way. The only ones that lingered were the homeless or the troublemakers. Of which there was no shortage in the Zamoskvorechye district.

There was a Kofe Khauz, a chain of 24 hour coffee joints popular mostly among the young crowd and night owls, located across from the Zamoskvorechye metro station, and Hood made his way towards it. Stopping for a cup of coffee would give him a chance to watch the metro station for any signs of pursuit; the next train was due twenty minutes after the one he had just left. Plenty of time to warm up and have a cup of coffee.

As he crossed the street, calmly waving traffic to a stop to allow his passage, he eyed a crew of shit-brained gopniks squatting at the mouth of an alley and being their usual public-nuisance selves. They were a pitiful Russian subculture that had somehow, and for the life of him he had no idea how, survived the many decades since their inception. Something to do with the fall of Soviets, as he understood it.

The group were up to their usual antics; loud 'music', bottles of cheap booze (probably homemade swill in recycled bottles) in hand, their ridiculous cheap brand-name sports attire. The alcohol and a dose of drugs was probably all that kept them from really noticing the winter chill, but who was he to tell them of the dangers of frostbite? Let them lose an ear or two.

They were the sort of people that Hood wanted to punch on sight. It was surely a sign of how well-adjusted he was to living among 'normal' people that he didn't go ahead and do it whenever the mood struck. He needed provocation first. It also made things easier with the law if anyone actually wanted to press charges. Self defense and all that.

So Hood had fully intended to ignore the gaggle of drunken idiots if it weren't for their own antics getting themselves onto his radar. It was a pretty cliche'd scene really. Really, the sudden convergence was almost enough for him to believe in a higher entity on high. One that must surely enjoy watching Hood punch things.

He was half way across the street when one of the idiot gopniks smashed an empty bottle of vodka on the sidewalk, spraying glass on baby carriage being pushed through the slush choked sidewalk, a woman and her baby on their way to the metro station to go into the big city. Another pair of tracksuit wearing idiots casually slashed an old man's grocery bag with a box cutter, and the group were laughing like the drunken idiots they were as they kicked the cans that fell out of the man's bags.

They weren't all that far out of his path, and he wasn't actually all that interested in a cup of coffee. Of course, he shouldn't have been drawing attention to himself, but how often was it that the universe handed him so ideal a punching bag?

The woman with the carriage hurried past, wanting nothing to do with the troublemakers, but the old man was someone Hood recognized from his neighborhood. Not the sort that could afford letting even just a few beaten up cans of food go to avoid a run in with a pack of gopnik thugs. The man was cursing the group out in Russian, which only earned him more laughs from the post-CCD generation punks.

Hood tugged his gloves on a touch tighter, flexing his fists a few times to make sure they had a good fit, then snatched one of the cans out of the air as a blond dye-job'd spiky-haired twit pitched it, likely meaning to hit the baby carriage. He bounced the can in his hand once, meeting eyes with the idiot that had thrown it, and just as the punk opened his gap-toothed mouth to curse Hood out for interfering in his fun, Hood whipped the can towards the idiot, catching him in the teeth.

The group, seven guys and two women, all froze in a brief moment of shock as one of their numbers was sent crumbling to the snow-crusted sidewalk, spitting blood and broken teeth. The old man didn't flinch though, simply snatching one of his cans from one of the momentarily frozen gopniks and quickly stepping out of the way. Or as quickly as man of his age could.

So something just struck me this morning as I perused books for a tabletop RPG my brother has. I seem to recall we had a master thief or two around. And there's magic in the world and stuffs. And it's all old and heralds back to past ages.

So shouldn't there be some interesting thingies that may be legit magical (Angreal, Ter'Angreal, stuff like that) that may be sitting in museums or in folks private collections all around the world? I mean, maybe Stonehenge is a massive Ter'Angreal of some sort (Portal Stones perhaps?). Maybe the heads of Easter Island are all stone-age replicas of a single one that's far older and still buried somewhere on the island? Or elsewhere, perhaps.

I've not had much coffee yet, so perhaps this is a thing that has already been discussed, but eh...figured I'd toss it up here now before I forget.

I'm sure I'll be around reading tomorrow but in case I'm not. I'd like to wish ya'll a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays etc to everyone.

Wishing you the best in the up coming year, and looking forward to even more great stories come the New Year!

I'm sure I'll be around reading tomorrow but in case I'm not. I'd like to wish ya'll a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays etc to everyone.

Wishing you the best in the up coming year, and looking forward to even more great stories come the New Year!

Aurora had met Aria briefly. She'd met her outside of her apartment with Nox at her side. She was pretty, but Aurora was more impressed that the girl wore a sword, and a gun, and from what Nox had told her was far more deadly, he wouldn't mess with her. But then again, the two of them had had a very long conversation and now they seemed to be best friends. They shared things with a glance. Aurora wasn't sure she liked that. It was what her and her brother used to do. But she had to admit, since he'd met Aria he was less volatile and far more cooperative. Aurora wondered why that was, but it really didn't matter.

But Aria had shown her to the Atharim headquarters, the library inside was wondrous. Aurora had wandered around for a few minutes while Aria was off doing something else, but now she was here alone.

Aurora wandered the aisle thumbing the books on the shelves, sitting at the computer scrolling through the data available. Aurora had been told that another friend, someone to which Aria trusted with her secret, and Aria's secret was nearly as deadly as her own. A godling in the Atharim, apparently that was not new, though Aria said she'd not tell anyone's secrets.

Tehya was of Native American descent from Aria's description and she was hoping to meet her today. Aria said she'd be in. So today Aurora wandered the library with dual purposes, to meet kindred souls and to browse an awesome library of treasures. Aria also said that the library in Vatican City was twice the size and even far more grand. She'd love to see it. Maybe someday. She still had to decide if she wanted to join an organization officially that hunted her kind. She wasn't quite so sure as Nox was. But he was here to stay, so she would stay for now.

The car shifted and Enzo swayed accidentally into lady standing next to him. She lifted a brow and glared, and Enzo nodded apologetically. The underground was full today, so there wasn't much room to stand apart. Her perfume reminded him of Mireille's.

With a sigh, Enzo stuck a hand in one coat pocket and retrieved the crumpled card given to him by M. White. In this day and age, business cards of this kind were obsolete. That the store still used them bespoke to an era gone past. A web search said the store was around since the mid 1990's, which meant it was a product of the fall of the USSR.

'They say we will all soon be Soviets....',
he heard his mother sneer from the recesses of memory. Enzo had been one of the many accepting of the CCD's offer all those years ago. His mother had begrudgingly agreed, but she never liked it. Her grandparents remembered fighting the Russians in the Great Wars. How times changed.

The car rolled to a stop and many individuals filed off. Thankfully, the woman with the perfume was not one of them. "Bonne journée,"
he bid her farewell and left her behind.

Under the grand chandeliers of the metro station, he felt a tug on one sleeve. A graying man in a long trench coat stopped him. He spoke with a french accent. "You're in the Central Kremlin District of the Central Dominance. You could get a ticket, or worse, for that."


Enzo blinked. "For telling a woman to have a good day?"
The man nodded.
"Stay with English here. You'll attract attention to yourself otherwise. Attention you want to avoid,"
and with that, the man left by a different set of escalators than where Enzo was heading.

Enzo scratched his head sadly, but when he emerged on the surface, the looming presence of the G.U.M. department stores and the red walls of the kremlin fortress greeted him like a stoic reminder of his presence. How he yearned for the peaceful life on the beautiful Blue Coasts of the Riviera.

The store suggested by M. White was somewhere inside the monstrosity mall before him. In a working man's coat, hoodie, jeans and knit gloves, he already stood out. He pulled his knit winter hat from his head, stuffed it in a pocket, and scruffed the black hair beneath into some semblance of a style. He wondered for the tenth time if there was any other way, and went in, allowing himself to be swallowed by opulence.

Continued from What Comes After the Fall

The train stopped and her and Lucas got off the train and walked the short distance to her apartment. Aria lifted the rug and found the spare key still in place, they had arrived before Nox and his new found friends, she was surprised but glad, gave her time to clean up the place a little bit.

Aria unlocked the door and went into her room. Aria smiled at the picture Lucas had drawn for her tattoo above her bed, it always made her smile. It wasn't that the picture was awe inspiring, but that it was done just for her that made her smile.

Aria hung her leather trench coat on the coat rack by the door and smiled. "Make yourself at home."
Aria busied herself with cleaning up the books on the table. There wasn't one that should be left out to the public, except maybe as a joke. All the journals she placed in a neat stack in the closet, on the floor and left the Monsters A to Z book on the coffee table. It was innocuous enough, a printed manuscript, could look like a joke. But Aria knew better, and so did Lucas and Nox.

Now all that was left was for Nox to show up. "Water?"
It was all she really had to drink, but she'd play hostess since it was going to be accepted of her later.

This was probably the last time that Nox would be in this small rental apartment, the place with Aurora was more than big enough to accommodate him, Aurora, a training area and several other rooms.

Maybe he'd talk to Aria see if she wanted to take up residence with them. If he remembered maybe they'd talk about it, she was coming over, they had a bit to talk about. She said it was important, and he really wanted to talk to her too. Aurora was nothing but her loving and caring self, but when it came to his shit, she didn't like knowing things, and he didn't exactly want his sister to know that he was having some pretty big doubts about things. He had to put on the front for his life depended upon it. Aurora understood his secrets, but she didn't have blood on her hands.

For some reason he thought Aria would understand. He took a deep breath and flopped back onto the fully made bed and waited for Aria to come over. He stared at the ceiling lost in the thought that he'd killed people he hadn't even known because he was pissed at his sister. It had been an accident, but the weight was heavy on his mind since finding out. He didn't even remember what the argument was about, that's how trivial it was.

A knock sounded on the cheap wooden door bringing Nox out of his thoughts. He stood up and stretched, he didn't know what she wanted to talk about, hopefully this went well. Nox moved towards the door and turned the knob letting the door crack open so he could make sure it was Aria. He grinned at her standing outside in the hallway, her black trench coat hiding the blade and gun he knew she carried. His grin widened as he opened the door and let her in. She gave him a smile, but it hadn't reached her eyes. Almost like she was off in her own little world.

"All I've got is water and cold coffee."
It was his attempt at playing host.

Aria looked up at him with a smile, this time he saw it in her eyes, she was such a mystery. She spoke softly, like she was afraid her voice would betray her. "Water is fine."


He grinned, it was even cold. The small fridge next to the bed had a few more bottles of water in it. He took two out and handed her one and sat down at the table, cracking open his own bottle and setting it down without taking a drink. "So you wanna go first? Or shall I?"


She cocked her head, she hadn't known he wanted to talk to her, Nox grinned at her. She waved her hand indicating he go first. She sat down across the table from him and took her gloves off.

""Okay then."
Nox really didn't know where to start now that he had the opportunity to speak to her.

Nox was never shy, never once in his life had had an issue talking to a girl, not even one as pretty as Aria was, but yet trying to form the words eluded him. It wasn't the who, it was the topic, how did you tell someone you killed someone. Aria looked at him, her green eyes shining through him unlike any girl he'd ever met, she cocked her head to the side, like those cute picture of dogs when they are trying to figure things out. She spoke carefully. "I'm not going to judge you, whatever is bothering you. I've probably done worse things than you have."


He forgot she could sense his emotions, she knew he was nervous, knew that it was a hard topic to discuss. Nox took a deep breath and put his head down and stared at his fingers on the table top in front of him. "The plane crash I was in, Aurora and I were in, I was the cause of it."
He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, but he fought them with everything he had, he wouldn't cry again. He didn't cry! He wouldn't cry!

Aria put her hand on his, her soft skin cold from the winter weather, he looked up at her she wasn't smiling but he could see the pain in her eyes, he sat back in his chair, he wanted to pull his hands from hers, but he didn't move, he couldn't, she felt what he was feeling. She looked at him and she saw everything that had driven him to this point.

She didn't push, didn't say anything just sat there in silence, waiting for him to reveal the intention of telling her. It was like a weight was lifted. Aurora had told him it was an accident. He knew that, he knew he hadn't meant it, but still the blood was on his hands. Aria sat there, her hand on his, and it spoke more volumes than Aurora had ever done. There wasn't faux words coming out of her mouth, nothing to comfort him on the side, just pure understanding.

Silence had never been a comfort, not like this, she watched him, Nox could see emotions playing through her eyes, could see his pain, her pain. He smiled, a true smile, nothing feigned or joking about it. She understood, she smiled at him and Nox grabbed his bottle of water and took a swallow and put it back down, his hand on top of hers. "I was angry at Aurora for something. I don't remember, she doesn't remember. It's not important. I went to amplify my voice, I grabbed her hand, I wove a weave I'd done several times. The pressure in the plane must have changed it. Next thing I know I'm falling through the sky. I felt myself crash into the ground at break neck speed. I'm surprised I survived at all. The plane crashed and 15 people lost their lives because I was upset at my sister."


Aria looked across the table at Nox and smiled. "You don't want to hear it's okay. It was an accident. You want ... absolution? forgiveness?"
Aria cocked her head to the side. "But you don't believe in God, not in the way I do. He will grant you forgiveness if you but ask, but that's not what you want."
She smiled at him. "I will tell you what the Father told me when I sought forgiveness for the lives I've taken. He told him to recite prayers, seek help. He also told me to pay it forward. Help people, as much as I've hurt those in my past. You can't help the dead, but their families, the survivors. You can help them."


Nox knew she was right, knew he wanted to be forgiven but he didn't want the world to know the truth. "How do I do that?"


Aria shook her head. "I don't know, that's for you to determine. We don't make a lot of extra money as hunters..."


Nox interrupted. "I could do that, give money, tokens or something. But I don't think that will make it go away, the pain, the sadness."


As if all the knowledge of the world passed through her Aria spoke wisely, "Only time can make that happen. Forgive yourself. And God will take care of the rest."


Nox sighed, "I don't believe in God. But..."


Aria finished for him, "You'll try."

Evening, while others were going to dinner, the Ascendancy rearranged his schedule to accommodate an extra event in his schedule.

He was currently accompanied by two Barrier Preator agents, following close like the shade of death. Dark-haired Budek Sobol touched the sleeve of his suit and transferred information to his German companion, a blonde, younger man. Alric integrated the update without missing a pace, and together the two surveyed the terrain like lions were waiting on the rocks ahead.

Nikolai's appearance was perfect, as he allowed himself nothing less. His facial hair was perfectly groomed, but the hair on the back of his neck bothered him. His regular haircut was scheduled for tomorrow. The Arcus Band gleamed laser-sharp as the points curled around his temples.

Thoughts of his schedule, that tonight was meant to prepare for tomorrow's meeting with his Export Council, and of his haircut, soon gave way to the task at hand.

This would be Marcus's introduction to the burden of being the first among gods, as the Ascendancy was, obviously. Nikolai guessed how the young man would react, it was not a difficult extrapolation. Arrogance was an easy trait to predict. Michael, on the other hand, was the bigger enigma. Nikolai hadn't expected to see him in that mountain-village and he hadn't expected to work so smoothly alongside him either. His reaction to the Facility could swing dissonance or sweep harmony, but in the end, Nikolai didn't care. Michael was a device to be used like the rest of them. He happened to be a very powerful one, but still only a tool.

Hello!!

To help us celebrate hitting our 5,000th post, Zetaboards gave us a month free of their premium service!!

Let me know what you think. If your reaction is overall a positive one, I will go ahead and subscribe for the premium service.

You'll notice a few small things are different. For one, there is no more ad at the bottom of the page. But my favorite is that you can now subscribe to a thread or forum and get alerts when a new post (or topic) is added.

To subscribe to a thread:
Go to preferences
Click email and subscription settings.
From the drop-down menu, select whether you want your alerts via PM or sent to your email.
Go to the thread you want to follow.
Scroll to the bottom and next to the board-clock, you'll see "track topic"
Select 'track topic'
Select whether you want your notification by PM or by email.

To subscribe to an entire forum:
Click on the forum of interest.
Scroll to bottom and next to the board clock, select 'subscribe to this forum'
Select how you want your notifications to be sent, via email or PM.

To view everything you follow, look under your preferences page.


There are other new features, but most are on admin-side of things.

Let me know how you like the features, and congratulations on hitting 5,000 posts in under a year and a half!!!


-A