Shattered Dreams and False Hopes

[RT]

"Anutsaka, I have been looking for you. I know you might have problems with this, but Red Infinity wanted to start a new ministry that works toward peace and human rights. Interested?"
I drink an Italian ice. It sure is a hot one out there. The sun just won't relent.

[Hope98]

I was going to try to wear Genovia out, or force her to waste her powers. But it seems she is determined to fight me. She might even be on to my strategy. I stop and take a look at all of the smoldering buildings. How many lives has she senselessly taken just to anger me?

"Fine Genovia, I will fight you now."

I jump into the air and pelt her with Nuclear Rose bombs.

[Valodya Bassarov]

Bassarov sits quietly in his cell. Alexander the capitalist seems to be quiet now. He must be a sleep. He thinks that someone so used to luxury would have a hard time in such a place. He listens to the other cell, the one of Salvador. That one is also quiet. In the darkness, Bassarov thinks. He mind churns. Talking to these new prisoners renews his desire to escape. He has to go back to Helsinki, and reign in the rebel movement. He wonders how it is doing...he knows it is sorely disorganized. He hates how powerless he feels about that.

[Genovia]

"Ha, thats what I like to see!!" I run into the street, jumping away from the exploding roses the best that I can. Cars honk at me, some get hit by Hope's roses, then explode. I run into a crowd of pedestrians at a cross walk. I launch an energy attack at Hope. I vaporizes the pedestrians between her and I...

[Hope98]

"Stop killing people you psycho!!"

I fly low over the torn pavement of what was a busy street. I swoop above her and zap her with my eye lasers.

[Chai Ling]

"I think we need to come up with some way to retrieve your leader from the Ministry of Terror. Perhaps you could just pay to have him released. Or he could be put under house arrest. There must be someone at Red Infinity we can negotiate with."

I walk along with Kaze and John trying to think of some of the more benevolent members of Red Infinity.

[Kallen]

Kallen looked to her boyfriend and smiled. He worried about her all of the time. He always seemed to be protecting her. She needed to show that she was just like him. ANd that she could protect them if need be.

"I feel fine Maeda. I am still a bit tired though. Nature around us is a buzz with something. I can not understand them because they speak too hurried and all at once. Whats going on Maeda?"

She has been thinking back to the vision. This is her 24th yr. This is the yr she will die if the cycle has not been broken. She will somehow be sacrificed for something or someone unless the cycle is broken. Unless somehow things change. She shakes her head and puts her arm around Maedas waist and squeezes it.

[Genovia]

The eye beams hit me in the back and I fall to the ground. I try to pull myself up, but they went clear through me. I can take this pain....I struggle up to my feet. I turn around and examine the two hole in my chest. I look up at Hope and scowl. "Cruel Injustice!!!" I send a huge blast of energy at the machine.

[Jon Talbain]

Jon scans the screen, feeling less and less hopeful as he reads. These people are all psycos... talking about "vampies" and "lycanthopes" or sometimes "the undead". None of this was helpful and after a short time it stopped being the least bit interesting as well.

The way they talked about "lycanthopes" made them sound alot like him alittle. They changing shapes and all but the people chatting about them didn't seem to be able to agree on anything.

One said they were mutations of humans, another said they were supernatural beings (the screen name signed off about an hour later and didn't get back on), one freak said they were aliens, and a newcomer said they were government projects (that screen name came and went in about twenty minutes).

It was obvious that none of this was going to help. Signning off Jon got up and stretched the sun had set and the moon was rising over the wreakage of the Tazar's Palace. He'd hear from his father that Moscow used to be beautiful, majestic. Now it seemed... dull.

Of course it wasn't like Jon had alot to compare it with. He'd read about other places in school and they all sounded about the same. All peope sounded the same too. Everyone seemed to be equal in the eyes of the education system.

Jon didn't buy that. He knew that the government was cencoring information but it was impossible to tell the truth from the lies. Deep down he was sure that there were places more amazing than this. He wanted to see the world, to see if people really were different in other places.

But who was he kidding. He didn't know what people were like in this place. He could never get close to people. Hell, he didn't even chat with the others online.

Rubbing his eyes Jon takes a long slow breath. He knew his parents were worried about him, though they didn't say anything, not yet at least. They knew he didn't have any friends and that he never told them about events or clubs he went to. Jon did get out of his room, but only to wander the city, walking the streets without seeing what was around him.

Sliding his coat on Jon opens the door to his room and walks towards the apartment door. "I'm going for a walk," he says dully as he passes his parents, who are sitting on the couch, watching the evening news. They don't say anything but his mother glances at him as he leaves. Jon can feel her eyes on his back as he steps outside and closes the door.

Moments later he is on the streets, walking slowly as the moon rises higher. In a few days he'll have to go down to the basement again and lock himself down so he won't get out and... hurt anything. As he walks his eyes slowly drop lower, half open as his mind wanders. Tears leak down his cheeks, though he makes no sound at all as they do. He knows he is suffering from real depression but he can't summon the will to tell anyone, or even to care. It was easier to just accept it. He could never get close to others.

Never met people.

Never have friends.

Never have a girlfriend.

Never even be intimite with anyone without his... his 'wild side' getting loose.

Tears continue to fall and Jon continues to walk, his mind dull. There is nothing to think about really, he's had all these thoughts long ago. Now it's just a general sense of hopelessness at his state, and a sense of selfloathing at his own depression and weakness. It was a cycle within him, becoming angry at his weakness and his anger making him feel even more depressed.

Sooner of later he would die from this, either eaten alive from the inside by his own emptiness or when he managed to summon the will to end his own life. But for now... he just walked and feel numb.

[Hope98]

I throw up my energy shield and block out the attack.

Genovia is slowing down, and is injurred...and I have not yet begun. I swoop down behind her. She is struggling just to stand.


"You can not win. My energy supply has no limit. My body is self repairing...and none of your energy attacks phase me."

I hate this woman. She killed my friends and countless others.

I kick her in the back. She falls to the ground. I pin her down with my white booted foot to the back of her head.

[Genovia]

I consider my situation. From what I can tell, she does have a slight advantage. I use my survival of the fittest ability to determine what her weaknesses are. They are her love for her friends, her insecurities as a person, her fear of failure, her compassion, and her lack of combat experience. Hmmm....
I increase my power using my "greet the ancestors" ability, drawing power from those who came before me. I push myself up, and pull myself from under her. I get up and face her. I transform into a bear and jump on her. I sit on her legs and claw at her chest, taking off large chunks of her artificial skin....my paws are soon coated in a reddish brown liquid.
"What is this...oil?"

[Gheran]

Terho left me a message on where to meet him, and I decided to take him up on his offer. I open the restaurant door, and see him with another person. I stand at the table, and wave at them both.

"Hello! You used to be with Eternal Light, didn't you? Mind if I take a seat?"

I sit down beside Anutsaka.

[Hope98]

I actually am not sure what the substance is that Genovia is refering to.

I try to push her off, her claw marks are explosing slices of my metal skeleton.

She certainly is strong. She has that going for her. But seriously, she can not win.

I look up at her and target her right eye with my eye beams. I blast her, blinding her in that eye.

She winces in pain, and I am able to get out from under her. She stumbles a little and I punch her in her big ugly bear head.

[Zex]

"Yeah, beat her up Hope! Make her hurt!!"

I jump onto the remains of a fallen building so I can watch the fight. This is so cool. Genovia doesn't stand a chance.

[Asher]

After playing with Ridthingy for a bit Asher decided to make her way home to the ministry of terror. She had only been let out of the ministry of science a few months before that. Being cooped up and used to do damage behind the scenes was not her style. She liked being able to treat her patients with the therapies she devised. She was sadistic but was oh so good about it.

She came upon a man wearing a black tee and blue jean shorts. He smiled and propositioned Asher. He said his name was Redd. So she thought how fitting that she made his skin turn red from blisters and 1st 2cnd and 3rd degree burns.

She skipped along back to the ministry smiling.