Who Wants to Live Forever? -- RP

Arc was also quiet for a moment, finally tearing his eyes off the city to focus instead on the much more pleasant sight of the sun slowly setting. As much times as it was said the idea that he was the direct grandson of a god was still too overwhelming for him to properly consider, which was why he focused on the latter part of her explanation. "How will we- they be used for power? It-it won't hurt them will it?"

John suddenly found himself hurling through the air, smashing through a few crates and containers before shifting slightly to push off of the back wall of the warehouse instead of smashing directly into it. He landed in a crouch, pausing only to let the large splinters that had lodged into his flesh be pushed out before drawing the Jian still sheathed at his waist.

"Either kill me or bind me permanently Woden, but you should already know that I refuse to go gentle." He shouted to the warehouse.

So much for escape. A fight isn't likely to go too long either...maybe it won't have to.

"Why use magic? After all, I'm only one man, barely more than any other human and the other undying aren't even half as skilled. You beat me once already in a duel, have you grown so weak and entangled in schemes over the centuries that you couldn't do it again!? I was close enough to see the fear and doubt in your eye, hanged-god, and I'm starting to wonder if you aren't as in control as you think!"

It was an unlikely tactic, to openly challenge a god to physical combat. Really, he hoped maybe one of the others would get away, though considering the desperate straights he was in, stalling wasn't his only reason.

edited 7th Feb '12 4:37:16 PM by Dblade26

Mark sighed quietly as Paul pulled out a lighter rather than a flashlight.

"Close enough, I guess. Steven, can you check if the door is locked?" To Mark, the first priority was to get out of Dino Connections.

"...It isn't that easy to anger me." Despite his word's, Odin's actions betrayed his words. His fists were clenched, his eye was narrowed, and if one looked closely enough, the air around him shifted and swirled slightly. "And besides, I'm not a fool. There are several of you in there, and even if I used my magic to hold them back, I would be unable to concentrate on you — and then you'd stab me in the heart. Even for a god, the—" he was about to say, 'the same conditions that apply to mortals apply to me as well', but it wouldn't do much good for Odin if they knew that. Still, there was the distinct possibility that they could now figure that out on their own.

"...I will fight you," said Odin, "fair and square. But only if you come out here. My men shall not attack. I have already informed them dozens of times that if they go agaisnt my orders in any way, they shall sorely regret it." This may not have been the brightest thing to do, but Odin had to prove to himself that he still had what it took. Besides, if, somehow, something went wrong, there were still the immortals back in the building. And Gray could still pull of the plan if necessary.

"Coming?", proclaimed the All-father...

"No need to ask," said Steve, who then opened the door... only to find Gray standing right in front of them, flashlight in one hand, a gun in the other. "Hello again," said Gray, who promptly shot Steve with the knockout-drug, and then Mark with it as well. "And now for you..." He then prepared to shoot Paul as well...

"Well...", said Sareena, "it depends on how well you classify that particular term. They won't lose their immortality, but, the process of draining immortality from one being to another source is, according to our tests and calculations, not exactly a pleasant one. So, yes, you could say that it will hurt them, but given a couple of hours, they'll feel no different then before the process started."

"As for how Odin will gain power...", she said, "he won't; at least, not in the way you imagine it The plan is actually not what you think it is. What Odin intends to do is gather enough power, and use the proper ritual, to send himself back through time, and across dimensions, to the moment after he originally left during Ragnarok; during the fall of the God's. Now, this is where the bodies come in. Using both the power of the immortals that he has collected in Rankenopolis, as well as rest of the immortals around the world as a conduct, Odin will transfer energy from the immortals into the dead bodies that he has collected, and using his magic, will magnify that power to levels of power that you can't even imagine, even going so far as to use the same magic that Odin himself is capable of. Alternatively, Odin has created a green, glowing sphere, filled with magical energy, that will allow others to achieve the degree of control if Odin himself is in any way incapable of performing the plan. The next in line is Gray, and then, myself."

Sareena took another puff of her cigarette before continuing. "Odin then intends to brings the bodies, now filled with immense power, back with him, and then, when they've all arrived, unleash all of that power from the bodies into a sheer burst of power, right into the atmosphere! The intent of this action is that, when all of this power is unleashed into the foundations of that then unstable dimension, that the dimension will then stabilize itself. And so, while Odin may have taken... extreme actions to get to this point, he does not intend to actually harm Rankenopolis in anyway."

"However...", continued Sareena, now staring towards the window, "there is a danger. If the controller of the plan is somehow killed during the plan, or otherwise unable to complete it... the results could be catastrophic. You see, the actual transference of energy is the work of machines, yes... but the opening of the portal through time and dimensions, and at the same time, keeping it open, and directing the now-powered bodies through it; now that takes both power, and concentration; intense concentration. If that concentration is broken somehow, then the power will run wild; the results could be devastating; perhaps even... apocalyptic. As for an example of just how that could be brought about... say that one of the immortals who escaped tries to kill him, or Gray, as either of them are enacting the proper procedure. Their intentions may be sound, but by doing so, they would doom not just Rankenopolis, but the entire world. It wouldn't destroy it... but it would set it back by who knows how much. After that though, I am uncertain just what would occur...

Sareena stopped, contemplating what she had just divulged...

edited 7th Feb '12 7:40:46 PM by kkhohoho

"Whoa, buddy." Paul grinned. "There's no need for that. We didn't cause this, and I'm still more than ready to help you out." He placed his hand inside his vest, slowly. "However, if you insist on a fight, I'll provide one."

Gray closed his eyes and gave a heavy sigh, before opening them again. "... I do not think you understand." He set down the flashlight, still on, and then brought out a cell-phone from his left pocket with his free hand. "I have just received reports that, suffice to say, things are not going as planed. Very much so. And due to that, I can no longer afford false pretenses. So..."

And without warning, Gray shot Paul with the immortal-knock-out drug. "...Sweet dreams,".

edited 7th Feb '12 9:14:03 PM by kkhohoho

Damn... He fell.

John sighed and tossed his gun aside. Slowly, he walked back out towards the entrance of the warehouse, his sword held down at a relaxed but ready position.

He stood facing Odin and his cronies.

So much for running and freedom, protracted resistance movements and all that. Still, I guess if I had to lose out in the end and he had to get his way, at least it's a conclusion worth telling. A man against a god in a final duel. Has a nice ring to it

"I accept your challenge." He declared it loud enough for those in the warehouse to hear.

Draining immortal energy... He'd heard that before. "As I recall, you tried the same experiment of energy draining years ago." he said coldly. "And as I remember it, it wasn't a pleasant experience at all." Arc was aware he shouldn't antagonise them under the circumstances, but it was harder to restrain his emotions than he'd thought.

And if it wasn't so harmful then why had they resorted to kidnapping the people they need for it? Were they scared it'd be found out they had instigated the gang wars? It hadn't been hard to connect the company's need for dead bodies with the sudden uprising in bloodshed below. Odin didn't want to harm Rankenopolis... Just murder and manipulate everyone in it. He breathed out slowly, trying to stop himself from saying any other spiteful words.

"Very well...", said Odin. "Just wait one moment." He turned back towards the guards. "Make sure that he doesn't so much as make a move." The guards then pointed their guns at John. Odin then walked over to the nearest van, opened the door, and after scrounging around for a bit, managed to get out a black sheathe. Odin then walked back over to where he had previously been, and told the guards to "Lower your weapons,". Odin then slowly unsheathed his own weapon; a fine, well-honed rapier. "While it's true that this isn't exactly the sort of blade we used back in my day, I vastly prefer it over a broadsword; so clumsy. Though of course, seeing as we fought once ages ago, you know this already. Anyway..."

Odin then slowly put his feet apart; his stance was poised; his sword-arm was raised. "En-guard!" And in one dizzying instant, Odin lunged at John...

edited 10th Feb '12 7:29:13 PM by kkhohoho

"Yes," said Sareena, "we did. You are a son of two immortals; therefore, Odin deemed you the perfect candidate. He never intended to use you in full, however; simply to test the conditions for when he properly did it. Besides, without the help of one of our later scientists, Ms.Leblanc, we wouldn't have been able to make the process as effective as it has become. And we did let you escape later; if we hadn't, who knows how long you might have been tested for..."

At that moment, Sareena's cell-phone rang. "Hold on for one moment." She picked it up. "Yes? ...Oh. I see... Very well, I'll be down right away."

"Well," said Sareena, hanging up the phone, "it seems that we may able to complete the plan sooner then we thought. Gray has three new immortals, awaiting us down in the lab. Coming Arc?" She got up out of her chair, waiting for Arc's response...

Samuel looked at the armed soldiers all around the building. He let out a nervous laugh it was kinda funny that he would wind up in this situation. What could he do, his eye glanced over to the crates. He looked up at the ceiling to see if their were any openings.

Samuel glanced up at the ceiling, trying to find an opening. As he was doing this, Jason was busy fiddling around with Jack's manacles, trying to unlock them. And eventually...

"Ah, there we go", said Jason.

"My... bloody God!", said Jack, lifting up his arms in relief. "It started to feel as if I'd never be free of those blasted manacles.

"Ahem, Jason...", said a voice from behind.

"Hm?" said Jason, wondering who it was. And sure enough, it was Aurora. "Oh, Ms.Le Blanc. Is something the matter?"

"In a manner of speaking," she said. "You see... as you're no doubt aware, one of the primary reasons why we're unable to make any headway in this whole affair is due to that drug they carry; the only known substance known to man that can knock out an immortal. A substance you helped create."

"Yes...", said Jason, "I'm quite aware of that. However, I don't think this is the time to—"

"I know it isn't. And that's not what I'm here to accomplish."

"Then what do you wish to accomplish?" At this point, Samuel, not having been able to find an opening, found himself listening in; after all, they were in the same area, only feet apart, so why wouldn't he?

Aurora hesitated for a moment, but soon resumed speaking. "...From the very moment you presented that drug to Dino Connection's, I've been agaisnt it, but nothing I could say or do was able to prevent the mass production; in fact, it's one of the reasons I started becoming of suspicious of DC in the first place. Which is why I've been working on a countermeasure."

"Come again?", said Jason, his eyelids having raised slightly higher in interest.

"You see... the only way to fight back agaisnt the drug at this point was to create one of my own, of sorts. A vaccine which can counter the effects of the drug. I've been working at it at my house, in private; away from Dino Connections. And I've already created 10 doses. If you — or someone — can somehow get me back to my house, I can bring back the vaccine. If I can inject it into any of you, even if you're shot, you won't feel the effects of the drug. Though in case you're wondering why I don't have any on hand... while I was expecting something to occur, I honestly wasn't expecting anything quite like this... or, for that matter, nothing so soon."

Jason pondered the information that Aurora had just divulged, as well as her request. "...I—" but as soon as he was about to speak, bright lights could now be seen, coming up from the tunnel, and the sounds of people climbing a ladder accompanied said lights...

"Look I don't believe in this whole immortal humans that everyone keeps babbling on about, but I do believe that we need to get out of this situation and arguing won't help. The drugs are useless until we get out of here so I suggest we concentrate on the matters at hand.", Samuel looked at what he had to work with in the warehouse.

Right. They'd let him escape. So they could scout out more immortals to experiment on. If he'd only been tested during the planning stages then Arc didn't even want to know how bad the actual extraction must feel. He was of no doubt that if he was let near the machine he wouldn't hesitate to destroy it. It wouldn't reverse all the harn that had already been caused, but it'd stop others getting hurt.

"Yes." he replied quietly to her question. He didn't like following her around like an obedient puppy, but he wanted to make sure the immortals weren't harmed.

"Of course...", said Jason. Thinking quickly, he then turned to Jack. "Jack," he said, "holding out his knife as he did so, "do you think you can take care of them?" He didn't want this to be done, but they had to do something so he might as well just let Jack do the deed.

Jack cocked an eyebrow, and then snatched away the knife from Jason's open hand. Letting lose a teethy grin on the right side of his face, Jack raced over to behind the tunnel, waiting for the guards to come up. And as soon as the first one came up...

Before the guard knew it, he could feel a sudden, sharp edge agaisnt his throat. And then... it was over. It was the same for the second guard. Jack then grabbed their weapons, and brought them over. "Here," he said, handing one of the weapons to Jason, and another to Samuel. "Ahem, if I may say so," said Jack, "these will work on ordinary humans, I hope?"

"These things," said Jason, "can remove an immortal out of action for anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes. Yes, they will work on humans, and just imagine what it will do to them. They'll be out for a day. However... it should work on immortals as well. And I think that it will work on Odin, by extension. Speaking of that..."

By the time all this was going on, Odin had just made his first move agaisnt Jason.

"You," said Jason, now facing Samuel, with a hard look in his eyes. "I understand that you probably think we're utterly insane, deranged individuals who don't have a clue what we're talking about. However, understand this; we were captured. We could be captured again. There are men outside who are ready and willing to do the job. And one of our number is fighting a God. And even if you don't believe that, John is still fighting a very skilled swordsman, and he is the best man that we have. We can not lose him."

"So...", he continued, "I am not asking you to shoot a God, or even to save an immortal being. I'm giving you the choice; the choice of shooting a man, and thus saving one, or a different task entirely. One of us has to shoot Odin — you may call him Dino, if it makes things saner for you — though I'm not even sure if it will work, and either way, the shooter may or may not be at the mercy of Odin's soldiers, depending on what they do, if he's taken out. The other has to help the others escape, and from there, head back to Aurora's house and get the vaccine. Jack does just fine with a knife, and will accompany the one who escapes. So then... what shall it be?"

A raging, loud clashing of blades could still be heard from outside...

edited 10th Feb '12 7:27:55 PM by kkhohoho

"Very well," said Sareena. "This way, Arc..." And so, Sareena head to the elevator, gesturing Arc to follow... _____________________________________________________________________________________

Down below DC, in the backmost section of the laboratory, there lay 10 large, metal canisters, each huge enough to fit a human, bolted to the ground, with a window near the top that let people look in... or out. Each canister was connected by gray, flexible tubes to a gigantic, circular grey disk, which possessed many much smaller disks that lay upon it, and on each of these disks stood a dead body, help upright by being forcibly attached to the disks. A crew of technicians had been called in to do the job, and while they wern't in the lab now, they were still on standby. And as for the tubes, there stood an immortal in each, with the three of them now awakening from unconsciousness...

FYI: Insano is no longer in the RP. As such, I'll be taking over for him from now on.

edited 10th Feb '12 7:26:02 PM by kkhohoho

John barely raised his sword up and across in time to redirect Odin's initial lunging thrust, though he turned his body so that only his sideways profile remained, using the turn to apply more force to his deflection.

From his position of leverage John slid forward past Odin's now redirected blade and into a cut of his own, aiming to take the One-eyed God's head. Odin would be too fast for that, he knew, but a slash on his foe's inner side from his heavier Jian would be harder to dodge or deflect and every second he could keep the enemy on the defensive was to his advantage.

sorry, had to get a feel for the jian before I posted

Samuel let out a frown, "I don't think I can shoot a person. I'll try and and get these people out of here." He looked to see if there were any closed boxes with wheels on the bottom.

"Very well," he said. "Don't take this the in the wrong manner, but I suppose you'll have to think of something; I have other buisness to attend to..."

And so, Jason strode off, to right behind the door, just out of sight... ___________________________________________________________________________-

Odin narrowly dodged the strike, and responded with one of his own; his intent was still to take John alive, so, he aimed straight for the heart. "Careless!, he yelled out.

And, at that a moment, a shot could be heard from inside the warehouse. And at that moment, Odin's strike suddenly changed direction just enough to strike the just below the heart, thus missing that vital point.

"What—" Odin suddenly found himself weak, staggering. "What... in hell's name..." Regardless of the cause of this sudden weakness, if anyone was to finish him off, it had to be now...

John braced himself against the pain of having a sword impaled through him inches away from his heart, he couldn't let something as simple as that waste this sudden opportunity. Odin's rapier was now stuck in John's flesh, and the supposed god seemed suddenly vulnerable.

Holding back a scream of pain as he forced his body further onto the agonizing steel blade, John lunged forward, closing the gap and putting all of the force he could muster into a single swing aimed at Odin's neck.

The movement caused the rapier to burst through John's back, and his world spun around as the pain began to overwhelm him, but before he passed out he gasped a single word, his face contorted into a rictal grin of pain and smug satisfaction

"Careless..."

I'll gladly thump this if you had something different in mind

edited 11th Feb '12 3:31:24 PM by Dblade26

Arc followed his mother into the elevator, making a note to check which floor they went to. Over time he'd memorised some of the building's layout, and while he wasn't familiar with all of it, the parts he did know he was confident he could navigate easily. He also had to see if he could find something to defend himself or attack with as well.

...And so, down the two went, in the elevator, to the first floor, and from there, they headed over to the laboratory, and into the back of the lab. There were the tubes, and large disc, and also there stood Gray, his back to them, seemingly looking at something in his hands.

"Gray!", said Sareena. And surely enough, Gray turned around, and in his hands lay a green, glowing orb; the same orb that Sareena had told Arc about.

"Ah, good to see you Sareena," said Gray. "And you, Arc; it's been so long..."