Futuristic Disbanded.

[Foster]

"So has thing got a radio or..?"

The question hung heavily between the passenger and his pilot, apparently not warranting any answer. It had been much the same the entire journey, the pilot had no time for small talk and the only sounds piercing the silence were the rhythmic whirring of helicopter blades and the endless downpour that simply refused to give up. Typical England but it was aggravating to see that the weather had followed Lucas this far from home. With a sigh he slumped back in his seat, mindlessly toying with his seatbelt out of boredom. He'd been promised an exciting new start for crying out loud! At his rate he'd have gotten more excitement from working a day in old job fixing pipes. To be fair perhaps he was longing for a sense of normality, still not quite ready to accept the responsibility that had been thrust upon him out of the blue. Joining up with the military had never even crossed his mind before the B.E.S.D approached him with their unlikely offer, let alone piloting experimental mechs. Emphasis on experimental, apparently these new models bypassed traditional operating mechanisms and instead relied on a neural something or another with an artificial intelligence. All things way above the pay grade of a simple labourer. But the B.E.S.D and by extension the entire N.E.C were reduced to a miniscule amount of potential operators thanks to their new piloting systems so they were stuck with what compatible subjects they could find. It was a daunting prospect to be sure and for a while Lucas had been unsure if he could even accept the contract he'd been offered but as the days turned into weeks he couldn't shake the feeling he was missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime. His one chance to get revenge against the monsters that had ripped his family away from him. The same beasts that had left countless other children orphaned all around the globe. Demons. All of a sudden Lucas' boredom was gone, replaced by a strong sense of determination. He'd give this new job his all. Even if the miserable bastards didn't have the decency to play a little music on a long flight like this.

The following hours were just as dull as those that had preceded them but eventually their destination came into view, a scattering of yellow lights glittering through the dull curtain of rain that continued to fall over these tempestuous seas. As they descended more features of the floating fortress came into view, a complex array of buildings, top of the line defences such as turrets and most importantly as of right now a huge landing pad fitting of such a massive construct. Lucas's brown eyes gleamed with curiosity as he peered out of the window beside him, greedily taking in every feature he could see. After all this was a sight few would ever witness, the infamous C.A.M.P headquarters. The bastion spearheading the protection of the entire civilised world. Even know he hadn't been told of its exact location but considering how long the trip had taken he estimated that it must be somewhere off the coast of France. For a moment he considered asking but the question died in his throat as he caught a glimpse of the pilots cold expression in the windshield. Probably best if he didn't know anyway, just in case this whole operator thing didn't work out and they considered him a loose end. Lucas cringed internally at the thought, how messed up was it that he even had to think that? He was so wrapped up in his own head that the young man had barely even registered the fact that they'd landed and the door to his left had been swung open.

"Huh?" He said dully, drops of water hitting his face through the open doorway.

"Eyes up recruit. Your wanted inside, head to the med bay and your induction will begin." Came the pilots response, curt and to the point.

Lucas decided to return the favour and neglected to answer verbally, instead simply giving a nod to show he understood. After unbuckling his safety harness he threw the hood of his coat up and stepped out into the cold night air. The rain immediately battered against his hood and shoulders and so he broke into a brisk jog as so to clear the landing pad as swiftly as possible. Dodging and weaving between various employees he made it without getting too wet, pulling out the access card he'd been issued back when he boarded the helicopter to access the door to the med bay. Thankfully the place was clearly marked or he could easily have gotten lost in a labyrinth like this. Slipping inside he was surprised to see how brightly lit the area was, a distinct contrast against the dark metal exterior. As he slipped his hood back off Lucas was hit by the distinct smell of disinfectant mixed with something else, a fruity scent that was completely out of place. Mango?

"Greetings! You must be Lucas right? Your the first to arrive but considering where you've come from that is to be expected. I'm Dr Goodwin and I run this here medical ward. So if you'll just follow me we'll get your operation underway in a jiffy, everything is all set up for you just through here." Chirped a blonde haired woman who had appeared before him from a door to his left. She turned and began to bounce away down the corridor before them, chocolate brown eyes shining with a joy that Lucas couldn't determine the source of. As he watched her back grow further and further away from he couldn't help but quietly echo "Operation?", a ball of anxiety dropping into the pit of his stomach. The augmentations. Sure he'd agreed to them...but already? He'd only just arrived for crying out loud. Still it was with only a hint of resent that he dutifully followed behind her to their next destination, barely paying attention to the various rooms filled with medical equipment that they were passing.

Dr Goodwin reached into her lab coat pocket and retrieved a clearance card from its depths before ushering Lucas through a pair of intimidating metal doors that slid open automatically upon their approach. Blinking rapidly to adjust to the bright lighting within the room his eyes soon adjusted and he was able to see what awaited him, a surgical table, a horrifying metal arm of some kind hanging limply from the ceiling, a team of medical staff dressed in the appropriate attire and a blue curtain hanging from a rail to his right. Not exactly comforting but before he could back out he found himself being dragged by the hand by the good doctor towards the curtain, her grip surprisingly strong for a woman probably only about 5ft 3.

"Here you go Lucas, just get changed into the gown behind this here curtain and we can get this party started." She instructed, a hint of unsettling excitement now glinting in her eyes.

Lucas begrudgingly did as he was told, dipping behind the curtain to find the promised gown. He glanced around suspiciously before stripping off, ensuring there were no gaps in the curtain or cameras mounted on the walls. With everything else these military bastards were demanding he at least wanted to keep his dignity if at all possible. He could at least hold on to that for as long as possible. Then again standing there with his backside out in this bloody medical gown he didn't feel very dignified. Gritting his teeth he folded his own clothes as neatly as possible before drawing the curtain back and walking over to the operating table with as much confidence as he could muster. "Lets just get this over with I guess." He announced to the room with a hollow smile, laying down so that he was stuck gazing up at the ceiling.

"That's the spirit recruit! But I'm afraid you'll actually have to flip over for us to begin." Goodwin chuckled, twirling her finger in the air before the young man's face.

"Oh yeah of course, my bad." He replied sheepishly, flipping over on to his front with little difficulty. Although he'd done it with no complaint this was much less dignified and beneath what he hoped was a calm exterior he was seething with resentment, wishing the medical staff would just get this surgery over with.

"Right you might feel a little sting but that's just the anaesthetic we are using to put you under so don't worry about it. Trust me you don't want to be awake for this."

"Cheers doc, I guess I'll see you on the other side."

"Probably!"

And with that incredibly unnerving remark Dr Goodwin plunged a needle into the flesh of Lucas' arm, injecting the clear liquid within. In a matter of seconds Lucas felt his consciousness slip away, already unable to distinguish what the medical team was muttering about around him as darkness started to eat away at the corners of his vision. It was no use, the drug was too strong and he had no reason to fight it so he gave in and fell into a deep sleep.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Christ...my fucking head." Groaned Lucas, groggily pulling himself into a sitting position. He'd been slumped in an uncomfortable plastic chair with a horrific ache pounding in the back of his skull, alone in an unfamiliar room. Wait, not alone at all. There were two other people slumped in chairs either side of him, both currently fast asleep. He could see bandages wrapped around the base of their skulls so it wasn't too much of a leap to determine that they had just been through the same he had. It was only upon standing up that he realised that he was back in his own clothes again and through the pain he felt a sudden flush of embarrassment. Somebody had dressed him? Wonderful, more dignity stolen. Although that being said he was actually pleased to be back in his own clothes with two others in the room, even if they were asleep. Glancing about the dimly lit room he couldn't help but notice how barren it was, nothing but the three chairs, a single over head light and two doors. One labelled med bay and another labelled hanger. Obviously they had just come from the med bay so they must be expected to head to the hanger once they were all up and walking again. Not wanting to be awkward and head on alone Lucas sat back down, crossed his arms and focused on making the pain go away whilst he waited for the other two to get up.

Jaellagirl ZzzRaccoonie

 

[Jaellagirl]

The ride had been long and the girl didn't know how long she had slept before the soldier boy woke her up. Darn military robbing now even her sleep.
"M'am, we need to escort you to your next location"
She stared at the private and furrowed her brows. Of course they will have to escort her. They were too afraid that the valuable war machines will just run away. Like we have a place to run.
She kissed the bullet around her neck and whispered "I will make them pay for what they have done". The girl heaved her body up from the seat and followed the young man.
It was raining and the environment was all gloomy. They bobbed and weaved through the complex. Finally they stopped at a door and the man looked straight ahead.
"They will be waiting you in the operation room"
Ok this is weird. Why aren't we going in? Maybe he was just meant to bring people to this door but then why doesn't he let me in? Oh right, the key card. She swiped it and the door slides open. The smell that hit her nose was strong and so repulsive to her.
"Ugh those bastards first off want to do some surgery on us and rip away our identity and second off they do it in this hellhole.
She sighed and stepped into the building. While holding her nose she navigate her marked path through the hospital. It was a bit odd that she was left alone like that. When she reached the room that was showed out the door was locked. She had nothing better to do than wait.
The wait was again long and soon a man was wheeled out, on his stomach and head bandaged up. Well now I know why I am here. Of course they have to probe around our heads. A smiling doctor was waiting her in the room.
"Oh, we didn't expect you to be here so soon but I hope that it was not at an expense of some other thing."
She snarled at her and allowed herself in.
"What do you need me to do?"
The woman looked quite surprised but still replied.
"Well you can lay here after you put that robe on......"
Before the doctor had even finished the sentence the clothes of the girl fell to the ground and she took her place on the table while clutching her chain.
"Make it quick and do not take any of my things."
"This might hurt a little but you would much rather be asleep then awake when we start"
"Yeah, yeah just get over with it"
Soon after the needle pierced her skin she slipped from this world"





She felt dizzy and her head hurted la lot. She thought about the fact that they might be looking for her reaction so she tried to find the bullet without moving much. The always a bit rough and deformed bullet was nowhere against her skin. Now she tried to searching the clothes. Those seemed hers. Good at least they kept that much but the pockets turned out also empty. Those bastards took it. She opened her eyes and searched for the door. Right after she spotted it the girl was up and banging on it. Tho she didn't look much around it seemed to be a ward. The door was metal and definitely locked. She tried to open it but nothing. Now she was really pissed off and the banged even louder.
"YOU BASTARDS, WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY TOKEN. YOU GOD FORSAKEN WEIRDOS. YOU... YOU BETTER GIVE IT BACK NOW"
She kicked it hard but it didn't budge. It seemed hopeless and the girl slumped on the door. After a minute or so she threw down her trenchcoat and walked away from it. What the girl didn't notice was her bullet that was just peaking from one of the pockets. Instead she kicked the god damn chair they seated her on. It flew quite a distance. She squatted and placed her head in her hands. This was quite a bit for her to remain calm. Only now it occurred to her that there may be more people in the room. After another clance around the room she noticed the two others slumped on the chair. Same bandages, same purpose. One of the seemed still asleep but the other not so much. His eyes were looking at or or maybe it was just her imagination.
"What are you looking at? Never seen a person who's stuff has been taken by others"

ZzzRaccoonie
Foster​

 

[ZzzRaccoonie]

The rain was something that could make the long helicopter ride seem like an eternity for anyone. The constant pounding Heard against the walls of the machine that was transfering Reiko from one location to the next. The consistent noise began to cause Reiko to develop a headache. she wasn't used to the loud noise of the heavy machinery. For some reason, her memory was Foggy, and she couldn't quite tell what was going on at that point, but she knew it had something to do with the contract she signed over 2 years ago. She didn't quite understand the terms she was agreeing to at the time, as she was young and angry. now she regretted that choice she made when she put her signature on that paper.

Reiko's long trip gave her time to think things over. at times like these, in complete isolation, memories always came back to her. it would always start off good, Like memories of her mother gently singing her to sleep before her night shifts, and her father's smell. for several minutes at a time, she would get lost in the nostalgia, and the rest of the world might not have even existed in those time frames. The feeling was like that of home.

"home" she thought.
It was like that word lost all meaning. Whenever she thought of home, thats what she would think of. her family, and what she had lost, But whatever she called home was something else. what she called home was where she resided, not a family, not a place in her memory, but where she was. If home was the latter, she didn't want to be at home anymore, but if home was the former, she could never go back to it.

Reiko looked down at her wrists and thought more. only questions came up, soon to be answered in time. she wondered why she was handcuffed, and why her hands were scraped and bruised. she tried to thhink about what had happened, but her memory wouldn't come back to her.


. . .

The doors swung open, and a bright light shone into Reiko's cabin of the helicopter. She put her hands up to her eyes, to block some of the light, as she tried to make out what the source of it was. she saw 2 large silhouetted figures standing outside the cabin. She understood that they had flashlights pointed at her. she didn't understand why, as the cabin was light enough for her to see. All the flashlights did was obscure her vision, and act as a nuisance. Before she had an opportunity to make out her surroundings, one of the figures forcefully dragged her out of the cabin. her lower body felt weak, and she fell to the wet helicopter platform, as rain washed over her.

"On Yer feet! Double time recruit! we don't want to deal with your nonsense." spoke a third figure who appeared out of seemingly nowhere.
Rei tried to comply with their orders, and struggled to her feet, but ended up having the two previously silhouetted figures force her up. Reiko's legs were trembling, and she didn't know why. when she was fully up, she stood infront of a man in uniform, which had an insignia patched on the shoulder that looked unfamiliar to her. it had many bars, so she assumed him to be a high ranking officer from what she had read on military.

"Tranq is still wearin' off i see, You're wanted in the med bay. you WILL be escorted. Alright boys bring her ASAP. Doctor Goodwin is still preparing for her operation" he spoke again in a stern voice. one that had made Reiko frightened with every word.

The 2 previously silhouetted figures Were now known by reiko to infact be soldiers. They had no reguard for if they were hurting her or not, they were just following orders. the men were much taller than she was, and she heard the marching of their feet in unison. it was odd in a way.

By the time they had made it to the med bay, Reiko expected to be greeted by a doctor, but the woman stood behind a glass wall. the soldiers dragged her into a room where she was finally uncuffed. she was told to strip down and put on what appeared to be a hospital gown. she wasn't given the luxury of privacy. one of the soldiers looked away, but the other stared her down intently. she understood that it was their job, but she couldn't help but think he was getting some sick form of enjoyment out of it. she made sure to face away from him the whole time, and she only turned around when she was dressed in her gown.

They finally got around to getting her situated on an operating table. It wasn't the doctor that had been administering the anesthesia needle, it was instead a soldier. she had wondered why they were treating her so poorly, as if she had done something wrong. had i done something wrong?

. . .

Reiko awoke with a groan, slumped over in a plastic chair. She was woken up to a loud noise that had echoed through the room they were in. she had heard yelling; yelling that had sounded feminine. the voice reminded her of her mother for some reason, even though she didn't even know what her mother sounded like anymore, as it had been so long. she finally looked up at the person who was making the ruckus, a woman stood there, and she appeared to be fuming. Reiko said nothing and looked at her as she began to make conversation with a third person in the room. Rei had a black eye, which was very visible, but she forgot she even had it. Reiko had felt weak after waking up, it was an odd sensation that had filled her whole body. it was a sickly feeling, and one she didn't want. she didn't say anything, she didn't make a noise, she just looked at the woman.

Jaellagirl
Foster

 

[Brax]

Knock, knock, knock.

Digits wrapped around the metal doorknob as Ryan made his way into the Police Commissioner's office. The man had the nicest view in the building. The wall behind him was entirely made out of glass, giving way to a view of the Santa Monica Pier. There were always people traversing the shops or spending time out in the sand regardless of the hour. At eight o’clock in the evening, streetlights illuminated the entire side of the street nearby, running down the boardwalk. The man before him, Michael Heimark, was a revered name in the community. He had a loving wife and two daughters who had graduated from Ivy-League colleges with honors. There were no charity drives you couldn’t find him at. Much like Ryan had learned from experience, this man found joy in helping others.

“Ryan, my boy.” Michael spoke, the corners of his lips turning upward as the man approached one of the seats placed in front of his desk. The twenty year old took a seat as instructed, placing both hands into his lap as he smiled back at the man who was responsible for turning his life around. This was going to be hard for both of them, but it was a conclusion that both of them had made together.

“It’s been a crazy ride, old man.” Ryan replied, tears swelling up in his eyes as he looked at the man from across the table. Upon seeing the sight, Michael instantly placed both open palms on the table and stood up. He slowly made his way around it. This had prompted Ryan to do the same, facing the man as he brought a sleeve up to wipe the tears from his visage. “I don’t know what to say.”

The commissioner laughed in jest as he placed both hands on the man’s shoulders. “Well, that's a first! It’s been an honor and a privilege to not only serve with you, but to watch you grow. When I found you there was no light in your eyes. Now you have a smile that could illuminate an entire room. Don’t ever lose track of the man that you are. Everything that your life has led you to has been hard-earned by the tax of both sweat and blood.” He assured Ryan with a nod. There was an age difference of about forty years between the two. Michael, at half a foot taller than his once-considered prodigy, wrapped his arms around him. The young man returned the gesture with a hug of his own.

Michael slapped him on the back twice and their embrace broke. Ryan placed both his badge as well as his gun onto the man’s table, looking back up at him with a smirk. Then he turned from the man and made his way to the door. Just as he got near the door, the commissioner would leave him with some parting words.

“Go on. Find glory.”

Three hours later, Ryan was sitting in Los Angeles International Airport. He had decided to leave the life he had been living for the past twenty years for a plethora of reasons. Part of it was that he needed to figure out his own meaning in life. The other was that he wanted to provide to mankind in a meaningful way, hopefully finding a completion to the karma loop that was being born from the dirt and rising from it’s depths. Finally, there was the realization that he was leaving a life that mainly provided him with misery.

A Spanish accent droned over the loudspeaker. It was practically indiscernible, but Ryan was able to make out the last few words. When he realized his seating section had been called to board, he stood up from his seat. The young man got in line along with everyone else. His ticket was eventually scanned and he made his way to the middle of the plane. Upon getting to his isle he noticed that there was a petite asian woman pushed up against the window.

Ah, bless. This might not turn out so bad after all.

He took the middle seat, as his ticket had assigned to him. Ryan offered a small smile to the woman beside him, but the two didn’t exchange pleasantries past that. Instead, the ex-officer put his carry-on bag onto the floor between his feet. Then his eyes took to the aisle, which sported the potential second neighbor he would be sharing the rest of his flight with. The first was a teen wearing headphones. He slowed a bit as he got to the isle but eventually continued walking past. An elderly woman with big, round spectacles had made her way down the isle afterwards but ended up taking a seat in the row immediately behind him. Then there was the human incarnation of Jabba the Hutt himself. The man wobbled on down, using both hands to attempt to fit as he made his way down. Ryan knew this man was going to sit next to him. As if it were an impending doom he foresaw, written in relics left by an ancient but extinct group of people.

The fat man took his seat beside Ryan, lifting up the armrest that separated the two of them without even bothering to ask. The recruit watched as one of the man’s folds plopped onto his leg in horror. What commenced next was the worst ten and a half hours of Ryan’s life.

Ryan made his way out of the gate to two soldiers waiting for him. They identified him immediately. After a quick briefing as they made their way through security clearance, Ryan followed them to a truck outside. He was escorted into the back. The drive that ensued was about an hour long, given traffic. During that time, Ryan had introduced himself to the officers in the truck. He gave them a little background regarding where he came from as well as his horrible experience on the plane ride over. By the time they had gotten to C.A.M.P headquarters, he had these guys rolling around in their seats with laughter.

While the headquarters was seemingly larger-than-life, it’s location was nothing in comparison to the LAPD’s Santa Monica office. Ryan had heard about the region’s knack for crappy weather and that certainly proved to be true given the rain. As a lifelong resident of California, the man was pretty sure he could count the amount of times he had seen rain on his entire life on all of his extremities. In fact, he might still have some left over afterwards. One of the soldiers pressed their key card against the wall and those large double-doors slid right open.

The twenty year-old didn’t have to wait around. He was escorted straight into surgery. Dr. Goodwin had introduced herself as the operating doctor. Ryan was extremely compliant, changing into that bullshit smock and laying down onto the gurney with his ass hanging out. The man had no shame in his game, this was what the woman asked for and she got what she deserved. After that he was stuck with the syringe and the rest was lost in a mix of haze and lack of consciousness.

The sound of his feet dragging against the floor followed. It woke Ryan from his slumber. He opened his eyes to the tiles of the floor moving behind him. Two soldiers had been holding him up. They were dragging him from the operating room. He slowly lifted his head to see where they were going, but his mind was groggy. His sight hadn’t completely returned to him and he was higher than a kite. Despite this, the dragging of his feet had bothered him enough that he had to pick them up. Eventually, he was able to help walk himself into the room where the other three operators had already been gathered.

One man hurried into the barren room to drop a chair. The two soldiers escorting Ryan dropped him into that undersized plastic excuse of a seat. He cocked his head back, sighing as his eyes found themselves fixated on the ceiling. It was unfamiliar. The young man sat there in silence for a minute, gathering himself before he straightened his posture up. Ryan stretched his neck from side to side and then stood up. He eyed the male that sat a few seats away from him. Then turned his head to look at the two females. Finally, he took notice of the two doors before looking between the other three selected operators.

​

“I assume none of you have a cigarette to spare?” With a smirk, Ryan turned from the three to make his way through the Hanger’s entryway.