Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Round 4 - Ken Rhee (Marc)
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Round 4 - George Shipley (Adam)
Monday, October 17, 2016
Round 4 - Marcus Jones (Justin)
The transformed Marcus Jones howled in triumph as a detonation from within the nuclear engine ripped a hole in the underbelly of the submarine. His chitenous form was immediately bathed in radiation. Water geysered up from a the tear in the submarine’s hull, but the rapidly increasing temperature turned that liquid to steam as quickly as it came in. The insectile armour plating that made up Marcus’ skin soaked up the radiation, and a curious chemical reaction caused his shell to emit a sickly green glow.
As the pain increased, Marcus shredded his way out of the submarine, rending through pipes, wires and sheets of metal. From outside, a crack appeared on the black hull and whistled like a titanic teapot as steam screamed through the narrow gap. Another second later and Marcus Jones was crawling out like some hideous perversion of nature hatching from an onyx egg.
Donaghue saw this unfold from behind a row of alien space marines and held his hands over his ears to block out the deafening wail of venting steam and gasses. The aliens immediately sank to one knee, their appendages crunching in the snow, as they saw the glowing green monstrosity that was Marcus Jones wriggling from the sub.
{Ready weapons.} The deep voice of the alien leader said.
The group of alien fighters aimed their weapons at Marcus’ praying mantis-like body, still wiggling out of the submarine. A series of whirring clicks and beeps came from their weapons as they cycled to ready mode.
{Weapons ready.} The squad of alien warriors responded as one with calm precision.
{Fire.}
Marcus Jones was about to screech his victory into the arctic sky when he sensed the aliens. His cry of achievement turned into a cry of panic as all too late he understood what was about to happen.
A volley of multicoloured lights and plasmic liquids burning with the intensity of a star’s core sailed through the air. Marcus tried to dodge but two of his four legs were still caught in the gash of the submarine. The first of the alien ordinance impacted Marcus Jones, superheating every molecule of liquid in his body and causing him to explode like a pumpkin pregnant with a lit stick of dynamite. The slower projectiles hit a millisecond later, melting the area around where Marcus once stood and reduced it to red hot slag.
Donaghue watched with his mouth agape as the alien warriors rose to their feet to continue their mission.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Round 4 - Evan Donaghue (Eric)
Round 4 - Ryan Miller (Makou)
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Round 3 - George Shipley (Adam)
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Round 3 - Ken Rhee (Marc)
The periscope broke the surface of the water for the fifth time this hour, each time in a different location, but always in the same vicinity of the bay near old Markham base.
"Still no sign sir" came the hushed voice of the young Russian officer. Raising one's voice on a submarine trying to remain hidden was grounds for latrine duty, and the fresh recruit wasn't about to make that mistake.
The Colonel in command of the Tchakovsky took the periscope away from the officer and scanned the ice shelf himself. "Keep scanning every 15 minutes. He's bound to show up."
Inside, the Colonel was beginning to worry. *Where are they?*...
---
Months earlier...
"I do believe you are mistaken, Dr. I know nothing of such a man, this 'Ken Rhee' of yours." The squat yet still imposing figure spoke English with a thick Russian accent.
"Come now, Colonel. You surely remember the young man you sent to spy on me. Or perhaps you will recall his actual name, Kenskei Rheenovsky?"
One of the Colonel's eyebrows rose a quarter of an inch in what could equally be described as surprise and concern.
"What do you want Doctor Donahugh?"
"I want you to know that I know. I want you to know how I know."
"Alright I'll play your game." The Colonel took a long sip of his vodka before continuing. "Supposing I do have an operative working undercover in your lab, which I don't, how do you know about him?"
"I read his mind."
"And you expect me to believe this?"
"How else would I know to contact you? You sent your operative to spy on my work for a reason: you want to steal it for your own. You wouldn't be doing this unless you knew what I was after. Well, I've done it Colonel. I've found what I was looking for, and now you're the first outside of my lab that knows it."
"Why would you tell me this? And why do you still employ this Ken if you are convinced that he is a spy? None of this makes any sense!"
"Very soon, Ken will be sharing my discovery with you. When he does, I want you to come for him in your submarine as you have planned. You won't just be retrieving him though. You will be giving myself and my retinue a sub-oceanic trip to Mother Russia, so that we may continue our work unabated on your soil." Donaghue now took a sip of his own drink, Earl Grey tea, hot, while he let his words sink in. "I can't perform my work in America, Colonel. It just won't fly there. But in Russia, ah but we could do amazing things!"
The Colonel jumped in "I don't understand you Americans. You claim you have found a spy in your midst and not only do you not kill him, but you decide to do his job for him? Yes, I'm sure my superiors would be interested in your work, so why continue this charade. Why keep Ken in your lab, letting him think his cover is safe? I could arange for your transport regardless."
"Ah but Colonel, that wouldn't be any fun. You see, my research is only just scratching the surface of what's possible. You've trained your operative well. He is very mentally resilient. It took a fair bit of effort on my part to learn what I now know about his intentions and your identity. This effort has done more than just inform me, it has also served to sharpen my skills. Ken's mental toughness has made him the perfect whetstone for my newfound abilities, and I will need him going forward. He must continue to keep his mental walls up, so that I may learn to break them down. Do you understand?"
The Colonel sat back in his chair, draining the last of his vodka and setting the glass down on the table, upside down. "I think so, Doctor... So in exchange for giving you asylum and a place to complete your work, you will share all your findings with us?"
"Every last bit, yes. As long as we get to keep the spy game going, until Ken contacts you for extraction. I will ensure that doesn't happen until we are ready."
"I will bring this to my superiors and give you an answer within the week. Check your spam filter for one of those penis enlargement scams. Our answer will be in the fine print."
"Clever, you Russians." Donaghue winked at the Colonel playfully. "I'll look forward to hearing your decision. Good day to you good Colonel!"
"One more thing, Doctor. If we agree to this, it will be on one condition: I want my man back in one piece."
"Not to worry, Colonel! He's no use to me dead!"
---
"Sir! We've just detected seismic readings coming from the direction of the American base!"
"Agent Rheenovsky must have detonated the explosive device! Something is wrong. This should never have happened. Get a skiff ready. I'm taking a squad out to the surface. Let's find out what's going on at this base. We will retrieve the good doctor and his work come hell or high water, for Mother Russia!"
Round 3 - Marcus Jones (Justin)
Marcus Jones watched, too late to intervene as Ryan stabbed the Dr. with the syringe. His mind instantly dulled by the sympathetic morphine effects coursing through Donaghue’s own body, he struggled to comprehend what was going on around him.
The blast of Xyctexyct’s idol sent a shockwave of debris flying outward. A chunk of shrapnel from the idol buried itself in Marcus’ forehead, snapping his head back at the same time as he was blown off his feet. Marcus blacked out.
Fish woke up in his dream. He was at the base of a stepped pyramid cluttered with alien vegetation. The sky was a dusky purple mixed with streaks of white light. Marcus was surrounded by thousands of other beings, indistinguishable in his dream haze but for their body language which conveyed one thing: worship. At the top of the pyramid, preaching an alien sermon to the massive crowd was Xyctexyct, massive and insect-like. Suddenly, Marcus rose from the prostrate worshippers, floating and pulled as if with unseen strings up to Xyctexyct’s black mandibled mouth. Xyctexyct opened its mouth and emitted an ear-splitting buzz that violently shook Marcus’ body. He knew what he had to do.
Marcus woke up on the floor of the lab in a pool of his own blood. Still dazed from the explosion, his head pounding, Marcus got to his feet and staggered into a table. Everyone in the lab was either unconscious or crawling around on the floor, Marcus couldn’t tell them apart thanks to the blood streaming down into his eyes. He steadied himself and tried wiping the blood away but it made no difference. No matter, Xyctexyct itself had favoured him with his attention. He alone was entrusted as the mid-wife for Xyctexyct’s awakening and re-birth.
“He is free. He is coming for us all” echoed through Marcus’ head and he exhulted in his special responsibility. He would get Xyctexyct what it needed. He would feed it the energy it needed to sustain it’s magnificent freedom.
Marcus sprinted out of the room and down the hallway to the garage area. He contemplated getting on an ATV but new instincts pushed him to run. It would be faster that way. Marcus Jones’ brain was telling him to forget the jacket too. Marcus ran outside, Xyctexyct’s need for energy overwhelming all other feelings. Marcus followed his instincts and continued to run, though soon his gait turned into something more like a jog, yet he seemed to move faster and faster. When the bloody hole in his forehead froze shut, he could finally see again, and what he saw was the submarine Khlebnikov.
Fish slowed as he reached the hull of the Khlebnikov and suddenly recoiled in terror when he saw what was following him. It’s reflection was distorted from the curvature of the hull, but it was larger than a human and looked more like praying mantis than man. Marcus spun to meet the monster but there was nothing behind him. He whirled again, thinking it had stayed behind him, but all he saw was the thing’s reflection. A realization dawned on Marcus then, and with a creeping dread he found that he could not see his own reflection. The mantis was his reflection.
Marcus Jones took a moment to examine his own hand, now a chitenous claw, through compound eyes. From inside his head a buzzing noise cut through his brief reverie. Energy for the alien god. Must get. He sensed tremedous energy potential coming from inside the sub. Dormant no longer, Marcus could feel the subtle vibrations emenating from the nuclear reactor of the vessel.
In a single bound, Marcusmantis leaped to the top of the conning tower. In moments he ripped off the hatch and wiggled his large frame into the hull.
“Kenskei? Kenskei eto ty?” The voice came from deeper inside the vessel.
Ignoring the voice, Marcusmantis compressed his body to fit under pipes and through corridors, heading to the back of the sub where the vibrations were strongest.
“Ken-AAAAAAHHHHHHH!” Marcusmantis came face to alien face with Ken’s secret accomplice, Yuri, and immediately snatched him with his mantis-like pincers. In moments, Yuri’s arms were torn off and his screams silenced as his head was effortlessly pulled from his body.
Marcusmantis moved past the missile tubes and tore off the lead-lined titanium door that led to the nuclear reactor. Standing in front of the reactor, Marcusmantis tested the strength of the shielding by plunging a claw through the outer layer of reinfroced steel. With a hiss and the scream of warning alarms, steaming coolant vented violently from the puncture.
{Xyctexyct, thy will be done!} Marcus “Fish” Jones, now midwife to Xyctexyct, ripped the nuclear reactor apart and began the meltdown.
Round 3 - Evan Donaghue (Eric)
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(Picture a bright white flash, like a lens flare into your eyes)
Donaghue looked over at Maggie Holness, Finbar Douglas and Ben VanderTuin. They all wore the same look of astonishment that echoed his own state of mind. He looked back at the monumental object that was clearly the focus of the Markham team's excavation efforts.
"What is it?" gasped Douglas. "A starship?"
"Whatever it is," Donaghue replied in hushed tones, "it was not made by humans."
(Another white flash)
Donaghue's hand went numb from an ethereal cold emanating from the statue as he grabbed it. A sudden, sharp hiss caught his attention. Tearing his eyes away from his prize, he saw a plume of white vapour gushing from one of the nearby pods. The top swung open and almost immediately, an unbidden thought entered his mind.
{You are making a mistake. Return the device to its alcove.}
{What?} Donaghue thought back in surprise, understanding the meaning of the words, but horrified by how strange they felt inside his head. {What are you?}
{The alcove inhibits the device's Felcar field,} the voice continued, ignoring his question. {If the field is not contained, Xyctexyct will awaken and break free of his containment cell.}
{Xyctexyct?} Donaghue was paralysed with confusion.
"Doctor, are you alright?" Douglas' voice sounded distant and insignificant amid the thoughts rattling in Donaghue's mind.
Out of the vapour, a long, three-fingered hand appeared, each finger tipped with a curved talon.
{Xyctexyct is the entity contained in the core of our vessel,} the tone of the voice was changing, becoming impatient. {It powers our technology. It is devious. Dangerous. It must remain contained.}
Donaghue looked at the statue. Through it, he could feel a connection to power. Immeasurable power. He wanted it.
Douglas cautiously approached the open pod, trying to peer inside it.
{This is your final warning, return the device to its alcove.}
Donaghue hesitated for a moment, his tongue nervously licking his lips.
{No.}
With a ear-piercing scream, a grey shape burst from the pod, tackling Finbar Douglas to the deck.
Donaghue dashed through the door, slamming into Maggie, who gaped at him in surprise.
"Run!" he screamed and they both retreated.
(Another white flash)
"What? What the fuck happened out there?"
"There's no time for that Mr. Shipley. If you could please start the engines, it is about time we left."
"But what about Maggie?"
"We won't be seeing her again Mr. Shipley. Start the engines. We need to go, before they finish with her and come for us."
"Who?"
Donaghue reached in to his coat pocket and pulled out a pistol, pointing it at George's face.
"The engines, Mr. Shipley, now."
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Donaghue crumpled awkwardly to the ground. He felt the first knee connect with the floor and then, an eternity later, the second. As he tilted over, his eyes passed over Marcus, sitting upright and Ken laying on a table. While his enhanced body could not suffer any noticeable harm from the fall, he found it strange that as his head bounced off the cold plastic flooring, he felt no pain at all. His head gradually came to rest on the ground and he found himself facing his shrine to Xyctexyct. His substitute alcove.
Ryan had walked over to the shrine and was reaching toward it. Donaghue raised his hand weakly and tried to focus his mind to send a warning even as Ryan grabbed the statue.
"Whatever it takes!" came the echoed thoughts and words.
"No," Donaghue cried mentally, his thoughts still agonisingly slow, "don't listen to it! Return the statue to its shrine! It is the only way to control it!"
Donaghue felt heat radiating on his face, then felt his body being forcefully pushed. As the world rotated before his uncomprehending eyes, he saw Ryan being lifted bodily off his feet and the shrine disintegrating. Donaghue's impaired mind finally processed the explosion. As his consciousness faded, through sheer force of will, he projected a warning hoping that any of his brothers and sisters might hear it.
"He is free. He is coming for us all."