Calvin Taylor --- Fire in the Stormy Night

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TheLoneWolf
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PROLOGUE

*************************

A Rogue Fleet Outpost, I heard, has been preying on freighters around the system.
Time to pay a visit.

My Frostbite-class Advanced Gunship came out of the nebula.
It looked just like a Chasm, but from the inside, it had been reworked manyfolds. Far deadly and fast, mine was even an fully upgraded version of a normal Frostbite.

I saw that the docking bays were full.

"Attention Ares Vessel. Do not atta..."

I had pushed the extreme thrust button. 5 tanks of ice water were taken from my hold and consumed to keep my drive cool, because what happens next is going to make it real hot.

With a sudden burst from the thrusters, I accelerated to my top speed in a very short time. And rammed inside the station.

I took my trusty Deagle out and exited my cockpit inside the station.

A private looked at my ship in horror.

"If you can't find a docking bay" I told him with a shrug "Make your own!"

I began to walk to the main quarters. No one dared to oppose me.

"Who's the commander here?" I yelled.
A man ran to me.
"I am"
*BANG*
I planted a shot into his head.
"Now I'm your commander"

Many of the captains flinched.
"You report everything Decker to me. I know why you left the Fleet. And I salute you for it. But never forget who you were" I gestured at the dead man "People like him, who forget the honour they served with, and fall as low as pirates, don't deserve to live. I will appreciate it if you kill such men on sight."
I then stowed away my Deagle.
"I'll be taking leave of you now, gentlemen. Any problems?"

All of the men remained silent, so I began to walk away.

"I have a problem, sir!" one of the men stepped forward.
"Yes?" I asked him.
"Who is to lead us in your absence?"

I walked back.

"This man is going to be your commander from now on. But he still reports to me. So, commander, here is your budget for the month" I handed him a ROM "Use it wisely"

And I unlodged my Frostbite and went away.

*************************
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TheLoneWolf
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ARC I: THE OLD BLOOD

CHAPTER 1

"...And so the mining laser bores into an asteroid to extract ore!" the Professor finishes with a sigh and looks appealingly at the class.
"Any questions?" he asks, his voice resonating in the large room. The Technological Advancement section in the College wing of St. Katherine's Star Arcology.
The students look at the Professor with distant eyes, their minds focussed not on the subject, but the approaching holiday season.
The Professor displays the slightest hint of a frown and begins to motion away diagrams of Mining Lasers and Asteroids from the large screen on his back.
"What if we blast the whole rock away with a Starburst?" a boy speaks before he begins to stand up. The boy has a growth of long hair, shining blue eyes, and a bright mischievous smile to complement all that.
The Professor slowly turns back and blinks his eyes to adjust on the usurper. After recognizing who it is, the Professor's face lights up.
"Wulfric Taylor" he laughs "Why don't I put YOU on a Starburst and kick your ass away from my class?"
"Because" the boy rolls his eyes "I'm your favourite student, Professor Cane!"
"ITS PROFESSOR KAYNE!"
The whole class begins to snicker.
"Ahem! Sit down, Taylor!" the Professor booms importantly and the boy thumps back into his seat.
"So!" he continues "Thats all for today!"
Professor Kayne shuts down the screen with a snap and the students begin to rise.
"Don't forget to deliver your assignments on Common Ores Found in Human Space tomorrow!" the Professor shouts over the sound of shifting clothes and receding footsteps.
Wulfric Taylor remains behind.
"You really wanna fire a Starburst at me?" he eyes the Professor uncertainly.
"I swear I will, Taylor, IF I don't find that assignment on my desk tomorrow!" the Professor booms heartly.
"Tomorrow then, Prof. Kay!" and with this, Wulfric is already in the corridor, his jacket flying behind him.

Wulfric Taylor walks coolly around the cafeteria, a large half dome that opens into an airy park. The air smells of french fries and grilled fish.
"I love fish" Wulfric chimes as he starts navigating towards the park. His eyes fly over the bulk of crowd around him, till they settle on a guy in the park, his back towards Wulfric.
A heartly grin flashes on Wulfric's face and he stealthily moves towards the bench, slipping between people without wasting their drinks or snacks, till he shadows his target.
The boy has a growth of unkept black hair on his head. He is wearing a blank black T-Shirt over a pair of commuters, eating a cheeseburger.
Wulfric tackles the guy around the neck, squeezing the guy's head under his right arm. The half-finished burger falls down with a sticky splat, and the victim begins clawing at his attacker.
"Howz my freshman today?" Wulfric laughs, gripping tighter.
The guy obviously had the wind knocked out by now, but he still displays agility and grabs Wulfric's other arm. He gives it a strong pull, wishing to smash Wulfric on the ground. But Wulfric isn't far behind. Using the guy's force to his own use, Wulfric slides onto the bench, his hold still intact.
"Nice try!" Wulfric taunts and finally releases his grip.
The guy takes rapid deep breaths and adjusts his shining blue eyes on Wulfric, who is sitting by him now, cross-legged.
"You're crazy" he finally says.
Wulfric replies by a short courtesy.
And both begin to laugh loudly.
"Seriously man, you got me! I was like 'What the f@cks happening?' and you were just grinding at me!" the guy, now looking better, laughs back.

"You Taylor brothers are crazy..."
The two brothers turn their gaze towards a young girl standing over them, her hands on her hips, sneering at the burger. She has long raven hair, ending just above her hip, and matching eyes. She's wearing typical college apparel.
"Hey Rias!" Wulfric says as if he has well rehearsed the lines.
"Wulfric! Would you let me borrow Calvin for a while?" she loses some of her anger.
Wulfric musses with his brother's already unkept hair.
"This lil' guy?" he eyes his younger brother uncertainly "You want him?"
"Yeah?" Rias returns.
Calvin mouths something that appears like I don't know to his brother.
"Sure"
Wulfric gives Calvin a push as he rises, but he gains his balance and doesn't fall on top of Rias.
"Come!" Rias motions and begins to walk away.
Calvin turns back at Wulfric, who winks innocently.
"I'll grab you later at our room, I guess..." Calvin says.
"Yeah. Enjoy your date!" Wulfric howls.
"Date?! What date?" Calvin mumbles nervously. Wulfric observes the blush creeping on his brother's neck and extends his grin further. Calvin gets the hint and adjusts his collar.
"Calvin! You coming or what?" Rias shouts from a distance.
"You're going to buy me a burger later, Wulf" Calvin begins to walk away "And it isn't a date!"
"Sure thing, lil' brother!" Wulfric rolls his eyes as his brother gains distance.
"Back to asteroids and ores, I guess" Wulfric sighs in the clear breeze.
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CHAPTER 2

"How was your date?" Wulfric howls the moment his brother enters the room.
"Date? All she did was lead me to Prof. Dall!" Calvin exclaims.
"That alien loving weirdo?" Wulfric asks without any relish.
"He ain't a weirdo! Prof. Dall is one of the most brilliant researchers I've ever seen! He was the one to reanalyze Iocrym data and conclude..."
"Blah blah blah! Here's your burger" Wulfric throws a paper bag at Calvin "Enjoy that atleast. Rias is outta your league"
"Yeah yeah" Calvin has already ripped out the burger "As if you have had tonnes of gals around you!"
"Believe me or not" Wulfric laughs "I'm quite the ladies' man!"
"Oh really?" Calvin raises an eyebrow, but keeps chewing "Then why don't you PROVE it? Make out with a gal tomorrow and I do your homework!"
"The homework @#$! doesn't work on me anymore, wee freshman" Wulfric falls into his bed "But making out with a gal? You got it!"
Wulfric raises a thumbs up, his face half buried into a pillow.
Calvin discards the dressing, washes his hands, and jumps onto his bed.
"Nighty night, loverboy" Wulfric snickers before falling asleep in an instant.
"Jerk" comes the reply.
"I ain't asleep yet, d¡ckhead" Wulfric mumbles.
"Prof. Kayne told me to remind you of your assignment"
"SNORE"

"No class today?" Wulfric asks excitedly.
"No class today" Prof. Kayne confirms "Robert Morgental's coming today. If you haven't slept through your High School, you must remember that he gave large donations for the development of the Arcology."
"Ofcourse I remember that guy!" Wulfric can barely conceal his happiness now.
"Dismissed"

The two brothers regrouped at the cafeteria.
"Fish again!" Wulfric exclaimes cheerfully.
Calvin makes a face.
"How are you to idiots today?" Rias comes from behind.
"Idiots?" Wulfric spits "This lil' dude here must be the one you're talking about. But a charming guy like me?" Wulfric begins to snicker.
Rias sighs and smiles at the two.
"15 years and you guys haven't changed a bit!" an artificial wind blows across the campus, blowing her hair into her face.
"Whats for today?" she asks, tucking her hair back.
"Robert Morgental. Want some?" Calvin says coolly.
"Don't forget his sizzling hot daughter! I've heard she's quite da bomb!" Wulfric adds in.
"Geez Wulf!" Rias bellows "Gals and guns is all that you want!"
"Thats why I'm off to the Fleet after my final year!" Wulfric says in a distant tone "To quench my thirst"
Suddenly, everyone begins to shuffle towards the park. A crowd begins to form around the recently erected podium.
"Here comes zero hour!" Wulfric says, leaving Rias and Calvin behind as he makes his way to the front.
"Shall we?" Rias raises an eyebrow at her partner.
"Join the crowd? Sure!" Calvin replies without hesitation.

The wind has come to a standstill. Just random gusts blow around the park. Students have arranged themselves on the benches.
Robert Morgental is going to begin his speech. He's quite energetic for a 50yr old man. Wearing a tuxedo, Robert wears grey hair with a charming smile.
"Ladies and gentlemen" he says with quite some emotion "To find you in this place, which was just a meta..."
"..." Wulfric mumbles at his bench as the buisnessman continues his passionate speech "Where's his daughter?"
"She won't come" Rias whispers "She's at the Arena, if I've heard correctly"
Wulfric doesn't try to hide his wide grin.
"That gal's at the Arena?! Bloody f@ck she's really da bomb!" he cries.
A couple of heads turn in our direction, but don't linger for long.

The speech goes on for quite some time. Robert Morgental himself bursts into tears when he talks about the hardships faced establishing the Arcology, but grows resolute when he rumbles about whats to come.
"Thank you, everyone, for hearing me out today"
Everyone claps as Robert Morgental climbs down from the podium.
"Finally" Calvin sighs "I was runnin' on empty!"
"Fish!" Wulfric yelps.
"Ugh"
"Bear with my just this once, lil' guy! Holidays from tomorrow!"
"I've packed already!" Rias wonders aloud "Have you two?"
"Umm... Turns out the answer is no" Calvin laughs.
"I must pack my belly up first" Wulfric is already off for the counter "Calvin and Rias, what would you two like to have?"
"A sandwich for me" Rias yells "Without corn! I hate corn"
"Hotdog here!" Calvin adds "No mercy on the sauces!"

Wulfric arrives 10min later. He's got three paper bags, one in each hand and another he is holding between his teeth. He hands Rias her bag and then makes a show of carefully pulling the hotdog out for me. He then takes the bag from his jaw and begins eating the fish-and-rice.
"Thats Japanese @#$!" Calvin speaks over large bites of the hotdog.
"It...ain't @#$!. Its actually quite...filling!" Wulfric speaks through a mouth stuffed full of rice.
"I want a coke" Rias and Wulfric speak in unison.
"Going" Calvin shrugs.
"Get him!" an officer shouts "That guy's shot Morgental!"
A guy comes rushing through the crowd. He punches pursuers away.
Calvin tries to stop him
*BANG*
MikeAngora
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Now.. that was fun.

Changed my perceptions of Mr. Wulfric- South to North.
"Umm, I'm sorry I just killed your officer Akira, but he was getting on my nerves''
"Can I take his ship now?"

Calvin E. Taylor to Akira Gorbachev, the daughter of Ares Chief Admiral Vasily Gorbachev, after brutally killing one of her Tundra pilots.
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TheLoneWolf
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MikeAngora wrote:Now.. that was fun.

Changed my perceptions of Mr. Wulfric- South to North.
Lol I'll just change it again!
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CHAPTER 3


Wulfric is the first on his feet. He goes rushing for his brother, Rias just behind. The people are now rushing here and there, not at all caring for the scenere landscape of the park.
"Excuse me! Make way please!" Wulfric struggles his way through the panicked crowd to the spot where Calvin has fallen. Rias, being more slender, has already squeezed her way and has gained on Wulfric.
When he finally reaches the spot...
"My God!" Wulfric sighs.
Calvin is lying on the ground, struggling to breathe. He is tightly clutching his chest, on the right. Just on the right lung. Blood is oozing through his fingers. Rias, looking shocked aswell, is trying to shift Calvin under a tree.
"Somebody call the medics!" Wulfric shouts over to the crowd. One guy reaches for his phone.
"I'm going to kill that bastard!" Wulfric rages and begins to stomp through the crowd.
"Stop!" Rias reaches to him desperately "What about Calvin? He needs you!"
Wulfric looks back towards his fallen brother. Much of his blood has spilled out, and he looks extremely dazed.
"Hang on! Help's coming!" Rias shakes Calvin's head, trying to give him more hope.
Wulfric clutches his fists, his fingers digging into his palms. He is now travelling straight for the guy who called the medic.
"Where's the f@cking medic?" he takes the guy by the collar "Its been too much time already!"
"I...I don't know! He told me he was coming!" he mumbles, too scared to speak straight.
Wulfric shoves him away.
"Uggh" Calvin mutters "That hurt"
"Shut up for this one, you a$$hole!" Wulfric shouts at him "And don't freaking move!"

"Give way! Give way! Clear the park!" an officer orders as the white coat medic comes carrying his equipment.
"What took so long?" Wulfric looks as if he's going to tear the man into two.
"Barricades" he calmly answers.
"So what have we got here? Obviously a Particle Pistol" the doctor says in his soothing voice as he removes Calvin's shirt and analyzes the wound. Its an ugly thing. It isn't a hole, but a rupture. Some of it is burned, other is oozing more and more blood.
The doctor injects something in Calvin's arm and he starts to go back into his dazed state.
The doctor now addresses Wulfric and Rias.
"Its just Neuranase. It'll help him till I carry him over to a Rejuv tank" he says.
"F@ck Rejuv tanks" Calvin moans, almost unconcious.
The doctor now motions and an Autodoc comes over. The droid lifts Calvin without and effort and carries him away.
Wulfric begins to walk away.
"Where are YOU going?" Rias asks.
No answer. He just walks away.

Rias later found Wulfric outside the medical section. He was sitting tense on a bench, looking blankly at the door. The place smelled of medicine and reeds.
"Wulfric?" Rias tries to approach him.
"Yeah?" he replies, his voice reflecting how tired he is.
"Calvin's gonna be ok" she tries to sound confident.
"I know..." comes another lazy reply "I trust him on that"
"You should go pack. I'll make sure he joins you there" Rias suggests "He won't be in packing shape. That I can promise you"
Wulfric slowly rises, and with a last look at the door, he goes away, leaving Rias alone in the waiting room.

Wulfric packs his brother's stuff first. He rummages all the drawers for every last speck and shoves it all into a bag. Wulfric then begins to pack his own stuff. He has it all mostly packed when a knock comes at the door. Calvin enters slowly.
"Hey" Calvin says.
"Oh look! The Hero's back" Wulfric crosses his arms.
"Look here. I'm sorry. When the offic..."
Wulfric gives Calvin a quick embrace and then pulls back, mussing with his hair.
"Back there, you had me worried for a while, lil' guy" he laughs it off "NEVER do that again!"
"I had myself worried too" Calvin joins in "When the officer yelled, I decided to get that guy. But he just popped a shot at me and I was like 'wtf is happening?' and then I find myself in the tank!"
"You shoulda watched Rias! She was close to fainting herself" Wulfric eyes Calvin suspiciously.
"Really?" Calvin wonders, but begins to blush when he spots his brother watching "Thanks for getting my things!"
"Anytime, bro"
"Alright! We escape this place tomorrow then!"
"Nighty night, loser"


<BONUS CONTENT>
***FLASHFORWARD***
Calvin Taylor sits alone in the well ventilated bar.
"One coffee. Strong" he orders the droid.
A gust of hot air erupts forth as another person opens a door behind him, flooding the shadowy room with light.
"Hmmm?" Calvin asks in a lazy tone.
"Its happening, sir" the officer says in a grim tone.
Calvin raises an eyebrow.
"Dismissed" he orders calmly.
The officer retreats at once.
"Ah, Decker! How gullible" and he laughs with malice.
* * *
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CHAPTER 4


"IF you call my name archaic" Wulfric comments as the two brothers stand overlooking their home "What do you call that?".


The freighter had dropped them at Constalon, one of the least used landing zones on the north of the planet. After the initial settlement, this zone had beed marked out of bounds, because it natural wealth was taken into consideration, and the centre of civilization and settlement was shifted drastically to the south. The CW didn't want to discourage or unease the initial settlers, which were few in number, so they let them have their homes. But only after making it clear that no industrial expansion was to take place. The people had whole heartedly agreed. Even with all facilities available nearby, the place where the boys were headed was regarded as the middle of nowhere.
Only after three hours of hiking through the thick forest were the two greeted by a familiar sight --- a small river in which they used to catch fish. After crossing it by the means of an old fallen tree, they continued for half an hour through the monotonic woods to reach a sudden clearing. And then came the house that both knew too well.


"Its just as nasty as it was last year" Wulfric's grin spreads further "and thats why I love it!"
"The air feels better for a change" Calvin adds pointedly "And the scent of the forest is as refreshing as ever!"
"Its good to be back"
"Yeah it is"
The two begin to walk through the soft grass towards their house.
"So what do you call that?" Wulfric places his arm around Calvin's neck, and repeats his question.
"Umm... Victo-Japanese?" Calvin answers.
"Victo?"
"VICTOrian?"
"Why Victo-Japanese?"
"The way the house is designed, it looks like a crossover between Japanese base and Victorian roofing."

The "house" indeed looked something like that. Its base resembled ancient Japanese architecture with long halls and large rooms, but it got more western (and Victorian) with each ascending floor, of which there were two (not counting the attic-like structures at some parts of the 2nd floor).
"Japanese or not, I'm going to fish after changing!" Wulfric says euphorically.
"I'm going to get us settled" Calvin says without his brother's excitement.
"As you wish, quartermaster!"
"And I'm going to call at Rias's. Raymond would like to know that we are here"
"Don't you worry! Rias's arrival would make that clear to him. Besides, he lives only a couple of miles away"
"Yeah, I guess..."
Wulfric removes his arm as the reach the front door.
"Its locked" he says before Calvin's hand reaches the handle "from the inside"
"From the inside?" Calvin asks bewilderedly.
"Yeah. I did that the last time I left. So if you started forcing it, you would get that electric shock. Like high school!"
"You're an idiot..." Calvin begins, but gets more confused "How did you get out?"
"I was waiting for you to ask!" Wulfric smiles and gestures upwards with his eyes.
"Seriously?" Calvin begins to smile.
"Like old days" Wulfric's smile begins to stretch further "The person that unlocks the door first, wins!"
"You're on! Which one is it?"
"2nd storey. Study. The middle one."
"Gotcha. Go?"
"Sure. Go!"

The words were halfway out from Wulfric's mouth when Calvin throws his bag down and rushes to his right, running straight for the wall. He doesn't crash, but uses his momentum to propell upwards and grab a ledge. Without missing a beat, he begins to scale the wall with utter ease.
Wulfric, almost lazily, dumps his own bag and runs into the opposite direction. His movements are more graceful than his brother's, whose style is much more calculated.
Wulfric is the first to cross the ground floor He navigates the wall to the leftmost face by rushing over a narrow slanting rooflike projection on the top of the ground floor. Then, he grabs a windowsill above him and resumes his climb.
Meanwhile, Calvin hasn't left his face of the wall. Using the projection as a launching platform, he jumps and grabs a wooden ledge. Bringing his legs on the ledge the moment his grip begins to loosen, he makes another leap and grabs a wooden windowsill. He pulls himself up on it, spares a second to get his bearing, and begins to go horizontally to the left by dangling by another ledge, right below the 2nd storey balcony.
Wulfric has a smoother, but longer, climb. Windowsills and stone projections was all he went through. On the last sill of the 2nd storey, he makes a huge bound, falling back into air to grab the long roof. His momentum enables him to make a rotation and land upon the roof.
Wulfric was waiting on the slanting roof when Calvin comes into view.
"Too slow" Wulfric remarks as he slides down the roof and jumps on the Study balcony. He then opens the window, and a gush of wood flavoured air meets him heads on.
Calvin isn't far behing. He gymnasts through the open window. He rolls on the matted floor to break the fall.
The moment he descends the stairs, a bag thrown by Wulfric knocks him down
"I win" he chimes "Work time?"
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CHAPTER 5


"Wulf?" comes a shallow whisper.
"Wulf? Wake up!" this time its followed by shaking the sleeping Wulfric.
"WULF!" the voice becomes more audible, the concern and impatience being clear.
"Umm..." Wulfric turns in his bed.
A smack with a pillow greets the stubborn sleeper the next moment.
"WHAT TH..." Wulfric snaps awake, but a hand muffles his mouth shut.
"Shhhh..." his brother's voice reassures him before he can react.
"What?" Wulfric ascends into whispering state.
"Intruders!" Calvin warns.
Before Wulfric can break into an unending string of profanity and curses, Calvin continues.
"Are wandering the yard. No breach yet"
"Who the f@ck got unlucky enough to be here today?" Wulfric slowly comes to his senses.
"Three men. Anarchists by uniform. No weapon spotted. They are completely oblivious of us."
"How do you know?"
"What?"
"That they are oblivious to us?"
"Haven't got any stealth. And the way they are stomping around the yard, my point confirms itself."
"Lets see to them, then?"
"No. We'll eavesdrop. We have the home-field advantage, and the surprise element. We need to make their objectives sure."
"Don't forget. We got the weapons as well."
"Yeah. Next move! You go get the gear from Hall of Tortures, and I'll meetcha at Sniper's Nest."
"Cya"

The Taylors, being alone in this house from early childhood, had created all sorts of "code words" for various spots around the estate. The "Hall of Tortures" was actually a large training room on the Japanese floor. It was paved with soft but solid mats like those that used to be in most ancient Japanese martial arts halls.
The "Sniper's Nest" was a lookout point on the second storey. It was a stone projection of sorts, just below a room used for DiY. They guessed that it was a slot for an expansion that never occured.

"Got em?" Calvin mumbles as Wulfric slips out of the barely open window and drops into the Nest. The chilly night wind offsets him for a moment, but he recovers.
"You bet!" he says cheerfully. It all seems an elaborate game for him. Like just another exercise.
"Gimme my sword!" Calvin demands.
"FATHER's sword" Wulfric points out, rather sarcastically.
"Whatever! Just give it to me!"
Calvin grabs the sheathed sword and attaches it to his belt. The scabbard is jet black with lacklustre symbols written in dark grey. It doesn't dangle, but stays fixed, moving with his hips close to his legs.
"I loved this baby" Wulfric says dreamily, as he tests a rather advanced looking bow. It has a reinforced carbon nanofibre string, and a shifting colour pattern. Many parts of it move readily when Wulfric draws the string further. It was a silent killer, capable of long range accurate strikes, and boring into even military grade armour under Wulfric's skill. He had come to master it only through his diligence and passion, as Calvin had come to master the sword.
Wulfric adjusts his quiver before he speaks.
"I don't see a soul" he says softly.
"You gotta be patien..." Calvin's reply was cut short by the unmistakable sound of someone's sneeze.
"See?" Calvin states confidently.
"It came from the woods" Wulfric determines, ignoring his brother.
The two brothers stare into the dark of the woods to figure out the location of the intruder. Their patience is rewarded by the unmistakable glow of a flashlight.
"Thats military grade" Calvin gasps, but continues before his brother can ask a question "I know because of the convergence and divergence"
Indeed, the flashlight was converging when pointed at something, and diverging to cover a larger area when it moved.
"Makes them an easy target" Wulfric draws an arrow from his quiver.
"Which one are you using?" Calvin questions.
"Carbon?" Wulfric states.
"Good" Calvin allows "If they are wearing armour, you can skewer them"
"I've killed men before, Cal" Wulfric suddenly grows grim "And I know what to do..."
"Yeah. But I haven't"
"I hope you don't hav..." Wulfric taunts.
"Shhh..." Calvin gestures with his hand "They're coming closer"
The anarchists were now easily visible under the starlight. The planet had no moon, but one could spot the Arcology orbiting over the mountains.
"I...see...on...here" says one.
"Yer...ite...o...tard...ere..." responds another.

"What d..." Wulfric grabs Calvin's mouth before he can continue. Using his senses, he concentrates on the enemy.
"...ts...o...et.d..un..." the inaudible voices rise again.
"...at if...von...ere?" a third voice joins in.
"...el..ll..m..." the first one snickers and the whole group begins to laugh.
The starshine gives Wulfric's face a pale and placid texture, but even in the chill, beads of sweat appear on his forehead.
"Wulf?" Calvin speaks as quiet as a mouse.
"They're here to get some heirloom" Wulfric speaks in a cold and grim tone "And kill any who gets in their way..."
"Then they deserve the hospitality of the Taylor brothers, don't they?" Calvin tries to calm Wulfric down.
A rewarding grin appears in response.
"Sure they do!" he snickers "With pleasure!"
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CHAPTER 6


"We have a heirloom?" Calvin asks, dumbfounded.
"You tell me" Wulfric chimes.
"How come you never got it?"
"Guess what? DAD WASN'T AROUND!"
"Shh!"
"And why would I get it?"
"You're the eldest, dumbass!"
"Shhh!"

"..heard..ing?" a voice asks pointedly.
"...at?...not a...hing!" another replies.
They were getting closer, and their voices were getting clearer.

"One of em's got a nice pair of ears" Wulfric remarks, leaning over the cover of Sniper's Nest "Whats the plan, smarty pants?"
"We let them come nearer, then create a diversion and get back inside. Then, we use our home-field advantage to capture and interrogate. And I'm going to ring Raymond" Calvin seems determined.
"Got it!"

"This house is huge" one of the invaders goans. He has a goatee and military haircut "Where are we going to search?"
"We've got all the time in the world, Tyson" another one, who looks to be in authority, responds "And quit moaning!"
"Jacob is right, Tyson" the third one adds "No one's ever here!"
"How do you know, Barns?" Tyson sneers.
"Because" Barns says with much relish "I'm the scout!"
"Shut up you two!" Jacob snaps "Concentrate on the job at hand!"
"Yea" Tyson growls.
Barns grumbles.
"Hmph! Go kill the front door!" Jacob orders.
"The back-door, you mean?" Barns remarks.
"Whatever!"

"Change of plan, Wulf!" Calvin squeaks into his brother's ear.
"What?" Wulfric asks.
"Down the leader. Before the two know what happened, we jump on them"
A smile forms on Wulfric's face.
"Sounds like fun" he replies.
Wulfric loads the arrow and draws the string noiselessly.
"Go!" Calvin mumbles.
And then everything speeds up.

Jacob happens to be looking right at the Nest when Wulfric rises. Words don't escape him, but he reaches for his pistol. Wulfric isn't caught offguard, and his arrow goes straight through the elbow into a lung, pinning his arm. Jacob screams.
His subordinates look back nonchalantly, and are frozen by the sight they see.
Not missing the advantage, Calvin jumps down on Tyson, taking him down. He seems knocked out.
Barns draws a pistol and aims at Calvin. But Wulfric fires a shaft into muzzle the moment the trigger is pulled, resulting in a misfire. Barns has his face blown off by the discharge of a whole particle battery, killing him instantly.
"Woah!" Calvin shields his eyes.
Tyson, seeing the chance, knocks him down and flees.
Jacob, now recovered from the chaos, draws his pistol with his other hand and takes aim at the newly recovered Calvin.
Wulfric doesn't repeat his mistake, and fires his arrow through Jacob's hand, also pinning it into the ground.
The shot, unfortunately, was fired. It grazes Calvin's shoulder and slams into the door, creating a green sizzling crater.
Calvin rushes towards Jacob and seizes the pistol. When he looks back, Tyson is gone.
Wulfric scrambles towards his brother.
"You shot again?" he half laughs, half seems grim. He pays no attention to the maimed man.
"Brushed against me" Calvin nods at his half burned sleeve "The main concern is that Tyso..." he is cut short by the screaming of wind against an escaping Earthzone.
"That BASTARD!" Jacob squirms.
"You're doomed bro" Wulfric remarks.
Jacob spits.
Calvin frantically grabs Wulfric before the latter knocks some teeth out.
"He's captured" Calvin places his hand back on his injured shoulder.
"Go call Raymond" Wulfric takes the authority. He pushes some switch (which looks suspiciously like the safety) and the bow folds using its mobile parts into less than half of its former size. He places it in a slot on his belt.
"I'll meet you in the Craftman's Rest with our dear visitor" Wulfric motions at a moaning Jacob "And get an autodoc on your arm"
"You're the boss" Calvin allows and unlocks the house.
"Now then" Wulfric sneers and Calvin hears a scream as he enters the hall.


The autodoc dispenses a patch after covering Calvin's burn with a spray. Calvin bears the stinging pain and snaps the patch on.
Calvin then leaves the Hall of Tortures, travells down the hall a bit, into the third room. The Com Room.
He falls into the chair, grabs the headset from the extended armrest, and gets it on.
"Call Raymond" he grunts.
"Calling Raymond" the AI responds.
"No answer" the AI whispers after half a minute.
"Call Rias" Calvin commands, hesitating.
"Calling Rias"
"No answer"
Now Calvin starts to get worried. What if these guys were there too?
"Node H232, return status 1 0 nil." he commands again.
"Return 0" the monotoned voice responds.
"Load framework 5A. Server injection H232."
"Framework loaded...Script injected...Transmission incoming"
On the screen on his front, the loading framework resides to display a video feed. Its Rias's bedroom, Calvin recognises. And Rias is sleeping peacefully on her bed.
"RIAS!" Calvin roars.
She wakes up immediately.
"What?" she responds dreamily "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY PC?"
"RIAS! Thank God you're OK! Its an emergency! Where's Raymond?" Calvin responds frantically.
"Whats wro..."
An explosion rocks her yard
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TheLoneWolf
Militia Captain
Militia Captain
Posts: 802
Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 5:03 pm
Location: Aboard the CSS Radiant

CHAPTER 7



"Wh...What was that?" Rias says, her voice almost a whisper.
"Cal?" Wulfric yells from the staircase "You coming or not?"
"Wulf! Rias's in danger!" Calvin yells back "I'm helping her! No more words! I'm trying to concentrate here!"
"Owkay" comes the reply.

"Calvin!" Rias pleas for attention "What must I do?"
Rias's night suit remains tight against her bosom, almost revealing the proper shape of her breasts. Because of the upheaval, an extra button is knocked open, giving a clear view of more than her cleavage.
Its only the situation that contains Calvin's inner pervert. (there's a pervert in all of us, and it begins to stir when it spots partitions)
"I'm taking control of Raymond's security system. You get something warm to cover yourself. What you are going to do now is grab a vehicle and come over here. I'm going to be watching the video feed, and instructing you as necessary" Calvin explains "Got it?"
"Got it!" Rias confirms.
She rises and does her hair for a moment.
"Turn off your screen" Rais warns "I'm going to change"
"I'm hacking..." Calvin chimes, mashing in script after script to break the firewall.
Rias doesn't take a chance. She turns her back to the camera, and takes off her dress.
The shuffling of garments excites Calvin, who tries hard to concentrate and harder still to avoid looking.
"Nodes H232A1 to H232A7 return 0. Nodes H232A8 to H232A11 return nil. Nodes H232A12 and A13 return 1. All H232B nodes return 0. Node H232C requires input string" numerous reports dash onto the screen and the AI reports through the headset as Calvin proceeds towards the final scripts.
"System, return boot to all H232 nil nodes" Calvin commands again.
"Booting" the progress bar announces.
"I'm ready" Rias adds "I hope you didn't look"
Calvin responds that he didn't.
"Great" she says, adjusting her hair through her jacket. Loose bangs cover her face as she does so, but she quickly sets them back.
"Take a quick peek outside" Calvin suggests.
"Ok!"
Rias removes the curtain a little and takes a quick look outside.
"Gosh!" she gasps "A crashed Earthzone!"
"EARTHZONE?!" Calvin goes frantic "You sure?"
"Yeah"
"The feed's coming in. Stay put! Lemme take a look around"
Calvin begins to go through all the cameras till he spots Tyson.
"Intruder incoming" he warns Rias.
"System initiate motion detection function in node H232A" Calvin commands.
"H232A return 0" comes the respond.
Calvin returns back to Rias.
"Alright! Take the ear-gear and follow my commands carefully, Rias. These guys are dangerous! Don't ask anything now. Wulfric has one of them up there, one is dead in the yard, and one is trying to break into your house. What you're going to do is grab a tri-rover from the garage, and speed over to our house!" Calvin states nonchalantly "Now leave your room towards the kitchen"
"But your house is in the middle of nowhere!" Rias cites.
"Middle of a forest" Calvin corrects her.
"Duh!"
"Just go away! Do you know where Raymond is?"
"Dad? He went away...To Constalon!"
"Constalon is an hour of rover ride. You'll manage?"
"You bet?"
"I wish I was with you."
"What?"
"Nothing!"
A blush creeps upon Calvin's neck.
"You said something. I'm sure of it" Rias continues "Something you wish you wouldn't have"
"No time for riddles, Rias. The guy has left the fro..."
A scream booms forth Calvin's headseat. Thankfully, the pitch adjustment mechanism protects his ears.
"RIAS!" he shouts "What happened? Damnit answer me!"
"Mmmmm!" a voice he recognizes, Tyson's, answers "Just you and me, babe! Its been a rough night for me! Why don't you help me in, so I can get over those gigantic playballs! I'm going to squeeze them till they begin to smart, and I'm going to ride you till either you or my cock gives in!"
Its followed by a particle shot and breaking of glass.
"Calvin!" Rias chokes back tears "He's breaking in through the kitchen window! I do wish you were here with me!"
"Run! Run towards the main hall! Into the study!" Calvin howls.
"You did hear me" Calvin gasps after a while.
He spots Rias running through the hall. He then spots her using the study camera, as the door snaps close behind her.
"SHUT UP AND TELL ME WHATS NEXT!" she growls.
"System initiate lockdown function to node H232B3" Calvin commands.
"Alright Rias. The door won't open now! Thank your dad. He installed ionized glass, so that guy has just broken through the kitchen" Calvin says to Rias.
"How are you so calm? I'm on the verge of losing my virginity to a criminal and YOU ARE BEING NONCHALANT!" she almost shouts.
"Because, my dearest virgin" Calvin states with determinism as well as cheer "I'm sure that I'll save you!"
Rias giggles.
"Calvin" she says "There's something I just realized. And I want you to know it"
"Yeah?" Calvin's breath doesn't escape as he weighs the possibilities.
Rias gulps.
"I want you to know that I..." she begins.
"Save that for later, Rias!" Calvin disturbs the perfect setting "I want you to jump from the window right now!"
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