Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Found this don't know what it is
I know I wrote it, but I'm not sure when or why, but here ya go:

The sound of running water fills the tunnel, echoing into the darkness beyond the sphere of light. I take a stuttered breath, it was over. The bright flood lights make a small dome of light around the clean up crew as they work. Piece by piece they pick up what is left of the massacre; the water that pooled was a dim red. I shake my head, “May they burn in hell.” I mutter as I make my way out of the tunnel and into the station. There, another crew was cleaning up what is left of the subway train. Two died there; that much I know. I jump up onto the platform, my right arm sways momentarily. The bleeding still has not stopped, and it still hurt. That bitch dug deep into my shoulder, almost took it off; took her head for that I did. I survey the station, I was the only member of the main team left in there. The rest are probably top side.

I make my way up the stairs to the street; the silent sirens blare in my ears as the flashing lights catch my eyes. What a mess, what a fucking mess. In the light of the street lamp above I feel the need to look myself over. My shirt is torn and blood stained, so are my pants, my left arm has superficial scratches (they had clotted and will be fine), and my beautifully mauled right arm hung almost dead at my side. Like I said, what a fucking mess. Someone puts a hand on my shoulder. I turn around with a start, “Oh, it's you.” I breathe a sigh of relief, it was Alice (one of the other members of the main team). And being who she is, she appeared basically unharmed; just a bit of torn clothing. “So what’s the damage?” I ask as she leads me away from the station entrance.
“All together there were,” She hesitates a moment, “nine deaths. This is going to be hard to cover up, you know.”
“Yeah I know. But,” A half smile comes across my face, “that’s what you’re good at, Goddess.”
“Yeah, fan-fucking-tastic.” She sighs and shakes her head, “But it’s got to get done.”

We duck under the caution tape and follow the line of body bags that lay on the grass of the park. I can see Lilith not to far off doing her best to heal the wounded. God only knows how many total for that. “Salvo!” Someone from a group of cops calls over to us. I watch as she squeezes out of the bunch and runs over to us. “What’s up, Doll?” I ask Soya as she comes along side us. Her face was still spotted with blood and she still had a few scratches showing through the tears of her amp-suit. Lilith must have taken care of any of the fatal wounds.
“Wonder Girl wants to see you.” I notice that she is walking with a slight limp, “And she doesn’t want to hear that you can hold out till she’s finished with the other injured.”
“I really am fine.”
“Yeah right.” She points at my arm, “I could follow the trail of blood to anywhere you’ve been. And as far as I can tell, it is still making a path.”
I lift up my arm with the help of the other one, “Now it isn’t.”
“Whatever.” Soya shakes her head again and runs off back to the cops.
Alice pokes my arm, “Ow, don’t.” I slap at her hand.
“Then go see Wonder Girl.” She pushes me forward by my right arm. I cringe with pain.
“Fine.” I say through my teeth as I leave Alice where she stood. The injured spot the park grounds, I make a quick count. Fifteen in all. There were more, but they probably left. What a fucking mess. One was missing, Shinji. I don’t see him in the crowd. "Spike went to find any other injured we might have missed." Lilith informs as I stop near the front of the line. I watch as she picks up one of the many severed limbs of our enemy and take it into herself. She then used it to replace the arm, good as new, on the patient. As long as she has something to replenish herself, she can heal anything. And from what I can see, getting the material is as simple as looking down at the ground next to you. "Come on." She motions me forward, I comply, "Well, you won." She says in the same flat, slightly sarcastic tone as always. I roll my eyes as she sticks her hand in my chest and moves it up to my shoulder. No matter how many times in the past she has done this, it still feels funny. It is like she is placing elastic plaster in my arm and stretching it to fill and cover the wound. The severed enemy hand she held disappeared into her to replace what she gave to me. "There," She took her hand out, "all better. Now go help Goddess." I give a half nod and leave back the way I came.

We all have our roles: Soya is working with the police on damage and crowd control, Lilith is the medic, Alice is the surveyor getting ready to put the cover up into affect tonight, Shinji is out looking for more survivors, and me-I'm just here. Headquarters is going to have a field day when the final report is submitted. I look around, Alice is no where to be seen. Might as well check on the crews in the station. I go back across the street and down the stairs. The crew from inside the tunnel is moving out the equipment and the crew working on the train is washing down the walls to clear the marks. "A subway accident." I look over at the speaker, it is Alice. She had changed her appearance to her more adult one, she is wearing a suit. "What's with the change?" I ask.
"While I'm in the Wired, someone needs to do the foot work. So I am using this back up while I ready everything for tonight."
"Ah, so you are Persona."
"Yep," She smiled, "So don't get cocky. I will kick your ass."
"You almost broke out not too long ago. Goddess rarely says fuck."
"I had to move quick, the clean up will take me all night most likely."
"Forgiven." I sigh, "Been a while since I last talked to you."
"Yes it has." Persona makes a few hand signals to one of the workers, he enters a portal carrying one of the flood lights.
"What should I do?"
"Well, I've got to start planting markers. So I guess, just make sure everything gets cleaned and everyone is dispersed and sent home."
"Yes Ma'am." I salute as she disappears into the same portal the worker went into.

I walk to the edge of the platform and look down at the tracks, shiny and clean. "Sir." One of the workers calls to me.
I look over, "What?"
He holds up an arm blade, "It is from the poison breed."
"Put it in a sealed container and get it to the lab." I rub my forehead, "Is that the only sign of the poison breed here?"
"As far as we can tell, the creature corroded the tracks causing the train to lose control. A suicide mission." The man kneels down and places the blade in a container one of the other workers brought him. "Take it to the lab." He orders the other worker. The woman disappears into the portal.
"Is everything else finished?" I ask as the last flood light is put away.
"As I informed the commander, yes. A few of my men will stay behind and help with the cover up."

"Sounds good." What a fucking mess. I go back up the stairs and over to the body bags where Soya was helping to load the trucks. It is an unsightly thing, the way we all can work without the slightest show of remorse. I silently help her pick up one of the dead; only that silence told anyone around that we hated it. One by one the dead are loaded into the trucks and hauled off to the morgue. One by one families are torn apart. Nine, nine dead and how many of us? None. Just civilians, nine unknown people who were just wanting to relax in the park or go to work. And here I am, alive and well.

I wonder if I could ever die. I put my head in my hands as I sat on the bench. "Hey, you okay?" Soya asks standing in front of me. I look up at her, my face red. She smiles and sits down next to me. "It'll be okay." She puts her arm around me and holds me close, "I know what you're thinking, that I'm used to it because I've gone through worse." She closes her eyes, "To tell you the truth, it never gets easy. Whether it is one or one hundred who die, it still hurts. I was just so pig headed that I never realized it till after all was lost and brought back." She pauses and holds back a cry, "It may seem cold but telling yourself that it could have been worse, can help. In its own way."
I smile and look at her, "I'll be fine, I just need some time alone to think things through. But thanks though."
Soya stands up, "Me and Wonder Girl will get the rest, just head back to the apartment and clean up. You look like hell."
"Good night, Doll."

"Night, Salvo." I watch as Soya walks off towards Lilith. I slowly stand up and look at the sky; the night sky was spotted with stars and the moon seems to be tainted with blood. 'A red moon rises, blood has been spilled this night' (Legolas). A dark joke for a dark night. What a fucking mess. I step through a portal and enter the apartment near the front door. The light from the laptops lit the room with a colorful hue. I walk over and stand in the middle of the crescent of screens. In one screen I can see the path Alice is taking to replace the memories. In another, a map of the affected area and where Persona has placed markers. In the last, the area of the brain being rewritten. They are lucky, they can forget. It never happened for them, but for us it is as real as the dry blood on my face.

I sit down to look at the screens better. “Navi,” I am speaking to the computer, “What’s the final cover plan’s layout?”
A soft female voice answers, “Alice’s plan is to make the deaths related to the subway accident. The workers are ordered to recreate the scene of a severe crash. The train derailed and crashed full speed into the wall of the platform; killing the conductor and passengers in the first car.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Have any better ideas?”
I shake my head, “No.”
“Go get cleaned up. You look like hell.”

“That’s the plan.” I stand up. The joints in my spine crack as I stretch. I feel light headed. Leaving the computers, I go around the couch and into the bedroom. It was useless, trying to save everyone. I throw my shirt and pants by the trash can and open the door to the bathroom. At once, I feel I no longer like the white of the tiles when I turn the light on. Nothing is pure in the world. The water from the shower will become the same as the water in the tunnel, tainted. I step into the hot water not caring to cool it any. I want all the death to be burned away by the water; to rid myself of the stench of the enemy. The rusty water circled the drain bubbling with red soap. Steam blocks my view to the outside, not like I want to see there anyway. Whether it is my fault or not, I still hate this day and myself.

I turn off the shower and stand silently, head bowed. The water from my face and limbs drip clear and clean; the smell of the air around is flowery and white. Clutching my towel around my waist, I leave the bathroom and go to the balcony. The door slid open letting the cool air outside hit my naked, wet skin. I want it gone, into the wind, away. With my free hand I pinch myself, it isn’t some nightmare. I have to keep reminding myself that; I am wide awake. The remaining cuts and bruises are barely visible in the light of the moon. It looks like I was one of the ones in the ‘subway accident.’ They will be gone in a matter of days and my body will have then forgotten this day as well.

I hear the door to the apartment open and turn to see Lilith flip the lights on. Shinji helps Soya through the door, her limp is worse. He sets her on the couch and Lilith kneels to look at it. Shinji looks up to see me entering the room, “She okay?” I ask as I reach the couch.

Lilith looks up at me, “Nothing I can’t fix.” She sticks her hand into Soya’s leg, Soya flinches as Lilith runs her hand up and down the leg, “If you had said something earlier, it wouldn’t be so bad.”
Soya’s face loosens as Lilith removes her hand, “You were busy, didn’t want to bother you.”
“You and Alex are stubborn when it comes to injuries.”
“Thank you Lt. Obvious.”
Lilith rolls her eyes and stands, “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a shower.”
“You sure?” I ask with a smile.
“About what?” Lilith asks in a dead pan tone.
“I think blood looks good on you.” Lilith rolls her eyes at me and sighs as she walks off into the bedroom.
“Sexy.” Shinji says eyeing me over.
“I’ll put something on in a minute.” I crack my neck, “Just not right now.”
"Make it soon, my eyes are burning."
"You're just jealous."
Shinji shakes his head and goes out to the balcony. I sit down on the couch, Soya puts her feet in my lap, "Thanks for earlier."
She smiles, "No problem."
"For someone who had lots of mental problems, you've turned out quite good."
"Lets just say that the instramentality helped me flesh out a few things. The years with Alice helped as well." Soya laughes, "That's not to say I still don't have any baggage."
"We all have baggage, you are just able to pack it better."
"It takes practice." She kicks my leg, "Now get up and get changed, I'm starving."
"And I guess I'm paying." I crack my neck, "The shit hits the fan and all you can think about is food."
"Nothing will get done if we aren't taking care of ourselves."

I push off her feet, "Fine, I'll just be a second." I get off the couch and make my way into the bedroom. I can hear the shower door open slightly, the water still running. "Who ever is out there, I need a wash rag." Lilith calls from the bathroom. I sigh and look around the room, none. I move into the bathroom, there was one folded by the clothes hamper. I pick it up and tap on the shower door; it cracks and Lilith's hand slithers out to grab the rag, "Thanks." She says as she closes the door, "What's the plan now?"
"Soya wants to eat, Shinji wants me to change, and you should have stayed bloody." I slowly back away as I say the last part..
"I'll get you later." Lilith says having noticed I'm not at arms length.

"Whatever." I leave the bathroom and move back to the bed. Letting the towel fall, I unzip my travel bag and pull out a pair of underwear and pants. I put them on, go to the closet and grab the only shirt left hanging; the rest lay in a heap on the ground. As I leave the bedroom I hear the gentle hiss of air entering the tight, almost spandex like amp suit Soya wore; she let out a sigh, "God I'm all sweaty." she rests her head against the back of the couch and turns it to look at me, "I just want food, I don't care what it is."
"I want a burger." Shinji announces as he reenters the living room.
The sound of running water stops and there was a moment of silence as the shower door closes. The floor creeks as Lilith rounds the corner into the living room wrapped in a towel, "Just remember, no meat." It appears I am the "gofor."
"Where's a 7-Eleven when you need one?" I sigh as I head to the door, "Be back in a bit." I close the door and head down the hall to the elevator. The woman next door is also leaving; she looks at me and smiles, "Glad to see you weren't on that train."
"Train?" I ask, trying to sound like I haven't a clue.
"They just said on the news that a subway train derailed killing nine and injuring ten."
I push the button to go down, "Do they know the cause?"
"If they do, they haven't announced it yet."
We step onto the elevator and the woman pushes the button for the first floor, "What are you doing out so late?"
"I'm on the night shift this week. You?" The elevator stops on the second and a young couple gets on.
I scratch me chin, "Munchy run. No one else wanted to go."
"I see." The elevator reachs the destination and we get off, "There's a small shop about a block east, they have a bit of a variety."
"Thanks." I wave as the lady heads off opposite my current direction. I open the door and step out into the cool night.

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