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Post by ~ ADMIN on Jun 16, 2010 2:25:54 GMT -5
Anna knew that this would be a possibility, the government wanting to show their team of geniuses off to everyone else, to talk about all the work they were doing. If she got a night on a cruise liner and a free dinner, she wasn't complaining. The only thing that was mildly frustrating her was trying to figure out a dress to wear. She was used to jeans, shorts, maybe skirts, but not dresses, they weren't her thing. She sighed, and after tossing half her stuff all over the room, managed to settle for something she thought looked half decent, letting her hair down. One she was done, she was going to just go straight down to the dinner, see if anyone else was there yet, but she sort of wanted to be the first person to see Will in a tux or suit. If he was wearing one. Heading out of her room and along the corridor, she came to a halt in front of what she knew to be his room and knocked on his door, "William?" |
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Post by togger on Jun 16, 2010 16:49:40 GMT -5
Will looked into the mirror, grimacing slightly as he saw the reflection that stared back at him. A suit was not his primary clothing option, but he should have been used to it. Anne had taken him to church quite often and a suit had become almost a second skin to him...an uncomfortable second skin. His eyes caught the scenery that was visible outside his view port, which made him relax slightly. Watching nature...Anne had brought him on walks through gardens and the like, emphasizing how important nature was in their lives. Ironic that he dealt with machines all day. But machines were more efficient, more...he could feel a small tear trickle down from his eye
Anne...
A sharp knock pierced his reverie, the chief engineer quickly wiping the unusual emotional moment from his mind as he said:
"Open." The door opened to reveal...
"Ah. You." Will looked over her, silently admiring her figure. Those tactical clothes didn't emphasize her curves like this did.
"What is it?"
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Post by ~ ADMIN on Jun 16, 2010 17:01:15 GMT -5
"This, is a dress," she said, looking down at herself briefly before smirking. With his initial reaction, she hadn't exactly felt inclined to be sincere. "Seriously, I wanted to be the first to see you in a suit." She took a step inside the door, looking at him from there. He looked good.
"You know, and to check you were actually coming," she said, "I didn't know whether you'd still be back on the Venia updating systems analysis programmes or something." As much as there was some abruptness (?) between them, she did enjoy having him around. Tonight wouldn't have been as fun without him.
Taking a breath, she managed to admit, "you look good in a suit." Much better than she did in this dress, no doubt.
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Post by togger on Jun 16, 2010 17:07:08 GMT -5
"I was actually planning on taking care of a few late changes to the code of the ship's AI. There was a glitch somewhere..." Will turned around, picking up two cuff links off the desk and saying:
"Put these through my sleeves, will you? I can't get them in." For all of his engineering prowess, there was one thing that he could not grasp: the cuff link. Who designs these things anyway? Will wanted to come up with something different...speaking of which, he probably would. He extended his sleeves as he continued:
"The AI's programming isn't doing as well as it should when it comes to executing the X-Matrix. I won't bother explaining what that is, but it's pretty important." Her hair was glowing tonight.
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Post by ~ ADMIN on Jun 16, 2010 17:14:28 GMT -5
"I'm not surprised," she said, taking the cuff links from him, her hand brushing against his, before beginning to thread them through the button holes of the suit, making sure that they were secure. "I'm sure it's important. I'm also pretty sure that it can wait until tomorrow. You are allowed to have time off every once in a while." She paused, "never mind, I don't know where that came from." It sounded more like something her Mum would say than her, it was weird.
"There we go," she said, finishing with the cuff links, "one of man's inventions that is most impossible to master." It was sort of like the bow tie in that way. Although, she had never had to tie one before.
"Well, here's to not working for once," she said, before stepping back, looking at him, "ready?"
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Post by togger on Jun 16, 2010 17:24:27 GMT -5
Not working. That was a state William had never really been in...and was uncomfortable in. He had never actually stopped and thought about what life was about without...without work. A strange, hollow feeling came over him as he looked at Annabelle, shrugging slightly, his former self-confidence ebbing a little as he said:
"Let's go then."
"Oomph!"
The exclamation was followed by a loud THUMP, and the last of the guards on the engineering deck fell onto the metal floor that the engines of this grand ship were housed. Oh what a grand design this was! Politicians, those scum from Venia, everyone was rubbing noses, drinks, elbows, and anything else they could while others around the universe are suffering. Alien abuse, Slave trafficking...Jonea grit her teeth in anger as her crew filtered into the engineering room.
"What do we do, commander?"
"Plant the charges."
Will approached the entrance of the hall, looking at the grandiose nature of the place. It was grand alright...He looked to Annabelle, extending his arm as he asked:
"Aren't you going to take my arm? Wouldn't be very ladylike if you didn't, hmm?"
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Post by ~ ADMIN on Jun 16, 2010 17:30:18 GMT -5
Anna had walked along side him as they'd made their way to the ballroom quietly. She was a little more than surprised when he offered her his arm "What makes you think I'm a lady?" she asked, meaning lady-like, not that she wasn't female. Taking his arm, she gave him a smile, "thank you, good sir." This wasn't one of those situations where she had to be serious.
"Do you want to attempt to mingle, or should we be antisocial and go straight for the food?" she asked him. In any other situation, he'd probably say the latter, but she would give him the choice, just in case.
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Post by togger on Jun 16, 2010 17:39:36 GMT -5
Will led her into the room, hearing her question just as an older gentleman walked up to the two with a small smile, saying:
"Well! William Blake! How nice to see you again!" It took Will a moment to figure out who this man was: Harry Bird, one of the more popular engineering department heads back on Earth and the man who had hired him. Blake shook the man's hand as he smiled, saying:
"And to you, sir."
"I was just going to comment on h..." He was interrupted by an announcement for the guests to take seats at the nearby tables. Looks like some blowhard had something vaguely inspiring to say. Will led Annabelle to a table, actually pulling out the chair for her. Anne had taught him manners, after all.
"Charges set, Commander." Jonea nodded in approval, saying:
"Get topside."
"But Commander! It would be suici.." Jonea withdrew her pistol and shot a neat hole in the coward's head. She had no time for men with no resolve.
"MOVE IT!" Her crew began the trek up to the main deck.
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Post by ~ ADMIN on Jun 16, 2010 17:50:37 GMT -5
Anna merely listened as the man approached him. She had no idea who he was or how Will knew him, but it was nice to know that Will actually knew people outside of his department, and the machines he worked with. She gave the man a smile before they were interrupted, and she found herself being guided over to the appropriate table. "Here's where the fun starts," she said, sarcastically, taking the seat. "Thank you," she said quietly, watching him as he took a seat beside her. She hadn't realised how gentlemanly he could be. She didn't expect this treatment to continue once they were back on the Venia.
The speeches were always the worst part of a dinner, especially when they could see that the speaker had a lot they wanted to say. Anna covertly tried to stifle a yawn without much success. Everything was really quiet, and she was beginning to get a funny feeling in her gut, like something wasn't right.
She leaned over to her right and whispered, "Will," before she was cut off. A large explosion erupted from the bowels of the ship, causing the whole ship to shake violently, throwing people from their seats. The chandeliers in the ceiling, which were authentic and made from glass, broke from the ceiling and shattered on the floor.
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Post by togger on Jun 16, 2010 18:00:28 GMT -5
Will had leaned back in his chair, ready to listen very cynically from another politician when he heard Annabelle say his name and then things..well, things went black for a second. His ears were ringing...shouting...blackness...
Jonea had set the explosion off right when the last crew member got onto the main deck of the ship, the crew and Jonea herself armoring themselves up to shield themselves from the impact of the explosion. She WAS going to interrupt the ceremony, but it would be much easier to snag a hostage or two in the confusion. Speaking of a hostage...
Will had been crawling through the thick confusion of bodies, smoke, and overturned tables before he felt a set of arms take him by the waist and a sharp pain..
Blackness.
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Post by ~ ADMIN on Jun 16, 2010 18:06:59 GMT -5
Anna had hit the floor almost as soon as the explosion had gone off, throwing her arms up over her head to shield herself from the falling glass. Her ears were ringing and the lights were out, but she could see movement and hear the distorted screams of the frightened people around her.
Looking around her, she tried desperately to focus her eyes into the new light conditions. "Will?" she called out, trying to see him. He'd been right next to her only a few moments ago, where could he have gone? "WILL?"
Climbing to her feet, she looked around but couldn't see him, but figures were retreating out of the entrance to the ballroom. Why hadn't she brought a purse with a weapon or something? Why? "God damn it," she muttered, beginning to help people up. It was only when one man gripped particularly tightly onto her arm that she realised she had cuts and scratches all over her hands and arms. Luckily for her, the adrenaline was blocking out the pain.
"WILL?" she shouted again, but he was nowhere to be seen. She had to try and figure out what had happened.
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Post by togger on Jun 16, 2010 18:17:44 GMT -5
"Come on, wake up pig." Jonea delivered yet another slap to the man's cheek, trying to wake him up in time for their announcement to the entire ship. The terrorist and her crew were holding out on the opposite end of the ship near the crew quarters, which was the least damaged part of the ship. Her crew managed to secure a few more hostages before they were in danger of being trampled. Of course, she knew that they could demolish the entire denizens of the ship and make it a slaughterhouse, but that...that wouldn't be enough. She wanted them to suffer.
"Who...who in the world are you?" Will looked at the heavily armored...woman. It was a woman.
"Just shut up." She held her pistol up to Will's head as she tapped her ear, listening to the chaos ensuing on the other end of the ship via the ship's primary comm system. Time to let them know who they were dealing with. Will struggled slightly against the restraints, but was stilled by the woman shooting a beam near his head.
"You mean business then." Jonea shot Will a glare as she voiced over the intercom system:
"ALL OF YOU! LISTEN! We are on a crash course with the planet below us. Soon, all of you Government pigs will be burned in the lava below. All the suffering you've caused others, all the suffering you've caused US is now coming around to you. And just in case some do-gooder wants to try and stop us, any tampering with the back up power OR any attempts to move from your current location will be countered with a dead hostage. Don't believe me?" Jonea turned to Will, saying":
"State your name." Will stuck his chin out in defiance, Jonea getting frustrated, shooting Will in the leg, causing the engineer to shout in pain.
"YOUR NAME!"
"You...you idiots aren't going to get off of this rock alive."
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Post by ~ ADMIN on Jun 16, 2010 18:28:07 GMT -5
Anna wasn't going to be able to find him in this mess. They had to get everyone calm first before they could do anything. She couldn't see Jack or the Captain, otherwise she would hav deferred to them, but someone had to do something. Climbing up onto one of the tables, she bellowed in order to get people's attention. A couple of dozen people gave her their attention. "All right, we need to get everyone calm and quiet so we can deal with this," she told them, "pass it on."
Unfortunately, the message didn't get far before a voice came over the comm system. So, this was a terrorist attack, and they had hostages. Crap. This hadn't been the evening Anna had been hoping for. An evening off work was all she had asked, and now she had been plunged into one of the worst situations she'd ever faced.
When she heard Will's voice, she froze. She recognised it instantly, her heart stopping. No, no, no, he was one of the hostages. And he was antagonising them. "Damn it, Will," she muttered.
They had to sort this out. No matter what the terrorists said, they couldn't be left to get away with this, to kill all of these people. Someone else could deal with getting the power back up, she was going to set the hostages free. But she'd need a weapon first.
Once she was out of the hall, she ditched her shoes, scooped her hair back out of her face and tore her dress so it was easier to move in. Then she grabbed a small hand held device and a phase pistol, before setting off to find the terrorists, using the computer to scan for life signs. She had to make it so they wouldn't see her coming.
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Post by togger on Jun 16, 2010 18:39:24 GMT -5
Maybe saying his name would have been a better idea...but bowing down to these idiots? Not a chance! They had no sense of direction, no sense of right and wrong, they didn't KNOW where they were going and that's why they did these idiotic things. The "misguided" of the world. He sucked air through gritted teeth as a bolt of pain shot through his leg, the realization that he got shot in the leg now fully hitting him. Was it all the way through? If it was...
Jonea could see from the room that she and Will occupied that they would be crash landing onto the planet soon. She smiled slightly, that smile being interrupted by one of her crew saying over the comm system:
"Commander, we got someone trying to sneak into where the other hostages are being held."
"Kill it."
"Yes ma'am." A shot was fired. Good, that should teach them a lesson.
Will recoiled at the order Jonea gave, shaking his head as he antagonized further:
"You ever wonder why idiots like you don't run this universe? Because you're misguided. You don't know how to run anything, let alone your own organizations."
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Post by ~ ADMIN on Jun 16, 2010 18:48:49 GMT -5
Anna had reacted a little too late for the blast to miss her completed, but it missed it's intended target, grazing her arm instead. Grunting through the pain, the person tried to fire again, but she got there first, immobilising him before pulling out his comms and knocking him unconscious in one swift movement. She didn't want the leader to know she was still alive.
Now she was close, she could see what was going on in the room. All the hostages were gathered together on the floor with their hands behind their heads, all accept one. She couldn't tell whether he'd been hurt or not from where she was standing, she hoped he was okay.
There was no way she could go in all guns blazing and hope to come out alive, or not hurt any of the hostages. Instead, she managed to climb up into the ventilation shafts, crawling along until she was over the room. A grate was positioned directly over the leader's head. Perfect.
Taking a breath, she dropped from the ceiling on the leader's head, knocking her to the floor, straddling her whilst holding a gun to her head. "None of you move, otherwise you can say good bye to your fearless leader here." She had no intention (for the moment) of killing the woman. She may need her to regain control of the ship.
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