Sun chuckled softly at Michael's naive enthusiasm. Sun was optimistic, but far from naive as some might like to think of him. But there was a childish innocence that Michael had that Sun didn't have, and probably would never have. His own childhood had been stripped away from him and placed in a neat little box and then subjected to intense outer forces until it simply...imploded. Luckily, Sun's nature was of the pleasent type. Not everyone recovers from being a guinea pig with mental sanity. Sun had winked back to Tobias who attempted to help him persuade Michael's cooperation. It seemed to work.

This was Sun's first time meeting this...Michael...and yet, the boy already knew his name...even his codename. All Sun could do was smile and chuckle as Michael retorted against his good offense is a good defense inclination. Not to say Sun wouldn't fight, but only if necessary. Why fight unless it was a formality right? But alas...they lived in The Days the Earth Fell and it seemed as though it would never make a full recovery. A full recovery to what exactly? This world is all Sun knew. He'd heard stories of a more beautiful and vibrant earth...but centuries have past and still no real progress has been made. As Michael fiddled about, Sun look back upon the boy and girl, who at this point were much more relaxed and calm, but still...he could see some essence of fear left over. Their hands were still tightly grasped. He didn't dare try and seperate them. Sun spoke slowly and playfully, his bright lovely eyes gleaming between their faces. "So....what are your names?".

The girl gulped. She looked a bit older than the boy, who seemed somewhat stone faced, as though he couldn't speak, even if he wanted to. Sun raised an eyebrow intense contemplation. Then the girl spoke quietly, almost in an airy whisper..."Libby...my...umm...my...name is...Libby mam.", she awkwardly stuttered. But she continued, her voice coming more into fruition. "And..umm, this here is my brother Copper mam. He's actually my twin brother miss if ya didnt know." The girl let out a deep sigh and paused, waiting on Sun's response. Sun was intrigued. Her voice had a country twang to it, very southern.

Sun showcased to them one of his signature eye smiles as a show of affection and cheerfulness. "Well Libby, I'm very pleased to meet you. You as well Copper", Sun said warmly as he deeply bowed to them both as a show of respect. They looked wide eyed like a doe in headlights, as if they didn't know what he was doing or why for that matter. When Sun raised up and saw their faces, he chuckled out loud. "Oh sorry, thats just my way of being polite. And...just for the record...I'm not a miss...", he added, albeit rather awkwardly. He knew he was feminine looking, but most people at this point knew he was a guy. Libby eyed him up and down and looked at her brother who did the same. They looked at eachother with confused dispositions and then Libby looked back to Sun. She retorted..."But mam...I mean sir...ya look like a lady. Ya sure ya aint no lady?". Her question was very serious, no joking undertone watsoever. Sun rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and let out a coy chuckle and an even more obtuse smile.."Yeah...i'm sure", he said in a low and slightly odd tone. He understood though the confusion. He got that alot when he first met someone new. Sun sighed rather nonchalantly and looked back to Michael, who, with gun in hand, began walking off towards the med center after guarenteeing the safety of the now named Libby and Copper. He looked so gungho and chipper, it was pleasently amusing.

Sun faced the twins briefly and said..."Get ready to fly".

Sun stood still for a moment and intensely concentrated. From those looking on, it was obvious he was in deep focus. His eyes were closed and his head was slightly tilted upward. While there was always an aura of invisible psionic energy saturated over his entire body, the central focus of this energy was his forehead. Sun stayed focused, breathing heavily, as small butterfly-shaped sprites began emanating from the center of his forehead like a feather being gently blown on. They were so petite and ethereal, as if the slightest gust of wind would blow them away. They could literally fit in the palm of a small childs hand. As their numbers increased, they began to playfully float about, finding their way to Libby, Copper, and Michael, and loosely orbiting around their bodies. Sun also had his own set of orbiting sprites. What happened next was remarkable. With the sprites orbiting around the four of them, they would feel light as a feather, almost virtually weightless and would slowly, controlled by Sun's mental commands, would begin to hover and gradually levitate high into the sky. Not too high of course, but enough to comfortably float over the buildings that were between them and the med center.

Libby and Copper still had their hands together, even within the mass of sprites that were playfully tugging at their ragged clothes and floating around their bodies. With the four of them now floating in the sky, surronded by playful sprites of pure psionic energy, Sun looked to them all and smiled warmly. "No need to worry. Enjoy the ride.", he said reassuringly. Libby looked like she was enjoying herself, but Copper on the other hand looked nervous. Libby made sure she gripped his hand tightly in hers, trying to ease his uncertainty. Sun floated behind along side the twins and gave Michael free reign to move as he pleased, allwoing him to float in front of them in hopes that he would lead the way and feel that he was helping and leading the charge. Sun made sure to call out to him..."Michael lead the way buddy. Just don't fly to far ahead of us or too far away. If your not near me, then the sprites will disappear and....you'll fall. So best behave okay? Now lead the way captain", he said in a playful but very serious tone. He nodded to Michael, giving him confirmation to proceed.

Sun took one further moment to concentrate, and then began propelling them forward at a consistent and comfortable speed, enough to feel a nice airy breeze upon their faces as they proceeded airborne to the med center.

Fen stood when Anora arrived, happy to see her. They needed to get this guy back soon if they wanted him to live. Fen looked back behind him to see that a dust cloud was arising in the distance; it must have been the others with the car. He thought about shifting back into his wolf form, as to not embarrass anyone with his lack of clothing, but he really needed to be able to talk.

The wolf man crouched down beside their strange guest once more and carefully slipped a hand into the guy's left pant pocket. Maybe he could find something that would clue them in on who this guy was.
"I'm, uh, I'm not really sure," Fen answered Anora, not looking at her. He wasn't the best at talking to people. He pulled out a handful of stuff from the man's pocket and began to sort through it. There was folded piece of paper, which turned out to be a map to the city when Fen opened it up. It was hand drawn and rather crude, but apparently it have worked. Until the guy got got, anyways.

Fen pulled out a small, shiny, square packet that read 'Durex' on one side. What was that? Some kind of candy? He didn't know. Fen dropped it on top of the map and stuffed them both back in the guy's pocket. He didn't appear to have anything that could identify him. Fen rocked back onto his butt and sat down in the dirt.
"He said 'they sent them' before he, uh, fell asleep. 'They sent a Trojan horse'. Or something like that, it was hard to tell. He, uh, he had this funny accent. In my old Greek mythology books, a Trojan horse was a statue that the Trojans sent into Achaeans. The Greeks took it because, well, I guess they thought it was cool. But the statue had soldiers inside, and they attacked once the men of Achaeans were asleep." When it came to mythology, Fen was your guy. There was almost nothing that he liked to talk about more.

"So, put simply, a Trojan horse is something that appears innocent and trustworthy on the outside, but is nefarious on the inside. Or maybe our friend is just, you know, crazy. I'm not sure." Fen shrugged.

--CLO--
Greetings back in the city were short and sweet. Everyone was relieved to see not only Clo but also the two kids Sun had envisioned earlier, a fact Clo was still unaware of. Sun himself had given her a warm smile upon her return that helped to brighten her mood. He was as gorgeous that morning as he was every morning and although she didn't always get the chance to let him know she was sure to tell him then. Many of the people who were up and about and at the gate she had a tendency to miss as she would have already turned in for some rest had she not chased after the dead. It was nice to see everyone working together and working hard in the city's defense and gave her pride in her work. If she had to prolong her shift again for the sake of the city and two lost children, she would gladly do it. Now that they were safe, and there was no immediate threat on the city, there were only two things left on her mind: Rest and of course her sister Ramera. She imagined her oldest adoptive sis to be both worried and most of all fuming with anger so when she'd spotted her metallic wings and moved to say something, Ramera's quick departure took her completely by surprise. She watched as the Harpy took off for the top of the wall, her wings flashing in light of the sun when she was out of the shadows.

"Ramera?" She called out though not loud enough for her retreating sister to hear. Perhaps it was a sense of duty or maybe she just needed space after the events of the morning. Clo didn't know but she had this uneasy feeling that it was her fault and that bringing it up now might not be the best idea. Her sister was technically in the middle of her shift and distracting her when there were threats just outside the wall wasn't entirely wise. She figured she'd exchange words, as harsh as they may be, with her sister when she was rested and had collected herself. ...Seems like I'll be doing ALOT of explaining...

After declining Sun's offer for a lift and watching him float off with the two kids and the future of the city's warriors, she turned in the same direction and began a walk toward the medical center. Old habits died hard and although she'd just learned a lesson in embracing her gifts, she still wanted to walk instead of fly even if her wings weren't an issue anymore. She was sure to bade the others a sincere thanks and good luck and made sure to let Tobias and Jacob know to be careful out in the Red Waste before she left herself.

Jacob gave a nod to everyone left by the wall, and hopped in the passenger seat of the Solar Streaker. He held on to the seat as Tobias gunned the engine and went flying out of the gate at top speed. At Tobias's suggestion, Jacob fired a green flare from the flare gun out the window and into the air. As familiar as Jacob was with the Red Wastes, he never really drove through it. None the less, Jacob was quite impatient with their progress. He opened a compartment between the seats, exposing a strange wire attached to some sort of device, with an hand imprint. Jacob turned to Tobias and said "Brace yourself. I'm going to overclock the engine." Jacob took off his glove, exposing his glowing hand. Jacob wasn't worried about Tobias. This was only a slight amount of radiation, and Tobias could easily adapt to counter it. Probably. He placed his hand on the device, discharging a slight amount of radiation into it. Suddenly, the exhaust port in the back discharged a green energy, as the solar car shot forward even faster then before.

---CYPHER---
"Hey... hey" Cypher called to the woman, snapping his fingers in front of her sweating face to get her attention. He was in the tent now, sitting directly across from the woman in his own chair. She'd been tied down to hers preventing her escape and so as to keep others in the tent safe. For the time being it was only the Doc and himself. Doc's hands were pressed against the middle of her back between her shoulder blades where he focused his "energy". Slowly, very slowly, the cuts and bruises around her face began to close and heal. The broken rib she had suffered began to mend itself back into place. Her lungs opened up and she found her breath. "You're fine." He continued. "Look at me."

The woman picked her chin up and looked at Cypher with pleading eyes. Sure she was fine now, nearly full strength even but the pain she'd been exposed to was forever burned into her memories. She didn't want to go through their cycle of torture again. "Please..." She began but Cypher held his hand up to stop her.

"You know what it is I want to know. You tell me and depending on whether or not I like what I hear will determine where we go afterwards."

That was as good an escape as any. She knew she wouldn't get the same offer twice let alone a better option and so nodded her head and began to collect her thoughts.

"Paradise. The Land of Milk and Honey as you call it. It's actually not that far from here. We wer- I'm surprised you haven't already found it." She looked from Cypher to Doc and then back to Cypher again. "Maybe a little less than twenty miles from here... East. During the day it's fairly easy to spot. There's this light that flickers on and off above the city. Not sure what it is. I've never gotten close enough to get a good look but I've seen the place from afar. I assure you its Paradise. People are always coming and going from there."

"And why haven't you entered the city?"

The woman shook her head at the question, her solemn face only becoming more sullen. "It's not a place for people like me... for people like you. They won't take us in. They can't cause we won't let them. Cause we're beyond saving. We kill to survive and you know exactly what I mean by that. We don't just kill the dead, we kill each other just to prolong our shitty lives." She paused when she felt pressure against her back. She was forgetting where she was and needed to come back down to Earth before they brought her back themselves. "Look, I'm sorry for killing her... I'm sorry for taking from you but you know what it's like... what you need to do to survive. But... It's already over for me. Just please... end this."

Cypher paused in thought, pressing his hand to his chin in an odd habit he'd picked up from a long time ago. He was contemplating what the woman had said and weighing against... well everything. Was she still a threat? How would his people feel about letting her go free? How would they feel if he killed her? How would he feel?

...Good...
He answered his own question as he pulled out a pistol and checked to make sure it was loaded. It had belonged to Crystal, the victim of the woman in front of him. Her eyes remained unchanging having already accepted her fate and realizing that nothing could change it. She watched as Cypher got to his feet, and pointed the barrel at her forehead.

"Wait!.... wait." She yelled out suddenly, not for mercy but because she'd remembered something else. Cypher waited, holding the gun where it was. "One more thing you might want to know. Just before your men attacked us, we ran into another group, rather small. Three men if I remember correctly. We traded with them, traded most of the things we stole from you actually." She paused for a moment, looking for some reaction from Cypher. She didn't get any. "They needed food and medicine, looked like they were in a fight or something. Their knuckles were bloody and bruised and one of them had a black eye. Still cute despite..." She was starting to smile but then caught herself. "Anyways as they were leaving I overheard them talking about some guy they'd left behind to die. Didn't hear everything they said but it sounded like it had something to do with the City you're looking for. Like because he was out of the picture they were safe? I'm not entirely sure..."

Cypher pressed the cold metal of the barrel against her skin.

"Alright! alright... I'm telling you this because I know what it is you want! Thought maybe if you found them you could use the extra help... Not that you need help..." She tried to correct herself but the pressure against her forehead told her she was too late. ...Fuck my stupid mouth...

"You're right.. I don't need help."

Cypher pulled the trigger.

TOBIAS

Tobias saw the green flare fly high into the air, it was only for a split second really, mainly cause they'd done sped right past where it had been shot, but he knew the signal would be seen, and Fen and the other's would know help or aid was on the way. when Jacob started moving around more, he turned to watch him pull on a wire he didnt know was there, and a device as well, then hearing what Jacob said, Tobias arched a brow. "im Braced, do what you need to do" he assured, looking ahead again, trusting that Jacob knew what he was doing, and when that burst of Radiation came from him, knowing already what that was like, Tobias's body reacted, even though it was a small amount. his whole right side changed, becoming a blackish silver like sheen. right down the middle, like someone had dipped him on his side in paint.. the car rocked forward and Tobias smiled, or the left side of his body and face did, the right couldnt move, his mouth a straight line. "used a bit of Radiation to boost us" the car like a green bullet now with that bright green erupting out of the back. "not to worry, just turned my right side into lead is all" removing his left hand from the wheel he reached over and rapped his knuckle on his right arm that still held the wheel and a it sounded like someone had knocked against..well metal. "i've been poisoned before by Radiation, i adapted to it then, my body remembers" he gave a quick explaination, it will fade before to long, but that whole right side was going to weight more, moving was harder under all the weight. they now sped right toward where Fen's howl had come from, and they'd be up on him in no time, not knowing that Anora, Shay and Ravenia were already there.. Turning the wheel hard left, they pulled away and started heading around some Dead, putting Jacob, pointed right at them. "Light em up!!" Tobias yelled, giving the man a lot of moving targets to have some fun at.. they'd make a wide circle around the first group of dead that had survived Anora, Clo, Shay and Ravenia, thinning the herd a bit as it was, who said the ladies got to have all the fun anyway.

MICHAEL

he laughed, he couldnt help but laugh and it wasnt a weak one, this one was a good belly laugh. "Wallflower isnt a girl, he's a man, and he's one of the Blessed Ones too, they are Elite too" he said, clearly about to start bragging. "your lucky to be with me around" he said, puffing out his chest as he held the rifle. "i know about all the warriors and the Blessed Ones, everything" he said, stopping, he turned around. and watched, hearing their names, the girls was Libby and the boy was Copper. Michael watched them closely. but he did relax and put the Rifle around his shoulders, wiggling his arms, they were numb from holding that heavy thing.

at the mention of flying, something he'd never gotten to do he smiled and watched as the Etheral butterflies all came from Wallflower himself, right between his eyes he watched and smiled, this was the first time he'd gotten to see what made an Blessed One so special. and just like that, Michael's feet, along with Libby and Copper would float off the ground. "oh wow!" Michael said, the child there. "this is kick ASS" he yelled, flying around. "MICHAEL!!" the shrek came, and Michael groaned, turning around as his aunt, red faced and holding the belt came walking up. "aunty, im working here.. im on a special assignment" he floated over to her, and her eyes were wide. "how, wha.. no one would give you a mission, and where did you get all these, i swear boy" finding her meat cleaver. "is that my cleaver!" she said. "i found it" his go to line. "its my weapon now, i cannot be unprepared, if the Dead or some raiders got into the city, i'd need them to kick some as.." his mouth was covered. "hush" she said. "im so sorry you had to deal with my.. wild Nephew" she said to Sun. "i'll take him now, he's suppose to be with the other children" from under her hand, Michael was giving a long lecture to, his chest rising and falling as he floated in front of his aunt and she stripped him of his belt, it clattered to the ground, she took the rifle off. "dear lord, you could kill yourself or someone else touching that" shaking her hand. "whatever am i going to do with you, i have half a mind to take you right to Mother herself and let her punish you" she had to keep his mouth covered the whole time or they'd be hearing a lot of cursing and complaining. "if you can let him down, the last thing this one needs is to be able to fly away from me, im taking him home now and again im sorry, he.. he snuck away from me" she said, the usual excuse for her, he was sneaky and knew how to be quiet even if he didnt know how to shut up or listen.

Ravenia had jumped out of the vehicle before it had even had a chance to come to a full stop. "No need to carry him guys, load him up on the back." Ravenia instructed as she ran over to Fen and Anora. She saw Tobias and Jacob not too far off in the other solar car. "Dammit, guys." She cursed and chewed the inside of her cheek. She was really going to need to get that glued shut again. She was also going to need to smack Tobias and Jacob's heads together to teach them a lesson for disobeying orders. Well, mostly Tobias as he was the one who came back onto the Red Waste after a direct order. Her nearly waist-length black hair blew about in the dry wind, it's normal ebony color slightly greyed out by the dust that clung to it. All of them would need to bathe after this. The Red Waste was terrible about leaving people grime and sweat covered. She cursed again when she figured out what Jacob was doing out here, they were going to light the Dead on fire. "Fan-fucking-tastic." She swore, raking a hand through her hair. "I'm gonna tan your asses and put you on the wall for everybody to see!" Mother yelled to the two men, a sneer on her face. She muttered a long string of obscenities beneath her breath as she turned to look to Anora. "Wanna go join the bad kids and light shit on fire? Get on with it." She said and nodded towards the two men in the other solar streaker.

Ravenia said nothing more as she strolled over to the unconscious man and checked his pulse for added measure. "There's got to be more of them. His wounds weren't inflicted by the Dead or the two kids." Ravenia said as she shook her head. Suddenly she pressed her hands into his chest, Ravenia and the man sunk down into the shadows that Fen and Anora were casting and reemerged in the shadow of the Solar Streaker. Sliding her hands under his arms, she nodded towards Fen to grab his feet. "Hurry now, we need to get back to Paradise Land and get it on lockdown before the Dead get too much closer."

double post

Fen jumped up again when Ravenia and the others arrived. He quickly tried to explain what had happened, tripping over his words all the way.
"I, uh, I found this guy here when I went to get water. He was sort of, well kind of, awake when I found him. He said something about 'they sent them', whoever they are, and then he mentioned that 'they' sent a Trojan horse. Which could be metaphor for something or just, uh, just a guy who's been out in the desert too long and trying to talk." The wolf man grabbed the Russian's feet and hoisted him into the car. It was no small feat; the man was quite heavy.

Fen looked around once more to see another herd of Dead shambling towards them. "Uh, guys. We should probably hurry." He let out a growl as he shifted into his wolf form once more. Fen stood next to the car, ready to keep the Dead away from it as they traveled back to the city.

As soon as the young man had entered his sight, Marcus noticed the rifle that he had. It was an experimental gun that he had been working on, and was definitely not finished. He simply gave the the kid an odd look before shaking his head and turning back to face the gate. He glanced around as he heard his name being mentioned, but said any did nothing as Tobias headed back out into the waste. Clo had left as well, right after Tobias Jacob did, and Marcus closed the gates right afterwards. Minutes passed and he simply sighed. He wanted to do more, he wanted to say more, but there was nothing more important than watching the gate right now, so that was all he did. His allegiance was towards The Mother, and he would not let her down by not doing the job that she had personally given him.

Second post..

As soon as the young man had entered his sight, Marcus noticed the rifle that he had. It was an experimental gun that he had been working on, and was definitely not finished. He simply gave the the kid an odd look before shaking his head and turning back to face the gate. He glanced around as he heard his name being mentioned, but said any did nothing as Tobias headed back out into the waste. Clo had left as well, right after Tobias Jacob did, and Marcus closed the gates right afterwards. Minutes passed and he simply sighed. He wanted to do more, he wanted to say more, but there was nothing more important than watching the gate right now, so that was all he did. His allegiance was towards The Mother, and he would not let her down by not doing the job that she had personally given him.

Second post...

As the small herd of Dead began to appear closer, Jacob removed the glove on his right hand. He knew exactly what Tobias was planning to do, and as much as it irritated him to have to take a detour to the important destination, he understood the necessity. If only he could do what he needed to from a stand still position so he could be more efficient. None the less, he could handle it with only slight damage to himself. Tobias told him to "Light em up!!", but Jacob had a better idea. As they circled the group of Dead, Jacob emitted waves of radiation instead of a beam, creating a dome of green energy around the dead as they spun. Jacob had only to wait a few seconds to achieve the desired result. One by one, the heads of the Dead began to explode like grapes in a microwave. Setting them on fire would take to much time and energy in a group this big. This took less of both, because decomposition had made their bodies weaker and less durable. In about 20 seconds, every Dead in the group was headless and on the floor.

Looking out the window, Jacob was pleased to see not one Dead standing. But off in the distance, he could see more groups; too many for them to take down straight up. They needed to be lured away, or they would follow them all the way back to the wall. Jacob called to Tobias, "Fun's over. Head back towards Fen." As they neared the site, an idea suddenly came Jacob. It would take a great deal of radiation and skin, but with the engines already overclocked, it was very feasible. Jacob nearly smirked, he was so sure the idea would work. Of course, the smirk instantly vanished when he saw that the Mother had beaten them here, and was staring them down with a face that said she was pissed at them. Not that Jacob really cared. He respected her authority, but he wasn't her "buddy". She needed to understand the concept of a lower rank making a split second decision. Besides, Jacob never cared what people thought. It was part of his persona.

Jacob said to Tobias, "Pull up next to them and leave the engine running. Don't say anything either. I had an idea of how to deal with the Dead, but we can't wait for approval. If we do it, we do it now." As they pulled up, Jacob called out the window, "Looks like you got this covered. Head back to the wall as soon as you can, and stay as far from the dead as you can. We're going to lure them away from the city. We'll be at the wall in about five minutes, maybe ten." Turning back to Tobias, he said "Here is what we are going to do. I want you to drive out about 15 miles....... west, I guess. As we go, I'll leave a trail of radioactive fire behind us for the dead to track. Once we're done, we'll double back around, away from the Dead, and back to the city. It should be easy with the engines overclocked, and the dead will become to far away to head back to the city. What do you think, Tobias?"

As the small herd of Dead began to appear closer, Jacob removed the glove on his right hand. He knew exactly what Tobias was planning to do, and as much as it irritated him to have to take a detour to the important destination, he understood the necessity. If only he could do what he needed to from a stand still position so he could be more efficient. None the less, he could handle it with only slight damage to himself. Tobias told him to "Light em up!!", but Jacob had a better idea. As they circled the group of Dead, Jacob emitted waves of radiation instead of a beam, creating a dome of green energy around the dead as they spun. Jacob had only to wait a few seconds to achieve the desired result. One by one, the heads of the Dead began to explode like grapes in a microwave. Setting them on fire would take to much time and energy in a group this big. This took less of both, because decomposition had made their bodies weaker and less durable. In about 20 seconds, every Dead in the group was headless and on the floor.

Looking out the window, Jacob was pleased to see not one Dead standing. But off in the distance, he could see more groups; too many for them to take down straight up. They needed to be lured away, or they would follow them all the way back to the wall. Jacob called to Tobias, "Fun's over. Head back towards Fen." As they neared the site, an idea suddenly came Jacob. It would take a great deal of radiation and skin, but with the engines already overclocked, it was very feasible. Jacob nearly smirked, he was so sure the idea would work. Of course, the smirk instantly vanished when he saw that the Mother had beaten them here, and was staring them down with a face that said she was pissed at them. Not that Jacob really cared. He respected her authority, but he wasn't her "buddy". She needed to understand the concept of a lower rank making a split second decision. Besides, Jacob never cared what people thought. It was part of his persona.

Jacob said to Tobias, "Pull up next to them and leave the engine running. Don't say anything either. I had an idea of how to deal with the Dead, but we can't wait for approval. If we do it, we do it now." As they pulled up, Jacob called out the window, "Looks like you got this covered. Head back to the wall as soon as you can, and stay as far from the dead as you can. We're going to lure them away from the city. We'll be at the wall in about five minutes, maybe ten." Turning back to Tobias, he said "Here is what we are going to do. I want you to drive out about 15 miles....... west, I guess. As we go, I'll leave a trail of radioactive fire behind us for the dead to track. Once we're done, we'll double back around, away from the Dead, and back to the city. It should be easy with the engines overclocked, and the dead will become to far away to head back to the city. What do you think, Tobias?"

As the small herd of Dead began to appear closer, Jacob removed the glove on his right hand. He knew exactly what Tobias was planning to do, and as much as it irritated him to have to take a detour to the important destination, he understood the necessity. If only he could do what he needed to from a stand still position so he could be more efficient. None the less, he could handle it with only slight damage to himself. Tobias told him to "Light em up!!", but Jacob had a better idea. As they circled the group of Dead, Jacob emitted waves of radiation instead of a beam, creating a dome of green energy around the dead as they spun. Jacob had only to wait a few seconds to achieve the desired result. One by one, the heads of the Dead began to explode like grapes in a microwave. Setting them on fire would take to much time and energy in a group this big. This took less of both, because decomposition had made their bodies weaker and less durable. In about 20 seconds, every Dead in the group was headless and on the floor.

Looking out the window, Jacob was pleased to see not one Dead standing. But off in the distance, he could see more groups; too many for them to take down straight up. They needed to be lured away, or they would follow them all the way back to the wall. Jacob called to Tobias, "Fun's over. Head back towards Fen." As they neared the site, an idea suddenly came Jacob. It would take a great deal of radiation and skin, but with the engines already overclocked, it was very feasible. Jacob nearly smirked, he was so sure the idea would work. Of course, the smirk instantly vanished when he saw that the Mother had beaten them here, and was staring them down with a face that said she was pissed at them. Not that Jacob really cared. He respected her authority, but he wasn't her "buddy". She needed to understand the concept of a lower rank making a split second decision. Besides, Jacob never cared what people thought. It was part of his persona.

Jacob said to Tobias, "Pull up next to them and leave the engine running. Don't say anything either. I had an idea of how to deal with the Dead, but we can't wait for approval. If we do it, we do it now." As they pulled up, Jacob called out the window, "Looks like you got this covered. Head back to the wall as soon as you can, and stay as far from the dead as you can. We're going to lure them away from the city. We'll be at the wall in about five minutes, maybe ten." Turning back to Tobias, he said "Here is what we are going to do. I want you to drive out about 15 miles....... west, I guess. As we go, I'll leave a trail of radioactive fire behind us for the dead to track. Once we're done, we'll double back around, away from the Dead, and back to the city. It should be easy with the engines overclocked, and the dead will become to far away to head back to the city. What do you think, Tobias?"

As the small herd of Dead began to appear closer, Jacob removed the glove on his right hand. He knew exactly what Tobias was planning to do, and as much as it irritated him to have to take a detour to the important destination, he understood the necessity. If only he could do what he needed to from a stand still position so he could be more efficient. None the less, he could handle it with only slight damage to himself. Tobias told him to "Light em up!!", but Jacob had a better idea. As they circled the group of Dead, Jacob emitted waves of radiation instead of a beam, creating a dome of green energy around the dead as they spun. Jacob had only to wait a few seconds to achieve the desired result. One by one, the heads of the Dead began to explode like grapes in a microwave. Setting them on fire would take to much time and energy in a group this big. This took less of both, because decomposition had made their bodies weaker and less durable. In about 20 seconds, every Dead in the group was headless and on the floor.

Looking out the window, Jacob was pleased to see not one Dead standing. But off in the distance, he could see more groups; too many for them to take down straight up. They needed to be lured away, or they would follow them all the way back to the wall. Jacob called to Tobias, "Fun's over. Head back towards Fen." As they neared the site, an idea suddenly came Jacob. It would take a great deal of radiation and skin, but with the engines already overclocked, it was very feasible. Jacob nearly smirked, he was so sure the idea would work. Of course, the smirk instantly vanished when he saw that the Mother had beaten them here, and was staring them down with a face that said she was pissed at them. Not that Jacob really cared. He respected her authority, but he wasn't her "buddy". She needed to understand the concept of a lower rank making a split second decision. Besides, Jacob never cared what people thought. It was part of his persona.

Jacob said to Tobias, "Pull up next to them and leave the engine running. Don't say anything either. I had an idea of how to deal with the Dead, but we can't wait for approval. If we do it, we do it now." As they pulled up, Jacob called out the window, "Looks like you got this covered. Head back to the wall as soon as you can, and stay as far from the dead as you can. We're going to lure them away from the city. We'll be at the wall in about five minutes, maybe ten." Turning back to Tobias, he said "Here is what we are going to do. I want you to drive out about 15 miles....... west, I guess. As we go, I'll leave a trail of radioactive fire behind us for the dead to track. Once we're done, we'll double back around, away from the Dead, and back to the city. It should be easy with the engines overclocked, and the dead will become to far away to head back to the city. What do you think, Tobias?"

As the small herd of Dead began to appear closer, Jacob removed the glove on his right hand. He knew exactly what Tobias was planning to do, and as much as it irritated him to have to take a detour to the important destination, he understood the necessity. If only he could do what he needed to from a stand still position so he could be more efficient. None the less, he could handle it with only slight damage to himself. Tobias told him to "Light em up!!", but Jacob had a better idea. As they circled the group of Dead, Jacob emitted waves of radiation instead of a beam, creating a dome of green energy around the dead as they spun. Jacob had only to wait a few seconds to achieve the desired result. One by one, the heads of the Dead began to explode like grapes in a microwave. Setting them on fire would take to much time and energy in a group this big. This took less of both, because decomposition had made their bodies weaker and less durable. In about 20 seconds, every Dead in the group was headless and on the floor.

Looking out the window, Jacob was pleased to see not one Dead standing. But off in the distance, he could see more groups; too many for them to take down straight up. They needed to be lured away, or they would follow them all the way back to the wall. Jacob called to Tobias, "Fun's over. Head back towards Fen." As they neared the site, an idea suddenly came Jacob. It would take a great deal of radiation and skin, but with the engines already overclocked, it was very feasible. Jacob nearly smirked, he was so sure the idea would work. Of course, the smirk instantly vanished when he saw that the Mother had beaten them here, and was staring them down with a face that said she was pissed at them. Not that Jacob really cared. He respected her authority, but he wasn't her "buddy". She needed to understand the concept of a lower rank making a split second decision. Besides, Jacob never cared what people thought. It was part of his persona.

Jacob said to Tobias, "Pull up next to them and leave the engine running. Don't say anything either. I had an idea of how to deal with the Dead, but we can't wait for approval. If we do it, we do it now." As they pulled up, Jacob called out the window, "Looks like you got this covered. Head back to the wall as soon as you can, and stay as far from the dead as you can. We're going to lure them away from the city. We'll be at the wall in about five minutes, maybe ten." Turning back to Tobias, he said "Here is what we are going to do. I want you to drive out about 15 miles....... west, I guess. As we go, I'll leave a trail of radioactive fire behind us for the dead to track. Once we're done, we'll double back around, away from the Dead, and back to the city. It should be easy with the engines overclocked, and the dead will become to far away to head back to the city. What do you think, Tobias?"

As the small herd of Dead began to appear closer, Jacob removed the glove on his right hand. He knew exactly what Tobias was planning to do, and as much as it irritated him to have to take a detour to the important destination, he understood the necessity. If only he could do what he needed to from a stand still position so he could be more efficient. None the less, he could handle it with only slight damage to himself. Tobias told him to "Light em up!!", but Jacob had a better idea. As they circled the group of Dead, Jacob emitted waves of radiation instead of a beam, creating a dome of green energy around the dead as they spun. Jacob had only to wait a few seconds to achieve the desired result. One by one, the heads of the Dead began to explode like grapes in a microwave. Setting them on fire would take to much time and energy in a group this big. This took less of both, because decomposition had made their bodies weaker and less durable. In about 20 seconds, every Dead in the group was headless and on the floor.

Looking out the window, Jacob was pleased to see not one Dead standing. But off in the distance, he could see more groups; too many for them to take down straight up. They needed to be lured away, or they would follow them all the way back to the wall. Jacob called to Tobias, "Fun's over. Head back towards Fen." As they neared the site, an idea suddenly came Jacob. It would take a great deal of radiation and skin, but with the engines already overclocked, it was very feasible. Jacob nearly smirked, he was so sure the idea would work. Of course, the smirk instantly vanished when he saw that the Mother had beaten them here, and was staring them down with a face that said she was pissed at them. Not that Jacob really cared. He respected her authority, but he wasn't her "buddy". She needed to understand the concept of a lower rank making a split second decision. Besides, Jacob never cared what people thought. It was part of his persona.

Jacob said to Tobias, "Pull up next to them and leave the engine running. Don't say anything either. I had an idea of how to deal with the Dead, but we can't wait for approval. If we do it, we do it now." As they pulled up, Jacob called out the window, "Looks like you got this covered. Head back to the wall as soon as you can, and stay as far from the dead as you can. We're going to lure them away from the city. We'll be at the wall in about five minutes, maybe ten." Turning back to Tobias, he said "Here is what we are going to do. I want you to drive out about 15 miles....... west, I guess. As we go, I'll leave a trail of radioactive fire behind us for the dead to track. Once we're done, we'll double back around, away from the Dead, and back to the city. It should be easy with the engines overclocked, and the dead will become to far away to head back to the city. What do you think, Tobias?"

Shay hastily put herself in the car, taking in deep breaths to control the pain and shock flowing through her body. She had heard stories of the damage the Dead could do and she didn't want to know what would happen if she didn't receive treatment. Focusing on Fen, his cry for help, she tried not to think of those dreading thoughts. Shay caught the belt Ravenia threw to her. "Thanks" she said between deep breaths. Quickly she cinched the belt up on the higher portion of her thigh. She pulled the one side through the buckle and then pulled the other way to tighten it across her leg. She pulled a inch harder than was acceptable and latched in the metal pick through the hole of the belt, letting it settle but still wrap tightly around her leg. She could feel the throbbing growing worse, pulsating up her leg and continuing through her arm on the same left side, her fingertips tingling.

Shay saw Anora fly low towards the direction of Fen's howl. She was relieved as their car followed suite to go help Fen with whatever situation he had gotten himself in to. She couldn't imagine he was hurt due to his size and strength so she hoped it was a cry for help to alert them of something else. If Fen was immobilized it would be due to another, even larger horde of the Dead. She feared how they would handle such an attack after the first.

Shay looked out the window of the car to see Fen and another man with him. Great. Another unknown variable to deal with. First the two children, now an unknown man that was obviously very large and strong. She didn't feel right about this. She also noticed how strange the Dead were acting...organized. Their encounters before were all different. Never had she seen the Dead collect not only in such large numbers but moving with such a collective purpose.

Then Tobias and Jacob joined them. They must have heard Fen's howl as well. Shay looked outside of the window to her side and saw a small group leaning their way. She sung her rifle out and took careful aim. She was in severe pain and shaking, but her skills were not only her impeccably aim but her ability to steady herself in intense situations; she always aced the training simulations Ravenia and the Harpies used for the Blessed Ones and Warriors. Taking a deep breath, her eyes focused on the Dead and she pulled the trigger. She carefully kept the bullets at head level, turning her gun slightly to the right, then left, taking the small group down quickly. She was injured but damned if she would be useless. She noticed the Dead seemed to only keep coming as more were on their way in the distance. "Uh...guys..." she started to alert the group. She wanted to make sure they all knew the amount of Dead closing in on them.

Before she could speak more Shay convulsed. Her body tightened and her arms went rigid, her head flinging backwards as she swung back in to her seat. Her rigid finger clamped down on her rifle trigger and sprayed bullets out the window, up through the roof as her arm swung upwards. Her body shook violently and after the brief moment of lock up, her body released itself, her finger slipping off of the trigger, the gun falling to the floor of the car. Hopefully her stray bullets hadn't hit any of her team. She wasn't quite aware of her surroundings. Her eyes were shut tightly, opening for a moment to see pure white before shutting again. Striking hot pain soared through her veins, pulsating through her body. "Uuughh!!" she cried out in agony, curling up in her seat to a sort of fetal position. The pain was intense inside; no longer did she feel her ankle but her whole body felt as if she were on fire. Shock began setting in as she shook slightly, her jaw shut tight allowing only soft moans of pain to escape.