NationStates Jolt Archive


Lives of Vernii

Vernii
02-11-2003, 00:34
OOC: This is going to be a short fic about various people in different parts of my society.

Chapter 1
Location: Warehouse district on the outskirts of the capital

Tom Johnson shivered in the chilly air, and zipped up his black leather jacket. Cardona's weather wasn't pleasant this time of year, and the city of 32 million seemed less bustling then usual. He lit up a cigarette and turned to go back inside the headquarters. He knocked four times on a metal door set into the side of the warehouse, and was let in. About thirty people sat around inside it, most with grim expressions. The flag of the Resistance hung from the ceiling, a clenched fist surrounded by stars upon a red background. Crates of ammunition lay scattered about the place, and racks of guns hung on the walls, mostly slugthrowers but with a few pulsers and plasma rifles mixed in. The smell of drugs, chemicals, and cigarette smoke hung in the air.

"Alright people, pay attention. InSec payed a visit last night to one of our safehouses. Most of the group made it out, but we lost about ten people. I hope that the ones who died are in a better place, and that those who were captured soon will be. Tomorrow we'll be relocating to another facility as this one's security may be compromised. Don't look like this was unexpected people, I told the Council this would happen when they approved taking out Walters, the government wasn't going passively accept us killing one of the President's Cabinet. But anyway, I want all of you to be careful. Anyone got any good news to report?"

A young man in his mid twenties spoke up. "Me and Butch took out a police air car a couple days ago, we were on the roof of Residential Tower 25 tapping into a com grid when it passed over. We shot an RPG into it. We had to run for it after that, but it was worth it." A young woman was next, "I put a bullet through the head of an informer earlier today. The guy was probably the one that ratted our safehouse out to InSec."

Johnson spoke again, "Good work then, hopefully that'll make other people thinking of turning into Informers pause. Small, steady blows are what will turn the tide, not large scale operations like Walters' assasination, when we don't have the ability to take hits like they do--" He was interrupted by a knock on the door of warehouse. Expressions of alarm appeared on the faces of most of rebels, and many of them quickly pulled out sidearms or grabbed automatic rifles. The door banged again, then a short silence followed by a thump. The door blew in, and they let loose a hail of gunfire into the breach, taking down two InSec grunts. Then an armored APC appeared, and the high pitched whine of a tribarrel filled the air as high caliber shells torn through the siding of the warehouse like cardboard. Resistance members died as shrapnel shot through their bodies, and one unlucky person's torso turned into splattered chunks of flesh as a shell tore through him. The tribarrel fire continued for about ten more seconds, killing about five more Resistance members before it ceased. InSec troops wearing light armor over their silver and black uniforms and carrying pulser rifles stormed through the breach, and the air again filled with the sounds of gunfire and the whine of hypervelocity pulser darts. Then it ended.

Johnson was huddled in a corner, a 9mm handgun with an empty magazine in his hand, gazing out in horror at the carnage of what had before been his group. Here and there was also the body of an InSec trooper, but most were his own men. A metal boot thumped down in front of him, and he slowly gazed upwards at the figure in power armor. "Here's one still alive, should I kill him?" a flat voice spoke. "Negative, capture for interrogation" A voice responded from elsewhere. The boot came up and connected with the side of his head, and blackness enveloped him.

OOC: For anyone wondering about what the references to Walters are about. Visit: http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1706919
02-11-2003, 01:07
So that guys a criminal in your society?
Vernii
02-11-2003, 01:23
Yes, that character was a member of the resistance against the Legislaturist regime. A few months ago the President and the military wiped out most of his political enemies. The government restructured itself, with positions in it becoming hereditary, and while the economy has prospered and the military has steadily grown, political freedom took a sharp decline. It's pretty much a constitutional monarchy hiding behind the facade of a democracy, and using "democratic" titles instead of monarchist sounding ones.
02-11-2003, 01:48
Well, you started off your informational RP with a very interesting member of your society.
Vernii
21-11-2003, 23:02
OOC: I know it's been a while since the first chapter, I've been busy with RPs, and just now decided to get back to this. This chapter wraps up the plot with the Resistance cell leader, and then goes to the other end of the social spectrum, the President, which I'll continue in Chapter III sometime later.

Chapter II

Pain. Everything was pain. Johnson screamed until he thought his lungs were going to burst, his flesh felt like it was melting off, even though he knew it wasn't, that it was just the neural stimulators making his mind think he was on fire. Then the pain stopped abruptly, though his skin still felt tingly and his leg wouldn't stop twitching. The InSec interrogator caressed his forehead with her hand, and whispered into his ear, "don't make me have to do that again, if you'll answer the questions then the pain will stop, you don't want to make me have to turn the dial again, do you? A few more hours of this and we'll have to send you in for neural reconstruction, and what would I tell my supervisors then? Now, where is the central headquarters of the Resistance?"

"I don't know! I've never met them directly, it's always through intermediaAAA!" he screamed as a lance of fire swept through his body again. The interrogator let him writhe upon the table for a few more seconds, then turned off the stimulators. "Don't lie. Lying gets you punished, and you don't like being punished."

"I told you, I don't know! I swear I don't know, please stop!" he sobbed the words out between muscle spasms. She grabbed him by the throat, "Listen good vermin, I'm going to torture you until I get answers or I kill you trying." To emphasize the point she turned the dial to its lowest setting, and he began to squirm in discomfort. She waited a few moments, then gritted her teeth and turned up the dial up. His screams once again filled the room as he writhed in agony. Three minutes later, he broke. "I'll tell you! Stop it, stop it please, I'll tell you anything!"

President Calimar relaxed in his leather seat, sipped a cup of tea, and read the report Secretary of Internal Security Stevens had submitted to him. Resistance safehouse destroyed...blah blah blah, thirty-five killed, five captured...blah blah..light casualties on our side. Good! One of them cracked and spilled his guts about his leaders. Stevens is already putting together a strike team to take care of them. Hmm, he's been showing some good initiative since Walters' assasination, guess he was scared I'd dismiss him.

He turned in his chair and gazed out his office window down upon Cardona, the capital city of Vernii and home to 32 million people. Why don't they just give up? More than 60% of the population supports me, and another 30% are indifferent, so they can't count on a massive revolt to topple my government. The traitors have gotten so desperate they would probably sell us out to a foreign power if they had a chance. He sighed and took another sip of his tea.