NationStates Jolt Archive

Markov smiled. "That's quite far away. How can you be sure?"

Aeryn shook his head. "Like I said, just a feeling."

After gas (and lunch) they were on their way to New York state again. Ashley had fallen asleep in her seat and Alex stared lazily at the road, passing everyone he came to with almost practiced ease.

Markov smiled. Aeryn had no idea...

"Just a feeling...."

Aeryn looked to Ghost, who seemed to be intent on concentrating on the road. "How far out are we?"

OOC: Wait, did you just post for Aeryn? Anyway, this thread needs a speed up, really bad, so.....

IC: Both groups arrived at Niagara Falls within ten minutes of each other, Markov, Aeryn, and Ghost arriving first. After a few phone calls and awkward conversations, the group met in a nearby coffee shop (heh) and sat down, waiting to order something and talking while doing so.

Tal cleared his throat. "So, how was everyone's journey? I slept like a baby for most of it."

Meanwhile....

"Ma'am, the person you told us to look out for? Well, not only did he arrive, but it seems he brought some friends, at least two, maybe more. What should we do?" A group of four men, wearing a full set of commando gear, complete with helmets, body armor, M16's, Desert Eagles, and wearing Ammo and Grenades. They were in what looked like an old cave, with only a single bulb on the ground to illuminate it, sending eerie shadows along the wall. The lead man was a step forward, talking to a cloaked figure with a wooden mask. The mask was very simply, it was just a smooth wooden piece that curved around the head, with one eye hole for the left eye, and two angled slats for the mouth. "I expected as much." The voice was female, very strong, and to the men it felt like her words were going right through them, partly because of the echos in the cave. "I want you to follow them. Your target is a small, blue orb, not much bigger then a baseball. It should have some odd pattern on it, probably some dots. Do whatever it takes to get it. I don't care what you do to the others, kill them if you must. Just do it in a secluded spot. Oh, and I've got a feeling one of them.... we'll, he'll have unique, talents, let's say. Just be careful. I wouldn't want you to get caught. Failure is not an option." After an awkward moment of silence, the quad dismissed themselves and left the cave. The lone figure stared on in silence. Even with the mask, it was apparent that she was smiling.

"You know our half. Uneventful." Alex said as a waitress came to their table with gum in her mouth, although hidden expertly, and asked. "So what can I get you all?"
Alex and Ashley looked at each other before answering "Two white chocolate mochas."

"I'll take a regular coffee, black." Tal didn't look up, he was staring intently out the window.

The waitress dutifully wrote this all down on her notepad, half expecting someone to actually order a breakfast, half wishing she had a decent memory. Of course, she kept all this inside and just kept smiling, turning to the next person to order.

"I'm fine," said Ghost. "Well my half was all good. Learned some interesting things, saw some sights..." his voice trailed off.

"Dare I ask what you consider interesting?" Ashley asked.

"Aeryn's never been in a car before. At least not that he can remember."

Tal had been staring out the window, almost like in a trance, but snapped out of it as Ghost's last comment. "Oh, uh, yeah, that's good." Tal said, obviously without an idea about what they had been talking about. He drummed his fingers on the table, looking around.

"Yes, it was quite interesting." Markov said. "Coffee, black." He told the waitress. "He's also doesn't ever remember leaving Illinois, but claims to be from Japan." He looked over at Tal with a quizzical look. He seemed on edge, or afraid...

"Is something wrong, Tal?"

Markov's palms began to tingle. That never meant anything good.

Aeryn, cringing his nose at the thought of coffee, said, "A pancake, if you would be so kind miss."

The waitress jotted down the order before asking "Anything else?"
"That should do it." Alex replied.
"I'll be back shortly then." She walked off to give the orders to the kitchen and start making the drinks.

"Fine, thanks." Tal was more concerned with the odd man in the gray suit then Markov's comment. It seemed like he was lost, he had passed along the street across from them four times now, looking around holding out a map. He was probably a lost tourist, but maybe...... Tal shook his head. He was being paranoid.

"We're not too far from the falls are we?" Ashley asked.
"Only thirty miles or so." Alex replied. "The problem is that even if we're there, we can't pinpoint where it's at or guarantee we will be able to get to it."

Markov looked over towards Alex and Ashley.

"The Maid of the Mist runs regular tours near the actual falls." He put in. "There's also a series of wooden walkways that take us under the actual waterfall. In my humble opinion, that's as close we can publicly get." He said, emphasizing the word "publicly".

Ghost smiled at 'publicly,' as he looked out the window. "Well, I suppose a few private tours could always be arranged if we needed them."

"Yes." Markov replied, smiling grimly. "Private."

He leaned in closer to Ghost, so the others didn't hear.

"We're being watched."

"Good, so it's not just me being weird." Ghost responded quietly.

"Oh, don't worry. You're still weird." Markov replied, smiling a toothy smile.

"Well, at any rate, Tal might be able to get to places we can't." Alex said, being as discrete as possible. "And who knows, maybe Tal's orb has a more detailed map."

"Well that's always good to know. But, onto the problem at hand. How shall we deal with it? I say we wait, for the moment."

OOC: I be talkin' to Markov. He and Ghost are having their silent conversation at the moment.

OOC: Grrrrr. Alright then.

"It would be wise not to attract attention to ourselves. We need to find out who they are."

"Agreed, we'll need to be careful." Ghost didn't want to give any indication that he was actually a trained assassin with a car full of various weapons (very well hidden ones at that). "We'll keep on down low for now, play them into thinking we're not onto them..."

"That would be most prudent." Markov replied. He motioned to the others, who were too preoccupied with their conversations to notice their murmured little chat. "And whatever you do, don't tell them. The last thing we need is them getting all excited like teenage girls on prom night."

Markov knew there was something strange about Ghost. For starters, nobody would openly call themselves "Ghost" in public. Second, he was definitely more skilled then he let on, with a good head on his shoulders. Markov felt that he could trust this man. For now, anyway.

"Don't worry, I really don't intend to," he muttered back. Ghost wasn't all that worried about the person shadowing them. He was more concerned about the people behind it. Typically, anyone who wants something doesn't get it themselves, they have someone else do it for them. This made things a little harder, but Ghost figured if they did have to confront the shadow, they might at least find out who he was working for, and what the employer wanted.

The man across the street, apparently finding what he needed on his map, quickly continued down the street and around the corner, pulling out a cell phone on the way.

Tal frowned. I must just be paranoid. He reached into his pocket for his orb.

Ashley spotted what Tal was doing and quickly looked around. "Good think your back is to the window and the waitress is too ditzy to notice anything." she hissed to him.

Ghost leaned in, "Tal, put that thing away, there's a place and a time for everything, this isn't it," he muttered.

Tal hurriedly shoved it back into his pocket. "Sorry, I just.... I was stupid, sorry." Tal wasn't used to living on the run, hiding.... any of this kind of excitement. Why don't I just announce that I've got a magic orb to the world? Save everyone the trouble. He sighed softly to himself.

Aeryn smiled slightly and began humming softly to himself. He had no idea where he picked up the tune, but he found it soothing, although he'd been told by others that it was deppressing.

Markov looked over at Aeryn, raising an eyebrow slightly at the tune he was humming. He'd heard it before...

"That's an interesting tune you've got there. Do you remember where you got it from?"

Somehow, Aeryn's tune made Tal feel... better, almost lighter. It sounded sad, but almost hinted, no, promised happiness. Tal shook his head. It's just a song. "I suppose we should move out. It... looks like it's near the actual falls."

The waitress brought out their various orders after which Alex spoke up. "Well, it won't be quite like Ramsey Falls, but I'm sure we'll figure something out. I say we take off once anyone with food finishes."

"Agreed. The sooner this is over, the better." Tal looked one more time across the street, then refocused on the table.

Aerny stopped humming and shook his head. "Don't know. I just caught myself humming it one night."

Aeryn grinned as the waitress set down the pancake he ordered, and dug in. "Needs strawberries..." he muttered to himself.

OOC: Time Warpage!!! (My kind, anyway.)

IC: After everyone was done eating, they headed to Niagara Falls. They were now on the New York side of it, standing at the guard rail near the top of the falls.

Tal looked around, then quickly snuck a look at his orb before putting it back. "Well, it doesn't get any more detailed then that. I guess we've just got to find it on our own. Any ideas on where to start?"

Meanwhile, a balding man in his fifties was watching the group through a pair of binoculars, and seemed to be muttering to himself.

A couple with shopping bags were standing at the other end of the falls, talking to each other in shushed tones.

A white van pulled up nearby, with four men inside, fully armed and ready to go at a split seconds notice.

Ghost hated this, they were out in the open without too much cover. Tal had a magical device of great power with him. It didn't matter who had been present to see the awesome power Tal's orb had, Ghost knew that something bad was going to happen because of it. Something about the situation made him very uncomfortable, and being an assassin, that wasn't good. He kept himself prepared for the worst.

Markov looked over the guardrail into the water below. Niagra Falls was a massive waterfall, and it would take forever to cover it all, with the way things were going. His palms began to tingle with anticipation again, and he pretended not to notice the large white van pulling up nearby.

After all, which armed and organized group wouldn't want an orb of great magical power?

He leaned towards Ghost, and pointed out towards the waterfall, in an effort to seem inconspicuous.

"How many?"

Aeryn meanwhile, was looking with fascination at the falls. He'd never seen something so large, and not to mention loud. He was completel oblivious that they were being watched.

Ghost hated the question Markov had asked him, it wasn't that he didn't like or understand teamwork, it was just the fact that he had to give the answer. At this point, it was obvious that Ghost was different than most people, but how different was something he liked people to have to guess about. At this point, he had to be honest, lives could very easily be at stake here. He only gave a quicky glance as he waved his hand back as it shooing a fly. He didn't look at Markov but instead went over to a rail and leaned on it, looking down at the falls. It was a stealth signal for Markov to follow him. If and when Markov got close enough Ghost would mutter, "Five or more. The couple, the van, and every group usually has a scout. From what I figure, the couple may be in on it, not sure. The van will at least have an armed driver and passenger and possibly more people in the back, and we know there's going to be a scout." Ghost paused for a moment, "But this is only an assumption. We might not even be in danger." Ghost was bullshitting on the last line, he knew something was wrong. There was always something wrong. Hopefully, he wouldn't hav eto resort to anything drastic.

Markov's eyes darted for a moment to Ghost, taking note as he walked toward the railing, seeming to be swatting a fly. Markov chuckled quietly, and followed him toward the railing.

"Five or more. The couple, the van, and every group usually has a scout. From what I figure, the couple may be in on it, not sure. The van will at least have an armed driver and passenger and possibly more people in the back, and we know there's going to be a scout."

Markov took in the information quietly, taking a moment to take in his surroundings. He noticed the couple Ghost mentioned, clutching shopping bags, and talking what seemed to be in frantic, hushed voices. The van was still on the way, and wouldn't be there for at least a a few more minutes. He gestured to the waterfall, pretending to be explaining to Ghost about Niagara's history.

"It's a bit rash, attempting to do what they're doing in broad daylight, with all these tourists around. It just doesn't add up."
He paused for a moment, considering his next words carefully, and leaned in. "Are you armed?"

Ghost froze, Shit. Well that's a question I hate answering. He ignored the question for a moment and addressed the issue of this mysterious group's boldness, "It adds up perfectly, actually. They don't care about what happens as long as they get their special something. It's like that with most mysterious groups of people. I'd like to think that they're not here for us, but that seems unlikely..." Now to address Markov's question. "No, I'm not. I make it a practice not to carry weapons on me. You thinkin' this may become an armed conflict?" Ghost hadn't lied completely, while he did have a gun on him, he hated carrying one around. Mixing a little truth into your lies often made stories more believeable, even if the person you were lying to knew nothing about you. He knew the question he'd asked was a stupid one, if this hypothetical group was here for them, taking into account what he'd just said before answering Markov's question, it would most likely be an armed conflict, most likely a gunfight. Ghost hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"I see." Markov smiled, as if agreeing with Ghost about some historical point he made. "Just go in, do the deed, and dissapear before anyone made up the guts to do something." Markov was slightly surprised when Ghost told him he wasn't armed. Perhaps he didn't use guns, or perhaps he didn't expect a fight to occur here. Or maybe he was lying. Markov really didn't know. But we was sure he would find out soon enough.

Ghost added to Markov's statement, "The great thing about people is that when something goes down, they take cover. That makes them unreliable, if something happens, these guys could get in and out while everyone else is either dead, wounded, or pissing their pants while hiding behind a bench. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, shall we?" Ghost moved away from the railing, "Yeah, I have to agree, it is a great view." He said with an honest look, had to sell the line. Last thing he needed was people getting suspiscious.

"It sure is..."

OOC: Fuck, what'd I miss?

OOC: Absolutely nothing. We skipped to the falls part and Ghost/Markov had another private discussion.

OOC: yayness.

Tal got up from the rail. "Well, I don't see it anywhere. Got any ideas?"

"We might need to do a bit of hiking." Ghost said witha small smile.

"Maybe it's underground." Markov put in.

"The caves... it's as good of a place to start as any.... besides, I think I see someone that might be watching us." He said, somewhat hushed, oblivious to the fact of how many people were actually watching them.

"Nah, I'm sure you're just being paranoid." Ghost said, he actually thought the caves were brilliant. Close quarters... perfect for fighting an armoed enemy. So much terrain to take advantage of...

Oh, NOW he realizes... Markov thought to himself, something of a grin encroaching upon his face. He pulled on the brim of his hat.

"It's probably safer that way. Although you're probably just being paranoid again." He didn't want any attention drawn to them before they absolutely had to.

"Really? Well, I guess you're the experts...." He seemed somewhat confused, especially at Markov's grin, but he decided to go with it. "Anyway, the entrance is this way." He started to walk to where the signs said the cave was.

Ghost followed closely behind. Not too closely, but close enough that he could protect Tal if something were to happen. You never know in this world... esepcially with the little object Tal had on him.

Tal noticed the other two acting oddly. He hoped they knew what they were doing... Tal didn't have any choice but to trust them at this point.

The van started moving, driving along the street the same direction the group was heading.

Markov followed Tal towards the entrance, arms neatly placed behind his back. He pretended not to notice the white van following them.

The van continued past where the group was headed. They already knew all that they needed too.

Tal took a step into the cave, looking around. "Hey, anybody have a flashlight? I just thought of it."

Ghost just put on his sunglasses and adjusted his scarf. He didn't even bother checking out the van, it was so predictable.

Markov appeared to make a show of rummaging through his coat.
"Sorry, friend. I don't seem to have a flashlight." Instead, he took out a pair of round, black glasses (http://www.nathankowald.com/uploaded_images/black-round-glasses-770547.jpg), and put them on. Like his hat, he never went anywhere without them, and the need to look more badass sometimes paid off nicely.

"Darn. Well, maybe we should just go back to the-" The van, coming back from the other way, stopped, and four burly men in trench coats climbed out, even though it was about 25 degrees Celsius outside. They headed out, looking around for the the group. "Aw crap. Uh, maybe we should just go now?"

And now things get ugly. "Let's get in the caves." Ghost pulled a small flashlight from his pocket. "I think that would be best for the time being..." He noticed the men and knew things were about to get ugly.

Tal nodded. "Righto." He ducked into the cave opening ahead of the others.

The four men were looking around. They still hadn't spotted them.

(OOC: Now the fun begins.)

"Ok, let's go." Markov whispered to the others. He motioned to Ghost.

"Kill the light." He whispered. "They'll see it."

Now then, to pray they haven't noticed us yet. The last thing I need is to deal with some goons looking for an apparently magical orb. He looked to Markov and nodded, "Right then." He turned off the flashlight as soon as they were inside, I wish I have goggles...

The four men split up. One of them, the shortest and stoutest, came to the cave where everyone was hiding. Once inside the entrance, he pulled out a Desert Eagle with a flashlight attached to it. He was wearing body armor, and had ammo on a belt, along with a type of rifle on his back that was covered with his coat.

Ghost heard something being pulled out, Shit... he pulled out his own tow special weapons. One being a knife, good for slitting throats and throwing into people's eyes, the other being his own pistol, silenced of course. If this guys was wearing a trenchcoat, it was to concela something, and if he was armed, he was probably armored. That meant one thing to Ghost, make head shots...

"Shit." Markov cursed under his breath, drawing himself behind a stalagmite jutting out from the ground. The guy there was certainly well-trained, knowing that a Desert Eagle is difficult to handle without intense training.

He reached into his overcoat, and produced a pair of shining grey pistols.

OOC: every time I check, blam, 2 new pages. Someone please fill me in.

(OOC: Okay, so. We decide to enter a cave under the falls to look for the orb. A white van shows up, and 4 shady looking armed dudes get out. 1 of them is standing at the entrance of the cave we're in, gun drawn. Ghost and Markov both draw guns.)

OOC: Shit. Any ideas on how I can enter into that?

OOC: Syl... can I safely assume you were on the other forum and you just decided to check this one? Meh.
You're in the cave with us and have no idea what's going on. That's how you enter.

(OOC: Well, your characters are already in the cave with us. I guess, do something...?)

OOC: No, I didn't get email about this until 5 minutes ago.

IC: Alex and Ashley looked around, assessing the situation. "I don't like how this looks." Ashley said, cutting off blood flow to Alex's hands.

OOC: I would certainly hope not. We've been here for at least twenty.
IC:

Ghost thought about the situation carefully, one enemy. They'd have to be stealthy, it would be best. He kept his gun out just in case but hoped he wouldn't have to use it. His knife would be his best friend for this... well that and his hand-to-hand abilities.

OOC: 20 minutes gave you TWO EFFING PAGES between my first post tonight and my last post? doubt it.

IC: "Anyone got any ideas?" Alex asked quietly.

Well, if that's not the understatement of the year. Markov looked over at Ghost, who seemed already to pounce on the enemy.

He reached into his own pocket, producing his own knife, exchanging it with his pistol.

He then looked over to Alex and Ashley, who seemed like they had no clue what was going on. "Get behind something, for starters. We can't have him seeing you."

OOC: Syl.... look to the left of the posts and follow 'em back. Yeah, most of 'em were today, and it was one page mind you. And I said 'at least twenty.' Point being your e-mail reminders are slow.

OOC: You want me to be un-lazy? GW, you obviously don't know me. And seriously GET ON THE OTHER FORUM.

IC: The duo obliged, still unsure of what to do. The problem with living in a small town was you always felt safe, even if you weren't.

OOC: No, cause I like you lazy. Makes you like me. And as for the other forum, I'm working on a bloody entrance...

OOC: You like me!? YAYNESS! And good, but be warned we're in the middle of a bloody and violent battle.

OOC: O.O all the better. Just gonna appear then... where is everyone?

OOC: Zena is with Aeris, Melody, Richard, and Rose in Limbo, Josh is taking Tal for a ride, Aozora and Mond are duking it out, Leon is trashing the wolves, Charles is nearly dead at Kathy's feet, and various others are running around.

OOC: I posted fyi

OOC: I replied. And UHC is pissed you joined again. He hates how you treat regular humans and I think he has plans for revenge.

OOC: Meh, he'll just have to deal then.

OOC: Actually, you will. He's a moderator on that forum so do try not to piss him off too much. He's ranting and raving on how he has "zero tolerance for that bullshit." And at this point, if he raises enough hell, Mer will step in because he's sick of hearing the complaints. I'm not trying to be mean, but be realistic, give his characters a chance.

OOC: I'm RPing and doing nothing more. If he disses my chars, they'll retort, other wise my chars don't care too much about his. Clean slate and such. It's why I'm using two new ones.

ooc: I know. But it's not the characters he has a problem with, it's the "dodging all of his attacks and taking no damage because humans are weaker than supes" thing. It just irritates him to no end that his characters could never do anything to yours simply because you wouldn't let anything happen.

OOC: Wait, he attacked me when? And I think we should do this by TG. No more clutter.

The man in the trench coat suddenly stopped, as if he had heard something. He slowly pulled out a pair of regular shades, then reached back into his pocket for something.

Ghost sat in silent, unseen anticipation. He wanted to know what the enemy was planning. What he would have to do to survive.

OOC: Heh, big mistake.

IC: The man pulled out a flash bang grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it into the cave, turning around to crouch behind a nearby rock formation.

Markov's eyes widened, noticing the distinct shape of a flash grenade. Instinctivley, he dove for cover, eyes closed, ears covered.

Ghost just put on his sunglasses and adjusted his scarf. He didn't even bother checking out the van, it was so predictable.

OOC: Haha
IC:

Ghost heard the object being tossed, The fuck? He suddenly realized something, whatever was on its way, it was bad. He quickly got behind the nearest stalagmite, closed his eyes, and covered his ears.

The flashbang went off in the cave, briefly illuminating every corner of it. Tal was completely blinded, having looked to see what was thrown. The man got out of his position, gun held at the ready, swiveling from side to side to look for somebody.

Ghost's ears were slightly ringing, it wasn't possible to dodge the sound affect when in an enclosed space, especially without earplugs. But he'd taken cover and his eyes were fine. He didn't leave cover just yet, though, he was out of sight. If the man came closer a knife would be in his skull faster than he could react.

Alex managed to cover Ashley's face before the grenade went off, but he was dazed, only being able squash his eyelids closed. "Damn that's bright!" He said, stupidly alerting the man that there was someone inside.

"Damn that's bright!"

"Quiet, you fool!" Markov whispered hastily. He, too, was slightly stunned by the flash grenade, albeit less then Alex, thanks to the precautions he'd taken. He gripped his knife closer to his chest, ready for anything.

"Say's the one talking!" Alex hissed back, still unable to see.

Ghost could have said something but didn't. At this rate, they were going to be better off as bait than anything else. A cruel thought, but Ghost could use it to his advantage. He pulled out his gun and held his knife loosely, ready to throw it.

Markov shook his head. Saying anything more would only give away their position. He looked over to where Ghost was, smiling a little to see the glint of a pistol and knife.

So he was armed after all.

Unlike Ghost, Markov's pistols did not come with silencers. He would try to not use his guns, instead focusing on his skill in CQB and knifeplay.

Slowly and quietly, Markov unsheathed his own knife, and pulled out his own pistol.

It was now that Alex wished he was back in Minnesota. Back there, everyone and their grandma had a shotgun in their truck. Back there, he was never more than a mile from the nearest piece of farm equipment. Back home, he could have taken the keys to the nearest combine and simply ran whoever it was through the corn head until all that was left were the little bits the bullet rotor or the walker left behind.

Aeryn meanwhile, was completely blinded, and mostly deaf. It was only his habitual quietness that kept him from yelling aloud at it. Instead, he sat wondering why everything had gone dark.

Tal was blinded, much like Aeryn, and he stayed crouched behind a small boulder, wondering how he had gotten into this mess.

Meanwhile, the burly man in the coat was swiveling around, trying to find the source of the voiced he heard. He shot a wild shot at a stalagmite, trying to scare someone out. Meanwhile, he pulled out his walkie-talkie and pushed the button on the side, about to communicate with his allies.

Ghost didn't step out at first, chances were the enemy didn't know he was so close. He waited for a few seconds before taking a peek to get the enemies general direction. Then he blind fired a few shots to force the enemy to take cover or at least get down. He then exposed himself just long enough to throw his knife, with accuracy suggesting he'd thrown knives before, at the aggressor, firing off a few more rounds afterwards before ducking behind the stalagmite again, hoping his enemy would be too confused and dumbfounded to do anything.

He had been expecting someone to jump out, but not someone armed. He immediately dove for cover, when a knife came whirling at him. He had no choice, as he was in mid-air, but to block the knife with his arm, grunting at it's impact. Immediately afterward, a bullet slammed into his chest, causing him to fly back. However, he was merely winded, as he had on body armor. Rolling behind cover, he fired a few stray shots where Ghost was while pressing the 'call' button on his walkie-talkie, too winded to talk.

Markov cursed under his breath, hearing the distinct BOOM noise of a desert eagle. That pistol obviously wasn't silenced, and his fellows were probably on the way. He had to be dealt with quickly.

He was distracted with Ghost. This was his chance.

He jumped out of his cover, took aim at the man, and fired a pair of shots from his pistol.

Ghost cursed to himself as a bullet wizzed past and clipped him. Ghost took a few moments, promising he'd bring the Dragoncry next time. He quickly followed suit with Markov but jumped out from the other side of the stalagmite, firing off two more rounds.

OOC: Well I'm off, be on later.

A few bits of rock tumbled near Ashley and Alex. "That can't be good." he whispered to her.
"Gee, ya think?"

The man grunted as both of Markov's rounds bit into his arm, both near the shoulder, and one of Ghost's shots slammed into his vest. He fell to the floor near the boulder, returning a few shots at where Markov's bullets had come from. He reached into his pocket again, pulling out a frag grenade, while flipping a small, red switch on his walkie-talkie, activating the homing signal.

Ghost heard the man fall, it was a risk but he was going to take a chance here. He quickly reloaded his weapon and charged forward, funleashing suppressive fire, his only intention to put a bullet in the man's head if he were so foolish to expose that weak spot.

Ghost heard the man fall, it was a risk but he was going to take a chance here. He quickly reloaded his weapon and charged forward, funleashing suppressive fire, his only intention to put a bullet in the man's head if he were so foolish to expose that weak spot.

OOC: I find that kinda funny...

IC: Ashley and Alex heard the bangs, the falling and everything else, but they simply cowered together even more, unsure of what they could do.

OOC: Me too.

IC: The man was instantly killed by the second shot, which entered his skull from the frontal lobe area due to a (un)lucky bullet. However, the next shot took off his thumb, along with the safety pin for the grenade it was in. The grenade rolled to the ground, with only seven seconds before it would detonate.

Tal's sight was still blurry, and he glanced around to see anyone, but to no avail.

Ashley poked her head out from behind the wall to see the man dead, and the gernade rolling around. "Shit!" she squealed before yelling out to the rest. "DUCK!"

It was time to think fast, Ghost could try to throw the grenade elsewhere or he could dump the guy on top of it and muffle the blast considerably. He quickly took the grenade in hand and chucked it out the cave, it was a damn good throw. But it wasn't over, he made his way as fast as possible to the stalagmite he had hid behind before.

Markov ducked back in behind the stalagmite, slipping another clip into his pistol.

The grenade's 'BOOM' resonated throughout the cave. It had not yet reached the entrance of the cave when it blew up. The old cave's stalactite fell down to the ground with a crash, creating enough of a pile to block off the entrance. It also fell down in other areas of the cave as well, one near Ghost and one right next to Tal, close enough to graze his arm and make it bleed.

The echoing effect of the grenade was more then enough to send Markov diving for cover. Covering his head with his hands, Markov flew down to the ground, as the world collapsed around him.

The sound resonating all around him subsided, and all was finally quiet. Markov picked his head up from his hands. Everything had gone pitch black, and Markov wondered if he'd been blinded for a moment.

Great. He thought to himself. The exit's gone. He took a moment to let his eyes to adjust to the darkness around him before picking himself up. It was still too dark to make out much, but he figured out pretty quickly that the only way to go was deeper.

He looked down at his hand, and realized that it still clutched his pistol. He holstered it, knowing that the enemy was dead the moment his grenade went off. It was too close to have left him alive.

He was still stunned by the effect of the collapsing stalactite, and stumbled over to the wall, leaning against it. Now he needed to verify if his companions were okay. He picked his head up, and spoke aloud, his voice echoing at the sound waves bounced across the walls.

"If you're dead, don't do anything."

It was all Tal could do to cough, part from his shock, and part from his lungs filled with dust.

"I'm alive you cheeky bastard." Ghost coughed with a smile.

Alex and Ashley were clinging onto each other for dear life when the explosion went off. A few rocks landed around and on them, but these went ignored for they were more concerned about the grenade. "Everyone alright?" Alex called out when the dust started to settle.

Markov coughed. "I thought we established that. Can everybody walk?"

"I know I can. Ah hell, seriously now. We get that much attention already? Fuck-" Ghost stopped his ramblings, he was still quite pissed about te fact that the enemy happened to be so well armed and was following them. Ghost made a mental note to put a hole through the head of whoever was pulling the strings here.

"We're good." Ashley called.
"Good is relative." Alex stated, still a little dazed. "And apparently yes, we do have that much attention already."

Tal stood up, somewhat wobbly and coughing, but ok. He had just inhaled too much dust in the explosion is all.

"Then I suppose we should begin moving out. I'd like to be somewhere other than here. Hell, I'll take practically anything over this place."

"Yeah," muttered Tal in a weak, raspy voice, "Look like this cave goes back a ways..." The farthest part of the cave that was lit by the weak light already had narrowed to about seven feet tall, and about the same wide. "How about that?" he said a little louder, pointing.

Markov looked in the direction Tal, or at least the dark blob that sounded like Tal, was gesturing to. He supposed it was possible that would lead to another exit.

"Well, we're going back the way we came, so we might as well. Who knows, we might even find what we're looking for."

"If you guys are suggesting we go and check that out, I agree completely." Ashley said.
"I'd rather leave, but I'm not letting you go exploring without me." Alex commented to her.

Ghost didn't bother to wait, he immediately began heading towards the light, expecting it to be an exit. "Well it doesn't look like this could get much worse so what the hell?" He muttered as he continued forward, keeping his gun out just in case.

Ashley follow Ghost with Alex in toe, expecting him to protect them as they walked onward.

OOC: lol, do I look like your bodyguard?

OOC: No, but Ghost does.

OOC: That was a bad joke fyi

Markov smiled and pulled himself from the wall. As he walked with the group, he took the magazine out from his gun, and checked the contents. He had plenty of shots left, and had another pistol just in case.

Which reminded him...

He took his spare pistol from his overcoat and approached Alex and Ashley.

"Do either of you know how to use one of these?" He held it out towards them by the barrel.

"No." Said Ashley flatly.
Alex meanwhile took the gun. "I know enough to be able to not shoot you guys."

OOC: Obviously.

Markov chuckled.

"Just point at the bad guy and pull the trigger."

"But the safety stays on until I need to fire it." Alex stated the obvious.

"Yes. And don't waste it, bullets cost money."

"Yes, but there are more expensive things in life." Alex stated. "Like gasoline."

"And extra guns." Markov hinted.

Tal was relieved he hadn't been offered a gun. He'd never held one since he was a child, and if he got his way, he never would again. Tal cleared his thoughts to focus on the issue at hand. He could start to see the back of the cave. Tal wheezed out, "It... it looks like it opens up into a larger section of the cave. Can't say-" he stopped to cough, he had inhaled more dust then was healthy earlier. "-How big." he managed to finish.

OOC: Dare I even ask whats happened in my absence?

OOC: Where the fuck have you been?

OOC: Lets see....potatoe harvest, internet dying, and a four day hunting trip.

OOC: You Irish? Are you secretly my roommate? And my god, your internet seriously died... like... you've been gone for at least a month I'm sure.

OOC: Not Irish. Well, about a quarter, but thats it. As far as I know, you are not my roomate, unless your are a sixteen year old girl or a fourty year old woman. And I believe I've been gone for two weeks.

OOC: Its been longer... I'm pretty sure. Though in college, everything seems to slow down to some extent... but wait, parents came last weekend... you were gone more like three, at least by my count.

OOC: Woah, it's Mer!

...What's up?

You missed a lot in the 40k forum, too.

OOC: No, he's right. It's been 2 weeks. Nationstates said so.