More Equal Than Some

[Max Griffiths]

*I skid to a stop between the buildings, looking from side to side. Another flash of orange ahead, and I move quickly forward, but I've lost sight of the killjoy again. I slow down, drawing my knife and staying in the shadows, taking a few seconds to check each open doorway or window I pass. They're like rats, ducking into any available hole...*

[rileywilson]

*I see Orwell on the other side of the room. I nod once and we come in at the same time. Orwell stuns a sniper while I elbow another in the face. And stun a third. Pacis come in behind me, as do some other dracs. Soon we have them all down, but I can still hear firing from other sectors. How many pockets of killjoys are there? I turn to Pacis* Call the tower. Tell them to send two transport vans for captured killjoys and... *I look over at the kids*...a child services team. Make sure they are fed and safe. Orwell and I have to go, ah, help Max.

*I motion for Orwell to follow me and we run to the last place we saw Max. A white coat flashes about two blocks away. Excellent*

[Volume Virus]

*I duck to one side and pull out my radio, frantically turning the dial and shouting into it to be heard over the sounds of fighting.* Hello? Yes, my name is Angeline Pacis of Crow Unit Eight. My superior is requesting two transport vans for captured Killjoys and a child services team. Repeat, two transport vans and a child services team. We are in Zone Four, near an abandoned factory. Follow the sounds of fighting. Thank you. *The Tower assures me that the vans and team are on their way and hangs up. I look out the window and see Orwell and Wilson run after Max, feeling a sinking feeling in my stomach for no apparent reason.*

[Jonathon Orwell]

*The killjoys go down rather quickly and I am glad to see how well the team works together. But then I spot Max run past on the street below and I rush for the stairs, clambering down as quickly as I can, Wilson following as soon as possible. I slam through the front door, changing my ray gun battery as I go, and run past a fence towards where I can see Max disappearing. He is getting further away from the unit,which I find to our advantage and I plan to make full use of it. If the small group we are running towards does our job for us, oh well, the target has been exterminated. After I skid around the corner and continue to run after him I notice a bright light out of corner of my eye. I manage to stop and push Wilson and myself out of the way of the blast in time. Both of us are left uninjured and I send a few rounds in the direction of our attacker. I growl and curse when I look over to see Max turning towards us.*

[Max Griffiths]

*A shot flies past me and I dodge to the side, but the killjoy is already running again. I can tell it's a male, now, but he's not concentrating on me. The open desert is only a few blocks away, and I suspect he's trying to lose us out there. But then another laser comes towards me from the side, and I realize he might have had other motives if there are killjoys scattered throughout the buildings, trying to cut off smaller groups of agents*

[Rachel Mahoney]

*i stop and lean against a wall when a wave of dizziness hits me. The whole left shoulder of my uniform is now bright red from my blood and it is slowly spreading across my uniform* shit, just when I thought I wouldn't have to deal with another injury. *i look around and spot Orwell and Wilson heading away from the house and then I spot Angie and manage to walk over to her*

[Volume Virus]

Ah, what happened to you? *I grimace at the giant blood stain. That looks like it hurts.* Which one of them had the real gun? Oh, how did I forget to call for medics? *I pick the radio back up and transmit to the Tower again.*

*rb Tower* Hello, Pacis of Crow Unit Eight again. If the vans haven't left yet, please send some medics with them? We have injured, I repeat, we have injured. Please send medics.

((No one needs to answer, just need to go so cutting my post short [: ))

[Rachel Mahoney]

Sniper in the window, shot at the same time and he hit my shoulder. Got him in the chest though, so it was an eye for an eye in a way

[rileywilson]

*I look at Orwell as Max pauses* Split up, we'll get him from the sides.

*I go right and Orwell goes left. Splitting up also means we are smaller targets for those damn killjoys, who seem to be everywhere. I race to the right and down, until I can see him just barley at an angle. There are no other agents around, so the timing is perfect. Let Max go any farther and he will reach desert. I decide it's time to shoot and pull the trigger*

[Max Griffiths]

*A flash of color on a nearby roofline sends me twisting to the side to avoid the shot, but though I see the laser pass by about a foot away, I feel the heat as a second bolt skims along my side. It would have been dead-on if I hadn't moved, and by the way it melted through my jacket, I know it wasn't on stun. Turning to face my second assailant, I'm confused when I see the flash of white around a corner. Then I register the fact that the man's blond hair wasn't covered by a drac mask, and feel myself tense. I need to get out of here, now.*

[Jonathon Orwell]

*I duck low behind the rubble of an old wall as a blast hits where my head used to be just a few seconds ago. I scowl and peek out to see Max nearly get shot. I curse to myself when Wilson misses and Max is now aware of our intentions. I dash out of my hiding place to another building before being hailed with blasts. I take a deep breath and try to centralize my thoughts, knowing if Max makes it to the desert it will be very difficult to track him down. Finally making a decision, I step out of into the open. With one smooth and fluid motion I raise my gun and aim at Max's back, pulling the trigger as I feel my left shoulder jerk back as I'm shot. I slam back against a wall, lights dancing before my eyes before focusing back on Max, hoping I some how hit him.*

[Max Griffiths]

*I hear shots fired in another direction, and guess Wilson isn't alone. It's Orwell most likely, and the killjoys targeting him have given me an idea of his location - but I barely have time to form the thought and turn to look for him before I feel a burning pain on the right side of my upper back. My right arm goes numb and I nearly black out; if the shot had landed any closer to my heart, I'd be dead. I stagger forward, but use the momentum to keep going, breaking into a run. The desert is my only hope; I can't fight both of them with only three shots, and even if I won, I'd have just killed both of my superiors...*

*When I get past the last pair of facing buildings, I find my way blocked by the orange-haired killjoy, flanked by two others. All three are pointing guns at me, and I raise my empty hands* Let me pass. Please.

*Their scowls don't fade, and the orange haired one answers me* Why should we, drac?

I'm not a drac. *I'd be surprised at how easily the words came, if I weren't half-blinded by the pain from my back*

*The killjoy looks incredulous* You expect us to believe you're one of us?

No. *I shake my head, feeling my urgency build. Wilson and Orwell could be rounding the corner back there any second.* I'm not a killjoy. But I'm not -
*I realize I won't be able to convince them with words. They have no reason to believe me. And now that I think about it, I won't get far wearing a drac mask in the Zones anyway... but even knowing that the alternative is either the killjoy's guns or those of Wilson and Orwell, it's hard to take it off. I close my eyes, then reach up and pull off my mask.* I'm not one of them.

*When I look up, all three killjoys are wide-eyed. I hate the way they're looking at me, but I won't complain. It serves its purpose.*

Shit... what did they /do/ to you?

*But I don't have to answer because I hear pounding footsteps behind me, and the first of the lasers start flying past. The killjoys swiftly dive for cover and open fire in return, and no one stops me when I start running again.*

*And then it's just me and the desert.*

(Switching to thread "Transition" under the Tales From The Zones subforum)

[rileywilson]

*I see Max get hit, but not go down, then veer off around a corner. Shit. I try to run towards that spot, converging with Orwell. As we turn we see a group of killjoys, Max nowhere in sight. I pull Orwell back around the corner. If Max really did go into the desert, hopefully he won't survive long...*

[Alexander Ludovico]

*The vans bump to a stop about a block from where the activity appears to be; the two standard transport vans are first, followed by a more comfortable van for the children. The ambulance is last, though it doesn't look like one - we found out long before the Helium Wars that medical crews are viewed as easy targets. When the teams start piling out and getting ready to scope out the area and start collection if it's safe, I slip away. Don't want to clog up the works. Besides, if there are still active killjoys in the area, I'd rather not be part of the largest target in the area besides the unit itself.*

*I get to the action site without any trouble, and see draculoids scattered about. A few are down, but several are occupied with securing downed killjoys. I walk over to the shack nonchalantly, hands in my pockets, and step around a few dracs to poke my head through the door. Everyone in white is wearing a mask - besides me, of course - so I turn back around. I see a drac struggling with a zip tie, and step over to him*

Here, let me. *Taking the cord from my pocket, I quickly tie the killjoy's hands behind his back, adding a few unnecessary but visually appealing loops before pulling it all tight (after all, what's the point of tying a knot if it doesn't look good?). It's easy enough to pull him to his feet after that, and I point the draculoid in the direction of the collection vans, waving off his rather bemused thanks*

[Volume Virus]

*My coworkers busy themselves with the Killjoys, but I'm more worried about the children. There are four of them, three girls and one boy. I kneel down next to them and extend one hand towards them, even though that makes them shrink farther back into the corner. The youngest girl breaks out into tears. I shush them and take off my mask so they can actually see my smiling face. The vampire face isn't exactly comforting.* It's okay, little ones. You'll be safe in Battery City.

We don't want to go. We want to stay here with our mother and father. *The oldest girl, who looks about eleven or twelve, acts as the spokesperson for the group.*

Your parents are going to Battery City too. They can take care of you there without worrying about where they can hide for the night or where their next meal is going to come from. It's safer in the city than it is out here. Wouldn't you like to go to school?

What is "school"? *The boy (a few years younger than the oldest girl, maybe ten) looks at me with confused eyes.*

It's not anything bad, not at all. You can meet the other children who live in Battery City and learn all sorts of things. I've heard that it's very nice. Also, you'll get a place to sleep in the city, and lots of food to eat. You won't have to fight to survive like you do out here. *The children look at each other, then at me. Then the boy walks forward and takes my hand, at which his sisters follow. I stand up and lead them all back to the child services van, where I let the professionals load them up.*