The Samaritan Project (superheroes, government conspiracies, spies and mystery) - Page 3 - Writers Forum

The Cloaked Stranger · 01-23-2008, 05:52 AM

Ooops -- I forgot -- on my computer those show as symbols from webdings or some font, I didn't think about how they might change on other people's computers. Next time I'll just use an asterisk.

The Cloaked Stranger · 01-27-2008, 09:59 AM

Sledge walked at a steady pace. Mall customers ran screaming at the sight of him with his big gun. A security guard came towards him and then thought better of it as Sledge stared at him, his sunglasses making his eyes unreadable. The guard just dropped his pistol and ran after everyone else.

“Sissy.” Sledge chuckled. He continued his cautious march.

He suspected the target hadn’t gone far. Not after seeing him fight. No warrior, no real warrior, retreated. No, this was a strategic move. Divide and conquer. Sledge felt a little respect for this enemy.

“I know you’re nearby.” He shouted. “Those were some nice moves before. I have to say that I’m impressed. It’s not easy to impress me.”

He looked around. There was a music store, a woman’s clothing store, and a coffee shop close by. This section of the mall had a fountain and flowerbeds with fake plants. Sledge shook his head. He hated normal people with their petty concerns. He watched them running for the exits.

“Sledge, the police are on their way. SWAT team.” His radio said. “You’ve got about five minutes.”

“Time’s up, my friend!” He called out. “The cops are coming. They’ll turn this place into Swiss cheese trying to get you. Would be a shame if they hit an innocent bystander don’t you think?”

Nothing. Sledge looked around slowly, trying to spot an errant shadow or catch the slightest sound. Around the corner was the sound of whimpering. He slung his machine gun over his shoulder and drew a handgun. Sledge came around the corner fast and grabbed a woman huddled against the wall of a card store. She screamed as he grabbed her by the hair and forced her into the centre of the open space, standing by the fountain.

“Here’s one now!” He laughed. “Yeah, it would be a travesty if her pretty brains got splattered all over the mall. But, why wait for the cops? I could just do it right now…”

“Stop.” The masked young man emerged from behind the bar of the coffee shop. He held his hands open. Standing still, it was easier for Sledge to see that the man’s black mask had a big diamond in the centre, blue in colour, and another on the chin. The cheeks were coloured in blue as well. His clothes were ordinary otherwise: jeans and a t-shirt. He was lean, athletic, but nowhere near the size of Sledge or his team members.

“Well, it’s about time.” Sledge said. The woman cringed as he pressed the gun to her head. “You ready to finish this man to man, or do I need to persuade you further?”

“If it’s a fight you want, I’m right here.” The younger man said.

Sledge grinned and pushed the woman aside. She fell on her knees with a moan and then got up and ran as fast as she could. Sledge put his gun away and circled the target. They sized each other up, moving slowly. Sledge grinned and then feinted, moving quickly as if to strike and then backing off. Then he tackled low, aiming for the man’s legs.

The masked target leaped backwards out of reach, but this was Sledge’s intention. Butcher and Meat grabbed either arm from behind, grappling their foe, having come up behind him. Their muscles strained as they held his arms while he struggled like a wildcat. Amazingly, he tore his arms free and tossed the two men forward, to land at Sledge’s feet. They picked themselves up.

“Oh, you’re dead punk.” Butcher growled. He came forward.

Sledge took the opportunity to plunge two syringes into his teammates, injecting them with something. They gasped for air for a moment, and then they positively roared. Before their target’s startled eyes their muscles bulged, veins throbbing, and they turned towards him with animalistic cries. They seemed to actually get bigger, and then they charged with amazing speed.

Caught off guard, the target went flying through the air as Butcher collided with him. He crashed into the wall of the clothing store and then Meat was on him, pummelling him with punches. He wriggled free; clutching his ribs, and delivered a swift kick to the back of his opponent’s knee. Meat shrugged off the blow and turned, cracking the target in the head with a strong backhand. Butcher grabbed hold of him from behind and threw him into the fountain with a splash and a groan of pain. The two big men let loose primal screams and raced after him.

Sledge watched with pleasure as his men rampaged after the target. Outside he could see patrol cars arriving, and police surrounding the building. He was certain that snipers were in place, and the inevitable news crew.

Butcher splashed into the fountain pond, groping for the body in the water. The target swiftly delivered a series of kicks to his face and chest, moving swiftly and fluidly. He struck like a cobra, hard and fast. Butcher’s body reeled, but he responded with rage instead of pain, grabbing his enemy’s leg and tossing him through the nearest flowerbed with a spray of dirt and plaster. The target sprawled there, breathing hard.

Meat grabbed him by the arms and flung him across the open space, slamming the target through a shop window, shattering it in a spray of sharp glass. Somehow the target managed to make it back to his feet, stumbling a little as he stepped clear of the window display. He took a shaky fighting stance as the two bruisers barrelled towards him.

The pair operated on pure instinct, fuelled by rage. The only thought in their minds was to destroy the target. Their fury and physical strength made them nearly unstoppable, brawny unthinking juggernauts. Butcher led the charge, swinging his bulky fist to obliterate the enemy. The man with the blue diamond mask jumped over Butcher, leapfrogging his back by using one hand, and then kicking Meat in the face, breaking his nose and his sunglasses. Meat barely responded to the pain, simply turning about like an angry rhinoceros and charging after the target. Their prey sprinted for the windows towards the police cruisers outside.

Sledge smiled to himself, watching the cops prepare for an attack, levelling their guns at the doorway. Bolo arrived a moment later at Sledge’s shoulder, having awakened.

“What’s going on?” He asked.

“Glad you could join us. Things are going according to plan. How did you find us?”

“Followed the noise.” Bolo smiled, indicating Butcher and Meat, roaring as they chased their nimble foe.

A cop yelled on a bullhorn, ordering them to stand down and come out with their hands up. The suspect slid to a stop in front of the glass doors, caught between a rock and a hard place. He seemed frozen with fear. Running on pure animalistic rage, his two opponents crashed towards him like runaway trains. They roared, swinging for him. Deftly, so swift it was almost invisible to the naked eye, he cartwheeled between them and then delivered a swift kick to Butcher’s back. He spun and roundhouse kicked Meat the same way, sending both men sprawling. Arms up, moving tremendously fast, they had no choice but to stumble straight through the big glass doors.

They shattered, raining glass splinters down on the two burly men. They received innumerable small cuts from the shards, and just kept right on going. Sledge saw what was happening and fired over their heads, forcing the police to duck for cover rather than open fire on the two men. Butcher and Meat both collided with the nearest police cruiser in the laneway of the parking lot, almost tipping it over in their berserker state.

Their target, seeing a chance for escape, sprinted straight at them while the cops ducked. He jumped up onto the hood of the police car and was about to run to freedom when Butcher reached out surprisingly fast, tripping him. He slammed against the metal hood and had the wind knocked out of him. Butcher pulled his leg and dragged him off the car to the ground, where he and Meat immediately began delivering a series of vicious kicks.

Sledge and Bolo fired round after round into the adjacent police cars, filling the air with gunfire and the sound of breaking glass, as windshields and windows were shot in. The police tried their best to return fire, oblivious to the three fighting men a few yards away, distracted by the gunplay. In all the confusion, no one saw a car driving rapidly across the parking lot.

The driver gunned the engine, speeding up. Then, the driver’s door opened, and whomever it was rolled free. The car bounded along and only when it was too late did Sledge see it. He could tell from the angle that the car was on a collision course with his team members.

“Oh, shit.” He whispered to himself. Then he began firing on the vehicle, not realizing it was already empty. Bullets ripped across the windshield and the hood of the car. He hit something vital, as it burst into flame. The car slammed directly into the police cruiser. There was a flash of blue light and then an explosion, sending everyone to the ground in a huddle.

“Sledge to Vulture, move in for extraction.” He told his radio. Then Sledge grabbed a grenade from his belt and tossed it into the crowd of police officers.

A smoky gas exploded outwards, blinding them all and causing a lot of coughing. Sledge and Bolo walked into the mess wearing gas masks from the backs of their belts, complete with infrared goggles. Sledge saw a group of television crews beyond the police and lobbed a few gas canisters there way to further confuse matters. When the Vulture hovered overhead, no one had any idea. They grabbed the proffered ropes and tied them to Meat and Butcher. Within moments Red Squad was aboard and on their way back to base.

Rook emerged from his hiding place in the music store and wondered what the hell that was all about.

The Cloaked Stranger · 02-23-2008, 09:48 AM

Every news station in the country played footage of the skirmish. And all of them got it wrong. Almost everyone in the nation saw two men attack a police cruiser while unseen assailants fired on the cops. A third man jumped on the police car. Pretty soon there was a car crash and an explosion before the gas canisters blinded the news teams. Events were complicated further by the cameramen themselves. Some reacted with panic, giving only shaky snapshots of the situation. Others moved around too much, trying to follow the action. No one saw what really happened.

Director Shade followed this footage with a statement for the press. He stood on a podium in front of a video screen. News reporters were gathered to hear what he had to say.

“Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of America, it is my duty to inform you of a national emergency. A group of terrorists have infiltrated our borders to threaten our populace.”

Behind him close up pictures of the man in the diamond mask and the two men in red assault gear were shown.

“Based on this footage and eyewitness reports, we are dealing with individuals strengthened beyond the human norm. Coupled with the Omicron incident earlier this week, we believe this combat team has powers to rival our Patriot program. This is disconcerting news to say the least.”

Shade gestured and new footage played on the screen. The camera utilized night vision technology, and was filming from above. It showed a figure racing across city rooftops. The camera zoomed in as the figure looked up, revealing a diamond mask.

“This footage was found in our Ops centre computer banks. It seems one of our patrol helicopters actually caught the terrorist on film before he attacked the Omicron building. No one realized this film even existed because of the confusion following that attack, and the sad fact that the helicopter itself was destroyed in the explosion. They transmitted the footage before their destruction. Good men died to give us this information.”

Shade pointed again, and footage played of a car striking the police cruiser, causing an explosion.

“Thankfully, the man responsible is now dead. However, his team is still at large and considered extremely dangerous. Rest assured, we are gathering our resources and will act swiftly to bring these men to justice. The United States of America will not sit idly by while sick individuals threaten our people. The Patriot team has already been recalled to aid in the defence of our country. It’s only a matter of time.”

The reporters erupted with questions, but Shade walked away.

Rook sat in a local bar watching the news and had questions of his own.

Vee · 02-27-2008, 10:31 PM

An update - yea.

The Cloaked Stranger · 03-06-2008, 08:52 AM

Talbot Crandall sat in Shade’s chair in his office, sipping a glass of his best scotch. Nicholas Shade entered the office and walked towards the big desk.

“We have a problem, Nick.” Talbot said softly.

“We certainly do, sir.” Nicholas answered.

“I should have listened to you yesterday. The threat is real.” Crandall said quietly. “If our enemies have managed to copy our project, we could be in serious trouble. Everything we have built is now threatened.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ll get the President to offer new funding. We need to get these bastards.” Talbot put down his glass. “We’ll push it through Congress with the national emergency. Do what you have to, but bring these monsters down.”

“I won’t let you down sir.”

Crandall nodded absently and struggled to his feet. For the first time since Shade had met him, Talbot Crandall seemed old.

He watched Crandall shuffle out of the office, head low. Shade sat down and stared out into the darkness beyond his window, looking at his city. He smiled.

The Cloaked Stranger · 03-26-2008, 08:09 AM

On the other side of town a pair of policemen on patrol got out of their squad car and carefully approached a second cruiser, parked in an alley. It had gone missing after the mall incident that morning. One officer radioed headquarters while his partner searched the vehicle. Whoever had stolen it was long gone, and they had taken the car’s shotgun with them.

A few blocks away, in a condemned building, a young woman with blonde hair stood guard over her sleeping friends with that same shotgun. She watched the street through a crack in a boarded up window.

“It’s my turn to stand guard.” Her brunette friend said groggily, waking up.

“I’m okay.”

“So? You need to sleep sometime.” The brunette gently took the gun and helped her friend lie down.

“How is he?” The blonde nodded towards their companion sleeping in the corner.

“His burns have mostly healed. I imagine he’ll wake up hungry, as usual.”

Vee · 03-26-2008, 10:03 PM

Quote:

"It's my turn to stand guard," her brunette friend said groggily, rousing herself from her slumber.

Just thought something like that might sound a little better and that "waking up" just doesn't sound tacked onto the end.

Hobo · 03-27-2008, 01:22 AM

I'm diggin this. A lot! Superheros and political intrigue can't go wrong with it. Almost gives me a Frank Miller dark knight returns vibe.

The Cloaked Stranger · 04-17-2008, 04:10 PM

sorry for the lack of updates lately, my family has been sick.

Greed · 04-18-2008, 11:19 AM

Very figuratively written, I approve, congratulations.

lilacstarflower · 04-18-2008, 11:21 AM

just found this and really getting into it - good job!

The Cloaked Stranger · 04-22-2008, 12:35 PM

Part two: Patriot Acts

The Patriot team sat in a military transport flying back to the States across the Atlantic. Zenith lounged in his chair, listening to headphones. Summit was reading a book. Apex stared out the window, looking pensive.

“Worried?” Paragon asked him.

Apex shrugged. “I don’t know. We’re practically invulnerable; I’ve never been hurt. Never met an enemy we couldn’t beat. But now there’s someone out there with powers like ours. I don’t know what to think.”

Paragon nodded. “I remember being afraid to fight, when I was a Marine. I didn’t want to get shot, or see friends die. I learned to take things a day at a time. To do my best, so I was certain that I had defended my country. That way, if I died, it would be with the knowledge that I had lived with honour.”

Apex nodded, looking out the window once again.

****

Nicholas Shade went to Washington with Talbot Crandall for an emergency session of Congress. They voted unanimously to give new funding and made Shade second in command to the Commander in Chief, the President. He was now essentially the titular head of the armed forces, able to utilize the FBI, the CIA or the Secret Service to end this crisis.

Police interviewed mall customers about the terrorists while repair crews worked on the damaged south end. The Patriots slept off their flight before beginning their patrols of the city. Ordinary citizens kept an eye on the news.

Rook boarded an elevator and tried to access the infirmary level on sublevel four. He swiped his security pass, touched the fingerprint plate, and waited. Nothing happened. Rook exited the elevator and called the Operations Centre.

“Mullen here.”

“This is Rook. I can’t access the infirmary. Is there a problem with the elevator or the security system? I’d like to visit my squad.”

“I understand your feelings, but that’s not possible. Director Shade has made that level off limits to everyone but essential personnel. You have to get special permission from him.”

“He’s in Washington today.”

“Then you’ll just have to wait until he gets back on Monday.” Mullen hung up.

And Rook was suddenly very curious about what was going on. Red Squad had been called terrorists on national television, two of them were hit with an exploding car, and now the infirmary was blocked off. Something didn’t add up.

Greed · 04-23-2008, 11:24 AM

I can honestly say that I really do like this. The only thing I'd like to see is a little more foundation. Explain the attack on the building more thoroughly. Secondly, something that requires the attention of a team like the ones mentioned here will be seen and known about before "24 hours".

The Cloaked Stranger · 04-24-2008, 02:09 PM

Sorry, what 24 hours are you talking about? If I've opened up a plothole in the story-time continuum, I'd like to know where I'm supposed to do a ret-con to preserve the stability of the universe.

Plus, the attack on the building is a big unknown for them -- that's why they're scrambling to react. Explaining what happened and why is a major underlying subplot. It's not going to be resolved until the character with amnesia gets his memory back.

DeVorn · 04-25-2008, 09:37 AM

Quote:

The world once believed the world was flat.

"The world" once believed "the world" was flat sounds a little--uh--flat. Also, history nerd moment: Most educated people did not believe the world was flat. The ol' "Columbus sailed to America to prove the world wasn't flat!" thing (or Magellan, depending on your highschool history teacher) is bogus; mostly it was perpetuated by sailors (who were highly superstitious AND uneducated, thus DID think the world was flat--something which we've known wasn't true since the Greeks).

The entire introduction above the title is godawful corny--and I speak as a man who would not be satisfied standing in a cornfield with a pair of gallon jugs filled with melted butter and a belly-pump strapped to my back and ready to roll. "It's all lies, I'll spoonfeed you the truth you unwashed masses"--that's been the selling point of a lot of fiction, and you're not doing anything new or interesting with the concept.

Quote:

WHACK! He got a kick to the head for his efforts, spilling him onto his backside like a trapped turtle.

Onomatopeia (sp? D:) is tricky to pull off convincingly in prose; I just don't think it works here.

I've finished the first part--not exactly my shindigs, but it's competent. I'll try giving the whole thing a read later.