Stolen Earth {[Lucid&Demon of fear]}

[lucidVisionOfLife]

Neebles hung up his traveling cloak and slipped into his Scientist whites. She won't be very happy with me, Neebles thought, as he rode the elevator to the birthing unit. Neebles was a highly accomplished scientist who was responsible for the genetic make up of the newest strain of human slaves who were unable to catch any disease and will be even more subservient with little to no risk of defecting. Not that he was proud of that fact. Neebles only got to were he was because of one thing. Getting the Tyrant Gorlack who was responsible for making their last planet bereft of resources in the first place, out of rule.

There were many Aliens that opposed Gorlacks rule. Most of them despised the sale of human slaves to the civilians because the children were turning into a generation of self entitled low life's. Whats more, their race had been a Slave race generations ago. The stories were still alive to this day. Gorlack's Mantra was to avoid being a slave, you had to be a master. The pure bloods had many rich and iconic followers which made campaigning for change quite impossible.

Gorlack and his brother Dorock were the only Saurons with completely pure Sauron blood. The laws give Gorlack and his brother Dorock full superiority over all. In order to avoid extinction a generation ago the Saurons had to mate with a similar compatible species in order to avoid extinction. Gorlack's ancestors refused, there for, ensuring their claim on the hierarchy of the species. Neebles walked down a long corridor until he found Serene's room.

"Serene" He whispered.
"I return with good news and mildly upsetting news."
The blond woman sat up her her bed, and gave Neebles a concerned look.
"She is alive." he said quickly ,smiling as she sighed in relief.
"Alright Neebles what about the "mildly upsetting" part." She said in an impatient huff.

"I did not bring her with me."

"NEEB-" "-Hush." He interjected. "We must not wake your neighbor she is a stanch loyal. Sorry, but she had the opportunity to see how humans interact with each other in a free environment. I figured it would boost her resolve to help us overthrow Gorlack. Please remain calm, I promise she is in good hands. Primitive technology wielding hands, but good the same. It is important for us to get her on board."

Serene sighed then beamed at Neebles.
" You are correct. It was the best course of action. Please Neebles make sure when she returns you will prevent her recapture?"

"As you wish my dear. Get some rest and do not worry, she will make it back. I left her some skin knitters and messages from us both in the vault human's pack."


Astriad woke up in that state of dream mixed with reality when one finally realizes they are not waking up where they are used to. Slowly the memories of why she was there, and where there was, flooded back in her head as she sat up to stretch. Only soon to realize, her skin was patched together with thread and stretching equaled pain. She groggily blinked her bright green eyes as she spotted a figure in her periphery.

With a small yelp, Astriad fell off the bed in her surprise. On the floor, the figure seemed to vanish. When she stood up, it appeared again. It was a slender blond woman with over sized clothing, and her skin had hairy looking sewed up places in various parts of her body. Astriad reached her hand out at the mirror, finally realizing that the girl was her. It was the first time she ever really saw what she looked like, for mirrors were not common place.

Returning to sit on the bed, Astriad applied a smaller amount of pain killer than the last time, meaning to avoid the wanting sickness this type of medication can cause if abused. From the next room, Astriad could hear the conversation between Crowe and his mother. She beamed at the thought of rescuing her mother. She padded across the cold stone floor and peaked out the bedroom door. Crowe, she spotted, was sitting down messing with thin rectangles. She quietly stood at the entrance of the main room for moments before she spoke.

"Did morning meal time already pass?' She asked, her empty stomach churning at the thought of food.  

[lucidVisionOfLife]

demon of fear_3598

rofl Forgot to quote xp  

[demon of fear_3598]

The man turned his head to his door room and saw the small girl stood there, possibly has always been there the whole time. A smile curled up his lips, before turning his head again towards the table full of paper and tidied it all up. He stood up and walked over to Astriad with the files left on the table. His hand stretched to her head and patted her with a smile, before giving her a warm hug.

"Good morning, Astriad. You woke up just in time for breakfast. Let's go get you something to eat.", he said before letting her go from his embrace. He held her hand as both of them went out of the living quarter and towards the canteen. Many of the vault residents were already awake at that point. Most of them were happy when they saw Crowe, but soon their facial expression would change as they saw Astriad right next to him, holding their hands together.

"Don't mind them.", said Crowe to Astriad before entering the canteen. Thank god, it wasn't full. There were empty seats around, the waiters were pretty much free of their duty since there weren't many people at that time. Most of the Sprinters were already out for their duty, including Crowe's squad. Crowe brought Astriad to a nearby empty table before both of them sat down.

Crowe signaled one of the waiter for a two portion of a regular breakfast from far. The waiter nodded before going into the kitchen to ready their food. "So, how is it like being in the alien lair?", Crowe sparked the question to Astriad. At this point, every question that he ask has something to do with him going to the lair.

A few minutes later, the waiter came to their table along with two trays of food. The tray contained an english-style breakfast which was 2 slices of toasted bread, 2 fried eggs, 2 hotdogs, a bowl of baked beans and a few slices of bacon. This was their usual breakfast, but they're always free to order a different type according to their appetite. "You know, I'm going back to the lair later..", said Crowe as he paused in silence before eating his breakfast.

lucidVisionOfLife

OOC: sorry it seemed quite short, kinda out of ideas at this time xp

 

[lucidVisionOfLife]

demon of fear_3598

No probs. I'm not a paragraph count NAzi =D

Astriad was puzzled by his embrace and his insistence to hold her hand. Perhaps he was trying to keep her from wondering off. Astriad was perplexed by the way the vault human's stared. It seem they regarded her as an unwelcome pet. Now that she was wide awake she noticed more reflections of her self and the others tooling down the corridors.

Astriad squirmed in her seat, contemplating Crowe's question.

"All slaves came from vaults like this. All the ones thought they were all found. Slaves this ones age and younger are separated by age. The olders are given duties but are kept separate for the most part. Only in the farmhouse do they ever coincide. Many of them were young when they were in the vault. The ones before them have long been incinerated considered to set in their ways and too old to be beneficial. All slaves my age and younger have been made through science and surrogate birthing mothers."
Astriad paused as a man placed the largest array of food she had ever seen at morning meal time.

"This one is quiet, but listens well." she said through a grin.

She explained to him almost everything she could think of about the lair including the layout and a rough number of aliens between bites of the beans, which were something she felt safe trying at the moment. The pauses were long because she had never actually tasted beans she was eating before.
"Some Slaves are given limited control over the others. Those are called Officers. Each slave wears a collar that is capable of shocking,choking,and head explosion. This one mainly hides with the younger because those ones get softer treatment. The job this one mostly completed was climbing a giant tree with a big fruit, which contains the building blocks to most cures and vaccinations. "

Astriad decided to brave the wiggly yellow and white things. When pierced with the utensil, the yellow part ran all over the plate. Astriad imitated Crowe sopping up the yellows with the crunchy sliced bread. She ate them quickly and moved on to sampling the rest of the food she was given. Even though she had overheard the information already she dropped her utensils at the mention of going back to the City.

"If "later" means today, this one must inquire that one to wait until this ones wounds are completely healed before the journey. I must be able to climb to get the fruit for that ones Mother. It won't heal her completely like the modified serum, but it would give these ones a chance to make a plan to infiltrate the Genetic Sciences wing in Gorlack's Lair. They are big Crowe and their weapons can turn a human into ash or burn one into a crisp. Do not tread lightly. This one will help, however waiting would be more beneficial to the situation. The status of Mother is unknown however that one's is a need of a functional sneaky one to get what she needs.This one also spent a great amount of time speaking to the olders." She smiled at him, sure to free her mouth of food before she did.
"Please, tell this one more about living in the vault."  

[demon of fear_3598]

Crowe listened what Astriad had to say about him infiltrating the lair. He nodded, in agreement to wait for her to completely heal before going there. Crowe never had anything in mind to bring Astriad together with him, but since she's the only one that knows the way through in and out, there's no other choice. Sure, he could just bust in there, but what are the chances of him making through it alive? So, for now, he'd follow Astriad's suggestion to wait. But also at the same time, it would give his squad get ready. Although time is not by his side, rushing would accomplish nothing.

Crowe grabbed a sausage and took a bite of it before Astriad asked her about how it's like in the vault. "The vault? Oh, it's nothing really. The vault consists of people from every age. Every one of these people has their duty in the vault. Everybody but the elderly.", said Crowe as he took another bite of the sausage.

"Kids and teenagers' duties are to attend classes. These classes mostly teach them about how to survive. Along side that, they also teach them about what are the things that are outside. By outside, I mean the Wasteland. Sure, they aren't thought much about what's out there, but it's up to them to explore. If they aren't interested about the outside world, they could just work here in the vault being a cook, or a doctor. But, if they are interested, they have a chance to in the army.", added Crowe before finishing his sausage. He then grabbed his utensil and continued to eat the bowl of beans.

He swallowed his food and wiped his mouth with a tissue that was provided to them. "To join the army, one must be at least 13 years of age. I joined when I was 15. The army consists of 3 different branch. Which are the Garrison, the Researchers and the Sprinters. The Garrison's duty is simply to guard the vault. They are the walls of the vault, meaning that they protect it from any danger. The Researchers are people who research on chemicals, as well as upgrades for the vault and weapon enhancements. Medicines or any medical treatment are led by them. Doctors work under the Researchers, but they aren't a part of the army. These people are also teachers", Crowe pointed a few people with utensils, who were wearing long coats and surgical mask hung on their neck. He also pointed a few who wore protective clothing.

"Then there's the Sprinters.", said Crowe, pointing to himself, who at that point was wearing light clothing. "Our duty is to explore the Wasteland, gather resources for the vault and protect it. We are the ones who stick everything together. We provide the Researchers with something that we find outside, we help the Garrison to protect the vault. We also help the vault residents in search for food. We help the Garrisons fight off any intruders, but we never receive help from anybody since we're always far from anyone except ourselves if we are to move in groups. The Garrison consists of big and strong people, while the Researchers are brilliant in thinking. The Sprinters are fast and able to survive on their own.", as he mentioned about the Sprinters, there wasn't any around who was one. This was because there isn't many people who wants to become a Sprinter, since it's suicidal. People who were one are constantly putting themselves in danger. But, Crowe didn't want to tell Astriad about this part.

Finishing his meal, Crowe continued for a last bit about the vault. "The vault has a leader. Similar to this, Gorlack of yours, but has a heart for all the people in the vault. My father was a leader, but when he passed away, my mother took over. Now that my mother is in an ill state, she might pass the title to me. But the truth is, I don't want it.", said Crowe before calling the waiter and ordered two glasses of watermelon juice. It didn't take long for his order to come to the table.

The waiter placed the two glasses on the table before leaving them.

lucidVisionOfLife

 

[lucidVisionOfLife]

demon of fear_3598

Astriad liked the idea of a community of humans with certain jobs to ensure survival of their own race. Back at the city humans had no choice really what their job assignment was, they were to do what they were given to do. Astriad only got to choose because she was an anomaly in the system. The thought of a human being a Doctor or a Scientist fascinated her.

"Why does that one not want the position of power, Crowe?" Many little kids in the lair dreamed of being an Officer who had permission to have a control for the shock collars. These kids were not sadistic in nature just realistic. The ones doing the shocking and the beating do not get shocked or beaten.Astriad never had such a wish. Most Officers abused their little slice of power. Not many, mostly, just the older ones.

The girl put her face eye level with the glass of vibrant colored liquid. "Strange, this one cannot see through this beverage." She muttered to her self, before dipping one finger in the substance and putting it in her mouth. One taste was all it took to finish the glass in two seconds.

"Where does this liquid come from? Words can not describe..." Astriad sighed with content feeling better with a full stomach and lingering memories of wonderful tastes textures and fragrances.
"Much appreciation for the meal, Crowe. This one has never experienced food like this. If it is not too much trouble could these ones look around the vault? Also, would it be permissible to see the children?"  

[demon of fear_3598]

"Because if I'm the leader, I won't be able to be free. Instead I will be stuck here until I die.", said Crowe as he gulped down the watermelon juice. Since his dreams are to take his family and move out of the vault, being a leader of the vault is not an option. He might ask his mother to pass the title to Geina, their neighbor. Since she's a caring person, things will go well under her leadership. Plus, she's a doctor, she knows too well about handling stuff under pressure. If Crowe were to take over, he would have to rebuild the vault's law and orders from scratch.

Crowe laughed as he looked at Astriad's face. Her being happy was one of the reason, the other was how she was curious about the juice. "This comes from a fruit. Since the soil outside isn't suitable for planting due to it's high in acidity level, we plant it ourselves. Hell, we even have our own farm and plantation in the vault.", said Crowe before finishing his drink. The vault is really well rounded, and almost perfect for living. But there still was something wrong about the vault. Maybe because of their inability to accept outsiders. Maybe...

"Yes, we can go around. But I must warn you, it could get tiresome. The vault is huge.", said Crowe before he stood up. He offered a hand to Astriad before proceeding to go to the kids' section that was located a few floors down. They entered an elevator before Crowe would press the floor button that they were heading to. "Kids huh?", thought Crowe to himself as he looked at Astriad. He didn't really think that Astriad was a loving person, and this made Crowe grew fond of her.

Reaching their floor, Crowe led Astriad pass a huge hall way with glass panes at the sides. On the other side, there were doctors and patients who were being treated. Patients at these area are mostly people who have treatable and harmless sickness like a fever or a cold. "These are called 'Clinics'. If you're sick, come here to get checked by one of the doctors. They'll make sure that you are fully healthy before letting you off for your duties.", said Crowe as both of them continued to walk pass the hallway and stopped in front of a closed door. "Name and purpose?", a voice came out of a small speaker on the side of the door. "Crowe Arronax and Astriad, special visit. ", answered Crowe before looking at Astriad with a smile. "Welcome, Captain and Astriad.", said the voice as the door opened, revealing a really bright and cheerful atmosphere.

The walls were decorated with colorful paintings and drawings by the children. The floor were padded to avoid the kids from falling and getting an injury. There were kids playing around the area, toys scattered and a played by the children. Inside, there were a few rooms for the children to take naps, and there were also a few for education. As they entered, most of the kids would turn their head towards Crowe, before they ran and surrounded Crowe and Astriad. "Brother Crowe!", the kids greeted him with their cheerful voices. Crowe would kneel down and hug them followed by a cheerful laugh by Crowe and also the kids. "Children, let brother introduce you to someone. This is sister Astriad. She's new around here, and I'm taking her around for a tour. Be gentle with her, she's special to brother.", said Crowe to the kids before looking at Astriad with a warm smile.

"Hello sister Astriad!", the children greeted her and waved childishly before pulling her with them to a small, colorful table. There were also small chairs, and the children pulled Astriad down for her to take a seat. Some of them started to draw on a piece of paper, while some continued to play with their toys. A few number of girls surrounded Astriad, and were fascinated by her hair. "Sister Astriad, how did you end up with brother Crowe?", one of the girls asked in curiosity. Crowe would stand behind Astriad, and let her answer the girl's question.

lucidVisionOfLife

 

[lucidVisionOfLife]

demon of fear_3598

Astraid was not sure she liked his answer to her question, but kept quiet about it. The idea of fruit humans could consume made her happy and she hoped to see where they grew.
Astriad smiled at the confirmation to explore and took his hand. After walking a while and another elevator ride, Astriad saw humans wearing doctor's whites treating other humans through windowed rooms. Astriad made a sound of astonishment after Crowe's Clinic explanation.

Astriad having become accustomed to the silence, jumped at the sudden voice asking their identities and purpose. When they entered the room Astraid examined all she could. The children's behavior was far more free spirited and they were quite trusting. Astriad watched and saw how all the children seemed to admire Crowe, and it made her smile. The girl had never encountered a man such as this. Men were mostly separated from woman with the exception of the male Officers. The slave men were no different really from the woman. However, the officers, while they can be male and female, the guards were mostly male and the small power they received corrupted some and caused them to abuse their power. The girl did not know why seeing all the smiles surrounding her made her happy, but she enjoyed them all, especially Crowes.

The girls surrounding Astriad started braiding the shoulder length portion of her hair framing her face. Astriad was unsure of how much to tell, so it took her a moment to answer the girls question.
"This one narrowly escaped execution mandated by the Aliens who live in a big City."

"I knew they exsited!"Chimed in a small boy holding a stuffed toy.

"Crowe, Saved this one from the guards outside and tended to my wounds."

"Why were you going to be executed and why do you talk so weird?" Asked the girl who moved to combine the two front braids into a single one down her head.

"The Alien leader ate this ones work companion. This one switched the poisoned glands from the Goran beast with Harkan Fish eggs which only go on the salad served at the Supreme Leaders table. Unfortunately the poison from the glands melted parts of the salad when punctured. This one was caught. This one was taught to speak this way."

"Wow you are so brave." some kids chimed after she finished her story.
"You rescued her Brother? How romantic". The girls said together in wispy voices.

A young girl missing some baby teeth proudly presented Astriad a drawing of a stick girl with wings holding the hand of a stick guy with long dark hair.
"I maded it for you." Astriad truly touched, reached over from where she was seated and gave the child a warm embrace.
"Much thanks little one." She said with a tear of joy in her eye.
Unsure how to store the rectangle ,she held it to her chest as she stood up. The little girl giggled with a smile and started to draw again. She turned around to realized that Crowe had been right behind her and now she was only inches away facing him.
"Will that one take this one to see the plantation?" She said unsure why her face felt so warm.  

[demon of fear_3598]

Crowe listened to how she would answer the children's questions. All of them seemed so fascinated in Astriad and it made Crowe felt that everything in the vault could be change. Not everybody here doesn't like outsiders, there are a few that made Crowe felt strange about the vault. Crowe would laugh silently as he nodded to the girls' question. Yep, indeed Crowe saved Astriad. At first it was because that she might be a valuable intel and he couldn't let people be caught by the aliens. But after a while, Crowe began to feel that it was a fated meet, that they were supposed to meet each other and help one another.

As Astriad turned around towards him, a tear rolled down her cheeks and the drawing by the child earlier was held to her chest. This was indeed a tear of joy. Crowe gently grabbed Astriad's face and wiped the tear off with his thumb. A warm smile curled up his lips before nodding.

"Well, Brother and Sister have to go now. There's not much time to waste. Take care of yourselves, children.", said Crowe.

The children, again, ran and surrounded Crowe and Astriad. "Will you be back and visit us, Brother and Sister?", the children repeated the question over and over in a mildly sad tone.

Crowe answered with a nod. "Like I always said, we will always meet. Maybe at a different place, or here. But know that, Sister Astriad and me are always looking forward to see you all again. Maybe alongside little Crowe or little Astriad.", said Crowe in a jokingly tone about the little Crowe and Astriad, referring to their babies. The children giggled in excitement, as if they can't wait for that moment to happen, where Crowe and Astriad would come to the children area with their child.

Taking Astriad's hand, Crowe led her towards the exit. Crowe gave one last good bye wave to the kids before going out. "They really liked you huh Astriad?", said Crowe as they walked towards the elevator.

Another elevator ride, not what Crowe liked but it was easier than climbing the stairs. The elevator led them to the top floor, which was the plantation. As the elevator door opened, they were greeted by a scenery of green, along with a few sections of colorful fruits, vegetables and flowers of all sorts. It was more of a garden than a plantation, it's quite amazing how they were able to create something like this even being underground. The roof was made of a series of one way mirrors that stretched across the plantation and garden. This would create a window for the sunlight to reach the plants, but from the outside, the ground would look just like all other.

Crowe, still holding Astriad's hand, walked her into the garden. "So this here is our plantation and garden. It used to be only a plantation, but at some time in the past they merged the garden and plantation together, creating this wonderful scenery that we possibly can't get anywhere.", said Crowe. All the workers here were friendly, yet dedicated to their work. They greeted them before they continued to tend to the plants.

"You know, Astriad, I was thinking. After we go to the lair and retrieve your mother and the cure, maybe we could, you know, live together.", said Crowe as he looked away from Astriad to hide his shyness.

lucidVisionOfLife

 

[lucidVisionOfLife]

lucidVisionOfLife

When Crowe grabbed her face Astriads face felt warmer. Her body was starting to ache due to all the walking they were doing. Her excitement caused her not to rewally notice or care.When they finally reached the plantation,the girl felt as if the scenery was the most breathtaking vison she had ever seen. The plantation she worked at only contained alien foods and bare essentials for the human slaves.

The girl touched the plants feeling their cool surface on the tips of her fingers. When the workers let her, she would ask them questions about the different plants. Some of them were nice enough to give her fruits vegetables and berries to taste. Astriad thanked every one of the workers and took care not to interrupt their work. A field of white blossoms was planted among other greenery. A woman picking the blooms, explained to Astraid that they use them for medicines but you have to pick them often so they don't choke each other out. The woman praised Astraids braids and carefully weaved some of the flowers in them.

When Crowe said his statement Astriad was puzzled by it.
" Where does this one live now ?" She replied unsure why he was turning away. Before she could press any further a tall well built man with a groomed beard and mustache combo and salt and pepper hair placed a heavy hand on her shoulder causing her to shout in surprise.
"Captian Crowe."He said with a salute.

"Hello there, so you must be who everyone is gossiping about. I'm Chet Burke the Garrison General, If you don't mind, I'm going to borrow the Captain for a bit. Follow me Crowe we have urgent matters to discuss."Burke said with authority as he lead Crowe over to and area with vine covered terraces and benches.
"Lets take a seat" He said as he sat down.
"I've come to understand that you rescued an outsider from an Alien Lair. The vault is rife with Rumors. The main one is that that girl is a brainwashed spy for the Aliens. You gotta admit, It is pretty damn suspicious that she asked to see our children and where our food supply is grown. You know how fear can cause people to become idiots. Make an announcement or have your mother do it, either way,explain whats going on. In the mean time avoid showing that girl any of our 'vulnerable" areas until we know more about her. I would hope, had she asked to see where we keep the weapons it would have raised a red flag ." He said with a wink. "Just try not to let her....Distract you."He said this time with a slightly devious wink.

While they were talking Astriad was examining some trees hoping to climb them someday when her wounds fully healed. Another heavy hand fell on Astraid's shoulder, this time it a guard.
"I've been instructed to escort you to the medical clinic to get your wounds cleaned and your bandages changed." He said in a official manner. The man was medium height with brown mousy hair and blank looking eyes.

He gripped her arm almost too tight as he escorted her out of the plantation. The guard at the entrance, Astriad recognized, was the man who had been guarding the vault just this morning. She smiled at him and to her surprise he smiled back. Reaching a fork in the hallway, the man lead her down the left one. Astraid distinctly remembered that they used the elevators from the right hallway when they arrived from the medical clinic. Pulling a few of the flowers out of her hair, she dropped them as they started down hall.

Weary, Astraid stepped into the elevator and soon realized that he was pushing the incorrect button to get to the floor they were supposed to be headed to. Astriad wrenched out of his grip and kicked him in the groin. While he was seething in pain, Astriad frantically pushed the open button trying in vain to get the elevator to stop and let her out. Finally, the door opened up, before she could make a run for it, the man knocked her in the head with the butt of his rifle.

Asriad woke up with the bright sun blocking her vision. The wind was tossing around sand over a canyon. When her eyes adjusted just saw the man standing over her.
" We don't need you brainwashed alien manufactured Zombies in our vault! It's awful convenient that you immediately got on good terms with the vault Masters son. Then you want to see where we keep your kids!?!You make me sick!"

He kicked her in the belly twice and spat. "I'll give you a 10 min head start. You see there are a few of my buddies up there with snipers who have been order to shoot anything in sight in that amount of time. Gook luck." The man walked over a draw bridge, which was the only path from that particular entrance to the vault and where Astriad lay writhing in pain. After he reached the other end he signaled for the draw bridge to be pulled back up.
" If you want to live a little bit longer you might want to run hon." He said with a smirk.

Astriad tried to get up but was still winded from the blows to her stomach. Five minutes passed before she could even stagger in the opposite direction. When she was finally able to move with more ease the shots began the rain down. She dodged them the best she could while at the same time scanning for cover. She found a crevice, then dropped down, hanging from the ledge. Holding on to the ledge was miserable, but she was hoping they would give up before her strength did. Right as her hands began to falter she felt a rumbling from beneath her.

Emerging from below was a giant black creature with many eyes and eight legs. Astriad narrowly missed the beast's monstrous teeth as she was forced to hang on to the hairs on its bulbous bottom. The snipers shot at the spider only managing to graze it and catch it's attention. The Giant spider shot it's webbing at the sniper who hit it, pulling him over. Immediately, it wrapped the sniper in a thick layer of webbing and clamped on him with it's mighty jaws. Astraid watched remaining completely still, perched the back of the monster as it sucked to man until he was a shriveled husk.

The girl noticed a knife in the boot of the body still dangling from the beast's mouth. It was just in reach. She managed to grab hold of it, just before it tossed the body aside. Before Astraid could make use of her new found weapon, the Spider shot it's webbing at the rock formation next to the draw bridge and pulled itself Astraid and all over. The man who abducted Astriad was waiting gun ready, only the spider pinned him down with one of it's spiny legs. Before the spider even had a chance to even try biting his head off, the girl plunged the knife into the creature's back right behind it's head. It screeched and reared up in pain.

Holding tightly to the knife, Astriad dangled from it causing the knife to rip through it's flesh down its back until her feet hit the ground. The diversion gave the remaining sniper enough time to dispatch the monstrosity. Astriad ,breathing heavily, held the knife out with both hands shaking, because the man she had just rescued was drawing down on her with his rifle.  

[demon of fear_3598]

"Well, technically we are living together. But what I meant was, outside the vault. We could build..", he stopped as he was interrupted by the general. "General Chet., replied Crowe along with a salute. It was weird for the General to be out at times like this. Furthermore, it's rare for the General to come and talk to Crowe personally. Usually he sends one of his underlings to do the work for him.

"I'll be away just for a minute alright, Astriad?", said Crowe as he let her hand go. Following the General, he was led to an area covered with vines. Crowe gave a nod as he was instructed to take a seat with the General. As the General started to talk about rumors around the vault, Crowe began to have an uneasy feeling inside him, but was forced to listen. Just as the General finished talking, he looked at the General dead in the eye. "We never had any rules about outsiders. As far as I'm concerned, any survivors that we found are required to be brought to the vault for safety purposes. We inspect them before hand to ensure that they are safe to be brought inside the vault. I did the inspection, myself.", said Crowe, as he stood up from the chair.

"I'm in charge of her, so I make the decision whether she stays or not. This conversation is over.", added Crowe as he turned away from the General. A sigh came out of Chet's mouth as a sound of a reloaded pistol could be heard. "I guess we just have to exterminate you along with the girl.", said the General with a gun pointed to Crowe.

Crowe stood still, knowing that there's a pistol pointed to his head by the General. Chet stood up from his chair and walked closed to Crowe. With the pistol now a few inch behind Crowe's head, the General let out a laugh. "You know Crowe, you were always the same as your father. Trusting people so easily, now looked where he is now. Down under the ground, with your uncle to be blamed. General of the Garrison, Chet Burke. I could never get tired of hearing that. Thanks to your father for appointing me. With you out of the picture, taking the vault under my own command would be easy. All that's left is that ratchet ill hag, I'll take care of her personally. Send my regards to your father when you're dead.", again, the General let out a laugh without knowing that Crowe already came up with a plan although filled with anger.

With one swift movement, Crowe turned around, grabbing his wrist while his other hand curled into a fist. A strong punch directly to the General's elbow, breaking it with just a punch. Quickly Crowe moved towards the General and grabbed his neck before throwing him down on the ground, breaking a chair in the process. Crowe pinned the General, with his hand still on his neck before grabbing the pistol that the General held up towards him earlier. The General cried and begged for mercy as Crowe held the gun straight on his forehead, with eyes filled with burning hatred and anger. "Pray that even hell would accept you.", said Crowe before pulling the trigger.

With one shot, Crowe killed the General before he stood up, now covered in splatters of blood. Taking the General's walkie-talkie, Crowe quickly changed the frequency to the frequency of his Sprinters squad.

"Emergency report. Grab your weapons and quickly rush to my mother and aid her in breaking out of the vault. Bring some extra weapons for me. Shoot anyone who is hostile, kill if necessary. Once you are safe outside with my mother, go to the abandoned building that we discovered. Meet you all there. Captain out.", said Crowe to his squad. A few seconds later, the squad replied with an affirmative.

He rushed out towards where Astriad was before. "Astri-", Astriad was missing. This caused Crowe to quickly rush to the elevator. Again, he changed the frequency of his walkie-talkie and contacted Victor, the guard who was in charge of the vault door.

"Victor, can you read me? Have you seen Astriad?", said the Captain in a nervous tone as the elevator moved towards the main floor. "Victor here. She went out with the General's lieutenant earlier. I thought you knew about that, Crowe?", replied Victor, not knowing of what's going on. "Get her, Victor. Make sure she's still alive. Please Victor, you're my friend. I'll explain later", Crowe replied, begging Victor.

"You owe me one, Crowe. Make sure you come here alive, I don't want to babysit her too long. Victor, out.", replied Victor. Crowe let out a sigh of relief before placing the walkie-talkie on his belt. The elevator door to the main floor opened, revealing nothing but a quiet surrounding. Crowe didn't care about this as he rushed quickly to the armory, grabbing his sniper and his machete, along with a med kit. Knowing that the vault door must be swarming with guard under Chet's command, Crowe went out using the emergency door, which was located opposite to the vault door.

Victor, with his weapon, rushed towards where Astriad was heading. To his surprise, he was was greeted by snipers who was shooting from a distance, to what it seems to be a giant spider. Victor, quickly drew his gun out and shot the snipers, quickly dispatching them. Pulling a lever behind him, the draw bridge would come down and make a path towards the spider, which he knew that Astriad was located there.

Victor quickly made his towards the giant sniper, which seemed to be dead already. As he came closer, he saw Astriad on the ground, with the Lieutenant pointing his gun at her. Without hesitation, Victor pulled the trigger, killing the Lieutenant from behind. But at the same time, a sniper from the draw bridge earlier shot towards Victor, piercing his shoulder. "Looks like I missed one...", said Victor as he fell down on the ground.

Just before the sniper could pull the death trigger, another gunfire could be heard, only to reveal Crowe from far, crouching with his sniper.

Crowe's shot killed the sniper, and it was confirmed that he was dead as Crowe pulled the trigger, shooting him again. Crowe quickly ran towards where Astriad and Victor was. Crowe kneel down next to Victor, who was wounded on his shoulder. As Crowe inspected Victor, Victor would scream out, faking his injury as if he was in deep agony. Crowe was shocked.

Victor would laugh, seeing Crowe's shocked face. "You should see the look on your face man!", said Victor, still with a chuckle. Crowe would have an angry look on his face, before falling on his butt, laughing. "I'm tired. I've been guarding the door since last night. I need some rest dude.", said Victor before he sat down, applying pressure to his wound on his shoulder.

"We need to find shelter first. There's an abandoned construction building located not far from here. We should be safe there. The squad should be there by now.", said Crowe as he stood up, at the same time lifting Astriad and carried her on his shoulder. Victor walked by himself since he only injured his shoulder, not his legs.

During the travel, Crowe didn't even make any eye contact with Astriad, nor did he talk to her. He remained silent towards Astriad as they continued to make their way towards the building.

Coming near the building, a few members of the squad rushed out of the building to help them. They assisted Victor, but Crowe denied their assistance in carrying Astriad. "I'm fine. I'll take care of her. Is mother alright?", said Crowe towards one of his squadmate, and was replied with a nod. A sigh of relief came out of his mouth as they made their way inside the building.

Coming inside, Crowe went to a room with Astriad still on his shoulder. He closed the door behind him and placed Astriad on table to tend to her injuries. Opening his med kit, Crowe opened his mouth.

"Are you a spy...? Was there any reason in you asking me to visit the places in the vault?", asked Crowe as he tended to her wounds, waiting for her answer.

lucidVisionOfLife

 

[lucidVisionOfLife]

demon of fear_3598

Astriad looked at the man pointing the gun at her and said.
"Please, this one just wants to help." Her words went to dead ears after another gunshot caused the man to fall over with a burnt bloody wound on his back. The man that had smiled back at her was heading her direction. Astriad screamed when he was hit and fell down. She made her way towards him, moving slowly because she was grazed by a few bullets and several of her stitched wounds had been opened from being kicked as well as from being tossed around like a rag doll on the back of a giant creature. Another two shots sounded then the girl saw Crowe heading their direction. "Crowe what is happening?" She said with teary fear filled eyes. He did not answer as he picked her up."Crowe?"

While he was carrying her she tried to talk to him but he remained cold and silent. Astriad started to get really scared as they approached an abandoned construct. Men offered to release Crowe of his burden -her- but he refused. There was something ominous feeling about the way Crowe said he would take care of her, and it made her nervous.

The girl was trembling all over by the time he sat her on the table. She realized she still had the knife and was contemplating whether or not she should put it down. When Crowe asked if she was a spy, the girl was filled with a deep despair. The only friend she thought she had was suspicious of her as well. Astriad's body slumped over as she broke down crying.

"This one just wanted to see how free humans live, and how the children are raised. She finds growing things fascinating. This one had and has no ill intent. A monster tried to attack the vault and this one helped bring it down. This one has only ever wanted to help. Please, this one will leave and not bother that one's vault humans ever again." Her sentences were broken as she spoke because of her sobbing. She looked in his grey eyes with her bright green sorrow filled ones, a cascade of tears rolling down her cheeks.  

[demon of fear_3598]

lucidVisionOfLife

Crowe stayed silent for a while as he continued to tend to her injuries. "Sure you are. We're not going back to the vault. It's not our home anymore.", said Crowe, trying not to make eye contact with Astriad, who had teary eyes.

The door behind them suddenly opened as his mother and Victor came in the room. "Mother..", Crowe paused from wiping Astriad's blood from her body. Sylvia, Crowe's mother, moved towards Astriad with a smile. "Hush there dear, everything is going to be alright. Everything is as planned.", said Sylvia as she pulled Astriad, hugged and caress her. Victor stood behind Crowe with his usual cheeky smile as he placed both of his hands on Crowe's shoulder.

"Victor, how's your wound?", asked Crowe as he looked at Victor, doing well than ever. "Yep. Your squad medic had me all patched up, and I'm feeling like a new man.", Victor replied as he limbered up as a joke of his. Crowe gave a low laugh as a response before looking to his mother.

"So, what now?", his voice was a bit low. He knew that it was his fault that all of them were forced to leave the vault at the first place. Everything was a haze, it didn't really hit Crowe well that they had to evacuate the vault without even having the time to say good bye to everyone. "Well, thanks to Crowe, Victor and also you Astriad, we finally know the truth about what has been happening around the vault. We were betrayed by our own people. But we have no part in all that no more. We're going to establish our own facility, here in this abandoned building. But first, we need to take down the alien lair, where Astriad was from.", said his mother before backing up a bit to have a clear view on all three of them.

"We break into the lair, our main priority is the slaves and Astriad's mother. The cure for my illness comes later. We're not just going to break in, we're taking the whole place down. But for that, we need Astriad. She's the only one that knows the way through there in and out., said his mother.

Crowe looked at Astriad, and gave a warm smile. "But what about her wounds?", asked Crowe to his mother.

"We will wait for it to be fully healed. Plus, your Sprinters do have some good medic.", answered his mother without any worries.

"And supplies?", asked Victor as he folded his arms over his chest.

"For that, I've contacted a few people back at the vault that I trust, they'll be here in a day or two, depending on how they would plan their breakthrough. Don't worry about them, they're trained professionals. More better than that of Crowe's squad. They were mine when I was just about his age. They'll bring the supplies to get this place going, along with weapons and a few explosives. Any more questions?", said his mother.

Crowe stood up from his chair and walked towards Astriad. He gave her a gentle hug and whispered "I'm sorry..", before calling in the squad medic to check her wounds.  

[lucidVisionOfLife]

Astriad mostly calmed down when Crowe's mother embraced her. She noticed Crowe was acting funny but did not say anything. Astriad was unsure why he was apologizing to her but the hug help her calm down completely.
Astriad furrowed her brow when Crowe's mother mentioned taking down the Lair. As the medic injected her with a big needle around her wound making those places numb, she spoke up.

" The Lair is the biggest alien city on the globe and it is not the only one. If all the ones here tried to take it down it would fail. Not only are there slaves in Gorlack's lair, there are slaves in every civilian home. It would be a fools errand even if that one hadn't lost the entirety of the vault's heavy military. No. The only way to stop this is to kill Gorlack and Dorlack. If we leave them alive they will only search these ones out until they are destroyed. Perhaps a gentler Alien will get power and we can negotiate freedom? This one heard a rumor of a rebel group of aliens who just want to co-exist..." Astriad went silent for a long moment then added, "Sylvia, perhaps could that one could have the people retrieve my audio card from Crowe's room it is the only thing this one's mother ever gave her."

Astriad saw in the vault what she had seen in the civilian homes in the city. They were not that different. Sure Gorlack was a monster but not all of them were. Most of the civvies ask instead of order their slaves to do things except for the spoiled children who were to young to remember when their race was oppressed by parasite aliens. Astriad did not want all of the aliens to die, only HIM and his brother.

The girl was happy that this skin sewing did not hurt as bad as the time Crowe did it. They gave her a pill to swallow for pain and covered all her wounds in very clean, soft, bright white wrappings. Astriad slid off the table after he was done and said abashed, " May this one have a change of clothing that fits better?"

demon of fear_3598

 

[demon of fear_3598]

lucidVisionOfLife

"Is it really that big? In that case, we'll go with your plan. The lesser the bloodshed, the smoother things will be. Oh and about your audio card, don't worry. It has already been ordered. Crowe told me that it was quite important to you, so I thought that it would be a pleasant idea to tell them to bring it along. They'll be here soon enough." said Sylvia before she went out of the room.

Crowe nodded as Astriad requested that she wants to change her clothes into something more fit. "Sure. Victor, could you help me ask some of the female Sprinters for some extra clothes? One that could fit Astriad.", asked Crowe politely to Victor. He gave a nod before going out of the room to take the spare clothes.

"Astriad, I'm...sorry for making you cry. Everything was a blur, and I wasn't thinking straight. It's my fault to doubt you." apologized Crowe to Astriad, lowering his gaze to the floor. He was wrong to do that to Astriad, and he knew that it was all his fault. But for now, all that's sure is that by knowing the truth, all of them has made the right decision to leave the vault instead of staying in that corrupted place.

His eyes looked into Astriad's before giving a warm smile. "Is there any way for me to make it up to you?" asked Crowe just before Victor would knock on the door and made his way inside the room. "Here's the spare clothes that you asked for Crowe I don't know if it would fit you right Astriad, but I'm sure that you'll feel comfortable" said Victor as he handed the clothes to Astriad.

Before leaving the room, Victor patted Crowe on his shoulder. "Don't go too rough on her. Some of her wounds still needs time to heal.", said Victor as he gave a cheeky wink and a grin before closing the door behind him.