Roleplay part 9

Sorry for an overly prolonged absence; as many others I had things to take care of at shool, in addition to some other things.
When we reached the end of the line, for now at least, or so I hoped, the group were quick to get off the train, and so were I.
I had pondered for a while if I should try to sneak off. The interrogation, which I had overheard the group speaking of, might not turn out well, concidering my work with the Fascists. In hindsight I should have thought of the fact that I was forced to work, but I was too tired to think that much.
However my plan to sneak off was quickly abandoned, since when I got off the train I simply saw white until I walked into a wall.
After sitting on the ground, confused and startled by my sudden blindness, for a while, I got lifted onto my feet, and whoever did it handed me a pair of what seemed like glasses.
"New to Polis, eh?" Said a man's voice, as I put on the glasses.
With the glasses on, my eyes were no longer getting overloaded with light, and I could see again. The sight was stunning, allthough not in the same way as the train. It was more of a "people's" place than the train-carriage, which was utter luxury from one end to the other. Allthough from what I could see, Polis was as large as any other station, there were far more people here, and allthough they seemed more "luxurious", better dressed and more well-nourished, the train took the superiority away from them at that point. I couldn't get more insight on the station as a whole, as the people were blocking my line of sight.
My trail of thoughts broke, as the guard who had picked me up scratched his head, obviously wondering what kind of a weirdo he had come across.
"Excuse me, what was that again?" I asked, trying to negate the fact that I had just stared blankly into the air for a while now.
"I asked if you were new, but that seems kind of obvious now," he said with a half-smile.
"Your group were to be taken to an interrogation before we let you in."
I followed the guard into a small "entrance hall", through it and into a small room, which probably had seen it's share of interrogations before.
I won't go into detail on my own, but when it was done the non-noticeable evening was upon the city. The light shone on just as strong, at least for now. Having too little knowledge about the city to know were to go, too much persistant pride to ask anyone, and a too tired body to walk anywhere, I simply ended up finding the most comfortable avenue I could, which wasn't especially comfortable, and resting my head upon my just as uncomfortable duffle-bag.
For a while tried my best to memorize the meeting-spot, as well as trying, in vain, to remember the other locations that had been spoken of in the carriage.
In the distance a bell rung (hoping I'm not straying from the cannon here, correct me if I am), and the lights in the station started shutting down.
My sleep was still filled by an endless void, as it had since the day I lost my memory, andthroughout the night I drifted in and out of sleep many times. The only thing I could remember from that night in afterlight was rats. As perfect as Polis was supposed to be, there sure were a lot of rats there when nobody were there to see them. Except me, of course...
I am, as the only one, I guess, going with the idea of wearing sunglasses in Polis, as you've probably read by now,.

 

And those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways.

where am i again? my vission was blurred and my ears was just stop ringing, what was that?, i looking at everything, everycorner, every one.... " hey, nice sleep huh?, you dont had to worry about the interrogation, other guard had taken care of it and we are being ordered to 'take care' the prisoner and you know what? they paid us with 5 mag full of cartridge! imagine a 5 mag for just a one and easy job ! i wondered how important the prisoner is it, ... hey, you look so terrible man, what's wrong with you?" i just need some of time to regain my consciousness, i just had some bad dream. i left the guard and walked away....
" good luck your mind then, "

 

Upon hearing my answer, the stalker rubbed his neck and looked away almost nervously. Something wasn't right here. "What more can you tell me about your father?" he asked me, exhaling all the air out of his lungs. "How long were you together with him? How was your relationship?" He added. I was surprised to hear more questions, because I expected a definite answer this time. It seemed to me like Benjamin was trying to evade telling me more about my father. Instead, he was keen to find out more about Volk from me. Since he was able to give a fairly accurate description of my father's appearance, it was obvious that he must have met him at some point.

"The last time I saw him was when I was three-years-old. I remember very little of how he acted, but from what I do know he was very loving towards me even though my parents were not on good terms with each other..." I began answering, but then realized that I should be asking the final question now. "But it seems to me like you knew my father... where is he now? Is he alive? ...What happened to him?" I was starting to get worried, and my voice waned during the last few sentences. I started to expect the worst.

 

Although finding her father seemed to be the only thing that kept her going, the only source of light that she could hope to achieve, her only hope, I was still relieved to hear that she had not seen him since she was three years old. That meant she should not be able to remember him too much, and that it had been definitely more than ten years since she last saw him. But then again, I knew how some things just never left your mind, no matter how long time passed by. Some wounds could not even be healed by time. I knew that for a fact myself, which reminded me of her... of Kimii.

I realized that all this pondering and thinking made me stare out at the view of the markets in an empty way and taking me some time to answer. I slightly shook my head, causing the dreadlocks to wiggle on my back, and my thoughts to vanquish. "Impatient, I see?", I asked, slightly cornering a smile. "I can understand that, most absolutely. Your father and I were good friends for some time", I told her, and this made me realize that what I was going to say was already obvious.

"He was a part of our group, in fact. In fact, I am the one who joined his group. I heard about the Crimson group several years back, and I did not know he was the leader of that group until now, not even that he was a part of it. Now that I come to think of it, perhaps the group that I joined actually was the Crimson group. Or perhaps not. None the less, they do not exist any longer due to lack of leadership, i heard rumors of. All of the people who were in Volk's group at that time have died or gone missing one by one as I've stayed alive with the group and gained new members; the ones you have already met and travelled with. Volk is, or was, a good man. A very good man", I said as I slightly nodded to confirm that I meant it.

"He saved my life once. We were walking on the surface when a Demon, as you might have heard of them, sweeped down and picked up one of our members, I cannot really remember who, then it put him off on a rooftop and began to attempt to feast on him. I was the first one up the stairs of the building. At the top, I yelled to the creature, and it surprisingly enough drew its attention off the poor man beneath it, and towards me. As it boosted towards me with its sharp teeth and sharp claws, I pulled out the sword on my back and aimed it straight towards the speeding beast. Your father, as the brave and humble man he was, pushed me away and stopped my suicidal attempt overpower the beast. I believe he saved my life. He sacrificed himself for my sake".

I could feel the tears slowly but surely building up in my eyes, but I kept them in check, preventing them from rolling down although they were probably quite visible in my eyes. "The monster picked him up and flew away with him, heading for a higher rooftop. But on the way, the monster dropped him and then it blew up in the air. I believe Volk stabbed an explosive with spikes on it, which caused the creature to let go of him. Fate was merciful that day and decided to let him land on the ouside of the windows on a small tower. We got him out, and made our way to Polis, this station, where he was treated by medicals. We moved out again, but without him this time around", I told her.

"Later on, we dealed with some Satanists in the South of the Metro before we arrived at Prospekt Mira, at the North-North-East part of the Hansa ring. There, we met him again, and he joined us on this mission to go to D6. Now I am getting to the part where you probably are most interested. You see, we used a shortcut on the surface. On the way, we lost one man; Pyotr, an old and rusty but good man. Just when we submerged back into the Metro, only Volk and Dimitri were still there. Dimitri was a good friend of Darkbringer, whom you met. We lost Darkbringer along with several others in D6. Dimitri was a good ranger, and a good man as well. Ex-military, I believe. A good soldier, in fact.

When he and Volk were the only ones left on the surface, Nazis showed up out of nowhere. Dimitri..", I had to stop myself to keep back the tears. Partially for Polina, but also partially for myself. I did not want to cry. I took a deep breath and blinked heavily some times as I brought myself together and continued. "Dimitri sacrificed himself by exploding the Nazis, and the explosion reached both Dimitri and Volk. I.. I, I tried searching for them. I- I really did. But they were nowhere to be found", I said as I slowly shook my face from side to side while sort of shrugging, and I could now feel the tears eventually begin rolling down my cheeks like the beginning of a waterfall.

It was ironic. Upon preparing to tell the story, I had expected her to be the one crying and me to make my greatest attempts to comfort her. And quite oppositely, I was now the one letting my emotions take control of me. I wanted to be strong for her sake, but at that time, it seemed more like i needed someone to be strong for my own sake.

 

As I listened to Benjamin's recalling of past events, my bright blue eyes began to shine with the water that started gathering there. When his story was finished, both of us burst into tears. Benjamin sat in front of me, with tears flowing down his cheeks, but he did not make a sound. I too was weeping and I tried to be as quiet as possible to not draw any unwanted attention from the people at the bar.

To think that if I had found my father only but a few weeks earlier, he would have likely survived and been with us now... it was all my fault after all. I failed him, as well as failing myself. I was too late. For the past few days, I had been living in false hope of meeting my father in person again someday. But it was not to be. My father was now one of the many stalkers who had ventured out on the surface, only to never return... to never see his little girl grown-up.

Whilst sobbing to myself, I realised that Benjamin was in a similarly terrible state. He had lost may more friends than I ever had to begin with. This man has protected me ever since I joined his group, and he too felt sorrow at my father's passing. I couldn't be selfish towards someone so honourable, so I tried my best to hold the tears in but failed. Instead, I reached with my arms across the table and grabbed a hold of Benjamin's hands. Crying, I could barely speak in an extremely waning and almost silent manner: "It's all right... thank you". More tears followed, but I did not let go for a second.

 

I just realised that this has turned really depressing real fast... but I guess it's good, since it shows that our characters are human.

 

Maximum drama! That's what roleplay is all about

The girl reached for my hands and took a hold of them on the little table between us, and i had not noticed her crying until she said "It's all right... thank you". I firmly but cautiously squeezed her small tender hands with my knuckly old hands. Lifting my head from looking at the table, to look at her. I wanted to say that I was not one hundred percent sure that her father was dead. I wanted to say that 'perhaps he had ran off before the explosion', or that 'perhaps he did get burried by the rubble, but miraculously made his way out of it and made it to safety'. But that's what it would have been; a miracle. The Metro unfortunately possessed these in seldom ammounts. I wanted to say it so much that it gnawed in my teeth, but I knew I should not give her false hope no matter how much I wanted to comfort her.

I dried my tears off my cheek on my sweater before I tried to make eye contact with her. I took a short break between every complimentarial word about her father, as I spoke passionately "Your father was an honorable, brave, compassionate, unselfish warrior, father and friend. He will not be forgotten. He will be remembered". That was the moment when I realized that she was now all alone. I doubted that she would be joining our next task ahead, and I doubted that she had any family or friends in Polis at all. Who were she going to be taken care of by? Who were going to support her and make her a living? I pondered about the thought of perhaps doing so myself. She seemed like a reasonable and clever young child. She would have made a lovely daughter, and I would have been the greatest father, I believed. But that would mean me leaving behind the rangers, leaving behind the group, leaving behind everything that I stood for and the reason itself that kept me going.

 

I'd really love for Darkbringer to respond soon, seeing as I replied back on page 19

 

Everybody's waiting on everybody.

No problems with it getting depressing, Bamul. Thats what makes it have impact.

Sorry in advance for long post.


Vika was not her true name, of course, it was simply what I had called her for most of the time I had known her. Taking a step back to look her over, I noticed that she had gained a little bit of weight since 3 years before. She was no longer the emaciated teenager I had first met, her limbs no longer sticking like toothpicks out of the sleeves of the black jumpsuit that still seemed to be her typical attire. Said sleeves were rolled up above her elbows, the jumpsuit was held up by a tannish cloth belt running through the loops around her waist, and her brown hair, done back in a ponytail, was covered by a black bandana.

"How are things going?" I looked around the crowded marketplace, squinting a little from the bright light that flooded the spaces between the stalls; seeing no one watching, I gestured in a direction for us to walk. Falling into step beside me once more, she replied "Good, quite good. I should probably be asking the same of you, though. When did you get back into our "city of light"?" Glancing over at her I saw, below the slight grin, a hint of distrust. And that one of her hands was shoved deep into a pocket.

She had always been a little nervous about trusting people, even me. "About 30 minutes ago, maybe." I glanced down at the watch on my wrist, noting that the numbers I could see were 20: , before continuing "Things have been ... odd, to say the least. I was in P. Mira until about a week and a half ago, then I met a ... Vika?" She had stopped dead in her tracks, staring at my wrist. We were outside the marketplace now, heading in what I knew was the general direction of the OND compound. Looking down, I stared at the black watch on my wrist for a moment before it clicked in my mind why she was looking at it like that. "Great... I'm gone for 3 years, and then I show up with this of all things on my wrist."

Vika had known my sister before she met me. She had fled from the Red Line a few years after I did, but not before meeting and growing quite close to Lara. And now I had her watch. When she met my searching glance again, there was a mix of anger, confusion, and distrust in her eyes that I had only seen directed at others before. "I gave that to her the day I left the Reds. Where did you get it, Melkov?" Before I could reply, she grabbed me by the shoulder and dragged me to a nearby door, wrenching it open and shoving me inside before closing it behind herself; she turned from this, her face lit by a lantern behind me, and pulled the pistol out of her pocket.

Levelling it at my chest, she asked through gritted teeth "Where. Did. You. Get. That?" I put a placating hand up, my heart pounding. "I was in D6 about 5 hours ago. She was there Vika, with the Nazis." She snarled in disbelief at this. "I know, I don't understand it either. I don't know why she was there."

"So what, you killed her?!" It was clear her anger was growing by the minute, coming closer and closer to boiling over. "NO! No.. We were going after a Nazi commander, Glock. We got him in his office, and our leader executed him. But, we had to clear out of there real fast after that, the whole place was coming down around us. Lara was there... I guess working with Glock directly. Then, there was a guy, Steve ... in the group I was with. He walked up and executed her right in front of me, before I could even do anything to stop him."

I choked on those words, knowing they were in all likelyhood false. "It was my fault. I should have stopped him, I should and could have done something. But, I didn't. And she died because of that. I killed him, killed him well and dead within a minute. But that was just revenge; even if I didn't do it, her death is still on me." I looked down, and then back up at her across the small room. "So please, pull the trigger."

Vika stared at me for a moment, and then followed my request. The shot roared in the small room, and I felt pain lash at me.

But seconds later, I found myself still standing there, still looking at her. I reached up a hand slowly, to feel where the shot had ripped a path across my cheek. There was no way she could have missed at that range. The pistol dropping to her side, she looked away from me, the rage gone from her eyes, and pulled in a deep breathe before saying slowly "We should go before the guards come to check on that." I nodded and followed her out, back into the light.

 

I have no idea how I missed that, IHL. I'm going skiing now, though, so I'll first post in around 8 hours hwell:

 

Haha, don't worry about it. It's no biggie. I've got to get to sleep anyways.

 

"Let's go Joe, take me to where your sister lives." I told him as I waved for him to come.

 

look like that everyone telling their background story, i wont disturb your fun:lol: but, could we continue the storyline?

 

He spoke right out, telling how the rangers were going to Polis. I mentally padded myself on the back as he asked me to accompany him to Polis. He left before I could reply, but I quickly went and packed all my stuff before going to the platform.
As I went to my tent Vasili asked me what I was doing. "Just the usual. You know, business" I replied in a uninterested tone. He wouldn't be suspicious since I often did odd jobs and the like, so I just left without another word.
I stood at the station, checking my watch. "He should be here in five" I mumbled, but as I looked up I saw Fyodor walking towards the platform... With a freaking five-year old on his back? Who was this guy?
"Why are you carrying a child? Don't tell me you're his father..." I said, grinning slightly at the last part.

 

Rex, right now almost all of our characters are separated from each other. The group is supposed to meet in two days and I'm guessing that (in the RP) the evening of the first day has just begun. Until those two days pass, everyone's character can look around Polis and finish any business they have started. You could add more background to your character or come up with a character sheet for him in the character thread in the mean time.

With each word I heard that Benjamin used to describe my father, despair intensified within me. I knew that he was trying to comfort me, but I was only feeling more sorrow as memories of my father came flying back to me from my early childhood. I was NEVER going to meet the man known only as Volk again. The man I had been looking for for so many years now... was gone. It was so hard to believe and it was going to take me a long time to accept that.

I let go of Benjamin's hands, stood up, took a few of his bullets and walked over to the bartender. "Give me the strongest thing I can buy for this." The man did not know that I was under-eighteen, so at first he wanted to start hitting on me like the greasy pig he was, but then he noticed my watery eyes and saw the streams of water running down my cheeks. He felt stupid, so he offered me a bottle of strong wine at a discount... it was probably not just my distressed look, but the missing finger that helped too. I was hoping for vodka so I could "drown my sorrows", like the men at every bar I've ever been to used to say, but that was a bit more expensive.

Glass bottle in hand, I walked back to our table and poured the wine into the plastic cups. "To my father," raising my cup, I said with a wavering voice. Repeating the word 'father' was going to be difficult for me without bursting into tears again.

 

I turned the corner out to the platform and was delighted to see the stranger waiting for my arrival. I am glad for the extra security as the train we will be traveling on will not be as protected as the train that surely awaited the rest of the group. Almost as soon as I turned the corner did he question the presence of Yuri. He even jokingly asked if I was the child's father. I scoff and shake my head in respond.

''No, just his brother .. and the only person he has left.'' I reply.

With that being said, I approach the ticket booth and buy the three of us passage on a citizen trolley headed down the Hansa line. I made my way to the train as it arrived, the stranger surely behind me. I scale the trains short steps and step into a passenger cabin. I become seated and wait patiently for the train to move. Yuri lays his head on my lap and quickly drifts back off to sleep. I remove a bottle of bourbon from my rucksack, taking a few swigs. I decide to get comfortable on our spot on the floor, as I knew we had a long ride ahead of us. We did not have the luxury of a non-stop freight train. Our journey to Polis would be riddled with stops at every station along the Northern Arch that is west of Prospekt Mira. If we could reach Kievskaya late this evening, I'd be happy. There we could decide either to stay for the night or continue to Polis. Either way was fine with me, I just wanted to get to Polis. I was starting to miss the group. After about twelve minutes, the train finally took off. I look over to the stranger and pass him the bottle.

"Its funny. I don't even know your name." I say, leaning back against the wall.

 

Reassured that the kid was just his brother, I boarded the train and scouted into the darkness. Fyodor soon passed me a bottle, and asked me for my name. "My name is Nikolai" I replied. "If you want to know, I only want to join this group for adventure. Just like your typical viking back in the old days" I said, revealing the Worm of Midgard tattoo on my arm.

 

With the bright lights of Polis fading away in the distance my last journey began, the trail that would 'decide' my fate. Little attention was paidcto us as we sat chained in the rear railcar, it gave plenty of time for me to think. Would I ever see my beloved Alisa and beautiful daughter again?... No. Sadly, it was a known fact to me already, but regrettably worth it...

Station after station went by in what seemed a flash and we all began to get nervous, shaking our legs and butting our nails as we counted down the seconds until our eventual arrival. All to soon the screech of the wheels can be heard as the trains slows to a halt and begins to empty. A minute or two passes before the door of our carriage is unlocked and we are escorted to a jail cell within the station. It's packed. Our escorts nearly break the butts of their rifles trying to shove us into the cell, but eventually succeed. More minutes pass by but this time they are very loud and uncomfortable. People scream out from within the bars protesting their innocents and poor treatment, but it all falls of deaf ears.

My mind almost crumbled at the thought of having to spend the night in this zoo cage to await trial being one of the last in line but in a shocking realization it became clear that this would not be the case.
When the guards came to grab another prisoner for trail they seemed to huddle up 6 or 7 and force them not the court at gun point. The bastards where sentencing them all as one unit.

After an hour in the cell it was my turn to 'plead my innocents to a merciful judge', humfp!, I almost laughed. The guards opened our cells doors as they had done a dozen times before and forced all the remaining prisoners out. We were padded down one last time and stripped of all gear which meant losing my ballistic vest and chest rig to their greedy hands.

Two big doors swung open in front of us and we found ourselves standing center stage in front of an old looking judge. He wasted no time in getting on with it, after all, when he finished with us he could go home after a had days work preserving justice. "well,... We all know what you've done here today... an unforgivable act of treason has been committed and you're the ones responsible for it... You have betrayed the very oath you swore to abide by upon taking this job in the defense and interests of the glorious Soviet Union... did you think you would get away with it as you plotted against us!?... Cowards,.. Traitors and pigs!" the judge yelled at us.

"This is preposterous!, what proof do you have to condemn us!" a man beside me blurted out. Just then the quiet sound of gun shots echoed through the court, one volley at a time. The shots of a pistol followed ensuring justice had thoroughly been served to it's recipients.

"Ah!, the traitor speaks!.. Well, we've got a smart young lad here has seen this whole thing from the start, and he, unlike you pigs!, is ready to put this knowledge towards justice!. Now tell me young man, were the men you see standing here before you knowingly involved in this treasonous plot?" the judge continued as he leaned down to a young teenager and whispered.

The look of the boy said it all. He was covered in bruises and cuts, no doubt a way to ensure he spoke only for the Reds regardless of justice. And it was clear that this court would settle for no less than death. "y-y-yes.." he whimpered almost in audibly. "Their you have it gentlemen, it doesn't get much clearer then an eyewitness, with the exception of a confession..." the sinister judge hinted. "If one were to confess, it could mean a reduction in sentence..".

"I did it!" a voice blurted out from the back. "I was a part of it from the start!"

"hmm, very well... Life in a work camp!" the judge declared. The man who had been so eager to reduce his sentence now stood speechless. He very well might have received a penalty worse than death. "wh-wha-t?, no, no!" he cried as two guards hauled him out of the room kicking and screaming. "Anyone else care to confess?... No?... Very well, your punishment is death by firing squad!"

And with that the judge stood up and strolled out of the room like nothing happened and left the room. The young witness wasn't far behind, only he had to be carried out by three guards thanks to an 'unknown accident' suffered earlier. Then, we too were hauled out of the room and down the platform. It was so quiet, as if we were dead already...