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First Night: Part VDarkness.More Like This
Pain.
James was lost on a black, stormy sea that swirled and roared around him. The raging waves of shadows seemed to be determined to suck him down into the depths of oblivion.
Thoughts and images flashed like lighting overhead. The smell of blood and cordite. The thunder of gunfire. The feel of flesh and bone being pounded beneath his fists. The rush of the wind. The feeling of speed. The image of a hand clad in a white glove smeared with blood punching numbers into a small keypad. Falling.
Time was now just an abstract concept. He had no idea how long he had been spun and tossed by the dark tide. It could have been days or me
Obedience: FinaleAdam gave a yelp of fear and scrambled to his feet.More Like This
A dark figure dropped to the ground from the fire-escape above and crouched on the pavement blocking the exit to the alley.
Adam took several stumbling steps backward and raised his hands in an awkward defensive pose. A corona of electrical energy enveloped his body. Tendrils of electricity arced from his limbs to spark against the metal of the dumpster and fire-escape.
The figure slowly drew itself up to its full height. It was a muscular man clad in a suit that looked similar to the one worn by the Wraith that Adam had seen earlier. Except this suit was dark blue and there was a red sta
Obedience: Part VAnd he had been running ever since.More Like This
Adam was bone-weary. He leaned his head back against the dumpster and took a deep breath of the fragrant night air.
He shook his head and laughed.
"Didn't dumpsters used to smell of trash", he thought to himself. "My God. What kind of a world are we living in when even the dumpsters are scrubbed clean?"
So far he had managed to stay one step ahead of Crossbow but that could not last forever. And of course now that the word was out regarding what he was, Crossbow was not his greatest problem.
Now, the Masters themselves would be aware of what he had done and it was quite possible that some of them would
Predecessor: Part III of IIIINDEPENDENCE PORTMore Like This
TWO MONTHS LATER
The bare bulbs cast grotesque shadows on the walls of the warehouse. Although not as grotesque as the plans being concocted by the three men standing around a large table examining maps and railway timetables.One of the men wore an expensive suit that did not suit his squat frame. He had a fleshy face and small eyes framed by wire-rimmed spectacles. He stabbed a finger down at one of the maps set out on the table.
"We can cause maximum harm by striking the power-plants here. Here, and here", he said in a nasal tone.
The second man had a thin, sallow face and a wispy goatee. One corner of his mouth was pu
Predecessor: Part II of IIIThe voices sounded like they were coming from the end of a long dark tunnel.More Like This
"Would you mind telling me which one of you geniuses decided to pick the lock on the front door instead of just ringing the doorbell".
"Aw come on, Doug. Mike wanted to check out the house before he got back just to make sure there wouldn't be any surprises. We didn't know he was home. He sure as Hell didn't come in through the front or back doors. We had them both covered".
"Ok were you asleep at the briefing? The guy uses the old sewer-service tunnels to get around and one just happens to run right under his place. He obviously has access to it which is how he c
Predecessor: Part I of IIIPARAGON CITY 1942More Like This
The roar of the motorcycle's engine echoed off the dank concrete walls of the tunnel. The light from the headlamp cut a beam of illumination through the darkness and rats fled in terror as the bike splashed through the inch of dirty water that covered the floor.
A shadowy male figure hunched over the bars of the bike.
The tunnel eventually angled upward. After perhaps a minute the passage-way terminated in a large circular chamber. The rider guided the bike unerringly up a short ramp and onto a concrete platform. A single bare light-bulb illuminated the rusty iron grill of an old elevator door in the wall.
The
First Night: Part IVA police siren howled and echoed off the crumbling brick of the Kings Row tenements.More Like This
Smoke wafted through the sky and across the face of the full moon while a chill wind scattered litter through the streets that had once been home to Paragon's prosperous manufacturing community. Now the Row held a less than sterling reputation and its most well known residents were definitely not those you would want to meet after dark. Such as the group of young men who now rounded the corner of one of the dilapidated apartment buildings.
They hooted and yelled at the top of their voices in obvious delight. All of them wore the loose uniform and sinister s
First Night: Part IIIThe wall at the end of the room was arrayed with a series of posters featuring the patriotic hero. In one, Proud Citizen was saluting while holding an American flag in his free hand. "Buy War Bonds", the caption read. In another poster the blue-clad patriot had his fist drawn back and was looking mighty peeved. "Pucker Up Adolf!", was the title.More Like This
Several cases held newspapers that featured Paragon's patriot in the headline:
"PROUD CITIZEN BATTLES DOCKLAND GANGS!"
"CITIZEN SMASHES SPY RING"
"ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT FOILED BY PROUD CITIZEN"
First Night: Part IIMinutes later James pushed open a set of double doors that led into another part of the sprawling mansion. The room was bathed in soft, silver moonlight from a series of skylights set into the ceiling. Shadows obscured a great many objects that occupied the room.More Like This
James hit a series of switches on the wall that activated the lights. The room was large and wide with a very high ceiling. It had once been a grand ballroom. Now it was filled with glass display cabinets of every size. On the walls hung flags, photographs, posters and framed magazine covers. Everything in the room was memorabilia from the tumultuous days of World War 2.
James walk
First Night: Part IPARAGON CITY: 2004More Like This
"Follow your heart, Jamie. No matter what happens it will never lead you astray. I love you."
The words from so long ago echoed down through the memory of James Rockwell as he stood in the parlour of the family mansion and looked up at the portrait of his mother, Valerie, that hung above the fireplace.
"I love you too, Mom" whispered James as tears stung his eyes. "And I miss you so much. I wish you were here right now. I just don't know what to do."
In the fading light from the parlour windows James once again looked down at the letter that he was holding in his hand. The letter that bore the seal of the US Marine Corp
Sta.sh
