Everybody had their orders and it was finally time to put it all into action. "Lets get a plan into action then .All right Mr. Collins, come on down with me to the armory and we'll get you a bit more well equipped, after you can meet the others down by the front lobby. Lets get moving then." William stood up and decided that he was feeling well enough to start moving around again, despite the protests of his doctor.

He walked out the door and led Johnny downstairs to the police armory. It was a fairly large room where there were rows of guns in varying conditions lined up on the walls and several bins filled with miscellaneous accessories such as knee pads and gloves. In the corner of the room there was a counter where the quartermaster issued out new supplies and weapons to officers. In the far side of the room there was a small firing range for officers to test out their marksmanship.

William turned around to face Johnny again when they finally entered the room, "Alright Mr. Collins, you'll be heading out with Kathy and Cain soon. They may be our allies but I need you to keep an eye on things out there. You have to make sure that they keep the best interests of the Warren in mind. Now you'll be headed outside of the Warren so you're going to need some heavier gear other than your revolver."

William picked up a few different items off of the racks and presented it to Johnny. "You'll be needing a good set of boots out there as well as a good pack to take your things with you." William then took out some firearms and laid them down on the table before Johnny. "Its a whole lot more dangerous outside the Warren than inside of it so you have a few choices of weaponry to take with you outside. First of all we have a plenty of old US Army M1 carbines you can take, or you use the heavier M14. Otherwise you can take the FN FAL, its in a bit condition than most of the old weapons we have in stock right now."

Maintaining weapons, even with the resources of the Warren, was incredibly difficult and they were lucky they had a lot of technical expertise and light manufacturing equipment taken from the vaults. "I'll let you pick what you need here, I've got to get going and check on those new inmates we've got," said William, who then checked his watch. It was going to be time for the debate soon and he wanted to finish up their preparations here as fast as possible.

A call through the intercom also indicated that there was a talking robot who wished to see the new guests. It was a rather ridiculous announcement but William guessed that the desk secretaries were used to this by now.

OOC: Thanks Hirc and Sharon, glad to be back. As for Ant, not sure why you saved mine, but whatever.

Also, as a side note, I know this is a short post, but it's just to start getting Ali into the story. Figure that since there's so many willing to help Zoey, it might be interesting to have someone help the other side?

IC

Ali & Madeline - The Warren

As the two neared the Warren, it was clear that the high military presence wasn’t something to scoff at. Ali pulled Madeline closer to him, keeping her at his side as he held his B.A.R in hand, just incase one of the soldier’s tried getting smart with him, or touched Madeline.

“Halt!” One of the soldiers said, holding his handout to Ali and Madeline. The two stopped, Ali looking the four soldier’s over as they looked him over too. “What’s your business here in the Warren?”

“Trade,” Ali said quickly, wanting to get away from them sooner, rather than later.

“What kind of trade?”

“Does it matter? Trade, you know, for food, water, clothes, that sort of thing.”

“Were are you coming from?”

“Wichita, deep in the ruins there. Why?”

One of the soldier’s smiled, and twirled his rifle around, sending the butt of it into Ali’s stomach. The strong, emotionally quick man stumbled to his knee’s, gasping for air as Madeline jumped to his side, looking at him with a face of sorrow.

“Ali!” She exclaimed, holding him as he worked on collecting himself. “Why’d you have to do that you big bully!” Madeline added, looking up at the soldier who’d hit Ali.

“Only type that comes from Wichita nowadays are either Slavers or Raiders, and we don’t like either of them here on our turf little girl.” The solder said, spitting in front of Ali and Madeline.

“Ali, are you okay?” Madeline asked looking back at him. He just nodded, getting back to his feet with the support of his B.A.R.

“Mind fighting me fairly?” Ali uttered out, holding his stomach.

“Me?” The soldier who’d hit him asked. Ali just nodded, an arrogant grin coming across the soldier’s face as he nodded and handed his comrades his belt and weapons. Ali did the same, handing Madeline all his ammo and weapons he had on him. “Alright smart guy, we’ll see what you’re really about.”

Ali nodded, getting into a protective stance as the soldier did the same, both eyeing and watch each other’s feet and all around movement. The other three soldiers stood smirking and snickering to each other, as Madeline stood alone, quietly watching and murmuring to herself.

“Here I come!” The soldier said charging Ali with an open strike. It was a mistake Ali had seen many times before, and one anyone could easily counter with a quick step to the side and a good right or left strike to the ribs. And Ali did just that, stepping off to the side when the man was close enough, and bringing his fist around to land a clean punch against the man’s ribs. The soldier cried out as Ali punched him, the old terrorist not letting up for a minute as he continued his fresh attack on the soldier.

Quickly Ali grabbed the man from behind, gripping his arms around the soldier’s arms, not allowing the soldier to move them properly while Ali kneed the man to the ground, and gave him a swift punch to one of his kidney’s. The man cried out again, but his friend’s did nothing to stop the attack by Ali, they only watched, hoping their friend would be able to break out of the attack and work Ali over. But before they could say anything, Ali had defeated the man in the fight, dropping the man face first into the ground and walking over to Madeline for his things. The other soldiers looked at Ali with surprise, shocked to see that their friend, who was bigger than Ali, had been bested.

“Your friend will be alright, just make sure he gets some water and rest.”

They nodded and stepped out of Ali’s way, guiding Madeline up towards the Warren.

“Hey wait!” One of the soldier’s said stepping towards Ali and Madeline. Ali didn’t know what it was, but he held his B.A.R ready incase the man, or the other’s tried something fast.

“What?” Ali asked without any interest.

“Who are you?”

“Just a traveler, just like her.”

“Well, whatever and whoever you are, why don’t you speak with Ellis?”

“Who’s that?” Ali asked curious.

“He’s the man who runs the Warren. We’ve had a bit of trouble, but Ellis has cleaned things up a bit. He might be able to use a man like you? You know, for work and stuff?”

Ali nodded and left the soldiers to attend their injured friend. Ali was interested in this man called Ellis. He’d never heard of him before, and the trouble the Warren had been in was something he only vaguely knew about. He would have to investigate further once he got Madeline some food, and them a place to maybe stay.

Ellis, in the Warren Theatre

He sits in a simple worn red plastic chair and watches a flickering screen. His hands play about the structure of a long dead's soldiers simple pistol. An M9 a man had long ago given to another who had shown respect to a dead stranger. It had never been fired.

On the screen is a small curious man in a black little coat. A coat too small for him really. He is little but a tramp really. A tramp, but he carries himself with a definitive grace and the dignity of a gentleman. He speaks with another such as he, a beautiful coquette who has seen something in him.

Ellis turns back from the screen and watches as his meticulously clean hands caress the meticulously maintained weapon. He considers all that has happened and his potential actions to turn the situation in his own favor. He had abandoned his friend, thrown him to the wolves. That was ok. That was just fine. He had become a distraction, he had become a burden really.

On the screen the curious little tramp and the young woman have snuck into a toy store. They comically venture about, narrowly avoiding detection until the overweight guard has assured himself he has simply heard a rat and so leaves them be. The toy store is theirs.

Would things become violent? Would it be in his favor? Perhaps. He had little doubt if it came to open battle his soldiers would defeat the police force...but only a fool would allow it to come to that if it could be avoided. He knew he had to be seen as above the fray. Really that had been the important thing from the beginning.

On the screen this dirty, short, skinny little man animates as if he were a cartoon. His eyes light up and he raises one finger in the air in a classical and unmistakable "Eureka!" expression. The beautiful young woman assumes the expression that has led men to do stupid stupid things for millenia. She looks down as though suddenly shy as the corners of her mouth begin to turn up. She brushes her hair back behind her ears and ducks her head ever slightly, before looking up, the roguish smile consuming her face, her eyes lighting up the room. Even in black and white, her eyes light up the room.

When Zoey had murdered Zoey he could leave no question to it. He had to act quickly, declare it openly and clearly, and take action against this usurper immediately. The situation had to be kept moving until it crossed the point of no return. His men had killed Mac in open warfare and had killed Collie in cold blood. Their shame was his shame, and he had stood by them by concocting a lie. The people loved the lie, his soldiers loved him for the lie, and so the world turned.

The little scamp leaps to his feet, as men always have in reaction to that curious set of expressions, ready to prove his worth. The young woman rose and daintily extended her hand to join him in his adventure, but smiling he turned her down. Some things you had to do on your own.

When the call for elections had been made, and made most publicly, he had done the only thing that could be done. Denying the call had never been an option, it would have been ludicrous. So he had told a new lie. He hadn't even needed to tell the lie, only to suggest that things were different and the people had quickly forgotten the truth. The elections were his idea to begin with, he welcomed them.

Stepping back slowly the man has a smile of his own. The camera pans down in that slowly stilting way that only a weathered black and white film can. It pans down in this manner to his feet, he is wearing a simple pair of iceskates. The camera jumps back to his face. As he slowly skates backward toward a gaping hole in the flooring and oblivion, he ties a simple handkerchief around his face, plunging himself into darkness.

That fool Stane had brought it on himself. He had made of himself a liability, surely even he knew there could be only one logical result of that action. His ties had to be cut, and so they were. The man was simple. In all likelihood he would remain faithful to Ellis, whatever doubts he might develop could be swept away with some carefully chosen words and the tight embrace of a true friend. He could see the words now with his minds eye. I'm so sorry Stane, but it had to be done. You can see that can't you? There was no other way. Perhaps a pained expression, perhaps a twitch. It would be then as it always had been. So, very, simple. But still.

Sliding gracefully backward toward a gaping hole in the woodwork the man looks to his love and performs a deep and proper bow. His right hand makes a small circular movement before dropping to his side in salute. His left hand is clenched tight to his body. He bows deeper with his right leg than with his left, tucking one behind the other. With growing alarm the young woman becomes aware of the imminent fate of her suitor.

Still. With Stane gone for the time being he had no source of information he could truly trust. The fool had provided him unquestioning trust and imbecilic devotion. That had some value, considerable value. Without that he had no one to act as a buffer between himself and the people, he lost what could be that critical moment between consideration and action. He would have to remain on his game, aware.

As the man nears the precipice of death he speeds up. The young woman inhales quickly and brings her hand to her mouth, were this not a silent film that would be considered a GASP! This is only confirmed when the image disappears to be replaced by a black screen with white writing that reads, "Gasp!"

He would not allow this loss to be the beginning of the end, rather he would insist on growing stronger from it. He had no foil now to fall back on, fine. That simply meant he needed to step his game up. This was not the time for self doubt, it was the time to be confident, to act without hesitation.

Death imminent now the young man bows deeper. Ellis supposes if this were a different film that might have a different meaning.

From that deep bow the little scamp straighens his arms out to his sides and swings his right leg, hard. What had been a straight shot to a horrid death and that dark oblivion which surely must follow had become a beautiful dance. He twirled as would a ballerina on the brink of destruction. The young lady sat spell bound.

Ellis sure did love him some Charlie Chaplan.

OOC:

I fudged it a bit, recalling it from memory or altering it to fit my purposes, but I found a link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMyDYyg0FBA

"Katherine and the robot are at The Warren, they're fine..." Zoey was relieved at this, she didn't want them to get hurt

"I'm helping you because you're giving me what I want...and Evelyn? She's...she was to be my fiance before the Great War. My second in command...and then the damned news came in from Vegas. All mathematical calculations were certain, there was to be a nuclear war..." Zoey looked at him, there was something else he wasn't saying everything

"No I'm not giving you anything, what is it you think your getting from me? Also your second in command? second in command to what? If i recall earlier you said something about a Zodiac empire, and what is that?" Zoey was not impressed, her tone of voice was clearly in a state of annoyance. She stared again at the man, trying to figure him out, she'd met his kind before

"I'm good and seeing through people's guise's, you have an ulterior motive and i want to know what it is. Also if your trying to make anyone in this group fear you or be paranoid of you, it's not going to happen, you know why? because I'm leading this group and you don't scare me one bit" Zoey was trying to be a serious as she could, but she tried not to seem like a down right ass

"Look, its nothing personnel but i am just looking out for everyone" Zoey still had her pistol drawn, until she felt safe in Marx's company it was staying out.

Damien Marx

Damien's face turned from nearly unreadable emotion to pure sadness and anger as Zoey asked another slew of questions. "No I'm not giving you anything, what is it you think your getting from me? Also your second in command? second in command to what? If i recall earlier you said something about a Zodiac empire, and what is that?"

He took out a picture of Evelyn and him surrounded by his top generals. They had taken the picture to commemorate Evie's advance into Supreme Commander. Damien exhaled and started to explain the Zodiacs. "You're SAS. Do you remember all the food riots, bombings, military base raids, and even a failed nuclear detonation? Almost 90% of those are of Zodiac origins. We aren't terrorists, we were to be liberators to stop the war with China and bring unity to America through autocracy. Alas...the nukes dropped."

He slid a copy of the picture he took with Evelyn and the generals, keeping the original to himself. "That picture was taken in October 23rd, 2075, exactly 2 years before the bombings. That's who I'm looking for."

"And if you are trying to pry information from me...I don't show my entire hand...merely an insignificant card."

--Katherine Adler
The Warren

Kathy gave a nod, "I s'pose we'll deal with the leaving issue later, "debate" gives me the idea that the upcoming events may take a while anyways." It better, considering Kathy needed to figure out the best way of edging out of the Warren as soon as possible. Of course, the Hispanic woman would love to smoothly stroll about, in such an insipid and typical manner that it would seldom ever rouse suspicion, asking curiously about the recent going-ons to better understand the Warren. Unfortunately, everyone's focus would either be on the debate, or the recent series of particularly unusual events and the need to avert future events of a similar nature. There would be no way to satiate her current array of probably incalculable questions, and it would be even more impossible to get the perspective from both sides. Which Katherine would much prefer to have whenever she acted-after all, who wants to kill a man only to later find out they meant well and acted accordingly? Kathy wasn't one to enjoy regret.

As she went don't the cursed elevator once more, she took the opportunity to swiftly move her shoulder and arms in such a way that her bag harmlessly whipped about her body until it fell in her hands-in front of her person. It took only a second to rifle through the near empty bag and obtain her knife-fairly sharp, though a little duller than she would have liked due to such constant use and a large lack of maintenance in recent times. Just as quickly as she had slipped the bag in front of her, she concealed the knife to be unseen even to the most observant and pitched the bag's strap over her shoulder once more-with notably less care than given to the knife. It wasn't surprising that the bag, therefore, looked as oddly and loosely hanging as it always did.

Once more, she found her boots hitting the ground with much briefer time between each slap against the floor than it usually did-as the girl wanted to escape the horrid elevator and welcome broader expanses rapidly. Yet as her face shifted, eyes scanning, elsewhere they found a very distinct, recently met friend. With the faintest noise of the scraping of a hiking boot being prematurely forced to a very abrupt halt.

"Mirvin! 'Ey buddy, good to see ya!" The exclamation wasn't particularly loud, but rather notably affable. Her youthful voice having, yet again, a rather energetic ring to it at the sight of the-in her opinion-very likable Protectron. This welcoming voice was combined with the bursting entrance of her distinctly large, toothy grin-splashing on her face and manner a sort of sunniness that made her appear so pleasant and joyful that one might think she didn't realize she resided in the Wastelands. If they didn't know better.

"Sorry 'bout losin' ya in the crowds earlier, a lot of panic goin' on there. Glad to see nothin' bad happened to ya, though." There was a pat on the arm closest to Kathy as she closed the distance between the two, the severity of her warmth having died down to a nearly neutral behavior once again-though not entirely. "Cain and some of our friends-don't think you've met 'em yet-are getting ready to either be in or watch the debates. You mind leavin' with me while I walk 'round town for a bit? We can always meet up with our friends later, and the ones you 'aven't met yet are especially busy-I think."

Even in the very base of William's safety, Alder didn't dare directly mention her part of the job-her main part of the current job, that was. Not even its existence. For as far as she was concerned, spies were just as, if not more, common among your allies than among your strangers or enemies.

OC: This is a tiny, possible mistake, but I forget if the terms like "Protectron" are capitalized or not.

OOC: I'll edit this into a post later guys. Havn't had much chance to sleep bacause I've been working on my fanfic. If you need to post before I do Tick, then Mirvin will agree to acompany kathy. Just post away and I'll act accordingly mate.

OOC: Sorry for the OOC only post here, usually don't do it. But this is just a note, I'll go ahead and wait until I feel the RP either needs a "bump" or in general needs to get moving(so, unless the circumstances are ridiculously demanding or you haven't posted for a number of days, I'll wait. :]).

The day was slowly wearing on, the debate needed to get started while events were still present in everyone's minds.

Ellis turns of the television, it had long ago turned to nothing but static, had he not been lost in thought he surely would have shut it off sooner. Static was quite annoying. He has prepared himself about as well as he can for what is to come. At some point the only thing left to do is to get on with it.

He has found that there is some point where further study, consideration, or contemplation only wastes time. It is at that time that it is best to take action. When the thoughts are still fresh in your mind you can react to changes more quickly. The method had served him well. Had helped him to adapt in even the most unpleasant of circumstances.

He walks swiftly through The Warren taking in a bit of it's history before heading outside. What was once Samuel's office, what was once the hallway that allowed Dr. Murrow to come running at a moment's notice, what was once Collie's little security room. He would not let their deaths be in vain. Yes he had killed them, but extinguishing their lives had served a purpose. It had allowed him to seize control, he would not so easily let the reins escape his hold.

He opens the door and steps out into the square.

OOC: Wow, I completely read past Norman's post. I'll just reply now, and also guys, I'm not sure if you know you're doing it, or if he wants it, but don't you think you're all ganging up on Zerker? Just throwing it out.

@Strangeglove, because yours is the awesome sauce!

Johnny Collins

Johnny walked as William took him to the armory. He picked up some boots from a nearby shelf, and then moved to the many weapons.

"Alright Mr. Collins, you'll be heading out with Kathy and Cain soon. They may be our allies but I need you to keep an eye on things out there. You have to make sure that they keep the best interests of the Warren in mind. Now you'll be headed outside of the Warren so you're going to need some heavier gear other than your revolver."

"This is your gun remember?" Johnny said as he took the boots.

"You'll be needing a good set of boots out there as well as a good pack to take your things with you." William then took out some firearms and laid them down on the table before Johnny. "Its a whole lot more dangerous outside the Warren than inside of it so you have a few choices of weaponry to take with you outside. First of all we have a plenty of old US Army M1 carbines you can take, or you use the heavier M14. Otherwise you can take the FN FAL, its in a bit condition than most of the old weapons we have in stock right now."

And with that he was off. A busy man indeed, he was. "Thanks," John uttered simply. As he equipped himself with armor and grabbed his M1, he thought about the current events. He had just networked with a powerful man and was now a part of his system. It felt good to finally meet people who could help. His mind wandered to the two beings that entered the fight earlier. He couldn't call them both humans, he didn't know if that was what you called men like Cain. Inevitably, his mind drifted to the hazel-eyed cutie Kathy. There would be more fratenizing with her as soon as he got to her. He wasn't very good talking, let alone to females, but he was a confident man, and believed she would at least give him a shot. What he admired most about her though was her demeanor. She was tough, not like the frail weaklings that roamed the world before it blew to [censored].

The range was pretty packed, all with what seemed to be seasoned men, because most of them were popping headshots like mentos. He wanted to ask the man next to him how to properly use his weapon, but he more so wanted to find out himself. There was nothing like being given the option to rely on another, but then stubbornly refusing it only to succeed one's self. He'd worked with plenty weapons, dismantling and reattaching them, but as far as rifles went, he rarely used one. And when he did, his shots were sloppy.

Eventually he found the most correct holding position and clicked off the safety. He gripped it tightly as the trigger was squeezed, sending out a barrage of bullets running up the black silhouettes torso. It was a reasonable effort to keep his weapon from buckshotting to the ceiling. He knew one thing for sure though, had it been a real man he would have been totaled. His little shebang was bigger than he had intended, causing a couple wayward glances. One even shouted at him from the other side.

"What the hell you think you're doing, you f**kin' cupcake?" He snorted.

"Well, why don't you come over here and show me, [censored]!" He echoed. It wasn't really the smartest thing, but he did have a gun, and with shooting like this the man wouldn't have a frontside. A man from behind the lines left his other conversation to intervene.

"I do not want to hear that kind of offense here. We work on the same team, for Christ's sakes." He looked from him to Johnny, then, realizing a fresh face walked over to Johnny inevitably, taking the weapon.

"This is how you hold a gun. Rest the stock inside your shoulder blade and press inwards. Let the gun push your shoulder back and your elbow up, like this. Don't forget, its easier to see your target with both eyes open."

John simply listened, not sure if voice was necessary. He had wanted to do it himself, but he appreciated the help. Not knowing how exactly to react, he nodded and resumed shooting. He supposed that if he wanted to work with a force, he would have to get used to help, and confrontation.

OOC: will make an IC after work, if anyone has a problem with anything as host of this RP I would appreciate it if you pm'd me about it we can then discuss it further, that goes for anyone. Ant1v3 I appreciate your concern but If zerker has an issue like I said he can pm me. And guys we're doing awsome here keep it up! Strangelove I have to say your character is very interesting

OOC: Remember that faction wars can be interesting so when the time comes or if I get overwhelmed, I'll PM Venix about the remnants of my Pre-War faction coming into play. Don't worry, I think my remnant faction would be severely under powered considering most of them died during the Great War.

OOC: Following the direction of some of the more successful RPs on the Elder Scrolls Fan Fiction board I'm creating a "The Warren" Discussion thread in just a second. Please put all OOC posts there to avoid cluttering up this thread. It'll allow us to share more about our characters too and that pretty damn useful in my opinion.

"You're SAS. Do you remember all the food riots, bombings, military base raids, and even a failed nuclear detonation? Almost 90% of those are of Zodiac origins. We aren't terrorists, we were to be liberators to stop the war with China and bring unity to America through autocracy. Alas...the nukes dropped." Zoey was shocked, this man had been apart of what had been devastation before the bombs dropped

"So, why should that give me reason to trust you? you helped create anarchy!" Zoey remembered the food riots before the bombs, Marx slid across a picture of Evelyn

"That picture was taken in October 23rd, 2075, exactly 2 years before the bombings. That's who I'm looking for. And if you are trying to pry information from me...I don't show my entire hand...merely an insignificant card." Zoey looked at the picture, the woman, she then slid the photo back

"Well Mr Marx, i have to say i don't feel much more comfortable in your company but i don't fell your about to shoot me in the back just yet." Holstering her Pistol Zoey stood up and looked up at the moon. After hearing marx's words the fire reminded her of an exploding nuke

"Oh and Mr Marx, you may be hiding your hand, and you may be playing a joker. But, I have never lost a game of cards, I'll get my information." Zoey walked past Marx to Sarah who was now holstering a knife as she stood in the dark behind Marx.

"Stay here at the camp, i need to get something from the Warren, be carefully" Sarah simply nodded and placed her hand on Zoey's shoulder as she walked off.

Johnny Collins

Johnny had now finished with the use of his rifle, and was now headed out to William's office. He hadn't much to do after he left the range but explore the rest of the building, and now that he was done with that, he was on his way back to the third floor. He opened the door after knocking and told William of his plans.

"I'm done training, and I'm heading out to where Kathy is, if you could just point me in her direction."

OOC: This will mark the start of the remnant faction's appearance. They won't play a big role until Damien meets Evie.
Damien Marx

"So, why should that give me reason to trust you? you helped create anarchy!" Zoey said. I smirked as she holstered her pistol. It was a slam dunk from the beginning. Now once the remnants get here, the Warren will be mine...from there? Anywhere. Vegas, New York, D.C, Seattle, anywhere will be in my grasp. It was just a matter of time.

Zoey conversed with the other girl and she walked off. Without saying a word, I drew my combat knife and placed it snugly between my wrist and tight cotton sleeve of my armor, just in case I need a sort of hidden blade. In a moment, I stared at the picture of Evelyn once more, thinking how bad of a situation she might be in right now.

Remnant Zodiacs

"Ma'am...we haven't found Dictator Marx yet," a man dressed in black riot control armor said solemnly, the plasma rifle on his back pulsing with every movement. Evelyn sighed and waved her hand. "Keep finding Damien..." She said.

The walls around Evelyn seemed to close in on her every day. Her anxiety to find her fiance started to eat at her every day until they found word that the bunker Damien was in opened successfully but that two dead bodies, his parents, were found near the site.

The remaining Zodiacs, with Dictator Damien Marx at the head, would prevail.

OOC: Strange that the discussion thread can't work here, but I suppose we'll just make do without. It would've been quite useful. I see some ways a little bit of faction rivalry could work but lets be careful not to let it get out of hand.

William made his way to the cells where the inmates where kept. There, he saw Stane and a few other petty criminals. "Good afternoon gentlemen, I'm just dropping by here to see you're all doing down here. Its a real shame I won't be able to keep you all here," As he said these words one of the criminals spat out onto the floor right in front of William.

William merely smiled as if he was conversing with a good friend and said, "Don't expect to be getting any food or water for a while, no one can hear you call for help. No one will ever call the whistle on me for violating your "rights" because in here, you have none." His expression turned into one of displeasure as pondered what good he would be able to do before he had to release these men again. They did not have the resources to keep prisoners and many ended up just going back out only to get sent back.

He would probably have to do the same thing he always did in these cases, one hundred lashes with a whip then send them back off to wherever they came from. Even Stane would have to go too, Ellis had intervened before Stane had done anything really criminal so a case against Stane would never get really far. There were other possibilities that he could pursue with Stane however, he cautiously walked over the Stane's cell and began to speak with him, "Hey Stane, I understand it must be hard for you to be betrayed by your best friend. I understand you served together for quite a while."

Now this was the tricky part, convincing Stane to spill the beans on Ellis. "You can still do the right thing Stane, I know you just want the best for the people. Tell me what happened that night when Samuel died and you might just be able to redeem yourself." If Stane further refused to cooperate then William would offer Stane freedom in exchange for Ellis. Stane was a tough person but in the end he was a stupid person. That was something he could deal with, Ellis on the other hand, was far more dangerous than Stane.

With only a very short amount of time left before he had to go and face Ellis in the first of many battles he hoped Stane would help him. Zoey's resistance was only just beginning to mobilize and he was left with little to fight with. Johnny seemed smart but if his suspicions were correct then Johnny's attentions were a little more focused on their new "friends" rather than the threat of Ellis. He could hardly blame him for not fully understanding the magnitude of the situation when most of them were not from the Warren.

"So what do you say Stane? You'll be living in comfort for the rest of your life, and you can live with the knowledge that you helped save the Warren." Cutting deals with thugs was an acceptable price if it meant he could achieve ultimate victory over Ellis.


Back at the office:

A guard posted outside of William's office informed Johnny that the Director was inspecting the inmates and was currently unavailable. "Director Penn also told me to give you this letter and to meet the others down by the lobby. Good luck Cadet." With that the guard handed Johnny a folded slip of aged paper and kicked him off the restricted floor without further words.

Inside the letter was a short passage:

Dear Mr. Collins,

I'm sorry that I cannot see you off in person but we have many pressing matters at hand. I know that your official orders are to simply assist the rebels in making contact with Zoey but I must ask a great deal of you. Though they are our friends I must ask you maintain a close watch on the ghoul and the girl. As of yet we don't know what their intentions really are, their goal is also to reclaim the Warren from Ellis but after that point we have no idea what will happen. So do not reveal everything you know.

You must assume that every action they take has some ulterior motive against the Warren and plan for every contingency. While I hope our cooperation will remain cordial remain sharp, remember where your true loyalties lie, and be on your best behavior. You are an ambassador of the WPF and you must behave as such. Tell Zoey everything that has happened thus far and help coordinate a strike against Ellis from the outside. Until we resume contact consider these your standing orders.

Good luck Mr. Collins

~Stane : Within the Warren Police Administration's Cells~

"Hey Stane, I understand it must be hard for you to be betrayed by your best friend. I understand you served together for quite a while. You can still do the right thing Stane, I know you just want the best for the people. Tell me what happened that night when Samuel died and you might just be able to redeem yourself."

Stane sits unhappily in his cell as William comes down to interrogate him. He listens to what the man has to say, begrudgingly.

He had served with Ellis for quite some time. He had seen some serious ****. They had ran with Dan Brown and his men so very long ago before they'd ever heard of the Abu Nidal. He'd saved the man's life and had his own life saved by him.

Now this little twerp was telling him to do the right thing, to redeem himself.

"So what do you say Stane? You'll be living in comfort for the rest of your life, and you can live with the knowledge that you helped save the Warren."

Stane wonders if perhaps he ought to take the offer, but ultimately is aware of what betraying his friend would mean.

"She killed him William. She ****ing shot him in his bed and ran."

He meets the man's eyes. Stane is pretty sure that William doesn't believe him. It doesn't matter. He's done his part, he knew Will would try to turn him against his friend. Ellis would surely forgive him his mistake when he learns of what has happened here.

Stane repeats himself to get William to leave him alone.

"William, she shot him. She murdered him to become the new leader and ran off when she heard we were the first responders. She did it."

Maybe he shouldn't be standing up for Ellis. Maybe he ought to just switch sides, but Ellis was so close and Ellis was his friend.

Ali & Madeline - The Warren

As the two made their way through the streets of the Warren, Ali could tell that what he had heard about the Warren before, was very much different than it was now. The war had taken it’s toll on the Warren just as much as it had on the rest of Wichita, and the rest of the wasteland around the city. Up ahead a little ways, Ali noticed a little sign that said food on it, quickly leading Madeline over and inside the small little place.

“What can I get you two today?” A man suddenly asked, popping out behind his stand.

“Uh, what have you got?” Ali surprised by the man’s greeting.

“We’ve got soups, sandwiches, and all sorts of foods.”

“Well, I think we’ll have some soup first,” Ali said just saying something so they could sit down. The man smiled and nodded, walking off as he went to tell the cooks, and Ali and Madeline took their seats at one of the empty tables.

“What are we going to do here, Ali?” Madeline asked, kicking her feet underneath her chair.

“I’m going to find out what the latest is, and you’re going to stay quiet and not be a bother to anyone.”

“I’m not a bother,” Madeline snapped back defending herself. Ali just smiled, looking out at the rest of the patrons in the dinning area.

“Never the less, we’ll hold up in one of the inns... if they’ve still got them, and make a place for you to stay until I get back from gathering info, alright.”

Madeline nodded, the man suddenly coming up to them with two bowls of warm steaming soup. He still had that dumb stupid smile on his face, looking at Ali and Madeline as they took their first taste of the soup. It wasn’t bad, but the man made them both nervous.

“How is it!” The man finally exclaimed with the dumb stupid smile.

“It’s good, now how about you get lost?” Ali said in not a nice way at all. The man’s smile went away, nodding and leaving the two alone. Ali looked at Madeline, she smiled at him and went back to her soup as he did.

“Do you really like it?” Madeline asked curious.

“It’s better soup than what you’d find out in the wastes,” Ali replied slurping up what looked to be some kind of pre-war noodle. “Eat it anyway, you need your strength, and to bulk up a bit.”

The two ate their soup, ordering a bit more, and some solid food to fill their stomachs with. After eating though, Ali pulled the man closer, whispering to him if there was any rooms or places to stay in the Warren; giving the man the idea that they had been traveling for miles, and weren’t familiar with the settlement or the land.

“Oh yes, there’s a small place, it isn’t much, but it was built during the war. It was an aid station, and turned into an inn afterwards. You’re welcome to stay there. I believe it’s free, and welcoming to any traveling vagabonds.”

Ali let a smile crack through his usual stern and strong looking face. The man smiled and walked off into the kitchen, avoiding Ali and Madeline as they got up and left, heading towards the inn the man talked about.

It didn’t take long for Ali to find it, the place was small but easy to notice with a single sign that lit up in big bright colors.

“Over here Madeline,” Ali said grabbing her hand and leading her. When they got in, the woman who ran the place was reading an old pre-war book, completely oblivious to the small bell that rang when Ali opened the door, or to his presence when he stood at the counter.

“Excuse me,” Ali said politely, the woman still ignoring him. “Excuse me!” Ali said in a raised voice, grabbing the top of the woman’s book.

“Touch my book sonny and you’ll loose the hand.” Ali immediately like the woman, doing as she asked, and setting his hand down on the counter. The woman lowered her book, dropping her cracked glasses as she looked Ali and Madeline over. “Vagabonds, eh?”

“Yes!” Madeline said excitedly. The old woman just cracked a smile like Ali, looking at the strong man as she figured how much to charge him.

“Thirty caps a night, take it or leave it,” she finally said returning to her book. Ali nodded, setting down sixty caps for the woman. Without even dropping the book, the lady picked a key and handed it to Ali, giving him the room number.

“Thanks!” Madeline said to the back of the book. The lady just waved as Ali took Madeline’s hand and led her to the room down the hall. Inside the room, there wasn’t much, but Ali and Madeline didn’t need much. There was a bed, cabinet, broken mirror, and probably a half decent bathroom.

“Alright, stay here, I’m gonna go check out the rest of the Warren alright? Don’t open the door unless it’s me, and don’t answer it, unless it’s me. I’ll be back in a bit, so keep yourself entertained. Don’t mess with anything dangerous, alright?” Madeline nodded. “Not that you will have anything dangerous, that’s all with me,” Ali added underneath his breath. “Be back in a minute, Madeline.”

The little girl smiled and waved bye as she checked out the room and looked out the window to an overlook, that looked out over to what appeared to be an old pre-war farm. There was a memorial out there, standing tall and wide enough that Madeline could just see it by squinting. She quickly remembered the binoculars in Ali’s bag, grabbing them and returning to the window to see what it was. She had trouble adjusting the focus, but got it quick enough, pointing them out towards the memorial, reading what she could.

“T-t-tre-tre-trea-treacher’s ranch!” She said sounding it out the best she could. The rest was in too small of writing for her at that distance, but she knew the place was called Treacher’s Ranch.

Outside, along with the citizens of the Warren, Ali took a deep breath, carrying his B.A.R across his shoulders as he walked, smiling and nodding at people as they passed, looking for anyone who might be able to give him a decent bit of information on the Warren. Quick enough, he found who might be able to give him something. People around him were weary a bit, still normal, but cautious around the man standing in the square. Ali wasn’t a man to go in guns blazing, at least when the odds were against him, so he carefully walked around, keeping inside the crowds, eyeing the man who stood in the square. It was clear the man was going to say something when he did.

Ellis : The Warren

"Hello, people of The Warren." Ellis begins in a loud tone, looking amongst the crowd. He notices a stranger, another ****ing stranger had gotten in, but greets him just the same.

"Hello friends and strangers, most of you know me but for those of you who do not, my name is Ellis."

He walks to the bottom of the stairs leading to the Warren Theatre.

"It is my surname, but as with so many of you I am the last remaining of my family, and so it has become my one and only name."

He looks a bit sad at the mention of this, although of course it is the weathered sadness of one who has come to accept things as they are. What point is there in not accepting the truth.

"I want to start this out by acknowledging that we," he gestures to himself, "have failed you. After Mr. Jessop was assassinated we have had much difficulty policing the Warren. It is for this reason that I have declared martial law. Those of you who are lucky enough to still have family with you, you deserve to feel safe here. These difficult transitory times have proven more than William and his Administration could handle."

He gets going though William is not yet there. And why not? Early bird gets the worm.

"Though I have taken charge since we all suffered the loss of Samuel it is imperative that we embrace democracy as did our ancestors. Thus this debate will serve to help you citizens of The Warren decide upon your leadership. All those that call The Warren their permanent home are free to vote as their hearts lead them. I only ask that you come here today with an open mind. With that, I will leave the floor for Mr. William."

He pauses a moment, before continuing on,

"Please, do not blame him for being a bit late. It has been quite difficult communicating amongst ourselves, indeed we had no truly set time, but I surmised the sooner we settle upon a duly elected leader the sooner we can set this situation right. Besides, he is still recuperating from his wounds."

A **** move, yes. Unfair, yes. But there was a decent chance people would remember only that William was "late," not that there had never been a set time. Hopefully it would all work out. Ellis didn't expect to lose...but he didn't know what he would or could do if he did. Some things were better just not thought of.

OOC: Happy new year guys.

MIRVIN

Mirvin stood and watched as the desk officer radioed upstairs, informing his superiors of Mirvin's presence. The radio crackled slightly as the reply came through. The officer on the desk then paraphrased the answer for Mirvin. "Your'...friends," The officer seemed to hesitate before he said the word "are busy with William. They should be down shortly. Er... Would you like to come back later?"
"No thank you, my good chum. I will wait." Mirvin replied, remaining motionless beside the front desk. Mirvin didn't understand why the man had felt the need to repeat the message when it could be clearly heard over the radio, Just another human quirk he supposed. The man behind the desk began performing various tasks, it appeared he was avoiding speaking to Mirvin. Mirvin found this perfectly acceptable and simply stood watching, waiting for his companions.


"Mirvin! 'Ey buddy, good to see ya!" Miss Kathy had appeared from the elevator and was walking towards Mirvin. Her face was covered in a large smile. Miss Kathy seemed genuinely pleased to see Mirvin, the smile not just an upturned mouth, but a gleam in the eye that Mr Frank had once said couldn't be faked. If Mirvin were capable of experiencing feelings like liking people, he was sure he would like Miss Kathy.

"Sorry 'bout losin' ya in the crowds earlier, a lot of panic goin' on there. Glad to see nothin' bad happened to ya, though." Miss Kathy reached out and patted Mirvin on the arm in what appeared to be another genuine show of friendliness.
"Cain and some of our friends-don't think you've met 'em yet-are getting ready to either be in or watch the debates. You mind leavin' with me while I walk 'round town for a bit? We can always meet up with our friends later, and the ones you 'aven't met yet are especially busy-I think."

"Miss Kathy I must apologise for the misunderstanding. You have no need to be sorry," Mirvin rasped back "Mr Damien and yourself didn't 'lose me'. I hid, I was attempting to avoid hostility by removing my presence. I judged that the crowd were less likely to attack if the two of you were not accompanied by a robot. Although judging from Mr Damian's actions, I was mistaken. Of course I will accompany you Miss Kathy, it would be my pleasure to walk around town with you. Perhaps you could tell me about our new friends as we walk? And perhaps you could also tell me what Mr Cain had done to upset the crowd so when we arrived? " Mirvin turned his body back to the door. His feet thumping on the floor as he turned a small half circle.

Mirvin extended his arm towards Miss Kathy, bending the appendage where a human would crook his elbow. He remained that way, inviting Miss Kathy to link arms with him. "Shall we?" His synthetic voice rasped.

((OOC: Guys, really sorry, I've been away for the past week, it seems like I have missed a lot, but I would like to get back in, just tell me what to do))

OOC: There isn't much for you to do, we just began the execution of our plans to retake (or "defend" in my case) the Warren, and no one has been sent to you or the Abu Nidal. I suppose you could link up with one of us, preferably Mirvin since he has no disposition towards you for the War. Or you could continue with your own plans, either way you aren't helplessly lost.

And if you Tich have any objection to me arriving at the same time you guys made it to the lobby -- because I know its not realistic me coming form target practice and you all still being there -- tell me. I only thought it acceptable because you guys haven't posted anything further.

Johnny Collins

"Director Penn also told me to give you this letter and to meet the others down by the lobby. Good luck Cadet." Apparently, William had other matters to attend to, which didn't bother Johnny in the slightest. He tucked his new helmet under his arm and opened the letter once in the elevator.




He made a mental note to remind William the next time to see him to call him Johnny, Collins was so formal, and reminded him of his parents. He had grown accustomed to calling Johnny "Mr. Collins" too, but enough was enough. He had a name, his father had given it to him, and he wanted to be called such. Upon exiting the elevator he hesitated, wondering weather he should destroy the document. Now that he was official and everything, one must take into consideration even the smallest niches and details, but he decided to ball it up and throw it away.

He felt good overall, proud to have a glistening badge on his chest as he put his new WPF helmet on. In the lobby, not too far from the door, he noticed Kathy and Cain. Kathy was talking to a robot, which was peculiar enough. Why was a robot here? Was he involved in this? Johnny doubted that, and walked up to them once the bot stopped talking, going immediately to Kathy, but then was stopped by the robot's sudden and unorthodox gesture. He had his arm bent and extended in an awkward fashion, like Johnny used to make his to contraptions do back when he had such commodities. He used to do role play when he was younger, taking old junk bots from trash and remodeling them to his fancy, he had even gotten one to talk back, but that was when he played "marry the tin-can". Those days were long gone. He had half a mind to disable the robot with an override authorization just because he could, but then thought better of it.

"Uhh, Kathy, requesting permission to go with you guys, and for you to introduce me to this bot. He seems to know you."

--Katherine Adler
The Warren

A sort of surprise crossed her face, giving one that was nearly blank-but not necessarily upset-as Mirvin corrected the confusion on her part. Really, to hear the robot was that clever, and that Kathy hadn't actually participating in abandoning him in any way, was a relief. It didn't provide the girl with the greatest elation she had ever had in her life, but it was significant. A sort of praise suddenly showed in her demeanor, another pat on the back.

"Well, whadda ya know? The robot's as smart as he seems. Nice job, buddy. You did exactly what you should have at that moment, and if you can keep that sort of thing up, I don't think I'll have to worry 'bout ya so much in the Warren." For, yes, Kathy had been brooding about the robot. She certainly wouldn't die in sorrow if Mirvin were to "die," so to speak, but it would nonetheless be a sad thing to see him go if an when he did. The Protectron didn't have excessive quirks or programmed personalities like some robots she had seen in past, but the girl found him likable for the quirks he did have.

"And sure, I'd be glad to fill ya in about our new pals, and all the other details you might not know."

A broad grin and a slight laugh erupted at the offered gesture. It was a gesture unusual in her memories for such a long time; as was general friendliness. So the fact to see it produced by a robot, even if Mirvin, seemed to prove for greater irony-though the laugh and amusemant was not in a mocking tone.
By now, her voice had dropped in volume notably, having gradually quieted herself throughout the conversation-Kathy sounded nonchalant and unconcerned, but she nonetheless began to speak in a manner that wasn't permitted to be understood by any but those in a proximity like Mirvin's. Who held very little distance from the Great War survivor. "Since neither of us are from the Warren, and you're a robot, I don't believe I can link arms like that for long, but otherwise I'm happy to do so." Another lighthearted grin was flashed, slipping one thin, sweater sleeved arm through the empty space between Mirvin's torso and arm until her arm rest against his elbow and vice versa.

Turning slightly, a sort of friendliness remained in her eyes-despite the fact her flash of a smile earlier had nearly departed her face entirely, to address Johnny. Using the remaining, free hand, Kathy gestured to the metal man adjacent to herself as she explained, "Sure, his name's Mirvin. I met him pretty recently, around the time I stumbled upon Zoey and Cain again-he's with us, no worries. He was with me until some panics in the crowd caused us both to separate for safety measures. If ya got any other questions on that, just ask him-he could answer ya better than me." To Mirvin, Kathy created a similar gesture in Collin's direction, "This is one of our new friends, actually, Mirvin. Johnny's his name."

This was followed almost immediately after by a somewhat cheerful agreement toward her new acquaintance again, "And yeah, come along if ya like, I don't think anyone'll mind. It'll be nice to have someone who knows his way around the Warren."

Beginning to leave the area, her eyes scanned the scene as if idle-in reality trying to watch for any eyes resting on the group for too long. As before, Kathy had obtained a far more quiet behavior-even her steps were more prudently placed so as to significantly reduce noise.

"So, while we check out the debate and the area nearby, guess I ought to start explainin' for ya Mirvin-eh? To start off, our aforementioned, new friends are Johnny here and William. Though I'm bettin' a lot of people call him Penn, since he's the head of the police, and Penn happens to be his surname. I'm not sure if this means everyone in the police force would be our buddies because of that--" there was a sort of glance toward Johnny for his input on what was partially an inquiry. "Would it?"

William's attempts to convince Stane to leave Ellis were met with only more lies. A lie that he had heard many times already.

"Well Stane, I'm rather surprised that you can't at least tell me a new lie. I can't blame you for wanting to help out Ellis, but he doesn't know what he's doing with the Warren. You're the only guy that can stop this now Stane, you can put an end to a long road of hardship right now." It became clear that Stane was of no use, at least for the time being.

A night of solitude without any food or water might change that, but for the time being William had a debate to get to. He turned his back to the dark and cramped cell and began to leave. When he emerged from the darkness he saw his escort ready to go with concerned looks on all of their faces. This was certainly not good news.

"Whats happened?" He asked, trying to guess what might be a cause for such alarm.

"He's started sir, Ellis started the debates without you. If we move now we can still get there before any too much damage is done." An officer said grimly, already cringing in anticipation at the amount of people he would have to bludgeon in order to get the Director to the debate.

That ******** Ellis. He had no right to pull such a cheap trick in order to achieve victory. Was there no limits as to how far this man would go? "Lets get the move on then!" William and the group of officers rushed out of the building in the fastest, most dignified way they could. There was no way they would get there in time but if they hurried they could lessen the damage Ellis could do.

A few blocks and bludgeoned heads later the small group had made their way within shouting distance of the great plaza where the much talked of debate would be held. There were many high expectations running on this, if he could sway the people's hearts and minds then there was hope for the counter-revolution.

"Mr. Ellis! Thank you for leading us off as according to my instructions. Let me be apologize for my delay, I would just as soon take another bullet than to let any harm come to the people of the Warren," So the debates had begun, not a perfect start but with any luck the people would see the truth and the day would be won.

William cleared his throat and prepared for a long debate.