The Console Wars 3

[PygmyOwl]

((Alright, I think I will catch up with you and GDN))

Zeta entered the next chamber, looking around tensely for the next challenge. In one wall was a large opening lined with metal bars, as she watched they slid away into the ground, leaving only blackness.

Zeta's nerves rose, something was stirring in the shadows. She backed off, hand ready by her belt.

A hulking creature half dragged, half walked, into the light, Zeta almost reeled in disgust. Its skin was peeling from its flesh and its limbs were scorched and swollen. She almost felt a twinge of pity as its drooping bloodshot eyes stared at her. You can't be real... She thought logically, it could not survive like this.

It rose up onto its hind legs with a roar, sensing prey. It swiped a long clawing arm at her, scraping the air inches from her face. Zeta activated the sensor bar and vanished from view. The creature gave a growl of frustration as it span round looking for its meal. Zeta grabbed a blue shell* and hurled it upwards. The wings activated and it zoomed towards the creature's head. It attempted to swat it like a fly, but missed. The shell found its target and exploded onto its decaying skull. It gave another roar of anger, careering around the enclosed space, nearly trampling Zeta, who desperately weaved around the floor, attempting to avoid its clumsy lunges.

Still convinced it could smell its prey the monster stopped, waving its deformed face in the air, searching for her. Zeta backed off, ready to sprint away in a moment, then she saw her exit. A low door lead out, but it was on the other side of the room, the monster was blocking her way.

Zeta crouched low, and made a run for it, preferring speed over stealth. The creature heard her footsteps and stamped downwards at the sound, sending vibrations through the ground, nearly sending her flying. She skidded through the door, breathing a sigh of relief. Zeta leaned against a wall, catching her breath.

Suddenly she heard talking from above her. She recognised the voices.

'Zim! GDN!' She shouted joyfully. At last, its over.

She scanned the wall, it looked climbable. She took a run up and leapt upward, grabbing the edge.

'Zeta? Have you seen B3 and Ragnarok?' GDN called.

Zeta's heart sank. 'They're missing?' She said, jumping down onto their side.

Zim nodded.

Zeta looked round, fear gripping her again. 'Oh no...'

*The Automated Blue Shell was based on the original koopa's unique homing abilities used as a weapon in the bygone era of Nintendo. But the managers came to a decision that if they were to keep their family-friendly status, they had to ban their use and replace them with robotic versions. Because sticking compact explosives onto an animals back then throwing it at a heavily armoured enemy is apparently, illegal...

((tr,d: Zeta escapes grotesque monster for her last trial, and rejoins the others.))

[Kern•]

((I can't really do anything... I need you to go and pester Jack because he won't listen))

[gdn001]

Zeta: What are we going to do?
Zim: You know what? I have an idea... But it's a little crazy.
GDN: Go on...
Zim: We climb the temple by outside and break through the roof...
Zeta: ...so we can find them! Great idea!
They head outside. The temple is like a big pyramid, so climbing won't be difficult. They begin their way up. As they climb, Zeta looks around, and sees the whole city. She is impressed.
Zeta: Why didn't you show me this view earlier? It's so beautiful...
GDN: In fact... I wouldn't care about living here...
They reach the top. GDN and Zim regain their strenght, while Zeta looks around, still impressed.
Zim: So, anyway, we need to break the roof now.
GDN: Stand back ladies. I got this one.
GDN picks a frag grenade and sets it off on the roof, exploding it and opening a large hole. The three take a look inside. They can see the room where they separated from above.
Zeta: Well, that will do...
Zim: Thank you, GDN!
GDN feels the pain in his stomach again. He kneels and looks at the ground, breathing deeply. He looks forward, and sees Zim holding a bloody cane.
Zim: What's wrong GDN? Are you alright?
GDN: Please... Don't say that again...
Zim: What?
GDN looks at her again. She is with her two halves of the wooden cane again.
GDN: Nothing...
Zim: I know when you are lying! Something's wrong with you!
GDN: Something's wrong with you too...
Zim: What?
GDN: You are acting like you are seeing ghosts...
Zeta: Uh, sorry, can someone fill me in?
Zim: I'd rather not talk about that... Now, lets get inside, shall we?
GDN: Ok, but how?
Zeta: We could use a rope...

((Summary: The three climb to the top of the temple to take a look from above; GDN and Zim notice that there's something wrong with each other))

[Kern•]

((sorry for pointing this out but why didn't you have that frag before when you couldn't break through the wall))

[PygmyOwl]

Zeta looked from one to the other, but she felt it best not to intrude. Something strange was going on here.

'Anyone got a rope?'

'Uh, nope.' GDN said.

'We should find a substitute.' Zeta said, standing up.

'Hey, over here!' Zim grinned, tearing a vine from a wall of the temple. It was about an inch thick, and looked strong enough.

They tied it round a pillar, Zeta gave a tug to check it would hold.

'Lets go then.' She didn't like heading straight back into the place she had just escaped, but her worries for Ragnarok and B3 were getting worse.

They each slipped down the vine to find themselves in another chamber of the temple. It was much lighter and airier than the ones they had been in before, almost peaceful.

'This can't be it...' GDN said quietly, an age old silence suppressing their words.

'We should head downwards.' Zim said, waving towards a cracked staircase leading away into the shadows.

Zeta nodded, 'We need light though. We can't risk falling into another trap.' Or even just falling... She thought, remembering painfully that B3 wasn't with them again.

GDN grabbed a torch from one of the brackets of the walls, descending down the steps. They followed the flickering light, Zeta wondered what they would find.

((tr,d: They head downwards into the Temple to find the others.
I don't know about continuing, I don't want to god-mod B3 or Ragnarok. Depends how the story goes really.))

[TheZimInvader]

((We're not going to actually find them until they post.))

The three of them head down the staircase, the torch illuminating the walls. A few minutes of walking seemed like hours...
"Ugh! These stairs are neverending..."
Zeta looks at GDN.
"I think you may be right...Haven't we passed that stone before?"
She pointed at a particular block of stone in the wall with a large crack through it. The three of them continue walking, only a bit faster this time - Sure enough, that same stone appears in the wall. Zim tries to counter the theory.
"There are plenty of rocks in these walls, and I'm sure they've aged a lot, so of course a lot of them are - "
She stops mid-sentence as the ground shakes beneath her feet. The ceiling in front of her collapses right on top of GDN. She shakes her head and looks down at the floor, then sees GDN and Zeta further down the staircase, looking back and expecting her to follow.
"Are you sure you're alright? I know something's wrong."
"Let's...uh, just get back to the situation at hand..."
Zim rubs her eyes tiredly and catches up to the two of them. Zeta glances around, frustrated.
"There it is again! That same rock...Something isn't right here..."

[Merc]

((I quite like how you're delaying it, keeps my on the edge of my seat!))

"So, how far are we from the city gates now?"
"Probably about a kilometer, Natalie, okay back there?"
"I'll live."
"good, cuz we're almost out of here"
Mercuy drove the last stretch of road and came to city gates, surrounded by Sony troops.
"Play it cool guys, don't say anything suspicious"
A Sony officer then walked up to the driver's side of the transport, crossed his arms, and stared right at Mercuy, but he didn't delay.
"ID please"
"Sure..."
Mercuy searched his pockets, the dashboard, nothing
Dam, must have dropped it somewhere...
"There's your ID"
Mercuy proceeded to flip the officer off, at which point Frank leaned out of his seat and unloaded his pistol into him.
"GO GO GO!"
Mercuy slammed on the breaks, smashing through the gate and speeding out of the city, the horns and gunfire of Sony vehicles and soldiers mobilizing can be heard in the distance.
"High 5 Frank!..."

[Ragnarok]

(( *pops in* uhh, what has happened? O_o? am I still on the story?))

[TheZimInvader]

((Yeeees...It's your turn now. Read a couple of pages back.))

[Cheddars]

After what seemed like hours of trudging through the now barren battlefield of which was Old Natal, just desperately searching for any signs of Sony troops, or human existence to say the least, he began to tire. After all, he had gone days without any food and began to suffer heavily from malnutrition. Grasshoppers couldn't satisfy his hunger for long, and he didn't want it to anyway. The taste got a little bland after the first few nights or so.
Whoever said they tasted like chicken obviously needs to work on their cooking.
He chuckled quietly to himself, proud of the joke he had made.
He spat out something he had thought to be a twig stuck in between his teeth. Closer examination had proven otherwise, it was one of the legs. He lurched his head forward and threw up, then wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt.
Oh great, now your even more malnourished than before. Good job soldier.
The wind whistled where there used to be fires of gunshots ringing in the air. The battlefield was practically deserted, not a living soul to be seen for miles around. Well, of course there were dead ones, lots of them. Both Sony and Microsoft troops lay motionless and frigid on the quiet ground of Old Natal. Many lives were lost, all lost for the same purpose. To deem their console superior among the others. He bowed his head in respect, and it was during those few minutes of silence that Ched had suddenly come to a realization. It's been days, at least six, since he had seen anyone who hadn't tried to kill him at first sight.
He sat down on the edge of a demolished helicopter to ponder over the idea some more.
If the battlefield ended up like this, just imagine what else could have changed as well.
Ched was struck with a grief stricken state of horror.
My god.. Zim, GDN, Raganok...

((tl;dr: Ched reaches the battlefield, surprised to find it deserted. Then realizes that his friends might be in danger.))

[Voltergeist]

((Toasting in epic bread, it's a big one today.))

[gdn001]

((sorry for pointing this out but why didn't you have that frag before when you couldn't break through the wall))

((Uhh, GDN is confused? :P ))
((Waiting for Ragnarok and B3))

[PygmyOwl]

((Same, . Where have you all been?)

[Merc]

((Toasting in epic bread, it's a big one today.))

((I'm going to go out on a limb here, and assume you meant 'Posting in epic thread' I think... what else could that mean?))

[Kern•]

((pester jack...))

[Voltergeist]

When the walls came down, Blue wasted no time in heading on. It wasn't that he wasn't worried about Zeta, GDN, or the others, but rather that he figured standing around would do him no good. He lit an extra-bright ball of electricity and headed into the door in front of him. The soldier wasn't scared. "I've seen so much in my life and pulled through," Blue thought, "nothing could hurt me now. Nothing could be worse than what I've been through." At last the tunnel came to an end.

Blue found himself in a large circular room, lined by ornate walls. A long path led to a circular platform in the center, and below this area was what seemed like and endless pit. The most striking feature, though, was that half of the room was literally unseen. Right at the halfway point of the platform, a wall of thick black smoke obscured the rest. Blue took a step forward when he heard a girl's voice coming from the blackness.

"Stephen?"

Blue was startled. The last person he had known to call him Stephen was... was... it couldn't be. But all the same, a girl approximately Blue's age stepped from the shadows. She wore skater clothes similar to Blue's and carried a dagger at her side. She looked at him with emotionless, hollow eyes. Her face was blank. "Rebecca!" It didn't even occur to Blue how impossible it was, that a dead girl was talking to him again. He was too intoxicated. Blue ran right for her, eager to hold her in his arms once more. But the closer he got, the further the figure stepped back into the darkness. As Blue was feet away, Rebecca disappeared completely into the smog. Blue desperately dived into it. He wouldn't lose her again.

But when Blue could see once more, he wasn't in the temple anymore. He was back in a deep forest, where various tents were set up. The thieves hideout, from back in the old days. "So," Blue thought, a bead of sweat running down his face, "this is my test. I will save her this time." He heard Rebecca yell from yards away and started running. Everything was hauntingly real, as if it happening all over again. Blue's heart pounded harder than it had in a long time. Just as he remembered that tragic night, he found Rebecca fighting two Microsoft soldiers. She managed to cut one down, a dagger strike to the back of the neck, but the second soldier grabbed her by the throat. Other soldiers that had been searching now gathered around to watch the results. The only thing different from the scene was Blue. Before, he had been fighting soldiers of his own, then stopped when his girlfriend was caught. Now, Blue hid behind a tree, waiting to make his move. He could make things right this time...

((Sorry, more to come, mom is being a ***** about getting on the PC.))

[TheZimInvader]

((Isn't anyone gonna post? C'mon, Ragnarok, or Blue, or Dizzy, or anyone...?))

[Merc]

((I would, but I'm busy watching people microwave things, sorry.))

[Outlaw-Jack•]

((I be readin' up on everything right now. Won't post the story part 'til tomorrow since I've gotta hit bed soon and school starts @ 6:15 for me :S. But I WILL come up with somethin'...))

((Sorry I haven't been participatin' as much (if at all). I've got a 1,00 things runnin' in my life right now and got everything from projects to homework to any CRAP my parents/sister/other people pull out of their bums. That, and I've been hesitant to either try and make an EPIC tale on my part or just kill myself off and make someone else in charge... I choose the first option. But yah, sorry for the inactivity.))

[Voltergeist]

Blue reached out from behind a tree, trying to hit the soldiers with a bolt, but he could barely manage a few sparks. Blue was too nervous, too shaken to control his powers. He was immediately seen, of course. "Hey!" one soldier yelled, and three of the group came running to him. Blue quickly dodged the first shot and stabbed one soldier in the stomach. He got behind one soldier and grabbed his neck, filling his body with electricity. The third soldier was a bit more of a problem, he had his own blade, and Blue was quickly caught in a parry with him. Blue quickly realized how hopeless it was - even if he killed this one, there were many, many more around him. He couldn't save her. He had failed her again. Blue released himself from the sword fight and blinked tears away, falling to the ground... but when he opened his eyes, everyone was gone. He was alone in the forest.

"So this is how it is? You're still as weak as you were then?" Blue turned around and saw - himself? A creature made of shadows was walking to him. He was identical to Blue and shared his voice. Where blue sparks might fall from Blue's hands, red sparks fell from the shadow's. Blue was shaken up even more by the appearance of this creature. Once again, the Nintendo elite attempted to fire electricity, but it failed. Shadow Blue laughed. "So scared you can't even fight back... where's that tough soldier you pretend to be now? He doesn't exist, does he?" As the impostor spoke, Blue heard an undertone in his voice. He spoke the same way Blue did, but there was an undercurrent in it, the sound of an evil roar. Blue rose and ran to Shadow Blue, his blade pointed toward him, ready to stab the creature in the stomach. But his clone just grinned, firing a red blast of electricity, knocking Blue back to the ground. "It makes no sense," Blue thought, "how can electricity hurt me? I'm immune to it!" But his shadow just laughed. "You're only immune to electricity weaker than your own... and it seems you've met your match."

The creature reached Blue and pinned him below a knee, similar to what Blue had done to Jspot not too long ago. He pressed his blade to Blue's throat, drawing a thin scratch with the blade's tip. "You've failed once again. You couldn't save her, you couldn't stop me, and now you've failed your friends." The shadow leaned in and whispered, grinning like a madman. "Once you're gone, I'll take over your body. I'll be free from this place, and I'll hunt your friends down one by one... with their dying breath, they'll wonder how you could betray them. Too bad you'll be dead... preferably, I'd have you watch." The shadow smiled. "Goodbye, weakling." He plunged his blade down, its point heading to Blue's heart...

((So I herd u liek cliffhangers.))

Blue, however, had changed. As the impostor described his plans, Blue's fear had dissipated. He was angry. This being had created an illusion, forcing him to relive the worst moment in his life, and now he was threatening his friends. As Shadow Blue prepared to struck, Blue's voice rang out, strong and powerful. "No." Blue's eyes filled with electricity, turning them into bright blue orbs.

Blue's hands crackled with the most power they had since he first had the power... the day Rebecca was killed. When the Microsoft soldiers killed her, Blue had felt something flow through him, and before he fully understood, anger came over him. He had killed the Microsoft soldiers as they started to leave, all of them perishing in a single shockwave. Now, fueled by a rage he hadn't felt since then, Blue threw his shadow off. He rose and charged toward his shadow, firing bolt after bolt. Now, his shadow was the one with weaker powers. Blue reached his shadow and stabbed him, over and over, but the impostor laughed and laughed. Finally, Blue had silenced him for good, even as the laugh echoed in his head. The defeated Shadow Blue dissipated into dust. As Blue rose again, he saw the wall of Black smoke appear again. The soldier walked into it, as a white light filled his vision...

Blue woke again on the circular platform, the way forward now open to him. He sat on the platform's edge a while, thinking about what had happened. After a few minutes, he headed on, hoping to find his friends.

((My trial is over, feel free to have me meet up with the gang now. Ragna, we're waiting on jooooooooo...))