RP: ISC Phoenix [Interlude 3] - Re-Loading

"Well if we're lucky, there might be something on TV other than a gun documentary and porn." Vincent joked, standing a little ways away from the couch.

Robert followed everyone else inside. "Soooooo," he began, "What do you guys do around here?"

"Well." Sebastian said, "This is just our base hideout. I think Luca and his crew were on a tough mission, so for now they're kicking back for a couple of days while Luca gets his ribs back in order."
"I don't want him to hurt himself!" Anna chimed in.
"Precisely. The boy needs rest." The father commended.

Luca kept on flicking through the channels on the TV when suddenly, a news report came on. Luca was intrigued and decided to watch it. He examined the area where the interview was taking place, then realised and vocalised:

"Hey, I was there!"
The crew, save Anna, Sebastian and Robert nodded knowingly.
"Really?!" The father inquired.
"Shit yeah. I think I caused the explosion with some IPG lady - but we have to keep it to ourselves."
"Get outta here. What else happened?"
"Actually..." Luca pulled out his communicator and found the video of Luca's section the incident. He made the images on screen show up on the big TV - providing fairly crisp detail of what happened.

"...that's what happened - but I can't show it to anyone else. Only we and the IPG are supposed to know about it."
"They're intimidating." Hitori frowned, "We better do as they say."
"Wise choice..." Dad commented, stroking his beard and looking worried at the footage that his son had managed to shoot on his tour of duty, "... so WHAT IN THE FUCK was that big black thing that near took your head off?" Hitori was in agreement, and slight shock, as were John and Mel, both staring at Luca for his deeds.
"Ah - I named it Vitriol." Luca replied jovially, "I rightly kicked its arse - I think it died in the big explosion though."

Robert stared at the image of the huge, black Vitrol thing. "Now I imagine that must have been a fun fight." Robert remarked. "I almost wish I could have been there. I loved zombie movies as a kid. To have been in one....Godly."

Vincent looked over at the raggedy-looking newcomer and sighed.

"Not really. Trust me, if you had been there it wouldn't have been as fun as you thought."

Robert shrugged and said "Probably, but I can't help but think of the whole thing like a really life like "Restless Badness" game."

"I'll tell you what was fun though - Blasting its face off with the shotgun." Luca chuckled to himself, "Damn that was satisfying."
Mitch snickered to himself a little when he reflected on the incident - just the sheer absurdity of it all - and how everyone fell into it just like an elaborately choreographed narrative.

"For now though, let's relax a little... Who's up for a horror movie?" John said as he stood up and shuffled through a collection of movie discs, then pulled one out and flashed the cover to the couch. The cover had pictures of sand dunes, damsels in distress and swift, undying mummies that would bring death with them - and of course, a rugged protagonist. "How about 'The Return to the Talon of the Dunes'?"
"Hit it!" Luca said as he got the remote and made adjustments to the TV and the introductory sequence for the film started.
"Popcorn?" Crane asked from he kitchen as he got the things together.
"Sure! Make some for everyone!" Luca replied

MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN DELSAURIA AND NEPLESLIA...
A freighter ship was making its rounds back to Nepleslia and there was a little complication...

"Sir?" A cargo worker for a small shipping company said worriedly as he checked his datapad, "It seems like we're carrying a little extra weight."
"Really. How much?" His supervisor replied.
"About 200 pounds of unaccounted cargo in this hold, sir."
"Investigate it and toss it out the airlock if it isn't vital to the mission."
"Yes sir." He picked up a torch and began to search through each of the boxes, one by one and ticking them off on his datapad while the captain stood by. He then opened one box - shone his torch inside and it was still pitch black inside. "...what the?"

Then three claws shot out of the inky blackness and impaled the worker squarely in the chest. The supervisor reeled back and watched as the hapless worker was bleeding all over the cargo as another claw shot out and cut him in half. A massive, black hulking figure broke out of the box and grinned at the supervisor as he stamped towards him with glinting, bloody teeth and claws.
"HOLY, FUCKING--" The supervisor got his radio out, "WE HAVE AN INTRUD--" He couldn't finish the message because the beast took a massive bite out of the supervisor's skull, and most of his torso.

And it roared in the fevorous bloodlust that fuelled its blackened soul as it rampaged through the ship, tearing through each of the unprepared crew members and watching them suffer. The ship kept on flying its course due to autopilot and would land in a day or so...

BACK AT BASE...
The movie was entertaining. Plenty of action, violence and some pretty scary paranoia was to be had. Luca especially liked the scene where the protagonist tempted fate and decided to punch the Mummy Lord in the face. John had a blush on his face when they tied up the damsel in distress, which he got a slap and a "Wanker!!" for from Mel.
Hitori had cuddled up to sleep on Luca's lap. The platypus began to sleep on Jim's lap as he watched, somewhat frightened. Mitch wasn't really paying attention to the movie.
It was somewhere just before dinnertime, and something meaty was being served up by the domestic Anna and Crane.

"Good stuff." Luca said as he stood up and brushed the popcorn off himself and licked the butter off his fingers, then turned off the TV, "I wonder if they'll make a sequel?"
"I hear that Danny Gosling is tipped to play Hank Farr in the next instalment." Jim gossiped.
"Get outta here - he's a comedian!" John spoke up.

Robert gasped, "They'd better not. It'd ruin the series for me. There are some actors that i'll never see in certain roles. And he should stick to his comedies."

"I dunno," Vincent said, scratching the back of his neck. "Last time he switched genres, he did a pretty good job. You guys remember when he played Captain Arling in Fringe Worlders 2: Search for the Planet of Ages? Horrible plot, but Gosling did a damn good job."

Robert shrugged. "I never saw it. Heard about it, but never bothered to go see it." He sniffed and smelled something delicious coming from the kitchen. "Hey, is dinner on for tonight?" He asked, before wandering into the kitchen to find out for himself.

"In any case, I think dinner is served!" Luca observed as he sat down to dine. On his plate was some mash potato mixed with a hint of cornmeal and some strips of cooked beef with a bit of broccoli. There were also 6 beers on the table 6 glasses of water.
Mitch and Hitori seemed to keep on sleeping in their respective places. On the floor and couch while Jim, John, Mel, Lae, Sebastian and Crane sat down to enjoy their meals.

"So," Dad said as he cut up the beef and ran it through his mash potatoes, "The plan tomorrow is we re-arm ourselves and bulk buy some guns that we can afford to give away as standard issue weaponry. What do you recommend?"
"I think an SMG like the one I picked up would work fine for the job." Luca said, "Mel said she picked up a couple. Where did you put them?"
"Armoury." She replied as she burped suddenly, "'scuse me."
"Excused. A good choice - but can the recoil be easily controlled?" Sebastian questioned, as Anna sat down next to him.
"That's why there's a fold-out stock." Mel answered, "An SMG like that would get pretty erratic when it's been firing for a while. But I'm sure for the two big guys over there..." She motioned to Vincent and Mitch, "They should be able to handle it fine."

Robert sat down and began to eat. He poked at the cornmeal with his fork, but soon hunger made him give in and the ragged ex-street fighter soon had cleared his whole plate. He still sat and listened to the talk about issuing weapons.

"Mmmhmm. That settles it then." Dad said after putting his plate away, "Now, it's late for all of you, so all of you must be bloody tired - especially if you decided to tag along with my son on his romp."
John's head swivelled at Luca, who just blinked incredulously in his direction.
"What?" Luca asked.

"So go upstairs, it'll be the room on your left - grab any of the bunks. They should be just big enough to fit the ID-SOL."
"I got dibs on the top bunk!" Mel voiced as she rushed upstairs.
"Hey!" John said as he chased her up the stairs.
"My bunk's got the bloodstains on it!" Luca warned as he followed suit.
"Wait for me!" Jim scrambled up the stairs with the platypus in his hands.
"Wha-?" Hitori was woken up by the scramble, "Oh - dear." She moved upstairs and took off her cloak, folding it up.
"Mnnghh." Mitch was stirred awake, "Leave a bottom bunk for me." He lumbered upstairs.
I guess I should take advantage of the hospitalities. Laeliel thought to herself as she wandered upstairs, I need to sleep...

"Some of 'em are just like children." Anna said.
"Yeah - children armed to the teeth and not afraid to use it." Sebastian added with a cough, "They'll grow up some day."
"What was the blonde girl's name?" Anna asked.
"Dunno. She doesn't say much." Dad said.

Upstairs, Luca had already hung up his stuff fallen asleep on his bunk, comfortable and already sprawled out under the cover. Everyone else was still getting ready. Getting into pyjamas, putting their clothes and sidearms away, or, for Mitch, getting one last drink in. Then John leant over and looked at Luca with a devious grin on his face. He nudged Mel, who was still trying to get to sleep.
"What, wanker?" She asked.
"Watch this. Luca is a very heavy sleeper." He whispered as he got out of his bunk (wearing his boxers) and pulled Luca's ear. No reaction except for a grumble. "Nothing wakes him up when he's asleep."
"...Really?" Mel chuckled to herself, "Does this place have roof access?"
"Probably. Why? ... Ohh..." John put the pieces of Mel's little scheme together.

They lifted up the Mattress that Luca was sleeping on, covers and all and hauled him up to the third floor.
"Heavy lad isn't he?" Mel stated.
"He eats lots - but doesn't get fat."
"Probably too busy saving the world to get fat." Mel quipped as she wandered into the storage room and found a ladder that had a trapdoor to the roof, just big enough to fit the mattress through. "Bonza. We got roof access. Haul him up!"

So Luca's mattress, and he, were left on the roof of the facility. He didn't even stir a little on this predicament.
John and Mel tiptoed downstairs snickering to themselves and got back to their bunk. They gave eachother a quiet High-Five before getting comfortable in their respective bunks.

Robert followed the others up the stairs and picked a nice top bunk near the door. As he tried to get some sleep, he heard a noise and some shuffling, and a bit of stiffled giggling. He half-drew his knife from under his pillow but soon recognized the "intruders" as John and Mel carrying Luca on his mattress. As soon as they finished their practical joke, he whispered "Scared me half ta death ya did."

Laeliel - her gaze having narrowed after seeing that she was expected to bunk in the same room as others - made for the bed furthest from everyone else. Without a change of clothes with her, let alone any sleepware, the slight Elysian simply took of her well-worn shoes and socks and her jumper, revealing an off-colour t-shirt. Inconspiciously - making it look like she was loosening her shoulders - she shifted her folded-back wings around within their enclosure of fabric into a slightly more comfortable position for lying on.

Studiously ignoring the pair of apparent mischeif-makers - they could throw anyone off the roof that they wanted to in the Elysian's opinion, as long as it wasn't her - she slipped into the bed, wrapping the sheets tightly around herself before rolling over so that she could see as many of the others as possible. Sleep would claim her eventually, but deep-seated paranoia was not about to let it roll over her without putting up a serious fight first.

Vincent had already found a bed near the door and (after hungrily cleaning his plate off at dinner and watching Return to the Talon of the Dunes) crawled into it, wearing nothing but his uniform pants and a pair of threadbare massive socks. Not even the mattress-carting John and Mel tiptoeing past disturbed him.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully. It was unknown whether Anna and Sebastian fell asleep that night - but they were up the next morning.

Luca was the first person to wake up at about 8:00 AM-ish as the first faint rays of sunshine poked through the thick black clouds of Nepleslia's atmosphere. He let loose a yawn and stood up casually, wearing naught but a pair of heart-patterned boxer shorts.
His brain hadn't really gotten into first gear. He then looked around at his surroundings. That's when the brain was kicked into first gear.
"Wait a minute..." Luca said, scratching his head, "I don't remember having an open-air bedroom..." He then put the two and two together. "Just like in College. He does realise - this means war."

He looked around and found the trapdoor down, then made his way down through the trapdoor, down two flights of stairs and into the Kitchen.
"G'morning." Dad said as he sat down reading the paper at the table with a bowl of cornflakes, "Sleep well?"
"Grmghmgh." Luca grumbled as he fetched a pail of water and walked upstairs and into the bunkroom and walked towards John's bunk and promptly dunked the whole bucket on his head.

"FUCK~!" John leapt out of bed and his head hit the bunk above him with a loud thump, awakening Mel as well, who damn near tumbled out of bed from the hit.
"Got ya back!" Luca chuckled.
John just lay there in bed, his hair soaked. He adjusted his sunglasses (he sleeps with them!) and a malign twitch came to his eyebrow. It was on now.

Luca then got himself a towel and his clothing and headed to the bathroom for a shower. The water could be heard running as he soaped himself down and washed himself.

"What was his problem?" Mel asked John, "Do you think he found us out?"
"I have to get him back for this." John replied, "We always used to do this in college."
"A prank war?" Mel questioned, "Aren't you a bit old for that, wanker?" She jumped out of her bunk and got her clothes on, "I'll have no part in it. You're on your own, wanker." She headed downstairs for breakfast.

Vincent slowly roused from his sleep, pulling the sheets off his massive form as he groped about for a clean shirt which he found in the duffel underneath his bed. Sure enough, it wasn't his green uniform; just a nonassuming black t-shirt. Vincent pulled it on and took a shoulder holster from the bag.

Then, sliding his hand under the pillows he pulled out one of his Hand Cannons and slipped it into the holster.

"Morning guys." Vince said as his feet thudded onto the floor. "Did I miss anything?"

Robert had already woken up and was doing streches before pulling on his shirt. His scars were standing out due to the fact that they were red on his tan skin. He laughed quietly to himself when Luca re-entered the room with a bucket of water.

As was predictable, Laeliel eventually rested, her hair pooled around her head like an ocean of dirty gold as she slept curled up in a half-foetal position. The sounds of the others'... 'lively' awakening brought her out of her own sleep; groggily she stirred in her bunk towards something that imitated alertness.

Slowly untangling herself from her bedsheets and crawling out of the bunk, she dragged her jumper back on while keeping a weary eye on the now drenched sunglasses-clad man and the rest of the clowns that formed this band of... whatever they fancied themselves to be. Action heroes, no doubt.

Padding barefoot across the room towards the door, she continued to glare at the others with the kind of half-awake, unhappy look that only the morning-hating could manage. "Rowdy," she mumbled at no-one in particular.