Forge By Jake Wallace kwteach@probe.net PROLOGUE - ASHES TO ASHES The Colorado skies were dull and gray. Rain fell on the fading frass in the August heat. Soon, the leaves on the trees would fall and give way into Autumn. The cemetery was a macabre scene. Two men were all those who mourned at the site of the freshly dug grave on TRES facilities. One was the priest, giving the final rites to the recently departed. The other was Lieutenant Wallace. He was dressed in his formal summer uniform. His assigned duty apparel was dusty from sitting in the closet for long periods of time, but this uniform was almost new, the white still left with a small amount of that pristeen shine that was customary of the clean-cut military image. [I hate wearing this thing. It's so depressing.] he thought as he looked down, seeming fascinated by the raindrops hitting the cloth. The priest said his closing prayer and departed, leaving Wallace alone in the hard rain. The lieutenant looked at the grave marker one last time. It read "Davison." He sighed and walked back to the Iota Wing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He sat back down in the plush leather chair, which was about all there was room for in any of the smaller lieutenant's offices, save his desk. Delta Squadron had only recently been dissolved, and Wallace had been reassigned to the newer, modernized Iota Wing. He was still getting accustomed to the lifestyle transition. Davison's funeral was the last of the four that he attended out of duty to his fallen comrades. He had been the only survivor of Dazaki's attempts to get at Wallace. Even he had barely escaped with his life, the strange blade the demon called K'tar being Wallace's savior, at least for the moment. K'tar itself was an interesting tool. It could take the shape Wallace desired, although he wasn't very adept at making it change yet. He assumed it took a while to get used to. He had no psionic ability, and the only magics he possessed were protection from extreme temperatures and some minor control of seismic activities. The first time he had experimented with the sword, he got a massive migraine from the mental bond. He had sent a piece of the metal to M for analysis, but she was slow in getting data back to him. It was, as far as she could tell, a very unpredictable element, sometimes inert, and sometimes highly unstable. Obviously it wasn't meant to be tested easily. The run-in with Dazaki was troublesome for Wallace's reputation as well. He had spent a week in hearings concerning the deaths of his subordinates. The justices in charge of determining a course of action didn't believe him. That was blatantly visible. However, due to recent circumstances with losses of personnel, no severe punishment was exacted upon him. No demotion nor penalty served. He looked down at the desk to see the letter that had haunted him from the moment he got back from the mission in Western Nebraska. Someone either had a severely twisted sense of humor. "See you soon - D." the note mocked him. He snarled. [Either way], he thought as he pulled a box of matches out of his desk. "Never again," he muttered as he struck the match, lit the paper, and threw it in the trash can. It was quickly reduced to ash as he walked out the door and down the hall. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ZERO - In The Beginning... Snow. Snow as far as the eye could see. And that was all he saw. A blizzard was visible, approaching quickly now, on the western horizon. He had lost his competitor, who was obviously hiding. But in the blowing snow, he couldn't see the massive headquarters, which was only 500 meters away, much less a soldier taught to blend into his surroundings. He turned himself abou in an endless circle, keeping his sword in front of him, always ready in case he was attacked. Just like he was taught. He started to look confused. His attacker was nowhere to be seen, and now, he didn't even know which way was which. The blowing snow simply made this fight impossible. He wondered if the other one had already gone inside the complex, back where it was warm. "No," he thought, "he wouldn't put it off any more. He wants to get me this time." Just then, a figure dressed in black fatigues shot out of a particularly high snow drift like a cannon, his sword redy to strike with one quick blow. The nametag on his clothing identified him immediately: "Nichols" Schneider parries the first advance almost effortlessly and returned with his own set of attacks. Each matched the other's abilities perfectly as the blizzard set in. Nichols brought his blade down and cut Schneider's right hand. He dropped his sword into the snow and winced in pain. "Damn, I hate those things," he thought to himself as Nichols brought his blade up to Schneider's neck. "I win," he said smugly. Schneider simply smiled back. Then, leaping backward, he kicked the sword out of Nichols's hand and watched it fall into the quickly accumulating snow. Schneider pulled the more familiar bowie knife off his belt and held it firm against the neck of Nichols. "I believe you're mistaken." Just then, the blizzard hit full swing. Schneider couldn't see eight inches in front of his face, but he could hear many noises about him. Of particular interest was the noise unique to that of a plasma blaster discharging ammo in his general direction. "Judas Priest! What the Hell do you think you're doing?!" "Wasn't me, buddy. We've got company... Somewhere..." The pair drew X-Rifles[tm] and strained to find a target. They couldn't. However, they could see plasma bolts flying particularly close to them, well-aimed despite the low visibility. Schneider started firing blindly. After about thirty seconds of returning fire, he heard the sound of an impact, and then a groan. He turned in the direction of the other plasma fire and pulled the trigger on his X-Rifle[tm]. It made a resounding click, indicating he was out of ammunition. "Dammit! One down, Nichols!" The plasma blasts suddenly stopped. "Nichols?" The silence was replaced by the unmistakable noise of metal clashing on metal. "Nichols!" Schneider ran toward the sound. Then he got near, it ceased with another groan. And then, only the whipping wind could be heard. The storm let up slightly, and Schneider could finally see the two bodies, one with a hole burned through his chest and the other with a sword plunged deeply into his torso. Nichols frowned over the bodies. There was no visible identification on the men, who looked eerily similar. The closest thing was some sort of insignia on their shoulders. How had they gotten so close to TRES without being apprehended or tripping on of the countless security measure specifically designed to keep the psychos with guns off the grounds. "These guys look familiar to you?" Nichols asked. "Nope. But I've never seen those uniforms on any B'harnate troops in action, or in file footage." "What should we do, then?" Schneider took his bowie knife and promptly cut the insignia from the shoulder of one of the soldiers. "I think we should take this to JW. He's been around a while. Maybe he can make something of it." Nichols nodded and dislodged his sword from the lifeless carcass at his feet. They walked back toward Iota. As they returned to the building, the bodies faded, and then they were gone. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wallace was in his office, dressed in a faded t-shirt and ragged blue jeans. His feet were propped up on his desk and he was looking at some weapons specs M had left on his computer. There was a knock at the door. "Come in." Schneider and Nichols entered. "What is it?" "Well, umm, sir,--" Schneider started. "Don't call me sir," he reprimanded the Lieutenant JG, "Hell, you're older than me." Schneider stepped back, shaken. "I just meant... umm..." "We were just doing our skills practice," Nichols finished for him. "And?" Wallace asked, still half-concentrated on his computer's monitor. "And... well... we were attacked." Wallace's feet were off their lax position on the desk in half a second and his eyes stared right into each of the others' "What happened?" He asked, interested and obviously concerned. "A pair of goons with plasma blasters. They somehow broke through TRES's defenses and attacked us as the blizzard was passing," Nichols replied. "Were they spongin?" "That was the funny thing. They weren't anything like what either of us have seen. They were humanoid, but not B'harnate, from what we could figure. We took one of the insignias from their uniforms." Schneider placed the triangular piece of cloth on Wallace's desk for inspection. "Have you ever seen that symbol before?" Nichols asked him. "No, I'm afraid I haven't. I'll put some research into it. By the way, who won today?" Schneider spoke up, "I did." "Joe, you keep winning. Aren't you going to let him have one for a change?" he said, grinning. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE - SHATTERED HOPES Matthew Nidares was a member of the Guild of Thieves. It was a organization dedicated to theivery across the United States, and was very exclusive. To be inducted, one had to be the best of the best in the business of treachery. Matthew was one of those elite few. Knowledge of the Guild was non-existant outside of itself. Not even the U.S. Government knew anything besides rumors. The Guild's headquarters were in San Antonio, Texas, hidden far beneath the ground, accessible only by uncertain methods. Security was tight, and anyone who managed to gain any knowledge of the group became immensely prone to fatal 'accidents'. The members themselves were well-trained. All would have rather died than release the secrets of the Guild. Punishments for traitors were worse than death. They had rank according to skill, with the highest members being some of the most unknown criminals of all. Ones who had left without a trace of their existence. Matthew, however, was not one of these. He held the lowest rank of the organization. Even so, he was proud to be a member of such a prestigious group. So, when offered the chance to perform a delicate heist, he was quite pleased. He was good at all sorts of deception, from mere pickpocketing, to felonies. On its facade, it looked like a mission hardly worth the time it would take to perform it, which was most likely the reason why it hadn't been taken by a higher rank of thief. However, after reading its file, he was amazed at the intricacies behind it. It appeared to be a simple jewel heist from a local store. However, the mission was twofold. Objective one of the mission was to steal the Sol Novum, the New Sun in English, the world's most priceless ruby, although only the most famous jewel enthusiasts were admitted information of it. It was far too valuable to be allowed access to the general public. No one would suspect a small jewelry store to have it, except the thorough connections of the Guild. Of course, the owners knew that it would be dangerous to keep such a gem in their responsibility. Which is where the second objective came into play. They had created a radical new security system for just that reason. The wall laser was essentially countless lasers, all pointed in the same direction, so closely compacted that the beams ran together and made the illusion of a solid wall of light. Passing through would mean an instant lockdown, and he would be caught. After that objective, however, the mission was a simple lifting of glass and running off with the gem. Matthew knew he could pull this off, especially with the technical wizardry of the Guild. This would gain him prestige and honor, a term often lacking when describing thieves. The jewel store was quite inconspicuous in the warm Texas evening. Looking like any other store, no one would have even given it a second look. Matthew darted behind the building, looking for an entrance. He found a locked back door, which he easily picked, and entered. The Wall Laser was an imposng sight, He could see the ruby behind it, basked in a monochrome red glow. It was massive compared to what he had ever seen before. This could be his big break. He opened his backpack, and pulled out a metallic box, approximately one foot by one foot by two feet. He set it close to the laser and pressed the button. A complexly designed setup fell out. It opened up into a glass-like fixture which spread apart wide enough for him to slip through. It expanded forward into the Wall Laser, absorbing the beams and refractiung them to their sources without tripping the alarms. The effect was similar to a box-like prism. He slipped through the the device with ease and made his way to the ruby. It glistened as he looked at it. He plucked it off its pedestal and smiled to himself on a job well done. "Thank you for securing that for me," a dark figure spoke from the corner. "Who the devil are you?" Nidares asked. "Interesting word selection, Matthew," the figure retorted. "I am a connoisseur of the arts. I have a particular interest in that gem you're carrying. Give it to me?" "Never. This is my big break. This gem belongs to me," he accented his words as he pulled a ten inch knife from his belt. The figure approached Nidares, allowing him to see his cold blue eyes, which turned at a moment's notice to an evil red. He struck the young thief over the head, knocking him immediately unconscious. He decided not to kill him, as he took the gem. He was in a good mood today. He walked directly through the Wall Laser, setting off the silent alarms. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Music- _Rockcrown_ - Seven Mary Three - Rockcrown Wallace smiled. "En garde," he said to his opponent smugly. Schneider smiled back and prepared for his duel. He thought he had a chance this time. They had practiced together five times before. Wallace had won all five times. Wallace raised K'tar as he prepared his attack stance. The blade gave an unnatural shimmer in the artificial flourescent light of one of the Iota training rooms. He had placed a special Jihaddium edge around the two sides of the sword for these sorts of practices so that K'tar wouldn't merely rip thrugh the Jihaddium like it was aluminum foil, which it could do if he focused hard enough. Schneider made his first attack. He was quick, but Wallace was much quicker with his light steps and fast arms. He parried Schneider's younger attacks with relative ease, and stayed on the defensive, not wanting to give up his comfortable setting just yet. Schneider continually became more fatigued. As always, this led to what an expert would consider foolish techniques. Wallace jumped at the opportunity and began his offensive. Schneider had a tough time blocking the attacks, but Wallace wasn't fighting with all his effort just yet. One sweep of K'tar was placed a little too close for comfort, however, and nicked through his opponent's clothing at his stomach. Thankfully for both, it didn't break his skin. Wallace firmly placed his boot to Schneider's chest and kicked him away for a moment of rest. Schneider snarled and reared back for one, tremendous attack. Wallace saw it coming, and held K'tar fast in front of his body. The blades impacted. Both stared in utter disbelief. The first noise heard was a sharp crack, and a tumbling of pieces, which was followed by light impacts with the floor, similar to broken glass hitting the ground. Wallace just stared at his sword. The pommel was still intact, but all that remained of the blade was the special Jihaddium coating he had placed around the edges. He looked at the ground, along with Schneider, at the countless shards of broken metal, which were scattered about the room. Wallace suddenly jumped back to his senses. He grabbed the lieutenant's right arm and held what remained of his sword to the combatant's neck, signifying his victory. Schnedier dropped his sword and sighed, realizing an opportunity missed. The two looked back at the remnants of K'tar. "You know," Schneider said, "I've got some Krazy Glue in my office." "I think I'm going to need a lot," Wallace replied. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------