Swept under

[Anonymous]

**OOC; for anyone that wants to join in, just send me a pm and explain how you plan to enter**

"For you're actions private Ashford you are being transferred to the 10th infantry, it's an easy position, you won't see much action but remember this is a dead end. You can't do any damage but if you screw this up you're either going to be in jail or on death row... got it?" Saeryn grimaced at the memory of the captain's words. Something that the officer did just set her off and before she knew she attacked him with her bare hands, even trying to bite him in the neck and eat him. Saeryn liked to be alone sincew she still wasn't too sure what caused her to snap like she did. Saeryn just breathed a sigh and just looked down from her vantage point up on a spire formed by what used to be the side of a skyscraper. She could see the tents down below, the others just grouping around, cleaning weapons, talking. That's all they really had to do, either that or read the books and the magazines that the military sent them with they're airdrop of supplies when they were feeling generous. Saeryn swore she could recite some of the articles and pages from memory. It was almost like being abandoned by the military.

She just lay there, relaxing. They were never going to be attacked. Anything that was a threat usually left them alone, only the raiders that were plain stupid would try and attack a squad of fully armed marines. That and they were on the outskirts of the badlands, so they didn't interfere with what was in there, and what was ever in there didn't interference with them. If something really did try and hurt her she had her assault rifle next to her, that and her claws served just as well as a combat knife, with the benefit of being poisoned. She still didn't feel threatened at all. The only time Saeryn ever saw action anymore was when they would get a radio message that the army wanted something killed, or someone escorted, even then that happened once a month at the most. It's not like they were watching anything of value. Sand and ruins were all that's here. They were just placed here to get out of everyone's hair. All they really had to do was just sit there and "no longer be a threat" at least it wasn't that bad. She never had really any time to talk to her father or be in the city anymore. One simple screw up and she was stuck watching dust and old ruins...

She didn't mind the company of her squad mates, they were the only friends she had. Being in the military forms a strong relationship, since they've all been through training and some combat they had something in common. Since Saeryn was moved form school to school she never really got into any close relationships. At first they were a bit suspicious of her, most people have never seen anything quite like her, she looked human but her lower half was that of a large snake. But after awhile they found that she wasn't that bad of a person, a bit odd yes but she wasn't crazy or anything. Saeryn was shy but you didn't really have much of a choice but get to know the others, all you really had too do at night was talk. It was the only thing that stayed new. Plus some of the others had some funny stories to tell. But for now all she did was lay there, thinking to herself...

[Anonymous]

It was almost like watching a golden goddess. Even Sweetwater could see that was a horrible exaggeration but he couldn't help it, he liked Saeryn. He didn't like her at first, she was a bit creepy when she was assigned to this squad. But once he got to know her she was actually nice to him. She didn't know it, and that was good. Sweetwater couldn't seem to admit his feelings for her. That and he really couldn't ask her out, they were in the middle of nowhere. He had told himself that once they got on leave he would ask her, but even he had to admit that he probably wouldn't do it. He didn't know why but Sweetwater was always nervous that she would just take it as a joke and laugh, or blow him off. He felt like an idiot, he couldn't even find the courage to ask a girl that he knew that he liked out. Here was a girl that would actually pay attention to her, he had all the time in the world to ask her, just once, just 30 seconds. But he couldn't do it.

But at least Saeryn was nice to him, and at least Sweetwater knew her somewhat. There was nothing to do, nothing but talk with the others or watch the scenery but he could probably find every single rock with his eyes closed. Sweetwater heard a voice that knocked him out of his thoughts, "You like her don't you?" Sweetwater looked to see that one of his squad mates, Brian Hawes was behind him, he had his hand on Sweetwater's shoulder. Sweetwater just stumbled to find the right words, "I... uh... well I just." But Brain just cut Sweetwater off, "You know the old legends of the sirens right?" Sweetwater was a bit confused but he pushed his glasses back onto his nose and answered,"Yea... beautiful women that would lure sailors to horrible deaths. Why?" Brian just motioned over to where Saeryn was laying, "Think of her as they're great great granddaughter." Sweetwater just turned around even more confused than before, "Wait what the hell are you talking about?" Brian didn't even answer his question instead he just made another joke, "I still cant believe it Sweetwater... I mean if you're into the whole half snake thing I'm not saying anything about it." Sweetwater just spun around and saw that Brian was starting to walk away. Sweetwater just followed him while talking, "Wait I'm not... gah, she's nice to me, and she's beautiful... I mean not the snake, I mean," Brian simply cut him off before he stuttered eve more, he just laughed a bit, "Whatever sweetwater"

He stopped following Hawes and took a seat on a broken piece of pipe. He shook his head, mumbling to himself, "That's what I get for telling him how I feel. What the hell did he even mean by siren." Sweetwater didn't even know how she got into the 10th division. His thoughts started to race, "Wait what if she killed one of her squadmembers, what if she lured him to his death. What is she just pretended to like him and all she wanted to do was kill him." Sweetwater just sat there in his thought. Racing to sort out the mess that was his feeling for Saeryn. He just hated his squadmates for that. They always joked about him but he guessed that it was just to relieve stress. Everyone seemed to trash talk with each other, it was just innocent joking around. But what if Brian let it slip, what if he called Sweetwater "snake lover" or something like that. He still didn't know how Saeryn would react. Either he could deny it and with that lose almost any chance of actually sharing his feelings with her, but what if she killed him like his squad mate said. He just sat there, muttering to himself, "I am so screwed... if she would only just pay attention to me a bit."

[Anonymous]

If only he could drive with the top down, feel the wind whipping through his hair, to hear the roar of the engines, and all that fun stuff. However, going at this speed, putting the top down would probably turn him into a skeleton. That sounded like a lot of pain, more so when he could just put a fan or something in side here and do the same. Hah, the other members of his squad would look at him funny as his hair blows in a gentle breeze while inside the Fast Action Strike Craft.

The sleek craft made very little noise as it cut through the sky at breakneck speeds. Even if it could make a lot of noise, no one would hear it until it was too late. This was travelling well over the speed of sound, they'd hear it and he'd be long gone. Luckily it had good dampners on it. Sure you could still see it travelling through the sky but...you had to be looking!

Currently though he was focused on a mission. Well. Maybe not so much a mission. He had to go to the ruined Ipollius and drop off some components for the Dead End Crew. People who weren't really going to move up the ranks. Stuck in a place that was out of the way so no one would ever have to really deal with them. He didn't mind all this though, he did enjoy travelling after all. Plus he would get to use his FASC and that was just terrific. He practically volunteered for any chance to hop into it and fly straight for...well anywhere.

Thanks to it being a VTOL, he could pretty much land anywhere. Keeping a close eye on his target destination, the young man reached out for the throttle. Had to hit this juuuust right. He began to count under his breath. The Ipollius outpost was coming up fast. So was a building too. Remnants of a skyscraper it seemed. That building was coming up really fast too...Really really-NOW!!!! His hand twitched, the throttle kicking back and his other hand twisted the control stick for just a minute. The entire craft seemed to suddenly turn itself almost completely around. The shields couldn't handle this sudden stress, so they turned off as the entire craft rumbled for a moment. He had just about hit the building, maybe a few inches from it. Though, he hadn't hit a building in years. He had undergone a lot of stress test training for these crafts, and he knew what it could. The directional thrusters engaged and he slowly set in for a landing near the tents.

This was all automatic at this point, he didn't need to land it himself, he never did. Landing was so boring. So slow. Besides, he could land this on a galatic credit, but no one ever just left those laying about for him to land on. Greedy jerks.

The craft's struts came out and touched down, the engines powering down and the cockpit slowly retracting. The figure that got out, holding a large non-descript box looked almost alien. The suit he wore looked like a plastic and metal composite, with weird valves and regulators on it, pure black of course. He also wore a strange face mask with a venting system on it. However, once the mask was removed, it was clear he was human...ish. His eyes were a brilliant golden colour, with short soft blond hair styled and gelled neatly backwards. He had a rather interesting smile, dazzling almost. He hopped down from the side of the FASC, stirring up a bit of dust as he landed.

"Acien Vaktere, reporting from Aedolis." He saluted the Squad leader and handed over the package. It was filled with some instruments and what not that would help to make their jobs a whole lot more easier. Scanning equipment, better multilateral radios, that sort of thing. So this was Ipollius. It had been a long while since he'd been here. His hand went to a pocket on his suit, taking from it a small coin which he began to play with. He was making it dance around his knuckles, flipping it end over end into the grooves of his fingers, from pinky to thumb. It was just one of those little quirks of his.

Since he didn't have to get back until tomorrow, he thought this would be a great time to do a little exploration and catch up with the 10th Infantry. He had almost forgot what it was like to be infantry. He had gone straight for piloting, but they still made him go through Infantry training. After all, he needed to learn how to use the sidearm, currently strapped to his thigh.

"So this is the last line of defence Is it? Looks like a pretty nice group." He commented to the squad leader, eyes looking about the camp. It was a shame really, they shouldn't have been swept aside. Or if they had, they should at least have been given some nice gear. Maybe he could look into that, these people looked like they could use a lot of things. Maybe he'd be able to bring 'em too. Maybe take one of the bigger freighter planes out.

[Anonymous]

Saeryn sat up the second she saw the VTOL streaking towards them. She looked down to the others and yelled out, "SUPPLY DROP INCOMING." She grabbed her rifle and simply started down from where she was. She stood out very obviously mainly because the fact that they didn't even have the proper camo pattern on they're BDU's. The woodland camo plus her green tail meant that she might as well have a neon sign on her back. She laughed a bit at the thought of that. She checked the action on her rifle just encase it didn't prove friendly, even though if the VTOL started firing on then for whatever reason her rifle wouldn't do much. And by the looks of it, the VTOL was a transport and wasn't too well armed. Chances are the only thing they had that would scratch it would be either Hawe's AT rocket or Sweetwater's SAW. But she doubted that it would be hostile. Her fears were put to rest when she saw the large symbol of the army on it's side. chances are it was the supply delivery, nothing more.

She saw that it was moving recklessly fast. Either the pilot was a new or just plain stupid. She watched as it curved hard and almost smacked into a building. She couldn't imagine HQ's reaction when they told them that they're drop's pilot rammed into a building. She actually didn't know how they would react, she actually doubted that they would be in a rush to send them more supplies. After all she had personally seen officers call them "expendable assets" they were cannon fodder. She just slid down the slope formed by the dirt, sand and rubble. It was a bit awkward due to her tail, but she had gotten used to it months ago. Even though everyone in her unit was human she started to actually fit in. They respected her privacy despite being the only girl for miles around, mainly because she threatened any peeping toms with death. She smiled to herself as she arrived at the camp. She arrived just in time as the cockpit opened and the pilot exited his craft.

He was wearing the standard pilot suit and face mask, it muffled his voice a bit but his words were clear enough, "Acien Vaktere, reporting from Aedolis." He gave a sharp salute to Vrachev before handing over they're package. It was a large crate, if it was anything like the other supply drops it was filled with a month's worth of military rations, replacement parts for rifles, additional ammunition, only necessities. The military never spared them anything, all they were here to do was to watch the dust and scorpions. He removed his mask, he was human by the looks of it, but Saeryn looked human from the top us so for all she knew he might be some kind of subhuman. He just started to speak again, "So this is the last line of defence Is it? Looks like a pretty nice group." Vravhev just spoke in his usual pissed tone of voice, "Unless the scorpions and the occasional mountain lion are invading forces we ain't the last line of defence against shit." Saeryn just giggled a bit but when Vrachev looked over to her she became silent again. She had a strange feeling that this pilot had something else in mind, usually they never even turned off the engines, they just dropped they're crate and left. Saeryn knew that he had something else in mind...

[Anonymous]

Sweetwater immediately stood up once she heard Saeryn shout out, "SUPPLY DROP INCOMING." He just walked over to where the tents were and the rest of the squad assembling. He heard Adrian muttter, "I swear if that pilot kills himself and we have to rely on K rations I'm going to kill someone over in command for assigning this guy." Sweetwater just looked over to where he was staring and saw that the pilot was traveling ridiculously fast, or at least faster than most pilots. He almost braced for a large explosion when the craft took a sharp turn and nearly avoided a building. He was actually surprised that the pilot didn't black out from the forces, there were systems to help prevent that but the craft can only take so much. Sweetwater agreed with Adrian, he didn't want to be on emergency rations simply because some pilot was showing off.

He arrived just as the VTOL was touching down, he didn't like the pilot already. The rest of the squad was already grouped around, waiting to see why the pilot was actually landing. She heard someone slide next to him and glanced over to see that it was Saeryn. Sweetwater was actually a bit nervous just being next to her. He looked over to Brian who just cracked a smile and shook his head. He snapped to attention as the pilot spoke and got they're supplies, "Acien Vaktere, reporting from Aedolis." Vrackev just salted back and watched as Brian and Wilson grabbed the crate to take it away. Sweetwater expected for the pilot to hop back into his craft and rocket off, but instead he took off his bask and spoke to the Sergeant, "So this is the last line of defense Is it? Looks like a pretty nice group." Vrachev just shook his head as he spoke, "Unless the scorpions and the occasional mountain lion are invading forces we ain't the last line of defense against shit." He heard Saeryn giggle a bit next to him and Sweetwater just cracked a smile. He always liked how she laughed. But she stopped as soon as the Sergeant looked over to her.

The squad started to disperse to go back to whatever they were doing, Adrian and Wilson were playing cards on the crate that they just carried. Terrance was the only one actually near the pilot. He just leaned towards him, speaking in a hushed tone, [color=lightblue"Don't mind the Sergeant... he doesn't like being here, but it's true we don't do crap out here."[/color] He laughed a bit and turned to walk away. He didn't look to see if the pilot was going to follow or not. He still didn't know why he was bothering to stay. This was in the middle of nowhere, and Sweetwater would rather choose a warm bed back in the city rather than stay out here...

[Anonymous]

He might have been showing off a little bit but he knew what he and the ship could do. After all, he'd flown this same ship for years now. He could pilot it blindfolded. That might actually be a really neat thing to try...Next time. Ahem. It wasn't a good idea to fly back blindfolded, his superiors might not like that. Bah! It almost seemed like never would be the most opportune time to pilot blindfolded. That sucked because he could have pulled it off. Perhaps he was just a little too full of himself, or just had a death wish. Maybe both. The young pilot took the time to look around at everyone grouped around. Not a large squad but then again, this was Ipollius, there wasn't much to defend against.

The naga did catch his eye though. All this harsh terrain, she must have been a real trooper to survive. They all must have been really good at surviving considering their location.

"Hey, you never know, the mountain lions could be working for the enemy. And scorpions are small and bitey with sharp little tails and pincers." He raised his free hand, the one that wasn't dancing the coin between the fingers to pinch his thumb and index together like little pincers. Besides, things could mutate sometimes, come over from Teinar and what not, which would mean danger. He wanted to avoid being bitten or pinched by anything while he lounged about here. It would be better than having to go back and sit around the ATC.

Acien gave a grin toward Terrance as he looked toward him. At least they were all laid back around here. He didn't have to act all official and business like. As if he ever did anyway. That wasn't his style. Acien might have been a little egotistical and a bit of a show off but he was very good at what he did. That's why he commanded a squadron of strike craft. The young pilot followed after Terrance, sliding in step beside him. "Id' rather do crap then all the things I have to do. Simulator battles, filling out reports, requisitions, boring things!" Acien flipped the coin from his right hand to left, while his now free right hand went down to his sidearm to pull it free, spinning it in his hand. "This is the first time in two months I've actually needed to load this sucker. Kept the charge generator in my locker for that long. No need to use it," Acien would have almost fit in better if he were born into a western. He just looked so antsy, he was practically dancing with every step he took beside Terrance.

"So what can I call you? Anything I should look out for?" Acien asked as he turned his attention back to the man. It must have looked funny to watch Acien, he talked so fast, and now both hands were occupied with something. A coin moving about one hand, and now he was spinning the gun in his other. There were small points when it would go back into the holster but he would drag it back out to spin.

Telling him to sit still no doubt would kill him. Wonder how he survived in the classes.

[Anonymous]

As Saeryn turned to leave she heard the pilot make a little joke to the group, "Hey, you never know, the mountain lions could be working for the enemy. And scorpions are small and bitey with sharp little tails and pincers." Saeryn just shook her head, she knew that Vrachev had a almost no sense of humor, or at least when it came to they're assignment. Vravhev shouldn't even be in the 10th, and he still doesn't think the way that they're treated is right. She hated the term that they used for the 10th, "expendable assets" it just made her shiver. It always brought the image of using them for things like bait for a machine gun, or do to distract a tank while that AT teams move into position. But for that to come to reality she would have to actually get into action, something she never did since her accident. She still wished that she could know what caused her to do attack people like that. She wanted to know what triggers her instincts to go crazy so she could prevent them. But as long as she was in the desert she wouldn't be discovering much about her race.

Saeryn was able to see that the pilot was checking her out. She would give him deep gashes if he tried anything though. Everyone in the squad quickly learned what would happened to them if they tried anything. But after a rocky first few weeks they eventually started to respect her as one of the squad. Any incidents of "just feeling lonely" disappeared when she clawed Wilson on the face, lucky Shephard was able to patch him up so there wasn't any permanent scars. But he did get really sick for the whole week, chills, shakes, even hallucinations all just from her claws.

She just crept up to where Wilson and Adrian were playing cards. She just moved the third chair out of the way and rested at the crate. Adrian just looked over, "Want me to deal you in?" Saeryn just smiled, "Sure, you guys aren't gambling are you?" Adrian just leaned back a bit, "Na not with... " he nodded his head over to the pilot. Saeryn immediately got what he meant. The last thing they needed was some pilot reporting that they were openly gambling when they were supposed to be on watch. Saeyrn picked up her cards and started playing while talking, "So what do you think of him?" Wilson just cut in, "Doesn't seem too bad," Adrian just cut him off, "Riddle me this? why the hell would anyone stay here willingly? I bet command wants him to observe of or some shit." Everyone just nodded in agreement. Saeryn gave a cautious glance over to where they were, he was still talking with Sweetwater. At least that should give him a good first impression, she still couldn't believe that someone as clean cut as him got into the 10th...

[Anonymous]

Sweetwater just listened to the visitor talking. Every once in awhile he would look over to catch a glimpse of Saeryn. But he still listened to the pilot talking as he fidgeted around with his equipment, "Hey, you never know, the mountain lions could be working for the enemy. And scorpions are small and bitey with sharp little tails and pincers." He looked over and saw Sergeant Vrachev shaking his head. But the pilot just continued talking. He spoke rather fast, but Sweetwater was able to get the gist of it, "Id' rather do crap then all the things I have to do. Simulator battles, filling out reports, requisitions, boring things! This is the first time in two months I've actually needed to load this sucker. Kept the charge generator in my locker for that long. No need to use it, So what can I call you? Anything I should look out for?" Sweetwater could go on all day about what to look out for. He had practically memorized the "soldier's uplifting primer" it was almost all propaganda. But it had plenty of survival tips. But he decided to spare the pilot all of that information. Chances are he wouldn't be here for longer than a couple hours. Sweetwater still thought that he was crazy for staying here instead of a warm bed. Chances are that would be one of the first things

Sweetwater just scratched his head for a bit, "Well my name's Terence, but everyone just calls me Sweetwater, I hate my first name." He pointed over to the Sergeant, "That's Vrachev, or just Sarge, and a bit of advice, don't try and joke around about our assignment or situation." He motioned over to the three sitting playing poker, but now that he thought of it Saeryn wasn't actually sitting, he didn't really know what to call it. But he just kept talking, "The two guys are Wilson and Shephard, and the naga is Saeryn." He stuttered a bit of the mention of Saeryn. Brian's words were still in his mind, he still liked her but he also wasn't too sure how she'd react. But he didn't want to get too lost in his thoughts and continued on, he looked around but couldn't find Brian. Chances are he was checking the sensors, "I can't find brian our engineer, I think he's checking on the proximity sensors that the military sent us to make it look like they care. The damn things were outdated and if Brian didn't open them up and repair the wiring they would have been junk. Trust me when you're in the 10th you have to accept that you're unloved."

He heard Adrian yell over from the crate, "Tell me about it, remembered those expired rations, those tasted like shit." Sweetwater shivered in memory of that month and Adrian just laughed. Sweetwater wasn't much of the card playing types so he just took a seat nearby. Adrian just ignored him and leaned back to talk to the pilot, "You know you don't have to lie to us, if command is forcing you to stay as a check up the go ahead an say it. Not like we'll shoot you for it." Wilson just looked up from his cards. Breaking his poker face, "They treat us like we're criminals, they talk about us like we're criminals. But all we did was mess up once, just one mistake and you're stuck out here." Everyone nodded. Sweetwater assumed that there was a brother ship that formed just by having the same feeling of abandonment. Sweetwater just pointed over to where the Sergeant was analyzing some maps, "Hell the sergeant didn't do anything to get into here," None of the people here killed anyone, they just messed up bad. They might have delayed some progress or had cost a lot of money in damage. He knew that the pilot probably didn't care about that, but they squad still tried to get they're point across...

[Anonymous]

What exactly could Acien really tell them? Oh yeah, you guys are really just forgotten about. They don't care what goes on here. That he was the only person who volunteered for this little trip? It would make them feel even more useless than they probably already did. Not like they couldn't, just having to sit around here, lounging basically in the heat and the silence. Ugh. He could really imagine having to be in the heat and silence. The silence was the worse of everything, considering that he was really...talkative. Yes. Talkative was probably the best way to put it at this point.

"Sweetwater...got it." That was an interesting name. Not a bad name. it was just interesting to say the least. Easy to remember too! Very easy to remember! A thin eyebrow raised as Sweetwater stuttered over the name Saeryn. Alright. Now that right there, that wasn't something normal. He smirked every so slightly, wondering if that was out of fear. Probably wouldn't blame him either, considering that she looked very dangerous. Naga and all. He almost wondered how these men got along without...any sort of relieve and the only woman being a Naga. That could be...trouble. She didn't look like the type to indulge men in those feelings.

Acien followed along with Sweetwater, until they got to the poker game. Ooo. Poker was fun. Or were they just playing cards? Cards in general were fun actually. "Schwa?" Acien blinked as he knelt down in the dirt near then, crossing his arms over his chest. His gun had been holstered but the coin was still in his hand at this point. "I'm not...I'm not here to do any of that. I really do just want to get out of the ATC. Driving me stir crazy. People weren't exactly jumping to deliver the supplies either." There. He said it. The Tenth regiment was a little unloved but...Acien just wanted to go, get in his craft, fly about, that sort of thing.

"Besides, I feel like I should almost know you guys and er...lady. I almost ended up here myself. Back in my training days, took off the wing of a FASC by clipping the side of the hanger. Lucky they thought I could be saved...my good reflexes had something to do with that." Acien didn't really like to remember that event. It wasn't that he broke the FASC, which he was still paying for, had his pay docked, it was still being docked actually...no, for Acien he had just...not been used to the slowness of the ship. The simulator had been faster, responded better, so when he was given a real ship it just wasn't the same.

"But hey, could be worse! You coulda gotten sent to TRIM. Ugh. They almost wanted to send me there. Said I was unnatural. Gotta be the eyes and the reflexes. Thought I was magical. Few tests later though and they found out I was just a normal...ish human." With a bad case of amnesia. Hadn't a clue who he was, or even where he was from. Well. He assumed he was from Aedolis, considering that's where he was his earliest memory.

Acien grinned though as he put the coin away in the suit's vest pocket, shifting a little bit. "How 'bout you deal me in? I haven't had a good card game in a while. Some of my squad doesn't care for it, they all want to play simulator games and what not." Didn't much care for that either. They tried to make their training 'fun' so to speak, making it so that it wasn't boring and they could perhaps impress with aerial stunts and acrobatics but...Acien just found it all too fake.

[Anonymous]

Saeyrn just raised an eyebrow at how talkative the pilot was. Not many people were so trusting, they usually kept they're wallets covered and they're back watched, "Schwa? I'm not...I'm not here to do any of that. I really do just want to get out of the ATC. Driving me stir crazy. People weren't exactly jumping to deliver the supplies either." Saeryn knew that it was true. Sandstorms messed up engines all the time. She had remembered one pilot that was stranded here for a month. They handed him a gun and assigned him a watch, everyone had to pull they're own weight. But the only thing Saeryn really remembered about him was that it was a month of constant complaining, she wanted to freaking kill him, and it was one of the happiest supply runs she ever saw when he was finally taken back. At least this pilot seemed a bit more willing to do actual work. Saeryn could only guess how boring it must be, doing the simulator runs everyday. Saeryn joined in the army for a reason. She would have ended up trying to kill everyone in her squadron and then some if she was stuck doing that.

The pilot just continued talking, "Besides, I feel like I should almost know you guys and er...lady. I almost ended up here myself. Back in my training days, took off the wing of a FASC by clipping the side of the hanger. Lucky they thought I could be saved...my good reflexes had something to do with that. But hey, could be worse! You coulda gotten sent to TRIM. Ugh. They almost wanted to send me there. Said I was unnatural. Gotta be the eyes and the reflexes. Thought I was magical. Few tests later though and they found out I was just a normal...ish human. How 'bout you deal me in? I haven't had a good card game in a while. Some of my squad doesn't care for it, they all want to play simulator games and what not." Saeryn just looked over, Adrian was already handing him 5 cards. She thought that it was a bit odd how he tried not to insult her. he was probally scared of her, a lot of people were. They always heard the stories about those that were eaten by people like her, or how her claws can slice through metal just as easily as flesh and bone. She just leaned in a bit closer to him, "Do I make you nervous? It's cause I'm naga isn't it, I swear I'm not a savage, I don't eat human flesh, I don't attack rabidly on sight."

She had learned a long time ago not to get angry at people who were scared of her. A lot of people have lost loved ones when they were trying to settle her home planet. And she did come from a race of savages that DID eat human flesh and DID attack on sight. She just had to deal with it, just as she has to deal with the fact that she's going to be looked down on by other military because she's a 10th. She thought that it was a bit funny that he could have been with them, in Charlie squad, sitting here in a green BDU, just sitting waiting for an enemy that will never come and probably will never exist. She just continued on, "My lack of legs don't make me any different, I just may not use a chair at a restaurant or maybe never ride a bike but don't be afraid." Adrian just leaned back, "She used to creep my out, especially seeing what she did to Wilson, she's poisonous." Saeryn just shrugged and Wilson shivered a bit, "That sucked, I swear I couldn't hold food in my stomach all week, and you see some freaky shit from that stuff." Saeryn just cut him off, "You were trying to sneak a look at me naked... you got what you deserved," Wilson just blushed a bit, "I guess... I shouldn't have done that... but I still think that week sucked." Saeryn just laughed a bit.

She still thought that it was a bit reassuring that the pilot was almost "one of them" he had messed up badly too. Saeryn was sure that if he was in the army he would have had his ass thrown into the 10th, maybe not part of they're squad, but he would still have the crap jobs. She just cracked a smile as she turned back to the pilot, "Trust me almost everyone in here has had reduced pay at sometime, it usually doesn't last that long, mainly because the 10th is considered hazard pay. So we get a bonus for sitting here because apparently this area is "infested with mutants, raiders, and other hostile wildlife" according the briefing, hell Sweetwater owed a small fortune." She looked over to Sweertwater, he wasn't playing, Saeryn guessed that he was never one for card games. She also enjoyed the story of how he got into the 10th. He's probably caused the most damage of any of them. That and she didn't want him to feel like he was left out...

[Anonymous]

Sweetwater just listened to the conversation. He didn't want to play poker but he still enjoyed talking, there wasn't anything wrong with that. As long as Brian had the sensor network set up, there was no need to post watches. Sweetwater could see him inside some of the ruined windows, fiddling with the electronics, checking them and making sure they won't leave the group blind. Sweetwater just listened to the conversation...

Schwa? I'm not...I'm not here to do any of that. I really do just want to get out of the ATC. Driving me stir crazy. People weren't exactly jumping to deliver the supplies either. Besides, I feel like I should almost know you guys and er...lady. I almost ended up here myself. Back in my training days, took off the wing of a FASC by clipping the side of the hanger. Lucky they thought I could be saved...my good reflexes had something to do with that. But hey, could be worse! You coulda gotten sent to TRIM. Ugh. They almost wanted to send me there. Said I was unnatural. Gotta be the eyes and the reflexes. Thought I was magical. Few tests later though and they found out I was just a normal...ish human. How 'bout you deal me in? I haven't had a good card game in a while. Some of my squad doesn't care for it, they all want to play simulator games and what not."

Saeryn just leaned in closer to him, "Do I make you nervous? It's cause I'm naga isn't it, I swear I'm not a savage, I don't eat human flesh, I don't attack rabidly on sight. My lack of legs don't make me any different, I just may not use a chair at a restaurant or maybe never ride a bike but don't be afraid." Adrian just cut into the conversation, "She used to creep my out, especially seeing what she did to Wilson, she's poisonous." Even Sweetwater was scared by Saeryn. He always had nightmares of her murdering him in the night. She was scary when you thought of it, beautiful but scary. But now that Sweetwater got through the stereotypes and the assumptions all he found was a nice, kind hearted, though a bit sarcastic person. Wilson just knocked Sweetwater from his brief meditation, "That sucked, I swear I couldn't hold food in my stomach all week, and you see some freaky shit from that stuff." Sweetwater knew the symptoms of hallucination, and at times Wilson would just start freaking out, punching and kicking imaginary specters. Sweetwater thought that it was funny, mainly because he thought of trying to get a peak at a woman naked was just plain improper. Saeryn just giggled a bit, "You were trying to sneak a look at me naked... you got what you deserved," Wilson just got a bit nervous, "I guess... I shouldn't have done that... but I still think that week sucked." At least he learned his lesson, even if it did make the rest of the squad have to care for him which was less than fun...

He was a bit supprised by Saeryn turning to him, "Trust me almost everyone in here has had reduced pay at sometime, it usually doesn't last that long, mainly because the 10th is considered hazard pay. So we get a bonus for sitting here because apparently this area is "infested with mutants, raiders, and other hostile wildlife" according the briefing, hell Sweetwater owed a small fortune." Sweetwater just pushed in his glasses and cracked a smile, "Yea, I probably caused the most grief out of all of us, I accidentally uploaded a virus into the military's main computer. It delayed over two companies from advancing due to the confusion. Eventually they traced it back to me and I was thrown into the 10th. If it wasn't for the hazard pay bonus I would be working for the military for an extra 7 to 10 year." He felt like he was an idiot for it, but at least he wasn't in prison or brainwashed. He remember the trial, there was so much evidence against him and nothing to prove otherwise. He thought he was going to be shot but instead he was put here and was able to make a few good friends out of it, "Saeryn I never heard how you got into here, you seem pretty calm, how does someone like you get into the 10th?"

[Anonymous]

He could be smart at this point and say that she did make him nervous but...he wasn't the smartest person in the world. Besides, it would just be an offhand comment. Anyone who got really mad at him for a simple offhand observational comment is just silly that way. He just smiled right back at her, friendly as he could be.

"You don't make me nervous...there's lots of alien races back at the ATC. I just didn't want to group you in as 'one of the guys' thought you might be offended. Besides, with a body like that, who could think you're not female right?" He grinned and shrugged as he looked toward Adrian. Poisonous. Alright that could be bad but...he could set his plane on autopilot and get back to the ATC before the poison really set in. That was, if she attacked him. Eh heh heh...best not to do whatever it was that got Wilson attacked.

"2 million credits is a lot. I'll be working here for a very long time." At lest he was a squad leader, that was a little bit of money. Good bit of money. It helped at least, he wouldn't be here forever. "FASC are very expensive. I'm glad they could fix it. A new FASC is about fifty million dollars." He would have had to give that debt to his children. If...if he ever had children. That was a terrible thought. Bunch of twitchy kids. That'd be a bit scary to say the least. Just...a bit.

"Wow...that's quite a bit to do! I'm surprised the Pilots just didn't outright kill you for that..." Acien scratched the back of his head. "That almost sounds like Treason. I guess it was lucky that it was just an accident eh?" He could handle execution by the military, that was just being shot. However, Pilots were...Pilots had a lot more free reign. If they wanted to execute you, they could take their sweet time. Just the thought of that made his blood run cold. He did not want to get taken up on treason. That would be very bad. That's why he did what he was told when he was told and he he never did anything bad.

Er.

Showing off might be bad but not treasonous at least.

"Yeah, let's hear some stories since I've shared a good deal of what I can remember!" His life was boring. Wake up one day, no memory of who he was, join Aedolis military, become fighter pilot, that was pretty much it. Oh and then he ended up here. That was the most recent and updated part of his bio. Not that Aedolis military was keeping track of every little thing right? Cause he'd hate to see all his bowel movements and tripping in the hallway listed. Ugh that'd be embarrassing for him.

[Anonymous]

Saeryn just listened the the pilot answer her question, she had a slight smile on her face but she almost always did, "You don't make me nervous...there's lots of alien races back at the ATC. I just didn't want to group you in as 'one of the guys' thought you might be offended. Besides, with a body like that, who could think you're not female right?" She didn't quite know how to take his comment on her body. Either it was a pass at her or it was just an observation. She could tell that some of the others were waiting for her to claw this guys face off. But she would just give him the benefit of the doubt and simply assume that he was complimenting on her looks despite the conditions that she was in. It would be so simple for her to grab him and make sure that the next few weeks were hell for him. The anti venom for the naga's poisons were very rare to acquire do to the fact that the venom was hard to acquire to synthesize the anti venom from. It passed through her mind, she could even tell that some of them wanted her to do it just to make a bit of action for them. Even though it would just reinforce the notion that the 10th are a bunch of psycotic thugs, it would still mix things up from the usual. But she wouldn't do it, she always gave someone several chances, plus she shouldn't assume like that, he could just be trying to be nice that's all.

"2 million credits is a lot. I'll be working here for a very long time. FASC are very expensive. I'm glad they could fix it. A new FASC is about fifty million dollars. That almost sounds like Treason. I guess it was lucky that it was just an accident eh?" Saeryn cracked a smile about it, Sweetwater made so many requisitions to be relocated out of the 10th. But after enough tried he simply gave up on even trying. He was even used her as a reason to get transferred, but that was right after the incident with Wilson, and he must have been pretty shaken up by that. She actually thought Sweetwater was funny, he seemed a bit paranoid but in a pleasant funny way. He was the naggy doubt in the back of you're head made flesh. But it had saved the squad from an explosive device or other trap placed by some scavenger.

Saeryn honestly hated patrol, it was mandatory and Vrachev made them do it. Vravhev would always say that it didn't matter how the army treated you they still had to act like military. They had to patrol they're area for mutants, scavengers, pretty anything out of the ordinary. But at least it provided a bit of action. If it wasn't for patrol Saeryn's gun would have been so worn down from disuse. She remembered Sweetwater's question before the pilot distracted her, "I have really severe anger control issues... I attacked a CO while he was on inspecion, almost killed him, think of what happened to Wilson but for a month. I could have gone to prison. for it but instead they didn't want to waste me so I got stuck here." She knew that it would probably scare the pilot but she didn't care. She liked how people acted around her when they were scared, sometimes it was funny...

[Anonymous]

Sweetwater just listened as the pilot spoke to Saeryn, "You don't make me nervous...there's lots of alien races back at the ATC. I just didn't want to group you in as 'one of the guys' thought you might be offended. Besides, with a body like that, who could think you're not female right?" Sweetwater was a bit taken off by his comment. He half expected Saeryn to take that the wrong way and leap onto him and claw his face off. But she just sat there. Thoughts raced into Sweetwater's already confused head, "Is he trying to charm her? What if she likes him, oh crap what if the squad likes him better than me. I... I... I gotta say something, come on just do it, Sweetwater just say something. No... not infront of all the guys, they'll take it the wrong way too. and chances are if I ask her here she'll have pressure to refuse." Sweetwater just sat there, watching the two speak.

"2 million credits is a lot. I'll be working here for a very long time. FASC are very expensive. I'm glad they could fix it. A new FASC is about fifty million dollars. That almost sounds like Treason. I guess it was lucky that it was just an accident eh?" Sweetwater just gave an embarrassed smile. He owed a lot of money, the entire network had to be reestablished, firewalls checked, memory banks purged or even replaced. Sweetwater did unleash hell. He remembered the reaction from the CO's. He would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for his file having his name on it. It was a stupid mistake, he got caught. He didn't even do it on purpose, it was a pure accident. He considered himself lucky the he was just put into the 10th and shot for treason.

It was a bit reassuring that Saeryn turned to Sweetwater to answer his question, despite the interruption, "I have really severe anger control issues... I attacked a CO while he was on inspecion, almost killed him, think of what happened to Wilson but for a month. I could have gone to prison. for it but instead they didn't want to waste me so I got stuck here." Sweetwater was a bit nervous, he just stumbled a bit in supprise, "Wait wait... do they have the right Saeryn because you don't seem like the kind of person with anger issues... well despite the obvious." He motioned over to Wilson who gave an embarrassed nod. He still couldn't see Saeryn as having anger control issues, she always seemed like a happy person. He had heard rumors that she sometimes attacked people furiously with her claws and ever her teeth. But Sweetwater always debunked these as stupid rumors formed just because she was a naga. It didn't seem to fit her, but he guessed if she was placed in the 10th she did something wrong...

[Anonymous]

Most of the people back at the ATC could tell when ACien was making a pass at someone. It wasn't that subtle, sort of blunt really. This was just a...comment of sorts. Flattery gets you somewhere usually after all. It might be in the case of the Naga that it might get him in the infirmary. That would be just hellish. And mean too. THat would be really mean. Not that it wouldn't be interesting to figure out the dynamics of human/naga sexual relations but by the way things were being talked about, even trying to hint at that would get him in trouble.

A notorious flirt in the lion's den. Fun, dangerous, but fun.

Acien blinked a few times as he looked at Saeryn. He had to actually admit, she didn't seem a violent person. Sure she attacked a man for peeping on her but...most respectable ladies would do the same. Granted her attack was a little more potent...Yeek though. Attacked a commanding officer while he was on inspection. That was just...that was something bad of course.

Hm. Would she be more trouble than she was worth...?

"Ah hah hah, of course they have the right Sweetwater. The military is the government man, if they want to send you to the Tenth, then that's what they'll do. Lucky it wasn't a Pilot, those guys are scary. They'd have just shot her." Acien shivered a little, just the thought of those Pilots scared him. He wondered what it must have been like for them, all that power.

"You need some good fun here, y'know that? I'll see if I can't scrounge anything up for you guys." Acien knew that they'd probably appreciate that, plus he could spend time out here with them. He wouldn't officially ask the army to join their branch of the tenth but he could always put in for a high flying recon of the area. Land for a few hours and what not. Heh heh.

Acien though suddenly jumped to his feet however, putting his cards down and grinning. "I'm going to go on a patrol I think. Anyone care to join me? I can't just sit here playing cards, doing nothing. There's so much out there, so much to explore, ah, could be so much fun!" Excitable to say the least. Maybe this was why people didn't want to play cards with him. Because he could never finish a game.

[Anonymous]

Saeryn thought that it was kind of funny how he got creeped out by her. She had gone through the whole thing with the squad when she first joined. She remembered tearing a raider to shreds with her claws. He tried to use a machete after his weapon jammed. He managed to knock the gun out of her hands, it was a stupid mistake for her not the have the strap around her shoulder. When the squad came they saw him throwing up his lunch and bleeding to death from dozens of laceration wounds. She was still surprised that Wilson was still willing to try something with her. It was when she was lost control, that was when it scared her. More than once she had lept onto the nearest person and rabidly attacked them with her claws, and even trying to eat them, usually while they were still alive. She had actually become quite accustomed to the taste of human flesh and blood. She made sure to restrain herself and make sure she didn't try and eat her comrades. She tried to remember that they were people, they were her friends. She just hoped that she wouldn't snap on them and kill them. She didn't like it at all, losing control of herself like that.

She sometimes scared others, but she was still considered a friend. She just didn't want to be a one night stand. She still wasn't too sure how exactly it would work out. A half naga would actually work, but it would be a bit disturbing. Saeryn didn't even if it would have legs or not. She had often thought of what it would be like starting a family. Naga did give birth like normal humans, but she still didn't know what a halfbreed would look like. She always imagined a regular human with with her strange eyes, black blood, and maybe a few scales. She still didn't like the idea of hooking up with anyone in her unit. It wouldn't work out that well.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a voice over the radio, "Bravo one Charlie, this is mike 1 Juliet." Saeryn recognized the voice as belonging to the radio dispatch woman, everyone in the squad called her "Miss July". Vravhev stood up from where he was sitting and went to grab the radio, "Roger that Mike one Juliet this is bravo one charlie, over." There was a bit of a pause before the voice responded, "Roger that Charlie, we have confirmation of movement in you're sector, probally just raiders. We need you to conduct a search and destroy." Vrachev took a second to let it sink in before replying, "Roger that, we're on it, out." He dropped the radio back on the desk and looked over to the lounging squad. Everyone had started to pack up the cards as Vrachev started to speak, his cold hardened tone just compelling the squad to move faster, "You heard HQ, search and destory, probally just a simple search and clear. chances are just a few tribesman just wandering into out territory looking for some action." Saeryn slithered off too her tent to grab some of her equipment. Getting ready for what's to come.

[Anonymous]

Sweetwater just kept watching Saeryn as she talked. He was in love with her, maybe it was just a silly crush but he couldn't help it. He always thought of what would happen if she actually said yes, if they would actually get married or start a family. It would be a bit awkward. Sweetwater was sure that he would learn a bit more about naga sexually than most people. But he wasn't interested in her just because she had a great body. He actually liked her because she was one of the few girls that was nice to him, or didn't tell him to shut up, or to just let her copy him. Back in highschool he learned fast that the nice guy finishes last. She was a bit scary, I mean she could kill Sweetwater easily with her claws. He often had nightmares of her brutally murdering him in his sleep back when he first knew her. But he felt silly for thinking that back then. He was just a bit nervous tp actually let her know how she felt. He often thought of giving up, but she was nice, she was beautiful, and she was actually wasn't interested in the badguy.

Sweetwater snapped to attention as the radio crackled. That meant that someone was actually calling them and that meant that they actually needed them for something, "Bravo one Charlie, this is mike 1 Juliet." Vravhev just picked up the radio, Sweetwater always thought that his accent was a bit odd, but he did descend from the Russians, "Roger that Mike one Juliet this is bravo one charlie, over." the voice replied, Sweetwater like miss july's voice, he would like to see what she looked like, "Roger that Charlie, we have confirmation of movement in you're sector, probably just raiders. We need you to conduct a search and destroy." Vravhev just shook his head, "Roger that, we're on it, out." Everyone was starting to get ready as Vrachev spoke, "You heard HQ, search and destroy, probably just a simple search and clear. chances are just a few tribesman just wandering into out territory looking for some action." Sweetwater took one last look as Saeryn went off to get some of her supplies. At least the pilot would actually have something to do accept try and swoon Saeryn. He just pulled back the action on his light machinegun and head the satisfying click of another shell being loaded into the chamber.

He turned back to the pilot and realized that all he had was a pistol, he went over to another crate and picked up another rifle. He handed it to him, "Chances are Vrachev is going to have you with us, better take this, it's a Gauss rifle. It still fires bullets like 21st century weapons. But it works a lot better than lazer based weapons in desert or cold environments. All the dust is hell on the lenses for lazers and cold causes thermal blooming so they lose effectiveness at medium ranges... but I'm rambling I just know too much about why the military gives us these." He just liked his SAW, the firing rate and the kick couldn't be matched by lazers. Plus he liked the range on these things. But he was just rambling on. He always did that, it was just a way of releasing tension before combat...

[Anonymous]

It was almost like his world was just slowing down. This was no better than the ATC. People just sitting around, or filling out forms and all that kinda stuff. It was really just...he wished that it could be more fun. He didn't wish that they could go out and kill things of course, but he DID wish that it was more...lively. A lot more lively. Even if they just got attacked, it would still be good after all. All Acien could do at this point was just look around at everyone in the squad. Just a bunch of regular people, albeit ones who had been abandoned so to speak, but they were still just regular people. Good people, he liked them at least.

However his prayers were answered as the radio became alive. Oh this was good! A recon! Well. Maybe not. Movement. His eyes lit up with a grin at the thought of what was coming. This wouldn't be a bad thing, this would be fun actually. Very fun really.

Acien took the rifle from him and looked at it before laughing. He set the gun back down and pulled his gun back out. "This isn't a laser pistol, Sweetwater. Nah. It's a GTPP. Gravity Tunnel Pulse Pistol. It's got a limited range of course, about seventeen hundred feet or so, but it's got some power." Acien turned himself to look at one of the buildings near by, squinting for a moment as he raised the gun, closing one eye as he aimed it toward the building. The gun hummed for a few seconds before there was a slight thumping noise. The building's wall suddenly erupted in a cloud of dust. From what could see, as there was quite a distance between them, a very large hole had been ripped into the wall. It was about two and a half feet in diameter, a very rough hole though.

He grinned as he spun the gun about in his finger before sliding it into the holster once more. "There, what'd I tell ya? Got an auto charger too, so the only reason this gun would fail is if something inside of it broke." Which could happen of course. IT didn't break all that much, and he could repair it...kinda. He usually carried two guns just in case but...today he thought he'd only need...none...so he carried one. The math made sense in his head at least. That's all that mattered.

"Alright, I'm all ready Sarge! Let's roll then shall we?" He grinned, his eyes glowing slightly as he danced from foot to foot, wondering what he would be able to do. Would he get to help them then? He was going to do that anyway. Sometimes a squad leader just had to go along with his gut. His gut just told him to do that. And his gut was never wrong. His gut was right about lots of things too. When he was hungry, when he needed to go the bathroom, when he had too much to drink, when he needed to get rid of the excess drink...well, that's how things worked out.

[Anonymous]

Saeryn looked at the watch on her arm... i had been 30 minutes since they had left the camp. 30 minutes of clearing out one ruined building after another. They haven't seen anything. Vrachev had often called Juliet asking for a location of hostiles, but when she replied it was always something along the lines of "we lost they're location" naturally as the scout she was the one scouting in the smaller buildings. She knew why they made he do that, she always joked that they were too scared but the real reason is that she didn't make any noise. The heavy footstep of military boots was able to be heard by someone that was actively listening for hostiles, but Saeryn moved like a snake, she didn't make any noise, and that has allowed her to sneak up on enemies several times. But she still wanted to either just go back to the camp or encounter hostiles, she hated the waiting. She always had that creepy feeling that a sniper's scope was centered on her head. She couldn't duck out of the way a normal human could, her tail made it so more often than not some of her was exposed to enemy fire. She always tried to take these things into account, she wasn't human, and so she had to adjust her tactics appropriately.

She paused as Vrachev held up his hand signaling for the squad to stop, he looked back, his voice full of authority despite the fact that he was whispering, "I got movement, in that appartment, Saeryn scout, rest of you be ready to give her support." Everyone nodded and Saeryn started to move forward, keeping her Gauss rifle braced for any hostiles. She slowly advanced to the door. She paused for a moment, closing her eyes to listen for anyone. She didn't hear anything but she knew that her hearing wasn't any better than that of a regular human. She slowly opened the door, keeping he rifle ready for any hostiles that could be waiting, she knew that the second she yelled or gunfire was heard that the rest would storm the building, but she still wanted to make sure she got the first shot.

The room was gloomy and dust was drifting in the air. Most of the windows were boarded up from the past wars that tore down this place. She noticed that the dust on the ground was disturbed, and footprints that were recent were on the floor. She flicked down her mouthpiece on her radio, "I got footprints... they look recent, wait for my signal or if you hear gunfire, I still got the element of surprise, maybe I can take one of them alive." She heard Vrachev's hoarse voice over the radio"Better not get killed" she just smiled to herself as she slowly crept inside the room, taking careful consideration as to not knock something over with her tail. The stairs were made of solid concrete so they didn't creak as she slithered up them, most of the apartments were made for cost and efficiency, not authenticity. When she slowly looked around the corner she saw two of the rebels that Juliet had mentioned. They both had long outdated assault rifles, one of them was smoking a cigarette, they were both muttering a language that she didn't understand. Saeryn braced her rifle and pressed the trigger.

A large spray of blood came out of one of they're backs as Saeryn's three shot burst hit home. The other ducked out of the way but still caught a bullet in the leg. He retaliated and started firing on full auto. Bullets flew everywhere but the concrete block Saeryn was behind provided necessary cover. But a lance of pain flew up her arm and a black spray flew as a bullet clipped her arm.

Before she could even realize it Saeryn had thrown her weapon aside and leaped onto the rebel. She rabidly clawed at his body, blood covering her BDU and hands. The rebel let out a horrible scream as Saeryn wrapped her tail around his legs and with a gut wrenching crack broke his leg. He was still screaming as Saeryn bit a chunk out of his neck and the metallic taste of blood rang in her mouth. She looked up for a moment, taking in the taste like a fine wine. But all she could think about was feeding on her prey. When she looked back down the rebel had died from blood loss and the poisons running through his blood stream. Saeryn couldn't stop her self... all she could think about was continuing to feed on her prey. She bent down and continued to eat the rebel. When she heard voices coming from behind her, her mind couldn't register who was speaking but she could pick out some of the words, "Oh my god Saeyrn... what the hell got into you," she felt an arm grab her and she turned, bracing her claws to strike out at whoever tried to keep her away from her meal. She saw Adrian let her arm go and stepped back, keeping his arms raised. She saw the whole squad standing there in horror. Her gaze didn't show any sentience, she had the look of a madwoman, her mouth was covered in gore, her claws were still dripping from her kill. Her face was contorted in an expression of anger that her feeding was interupted. But she turned and continued to eat her kill, before she could eat anymore of him she hear footsteps behind her and turned around again, letting out an inhuman screech, making sure they left her alone. Saeryn couldn't think at all about what she was doing, she lost control of herself again...

[Anonymous]

Sweetwater was bored, that was for sure. It was a bit different that Juliet had called them away to search for a few militants, but this was boring as hell. All they were doing was walking around in the heat and looking for people that obviously weren't around. But they were still being payed to be soldiers, so they were going to do they're job. He just pushed his glasses back and kept a close eye on the situation. They were just walking amongst the ruins of what used to be a city. It was very bleak, there wasn't much to actually look at. Sweetwater always kept an eye out for things that could possibly end lives. Things like a landmine of a claymore, militants often managed to get they're hands on one of those. Even survivors that died years ago still left traps armed. Sweetwater thought that it was because of all the beasts and other tribes, he saw the logic in the idea of setting a trap to catch a mean or kill a possible attacker. But he still hated it when someone in his squad almost blundered onto a tripwire, or a concealed land mine. He just snapped out of his thoughts as Vrachev raised his hand to tell the unit to halt. He spoke in a dead serious tone, even though Vrachev was almost always serious, "I got movement, in that appartment, Saeryn scout, rest of you be ready to give her support." Sweetwater saw Saeryn nod and start to move towards the door.

Everyone in the squad took up firing positions, Sweetwater flicked down the bipod on his weapon and braced himself for anyone that would come. The second someone burst from a door or smashed a window to fire Sweetwater would be able to tear them to shreds with his weapon, it might be a light machinegun, but it was heavier than anything that the militants could bring to bear. He heard Saeryn's voice over his earbead, "I got footprints... they look recent, wait for my signal or if you hear gunfire, I still got the element of surprise, maybe I can take one of them alive." Sweetwater was a bit stressed, he knew that things weren't right. While he wanted to go as a team he heard Vrachev speak back to her, "Better not get killed" Sweetwater knew that it was just a joke, but he still didn't like it. He didn't want someone in his unit to get killed.

At was almost as if his thoughts were getting read. He heard gunfire start to go off from the building and the whole unit broke out into a sprint. He heard swears and curses being yelled out amongst the group as they ran to the appartment. Vrachev got to the door first, he kicked down the door and his gun tracked around the room. Sweetwater followed, keeping watch for any hostiles. They all advanced upstairs, he heard Wilson yell out, "Oh my god Saeyrn... what the hell got into you," he saw the others lower they're weapons and Sweetwater entered the room and saw a sight that would haunt him forever.

Saeryn was on top of one of the dead militants, he was horribly disfigured, long laceration wounds running down his arms and chest. She was actually biting chucks out of his neck. Adrian walked towards her and tried to grab her arm, she whirled around and almost slashed him. He stepped back keeping his arms raised. Sweetwater just stood there, he didn't even have an idea what to do. He always thought that Saeryn was a nice person, he guessed that this was she meant by an "anger issue" Adrian tried to step closer to her again but she only turned again, her eyes were unfocused and she looked like a feral animal. Her teeth were bared and she looked like she would attack anyone that came near her. She let out a chilling scream and turned back to her "meal" everyone didn't want to try and get close, no one really knew what to do. He heard Hawes behind him "See what I mean" Sweetwater turned to see a smug smile on his face. Something about that smile caused sweewater to snap, with courage that he never knew that he had he rushed foreward and grabbed Saeryn in a full nelson and tried to haul be back. She struggled and whipped around like a madwoman. He didn't know if this was the smartest idea... but he had to try something.