We mingle among the masses of those who live the lives we wish we had, in constant fear that they will find us...
The alleyway was very dark, except for the tiny fire in its cavernous depths. It could scarcely be seen; the shadows of the people huddling around it overcame its fragile rays of light.
"How long have they been after you?"
"Three months."
He can't be much older than 17, thought the grizzled old man, stroking his thick facial hair, deep in thought. "And you?"
"A couple of years now, give or take. And the two of you?"
"A while now. I think it's been...what, a decade now? Is that about it?"
"Yeah," said the man next to the bearded old man. He looked to be in his 40s, but he could have been younger. The weight of the world had a way of making you look older, and wiser if you were lucky. The woman's voice came up again.
"Lucky...considering the average expectancy is a year after discovery."
"Those bastards always manage to get you somehow...find some way to get your DNA. They got me after arresting me for parking in a no-parking zone and forcing me to get a breathalyzer because those dips**ts thought I was drunk."
An uneasy silence followed. Suddenly the old man raised his head.
"You hear that?"
Nothing. Then a faint tone. Then louder, and louder, until it was loud enough to wake the terror in their hearts.
"S**t. They're onto us."
"This way!" The deceptively young man sprang to his feet, leading the way. All of a sudden the dark alleyway seemed to light up. There were no photonic manipulators among the four, which could only mean...
"Freeze! Surrender or we'll shoot!"
"Get away! I'll hold them off!" the woman shouted to the others. As the others ran the soldiers opened fire with expert bursts. The woman extended her hands towards the soldiers as they fired. One bullet, two bullet...soon a wall of bullets could be seen suspended in front of her. Abruptly they seemed to reverse, then speed the opposite direction, taking out the squad with their own bullets.
She didn't hesitate, running forth down the alley and out the end, to see an armored half-track right on the street. She dived and rolled out of the way just in time, running away as fast as she could and rounding the corner, with the halftrack in hot pursuit. Seeing an old metal fire escape connected to the building on the side of her, she worked quickly, tearing the stairs off with a sort of telekinetic force and crunching them into a massive metal spear. It stayed suspended by her side just as the halftrack popped into view, and then she willed the spear to go right where the engine was. It punched a hole through the vehicle, crushing its inhabitants.
Turning around she found herself surrounded by personnel. Armed personnel. She smiled as they opened fire, knowing that their bullets were useless. Her smile fell as her last thought flashed through her head: The bullets were plastic...
The boy, the man, and the old man ran through the alleys, scaling chain-link fences and braving enemy fire in their direction, running zigzag in order not to keep in one position. Finally the man lost secure footing, falling hard. The boy slowed down momentarily to wheel around and help him.
"No! He can take them on by himself."
They reached the end of the alley to find an opening surrounded by multiple vehicles and armed personnel. The two stopped.
"Leave it to me," said the old man.
He thrust his palms outward, and a blue glow seemed to emanate in from of them. Suddenly it blasted out in a wide arc, freezing everything solid in a 50 foot radius. Even before this was done the old man was running, then sliding on the ice in front of him.
"Can't do it like I used to...still got most of it though," the old man said as they ran into another alley, climbing another fence--but it was his last. The bullet hit him solidly in the back, puncturing his lung. This time the boy stopped.
"Go..." the old man gargled, as his lung started to fill with blood, "save...yourself..."
The boy was gone, terror rising in his heart.
I must not panic, I must not panic, I must not panic, I must not--
The clearing was full of them. His terror enveloped him. The pain and the panic merged, and then all of a sudden he couldn't hold it in anymore.
I never wanted this!
The frustration burst into insanity, and the subsequent explosion instantly incinerated the troops there and left a smoldering crater and several collapsed buildings where there had once been a cursed child and the force sworn to purge him of his sin.
----
Author's note: Just a teaser into the universe of a new RPG...been a while since I last ran one. More to come!
Name: Moat Age and Race: 15, American Type: Fire-Pyro(Level 0)Electric(Level 1), Status: Healthy Experience points: 0 Psyche:100 Inventory: $40, Fire Axe, First Aid Kit Skills: Acrobatics(Good at jumping, climbing, and running)
I'll ask Soul to wait before making the water boil, then I physically move several of the metal crates to all the openings. Then I'll climb up the ladder with the rest. If the guards come, when they touch the boxes I'll electrocute the boxes and thus the guards.
