Digital Waltz - Part 2

(Arnold, Oboro)

With the pulses under water, Oboro doesn't feel comfortable. She tries to haste to the shore, to get away from the beast as fast as possible. To get out of the water, away from the serpent, was all she cared about. She knew one thing:

Even with the lucky shots to the camera's, they stood no chance.

(Angelo)

"We'll tell you on the way, step on the gas, now! We need to move out! Look forward!" He commanded.

Rain quickly draws and pulls back another arrow, she moves back and forth behind the group as if patroling. Her eyes not leaving the water as she watches looking for shadows.

(Radiance)
Radiance continues to move towards the shore.

(Naomi)
Naomi takes a deep breath, then with her helmet safely stowed in her bikes seat, starts to walk towards the line of police. Her hands visible in front of her.

Having no idea about the Digital Waltz or that the police where on her side now, she headed forward the intention of surrendering into their custody.

(Naomi)


Three officers immediately zeroed in on you and turned in your direction. One of them raised his hand, signaling you to stop:

"Halt. This area has been restricted. You can't come through here ma'am" the nearest one said, standing behind a short, portable barricade.
He's looking at you with suspicion. His eyes are searching for concealed weapons:


"Can I see you ID please?" the nearest one called. The other two are carefully watching your movements.

(The Adelheid Lake)


The shore was only a few dozen meters away. Madelyn speeded onward, holding Arnold and watching the water with a deep frown.

A few seconds ticked by in relative silence, before Madelyn's eyes suddenly widened:

"ITS A SONAR PULSE! EVASIVE ACTION - NOW!" She barked, suddenly and violently jerking herself to the side.


A split second later, the serpent erupted out of the water, like a missile. It emerged at the spot, where Madelyn was just a moment ago. Its carcass shot into the sky, so fast and so violently, it was akin to an explosion.

As it flew almost twenty meters into the sky, a massive wave rose in its wake, swallowing Arnold and Madelyn whole. Before they faded from view, you could see the expression of pain in their eyes.
They must have been hit, collided with the serpents carcass, as it shot out of the water.


Time stretched painfully long, as you watched the wave disperse in every direction. The serpents carcass arcing above the lake, before it lowered its head and dived deep into the depths again, sending a second massive wave across the lake.


As both waves approached, you quickly realized they were over 5 meters tall. In a few seconds, they will reach you, threatening to swallow you whole.

(Tom's Car)


Tomas floored the gas pedal, speeding past the other cars on the road and rapidly wiggling through traffic. To your right, the view of the lake opened up once again. You couldn't make out anything from this distance, but it seemed like a series of very large waves were running through it, unnaturally large.

Tomas pulled a sharp turn and speeded toward the shore line. Pressing one finger on his earpiece, he called:


"Sergeant Tomas Kohler to aerial police unit one three, I need a status report on the lake, over"


A few seconds ticked by and you saw a small police helicopter, flying towards the lake, a few kilometers away from you:

"...unit one three..uhh... we're seeing some activity at the lake.." a distorted voice replied in your earpiece, accompanied by the sound of a roaring engine:

"...stand by... my god, what is that... we're seeing.. some kind of.. object.. inside the lake... its massive and... god... is that a Rumba?"



Tomas loudly swore in his native language and pressed on the earpiece again. He kept increasing speed and it became extremely uncomfortable watching him dodge the other cars on the road:

"Clopin! We need your hacker, now!" Tom barked into the earpiece.

"...Tom" Clopins raspy voice echoed in after several moments: "She's securing Doctor Zarovee's lab. Helping the cops fortify it. We can't have you getting ambushed there, once you reach it."


"Do you know what's going on at the lake?!" Tomas called, hitting the cars horn and dodging a large truck.

"...you recommend I divert my hacker there?"


"...no" Tomas said, grimacing: "...have her continue securing the lab. We'll take care of the lake"

"...Tomás, why did you leave Madelyn's side" Clopin quietly hissed: "You were instructed to protect her"

"PEOPLE WERE INJURED, I COULDN'T LEAVE THEM BEHIND COULD I" Tomas angrily barked, looking at the road with anxiety.

"..you know whats going to happen, if Madelyn dies" Clopin's raspy voice echoed through the earpiece: "Restoring her memory is the only objective, and we have to achieve it"


"..yeah.. but at what cost.." Tomas quietly said, the haunted look briefly returning to his eyes.


"..you planning to bail on me? Now?" Clopin asked.

"No god damn it!" Tomas grimaced: "...I just... can't have blood on my hands... I don't want to.."

"Bury your ghosts Tomas" Clopin gravely and firmly replied: "We don't have time for that. Focus on your objective. All of you. Nothing else matters" he hissed and clicked off his radio.



In the distance, you began to see the beach, the piers and a massive disturbance, happening a few dozen meters away from the shore. It was still a few kilometers away and Tomas continued to speed through the traffic.

Kaylee Brown wrote:(Tom's Car)


Tomas floored the gas pedal, speeding past the other cars on the road and rapidly wiggling through traffic. To your right, the view of the lake opened up once again. You couldn't make out anything from this distance, but it seemed like a series of very large waves were running through it, unnaturally large.

Tomas pulled a sharp turn and speeded toward the shore line. Pressing one finger on his earpiece, he called:


"Sergeant Tomas Kohler to aerial police unit one three, I need a status report on the lake, over"


A few seconds ticked by and you saw a small police helicopter, flying towards the lake, a few kilometers away from you:

"...unit one three..uhh... we're seeing some activity at the lake.." a distorted voice replied in your earpiece, accompanied by the sound of a roaring engine:

"...stand by... my god, what is that... we're seeing.. some kind of.. object.. inside the lake... its massive and... god... is that a Rumba?"



Tomas loudly swore in his native language and pressed on the earpiece again. He kept increasing speed and it became extremely uncomfortable watching him dodge the other cars on the road:

"Clopin! We need your hacker, now!" Tom barked into the earpiece.

"...Tom" Clopins raspy voice echoed in after several moments: "She's securing Doctor Zarovee's lab. Helping the cops fortify it. We can't have you getting ambushed there, once you reach it."


"Do you know what's going on at the lake?!" Tomas called, hitting the cars horn and dodging a large truck.

"...you recommend I divert my hacker there?"


"...no" Tomas said, grimacing: "...have her continue securing the lab. We'll take care of the lake"

"...Tomás, why did you leave Madelyn's side" Clopin quietly hissed: "You were instructed to protect her"

"PEOPLE WERE INJURED, I COULDN'T LEAVE THEM BEHIND COULD I" Tomas angrily barked, looking at the road with anxiety.

"..you know whats going to happen, if Madelyn dies" Clopin's raspy voice echoed through the earpiece: "Restoring her memory is the only objective, and we have to achieve it"


"..yeah.. but at what cost.." Tomas quietly said, the haunted look briefly returning to his eyes.


"..you planning to bail on me? Now?" Clopin asked.

"No god damn it!" Tomas grimaced: "...I just... can't have blood on my hands... I don't want to.."

"Bury your ghosts Tomas" Clopin gravely and firmly replied: "We don't have time for that. Focus on your objective. All of you. Nothing else matters" he hissed and clicked off his radio.



In the distance, you began to see the beach, the piers and a massive disturbance, happening a few dozen meters away from the shore. It was still a few kilometers away and Tomas continued to speed through the traffic.

"Is that normal wave activity for the lake?" Rogue asks as he leans out of the sunroof if the car has one, and uses a magnification spell on his eyes to create the equivalent of binoculars and see what's going on over there.

(Radiance)
Regretting the decision to toss the jet skis, Radiance braced himself for the onslaught of the water. Positioning himself like a linebacker Radiance used the majority of his body to protect Serena. Covering her nose and mouth and holding on to her with an iron grip.

Waiting the last moment before the wave hit Radiance gave his wings a heavy flap as they folded in front of him creating a barrier. If his idea went according to plan, the small shockwave created from the flap would counter some of the waves force and makes its impact less painful

(Naomi)
Slowly reaching into her pocket Naomi withdrew her wallet and passed it to the officer.

"I'm here to see Doctor Zarovee" she cautiously responded

Rain huffs, "THOSE WITH SKIS SURF THE WAVE AND THEN MAKE IT OVER ITS CREST! She calls over the radio, "FIND THAT BEAST ABD FUCKING KILL IT! AIM FOR ITS EYES!" she yells surfing the wave around before making it over the crest and back down. She pulls back her arrow and circles like a shark searching for the beast and maddie.

(Naomi)


".. Miss Noami, Union Airforce, mechanic.." the cop slowly read aloud, looking at the ID papers:
"Registered cybernetics: Two Sarashiki Cyberarms"

He lowered the papers and looked at you:
"Access to the lab has been restricted ma'am. Doctor Zarovee is unavailable at the moment, you'll have to come back tomorrow."

He continued thoroughly examining the ID papers: "What is the nature of your visit?"

(Tom's Car & The Adelheid Lake)



Tom made a turn into one of the avenues, running paralel to the shoreline and speeded toward a distant pier, where most activity was located.

He switched gears and increased speed again, the car maneuvering passed the heavy traffic on the road.


As Rogue leaned out of the sunroof and looked into the distance, the following scene came into view:




A massive wave smashed into Radiance, swallowing him whole and drenching him completely in cold water. All sound faded for a moment, as the water surrounded him
on all sides. Several painfully long moments pass, before his body resurfaced, allowing him a quick breath of air, just before the second wave hit.

Radiance and Serena were tossed around like ragdolls, propelled somewhere by an underwater current. A massive body of water could be felt above them and only
a vague sense of gravity allowed them to tell the direction to the surface.

They almost run out of breath, when they finally resurface. The waves have passed, continuing onward across the lake in every direction.
The people gathered on the pier have broke into a sprint, hoping to avoid the brunt of it.



Holding Serena and attempting to re-examine his surroundings, Radiance could hear that he was now even further from the shoreline. Almost 700 meters away
from the main group and the piers. His wings now completely drenched.



As you look for Maddie, you notice her resurface only a dozen meters away from the shore. She was floating on her back and still holding Arnold in an
awkward, clumsy grip. Her eyes staring directly upward, she seems extremely shaken and disoriented.

The jet ski's on her legs stopped working, visibly damaged.




The robot serpent was nowhere in sight. Its massive silhouette had faded deep in the depths of the lake. Several seconds pass in silence, before another
sonar pulse, echoed out of the depths.



"Get-.. Get out of the water!" Madelyn weakly yelled, trying to swim to the shore:

"Its coming back for another attack!" she coughed slightly and desperately splashed in the water, attempting to close the last dozen meters between her and the shore.
Arnold still held in her grasp.


As you look up, you suddenly notice a police helicopter, flying high overhead. It seems to be surveing the area, flying several hundred meters above the water line.




Tom hit the cars horn and drove onto the sidewalk, speeding toward the pier closest to Maddie.
After several seconds he was forced to hit the breaks hard, coming before a short metal fense, separating the beach from the rest of the avenue.


"Get in there, hurry!" Tom yelled, jumping out of the car and sprinting toward the shoreline: "We have to get them out of the water!"


His sound was briefly drowned out, by a deafening sonar pulse, that originated from the depths of the lake.

Kaylee Brown wrote:(Tom's Car & The Adelheid Lake)



Tom made a turn into one of the avenues, running paralel to the shoreline and speeded toward a distant pier, where most activity was located.

He switched gears and increased speed again, the car maneuvering passed the heavy traffic on the road.


As Rogue leaned out of the sunroof and looked into the distance, the following scene came into view:




A massive wave smashed into Radiance, swallowing him whole and drenching him completely in cold water. All sound faded for a moment, as the water surrounded him
on all sides. Several painfully long moments pass, before his body resurfaced, allowing him a quick breath of air, just before the second wave hit.

Radiance and Serena were tossed around like ragdolls, propelled somewhere by an underwater current. A massive body of water could be felt above them and only
a vague sense of gravity allowed them to tell the direction to the surface.

They almost run out of breath, when they finally resurface. The waves have passed, continuing onward across the lake in every direction.
The people gathered on the pier have broke into a sprint, hoping to avoid the brunt of it.



Holding Serena and attempting to re-examine his surroundings, Radiance could hear that he was now even further from the shoreline. Almost 700 meters away
from the main group and the piers. His wings now completely drenched.



As you look for Maddie, you notice her resurface only a dozen meters away from the shore. She was floating on her back and still holding Arnold in an
awkward, clumsy grip. Her eyes staring directly upward, she seems extremely shaken and disoriented.

The jet ski's on her legs stopped working, visibly damaged.




The robot serpent was nowhere in sight. Its massive silhouette had faded deep in the depths of the lake. Several seconds pass in silence, before another
sonar pulse, echoed out of the depths.



"Get-.. Get out of the water!" Madelyn weakly yelled, trying to swim to the shore:

"Its coming back for another attack!" she coughed slightly and desperately splashed in the water, attempting to close the last dozen meters between her and the shore.
Arnold still held in her grasp.


As you look up, you suddenly notice a police helicopter, flying high overhead. It seems to be surveing the area, flying several hundred meters above the water line.




Tom hit the cars horn and drove onto the sidewalk, speeding toward the pier closest to Maddie.
After several seconds he was forced to hit the breaks hard, coming before a short metal fense, separating the beach from the rest of the avenue.


"Get in there, hurry!" Tom yelled, jumping out of the car and sprinting toward the shoreline: "We have to get them out of the water!"


His sound was briefly drowned out, by a deafening sonar pulse, that originated from the depths of the lake.

"They're fighting something big, real big" Rogue said as he jumped out after Tom "I don't know if we have the firepower to take it on."

Rain takes a deep breath thinking... She glares at at Maddie and she grips the handle of her steletto. She comes up with a plan. She keeps the blade sheathed and uses her still functioning boots to roll up near maddie once she. Is practically right in front of her she whips around, making strange turns splashing her wings in the water to mimic maddie splashing, it seemed a bit off but she had hoped it would be good enough for the beast....

When she heard the sonar she whips around moving down the coastline making large splashes with hard turns and wing skimming

She hyperventalates taking in as much air as she could as she cleans out her system.

She readys for its jump wings wide open and hands ready.

(Radiance/Serena)
The sudden onslaught of waves and water jumpstarted Serena's system. Her eyes opened wide and she inhaled some of the damp air close to the surface of the water. Coughing a few times, before looking at Radiance and attempting to speak. It came out as a guttural wheeze instead. Her throat dry from lack of talking, and being assaulted from Serena's late electrified scream.

"Save your energy for staying alive right now" Radiance guessed at what she was intending to ask, his ears suddenly pricking at the sonar pulse "And right now that means, getting ready to hold your breath. When I say exhale everything from your lungs, then breathe in deep and hold it in"

Knowing the intensity of the waves and how long it would take after the sonar pulse Radiance was better able to prepare. Giving Serena the signal to have both of them finish inhaling the air a few seconds before the new wave hit.


(Naomi)
"Can I ask why you haven't arrested me?" Naomi asked her voice suddenly changing to confusion "Last I remember my group and myself were headed here, and cops had all been instructed to arrest us. But seeing me or my name and all you want is my ID?"

She pauses a moment then realized she hadn't answered the officer's question "I was supposed to meet Doctor Zarovee here with a group hours ago, we became separated and I came here to see if they had already arrived"

Rogue remembers something, stops, and jogs back to the car. "Could you stay in the car and create a fake text message that confirms what we told the cop, in case he wants to take a look?" he asks Mira.

(Arnold)

As he gasps for air, he recovers enough to grab Madelyn and slowly swim to shore. He struggles, but he does move.

(Angelo)

“This beast is too fell for us. We must make haste and turn the terrain to one more favourable. Come, let us rescue our companions!”

(Oboro)

The waves had thrown her on the shore. Pain shot all through her body. The only reason she was able to get up was sheer adrenaline.

When she got up, she saw the spectacle. It was horrifying her, making her shake. She took a breath, then screamed.

“ RETREEEAAAT!!!!!!! GET AWAY FROM THAT WATER, NOOOOW!!!!! We lost, FLEE FROM THAT THING!!!!! ”

(Tom's Car & The Adelheid Lake)


Mira gave Rogue and uneasy glance: "..sure.. I just..

I feel really bad about lying to Tom. Perhaps we should just.. ask him about it..
Its not like he'll attack us. Even if he is working with Clopin, his objective is to save Maddie.

He's been protecting us, together with Clopin's hacker.

And what was that nonsense about the Gene Virus? If Tomas wanted it released, he wouldn't announce it on national television. He would just walk down the street and open the canister. No one would even know. Doesn't make sense"


Mira uneasily looked at Rogue: "What if everything we read, was a lie? He's not the first to be smeared today.
How long do we keep that message from him?"




A dozen meters away, Tomas was sprinting toward the edge of the pier. Dropping down to his stomach, he stretched out his hands and grabbed onto Arnold, helping both him and Madelyn to climb up the pier.

Straining himself to the limit, Tomas yelled and pulled with all of his strength, until all three fell onto the pier. The momentum made Tomas fall onto his back and he laid for a second there, catching his breath.


Madelyn slowly sat on the damp wood of the pier and looked back at the lake.

At Oboro, who stood on the shore. At Rain, who rapidly moved down the coastline.
And at Radiance and Serena, who's faces became but dots on the horizon.
They were over 700 meters away from the shore, their silhouettes briefly fading from view and appearing again, as small waves passed over the lake.



For several seconds, there was silence. The serpent didn't resurface. It didn't shoot into the sky, like it did last time.
The pause stretched painfully long and all seemed quiet.



Then, the serpent resurfaced, slowly and quietly, barely causing a disturbance in the lake's surface.

It resurfaced just behind Radiance and Serena. Its massive mouth slowly opened and it swallowed them both. Its jaws closing and hiding them from your sight.



As Tomas' eyes widened, the serpent slowly turned and quietly dived into the lake. Its tail briefly showed above the water, before its silhouette rapidly dived and disappeared into the depths of the lake.




"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Tomas shrieked, staring at the lake with horror filled eyes.


Back in the car, Mira gasped and stormed out of the vehicle.

As Tomas stumbled towards the edge of the pier and tried to jump into the water, Mira fell on him and pinned him into the ground.


"Let me go! GET OFF ME!" Tomas shrieked, violently trying to throw Mira off and crawl toward the edge of the pier.


"TOMAS, THEY'RE GONE!" Mira screamed: "ITS OVER! YOU GO IN THERE NOW, IT'LL KILL YOU TOO!!!"

"ITS MY FAULT!" Tomas pressed his face into the pier: "I dragged them into this! I let this happen! I have to-"


"THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO!" Mira shrieked, a trace of tears in her eyes: "...there's nothing you can do.. we have to get off this pier.. NOW!... Get Maddie into the lab... she's the only thing that can stop the Digital Waltz right?.. Come on... get up... GET UP!" she screamed, trying to pull Tomas back to his feet.



With her free hand, she pressed on her earpiece and screamed: "RAIN, OBORO, GET AWAY FROM THE WATER!
EVERYONE, REGROUP AT THE PARKING LOT, AT THE END OF THE BEACH!" She shouted, pulling up Tomas and dragging him back to the car.


Madelyn, who was staring at the lake, slowly grabbed onto Arnold's shoulder for support and began limping toward the car as well. Her eyes still watching the lake. Her face, white as a sheet.

(Radiance, Serena)


Darkness.

A tightly cramped space.

Long periods of deafening silence, only occasionally interrupted by the sound of you breath, and some distant mechanical noise in the distance.

As you laid on your back, somewhere, the last moments before the monster swallowed you, kept replaying again and again in your head.
Its massive shadow, as it emerged from the water. Its horrific jaws, as they opened and closed all around you, hiding the light from your eyes.


The space you were in, was shaking, rapidly moving from side to side. Distant sounds of leaking water and mechanical clicks started to appear on the edge of your senses.

It was hard to breathe. Hard to move or turn, barely any room to even lift your head. And the space around you continued to shake, wiggle from side to side and turn, somewhere.


You were not dead. As far as you could tell.
At least, you didn't remember dying. The last thing you remember, was the monsters jaws closing over you, swallowing you whole.


Then, darkness.

The feeling of being trapped, in a small, confined space.
The thought of running out of air, briefly crossed your mind, as the sounds of leaking water and machinery continued to echo around you.


Several long moments pass in silence, before an unfamiliar female voice, suddenly rang from above. The voice was digitally distorted. It sounded like an automated computer program, yet the sentence came out almost naturally:


"...Radiance... Serena... Can you, Hear me?..." the voice gently asked with concern. You heard a note of sorrow.

(Naomi)


"Arrest you?" The cop suspiciously rose an eyebrow: ".. did you do something wrong?"

"Wait" his partner called: "...she's from the group escorting Jane Doe. Her name popped up in the arrest warrant, the one originating from a computer glitch. She was cleared.
She's supposed to help escort Jane Doe.
And the group escorting Jane Doe was authorized to enter the lab"


"Tomas Kohler was in charge of that operation. Why isn't she with him?" the first cop asked with suspicion: "I'm not letting anyone through, before I get a confirmation from him"


He reached out for his radio and pressed a button:

"Unit One Nine, calling Sergeant Kohler. Kohler how copy, over. Kohler, Kohler, how copy, over"


A few minutes pass, before Tomas' voice loudly echoed out of the radio: "Kohler here. Send traffic"
Tomas quietly said. He sounded haunted. Out of breath for some reason.


"Sergeant, we have a... Naomi here... Airforce mechanic" the cop spoke into his radio: "Claiming to be a part of your team? She's asking permission to enter the lab, do we let her through?"


"...Naomi?..." Tomas repeated. He sounded baffled. And increasingly suspicious: "Let me speak to her"


The cop thought for a moment, then passed you his radio.

Several moments passed, before Tomas' voice echoed again. He still sounded haunted, out of breath:


"... Naomi, why did you come? Last time we saw you, you wanted nothing to do with us. Why did you return? Why now?"
Tomas sounded suspicious, or scared. You can't tell.

Rain growls closing her fist, the breaker on her arm extending out causing her to lurch. The group can see her make a sharp turn off and into the sandy beach along the lakes coast.

She pulls off her boots and throws them across the beach in fury, they soar across the sky in a predetermaned arc due to her skillwire. She looks to her hands, "G-----d-a-a-a---- cyb....neticz-z-z-z" it seems her radio got water in it as her voice came out muffled and broken.

She suddenly keels over onto her knees as her adrenaline runs dry. She gags before vomiting all over the sand blood and bial splattering across the beach and her hands.
"T-T-That burns..." she says between hastened breath. Her stomach begining to feel a great amount of pain. She lifts up her shirt and all along her hips and just below her ribcage is all black... Its difficult to tell the blue from her coat color.

Onlookers would see a weakened General trying to get to her feet before collapsing into the sand.

(Serena)
Serena began to panic, her breathing became sharp and staccato-like. She couldn't speak as the pressing darkness and tight quarters suddenly sparked an intense feeling of claustrophobia within her.

In her mind she was alone and she began to cry.

(Radiance)
As he adjusted his senses to the are around him he mused about what to do next. Serena's panic and the shaking sobs creating an even more stressful situation. Considering the circumstances Radiance didn't even realize he was white knuckle gripping whatever he could when Madelyn's voice finally came through,

"Madelyn? What the hell?" Radiance responded with confusion and a tone indicating he was very stressed, "If this is you, we need to have a talk about taking trips over large bodies of water."

(Naomi)
"I had time to think," Naomi spoke into the radio "And if I'm being honest, I'm not coming back because I want to. I'd be long gone if this city wasn't on lockdown. I'm coming back because helping get this sorted out is far better than sitting on my ass and doing nothing"

Kaylee Brown wrote:(Tom's Car & The Adelheid Lake)


Mira gave Rogue and uneasy glance: "..sure.. I just..

I feel really bad about lying to Tom. Perhaps we should just.. ask him about it..
Its not like he'll attack us. Even if he is working with Clopin, his objective is to save Maddie.

He's been protecting us, together with Clopin's hacker.

And what was that nonsense about the Gene Virus? If Tomas wanted it released, he wouldn't announce it on national television. He would just walk down the street and open the canister. No one would even know. Doesn't make sense"


Mira uneasily looked at Rogue: "What if everything we read, was a lie? He's not the first to be smeared today.
How long do we keep that message from him?"




A dozen meters away, Tomas was sprinting toward the edge of the pier. Dropping down to his stomach, he stretched out his hands and grabbed onto Arnold, helping both him and Madelyn to climb up the pier.

Straining himself to the limit, Tomas yelled and pulled with all of his strength, until all three fell onto the pier. The momentum made Tomas fall onto his back and he laid for a second there, catching his breath.


Madelyn slowly sat on the damp wood of the pier and looked back at the lake.

At Oboro, who stood on the shore. At Rain, who rapidly moved down the coastline.
And at Radiance and Serena, who's faces became but dots on the horizon.
They were over 700 meters away from the shore, their silhouettes briefly fading from view and appearing again, as small waves passed over the lake.



For several seconds, there was silence. The serpent didn't resurface. It didn't shoot into the sky, like it did last time.
The pause stretched painfully long and all seemed quiet.



Then, the serpent resurfaced, slowly and quietly, barely causing a disturbance in the lake's surface.

It resurfaced just behind Radiance and Serena. Its massive mouth slowly opened and it swallowed them both. Its jaws closing and hiding them from your sight.



As Tomas' eyes widened, the serpent slowly turned and quietly dived into the lake. Its tail briefly showed above the water, before its silhouette rapidly dived and disappeared into the depths of the lake.




"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Tomas shrieked, staring at the lake with horror filled eyes.


Back in the car, Mira gasped and stormed out of the vehicle.

As Tomas stumbled towards the edge of the pier and tried to jump into the water, Mira fell on him and pinned him into the ground.


"Let me go! GET OFF ME!" Tomas shrieked, violently trying to throw Mira off and crawl toward the edge of the pier.


"TOMAS, THEY'RE GONE!" Mira screamed: "ITS OVER! YOU GO IN THERE NOW, IT'LL KILL YOU TOO!!!"

"ITS MY FAULT!" Tomas pressed his face into the pier: "I dragged them into this! I let this happen! I have to-"


"THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO!" Mira shrieked, a trace of tears in her eyes: "...there's nothing you can do.. we have to get off this pier.. NOW!... Get Maddie into the lab... she's the only thing that can stop the Digital Waltz right?.. Come on... get up... GET UP!" she screamed, trying to pull Tomas back to his feet.



With her free hand, she pressed on her earpiece and screamed: "RAIN, OBORO, GET AWAY FROM THE WATER!
EVERYONE, REGROUP AT THE PARKING LOT, AT THE END OF THE BEACH!" She shouted, pulling up Tomas and dragging him back to the car.


Madelyn, who was staring at the lake, slowly grabbed onto Arnold's shoulder for support and began limping toward the car as well. Her eyes still watching the lake. Her face, white as a sheet.

"So do i, and i want to trust him, but we have to take every precaution, just in case the text was the truth. It's better to have and not need, than to need and not have, he'd understand" Rogue says to Mira whilst they are still at the car.

Violet Night wrote:Rain growls closing her fist, the breaker on her arm extending out causing her to lurch. The group can see her make a sharp turn off and into the sandy beach along the lakes coast.

She pulls off her boots and throws them across the beach in fury, they soar across the sky in a predetermaned arc due to her skillwire. She looks to her hands, "G-----d-a-a-a---- cyb....neticz-z-z-z" it seems her radio got water in it as her voice came out muffled and broken.

She suddenly keels over onto her knees as her adrenaline runs dry. She gags before vomiting all over the sand blood and bial splattering across the beach and her hands.
"T-T-That burns..." she says between hastened breath. Her stomach begining to feel a great amount of pain. She lifts up her shirt and all along her hips and just below her ribcage is all black... Its difficult to tell the blue from her coat color.

Onlookers would see a weakened General trying to get to her feet before collapsing into the sand.

"Need a hand?" Rogue asks Rain as he goes over to help her up "Or a handkerchief?"

(Naomi)


There was a long pause on the other end of the line, before Tomas' quiet voice echoed out of the radio:

"...there's only two possible reasons why you would come back.
First, the one you just described. Or.
More likely, you have been black mailed to kill Madelyn."


The line of cops in front of you immediately tensed up. The grips on their holstered weapons tightened. They're watching your every move, like a row of hawks.


"...you're not being black mailed.. are you Naomi?.." Tomas quietly asked:

"Received any strange messages lately? Someone told you to do something funny?" he asked through the radio.


The cops are carefully watching your expression and body language.

(Radiance, Serena)


".....I am not Madelyn" the unfamiliar voice quietly called.

Laying in the darkness, you try to feel the environment around you, but it seems to be just a tightly closed box, or something akin to it. You can't find anything to take a hold of.


"...I am, 4th Generation, Anti-Terrorist Suppression Weapon. Codename: Sally" the voice rang above you again. She sounded gentle, quiet:

"My purpose is, Naval Warfare"