Monday, July 28, 2008
On my watch
9:01 PM | Posted by
Warwriter Widow
Jack watched his friend, Penitency, as he let loose with another blast from his Nova form. Lodestar, his own Kheldian, had never changed forms, and, in fact, preferred that Jack didn't even discuss him. But Pen knew from a distance that there was a Kheldian in Jack, and so a bond formed, more than just mere heroes together for the sake of duty.
Penitency named himself such because he knew he wasn't long for this world. His Kheldian chose to keep himself alive, at the expense of his host, so his host aged naturally. Fifty years ago, the two men were on opposite sides of a war that had a clear ideological bent. Fifty years ago, Penitency was named Heinrich, and wore a black uniform with the flashing silver SS on the collar. He had long ago sworn off his National Socialist ways after being "de-Nazified" and moved to America.
He kept his heroism under wraps until the most recent Rikti invasion, and then struggled again to use his abilities. He had no short term memory, relying entirely on his Kheldian to feed him information. When Jack found him and began working with him, the two so-called Golden Age heroes hit it off well. Knowing from his own Kheldian to protect Pen, he went first against Void Slayers and Quantum gunners. This was the typical tactic.
The tactic they always used.
Except this once.
The Void Slayer had his back turned, and Pen had the element of surprise on his side. He fired once, but the Void deflected it. Pen looked behind him - but Jack wasn't there this time.
Jack had been easily overwhelmed by a group of Council, with an archon that tore his uniform and soul. He had limited defense against such attacks so hadn't disengaged - that is, beaten - the rest of them. He finally finished and plowed toward the room where Pen had gotten into, but before he could get there, something flew through the plywood wall, the glass of a nearby office, and landed with a thud into a credenza.
Jack turned around to see the Void Stalker step through the carnage of the wall, and, ignoring the form in the credenza, Jack charged at the Stalker. Knowing he was a Kheldian, he fired his weapon but missed; Jack planted a solid haymaker and knocked him out cold, then slapped a teleporter disk on him.
Council swarmed him immediately, as he fought them off one by one, figuring that Pen had already been teleported to the hospital. He finished with that group and turned toward the office where Pen...still lay.
Jack narrowed his eyes in confusion. The hospital teleporter should have taken him. He rushed to him, seeing the extent of his injuries. The area the teleporter had been implanted was gone - in fact, the left side of his neck and most of his left shoulder had been torn off. His arm hung by a bit of flesh connected to the side of his chest.
Jack looked at the blood, all the blood from both the host and the symbiote. The cut was clean, but the blood...
He knew from looking at the blood there was nothing left he could do, but pick up the body and carry it home.
Penitency named himself such because he knew he wasn't long for this world. His Kheldian chose to keep himself alive, at the expense of his host, so his host aged naturally. Fifty years ago, the two men were on opposite sides of a war that had a clear ideological bent. Fifty years ago, Penitency was named Heinrich, and wore a black uniform with the flashing silver SS on the collar. He had long ago sworn off his National Socialist ways after being "de-Nazified" and moved to America.
He kept his heroism under wraps until the most recent Rikti invasion, and then struggled again to use his abilities. He had no short term memory, relying entirely on his Kheldian to feed him information. When Jack found him and began working with him, the two so-called Golden Age heroes hit it off well. Knowing from his own Kheldian to protect Pen, he went first against Void Slayers and Quantum gunners. This was the typical tactic.
The tactic they always used.
Except this once.
The Void Slayer had his back turned, and Pen had the element of surprise on his side. He fired once, but the Void deflected it. Pen looked behind him - but Jack wasn't there this time.
Jack had been easily overwhelmed by a group of Council, with an archon that tore his uniform and soul. He had limited defense against such attacks so hadn't disengaged - that is, beaten - the rest of them. He finally finished and plowed toward the room where Pen had gotten into, but before he could get there, something flew through the plywood wall, the glass of a nearby office, and landed with a thud into a credenza.
Jack turned around to see the Void Stalker step through the carnage of the wall, and, ignoring the form in the credenza, Jack charged at the Stalker. Knowing he was a Kheldian, he fired his weapon but missed; Jack planted a solid haymaker and knocked him out cold, then slapped a teleporter disk on him.
Council swarmed him immediately, as he fought them off one by one, figuring that Pen had already been teleported to the hospital. He finished with that group and turned toward the office where Pen...still lay.
Jack narrowed his eyes in confusion. The hospital teleporter should have taken him. He rushed to him, seeing the extent of his injuries. The area the teleporter had been implanted was gone - in fact, the left side of his neck and most of his left shoulder had been torn off. His arm hung by a bit of flesh connected to the side of his chest.
Jack looked at the blood, all the blood from both the host and the symbiote. The cut was clean, but the blood...
He knew from looking at the blood there was nothing left he could do, but pick up the body and carry it home.
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