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Post by Silverback on Jan 10, 2005 15:24:30 GMT
Khalifa steadied Bengaline as she jumped the final gap onto the slick pavement below her feet. He could smell the pungent aroma of smoke clinging to her hair and, as he quickly looked her over for burns, he noticed a slight reddening around her neck, a few scrapes and then noted the absence of her cloak.
"Are you alright?" A note of concern crept into his voice. Bengaline nodded an affirmative. Shutting off the firehose the nozzle clanged on the tarmac as he released the equipment from his grasp.
"You've left Tomahawk alone up there with . . . with, whatever it was you encountered?" He let an obvious note of annoyance slip into his speech. "You shouldn't leave your fami- . . team mates on their own!" He knew he was shouting but couldn't help the way he felt about such things. As he ran towards the fire escape he shouted over his shoulder, "get back to the Land Rover, there should be a first aid kit in there. Go and dress your wounds. I'll help Tomahawk." And with that he vanished from view down the hotels nearest alleyway.
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Post by Tomahawk on Jan 10, 2005 15:36:17 GMT
"I am still a bit shaky, but no matter..."
"You," Tomahawk called to the figure behind him, "If you wish to survive, then follow me down."
With that, he started down fire escape's stairwell, at about half his normally hyper-speed.
Closing the distance nonetheless quickly, he turned to make certain this other fellow was keeping up. He called up to him,
"Ho, get a move on, before this whole thing goes down!"
'When I get down to just one flight up, I can easily make the jump down to the street below... But is this other fellow going to make it?' Tomahawk thought.
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Post by Bengaline on Jan 12, 2005 19:05:14 GMT
Bengaline was somewhat hurt, but it wasn't that bad, really- what was bad on the other hand was that she had left her teammates alone whilst trying to save herself. A sudden pang of conscience started to rise up within her...
"I can't just stand here and take care of myself... That's not what a Team does! I need to do something..."
Suddenly it occured to her, and she exclaimed,
"A rope... Yes, that's it!" She ran over to the nearest Fire engine, and up to one of the firefighters there.
"You there! I need a rope, and I need it now!"
"Hunh? Wha? Who- where did..." The man stammered and stuttered at the costumed woman standing before him.
"Rope. Climbing thing. You know what I mean", she replied, somewhat annoyed at the fact that the man's gaze had wandered from her eyes and face down to her breastline and midsection.
He gave her another stunned glance, and managed to stammer out, "uh uh ...umm...okay- here." as he handed it to her.
"Great, thanks" she replied, and she ran back to the fire escape where Tomahawk and Antonio where trying their best to get down. She could practically feel the eyes of the fireman staring at her backside as she went, and she partially overheard him talking into his radio,
"Hey chief, I think the Avengers are here..."
Bengaline didn't waste any time.
"It seems Tomahawk is doing great..." She thought out loud, "But that other guy...."
Quickly she changed back into her eagle form. Bengaline, now in the shape of the mighty king of the air, grasped the rope in her claws and flew up to the landing where Antonio was standing. With a loud "krrrrzzz" she tried to catch his attention while dropping the rope at his feet. She swooped around in a tight circle near him, to make certain he understood her plan before starting to head back down to the earth.
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Post by Madclergy on Jan 12, 2005 22:07:34 GMT
Antonio watched the Eagle and its antics.
"I don't think eagles are native here, certainly not in the city." he glanced down at the rope at his feet then back to the eagle who was circling above.
'What is it trying to tell me? Great wind god, brother to the great lord of the Sun, guide me in the right path' he meditated on it a minute before it hit him in the face.
"AHHH!!" he shouted in absolute glee "I understand wind god, surely you are messenger of the sun" he shouted to the eagle. This was a true sign to Antonio, before his powers and relations to the Aztec gods was merely physical but now it had moved on to a spiritual connection.
Antonio took up the rope and tied it to the railing of the fire escape on the landing he had stopped on to catch his breath from the smoke, only moments before his brush with the wind god. The landing was approximately over a hundred feet from the ground and as he looked over the edge he couldn't help but feel a bit dizzy from the heights. He had never openly admitted it but he was terribly afraid of being so far up.
'I hope the wind god has compensated for the tall buildings in this city' Antonio thought to himself before yelling down to the man he had helped to save, who was apparently very in touch with the wind god as well.
"Estaré bien, el dios del viento me he ayudado." even in Antonio's frantic state of tying the rope and preparing himself to lower from the burning building, he noticed a bit of older Spanish mixed in with his phrase.
Antonio tied a knot around the railing then looped it back through so that he had sort of a pulley system through the railing. Then he allowed enough slack to go and tied the rope around himself. He prayed silently to the sun god that he get down safely and that this plan worked. He hopped over the edge of the railing onto the other side and stood on the edge of the landing. Then making sure he had a hold of the pulley rope he allowed himself to slowly fall towards the ground. one story, then two, two and a half. STOP!! The slack rope tightened and he ran out of rope to let go of to drop down any further. He braced himself, he knew what he was about to do was going to hurt but it had to be done. He could see the building already begin to topple from the top.
He let go of the slack rope, it slid up and around the railing allowing him to fall the rest of the ninety feet with a sudden jerk on his midsection and buttocks two feet above the ground. He felt his ribs begin to ache with the brutal torture of the rope holding his body weight against them. He took hold of his Maquathuitle and began cutting through the rope just as the Male stranger exited the bottom of the stairs. He was nearly through cutting the rope when he fell to the ground, he looked up and shouted to everyone around him..
"Watch your heads!!"
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Post by Tomahawk on Jan 15, 2005 11:57:45 GMT
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Tomahawk turned bakc once again to see the antics of this stranger trying to lower himself to the ground with a rope. He also observed an eagle flying about- no doubt Bengaline changing her form yet again.
"Ouch, that has got to hurt..." Tomahawk thought as the stranger bounced about at the end of his rope.
Glancing back at the Rover, he quickly noticed Khalifa's absence, and became concerned.
"Khalifa! Where have you gone?" he shouted, looking about.
"Watch your heads!"
There were other things to attend to at this moment than finding his friend. Tomahawk knew Khalifa well enough to know that he wouldn't do anything foolish- at least, he hoped he wouldn't.
Turning to the man dangling before him, he said,
"Go ahead and get yourself free- I'll shield you from the things falling from above!"
And with a Fwassssshhhh![/b][/color] there he stood, plasma 'hawk in hand, ready to bat aside any falling debris which might get in the way.
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Post by Silverback on Jan 16, 2005 14:28:51 GMT
As Khalifa sprinted round the corner he was distracted by a figure apparently falling from the emergency stairwell. A moment later, his heart still in his mouth, he watched the strangers descent come to a rapid halt at the end of a rope.
"Khalifa! Where have you gone?" Came the cry from Michael whose gaze seemed to be distracted by something in the park adjacent to the hotel.
Running forward again he noted Tomahawk moving towards the man dangling from the end of his tether. As he cut himself free, falling to the ground, he shouted out "Watch your heads!!"
Glancing towards the sky Silverback immediately saw the wheeling figure of an eagle and, from the top of the building, a large amount of bricks and burning debris slowly tilted away from the surrounding masonry and accelerated on its terminal journey towards the street below. Right to where he stood. With nowhere safe to go he was distracted by something shouted by Tomahawk . . . shield you from the things falling from above!" As he stared a hawk-shaped field of energy buzzed into life . . . just as the first piece of masonry slammed into the young Africans head.
As he fell to the ground his body was pummelled by an insistent rain of pebbles, bricks and metalwork. Hovering on the edge of conciousness, as the final dust cloud began to settle, a strange mixture of anger and rage began to flow through his veins. Accelerated by the huge amounts of adrenalibe raging through his body the pile of rubble began to heave and shift.
It was impossible to see what was occurring. A low, deep, primal rumble of an animal growl echoed throughout the corridor like alley, the sound sent shivers down the spines of everyone who heard it, something that harked back to a more primitive era. Something had awoken.
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Post by Tomahawk on Jan 19, 2005 15:33:35 GMT
As Tomahawk heard the primal roar echoing through the alleyway, his heart sunk to the bottom of his chest.
"Oh no..." He thought to himself, "Something has happened- Khalifa has become Silverback!"
Tomahawk closed his eyes for a moment, focused, concentrated, and sent out a prayer, saying, "Wichàhpi Washtè, Coyote friend, please lend me your Heyoka Medicine to help reverse this situation! If you would be my ally, then I pray you aid me now! Grandfather, if you can hear me now, lend me your strength!"
He allowed his Plasma 'hawk to swiftly dissipate, then quickly rushed over to the pile of heaving and shifting rubble, and was about to help uncover his fallen friend when suddenly he emerged- in full bestial glory.
"Khalifa!" Tomahawk shouted, holding up his empty hands before him, trying to get Silverback's attention.
"I know you are in there, Kola, I know you can hear me! It is me, Michael, your friend! We are friends, Khalifa, you must remember! Try and fight it, control the beast, come back to us!"
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Post by Madclergy on Jan 19, 2005 22:51:43 GMT
Antonio had tried to help block some of the rubble falling from the building but he had barely gotten to his feet when he saw the material hit the man who had come around the corner. He saw Tomahawk move towards the buried man.
'Obviously the man I helped before knows him, and if so then, I suppose it is my duty to assist him.'
Antonio's rational thoughts were interrupted by his urge to find his charges, but he forced himself to look only at the situation at hand. 'If El Presidente has made it out safely then my duty is to this man here and now. Besides I could be of little help to el Presidente if I was there with him now, except for a bit of comfort from a familiar face. I do hope his family is alright.'
Antonio began to make his way towards the pile of rubble when he heard the growling and saw Tomahawk start to help the man under the debris. When a beast came from beneath the rubble his thoughts immediately became battle orientated. Within seconds his weapon was in hand again and he was in battle stance, his mind raced but was calm at the same time.
'What is that thing? Where did the other man go? Sure this thing must be of the Moon demon, brother of the great Sun Lord. What shall I do great lord? ¿Lo destruiré en su nombre oh gran Huitzilopochtli?' His thoughts calmed as he awaited an attack from the beast.
He thought it strange when the man started calling the bestial apparition "Friend" and started telling him that he must "control the beast". All the same he was ready for an attack from the beast, after all the mans words could have been just a valiant try at calming the beast down.
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Post by Bengaline on Jan 23, 2005 21:31:54 GMT
Bengaline had landed safely on the ground after having brought the rope to the man who'd helped her rescue Tomahawk.
Landing quite a bit away from the building, just to be on the safe side, she started walking back towards her friends. She saw Tomahawk and the stranger, bowed over a pile of debris and such. Suddenly she saw Antionio with his weapon in hand and something rising from underneath the rubble.
She looked around, then asked her friends "you know, guys, we are all here...but where did Khalifa go???"
An animal seemed to be caught amongst the fallen pieces. The bestial roar she'd heard must have come from this creature.
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Post by Silverback on Jan 24, 2005 13:58:15 GMT
The ape-man snorted deeply as it shrugged free of the remaining rubble, debris and metalwork the dust billowed and his fur cecame coated in a layer of grey powders.
The animal indicated its displeasure with another loud roar as it focussed its full attention on the man in front of him. The creature was angry and sought to take out its aggression on the cause of its pain and discomfort, the conciousness of Khalifa was buried somewhere deep in its psyche.
"I know you are in there, Kola, I know you can hear me! It is me, Michael, your friend! We are friends, Khalifa, you must remember! Try and fight it, control the beast, come back to us!"
The gorilla lifted Tomahawk off his feet, his almost black eyes looked deeply into the very soul of the indians spirit, with a deep sniff he sensed the familiar aroma of a being he knew but did not recognise. With an almost ear-shattering roar he dropped Michael the short distance to the ground.
Rising up on his rear legs Silverback became aware of an unfamiliar figure that had taken an aggressive stance and was holding out a club-like weapon. This was an obvious challenge and he responded with a rapid drumming on his chest and then barked at the figure before him.
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Post by Madclergy on Feb 9, 2005 0:53:00 GMT
"¡Ho su bestia, usted entise yo con batalla pero no lastima a ese hombre!! La sensación en mi alcohol es lastimarle, pero si usted es éste sirve verdad a amigo entonces que me atrevo a no hacer pero protegerse." Antonio's stiff accent gritted with his teeth as he struggled to keep anger out of it.
Antonio stiffened his stance as his battle sense raged with feeling, constantly telling him to attack the threat. It took his willpower and his humanity to not attack the beast full on but rather to wait for the beast to attack him.
'If I were to attack (ATTACK) no...and this was the mans friend then the attack (ATTACK!)..Ahh...would be wasted on a possible friend. I wish the lines were drawn clearer in battle (ATTACK!!)...as they were in the old days'
Antonio could be seen struggling underneath his battle toned body; if anyone bothered to look that far down. Otherwise he appeared only as a battle machine.
Struggling between thoughts and feelings Antonio manage to reach far down and address the man who claimed to be the beasts friend.
"If this truly is your friend then I will not attack but if he is going to hurt innocents or attempts to attack me I will be forced to mate a su lifeforce"
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Post by Tomahawk on Feb 10, 2005 10:55:06 GMT
Tomahawk had to act quickly before this entire situation got out of hand.
"If Silverback truly wanted to injure me, he could have crushed me like an empty soda can. Something in there must recognize that I am his friend- or at least not a threat. A threat? Wait a moment..." He thought to himself.
Suddenly he realized what was happening- Silverback's posture, his mannerisms- it was all too suddenly clear. He was confused, and felt threatened, so he was doing what any dominant male would do- try and assert his dominance in this "pack".
Michael's mind raced as he tied to remember phrases in spanish from his days on the Pow-Wow Circuit, something to get this other fellow's attention and turn him away from harming his friend. Hastily, he blurted out,
"¡Dos burritos picantes del bisonte y una cola grande, por favor- y mantiene el cambio!"*
"Something tells me that probably did not make any sense..." he thought, and then added,
"Put down your weapon and bow down- he thinks you are a threat to him! If you act submissive, he will leave you alone, and may be able to get the rage back under control- Please, you must trust me!"
_____________________________________________ *(Two spicy bison-burritos and a large Cola, please- and keep the change!)
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Post by Madclergy on Feb 10, 2005 14:29:35 GMT
Antonio caught the language being used by the man whom he had saved..
'Two Donkeys, a great tail, and the mountains of the change? What does this have to do with the situation?'
Antonio gave the man a questioned look which probably led to him then responding in English...
"Put down your weapon and bow down- he thinks you are a threat to him! If you act submissive, he will leave you alone, and may be able to get the rage back under control- Please, you must trust me!"
'That sounds like a very bad plan...no it sounds like a good plan...bad...good...mal...bueno....muy mal...muchos buenos!!' Antonio wrestled with his inner instincts as he thought about the plan of dropping his weapon, finally his humanity won and his senses slowly subsided.
"I have only just met you stranger, Incluso no sé su nombre, but something tells me that in this situation you are only trying to help the both of us so I will do as requested"
Antonio slowly put his weapon on the ground and got to his knees, the faint glow that had surrounded him before was now fading as he had chosen to stop battle instead of fighting in it.
He lowered his torso to the ground until finally Antonio rested fully on the ground; not even 10 feet from a hulking brute of a beast, he was not completely defenseless; if it came down to it he could make a mad grab for his weapon, but if he was not quick enough then it would all be for not.
He waited, the world seemed to hold its breath as he awaited either punishment from the beast or rewards from the great sun god.
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Post by Bengaline on Feb 11, 2005 18:56:44 GMT
Bengaline looked at the gorilla standing in front of her friends. From a little further away she watched the situation but wasn’t quite sure what to do. There seemed to be some male-dominance issues going on and Bengaline just didn’t really want to interfere.
But then a thought crossed her mind - what could be better than a female gorilla to address a male gorilla? Maybe by speaking to the animal side, she would get a chance to speak to the human also inside this animal. She decided to try and change into a female gorilla.
If her plan worked, she would try then to get him away from the scene, giving Tomahawk and Antonio a chance to gather their things together and follow- and then maybe solve this whole ‘Going Ape’ situation in a more protected setting- and not in front of a hundred people already traumatized by the fire.
If things went awry, it could also spare them all some very unnecessary Media coverage.
“Although”, she though to herself, “It would make for an excellent story- this whole thing would- and Ms. Sari Kumar could use the extra money, since I’m a freelance journalist now…”<br> But first things first- she needed to draw the gorilla’s attention to herself and away from Michael and Antonio.
“Perhaps if I used my Shadowcasting powers, I could distract Silverback, and draw his attention solely to me…” She thought, and decided to camouflage the surroundings and shadows while she transformed herself into a female gorilla, the only thing really not obscured in the shadows…
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Post by Silverback on Feb 13, 2005 13:49:07 GMT
Silverback slowly knuckled his way across to the prone figure of Guerro, leaning forward slightly, the huge primate snuffled in the strangers scent. Throwing its head back the gorilla gave a loud, grunting roar as if declaring dominance over the human laying before him. With an almost swaggering strut the large ape turned its back and gave the the stranger a firm kick which landed with a resounding 'thump'.
Silverback looked up towards the sky expecting to see the sun hidden by a dense mass of cloud as the light began to fade and the shadows lengthened in the alleyway. The smell of fire, smoke and the noise of blaring sirens invaded the senses of the creature. Its mouth hung wide open, the corners drew back, and the eyebrows arched as his eyes moved back-and-forth in a physical display of fear. A distinct aroma began to amanate from glands located under his armpits as fear began to creep over him.
Suddenly his attention was grabbed by the presence of a strange female gorilla. Silverback gave a low pitched series of 'hoots' before raising up hind legs on and drumming upon his chest. The sensory overload and encounter with this new gorilla were too much for the creature as it turned and fled out of the alleys only exit.
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