maxfieldjadenfox
First Post
yangnome said:
Fall Ceramic Dm™ - Winner!
RangerWickett
Legend
Do we have a word limit for this competition? I didn't see one posted, but in the past I believe it was 5,000 words for the 4-picture rounds.
Bibliophile
First Post
Mythago, I've been having some computer difficulties lately, nothing that'll keep me from competing, but I'd none the less appreciate being in one of the later matches for this round, as long as it's not too big of an administrative upset. 
Funeris
First Post
BardStephenFox said:Reading through stories, trying to process judging thoughts. You all aren't impatient are you?
Maybe
BardStephenFox said:
IMHO, the waiting is the most difficult part. Throwing a story together, not so difficult. Bending the story slightly to fit within the constraints of four illustrations, well the difficulty varies depending upon how whacked out the photos/illustrations are. The crocodile head, for example, kinda threw me off for a bit. Waiting for the review, however, is much, much, much harder.
Of course, I probably write my stories backwards compared to most of you. I figure out my story (at least the basics) before I look at the photos. Then I check out the pics and allow them to stimulate my creativity and modify the framework of the story. . .
BardStephenFox said:
[begin fake british accent] Get on with it! [end fake british accent]
~Fune
Last edited:
maxfieldjadenfox
First Post
I'm holding my breath, waiting for pictures... I'm kinda turning blue. Is that a bad thing?
yangnome
First Post
4/14 - 4/17
“AAAAAHHHH!” Thomas let out a scream as the blade cut across his cheek.
“You made an egregious mistake in coming here,” the tall bald man said in a thick German accent as he laid his scalpel on the table beside me. He then took the monocle from his right eye and wiped it with his handkerchief. He then used the handkerchief to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead.
Thomas reached deep into his soul and pushed the pain aside. “You won’t get away with this Wanger. We’re on to you. You can do your worst to me, but your foul plan will never succeed.”
The man released an amused chuckle, replaced his monocle and retrieved the scalpel from the table
***
72 hours earlier:
The sound of the carnival carried through the courtyard. Thomas weaved his way through the crowded area. Off to his left, a man on a podium was yelling to the crowd, trying to lure them in to see the two headed woman. Thomas quickly looked toward the right as a loud pop came from a balloon, popped by a customer’s dart. Reassured that there was no threat, he continued through the crowd.
He ducked into an alley off of the main courtyard. Tents lined the alley, each with games promising large prizes, or other exhibits, each trying to lure in suckers and take their cash.
Thomas passed by all of these, making his way to a storefront behind one of the tents. On the window of the store was a picture of a moon, some stars and a large palm. The sign posted under the picture advertised tarot readings, contacting loved ones from beyond the grave, palm reading, crystal balls, etc. The name of the shop was Madame Sialia’s Psychic Shop.
Thomas opened the door to the shop and stepped inside. As he closed the door, the bells tinkled. He walked into the waiting area and looked at the beaded curtains that hung between him and the reading room. A moment later, Madame Sialia stepped through the beaded curtains and into the room.
“Thomas,” she said with a large smile, “I’m so happy to see you. It has been so long since I’ve seen you.” She pointed at him, in a chastising manner.
Thomas crossed the room toward her and gave her a hug. “Well, what can I say; business hasn’t brought me this way in sometime Madame Sialia. I see you are looking as wonderful as always.”
“So, only business will bring you here? You can’t stop in to see me on your own accord?”
“Well, you know I would, but all I have time for is business. The agency keeps me so busy I don’t have time for anything else.”
Madame Sialia looked at him for a moment, “You really do need to slow down and enjoy life Thomas. Working so hard, it will only kill you. You need to relax and enjoy life a little. How is your wife?”
“She left me three months ago.”
“See what I mean,” Madame Sialia cut him off “No good can come of working yourself so hard. You need to take time for yourself and your family. The agency won’t care if you work yourself to death. They’ll just replace you. Family is what is important.”
“Protecting other people’s families is important too. If I don’t do it, someone else will have to.”
“Listen to you Thomas,” she said as she ran her fingers across his cheek, “always looking out for the good of everyone else.”
Thomas stepped back and looked toward the room behind the curtain, “So, I understand you have a message for me from beyond?”
“Indeed, I do. If you step through here, I can contact the spirits for you”
Madame Sialia stepped over to the doorway and pulled back the curtain. She motioned for Thomas to step through into the room beyond. Once he stepped into the reading room, she walked over to the door to the shop; put up a sign that said closed for lunch and locked the front door. She then walked into the reading room, closing the curtains behind her, then a door.
Thomas was already seated at the table with a long purple tablecloth. On top of the table was a crystal ball. Madame Sialia walked across the room to a small bookcase. She moved her hand over the top of a small box while uttering something incomprehensible. She then opened the box and removed a deck of cards and a small chip from inside a small lock box. She returned to the table and sat on her side. She placed the cards on the table and then reached underneath the tabletop.
Suddenly the crystal ball on the table came to life. There was a slight whoosh of energy and then a purplish light that emanated from the inside of the globe. Madame Sialia looked across the table at Thomas.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“She waved her hand over the top of the ball in a wide gesture. Suddenly, an image appeared before Thomas.”
ULTRA SECRET// H E L I U S //SI
EYES ONLY
2007104R2FZXJB457
FROM: DIRAPSA
TO: PSNI235
SUBJECT: ARES CORP ACTIVITY IN NEW YORK CITY, APRIL 14 2007.
NARRATIVE:
According to reliable sources, the Ares Corporation is planning to conduct a super natural attack in New York City, probably on 17 April. Sources believe that the group will conduct a large scale ritual during a concert in a local park a source inside the Inner Circle of Ares reported that the corporation has recently begun distributing drugs, crack cocaine, in the local black market which has been laced with an unidentified paranormal substance. The source believes that this chemical in the drugs will act as a mind control agent.
BACKGROUND:
The Ares Corporation is located in Manhattan at 254 Madison Ave. The corporation is a front for Nazis who fled Germany after World War II. A group who moved to the United States from Argentina founded the corporation in 1964. The entire board of the company is made up of people from this original group. They also form the Inner Circle of Ares, though there are other members of this group as well.
The Inner Circle of Ares meets in an extra dimensional space called the Inner Sanctum, believed to be located near the Ares Corp. headquarters in Manhattan. The APSA has linked them to past events, including the attempted summoning conducted concurrently with the 9/11/01 attacks in New York City.
Dr Ulrich Wanger currently heads the Ares Inner Circle. He is one of the founding members of the Ares Corp. Wanger was personally involved in attempts to raise Adolph Hitler from the dead in 2005. The group did successfully steal Hitler’s skull from Russia, but we managed to stop them from performing the ritual. We were unable to capture Wanger at that time and he has since eluded the APSA.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
You are to infiltrate the Inner Sanctum. From there, you will attempt to gain information on the drugs that the corporation is currently distributing and the role it will have in this upcoming ritual.
Additionally, you will obtain whatever information you can about this ritual, what its intents are and who will be involved. Everything possible must be done to stop this ritual from taking place. If possible, terminate Dr. Wanger and others involved in the plot.
END REPORT
Thomas looked up from the crystal ball. “Ok,” he said,” I’ve got the information now; you can destroy it. What other information do you have for me?”
Madame Sialia picked up the deck of cards off of the tabletop and began to shuffle through them. She laid the cards out on the table in front of Thomas.
According to satellite imagery, this is the keypad which will give you access into the Inner Sanctum. We have not yet been able to break the code. The pad is located on a walkway near the corner of the building.
Madame Sialia laid out a few ore cards in front of Thomas. “This,” she said as she laid out a card with the picture of a bald man on it, “is Dr Wanger. As the note said, he is the leader of Ares Corp and of the Inner Sanctum. If he is involved in this project as they say, no good can come of it. He generally delegates duties such as these, so this must be big if it is getting him involved.”
Thomas studied the picture of the man. He had heard of Wanger before, and a bit about Ares. He had never personally worked a case involving the corporation before.
“Do you know anything about the raising of Hitler?” he asked her.
“I cannot speak much on that subject Thomas. I was involved, but it is classified beyond what we can discuss here. I will tell you that I’ve felt Hitler’s spirit stirring again. He is gaining power and is looking to make a return. I fear this ritual may be the first step in another attempt to bring him back.”
“Absolutely ludicrous,” Thomas sighed. “Who would be crazy enough to bring that madman back?”
“Dr Wanger has a lot to gain from Hitler’s return, it would be quite a victory for him, both in political and supernatural powers.”
“So, how do I infiltrate this place? We don’t even know if it exists. I certainly can’t just walk in the front door to some extra dimensional space, knock and ask that they let me into their sanctum. It isn’t as if the security guard in the lobby of the building will just buzz me in.”
“You’ll need to travel in disguise Thomas.” Madame Sialia stood up and turned toward her bookcase again. She reached into a small box and returned a few moments later.
“Here,” she said with an outstretched arm. “Take this when you get close to the building. It’ll offer you a disguise, which may make it easy to get into the building. Careful though, it’ll only last for a couple hours.”
Thomas reached out his hand and caught the pill as she dropped it into his palm. “Thanks. I always love your toys. So, you have anything else for me?”
“No Thomas, just be careful. This Dr. Wanger is a dangerous individual. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goal, even if it means the destruction of the human race. He certainly wouldn’t think twice about killing you.”
“Sounds like a charming fellow.” Thomas stood up from the table and reached his hand out to Madame Sialia. “It was a pleasure seeing you again. Stay safe. I’ll do my best to take care of Wanger and these other loonies.”
“Ok,” she said taking his hand. “Be careful Thomas.”
Thomas turned and exited the shop. He had a number of preparations to make before he’d be able to infiltrate the Inner Sanctum.
****
24 Hours later in front of the Ares building:
Thomas exits the subway train and heads toward an exit. He stops at a locker, places a backpack inside, inserts four quarters and removes the orange key. He’ll have to return for his gear later once he reconnoiters the place.
After securing his bag, he heads up the two flights of stairs leading out of the subway tunnel. The large black glass and steel Ares Tower stands in front of him, like a large monolith jutting out from the ground toward the gray sky.
He walked up toward the building and started looking around the perimeter. The sidewalks were crowded with people hustling back and forth to work during the lunch hour. Thomas walked around the courtyard, over toward the walls. He’d need to find the keypad before he could find his way to the inner sanctum. When he got home from Madame Sialia’s place last night, he spent the night studying the keypad in his head, trying to figure out the code to get in. After hours of consideration, he thought he had the answer, but would need to try it to be certain. Of course, if he was lucky, he might be able to just find a way to get around the keypad altogether.
It wasn’t long before Thomas spotted the keypad on the ground. As Madame Sialia had told him, the pad was located near the corner of the building. Thomas was careful when approaching, examining the other bricks of the sidewalk for pressure pads or sensors.
Thomas closed his eyes for a moment. He placed his right hand in the handprint on the left, and then pressed the letters in an order that spelled out an acronym for an old nazi paranormal organization. A moment later, the air around Thomas filled with the smell of ozone. Thomas was about to jump back when the surroundings seemed to flicker in and out, then he had the feeling that he was moving up at a high rate of speed. Thomas looked up from the keypad and saw the floors of the building quickly passing by him. He looked back down and he was already more than 50 feet in the air. Thomas reached into his pocket and took out the pill that Madame Sialia had given to him the previous day.
Just before Thomas could put the pill into his mouth, everything around him went black. The next thing he knew, he was standing in a long hallway with a bright red carpet, black stripes running down each side. Thomas quickly popped the pill into his mouth and choked it down his dry throat.
A strange sensation washed over Thomas. He began sweating and his stomach churned. A moment later, Thomas was knocked to the ground by pain that shot through his spine. He lay in the ground in the fetal position for a few moments, unable to move. Thomas felt his spine arching and his limbs were drawn in towards his body. The next thing he knew, he began shrinking. Moments later, Thomas had taken the form of a rat. His clothes were nowhere to be seen; they probably changed with the magic.
Thomas scurried across the hallway floor, trying to get out of sight of anyone that might walk through the hall. He scrambled into a room adjacent to the hallway. Inside, Thomas found an office. This appeared to be some sort of records room. The office was in pristine condition, whoever kept it was very organized.
Thomas crawled over to a coat rack and crawled up the folds of a long coat that hung on it. Once up the coat, he leapt to a nearby chair, and then up onto the desk. A number of files were piled neatly on the desktop. Thomas began to look at each one, trying to get an idea of what the contents of each were. A large black swastika imprint was on the front of each file folder. The labels on each file were in German.
Thomas used his body to leverage open the first file folder. The name on it said Projekt Aurialus. He quickly glanced over the papers inside the file and it appeared he was in luck. He quickly scanned the files.
These arrogant bastards kept immaculate records of all of their plans, thought Thomas.
They had been selling their version crack on the streets for over a month now. They had put a chemical into mix when cooking it that not only made the drug more addictive, but it also made its users susceptible to mind control. They planned to use the addicts to attack people at the concert in central park on the 17th. The concertgoers as a blood sacrifice in order to an old god in order to gain powers and raise Hitler on his upcoming birthday.
After reading over the papers, Thomas decided to try to find the cooking room, which was also somewhere in this dimensional space. He leapt down onto a chair and from the chair to the floor. Once on the floor, Thomas scampered across the floor and out the door to the hallway.
Thomas decided to look right. He had a vague idea of where the cook room was located, but the report was not very specific. Thomas headed down the hall and turned into another room. Sure enough, this was the room. On the table there were a number of beakers like you’d see in a science classroom. Off on one side, there were a number of rocks, already formed. Thomas climbed up onto a couch that sat along the wall, and leapt over to the table a few feet away. He smelled the white crystalline rock. It had a chemical odor to it, the smell alone made him a bit dizzy.
He needed a way to figure out how to get the rock out of here so he could take it to headquarters and find an antidote in time to thwart the Nazis’ plans. The rock was too big for him to carry in his small paws, and too dangerous to carry in his teeth. Thomas picked up the rock with his front paws and tried to toss it over to the couch. He missed and the rock fell to the ground. He picked up another one and tried again. This time, it landed on the couch.
Thomas leapt back over to the couch. He began pushing the rock toward the end of the couch. Just then the light to the room turned on. Thomas looked up to the door.
Thomas froze in place. Two shapes stood in the doorway. He figured whoever it was, they’d likely mistake him as just a rat. They’d underestimate him and he’d be able to squeak by and foil their plans for domination.
Thomas took a closer look at the two. One was a bald man, wearing a monocle over his right eye, Thomas recognized him immediately as Dr. Wanger. A female stood in front of him, someone he also recognized. It was Madame Sialia; they’d captured her! He couldn’t leave the place without helping her escape.
“See, I told you he’d be here.” Madame Sialia said to Wanger.
Oh no, Thomas thought, She’s given into their torture!
“Wonderful,” Dr Wanger said in his thick German accent, “I do not know what we would do without your help Madame.”
What was this? Was she on the drugs too? What had they done to her?
Madame Sialia moved across the room toward the rat. Thomas tried to jump between the back of the couch and the wall, but he was too big to fit in the tight space. He started to sprint off in the other direction, but it was too late. Madame Sialia scooped him up into her hands and held on tight.
Dr. Wanger waved his arm and a thin waif-like woman came into the room from the hallway. She walked past Wanger, brushing up against him and giving him a sly, sexy grin, the kind of grin only seen in the deep, dark recesses of one’s imagination.
The girl moved to Madame Sialia who was still holding Thomas in a tight grasp. She stepped toward Madame Sialia’s cupped hands, withdrew a syringe from her pocket and stuck it into the rat.
“I always liked you Thomas, but you just couldn’t take a clue.” Madame Sialia’s words were the last thing Thomas heard before losing consciousness.
***
48 Hours and 30 Seconds later:
After adjusting his monocle, Dr Wanger stepped toward Thomas once again.
“We didn’t expect you to sleep so long Thomas,” Wanger said with precision. “The agent had a stronger affect on your rat body than what we had expected. Still, you have woken in time to see our plans come to fruition. You will provide the first blood needed to raise the Führer.”
“And what will your leader think when he sees you cavorting with non-whites?” Thomas asked.
“Thomas, it was never about race, it was about power. The kind of power most men do not know about. You though, you know that power. You have used it to find your way here. Unfortunate for you that no one will be able to track you and come to your rescue.”
As Dr Wanger spoke, Madame Sialia and the dark skinned girl both entered the room.
“And what is it you did to control her?” Thomas asked. “Did you use your drugs to control her mind as well?”
Dr. Wanger chuckled. Before he could respond, Madame Sialia spoke up.
“He didn’t use any drugs, Thomas. Though I guess you could say that psychic power is a hell of a drug. He had more to offer me than the agency. It was as simple as that. I meant what I said though Thomas; I always liked you and wish it didn’t have to end this way.”
“So whom is she asked Thomas, motioning to the dark skinned girl? What has she got to do with all of this?”
“Don’t you worry about her Thomas, she’s nobody.” Said Dr. Wanger.
“I’m nobody?” yelled the girl.
“Trin! This doesn’t concern you; shut your mouth.” Snapped Wanger.
“Shut my mouth? Why do you have to treat me like I’m merely some figment of your imagination you sick little man?”
For just a moment, Dr Wanger’s face flushed bright red, and then with cold, calculated precision, he took control of his emotions and gained control of his anger. He turned and took a step in Trin’s direction.
“You never speak to me like that, not in private and not in front of people. I will not tolerate this kind of insubordination.” Wanger slapped Trin across the face with the back of his empty hand. “I created you, and I can destroy you!”
Trin dropped the metal tray she was holding, raised her hands to her eyes and began sobbing. “Why do you have to treat me like this…on my birthday of all days!”
Dr Wanger pointed at her with the hand that held the scalpel. “Don’t you ever talk to me..”
At that moment, Thomas kicked out at Wanger’s back. Dr Wanger fell forward into Trin, the scalpel plunging into the side of her neck. Dark blood began flowing from the wound and Trin fell to the floor. Realizing what he had done, Dr Wanger fell on top of her, trying to cover the wound with his hand.
“NO…Trin…Trin Gren’eys. I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean to do this to you!”
Meanwhile, Thomas had grabbed another scalpel from the shelf next to him. He used it to cut through the binds that held his arms and broke free of his restraints. Before Dr Wanger noticed, Thomas pounced on top of him and slid the scalpel across the front of Wanger’s throat.
“Like I said, you won’t get away with this Wanger!”
Wanger resisted, but blood began pouring from his neck. His breathing grew shallow and the blood began to mix with the air he took in. Soon, his body fell limp on top of Trin.
Madame Sialia turned and began to run out of the room. Thomas released his grip on the Dr Wanger and ran after her.
“Stop there, Sialia! You won’t be able to get away.” Thomas grabbed Sialia’s arm and threw her down to the ground.
“Thomas, it isn’t what you think, I was working undercover.” Sialia pleaded.
“Your wiles won’t work on me anymore. You can save your pleas for the agency.”
Thomas tied Sialia’s arms behind her back with zip strips he carried in his back pocket. He escorted her down the hallway and out of the building. He would return later with a team from the agency to clear this space and ensure that their evil plan had indeed been put to rest.
“AAAAAHHHH!” Thomas let out a scream as the blade cut across his cheek.
“You made an egregious mistake in coming here,” the tall bald man said in a thick German accent as he laid his scalpel on the table beside me. He then took the monocle from his right eye and wiped it with his handkerchief. He then used the handkerchief to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead.
Thomas reached deep into his soul and pushed the pain aside. “You won’t get away with this Wanger. We’re on to you. You can do your worst to me, but your foul plan will never succeed.”
The man released an amused chuckle, replaced his monocle and retrieved the scalpel from the table
***
72 hours earlier:
The sound of the carnival carried through the courtyard. Thomas weaved his way through the crowded area. Off to his left, a man on a podium was yelling to the crowd, trying to lure them in to see the two headed woman. Thomas quickly looked toward the right as a loud pop came from a balloon, popped by a customer’s dart. Reassured that there was no threat, he continued through the crowd.
He ducked into an alley off of the main courtyard. Tents lined the alley, each with games promising large prizes, or other exhibits, each trying to lure in suckers and take their cash.
Thomas passed by all of these, making his way to a storefront behind one of the tents. On the window of the store was a picture of a moon, some stars and a large palm. The sign posted under the picture advertised tarot readings, contacting loved ones from beyond the grave, palm reading, crystal balls, etc. The name of the shop was Madame Sialia’s Psychic Shop.
Thomas opened the door to the shop and stepped inside. As he closed the door, the bells tinkled. He walked into the waiting area and looked at the beaded curtains that hung between him and the reading room. A moment later, Madame Sialia stepped through the beaded curtains and into the room.
“Thomas,” she said with a large smile, “I’m so happy to see you. It has been so long since I’ve seen you.” She pointed at him, in a chastising manner.
Thomas crossed the room toward her and gave her a hug. “Well, what can I say; business hasn’t brought me this way in sometime Madame Sialia. I see you are looking as wonderful as always.”
“So, only business will bring you here? You can’t stop in to see me on your own accord?”
“Well, you know I would, but all I have time for is business. The agency keeps me so busy I don’t have time for anything else.”
Madame Sialia looked at him for a moment, “You really do need to slow down and enjoy life Thomas. Working so hard, it will only kill you. You need to relax and enjoy life a little. How is your wife?”
“She left me three months ago.”
“See what I mean,” Madame Sialia cut him off “No good can come of working yourself so hard. You need to take time for yourself and your family. The agency won’t care if you work yourself to death. They’ll just replace you. Family is what is important.”
“Protecting other people’s families is important too. If I don’t do it, someone else will have to.”
“Listen to you Thomas,” she said as she ran her fingers across his cheek, “always looking out for the good of everyone else.”
Thomas stepped back and looked toward the room behind the curtain, “So, I understand you have a message for me from beyond?”
“Indeed, I do. If you step through here, I can contact the spirits for you”
Madame Sialia stepped over to the doorway and pulled back the curtain. She motioned for Thomas to step through into the room beyond. Once he stepped into the reading room, she walked over to the door to the shop; put up a sign that said closed for lunch and locked the front door. She then walked into the reading room, closing the curtains behind her, then a door.
Thomas was already seated at the table with a long purple tablecloth. On top of the table was a crystal ball. Madame Sialia walked across the room to a small bookcase. She moved her hand over the top of a small box while uttering something incomprehensible. She then opened the box and removed a deck of cards and a small chip from inside a small lock box. She returned to the table and sat on her side. She placed the cards on the table and then reached underneath the tabletop.
Suddenly the crystal ball on the table came to life. There was a slight whoosh of energy and then a purplish light that emanated from the inside of the globe. Madame Sialia looked across the table at Thomas.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“She waved her hand over the top of the ball in a wide gesture. Suddenly, an image appeared before Thomas.”
ULTRA SECRET// H E L I U S //SI
EYES ONLY
2007104R2FZXJB457
FROM: DIRAPSA
TO: PSNI235
SUBJECT: ARES CORP ACTIVITY IN NEW YORK CITY, APRIL 14 2007.
NARRATIVE:
According to reliable sources, the Ares Corporation is planning to conduct a super natural attack in New York City, probably on 17 April. Sources believe that the group will conduct a large scale ritual during a concert in a local park a source inside the Inner Circle of Ares reported that the corporation has recently begun distributing drugs, crack cocaine, in the local black market which has been laced with an unidentified paranormal substance. The source believes that this chemical in the drugs will act as a mind control agent.
BACKGROUND:
The Ares Corporation is located in Manhattan at 254 Madison Ave. The corporation is a front for Nazis who fled Germany after World War II. A group who moved to the United States from Argentina founded the corporation in 1964. The entire board of the company is made up of people from this original group. They also form the Inner Circle of Ares, though there are other members of this group as well.
The Inner Circle of Ares meets in an extra dimensional space called the Inner Sanctum, believed to be located near the Ares Corp. headquarters in Manhattan. The APSA has linked them to past events, including the attempted summoning conducted concurrently with the 9/11/01 attacks in New York City.
Dr Ulrich Wanger currently heads the Ares Inner Circle. He is one of the founding members of the Ares Corp. Wanger was personally involved in attempts to raise Adolph Hitler from the dead in 2005. The group did successfully steal Hitler’s skull from Russia, but we managed to stop them from performing the ritual. We were unable to capture Wanger at that time and he has since eluded the APSA.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
You are to infiltrate the Inner Sanctum. From there, you will attempt to gain information on the drugs that the corporation is currently distributing and the role it will have in this upcoming ritual.
Additionally, you will obtain whatever information you can about this ritual, what its intents are and who will be involved. Everything possible must be done to stop this ritual from taking place. If possible, terminate Dr. Wanger and others involved in the plot.
END REPORT
Thomas looked up from the crystal ball. “Ok,” he said,” I’ve got the information now; you can destroy it. What other information do you have for me?”
Madame Sialia picked up the deck of cards off of the tabletop and began to shuffle through them. She laid the cards out on the table in front of Thomas.
According to satellite imagery, this is the keypad which will give you access into the Inner Sanctum. We have not yet been able to break the code. The pad is located on a walkway near the corner of the building.
Madame Sialia laid out a few ore cards in front of Thomas. “This,” she said as she laid out a card with the picture of a bald man on it, “is Dr Wanger. As the note said, he is the leader of Ares Corp and of the Inner Sanctum. If he is involved in this project as they say, no good can come of it. He generally delegates duties such as these, so this must be big if it is getting him involved.”
Thomas studied the picture of the man. He had heard of Wanger before, and a bit about Ares. He had never personally worked a case involving the corporation before.
“Do you know anything about the raising of Hitler?” he asked her.
“I cannot speak much on that subject Thomas. I was involved, but it is classified beyond what we can discuss here. I will tell you that I’ve felt Hitler’s spirit stirring again. He is gaining power and is looking to make a return. I fear this ritual may be the first step in another attempt to bring him back.”
“Absolutely ludicrous,” Thomas sighed. “Who would be crazy enough to bring that madman back?”
“Dr Wanger has a lot to gain from Hitler’s return, it would be quite a victory for him, both in political and supernatural powers.”
“So, how do I infiltrate this place? We don’t even know if it exists. I certainly can’t just walk in the front door to some extra dimensional space, knock and ask that they let me into their sanctum. It isn’t as if the security guard in the lobby of the building will just buzz me in.”
“You’ll need to travel in disguise Thomas.” Madame Sialia stood up and turned toward her bookcase again. She reached into a small box and returned a few moments later.
“Here,” she said with an outstretched arm. “Take this when you get close to the building. It’ll offer you a disguise, which may make it easy to get into the building. Careful though, it’ll only last for a couple hours.”
Thomas reached out his hand and caught the pill as she dropped it into his palm. “Thanks. I always love your toys. So, you have anything else for me?”
“No Thomas, just be careful. This Dr. Wanger is a dangerous individual. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goal, even if it means the destruction of the human race. He certainly wouldn’t think twice about killing you.”
“Sounds like a charming fellow.” Thomas stood up from the table and reached his hand out to Madame Sialia. “It was a pleasure seeing you again. Stay safe. I’ll do my best to take care of Wanger and these other loonies.”
“Ok,” she said taking his hand. “Be careful Thomas.”
Thomas turned and exited the shop. He had a number of preparations to make before he’d be able to infiltrate the Inner Sanctum.
****
24 Hours later in front of the Ares building:
Thomas exits the subway train and heads toward an exit. He stops at a locker, places a backpack inside, inserts four quarters and removes the orange key. He’ll have to return for his gear later once he reconnoiters the place.
After securing his bag, he heads up the two flights of stairs leading out of the subway tunnel. The large black glass and steel Ares Tower stands in front of him, like a large monolith jutting out from the ground toward the gray sky.
He walked up toward the building and started looking around the perimeter. The sidewalks were crowded with people hustling back and forth to work during the lunch hour. Thomas walked around the courtyard, over toward the walls. He’d need to find the keypad before he could find his way to the inner sanctum. When he got home from Madame Sialia’s place last night, he spent the night studying the keypad in his head, trying to figure out the code to get in. After hours of consideration, he thought he had the answer, but would need to try it to be certain. Of course, if he was lucky, he might be able to just find a way to get around the keypad altogether.
It wasn’t long before Thomas spotted the keypad on the ground. As Madame Sialia had told him, the pad was located near the corner of the building. Thomas was careful when approaching, examining the other bricks of the sidewalk for pressure pads or sensors.
Thomas closed his eyes for a moment. He placed his right hand in the handprint on the left, and then pressed the letters in an order that spelled out an acronym for an old nazi paranormal organization. A moment later, the air around Thomas filled with the smell of ozone. Thomas was about to jump back when the surroundings seemed to flicker in and out, then he had the feeling that he was moving up at a high rate of speed. Thomas looked up from the keypad and saw the floors of the building quickly passing by him. He looked back down and he was already more than 50 feet in the air. Thomas reached into his pocket and took out the pill that Madame Sialia had given to him the previous day.
Just before Thomas could put the pill into his mouth, everything around him went black. The next thing he knew, he was standing in a long hallway with a bright red carpet, black stripes running down each side. Thomas quickly popped the pill into his mouth and choked it down his dry throat.
A strange sensation washed over Thomas. He began sweating and his stomach churned. A moment later, Thomas was knocked to the ground by pain that shot through his spine. He lay in the ground in the fetal position for a few moments, unable to move. Thomas felt his spine arching and his limbs were drawn in towards his body. The next thing he knew, he began shrinking. Moments later, Thomas had taken the form of a rat. His clothes were nowhere to be seen; they probably changed with the magic.
Thomas scurried across the hallway floor, trying to get out of sight of anyone that might walk through the hall. He scrambled into a room adjacent to the hallway. Inside, Thomas found an office. This appeared to be some sort of records room. The office was in pristine condition, whoever kept it was very organized.
Thomas crawled over to a coat rack and crawled up the folds of a long coat that hung on it. Once up the coat, he leapt to a nearby chair, and then up onto the desk. A number of files were piled neatly on the desktop. Thomas began to look at each one, trying to get an idea of what the contents of each were. A large black swastika imprint was on the front of each file folder. The labels on each file were in German.
Thomas used his body to leverage open the first file folder. The name on it said Projekt Aurialus. He quickly glanced over the papers inside the file and it appeared he was in luck. He quickly scanned the files.
These arrogant bastards kept immaculate records of all of their plans, thought Thomas.
They had been selling their version crack on the streets for over a month now. They had put a chemical into mix when cooking it that not only made the drug more addictive, but it also made its users susceptible to mind control. They planned to use the addicts to attack people at the concert in central park on the 17th. The concertgoers as a blood sacrifice in order to an old god in order to gain powers and raise Hitler on his upcoming birthday.
After reading over the papers, Thomas decided to try to find the cooking room, which was also somewhere in this dimensional space. He leapt down onto a chair and from the chair to the floor. Once on the floor, Thomas scampered across the floor and out the door to the hallway.
Thomas decided to look right. He had a vague idea of where the cook room was located, but the report was not very specific. Thomas headed down the hall and turned into another room. Sure enough, this was the room. On the table there were a number of beakers like you’d see in a science classroom. Off on one side, there were a number of rocks, already formed. Thomas climbed up onto a couch that sat along the wall, and leapt over to the table a few feet away. He smelled the white crystalline rock. It had a chemical odor to it, the smell alone made him a bit dizzy.
He needed a way to figure out how to get the rock out of here so he could take it to headquarters and find an antidote in time to thwart the Nazis’ plans. The rock was too big for him to carry in his small paws, and too dangerous to carry in his teeth. Thomas picked up the rock with his front paws and tried to toss it over to the couch. He missed and the rock fell to the ground. He picked up another one and tried again. This time, it landed on the couch.
Thomas leapt back over to the couch. He began pushing the rock toward the end of the couch. Just then the light to the room turned on. Thomas looked up to the door.
Thomas froze in place. Two shapes stood in the doorway. He figured whoever it was, they’d likely mistake him as just a rat. They’d underestimate him and he’d be able to squeak by and foil their plans for domination.
Thomas took a closer look at the two. One was a bald man, wearing a monocle over his right eye, Thomas recognized him immediately as Dr. Wanger. A female stood in front of him, someone he also recognized. It was Madame Sialia; they’d captured her! He couldn’t leave the place without helping her escape.
“See, I told you he’d be here.” Madame Sialia said to Wanger.
Oh no, Thomas thought, She’s given into their torture!
“Wonderful,” Dr Wanger said in his thick German accent, “I do not know what we would do without your help Madame.”
What was this? Was she on the drugs too? What had they done to her?
Madame Sialia moved across the room toward the rat. Thomas tried to jump between the back of the couch and the wall, but he was too big to fit in the tight space. He started to sprint off in the other direction, but it was too late. Madame Sialia scooped him up into her hands and held on tight.
Dr. Wanger waved his arm and a thin waif-like woman came into the room from the hallway. She walked past Wanger, brushing up against him and giving him a sly, sexy grin, the kind of grin only seen in the deep, dark recesses of one’s imagination.
The girl moved to Madame Sialia who was still holding Thomas in a tight grasp. She stepped toward Madame Sialia’s cupped hands, withdrew a syringe from her pocket and stuck it into the rat.
“I always liked you Thomas, but you just couldn’t take a clue.” Madame Sialia’s words were the last thing Thomas heard before losing consciousness.
***
48 Hours and 30 Seconds later:
After adjusting his monocle, Dr Wanger stepped toward Thomas once again.
“We didn’t expect you to sleep so long Thomas,” Wanger said with precision. “The agent had a stronger affect on your rat body than what we had expected. Still, you have woken in time to see our plans come to fruition. You will provide the first blood needed to raise the Führer.”
“And what will your leader think when he sees you cavorting with non-whites?” Thomas asked.
“Thomas, it was never about race, it was about power. The kind of power most men do not know about. You though, you know that power. You have used it to find your way here. Unfortunate for you that no one will be able to track you and come to your rescue.”
As Dr Wanger spoke, Madame Sialia and the dark skinned girl both entered the room.
“And what is it you did to control her?” Thomas asked. “Did you use your drugs to control her mind as well?”
Dr. Wanger chuckled. Before he could respond, Madame Sialia spoke up.
“He didn’t use any drugs, Thomas. Though I guess you could say that psychic power is a hell of a drug. He had more to offer me than the agency. It was as simple as that. I meant what I said though Thomas; I always liked you and wish it didn’t have to end this way.”
“So whom is she asked Thomas, motioning to the dark skinned girl? What has she got to do with all of this?”
“Don’t you worry about her Thomas, she’s nobody.” Said Dr. Wanger.
“I’m nobody?” yelled the girl.
“Trin! This doesn’t concern you; shut your mouth.” Snapped Wanger.
“Shut my mouth? Why do you have to treat me like I’m merely some figment of your imagination you sick little man?”
For just a moment, Dr Wanger’s face flushed bright red, and then with cold, calculated precision, he took control of his emotions and gained control of his anger. He turned and took a step in Trin’s direction.
“You never speak to me like that, not in private and not in front of people. I will not tolerate this kind of insubordination.” Wanger slapped Trin across the face with the back of his empty hand. “I created you, and I can destroy you!”
Trin dropped the metal tray she was holding, raised her hands to her eyes and began sobbing. “Why do you have to treat me like this…on my birthday of all days!”
Dr Wanger pointed at her with the hand that held the scalpel. “Don’t you ever talk to me..”
At that moment, Thomas kicked out at Wanger’s back. Dr Wanger fell forward into Trin, the scalpel plunging into the side of her neck. Dark blood began flowing from the wound and Trin fell to the floor. Realizing what he had done, Dr Wanger fell on top of her, trying to cover the wound with his hand.
“NO…Trin…Trin Gren’eys. I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean to do this to you!”
Meanwhile, Thomas had grabbed another scalpel from the shelf next to him. He used it to cut through the binds that held his arms and broke free of his restraints. Before Dr Wanger noticed, Thomas pounced on top of him and slid the scalpel across the front of Wanger’s throat.
“Like I said, you won’t get away with this Wanger!”
Wanger resisted, but blood began pouring from his neck. His breathing grew shallow and the blood began to mix with the air he took in. Soon, his body fell limp on top of Trin.
Madame Sialia turned and began to run out of the room. Thomas released his grip on the Dr Wanger and ran after her.
“Stop there, Sialia! You won’t be able to get away.” Thomas grabbed Sialia’s arm and threw her down to the ground.
“Thomas, it isn’t what you think, I was working undercover.” Sialia pleaded.
“Your wiles won’t work on me anymore. You can save your pleas for the agency.”
Thomas tied Sialia’s arms behind her back with zip strips he carried in his back pocket. He escorted her down the hallway and out of the building. He would return later with a team from the agency to clear this space and ensure that their evil plan had indeed been put to rest.
yangnome
First Post
[sblock]
OK, dumb story in my opinion and I don't expect it to win the round. I started out wanting to write an over the top Nazi story in a round this competition. From early on, I decided I wanted to include RW and Sialia as characters in my story...or their names at least.
All was in fun and I don't mean to imply that either of them are Nazis in real life. The dark elf on the other hand, well I can't be certain if she was a Nazi or not... I guess I'll let you decide.[/sblock]
OK, dumb story in my opinion and I don't expect it to win the round. I started out wanting to write an over the top Nazi story in a round this competition. From early on, I decided I wanted to include RW and Sialia as characters in my story...or their names at least.
All was in fun and I don't mean to imply that either of them are Nazis in real life. The dark elf on the other hand, well I can't be certain if she was a Nazi or not... I guess I'll let you decide.[/sblock]
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