Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Meta - Forums About Forums
Archive-threads
Ceramic DM autumn '03(final judegment: new ceramic dm champ!)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Piratecat" data-source="post: 1172418" data-attributes="member: 2"><p><strong>Ceramic DM Round #1</strong></p><p><strong>Gregor vs. PirateCat</strong></p><p></p><p>----------------------------------------</p><p></p><p> <em>Thump. Thump. Thump.</em></p><p></p><p>By the time he heard the rhythmic stamping, David Korka already had a reasonably good idea of exactly how much trouble he was in. The wooden floorboards beneath his feet vibrated violently, and Korka braced himself as he wiped the sweat and sea water off his brow with one tired hand. His eyes stung.</p><p></p><p>“Stranger?” The voice was surprisingly high-pitched, in accentless Japanese. “Turn around, stranger. I prefer not to kill you while your back is turned.” </p><p></p><p>Korka sighed, a long and gut-wrenching sigh that eloquently expressed just how bad a weekend he was having. And slowly, reluctantly, he turned to face the person behind him.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>Forty eight hours earlier, he had been seated in the empty cabin of a high tech agency plane bound for Central America. The agent briefing him had been short and squat, her face lined with fatigue. Her cigarette-roughened voice was almost drowned out by the thunder of the plane’s engines. </p><p></p><p>“…when you get there.”</p><p></p><p>Korka strained his ears. “What?”</p><p></p><p>The woman gestured violently with her unlit cigarette, eyes irritated. “Pay attention, Agent Korka. I said you’re on a solo mission, and you shouldn’t expect extensive logistical support when you arrive.”</p><p></p><p>“Where are we headed? No one actually briefed me when I boarded in Mexico City.” The plane pitched in the turbulence, but neither agent noticed.</p><p></p><p>“Placencia, Belize. We’ll land there ostensibly for refueling and errands, and you’ll be smuggled out at the airport. Here’s your necessary ID.” Papers rustled. “Once you’re free of observation, you’ll make your way to Dangriga to investigate a drowned agent.” </p><p></p><p>Korka smiled in eager anticipation, already picturing exotic femme fatales swimming towards him through azure water off of Belize’s coast. “Lighthouse Reef and the Blue Hole again? Sometimes I love this job. I’m always amazed by how much spying goes on in that place. You know, all you have to do is show some evil mastermind a photo of the Blue Hole and he immediately assumes that it’s a perfect location for his undersea lair. Idiots.” Korka chuckled to himself.</p><p></p><p>The senior agent smiled to herself in grim and sadistic satisfaction. “Not this time, Agent. We save those assignments for more experienced operatives. We have something a little more… <em>gritty</em>… for you.” Korka’s face fell. “This time, you’ll be investigating a murder on the mainland. We’ve lost an agent named Anne Pitcairn. She was drowned. We found her washed up on the beach, but it wasn’t sea water that we found in her lungs; it was a mixture of gasoline and fresh water. There were defensive slashes on her hands and forearms.” </p><p></p><p>“So she certainly didn’t drown while taking a midnight swim.” Korka gestured expressively with one hand. </p><p></p><p>“Exactly. You’re to find the place where she was killed and recover her belongings. If someone stole them, track and remove them as necessary. The agency wants her equipment back in friendly hands.”</p><p></p><p>Korka frowned at his Control. “We want her belongings? There’s something you aren’t telling me. This sounds like an amateur job, a simple murder. I’m not yet sure why we’re getting involved.” The other agent nodded slowly.</p><p></p><p>“Pitcairn was one of our scientists recruited from Atlanta’s Center for Disease Control. She was top notch, with brilliant theoretical knowledge and a talent for experimentation and virus design. We pulled her out of the field because she reported that she had developed what could be a deadly new pathogen. Unfortunately, someone else got to her first.” She cleared his throat. “Pitcairn had encrypted data with her, containing all of her notes and research on biological contaminants. When they found her body, the laptop and PDA were both missing. Whether she was killed for that information or not, we want it back before someone else is able to decipher it.”</p><p></p><p>Korka scowled. “Understandable. I hate bioterrorists. Homing beacon in the laptop case?”</p><p></p><p>His Control rolled her eyes. “She had changed the homing code, and hadn’t reported it back. It’s probably listed in the PDA.” </p><p></p><p>Korka laughed despite the noise and the turbulence, and his smile flashed at the challenge. “Then it’s going to be a fun one. Hand me the file, and I’ll get to work. I haven’t had a challenge since Leticia.” He flipped open the manila folder marked SECRET and began learning all about the life and habits of Anne Pitcairn.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>The boy looked up at Korka with wide brown eyes. “This is where it happened, senor. The thing with the girl. The screaming.”</p><p></p><p>Korka’s dark eyes took in the narrow little graveyard. Mostly abandoned, the cemetery was littered with empty beer bottles that lay beneath old crosses painted an odd shade of blue. “Tell me.”</p><p></p><p>“This place is very close to my house. A gang of bad men uses this place to meet. They drink here, and have women with them, and they gamble. Sometimes they fight. My padre used to try and chase them out, but they have cuchillos… knives. They used an empty crypt to hide the gasoline that they steal from the cars of las turistas.” The boy pointed to an above-ground grave, a covered stone box clearly designed to hold a coffin. The boy’s voice dropped, and Korka had to strain to hear it. “They take off the lid and pour it in here, then take it out later for their cars and motorcycles. The policia know, but they do nothing.” A barely concealed smile twitched at the corners of the boy’s mouth. “But <em>somehow</em> the lid to the grave got left off one night while it rained, and all their precious fuel was <em>ruined</em>. Que’ lastima, no? What a shame. I think they were very mad, but they never found out who did it.” The boy’s smile, when it finally appeared, was like the sun emerging from behind dark clouds. “Here. Let me show you this thing.”</p><p> </p><p>Korka grunted as he and the young boy pushed the lid off of the stone crypt. The slab crashed to the ground, and the smell of petroleum rose up to burn into his nostrils. “You weren’t kidding, were you?” he asked in amazement as he ran one finger through the rainbow sheen of the gasoline and rainwater mixture. “Now tell me about the girl.”</p><p></p><p>“It was only a few nights ago, senor. I heard cars and a woman screaming, so I snuck out of my window and ran over. I could see people here! They looked like they were holding her, maybe robbing her? But one of them saw me and I ran.” The boy’s head drooped in shame. “I should have gone to la policia, but I was afraid.”</p><p></p><p>“I’m not surprised, Esteban.” Korka was examining the ground and the edge of the crypt, and his experienced eye picked up a multitude of clues. He studied them carefully. “It looks like they threw her in here, clothes and all, and held her down. Charming. And I’m actually going to have to climb in there.” The agent made an involuntary face as he flicked at the liquid with a forefinger.</p><p></p><p>Esteban’s head snapped up. “No, senor! A woman died in there!”</p><p></p><p>“And she might have dropped something I need. I need to check.”</p><p></p><p>The boy took a big breath. “Then I will search for you. It is my gift to the woman who I should have helped.” Before Korka could get close enough to stop him, the young boy had stripped off his shirt and <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11178" target="_blank">clambered over the side of the crypt.</a> Holding his breath, he sank out of sight into the polluted water. </p><p></p><p>Korka shook his head. “What a helpful little idiot.” The hot equatorial sun beat down on his dark skin, and he wiped sweat from his forehead.</p><p></p><p>Esteban resurfaced thirty seconds later, objects clasped in each hand. “I found something, senor! A purse!”</p><p></p><p>Korka smiled in appreciation. “Esteban, you just earned yourself a bonus on what I’m already paying you. Thank you.” He reached out his hand to take the purse and help the boy from the water. A quick glance into the handbag told him that the PDA was still there. Then a stone clicked behind him, and the hair on the back of Korka’s neck rose in warning. </p><p></p><p>He spun smoothly, putting himself in front of the boy. Five men in their mid-twenties stood before him, clothing ragged and much too tight. Their ugly faces were mocking and cruelly amused. “An’ what do we have here?” asked one of them, a pale skinned thug with a glint in his eye. “A gringo and un nino, poking around where they shouldn’t be. What a shame for them.” The four other gang members began to fan out.</p><p></p><p>Korka smiled carelessly. “I’d like to know why you killed a woman here. I’d like to know who hired you, and why.” The leader’s eyes flickered like a snake, and Korka knew that he had hit paydirt. “We can do this the easy way, and I can pay you for the information. Or we can do it the hard way.” More quietly, he added, “Esteban, go.” Behind him, he heard the boy obey.</p><p></p><p>The leader laughed, a harsh little sound that carried across the graveyard. “The hard way, I think. There are five of us and one of you. Maybe we will be paid a bonus for you. And we’ll come back later to finish off the boy.” The man shook his sleeve, and a long and very sharp knife slid into his hand. He was missing a tooth, and Korka could see the pale thug’s tongue probing the blackened gap like a tiny pink worm every time he tried to be threatening. <em>Amateur,</em> Korka thought, and shrugged.</p><p></p><p>“Your choice.” His right hand dipped into a pocket as his left hand skimmed across the surface of the open crypt, sending a wave of watery gasoline through the air and onto the man with the knife. It soaked him thoroughly, and set him raging.</p><p></p><p>“Hijo de puta! You’re going to die for that!” He rushed forward recklessly, teeth bared. <em>Poke, poke</em> went the tongue.</p><p></p><p>Korka clucked his tongue. “I don’t think so.” He took three steps forward and one to the side as he used his left hand to evade the knife thrust. At the same time he brought his right fist smoothly across the attacker’s body. A tiny sound like the grinding of stones came from his hand. <em>Cha-Click.</em></p><p></p><p>“What?” The thug looked confused.</p><p></p><p>Korka smiled helpfully and held up the object in his hand. “It’s a cigarette lighter,” he said. “Didn’t you know? Smoking can kill you.” He flipped the top of the lit lighter closed, even as gasoline-fueled flames blossomed from the knife wielder’s clothing with a dull <em>whump</em>. </p><p></p><p>The burning man screamed and turned, leaping past Korka’s shadow for the dark stone floor of a nearby crypt. <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11179" target="_blank">One of his friends reached out a hand</a> to help pull him to safety. The forgotten knife clattered on flagstones.</p><p></p><p>“Bastard!” Another gang member started for Korka, but reeled back as soon as he realized that a snub-nosed pistol had appeared in the agent’s clenched hand. </p><p></p><p>“Have a seat, boys, as soon as you put out your friend.” Korka settled himself on the edge of the crypt. His voice was very sincere. “We have a lot to talk about and not much time for pleasantries.”</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>“You’ve found it?” Korka sipped the martini with his eyes shut, and grinned happily; just how he liked it. Under him, the agency plane taxied for takeoff.</p><p></p><p>“We have.” His Control sat down beside him and dropped a file on his lap. “The PDA had the homing code, and the satellite has picked it up. Pitcairn’s laptop is on a small island not far from Japan. Those thugs you met apparently were hired by a reclusive Japanese millionaire named Yee.”</p><p></p><p>“Why’d he want it?”</p><p></p><p>“Not he. She.” The agent <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11180" target="_blank">dropped a photo</a> onto Korka’s lap, and Korka raised unbelieving eyes to his Control’s face.</p><p></p><p>“A female sumo wrestler? You’re kidding. Tell me you’re kidding.” </p><p></p><p>The agent shook her head. “Nope. She’s retired. Inherited millions of dollars from her father, bought her own island. Apparently she’s reclusive and hostile. In any case, we now have reasonable proof that she paid to acquire this information on infectious diseases. Lord knows what she’s planning, but you’re going to find out.”</p><p></p><p>Korka snorted sarcastically. “Because an occidental black man is going to fit in so well in Japan. Why not let our Asian operatives handle it?”</p><p></p><p>His Control smiled. “Secrecy; the fewer people who know, the better. Anyways, you always manage to find a way. That’s why you work for us.” </p><p></p><p>“Flatterer. Any instructions?”</p><p></p><p>“You’ll need to infiltrate the island, which is smack in the middle of an avian wildlife sanctuary. It’ll be tricky; shallow seas and abundant radar, so no easy way to approach by land, sea or air. I’m sure you’ll come up with something.” She dropped another file on the seat next to him, and left him to prepare.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p><em>So, this is something.</em> Korka rolled his eyes as he removed the knife from the sniper’s back, and paused to pick a leech off of his arm. <em>A nice set-up here. No one allowed near due to the endangered storks, water too shallow for easy scuba diving, both radar and sonar stations, and a whole ring of snipers guarding the island’s perimeter. Yee may be the size of a hippo, but she’s got some brains in her – and she’s protecting something important.</em> Silently, Korka propped the sniper back in a life-like pose and slipped from the raft <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11177" target="_blank">back into the shallow water.</a> He readjusted the stork mask on his head. <em>But all they see all day is storks. They expect to see storks. And that makes it a lot easier for me.</em> Cautiously, Korka resumed his swim for the nearby shore, the protective coloration of his realistic stork mask the only thing visible to observers.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>Infiltrating the sumo wrestler’s complex was even more difficult. Despite being built somewhat in a traditional Japanese architectural style, the place was alive with armed guards, electronic security, guard dogs, and even a tiny henchman who thought he was a ninja – Korka had run the whole gauntlet, and so far he had prevailed. He had found the bioterrorism lab and jiggered the locks, then tossed a couple of sleeping gas grenades into the sealed ventilation system. He had dumped the computer core and burned the backup tapes with thermite. The only task left was to retrieve the encrypted laptop itself, and so he found himself climbing four stories of bamboo stairs up into Yee’s personal quarters. He had been so stealthy, so careful…</p><p></p><p><em>Thump. Thump. Thump.</em></p><p></p><p>Korka turned around. Yee stood before him, crouched in the traditional sumo crouch, feet stamping the wooden floor. She was wearing full Kevlar body armor over her sumo garb. Behind her, Korka could see the laptop open on a table. </p><p></p><p>Korka groaned. “I don’t suppose you’d like to talk about it?”</p><p></p><p><em>Thump. Thump.</em> Her feet pounded the floor, making the structure shake. “I’ve just gotten off the radio. It seems as if you’ve managed to disabled my entire operation in less than an hour, and I never even noticed. I have great respect for you, stranger. Now you will have to die.” She eyed him. “I’m fairly sure that I can crush you like a bug.” Privately, Korka had to agree.</p><p></p><p>“What’s your problem, anyways? You’ve got - or rather, you had - an entire bioterrorism lab here. You had a decent woman killed in order to steal her research on diseases. This isn’t exactly a normal hobby.” Korka eyed her sumo gear. “Not that you’re necessarily into normal hobbies, mind you.”</p><p></p><p>“Revenge is a wonderful motive. You have no idea how – ”</p><p></p><p>“Blah, blah, blah. You know, I’ve seen all the James Bond movies. I’ve heard all that, and it doesn’t ring true. The real world is more complex. There are consequences for actions.” Korka used the machine gun that he’d taken from a guard to let off an ear-rattling burst of gun-fire, raking the bullets back and forth across the wooden floor to make a dark line of bullet holes. Cartridges twisted and spun as they leaped from the gun. </p><p></p><p>“This is your last chance, lady. Stay where you are, surrender and face justice. Cross that line, and I’ll have to kill you.”</p><p></p><p>Yee smiled coldly. “Goodbye, assassin.” Four hundred and fifty pounds of muscle rushed forwards towards him, inexorably –</p><p></p><p>And as Yee crossed the line Korka had made in the floor, the bullet-riddled boards snapped and parted under her weight. She plummeted downwards, screaming as loudly as the snapping wooden planks. Korka listened as she hit the floor below, fell through, hit the floor below, fell through that as well, and finally hit the distant ground. The noise was indescribable.</p><p></p><p>“Warned you,” said Korka out loud, and maneuvered his way around the unstable flooring to pick up the stolen laptop. Some people never learned.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Piratecat, post: 1172418, member: 2"] [b]Ceramic DM Round #1 Gregor vs. PirateCat[/b] ---------------------------------------- [i]Thump. Thump. Thump.[/i] By the time he heard the rhythmic stamping, David Korka already had a reasonably good idea of exactly how much trouble he was in. The wooden floorboards beneath his feet vibrated violently, and Korka braced himself as he wiped the sweat and sea water off his brow with one tired hand. His eyes stung. “Stranger?” The voice was surprisingly high-pitched, in accentless Japanese. “Turn around, stranger. I prefer not to kill you while your back is turned.” Korka sighed, a long and gut-wrenching sigh that eloquently expressed just how bad a weekend he was having. And slowly, reluctantly, he turned to face the person behind him. * * * Forty eight hours earlier, he had been seated in the empty cabin of a high tech agency plane bound for Central America. The agent briefing him had been short and squat, her face lined with fatigue. Her cigarette-roughened voice was almost drowned out by the thunder of the plane’s engines. “…when you get there.” Korka strained his ears. “What?” The woman gestured violently with her unlit cigarette, eyes irritated. “Pay attention, Agent Korka. I said you’re on a solo mission, and you shouldn’t expect extensive logistical support when you arrive.” “Where are we headed? No one actually briefed me when I boarded in Mexico City.” The plane pitched in the turbulence, but neither agent noticed. “Placencia, Belize. We’ll land there ostensibly for refueling and errands, and you’ll be smuggled out at the airport. Here’s your necessary ID.” Papers rustled. “Once you’re free of observation, you’ll make your way to Dangriga to investigate a drowned agent.” Korka smiled in eager anticipation, already picturing exotic femme fatales swimming towards him through azure water off of Belize’s coast. “Lighthouse Reef and the Blue Hole again? Sometimes I love this job. I’m always amazed by how much spying goes on in that place. You know, all you have to do is show some evil mastermind a photo of the Blue Hole and he immediately assumes that it’s a perfect location for his undersea lair. Idiots.” Korka chuckled to himself. The senior agent smiled to herself in grim and sadistic satisfaction. “Not this time, Agent. We save those assignments for more experienced operatives. We have something a little more… [i]gritty[/i]… for you.” Korka’s face fell. “This time, you’ll be investigating a murder on the mainland. We’ve lost an agent named Anne Pitcairn. She was drowned. We found her washed up on the beach, but it wasn’t sea water that we found in her lungs; it was a mixture of gasoline and fresh water. There were defensive slashes on her hands and forearms.” “So she certainly didn’t drown while taking a midnight swim.” Korka gestured expressively with one hand. “Exactly. You’re to find the place where she was killed and recover her belongings. If someone stole them, track and remove them as necessary. The agency wants her equipment back in friendly hands.” Korka frowned at his Control. “We want her belongings? There’s something you aren’t telling me. This sounds like an amateur job, a simple murder. I’m not yet sure why we’re getting involved.” The other agent nodded slowly. “Pitcairn was one of our scientists recruited from Atlanta’s Center for Disease Control. She was top notch, with brilliant theoretical knowledge and a talent for experimentation and virus design. We pulled her out of the field because she reported that she had developed what could be a deadly new pathogen. Unfortunately, someone else got to her first.” She cleared his throat. “Pitcairn had encrypted data with her, containing all of her notes and research on biological contaminants. When they found her body, the laptop and PDA were both missing. Whether she was killed for that information or not, we want it back before someone else is able to decipher it.” Korka scowled. “Understandable. I hate bioterrorists. Homing beacon in the laptop case?” His Control rolled her eyes. “She had changed the homing code, and hadn’t reported it back. It’s probably listed in the PDA.” Korka laughed despite the noise and the turbulence, and his smile flashed at the challenge. “Then it’s going to be a fun one. Hand me the file, and I’ll get to work. I haven’t had a challenge since Leticia.” He flipped open the manila folder marked SECRET and began learning all about the life and habits of Anne Pitcairn. * * * The boy looked up at Korka with wide brown eyes. “This is where it happened, senor. The thing with the girl. The screaming.” Korka’s dark eyes took in the narrow little graveyard. Mostly abandoned, the cemetery was littered with empty beer bottles that lay beneath old crosses painted an odd shade of blue. “Tell me.” “This place is very close to my house. A gang of bad men uses this place to meet. They drink here, and have women with them, and they gamble. Sometimes they fight. My padre used to try and chase them out, but they have cuchillos… knives. They used an empty crypt to hide the gasoline that they steal from the cars of las turistas.” The boy pointed to an above-ground grave, a covered stone box clearly designed to hold a coffin. The boy’s voice dropped, and Korka had to strain to hear it. “They take off the lid and pour it in here, then take it out later for their cars and motorcycles. The policia know, but they do nothing.” A barely concealed smile twitched at the corners of the boy’s mouth. “But [i]somehow[/i] the lid to the grave got left off one night while it rained, and all their precious fuel was [i]ruined[/i]. Que’ lastima, no? What a shame. I think they were very mad, but they never found out who did it.” The boy’s smile, when it finally appeared, was like the sun emerging from behind dark clouds. “Here. Let me show you this thing.” Korka grunted as he and the young boy pushed the lid off of the stone crypt. The slab crashed to the ground, and the smell of petroleum rose up to burn into his nostrils. “You weren’t kidding, were you?” he asked in amazement as he ran one finger through the rainbow sheen of the gasoline and rainwater mixture. “Now tell me about the girl.” “It was only a few nights ago, senor. I heard cars and a woman screaming, so I snuck out of my window and ran over. I could see people here! They looked like they were holding her, maybe robbing her? But one of them saw me and I ran.” The boy’s head drooped in shame. “I should have gone to la policia, but I was afraid.” “I’m not surprised, Esteban.” Korka was examining the ground and the edge of the crypt, and his experienced eye picked up a multitude of clues. He studied them carefully. “It looks like they threw her in here, clothes and all, and held her down. Charming. And I’m actually going to have to climb in there.” The agent made an involuntary face as he flicked at the liquid with a forefinger. Esteban’s head snapped up. “No, senor! A woman died in there!” “And she might have dropped something I need. I need to check.” The boy took a big breath. “Then I will search for you. It is my gift to the woman who I should have helped.” Before Korka could get close enough to stop him, the young boy had stripped off his shirt and [url=http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11178]clambered over the side of the crypt.[/url] Holding his breath, he sank out of sight into the polluted water. Korka shook his head. “What a helpful little idiot.” The hot equatorial sun beat down on his dark skin, and he wiped sweat from his forehead. Esteban resurfaced thirty seconds later, objects clasped in each hand. “I found something, senor! A purse!” Korka smiled in appreciation. “Esteban, you just earned yourself a bonus on what I’m already paying you. Thank you.” He reached out his hand to take the purse and help the boy from the water. A quick glance into the handbag told him that the PDA was still there. Then a stone clicked behind him, and the hair on the back of Korka’s neck rose in warning. He spun smoothly, putting himself in front of the boy. Five men in their mid-twenties stood before him, clothing ragged and much too tight. Their ugly faces were mocking and cruelly amused. “An’ what do we have here?” asked one of them, a pale skinned thug with a glint in his eye. “A gringo and un nino, poking around where they shouldn’t be. What a shame for them.” The four other gang members began to fan out. Korka smiled carelessly. “I’d like to know why you killed a woman here. I’d like to know who hired you, and why.” The leader’s eyes flickered like a snake, and Korka knew that he had hit paydirt. “We can do this the easy way, and I can pay you for the information. Or we can do it the hard way.” More quietly, he added, “Esteban, go.” Behind him, he heard the boy obey. The leader laughed, a harsh little sound that carried across the graveyard. “The hard way, I think. There are five of us and one of you. Maybe we will be paid a bonus for you. And we’ll come back later to finish off the boy.” The man shook his sleeve, and a long and very sharp knife slid into his hand. He was missing a tooth, and Korka could see the pale thug’s tongue probing the blackened gap like a tiny pink worm every time he tried to be threatening. [i]Amateur,[/i] Korka thought, and shrugged. “Your choice.” His right hand dipped into a pocket as his left hand skimmed across the surface of the open crypt, sending a wave of watery gasoline through the air and onto the man with the knife. It soaked him thoroughly, and set him raging. “Hijo de puta! You’re going to die for that!” He rushed forward recklessly, teeth bared. [i]Poke, poke[/i] went the tongue. Korka clucked his tongue. “I don’t think so.” He took three steps forward and one to the side as he used his left hand to evade the knife thrust. At the same time he brought his right fist smoothly across the attacker’s body. A tiny sound like the grinding of stones came from his hand. [i]Cha-Click.[/i] “What?” The thug looked confused. Korka smiled helpfully and held up the object in his hand. “It’s a cigarette lighter,” he said. “Didn’t you know? Smoking can kill you.” He flipped the top of the lit lighter closed, even as gasoline-fueled flames blossomed from the knife wielder’s clothing with a dull [i]whump[/i]. The burning man screamed and turned, leaping past Korka’s shadow for the dark stone floor of a nearby crypt. [url=http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11179]One of his friends reached out a hand[/url] to help pull him to safety. The forgotten knife clattered on flagstones. “Bastard!” Another gang member started for Korka, but reeled back as soon as he realized that a snub-nosed pistol had appeared in the agent’s clenched hand. “Have a seat, boys, as soon as you put out your friend.” Korka settled himself on the edge of the crypt. His voice was very sincere. “We have a lot to talk about and not much time for pleasantries.” * * * “You’ve found it?” Korka sipped the martini with his eyes shut, and grinned happily; just how he liked it. Under him, the agency plane taxied for takeoff. “We have.” His Control sat down beside him and dropped a file on his lap. “The PDA had the homing code, and the satellite has picked it up. Pitcairn’s laptop is on a small island not far from Japan. Those thugs you met apparently were hired by a reclusive Japanese millionaire named Yee.” “Why’d he want it?” “Not he. She.” The agent [url=http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11180]dropped a photo[/url] onto Korka’s lap, and Korka raised unbelieving eyes to his Control’s face. “A female sumo wrestler? You’re kidding. Tell me you’re kidding.” The agent shook her head. “Nope. She’s retired. Inherited millions of dollars from her father, bought her own island. Apparently she’s reclusive and hostile. In any case, we now have reasonable proof that she paid to acquire this information on infectious diseases. Lord knows what she’s planning, but you’re going to find out.” Korka snorted sarcastically. “Because an occidental black man is going to fit in so well in Japan. Why not let our Asian operatives handle it?” His Control smiled. “Secrecy; the fewer people who know, the better. Anyways, you always manage to find a way. That’s why you work for us.” “Flatterer. Any instructions?” “You’ll need to infiltrate the island, which is smack in the middle of an avian wildlife sanctuary. It’ll be tricky; shallow seas and abundant radar, so no easy way to approach by land, sea or air. I’m sure you’ll come up with something.” She dropped another file on the seat next to him, and left him to prepare. * * * [i]So, this is something.[/i] Korka rolled his eyes as he removed the knife from the sniper’s back, and paused to pick a leech off of his arm. [i]A nice set-up here. No one allowed near due to the endangered storks, water too shallow for easy scuba diving, both radar and sonar stations, and a whole ring of snipers guarding the island’s perimeter. Yee may be the size of a hippo, but she’s got some brains in her – and she’s protecting something important.[/i] Silently, Korka propped the sniper back in a life-like pose and slipped from the raft [url=http://www.enworld.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11177]back into the shallow water.[/url] He readjusted the stork mask on his head. [i]But all they see all day is storks. They expect to see storks. And that makes it a lot easier for me.[/i] Cautiously, Korka resumed his swim for the nearby shore, the protective coloration of his realistic stork mask the only thing visible to observers. * * * Infiltrating the sumo wrestler’s complex was even more difficult. Despite being built somewhat in a traditional Japanese architectural style, the place was alive with armed guards, electronic security, guard dogs, and even a tiny henchman who thought he was a ninja – Korka had run the whole gauntlet, and so far he had prevailed. He had found the bioterrorism lab and jiggered the locks, then tossed a couple of sleeping gas grenades into the sealed ventilation system. He had dumped the computer core and burned the backup tapes with thermite. The only task left was to retrieve the encrypted laptop itself, and so he found himself climbing four stories of bamboo stairs up into Yee’s personal quarters. He had been so stealthy, so careful… [i]Thump. Thump. Thump.[/i] Korka turned around. Yee stood before him, crouched in the traditional sumo crouch, feet stamping the wooden floor. She was wearing full Kevlar body armor over her sumo garb. Behind her, Korka could see the laptop open on a table. Korka groaned. “I don’t suppose you’d like to talk about it?” [i]Thump. Thump.[/i] Her feet pounded the floor, making the structure shake. “I’ve just gotten off the radio. It seems as if you’ve managed to disabled my entire operation in less than an hour, and I never even noticed. I have great respect for you, stranger. Now you will have to die.” She eyed him. “I’m fairly sure that I can crush you like a bug.” Privately, Korka had to agree. “What’s your problem, anyways? You’ve got - or rather, you had - an entire bioterrorism lab here. You had a decent woman killed in order to steal her research on diseases. This isn’t exactly a normal hobby.” Korka eyed her sumo gear. “Not that you’re necessarily into normal hobbies, mind you.” “Revenge is a wonderful motive. You have no idea how – ” “Blah, blah, blah. You know, I’ve seen all the James Bond movies. I’ve heard all that, and it doesn’t ring true. The real world is more complex. There are consequences for actions.” Korka used the machine gun that he’d taken from a guard to let off an ear-rattling burst of gun-fire, raking the bullets back and forth across the wooden floor to make a dark line of bullet holes. Cartridges twisted and spun as they leaped from the gun. “This is your last chance, lady. Stay where you are, surrender and face justice. Cross that line, and I’ll have to kill you.” Yee smiled coldly. “Goodbye, assassin.” Four hundred and fifty pounds of muscle rushed forwards towards him, inexorably – And as Yee crossed the line Korka had made in the floor, the bullet-riddled boards snapped and parted under her weight. She plummeted downwards, screaming as loudly as the snapping wooden planks. Korka listened as she hit the floor below, fell through, hit the floor below, fell through that as well, and finally hit the distant ground. The noise was indescribable. “Warned you,” said Korka out loud, and maneuvered his way around the unstable flooring to pick up the stolen laptop. Some people never learned. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Meta - Forums About Forums
Archive-threads
Ceramic DM autumn '03(final judegment: new ceramic dm champ!)
Top