Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 5031381" data-attributes="member: 3285">No Pain, No Gain: Conclusion&quot;What the HELL is wrong with you?&quot; shouted Hammer.&quot;Be quiet,&quot; said Jim-Bean nervously, &quot;or she might hear you.&quot; One second into Armbruster's feeding time and they were arguing.&nbsp; Hammer had been steamed all day.&quot;Hear me?&quot; asked Hammer.&nbsp; &quot;Hear me?&nbsp; That's pretty mild compared to what you did with her!&quot;&quot;I didn't!&quot; Jim-Bean sputtered.&nbsp; &quot;I mean, I did but…I wasn't myself!&quot;&quot;She drugged you,&quot; said Archive, giving Jim-Bean a way out.&quot;Yes!&nbsp; No! I don't know!&quot;&nbsp; Jim-Bean rubbed his temple.&nbsp; &quot;She looked different to me then.&nbsp; She gives off this…this vibe, it's hard to explain.&quot;&quot;Don't explain it,&quot; snarled Hammer.&nbsp; &quot;Ever.&nbsp; Do you have any idea what Sprague's going to do to us?&nbsp; Or to her?&quot;Jim-Bean froze.&nbsp; Although the skittering noise was still audible, Armbruster was standing at the opening.&nbsp; They weren't sure how much she had heard.&quot;Jimmy,&quot; she said softly.&nbsp; &quot;I'd like to take a walk with you if you don't mind.&quot;All the saliva in Jim-Bean's throat evaporated.&nbsp; He rose to his feet.&nbsp; &quot;Okay.&quot;&quot;Willie, stay,&quot; said Armbruster to the monstrous dog.&nbsp; &quot;Sit.&nbsp; Guard.&quot;The dog chuffed but landed on its haunches, looking back over its shoulder at the agents' sleeping quarters.Armbruster made her way over to the huge boulder and, with some effort, lifted it out of the way.&nbsp; Sunlight streamed in through the opening.&nbsp; Jim-Bean almost cried – it felt as if it had been years since he'd seen the light of day.After they made their way outside, Armbruster shoved the boulder back into place.Holding his hand in a firm grip, Armbruster led Jim-Bean out into the sunlight. &quot;It's Sunday,&quot; she said, smiling towards the sky.&nbsp; &quot;No mailmen or deliverymen. Normally I let Willie pick up the mail and packages for me, but today is special.&quot;Armbruster led him over to a ravine, and more importantly, let go of his hand. She began carefully piling up boulders in a pyramid-like formation.Jim-Bean tried to probe her mind again.&nbsp; If he could get a grip on her subconscious…But no.&nbsp; She seemed oddly resistant to any psychic influence.&nbsp; Maybe she was right, maybe they really had more in common than he realized.The thought fled Jim-Bean's mind as the rhythmic thump of hushed helicopter blades reached his ears.&nbsp; It echoed throughout the ravine.&nbsp; In the distance, Jim-Bean could hear Willie howling.&nbsp; &quot;Jenny, look…that's them.&nbsp; That's the men I talked to you about.&quot;Jenny piled another boulder the size of Jim-Bean's head.&nbsp; THUMP. &quot;I know,&quot; she said quietly. &quot;These are the men who keep you on a tight leash.&quot;Jim-Bean bit his lip.&nbsp; He had told her too much.&nbsp; &quot;Yes, that's true.&nbsp; But listen…&quot;Larry's voice came bellowed through a bullhorn as one of the choppers buzzed the area. He was visible next to Bill, who was manning a heavy machinegun aimed at them.&nbsp; There were three more choppers flying in formation around them.&nbsp; &quot;Put your weapons down and come out with your hands up!&nbsp; This is your only warning!&quot;&quot;It's too bad, you know,&quot; said Armbruster, piling another heavy boulder.&nbsp; THUMP.&nbsp; &quot;I'll survive.&nbsp; And I'm pretty sure you'll survive.&nbsp; But your friends will die.&nbsp; And poor Willie…&quot;&quot;But think of the babies!&quot; said Jim-Bean, increasingly desperate.&nbsp; &quot;Do you want to risk harm to them?&quot;Armbruster paused.&nbsp; &quot;I don't know if I want our children to live in a world like this.&quot; Then she resumed building the rock pile.Simultaneously, Jim-Bean reached a tendril of thought towards Agent Larry, Warner's top man:&nbsp; Larry, listen to me.&nbsp; When I say now, you open fire with everything you've got.&nbsp; Do you understand me?If Larry was startled by the telepathic contact, Jim-Bean wasn't able to see it.&nbsp; The chopper whizzed by for another pass.&quot;It's a shame,&quot; said Armbruster.&nbsp; &quot;I never got to say goodbye to Nolly.&quot;Nolly!&nbsp; The name rang a bell…&quot;Nolly?&nbsp; Noelle?&nbsp; Noelle Rand?&quot;Armbruster held a boulder in each hand, hefting the weight.&nbsp; Jim-Bean knew they would be used as shot-puts to deadly effect.&nbsp; &quot;Yes.&nbsp; Did you know her?&quot;&quot;Yes!&quot; said Jim-Bean.&nbsp; &quot;She's with our people!&nbsp; She's safe!&quot;Armbruster dropped the boulders and, kneeling down to face him, roughly gripped him by both shoulders.&nbsp; &quot;You don't have to lie to me, honey.&nbsp; I know you're trying to protect my feelings, but I need to know the truth.&quot;Jim-Bean stared into her huge eyes. He noticed for the first time that they were green. The thrum of the helicopters thumped an urgent staccato beat.&quot;Okay.&nbsp; The truth: Noelle was originally a photographer for Full Wilderness' eco-magazine, The Ecotopian, right?&quot;Armbruster's grip softened.&nbsp; &quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;She was lured away into the Sisterhood of New Potential, the cult that venerates you.&nbsp; We found…we found her body in an abandoned YMCA.&nbsp; The corpse was deformed…we found Mother's Milk at her apartment.&quot;Armbruster's arms dropped.&nbsp; &quot;She was injecting Mother's Milk, using it like steroids, trying to follow in my footsteps.&nbsp; But it doesn't work the same for everybody.&quot; Her head drooped. &quot;Oh, Nolly.&nbsp; Nolly, Nolly, I told you not to get involved.&quot;&quot;All along I thought you were the cult leader,&quot; said Jim-Bean rapidly.&nbsp; &quot;But now I realize what was happening – Cynthia Dexter was leading the cult and keeping you isolated.&quot;Armbruster shook her head sadly.&nbsp; &quot;She wanted leverage over me, her high priestess. Dexter was manipulating me all this time.&quot;&nbsp; She looked up at the choppers circling, tears in her eyes.&nbsp; &quot;I'll make her pay for this.&quot;&quot;She's dead, Jenny,&quot; said Jim-Bean.&nbsp; &quot;We killed her.&quot;Armbruster rose to her feet.&nbsp; &quot;Then I will take down the legacy she left behind.&quot;The choppers were hovering, all four chain-fed machineguns pointed at them.&nbsp; Jim-Bean dove for cover as he psychically blasted just one word to Larry: NOW!Nothing happened.&nbsp; Jim-Bean looked up from the ground, hands over his head. A STREETSWEEPER team in biohazard suits accompanied by heavily armed agents advanced on her.&nbsp; Armbruster put her hands up.Jim-Bean stood up as Larry passed.&nbsp; &quot;You're arresting her?&nbsp; Why didn't you shoot?&quot;Larry shot Jim-Bean a grin.&nbsp; &quot;Are you kidding me?&nbsp; She's the find of a century!&nbsp; Warner's going to LOVE this!&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="talien, post: 5031381, member: 3285"] [b]No Pain, No Gain: Conclusion[/b] "What the HELL is wrong with you?" shouted Hammer. "Be quiet," said Jim-Bean nervously, "or she might hear you." One second into Armbruster's feeding time and they were arguing. Hammer had been steamed all day. "Hear me?" asked Hammer. "Hear me? That's pretty mild compared to what you did with her!" "I didn't!" Jim-Bean sputtered. "I mean, I did but…I wasn't myself!" "She drugged you," said Archive, giving Jim-Bean a way out. "Yes! No! I don't know!" Jim-Bean rubbed his temple. "She looked different to me then. She gives off this…this vibe, it's hard to explain." "Don't explain it," snarled Hammer. "Ever. Do you have any idea what Sprague's going to do to us? Or to her?" Jim-Bean froze. Although the skittering noise was still audible, Armbruster was standing at the opening. They weren't sure how much she had heard. "[FONT="Impact"]Jimmy,[/FONT]" she said softly. "[FONT="Impact"]I'd like to take a walk with you if you don't mind.[/FONT]" All the saliva in Jim-Bean's throat evaporated. He rose to his feet. "Okay." "[FONT="Impact"]Willie, stay,[/FONT]" said Armbruster to the monstrous dog. "[FONT="Impact"]Sit. Guard.[/FONT]" The dog chuffed but landed on its haunches, looking back over its shoulder at the agents' sleeping quarters. Armbruster made her way over to the huge boulder and, with some effort, lifted it out of the way. Sunlight streamed in through the opening. Jim-Bean almost cried – it felt as if it had been years since he'd seen the light of day. After they made their way outside, Armbruster shoved the boulder back into place. Holding his hand in a firm grip, Armbruster led Jim-Bean out into the sunlight. "[FONT="Impact"]It's Sunday,[/FONT]" she said, smiling towards the sky. "[FONT="Impact"]No mailmen or deliverymen. Normally I let Willie pick up the mail and packages for me, but today is special.[/FONT]" Armbruster led him over to a ravine, and more importantly, let go of his hand. She began carefully piling up boulders in a pyramid-like formation. Jim-Bean tried to probe her mind again. If he could get a grip on her subconscious… But no. She seemed oddly resistant to any psychic influence. Maybe she was right, maybe they really had more in common than he realized. The thought fled Jim-Bean's mind as the rhythmic thump of hushed helicopter blades reached his ears. It echoed throughout the ravine. In the distance, Jim-Bean could hear Willie howling. "Jenny, look…that's them. That's the men I talked to you about." Jenny piled another boulder the size of Jim-Bean's head. THUMP. "[FONT="Impact"]I know,[/FONT]" she said quietly. "[FONT="Impact"]These are the men who keep you on a tight leash.[/FONT]" Jim-Bean bit his lip. He had told her too much. "Yes, that's true. But listen…" Larry's voice came bellowed through a bullhorn as one of the choppers buzzed the area. He was visible next to Bill, who was manning a heavy machinegun aimed at them. There were three more choppers flying in formation around them. "Put your weapons down and come out with your hands up! This is your only warning!" "[FONT="Impact"]It's too bad, you know,[/FONT]" said Armbruster, piling another heavy boulder. THUMP. "[FONT="Impact"]I'll survive. And I'm pretty sure you'll survive. But your friends will die. And poor Willie…[/FONT]" "But think of the babies!" said Jim-Bean, increasingly desperate. "Do you want to risk harm to them?" Armbruster paused. "[FONT="Impact"]I don't know if I want our children to live in a world like this.[/FONT]" Then she resumed building the rock pile. Simultaneously, Jim-Bean reached a tendril of thought towards Agent Larry, Warner's top man: [I]Larry, listen to me. When I say now, you open fire with everything you've got. Do you understand me?[/I] If Larry was startled by the telepathic contact, Jim-Bean wasn't able to see it. The chopper whizzed by for another pass. "[FONT="Impact"]It's a shame,[/FONT]" said Armbruster. "[FONT="Impact"]I never got to say goodbye to Nolly.[/FONT]" Nolly! The name rang a bell… "Nolly? Noelle? Noelle Rand?" Armbruster held a boulder in each hand, hefting the weight. Jim-Bean knew they would be used as shot-puts to deadly effect. "[FONT="Impact"]Yes. Did you know her?[/FONT]" "Yes!" said Jim-Bean. "She's with our people! She's safe!" Armbruster dropped the boulders and, kneeling down to face him, roughly gripped him by both shoulders. "[FONT="Impact"]You don't have to lie to me, honey. I know you're trying to protect my feelings, but I need to know the truth.[/FONT]" Jim-Bean stared into her huge eyes. He noticed for the first time that they were green. The thrum of the helicopters thumped an urgent staccato beat. "Okay. The truth: Noelle was originally a photographer for Full Wilderness' eco-magazine, The Ecotopian, right?" Armbruster's grip softened. "[FONT="Impact"]Yes.[/FONT]" "She was lured away into the Sisterhood of New Potential, the cult that venerates you. We found…we found her body in an abandoned YMCA. The corpse was deformed…we found Mother's Milk at her apartment." Armbruster's arms dropped. "[FONT="Impact"]She was injecting Mother's Milk, using it like steroids, trying to follow in my footsteps. But it doesn't work the same for everybody.[/FONT]" Her head drooped. "[FONT="Impact"]Oh, Nolly. Nolly, Nolly, I told you not to get involved.[/FONT]" "All along I thought you were the cult leader," said Jim-Bean rapidly. "But now I realize what was happening – Cynthia Dexter was leading the cult and keeping you isolated." Armbruster shook her head sadly. "[FONT="Impact"]She wanted leverage over me, her high priestess. Dexter was manipulating me all this time.[/FONT]" She looked up at the choppers circling, tears in her eyes. "[FONT="Impact"]I'll make her pay for this.[/FONT]" "She's dead, Jenny," said Jim-Bean. "We killed her." Armbruster rose to her feet. "[FONT="Impact"]Then I will take down the legacy she left behind.[/FONT]" The choppers were hovering, all four chain-fed machineguns pointed at them. Jim-Bean dove for cover as he psychically blasted just one word to Larry: [I]NOW![/I] Nothing happened. Jim-Bean looked up from the ground, hands over his head. A STREETSWEEPER team in biohazard suits accompanied by heavily armed agents advanced on her. Armbruster put her hands up. Jim-Bean stood up as Larry passed. "You're arresting her? Why didn't you shoot?" Larry shot Jim-Bean a grin. "Are you kidding me? She's the find of a century! Warner's going to LOVE this!" [/QUOTE]

Verification