Solitaire - Trodenhiem
From Xinda
|
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
The First Part of this series, that explores the inner workings of Trodenhiem and its sinister past with genetic experiments. It also introduces many new characters as well as developing those already known to Liberalia's RP circle.
[edit] Part 1
It was a cold morning, hell it was always cold in Ligonza, one of the coldest cities on Paradisia. Fletch was walking allong the snow encrusted streets towards the cafe where he had his morning coffee before work, the snow was thick and crunched gently under the tread of his heavy boots. He stopped briefly to buy a newspaper from the local newsagents, the Trodonian Telegraph, reputable and well established, but also very conservative. The sound of cold wind mingled with the background noise of any large city was all Fletch could hear, this time of morning it was all he ever heard, these streets were quiet, at least until 9.
He eventually reached the cafe and sat in the back corner, his usual seat, and ordered a black coffee mixed with Cassiun Cream. It was strong and the taste was potent, but for a man born in Sparta it reminded him of his parents and his home city. He spread out the Telegraph on the table and began to read. Nothing new about the headline, "ISA Continues to Fight For Survival" it said, of course being employed in the civil service Fletch knew all about the whole thing. The ECRU had publicly announced the existance of the ISA, after a gunfight occured when several ISA operatives were arrested. He sighed, his department had hoped they'd be able to phase ISA and the ECRU out quietly, now they'd been forced to decapitate it with a public hearing. ECRU of course was to remain in place, after the facts surrounding the incident it became clear how loyal and necessary the Unit was.
Fletch sipped his coffee again, there was no hurry. He didn't have work until 10 and it was only 8:42 now, plenty of time to read the paper and drink his coffee.
Daphne was a strong woman, she had to be in her line of work. A corporate transporter, her father (who had hoped in vain for a son) decided to make the best of it and train her up to take over. Her father, Ignatio was an odd man, proud and strong, but odd. His experiences in the Caldari-Latagon war had done something to him, the death of Daphne's mother hadn't helped matters, despite her slim chances of survival she'd fervently refused euthanasia, it was a choice her father would have made if it were himself, though he pleaded with his wife to make the other choice. Her father was however gone, cancer had claimed him three years ago, he went the way he wanted to go, fighting on to the last, it was his way, always. Now though it was hers.
Her first job today didn't begin until 10 so she decided to stop in at a nearby cafe for a coffee and a bite to eat before getting to work.
"Daphne!?!" Fletch exclaimed as he saw the curvy red head enter the cafe, "When did you get back in own? I haven't seen you in ages!"
"Fletch, ye gods!" Daphne replied in surprise, a wide smile opening on her lips, "If I'd known you'd be here..."
"What, you'd have gone somewhere else?" Asked Fletch with a grin, "Come on sit, its not every day a man sees his neice, well, not any more anyway."
Daphne smiled again and sat down opposite Fletch ordering a coffee and some toast before looking to see what her uncle was reading.
"Oh not that conservative rag again, really," she sighed, "Every time we meet you have one of this tucked under your arm, what do you see in it. Everyone knows that the Progressives are the way forward."
"Oh come now, forgive an old man his old fashioned views!" Said Fletch chuckling and folding the paper away, "Besides, you know I voted for Voltaire at the last elections."
"Strange, you never strike me as a very progressive man," she said smirking, "But you and dad always were funny ones."
"Orik and I were as thick as thieves when we were younger, I idolised him, such a noble and forthright man." he said, a hint of sadness edging his voice, "Of course that abominable war changed everything...but come let's talk about something else, how's your sister?"
"Elyse? I don't know, she's dropped off the proverbial radar," Sighed Daphne sipping her coffee and taking a bite out of her toast, "She got messed up with the wrong people when dad died, gods know where she is now."
"I worry about her I really do, I'll give Marta a ring and see if she can't find her for you," Said Fletch evenly, "She needs a home and someone to set her straight again. Goodness knows what'll happen, I'm certainly too old to do it, and I see too much of Orik in her..."
"Okay, when you speak to Marta say hi from me," replied Daphne sipping her coffee again, "So how's Justinian?"
"Doting as ever, that damned kid of his keeping me up all night, but what is a father supposed to do? Turn his son and grandson out?" said Fletch sighing once more, "Why did my son have to end up such a careless fool? Shil's run off as well so he;s on his own!"
[edit] Part 2
Konstantin, that is His Divine and Supreme Majesty, Emperor Konstantin, was sat back in his chair reading yet another report from the investigations into the Solitaire Project. Sighing deeply he put the file back on his desk and put his feet on the desk and his hand behind the back of his head. What was he supposed to do, he looked briefly at his right forearm, its odd musculature and the strange tattoos and the odd skin tone when compared to the rest of his body. Hatred welled up in him when he looked at it, hatred for the man who had given him the arm and who had caused him to need a new one in the first place, a man who was once like a father to him and now was his greatest enemy.
Konstantin had no fear of Sedt, Draxx, Vinzo, the Latagonians, the Corporate Union, the Caldari or any other nation or person, just Jarrick. Last he'd heard the Caldari had taken him on as an advisor and instructor, if anything it made him more dangerous, a mind like Jarrick's working with a mind like Toba's...were the personalities completely different they may have achieved world peace and freedom and created a utopia, but alas fate was cruel in these things. He'd tried to eliminate him once before but ISA had failed, as they had failed too many times. He of course had to remove them.
Suddenly his tattoos started to hurt, his muscles tense and he was forced to lean forward and grip the desk, his hands crushing and splintering the polished ebony before it gave and was torn from the desk. He started to spasm violently his mouth foaming slightly. Then as suddenly as it had started it went, leaving him breathing heavily. He had no idea what on earth had done that but his instincts told him it was to do with the investigations.
Just then the phone rang, he took a deep breath and answered it.
"Yes?"
"Your Majesty, we've found something very interesting. Its a device that disables those who have been enhanced by the project and those that have been created by it suffer worst two here died the others suffered seriously but the general trnd is muscle spasms and extreme pain."
"I thought so, don't activate it again. I'm coming down there with Armano, we're going to take a look for ourselves."
"Of course lord but are you sure about Sedt?"
"Positive, I'll be there shortly."
Fletch got up shakely, he had no dea what the hell had just happened but it wasn't natural. His colleagues had rushed to get an ambulance but by the time he reached hospital the feeling had passed. As they entered he saw Daphne being brought in on a gurney.
"Daphne!?!"
[edit] Part 3
"It appears to be a transmitter of some kind, which indicates that all those subjects from the SP were implanted with a reciever, I'm assuming in case they ever went AWOL and needed to be terminated. Imagine what an army of them could do...it does bare thinking about." Said Dr Lyzanda the man at the head of the investigation, "This means we can track and monitor the subjects also, contact them if need be and deal with ones that go foul."
"Is there any chance of being able to locate the recievers and remove them?" Konstantin asked, "Just a thought, but I'd hate to see any slip the net."
"Of course your concern is understandable lord. I'd say its unlikely, the implants have remained hidden for this long I'd have said it was unlikely that the subjects are even aware of them." Replied Lyzanda, "As for thier placement, in the older subjects as well as the prototypes it appears to be wired into the left upper back, but in the newer and less advanced ones they tend to be fused into the spinal cord to prevent removal."
"Have you found it yet Zhukov?" Konstantin asked nervously, "I want rid of anything that would tie me into the Project. This is a curse and I wish I'd never allowed Jarrick to do this to me."
"Yes, you are fortunate, you are quite an advanced example of the Project's output, but also one of the earlier 'designs' as it were, so your reciever is only in your shoulder not your spinal cord. Removal will not be difficult." Said Zhukov absently as he concentrated in cutting into the Emperor's shoulder, "It will hurt, but I have studied the specifications of your specific modification and conditioning, you will be able to bear the pain and it won't even leave a scar."
"Good, I don't need any awkward questions being asked." Said Konstantin breathing out shakily as he braced himself against the extreme pain, "Kathryne knows of course."
"Indeed, and how did she react?" Asked Zhukov looking over his spectacles at Konstantin, "If its not too bold."
"She took it well, I mean she's had her share of psycho-conditioning herself, but nothing so intense as genetic modification and augmentation."
Sedt had had his reciever removed too, Vinzo and Drax on the other hand... well even if they could have been removed he wouldn't, Konstantin didn't trust them as much as he did Sedt.
Konstantin stood and looked out of the window into Trodenhiem City, sighing once more. It was clear that he was not going to be able to hide from what he was...
[edit] Part 4
"Dr Lyzanda has found a subject list lord, he's very excited about the implications." Armano said as he handed the file to the Emperor, "You know what this means."
"Yes, I know what this means. Its a terrible shame, but I'm going to have to put Zhukov in charge of the whole thing," Sighed Konstantin, "I'm not happy in the slightest about this, Lyzanda is a good man."
"No family?" Asked Sedt carefully, "Of course not, that's why you chose him..."
Lyzanda sat at his desk reading through the list. It was a good office, even if the building it was situated in was somewhat less than appealling. The Solitaire Project was ethically and morally horrific but its results were fantastic. Everything was quiet, there was only a skeleton staff in the building, and a few researchers working on the investigation. It hadn't been easy, the building was a maze and beneath it was a far larger complex that stretched into the old Geddon Airport and inside the abandoned sections. The Project had been huge and it had been very successful. Then a particular name made him stop... there printed on the page, SCORPIUS, Konstantin Subject No. S666 - Proto lvl12 enhance lvl3 augment. Amazing it seemed that the Emperor himself had been a subject of the Project, in fact if the information here was correct he was the flagship for the whole thing, his enhancements were extreme and from the look of things had been ongoing since birth.
He didn't have time to think any more on it, he didn't have time for much else either. The last thing Dr Lyzanda did was look down at the oddly tattooed arm protruding from his chest, before gurgling and looking at the face of the Emperor.
"I'm sorry Nash, I really am. You've done your job a little too well I'm afraid." He said sorrow weighing his voice down, "Nothing personal, I'd have made it cleaner had I not realise what had caught your attention, but I really can't afford to let it get out. I really am so sorry."
Then with as much speed and ease as it had found itself in the scientist's chest the arm was removed, dripping with blood. The investigations team would find the list destroyed and Jarrick's DNA all around the gaping hole in Lyzanda's chest. A witch hunt for Jarrick would of course ensue. It was a good cover up, Sedt assured him. But Konstantin wasn't happy, the investigation team had lost 12 good people that night, he was just glad he had only had to deal with one.
[edit] Part 5
"...and today an investigation was under way following the murder of Dr Nash Lyzanda, the scientist at the head of the government investigation of the Solitaire Project. At this time sources indicate that Farden Jarrick is responsible for the murder of Dr Lyzanda and a number of his colleagues, at the old SP headquarters in Geddon. It is believed the Jarrick saw the uncovering of the Project as a threat to him or that incriminating evidence was uncovered by the team. As yet no such evidence has been found..."
Today's top headline, all over Trodenhiem people were anxious to find out of Jarrick really was behind the murders. Fletch would have been more interested had he not been concerned for Daphne. Apparently she'd collapsed in spasms at the exact same time he did, it was very odd and he had a feeling it had something to do with the Solitaire Project. Making up his mind he decided to rise and see Daphne, she'd recovered but was badly shaken.
As he got out of the hospital bed he noticed how light he felt, so light that as he pushed himself up the force nearly threw him off balance, and then an uncanny automatic response prevented him from falling. He went over to the mirror by the bathroom sink, shaken and breathing heavily, he leant on the sink gripping it hard trying the steady himself, only to find the sink crack in his hands. Shocked he staggered backward into the walk, there was a thud and a cracking noise and he jumped forward realising he'd just put a large dent in the plasterboard.
This was getting strange, he could hear the slightest of noises, the drop of coins halfway across the building. He could sense that the man in the stall by the door had a bad lung infection, was in his mid fifties and had been a soldier. He could see every intricate detail of the cracks in the sink, suddenly his awareness was thrown, he wasn't used to this level of sensitivity...
Daphne sat on his bed staring out of the window into the sprawling hivecity beyond. Her awareness had soared and she was no longer sure how to carry herself. She felt weightless, her movements fluid and silent. Suddenly she heard the break of porceline a few wards down and smelt her uncle's fear. She jumped to her feet and darted silently out of the ward and into the corridor, there she saw Fletch on his hands and knees breathing heavily. Rushing over to him and lifting him to his feet she soothed.
"You're feeling it too?" She asked slowly, "Tell me I'm not the only one..."
"I...I feel..."
"Weightless? Fluid? Perfect?" Daphne asked quickly not waiting for a response, "I feel it too. Come on let's test it out!"
"You're taking this well..."
Daphne, dressed in a woolen thick neck sweater a brown cords, with a black leather long coat jumped from one side of the alley to the other, with each jump she was propelled higher until she had climbed nearly 5 stories. She stopped doing a handstand on the rail of the fire escape. They'd been messing around for hours now and daylight was coming fast. Fletch in his dark suit ran up the wall, grabbing a rail, swinging himself over onto the balcony above before climbing a ladder and hurling himself onto Daphne's fire escape.
"Woah!" He murmered has he landed lightly, making almost no sound, "You know I never even dreamed I'd be able to do this...I didn't even think on it, I'm too old for this!"
"Hah! And yet here you are doing it!" Daphne exlaimed spreading her arms out before becoming suddenly serious, "But what do we do?"
"We find out how it happened I suppose..." said Fletch, trailing, "We need to find a way into the Solitaire Project HQ. You heard the news, that Lyzanda guy found something, and I'm betting that's not all there is to find!"
[edit] Part 6
"My Lord, it appears there's been a breakin at the SP Headquarters."
"WHAT?" Yelled Konstantin, "Have we caught the culprits?"
"Of course, I had Drax hang around the place to keep an eye on it," replied Sedt smiling slightly, "You'll never guess who we found there."
Konstantin knew instantly, they were subjects of the Project. He just hoped for thier sakes they were unaffilliated with anyone important.
Fletch groaned again as Daphne carefully cleaned the wound in his side and began to bind it. Whoever it was that had caught them, they sure as hell weren't up to taking him... Who the hell had it been though? No normal man could move like that, no normal man could have withstood the beating that she and Fletch had tried to deal out. Then it was over, she'd been hit in the head and collapsed, she assumed Fletch had been harder to bring down. Daphne jumped as the door to the cell opened with a clang, she immediately jumped up to attack the man who entered only to find herself thrown backwards into the wall of the cell.
"Don't try anything like that again, I assure you you'll reqret it." Said the man in a familiar voice, "If it weren't for the circumstances you'd have faced charges for doing that. But owing to 'circumstances' I'll say no more about it."
As the man stepped into the light Daphne gasped as she realised who it was. She staggered back before kneeling and bowing her head.
"My lord I..."
"Don't worry, as I said, I'll say no more of it. I'm sure you didn't expect it to be me," Said Konstantin smiling apologetically, "Tell me Daphne, were you paid to do what you tried to do?"
"No...I...we just felt a strange pain and it seemed to activate..."
"Ah I understand, can I tell you something Daphne?" Asked Konstantin waiting for her to nod, "I felt it too. I know all about it, let me ask, how did you first react?"
"I was...scared, I didn't know what to do, but then I embraced it." murmered Daphne, still in awe of the man before her, "When I heard Fletch was freaking out about the same thing I knew we had to find out, so we saw a news report and..."
"Yes I think I can fill in the blanks from there, I'm sure you'd like to know more ad since no real harm was done I'll see to it." Said Konstantin, then his tone turned regretful, "But I'm afraid this means you're under my employ now, both of you. We'll train you and hone your abilities...but, well you can never see your family again..."
"Wha...?" She cried before becoming serious, "Do we have a choice?"
"Not really no, I'm afraid," came a female voice from beyond the cell, the Empress walked in, dressed in a shirt, waistcoat and black trousers, "I understand your predicament, but unfortunately owing to the nature of how you reacted you are both extremely useful to us, but extremely dangerous because of what we're deciding to tell you."
"Empress...I didn't expect..."
"I'm not," said Kathryne holding her hand up, "Not like you or Konstantin that is, which is why Konstantin wanted me here, for my perspective. Now we want the two of you be part of my retinue, on security you understand. Konstantin has Sedt and Drax but he feels that I am woefully unprotected, and let's just say I have my own investigations intot he Project that i think you can help me with."
"Of course, but...my sister..."
"We have taken care of it. We have sent some people to take her into rehab and to help her get her life back on track." Said Kathryne, "We'll see to it that your payment, among other perks, for agreeing, is that your family is looked after by the state. Although of course they won't realise it."
[edit] Part 7
Jarrick was not pleased, he sat back in his chair. Reading yet another report on Trodenhiem, apparently the Emperor had seen fit to put Zhukov in charge of the investigations at SPHQ following Lyzanda's death. This was not good, Zhukov already knew as much as anyone could about the Project, in fact he was somewhat an expert having re-invented many of the techniques on a theoretical basis even without the aid of SP source material. What was worse, the man was keen to restart the project and this would of course mean that the Emperor could potentially have more...the thought that Sedt or Drax, or even Konstantin himself might come to kill him kept him awake at night, but if there were more...He came to a decision, he was going to have to pay Konstantin a visit. It was high time he checked up on his old arm anyway.
"Woah!" Cried Daphne as Sedt threw her full force across the training room again, "You know, I don't think I'll ever get this..."
"It comes with time, and practice, and you have plenty of time trust me." Said Sedt soothingly as he helped her to her feet for the umpteenth time, "Now try again, we need you to be as capable as me or Drax at unarmed combat before we can even begin on stealth."
She took up her combat stance, the one chosen by Sedt to match her posture, physique and mentality, it was called the Steel Wind, a deadly combination of speed, agility and strength. She wasn't yet adept at the style and it would take a long time before she'd match Sedt's level of skill. Sedt used the Shadow Dragon style, one based on balance that used weight and gravity as weapons as much as physical speed or strength, Daphne had to concede it was a powerful skill in his hands.
She launched from her stance swinging her leg around gracefully only to find it caught in mid-air and be used to lever her around and throw her like a sack of flour, all in one swift movement. She flew into the padded wall and landed on her feet. 'Well she's mastered recovery' thought Sedt as she backflipped hitting his jaw with her foot forcing him to stagger back. The Dolphin Kick, hard to pull off but harder to block, she was good, he hadn't expected that. Already her leg was spinning in an axe kick aimed at his shoulder. Fluidly he dodged to the side sweeping her remaining leg from beneath before spinning and landing a powerful elbow drop onto her chest, but she rolled to the side and spun again sweeping his legs from beneath him, but he landed on his hands using the momentum of the fight so far to bring a powerful kick at Daphne's head. It connected sending her flying, she hit the wall hard and lay sprawled on the floor.
"Better, shall we call it a day?" Asked Sedt helping Daphne to her feet once more, "Let's see how Fletch is doing."
Fletch had been give the Stone Demon style, one relying on strength and weight rather than speed. It meant that Fletch had to build up his pain resistance and his ability to take extreme punishment. He was black and blue when Daphne met him, but the painkillers he'd been given coupled with the powerful drugs that had been injected into him meant he couldn't feel it and the worst of it would be healed by morning.
"You look terrible," Fletch remarked as they sat in the busy canteen at the training center, "hair messed up and a graze on your cheek, what's Sedt been doing with you?"
"You're no bed of roses either you know," Replied Daphne smiling, "A lot of being thrown around it would seem. He says I'll be ready to face one of the trainees soon."
"Really? Shouldn't be too much of a challenge, they're not like us are they?"
"Some of them are apparently, but not nearly so advanced, most just have a single enhanced trait although most of the trainees are natural through and through. But Sedt warned me not to underestimate them, what they lack in pure physicality they make up for in skill and experience."
[edit] The Series
Main Story
- Solitaire - Trodenhiem
- Solitaire 2 - Jarrick
- Solitaire 3 - Khaine
- Solitaire 4 - Twins
Side Stories
Solitaire Series Extras
