The Raven Adventurers: New Begining

00Kevin

Indyfan
Take me across the Canyons and Mountians...To the Place where you dwell...To The Raven. Where Paths Cross


No one could beleive it...00Kevin....DEAD?!?!?!

yes friend, it is so, 00kevin is no more.


A bunch of raveners standing around his bloody corpse, all speechless...trying to think of something to say
 

IndyBuff

Well-known member
Suddenly Indy walked up and stood silent a moment, looking at 00Kevin's body. "I think a proper burial is in order. All we need is a memorable effigy to remember our friend by."


(I've never tried one of these story things before so please forgive me if I do it incorrectly. )
 

Deadlock

New member
As the final rays of the setting sun vanished behind the peaks, Deadlock looked up from the corpse to the others standing around it. Some seemed to be moved by the passing of the fallen fighter, others seemed mostly unaffected. The sniper was one of the latter.

When someone suggested a eulogy, Deadlock knew that he didn?t belong among such sentimental proceedings. Though a certain amount of coldness comes with being an assassin, it wasn?t apathy that caused the mercenary to start moving away from the scene. The fallen should be mourned by those who knew them well, not by bystanders.

Deadlock flipped up the collar of his black overcoat against the biting Himalayan wind that was picking up into a storm. He shouldered his rifle and strode off into the shadows, making his way toward the airfield.
 

KDuncan

New member
KDuncan took little notice of the man leaving. "Right," she agreed, "Indy, Jones, any ideas? I'm not sure what we can really do here for any sort of ceremony.."
 

IndyBuff

Well-known member
(Sorry to interrupt but I just realized that this story extends from the previous thread. Since I didn't add my character into the last one it seems inappropriate to include him here. I'll just wait for the next new story. Sorry for the confusion.) :eek:
 

KDuncan

New member
Indy said:
(Sorry to interrupt but I just realized that this story extends from the previous thread. Since I didn't add my character into the last one it seems inappropriate to include him here. I'll just wait for the next new story. Sorry for the confusion.) :eek:

No, you can just sort of be an old friend that just showed up! :)
 

Magda

New member
Meanwhile, at the airfield...

?Let me see if I got this right. Your car blew up, half of The Raven is destroyed, and you were shot at multiple times by thugs,? the six-foot-tall Italian-American recited as the expression on his face indicated both amazement and bewilderment. He did not wait for an answer from the exotic woman standing in front of him. Instead, he shook his head and laughed, ?Damn, you really know how to make a come back.?

Ameera crossed her arms and leaned sideways on the doorway to the airfield?s office. She mumbled, ?None of it was even my fault, Eddie.?

The tanned man flashed a grin while sidling behind his desk where he sat and put his feet up. Eddie Valentine silently considered Ameera?s statement, but thought it was best to not say anything at all. His next concern was why she was standing before him after disappearing for nearly three years without so much as a ?Hello, I?m alive? phone call or e-mail. With the exception of a few times, the only reason Ameera came to people was because she wanted something.

?Okay, what do you want and how much insurance am I going to need?? Eddie asked and gazed past the woman and out the windows.

There, a runway stretched out just long enough for a landing or take off. It was a small airfield with two hangars resting adjacent to the building and a control tower on the other side. The building they were in at the moment served as both an office and living quarters, with the space in the front a work place while the back, divided by a wall and a single door, was sufficiently big enough for a bachelor to make his home. Eddie was the community?s airfield manager, mechanic, and local pilot.

Valentine, looking outside, evaluated how much time he had to clear the field of mines, hiding assassins, and God knows what else before chaos would break out. Perhaps he should give Ameera the benefit of the doubt. After all, things may or may not have changed. The incident at The Raven might have been a fluke.

Ameera, meanwhile, calmly watched Eddie as a hint of uneasiness appeared in his mud brown eyes. She answered his snide comment with, ?I only need a ride to Kathmandu. From there, I can manage.?

?What are you after this time? Legendary treasure? A villain hatching a diabolical scheme to destroy the world?? he asked. ?Oh wait, I know. A vicious monster??

A soft smile crept upon the Arab woman?s full lips. It was a smile that could never give away what Ameera was thinking. It could have indicated anything from mischievous or scornful to smugness or maybe even possibly? delight.
 
Ben piped up, though still shocked, and rubbed his eyes, overcoming a nose stuffy from weather and emotion. "How about we take Kevin back to the Raven? We can say what we will, and take it from there."
 

Paden

Member
He crouched down amongst a stand of trees, training his binoculars on the ruined airfield below, careful not to let the sun catch the lenses, giving a tell-tale sign of his presence. Paden?s eyes narrowed as he took in the scene. So, the radio broadcast that had brought him up here hadn?t been an exaggeration at all. The little town had fared only slightly better: demolished vehicles and the central watering hole halfway razed. Paden would have found the damage almost comical, what with the angry brunette snarling to herself about irresponsible friends as she tried to pry a license plate free from the bar, if he hadn?t been certain that it was only a precursor to something far more serious.

And this was serious, something befitting a war. Corpses littering the ground and evidence of plentiful gunfire. The smell of smoke wafting through the clean mountain air. Whatever had occurred, it stretched far beyond a dispute amongst the locals. A group of people, most clearly not natives of the area, circled one of the fallen. Paden strained to get a better look at the dead man, and once he snatched a glimpse of the corpse?s face, he frowned. British intelligence. Not someone that Paden had known personally, but by reputation. A good reputation. What had a key agent like that been involved in that had led to something like this? As he kept watching, two figures caught his attention. An attractive Arab woman stepped away from the group, moving toward one of the airfield buildings with a calm, businesslike gait. She had a task to attend to, something important enough that couldn?t be delayed by the violent scene that surrounded her. She seemed fairly blasé about what had occurred, a sign to Paden that this certainly wasn?t the first time that she had experienced, or perhaps even been responsible for, a scene like this. The other figure leaving the scene, a dark clad man with a rifle slung over one shoulder, made the hair stand on Paden?s neck. The man?s flat demeanor marked him as a professional soldier?or worse. What was his role in all this chaos?

Paden lowered the binoculars, eased his well-worn cowboy hat back off of his brow, and rubbed his bearded jaw thoughtfully. He had to look into it. It might have nothing to do with the business that they had sent him up here for, but it certainly couldn?t be ignored. He sighed. Oddly, he had almost looked forward to coming to Nepal. The assignment had been straightforward: look into a few local matters, chase down some rumors, and report it all. For the most part it was going to be just him and the mountains. And although it was a long way from Colorado, the mountains were home. They had been his only real companions for almost a decade now. Raising the binoculars again, he watched, cautious about interjecting himself into such a raw scene. Perhaps the right opportunity would present itself, or something would transpire to force him to action. He was willing to be patient.

He waited.
 
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Deadlock

New member
A heavy snow began to fall, blanketing the gruesome aftermath of the battle. Large white flakes melted quickly in the still-warm puddles of crimson blood that dotted the ground.

Deadlock tromped across the frozen snow, following a set of smaller footprints into the airfield. He had to get to shelter soon; the weather was rapidly degenerating into a full-scale blizzard. In a few minutes, any form of travel, especially on foot, would be completely impossible.

?Damn, it?s cold,? the sniper thought to himself. His overcoat was proving inadequate in the frigid conditions. The Kevlar body armor he wore under the coat was really designed to stop bullets, not the elements. Deadlock couldn?t remember the last time he was this cold.

Then the memory came.

Yes... Yes, he could remember when he had been this cold.




It was five years ago. It was July and the temperature was a sweltering 102 degrees Fahrenheit. He lay prone on top of a roof in downtown San Diego, clad completely in sun-absorbing black BDUs. And yet, Deadlock?s whole body was shivering. An icy lump in his stomach had frozen the breath in his lungs as he breathed in shaky rasps.

The smell of hot roofing-tar filled his nostrils, and frantic voices coming through his headset filled his ears. Deadlock finally convinced himself to look through the scope of his rifle down into the street below. They were still there, lying in the middle of the sidewalk: two dead bodies, a man and woman.
 
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Paden

Member
The arrival of the storm presented Paden with a quandry. We was accustomed to the fierce challenges of ranges like the Himalayas, and knew that if he set out now, he would be able to make it back to camp and ride out the blizzard there. It wouldn't be the first time he'd done so. On the other hand, if he wanted to learn some of the specifics that had occurred around the village and airfield, it was best to strike while the proverbial iron was hot, an ironic thought in light of the weather. If he left now, much could develop while he was gone, especially if some below were enemies, and they were trapped in the snowstorm together. He had a reasonable cover, one built on experience as much as memorized information, and he could recite it by rote to any that asked. Nontheless, he felt a certain nervousness, aware that some that he had observed might just be perceptive enough to know that he was more than he appeared to be. Although it was against his liking, he recognized that he had no real choice in the matter. Cinching up his jacket, the wool collar folding against his neck, he shouldered his small duffel and began the short trek to this pocket of civilization. As his footsteps took him toward the airfield, his lone comfort was the heavy sensation of his two pistols, one at his hip, the other at his left side. He braced himself inwardly, painfully aware that he was stepping into a fluid and unpredictable situation.
 

Deadlock

New member
The woman was in her forties and had been on her way to a Weight Watchers? meeting, but had decided to stop by her bank to pick up some cash so she could pay her dues. The man who lay next to her had also decided to go the bank, but his intentions had been slightly different. He didn?t have an account there.

He?d led a group of three others to rob it.

From the beginning, the robbery hadn?t gone well. The bank staff had succeeded in tripping the silent alarm early in the heist. The robbery quickly morphed into a hostage standoff with the San Diego police. As the police cordoned off the street, the SWAT team arrived at the makeshift command post. The team quickly set to work. Among them was a young sniper out on his first call as a long rifleman. He had black hair in a short military cut, and a lean build honed by years of martial arts and police training. Eventually, this young man would relinquish his given name, Xavier Roman, in favor of the moniker ?Deadlock?.

?All right, Roman,? the SWAT team leader barked, ?take your position and wait for orders. Let the negotiators go to work.?

Deadlock nodded and grabbed his bag of equipment and made for the door of a nearby office building. He tried to suppress the excited smile on his well-tanned face. But apparently he failed, because a voice called out to him.

?Wipe that grin off your face, X,? the female voice chided him, ?this is life and death, not a game.?

Deadlock stopped and turned back to the speaker, a blonde bombshell named Hannah Burke. She was a junior negotiator. She and the sniper had flirted before, but nothing had come of it... yet. But she?d already given him a nickname, ?X?, which Deadlock guessed that he only had to be patient. Women liked dangerous guys.

Before ?X? could make some sort of witty and flirtatious reply, the SWAT lead gave him a murderous look. With that motivation, the sniper winked at Hannah, proceeded into the office building, and up to the roof.

After hours of fruitless negotiations, the robbers were still unwilling to release hostages. Deadlock lay on his padded sniper?s mat, wearily looking through his scope, half-listening to the intermittent police chatter in his earpiece. The rest of his team had split into two squads and were preparing to storm the bank from the rear.

Suddenly, the voice of SWAT lead came on, ?Target and hostage coming out!?

Deadlock quickly aimed his rifle at the man in a ski mask pushing an overweight woman in front of him, a 9mm pistol pressed to her temple. No doubt the woman?s girth had led to her selection as a human shield.

?That won?t save you, pal? Deadlock mused as he fixed his crosshair just above the right eye of the robber. ?Rifle one, on target,? he reported.

?We are weapons tight. Standby, rifle one,? came the response.

Deadlock waited and watched as the robber screamed demands and waved his gun around. His hostage was crying, obviously terrified. The bandit was screaming so loud, that eight stories up Deadlock could actually make out something about ?get me a helicopter?. The sniper rolled his eyes. Why did they always ask for a freaking helicopter?

Down below, he could see Hannah working hard to calm the irate robber and convince him to release the women. Through the scope, Deadlock could see the crazed look in the bank robber?s blue eyes. Suddenly, the criminal stopped waving his gun and pressed it hard into his hostage?s temple.

The voice in Deadlock?s earpiece bellowed, ?TAKE HIM DOWN! TAKE HIM DOWN!?

In that moment, the triggers of two weapons were pulled by their respective owners: the SWAT sniper and the bank robber. A reddish-pink cloud erupted around the hostage and her captor, misting the sidewalk with a spray of blood. As the two bodies crumpled to the ground, Deadlock couldn?t believe it. For all that time, he?d had a shot that would have saved that woman?s life...

That?s when the deadly cold gripped him.




Deadlock looked down as if to remind himself where he was. The word SWAT was no longer emblazoned across his chest. He was alone in the middle of a Himalayan blizzard. Fortunately, he was only a few yards from one of the airfield hangars.
 

Magda

New member
The landscape outside was quickly being consumed by another blizzard. Eddie shook his head at Ameera?s request and nodded to the windows.

?Sorry, Meers, but you?re going to have to wait it out. There?s no chance of me getting my plane off of the ground with zero visibility,? he replied, almost regretting what he said in anticipation of a hotheaded reaction from the Arab woman.

Ameera narrowed her eyebrows. Eddie and his pals had a history of doing stupid things (like taking off during a storm) before. What stopped him now? She walked towards the desk, away from the vestibule where the closed front door shuddered. Mother Nature was only beginning to clear her throat outside. The wind and snow would get worse.

?How much do you want, Eddie? Give me a number,? Ameera demanded as she placed the palms of her hands on the desk?s edge and leaned towards the American. Her eyes intensely looked into his, the trademark look that implied she meant business. ?You have taken off in weather like this before.?

?Yeah, but back then, Raffey, Dizzy, and Jane were here. Nobody?s stuck around. The only one that helps out around here is Johan. I don?t know about you, but I don?t trust a man who has the brain of a yak to navigate.?
 
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Deadlock

New member
Meanwhile... outside the building where Ameera and Eddie were talking, Deadlock had come up to the door. This was the only structure with light coming from the windows. The partially frozen mercenary pounded on the door. With the rapidly falling temperature, he would wait about 10 seconds before letting himself in by whatever means necessary.
 

Magda

New member
"A thousand US dollars."

"No."

"Five thousand."

"No."

"Ten."

"Throw in one night with me and you got yourself a deal."

Ameera let out a growl of frustration and whirled around mumbling various curses in Arabic. "Forget it. I would rather wait until the storm clears."

Eddie grinned widely, answering, "You weren't so hesitant before, Meers."

"Shut up, Eddie," the woman mumbled and stormed through the vestibule to the door that would take her outside. She had a room waiting for her in the village in case her original plans had taken a detour.

Ameera placed a hand on the doorknob, turned it, and pulled the panel open to find Deadlock standing before her. It only took her a second to slam the door closed and lock it. There was no way that man was getting in here, whether or not he had a change of heart in killing her.
 

Deadlock

New member
For one glorious second, light and heat greeted Deadlock. Then she saw him. Then the door slammed in his face and there was the unmistakable sound of a lock engaging.

Under normal circumstances, he might have enjoyed the game of cat and mouse with Ameera. But then again, under normal circumstances, he wasn?t freezing in a blizzard. Deadlock aimed a solid thrusting kick against the door. It didn?t break open, but there was enough give around the latch and bolt that Deadlock kicked again. This time, the latch and bolt ripped through the doorframe on the inside and the door swung open.

As soon as he was inside the door, Deadlock whipped the rifle off of his shoulder. He spun the stock around and presented the rifle, butt-first, to Ameera,

?Listen... I?m not trying to kill you. But if YOU are trying to kill ME, please use this,? Deadlock said, indicating the .50 caliber rifle, ?It?s more humane than letting Mother Nature do it.?
 

Paden

Member
Paden had made his way to the lone lit building on the airstrip grounds. As he'd drawn close, he caught sight of the dark clad mercenary, who appeared to be doing his best just to handle the elements. Paden grimaced, realizing he'd made a mistake: were the merc not gripped by the freezing temperatures he would have sensed Paden's presence, which could have led to highly unpleasant results. Paden hung back, watching the soldier pound on the door. It opened momentarily, providing a brief glimpse of the Arab woman, who promptly slammed it shut again. The rifleman, doubtlessly fueled by anger and his instinct for survival, had the door off in two quick blows. As the soldier barked some heated words at the woman, Paden moved close, knowing he'd be spotted, but hoping to garner some information. He wondered if the hostility he was witnessing was personal or business related. Judging from what he'd observed of these two, he guessed the latter.

As he reached the door, the Arab woman saw him, the mercenary turning in his direction a moment later. Paden deliberately deepened his already present drawl as he spoke, "Everything alright here, folks? Pretty fierce storm we've got blowing in, wouldn't you say?"
 

Tom Jones

New member
Meanwhile, at the Raven?

The fire had finally started to fritter away as the wind begun to pick up and snow started to rain over the group of mourners. Ben and Tom had lowered 00Kevin into a makeshift burial chamber as the others watched on. All was quiet until the two adventurers stepped back to join the others.

Ben had come up with the idea to use Kev?s motorcycle as a burial marker. With Marion?s permission they moved the bike into a small shed next to where Kev had been laid to rest. ?Guess he really had something for this bike, eh.? Ben laughed softly and patted the frigid leather seat.

?Yeah?? Jones smiled weakly and knelt down. Moving a hand forward he wiped the snow off the inscription on the side of the bike. Jennifer?it was a nice name, must of held a lot of meaning for him. Pulling a pocketknife from out of his jacket Tom pressed the tip against the metal under the engraved name. After a few moments of carving he snapped the knife back into its handle and stood up. ?There, now they will be together?forever.?

Ben smiled cheerfully and nodded as he looked at the newly carved inscription: Jennifer + 00Kevin. His sharp eyes then fell on Tom as he pulled out a wooden case from inside his jacket. ?What?s that for??

Tom looked over at Ben as if he had momentarily forgotten he was there. ?It?s a gift?from an adventure we went on a couple of years ago?? Jones walked up to the motorcycle and placed the box gently on top of the seat.

?Kev had said that it would help me see better. You see, during the journey I had kept on getting shot so he sent me a pair of experimental blue sunglasses. They had been made to enhance the wearer?s surroundings, so that they could better detect their enemy targets.? Jones laughed as his mind drifted back in time.

The days had went by quickly?too quickly?but they had fun. There had been three of them back then?during that journey. Tom, 00Kevin and another adventurer, named Leia. Together they had went from an ancient temple inside the humid jungles of Southern Africa, into the untouched forgotten cities of Eastern Europe and to a secret complex inside the Florida filled wastelands. There had been numerous bumps in the road along the way but they prevailed over all of them to live another day.

?He saved my life more then once back then?I just wish I could have done the same for him today?? Tom turned away and lowered his head. His emerald eyes filled with regret and guilt.
 

KDuncan

New member
KDuncan put a hand on his shoulder. "I think we all have a debt to pay back to Kevin.." She let the sentence drop, mostly because she couldn't think of anything really comforting to say -- they all felt the loss, and words couldn't change anything.
 
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