Memory Pt.1 More screams. Spinning round and round. Concentrate, concentrate. Why were there screams in her head? They hurt, make it stop, make it stop . . . Hayley’s eyes opened. But she hadn’t moved them, so what had? Something cold and metallic propped her eyelids up, a red light burning into her retinas. Both of her eyes were tearing up, the tears dripping out and running along the contours of her face,soaking into her collar. Why was the light there? ‘Running retinal scan now. 30, 50, 70, scan complete. Printing results now.’ The light shut off, the after-image still burning, rendering her completely blind. She could hear people moving around her, paper being shuffled, someone breathing heavily. Could she move? Try. Nothing. Her body was iron, weighted down by something. Drugs? Drugs did things like these, she knew. How did she know? Her memory drew a blank. It unnerved her. Something pricked her arm, her eyelids fell shut and she knew no more. When she woke up next, she was surrounded by darkness. She was slumped sideways, the side of her body that faced away from the ground completely numb. Should she try to sit up? Yes. Slowly, slowly. . . 'So you finally woke up.’ The words were quietly spoken, masculine, coming from opposite her. Not too far away. Hayley spoke towards the direction of sound, her voice still hushed. ‘What happened? Where am I?’ ‘Colonel Hauss had you scanned. Your memory is gone. You’re worthless to him now, and this is where he puts the people he has no use for anymore. In the dark, waiting for something to happen.’ ‘But they said I was safe here. They wouldn’t do this to me. Why did they do this to me?’ ‘That’s before they knew about your memory. You may have been one of his people, but once you’ve outlived your purpose, it’s either this or a discharge if you’re lucky.’ ‘What do you mean, I was one of his people?’ ‘You worked for the government. You were in the military, in a unit under Hauss’ command.’ ‘I can’t remember anything.’ ‘That’s because you’ve got amnesia. From what I know, there was an explosion during a mission, and the entire unit went down. Only you and one other survived.' ‘What does Hauss want from me?’ ‘He says you knew something that would be useful to him.' ‘How do you know so much about this? And why are you here?’ ‘I’m- The door hissed open, flooding the room with light and the man’s reply was cut off. From the sitting position that she had been able to drag herself up to, Hayley could see two men with short, black guns in their hands standing in the doorway. They were both dressed in black military uniforms, helmets with visors down on their heads. ‘Get up.’ The command was short and sharp. Hayley looked across the room. She recognized her fellow captive in the harsh new light. It was the man who had taken Hauss’ punch for her, his sling still holding up his arm, his face pale and his eyes screwed up to adjust to the brightness. He had his back to the wall and was trying to push himself up to a standing position using the wall for support. Hayley decided to copy him, and slid her spine up against the cold concrete. The two men still hadn’t moved except to follow their movements with the barrels of their guns. She cast a baleful glare at them, and by keeping one hand on the ground and the other on the wall, started to move herself up. Pain. Flaring through her legs and her palms, the heat that was steadily building in the middle of her back contrasting sharply with the cold wall behind her. Her tongue was sandwiched between her teeth, determined not to make a sound, determined not to show them any weakness at all. Halfway up. Her legs shook with the effort now, threatening to give and dump her back on the ground again. The effort was almost enough to send her back to unconsciousness, but finally she was leaning up against the wall, panting as if she had just scaled a cliff. The man had succeeded in standing up before her and was studying her intensely, a tiny crease between his eyebrows. ‘Walk’. The guard on the right barked the order, his voice completely emotionless, most of his face hidden by the visor of his helmet. The man with the sling glanced at him, a flicker of annoyance visible on his face, disappearing as soon as it came, replaced by a look of concern as Hayley staggered forward, leaning heavily on the wall for support. He murmured something inaudible, and then moved himself, not forwards toward the door but sideways toward Hayley. He could move much faster than her, apparently only hindered by the pain in his chest where Hauss’ fist must have impacted. ‘Hold onto my shoulder and try to move’ he said as he reached Hayley. She hesitated a moment and then cautiously reached out with one hand and put it on his good shoulder which was hovering at her eye level. He grunted, but the shoulder she was now clinging onto with both hands didn’t move at all. She looked up at him, and nodded. They began the painful task of making their way towards the doorway, the two men only moving when they were almost there. It was colder on the other side of the door that they passed through.They were right opposite another door, dark green metal dully glinting in the light from the strips set into the ceiling. As they approached it, Hayley glanced to her side. A darkened corridor streched endlessly into the distance, the walls on either side pale in the half-light. One of the guards pushed a gloved thumb to a button set into the wall, and the door opened slowly. They were greeted by the interior of what looked like a transport truck. The still-silent guards pushed the two of them in, cold metal barrels digging into their spines. The floor of the truck was vibrating, the slight tremors enough to upset their balance. She sank onto a bench set into the side, pulling the man down beside her. The two guards had followed them in, and sat opposite them, their guns still aimed directly at their prisoners. Movement. It made her feel nauseous, the jerks and bumps as they set off down a road playing havoc with her weakened body. She was still leaning against the man, who grimaced every time they went over a bump. She stared out of the open back of the truck at the road disappearing behind them, wondering where they were being taken. A few minutes later, the man lowered his head as if he was tired, and whispered into her ear, her hair blocking his lips from the guards’ view. Three words. ‘Don’t stop running.’ Memory Pt.3 Memory Pt.4 Memory Pt.5

++++++++ :D

So you're saying that guy I gave my pass to wasn't really an admin? :blink:

Thank you! :D

Um. Just this series and another work in progress xD

A white ceiling. Flashes of light. Orange? Why orange? There was a ceiling so it couldn’t be the sun. Then what was it? Voices. Would they tell her? Did they know what the light was? Maybe if she moved… ‘She’s waking, need help in the ER ASAP’. Only one voice now. Rough. A buzzing sound. More voices, unclear and harsh. And then a sudden silence. Pulsing. Screams. From where? Right next to her, but far away at the same time. Sleep. Go back to sleep. Hayley opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. A glass of water was on a table right at her eye level. It was blocking her view, distorting what she could see. Could she move her head? No. Too much effort. She looked through the water instead. There was someone far away, a hazy shimmer of blue. Someone who would help. Yes. But how to get their attention? She tried to move her tongue to make a sound. Her lips were dry. Could she make a noise? She had to try. Come on! Something, anything… ‘Help... me...’ the words came out as a whisper, almost inaudible in the vast silence. But it was enough. The shimmer in the water became larger and larger, solidifying into a mass of dark blue, until it was replaced by a hand moving the glass aside and the same rough voice she had heard earlier. ‘Water?’ Simple and straight to the point. Something that Hayley appreciated. She tried to nod, but couldn’t. She tried another whisper, but couldn’t make a sound. She was starting to panic, but then the rough voice came to her rescue once again. ‘Yes,’ it said, and a pair of exceedingly gentle hands slid a straw between her lips so that she was able to take a long and much needed gulp of the pleasingly cool water that had been in the glass she looked through. Once she was done, she opened her mouth and let the straw fall away, some of the water left in it dripping onto the pillow that was under her head. The same hands moved her away from the wet patch and gave her a better vantage point to see around the room. Rectangular and completely white, it had a single door set into the far wall and a plain chair next to it. The fact that there was only one door seemed to be strangely important. She tried to puzzle it out for a few minutes, and then gave up. The chair must belong to the rough voice, she reasoned, since it was in that direction she had been facing when she saw its owner coming. But where was the voice now? Puzzling. Maybe if she slept some more… When she woke up next, there were more people in the room. A man in a uniform of different green colours, two men and a woman in white coats, and another man with his arm in a sling. No one in blue though. The rough voice must have left. Or had been ordered to leave by one of the people here. The thought sent an irrational, momentary rush of anger through her, clearing her mind and forcing her to think straight. Could she move now? ‘Miss!’ the cry came from one of the white coated men as Hayley stood up shakily. ‘Miss, please sit down.’ All of them minus the uniformed man rushed over to her bedside, the woman clutching her arm and pulling her down to rest on the bed. ‘Where... where am I?’ Hayley whispered to them, the lack of volume in her voice alarming her slightly. ‘You’re safe here' said one of the men in white. Not the one that had seen her stand up, no. This was a different one, taller, a slightly lopsided smile on his face. ‘Do you feel nauseous? Dizzy?’. ‘No'. One word answers. ‘Can she speak now?’. ‘Yes’. The man in the sling now. Why was his arm in a sling? Was it broken? The thought disturbed her. She wanted to fix him. But why? ‘Alright.’ The uniformed man this time. He moved forward towards the bed, hands clasped behind his back. Intimidating. ‘Hayley Vanderson. I am Colonel Hauss.’ He paused. Obviously he was waiting for a suitable reaction from her. Well, he wasn’t going to get it. She was too busy trying to remember whether her name WAS Vanderson. Vanderson? It sounded funny. It sounded like a mad professor’s name from the old cartoons she had watched in her childhood. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t think I know you.’ She managed the words, a hoarse whisper falling out of her lips. This was beginning to alarm her now. The man’s face turned red, but he seemed to be calm. ‘All right. I’ll give you one more chance. Do. You. Know. Who. I. Am?’. A pause between each word, as if he was trying to explain something to a child. Hmm. Children. Something important about children… ‘No. No, I do not.’ She was getting a little impatient now. She was sick, dammit, who was he to threaten her? They had moved to the end of the room now, the white coats and the man in uniform. The one with the sling was still standing near her bed though. He seemed uncomfortable, his face white. She could see the others having a conversation. Could almost hear them. Maybe it was something about the children... ‘Sir, she’s sick, she may have PTSD. We cannot expect her memory to be fully functional.’ PTSD? What was that? It sounded ominous and yet familiar at the same time. Curious. Hovering on the edge of her mind, just out of reach. ‘Well, I don’t care WHAT she has, just get her to tell you what she knows! Kill her if you have to, just get me what I need!’. ‘Kill who?’ she whispered hoarsely. The Colonel turned. ‘Listen, woman. You know something that I need. And I will get it out of you. And I do not care how I get it.’ Another vague memory. Something like this. A long time ago. Another man? Hayley couldn’t recall. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, Colonel. And I wouldn’t tell you even if I knew.' Her voice was a bit stronger now. A good sign. The Colonel's face flushed and he leapt across the room, the white coats feeble protests drowned out by an angry roar as he raised a fist to strike her back into the sleep that she had woken from. But it was not his fist that sent her back to sleep, no. It was the impact of the slinged man’s back against her head as he intercepted the lethal blow with his own body. Falling now. Falling again. Memory Pt.2 Memory Pt.3 Memory Pt.4 Memory Pt.5

Interesting spin on an interview, LOVED it xP

Nicely done, loved the text format and the dividers :P

The series is over since James dieded xD but I'll try to write another one soon ;)

Thanks! Wrote this at like 1 AM so wasn't really paying attention xD Also first time story :ph34r:

Crackle (Part 1) Crackle (Part 2) Advancing (Part 3) * They had all frozen. Looked towards the sound. Silently wondered what it was. And then that wonder turned into terror as it rounded the corner, turret swinging, an evil slit of lights above each set of tracks glowing red in the shadows between the neon’s set into the roof. ‘Run. Run, GO GO GO!’ the shout came over each of their radios, Luke and James voice’s both shouting in unison even as they realized what it was and realized that they were in trouble. The Mk IV Hornet. They had heard rumors that it was in development, heard tales of the destruction of the advanced Railgun mounted on top of the sleek, silver body. It was moving with frightening speed, gaining on the fleeing set of tanks, a glowing barrel signaling that it was about to fire a shot at them. Dan’s Smoky fired a shot into the front of it, causing it to judder slightly, and the shot went wide. The shell smashed into the wall in front of it, and a chunk of ceiling, helped by James’ Thunder shooting it as well, cascaded in front of it, hiding it from view and buying them a few seconds to escape as it searched for another way out. James and Dan turned and gunned their engines, making for the path that the others had taken. They soon caught up with Bob and Sarah, Sarah unwilling to leave Bob despite the speed that her Wasp held over his Viking. They reached a fork, Dan taking the left tunnel following Luke, Jack and Sophie, James racing straight on down the right, tracks slightly slipping as Bob and Sarah both kept on his tail. ‘Guys, what the hell are we going to do?’ Bob’s slightly panicked voice came over the radio. ‘Keep going’ replied James through gritted teeth. ‘Put some distance between that thing and us get out of this place.’ He spotted light shining at the end of a corridor and made a sharp left. They were racing down towards it, Bobs Viking lagging slightly behind, towards the light that became bigger and bigger, turning into an exit leading away from the factory. They drew closer and closer…. A light glowed from behind them, a concentrated whine that ended with a hiss as the Mk IV Hornet that had been waiting in a side tunnel fired at the fleeing tanks. The shell flew down the corridor, covering the distance between them effortlessly, missing Bobs Viking as he jinked left into a wall, missing Sarah’s Wasp as she too swerved away, but finding its mark on James’ Hornet. They exploded into the sunlight, the Hornet losing stability and almost flipping, smoke trailing from its badly damaged rear end. A testament to Dan’s skills, the shielding had held and the engine was not heavily damaged, meaning that James could continue their run into the shelter of the trees that lay just ahead. The Mk IV still tailed them, firing shot after shot that missed them by inches, exploding rocks and debris into their paths, sticking through their tracks, damaging their armour and impeding their progress. James, Bob and Sarah desperately tried to shake their pursuer, running further and further into the woods, but the Mk IV always seemed to be able to track them. Then they broke through a line of bushes and then their worst fear was realized. They had come to a dead end. A massive cliff wall blocked their path and they were hemmed in on both sides by some particularly thick trees. ‘Guys, we can’t go back. It’ll pick us off the moment we try to run. Our best bet is to stay here and defend.’ Sarah’s voice reached both Bob and James. Much as he hated it, James knew she was right. They readied their weapons, all three clustered together, searching on all sides, looking for the threat. The threat that they couldn’t see, but they knew it was coming. Waiting….. A high pitched whine again. A burst of light. And then they were thrown away from each other, tracks spinning uselessly, turrets swinging wildly as they hit the ground, skidding and then stopped. It seemed that the Mk IV had hit all three of them with just one shot of its railgun. It stood before them. Bob had positioned his tank in front of Sarah, both of them damaged, Sarah’s quiet sobbing audible over the radio. All of their turrets were too badly damaged to fire. The Railgun began to glow, preparing to take out both of them with one shot. And then James remembered. That day four months ago. Just before his tank had been fired upon, he had seen a silver and gold blur reflected in his mirror. The same blur that was sitting in front of him, preparing to take out his closest friends. And in that moment, he realized that they weren’t just his friends anymore. They were his family. Just as Ben and Alice had been. And they were about to die. With a roar of fury, James launched his dying Hornet straight at its newer counterpart, metal smashing into metal as the Railgun fired, and both of them exploded in different directions, James smashing into the cliff wall, metal crumpling, and the Mk IV wrapping itself around a tree before exploding into a brilliant golden ball of spinning chunks of metal and earth. * ‘James! James! C’mon!’ someone was yelling and he was lying on a pleasantly warm soft surface. He opened his eyes. Bob and Sarah were kneeling over him, their faces scarred and bleeding, Sarah still tearful, Bob looking anxious. ‘What? What’s wrong?’ he asked looking between them. ‘James…you saved us. But… you got hit.’ Bob said fearfully, pointing at James’ chest, where blood was seeping out of a jagged cut that ran right across his heart. ‘Ah well’ was his only comment. ‘It was gonna happen sometime’. ‘James, you need help’ Sarah this time, eyes open wide. James knew that it was too late for that. He could feel his lifeblood draining away, too much to be stopped. ‘It won’t work. And I don’t mind. It’s been a good ride.’ ‘James….no…’ ‘C’mon guys. Its ok. Really’ James said with a soft smile on his face. Bob and Sarah each took one of his hands, their facing speaking more than words ever could. ‘Bob, take care of Sarah. Both of you stay safe. And…I guess I’ll see you around.’ James was feeling pleasantly drowsy. He took one last look around, at Bob, at Sarah, at his faithful Hornet, and with a contented sigh, he closed his eyes. He was going home. Epilogue: Bob looked at Sarah across the coffee table as they sat in their rocking chairs, gifts from their two children. They were in their both in their late sixties now, hair graying and skin wrinkled but to him she still looked perfect. He took her hand in his, and they continued to watch the sun going down over the horizon. After James had sacrificed himself and taken out the Mk IV, all the pockets of resistance had gathered together and dethroned the government. The absence of their best fighter had demoralized the government forces and the takeover was relatively easy. They had established themselves and had been accepted by the people. Peace prevailed and James had been hailed as a national hero. But those who knew him and who had fought by him knew him not as a hero, but as part of a team, a courageous fighter, and above all, as a friend. They would all get old. None of them would ever forget what they had all sacrificed in one way or another. But they would always remember the times they had had together, the memories they had made with each other. Because those memories didn’t just last a lifetime. Those were memories that would last forever.

Crackle (Part 1) Crackle (Part 2) * James staggered into the shaft hidden in the middle of an earthy bank that served as the headquarters of the Blacksmiths. He half fell, half walked down the stairs into a steel door set in the earth and banged his fist on the cold surface, almost dead with exhaustion. The last thing that he remembered before he hit the ground was the door scraping open and a gasp of shock from above him. * Normally, half dead people falling at her feet was something that Sophie was used to, being the expert at martial arts that she was. However, when she hadn’t actually done anything to them, she tended to get a little panicky. ‘What the-Luke, help!’ ‘What is it? Soph, put that gun away before someone ge- James!’ Luke Bender pushed past Sophie and hauled the limp body up from the floor. ‘Oi, Dan, get the med kit out!’ he shouted. He pulled James across the small but cozy room and deposited him on a couch in the corner. Another two people came galloping through a small doorway in the middle of the far wall. A long haired girl wearing a faded old T-shirt stopped next to Luke. ‘Who is he?’ she asked with her eyes wide open. ‘An old friend, Sarah’ said Luke grimly. He grabbed the hand that was hanging off the couch onto the floor and felt for a pulse. ‘He’s got a pulse, but he’s going to need patching up. Bob, where’s Dan? Did you see him on your way here?’. A tall floppy haired guy answered.’ Yeah we passed him. He said something about the med kit and went towards the kitchen’. At that moment, another person entered the room. ‘I got it. What’s the trouble?’ asked a tubby, round faced guy as he stretched his arm out and passed the kit to Luke. ‘This guy just collapsed onto my feet’ said Sophie. She was pale and seemed to have trouble getting the words out. At that moment James stirred. ***** Opening his eyes showed him an unfamiliar room and lots of brightly coloured shapes all around him. James decided to keep them closed. A sharp jab in the arm had woken him .He tried to move it, but it seemed to have been glued to whatever he was lying on. Later, much later, he decided to give opening his eyes another go. He found that now everything was in sharper focus, and that he could look around without everything leaping at him. He was lying in a bed, straps around his wrists and ankles fastening him to it. A girl with large brown eyes and a crop of black hair was sitting in a chair near the only doorway, wearing a look of concern on her face. ‘W..Water’ was the first word that came out of his mouth, as his senses caught up with him and he realized that his mouth was completely parched. The girl scrambled out of her chair and reached for a glass of water on a small table next to him. Almost apprehensively, she said ‘Ok, tip your head back a little and don’t struggle’. Half wondering why she was afraid of him he did as he was told and soon was feeling decently hydrated. He looked at her again. ‘Is hello a conversation starter around here?’ he queried and was rewarded with a half smile from her. ‘I suppose so’ she said. ‘How are you feeling?’ ‘A little tied up. Also wondering why I’m tied up.’ She looked apprehensive again. ‘Hang on, I’ll bring someone who can explain that better than me’. Before he could reply, she had vanished, only to return half a minute later with an average height guy with long hair tied back with a bandanna. ‘James! So you finally woke up eh?’ Luke said with a smile on his face. He came up to the bed and undid the straps that were fastening him down. James sat up slowly and stretched his arms.’ Luke, it’s good to see you again’ he said. ‘And you’ he replied.’ But why did you collapse against our door yesterday? And where are Ben and Alice?’ The events of the past few days returned to James. He shivered and clasped the side of the bed. ‘We got ambushed Luke. The alarms went off but they came at us from behind. I got hit. And Ben and Alice….Luke...they’re dead. Both of them. They were hunted down and I…I should’ve been there. But I screwed up and now they’re gone.’ James rested his head on his palms, his fingers clenched into his hair. Luke stared sadly at him for a moment. ‘James, do you know why you were strapped in? Last night when you woke up you were thrashing around screaming their names. We had to take your gun away because you would’ve shot us, or yourself. James, I know what Ben and Alice meant to you. I know that given the choice, you would’ve put yourself in front of a gun to save them. None of this was your fault and you can’t blame yourself for any of it.’ James didn’t move. He didn’t say a word. But Luke’s words didn’t mean a thing to him, nor did the soft arm that was around his shoulders, put there by the black haired girl. He knew that it was his fault. If he had been a little more attentive, more alert, they would still be here. But he hadn’t and now they were gone. He promised himself something that day. He promised himself that he would never let anyone down again. He would never forget his friends. He would hunt down those who took away his life. And he would kill them. *** James raced through the corridors of the factory, heart pounding, and sweating from everywhere it was possible to sweat. His recently repaired Mark II Hornet skidded slightly as he took the corner at high speed, Bob and Sarah right on his tail. His turret was still warm from the shots he had fired before turning and running. While he navigated through the black floors and white walls, he wondered how on earth they had got into this situation. *** It had been four months since he had collapsed in the Blacksmiths doorway. In that time, he had lived and fought alongside them. He had also got to know them better and was now an accepted part of the team. Their leader was Luke. He knew James from the time they had been in training to join the army, and though they had been separated for the past few years, they had both been doing the same things to fight against the government. Luke’s brother was Jack. He was a bright, upbeat, techy guy who had been in a wheelchair since an attack on a convoy had gone wrong and both his legs rendered useless. He was now the one who gathered intel from a series of well placed associates and occasionally hacking the officials systems with an ancient laptop. He still rode in Luke’s upgraded Hunter when they went into battle. Dan was the general mechanic, the one to go to when their tanks needed fixing up. He was the one who had earned them the name ‘Blacksmiths’ by being able to repair their tanks with the aid of a forge and some hammers. As a result, most of the metal on them was blackened, but it was stronger than the usual shielding. Sophie was the close range expert. As she knew a wide variety of martial arts, and could be extremely stealthy when she wanted to, she was usually the one who took point during raids that required going under the radar. She also had a sneaky crush on James, though she had never told him that. Bob and Sarah were the teams two accepted lovebirds. They had met when Luke had organized the team, and ever since then they had been together. It was to these two that James felt the closest, and even in combat, whether on foot or by tank they made a flawless team, which meant that whenever an attack was going on they immediately grouped up and took out anything and everything that stood in their way. Today was a routine attack on a Wasp factory that had recently sprung up. Jack had poked around and found the best time to attack, when the security was at its lowest and the conditions for attack optimal. They had successfully taken out the first guards and had proceeded to the center and planted a bomb. And then they had heard the muted roar of something dangerous charging towards them. * Home (Part 4)

Thanks you guys! :) Will try to keep 'em coming, next bit might take a while since I plan to make it a bit longer :P

Crackle (Part 1) * James opened his eyes. ‘Urrggh....Ben?...Alice?’ ‘Alice? Are yo-‘ James blacked out again When he woke up again, everything was dark. He tried to turn his head but pain spiked through his entire body. He lay where he was for a long time, until the sun came up. It seemed brighter than usual, the rays seeking him out, forcing him to move. When he eventually dragged himself to a darker place, he sat up and surveyed the ground around him. They had been ambushed. That much was plain to see. His Hornet lay in the middle of the clearing, it's rear completely torn open, the turret drooping over the front of it. How he had survived that hit, he had no idea. The Dictator was nowhere to be seen, but a set of tracks leading away indicated that they at least had managed to get away. He sighed in relief. Then he saw the shed. It had been completely razed, the remains scattered. The poor Wasp had been dragged out and set alight, the blackened metal still smoking. A feeling of dread overcame James. He struggled to get up, and succeeded with the help of a convenient branch. He considered for a moment, then broke it off and used it as a cane as he hobbled off down the tracks left by the fleeing Dictator. He walked on, past the spring they had used for water, past the dead Hunter that they had stripped of all parts. Something bright lay ahead. Eagerly expecting to see Ben and Alice, he hurried forward, only to find a jagged piece of metal embedded in a tree. And it was still flecked with Bens’ favourite shade of pastel blue paint. ‘Oh no. No. No..’ The words tumbled out of his mouth as he burst through the bushes, fear giving him strength. The Dictator lay on it's side between two trees, engine compartment torn open, tracks damaged and turret torn off. The escape hatch was open, and a trail of blood told its own story. Now shivering, James’ eyes followed it over to the bottom of a pine tree, where two blobs of colour stood out against the green and brown of the ground. James staggered towards them, terrified of what he might find. It was Alice and Ben. Their arms were wrapped around each other, their faces peaceful. Alice still had a spanner in her pocket, end covered in oil, Ben still wearing his welding gloves. And they were gone. Gone where James couldn't punch Ben and tell him to stop kidding, gone where he couldn’t hug Alice when she made them dinner, gone where they couldn't hear his broken sobs as he knelt before them, tears running down his cheeks. Gone, and James was left alone. He didn’t know how long he stayed there, rocking back and forth, half wanting to join them, half being afraid that the attackers would come back. He decided he couldn’t leave them there like that, decided to give them the send off they deserved. He moved them tenderly into the Dictator, gathered all the parts scattered about, and then fired the fuel tank. The Dictator roared into flames, and the fire rose higher and higher. A proper send off, he thought. A send off they wouldn’t have needed if he hadn’t messed up. James turned, Alice's screwdriver clenched in his fist, and a metal fist clenched around his heart. Hurting. Hurting so badly that he wanted to go back and wait for the ones who did it, go back and wait for them to put an end to his misery, so that he could be with them again. But he couldn’t. He knew that he had to keep going on, no matter how much his body ached, no matter how many tears ran down his face, no matter how many times he wished that they would come back. He knew it wasn’t what they would have wanted him to do. Without even knowing it, he had reached the wrecked Hornet. A cold wind rustled through the trees, an eerie sound in the loneliness. He walked over to it and pulled out a short barreled, black pistol. It had never been fired before, since it was part of their pact that they would not kill in cold blood if they could help it. That pact was over now. He straightened up, looking over his shoulder as he did. The sight of the remains of their home, their haven, steeled him to his task. He crossed over to the crest of the hill. A quick look around again. He didn’t intend to return. James left. Leaves crunched beneath his still slow and painful footsteps as he walked towards the one other place he knew that was safe. The Blacksmiths’ headquarters. * Advancing (Part 3)

Thanks! Mistakes noted, will take more time with the edit next time xD

It's in the works :P

*Crackle* ‘I got damage, cover me’ ‘I got your back, GO GO GO ‘ Birds took flight as a rumble turned into a roar and a massive hunk of metal trailing smoke and flying a tattered red flag crashed through the undergrowth and disappeared over a hill. Alice Johnson shoved her tanks’ power lever forwards and cursed. ‘Guys I’m losing power where are you?’ * Ben Thompson cautiously looked around. ‘Alice, I’m close to you. Send me a ping will ya?’ ‘All right, got it. I’ll be there in a sec’. He swung the Dictators nose towards the direction indicated by the illuminated screen displaying the location of the ping and crept forwards. * James Mason gulped. ’Um, guys, you seeing this?’ ‘What is it?’ The answers were almost simultaneous. ‘I’ll tell you later. Ben, get Alice and get out now!’ ‘James, what the hell is going on? James? James?’ * A few hours later, an old Hornet clanked its way past a secluded grove of trees and into a dirty grey wooden shed. ‘Guys, you here?’ called out James as he pulled up next to the Dictator and Wasp already parked in the middle of the floor and clambered out of the exit hatch. ‘Over here!’ Alice called out from the far side of the battered Wasp. She had a spanner in her hand and what looked like a whole can of oil in her short dark hair. ‘What on earth were you up to!’ said a pair of tattered blue jeans sticking out from underneath the engine of the wasp. Ben rolled out from under it, also covered in oil and with a blowtorch in his hand. ‘Wood nymph grabbed your tank did she?’ he teased with a grin on his face. ‘And hello you too, idjit’ James said and dropped onto the floor next to Alice. ‘You will not BELIEVE what I found. Another Viking factory. Right next to that lake we saw yesterday.’ Alice looked at him, her eyes wide. ‘But that would mean that it was….’ ‘Camo’ said Ben, his grin widening. ‘The slimy little menaces that they are they figured out how to use the camo on their factory’s as well.’ ‘There’s no need to sound so gleeful, this means its going to be harder for us to hunt them down now’ said James. ‘And by the way, why do both of you look like you took a shower in an oil fountain?’ ‘Stupid shell took out the oil tank’ said Alice a little grumpily. ‘Should be easy enough to fix, but it sprayed oil all over the place and we can’t even figure out which other bits have got damaged. James looked at their dwindling supply of spares sitting in the corner of the shed. ‘If there’s too much damage we’ll have to go on another scavenging and see if we can find a Wasp carcass to strip. Wish Fat Joe was still around.’ Fat Joe was the jolly old man who had been providing them with spares for years. He had contacts within the numerous factory’s building tanks for the government and smuggled each piece out one by one. Until one day, he got caught. Suffice to say that afterwards, ‘Fat Joe’ was never seen ‘Fat’ again. This was the attitude displayed towards anyone who was found ‘guilty of betraying the government’. What it meant was that if anyone coloured out of the lines that the new government had set when they seized power four years ago, they would be executed or worse to set an example to all the other law breakers. James, Alice and Ben were three of those lawbreakers. When the overthrow happened four years ago, they took their standard issue Hunter-Smoky’s from the central garages and set off into the forest. Ever since then, they had disrupted the government’s supply chains, attacked their manufacturing plants , and eventually ditched their old tanks for newer, better ones seized from the plants or the solo venturers encountered in the forests. *BeepBeepBeepBeep* ‘Guys, sector three, incoming’ yelled James as the alarm systems they had set up around their base went off. ‘Alice, leave it, you can ride with me’ said Ben springing up from where he was sitting. ‘All right’ she said, her face showing pale behind the coating of oil her engine had given her. Two minutes later, all three of them were outside making for the tree cover. ‘See anything yet?’ James whispered. ‘Nothi-JAMES WATCH YOUR BACK!’ And then his world exploded. * Crackle (Part 2)

Whats Thors favourite turret? Hammer! ok I'll show myself out

Awesome turrent! but impact force is way too high tho (which is why flipping hornets is so easy 'n' evil :P )

niceeeeeeeeee!!! are you that bored and yes, i am :P

guys maybe this http://tankionline.c...2/3jjflsjh1.png means that the sum of the numbers in the vlog is the answer for today

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Cool :) Bt bring bak free private battles and names plsss

well said mate.well said. who else thinks the devs cracked open tankis vodka storage tanks?

a laptop.....and a cat