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 Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2016 9:18 pm
  
Will wasn't leading the charge. How could he? The moment he gave the order men and women began attacking. He hardly had the time to get out the door before being swept into the storm of men ad women on the charge. Forward into the breach once more, for a final battle. Once they pressed into the Tower's border machine resistance increase but it could not stop their wave of aggression and they once more pushed through however the men and women began being repulsed back, force to seek cover behind larger piles of rubble. Will and two other rebels alone made it within ten meters of the shaft. All the needed to do was run for it, and they did. As they ran the two with Will were picked off and Will even took a bullet to the leg but he kept going until finally, he lobbed the bomb into the elevator shaft "RETREAT!!!!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs as he turned and began limp/running away fro the shaft, they were in for a blast.
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 5:47 pm
Amelia Cross  The people of the rebellion scattered, the machines dutifully chancing their targets. It was impossible to tell if Sybil knew what had happened or not. The machines didn’t change their strategy, but there was nothing they could do about the bomb anyway so perhaps Sybil was just trying to get the last few kills in. It was a long drop to the bottom floor and the elevator was clearly not working. Barely suppressed smiles all around, even as they ran for their lives, but no one cheered or celebrated yet. They didn’t want to jinx it. The seconds ticked down, seeming to take forever, too long in fact and soon some had begun to get nervous. Then it happened. The earth shook and the elevator shaft belched forth flames. The basement levels collapsed leave a creator where the base of the tower once stood and everything shut down. The machines and electricity were immediately noticeable, but sewage, water and everything else that made a city run had also shut down.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 5:54 pm
Will had just made it outside the blast radius when the bomb went off so he was fine. There was a collective sigh of relief that passed through them all when the world shut down around them. "See if we can get a team to recover the generators from the Hangar. They should be able to supply enough power to keep the lights on for about a month. Go find Amelia too, she spent a long time helping Sybil, maybe she'll know a way to get everything else back on. "
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 8:16 pm
Amelia Cross Those closest to Will scattered to do his bidding. They were fortunate that Adrian had had a love for old technology as all of the modern vehicles refused to move without being connected to the grid. Those who had went to retrieve Amelia came back first seeing as their task was the simpler of the two, though there was no sign of the woman he had left her with. “You did it.” She offered a weak smile. Though looking at him at first her focus shifted, like she was looking threw him rather than at him. “They…they ummm said you wanted help getting everything back online?” There was a slight pause as she tried to gather her thoughts. “We should…we should start with the power plant I suppose.“ Her focus seemed to finally shift back to him. “But we need to play Adrian’s message. And have him buried.”
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 9:34 pm
When Amelia returned Will listened carefully to what she had to say. The power plant was a clear start. He hoped she would be able to reboot the system when they arrived but for the time being they did need to go through with Adrian's wishes. "Prepare the message and we can prep the com system to spread his voice throughout the city. Without Sybil's speakers operational we will need to rely on out own but, the message will be heard." God, Will wished he had paid more attention in the times he was assigned with taking inventory. He had no actual concept of what resources they had at their disposal. Most of the non-weapon technology remained in the Hangar and all of it was created by Adrian's scientists to survive in a world post-Sybil. A few members of the resistance began linking the communications system as they waited for Amelia to prepare the message. "What happened to the girl I left you with?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2016 6:17 pm
Amelia Cross Amelia nodded slightly at Will’s instructions. There was some relief that they would be able to broadcast the message without having to get power back online first. She pulled out the flash drive from where it had been safely tucked away and studied it for a second in silence. Why had he really given it to her? He could have ordered anyone in the resistance to keep it safe and stay out of the fight. His reasoning seemed less than satisfactory, though unless he had explained in his message it was something she would never have the answer to. Will’s question brought her back to the present. “She...she didn’t make it.” She answered simply. There was no point whining about, she was far from the only person who had died. No time either since they had about 206 other things to worry about at the moment. Someone handed her a tablet that was connected to their coms system. She seemed momentarily uncertain what to do with it before kneeling on the ground and placed the tablet on the ground so she could plug the flash drive in. Having only one workable arm was becoming increasingly inconvenient. “Ready?” She asked as she hit a few keystrokes on the screen. As soon as they were ready she’d hit play.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2016 12:32 am
"Damn." Will mumbled in response to the news about the lady. He wasn't really moved in either way though. Many other people that he had cared a lot more about had died today. when she asked if he was ready for her to press play he simply nodded and when she did so, the message began. There was no image, just Adrian's voice but from the tone and his breathing it was clear that he had recorded this some time shortly after being brought back from the shooting that had destroyed his heart. He sounded as bad here as he had in the end. Just as tired.
"Hey... If you're hearing this that means that we did it, we beat Sybil. But it also means that in he process of doing this, I was killed. I don't know who has this message or who is playing it, I'll probably give it to Amelia... you know, screw with her head a little. 'Why'd he give it to me?' 'Is there some deeper meaning?' 'Nag, nag, nag, nag, no plan you make will ever work.' " There was some laughter in the background and Adrian even gave a little of his own. "It doesn't matter who has the message as long as it is heard. My goodbye of sorts. I knew the moment the machines cornered us on the street that I was going to die. With each bullet I felt my life slipping further away and then you all pulled me back. You made me finish the fight... so I did. Now my plans never really exceeded stopping Sybil. To be honest I didn't think it would happen in my lifetime, but I was always prepared. We had to be ready encase Sybil shut down for any reason. So I made preparations. While working on weapons to destroy the machines I had a smaller team working on agriculture and building generators. Running off the Hangar alone you will have enough food, water, and energy to keep the city running for about two months. By then I expect that you will have managed to take control of all the functions Sybil once preformed." Adrian paused and their was a little rumbling in the background. "Aside from supplies you'll need a new framework of government. This may come as a shock to most but I never wanted to lead. I hated the idea that I would be expected to lead. In fact, I supported the idea that we should retain Sybil's form of governing only using real people. A president and advisors from every cultural group and class. We need a system to ensure that no one person has to much power. I can't propose such a system though... I can't tell you what to do... I wanted to destroy Sybil because it controlled your lives. I will not do the same. Look to the Resistance. Let them protect you. Another director will rise, a man or woman better than I, more compassionate or at least less willing to speak freely. I've included instructions for my burial. My only regret is that I was not there to see Sybil fall. I-" Adrian's voice was covered by a doctor's. the doctor told him it was time to come back in for the surgery and the message shut off. That implied Adrian had looked into having the heart repaired with a downer but what happened that changed his mind would never be known now.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2016 7:34 pm
Amelia Cross Rather than be upset at Adrian’s comments Amelia managed a small smile. Even on his way for surgery and he still found time to insult her. Still it was a relief to hear he had done some planning ahead. That people wouldn’t be dying without food or water while they tried to get things back online. They had time. If only he had finished the message. She was sure any number of people would have offered their hearts to him, herself included. Though it’d been too late by the time she had. With the message over Amelia unplugged the flash drive and tucked it away safely before standing up with the tablet in hand. She didn’t really have a plan for the flash drive, but it seemed like something that should be kept safe. “We should go get him. Keep him safe until preparation can be made. I have no idea where….a funeral home I guess. They…can make him look nice and in a few days when everyone can come we can… bury him.” It wouldn’t be fair to the injured and medics if they did it right away when they were too busy. If she had an opinion of Adrian’s words, his instructions to rebuild a government, she didn’t share them. For the most part she was struggling just to keep things together, just to keep moving, so instead she focused on the next task instead of future preparations.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2016 7:42 pm
"Amelia... he went off the top of a fairly large building... I'm pretty sure whatever funeral we could hold would be closed casket. There is no making him look better. " Will responded. His leg had been patched up by the medics but he still wasn't really in any mood to walk anywhere right now. It was over, the war, the death, the struggle to beat Sybil. It was all over and they had won. "Amelia sit down, breath. It's over and we've won. You heard Adrian, we have supplies there is no rush. Take an hour to just enjoy the victory. Once everyone who fought has been treated we can begin sending people to spread the supplies that we have to the rest of the city and we can get the power plant back online. Just take a moment to relax."
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2016 8:52 pm
Amelia Cross “I… didn’t think about that.” She admitted. Despite having watched him fall it really hadn’t. She would really be the last one to have seen him than. If it really had been a joke to give her the message and bring her along it had been a cruel one. Maybe he’d realized it at the end in his attempt to get her out of the building and by telling her all the things that had gone wrong weren’t her fault. The truth was the sacrifice weighed on her even though logically it had been the only option. “I know Will. I do. I should be happy but when I stop….I just…I have no right to complain, a lot of people died. But Adrian…I watched him fall from the building and that woman…she died in him arms Will. I couldn’t help her…and when I stop…I would rather just get to work on the power plant.”
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2016 9:04 pm
"Then go, work. But Amelia, there will only be so many projects you can take on to run away from what has happened. Sooner or later you'll have to face it. We all will." As he spoke Will rose to his feet. Clearly his leg still hurt as he walked with a notable limp. He slowly moved to Amelia and spoke with a quiet and calming tone. "Everyone here has lost a great deal today. Being in the Resistance was never easy. We lost friends every day but today we have all lot more friends at one time than every before. Everyone is grieving. Don't run from them to your work, mourn with them."
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2016 10:07 pm
Amelia Cross “How can I Will? They have all lost so much more than me. I don’t have any right, not compared to them. Adrian hated me, everyone knows that and they probably think I hated him too….and I didn’t even know that woman. How can I mourn them in front of the others when they have had real losses? People they actually knew and friends? Besides I was never part of the Resistance. Not really. They’ll just think I’m selfish and weak.” They probably already did, but she left that part out. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, tears threatening to fall, but she was determined not to let them. She meant what she said about not having a right to it. It’d be easier to just go work on the power plant.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 8:34 pm
"It's not about who has lost the most. It's about mourning what we have lost. Most of the people we just freed are mourning losses, we don't hate them because they aren't part of the Resistance. Why are you any different?" Will was trying to reason with her. He knew it was unhealthy to bottle up as much as she was.
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 8:16 pm
Amelia Cross “I don’t know Will. Because he hated me. Because he wouldn’t even let me try to save him. Because I left him alone on that rooftop . I should have …should have insisted he leave instead. He sacrificed so much for me Will and in the end I just…” There was a pause as she took a breath and gave a swipe at a tear that had managed to escape her attempts to hold them back. “…I just left him there. Let him sacrifice himself for me again so I could leave. He should be standing here Will, not me. The world deserves Adrian and is stuck with me instead.”
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 8:30 pm
"Amelia you couldn't save him. He was going to die one way or another, either Sybil or his heart. At least one sent a better message." That was all Will could really offer. In the end he knew that Amelia would try to bury her feelings one way or another. Every soldier did. Yet when he saw the tear he felt nothing but compassion and he wrapped his arm around her. "It's alright Amelia. He wanted this. He wanted this."
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