2598:
Protoss Scouts detect strange spore like clouds in orbit around the Terran inhabited world of Tasion. In their report back to the Conclave, they described them as gas floating up from the volcanic mountains of that region. The Conclave, assuming that it was nothing more than a natural occurrence, thought nothing more of this report.
2599:
Reports of cattle mutilations become wide spread across Savbila, a farming region just outside the mountains of Tasion. In several instances, whole farms disappeared along with those that inhabited them.
The Sons of Korhal establish a temporary base in the Fikira desert to replenish their supplies.
2600:
Present day.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Alex Morrison's eyes followed a shooting stars path across the sky as one last scream pierced the silence before dying out in a choked gurgle. It wasn't long before the headlights of the two vehicles parked side by side lit up the frames of three men coming up from behind the sand dune.
"Did you finish it?" He asked, not taking his gaze away from the heavens.
"Yeah," replied a sandy haired guy named Jason as he was tucking his shirt into his pants, grinning. "She didn't struggle all that much, nor really even try to get away. She must have liked it."
Alex shifted his gaze over to him, quirking an eyebrow and the grin quickly disappeared from Jason's face. Alex said nothing to him, instead sitting up from where he had been reclined back on the hood of his car against the windshield and swung his legs around to dangle above the ground. He turned his gaze to Tom Watts, the smallest guy of the bunch, as he was getting himself a beer from the toolbox turned cooler Guy Matthews kept in the back of his vespine gas powered truck. Then to Guy himself, the burley type one would typecast as your typical football player, whom had several scratches across his cheeks, one deep one right under his left eye. Finally, he stopped on James Colbank, the self proclaimed "second in command" of this little bunch. Each one of them looked satisfied with themselves. James had even lit up a cigarette and passed it to Guy after taking a puff. Following the cigarette, Alex's eyes were back on Guy.
"I thought you said she didn't struggle all that much," Alex stated, more to himself than anything else.
"Well, she didn't," Guy answered before taking a long drag off the cig. "She wasn't conscious for much longer after that."
The other two chuckled at his comments but were silence once again due to the blank expression on Alex's face.
"Come on man. It was just a joke," Tom said, in an attempt to cover for his friend.
Alex shook his head, tossing his half full can of beer into the sand. "Let's get out of here," he said, sliding off the hood of the car. "The pitch blackness gives me the creeps."
Guy and Tom exchanged a glance before heading toward Guys truck. Alex had been acting different lately. The deeds that had brought him joy before no longer seemed to matter anymore. He had this indifferent aura about him, like he just didn't give a shit. Take the events of that night, for example. He didn't even participate like he normally would. The guys had gotten the girl in hopes that it would cheer him up but, once they had arrived at their designated spot, he simply reminded them to clean up afterwards and walked back to where they had parked. They weren't complaining though. Rarely did they ever get to join in when he was the instigator of such things, but that didn't mean they weren't concerned about him.
In all reality, they were right about him not caring. Alex didn't, at least not about that anymore. He was coming to find that while the lifestyle of taking anything you wanted was grand, it was lacking something, but he had yet to figure out what. All he really knew was nothing held much excitement anymore and lacked the adventurous feeling it once had.
He was lost in these thoughts as he climbed behind the wheel of his car, James climbing in the passenger seat just as he was closing his door.
"Hey man, you ok?" He asked Alex, looking at him with worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, turning the key in the ignition. The engine revved to life, sand rising up in a cloud behind the car from the blast of air from the exhaust pipes. The car was Alex's pride and joy, an antique somehow preserved from twentieth century Earth know as a Mustang. There were very few gas powered automobiles left in existence, so Alex took care of his as a father would take care of his child.
Just as Alex shifted the car into drive and started backing up, Guys truck gave a leap and landed hard with the sound of crumpling metal. Alex slammed on the brakes, parking it while the passenger door of the truck opened and Tom came staggering around to the car.
"T-There's something in there!" Tom sputtered, trying to crawl into the car through James open window.
"What?" Alex said, getting out of the car, his eyes shifting from Tom to the truck. Through the side window, he could see Guy slumped over the steering wheel. "You guys just probably hit a rock, that's all."
Alex walked around to the other side of his car to calm him down as James opened his door. Tom grabbed him by the collar, yanking him out the rest of the way out and out of his way before trying to climb in the car to the drivers side. He was scared, but there was no way Alex was going to let him take his car. Getting a hold of Tom by the ankle, Alex pulled him halfway out of the car before he grabbed the steering wheel.
"Let me go!" Tom yelled, using his other foot to kick at Alex's arms, stomach or any other body part he could possibly kick.
"Calm down damnit," James said, having recovered from the fall and grabbing Tom's other leg. "There's nothing out here!"
With a noise that was much like that of what had come from the truck, a long spine shot up through the center of the hood, staying in the air for a moment before retreating back down as the engine gurgled and died. Tom's scream filled the car and he wiggled free from Alex and James grasp, their attention turned from him to the steam rising from under the hood, due to a severed hose.
"What the-" Alex started before the spike emerged again, this time just a few inches in front of them. He jumped backwards, dragging James with him. Tom threw open the drivers side door of the car, making a break for the open desert. He had only ran a few feet when the spike came up from the ground under him, and Alex and James watched in horror as it ripped him apart before returning underground.
p align=rightContinued...
Protoss Scouts detect strange spore like clouds in orbit around the Terran inhabited world of Tasion. In their report back to the Conclave, they described them as gas floating up from the volcanic mountains of that region. The Conclave, assuming that it was nothing more than a natural occurrence, thought nothing more of this report.
2599:
Reports of cattle mutilations become wide spread across Savbila, a farming region just outside the mountains of Tasion. In several instances, whole farms disappeared along with those that inhabited them.
The Sons of Korhal establish a temporary base in the Fikira desert to replenish their supplies.
2600:
Present day.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Alex Morrison's eyes followed a shooting stars path across the sky as one last scream pierced the silence before dying out in a choked gurgle. It wasn't long before the headlights of the two vehicles parked side by side lit up the frames of three men coming up from behind the sand dune.
"Did you finish it?" He asked, not taking his gaze away from the heavens.
"Yeah," replied a sandy haired guy named Jason as he was tucking his shirt into his pants, grinning. "She didn't struggle all that much, nor really even try to get away. She must have liked it."
Alex shifted his gaze over to him, quirking an eyebrow and the grin quickly disappeared from Jason's face. Alex said nothing to him, instead sitting up from where he had been reclined back on the hood of his car against the windshield and swung his legs around to dangle above the ground. He turned his gaze to Tom Watts, the smallest guy of the bunch, as he was getting himself a beer from the toolbox turned cooler Guy Matthews kept in the back of his vespine gas powered truck. Then to Guy himself, the burley type one would typecast as your typical football player, whom had several scratches across his cheeks, one deep one right under his left eye. Finally, he stopped on James Colbank, the self proclaimed "second in command" of this little bunch. Each one of them looked satisfied with themselves. James had even lit up a cigarette and passed it to Guy after taking a puff. Following the cigarette, Alex's eyes were back on Guy.
"I thought you said she didn't struggle all that much," Alex stated, more to himself than anything else.
"Well, she didn't," Guy answered before taking a long drag off the cig. "She wasn't conscious for much longer after that."
The other two chuckled at his comments but were silence once again due to the blank expression on Alex's face.
"Come on man. It was just a joke," Tom said, in an attempt to cover for his friend.
Alex shook his head, tossing his half full can of beer into the sand. "Let's get out of here," he said, sliding off the hood of the car. "The pitch blackness gives me the creeps."
Guy and Tom exchanged a glance before heading toward Guys truck. Alex had been acting different lately. The deeds that had brought him joy before no longer seemed to matter anymore. He had this indifferent aura about him, like he just didn't give a shit. Take the events of that night, for example. He didn't even participate like he normally would. The guys had gotten the girl in hopes that it would cheer him up but, once they had arrived at their designated spot, he simply reminded them to clean up afterwards and walked back to where they had parked. They weren't complaining though. Rarely did they ever get to join in when he was the instigator of such things, but that didn't mean they weren't concerned about him.
In all reality, they were right about him not caring. Alex didn't, at least not about that anymore. He was coming to find that while the lifestyle of taking anything you wanted was grand, it was lacking something, but he had yet to figure out what. All he really knew was nothing held much excitement anymore and lacked the adventurous feeling it once had.
He was lost in these thoughts as he climbed behind the wheel of his car, James climbing in the passenger seat just as he was closing his door.
"Hey man, you ok?" He asked Alex, looking at him with worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, turning the key in the ignition. The engine revved to life, sand rising up in a cloud behind the car from the blast of air from the exhaust pipes. The car was Alex's pride and joy, an antique somehow preserved from twentieth century Earth know as a Mustang. There were very few gas powered automobiles left in existence, so Alex took care of his as a father would take care of his child.
Just as Alex shifted the car into drive and started backing up, Guys truck gave a leap and landed hard with the sound of crumpling metal. Alex slammed on the brakes, parking it while the passenger door of the truck opened and Tom came staggering around to the car.
"T-There's something in there!" Tom sputtered, trying to crawl into the car through James open window.
"What?" Alex said, getting out of the car, his eyes shifting from Tom to the truck. Through the side window, he could see Guy slumped over the steering wheel. "You guys just probably hit a rock, that's all."
Alex walked around to the other side of his car to calm him down as James opened his door. Tom grabbed him by the collar, yanking him out the rest of the way out and out of his way before trying to climb in the car to the drivers side. He was scared, but there was no way Alex was going to let him take his car. Getting a hold of Tom by the ankle, Alex pulled him halfway out of the car before he grabbed the steering wheel.
"Let me go!" Tom yelled, using his other foot to kick at Alex's arms, stomach or any other body part he could possibly kick.
"Calm down damnit," James said, having recovered from the fall and grabbing Tom's other leg. "There's nothing out here!"
With a noise that was much like that of what had come from the truck, a long spine shot up through the center of the hood, staying in the air for a moment before retreating back down as the engine gurgled and died. Tom's scream filled the car and he wiggled free from Alex and James grasp, their attention turned from him to the steam rising from under the hood, due to a severed hose.
"What the-" Alex started before the spike emerged again, this time just a few inches in front of them. He jumped backwards, dragging James with him. Tom threw open the drivers side door of the car, making a break for the open desert. He had only ran a few feet when the spike came up from the ground under him, and Alex and James watched in horror as it ripped him apart before returning underground.
p align=rightContinued...