The Devil Inside Ch. 18

[Shinobi]

Notes: after much begging (and death threats) here's the next chapter.




The Devil Inside
Chapter 18


?How long we going to sit here?? Marlen asked from the drivers seat. It had been over an hour since they pulled into the rest stop. In the back the occasional thump and muffled grunt could be heard. ?I know this is your show, but that?s getting really annoying.? He jerked his chin at the cargo compartment.

Gauron?s eyes snapped open and stared at the black Marine. Marlen returned the stare evenly. Finally Gauron smiled and looked at his watch. It read 11:15 p.m. Mithril?s spy satellite had passed by. ?We?re done.? He explained, opened the passenger door and stepped out. Everyone else followed.

?O?Campo. You and the kid check out those vehicles.? Gwen jerked his head toward the parked cars. ?I don?t want any surprises.?

?You got it.? O?Campo nodded. He and Fitz casually walked over to look over the parked cars in the rest stop.

While the two checked the other vehicle?s Gauron took the Honda?s keys from Marlen. The mercenary opened the trunk and pulled the blanket off the sprawled form of Kaname. The blue-haired girl was on her side. Her hands were bound behind her back at the wrists with plasticuffs. A thick gag ran across her mouth.

?I apologize for the uncomfortable accommodations.? Gauron said without a hint of warmth. ?We?re in quiet a hurry. You understand.? He grasped her upper arm and hauled the girl to her feet. She gasped in pain as he pulled her arm. ?Ah, fell asleep did it?? Gauron smiled unkindly. ?The discomfort will pass, I assure you.?

Kaname exhaled thru her nose loudly and tried to yank herself free of the mercenary's crushing grip. When that proved ineffective the blue-haired girl tried to stomp on his feet instead. Gauron?s smile vanished and he slammed her into the side of the vehicle. Kaname grunted in pain and spots danced before her vision. The girl moaned and would?ve collapsed if Gauron had not held her up by the arm.

Gwen reached into the back of the Honda and pulled out two large black metal cases. One was relatively square but the other was longer and more rectangular. Both looked like firearm carriers. ?Now I see why you didn?t want to knock her out.? He said conversationally as he opened one case. He nodded at the contents and closed it. ?No way in hell I?m carrying her.?

?I?ll do it!? Fitz beamed as he and O?Campo returned. He stepped around a scowling Gwen and impassive Gauron and took a good look at the bound Kaname. ?Daaamn.? He whistled appreciatively. ?Oh definitely!? The young Marine smirked.

?Shut your hole Fitz!? O?Campo snapped as he walked up. ?We got a job to do.? Shaking his head, the large Hispanic turned toward Gwen. ?The area?s clean. But I figured you knew that.? He nodded toward Fitz who was busy ogling the blue-haired girl.

?Never could fool you.? Gwen grinned as he pulled out the cases and slammed the hatch shut. ?Hey, lover boy!? Gwen snapped at Fitz. ?Lock this thing up.? He tossed the keys to the young Marine.

?Wha? Why me?? Fitz caught the keys. All he received in answer was blank stares. ?Alright fine!? He took the keys and began to lock the Honda.

?You sure this is a good idea?? Gwen muttered to Gauron and nodded toward the three Marines.

?They?re your friends.? Gauron pointed out. ?And it?s certain the agent will be looking for the girl.? He pulled Kaname to his side. ?Time?s not a luxury we have.?

?I know.? Gwen sighed. He hated this. Hated everything about it. But like Gauron said O?Campo was a friend and had vouched for the other two. ?Alright ladies listen up.? Gwen called out to the three Marines and walked toward the front of the Honda. He set the two cases on the hood while he waited for his audience to gather. The mercenary popped open the square case. Inside were five sets of NVGs and two 9mm semi-automatic pistols.

?Holy shit!? Fitz whistled. O?Campo and Marlen nodded in agreement. ?You guys don?t fool around huh.? Fitz grinned as the mercenary passed out the goggles to the three Marines. The three were very familiar with NVGs and quickly checked and adjusted them for the best fit.

Gwen pulled the two pistols out and checked their magazines. Each was fully loaded. He handed one to O?Campo and hesitated before handing the second to Fitz. Gwen was uneasy with the young Marine being armed, but desperate times and all that.

?We got a long march so keep a sharp eye out.? Gwen explained as he opened the second case. It contained two Austrian made submachine guns, the Steyr AUG Rifle, each with three fully loaded thirty round magazines. He took one sub-machine gun for himself and handed the other to Marlen. ?Don?t get trigger happy or I?ll shoot you myself. Got it?? The three Marines nodded earnestly. Gwen snapped the cases shut and held the keys out toward Fitz. ?Alright kid put these in the trunk.?

?What? You just had me lock the damn thing up!? Fitz protested.

?Well do it again.? Gwen snapped. With a scowl the young marine snatched the keys out of Gwen?s hand and carried the two cases to the SUV?s rear.

O?Campo laughed and clapped Gwen on the shoulder. ?That?ll teach him!?

Gwen said nothing. His eyes were on Marlen who was studying the sub-machinegun in his hands. ?You know how to use that??

?Sure do. Just admiring it. The Austrians make some damn fine weapons.? The black man smile and slammed a magazine into place. He slipped the shoulder strap over his own shoulder and let the weapon hang beneath his arm. ?Oh yeah. This I like.? He smiled and patted the weapon.

?You expecting any trouble?? O?Campo frowned at the hardware his buddy had pulled out.

?Not particularly.? Gauron interrupted and dragged Kaname over to the group. ?We just like to be prepared.?

?What?s so special about this girl anyway?? Marlen asked. He glanced cursorily over the blue-haired girl. ?Sure, she?s easy on the eyes, but she ain?t all THAT.? Kaname huffed and tried to kick the black Marine.

?I think you upset her.? Gauron smiled. ?Didn?t your mother ever teach you it?s not polite to speak to a lady that way??

Marlen laughed.

?What?s so funny?? Fitz asked as he rejoined the group. Nobody answered. ?Come on! What?s so funny??

?Forget it kid.? O?Campo said.

?Alright, here?s the plan.? Gwen said once he had pocketed the Honda?s keys Fitz had returned. ?There?s a path over that way.? He nodded toward the southern end of the rest area. ?We?re going to follow it until I say otherwise. Got it?? The Marines nodded. ?Let?s go.? He started toward the path.

?You want us to spread out or something? Any kind of formation?? O?Campo asked as they walked across the rest area.

?That won?t be necessary.? Gauron said. ?Just keep a look out.? He turned toward Kaname as he fitted a pair of NVGs over his head. ?Oh and keep an eye on the young lady here. Wouldn?t want her to get silly ideas.?

?Yeah, if she bolts shoot her. That?s what the weapons are for.? Gwen smiled and turned on his NVGs. The Marine?s chuckled and Gwen knew his message had been received. They knew as well as he did that the weapons they carried was far too excessive to have just to keep one girl from running.

But Kaname did not know that.

?Hey, she?s even got her running shoes on.? Fitz joked as he pointed at the girl?s bright pink shoes. The others (excluding Gauron) laughed.

?That?s enough.? Gauron growled as he shoved Kaname before him onto the path. ?Move your feet.? The girl stumbled in the darkness as they left the poorly lit rest stop behind and vanished into the moonless night.

**

?What do you mean?? Sousuke frowned at the smirking Crispin.

?Simple, I can track her.? Crispin wiped his lip and stood up. ?So what?s it gonna be Sagara??

?Track her?? Sousuke looked dubious. He shifted his stance and regarded the AS engineer warily. Something in Daniels demeanor put the sergeant on edge.

?Yeah track, as in follow. Go after. Locate. Catch my drift?? Crispin snapped. He was tired of the posturing and games. He needed to find Kaname NOW.

?How??

?I planted a homing beacon on her alright!? Crispin snapped in exasperation. He stalked over toward the edge of the ally and retrieved his book bag. He dug thru it and pulled out a small black electronic device that looked a look like a Palm Pilot. ?See?? He held the device up.

?What is that?? Sousuke slid forward to get a closer look. He could see it had a large color display screen with what looked like a topographical map. However Sousuke could not be certain because Crispin lowered it before he got a good look.

?It?s my diagnostic minicomp. Built it myself.? The stocky boy?s pride was unmistakable. ?Got all kinds of info in here. And some pretty powerful sensors too.? He said the last pointedly.

?Impressive, but I fail to see how that helps you track Chidori.? Sousuke said.

?Like I said. I planted a homing device on her.? Crispin bit the words out.

?We should inform the commander.?

Crispin resisted the urge to curse. ?Forget it! It?ll take them at least an hour to send a strike team and you know it!? He exhaled loudly and added. ?And the range on this thing ain?t that great.? At Sousuke?s doubtful look he yelled. ?Come on! We?re wasting time.?

?Actually, if the commander knew Chidori?s location. He could deploy an SRT in twenty mikes.? Sousuke pointed out reasonably.

?No he couldn?t.? Crispin gritted his teeth. ?Sagara, the Danaan isn?t parked right off shore. The Seventh Fleet?s been chasing after it for the past eight months! It?s got to be at least three hundred miles away, and a Six-Pack can only go so fast!?

?I am aware of that.? Sousuke frowned. ?But-?

?Shut UP!? Crispin seethed. ?You don?t know it?s position. I don?t know it?s position. And I refuse to sit around for the Old Man to get off his ass!? He turned and walked out of the ally. ?Screw this! I?m going to find her!?

Sousuke watched as Daniels strode angrily out of the alleyway. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. His soldier?s instincts insisted the most prudent course would be to inform the commander of Daniels device. A fully-armed and mobilized SRT could rescue Kaname before the kidnappers knew what hit them. However?

Everything about this kidnapping felt wrong. It was bold. Too bold. Were the kidnappers stupid? Or desperate? It had to be a small group, probably two maybe three men. Any larger and they would be too conspicuous. It would be child?s play for a SRT to eliminate them. Yet, somehow that seemed wrong to the Mithril sergeant.

Kaname was in danger. And that bothered Sousuke. A lot. He could not shake the fear that something else was at work. Some unknown variable that could cost them everything. He could not put his finger on it, but it was there. Like some shadowy specter hanging over them waiting to strike.

?And I refuse to sit around for the Old Man to get off his ass!?

Daniels words rang in Sousuke?s ears, and despite all logic. All tactical sense. He found himself agreeing with the temperamental engineer. Sousuke watched Daniels walk out of the ally, turn left and disappear from sight. Running a hand thru his sweat soaked hair, Sousuke sighed and followed after the American. ?Daniels! Wait up!?

**

?How did you get a tracking device on Chidori? Where did you get a tracking device?? Sousuke asked as he and Daniels crouched behind a dumpster three blocks south of International Street. The noise of the festival was faint but still very audible.

?I built one.? Crispin smirked when Sousuke turned to him incredulous. ?It wasn?t hard.? He shrugged. ?As to how I got it on her?? His smirk widened. ?I stuck it into the sole of those pink shoes she likes so damn much.?

?When?? Sousuke asked. He was sure getting close enough to Kaname things to plant a homing beacon would have been difficult, if not impossible. The girl was very vigilant.

?About two nights ago. When she was asleep.?

Sousuke stared at Crispin hoping it was a joke. When he realized it was not he could not decide if he should be impressed or disturbed by the mechanic?s actions.

?Unfortunately, it doesn?t have the greatest range.? Crispin scowled as he studied his minicomp. ?I don?t think she?s in the city anymore.? He felt a wave of panic rise. ?Damn.? Crispin squeezed his eyes shut.

?Easy Daniels.? Sousuke soothed the corporal. ?Stay focused.?

?Yeah, I hear ya.? Crispin took a deep breath. And another and exhaled heavily. His eyes opened. ?Okay, what are we going to do??

?You don?t have anything?? Sousuke indicated the minicomputer in Crispin?s hands. The mechanic shook his head negative. ?Is it functioning properly??

?Yes!? Crispin hissed. ?I tested it!? He was quite indignant at Sousuke?s implication. ?I told you the range is limited!?

?What is the range?? Sousuke asked.

?Uh, I-uh haven?t really had a chance to ?fully test that.? Crispin shrugged sheepishly. At Sousuke?s glare he hastily added. ?I?d guess three maybe five klicks.? He laughed nervously.

?Daniels.? Sousuke shook his head. No wonder the Lance Corporal was so against informing the Commander. The intelligence Daniels device could provide was severely limited. ?We have nothing to go on. We need to pull back.?

?Like hell!? Crispin snapped. ?You can go running back to that Russky if you want! I sure as hell won?t.?

Sousuke sighed. Even with this new wrinkle the sergeant could not shake the feeling of dread he had. If they waited it would be too late. Somehow he knew this to be true. ?So what do you suggest?? He finally asked.

?Well,? Crispin licked his lips. ?We have to figure out what their plan is.? At Sousuke?s look he amended. ?General plan. Five klicks remember?? He held up his minicomp. ?We just have to get close enough and this baby will lead the way. Then we make the fuckers pay!? Crispin smiled at the thought.

?We have no weapons.? Sousuke pointed out. ?They most likely do.?

?Well they can?t be that well armed. This island?s a fucking fortress with all these US bases.? Crispin waved a hand around. ?They?d be stupid to traipse around here with any kind of serious hardware.?

?True, but a couple of side-arms and we?d be seriously outgunned.? Sousuke frowned. The more and more they discussed it. The worse and worse the idea seemed. Yet he was compelled forward. The idea of stopping and not going after Kaname was impossible to contemplate. ?And there are a lot of places to hide.?

Crispin reluctantly agreed. Okinawa was an archipelago that consisted of four major island groups. Each group was formed of over a dozen islands. The largest was the island Okinawa and was were most people lived, but the other three groups had inhabitants as well. The archipelago consisted of over 160 islands. Of which only forty-four are inhabited. As Sousuke said, plenty of places to hide one girl and?. Crispin?s hands curled into tight fists. Some things were best not thought of.

?Not again!? He swore silently. ?Not this time!?

Crispin jerked as he became aware of a buzzing sound. ?God damn!? He cursed and dropped his minicomp. He clutched his head as the buzzing grew louder.

?Daniels.? Sousuke watched in alarm as the engineer started thrashing on the ground in pain. ?What is it? Talk to me? What?s wrong?? He placed a hand on the stocky American?s shoulder. He felt a jolt pass thru him and drew his hand back with a hiss.

?Judas-1. Report!?

?W-what do you want Old Man?? Crispin focused his thoughts inward yet again. Somehow the signal was even more painful. Probably a result of the close time intervals between communication.

?Judas-1. You and Urzu-7 are to report to Field 17. What is the delay? Over.?

?I-I told you. I ain?t going.? Crispin teeth clattered as he struggled to form his thoughts. ?y-you-you.? He began to convulse uncontrollably and white agony flared behind his eyes. ?You?ll have t-t-to k-kill me first!?

Sousuke shoved garbage and debris away from the writhing corporal. The best thing he could do for the man was wait until the seizure passed. Sousuke frowned. This seemed like what happened when he contacted the commander before, but he was unsure. Daniels seemed to be in much worse shape than before. Could it be something else? He suspected Daniels was suffering from some mental illness. What kind the sergeant was not sure.

Finally after an eternity Crispin received another message.

?Judas-1. You intend to disobey a direct order. Endanger yourself and Urzu-7. And jeopardize our entire operation? Is that what you want??

?Y-you c-catch on quick! O-old Man!?

?Very well.? Kalinin actually sighed. ?If you insist on this foolish course than at least equip yourself properly.?

?Wha??

?Proceed to 175 Prostiller. An apothecary lives there. Tell him the ?White Tiger? sent you. He?ll get you what you need. Golden Goose. Out.?

And like that the Old Man was gone.

?God.? Crispin wheezed for breath. ?That hurts!? He coughed and slowly stilled his trembling body.

?Daniels. You alright?? Sousuke asked.

?What do you think?? Crispin coughed some more. Slowly his twitching ceased and his breathing returned to normal. He felt completely drained and his throat was parched. He had probably sweated off a couple of pounds. ?Need water.? He croaked thru chapped lips.

?Can you stand?? Sousuke asked.

?Yeah, I think so.? Crispin nodded as the younger sergeant put a shoulder under his arm and lifted him up.

**

Kalinin sighed as he sat the headset down. Dealing with Cpl. Daniels was trying at the best of times.

?Was that a wise thing to do?? A soft feminine voice asked from behind.

?Yes, Madam Captain, I think it was.? Kalinin turned to regard the speaker. He was at the main communication terminal on the Tuatha de Danaan?s bridge. Tessa studied him from her captain's chair. The frown on her pretty features indicated she did not share his assessment.

?You doubt me?? Kalinin asked.

?No, it?s not...? Tessa trailed off embarrassedly. ?I didn?t mean to imply.?

?It?s understandable.? Kalinin smiled. ?But something had to be done to calm Cpl. Daniels down. Any longer speaking with him could have caused him serious injury.? Kalinin regarded Tessa a moment. ?That is how you explained it to me just before I contacted him.?

?Yes.? Tessa agreed. ?I understand that, but to actually encourage him??

?Ah, but who says that I did?? Kalinin chuckled. At Tessa puzzled look he elaborated. ?The man I directed Cpl. Daniels toward is an old friend. However,? Kalinin?s grinned. ?White Tiger will mean nothing to him. Cpl. Daniels will find no help there.?

?Won?t he become angry when he realizes your deception?? Tessa asked worriedly. ?He could hurt your friend.?

?Sgt. Sagara will keep him in line. Of that you can be assured.? Kalinin turned and accepted a data folder handed to him by a crewman.

?I-? Tessa stammered at the thought of the dark-haired sergeant. ?I?d hate for something to happen to Sgt. Sagara because of this.?

?I wouldn?t concern yourself Madam Captain.? Kalinin studied the folder before addressing the young Captain. ?Sgt. Sagara?s a professional. The best I?ve ever seen. He knows his duty. He won?t let his emotions sway him.? Kalinin allowed himself a tight smile as he spoke of the young sergeant.

?I understand.? Tessa smiled at the older man. ?Thank you Lt. Commander.?

?Your very welcome.? Kalinin coughed and asked politely.? If you?ll excuse me Madam Captain.? He had a mission briefing to conduct.

?Yes, of course Lt. Commander.?

**

?What do you mean you don?t know?? Crispin yelled at the smiling old man before him. He and Sagara had found the apothecary Kalinin had told him about. But the man himself was a white-haired doddering fool who?s Shuri accent was so thick it was almost impossible to understand.

?White Tiger? No.? The old man smiled placidly and shook his head. The old man had a dark complexion and looked to be from India, or Nepal. At Crispin?s scowl he held up a finger. ?Ah, you mean this.? He pulled off a jar form the nearby counter and thrust it toward Crispin. ?Dried newt??

?No!? Crispin grated out. ?I don?t.? He batted the jar away from his face. ?Get the damn lizard out of my face!? He glared as the old man?s brow wrinkled in confusion and reluctantly placed the newt back on the counter.

?No tiger.? The old man shook his head sadly.

?No tiger my ass!? Crispin snapped and lifted the man up by the collar. ?Stop the games ya geezer!?

?Daniels!? Sousuke grabbed Crispin by the shoulder. ?Stop it! This man?s done nothing to you!?

After several tense moments Crispin snorted. ?Fine whatever you say hero!? He dropped the old man to the ground. ?You realize what this is?? He pointed a accusing finger at Sousuke. ?We?ve been played. That Russky lied to us! That fucking bastard!? Crispin yelled and kicked a nearby shelf. Fortunately it was sturdy enough to survive the assault and nothing was broken. ?Damn it!? He cursed and began to pace.

Sousuke sighed and watched Daniels rant. He understood the mechanic?s frustration. He also understood Kalinin?s deception. Their premature action could not only harm themselves, but Kaname as well. He was a soldier. A professional. And while he was concerned (deeply so) about the blue-haired girl he could not afford the luxury of indulging that worry. For the moment, it was his job to wait.

And yet?

They?ll tear her apart!

The corporal?s words from earlier brought a chill to Sousuke?s spine. They may have been spoken in hysteria, but Sousuke could not shake the awful feeling that somehow those words were true.

Sousuke clenched his eyes shut as his mind flashed the image of the pale red-headed girl he retrieved on his last mission. That image and thinking the same could happen to Kaname was ...disturbing. Sousuke did not understand it, but it was a very real pain he felt. Like a sharp knife slicing open his belly. It felt as if he would slowly bleed to death. And nothing could stop it.

Nothing except?.

Sousuke opened his eyes and stared at the old man. When he had the old man?s attention he spoke two words. ?Pandjshir Ravine.?

The old man?s eyes doubled in size and he staggered back as if struck. He studied Sousuke a long time. Finally the old man laughed and spoke a single word in question.

?Kashim??

End Chapter 18




The Devil Inside-Glossary of Terms


MCMJ -Mithril Code of Military Justice. Basically the legal code and rules of conduct all Mithril personal are subject to.

CO - Commanding Officer (This is actually used by the US military)

MCF- Mithril Correctional Facility. Most ships and bases have their own brigs or jails, but those are only designed to keep a prisoner for a short period of time. The MCF serves as Mithril?s more permanent jail. It?s used to hold those who are awaiting their hearing or trail, and for those who?ve been sentenced for longer than a month, to a maximum sentence of a year or two.

MDC- Mithril Detention Center - basically prison. This is where Mithril throw's their hard-cases and long terms sentences. It's a great place where you get to spend twelve hours a day making little rocks out of big rocks. Sounds fun doesn't it?
Basically, think of it as Mithril's equivalent to Ft. Lebonworth.

Old Man - just an affectionate way the soldiers of Mithril have of referring to Kalinin. Of course, they'd never address him like that!

LP/OP ?Listing Post and Observation Post.

FARP ?Fuel And Rearming Point. It?s a forward staging area combat-vehicles (such as an Arm-Slave) can use without having to leave the combat zone.

Mikes ?short-hand for minutes.

ETA ?Estimated Time of Arrival

Hawkeye ?Refers to a US radar plane. The Hawkeye usually flies ahead of a US naval task force (among other things) and gathers useful information about the area and reports it back.

AS- Arm Slave. Ya know, those big freaking robots Sousuke and the others pilot.

SRT- Special Response Team. Sousuke, Melissa, and Kurz are member of Mithril?s SRTs. The way I look at it, the Special Response Teams are Mithril?s equivalent of Special Forces. They do many of the same tasks as special forces: Recon. Infiltration. Sabotage. Lightning raids, Hostage rescue, and assorted other tasks.

MOTC ? Mithril?s Officer Training Course. Most military organizations have additional requirements for their officers besides just time in service and demonstrated ability. Most officers under go specific and grueling training and are usually required to have a four year college degree of some kind.

M9- Called the ?Gernsback? it?s the AS used by Mithril. Considered the next generation of AS.

M6- the AS used by the US Military.

RK-92- Soviet era Arm Slave. To quote Sousuke. ?Move you Soviet-made piece of Junk!?

Ninety-six- refers to the ASG 96-B manufactured by Bofors. It?s a 57 mm smooth-bore rifle and part of the M9?s standard armament. It?s the rifle Kurz used in episode five during his duel with Gauron.

NCOIC- Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge. It refers to the highest ranking enlisted person within a unit. In the case of Crispin?s orders it refers to Melissa.

DI ?Drill Instructor. Another way of referring to a Drill Sergeant.

SitRep- Situation Report. Basically a quick run down of what your situation in a field (or combat) environment.

WA2000- very high-quality German sniper rifle. Considered by some to be one of the best in the world. It?s only down side is its weight. (16 lbs) and cost. It?s highly customizable and sleek in design. It seemed appropriate for Kurz to use. Though I think the one he?s actually shown using is a PGS-1(another German rifle). I?m not certain.

Tac-Net- Tactical Network. A radio network set up and used by members of the same unit during tactical (i.e. combat) situations.

HE- High Explosive.

Fifty Cal ? short hand for fifty caliber. Which is the size of a heavy machine gun. A machine gun this large must be mounted on a tripod or vehicle in order to fire it. A fifty caliber round is about six inches long and can tear a man in half, and it can also destroy trucks, light armored vehicles and buildings.

NVGs -- Night Vision Goggles

EOD ? Explosive Ordinance Disposal

FTX ?Field Training Exercise.

Gunny- Short for Gunnery Sergeant. It?s an advanced NCO rank in the United States Marine Corps

Shiwa Statue ?those Lion statues you?ll see in front of temples and important buildings. There supposed to be guardian spirits and they are very prominent in Okinawa.

Klicks- short hand for kilometers

[necowaffer]

Oooooh! Great job on updating so quickly! This story is getting so suspensful that if I had to wait any longer I'm sure I'd explode!

lol.

More soon!

[miaka mouse]

woooohooo! go sousuke!! or kashim! whatever ur name is! so did kalinin send him knowing that they would know each other...? i wouldn't put it past him!

and u said flattery would get me nowhere... and yet here is the next chapter... i should call u a bastard more often...

keep em coming u lovely ass of an author you

MM <?__)~ (who might be enjoying the insulting a bit much)

[darkbane]

Shinobi: this ought to be the best compliment for you.. the ONLY reason I just registered on this forum was to tell you that you should hurry up with this excellent series . forget proofreading, release the damn thing already . you better comply, coz there's some ICBM's lined up here to greet you in case you don't

cheers, keep up the great work, i really wish you'd release even faster tho, the tension is getting to me

P.S.: i really like how you made Crispin come alive, quite a good character and very fitting into the series.. makes one wonder why the original author didn't think of it

[pilot03]

With all these compliments, how can you not be happy. I really think the series is coming along great and I can't wait for the next chapter already.

forget proofreading, release the damn thing already . you better comply, coz there's some ICBM's lined up here to greet you in case you don't

I think I have to agree with that statement. Maybe that will hurry you up, or perhaps that is the kind of comment your looking for. Very confusing. Anyways, good work!!