Post by Koz on Dec 5, 2009 21:29:46 GMT -7
Guitar-based blues playing in the background, a blue haze of smoke filling the room as conversations are held and alcohol is consumed. Any of the pubs throughout the City would be where Koz O’Callahan could be found. This was his home; the realm that he knew so well. Through all the stereotypes of drinking and smoking, even the brawls, this life was what soothed him from an eternity of knowing he had nothing left. Thoughts had been brewing in his mind for some time now. When he slept all he would see was his home back in Ireland. The face of his niece haunted him around every turn. He gave his own life and mortality for hers. Yet despite his best efforts she still died. His mortal bloodline had become very lost to him at his own choice, of course, as to not burden his human relatives with his secret and to keep them from knowing the monster he had to become.
In distancing himself from the human world, he had found a second family. Several other faces filled his life now. The two that meant the most to him where his sire, Boomerangele, and his wife, persephone. Then there were the childer he loved so much, even persephone’s childer whom he considered to be his own. He was fond of all of them. They were his family now and although he longed for the potential fulfillment his mortal life held, he knew it was better off this way. Finishing off what was left of his drink, Koz stood from his table. Crushing out a cigarette in the ashtray he slid his coat on and headed out of the pub. Deciding he wanted his wife in his arms he turned in the direction that would lead him to her; however, the moment he stepped into the street he heard screeching tires. This made no sense because Koz hadn’t seen a single car prior to this moment.
In an instant, a black van slid sideways in front of him. His mind went blank from shock and before he could think of anything a window rolled down and the barrel of a gun appeared. It wasn’t a regular gun though, and it barely made a sound when the trigger was pulled. It took a few moments for Koz to realize he had been shot with a dart. He knew he had just been tranquilized, but who and why? As he heard the door to the van slide open he ripped the dart from his chest. Seeing three good sized men come out of the van, he squared up to them. They did not attack though, obviously waiting for the tranquilizer to set in. Koz didn’t feel any different, so he figured the tranquilizer wasn’t working. Jjust as he stepped forward to raise his fist, the drug hit him all at once. His vision blurred instantly and he fell forward. Being caught by one of the men he raised his other hand. Swinging with all his strength he connected with the man’s jaw, but the reality of his swing was barely a slap.
When Koz awoke he was strapped down to a chair. A light beamed down directly on him. His eyes squinted in an attempt to see. He then heard a voice, one he had not heard in a very long time. But it was impossible for it to be this man! Koz had killed him… literally held the gun to him and pulled the trigger. Yet his voice was very real as the man stood directly in front of Koz despite his disbelief. “I should have known Crast was insufficient for bringing you back to me, O’Callahan.” The man spoke, “It seems you haven’t lost your touch. Destroying one of my buildings completely, not to mention the number of men you took from their families.” Koz could see the man shake his head in some sort of mockery of disappointment. He tried his hardest to break through the restraints, pushing against the straps so hard he cut into his own wrists.
“It’s no use; you’re hooked to an IV that supplies you with a steady stream of sedative. Until I decide otherwise your physical strength is nothing more than that of a regular human being,” the man continued. Koz knew he was right. Their past was too intertwined for this man to bluff. Hanging his head in defeat for a moment Koz spat on the floor. The Irish accent was slurred as it answered the man.
“Y’know…if you would’ve just left me be…” Koz was out of breath. Out of breath? Maybe this serum really did make him human again. “If… just leave me…” just then a yell of frustration left Koz’s mouth. “Damn it, if you would’ve just left me alone. I told you a long time ago don’t come lookin’ for me. Didn’t I? I don’t want any part of what you do and if I have to put another bullet in y-…“
The man cut Koz off with laughter. “You? Sitting there in your weakened state? I can do whatever I want to you and there’s nothing you could do to stop me. The past was my mistake. I underestimated what I had made you into.” The man’s voice was stern, filled with a sense of self-loathing. It was at that moment Koz felt a crushing blow against his jaw. The force from the hit knocked over the chair and Koz landed on his back. The pain from the frame of the chair crushing down into his forearms from his own bodyweight didn’t help either.
Turning his head to the side Koz spit out a mouthful of his own blood. A small chuckle came from his throat as he was lifted by his shirt to sit upright once more. The pain from his jaw radiated throughout the rest of his head. He could feel himself nodding off to sleep once more. Just before he drifted back off into the darkness he heard the man speaking to an accomplice, “Move him into the chamber. He is not to be set free until I know for certain we’ve broken him again. He will obey this time or he will die!” the man shouted to his staff.
The dreams were filled with past events. Glimpses of persephone shifted to visions of Boomerangele. Thereafter the pleasant images turned ugly - beginning with Koz’s recruitment. It was as if every deed he had ever done was compiled into a film to play in his mind -- thousands of bodies; secret societies and century-old battles between them; the things that mortals thought only to be fiction, only things seen in movies. The tales of these communities being behind anything major that happened in the world, the paranoia that somewhere someone had control of everything from political figures to banking accounts. This was Koz’s past. The man who had just confronted him was the leader of one of these groups. Blanketed in lies and betrayal, Koz had once been a cog in the machine that controlled what everyone else knew as life.
When he awoke he was attached to the floor. It was not chains that held him, though, some sort of steel rope. The cuffs around his wrist were definitely not standard either. Each cuff had lights on the front. Koz studied them for a moment before attempting to move. A slight jag was felt in his arm from the IV, but he paid no attention. Just then the lights changed from blue to orange and electricity shot through Koz’s body. Collapsing, he laid motionless. Twenty minutes passed before he regained his composure. He turned his head to look around. A mirror was straight in front of him, and he knew there had to be someone constantly watching from the other side.
“Hey! Hey you!” Koz called out waiting to be sure he had the attention of whoever was on the other side of the mirror. With a smile Koz raised his left hand and extended his middle finger. Just then another short burst of electricity hit him. Falling onto his side he winced in pain but couldn’t stop from laughing. It was apparent that whenever he made a movement that wasn’t approved of, whoever was watching was responsible for correcting him. They were trying to break him again. He would not let them this time. A few seconds later a door opened and lights flickered to life. Shutting his eyes for a moment Koz turned to see the man before him again. This time it was Koz who spoke first. “How about you take this needle of out of my arm? It’s itching a little bit I don’t think they put it in correctly.” He mocked, “Come on Rez, take me off that serum. I’ll be a good lap dog I promise.” He winked at Rez who remained silent. Rez’s only response was to put a cigarette between Koz’s lips and light it for him. With a nod of thanks Koz leaned back once more and Rez began to speak.
“I’ve been watching you for a while now, as I’m sure you know. It’s occurred to me that you are my gateway. You see I was very pleased with your work when you were following my orders -enlisting vampires to do my bidding. No one thought I could control them, or even find them. But that’s where you come into the picture. I will use you as bait. Those closest will come looking for you and from there it’s a chain reaction. Their loved ones will seek them, and then those loved ones will be sought. Do you see the pattern, O’Callahan?” The question not meant to be answered.
Koz quietly smoked his cigarette. Although his urges from being a vampire had dwindled down with each dose of serum, the need for nicotine was still very strong. Enjoying every inhale he took Koz let Rez have his moment. “Eventually I will have an entire army of your kind at my disposal. Wouldn’t you like that? Your new family being the ones you stood beside as you led them to accomplish my objectives. It would be better than what you have now. You miss it, don’t you… living off the radar, not existing at all.” Rez was trying to tempt Koz to agree to bring in those dearest to him. As Koz finished the cigarette he flicked it at the mirror in front of him, pausing before he answered.
“You know if the old man were alive he’d have your head,” Koz started, “Of course… seeing as you’re the one that killed him…” He made another pause, knowing the mention of Rez’s father struck a nerve. Rez impressed Koz, though, and remained silent. “It’s a shame when a father dies at the hands of his own son, don’t you agree?” Koz continued, “Of course I suppose any kind of bastard that could pull the trigger on his old man deserves the guilty conscience.” That was what set Rez off.
“My father was a fool. He knew nothing of progress and refused to let my operations expand. He needed to die so that I could improve what he let grow dormant. I am the one who has single-handedly reclaimed the glory our organization once knew. I am the one with his eye on the ball.” Rez stated calmly.
“Your eye on the ball, are you serious? You’re an idiot who can’t see past his own nose. If your eyes are on any balls it’s the ones that are slapping against your chin,” Koz said with a laugh. Just then Rez waved his hand, a gesture to give Koz another shock. This one was stronger than the two before and left Koz was in a daze.
Rez stepped over Koz’s body on the floor. “We’ll speak when you’ve let that spark die down some, O’Callahan.” The door shut and the lights went off once again.
Koz’s body was locked. His muscles were still tightened from the electricity and he could feel himself start to pass out once more. His last focus was to send a telepathic message to his wife. Doing his best to concentrate he let his thoughts flow freely. “I have been taken, persephone. Do not panic. I was taken just outside The Archer’s Tavern. Start your search there and bring whoever you can.” With a final burst of concentration to send his message, Koz let himself fall into unconsciousness once more.
In distancing himself from the human world, he had found a second family. Several other faces filled his life now. The two that meant the most to him where his sire, Boomerangele, and his wife, persephone. Then there were the childer he loved so much, even persephone’s childer whom he considered to be his own. He was fond of all of them. They were his family now and although he longed for the potential fulfillment his mortal life held, he knew it was better off this way. Finishing off what was left of his drink, Koz stood from his table. Crushing out a cigarette in the ashtray he slid his coat on and headed out of the pub. Deciding he wanted his wife in his arms he turned in the direction that would lead him to her; however, the moment he stepped into the street he heard screeching tires. This made no sense because Koz hadn’t seen a single car prior to this moment.
In an instant, a black van slid sideways in front of him. His mind went blank from shock and before he could think of anything a window rolled down and the barrel of a gun appeared. It wasn’t a regular gun though, and it barely made a sound when the trigger was pulled. It took a few moments for Koz to realize he had been shot with a dart. He knew he had just been tranquilized, but who and why? As he heard the door to the van slide open he ripped the dart from his chest. Seeing three good sized men come out of the van, he squared up to them. They did not attack though, obviously waiting for the tranquilizer to set in. Koz didn’t feel any different, so he figured the tranquilizer wasn’t working. Jjust as he stepped forward to raise his fist, the drug hit him all at once. His vision blurred instantly and he fell forward. Being caught by one of the men he raised his other hand. Swinging with all his strength he connected with the man’s jaw, but the reality of his swing was barely a slap.
When Koz awoke he was strapped down to a chair. A light beamed down directly on him. His eyes squinted in an attempt to see. He then heard a voice, one he had not heard in a very long time. But it was impossible for it to be this man! Koz had killed him… literally held the gun to him and pulled the trigger. Yet his voice was very real as the man stood directly in front of Koz despite his disbelief. “I should have known Crast was insufficient for bringing you back to me, O’Callahan.” The man spoke, “It seems you haven’t lost your touch. Destroying one of my buildings completely, not to mention the number of men you took from their families.” Koz could see the man shake his head in some sort of mockery of disappointment. He tried his hardest to break through the restraints, pushing against the straps so hard he cut into his own wrists.
“It’s no use; you’re hooked to an IV that supplies you with a steady stream of sedative. Until I decide otherwise your physical strength is nothing more than that of a regular human being,” the man continued. Koz knew he was right. Their past was too intertwined for this man to bluff. Hanging his head in defeat for a moment Koz spat on the floor. The Irish accent was slurred as it answered the man.
“Y’know…if you would’ve just left me be…” Koz was out of breath. Out of breath? Maybe this serum really did make him human again. “If… just leave me…” just then a yell of frustration left Koz’s mouth. “Damn it, if you would’ve just left me alone. I told you a long time ago don’t come lookin’ for me. Didn’t I? I don’t want any part of what you do and if I have to put another bullet in y-…“
The man cut Koz off with laughter. “You? Sitting there in your weakened state? I can do whatever I want to you and there’s nothing you could do to stop me. The past was my mistake. I underestimated what I had made you into.” The man’s voice was stern, filled with a sense of self-loathing. It was at that moment Koz felt a crushing blow against his jaw. The force from the hit knocked over the chair and Koz landed on his back. The pain from the frame of the chair crushing down into his forearms from his own bodyweight didn’t help either.
Turning his head to the side Koz spit out a mouthful of his own blood. A small chuckle came from his throat as he was lifted by his shirt to sit upright once more. The pain from his jaw radiated throughout the rest of his head. He could feel himself nodding off to sleep once more. Just before he drifted back off into the darkness he heard the man speaking to an accomplice, “Move him into the chamber. He is not to be set free until I know for certain we’ve broken him again. He will obey this time or he will die!” the man shouted to his staff.
The dreams were filled with past events. Glimpses of persephone shifted to visions of Boomerangele. Thereafter the pleasant images turned ugly - beginning with Koz’s recruitment. It was as if every deed he had ever done was compiled into a film to play in his mind -- thousands of bodies; secret societies and century-old battles between them; the things that mortals thought only to be fiction, only things seen in movies. The tales of these communities being behind anything major that happened in the world, the paranoia that somewhere someone had control of everything from political figures to banking accounts. This was Koz’s past. The man who had just confronted him was the leader of one of these groups. Blanketed in lies and betrayal, Koz had once been a cog in the machine that controlled what everyone else knew as life.
When he awoke he was attached to the floor. It was not chains that held him, though, some sort of steel rope. The cuffs around his wrist were definitely not standard either. Each cuff had lights on the front. Koz studied them for a moment before attempting to move. A slight jag was felt in his arm from the IV, but he paid no attention. Just then the lights changed from blue to orange and electricity shot through Koz’s body. Collapsing, he laid motionless. Twenty minutes passed before he regained his composure. He turned his head to look around. A mirror was straight in front of him, and he knew there had to be someone constantly watching from the other side.
“Hey! Hey you!” Koz called out waiting to be sure he had the attention of whoever was on the other side of the mirror. With a smile Koz raised his left hand and extended his middle finger. Just then another short burst of electricity hit him. Falling onto his side he winced in pain but couldn’t stop from laughing. It was apparent that whenever he made a movement that wasn’t approved of, whoever was watching was responsible for correcting him. They were trying to break him again. He would not let them this time. A few seconds later a door opened and lights flickered to life. Shutting his eyes for a moment Koz turned to see the man before him again. This time it was Koz who spoke first. “How about you take this needle of out of my arm? It’s itching a little bit I don’t think they put it in correctly.” He mocked, “Come on Rez, take me off that serum. I’ll be a good lap dog I promise.” He winked at Rez who remained silent. Rez’s only response was to put a cigarette between Koz’s lips and light it for him. With a nod of thanks Koz leaned back once more and Rez began to speak.
“I’ve been watching you for a while now, as I’m sure you know. It’s occurred to me that you are my gateway. You see I was very pleased with your work when you were following my orders -enlisting vampires to do my bidding. No one thought I could control them, or even find them. But that’s where you come into the picture. I will use you as bait. Those closest will come looking for you and from there it’s a chain reaction. Their loved ones will seek them, and then those loved ones will be sought. Do you see the pattern, O’Callahan?” The question not meant to be answered.
Koz quietly smoked his cigarette. Although his urges from being a vampire had dwindled down with each dose of serum, the need for nicotine was still very strong. Enjoying every inhale he took Koz let Rez have his moment. “Eventually I will have an entire army of your kind at my disposal. Wouldn’t you like that? Your new family being the ones you stood beside as you led them to accomplish my objectives. It would be better than what you have now. You miss it, don’t you… living off the radar, not existing at all.” Rez was trying to tempt Koz to agree to bring in those dearest to him. As Koz finished the cigarette he flicked it at the mirror in front of him, pausing before he answered.
“You know if the old man were alive he’d have your head,” Koz started, “Of course… seeing as you’re the one that killed him…” He made another pause, knowing the mention of Rez’s father struck a nerve. Rez impressed Koz, though, and remained silent. “It’s a shame when a father dies at the hands of his own son, don’t you agree?” Koz continued, “Of course I suppose any kind of bastard that could pull the trigger on his old man deserves the guilty conscience.” That was what set Rez off.
“My father was a fool. He knew nothing of progress and refused to let my operations expand. He needed to die so that I could improve what he let grow dormant. I am the one who has single-handedly reclaimed the glory our organization once knew. I am the one with his eye on the ball.” Rez stated calmly.
“Your eye on the ball, are you serious? You’re an idiot who can’t see past his own nose. If your eyes are on any balls it’s the ones that are slapping against your chin,” Koz said with a laugh. Just then Rez waved his hand, a gesture to give Koz another shock. This one was stronger than the two before and left Koz was in a daze.
Rez stepped over Koz’s body on the floor. “We’ll speak when you’ve let that spark die down some, O’Callahan.” The door shut and the lights went off once again.
Koz’s body was locked. His muscles were still tightened from the electricity and he could feel himself start to pass out once more. His last focus was to send a telepathic message to his wife. Doing his best to concentrate he let his thoughts flow freely. “I have been taken, persephone. Do not panic. I was taken just outside The Archer’s Tavern. Start your search there and bring whoever you can.” With a final burst of concentration to send his message, Koz let himself fall into unconsciousness once more.