Doomsday By Design -- [STORY THREAD]

Alan stared between them all, remaining silent.

Sandra's departure had left him with a lingering uneasiness... a certain vulnerability which he despised feeling... it was the worst, most intolerably helpless feeling ever...

Alan strolled over to Dorian's work bench, leaning on it, staring at the wall of posters, silently hoping no one would initiate conversation with him...

"It may surprise you to know that quite often it is the smart ones who protect the strong. It's all about balance, if we were all strong yet dumb as a box of rocks, we would still be in the stone ages. If we were all smart but weak........ well actually I can't find a negative point for that one."

Robbie could tell that Jakson was trouble so he was trying to keep the mood light. But he still had to know.......

"How about the guy Sandra left with. How much do you know about him?

Jackson looked up at Angus and nodded in agreement.

"I agree, I think that might be why I'm here.."

Jack then responded -

"About the guy Sandra was with.. Again, I know basically about as much as you, which is pretty much nothing. I met him for but a brief moment then he disappeared into the night. I don't even think he acknowledged the fact that I Introduced myself to him, and his....friend. I even asked their names, but it was like I didn't even exist to them. They were both decked out tho, in Samurai gear. I think the older one was his teacher or something."

"And the little Asian girl who left with them?"

Jackson responds to Angus.

"The Asian girl is Sue-Lin, whom her fellow students call "Mouse." She's Chinese, and she was a student in my class, usually super quiet. (hence, "Mouse") I didn't know much about her till yesterday."

Jack raised his eyebrow, knowing that he didn't even really know her at all.

"But yesterday, she turned into a whole different person. A person no-one would have suspected she actually was. She's like a special OP's sniper with some serious tactical military training, or some other serious sh!t like that. She wears a ghille suit and has a a wide range of military skills. It's weird. I'm still confused about how that came to be the reality of it. All I can say is, I hope she likes me cause I wouldn't want to cross her."

"Now, I think I've answered your questions adequately, now tell me. Tell me your story, what brings you here?"

As ryujin checked the time on his watch sandra climbed on the back of the bike .. he thought how tired he was really could have used a soak in the tub and some sleep but no time for either .. too much to do and too little time ..

as he felt sandra settle on the back of the bike he said over his shoulder hold on at the same time opening it up and heading out on the road into town where he opened up the bike full throttle .. he enjoyed feeling the wind in his face as he rode thought he heard sandra shout something but was too focused on the road ahead ..

the trip into town didnt take long and a couple blocks from the meeting site ryujin slowed to the speed limit .. approaching he could see they were in more of a stand down mode and preparing to pull out he slowed the bike further rolling to a stop near the command apc .. after sandra climbed off the bike he shut it off and put the kickstand down then got off the bike and saw john standing at the entrance of the apc ..

Good morning john made it back .. john this is sandra she is the representative of the people left .. sandra this is john ..

Taking his bag off he pulled out the heavy manila envelope and handed it to john .. no idea whats in it .. and asked if john would mind him borrowing the secure line to inform his father the package had been delivered ..

"The simplest answer to your question is, Sandra. She is why I am here. She was not supposed to be at school yesterday morning. She should of been..............."

Robbie stumbled over his next thought, something a little strange just occurred to him.

"She should have been..here. She should have been in this very bunker"

Was it just timing or had Dorian actually known something was going to happen? Robbie had to find out more from Sandra, he needed to know everything he had said that morning.

I know Dorian, he would have never left without giving some clue as to where he was going.


"I was at the school when everything happened. I happened to hear Sandra telling someone the location of the bunker or her house. Knowing she was trying to get there alone scared me. I didn't want anything to happen to her so I tried to find her which eventually lead me to where we are now."

"Er... hi." Sandra said cautiously, examining the man. "Nice to meet you. Now... no offense or anything, but... what am I doing here?"

"I see, yes, that would have been Sandra telling Sun-Lin and I directions to this bunker, good call sir!"

Realizing he knew Sandra, Jack eased up a bit, he didn't feel Angus was a threat anymore.

"She's a bit unpredictable. She doesn't even tell me things, hell, I think the only person she tells things to is Alan. I don't know why. I think his head is more than slightly inflated. Anyway, I would suggest you talk to Alan if you plan to go get her or something.. I'd offer to go with, but something tells me you won't welcome my help."

"Hey." Alan called from the counter. "I can hear you."

a reply to: Wookiep
"Leave the bunker? You know there are People with guns out there, right? No, I won't be going out there unless I KNOW she needs rescuing. She is a smart girl, I am worried about her but if she felt she had to go then it had to be for a good reason. I just hope she can trust the guy she left with. Something about him just doesn't sit right with me."

"D'oh!" Jackson smacked his forehead.

"I'm sorry Alan, I forgot you had supersonic hearing! I didn't mean to offend, but let's face it, I"m not exactly someone you view as "buddy buddy". I know you like Sandra...a lot. I'm not trying to move in on her dude, she's all yours!"

Jack didn't want to offend Alan, but he wanted him to see how...sometimes he could be.. a jackass.

"What--?"

The lighting in the bunker was too dim for anyone to notice that Alan's face had faded into a deep scarlet.

"I'm not--we're not--" Alan coiled his hands into fists, then took a slow, deep breath. "We... are not... dating. That... that is the last thing on my mind."

Alan shook his head. He looked as though he was withering some peculiar thoughts that he didn't dare speak out loud.

"Anyway..." He said, forcing up a calm, collected tone. "It... its fine. No offense taken."

Jackson responds again to Angus

"I understand your point all too well, and yes, there are people out there with guns, and yes, we have those too. I'm not saying you have to go play hero, I'm just saying if you decide to, I'll help. Sheesh."

Slightly annoyed by Angus' "adult" and what he felt "know-it-all" attitude, Jack simply rolled his eyes.

"Well if you do feel like playing hero, let me know. Any excuse to leave this bunker is enough for me."

Jack was growing increasingly pessimistic and somewhat numb to this whole situation. It was interesting the first time Jack almost went out to save Sandra, but now it was becoming frustrating.

Jason had returned and was safely out of sight as the D.P.s err he needed to stop thinking that way ! As the town folks started showing up for the meeting. As he sat in the drivers seat of the next APC in line he had a clear view of the area John had prepared for the arrivals.

John had managed to find some poles that had been placed into the ground an two plastic tarps; one for the ground and one as a top covering just incase anyone wanted to sit on the ground (Ryujin) or an unwanted camera flew by..

There were already three people under the tarp two men and a woman which seemed to be enjoying the sandwiches, coffee, Tea, and a soda immensely..

John was very audible through his hot microphone.

Machine noise.....Who would have thought two would arrive by a motorcycle, amazing ?

It must be the Japanese young fellow, Ryujin that John said had the envelope... some girl was sat behind him.

When they dismounted the bike Jason was sure the girl was armed with a pistol as her top rode up during the dismount... He probably would have been armed too... No harm.. Just a little more attention for this one..

As they both stepped under the overhead tarp John gave a respectable bow to the Asian kid while speaking his name and when finished stuck his hand out to the girl while introducing himself..

She just looked at him and mumbled something Jason could not quite make out but it sounded to him like Sandra or Samson with a nice to meet you mumbled for good measure ? Hard to tell ... OK plan "B"

John offered them both drinks and sandwiches and the girl (S?S) seemed to recognize the other arrivals by at least acknowledging their presence; almost acted as if it was a big deal to smile at them or do the "mumble speak"; she was young and already had a deep deep chip on her shoulder according to Jason's first read.

John had decided to wait until 6 AM to see if anyone else was going to show. This was more a meet and greet setting to take the edge off of what the teams had done to this little town.

To say Jason was really glad he had delegated this meeting to John would have been an understatement. To Jason, John was better at hiding his feelings than Jason thought of himself. Besides he hated smart a$$ kids with no manners and that was kind of the indication he got from S?S.

"It was a weird team that Ryujin had hooked up with", thought Jason out loud.
John heard it over his ear piece and smiled in Jason's direction with a slight nod.

If Ryujin was with her there might be more than some punk rocker spoiled brat under all the attitude she had displayed so far.

Either that or maybe Ryujin was not exactly the character John had thought him to be ? The company you keep and all that stuff...

Time would tell.

"First impressions but impressions none the less", popped into Jason head.

Ryujin on the other hand carried himself with poise and dignity even though he had what looked to be a rather nasty scalp wound on the left side of his head.

"That must have hurt and would leave a nice long scar"..... just random thoughts that passed though Jason's mind as he watched the meet and greet unfold.

Ryujin had already reached into his back pack (no hesitation ..good sign, trust was already there between John and the kid) and passed a rather large envelope to John. They both had bowed and John had handed the package off to Sargent Smith to have multiple copies made. John had explained in a voice for all to hear that according to their CIA contact the contents of the envelope contained very important information from the Japanese Embassy on matters of national security for both countries; with Ryujin's permission it would be all copied and the original would be returned if he so wanted..

***Couldn't very well say it was the contents of the envelope that had got the town almost blown away... Ryujin might have had a rather rough time if it had been explained the papers and a couple of computer sticks got most everyone killed..***

"My father had said to give to you. I have fulfilled my promise so anything more is up to you".

"All I ask is to please impose on you once again to speak with my father so he knows the envelope has been passed."

"John bowed once again and said, Anything you need Ryujin you just ask"

To Jason it looked like a bobbing for apples contest without the water much less the apples..
However, Jason had learned long ago to respect other people's customs; you lived longer if you did plus Jason had a soft spot for Asians.. Some of the little F*ers were tough as nails and could kick higher than Jason could stand..Which was a lot at 6'6".

ryujin watched as sandra introduced herself in a way he felt sorry that she ended up suddenly thrust in the position of leader even though under the facade she put up she was a natural and competent leader .. she just needed confidence in herself ..

bowing ryujin thanked john .. and yes wouldnt mind taking a look at what nearly got us all killed .. and that too many already died because of .. ryujin took a seat under the tarp while waiting to see the copies going over the past days events in his head .. then john was back handing him the copies .. ryujin nodded and thanked him started looking over the documents .. outwardly appearing calm .. inwardly feeling a cold rage build as he read .. it took awhile to read over but once done ryujin sat in thought for a few minutes .. then got up and walked over to where john and sandra were talking at the same time signalling for gozaimon to come down .. it would be risky but the only way to save all their lives he thought to himself .. already having made up his mind as to what he had to do next ..

"So... what was the point of me coming here?" Sandra asked Ryujin in a hushed tone, just when he returned to her with some sort of document at hand. "I'm not trying to be impatient or anything, sorry if it sounds like I am... but I don't like leaving everyone alone in the bunker."

Sandra tried not to let the others know when she stole glimpses at them.

"I'm not... entirely comfortable here, to be honest."

figured that with how scared the rest are .. and they look to you as a leader .. you were the logical choice to represent them.. plus they will believe you more than they believe me when you explain this all to them .. pausing a moment he handed sandra the papers he had finished reading .. these will fill in more of the gaps for you.. and them ..

relax your doing fine .. its never easy being a leader but you have it within you .. ryujin looked in sandras blue eyes briefly wishing they could have met under better circumstances and times .. karma neh ..

just remember a leader must have compassion for those they lead and there will be many hard decisions ahead for you.. and listen to what the people say when making decisions ..

It Was finally 6 AM and it appeared no one else was going to show.

John took a knife and banged on one of the folding chairs to get everyone's attention.

Thank you all for having faith in our recordings we played all over town and coming to this".

John gave everyone the same basic story he had told to Ryujin upon their first meeting and how everyone in this town was a victim of some far away power that could care less about the lives of anyone much less children.

At that point the woman (maybe 40ish) started to sob quietly. One of the team members brought her a cool face towel which a man next to her took while nodding his appreciation.

"There have been so many lives lost over these last 24 hours that no words can heal the wounds some of us will bare for the rest of our lives. It was a senseless wanton killing of the absolute worse kind".

"Instead of myself, the team members and our boss curling up into a ball and blowing our brains out we have all committed ourselves to either capture, arrest, or kill those who planned this and ordered it carried out. Of this you have our sincere promise."

"Today at 12 noon our CIA man said if he is still alive he will make contact. At that point, it will be our request to be emergency evacuated to a safe location. If any of you wish to leave let me know how many, so we can make plans. The decision is entirely yours".

"I do not know how many we can take or even if we can leave but that is the plan".

One of the men pointed to the APCs

"We can not take the APCs out of town for we have been told there will be a drone that is waiting to hit them with stuff no APC or person could survive through.. This is how big this whole mess is"... We do plan if needed to move them to the outskirts of town and fake a break down and let the big boys blow them up.. Maybe that will take some heat off of us and the town.. We just do not know at this point".

"If our CIA contact comes through for us we will probably get helicopters to move us out.... However this is all based upon speaking with the CIA and they having assets to send for an evacuation".

"Folks this world is some kind of screwed up no matter who you are or who you thought you were just a few days ago; Things have changed....not for the better for any of us"...

"What we plan on doing after talking to our contact we will once again fire up the APC's speaker systems and broadcast what the plan is or lack thereof; anyway you will know what we know as soon as we know anything! If there are key locations you believe we should broadcast to please write the street addresses down and we will make sure there is an APC there blaring everything to that location and our plan.

I know there are several other survivors out there. There is one in particular who through the grace of God and some really good shooting he busted up the Operation at the school and saved I do not know how many lives. If you guys know him please tell him even though he killed a few of us that without his expertise many more innocents would have died and for that we offer a warm hand shake and a Salute."

ryujin sat listening to johns speach watching the peoples reactions to it .. he couldnt help thinking that john in a way reminded him of his older brother who had been an officer with the jdf and was killed fighting the north koreans ..

after johns speach .. ryujin stood to talk with john and sandra about the next part of the plan.. gozaimon showed up ryujin quietly briefed him then unslung nightengale bowed to it before handing nightengale to gozaimon he also handed gozaimon a note with a request to take to the chinese girl with the sniper rifle .. once gozaimon set off ryujin turned back to john and sandra .. he handed sandra the keys to his motorcycle telling her take good care of it for me ..

Then to both john and sandra .. he paused briefly gathering his thoughts his head throbbing .. then continued ..

Before I go further .. there are certain techniques I learned from my grandfather .. it may sound unbelievable to you both .. one of them I will be using for what needs to be done next .. he paused a moment before cotinuing on .. it seems those who ordered this also want my dead body .. well guess no one told them be careful what they wish for.. I can for a time slow my breathing and pulse to appear dead which is what I am going to do .. I have already instructed gozaimon on what to do .. in order to carry out the deception that their plan worked and give all of you time to get to safety .. otherwise everyones lives are forfiet .. its the only chance any of you have .. as to me .. I will manage and will see all of you again .. but for all intents and purposes I was killed here ..

ryujin watched them closely and waited on what they had to say ..