Back... and I need a new gun.

[Taillon]

Tai stood in front of a confident looking man, a glass case separating the two.  Tai was bent over, looking over the contents.  “You say they stopped making them a few years ago?”

The man replied in a gruff, but not unfriendly voice, “Yea, though they put out a few new models, they didn't have quite the same balance to them.”

Tai frowned, straightening up and crossing his arms.  He continued to eye the various pistols that were displayed in this section.  “Well, do you have any suggestions then?”

The man scratched the back of his head for a moment, “Well... you could try a local manufacturer I know... he mostly sells through us.  Small scale, really good quality stuff, but it isn't exactly cheap.”

Tai nodded, he hadn't mentioned at all that his pocketbook was virtually limitless right now, and didn't plan on it, “Alright, can I see a few of their pistols then?”

The man nodded, starting to head to the backroom, “Yea, I just can't keep it on display, these are too nice.”  Before heading through the door, and coming out with a heavy wooden box on a cart.  He stuck a key in, popped it open, and revealed a dozen or so pistols lying on egg-crate foam, the clips out and next to them.  He reached for a black one on the far left, “This is probably closest to what you're looking for, it's got about the same balance, better accuracy thanks to a little longer barrel, an easier kickback, and a grip that forms to your hand over time.”

Tai took the gun, holding it loosely in his well trained hands, looking it over.  After a few seconds of scrutiny, he pointed shortly over to the firing range, “Mind if I try a few shots?”

“Not at all” the man replied, handing him a clip.

Tai walked over to the range, not bothering with earplugs, and loaded the clip.  “Alright... lets see how this thing does...” He muttered to himself, taking aim at one of the further targets.

The gun felt smooth in his hands as the sights lined up in front of him, a little above the bullseye to account for arc... a little to the left for the draft in the room... and fire!

He emptied the clip quickly, testing both his ability to compensate for the recoil and to get a feel for the auto-reload speed.  He waited a minute then for the range warden to call an all clear, retrieved and replaced his target, and looked it over, raising his eyebrows as he did so.  His shots weren't exactly perfect, but they were in a solid grouping to the point that he knew it'd only take him a few hours of practice before he could get all bullseyes with this pistol.

He carried it back to the counter, pulling the empty clip out of the weapon.  “I'll take it, how much?”

The man smiled a little, “Unfortunately, 2000 credits, though it does come with to extra clips, and a barrel extension, oh and all gun purchases come with a box of the appropriate ammo.”

“Make the barrel extension a silencer, and I'll give you 2150”

The man appeared taken aback, but pulled out a silencer from the back.”

Tai counted out and handed over the cash.  “Nice doing business with you.”

“And you sir as well” The man smiled, boxing up the merchandise.

Tai nodded, hefting the heavy load on his shoulder and walking outside.  Hey, I got it, and I think I like this one better than my old one too.

I don't see why you need a gun when you have me...

Because you can't come inside buildings with me, and it's easier to fire a bullet than it is to snap a neck.

Maybe for you

Yea, well I don't weigh several tons, or have super alloy fangs.

Not my fault, now get in so we can get back to base

Tai rounded the corner to find Saisei already opening the cockpit for him.  “Alright, I'm coming.”  He stuck the box behind the pilot seat and sat down as the canopy lowered and Saisei began to lurch forward.

[Taillon]

So, did you load up those profiles for the new pilots Sai?

Yup, here they are, wasn't able to get all the info you wanted on everone, but it's mostly there

Whatever ya got should be fine.

He leaned back in his chair, pulling up a display with a list of the new fury pilots in front of him.  Saisei would be perfectly capable of slithering back to the base without his extra help.  Well... there was Xero, Khongol, Valkyrie, Gene, Akisni, and Marix.  Well, he was going to read them all, so why not alphabetically?

Akisni... lived mostly away from zoids, favored old forms of combat an weaponry outside his zoid... overall... rather uninteresting.  Tall and lean, like himself, perhaps useful, but only time would tell.

Gene... Attended private schools, lived in an apartment, studied genetics and zoids.  Well, so far these new kids didn't really know much about living hard. 

Well, you can't expect everyone to have survived escaping a syndicate like you, or to have spent years of their life fleeing.

I was just thinking how hard it'll be for them when they finally realize what battle really entails.

And how badass your past is compared to theirs

I'd gladly trade, and you know it

Yea, but it's fun to give you a hard time

Tai didn't respond, instead going on to the next profile; Khongol.  Began his learning off of simulators... as Tai had.  Family died one way or another... bought first zoid with inheritance money... joined Fury not too long after, probably having lived a while on ramen.

There's one kinda similar... spent a lot of time alone, family is dead

My family isn't dead... at least I think dad's still alive... not that the #$%^@#% deserves to be...

Jus' sayin... but for all you see him it's close to the same

Marix... Born an orphan only possible record, leaving a huge time gap until he was found working in a bar... not much from there...  Well, perhaps he could ask him about it later.

Valkyrie... similar story, but there was no record of where she came from at all.  Apparently she had worked as some sort of bouncer for a while... not surprising given her physique, and had somehow come into possession of her zoid.  Strange though...

[i]Hey... you did follow my instructions on gathing any info. Possible, including the easier hacks, right?

Of course, but even if I'd tried hacking anything, there was no indication anywhere of her even existing more than a few years ago... if that.

Tai sat back in his chair, slightly befuddled.  He'd spent quite a lot of time himself erasing his history, but his birth certificate was still standing and clear at least... Could she have been born outside normal civilization?  Perhaps in a band of nomads?  Well, again, he'd have to ask later, anything else was pure speculation.

Xero, grew up on a neighboring planet, moved here to be on Fury, whether by hire or by choice wasn't clear, not that it mattered... and he was the one who disobeyed orders to threaten the gang that had been holding Tai and other pilots hostage... yea, that kid needed a few hard knocks upside the head.  Then again, he'd probably already gotten them.

By the way, we're almost there

Tai looked up, to see Fury base coming into view, the automated defenses ignoring his signature.  He pushed the display panel away and turned on the comm, just in case someone decided to hail him before he entered the hangar.  He'd forgotten to leave any sort of note before leaving this morning after all... not that he was seen around much in the base anyway, as he spent a lot of time in his room fixing and making his various traps and gadgets.

[Taillon]

((Note; this is taking place after the sitewide and after the fury training thread.))

[Chevelle Bentley]

Chevelle drummed her fingers on the kitchen table absent-mindedly. She had to admit it - she was bored. Things since the team mission and training session had been moving slowly, and she'd gotten entirely too used to having some action in her life. Sighing, she pushed back her chair and stood from the table, carrying her breakfast dishes over to the already full sink. Not having anything pressing at the moment, she went ahead and grabbed the dishwashing liquid and a scrubber and went to work on a bowl.

This is pitiful. I have nothing better to do than wash dishes on a Saturday morning. This is exactly the reason why I need to work on being able to sleep in!

Or at least not waking up those who are otherwise perfectly capable of doing so.

Oh, sorry Chan. Actually, I take that back. You're the one who listens in on my conversations with myself, so I feel no remorse at all at having "woken" you up. As if you really sleep anyway.

Man, a bit touchy this morning, aren't we?

Guilty at having snapped at her partner, she went for a more sincere apology. Yeah, I suppose I am. I'm sorry, Chan. I guess I'm just bored to tears. Or aggravation, so it would seem. Any suggestions?

I could always use a good stretch, you know...

Now Chevelle grinned. Chan was always up for a morning run. Or afternoon run. Or really any kind of exercise at all, for that matter. Alright, alright. You win. Feel like scaling the mountain?

I'd say it's definitely a possibility.

Awesome. I'll be out in ten.

She finished washing a few dishes, made the short trek to her room and dressed quickly. Trying to pull her thick hair back into a neat ponytail only served to double its unruliness, so she opted to simply run her fingers through the long tresses instead. She kind of liked it that way, anyway. The free wildness of it reflected a similar spirit in her. Grinning at the prospect of getting out of the base for a bit, she hit the hallway running and made it out to the hangar in record time. As Chan lowered his head for her to climb into the cockpit, he also relayed some news to her.

I say, isn't that your friend? What is it you call him, Tai? I believe he's approaching in the Stealth Viper.

Awesome, I didn't know anyone else was up yet. Wonder what he's been out doing?

I'm sure I have no idea. Perhaps if you asked him instead of me?

Smart ass.

She opened a link to her teammate's Zoid to speak with him. "Hey Tai, where've you been?"

"Oh, you know," he replied. "Out and about."

Something in his voice sounded as if he had more that he wanted to share, and would gladly do so if she pressed. So of course she did.

"Oh yeah? Out and about doing what exactly?"

"Hop back out of Chan and I'll show you."

Her Fox seemed disappointed, but she promised him they'd get out sometime that day. Elle hopped back down to the hangar floor and raked her foot across the floor, impatiently waiting for Tai to arrive.

[Khongol Halasian]

Khongol was in the field outside of the Fury hanger, laying on his partner's head enjoying the sun's rays on his body. Unlike some of the others it was very rare to see him not in a uniform, one of the rumors going around about him was that was all he wore and that he and Val had the Fury logo tattooed somewhere on their bodies (something that seemed to come up without warning after the minor vacation the two took not too long ago). Neither argued (to the best of his knowledge) leaving their teammates to wonder if all the rumors about the pair were true.

Lazily his mind drifted back to the present as a cloud rolled over the sun, casting shade over the pair. "Liger, do you ever want to run free again? To enjoy having no responsibilities? Not being tied to one place?" The Blade Liger growls quietly in reply making Khon chuckle some, "True, we do have a reason we stay here and not just because we are part of a team." Another growl issued from his hulking friend which Khongol playfully smacked the Liger's canopy as if bonking his friend on the head. The Liger shakes his head, rolling the pilot around.

They had been on a run since after Khongol's early breakfast and now were relaxing. Thankfully they did not have any training to do for the moment and he and Val hadn't sparred yet to prepare for their upcoming fight. So today seemed like a good day to get out, even the weather was favorible. The pair quit their roughhousing when they heard something approaching. The Liger stood up and turned around while the canopy opened to allow Khongol to slide in. His radar indicated that two Zoids were coing up, a Shadow Fox from the base and a Stealth Viper. Hmmm... that would be Tai in the snake and looking at the coloring that has to be Chevelle and Chan. The Liger walked over to them once the pair had stopped and their pilots were standing between the Zoids. Not being one to normally be nosey it took, Khon a few seconds to decide to crack the seal on the cockpit and leap to the ground.

Upon landing on the ground he winced slightly, How do people do that?! Gonna be more careful in the future. He stood upright then as the Liger sat on the ground, looking like a statue which blocked the sun for his human counterpart. With ever so slight a hint of a limp, Khongol walked over. "Fancy meeting you guys out here this morning. What are you up to?"

[Taillon]

Tai saw the hangar doors opening, at first what he thought was somewhat early and that the time delay on the sensors needed to be fixed, but then spotted Chan starting to make her way out.  A link quickly opened between the two, and Chevelle asked him what he had been up to.  He hesitated, glancing at the box behind him “Oh, you know, Out and about.”

He looked over the box for a second... it was pretty clearly labeled , and though the ammunition was in a steel box... he didn't want to press matters with tricky maneuvers.  Besides, it was a really nice gun... and everyone would find out sooner or later.  So when Chevelle presed the question, he turned back, smiling, “Hope back out of Chan and I'll show you.”

He closed the link, Hey, lets speed up a little, don't want to keep her waiting too long, that'd be rude

You just can't wait to show off that little pea shooter

damn right

The viper made a slight movement, as if to try and roll it's non-existent eyes, and sped up a little, closing the distance to the base and sliding agilely into the hangar.  It stopped in front of Chevelle, the cockpit opening feet off the floor.  That was one thing Tai had quickly decided that he liked about the viper, no long climb up the zoid, just a hop over the nose.

He smiled down at Chevelle, who seemed to have been a little impatient for his arrival, “One sec”

He turned around and hefted the heavy box from behind the seat, carefully cradling it as he stepped down from his zoid.

Thanks, I don't know how I would have gotten this thing out of a gunsniper

You wouldn't have, just another reason I'm better than those two legged posers who stick their butts in the air to fight.

Tai laughed, looking back at Saisei as the viper moved off into the hangar towards it's favorite spot to curl up.  You know, I'd never thought of it like that before, but I agree, you are much more graceful.

Saisei's only reply was to un-gracefully let his head drop on his tail with a loud 'WHUMP' and look over at the two.

Or rather, three, Konghol had just walked up, asking what the two were up to.  So Tai set the box down gently, and opened the top to reveal!

A bunch of packing peanuts.

He pushed aside the top layer, some of it falling on the floor, and pulled out a smaller, nicely crafted wooden box with a latch on the front, which he promptly flipped up and opened.  “Hmm... wrong one...”  He said, looking over the contents, just the three clips that came with the gun.

He dug further into the box, pulling out the steel ammo box, the silencer, and finally, his arm almost buried in the packing peanuts, he found a heavy, black, finely decorated, steel box with a lock on the front.  “Um... the key's gotta be in there somewhere...”  He said, looking down at the mass of peanuts still left in the box.  He lifted up the gun box, hoping to find the key taped to the bottom, and smiled again, pulling it off and unlocking it.  “I lost my favorite gun when I 'disappeared' so I figured I'd find a replacement.  Plus my bank account got a little inflated in my absence thanks to interest, so I splurged a bit of cash on this.”  He opened the box to reveal the beautifully crafted pistol he'd bought just hours before.

[Valkyrie]

Valkyrie was sitting cross legged in her room, several towels spread out on the floor as she cleaned her massive weapon.
Sneezing as she blew some dust out of the Fuse-E-Tech power packs contacts the woman set the mug sized item down on the a towel and watched the status lights on the device flicker momentarily.
“And back to full power” she murmured before humming an ancient song that had apparently originated back on Earth, her hands busy fitting the power pack back into it's slot and then sealing it in place with a nano-tech epoxy from the weapons inbuilt care kit.

She'd been at it for hours, checking each of the components visually and electronically to make sure they were in full working condition and she wouldn't need to claim on the hundred year warranty.
Something that wouldn't be easy at the present point in time.
It was time for reassembly, like disassembly the weapon was designed with ease of use, so putting it back together was a cinch; many of the parts had nano hooks that when the part was rotated a certain direction would bond with another part.

By the time she finished rebuilding the H.V.M rifle Val decided she should go “test” fire it around the back of the base, it was still almost new, having only been fired twice (once when the bought it, the second during her adventure with Khongol).
Hefting the huge weapon over her shoulder Valkyrie marched through the peculiarly base, heading for the hanger where Starstrike probably dozed as she so often did.
The hanger door opened for her without needing to put her foot through it (unlike some other times...evidenced by the dents around the door frame), inside she noticed three huddled figures hunched over crate of some description.

Noting the hair colors present Valkyrie stepped out onto the rain slick precipice.
“Heyo Chevelle, Tai good to see your back! Khongol enjoy your time in the sun?” she called as she crossed over to see what they were all staring at so intently, she didn't plan to stay long after all she had her recently cleaned new toy to play with.

[Xero Shifter]

Xero yawned and stretched, rolling out of his bed and onto the floor. He wiggled like a caterpillar over to his clothes closet and put on his usual and only attire apart from the team uniform, which he had never worn. Once dressed, his shirt sliding off his right shoulder, and hugging the left side of his neck sloppily, Xero meandered over to the kitchen.
The fridge was well stocked this time, something he was sure Chevelle had taken the initiative on. He looked around in the fridge and grabbed a single slice of salami and held it above him, lowering it into his mouth as he chewed.
He looked at the half done dishes and raised an eyebrow at them. "Who?" he wondered, finishing the rest of his sentence in his head. "Must be Chevelle or Khongol. Chevelle is always up way before me. Val doesn't seem like she would leave something half done. Alexei seems to be away on another business meeting. It could be Tai though, I hardly know anything about him, other than he was a previous member of Fury, and is pretty good with a gun, Zoid mounted or not." He reasoned to himself, placing his finger in his lips as he spoke. After a few moments more of thinking, he wandered out to the hangar. He looked out at the bright sun, the door was open. His fox was standing in the back corner of the garage. He only briefly considered climbing in. He began to walk away, and out to the people just outside, talking. He noticed there where 3 of them, then a 4th joined them. He could swear he could hear something coming from the back corner, but when he turned to look, it was just his Zoid, in the same position as before, and it had almost sounded like a whimper.
He approached the four of them. "So what’s up guys?"
He couldn't help but notice that some of them seemed to be holding in laughter. Tai kept glancing down at Xero's legs. "What? What's so funny?" His heart skipped a beat as he looked down. He had forgotten to wear pants, and was outside in front of two females and two other males in his boxers and a t-shirt. "Oh I see, this is one of those dreams, where you go out and forget to wear pants, so everyone laughs at you, even though you swear you put them on." With that someone had lost control of their laughter and started busting up.
"Xero, this isn't a dream, go put some pants on." Chevelle stated disappointed in him. She closed her eyes and sighed as he turned around, blushing furiously, marching back to his room, only coming out and posing the question again, after he had triple checked to make sure he had pants.
"So what’s up guys?"
Edit: I reread this post and noticed that the spell checker you have for the post changed my first sentence a bit, so I fixed it.

[Taillon]

Tai looked up from his brand new gun to see... Valkyrie walking in with a fancy rifle.  Of course, I haven't even gotten a shot off and someone is already lined up to out-do me.  If I ever need a rifle, Saisei has a great one...  Nonetheless, he smiled as she approached, “Hello Val, I was just showing them my new pistol I got in town.”  He glanced over the rifle, not recognizing it's model at all, but still able to tell that it was a finely crafted piece of work.  “You seem to know your weapons well enough, wanna take a look?”

He pulled out the pistol, and in general weapon handling etiquette, handed her the weapon, handle towards her, firing end away from everyone in the hangar.  It was around then that Xero decided to make his first, pants-less, appearance.  He shook his head as Xero re-entered the hangar, “We're all just admiring our respective weaponry, my new gun and Val's rifle.  It is starting to get a little... out of place for a hangar though.  We can't fire of the weapons on anything, and we can't drink to the success of a good shot...  Anyone know of a firing range with a bar next door?”

((Yea... really short for me... but I want to get it moving))

[Xero Shifter]

Xero scratched his head and chewed his tongue as he thought about it. Xero was still to young to drink alcohol, so he had not been to any bars as of late. The last time had been by mistake a few months back. He pulled out his PDA and checked the internet for sites near by.
He stared at it a few seconds, then started tapping away with a pen. A minute past and Xero finally spoke. "There are two locations, Hank's, its a ways away but it has a full shooting range and a bar, though there is a limit to how much you can drink, because the whole site is packed with people who like to fire at what ever moves, so they Breathalyzer you each time you enter the range. The second location is some place called "The Aligator Pear" it has a reputation for bad company, and stick situations, but the place doesn't have to many restrictions. It has even been caught a few times by the authorities, selling alcohol to under-aged civilians. Its up to you guys, I'm fine either way. Or if someone else personally knows a place, that is cool too." Xero smiled at the others, trying to make them forget the mishap a few moments ago. He had never fired a gun that wasn't mounted on a Zoid so he was excited about the chance, and a bit frightened at the same time.