Operation: Pacifica, Feral Jackson by DeadLock the Feral (NYAR!), aka CyberPyro, deadlock@one.net Blackblood, despite his lethal wounds, tried to swing at the Thanatinized Torquemada. His blow missed and was easily batted away by the corrupted Maenad standing over him. "You have the strength to fight your own, yet cannot make an effective strike at me? tsk, tsk, meek one!" laughed Torquemada. He locked his Clawed[tm] hands around BlackBlood's skull and jaw, preparing to tear his head from his body. Slaine, the perverted Maenad holding DeadLock, did likewise. They began to twist, causing the two Ferals to grit their teeth in pain and resist as best they could. "nnn." echoed from the rough-hewn walls. The Thanatins didn't hear the noise, but noticed their prey had a small smile curling their lips despite their imminent deaths. "NNN." This time all heard the noise. The trio of corrupted Maenads stood, wide-eyed, as the sound came again. They released BlackBlood and DeadLock, panic setting in. Across the battlefield, Claws[tm] punctured the veil of reality and ripped violently upwards. Claws[tm] pushed through the wound, pulled to the side, and forced a gateway open. "Oh... crap," sighed Slaine. "NYAR!!!" thundered from wall to wall, its mind-croggling intensity threatening to drive the Thanatins insane. A slender figure jumped from the rift, landing gracefully on the floor. He resembled an albino teenager, complete with a punkish hair style, black leather jacket, and chaps. He flexed his hands as Big Ass Claws[tm] extended from his fingertips and his entire body changed into a nine foot tall albino werewolf. "Bharyn!!" bellowed Slaine, Torquemada, and Clive, preparing to give battle to the Lord of the Holy Warp Spasm, totem guide of the Maenads. "NYAR!!!" rumbled Feral Jackson as the rage coursed through his body. In a flash of white fur, the Holy Albino was upon the corruptions. Slaine swung his claws in an attack, only to have them ripped from his wrists by faster swipes from the Albino. He began to cry out, his body finding the violent removal of his claws to be very unspecial. His chest erupted in a sheet of blood and flesh before his flayed neck refused to support his still-thinking head and let it fall free to the floor. Torquemada attacked from the side, stabbing with his claws. The Albino easily side-stepped his attack, tripped him, and swung a Claw[tm] in counter attack. His nails dug into Torquemada's head, cleaving away a clawful of hair, flesh, bone, and brains. The thanatin's lifeless corpse smacked into the floor with a graceless thud. Clive backed away, holding his claws up to plead for mercy. "No .. no ... PLEASE DON'T!" he begged as Feral Jackson closed in on him. Harsh white, strong teeth pierced his corrupted throat, choking off his air supply as they lifted him from the floor. Claws[tm] dug into Clive's helpless form, flaying flesh from bone. The blood and gore rained down onto DeadLock and Blackblood. The blood served as their baptism, the chunks of flesh their healing rite. Feral Jackson tossed the dead Thanatin aside. It impacted the rough hewn wall with a wet splut, then landed in a heap on the floor. "NYAR!!" raged the Holy Albino, his war cry healing his children. "NYAR!!" responded BlackBlood and DeadLock in unison. ... [place: all across Pacifica] "Oh shit!" exclaimed J-Rock as dozens of rifles pointing at him fired. Countless projectiles streamed through the popping air that marked his departure. ... "To the gates!" cheered Sheridan, encouraging the Chosen to storm this ring of the Lyran fortress. A vortex grenade lobbed by a thanatin detonated a split second after Iscarius disappeared. ... A Saethrian chundered, then rolled onto its side. Windigo climbed atop her fallen foe. Her howl of victory faded as she disappeared. ... "Salutations, my sagen standing sanctimonious vulpine." Four M.E.N.S.A.ns surrounded J. FoxGlov as their leader displayed a toothy grin. The safeties of their weapons clicked off as they prepared to fire. J faded from view with a wry smirk as the M.E.N.S.A.ns pulled their triggers. Since their target was no longer present, the bullets crisscrossed and plugged deeply into the hides of the sauropods, mortally wounding all of them. ... DarkSide clove through a Thanatin's skull with Darkness, causing his enemy to slouch to floor. He looked at the remaining creature ready to attack him, then vanished from sight. ... Lord Tilden Owsen, aka Jace the Feral, pulled at his restraints. He lay flat on his back, strapped to some sort table, various medical implements hovering above him. Those damn Lyrans were coming to experiment again, and he damn set against the idea. A Lyran orderly pushed opened the door of the "Experiment Room" and found an empty table and room. ... DeadLock and Blackblood knelt before the Holy Albino, their heads hung in shame. They'd fallen into Charn'El's trap and disgraced themselves. The Barney Slayer pulled from DeadLock's side as Feral Jackson unsheathed it. Windigo appeared behind the kneeling Maenads, confused at the sudden change of surroundings. Windigo looked about the room, trying to understand, then moaned softly as it became clear. Sheridan, J-Rock, and J. FoxGlov appeared next to Windigo, the Holy Warp Spasm instantly transforming them into their Maenad counterparts. DarkSide looked around, confused at the settings. "This was an unholy act brought upon my children," growled the Albino. He turned the Barney Slayer over in his Claw[tm] slightly. "No more. My adopted kin shall never raise Claws[tm] against each other again!" Feral Jackson thrust the Barney Slayer forward, burying the weapon in DeadLock's chest. DL winced in pain, identical wounds opening on everyone else's chests at the same time. Jackson thrust harder, pushing the Barney Slayer farther into DeadLock's chest. "Never again will any Maenad be deceived like this," he decreed. ... PAIN! PAIN! Oh, Albino All-mighty! The pained ripped through DeadLock's body, slapping his consciousness around as the divine powers of the Lord of the Warp Spasm thundered through him. The world washed away, leaving nothing but the sensation of the stab wound. ... The Barney Slayer twisted sharply, then yanked free, leaving DeadLock to collapse onto the floor. He looked at the weapon coated with his blood and realized its tip was missing. The piece of the Barney Slayer left in him began to move on its own, its energies throbbing in his chest. Fresh waves of pain wracked all the Maenad's bodies, then disappeared suddenly as it came. ... 'What's going on?' thought DeadLock. He'd been changed, but how? 'That really hurt,' whined J to himself. '?!' thought Slider. 'Wondering what this is, I am,' thought Windigo. Silence fell on the seven Jihaddi as they looked at one another. Blackblood smiled, his joy spreading to the others. They were connected, bound together by some means. "What!" exclaimed BlackBlood. His Claws[tm] were gone! He looked at the other six people present, no one had Claws[tm]! To his surprise, Blackblood watched as the Big Ass Claws[tm] began to sprout from his fingers, growing as he willed them. "No longer will my children be unarmed and alone. You shall seek the wyrm in all forms and never be deprived the tools to destroy it," answered the Holy Albino. Claws[tm] extended from Shardik's hands, then DeadLock's. DarkSide looked down at his hands, Claws[tm] extending from them, baffled at what he saw. "What's the Punching Bag[tm] doing here?" asked DeadLock. "Heh," grinned BlackBlood, suddenly understanding. "Nemesis," named Windigo, her index finger extending a Claw[tm]. The Maenads picked themselves up from the floor, reassembled their wits, and stood to face the Holy Albino. "NYAR!!!" he howled, his cry shaking the walls. "NYAR!!!" replied the seven Maenads, the war cries instinctively changing tone, pitch, and volume to mask their numbers. ... Charn'El shuddered on his throne. The Holy Albino?! HERE?! This was not a good development. The war cry of the Maenads echoed inside his skull, emphasizing how much the balance of power had shifted. The High Mage pulled his robes around him. Had all his stratagems back-fired, only to ensnare him? He could no longer track the Maenads. They were different now. Wild, uncontrollable and unpredictable. He pulled his robes closer to him. Fear. For the first time in millennia, he was afraid. ... Feral Jackson laid a Claw[tm] on Windigo's and DeadLock's shoulders, drawing them aside. "This is a rite I must teach you.." he began. A showdown was coming, and it wouldn't be pretty. - DLtF(NYAR!) Copyright, Pyrokinetic Productions, Inc. (1997)