shadowfist - Netherworld 2

Netherworld 2: Fragments

jl8e — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 17:12:33 -0700

By Dave Eber

A line of a dozen prisoners, their upper bodies encased in blackout sacks were led out to the middle of the cavern by their guards, and then abandoned. Looking down on them from a ridge, Colonel Richtmeyer made a gesture, and the confining sacks were suddenly released. The prisoners shrugged out of the heavy black bags and then looked around them, gaping. They were in a wide, high-ceilinged cavern beneath a wide stone ridge. There was a pair of sealed Curboatite crates, 10 feet wide and high, on the other end of the cavern. At their feet was a line of new, fully loaded Buro Blue Spear automatic rifles. Richtmeyer, flanked by a unit of TacOps troopers, looked down on the bewildered prisoners and spoke.

Netherworld 2: Back Through the Portals

jl8e — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 17:08:05 -0700

By Dave Eber

Prologue

Deep within the heart of the Biomass Reprocessing Center, Dr. Ally Matthews activated a com screen. It was the only one she knew was secure. It hummed slowly to life, casting an electric blue glow in the dimly lit room.

"Report, Dr. Matthews." As always, the voice sent a momentary shudder down her spine.

"Everything is proceeding according to schedule. The information you provided was accurate, and the test runs of the prototype conversion drones proved successful. The first wave is now active. Boatman himself will be arriving soon to oversee the implementation of stage one of their deployment."

Netherworld 2: Prelude

jl8e — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 16:47:21 -0700

By Julian Lighton

I was enjoying my early retirement in one of the better nightclubs in Paris when I first saw her. She probably caught the attention of just about every man in the place when she entered; it wasn't just her looks, but the strange, almost inhuman grace with which she moved. She glanced over the crowded room, and her eyes met mine. A small smile crossed her lips.

That was enough for me; abandoning my drink, I vaulted over the bar and made a break for the back door. There would be a sniper covering it, but I liked the odds better than trying to get past her.

There are some people you do not steal from. There are some people you do not betray. I hadn't done either, exactly, but I didn't think they'd be interested in technicalities. I was surprised that nobody was covering the back door, but didn't stop to contemplate my good fortune, I just tried to lose myself in the maze of back alleys and side streets.