The Arx Spire

[The Union of Tinis]

In the city of Arx in the middle of Tinis is a tower. This tower sits in the middle of the city of Arx and towers above all the other buildings around it. The tower is named Arx Central Spire, or Arx Spire for short. The roof has two helipads and numerous communication antenni well out of the flight path of any helicopters. Under the roof is a balast room that dampens the swaying of the 256 story tall building. Large tanks of water slow the movement of the spire as the winds over the city apply their force to the building's sides.

Under that begin the secure levels. The main building security office, secret meeting rooms, apartments for higher level officials, and other rooms too classified to mention. Lower still, passed secured stairwells, being more general government offices. Offices for speakers, offices for commanders, offices for department heads, offices for diplomats. Another way down from the upper levels is through the use of Secure Elevators, who's functions are dependant on the use of passwords and key cards, and occasionally more.

As one decends, every 25 level has a special level. These special levels contain utiltiy sections, security offices, medical units, and small food courts. If need be, workers in the Spire won't ever need to leave the building. These levels also contain, at least in the upper levels, emergency escape vehicles in the event of disaster. Small pods designed to carry the inhabitants of the Spire to safety in the city below in the event of disaster. Equiped with small paracute systems and helicopter blades for when those fail, they have limited manueverability but will get everyone to safety.

Going faster now, down below the 150th floor, a seperate utilty system starts up. In fact, there exists thee systems in the building, each controlling the enviroment, water, and air controls in a different section. Express elevators and standard elevators service these levels in addition to the secure ones.

The building becomes wider below floor 50. Larger offices and meeting rooms begin to appear. No more escape craft here due to the easily used stairwells for quick exits. In the middle of the building appears a large chamber. It is the Chamber of Speakers, heart of the legislative arm of Tinis. On the day off, the chamber has few present, mainly janitors and security. The main doors in the back of the chamber lead to a large gallery...

Finally, the main entrance. The gallery that leads to the chamber leads here. Elevators by the dozen on either side of the hall. The Secure variety being well behind the front desk. Metal detectors and cameras watch over the transition from public space to government space, as does five very bored security guards...

------

"So I was telling her, you gotta go for it," says Rupert. His supervisor, half paying attention, half watching the front doors, sighs. The squirrl ignores this and continues. "So the next thing you know we got ourselves a big screen. We hook it up and everything and turn it on. At first we thought we had just forgot to hook up the cable when suddenly all that showed up was static. We tried again, static. Finally I call the guy and ask him about it. It turns out that the encoding on our cable is different than the encoding used in Skikeishuu! So in order to get it to work, we had to buy a decoder from the guy!"

"Rupert," says Thomas, a very aged rabbit. "Shut up. Please, some of us are trying to get some sleep."

Their supervisor laughs at this.

"I'm almost done! I swear!" repsonds Rupert. "So we get the decoder, and get the thing to work and..."

Rupert is interupted by a beeping sound on the control pannel. Their supervisor, Police Lt. Wesley Castor, picks up the phone. "Yes sir? Very good sir. I'll be right up."

After Castor hangs ups, Rupert asks, "Was that thingy?"

"Yeah, he's calling a meeting of the lower level supervisors. Thomas, your incharge until I get back. Rupert, don't let Thomas fall asleep. And you too," says the skunk smiling and pointing at the two wolves using the consoles to surf the web. "No more porn while on duty."

The two wolves look up from the news sites with odd looks.

Castor gets up and nods to his crew and enters the Secure Elevator. Thomas sits up and starts paying attention to the empty hall. Moments later a fox skips in, walks through the metal detectors, and finds an express elevator. Thomas leans back again, putting his attention back to counting the number of lights on the massive chaldelier that hands in the middle of the gallery.

"Tom," says Rupert. "Did you hear anything about any Ciatan dignitaries or what not coming today?"

Thomas looks to Rupert to answer, "Nope." He turns his attention to the new comer to the building. He feels something is wrong. "I don't believe there was supposed to be any today. But..." Nearly silently, the rabbit mubbles, "oh no..."


[ooc note: Tinis and Ciata thread only]

[Ciata]

A black cape half covers his black form, his appearance now has evolved into a larger, darker, and far more frightening being, complete with vampire-like teeth that are creased in something that is neither a smile or a grin, but coupled with unervingly dark eyes that would smile be smiling if there were any joy or good nature in him, yet they are both sickining to even behold, much less have them stare into your own. For a few of their last, precious moments, they stand frozen by this stare of the creature that seems to dim the very light of the room with his being he radiates darkeness so. Finally their muscles un freeze and react to their years of training.

"FIRE!"

Gun shots make the whole area burst into chaos and calamity with the reports of gun fire echo on the hard walls.

None of this even slows him down. Without flenching or showing any change of feeling, an energy shield of some sort appears infront of him, blocking the rapid shots as he savors their fear and desperate actions. Finally, he recieves the feeling he waited for from them as their clips empty, utter panic. Then, he strikes.

[The Union of Tinis]

Lt. Castor exits the elevator moments before the alarms sound. The skunk rushes into the buildings main security office. Major Oswald Thang calls Castor over to the main monitor. Castor catches sight of the black cloaked figure seconds before he leaves the view of the camera.

"Is that..." mumbles Castor.

"Yes. That is Sicarii," replies Major Thang, a weasel. "He's here. Lieutenant Briar, activate evacuation protocal. Castor, your men are dead. Go with Kris and make sure all the VIPs get out alright. Everyone else, inform all the security posts to stay in contact at all times. We have an assassin to kill."

------

Izixs comes fully awake as the first level alarms begin to go off. Leaving is bed and the side of his lover, he rushes to the nearest wall console. A few seconds later the second level alarm begins to ring. Izixs reads the emergency bulletin on the screen.

"Sicarii." He looks back over to the bed and tells the slowly waking fur there, "Take the stairs down to level 250. The signs and lights will take you to the escape vehicles."

"Where are you going?"

"To main security. Be safe and get out of he building alright?" Izixs returns to the lemur to bestow a quick kiss before getting dressed and rushing off.

------

Major Thang finishes dawning his riot gear. He quickly goes before an inproptu assembly of thirty guards.

"Group A, you're with me. We'll be chasing down Sicarii. He's in the lower levels now but he's quickly moving up stairs. Group B, you'll watch all the access points to the secure floors. Don't let him get above level 245. If you have to pull back, make sure the upper floors are empty. If you're the only one's left in the building at that point, run. All the lower security offices moving to slow his advance now but from what we've seen on the monitors so far I don't hold out to much hope for them slowing him down very much. Move out!"

As the buzzing of the helicopter blades of the small escape vehicles begings to sound all around them, the guards break into two groups of fifteen and get to defending the Spire from the onslaught of Sicarii.

[Ciata]

Sicarii, blood dripping from his mouth, stands holding a mangled body of a 18th floor, stag security guard above his head with one arm. Alarms still going off, and the sound of still more secuity coming down the stairway from the 19th floor, an organized thought manages to form in his shrouded mind.

"Grrrrrr.......this is taking too long. As much as I would would like to continue this..."

he breaks off to blast a squad that burst out of the stairwell

"....256 floors will take too long."

He throws down the body in discust and his dark eyes scan the huge hallway untill they come to an elevator door. He slowly walks over to one.

"These will only take me 50 floors at a time, but it will do."

He steps over to them and tears one of the thick, steel doors open. He sees a cable moving on the other side, and grins. Leaping and catching the cable moving down, and forms his energy blade, and severs the other. The cable snaps, and he is jerked upward, quickly passing an elevator packed full of screaming furs in freefall that were trying to escape to the ground floor.

He watches it fall for a moment, grinning, then turns his eyes upward,

"Izixs, your flesh is mine!"

[The Union of Tinis]

"Castor right?" asks Izixs of the skunk running up behind him.

"Yes sir, I'm here to make sure you make it to safety. You are the last VIP in the secure area."

"I'm getting to safety alright. I'm going to the roof."

Castor blinks. "Sir, the escpae vehicles are a more than capable of getting you away."

"Perhaps. But in that case, I doubt Sicarii would be satisfied if he didn't find me somewhere in the building. He would simply start taking pot shots at the escape vehicles until I emerged. I can't allow that. So I'm going to the roof, the safest place in the building."

Castor grabs the First Speakers arm. "I can't let you do that sir."

"Escuse me?" Izixs turns towards the Lt. A small electrical crackle is heard. "I'm afraid you have no authority over my person Wesley Castor. I'm going to the roof and there I will wait for the demon. If you want to tag along you are more than welcome to come along and die. But if you attempt to stop me I'm afraid I will have to disable you."

Another electrical crackle. Castor nods. "Very well sir. I'll call up backup though. We make our stand on the roof."

Izixs frowns. "I make my stand on the roof. I doubt the rest of you will survive this day."

------

Squad A rips open the elevator doors on level 200.

"When the cable comes free, start firing," orders Major Thang.

The squad sets up to shoot out the elevator cable. Seconds pass by.

Thang's radio crackles, "Sir! He's jumped to a different shaft!"

"Shit," mutters Thang. He talks into the radio, "Okay, which one."

"North three!"

Thang nods. "Everyone move out! North three! We have two mintues to get there and set up. Move!"

-----

"Supreme Commander," says an officer. "Arx Spire is under assault by Sicarii. Evacuation is almost complete, estimated fifty guards dead. They just shut down normal elevator operations and the building is on lock down."

S.C. Joel Epshrin tries to eliminate the conerned look from his face. "Lock us down as well. Deactivate the underground trams and activate all security measures. Call out the national guard and set up a perimeter around the city. And send choppers to the Spire." The wolf sighs. "Any word from the First Speaker."

"None sir."

"Figures."

------

Izixs almost rips open the doors to the armory closet. With Castor and three other security personel looking on, the white dragon grabs two hand guns and three knives. Izixs turns and starts walking down the hall.

"Um First Speaker?" asks Castor.

"Stop calling me that. Call me Izixs."

"Don't you want some body armor?"

"It would be useless. I need to move not be held down. He can cut through walls as easily as your body casks. I'd suggest you drop yours as well," Izixs opens the roof access door and starts up, the four in pursuit.

------

"He's coming!" yells Thang to squad B, his face half covered in blood, most of it from his team.

The radio crackles back, "Understood sir. Castor say not everyone has made it out yet."

Thang shakes his head. Out of the corner of his eye he sees a shadow pass the far end of the hall. "Alright," he says into the radio. "I'll see what I can do to slow him down. Jermiul you're in charge. Find who's left and get them out of here. I repeat get them out of here."

The shadow passes the far end of the hall again.

Thang growls and says to himself, "Okay Sicarii. Eat this." Thang pulls out a grenade and pulls the pin. Holding the hammer to prevent premature denoation, he runs down the hall. The weasel smiles the smile of a madman.

[Ciata]

Sicarii streightens up, and bars his teath and gives off a deep, synical laughter.

"Hahahahahaha......come to me."

Before he reaches him, he lunges and catches the fur by the top of the head and throat, tilting it backwards, meeting the two in a eye to eye stare.

"Look into my darkness, feel despair!"

Thang stares back,

"Feel this...."

and he lets go of the grenade.

The hallway is clouded from the explosion and nothing stirs.

[The Union of Tinis]

Castor listens to his radio intently. The First Speaker sits near by on the corner of the helipad. More guards have arrived on the roof to make the total ten.

"First Speaker," says Castor. "There's reports of an explosion near level 200 near Sicarii's position. Probably conventional. We have two squads in the area going in to check it out."

"I doubt he can taken out so easily," says the First Speaker as he double checks his weapons. "But it would be a massive stoke of luck if he was defeated." A slight hum resonates from Izixs' horns.

Castor nods. "Izixs sir. He is mortal."

"And so are all of us."

"Is there to be a plan of action sir? I doubt my training can match yours in handling this situation."

Izixs smiles. "Sicarii's weakness is one I know well, not knowing. He is smart, he is fast, and he is strong. But to defeat such a potent combination is possible if one know how to catch him off guard. Surprise is our ally. I suggest you hide the guards around the roof and give them good firing positions. Tell them not to fire until Sicarii makes his move or either you or I order it. And inform them to only think about their orders. Sicarii can sense their malice.

"You on the other hand are to stand beside me until I tell you to leave. I want you to hate him with all your soul. I want you to want to crush his bones and rip out his heart. I want you to think of all the horrible things you would to do someone who killed your family. Someone who sliced them to bits, dipped them in acid, and then ate them. I want you to have that sort of anger today."

The skunk nods. "I'll see what I can do First Speaker."

"That's a start at least," says Izixs.

"Will you be doing the same?"

"Perhaps. But not at first. I want him surprised by my lack of anger at first. It might make him pause for a moment. I need to ask him something."

------

Inside the 'Tower', and aid approches S.C. Epshrin. "Supreme Commander. City lock down is in progress. We should have helicopters to the spire in about fifteen. National guard is surrounding the building as we speak."

"I just hope we're not to late."

"Shall we order them to enter?"

The old wolf nods. "Maintain a heavy defensive permeter but send in as much as you can. We need to flush him out."

Another aid speaks up. "Sir, there appears to have been an explosion inside the building two minutes ago. Grenade most likely."

Epshrin smiles, "Well at least we know Thang's in the fray. Remind me to give the weasle an award or something if he survives."

The first aid speaks again. "There has been spotted on the roof several individuals. Satellite imagry indicates nine or ten security personel and one other, most likely from the shape and coloring, the First Speaker."

An image of the roof of the spire appears on the main screen in the command center. As described, ten security personel and one First Speaker sit atop a helipad.

Epshrin growls. "That idiot! Why doesn't he just fly away?'

[Ciata]

As squads of military and security personel rush to set up blockades and defensive strongholds in the starwells and elevator shafts, a grinning figure watches their now futal efforts.....from the outside of the tower. Sicarii, now bleeding from his encounter with Thang which helped mask his new course of scaling the structure. Now a mere 20 stories away from the top, his elongated claws dig into concrete, metal, and glass as he scales the building. Occasionaly when passing next to a window he checks to see where the security is set up. If their guns are still pointed downards, he knows the First Speaker is higher up and he continues to climb ever upward towards the pinacle of the mighty Spire, always staying on the east side of the building, as to stay in the conceiling shadows as darkness draws near.

[The Union of Tinis]

"You want to ask him something?" asks Castor.

"Yes." Izixs stands up and turns to look at the sun as it approches the horizon.

"May I ask about what?"

"You may ask. And this time I think I'll answer."

The white dragon sighs. A slight gust of wind causes his light summer outfit to flutter. The strange electrical hum remains, growing ever so louder as time passes.

"You see," says the Izixs. "I don't remember part of my last encounter with Sicarii. I want to ask him what happened, or more directly, why he didn't kill me then. I was at his mercy, I'm sure of it. Was he scared off by the approching troops? Was he confused as to where I had come from? Did Cy Gaffon somehow after defending Opalance from the demon's blast somehow come to my aid as well?"

"Sir, isn't this a bit extreme then? Putting your life on the line just to ask him that?"

Izixs nods. "But I need to face him sometime any way. If I run he'd come after me, I'm sure of it. I could try to bide my time and hope to out last him, to try to have him assassinated, or to simply wait until the morning star fails him, but he's too smart for that."

Castor says, "Very well." The skunk turns at looks at the horizon with the first speaker.

------

Epshrin is approched by Analysist Krel.

"Good news sir," says Krel. "There is a 25% chance that Sicarii is dead."

The wolf looks over the analysist. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

"No sir. I'm just saying that models indicated that it is possible that a grenade blast at close quarters with certain timings could of done him in, and that some of the current evidence points to such an event. The final piece of the puzzel comes from the fact that the guards have checked the blast zone and have not died, and neither has anyone else in the building since the blast, at least to our knowledge."

"I see."

"The bad news is that Thang is probably dead. His survivability is a mere half a percent."

"Okay," starts the S.C. to the room. "Inform the ground commander that they should concentrate on searching the building near the site of the blast. Don't break defensive lines. I want to see a body before we declare victory. How are the escape vehicles?"

An aid answers, "All but two are on the ground now. There are fifteen unused in the secure area."

Epsrhin nods. "Have them also check those out to make sure we don't have any unexpectant stoways. Search everything and everywhere!"

[Ciata]

As the shadows grow longer across the land, one appears on top of the spire. As all eyes are focused on the entrances from the inside, Sicarii creeps up with un-natural stealth and silence behind one of the tired guards, watching the doors from behind an air-conditioning unit. The pangolin feels a hand clamp over his mouth, a claw slice through the veins on either side of his neck, then, after a shudder, nothing. Laying the body down, Sicarii moves behind a thin hare leaning on a large vent and with one swift movement, breaks his neck. As he nears the third guard however, focused on his prey, Sicarii steps on a bubled up portion of the metal floor, making a loud *pong* sound, alerting the lucky mouse to his presence.

[The Union of Tinis]

"Do you hear something?" asks the First Speaker turning slightly from the sunset.

A scream calls out. Gun fire sprays randomly for a moment and then again.

"He snuk up on us!" yells Castor. "Open..."

"No!" yells Izixs. "All hold your fire and move away from Sicarii! Keep him in view and if he comes near you by all means fire. Sicarii come out where I can see you. I need to talk to you."

The humming from the white dragon's head grows louder. Castor, weapon at the ready eyes the source of the strange humming, the horns on Izixs' head. He had only heard stories, but he is suddenly realizing those stories might of been true. Many dragons have the ability to throw flames from their bellies or some such, it is said. But Izixs did not. He threw something else. Castor looked down at the roof, then his rubber boots. A single thought runs through his head, I hope that's enough insulation... before he remembers his duty and returns to his thoughts of hate, waiting for Sicarii to reveal himself.

[Ciata]

There is a long pause that seems to go on for hours to the tense, cramping troops, waiting for something to happen with all of their muscles tense. Finaly, as the sun begins to go down on the cities skyline, Sicarii makes his apearence. With air ducts on either side, and the setting sun to his back, he steps out, all that is visable is his outline against the bright but fading light. He stands there for a few moments, reading Izixs and the guards and finally says in his dark tone,

"Speak your last words."

[The Union of Tinis]

Izixs grins, showing his many sharp teeth. After a moment more he says, "Sicarii, I need to ask you, what happened there at the orphanage? Why didn't you kill me then?"

The hum sounds almost like electrical transformers as it steadily increases, while Izixs awaits the reply or death.

[Ciata]

Sicarii's face, unchanged, gives the reply,

"You were not my target. Killing figures without reason upsets plans, carefully laid plans, but now you are my target, and now I will finish you."

He goes into a stradle stance, hands open and arms flexing at his sides. The palms start to give off an aura that cannot be described as glowing, for there is no light, but more radiating something, something of power.

"Mooth sheph-iy-phon!"

[The Union of Tinis]

Izixs realizes Sicarii is begining his invocations. Quickly he spits out, "So you are controlled. But I'd still like to know what happened there that day. Castor, hold your fire, everyone else, do as you please."

Izixs crouches down, drawing the pistols, one in each hand, but not pointing them towards Sicarii. The smell of ozone reaches Castor's nostrils as well as the sound of a slight electrical buzzing. The faintest sound of helicopters can be heard by those with the keenest ears. As the guards begin to open fire Izixs never fails to take his attention of the demon before him.