Chapter 23: Heaven Is A Gated Community

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

the next thread.....

[The Flesh Monger]

"My name is the Flesh Monger! Not a gingerbread man!" Flesh yells at him before kicking him real hard. "Sorry.....next time I will made you blind..."

Like he did to Salome, Flesh told the guard to get the hook from Salome's cell. As the guard brought the hook and hung it at the middle of the roof, he quickly notice Tristan carrying Cephrien and drop him at the middle of the floor.

"Is he a rebel or what?"

[Tristan Tuzanic]

"Yeah, he's a rebel, but watch out, he used to be part of the Invisible Hand." Tristan warns. He wonders if the Flesh Monger can handle this rebel. Cephrien is tricky and the Flesh Monger is probably used to rebels that can't fight back.
"We'll wait outside until your done torturing him in case he causes any trouble." Tristan offers. A few guards outside the cell will probably be enough to make sure that Cephrien doesn't cause any more trouble. The Manacles will also help restrain him.

[Calithin Crest]

I watch Cephrien get taken away and wonder what will ultimately happen to him. Coming here really wasn't a very good idea.

"I think the biggest animal I could fight just with my bare hands and win... Would probably be a wolf. I've thought about this before. Now, I'm not saying it would be easy. But I definitely think I could take a wolf."

I eat a little bit of Dinari's cotton candy, since he did do what I asked and I am no longer upset about the fight. Plus also, cotton candy is tasty.

"Every week is holy week if you're a block of cheese. Get it? Hole-y, holy? Because cheese has holes in it? Hahaha."

I have a pretty good time laughing at this joke, which I personally think is super funny.

[Archer Aylmer]

((To Heikki))

Some time passes by in my room. I mostly read, since I feel like I haven't read anything in a long time and it's really one of my absolute favorite things to do. I hate when I fall behind on my reading, or don't read enough.

After finishing a short book on the formation of the polar ice caps I wonder idly how Heikki is doing. Idly because I can assume with a good amount of certainty that he's probably not doing very well. I sigh and with tremendous effort force myself to get up and go to his room to check on him.

Ignoring protocol, I don't knock but rather just enter into the room freely.

"Oh, there you are. You look sick so I assume that's how you're feeling. Do you... Need... Anything?"

I make a rather pained expression asking this question. The majority of my human interaction is based on imitation, so I ask this because I know I should ask this rather than because of a natural inclination to care or assist.

[Akira 69]

((Rats, there goes swooping and causing a distraction xD))

Akira actually had not been at the Flower Shop and had been somewhere around the coliseum itself. Several times he had forgotten why he was there and or got distracted by something else; it was hard to function with a scrambled brain. He was about to just give up the idea entirely until a pinkish form came flying up to him. "You again little fairy?" Akira questioned curiously as Asphodel told him that they captured Ceph. "Why should I care? He threw my head out a window!" Akira pouted, crossing his arms indigantly.

Then he jolted violently, causing his body to compulse and move sporadicly for a moment before he exclaimed, "I'll do it-t-t-t-t!" Akira exclaimed completely shifting gears as he stormed off in a seemingly random direction. He didn't have a plan, but he was sure that a Creditor would go completely unnoticed if they believed that he was looking for someone with bad credit- though he didn't consider that it would not work.

He also failed to think about how best to find Ceph, grabbing a guard by the shoulder and tell him that he was looking for Ceph in so many words. After regaining his composure, the guard led the way abit confused and highly suspicious. Akira ignored the waves of data that he found from glancing at some of the other prisoners, his goal in sight.

"Flesh... there is a Creditor here for-" the guard begins before Akira cuts in and steps infront of him.

"There you are baka! You thought you could escape me but I found you!" Akira said with a slight jolt, not even lieing about it so much as he was glitching to believe it himself. "Global Bank has sent me to punish this man!" Akira added, forgetting why he was here again. Something about Ceph, but he couldn't remember why.

[Lehti Itajumala]

Lehti sighed, his back against the wall outside the Flesh Monger's room. This was pathetic. There was no way that Creditor in there was an active one, because there was no way on Earth that a Mechanic would let one get that glitchy before it got completely overhauled. It was obvious what was going on, and it generally irked him that he was going to take away Cephrein's freedom in such an idiotic way twice in one night. Then his eye hit his watch and a grin covered his face. Two minutes after midnight. He and his platoon had been off for two minutes now, and nothing that happened now was any of his business. So, instead of engaging the bugging Creditor, he swung around and entered the room with a disgusted look on his face, as if he had been hoping for the screams and been disappointed. "Well, crap. You had bad credit as well as being rebel scum? Great Father, man!" He sighed and shrugged. "I suppose there's nothing to do for it." He moved forward and took Cephrein's hand in a fake handshake, pumping it up and down, ostensibly to humiliate his fallen opponent, but really he had taken the opportunity to slide the key to Cephrein's manacles into his palm. He leaned in and whispered in Cephrein's ear. "Wait at least five minutes before taking them off. I need at least that much time to get out of call range. I really don't want to have to come back and capture you again tonight. Oh, and don't die until we meet again. That tattooed head of yours belongs to me." He straightened up and said loudly. "And I hope you have all the best luck in whatever Hell is reserved for those with bad credit." He let go of Cephrein's hand and walked out while laughing cruelly.

When he was out of earshot, he stopped laughing and called his men on their committed link. "Alright men, we're off duty till the parade. I want every man showered, shaved, and in full dress uniforms at 0900 hours. Until then, you are free to enjoy the Arena and carnival to your hearts content. Dismissed."Smiling, he walked calmly out of the Arena, headed back to his bed in the High Temple for a well deserved night's sleep. He passed a few of his men on the way, and it seemed every one of them knew what he had done, and were happy for it. Lehti grinned happily. No one in the world was as blessed as he. He had gotten his rebel arrest, and he would get to fight Cephrein another day. What was the old saying? Got your cake and eat it too? Oh yeah, that was him tonight. As he walked, he began to whistle, then sing under his breath. "And I sing your praises, for you have blessed me. Oh Great Father, your blessings are all I see!"

[Kaschei Bessmertny]

The Buddhist rebel is able to defeat the Yeti, since he seems capable of using Manala energy. He sends off an energy blast at the Yeti, which causes severe burns and pain for the creature. The Yeti leaps at the rebel, who is quick, and able to get out of the way. The rebel fires another blast at the creature, and it is enough to finish the thing off. It was all very quick and even a little surprising, since no one expected that a rebel would be able to use Manala like powers. The rebel is escorted out of the arena by guards and will be brought for torturing. In the meantime, a new rebel is brought out.

"The next fight will be between a feminist terrorist who is a member of the group called Black Skirt. She was found in Ireland, plotting against Genetech. She will be pit against a giant scorpion." Kaschei announces.

The woman is brought into the arena and soon, a giant scorpion is unleashed against her. The next fighter will be Salome Weil. Thus far, only two fighers have survived this first round.

[Armin Lehrer]

Armin spends the evening talking to Jesus, but there is no convincing him. The next day, he heads to work, but he is feeling terribly sick. He isn't even able to talk to the other workers due to the misery of this cold that he is coming down with. He manages to work a full day, but by the end of it, he is exhausted. He decides that he can't stay in Allwhere and continue his mission. After seeing that Hilja left a message that she was also sick, he decides to head back to Helsinki for some needed rest. Anyway, he needs to return to work soon at his janitor job.

So, after work, he returns the uniform to Jesus, then heads back to Helsinki for some rest. Once he arrives home, he goes right to bed.

[Heikki Toivonen]

Heikki opens his eyes and turns his head to Archer. He feels warm and his chest is very congested. "It's alright. I wouldn't mind some water.." Heikki asks. It's only a flu and Heikki doesn't feel like he is dying or anything. He just feels very sick and warm. It could be worse.

He thinks it is nice that Archer is checking up on him. It makes him feel happy that someone in the house cares enough. He picks up a remote on his nightstand and turns on the small tv on his dresser. It is M TV news and it is covering the Holy Week events in Rome. The footage shows a fight between a feminist rebel and a giant scorpion.

[Malak Al-Dabaran]

Malak waits in the restroom for a long while before he dares to leave the Colosseum. He feels some relief that no one noticed or stopped him. He isn't a well known, high profile rebel, and that helps...at least a little.

He is glad that he got out of there without incident, since he is starting to feel very sick. He isn't sure where to go. His first idea is to go to back to the Flower Shop, but he would hate to make Ophelia sick. Instead, he decides to head to London, to the abandoned HQ of Socialist Revolution. Maybe he can get to work on some rebel news now that things have settled down.

He takes a teleportation booth back to London and starts walking to the old HQ. The trip is arduous and he is starting to feel feverish and exhausted. He hasn't felt this drained in a long time.

[Lucio De Saldanha]

Lucio coughs and stumbles a little after he is kicked. He looks at the flesh hooks with fear...but also mild curiosity. He is sure that things are not going to go well for him at all until Cephrien is put into the same room. Shortly after this, a Creditor shows up to take Cephrien away. Lucio looks at them both, wishing to go with the Creditor than stay with the intimidating, body modified man.
"I have bad Credit." Lucio chimes in. Really he doesn't have credit, but having no credit is a form of bad credit. He hopes that it accounts for something.

[Dinari Dollar]

"That's pretty funny." Dinari says, mostly to humor Calithin since he didn't find it too funny. It sounds like some joke one would find on a gum wrapper. But, he doesn't want to upset Calithin, so he laughs.

"So....you don't know how to use Manala energy?" Dinari asks, since he noticed that Calithin didn't use any sort of energy attacks or anything of that sort during the fight.

The rebel versus animal fights are almost over, which is a little exciting. It means that there will only be one major fight left...and that is between the survivors of the animal rounds.

[Tristan Tuzanic]

Tristan is pleased when he is told that he doesn't have to work any more...that his shift is over. He isn't sure what to do with himself, so he decides to head back to watch the fights. The fights interest him, mostly in the fact that he is interested to learn about different sorts of rebels that exist in the world. To him, the fights highlight that there are some people in the world willing to stand up against the Manalists, even if they meet a violent end.

Tristan takes a seat a few rows behind Dinari, Calithin, Annette, in the others. He is far enough a way not to be too noticeable to them, but close enough to hear some of the louder parts of their conversation.

He sits there, watching the fights and eavesdropping.

[Annette Rosenthal]

Annette was pleased with the fight between Dinari and Calithin. Although they failed to work as a team, they did get the job done, which is all that really matters to her. She isn't much interested in all that feel good, team work mumbo jumbo anyway. She continues petting the cat and focuses on the next fight.

She thinks about her earlier conversation about communism and socialism, and decides that maybe she should talk to Dinari and Calithin about history and what they think of the rebel movement.

She turns to look at them both.

"How do you two feel the rebel movement is in your area?" Annette asks to make conversation.