Yes, its ANOTHER origin story!

The Core Media Forum
41

And another chapter. Not action packed, but you will get some next story, I promise. At least this one contains important info.

-Chapter Nine: Identity-

Dawn started to break as I continued on the ATV.  It wouldn’t be long before the hot desert sun started to roast me alive in this barren land.  Fortunately, it wasn’t long before I saw a small city on the horizon.  With a small grin, I pressed forward, happy to see some semblance of life.

By the time I reached the city, the morning sunrise was completed, and I felt the first waves of heat.  At least I was near civilization, instead of crawling around in the desert waiting for vultures to feast on my remains.  I parked the stolen vehicle about a few hundred feet from the town’s entrance, and walked the rest of the way.  I already escaped from one cell… I didn’t want to repeat the adventure.

Upon entering the city limits, I paused to read the green welcoming sign, and checked the population.  City of Glenwood; 5,721 people.  Not bad for a place in the middle of nowhere.  I walked a little further, noticing that most of the people I walked by seemed to give me some rather suspicious or curious stares.  Either they didn’t like strangers, or there was just something about me.  Maybe both.

The town was small, and it didn’t take long for me to reach the main street.  I decided to pause in my wanderings a bit, and reflect on what to do next.  I know what I needed to do… but I really had no idea how to do it.  The only lead I had was the name of the company, Stalter, Inc.  I didn’t expect to learn much about the company, though.  Everything about them  yelled secrecy, especially covering up my escape, or even wanting to kill me in the first place  

It was then that a patrol car came up.  I started to panic a bit, fearing that the ATV had been discovered, but then calmed down, seeing as the exiting police officer wasn’t in an aggressive stance… probably just wondering what a stranger was doing here.  He checked me over, his grimace telling me he didn’t think me trustworthy.

“I haven’t seen you around here before… what is your business here?”  

Considering that the last person curious about me tried to bring me in as an escaped convict, I decided to stop thinking and just jump into something plausible.  “I was just passing through town, officer.  Kind of a long haul between cities, eh?”  Luckily, that hunter gave me some indication of how isolated this town was.  I could tell a better lie.

The policeman, however, wasn’t all that satisfied.  “How did you get here?  There were no talk of any unusual vehicles.”  That really surprised me.  Was this town so isolated, that even a single deviation from the norm was immediately picked up?  How did it even exist this way? 

I replied simply, based on the truth.  “I borrowed a ride from someone.”  

The officer made a note in his notebook, and then asked me a question that seemed rather obvious, but caught me totally off guard.  “What is your name?”

Oh crap… I thought quickly, my eyes scanning local businesses…  Furniture store, convenience store, computer store…  “PC!  My name is PC.”  Ok, a good start, though a weird name.

That wasn’t enough, though.  “Your LAST name?”

Last name… my eyes quickly fell upon a nearby hotel:  The Glenwood Hilton.  “Glenwoodhilton… er, I mean Glenton.  Yeah, PC Glenton.”  Hopefully, he didn’t catch my first attempt.

The cop just stared at me, and then just shrugged, asking for ID.  Of course, I didn’t have any, so I lied about losing my wallet.  He glared at me, and gave me a warning about how this town looked down on transients and vagabonds, and told me to leave soon.  He then drove off without another word.

I thought upon my new name… PC Glenton.  I might keep it.  It sounded feasible, at least.
42

Heh, so your name comes from your surroundings? Well, that works. I guess you’re lucky you weren’t in front of a Starbuck’s, eh? :slight_smile:

BTW, when I said, “action” I meant STORY action, as in IMPORTANT things happening. NOT necessarily combat. Your story is good for more than it’s action scenes.

BTW, is Glenwood based on any real place?

43

PC Starbucks? I don’t know… kind of has a nice ring to it…

Glenwood is fictional, for the most part. Though I may be using my own home town as reference material.

44

Sounds good to me. :slight_smile:

I am very much liking how this is going. Keep writing…or else. :mwahaha:

45

A smaller update, but I decided to give the actual robbery its own chapter… otherwise things would just get too crowded.

Tell me what you think, for better or worse.

-Chapter Ten: Casing-

I wandered around the streets of the small city,  getting quite used to the stares of the town’s populace.  I already bought something to eat from a local McDonald’s, and was just looking for a place to spend the night.  Unfortunately, there were only about two hotels, both locally owned, and neither of them had rooms available on the cheap.  Actually, I just think they didn’t want to give rooms on the cheap.

In short, I needed money.   I couldn’t sell my ATV, as it could probably be traced, and I doubt anyone would buy it from me.  My mind was racing with different options, but one came to mind as I found myself walking in front of the Glenwood National bank.  I grinned, and suddenly decided I needed to use the bathroom.

I entered the building, taking time to notice there were laser eye sensors near the windows, and it looked like they were triggered to drop steel bars when activated, effectively making a prison.  Too damn small to crawl through as well.  I pretended to loiter around; noticing the steel vault in the corner was opened with just a big wheel.  Must be a time lock.  It was then a well-dressed bank worker approached.

“Can I help you, sir?”  He acted professional, despite he had the same air and glance as the others. 

“Yeah, I need to use your bathroom, but I can’t find it.  Can you give me a hand?”  I took time to notice there were a few cameras around, but they were poorly placed.  I could probably sneak under them and pull their wiring.  

“This way, sir.”  Of course, I knew he really meant “Whatever to get you out of here, sir.”, but I didn’t say anything.  He led me near the bathroom doors, and another that lead to a hallway, then left to attend his duties without even waiting for a thank-you.  I just grinned, and tested out the hallway door.  Locked.  I looked through the window, and noticed a set of stairs at the end going down.  Probably led to the basement, and the time lock.  If I could get down there…

I went to the bathroom, and then exited the building.  I walked around the bank , scooping it out.  I noticed a curved piece of large metal protruding from the roof, and then grinned.  The exit for an air vent.  How convenient.  I then turned my head a bit, and noticed that the flag pole was very close to the main bank building.  Heh… not all that smart for a one-floor building.  Now, I just needed to worry about getting to the basement, and what security might be there.  The time lock doors were probably protected, but how, I could only know when I reached them.  

“Oh, you will know… thanks to me!”  The sudden voice caught me off guard, and I turned around quickly… only to find myself alone.  “Heh… how do you even know about time locks?  Cameras?  Rather surprising for an amnesiac, isn’t it?”  I had no answer…  “Sure… I will help you…after all, I need you as much as you need me.”  Then, there was nothing.

I just stood there in shock for a long time before I slowly walked away… that voice was the same one from that dream I had in the truck.  

            How could I hear it when awake?
46

ominous thunderclap

47

Whoa, the thing with the Voice is even more complex than I thought. Good going, PC.

This episode makes me wonder about PC’s morals (the character’s, not the author’s!) He doesn’t seem to kill or steal for its own sake, but doesn’t think twice about doing it if needed. Is that because he was just “born”, or something left from his original personality? It’ll be interesting to find out.

48

Ok… I know none of this is really factual, but its not like researching a way to rob a bank is that easy. I just kind of guessed the whole robbery, so I apologize if it seems stretched.

-Chapter Eleven: Heist-

I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening preparing for my little adventure.  I gave myself no time to think upon the surreal offer of help, and set my mind on the task at hand.  I wasn’t going to carry much with me, just a few useful, cheap items I could afford.  A black, face-covering snow mask, a hairpin, a flashlight, pliers, a couple of small duffel bags, and some baby powder.  All available at a local general store, with clerks who do not get suspicious at any purchase.  

I wasn’t all that sure why I needed them, but something told me they would be useful.  Probably literally, in my case.  In the meantime, I just stuffed my newly bought items in the bags, and wasted time as much as I could… most of my time spent walking past the bank, trying to catch any odd details, or doing anything to keep myself busy.  When it was about eight o’clock, I went back to the McDonald’s, and stuffed myself on coffee… gallons of coffee.

Finally, McDonald’s kicked me out for closing, after I took one more bathroom break.  Catching a clock on the wall told me it was about ten-thirty at night… a little early, but the town probably fell asleep earlier then most.  I felt certain… it was show time.


I tip-toed up to the bank, looking around, seeing if anyone was watching, but the town was quiet… like a switch was hit, turning off all of its life.  I continued to sneak to the flagpole, and grabbed on the chain that raises the flag, nodding as I noticed it was secured in place, and then proceeded to use it as my support as I climbed up the thin, metallic tree.  It didn’t take long for me to reach the top, and after one more look around, I pushed myself off, and flung myself on the roof, rolling as I hit the ground, flinching a bit from the scabs I got last night.  

I quickly put on the black mask, and crawled to where I saw the metallic exit for the air-duct system.  I peered in, and frowned when I noticed a metallic plate sealed it.  It then hit me… air-ducts don’t lead outside the building; otherwise they would cause condensation all over the structure.  I cursed my luck, and wondered why it even existed in the first place.  But cheered up as I noticed the screws holding the plate down.  They were old and rusty, but also more fragile.  I took out my pliers, and then started to wiggle the screws back and forth, turning them every way possible.  The rust made the whole thing one, but age made the hold weaker.  It didn’t take long for me to break off the heads of the screws, and pulled up the plate.

I proceeded to enter, as planned.  I crawled through the ducts, trying to find a way down.  Thankfully, the bank was small, and it didn’t take me long to find a lower elevation in the metallic maze.  I went toward the first grate I saw, and looked through, with help of the flashlight.  I pushed the grating out of my way, and then jumped out and down, to the previously unexplored basement.  I scanned the area with my only source of light, and took a look at my surroundings.  Looked like the basement was used for storage, janitorial supplies, and old filing.  

I continued blindly tripping through the unending darkness, and then found a door locked from the other side.  A quick examination of the solid structure told me it was the way to the time lock.  Thankfully, the lock was your typical door lock, and easily picked by those with skill.  With the hairpin, I showed my ability.  Kind of weak security for the entrance to a vault.

I shrugged, and almost took a step forward when I froze, and stepped back.  I saw a black box just inside the door… flashing the light on it confirmed my fears.  Laser-trip wires.  This is where the company spent its security fund.  Fortunately, it was possible to get past them.

I took out the baby power, and removed the lid, stuffing it into my pocket.  I then tipped the bottle over into my hand, and knelt down with a fistful of the powder.  I blew the substance all over the room, revealing a crisscrossing pattern of long, bar shaped lights.  They were every way… to the top of the room, all the way down to the bottom, everyone of them waiting for some moron to come through and cross them, to make them scream in anger at the intruder.  Good thing I don’t like loud noises.

I crawled, hopped and straddled amongst the lights, nervously doing my best to avoid breaking the lines.  I performed movements that would shame even the most flexible gymnast.  At times, my knees or hands almost sealed my doom, but I managed to move my way toward the machine in the center, with a sigh of relief. 

The time lack mechanism was rather old, made in the 50s or 60s by the looks of it…  small town banks usually don’t upgrade that often.  There is usually no need to. Too bad tonight was an exception.   I looked over the machine, and grinned at the simple analog display.  This was going to be easy to over ride.  I took out my pliers, and proceeded to chip away at the glass covering the current time display.  It didn’t take long for me to break through, and remove the covering.  I then played around with the dials until they matched the unlock time just above the current time.  The sound of a heavy metallic door moving upstairs told me everything… the vault was open.

I again played Twister with the red lights, and again got myself lost in the dark as I felt around for another door.  It didn’t take long, and thankfully this door unlocked from my side.  I was again in familiar territory, the hallway and main bank area I saw this afternoon.  But, I had one more obstacle left… the cameras.

The digital sentinels were moving back and forth in their vigilance to catch intruders.  I didn’t know if they were wired to send alarms, or just record thefts, but either way, I couldn’t take any chances.  I timed the closest camera until it turned away from my general area, and snuck underneath it.  I quickly took the pliers, got on my tiptoes, and pulled out a wire connecting to the wall, quickly moving back to my starting area, trying to avoid the next camera.  I took a couple of breaths, and looked up at the camera…  it was no longer moving.  

I repeated this exercise of timing, running, pulling and running for the rest of the security cameras, until there was nothing between the bank’s treasure and me.  I tilted my head in, and grinned.  The small airtight room was covered in banded together cash, and packaged coins.  Even with only two small bags, I was going to leave here rich.  I entered and quickly started to grab cash to stuff in the duffel bags, but my greed was soon interrupted by a sudden high-pitched squeal of anger.  I quickly looked down, and noticed that I forgot to check the vault for traps… and I stepped into another set of laser-eye alarms.

And, for the second night in a row, I knew I had to make a run for it.
49

A rather short chapter, but a good twist came to me, and I decided it would be a better way to end this chapter. Besides, I may shorten these up to avoid getting second-paged.

-Chapter Twelve: Fugitive-

I quickly grabbed a last minute bundle of money, and then pretty much fly outside the vault, just in time to see metal bars fall over the windows with a definitive and angry clang, preventing any quick and desperate exits… it wouldn’t be long before the cops got here… I needed to take what time I could to escape.

I immediately ran toward the basement hallway, the screams of the alarm chasing me toward my last refuge, only to end up mocking me when I found out bars slid down over this way too.  I ran toward the transparent main doors, only to find bars over those as well… and the red and blue flashing of police lights in the distance.  Shit… they were already on their way.

I quickly ducked in the only room not barred off… the bathroom.  I tried and find a place to hide, but I doubted stalls would provide much protection for long.  Looking up, I saw a grate.  Of course… the smell has to go somewhere.  I pulled open the grate, not worrying about noise, give-aways, or anything else but getting the hell out.  I tried pulling the duffel bags with me, but one got caught on the corner of the metallic structure, spilling the money all over the place.  I cursed, but had no time to get it back… money is no good to those in jail.

Again, I crawled through the metallic maze, grateful for the building’s simplicity, along with the simple pathways of the ducts.  I finally reached the roof point of the ducts, but froze when I heard a voice:  “Roof team reporting nothing odd, over!”

This wasn’t good… they somehow knew I would be on the roof… maybe they found the missing money?  But why would they check the bathroom so quickly, minus the fact they got in quickly.

I quickly took a peek, noting about three different uniformed guards on different angles around the roof, and then quickly moved back down.  Three guards… I might be able to do this.  I knocked on the edge of the duct, making a resounding noise obvious to all those nearby.  The guards moved from their spots, and tried to peer down.  I scooted back a bit, keeping myself hidden.  One guard peered down even more, gun at the ready, trying to find out what caused the noise… and made a lot more himself when I grabbed the long barrel of his automatic weapon, and pulled him into the duct.  He fell in head first, revealing his neck to a quick rabbit punch, knocking him out of breath, and soon out of consciousness with repeated blows.  I heard his two friends call in… they were getting permission to use flash-bang, and voicing concern over hurting their partner.  Touching.

I removed the helmet of my captive officer, knowing he would not do as a hostage when my own position was rather precarious.  I needed a good distraction before I could consider getting out.  But, it was then a ray of light flashed over the helmet, and my heart beat ten times faster.

The logo on the helmet wasn’t for any local police… it was for Stalter, Inc.
50

Nice twist, PC, but you knwo what I think would make this story even better?

Ninjas. Oh, and romance. A Ninja romance!

51

Ninja Romance…

Am I missing a reference?

52

I don’t think so, I think Val’s just screwing up your mind. : )

Good job, PC. That was a very realistic bank robbery… as far as I know, of course. And having Statler involved was a nice touch. Can’t wait to see where you take this.

53

Another short chapter, with lots of action and hopeless situations. The next chapter is going have more action as well, but don’t worry… things will be getting more intresting later.

-Chapter Thirteen: Surrounded-

My feelings of impending doom were soon shoved to the side, as I heard the Stalter goons get the confirmation for more aggressive measures.  I then took some of my own.  I waited to see the barrels of two semi-automatic weapons peer down into the metallic hole, before I threw the guards helmet up at one of them.  They were distracted and very surprised by this sudden movement, and more surprised when I grabbed both of their legs and pulled them toward me, knocking them on their back.

I used the opportunity to quickly straddle myself back on the roof, and grab one of the officers by his collar, and pulled him in front of me, just in time to catch the bullets fired by his buddy.  When he paused to reload, I threw the corpse of the guard toward my attacker, again knocking him on his feet.  Moving quickly, I grabbed his weapon, and proceeded to point it in his face… but got distracted by the sight I saw down on the ground…  the whole area was covered by police officers and well-armed units… they looked more like soldiers then cops.  They must have been part of Stalter.  The whole lawn, if not the whole city, was filled with men ready to kill and capture.  This was overkill to the max.

The remaining guard took advantage of my lapse of attention, and tried to grab his gun back.  We played the game of up-close tug of war, with a full crowd witnessing our struggle.  But, it did not last long, for a bull horn blared up at us.  “Let go of the gun so we can shoot him!”  What… no offer of surrender?  Rather unusual, but I was getting used to that lately.

The guard obeyed, and let go.   I quickly flattened myself against the roof, preventing them from getting a clear shot, landing right on top of the guard.  The force of my landing forced him to utter an “Oomph”, exposing his neck for a second… which I instinctively grabbed.  I tightened my fist as much as I could, as he moved his hands up to try and get me to let go.  His grip was forceful, and I knew I couldn’t succeed in choking him to death.  Two hands are better then one, in this case.

I decided to do something desperate.  I knew I couldn’t stay on this roof forever, and that I would eventually be over whelmed.  I pulled the guard forward, and in front of me, making sure he faced the crowd below.  In effect, I made him my hostage.  I knew they wouldn’t risk killing their own man for long, so I managed to buy myself some time.  I looked around the bank, trying to find a weak spot in the flood of officers… and my observations paid off.  There was a small alley next to the bank, well shadowed and probably not protected very well.  I couldn’t jump across, but I may be able to hide for a while.  I moved my hostage and myself to the edge of the bank, and flung both of us over the edge, taking the last chance at escape I could.
54

Ok… I know its been awhile, but I have my reasons… most of them applying to the Internet crashing at work.

Anyway, for those still reading, the next chapter in my not very popular story!

-Chapter Fourteen: Race-

Both of us fell into the shadows of the alley, but only the guard made contact with the ground. I made a last minute grab on the side of the building, and hung on for dear life, straddling myself into the darkest part of the building I could. The Stalter army was smarter then I gave them credit for. Instead of a unison check, they only set a squadron of five officers. Organized bastards, to say the least.

The five circled the guard’s unmoving body, with one soldier pausing to check the stiff’s vitals. It was then I made a sudden and rash move. Knowing they could be looking up any second, I dropped down, making sure to land behind one of the goons. Before they could even gasp in surprise, I grabbed the semi-automatic rifle of the soldier in front of me, only to find the soldier was equally as strong as I was. I could get his gun, we both struggled for control, but instead set off the firing mechanism, filling all of the guards and the buildings bordering the alley with bullet holes. Though… I was surprised. Though the fight over the gun lasted several seconds, more then enough time for anyone to recover from an ambush, none of the guards even fired a shot, even when a comrade’s life was in danger.

But, such mysteries were quickly shoved out of my mind by a loud shouting and tons of movement. The firing of the gun definitely gathered unwanted attention, and alerted everyone to the little skirmish I started. It wouldn’t be long before more came over, this time ready for action. I put my back to the wall, and took a quick peek around the corner leading out of the alley. It was about ten yards to the nearest street, and about thirty yards from the soldiers. It would be a close run, but I really had no choice.

Again, I ran for my life. Seemed to be a common habit for me lately, just running blindly, knowing I had to get away without any idea of where I was going. The bullets from several automatic weapons drowned out my speeding steps, as I rushed toward something that was my only chance at life. It seemed the world went in slow motion as I sprinted away on the grassy lawn. And when I felt hard concrete under my feet rather then the soft grass, I knew I just won the race of my life.

I ran down the street, and into darkness, losing the soldiers and my attackers, and when things finally seemed safe, I had another problem. “Idiot! Why the hell didn’t you clear the vault? You had a fortune, and you lost both of the bloody bags!” It was the Voice again… sounding as if he was right next to me.

I knew he was right, but I just got done escaping from a freaking army… no way in hell I was agreeing with him. I was about to voice my opinion, but his retort shot out first. “I know, you just got done escaping a war party of Statler sheep, but here is a question for you… you saw how well-trained those grunts were. Do you really think they could of missed a man running in the open? Think, shithead, think!”

I had no idea where this formless tormenter came from, but he was really starting to get on my nerves.

55

Oooh…cool. PC has voices in his head. :mwahaha:

56

Ok… this story will be updated, but with the net down at work, plus the fact I have been unusually busy have been really slowing me down…

Also, I have been… occupied at home. Give me some time, if anyone is still reading this.

57

Yeah, some of as ARE still reading this, PC! And it’s still pretty good, be assured. I’m certainly looking forth to the mystery of the Voice…

And we understand that writing fanfics regularly on the Net can be a pain sometimes. Real life has a way of intruding. So don’t worry, none of us will recriminate you. Just take your time and do the best you can.

58

Ok, it’s finally updated! Rather short, but I think anything is better then obscurity…

BTW, to those intrested… would it matter anymore if I stopped using the one-word chapter titles? It’s getting harder to think up appropriate words…

Enjoy!

-Chapter Fifteen: Getaway-

But, the irritation of my insulting and formless companion quickly evaporated with incoming footsteps telling me one thing: it was time to go. I ran further down the dimly lit street, avoiding any shine cast by the light posts standing guard. My path was crooked, but unnoticed for the most part.

I managed to sneak my way to a collection of houses, almost like a suburb, if this town was big enough to have them. Staying low, I shuttled myself across the street, and behind some bushes, covering myself in the leafy foliage, and peering through the prickly, yet reassuring green leaves. I saw several Stalter troops illuminated by the one of the streetlights I was avoiding, as they paused and took a look around.

I held my breath as the helmeted faces looked intently down the neighborhood street, closely examining the contours of the pavement, trying to see through the dark sheet covering the whole block. The group of them then split up, half continuing down the street, and the other half exploring the street I was currently seeking refuge in. My face was going blue, fighting the air aching to escape from my lungs. The three soldiers marched toward the house across the street, and quickly explored every hiding place, their guns shifting through bushes and around corners. They were cautious and alert, looking like they were ready to kill. I just waited, hoping they would go away…

Eventually, they stopped looking around the house, and then repeated their maneuvers on the next one. While spying on them, I thought it odd that no one came out to question what was going on, or that anyone was looking out a window. Surely, a whole squadron of armed men tromping through one’s lawn would attract some attention? Were robberies really that common?

Again, such thoughts were quickly torn from my head, as the three soldiers continued the search… it was then, on the second driveway they searched, I noticed it… a shiny, black sports car, originally unnoticed due to the choking night. This fancy car was my escape out of Glenwood, and from the soldiers. All I had to do was reach it, and hotwire it… hopefully; my disembodied annoyance would help me with that, at least.

I waited for the soldiers to go down to another house, and then, with the best balance of speed and stealth I could manage, I shot across to the other side, again hiding in a bush, and crawling behind the plants on the side of the house… only getting up once to see if the soldiers noticed me. No, they were still looking for me, but they crossed to the side I was previously on… ironic, that they would end up searching the first place I was last…

Keeping low, and behind any obstacle I could manage, I made a short zigzag to the automobile, and snuck inside. I was greeted by comfortable leather siding, about as black as the car itself… and, on the passenger side of the car, were a set of keys! Elated by how easy this got, I quickly started the engine, and prepared to speed out of town.

I should of known then that nothing was easy.

59

Hey, PC- if you can’t think of a way to advance the story immediately, it is perfectly OK to stall, all us writers do it. As long as the fill-in scenes are themselves entertaining (and yours are.)

And, I don’t really mind what you call the Chapters. Don’t feel forced to always have to title them in one word.

60

Impressive, very well done. The only thing I have to say is you need a little break from the cliff hangers every once in a while, the tension is lethal. Unless you’re going for high-strung non-stop action.