Aiden Ward stepped foot back into the dusty layer of cracked earth that stood outside of the small hovel he had recently raided. As he walked through the blazing heat, he flipped through the small, leather-bound book; his only treasure from his most recent expedition. His short, dark-brown hair and heavy, thick beard covered most of his neck, but a grey baseball cap covered in grease and dirt protected his face from the hot Indian sun. His red plaid shirt was frayed near the bottom and holes were wearing in the knees of his oil-stained jeans. His work boots were covered in many liquids, most of which came from his job. The land was flat and barren, save for the occasional old house. It was hard to believe that fifty years earlier this place had a population that it could barely sustain. As Aiden walked through the desserted land, the ground began to rumble. This went on as Aiden walked for fifteen minutes, before he stopped twenty yards short of five parallel rows of train tracks.
Aiden put the ledger back between his leather belt and pants, and sat down. Then the shaking ground turned into a roar that became near deafening after thirty minutes. It was around this time that smoke began to billow up on the horizon, black even against the darkened sky. He checked the old Casio on his wrist. 19:28, October 3rd, 2078. Fifteen minutes later, the amalgamation of a train peeked its head over the horizon. Its name was Monolith, dreadfully ironic, considering that the only parts on it that were original were the train beds. The center train, a behemoth of steel, led the other four from the center track. It connected to two others on each side, each progressively smaller. Fortunately, only three were running at the time. A loud screech shattered the sky as Aiden wrapped his hands around his ears. The train took a full five minutes to stop in front of him. This was his home. This was Monolith.
He stepped aboard behind the first three rows of carts, and the amalgamation began its travel again. Those three were housing for the mechanics and operators of the trains. The next five rows were housing for citizens of Monolith. Behind that was ten rows of closed carts on the outside, and open carts on the inside. This was known as The Works, where people made a living. Aiden heard his elders relate it to bazaars of old, although that word was foreign to him. He walked through two cars before opening a third and throwing the ledger down on an elegant desk. It was truly a marvel to see, compared to the ripped and squeaky chair the old man behind the desk was asleep in. Aiden pounded on the desk and the man awoke. With a shocked expression, he looked up at Aiden.
"Oh, good, good, you're back! And you've got the book!" Ezikiel screamed. He had a long, crooked nose, and black, balding hair. "Oh, but you don't care about an old man and his book!" He continued, reaching under his death. His thin frame straining to lift whatever it was. He laid on his desk a rusted, green machine. Aiden reached over and picked it up.
"AK-74?" He asked, racking the slide and looking into the firearm. "It's amazing. How'd you get this?"
"Oh, just an old relic of my youth."
"Well, I appreciate it," Aiden replied, turning around and beginning to slide open the cart's door.
"Now, now, hold on a second," Ezikiel moaned. His frail body lifted from his seat as he opened the drawer of his desk. He threw three magazines to Aiden, who caught them deftly. "They're loaded. And once again, thank you, boy."
Aiden nodded and exited the cart. Firearms were a rarity these days, and ammo was even more scarce. He stopped to carefully inspect the gun. It was old, but in good shape. The identification numbers on the back of the upper half were scratched, but could still be read. It had a Romanian folding stock folded over and a short, 12" barrel. An old Russian tourniquet was wrapped around the stock, and a canvas sling hooked to the back and front ends of the receiver. He slid his arm through the sling and walked towards The Works. He recalled the images of a young, crooked-nosed man and dark haired woman on a beach he had seen in the ledger.
As he entered The Works, Aiden strolled between carts until coming to two that worked as an open-air bar. He sat down at a seat and ordered a shot of rum. The air was intense with vibrations made by the train.
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Waste is a world ravaged by famine and torn apart by natural disasters. The infrastructure of the world has crumbled, and loose governments control the cities, both those mobile and stationary. Those who do not collaborate under these governments live on their own, raiding the settlements of the more orderly. Aiden Ward was born into this world, and has inhabited it for 23 years. However, as he was taught by all around him, this wasn't the way humanity was supposed to live.
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Character Sheet -
Name: The given name or nickname of your character.
Description: This can include personality, features, and clothing.
Specialization: Hand-To-Hand, Melee Weapons, Ranged Weapons. While you can use more than one, your character will need to be less sufficient at the two than someone with a single specialization.
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Current Characters:
Biotechnic/Aiden Ward
King Acunasti/Sal “The Black Mamba” Romadano & Theodore Phalin
Leilah/Leilah
Vivec's Tears/Linu L'inearal
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Sign-Ups are Closed, for now.
Last edited by
Biotechnic on Sun May 16, 2010 3:49 pm, edited 7 times in total.