PRE-Jade Hand Recruitment Thread (Open by invitation)

The Spartan got out of the old beat up pick-up truck and stretched out his sore muscles before thanking the man who'd picked him up while he'd been hitchhiking. 'Frank' ; which is what the Spartan had been calling himself since escaping the facility; grabbed his dufflebag out of the back of the rusted out pickup truck and watched as the elderly, kind stranger drove off. Frank looked around at the swampy low land, he'd asked the man to drop him in one of the smaller towns outside the city proper of New Orleans. "Estherwood, LA. Population 857" the sign read, that stood on the side of the old dirt road.

This would be a good place to lay low for a while, He could blend in fairly easily. The Spartan was dress in a long brown duster jacket, blue jeans and a black tank top; it was the usual garb of any drifter trying not to get noticed. In the weeks following his escape he'd grown a beard and his tight crewcut hair had started to shag up, this wouldn't fool any of the advanced facial recognition technology the government organization that was hunting him used; but the Spartan didn't think he'd have to worry about any of that in this backwoods town. The GPS tracking unit in his head had been disabled and that was more than enough of a 'leg-up' than an experienced soldier needed to disappear. Frank set off for town square, Conny had told him that securing temporary lodging and day labor work would be his most suspicious course of action.

He didn't even make it off the back road before running across a sheriff's car parked just off the road. The cowboy hat wearing officer inside was probably speed trapping, but when he saw the dirty drifter mosey by he decided that was more pressing. The Sheriff's cruiser creeped out slowly and pulled onto the dirt road. No lights, no siren, just following the drifter at a tediously slow speed. The Spartan cursed his luck, and could only hope that the law enforcement officer would loose interest and drive off, but when the red and blue lights popped on and a single 'Whoop' called from the car, he knew he was in trouble.

Frank stopped and turned around, shielding his eyes from the harsh glare of the spot light that was now lighting him up. "Stop now, place your bag on the ground!" The amplified voice from the cop car announced. The Spartan did as asked and then stood with his hand raised. A large hillbilly looking sheriff stepped out of the cruiser, his hand already on the butt of his service revolver.

"What's the problem?" Frank asked, not expecting a straight answer.

"Yer the prollem' fella.....We don't take kindly to Vagrants, round ere'" The large uniformed man said and he stalked toward the Spartan. " Now turn around and face away from me....Hands on your HEAD!" The Sheriff commanded.

The Spartan huffed with frustration and did what the authority said. It was then he felt the sting of the man's billy club against the back of his knees. The blow caused the Spartan pain, but not enough to bow the soldiers strong legs. This only infuriated the bully sheriff and the man reeled back to whack at the Spartan's lower back. Conny warned the Spartan, and the super soldier's instincts took over. In the blink of an eye, The Spartan leapt up and out of the way of the attack, he landed far enough away to give a bit of distance.

The Sheriff was shocked, and went to draw his weapon.

Void sat down comfortably in the back of a pick up truck, covered over with a tarp and sitting next to several salvaged car parts, well...as possible as you can be in that situation. For Void, traveling across the country wasn't usually this easy, given his very unusual appearance. However today he proved to be lucky enough to come across one quite unusual hillbilly who assumed him to be, to put it in his own words, "One of 'em space visitors from mars!" and enthusiastically offered him a ride in the back of his truck. Void didn't really bother to ask why the man would make such an offer, but if he had to guess he thought it had something to do with the fact the man was wearing a T-Shirt with an alien head design and matching hat. However, as the saying goes "never look a gift horse in the mouth" and Void didn't bother to correct the man. So for quite some time he was being driven around from place to place. Void didn't exactly know when he was going to get off, but he didn't want to be left off in the middle of nowhere. So he was just being patient until he was sure they were close enough to a town. Well...that was the plan anyway, but as everyone knows, plans rarely go as they should.

It was only a short while later when from under the tarp Void heard a single siren being sounded off, which the driver of the truck seemed to think of as a signal to start speeding up. This quickly proved to be a bit of a problem as only a few seconds after he hit what can only be guessed as a pothole or a large bump in the road, sending Void hurtling out of the back. Hitting the dirt road at a moderate speed, it didn't take too long for him to stop rolling. Not any real damage was dealt. Putting the palms of his hands into the dirt, he pushed himself up and got to his feet. Looking ahead he saw a town in the distance, meaning that he wouldn't need to walk that far. Yet, as he was about to head off in that direction he noticed the sounds of a disturbance behind him. Turning around, he saw a local police officer assaulting some man in a duster jacket, but when he took a hit to the back of the legs and still stood, that caught Void's attention. Watching intently, he was surprised to see that when the officer took another cheap shot at the man, he leaped out of the way. His reaction clearly showed he had abnormal combat instincts and when the officer pulled out his weapon, Void was sure things could only get more interesting from here.

The random pickup truck sped by, obviously not wanting to get involved in what ever was about to happen, it kicked up a thick cloud of dust as it sped off and the Spartan used this distraction to gain the upper hand. He shot forward and latched ahold of the chrome .44 magnum's barrel. A shot rang out, but the Spartan was already stepped to the side and the round went wild. With a quick turn and jerk the weapon was now in the Spartan's control. He knee knocked the over weight redneck sheriff and the man went to the ground.

It was then that Conny's scans picked up another humanoid form, approximately 60 yards to his rear. The mystery person wasn't there seconds ago, and when the dust cleared enough to get a visual, the Spartan knew something wasn't right. It looked like some overly shiny armored alien and that wasn't par for the course in this neck of the woods. The Spartan asked Conny to do a diagnostic, but Constitution couldn't comply, some sort of shielding the computer in his stated. The Spartan was left to assume that it was some Super robot, sent from Project Spartan to retrieve him.

With out hesitation, the Spartan leveled the revolver and opened fire at the strange looking intruder, all the while his foot still atop the prone sheriff, pinning the man. The spartan didn't underestimate the metallic thing, he just wanted to back it off so that he could make it to the drivers seat of the Sheriff's cruiser.

Void's interest was peaked when the man not only dodged the sheriff's gunfire, but incapacitated and disarmed him as well with clear ease. Yes, Void was very...well not 'happy' per say, but more thankful that he decided to stay and watch the confrontation. Yet, what was even more impressive was that the mysterious man was able to detect his presence so quickly, even without full visibility. However, one thing that both incited Void's curiosity and mild frustration was that the man, who can only be assumed to have at least been some kind of semi-trained fighter, seemed to instantly perceive him as a threat and started firing off rounds at him. Well...actually that was the general reaction he got from people, but the way he seemed to react without hesitance made Void think that there was something other than general fear of metal men going on with him.

Void decided that if this man was going to act violently towards him, he deserved equal treatment. Charging towards his aggressor, Void ignored the incoming bullets, which simply bounced off of his tough metal 'skin', once within range he struck out with a straight punch from his right hand, which he had balled into a tight fist, aiming at the man's head.

(Ditto, you'll have to have a powergrid made up and placed in your profile's forum signature, stopping writing and having to go check your stats is a real pain in the ass. Remedy this problem. )

The Spartan wasn't surprised in the least when the bullets deflected off of the metal man's hide, but the thing's speed did catch him off guard. It covered the 60 yards in a single burst of speed and was swinging at the Spartan before he could make it to the Sheriff's driver side door. It was obviously slightly faster than him, but the awkward punch showed the Spartan a flaw in it's plan. The scientists might have come up with fancy new armor but they hadn't put the time into combat training that they'd done with him.

The Spartan let the punch come, at the last second he slipped to the side again, the swing went right past the Spartan's head and left an opening. One free arm went for a standing arm bar maneuver while the gun equipped hand slid underneath the metal man's helmeted chin.

"One warning is all you get......Tell those scientists that if they don't stop hunting me, I'll come back and kill them all....do you understand me Lackey." The Spartan said in a voice that was cool, calm and collected, the whole time never loosing his foot hold on the Sheriff's neck.

As Void struck out at the man, he was very unpleasantly surprised when in mere seconds had dodged his attack and then went on to put him into a rather uncomfortable hold. Of course, this did not sit well with him at all. Instinctively struggling slightly against the man, Void found that his earlier thoughts on him were very accurate, he wasn't normal at all and was very strong, stronger than any normal human. However, while he was sure that he was stronger and could very possibly break free if he were to struggle harder, but he stopped himself from doing so when the man spoke.

"One warning is all you get......Tell those scientists that if they don't stop hunting me, I'll come back and kill them all....do you understand me Lackey." Now it made sense. The reason the man had been hostile wasn't quite because of Void's appearance, it was because he thought he was hunting him for some kind of scientists. Letting himself stay in the hold, he decided to try and put the man's fears at rest Void tried to reason with him.

"I don't know who you think I am, but I can assure you I'm not hunting you." Void spoke calmly.

Constitution reviewed the footage and the voice frequency of the stranger, it's conclusion was inconclusive by current lie detecting technology.

"You are outmatched, Lackey, I might not be able to see it in your eyes (because of Void's visor) but your form is lacking" The Spartan growled. " I can sense your next move, feel you tensing against me, you are stronger, but not by much and we both know that I am the better fighter, everybody knows how that scenario plays out. You walk away now, and I let you live." He finished and cocked the hammer on the revolver to give the statement finality. He knew the bullet wouldn't penetrate the thing's armor but when coupled with his own thrusting compressible strength it wasn't going to take much.

Constitution fired warning after warning into the Spartan's inner thoughts. " WARNING ASSAULT ON LOCAL LAW OFFICIALS IS HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS! WARNING CONVERSING WITH AN ADVISORY IS NOT TACTICALLY APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR!!!! WARNING....LEAVING LIVING WITNESSES IS HAZARDOUS BEHAVIOR!!!".

"I don't know what sort of bullshit 'the program' sold you, but I am hear to tell you that I will not be controlled anymore! You should shuck off the Master's yolk as yell!" He gave a final warning before letting go and pulling away slowly. The Spartan pulled back and started for the door of the open and running Police cruiser.

Void was somewhat surprised by the man's stubbornness to accept the truth that he wasn't after him and held firm to his misguided belief that he was someone's "Lackey". It was also proven very clearly to Void that this man was considerably confident in his own abilities to assume that he was a pushover the way he did. Then, after spouting out some more of his nonsense, he had the nerve to threaten him and walk away. Now Void may not be emotional, but when someone starts a fight with him, he intends to finish it and not by insulting him and walking away. As the man approached the car, Void decided that he would force the man to fight him the only way he knew how, by cutting off his exit route. With a sudden burst of speed, Void appeared in front of the police cruiser and after getting a firm grip of the car's underside, flipped it onto it's back. Turning back to face Spartan,

"We're not finished here. When you start a fight, expect to have it finished." Was all he got out before dashing towards him with his fist cocked back, he attempted to land a punch to the man's chest, using his superior speed and strength to his advantage.

The Spartan started to dip into the cab of the police cruiser but when the strange metal man appeared in front of it and lifted the entire car up into the air and then down onto it's roof, the Super soldier knew that the fight was just getting started. He ducked and rolled out of the way just as the heavy vehicle crashed down. Now up on his feet again he squared off and leveled the gun. Unfortunately for the still prone Sheriff the crumbled wreckage of the car was now his coffin.

The creature had said something about finishing a fight, which told the Spartan that the metal man wasn't going to be dissuaded so easily. "Alright....come on with it then!' the Spartan called back from across the road now. His plan was simple, although the thing might be slightly stronger and faster it still wasn't as well trained, he'd wait for it to strike and offer a counter strike, neutralizing any advantage his enemy may have.

Constitution squawked on inside the Spartan's head, she informed him that it was tactically unsound to leave the metal lackey alive. B.E.L Protocol (Behind Enemy Lines) stated that all external threats should be neutralized before moving deeper undercover.

alright ....edit up

"Let us begin." Void spoke silently, barely above a whisper. Satisfied that his opponent wouldn't try to run away again, Void was prepared to once more go on the offensive. However, this time he wouldn't be as foolish as to underestimate his foe's ability again in close range, so he opted for a more destructive approach. Void looked back at the overturned police vehicle and with impressive speed and even more impressive strength, took hold of it with both hands and sent it hurtling towards Spartan as it slid across the ground.

His opponent didn't bother rushing in for another attack, this meant that it wasn't a mindless droid constructed by the Spartan project, it could learn and adapt. The crushed car came screaming at the Spartan, bits of the smooshed sheriff still clinging to it's incoming frame. The Spartan didn't hesitate either, leaping up into the air and bounding off of the incoming car.

The aerial attack was reckless and fueled by anger, the Spartan planned to come down and use his own noteworthy strength to punch the barrel of the gun through his opponent's armor and then fire off the remaining rounds in the magnum. Or at least that was what the Spartan wanted his advisory to think, the truth was that Conny had already drafted a rough diagnostic on the metal man's speed and strength along with his brutish battle tactics. The Spartan would use this ruse attack to put him in perfect distance for his real attack. He knew his opponent would be focused on the gun, and so his other hand was already seated on the hilt of his reinforced K-bar bayonette that was tucked behind his back and attempt an unguarded thrust upward underneath the things chin. or atleast that was the plan.

Void leaped backwards to avoid the blow from the delusional Spartan, barely escaping the man's attack...or at least what he thought was the man's attack. Less than a second after dodging, his eyes' widened, or at least they would have, at the sight of the bayonet quickly heading straight towards his chin. With inhuman skill and reaction time, Void reached forward and gripped Spartan's arm, stopping the weapon before it could even have a chance of making contact with him and with his free hand, he grabbed the blade itself and snapped it off. Still holding the sharp object, Void tried to thrust it into the man's skull while he had him somewhat immobilized.

The grip was strong, and his opponent's speed was greater, but still his skills were lacking. The hold on his arm wasn't on one of the pressure points, the Spartan's own training had instilled in him, if it would have been then his attacker would have had a noted advantage. The Spartan twisted and pulled, reversing the leverage, his arm tore free and with it he still maintained control of the hilt of his now broken knife. It was more than he needed to show his mystery opponent exactly how useful pressure points were; if there was a human inside this armor he was about to get a painful surprise.

Unfortunately the Metal man already was issuing a lightning fast attack of his own, with the broken shard of blade, he struck out and planted the shiv in the Spartan's shoulder. It was the price the Spartan had to pay, to utilize the stunning blow he, himself was trying to issue. It was time to put a stop to this nonsense ,with all his Strength he tried to bring down the pointed tip of what was left of the blade,connected to the hilt, into a paralyzing pressure point at the thing's neck.

(I now abandon this thread)