Sometimes my country saddens me.  I mean these bills are so wrong and so unconstitutional, that they just might pass.

If they do pass, I say we should vote to change the year from 2012 to 1984.  Cause it seems that Mr. Orwell from the grave is adding fresh ink to the page.

I agree with most of what you said.  Except for the donation items.  As you mentioned the reason they don't take money is to avoid conflict with nintendo.  Having donations would only increase the risk of such conflicts.  Making special items for members that donate would be risky.

Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump.  It was the sound of my heart beating.  I'd never really noticed it before.  I could also feel the blood rush through my body, which was a strange sensation.

Flipping over a barricade, I took out the first robot with an ice spike, impaling it through the head.

Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump.  There is was again, my heartbeat.

Spinning and crouching low, I slapped my hands on the ground.  Pillars of Ice appeared underneath the turrets that were firing at me.  With both turrets disabled, only one bot remained.  It was armed with a cloaking unit, designed to be stealthy.

Thump, Clunk-Thump, Clunk-Thump.  It wasn't just my heartbeat I heard.  It was the sound of the bots footsteps.

Turning around, I formed a ball of ice around my fist.  I punched at what should have been air, and connected with the head of the robot.



The lights flashed on and a voice came over the radio.

"Excellent job Cyrus.  That's the first time you've completed the night training course without taking a single hit.  You have seem to recovered well from that lead exposure at the hospital."

"Hmm, It's not like I have a choice.  I let that rebel esca-"

She cut me off.

Honey, you didn't let him escape.  You had to get out of there or you would have died.  It's fine, even the superiors say you did the right thing."

"Maybe...  Cut the lights and run the course again.  This time with live ammunition."

"What, why?  Live ammo?"

"Mother, I must be stronger.  I cannot fail like that again."

The lights went out and I could hear a faint whisper over the the radio.

"Cyrus, please... Don't die, don't leave me."

Turning off my radio I prepared to run the course again.

Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump...

"Ahhhhhhh!"

It was the second time I've awoken in the lab.  The other time... When was that?  I don't recall.  But, I know this is the second time, defiantly the second time.  An old man wearing a white lab coat that was stained red, looked down at me.

"My, my haven't we grown.  When I last saw you, you were nothing but a wee lad.  You do know your last mission was not a success at all.  You failed to eliminate the target and on top of that.  You almost lost us ten years of research.  But, rest assured we've made changes.  You won't be failing us again.  No...  My dear boy, you've been injected with a new virus.  One we've been working on for years...  Oh look at me ramble.  You won't even remember this tomorrow, now will you?  Time to finish I guess, enjoy the pain while it lasts. Heh heh heh..."

Somthing sharp stabbed into the abdomen and I passed out.
...
...
...



I awoke, in my bed at home.  With my mother standing over me.  There were tears in her eyes.  Hmph, always with the tears.  It's not like I died.

"Mother, it's fine.  No rebel can kill me."

"It's not that.  Th, they told me you might never be the same.  I couldn't bear to think that my little boy might be lost forever. "

(Voice of random narrator.) "As Cyrus slipped into deep slumber his supposed mother didn't know how right she was."

Ok well, that's over with.  I vote for morning. 

"Oh great a monster.  I recognize this one.  A Grenchler if I'm not mistaken."

Rolling and popping up to my feet, I turned to the soon to be dead rebel.

"I don't like this anymore than you do but, I've used up to much power to beat this thing alone.  We'll have to work together.  I'll keep it busy see if you can find something to kill it, while it's not watching you."

I fired off and ice spike at the Grenchler and lead it down the hallway away from the rebel.  Hell, if he finds a way to kill it maybe I'll offer him a position as one of our labs test subjects.

A metal sword clanged off the wall. 

"Pathetic."

Forming another Ice sword in my right hand, I stood my ground.  Eager to prove this pathetic man wrong.

I parried his first swing with my sword, The force of the blow reverberated through my right hand, ignoring the pain I noticed an opening.  I formed a chunk of ice around my left hand and jabbed for his gut.