title: "Tales from the Secret Book 2-A : Chasing the Dragon" aliases: [] tags: [FA] author: [Scal3_Dragon] id: [29162141] date: 星期六, 十一月 12日 2022, 9:48:19 晚上 modified: 星期六, 十一月 12日 2022, 9:54:19 晚上
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Tales from the Secret Book 2-A : Chasing the Dragon
Author: Scal3_Dragon Source: Tales from the Secret Book 2-A : Chasing the Dragon
"Doctor Sevinko to the armory. Doctor Sevinko to the armory."
Kohnaar walked down the dim, stone corridor at a brisk pace. He was already cutting it close for time- The transport craft was set to leave in ten minutes- but the coywolf wasn't eager to begin this particular mission. In fact, he was dreading it.
Just hours ago, the ministry's council had been notified of Solrune's re-appearance- the first news anyone had received, concerning the creature, since the research team's failed attempt to send him into space over a month ago. The report had come from a small mining town around two hundred miles east of the ill-fated rocket's crash site- The description of a growing, gray, gold-marked dragon had made it through the wire before the transmission abruptly ended- And the council's immediate reaction was what Kohnaar had been expecting for some weeks now. What he had not expected, however, was to be appointed to the makeshift assault squad tasked with recapturing Solrune for further containment and, most certainly, more research.
"This doesn't make sense, I've never been out in the field...", Kohnaar whispered to himself, nervously watching his feet tread across the floor, "Why would they send /me/ out there? I'm a scientist..."
Kohnaar unfastened the two buttons on his labcoat and typed his access code into the panel on the armory's door. A high pitch, loud BEEP rang out, and with the brief hum of an electric motor, the two halves of the smooth steel door slid apart, revealing, in the brighter, all-white corridor, the eye-catching form of Dana Snow, dressed in navy blue riot gear- not the usual security officer's uniform Kohnaar was used to seeing on her. She flinched a little at the sudden motion of the doors, and locked her eyes on the coywolf.
"Doctor Kona!", she exclaimed, using the nickname most of Kohnaar's colleagues and associates affectionately used when reffering to him, "There you are- I was about to come find you, but my access code wasn't- nevermind", she trailed off, shaking her head. "We're about to set out. Come on, honey", the arctic vixen said, turning and softly grabbing Kona's wrist, leading him down the white hallway.
"Dana... Wait", he said, slowing his pace, "You've been assigned to the task force as well? ...No. I'll take you off this one, there's still time for- "
"Hush up, no you won't", Dana retorted sternly. "And no one assigned me, 'cept myself. I couldn't let you go chasing after that lizard without me, now, huh?"
Kona swallowed nervously. He didn't doubt Dana's ability. The thought of himself being anywhere near that infernal dragon was already eating at the coywolf's resolve, but knowing that someone he cared for would be exposed to that same risk, /again/, was starting to make him feel nauseous. "I guess not. I'd just... rather you didn't have anything to do with this. After what he did to Ciel... You know, I worry about what could happen", he said, sheepishly.
"I know you do", Dana gently replied. "That's what this is all for, though, isn't it? If we can just capture him again... Not lose him next time, no one else will get-"
"Yeah, I know. That's if I can persuade the council to lock him away in a vault. He needs to be put away out of anyone's reach. Even using him for research is a risk we shouldn't be taking." Kona sighed.
"I agree with you on that. Only... The folks he didn't... You know. Without more tests, finding a way to grow someone back is going to be harder, ain't it?" Dana asked, sympathetically.
"I'm not sure. Magic isn't always an exact science, Dana."
The two approached the doorless archway at the end of the corridor leading to the armory. Like the corridor, the armoury in the building had smooth white walls of impact resistant ballistic plating. Running between the gaps in the plating, were glowing beams of pleasant yellow light, providing illumination to the room, quite unlike the old fashioned electric lamps that lit up most of the research facility. The room was quiet, the only sounds coming from the several security officers loading their weapons or making smalltalk with one another.
The arctic vixen led Kona to a locker on the wall just left of the entrance, and typed a four digit number into the small touchpad in the center- The doors slid away into the floor, revealing the items kept within.
"Okay, honey. I know you're not great with these things but I can't let you on the transport without some firepower. How's about you take two minutes to read these specifications and pick out whatever you think will work best for you?"
Kona looked at the selection- There were six different weapons in the locker, with three of each kind stored in rows of racks with a small electronic display below each.
"Sure, Dana. I'm not totally unfamiliar with some of these, although it's been some time since I actually fired... anything."
Dana nodded.
"Yeah, I know. Just... don't pick the sword. The last thing I want is another moron getting eaten because he wants to play ninja. Ranged weapons only, got it?"
"Of course. Believe me, I'm not gonna get close to that monster if I can help it."
After watching Snow walk over to a group of security officers across the room, Kona began inspecting the weapons before him, starting with the left-most rack of small energy pistols. He peered at the electronic display below the three guns and read the specifications.
...He wasn't so big, after all. Being nearly four feet in height meant Kona's size somewhat limited the kind of weapons he could wield. A more agile, manoeuvrable weapon would suit him best- Dana was only a little taller, but she was deceptively strong despite her graceful frame and still had a preference for more easily handled weapons. Hm...
[L-24 Laser Pistol]
Manufacturer: Solar Inc.
The most recent iteration of the first military-grade laser handgun ever constructed, the L-24 is a compact and easily handled weapon popular among law enforcement and state and private armies alike. With the capability to fire several hundred shots between reloads, this weapon is highly suited to close to mid range encounters with lightly armored targets in urban environments.
Kona scratched his chin. "Lightly armored". The dragon they were hunting lacked any sort of armor, in fact, he was naked, but the amazing durability of his body left the coywolf wondering if this pistol would even have a significant effect on him. True, the dragon seemed invulnerable to actual harm beyond the reduction of his size, but the amount of energy in a laser beam, in theory, would wear him down at least as well as the gunpowder-based small arms that could hinder him at more ordinary sizes... If he was, indeed, a more reasonable size. Kona kept looking.
[Citadel Arms Direct Energy Explosive Revolver]
Manufacturer: Citadel Arms
Making use of experimental technology, Citadel has constructed this near-futuristic weapon. The four-round cylinder holds unique cells which generate unstable bolts of energy, which travel at high speeds and trigger a powerful explosion upon contact. Intended as a tool for destroying walls and other barriers, and not as a dedicated anti-personnel weapon, it is of course incredibly effective in the latter respect regardless of its primary function. However, because of the nature of the cell technology, it cannot be reloaded in the conventional way and must be returned to the manufacturer for cylinder and barrel replacements.
[Citadel Arms Assault Shotgun]
Manufacturer: Citadel Arms
Despite the approaching obsolescence of blackpowder weapons in the modern era, this weapon is nontheless an incredibly effective weapon for urban combat. With fully automatic fire and a drum capacity of 50 shells, it can literally rip and tear standard targets and is especially lethal up close.
[Ragnarok M9 Grenade Launcher]
Manufacturer: Ragnarok Industries
Obliterate your foes with astounding destructive power! This new model of the Ragnarok Launcher sports a built-in targeting system capable of adjusting for moving targets and precisely placing grenades in tricky spots. With an eight round cylinder, the weight makes it a little cumbersome but the damage potential alone more than justifies this.
[Model 7 Plasma Rifle]
Manufacturer: Solar Inc.
This new-generation combat rifle fires bolts of plasma instead of conventional projectiles. It uses power cells which allow for fifty shots per reload and can fire accurate bolts in semi-automatic mode or a rapid, less accurate ten-round burst.
[Z-50 Plasma Blade]
Manufacturer: Zenith Arms
This close range weapon generates a blade of plasma from an easily concealed sword hilt. Powered by a high-capacity cell and a series of focusing lenses, the blade is adjustable in length ranging from six inches to four feet long. It has excellent cutting ability.
Out of curiosity, Kona picked up one of the swords and inspected the hilt. It was a little big for his paw, but still easy enough for him to hold and use as well as any typical sword. The coywolf pressed a small button near the top of the hilt with a claw on his free paw, and flinched as a pink beam of energy shot out from the hilt, stopping when it became about two feet long.
"Hm."