A Road Left Untraveled (Zack)

[August Velway]

August was bored. Hell, he had been bored a hell of a lot lately, too, and whenever he thought about it, he felt a stab of frustration take over his gut and neck.

For what had to be a year by now, August Velway had given his time to the little band of rogues infamously known around school as Revelation, a bunch of kids that followed their tough-as-nails leader, Seth Calloway. August hadn't been recruited or voluntarily joined; his entry into the gang had been very unorthodox and undesirable, as a bet he made against Calloway in a fixed fight between the other two horsemen led to him literally handing over his life to the guy.

So for an entire year, Velway served Revelation in his own way, collecting minions and making deals with the small fry to bring them to Seth's side. At the start, he didn't like the deal at all, hating the fact that he was practically a slave to some asshole that tricked him in the sport of a fight. As time went on, however, August started to enjoy the power that the gang started to collect, started to let himself take in the emotion-wrenching power that came with being a horseman, and started to respect Calloway for his cleverness - even though he still kind of despised the guy for his dirty trick. For the most part, though, August was accepting his spot in Revelation, and even thought about sticking around whenever Seth released him.

The day of the rebellion itself left a bad taste in August's mouth, though. After getting stabbed by a broken piece of broom in his abdomen by the leader of Revelation's main rival, Velway was expecting that his near-death experience would have gotten something good out of it. But once he heard about how the Principal died when Seth conveniently showed up at his office, and the fact that the organization didn't seem interested in taking the pillarship for itself after all, let alone cause the anarchy that they always promised, August started to think that his time with the gang was coming to an end.

So, after school started up again and Velway found himself at Hircine High alone, without many of the Revelation members around him - as he never really cared for most of them, and those he recognized were now at Paragon - and without anyone to be around or anything to pursue, August found himself extremely bored. He needed something to do, but this time, something that he controlled, and no one else. He was not going to be a slave any longer.

So, after a bit of thinking through his new classes - easy classes, to add - August made a decision. After the Sun started to drop down to the ocean in the west, Velway hopped onto his motorbike and casually drove through the hilly streets with the ebony sea reflecting off of him, a cell phone he stole months ago at his ear as he called up his one true friend, Zack Kinneas. He told Zack to meet him on a high hill a few miles to the west of San Fransisco, where the two would have modest quiet and privacy to discuss what he had in mind.

Arriving at the hill after a fifteen minute drive from the school, August kicked down his stand and leaned forward onto his steering bar, watching the distant ocean with quiet tranquility.

I think it's time we toss care to the wind...

[Zack Kinneas]

The situations in the school had been getting more and more absurd, resulting in the untimely departure of the ‘beloved’ principal MacMillan. Zack hadn’t actively been involved in any form of resistance against the principal, but he knew his best friend had. Still, August had apparently found himself a new group to hang with and Zack had heard only little about his friend. To be honest, Zack had been quite discontent by the development of August’s new habits, since he didn’t know his friend to be a follower. Zack and August had always made sure that they were the ones leading, or at least the ones who made the rules. It seemed something or someone had crushed August’s spirit in this.

As a result of these developments, Zack had kept himself on the sideline as all of the school’s greatest fighters waged war against one another. Zack had gone through his year unnoticed, not making any friends nor any enemies… he had just been there… waiting for the right time. But now, he was getting impatient, even bored. School has been boring for most of the year and he had made little effort in getting superb grades, they had been average overall. But now, things seemed to get even more amusing.

With the new year, Zack had been skeptic about the new principals, Katsumoto and Victoria. It had been fun to see how immediately people had started to challenge the authority of the two principals by starting a fight in the auditorium, but Zack hadn’t actively participated. Instead, he longed for the days he and August spent on the streets. And as if his friend could read his mind, Zack had received a call from August, asking to meet him somewhere on a hillside a few miles from San Francisco. Zack was up for a ride anyway and he was anxious to find out what August wanted to discuss, but from the tone he could tell that his friend was excited about something… and that would usually mean something exciting would happen for both of them… Or something bad would happen and August would drag Zack along…

August smiled by the thought of something going terribly wrong due to August’s actions and how his friend would drag him along. He walked out his dorm and quickly walked to his motorbike. Jumping on, he put on his helmet and raced off the parking lot, out into the streets and eventually into the area surrounding the big city. As he came close to his destination, he noticed his friend a distance in front of him and he quickly increased his speed as he tried to catch up with August. A few seconds before arriving at their destination, Zack had come even with August and gave him a small thumbs up before slowing down again, steering his ducatti to the right. After getting off and removing his helmet, he greeted his friend with a small smile and a nod.

“What’s up, August? I haven’t heard from you in a while and all of a sudden this call? Don’t tell me you’re going to ask me to join Revelation again, I told you I had no intentions of joining and following them…”

[August Velway]

August watched Zack's motorcycle roll into the street with a casual eye as he continued to lean over his own cruiser's steering bar, his face forming a small smirk. Sitting back up onto his bike as Zack parked beside him, Velway listened to his friend's greeting and grinned, though he wasn't in too much of a mood to act arrogant or loud tonight.

He shrugged to Zack's mention of Revelation, and turned his eyes to the bright reflection of the setting Sun against the sea, letting his grin fade to a small smile, "Nah bro, I'm not here to recruit you or anything... well, sort of, but not in that way."

Velway shifted his shoulders a bit in boredom and scratched his scalp before turning his attention back to Zack, "And I'm sorry for not finding you lately man, I've just been busy with shit. That fucker Ein messed me up real good last semester, so I've been healing a lot. I'm doing better though, before you start mothering me or some shit. Still, I got a question for ya, so let's keep this strictly business for a second."

Placing both of his hands on the controls of his motorbike, just so they had a place to relax, August let his eyes fall to the ground a few feet ahead in contemplative speech, "See, the last year's been pretty hectic for me, what with Seth forcing me to work for him and Revelation and whatnot. The rebellion, or whatever the hell he's been calling it, has been my main focus for a long while now, and since it's over, I've been left without much to do, especially since all of Calloway's promises turned out to be nothing.

"Let's be honest dude; Seth ain't gonna be taking over the pillarship around Hircine like he said, and it doesn't look like he's going to advocate chaos like he told all the minions. I kind of always knew that; I guess I was just along for the ride. But now that it's all over and I'm without anything good to do, I've been sittin' here wondering what exactly there is left to do, you know?

"Hircine's pretty much made of shit right now. That Captain dude's gone, and the only Pillar left around is Barzhad. But now half the school has gone over to this new place, Paragon, and the fighting around Hircine's suddenly quiet! There's nothing going on! Just a bunch of new faces or old veterans trying to take power for themselves. Like, at orientation, Fletcher sounded like he wanted the captainship! And I hear some of the other big names are getting ambitious about it too. The school's already making plans to get crazy again, and I don't like it. Too much political shit for my tastes, too many factions.

"Then there's this Paragon shit where Shen and Branigan, two of the old Hircine Pillars, went to... and Seth and Connor and Mae-Lim ended up transferring there too. I've heard a few things, some bad things, regarding that place, and it's got me worried too. It sounds like the staff there actually wants everyone to fight, almost like animals. I mean, you know me bro, I like fighting as much as the next bloke, but hell, these guys want the kids to cut each other's throats and shit! That's not my style, and it shouldn't be anyone's style. They're all a bunch of fuckin' psychopaths or some shit."

August sighed, nodded his head in a bit of quiet disappointment in the whole situation, and glanced back to his friend, setting his gaze firmly on his eyes, now ready to lay out what he had been thinking of all along, "So... it made me realize that I want something different, for people like us Zack. I'm tired of all this conflict, all these choices and worries, all the shit that society expects us to do. I'm just tired of it! It makes me want to just run out to some secluded place, grab a few of my buddies, and just do whatever we want to do!"

August grinned, glanced to the side for a moment, and turned back to Zack, "So that's exactly what we're gonna do bro. I say fuck Hircine and Paragon; we don't need them. I say we take what we know best and roll across San Fransisco with the sole purpose to do whatever the hell we want to do! Gambling on games, fighting rings, racing, drinking, card playing, women... everything we used to have back at Sydney... it should be ours again bro, we should make it ours again! I say we grab any mofo that is tired of the shit like us, grab a secluded place on the beach, and start up the old biker gang again!"

Taking in a breath and sighing, August finally allowed a grin to take over his face, a bit surprised that he had said so much, but satisfied that he had gotten his point across. He kept his gaze on Zack, interested in what he had to say, "So man, after all that shit, what do you think? You wanna bring back the Ebony Sea Renegades with me?"

[Zack Kinneas]

Smirking at his friend, Zack waved away the small comment as he arrived in front of August and crossed his arms across one another. “Mothering you? I cannot remember I ever did that… you must confuse me with someone else… if you recall, I was the one bitching you should stop whining, remember?” He winked before going silent again, giving August the opportunity to talk. After he had mentioned Seth, revelations and that he had been wondering about what to do now, Zack gave his opinion about the matter.

“Hm, I’m glad to hear that you were forced to work for Seth, to be honest. I was afraid you voluntarily joined him… but luckily Hircine hasn’t changed you that much… well, perhaps you got some extra holes in your body but that’s good for ventilation, no?” Laughing slightly, he once more await August to continue his speech. Zack only nodded a few times as August mentioned the ex-pillar and his old gang members who transferred to the new school.

“Yeah, I heard the same man… it’s like the faculty there has watched too much Battle Royal or something… But I don’t really care what happens there as long as it stays there… Hircine has proved to be filled with problems enough to worry about… and then there are these rooky principals… I doubt things will be quiet with that William guy around… But still, yeah, I don’t agree on Paragon’s apparent methods, but things could easily turn… you’ve seen what influence students have on a school yourself…”

Finally, Zack allowed August to finish his speech and come to the part he actually wanted to discuss with Zack. When August revealed his plans, a cheerful twinkle appeared in Zack’s eyes and his mouth curled into a grin and finally into small laughter again. Shaking his head he gave August a soft smack against the back of his head.

“You even have to ask me, August? Living on the streets with you and the gang was the best thing that ever happened to me… but the fact that we are forced to attend classes… Hargrove broke up our group and while you were struggling here, I wrecked a lot of havoc over at Hargrove until they were forced to send me to Hircine… And now, we’re finally together again… I think we should continue what we were doing… we don’t need people to tell us what to do, we are smart enough to look after ourselves and each other… So I see, let’s do this man! The ESR will live once again and I am certain things would turn alright if we do this right…”

Turning serious again he frowned as they now had to look at the facts and the not so easy parts of everything that they wanted to achieve. “So… what exactly did you have in mind? Remember that we’re not joining anything here but start something new… we need to find a place and make it ours… a place we could relate to and feel like it’s home… And I am certain you’ve thought about the risks of people actually not agreeing on our methods… people who might want to get in our way… Any ideas on that?”

[August Velway]

Yeah ma' boi, nothing can change good ol' August, absolutely nothing...

August had been grinning like mad man throughout Zack's replies and snippets of opinion, amused at his quip about his whining and tempted to strike back and agreed with his points on the two schools. The entire idea had been more than a dream for him, as his best friend didn't even hesitate to accept the plans set before them. Velway couldn't help but get excited with the ambition of bringing back his own gang; he originally meant to pick up where he left off as soon as he arrived at Hircine High, but those that joined around him were quickly absorbed into Revelation, and now they were on their own. He hoped that, with his own freedom planned and a new friend to back him up, August could reunite those that had originally comprised of the Renegades and even bring together more members.

After the friendly tap to his head and Zack's clear indication that he was up for anything, August went on to explain what he felt would be their first steps, his eyes drifting to the distance, watching the sea as it became darker from the falling Sun, "It'll be ours bro, I can promise you that. No authority on us, and never again. That's how we roll. For a home, though, I've already got this place in my eyes. See, there's this old warehouse down at one of the old docks at the northern beaches that is in foreclosure, 'cuz the old owners lost it all with the recession shit going on. Some city bank's holding it until they can get a buyer, but they don't even have security checking on the place! So I say we roll in and use it as a garage for ourselves, set up camp there. Then we can hold races throughout the city limits there when we have enough drivers, have some nice fighting on the beach, and maybe steal ourselves a few nice T.V.s to use to watch some games for gambling. It'll be real sweet."

August paused for a moment, leaning back onto his bike and closing his eyes for a moment, letting his wide grin fall into a casual smirk, before he glanced to his friend with a proud, confident eye, "As for competition or the authorities, we do as we always did: we run from 'um, or we kick their asses. When we're hanging out, nobody can touch us, and if they try it, they'll be left bruised and bleeding. Simple as that. Because we're Renegades baby, and nobody's takin' our freedom. Nobody. Now, you cool with that shit? I was thinking we might roll down to the docks right now so I can show you the place I'm talkin' bout."

Once August was finished explaining his own piece, he kept his casual stance, watching his friend calmly, comfortably, knowing what sort of answer to expect, but as always, wanting to hear the words from his lips.

[Zack Kinneas]

Zack laughed as August got even more enthusiastic about the entire idea. His friend had always been the man of actions while Zack did think things over for a second before taking action. Still, even though Zack had known things could turn bad, he had always went with his friend to ensure his safety. And if things did get wrong, at least they were together and could laugh about it together later. Waiting until August had completed his little happy say, Zack finally responded, playing with his bike’s keys a little.

“Well, it sounds like you’ve already got things figured out man. The place sounds alright to me, but I’d have to see it of course. And yeah, I don’t think it will be too hard to get our hands on the stuff we need to set up camp there. Creating our base there sounds as much fun as it’ll be to actually chill out there. And yeah, I guess the two of us can handle with authorities like we’ve always done. But I was wondering, what kind of members did you plan to recruit? Other bikers or are you willing to let students who just want a good time in as well? After all, they are the eyes and ears in this goddamn society.”

Catching his keys after he had thrown them up a little, Zack walked back to his bike, started the engine and drove up next to August. He awaited the answers August would surely give him before saying:


“Now, let’s have a look at that warehouse of yours…”

OOC: Sorry, it’s short, I know… couldn’t really do much or add much

[August Velway]

Zack's question had August contemplate a little bit as he sat on the seat of his motorcycle, pondering on those that might conceivably join the Renegades. He knew that the first folks to join would be the twenty men and women that showed interest a year ago. Most of them had been biker-enthusiasts, and some were young enough to attend high school, while others were a little older. Some were willing to steal, and others simply roamed the streets as exiles of families or outcasts of social worlds. They were everything that represented their kind in the gang: Renegades, through and through.

And Velway just glanced back to his friend and smiled, "If they fit the lifestyle of a Renegade Zack, then they can be among us. That's it."

Once he was finished answering Zack's question, his friend suggested they head out to check out the warehouse itself. August smirked and nodded, before revving up his own cruiser and turned his front wheel to the direction of the hillside, allowing both gravity, momentum and a bit of acceleration to lead the two down through the local suburban roads. It wasn't long before their bikes passed by the small and large middle-class homes and rode through the classy uptown of San Francisco, which August always found an amusing trip. A few minutes later, the two were nearing the edges of the city's urban lifestyle, and began to enter the western docks.

After a good twenty minute ride, August led Zack past the tourist bungalows and slowed their speed as the road leading to the warehouse itself neared. Reaching the front garage door, August parked his cruiser on the edge of the sidewalk and dismounted, glancing to Zack with a renewed grin.

"Well bro... we're here."


Edit: Hey Sjoerjde, I'm gonna need a little more time to figure out the complete look of the warehouse with Tanya first, so I'm going to leave the rest out, and add it in later. If you want to post, go right ahead, but be ready to add some of our own when I extend it.