WHIPLASH!

WHIPLASH! (yes, capitalized AND with an exclamation point, oh my!) is a standalone novel in progress that is being published as I go here and here on deviantArt if you prefer and will be taken down once I am finished and will be submitted for proper publishing.

UPDATE: WHIPLASH! will undergo a rewriting at some point in the future, most likely when The Rook series is completed. Carry on.

Plot Information: WHIPLASH! is a war story set in a faintly science fiction, faintly apocalyptic fictional world. It revolves around pairs of soldiers named Tego (protectors) and Inven (searchers) who are sent out on reconnaissance, to escort refugees, fight rebels and do basically miscellaneous work that the main branches of the military aren't equipped to handle.

Tego are the military elite. Inven are kids. No, really. They are given a special piece of technology called a nivedidus that enhances their senses and more or less turns them into human radar. The catch is that since it uses a neural link between the two people, if the Inven dies, the Tego dies, too. The Tego protect the Inven, any refugees they pick up, fight off rebels, and even defend themselves and their Inven against the monsters roaming the wastes they're usually sent into.

WHIPLASH! mostly follows several pairs of a certain graduating class of Tego and their assigned Inven partners. They fight the war from the outskirts and keep the rebels at bay while maintaining peace with the countries to their south. The problem is that things start getting... off. Tego and Inven start disappearing with no trace of bodies left behind. The war isn't going well. People are telling them things that just don't make any sense. Monsters that look like humans, rail-thin, mouths sewn shut and using bloody rags as blindfolds, are roaming the wastelands and no one knows where they came from. There are Prissies, even worse, out there as well. And, of course, saving their country and possibly the world from these threats would be a hell of a lot easier if the characters could actually get along and get that damned song out of their heads.

Cast Information:

Main Characters:
Name: Nathan Loar
Age: 19 at introduction
Loyalties: Sovine, Sonya, Allen
Rank: Tego, graduation rank of second
Personality: Nathan is a pretty level-headed guy. He's good at what he does and knows it; sometimes, his pride tends to get in the way of things, in fact. He's loyal to his country and his friends, and while he and Sonya don't always get along perfectly, he'd protect her to the ends of the world. He tends to be on the grumpy side, especially if he hasn't had a cigarette for awhile, and usually has a pessimistic approach to other people. Deep down, he's kind-hearted. ...DEEP down.
Character Study: here

Name: Sonya Karahalios
Age: 12 at introduction
Loyalties: Sovine, Nathan
Rank: Inven
Personality: Sonya is bubbly, cheerful, and trusting. She rapidly develops a crush on Nathan and is not shy about letting him know; she tends to let everyone around her know what she's thinking. She's brash and shameless to boot. Her confidence and warmth are good when dealing with scared refugees, but sometimes, it can become grating. She tends to be on the stubborn side, but has a good sense of judgment, so at least there's that.

Name: Allen Pershing
Age: 19 at introduction
Loyalties: Sovine, Lenore, Nathan
Rank: Tego, graduation rank of fourteenth
Personality: Allen is the mother hen of the group. Over the years, he's gotten better about it - or rather, more subtle. He's caring and self-sacrificial (to the point of a major flaw) and is skilled on and off the battlefield. He is the only one in their class to have mastered using multiple types of weapons, although he prefers handguns and rifles. Allen didn't grow up in the city and as such, has a little different view on the world around him than Nathan or any of the other city folk.

Name: Lenore Coracks
Age: ?? at introduction
Loyalties: ??
Rank: Inven
Personality: Lenore is the oldest of the group, and has been in active duty before with another Tego. She still carries the scars, physical and psychological, with her. She's good at hiding them, but sometimes, her PTSD catches up with her and she'll most likely break down. She loves children and would gladly adopt any and all refugee children they find, and it makes her popular to the rest of the younger Inven, more or less becoming their adoptive mother. Lenore is a cool customer, and a thinker, a planner. She tends to be mysterious, not letting many people in too deep, although more out of reflex than anything else.

Name: Jack Gallagher
Age: 19 at introduction
Loyalties: Sovine, Emma
Rank: Tego, graduation rank of fifth
Personality: Jack is the happy-go-lucky type of guy who doesn't let things really bother him. He's always ready to offer a shoulder for support or crying on, although that's not to say he doesn't have his weaknesses. Not much gets him down, but when it does, it gets him DOWN. Still, that is rare. He's cheerful and very friendly, although that's not to say he's naive when dealing with people. He'd just like to give them the benefit of the doubt. He has been pining after Maria Delgado since age 13.

Name: Emma Jagg
Age: 12 at introduction
Loyalties: Jack, Sovine
Rank: Inven
Personality: Emma is a little bit on the quieter side, but not shy by any means. She has a firm way of talking and is fairly responsible, especially considering her age. She has a weakness for things small and fluffy. Emma tends to wrap Jack around her little finger, but rarely exercises her power. She'd much rather not dilute it and keep it for important events. She has a good head on her shoulders and typically remains calm under pressure.