Description: As Zach and Mint grow suspicious about the goings on in Pueblo Thunderfoot, they launch an investigation at the location of the attack they stopped by the Cortejo attackers only to discover a military grade bunker hidden under the town. Just what's going on beneath the feet of this event, and who is pulling the strings on the Mexican border?
Mint hadn't really gotten too much of a chance to talk with Zach about the attempted bombing of Pueblo Thunderfoot, since she was the resident bomb disposal expert, and with as much... history as she'd had with bomb disposal in the past, it was hard to get her to really -say- anything. Much less in Spanish.
"So, hey, Zach. What the heck was up with those guys anyway, you were like... seriously intense!" Mint has never been one to shy away from a conversation when one occurs to her though.
Zach shrugs, thinking for a moment. He had stayed with Mint during the disposal of the bomb. "I..." The psion considers for a moment. "There's... something off about all of this. Those guys honestly thought they were the victims in all of this." He thinks for another moment. "I wasn't going to shoot him," he finally says. "But I wanted him to think that I would."
Mint adjusts the strap on her carbine, scanning the horizon again per her official duties. Once again, guard duty, and once again, the paths of the two Marines have intersected. But then she looks back at Zach, studying his face for a moment. Mint... remembers the situation differently, but there were circumstances in her case. Being told that -she- was the La Diabla, for instance. "You had -me- convinced, I think it was a pretty good performance. But if... ... y'know, if what they were saying is true, I mean, they'd be totally justified in doing what they're doing. Violence is all they've ever known here."
Zach nods. "My girlfriend's a performance artist," he says. "And I've spent a lot of time with her lately. Bound to pick up a thing or two." He considers things, and makes a decision.
"I've been poking around," he says. "Things in the village are not what they appear to be. I think everyone involved in the tournament is being used, and that includes me."
Mint frowns at that. And spends about two seconds thinking before opening her mouth again.
"... /used?/ Of course we're being used, if we weren't around there wouldn't be much of a tournament. I mean, these people aren't fighters, it's not like they can just televise life in the village or something."
Mint thinks on that for a moment, Zach's face being the clue that maybe he's serious. And lowers her voice. "... Um. I mean, yeah, I found clues. But seriously, just. If someone ever thinks there is a conspiracy somewhere they're bound to find it. The only weird thing to me is what happened to Little Eagle, and why people don't seem -more- concerned."
Zach gives Mint a sideglance. "There's an underground facility. Underneath the village." He waits for Mint's reaction.
Mint spends about three-tenths of a second thinking before responding, "... Okay, then what the hell are we waiting for, Zach?"
Zach shrugs. "I can't find the entrance," he admits. "But I /know/ there are people underneath the village." He grins a bit, a bit of excitement showing. "Want to help me find it?"
Mint throws both fists out to either side. Her fists make an audible 'click-CLACK' sound as they extend outwards, not unlike chambering shotgun bullets. "Ready and willing, sir!"
"Don't 'sir' me," Zach says gamely, "I work for a living, these days." He shrugs, adjusting the straps on his tactical harness. "Let's start at the bomb site," he suggests. "Don't know why I didn't think of that place first."
"... because... it looked completely -boring as hell-? Plus, um..." Mint scratches the back of her neck as she starts walking out to the bomb site as mentioned. "I wanna apologize for getting kinda... distant. It's still fresh on my mind, the one moment where... y'know." She makes a hand gesture and sound effects to suggest an explosion.
"I don't really make a habit of jumping on those things any more, but I can't stand the thought of someone else having to go through what I did."
"It's fine," Zach says. "You got some things shoved in your face pretty hard. Plus I was... not exactly friendly to anyone at that point."
"... yeah, man, you got some dark secrets, and that's cool. It's none of my business." Mint smiles politely, remaining quiet as she walks over towards the bomb site.
Once the pair gets to the bomb site, she looks over the bomb site for a moment, shaking her head. "It... I dunno." She closes her eyes, remembering what the bomb looked like. "I guess now that I'm here, it makes me think a bit more. The bomb was like... shaped. It wasn't just... random... terroristy shit, pardon my street."
She walks over to the site, tapping her heel on the sand where the bomb was placed. "It kinda makes sense, y'know... with what you said."
Zach hunkers down in front of Mint, by where she was investigating. "Secrets, yes. Dark not so much. Calling it family business would be very accurate." He considers. "Maybe some kind of breaching charge, do you think" he asks Mint. "I don't really know from bombs, other than I can do a passable imitation of one."
Mint frowns as her heel makes a more solid sound than she'd expected from sand. And scuffs her heel, digging into it a little more. "Yeah, that sounds right. I normally have someone to bounce ideas like this off of, but..." Mint gestures to the sky. "Our hosts have been nice enough to drop some jammers to make that an impossibility."
By this point, her 'idle' scuffing seems to be producing a bit more fruit -- something more substantial than just sand. And she uncovers the bare spot, pointing her toe to the spot for Zach's benefit. "Yeah. What do you think the chances are that our hosts would let us have the bomb back -now?-"
Zach looks up, then back down. "Not a chance in hell," Zach answers as he straightens up. He brushes his pants legs to knock some dust off of them and considers. He then waves Mint back as he cracks his knuckles.
"You know what else I do a good imitiation of," Zach asks after taking a deep breath. Golden energy slides up from his feet, around his body, and gathers around his right hand. Another moment to collect a little more power, and focus it around his fist.
"I'll huff," he says in an almost playful sing-song. "And I'll puff."
Mint paces a bit further out to the side, kicking her boot around to test for the sound of hollowness as she removes her carbine, setting it down along the edge of the surface anomaly. "Yeah, I hear ya. We gotta do this together..." cautions the gearhead.
Mint's turbines spin up, light coursing through the small tubes leading between her backpack and Drawing her elbows back to her hips, she clenches her fists with an audible 'ch-CLACK.' "It's gon' be -loud-."
Zach flashes Mint a wide, manic grin as the air around the psion picks up and causes sand to swirl around aimlessly. "That's be best way to be, sometimes," Zach says. There is a certain twinkle in his eye as he brings his own fist up and back. "On three," Zach suggests. "One... two..."
"Or I'll blow your house down," Zach mutters before calling "THREE!"
At which point Zach punches at the concrete and unleashes an explosive amount of force!
Mint leaps into the air on the count of two-and-a-half -- the diminutive fighter doesn't have the sheer strength of many of her opponents but she has mastery of the use of her momentum, and getting a gravity assist is only going to boost her power.
"THREE!" calls out Mint, as her right gauntlet connects solidly with the concrete!
Sand, concrete, and rebar burst in all directions as enough force is placed into the reinforced bunker to leave the entire area shrouded beneath a thick layer of debris. It is, momentarily, like the center of a sandstorm before the screen begins to disperse. What's found in the aftermath is a small, ragged hole that barely hits 2 feet across at its widest.
Whatever this is, it was constructed to military fortification standards.
Through the hole is a room that appears to previously been used for storage; twisted metal racks and shelves lay in pieces, torn to shreds by concrete debris like a giant shotgun blast went through it. After a few moment, red lights on the walls light up as a klaxon goes off through the underground base.
Zach frowns at this; that was some thick walls right there. The psion carefully aims an open palm at the sides of the hole, and attempts to blast the opening a bit bigger to allow the pair to enter a little more easily.
"Grab your weapon, Marine," Zach says quickly. "We just kicked the hornets' nest."
Mint picks herself up off from the concrete, and grabs her carbine without even really thinking. "Yeah. Which means you burn the nest before they get back home. You still think there's stuff down there?"
Mint scans the surrounding environs for any signs of an armed response. Sitting and waiting for the cavalry to arrive -isn't- a real option here...
"Maybe we should've contacted some of the others first..."
Aside from the piercing whine of the klaxon, there is no immediately apparent response. The door leading out from the room, however, remains closed with no window out into the rest of the facility.
Zach frowns a bit. He doubts help would get here in time to be useful. "I think it's going to have to be just us," he murmurs as he studies the door for a second. "Step back," he says. "No need for you to burn your pack out just yet."
Zach walks up to the door, and places a palm on it, focusing for a moment before attempting to blast the thing off of its hinges!
"Mm," agrees Mint, fiddling about with her left gauntlet as she takes a step back. She's tacitly acknowledging what Zach's said, but her mind is elsewhere at the moment. Squints up into the sky towards town, trying to make out a shape off in the distance.
As Zach places a palm on the door, Mint extends her left hand towards the sky.
A bright yellow light begins winking back at her, bringing a smile to the gearhead. "Almost forgot about my eye in the sky," she notes, as she turns towards the door. Somehow, she's not terribly surprised to know that Zach's capable of putting a damper on the door's primary function. Adjusting the strap on her carbine, she seems prepared for whatever's on the other side of the door, taking aim. Just in case!
The door is built to military bunker standards, but it's also clear that the door was built to swing outward in the first place. At first it merely bows outward with the sound of wrenching metal, but combined with a shearing note, it twists free and flies outward.
"Hurfff!" comes out a surprised cry as a few bodies are knocked back by the force of it. Out from the door leads an L-shaped intersection that are now quite apparently filled with even more bodies. Bodies carrying assault rifles. Bodies wearing uniforms.
Mexican National Guard uniforms.
"Drop your weapons!" comes an aggressive shout, accompanied quite handily by a trio of barrels aimed center mass on Zach.
Wait. What?
Zach blinks, more than a little confused but this twist, and slowly raises his empty hands. He does /not/ make any moves toward the pistol in the shoulder holster, the pair of knives at the small of his back. He doesn't reach for the collapsable batons on his belt, or the claymore strapped to his back.
"Clearly," Zach says wryly and mostly to himself, "I've misread this whole mess." He doesn't look too pleased about it, either. Though why Pueblo Thunderfoot would have a National Guard facility underneath it is definitely curious.
Mint frowns at the uniforms, frowns at the people carrying weapons, frowns at... just everything. She's still got the carbine in her hands. And it's still aimed in a general forward direction -- being that Zach's in the path of the door, it's clear she'd only be shooting him.
And she thinks for a moment.
With a sigh of relief, she breaks into a smile. "Thanks, guys! I didn't think I'd ever catch up with him! What do you think the big boss'll wanna do with him, huh?" She doesn't lower her weapon, not in the slightest -- just keeps it aimed in the general direction of Zach Glenn.
Who is probably the only one in the mess that can read through the canny Indian's poker face.
Behind the main trio of guards, some of the other soldiers in the group move to help up those that have been bowled over by the door. It quickly becomes very obvious that responding to threats such as a sudden explosion (be it traditional or psionic in origin) draws a hell of a lot of attention in a town that is being guarded by the National Guard.
"PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN, NOW!" It is also quite apparent that the responding group's leader is not in a mood for witty banter.
Zach moves his hands up and away, making a sort of Y shape with his body. He may not be complying, but he's not resisting either. He lifts his eyes to the cieling, with a look that conveys boredom and annoyance. "Look," he says in dull tone of voice, "You're going to find that the damage was not done with conventional explosives, and that I am not carrying any. Which would then tell you that you're never going to adequately disarm me, if that's your intention."
He fixes the man barking the orders with a cold stare, "So why don't we skip the dance and take me to your leader."
Mint looks crestfallen. Zach's not holding any weapons, and Mint... well.
"Geez, dudes, chill! It's your own gun, silly." She unfastens the ammunition clip from the carbine, then drops both of them onto the floor, bullet casings littering the floor.
Mint holds her hands up, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, let's see this guy, right? We ain't gonna say nothing to you guys, you clearly have no sense of humor."
"Don't try anything," the humorless guard leader advises as he steps back. The two would-be infilitrators are given room to step out into the corridor as the other soldiers part to the sides with a clear intention of giving just enough space for them to follow the leader. Out in the facility, it looks every bit like a well-maintained military base, heavy, closed doors at regular intervals along the walls. The klaxons have even come to a halt after a brief radio conversation, but the flashing red lights remain for the time being.
Eventually this all leads to a door that appears to only be different from the rest because the security panel next to it has even more bells and whistles than the rest. The lead guard swipes a card and presses his thumb up against a small scanner before jabbing in a quick code onto a keypad, at which point the door unlocks with enough noise to suggest that even a Psibomb would have trouble getting through from the other side, let alone getting in.
The door is opened and the entire group led inside to a room that might be described as a control room if more of the glowing, informational panels were actually manned. The only occupant in the room sits in an utilitarian chair facing the opposite wall.
"You know, I enjoyed it a lot more when you were a contestant, Corporal Panesh... and I suppose I should have been suspicious when we suddenly received the offer for outside security assistance," says Mayor Mendoza as he turns around to face the group, which has spread off to the sides so that Zach and Mint are given positions at the front. "So... I would like to know what inspired you all to suddenly go rogue. I'm assuming this isn't actually a US military operation, unless they're trying to distract the population from supernatural horror with a mundane war on their doorstep."
"Oh, you know," Zach says as he nonchalantly shoves his hands into his pockets. "Things just weren't adding up. Cagey people, sending battle-drugged people after drug cartels, the apparently military complex sprawling underneath what ought to be home grounds to a group of Native Americans." Zach fixes Mendoza with an almost contempuous look.
"Who the hell are you," he asks. "Really." Meanwhile, Zach is bringing every bit of his psychic senses to bear on the Mayor, plubing the depths of not only his own memory, but the memories granted to him by a meddling miko.
Zach had come to the village because something about this whole mess was nagging at him. When he turned his mental interrogation on Mendoza. Memories of battle, two of them in specific, come crashing to the front of Glenn's mind. Oh. Oh God. /Him/.
Any swagger or poker face Zach may have been holding drain out of Zach's face along with the blood, causing the psion to go pale. His breathing speeds up. "So maybe I /didn't/ misread this one," he says. Thank god, the snark engine is still on-line. That's something at least. But it's clear that Zach is worried right now.
Corporal Panesh can follow directions when it suits her purposes. Like when she's home. Or in the military, for example. Being at gunpoint doesn't really bother the Marine as much as it might a civilian; time in Afghanistan has its own way of desensitizing the troops to casual threats.
But... that isn't to say she's going to -act- defiant, at least not beyond her shallow words. Instead, she keeps her eye on the facility, taking copious mental notes of her position as she keeps her hands by her sides. It would seem that manacles or any such restraints aren't necessary -- that =puzzles= her at first, until she puts Zach's words together in her mind.
That is to say, if conventional weapons don't bother a person, it's probably because they've got something stronger at hand.
But when the Mayor appears in control of the high-tech bunker? That -does- raise an eyebrow from the Indian-American.
She lets Zach do the talking at first -- though it's more because she's trying to figure something out. Is it hard to breathe from the stale recirculated air of the underground bunker, or... is it just getting -really- hard to think right now?!
The answer becomes clear as the level-headed ex-officer suddenly shifts his stance. The diminutive Marine props up Zach with her shoulder as she levels her eyes at the Mayor. And his query comes back to mind, along with an answer: "Um, well, in /my/ case, it wasn't 'rogue', I just wanted a good time. And I gotta say, it was a'ight, but there's nothing to do here but get high and /fight/ people."
Mendoza always wore the smiling face of a man trying his hardest to make people happy, very much the picture of a man enjoying the opportunity to bring new commerce to his people perhaps a bit more than he was merely happy to see new people, but it was never hard to blame him. Now all of that is gone, replaced with a look of annoyance.
"As much as I might appreciate Americans taking an interest south of their border for once, it would be more appreciable if you decided to do so when we weren't trying to clean up the messes your culture's hedonistic desires created." Mendoza leans forward to props his arms up on his desk. "Demand for drugs sky rocket, you treat it as the greatest sin, then the fight to make money destroys live here in Mexico while you all get to pretend to take some moral high ground, and then treat us like lesser people."
He nods to Mint, "And since I'm certain you're going to ask: yes, we did use you to eliminate part of a particularly virulent drug cartel. The competition for the border causes the suffering of the Mexican people, so the simple solution is to excise competition from the equation; if America wants to keep drugs out of its people's hands, then they can be the ones to fight the struggle."
"Corporal," Zach warns, his tone level if intense. "Semper Gumbi."
With that, Zach /charges/ the Mayor, his hand flying back to the hilt of the claymore on his back. The sword flies free of its sheath almost as if were leaping into his hands and into position to be wielded. Zach stops short, levelling the tip of the five foot length of sharpened steel at Mendoza's throat.
"You are /not/," Zach growls at the man, "Any kind of civic-minded man." The weapon takes on a faint, violet glow as psychic energy slides across Zach's body and collects into the weapon. "In fact, I'm thinking you work for Shadaloo." Zach pauses. "Or maybe the man in charge."
Minal crosses her eyes as Mendoza starts dropping anti-American rhetoric back at her. Immigrants... hedonism... what? "Mayor, respectfully, I got no idea what /you/ think I'm here for, but it wasn't about drugs, it wasn't about immigration, and it sure as heck wasn't to debate philosophy. I--"
And then Zach cautions her to be flexible. Gulp.
"... Shadaloo," Mint repeats, staring at the Mayor. The name of the organization certainly -sounds- familiar. But if that's the case...
Metal joints creak as she clenches her fists shut. A turbine on her backpack begins whispering into motion. Whatever is -about- to go down is about to flush all hints of subtlety right down the damn drain.
Mint just hopes her quadrotor drone -- and its flashing beacon -- made it to Cortejo Xnebre territory as she'd hoped it would. This is some ballsy challenging taking place here!
Following the flash of motion from Zach, the National Guard soldiers are quick to follow suit, whipping up their rifles to target the two intruders. In another flash of motion from one of the dark corners that had felt completely empty, Zach suddenly finds a tomahawk at his throat as Little Eagle stands ready, her other weapon held high, readied to be brought down on the back of his head at a moment's notice.
This Little Eagle isn't even the oddly flat version from the public ceremonies, she has razor sharp focus and not a sign of anything but intent on her face.
As for Mendoza, there is a brief flicker of fear and surprise on his face as the threat is put forth, but he calms himself back down with remarkable ease. "...It's not wrong that I have orchestrated this situation in an entirely selfless manner; America demands drugs, and an open market is an invitation for new suppliers... with the help of my benefactor, I received all I needed to take full control of the drug trade across the northern border. We make significant money, but we also bring peace to Mexico."
Mendoza pauses, a smile returning to his face. "But the fact that you know that much about our organization as you do means that I am obligated to forward your inquiries..."
"...To me," bursts forth a powerful voice. The giant screen along the wall behind Mendoza suddenly shifts from its previous map of the area around Pueblo Thunderfoot to a brightly lit room in which a shadowed shape sits atop a shadowed throne. The body is hulking, a physical presence enhanced by the size of the screen on which it appears as well as the massive shoulder pieces it wears. As it rises from its seat, stepping forward just enough to enter the light to reveal a man clad in red military gear. An upleasant smile splits his face in a way that suggests anything but joy.
Those who have been keeping aprised of the professional fighting scene might eventually place this face with the mysterious fighter Kamon. Far fewer would know him as Lord Vega.
Zach's eyes are intent on Mendoza, not even twitching when Little Eagle puts the blade to his neck. There is enough energy in the blade that Zach wouldn't need to /move/ to decapitate the mayor. It is only when Vega makes his appearance on-screen that Zach looks away from the Mexican. His eyes go wide with a completely rational fear as he takes in the visage of Lord Vega. Zach's concern is no longer with survival.
It's with making sure that Mint gets out of here with her mind and life intact. Or as intact as can be managed.
To that end, Zach tries something. He knows he's /capable/ of mind-to-mind communication, but the only person he has done that with was gifted along lines at least /similar/ to Zach's own talents. Mint has no such gifts, but Zach does not dare tip his hand with anything so blatant as speech.
<<Minal,>> Zach thinks at the Marine. <<Get your ass out of here. Contact Chun-Li of Interpol.>>
Zach's right hand whips out towards Little Eagle's midsection even as he fires off a burst of psycho-kinetic energy designed to send the smaller woman flying!
Mint takes quiet note of the nice tidy Mexican National Guard standing with guns pointed at her and Zach. Once the guns are raised, her fists are outstretched as well. What can she possibly do to people with her fists?
They better know damn well what's packed in her gauntlets, if they have any clue what she'd done to the Cortejos. She's all set to pull the trigger...
And then she gets a disturbing thought in Zach's own voice... directly within her mind. It's faint, but the volume of the rest of the world dampens to allow her to hear it. Minal takes a step backwards, squaring her jaw.
She can tell Zach means to do something, and takes another quick look left. Eyes focus on the gun barrel of each would-be attacker holding her in check -- with a nearly inaudible beep matching on each target lock. With a sudden vault backwards, she twists around in an aerial helicopter spin: a volley of needle-sharp darts erupts from the canisters on her gauntlets, the points embedding within the barrels of each of the firearms levelled upon her and Zach. The best case would cause the bullets to jam on firing. The slightly worse case would mean the barrels are deflected away from the kinetic force.
Mint lands in a low crouch, surveying the field, and raising her left fist at Mendoza. "Never leave a Marine behind, sir..."
COMBATSYS: Zach Glenn has started a fight here.
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Zach Glenn 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Mint has joined the fight here.
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Zach Glenn 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Mint
COMBATSYS: Noembelu has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Zach Glenn 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Noembelu
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Mint 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: National Guard has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Zach Glenn 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Noembelu
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Mint 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 National Guard
The blast of Psycho Power is enough to knock Little Eagle back, forcing her to stumble a bit before she manages to catch her feet. What stands out the most, aside from her ability to recover from that so expertly, is the complete lack of any apparent reaction; she's not said a single thing so far and feels almost robotic in her response. Both tomahawks are raised up, her arms held in the wide stance that almost no-one remaining would be able to identify as being the traditional posture of Thunderfoot warriors.
Near the exit to the room, rifles are brought to bear as soon as Zach lets off his quick blast only to be met with a flurry of darts. Some of the rifles actually go off, bullets missing both of the intruders by mere inches as they're knocked aside. Even as well trained as these soldiers might be, this isn't the sort of fight they're used to.
While Mendoza takes the distraction as an opportunity to push away from Zach's sword and duck behind his chair, the man on the giant screen lets out a laugh. It's not a laugh that suggests its owner is laughing at a joke on he would find funny.
"Impressive... it's rare for there to be someone who knows so much about my operations when I know so little of them. I can only assume your Psycho Power, as imperfect as it may be, is connected... If you know enough to fear for your companion's safety, then you may wish to consider a proposition that will leave you unharmed: work for me. Whatever it is you desire, those that prove their worth are rewarded greatly."
"Gonna hafta turn you down. You don't get it," Zach states in a tone that suggests an utter lack of surprise. "You... people like you never /do/," he growls as he takes two steps and leaps at Little Eagle. Power wells up in Zach's right hand as traverses his arc.
As Zach comes crashing towards the Doll, for Zach is certain that is what she is now, he launches a Superman punch directly at her head. As the fist arrives at the anticipated impact point, Zach releases that pent up psychic power in an explosive burst aimed at driving her to the ground! "Besides," he finishes as he lands almost too-lightly on his feet. "I've got too many entanglements as it is."
Mint flicks a glance back to the silhouetted figure on the video screen. Shadaloo. Psycho Power. She knows Zach got her in deep, and to his credit, he did try to warn her away.
But the corporal's much too headstrong to give up without a fight.
"Well, =I'd= bite," she blurts out, "But your boys here, they lack something..."
Mint leaps towards the nearest guard, swinging her left fist in a disarming strike to bring the rifle out of the way, before hooking her right fist into his chest. Considering positioning, placement, and timing, her goal is to send the first soldier reeling back into the comrade-in-arms behind him with a high-impact punch!
"-- vitality!" she concludes, but not without amending, "Oh, and a sense of humor!"
COMBATSYS: Noembelu blocks Zach Glenn's Power Strike.
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Zach Glenn 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Noembelu
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Mint 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 National Guard
COMBATSYS: National Guard dodges Mint's Hook Punch.
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Zach Glenn 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Noembelu
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Mint 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 National Guard
Noembelu is quick to react, drawing both of her tomahawks up in a flash as she intercepts the punch on the flats of their heads. It's enough to hold back the majority of the force, but all of the Psycho Power leaping about, lashing at her is enough to leave a singe on her cheeks, even if it's not enough to push her back.
The Doll publicly known as Little Eagle is just as quick to retaliate, leaping up, she aims to land on the former Marine's shoulders, clenching her tights tightly around his head as she whips all of the force she can manage backwards, aiming to flip back and drag the psion head first through Mendoza's desk.
At the other end of the room, the group is quick to reorganize, with those in front of the current Marine, Mint, focusing on avoiding her, ducking out of the way of her intended assault. The other half of the group of soldiers come in from behind, one guard lunging toward her in an effort to throw her to the ground while more of the soldiers rush in to start bashing her into the ground.
Back on the screen, Lord Vega continues to smile. "Is this about what happened in Metro City? Watching all of those people turned into experiments for that self-important Darkstalker? I don't need to waste my time on unimportant people like that... no, as it stands I am forced to prepare to fight back something that is far more dangerous than that fool Jedah... threats that may even exceed my own power." His smile lessens slightly, "I don't claim any sort of foolish good intentions, I am prepared to save the world because it belongs to me."
COMBATSYS: Noembelu successfully hits Zach Glenn with Frankensteiner.
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Zach Glenn 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Noembelu
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Mint 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 National Guard
COMBATSYS: National Guard successfully hit Mint with Coordinated Onslaught.
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Zach Glenn 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Noembelu
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Mint 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 National Guard
Zach tries to back-pedal as Little Eagle jumps on his shoulders. (Man,) he thinks, (This is familiar.) And then he goes for a ride, smashing into the desk in a storm of dust and splinters. He staggers to his feet, whirling to face the Doll once more. "Yeah," Zach replies. "Heard something about an impending invasion. Out-of-towners looking to steal your thunder?"
Zach's sword lights up golden as he brings it low to one side. He charges Little Eagle, bringing the weapon around in a swing that looks like nothing more than a baseball bat swing. A twist of the brings the flat of the weapon to bear on the girl's stomach. Zach doesn't want to kill her; none of what she is doing is her fault really.
Mint leaps backwards, glancing between Vega and Zach. She has a good secondhand knowledge of what went on in Metro City, but really: "... -the heck you talkin' about?! You must be keeping all the good drugs for yourself! We're here NOW because people are getting hurt out there!" Not the least of all due to Mint's desire to experience some local color, she reminds herself.
When the soldiers close in, Mint twists about in an attempt to use her massive gauntlets as a shield. Clearly, though, the issue here is leverage: she isn't strong enough to both defend -and- keep herself from getting dogpiled. The diminutive boxer finds herself under a nearly solid wall of beatdowns, howling out with pain as she's beaten into the floor. Blood spatters across the floor, some from her mouth, more from a jagged wound carved across her leg.
She bites down the yelps of pain, adrenaline coursing through her veins. She'd made the decision to stay and fight, and so she does: thrusting a fist through the mass of bodies surrounding her, with hopes of clearing a path through to the air above. And the hollow sound from her gauntlet -- thoop, thoop, thoop -- signifies the arrival of compressed-air grenades being dropped onto the group. They're not explosives, per se, but their kinetic impacts will probably be enough to dent metal and leave some serious bruises afterwards.
COMBATSYS: Zach Glenn successfully hit Noembelu with Dragon's Tail.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Zach Glenn 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Noembelu
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 National Guard
COMBATSYS: National Guard blocks Mint's Fire in the Hole.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Zach Glenn 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Noembelu
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 National Guard
As Zach starts swinging, Noembelu attempts to throw herself out of the way, but the reach the blade adds to Zach's homerun swing prevents her from catching enough room on the far side. Instead the Doll ends up taking the hit from the tip of the blade, the fastest, narrowest part of the swing. Even with it turned to show its flat, it's enough to send her flying, smashing through one of the display banks, coughing up blood onto the floor as she comes to a crashing halt.
Meanwhile the group of soldiers is forced to hit the dirt as the grenades come down in their midst. Covering their heads and presenting the narrowest profile they can manage to the blast, they manage to avoid being flung about too harshly.
And then they get up in time to see Noembelu buried in a console. "Suppression!" comes the team leader's shout as all of them bring their assault rifles to bear. With Mendoza and Noembelu out of the way, there is nothing between them and the ex-Marine in their midst. The entire squad opens fire, filling the air around Zach with lead.
As for the Doll herself, a hit like that should have put someone out of the fight, or at least given them a moment to pause. Instead the young woman pushes herself up from the debris with an unnerving sense of peace. If any part of her hurts while moving, she doesn't show it, instead only focusing on the man at the center of the assault. She barrels forward, just in time for the firestorm to stop, keeping so low that when she whips her tomahawk around, she quite clearly aims to take Zach's knee out from under him.
COMBATSYS: Zach Glenn blocks Noembelu's Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Zach Glenn 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Noembelu
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 National Guard
COMBATSYS: Zach Glenn overcomes Suppression Fire from National Guard with Blast Punch EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Zach Glenn 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Noembelu
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 National Guard
Back on the screen Vega, seems unbothered by the shouts of opposition. "There are always people dying, destruction is a part of human nature that can only be overcome by a cowardice. With the power I have mastered, I don't need to concern myself with mindlessly stomping pathetic ants; there is potential value that is not always immediately apparent."
The Shadaloo Lord takes another step forward, enough that his blank white eyes can be seen quite clearly. "I may not concern myself with compassion, but if you know of the intentions of those in Outworld, they intend to treat this world as a feeding trough. You may waste your effort struggling against me, but you've already seen that compared to a fool like Jedah, you are essentially nothing. The world needs my power to protect it, and I refuse to allow anyone to threaten what is rightly mine."
Zach brings the claymore around with frightening ease, energy gliding along the blade before sliding /off/ of the weapon. Zach lets out a loud kiai as the torrent of energy scatters the incoming bullets, fragmenting into streamers of Soul Power that all but scream towards the National Guardsmen.
Zach hasn't forgetten the Doll, however. The psion spins with the sweep of the blade, bringing the weapon around into a vertical position with the blade tip pointing towards the ground. The claymore catches the tomahawk cleanly. "Going to have to disagree with you," Zach calls out. "I know enough about your recruiting methods." Zach nods towards Noembelu. "Though I ghave to ask. What is it with you and the impressionable young woman hit-squad?"
The not-as-young woman (Minal) has had -much- better vacations than this before. But the thought of leaving her one closest friend in this hellhole to... whatever his fate would be? Not happening on her watch!
She ... does admit to being a little nervous once she hears Vega talking about this Outworld thing. For a while... it -almost- sounds plausible.
The corporal is pleased to get some fresh(er) air to breathe as the dogpile disperses and then re-converges onto Zach. "So you kill off the weak, is that it? That's... noble... I guess..!?" Mint dusts herself off, forehead wrinkling in dismay as she takes stock of where she's hurt, and what she can safely ignore. She'd totally get right back onto attacking those soldiers from behind, but given their tight-woven coordination, it's probably not a tactically sound move. But she's okay with leading Little Eagle to believe that's her plan, as she leaps after the soldiers: "Hey, come back here! I wasn't finished with you yet!"
Cue a sudden plant of her heel, and a sudden flare of thrusters, as the pint-sized pugilist aims her metal knuckles into the small of the Doll's back! "OOOO-RAAAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Mint successfully hits Noembelu with Straight Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Zach Glenn 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Noembelu
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 National Guard
COMBATSYS: Zach Glenn successfully hit National Guard with Blast Punch EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Zach Glenn 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Noembelu
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 National Guard
True fighters have always been a problem for law enforcement and the military. While it's possible to take almost any decently fit individual and boot camp them to do a few hand to hand moves and shoot a gun well enough, not everyone is fit to master the fighting arts with chi, and even fewer are equipped with the internal power to make use of Psycho Power, let alone train to be combat capable with it. Their current allegiance may involve Shadaloo, but these National Guard troops are legitimate enough to not have the experience to deal with this sort of power. As Zach's blast comes in, they do their best to take defensive positions, but it's clearly not enough as the power puts some of the squad to the ground.
While it may not be the best tactical solution, their guns clearly weren't effective against the opponent and a few of the uninjured troops come barreling across the room, selflessly gunning to tackle Zach to the ground to protect the rest of their team.
Noembelu, for her part, finds herself with a rear assault, turning on one heel to see what's coming, and then planting her other foot in an effort to kick back out of the way.
She's not fast enough. The hit catches her in the side and for a moment she's bent at the waist, but it's as if she can't even feel whatever pain is inflicted on her; Noembelu surges back at Mint, her hands suddenly glowing with a spark of pure Psycho Power as she attempts to haul the tiny Marine up off the ground by leaping into the air. The grip is shifted to only her right hand as she begins to wildly swing Mint around her body, the motion seeming to pull all of the collected Psycho Power out into her target, burning at every synapse in Mint's mind before she's launched back at the ground.
"I don't feel a need to kill the weak; it's a waste of my time. Some of them may prove to have some use I have not forseen. The only ones that must be eliminated are those whose annoyance outweighs any benefit they may provide to me." There is no hint of deception in any of Vega's words. He offers no convenient lies to disguise the truth of his actions once it's clear they're already known. "As for my Dolls... there are needs that require me to extend portions of my power to achieve my goals; the fact that the perfect vessels are so similar is not some mortal predeliction. Even this body is nothing more than a vessel for my Psycho Power!"
COMBATSYS: Zach Glenn fails to interrupt Strong Takedown from National Guard with Dynamite Punch EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Zach Glenn 1/----===/=======|=======\==-----\1 Noembelu
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 National Guard
COMBATSYS: Mint blocks Noembelu's Mexican Typhoon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Zach Glenn 1/----===/=======|=======\===----\1 Noembelu
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Mint 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 National Guard
National Guard falls asleep.
Zach bobs and weaves through several people, looking for an opening to strike. One man over-extends, and the psion lashes out with a swift three-quarters uppercut that fails to strike its mark.
Glenn is buried under a pile of bodies, unable to get loose quickly....
National Guard wakes up.
Minal is pleased to make contact with Noembelu, though her brow furrows once she realizes the nimble Doll doesn't even yield so much of an 'ouch' in reply. The gears are beginning to turn here, as she puts the words of Zach and the Shadaloo Lord together in her mind.
As Noembelu makes a grab for her, the pint-sized pugilist's reflexes come into play, allowing her to vault backwards. She's not quick enough to evade completely, but she does put her heavy metal gauntlets to use, allowing -them- to absorb the impact from the fearsome Psycho Power rather than her own flesh and blood.
One -disadvantage- of her gauntlets, though, is that there are a great many canister-like projections for Little Eagle to grab onto; the Marine is not exempt from being hurled around like a pinwheel by her opponent's superior grappling techniques. Minal is a smidge dizzy as she's thrown back to the ground, but she's able to regain control of her momentum in mid-air, landing unsteadily on her feet a fair distance away.
"So everyone's just a puppet to you? Just shitcan it when you're done with it?" The corporal frowns as she springs back at Noembelu, mindful of her companion's distress. As much as she'd like to, there's a pressing concern: she'd really like to see if an underhanded punch to Little Eagle's abdomen will get a reaction out of her.
COMBATSYS: Noembelu endures Mint's Body Blow.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Zach Glenn 1/----===/=======|=======\=====--\1 Noembelu
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Mint 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 National Guard
Having taken the more advantageous position, the soldiers do their absolute best to keep it. The entire squad has now formed up around Zach, striking out at him with abandon as they try to haul him up off the ground, lock him in place, beat him relentlessly. Zach is a threat, and with all he's shown off, the only hope of keeping him down will be to make it impossible for him to get back up.
Noembelu, on the other hand, seems to show no sign of even trying to react at all as Mint comes flying at her fist first. The blow takes her dead on in the stomach, forcing the air of her for a moment with a rough grunt, as she falls to the ground, propping herself up one hand. It might take a brief flash of insight to realize that despite a few coughs for breath, she doesn't seem to be in this position to recover; even under the oppressive weight in the facility, Zach can feel the Psycho Power being drawn into Noembelu even before she begins to move.
The Doll uses her hand as a pivot point, twiting her legs up and about as psionic might begins to grow out from her feet. The motion is pulled into a wide, spinning kick that draws Noembelu's legs higher and higher until they come together as the point of a drill, leading the way up Mint's body as she rockets into a rising spiral, her hands drawing her tomahawks up behind her with violent intent.
"Those that prove useful to me are blessed with some measure of my power, whether it be material or something far more valuable. Once they no longer provide value, it's completely reasonable to be done with a broken tool." Vega's words carry the weight of absolute certainty of his position. "It is only when a tool threatens my goals that it becomes necessary to dispose of it entirely. There is so much potential to be exploited in those gifted enough to be a challenge that it is almost a shame when they must be crushed beneath my boot heel."
COMBATSYS: National Guard successfully hit Zach Glenn with Coordinated Onslaught EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Zach Glenn 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=====--\-------\0 Noembelu
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Mint 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 National Guard
COMBATSYS: Noembelu successfully hits Mint with Psycho Splitter.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Zach Glenn 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=====--\-------\0 Noembelu
[ \\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Mint 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0 National Guard
Minal frowns as Noembelu just stands and -takes- the punch. It wasn't a love tap, to say the least.
And then the corporal begins to worry, drawing back for a moment. The Psycho Power was something she was able to mitigate before, but by the time she realizes the true danger, she's drawn into the maelstrom, kicking and screaming.
Mint howls with pain as she's battered about in the rising spiral -- she isn't so lucky to take the blows on her reinforced metal surrogates, nor is she able to break free as she had before. She... will be hurting in the morning, she's sure of it!
But Minal also has a curious relationship with adrenaline. She's in a great deal of pain, but once reaching a particular -level- of pain, it ceases to be differentiated, really -- just this dull roar. Kind of like Vega's words, it just floats around in the background, with the here and now represented by the black-suited assassin standing before her as her body crumples onto the floor of the command center.
"Why you guys so -serious- alla time...?!" she snaps out, pushing herself back to her feet. There's no reason a woman that injured should be standing.
Correction: there's four reasons: the rocket flames erupting from her gauntlets and from her backpack. And Noembelu will find out just how much damage output Mint can do as the rocket-powered fighter rushes forward, aiming to pin Noembelu to the wall with a relentless barrage of high-power punches...
COMBATSYS: Mint has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Zach Glenn 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=====--\-------\0 Noembelu
[ \ < > /////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0 National Guard
Zach is still groggy from the dog-piling with the Guardsmen proceeding to pummel the psion almost to unconsciousness. He sees Minal battered by the Doll. Hears Vega talking about people as if they are disposable. Memories of things this monster has done in another time crash to the forefront of Zach's mind.
Zach brings his arms in roughly, dragging a couple of soldiers with the movement before shoving them out to his sides. "NO!" Zach calls out, his voice a clarion amidst the chaos. Power rises to his will, swirling around him in a maelstrom of psychic force in order to batter the men around him before snapping around Zach's body. Cuts start to close, and bruises starts to fade. "People are not tools for you to use and discard." Zach's muscles swell on his frame as he starts a slow stalk towards Noembelu. "I will stand against you every time. In this life and the next."
COMBATSYS: Noembelu blocks Mint's SNAFU.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Zach Glenn 0/-------/--<<<<<|======-\-------\0 Noembelu
[ \ < > /////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0 National Guard
COMBATSYS: Zach Glenn successfully hit National Guard with Claw Spiker.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Zach Glenn 0/-------/--<<<<<|======-\-------\0 Noembelu
[ \ < > //////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\======-\1 National Guard
Even when faced with the rocket-powered fists, Noembelu doesn't seem to flinch. The fight in front of her is a fight, regardless of whatever mechanisms are used. The only important thing here is to make certain that she doesn't fail to complete Lord Vega's wishes. Both of the Doll's tomahawks are flipped about, held with their shafts pressed against her forearms with the flats of the axeheads turned toward in opposite directions as she locks her forearms together, one over the other, in front of her to provide a defensive screen, her feet are kept light enough that she's able to fall back toward the wall.
On the other hand, the soldiers are left in a terrible position as Zach suddenly lets loose. Screams and spanish fill the air as the group is torn apart, thrown in all directions, hitting the walls. Some of the guardsmen don't get back up to their feet after it's all over.
At this point they're left with only one option: total offense. Those that can still stand get back up to their feet, some of them grabbing for their grenades, popping the pin and skidding them across the floor at the man that just destroyed their friends. All of them begin to unload with their assault rifles, filling the air around Zach with lead just as the grenades begin to go off. Everything in the room goes flying; most of the displays are destroyed, even the one featuring Lord Vega's appearance takes a hit and begins to take on an eerie, discolored quality.
Up against the wall, out of the way of the core of the destruction, makes use of it as a distraction, whipping her twin tomahawks about back into striking position as she launches a quick, upward attempt to cleave through one of Mint's metallic prostheses.
All of this is punctuated, after a few moments where it might appear that Vega's connection is down, with the sort of laugh that chills the blood. This is the laugh that will never be part of a shared joy, a laugh that accompanied with the distorted, staticed display showing Lord Vega still partially shrouded in shadows, is the sort of thing where nightmares are spawned.
COMBATSYS: National Guard successfully hit Zach Glenn with Scorch The Earth.
[ \\ < > ///////////// ]
Zach Glenn 1/------</<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0 Noembelu
[ \ < > //////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/<<<<<<<|==-----\-------\0 National Guard
COMBATSYS: Mint fully avoids Noembelu's Fierce Strike.
[ \\ < > ///////////// ]
Zach Glenn 1/------</<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0 Noembelu
[ \ < > //////////// ]
Mint 1/-------/<<<<<<<|==-----\-------\0 National Guard
Violet and gold power slide along Zach's body, serving to act as armor to protect Zach from some of the bullets and explosions as Zach continues to walk towards them. Many of the bullets, however, strike true. Flesh is torn. Blood sprays. Several of the grenades throw shrapenel that further rip and tear at the psion. Zach, however, still stands. Still advances.
Zach Glenn gets close enough to grab one of the members of the firing line, and attempts to grab him. Should Zach make the grab he will spin, using the hapless Guardsman like a large hammer to demolish the firing line before flinging him at the rest of his unit. Zach will follow up with a massive burst of psychic energy aimed at the mass of soldiers to scatter them like tenpins before collapsing to the ground, his wounds finally demanding their toll.
COMBATSYS: Zach Glenn can no longer fight.
[ \ < > ///////////// ]
Mint 1/-------/<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0 Noembelu
> //////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 National Guard
Minal leaps back once it's obvious that she won't be able to press Noembelu back any further. She lands in a low stance, the fingers of one hand splaying close to the floor as if warding off an impending collapse. The corporal manages to hold it together though, shaking off the dizziness for a moment.
Mint frowns, squinting at all the bright lights Zach is throwing out in the midst of a darkened room. She's... not really sure what his status is... but judging from his lack of words, it's probably not a good thing.
But first, Noembelu's chopping at her with tomahawks, aiming to cut right through her augmented appendages. Lit by the rockets' orange flames, it should become obvious to the Doll that her overcommitted attack did not land as intended -- rather, Mint brings the back of her fist alongside the blades, brushing them aside with a shower of sparks and a loud metallic scrape.
"It's time for extraction!" announces Mint, as she belatedly decides to follow Zach's mentally-offered advice. Step one -- neutralize Noembelu! She plans to do this by reaching out, grabbing hold of her shoulder, and ramming her knee into the Doll repeatedly!
Step two -- neutralize the soldiers! Minal's rocket-powered momentum is such that she's moving -much- faster than normal. Pieces of her gauntlets have already been starting to break loose from the extended battle, and rather than carry around the dead weight, she forcefully ejects the shrapnel at the remaining soldiers, aiming to incapacitate them in the hopes of clearing an escape path! "OOOH-RAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Mint blitzes into action and acts again!
[ < > ///////////// ]
Mint 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Noembelu
> //////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 National Guard
COMBATSYS: Mint successfully hits Noembelu with Lock and Load EX.
[ < > //////// ]
Mint 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Noembelu
> //////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 National Guard
COMBATSYS: Zach Glenn successfully hit National Guard with Meteor Shoot.
- Power hit! -
[ < > //////// ]
Mint 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Noembelu
> /// ]
|=======\-------\0 National Guard
COMBATSYS: National Guard dodges Mint's Large Thrown Object.
[ < > //////// ]
Mint 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Noembelu
> /// ]
|=======\-------\0 National Guard
In close combat, there's not a whole lot in the way of options to get out of the way when somebody grabs for you. Noembelu just doesn't have the room to move after her attack fails to find its mark. Each knee blow drives directly into her gut, accompanied by remarkably light grunts for the beating that's being inflicted upon her.
As for the last remaining guardsmen, Zach snares one of the soldiers easily enough as the squad finds their cohesion already breaking under the circumstances. The uniformed body is launched hard enough into the last few to knock them back before the Psycho Powered blast is able to send them all to the ground.
...None of them get up in time to meet the shrapnel.
None of them seem to be able to get back up.
All of this puts Mint in a good position to attempt to make her escape, with Zach in tow. Or at least it would be good if she'd actually managed to put Noembelu down; moving like a bolt of lighting, the Doll begins to run after the miniature Marine, skidding low as she gets close and then rocketing up into a rising back kick, the sole of her boot seeded with a bolt of explosive Psycho Power ready to let loose on contact.
COMBATSYS: National Guard takes no action.
[ < > //////// ]
Mint 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Noembelu
COMBATSYS: National Guard can no longer fight.
[ < > //////// ]
Mint 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Noembelu
COMBATSYS: Noembelu successfully hits Mint with Cannon Spike.
[ < > /////// ]
Mint 1/---====/=======|=======\=------\1 Noembelu
Minal is pleased to learn that, yes, Noembelu is human, and yes, she grunts just like other people do. She'd had her doubts.
She takes a moment to survey the battlefield, grimacing at the laughter still echoing throughout the room, and the form of the Mayor still huddling off in a corner. "C'mon, Zach, we gotta bolt..."
The corporal doesn't have time to continue her assessment of the situation, as she'd overestimated the damage she'd dealt to the assassin. Eyes widening, she cocks her hand back as if to intercept the Doll, but doesn't manage to get enough time to accomplish anything of merit. Corporal Panesh doesn't have the luxury of a response, flung upwards in such a violent manner that an immediate rebuttal isn't really forthcoming.
Dropping back to the floor, she shakes her head. Blackness creeps into her vision, as she closes her eyes and lets the adrenaline and frustration take over: hard, overcommitted punches, with complete and callous disregard for her own well-being. She'd failed at keeping Noembelu down -last- time, but if she fails -this- time... well... Mint doesn't want to think about that. She will -not- be going down without a fight!
COMBATSYS: Mint can no longer fight.
> /////// ]
|=======\=------\1 Noembelu
COMBATSYS: Noembelu dodges Mint's Final Sacrifice.
> /////// ]
|=======\=------\1 Noembelu
Through all of this, it's as if Noembelu has been unphased by the entire fight, provided one is able to ignore the cuts and bruising that the Doll has managed to sustain through the fight. She react like some tireless machine, adjusting to circumstances as they come with neither excitement nor panic. As Mint throws herself completely into a last ditch effort, Noembelu simply begins to fall back, ducking just out of reach from each advancing blow from the mechanical brawler's fists. She's forced back again and again as she endeavors to maintain a safe distance until she finds herself right back up against the wall, one final swing from Corporal Panesh... that misses by a hair's breadth, the follow through taking Mint on back around as her body goes to the ground.
And the room goes silent as the Doll stands momentarily idle; back behind the destroyed desk and the barely existant chair, Mendoza finally risks peeking his head out just in time for the screen to cut in just enough to show Lord Vega's looming, smiling face. "Excellent work, detain the prisoners and have them brought to the Brazilian facility. That man knows more than he should... I will wrest every speck of information from his mind. Perhaps once I am done he will prove to be more agreeable."
In a flash, Noembelu's hand draws up into a perfect salute. "Yes, Lord Vega."
Log created on 21:05:34 07/19/2015 by Noembelu, and last modified on 19:09:31 08/02/2015.