Match of the Millennium

Description: Leo Whitefang, working in parallel with Ky Kiske, delves into the Center's corridors to find Dizzy. But just like their last search, Leo seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He does find a peculiar Gear indeed... just not Dizzy.. The strange, bird-like Gear is known as Dr. Paradigm. Captured in the wake of the Gear Wars between the UN and Japan, he is an intelligent, independent Gear scientist imprisoned by the NOL. Refusing to assist the NOL as an agent, Leo Whitefang provides an opportunity for the scientist to make his own escape... if he can work out a beneficial arrangement with the Sacred Order commander.

[DR. PARADIGM]
It was a pretty good plan

See, the NOLDC, as it's known (don't try to the pronounce it, it's kind of a Nulldick sound), is where you end up when you get ganked by friendly NOL types. If you aren't that interesting? You get tagged, bagged, and tossed in the general holding cells with a bunch of other roughnecks. And there, you kind of just chill out and hope that you don't get a human booster shot from the D Rank Bounty named Bubba. If you are more relevant? You get a personal holding cell that just means you don't see sunlight for a very, very long time, unless the NOL likes you, and/or want to convert you into a brand new NOL agent that abuses the prisoners. It's a kind of game. Now if you are super, duper important?

You go deep.

Deep, deep down one of the three service elevators that take you so far underground. Down here, any veneer of civil detainment is abandoned. It gets smaller and smaller, and tighter and tighter, and quieter and quieter. Gone was the screams, the sounds of angry prisoners. This was almost more of a lab than a prison in many, terrible regards. This was the place where it becomes less of a privilege to see the sun, and more of a privilege to say words without ten thousand volts getting sent directly into your spinal column in a desperate attempt to send you into a coma. You couldn't even hear the alarms down here.

The alarms?

Yes, the alarms. The security complex was in a full alert; the complex was breached. Breaches weren't unusual, and the security process was simple: scramble the security force and lockdown the Maximum Security access. It wasn't hard to lockdown the Maximum Security elevators; you generally had at least 4 sealing doors before you even reach the elevators. A final reinforcement would be over the elevator doors, and finally, the elevator would only partially work. You'd go down, you see, it would stop halfway, and you would just relax there until you were picked up and registered as the newest guest of the Nulldick.

That's where Ky would go.

Ky Kiske, for his purposes, had already jumped from the helicopter. How did they get the helicopter? Well they kind of hijacked it. It was a security copter owned by the NOL, so it was just closing in just close enough where by the time they realized that it was unscheduled and not responding to the callsigns, Ky Kiske was busting in. But the helicopter itself was starting to fall under heavy fire. Ky Kiske was going to go straight for the heart of the complex. And his partner, Leo Whitefang?

Well, this is is where it gets interesting.

The crack of lightning comes as the helicopter struggles to stay in the air. It wasn't just the light arms fire; it was the magical barrage coming to bear on it. Leo Whitefang was still within, the commander of this part. Arguably the hard part. They were distracting the NOL forces. THe question was, as the helicopter hangs over the 'common area' and the security grounds.

What was the next part of the plan?

[LEO WHITEFANG]
Naturally the plan was all Ky's. The Sacred Order Commander would insist on taking on most of the danger himself and being capable of handling it on his own and..well..he'd mostly be right. Watching him descend like a thunderbolt wrapped in sorcerous lightning magic to pierce the compound in an eruption of blue's and white's was impressive indeed. But it will all be rather pointless if their way of escape is destroyed. And then there's the reality of the cost of life needing to be kept to a minimum. While certainly the NOL has its corruption at its heart, most of its soldiers are simply doing their jobs. Some with the hope for a better tomorrow and a belief in the charter that lies at the heart of this organization. There's no need to senselessly slaughter....and yet their own survival is a priority here. Leo knows this well and he surveys the common area while leaning out of the copter's side, gripping tight to its railings with metal warping strength as his great-coat flutters wildly in the winds and fury of the copter's movements.

"Pull back to the safe distance and wait for my signal." he barks at the copter pilot - a Sacred Order soldier who volunteered for this mission as did all others involved. Really can they even 'be' the Sacred Order after this? One way or another things will have to change now. They won't be what they were. The expedtion will likely fal apart once word gets back about this venture..

Leo casts these thoughts from his mind as he shouts, "I will take it from here and draw their fire. Now go!"

With that, Leo leaps. lunging forth from the copter with his arms crossed and then as he plummets down he whips them back akimbo with a flash of silver and iron chi blazing about him in a crackling aura that mimics the previous lightning in intensity and scale though not color and elemental affinity. His energy is raw and unfettered yet authoritative and demanding of attention. A lion like roar pealing across the compound from the force of his magic as it manifests and a grin forming on his face as he falls like a hurtled spear. Even his teeth seeming to have fang like elements to them now.

His impact is accompanied by a slashing cut through a large turret targetting the copter that sends an explosion and debris raining down over the courtyard. No cushioning magic is used as his sheer physicality and enhanced athleticism sends him to the ground and sliding forward with a rain of concrete from the groove dug into the ground by his feet. Behind him the turret topples over in a final explosion that shakes the area and Leo begins marching right for the entrance of the complex.

"Alright, the king has arrived! Come present yourselves!" he thunders.

[DR. PARADIGM]
It comes like a crater.

The moment the turret is sliced open, it explodes, sending the men manning it flying for cover. Bowling into the opens, Leo Whitefang approaches the front entrance of the whole complex. The king draws the attention of the whole complex, as his dynamic entry makes -him- the top priority. All eyes have shifted off of the complex, away from deep below, where Ky Kiske goes. All was on this defiant king striding through the front door like he owns the place. Because what king is made to go through the back door? And who was standing in his way?

Eighty Eight.

A security force of four score and eight is on task right now, all on high alert. All focused squarely on Leo, behind the slowly fortifying front door. It's not quite an army; an army would be so much more. But the NOL Security Force is all transfixed on Leo Whitefang, slowly spreading out. Armed with stun guns, tasers, batons and strange rifles bearing eldritch symbols. Entrenching themselves, fortifying themselves behind the barred front door. They would not kill him. Maybe. 88 armed guards, ready to put down a medium security threat.

It was time to see if Leo was worthy of being, at least, a medium security threat.

[LEO WHITEFANG]
Only Eighty eight? Hrm. Leo frowns mildly, looking insulted. Relius probably did that on purpose. Hmph.

"I am magnanimous! Prodigious in my generosity!" he booms loudly, unperturbed, as he surveys the gathered guards, "If you surrender now, I promise you will be allowed to leave unharmed. I have met NOL members in recent day swho are honorable and determined to do good in this world. I can't say the same for your superiors."

He brings his swords up, pointing them at the guards as he takes a few steps forward, "Resist me at you peril. Don't suffer for the sake of the corruption that lies at the heart of the NOL!"

Well then, it seems as if he's got their full attention, for now at least.

COMBATSYS: Leo Whitefang has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Leo Whitefang    0/-------/-------|

[DR. PARADIGM]
"What's the hell is going on?"

The warden of the Detention Center gnaws on his cigar from the observation office, watching the cameras. "I got half of the cameras out. Max Security is giving me bullshit reads, I got an override here from some hacker, and I got this hairy jackass from some god damn renne faire swilling piss ale and looking for ye olde mutton. God." The warden taps out the cigar into an ashtray, as he mutters into the mic. "Well at least we know him. We got word Ky Kiske was gonna pull this shit. Alright boys. I need you to set up the pincer. Attack the center, draw him into the mixing bowl. Really harass him, like, up the verbal abuse if you can." He narrows his eyes into the screen. "Like..." He hrms.

"Call him low class or something."

"Affirmative" Reports the Sergeant. Lifting his rifle, he peers over the parapet. The rifle trains on Leo Whitefang, and.... just places a laser point on him. The external garrison begins to encircle Leo Whitefang, stun batons ready. The front door was barricaded now; Leo Whitefang would need to smash through it -hard- to reach the second wave. With the laser on point, Sarge pulls out a bullhorn, and calls out.

"Our warden would like to inform you, Ky Kiske, that you are a classless buffoon."

And the garrison strikes.

Six men closing in on a single person is a difficult prospect. Rushing in to jab with a baton is a startling effort. But when you have another four following up in a wolf-pack cycle, to thrust and stab the individual with the same batons? Then you have the first six coming back around to go for the tackle. 10 men would be attacking and then piling on Leo Whitefang in a coordinated effort. It would be fast. Hard. ANd painful.

But not as terrible as the grave sin the warden had committed.

COMBATSYS: NOL Security has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Leo Whitefang    0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0     NOL Security

COMBATSYS: Leo Whitefang blocks NOL Security's Tandem Onslaught.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Leo Whitefang    0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0     NOL Security

[LEO WHITEFANG]
Leo's eyes widen, pupils shrinking to near dots in the process and his skin pales slightly as if the mother of all flu's has afflicted him.

Oh no they didn't.

The distraction works. It's enough to allow him to be caught in the trap of the coodinated movement and his body disappears under the mass of ten that piles upon him and bears him down towards the ground as the stinging force of the batons wracks into him. Naturally this sort of tactic would normally mean game over for anyone else that would dare attack the NOL in such a matter. Normally.

Here it simply seems to add to the boiling rage of the invader as Leo suddenly bursts upwards with strength capable of lifting all ten men from him in one go and to send them flying from him as high as the ceiling and as far away as the walls to bowl back into the gathered crowd.

Leo's own movement continues. His upwards surge turning into a pinwheel like motion with his blades flashing out and trailing iron chi behind them that scores into the floors and then shockwaves away from his body as if he were the center of a whirlwind of pure force and striking power intending on shattering batons and bowling over more of the security forces in all directions around him.

COMBATSYS: NOL Security blocks Leo Whitefang's Eisen Sturm.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Leo Whitefang    0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0     NOL Security

[DR. PARADIGM]
"God damn, he's pushing through!" The warden belts out, pounding a fist on the control panel. Watching the screen as Leo Whitefang spirals so beautifully, so flawlessly, the effort knocks down the entire vanguard and sends them head over heels. Stunned and dazed, they were out for a moment. And rising up, he was breaking -right- into the central atrium. The roar of the prisoners rise up, as the hoot and holler. "He's in there! Right flank take cover! Left flank! Take aim!" Roars the warden.

"Roger, Ky Kiske is penetrating the defenses!"

"Stand down Ky Kiske!" Comes the bellowof the bullhorn, as Leo Whitefang pierces through the bulwark of security forces, and drives straight to the central of the fortifcations. And there, he manages to rip through three more of the of the men, knocking them down before a fourth barely manages to match his swordplay. Not enough to counter him, but to stall him with the 'hail mary' technique of the baton, warding him back before he drives any deeper. The security forces could handle single large supernatural threats, and organized efforts.

Leo Whitefang was only a man.

And no man could contain him.

As the fourth man falls down, the of the men are knocked down, slashed by the staggering assault, there is a clicking sound. From the left flank, they all take cover. From the right flank, the whole of the garrison rifle corp, a good score of men, all train their guns on Leo Whitefang. The laser keeps on him, the rangefinder relaying to the others, as the Sergeant keeps his focus on Leo. "Move to subdue!"

"Open Fire!"

And the barrage of fire comes out. The full fusillade comes as exactly that; the ones on the right fire a mix of bean-bag shot to rubbet rounds, a 'non-lethal' combination designed to rip apart riots. The low penetration might give Leo some cover as the assault boils out, the sustained assault rolling forward. He could go for the left flank, charge right into the midst of the right flank... or drive even deeper into the prison.

COMBATSYS: Leo Whitefang blocks NOL Security's Strong Weapon Fire.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Leo Whitefang    0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0     NOL Security

[LEO WHITEFANG]
5R Chi blazes in a whirling vortex of metallic silver and grey as Leo's weapons flash around catching the bullets and rebounding them in a chaotic assortment of directions back at the mass of attackers before he lunges through a partition, bringing part of the walls down with his destructive bulldozing movements. Again his blades soar around, spinning about him like the movements of a windmill as the ranged assaults are deflected but occasionally cover is needed as well. He's not escaping -completely- unscathed here and he grits his teeth against the feelings of the rounds racing against the reinforced leather and armoring placed within his uniform.

But it's clearly not enough to stop him. Perhaps nothing is. In fact it would seem that the calling of his name 'Ky Kiske' is..egging him on further, drawing an embaressed and furious red faced look from the bearded man and bubbling anger up as he bursts forward in a direct driev for the main prison itself.

His swords ring together in his madcap dash and then splay apart with a shower of sparks and a sudden roar of that iron chi which bonfires around him in an area warping shockwave that erupts in all directions but focuses most of its strength ahead of him in the for mof a giant iron-cross shaped blast of solid chi that bulldozes forward while widening in size the further away it gets from him.

"Ky Kiske?!?" he sputters out furiously. Barely able to get that out and his barking probably distorted by the sound and fury of his assaults.

COMBATSYS: NOL Security blocks Leo Whitefang's Graviert Wurde.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Leo Whitefang    0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1     NOL Security

[DR. PARADIGM]
"God damn what is this asshole?"

The warden sputters as he follows the action. The whirling blur of steel flashes as the man manages to deflect a 20 man barrage. The warden taps the screen with the cigar. "Just go down fucker." But the man was driving -deeper- into the prison. And the formations were going from tight flanks into... reserves. The gunfire stops as Leo Whitefang starts to drive into the fray of the reserves, who scramble and scatter in the path of the slice of chi. A good 7 men drop as suddenly....

The lights blackout.

"God dammit now what!"

There is another flicker of electricity. The systems reboot. The map of the security complex starts red, and gradually shift from yellow to green. With the exception of one sector. One sector lights remains red, as a local klaxon begins to hum. The warden looks at that, eyes wide.

"Oh."

"Oh shit."

On the field, the power surge runs through it hard. The barrage of fire holds as the lights return. Deep into the fray, the flanks pull themselves together, while the reserve panick and desperately start fighting with Leo Whitefang. This time, it was pure numbers: 13 men hurling themselves into Leo Whitefang, trying to hold him down, to throng him in the chaos. As there is a rattling sound, as the sound of something -hammers- into a sealed doorway into the prison complex. Something was peering through the opening, as a klaxon blares. Something that looked vaguely...

Vaguely like a chicken.

COMBATSYS: Leo Whitefang dodges NOL Security's Dogpile Takedown.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Leo Whitefang    0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1     NOL Security

[LEO WHITEFANG]
A sealed doorway? Well that just begs to be opened!

Leo's sharp eyes seem to briefly note the peripheral movement from behind the small opening but his attention is diverted to the massive dogpile effort heading his way as he rushes down the hallway at a breakneck speed that practically turns his figure into a blurred streak of golds, silvers and browns.

A leap takes him out of the grasp of one of the men, which is followed by a massive kick from one of his long legs that rebounds him back towards the walls. A wall-run sends him down again towards another, who he shoulder tackles, bowling over and then spinning into another assailant. A flash of silver and iron chi blasts into another group and Leo ducks the assault of yet another before lunging into the air in a sideways slash that forms an x shaped blazing after image aimed for the sealed door, intending on bringing it down.

"Join the fun!" he declares, fully intending on unleashing the captives into the security group to further add to the chaos, distractions and dismay of their efforts.

"..FUn and to the noble and unjustly prisoned, perhaps a way of escape!"

COMBATSYS: NOL Security interrupts Armed Combo from Leo Whitefang with Cutthroat Tactics EX.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Leo Whitefang    0/-------/=======|=======\===----\1     NOL Security

[DR. PARADIGM]
The warden grabs the red phone on the desk. Lifting it to his ear, he doesn't waste time. "Containment breach." He states firmly. "Catastrophic defense failure. Need immediate support; we might need a containment effort." There is a pause.

"N-no I don't think we need to sterilize the place, it's not maximum security-"

Another pause.

"The cameras are shut off, so I do not know what's going on there. But the alarms have not."

The warden begins to break out in a cold sweat.

As Leo escapes the tackle, the aftermath struggles. But the two flanks become one, and a wave of human forces come cascading towards Leo Whitefang. It is a horde boiling towards him. The assault tears through one, two, three men. The group seems to melt away as two more fall. Now, the numbers of the reserves fall to merely three more, as Leo reaches the door. The final slice comes for the steel door. It succeeds, in a manner of speaking.

As the full force of the human wave simply -bodyslams- him en masse into the door.

The door breaches, as the entire flanking army suddenly finds itself mingled and battling with the prisoners. Several small, green goblin like creatures throng forward, along wolves with goggles leaping into the fray. A massive turtle like creature lumbers forward, groaning as it comes. A gear. All gears. The creature groans, looking upon Leo, as he lurches towards Leo Whitefang-

"No, no."

Comes the baritone of studious correction, with only the faintest gurgle.

"Not that one."

"The others, please." Emerging from behind it is what looks to be a rather large bird-like creature enveloped in a bubble of water. Well, large was a relative word. By turkey standards, he looked to be a rather big, scaly creature with chicken legs. teal scales covered it, as it seemed to be dressed in prison orange. Long antennae stretch from it's head, as it looks with a draconic head. The figure looks up and down Leo dismissively, adjusting his spectacles. "Hrm." He states curtly, arms behind his back. "It was not necessary to burst those locks;" He begins to lecture, as the large turtle-like creature begins to hurl itself into the fray. "I've had this breakout planned for months, a mere security lockdown would have hardly slowed down the mangamious effort of my tribe." Several bubbles float out of his nostrils.

"Well thank you anyways, Mr..."

COMBATSYS: Dr. Paradigm has joined the fight here on the left meter side.

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Dr. Paradigm     0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0    Leo Whitefang
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
NOL Security     1/----===/=======|

[LEO WHITEFANG]
Leo tumbles to the side and then vaults backwards several paces after the body slam forces him earthwards with enough power to dent the reinforced floors and shake the complex.

Then..chaos. His eyes widen as he slides baclwards several paces and looks up to see the the massive turtle like creature bearing down on him only to turn away. He then spins, locking his gaze onto Dr. Paradigm as he hears him..and then wide eyed he turns, once again, to look over the growing wave of insanity that's been unleashed into the security complex. "Gears?? NOL has been collecting and imprisoning Gears?!"

But not just any ol'Gears it seems. Intelligence, wit, sharpness and intensity. These are no random creatures but ones full of purpose and life and a want fo freedom.

"Months you say? Well if you are a victim of the NOL and no enemy of humanity then you are a friend of mine. Let's expediate your escape from this place shall we? You and the maiden they've unjustly imprisoned deeper below!"

With that he's on the offensive again, spinning his blade around in a wide double slashing arc as he slides through another group of soldiers with a dashing slash that flashes faster then the eye can follow.

Faster he goes, blurring into a follow up attack on another grou pof soldiers with both of his swords crossed behind him in a cross like formation which snaps away to create an iron cross shaped blast of chi which further explodes into the panicked men of NOL.

COMBATSYS: Leo Whitefang blitzes into action and acts again!

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Dr. Paradigm     0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0    Leo Whitefang
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
NOL Security     1/----===/=======|

COMBATSYS: NOL Security blocks Dr. Paradigm's Summon - Roller.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Dr. Paradigm     0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0    Leo Whitefang
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
NOL Security     1/--=====/=======|

COMBATSYS: Leo Whitefang knocks away NOL Security with Kaltes Gestober Zweit.
- Power hit! -

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Dr. Paradigm     0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1    Leo Whitefang
[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  <
NOL Security     2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|

COMBATSYS: NOL Security interrupts Krone Kreuz from Leo Whitefang with Garrote EX.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Dr. Paradigm     0/-------/---====|=======\=====--\1    Leo Whitefang
[                       \\\\\\\  <
NOL Security     0/-------/-<<<<<<|

[DR. PARADIGM]
It comes in a single eruption, to best describe it.

The turtle creature, rolling forward, bowls through the ranks. While only a handful are actually knocked over, the rest manage to catch the gear, stopping it's advance, and holding it in place. They might have had a chance to counter attack, to press against the ranks. Already, the flanks were mingling together, bunching together to make a human bulwark against the gear. The batons ewre ready, and the riot control was in place.

Except Leo Whitefang happens.

It takes only one moment, effectively. With the NOL security bunched up around the turtle-like gear, it is like lambs to the slaughter. Leo Whitefang tears through the security, and the score... ceases becoming a score. Faster and faster Leo pushes through, exploiting the one moment of an opening. The strange gear actually takes pause as he realizes the entire garrison was... going away before his very eyes. He is at lost at words for a moment.

And he just barely finds them.

"Well, yes. It's a long and storied history, but the short version is that Gears have minds, despite what you humans might thing. That's the natural state of things. Most of the effort of the humans to make gears useful to them was figuring out how to make us mindless subservient puppets. Naturally, there were a good number of gears who weren't eager to be machines, so we escaped our various ways. Would you believe I was from Ohio? Well, while some unmentionables were eager for revenge or liberations, I had the brilliant observation of finding a place for intelligent gears like myself to keep safe. I called it the Ganymede Archipelago, and we were able to keep a low profile... until..."

"And then Justice showed up."

Leo Whitefang may have more toe say but the last explosion would be cut short as from behind him, a single officer wraps a garrote around his neck. One man, with a thin strip of wire, and one opportunity. As the single guard struggles behind Leo, Dr. Paradigm continues. "A command gear has authority over lesser gears, and well, we sort of... returned to her, if you can understand. Most of the independent gears, like myself. And when Justice was killed at Mt. Fuji, well, we were no longer on her influence. And ideally, we were hoping to return back to the Ganymede Archipelago, but well, the NOL was waiting for us. It's actually quite dramatic, and I am thinking of writing a book on it. Oh, is the army nearly gone?" He adjusts his glasses, and nods firmly.

Because there was only two men left standing now.

"Anyways if you are looking for a gear, I don't think you are in the right place. The maiden, you said? I am well familiar with the gears imprisoned here through a network of morse code that I developed personally, and certainly we have our feminine gears, but nothing called a maiden. I don't think you-"

Dr. Paradigm is interrupted by a magnitude 7 earthquake.

The entire complex gets another surge, as a blackout roars with the rumbling.There is a earthshattering rattle to the very core, an earthquake running through it. While the scrambling gears all around are knocked to the ground, even the single guard behind Leo is forced to the ground, stunned, broken from his strangling. As the lights flicker back on, Dr. Paradigm is out of his bubble. Gasping, he scrambles back in it. Catching his breath, he looks around. And his eyes go wide. "That was a nuclear blast." He state.

"You're rescuing a command gear." He says flatly, a dawning understanding coming over him.

"They captured a command gear."

[LEO WHITEFANG]
Leo is at a loss for words. Well, literally. He was just nearly choked out by a single guard. Ky would never allow him to live that down.

Nevertheless it was enough to give him pause and the first signs of exhaustio nat the constant fighting seem to dip into him. The roaring of the earthquake and the shockwave caused by the distance blast is..more then enough to continue to give him pause and he pauses before gasping out, "Ky... Ky! Ky Kiske, come in!" barking into the communicator that had been kept on silence this whole time for the sake of the mission. "COME IN!! KY!!"

He pales. Dizzy couldn't have possibly ---?? No.. no. He frowns, his expression becoming stern now. -That- would be impossible. She simply couldn't. SHe's not capable of it.

"The command gear is a her. The maiden I speak of. My order secured her during the war and because she desired a chance to live free and to learn of humanity and to choose for herself how she would live her life, we sheltered and protected her. Her right to choose was more important to us then obeyind our superiors. We knew the danger that would befall her and the world should she fall into the corrupt hands that instigated that war."

Leo catches his breath and stands now, his expression a glower as he considers the ruined complex. "NOL is an example of precisely that. This explosion is certainly her doing but I -know- the Dizzy the Sacred Order was protecting and if that explosion is her fighting for her freedom with the aid of my comrade then I stand by them both.."

COMBATSYS: Leo Whitefang gains composure.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Dr. Paradigm     0/-------/---====|=======\====---\1    Leo Whitefang
[                       \\\\\\\  <
NOL Security     0/-------/-<<<<<<|

[DR. PARADIGM]
The communicate only gives static.

Was he dead? Was it over? Did Ky Kiske fail? The guard staggers back, drawing out a stun baton, trying to find an opportunity to approach Leo again. "No no, that doesn't make sense." Dr. Paradigm's tone is tense, as he stares across at the human with growing skepticism. "I mean, that was a nuclear blast underground. Command Gears have only succeeded off a core base genetic template; on a specific patient zero. And I have good authority that there are a fixed number of active command gears. The only one unaccounted for is-" Dr. Paradigm answers his own question. "Oh god. She's the one? She's the one that needed to be extracted from the city? But she was extre- oh no she wasn't. Yes, yes, I see now. You were the other team, you faked her death, and took her away, and now you are..." Dr. Paradigm screws up his mouth, pursing it tightly in disgust. "Oh but what makes you any better. You're just trying to get an army of your own aren't you? Yes, yes, save the gears, find the command gear, and draw us all in." Dr. Paradigm's arrogant tone fills the air, as he points a claw towards him. "Do you really think I wouldn't see through your honeyed words?"


"Oh, that one is trying to shoot at you." Dr. Paradigm adds dismissively, as the sergeant, one of the two survivors, pops a rubber shot aiming right for Leo's head, attempting to make an opening for the last guard.

COMBATSYS: Leo Whitefang blocks NOL Security's Quick Weapon Fire.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Dr. Paradigm     0/-------/---====|=======\=====--\1    Leo Whitefang
[                       \\\\\\\  <
NOL Security     0/-------/=======|

[LEO WHITEFANG]
Fury burns in Leo's eyes now. They've risked so much. Sacrificed their reputation. Their order. Their livelyhood..possibly their lives..to be judged -here-? By this newcomer who had been locked away from all events? Poisoned by mistreatment and suspicion? It simply won't stand.

"Are you a -doctor- or a conspiracy theorist!" Leo snaps at Dr. Paradigm with the full ire of an enraged lion. His words bite with sharp acid, "How smart of you to have figured all of that out with -nothing- to justify any of the conclusions you've reached. Are you smart or do you just craft fairy tales under the pretense of intelligence! Do I -look- like I am in the middle of creating an army for world domiantion??"

The bullets ring out, only to find Leo's blades whirling up to block their assaults and the commander suddenly launching bac in that direction with a series of movements that send him lunging around the rubble and collapsed support pillars to descend down for the soldier with a chopping axe kick like motion.

"Use that bird brain of yours! YOu've been here for how long an dyet not felt any attempt by the Command Gear to take over your mind, correct?? Why would that be the case if someone was bent on dominating you with her again??"

COMBATSYS: NOL Security dodges Leo Whitefang's Evasive Strike.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Dr. Paradigm     0/-------/---====|=======\=====--\1    Leo Whitefang
[                       \\\\\\\  <
NOL Security     0/-------/=======|

[DR. PARADIGM]
'Complete chaos.

Leo's attack on the lone soldier is deftly evaded, the last guard sidestepping neatly in tandem. It seemed that in the midst of the fight, only the truly excellent and exceptional survive. Weaving between the little goblins and wolves, he disengages with Leo, circling around. The Sergeant takes his laser light off Leo... and towards Dr. Paradigm. Who might be more aware... if he wasn't -enraged- at Leo's words.

"B-bird?!"

Something seems to have finally come as a faux pas from Leo Whitefang, as the gear suddenly shakes his head furiously. "I am a DRAGON you fur-faced ape!" There is a snap of the fingers, as "I don't even have time for this. If there is a command gear here, then we have to get out of here before she puppets us. I have -no- interest in being dragged into another Gear War! Oh, Bonnie?" A small fairy of light suddenly flutters around the bubble. "Ah, very nice, yes yes."

"I think you should show this human what we -think- of his blithering insults!"

The fairy flickers a bit, before charging straight at Leo Whitefang. Should she reach him, she would fly around the swordsman for a moment. It might almost be benign... until the air around Leo explodes into a flash of fire and flames, attempting to blast him into the wall. The strength of a gear. And Dr. Paradigm might even be amused by that...

Until the lone soldier hurls in to seize the gear by the throat.

Ripping him free from the bubble, the draconic gear, only just over 4 feet tall, is caught into a chokehold on the ground. The figure writhes and gags, as he begins to suffocate and break. The other gears begin to slow down, drifting and confused, as they focus towards the Bonnie target, Leo.

It seemed that this fluster cluck was only becoming more flustered and clucked.

COMBATSYS: NOL Security successfully hits Dr. Paradigm with Crushing Grapple.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Dr. Paradigm     1/-----==/=======|=======\=====--\1    Leo Whitefang
[                         \\\\\  <
NOL Security     1/------=/=======|

COMBATSYS: Leo Whitefang dodges Dr. Paradigm's Assistant Bonnie.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Dr. Paradigm     1/-----==/=======|=======\=====--\1    Leo Whitefang
[                         \\\\\  <
NOL Security     1/------=/=======|

[LEO WHITEFANG]
This has to end now. They can't very well have a proper philosphical debate while trying to fight off a security detail. Plus what if Leo discovers Ky just smashed his way through a small army and he's having trouble landing a kick on one guard. Unforgivable.

"Stop!" he roars at Paradigm, "I want to -help- you but if you--"

Too late. Bonnie is surging towards him and Leo darts his attention between that of the fairy and that of the guard and then finally opts to try and avoid both in one go by leaping backwards towards an opposing wall with such force that his impact craters the structure even more from the recoil.. Almost as if he's preparing to vault off from his position like a meteor.

He slams his greatswords together. Liquid metal swhirls around, forming a gargantuan ornate lance as iron chi billows out from him like a bonfire. "Take my blades, harder then any steel!" Leo leaps, springing off the wall and lancing across the distance in a streaking blur towards the remaining NOL soldiers and the especially the one grasping Dr. Paradigm, "And add to them my dignity and grace..!!"

The front of the gigantic lance morphs, forming an immense roaring lion's head forged of the silver of Leo's enchanted swords. "WINDRAD DES WELTRAUM!!"

Chi explodes out in furious contrails as Leo dashes past the soldiers, beyond Paradigm and any Gears that were bearing down on him to do him harm. A blazing explosion of brilliant light warping through the air behind him as he slides to a stop.

COMBATSYS: NOL Security blocks Leo Whitefang's Windrad des Weltraum.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Dr. Paradigm     1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0    Leo Whitefang
[                             \  <
NOL Security     1/---====/=======|

[DR. PARADIGM]
And it would end.

As Dr. Paradigm struggles for his life, as the Gears begin to stagger around confused and under direction, Leo's evasion comes down. He goes for the remaining soldiers... well, soldier. The Sergeant was already retreating. That lone guard, the one who flummoxed Leo for too long, releases Dr. Paradigm. Throwing up his arms, he moves to defend.

He blocks, in a manner of speaking.

He does not get drilled in half. He might live, if the NOL doesn't carpet bomb the entire complex. But as the full technique of Leo rips through him, the guard pauses a moment. All the remaining guards, the wounded, the stunned, are absorbed in the wake. Before the explosion consumes around them. The flashes all rip around. The aftermath of war stretches all around.

There are no more soldiers to stand before Leo.

A one man army, who faced two armies at once. (Technically). Dr. Paradigm flaps his wings, hopping back into his bubble. And with a fresh rush of air, he blinks, looking at the everything. Bonnie flits around him. And he... mulls, rubbing his chin. He and his army works towards Leo Whitefang. Approaching him, he holds up his palms. "Ceasefire! Truce! I am hesitant to say, but I am-"

And there is another black out.

This one doesn't recover. It doesn't need to, for better or for worse. The roof top is torn open by the blasts, that tear it apart. high above the complex, a massive mushroom cloud rises, as alpha and beta radiation bombards. Dr. Paradigm stares eyes wide high above. And he pauses a moment. "Oh. we are still alive." Against the swirling clouds high above, you could almost spot the winged woman with a small blonde person clinging to him, as they fly away. "So." He scoffs. "Is that what you want to rescue?" He looks away, at Leo Whitefang. "Is that the weapon you want to claim? No, you called her a person. You humans are miserable fools, clinging to your race. But..." Dr. Paradigm sighs. "Well..."

"I will come with you then."

Dr. Paradigm blows a few bubbles in his shell. "We're not going to escape a second time. But if you are willing to cause all this chaos for a gear under the thinnest veneer of righteousness, well, I think it's important for me ot direct you on it. You seem to easily embarrassed, and... well, you do believe you are righteous, and you have -yet- to lay a hand on me, saving my life. Besides." The dragon croaks.

"You have made an excellent meat shield."

"It's absolutely delightful to see humans as meat shields for once."

[LEO WHITEFANG]
"...I think this is our cue.."

Leo grumbles as he looks up into the burning skies. He'd hoped that they'd be able to maintain -some- semblance of anonymity or that thing wouldn't get quite this out of hand but.. it was a fools hope. A vain wish, really. There's simply no turning back now. They're effectively at war on multiple fronts now.

He eyes Dr. Paradigm briefly and then turns to first address the fallen soldiers, "We did not target medical supplies. Escape this place immediately and free those who have been unjustly held captive. Your superiors -will- undoubtly seek to destroy this place to remove all evidence they ever had the Command Gear captive.

With that he turns to Paradigm, "We'll need to find additional transport to fit all of you. We had some set aside. Then we will discuss this 'meat-shield' role I seem to be in and what your next moves will be.." He grouses a little bit and then turns to try and quickly lead the way out.

Oh yes. He pauses. "And my name is not Ky Kiske. It is LEO WHITEFANG!!"

[DR. PARADIGM]
"Yes, quite."

Dr. Paradigm makes the gesture, and the gear forces combine and file together. Most of the fallen soldiers can at best groan. This was the staff, short of office jockeys and admins who -were- safe. If terrified and traumatized. Even the special forces were eliminated. The ones who started outside are less disrupted, but there is no one to stand before him. Except, of course, the sergeant, who desperately tries to reach for the warden. One wounded guard moans, as he stares at Leo Whitefang meekly, as the gears file past him 2 by 2. "L... Leo... Whitefang..." He stammers.

Before collapsing face down.

The Warden stares into the sky.

This wasn't the destruction, the purging of the site. This was an escaped prisoner. One of the max security. This was a disaster. And this wasn't even the moment where we would be purged clean. Staring into the swirl nuclear fallout, he breathes hard. The entire electrical system was down. There would be a... team here. The warden puts out his cigar. "You may think you'll get away with this. But the whole of the Novus Orbis Librarium will remember this..."

"Ky Kiske."

COMBATSYS: Dr. Paradigm has left the fight here.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Leo Whitefang    0/-------/------=|=======\====---\1     NOL Security

COMBATSYS: NOL Security takes no action.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Leo Whitefang    0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: NOL Security can no longer fight.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Leo Whitefang    0/-------/------=|

Log created on 16:25:52 04/10/2018 by Dr. Paradigm, and last modified on 00:15:45 04/14/2018.