Match of the Millennium

Description: When she loses the module to the shinobi, Noboru, it may have seemed that she reached a dead end for her ambitions. However, a single piece of data from the shinobi who fought her gives her thread of hope a tug, leading the mercenary to accept an Ultratech contract involving deadly werewolves in Mumbai. However, before she can track down the targets, her corporate benefactor sends their own team made up entirely of black bag technology to the rally point to help secure the targets. But how is she going to respond when the robotic soldiers -- known only as DTs -- immediately identify her as a lycanthropic threat? Will she be able to defeat them before they can uplink and report the deviance, destroying her cover?

[SHINA]
The city of Mumbai. Modern metropolis and one of the largest cities on the planet. Certainly one of the most densely crowded. Hot and sunny, the rains of summer far off yet. Teeming with people, among them a blonde French woman in fatigue pants and a tank top to fend off the steaming weather. Her thumb rubs along the flat of a flash drive like a worry stone. Her thoughts ran over the information that had been on that flash drive. She had a lead on her father. Or, what might be her father. She hopes it is not. Because the words on the folder stood out to her as a sign of what she feared.

'Zoanthropic Liberation Front'. And while that name alone wasn't setting off alarm bells, that they seemed to be a catspaw for DOATEC to handle their opposition through terrorism sat sour in Shina's gut. Alan Gado, her father and a zoanthrope like herself, was a good man. A mercenary king she respected, who raised her. Mercenary or not, he always acted with a conscience. But to be a catspaw for a corporation, and worse, doing so pretending to be for zoanthropes, that stuck in Shina's mind. She had to seek things out, she had to find her father and determine if it was him working for DOATEC.

In doing so, she swallowed her own pride and took a job from Ultratech. Hunting dangerous werewolves. She was made for this hunt. She couldn't let innocents be slaughtered by Darkstalkers. Even if she didn't trust the megacorp's interest in the situation, if her goals aligned with theirs in this moment, then she was fine with taking their money.

Shina comes out of her thoughts. She pockets the flash drive and brings her attention to her surroundings. It had been difficult establishing a rally point in a place like Mumbai. Very few places would afford the space and privacy for the equipment and needs of the Ultratech retrieval team. But one had been found. Located in the substructure of a computer farm, the below ground facility was accessible from the street level and while poorly lit it could serve its purpose.

Shina's boots scrape on the stare as she enters. Her eyes shine with unnatural light. She can see in the dim and dark. But she doesn't see what she's heading into.

[TSINGHUA]
As Shina would enter deeper into the facility, bright, fluorescent lights would begin to illuminate the inside clearly. Rows and rows of tall, black boxes, with only narrow room between each. Each pair of rows was set up to have plenty of walkway between them, creating the image of many hallways- each lined with the large computers. The brightness of the lighting was almost sickening, the pale concrete outer walls barely absorbing the light.

The French Zoanthrope might find herself wandering for just a few minutes, the massive facilty perhaps creating the somewhat eery sense of a liminal space. But that feeling would likely cease when the Mechanical Soldier finally comes into view. When Shina would turn a corner, in fact- It was standing still, there in one of the hallways, Computers on either side of the Model.

The moment that Line of sight became possible, the unit's head turned to face Shina, accompanied by the zooming sound of Actuators mimicking the motions of human muscle. It had a rectangular shape, though tapers off somewhat toward the top. Instead of eyes, A glowing,vertical bar glowing a bright yellow ran across it's 'face'. It's torso part is a thick, broad-shouldered chassis of metal and exposed wiring that gets significantly less wide as it tapers down the the waist, whereupon a pair of Angular robotic legs roots it to the ground. It's knee parts seem to be extra reinforced, below which more wiring is visible. It's arms are mounted with two different weapons. On the left, a cannon modeled after the M61 Vulcan, capable of a repeated stream of bullets to rip apart it's unlucky target. On the right, A large, spherical bludgeon with a net of wires running across it's surface.

"Analysing.. Shina Gado." A deep, mechanized voice emerges from it's internal speakers, as the lit-up bar across it's face flashes on and off.

[SHINA]
Bright lights. Pupils narrow. A wince. Shina curses under her breath at the sickening, sterile lighting. Her hand raises to the level of her eyes. She had just gotten to where she was getting comfortable. Squinting, the young mercenary looks over the narrow stacks of racks and stalks forward a few steps.

A confused, questioning grunt bubbles up from her chest. Her head tilts. She squints, both to see and to try and sense out what in the hell has gotten here. This was supposed to be a rally point, a dingy and empty little cell to drop off and meet up. Not some kind of intelligence facility. A few choice words roll through the back of her mind when she realizes just what she might be in for.

'Shina Gado', a portmanteau between her assumed name and her birth one. Not a terribly good sign from the machine man. One that suggests that her benefactor did their own research. Though, in reality, it is not as though the young Gado has done much to hide herself. The name Shina was as much taken on to make her own name aside from her father's wishes as it was to give her any sense of cover. But given her unstated goal of uncovering her father's culpability in the Zoanthrope Liberation Front, she had to take any sign of awareness as it came.

"Tin soldier," she says. Her hand rests on her hip, she is alert now, every fiber of her body screaming in aggression. There wasn't suppose to be anyone here. And ULTRATECH sent a robot.

[TSINGHUA]
It's strange, how it didn't seem there were any Ultratech handlers in sight, no human ones, that is. Perhaps they trust this model to manage itself up until extraction. Technically, they send it to assist Jeanne, is it supposed to follow her orders? It is momentarily unclear. The Dynrakat 01 finishes his scan, the sound of it's artifical muscles moving as it straightens up.

"Confirming."

It says, before seeming to start -another- scan, the bar on it's face flashing once again. *Thump* It's metal leg takes a heavy step forward, clashing loudly with the hard floor.

"Threat confirmed, beginning action to subdue. Summoning backup."

That would be all the warning Shina would be afforded, as the Dynarakt's Vulcan cannon began to spin- A whirring sound of greased metal scraping against itself. The crack of electricy surges through it's other arm, coils of lightning surging across the spherical mace.

A setup, or a misidentification?

[SHINA]
Shina tends to prefer a solo operation. She hasn't lead many troops, that was always more of her father's thing. She liked a good fight. She preferred being in the thick of things. With the rush of combat around her, the world was clear. It was all on her. She hadn't had to concern herself with squadmates. But that was then.

Now she stood in a crowded room with a robot staring her down. Her head tilts, was it squaring up? Could a robot square up? Would one? The thoughts bounced about her head for as long as it took for her to hear the mechanical response.

"What are you doing, you stupid machine?" Shina wonders, but she knows what the machine man intends. She snorts, her boot scraping the floor as her leg slides back to a ready posture. "You want a threat? Then I will give you one."

This, after the run in with that weird ninja in the deadzone? Yeah, Shina was starting to dislike these tin soldiers and robots.

COMBATSYS: Shina has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shina            0/-------/-------|

[TSINGHUA]
She would have to fight, as there didn't seem to be anyone in the area to disable to machine- Although perhaps this was intentional. An obvious danger in giving a robot this much autonomy is made clear by it's assault- It can have trouble differentiating between specifics.

As the words leave Shina's mouth, the bot -thrusts- forward, a booster on it's back pushing it toward the Zoanthrope at frightening speed. It pushes it's arms and legs back, and it's torso forward. Seemingly aimed at slamming it's full metal weight into hers!

COMBATSYS: Dynarakts brings its battle systems online.

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Shina            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0        Dynarakts

COMBATSYS: Dynarakts successfully hits Shina with Jet Killer.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Shina            0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0        Dynarakts

[SHINA]
Bang!

The force of the bot bluntly bashing into Shina blasts her back against the racks. Crashing, the the frames bend and crack, lights blinking wildly as the systems shudder. The young woman spits out a mixture of pain and frustration. She pulls herself forward and feels a sudden scream in her ribs.

Yes, she really does hate robots now.

She slumps forward and looks about. She has to take this thing down quickly. But she also needs to give herself better positioning.

She surges forward, rushing down the machine and taking a darting leap for the soldier's shoulders. She wants to move, to press herself out of the way of that things big mace and the vulcan.

Stay moving, stay alive. The thoughts her mantra as she takes to trying a springboarding kick off the Dynrakat's bulk.

COMBATSYS: Dynarakts just-defends Shina's Scramble Snatch!

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Shina            0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0        Dynarakts

[TSINGHUA]
As a robot, it doesn't show any satisfaction at seeing Shina crash against the racks. While brutally efficient, the bot doesn't quite move swiftly enough to capitalize on its advantage. At least in between its attacks, it moves almost lethargically- Giving Jeanne ample time to make her counterassault.

*THUD*

The sound of her boots hitting the Dynarakt's shoulder echoes through the concrete walls. And frustratingly, it barely seems fazed. In fact, it didn't even budge or shift under her weighted kick. Yet, she is able to leap behind it without issue. The model's heavy legs begin to slowly turn it around.

Though unexpectedly, behind Shina, the sound of muffled, rapid footsteps becomes audible! A smaller figure leaps toward her with a metal leg outstretched- Full well intent to slam it into Jeanne's back.

COMBATSYS: Shina dodges Dynarakts' Strong Kick.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Shina            0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0        Dynarakts

[SHINA]
That thing didn't give a damn about Shina's attack. Took it in stride and kept on ticking. Normally, a problem, but the movement allowed for Shina to have a bit of time and get one step ahead of the coming counter attack. The heavy thing was big, slow, ponderous. That was something she knew she could handle. Or so she thought before, but that ninja suggested otherwise.

She couldn't focus on the troubles of before. Not in the heat of combat. And especially not when something touches on her hearing. A coming figure. She twists, rolling to the ground and with a feline grace the heavy leg swings to catch only air.

The momentum of Shina's kicking roll brings her twisting onto her shoulders and with a powerful kick, she vaults back up to her feet. More opponents? This was seeming more trap by the moment. But she was ready this time. She wouldn't accept having her back to the wall again.

If this thing was mechanical, Shina thought, she should see how it handles a little shock. Swiftly, she shoots forward. A fearless, bordering on reckless, approach that sees the young woman crackle with energy and crash toward the robot with a flurry of stabbing, sparking kicks. Each snapping heel and toe sparking with violet lightning.

COMBATSYS: Shina successfully hits Dynarakts with Trident Shout.

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Shina            0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0        Dynarakts

[TSINGHUA]
With Jeanne now turned around, the details of the second assailant become more clear. As a first, this thing was a lot slimmer than the other, although only slightly shorter. Sleeker too, potentially a newer model. Its head was rounded and smooth, with a U-shaped visor like slit as it's 'eyes'. Its chassis did not have the same exposed wires as the larger model. Its body was, however, still plated. Especially at the chest and shoulders. The waist seemed less armored, as to hinder its mobility less. Its arms were mounted with a different pair of weapons. A long, purple glowing whip coiled around its forearm on the right, and on the left, it had a proper hand and fingers wielding a dangerous looking knife.

The sleek bot landed with a cushioned thump, its feet seem to be padded with something to dampen its footsteps. The first model only just finished turning around, and with Shina's speed, she was onto her target before it could defend itself. A rapid barrage of electrified snapping kicks slamming into its lower back rhythmically. The Purple lighting surges its chassis, crackling outward. Its frame crumples to the ground, overloaded temporarily.

Shina might turn to see a spherical hole open up in the first unit's chest- A yellow glow growing brighter and brighter and brighter inside it. Only for it to release outward toward Shina, a pressurized laser of concentrated energy. It would both impact and burn, should it connect.

COMBATSYS: Dynarakts successfully hits Shina with Chaos Laser.

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Shina            0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0        Dynarakts

[SHINA]
A bolt of energy. A searing pain. Not fast enough. Shina beats for a retreat. Two on one are not odds she wants to deal with. She can't take this on for long, not against advanced robotics. She curses, again, the use of tin soldiers.

She snaps her head around, paying attention for the door. An escape route. She needs to keep one in mind. She can't have this go south. But she knows she's not in a good place. She knows she has to do what she can.

She feels a bubbling within, the beast inside. And she quells it for the moment. It isn't quite that time. She has to keep a head and calm. She has to know what her enemy is and how to take it down.

Disheveled, she stills her breathing and she opens her senses. Hands twitching, muscle shifting. A low growl comes from her throat.

COMBATSYS: Shina focuses on her next action.

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Shina            0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0        Dynarakts

[TSINGHUA]
A retreat would not be a bad idea. Thinking back on how she got here, it would be a corridor or two until the known exit. The big one would perhaps not be able to keep up with her, though the other is a differing story. For now, however, the slimmer unit twitches, before rising to its feet. Then, it seemed to dash away, slipping behind a corner and out of sight. What is its clever AI planning?

The first Dynarakt stomps forward, toward the pained Jeanne. The legs coil up, before it springs forward- Another surprising burst of speed from the unit. This time, it holds the electrified mace at it's side, then tracing it upward in conjunction with the forwards dash. The spherical head threatens to slam into Jeanne's torso from below- both smashing and shocking!

COMBATSYS: Shina interrupts Suppressive Raid from Dynarakts with Rising Razor.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Shina            1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1        Dynarakts

COMBATSYS: Shina blitzes into action and acts again!

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Shina            1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1        Dynarakts

COMBATSYS: Shina successfully hits Dynarakts with Assault Blow.

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Shina            1/--=====/=======|=======\=====--\1        Dynarakts

[SHINA]
The cry that comes from Jeanne Gado starts as the furious, pained grunt of an angry young woman. It changes, though, growing inhuman and snarling. A guttural rumbling of an engine spitting to life. With the noise, so too changes the woman making it. Her frame bulks up, thickening muscle strains her outfit. A rippling coat of dark rosettes bloom on a tawny pelt. A slapping hand ceases to be human as tendon and bone warps the palm to a pad and fingertips to raking claws.

The wereleopard rises, smashing bodily through the crashing mace's head. Damn the pain and shocking force, Shina herself generates a not dissimilar field. Her claws rip against the robot. Lifting the mechanical man and leaving it up for her continuing, rushing assault.

The feline fighter drops into a low crouch, tail lashing back and forth and her slitted pupils narrowing onto the prey. She surges forward, yowl splitting off the walls of the rally point, her body sheathing in violent violet sparks. Heavy claws on her feet dig into the ground, making cuts as she charges. Her body slicking down to the more slight human form with as much as as she took to her bestial side.

Her arm cocks back, locking like the hammer of a gun. It cracks with lightning when she fires an intercepting fist to hammer the lumbering bot with a shucking knuckle.

[TSINGHUA]
If this thing could have emotions, doubtless, it would be afraid right about now.

Indeed, Jeanne utterly shatters through its first attack, charging through the mace with reckless, though skilled abandon. With the huge strength of her transformation, the claws dig in and upward to toss the massively heavy unit in the air for a few vital moments. Shina is charging up as it comes falling back down- And the hammering fist that followed crashed into the heavy frame. Electricity coursing through, the force of the blow causes the Dynarakt 01 to rocket backwards! It crashes into one of the computers, the large black box denting in the middle as it's insides shatter and fry- Not unlike what's currently happening to the robot.

It was a significant turn in her favor- The model was currently unmoving, slumped against the box. There was one more to worry about, however; Shina might then not be surprised to find that the sleeker Dynarakt 03 had perched itself on one of the boxes, Diagonally behind her. Its shoulder opens up, and out slides a rectangular box mounted on a thin standard... How did that fit in there? Nontheless, it rises above the 03, the side facing Shina is full of small holes.

"Target Locked"

Warns the robotic voice, how considerate. Then, dozens of tiny rockets begin to shoot out of the shoulder-mounted cannon- They're like wasps! A spreading barrage of these homing projectiles launch at the Zoanthrope, each threatening to explode across her body- Individually not very powerful, but they make up for that with numbers!

COMBATSYS: Shina dodges Dynarakts' Missile Illusion.

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Shina            1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0        Dynarakts

[SHINA]
How did that thing fit missiles into it? All the same, there is a touch of thanks to be given to the robots tinny voice giving a degree of consideration to Shina's well being. The bitty-barrage is still a hell of a sting if the they connect. But that moment of consideration is what Shina needs to stay one step ahead of the swarm.

Down she drops, low beside a server. A heartbeat and her body shifts into her bestial side. She dashes forward and rolls. Tucking tail, she uncurls on the other side of the missiles. A deft duck that leaves the explosives blasting behind her. Parts and plastic go flying, shorting sparks and the lights of equipment wink out one by one by one. Just too slow to hit their target, but plenty fast enough to damage ULTRATECH's gear.

Shina's pace stays steady, but her breathing's picked up huffing. She's being run down by the bots, and it's only a matter of time before she's burned. She has to stay in her own head, she knows this, and as her shape slicks sleek to human, she goes for the smaller Dynarakt.

Her charge comes with a sharp kick to the box underneath the little bot. And a following up snag to swing and hurl the small robot toward its larger brethren.

COMBATSYS: Dynarakts blocks Shina's Combo Grapple.

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Shina            1/--=====/=======|======-\-------\0        Dynarakts

[TSINGHUA]
The barrage of wasps was rendered inefficent by Jeanne's clever, and speedy dodge. Going under them rendered them with no time to turn back around. Some of them explode against the computer boxes, causing those to ignite- Thankfully, there is no flammable material nearby for the blaze to spread. The subsequent destruction of the 03's box forces it to jump off, and Shina is successful in grasping and flinging the model away. It would feel a lot lighter then the larger model, comparetively. Though with its agility, it manages to tuck into a roll right before colliding with the ground, and its mechanical partner-in-crime. Then, it takes a knee, and the speakers activate again. Both of them, in fact- Two mechanized voices overlapping with eachother as both of them stare at Shina with their cameras.

"ANALYZING"
"ANALYZING"

Scanning, again. This time not to scan -what- she is, but -how- she moves.

COMBATSYS: Dynarakts focuses on its next action.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Shina            1/--=====/=======|======-\-------\0        Dynarakts

[SHINA]
A moment to breath. However, Shina cares little to take that moment and the robots don't need to breath period. The battle rages on, and Shina thrives in the heart of the fight. She stalks on broken boots over a floor scuffed by metal, scorched by missiles, and stained with blood from lacerations from the werebeast. All these things, she can smell, she knows they're there, evidence of her. Evidence of what she is and the sign that a company like Ultratech will be ready and willing to take advantage of what was made of her to their own goals.

She can't run yet. She has to finish this thing. Her eyes focus down on her target. On her prey. No use in taunting a machine. It's just time to bare herself and open the beast.

She surges forward and humanity tears away in a flash. Claws rake the air with the practice of striking fists. Three in a distinctly trained jab, cross, uppercut pattern. Finishing with a low leg lock and swipe as she drops down to take the legs out of the heavyweight bot. To see how true the adage of "The bigger they are, harder they fall" is.

COMBATSYS: Shina successfully hits Dynarakts with Fierce Combo.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Shina            1/---====/=======|=======\=------\1        Dynarakts

[TSINGHUA]
Surging past the Sleeker bot, Shina begins to assault the heavyweight. It had just gotten up from its slumped position, finishing it's scan. Its damaged acutators couldn't keep up with Shina's speed, as her claws began to tear through the exposed wirings. At that, the 01's heavy arms fell limply at its sides. Absolutely no defence left as the leg takedown sends it crashing into the concrete hard! It stirred a final time- Yet the light glowing from the bar on its face dimmed, then vanished. Its systems coming to a close, sparks flying from the damaged interior.

Behind Shina, the 03 dashed in close- Very close. Inches away, if it could manage. "Initalizing" the robotic voice was glitchy, like its speakers had been damaged. Energy began to emerge from the 03's body. A shimmering, purple forcefield expanding outwardly into a bubble rapidly, closing in to smash against and launch away Shina should the robot manage to stay close!

COMBATSYS: Dynarakts has suffered catastrophic damage and fallen offline.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shina            1/---====/=======|

COMBATSYS: Dynarakts successfully hits Shina with Demon Shield.
- Power hit! -

[                        \\\\\\  <
Shina            2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|

[SHINA]
Shina rises over the fallen bot. The wereleopard's predatory face impassive, inhuman, lip curling to show heavy fangs. She growls, the sound rumbles deep from her chest. A chuffing snort, and Shina places a paw on the body of the robot, looking down, claws out and at the ready in case it moves again. In case it rises up with some new and deadlier machine malice.

But it does not.

The leopard's tail lashes angrily. But Shina can see it's done now. She is, in that moment, not considering the survival of the smaller drone. One not entirely slaved to the other. Her ear twitches. She twists. 03 leaps through the air. She barely has time to try and lift her arms to defend herself.

The blast throws her off her feet. Her yowl splits the air like a razor. She flies bodily through the air. She slams against the wall. The air forced out of her lungs by the hit. She lands, all fours, on the ground and pants. Her head snaps up. Her ears ring in pain. Her body screams in anger and ache.

The leopard pounces the smaller unit. Gripped, violent violet lightning crackles over her claws as she pulls. Metal creaks. Joints whine. Screws and seams pop and snap. Metal plates and limb of the little robot break and wrench free in the angry shocking claws of the wereleopard. Rending the machine and leaving pieces strewn and tossed about; wires, actuators, plastic chips rent and left in pieces. Not a hunter's cleanliness. Not a mercenary's strike. The robot is treated to a fury.

And so too is the rest of the rally point. Torn, clawed, raged at. Left in sparking, scorched rubble. A wreckage left in the wake of the zoanthrope.

Only after does she resume her human form. Her clothing torn, seams strained and popped, hanging off of her ragged and battered form as she staggers toward the exit of the rally point.

She slips against the door and catches her breath. Her hand runs through her mussed short brush of blonde hair. She reaches into her pocket to pull out the flash drive. Still in tact, she notices. Giving the small piece of plastic a kiss for luck, she knows she's still got a lot more to do in figuring out what her Father is up to. But if this is how ULTRATECH operates, she can only wonder how DOATEC is handling her kind.

COMBATSYS: Shina has ended the fight here.

Log created on 12:39:02 02/17/2022 by Shina, and last modified on 23:48:25 03/09/2022.