Description: Lucia stumbles upon an Evil NESTS-related Business Deal, and decides to enforce the law. She gets Skirtified.
Softened mud sinks and oozes upward against the heavy footfalls of a single man as he descends into the gritty underbelly of Metro City, his arrival heralded by the steady fall of polluted rain from a gray, dismal looking sky. Distinct, brown eyes stare upwards towards the sky, annoyance expressing itself on an otherwise lifeless an apathetic face. The rain comes down harder the moment this man makes his arrival to the underside of Metro City's pristine bridge. This was roughly a half hour ago. The weather has not improved much since then.
Any Cartel, whatever their purpose or long-term goals, needs money. And one of the best place to get that money is outfitting young idiots with guns, providing both a decent source of income while, at the same time, perpetuating long-term violence that will lead to more business. It's a good situation to be in. And it is one of several minor functions that NESTS must occasionally resort to lowering itself to in order to receive necessary funding for various projects and research.
It is precisely for this reason that Zero finds himself here today. While these tasks can normally be dealt with by individuals much lower on the hierarchy of NESTS, the second-in-command of the cartel has other business to attend to in Metro City. This is little more than a rendezvous for him that happens to be on the way to bigger and more important things.
Which is why he deals with this somewhat minimal matter personally; he stands, at his full, impressive height, at the outer reaches of Metro City's west side today, conversing with a man that most locale law enforcement might be able to identify as a local gang leader directly under cover from the downpour of rain. Whatever they speak of is unknown; Zero merely watches on impassively as the other, smaller man talks. His skin is a touch paler than normal, his hair a distinct shade of black instead of white; his eyes an unusual brown in color, and a standard business suit dressing him. As if he would go to so insignificant a meeting in 'person.' Such disguises will suffice. After a few more words with the unkempt man at his side, Zero says little more, handing his companion a nondescript briefcase before turning crisply and beginning to walk off. Business is settled, the rest can be taken care of by others. He cares little.
He has bigger fish to fry, after all.
"Better hurry. Looks like they're getting ready to leave...they're leaving...separate directions."
"I'm coming," Lucia grunts into her radio, half-skidding down the rain-slicked hill of dead grass, doing her best to avoid the more treacherous patches of slippery mud. Her short, blonde hair is plastered to her brow, but she doesn't seem to mind. As long as it's not in her eyes, it's fine. "Follow one of them. I'll take the other."
"Roger. I'm getting a funny vibe from the big guy, so, um...if you wouldn't mind..."
"..." Geez. Walker and his 'funny vibes.' How strange that they would only occur in the beefier, more heavily-armed opponents. "I'll take care of him," she sighs, pausing to pick up a little something.
"It's not like I can kick FIRE, you know."
"I said I'll take care of it. Cutting transmissions." Lucia ends the call with some amount of annoyance. 'Kick fire.' She wouldn't go THAT far. And it's not even something she's perfected yet, that move has a long way to go before she can consider using it effectively! Grumble grumble...
As Zero departs the scene, he might notice something a little unusual. Three punks...one in leather, one in a radioactive poncho, and a bald man wearing too much yellow...are all unconscious over a dice game. Gambling's illegal, you know! But more suspicious is the large oil barrel flying in his direction. "Hold it right there! I've got some questions to ask you!" a woman's voice barks. Barrel first, questions later? Well...yeah. Welcome to Metro City.
COMBATSYS: Lucia has started a fight here.
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Lucia 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zero has joined the fight here.
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Zero 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Lucia
COMBATSYS: Zero reflects Large Thrown Object from Lucia with Hankyou.
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Zero 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Lucia
Funny vibes wouldn't even begin to explain the half of it. In fact, the feeling anyone -- even the most common observer -- would get would likely be a distinctly icy chill from the tall man as he strides back towards his awaiting vehicle. One hand slipped within the confines of his right coat pocket, the man, while tall and imposing, is seemingly unaware of his environment -- or, in that case, the giant barrel that is flying his way. Yet despite his seemingly oblivious nature, there is the subtle tensing of muscles, the very slight narrowing of eyes. Someone is here, and they're--
--Throwing a huge barrel at him.
"...I'm afraid I can't do that."
His voice comes smoothly as he grips the edge of his coat. Spinning around with a sharp pivot, Zero flings the very fringes of his expensive, feeble-looking coat towards the considerably heftier barrel. There's something amiss here, and it becomes evident right before the moment of impact: the hem of the man's coat begins to ripple like liquid, the entirety of it shifting to a black material, lined with sharp, metallic 'teeth.' It expands outward, striking the barrel with blunt concussive force... and sending it flying right back to it's origin. And in the aftermath Zero stands in his full, strange battle attire, his skirt snapping back towards him with the chime of metal.
"I have a schedule to keep."
BUT THEN--!?
The owner of the barrel is somewhat surprised to see it flying back in her direction. What the...? Then Walker WASN'T making it up about the creepy vibes! Now that she's close, she can feel it too. And no sir, she doesn't like it. She'd love to interrogate this guy, find out what he knows, what he's been up to. And that's the barrel.
Balling her hands into tight fists, Lucia narrows her eyes and charges straight forward, meeting the barrel with a savage thrust of her knee. "AUGH!!!" she roars, crippling the poor abused oil barrel and breaking it into two, jagged-edged pieces. (Coins also fall out. And while tempting to pick these up, Lucia resists the temptation.) "Schedules can be changed, buster. Tell me what you were up to, or I'll pencil you in for a detention downtown!"
BUT THEN-- Zero gets struck. It's an unexpected occurance, and one that alerts him to the fact that whoever he is dealing with is more than just a simple police officer -- though the flung barrel instead of bulletfire was a good indicator of that fact, as well. Regardless, it isn't quite in Zero's rather makeshift plans that his pursuer would simply crash through the barrel and strike him. And so, for a brief moment, he is surprised. However... 'brief' is the keyword, here.
Despite the surprising nature of the strike, Lucia's blow seems to do little but make the tall man stumble backwards a single step. He does not grunt, nor make any expression of pain. Instead, his gaze is an icy deadpan as his body twists, and his right leg snaps /upward/, intent on catching Lucia in the chin with such force that she would be knocked away like naught more than a ragdoll. "I would suggest leaving now to spare yourself from grievous harm."
COMBATSYS: Zero successfully hits Lucia with Light Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Zero 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Lucia
Lucia is knocked away like naught but a ragdoll. All according to script!
But that doesn't stop her from getting to her feet, glaring darkly at Zero as she raises her wrist to wipe the blood from her bottom lip. "Your suggestion has been noted," she replies coldly, her tone at odds with the smoldering look in her eyes. Noted, but ultimately ignored. What kind of lousy cop does he think she is?!
Not wasting any time to wipe the dust from her knees and the seat of her shorts, Lucia pushes herself off of the ground and rushes her opponent once more. She digs the toe of her sneaker into the ground as she reaches a spot three feet away from him, and takes to the sky. Lucia aims her knee to crack against Zero's jaw and send HIM flying into the air...unless he weighs a ton. But assuming he doesn't, and assuming this hits, she follows up with a series of rapid kicks aimed at his vitals to drop him.
COMBATSYS: Zero blocks Lucia's Rising Bird Kick.
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Zero 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Lucia
Zero thinks Lucia to be like any other normal cop, who would be more willing to save their own skin than uphold a futile notion like 'justice.' But once again, he is proven wrong. The fact that his advice is not taken does not overly concern him. In the scheme of things, it just means Lucia will just end up being another unfortunate who could not listen to reason. Zero rests his left hand against the small of his back as he extends his right outward. "So you choose this road." He muses aloud... just as she leaps into the air.
There is a knee that comes crashing towards Zero, but it's almost a fluid, unearthly sort of grace that brings the palm of his right hand crashing /down/ against the knee, dispersing most of the force before Lucia can even hit him with it and dismantling the rest of her technique. His palm stings from the force of the blow, but he manages to withstand it.
The moment of Lucia's impact, the vice president of NESTS' body tenses. His legs push off the ground in a quick, diagonal hop, his body somersaulting briefly through the air. His right hand gripping onto the edge of his cape, the reason for this movement soon becomes clear as the hem of his skirt lashes /outward/ in a sweeping strike, those sharp, metal teeth seeking to saw into Lucia's body without mercy.
COMBATSYS: Lucia dodges Zero's Ouga.
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Zero 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Lucia
Assuming those metal spikes aren't going to feel too good, Lucia hurls herself out of the way, tucking in her arms to hit the ground with her shoulder and roll up to one knee. Geez...this guy is dangerous! No time to call for back-up...besides, the mayor's got enough problems to deal with. If she can't beat this guy, she'll file a report later, warning the others to be careful if they meet a man with his description. (Too bad she doesn't know his real appearance.)
The leather glove on her right hand creaks as she clenches a fist, exhaling. He's tough. But so is Lucia. Mud scatters as she dashes through a puddle, spattering her legs. She draws back her fist, warning of an incoming physical attack. But when she reaches Zero, she reaches instead to grip him by the front of his fancy outfit, shifting her weight to hurl him over her shoulder at a stack of hapless crates. Maybe she'll find some vitamins in there or something nice.
COMBATSYS: Lucia successfully hits Zero with Strong Throw.
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Zero 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Lucia
It's not as if Lucia's attack is unexpected -- in fact, Zero sees it coming quite closely. Yet for /whatever/ the reason, he's not quite fast enough to react in time; instead, a simple jerk backwards proves insufficient as he's grabbed and then chucked into a series of wooden crates. The large boxes splinter and burst open with the dispersal of their contents, yet Zero does little more than grunt as he hefts himself back up onto his feet. That was unpleasant. However--
--It's not even a split second later that Zero is rushing across the distance between himself and Lucia, spinning bodily through the air in the sudden push of a leap. His intent is simple; to crash a single, powerful foot straight into Lucia's shoulder and plow her right into the ground with the full force of his leg. It's rather simplistic, but no doubt brutal and effective.
COMBATSYS: Lucia interrupts Heavy Kick from Zero with Knee and Throw.
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Zero 0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1 Lucia
Lucia thrusts both hands up to catch Zero's leg, slowing its descent enough to lessen the brutal impact it would otherwise deliver. And even then, even with the extra padding of the old vest to protect her, it still hurts like hell, and she knows there's going to be a very ugly bruise there tomorrow. As she moves to slow his strike, she brings up her leg to once again slam that knee of hers towards his gut. Once it impacts, she seizes him once again and shifts her weight to fling him away from her.
She thumbs her jawline as she takes two steps backwards, fists raised, keeping light on the balls of her feet as she regards her opponent carefully to see what his next move will be.
Thrown again, it seems, Zero goes flying backwards; whatever the intention, though, he does not go crashing like the time before. Instead, he rights himself in midair, landing deftly on his feet with little more than a small noise of effort. Lucia seems capable. As such, he remembers the sight of the woman; her face, the way she moves, the varying techniques she uses. They'll all be useful for later consideration, after all. For right now, he only has a single goal in mind; the woman's elimination, possibly her death based upon whatever threat she poses.
For right now, a simple, probing strike will suffice. Rushing across the distance between himself and Lucia, Zero is intent to deliver a simple, rapid bodyblow to the woman's gut. While simple, and while fast, it should hold enough force to stagger her, if not send her airborne from the force that Zero employs behind his fist. He's silent. After all, words are unnecessary for this situation.
COMBATSYS: Lucia blocks Zero's Quick Punch.
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Zero 0/-------/=======|=======\======-\1 Lucia
Lucia angles her body to the side, dipping to block the punch with her elbow. She glares at Zero, her breathing heavier now than when she first started. He's not like the other punks of this city. Most of them would have gone down by now. He's also surprisingly intelligent...again, not like the other punks of this city. So either they've got a visitor, or a new threat along the lines of Black or Rolento. She keeps her fists raised, eyeing him carefully...making a feinted jab now and again as she searches for an opening.
When it seems like there won't be a window of opportunity for her, Lucia decides to take the other route. There's a flare of hot chi igniting within the woman as she crouches a little lower, steadying herself for a powerful attack.
With a sudden yell, Lucia crashes towards Zero with three swift kicks aimed at his chest, dropping her leg to attack with the other and aiming another knee strike towards his stomach. He's seen it all before. But what's NEW is the flaming kick she drives at his person, bright flames surrounding her legs as she assaults Zero with all her might.
COMBATSYS: Zero blocks Lucia's Super Kick Combo.
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Zero 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Lucia
"So..." Zero muses silently, considering Lucia within than false, brown gaze.
"... you have some form of chi control."
It's a placid sort of observation that seems completely off-place in the roar of the inferno that Lucia summons up all around her. He grips on to the edge of his cape, black cloth whirling around him unnaturally as Lucia comes rushing in with all the fury in the world. His left arm sweeps up, and just as she is about to impact his chest with a foot wreathed in bright, white hot chi... he stops it with the palm of his hand.
"Not enough though, I'm afraid."
Each of Lucia's assaults, despite being rather potent in and of themselves, are all subsequently dealt with in a similar manner, his left hand swiping each one down with a series of fluid motions. Swat away with a brief throb of pain running across his arm, Zero grips the edge of his coat...
... and he strikes.
It all comes with unearthly speed. First, a simple, diagonal cape swipe, those claws seeking to tear through unsuspecting flesh. What follows is a series of brutal follow ups whether the first connects or not; multiple somersault leaps through the air that sends Zero's skirt spinning in a brutal, spiraling motion to cut through Lucia over and over, the cape expanding out longer and longer to unnatural lengths before the final, flipping strike will seek to launch the woman straight into the air, and far away from Zero himself. It seems, with the force behind this strike, he intends to end things here and now.
COMBATSYS: Zero successfully hits Lucia with Gokusa Zanjin.
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Zero 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Lucia
Ow.
It'd be nice if Lucia could summon to mind something that really does justice to having her body sliced...over...and over...and over again. But she's exhausted, in pain, and nearing the end of her rope. 'Ow' will just have to cover it, since she just doesn't give a damn about expressing her eternal fury, or shouting that it's not over yet. It's sort of clear that if it's not over soon, it will be shortly!
She drags herself to her feet, the rain washing away the blood before it has a chance to dribble thickly from her wounds. She wants to cough, but she restrains herself. Instead, she picks up a tire. And she chucks it at Zero's head. That eloquent enough for ya?
COMBATSYS: Zero blocks Lucia's Large Thrown Object.
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Zero 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Lucia
Not /quite/ eloquent enough, no. As Zero finds a /tire/ flying after him in the aftermath of his assault, the man frowns distinctly. Not because of the crudeness of the assault, he has no qualms with that; rather, the fact that she is still /up/ is the thing that really perturbs the man the most. He had thought the assault would be enough to finish her off without much difficulties, but apparantly that is not to be. Instead, there is a tire flinging at him, and inglorious as it may be, it is dealt with similarly; a single hand swipes down, smashing the thing directly into the dirt with little more than a heave of effort. "Impossible." He says. But there she is. So what is his solution?
Mirroring the girl pursuing him, Zero leans forward, and kicks up a single piece of wood -- a remnant from the barrel. Letting it fly up through the air, at the last second he spins and /slams/ his foot into it, sending that small board of wood flinging forward to strike Lucia solidly across the forehead with little more than a 'hmph' of effort.
COMBATSYS: Zero successfully hits Lucia with Thrown Object.
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Zero 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Lucia
Plink!
Now that's just embarrassing. What would normally send Lucia reeling backwards to collapse into a puddle and just gasp for breath while struggling for consciousness...instead just plain pisses her off. Punks. No respect for the men/women in blue. None! All right, then...
Spitting to the side, Lucia glares...very unsteadily as she swerves to stay on her feet...she launches herself at Zero for a final last-ditch assault. "Haaaaaaahhhhh!!!" she bellows, leaping into the air to attack with a spinning kick that TOTALLY has nothing to do with Ken or Ryu's attack. Or Guy's. Or a handful of other Capcom characters.
COMBATSYS: Lucia has reached second wind!
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Zero 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Lucia
COMBATSYS: Zero counters Demented Hurricane Kick from Lucia with Forcefield.
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Zero 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Lucia
"Insufficient."
It's the only thing that Zero says as Lucia makes a sudden comeback. Yet even despite that supposedly final blow... she gets up and rushes at him again. A brow raises, a displeased look plastering itself over Zero's features as he takes a good, long look at Lucia. She runs forward sluggishly. Predictably. But she still stands. "... You are moving far too slowly."
The reason for this statement should become plainly obvious to Lucia the moment that her chi-laced kick comes full swing upon Zero. Instead of striking flesh of battlesuit, she instead strikes a solid wall of invisible force; the moment of impact, a rippling wave of royal purple chi becomes visible, crackling distinctly with power. Zero does not even bother to /look/ at Lucia as the barrier of chi suddenly spits out a significantly powerful charge of chi-borne electrical current, coursing through Lucia's body and sending her flying away from the NESTS executive.
Ow. Again, ow. The electrical current did NOT feel good, especially since she's soaked to the skin from all of the rain and mud. It made her one big power conductor, and she's feeling the hurt. And still...she rises to her hands and knees, coughing. Her hair is filthy, clinging to her brow, her cheeks, the nape of her neck. If she actually survives this, she's going to drop herself into the bathtub more than a few times.
Limbs trembling, she places a hand on her leg, then pushes herself to her feet once again. "...s'not over..." she pants for breath, glaring tiredly at her opponent. "I won't...won't let you get away..." Spitting a glob of saliva and blood to the ground, she again (foolishly) charges Zero, drawing back her fist to drive it into his face.
COMBATSYS: Lucia successfully hits Zero with Strong Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Zero 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Lucia
She should not still be up. She shouldn't, but she is, and Zero is going to have to take a moment simply to consider the proper way to end her before she becomes a significant problem. Gray eyes narrowing as Lucia comes rushing in again, he is prepared to establish a block -- but it doesn't quite happen that way. Instead, he finds himself struck harshly in the face, sent staggering back a solid step or two before shaking his head, and frowning once more. Blood flows from the corner of his lip. He looks displeased.
"I will give you one last chance to leave." He states plainly, even as he stands firm. Opting against attacking, he instead allows his suit to work on healing him of whatever minor injuries he's sustained, restoring minor functions. "If you do not, you will receive no mercy."
COMBATSYS: Zero gains composure.
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Zero 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Lucia
Lucia narrows her eyes. Somehow, she doubts this guy knows what mercy is. "I will not," she replies tiredly, but firmly. This city may be polluted, infested with crime, and generally a terrible place to live. But it's her home, and she loves it enough to protect it with her life. She shakes her head for a moment, raising her hand to steady herself. Geez, she's dizzy. But as long as she knows where he is...that dark blur over there being a jerk...she can keep fighting. For now, she can keep going on.
Those sorry sneakers are a brown mess now as Lucia dashes in yet again. She declines an attack from her fists this time, scissoring her legs apart to give her more momentum for a sliding elbow slam aimed at Zero's throat.
COMBATSYS: Lucia successfully hits Zero with Dashing Elbow.
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Zero 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Lucia
She won't leave. And it seems that Zero's attempts to guard himself are once again thrown at the wayside in the wake of the woman's sudden, thrusting elbow lancing into his throat. There is a small, gurgling noise that follows it as Zero staggers backwards one step, and then a second... but moments afterwards, his body steels itself, his legs tense, and his fist clenches. He has had enough. And now, he intends to end things immediately.
That end comes -- potentially -- in the form of a sudden, solid punch that is aimed right for Lucia's gut. It's a simple bodyblow, but the point is that it comes with blinding speed -- intent on slamming itself into her stomach and sending her toppling towards the ground and, hopefully, out of the fight.
COMBATSYS: Zero successfully hits Lucia with Jagai Kusetsu.
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Zero 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Lucia
Down she goes again! These things have a bad habit of repeating themselves, don't they? "Ungh!" she grunts as she slams into the mud, skidding a couple of feet before she reaches out with a clawed hand to drag herself to a stop. She wheezes painfully, her stomach muscles contracted in a futile attempt to stop the blow from hurting. But truthfully, her whole body hurts. An end to all of this wouldn't be too bad, would it...?
And yet, she's on her feet. Or her foot. The other is dragged behind her as she shambles forward, and launches herself at Zero...once again...with her best spinning Capcom-patented kick. As mentioned, these things have a bad habit of repeating themselves.
COMBATSYS: Lucia can no longer fight.
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Zero 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Zero counters Demented Hurricane Kick from Lucia with Forcefield.
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Zero 0/-------/--=====|
Repeating themselves, indeed. And much like before, things rotate full circle; Lucia goes spinning away and, Zero, much worse for wear than even he would care to admit, turns to walk off just as silently as before. However -- as he turns his back to the policewoman, Zero is not unaware of the fact that she flings herself towards him once more. His eyes close, his cape rustling behind him with the softest, eery chime of metal. That spinning kick comes.
"Your insistence is not a strong point."
Zero doesn't even turn. Back still facing Lucia, the moment that kick should strike his head, it is instead intercepted by that shimmering field of violet chi. Once more, is power shuddered through her body, even more violently than before; to fry flesh, and perhaps even make a mess of internal organs as Lucia is once more flung away. And all the while, Zero continues walking, his stride calm. She was worth remembering. And worth keeping alive, if only to see how her talents would bloom.
"Perhaps, if you survive this... we will meet again."
COMBATSYS: Zero takes no action.
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Zero 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Zero has ended the fight here.
Log created on 00:36:33 04/18/2007 by Zero, and last modified on 02:30:45 05/20/2007.