Description: Rock Howard is on a mission to free some POW's from a Prison Camp. He doesn't expect to run into the NESTS Vice President, recently seen kidnapping Akira. Misery ensues.
Chachoengsao, better known as Paet Riu, is a small town 100 kilometers east of Bangkok. Small by those proportions, the city has a rich and diverse history in military conflict due to its location off the Bang Pakong River. Centuries ago, even, the township served as one of the primary recruiting regions for the country's military forces.
Blessed, and cursed, with the ruins of these ancient fortifications - today the land lining the Pakong houses a recently erected encampment for alleged war criminals. But when your ruling body is governed by Lord Vega and Shadaloo, questions of what constitutes a war criminal become questionable at best. Most of these men and women, even children, are patriots fighting to free their country from his psycho-power enhanced grip. They ended up here because they were captured fighting, either with weapons or words.
Erected around the ruins of the old recruitment base, Shadaloo put hasty barbed fencing, some fortified watch towers, and a series of slovenly bamboo cages for to keep the prisoners. When not being detained in their cells, the captured are forced to toil in one of the enclosed fields, performing menial digging tasks to tire them out so they can't even consider escape.
Rock Howard hangs in a quarter of a mile up the river, wearing a pair of black fatigues, a black t-shirt, and a black bandana to keep his blond hair tied back. Watching a Shadaloo jeep roll up to the barbed gates of the complex, Howard watches how the soldiers - lazy with fatigue from the brutal heat off the river basin - wave the vehicle in with only a cursory appraisal. It shouldn't be hard to get in there, cause enough mayhem and confusion for the prisoners to break for the jungle, and then disappear back into it.
The capital of the Chachoengsao Province -- of similar name -- was at one time a more peaceful location, relatively speaking. Though its rich history meant this was not the first time it had experienced the rigors and hell that is war, this is the first time the capital itself has been occupied and demented and malformed into a prison camp. 'War criminals' are held here under the mighty iron grip of Lord Vega and Shadaloo forces.
'War criminals,' however, in the end only amount to those who have no place in Vega's twisted world to come.
Chachoengsao retains only a glimmer of its former beauty, now. Located within the city, the oldest temple of the province still stands -- Wat Sothornwararamworaviharn, otherwise known as the Wat Hong. Now, this temple is used as the base of operations for the Shadaloo forces here, and while the outside remains pristine, the inside has been desecrated with smoke and blood and the presence of a cruel dictator's equally unforgiving soldiers. War is hell -- being stuck in a prison camp is no better. Especially one occupied with forces the likes of Shadaloo.
As Rock approaches, though, he may make note of one thing of particular interest; it's not just Shadaloo soldiers that move in and out of the prison camp. Of note, a large, black van pulls up to the front of the gate -- one that seems more for -transport- than any other real military usage. The Shadaloo soldiers actually stop here, as men exit the vehicle: soldiers dressed in notably -different- uniforms than the Shadaloo standard, and at least one man garbed in the distinct whites of a scientist's lab coat. There is a moment of discussion, before the van is let in, only coming to a stop when they are close to one of the main holding compounds for prisoners in this camp.
Soldiers exit the vehicle once more, as well as that seeming lab technician and one other. A man wearing distinctly elegant black business attire -- somewhat off for the setting they happen to be in -- with white hair, dark skin, and unmistakeably cold gray eyes. Rock may remember him, and he'd do well to.
There are not many people like Zero, after all.
"Take only the ones that look to be the strongest," Zero cooly remarks to the lab technician as they exit the van. Nodding once, the man leaves towards the compound, leaving Zero to stare upwards towards the sky. There are other uses for prisoners beyond execution, after all. It is another small benefit of alliances during war. NESTS have found themselves... with a fresh batch of guinea pigs ripe for the picking. And Zero is here to collect.
Sagat heads back to the Thailand main area.
Rock creeps a little bit closer; staying close to cobblestone road leading into the prison complex but deep enough into the foliage as to avoid a casual notice. He's not a ninja like Kirishima or Guy but he's a professional fighter. He knows how to move and he's doing a decent job of masking his slow advance.
That all ends when the black van drives by. Freezing in place to track it's approach up to the chainlinked gates, Rock holds a breath deep and low in his throat until the unusual van is waved in. Black vans approaching War Prisons are not something you see every day. Rock's seen enough movies to know that he should chill out at least until the van's occupants are clear of the complex.
But fate intervenes. The minute Rock's red eyes lock onto the back of that familiar profile, his spine goes straight and cold, like something reached into his back and started shaking it with a handful of ice cubes. He feels the cold sweat on his back and neck, his eyes slowly thinning as memory races back to his mind. He remembers that man. He recognizes that man. That man was in Southtown. He's the one with the lion. He's the one that tried to kidnap Akira
Rage floods into Rock's mind. He doesn't react rationally to what is going on. He's a teenager with burning blood. He's not smart enough to realize it would make more sense to wait it out and see what NESTS is doing. Maybe trail their van, find our where they are stationed, and then relay the information to the resistance. No, Rock is a teenager and teenager's react on emotion and absolutes. In this case - he wants to know who hell this guy is and he wants to punch this mysterious man in the throat because he's a very, very, bad person.
Like a Comanche, Rock explodes out of the bushwork. He doesn't give any warning beyond his primeval scream before he's swinging his arms forward, sending two cutting slices of chi energy up the street to detonate at the base of the two watch towers positioned on the sides of the main gate. They might not be powerful enough to topple the structures like his father's Reppukens, but they should crack the egg open enough that Rock can blitzkrieg through the perimeter and do something twice as stupid.
Teenagers. Predictable anger issues are a bane to them, but a boon to anyone they make their enemies. This is especially true of teenage fighters and, while some like Rock hold a wealth of potential, their own anger can sometimes be their undoing.
It's this very anger that makes Rock's presence known before he likely should have announced himself. The men pile out of that van, and while there are several soldiers, it's clear that there's more than ample room for others within the back of that large vehicle. Zero does not move from his position by the van; apparently, he is allowing his would-be 'assistant' to do the honors of plucking the best and the most viable from the proverbial herd. And he is intent to stay there--
--At least, until Rock makes his dramatic entrance.
The soldiers have all but shuffled into the compound the moment that explosions rock the very ground, those deafening -BOOMS- more than enough to catch Zero's attention. In stark contrast to Howard's rage, the NESTS executive's gaze is unnervingly calm as it turns towards the source of the blast. Too far away and too filled with smoke to see who, or what, is making the assault, the white-haired man stands perfectly still as a small group of Shadaloo soldiers surge past him. "... hm."
He makes no motion. The sudden detonations of power coming directly after NESTS' arrival couldn't just be coincidence. Not to him. So the man prepares, his left hand pressing comfortably against the small of his back as his right tenses at his side, adopting a stance that seems a far throw away from any conventional fighting posture. But those lifeless eyes say it all. He's prepared.
Zero takes several steps forward moments after the troops rush off before him, shooting wildly at the dust. They probably won't amount to much of a threat for what is coming. Instead, the NESTS Vice President begins a slow, calm advance towards the source of the blast, eyes searching. So -- what has Thailand's resistence conjured up to interfere with his plans -this- time?
COMBATSYS: Zero has started a fight here.
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Zero 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zero focuses on his next action.
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Zero 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zero
Charybdis heads back to the Thailand main area.
The Reppukens do their work better than Rock expected. As their resulting explosion sends a chasm of smoke shooting past him, he braces for what he knows is to come. There were too many Shadaloo and mysterious soldiers in the compound to not expect some of them to have the heart to fight back. He's glad for that because it's been too long since he got such an opportunity.
Breaking forward into a run, Rock meets the men spilling out of the front gates head on - the swirling smoke of the Reppukens doing enough to provide cover from their weapons. Bullets whistle past him, nipping at his shoulders, but Rock is a professional fighter trained by Geese Howard. Dodging small arms fire is nothing compared to trying to counter Rashoumon.
Coming up on the first flank with a rushing hiss of wind around his body, Howard explodes into a leap that carries his knee crashing hard for one of the soldier's chests. It drives him back into the man behind him, as Rock's feet plant back into the dirt and he ducks his torso low in a sweeping manner to dodge the return fire. Coming out of it the slicing crouch like this were all some sort of orchestrated dance manuever, he explodes his fist into the forehead of another soldier, pivots around on his toe, and sends a chi-swallowed fist crashing into the ground. It blossoms outward into a half-spheroid of power, the crust of the ground cracking open in a spiderwebbing series of rends, and knocks the men back like ragdolls in a hurricane.
Rising up through the smoke of the improvised Power Dunk, Howard takes a pair of deliberate steps forward towards the gate; letting the columns of chi remnant coil around his approaching figure. "Call your dogs off before I have to really hurt them," he says, voice buoyed with his teenaged bravado.
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zero
Ah.
"Rock Howard."
There's not an ounce of surprise in Zero's voice as he utters the name. Though Zero being capable of any sort of real emotion is something that is almost completely beyond him at this point, the presence of the teenaged Howard isn't -unexpected.- The fact that he is here now is a slight it on the odd side, and something that Zero had not anticipated. But regardless, he is vastly different from his father. The fact that he would be assisting the resistance here in Thailand... is only to be expected.
He does not immediately make any move to help the Shadaloo soldiers or attempt to stop Rock in his raging blitzkrieg. Instead, Zero takes this opportunity to observe, to watch as Rock so effortlessly tears through the ranks of soldiers. They are only common military men; with only guns to aid them, they stand no chance against Howard and his surge of brilliant chi. Zero watches. He considers. And then he speaks.
"They are not my dogs to call off," is his simple answer, his voice as icy as his gaze. "But they will not interfere. They realize you are beyond them." Zero is not appraising Rock, nor is he insulting the troops; he is stating simple fact, as the Shadaloo forces seem to begin a hesitating backtrack away from the son of Geese. After seeing what he did to their companions, their less-than eager to follow. Especially not with the tall figure of Zero amongst their ranks.
"However," he begins slowly, his right hand clenching easily into a fist, "you are a member of the resistance and not authorized to be here. I will exercise the right to remove you from here in a way I believe you will understand."
One step. One step, and Zero is suddenly slicing forward in a series of afterimages, a blurring forward charge that is meant to send him directly in front of Rock, buring his right fist into the young man's gut, slamming it forward like a piston. Testing, but fast -- and undeniably strong.
"Leave or suffer the consequences."
COMBATSYS: Zero successfully hits Rock with Jagai Kusetsu.
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Rock 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Zero
Shoma heads back to the Thailand main area.
Rock still does not know who this man is. He's unfamiliar and menacing. His voice betrays no indication of his emotions nor his intentions. There is nothing that a fighter can read about him. There is nothing to give him a clue of what to expect or how to handle this situation. The rage is starting to cool and the realization hovers in the fog of Rock's mind, pleading for an audience.
It doesn't get one yet. Zero's words and the lowering of the Shadaloo weapons draw Rock into his Hakyokusaken stance, readying himself for a fight. The last time he ran into this man, he was nearly decapitated by his lion and then shot by a blast of chi straight through both walls of a shack. He knows that there is power behind the calm demeanor and simple swagger.
He doesn't expect the speed. Zero blurrs and Rock's teeth clench tight. His eyes dance as he manages to get one half of a step back from his initial point between the chainlink prison gates. Then it all goes blurry; the much older man's knuckles burying themselves into Rock's gut as he reappears directly infront of the young Howard. Air shoots out of Rock's throat, audibly, as he buckles forward into the embrace of Zero's fist. Momentarily pinned there, oxygen gone, Rock's voice sounds small and weak. This man tried to kidnap his friend! "Go to... hell."
And then Rock drops. His gloved hands shoot for Zero's arm as he falls back from the man's bulk for his back. He tries to twist Zero down with him and send a booted foot into his chest as he falls back; all an effort to catapult him over his head in a kick toss.
COMBATSYS: Zero fails to counter Quick Throw from Rock with Forcefield.
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Rock 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Zero
There are certain times when all the preparation in the world does not afford you the time to react. This is one of those times, and it is the only type of time that truly catches Zero in any sort of surprise. None that can be visibly seen... but there's something to be said for the rarity that Zero actually underestimates the skills and capacities of his opponents.
This, is one such time. The sudden blow to Rock's stomach is swift, and delivered with the apathetic expression that eternally graces the NEST VP's features. It is fast and simple for a reason; that hand snaps -backwards- only a moment after contact, resting comfortably at his side. It keeps him prepared and at the ready for whatever Rock may throw at him next.
And prepared Zero is -- or so he'd like to think. The truth of it is, he briefly underestimates the speed in which Rock can maneuver. With only a split second off the mark, Rock's hand grasps securely onto Zero's arm. A blink, and then Zero is brought down suddenly and unexpectedly from the weight pulling down on his entire body. The kicktoss that comes next earns only a mild grunt as Zero is lanched through the air.
Yet... it's not nearly fast or strong enough to keep him down for long. Still airborne, Zero recovers himself midway through, landing neatly on his feet. Adjusting his business attire with a slow tug of his hands against the fabric of his suit, he only offers Rock a thoughtful, brief glance. Rock's reply is predictably, a negative. Zero's response is just as simple:
"...Then you will be killed."
Rock spins his weight off his back, scissoring his legs beneath him to get back to his feet as quickly as possible. He manages to rise in time to watch Zero's resulting (or lack there of) impact from his quick kick toss. He needed to put space between them after that man closed the distance in less than a second, but the fact that he lands it so smoothly is twice as alarming. Swiping a hand across his bandana covered head, he can feel the sweat already lining his brow and realizes it's born from fear. He has no idea how this man -- who looks like he's older than his dad -- continues to move like that.
The banter cannon is fired. Rock's red eyes narrow into a petulant squint back at the man. "Get in line," he says, voice simple and failing to convey the irony that Zero will not appreciate humor. He will not appreciate that there are probably, as we speak, at least six to twelve men dispatched to try and kill him across the world. Another dozen to try and find him and indoctrinate him to their thrall. You don't storm Geese Tower, call your father an asshole, beat up his minions, and not get a contract put on your life.
But what Rock did learn there is that Zero isn't undefeatable. He got his hands firmly onto the man's arm. He touched him, he was able to almost hurt him. He can do it again. He can beat this guy. He's just another Shadaloo thug who needs to be taken down. Hakyokusaken stance forming again, Rock plants his feet and raises his fists. His intention is as clear as the piercing stare from his eyes. Let's go.
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
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Rock 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Zero
Get in line?
"You do not understand the concept of war."
It's not taunting; as with all Zero's words, it is a simple statement. Rock's bravado effects Zero very little. In truth, that gloating statement seems to do little more than draw Zero to adopt a more comfortable fighting position. He has no vendetta against Rock, no urge to kill him for any imagined slight. He is the enemy. In war, enemies are killed -- especially when they bull-headedly refuse to comply. And the look on his face says it all. There is no satisfaction. There is no anticipation, no look of sadistic glee. Just one cold stare.
He intends to kill Rock today for little more than the fact that he is the enemy.
But still, Rock does not come right out and attack. He stays back, seems to prepare. Zero's response is unbelievably simple; as Rock leans back, the man looks towards the soldiers around him. He holds out a hand. "A knife." The Shadaloo soldiers are quick to comply, many fubmling with their pouches until a long, jagged hunting knife is produced and placed directly into the palm of Zero's hand. He holds it, silently throughtful. And then...
He throws it at Rock.
It's fast, and it's coldly skillful. Flinging across the distance between himself and the young Howard, that hunting knife has one aim -- the dead center of Rock's chest. With some maneuvering, it may not get there -- Rock is a skilled fighter, after all. But the intent is still clear. Zero is aiming to kill.
It is what he said would -happen-, after all.
COMBATSYS: Rock auto-guards Zero's Thrown Object!
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Rock 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Zero
Rock's eyes widen when the knife summoning dance is initiated; panic filling his eyes. Zero is right; he's never been in a war before. He's young and he's never experienced anything like Shadaloo's Thailand uprising. He's only /here/ because he was on the lam from his father, trying to hide and get out of Southtown until the heat had cleared. He's only /fighting/ because he foolishly put his pride before his head in a cage match with Alex; being forced to owe the man an irrefutable favor. That favor? Free Thailand.
The knife shoots from Zero's hand. End over end, the serrated blade slices through the air, spinning on a death-dealing path for Rock Howard's heart. While weaponsfire and bullets might not be a problem for the average highly trained professional fighter; weapons thrown with such aptitude and skill by other men with abilities that eclipse your own? They are things to fear.
Blind instinct takes over. Genetics and breeding of the Heinlein and Howard lines save Rock's life. Without a thought of cognizant realization, he finds reflex tested nerves and muscles reacting towards the oncoming blade. Like some sort of ninjistu warrior, Howard's two hands shoot out infront of his body. With a cracking thud, they clap together precisely at the moment the flat end of the blade passes between them. Stalled dead in it's tracks, the force of the throw still grinds Rock's heels back a pair of inches through the dirt.
Two seconds pass.
Rock very slowly looks down to see his hands holding the knife; the magnesium grip wobbling in his grip with rhytmic twangs. He stares at it for a second, slowly looks up and over at Zero, takes one step forward to plant a foot, and then fires the thing straight back at the man.
COMBATSYS: Zero blocks Rock's Thrown Object.
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Rock 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Zero
"... interesting."
Rock has more skill than Zero anticipated. Clearly, the boy's training has already taken him further than the NESTS files had detailed. Likely due to outside training not yet documented. It's a rare thing, but it does not phase Zero. He is quick and easy to adjust to any given situation. This is just one thing that will have to be changed on Rock's files.
The boy's capacities, though, do merit a certain amount of interest beyond that. The young man has proven himself quite capable in that deft guarding of Zero's thrown knife. A maneuver that would have killed most is stopped by a sudden onset of speed and skill. Zero saves this for later though; perhaps, when before the boy is dead, he'll take a sample from him to have at hand. But--
--But, Zero has other things to deal with. Most noteably, the fact that Rock has just -thrown- the knife back at him. Zero's response is ultimately simplistic. As the knife swings out his way, he lifts a hand. When it has cut the distance, mere feet from him, that right hand swings -down-, smashes against the sharp metal, and sends it flying harmlessly through the air. He doesn't even do so much as -blink-. Skillfully thrown -- just not quite enough.
Still, Zero does not hesitate. With breakneck speed he once more shoots across the distance between himself and Rock. His right arm is outstretched, bent; his elbow presented he ducks low at the last second, seeking to CRASH his elbow roughly against the young Howard's throat in a quick and brutal display of power.
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Quick Punch from Zero with Gedan Crack Counter.
- Power fail! -
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Rock 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Zero
Rock's good with his own elbow. He's managed to develop several brutal assaults of his own that vary on Terry Bogard's techniques by incorporating elbow strikes. But he's never seen one quite like this. It's ferocity and speed is simple but effective. Rock anticipates, initially, that the strike is going to come high -- elbow aimed fore his head to try and take it clean off.
When Zero ducks low, Rock's footing is off. He has no recourse excecpt to eat the impending pain. The bone of Zero's enhanced elbow crashes into Rock's throat, shooting him back and off his feet. Howard lands a half dozen steps away from where he stood, his body rolling end over end in a full backwards rotation. He ends up regaining his composure after the first complete roll, slams his feet down into the Thailand dirt, and skids with his fingertips grazing the turf a few more feet back.
Red eyes aligning onto Zero, it's obvious that he can't breath. His adam's apple isn't working right but he's trying to play it off. This guy will use any weakness to his advantage; Rock can tell that. By staying low, he hopes Zero can't see him struggling for a gasp of breath.
Simple, efficient. Typically that blow alone has the strength to crush a normal man's windpipe and send him into a slow, painful death. Rock, however, is a figher. The fact that he's trained with Geese Howard means that he knows how to use chi, and how to enhance his own body's strength. That alone is not going to kill him. But it -is- going to incapacitate him for a time...
... and that is exactly what Zero plans. Coming to a full stand as Rock goes blasting back, Zero maintains that rigid though almost unassuming posture. The soldiers look on in awe -- some in fear. They know well what this man is and who he represents, and though most don't find him nearly as fearful as their ruler... he still brings an icy chill to their spine.
Slowly, as Rock begins to drag across the ground, Zero advances. His long, form-fitting business coat sways in the hot breeze, unfeeling eyes focusing on the now-stopped form of Rock Howard. His eyes narrow thoughtfully, his right hand unfurling from a fist. And when that slow walk comes to an end--
--Zero is lancing out with his right foot, aiming to slam it directly underneath Rock's jaw.
He does not seem to notice Rock's lack of ability to breath; however, his next action would have remained unchanged irregardless. There is no mercy in this strike. He doesn't hold back a single bit. Instead, that foot lances out with unbelievable strength and speed, seeking to slam into the young Howard with such -force- that it will launch him straight upwards into the air. Zero will be quick to follow with a sudden hop -- seeking to plant a single, fast kick square into the boy's chest with a wordless, unforgiving stare.
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Light Kick from Zero with Gedan Crack Counter.
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Rock 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Zero
Rock releases a pained sound grunt as he struggles to gulp in a vital blast of oxygen, just as he reacts to Zero's forthcoming presence. He tries to will the power of his linneage, counteract the oncoming strike into something he can channel to his own ends. Unclutching his throat, he propels a leather-bound hand towards the snap-kicking foot. It meets, briefly, around Zero's ankle.
Zero is way too strong for such simple defenses. The leg crashes right through Rock's hand, knocking it back while simultaneously extending to crack Rock square in the ribs. Decleated again, Howard is shot straight up into the air in a gracefully terrible backwards arc.
At his apogee, Zero sends another foot slamming into his chest with intent to crush it. With rocket-propelled speed, Rock comes crashing back into the Thai Earth. His velocity is so great that he impacts with a craterous tremor, the ground beneath his back splitting around his thin frame with very little yield.
Certain that at least two of his ribs are cracked, Rock groans and rolls onto his side. He coughs, finding his mouth tastes like copper. Something inside is bleeding. Fingers digging into the dirt, he locks his eyes on the prison encampment fifty yards away. He knows all the people inside; they're counting on him. He has to get up. He has to keep fighting. He was made for this. This is purpose and his reason for being. This is his sacrifice to make.
Rock thrusts himself back to his feet. His hand grips at his ribs; still fragile from his fight with Yamazaki weeks ago. But he stands up. That's a small victory. He gets back up.
It's a small victory for Rock that he can still manage to drag himself back up.
For Zero, it simply means that Rock has not yet died and that more effort will have to be put forth to achieve that end.
Zero lands crisply in the wake of the final kick that sends Rock Howard blazing backwards. For a moment, he had felt that grip on his ankle. He knew what Rock was planning. It doesn't avail the boy, though; inevitably he overrides and overpowers that defensive measure. His stance does not shift; throughout the entirety of this battle, he remains with that left hand pressed against the small of his back, and still drabbed in simple and -- one would assume -- constraining business attire. As if he has yet to put forth the full bulk of his power into this. And that may very well be the case.
Rock lands with a titanic crash that kicks up dirt and dust all around him, creating something of a makeshift trench from his violent drag across the ground. Zero, oddly, does not move to greet him with another attack. As if he has stopped for now, or perhaps arrogantly allowing Rock to take a -breather-. But, anyone who has encountered Zero knows well enough --
-- he is not a man to allow for simple mercies.
As Rock pulls himself back up, Zero watches coldly. The shadows around him begin to pull together in a subtle, strange maneuver. It is only obvious when those shadows begin to literally race across the ground between the NESTS executive and the young Howard, glowing with eerie blues and violets within their depths. Those shadows snake out, to move underneath Rock's feet... and then latch onto him. The shadows literally begin to crawl up Rock's legs, tiny little hands of darkness that seek to grip and hold him steady to the ground. They bring with them a cold, otherworldly feel -- something wholly unnatural, burning and chilling at the same time. But Rock won't have much time to ponder over it if they grasp cleanly...
... because only a second later does Zero tear across the distance between himself and Rock, seeking to deliver a series of kicks and punches violently across the boy's body. Over and over again, against head, chest, stomach, until it is all finished with one unbelievably powerful uppercut that seeks to slam into Rock's jaw the moment those shadows disconnect. "Hmph!"
COMBATSYS: Rock interrupts Mabukousou from Zero with Raging Storm'.
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Rock 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Zero
Fear leads to anger. Angel leads to hate. Hate leads to the dark side. Rock Howard has been in the fear zone. He loves to fight. He was born for battle. There's not very many other things in the universe that he likes to do more. He's a natural fighter. But that's in a straight up fight. That's in a conventional battle of techniques where the two fighters are seeing which one of them is tougher for their own sake. It's not a war. It's not a place where the guy across the ring from you literally wants to crush the breath out of your body.
The is something Rock hasn't experienced so closely before. Even when fighting Kirishima, Rock never really thought the other teenager would kill him. Humiliate him, hurt him, make his life a living hell? Yes. But straight up execute him as an enemy in the field of battle? It never crossed his mind. It changes the stakes when you know that there is nothing that will hold back your enemies hand.
The sudden darkness moves Rock's meter from fear into the anger zone. He doesn't know what the hell is going on. Like a cornered animal, there is only one reaction that feels right. He's in a fight or flight situation; mind pinging on instinct alone. Red eyes wide, Rock tries to move when he realizes Zero is about to accelerate towards him. He finds he can't. His legs feel like they're glued to the outer layer of hell by the dark forces surrounding him. A darkness feels like it's closing in.
Zero's fists sing their symphony of destruction across Rock's body. Toned muscles bruise and buckle under the onslaught, each strike sounding like an axe chopping into a block of wood. It isn't until the symphony finally reaches it's crescendo that Rock finds what he needs.
Rock Howard is a fighter. There is no flight-mode.
Suddenly erupting with power, Howard ignores the pain, ripping himself forward with a thundering step forward just as Zero's arm pulls back for the finishing upper-cut. His eyes blaze with the fury of his name, his blood burning with the undeniable cry of, "RAGGGGGGIIIIINNNG STTOOOOORRRMM!!" The air blisters and buckles, power exploding upward and outward from every direction around Rock. A radial shockwave of golden, purifying light obliterates the encroaching darkness; it tears through the Thai terrain and shakes the entire complex as the explosion of chi blossoms in brilliant contrast.
Ah, the Raging Storm. Surprisingly enough, the response from Rock isn't exactly surprising to Zero; he knows well enough Rock's techniques from both watching him in various Saturday Night Fights and compiling data. This technique has become infamous through his father, but Zero knows well enough...
... he will find no threat in one produced by the son.
His theory holds true, in part. Though his sudden volley of strikes finds itself brought to a screeching halt in the wake of that torrential storm of power. The force is enough that Zero, in midswing, is taken off his footing and into the air from the sudden expulsion. The ground shakes and rumbles as that vibrantly golden chi blows upwards and the NESTS executive flips through the air. Rubble blasts outward, chunks of dirt and rock, cement and chunks of metal from the guard outposts Rock had previously taken shots at. And through the haze of debris... Zero is horrifically fast to recover.
Body and business suit still smoking (though perhaps oddly, that suit goes relatively unharmed), Zero rights himself in mid-air, seeing the rubble flying out from all around him. As he descends, he takes a firm grasp onto a jagged chunk of metal and, while falling, rears his hand back... and then literally hurls it at Rock like a spear. It flies fast, it flies dangerously, and it flies with aim to impale Rock through the gut it he doesn't react in time. Simple, yes. Crude, yes. Brutal and effective, yes. And that's what is important.
Soon after that jagged piece of rubble is thrown, Zero lands on his feet, smoke rising from his shoulders. Though his skin is singed, he looks and gives the feeling of a man who is still ready and able to continue the fight for some time to come, and odds are -- he is. "The Raging Storm. I imagine you use it for speed rather then power, then." Impressive enough. Such interesting techniques, the Howards have.
COMBATSYS: Rock dodges Zero's Large Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Zero
Under normal fight circumstances, Rock finds himself nearly exhausted after performing the Raging Storm. He hasn't mastered his father's ability to will it from nearly nothing and turn it against his enemies with a flick of the wrist; like it was as easy as snapping open a zippo and producing a flame. But this is a warzone. This is a fight for Rock's very life. He doesn't have the luxury to regain his breath or think about his next action. He has to burn on octane and adrenaline.
There's no hestitation this time when Zero endures through the storm. A part of Rock isn't even surprised. He was almost ready for him to withstand the tumult and respond in turn. With the jagged missile released, Rock swallows a satisfying breath of air and then dives straight forward into a roll. The debris shard crashes into the ground behind him, embedding itself with a grinding upchurn of the outer-layer of the terrain. It looks like when an Earthquake rolls the earth; only Zero made it happen by simply throwing a chunk of cast iron as hard as he could.
Rock flies out of his forward roll at full speed, running as hard and fast as he can make himself go -- straight at Zero. His body is already streaking with even more chi than before, a halo of golden energy contrailing from behind him with each step. "SHUT! UP!" he yells, blitzing straight into the threshold of Zero's dangerous arm-span. His body eclipses in light at that very instant, his right arm coiling back and then tucking towards his body as he accelerates the elbow straight towards Zero's ribcage; his other hand curling into a fist to follow up with a haymaker born for the jaw.
COMBATSYS: Zero blocks Rock's Hard Edge.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Zero
"You have no place on this battlefield," Zero observes calmly as Rock makes his breakneck rush towards him. He doesn't bat an eyelash -- doesn't even try to move.
"You are ill-prepared for a true fight."
Not chiding, not taunting, Zero merely makes notes -- the fact that he does it aloud is likely due to the fact that he knows rage propels Rock, and enough rage has a habit of blinding a person. Whether it is an effective tactic has yet to be seen. As it stands, Zero still has the issue of dealing with the ever-swiftly approaching form of Rock. The moment that the boy lashes out, Zero notes the expulsion of chi, the strength inherent in the blow. He determines the best countermeasure...
... and he lifts a single hand.
The first elbow-strike is blocked with that attack, and with a simple step -backwards-, planting his foot into the earth, Zero stops Rock's momentum flat. Simply, suddenly, -resolutely-. The second blow, that haymaker, is greeted by Zero's forearm before it can even come close to touching his face. Unblinking in the face of this power that Rock exerts, Zero simply seeks to push the young man off of him... and then leap.
In that sudden jump of Zero, he flicks his wrist outward, in the same motion thrusting the edge of his unassuming business coat towards Rock. Invisible power washes over that coat, and over Zero, and within moments that business attire he had been wearing... is all quite simply replaced with the imposing battlesuit that Rock had originally seen him in. The edges of that coat become the edges of a cape, with a hem lined with sharp metal teeth... seeking to carve into Rock, from left hip to right shoulder.
COMBATSYS: Zero successfully hits Rock with Ouga.
[ \\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Zero
Roberto heads back to the Thailand main area.
Rock stumbles back as Zero exerts his will back against him. He should know by now not to try and test the man in a physical battle. How many times now has he had to feel the strength beneath that business suit and taste it's promise in the potential behind his fists? Eyes tracking Zero's incline up, Rock gets a firm foothold and prepares for what he anticipates is coming. He's, again, completely unprepeared for what this man is capable of.
Having anticipated the blast of concussive chi he ate when they were in Southtown, what Rock meets instead? His simple defense of shielding his body with his arms and readying them to intercept any more direct strikes can't handle it. The razor-lined battle suit of the NESTS Vice President cuts with sudden velocity up and across Rock's torso. Crying out in pain and blood splatter, Howard twists and falls back until he's hunched over with half his profile facing Zero -- a hand holding his suddenly deeply wounded chest.
The realization finally comes. He's going to die out here. In the middle of Thailand. Trying to free people he's never even met before from a terrible prison. If he's lucky, Zero won't kill him -- he'll just put him in the same prison he was trying to liberate. If he's unlucky, this'll be it.
Rock's a Howard. There's only one way he knows to go out. Pulling his bloody hand back from his chest, he resists the urge to look down and see how bad it is. He keeps his eyes -- even as the black blinders are starting to form on his peripheral -- locked on Zero in the air. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. Feeling free by coming to grips with his mortality, Rock Howard finds himself lighter and faster as he suddenly breaks into a run forward. He slams a foot into the shard of metal Zero javelined into the soil, uses it as a vault, and leaps straight into the air.
He mimics a part of move Zero simply stopped before -- but he puts it all behind it now. As his legs kick at the air in his mad leap upward, his body erupts in a blinding halo of light -- almost avian -- as his right elbow tucks towards his body to form the unyielding battering edge of his favorite technique. Crossing into Zero's air space, Rock's elbow pistons forward with a full thrusting extension; all his forward velocity and bulk burdened behind it. It's the Shine Knuckle; the technique he learned from a lifetime of watching the Legendary Wolf... And it's one thing he'd feel proud to go out on.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Zero with Shine Knuckle.
[ \\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Zero
This is it. The end of the line. Zero knows that the Howard is grasping the full implications of this fight. If he loses, odds are he will die. Zero is not a merciful man. Though... there are other uses for individuals like Rock. Already Zero is considering what judgment to bring down upon the young man as those teeth of sharp metal drag into the Howard's body. It's an indicator that Zero is done now; he is through with beating Rock down. The game is over... and now he is going to die.
But not, apparently, without a fight. Zero watches in a musing sort of way as Rock stares at him. And then suddenly... the young Howard begins a fierce, forward run. Surprisingly swift, it takes Zero off guard. He underestimates the boy once again, and it costs him --
-- in the precise moment that it matters. Though he believes the attack to come slow, Zero misjudges it by a second. As Rock vaults off that chunk of sharp, ripped metal, the NESTS VP's hands lift... just as that battering ram of chi and physical might punctures straight through his guard and SLAMS into Zero himself. The force is more than enough that it sends the mysterious, white-haired man FLYING backwards, a small bit of blood escaping from his lips. He CRASHES into the ground, indenting the dirt beneath him in the wake of a crater. Dust kicks up, pouring throughout the air in a thick veil. There is silence. And as hushed murmurs fill throughout the base...
... Rock might feel the air start to grow distinctly cold all around him.
It's sudden, and it is assuredly strange. The heat seems to be simply -drained- from the air itself, sucked out towards a single source that replaces it with a chilling, death-like cold. It grows to the point that vapor rises from the breaths of the Shadaloo soldiers -- in the middle of summer.An unnatural pulse rumbles throughout this small section of the province's capital, an unnatural, disgusting feeling. And as Zero stands, Rock will see the source within the palm of the man's hand. A simple, sliver of light.
All it is, is a shard. A shard of pulsating white chi that is nursed in Zero's palm. But as he lifts his hand into the air, Howard can be rest-assured... it is the very source of that discomfort. Not a moment after Zero's hand lifts, that shard -explodes- outward, white being replaced by a vacuum of swirling black. An almost literal black hole with violet electricity crackling at its centre. A corona of violet and gray swirls around this portal, as all around them, throughout the air... form glowing orbs of black, other-worldly chi, swirling with white and blue hues within their depths. It would almost seem beautiful...
... if not for the fact that a second after, all those orbs swarm in upon Rock on a path towards that portal Zero displays, spiraling inward as they bash Rock repeatedly with disgustingly icy power.
COMBATSYS: Zero successfully hits Rock with Hakura Messhou.
[ < > ////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Zero
Rock breathes out. The icy chill in the air let's him see his breath. He briefly wonders if he's really seeing that or if it's a hallucination made up by his mind. Is it the bitter cold embrace of death? Are the spots in the air figments of his broken mind? The spots you see when your brain is about to go into an epileptic coma and wake up twenty years later with no memory of your past life?
Either way, Howard is screwed. Standing there, holding his freely bleeding chest, he stares wide eyed and open mouthed at the formations of energy in the sky. He can barely will his lungs to keep swallowing oxygen, let alone his legs to move him out of the way. And is there even a way to escape? It's a blanket suppression. A field of death bombs that no normal man could ever conjure.
Rock's last thought before everything goes to black; the white embrace of the horizon being swallowed by the exploding spheres of dark power in -- around -- above -- and below him -- isn't that he didn't leave it all on the field. It isn't even that he lost the fight to a superior opponent or that he never told his father or mother goodbye. No, his only regret, as he finds himself drifting serenly back and through the air to land in a miserably broken divet a dozen yards back... Is that he never even knew the man's name.
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Zero 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rock can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Zero 0/-------/-------|
If asked for a name, Zero's reply would have been ultimately simple:
His name is of no importance. There is no use or purpose in giving your name to the enemy.
The fight is over. The moment that last orb of power spirals inward towards that raging portal and disappears, the moment that Rock hits the beaten and damaged dirt in even worse shape -- the fight has come to a conclusion. The vortex within Zero's grasp dissipates with a crackle of raw power, the heat beginning a steady flood back into the air. The soldiers' shivering stops. Zero is left standing -- albeit with blood running down his -own- lips -- staring at the fallen Howard.
Were this any other foe, Zero's response would be simple. In fact, his planned ending to this fight was as standard; as Rock hits the ground, there is the option of killing him. Prone as he is, all it would take was a Shadaloo officer's gun, a bullet to the brain. Even fighters are not immortal. A bullet, a snapped neck, and Rock would be no more than another corpse on the battlefield. His own troops arrive shortly afterwards, weapons in hand -- ready to execute. As they aim, though...
... Zero lifts a single hand. "Wait."
Fortunately for Rock, this is not like any other case. Circumstances -- circumstances that, in fact, led to their first meeting has brought fortune to smile down upon the young Howard. "Load him into the van with the others. Use the heavy security restraints, and ensure that he is heavily sedated. Deliver him directly to the president." There is a nod on the part of the guards as they move forward, grasping Rock securely and lifting him up before carrying him off to the massive transport vehicle where he will be placed amongst many innocent civilians before being shackled down, and injected with sedatives. As for Zero, he makes a smooth pivot on his heel, walking towards the van with some slow and measured gait as his battlesuit melts away once more into that black business attire.
A -lucky- day for Rock Howard, indeed.
COMBATSYS: Zero takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Zero 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zero has ended the fight here.
Log created on 16:58:10 06/26/2007 by Rock, and last modified on 23:55:33 06/26/2007.