Description: Kain fights Geese in NASA's most advanced new weightless simulator. And Geese learns that practiced bounding is little defense against being cooked alive. (Winner: Kain)
The premise for tonight's fight is... somewhat unusual. That's not going to make Kain back down, though. A chance to fight Geese isn't something he's going to pass up, particularly when the fight isn't horribly rigged in Howard's favor. This one might well be... but at least Geese's lackies won't be interfering.
Kain walks into the Space Center out of the Florida heat, showing little sign of discomfort despite the suit he's wearing. It's not that he doesn't feel the heat and humidity, he's simply not allowing it to bother him. Other things are far more important. The place is in a frenzy, unsurprisingly. Between the fight staff, fans, NASA staff and people interested in the more technical aspects of this particular match there's not much room available at all. And yet, people still make way for Kain as he pushes his way through the crowd and toward the chamber where the fight will be taking place. He's sure Geese is around here somewhere, but he hasn't noticed the man's presence just yet.
The chamber itself is a fairly massive room, although nothing can be seen from the outside. Everybody watching is going to have to rely on cameras and microphones to find out what's going on. All that can be seen from the outside is some of the monitoring equipment and the heavy door leading into the chamber. It's all been very, very heavily reinforced, and not just for the sake of the two men testing it out. This is extremely expensive equipment, and little expense has been spared to protect it against anything the designers could imagine. The question is, were they able to imagine the kind of destruction Kain and Geese are capable of dishing out?
Waah, waah. Horribly rigged. Just because Kain /listens/ when someone tells him not to use one arm or a leg, he blames Geese. Not that it wasn't extraordinarily amusing to the Syndicate boss. Where is Geese? Why, Geese has been taking advantage of his high profile, upperclass associates, and he's been enjoying the wonders of the zero-gravity simulator for probably an hour or three, now. Geese puts on a bit of a show for the early fans, bounding up to the wall, kicking gracefully off into a rising, slowly rotating backflip, and subsequently crouching, inverted, on the ceiling, coming to a perfect, drifting stop, his arms still crossed as he comes up into his trademark standing pose, complete with wry smirk, upside down above the floor.
As Kain approaches, Howard kicks off, sensing Heinlein even before his lackeys inform him via the simulator's intercom. He lands just as gracefully on the ground as on the roof, and just cracks his neck as the gravity temporarily kicks back on to admit the statuesque blonde into the zero-g room. The airlock seals behind Kain, and Geese just fixes his cold blue eyes on his would-be replacement, "Well, well, Kain. Here we are again." Geese observes, calmly and neutrally, his smirk the only readable sign on his stern features. As the gravity ebbs, Geese arches one pale blonde brow and shoots a hand, one finger extended, skyward. With such force that he begins to drift aloft, a la Superman. Kain can probably almost /hear/ the cheers for Geese, through the seal, but Howard offers little more in the way of words. He has the advantage of preparation, and he holds his focus... Kain is a deadly rival, but Geese hasn't given away his empire yet. And he's met a lot of deadly rivals.
Kain may not have had time to practice, but he's a quick learner. Just /how/ quick, however, may shortly be an issue of some importance. He doesn't particularly care if the crowd favors Geese; popularity isn't one of Kain's goals, however useful it might be under the right circumstances.
"Yes. Here we are." Kain reaches up to the buttons holding his long jacket in place. They are swiftly undone, and then in one smooth motion he yanks the garment off, sending it sailing off until it eventually bumps up against the wall. Loose clothing is a liability against Geese even under the best of circumstances. In here Kain isn't going to take any chances, and the tight long-sleeved black shirt he wears beneath the jacket has far fewer potential handholds.
Heinlein does have a knowledge of physics, so he knows the basic idea of what he can expect in this fight. But knowledge and experience aren't quite the same thing. Only one way to gain the latter, though. Kain spins away from Geese, ducking down low as he reaches the halfway point of his turn. Black flame sparks up around his legs as he starts to complete the spin, kicking off the ground and launching himself up toward the floating Geese like a rocket, one flaming leg extended.
COMBATSYS: Kain has started a fight here.
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Kain 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Geese has joined the fight here.
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Geese 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kain
COMBATSYS: Geese fails to counter Schwarzer Stob from Kain with Joudan Atemi Nage.
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Geese 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kain
The problem with drifting gracefully up into the air, in zero gravity, is that shifting direction is a fairly difficult thing. Geese really wasn't expecting Kain to be quite so... exuberant. Which is his mistake, and one he readily realizes as his blonder nemesis careens upwards, the fiery rocket of his leg cracking into Geese's ribs before he can position himself to reverse the momentum. Sure, Heinlein jumped the proverbial gun, but no one's calling the fight off as Howard flies skyward substantially faster, angled in such a way as to bounce with a metallic clunk off one side of the simulator, and then into the ceiling like a poolball, cracking down on his back looking down at the ground, and Kain.
Geese shakes his head briskly, and lets out a hearty, almost cackling chuckle, though he definitely didn't gain any ground in that little exchange. Ow. He maintains his position at the top of the cavernous enclosure, kicking up into a reversed, three-point crouch.
Kain is a bit enthusiastic about the opportunity to give Geese a beating. What can he say? Anyway, it's not as if anybody is going to stop this fight once it gets going. Geese will undoubtably find some subtle way to jab at Kain for it, anyway. Heinlein really doesn't care. What he /does/ care about is the fact that he's now floating in mid air, out of reach of the walls and floors. Kicking Geese burned off some of his momentum, but he was traveling upwards with enough force that it wasn't enough to send him back to the floor.
Options for both attack and defense are drastically curtailed when one doesn't have access to any sort of leverage. Kain could probably send himself into a spin, but if he wants to land a decent blow he's probably going to need something to brace himself against, and that means getting to a floor or wall. Luckily, Kain has his own source of propulsion. He thrusts both hands out toward Geese, twin streaks of black flame rushing out and away toward Geese's position on the ceiling. The force pushes Kain in the opposite direction, bringing his feet back into contact with the floor. He stumbles, very briefly, but then manages to stop himself and regain his footing.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Geese with Schwarze Flame.
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Geese 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Kain
Isn't a lack of oxygen supposed to stifle flames?!?!?
... oh wait. He -can- breathe, that's just the impact and sheer heat of the schwarze flame exploding over him. Despite the defense Geese's arms move to offer, he's blasted flat back on his back, on the ceiling, bouncing off and then drifting away, looking rather dazed for a moment. The blast was stronger than he remembers... or perhaps Kain is just angrier, more focused now. For Howard, there is not the same grudge, after all. He came here for a fight, and a hell of a fight... but he wasn't ready for this. Which means it behooves Geese to -get- ready, and fast.
He shifts about, kicking groundward with a gritting of his teeth, "Alright then. We'll do it your way." Grudge match. Geese can see he needs to push his own intensity up a notch to match Heinlein, and there's a less sardonic, and more dangerous gleam to his eyes, "You can't stop me." He intones forcefully, for dramatic effect, pointing directly at Kain with one hand extended.
COMBATSYS: Geese gains composure.
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Geese 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Kain
Kain's response is a grim smile as the lingering traces of flame around his hands wink out. "That remains to be seen." He seems to be doing a decent job of doing so in the short term. In the longer term... Well, just beating Geese in a single fight doesn't mean much. Not until it's time for THE fight. But this one will certainly make good practice.
Heinlein dashes toward Geese, keeping low to the ground. He tries to aim as much of the force as possible into pushing him /forward/ rather than up. As he gets close he lashes out with a quick sweeping kick to Howard's legs, attempting to knock him off his feet. If he succeeds, that should leave plenty of time to strike upwards with another kick. Kain actually holds back on that... He doesn't /want/ to hit Geese too hard. Momentarily leaving him with no surfaces to push off of could be much more useful.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Geese with Medium Kick.
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Geese 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Kain
Good practice indeed... perhaps Geese will learn a thing or two from being kicked around so savagely, he's certainly being reminded -why- Kain is a special sort of adversary. Despite recovering his footing rather admirably, the spaceborne missile that is Kain Heinlein collides quite solidly with Howard's legs as he drops low, drifting for the moment it takes the rising Kain to crash solidly into his ribs. Gritting his teeth, Howard feels his momentum hurtling skyward once more... and he knows he'll be painfully drifting for a long moment unless...
With a defiant, rumbling snarl, Geese thrusts both his hands at the soon to be out-of-reach Heinlein's purdy hair. He may have discarded his jacket, but that will be little comfort if Howard finds his grip. His fists would clench, his arms would bulge, and Geese's icy blue eyes would all but -bug out- with sheer, unflinching rage before he started helicoptering about, swinging Kain around, and around, and around as a makeshift propeller, intending to crack him into one side of the space cage, and then FLING him end over end at the opposite corner.
THIS IS HIS TV SHOW DAMNIT.
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Geese's Rebound Throw.
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Geese 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Kain
The good news for Kain is that he manages to get his arm in the way of Geese's grasping hands. The bad news is that Geese is still quite capable of following through with his intended motions. Better position allows Kain to brace himself somewhat for impact, but it is still hardly pleasant being swung around at high speed and slammed into metal walls. But after the final throw Kain manages to twist himself in mid flight, landing feet first against the wall on the far end.
After his experience thus far, Kain is feeling more confident about fighting in microgravity. It may still feel a bit odd, but Geese's practice is quickly becoming less of an advantage, except perhaps for in specific circumstances that might come up. Kain shifts his feet briefly for the best positioning, then springs right back toward Geese. Black flame springs up around Heinlein, turning him into a living comet as he races toward Geese. Actual impact never occurs, however. At the last moment Kain suddenly lets his flames explode outward, engulfing everything in front of him. The release of that much force is a bit jarring, unsettling Kain as it sends him sailing backwards, but not so much that he isn't prepared for his landing when he eventually reaches the wall again.
COMBATSYS: Geese dodges Kain's Schwarz Cutter.
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Geese 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Kain
Maybe Geese should have spent less time enjoying the phenomenal novelty of zero gravity (isn't it the wish of every billionaire to be shot into space?!?), and more time seeing how each of his techniques worked in the environment. Ah well. Live and learn, then get blasted in the face by a hellstorm of inky chi-fire. This time, however, Howard has a few tricks of his own. Kain is released into his defusing, crouching spring, and Geese does one of his own, kicking around to use his momentum off the side wall, and abruptly somersault overtop of the rocketing Kain.
Kain comes blasting back at the location, the King of Southtown floats with a flourish overtop of him, and as the rotation completes... Geese suddenly whips one arm through the air, "DOUBLE..." a violent plume of purplish, dark blue edges erupts in countless multitude in a sweeping geyser of a wave, looking to catch Kain in the backlash even as Geese begins to drift back the opposite way, his right hand sweeping through the air, tearing tendrils of violent, icy-edged chi from the air, the flaring, cutting tidal wave now more than Kain's height as it lurches forward, looking to envelope and crush him against the simulator to violent effect, as it launches Geese back across the enclosure, "REPPUKEN!!"
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Geese's Double Reppuken.
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Geese 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Kain
Luckily for Kain, Geese's attack isn't launched Heinlein's momentum has been reversed. This provides Kain with a brief window of opportunity during which he swings one leg down, slamming his foot into the floor with enough force that it dents the metal. This leaves him spinning wildly for a moment, but the important thing is that it disrupts his momentum. A moment later the reppuken reaches the spot where Kain was supposed to be, then continues on to impact with the metal of the simulator.
Several brief bursts of fire serve to halt Kain's spinning, bringing him back under control. Kain really is starting to get the hang of this stuff. And it's giving him a few ideas. An explosion by Kain's feet rockets him toward the ceiling, then several more quick blasts allow him to change directions. It's still a bit rough, but the utility in this particular fight should be obvious. Despite not being within reach of any surface, Kain suddenly rockets toward Geese thanks to another blast of flame from his feet. It looks like he's going to come swinging straight in, but then another quick series of firebursts swings him around to the side, a flaming, spinning backfist aimed for the side of Howard's head.
COMBATSYS: Geese fails to counter Medium Punch from Kain with Joudan Atemi Nage.
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Geese 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Kain
Damnable fast learners, upstarts these days. Not only does Heinlein rebound out of the way of the huge Reppuken, which crashes against the outer hull with a resounding, earthquakelike rumble, but he closes the distance on the happily egressing Geese in about 1/4 of the expected time. Still, Howard quickly rights his stance as much as he can in midair, but as Kain rockets in, flaming and twirling about in rather volatile fashion, the best he can do is snap his right hand up and under, seeking to catch Kain's fist...
... he didn't mean to catch it square in the skull, however, and it's Geese's turn to spin about, exploded away in a pirrhouette of pure pain, his offensive dreams crushed as he bounces off the side enclosure, shaking his head to clear his vision, this time. What is it about Kain? He's running out of options.
Things are looking pretty good for Kain right about now, but he knows that Geese still has a few tricks up his sleeves. Underestimating Geese is a very good way to get yourself killed, and Kain is quite familiar with the man's history and the level of his skills. None of that is to say that Kain has any intention of holding back from pressing the assault further, however. Now is the perfect time, while he's getting the hang of moving about through controlled explosions and Geese hasn't had much time to adjust to Kain's new mobility.
Kain blasts off toward Geese once more, reaching out with his right hand as he gets in close. He attempts to snare the crime lord by the throat with one burning hand, letting black fire engulf his head and shoulders as he squeezes. After several moments of that he gives off another blast to provide some rotational momentum, flinging Geese away from him in preparation for another assault.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Geese with Schwarze Schleife.
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Geese 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Kain
Well and thoroughly staggered by the previous backhand, Geese's tricks seem to be minimal. He manages to mostly right himself before Kain rockets in, and chokes him from his slumber. At least until he's enveloped by that ravaging dark flame, the searing energy actually setting Howard to writhing... at least until Heinlein simply blasts him away, and he crashes rather limply into the opposite wall, headfirst. He sort of folds in on himself, crashing with a slow, rather dazed blink. Damnit, Geese... he can't let Kain think it's /this/ easy.
The crimelord picks himself up, albeit a bit more slowly than he might have liked, and rather than taking a page from Kain's book....
It's the sheer force of Geese's right fist that carries him across the battlefield in a sudden rush of motion, leading a ferocious cross that rights him and hurtles him forward all at once. From there? Well.... that depends on just how successful he is at crunching Kain in the face. But the idea is to follow up that fist with a fierce left elbow, stepping forward...
... into a swinging uppercut, a left, twisting fist-strike to the solar plexus, a brutal forearm across the nose, a rising knee to the ribs, and finally, a double-palmstrike to Heinlein's gut... meant to explode him away in a tumult of pure, white chi. A near atomic explosion of it, in fact.
COMBATSYS: Geese successfully hits Kain with Deadly Rave.
- Power hit! -
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Geese 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Kain
What was that mentioned about Geese still having some tricks up his sleeve? Right. Kain raises his arms to shield himself as Geese comes hurtling in, intending to just let himself by knocked backwards by the force of the blow and gain some room from which to launch another assault. The getting knocked back part of his plan survives, but the rest doesn't fair so well. The only thing keeping Kain from going flying off to the side from some of the blows Geese lands are additional blows coming from the opposite angle, bouncing him back and forth as both men fly through the air across the length of the room. Finally Geese's hands slam into Kain's stomach and both men are lost in a blinding white flare.
When the light fades and the cameras can pick up visuals again, Kain is embedded a short distance into one of the metal walls, but the chamber seems to have survived the damage. Heinlein slowly drifts away from the wall, shaking his head as he tries to get his wits about him. Just as well for Kain that he's close to the wall, as his next technique is going to drive him back anyway. Both of Kain's hands come up, palms toward Geese, fingers splayed out, and wrists pressed together. A greenish blue sphere of swirling chi energy forms there, rapidly increasing in size. Wind whips about the chamber as it grows, something that would normally be impossible in the sealed space. All of that takes mere moments, and then the chi blast is racing off toward Geese, the force of it pressing Kain's back up against the wall.
COMBATSYS: Geese blocks Kain's Himmlische Seele.
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Geese 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Kain
Oh yes. That trick -is- satisfying. Geese pushes all his anger into every strike of fist and elbow to face and ribs as he batters Kain back into that wall with much fervor. Geese's gi may be rather scorched and torn, his hakama burnt here and there, and his lip well and thoroughly bleeding, but the Syndicate boss isn't known for giving up easily. He may be quite weary by the time he's blasted Heinlein away, but he has enough wits to cross his arms and slam them back against the erupting sphere of rampant power. With a ripping shockwave of flames, Geese too is blasted clear, his focused guard and well-prepared inner power - despite his strained condition - diffusing much of the impact. It gives Howard a moment to clear his head, reassess his surroundings. This isn't good....
But he can still make Kain pay for every inch. Sophisticated lasers project a starfield across the chamber as the lights and music signal the climax of this little battle... one way or the other. Geese's smile returns, darker this time, as he considers Heinlein, "You've been practicing. And trying to corrupt my son with these dark powers you've found. Don't think it will get you my empire." In Geese's world, Kain is just one more actor in the studio... albeit one of the only ones with a tendency to knock Geese down a peg. But Heinlein draws a hell of a return... and this one is sure, at the least, to line Geese's pockets.
COMBATSYS: Geese focuses on his next action.
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Geese 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Kain
Kain frowns as the blast clears and Geese is still... well, on his feet would not be the proper way to describe it. Heinlein is already drawing flame into his hands as Geese begins to speak. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of trying to corrupt your son. I know when I'm outclassed at something." Kain smirks, the flames around his hands growing larger.
"As for your empire..." Kain lifts up his hands to either side. "That would only be a bonus." He thrusts both hands out toward Geese, the fire swelling even larger for a moment. The expected attack is probably another pair of fireballs, but that's not what Kain comes out with. Instead a small fireball, little larger than a golf ball, shoots out at high speed. This wouldn't be impressive, except for the fact that it's followed by another. And another. Small blasts leap out at speeds too high for the eye to follow as Kain machineguns a stream of black fireballs toward Howard.
COMBATSYS: Geese fails to slow Schwarze Flame from Kain with Double Reppuken.
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Kain 1/------=/=======|
COMBATSYS: Geese can no longer fight.
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Kain 1/------=/=======|
Told. Not that Geese would ever admit it... and the audience isn't likely to believe the black fire-wielding maniac, either. Which is small comfort, really, as that swirling mass of fire blasts towards Geese once more. He whips his hand up, around, but before the conjuration of chi can swallow up the plume of fire, the first sphere crashes into Geese, a staccato of fiery impacts that sends him up, up, and away, crashing into the far wall, and drifting aside with a groan.
... this is compounded when he fails to regain his wits in a timely fashion, and the simulation is shut down, signalling the end of the fight. Geese tumbles out of the air, an almost shocked look on his face, and crashes hard to the floor, rolling into a half-lounging position as he seeks to right himself, "Hah." He pants, rather defiantly, "Good show, Kain. You become more like you decaying comrade every day." A fact that, even battered, Geese seems pleased with. The hatchway behind him slides open, and Geese backs towards it, the Syndicate lord never taking his eyes from Heinlein. This is not a development Geese likes... perhaps it's time to reassess Heinlein's little initiative.
Getting Geese to take him more seriously may make Kain's work more difficult, but it will also certainly make it more satisfying. Not something that Heinlein would be completely unhappy about. His own landing when gravity is allowed to take hold once more is quite smooth, making little more noise than a light tap as his shoes come into contact with the floor once more. His torso is aching from that brutal assault Geese launched, but it wasn't enough to stop him.
Heinlein casually strolls over to where his jacket his fallen, snatching it up and smoothly donning it once more. He then strides out the hatch to where the cheering public awaits. He has little to say in response to questions about the fight, but it's not difficult for people to tell that he's in a good mood.
COMBATSYS: Kain has ended the fight here.
Log created on 16:09:37 07/22/2007 by Geese, and last modified on 05:36:55 07/31/2007.