Description: Cracker Jack is comin' to town, and he knows who's been naughty and nice.. and he's here to punish the 'naughty'.
Time: 7:30pm.
Location: Southtown Harbor, Blackjack warehouse.
Due to the winter season, it's already pitch-black when Aislinn exits the warehouse. One of the many duties the Blackjacker has is inventorying weapons and other tech; Elle likes to know what is what and -where- is what...
...and that's where Aislinn comes in. She's uniquely suited to this kind of task; her specialties let her catalog easily and accurately. But it still takes time.
The door closes with a click; the nearest, brightest light is the one over the door, shining a bright pool of light straight down. There are a few guttering streetlights, providing bare amounts of illumination to the scene.
A great place to ambush... or be ambushed. Aislinn's boots thump against first the heavy wooden planks that make up the deck and stairs that lead to the doorway... then onto the concrete leading out to the road.
You know, when you do things, and some of them morally ambiguous, you don't know when they'll come back to haunt you. Or in what way. C.Jack had himself a few missions. One of them was set by himself. Another, set by the big man, where ever he was. Anything he did helped the big man's mission.
And whatever he wanted to do, helped his own.
Aislinn hadn't been the least nosy person lately. Beyond 'those damn kids' .. well, she was one of those damn kids, and young for her line of work, eh? But it didn't matter to C.Jack. They mess with Shadaloo, they messed in Thailand, they may have even been friends, but they messed in their and let Vega end up as he is?
They're not going to be let off quite so easily as 'and everyone lived happily ever after'. Life just don't work that way.
The moments boots hit cement, there's another pair. And Aislinn would be pretty hard pressed not to notice them. "Hey there, good lookin'. How's about you an' I get to know each other. Reaaaal good." If she thinks he's perverted one second, she'll be wrong the next, a metal bat slamming against the cement, making a loud ringing. "Thought it'd never catch up to you? Well today's your lucky day. Shoulda' not messed with the Boss." The hat is over his eyes even in the darkness. C.Jack was resting upon a car, disabled, while he waited.
"Or are you gonna tell me what your friends 'an you were doin' in Thailand, or what you messed with us for?" Unfortunately, there's no reward for telling. Just a beatdown .. the same for not.
She'd be young for a prostitute in Las Vegas. In the world of fighting she's just at her prime. Honestly, she'd forgotten -about- Shadaloo--about Thailand. It was largely a failure and failure is best learned from, then discarded. The moment her boots hit cement--the moment she heard the second set of steps... she stopped.
Under one of those guttering streetlamps, the NESTS agent and Blackjacker pauses. The voice is familiar; she remembers it from an SNF. Cracker Jack, if she does not miss her guess. "Jack," she acknowledges. If she sounds wary, well, then, why shouldn't she? She turns slowly, bringing clenched fists up to ready position. "Thailand," she says, quietly, with no emotion, as if she were trying to recall data off a floppy disk.
"I don't recall ever having been there," she replies. The lie is an empty one--she knows it and she bets Jack does too. That really isn't the point, now, is it? Jack is making a move on her, and it isn't to get a -date-.
"Perhaps you should leave." Unspoken is the rest of the sentence--before you get hurt.
COMBATSYS: C.Jack has started a fight here.
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C.Jack 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Aislinn has joined the fight here.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 C.Jack
Guess he's remembered. How lovely. It takes a while for her to speak up, but when it does, he isn't surprised his name's pretty remembered. Let it be. "That's my name alright." He responds, kind of stereotypically. Hey. It's not like he's gotta be original.
Failures are what you make of 'em, and C.Jack doesn't like people who just give up. It's not how it goes. They exist, they fight, they do it until it's over.. and if you're on the enemy side? You gotta be taken care of.
As she turns, Jack brings the bat forwards. "Yeah?" He smirks. "You know it." The answer, never been there, comes as no surprise. Could she be trying to avoid a fight? Jack's not like Birdie. He ain't got much behind that head like the Brit. He's got the strength to keep what he's doing up though.
When he's told to leave, the smirk becomes a grin. "Really? .. Don't remember a thing....?" The man's head is shaken, slowly, as he takes a step closer. It's slow. Deliberate. "Then you better recall what I'm about to do to you .. when you think about what you do in the future... and I ain't leaving until I teach you it. Maybe you'll remember this time."
Swinging about, the bat is held out infront of him. Pointed at her.. Leave? Hah. Moving about the bat, C.Jack brings a hand backwards, putting enough power behind it to leave a mark, bringing the bat around, but simply holding it as he weaves in.
"Or maybe you ain't gonna be remembering things for a long time."
COMBATSYS: C.Jack successfully hits Aislinn with Medium Punch.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 C.Jack
Oh yeah. He's remembered. Him and that bat of his. Aislinn's eyes narrow; it isn't as though she's surprised he's going on the attack. She rather expected him to be an aggro kind of person. And she isn't disappointed by the least. She's watching the bat, especially when it shifts around, but it isn't the -bat- he's attacking with.
The backhand shifts her head around, for sure; it's a good, strong hit. But if he's expecting her to just fall out and go down, well, he's wrong. First strike to Jack. Aislinn twists her head back, and though she isn't smiling, her eyes are alight with a sort of fierce joy. Battle is always to be enjoyed... one way or the other.
Once righted, Aislinn feints a high jab with her left hand--the fist whistling forward, snapping to full extension. But it's telegraphed. What isn't telegraphed is the sudden shift of Ais's right leg, a knee thrust upwards for Jack's stomach, a knee that will find itself used as the point for extension into a full-on front kick.
COMBATSYS: C.Jack fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Aislinn with Fierce Punch.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 C.Jack
As Aislinn twists back, a fierce joy in her eyes, C.Jack's enjoying himself as well. How can he not? He's got what he wants. And he's giving everything too. But as AIslinn feints, a high jab, C.Jack falls for it, the right leg, a knee thrust towards his stomach isn't seen.
The jab punch is met head on with a fist, erupting forth towards her...
And yet it never makes it, the knee slamming into his stomach, snapping out to extend, C.Jack taking a full kick to the stomach as he's tossed back a ways, grinning all the while.
"Heheh.. This'll be fun alright..." He comments, Cracking his knuckles, spitting the blood drawn to the ground.
"But 'fer who?" Oh, he's having a ball. But there's more to what he's doing than just pleasure. You gotta mix pleasure with a bit of business.
Heh. Aislinn is pretty capable; however, battle is the most unpredictable kind of beast, worse than a high school girl with a crush. Aislinn pauses a moment, to crack her neck; the pops echo into the inky air. Is she having fun? Sure she is. She just wouldn't say it.
Even as Jack is recoiling and then recovering from the strike Ais is lunging forward again, crossing the distance in a flash. And there are other flashes, as well; her hands and feet are suddenly surrounded in red-white lightning, flaring dangerous.
Her stance shifts slightly--more of a 'kung fu' stance, her feet spread out. Shifting her weight forward, she brings her right leg around in a sweep--only it's a feint, again, as she sweeps her leg -past- Jack's and plants... then lunges and attempts to just shoulder-block Jack right in the sternum. There's no lightning here, though.
COMBATSYS: C.Jack interrupts Fierce Punch from Aislinn with Soccer Ball Kick.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 C.Jack
Still recovering. C.Jack doesn't exactly lose much enjoyment from being crushed. Raizo crushed him, but he got a feeling of the best battle he's been in for so long.. before he was the first one out. But aside from that, Cracker Jack fixes himself up while Aislinn lunges forwards, crossing the distance, hands and feet surrounded in lightning.. C.Jack is certainly interested in THAT.
But C.Jack's expecting her to swap about. If she immediately went for the kick, she'd of had him.
But this time, as she sweeps her leg past, plants, and lunges, Jack kicks backwards, and as the fist slams into his chest, his other foot slams, kneeing Aislinn away from him, before following through with the rest of the kick, extending it to launch her away.
But the damage was done, and C.Jack leaned over, shaking himself off. "Heh... Heh... It's gonna be close, ain't it... worried?" Like he'll do anything to her after she's down. He'll leave 'er. That's the message. He's just here to deliver it.
His own way.
Well. It wasn't totally unexpected; Aislinn is learning more about Jack's style of fighting with every moment. The impact is certainly painful; Jack won out in that little exchange, though, for sure. Aislinn stumbles forward--and finds that she can't just correct, so she's forced to fall into a tumble. Disappearing into the darkness, she rights herself... and remains out in the darkness for a moment.
Just getting her bearings, really; she isn't going to do anything crazy, mind. Jack'll be able to find her... -now-, as electricity crackles up and over her form, blazing up from the ground and crawling along her legs and torso.
"No," she says--if one weren't following the conversation, then it might be confusing, but the Silent Assassin is answering Jack's question: is she worried? No, she isn't.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn gathers her will.
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Aislinn 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 C.Jack
As Aislinn falls into a tumble, disappearing into the darkness, C.Jack looks on. "That's it?" And then suddenly, she lights up pretty much like a Christmas tree. Electricity crackling over her form, blazing up from the ground, crawling all about her legs and torso. C.Jack .. just ain't believing it.
"So this is it? Just gonna stand there, a target? Well, I guess I ain't one to disagree." Specially not like this. With Aislinn's answer to his question, C.Jack is off like a rocket, one fist coming back.
Let's see her take this without a scratch.
He doesn't simply move fast. The preparation looks like it should take far more. But it doesn't. The fist that was brought back .. C.Jack's entire body twisting as he closes the gap. There will be a brief period of seconds in the darkness before he connects.
But it will be a loud connect.
Either if it's bone to body, or bone to bone, C.Jack's fist erupts forth with his fury, and much like a piston slams with such force it shakes as it tries to seek purchase.
He's putting all he has and more into it. Standing there .. is far from a good idea.
COMBATSYS: C.Jack successfully hits Aislinn with Final Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Aislinn 1/=======/=======|=======\-------\0 C.Jack
*SLAM* Aislinn just... goes flying. It's like those slow-motion videos of people being shot with cannonballs; one moment there, the next -not-. Is this the end for the ambushed heroine? Maybe... or maybe not. Because really, even though she's disappeared into the darkness... she's still -out- there. Somewhere.
Jack might not be able to see her initially, of course. It's dark. There are numerous places to launch a silent, subtle attack from. Aislinn is like a ninja...
But her return salvo is anything but subtle. It begins with the smell of ozone... and the snapping crackle of electricity. And then man-height blades of red-white electricity snap up out of the ground towards Jack, in a flaring wave of energy that ripples along the ground almost like a hissing snake. For a moment, Aislinn is visible at the far end of that line of blades.
COMBATSYS: C.Jack Toughs Out Aislinn's Shining Wave!
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Aislinn 0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 C.Jack
Somewhere, the Aislinn yet lives. Somewhere, the Aislinn thrives, preparing to smite Jack down from the heavens. The bolt comes. It is not merciful. C.Jack can do nothing but watch on as the return salvo erupts from the darkness. The smell of ozone and electricity help prepare Jack for what comes next. He's like a rocket. With his bat, C.Jack goes barreling in. He is not simply going to wait.
And that is what allows his next action. It is unexpected, perhaps, from Aislinn. But in the end.. it is what happens.
Man height blades of red-white snap out as he's in arm reach of Aislinn. The bat comes up, and as the first blade slams into Jack and the bat, diffusing the blast about him, burning along his body, along her arms. But it's not fully prevented. "Strike one ...." He spits, the next blade comes forth, C.Jack swinging into that one, dispersing it all around him as well, C.Jack slamming through it towards Aislinn "Strike two...", slowed down from the strike, his arms pulsing with the electricity as he bores through the pain.
"AND THAT'S IT, STRIKE THREE!" His swing is anything but slow, hopped up on the electricity and through adrenaline, his next swing starts low and aims to launch Aislinn upwards in a setting up strike.
If he catches her, Aislinn's going to head back down towards the bat, after going up, in which C.Jack aims to send her away. FAR away. Cracker Jack aims to hit a homer, here.
But will he?
COMBATSYS: Aislinn Toughs Out C.Jack's Home Run King!
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Aislinn 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 C.Jack
Really, it's like a replay of the previous moments; one moment, Aislinn is there. The next... she isn't. Well, it takes a bit longer; she's flung upwards, and then home-runned straight out...
Did Jack win? Is that it? Surely Aislinn might be dead... or incapacitated at the very least. Sadly, that is just not yet the case; Aislinn is suddenly flying out of the darkness, screaming for Jack. Well, not literally. She's a flying missile, that's for sure; somehow she tucked her legs underneath her, and hit a brick wall--
--feet first--and now she's pushed off and she's flying straight for Jack, her hands outstretched for Jack's throat.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn successfully hits C.Jack with Frenzy Hammer.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 C.Jack
She smashes into Jack--it's a combination of headbutt and takedown. But it doesn't end there. For a moment, she's straddling his chest, rather like she were able to imitate Hotaru's famous chigasm. But she is goin to do no such thing--she's not a dirty girl like the kenpoist.
No, instead she's going to hammer Jack's face again and again and again, repeated headbutts smashing her forehead into Jack's face... and... well, and that's it really--after her final headbutt she stands again and moves back, panting, doing her best to ignore serious pain.
THREE STRIKES AND AISLINN'S OUT. That's the game and all that! .. And Aislinn comes back down, screaming towards him, a MISSILE, of meat, and C.Jack watches as the feet slam straight into his chest. A hand extends towards his neck.
And then he's slammed pretty hard. PRETTY DARN HARD. She's straddling his chest, but what happens is C.Jack is smashed, headbutt over and over into his face, drawing blood and then some, before she stands up, backing away .. Cracker Jack's almost out of it. He might not be able to do much more.
Might, and almost, are key words.
He's up a second later. And it's not a slow motion, either. From nowhere, he seems to rise from the darkness, red staining his clothes, HIS EVERYTHING .. and his hat. "Ya got my hat bloody."
He comments, before erupting towards Aislinn, dropping the bat.
Before it hits, C.Jack's upon her, thrusting a foot first, before slamming a left towards her side, a right, then following with an uppercut, then another left, right, pummeling her as hard as he can.
Before bringing that one fist back again.. and then slamming it towards her middle. "It's... OVER!"
COMBATSYS: Aislinn fails to counter Crazy Jack from C.Jack with Lightning Reverse.
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C.Jack 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Aislinn can no longer fight.
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C.Jack 0/-------/-----==|
And this time, it really is over. Aislinn wobbles; she can't ignore her body forever. Jack's rushing at her like a freight train and she really only has one chance. Not enough of her muscle groups are working properly to afford a dodge--and even if she were able to block Jack's strikes, she's so badly damaged by now that she would gain nothing from it.
Unfortunately, she wavers--pure physical problem--just as Jack reaches her. The pummeling is terrible--uppercuts and rights and lefts pounding her into the air.. with a final fist smashing her in the middle.
She flies into the darkness again... and this time she isn't getting up. At least, not for a while.
As she tries, Aislinn isn't strong enough in the end to repel him. C.Jack, himself, is bleeding far too much to fight back if it fails. It came down to one final rush, and much like the samurai duels of so long ago, it's the last swing that matters. Aislinn's launched, sent flying from the final strike of the pummeling.. and C.Jack nearly keeps over, wiping his mouth, the hat, straw, mashed to almost un-hatness. But it's a hat all the same.
"Hope you .. remember this lesson .... heh... " But that was one hell of a fight. It wasn't one sided like he was sort of used to. It was far better than just fighting the girls before. It came down to the same bare existence. But in the end, C.Jack barely made it out.
And he gave his message as well. Now?
Now he stumbles off, get's drunk, and get's some place to stay. Then? Then he goes out again for another.
There's others he's gotta warn, personally, about nosing around, or just cutting and running.
Log created on 18:24:24 12/26/2007 by Aislinn, and last modified on 20:46:52 12/26/2007.