Description: For all of The Devil's calculations and myriad plots there is one force on Earth that continues to be a thorn in her side and interfere with her fell works. The human element. Zach Glen, having been captured earlier by the lethal Ayame, is transferred to the deeper levels of Capital 7 and a terrible fate. That is until he seizes and opportunity for escape! Witness the wild psiker tear through guards and one particularly tough security officer only to confront.. A mysterious benefactor? Wheels within wheels..
"Security," The feminine voice crackles over the secured wireless connection of the Security Guard's personal radio, "Begin transferring package five to Ninth Circle immediately."
The tone of the message is terse, abrupt and absolutely not open for discussion. Blackjack's second-in-command expects nothing short of immediate obedience from all aspects of her operation. Especially now when the Devil is so very close to achieving her goal and cannot be bothered with minor details.
Details such as transferring yet another specimen for preparation for her nefarious works.
And the fifth package himself? He finds himself in dire circumstances indeed. Entombed within a sound-proof, sealed, metal coffin perched upon a rolling table. Since that fateful fight with Ayame, time itself has lost most of its meaning to the young man. Drugged most of the time, the world often is shrouded in a haze of confusion and distorted sounds. In rare moments of lucidity, he finds his bindings entirely too well designed and cinched to wriggle free.
Moments such as now, as the American just barely hears the muffled sound of that communication and the sensation of movement beyond. Four guards, dressed in black suits and dark sunglasses, flank the moving sarcophagus with the overseer following shortly behind. Tasked with getting this 'cargo' down into the lower levels with no questions asked.
The hall of the Casino itself is extravagant, plush. The hallways they're currently taking towards the elevator at the far end are 'closed to renovation' to the public beyond. A quiet, sobering image evocative of a funeral.
Or a Funeral waiting to happen.
Whose funeral it is may be the question.
Fear and Zach Glen tend to mix like fire and gunpowder. Luckily, he has not been lucid enough to really react to the situation. His eyes slowly open. He remembers talking to Ingrid... then heading home when... That crazy thief girl with the staff then... nothing. The fact that he's been immobilized only slightly bothers him; more troubling to him is the missing time. Last time =that= happened...
Zach tries very hard not to think about it; the fear is counter productive. He closes his eyes, and tries to control his breathing for the time being. He needs to stay calm if he's going to get through... whatever this is.
Whatever minions were responsible for... inventorying Zach Glen noted a very angry looking wound dead center of his chest that has not =quite= healed over yet when they were getting him changed into his hospital gown. That may get some notice, since the wound seems to be recent, but strangely not.
Certainly, details of their captive were taken. Pictures, preliminary physical characteristics and identification tests. The many wounds of his fights, including the central one, have been duly noted.
By and large, however, the young man has been treated hardly better than livestock. A slab of beef on the way to market. He hasn't even had the dignity of being conscious throughout the bulk of ordeal.
Point of fact.. The young man should not even be conscious at this very moment as Zach finds his thoughts growing clearer as the haze lifts itself..
Unbeknownst to those involved, the sedative intake valve is currently closed. Forgotten and ignored by the hasty guards whom, by and large, are far more concerned about getting this detail over with so they can spend their hardly earned salaries in the Casino beyond these halls.
An opportunity.. perhaps...
Zach takes a moment, testing his bonds cautiously. They have him tied down pretty darn well. He frowns a bit, considering his options. This is going to be chancy, Zach thinks as he mentally keys himself up.
It may not be visible quite yet, but Zach's body starts to take on a faintly purple glow...
"Hey Frank?"
"Yeah?" The second guard absently replies, a hand guiding the bow of the coffin as wheels slowly amble over plush carpeting.
"You know Cindy? That chick that works the cigar stand by the roulette tables?" The first grins slyly, tilting his head in the direction of his fellow. The others doing their best job pretending to be somewhere else as the coffin rolls along.
"Hn? Yeah. Yeah. Hell yeah. The one stacked like Jerri Ryan?"
A third guard snaps out of his stupor and chimes in, "Man. Who even -remembers- who that old Trek chick is?"
The second tilts his head over his shoulder, brows furrowing as he mentions, "You did. Just now. So shut your @#$%ing face, Ed."
Ed rolls his head, sighing while poking his shades higher on his nose in surrender.
"Anyway.." The first breaks the two up as he half-turns to face the others, "..I'm telling you man, I got a shot at her."
"Shut up."
"Seriously man!"
"Way out of your league, retard." The fourth adds in a dull baritone.
"#$%ing haters I swear. GOD. I'm telling you. She will be -mine-. You @#$%ing watch me. All of y'all." Pointing to each of his fellow guards in question before readjusting his collar with a final harrumph.
The others barely contain their snickers.
All while the purple glow radiating from the tinted window on the lid goes unnoticed..
That... would be their problem. The glow intensifies as Zach throws open his floodgates for a moment. The guards only get about two seconds warning as the coffin starts to shake and rattle as it rolls. The next sign is the geyser of violet light erupting from the view-glass.
Then the lid is blown off of the pretentious transportation device. The bonds, and the rest of the coffin, do not last too much longer. Zach sits upright yanking feeds, IV lines and sensory gear off of himself as he glances around nervously. This is about his only shot at this; he needs to get it right.
"Hey Frank.."
"No Ed."
"Wait, no, seriously. Do you hear something?"
The other guard furrows his brow as he slowly glances down to the rattling lid. Only now noticing the purplish glow radiating from the tinted window.
"...Oh Fu-"
*KABOOOM*
The armored lid BLASTS from the coffin, slamming against the roof as pieces of the reinforced tomb go flying in all directions. The guards are sent sprawling on the floor and against the walls like leaves caught in a tornado!
Leaving Zach then kneeling upon the tabletop, removing the last pieces of control from his body and his first taste of freedom..
"S..Sec..curity b..breach.." Frank coughs into his intercom, half-buried in debris just before passing unconscious..
No klaxons or flashing red lights to denote any alarm. But make no mistake.. one is sounded. Hasty, frantic orders given behind the scenes..
Everyone knows what will happen if The Devil loses one of her precious specimens..
Zach legs off of the tabletop, leaning towards Frank. He considers, for a moment, getting some information out of the guy. Not time for that, he thinks. He punches the guard out, and then sets about looking for some keys as he considers his course of action.
.oO(Man. Now I'm gonna hafta cancel my debit card. >:()
Zach moves quickly, trying to fight the blush down when he realizes just how... exposed he is in this outfit.
Over ninety-five percent of the casino carries on like business as usual. People gambling their finances away, suckers every one of them. Rooms being checked into, checked out of. Maids shuffling carts down halls to quarters awaiting cleaning. But down below things are different. The call for help is responded to swiftly. In the time it takes Zach to find the keys on the definitely unconscious guard, another man storms into the hall.
Dressed just like the four that got knocked out by the blast of psycho power, Stonewall as his friends call him, doesn't look worried. So some boy half drugged and half dressed is on the loose, eh? Zach is spotted as he rises to his feet and the suited security agent dashes forward, black-glove covered hands raising up before dropping down in order to lay two savage punches into the young man's stomach if possible.
"Package five spotted," he voices into his mic mid-step, "He's not going anywhere."
COMBATSYS: Invader has started a fight here.
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Invader 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here.
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Invader 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Invader's Stage of Emergency.
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Invader 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
Zach frowns, the psychic energy that is his birthright sings as it burns through his veins. He brings his arms up in a defensive stance, driving them between those fists and his midsection. He snorts; the strikes were almost in slow motion to him as his mind blasts their way through the drugs in his system.
"If by nowhere," Zach says as he pivots away from Stonewall, "You mean the hell away from here, sure." Zach completes the pivot, slashing with his arm as if he held some kind of blade. Royal purple energy flares to life at his mental command, slashing furiously at the armored guard!
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Invader with Zero Stance.
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Invader 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Zach
Zach's condition is a lot better than the first guard to reach the scene expected. His punches blocked, Stonewall pulls back, his arms rising, expecting a retaliation of physical contact in return. Zach doesn't look like a tough guy at first glance... surely his punches are nothing...
But Zach isn't punching with his fist, that surge of violet energy he controls coming into play as he swings his arm through the suited guard. Caught unaware by the nature of Zach's strength, the young man earns himself a reprieve as Stonewall stumbles back, growling. "All right. Looks like it's time to get serious."
His left hand raises up to his glasses, taking them off and dropping them to the floor, his right hand reaches for a pocket in his suit jacket, withdrawing a small, silenced pistol. Not even bothering to give Zach the chance to surrender, the man takes fire, directing a shot toward his leg, intending, for now, to take him alive. Lethal force would be defeating the purpose here...
COMBATSYS: Zach slows Medium Shot from Invader with Ka-Psi-Ne Ate.
Glancing Hit
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Invader 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Zach
Zach frowns as the gun is drawn, raising his hands almost as if to surrender. Zach stares at the trigger guard, the finger starting to tighten. A gunshot would would put a stop to any such escape attempts Zach had in mind...
His response is quick he forms three sheets of energy. Rectangular blocks may be a better description of them. Zach drops his arms, and the blocks come down as the trigger is squeezed. The bullet sails towards Zach, only to be intercepted by the one technique he has really learned from Ryuhaku Todoh. The bullet smashes its way towards Zach, slowed somewhat by the impromptu barrier of willpower Zach threw up in front of it.
That does not stop the round from slamming into his shoulder with a meaty impact. It's a miracle that it only leaves a massive bruise.
"If... I'm package five... where are the other four?" Zach demands of Stonewall.
"Well," the guard responds, mouth curling into a faint frown at Zach's decisive reaction to the bullet intended to take him down. Seems he's resourceful, quick on his feet. Stonewall can deal with that. He's in good health, not half-drugged, and got his training in the army special forces for years. In his mind, there's little Zach can do to get out of this.
"...that's not really your concern, now is it." The gun lowered, slipped back into his pocket, the gloved guard charges forward, coming in surprisingly low for his larger stature, aiming to plow right into Zach with his shoulder and take the young man to the ground.
Right fist drawn back, his left hand will try to keep Zach pinned, before a crushing punch drops into his cheek. A few blows to soften him up should make him easy to get contained again.
COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Invader's Savage Beatdown.
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Invader 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Zach
Woudln't bet on it, Stonewall.
Zach slips out of the way of the onrushing mook, following Stonewall's movement with his eyes and hands. He regards the guard warily for a moment before considering his next course of action. The air around him ripples a bit before exploding into violet flame that does not burn anything it touches. The wisps of black that make their way into the effect may not go unnoticed, but Stonewall does not have a frame of reference to figure out what exactly it might mean.
"I am making it my concern," Zach says evenly as some of the clutter around his feet is simply shoved away from him by the sheer brute force of his own psychic energies. "This might be your last chance to tell me, before I drag the information out of you."
COMBATSYS: Zach gathers his will.
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Invader 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Zach
As Zach slips out of the way, the guard slides to a stop, coming to rest on his knees, his back facing the psycho power using young man. A grunt as his attempt to plow Zach over was met with catching nothing but air, but he isn't concerned just yet. "Big threat. If you were so tough you wouldn't be here in the first place, now would you," the man states, his mouth forming a faint smirk, his back still toward Zach.
As he rises up to his feet, both of his hands are coming out of his jacket, a silenced pistol in each hand, the small laser sights beneath the barrel coming to rest on Glen. Zach has proven himself to be very fast, but bullets are pretty fast too. Time to even the score.
And it is with that thought in mind, the man begins to empty the two clips of the gun, sounds of compressed air escaping the silencers the only hint that any shots are being fired at all. He doesn't really expect all the shots to land, or he wouldn't go firing so many bullets. But if a few snag him, that's worth it, right? Just need to wound him enough to subdue him...
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Invader's Point-Blank Fire.
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Invader 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Zach
Psychic energies dampen the impact that the bullets may have caused, pancaked round pelt into Zach's waiting arms as he reads Stonewall's movements.
"Girl got the drop on me," Zach admits. "You? Not so lucky," he leers with no small amount of anger as he summons up still more of that psychic flame intensifies and darkens. He sort of looms there as he looks across the way at Stonewall, as if he were some kind of feral predator sizing up prey.
Well, looms as well as a five-foot-three male in a hospital gown can. The bodies of the guards and the cart are now hurled away from the pair by the disturbance centered on Zach as his hair whips around wildly...
COMBATSYS: Zach gathers his will.
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Invader 0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1 Zach
Another grunt as the bullets prove very ineffective at getting through the wall of power built up around the young man. It looks like nothing shy of direct physical contact is going to do. The two pistols, their clips emptied, are tossed aside. "Heh."
The build up of power should be a warning, but the man takes his chances anyway, charging toward Zach, intending to grab a hold of one of his arms and twist him down to the ground. If successful, it is a well polished, black shoe that will crash into his ribs, followed by a very painful wrenching of his arm. "Let's see if you get more cooperative if I start dislocating joints...!"
COMBATSYS: Zach fails to interrupt Break The Rules from Invader with Burst Stream.
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Invader 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Zach
Zach's eyes narrow as Stonewall seems to decide his own course of action. He grins, and it is not that pleasant grin that he wears when he is meeting friends, or that pleased grin he gets when he wins a match or has a good fight. This grin is decidedly... malignant as Zach watches Stonewall charge in.
Zach brings his hands back to one side, all of the now black-purple flames rushing to the "ball" made by the palms. "Your funeral," Zach says tauntingly. Even a non-sensitive like Stonewall can sense the amount of bone-shattering power that is starting to collect in that small spot. Zach does not seem to care; he may not have much use for people who work for kidnappers.
Zach waits just a moment longer. He wants Stonewall in just the right spot to blast a hole clean through that jerk's chest. It is this moment of hesitation that costs him, allowing Stonewall just the opening to slam into his previously wounded chest. He goes down under the grab, grunting as he does so. Most of the energy simply vanishes into the ether.
The rest of it loses any remaining traces of purple that were in it. He is angry, and scared; not just for himself (his own situation is incredibly risky) but for the people that he now is very certain are also in danger.
Getting Zach down and subdued is by far the most important thing here. Back up must be on its way by now so if he can just keep Zach busy for a little it longer, the young man should be captured, sealed up, Marise will have her precious package, and everyone will go home happy. Well. Except for Zach, of course. "Funeral? Well, if I were to not let you go, THEN I'd be worried about dying... heh."
Having twisted the captured psion to the ground, Stonewall continues to demonstrate why it is he's got the reputation as being someone no one could ever hope to get past. A quick kick to try and roll Zach on his back before dropping down and attempting to twist his arms behind him is the next order of business...
COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Invader's Quick Throw.
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Invader 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Zach
Zach feels the throw coming. He rolls with the throw, landing on his feet with that funny *spak* sound that bare feet make on pavement as he eyes Stonewall. There is, of course, a first time for everything. Zach flexes both hands, stopping when they are loose and ready. He has not noticed the color of his signature, or the way that he is carrying himself right now.
The anger, the fear, the energy intensifies them both, brings them screaming to the surface. He walks towards Stonewall. "Hope your affairs are in order," Zach snarls as he sweeps an arm upward towards his opponent. Out of nowhere, a lance of pitch black energy slashes angrily at the guard up and out of the floor, as if trying to impale the fighter on the spot.
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Invader with Third Stance.
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Invader 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Zach
Unfortunately, when presented with the difficult question of 'How do you defend yourself from an attack that isn't coming directly from someone?', Stonewall's answer to that is 'You don't.' Zach's lancing psycho power spears the man, the pitch black energy slashing him harshly across the chest as he tries to turn out of the way. His nice, pressed, white shirt torn and bloody, the man gasps as he falls back against the wall.
Hand reaching for his radio, he clicks it to life, "Damnit, where's my backup? Hello? Hello?" Only silence can be heard from the device, as if something somewhere has been flicked off. Or maybe it's just busted from Zach's powerful blast.
There is no choice, he has to get Zach under control himself. Trying to ignore the pain of the injury just caused, Stonewall eyes the captive more warily now, his mouth sealed tightly. So be it. Another tackle is in order, the man charging forward, aiming to grab Zach's arm and twist him to the ground into another painful submission hold. If he can just slow the fighter down until someone gets here... why are they taking so long?
COMBATSYS: Zach interrupts Brutal Takedown from Invader with Third Stance.
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Invader 1/--=====/=======|===----\-------\0 Zach
Stonewall's shoulder collides with Zach's gut even as the arm is sweeping upward. Another lance, again pitch black, slashes upward in order to knock the guard up, away and down the hallway away from Zach. "I don't think so," Zach says firmly as he continues to walk towards the Stonewall.
"I think that the next one will do some serious harm to you," he says in an almost clinical manner, that predatory grin still on his face. "So this may be your last chance to tell me what I want to know." The advance continues, the black flames licking around Zach's body.
A second sheering lance pierces the man savagely, this time the wound is very clear as Stonewall is sent gasping back against the wall, hand reaching down to his stomach, covering the wound as best he can. Dark eyes wider now that he realizes the deadliness of the young man. Letting him get loose wasn't his fault, but failing to take Zach down may still be blamed entirely on him.
"Not a chance in hell of me tell-" he starts to reply only to be cut off by a horrible sounding, crimson victory in the form of blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Eyes slowly lower to inspect his own condition... the power Zach utilizes is far worse than he gave it credit for, the pain settling in as his mind begins to catch up with the savage nature of the attacks.
Sinking down to the floor, the man gasps. So not worth it. "Okay," comes the groaned allowance. "You were being taken that way, to an elevator that would have taken you lower. The others... they're already down there. Down in hell for all the good it will do for you to know that. You'll never..." he grunts, closing his eyes. "Nevermind, go down there if you want. If /she/ finds you it won't matter though..."
Exhaling, he shakes his head, falling quiet, closing his eyes. Still conscious, he begins tapping away at his mic, wondering why only silence answers back. The hallway indicated looks ordinary enough. Straight about ten yards, then around a few corners to find the elevator mentioned if Zach really is insane enough to try it. Strangely, no one else seems to be spilling into the corridor to stop Zach.
COMBATSYS: Invader takes no action.
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Invader 1/--=====/=======|====---\-------\0 Zach
Zach's gaze tracks back towards the elevator for a moment, before looking back at Stonewall. That smile, that terrible smile is still on his face. He regards Stonewall for a moment as he hunkers down to look the man in the face.
"Thank you, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" Zach asks almost... cheerfully as that dark fire flickers around him. He studies Stonewall for another moment.
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Invader with Blast Bash.
[ < > ////////// ]
Invader 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=====--\-------\0 Zach
Zach's fist slams into Stonewall's chest, the psychic energy coiled around it like a whip, or perhaps something far more sinister. Zach stands up, the other man almost impaled upon that fist as Zach raises it to the air. He is still looking Stonewall right in the eyes. "I've no use for someone who would help kidnap people and hold them like so much meat," Zach growls before flinging the man down the hallway.
He looks around for a moment, sizing up who all is present still. If he is going to stick around and rescue these people, he's going to need a disguise. Or barring that, normal clothes. On the other hand all of the pain, the bruising, and the stretched out shoulder all come crashing onto him like a ton of bricks. He sags a bit as the energy leaves him for now. He looks around again, his temper cooled down allows him to think straight. He's bloodied, battered, and he has no clue whatsoever where he is at all. He needs to regroup, get out of here. Maybe find some friends to hat up and stage a proper rescue. He decides to make his way out of the building, and work out a plan from there.
He only hopes that the delay does not incure a very serious cost...
COMBATSYS: Invader takes no action.
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Zach 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Invader can no longer fight.
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Zach 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Zach has ended the fight here.
Down, there's nothing the man can do as Zach crouches down toward him, a different side of the young man unleashed that didn't match his files at all. A pained hand comes up, trying to pull himself free of the vicious attack, but Zach is the one in control here and Stonewall is sent tumbling down the hall rapidly, landing in a bloody, unconcious heap after the attack.
As the young man begins to get his bearings and contemplate a disguise, he'll be greeted by a slow, patient clapping coming from the direction that Zach would have to go were he hoping to save the rest of those Stonewall hinted at being locked down below even this floor.
"Nice," Ayame remarks, the girl leaning one shoulder against the wall, her left arm wrapped lovingly around a six foot long metal staff at her other side. "You really made a mess here. Now quit wasting time and get out of here, you idiot. I played enough havoc with the comm systems to keep the guards searching the wrong floors for you. But they're going to be here any minute now."
She stands up straight, stretching her arms out at her sides lazily, "Now get out of here before I have to smear you and drag you back to your cage like a good captive, ne?" She beams, resting the titanium weapon against her shoulder, her head leaning to the side a little. "Don't do anything stupid. Head back that way, take the elevator up three floors, make an immediate left when you get out. It'll get you to a back alley. I've already taken care of all the cameras between here and there, if you're quick the fake loop I have them on right now won't run out before you're out of here..."
Idly the girl starts brushing her nails against her blouse, "Nice work on the guard there, by the way. Really showed him whatfor after he already surrendered. Are you looking for work? You're just the type of guy we tend to hire," she continues, her tone taunting, her right hand tapping her chin thoughtfully.
Fear and anger will provoke very interesting reactions. Most days, Zach keeps a pretty even keel. One needs to admit, he has been thrust into a crazy situation the past couple of days.
Zach whirls on the girl who put him in this mess in the first place, energies flaring back to life suddenly as Ayame makes her appearance. He stares at her for a moment, as the psychic fire screams through his system once more. He tenses to strike when he realizes...
...she's giving him directions on how exactly to get out of here. His eyes narrow as he listens. "He had it coming," Zach answers. He considers. It is oh-so-tempting to lash out at her right now. Make her feel some of the pain that he just got. The flames flicker back and forth between black and purple. "Why are you doing this?" he asks. He has to know.
Ayame sighs softly. "Hey, hero, the clock's ticking." She rolls her eyes upward as if listening for something else besides the captured psion, "Nn... yeah, not much time at all..." Brown eyes fix back on Zach, the girl's mouth curling into a very amused, teethy grin, "Oh, believe me, it's not for you. If I thought it useful to me I'd kill you right where you stand. And," her grin fades, her expression becoming rather serious, "Considering your present condition I don't really think that would be at all hard for me to do. What do you think? Want to waste your one shot at leaving this building in something other than a body bag in a futile attempt to hurt me? Please. I can't imagine you hate your existence that bad. You were nothing for me to handle last time, and you weren't even in this condition then. Tsk, tsk."
She starts to walk forward then, hefting her staff up with her left hand and resting it against her shoulder. Slow, methodical steps, gradually closing the distance between them. "If I catch up with you, you're a dead man." She pauses. "Oh... no, not because I'm going to kill you right here and now. In fact, I'm not going to kill you at all..."
Ayame shakes her head, another step taken, narrowing the gap between the two. "/She/ will. Though by the time she gets around to it, you'll be begging for the sweet, merciful release of death to put an end to the horrors you would be put through..." Another step. "So how about you spend less time wondering why I'm doing what I'm doing - as, honestly, that's none of your business - and more time making with the running away? Shoo," she encourages, brushing the back of her hand toward him as if trying to convince a pesky insect to be on its way to bother someone else.
Her eyes narrow, her mouth curled into a malicious smirk, "Though I admit... the thought of hurting you again myself does appeal to me a little..."
Zach's energies flare out once more, a broader blast that throws dust down both ends of the hallway even as it swallows the light before flickering out and retreating to his small frame.. He pulls himself to his full (and unimpressive) height as he levels a stare at Ayame.
"I'm leaving now," he states as absolute fact. "I will be back, and I will not be alone. If you are smart," Zach does not fool himself by thinking that he can appeal to any sense of compassion from this feral child, "Then you will have whomever /else/ you, and 'She' have in the building, ready to return to their lives." He says this with the tone one applies to absolute truth. "After that, you had better pray to whatever gods you hold to that I don't see you again."
Zach jerks his chin towards where he threw Stonewall. "I'll make him look like the lucky one." With that, Zach turns, and goes out the way Ayame indicated. He does not run; he'll be /damned/ if she ever sees him run again. He does, however, move with purpose.
The blast brushes past Ayame, ruffling hair and clothing on its way down the hall. "Save the light show of when it matters." Her hand comes up to dust lightly at her black blouse once again, the girl looking woefully bored, "And save the threats for when you're strong enough to make them stick. You're starting to really make me rethink this... In fact, if I thought I could swing it, I'd let the Russian girl go instead. But... sadly, you were the easiest one. She's probably already in four pieces by now."
The girl shakes her head, almost pouting a little. "Now don't be in a hurry to come back here after I went through all this trouble to get you /out/. I might feel like I wasted my time if you just end up back in a coffin on wheels all over again." She falls quiet as Zach finally turns to leave, watching him go for a moment, all mirth and pouting gone from her expression as she once again becomes deadly serious.
Sighing softly, she walks over to one of the four guards, bending down next to him, her knee on the floor, her hands on the lapels of his suits. She maintains the pose for fifteen seconds before she's at last joined by several other suited guards piling into the hall. Glancing up from appearing to have been peering intently at the guard, "He just told me he went that way." Her voice is urgent, breathless, as if she's been running all over the building. "Hurry, you might catch him. He's injured, and not moving fast!" She nods her head down the same direction she told Zach to take to reach the exit and the seven guards hurry on past.
Rising up to standing again, the girl brushes her hands off, takes her staff from where she had left it leaning against the wall, and collapses it down to slip into the pouch at her side. "Well, shoot... guess that means she only has two of the final three she needs..." Ayame rests her hands against the back of her head as she turns to head down the opposite direction in the hall. "Suppose that means I'm still necessary." Job security can be a fickle thing in this business.
Now, Zach said he'd be damned if Ayame saw him run.
Nothing was ever said about when she was out of sight. The moment he gets out of visual of the crazy girl, he's off at a full sprint. You'd be surprised at what Zach can do when he puts his mind to it. Might explain why he hasn't blown himself up yet.
Log created on 22:10:09 03/18/2008 by Marise, and last modified on 02:17:02 03/19/2008.