Description: There were still some variables in the world that Marz, the analytical servant of Vega, just doesn't understand. One of the ones that has niggled in the back of her mind the most is Elle, and her mysterious group of mercenaries. In order to try and formulate a fuller opinion of the group, and the place that Elle occupied in the world, and lacking any other orders from Vega, she decides to test the might of the Ragin' Cajun, Jayden. By ambushing him completely unawares. Can the cold and calculating style of Marz match up against the power of the ex-Special Forces operative? And what will the repercussions be to this brazen act of aggression against Blackjack? Only time will tell...
This is the part that they never show in spy movies.
Marz had taken some initiative. It was something she was starting to get the hang of, these days. She had questioned a lot more during the operations in Southtown than she had ever dreamed of questioning before, largely because Seth's actions were, as far as she was concerned, nothing short of lunacy. That, coupled with her discussion with Elle, had planted the seed in the Doll to become something more than a glorified accountant and number cruncher. It had started to create a tactician, and Marz... was good at planning. She always had been.
Spy movies would have you believe that all ambushes are quick, that you get the drop on someone in a matter of seconds, and get right down to the good stuff. Marz, however, has taken a more stealthy approach in taking on Jayden. Why is she targeting him? Well... his association with Elle, mainly. The girl had been fascinated by the woman. She was smart, and she seemed to move in ways that drew power naturally to her. Her gut instinct, then, was to gauge Elle's strength on a personal basis, and the first step to that, was getting a grip on the strength of her associates.
Right now, that means getting the drop on Jayden, and that means, Marz is buried in the dirt and undergrowth in this section of forest. She'd ascertained that he would be walking by this position at SOME point today, and the girl has positioned herself such that she can watch the path, covered with clumps of turf, she is one with the forest.
And has been. For hours. Still. Silent. Watching.
Elle is... a consummate employer. For all her faults, she's very good at knowing what she needs to do to drive others--no slouch in any aspect she exerts herself in, she's perhaps ultimately best at utilizing other people's strengths and knowing their weaknesses. It's an important skill to have. Jayden is not so good at it--too much of a loner, too willing to be snarky, not wanting to let anyone get too close, he's best at hitting people's weak points, not reinforcing them--and he doesn't much care for command. He'll do it, but he doesn't want it.
And despite being now a mercenary hired by Elle, a hired gun of sorts... actually, because of it... he's keeping fit. Strong, ready, practiced. Fighting where he can, when he can, keeping up a daily regimen of exercise. The man is a former soldier--he's /got/ the discipline. He just doesn't always choose to show that he has it. Dressed down, in grey sweatshirt, sweatpants, black stockingcap and white shoes, he's jogging, just coming down from a five mile run--a bit too predictable, perhaps, he's been taking the same path for about three weeks. He's not a man who really loves nature, but there is something about the path that gives him some ease.
He doesn't look terribly winded--the runs improving on an already-excellent endurance factor--but it does look like he might be a bit more preoccupied than he should be, his eyes not terribly focused on anything in particular other than the ground.
COMBATSYS: Jayden has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Jayden 0/-------/-------|
Marz understood discipline. Better than most people understood /breathing/. She's certainly exercising more of the former rather than the latter at this moment in time, as her ears prick, and she picks up the sound of the approaching former soldier. Some part of her analyzing the pace. The sound of the footfalls. Judging weight and exertion. This, was not going to be an easy task, but, then, none of the best ones ever are.
It isn't until he is almost past her that she makes her move, however. Jayden might have a split second, to catch the grass moving out of the corner of his eye, before a knife slices through the air. The girl makes quite a bizarre sight. Short, but absolutely covered in the camouflage, she's absolutely focused on him, her eyes scarily hard as the knife cuts its path towards her target.
And she doesn't say a word.
COMBATSYS: Marz has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Marz 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Jayden
COMBATSYS: Jayden blocks Marz's Thrown Object.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Jayden
That split-second is all he needs. He doesn't question what's going on, he doesn't ask who's attacking him. He doesn't even wonder why. All he knows is, someone's thrown a knife at him; he deflects with a forearm, though the razor-sharp blade cuts through the heavy cotton of his sweatshirt and slices a line across the top of his arm. A stinging pain, but nothing more than that.
And then the man is moving. No shouted threats, no silliness like that--he's just moving, low to the ground, practically hunched over, arms raised in a near-perfect boxing defense. He's got some ways to go to cover the distance between himself and his camoflauged assailant--so he crouches on powerful legs, leaps, and hurtles forward. He waits to get closer before throwing a flying sidekick from his left, his sneakered foot aimed to impact right on Marz's forehead.
COMBATSYS: Marz dodges Jayden's Aggressive Strike.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Jayden
Marz displays the kind of agility that the Dolls are most famous for. In a sudden blur of motion, she's flipping back, and Jayden's strike meets nothing but empty space. Three backflips to put some ground between herself and the man, and the turf-covered costume is floating to the ground. No longer hindered by the turfed material, she stands in her Doll uniform, and ... just looks at Jayden. No real stance of any sort being assumed, she seems more interested in sizing him up than bothering to assume any footing that would help her defend herself.
"Fast. No obvious shock, and immediate aggressive response." She intones, flicking her head back to get a whisper of grass out of her eyes. "As expected from one of Elle's subordinates. You are my target. Defend yourself to the best of your abilities. Do not hold back, or I will destroy you."
There's a heartbeat more. She didn't want this to be construed as an attack on Elle herself, after all. Even though... she would, eventually be attacking Elle herself, she didn't want to get in trouble for beginning a war without Vega's permission. So she forces herself to smile. A look totally at odds with the analytical gleam in her eye, and adds, with a too-cheerful voice, "Thank you very much for your time, Mr. Remarque."
COMBATSYS: Marz calculates her next move.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Jayden
Jayden's ready for it, though; he lands on his left foot and is already transferring his momentum forward, pursuing the girl. His expression, however, has changed, a wicked little grin showing on his lips. "Din't know Elle was hirin' such cute secretaries, cher," he observes, that Cajun lilt coming out a little more pronounced than usual. His gaze is frankly appraising, even as he's moving forward, and he comments, "You coul' use a little more up top, though, make y' look reaaaal nice..."
Is the comment meant to infuriate? To put her off her game? Or is it really what's going through his head? Hard to tell, hard to tell. What's easy to tell is that he's coming for her. Or is he? He lunges, but stops short--and then crosses his arms, ripping them back across his body a moment later, unleashing a screaming arc of sonic power, that yellow-green energy crashing through whatever it needs to to get at her...
COMBATSYS: Marz overcomes Sonic Slash from Jayden with Psiball.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Jayden
Unfortunately for Jayden, Marz has fought Vyle. He'll need to work a little harder than that to actually get under her skin any more.
Marz might not have assumed a stance, but that doesn't mean she isn't ready for what comes next. The girl has enough distance to consider her options, and, simply steps back as he begins to lunge.
The blast of power comes hurtling forwards, but rather than panic, her arm sweeps in return. A simple burst of psycho power meets the energy head-on, and carries on through it. She'd had to deal with so much power, it was actually getting easier to counteract it with her own force of will. Something she was proud -had- developed, even if she was still a little girl.
The small ball of power carries on its course, aiming to burst neatly against Jayden's forehead. "An interesting technique." The girl observes, pausing only to straighten up properly after focusing her energy. "Would you like to try again?"
COMBATSYS: Marz successfully hits Jayden with Psiball.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Jayden
Unlike Vyle, Jayden doesn't use psychological tactics as a crutch, so if they're not working, he simply abandons the tactic. With a sneer, the man moves forward--into the ball of power. It impacts, and rocks him back a step--but he doesn't stop coming forward. "Don' know why you come t' start trouble wit' me, girlie. But if you t'ink somethin' like dat be scarin' me off, then you need t' do more research, couillon..."
Of course... the girl is fast, as he'd suspected, just from looking at her build. She uses knives and some sort of energy--there's a lot of potential to get screwed up here. He has to fight smart, not angry--fortunately that's just what his training was all about. He just moves in, closing inexorably. Maybe she'll avoid all his strikes--but he's betting against it, and he's already thinking, his eyes narrowed into calculating slits.
A quick leg feint--just a lifting of his leading leg, to suggest a kick--and then he's curving his right hand in, aiming a hooking attack. It isn't a punch--the hooking attack is a stiffened-fingers thrust, aimed for the throat.
COMBATSYS: Jayden successfully hits Marz with Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Jayden
It was, perhaps, a mistake to presume that Jayden would be so easily thrown off. The girl just sort of naturally presumes that her opponents will be at least a little put off by the psi-attack. She didn't imagine that he'd just continue to close the gap, and as she slides backwards, her motion is not quite perfect. The blow lands solidly in her throat, and there's a choking 'gck!' from the girl.
Not trusting herself to speak as she tries to recover from the stab into her throat, she instead decides to respond in kind. If she couldn't fend him off with psi power, she'd just have to do it the old fashioned way. Refusing to be pushed back, her foot momentarily digs into the dirt, and then she whips it up. Coming in straight up in quite an unnatural twist, she aims to slam the heel of her shoe against his chin. If that succeeds, she'll twist, and follow it up, aiming to force him back under a hail of quick, fast moving kicks, keeping up a forward momentum intended to make it all the more difficult to respond before she's already moving somewhere else. She was getting better at close combat... that much was for sure.
COMBATSYS: Marz successfully hits Jayden with Fantastic Footwork.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Jayden
Barraged by the kicks--his defenses opened by the heel to his chin--the Cajun is staggered by the assault. Still, the assault doesn't wither his confidence--though Marz manages to knock him almost down, he recovers at the last moment, springing into a quick, one-handed backflip before coming back up on his feet. He's actually grinning, though it looks a touch feral, not exactly a happy grin. "How's the throat, cher? Hope you still gon' have a good singin' voice," he remarks.
Seems the two of them are pretty stubborn--Jayden hasn't stopped moving forward, really, in the least, and now he feints a high punch--but it's only to get her to raise her guard. See, what he really wants to do...
He wants to grab one of Marz's forearms, plant his feet, and simply twist and pull, hurling her around and towards the nearest tree. Simple, non?
COMBATSYS: Jayden successfully hits Marz with Quick Throw.
Glancing Blow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Jayden
Marz is indeed grabbed and pulled... but she manages to break the momentum enough that she tumbles to the floor, rather than hitting the tree as intended. The girl actually smiles, skidding to a halt, as she picks herself up, she takes a moment to brush her hair back behind her ear, and meet Jayden's eye. Composing herself, she stands straight, and seems... more amused than anything else.
"Your fighting style is fascinating." She states, her voice indeed just a little bit more throaty than it was before. "The data available on you was limited, and will need to be updated. Your capabilities likely exceed my own. I am uncertain that I will be able to defeat you, as your variability is working outside the boundaries of my current skill level. I do not think that I am able to counteract your strengths with your weaknesses."
Her voice is disturbingly flat as she explains this, taking a long, deep breath, before she lets it out, slowly. "I will not give up, however, as I may be underestimating my own tactical ability. Please, come at me. I am learning a great deal."
COMBATSYS: Marz gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Jayden
"Oh, keepin' a file? I'm touched, chere. But my style ain't nothin' special. Go look up Guile or Charlie, if you wan' a real taste o' the style..." His voice hardens a bit at the mention of the two fighting luminaries. "But I do admit to puttin' a touch o' Cajun heat in... so I guess it is m' own brand o' gumbo at that." When she taunts him--tells him to 'come at her'... well. You sometimes get what you ask for, don't you?
He moves quickly, liquidly, 'rolling' forward in a boxer's movement, hands up just like a boxer's--only when he comes up and in range, he's not aiming a punch--he's kicking upwards, his toe aimed to exacerbate the wound he'd already made at her throat--he's not wearing his usual steel-toed boots, but throats are tender things.
Fighting like this is certainly different from the training he received, the fighting he did as a Special Forces member--largely up against the untrained, the sensation was completely different there--a dominating sensation, the ability to crush foes with a single blow. This is different... more dangerous but infinitely more rewarding...
COMBATSYS: Marz blocks Jayden's Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Jayden
"I have read the files on those fighters. There are similarities, but you are not as skilled. If you were, I would have been destroyed already."
It's said so simply, so calmly. But it was true. You'd be surprised at just how extensive the files on Guile and Charlie really are, but the data is extensive, and Marz has taken the time to review it. She was certain that the 'Cajun Heat' part of this particular fighting style was far more insidious than the man was implying, but she wasn't going to really go on about the differences though. She was going to make him work for his victory.
Her arm comes up in a snapping motion, and the kick slams into it. Her footing skids, but doesn't move. However, the next moment, her left arm is coming forwards. There's really no subtly in the motion, she just aims to grab Jayden by the back of the head, and use that hold to drag herself up, to headbutt him, painfully, in the nose.
If that succeeds, she'll capitalize on the motion, aiming to carry on, keeping her grip on his hair, but lifting herself up and over him... to just unbalance him, and crash him into the ground.
COMBATSYS: Jayden fails to interrupt Combo Attack from Marz with Sonic Smash.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Jayden
There's no response to the comment about his being not as skilled as Charlie or Guile. Hell, he knows it's true. He wasn't expecting her to headbutt--it stuns him, and by the time he's trying to cut her attack short, she's already above him, twisting, and slamming his head into the ground, where he bounces nicely before rolling away.
Back up on his feet... this girl is annoying him. She hasn't yet really /hit/ him all tha thard, save for the kick combination... just wearing him down, and it's proving to be an annoyance. But, considering her general physical build, he's not terribly surprised... and fighting styles tend to be developed towards a fighter's strengths, not their weaknesses.
Still, his string of failures are hardly encouraging, though he keeps any emotion from his face besides that surface detached amusement. "So, chere, when you gon' stop playin' around and /hit/ me? I pay for better massages than this..."
There's a moment of consideration for this. The girl meeting Jayden's eye seriously.
"You are attempting to coax me into attacking you in a clumsy way." She says, quietly. Licking her lips slowly. "I still have not determined the speciality that you use to your advantage." She admits, letting her arms hang at her side as she considers the larger man before her, her expression neutral, but her voice is just a little bit concerned. If she was honest, he had sort of thrown her in response to that attack- she'd expected him to defend against it, and attempt to press an attack in kind. Now, there was distance between them, and he was trying to coax her into punching him.
"Unless you are bluffing, and you wish to maintain this distance in order to attempt another chi-based attack. I would not recommend that myself, but, I believe I have found your weakness. You rely on your opponent to overextend themselves. You are not placed well to attack a defensive position, therefore, if I focus on my defense, you will wear yourself down and I will triumph."
A heartbeat, and the girl sounds honestly curious. "Am I incorrect?"
COMBATSYS: Marz calculates her next move.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Jayden
Jayden smirks. "Y'think? Drawin' th' fight out... that's what you want, right? T' 'gather information'..." He shrugs, and just stands there. "Seems like I shouldn't play with you anymore, doll..." And he drops his guard, right then and there, just... standing in front of her. He suddenly realizes it--he let her provoke him, and although his actions weren't careless or without thought, they were also instinctive.
"What will y'do if I just walk away?" The question is, can he really just walk away? That does seem to be what he's going to do--as he turns away, his arms still at his sides, beginning to just... walk away. Of course, even such an unhurried walk isn't quite right--his senses are still 'up', wary of attack from behind.
After all, if he were in Marz's position... that's what he would be doing.
COMBATSYS: Jayden gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Jayden
Marz frowns, and there's a moment where she considers her options. "Your analysis of the situation is flawed." She says, quietly.
Suddenly, she's leaping up in a blur of motion. The girl grabs a hold of a tree branch, and swings herself around. Bracing herself against the tree branch, she springs forwards, and intends to pass within inches of Jayden's head, before landing, crouched, in front of him, and spinning around to look him in the eye.
If all goes well... it will be a split second before what the hell just happened becomes perfectly clear.
COMBATSYS: Marz successfully hits Jayden with Psi-Ripper.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Jayden
Raising her hand from behind her back, Marz turns it to face palm towards the elder fighter, and only then does the thin edge of psionic energy become visible. And in that moment, the burning agony of the energy slice that had passed through that tiny gap makes itself known. She exhales slowly, and stands, bowing her head a little.
"... That was difficult to achieve. Your strategy was almost successful."
He really isn't sure what just happened. The ripping agony, well... he knows about that. But the psionic power doesn't blow him off his feet; he stands there as the agony tears through his body, struggling not to react... and feeling it anyways, feeling it bow his spine, force his muscles to contract. He staggers, almost falling, and then it's over. But now she's in front of him.
His lips curl upwards, in a faint, mocking smile. "Ain't good t' be so persistent, girlie... may not be me... but you gon' get yours, in the end... you gon' get yours." All thoughts of just walking away are done now--the moment of chatting is what he needed to get his thoughts in gear, to make his body move...
And suddenly he's kicking upwards, aiming to make his right heel connect with her chin--and then to drop the same heel on her head in a vicious axe kick, one that won't stop until his foot hits the ground again.
COMBATSYS: Marz endures Jayden's Hell's Hammer.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Marz 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Jayden
Bizarrely, Marz doesn't make any move to get out of the way of the incoming assault.
The first kick whips her head straight up, and there's a little trickle of blood from her lips. The second blow smashes her face cruelly into the ground, but, that isn't all it does. Because as Marz's head goes down... the rest of her body is moving up.
She'd accurately judged the result of the blow, and now she was hoping, she could finish off this fight with a simple reversal of the assault. Her legs aim to wrap around Jayden's head, and, if she can manage that, the world will likely be wondering how she could possibly be so flexible, as she aims to finish the fight, twisting herself around, and fully intending to strain Jayden's neck to near-breaking-point. Praying to Vega that this final motion would be enough to end the persistent warrior.
COMBATSYS: Jayden endures Marz's Fulcrum Shift.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Marz 0/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Jayden
Tiring of defensive manuevers, Jayden... doesn't move, when Marz tries to wrap her legs around his head. Hell, he pays for this kind of thing too... sometimes. But, when she goes to slam him down--he's ready for it. He goes limp, preparing his body to take the impact, and when it comes... he rolls with it--recovering far faster than he might have otherwise--possibly even before Marz is ready. And he's lunging for her, going all out to strike with all the force he has.
He draws his right fist back, glowing with yellow-green energy; the first attack comes as a slamming hook punch from his right. And then from his left, and then his right again.
If that series of strikes hits, it will spin Marz around, and then he'll grab her by the waist, and lift her up--slamming her into the ground in a suplex--but retaining his hold on her, rising and slamming her down into the ground again--and then hurling her straight up into the air.
From there, he'll leap upwards, striking with a thrusting, chi-enhanced knee strike-to-flip kick combination to finish.
But it all hinges on that first strike...
COMBATSYS: Marz parries Jayden's Megaton Smasher!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Marz 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Jayden
At first, it looks like Marz isn't even going to try and dodge, again. If it wasn't for the sweat beading on her brow, there would be no evidence of the nerves she felt. Despite all of Vega's programming, he couldn't completely eliminate the physiological response to fear. Exhilaration, even. Marz knew the chances of her pulling this off were astronomically slim. But, she also recognized that after such a beating, and the way Jayden's muscles were bunched, if she didn't pull it off, she was going to be in for a world of pain.
There was no other choice.
The blow comes in for her, and... at the last second, she moves. Impossibly graceful, she slides around the other fighter, and in that very instant, she unleashes her own combination.
There was no room for error, now. She needed to capitalize on it, and she needed to finish this, because there was no more excuse for failure. A chaining combination of a dozen blows, laid one after the other, strikes out, aiming to overwhelm Jayden from behind and finally bring the elder fighter low.
And only after the final strike, a sweeping kick aiming to take the legs out from under him, is thrown, does the girl exhale. Barely able to believe she had gotten out of the initial onslaught unscathed.
COMBATSYS: Jayden fails to interrupt Sudden Combo EX from Marz with Fierce Combo.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Marz 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Jayden
COMBATSYS: Jayden can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Marz 0/-------/-------|
The fight ends in a blur of attacks; Jayden's been worn down so completely by Marz's strategy that he has nothing left to give. It's to his shame--he tries a final surge, but the Doll simply proves to be too fast to counter. The only thing left for him, as he falls almost silently... is burning hate. Maybe this wasn't personal for her... but it's become so, for him. He's certainly going to be looking to get some back from her. A pound of flesh, to start. Of course he knows that one battle is meaningless in the longer run of things... but he is a man and he has his pride, and that pride has been damaged, despite his best efforts...
Marz was aware that people sometimes took fights personally; after all, she had felt... a real hot flash of rage when Frei had turned on her. But she was also cold and logical enough to know that she was in no position to take any sort of revenge on him. He had demonstrated that in such a crushing way that she had determined to simply leave it be. Tuck it away into a cold part of her soul, and leave it at that.
When Jayden hits the floor, she does spot that anger in his eyes, and for an awkward moment, she considers trying to rectify it. There was really no way she could soothe him, though. She hadn't intended to start anything serious between Shadaloo and Elle's little mercenary operation... but, just one look in his eye was enough to convince her that she might have done just that without meaning to. The thought of actually making -that- disturbingly dispassionate woman angry sent another bead of sweat trickling down her forehead.
"Your boss knows where to find me." And then, because she didn't want Vega to be held responsible, she decides to bite the bullet. "This was entirely personal." She lies, for the benefit of Shadaloo.
Only time would tell if she would regret that decision.
COMBATSYS: Marz has ended the fight here.
Log created on 14:40:11 10/31/2009 by Marz, and last modified on 18:50:18 11/09/2009.