Description: Angel and Eclipse set a cunning trap for Malin, a longtime thorn in the side of -every evil syndicate ever-. Disguises are donned! Daring cat-burglar entrances made! Crowbars are slammed into kneecaps! Malin pulls a giant mallet out of her tiny (upsettingly short) miniskirt! This is a scene that's got everything, and plays with a bit more scene-setting than others. Definitely an **EPIC** read.
ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT:
Over the last three days, Diecast Labor Intl. has appropriated an enormous warehouse on the outskirts of this Egyptian costal city. A variety of temp workers have been assigned to its labor, but it isn't particularly difficult to catch the inconsistencies in their manner and appearance; word has been getting around that their manner is militaristic, their appearance too clean-cut and dignified for the stereotypical drifter. Add to this the round-the-clock shipments of large, vaguely labeled goods, and you've got yourself a little bit of a conspiracy.
Already, a handful of Alexandrianites have been seriously injured in attempts to break into the Diecast compound - their little dog made it back in marginally better condition, but was never the most courageous sort to begin with.
TONIGHT: Just as with the previous two nights, Angel pulls overnight duty with a handful of combat-hardened, veteran... shift leads. She's certainly dressed for the role - ratty jeans offer modesty she's quite frankly uncomfortable with, while a dingy tee covers her top, 'BAUHAUS' prominently displayed on its front. A denim cap compresses snowy locks against her head. At the moment, Shift Manager Angel is sitting in her Shift Manager Office, eyes peeled to 9 monitors. 8 of these are security cameras while one of them is more appropriately devoted to one of her Raw is WAR recordings.
It is 1:43 AM. Everybody is expecting something.
Eclipse arrives from elsewhere.
Egypt: Not the first place one might expect to find Malin. But then, Malin has a bizarre habit of popping up just exactly where she is not expected.
It has been some time since she began to run out of cash. Having to walk everywhere really isn't Malin's style, but necessities like food, drink, roof over head, these things all cost money. She hasn't really slowed down since Elle came at her hard a few months back. In the wake of the Southtown Wars, Malin has had to keep constant momentum, because if she stops for even a moment... she fears that more people might be placed into the firing line for her mistakes.
She thinks she's managed to lose her tail, though. Elle hasn't made another move, at least. For all her bluster and her... less than ethical methods, Malin really is a good hearted person. But now, at last, she thinks she can afford to take some time to do what she does best. Remind the bad guys that she exists, and maybe sleep somewhere with a comfy bed and a hot meal for the first time in weeks when all is said and done.
Her arrival is heralded by the sudden detachment of a camera from a wall. The razorwire yoyo wraps around it, pulls tight, and then chunks heavily into the side of the building. The camera falls away, and Malin begins her ascent. She's /fast/. Slippery like a fish, she's seen how these guys move, and something irked her about it...
She didn't want to be here longer than she had to. She'd just break in, crack open a crate or two, see what was good, and be out again in time for falafels. It is the perfect plan.
Also in the manager office is a 'shift lead.'
Well, inner city hobo. Well... something.
Eclipse Umbra crouches near a wall, hunched over his Gerber fighting knife, carefully smoothing out any nicks in the blade with a small sharpening stone. He's wearing clothes that look like he pulled them out of a dumpster (because he did) - ratty, stained blue jeans and a worn dark brown hoodie with 'FOO FIGHTERS' printed on it and what looks like an ancient mustard stain down its right side. Eclipse has the hood up, but back enough that his face is visible. He's with Angel - he's with family. He's relaxed, as much as he can be.
"Camera 4 just died," he remarks, with little inflection. He twirls the knife around the fingers of his left hand.
Malin's tendencies are something NESTS has been counting on. It's a matter of course that they've had one or two lower-level agents tracking the burglar's movements and activity - all Angel's here to do is collect on it. Her showing up in Egypt?? Not necessarily expected, but -certainly- hoped-for.
In fact, it's only a second or two -after- Malin's wrecked that camera that Angel's reaching for the old-school Walkie-Talkie laid out on her desk, next to the empty Super Gulp from a nearby gas station. She lifts the thing to her lips even as she's continuing to analyze the remaining camera feeds. Nothing quite yet - and whoever was trespassing knew what they were doing.
"Brody, Deovan, the southeastern camera is out, see if you boys can't figure out what's interrupting the feed. Is it really windy outside or something?" She knows it isn't, but appearances are everything. The woman sets the walkie-talkie down, plucks a spare from its charging cradle, and gets up from her seat. She approaches the door with a relaxed gait; as one hand reaches for its knob, she glances over her shoulder, towards Eclipse.
"Eclipse~, I'm gonna be right outside, OK? The walkie-talkie's right there if you need to talk to me, and I think Bret Hart's about to lose that Steel Cage match, if you wanna watch. Somebody needs to keep an eye on the cameras, though."
Without further instruction, she is gone, prowling the warehouse grounds. Somebody's gonna find this kid.
The hairs on the back of Malin's neck stand on end. But these are the moments she lives for! Her heart is pounding, the adrenalin is flowing. Even more than the usual tournament fights, these moments have her on edge. There's no thrill like the unknown, and no matter how well you scope a place out, you can never know for certain until the job is done. There's just too many variables. Who can say when the next place you break into will house a secret godlike superweapon?
The young woman has scaled the building faster than any normal person should be able to, and now she's dangling upside down, feet hooked around the yoyo embedded in the wall. Her glasscutter finds the window underneath her, and she begins, very, very slowly, very carefully, to draw a circle.
She could do this. She's done it a hundred times in the past. So why is every instinct she has screaming at her that she's in terrible danger? She hasn't even seen a single guard, yet, and so few guards bother to look directly up around the corner from where the fault has been detected.
Eclipse's eyes widen imperceptibly as he gathers the gist of what Angel's saying, and the knife stops twirling. Eclipse worries at the flat of it with his thumb as he hesitantly nods at Angel. "O-OK. Understood." Even though he looks the same age as Angel, his open expression certainly /seems/ younger, even with the facial hair. "Mission accepted."
He watches her go, and pulls his hood up the rest of the way, shadowing his face and moving to her old seat. With one hand on his knife and the other on the walkie-talkie, he hunches his shoulders, glancing behind him one more time before watching the cameras, muttering to his handlers, "Mission paramaters shifting, camera down, Angel moving out. Assuming guard duty."
Back in some NESTS lab, the earbud Eclipse transmits to broadcasts into empty air, as his handler for today plays ping-pong in the other room.
Brody and Deovan are seasoned NESTS patrolmen, tasked with such high-profile tasks as Guarding A K-Series Cloning Lab, Monitoring K9999s First Peer Review, and at least one Biological Data Raid. The guys have seen it all, but even then, they wouldn't be expecting an intruder from above.
So it goes that the pair walk directly beneath Malin without the slightest sort of glance upwards.
Angel is nearby that particular catwalk, but doesn't have anywhere near the experience of her fellow guardsmen. Instead, she's taken up a post at a floor-level plastic seat, chin in one hand, hunched forward, relaxed. Grey eyes scan the warehouse, over and over again - ears perk from time to time, alert.
She's always been the sort to rely on her senses and abilities rather than any sort of intellect, especially in these situations.
Malin completes the cut. Now comes the hard part. Guardsmen pass underneath her, but so far, everything is going smoothly. A sucker is placed on the pane, and there is just the gentlest of *popping* noises as the glass comes away.
A heartbeat.
And then she is sliding through. The hole is barely large enough for her head, but the girl somehow manages to squeeze through, and balance, precariously, on the window frame the other side. A flick of her wrist, and a second yoyo buries itself in the ceiling.
Then, the noise which is most likely to give her away.
It is very faint, but there is a distinctive *whirr* as the girl descends on her yoyo-rope. The wire buzzes out, and at the end of it, Malin touches down gracefully, all but silently, inside the warehouse. She feels giddy with excitement. Clearly, nothing could stop her now. Damn she's good!
One of the guardsmen coughs.
It's not intentional, and it's certainly nothing so lofty as a startle, but it does serve to mask Malin's work with the windowpane, that tight squeeze that gets her through the window. Her yo-yo's *whirr* echoes throughout the facility, but it's a decidedly low-pitched thing - doubtless Malin's work at perfecting her tools has paid off. The guardsmen, not even twenty feet below her, continue on their path, unaware of her entry, unconcerned. It's another day's work for them.
Of course, this is just one of the obstacles in her way. To others in the establishment, specifically the two genetically-modified operatives, that yoyo's plaintive *whirr* might as well be a warning klaxon. Angel's already moving from her seat, knees flexing in a smooth, controlled motion and leaving the room soundless for her motion. Several rolling steps take her from her vantage point to a place closer to that point of entry - her eyes narrow.
There's that *whirr* sound again.
"Security," mutters Angel, quietly, microphone held to her lips. "See if we can't start Standard Protocol."
Malin, unfortunately for her, is not genetically modified, and her senses- whilst sharp and finely honed- are not superhuman. All her skills come from years of training and necessity, and she's incapable of hearing the words spoken into the microphone. As far as she is concerned, she's pretty much home free, at this point. She has never encountered a person who can keep up with her in full flight response, and now that she's in, she just needs to get what she came for.
God only knows where Malin pulls the crowbar from. But the fact is, now, she has one in her hands, and she's using it to lever the top off one of the crates. She's being as quiet as she can with this, but frankly, the old arrogance is coming back. Nobody can threaten her, she's the best darn thief in the world, and one of the best fighters to boot!
It's all she can do to stop herself whistling, really. Who did these guys think they were kidding? The security is a joke! She could have broken in here standing on her head.
... Okay, so she kind of did, but never mind that.
Eclipse stares at his walkie for a long moment. Then he murmurs through to his handler, "Requesting clarification on Standard Protocol."
His handler gets totally wrecked, and bangs his paddle on the table, starting another argument about how he has to stop doing that.
Eclipse swallows, lifting the walkie to his mouth, and in a small voice: "I forgot what that... is."
A beat. "Sorry.
Angel can -hear- Malin landing on one of the crates. Even the guards are starting to pause; they have no honest idea as to what's happening, but absolutely SOMETHING is. The NESTS agent on the ground floor is beginning to walk a little more quickly, strolling through the warehouse like somebody had started a fire on the other side. While she moves, she's hissing into her walkie-talkie, tone curt, actions likewise.
"The red button, Eclipse, c'mon! Pull up the glass cover over the red button beneath the security cameras, press the red button, grab your knife, and get out here. She's right on the boxes alread-" The explosive sound of wood being peeled from wood certainly interrupts Angel in her complaining - her jaw sets, and she's quite literally gone in a flash of black. The walkie-talkie falls to the ground, abandoned.
AT MALIN'S POSITION: By now Malin's going to have rent one of the first arms boxes' panels off. Within, packing peanuts obscure whatever other goods might be in there, and in fact, Malin could go so far as to stick her entire -hand- in there and get nothing but packing peanuts. This doesn't really matter, however. With a light *thump*, two booted footfalls denote Angel's appearance atop the arms crate, next to the kneeling Malin. If she's slow in reacting, she'll feel a hand in her hair, fingers pulling it tight.
"Malin~" Angel -falls- onto Malin's head, in an attempt to force her to open the rest of the box with her face.
COMBATSYS: Angel has started a fight here.
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Angel 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Malin has joined the fight here.
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Malin 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Angel
COMBATSYS: Angel successfully hits Malin with Medium Throw.
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Malin 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Angel
Malin realizes what is happening just a fraction of a second too late.
The girl still tries to twist out of the way, which is impressive. But her reactions are too slow, and her face actually bounces off the crate. The box is opened, spilling a lifetime supply of delicious FastFrozen Snacks over the walkway. It actually takes Malin a split second to register that her head just hit something very, very hard.
She's still rolling though. You don't last long in this game if your instincts can't handle what your rational mind can't. A lesser fighter would be put off by the fact that her forehead has a bright red mark stamped across it. Malin is not such a person.
"So, you at least know... who you are dealing with!" Malin declares. Eyeing the contents of the crate, she grits her teeth. Oh. Perfect. "Now then, you should know you haven't got a chance against me. So, I'll--"
And, proving that she's not exactly very sportswomanly, she interrupts herself mid-statement to hurl her crowbar at Angel's head, and try to run away. She had no idea who this woman is, but she doesn't want to find out. Anyone who can get the drop on *her* is dangerous!
Oh, the gigantic red button. Slowly, Eclipse reaches for it, flicking up the red button and pushing it down. He slowly nods to himself.
Then the room is empty.
Not long after, Eclipse is ghosting through the shadows, setting every step warily, hidden from sight. He resists from updating his (absent) handler, fingering the matte black knife as he gets closer and closer to Malin and Angel. He stops, still out of the light, and shifts the knife to a backhanded grip. Eclipse closes his eyes.
Misty chi strains through the limiters in Eclipse's left arm, building around the Gerber, and he flicks his hand in a throwing motion. The knife stays in his hand, but a knife-/shaped/ blade of chi whips through the air, passing between Angel and Malin, trying to tag the crowbar.
COMBATSYS: Eclipse has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Malin 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Eclipse assists Angel.
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Malin 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Angel dodges Malin's Large Thrown Object.
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Malin 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/-------|
Eclipse presses the button. The butan. Immediately, clicking, ratcheting, and clanking echo from all corners of the warehouse. Windows are barred, doors electronically locked, vents magnetically sealed. The entire building has been rigged for Malin's arrival - it's kind of a huge compliment for NESTS to pay her. Even so; whatever method of entry Malin might have incorporated to get inside of the edifice is really just no longer workable.
Angel doesn't seem overconcerned; she's grinning after watching Malin damn near brain herself on that box. "Mmh," comments the Mexican. "Looks like your head's harder than plywood, at leas-!!" A CROWBAR IS IN THE AIR. Angel's running -towards the thing-, and while she's already moving to duck beneath it at the peak of its arc, this proves unnecessary as Eclipse's knife dislocates it enough that Angel's got a more than ample amount of breathing room.
In fact, she even reaches up to *catch* the thrown implement. It falls to her side while Angel continues after Malin in a dead-sprint, and perhaps an instant before the rogue is able to leave that boxy platform, Angel's caught up to her.
She drops to her knees in a slide that renders her jeans damned-near worthless, but this is an acceptable sacrifice; it gets her close to Malin's legs. A brutal, backhanded CHOP sends the crowbar and all of its rusty metal bite directly into the back of the younger woman's knee, angled specifically to bite into shallow nerve endings.
COMBATSYS: Angel successfully hits Malin with Random Weapon.
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Malin 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/------=|
It isn't often that Malin actually feels fear, but now is one of those times.
It isn't the backup, it isn't even the fact that Angel isn't slowing down, hell, even the fact that her legs are falling out underneath her, and red hot pain is spiking up from her knee, that, isn't anything new. Malin has been outmatched, outnumbered, and beaten soundly a hundred times before.
What she hasn't been, is cornered. But as she half-staggers, half-rolls out of the immediate swinging arc of the weapon, she finds herself in just that position. A cold sweat beads on her brow, and she has to make a conscious effort to stay calm. Dear god, she's lucky her kneecap didn't shatter. It definitely hurt.
"A-alright, so, you mean business." Malin says, forcing herself to stand up, and doing her level best to try and ignore the spiking agony that the motion entails. She makes a quick, flicking motion, and two long, curved knives spring into her hands.
"I've faced down some of the best in the world, though. You two jokers think I'm scared? Just because you've closed off a few doors? Don't make me laugh, I'll take you all on!"
In reality, her mind is running at a hundred miles an hour. There had to be a way out of this. She just couldn't *see* it.
COMBATSYS: Malin focuses on her next action.
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Malin 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/------=|
Eclipse's voice comes from... above, this time. "Outnumbered. Outarmed. Outmaneuvered. Outsmarted." The NESTS agent drops, hood up, left hand still trailing the unnatural purplish-black chi. He lands on top of another crate, behind Angel. "Outmatched. Your continued bravado doesn't make any sense when you factor all that in." He frowns down at Malin, trying to figure out why she's even bothering acting tough. His head tilts.
"Angel, why is she acting like she still has a chance here? Doesn't she understand what she's gotten herself into?" He frowns, crouching, but doesn't make any further moves. He sighs. "She's strange."
COMBATSYS: Eclipse takes no action.
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Malin 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/------=|
Angel's pants are completely wrecked. As she gets to her feet, it's obvious that the fabric from the knee down has been vaporized by a combination of speed and friction; still, she's got the worst kind of a shit-eating grin on her face. The NESTS agent carefully observes her opponent: gait is evaluated, expression, morale in the face of overwhelmng odds. Right knee, inflamed, swelling at a debilitating rate. Features; set, rehearsed. Morale; frustration, determination. Desperation.
"...Mmm~ Little kiddo's actin' really tough for bein' caught with her hand in the cookie jar~~" Angel moves towards Malin -slowly- her walk is calculated, and the crowbar in her hand swings once, twice, lazy, loose circles. "Eclipse, sometimes people - girls especially - make themselves believe things are gonna be alright, because they've gotta be. Makes me almost feel -bad- for the little thief."
Angel doesn't -translocate-, no, but she does hunch forward. She -does- take a lunging step forwards, at about the same time that Malin's finished branding her knives. She -does- bring that crowbar down across the teen's stomach, blunt-end first.
"Of course I think you're scared~ It's my job to scare you. I'm -very- good at my job~~"
COMBATSYS: Malin dodges Angel's Random Weapon.
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Malin 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/-------|
Malin can practically taste her fear. She always knew it would end this way, deep down. This is what she'd seen so many times in her past. No matter how good you think you are, eventually, you slip up in some indefinable way, and then... nobody ever hears from you again. They'd never even find her shadow.
No!
At the last second, Malin glides backwards, the crowbar comes close, but it never quite makes contact. "Shut your face." She snaps, "You obviously don't know who I really am. Hell. If I was, you'd have brought six people. You think the people who hire me are the kind of people who settle for second rate?!"
She is suddenly coming forwards again. Her eyes intent on Angel, promising a world of pain...
Right up until the moment she is gliding down behind Eclipse. The girl's knives clatter to the ground in front of Angel, but the blistering speed with which she's moving... Angel might dissolve her clothes, but Malin is darn impressive in her own right!
Something she intends to prove now, by driving two large batons down into Eclipse's shoulders. Spikes which will, if they make contact, discharge a terrifying amount of electricity directly into him.
Because Malin is smart enough to realize she can't match Angel, so maybe she can piss her off by attacking her partner, and buy a valuable error she can use to make good her escape.
COMBATSYS: Eclipse blocks Malin's Electric Prod.
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Malin 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/-------|
Eclipse is always ready to be attacked, even in the most secure reaches of any given NESTS base. That Malin comes at him comes as no practical surprise. His arms jump up, crossing into an X, and the electricity bristles along Eclipse's arms, burning away the sleeves of his hoodie, revealing the cybernetic metal bands along each arm. His body spasms, but his face doesn't change.
His chi hurts more than this, anyway.
In the next moment, Eclipse is standing up, throwing his arms out, shoving the batons away, and spinning with a fast kick. Then his left arm pumps, a series of violent slashes with the fighting knife. "Now you've made a bigger mistake."
He springs back. "Mission parameters shifting. Engaging hostile target alongside Angel. Limiters engaged... will not need to release."
COMBATSYS: Eclipse successfully hits Malin with Furious Abandon.
Grazing Hit
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Malin 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/-------|
Briefly - very briefly - Angel has to step back and simply watch Malin work. Trained agent though she may be, she's always had an appreciation for the strengths of her opponents, and Malin is, if nothing else, -wickedly tough-. Sure, it's bordering on stupidity. Angel can dig it. Even so, there's a job to be done. Malin is technically on the NESTS Delinquent List. The Mexican turns on her heel, snarls, and runs towards the edge of the weaponry box before making one powerful leap that sends her to the crate Eclipse and Malin occupy.
Her approach is wildly different from the others'.
Angel latches onto a securing chain attached to the crate's top, and immediately pulls into a tight, high-velocity swing. She does not seek to kick Malin, rather, she's letting go at precisely the right moment so as to allow a bit of high-flying airtime. The slender woman jack-knifes in the air above either combatant, and *SHOULD* come down upon Malin's head in a two-handed handstand - provided Malin takes the brunt of Eclipse's attack. If she doesn't, Angel will attempt to convert her handstand into a tight backflip-cum-mule-kick to the stomach before falling either on top of or to the side of Eclipse. It's an issue of whether or not he can get away in time.
COMBATSYS: Malin dodges Angel's Lost Homeland.
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Malin 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/-------|
Malin dodges in between the majority of the stabs aimed at her, the girl does wince, though, as one knife draws a thin line across her stomach. About half a second before she ducks, and rolls between Eclipse's legs. There was no other way for her to get out of there in time, but she found it, and even if she can barely believe she managed it, the girl isn't quite ready to give in yet. She's hurting bad, yes, but she didn't have a lot of choice. What did this guy expect her to do? Lay down and die?
"Hell no. It's you two who made the mistake." She says, somehow managing to sound sincere as she straightens, and pulls out a yoyo. "Thinking that just because you are tough, you've got what it takes to deal with Malin!"
She's at least acknowledging that they are tough now, though, right? That's something?
The yoyo flicks out, and if they haven't done their research, it might be easy to discount it as a joke. Right up until the moment blades spring out mid-spin. Then, it seems that Malin has thrown a spinning buzzsaw at Angel's gut, from a very short range. The intent now becomes to try and make use of these few seconds of confusion that usually follow, to buy precious distance.
Eclipse does Angel one better - even as he turns to track the rolling Malin, he moves to specifically support her landing, crouching low so she can be eased back to the ground. "She's still far too confident, Angel. I don't think she realizes what she's been ensnared in." Eclipse adds, "Watch out," completely unhelpfully, as he darts to the side, away from Malin's attack.
He's advancing again, cautiously, his body hunched low to present less of a target, muscles coiled like an animal about to pounce - which Eclipse then /does/, lunging for Malin, his knife flicking out as he passes, moving to her other side. "Elimination or subdual?"
COMBATSYS: Malin successfully hits Angel with Onigumo.
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Malin 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/-----==|
Angel -attempts- to rush into Malin's gut yo-yo, but doesn't anticipate the extent to which the girl has modified her weapon. It's /heavy/. The blow to her stomach hits her just like a fist might, save the deep wounds the yo-yo's inflicting beyond it. Angel drops to a knee, crying out in obvious pain - she claps a hand to her stomach, but that BAUHAUS shirt is more than pulling its weight today. While it stains an uncomfortable shade of red, it does an adequate job at clinging to her wound, and enables her to simply -rush- into the younger woman.
Luckily, her moment of Pain enabled Eclipse to do whatever he's doing - Angel's not getting in his way. She seeks to drive a slender shoulder into Malin's side, to -ram- her into the chain suspending the ammo crate over the ground, and fall backwards into an only slightly dramatisized piledriver. The trick of it lies in the way she's positioning herself upon that awful fall - Malin is going to have Angel's head -crushing- her chest into the box, knocking the wind out of her.
"Subdual! Angel wants her strung up and ready for interrogation in six hours!"
COMBATSYS: Eclipse successfully hits Malin with Medium Strike.
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Malin 1/---====/=======|===----\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Malin dodges Angel's Bye Bye Rogue.
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Malin 1/---====/=======|===----\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/------=|
Malin is surprised at how quickly Eclipse is on her. Despite her best attempt to get out of the way, he lands a solid blow, and the girl stumbles back, nearly tripping over her own feet as she does so. D-damn, these guys are wearing her down. There's just too many attacks being thrown her way, and the weakening her kneecap took early on has not healed in the least.
--Oh god Angel.
Stepping neatly to the side, there's a moment where Angel is passing by her, and Malin, despite her injuries, is actually smiling. There's a slightly crazed look in her eye with it. "I-Interrogate..." She starts...
And despite all logic, she's suddenly wielding a hammer at least twice her own size. The mallet is huge, and it is coming around in an arc with all the momentum the slender thing can put behind it, aiming to crash right into Angel's back, sweep her up, and bounce her off the ceiling--
"THIS!!!"
Hit or miss, win or lose, Malin is still left holding a giant freaking hammer with no, apparent, effort. The massive weapon, for those keeping count, number two on the 'things she couldn't possibly have under her sweater' for today. She's glaring at Eclipse, though. Daring him to keep trying to hit her now she's got the thing.
Two things she couldn't possibly have under her sweater, huh. We'll just leave that one alone.
Eclipse frowns at the hammer, even as his eyes go wide. That's a little ridiculous. And it's aimed at Angel! Frankly, Eclipse would rather jump in front of that, but the way they arranged themselves... he won't make it /there/ in time. "Sister--" he says, voice low.
Black chi strains at his armbands as he puts on a sudden burst of speed, the last of his scavenged hoodie's sleeves burning away. He doesn't swing at Malin with the knife, instead doing something much more blunt - rushing into her, shoulder-first, trying to push her off-balance as she swings the giant hammer around. "No!"
COMBATSYS: Eclipse assists Angel.
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Malin 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Angel counters Tsuzuchi from Malin with Bye Bye Rogue.
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Malin 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/--=====|
This is the sort of shit that Angel is going to be using to justify her 'business expenses' of $700,000. Warehouse rental: $40,000. Soldier fees/training: $200,000. Warehouse Security: $460,000. Capturing one of the world's most notorious cat burglars: -exceptionally painful-.
Quite frankly, Angel can't even really -believe- what is happening. There's a mallet coming out at her, which is not good considering Angel's on the ground. She's working to get up, but quite frankly, the thing's coming too quickly, that mallet is too -wide- to really, successfully avoid. Krizalid is going to want to 'meet' Malin. Zero is going to want to know about the logistics of her 'payload'. Igniz is going to want to convert her.
All Angel wants to do is -get away- from her. The mallet catches her in the back, but it's a gentle sort of pickup - the damage is to come at the end of Malin's swing. As such, Angel's agile enough to roll to her side, to manage to latch onto that massive mallet's shaft, treat it as a swinging bar, and -punch- the diminutive thief in her chest. "Interrogation!!! We know you've been taking things! NESTS wants its debts paid back!" Angel lands before Malin, kneeling. She hazards a glance towards Eclipse - it's a warm sort of thing. Words aren't exchanged, but she's certainly thankful. Malin shouldn't have -too- much trouble realizing that Eclipse definitely just saved Angel's bacon.
Malin lets go of her mallet, not too attached to her toys for self preservation, but it is too late. The blow is enough to send her stumbling back. For all she talked big, the girl can't take a hit. She's brittle, and she's beaten and battered. Every inch of her is screaming just to give up. Under different circumstances, it might even be tempting.
But you hear stories. Malin was there in Southtown when all the really bad stuff went down, but she didn't see half of it. The rumors which circulated, though. Those were enough to turn your blood cold. Weird, horrible things. Awful people doing terrible experiments to budding young fighters.
Hell. She has no illusions, she doesn't expect to come out of this in one piece. Interrogation, yes. Start by seeing what they could reclaim, and then do her in as an example to others when they've got it. It's what she would do in their position. But, then, she is a horrible person.
Which might be why, at this point, she holds up her hands. The international symbol of surrender. She is, of course, just playing for time, but who the hell knows, maybe they'd fall for it.
"Alright, alright, no more." She groans, trying to work some feeling back into her foot, whilst not letting it be totally obvious she is doing so. She certainly looks like she's taken a beating, which, you know, might be at least partly because she *has*.
"I'll come peacefully, you don't have to beat me down any more. You've made your point, okay? You got some handcuffs or something?"
And over and over in her mind, the mantra, 'come on, come on, give me a goddamn opening'.
COMBATSYS: Malin gains composure.
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Malin 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/--=====|
Eclipse rolls out from under Malin, sharing the look with Angel, intense pride filling him. For a moment, his expression is unguarded. He was useful~~
Then he turns back toward Malin, circling again, and it closes right back down. But, at least he doesn't lunge again. "Angel... I advise complete subdual. If she has a mallet like that somewhere, she probably has a lockpick." It stands to reason. "She's too..." head tilt "unpredictable."
If anything, Angel finds Malin's sudden lack of backbone -- frustrating. She's on her feet, ready to dive back into it (and has in fact been eyening Malin's favored knee since getting her thoughts together), but ultimately glances towards Eclipse. In this instance, -he- is her voice of reason; her muscles relax, her posture subsides. A deep breath brings some sort of rationality to the young woman. "Mmh, you're right, you're right. Angel's going to have to ask how she fits all of that stuff up there, but - that will be later. Right now, the important thing is making sure Malin wakes up in captivity, right?"
Angel nods at her own suggestion.
"Right." She doesn't do a very good job at veiling her feelings on the issue, and once more, the Mexican's face is lit-up by a broad grin. She lunges forward, places a -hand- on Malin's shoulder (since Malin isn't exactly pushing back anymore), and lances her nearest foot upwards and inwards towards the rogue's poor kneecap in a sort of inverted stomp-kick. "DOWN!" Provided Malin takes the hit appropriately, Angel's going to nod towards Eclipse - she knows what he can do - and then Malin.
"We'll talk to her tomorrow. Besides, real girls don't mind a little bit of punishment if they know they've been bad~"
COMBATSYS: Malin fails to interrupt Senseless Fists from Angel with Ascending Suzume Bachi.
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Malin 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Eclipse
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Angel 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Malin can no longer fight.
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Angel 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Eclipse
Malin actually lets Angel put her hand on her shoulder, though she shoots a glare in Eclipse's direction, "Yeah, go soak your head..." She starts.
Then, suddenly, her knife is back in her hand. The girl arcs upwards, and it seems pretty clear that Malin is going to shank Angel right between her ribs. That is, right up until the moment when her poor, abused kneecap takes another blow for the team.
Her leg buckles, and she winds up driving the blade into the floor, instead. She fights for all she's worth to hold on to consciousness, to force herself back up to her feet...
"W-won't, tell you..." She grunts... but the process of trying to get herself back on her feet is too much. The pain she is so unaccustomed to shocks right up through her knee, and mercifully, turns off the lights up behind her eyes.
She hits the dirt, and she doesn't get back up again. Is this the end for the legendary Hong Malin?!
Log created on 20:10:10 10/18/2010 by Angel, and last modified on 01:56:19 10/23/2010.