WW Resistance (1v1v1)

[Esme]

"I believe the retribution you were payed in here was enough. After all, you did not kill one of our own, and at worst, merely made our trainees aware of what is waiting for them out in the real world." Yumi said simply. "And you didn't get close enough to any of the artifacts to insight the wrath of our resident spook, a pleasure I'm sure you know all too well about. "


Finishing with his hand, she brushed hers off on her pants as she stood. Of course that was a speculator prod, but a theif was still a thief, regardless of reasons or intentions.


"A deal, hmm? Are you certain you want to tempt Beelzebub. "


--------------


A ghost poised herself, cloaked under centuries worth of blind dust, atop a high place. Gazing over an intriging scene taking place, she hummed to herself. Many onlookers were to be had here, and many more below her perch. And many more were to come and help create a fascinating light show.


Speaking of lights.... She seeped into herself yet again, disolving into nothingness.


------------------


Rolling her eyes, Cal's anger subsided for a moment. "Not even close to covering it." She muttered, more to herself than to him. Turning, she started walking again, cutting down a side hallway. Slowing herself down to a stop again, Cal looked at the road block in the way.

 

[Coro]

Flexing his hand and patting his thigh, Vent raised an eyebrow. So the Deathlinds were good at healing. Odd, for the most dangerous magical bloodline in the world short of the Astrumregis family, maybe.


"Well, as you may have gathered, I'm a bit of a free spirit. There was no way I was gonna work for that Hope jerk. He kinda.... Took.... Something of mine to seal our little deal. An incentive to do what he asked." Vent explained, standing up and shrugging his shoulders. Damn she was good. That other one had just pierced them and now they felt a-okay. "I-I might.... Need some help getting h-IT... Getting it back." He carried on, tripping over his words, before sighing and slumping back down in the chair.


"So much for the legendary invincible Vent." He muttered under his breath, hoping maybe his wallowing in self-pity would encourage Yumi to aid him. Calculating, and rather unlike him, but Vent was a thief, and known for being pragmatic.


~~~


Pouting slightly as Cal took off, Axel followed closely, before running into her from behind as she stopped.


Silas, passed out in the hallway, was blocking their path. Huh, guess that would count him out for a mission. Greaaaat.


".... Idiot probably stayed up the last few days working on something. C'mon, let's get him to his hole in the wall." Axel offered, lifting the man up onto his shoulder in a fireman carry, not exactly in a gentle manner.

 

[Riddle78]

The vampiress attached the nuclear warhead to the ICBM,and,just to be sure,attached a hard connection to it from the control room. The array is down... They might need that. Her job complete,the lady of the night leapt free of the WMD,and changed her body on the way down,turning into a storm of bats. At the same time,Klaxons sounded off all over the base. Looks like he was right. One hour. She surged through the halls,screaming past a funicular on its way down to the silo,and arrived in the fire control station,where Haywood was standing beside Hani. The Lebanese man was working on his computer,though he knew who had entered. "Thank you,Pepper. I was about to ask for that." She waved it off. "Some people saw me attach the warhead. We might have a mutiny on our hands." Haywood frowned,and bowed his head.


"I can't send out an announcement,either. The arrays are still down,and I don't have any word on the repairs. Reports are coming in that Nightrise is attacking. A squad of six Platinum Angels. One with a zweihander. Must be Cutting himself leading the assault. Pepper,I'll need you to slow them down. Even without the array,we can still communicate and coordinate with runners. But they need to know where to go. We cannot lose the nerve center." The vampiress,Pepper,nodded,and began to disintegrate into a cloud of bats again. "Direct order: Survive. If you die,I'll tan your hide on the Other Side,Pepper Ann." Pepper Ann smirked,revealing her inhuman incisors once more. "Wouldn't dream of it,Haywood."





And with that,she was a cloud of bats,and flew out to the field.


Haywood watched her go,and started to march out. "I'll coordinate the defense." He left the room,and took command. "Form a defensive line! I need barricades and killzones set up! Layers! No less than three barricades in sequence per door! Make it happen! Guards! You're on runner duty! Relay my orders to who I tell you to!" The nerve center exploded into action,with tables and chairs being repurposed to serve as barricades,and weapons and ordinance being retrieved from floor compartments,closets,the rafters,and under workstations. "Intel brought in by a Silas Merlot suggests their armour's made mostly of soft metals,with a thin coat of platinum-based paint! Magic won't do much,but bullets'll chew them up,if you can get around their shields! Marksmen,get your SVD's and grenade launchers! Everyone else,you're either on a DShK,or doing whatever the fuck you can to keep this room in our control! Am I understood,ladies and gentlemen!?"





A chorus of assent rang through the room. He took this base with twenty four soldiers five years ago,and didn't lose a single one of them. He'll be damned to lose it to six posturing peacocks. Not without sending one HELL of a message,first.


~~~


Colonel Cutting turned to face a steel door that was now host to a pair of terrorists. They both wore flak jackets,and one brandished a wand,though he looked nothing like the butcher. The apparently unarmed one,however,cracked wise,and waved his arms. The commander of the Platinum Angels was suddenly bathed in shadow; He knew what had happened. The man had conjured something over him,with intent to crush. He wheeled forward,shield raised,and said, "It'll take more than that. You're out of your league." The Platinum Angel slammed into the lead mage with his shield,and pinned him to the doorframe. The sound of breaking bones was plainly audible over the din of war. "And you both are now prisoners of war." The Colonel pointed his left wrist at the wand-bearing mage,and fired the neurotoxin bolt at him,before turning it on the broken gentleman under his shield.


Rolling back on his wheels,Cutting examined the elephant that was dropped. The legs were shattered; The thing was lame. "Someone kill that elephant on the wall. It's legs are broken." With that,he went into the facility proper. The rest of the Angels were likely already doing the same. Their orders were simple enough.

 

[Esme]

"I believe we can arrange just that. " Yumi said. It was intriging to her, Raider was just a child playing at adult, and by all means she should have had him executed. And yet... She was interested in helping him. Damn it, Vent, you bastard, teaching him exactly how to play the game. But this also wasn't purely out of the good of her heart.


"There is one condition to this, as I'm sure you're aware. But I'd like to know more about this token you seek first."


--------------


Cal nodded, eyeing the thing hanging from his neck. That was new. Letting him lead the way, she kept his pace unbroken by removing the need to get doors or move the odd object or person out of the way.


--------------


Watching carefully, the specter had danced along the paths of an intriguing person. Bouncing along the lovely guilt trail they had left her, she watched in silence, leaning against metal the trio break apart. One little pest was left in the nest, typing away. So, the traitor was going to go out like this...


Acid steadily dripped from the mouth of a strange looking creature, suspending in the air and only appearing half way there. The cable hissed as it burned through. Just as quick as it appeared, the creature disappeared, and the cable was given a lovely little mist of illusion.


With skill, the spider moved into it's perch, awaiting the move that would seal a comrade's fate.

 

[Riddle78]

Connection lost. Please check data conduit.


Hani frowned,but kept working. "Haywood! The terminal's telling me the cable's not working! It looks fine from here,but I need you to check it out!" In the other room,Haywood heard,an nodded to himself. "On it,Hani!" Some people glared at Haywood. Why would the fire control center need a connection? I think I saw Pepper put a warhead on the missile. Why would we have a warhead? Who would we nuke!? Ask Haywood. Haywood heard these murmurs,and decided to address them.


"I know this seems bad. And it is. Nuclear weapons are insanity. Only two were ever deployed in battles in human history,and it was two too many. But,consider this; Who is our enemy? A non-government entity that still manages to hold the world in a stranglehold. They have the world in such an iron grip,few ever speak out of turn,let alone fight." He looked into the eyes of everyone in the room. "We are the few that do. And we have the means to spark something that will tear down Nightrise. It's a win-win situation. The people of the world will never believe we deployed the nuke. And,even if they do,there's a reason why only Hani and Pepper knew beside me. Accountability. The world will know it was me who fired it. Not Yumi. Not you."





Haywood began to walk to the door to the silo. He met zero resistance.


"The people will believe Nightrise nuked them. They will rise up,around the world,raising their voices and arms in fury and grief. They will suffer inequity. They will suffer oppression. But they will not suffer wanton slaughter. The truth will get out,and when it does,Nightrise will still be in the wrong,for they were powerless to stop it. The public will lose faith in them,and with their hate focused squarely on me,I will gladly take my cross,for I did it in the name of world peace. I know many of you will disagree,and that is your choice. I do not begrudge you. I know full well what I do is heinous and cruel. But,in the end,it is what I feel must be done. If you disagree,feel free to leave. But I will not allow disruptions to the launch. We can last fifty-five minutes."





Haywood left the room without protest and resistance. He rode the funicular down to the silo in solitude. The word was out. And,with communications down,he doubted that anyone in the base will send word to Yumi before the launch. At least,nobody that was stationed here. He had a hunch that the Spook was floating about; She's everywhere and nowhere. Internal affairs. He didn't care. It's impossible to hide a nuke,anyways.


The funicular stopped,and Haywood disembarked,stepping into the silo. Approaching the missile,he saw that the cable was in perfect condition,but that probably meant the issue was internal wiring. Climbing the ladder,he reached up to the plug and...


His arm brushed against a cable. A slack one. That wasn't,or,rather,shouldn't be there. "Hmm." Haywood quickly disconnected the severed cable,which disrupted the illusion,and collected one of the numerous backups from an overhead boom,and plugged that in. Sliding back down the ladder,Haywood spoke, "I know you're here,Alec. Might we discuss this?"

 

[Esme]

With a soft echo that came from everywhere and no where, a soft laugh came forth. Like a cat circling between legs, her voice carried itself in a strange manner, "What is there to discuss?"


From the top of the ladder, she took a solid form, sitting in an almost impossible fashion. Running her fingers along the new cable, she looked at Haywood. Letting a few small pets shake off of her hand, they melded the head of the cable to the thing itself. A quick fix for replacing it when she broke it again.

 

[Riddle78]

"Plenty."





Haywood looked up at Alec,observing what she was doing. There are other ports. "We're allies. We're on the same side. We have the same goal. Unity. Peace. The end of Nightrise. I will agree,that under other circumstances,I would have ordered the warhead destroyed when I found it. But we're at war against a genocidal enemy. But we always need a backup plan. You know what this nuke will do. Nightrise will lose every shred of credibility it had. People the world over will fight back. Mages and mundanes. You know this. So why are you disrupting it? Orders? When we lose Black Forest,we won't be able to take it back. It's use it now,or not at all."





Haywood pointed at the missile.


"We can't win this war the traditional way. We do NOT have the resources for a war of attrition. We do NOT have the resources to end it in a blitzkrieg. We don't have WMD's to bomb the enemy into glass. This missile is a catalyst. It will spark global revolution,on a massive scale. Isn't that what we always wanted,always NEEDED!? A chance to tear down Nightrise's public image? The Blind is powerful. But only three people alive use it. We have four trump cards,not counting the nuke. But what can they do,on a strategic level? Sweet. Fuck. All. We need something of strategic significance! There's a reason we're losing this war! THE REST OF US ARE THINKING ON THE TACTICAL LEVEL! Small scale won't do shit for fuck if you don't have the large scale to use it!"





Haywood drew his sidearm and baton.


"I will not allow you to disrupt the launch. Leave,or I'm throwing you out."

 

[Esme]

"How many years has this been going on for you to see that this isn't a war. This isn't some drill mapped out for you where they are the enemies. That ended a long time ago. This? This is baiting, luring, a holocaust of our kind. And theirs. Do you understand that nightrise isn't entirely on the side of anti mages? Do you understand that it is a mage himself that is currently knocking at your door? Do you understand that between the loses we've suffered and the wins we've had that both of us are losing? Do you understand the cardinal rule of bringing peace? That while dead may night fight, they can no longer speak, and history has no pity on the departed and in the end the victor decides what the public outcry will call for and as it has in the past, they will call for our blood.


" You do not speak for the resistance, Haywood, you speak for slaughter. We survive, we thrive, that alone tears them down every day, and this stunt of yours, this idea? You think this is a tactical level? Large scale? You are a fool. You should have listened harder when we spoke, because you know, I tried hard to make you see the larger picture of everything that we are. I'm sorry, Haywood, but this is unacceptable, even from a coward like you."


Shaking her head, she looked up towards the head of the silo. She knew he had weapons drawn, and frankly, she didn't care. He would die here, and if he didn't, god help his soul for the poor bastard who found him still breathing.


Standing in thin air, she disappeared completely, as she moved through a portal. Appearing again next to Hani, she nodded once before driving a sharp, almost blade like creature through the control panels. Letting it dissolve into it's acids, she destroyed the thing, and any hope they had of launching it.


Dropping herself back away into the shadows, she curled around Haywood once more with her words.


"On a different set of terms? My visit was prompted by the outreaching of several hundred various individuals from around the world, all mages in hiding or otherwise, who wanted our help in proving Nightrise wrong, purely on the basis of the ability to live in coexistance, and doing so by only raising minimal arms to defend ourselves. I was here to ask you to assist us. Funny, how that works, isn't it?"

 

[Riddle78]

"Then I shall bear my cross."





Haywood strode to the ladder,and began his ascent. He had a backup. "Tell the dignitaries that I cannot support them. My deeds will only undermine their own." As he climbed,he kept his handgun ready for use. Alec may be an ally,but she is also an obstacle. From the ladder,he could see Hani's seat. The console was simply... Gone. Hani was absent,likely to report what had happened. Tears flowed freely from Haywood's eyes. He screwed up,and he knew it. But he knows he can still do good. This missile will fly. "Facta,non verba. Do you know what this means,Alec? They're words you live by. That we live by." He reached the cable,now well and truly mangled,and fused with the socket. He fired a couple of rounds into the cable to sever it,then shimmied along on the service rungs to expose another socket,from which he pulled a small wire.


Stowing his gun,Haywood the Victor withdrew his cell phone,and quickly hotwired the two. The missile had its coordinates,but the flight path wasn't optimized. Still,it'd make it. Quickly navigating menus,he found what he was looking for. The launch app. He jailbroke this phone LONG ago. He pressed the button. "My words spoke of a great revolution,sparked by unspeakable horror. My deeds bring it to fruition." The missile's engines flared to life,and the silo door began to open. "Illis ego iniuriam facitis et veniam petere. In nomine pace peccatum magnum. Residat meam,quia numquam moventur humana facta."





As the missile began to inch its way up with cold engines,he dropped down from the weapon. Haywood the Victor landed heavily,and made for the funicular,the missile slowly accelerating behind him. Hani had just arrived,and was staring,mouth agape,at the scene before him. "I've moved the schedule ahead. Alec tried to stop us,as I'm certain you're aware." Hani nodded mutely. They boarded the funicular,and they ascended as the blast doors sealed. "She retreated,for now. I'm certain she has more plans to play. There's nothing we can do from here. We need to evacuate our people."





The funicular arrived at the top,and they disembarked,greeted by three soldiers of their own. "Ladies,gentleman. Mission accomplished. We cannot hold the base,and we have no further reason to hold it. We're evacuating." The leader of the group,a woman about his age,simply scowled. "And the nuke?" "It is away. As I said,if and when word gets out as to who launched it,and if the public believes it,I will come forward and take full and sole responsibility. I acted independently; Alec Deathlind is present,disrupting the launch as we speak. Spread the word; I refuse to let more of us die." It was a bitter pill to swallow,but he was a man of action. He doesn't lie about such matters. Not unless it's for the greater good.


They all went into the nerve center,and Haywood made his announcement, "Order a full evacuation! We are leaving! Use whatever means you have nearest to you!" The room erupted into chaos immediately. They didn't need to be told twice. People took up weapons,and made for their exit points. Haywood had one,but he knew what waited for him back at Sanctuary. Summary execution. No,not execution. Humans are executed. Monsters are slain.

 

[Esme]

It had been a fail safe she had been terrified to use but new full well her time was calling for it. And as the nuke rose, so too did her stomach. From inside a rift, she watched as it drew closer, directly into her path as she had needed it to. God, fuck. This was so wrong, so so wrong. But it was not worth the lives of anyone, under any means.


With an explosion, she forced the rift into the blind bigger. At a terrifying rate, she let her power consume the nuke and waited. When the entire thing had passed, she slammed the rift closed, heart pounding fast. Fumbling, she gripped towards something in the darkness, she didn't have time for this, fuck, she wasn't prepared for this at all.


Finding stone, she placed a hand against it, burning her mark into it and shoving a small object from her pocket into a niche. Leaning her forehead against it briefly, she muttered to herself." Be not proud, that is not how it is."


Pushing off of it, she started moving. She wasn't sure how much time it would take before the thing blew, and damnit, she was better than this.

 

[Coro]

Arriving at Silas' carved out hole in the wall, littered with plans and scraps of projects past, Axel laid him on the bed. Pouring him a glass of water to wake up to, Axel threw a blanket over him, and turned out the lights, coming back out of the domicile and once more by Cal's side.


"C'mon, let's go bug Corono. I'm sure there's something happening where we can go outside." He theorized, his smile sincere as he proceeded to mission control, Corono's haunt.


~~~


Vent shook his head.


"Uh, no. Can't do that. Very secret. I've got so few left, you know." He said, rolling his eyes. He wasn't about to tell Yumi about how Hope managed to get him to do his bidding, other than the promise of riches and havoc. As much as Vent liked those, they weren't enough to get him to betray everything he believed in. And everything he believed in could be summed up as: "Look out for Number One."


"Besides, I'm more interested in what you want from me, there's no way you Resistance chumps will help me without expecting something in return, right?" He let off cooly.


He was back in control. No longer shaken from Cal's little torture session, Vent pulled his hood back up, but left the scarf down. He was THE Vent. There was nothing he couldn't handle.


~~~


Hope watched with a wild grin as Cutting mangled two opposing mages, and almost immediately after the infiltration had begun, the Resistance launched some sort of missile. His eyes going wide, he theorized. If the missile wasn't magical itself in nature, it did just come from a Stalin-era missile silo. There was a chance it could be....


But then, it disappeared in midair. Only one other type of mage had such control over spatial magic, other than himself. One of the Deathlinds was here. That meant, since they dealt with the missile, it wasn't a planned Resistance tactic.


"Knight, this is King, I think there's some in-fighting going on. Capitalize. Ignore the missile launch that just occurred, carry on with the raid. Take everyone alive." He spoke into his communicator to Cutting, his voice full of anticipation and a little excitement. It was rare he ended up like this. "Rook and Bishop, prepare for deployment. Some heavy-hitters might be around." He added to the end, rubbing his chin.


Now, how will this play out?

 

[Riddle78]

The base was full of portals out. Be it to Sanctuary,or other major outside bases,and only members of the Resistance could use them... Assuming they weren't on nay watchlists. Haywood had a hunch that he was on a watchlist or ten; Alec might have been here to offer him a position as a major dignitary,but nukes are almost impossible to keep hidden. People stampeded through the halls,spreading word of the evacuation,and heading to their escape routes.


Haywood had another option. One of the Blind Jumpers out in the Black Forest. Anyone and anything can use them,but every individual using them gets spat out at a different,random location. Moving through the base,Haywood made for the surface,somehow avoiding all of the Platinum Angels,though,that wasn't difficult; There were only six of them,and there was an entire city or two of space down here. As he reached the surface,he saw what little remained of the surface complex.


The fortifications were largely intact; The Platinum Angels never carried demolition hardware. But... It was a horror show. The surface was a field of bodies... And only a few were dead. "No... This isn't a burn op..." Haywood cursed under his breath. They wanted prisoners. En masse. They want to know where Sanctuary's hidden. That,or they just want a big execution. But they never do anything without a plan. Fuck!





Haywood saw two of his people in a door; He knew them,far more than the others. Jones and Free. They were pretty much his office staff. I can carry two grown men. I'll save them. Haywood approached them,and hoisted them over his shoulders,one each. He made sure to pocket the wand. He left the base,trusting that most of who was still standing will get out safely. I need to warn Yumi. Haywood the Victor didn't always win. But he never,ever lost.


In the forest,Haywood followed the subtle trail markers that lead to a Blind Jumper. He ordered them placed,himself. In a panic,nobody would be able to remember exactly where these things were. But they would be able to follow even the most subtle of trail markers. He reached a clearing in the forest,near-identical to the trillions of others in this forest,but what set this one out from the rest was the circle of stones in the center of the clearing. It was a rune circle,and it was his ticket out.


He never used one of these things before. He never planned on it,before now. But,that's life. He assumed that group rides worked the same as the normal portals,though; He'd be able to get around the blacklist if he hitched a ride with Jones or Free on a normal portal. Maybe Jones and Free will take the same thread as him when they took this portal? No point thinking about maybes. Action was needed,now. Haywood stepped forward onto the rune circle,and was consumed with an amethyst light,and the three men vanished from the Black Forest.


~~~


Blow after blow hammered down on Cutting's shields. This one woman stopped him cold. And Cutting wasn't having any of it. However,he radioed the rest; He was the only one to encounter a roadblock. "You're... Not a mage." That much was obvious. His helmet wasn't telling him that she was using magic to empower her unarmed blows; It was,somehow,all biological. "So,what are you? Cyborg? Mutant?" He shifted his tower shield,causing the woman's punch to slide to the side,and brought his sword down in a mighty chop.


The woman had an answer,though. She stepped to the side,and shoved the sword away by the flat with her forearm,but this left her wide open. Cutting's ripline oriented itself to point at his opponent,and fired. The harpoon screamed out of the barrel at Mach 1.5,but it simply... Passed through his enemy. Her chest had become dust,and she was now moving to the side,her body re-forming as she went. As this was going on,the Colonel's displays were screaming bloody murder; This was powerful magic.


He reeled in the harpoon before she could grab it,and tucked in behind his shield again. They were at this for ten minutes. Until now,she didn't use magic. She's a martial artist. "You'll be a valuable subject of study. Another place,another time,you would've been a good ally." He pointed his wrist at the superpowered woman from behind his shield,but,in a flash,she was springing off the wall to his right. Her helmet obscured her features,but he was certain that the woman wasn't normal,even by mage standards.


She crashed into his shield like a speeding tank,and forced him into the wall,pinning his left arm. "None of the above,Bloodbag." The vampiress gripped the shield,and began to twist and heave on it,wrenching Jean's arm this way and that,threatening to mangle it. At that moment,Hope came over the radio. "You don't say? Might take some doing; They have a vampiress." The woman hissed,almost like a feral animal,as she wrestled with the shield to cripple her meal's arm.


Cutting felt an unnatural strain on his shoulder. She almost had the right angle. No more screwing around. He jettisoned the shield,and made to deliver a sans-shield bash to the Draculina's face,but she was too quick; She discarded the shield,and ducked under the blow,and delivered a spear-handed uppercut to Cutting's chun. "I'm about to go dark!" That was all he could say before the creature of the night buried her hand in his helmet,and tore it off. She cast it aside,and leaned on Cutting. She seemed so waifish,but here she was,keeping him pinned. Damn vampires. They never play fair...


Neither do I.





Colonel Cutting activated an armour subsystem,just as the woman was starting to remove her faceplate; A static field. A huge electrical charge surged through his armour,and was marvelously transmitted through the hyperconductive alloy and platinum paint,straight into his assailant. She was catapulted to the other wall,where her mask fell away,revealing amber eyes. Demon touched. Cutting launched himself off the wall,and brought his zweihander to bear,properly,this time,in both hands.


The vampiress recovered,however. Of course,she did. She became mist,and flowed to the end of the hall,wearing a venomous scowl. "We're done here,Plastic Angel." With that,she disintegrated into a cloud of bats,and soared down the hall,likely to an escape portal. Looking at his helmet,Cutting immediately knew that it was a total write-off; It was practically torn in half. Still,he picked it up,and clipped it to his belt on a lanyard. She was a distraction. Given the lack of personnel I've encountered,they're evacuating. There's no hope chasing the rabbits in their own warren.





Scowling,Cutting pulled a PA microphone from a nearby console,but was greeted with screaming white noise. White noise? We didn't knock out their communications. He hung up,and started his retreat. They had the entire surface garrison,at least. Leaving the base,the Colonel noticed that the two magi who attacked him were gone. Someone might've slipped through the cracks...





~~~


Zito didn't need to be told twice. The Hurricane was the single most immediately destructive weapon at Nightrise's disposal. "Fire!" The squad complied,and the enormous cannon fired the shell. The pod sailed across the landscape,and at the apex of the arc,deployed a brake. The shell arced down to the heart of the base,and into the mouth of the silo,where it came to a rest within,embedded in the wall. After a moment of nothing,the rear of the shell buckled and dented,and was then jettisoned with great explosive force,embedding the panel into the ceiling. From within,a figure emerged. It was large,standing six foot six,but it was hardly muscular. It almost looked emaciated,even. This figure was chained,masked,and manacled,like an incredibly dangerous prisoner,which,technically,it was.


But,even prisoners can be useful.


The man,known only as Steven the Hurricane,stepped away from their insertion pod,and made his way through the silo,growling like a savage animal all the while.

 

[Esme]

"My favour shall be called when it is needed and when we need it most. Trust that you shall know it well when it arrives. Now, let's get you fixed with those who can help you with your goal. Asinine as my choices may be, I assure you no harm."


Yumi nodded, opening the door again and motioning for him to follow. Or so the plan had been. Ripping down the hallway, three of the portal guards had barrelled towards her, barely stopping themseves in time.


"Ma'am...Nightrise...Munich....Haywood... The portals for retreat...captives taken..Send Help." They wheezed out. Narrowing her eyes, she snapped her fingers, " Help Mr. Vent find his way to my office, I'll be there shortly. "


With speed of an odd sort for a woman in heels, she took off down the hallway towards the portals center. This wasn't good.


----------------


Mordicy looked over at Leslie, "You heard the man."


He eyed her as she went through practiced motions, sealing the gas mask over her face. Extending out her right arm, she waited. Picking up the tank from beside him, he slung it over her shoulder, hooking it securely in place before setting the hose in her hand. When she had gripped it, he released the part he had ahold of and stepped back.


"Test fire and move up to the next location, no funny moves, and wait for further orders. I'll be watching."


Leslie did as she was told, engaging pressure in her captive bolt to ensure it fired properly. Without so much as a nod, she took off for the close in location, for swift movement onto the field when she was called properly.


"Bishop prepared and deployed to inner ring location for further instructions, over." Mordicy lowered the talkie, eyes never leaving his charge.


-------------


Cal nodded, "Something, at very least."

 

[Coro]

Axel was about to pipe up, but Yumi came barreling around the corner. She looked disturbed, almost. Something was up.


".... Yumi?" He asked as she sped by, blinking and looking at Cal, shrugging. As he made eye contact with Cal, however, the back of a black hood passed through his field of vision. It was that guy, Vent. Why was he following Yumi?


~~~


Vent followed Yumi, pulling up his scarf as well as he walked through the hallways of Sanctuary, only his deep green eyes and a tuft of lightish brown hair visible of his visage. As he followed closely behind Yumi, they passed by those two from earlier, the ones with a dark presence. The girl still looked pissed off.


As they passed by, Vent turned to her, winking at her before carrying on with Yumi. That ought to rile her up a little more.


Vent was a bit of a sore loser.


~~~


Hope radioed Gloria on a private network, typing into his comms her unique signature.


"Captain Van Graff, I need you to get a message to the Colonel. He's going to take operational command. I know Steven and Leslie are being deployed, I'm sure he can handle them quite fine. I need to move back to my manor immediately." He explained, cutting comms and flashing out.


Appearing in his study, overlooking a courtyard of his manor, he rubbed his chin in thought. Even if it wasn't a planned Resistance attack, that missile could be dangerous. It couldn't remain in the Blind, it would harm all Meido users.


The question was, where it be dropped? Now that it had been launched, it was literally a ticking time-bomb. Snapping his fingers, a magical array of holographic computers spread around him. He began tracking magical and radioactive signatures. This was a crisis situation, one that he was one of the few people in the world with the power to solve.


Sometimes being the world's strongest mage had it's downsides. Responsibility being one of them. Hope sighed, running a hand through his silvery hair. Just another day as an Astrumregis.

 

[Esme]

Cal's eyes narrowed. This was what she had called wasn't it? Yumi letting him go easy, the senile old bat. As almost an afterthought, Yumi had pointed at them after she had passed and motioned for them to follow her. She almost didn't, but a man babbling nonsense appeared in the hallway.


What....


Yumi caught the man, stopping her stride. Patting the side of his face she tried to get him to give her solid eye contact. "Hey now, come on. I need you to tell me what's happening," She said softly. He kept babbling, in a panic, and nothing of use came. With a sigh, Yumi shook her head, before overriding his system into sleep mode, letting him down gently off to the side.


Taking off again, she assumed her two agents had followed her. "We have an issue in Munich, people are pouring in from the emergency portals. Nightrise is involved though I don't know how or what. I require you two to do something for me though, to assist Mr. Vent, but I need to assess this problem first. "


-------------------


"Fuck, where is it?" Fumbling around in the blind, Alec sorted through trinkets and artifacts and items and came up short. Shit, she couldn't get out of this could she? No great spector or back up plan? Hell, she could feel Meido breathing down her neck. This was going to be very bad very soon and she was.....No....


He had been at the Silo, but was he still there. Regardless, she had time, a failsafe to burn through, she could wait for him. Moving again, she started hauling ass in a runn across the blind.

 

[Coro]

Axel chuckled darkly.


"Coming in here and attacking Sanctuary is a funny way of asking for our help." He snidely remarked, eyeing Vent up and down. It wasn't often that Axel sided with Cal's opinions on Yumi, but this was one of those times. What WAS she thinking now? Axel placed a hand on Cal's shoulder mid walk for a moment, telling her without words to wait, reserve judgement and anger. He knew she was still fuming. But she needed to hold it, reign it back for just a bit.


As the group made it to mission control, Corono looked almost happy for a moment to see them. The entire control room was alit with red sirens and blaring alarms.


"Yumi, love of my live, we're got a fucking problem on our hands." He said with a eerie smile, as it twitched a little. Axel realized it utterly and completely forced. It collapsed entirely when Corono noticed Vent. "What't the young shit doing here? We don't need any copycats around, and besides, he ought to be in a lot worse shape, I let Cal at him for the stunt he pulled." He snapped, his left hand absentmindedly grabbing the sheathed katana at his waist.

 

[Esme]

"You remove your hand from that sword or I remove it for you." Yumi shot back completely level toned and straight faced. She didn't take his shit when they were young and the ones in trouble, and she definitely wasn't going to change that now. "You can consider him under my protection for the time being, these two are going to be assissting him in exchange for helping us in the future. Or need I remind you about the Burning Flame we were gifted, or the fact I fix people, perhaps? Now. What the fuck is going on in Munich."


Yumi leaned against control room's table, zero tolerance written all over her face as she stared at her husband. "Well?"

 

[Coro]

Corono sneered, letting go of his scabbard.


"It's a shitstorm. They just showed up. The only intel I've gathered is that the Platinum Angels were involved. We can assume this goes back to Hope Astrumregis somehow." He explained, sighing. "That's all." He cursed the lack of information he could give to Yumi.


Axel raised his hand, stepping in between Corono and Yumi.


"Yeah hi, Axel Forghen here, Resistance member. I would like to pose the question to Granny Yumi, what the fuck are you talking about, me and Cal helping this clown who picked a fight with the collective Resistance about AN HOUR AGO?" Axel let out, the anger in his voice palpable.


Vent simply remained silent, almost seeming to burrow deeper into his scarf and hood.

 

[Esme]

Yumi rounded on Axel, arms folded and death in her eyes.


"I am speaking about you helping this man collect an item held at ransom to him from Hope Astrumregis for him to come here. You are going to assist him in getting it back, you are going to take the time to learn where Astrumregis lives, gather information about the place and what he has, and you are going to do it with a Yes Ma'am. I don't care what he did an hour ago, and I don't care what either of your personal opinions are right now. You are going to do as your ordered and do it well or learn to survive in the arctic on your own. There is more to this than you think. "


Nodding her head once, she turned back to Corono, the ice in her voice died as she spoke. A sort of desperation seeped in in it's place as she formed her plan, "I, however, am needed elsewhere, or I'd do it myself. But I'm not dumb enough to think I can do this solo, I need you, Corono, you know I do. Even if all we do is stall them to get people out, we are the best choices here. I know it's foolish to do this, but I know us, I know what we can do. I know you know it too, just trust me."

 

[Coro]

Axel, with a squeak, slid back into position beside Cal, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Welp. That decided that matter.


Vent simply turned his gaze to Axel and Cal, awaiting some sort of response, question, remark. He knew Cal couldn't be too happy about the arrangement, or Yumi's orders. She didn't seem like the type to deal well with authority figures.


Corono smiled wide.


"I only trust you as far as I can throw you, love. Luckily for you, I'm the world's strongest mage." He said with a smirk, having gotten the jist of her idea from the moment she mentioned being needed elsewhere.


Axel's eyes widened. "WAIT.... You two.... Are deploying?" He asked incredulously, barely believing the situation developing before his very eyes.

 

[Esme]

With a sneer, Cal've got kept her mouth shut. She wasn't any to pleased with this, but well, things happened on missions didn't they? Digging her nails into her arm, she rolled her eyes.


"Glad I chose you then." Kissing his cheek, she looked at him for a moment with a faint smile. "Well, I believe we all have our orders, Vent, if you'd be so kind as to escort them to Astrumregis's estate, they'll take good care of you. And I'm sure they know that if you happen to perish, "She looked at Cal, "On this, I'll be the one culling heads."


Activating two portals, she laughed a little, "Now, let's go show them what the World's Finest can do when we step out onto stage."

 

[Coro]

Corono took the hand of his wife, a gentle grip for such a rough and calloused hand.


"Indeed, lets." He spoke with a wide grin. It seemed like for a moment, a much more innocent Corono appeared, a goofy kid who liked to fight and play with magic. He was about to do both, to be fair. Corono hadn't left the Sanctuary in far too long. Going out to smack around the ones causing his hard times would be fairly pleasing, he figured. As the two of them stepped into the portals, Corono felt himself being transported, into what, he didn't know. He steeled himself for the worst.


~~~


Back at the Sanctuary control room, Vent chuckled.


"Well, we're an unlikely trio, aren't we?" He asked, licking his lips under his scarf, stepping forward, patting Axel on the shoulder amiably. Vent was taller, but not by much. "No hard feelings, right Blondie?" He asked, stepping without waiting for an answer. He wasn't sure how the girl would react.


Axel sneered. "Let's just do this." He snapped, about as unimpressed as Cal was. His eyes flickered yellow, as his rage built up. Vent watched, intrigued. What were these two?





 

 

[Esme]

Kissing his hand gently, Yumi smiled softly. She really was a lucky woman, wasn't she? Following him into her own portal, she let the rush of transportation pull her through. From the sky over the Munich base, two beams of light flashed down like shooting stars followed by a blast of wind that rocketed outwards into the treeline. Another light shot up into the air, peculiar in that it was black and still giving off light. As it hit the clouds, they almost shivered before the sky went pitch black. At ground level, Yumi lowered her still smoking hand.


"After you, Love."


------------------------


Cal wasted no time after her elders left to pin Vent to the wall. Arm baring his throat, she glared at him. "Once and only once will this be said. You pull any funny shit? I don't care what she said, I will end you."


Dropping him, she nodded to Axel. "Come on."

 

[Coro]

Corono wrapped his left hand tightly around the scabbard that hung at his waist, his right hand tenderly gripping the hilt of the katana. Taking a deep breath, the old man exhaled, a glittering mist seeming to pour from his mouth, hitting the ground and spreading like wildfire. It swept through the woods, rising from the forest's floor and covering the entire area in a mist so thick it could be cut with a knife. Sniffing the air in a manner reminiscent of dog, Corono nodded.


"That way, love." He quipped, motioning to their front. "I can feel our men. And the stench of platinum. It must be the Angels. I'll take the lead." He added, stepping forward and flickering out of sight.


Reappearing before Cutting, Corono glared the man down.


"You. Nightrise dog. Do you answer to the one known as Hope Astrumregis?" He asked, the gentle grip of his right hand on the hilt tightening, the old, scarred man wanting answers first, then blood and retribution.


~~~


Vent coughed, rubbing his throat as Cal stepped away.


"Feisty, I like it." He let out in between a couple ragged breaths, glaring at Cal. "I'm sure you're a great team player." He added, pulling a small trinket from his pocket. It bore the Astrumregis family crest. Axel eyed the trinket, his curiosity piqued. Vent caught the interest in his eyes, and tossed him the trinket, to which Axel barely caught it, fumbling with it in his hands. "Press the middle switch." He explained, to which Axel didn't hesitate.


The three young mages were instantaneously transported to the front courtyard of the Astrumregis Manor. Vent darted to the side, into a row of bushes. He motioned for the two Resistance members to follow his stealthy lead.


~~~~


Hope felt the presence, blinking a few times. He shut down the magical monitors surrounding him, turning and taking two quick steps to his balcony door. Throwing open the two large doors, a gust of wind unsettling his hair as he smiled into the night sky, he tilted his head to the side.


"Alec, to what do I owe the pleasure of a home visit? Please, do come in. I have some port here in my study, or I can send for tea or coffee, if that's more to your fancy. My kitchen staff do make an excellent macchiato." He amiably asked, a fake nicety. He realized Alec must have been the Meido user at Munich. This was too much of a coincidence.

 

[Esme]

Finally, she had found what she was looking for. She'd been here only thrice before, more jesting in good nature than anything malicious, but enough that it had been something set into her senses. Chemical, sharp and almost metallic. Then the over lying hint of something expensive.Almost taking form onto the balcony, she went to peak in, only to have the doors open. Blinking, she shuddered fully into being, refusing to make eye contact to someone who was very easily the deciding factor in her fate.


"No thank you." She managed to get out, trying hard not to let the normal snark she held seep into her voice. "I...seek your aide, if you would be willing to give it."