Von Doom 1253328747|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Security-level Omega Vault. A place so secret not even the Field Marshals themselves had been aware of its existence. The defenses that previously kept it impenetrable seem deactivated — the front door has been brutally ripped open, the edges of the forcefully opened thick metal frame appear partially molten, partially burnt.
Beyond the door was a dark hallways. It appeared as if whoever had broken into this place had used the chaos following the demise of the Field Marshal to not only get here but also to cut off the electricity from the entirety of the underground vault. No lights were on … darkness awaited.
Darkness means little to the Grantrooper. It takes only moments after the two AIs are disabled and the alert goes out for a wormhole to open and a six-foot combat robot steps out with a soft whu-thunk. The head of the Grantrooper looks this way and that, collecting scans. For now, that's all he can do - Shu doesn't dare send it in alone. He's waiting for the others to arrive.
What were these coordinates? Ocelot has been a member of the confederacy for over a year now and he's never seen this area before. Of course, there were some areas he lacked access to due to rank, but this was.. highly unexpected. When he enters the room the sight of the destruction earns an immediate frown. "Looks like someone let themselves in…" But into what? He had no idea what awaited in the darkness down that hallway. First order of business was to locate his superior, Shirakawa. "Major!" Once he's joined Shirakawa, the lieutenant looks to the hall again. "What was stored in that area?"
Not all that far behind Ocelot, Caliber comes nearly running to the coordinates, not at all sure what she was going to find. Omega Vault was simply… an unknown, something she had no clue about either, but hearing that FACT and FURY had shut down the moment they sounded the alarm about it had her rather concerned. Nevermind the utter hurricane of emotions going through her head. She wanted to -kill- something. Anything. She could have gone to the field and laid waste to those before her but something about this felt far more important. "Sir!" she calls as she finally comes to a stop, simply waiting, though glancing curiously at the … ripped off door. If this was higher security then Xiang's personal stores, she had some serious concerns about what laid within.
A beam of purple light beams down next to the Grantrooper as it arrives, forming into Krezentia's body after a moment. She's not late! And she's just about exactly where Shu wanted her considering she's next to his mini-Granzon.
"Tch, we can't see a damn thing. Kopie, some light."
A little purple fairy comes out of Krezentia's jacket, making her purple aura glow brightly to illuminate the area. Purple light's not the best, but it'll have to do.
And the Grantrooper indeed does not come alone. Following shortly after, in a golden beam of light just behind it and the purple beam that heralds Krezentia, is a much smaller figure. Clad in pink. Six wings of radiant, prismatic, light sprouting from her shoulders in a spray of crystal feathers.
"Ara ara… You know I don't think I really liked him, anyway." Iris Sepperin muses, hands folded primly behind her back, as the little goddess pops her neck audibly. "I'm ready for anything, though~."
The tunnel leading into the Vault was long and dark, but both scanners and limited illumination revealed the truth — deactivated robots were strewn around on the ground, as if they had suddenly stopped working just like everything else and fallen to the ground. Most of them were intact, though, just not running.
A couple of thick metal doors, all of them numbered starting from one, lead away from the main tunnel, but none of them had been opened.
The Grantrooper's head turns to the side to look at Ocelot, and then shakes slightly. "I don't know. Until the call went out I was unaware that 'Omega' even existed as a clearance. I only knew to expect this treachery to happen in some form or another." The Trooper turns to look at everyone. "Be ready for combat of the most difficult sort," Shu states simply. He himself reaches up, opening a small wormhole from which he withdraws the Grantrooper's personal-scale Granworm Sword.
And then it simply begins to walk forward at a steady, straightforward pace. "Stay close. We're treading on rather dangerous ground, in more than one sense of the phrase."
At that simple order a swirl of semi-transparent green energy would rise up around Caliber, blades forming atop either of her arms, "Understood, sir," she replies simply before starting to follow in behind Shu. Right now, she'd fight anything, and everything, just as a form of release. Hopefully whatever was within the vault would allow for a vent of what was going on in her mind.
A place no one knew existed. Ocelot can't help but smirk a little at his own luck. Was it fortunate that he could be here for something as eventful as this? His right hand curls into a fist at the mention of danger ahead. Maybe he'll be able to handle whatever it was. At least he was surrounded by some powerful company. On the other hand, he might just suffer a horrible death! Only one way to find out! "Mmm, I think I'm getting excited." He says with a smirk as he begins to walk after Shirakawa's armored self. "There could be something really interesting down there."
"Yeah, yeah, get ready. You know I'm always ready, Shu." The faux Spiritia shrugs, walking after the human-scale Granzon with no weapon drawn beyond the little fairy floating at her side. Then again, she's a Magi. She doesn't need a weapon.
The tunnel lead deep, but with the security and guard drones deactivated there was little that hindered the advance of the small Confederate troop. Except, of course, the giant hulking figure looming in the dark a good three miles in.
Upon closer inspection and/or scans, the identity of the man there was quickly revealed. It was a recognizable man, as he had acted as a Confederate elite before. A huge behemoth of a man wearing crimson-coloured armor and a helmet shaped like a half-globe. Cain Marko, the unstoppable Juggernaut!
He had apparently not noticed the elites yet, his huge arms crossed in front of his chest as he stood there idly.
Although Taro has thus far been silent, he is well aware of the situation. He is also well aware of the seriousness of it. Thus, it is time to see to things personally.
As proof of the fact that he does exist as more than a voice on the radio, the Bishop Engineer appears in a flash of indigo somewhere in a side tunnel leading to where the others are, suitably dressed for the occasion. Namely, in his latest armored suit and with a sword on each hip. He'll be a moment catching up to the others.
The Gransenshi comes to a stop, scanners running full-tilt. Without FACT and FURY to help searches, it takes a few moments for the man's identity to come back. Cain Marko, alias The Juggernaut. Extremely strong, durable, power of unstoppable momentum… Back in his lab in the control suite for the Gransenshi, Shu grimaces slightly. They've been left a troublesome surprise.
Shu quietly radios the order to open fire, and then takes his own advice. Before the Gransenshi, a purple-black wormhole opens, and its chest emitter begins to fire a barrage of particle blasts. Around Juggernaut, several smaller wormholes open, each one spitting out another particle shot in quick succession.
Well that wasn't someone Caliber had expected to see, let alone in a super secure, previously unknown vault. For a moment she pauses, moving to one side of Shu, but the moment the order is given to open fire over the radio there's not a moment's hesitation. The swirling green energy around her slips to her front, solidifies, and the a hail of energized bullets begin to fire out of the barrier at an ever increasing rate. From behind the barrier, Caliber just stands, staring at the Juggernaut.. hardly in a fighting mindset it would seem…
Seeing the former confederate is the one who's responsible for this, Ocelot frowns immediately and draws his pistols the instant the order is given. What good will his guns do against a guy like this though? Maybe every little bit will help. Even if his guns might not have the same impact as other weapons, that doesn't mean the lieutenant isn't going to try. The pair of pistols is slung forward and once they're in his grasp he also opens fire on the intruder.
Krezentia only cares about the fact Shu ordered them to open fire. Who this guy is or why he's here isn't really important; if he's got a reason for them not to shoot at him, he'll say it while tanking the hits, won't he? So this might as well get interesting.
Krezentia's hair changes to a bright brown, almost red color, just as her eyes shift to brilliant brown and her clothes' golden outline to blue. In her hands appear two swords, one white and one black, shaped after the Yin and Yang symbols. One Kanshou, one Bakuya, a pair of curved blades most often seen in one Emiya Shirou's hands.
She hurls both blades at the Juggernaut like sharp, dangerous boomerangs, producing two more seconds later and using those new ones to run in and engage the man in melee combat while he's busy dealing with the two blades thrown prior to that.
All the while she avoids friendly fire by flanking from the side. Kopie? Well, she's sticking by the Gransenshi, being absolutely uninterested in fighting a man who could crush her with one hand.
The Juggernaut's eyes widened as wormholes began to suddenly appear all around him, though he did nothing to defend against them. Rather than raise his arms for a defense, he took the full brunt of the particle blasts impacting against his armor, setting one foot in front of the other as the force of the attacks did nothing to deter his strength.
One step followed another and Cain Marko was slowly building up momentum, running faster and faster with each step as he charged head-on through the tunnel! His deep, angry voice was loud as he screamed at the apparent intruders. "YOU IDIOTS! Don't you know that NOTHING STOPS THE JUGGERNAUT!"
The armored behemoth didn't even raise a fist in order to attack, no, he fully intended to ram his massive form into the enemy!
The barrier stops blasting after a moment or two, all the energy diverted forward to try and protect against the incoming charge but does nothing to help her when she's rather casually -thrown- into the wall as a result of the charge. After landing on the floor she just grunts, rises, then lets the energy snap into the blades on her arms, "You picked the wrong @(#*&$ day to even TRY to do anything with me!" she roars out before the blades are sent surging off of either of her arms, trying to lash out at the man's frame, mostly his legs. If he can't stand he can't run…
The Gransenshi shifts up and to the side - but Shu underestimated the man's speed, and a flare of sparks from one leg as it's hit in passing is his reward. "System integrity down 12%," a calm voice alerts Shu back in his lab. He shifts his stance a little bit, eyes narrow, as the Gransenshi disappears into a wormhole.
It reappears only seconds later, directly behind Marko, keeping pace with him. "We don't need to stop, you," Shu replies in a calm voice. "Simply to hurt you until your own body stops itself." He proceeds to attempt doing just that, drawing the Granworm Sword back and making a vicious stab right at the Juggernaut's lower back.
Though his bullets seem to have no effect, at least Ocelot manages to get swiftly out of the way when the Juggernaut comes charging at them. With his back pressed to the wall, avoiding the rampaging man, Ocelot turns his guns at the behemoths back when he goes past. "Why are you in this secure area! Explain yourself!" Though they're not likely going to get an answer that easily.
It doesn't take long after his teleport for Taro to assess the situation. Then again, it's pretty clear who is on whose side here.
Without a word, the android raises his right arm, a plasma rifle sliding out from his armored gauntlet. As the Juggernaut begins barrelling towards his fellow Confederates, he draws a bead and fires a short burst at him.
"My apologies for being late, Major," he says in his usual tone of voice.
"Gh, worry about being late later! Shoot this god damn bastard down!" Krezentia offers that to Taro, primarily because it's true, and off-handedly because she just got slammed into a wall by the oversized man's running down the hall while tanking her swords. It's not like she's ordering him. More like 'argh this hurts do something'. This prompts a weapon shift from the girl, too, whose hair, eyes and clothes turn to fiery orange, flames dancing around her. The twin swords in her hands are replaced by a burning stream of mana…
Which soon forms into Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros. The bright orange hammer drips lava from its spikes and she's quick to get back up and charge straight for the unstoppable mutant one more time, trying to land a solid hit with the burning hammer. It might even proc its fireball effect!
"So he's an unstoppable maniac? Let's see just how 'unstoppable' he really is!" Null voices from the rear of the corridor. He'd been sidetracked on a small side investigation in this place, but now he's back in business. Raw energy crackles about the crimson knight's body before, with a wordless yell, his robotic form manifests instead— the unmistakable appearance of 'Zero.'
After all, he's going to get to the bottom of this crisis following Iris's goals or die trying. One arm's raised, and promptly shifts into the iconic N-Buster. The barrel gleams brightly for a moment before a multitude of enormous comet-like blasts of plasma fly out in sequence for the Juggernaut. Once those have been let fly, blue flames erupt from the android's boots… and he rockets over toward Krezentia. "I figured there'd be trouble."
"Haw! Don't you know I'm invulnerable, little girl!" The Juggernaut laughed as he slowed down from his bullrush, just in time to get stabbed right in the back by the Gransenshi, whereas a couple of bullets penetrated his helmet and ledged themselves in what laid underneath and his legs were getting quite the volatile treatment by the android Caliber.
"Don'tya know I'm … tzzzzk … inVULNeraaaaableeeee." His speech suddenly slowed down as if he was in slow motion, electric sparks jumping from the wounds he had taken. Then, very slowly, the voice said. "Engaging self-destruct sequence."
And then he tore apart in a huge burst of explosive power!
When his voice starts to stutter, Caliber's quick to realize, "Oh damnita—" then the explosion which once again reintroduces Caliber's back to the wall of the Vault, "Ngh, that's getting Really old!" she yells but at least he seems to be down, now. "God that hurt…"
When the explosion throws Ocelot back he hits the wall. At least he wasn't tossed far but it still hurt like hell when his back struck the corridor. "Nngh.. he wasn't real?" The soldier pushes himself up to his feet, sliding his guns back into place and rotating his right arm backwards with his left hand gripping the shoulder.
The explosion fails to damage the Gransenshi in the least. Largely because the minute it unleashes the backstab, the personal-scale mecha launches itself back into a wormhole to avoid retribution. When it comes back out, Shu is left a moment to stare at the wreckage before shaking his head slightly. "I'm unsurprised, in retrospect." He looks at all the others. "Are you all good to continue? We've got to keep moving. This was just a distraction. If you can all run, I suggest doing so. I'll keep pace." The Gransenshi simply lifts up off the ground, floating there, and begins to drift forward. It will stay just ahead of the rest of the group.
Thrown back by the explosion, especially since she was right next to the Juggerbot when it blew up, Krezentia gets to meet the wall. Again. It's rather unpleasant and the impact is enough for Sulfuras to turn back into mana and dissipate, wasting some of her weapon energy. She gets back up with Null's help, grunting afterward.
"You know what I hate about this? No one here knows what the Hell this place is so I can't even /ask/ what's going on knowing no one'll have an answer. Gh." She sighs, before nodding to the mini-Granzon. "Yeah, I'm fine. Takes more than a few bruises to stop me. Let's get going before more of those things jump us."
A quick nod is given to Shu's standin as Caliber gets up. No sooner is he done speaking that she starts running down the hall at a fairly quick pace, that barrier gleaming both for protection and to illuminate the way for the others..
A machine? Somehow, Taro's not that surprised. After all, Virtually everyone has robotic doubles these days.
The android quickly drops to the ground and below the worst of the explosion, the bits of random schrapnel plinking off his armor. So much for the mirror shine. Once over, he gracefully rises to his feet. "How remarkable," he observes dryly. A nod is given to Shu - this is the Major's expedition, and he's not going to assume command just because he technically outranks the man. "I'm fine. Set the pace, then."
"Are you kidding? As long as Krezentia's up for it." Null replies impatiently. It seems he's had a change of personality through some time learning himself. He does help Krezentia up without complaint, and immediately glances down the corridor, the buster shifting back into a hand as, at the same time, he grabs the saber and starts walking, only glancing back once toward Krezentia. "I'll take the lead for us two. You're better from a distance anyways."
As the group proceeds down the otherwise-darkened hall, they're apt to soon find something else of interest. At first, it simply appears to be a point of dull orange light in the distance. A tiny speck of glow that slowly but steadily grows closer. As the distance closes, as the illumination of the various Confederates present creeps down the miles of tunnel, a faint, hard-to-make-out shape comes into slow focus. It's mostly the same color and texture as the tunnel around it, as if its body were made of the surrounding metal.
Body?
Yes. Body.
It's a human. About six feet tall. Wearing a bodysuit with a vague muscular outline that seems to blend perfectly with the metal around it. Except for the head, though. The head is uncovered, save for a length of black cloth around the forehead, keeping the longish hair out of the man's face, and held loosely in his lips is a cigarette, almost burned out. On everyone's approach, he leans away from the wall, drops the cigarette out of his mouth, and grinds it out on the ground.
"Took you all long enough," Solid Snake greets simply, a gruff grunt. And then he moves to unsling his assault rifle.
Shu Shirakawa is not given to being concerned very often. But they are being faced with Solid goddamn Snake. It may well be a robot duplicate, but Shu is going to assume the worst. This battle is about to get difficult.
Without pause and without witty banter, Shu launches himself forward. He disappears almost immediately into a wormhole, and in the next split second emerges again, directly behind Snake. And down he slashes with the Granworm Sword, trying to cut him open from behind.
"SNAAAAKE! I'll KILL YOU!" Oh no, there was -no- stopping Caliber at just this moment. Not for all the years this man was Field Marshall. She didn't care he had possibly stepped down, as far as she was concerned, this was the man that was responsible for Victor being dead. And she -would- have blood tonight. This was perfect. The vent she needed, a way to set loose the utter -rage- that had building up ever since word came from Doctor West earlier. No one else in the room, or at least there wasn't as far as she was concerned. With that assault rifle coming around it was obvious, the fight was on.
With a rather unholy cry, the machine created by the now dead Field Marshall simply lunges for snake. There's not just two blades being brought to bear against him, no, The barrier energy typically reserved to protect her was nothing but a swarm of blades, off edges, of spears, anything to try and flay, stab, shred, or utterly reduce this man to ribbons was being brought against him. No care for herself is given. She's about to get, for lack of a better term, utterly blood drunk.
Taro arches an eyebrow. Well isn't -that- interesting. It would explain the abrupt change in Union leadership…
Speculation will have to come later. Right now, stopping Solid Snake takes higher priority. As the others are no doubt doing, he draws a weapon again - this time a trio of vibroknives - keys them, and sends them tumbling after Solid Snake. Not the most impressive of weapons, but high explosives are not recommended when a kilometer or more of rock and city are above your heads. Besides, it appears that Shu is already taking care of the heavier attacks.
Krezentia has never met Snake. Never fought Snake. Never really read about Snake. She knows who Snake is and let's blame that on Iris' programming, to some extent. Or Shu's. Or both? Either ways, she is as unpleasantly surprised as everyone else to see him here and raises her left hand toward the ex-Field Marshal of the Union. Hair reverting to blonde, clothes to black and gold and eyes to red, she allows mana to build up for a moment in her hand…
"FALSCHES GEWEHR, CHARGE SHOT!"
5tAnd then lets loose a big swirling mass of purple and green mana toward Solid Snake, making sure to veer it off to the side to not hit the Gransenshi and to leave everyone, mostly Null, room to move in to attack as well.
She is not QUITE as demented as Caliber about it.
No way. It had to be a fake. There was just NO WAY Solid Snake could be here, in the confederate base and right in front of them! For a second, the look on Ocelot's face is just plain.. comical. Maybe he should pick his jaw back up off the floor. A brief grunt is heard when the air is finally expelled from his chest and he remembers to inhale again. "Heh.. heheh.. hahaha! Son of a bitch!" Is he serious?? A gloved hand lifts and he slides his fingers against his blonde hair just above his ear. "I heard you retired, but I didn't think you had a death wish." Coming in here like this. "And just waiting for us too.. what gives?"
Ocelot shakes his head in bewilderment. Was this really Snake or just another duplicate like the one they'd seen earlier down the hall? If it was Snake, this is sort of a let down for Ocelot. After all, he liked to have Snake all to himself! But following suit, his gun is drawn and he opens fire.. still.. he's completely suspicious. Snake, if he were that much like his father, would not be the brightest bulb in the box, but he couldn't be /this/ stupid. Something must be up.
"Us, late? Don't worry. You'll get plenty out of this fight to make up for it." Null remarks hotly, igniting the N-Saber with a snapTHRUM. He promptly leaps to a wall and sprints along it like a madman, the blade's purplish gleam blazing through the air as he leaps up, clings to the ceiling for a moment, and then descends like a meteor. The N-Saber slices through the air in a broad crescent.. right for Snake's shoulder.
A sword blade comes tearing down Snake's back just as he's getting the assault rifle - an AK-47 - unslung. He throws himself forward away from the strike to prevent further injury from it; but that only puts him right in front of Caliber. He manages an impressive series of dodges and evasions, but even that only saves him from being flayed alive. He's still sliced up pretty badly. However, it presents an opportunity; somewhere in the attack, Snake's arm almost seems to appear as if by magic in front of Caliber's body. He grabs for her arm and attempts to slam her, hard, to the ground. If that works, he'll plant his foot on her chest and then open fire on on Taro; if not, he'll simply roll away, come up in a crouch, and do the same.
He shifts the rifle in just a perfect way to deflect Taro's knives, but as a result takes a grazing but powerful hit by the Falsches Gewehr. His response to her attack is simple - a pair of grenades are lobbed. One of them lands just at her feet before going off almost immediately. The other? Well, in an astounding display, it's caught perfectly by the explosion of the first and sent in another direction.
And then come Ocelot's bullets. The legendary riccochet attacks of the man called 'Revolver'. Even if he isn't yet.
Dammit, I hate time paradoxes.
Regardless, Ocelot has the fullness of his attention. "My plans here aren't your business, Ocelot. I'm here to stop you all. It's all going according to plan, and none of you even realize it."
He moves in smoothly, swinging the butt of his rifle forward to smack Ocelot in the face, and follows that up with a boot shoved hard at the gunman's gut. Unfortunately, in the process of attacking Ocelot, he leaves himself open to attack. It's a testament to Snake's reaction times that he doesn't lose an arm from Null's slash, and further to that, that he actually lunges in to grab at Null's wrist and try to shoulderthrow him to the ground.
As for that last grenade? The one he bounced off the other one's explosion?
It's marked 'CHAFF'. And if he aimed it correctly, it should end up going off right in the Gransenshi's face.
Taro staggers back a step as he catches a rifle burst full in the chest. The armor keeps the bullets from penetrating, but the kinetic forces still make him twitch. Whether this is truly Solid Snake or a duplicate of him, he's impressive in combat.
Once regaining his balance, the android draws and keys another set of knives and sends them tumbling again once he has a clear opening.
"Agh!" It works. Null's grabbed, shock blazing in his eyes, and he's promptly flipped and slammed hard. Harder than he expected from human strength. "Gh…" Still, it wasn't enough to more than really rattle him. Null flips upright, twirls the saber about as if he's about to launch a flurry—
And promptly raises his buster, firing several shots point-blank.
"Ara ara…" That voice… Belongs to a one Iris Sepperin. She had been hanging to the back of the group for the most part, but with the chaff grenade, the blonde seraph steps into the fray. … Not to directly attack Snake. No. But rather, she slips into place behind the Gransenshi. She plucks an armor panel off, fingers sparking as she starts working on a few wires here and there on the fly. "Hum hum~ don't worry about a thing, Shu, it'll be back up and running in a moment~." Fizzlefizzlefizzle. "All of you just keep Snake off me, yus~?"
This was more than confusing for Ocelot by now. Stop them all? What, the war? Dr. Doom was already declared dead. Maybe Snake was here just to lay down the final blow on the confederacy. But if even the higher members of the confeds didn't know this vault existed, how in the hell did Snake figure it out! Ocelot is struck clean across the face, and then a kick to stomach sends him flying right off his feet and onto his back.
A choked grunt follows and he turns over to one side, tasting copper in his mouth and spitting out a spot of blood. "If it's anyone's business it's ours, don't you think?" After all, he's also a soldier that's supposed to be guarding this base. Ocelot pushes onto his feet he lunges towards Snake the moment there's a clear opening. "Rrragh!" Leading in with his fist, only a punk like Ocelot would try and deck a legendary hero.
The grenade gets avoided as Krezentia jumps back, clenching her fists but thanking her quick reflexes. And she's… charging up mana again! The green and purple circle of magic is appearing over her body even as she's jumping, growing and growing with each second she's charging. But why isn't she pointing her hand at Snake to aim? No, actually, she's coming in close and personal as Null delivers cover fire!
"I don't care if you're fake or not, I'm-a enjoy this for what it is, KICKING SNAKE IN THE FACE!" Oh and covering Iris, apparently.
Not that Snake will have much time to worry about the genius loli, because Krezentia is coming down with her right foot extended and letting off all of the glow a charged shot would have. "GEWEHRSTOSS!"
You know what happens next.
With her blades catching the body and flesh of the former Union Field Marshall, Caliber's assault only intensifies. When he reaches for her arm she quickly takes a step backward, managing to avoid his attempt at CQC on her. What comes next is a literal whirlwind of those blades. The energy that makes up her barrier tries to swirl in and around Snake. If he doesn't get out of that sphere he'd suddenly find himself at the mercy of a number of blades stabbing at him from all angles. Caliber isn't about to just stand outside the blade-field though, she quickly leaps up into the air and decends into it from above, one arm pulled back with a long green blade forming over the top of her arm. The way she's coming down and the angle of the blade, it looks as if she wants to stab Snake right in the back of his neck and drive it right down through his chest.
This time, Taro's knives slash Snake cleanly; he only barely manages to avoid outright stabbing. That, sadly, puts him right in the path of Null's Buster shots, which catch him in the chest. They knock him back several steps, at which point Ocelot hits him clean on the jaw. And then Krezentia comes flying down with a False Rider Kick that staggers him straight back and almost seems to knock him senseless - at which point Caliber's blade jams right into the back of Snake's neck and out his chest.
There is no blood.
Snake's body convulses, and the sound of several servos firing at once is heard. Then he slumps to the ground, with a metallic CLUNK.
Just as Snake is going offline, the Gransenshi is rebooting. Shu tests the limbs and sensors briefly, and then nods. "Thank you, Iris." He points down the hall with the Granworm Sword, and says, "Let's continue." And thus he doth.
"Another machine," Taro notes quietly and unnecessarily. This he finds both a little suspicious and troubling, but he keeps his speculations to himself. For now.
He runs his hand over his chestplate to assess the damage, determines it to be annoying but not badly compromised, and continues.
A loud cry comes from Caliber before she just -rips- the blade out of 'Snake's' form, obviously a little irritated it wasn't the real thing. It gets a swift kick as a result, "What the hell is going on here?! Two machines? This getting beyond grating, who the hell is down here?!" she barks out into the vault in the direction they had been heading earlier. Yup. someone's upset. Still. Where's the real challenge here?! Where's the one she needs to tear limb from limb?!
Peeeeeeking out from behind the re-activated Gransenshi, Iris watches 'Snake's fall, nose scrunching. "Huh. Wasn't the real deal. Oh well, too bad~." She chimes, patting the hull of the machine as she sets the armor plate back into place. "Good as new! Any time, Doctor~." She replies. Well all that's left is to just keep going, right?
"Who built these robot duplicates? It can't stand us to all of us together, but these could be useful." Null wonders aloud, eyeing the trashed Snake copy. "…It wouldn't be a bad idea to drag these things back later and use them again." Looking toward Iris, then toward Krez.. and finally Shu's instructions, Null nods and puts away the saber and takes up a guard position near Iris while the group continues.
When the fake-Snake falls to the ground, Ocelot quirks a brow and smirks. "Didn't think so." Granted, it was a good look alike and it had good moves too, but he doubted the real Solid Snake would just stand here waiting for them. He could probably have come and gone before anyone even realized it. And sure, maybe Snake could take one several elites at once, but Ocelot didn't think he'd do it like this. "Too bad." Ocelot says, repeating Iris' words. "I'm afraid anything after this is just going to be a serious let down." Both hands lift and he gestures his arms broadly out the side before stepping after Shirakawa, spurs clinking with each measured step of his boots.
Finally, only a little further from the unfortunate location of the Solid Snake duplicate, there was another sign of forced entry. This one looked like it was ripped open by powerful hands, perhaps those of the Juggernaut-imitating robot they had encountered earlier. Perhaps not. The number on the door is no longer readable, but judging by the door before it it should be number 34.
Inside, an interesting sight presented itself. A perfect globe of energy held above an alien-looking apparatus that was clearly powering it somehow; perhaps it had its own generators and was thus exempt from the general blackout or perhaps it did not require external energy at all. The machine was simply beyond most known Multiversial technology. Still, that sort of thing never kept a good super-scientist down for long.
Some analysing would reveal the globe to be a containment field with … unique properties. Whatever was inside it had been locked into an alternate dimension field, similar to the Phantom Zone that Kryptonians supposedly used to lock away their most dangerous criminals. And, there was no sign of an intruder in the room except, perhaps … in the field itself.
Landing from the kick, Krezentia watches the Snakebot fall down and thankfully not explode this time. One was bad enough, really. "I'unno. Wasn't Doom famous for his Doombots? Y'figure robot duplicates this good can only be coming from him or maybe Iris if she'd been given enough time." She's living proof Iris could do it, after all~
With that, Krezentia withdraws to Iris' side as well to cover her along with Null, but she breaks formation pretty quickly when they come into the room with the containment field. Shu seems to know what's up.
"Let's just spring it already, this is dragging out. Might as well precipitate the arrival of whoever's sending those bots at us."
Shu takes a few moments, running all the scans he can think of on the sphere, and one thing very quickly becomes clear. They can't simply disable it. However, there is something they can do instead.
"…We don't deactivate it," he states simply. "We enter it. I'll go first. The Gransenshi is a telepresence unit. I can rebuild it. All of you would be a bit trickier."
Having so declared, the Gransenshi moves forward and does exactly that.
Caliber doesn't even hesitate after the Gransenshi moves to enter the field. She was going to find whoever was responsible for all this madness and tear them limb from limb. Stabbing 'Snake' through the neck and chest was hardly satisfying seing as it was fake.
<OOC> Dr. Doom says, "Heheh. I'm adjusting the original plan a little bit so Shu gets some extra smartness points."
Unknown doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Taro's brow furrows slightly, part in curiosity and part in observation, switching his optics from normal vision through the spectrum just to see if there's anything that might otherwise escape notice.
Assuming that he didn't just blind himself doing this, he slips back into normal vision again, his frown more pronounced. "A portal, then?" he says, more to confirm fact than to ask a question. "All right then." The engineer follows after Shu.
"How nostalgic." Iris muses. Arms folding across her chest as she watches the Gransenshi, and Caliber enter the field. A flutter of her wings and she looks between Null and Krezentia. "Alright kids, follow mommy into the unkown like good little children<3."
Just going into some weird portal thing didn't really seem like a good idea to Ocelot. Then again, their choices were limited at this point if they wanted to get down to the bottom of this mystery. The soldier steps forward, but he'll gladly follow the orders and let Shirakawa test the waters out first. Maybe it would be perfectly safe. Or.. not.
And as the Gransenshi entered the field, something extraordinary happened. It disappeared, which was expected. The fact that an electromagnetic surge exploding from the field would be the result was less expected, though, as Brigadier General Daisho and Caliber were thrown back.
And as soon as the Gransenshi had disappeared, it appeared once again in a cloud of bright energy. However, as the energy ebbed from its form, it was in fact not the Gransenshi that stood there.
A dark green cloak billowed at the rush of energy. An iron-clad hand formed into a fist as two heavy metallic boots met the ground.
Cold, hazel-coloured eyes sized up those that stood before him as the truth that some already suspected was finally revealed, for the man standing before them was the one, the only — Doctor Doom!
"As expected," he stated coldly. "I had arranged my plans in such a way that it would fall to you to come for me; after all, only one of Shirakawa's intellect would recognize this for what it is and be foolhardy enough to still send his robotic creation inside — just as I planned, for through its entrance was I able to leave this containment zone. I'm afraid he will have to make do without it."
"You seem surprised," he noted, though not towards Taro. "To quote an old cliche - reports of my demise were greatly exaggerated, though the clone I had created to set events in motion did indeed die."
The Doctor paused, pointing a finger at the group. "I assume you seek to know the reason for my ploy?"
*FZZT!*
Taro finds himself thrown back and slammed against the closest hard surface - presumably the wall - his body twitching from the extra electrical energy temporarily overwhelming his circuitry. So much for that idea…
First one field marshal, or former field marshal, and then.. another? Ocelot is a little more than stunned at seeing who emerges from the center. "Field marshal Doom.." Well, maybe they'll finally get an explanation for all of this. As much as he talks, Ocelot knows when to shut-up and listen.
The EMP actually causes Caliber to get thrown back against the wall. Again. For a moment there she actually looked like she could have just danced at seeing Doom, but with the sudden turn of events that emotion is rather quickly slaughtered as she hits the floor by the wall. It takes an extra moment or two, but while she's gathering herself she manages to ask a rather simple question. "Wh.. what… What are you doing?"
"That should be clear, Caliber," Shu's voice replies, from overhead. A wormhole opens up, and down through it descends a second Gransenshi, Granworm Sword already in hand. "Dr. Doom is betraying the Confederacy." The Gransenshi shakes its head slightly. "The clone was an impressive stroke, Doctor. Most wouldn't even suspect it. Ironically, my respect for your intellect is the only reason I did." It reaches up with an armored hand to tap its forehead. "I didn't believe you would be so foolish as to go into a losing battle with the Union like that. I've also done my homework. I must admit curiosity. Just what is it you needed us to unlock for you?"
Good thing Krez didn't go anywhere near the containment field, she doesn't get blasted back by that zap! Not that she doesn't feel it, but at least she's not knocked breathless or anything. Rather she's left staring at Doom's reappearance, Shu sending in a second Grandsenshi, and the whole speech about betrayal.
"… yeah, what he said. What'd you need us to unlock worth going through all this stuff? Screwing over the entire superfaction just so you could… pop out of a fancy prison thing? What's there to it, 'boss'?"
"You?" Doom did not even glance towards Shu as he suddenly appeared, but clearly was responding to him. "Nothing. In the eventuality that you failed to live up to my expectations I would have had my own robotic creation enter the field."
"You presume much, however." Doom pointed at Shu. "Doom does not betray. I have the best interests of the Confederacy in mind — however, the current situation prevents me from realizing them completely and to my satisfaction. But I have found a way."
He opened his left palm and a hologram appeared. "An ancient techno-mystical program, locked away in a vault that not even the Field Marshal has access to — or knowledge thereof, normally. However, am I not Doom? In order to disable to defenses and enter I orchestrated all these recent events. Indeed, my machinations to reach this vault have been at work since I used what lesser intellects referred to as the Spires to focus the Power Multiversial into my own body rather than to power my armor with it. My true goal at the time was to use its vast power to confirm the presence of this artifact that is now secure within my armor."
The hologram showed what appeared to be an extremely complicated, high-tech compass. "About half a year ago I mathematically proved the existence of an energy field that, with a will to direct it, would grant me omnipotence — the power to end this conflict and bring peace to this Multiverse. However, I had no way to locate it; now, I do."
He closed his hand into a fist as the hologram disappeared. "You will be rewarded for your role, rest assured. Now step aside, for I must pursue my goal. It seems it lies far beyond the explored territories of the Multiverse."
As Doom speaks, Taro brushes his hair out of his face and slowly pushes himself to his feet. Which isn't to say he's not listening. He is, and what he hears makes his brow furrow in thought. "I see…I must say that I am quite impressed. It has been a game well played, Doctor Doom."
So. They've been used. Somehow this does not bother him. But then, it is his lot in life to be a tally-piece.
The Gransenshi sweeps its blade up, holding it in front of its face, and then draws it down and to the side - a swordsman's salute. "It is unfortunate, Dr. Doom, but I cannot do that. Your intentions and beliefs aside, you have exposed the Confederacy to danger from the Union, and committed a serious breach of security which constitutes treason. And my loyalty is to the Office of Field Marshal, which no longer resides in your hands."
The smirk is almost audible. "I must commend you, Dr. Doom. There are few who can force me to take the battlefield personally by their mere presence. It's been a long time since I've personally entered a battle like this. My life is well and truly on the line. It's… somewhat exhiliratiing." The Gransenshi's sword levels. "I'm under no illusions that my Gransenshi is a match for you in single combat, but this won't be single combat, will it?"
The Gransenshi tilts its head slightly to look at the rest of the group. "This man is your enemy. Fight for your lives. He'll give us no quarter."
"You've got to be shittin' me…" Ocelot mumbles to himself as he looks between two of his own superiors. Doom orchestrated all this so he could get his hands on that item that'll lead to his ultimate power. Maybe enough power to end the war with the Union. And yet, in doing so, he could've had them wiped out by the Union in the process! "You are… were..? Our field marshal. And yet.. Major Shirakawa also has a point." Would Doom have let them all be wiped out so he could obtain that ultimate power for his own? Ocelot thinks it's likely. However, he must judge this situation carefully.
Slowly he takes a few steps back, trying to feel the tension in the room and judge where the tide turns. The gunman reaches one hand to each of the pair of revolvers he holds and draws them both, looking to his guns. "….." This situation was completely unexpected. "Field Marshal Doom.. with the defenses down we could've been wiped out today. Was this really in the best interest of the confederacy? Was there no other way?"
"And the reason you had to do this without telling anyone or doing it properly?" Null asks coldly, eyes on the former Field marshal as he withdraws his saber, a purple blade spearing into existence with a hot thrum just as before from the hilt, casting a glow over the area. "I respect the Dr. Doom that led the Confederacy, but you're not being him right now. You're just an enemy who broke security."
Null drops into a battle stance, blonde hair swishing about before settling as his large boots edge further apart, the stance deepening while he brings the blade into an en guarde.
"You are more the fool than I realized, Shirakawa — the Confederacy is mine, and nothing will change that. Once I have gained omnipotence those who are loyal will receive their just reward and the despicable monsters not fit for a peaceful world amongst its ranks will be exterminated like the vermin they are." Doom's eyes narrowed. He had not expected Shirakawa to go on the offense, but he was of course prepared for such an eventuality.
"But you are quite correct, single combat it will not be," he responded. "Override protocol: Doom Ukase Rex."
That did not sound good. Not good at all.
What was even worse was that Doom's arms were suddenly surrounded by green energy fields, not unlike what Caliber had been using earlier. "While I do not wield the Power Multiversial at present, I have created a weapon almost as powerful. The culmination of the technology that created Caliber — an energy manipulation device based upon the Green Lantern ring, capable of taking any shape one imagines and fueled by willpower. In my hands, a weapon like no other."
"However, you have yet the chance to surrender. I am not without mercy — you have served me well. And as for your concerns, Ocelot, they are negligible. Once omnipotence is mine, I can simply revive any who died in my service with but a thought and restore any damage done by the Union. That it was precisely all of you who are now here is no coincidence — you have all been of great service to the Confederacy and I would not derive it of your presence while I am gone."
"As for why I had to do it this way — it was indeed the only way. You are aware of the Confederate Council, I trust. It is they who seek to continue this war endlessly, for it to never end and to gather more and more power through it despite all the suffering and damage it will cause. Perhaps they are even aware of the true, vile nature of this Multiverse yet care not. I, on the other hand, intend to stop this travesty once and for all."
For the briefest of moments, so quickly that it might be missed, Taro's expression goes completely blank.
Then, the android's expression returns, with a slim smile. "As you command, Master."
And with that, he draws his materia blade from its sheath, the steel already rimed with ice. In the other hand, he activates his beam sabre with a snap-hiss.
The smirk seems to have grown more audible. Somehow. In spite of the pair enemies now arrayed against them, he is, or at least sounds, calm
"Dr. Doom, I'm disappointed. Of all the people in the Confederacy, I would think you would know me better than that." He sweeps the blade forward, and enters a ready stance. "It was never you that I served to begin with. It was only the Confederacy. Through the Confederacy will I achieve my own ends. And I regret to inform you that they do not coincide with your believed goal. Please don't waste both our times trying to convince me to surrender or join your side, Doctor. We're both above such things. The sides of this battle were decided the moment you enacted your plan."
"All Confederate Elites. Attack Dr. Doom without restraint. General Taro is to be considered compromised and treated as an enemy on my authority You may use lethal force. Be prepared for Caliber to become an enemy as well."
The Gransenshi begins its charge. It's simple, straightforward, and fast, bringing the sword up for a quick, lunging attack.
"True nature? Then enlighten us! Now that things seem to be heating up, Null's not sounding so convrsational. "And I'll set one thing straight for you… I don't care. Not about the Confederate Council, and definitely not for your plans. Carrying out Iris's ideals is the only thing I believe in."
ANd with a wordless battlecry, Null launches himself toward Doom, saber flashing into a blur as he swipes multiple times. "You're getting in the way of it!"
"Shit.. shitshitshit!" Ocelot growls to himself as he sees the battle moving forward. It's going to happen, one way or another. Fate and luck will decide the outcome, because there are two incredibly powerful forces that are now butting heads right in front of him. And what happens if he chooses the wrong side? Court martial? Treason? He could end his career right here the instant he pulls the trigger.
But in the end… when it comes to deciding what side is right.. the answer is always.. what's best for Ocelot. Well, the answer is always what's best for Big Boss, but that lousy guy isn't here so personal interest is the next best thing. And personal interest, personal belief says.. war is life. For a soldier it is the only thing. He'd almost commend Doom on his desire to end this whole Confederate-Union fiasco.. except.. who says Ocelot wants it to end? The pair of revolvers are lifted, and the bullets are fired. "If I die, make sure it's flashy, sir."
"You are mistaken, Shirakawa," Doom stated coldly as the green energy sheathe around his right arm grew into a full-length sword and met the Gransenshi's strike, deflecting it with apparent ease. "I am not some foe to be defeated by the likes of you — the only choice here is whether you will be part of the new world I will create or not. You lot stand no chance against me!"
"Not when I wield a weapon that can give my thoughts form!" Of course, the fact that Doom was pushing back the Gransenshi helped little when Null attacked from the side — Doom was not fast enough to parry the strikes, though his armored shell was still as formidable as usual. The same could be said for Krezentia's volley of mana blasts — it hit true, but Doom's armor held steadfast.
Ocelot's bullets had less luck, however, as the monarch finally surrounded himself in a green force bubble for protection and the bullets' impact was absorbed harmlessly before they clattered to the ground.
"Yes, this new weapon can even imitate complex machinery. Behold!" And suddenly a comparatively tiny version of the Shalaanesh cannon appeared before Doom, unleashing a powerful blast of jade-coloured destruction onto Doom's assailants!
The dazzling light of the miniature Shalaanesh Cannon barely has time to clear before Taro springs into action. He's always been light on his feet, and now is no different. He dashes forward, then leaps towards Null, bringing iced blade down in an overhead slash, then following through with another slash with his beam sabre. Then, regardless of whether either connects, he pushes off again, hopping back in an attempt to put distance between them again.
"And that, Victor von Doom, is where you will falter," Shu replies. The cannon blasts him just as he's regaining his balance, and Shu lets out a grunt - if there was any doubt before, that's the proof of it. Shu is genuinely here, in the armor. But yet, he remains calm, and the Gransenshi straightens. "You are relying on a crutch. You require a power that gives your thoughts form to stand up against us. A true man of science needs no power other than his own intellect to bring his dream into reality."
The Gransenshi disappears into a wormhole - and reappears on the other side of the room. Another wormhole is already open in front of it, and Shu spreads his arms wider as the particle shots begin to fire. One after another after another, only to be spat out of smaller wormholes all around Doom, from multiple angles. Even as he's opening fire, he glances to the side briefly, and says simply, "Null, if you please, would you take care of the General for us? He may become a nuisance."
Perhaps if they take care of Doom, Taro will come back around to some sense. Ocelot can hardly believe he had fired on his own former field marshal, but it wouldn't be the first time he's turned on a superior either. He's just never had a superior as powerful as this one before, and the soldier is reminded just how powerful when that blast almost takes him right out.
When Ocelot lands there's a whole lot of pain. At first he isn't sure how to respond until he wills himself to roll to one side and uses a wall to edge himself onto his feet again. The guns are lifted, despite his prone position and he opens fire again. If he can even manage to get past those defenses.
"FUNYA~! KREZ!"
Kopie zooms in from behind, shoving herself in front of Krezentia with a large purple sigil of magic to try and block the blast from the Shalaanesh Cannon. Unfortunately her valiant effort doesn't last long and the jade blast soon overpowers the shield, knocking Kopie into Krezentia, both of them tanking what's left of the blast. It's okay, though, they get back up! Or rather, Kopie flaps her wings and starts floating about again, shaking the hit off.
"Funya~ that sucked."
"Yeah, well, don't do stupid stuff like that, Kopie."
Krezentia looks off to the side to give Null and Taro a glance, but she quickly returns her attention to Lord Doom.
"I bet a lot of people end up saying that when they get all-powerful, you know? Come to think of it, I said something like that when I got hooked up on the Golden Gear. Didn't stop that damn spear boy from cuttin' off my ponytail. Man that sucked. Point being, you're not as invincible as you think, big guy!"
Her hair and clothes' outline switch to pale purple, almost white, while her eyes remain red. An icy gust of wind shoots off from her hand as she raises it to aim at Victor. "FREUDEN STACHEL!"
Just as a bright blue magical circle forms, machinegunning very large and very sharp icicles threaten to give the false Green Lantern a bad brainfreeze.
"A control code…? Geh… your bad luck, Taro!" Null shouts. The cannon blast fails to find its mark— Null leaps toward a nearby wall, his blade crashing violently into Taro's during the motion. Using this momentum, he reverses his position with Taro right while the man's trying to push away from the second blow, and counters with a mighty kick to the gut that would send the other android straight into the Shalaanesh beam.
"Fool. You understand nothing!" Doom mocked. "The only reason that you yet breathe is that I find myself reluctant to crush so promising an intellect as your own. With the proper guidance, you might someday almost come close to my own!" With a gesture Doom dismissed the energy construct, instead turning the bubble he had created around himself into a weapon as hundreds of tiny jade-coloured spears shot forth to strike precisely at Doom's opponents!
The attacks impacted against Doom's shield, though, and it wavered before it finally gave out. Apparently even Doom had trouble concentrating on hundreds of spears directed by his mind AND keeping up a powerful defense.
There's a certain irony in Taro being shoved into the path of the miniaturized Shalaanesh Cannon. He savors that more than the actual damage it causes, the armor along his right arm both melting and shattering under the beam. Still, he has strength enough in that arm to catch himself from falling to the floor entirely. "You would like me less if you saw me truly free."
There's also a certain irony in him fighting Yet Another Zero, but most here wouldn't know enough of that to savor that with him. The General shoves himself back to his feet, then dashes forawrd to execute another paired slash attack at Null's torso, where if he's like the other Zeros he's fought, he has less armor.
As Doom was struck, sparks flew from his armor as he was forced back. He was thrown through the air and crashed against the metal wall, sliding to the ground. Still, he never had been one to stay down for long as he activated the famed impenetrable forcefield of his armor. He was not reliant on one single weapon, after all. He quickly forced himself up, leaning one hand against the wall to support himself as he spoke. "Bah. I tire of this battle — I have had ample opportunity to test my Willpower Channel Device and know now that it will serve me well on my quest. Even I cannot battle the entirety of the Confederate forces before I have gained the ultimate power I seek — you have said it yourself, I am not so foolish as to fight a losing battle such as that."
"The teleportation shield of this vault is disabled, as you have noticed yourself when you made your way here — and you might also remember that I have the ability to phase my personnage into an intangible state. Allow me to leave you with a warning; I shall return. For the moment, rejoice in the emptiness of your apparent victory. Surely my librarian will reward you greatly for it."
Doom reached into one of the compartments of his belt and pulled forth a small sphere, throwing it towards the ground close to his opponents. The result was quite impressive — the air was suddenly filled with powerful vibrations as the sphere exploded!
And then, likely just as the first of his attackers was about to reach him again despite Doom's attack — he stepped into the wall.
Lucky for Taro that he's an android, or else at least one of those slashes would have been fatal. He grimaces as his armor is neatly short away, then truly winces as he's knocked aside by the final cleave, which leaves his chest all but bare. He lands with a solid thump against the wall, then to the floor. Just in time to be struck again, this time by the series of explosions left by his Master.
Normally he'd complain about that, but right now it'd do no good.
Instead, the General heaves himself to his feet, and continues doggedly after Null, teeth gritted as he makes an all out attack to slash with his materia blade, following through with beam sabre, and finishing with his materia blade once more.
As Doom retreats, Shu moves to attack - but the vibrational blast knocks the Gransenshi back in turn. By the time Shu can get up, the former Field Marshal has vanished. Shu blows out a soft sigh, and then proceeds to manage the situation via newly-reactivated radio. With that squared away…
The Gransenshi takes a few swift strides forward, hauls back a fist, and swings it right for Taro's forehead.
If the Union couldn't kill Doom, Ocelot had his doubts that they could handle it here. So the former field marshal would escape. What would happen in the future? Would Doom find that power he mentioned now that he's out there and on the run? Maybe he'd come back more powerful than ever. They'd all be in a world of trouble if that happened. But that was for the future and for now, they had to deal with Taro, so Ocelot continued to assist with the last bit of energy he had left in him. He liked Taro and wanted to see the general recover. Perhaps once they got him to the labs, things would be set straight.
The bomb sends ripples out in the air which knock both Krezentia and Kopie back against the wall; thankfully the spears are gone. Unfortunately the spears are gone and the wounds are open. Well, she's going to need some repair work by Iris after that. Guess she has a date with a blowtorch in the near future. But until then…
Blue hair, cyan and black clothes and purple eyes mark another weapon change, Krezentia charging up mana in her hand, an intense blue glow forming around her fist. She makes a dash for Taro and then shouts: "OI, TARO! Y'BETTER GET BACK TO YOUR SENSES BEFORE THIS GETS PAINFUL! KLAGE HARNISCH!"
Three twisters of water blast out of her hand to pelt the General repeatedly, hopefully into the wall too. It shouldn't hurt too much but it'll be like a really trippy rollercoaster ride.
"Ghh….!" Null's pained roar is almost more of an exclamation of joy… or perhaps rage. It's hard to tell which. The explosion engulfs him, tearing away chunks of armor and scorching his more fleshy parts, but what emerges from the blast to be hacked at by Taro is a beast of a warmachine who's wearing a sinister, satisfied smile. Only two of the general's blows connect, as Null blocks the beam saber with his own after getting struck by the first, and is knocked back by the final swipe. He drags a hand across the floor to bleed off momentum, and raises a single hand toward Taro. Waves of blonde hair float upward as that strange power once again blazes into existence from within Null, and a strange emblem lights up on his palm as the fist opens.
A magic circle enscribes itself across the ground as that palm meets the ground in a hurry, and from this circle erupt beams. A multitude of staggeringly huge beams that fly up toward the heavens, pierce the ceiling, and come back down. Right toward Taro.
What was left of Taro's armor does little to protect him from the combined onslaught of his fellow Confederates. The armored headband falls to the floor, crushed by Shu's punch. The bullets from Ocelot's pistols make short work of the torso plate, and the water jets from Krezentia wreak havoc with his partially exposed circuitry, leaving his ams twitching. His blades drop from his hands - the beam sabre deactivating before it hits the floor - leaving him all but defenseless against the dance of beams that Null sends against him.
Within an inarticulate cry of pain, the Bishop Engineer falls on his back to the stone floor, his face twisting in a grimace of pain. "And…so…it…"
Then, his expression goes blank, head lolling to one side, hair falling into his open eyes.
"Aria…forgive me…for what I have become."
Then, silence.
Then…is that a beep beep beeping sound?
Followed by a loud, terrible explosion.
The explosion throws the Gransenshi across the room, right into a wall. It hits hard, and slides down the wall slightly. For a few moments, it does not move.
Then it reaches up, and taps a small button on the side of its head. The helmet seems to bloom apart, fold back into itself, and disappear into the armor, leaving the face of Shu Shirakawa bare. His hair is matted with sweat, and there's blood trickling down from his forehead. He looks a bit tired and sore, but he's otherwise calm. "Well… it looks like we won, for the moment. Congratulations to all of you."
This is, as a note, the first time anyone's ever seen Shu Shirakawa looking anything but calm, collected, and well-groomed.
The absurdity of his opponent falling out of favor with the way of the battle so quickly actually stuns Null enough to shake him out of his sudden destructive episode. Where had THAT come from, exactly…? Iris might want to worry about that.
"Hnrrah!!" He hears the beeping, and puts up a shield on reflex, seeming to weave a transluscent shell-like barrier out of mana and hide himself behind it. It doesn't help too much, as the barrier cracks and then gives, exposing NUll to the raw ferocity of Taro's apparent self-destruct..
Yet, when the smoke clears, he's still standing. The only question is. "…General Taro?"
Krezentia's luckier in shielding herself from the blast with her arms and some magic, but she's still thrown back in her weakened state. She's got nothing to do but stand there and wait for the dust to clear, though.
Where Brigadier General Taro was…is a shallow crater, and a messy, charred mess. There's a glint of a metal casing among the wreckage, however - he's not entirely schrapnel.
It's sheer luck that Ocelot isn't struck by any projectiles after the explosion. When it's over he slumps down to the ground with his guns pressed there by his hands. He breathes deeply a few times before looking to where Taro was. "…." There's nothing he can really say now. It's over, but he didn't want to see Taro end up like this after all that.
After a few moments of radio chatter, Shu carefully, a bit unsteadily, pulls himself to his feet.
Standing there, in a human-scale armor version of the Granzon, he cuts a surprisingly regal figure. Almost knightly, in a way.
Then the helmet re-unfolds itself around his head, forming and locking into place a moment before the Gransenshi's eyes flash. Before it a wormhole, wide enough to step through. And that's exactly what Shu does; but it stays open for anyone else who needs medical attention to step through.
Null walks over to the crater, unbothered by how hot it is… a fact that might keep Shu, who's much more appropriate for dealing with Taro's 'remains,' at bay. But it doesn't bother an android like him. Null reaches down to take the box, despite how much his own wounds are sparking and leaking a few weird colored fluids, and says, "I'll drop this off outside on the way out. It would burn a human's hands."
Krezentia points Null toward the gleaming metal in the crater, sighing and hoping it's something they can make sure of. Let's pretend she did that before he posted. She'd go to it herself, but then she pretty much gets whisked into Shu's wormhole to get treatment.
Darn the fact she considers Shu as her daddy and has a hard time telling him no in good conscience.
Somewhere nearby, Caliber had actually gotten a bit more affected by that EMP blast earlier then she had realized. With the battle over, the machine is just now starting to come around, all be it a bit groggily, "Mnn… what… hit me…?" she mutters aloud before sitting up, eyes squinted. Headache, it'd look like…
