Subway - Green Line

[Yolanda Riona]

Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 18 2008,18:05
[From Ride to Capitol]

"Looks like the party has started already." Nail pointed upwards to the GUN aircraft attacking the city, in addition to the missile strikes and the explosions everywhere in general. "I suppose that means they'll be too busy to pay attention to us. Good sign..."

He pulled off the highway, and down a main surface street. "The subway station isn't too far from here... In fact I see it right over there." He pointed forwards again, this time indicating a train platform raised up above the houses...which connected to an L-train line. "I'm going to follow the tracks to where the tunnel portion starts. No sense running down the tracks on foot where we'd be totally exposed to enemy fire."
Posted by Laurelle on Jun. 19 2008,14:00
Laurelle sits quietly. Waiting. She's not entirely sure what for, only knowing that the only way she'll feel comfortable is by being in complete control, and that means finding the girl, and her needing medical attention. She breathes quietly, but deeply, attemping to banish panic and negaive emotions from her mind. The lack of explanations, and the increasing awareness of the firepower around her is doing nothing to calm her down, and she's already tired and on edge. She notices the other all lost in thought, and the quietness of the man and wife, and she knows that this is big. Bigger than the injustices her family used to squeal about back home. Bigger than anything she ever imagined. And that thought makes her think of home, and of her family. She doesn't know if anywhere else had been affected, hadn't crossed her mind, but right now her blood runs cold with the thought of this happening to her sprawling family, and the little kittens, and her mother. And her militaristic siblings, who'd be in the thick of it.
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Jun. 21 2008,17:47
Jodie peered out the side quietly, her body tense. She'd never seen a battle up close like this before. After all, Robotnik had never touched Capitol in her life time. She should have known better than to have thought the peace would last though. Jodie balled her hands and shrank away into her seat as she heard a distinct explosion. Everything was so surreal.

Her attention on the city broke away to Nail's announcement and nodded curtly.

"Yeah... I have a feeling that would be in our best interest..."
Posted by Dan Dark on Jun. 21 2008,20:19
Dan gives a small nod in response to Nail's idea, but otherwise remains quiet. He's been staring out the windows, watching the action around them, in near disbelief. He'd seen plenty of movies before, played his share of video games, but, this.. is, obviously, different. The fox seems to be aware of this, what those differences mean, but even so, he's clearly a bit nervous, and looks to be having some trouble actually accepting what's going on. This is Capitol City, after all.. aliens or no, how could this have happened.. here..?

The fox pulls his jacket a bit tighter about him, as he shifts in his seat slightly and waits for whatever is to come next.
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 21 2008,21:24
Unlike the others, Nail had been exposed to guns, violence, explosions, and death his entire life. All of what the others dwelled on simply faded into the background of his consciousness. He knew from years of experience that being preoccupied with it would simply cloud his judgment. Better to ponder it all after they got done with their mission.

"There we are...." The tracks ran off into a field, and Nail followed them. The GUN humvee easily handled the rough terrain. Up ahead he could see the start of the tunnel, built into a hillside. Unfortunately a chain link fence topped with barbed wire surrounded it. No matter though. "Hang on!"

Nail suddenly jerked the wheel, and pulled a 45 degree turn. The humvee easily crashed through the fence, before rolling to a stop on the tracks. He backed up, moving it out of the way of the tunnel's opening. "The real fun will begin here I suppose. You guys can get out. I think I'm going to hide this somewhere close by. That way we can run back here and drive out the same way we got in."

Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Jun. 27 2008,09:20
"WHOA!"

Jodie hadn't expected the sudden turn.Fortunately, her seatbelt had taken most of the impact, causing her to jerk around but otherwise remain secure. Getting past the shock of the situation, she couldn't help but admit to herself that it had been pretty cool. Just like in the movies. But they weren't in one. The only comfort she found from that fact was that perhaps that meant that the funny ones didn't die first.

She nodded as Nail explained things. While still not really thrilled to be with him and his wife, Jodie tolerated it for now. She hopped out of the jeep and waited for the others.
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 27 2008,11:22
Meanwhile, Nail started moving the jeep into a copse of trees nearby, since the others seemed to be rather slow in getting out. As Nail pulled over the car, Canma started getting out. Nail put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't."

Canma whilred around, surprised. "But I thought--"

"Canma...I've been thinking some too. What about Cebran and Ellia? If both of us die, they'll be orphans. I know what it's like growing up without parents, and it's not something that's good for kids. You should wait here with the car, okay? Besides, if I die, it'll have less of an impact on them, since you've raised them for the most part."

Canma went quiet. She'd really been wanting to strike down this new threat, considering she had a personal stake with how they'd destroyed her home...not to mention totally overturning her view on the morality of furries. But Nail had a point. She recalled Nail sharing stories about growing up without his parents...it wasn't a pleasant way to live.

"Okay...I'll stay."

"Good... Wait for us until dawn tomorrow. We should have Ayecaye by then..."

Canma hesitantly nodded, but she obviously didn't like the idea of Nail heading into the city without her. For the very first time, they'd truly fallen in love...and she didn't want to lose him after just one day of that...

Nail chuckled. "Don't give me that. You know I'll be fine."

"I suppose you're right." The two looked at each other a bit longer...before sharing a quick embrace and a kiss. "Good luck, Nail."

Nail smiled. "Thanks."

And with that, he hopped out, and ran back over to the tunnel entrance to join Jodie. "Me and my wife had a talk. She won't be coming. She'll wait with the car while we go in. In any case, I wondering what's taking so long for those other two to get over here..."
Posted by Dan Dark on Jun. 30 2008,02:01
[Ugh... Sorry for the delay. Though, Nail.. did you get just a bit impatient? I thought I was after Yoli in the posting order, wasn't I..? And when we'd talked.. whenever that was, if you'd meant I should post, well.. I hadn't picked up on that, I guess. But, ah well. Guess we'll make it work..]

Despite how many video games he had played, his love of rollercoasters, and some of the stunts he used to attempt with his motorcycle, the sudden turn caught Dan by surprise, and, though he had a seat belt on, of course, he's thrown off balance somewhat, and as such takes a moment to react once the jeep comes to a stop. A moment too long, apparently, as Nail starts the jeep moving again after Jodie gets out. He waits for them to stop moving again, before getting out and making his way over to join her, waiting at the tunnel entrance. He catches a bit of conversation between Nail and Canma as he goes, but gets the impression it's private, and so keeps going, not wanting to intrude.

The fox nods slightly in response to Nail's brief explanation, then turns to looking down the tunnel, quietly examining it, wondering what they might run in to.

[Eh.. not the greatest, I know, and kinda deliberately contradicting a bit of the last post, but.. meh. Should be good enough, right..?]
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 30 2008,06:02
[You're right. I thought it was you that posted first, and then Jodie. My mistake. Anyway...here's what we'll do. I'll let Laurelle go before me this time. Then the official posting order will be Laurelle - Nail - Jodie - Dan.]
Posted by Laurelle on Jul. 02 2008,12:12
*Sorry, moved house, was between internet for a while.*

Laurelle disembarks quietly, rubbing her collarbones slightly from the force of the impact and heads off. She observes the exchange, noting the aquiescence from Camna, but waits patiently until Nail rejoins the group, without commenting.

"Right then, let's go. Nail, will you lead us to her school first? Or is there somewhere else she might have gone, a safe place perhaps, her favourite spot?"

She feels the weight of the bag in her hand, shifting her grip on it. Right now, this bag is the only thing which makes her brave. The only thing which compells her to keep going, although instinctively she can see her brothers and sisters tugging at the leash ready to explore and get right into the thick of it.
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Jul. 02 2008,13:52
[Nail, you might as well post before me. I don't really have much to add anyway. ;D]
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jul. 02 2008,14:31
Nail turned to face Laurelle. "I'm going to the school first. Likeliest place Ayecaye would be if she hasn't been captured, and if she's there we can just leave. No need to search any more. If she isn't there...well...we could try our apartment building, but...hate to say it, our chances of finding her somewhere else are slim otherwise..."

He turned to face the tunnel. Fortunately, it wasn't pitch black inside. A long string of orange lights ran down both sides of the tunnel. Nail recalled watching them speed by whenever he rode the trains. Good thing they were still on. They wouldn't have to go walking around in total darkness down here. Nail had excellent night vision because of his dad, but he couldn't see if there was no light at all.

"Anyway, we can cross that bridge when we get to it. Let's not worry about it until we know she isn't there. It'll just cloud our thoughts otherwise. Let's get moving."

And with that, he took his first steps into the tunnel. While he could see where his feet were quite well, the low light might be trouble for the others. Nail suspected they might trip if they missed their steps. Regardless though...

"Let's get through this fast. We don't know if those lights are going to stay on much longer, and I don't want to be stuck underground in pitch black."

While he was glad they wanted to help, they mildly frustrated Nail. He didn't think inexperienced civilians would help much, and they would probably slow him down. On top of that, one person would have a considerably easier time infiltrating an enemy-controlled area, versus a small group.

But he tried to keep his eyes scanning the tunnel ahead for enemies anyway. For his rifle to be as effective as he said it would, he'd need to make sure the enemy never got close enough to attack.

Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Jul. 07 2008,17:43
QUOTE
"I'm going to the school first. Likeliest place Ayecaye would be if she hasn't been captured, and if she's there we can just leave. No need to search any more. If she isn't there...well...we could try our apartment building, but...hate to say it, our chances of finding her somewhere else are slim otherwise..."


Jodie collected her wits quickly and passed by Nail, hesitation no longer evident in her steps.

"Don't you mean 'we're'?"

She kept her voice down, since they were entering enemy territory now, but the curt sting in her tone didn't cease. Her footfalls were quiet, her pace a fast walk. Jodie might not have ever been in a real life and death situation, but common sense told her that running the entire way would prove fruitless. Not only would she attract unwanted attention but she'd expend much needed energy that would be necessary for the escape.

Posted by Dan Dark on Jul. 08 2008,16:30
"Hey, easy.. both of you. We're on the same side here, remember?" He keeps his voice down as he speaks, and tries to keep as neutral a tone as possible. He didn't think Nail's comment had been intended as any sort of insult; he got the impression Nail was probably more used to working alone, rather than with a group, and might not have thought about it. Either way, Jodie's reaction struck him as a bit unnecessary. Although.. he did have to admit, he was getting something of an impression that Nail was probably underestimating them. Granted, yes, of their group, Nail is the only one they know to have had actual experience in situations at all like this... but even so.

With that thought, he draws his revolver, with a deliberate flourish, spinning it once about his finger as he raises it to eye level and breaks it open to check that it is still fully loaded, while seemingly completely ignoring the tracks - he'd occasionally been known to trip over his own feet (or shoes, rather, due to them having been sized oddly once), but he usually had little trouble with terrain. He slips the revolver back into it's holster for the moment, then reaches into one of his pockets and, perhaps strangely, pulls out a cell phone. Unsurprisingly, it already has no signal, even though they aren't even that far into the tunnel yet, but, of more concern to Dan, the battery still is reading a full charge. Good. Because, though it's certainly a bit of an unusual solution.. should the tunnel lighting go out, the cell phone's backlight is, believe it or not, enough to provide some small level of illumination. It'd be nowhere near as good as even the most basic flashlight, admittedly, but nonetheless, it's something to work with, should the need arise.

Dan flips the cellphone shut and goes to pocket it, before a thought crosses his mind - he flips it open again, and quickly switches it to silent mode. It might not have any reception here, but it probably would when they got into the city. And they wouldn't exactly want it to randomly start ringing while they might be trying to hide. Probably wouldn't happen, of course, with how rarely people ever actually called him, but he figures it'd be better not to take that risk.
Posted by Jav on Jul. 08 2008,20:28
[From streets of capitol]

Now Jav had been known to do some crazy things during his eight years on the run. But running the streets of an alien infested city was never on the former outlaw's list of things to do before he died.
But here he was running as quickly and as quietly as he could praying desperately his presence went unnoticed.

"stupid stupid stupid" he scolded himself over and over for ever coming back here. Jav raced down the street zig zagging through the various vehicles that littered the road as cover from attack from the sides and behind while keeping his head down and his gun raised to defend from attack ahead of him.

He ran onto the sidewalk and jumped over the hood of a car as he came to an impassible pile of smoldering vehicles. "sheesh somebody really did a number on this place eh?" He said to himself taking to an alleyway to rest behind a dumpster for a moment. He never let his guard down as he sat,crouched, behind the steel container. "There has got to be a station around here somewhere" he said between breathes.

It had been nearly 15 minutes since he left the store to seek out a station so he could pass unnoticed though the city to his car and ultimately out of this place and he hadn't run across a station yet. Not so much as even a sign pointing him in the direction of a station. Jav was beginning to become frustrated by his current situation.

Jav stood up and began jogging cautiously down the alleyway, hanging close to the wall, to the next road. He took up position at the mouth of the alley and peered around the corner to see exactly what he had been looking for. A stairway that lead down from the sidewalk into the subway station below. Oddly enough a work van had somehow managed to find it's way into the entrance blocking it off mostly.

Jav slowly approached the entrance while cautiously watching the buildings around him. A smile spread across his face when he found there to be just enough room for one person to squeeze by into the station below. "Yes" he chimed maybe a little louder than he had meant to while squeezing between the van and the concrete wall. After passing through the hole he raced down the steps and into the station.

Jav kept his gun raised spinning around to take in everything as he made his way to the edge of the platform. Jav jumped from the platform and landed silently on the tracks below. He checked his six before turning and disappearing into the dark tunnel.

Posted by Laurelle on Jul. 09 2008,01:37
Laurelle sighed gently at all the different antagonistic views, and concentrated on picking her way without stumbling across the tracks. For better or worse they were all here now, and barring being sent to wait behind, there wasn't a great deal anyone could do about that.

She just hoped that when it came to it, she wouldn't be found lacking. Granted she didn't have a gun, but she knew her way around a huge variety of bodies, and that knowledge didn't only extend to making them function better.
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jul. 09 2008,08:30
Nail sighed when Jodie pushed her way out in front. "Hey...do you want me to accidentally shoot you in the back when the shooting starts?"

On second thought, maybe that would be an improvement, he thought, with a dark twist of humor.

"I mean, you don't even have a gun. But if you really wanna be in front, okay. But I won't take responsibility for anything that happens to you..."

He continued to scan the tunnel ahead. Strange...he figured the enemy would have something protecting such an obvious weak point in their defenses. So far this had been way too easy, with no opposition. It unsettled him. Were they walking into a trap?

True, perhaps the recent attack had forced the troops to go protect more important targets, but he think there'd be at least some evidence of a defense set up. Maybe a sandbagged wall blocking the tunnel, with machine guns mounted on top.

But they'd seen nothing so far...

Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Jul. 09 2008,11:24
Jodie didn't flinch.

"Dan, can it. 'Nail', I don't need one."

Once dead air around them gave way to a sudden soft breeze before falling again to a stalemate. She muttered something incoherent to herself and kept her eyes peeled. In the back of her mind, she wondered if the enemy had gotten too cocky and that's why they hadn't run into any enemies yet. Or maybe most of them had been forced elsewhere. She knew Sonic had a knack for poking his nose into the heart of things and when that happened, Sarath's forces were sure to suffer in the aftermath.
Posted by Dan Dark on Jul. 09 2008,14:09
Dan just sighs quietly and shakes his head, the movement likely only noticeable to Laurelle, as he drops back slightly to following behind the other two. He doesn't bother trying to say anything else for now; seeing as how his last effort only seemed to make things worse. And so, he resigns himself for the moment to just following along in silence, and trying to stay alert to attempt to spot or hear any potential issues further down the tunnel.
Posted by Jav on Jul. 09 2008,14:43
Jav's lungs burned as he jogged through the darkness of the tunnel. He wouldn't stop though, he could feel the cool air of freedom ahead. He turned several times following the cool breeze. A smile spread across his face as the breeze got stronger and stronger. "This must lead to the outskirts of the city!" Jav said while a huge grin spread across his face. "yea..that's right...I made it heh heh heh" Jav cheered silently between breathes. Jav, despite his excitement, kept his rifle at the ready should anything be ahead of him.

Posted by Laurelle on Jul. 10 2008,04:46
Laurelle notes Dan's shake of the head, and their eyes meet, exchanging a 'what can you do' glance. She then continues to walk, keeping level with Dan, attemping to show solidarity within at least some of the group.

The tracks stretch out ahead of her, branching and turning, she's totally disoriented, never having been here before. She thinks to herself that the group had better stick together or they're all in a lot more danger than they are now.
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jul. 10 2008,08:48
[You know, if Links doesn't send anything after us after this round, maybe we should just fast forward to when we meet Jav.]

Nail resisted bursting out into laughter, about Jodie not needing a gun. Instead he let a small grin flash across his face and slightly shook his head. What was she planning to do? Punch the bullets that came flying at her? No skin off his bones though if she got hurt.

In any case, he decided to move to another topic. "I don't know how familiar you all are with Capitol's subway system, but this is the Green Line. We'll have to change tracks when we get to Gloria Street station, and get on the Red Line, and then we follow that to the Stagla Street stop, where the school is."
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Jul. 11 2008,23:37
Jodie could feel Nail's eyes boring into her back, but for the moment, her argument with him ceased. Words would do no good if she couldn't back it up with action, but she wasn't stupid enough to waste her energy demonstrating what she could do when the vixen knew she'd need it later. Silently, she hoped it would come at a time when he'd gotten himself cornered. Then, who'd be the joke? Certainly not her.


The group had been walking for a while now. Jodie remained silent for the most part, giving one word responses only when she had to. She felt bad for how she'd treated Dan. He'd only wanted to help ease the tension between everyone, after all. Jodie quietly noted to herself that she would talk with him later perhaps to make up for her sour attitude.

As she thought it over in her head, the sudden tension between the group broke at the sound of distance footfalls up ahead of them. She could tell they were still a good distance away from the group. Her ears weren't just for looks, after all. Still, it made her want to duck for cover. Only problem was there was no cover to be found. She felt almost like she was stranded in a clearing. Jodie took out her fans, feeling a bit ridiculous as she did. Even if they were both like sets of metal teeth, from first glance, she probably looked absolutely goofy.

Posted by Sarath Crescent on Jul. 13 2008,08:45
[Its usually a good idea to poke me on MSN from time to time. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the current 3 or 4 topics involving Sarath without more being created that I don't realise.]

Just then a soft pattering filled the still air of the subway tunnel. The pattering got louder steadily but nothing could be seen in the gloomy light of the tunnel. Suddenly a female rabbit came running out of the gloom ahead of them, she was almost on top of them as she appeared.

"For the love of god GET DOWN!" she screamed, aiming a flying jump at Jodie at the head of the group aiming to knock her clean to the floor.

For behind the rabbit, four red dots could be seen growing steadily brighter. The air was suddenly full of red lasers as the dots revealed their true form, security bots used by the Crescent Imperium.
Posted by Dan Dark on Jul. 14 2008,15:08
Dan nods quietly in response to Laurelle's glance, glad to see that she understands there are more important matters to deal with for now than something such as the petty quarrel the other two of their party seemed to have gotten into. He continues along with the rest of the group in almost silence, until Jodie stops suddenly. The fox tilts his head to the side slightly, confused, until a moment later he hears it as well - footsteps, headed their way. He draws his revolver cautiously, then frowns as he glances around at the tunnel - there's nothing that could serve as cover. For lack of other options, the fox takes a quick step towards the nearest wall, and...

Before he has a chance to do anything else, a shape appears running towards them, and with a shout, flies at Jodie.

'"Get down?" Why..-- OH..!!'

The fox drops hastily to the ground in a rough crouch, raising his revolver to aim at whichever of the red dots seems closest, and hurriedly fires off two rounds towards the light.

[Okay.. quick comment here. I actually have basically no experience with roleplaying combat situations.. so.. not complaining or anything; have to start somewhere. And I'll do the best I can, of course. But, just saying - if I should happen to overstep my character's limits, or if anyone has any suggestions on how to improve posting for situations like this, etcetera.. please, feel free to let me know, and I'll do what I can to correct things. Thanks. ^^U]
Posted by Jav on Jul. 14 2008,18:34
Jav instinctively threw himself to the floor as the gunshots rung through the tunnels. A battle was raging close by. Up ahead Jav could just barely make out flashes around the corner up ahead . Jav hopped up into a crouch before waddling his way over to the wall. Jav was suddenly faced with a delima. Should he charge in and risk own skin for someone he didn't know or walk away to safety but possibly sentence who that was to death.

A battle now raged inside Jav's mind as feirce as the one taking place ahead of him. Fight or fly? His eyes were glazed over in thought as he made his choice. After a few moments his eyes reanimated and fixed themselves ahead with a determined look about them; Jav had chosen. The former outlaw raised himself to his full hieght, let out a anxiety oozing sigh, raised his rifle, and sprinted ahead towards the battle.

It only took him a moment to round the big, lazy, corner to reach the fight. What he saw shocked him. A small group of furs were fighting alien drones appearantly. 'They haven't noticed you yet James..you could still walk away' a voice in the back of his mind said. Jav stopped and placed his right shoulder to the tunnel wall. He swallowed hard as he took aim at the drones and began squeezing off rounds.
Posted by Laurelle on Jul. 15 2008,01:50
Laurelle wastes no time in doing exactly as the rabbit says, she falls to her face, in medic approved gentle impact style, and she stays there. She wraps into a ball, and cushions herself with her long, thick tail. A few glances upwards tell her all she needs to know. Her knives would be useless, and as such she's out of it. All she can do is pray that if anyone gets hurt she can sort them out, and that her new friends can deal with the situation.

Suddenly the picture in her head goes out of sync with what she hears, new staccato blasts seem to have arisen from nowhere. She peeks up, seeing a human male joining in the battle from another entrance. That's odd... Laurelle thinks, but now really isn't the time for introductions, and she continues to pray for the safety of all concerned, and hope that this guy is on their side.
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jul. 15 2008,07:25
Unlike the others, Nail didn't get down or immediately start shooting. He ran backwards.

When faced by a multitude of enemies at a distance, he had a strategy. Just hide in a way that only one of them can see you at a time. Then pick off that enemy, show yourself to another, and repeat. This way, you never had to face the full force of the enemy's firepower. In this case, the tunnel curved slightly, which would make that strategy quite easy to use.

He jogged backwards down the track, until one and only one bot was visible around the curve. Then, he snapped up his sniper rifle, aimed directly at the red dot, and fired.

KA-BLAAAAAAM!

It would sound like a cannon shot amplified by the tunnel to the others, which was fitting, considering the Arctic Warfare Police sniper rifle needed that sort of power to shoot at its huge range.

Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Jul. 16 2008,12:09
Jodie could only yelp in surprise as the rabbit barreled into her. After a fit of cusses under her breath, she froze as the lasers shot clearly over where she had been only seconds before. Albeit still annoyed, the vixen turned her attention to the tunnel's end as she rolled the rabbit off her. Not three hundred feet away, she could make out the titanic shapes of robots.

As she tried to stand, Jodie backpedaled and fell to the ground yet again. She quickly observed the ground and noticed that her jacket had snagged with the woodwork of the tracks and hastily freed it. Around that time, Dan had started shooting, causing her to duck down again. This was followed by an explosive sound from behind. She looked back to just barely see the barrel of Nail's rifle smoking. Jodie glanced back at the rabbit.

"Stay down!"

Gathering what nerves she had, Jodie hopped to her feet, quickly taking to hugging the curve and staying low. In the distance, she saw another join the assault against the metal monstrosities up ahead and could of sworn she'd seen the human's face before. Jodie quickly picked up speed, trying to cover the distance between her and the machines as quickly as possible.

Posted by Sarath Crescent on Jul. 16 2008,15:05
There was four of them, bots similar to those that had been showing up all over Capitol. Dart shaped with small flight wings and armed with a triple laser cannon at their front. Unlike in previous encounters, this group was not limited by a confined sewer pipe, or taken by surprise...they were ready.

Thermal tracking allowed them to pin point everyone in the group with ease and as such they were not slow to react to the incoming shots.

Nails single shot, whilst being well aimed, merely glanced one of the bots, knocking it off course slightly as it dodged to the side. The shot it had fired narrowly skimmed Jodie's head as she advanced.

Meanwhile a second bot had now decided to tackle Dan itself. Rolling like a jet fighter it slid around his shots and fired back at him.

The remaining two spun in different directions. One turned to face Jav, the bot picking him up on thermal sensors as he approached from behind. It shot upwards, evading the shots he had fired and promptly fired back, acting very much like a rear guard.

The last bot shot forwards, heading straight for Nail. It flew over Laurelle and Dan and headed straight for the fox aiming to cut the effectiveness of his weapon by engaging at close range. It fired as well, adding its shots to those already fired by its counterparts. The tunnel echoed with the sounds of laser fire.

Posted by Dan Dark on Jul. 16 2008,15:34
"How the.. ...!!!"

The fox lets out a small yelp as he forces himself up from his crouch, jumping backwards, only just barely avoiding the shots aimed at him. 'This is bad..' He was reasonably agile, sure, but he'd never been exactly acrobatic - he got lucky this time. And if this next move doesn't work.. he might be in a lot of trouble....

Dan forces himself to take a breath, and tries to think, quickly. He saw how quickly it was able to respond, and how it did.. but it's still a machine, it should be at least somewhat predictable. And he knew how to lead his shots, accurately; he'd had enough practice. Those targets never moved quite like this, and certainly didn't shoot back, but even so...

He takes a quick step to the side, and back, into the center of the tunnel, so as not to get trapped up against the wall, and as he does, fires a shot off at the bot approaching him.. deliberately slightly off-center of the glowing red target of it's sensor. There's the briefest of pauses, followed up by two shots so quick they sound to be almost simultaneous, aimed, hopefully, at where the bot will have moved to in response to the first.
Posted by Jav on Jul. 17 2008,14:13
Jav ducked to the side as the bolts flew past. One grazed his wound causing it to begin bleeding again. The burning pain returned stronger than ever as he felt the warm, thick, liquid flow down the side of his face. But this was no time to nurse his wounds the bot had dodged his bullets which means it's hardware must have been incredibly advanced to say the least. This could get ugly.

Gritting his teeth, Jav bolted fowards as an idea came to him. He began zig zagging towards the bot trying his best not to form a pattern. He'd close the distance which would thus cut the reaction time the bot had. He raised his rifle to aim as he bonced back and forth and began squeezing off rounds as he approached. The bolts narrowly missed him again and again as he jumped around.
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jul. 20 2008,12:19
[Abscence rule. Skipping over Laurelle]

Big mistake. When you take to the air, you give me a clear shot. When you fly straight towards me, that makes you an easy target.

So rather than flipping out, Nail calmly jerked his rifle upwards as the bot took to the air. Now, he could see it's shape. Since his first bullet towards the body had little effect, he decided to go for a crippling shot. Nail took careful aim, and targeted a wing, leading the crosshairs to account for the movement of the bot. With such a tremendous forward momentum, it would be difficult to make last second adjustments to avoid the shot.

KA-BLAAAAAAAAM

Nail promptly jumped to the side of the tunnel, where he hoped the curvature would block a majority of the incoming laser shots.

One laser shot from the bot seared his side, but the hefty kevlar vest he always wore absorbed a large part of the damage. With how he still felt a burning sensation, he was very thankful for the protection. It could be a lot worse if it hit an unprotected area.

Posted by Laurelle on Jul. 21 2008,02:52
Staying down, staying quiet.

But Laurelle does notice that the mystery guy is bleeding, and it looks like he'd need some help. If he just came closer...

And she might have seen him before? Maybe.
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Jul. 21 2008,13:48
Jodie ducked as a shot whizzed overhead, singing her hair. Although fear gripped her, she continued to gain ground on her target until it was finally within range. The vixen hopped to the side to try and avoid the brunt of the laser fire before pulling off a stunt of her own. Although not even close to matching the speed of True Blue, Jodie assumed she could propel herself faster than the metal monstrosity before her.

[Valore's Gale]

Her fans sliced through the air with little resistance as she came down on the flying mechanism. Whatever damage she would manage or fail at doing, a gale picked up soon afterwards, howling in the direction of which she'd performed her attack.

Posted by Sarath Crescent on Jul. 27 2008,10:23
A.I. Machines that could thing. While they might have intelligence it was artificial and as such a little predictable. Dan was quick to understand this and his strategy for the most part worked nicely. Whilst his weapon didn't have the raw power to stop one of the bots completely, it certainly left its mark. The bot moved to the side, the first shot missing as the bot fired back. This had the effect of unwittingly vapourising the first of the next two shots fired and then continuing on towards Dan. The second shot hit the mark though, smashing into the bots centre eye. A jolt of electricity ran over its hull and the bot dropped a few feet before recovering. It tried to fire again but the shot had overloaded its firing grid...thus it went for a different strategy. Rushing forwards it headed straight for Dan, aiming to smash into him.

Jav's random fire was certainly keeping the bot occupied. So much so in fact that it couldn't get off a clear shot and resorted to firing randomly. Still it couldn't keep dodging forever, and whilst normal bullets wouldn't exactly bring it down they did leave a mark. During one of Jav's sprays the bots right wing was caught, sending it tumbling to the side and bashing into the wall. It was still working...but it would take a moment for the bot to readjust itself.

With the rate of closing, the dim light of the tunnel and the time taken to aim and follow his target...by the time Nail fired the bot was already so close his shot would have been more effective if he'd thrown it. Flying past him it turned on the spot and began to lay down a spray pattern of laser fire across the entire tunnel floor.

The bot Jodie had attached had been stationary at the time, firing down the tunnel at Nail. When Jodie's attack hit it did little more than scratch the paintwork a little...but the ensuing gale wind sent the bot flying backwards down the tunnel, crashing into the wall a few meters away. Giving a short electrical fizzle it began to right itself after falling to the floor.

Posted by Dan Dark on Jul. 30 2008,15:06
[Hey, sorry for the delays in replying, guys. I just haven't been motivated much, lately.. and not just in regards to posting here. But, ah well. I can whine and such elsewhere, if I wish. For now, though, a post. ....oh, Yoli.. Shush. XP Seems I was already working on this when you posted that. XD;; (Yes, I take a while to write sometimes... so sue me. XPP;;;; )]

Dan allows himself a small smirk as the bot shifts sideways, as he'd hoped it would, though it quickly vanishes as the bot fires back. Somehow, the blast misses hitting the revolver, just barely passing above the barrel, then his arm.. and almost clearing his left shoulder. Almost. The bolt had been on an odd angle, somehow... or maybe it'd been trying to aim for his head, and missed.. either way, the shot grazes the fox's shoulder. It isn't actually too bad a wound; shallow, and not bleeding much, due to the heat of the laser instantly cauterizing the wound - later on, he'll likely be more upset about the damage to his beloved leather jacket than anything else; but even so, it's still more than enough to get a small, startled yelp out of the fox.

No time to worry about it now, though. As the bot drops and accelerates towards him, Dan drops his right hand away from the revolver, and pulls it in close to him with his left - though he can't aim nearly as well this way, it allows a little more maneuverability at this range. And besides, at this range, who needs to aim? The fox winces slightly as he does this, though. He's quite used to the weight of the gun, but moving his arm as he did, he definitely felt his shoulder didn't quite agree with it with that burn. Nonetheless, he hesitates a brief moment, waiting, then steps as far as he can to the right, turning as he does, and attempts to got another shot in as he does. That is, if he had timed his move right, if he estimated the bot's speed close enough..
Posted by Jav on Aug. 01 2008,00:33
Through the blood running into his eyes he could see he had hit the drone and damaged it severely. "YAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Jav cried out as he continued charging the bot sending round after round it's direction aiming for anything that looked important.

Posted by Laurelle on Aug. 03 2008,02:19
She's looking up, not confident enough to move, but pretty sure that staying down is a good thing. She clocks two injuries already, but the bots appear to be running into more than they bargained for.

She starts to focus on being calm and sending beams of healing, pain relieving energy towards the human and Dan, but seeing as how she would normally be closer to, and touching, the target who knows if it will work. Also, being calm right now is pretty tough.

*Am I after Jav now? Last time I was and got skipped, but I don't know if it's him or Jodie*
Posted by Nail Strafer on Aug. 05 2008,14:47
I could see that bright red light perfectly, even if it was dark...I thought for sure I could get it because of that. It was like a beacon. Anyway, time to change weapons.

As the bot flew by, Nail let his rifle fall to the ground, out of his left hand. He would have strapped it across his back properly, but he suspected he'd be full of holes in the back by the time he did that.

Instead, he spun around 180, simultaneously pulling his silver handgun out of its holster with his right hand. But before he could get a shot off, the bot was already firing laser blasts across the floor. He'd have no time to return fire without getting hit, so he hopped backwards to avoid the laser blasts.

Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Aug. 05 2008,16:24
Jodie's feet had hit the ground just as the glider nailed the wall. She hadn't really been paying attention before in her haste, but realizing just how little damage she had done physically, the vixen would have to come up with a more clever strategy than just swatting at the thing. Using magic consumed more energy than she would have liked, and she needed it for later.

That's when she noticed the eye.

While the craft righted itself, Jodie made almost a beeline for it, bearing in mind that she had no idea whether or not the lasers were still activated... and for that matter, she didn't want to figure out the hard way. As she closed the distance, she leaped up again into the air, aiming to puncture its red iris.
Posted by Sarath Crescent on Aug. 10 2008,12:13
[Watch it Jav, you assumed a little too much damage there, but never mind.]

Dan got lucky, the bot didn't have much luck at moving when heading forward and as such went straight past him as he side stepped. The shot hit the main body, not passing through it completely but enough to cause the bot to drop. It hit the floor with a crunch, rolled over and fell silent. A moment later the lights went out, one down.

Jav's shots ended in a similar result to how Dan had dealt with his own bot. The shots hit the main hull, penetrating slightly and causing the bot to smash into the wall again. It then dropped to the floor, rolled over, hit the live rail in the middle of the tunnel and shorted out. The resulting jolt caused it to overload and explode, throwing a cloud of dust and random metal bits into the tunnel.

The bot assaulting Nail was scanning the whole tunnel as it acted. Programmed with an inbuilt survival protocol, the bot flicked its tactics quicker than one could blink. Having seen two of its comrade bots blown apart, or at least put out of action, already it decided a hasty retreat was in order. Laying down a final volley of laser fire, it used the explosion of its comrade to turn tail and veer off down the tunnel.

Before the final bot could right itself Jodie had already landed on it. With a crunch her strike punctured the central red eye of the bot. The bot sparked and then proceeded to let off a very sharp electric surge as the unexpected hit overloaded its power matrix. After the momentary lightning fireworks the bot fell silent on the floor.

All was now quiet in the tunnel, it seemed the rabbit from earlier had fled as well.
Posted by Dan Dark on Aug. 11 2008,18:46
[Akeso: Just one possible problem I noticed with your post.. are you saying you came in from outside the tunnel, and passed the truck this group used to get here? If so... it wasn't abandoned. Or, shouldn't have been, anyway. Canma, Nail's wife, was supposed to be staying with it. So.... *shrugs* Just thought I'd point that out.]

Relieved he was able to dodge the incoming bot, and, more importantly, to see it hit the ground and seem to shut down, the fox quietly sighs, and remembers how to breathe - he didn't think he had, but it feels like he'd been holding his breath. He stands there for a few moments, trying to calm down some back to normal after the adrenaline rush that came with all that action, then looks around to see how the others are doing... as a bot flies down the tunnel and straight past him, from the direction Nail had gone.

'Hmm.. guess he scared it off..?'

The fox shrugs slightly. Either way, it seems like the battle's over, and, as best he can tell, everyone seems to be alright. He breaks his revolver open quickly at this moment, and allows himself a small grin before he starts reloading it - he'd still had one shot left in it. As he does, he continues to look around, and asks "Alright.. so.. Is everyone okay?"

There's a slight pause as he looks down at his shoulder, now realizing why it became so sore all of a sudden, but it doesn't actually seem too bad; he can worry about it later, after checking that everyone else is alright.
Posted by Jav on Aug. 14 2008,23:35
Jav, seeing the bot disabled, crashed to his knees panting and dripping with sweat. "woooo...what a rumble" he said gently laughing as he began recovering from the physical exertion seconds before. Jav whiped the sweat and blood from his face with his right shoulder smearing the red paste into his shirt but removing it from his eyes. It was strange..it had stopped bleeding half way through the battle but it still throbbed like he didnt know what.

Jav slowly caught his breath and, after a few moments, he was able to regain his ability to stand. He slipped his rifle's shoulder strap over his head to allow it to hang before jumping down to the tracks from the access walkway and snatching up his hat and covered his eye catching cardinal red hair before turning to the others. "hey...hows it hangin?" he asked with a cocky smile, almost as if nothing had just happened.

Posted by Nail Strafer on Aug. 18 2008,10:49
[Absence rule: skipping over Laurelle]

Nail checked his one injury...that burn mark from the laser. It still stung but he would live. The bulletproof vest stopped most of the damage. "Fine," he said in reply to Dan's question, sounding somewhat irritated. He found it very shameful, that he, supposedly the most experienced fighter here, hadn't managed to bring down one of those bots. In any case, he decided not to dwell on it, and collected his rifle from where he'd let it drop on the ground. The fox jogged past his comrades, on down the tunnel, not paying them much attention.

"Let's get moving," he simply said to them. They needed to get going if they were going to find Ayecaye, and besides, hurrying along wouldn't give the others time to make any snide remarks about his combat performance.

Nail didn't pay much attention to Jav either, because he obviously wasn't one of the invaders. In response to his question, the fox simply went, "Quite lovely," before jogging right by him.
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Aug. 18 2008,15:43
Jodie breathed a heavy sigh of relief. However wild she was, the short-lived fight had given her a crisp taste of reality. If things had carried on, she wondered if she or the others would have been able to keep up.

But what matters right now is everyone got through in one piece, right?


"Alright.. so.. Is everyone okay?"

"hey...hows it hangin?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's keep going."

She carefully slid her fans back into her pockets as she rejoined the others before starting down the tunnel again at a quick pace to not end up too far behind Nail. From his power walking, Jodie got the impression he wasn't all too pleased with his performance against whatever had attacked them just moments before. Whatever smugness she felt was worn away by the raw truth of things. They were still probably several blocks away from the heart of trouble. Things would only get rougher from there on out.

She suddenly paused in stride as she was passing Jav.

"Thanks for your help," she praised, looking his way, "but it would probably be in.. your... Wait a solid second. I know you! You're that guy from the warehouse! You were with Rios, right? What are you doing here?"

Jodie continued walking, assuming Jav was going to follow them. For how little of a time she had known him herself, Jodie trusted Rios. Despite the over-exaggerated tale he had told Dromar, there was some truth to his words. Add into the equation Jav's most recent example of skill and Jodie wasn't exactly disappointed to see his face again.
Posted by Laurelle on Aug. 20 2008,03:25
Laurelle stands up, and starts to visually check out each person in turn, friend or unknown.

"Guys, anyone want some help with an injury? I know you're all eager to get going, but if you strain the muscles and skin anymore, or something like this happens again, they'll get much worse. Not to mention the chance of infection."

*Sorry, stupid internets. They're back now. Just when I could help!!*
Posted by Nail Strafer on Aug. 24 2008,16:32
[Tell you what guys. Since this topic is moving through molasses and there's nothing left here for my character to accomplish, I'm going to just go send Nail ahead. If you want to post right now, follow after him to the next topic.]

Nail wasn't listening to Laurelle. Time was of the essence to him. He kept jogging down the tunnel, going quickly but not so quickly as to run right into trouble. It took less time than he thought it would to reach the correct station. He found it odd...and unnerving...they hadn't met any other resistance since that first set of bots. It was like they'd all just pulled back and left. But he felt thankful all the same. He very much doubted the enemy was going to set up an ambush just for a group out to save his sister.

...unless...just like in some movies, she had been hiding some kind of crystal or some crap from everyone she knew her entire life, and now the aliens wanted it for its power or something like that. Heh, yeah right...

[To Capitol City High School]

Posted by Dan Dark on Aug. 24 2008,21:16
[Again, sorry for the delay.]

Dan lets out a small sigh and nods as Jodie and Nail both say they should keep moving. He doesn't even bother holstering his revolver for now, instead just holding it loosely at his side; who knows when he might need it again. He hangs back for the moment as Nail continues off down the tunnel, though, not wanting to just ignore Laurelle like he seemed to, or their new.. familiar looking.. friend?

The fox tilts his head to the side slightly as he looks at the human, trying to place where he knows him from, until Jodie says it first - Dan just grins slightly.

"Heh. Funny running into you again... small world, eh?"

Dan continues walking after them, then, and temporarily switches his revolver to his right hand, so he can slip the left sleeve of his jacket off to get a better look at his shoulder.

Looking back to Laurelle then.. "Eh, I don't know... It doesn't seem too bad, actually.. I think I should be able to deal with it for now.. Thank you, though."

The fox gives a small shrug as he pulls his jacket back on, switches his revolver back to his left, and continues on after the others.
Posted by Jav on Aug. 28 2008,01:18
James watched as Nail stormed by him not responding to James' greeting. "sheesh a guy tries to be friendly" James said sarcastically. As James turned back to look he heard a couple voices greeting him at once..voices the former outlaw recognized some what.

"....Wait a solid second. I know you! You're that guy from the warehouse! You were with Rios, right? What are you doing here?"

"Rios?...ooohhhh,you mean lil man?...yea I was with him. As for why I'm here....that is a good question I'll be sure to let you know when I find out" James said with a cocky smile.

"Heh. Funny running into you again... small world, eh?"

"chya, tell me about it bud I ran into one of my old racing buddies from way back when a little while ago..funny thing is I thought he died years ago but I guess life is crazy like that" James laughed before turning his head in the direction of a new voice

"Guys, anyone want some help with an injury? I know you're all eager to get going, but if you strain the muscles and skin anymore, or something like this happens again, they'll get much worse. Not to mention the chance of infection."

James smiled "well...I think I'm alright. Just a bump on my braincase. I dont think it's life threatening but it sure does like to bleed into my eyes when I'm doing something important." James joked gestering the gash the tree had given him earlier on the side of his head just under his hairline.

"By the way I didn't catch your names last time we crossed paths. My birth certificate says that my name is supposedly James Lancaster so I guess that's mine heh heh" James chuckled as he turned to follow Jodie.

Posted by Laurelle on Aug. 29 2008,23:28
*So, I guess that because Jodie is busy, that makes it me? Also, did we just lose Nail or what? I was confused about his post... Ah well. I'll change this when I get back from work.*
Posted by Jocelyne Takira on Aug. 30 2008,16:30
[Oh, sorry, guys. I didn't realize it was my turn.]

Under normal circumstances, Jodie would have offered a hand shake. Seeing as they were in a hurry though, she hoped a smile sufficed.

"Jodie. Hate to cut things so crudely, but the life story will have to be put on hold. I'll explain what's up on the way though."

She looked back a second.

"I'm good, really, 'Elle. But thanks for the concern."

[Moving to < Capitol City Central High >.]

Posted by Laurelle on Aug. 31 2008,02:23
"Alright then, if everyone's set, let's head off."

Turning to the human, she says with a wry smile, "Pleased to meet you James, my name is Laurelle, I'm a trained medic but apparantly not a lot of good for anything else."

Brushing herself down, she prepares to head after Nail, checking all of the things over for damage in the fight, or not, in her case.

*to Central High*

Posted by Dan Dark on Sep. 04 2008,18:20
"James, huh? Well, cool running into you again. I'm sure we could probably use the help, if you'd care to, anyway - though some of our party seem to think different." The fox frowns slightly as he looks off in the direction Nail had headed. "But... Suppose I can't entirely blame him for getting impatient. Whole reason we're back here is we're looking for someone; Ayecaye - she's.." Dan pauses for a moment in thought as he realizes he can't remember what their relation is. "Well, she and Nail are family; and we think she's still here in the city. So.." He gives a slight shrug as he finishes, figuring the rest is probably self-explanatory.

A couple moments later the fox pauses briefly and chuckles quietly to himself, amused and apparently slightly embarrassed. "Oh, right.. Guess I got a little side-tracked, didn't I? Erm.. Not that what we're doing here's not important, just.. ... Anyways. I'm Dan Dark. Or Daniel, if you'd want to be fancy for whatever reason..." He gives a small grin, and continues along after the others.

[To Capitol City Central High.]