Other Worlds: V 2.0

[initiates]

Date & Time: May 21st, beginning at 0900.
Location: The Initiative Hold and all throughout Elmer's world
Characters: Anyone participating in the fighting, anyone staying behind.
Summary: Elmer's world is fought for and lost.
Warnings: Violence, death.

They reopen the portal at 0900, May 21st. The first scientist who stepped through was killed within thirty seconds; the rest who followed made it back through to Exsilium, albeit not unscathed. The portal was shut again by a panicked operator, although a second operator knew to keep the coordinates locked.

Within ten minutes, the alert had been sent out. There's no time to wait for the Transports to gather en masse; as soon as they have a sizable enough force to stand a chance at fighting through and clearing their gateway's location, the door is opened again.

Immediately inside the door is a desolate, grim scene. What had previously been the coast of Japan is now scorched earth, blasted sand, and little else. As the first point of contact for this world, it has undoubtedly suffered the worst. Here, the UE didn't stop at governments, financial centers, and capitols — the UE destroyed everything in sight. There are enough UE soldiers remaining in the broken country to give the Transports a difficult battle, although by now the bulk of their forces have moved on.

The Initiative will soon realize the necessity of opening more gateways, just as the UE had done. Transports will be deployed to London, Berlin, Paris, DC Washington, Moscow, Beijing, New York City, Hong Kong, Madrid. Through each of these windows, the destruction is staggering. Buildings are more husks than structures, everything that can burn is alight, and the death toll is off the charts. Blackened bodies seem to line every street, while pieces litter the ground among the rubble. There's no doubt that the UE has no need of the people of this world. They're after resources only, and anything and anyone already here is to be removed.

You can find UE soldiers everywhere. They move in coordinated squadrons of 20, and each of them carries a small arsenal. Even without their incredibly advanced and destructive weaponry, they're fearfully formidable. Each soldier, while still only human, is a genetically perfect clone, further enhanced by technological implants. They're all highly trained in physical combat. Even if you can disarm one of them, don't count on close-range attacks being any easier to handle. They've brought along cannons, small flying craft, and lightweight tanks. Each of these is the top of the line in terms of technology, geared toward destroying as much as it can, as quickly as it can. The United Earth is here to destroy, and they won't stop to wonder why their targets go from being civilians and scrambling, off-guard, comparatively primitive militaries, to trained and powered Transports.

For anyone staying at home, they'll find that any Initiative presence has withdrawn fully to the Hold. All Initiative employees are needed, and most of them in the med bays. The majority of the Initiative focus is on recalling and resurrecting fallen Transports, but attention is still needed for the living-but-wounded. Any Transports who stay in Exsilium and offer their help will have it immediately accepted; they'll be put to work in the medical wings, runnings supplies, or simply set at a machine and told to keep an eye on the numbers: Transport vitals, UE movements, and maps upon maps of changing statistics and colors.

At 1500, the Initiative will recall all Transport soldiers back to Exsilium and seal shut the gateway. The UE numbers are too great, their soldiers too powerful, and Elmer's world is lost.

Comments

1121

[chore_boy]

[For a moment, one of the soldiers maintaining a steady grip on his targeting systems had been watching Johnny ascend some of the rubble to make his way along the battlefield. He was approaching some of his comrades, likely looking for an opening. He prepared himself to open fire, but was struck with what could have amounted to several tons of raw force rupturing his tank. The land-tank, designed to move quickly on extended limbs, was crushed from the side by a massive impact.

Coby, standing still where the tank was, watched as it exploded in the air, its remains taking down a concrete structure and collapsing part of a long-since abandoned building. His right arm was extended, the cause of that suddenly airborne tank being a single right hook from the Captain. Blood ran down Coby's arms and upper body, burns and cuts taking a front-seat to his general appearance.]

Johnny! [Somehow, this guy could talk.] You're injured!

[charming_jerk]

[Johnny stops to watch the spectacle, dumbfounded. He looks at Coby and is more distracted by the exclaimation than anything.]

So're you. Th'fuck was that? [He doesn't stop moving forward though, as slow as it is. There's UE to slaughter out there.]

[chore_boy]

I'm not terribly hurt. [Coby lied with ease, walking along the battlefield, albeit with a little less of a straight back than he would have preferred. A shell range as it was fired, carrying an electrical charge intended to electrocute anyone within Coby and Johnny's range.

Coating his hand black, Coby batted the shell aside--ignoring it at it exploded hundreds of feet above, releasing a sphere of lightning. The back of his blackened hand shook with electricity, though it died down with his skin turned a normal shade.]

They're sending in armored vehicles, now. I suppose they figured out their foot soldiers aren't taking us as easily as they'd have hoped.

[charming_jerk]

Jesus, whatthefuck'reyou-- [Johnny's words are slurring together. He has no idea how Coby's doing that, but he doubts he can keep it up forever.]

Gotta get outta the open. Gotta find these fucks.

[He starts to look around for the source of the shells, stumbling along. He heaves up his axe as best he can, but it's starting to feel too heavy for him.]

[chore_boy]

'Find them'!? There are plenty around, Johnny! If anything, you should be doing the opposite? [Coby turned to face where the shells were coming from. He didn't have to look far. Despite the fact that they whispered into their microphones to communicate, he could feel each and every single enemy presence. Where they were. When they planned to ambush.]

I'm going to escort you to safety before you drop! I don't know how you're even still alive, but--this is too much!

[charming_jerk]

No! We ain't done here. D'ya see what they've done to my city--

[He holds out an arm to indicate the scenery, as if Coby didn't notice. He's a little delirious, forgetting this isn't his New York. Maybe. But it was so similar, so close, it was hard to differentiate, especially considering the state he was in.] I can't let them get away with this!

[chore_boy]

Whether it's your city or not...

[He let his eyes settle on the open air, watching as Johnny looked on like that. He wasn't certain whether or not he should have tried to subdue him or not. At that rate, he was terrified his friend would be killed.]

I don't plan on letting you rush into death.

[charming_jerk]

I ain't gonna let 'em kill me. Ain't givin' those assholes the satisfaction. What're you gonna do, just retreat?

[chore_boy]

I can remain on the battlefield longer.

[Though Coby didn't quite realize he had the same exact stubborn attitude as Johnny, he still wanted to make sure his friend was alright. At that, he advanced a step towards Johnny, tightening his right fist.]

I'll return you. In your place, I'll fight!

[charming_jerk]

No. Not in my place. Together then. [He shakily tries to hold up his beaten weapon.] 'M not stopping now.

[chore_boy]

[Shells exploded around them. Coby didn't flinch, knowing they wouldn't be reached for awhile.]

Johnny--! [He grit his teeth, realizing he didn't have the time to indulge that thought.]

Damn it! I'm not going to stand around and watch you get killed, either!

[charming_jerk]

Shut up, I....[His weapon slips from his hands, his stance visibly weakening. The shockwaves from nearby explosions are enough to knock him off his feet too, and he falls hands and knees to the ground.] N-No... Damnit... [Trying to get up and failing. He can't seem to get his footing on the rubble.]

[chore_boy]

Johnny! [He tried to focus on the artillery. Each of those mobile tanks moved quickly enough that they could monitor their fire after each shot. As Johnny fell to the ground, a shell was fired at him and Coby stepped in the way, taking a stance.] Iron Mass!

[He stumbled back, his entire body shaking. Electricity surged in him briefly, though at an extreme voltage. Coby shudder, smoke pouring out of his mouth. Somehow, he was still very much alive.]

You need to... You need to run!

[charming_jerk]

Y-You need to... The hell're you doin'.... [Seriously Coby, how do you do these things? He tries to get up now, using Coby for leverage. The grip on him is weak, though, and he can't get to his feet.] W-We're done for out here....

[chore_boy]

If we both run, you'll die! I can cover you, Johnny! [He reached up, keeping himself a big target. Whatever he could do to shake the bullets and shells away from Johnny was going to be worth it, he told himself.

More shells flew, luckily missing them by hair's breadths.]

So, fall back under my cover!

[charming_jerk]

N-No, just stop... [Johnny didn't want to see anyone die to cover him, especially when he knew he was done. He was done an hour ago, really, but stubbornness and a demonic willpower kept him going far longer than he should have been.

His hand slipped off of Coby's clothes, and he fell forward next to his friend, motionless.]

[chore_boy]

[The world stopped. Coby knew the feeling of someone reaching their last, pained breaths. He denied himself that line of thinking, swearing he could help Johnny at least get back. In that instant as Johnny fell, Coby collapsed to catch him, but it all ended there. His presence was disappearing.

To Coby, who could feel the pulse of a person's life from so far away, it gave him the feeling that Johnny was rapidly disappearing. Shells exploded, colliding with his back, but he didn't feel any of it.]

Johnny! Don't you dare! Goddamn it!

[He didn't need to think on it. That would be the last of Coby's resistance. His silent dream, hoping he could fight without having to kill anyone died, muffled in its sleep. He hadn't lost anyone in the Marineford battle by luck alone, but luck tripped in this battlefield.

He wouldn't trip. 'Luck', cementing itself as something not lent to men such as himself anymore, could be discarded. Coby turned to face the shells, coating his arms in black and rushing into the lines with nothing but anger and vengeance in his spirit.]