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

[charming_jerk]

[He grimaces, bearing those pointed shark-like teeth.] Evacuate? Like hell! Not till I kick every one of these UE fuckers out of here.

[devilsfruitdoctor]

Yes, sir. I'm very sorry, sir.

[Ibin doesn't even walk back to the medicines, he flicks a bandage out of his sleeve and uses it to snag the right bottle, handing it over to McCoy immediately. He's about to turn and go tend to someone else, but if McCoy should look over, a few things will immediately stand out. They haven't directly interacted before, but McCoy may vaguely remember from his appearance at the clinic that Ibin's medical background only goes up to about the mid 1950s, and that he's mostly kept his head buried in books, attempting to catch up. Now Ibin, much like every other medic right now, is wearing a lot of blood not his own. He has a very focused look on his face, and seems together, but also seems to not have noticed the tears running down his own face.

Sorry for the poor first impression, McCoy.]

[speakveryclearly]

[It's strange that the carnivorous trait provides her some small measure of comfort. More familiar than humans' strange round teeth.]

It's a mile away to the south. We'll probably run into plenty of them along the way.

[icy_heavens]

[He doesn't argue the point. There's no reason to, especially since she's right. It's worked for him, after all.] I have.

[He's still rather a mess, and he'll be here for a while, but he'll recover more quickly than a human would. A human wouldn't have survived his injuries to begin with. They would have exsanguinated before help reached them.]

[lifemelody]

She'll look up when she hears her name being called. While she's never seen her in person, she recognizes her from the videos.

"Painwheel!" She looks a bit relieved, even if she's worried. Meanwhile the thunderstorm dissipates. "Yes, I'm fine. That was just an Eidolon. Are you alright?"

C; or any of the deaths, really

[devilsfruitdoctor]

[When she wakes, there is a man looking at her intently, even while his hands are busy staunching the wound of an unconscious patient.]

Please don't go back out there.

[wilder]

[He meanwhile keeps working. His healing magic has improved since coming here, though he has yet to become a miracle worker. Still, after a few spells the person looks in much better state than they did before]

I think they're safe to move now. Can you guard us as I get her to the gateway?

[wilder]

Exactly!

[It's a relief to have other medics here, ones that are keeping their heads. He might lose his mind if he was all on his own here]

Heh heh, don't worry about it.

[controlledvariable]

[A part of her, stupidly, expects Saul to be there again, but she quickly realizes she doesn't know the person speaking to her.]

Why not?

[She sounds geniunely curious, rather than dismissive, because it's not like Saul asking her to stay, he has a reason to worry for her well-being, but she's just a stranger to this man at all.

Even as she asks her question, she's reaching for her suit, folded at the end of her bed - weaponizing it was such a good decision - starting to pull it on.]

[immortal_smoke]

I meant the portal we came here through. Unless...

[Uh oh.] Are you not part of the Initiative?

One of those deaths, somewhere in there!

[devilsfruitdoctor]

[As he nears the portal, a man kneeling on the floor snaps his head up and stares at him. Ibin's crouched over an unconscious person, staunching their bleeding; looks like they made it through the portal and got a few steps further before simply passing out. Ibin's face is grim, and his voice is flat.] Please. Don't go out there again.

[redheadcarrier]

Better than musclebound and stupid.

[immortal_smoke]

For the first couple nudges, it is quite apparent that Painwheel is nudging a corpse. Until, that is, one of Mokou's hands moves instinctually, grabbing the hand (or foot?) that's nudging her.

"I can. Thanks for waking me."

[speakveryclearly]

"Painwheel......!"

This dazed Kanaya had to momentarily use her hand as a visor over her eyes to ascertain her approacher's identity. She reached down, gingerly avoiding the numerous obstacles on her friend's body, and reciprocally wrapped her arms around her.

"I was worried too, I looked for you before I left but in retrospect it became clear you'd been somewhere else... I'm fine now, though."

[redheadcarrier]

[Asuka's shoulders drop just slightly, tension bleeding out of her. She doesn't know if she should want this or even if she does. But he's staying. He's not running away. He's not abandoning her. And maybe that's all she needs right now. Maybe she just wants someone or something to confirm that she matters to them.

It's not perfect, but it'll do.]

...maybe I should've stayed behind after all.

if it's alright with you, can we put this at about 1300? Or late-ish in the battle.

[devilsfruitdoctor]

[Though Ibin's coat is blue and not white, he's covered in blood without apparently being wounded and is now stitching up the large wound he's been tending to with quite a bit of skill, so it's clear that he's one of the medics. His voice, face, and hands stay steady, but as his words make clear, he's despaired.]

There's just too many of them, and they're all too strong. They're killing us in droves, and no matter how many people get back up after being revived again, the countries are falling. The countries are falling, this world is lost. Please don't go out there to kill and die for nothing.

totally cool with me!

[controlledvariable]

[She knows, and it shows in the way she stills when confronted with it so bluntly, in the way her breath catches in her throat, an almost painful shudder.]

The countries have fallen.

[A correction, when she knows there's no hope left, but she forces air into her lungs so she can move again, finish zipping up her suit.]

But there're still civilians alive, and I'm not stopping until there's no one left to save.

[It's the least they can do, after their desire to go home is what brought the destruction on that world.]

1/2

[maddeninghatter]

[ He doesn't respond to the banging of the door open (there's so much noise outside anyway, an overwhelming cacophony of destruction); but when Allen calls his name, he startles and turns around. ]

Oz--?

[ He realizes his error immediately, and his face falls. ]

[chronologistics]

[It's usually in Dave's nature to talk and never shut up -- but right now there's just not enough time. At Atlas' grin, Dave readjusts his shades and settles into a defensive sort of stance; one ready to spring if shit started to hit the fan.

Except --]

Whoah!

[The leap (let's just call it what it is -- pretty much a twirl) he makes back onto Atlas' side is nothing short of fucking acrobatic, and his chucks scrape against the pavement from the force of it.

He was expecting more cement canonballs or something, jesus.

But. Hey. That works.]

Wow, okay, yeah, we're totally going to have to come up a safe word if this is a thing that's going to happen.

[He's not blind to Atlas' exertion though, and so there's a sudden click as Dave summons Caledscratch (at the beginning of its time, freshly forged) and he pulls himself into another stance, ready to slash through anything that might get across the chasm before it manages to finish spreading.]

B

[devilsfruitdoctor]

[Ibin's been administering first aid in the Hold for hours now, and has done his fair share of rapping out frantic orders as he's been tending to two, three, or four people at once. Now he stops for just a moment.]

They do. If only we could persuade people not to run out there and be destroyed over and over.

[He's holding a cup of water, and offers it to Zelos.] Here. You've been a great help, but dehydration will sneak up on you when you're doing fifty things at once like we've had to.

2/2

[maddeninghatter]

[ An instant later, he has rearranged his expression into a wide grin. ]

Why, it's Allen~♥ Here to be a hero? How true to form!

[speakveryclearly]

Alice...

Her friend's silhouette was unmistakable, chromatically modified though she was. And when the squadron that had been near Kanaya was reduced at her very bloody hands to a heap, the way was clear to notice her. Kanaya stood in this stillness with her chainsaw in her hands, whirring quietly dying down. Should she come closer? Or would that just distract the berserker maiden?

For the time being she hung back to take advantage of the break, as without taking her eyes off Alice, her hand snuck underneath her bloodstrained dress to check that the key she wore around her neck was still there.

[painfeels]

It was nothing less than surprising to see that she was still alive.

"U-Uh... no problem." Painwheel was spooked that her hand had been grabbed so quickly, but she was able to settle down quickly enough. Or as much as one could, given what was going on. "For a second there, I thought you were... Are you alright? That all looked really painful."

[revelation]

I'll take care of things on this side.

[ Madoka hates asking him to go in there, this person she doesn't even know... but could she have asked him to stay outside against these approaching soldiers instead?

her hands are shaking, but she manages to pull down one final piece. big enough to create a space between some larger pieces that someone could squeeze through. the question sent her way earns him a nod and in another flash of pink light appears a bow appears in her right hand, turning away from the building and facing the streets. ]

They won't get close if I can help it. [ a beat. ]Be careful in there, stranger-san because I don't think we have a lot of time.

[devilsfruitdoctor]

[Probably, if Ibin weren't so overwhelmed and beyond hope, he wouldn't be saying these things, much less to a stranger, much less to a young girl who seems like a very good person. But, well, he's just not at his best today, and while he's certainly not angry (or able to show much emotion at all anymore), neither is he pulling any punches.]

Without being able to bring them back, there's nothing we can do for them. The UE is going to destroy that world, leave it totally uninhabitable. There is nothing we can do anymore.

[Not that he'll physically stop her or oppose her in any way, either. Tending to wounds is the only thing keeping him going, and to raise his hand to anyone right now would break him.]