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

[alittlesweptup]

[The look he gives her says 'you need a new hobby' in no uncertain terms, though he does humor the rest of it by patting the rifle slung across his back. It's unmistakably alien, clearly something he somehow salvaged from the UE troops on the street.]

Well enough. [Charlie jerks his chin in her direction, pauses to lift the roll of medical tape to his mouth and tear a strip free.] You?

[motherofnemesis]

[ She just raises her eyebrows and shrugs, not quite able to summon the smile she'd like to be able to complete the general 'yeah well bring it' look there. The rifle gets an appreciate glance though - she's gotten to handle a few of them over the day and they're pretty fascinating ones. ]

I'm an engineer. Mechanic. Whichever you want to call it, doesn't matter. [ That is a smile there, after all, but there's no real mirth in it, just a fierce pride. ] I'm always well armed.

[alittlesweptup]

[He makes a low noise and half raises his hand in some kind of rebuff.] Alright, well said. [Slapping the square of gauze down over the seared place on his leg, Charlie starts to unstick the tape from his fingers and bind the gauze down.]

Having fun out there, pencil pusher?

[motherofnemesis]

[ She sprawls back against the wall to watch him work, face settling back into a heavy seriousness. ] Let me know if you need any help.

[ And ha. The way she glances at him in confusion and a total lack of understanding for a moment there might say more than she means it to. ] Oh. Well. I wouldn't really classify this shitstorm as fun, no.

[alittlesweptup]

[That's what he thought. Charlie gives her a flat look in return, one eyebrow cocked as a silent question mark. But he's not planning to push her either; secrets are secrets.]

Seems like you're managing alright. [He smooth out the medtape to the best of his ability, then tears off another piece with his teeth. Does the same with that, hissing low at the sting. Hurt's like a motherfucker with the pressure on it.]

[motherofnemesis]

[ She meets his flat look with a level mildly exhausted one of her own, shrugs. She's died a couple times today and she doesn't have the energy to put anything into an actual attempt to lie. She's normally a little better at it.

He's good at finding her in moments she doesn't have the ability to lie quite as well as normal. ] I came prepared. You don't look so great, in comparison.

[alittlesweptup]

This? [He flattens the gauze and tape - winces. Alright, not his brightest idea.] Nothing but a flesh wound. [Which does get a bit of a grin out of him, sharp and sudden. Monty Python - that's what he's been missing. Going to have to go digging about in the library once they get back, see if there's any left floating about.]

[motherofnemesis]

Don't - [ Too late. She winces in mild sympathy, tilts her head back against the wall again. There's still a fight going on outside, but it can wait a little bit longer. The rapid sound of gunfire nearby doesn't phase her at all. ] Looks like a little more than a flesh wound, there.

[alittlesweptup]

[He tucks the roll of medical tape into the satchel at his hip along with as much of the gauze as will fit. The world's shittiest makeshift medkit is probably still preferable to none at all.] Just a little extra crispy is all. [Getting his feet under him, Charlie uses the shelf beside him to help haul himself back to standing. He hops a little, tests the leg - shrugs.]

See, just fine.

[motherofnemesis]

[ Basically, and when she stands it's to start hunting through the shelves for anything that could be of use to her. ] Maybe you should duck a little more.

[ But her sideways glance does hold concern in it, somewhere underneath the calm evaluation. ] You should head back and get that taken care of before someone kills you.

[alittlesweptup]

Not sure how ducking keeps anything but my head in the clear. [He taps his temple, snorts.] And that's plenty hard enough; I'm not sure even the UE can do much damage there that I haven't done already.

[He limps up the aisle toward her.] But yeah, I was thinking I might. [So not so thick that he doesn't know his own limits now and again.]

[motherofnemesis]

If you duck right, you end up with your whole body in cover. That's the goal. [ Alternatively, just not here, but she doesn't feel like saying that would go over very well. He's not the sort to give up, she thinks. ]

Good. I'd hate to see you get killed.

[alittlesweptup]

I don't know, I take up a lot of space. [Which is as piss poor a joke as has ever been made, but he honestly doesn't care much. He smelled like smoked bacon.]

Fancy coming back with me? [She may not be a paper pusher, but he can't imagine she's much better off than he is here. If he'd hazard a guess, he'd say they're both probably a little in over their heads.]

[motherofnemesis]

Funny guy. [ Dry and amused, almost, and she glances at him when he asks that, shrugs. ]

I figure I've got it. Thanks, though.

[alittlesweptup]

[He weighs the gun briefly in his hands.] Yeah alright. Here, hold on to this for me then. [And passes it in her direction with a shrug.]

I don't really need any more souvenirs.

[motherofnemesis]

I'll get it back to you later. You might feel differently about souvenirs by then.

[ She weighs it in her hand briefly, considers. It's a good weapon, she can use it. ] Want an escort back to the portal?

[alittlesweptup]

[His hand comes up. He shakes his head.] I think I can make it that far on my own, love. [And Charlie flashes her a grin, a quick shrug.] Try not to get roasted, yeah?

[motherofnemesis]

You sure? [ Because she's going to be rather upset if he doesn't and she finds out later, honestly. ] Oh, hey, you know me. I'm always good. [ She's over reckless and has already died a few times today, but that she sees absolutely no reason to tell him. ]

[alittlesweptup]

I can take care of my own skin. [Which would be a more convincing argument if he'd done a better job of it. The irony doesn't go unrecognized, but Charlie just bares his teeth in a grin and makes a flippant motion with his hand.] You know, what's left of it.

You just look out for your own, yeah? [Charlie gives her a short, mock of a salute and then backtracks from the chemist's.]

[motherofnemesis]

Uh huh. [ A look of not entirely convinced concern, there, but he does seem pretty capable and it's not fair. Still, she might shadow him back a little. Just on the edges to make sure there's no major trouble headed towards him. ]

I always do. [ A mocking two fingered salute of her own back and then she gets up and vanishes into a broken alleyway. ]