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

[redheadcarrier]

Not anymore.

[That could be a joke or it could be apathy and resignation. Someone is gonna have to make the call.]

[speakveryclearly]

[Oh... oh, that's right.]

I have [a friend, she decided not to say] known someone with the same condition. She can be a little surly sometimes, but [that's something you have in common] I think she'd offer a few suggestions.

[redheadcarrier]

[Asuka's going down the apathetic route right now. Maybe with some self-pity and self-hatred thrown in.]

It doesn't matter.

[Her lips curve into a frown.]

I probably deserved it.

[speakveryclearly]

You don't deserve it, you earned it by caring enough to throw yourself into the fray. There's a difference. One's just, the other's heroic.

[redheadcarrier]

[Asuka's gaze slides back to Kanaya, lips pressed into a thin line. Then she rolls over so she can stare at the wall instead.]

I couldn't do anything when I got there! I shouldn't even have gone.

[She's useless without her Eva. Just like she always thought.]

[speakveryclearly]

...

[Kanaya knows this is true; her mouth opens to deny it but then closes.]

We know better now. You'll be back to impaling cavemen in no time.

[redheadcarrier]

Yeah, well, the United Earth aren't going to fight us with cavemen, are they?

[Her voice is a bit muffled as he turns her head into her pillow. It's not a very comfortable one, considering it's a hospital pillow, but still.]

[speakveryclearly]

Time travel, my dear Asuka. Come on.

[She leans just a little closer.]

[redheadcarrier]

[Asuka curls in on herself a little, still refusing to look in Kanaya's direction.]

Whatever.

[She sounds dulled and apathetic now.]

It doesn't matter.

[speakveryclearly]

Yes it does. [She seems to earnestly believe this.] Everything matters and I'm afraid you're comprised in that.

[redheadcarrier]

[Asuka's voice is a low, bitter-sounding murmur. HEr shoulders tighten and hunch up.]

Then how come I can't win anymore?

[speakveryclearly]

Can't? Asuka. That's a completely different word from didn't, and anymore doesn't belong in that sentence at all. You're clearly delirious. If you keep this up I'm going to ask for them to give you more pain medication.

[redheadcarrier]

I don't need more drugs.

[Actually, her head still hurts. But she doesn't want to get even more fuzzy-headed.]

[speakveryclearly]

That's the spirit. [Frankly Kanaya's never understood this entire human principle of anesthesia.

Her communicator screeches.] ...I'm going back out there. I won't ask for last requests because you're going to be fine and able to request more favors from me for a long while yet. Any outstanding demands?