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

[tragicomedienne]

[Nanami is in no state, physically, mentally, or emotionally, to deal with the outburst. She isn't mature enough to handle this, or to comprehend what it's like for

Even when she wished the worst misfortune on people she despised, she had never been able to conjure up a mental image that matched this kind of suffering.

She bursts into tears.]

Pick that up... [Louder, her voice shaking:] Pick it up!

If that's what you think, then it's not going to matter if they pat you on the head afterward or not!

[redheadcarrier]

[Why is she crying? Asuka doesn't understand it. She's not the one-]

Of course it matters! Why don't you understand, you stupid-?

[She's bared a part of herself to Nanami and she can't take it back now. She glances away with a frown, biting back something sharp.]

Why do you care, anyway?

[tragicomedienne]

[She's angry, that's all. Angry and tired and...scared. Nanami wipes her eyes furiously.]

I don't care!

You're stuck here like the rest of us and you're wasting your life living for others like that and they're not going to care in the end! You won't ever get what you want and I just can't believe someone like you doesn't get that!

I know -- [I know where you'll end up, she thinks. She spoke too fast to stop herself.]

... Why don't you help someone else, already?

[redheadcarrier]

What else am I supposed to do?

[Asuka's words and tones are biting. She feels guilty and terrible, because she knows Nanami is right and she's tried to live for herself, but it's hard and she can never find it in her to actually love herself for who she is.]

What do you know, Kiryuu? What do you know so much about?

[Asuka follows Nanami, crowding her personal space.]

[tragicomedienne]

I was unimportant all along!

[There it is.

That's what he knows. Some people just don't get it, and never will, how crushing it can feel.

Nanami recoils rather than stand her ground. Maybe it's the tears, or the grotesqueness of Asuka's injury, or that she doesn't want to explain what she does know.]

Back off!

They're the ones who got you hurt in the first place. [Her eyes are distant.] That's what I know.

So drag yourself down if you want. Just back off.

[redheadcarrier]

[She can't say that - how dare she say that? No one else understands how Asuka feels, no one else feels what it's like to be unwanted (says that unhealthy part of her that wants nothing more then to drag her down). How can she say she was unimportant? Asuka's expression twists and she's not sure whether she's going to start crying or screaming or both.]

So what? So what? At least they'll pay attention to me! At least they'll praise me when I finally get it right! At least they'll acknowledge I exist!

[She's cracking. She has people who care about her here, but it's not enough (it's never enough). She keeps falling into the same trap, no matter how hard she tries to pull herself out. It's far too easy to backslide, after all, for those nagging feelings of inadequacy (no one loves you) to come creeping back in.]

That's got to be better!

pSSH I'M SORRY i was brooding on this tag for a long time

[tragicomedienne]

Just listen to yourself! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

It's not better! You'll lose more than an eye next time! Nobody's going to praise you for that.

[It's like this girl would rather be told she was worthless - why can't Nanami just indulge that?

She lifts a hand, maybe meaning to slap her. Nanami gives in a little. She feels lightheaded from the constant and sickening taste of blood, and she doesn't want her hand anywhere near Asuka's face. She snatches for her wrist instead.]

You're getting in my way now! You're going to a nurse station.

Hahaha noooo problem

[redheadcarrier]

Maybe they will!

[Her emotions are finally boiling over. She's been keeping them pent up since this started (it still hasn't really registered that she's lost an eye) and now they're finally coming out, in front of her of all people.

Really, Asuka might sound a bit hysterical.]

Maybe someone will finally care-

[Nanami grabs her wrist and she's too startled to react. For a moment she just stares - she never dreamed the other girl would actually lay a hand on her. She tries to yank it out of her grip when she starts to recover, feeling vaguely sickened by... well, everything.

Actually, she feels like she's going to throw up.]

What do you care if I go to a nursing station or what-?

[Asuka starts to go a bit green around the gills, so to speak, face starting to look far too pale.]

[tragicomedienne]

Hey... Hey!

No one cares about that right now! Won't you listen already? You need to stop this!

[She puts her other arm up and braces her hand against Asuka's shoulder, standing near her side. At least, if she (ugh, the thought makes her tension and nausea flare) throws up or faints, then she won't be directly in the way.]

I hate it when people act dumb. [And she's so stubborn; even this has become a challenge to her.]

Sit down, already! [She puts some pressure on her shoulder.]

[redheadcarrier]

I don't need to sit down! You can't make me-!

[Actually, sitting down sounds like a good idea right now. She slumps back against the wall and slowly slides down until she's sitting. She still rolls her head so she can keep glaring at Nanami.]

I'm not dumb, either! I'm a protege! A wunderkind! Ugh-!

[And then she puts her head forward, feeling a bit faint. Her next response is weaker, almost a bit trembly (but Asuka doesn't get scared in front of other people).]

Go away.

[tragicomedienne]

[What's that mean here, though?]

Fine. [While Asuka is likely in no position to be alone, her concern extends this far, and not much further, where it turns wispy and intangible. She lets go of her wrist as quickly as she grabbed for it.]

I'm sending a nurse over.

[redheadcarrier]

[Asuka slumps and buries her head in her arms with a muted groan.]

Fine. Do whatever you want.