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

[invocation]

Yeah... [Some good it had done, she thinks. A whole world, ravaged. Gone.

Kyouko, for all her complaints, is a good patient. She doesn't flinch when disinfectant is applied or bandages are wrapped. She handles this with a quiet tolerance bordering on solemnity.

Finally she speaks up again.] Where'd you learn how to do this stuff anyway?

[galactically]

Hmm?

[As she's setting the disinfectant aside once she's done, Sheryl perks up at Kyouko's question, then hums a little in contemplation with a thoughtful glance. She's lucky to learn some first-aid in a crucial time like this, she thinks.]

Oh, that was back when I spent my first few months over in Frontier. Just because I'm a great singer doesn't mean I can't learn new things, right?

[There's some lightness in her tone despite the grim situation that's transpiring at the moment, but it eventually fades away.]

When I was at an emergency shelter, I bandaged one of my classmates who got injured during a battle.

[invocation]

Your world's in bad shape, huh?

[She isn't really asking a question, just stating a fact.] Where I'm from, there's fighting and all, but only a few people know about it.

[She glances around the room, takes in all the bustling around, how injured and tired everyone looks. Being a Puella Magi had been bad, and starving had been worse, but even she had never seen anything like this.

Perhaps if she'd lived to witness Walpurgisnacht, but that was neither here nor there.]

[galactically]

It used to be, but not anymore. As soon as the war ended, everything returned to normal as it should be. We even moved to a new planet and made it our home.

[The only place that's honestly in bad shape — permanently at that — is Galaxy. Sheryl isn't really in the mood to talk about her birth home, though. At any rate, she frowns deeply with curiosity in her gaze, curling her fingers tightly on her lap.]

Oh... I'm sorry to hear that, Kyouko.

[invocation]

Eh, it's no big deal. That's the sorta life you gotta sign up for, anyway. Most people in my world never even have to see it.

[She flexes her hands, as an experiment. She's still sore all over, but her magic and the first aid have helped.] Besides, I don't gotta be there anymore. This world's a dump, but it's better than that place.

[There's a period of silence, and she mutters out:] Uh, thanks.

[galactically]

So, does this mean you're a soldier?

[Sheryl's frown only deepens in further, her heart tugging a little at the thought of someone as young as Kyouko fighting. She didn't expect to hear it, but then again she imagined that this girl went through complicated events. A soft sigh escapes out of her lips in reply.]

Just as long as you don't get yourself into too much trouble, you should be fine.

[invocation]

[She thinks on how much she wants to say, and finally decides it doesn't particularly matter, in the long run. There were things about her life that she wouldn't reveal to anyone, but after seeing so many people with magical powers here...] You remember, when you were... [A kid.] when everyone was younger, and I was wearing that costume.

What I'm called where I'm from is a Puella Magi, a magical girl. Me n' Sayaka and the others fight monsters normal people can't see. So yeah. [She huffs.] I guess you could call me a soldier.

[galactically]

[Her frown tightens slightly. Ah yes, she remembers being trapped as a helpless child, but seeing Sayaka and Kyouko try to cheer her up back then was one of the very few bright spots in that time. She listens intently to the explanation, nodding a little, then her eyes widen in awe.]

Ah, that explains the magic and your adorable costume! When I think of "magical girl", I usually expect cute dresses and wands — the kind that you see in cartoons.

[Then the awe shifts into worry because monsters]

You two must be working very hard to fight and survive, then.

[invocation]

Adorable? No way. [She sighs. Everyone always thought of magical girls like that. She couldn't be sure if it was a relief or an insult.

Her expression clouds, clears up again. Fighting to survive, huh...] Yeah, I guess. [Neither one of them had survived, but even she doesn't have the heart to tell Sheryl that.] We don't hafta worry about that stuff here, though. What happened to that guy's world, it's not even the worst thing.

[galactically]

Oh, dear. I can't imagine what would be worse than not having a home to go to, other than dying.

[Anything is better compared to dying and losing an entire world in Sheryl's mind. Her eyes flicker to one side, then she brings up a hand to grip her own forearm, almost subconsciously. "Not even the worst thing"? Curiosity urges her to ask, but she has a feeling it's a heavy topic for Kyouko, so she doesn't.]

But it's a shame you have to fight again, only for someone else's battles this time.

[invocation]

[—Her gaze shifts down and away, at that. She doesn't seem to want to delve too deeply into any discussion about dying.

She flexes her fingers, swings her legs back and forth at the edge of the bed.] Yeah. It's not so bad. It's on my own terms. [...] That's the best thing you could ask for.

[galactically]

[Sheryl may not know every single thing about Kyouko, but there is one thing she can agree on: it is good to decide on their own terms. It's why a faint smile tugs on her lips in spite of herself.]

"Don't be subservient to predestined direction arrows that just appear in front of you." It's what I once wrote on my blog, the same advice I'd give to my fans who need to find their own path.

[Her smile grows a tad bigger.]

You chose your own. That's great to hear.

[invocation]

[Kyouko smiles too, a little bit. It's faint, and seems almost sad. But it's there.

Sheryl wasn't so bad.] Mm. Uh, thanks again. [She doesn't just mean bandaging up her injuries.

She hops off the bed, stretches. She still hurts in places, but it's better than before.] I gotta go look for the others now.

[galactically]

... You're welcome.

[Sheryl is about to lean over with a hand outstretched in case Kyouko needs some help, but slowly pulls back once she sees the girl on her feet. There's a quick nod afterwards, followed up by a firm glance.]

Remember what I said! Don't get into too much trouble.

[Did she? The idol can't remember too much per se, but... either way, she smiles once more as she lifts her hand for a wave.]

Take care.