exsiliumlogs | EVENT: HERE THERE BE MONSTERS

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EVENT: HERE THERE BE MONSTERS

Date & Time: October 24 - October 31
Location: Throughout Exsilium
Characters: ALL; tag yourselves in
Summary: The Transports return from their mission to find the island crawling with monsters.
Warnings: Violence, possibly injuries (notify a mod if there's cause to add a particular warning!)

The Transports return from their mission to Medieval Russia, but the Initiative Hold is eerily deserted. Normally, their would be a number of Initiative personnel prepared to meet the Transports at the end of their mission for debriefing.

Instead, there is only silence.

That is, until a distant thumping sound can be heard. It is growing closer, and suddenly the beast is bursting into the room. It lets out a roar and charges. Within minutes, it is easily defeated, but damage has already been done -- it collided with the Transporter machine, which is now making a low fizzling sound and lets off a couple sparks. The commotion is enough to draw the attention of the few remaining Initiative personnel who still inhabit the Hold, who arrive immediately afterwards. They are able to tell the Transports two things: that the machine is broken and currently unable to sent anyone back in time, and that the island has been overrun with aggressive, mutated beasts sent by the United Earth. They have been under siege for months, with the island's population reduced to a mere fraction of what it had once been.

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[That quiet is soon disturbed by Kotetsu, who's currently narrating dramatically into his tablet. From the way he's rambling and the fact that he keeps slipping back into that obnoxious tone that's usually reserved for talking to his daughter, it's probably clear this isn't a video that's meant for the network.

Truth be told he looks a little tired, his powers obviously already expended for the hour. He's managed to gain almost a minute to his Hundred Power over the last month, but that's still less than half of what Barnaby has and trying to keep up with that guy these days is a lot harder than Kotetsu wants to admit.

He halts his recording for a moment to kneel by a fallen creature without first making sure it's just unconscious, grinning like a five-year-old.]

Hey Bunny, doesn't this one look like a dinosaur?

[Oh man, he has to make sure Kaede sees that. He pulls the tablet back up to get a good shot of it.]

--See, Kaede, I know Papa's been gone for a while, but that's because he had to deal with scary stuff like this! But don't worry! Even monsters are no match for Wild Tiger and Barnaby! Right, Bunny?

[He turns the camera on Barnaby, which is of course the universal signal for quick, do something cool!]

[ He raises his eyebrows a bit at seeing what Kotetsu's been up to, smiling faintly at the tone of voice. There's only a momentary surprise at the video-making, but he shakes his head a little because of course, and anyway it's nice to see the efforts he's making for his daughter even while they're here. It's nice, and it speaks to the ways in which Kotetsu's changed in the past year. ]

Don't you think you're taking it a little too easy?

[ But he's amused rather than scolding, and doesn't go on so as to not add too many unwanted interruptions. He barely misses a beat when the camera goes from the monster to him, lifting a hand with his index finger raised in a lecturing sort of pose. ]

That's right. While it's still important for us to exercise caution, our time defending the city has more than prepared us for situations like these.

Edited 2012-10-27 20:36 (UTC)

[Kotetsu scoffs under his breath at Barnaby's seamless transition to PR mode, but keeps his commentary to himself. He can't have Kaede getting angry with him for talking over her idol when she does get a chance to see this, after all.

He shoves one hand in front of the tablet to capture himself giving a quick thumbs up before turning the device to get some footage of their surroundings.]

It looks like this area is secure for now! Between us and the other Heroes, we'll have the whole problem under control in no time!

[ Barnaby would protest, but this is a video for Kotetsu's daughter and so there's no need to admit too much about the danger of the situation. He's not sure he'd call the area secure, but it's probably close enough for the time being.

Or at least that's what he thinks until he just barely hears something by way of warning before he's literally knocked off his feet, by a strike so hard that he can feel it even with his Hundred Power whirring, amping up his endurance and healing as much as anything. He catches himself enough that he lands on his feet, skidding to a halt as he looks to take in his new opponent. ]

Bunny!

[It's that awful impact that Kotetsu hears first, everything suddenly happening in such a rush that he lets the tablet clatter to the ground, completely forgotten.

They're in no position to deal with a creature this powerful; Barnaby can't have much power left and it'll still be the better part of an hour before Kotetsu will be able to activate his own again. Their best (and honestly only) option is to try and subdue or distract it long enough to escape and regroup.

With a loud cry he charges in from the opposite side as Barnaby, hoping to divide the monster's attention long enough for one of them to find an opening.]

[ It doesn't seem possible that something so large and bulky-looking should be so fast, but the appearance of this bug-like creature is deceptive. It turns towards Kotetsu, scuttling in his direction with pincers outstretched and clicking.

Barnaby isn't particularly pleased with Kotetsu's tactic, but he can't say he expected otherwise; so he doesn't waste the opportunity, aiming a roundhouse kick at one of its legs in hopes of keeping it down long enough for them to escape. ]

[Damn, that thing is creepy, and the hodgepodge of bizarre traits that add up to one ruthlessly efficient killing machine definitely looks to be by design. The monster's a perfect combination of fast, strong, and durable. And hideous. Really, really hideous.

A couple of useless strikes are enough to prove to Kotetsu that he's not going to break through that natural armor with bare fists alone, leaving him to stay on the defensive and desperately dodge pincers that could probably take off his head if he slips up. There's a terrible screech as Barnaby seems to break one of the thing's legs, but the creature has plenty more to compensate with and if anything, the action provokes it into being even more eager to kill them.

Kotetsu backs away long enough to fire from his wire shooter and ensnares one of the pincers, but finds himself unprepared for the strength he's facing and is barely able to hold his ground.]

[ He really doesn't have much time yet, and he's as aware of it as if he still had the watch in his suit to warn him about it. He grits his teeth and considers a change in tactics; at this rate, they're only going to get overwhelmed. If he can't cut down mobility with its legs...

He leaps onto its back, landing lightly before he propels himself towards its eyes. There are other ways to track them, but maybe if it's too distracted by losing the one sense, they can make a quick enough escape before it recovers. Once he's moving through the air, it's only gravity pulling him downwards towards his target, and the monster, injured and distracted though it is, doesn't miss this. Its free pincer closes around him mid-air, snapping together audibly. ]

[Kotetsu detaches the wire, the struggle no longer worth it with Barnaby in danger like that.]

Bunny, hurry! Before your power runs out!

[It goes without saying, but he can't stop himself from stating the obvious anyway. There's not a whole lot he can do to help that's going be fast enough, but with both of the creature's "hands" at least somewhat occupied, there's not much stopping Kotetsu from getting in close and low, throwing all his might behind hits aimed at anything that looks like a possible weak point.]

[ He makes a sound of acknowledgement that sounds like half a growl from the air getting pushed out of his lungs. Kotetsu's right to worry about his powers - while he can withstand it with his Hundred Power, he won't as a normal person. Kicking is useless with how high up he is but he tries anyway, seeing if he can get any leverage or movement out of his position.

Kotetsu's blows anger the monster even further, refocusing its attention on him rather than the person for the moment out of its way, and it starts to bear down on him - but more slowly, still fast but but the added hindrances of the lost leg, full pincers, and additional weight. Barnaby takes advantage of this to work at prising them open with all the strength he can muster, at least enough for an escape. ]

[He must be doing something right if he's pissing the thing off, and Kotetsu grins humorlessly, elbowing the same spot again. Barnaby's taking way too long to get himself free, so he's got to double his efforts at being a distraction.

He's about to try something crazy like getting under the monster to take advantage of that broken leg and knock it over when his luck with dodging runs out and the other pincer--still bound but no less heavy and powerful--strikes him across the chest in an attempt to throw him back. Kotetsu has no choice but to quickly latch on; if he lets himself be tossed to the side like that he'll be both vulnerable and useless to Barnaby, so he ends up hanging off the ground rather comically, scrambling to climb up before he gets shaken off.]

[ Prising becomes the least of his problems as the monster starts shaking both sets of pincers. He slips through the newly opened gap, hanging on to the edges with the intention of controlling his fall, but in that moment the monster slams it into the ground. Barnaby takes the opportunity to let go, taking the painful landing on his back over trying to stay on that flailing appendage. But there's barely any time at all before, maddened now, the monster brings that pincer down on his chest -

- right as his powers run out. ]

[For all of a second, it almost looks like things are going be okay. Barnaby's slipping free and the monster's so angry and unfocused that just maybe Kotetsu has a window of opportunity to climb up and do some real damage before it can think to stop him.

But of course he doesn't get far. In the next instant Barnaby's landing way too hard, and without the weight of the extra human holding it back, it's all too easy for the monster to fling Kotetsu to the side as well. He lands on the ground a few feet away, dazed, but certainly luckier than his partner. He drags himself back up as quickly as he possibly can, but it's just not going to be enough.]

[ There's a sickening crack as the blue glow fades and leaves him at normal strength, his body and bones suddenly much less able to withstand the weight of the creature.

Not at all able to, in fact, and there's a part of his mind - feverishly calculating, removed, almost clinical - that notes that he won't be able to hold up much longer. But he doesn't have to - the pincer lifts and he gasps (and the sound is wet and pained and wrong and in fact there's no relief in the freedom, only a fresh onslaught of pain inimaginable). He thinks about how he could move, should move since they need to either kill this monster or get out of there, but for the first time - no, not the first time - he can't bring himself to get up no matter how much he knows he needs to.

The monster, seeing an easy kill, moves in to finish off this annoyance that had plagued it so much. ]

[Swiftly, the pincer is raised high and then plummets towards him to deliver the fatal blow, but the appendage is suddenly knocked mid-air by something, twisted and mangled by an explosion not far above Barnaby's head. A keen eye might note the small missile that impacted it just a second before.

It was difficult to imagine being being trapped on an island with dangerous, gruesome, aggressive monsters as lucky, or anything remotely of the sort. Here, however, Samus found she was definitely at the right place at the right time. She could only hope it wouldn't be too late of a right time.

A knight in shining armor stood as a new contender, perhaps if literally, arm cannon smoking and still pointed at the monstrous beast.]

[The blast makes Kotetsu slow mid-step, whipping his head around to find the source. Thoroughly in emergency mode, he doesn't take in much other than armor means Hero and Hero means backup, and damn if they aren't lucky that someone else happened to be in the area since a call for help would've only brought aid to them too late.

But there's no time for gratitude or even proper acknowledgement, and Kotetsu kneels by Barnaby's side, half as a last ditch effort to stand between him and the monster if he has to and half to assess his injuries. He'd been too far away to see the extent of them before, but the fact that Barnaby isn't getting up is telling enough on its own.]

Bunny! Hey! You still with me?

[ Even with his vision fading in and out - too blurry, he must've lost his glasses somewhere - the descent of the pincer for what's sure to be the last time isn't lost on him, and he braces himself for it.

(He watches though, eyes narrowed, because if he's going to have to lay there - and while normally he'd make himself get up no matter what injuries he's taken, just the smallest movement is enough to make his thoughts crash to a halt and white out - he's going to watch it coming.)

What he gets instead is first row seating to an explosion that half-deafens him, making the creature rear up in rage and look for its new attacker, putting some more distance between itself and a target that isn't going anywhere anyway.

He doesn't look to see what's distracted it now, dazed relief only bringing him back to the immediacy of his situation. Just the act of breathing requires effort, almost too much, but when Kotetsu speaks he tries to look over at him and answer. ]

Ko -

[ - is as far as he can get before coughing, blood spattering on the ground. ]

[The sight of blood drives a sense of urgency even higher, and she knows she can't let the monster linger here, not anywhere near here. (Ideally far enough she doesn't need to hold back or be concerned about collateral damage.)

Her arm cannon erupts with rapid fire--an onslaught of plasma beams pummels her target while she slowly strafes around, drawing attention away from the two men. It doesn't slip past her eye that the creature is favoring all but one leg, part of it looking broken and obviously unstable. She focuses her fire on that limb, and like rubbing salt in a wound the creature bellows in pain and doubles its effort to ward off this new threat.

She knows this should go without saying, but she knows all too well how easy it is to be distracted with someone ready to die in your arms.]

Get him out of here!

[It's probably a good thing Barnaby's vision isn't one hundred percent, because for a moment Kotetsu's expression is one of unrestrained panic. With as long as they've worked together he's seen his partner get hurt his fair share of times, but never like this--completely immobilized from pain and suffering from internal damage Kotetsu can only guess at. His hands hover above Barnaby's shoulders, just short of touching for fear of jostling him further.]

Don't try to talk! It's gonna be okay, just--just give me a minute to get you some help, alright?

[To Samus he shakes his head, yelling over the sound cannon fire.]

I can't move him! You're gonna have to lead that thing away from here!

[It's a big request to make of a total stranger, but right now it's really their only choice. Deep down he understands there's a chance Barnaby wouldn't survive a trip all the way back to the Hold, and that's a risk he just can't take. Tapping on his PDA, Kotetsu records a quick message before focusing his attention back on Barnaby.]

[ Kotetsu can say that it's going to be okay as much as he wants, but Barnaby isn't so sure. Taking damage is part and parcel with being a Hero, especially with how dangerous things were while Maverick was in charge: the Jake Martinez terrorism incident was one of the more notable ones, as well as the last showdown against H-01 and all of its fellow androids.

This is something completely different, and he knows it.

It was a year ago that he'd been so sure that Kotetsu was going to die from the blast used to destroy the H-01, and they'd been lucky that his power suit was able to protect him so much. Now they have no such luck, and their positions are ironically reversed; and while the last time, he'd been moved to tears, and while they prick at his eyes involuntarily now, this time he can't bring himself to worry at all. The pain is one thing, blinding, but past that...

He loses that train of thought, but it doesn't matter. ]

Kotetsu. [ He manages the whole name before a cough this time, and the shaking and straining of a chest that's broken and breaking is its own hell. ] You have to go.

[ His voice is scraped out and shaking, but he's firm on this. ]

[The creature becomes frantic, blinded by animalistic rage, which strategically comes with its pros and cons. The only predictable thing about its movements now is that; it's unpredictable. Samus inevitably eats a hit or two, a loud resonating clang as her armor absorbs the hit, or a scraping thud as she's knocked out of the way only to roll right back up on her feet. She was very built for these sorts of monstrous encounters, but she can't help but wonder what these two men had done to piss it off so.

Samus is unrelenting with her fire, bombarding it with beams and missiles in quick succession. The creature becomes careless in its ire, uncaring of the damage it's quickly sustaining, hobbling on its badly broken leg. Pincers and mandibles snap furiously as she leads it farther and farther away from Barnaby's quickly deteriorating condition.

She's aware time is of the essence, and she must slay this beast. It will only take a few moments to charge her arm cannon up to full power, if Kotetsu can keep him alive long enough...]

[Even between listening for a response on his PDA and keeping tabs on the fight (Samus seems to have it covered, but he'd be crazy to think that means he can let his guard down), everything around him seems dulled out to background noise. Frankly, this just isn't the sort of emergency Kotetsu is any good at, waiting and relying on the help of others, his adrenaline and urge to do something only fueling an overwhelming sense of helplessness.]

What? Don't be stupid!

[What the hell is Barnaby even saying? He must be delirious from pain if he thinks Kotetsu is the one in danger, and that just makes keeping him conscious all the more of a challenge. Kotetsu does risk touching him then, hands gripping Barnaby's shoulders in a desperate attempt to keep him focused.]

Bunny, you're gonna be fine, so don't start talking like you're giving up already!

[He swallows, trying unsuccessfully to mask the shakiness in his voice.]

Just trust me, alright?

[ He can't help an slight flinch at the contact, even if it's not in a place that hurts; but it works, and he focuses his gaze on the smudged form of his partner, pays attention as he speaks. And what he does hear actually earns a brief smile, faint but there. ]

I trust you.

[ There's still a chance for him, so he doesn't think it counts as giving up. The real problem, though, is that that monster could still come back - or a different one could find them just like this one had, or even a few at once. And of course if that happened, Kotetsu - on no powers and his own injuries - would want to protect him and fight them off, taking them from the chance of one of them dying to the almost certainty of both of them doing so.

(And Kotetsu has a daughter waiting on him, Kaede who's already lost a mother and thought she'd found her father's dead body not long ago, not nearly long enough to even begin to forget. There's no such attachment for Barnaby, and for once he doesn't mind it so much.)

He breathes in, or tries, before going on. ]

But...

[ ...think about it for once. His breath catches somewhere in his chest painfully, and he has to stop before going on. It strikes him then that this could be it, really it, and the last time he'd thought that was in a dark room far away and staring down the barrel of a gun. The thought had been more welcome then, without anyone left for him, and truthfully he'd always known that at the end he'd be alone. Kotetsu, it would seem, perpetually has a way of defying his expectations. ]

Still a lot to repay.

[ Too bad, he thinks wryly, it isn't him whose strong point is endurance. ]

[It's the smile that undoes the remainder of Kotetsu's composure. However Barnaby actually intends it, it certainly looks like the expression of a man trying to make peace with the inevitable, twisting the gesture into something terrifying instead of reassuring. Kotetsu's not lost hope--not anything close to it--but he's not blinded by his optimism either. He can't not consider the worst when they're entirely dependent on a stranger's ability to show up just in time to pull off a miracle. And even then, there's still a high chance that Barnaby might be too far gone for a healer's help to make a difference.

He tries to push that worry aside, to listen to what Barnaby's struggling to say even though he can't make much sense of it. Repay who? Kotetsu? It's almost funny how wrong that is, and that's when it hits that maybe there's a lot Barnaby doesn't realize. It should be much too soon to let his mind get distracted with regret, but once the door is open to those kinds of thoughts there's no stopping them from flooding in. There's so much that Kotetsu hasn't said, hasn't done, hasn't apologized for. He knows all too well how words can seem trivial when you see someone every day and yet carry an impossible weight once that person is gone. And it was only days ago that they'd had that awful fight, too. Talking about it had felt unnecessary afterwards, but now...

He isn't aware of how hard he's crying until he feels the wetness on his face and a sob overtakes his attempt to speak.

So much for being the strong one. Kotetsu's all Barnaby's got to try and talk him through this, so he can't be so selfish as to fall apart. He grits his teeth and pulls himself together long enough to echo Barnaby's words as fiercely as he can manage.]

There's still a lot you have to do, Barnaby!

[Do because he wants to, not because he's been forced by the whims of Maverick or the Initiative or whoever-the-hell else. Barnaby's experienced so much but actually lived so little. After everything, they can't let some stupid, preventable accident be what ends it.]

[ Repayment is something he'd really wanted to do this time, too. Not let things be like how they were with Aunt Samantha - keep putting it off for more pressing things, meaning to let her know how grateful he was and then being left with the sentiment still unsaid when she died. And that's - a pang that hurts much deeper than anything any monster could do.

(His twenty-sixth birthday had been so quiet, and he hadn't realized how much he was waiting for that cake until it didn't arrive.)

All because of Maverick and his need for control that went from a show, to a person, to a city. A person that's been almost no better than an android at times, following programming to be a perfect sob story Hero, so grateful to its creator. And in some ways - maybe this is better.

What he doesn't realize is the way he'd been starting to slip, eyes beginning to close before jarring awake at the sound of Kotetsu's voice. The sound of the sob is a jolt, surprising enough to make him try to focus on Kotetsu again, because that's - it's not ridiculous, but it's more of a loss of composure than he's ever seen out of the other man, much less even considered him capable of. And calling him by name too, something that hasn't happened since that last Maverick incident when Barnaby tried to kill him... ]

Could be worse. [ Another cough, less severe as if from a lack of energy to sustain it. ] Old man.

Edited 2012-11-13 04:49 (UTC)

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EVENT: HERE THERE BE MONSTERS

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