Cable Cutters (Shroud II - Tyr/Lukas)

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#1
Drawing close to the mountain facility, the dark form of the Jinrai thundered across the earth with a swiftness that defied its size. So far, everything was going smoothly despite the intervention of the Institute... In only moments, he and Sigrid would be on top of their objective, the very heart of the UN itself... and with it, the lynchpin of the Directory's control over the solar system.

But of course, Hyperion had already factored into his calculations:

It wouldn't be that easy.

In the distance, a cloud of smoke and dust roared across the battlefield as a massive form emerged from the cloud, its twin emerald eyes glowing as it turned its gaze in their direction. Within the cockpit, Eliza Kruger's small body shook, and she clutched at the form of the Chimera Card inserted into her pilot suit. It hurt. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt. But it was so good. This was the power of a Sphere!

"Terrorist scum...!" She spat;

"I'll CRUSH YOU!"

The Lemures Test Type caught sight of its prey, and begun lurching towards them, sending miniature earthquakes across the battlefield with every step.

"So that's the Institute's new weapon, then?"

He couldn't help but marvel at the situation playing out before him - normally, this would be an ideal time to carry out data collection but the way things were unfolding, they had to finish this quickly - before the real troops arrived. The Jinrai accelerated as missiles from their Godzilla-like nemesis rained down around the two, sending up a hail of explosions, its black form dodging frantically between the blasts.

To make matters worse, hurtling towards the two was the extraordinarily distinct form of the Gun Ares, its small size disguising a threat that was perhaps even greater than the monstrosity towering overhead. Peals of Dimensional Energy crackled between the two Institute machines as their cores resonated, sending waves of multicolored energy pulsating into the world around them - ripples in the fabric of reality as the Spheres sang.
 
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Aug 25, 2018
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#2
Ashley's charge forced Sigrid to defend herself, finally tearing her away from firing at Resolution's engines any longer. The linear railgun was hastily put away, freeing Jaohm's left hand to clutch the scythe as well. Like a bull that had seen red.

A very dangerous bull, she amended as the Jaohm barely dodged the first few blows, the edge of Ashley's saber almost touching the Masouki's surface. But the first time the edge grew mid swing she was forced to block it with the length of the scythe, the contact cutting into the shaft but not cleaving it in two.

Sigrid took that opportunity to shoot at her enemy with the beam cannon in Jaohm's chest before letting the slash by harmlessly.

She was getting pressured too much to go on the offensive as Ashley kept her assault.

The shaft of the scythe had been inflicted with a few more notches by the time Sigrid got her chance. Jaohm dipped under a wide horizontal slash, and engines flaring flew past Ashley. While passing the other Real Sigrid swung her scythe, edge glowing a bright blue, at the shell.

Seriously. Why a shell of all things? Surely they could make a machine that didn't have its head pierced and didn't carry massive baggage in the form of a shell? It got more in the way than her scythe.
 
Aug 4, 2018
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Somewhere in the UK
#3
Jaohm's beam cannon burned a deep gouge into the Scorpion's chest, but Ashley didn't seem to care - not until the scythe cut into the shell. Then she Screamed. Pain seemed to transfer directly from the shell into her body, causing pilot and machine to cry out in a horrific chorus.

"BITCH!"

As the twin screams echoed over the battlefield the Scorpion reeled around to face the Jaohm - as if the shell was tugging the machine, rather than the other way round. The Scaffold edge lashed out once more - swiftly growing to match the new range and slicing away in the direction of Jaohm's engines. That irritating elemental was too fast, buzzing around her like an annoying bug.

A bug that needed to be swatted.
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#4
Eliza, for her part, had her sights set on the Jinrai as it danced about before her. Part of her thought that something as large as that shouldn't be able to move so quickly - but the fact that the Lemures was able to move at all could only be attributed to the Artificial Sphere. Still... Now was the moment to demonstrate the fruits of her research! Friends of Ana or not, she couldn't afford to hold back!

There was a terrible mechanical whine as the twin drills on the machine's arms roared to life, the Lemures accelerating with a burst of its thrusters as it brought one titanic, whirling pillar of death crashing down into the path of the black machine. It impacted the earth, shattering it, sending cracks in all directions - and hit home, brutally grinding apart the Jinrai's chest as it was pounded violently into the ground, sending up a cloud of grey smoke.

"Hahahaha! How's that? You're no match for the power of a Sphere Reactor-!"

The victorious laugh died in her throat, giving way to a strangled gasp as she lifted the drill.

Rather than a mangled corpse, little more remained of the Jinrai than...

...A log? Admittedly, half of it was ground away into splinters, but for the briefest of moments she wondered if it was some kind of prank. She stared at it for a moment, dumbfounded, before a voice called to her from above.

"What use is strength-"

Unable to help itself, the Lemures' massive head turned skyward. Framed against the moon, the blade of the Jinrai glinted as it came crashing down, like the avenging bolt of an angry God.

"-without SKILL?"

The sword sunk deep into the face of the Lemures - and the Dynamic General's thrusters ignited, throwing all of its weight below as it ripped the weapon down, slashing clean through DEI's monster from head to toe. Within the cockpit, Eliza let out a single, fearful cry that - perhaps, assisted in some way by the Sphere - seemed to reverberate across the battlefield.

"A-Ana!"​

Explosions crackled across the Test Type's frame as it stumbled back, black and emerald smoke billowing from the gaping wound sliced across its body as it began to collapse, joints groaning and creaking as they snapped under the (now all-too-real) weight of its construction - a slow motion fall from grace. The Jinrai dropped expertly to the earth behind it, sword sliding back into its sheath with a gentle clink before it was accelerating away again - this time, making a beeline for the facility.

No more time could be wasted on Sigrid, or Ashley for that matter. He would just have to hope the young woman could hold her own against that demon machine for just a minute longer...
 
Aug 25, 2018
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#5
The dual screams of Ashley and her machine disoriented Sigrid as she tried to recover some distance between the two. But more than the loud voices hitting her ears there was a deep sense of wrongness in the yell that distracted her. "No need to be rude!" She huffed back at her foe.

What the hell was that thing and why would someone ever willingly pilot that? Surely even a blind bird could see that it shouldn't be messed with.

So distracted, despite Jaohm's faster speed she was almost too late, Ashley's lash almost hitting the engines. But at the last second Jaohm turned, blocking the swing with the scythe's shaft.

Yet, in her haste, the strike landed on one of the marks the previous assault had left on the scythe, and, after some resistance, cleaved it in two and cutting a gash across Jaohm's chest.

Sigrid threw the two halves of the broken weapon down towards the ground, and focused.

Luckily, she had been prepared for something like this. Jaohm's left arm was in front of its chest as the wind in front of it began to pick up significantly, moving with Jaohm. It intensified until there was a clear tornado whirling and spinning in front of the Masouki.

Then, with an outwards burst the tornado dispersed, revealing a gleaming sword that the waiting arm grasped firmly.

She wasn't any worse with the Discutter than what she was with the scythe. If anything she felt more comfortable with it.
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
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Somewhere in the UK
#6
Ashley and the Scorpion reeled back after breaking the Scythe, buffeted by the tornado and taking a moment to regain their collective bearings. Her machine was egging her on, but her own rage... was starting to bottom out as her first stimulant wore off. Enough had happened to make the Gun Ares's fuel of choice clear, but the mere act of contemplating this was starting to clear her mind. One hand grasped for the bottle of pills, but she stopped after shaking the last dose of venom out. Words echoed in her mind.

Do not let Dylan turn you into a drooling junkie.

But this was different. Nobody was making her do this. One last dose to do what she needed. Finish the mission. Give Dylan what he deserved. Make her own choices, not just dance on someone's strings. And if she struck just right.. he wouldn't be able to stop her fast enough. She just had to...

Unfortunately for Ashley, her journey of self-reflection was happening in real time. The scorpion floated idle in front of Jaohm, its guard seemingly down as the pilot contemplated her final dose.
 

Admin

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Jun 14, 2018
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#7
Nestled at the heart of the mountain, a cavalcade of Gunsects emerged from hidden bays, barrels blazing in unison in the direction of the attacker - yet, their target seemed uncannily agile for a Super Robot, dancing between the volleys of fire with ease.

The Jinrai thundered ahead, it’s hand flicking out as nothing more than a blur - and the last automated defenses to the facility fell silent, Kunai buried in their centers with uncanny accuracy.

Yet for all their work-

It appeared they were too late.

All that greeted the leader of Terra Sentinel was flat planes of reinforced steel, the arrays that broadcasted the Directory’s propaganda across the world having long since retracted into the earth.

The Dynamic General drew to a halt above the blast doors... and paused. It turned its head skyward towards the clouds, in contemplative silence.

As if... It were waiting for something.
 
Jun 14, 2018
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#8
She needs my help! But...how?

There were scant few moments for Anastasiya to consider her next course of action. Her Gespenst rocketed silently through the bizarre and ever-changing landscape that lay outside their own reality, safe in its tiny bubble of stable space; while here time moved out of step with the battle that raged beyond her sight, she still could tarry only for the slightest span before emerging back into realspace.

Think. The Sphere...Eliza had explained it to her, though only on the most basic of levels. Strong willpower was the key to controlling their power, along with...whatever other special aspect made you a Sphere Reactor. And whatever that was, well...at least as far as that artificial sphere had been concerned, Ana herself possessed it. She scowled, trying hard not to remember the decidedly unpleasant expression on the tiny scientist's face when she'd inadvertently revealed that fact.

That dimensional energy scorpion...when she'd touched the sphere that powered it, something had happened, a something that had sent her hurtling through time and space, into far-flung alternate dimensions that she'd seen neither before nor since. But it the...creature? had stopped as well. Had it been reacting the attack itself...or instead, to her strong desire to stop it? Could she cause the opposite effect as well?

A harsh light blinked in her peripheral; it felt like thoughts were snapping through her mind on overdrive, but those few contemplative seconds still didn't feel like nearly enough. Reality tore asunder at the behest of System XN, the Gespenst dropping back into reality...

----------------------------------------
"Eliza! I'm here!"

The battle armor seemed to drop out of thin air only a few dozen meters from the cloven Lemures, reasserting itself in reality with a burst of dark flame. Ana sought to scan its frame for the Sphere, but she could have spotted the thing a mile away with how it glowed like a beacon on her sensors. Destructive streamers of energy freed themselves from the Test Type by any route possible, exposing the mech's vital core. Whatever was actually happening, it wasn't good - and it was getting worse quickly. Too quickly. Was there time to safely wrench Eliza from the thing's cockpit? Unlikely. Which left her only one option -

I'll...

Already battered from the conflict with Okuni, the Gespenst screamed around Ana as she dove headfirst toward the guts of the Lemures with all the speed the little machine could muster. Of all those on the field, she alone could best weather the great gouts of raw dimensional force that erupted from the titanic super robot without fear. For a moment that seemed to drag on for far longer, she was blinded by such a burst of plasmatic flame - but then her vision cleared. It was before her, just as she had seen it far below, sequestered in the depths of the Institute. The Gespenst's right arm cocked back, ready.

...PROTECT HER!

Anastasiya's balled fist descended to strike the surface of the Sphere...whatever the consequences may be.[/hr]
 
Aug 25, 2018
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#9
Noticing her foe stopping and hesitating for some reason Sigrid almost instinctually reached for the linear railgun and aimed it where she believed the cockpit to be. It would be so easy right now. To just pull the trigger and shoot the enemy down.

The hand that was holding the linear railgun fell back to Jaohm's side. No, that was not who she was. She would not sell her morals to make fighting easier, she'd rather die. Besides, whoever the woman she was fighting against was she deserved better than that abomination of a machine and whatever it was that powered it. If she didn't bother Sigrid, Sigrid wouldn't bother her.

A naive attitude, and a dangerous one to have. It did not belong in a battlefield or to a soldier. And yet come what may, she would follow it.

Jaohm shifted, aimed its chest beam at yet another engine and opened fire.
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
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Somewhere in the UK
#10
Bloody... things filled her mouth as she bit down on the pill, the Riot's eyes flashing red to match her own. But that wasn't all that changed this time. Space began to distort around the shell, the sphere reacting with the drugs once more. All the marks Jaohm had made on it vanished - although the machine attached was untouched. Small sparkles of red began to leak out of the cracks, doing nothing for now.

Ashley's mind was clear. Clearer than it had been in a while. Why was she here? Why was she fighting? What did it matter?.

She knew what she had to do. But first.... a matter of courtesy. One final transmission to the annoying bug that been distracting her.

"Run. You don't want to be near what I'm about to do next."

Her machine twisted around, trying to point her towards the Gespesnst. But she pulled harder on the controls, aiming herself towards the Axion before forcing it into life. The sphere might have been bitter... but Ashley's anger was stronger. Years of resentment all forcing themselves to the surface, building up to a violent climax.


Blood-red particles continued to leak out of the machine, drops of thankfully-inert venom marking its passage across the battlefield as it soared towards the battleship. The only thing that mattered now...

Was Revenge.
 

GEAR

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Jun 15, 2018
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#11
The Jinrai remained perfectly still at the peak, save for the wind whipping the crimson cloak wrapped about its form. No utterances issued forth from the commander of Terra Sentinel, the world's most wanted man. He was focused solely on the task at hand, months - no, years of preparation about to bear fruit.

All around the Super Robot, there was a sudden grinding of metal as underground launch bays snapped open, dispensing the familiar forms of Directory Huckebeins with a scream of plasma as the Mass-Produced machines took the skies, bringing their plasma rifles to bear.

It was of course, complete folly. Even without their plans being leaked, there was no way that a force so small could hope to take the crown jewel of the ultrapower's information war. It was, without a doubt the most well-defended bunker in all of Terra - and it would take more than a motley assortment of would-be special forces to penetrate its defenses.

Loudspeakers blared, as the green visors of the Huckebeins lit up, an authoritative voice barking in the direction of Hyperion:

"Unidentified Mobile Weapon! Abandon your machine and surrender at once!"

At last, the Super Robot seemed to take notice of its would be assailants. It turned its head back and forth slowly, scanning them, taking all of them in... and in response, brought its hand out from its cloak.

Its index finger extended slowly, pointing at something.

The mass-produced machines exchanged glances, before one of them finally said something, uncertainly:

"...Up?"​




Earth Orbit

Overhead, unseen by all on the mountain, a different kind of battle was unfolding.

A silent howl in the vacuum - and the chainsword dug deep, whirling effortlessly through the Cosmolion's fragile chassis as the Maskleon shoved the remnants of its sister unit aside. All around it, others of its kind were locked in their own battles, machineguns and rail-cannons chattering an endless burst of fire directed out of their hiding place as the Directory's Orbital Fleet tightened the noose.

An explosion rocked the Maskleon's frame as a missile slammed into one of its comrades, detonating it in a shower of shrapnel that sent teeth-chattering shockwaves through the unit, causing the pilot's head to slam into a billowing airbag - and sending pain shooting down his neck, as the sounds of the HUD were briefly drowned out by a ringing in his ears.

Just a little more time!

At the heart of the debris field, a colossal structure - seemingly little more than a collection of scrap - was seemingly coming to life. It was like a spire of sorts, its original form masked by the camouflage that had been assembled about it over the years - but the bursts of light and energy crackling across its surface were anything but derelict.

A grim smile crossed the pilot's features. By now, they'd surely noticed that their objective was not drop, and judging from the disarray in their formations - panic was beginning to set in.

After so many years of hiding, planning, and waiting with the patience of a saint, it was the greatest catharsis anyone could ask for.

The distant form of an Albatross Class warship dominated the horizon, its batteries swiveling towards the scattered Terra Sentinel forces, every incandescent flash sending fresh destruction into their ranks. No matter how many of the bootlickers they cut down, another two emerged to replace them - and they were slowly, but surely being driven back.

Another Cosmolion zoomed in, missiles flaring from its left arm launcher to harmlessly pepper the outside of the structure - perhaps just a little closer than its pilot intended. The Maskleon's M13 Shotgun came up, a blast erupting from its barrel - and the spacefaring Armored Module burst apart, the armor-piercing rounds shredding it instantly into unrecognizable scrap.

That was the problem with the new breed, the pilot thought to himself.

None of them knew how to fight.

Not like they did.

His thoughts were interrupted as a bright light began to fill the air around him. Instruments in the Maskleon whined incessantly, detecting a massive energy surge nearby - but, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Not anymore.

They had won.​

A bright white light erupted from the pillar, eclipsing all the machines near it, enveloping the Maskleon, crushing its form as if it were nothing but paper machine.

But he didn't mind. All he could see was the light.

Their light.

The light of revolution.​

G U A R D I A N v.1.3b
SYSTEM ONLINE



Lantau Peak
Hong Kong


The ground trembled.

The heavens roared.

The clouds parted, the sky becoming nothing but pure white as a beam of pure power lanced down from the skies, centered directly on the Jinrai. In a instant, the blinding light swallowed the Huckebeins, vaporizing them instantly as the blast grew, and grew in scale and scope, sending a tidal wave of dust and rock tumbling down the mountain as the peak was pulverized apart, the beam surging down deep into the mountain's heart.

When it finally receded... Nothing was left of the mountain fortress but a glowing crater.

It was the only way to be certain - to carry the beacon with the remote control Dynamic General Guardian. Hyperion left nothing to chance - not even the Directory's most powerful jamming equipment could disrupt a direct signal between the Jinrai, and the satellite.

Now, at last... Their war could truly begin.

The Sword of Earth, neglected for so long, had been unsheathed... and those that had allowed said corruption to spread would soon taste final, inescapable justice.




At the sound of Ana's voice, Eliza's features lit up - and then, as the realization of what the woman was about to do occurred simultaneously, quickly fell into panic.

"No, Ana! Wait!" She cried; "It's too danger-!"

Of course, she wouldn't listen. If Eliza Kruger knew even the first thing about human beings, she would have realized that as well.

Why? She couldn't help but think to herself, Why are you trying so hard to help me?

I'm nothing. I'm nobody. I couldn't even use the Sphere. That's why-

The Gespenst's fist impacted the Artificial Sphere.

For a moment, it almost appeared stunned at the audacity of such an act. Ripple-like waves of causality pulsed out from the impact, cause and effect going haywire as the Dimensional Power running wild through its system contorted, snapped, and redirected itself into the surrounding area. It would have felt as if Ana was suddenly submerged in water, as even the air she breathed whipped and morphed, treacherously unstable-

But her thought - her desire - the commanding presence, pulled her forward inexorably, as if she had been thrown from a great height with a weight tied to her arm. It forced its way through, searching, surging through possibilities from one point to another, never settling until it had reached her most deeply desired goal.

"I'll protect her."

Such a simple desire, yet so pure in its intent so as to be potent.

There was a bright, emerald green flash-

And as rocks and dust bounded down the mountaintop after its destruction, few, not even those currently fighting for their lives on the Great Axion, would have noticed that where the Lemures had been...

Now, only nothing remained - just a sharp, crescent-moon like cut in the earth, as though the sphere of matter above it had disappeared from existence entirely.

But... To where?
 
Aug 25, 2018
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#12
The sensation Sigrid had felt at the dual screams a little while ago returned with vengeance as the space distorted around the Scorpion as the marks she had dealt to it disappeared. It was intensified further by the red mist. wrongwrongwrong. Sigrid retched. Her senses screamed out at the assault they were dealing with as the Scorpion healed the damage it had sustained. She could taste the bile in her mouth, bringing her back to her senses.

Run. You don't want to be near what I'm about to do next."

That's what her enemy told her before charging in rage towards her own ship. Sigrid let out a weak laugh. The other pilot had no idea just how true that was, how badly she wanted to do just that. She'd rather be back home under constant surveillance than anywhere near the Scorpion and its power source.

But she couldn't. Terra Sentinel hadn't achieved their goal just yet. And more than that...

"You shouldn't use that mecha." The words burst forth, coming out on their own accord. She hadn't planned to say anything. Sigrid knew that she was being ridiculous, that the pilot wouldn't heed her words - most likely couldn't even hear them under the influence of the unit's power source. But even so. Even if the effort was futile, even if the attempt was doomed from the start. "Please, whoever you are. It'll twist you into a horrifying reflection of who you were. No one deserves to be subjected to that thing, whatever it is."

Even so, Sigrid expressed her genuine, heartfelt concern for the pilot on the opposite side, for the enemy who just moments prior had tried her best to kill her. "So please... take care of yourself and your mind."

Jaohm turned away from the fighting towards their goal, where the Jinrai was surrounded by Directory forces. Jaohm's engines brightened, Sigrid hurrying to aid the Jinrai. But the Masouki came to a halt just as quickly, fear once again rearing its ugly head for Sigrid.

Then the attack from above came, Sigrid's eyes widened in horror as the beam hit the base. She could do nothing but witness the obliteration happening in front of her with wide eyes. Frozen in place, Jaohm was an easy mark to hit, but Sigrid wasn't even acknowledging that. The only thing in her mind was the weapon of mass destruction she was witnessing, the scale of the attack and how it dwarfed humanity and nature alike.

It felt like an eternity before it was over.

She felt numb, she was numb. Her thoughts were a mess. What? Just.... what. Still in shock, she remembered her father's reluctance whenever she had expressed interest in Terra Sentinel. How much he had resisted it, how many times he had told her that she wasn't cut out for it, how it was so against her nature and how that was a good thing.

Was this what he had meant? Usage of weapons of mass destruction? The needless deaths? The senseless, indiscriminate killing?

She could feel the urge surging. She embraced it and the normalcy with it, puking on her lap. Never would she have thought she'd ever be happy to taste the bile and aftertaste of puke in her mouth, but that she was. Though still in a shock, she felt human again. With the sense of humanity came the most basic of functions: the overwhelming urge to flee from the place. To get as far away from it as she could.

She embraced that too, and off Jaohm went, speeding away from the battlefield with full speed.
 
Aug 4, 2018
334
0
16
Somewhere in the UK
#13
You think I had a choice?” Ashley started to laugh, but it was forced - each chuckle practically being choked out.

It hated me. The drugs it produced were killing me from the inside, if you terrorists hadn’t done the job first. But now? NOW?

Both eyes on the Riot went bloodshot once more, the droplets of venom coming from the scorpion's shell turning into a fine red mist that surrounded the machine. All of the damage inflincted by the Jaohm began to melt away, but it wasn't regenerating any of the missing weapons. They weren't necessary any more.

"We understand each other. Understand what needs to be done."

Sounds of battle faded into nothingness in her head - everything irrelevant was tuned out. Her conscious mind would have plenty of time to grieve for fallen friends and freak out at the beam that shattered the sky, but the id cared not, except for one important detail: Nothing else on the field would care enough to stop her. Minerva would as soon join in, the insurgents had completed their objective, and Ana and Eliza were both missing or dead. And what little garrison the directory had left behind were little more than an expanding dust cloud.

Perfect.