The Umibozu's Story

The young male continued to sit, unmolested in the blacked out car as he watched the house. His eyes narrowed slightly as he pulled his binoculars away from his face, his phone suddenly going off.

"Fireworks." Was all the text said.

The ISSP agent set the phone back on the dash, and then he leaned back into his seat before he nodded. "This is going to be fun." He said quietly to himself, all while the thundering song of distant helicopters would fill the neighborhood, eight specks in the distant sky.

Haruo slowly picked his binoculars up again, eying the group of six Kenbishi Oniyama attack helicopters, and two Jigabachi AV Attack helicopters.

The Male heaved a slight sigh as the helicopters slowly droned louder and closer.

Cy's head suddenly snapped up as she looked up at the ceiling her advanced hearing picking up the multiple thumping noise of routers and narrowed her eyes as a hiss slipped from her which soon turned to a snarl as her head whipped towards Shin eyes blazing. "Get my son out of here. I will find you." she said, voice suddenly cold and dead. "Do not stop for nothing. My son is more important than you know. Keep him safe."

With that said Cy quickly dressed pulled her blade out and rushed from the room, her braid whipping behind her as the door closed and rushed down the hall and out the door, and down the stairs her head snapping up towards the sky eyes narrowing on the eight helicopters drew closer. Growling with rage, fear for her son pushing her, Cy raised her right arm palm pointed towards the eight helicopters and shot out several lightning bursts from her palm in quick successions.

As she watched the bursts of lightning shoot towards the choppers, Cy's eyes flick between each of them calculating their movements as she shot more of the lightning bursts from her palm, anticipating their maneuvers as if she has done this before. Though she didn't recognize these types of choppers, she knew they were different but her main priority was keeping her son alive and giving Shin time to get him out of here. Why the choppers where here and who sent them didn't matter to her. Nothing did but for her son. While she continued to shoot more lightning bursts from her palm she slid her sword back into its sheath and popped her left wrist causing the bracer with several types of emblem stylized gems to glow though a pale blue with swirling images began to glow.

With a flick of her left wrist a blast of scythe like wind shot towards the choppers slicing through tree branches like they were butter, her body was loose but in a offense stance her eyes locked on the advancing choppers as her mind slowed down to a state of protection not destruction, intentions of making the choppers either back off or land to preserve the lives in the choppers. The wind she called up blew her braid back away from her back even as it lashed the branches of the trees about her. ''''Please Shin. Get my son out of here.'''' she thought as she continued to blast lightning bursts and wind scythe's towards the choppers.

The Helicopters themselves were still several miles out, and over the water outside the city. as Cy moved to make her attack, the Helicopters continued their course towards the house.

"We're approaching the target, ETA three minutes." The operation commander said through the radio as the Umibozu team prepared their weapons. with six Oniyama helicopters with twelve men teams in each, the Operation was slated to go down without a hitch, and was predicted to succeed.

Each Umibozu soldier was equipped in full body armor, gas masks obscuring their faces. Their armament consisted of Seburo MN-23 assault rifles, the 5.56 cartridge secured within the chambers of these fast firing weapons. 50 round magazines were checked and checked again for smooth feed as the men prepared the raid.

It was then rapid and quick bolts of lightning peppered one of the Oniyamas, dispersed harmlessly by it's composite armor. At this distant, the wind blades would prove to be a mere nuisance, nothing more than rough turbulence at this distance.

As Cy's attack impacted the helicopters, the pair of Jigabachis split up from the Oniyama helicopters, Jigabachi pilots carefully maneuvering in the wind and lightning, which served nothing more than to force evasive maneuvers out of the pilots.

"We're under attack, advise!" One of the Jigabachi pilots called out, while lightning bolts danced and scintillated across it's composite hull.

"Move in and neutralize the target, we must not let the occupants of the house escape. Ten minutes until local police arrive."

As the radio chatter went on, the Oniyama helicopters split up, three banked a wide left, and three banked a wide right until suddenly all six of the Oniyama helicopters vanished from sight, activating their thermoptical camouflage.

"Three-One you bank right, I'll take the left, weapons free, Authorization Code confirmed." The lead Jigabachi pilot radioed, his helicopter shuddering from the blades of wind, but lacking any physical damage.

The pair of Wasp like helicopters moved in a wide circle around Cy, while one of them swiveled it's stinger like tail, which bore a 20mm vulcan cannon. As the pilot made minor adjustments to the Helicopter's AI, a firing solution was locked on.

Flying in a low pass, the tail gun opened fire, it was a short twenty second burst. But with 4,500 rounds per minute, Cy would be met with a barrage of roughly 1,500 twenty millimeter tungsten tipped, armor piercing, depleted uranium shells traveling at four times the speed of sound.

The rounds would more than likely impact their mark seconds before the 'brrrrrrt' sound reached the manor, and the surrounding neighborhood.

With the sheer overwhelming firepower at the hands of this single attack helicopter, concrete walls, roofing, glass, and everything else would be shredded in the brutal onslaught of large caliber, and highly dense projectiles, the building in which Cy stood upon, along with Cy's physical body, and likely the surrounding yard would, more than likely be completely and totally destroyed.

The droning sound of police sirens echoed in the distance.

Shin nodded at the interesting tidbit. He's dealt with freelancers before, unpredictable and difficult to manage sometimes. Especially since their loyalty is usual fickle, but they are very useful sometimes. Nice to have outside help that have their own skills and training. Makes them less predictable to his enemies. Roland then responded to Cy, "Yes right away." Shin smiled, the AI always seemed happy to have something to do. He always suspect Roland gets a bit stir crazy sometimes. Though what would follow next was untimely. Thundering sounds roar in the horizon, and Shin had a seeking feeling what it was.

"Sir, I don't mean to alarm you but eight helicopters are converging on this location." "All eight armed with heavy ordinance, I suspect aggressive response." Roland spoke, his voice hard to tell if he shows concern or is indifferent. "Visuals please Roland." Shin spoke as two monitors appeared down from the ceiling. "Damn, Kenbishi Oniyamas and Jigabaschi AVs." "Someone's looking to make an appointment with me." Shin joked though perhaps inappropriate to treat this so casually. Then Cy spoke to him, she wanted him to get her son out of here. Shin understood and as she ran outside. Upon the monitors he saw Cy attempting to ward them off. Wasting no time Shin went to prepare their escape.

"Roland I need a container!" "Something that can hold a full grown human being!" "Something highly secure!" "Um...like one of the jettison pods on ships, one that have some life support systems." Shin commanded. "Hm...I don't exactly have anything like that." Roland spoke. "Is there anything we can place him in?" Shin quickly asked. "I can enclose the table he is upon and detach it with a hover module." Roland offered. "Do it and have my fastest vehicle prepped!" Shin commanded. "Absolutely sir." Roland responded. Soon the stretcher enclosed Ki like a coffin then detached from the main table. It hovered harmlessly off the ground. "Open the quickest escape route into the garage now!" Shin spoke. Soon the wall slid open to reveal a hidden path, Shin pushed the pod down the hall and into the garage. The garage was rather deep underneath the structure of his home. Completely with an hidden exit for occasions such as this.

He could hear the fire of weapons on the outside. "Sir they are attacking the manor and Miss Cy with a 20mm Vulcan Cannon." "It's ammunition, 1,500 twenty millimeter tungsten tipped, armor piercing, depleted uranium shells." "The sheer velocity is calculated at 4,500 rounds per minute." Roland reported. "Damn, with that firepower," Shin was then suddenly interrupted by Roland, "Sir Police vehicles are en route to this location evacuation should commence immediately." Roland spoke. "Is the vehicle prepped?" "Yes, I have accommodated for speed and capacity to fit your second party." "Though the vehicle will not outrun those helicopters." Roland commented. "That is why I need you to send in my ship, have it prepped for my coordinates." Shin commanded. The car was brought to him, it was smaller than a limo but not very sleek. Shin detached the top or the slate containing Ki as he slid him in the back. He then entered the front seat and prepared to drive. "I have took the liberty to outline the city map for possible routes,and I have activated the tracker for your ship which has been called." "I also took the liberty to having configured the radio to double as a police scanner just in case." Roland spoke. "Good and I assumed you have already activated protocols?" Shin asked. "Yes sir, I have activated protocols." Roland confirmed. "Excellent, I'm off." Shin spoke. "Good luck sir." Roland finished.

Then with a vroom the vehicle took of at high speed. It entered a back exit from the garage away from the front of the manor. "He will soon appear on a street, from behind the estate. There was a straight road and clear traffic, he would have a good dart at first. The map appeared on an on board computer mapping out the best possible routes. The scanner brought up some police chatter. This has to be a raid it has all the characteristics of such, and the coppters? They're not the Narita Police Department they're something else. Most likely the ISSP Agency. Whatever the opponent, he has vacated the premises, but not eluded capture. Those helicopters will notice the vehicle escaping the area, he can only hope his protocols work. In the meantime he began to undertake evasive maneuvers to avoid the police vehicles approaching the area as he studied the chatter on the scanner.

Catching the moment the choppers vanished Cy shifted her stance even as her highly evolved sight caught signs of disturbance in the air along with a ripple that registered as thermoptical camouflage, and sneered when she saw them split up her eyes narrowing. Growling lowly Cy dodged the shots aimed for her, her motions practically invisible, hissing as heat from a to close shot sizzled across her right shoulder as she twisted to the left.

Using her momentum she popped both wrists before slamming both palms to the ground and shouted 'Mother's Barrage' and watched as millions of stone spikes shot up into the air and hoovered as Cy popped her wrists again pulled her arms tight against her chest before pushing them out shouting 'Sister's Breath' and grinned as the wind blasted the spikes forward, intercepting dozens of the bullets while dozens of others shot towards the choppers.

Standing up she dodged to the left growling as she was twisted to the right as her shoulder was struck and pain crashed through her causing to slam to the ground as a scream of pain ripped from her even as she curled up grabbing her right shoulder and felt sparks strike at her hand and fingers while blood pooled from the wound. Keening lowly at the pain, Cy gritted her teeth as her arm twitched and jerked, pain rippling from each twitch and jerk. Her silver and black tawny gold eyes narrowed as she turned her head to assess the damaged and hissed her eyes widening when she saw that a large part of her tight shoulder was gone, sparks flying even as blood flowed down her arm. "Sorry...fuckers...you'll...pay..." she growled as she struggled to her knees, only to throw herself forward and to her right barely being missed by another of the bullets. Rage burned in her as she forced herself to her knees and with gritted teeth pulled loose one of the ribbons from her hair and bound her right arm to her chest, unmindful of the blood flow, knowing that the nanites were already working at cutting of the flow while frantically working at maintaining the damage already done.

"Sorry fuckers. Who ever the hell you are you will not get near my son!" she growled as she crouched to the ground than shot up into the air in a burst of speed unseen by normal human eyes and began to twist her body in a clock ways motion, allowing the wind that she had already activated earlier to burst out into a swirling mass of wind which soon turned into a swirling twister that grew in width and force. Enough to pick up dabries and rip out near by trees before she pulled her left arm tight against her chest than swung it outward sending not one but two twisters towards the choppers smirking as they grew in volume and speed.

Dropping back to the ground, Cy grunted as she hit, crumpling to her knees as the impact cause pain to ripple through her from her shoulder, mentally ordering the nanites to shut of the pain sensors in her right arm, even as the impact created a 2 foot deep indention in the ground and stood up, swaying slightly before catching her balance, to watch all the action, before snapping her head towards the sounds of the sirens and narrowed her eyes at seeing the nearing police and hissed, only to catch sight of a vehicle leaving the area and prayed that it was her son and that he would be kept safe. "He is your responsibility now Shin. Keep him safe." she said as she turned her attention back to the police cars and smirked. Popping her left wrist, since her right was out of action, and slapped her palm to the ground and hissed 'Earth's Wave' and watched as crashing wave of earth and pavement ruptured straight towards the vehicles.

Turning once again she faced the advancing choppers her eyes narrowing with rage as she watched the chaos her twisters were causing, chuckling as they continued to grow in volume and speed, practically destroying everything in their path and pulling up and spitting out more dabries as they ripped up and outward. "Not all of you will escape. Let alone survive. Those left I'll tend to when you land. None of you sons of bitches will get near my son let alone anyone who is tending to him." The chaos her twisters caused didn't allow any of the choppers to see the escaping vehicle just as the crashing wave caused problems with the police cars, not allowing them to catch sight of the fleeing car as well.

Cy looked towards the house and frowned before sighing and wishing that she could save the house from total destruction, but knew that it would be lucky to survive and closed her eyes and waited, knowing that soon she would have her hands full. With another flick of her wrist her hand glowed briefly before the glow dissipated and faded to nothing. Silently she waited as she listened. "All right lets finish this assholes. It's time to dance."

The pair of Jigabachis continued to circled wide and broad despite the magical onslaught, one of them narrowly missing one of the massive twisters by pulling it's chin up and rapidly gaining altitude.

The Pilot white knuckled the yoke as he yanked it up, and the Jigabachi protested, pulling itself away from the violent twister. "There's too much Magical interference!" The Pilot cried on the radio, jerking the yoke sharply to the right.

"Ugh... I can't hold it." The Pilot said, while the second Jigabachi pulled away from the scene, the first struggling against the whipping wind, which tossed and spun the helicopter about.

"Team Alpha, this is Command, withdraw the ground teams, it's too hot. I've got conventional response in the city to catch the fleeing suspect."

The Umibozu commander within the lead Oniyama nodded. "Roger, we're returning to base."

Cy had managed to succeed, and the six Oniyama helicopters banked a wide right, and began to fly back out towards the water, and away from the immediate scene. One Jigabachi was caught in the storm, while the other managed to withdraw to safer altitude. Thankfully the incoming police were too far out to be caught in the storm of upheaved rubble. However, the fleeing car was spotted by the same ISSP Agent that tracked the limo.

Putting the car into gear, he started off after the fleeing car, close enough that Cy would be unable to attack it without attacking the car. With a straight and narrow route, the pursuit would be easy, until both cars were caught in fleeing crowds due to Cy's defensive spells.

---

Narita Spaceport
5 Minutes following Cy's attack.

As events unfolded in the outskirts of the city, the Spaceport Manager would be keenly watching the flickering screen, a newscaster droning on with the plume of smoke and flame in the background, dotting the black smoke were flashing red lights from various police vehicles.

The Spaceport Manager was suddenly startled as a red telephone rang on his desk, picking it up he spoke.

"Manager..."

The voice on the other end was calm, and crisp. "We have a situation, Regional emergency, shut it down, all non essential personnel are not permitted."

With the phone call finished, the Manager turned to his Executive. "Alright, I just got orders to shut the spaceport down, Military's calling an exclusive lockdown." He said, and the Executive nodded, turning to leave.

As the orders were carried out, Flights would show cancelled all across the board, while Police with canines and heavily armed military personnel began to move through the crowds of people in the Spaceport, amidst barking dogs and shouting orders, Chaos enveloped the port as Anti-Ship defenses were rapidly deployed around the Spaceport.

---

Police Radio chatter continued however, despite the fleeing car and Cy's Chaos, Shin would likely learn some unfortunate news.

"Be advised; Military's shut down the region due to a regional emergency, Fleet's under orders to pursue and destroy anything that tries to leave the city, Precinct Three-One is working the Nihima district, we need to evacuate civilians for tactical nuclear strike."

"Acknowledged, Division One Nine is working in the Daiichi district and the spaceport district setting up road blocks, the ITN Kirishima, and the ITN Funaho are preparing for combat ready, along with the SV Kisseki, and the ISSP Cutter Mutseki."

It was likely that the driver of the car would soon find they too were hemmed in by a roadblock. Two police cars and a single HAW-206 Tank. One officer held up a stop sign, while the others braced for cover. It was by sheer coincidence that they ran into this rapidly deployed roadblock, but with Cy's chaos, the entire city was being quickly locked down.

Silently Cy watched as 7 of the 8 choppers withdrew and smirked even as her eyes narrowed on the one that was caught in the storm and grinned ever so slightly though it didn't reach her cold eyes as she moved forward, not caring about the cops behind her let alone the utter chaos she had caused. In her eyes, she did what needed to be done, to keep her son safe along with the only person she trusted to keep him safe. As she stood there watching the twisters and the single chopper left behind, Cy reached into the pouch at her left hip and pulled out a small bag, which she rolled in her hand narrowing her eyes as she decided whither or not to take what was in the small sack, her right arm numb and useless to her, something she hated though it wasn't anything new for her.

Hell she'd had worse than this several times in her life and her type of work, yet she hated being one arm down a sneer slipping over her face as she recalled the strike that had actually knocked her off her feet a low growl slipping from her as her eyes trailed after the struggling chopper. Reaching up and over her chest to press her forefinger to just behind her right ear, flinching slightly when a high sound of chatter echoed in her ear soon followed several voices chatting all at once and by passed it, centering in on both police and military, letting the in built language modulator translate the language that echoed through the in built scanner, smirking even more though her face stayed passive her eyes glowed with rage when she heard that the Spaceport was shut down and road blocks were being set up.

Though a slight frown marred her face at the mention of evacuate civilians for tactical nuclear strike it smoothed back over to blank features as she slipped the small sack back into the pouch at her hip and proceeded to unwrap the ribbon she used to bind her arm to her chest and with the air of someone used to stripping, Cy quickly stripped out of her armor, crouched down and rummaged through the pouch until she pulled out black leather pants with blood red stitching along the outside seems, black leather lace up vest , the leather lace blood red and black thigh high steal toed boots with five inch heels. Swiftly she dressed in the clothes she pulled out, reattached the pouch to her hip via the blood red leather belt that hung lopsidedly about her hips, than pulled on combat fingerless black leather gloves with blood red stitching. Once finished she once again bound her right arm back to her chest, the damage still bad, the healing slow as sparks continued to flicker from the mangled shoulder though the bleeding had stopped.

Once again Cy sighed as her eyes flickered behind her towards the wave of destruction caused by 'Earth's Wave' nodding slightly when she say that the cops had been stopped, than turned her attention back towards the chopper and twisters before a sinister smile curved her lips, popped her left wrist before raising her arm palm out towards the farthest twister and flicked her wrist sending it towards the twister that held the chopper captive and chuckled as both converged into one single twister that was wider and more powerful than it was before since now it was two twister in one, yet it didn't move from the place where it had caught the chopper in its grip.

Hovering in circles above the Undermarket, the near silent beating of helicopter blades seemed to thump and whip through Wing City as a trio of Kenbishi Oniyama helicopters moved through low and quiet over the buildings of Wing City.

"Fugō hyō o kakunin" The Radio bleated, while one of the officers nodded.

"Kakunin sa reta yōsei no hime ga kiken ni sarasa rete iru, tokutei shimasu. Watashitachiha, ijō no, kaifuku shi, chūwa suru ni wa idō shite iru." The Officer replied, as the Helicopter made a slight bank to the right, it's stealth paneling offering near complete concealment in the dark skies.

"Basho wa, gyanbitto no bā o kakunin shita."

The Radio confirmed the coordinates, and the stealth helicopters banked again while the Umibozu operatives checked their weapons.

The Radio chimed again. "Josei wa chō nōryoku, P - 9 bakku pakku-naida."

Checking their equipment for the last time, the Soldiers pulled their masks over their faces, and checked their Psi Null Sigs, in addition to their reactive armor.

It was then Shimizu's voice chimed over the radio. "Kore wa kōtaishi no shimizudesu. Watashi wa hime ga ikitatai nodesuga, jiko ga okoru rikai shite imasu. Kanzen'na chikara wa, kyoka sa reta." The Officer nodded and replied.

"Wakarimashita."

As the Helicopters neared their destination, the Umibozu soldiers prepared to disembark, ropes were lowered and the men readied themselves.

"Rikugun Taii, Watashitachiha, hime' den'nō o sankaku-ka shimashita!" The Electronics officer called out.

The Captain nodded slightly, a blip flickering on the helicopter's HUD as it turned sharply before coming to a stop.

"Bakku doa-gata o hakku o jikkō shi, kanojo o nokkuauto shiyou to, sore wa karera no kidō-sei o osoku shimasu." He ordered.

Randin moved steadily through the throngs of shady merchants and seedy vendors that milled through the subterranean slums of the Undermarket. He kept Aeka carefully out in front of him, glaring daggers into any lowlife that bothered to look at either of them for too long. He cut carefully across the murky streets, ducking nimbly into alleyways and nooks, doing his best to lose whatever pursuants might be on their tale... or at the least, to deprive them of a clean shot from afar. Simply being in the Undermarket would do a good job of that; entering the underground marketplace was a difficult task in of itself. Keeping tabs on any one individual was even harder. Once more, he cursed his bad luck that Ari had been left behind at the bar. Prior to leaving her, he'd mentally shouted the name of their destination as loud as he could. Hopefully she'd picked it up and would be able to follow them shortly.

"We're almost there, princess," Randin nodded, "there's a route not far from here used by smugglers to ferry goods in-and-out of the city. We should be safe in there."

He told her that to put her at ease, to make it seem like he had a plan. In truth, Randin wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with the princess. Taking her to the Government Center still seemed like the most viable option, but he questioned if he could keep her safe en-route. Undoubtedly Shimizu's men were swarming over the capital at this point. He wondered if just leaving the city was the best alternative at this point. If so, then the Smuggler's Route was his best choice.

"You ever been to Terra before, princess?" Randin asked Aeka calmly, his warm voice masking his pensive anxiety. His hand dropped to the Dragon Fang holstered at his hip as a drooling vagrant took one-step-too-many towards Aeka, briefly sizing Randin up to see if the little girl would be worth the fight. It took only a sparing glance at 6 feet, 2 inches of 210+ pounds of muscle before the mendicant quickly scurried away.

"No I haven't." The princess answered as she moved close with the Detective through the seedy under-market, with the soft thumping of Umibozu Helicopters echoing in the background.

"This is the first time I've been here, but.. I have heard much of this place." She added, slinking away as one of the Vagrants made a move for her, and then stopping at the tunnel.

"We should hurry, the Umibozu won't take long to catch up."

That statement couldn't have been made sooner as a squad of Umibozu moved through the vendors and the street merchants, one of them taking aim and firing a blinding yellow bolt of light towards the pair, which impacted the wall and liquefied the stone on contact, the heat could also easily be felt as the beam missed.

Aeka started, and flinched as the Umibozu closed in. She was hesitant to go into the tunnel, and then she looked to the Umibozu as a Type 303 Powered exoskeleton darted out from one of the numerous tunnels.

"Watashi wa hi no kireina rain o motte iru." The Driver chimed as the powered armor crouched slightly, and unleashed a flurry of 20mm AP rounds towards the Pair.

It was as Shimizu said, Accidents Happen.

As the Type 303 Powered Exoskeleton prepared for it's attack, Aeka grabbed Randin and held him close, closing her eyes tightly she let out an audible cry, and a shimmering red barrier flickered to life around them, catching each round and deflecting it with a deafening 'Ping'

Wooden cylinders then formed around the Powered suit, and in an instant it was torn apart in a flurry of arcing energy before the wooden cylinders suddenly vanished.

Aeka shook slightly, and then turned to Randin, letting him go.

"Let's go... we can't let them find me!"

"Well that was..." Randin scratched his head, "...nifty." It appeared his helpless little princess wasn't so helpless after all. "I hope you've still got a few more of those in'ya, princess. We may need'em before we're out of here." Now that the Taiyou had outright opened fire on them both, stealth was pointless. Bending down, the detective scooped Aeka into his arms and began bounding down the streets. He could move much faster on his own legs than he could with little Takayama at his side.

"Keep quiet," he instructed, ducking behind a run-down building, keeping Aeka close. He needed to act quick. Fighting these monsters was out of the question... Randin didn't even want to think about the number of rounds it would take to penetrate that thing's armor. He simply didn't stand a chance against this kind of firepower. Right now, he needed to get Aeka to safety. Surely the long stretch of the Smuggler's Route was far safer than anything the Taiyou could dish-out against them here...

...but then that meant leaving the city. Abandoning the Government Center. That meant running and hiding in various other parts of Aslund until he could find a safe place to give Aeka sanctuary.

"Just stay close to me," Randin nodded, "if we stick together, we should be alright."

He spared a glance around his cover to see where his opponents were, and to assess the damage being done to the Undermarket.

The Umibozu for awhile maintained their push, but as WCPD began to close in, responding to the helicopters circling one of the Undermarket entrances, the Umibozu radio would crackle and chime.

"Nawa ga taitode, tekkai."

The lead Umibozu nodded, and then he turned to his comrades before they began to fall back towards their helicopters on the surface. They would likely have left the city once the WCPD Arrived.

This afforded Randin and Aeka much needed silence, as the Princess started to shake.

"That was the Umibozu..." She said, looking up to Randin. "We are not safe here, they will soon return, and in greater number.."

Randin nodded. The fear in Aeka's eyes told him everything. Whoever these Umibozu were, they'd be back. The two of them needed to move.

"Alright. Just stay close," he nodded, "we're going to get out of here." He walked over to a nearby building. An enormous chunk of its side had been torn down, a makeshift canopy of grime-ridden sheets substituting as a wall. Checking briefly to make sure no one was inside (and briefly looking around to ensure he wasn't being watched), Randin removed a knife from his boot and tore off a sizable chunk of the material. He returned to Aeka and offered it to her.

"Wrap this around you," he instructed, "you're sticking out like a county mare in this place. Stay in front of me and don't make eye-contact with anyone. We'll be out before you know it."

Positioning Aeka in front of him, Randin nimbly assimilated himself back into the milling throngs of miscreants, moving easily with the flow of the noisy crowd. His eyes looked from left to right, carefully assessing all potential threats. His senses were in overdrive. Half of his attention was focused on ensuring he and Aeka survived this awful place... the other half was still trying to figure out how exactly they were going to get out of this mess. He needed to think. Time was against him, especially in a place like this.

If the Umibozu didn't get them... something else would.

Outside the Penance Tavern...


"All teams in position." A voice cracked quietly over the radio as roughly a dozen men hidden within thermoptical camouflage began to position themselves around the front of the Tavern. They had been nearly perfectly concealed, with the darkness of the Undermarket and their own thermoptical camouflage systems.

Rifles were leveled on the tavern, while the pair of Type 303 powered suits crouched low behind a pile of garbage. Each of them readied their 20mm autocannons, which were cradled in their large slave arms. The Type 303 was a versatile unit, carrying a large rifle rather than an integrated weapons platform.

"On my mark."

----

Inside the bar the Major frowned. "If you walk out this bar you'll die." She said flatly.

"I cant give you a reason to trust me, You just have to tru--" The Major stopped a moment, she didn't shift her gaze or anything, rather she abruptly stood up and shouted.

"Get down!"

As she turned towards the door, both Type 303s opened fire, their autocannons sending 20x102mm rounds tearing through the walls of the building. Each bullet was massive, carrying immense kinetic energy. Needless to say anyone struck by these rounds would be torn apart by the mass of the shell and the kinetic energy it was carrying.

The thundering of the Exoskeleton's guns continued as bullets careened through the bar, shredding furniture, patrons, and the Major.

The first round struck her torso, blowing her clean in half, the second splattered the contents of her skull all over the wall, before shredding it too.

The third and fourth blew through her arms, shredding the armored body to pieces and sending fragments of metal, and cyborg innards in all directions.

Randin, unless he took immediate action would meet the same fate. Aeka had dove to the floor, wooden cylinders forming in a staggered formation around her body, the 20mm shells cracking against a powerful forcefield, with each hit, a wooden cylinder was blown apart as the girl's subconscious shield began to fail.

The sustained fire lasted roughly twenty seconds, before the Umibozu Soldiers quickly consolidated their position, and stacked up to make entry on the bar.

"Get down."

That was all Genevieve needed to hear. She was down on the floor quicker than a man could spit. No sooner had her hands touched the ground did the guns start firing. She stayed tensed up, ready to jump up as soon as the bullets stopped flying through everything and everyone in their path. She was angled just enough to see the cyborg blow apart out of the corner of her eye.

Good. I wasn't very fond of those pieces of junk, anyway, she thought to herself. As the bullet spray ended, she looked around to see what the damages were, or if any of the patrons survived at all. How come everywhere I go, there's some sort of battle or war going on?

Adam and Zachariah both dropped and rolled, mute fury raging through them as the gunfire tore into the front of the building, ripping gaping holes and blasting through the air above indiscriminately. Zach glanced, saw the woman painted on the walls, and snarled. The two Judicars glanced to each other, and in that instant...

They killed their own...

Unforgiveable.

Zach's features twisted as the gunfire hammered again and again, his place behind the reinforced bar granting him a protection the walls didn't, couldn't possibly exist. Where the walls were mere wood and plaster, there was a nasty secret in the bar itself. The underside might as well have been a vault, for all the armor plating the small arsenal hiding inside. The dragonbinder drew on his talents to draw the breath weapons he possessed close at hand, ready and waiting in the silence of the aftermath.

Meanwhile, Adam, simply fortunate to have cleared the primary kill zone, signaled at Molk and Tholk. Flashing hand signs quickly, he noted the faintest glimmer of fanged emerald and ruby faces nodding, and then the two wraiths were gone. Posing himself as one of the dead and cradling debris up to him as though caught in an eruption, the Fallen waited in ambush.

And yet, a third party was also rallying for these foolish soldiers. Amidst the Undermarket, the Penance was known as a relatively safe place, one where killing was deeply frowned upon. A haven. And with friends dead from cold-hearted soldiers, survivors who had heeded the call among the regulars both readied a nightmare assortment of magical, psionic, and mundane talents and weaponry, dialing out texts to the rest of the dangerous underworld center of the Undermarket. Wounded, dying, or just god-kissed lucky, the survivors of the regular patron crowd in the Penance leveled all manner of hell at the torn front of the building, most of it highly illegal should one walk on the sunlit streets above ground.

Yet more immediate, and intangible as they glided forward with menacing intent, where the twin guards of the establishment, the wraiths known as Molk and Tholk. For those who found these two unsettling employs of the Tavern, to witness what they were about to do would reinforce that opinion.

Succinctly.

They were as ghosts as they drifted into the streets of the underground, perceiving the Umibozu team as brilliant sparks of living energy among the dark, dank surroundings. They themselves, invisible, silent, stirring no air with their passage, raising no scent. Having no touch on the world, until they were among the rallying team.

Then with brilliant radiances of roiling emerald and seething ruby light, the two, hulking, inhuman, and utterly lethal forms of the wraiths manifested, apish arms scything into their ranks, claws like short swords cutting with all the ease of high powered lasers carving metal into pieces. With power enough behind their heavy blows to hurl a man across the street, the twin killers in Jegun's employ set about their most terrible of businesses in vengeance and cold fury.

Sipping his scotch watching the exchange he watched the cyborg freeze then yell, and with unthinking movement the last flips up dancing around the first incoming shots. How Dare they, first they interrupt my scotch now they're killing everyone in the bar watching the cyborg fly apart and several others. Too bad she was bad she was cute, turning back to those still living the young girl and the one in the cloak had thrown themselves on the ground, the young one had thrown up some sort of barrier not looking good. Recognizing the rounds he recalls if you can cut through them clean enough in the right spot they won't explode, at what will one of the more stupid things he's done recently he steps in front of the girls and slices through the first one. Success he and his sword dashing back and forth in a crazy sort of a dance seeing two coming at him and the black cloaked girl he slices through hers and his sword barely gets to the other one only setting it off sending him flying back into the now wrecked bar impaling himself on a piece of wood on his side.

The salvo finally having ended he examines the wound no major organs but the bleeding will have to be treated sooner rather then later otherwise things might not be looking good"Well at least its not like the time the Prussians fired grapeshot point blank at me" he mutters to himself grimacing pulling out the piece of wood he pulls his gun out leveling it at the door he goes over to the girls to check if they're ok"Oi we got to get out of here ladies this is no place for you two" if uninjured he helps them up and escorts them away if one's hurt he binds her wounds the best he can in the moment and carriers her if necessary.

Genevieve slowly stood, observing the chaos. She turned as The Last approached her and Aeka, asking if they were okay and telling them it was the time to leave.

"I'm just fine," she said curtly. "You shouldn't worry about me. She will more than likely need help, and-" She started as she spotted the wound in his side seeping blood through his clothes. "Good Lord, you're bleeding!" She ripped a piece of her cloak off and wrapped it around his middle, hoping to stop the bleeding for a little while, anyway. "We need to get you out of here!" She took a good look around.

She noticed Zach and Adam were about to take on the attackers, so she knew going out the front door was a death trap. "Girl, is there any other way out of here?" she asked Aeka. So much for not getting involved, huh? Hopefully Mark and his flock won't be able to track me down.

"What the-" Randin jolted in his seat as Motoko literally exploded in front of him, her body shielding him from a round that otherwise would have been his death. He was on the ground a moment later, swiping his Dragon Fang off the table as he fell, ducking under the table as high powered bullets tore through the bar and cut through wood and flesh alike. Randin could only watch in horror as patrons fell bloodied to the ground, their bodies practically sawed in half from the sheer size and explosive power of the Umibozu's gargantuan vulcan rounds. Most heart-wrenching of all, however, was Kusanagi.

"MOTOKO!" Randin roared, his expression horrified as he watched his friend, partner and fellow lawman break into a million different pieces before his very eyes. It couldn't be. Motoko had always seemed invincible to Randin - a paragon of justice and strength. Seeing her annihilated just didn't make sense - Randin felt as if something impossible had just taken place.

Hot rage flushed through him, and he resisted the overwhelming urge to rise and return fire against the bastards who had apparently just taken Kusanagi's life. He needed to think big picture - either these Umibozu were acting against orders, or Shimizu had authorized the murder of a high-ranking Section Nine agent. Either way, the end goal of this engagement was clear - the Taiyou were willing to recover the princess at all costs, even if that meant killing everyone in the bar.

"Get down! Behind the bar!" Randin barked at Genevieve and The Last. He looked briefly over his shoulder as the Wraiths assaulted the Umibozu, grunting brief approval. Penance was living up to its reputation. Still, there was no gaurantee that they would be able to hold them off, or that the surviving patrons wouldn't be caught up in the crossfire. Randin's priority at this point was minimizing further civilian casualties - and keeping Aeka alive, of course.

Moving swiftly, Randin kept his head down as he ran over to Zacariah, thumbing several armor piercing rounds into his weapon as he went. "Zach, was it?" Randin was slightly breathless, but his voice emanated control and authority. "We need to get these people to safety. Is there any way out of this Tavern that won't lead them into those... things?"

The two hulking powered exoskeletons took one step back while the Umibozu consolidated their positions. The Commander, a middle aged officer in a tan uniform turned towards a pair of soldiers immediately following the assault. The pair of Type 303s reloading their Autocannons for another assault. The men checked their weapons, and then checked them again as a cacophony of electronic communications played across their signal ops.

"Targets confirmed neutralized, fall back." An Umibozu Sniper reported, staring into the Bar through a high powered scope, seeing through it's walls and displaying a sensitive thermal image of the Patrons lying in wait, and those wounded or dead.

"The Princess is neutralized, as is the Major and the Officer, prepare the package and fall back."

Two Umibozu near the rear ranks set down a large football shaped device. Keying in a thirty minute timer, and entering two command codes, the timer was set on the 150 Kiloton thermonuclear device.

The plan was quickly unfolding, but given the supernatural nature of the Penance, it was starting to go south. Hit the Undermarket and leave no survivors. That was the Prince's orders.

There was the sound of slicing flesh, and a cry out as the Wraiths worked on the ranks of men. In a fountain of blood, the Soldier's comrades returned fire, trying to hit the scintillating ruby and emerald green lights, and sending 5.56 Silver jacketed depleted uranium slugs towards the flurry of light. Though when the pair attempted to attack the powered suits. Their attacks would be rendered all but ineffective as the magnetically stabilized nanosteel, a metal capable of stopping Aschen disruptor bolts cold, and easily able to withstand something as a high powered laser dissipated their attacks. The Men inside ignored the pair, and bore their weapons back onto the frontal facade of the bar.

All while the Commander's radio clattered in protest.

"We have supernaturals out here, we're not equipped to handle this! We're taking casualties!"

"It doesn't matter, we're going to have company soon, all units fall back! We have thirty minutes to clear this blasted place!" He said in response

Almost with the snap of a finger, the Soldiers were quickly trying to fall back, with the Wraiths in tow and cutting through their ranks

The two Powered Exoskeletons took several steps back, turning back to the bar and loosing another deafening volley of 20mm vulcan rounds into the now trashed facade as they walked back.

Just outside the Chaos, a lone figure adorned in a Skull like mask stood in silence as he watched everything unfold in front of him. He let his senses stretch outwards as the Umibozu quickly tried to fall back. His hand slowly clenched the pistol holstered in his side, and he took a step forward. He nodded somewhat at the soldiers. The prince was if anything thorough.

"In and out." Bishop said to himself, silently observing everything unfolding.

---

Two more sets of narrowed eyes watched the bar from an Adjacent rooftop, as Major Kusanagi pulled the wires from the back of her neck, wires that were hooked to a transmitter that wirelessly controlled a remote gynoid body.

"Shit.." She cursed under her breath, before she vanished in an audible buzz as her therm-optical camouflage engaged.

She broke out into a full run towards Penance, M-5 drawn and firing at the Umibozu, catching them in tight groupings. She had to act quickly, because she didn't trust Randin not to have an inner monologue.

Especially while Aeka was laying on her back, propped against the bar itself with her abdomen sliced clean open, intestines hanging from the gaping maw of her wound, and the poor girl crying hysterically. Cries that, as time progressed grew quieter, as the life slowly began to leave the Princess amid the carnage. Umibozu forces covering their retreat, and firing still into the bar.

Coming to the girls Genevieve responds first curtly all business, her face changing suddenly exclaiming about my wound she rips off a piece of her cloak binding it. "Forgive me Miss i forget sometimes wounds such as this tend to worry people, I've had much worse though i must thank you i can be a tad reckless". Smiling at her his gun still pointed at the door Randin yells out to him and Genevieve to get behind the bar yelling back he says, "don't worry about me get everyone out of here i can handle myself you've met the only surviving Alamo member after all" Grinning Devilishly at Randin. "Plus i gather you've got precious cargo as it is" motioning the severely wounded Aeka "She needs immediate help".

Taking his jacket off he tosses it too Genevieve "Help her use that to apply pressure to the wounds, excuse me i'm going to go and say hi to our new friends". Stepping forward his focus sharpening to a point like the edge of his sword he starts running full tilt toward what was left of the front Shells coming through again. Cutting every round coming his way he smashes through the front like paper, a bloody battle wages before him between the wraiths and the soldiers and right in front of him two shiny Mech's all wrapped up like presents noticing the enemy retreating he mutters "well i just can't have you leave the party without your just desserts". Darting back and forth he moves with unnatural speed advancing on the mechs he makes to slash clean though both.

Yelling back at the bar "WE NEED TO GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE BOYS AND GIRLS THEY'VE GOT SOMETHING BIGGG"!!!!

"Genevieve caught the jacket. "I'll get right on ... that." He was gone before she could finish. She knelt down next to Aeka, closing up the large hole before pressing the jacket hard against the wound, keeping everything inside and slowing, but not completely stopping, the blood flow. "Shit."

She could see the Princess seemed to be passing out. She was losing the girl. "Damn it, no!" She slapped the girl against her cheek. "Stay with me, girl."

"WE NEED TO GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE, BOYS AND GIRLS, THEY'VE GOT SOMETHING BIIIGGG!!!" She heard The Last shout from his position.

"That's not good." She stayed knelt next to Aeka. Moving the poor girl would only kill her faster. She needed more time, as the girl was fading fast already. Unless ...

"Listen to me, lady. We're about to run out of time. I am going to try and heal you, but you must promise never to tell a soul. Do you understand?" She watched as Aeka's head drooped, and she took that a yes. If Aeka lived, she had to remember to tell her once again.

Genevieve silently chanted an old angelic healing spell as her fingertips begin to glow and sparkling little lights seemed to leap and dance from each finger. As she completed the chant, she touched Aeka's side next to her abdomen. Now all she had left to do was wait.

Zach glanced at Randin, then at Aeka, then snarled. "Fuck no. Adam, what's going on?"

"Just, standing the-fuck. Fuck fuck fuck."
"Does that mean what I think it means?"
"Yeah."

The dragonbinder glared at one of the fool newcomers as he ran out into the new round of fire, wincing as the idiot screamed. "Oh, I'm going to kill him with those fucks...Copper, get to your lady and do what you can. This needs to fucking end, and fast."

Reaching into one pocket, he drew a medallion on a chain out, holding it to his mouth as though a walkie talkie. "Jegun, shit went south. Penance got trashed, and I think a fucking Taiyou hit squad just dropped a fucking nuke outside our fucking doorstep. If you've got suggestions, get your motherfucking frozen ass down here pronto."

The man then dropped the coin on the ground and stomped down with his heel, the metal shattering. A new wave of bullets shredded by overheard, causing both Judicars to growl as the Umibozu fled with two enraged wraiths on their heels, the two sharing a look.

Adam snapped at Zach, as the dragonbinder shot back.

"Get his trunk."
"Get that bomb."

Zach turned and sprinted for the painting on the way, diving into what appeared to be solid wood and vanishing, as Adam heaved himself upright, charging through a torn portion of the wall and then diving and rolling out of the line of fire, edging forward for the device on the ground.

Realizing she didn't have time to wait, at least not here, Genevieve slowly rose, cradling Aeka's limp form in her not-so-weak arms. Despite the ease of lifting the girl, it would be a slow gentle walk over to the skull, meaning the women might not make it out of the bar in time. However, Genevieve was NOT going to abandon the young one when she could possibly survive.

"Hey, hotshot!" She called back to The Last as she eased her way through the chaos and destruction. "Do you think you can give me enough time to escape with the girl? If it's possible, I just need five minutes to reach the escape door out back ... Can you pull that off?" She silently pleaded that he could as she listened for a response.