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RP (non-canon) Ye 37: the last stand

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Anselm awoke to the smell of cold sewage, a chill upon his face, and fire in his chest. "Agh, damn neko-" he grimaced mentally adjusting the nanomuscles in his his armor to cmopress his ribs and keep the damage from getting worse, fire bloomed along his inside "motherfucker!" He looked around trying to ignore the waves of diluted filth that splashed against his armor, noticing some rungs protruding from the cement wall to a landing opening into a shallow tunnel, with what Anselm thought might be a door. "Mm, maitenance tunnel, thank the maker" gritting his teeth, the marine let most of his body go limp and used the armor's musculature to do the work of moving his injured body.

Once on the landing, Anselm surveyed his armor, auto repair systems had kicked in and built up a small patch over the suit's ruined torso and shoulder, his right arm was working again too. The icy sewage had chilled his armor, lowering its temperature, making it harder to spot on thermal sensors. The only weapon remaining in his possesion was the Britva's vibroknife, which Anselm drew as he made his way to the door. "Better not find a pack of them behind this door" he muttered, tempting fate and luck.
 
(Cipher, did you not read my post about the 35's? and also, that was some horrible powergaming you did. Try it again and i'll just kill off chandler.)

Chandler wouldn't find the others, except possibly Cam, as they had already left and gone towards the gunshop. He received no answer from them, which he probably wouldn't care about anyway. One thing he would notice soon is the mistake he had made in not removing the head completely from the 35. Already the advanced Hemosynthetic blood was healing the wounds, closing up arteries, reattaching muscles, and closing up the holes in it's neck and head. He had accomplished one thing with stabbing it in the head, and that was making it forget he was there. He would soon hear that it was coming back together, as the ribs cracked from the stomp reformed with a loud cracking and popping sound. Chandler had a good two minutes before it was completely alive again. He now had two choices: attempt to remove it's head in two minutes (rather difficult considering the construction of it's spine) or get out of there before it was conscious enough to sense him.

***

Behind the door, Anselm would find an empty room with a broken out door on the opposite end, filled with rubble in the hallway beyond. It was a rather hopeless place, but it didn't have any 35's in it, and did have a roof. If he pushed the debris out of the way, he would find another room nearby that appeared to have been an apartment at some point, and still had cabinets full of a week or so's supply of food and medicines, even a stash of bottled water. aside from that, there was nowhere the Britva-clad man could go, the rest of the hallway was too destroyed to pass through. But hey, he had found himself a cozy little nest to stay in for a little bit if he needed.
 
(It was just to explain Chandler's rampant insanity, sheesh >.>)

Still grinning a bit, Chandler only noticed the Midnight reforming when the ribs began to pop back into place. Springing into action, he quickly swiped the remote detonator off the table.

"Time to go, Cam," Chandler said, already heading for the window. "We'll keep following the footprints."
 
Noticing the Neko was regenerating, Camellia pushed past Chandler and closed in on the wounded, but recovering 35 while it was still prone. And with a spin, plunged her own diamond edged knife directly into the center of the Neko's neck, piercing through it's wind pipe and spine out through the back of it's neck. Then, while planting her boot on the left side of the neko's head, she jerked the knife out with all her might, severing the neck sideways.

"...." Cam said nothing while staggering back a few steps before taking a large stride and kicking the barely attached head clear off what remained of the NH-35's neck.

Turning her gaze back to Chandler. "Stop being a showboat, and you'll survive." Her point was exclaimed with the severed head landing with a hollow thud behind her.
 
"..." Chandler cocked an eyebrow and half-stared at Camellia. This was, quite possibly, the only time that she had ever outclassed him in combat in the week he'd been involved with Kai's crazy little group. Stunned, he managed to stammer out a "can do" and headed for the window, again following the footsteps.

Note to self: Never get on Camellia's bad side.
 
Anselm made himself comfortable in the apartment, eating several cans of chemically preseved food and giving himself a dose of antibiotics. He leisurly made a barricade out of the scrap outside the apartment, walling himself inside. After constructing his trash fortress, Anselm sat down and leaned against the wall, almost in an upright fetal position the hallway was so small, and shut his suit off, pushing himself to sleep while his body healed itself. It would be several days of waking, feasting, and hibernating before he could even think of trying his luck outside, and then only if he wanted to die the first engagement he got in.
 
"Never stop fighting to win......"

The street was clear of any signs of life besides the occasional stray animal. None of them were of any interest at the moment. Food was still at optimal levels back at the safe house.

Built in imaging scanners provided a myriad of information along with the audio enhancements that could make even a heartbeat sound as loud as a drum. The world was practically lit up but even these abilities could not keep the enemy from seizing the element of surprise. With tentative caution Nyton stepped lightly while remaining in the shadows. Rather than risking the streets he navigated through the ruins of buildings and sewer systems until he came out the other side. The navigational point that he had marked for himself kept him on course with his destination regardless of the path he took.

Already Nyton had been traveling for twenty minutes and he had not had an occasion to use his gear. Dressed in a light armored body suit with combining helmet, it was also capable of optical stealth and thermal concealment. The power source unfortunately was an issue since batteries were hard to come by now. It was something he had to find ways around at times.

"Big brother, when are you coming back?" came small girl's voice over his intercomm. Nyton blinked in frustration but never shifted a beat as he continued his tactical movement. Not wanting to risk making any more sound than needed, he sent back a text message in reply.

Soon. I told you I would be back soon.
Click to expand...

For a while there was silence and for a few seconds Nyton actually thought that would be the end of it.

"Kotori is scared and lonely." she then said.

The sound of the name brought back memories but it was his own fault for giving the doll that name. This whole tirade was the same every time though.

Nadine, I'll be back when I get back. Soon. Big brother has to get some stuff first.
Click to expand...

"Why? Why do you have to get stuff?" came Nadine's voice with just a hint of tears.

I need some supplies to complete my mission to make the monsters go away. Mommy and Daddy would want you to be brave while Big Brother is on a mission. Remember what Grandpa taught you about that.
Click to expand...

"I don't wanna be brave. I just want you to come back." Nadine replied.

She was getting worse. Ever since their family had been slaughtered during the chaos of The End Times she had become so clingy that it was a wonder Nyton ever managed to get out. But there was a mission to complete and a war to be won. For the sake of his sister, he had to win it.

Go back to your lessons and finish reading your book. I need to focus now. I will see you when I get back.
Click to expand...
he texted back, thankful that in text his frustration wouldn't be noticed. He cut the line, effectively making himself unreachable from the safehouse.

Another block and Nyton arrived at his destination, a local gun store. Somehow, miraculously, this store had not been completely stripped of it's inventory. It would soon become a target for looting though. Already there had been signs of activity in the neighboring vicinity.

Taking several moments to conduct recon from the next block, Nyton carefully observed his surroundings for a while before selecting an entrance point he could use. Midnights weren't the only problem sometimes. Survivors could be just as dangerous and while he regretted having to eliminate people who had also avoided the scourge, he chose in his favor. There was a mission and a sister waiting for him. All he needed was a little ammo and a lot of luck....
 
Kai crept down the street, Chandler's map in hand, as Luca and Meli followed suit. Chandler could probably lead Cam over to this site, so he didn't worry about those two. Careful to disturb as little as possibly, Kai would lightly tap blocks and things with his feet before stepping on them. He continued down the street, finally reaching the front of the shop. he tried looking into the windows, but those had been boarded up, so he shoved the door open, somewhat carefully, and Luca jumped to, making sure that there was nothing in there. Finding nothing, the Mercenary patted his combat shotgun and gave Kai and Meli the signal to enter, which they did, each turning on a small light that had been carried on their persons. The light glow and narrow beams showed of a treasure trove of weapons, none of which were really needed, as they had more than enough back at the base.

Kai signaled with his light, whispering "Spread out and find as much ammo as you can carry, Priority goes to HE rounds and weapons that we know we have." With that, the man vaulted the counter and, finding the light switch, flicked it for kicks and was surprised with a few dim light bulbs flickering to life inside the dark store. Luckily, there was enough light outside that it wouldn't really attract attention, and the fact that a power source was still here meant it was too small to be a target for 35's.

***
Before Nyton had a chance to move on, three figures snuck down the street, and, finding the Gun shop he had targeted, proceeded to break and enter into it. After a short time, a light inside flickered to life, and the shuffling of people searching for something could be heard. Obviously outnumbered, Nyton had two choices: Try and contact the group on friendly terms, or attempt to use the element of suprise to wipe them out and take the loot for himself.
 
The three figures who had entered the store were an obstacle. Judging from their movements they did not appear to be surviving civilians or criminals. There was something a little more military about them. Could there be other organized resistances out there? If so did they have any connections to SARA before it had been wiped out? It was risky but he had decided to make a move.

Facial profiling taken from his glimpses continued trying to match up the three individuals to his personnel memory records. Of the three, only one came up as Star Army personnel, Kai Nakamura, non-affiliated with SARA. The other man had been involved in military actions while the woman was a Spacer unknown to him. Could they be considered to be friendlies then?

Activating the optical stealth system on his suit, Nyton blended into the background as light bent around him. He activated the built in PSC in his chest to mask his psionic presence and slowly began to approach the weapon store from the other side to avoid being seen. Having been attuned to making traps he too was careful in his movements. It seemed like over caution but he wasn't about to make any missteps. He tried to attune his enhanced hearing to listen in on any conversation being had inside the gun store.

Finally, after an agonizingly slow approach Nyton slid up to a window. Crouching low he reached out with the tip of his finger, exposing only his hand, and softly began to tap out a Star Army code that was used to communicate when vocal communications were unusable.

Star Army personnel inside store identify yourself. One friendly outside. What are your mission parameters.
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Carefully, with his other hand, Nyton reached out for his pistol and got it ready. Just in case.
 
Behind the counter, a box of HHG HE rounds in hand, Kai Nakamura stood up, and looked towards the window. He could have sworn he heard tapping. Luca and Meli, scrounging about in a back room, were oblivious. Kai tapped on the counter, using the same code:
Copy? This is Kai Nakamura. Friend or foe?
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It had been a while since he had used the code, and so it came out a bit slow, but he figured he had tapped the counter loud enough to get his message accross. Regardless, the tall Yamataian rached a hand to his belt, pulling out his HHG in the process. He thought the glitch had erased that code from a midnight's memory banks, but he could never be sure, and the things could be rather sneaky.
 
The tapping was soft but Nyton could hear it plain as day. He was almost surprised anyone still remembered the old code but he thought it worth a try. Once the individual confirmed his name the face bore similarities to the former crew-mate. Much time had passed since then. Continuing to scan all around him, he then began to reply back.

This is Nyton Claymere, Star Army. Are you part of an organized resistance?
Click to expand...

Could he confirm that he was hostile or not? Nyton couldn't be certain but he would see just how he reacted to his identification.
 
CL.. Claymere? Kai thought, remembering the name, with his computerized Yamataian brain he was able to recall who the man was and why he knew him almost immediately. "Nyton? Is that really you?" He called softly, putting his gun back in it's holster and moving out from behind the counter.
 
Looks like we're working on non-hostile terms here. Nyton thought with a bit of hopeful relief. He heard Kai's movements and the slide of a pistol being put away which signaled to him that they could talk. His own hand also released the grip it had on the holstered pistol.

Taking a chance that the other members of Kai's group would also be non-hostile, Nyton slowly moved closer to the doorway. Once there he angled his face and activated the helmet's speaker to a low volume. "Yeah, its Nyton. Kai, right? Same Kai from the Miharu? What about your two companions? Is it safe to come in?" he said in a whisper.
 
"Yes Sir, she was my first posting." Kai responded, before looking back towards the back rooms. "They seem to be busy scavenging at the moment, I would think it's safe now." he continued, answering the rest of Nyton's question. As if to confirm Kai's statement, there was a bit of a thud and a mutter that sounded like it might have been witty, coming in from the back room.
 
The muffled sounds came across clearly to Nyton. Hopefully they weren't making too much of a mess inside. Sometimes a fuse or two weren't kept too far from their triggers in a Nepleslian gun store.

"Alright, I'm coming in." Nyton replied quietly, not removing the optical stealth just yet. Stepping through the door it would appear as though it had moved by itself if not observed carefully. After entering and allowing the door to close, still observant for any hostiles, Nyton removed his stealth cloaking. The tall Nepleslian stood there, unrecognizable due to the helmet that covered his face. The whole suit appeared to be one single piece with it's streamlined form fitting design and dark colors. It was colored gray with a dull tinted view port where the eyes might be located. There was a gray belt around his waist which held a single pistol holster and several magazines. Two knives were also present, one sheathed on his upper chest, the other attached at the boot. "I take it you're looting the store for supplies. That's fine. I was looking for something specific myself." he then said.

Moving slightly closer he then continued. "I haven't seen anyone from the Star Army in some time. I was beginning to think I was the only one left. Are there others? Has a resistance of some kind finally taken shape or are you also scrabbling for survival?" he asked.
 
"Uh huh," Luca's voice peered up from behind a pair of boxes, labelled 'Tinned Food' and '10mm Ammo', "Gather ye survival thingies while ye may - and remind me to bring a tin opener next time this happens!" He laughed nonchalantly.

He stood up, juggling three of tins of beef stew with a smile rarely seen in times like this. He tossed one can over to Nyton, and put the other two into his backside pouch.
"You may have seen me somewhere before..." Luca winked - his influence spread far and wide before the Midnights did their thing, "Maybe in the news lines, an intelligence record, bounty lists or a government-backed complaint..."
 
Nyton caught the tin that was passed to him but made no enthusiasm about it. Now that he had a better look at the man the memory files placed his identity as one Luca Pavone. The files assigned to him were a mixture of praise and complaint. Right now though none of those complaints really mattered. "I guess it is just us then. What are your plans so far? Survive until the Midnights died of old age?" he asked.
 
Chandler looked around the street he was standing on. Assuming that Camellia had followed him, or at the very least made it out the window, looked at the footprints ingrained into the strange debris, looking for any sign of direction. Settling on a path leading to an adjacent alleyway, Chandler took off after the tracks, whether or not these were the ones he was supposed to follow.
 
"While that plan so far has worked," Luca said with a shrug. Waiting obviously wasn't his forte, "It's really boring. I know one of my old safehouses - it's a couple miles out of town and slums, and I'm positive nobody has looked in the cistern of the toilet yet - I've kept a Tactical Nuke there for safe keeping."

Luca grinned, but then sighed, "It's a good plan on paper, but there's heaps of city to cover - and it's far out of town on the plains," He nodded knowingly, "Finally, I'm not sure where these cat-bitches congregate the most, so I can do the most damage to them."
 
"Here's an Idea. They're attracted to sources of energy; Why don't we find a few reactors of some form and start them up inside your old hideout, and when they come, Blow the bomb. Should take care of a good number. And while that's going on, we follow through with My plan." Kai looked between the two men to see their reactions to his ideas, which had been getting increasingly crazy as time wore on.
 
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