Scene #4646: Retaliation! Operation Brutal Pyre

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Samira Amirmuaz	JUST OUTSIDE OF DEATH VALLEY, WESTERN U.S. PRECINCT, 1200 HOURS... The refugee camp that had been known as 'Humanity Falls' was in utter chaos. Like Maaka had said - ADVENT never did anything by halves. ADVENT troopers of various stripes had been dropped off into the camp when they'd least expected it, completely destroying the prospect of any organized resistance from the civilians. That left them free to kill as they saw fit, shooting down fleeing men and women... even children, if they were so unlucky to land in something's crosshairs. The place hadn't been the prettiest even before ADVENT showed up... it was made up of hovels made of particle boards, corrugated iron, and the occasional mobile home or bus. Now it was all burning. Over the sounds of mag rifles and panicked screaming, the Skyranger's engines let loose a peal of thunder as it came into drop position due northwest of the main camp buildings. From within drop three of XCOM's soldiers: Cp. Kelly the Assault, Sq. DeGaspard the Sharpshooter, and Sq. Thompson the Gunner. The moment they hit the ground all three dive for cover... a few large rocks and the banks of dry riverbeds. There's not much in the way of cover until they actually hit the buildings. Plus some of the civilians had managed to get away towards their position... but they're cowering just out of reach, pitfully hiding behind whatever they could use to save their skins.
Courier Six	Boots on the ground, and off we go. There's a sudden flash of dull green energy, a teleportation beam resolving itself out into the form of Courier Six, Mr. Tallbranch. There hadn't been time to get into the proper heavy riot gear today, and so the Science Cowboy is clad in a rather heavy looking duster with an armored vest for backup. He's also got what looks like a cobbled together 'gun' made out of chuncky balls and energy cabling, that crackles with ungly green energy at the business end. Cover, cover right away is the answer, and Johnny slaps himself up against the side of the nearest tree. A glance around as other start arriving. Baguette and Kelly, he recognizes. The other he can't place right now. "This is a hell of a time for a raid."
Alexis Maaka	Maaka's already been on the Avenger at the time of the alert. It didn't take long for her to get geared up, as usual, and she's been on the Skyranger loaded for bear. She cocks her EM GASH rifle, the coilgun giving a meaty, electronic hum as a power pack is slapped in. The sight of an untouched settlement burned by ADVENT forces is enough to let the cyborg's blood run cold. "Kotone, get the civvies out of here." she orders, barely keeping calm as she hits the ground and slides behind cover with Corporal Kelly. Taking aim with her rifle, she begins to scan for targets.
Rory White	With her supplies growing limited and the Skyranger having only so much room, Rory White's decided to ditch her human-like, blue-haired, social-oriented Morph. Sure it looks good... it would probably inspire less fear in those they're here to rescue... But she's run the numbers. If there's a chance of Chrysalids appearing, she'll need all the firepower she can get! So, a six-legged crab-walker with feet that can switch between wheels and claws is her form for today. As big as a man, though its entire silvery surface is oddly-textured - zigzag seam patterns and overlapping layers. The metal skin ripples, shifts, and stretches in a way profoundly NOT metal-like, as if it were cloth or rubber. And A number of weapon barrels sprout from this thing's back, all mounted on swiveling hardpoints. One has a wide barrel, four seem to be ordinary ballistics, and a third has the odd shape and gleaming end that's typical for energy weapons. Rory White deploys her Flexbot with the first lines, taking a leap out of the Skyranger. The instant she touches down panels on the walker's sides open and release six... squirrels? Well, they look like squirrels, and they move like squirrels. They rush off in every direction...
Kotone Yamakawa	It was always but strange for Kotone to end up exploring alternate versions of her world. On a good day on a bad? It could be nightmare fuel. The attack was the latter she kneww what ADVENT dead she feared what they might deploy. Memories of an terror attack upon another Earth surfaces in the back of her mind, she needs to focus she's got a job to do. She's hooking herself up to the tac net that is likely to be set up then Maaka gives an order or is it a suggestion it's a very good one. She's going to go for the civilians and get them out of here. She'll get of fthe rangfer and will cloak as she tries to make for the first of the civilians who seems to be in the most danger.
Linne	Linne can't forget to help her allies, no matter how much time she pours into searching for her employer. And she has plenty of frustrations to kill at that over said search, and thus it is that the Advent's call is answered by the maid. Walking into the camp with a smaller green-haired maid at her side, all the screams and sounds of gunfire hardly seem to ruffle a single petticoat of the woman nor her companion. Indeed, the two walk through the camp as if they own the place, the wind causing Linne's long hair to flutter dramatically. With a quiet word to her companion, the green haired one takes off into a nearby hovel to secure a sniping spot (one of the second story ones!). She's busily assembling a sniper rifle in that center area of the map, even as Linne herself continues to walk onwards towards the sounds of the XCOM troops arriving. She can't seem them of course, but she hears the vague sounds of people scattering. Her voice manages to carry despite people being shot. The ADVENT soldiers get polite bows. "Oh my, oh my! Do I hear naughty little guests running around so impolitely? Why don't you be /good/, skitter on back to your plebian craft, and return to...wherever it is little urchins live, hmmmm?" The maid's tone is sugary sweet even as she stands out in the open, both hands on her cane as she plants it in the dirt. Her serene gaze is as cold as ice. Even the sound of Elites, Warbots, and /DEADLY ROBOSQUIRRELS/ doesn't seem to immediately phase her.
Adele Rozenbach	Adele had heard the broadcast and has sent one of her beloved creations to look into it and take advantage. While tempted to come herself, she doesn't get along with the sunlight very well and thus she's letting one of her gargoyles take care of this for her. The creature she picked this time is a fusion of two people, or at least looks the part. The left half is a woman, the right half a man. They have been blended together beneath natural armour made out of woven strands of hair, with the occassional gap in the armour for a tendril to stick out. Each of those tendrils ends in a pair of fleshlike flaps with two rows of sharp teeth on them, teeth curled inwards to truly grasp onto whatever they bite. The left side hand has talons that extend a feet from the fingers, with little holes near the tips that drip some kind of foul liquid. Meanwhile the right-side arm ends in a giant stinger that drips acid. Strong enough acid that when it hits concrete, the sizzling sound makes it clear that the acid is biting through. It's not approaching any heroes, no, it's going straight for the refugees.
Ixqor Nathrach	Reality was but a tool to the trained and enlightened mind, and so it would bend to their will, a rift opening, defying space itself, amidst the carnage of this systematic cleansing. From the warp tear came it's creator, a humanoid being in bulky armor, standing near seven and a half feet tall. His armor was adorned in various eldritch marks to his gods, and the blade at his belt was no different, bearing a sparkling eight pointed star on the end of the hilt. His helm bore two horns sprouting high and holding two small skulls between them, a mark of a worthy champion of chaos. His armor was a deep turquoise and a murky green to line it. He walked with little effort, making audible thumps whenever his boots hit the dirt. His eyes moved all about, quickly taking in his surroundings. The 'Advent' as they were known were once again at odds with the Xcom rebels. Ixqor cared not for either sides goals, for the humans were rebelling against a greater truth they had not even realized yet, and the xenos thought themselves as gods, which none of them truly had ever seen or been able to comprehend. But Advent would be useful to him, much like the xenos that control it. HE could sense the psychic link binding all of their grunts, and knew that if he played his cards right, he could become an ally of convenience, and perhaps have them assist his own cause. He saw the citizens fleeing, buildings beginning to catch fire, and he breathes in through his helm's grill. "The smell of rubble and panic, this is no normal engagement." He saw the Advent gunning down civilians and nodded, understanding now. "It is a purge. Very well then..." He looked to the nearest advent and locked eyes with them. He tried making a psychic connection then with the creature, as to try and communicate with it's masters. As his did his best to force his way into speaking with them, he began to pick up his pace, taking up cover behind the walls of the two story shack by... Was that a maid? HE called out to that bestranged woman. "You'll do well to die out here if your just going stand out in the open like that..." He assumed they were just some civilian, caught in a state of shock, but he saw the smile on her face and raised a brow under his helm. Was she hear to assist? He then hears teh crashing and roaring of some creature, moving about the settlement. Was this some xenos creature, no, he saw a glimpse of it. In a way, to him, it was beautiful. A mutated horror of man and woman, together in harmony with the terirble nature of the universe. It would certainly please the Prince of Excess, and the Changer of ways. He would leave it for now, assuming it to be an ally of sorts, employedby some unseen force.
Samira Amirmuaz	When the Confederates first made their appearance in the middle of this mission, several ADVENT troopers turned to them with disturbing symmetry to aim their rifles upon them. They didn't speak... Everything that they needed to say between themselves would be communicated via their mass psionic link. Ixqor is the first they recognize, and turn away their fire from... seeing as how the other human and that strange... human/beast hybrid weren't making any threatening advances, they similarly decide to simply drop their aim and continue on their mission. A Gunner manages to find one of the cowering civilians underneath the two-story that Linne had taken her position at. The young lady tries to hold up her hands and beg for her life, but it only lasts long enough for the soldier to grip his trigger and send her splattering all across the wall behind her. Her anguished scream - before it gets choked off - manages to rise above the rest and let XCOM know. Yet another one was down. Ixqor isn't content to just fight along this time. He manages to find a Sectoid that turns and stares him dead in where his eyes might've been if not for the helm. Even as strong as it is, it can't quite resist the strength of a Chaos Sorceror, and for a few moments he'd gain access to the network that linked them all. Long enough to feel the vast alien intelligence that guided everything here before he was forced out again. Seeing as how they aren't under fire quite yet, the XCOM troopers start to split slightly. DeGaspard and Thompson are going for the roof of a one-story shack with some grating over the top to serve as half cover. This spooks three Troopers, an ADVENT Engineer in orange, and a Sectoid, who all scramble for cover while the two start pouring down fire. DeGaspard takes a Trooper, while Thompson is busy trying to shred that god-awful monstrosity that had been sent here with his minigun. Kelly, meanwhile, was staying with Maaka, running for cover behind a corrugated iron fence. She was still too far to do any real damage with her shotgun, but if she played her cards right, she'd be able to dash in and start doing some real damage... maybe against that weird maid lady that was standing out in the open.
Courier Six	Johnny for his part, dashes out from behind his natural cover, and towards a heavy stack of sandbags that /had/ been part of a makeshift barrier against attack, at one point in time. He'd seen... soemone cowering over there. There's a growling grumpy hiss as he hears another anguished death scream in the compound... and he glances over the wall. Some poor frightened fellow, scrambling for better cover. He fiddles with his Pipboy, pulls a little electronic tag from the bottom, and slaps the man with it. If it can cut through the radio interference, the Aces And Eights /should/ be able to tag him with a rescue teleport. One time out though, there's no way this guy's getting back this direction.
Alexis Maaka	Thompson has the gargoyle, or whatever that THING Adele sent is. So Maaka's begun to dash closer to combat, Kelly following her loyally. She knows the scout has just a shotgun, which makes ranged combat risky for her. Maaka slings her EM rifle, drawing her progressive knife as the blade hums lowly with a soft buzz as she cuts a hole in the fence, a nice little hole for both herself and Kelly to slip through. "Let's go." She swaps back to the rifle again, advancing further before she takes cover one more time, noticing Linne via binocular vision. She recognizes the maid from a previous op, and if she remembers Linne's powers, taking her on is a bad idea to do lightly. "Sectoid onsite, taking care of it." She says over comms, taking aim at the considerably bulked up alien before letting off a few shots of high-velocity rifle rounds.
Linne	Up on her perch, SNIPER MAID glares down at Ix for insulting her master! Down below, the black haired Linne smiles all the more. "Oh, such a gentleman, looking out for this helpless, defenseless maiden! Do not worry. You will find the Maids of House Tres to be more...skilled than your average household servants." A low chuckle exits her mouth even as her cane hardens into steel. The civilian's death only earns the slightest of frowns from the maid. Such a shame, she could've been a good statue! But the too-polite maidservant seems quite alright with her spot, seeming to care little for all the bullets flinging past. Kelly's advance for now goes unnoticed, as she seems to have far more important things to concentrate on. This seems to be the sound of a certain Courier scrambling for cover! Turning slightly, she chuckles, before the slightest hint of black at her heels hoists her high into the air in a jump worthy of any jetpack-equipped aviator! Both hands grip her now steel cane, and she falls at a worrying rate towards Johnny and his bit of cover! When that arcing jump ends, her petticoats, legs, waist and boots turn to steel as well, lending her body a wrecking ball's weight as she tries to crash into the man! "Rude guests should be sent home!"
Samira Amirmuaz	Kotone manages to reach a civilian currently cowering behind an outhouse, her hands clasped over her head as the firing goes on around her. She jumps and nearly manages to throw herself out of cover when she notices that there's an armed and not-entirely-human looking woman hanging over her shoulder, but manages to keep herself steady and wait for an order.
Adele Rozenbach	Adele's creation weathers minigun fire remarkably well, apparently hair makes for good armour, or there's more hidden beneath. Still, remarkably well doesn't mean it doesn't get hurt, one of the tendrils gets shot clean off and another gets a chunk removed, black ichor seeping out of both wounds. In response, the creature jumps, leaping like some kind of giant grasshopper and landing right next to where the minigunner stood. Then, those talons and that stinger both reach out, the talons attempting to dig into Thompson's shoulder while the stinger goes for the side. The talons carry a necrosis indusing venom while the acid is just really strong and fast working. Neither are pleasant.
Courier Six	There's a crunch from the other side of the barrier as the IRON MAIDEN rocket drops on top of his position, and rolls to his feet, backing up. He's out of position now, but there's a BIG HEAVY STATUE LADY that he can gently position between himself and the ADVENT if he needs to. The multiplas comes up to point at Miss Linne, and the cowboy's voice comes out in a drawl. "Ya'll ain't welcome here, missy. JUst mosey on back to wherever it is you were, and we can all be civil like." The rifle spits some hot green ooze to the ground, which starts a small grass fire. "I ain't gonna be quite so polite askin' a second time." Words first, when the person and/or thing you're facining has any idea of reason.
Kotone Yamakawa	There's the sort of horros she expects from Advent but then comes a horror made of eels? She doesn't want to think about it. Then Chaos shows up the very same one who tried to get her to turn on her allies who called her strong? What in the warp was he smoking as she told him she's weak and she admits she is. She shakes it off as she's got to worry about getting the civilians out which is damn what she's going to do she's going to try to get as many people out as she can even though she knows just how bad the situation is. Kotone is fopcusing to get the people out. She points to the safe zone. "Head there get on the transport we'll get you out of here now MOVE and do NOT LOOK BACK!" Kotone will make sure they are on their way and guard them if she needed to before moving to try and find the next civilian to get out.
Ixqor Nathrach	As the comm connections were severed to the Xcom Commander, Ixqor shook his head. "The teaming feckless masses. Always blind to the truth." To himself, he knew the xenos were no better, and although he was unable to make direct contact with him, he understood just how their psychic commune was operating. Many a great psychic being all working in tandem to create order between the various xenos forces they utilized. He was sad to have not been able to communicate with them, but knew that they may perhaps consider him a worthy ally if he was able to break into their network so easily, even if only for a moment. Now was not the time to ull this over, the battle was just beginning. "Forward then, to war." He spoke aloud once more before bringing his boltgun to bear and charging out from cover, taking up a firing position by some downed logs, likely brought to heel during the initial strike by ADVENT. He saw energy shots ring out over him, heading towards the battle maid, who he believed was an interesting enough fighter to be of use to them. He saw the glimmer of the weapon that fired and stood from the cover, lettig off two three rounds bursts at the target, Alexis. "You bring this upon yourselves mortals! Now suffer the mercy's of the Dark God's!" Although he would make no attempt at it, his psychic imprint would be growing, as he prepared to unleash his chaotic natures upon the battlefield. His mere pressence became unsettling, and the blade at his belt looked ever more beautiful, and ever more terrible.
Yuna Kagurazaka	There are some things that Yuna can ignore. Deliberately making innocents suffer has NEVER been on that list. So when Samira's request/advice for the Confederacy to withdraw - just so her people can rescue the civilians - gets rebuffed with a side order of replying threats, Yuna only has one question, and that's mainly for Elner: how long will it take to get there. The answer is 'not very' (relatively speaking), and shortly after the exchange on an open channel, the Savior of Light arrives from the nearest warpgate she and Elner can find - already in Flight Form, and with Elner, Jiina, and Marina spreading out to provide support. Yuna's own priority is simple enough: find the civilians who are in the greatest danger, get them to whatever Samira and her people can identify as a safe place. That's why she's in Flight Form - while it may not be her absolute fastest mode, it gives her the combination of a bird's-eye view without depending on Elner to sort out details, and the mobility to pretty much ignore the terrain around her when navigating from one spot to another.) What Flight Form doesn't have is particularly heavy armor or firepower. It's a little more sturdy than the un-augmented Light Suit, but she depends more on dodging than tanking - and while she can call out her shield, and most likely WILL have to do so, Shugoseiheki's weight will throw her off-balance and slow her down if she's not careful. That's why Jiina and Marina are here: if Flight Form turns out not to be her best option, she won't have to wait for the others to get here before she can change modes. What Yuna isn't thinking about - or at least, isn't allowing to affect her decision - is that she's probably going to look like an awfully appealing target for ADVENT to try and capture for a look at her equipment. Elner is considering that, at least, but for now, the robo-faerie flies as high over the refugee camp turned battlefield as it can go while making best use of its sensors. Yuna's going to have her hands full focusing on rescues without opening up on the Confederates, anyway. The less she has to worry about, the better.
Rory White	Those Robo-Squirrels Rory released are all linked back to her. They are her eyes and ears, since she's aware that ADVENT might have caught on to her use of the Saucers by now - she's decided to change things up. Each one is also packed with a HIGH-EXPLOSIVE GRENADE for emergencies. It was always Rory's intention to use them... but this situation has gotten out of hand quickly. Around the battlefield the Robo-Squirrels, perched on hovels and trees, turn their robotic eyes on the various forces who've come to aid ADVENT. And Rory runs a series of programs and algorithms, as her crab-walker form barrels into one of the hovels. And it sidles up against one of the walls... It's time to abuse the HELL out of physics and perceptions. What was just an ordinary hovel suddenly THUNDERS with the sound of an explosion. One of the windows blows outwards, spraying debris on nearby ADVENT soldiers and their captain. Figures take up posts at the windows moments later. Huge, bulky armored men garbed in the towering and overengineered Mark IV power armor, all of them proudly displaying the Chaos Star and serpent iconography. Their baleful visor-eyes are turned to the ADVENT forces outside, as are their heavy weapons. Sharp gunfire assaults the troopers! The sound of it, anyways. As well as muzzle flashes. In truth, there's far fewer bullets than it LOOKS and SOUNDS like, but yes, one of those soldiers is under real fire from Rory's disguised form at one of the buildings, behind one of the holograms she's projecting!
Alexis Maaka	Maaka is caught off guard by the telltale sounds of Bolter fire. That's not good at all, and Maaka feels one round scratch across her armor. "Oh shit." Her suit might be hardened against ordinance, but she does feel her ears ring from the explosion as she tries to avoid getting caught in the blast. Given the origin, the taint of Chaos leaves an ill feeling within Maaka's stomach. "KELLY, GO WIDE!" She orders, before she tries to track the Chaos Sorcerer herself. Ixqor is sighted, and Maaka tries to grit her teeth through that psychic nudging she feels. Then she does something even she never expected she'd do. She activates her helmet's speakers, and says, "The Emperor's Light is my torch. My faith is my shield, my fury is my sword. THE EMPEROR PROTECTS!" Even if she's never taken it seriously before, Maaka does know a way to keep Chaos from infecting her, and that is SHEER WILLPOWER. She opens fire upon Ixqor, screaming passages she's heard from Imperial propaganda during her time in those worlds before. As her EM rifle kicks against her shoulder, she only grows more defiant against the servant of the Dark Gods.
Samira Amirmuaz	What had already been a chaotic scene turned at once to utter madness. For the first time, civilians on this planet would see the true horror of Elite vs. Elite combat. Plus the fact that while all of this is going on, ADVENT is happily gunning down civvies without a care. At least Kotone and Yuna are there to actively try to save as many people as they could while the rest fought and shed blood. Though that came with it's own issues... Kotone manages to snag another one about ten meters away from the last one she found, and this man similarly goes scrambling towards XCOM's entry point. Yuna, on the other hand... Well yes, she was catching a lot of fire from ADVENT forces - two 'pods' aside from the one that XCOm is currently fighting, but she's a quick and in flight, and thus notoriously hard to hit. The issue comes when she manages to find a cowering little girl, a child hiding behind a burning brick wall while she sobbed bitterly. Yet oddly... the moment that Yuna came close, the girl stops crying, turns slowly... and a second set of eyelids blinks /sideways/. Her eyes turn red, a scream turning into a low, haunting howl while her body suddenly begins to expand to the sound of wet, ripping flesh. It's not long before the little girl has become a ten foot tall monstrosity whose flesh appears to be melting even as it stands there... and of course, it takes a swipe at her with wickedly sharp claws. The pod of soldiers that they were currently engaged with were indeed surprised at the sudden arrival of the 'Space Marines', and one of them goes down under Rory's fire, leaving three to remain. Two of the TRoopers turn their fire from XCOM, one to the projections and the other to poor Ixqor. The last one, the Engineer, lugs out a grenade launcher, loads it, and fires it up towards Rory's position. Oh boy. Back to DeGaspard and Thompson - the Frenchman is doing quite well for himself, taking down the Trooper firing up at Rory while he's distracted while Thompson tries really hard to kill the monstrosity. Only, no dice. "Whoa shit--!" One of those tendrils manages to catch his shoulder, prompting a scream, but he manages to dive back down onto the ground floor. It knocks the wind out of him, but it does give him a good brace to fire back up at the creature. "DIE YOU SON OF A BITCH!" DeGaspard has to leave, too, considering that the creature is RIGHT NEXT TO HIM, but as he dives off he pulls out a /huge/ revolver and fires a round into the pulsating mass for good measure. Now onto Kelly, who quickly dives away from the bolter fire when Maaka calls for it. She knows not to get tangled with that bastard. So instead, she goes for the Run and Gun - dashing away from her cover towards the second-story window where the sniper is currently taking aim. Said sniper also might find that there's a live grenade also sitting right on her lap! And when it explodes, it'll take out the whole floor with it, leaving the sniper to tumble down to the ground provided she's not fast enough to get out of there.
Ixqor Nathrach	"For the emperor!? Ha! Truly I am blessed, to be able to sacrifice yet another of the False Emperor's slaves upon an altar of blood and slaughter! After Ten Thousand Wars loyalist, you will -DIE- against that pitiful wall!" Ixqor, with renewed zeal and fury drew the daemon blade of Jomungandr, who already had itself ready to strike in it's true form of toxic green warp energ, resembling a snake like entity. Ixqor took a step forward out of his cover, only to be hit sqaure in the back, causing him to lurch forward. Mag weaponry was much like las fire, yet more concentrated per shot, and it scalded his armor and pained the wearer. Ixqor at first thought it to be an Xcom operative, but was surprised when he cocked his head to see Advent firing upon them. He looked in the far distance and saw legionaires, looking all to much like him attacking. They were not alive though, he could sense it, mere holograms! The sorcerer, having harnessed his dark arts over the warp, tried to force another psychic message into the mind of the grunt, hoping it would reach it's master. The message was short and simple, knowing the xenos likely did not wish to hear much from him. "ILLUSION." Was the message he sent, and hoped he wouldn't have to fight more than one side in this engagement. Doing his best to brush off the greivances the advent grunt had committed, Ixqor turned back to Maaka and with one hand, loosed several more bolter shots before jabbing forward with the etheral blade of Jomungandr. To her surprise perhaps, the daemon amalgamation would stretch forth, growing long enough to to bare its' psychic fangs against the woman, and try to catch her in it's jaws. "Feast, Jomungandr!"
Linne	Linne /almost/ has something witty to say. Almost. Because Johnny has a leaking plasma weapon aimed right for her! She scowls, and pointedly waves her cane at his vague direction! "What a rugged little man you are! You are the one trespassing here, are you not?" She motions to the ADVENT. "They are the rightful rulers of this place. As such, it is /YOU/ who are unwelcomed! I appreciate your offer, but I have a job to do. Prepare to join my collection!" She leaps back towards a piece of elevated rock, doing a pirouette in the air! She bends backwards, making a show of her flexibility in a complicated bow, one leg in the air and turned to the side! "Iron Maiden!" From out of the Maid's body, a wrought-iron figure seems to emerge. A metal-caricature of a maid, it's all flexible iron, black as pitch, with long reaching claws where hands should be. Spikes cover the thing, invisible to non-Elites and non-Stand-users! It rushes for Johnny, the metal contraption lashing out with its claws to rip and tear towards his flesh! "Orya orya ory oryaaaaaaaaaa!!!" She cries aloud as she Stand Shoots the brave wastelander! The sniper however has /issues/! Namely, Kelly lobs a grenade! The green haired maid screams as it goes off, the young woman tumbling from the second story to avoid the blast! She still gets it in the leg, and falls screaming! WHUMP! Right into a nearby bit of rubble. Her gun goes skittering, she's grasping her leg, and otherwise seems out of the fight for now!
Alexis Maaka	Maaka grins behind her mask. She knew that'd get him roaring, and as long as Ixqor is focused on HER and not anybody else, this might be a bit more manageable. "By my fury YOU WILL KNOW HIS NAME, HERETIC!" She roars again, looking and sounding a mix between Vindicare and Sororitas as she presses the assault. Her EM rifle isn't too dissimilar to the mag weaponry the ADVENT troops issue, which does help when it comes to stopping power. Maaka ups the output as her weapon converts into sniper mode, and she fires off a shot aimed for Ixqor's head. "AND THAT'S HE WITH A CAPITAL H BY THE WAY!" She adds, breaking kayfabe briefly before she returns to sermonizing. "HE WHO HAS NOTHING CAN STILL GIVE HIS LIFE." The cyborg grows more aggressive, repeatedly firing upon Ixqor even as he presses the assault, dodging his attack with a scrape. The feeling of her life essence being nibbled is palpable, and Maaka growls in pain before she fires a high-ex round from her rifle's underslung launcher.
Courier Six	"Can't say I didn't try, then. And I ain't somethin' to collect." The cowboy's grizzled face, though show quite a bit of surprise at the flickering mass of the Stand behind Linne. "Well that's new." It's almost enough to allow that metal wraith a full hit on him. As it stands, one of those jagged sheets of metal clangs off his chest plate, the first layer of ceramics cracking from the force. Johnny snarls, and skinns backwards, lifting up the Multiplas to cook off a wide swath of hateful green energized plasma bolts, aiming to swat into Linne's flesh and cook her from the outside in. "Ain't your world either, DARLIN'!"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone is mocving and doign what she can, she's trying to get people out here. She's moving to do what she can she knows she can't save everyone but damn it she's going to act to save as many as she can. Why? It matters to the ones she's able to save after all, right? "Head that way I'll cover you get on the transport and move!" Kotone is going to owe Yuna one after all is said and done and she's going to trust in everyone else. Her hate though towards the confeds here is growing quite a bit. She's forced to watch her tac net feeds even as the feds keep coming, she needs to keep an eye on her friend sbut she contiunes to seek out those souls she can save, she doesn't think much of the feds involved in this and she isn't going to forget this /ever/.
Yuna Kagurazaka	"It's okay," Yuna says encouragingly as she descends. "I've got ..." And then the terrified little girl stops being terrified, little, or a girl. Yuna gapes, floating backwards as she stares at the towering monster. "What in the name of -- ?!" Yuna yelps, her voice about half an octave higher than normal. And then the beast's claws lash out. Fortunately, Yuna's guts are not laid open and splattered all over by the slash - but that's solely thanks to her battlesuit: the impact of claws with the Light Suit's protective aura is marked by a skittering, crackling flash of light, and the strike still imparts enough momentum to send Yuna flying backwards into another wall, and the second impact elicits its own flash of light from the defensive field around Yuna's armored form. She wobbles briefly, shaking her head to clear it, and takes a second look at the 'girl' who wasn't a girl. Slowly, her green eyes narrow and her expression hardens, and brushing her right hand around the 'garter' on her thigh, Yuna summons the Matrix Divider to her hands, grasping it tightly and focusing her powers. "I don't have time to deal with you, but if I leave you here, you'll just go after others - innocents, XCOM, whoever you can get." She lets out a breath, the Divider's barrel/blade flaring brightly, its greenish-gold light clashing with the orange of fires. "I'm sorry," Yuna breathes, her finger closing on her weapon's trigger. And she fires - not like the usual not-meant-to-be-lethal bolts on which she normally relies, but a devastatingly powerful blast, closer to the wrath and force of a lightning bolt. Yuna's eyes are still closed as she rises into the air again, checking with Elner to make sure the alien monster didn't survive that - and then checking where the next innocent is who needs help. ADVENT is probably already shooting at her again. For a split second, Yuna considers just letting them - but the Light Suit took too much of a hit to tank anything she doesn't have to. With that in the back of her mind, Yuna starts dodging again without really thinking about it. She's flying erratically and speeding up, zigging and zagging; a few more Matrix Divider shots (weaker than the one meant for that Faceless) aimed to harry her attackers while Yuna tries to find more civilians to rescue.
Rory White	One of the Robo-Squirrels with its eyes on Ixqor and the ADVENT troops frowns. Here's hoping that ADVENT will stay true to their imperious course and decide they're much bigger than Ixqor! Her current psychological read on the aliens suggests that they might actually be that arrogant. But who knows? That power he wields might intrigue them... It's the only thing she's worried about regarding their cooperation, so far. She has no idea how deep the powers of Chaos and Psykers flow... AND THEN one of her other squirrel-scouts spies a... what the HELL is that thing the others are running from?! XCOM's Flexbot Helper flinches in alarm. It's JUST enough of a shock that she fails to react quite in time to the trooper who just hurled a grenade her way. The Crab walker skitters away from the grenade, but... BOOM!! All of the Holo-Marines fizzle and flicker unnaturally, coming out of their carefully calibrated focus. Her holoprojector can't compensate for ALL OF THAT CHAOS AND SMOKE! She's thrown away from her cover by the force and goes rolling against the ground, minus one of her weapon barrels and a leg. The Flexbot's silvery surface shimmers though, and BEGINS SLOWLY REGROWING THE LOST LEG by draining mass from its body core. Will probably take a minute to assemble a new one! "... They have shapeshifting insurgents amongst the population... ADVENT even planned that we would mount a rescue!"
Samira Amirmuaz	With the monstrosity either beaten off or dead, a lot of pressure was lifted off of XCOM's shoulders. In fact, this battle had gotten much, much easier to handle in general, as Kotone and Yuna had decided to work solely on saving civilians, which left the guerillas only needing to focus on ADVENT and clearing out the rest of the bastards. Rory's deception had been revealed, and that left the remaining Troopers and Engineer visible to return their attention to the rest of the fight - with a helpful reminder from Ixqor, to boot. Only they got cleared out as Thompson moves forward, barely able to handle his minigun anymore... but still perfectly capable of throwing grenades. BOOM! One pod clear, and the troopers move to take positions where the corpses of ADVENT troops lay. While Faceless are strong foes, there's not much that this particular specimen can do to survive a full-contact blast from an angry Elite. The bolt smacks it dead in the face and sears straight through it, leaving it standing for a few seconds before it finally collapses while it's flesh oozes onto the ground around it, degenerating into paste. Now she was back in the air and trying to get more civilians, but they were behind the current line of ADVENT, mostly Troopers, a couple Captains, and a Sectoid. The Sectoid has evidently decided it's had enough screwing around, so it reaches up to tear a purple rift in reality, reach out with it's mind, and attempt to seize control of a certain singer/idol/hero. Kotone manages to pick up another one, leaving two more people left to rescue. As an added bonus, her current position has her flanking the Sectoid and his buddies, and she'll have to get past them in order to save the remaining helpless people. Maybe it's time for her to go live and support her friend? The XCOM troopers are trying, too, Thompson sticking his minigun on a barrier so he can give some supressive fire without having to use his injured arm. DeGaspard has to work towards getting up to the roof so he can have clearer shots, so for the moment he's out of the game. Which leaves Kelly. She nods firmly and scowls when she watches the maid tumble from her vantage point and hit the ground, and the Assault isn't willing to give her a chance to get back into the fight. Which is why she runs into the rubble of the building until she finds her injured target. No words are exchanged - Kelly is the quiet type. The only sound to be heard there above the screams and shots were Kelly firing a load of buckshot directly at the woman's head, and calmly racking another round into the chamber before moving to take cover, to get ready to help out Maaka with their other problem.
Ixqor Nathrach	Ixqor began to laugh as he continued to hear the jeering of the supposed imperial. He kept advancing, sprinting now even towards Maaka. She may be able to dodge his attacks, but she by no means could outrun an astartes. He listened to one of her sermonal sayings and cackled. "You can give your life, Imperial slave! Give it to the laughing god's, the ones who rule all domains! Now come and feel the bite of my sword weakling!" He trampled over to her and placed the bolter on his back while doing so. The shot hit him then, square in the face, scalding his visor and causing him to stumble back, nearly falling over. He cawed out in some pain. "AAGH!" His free hand covered the side of his helm that had now been shot off, revealing his reptilian looking eyes that swelled with hatred. "Such innscolence! Today you will learn slave-!" He stumbled to get back into his sprint again, but without a doubt he would make it too her. One would expect a strike from his serpentien sword, but no, he simply reached to haul Maaka up by the throat with his gloved hand. The battle was non consequential to him, not when an Imperial would so openly taunt him. Especially when they could prove to be quite useful as a spawn, or as a coverted cultist.
Linne	The hard hit has the madness in Linne's eyes coming to the fore, bloodlust clear in them! She recklessly advances on the man, maid-coats spinning as she leaps for him after her Stand! "Oh, are we going to argue semantics now? How cute! The only ones that can claim a place are those that have the power to keep it!" As the man fires off his plasma, however, she has a bit of a problem! She's never encountered the stuff before, and as she covers her body with her arms and kicks up her skirts, they all turn to rigid steel! Yet, the force of the blast takes her in the chest rather than bouncing away like bullets, and she's forced to skidd to the ground with a scream! Her metal body is now scorched as it turns back to flesh and cloth, parts of it smoking, her flesh even burnt a bit! "Y...you! YOU'LL PAY!" She howls, and then thrusts a hand to the ground! What once was simple earth begins to transmute to copper, sliding its way towards Johnny as she uses her STand to try to turn ground, cover, and Courier into new metal statuary! Meanwhile, the green haired maid only has time to look up as buckshot enters her skull. There's the slightest of shrieks, and she drops the rifle, forever silenced. Luckily, Linne is too busy with Johnny to notice just yet, and so her wrath is relatively contained!
Courier Six	There's a satisfied grin on Johnny's face as he sees the clinging plasma do a number even on a lady made of metal... but there's a click of his teeth as that path of copper starts to slide its way towards him. There's only a vaguest thought of 'god that's worth a buncha money', before he's scampering. He heard Maaka's warning, at least. "Payment's in a pounda flesh! On in your case, an arm and a LEG." He hauls over and fires off two more blasts from the Multiplas, hearing the cries in the background about a shapeshifter. A low growl, and he starts to stand his ground against Linne. Gotta keep this one from makin' trouble for the rest.
Alexis Maaka	"MY ARMOR IS CONTEMPT!" Maaka roars. She might be dragging this out longer than necessary, but it's effective seeing Ixqor stumble like this. Of course, then he runs into melee. She tries to line up the shot, but space marines are space marines, thus Maaka is grabbed in his hand. "Let me GO!" She struggles, her rifle hanging by a sling as she attempts to pry Ixqor's fingers off of her with one hand. Then she draws something from her Matter Manipulator's inventory. It's a bulky, heavy pistol with a massive magazine hanging from in front of the grip and trigger, and it sports a compensator that covers most of the front of the gun. It's a Bolt Pistol, purity seals affixed to the slide and frame with wax and script as Maaka tries to level the pistol to Ixqor's head. "Let you suffer the Emperor's mercy." She snarls, firing point blank at the sorcerer with .75 caliber rounds.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Trying to take control of Yuna's mind isn't normally that imposing a feat; she tends to trust most people on first meeting, and she's probably not that hard to hypnotize - not that she's ever willingly subjected herself to attempts at hypnosis, so she wouldn't necessarily know. At the moment, though, that Sectoid has a terrible uphill struggle just trying to lay hold of Yuna's mind. She's an Elite to begin with, she's upset enough not to let herself be controlled if she did notice something trying to direct or guide her actions, and she's in her Light Suit - which is designed to interfere with attempts at mind control in the first place. That's something that the forces of Darkness try often in Yuna's world, so it's only natural that the Savior of Light is equipped to resist attempts at controlling her mind or heart. Yuna doesn't even seem to notice the Sectoid's efforts; she certainly doesn't shoot at it in retaliation or anything. The ADVENT troopers (and captains) are more of a concern at the moment. Rather than cutting loose with the Matrix Divider, though, Yuna soars over their line, strafing with the rapid-fire pulse-launcher arrays built into her Flight Form's vambraces. It's not going to be deadly - this is nowhere near the intensify of firepower she used on the Faceless - but it should at least serve the purposes of slowing them down, and distracting them from the civilians they're trying to kill - and if Yuna actually draws their fire her way instead, all the better.
Kotone Yamakawa	Now there's the issue of a civilians has turned into a horrible monster. Is it a weapon that can turn people? Something chaos did? Or a tool of the ADVENT? Kotone doesn't know. Things are not doing well but they have got better, Rory's move did buy her time or so she though as she keeps going. She's managed to find another. "Look head to the ship over there don't look back and get aboard you'll be safe there now go." She will spot the Sectoid and knows taking it down would make things easier for everyone else honesly. It can't do things like mess with people's minds, and she fears it would take control of one of the civilians which would then be thrown at XCOM. There's Chaos here and the stand user but every less thing to worry about improves things for the XCOM forces and their allies. She'll line up a shot and just open up on the Secoit hoping to take it down in one or two bursts from her weapon given she's got the drop on it. <<Got another one out, and I'm going to try to take this Sectoid to put it out of the game.>>
Ixqor Nathrach	"You will learn that I am the -only- constant! And you, you are but transitory!" Being successful in catching her, he would hold her high and begin strangling her with his one hand, the other holding back the Serpent only inches away from her face. "You will learn what TRUE devotion is!" His grip did not tighten, but warp energies, terrible and foul, would begin amassing in his hand, not meaning to harm, but to fill Maaka's being and soul. He was trying to forcibly corrupt her! Maaka was in no position to be sneaky with the matter manipulator, and Ixqor saw her draw the boltgun. As she brought it to bear against him, his serpentine weapon lashed out and forced Maaka's hand to point outwards, letting the bolt round off into the sky. "Truly you are a persistent worm. Now though... Open your eyes, breathe it in. Feel the chaos coursing in your veins!" Even with the most strong of willpowers, the invasive corrupting affects of chaos would begin their magic. Terrible vistas of emptiness, woe, strife, and horror would become imprinted upon Maakas mind, like living nightmares. The skin around her neck would bubble and crawl, almost literally, as she seemed to be coated in an electrical aura. ANd most noticeably, upon her neck, a brutal scar would begin to form of charred skin, slowly, but surely, creating the mark of Chaos upon her. Time was short, she would need rescue and soon, or she may suffer from more permanent effects than a half finished scar!
Linne	This time, Linne is wisely more evasive! As the first shot of plasma comes for her, her stand kicks her into the air, the pair catching one another and doing a ballroom dance while falling. The shot misses Linne by mere inches, leaving one of her boots scorching! "I think not! A lowly commoner such as you could never claim my limbs!" She spits back, only to be chucked by her Stand at Johnny like some kind of very maid-ly missile! Her wild hair turns to metallic spikes, and all but her face seems to turn to black iron this time! She's a fast moving hunk of iron, but she's a very linear hunk of iron, and so Johnny might have time to blast her off course /or/ leap out of the way!
Alexis Maaka	This isn't going well. Maaka feels Ixqor's magic work on her, her neck feeling like it's on FIRE as the mark of Chaos is branded into her skin. Even incomplete, this isn't going to end well for her, and she can already feel things getting all fuzzy. Of course, her will is maintaining as she screams in rage and pain. "You think this is gonna work!? FUCK THAT, I'VE HAD HARDER THAN THIS YOU LIMPDICK FUCK!" She might be resisting just out of pure spite, especially as her legs kick upwards, and she attempts to lock her thighs around Ixqor's arm. If successful, she will do her best to try and twist hard enough to make it very difficult for the sorcerer to keep a hold onto her, and she reaches for Ixqor's thumb and fingers in an effort to move them, if not break bone and metal. Yes, she is that strong.
Courier Six	The Cowboy snarls as he sees the shot miss, more of that spritual persona demon stuff goin' on. "Dammit, woman, that's NO damn way to-" And then he's taking a spiky tackle right in the chest, too planted to get out of the way, the creeping copper catching the soles of his boots. several of the spines spang off the chest armor, but one finds a seam, skewering him through. "Hnnnggrrrff da-dammit." Thankfully, he's a cyborg, and systems inside kick into gear to keep his from bleeding like a stuck pig. He lashes around a bit, Pipboy flickering in emergency, and then there's a Power Fist on his right hand, and he starts BANGING at Linne with the pneumatic punchglove. "GETTOFFA ME! DA-DAMMIT!"
Rory White	All warfare is based upon deception. -Sun Tzu Rory White didn't re-emerge immediately for a reason. The troopers had thrown a grenade without knowing what exactly was going on in there. They have no idea whether they killed their opponent or not, and an enemy that didn't shoot back could be considered dead... right? GUESS AGAIN! With the high-pitched sound of a rather complicated metal-on-metal servos shifting and repairing themselves even as they're pushed to the limit, Rory's flexbot comes ZOOMING at inhuman inspeeds around the corner of one of the hovels and into the corridor of doom IXqor and Maaka are tussling in. Her remaining turrets instantly lock onto ADVENT forces and open fire several directions at once - with her processing power and many weapons, why focus on only one enemy?! No, she's offloaded some aiming to her onboard AIs and Muse, personally focused instead on closing in! The walker's shifted its feet into WHEELS. Self-driven wheels that seem to have no trouble with this rough terrain and send the thing leaping forward the few times it does. it moves like a pouncing spider and crazy cart at once, far beyond the realm of human reflexes and coordination! And some of the shots are aimed right for Ixqor's forehead.
Samira Amirmuaz	At last, the battlefield was starting to clear up more. Those two pods of ADVENT soldiers were the last of the enemies left on the board, not counting the Elites still duking it out. That being said, with two Captains and a Sectoid, they're still quite the threat. Well... actually, scratch the Sectoid. It notes with some anger that it's attempt to control Yuna was worthless, and was instead planning on moving back to one of the civilians, only for it's brains and chest to explode under a hail of fire from Kotone's rifle. While Yuna was certainly being annoying, the sad fact was that non-lethal shots just weren't going to do all that much in an all-out warzone. She's hard to hit, though - but that's why one of the Captain taps on the side of his helmet and points in her direction, marking her out holographically so that they can have better luck hitting her. Three Troopers open up on her with renewed determination now that she (should) be easier to hit. Thankfully, she's at least able to make it to one of the last refugees, who scrambles immediately when the firing starts. The troops had, of course, noticed Kotone and went to take cover in her direction. A Sentry and three other troopers are now firing upon her position with aggression. Thankfully now Rory has engaged as well, and it won't be long before their line is decimated. Particularly when DeGaspard manages to get up to his position and start raining down his own fire, taking shots on the two Captains, managing to drop the one who hadn't Marked Yuna. Thompson's ammo is spent, and now he's too busy sitting on the ground, panting and groaning as the neurotoxin spread through his arm. There's a good chance that if that isn't dealt with, he's going to lose his arm - at least. Kelly can see the trouble that Maaka is in right now, caught up in the Sorceror's fist, and she knows damn well there's nothing she can actually do against that iron juggernaut. At least... nothing outright damaging. But that's why she runs from cover while Ixqor is distracted, moving as quickly as she dares to not pull his attention until she is only about five meters away. "Hey, shithead!" she yells - and fires buckshot into the back of the Marine's knee. It probably won't penetrate the armor or do much damage, but maybe the force will make him stumble enough for Maaka to get free.
Linne	"Oh, I am going nowhere! You are my new decoration-to-be!" Already, she's reaching to try to grab the Cowboy's shoulder, and attempt to turn his arm to brittle bronze after that brutal strike! Too bad she's stuck inside the man, and there'a powerfist slamming into her! No time to turn to metal, all she can do is get hammered again, again, and again! She's sent flying from the force, tumbling as her battered body lands! "Nnnngh..." She moans out, before flicking her wrist! Several feather dusters go flying for the Courier! Namely, his face. They're also turned to cutting little spikes where feathers once were!
Ixqor Nathrach	He could feel the pressure building on his arm. This woman was stronger than he expected, he liked that. All the better of a potential servent in the future! He knew if he resisted that his arm would be severelyw ounded, and even then his Astartes physiology would be taxed to heal it in a short time. He raised a brow at this sudden burst of strength before forcibly tossing Maaka to the ground with all of his strength. "Yet you resist, when I so readily give you the gift of enlightenment! Soon you will see though... Whether you like it or no. Chaos will have new blood. Yours or theirs." Who they was to him was non specific... And somewhat forboding of a statement. He would raise his blade high and prepare to take a more drastic approach to this inductment, but he was stopped. 'Hey Shithead!' Rang in his ears and Ixqor cocked his head left, revealing his visible serpentine eye. The shotgun blast hit his knee and he bucked forward, falling down onto his other knee. "Curse thee!" He spat out, not in pain, but frustration. This battle field was almost too chaotic, and now he realized his allies had faltered, the weaklings. The deathbot came about the corner and took aim at him. Ixqor turned over to it, wide eyed, and rolled aside into a nearby alley. Standing up as quick as he could, he lifted his hand and fired several doombolts into the buildings walls on either side of the alleyway entrance, hoping to cause wreckage to fall down and block their path. "I have not endured the millenia to be brought low -now-!" He cursed aloud, tearing a rip in space time using his blade as it became metal once more. "THis was but the first of many battles, and mark thine words. Your campaign is folly! Only when you see past your mortal illusions will you know the truth! Only then will you be able to strike down the xenos!" He fled then into the warp, to strike another day. He reminded himself though, there was another meeting he would attend, one on the island nation of Japan, in a dimension far from this one. And hopefully, his plans would run more smoothly there.
Courier Six	There is a goddamn metal spike through Johnny's chest and he's not happy about it. Not at all. Though he'll be able to articulate that better and more succinctly once this was all over. In the meantime, he's relishing the fact that the Metal Lady is no longer bodily attached to him. Less so that there's feather knives comin' for his face. He manages to get his duster up in time to ward off the sharp spines... And then starts to stalk for Linne, hissing and bleeding. There's... fluids that aren't blood coming from his chest wound, and his eyes are smouldering with fire. He knows better than to yank out that spike, even if it would be metal as hell right now. "Yer forces are retreatin'..." Spit. His left arm aches and that's probably pretty bad. He works to flex his hand, but it starts to dangle low at his side, weighed down by the Pipboy. The Power Fist... disappears somewhere, and then it's replaced by That Gun. You know the one, Johnny's favorite sidearm. He lifts the teched up revolver, the rifle cardridges inside aching to be fired. "Last chance, darling."
Alexis Maaka	Maaka is released, and yet her neck still feels on -fire.- She screams and screams as the brand of Chaos is left on her skin, burning through armor plating and infecting flesh and artificial sinew. It's like a blowtorch blazing away at beef, and it sizzles like hot oil on a skillet. The cyborg, for once, is brought low, unable to focus on anything but the pain she feels as she rolls on the ground. Kelly can shout all she wants, but Maaka's only barely holding onto her sanity and humanity with this unearthly mark on her flesh. She rips her helmet off, screaming long and hard still while her skin glows with hateful colors. Grabbing at her own neck, Maaka tries to draw a knife in a desperate effort to spare herself the mark, but her hand shakes and drops the blade after leaving but a shallow cut, her hands flailing now.
Linne	Linne doesn't look much better off. She definitely has a broken arm, she's bleeding, and the way she breathes might just mean she's pretty messed up inside from that power fist! Her Stand hauls her to her feet, the thing flexing its claws as he draws The Gun. She doesn't seem to be wanting to back off, but the sight of Chaos fleeing has her frowning. "You...fine. You win today. I am going to collect my subordinate! Good day you uncouth brute! Hmph!" Then, she leaps off high into the air! Only to land near the body of her fallen maid. Hauling up the body, her face grows red and she screams! "Y...YOU FILTH! NO ONE KILLS A SERVANT OF HOUSE TRES! I'LL MAKE EVERY ONE OF YOU PAY! YOU WILL ALL DIEEEEEEE!" Howls the woman, before her Stand flings a part of one of those hovels vaguely in Johnny's direction. Probably not enough to hit him though! Then, she's off.
Yuna Kagurazaka	"Shugoseiheki!!" Yuna calls out - well, more 'yelps,' really - when the heavier fire starts seeking her out. The kite shield weighs her down somewhat, but it isn't heavy enough to keep her from staying airborne. On the downside, she can only aim the shield in one direction at a time; if she's in a crossfire (which she is), agility is her only real defense. Well, that and the Light Suit's defensive aura, even if her reserves are running out with every shot that actually hits her. By the time Yuna touches down next to the last refugee, the Light Suit is sparking more steadily than it was, not just when she gets hit. "This is gonna suck," Yuna whispers, keeping her shield interposed to protect the refugee she's found. "Jiina, get down here, gonna need speed plus cover." While she's waiting for Erina's 'sister,' Yuna turns a reassuring smile to the civilian she's with. "It's going to be okay, I'll make sure you get to safety. ADVENT isn't going to get the chance to hurt you." The green-and-white android form of Jiina of the Earth descends from above - probably with some dings and/or scorch marks to show for ADVENT shooting at her - and Yuna's Flight Form armor detaches, Erina's form reassembling next to Yuna as Jiina goes translucent, phases over Yuna, and disappears, filling in a wireframe with the shape and mass of Powered Form. Shugoseiheki is relocated to the exo-suit's left mecha-arm, and Yuna scoops the refugee up in her own arms with the right mecha-arm providing some extra support. "Okay ... Erina, take point; Marina, cover fire please. Let's go!" Erina knows from Elner how the battlefield is currently laid out, and leads the way, her pulse blasters - the same equipment Yuna had on her forearms - ready to blast a path through any ADVENT forces between them and the rendezvous/evac point. Yuna follows not too far behind, hover-thrusters letting her travel overland at a high speed; she does have to navigate around buildings, fires, and so forth now, but with Elner navigating and Erina on point, she's not too worried. It may be the most exciting ride of her passenger's life, but Yuna plans to make sure that she (or he) will live to tell it. And Marina, who's been hiding out on the fringes of things, finally lends a hand to the action: a volley of minitorpedo-esque missiles is launched, each rocket aimed to detonate near one of the remaining ADVENT troopers. The explosions won't be big enough to be individually lethal, but killing them isn't the point; Yuna wants any additional enemy fire disrupted so she can get away better with her rescuee.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone is just lucky here she's managed to bring the alien down or so she thinks. She's been noticed and she's got thie attnetione which end sup Kotone is going to be under fire and she vaults away trying to dodge the shots. She dodges most of he fire but one or two the rounds connect and they hit with enough force to breach her armou and her cyberbvody. It's not fatal it's not fun but she's alive at least and she's going to do what she'll lob an old style plasma grenade to the ADVENT line hoping to bring them down or deny them cover. And then there's the issue of Alexis is in trouble and Kotone will not leave her hanging like that.
Courier Six	And then Johnny sits, slumping against a wall. He grumbles... and fishes around in his coat pocket... and pulls out some sort of heavily contraptualized widget of unknown usage, but it's got a Red Cross on the side. He mumbles something, and then mashes a hand lever... and vanishes in a sudden and violently noisy teleportation.
Rory White	Durandal is DOWN. Rory cannot show her frustration and concern on the Flexbot's expressionless form, but its legs do tense as if reading to pounce on the retreating Ixqor. Optics in every direction quickly spot that others are coming to Durandal's aid though, and so... With a few final potshots for any ADVENT remaining to suppress them, she engages those wheels again and ZOOOOOOMS over towards the burning building at maximum speed. The walker's middle set of wheel-legs folds under as she approaches Thompson... and drops down on him to wrap him up in them. And OFF she goes back towards the recall point! But it's not really THIS SIMPLE. In the handling she plants a plum-sized... GLOB... on his arm near the wound. Medical nanites will soon be flooding his system, hunting down the neurotoxin. Even if they don't have the specific signature to stop the toxin itself, they are capable of repairing much of the damage it inflicts... it might be enough to let his immune system handle the rest. Time will tell.
Samira Amirmuaz	With focused fire from Kotone, Yuna, and the last few shots from Rory, the last remaining ADVENT soldiers in the area are alternatively blown up, shot, and melted, with a little help from DeGaspard up top to help them out. For the first time since this fight started, Humanity Falls has grown blessedly quiet, save for the sounds of burning and collapsing buildings. The AO is finally clear. Which left a whole bunch of people in a scramble to save what was left of their various injured comrades safe and off of death's door. Kelly moves to help Kotone pick up Maaka - it's goddamn tough to lift that much of cybernetic woman - and bring her over to Leroy's squad. DeGaspard doesn't help anyone, instead taking his time to walk amongst the dead for a moment with a smile on his lips, hidden under his EXALT bandana. Thompson gets help from robo-Rory, though he twitches and mutters and groans each time he's jostled... at least the nanites might help in making sure that the toxin doesn't outright kill him. So when they finally lifted off from this place, all that was left were the corpses of refugees, ADVENT, and one maid, amidst the burning rubble that was once a place where people lived.