Fall From Heaven Chapter Two - RPLOG
From Flexible Survival
Participants
Date
13/4/2012
Log
The sudden appearance of a much larger swathe of wreckage beyond initial appearances creates quite the stir among the people gathered at the scene; where it had been about one city block of ruins, now there's about four! The team is called in by the Zephyr officials, and Malikai and Solixis are evac'd for different reasons: the first to be checked for feral influences, the other to give a comprehensive report on what's happened so far. It doesn't take more than a few minutes before a vehicle pulls up with two new agents to take the place of the others, and this time, the crowd of neophyte agents makes way for the arrivals.
Anbessa stands waiting by the wreckage, his back against one of the many twisted and wrecked pieces of metal, having chose to wait out for the new agents. As he sees the large crowd of people begin to part, he slightly grumbles something unable to be heard as he watches the vehicle, awaiting for the new people to come on over. By his feet lays alot of different computers that were not so badly damaged from the wreck.
Onris sloshes her way towards Redd guessing the increase in scope will bring an increase in orders. She moves cautiously thoug it's not obvious if it's due to gryphons or the fear of falling in an unfamiliar form.
Still somewhat bitter about the komodo having torn apart the first potential captive, Redd was somewhat glad to see Malikai evacuated. "That lizard was more trouble than he was worth. Should have known better to come without eating first." He waves to the approaching vehicle, hoping they'd stay long enough to load some debris onboard.
CaseyRune mantles ontop of the vehicle, unslinging their rifle from their back. They brace themselves on the vehicle and peer through the scope at the surrounding rubble, muttering a small "Damn." before reslinging their rifle back onto their back and hop off the vehicle. They make their way toward the other agents "So what in the burning hells just crashed into the city? Zephyr higher up are acting like they just got a red-hot poker up the ass, and according to the what, 4 blocks of leveled city, whatever it is is damn big."
Xon looks up from her latest notebook, a small green plastic one. She smiles gently and tucks it into the inside of her coat, nestling it amongst the 39 other booklets. "Oh, so this is what's occured...hmm strange dealings indeed." she looked around slowly and nodded. "I do hope it's exciting, maybe a new strain...or maybe some form of giga-chimera...hmmm strange things indeed." she mumbled to herself absent-mindedly before hunching over to ovserve the ground first.
Smokie sits beside Redd, her forepaws between her hind, her tail resting on the ground before her. She sighs and closes her eyes for a moment as she sees the vehicle. Man, that turned into a mess, but it wasn't like she could do much to help. She was inwardly cursing herself for leaving her rifle behind, too... Hell, she didn't have -anything- at all on her, just her claws and teeth. How useless! She sighs again, but a little thought of the twitching, gurgling gryphon makes a little smile cross her muzzle. Been there, done that.
The scent of blood hangs in the air, largely centered around the fallen gryphon that had been partially devoured by the departing komodo. For the time being, things seem relatively stable, though there's a lot more ruin to explore than there was previously. As the replacement teammates greet the previous ones, there is a hint of resentment among the crowd of neophyte agents with a tinge of 'why can't we be the ones to go in there?' while the more experienced ones seem content to answer with 'you saw what they did to pros, stand back and watch, maybe you'll learn something'.
Anbessa blinks as he spots a familiar agent step out of the vehicle, him smiling as he pads away from the wreckage and up to Xon, almost immediately wrapping his arms around the Quetzalcoatl in a nice hug. "Hi sweetie. Welcome to the mission." He says, wagging his tail. Though the Talakai does indeed show partial damage, some of his outfit slightly ripped from the beaks and claw scratches from the Gryphon. He then looks over to the neophyte agents, listening in to them for a moment before he looks to a few of the other guards. "Get some of these scavenged items into the vehicle and send em back to Zephyr. Might be somethin' worth it inside of those harddrives." He says in a stern voice, his eyes scanning over the crowd quietly as his tail idly sways from side to side.
Onris starts chatting up one of the guards that occomanies the vehicles keeping volume low so words are indistinguishable but her body language shows flirtation.
"Could I get your names? That'll make life easier for all of us." Redd directs this question at the newcomers, before throwing a glare over at Onris. "And Onris, please take a more solid form, else you might be stuck in a bucket the next couple hours."
CaseyRune sighs, of course. "Rune, Casey Rune." They draw their USP, switching the mag of .45 rounds for a mag of Tranq rounds and repeating their question "What the hell hit the city? Its not exactly a very subtle new addition here."
Xon looks up and kisses Anbessa happily, her turqious arms wrapping around the talakai gently. Smiling she looks beyond him to the wreckage. "Well... they did say it could be interesting. I suppose that's what drove you here, isn't it Anbessa?" she said playfully to her mate. Her suddenly stood up straight, a hint of crimson red as she blushed due to her PDA. "Oh..umm..well...not very professional was that? I'm..I'm Lilly Xonlic, Xon if you prefer."
Smokie helps herself up onto four paws, shaking off the road dust from her pelt and giving a soft sniff. Blood, too strong to really smell much else. At least she knew where the gryphon-smell from earlier came from. She looks up at Redd, and nuzzles his leg, before she begins to sniff around again...
Apart from the occasional gurgling of the gryphon on the ground - which, one might note, Zephyr simply left to die or recover on its own - the area is silent. Even the protests of the crowd of agents have died off, aside from the occasional hushed whisper from one or another. The group certainly is the center of attention! Occasionally, there is a hint of motion from deeper within the rubble of what looks to have once been part of a city, but very little else. This area, at least, appears to be secure...and Zephyr officials move in, cordoning off the area accordingly.
Anbessa chuckles gently as he kisses back Xon. "Well I was called up by Zephyr to do this too, so I got here a bit back... At least the crowd got out of the way when you came here, since you got a ride here in a frikkin' vehicle. Lucky." He teases, patting Xon's shoulder before looking back towards the wreckage... Then back to Xon, "By chance know any way to hack harddrives? I found a few of em in the wreckage before the gryphon flock went wild." He says, still seeming quite calm at this time... Though with noticing how the entire crowd is just watching them all, it is quite awkward.
Onris rubs against the guard, and possibly kisses him though no one can prove it. She steps back at the orders snaped at her, quickly writing something on the guards hand. She flashes one last seductive smile before turning to join the group, proudly carrying the guards assault rifle. As she approaches she shifts into a gryphon matching those that attacked not long before.
The air chills slightly, with nanites going into standby. "That should give us a one up on who or whatever is out here. We've got weapons, they don't." Redd's voice has a small tremble to it, as if he weren't completely sure if he was making the right choice. "Mind, we have to be more careful because of this."
CaseyRune tchs. Damnit. Looks like getting anything out of them was going to be like pulling hen's teeth, and now nanite excuses are dead in the water. Their going to have to be much more careful now. S-healing was still on, but N-healing was out. They wander over to a section of rubble, checking it for stabillity "Right... Anyway. What's been found so far? Computers, and other junk salvage? Nothing that can tell us where this came from?"
Xon shakes her head slowly. "I'm sorry but I'm not that sort of scientist...more pen and paper myself." Xon cant help but give an unsettling smile, her jaw opening a bit too much for it to having an easing affect. Slowly she moved toward the wounded beast, looking over it with a mixture of worry and something slightly more primal. "Hmmm I do think I could...well....I may be able to help patch this gryphon up...or I could..well...I could use a snack." she said the last part a bit quiter, unsure how her new teammates would take to her needs as a Quetzalcoatl.
Smokie shivers, her fur all standing on end as she feels the nanites in and around her go dormant. She looks at Redd, an "Are you sure?" look of worry, lowering her tail a bit. There wasn't much she could do before, and now that anti-nano forcefield wasn't going to help her become any more efficient. Stupid, useless little Coyote.
There's a dull sort of hum in the air, then a certain sensation of 'deadness' as Redd turns on his anti-nanomagic; nanites are so prevalent in the world these days that their sudden absence feels much like background noise suddenly stopping. A murmur picks up from the crowd, a feeling of general dissent; the group has been consulting among themselves, certainly, but that appears to be all for the time being.
Anbessa shivers softly, his tail slightly wrapping around himself on instinct... He then sighs, calming down before looking to Redd and the others... "Well... Nothing much else that I know... Though shoulden't we get going?" He asks, looking to the rubble as he pads up towards it. He doesn't seem too bothered by the Anti-nanomagic other than the slight shiver from before... Though that may be for the large sword on his back, his weapon thankfully not powered by nanites other than just his strength. Though he does stop in front of the wreckage, looking over his shoulder to the others. He is pretty much ready to go by this point, though his expression does show a little bit of bother from the loss of nanites in the air.
Onris glances around as things seem different. Shi's never encountered this kind of thing before and thus doesn't overly worry. And she has a GUN. "What ya say Redd? Staggered groups moving forward? I'm still willing to go up if ya want aerial support."
"No snacks right now, We should go search for signs as to where this debris came from." Redd looks up, "Might be work having an eye in the sky, should we be able to keep the crowds from shooting at ya."
CaseyRune grunbles, muttering "Alright I'll find out myself." as they start to climb the hopefully stable rubble, quite quickly too. They throw one last question out to the rest of the team as they climb "Alright, ignore me if you will, but at least bloody tell me if there's known hostiles."
Xon sighs slightly, looking down at the beast and shaking her head. "Mission first I suppose." She smiles gently and rushes forward, gliding up behind Casey, making use of her large bulk to steady herself. "Well, if we must be bold, should be fun i mean we could runintosomestrangenewstraini'llcallitagigamutation-" Xon trails off, rapidly slurring her words till they become a canopy of hisses and chirps as she excitely attempts to describe what being she believes might have caused the 4 blocks to be leveled. "-andit'llhaveasnake'stail." She blinks, realziing she trailed off and blushing slightly
Smokie seems to be pouting around since Redd's decision, but is picked up by the sudden rambling of the Quetzel. Coyote, being somewhat distant kin, in a vague kind of metaphorical way, made Smokie feel a little bit of more comradery with Xon than with some of the others. The coyote makes a little yipping laugh, and sighs. "Well, look." She growls softly, "I'm dropping this pretense of being feral now. I'll take point, yes?"
Climbing rubble and getting an aerial view seems to have been a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it certainly provides a better view of the mysteriously appearing wreckage, enough to suggest everything from a movie theater to an office building to a police station; wherever this place is from, it's clear they had some kind of functioning society. On the other hand, putting oneself on high ground does tend to attract attention...and from the wreckage of what looks to have once been a restaurant, three gryphons bolt for CaseyRune, scampering toward them on all fours while hissing and screeching!
Anbessa follows behind Casey as everyone gets to climbing up the rubble, though at the sounds of the hissing and screeching gryphons, he doesn't really take the time to observe the surroundings before growling, reaching over his back towards his Claymore, sliding it out of it's sheath with a quick, fluent movement. He quickly moves to the front of the group, his sword resting in both of his paws as he growls at the gryphons, just waiting for them to get closer so he can take a swing.
; launches into the air straight up from the group. She watches the crowd shaking hir head as more then a few barrels point hir direction. As soon as the odd lacking feeling abates shi shifts back to hir angel form. Figuring that should halt the friendly barrage shi turns to see the gryphons rushing the forward members of the party. "Incoming 12 o'clock."she yells to those not able to see the attackers before moving to a above yet slightly behind CaseyRune and Xon.
"Does that answer your question?" Unable to help himself, Redd chuckles a bit to himself before starting to make his way around Casey's pile of debris, shotgun at the ready.
CaseyRune spots the gryphons, hoisting themselves up and drawing their USP. They take aim and fire off a round for each Gryphon, hoping that they hit and brought strong enough Tranq rounds. Well that certainly anwsers their question on 'are there hostiles'. "Shit... Well I suppose this serves me right..."
Xon smirks with a gleam in her eye and undoes her lab coat, leaving it open so she can access her notebooks. She takes out her notes on localized ferals, writing and comparing notes on the strange area before her. Nodding she lets out several quick notes about the idea of a gryphons being alpha predators of an area. With a grunt she arches up, her body uncoiling to it's full height.Once fully risen she removes her glasses, letting her topaz eyes sparkle with cold reptillian cruelty and distant avian cunning before she opens her arms to display her prismatic feathers. The total display is met in conjunction with the loudest and most intimadating screech she can muster. She holds her stance and lets out soft sing-song hiss to her allies "Either they own this area, are the first to arrive or they are the scouts. Reguardless...this is very interesting~~"
The Coyote's ears tilted to the screeches and scrabbles. Everyone else seems to be occupied, and so the Coyote backs of. Someone has to watch everyone else's backs, and well... Shit, if she wasn't going to get any action this whole mission, she'd be pissed. Hell no, and this Coyote form wasn't doing it for her, being grounded. She hated flying, but everyone had to make sacrifices. She disappears to the opposite side of the rubble pile, hoping to leave the effects of Redd's anti-nano field.
The results of the group's actions are instantly noticeable. One of the gryphons falls to Casey's rounds, but the uneven terrain coupled with the homefield advantage allows the other two to escape the gunfire unscathed. It's certainly possible for Smokey to slip out of Redd's field with him wandering around to the side, though whether or not she'll be quick enough to help CaseyRune with the two gryphons attacking her - or possibly Anbessa, with the two new gryphons that bolt out of the same restaurant - is a matter for some speculation. At least this time, there's no gunfire from the crowd, the group proving to be too far in for much to be seen by the bystanders. That screech of Xon's, though...that, they hear!
Anbessa growls softly, tuning out the rest of the noises as he lets out a yell, his large feet kicking off of the wreckage beneath him as he sprints, his Claymore gripped tightly in his paws as he goes after the two gryphons charging at him in return. Though before they can get in range for any type of slash, he quickly pivots on his heel, going for a quick spinning chop to the gryphon as he aims right for their midsection as they get in the range of his sword!
Onris maintains hir position above the others much more involved in being a look out then joining the fight. "Two more bogies, same heading." she calls out as more forms issue from the restaurant. Wondering what it's like to shoot in the air she points hir new assault rifle at the newest pair and squeezes of a short burst.
Redd stops in his tracks as he hears Xon screech. Spinning around, the shotgun is at his shoulder, but he's relieved to see it's just the serpent, and he lowers the gun.
CaseyRune lets loose an "Ah hell!" as only one of three gryphons fall, the other two still coming at them. Come on, think fast Rune... Right, Fire! Casey quickly sets fire to a small patch of ground infront of them, its not a big fire mind, but their hoping its enough for them to deter their attackers long enough for them to get off a few more shots. Uneven ground and nowhere to run, smooth move Rune.
The little Coyote is easily able to slip out of the Anti-nanomagic zone. Whether for better or for worse, she dives behind a small pile of rubble, out of sight. She hears the sounds of battle behind her as she feels, almost like diving into water, the nanites inside her reactivate in a wave, and as soon as she's able to... Boom, four-legged Gryphon. Now, whether or not that's a good choice...
Bam! One of the gryphons goes down as Anbessa cleaves it a new bird-hole. That one won't be getting up anytime soon, or if Redd gets close to it, at all. Casey's ploy to funnel the beasts away from them is at least partially successful; it definitely diverts them, but it only serves to split them off between Casey and Anbessa. Now instead of Casey two and Anbessa two, Casey has one...and Anbessa still has two! Onris' shot is on target, mercifully, reducing it to one-and-one, but an assault rifle was never made for mid-air firing; the recoil sends hir spinning rather badly, and shi'll need to right hirself before shi can try for another shot.
