Matrix: The Royal Theater
Edge stands firm, expressionless.
“Who are you?”
Onboard the Enkidu
Wraith grinned as the Sentinels came within range of his gatling guns. Placing his finger just over the triggers, he maneuvered the stick, just like the joystick with which he’d shot down so many enemy planes on his computer. It wasn’t hard to get a lock on the Sentinels. They tended to float towards ships in a straight line, and didn’t seem to care much for maneuvering.
Gritting his teeth, Wraith slammed the triggers down, unleashing a volley of gunfire upon the machines.
Onboard the Enkidu
Blaze had just reached his post when the ship emerged in front of the Sentinels. He barely had time to react when Wraith opened fire. Quickly, he typed away at the keyboard to adjust the aiming system toward the incoming ennemies, hoping it would only be a matter of seconds before they were destroyed.
“Kick their asses Wraith!”, he shouted enthusiastically.
Matrix: Royal Theater
Lobo makes his way down the row behind their target. “Excuse me, pardon me, terribly sorry madam.” His voice slurs a bit as he mumbles the apologies. He stops behind Monarch and the three slabs of meat.
A middle-aged blond man squeezed into his tuxedo from college, who was either in middle management at a brokerage house or a telephone sanatizer, and his equally middle-aged wife dressed in a green evening gown revealling too much decollatage for a woman her age and smelling faintly of gin looked at the old souse invading their space.
Lobo wags a thick finger at them. “I believe you are in my seat sir. My wife will be along shortly so I suggest that you take that doxy back out onto the street corner where you found her and go about your business.”
Matrix: Royal Theater
(ATTN: Roche, Katanga, Ego)
Bodies start shifting as the applause fades and chatter increases. Lobo stumbles uncomfrotably across the older couple who rises to depart.
One of Monarch’s bodyguards turns to the row directly behind him, sizing up Lobo for a moment. the other two help clear the path for their employer, who smiles smugly and begins to depart. He heads out into the aisle, still not far from Lobo, but now a bit closer to Cain’s position.
The lingering attendant finally addresses Lobo, perhaps passing him off as being drunk. The heap of black-skinned muscle bellows, “Had a few too many, old man? Show’s over.” The bodyguard motions to Cain, assuming him to be an usher. “This one’s past his bedtime.”
As for backstage…
Edge stares down his own large brute, a bruiser who seems a bit too agile for someone of his size. The man speaks cooly, “You don’t belong here. You should have stayed on your ship.”
With that, the brute lays into Edge, snapping a too-quick punch into his sternum, sending the smaller man back unexpectedly… without breath in his chest.
Catacombs: Onboard the Enkidu
(ATTN: Unicorn, Blunt)
Derelict deftly guides the Enkidu through the rubble of rock and broken metal. The ship’s weapons light up the cloudy hollows with burst of yellow fire.
Wraith cuts immediately into the further out of the two close sentinels, catching it from behind. The surprise attack quickly sends the tentacled machine reeling into a sputtering cloud of smoke.
Likewise, Blaze has managed to hone in the reserve cannon on the other of the pair, firing two shots past it before clipping it with a third. It spirals out of view.
“Keep at it gentlemen,” Lydia is fairly calm but now urgent. “We have to get all five. Four won’t be good enough.”
Derelict pushes the engines harder, and the electrostatic coils shift to help propel the vessel a bit further. The scope shows the other three on the move, all bearing for the Enkidu.
And a moment later, all three are in sight. They almost appear greedy, tentacles flipping outward, as if anxious to cut the ship apart.
Matrix: The Royal Theater
Cain ignores the bodyguard and waits until they pass. As they procede he joins their ranks slightly behind and to the right.
He whispers in a hushed tone to the closest bodyguard.
“You guys must be new. I’m surprised you didn’t take the drunk more seriously. He has been stalking your employer all evening. A more seasoned bodyguard would have caught this.” Cain cracks a smile as the bodyguard turns to regard him.
Onboard the Enkidu
Just as the three sentinels came out rushing toward the ship, Blaze tightened his handle on the gun he was manning. A small bead of sweat ran on his temple as he tried to adjust the aim and lock onto the fast-moving attackers.
“Come on…come on…just a little closer…NOW!”
The first Sentinel was about to latch onto the ship when Blaze pulled the trigger. Heavy fire immediately burst out of the cannon, cutting into the machine and tearing it apart in a few seconds. It came apart in two halves and went spiralling onto the walls of the catacombs, bursting into flames as they hit.
“Gotcha fucker!” cried Blaze, letting go of his excitment. But that didn’t last long. The radar reminded him that there were two more to go. He looked at the readings and his face turned white.
“Shit! They’re too close for me! Can’t hit them! Wraith, get a move on!”
Matrix: The Royal Theater - Backstage
Since Logan’s an anal-retentive bitch, I submit the following: (This NPC has yet to be NAMED by the GM, therefore damage assessed is conceded)
Edge takes the punch, stumbling back, but remaining on his feet. The brute smiles overconfidently as Edge takes a few seconds to shake off the impact from the hit and catch his breath.
“So it’s like that, huh?”
Edge focuses his energies on the two steel batons held in his hands. A quarter of a second later, he is in point-blank range of the mook. A loud crack to his left thigh turns his opponent’s attention downward as his left-hand weapon comes up to make contact on the man’s right shoulder. In a fluid move, Edge windmills his right baton back and down onto the left side of the guy’s neck.
Stunned from the power of the blow, the silk-dressed brawler reels backward, his right arm up to block another blow. In the blink of an eye, the baton in Edge’s right hand disappears with a sharp click. A sudden inflow of air rushes through Edge’s clenched teeth as he vertical-leaps to over seven feet in the air.
The brute senses the impending attack. With remarkable speed, he bobs his head backward as the steel baton snaps out with lightning speed directly in front of his eyes. Had he been 20 milliseconds too slow, it would have pierced his left temple. Still in mid-air, Edge’s right foot catches him under the chin snapping his head back. Edge lands back in the same stance he started as the man slides on his back across the wooden floor, smashing loudly into a rack of folding chairs.
Without the slightest hint of breath, Edge asks, “I’m only going to ask once more…who are you?”
Onboard the Enkidu
“Goddamn it, Blaze” Wraith hissed under his breath as he watched his crew member purposely allow the Sentinel to get within range of attack before shooting it. “Fucking show-off,” he muttered under his breath as he swung the controls around, trying to get a bearing on the other two Sentinels. He had a lock on the first one, and depressed the trigger, sending a burst of fire upon it.
The machine’s face exploded as three shots tore into its metal frame, and it drifted down towards the sewer’s floor. Wraith then tried to lock onto the second Sentinel, but it slipped out of his turret’s (the lower one) arc of fire. “Shit!” he shouted, turning to face the others. “I can’t get him”…
Matrix: Royal Theater
(ATTN: Roche, Katanga, Ego)
Monarch and his entourage are closing on the side exit door in the theater’s far left side. The grunt that is trailing absorbs Cain’s comment.
Grabbing Cain by the lapels of his usher uniform, the black man barks, “What are you…” He interrupts himself to address another of his fellow bodyguards. “Go checkout the drunk. We might have to take him outside with us…”
Monarch looks on in the distance as two of his three hired hands disappears back into the theater. He whines in a grating voice, “I want the car ready to go IMMEDIATELY.” He suddenly seems much more nervous. He and the remaining guard head out the door.
The black man holding Cain sets him down, but leads him forcefully by the arm towards the exit to the parking garage, intent on catching up to his boss.
Lobo looks up to see the third goon, perhaps Italian, heading straight for him with a stern look on his face.
And backstage…
Edge watches as his opponent shakes off the damage like it never happened. Now standing firmly on his feet again, the large man replies.
“Harrier… remember the name, little man.”
He dusts himself off, then closes the gap between the two with a sweeping kick. A bit slower than before, but with all the weight of a wrecking ball.
Catacombs: Onboard the Enkidu
(ATTN: Unicorn, Blunt)
Only one sentinel out of the five remained active, but it had already managed to latch onto the Enkidu’s hull, now too close for the guns to prove effective.
“Derelict,” Lydia asserts quickly. “Get ready to scrape that thing off the hull.”
“Wraith, get the pulse cannon. And pray someone remembered to charge it. That thing gets in here, you have to send it packing.”
“Blaze, charge the EMP. Once we are clear of the Gilgamesh, we might need it.”
Matrix: The Royal Theater
Edge dodges quickly backward as the kick swipes mere inches in front of him.
“Now that THAT’S out of the way, Wha’the fuck did I do to deserve THIS?”
Backing a few steps back Edge leaps to the side to avoid another attack.
“…well?”
Onboard the Enkidu
Blaze lets go of the cannon and springs from his seat, rushing for the EMP button. He raises the small plastic casket and turns the activation switch on. The button starts glowing red and Blaze sets his hand over it.
“Awaiting your order, ma’am.”
Matrix: The Royal Theater
Cain obliges the bodyguard and allows them to lead him into the parking garage. He spots the Limo and decides it’s time to part company with his captor.
“You know, son, if you were worth a damn at your job I might get some semblance of enjoyment out of this.” Cain locks his legs, firmly anchoring himself to the pavement. The old man loops his arm counter-clockwise, snapping free from the thugs hold. Cain shifts his weight to his front leg and “iron palms” his guard directly in the solar plexus. The big man’s wind leaves him.
The trained bodyguard instinctively goes for his sidearm. Cain locks his hand over the man’s wrist as it goes inside his jacket. Focusing his thought and clearing his mind, Cain spins the man’s arm over locking him at the elbow and then delivers a straightforward punch to the joint. The snapping bone, joint, and connective tissue makes a sickening wet crunch as his arm is fractured.
The bodyguard drops to the ground as Cain spins on his heel to see the fleeing Monarch diving into his Limo.
Onboard the Enkidu
Wraith leaps out of his seat and runs down the catwalk to where the energy cannon is stored in a locker. He can hear the metallic clanging of the sentinel crawling over the hull. Just as he reaches the locker and pops it open, he hears the high-pitched whine of the squiddy’s laser begin cutting into the hull of the Enkidu. Cursing under his breath, he pulls out the cannon and flips the switch to charge it up.
Looking up towards the roof of the vessel, Wraith followed the sound of the laser until he spotted the fractured metal. Raising the barrel of the cannon up, he awaited the sight of the machine’s glowing red eye.
“You’d better be quick with that button, Blaze,” he muttered angrily. “If I miss the first shot, this thing will be right on top of us…”
Matrix: Royal Theater
Lobo looks up to see the third goon, perhaps Italian, heading straight for him with a stern look on his face.[/QUOTE]
Lobo lets the man take him buy the arm. “Ah I see, you must be this man’s nephew. Defending the strumpet’s honor I see. Well sir, we shall go out and settle this man to man.”
The big mook marches the captain out and Lobo makes sure he has his work cut out for him. Once in the parking lot he sees Cain dispatch the bodyguard brutally and effectively. Still in character, he drops to his knees in front of the large Italian.
“Oh please sir,” he pleads clasping his hands in front of his face, “don’t hurt a defensless old drunk.” With that he drives the double fist straight forward crushing the larger man’s testicles. When he doubles over in pain, Lobo jumps to his feet in a crouch and whips his head up, connecting solidly with his opponent’s skull producing a satisfactory thud.
The thud is followed by a much louder wet smack as the man goes up and over backwards, his head connecting with the concrete. Before the fall has finished, Lobo reaches under his jacket and tugs the Kukhri free. If he can close the distance in time the limo’s tire is his next target.
Matrix: Royal Theater
(ATTN: Roche, Katanga, Ego)
Inside the parking garage walkway, an unlikely pair of old men have surprisingly taken down two trained bodyguards.
Cain has made his way into the limo’s back seat, as the only remaining thug punches the gas pedal. The door slam shut behind Cain, as he finds himself face to face with Monarch, both catching their breath as they rest against a lavish leather interior.
“What do you want?” he whines, kicking at the air in front of him, like an angry child.
A pop-hiss rocks the limo as it takes off. The blowout of a tire, Cain assumes by the lurch in the vehicles orientation.
Lobo races to catch the limo, but watches as it screeches and sparks beynd his reach. He collect his knife, as his earpiece buzzes back to life.
“Having trouble out her, cap,” Gnome offers, obviously losing her cool. “To your left, the concrete railing… if you watch the limo, it is going to circle around as it goes down a level. If you hop down now…”
Lobo looks over the concrete barrier into the open air that makes the center of the two level garage. He sees the limo in the far distacne, sparking as it passes in and out of sight. Soon, it will be right beneath where he stands.
“Edge,” Lobo and Cain listen in as Gnome catches up with the younger of the three men. “You are neede outside. You about finished yet?”
Inside the theater, Edge waits for his answer from Harrier, the mountain-like warrior that threatened him. “You, and your crew, jack out now. So I don’t have to do it for you.”
With that, he leaps forward again, sprining with unnatural speed towards Edge. But this time, the man is ready. Edge ducks nimbly out of the predictable pathway of his foe, feeling the wind cut just past his face as he does so.
Harrier lands, without the expected thud, as if he almost levitated back to earth, already spun around to defensive stance again. He pauses for a moment, as if receiving a transmission.
“Enough of this,” he shouts, drawing his arms inward. Halfway crouching, the man seems to be doing something. Humming… but not his voice. His eyes are closed as if meditating. The whirring noise is not manmade. Something more stable. Mechanical perhaps?
“Edge, get the fuck out of there!” Gnome panics.
Matrix: The Royal Theater
Cain pulls a chrome .45 from his shoulder-holster. He clicks the hammer back.
“Driver, stop this vehicle.” Cain emphasizes his command by firing a shot to the left of Monarch, shattering the window.
Catacombs: Onboard the Enkidu
(ATTN: Unicorn, Blunt)
THUD. The Enkidu made a dull metal scrape as derelict tried to bump the parasite off the ships hull. Everyone onboard felt a sudden push of inertia as the ship rocked forward urgently.
Wraith stood ready with the cannon, a whir of static in the energy cannon made the hairs on his arm stand up. He traced the sound on the roof of the ship, as though following the Sentinel mentally.
Blaze stood by, hand hovering over the EMP. using the damn things was NEVER a good idea. Sweat dripped from his forehead, as he wiped it clear with his off hand.
“Status?” Lydia spoke, again, composed but loud enough to not need repeating.
Derelict seemed to be looking beyond the viewscreen, as if staring into space, possibly not even using his eyes at all.
“One more try.”
A sharp swerve shook the crew, and Blaze felt the heat of the lit-up EMP under his fingers. Wratih fell onto his back, steadying himself again and only grumbling about the bruise.
The old man pulled up hard, and the Enkidu tapped, then crunched into the overhead railings of an abandoned sewer.
A screech deafened the crew for a moment, with only Derlict not wincing. A mechanical scream blended in…
It was the Sentinel. The ship stopped, dropping several feet from the roof of the “tunnel” and floated back cautiously.
Collective relief came as the lifeless bulk of metal tumbled down off of the ship, across the viewport and into the abyss.
The crew eased, each finding their chairs for a moment.
“Back to the Gil…,” Lydia began, cutting her own sentence off as the lights onboard dimmed out, then back in slowly.
Derelict qucikly reported… “Power to 60%”
Blaze concurred from his station.
“What the hell?” Wraith offered. He spotted a medium tear in the hull, a few wires cut free and sparking. One of the main power cables had been severd as well.
The Enkidu lurched back to the Gilgamesh, like a limping dog.