Round 1-4 ;; Battle Log

[lufenia]

Who: Everyone!
When: Midnight, between Friday and Saturday. (The battle itself will last most of Saturday, in IC-time).
Where: A vast cave.
What: Once again, the forces of Cosmos and Chaos meet on the battlefield. Round 4
Type: Either log or action-tag.
Notes/Warnings: There will be fighting. And probably swearing, too. Who knows. Also, everything not

Comments

Chaos // Beginning // Open; separate or jumped threads for gathering peeps. Either's cool.

[zerosuitjill]

A cave.

This, Jill could handle. She'd crawled--figuratively and otherwise--through her share of dark and cramped spaces, so she could function well enough here if there weren't too many tricks. Quickly checking herself, she was relieved to find her gun and battle knife still on her. After checking and reloading the clip, she turned towards the familiar glow down the hall: Chaos' crystal, she already knew. She moved toward it.

Having recently paid a worthwhile visit to Chaos' shop, Jill was glad, ironically enough, to be sporting her battlesuit in its original condition: the cuts and tears and bloodstains were gone, even the zipper fixed to once again allow her to cover her chest up to the base of her throat. If it was all she had to wear, might as well make the best of it.

She'd wait around the backmost room as planned, gathering those she could and letting the others come to her. Any unaware of the plan would probably assume she was hanging back in defense.

[prez_tentacle]

"Jill. Enjoying all the glamour?"

Solidus emerged gingerly from one of the cave's unsettling openings, frowning at the fleshy walls around him. The impression of having been swallowed by an enormous beast was both unsettling and familiar. In these cramped quarters, his suit's agility and speed would be less useful. It seems they like to keep the surprises coming, he thought. What else have they got waiting for us? At least all his gear appeared to still be functioning.

[zerosuitjill]

Jill looked over, shaking her head. "As well as I can. I don't mind closed spaces so much these days, though." Well, "minding" and "being able to operate in them" were two different things, but that was the long version. "It doesn't seem like we're scattered too badly, though."

[prez_tentacle]

Solidus grunted and nodded. "How could we be, in such tight quarters? But we'll have to stay close together once we've made contact with the others. It will be too easy to get separated in this maze." He eyed the twisting passages around them distrustfully.

[zerosuitjill]

"Right. I'll see how many people show in the next few minutes--depending on the number, we might leave someone behind as a second group to catch up shortly." A tentative Plan B, hopefully one they wouldn't need.

Jill turned to look up at him. "You ready for this? Last stands aren't exactly pretty." She didn't sugarcoat things in general, but Snake, especially, she figured, knew what they'd signed up for.

[prez_tentacle]

He responded by cracking his neck. "Don't worry. It won't be the first time." His revolution in his own world had been a hopeless cause from the start, but he'd never let that stop him. It had been the right thing to do... his path to his own identity, what his father would have done. Just like defying the 'gods' that had dared to tamper with his mind.

"We shouldn't wait around too long. The faster we get into position and set up the picket, the better."

[zerosuitjill]

Jill nodded. "I'll probably stay behind a minute longer than planned, just to check for any stragglers. If you want to go ahead and rendezvous with Chris, I'll catch up."

[prez_tentacle]

"Understood. I'll see you there." Solidus didn't want to waste any time preparing to thwart the gods at their little game. But as he turned to go he paused to speak over his shoulder.

"Jill... whatever happens today, whoever survives needs to make sure that the truth is known. That the people here and the things they did are remembered. That's what I fight for." He couldn't bring himself to be fully honest and say that more than anything, he was afraid of dying here and being forgotten, that he wanted, needed to be remembered.

[zerosuitjill]

Jill listened attentively.

What I fight for. Again, Cid's words returned to her. Regardless of their individual circumstances, she realized, everyone here had something to fight for. Maybe not the gods or their war, but something they were all willing to put their lives on the line to protect or see through. That was the one thing all these strangers had in common--soldiers, civilians, good, evil, just, criminal, innocent, guilty, fathers and mothers and siblings and lovers, this world or that; there was one single underlying factor.

After a moment, Jill straightened up respectively as she nodded. "We'll make it through this, Snake. All of us. But if any of us fall... I know we won't be forgotten." She smiled slightly, although there was little humor in it. "I'll make sure of it, or die trying."

[prez_tentacle]

"I'm glad to hear it, Jill." Snake nodded curtly, closing up again, then tossed off a little salute. "Good luck." Then he turned, and was gone.

[greek_maverick]

Sigma was drawn both by curiosity of what he was supposed to be protecting, as well as the energy readings he was picking up. The rock was clearly emitting some sort of energy - or was it absorbing energy? - but none of his sensors could identify the type. This would be something for further inspection.

However, upon spotting Jill, his attention turned to the woman. "Should you not be out finding someone to fight, human?"

[zerosuitjill]

Jill turned, memory instantly working to tell her that this was the new problem guy--the one everyone seemed to be talking about on both sides.

And again with the human differentiation, she noticed, but said nothing on it. Even if she didn't already have reason to distrust him, now wasn't the time to be taking chances. She nodded in the crystal's direction. "Someone needs to stay behind and keep watch," she replied. "Might as well be someone with ranged attacks."

[greek_maverick]

"And yet your attire and physical characteristics indicate extensive athletic training, making stealth and close quarters combat easier for you."

He crossed his arms, making a quick scan of various vital signs. "You're lying."

[zerosuitjill]

Oh, great. Pushy on top of being a domineering asshole.

Jill didn't blink at the accusation--she just drew her Storm, keep the barrel pointed upward as she checked the safety. "Physical abilities aside, a gun should say I know how to use one," she replied coolly. She didn't have time for this shit. "I can han handle myself at both ranges."

Which was the honest truth.

[greek_maverick]

So she wasn't lying about that, maybe, but that didn't dissuade Sigma. As the only one qualified to make strategic choices like this, or at least in his mind, the insubordination was rather aggravating, even if it was to be expected from a mere human.

"Ranged attacks in these close quarters will be extremely ineffective. Do not try to wriggle out of this, coward. Get to the front lines now."

There was one thing that Sigma couldn't do that made humans a bit more of a threat in his mind. With other Reploids he could interface and access their mental processes, and nudge them to a more optimal outcome. Humans, with their inefficient and fleshy minds, were immune to such things. Sigma had his suspicions about this one, but he could not back up anything logically or otherwise. Cowardice seemed the most logical of reasons at this point.

He just flipped the Bitch Switch, yo

[zerosuitjill]

Jill didn't budge, although her eyes hardened slightly--not defensively, but with an authority of her own. There was only a handful of people she'd take outright orders from, and this guy was far from being one of them. She wasn't looking for a fight, but she wasn't about to give in to his ego, either.

"Sigma, right?" she asked flatly. "Wherever you come from and whatever position you hold there, we're all on equal ground here. You're not my superior, and I'm under no obligation to pretend you are. I'll fight this battle as I see best, and right now, that's doing what I've already said I'm going to do."

It'd been years since she'd taken on a military tone, but there it was: bold, blunt, and confident. "Do I make myself clear?"