(Untitled)

[tanukipoint]

Who: The A-Team
What: A plan does not come together.
When: Forward-dated to final day of the draft
Where: Sirry Crags battlefield
Summary: His most powerful weapon is nothing more than leashed poison.
Rating: High-PG13/R

Comments

[meanandgreen]

[The roar startles him from the bloody rhythm of fighting. In the valley below, the monster casts its massive shadow, lashing out at any living thing within reach.] What the shell is that thing!?

[When he manages to get a free hand, the blade of a sword caught in the tines of his sai in the other, Raph taps his communicator.]

Don? You seein' this? We got trouble over here!

[Then he turns back to fighting, panic rising in his gut with every minute that stretches on with no reply. He wrenches the sword out of the soldier's hand, and plants a flying kick to the chest, landing on top of him and finishing the job.

The monster roars again. Feathered wings beat the sky to darkness. In his communicator, he receives nothing but static.]

Don? Don! Donnie, answer me. Somethin's going down!

[Raph finds himself torn between two places - go down to the valley and help fight this thing, or go find his brother. In the end, fraternal instinct wins over. Disappearing into the landscape, he follows Don's unmoving signal away from the main fray.

Let the magic-users deal with the monster. He'll be back as soon as he knows his brother is still alive.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Just a few short miles away, Don's shell-cell lets out nothing more than a thin hiss of static.

He ignores it. It's been doing that intermittently, is nothing more than some minor signal interference.

He shifts, leaning out from under his rock overhang to scan the skies for Third Party members. Nothing. He conceals himself again, and continues waiting for Team C's scout to arrive and give him the news from Area 2.]

[meanandgreen]

[Raph sprints across the rocky terrain, arriving breathless at the spot where Don's signal leads. But he doesn't see his brother.

All around him there's a startling silence interrupted by gunfire, screams, and monstrous roaring in the distance. Raph squints up at the harsh white sky by the skeleton of a stark black tree, hands on his knees, gasping for air. He swallows, coppery thickness sliding down his throat. A cut on his forehead dripping red raindrops on the ground.

Breathlessly, almost a whisper:] Don?

[i_speak_softly]

[When Don hears his name, he automatically reaches up to fiddle with his headset. Then he realizes the soft invocation didn't come through the staticy connection.

He half-rises, leans around the sheltering cliffs, and there's Raph. Bleeding from a headwound.

Two steps, and he has his hand on his brother's arm, drawing him into the hiding place, making him sit, inspecting his injury.] Raph, what's going on?

[meanandgreen]

[But once they're back in the hiding place, Raph won't give Don that luxury. He pulls away, angrily wiping the blood from his face.] We got ambushed and you weren't answering your cell.

1/3

[i_speak_softly]

What? Nobody called me. [Even as he says it, he's punching buttons on his shell-cell, trying to call Brook. The line only crackles and goes dead.] Damn it.

2/3

[i_speak_softly]

[Stuffing the cell back in his belt, he rises and moves toward the front of the tiny cave.] Come on. We've got to get back to the others.

3/3

[i_speak_softly]

[But just as he's moving out from under the overhang, there's a whisper of wings, and two Filials land in front of him. Their huge wings are spread to block his exit, and they're drawing their swords.]

Oh, shell...

[meanandgreen]

[Raph doesn't waste any time. He's fought what feels like hundreds of these creeps by now. He charges out behind Don, catching both swords in the tines of his sai. Both soldiers bare down on him, wings lifting white dust into the air, pressing forward and trying to corner them against the rocks. But Raph plants his feet, bares his teeth, and pushes back with all his strength.

[i_speak_softly]

[Don draws his bo, spins it rapidly, and brings it down on the wing of one of the Filials, crushing bone and causing feathers to scatter like a pillow fight gone horribly wrong.

The wing sags limply at the Filial's side, and Don doesn't like what he sees behind it: six more Third Party members swooping in to aid their comrades.]

Raph, incoming!

[meanandgreen]

[The filial to Raph's left crumpled to the ground, stunned from pain but still breathing. It buys Raph time to step in toward the second soldier and send his sword skittering across the ground. Then in one quick motion, he grabs the soldiers arm and twists, using the momentum to slam him into the rocks until the bone gives way. But he doesn't have time to finish him off.] Son of a -!

[He's cut off by another three soldiers, and the overhang above them begins to tremble. The air turns deathly electric as the shift begins to collapse the rock where they stand.

He disarms another soldier and sinks his sai into his gut.]

Don, move! They're bringin' it down!

[i_speak_softly]

[There's an awful grinding noise as the rock begins to slide through itself, bearing slowly down to crush them.

The Filials are retreating, getting out of the way of their own attack, and Don dives to follow them. But then one half-turns, snapping his wing out to knock Don back before pulling it forward again and beating up into the sky.

Don slams against the wall of the cave, his shell taking the brunt of the impact. He rolls up into a crouch, the ceiling already too low for him to stand...]

[meanandgreen]

[Raph glances behind him just in time to see Don take that hit, and again he finds himself torn between pressing on in the battle, or falling back for his brother. He turns the sai in his hand and crushes another filial's jaw. Out the corner of his eye, the other soldiers are busy trying to heal the soldier with the broken wing.

As another soldier comes at him with blade swinging, all he can do is pray Don will bounce back before they have them completely cornered.]

Stop them from healin' him!

[His body quakes with the impact of sword against sai, and he finds himself locked in yet another test of his fading strength.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don scrambles to his knees, flinging his bo at the Filials helping their downed comrade. The attack is deflected, but it's all the opening he needs. He catches his staff on the return and rushes forward, swinging his weapon in a wide arc that forces the Third Party members to scatter. The two who were using healing magic grab their injured ally and take off, carrying him between them.

They're getting away. But more importantly, the way out is now clear.]

Raph, come on!

[meanandgreen]

[As Don takes out the healers, the moment's lapse of focus breaks his hold on the soldier's weapon and the sword slices deep into the muscle of his thigh. The way is clear, but he doesn't move, only hesitates a beat before charging into the fray again, adrenaline-charged, warm blood dripping down his calf.

He leaps, both sai pointed lethal, and tackles the soldier bodily to the ground, pinning his shoulders with the longest tines.

Above him, another winged shadow looms, sword glinting in the harsh light.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Raph, what are you -

Don doesn't even finish the thought. His brain is fully occupied by that sword poised over his brother's back. The sword Raph obviously hasn't noticed.]

Raph! MOVE!