Delivery!

[tidesnpc]

Characters: Everybody on Serenity who volunteered
Content: The crew goes to deliver some spare parts to a few Grinders! Nothing can possibly go wrong.
Where: An old warehouse in Abantiare
Time: Sometime in the afternoon
Warnings: Unwanted shenanigans.

Comments

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka had just dropped his last crate onto the floor with the rest. When the east door crashed open, he spun around, saw the uplifted guns. He dropped flat. The first shots went over his head.

Hisoka's mule, being no idiot, bolted for the nearest door, which was partly open. That was in the north wall of the warehouse. The animal nosed and then shouldered the door wider, and shimmied through.

Reynolds yelled at his crew to get out. Hisoka looked around, and perceived that things were deteriorating pretty fast. The captain and the mule were right.

The air was suddenly flooding with steam, whose source was not clear to Hisoka. He took this opportunity to scramble to his feet and start across the floor, but he tripped on one of his own boxes in his haste and went sprawling. The slats of the crate split. Sprockets of all sizes went spilling across the floor. While he was rubbing a shin that fairly screamed with pain, he looked quickly around to see which of his crewmates was nearby. He could make out the quartermaster, Larxene Dalca, who seemed to be happily occupied killing somebody. He thought Jenka, the public relations officer, and Zack Fair, the helmsman, and that furtive, mysterious dark-haired man--whose name Hisoka was not sure of, and whose occupation he did not know--were somewhere near, but the steam was thickening by the second, and it was now impossible to tell.

He staggered to his feet. "The north entrance is open!" he bellowed (he had a surprisingly loud voice for such a small man). "Anybody coming with me?"

[causink_trouble]

At the sudden shout of "police!" Jenka grinned like it the best thing that had happened all day. Which it pretty much was, in her opinion. "Now dot's more like it!"

Sure, the captain shouted at them to run, but it would be good for someone to cover the escape, right? Even if it was mostly an excuse to stick around.

The brown-haired boy, for starters, seemed to need a bit of defense as he ended up struggling with the crate on his way toward the exit. Jenka intercepted a large Grinder intent on taking out anyone in his way as he ran for the door, and bodily pushed him off-course. She ended up taking a bullet in her left shoulder for her trouble as a few of the policemen decided the young man loudly encouraging disobedience of their direct order would be a good target for their first shots. She growled at the pain, rapidly blunted by adrenaline, but didn't seem too bothered by the injury as she looked around for other threats. It wasn't a serious wound. Of course, for a Jäger in the middle of a fight, neither was losing an arm.

[son_of_the_lake]

{{Don't know if anybody else is joining us so I'll go ahead and post.}}

The Grinder had nearly collided with Hisoka and probably would have run him right over, but Jenka shoved the cyberman out of the way. When the policemen shifted their aim and fired at Hisoka, they hit Jenka, but not Hisoka. This was because he had ducked and started to limp off with surprising speed considering that the ankle turned out to be sprained and wouldn't bear much weight. Also, he pulled his .45-calilber revolver out of its underarm holster and returned some fire: Bang! Bang! Bang!

He kept track of Jenka, too, as she ranged about looking for somebody new to tear into. Jaegers were reputed to be very tough, but he was a little worried about her. When she chanced to be looking his way, he smiled and mouthed the words, Thanks! You ok?

And he was hoping his healing powers would kick in, but damn! they were having an off-day, again!. He wasn't going to be able to flee after all, at least not very fast. Better to join the rear guards. He crouched behind one of the crates, and set himself to keeping the approach to the north door clear, so that any of his crewmates who were heading for that exit could get there without being shot down.

Jumping in ^^;;;;;

[zack_thefairest]

The good thing about having a sword as big as the buster was that it was good for blocking bullets.

Hearing the sudden shout of 'police', Zack's instincts had kicked in immediately, drawing the buster sword out. His mule had bolted in the ensuing chaos, but Zack had managed to grab one of the smaller crates off of it in one hand, while he blocked bullets with the other using his sword. It was definitely not the best situation to be caught in, but sadly it was not the first time.

Seeing Jenka and the green-eyed boy hotfooting it to the north exist, he followed, dodging and hopping here and there.

:D

[causink_trouble]

Catching Hisoka's look, Jenka nodded at him with a rather bloodthirsty grin and an appreciative glance at the gun. Good to know he was the useful type. On these kinds of missions, you never knew who was going to show up.

The Jäger, actually, also had a gun at her hip, but she didn't think it was much fun to use, so she didn't, except for extreme circumstances. Which this situation wasn't, yet. The sword was a more enjoyable weapon, but at such close quarters, it wasn't the best idea for her, given that the captain seemed to frown on random killing. Zack was managing somehow - and even blocking bullets with that blade of his, which was a damn impressive trick - but control, and not killing people, weren't exactly Jenka's forte, so she stuck with her claws.

Damn, but it was confusing in here. She tackled a policeman before he managed to get another shot off in her direction, then got a wrench in the back of her head before she turned around and clawed the rather surprised-looking Grinder across the chest. They seemed given to underestimating people without mechanical bits sticking out of their bodies.

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka's face brightened at Jenka's grin, and as she had just taken care of the nearest Grinder and the nearest threatening policeman, he could now spare a few moments to drop behind yet another crate and see what he could do about the sprained ankle.

Nope, his own inborn speed-healing process really WASN'T going to kick in today, he realized, and he was NOT walking another step on this foot without some sort of first aid. Luckily, there were packing materials of all sorts lying around the warehouse. He sat cross-legged, tore up a cardboard box, wrapped a couple of thick cardboard strips around his ankle, and secured them with twine. He had just finished knotting the coarse string to create this makeshift splint when he heard the odd clang of bullets hitting steel, quite near, and the sound of approaching boots.

He slid sideways and peered rather carefully around the crate, and saw Zack running up. Hisoka's eyes were a little wide with astonishment--he had never before seen anybody deflect bullets with a sword.

"Say, that was...rather impressive!" he said, blinking up at Zack.

[zack_thefairest]

Blocking bullets always looked impressive, but it was absolute murder on the sword blade itself. It meant he would have to spend hours polishing the nicks out of it. If the damage was serious, he'd have to find a swordsmith. Still Zack gave a bright grin at Hisoka and said, "Thanks! You're wounded? How bad is it? And damn....I left my first aid kit back in my room..."

Zack was about to say more, but a bullet barely missing his shoulder drew his attention. Dropping his own crate on the ground, he peered at the mass chaos that was now the warehouse.

[eclair_nymph]

Larxene didn't know what went on the last few seconds after her first kill as she headed towards a way out. Granted, certain things were in disarray, but now suddenly, it seemed everyone started to shoot or kill each other no matter who it was: except their fellow coworkers. No doubt the fog almost clearing up was one of the causes, and things were easier to spot. Not that she minded - a savage grin stretched on her lips. Things were really going to start at this moment, and she could feel her heart pumping blood even faster throughout her veins as her body felt the most energized it had been in a while. She wasn't running fast because she didn't want to leave too early. The danger, the excitement, that was something she was going to take advantage of. It was the reason she decided to come here, hoping something occurred. It was why when someone shouted that the north entrance was open and asked if anybody would want to come with him she hesitated. It wasn't long, either, before she saw more people coming, and she guessed that they were from the Serenity crew. At least one looked familiar...red hair? Like, really bright red hair in that rare shade. She couldn't tell, as bullets were flying everywhere, and she had to concentrate to prevent herself from getting shot. Evading was a natural skill, and that was not a problem, minus a few close ones. In fact, she was giggling again. This was so much fun.

Trying to see who was near her, she bumped into something hard when she barely managed to doge another round thrown at her, and she had to duck when her neck closely got cut off by a Grinder: who she...interrupted. Quickly, she grabbed one of the parts where they had the automail, and with a barbaric glint in her eyes, sent a high voltage lighting attack straight through it and into its body. She didn't know how these mechanics truly worked, or if they were all interconnected, but it did the job. The electrocution and sizzling of the metal gave off a lot of sparks, and the Grinder was yelling in pain enough to break her ear drums. Damn. He was bringing attention to them, the idiot. He dropped his weapon as he kneeled on the ground, letting go of his weapon, and Larxene, rather annoyed, took it. Before any barrages would be thrown at their direction, she sliced the sword clean through the chest of the unsuspecting suffering Grinder, finally killing off his loudness as well as the thing itself. She smirked cruelly as she dug it deeper, making him fall backwards.

She had to take cover on the same ground no sooner than a millisecond as, like she predicted, the sounds gave the signals to the police. Cursing under her breath, aware that she was going to get bombarded with bullets sooner or later, using her speed, she rolled over in what to the normal eye looked like a disappearing act, but she just hid behind one of the crates. Not unscathed, however. One bullet grazed her arm, though it wasn't deep and it was nothing to fret over. It wouldn't be a weakness.

hi!

[causink_trouble]

Jenka wasn't about to waste time hiding behind any crates, flying bullets or not. She did try not to be in their way too much, but most of her attention was on finding new opponents. Which, luckily, there wasn't any shortage of. Enough, in the immediate vicinity, for both her and that very interesting woman with an electroshock ability. The Jäger laughed as she saw the Grinder fall and then promptly get cut near in half with his own blade. "Havink fun?" she asked in passing, with a cruel glint in her eyes.

A moment later, she pushed in front of another policeman and took a bullet in her side before her claws nearly severed his neck. Yes, it hurt, and she was going to give the doctors rather a lot of work like this, but it was so fun to watch the humans realize she could keep going no matter what they did to her, she could hardly resist.

Zack and the brown-haired boy back behind the crates didn't seem to be enjoying themselves much, but that was hardly her problem. She did stay close enough to keep most of the potential attackers off their backs, at least.

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka was aware and appreciative of Jenka's presence. He gave her the thumbs-up sign to indicate he was back in action (more or less).

He gave the splinted ankle a test stomp to see if the splint would hold, and then climbed to his feet.

He replied to Zack, "It's not bad, it's just a sprained ankle, but I'm definitely not going to be sprinting anywhere in the next few minutes! The captain wants us to leave, but..." (And here he gave a wry little chuckle.) "...nobody wants to be the first one out, I guess!"

He rested his elbows on the crate--its top was just about chest-high--and, with a firm, doublehanded grip, he sited the .45 and shattered one of the huge, bulging cardboard boxes at the very top of a high stack against the opposite wall. Underneath it were two policeman who had been firing at people who were heading for the north exit. The box released a deadfall of tools, primarily hammers, very heavy ones, all of which clanged and thudded down on the officers. One man was knocked cold, and the other dodged, cursing, dropping his gun and clutching his wrist.

Just then, Larxene Dalca blurred the distance between herself and another of the big crates, landing behind it. Hisoka gave her a wave and a smile.

{{OOC: Should we keep posting in order? Zack, Larxene, Jenka, Hisoka...}}

[zack_thefairest]

No, Zack wasn't really enjoying it all that much. Swords, arrows and other sharp objects were fine, but Zack really didn't like getting shot at. He shook his head. "Good. Though I think moving as group right now would be safe than trying to hack our way out alone. Just what the hell is going on anyway? I thought this was supposed to be simple, deliver the goods, get our pay, and get out?"

He poked his head over the crate and gave a wave to Larxene, only to have to dodge another bullet a minute later. Fishing out a throwing knife from his side he took aim and sent it flying towards the thigh of the man who just shot at him. He wasn't the best at throwing those knives, but it did hit, leaving him a clear target for someone else to take down.

ooc: sounds fine to me.

[eclair_nymph]

[OOC: I think it's better to let anyone respond. If we do it in order, one might not reply, and we'll be waiting for it]

Larxene was strategizing. Yes, strategy. Just because she wasn't a usual thinker who bides time making whatever plan, second plan, or third plan if the second doesn't work, or some back-up plan if all the others fail, didn't mean she was incapable of brain capacity. Marluxia seemed to think she did in the way of a raging psychopath: if his constant nagging of her behavior was any indication. She scoffed. Though he was stuck up enough to believe he was better than anyone. Regardless, she had to get one of the guns: the ones the police held. She should have taken it with her first kill, but she hadn't thought of that yet when doing so. Her knives could only go so far, and having to shoot from a distance while taking cover will no doubt be a much easier attempt to watch them all fall down. Of course, had to take the whole entire arsenal, lest she ran out of bullets. And the targets would be anyone near the entrances. The others appeared to take care of everything else. This is what she was talking about: the stimulation without any annoyances that would snuff out her enjoyment. Besides, she was Quartermaster, and other than positions above her, she was an authoritative figure.

Checking the spots and picking her target randomly, she watched that woman...well, it had the shape of one, so it would be identified as that until otherwise, raged into the barrage of chaos after commenting on her choice of entertainment. She smirked. Of course she was having fun. Hmm. Marluxia talked about them: Jägermonsters or something. See? Now these people understand the meaning of a good time. Oh, they'll get along just fine, then. Especially compared to the slugs that the ship provided for her. Ugh. And Marluxia said they were "interesting". She hadn't even found a proper toy yet.

It was there she spotted one of the members who was smiling and waving at her rather kindly.

Maybe she spoke too soon.

She gave him an inviting and charming smile, raising her hand as it paused in the air, before almost sardonically giving one small wave back in...false enthusiasm.

Oh! And there was another wave from another coworker. She nodded at him, not knowing who he was, and not really curious. This one seemed rather not like a lost puppy, but a fighter, so he might not qualify in her collection. Nonetheless, the more crew members she knew, the better.

Now, to put forward that idea...

Sorry! sudden influx of work-stuff. :<

[causink_trouble]

[ooc: either's fine with me! you're free to skip Jenka if I'm slow again, sob. Just assume she's wandered off in a different direction of the fight, and she can jump back in later.]

The comical sight of their opponents having to dodge hammers falling from above their heads made Jenka laugh out loud. She actually stopped to watch for a moment, before glancing back at Hisoka, amused. "Goot trick, keed!" Taking care of Zack's target next, she threw the knife back in his general direction. Dimo, her packmate, used throwing knives as well, so it was a habit to get them back for him when she found any. Admittedly, Dimo never complained when she returned them at high speed and without much watching her aim.

Even in the middle of the fight, she could hear her crew-mates talking behind the crates. Another advantage of her monster nature. "Go ahead in a group, den" - she answered Zack and his companions in a free moment between one opponent and the next - "Hy dunno vho started dis or vhy, but Hy'z not leavink until de fun's over!" Or at least she would delay her exit as long as possible. The captain did want them out of here, and Jenka knew he wasn't above having the first mate shoot her with that damn-large gun if that was what it took to get her to move.

[son_of_the_lake]

It seemed to Hisoka that under cover of her charming smile, Larxene had just ogled both himself and Zack rather as does a cat who expects before too long to be grinning with canary feathers decorating her mouth.

Incidentally, the police officer whose wrist had been struck by the hammer had dropped his gun, and as it struck the cement, the weapon was accidentally kicked by a passing Grinder. It then bounced and skidded across the floor...in Larxene's direction...

"Simple job, uh-huh!" said Hisoka, to Zack. "I agree it would be a good idea for everybody to move in a group. But...ah..." Here, he glanced towards Jenka and Larxene; they were definitely enjoying the party.

"Ok, when you get good and ready to leave, let us know!" he called, to Jenka, laughing.

"Oh, nice throw!" he added, to Zack.

[eclair_nymph]

Ready to head out, she slowly prepared herself for a run, spotting a nearby cop that would be easy to get at her mercy. However, in some twist of fate, an officer who had been attacked dropped his gun, and it slid over to her once a Grinder struck it incidentally. Well...whatever worked, as she just wanted to kill the bastards, have her damn fun, and still get the ammo. Getting the pistol as she got out momentarily, she grasped it in her hand, giving it a study as she went behind the crate again. It was definitely an update, much more better than the ones she had seen on Serenity. Cocking the gun up, she then turned around, situating her arms properly, and aiming. The closest enemy was just about 15 feet away, and she waited to see where he got the extra bullets. It was the belt, of course, but she had to make sure in which section it was in, as she couldn't waste time rummaging for it. Just when he finished loading, she pressed the trigger, and fired, feeling the weapon tremble harshly in her hand as she watched her shot go right at his head. The body fell down right after. She snickered, a gleeful smile on her face. She wasn't a complete expert on guns, being a close combat fighter, yet her aim was always right on point. Standing, she ran without a second thought to the lifeless lump, careful in sensing and seeing where bullets where coming from as she bent down and took what she needed. It was a heavy pack, and she took the extra gun as well for good measure. Fires rang out everywhere, and she roughly glided the second gun she obtained to her new, future victim that had waved at her. It might get in a good word, after all. Helping her crew members, and, doing her rightful duty as Marluxia had ingrained multiple times in her head. She snorted. Motioning for them to head over to any of the entrances and get out, she had to duck after. "Shit."

Tch. She forgot she was in the middle of a bunch of crossfires.

Springing up on her legs, she took another dose of her speed and dashed off, giggling diabolically as her eyes became erratic. She didn't go for cover, and called forth one of her knives, throwing it with massive force as it cut through the air and ripped into an officer's chest, straight to the heart.

Another one doooown, she sang in her head with a callous grin.

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka reached out and caught the downed police officer's extra gun as Larxene sent it sliding across the floor in Hisoka's and Zack's direction. He nodded his thanks.

He also caught the significance of the quartermaster's gesture: she was ordering them to get moving. First the captain's order, and then hers.

Well, it was about time. Some people needed to get out there and see that there was a clear path to the docks, for everybody.

Hisoka looked the shiny new weapon over; he snapped its cylinder open and discovered it would take the .45-caliber rounds he was carrying, and he still had plenty of those. He put the gun in one of the deep pockets of his vest, but then, he wondered if Zack would want it--and he looked questioningly at him.

Then he stood quickly, and limped towards the exit his mule had escaped through a little while ago. This was the door on the north side of the warehouse, and it wasn't very far away. The stacks of crates he and Zack and Larxene had been sheltering behind partially blocked the police officers' view of the little Serenity gunner. But if he was spotted, his crewmates could cover him, and then once he got outside, he would cover any of them who were coming too. (He wasn't sure if any of them were.)

When he reached the exit, he grabbed the hefty handle on the eight-foot-high sliding door and dragged it a few feet further on its track. The gap between door and doorframe was now about a yard wide. Plenty of space for people who might be running.

{{OOC: He isn't gonna get far, once he gets outside, lol. His ankle is more messed up than he thinks it is.}}