Re: Grand Battle S3G1! (Round Two: The Great Battlefield)
08-19-2011, 04:31 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by Anomaly.
Suspicion.
The one thing Tengeri had tried to avoid, but ultimately failed. Impartial conversion had left her scales a deep red, sure, but it hadn't imparted any knowledge of the military itself. Things in this war game were vastly different from anything Tengeri had on record, of course she wouldn't have blended in. Not that she had expected the decidedly human armies to trust a flying sea serpent anyway. So here she was, once again under escort by high-ranking men toting black rifles. All of the weapons the army used held the same energy signature - the unknown mechanism used to "convert" soldiers. Or, as the unpleasant lieutenant had noted, to kill those of the same army as the user. Fortunately, as Tengeri didn't technically have an affiliation, the guns would likely just attempt to convert her again, and she'd still be able to defend against it.
The small enclave of Reds led her down a twisting series of corridors, down several flights of stairs. After several minutes, they reached a lone steel door in the middle of a seemingly random hallway, labeled "Sewage Overflow Runoff - Do Not Enter when Light is Red", accompanied by a glowing red light. Tengeri attempted to question this, but was met with a rifle pointed at her head. She quickly disspelled the water back into the main mass as she entered the door.
It immediately became apparent that the sign on the door was a complete lie, judging by the lack of excrement on any of the room's surfaces. It appeared to be a rather small office, likely the General's, considering the extra security measures. The Red General took his seat behind the desk, motioning for the two other soldiers to stand guard by the door. The general focused intently on Tengeri for several moments, before speaking in a rough, Texan accent:
"Private Nyoka. You say you're a member of the Red Army?"
Slowly, Tengeri formed the words "yes, sir" in the air.
"What's wrong, Private? I don't want any goddamned air-writing. Speak up!"
"i can't, sir. my throat was severely damaged in an explosion, and i'm currenly unable to speak. the damage should be repaired soo"
"How soon, Private?" The general's voice grew more aggravated by the moment. "If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to win a war here! I don't need you wasting more of my time!"
Tengeri quickly looked at her throat's repair status. It seemed that the damage was almost completely repaired. "i could try, sir. i haven't spoken in weeks, but"
"On with it, Private!"
Tengeri coughed heavily, muffled by the field of water surrounding her head. Slowly, the field shifted away from her mouth, a very minimal amount remaining. "Ye...s, sir..." she slowly rasped, throat burning.
The general paused for a moment. "It'd be even slower this way. Go back to your damned air-writing, we'll do things that way. Now then, Private. I've heard that you told Anzhi that 'you're not a soldier'. What, exactly, is the meaning of this?"
"exactly what i said, sir. i'm not a soldier. i'm a scientist. all of the implants you see on my body were of my own creation."
"A likely story, Private!" the General hissed. "You're a spy, aren't you? I can tell you're not a true Red. I can see it in your eyes, Private. Your loyalty isn't with us."
"you're correct, general. my loyalty is with no army. i'm not here by my own will. i was taken from my own world, entire universes away, by a being calling himself 'the fool'. there are eight of us here. i'm sure you've heard reports by now."
"Damn right I've heard reports, Private! Extra armies, a demilitarized zone, a dinosaur... Are you saying you know more about this, Private?"
"only that none of us belong here. we're being forced to fight to the death. each time one of us dies, the rest are taken somewhere else and the process repeats. one has already died."
"I see. In that case..." The General reached under his desk and produced a large rifle, similar to the ones wielded by the rest of the army. "Give me a reason I shouldn't blow your head off right now, Private. If what you're saying is true, then order will be restored if one of you dies."
"'doctor' will suffice, general. but i'll tell you why. your weapons can't convert me, and because of that they can't kill me. what do you plan to accomplish, general?"
"This isn't a normal gun, 'Doctor'!" the General exclaimed, furiously. "This is a kill gun. All of the Generals have one. Unlimited ammunition, impossible to jam, fast rate of fire... Whatever bastard's on the wrong end of one of these will be dead before they know what's happening. And mine is trained on your head."
Scans confirmed that the gun wasn't a normal conversion gun. Tengeri's confidence quickly waned. "sir, i can help you. there's one out there who we could call a mutual enemy. he calls himself 'saint scofflaw'. i don't know what he's been doing since we got here, but he's the biggest threat to all of us. if we kill someone, it should be him."
The general lowered his gun. "Let's get one thing straight, 'Doctor'. I don't trust you, and I have a feeling this is a trap. If someone's going to be eliminating this 'Scofflaw', it's you. Understand?"
Tengeri immediately thought back to her failed attempt at killing Scofflaw in the caves of Vio. But what choice did she have? Her options were either "kill Scofflaw" or "die", and she wasn't exactly keen on the second option. "yes, sir."
"Good. Major! Escort the private to a holding cell for temporary-"
The Red General was cut off midsentence by the sudden sounds of gunfire and yelling. In front of the door lay the corpses of two Red Army officers, riddled with bulletholes. The general and the Leviath had yet to be targetted though.
Tengeri's HUD flashed a warning.
Hostile detected. Distance: 4m. Immediate threat level eight.
A man cloaked in darkness leaped from the shadows, pointing what appeared to be a "kill gun" at Tengeri's head. Tengeri immediately released all four tentacle-esque hypermanipulators from hatches in her sides, each equipped with a plasma cutter.
"who are you, and what do you want"
"Hello, Tengeri Nyoka," the figure responded in a condescending tone. "I can't help but notice that you've finagled your way into the ranks of the Red Army. It looks like that didn't go quite as planned."
"you didn't answer my question. how do you know all of this?"
"I have connections, doctor. But you wanted to know what I'm doing here? I'm here to kill you, Doctor. You and your six friends have caused quite a disturbance, and we can't have that."
"seven"
"Excuse me?"
"there are seven others. it looks like you missed someone."
"If you're not lying, I guess I'll deal with that once you're dead. Goodbye, doctor."
Tengeri almost instinctually wrapped a metallic limb around the man's gun, forcing him to harmlessly fire at the ceiling as he attempted to break her superior grasp on the firearm. She immediately brought a plasma cutter down, slicing through the weapon and rendering it useless.
"i'll ask again. who are you? who sent you here?"
"Quite the fighter, Tengeri. I like that. Fortunately, the conversion guns are just as deadly in the hands of an Operative."
With inhuman speed, the man leaped to one of the corpses and took up a rifle. Tengeri followed suit and attempted to break the man's grasp a second time. He managed to critically damage two manipulators before Tengeri could get a grip on the gun, and held back the last free one with a single hand. Shots rang out wildly in all directions as Tengeri tried to destroy the firearm, but to no avail.
After several moments of struggling, an exclamation of pain rang out from across the room. Both Tengeri and the Operative immediately ceased their struggle at the sight of the Red General bleeding profusely on his desk.
"Private..." the general gasped, through intense pain. "No, doctor... Make these... bastards... pay..."
The Red General's body slumped to the ground before fizzling out of existence. Sirens sounded across the battlefield as Tengeri's scales faded back to their natural hue. The Operative glanced around nervously, before pulling a small communicator from his pocket.
"Sir! We have a Class-CK here. I'm pulling out."
The man disappeared in a flash, leaving Tengeri alone in the General's office. As she gaped in shock at the all-too-quickly-unfolding events, a ripple of teal made its way across the battlefield. The Red Army had become the Teal Army.
Suspicion.
The one thing Tengeri had tried to avoid, but ultimately failed. Impartial conversion had left her scales a deep red, sure, but it hadn't imparted any knowledge of the military itself. Things in this war game were vastly different from anything Tengeri had on record, of course she wouldn't have blended in. Not that she had expected the decidedly human armies to trust a flying sea serpent anyway. So here she was, once again under escort by high-ranking men toting black rifles. All of the weapons the army used held the same energy signature - the unknown mechanism used to "convert" soldiers. Or, as the unpleasant lieutenant had noted, to kill those of the same army as the user. Fortunately, as Tengeri didn't technically have an affiliation, the guns would likely just attempt to convert her again, and she'd still be able to defend against it.
The small enclave of Reds led her down a twisting series of corridors, down several flights of stairs. After several minutes, they reached a lone steel door in the middle of a seemingly random hallway, labeled "Sewage Overflow Runoff - Do Not Enter when Light is Red", accompanied by a glowing red light. Tengeri attempted to question this, but was met with a rifle pointed at her head. She quickly disspelled the water back into the main mass as she entered the door.
It immediately became apparent that the sign on the door was a complete lie, judging by the lack of excrement on any of the room's surfaces. It appeared to be a rather small office, likely the General's, considering the extra security measures. The Red General took his seat behind the desk, motioning for the two other soldiers to stand guard by the door. The general focused intently on Tengeri for several moments, before speaking in a rough, Texan accent:
"Private Nyoka. You say you're a member of the Red Army?"
Slowly, Tengeri formed the words "yes, sir" in the air.
"What's wrong, Private? I don't want any goddamned air-writing. Speak up!"
"i can't, sir. my throat was severely damaged in an explosion, and i'm currenly unable to speak. the damage should be repaired soo"
"How soon, Private?" The general's voice grew more aggravated by the moment. "If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to win a war here! I don't need you wasting more of my time!"
Tengeri quickly looked at her throat's repair status. It seemed that the damage was almost completely repaired. "i could try, sir. i haven't spoken in weeks, but"
"On with it, Private!"
Tengeri coughed heavily, muffled by the field of water surrounding her head. Slowly, the field shifted away from her mouth, a very minimal amount remaining. "Ye...s, sir..." she slowly rasped, throat burning.
The general paused for a moment. "It'd be even slower this way. Go back to your damned air-writing, we'll do things that way. Now then, Private. I've heard that you told Anzhi that 'you're not a soldier'. What, exactly, is the meaning of this?"
"exactly what i said, sir. i'm not a soldier. i'm a scientist. all of the implants you see on my body were of my own creation."
"A likely story, Private!" the General hissed. "You're a spy, aren't you? I can tell you're not a true Red. I can see it in your eyes, Private. Your loyalty isn't with us."
"you're correct, general. my loyalty is with no army. i'm not here by my own will. i was taken from my own world, entire universes away, by a being calling himself 'the fool'. there are eight of us here. i'm sure you've heard reports by now."
"Damn right I've heard reports, Private! Extra armies, a demilitarized zone, a dinosaur... Are you saying you know more about this, Private?"
"only that none of us belong here. we're being forced to fight to the death. each time one of us dies, the rest are taken somewhere else and the process repeats. one has already died."
"I see. In that case..." The General reached under his desk and produced a large rifle, similar to the ones wielded by the rest of the army. "Give me a reason I shouldn't blow your head off right now, Private. If what you're saying is true, then order will be restored if one of you dies."
"'doctor' will suffice, general. but i'll tell you why. your weapons can't convert me, and because of that they can't kill me. what do you plan to accomplish, general?"
"This isn't a normal gun, 'Doctor'!" the General exclaimed, furiously. "This is a kill gun. All of the Generals have one. Unlimited ammunition, impossible to jam, fast rate of fire... Whatever bastard's on the wrong end of one of these will be dead before they know what's happening. And mine is trained on your head."
Scans confirmed that the gun wasn't a normal conversion gun. Tengeri's confidence quickly waned. "sir, i can help you. there's one out there who we could call a mutual enemy. he calls himself 'saint scofflaw'. i don't know what he's been doing since we got here, but he's the biggest threat to all of us. if we kill someone, it should be him."
The general lowered his gun. "Let's get one thing straight, 'Doctor'. I don't trust you, and I have a feeling this is a trap. If someone's going to be eliminating this 'Scofflaw', it's you. Understand?"
Tengeri immediately thought back to her failed attempt at killing Scofflaw in the caves of Vio. But what choice did she have? Her options were either "kill Scofflaw" or "die", and she wasn't exactly keen on the second option. "yes, sir."
"Good. Major! Escort the private to a holding cell for temporary-"
The Red General was cut off midsentence by the sudden sounds of gunfire and yelling. In front of the door lay the corpses of two Red Army officers, riddled with bulletholes. The general and the Leviath had yet to be targetted though.
Tengeri's HUD flashed a warning.
Hostile detected. Distance: 4m. Immediate threat level eight.
A man cloaked in darkness leaped from the shadows, pointing what appeared to be a "kill gun" at Tengeri's head. Tengeri immediately released all four tentacle-esque hypermanipulators from hatches in her sides, each equipped with a plasma cutter.
"who are you, and what do you want"
"Hello, Tengeri Nyoka," the figure responded in a condescending tone. "I can't help but notice that you've finagled your way into the ranks of the Red Army. It looks like that didn't go quite as planned."
"you didn't answer my question. how do you know all of this?"
"I have connections, doctor. But you wanted to know what I'm doing here? I'm here to kill you, Doctor. You and your six friends have caused quite a disturbance, and we can't have that."
"seven"
"Excuse me?"
"there are seven others. it looks like you missed someone."
"If you're not lying, I guess I'll deal with that once you're dead. Goodbye, doctor."
Tengeri almost instinctually wrapped a metallic limb around the man's gun, forcing him to harmlessly fire at the ceiling as he attempted to break her superior grasp on the firearm. She immediately brought a plasma cutter down, slicing through the weapon and rendering it useless.
"i'll ask again. who are you? who sent you here?"
"Quite the fighter, Tengeri. I like that. Fortunately, the conversion guns are just as deadly in the hands of an Operative."
With inhuman speed, the man leaped to one of the corpses and took up a rifle. Tengeri followed suit and attempted to break the man's grasp a second time. He managed to critically damage two manipulators before Tengeri could get a grip on the gun, and held back the last free one with a single hand. Shots rang out wildly in all directions as Tengeri tried to destroy the firearm, but to no avail.
After several moments of struggling, an exclamation of pain rang out from across the room. Both Tengeri and the Operative immediately ceased their struggle at the sight of the Red General bleeding profusely on his desk.
"Private..." the general gasped, through intense pain. "No, doctor... Make these... bastards... pay..."
The Red General's body slumped to the ground before fizzling out of existence. Sirens sounded across the battlefield as Tengeri's scales faded back to their natural hue. The Operative glanced around nervously, before pulling a small communicator from his pocket.
"Sir! We have a Class-CK here. I'm pulling out."
The man disappeared in a flash, leaving Tengeri alone in the General's office. As she gaped in shock at the all-too-quickly-unfolding events, a ripple of teal made its way across the battlefield. The Red Army had become the Teal Army.