Serah had to squint her eyes a bit at first to make sure she wasn't imagining things with that shadow, though that thought was quickly pulled aside when they had actually checked what caused it. A reptilian-machine hybrid of sorts was crouching atop its stone pillar, before letting out the most ungodly scream you could imagine. [color=00aeef][i]"Why does EVERYTHING want to blow up my ears?"[/i][/color] Serah mentally asked herself whilst anguishing over that horrid sound. Before the girl had any more time to react, two wires shot out of the other Framewerk's palms, or at least she thought it was their palms. Atty's pilot tried to dodge to the side, though it wasn't necessary as both shockers burrowed themselves into a pillar just a little ways away. Not only that, but the poor machine got yanked right off their high ground and rammed into the obelisk it latched onto, contorting the frame in ways they never were intended to. A final scream echoed, and then silence. The girl inside of the red framewerk was... Surprisingly apathetic about all of it. She kept a cool head and only winced slightly at the sight, whilst also pondering why that scream sounded so similar to that white-haired girl's voice. [color=00aeef]"Sheesh."[/color] Serah murmured, figuring that these cadets weren't going to be very hard to deal with if this was the best they had to show for it.

And then it happened. Over the comms, Elora screamed for anyone in the ruins to get away and the global channel having been compromised. Serah didn't have any time to react to it, as suddenly her cameras were obscured by dirt and grime flying all over the place. [color=00aeef]"Kyaaaa!"[/color] she screamed, with Atty getting flung off the ground and smashing against the floor a bit farther. The shock of the shells exploding all around sent various debris flying right against Atty, who was sprawled on the floor and got sufficiently rocked around. Serah had to take heavy breaths in order to stabilize from the sudden shift in blood location all around her body, making a backwards roll with her Framewerk and pushing it back onto their feet. She moved in tandem with Atty, trying to feel what they feel. [color=00aeef]"I'm sorry, Atty... I shouldn't have put you through that."[/color] the girl apologized, to her framewerk of all things! Atty's body armor was fragile, so there were noticeable dents all around and some of the paint got torn off. Its non-sword arm also looked a little worn. 

Serah'd gotten a more detailed map whilst all this was going on, quickly darting her eyes over the rough scan Elora sent through. Nothing seemed to be good. The tower was cramped, if she retreated her position'd be compromised, and four enemies were approaching from the front. [color=00aeef]"Damnit!"[/color] she cursed, forgetting the global channel was still on. People could most certainly still hear what the girl's saying. Serah had no time to waste. Staying in the ruined area of pillars was a bad idea, with that volley from before looking to be a reoccurring thing. So, she settled on one option. The girl looked over to check if her communications were on, which they were. And she turned them off completely, not receiving nor sending any more audio transcripts. [color=00aeef]"Sorry guys, but I can't wimp outta this..."[/color] the girl muttered to herself as she bit her lip, facing the Mystery zone with Atty.

She made him point the energy blade clasped in its hand forward, as if issuing a challenge... And then dashed. The reflector wings on Atty's back detached itself and floated at 45° angles in front of them, providing some cover from incoming fire whilst not obscuring the feedback cameras on the helmet of the framewerk. Serah tried to slice once to fire off a sickle of energy to the first bastard she got in sight, which was the one with the glowy sword. Wasting no time in resetting the energy on the edge and draining some of the core whilst doing so, Serah fixed her gaze to the white framewerk that wielded guns. A priority. She wasn't great at range, so getting close and taking them down was priority. The girl fixed her sword to have a good angle, and rushed forward to try and slice at least an arm off, or to attempt stabbing the framewerk in some way. This was risky with two others behind, and that melee framewerk getting up close but... Hell, she [i]had[/i] to risk it. This advance could easily flank her entire team.

Honestly, Serah was a little scared deep down. She was shocked from that blast, worrying about what would become of her and her team... But that took a backseat to this fight. That reptile showed her it isn't just a simulation. This was real combat. And therefor, the girl shut off her emotions. She was out to survive now, and had been trained to not let [i]anything[/i] get in the way of your concentration.