[center][h2][color 33ec06]Marcus Howell[/color][/h2][/center]
[center][img]http://i65.tinypic.com/21o8tg4.png[/img][/center]
[hr]

The world exploded.

Before Marcus could even see if his shots hit their mark, and far before he could start preparing his next move, the entire world exploded. From what his still foggy brain could understand, the air became saturated with little crystals, which seemed to brush up against and simultaniously not touch him. It seemed to wrap tightly around him, a circumstance which quickly gave rise to panic in his brain. He would have burned a rewind, had it the potential to benefit him, but his stationary time taking aim meant that he would once again end up in the same spot if he did rewind. This was a fact that his calmer brain would relay afterwards, a mental note as to combat strategies and the value of remaining mobile, especially given the nature of his power.

For now, his panic settled a bit as he quickly found himself in a large crystal sphere, seemingly made of the same materials as the fans he'd noticed across the battlefield. Which probably meant that this thing was a friendly creation; either that or he'd soon be crushed to a fine powder and there was nothing he could possibly do about it. He chose to remain blissfully optimistic about the situation, rather than contemplate his own crushing for very long.

Speaking of crushing, what was currently happening down below him was something that caused him to stop in awe. The entire battlefield, one in which they had been fighting for their lives, was a dome of crystal, trapping the creatures inside. This was the work of someone powerful; magic the likes of which he'd only seen on the original ten. The power of a Precursor, which made all their fighting seem worthless. If someone could come along and do this, no matter how much effort was expended, what was the point of them even being here? Sure, this might be their future, but why send them out first?

This point seemed to be hammered home as the sphere finished, and subsequently imploded inwards on itself in a brute show of raw magical strength. When they were finally deposited on the ground, Marcus was, for a brief moment in his life, speechless. Thousands of thoughts raced through his head, one of which being the comprehension of overkill that just happened. The point rang home again, although in a harsher light: what [i]was[/i] the point in them even being here? If there were fighters that were more qualified to do this than a bunch of newbies, why send them out? He shook his head, the poison’s after affects almost causing him to lose his balance; there'd be plenty of time to mull it over later.

First, there was the issue of his pistol. G.I Jerkoff was standing a little ways away from the rest of them, along with a group of other soldiers, one of whom was currently vomiting. He honestly couldn’t blame the guy. [color f7976a][i]And when we’re done, you just push this little switch to turn the safety on[/i][/color]. Marcus looked down to find the little switch, fumbling with it for just a moment before pushing it down. “[color 33ec06]Hey, Private Pissed-Off! I bring you the present of Lucie, undamaged.[/color]” he said, extending the pistol outward with one hand. [color f7976a][i]Nonono! Barrel down, Marc, barrel down.[/i][/color]  

He nearly dropped the gun in his sudden motion to flip it over, an action which seemed to cause a few of the guards to tense up. He handed it over to Jerry, [i]barrel down[/i], as well as the strap and magazines. “[color 33ec06]14 shots. One left in there for you to shoot yourself in the foot and appeal to Zhang if you want.[/color]” he said, turning away from the little group of guards.

“[color f7976a]Hey kid![/color]” the sound of his new friend’s voice caused Marcus to stop in his tracks and turn around. “[color f7976a]15 shots. Try counting a little better next time, or you’ll get yourself killed going after a monster with an empty gun and a prayer.[/color]”

Marcus’s mind clouded ever so slightly. It was a little mistake, but the guard was right; that kind of error would have easily lead to his death. His mind raced a little bit, considering the ‘what if?’ He’d made a mistake, a lapse in judgement, which fortunately didn’t get the chance to play out in this fight. Which meant that it was fine, just a slight miscalculation that he’d have to learn from. He didn’t say anything as he turned back around. He silenced the [i]’what ifs’[/i]; right now he just wanted to find his team and make sure everyone else was okay.

[color f7976a]"Lilianna! Front and center! You're taking all the other injuries and healing through them with this guy's blood!"[/color]

Sounded like he needed to hurry if he wanted to catch them before they got assigned somewhere else.

[i][color f7976a]Good job Marc! Maybe next time I’ll let you actually fire it, see if you can shoot real bullets as well as those BB’s. I’m thinking ice cream on the way home, what about you? Don’t tell Mom though, she’ll skin us both![/color][/i]

[hider]To be continued in collab[/hider]