The dust settled after that event, and the man currently only known as 'Nine' got back into his NC. Sophia, seeing that the coast is as clear as it's going to get, rocketed out of the small hole she was sneakily peeking through, and climbed on Percy's NC, opening the hatch manually from the outside. [color=8882be]"You okay in there? As far as I can tell he just... fried everything NC-grade. I have no idea who that... wizard-pilot is."[/color]

Percy had pulled himself together during that insanity Nine pulled. "Yeah. I'm.. ...Fine.. Nothing feels broken." 

[color=8882be]"Well, get out, let's get the others out of their NC's... We have to do something about the other hostiles. Fucking tanks..."[/color]

[color=8882be]"...Think you can drive one?"[/color]

Percy just looked at her, shocked. [color=d3d3d3]"I, uh.. I don't.. I don't think I can, Captain."[/color]

Before Sophia could insist, her phone started to ring. When she answered it, Zach's voice was on the other end.

[color=indianred]"Damn it, t-tell Percy I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I couldn't do anything. I'm so sorry."[/color] His voice was weak and slightly shaky, sounding like he was struggling to hold it together. [color=8882be]"...You did your best, we'll be there ASAP."[/color]

Zach's voice was more firm this time. [color=indianred]"Tell Percy I'm sorry."[/color] [color=8882be]"I will."[/color]

Percy just ignored her, and decided the best thing to do was to get the heck out of there.. Make sure his daughter was ok. He scrambled out of the NC and before Sophia could call out to him, he was halting a vehicle that was going into Smith's Rest - probably what little militia they have. [color=d3d3d3]"Just let me hitch a ride, I have a kid, please-"[/color]

Sophia yelled, [color=8882be]"Militia, don't let him. Percy, you get back here and assist us, or I'll kill you. I don't want you getting killed by anything else and getting your kid killed too."[/color]

[color=d3d3d3]"I have to protect my daughter. I have no idea if she's ok! Just please let me do this! Please!"[/color] [color=8882be]"If you ditch us now, she'll absolutely die, alongside dozens of others. You want to be responsible for not just your kid probably dying, but everyone elses' too?"[/color]

Percy looked at her, very obviously torn.. But he makes his decision quickly. [color=d3d3d3] "You win.. but if me helping you people gets my daughter killed, you're going to regret ever letting me get familiar with those things."[/color] Percy then gestures to the fallen NC. [color=8882be]"Fair trade, now grab some shovels."[/color]

There were no lights in Blur's cockpit, but inside Eli was very much alive, and after blinking out of the daze the fall had put her in, realized she was, for the most part, unharmed. Seatbelts save lives. Didn't do much for her temper, though. She didn't need to see outside to know Blur was in shambles: a missing arm, some busted engines, and whatever the hell the fall had done to it. 

She released the straps keeping her to the seat, dropping a few feet to the opposite side of the cockpit. Blur had fallen onto its front, great, she wasn't going to be opening the hatch the normal way. Just another fucking bump.

Her fist cracked down against one of the screens, she muffled an angry shout, then searched under the seat for the crowbar Sophia had told them was there. Great, still didn't help her figuring out how to crawl her way out. No comms, no lights, no anything. [b]Fuck[/b]. Thankfully, soon afterwards, Sophia could be heard climbing up the Blur and standing above the cockpit, opening it from the outside. [color=8882be]"We still got a job to do, think you can man a tank-cannon?"[/color]

Eli's attention shot up to the captain, eyes angry and teeth grated together. She clambered up out of Blur and tossed the crowbar aside at the mention of the tank-cannon. She gave Sophie a nod, then made her way to the ground. [color=8882be]"You get Joe out of his NC, I'm going to get some guns."[/color], and with that, Sophia went to enter the building, apparently to retrieve a secret stash of firearms.

Swarm's cockpit was out of power, however, while the fight had raged outside, he was stuck inside it, as the hatch was jammed shut, so out of boredom, he bypassed the computer control for the cockpit's illumination, connecting it directly to some backup batteries, that were left in the NC and accessible from the cockpit. "Let there be light." Joe said before connecting the last wire.
His second repair attempt was to get the cockpit's hatch to somehow unlock. The electronically controlled lock got stuck while locked when the power went out as the NC's systems were fried. It would be harder, but should still be possible, to at least get the lock to switch to 'open', and then have it stuck there.
Overall, Swarm was one of the least damaged NCs, although the impact had quite malformed the armor.
Once he got to speak either the captain or the chief engineer, he would give them a lecture on how low-tech would have prevented the enemies' "plan B" from succeeding.

After some time, Joe managed to get the lock to remove stud, that held the hatch shut, from the hatch, causing it to fling open. Alas, he was free. Eli, returning from grabbing some person-sized dakka, noticed he was out and gave him his order. 

[color=8882be]"Joe, you're going to handle operating a tank's sensor systems. Yes, we have a tank I forgot to mention"[/color] "Where do I find the tank?" [color=8882be]"We have to go to the outskirts of town, and dig it up. It's in a box." [/color]

Nine climbed back into his black NC. It's armor looked far worse than the actual damage it had taken, mainly to due close up explosion that partially incinerated the paint. 

He merely stood there for a moment, possibly doing some system checks before turning towards the remaining five on the battlefield. Or rather what now looked like a graveyard more than anything.

Nine then enabled the external speakers his NC was equipped with.

[color=00FF00]"So. Are you people wish to join the already dead? Your fate is in your hands."[/color]

[color=00aeef]"Who the hell is this guy?"[/color] Eli growled, glancing to the captain in case she had the answer. Doubtful, if they had help they knew about, chances are it would have been brought up. 

Joe, overhearing what Nine said through the external speakers, took the crowbar from Swarm's cockpit and hid behind what was left of Swarm. He was angry, both at his and the engineers failure to spot the intrusion in time. Out of frustration, he threw the crowbar like a javelin at where he thought Nine's NC was, on a parabolic path over his cover.

A crowbar hardly does something against armor if thrown, but if it hits a weak-spot, and punctures a hydraulics-pipe, the damage by the leak would be crippling to whatever the pipe went to, but that was VERY unlikely.

Nine merely rose his arm and struck the crowbar sending it flying back exactly where it came from. Once again, Nine's inhuman precision and reaction time were displayed, How did he constantly do that? Joe would be lucky to not get outright hit by the crowbar he threw.

[color=00FF00]"Wow, I mean, atleast procure an NC. Killing you like this won't be any fun."[/color]

The crowbar struck the ground behind Joe, as he had walked away from both Nine and Swarm's wreckage while the crowbar was in the air.

[color=8882be]"Joe, you suicidal idio-... What do you want, unknown NC?"[/color]

Nine pointed at the graveyard behind him, mainly at one of the shredded NC's.

[color=00FF00]"I want everyone related to them . . . dead."[/color] His voice no longer had that amused tone. He was dead serious. 

"That makes two of us." [color=8882be]"...Three, to be honest. At minimum."[/color]

[color=00FF00]"Now I know this isn't all they came with. Where . . . are the rest?"[/color]

"Also, captain, if you have a moment, I think I know what would have prevented their plan B from working." [color=8882be]"Shut the fuck up Joe, I'll have your lecture about vacuum tubes later."[/color] "Nah, no need to go that far back, relays will suffice."

[color=00aeef]"Do we have time to chat with this pilot, Captain? Smith's Rest is [b]still[/b] under attack,"[/color] Eli said, looking back to Nine. [color=00aeef]"It's clear he's not hostile, at least to us."[/color]

[color=00FF00]"Not [i]yet[/i]."[/color] He said and then promptly laughed out loud. [color=00FF00]"Especially after that crowbar assault. You nearly scratched off the burn marks. I've already grown fond of them."[/color]

"I think we'll get along well then, at least us two." Joe responded.
[color=8882be]"Uhh.. Unknown, we'd be in your debt for a while if you'd continue helping us out. About six main-battle tanks, six non-NC quadrupeds, and maybe a full battalion of paratroopers are still capturing, and killing, our people."[/color]

[color=8882be]"Can you.. do your thing and kill them? It'd help in the quad's case if you aimed for anything but that container on their back. They're full of civvies."[/color]

[color=00FF00]"Same people I assume?"[/color] He asked, gesturing once again towards the pile of NC wreckages.

[color=8882be]"Same group, yes. I'd send out our NC's to help but..."[/color], she pointed at Blur, the Papa-Mike, and the Swarm. [color=8882be]"They're sort of fried."[/color]

[color=00FF00]"Just point me in the right direction."[/color] Nine said gleefully.[color=00FF00]"No promises on the civilians."[/color] He then let out another chuckle.

[color=8882be]"...Go on, then. We have to acquire a tank, we'll try to help you out."[/color]

Nine boosted away towards Smith's Rest, railgun at the ready.