[center][u][b]July 8th, 20:08
North of Tabuk, within the Republic of Arabia[/b][/u]

Sand and rock were crushed under the advancing treads of rumbling diesel-powered tanks and the numerous black IFVs powering towards the border. NATO reinforcements had arrived on schedule, and with the armor they needed to make the counter-push against the Federation. Among the Challenger 2 tanks painted to match their infantry support were self-propelled artillery vehicles and the soft thump of helicopter rotors over-head. With Emerald Knight's retaking of Tabuk hours earlier, Raymond and his forces had been able to more easily group up and set a plan in motion for the next stage. He personally oversaw the mobilization of the armored column in one of the redesigned M60a2 "Starship" tanks, the stub-nosed turret primed with an anti-tank missile ready to fire.

Asad had shown them that he was willing to start a war, but he wondered if he was ready to finish it. The next few hours would prove that, as the border to the Arab Federation was nearly on the horizon. Lady Arcana and the other heroes had done exactly as he thought they would, stopping the advances with minimal loss of life, but now it was largely on himself and actual military elements to finish this conflict. Would they continue to the battle with him, or simply be content with their gains? That weighed on his mind more than the oncoming battle, as it would likely decide just how their kind were seen in the world.

Lady Arcana had arrived with King Orin in hand to find Emerald Knight, Grim,Tank and Celerity engaged with Federation forces within Tabuk. Setting the Atlantean royal down, they had joined the fight and together they managed to quickly bring an end to the conflict and force the remaining Federation troops to either surrender or flee the city. Ending it so quickly meant that the fighting had been largely resolved by the time NATO reinforcements had arrived, a fact she was most thankful for. At the very least the next people they fought should be Asad's actual supporters, instead of just some unfortunate people forced into fighting for him.

At least, that was what she’d overheard the NATO people chatting about. Apparently they were called the Arabian Guard, and were the elite troops who had displayed both loyalty and skill to Asad and his regime. This meant they wouldn’t break and run so easily, as they at least believed in the cause they were fighting for. They didn’t seem nearly so large in number, though, so hopefully a bit of overwhelming force would similarly persuade them to lay down their arms.

Though, that would in truth only matter if he attacked again. Lady Arcana had no intention of helping NATO invade and dethrone this guy. That felt like it would be going a little too far. All she really wanted to do now was destroy all of his magitech.

[color=orchid]“Anything on your scanner yet?”[/color] She asked Grim, sitting on the edge of her jet.

[color=IndianRed]”Nothing’s changed so far, [i]Wizardeth[/i],”[/color] Was Grim’s simple response. Her gloved fingers drummed against the console as she leaned back in her pilot’s seat. The jet was currently grounded, once the Federation had been pushed back the Gotham hero had gone searching for fuel. The locals had been… well, happy to help was a strong phrase, but they had been cooperative at least. Normally she wouldn’t have bothered, the fuel reserves on the Grim Jet were fairly vast for its size, but considering Grim and Lady Arcana knew magitech lurked just on the horizon of the battlefield it was better to be prepared.

So here Grim was, high tech jet idling on the ground with the pilot hatch open to better chat with the Lady of Magic sitting on the edge, eyes rarely straying from the screen on her console - hooked up to the main computer terminal back home, and therefore the scanner. They had seen on the news report earlier what these things could do. Zoey had no intention of leaving before grounding them - much more permanently than her own current position. Besides, what kind of inventor would she be without trying to take one home? At least all the heroes now had an earpiece provided to them so she could inform them when trouble started once more. Now if only someone would provide Tank with clothes.

Lady Arcana’s lips pursed into a slight pout at Grim’s continued mockery, though her mask hid it from view. Folding her arms, she glanced at the other heroine from the side. [color=orchid]”Hey, it’s not easy to think up cool speeches on the spot, okay?”[/color]

[color=IndianRed]”That’s why I don’t talk to people. Besides, I like the name.”[/color] 

Arcana shook her head, reaching out to gently nudge Grim with her hand. [color=orchid]”Yeah, I could tell by the giggling. That sounds really weird with your voice thing, you know.”[/color]

[color=IndianRed]”I do not giggle-”[/color] An alert sounded on the console, the soft white glow of the screen turning to a vivid red to catch its operator’s attention. Immediately Grim’s gaze went to the screen and she sat up straight. Her earpiece swapped to broadcast to the other heroes as well by an unseen command from her mask.

[color=IndianRed]”They’re on the move. Headed to the Persian Gulf, high speed, high altitude. Jets, then.”[/color] Grim’s own jet once more roared to life before settling into that quiet purr, ready to lift off in an instant. [color=IndianRed]”Not the entire force. Others still on standby it seems.”[/color]

Lady Arcana’s eyes narrowed at this, the heroine sliding from the edge of the Grim Jet into a gentle float. She suspected that their little breather wouldn’t last long, and it seemed like she was correct. There was no way that a bad dude like this Asad guy was going to give up without throwing his best stuff at them first. [color=orchid]”So he’s...wait, they’re not heading towards us?[/color]

Girard sat leaned up against one of the still largely intact houses resting a bit after the fighting. He was in the process of trying to get all the dust and debris bits off of him that had gotten stuck. It tended to happen when a building collapsed on him but it was worth the annoyance to save the few civilians who he prevented from getting crushed or trapped in the rubble. Couldn’t just let them get hurt after all, wouldn’t be a proper hero if he didn’t try his hardest, though the sheet he was wearing was getting a little tattered with him being on the front lines. The big guy did try to take weapons fire to his upper body if possible but only so much to be done with fire coming in from multiple directions and explosives being involved. Go figure the only clothing store that he found standing wasn’t so steady as to stay that way so he couldn’t trade out for something more modest.

Tank perked up at the buzz from his earpiece listening to whatever information came his way and it sounded like they were in for another round quite soon. “Jets huh? Not sure how much help I’ll be but you got me if you need the support.” He said standing back up for round two.

High in the sky was a lazily floating Emerald Knight. He had been wandering for quite a bit to find the other heroes after his personal mission to get as many civilians to safety as he possibly could. Of course, that meant that he had to get in a lot of fights, and the concussive impact of the missiles hitting him all the time were starting to get to him. Guns and rockets were nothing compared to the weaponry he had seen out beyond the sun, but that didn’t mean he was immune to them.

“Alright, alright.” He muttered to himself. “Where are those guys. I couldn’t have wandered that far off…” He was still in Tabuk. The thoughts of what had actually happened were beginning to return to him now that he had a moment to think. Everyone else was jumping off elsewhere, while Emerald Knight had Volunteered to free Tabuk. This was his own fault.

King Orin was startled by the sudden activation of the earpiece, unused to having another voice practically in his head. He had worked hard to keep other voices [i]out[/i] of his head after all. However, the news that these magitech jets were on the move was good news to him, especially when he heard where they were heading… Orin stood up swiftly from where he had taken a knee in the desert sand after having made short introductions to the rest of the gathered heroes. He slung his trident over his shoulder and glanced around to those still present. “The Persian Gulf you say?” He said with a sly smile. “Well, I suppose it’s time for the King of the Seas to prove his worth…” He said before taking off running at high speeds towards the nearby coast.

[hr]

In the gulf the Second NATO Maritime Group was on patrol when the alert came in by proxy, likely wired in through Raymond and the LIS network. The Admiral of the fleet stared grimly at the AEGIS displays, seeing nothing incoming yet, wondering on the veracity of the statement, and if Asad really had such weapons that could strike his fleet. Notices of active radar and open missile tubes came up, each of the frigates and destroyers marking themselves as weapons hot and ready to strike down whatever showed. Yet there was nothing. Barely even a shimmer across the AEGIS screens to note movement in the skies. A few target markers appeared over land, but as soon as they came up they had been marked as friendly. Where were they?

The young night sky seemed to answer his question as it was instantly parted by twin pillars of white appearing over a pair of AEGIS Cruisers, like the eyes of God staring down upon them in disapproval. Slicing through their solid steel hulls as if they were made of tissue, they briefly vanished amidst the rain of fire and metal only to reappear over two more. Again and again this process was repeated, until finally both lights steadied over their final and last target: the Aircraft Carrier itself. Due to its size, the beams had appeared on opposite ends, as they mercilessly - sadistically even - began to slice it apart.

Being in the command center of the carrier, all the admiral saw was a sudden flash on radar and sonar, then two of his ships gone. They didn't even have time to radio a distress or hint at anything. Repeated attempts to raise them came up with nothing, and soon they were joined by increasing numbers of the fleet. It was unlike anything that had happened before, not even the captains of the Great Wars had experienced such total destruction and been so completely unable to respond. Then the weapon was upon his own ship, and without the means to strike back, he did the only thing he could. Remaining jets launched as they could, taking the catapults to avoid the cutting beam.

Alarms rang out across the mighty carrier, not quite so anymore as it was steadily sliced in two, and the crew abandoned ship with every available means. Only the admiral and his closest staff remained, defiantly holding out and sending distress to all available NATO channels.

"Attention all NATO forces, this is Rear Admiral Cockburn of the British fleet, in command of the Second NATO Maritime group. We have lost all ships in the fleet, and are under attack by advanced weapons from the Federation. Immediate rescue efforts are required, men are in the sea. I repeat, we have lost all ships of the fleet and require immediate naval rescue ships to our position-"

[hr]

Lady Arcana listened to the transmission coming from the Grim Jet - a NATO Signal, apparently - frowning beneath her mask. She was about to sprint off to help rescue the drowning sailors, but had noted that King Orin was already on his way there. Given his apparent affinity for the sea, he would undoubtedly be better at it than she was.

She wanted to go after those jets, but she wasn’t skilled enough at detecting magic yet that she would feel confident in finding them without the Grim Jet’s detector. They were also constantly on the move, so even memorizing their current location wouldn’t do much good.

[color=orchid]“Do you think you can guide me towards them if I carried the Grim Jet?”[/color] Lady Arcana questioned Grim.

The Gotham hero just made a small noise, a hum that reverberated in the mask’s voice modulator as she continued to stare down at the scanner. The Grim Jet hummed beneath her, ready to go with or without Arcana. However beneath the gloves Grim’s knuckles went white as she gripped the controls, not moving quite yet.

[color=IndianRed]”Yes,”[/color] She finally replied simply, her deep exhale that followed distorted under the modulator. [color=IndianRed]”But they’re not our only problem. The others are moving. Just under a dozen of the jets to Tabuk, and… a small army of ground units. All with the magical signature.”[/color]

Lady Arcana leaned over to stare at the incoming signals, her eyes widening. They were seriously coming at them [i]fast[/i], especially the ones in the air. Even the ground units, however, were moving pretty quickly. It wouldn’t take them long to reach the city, and while it was pretty clear that this force was a good deal smaller than the last ones they had faced off against, she had little doubt that this one would prove to be by far the greater threat.

[color=orchid]”I should go to them before they reach the city,”[/color] she suggested, knowing that things would get messy if they had to fight them here. There were still some civilians that hadn’t been evacuated, after all, and protecting them was of course their number one priority.

Lifting off the ground, she offered one last glance at the Grim Computer as she prepared to head off the jets. Her eye managed to catch something on the screen, however. Something that emitted a stronger signal than anything else approaching them. Furthermore, it was outpacing even the jets! [color=orchid]”What’s [i]that?”[/i][/color]

[hr]

King Orin arrived at the coast of the Persian Gulf to a grisly sight. Debris and wreckage floated in the water, and he could see fires starting in the distance, likely from fuel spills. His grip tightened on the trident until his knuckles went white, And Orin stepped forward into the surf. Keying on his earpiece, he spoke to the group, his earlier jovial tone gone. [color=LightSeaGreen]”They were at the Gulf and gone.I don’t know where. If you have a way of finding them Grim, keep on them. There’s destruction and chaos here now, and they cannot be allowed to continue it. I will meet with all of you later, I have to fix this first.”[/color]

Wading further into the water, Aquaman dove in, feeling the cool water wash over him and refresh his senses. He could not allow himself time to appreciate it though, as already he could feel the disturbances and the unease in the water around him. Many sailors had died already. Some still lived, treading water for now. As Orin scanned the sinking wreckage he began to pick out bodies, people who were stuck and may need help. 

Reaching out with his mind as he began to swim towards the nearest hunk of wreckage, Aquaman made contact with the otherworldly force that bound the ocean life. The Clear, it seemed to be called. The Clear touched the minds of all ocean-dwelling animals, and with that connection, Aquaman could ask for help. A call went out, seating itself in the minds of the dugongs, dolphins, orcas, and other larger sea life that frequented these waters. A request to come and help those in need. With the call underway, Orin surged forward to the first piece of wreckage, intent on rescuing as many drowning sailors as he could, and then trying to clean up the flaming fuel afterwards...

[hr]

Even with Tabuk mostly in the clear, Emerald Knight’s work wasn’t done yet. His earpiece sounded off. Grim alerted him of the incoming aerial forces. He was quick to craft himself a telescope to find out what was going on and where, and as quick as he began his search, he found his next targets. 

He couldn’t help but feel a little weak. Did human tech really advance so much and so subtly while he was gone for training? Whatever was going on, it would have to be explored later. Right now, he had some new enemies to deal with. 

His once leisurely pace quickly shifted to one that could rival a standard jet. Still, the speed of whatever was on its way was more than the standard Jet. Emerald Knight would need to put a little more push into his ring in order to keep up. Even with them. Funny, he traveled here in a matter of moments to help, but now he was huffing and puffing to keep up with some in-atmosphere jets. 

He zipped in right close, trying to get a lot at whatever had spooked Grim over whatever fancy tool they were using now. Obviously they weren’t good, or Grim wouldn’t have been worried, so Emerald Knight skipped the pleasantries and went straight for construct making. He wanted to smash up his targets and end the day already.

The jets that Emerald Knight could see were flying at a considerably high altitude. While his Ring had managed to pick them up, it was clear they were using a stealth technology that could easily befuddle any Earth Radar. Furthermore, they were already taking evasive maneuvers, as if they’d likewise noticed [i]him[/i]!

Said maneuvers were beyond the abilities of any Earth aircraft, sharp 360 degree turns that instantly brought them face-to-face as they shot towards him at many, many times the speed of sound. A spark of light from their smooth silver hulls heralded the storm of laser fire that soon cast away the night sky as they attempted to kill the aerially-inclined hero whom they had now engaged.

Emerald Knight couldn’t deny that these planes were unlike anything he had seen on earth before. The outclassed the fighters he had taken out earlier by leagues, so it was clear to him that they weren’t a part of some new standard.

The way they twisted around and aimed right for him caught him a little off guard, but the surprises didn’t stop there. He was hit rather directly by their lasers. That was something he knew the people of earth weren’t normally capable of. On the other hand, he knew he’d at least get a good challenge out of something a little closer to what he was used to fighting-

The lasers hit with a surprising impact. Emerald Knight knew it had been a while since he had battled guns with bullets, but he knew he could take a laser shot or two! Something about these fighters wasn’t right, and he needed to put a stop to them as soon as possible. 

Emerald Knight took off as the jets were about to collide with him. He circled around them and began tailing them once more, creating his own laser gun to shoot out their turbines with. Or, at least, whatever propelled these marvellous machinations. He decided to pick them off one by one. He could stand to get hit a few more times. A lot more times. He had all the time in the world to wear out these futuristic fliers.

There seemed to be ten in all, and at the moment they were all focused on a single target: Emerald Knight.

Streams of laser fire poured from the craft in an attempt to shoot the man-sized bogey down from the larger aircraft, and soon enough a slew of missiles followed in their wake. While slower than the laser fire, these were able to track and follow him. Moving at speeds far greater than their standard Earth equivalents, these missiles glowed with a strange purple hue as they streaked through the sky, making rigid turns in their efforts to strike him.

In all of these efforts they were well coordinated, ten individuals aircraft working in concert against one target. When the Emerald Knight attempted to target their turbines, the fighters he targeted would veer sharply to avoid his attack before it was even fired. Some would evade it entirely, others would instead take the hit at a less critical area of their hull.

Emerald Knight was beginning to notice a pattern between all of these fighters. They were all individually piloted, but they all moved in a similar faction. 

The rate of his own lasers being fired increased exponentially. Instead of continuing to aim straight for the turbines, Emerald Knight instead tried focusing on pushing the jets together. He still wanted to take them out, but their quick moves to evade him could only work so well when they were as grouped as tightly together as he could get them. He upscaled the size of his floating laser turret to try and give them more of a threat to work with. It was at this point that he had realized that he could totally focus a little more and just shoot them dead, or make some homing bombs or something and explode the jets, but he still wanted to save them if possible.

[hr]

[color=IndianRed]”I don’t know. Not a tank or a jet, that’s for sure,”[/color] Grim grimaced beneath her mask, eyeing the rapidly approaching dot flashing across the screen of her scanner. After a moment the vigilante gripped the controls of the Grim Jet tighter, the engine rumbling. [color=IndianRed]”We’re going up,”[/color] Grim warned, keeping the hatch open as the Jet rose directly upward, once a few hundred meters in the air hovering. The Gotham hero leaned out the front of the jet, the lenses of her goggles swapping to zoom and magnifying to max.

[color=IndianRed]”Fuck me, still can’t see anything. Come on, we have to head it off - you ready?”[/color]

Lady Arcana hadn’t resisted the rise of the Grim Jet, planning on following her skyward. Until those fighters were dealt with, it was best just letting Tank and Celerity deal with the ground forces. King Orin could easily back them up when he returned.

Lifting away from the jet as it steadied into a hover, she offered the Gotham heroine a quick nod. [color=orchid]”Read-”[/color]

That was when she felt it. Her ability to sense magic was burning stronger than it ever had before, and as she turned in the direction that feeling stabbed at her from her eyes were filled with a dark visage rapidly approaching the both of them at speeds nothing made by man could ever hope to achieve. Knowing it would hit - and very likely destroy - the Grim Jet if she allowed it to reach them, Lady Arcana immediately dashed forward to slam into it first.

The impact sent a truly monstrous sonic boom rushing through the city that shattered windows and knocked mortal men off their feet. Never before had she impacted something with such astonishing force, a power she wasn’t prepared for. Feeling the massive obsidian hand enclose around her head, she could barely react as she was driven through local deli, and then a textile factory...and then a mosque. Through several rows of structures, a path of destruction being etched across Tabuk.

Releasing her willingly, Lady Arcana shook her head - mostly in disbelief - at the towering figure. Not a man, but a [url=https://i.imgur.com/9INM6Ix.jpg]machine[/url].

“So you are the allegedly invincible Wizardess that our Lord warned me of?” A voice emanated from the humanoid-shaped armor. It spoke in Arabic, it’s gleaming blue eyes glaring down at her. “Perhaps his estimations of your power were exaggerated.”

The Grim Jet had shook from the force of the sonic boom, alerts ripping through the inside of the cockpit. With a loud curse Grim grabbed onto the thick glass of the hatch and yanked it close, once more strapping into the pilot’s seat. Lady Arcana and … whatever that was were already gone from the air, but their path was obvious. In a burst of speed the Grim Jet tore after them, the middle compartment at the bottom of the aircraft already opening.

At the end of the line of destruction ripped through Tabuk was Grim’s target, looming over Lady Arcana. Grim’s eyes narrowed beneath her mask, the left lens of her mask swapping to heat signatures. Finding no civilians nearby and her targetting system locked on the back of the hulking humanoid machine, Grim let loose. From the rectangular metal object that had opened at the bottom of the jet a series of missiles exploded forth at an intense speed, slamming into the back of the machine beneath her. The explosion engulfed it, the lens of Grim’s goggles quickly swapping off heat signatures lest the fire of the missiles burn white-hot against the sensor.

Grim had no doubt this wasn’t over, the auto cannons already spinning and more missiles being auto-loaded as she prepared to continue the assault. In truth… she knew this was probably going to be painful.

While the flame and smoke obscured the image of the great mechanical titan, one thing quickly became clear for Grim to see: those glowing azure eyes were now centered firmly on her, shining through the aftermath of her attack. “Yankee insect.”

Lady Arcana - still lying prone behind the war suit - could clearly see the twin pair of mechanical eyes burning brighter, her heart growing tight with the knowledge that if she didn’t act, Grim would very likely die. In a single swift motion she bolted to her feet and slammed her fist into the side of her much larger opponent’s head. This succeeded in forcing his aim away from the Grim Jet, as a pair of azure beams scorched the air, burning clean through any rooftops that were unfortunate enough to be in its path.

She could smell the ozone burning as it once more turned to face her, it’s great hand balling into a fist to quickly return the favor by slamming into her much smaller head. And she [i]felt[/i] it! Really, truly felt the impact as it sent her careening back through yet another series of buildings, her body eventually plowing a trench into the sandy streets below. She had never been hit this hard since she’d gained her powers. Not by Iron Eagle, not by Harris, not by the Harpies.

[color=orchid]”Guh…”[/color] Lady Arcana huffed out, placing her hands on the sand and pushing herself up. She wasn’t hurt, at least she didn’t [i]think[/i] so...but it had [i]stung[/i], like a quick slap across the face. One that could’ve sent her flying many, many miles away if she hadn’t been trying to stop herself.

She didn’t have much time to think, unfortunately, as her assailant was soon upon her again. This time, at least, she managed to lift into the air. Flying up and away from the city, she knew that it would be a [i]terrible[/i] idea to try and fight him here, where civilians potentially remained. [color=orchid]”W-who are you, dude? Are you one of that Asad guy’s Generals or something?”[/color]

“A General? No,” the suit responded, ascending into the air to give chase, apparently able to fly as well. Just perfect. “You have the honor of facing Arabia’s greatest son himself, woman. I am Basil Al-Asad!”

[color=IndianRed]”Fuck.”[/color] The single word seemed rather appropriate, considering. Grim’s missiles hadn’t even scratched the metal of the suit, barely scuffed it - and that was all dirt and ash from the explosion! Fuck. [i]Fuck[/i].

A quick change of lenses in the goggles had Grim swapping the left side to the magic sensor, flinching and immediately returning to normal as the brightness radiating from the machine confirmed what she suspected. Absolutely brimming with arcane powers. Grim cautiously followed the two floating figures, keeping her distance - she was under no illusions that a full on assault would work from the Grim Jet, not if her missiles hadn’t done anything. Not to mention the way Asad had flung Lady Arcana around.

Still, she wasn’t willing to leave her alone.

[color=IndianRed]”Do your best, I’ll see if I can determine a weakness in the suit.”[/color] Grim finally muttered into her mask’s communicator, already bringing up pictures from her goggles’ recordings to try and examine the machine from all sides. Maybe they could get lucky and the suit was made by the same people who built the Death Star.

Lady Arcana appreciated Grim’s determination to help her and find a weakness in the suit, but she hadn’t forgotten that there were [i]other[/i] problems they still had to deal with right now. In truth, if this was Asad, she was willing to bet he was here specifically to keep her from interfering in the battle! Why else would he come out here personally like that?

[color=orchid]”Okay ugly, you want some of this? Come get it!”[/color] She taunted the Dictator as they both floated roughly a hundred meters above Tabuk. When he took the bait and charged at her, Arcana dodged his fist and slammed her own into the “chin” of the warsuit to send it rocketing clean over the city and into the desert miles away. After receiving that last punch from it, she now had an idea of its strength...which was - again - greater than anything she’d been hit with before.

Judging by how it took her latest blow, it was no less durable.

[color=orchid]”Grim, those other signals are still approaching, right? You need to help the others deal with them! I’ve got this guy![/color] Lady Arcana reassured her friend as she shot off after the man behind all of this. If they were going to duke it out like this, they’d do it away from Tabuk!

[color=IndianRed]”Arcana,”[/color] Grim growled lowly in response. Her grip on the controls was tight, knowing that underneath the black gloves her pale knuckles were absolutely white. Her teeth grit and her jaw was tense, looking after her friend chasing after the dictator. Her steel-blue gaze flicked down to the screen, seeing how the blips representing the magitech jets had stopped - someone had engaged them but none of them had been put down yet. Actually, with Lady Arcana busy it was only herself and Shortcakes that could battle them - Girard and Chong would have to deal with the land forces.

[color=IndianRed]”I’ll be back with the others,”[/color] She finally responded into the earpiece, almost a snarl. There was no need to be protective over the literal Goddess of Magic, but… [color=IndianRed]”I’m only a message away,[/color] Grim added on, before finally turning the black jet. With one last glance after Lady Arcana’s form, long gone after Asad, the vigilante’s aircraft took off, streaking through the sky towards the magitech jets.[/center]