[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/315998304305545227/315998637735936004/coollogo_com-39941120.png[/img][/center]
[center][sup]But First, the Smallest of Steps[/sup][/center]

Hounds Base, Helipad
[hr]
Bullets bouncing off him awoke him from his trance; his iris returned to their arrayed colors. Around went his attention with gained rapidity, it took him a moment to adjust to the changed scene. There was Iron Knight beside him suddenly and he was sure he felt some cold fly past his head some moments earlier, the black and purple-pink streak disappeared long before he could register--or rather, bothered--to register its presence. Up to a vertical position he got. Whatever helicopter the group of men were supposed to be retreating to had disappeared over his head.

Eyes beheld the remnants of the Hounds as the backpedaled into their new nothingness which was formerly an escape plan. Pantheon was already unnerved and annoyed. What he normally saw as trifle had become hindrance; this was all taking too long. Toward them he marched; the lightning which coursed down his arm ceased. He paused in stead. Her image burned in the back of his and Hassan’s conscious.

[color=yellow][i]It is time to leave. Let them deal with this.[/i][/color]
[i]No way we’re leaving! We’re here to help![/i]
[color=yellow][i]And all we have done is kill.[/i][/color]

Break the child’s resolve. 

Pantheon put the image in their mind of the mangled Hounds, the ordeal with the bat; the man Pantheon had tossed out of the tower at LHU, the dead mecha pilot--who Hassan was sure he had let live.

[i]No, no. YOU did that! Not me! I--”[/i] 

Pantheon was not so impregnable. 

Find the separation, find himself. Fear; Hassan could smell it. A grip was easier now. Perhaps this woman was his key to being done with Pantheon, with this monster.

[color=yellow][i]And? Th--”[/i][/color]

Focus, Hassan! [i]Fight[/i]! Pantheon’s feet grew heavy, the rainbow iris grew hazel--the color of Hassan’s eyes. The world he saw as dissonance and shades of emerald, blue, red, yellow was now one congruous color. Hassan felt something akin to himself--his own thoughts, his own feelings, just as he did while in that… place. Woah.

He tried to move, he could manage but a few steps. His gait resembled more an infant gazelle than a grown man. Although… his circumstances were special.

“What the? Hooo-leeee shit! Is this real? I--I’m doing it!” as the Hounds continued to fire at him, he turned stiffly to the Iron Knight,
“Mr. Tinfoil, I’m doing it! It’s me! It’s really me!” excitement high and fresh thoughts blooming a mile a minute, he suddenly bulleted toward the Hounds in front of them and scooped two into the nooks of his elbows and flew them upward.

“Wait, wait! This isn’t what I wanted to do! Oh, hell… er!” Hassan glanced at both men individually but offered them the same question; looks of horror and amazement plain and recognizable on their face if not covered by their masks and their cries for help,

“Either one of you fellas know how to uh… control a uh… magic man… thing?” they were still screaming. Not helping at all! Hassan would have to take a crack at this thing himself; maybe do it like he saw in the movies!

“Uh, systems off! Uh, power down! ...Gah, big ugly stupid fucking lightning bo--WAAAAH!” the boy wanted control? He would get it. Pantheon brought the trio hurling down toward the helipad at highspeed!

“No, you big dumb idiot! Cease and desist! Abort!” Hassan clutched the two Hounds into his bosom tighter and braced for impact atop the helipad’s surface. It was about to be a [i]boisterous[/i] re-entry and a dreadful start to this… whatever had just started--but it had [i]started[/i].