[center][h1][color=00a651][b][u]NERO KAYAKOS[/u][/b][/color][/h1][/center]

It was actually a good thing for Crow that that wave of black wasn't anything particularly bad for him, because at that level of output...he could be a dead man walking, like the radiation victims of Ancient Chernobyl.  Still, that wasn't what happened because that was a mass-ally spell.  Nero, for his part, had been slightly on the backfoot with his mind surging with the new input that he'd been getting.  His enemy would never understand what just happened here, or why, or even that - had he been of a mind to do it - Nero really [i]could[/i] rot him right now, or kill the Tayanen coating him, now.  But he'd been occupied, and he thought that the bird-masked fellow was contained by Samuel while Iris destroyed the floor to get out of here.  Such was not the case when he squeezed out of there like toothpaste - thanks to the liquid-boys, who snuck out from the wall on their own - and launched himself at Nero now!

Blades would catch at the last minute and the Crow's magic sword would contact the boy's body armor at the shoulder while being held back by his electro-blades.  He would see the quick spark of dark energies as his blade met it.  He had been augmented in armor, magically.  The sword which might use its engrained power to swiftly cut through unarmored flesh or even tear through normal body armor would meet resistance here, even if he'd landed a solid hit.  That being said, the force of the attack had landed Nero on his ass and he'd have to work at getting himself out from under this man's blade he-  [i]WHA???[/i]

A thing happened!  It was unexpected, but his own Killer Mask alerted him to a sudden change in the wall, shortly before it 'shattered' and this BIG FRICKING HAND came out, pulling the death-mask-wearer out of the room and into...a hole in space.  Nero saw this as he got up, but then ducked again as these long chains - like feelers or living appendages - [i]also[/i] came through the hole, searching for and dragging out the Tayanens.  That...was all a bit familiar, right there.  He'd seen that effect of shattering to make a hole in space before, and he was pretty sure he knew who those chains belong to, as well.  As much as Dr. Vallance had screwed with his memories to conceal their deal at the operation, Nero remembered [i]them[/i] all-too-well.  This was more than 'Aw shit, they got accomplaces'.  It had alot more meaning than that, unfortunately.  Their mission was now compromised by...old comrades.  He looked over at Sam and Iris now.

[color=00a651]"That hole ready?  We gotta get moving.  Like, [i]now[/i]."[/color]

And it was then that Nero opened up his comlink to the others on the Xuanzang.

[i][color=00a651]-This is Nero outta' Team I-Forgot-The-Name-We're-Called.  Uhh, [b]Squad 0 is here.[/b]  They just lifted out some mercenary types that jumped us in the armory we're in.  They used a hole in space and whatnot.  Totally remember seeing this stuff back in the war.  We got the package yet?-[/color][/i]