[center][h3]Midgar Zone 09 - Through the Dragnet[/h3]
Level 5 Goldlewis (100/50) Level 4 Sandalphon (12/40)
Karin’s [@Zoey Boey], Blazermate, Roland, and Susie’s [@Archmage MC], Geralt and Zenkichi’s [@Multi_Media_Man]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1146[/center]

Crouching down near the restricted area’s entrance, Goldlewis tugged at his beard uncomfortably as he considered the others’ feedback about H’s proposed plan of action. In truth he more or less knew the score before his teammates so much as said a word, as much as it pained him as a former soldier to admit it; this group just wasn’t made out for stealthy subterfuge. Though Goldlewis was many things, ‘subtle’ wasn’t one of them, between his immense frame and eye-catching outfit. In fact, the braggadocious style he cultivated practically demanded to be noticed, and in a situation where a single glinting belt buckle might catch a guard’s attention, there wasn’t any way on earth he’d be sneaking through this place even with Sandalphon on high to guide him through.

The archangel wasn’t any more optimistic. Even if everyone else could get through unnoticed, she’d been planning to wait the operation out from the rafters so that her bright white attire couldn’t give her away, then slowly descend behind enemy lines. While having more adaptable comrades would’ve been a plus, the confidence with which they selected their preferred gameplan -together with what she’d already witnessed today- suggested that the Seekers would be fine finishing the mission in their own way. “If that’s the case, better to plan for an ambush from the start than scramble once we’re discovered,” she reasoned. “I can still provide support from above. Please keep in mind that, unlike before, these are flesh-and-blood humans. Simply doing their job of quarantine security. Killing them would not be justified.”

While not one to take life without cause, Goldlewis furrowed his brow. “Sure, I don’t wanna take ‘em out if I don’t have to, but we got a lot restin’ on us. When you pick up a gun, you’re signin’ a contract that means you’re willin’ to kill, and willin’ to die. If it’s our lives or theirs…” He let that sentence hang. 

“Ohhhh…” Mr. H sounded very unhappy. “W-well, just…don’t do anything you’ll regret, okay?”

Hastily the team split up, keeping a low profile to the extent that they could. Goldlewis didn’t get too far, forced (like Geralt) to remain behind shelter as Zenkichi advanced. Blazermate and Susie could fly beneath the catwalk network and lurk down below where nobody would think to look. Sandalphon used her new ability to vault all the way up to the rafter beams behind the shelter of a pillar, hustled carefully to a near-central position, then crouched down with her gunstaff shouldered at the ready. Her radio glyph glowed faintly by her head, ready to relay her callouts, as she rested her cheek against the cold metal. Her impassive gaze needed no scope in order to scrutinize everything in the area.

“Keep in mind, these aren’t Peace Protection officers,” she whispered to the others through her direct line with them. The telltale red and black uniforms of the troopers here suggested their true origins. “They’re…Psych-OSF. I’m afraid I can’t ID them and get any additional information, but they’re bound to have psychic abilities in addition to standard-issue firepower.”

There were eight rank-and-file guards in all, two squads’ worth. Pvt. Gima Koch, Pvt. Hano Barlow, Pvt. Kou Kaufman, and Pvt. Matsumura Atkinson wielded Chlorokinesis, Sunakinesis, weak Hallucikinesis, and Levitation respectively. Pfc. Fujimori Mosley and Pfc. Kenji McLaughlin wielded Flyrokinesis and Blastokinesis. Finally, LCpl. Natsuko and Cpl. Miwa Marcias -sisters- wielded Zoolingualism and Confusion respectively, the former’s power made more noteworthy by the presence of both [url=https://i.imgur.com/7wmj0BS.png]black bats[/url] up above and, down below, an infestation of [url=https://i.imgur.com/QgBLWwi.png]crysales[/url] that would always attack in groups of three and could use Sleep Scales to pacify opponents. While the privates patrolled the walkways alone, their paths sometimes crossing, the privates first class Mosley and McLaughlin patrolled the same large platform, and the Marcias sisters never strayed far from one another. All had been doing this for a while and seemed more bored than alert except for the sisters, who never suffered a dull moment so long as they were together. All troopers wielded standard-issue burst-fire plasma rifles, a sidearm of choice, and a tool of choice that complimented their psychic abilities in some way.

Then there was the Closer. He stood at the very back in front of the security door without moving, surveying the whole area ahead of him with both hands resting on the pommel of his high-tech greatsword, its tip planted against the metal below him. Sandalphon shared what she knew. “Since I memorized the DespoRHado databanks, I do have some documentation on Charles. His damage output is nothing to scoff at, but he is deceptively fast as well, favoring offense over defense. If an ally of his attacks, he will gain Perception for a short time, which will make his attacks even more punishing according to the target’s lost vitality–hence, ‘the Closer’. Be advised, if allowed to use his ultimate technique, Descent, all of them will gain a temporary bonus: evasion for him, and attack for the rest.” From above, the Angel of Information stood by to lend assistance whenever her allies called for her, or her judgment bid her intervene, once she gave the signal.

Down below, Goldlewis maneuvered himself toward what looked like an opening in the guards’ security, away from where Zenkichi advanced. If the Seekers weren’t going to fight united in a wide-open space that gave gunners the advantage, they needed to split the guards up so that nobody ended up facing a firing squad. When Sandalphon finally kicked things off by shooting a stack of pipes, causing an ungodly clamor that got the attention of everyone in the area, Goldlewis emerged from behind a pillar and charged down a walkway toward the guard he’d selected.

The young Hano Barlow yelped and unloaded his rifle, only for the deluge of red plasma blasts to spatter against his Wall of Light. A moment later his gun clicked empty, and the next second Goldlewis barged in with a shoulder charge into a backfist. Caught mid-reload, Barlow stumbled away, reaching toward the hourglass-like container at his waist. “Pocket sand!” He hurled a handful of stinging grains into Goldlewis’s eyes, then used his ability to command the rest of his sand into the shape of floating spheres. Since the veteran had glasses, however, the pocket sand wasn’t as effective as it could have been, and before Barlow knew it Goldlewis bore down on him once more. His choice of [url=https://i.imgur.com/dEVdXUK.png]full-auto Recital-17 sidearm[/url] handled well, but it lacked stopping power, so with massive swings Goldlewis quickly pushed the sand-manipulating psychic into a corner. Once he overwhelmed the man and knocked him out, he could move towards the area’s center and help someone else against more dangerous opponents.

[center][h3]Suoh - Beacon Mental Hospital Medical Ward[/h3]
Midna’s [@DracoLunaris], Sakura’s [@Zoey Boey], Gemma[/center]

If Brain Drain’s robotic face could have been construed into any semblance of human expression, the remark Sakura gave him about the Grandfather’s Axe paradox would have resulted in a ‘kill me’ expression of elephantine proportions. [i]”...I see,”[/i] he murmured for a moment, more to himself than to his new acquaintance. [i]”It seems I find myself in the company of a profound brainlet. I’ll have to remind myself to use smaller words…”[/i]

With a concerted effort Sakura might have been able to tap into Brain Drain’s less-than-glowing review, if not for her brief exchange with Gemma. Her news didn’t exactly set the Psych-OSF soldier’s mind at ease, but it wasn’t often that a run-in with someone in a nightmarish place like this ended with an actual conversation rather than a fight. As fortunate as this might have seemed, if this doctor couldn’t offer any information about the soldier who’d been metamorphosed, their operation here would be in serious trouble.

Gemma had other things to worry about, too. Midna reappeared from the shadows to report that she’d actually found someone alive. What she described sounded downright horrific, though, and close enough in appearance to the patients that littered this deranged hospital that notions about some sort of conversation sprang to Gemma’s mind, sending a shiver down his spine. Midna wanted to save the poor person, but before the two could do much of anything, they needed to deal with the elephant in the room. “Got to get rid of [i]that thing[/i] before we do anything, I feel like,” he whispered back, tilting his head toward the Doctor. “As for Sakura, she found someone who works here and is talking to him. Said he didn’t know anything about your friend, though. Go ahead and follow her, call out if you need me.”

Back in the STEM chamber, Sakura tried not to wilt beneath the powerful psychic’s accusatory gaze. Though his emotions were inscrutable, the girl got the definite feeling that Brain Drain wasn’t buying her claims of innocence. [i]”So you say. But while lips may lie, lobes will always surrender the truth. It’s just a matter of prodding.”[/i]

Brain Drain did not take any action yet, however, and he did not move while Sakura asked a question of her own. Once she finished, he ruminated on what she said for a moment in silence. [i]”People into Others. How intriguing. You witnessed this phenomenon when it befell this Peach, then came here in search of answers. I’m afraid you’re barking up the wrong tree. This facility has everything to do with people, but nothing to do with Others. Yet, I get the distinct impression that both share the same tangential connection to Psych-OSF. Those who solicit my services here aren’t exactly chatty, but…”[/i] He went quiet suddenly, turning his head to look at one of the other sets of doors leading out from the room. [i]”Hm. It feels like I have more unannounced guests…and speak of the devil…”[/i]

The next moment, the doors opened, revealing a brightly-lit elevator with two dark figures silhouetted against the glow of its harsh incandescent bulb. When they stepped forward and the doors closed behind them, Sakura could see -and recognize- the newcomers, a brawny young man and a full-figured young woman. Their sleek black-and-red outfits, faces, hairstyles, everything was unmistakable, save the strange looks on their faces, and the empty dullness of their eyes. It was Dexio and Sina, and for whatever reason, they did not look pleased to see her.

[i]”You two,”[/i] Brain Drain intoned telepathically. Sakura wasn’t the only one who recognized the inseparable pair. [i]”P-types EPL133902 and HB2797521. Didn’t I already fix you?”[/i]

They ignored him, instead zeroing in on Sakura. “Rebel filth,” Dexio spat at her.

“We’re here to cleanse you,” Sina told her flatly. “To wipe this stain from the face of the great New Himuka!”

She powered up her Refrigerant Coil, her Cryokinesis coursing through her arm. At the same time, Dexio plunged his hands into his cestus and smashed the ground, sending a ripple through the building with his Seismokinesis.

[i]”What do you think you’re doing?”[/i] Brain Drain demanded, his mental tone urgent. [i]”No fighting in here. I forbid it. I will suffer no damage to my STEM system. Or my brains. Whatever this is, take it outside this instant.”[/i]

A psychic wave rippled out from him, his mental authority practically tangible, but Dexio and Sina seemed to resist. “Don’t stand in our way,” Sina growled at him. “This traitor and all her friends must die!”

“For the glory of New Himuka!” Dexio added.

Brain Drain lowered his head, glowering. His brain began to glow. [i]”I should have known better than to rehabilitate you the way they wanted. So much for blind loyalty. It’ll get you killed.”[/i] He snapped his metal fingers. [i]”Painwheel”[/i]

Another control wave rolled out from him, and the masked girl laying in one of the tubs suddenly spasmed, pink electricity arcing across her body. “Rrrraaaaaagh!” she howled, clutching her temples. “Get outta my head!” Yet she obeyed all the same, climbing out of her resting place with her four enormous blades held aloft above her. Painwheel’s eyes blazed red, and with an inhuman roar she charged toward Dexio and Sina.

[center][h3]Suoh - Beacon Mental Hospital Residential Wing[/h3]
Pit’s [@Yankee], Roxas’ [@Double], Luka[/center]

The friend heart offered by Roxas to Yuito was not in vain. Upon making contact with the shambling hollow, it instantly restored the young psychic to perfect condition, his life force full to burst and his mind completely intact. “Whuh!?” he gasped, jerking suddenly before going limp as if awakening from a frightful dream. He managed to catch himself before hitting the ground and stabilized himself on one knee, his head still spinning from both the haunting experience and the resurgent memories. Despite the chill in the room, Yuito broke out in a cold sweat. “I…we…”

Before he could cause a ruckus, though, the lilting singsong of Anima that echoed through the mess hall recentered him. Instinctually Yuito crouched down behind one of the tables to hide himself alongside Roxas, narrowly avoiding the deadly gaze of the specter as it roamed their way. While hunkering down he became aware of the intermittent cries and sniffles of Hanabi as she wept, all the fight drained out of her even as Anima drew closer to where she lay. [i]”Hanabi?”[/i] he asked, reaching out for his childhood friend through Brain Talk. [i]”Are you okay?”[/i]

[i]”Y-Yuito!?”[/i] Hanabi sounded terrified, as if unwilling to believe that she’d heard the voice of a living being. [i]’I-is that really you?”[/i]

[i]”Yeah, I’m okay. Listen, we’ve got to make a run for it. Can you move?”[/i]

Her reply came after another moment, and another couple sniffles, albeit ones from joy rather than misery. [i]”Y-yeah. Let’s get out of here!”[/i]

With Yuito restored, everyone moved with renewed determination and vigor. They snuck around behind the turned-over cafeteria tables to avoid Anima, waiting patiently when pieces of furniture floated up to reposition themselves, and gradually closed in on the exit. Only Luka ran into a spot of trouble. He happened to get cornered right as a few tables lifted up near him, forcing him to dash and slide to cover. Anima spotted him and turned to walk through the air in his direction. When she got close enough, she lifted the table she was sure he’d hidden himself behind, only to find nothing. Bemused, she looked around, floating everything in her vicinity. At that point Roxas, Yuito, and Hanabi realized that Luka had grabbed onto the table to rise with it when it lifted up, using his impressive arm strength to hold himself up without so much as a grunt of discomfort. When he was sure Anima wouldn’t notice, he used his high vantage point to pinpoint a spot by the door he could teleport to, then warped straight there. Anima whirled around to claw at the source of the noise near her, but she found nothing to grab a hold of. A second later the doors clicked shut, and the specter was alone in the cafeteria.

The youngsters ran through the halls of the mental hospital until they couldn’t run anymore. They came to a stop and took refuge in a janitorial closet, out of breath and panting. Hanabi wasn’t completely exhausted, though, as she immediately balled up her fists and started punching Yutio. As the rain of ineffectual blows fell against his chest, the young man put his hands up in surrender. “H-hey, what gives!?”

“You idiot!” Hanabi cried, tears streaming down her cheeks again. “Don’t you dare ever do anything like that to me ever again. I thought…I thought I lost you!”

With a look of pity on his face, Yuito wrapped his hands around his friend’s shoulders and pulled him close. “Hanabi…don’t worry, I promise.”

Though terrifying for a brief moment, the turn of events had not only brought two teams together (sans Raz) but led them a safe distance from the residential wing to a clerical part of the hospital, where records and such were kept. It was safe to say that Anima had lost them. Where to go from here, though, was anyone’s guess. At least, until they happened to hear voices coming from a hall nearby, but as they arrived the last sliver of incandescent light shining from within the elevator got cut off, and whoever just boarded it began to descend to the depths of the Beacon Mental Hospital basement.

[center][h3]The Under - The Hive[/h3]
Level 11 Nadia (150/110)
The Koopa Troop’s [@DracoLunaris], Primrose and Therion’s [@Yankee], Sectonia’s [@Archmage MC], Jesse’s [@Zoey Boey], Ganondorf’s [@Double], Rubick’s [@Scarifar], Artorias’ [@Dark Cloud], Barnabee
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1368[/center]

Once the battle got underway, things got hectic fast. Although way less cramped and chaotic than the fight against Pizza Head atop his eponymous tower, the confines of the Hive’s throne room made for quite the brawl given the sheer abundance of wasps that showed up to lend their mechanical queen a hand. Once formed into all sorts of weapons and sent forth with some appropriate wordplay by their overlord, the swarm attacked the seekers relentlessly.

“Mind if we cut in?” A gigantic wasp scimitar hurtled forth.

“Try blocking this!” Several swarms grouped up into huge cubes that began to roll around the arena, one loud [i]whomp[/i] at a time.

They even took the shape of a giant musical instrument for a monumental guitar smash. “Play them a b-flat!”

Nadia had to hand it to this impostor queen: she could sure belt out puns, almost as fast as she sent forth minions. The minute she touched back down on the throne room’s main platform following her rail ride, three separate swarms assailed her in quick succession. As a super-sized boomerang made out of wasps whirled toward her she dropped to the ground and performed a Cat Slide underneath. Just as her momentum from the slide gave out, a wasp cube tried to upend itself on top of her. Thinking quickly, she unleashed her Fiber Upper, planning to abuse the reversal’s nigh-invulnerability to carve straight through.  For a brief moment she disappeared, seemingly crushed, only for her paws to shoot out of the cube’s other side on hyper-extended muscle fibers. Then the rest of Nadia snapped up to join them, tearing through the swarm as she did to burst free in an explosion of bug parts. When she landed she found that the rest of the cube had moved on, but above her loomed a gigantic bow and arrow made entirely of wasps.

“Ready for your shot?” the wasp queen asked.

Nadia crouched down with a cheeky grin, one arm bent with the elbow upward and the hand on the back of her head in a faux-glamorous pose. “Just make sure to get my good side!”

The arrow careened toward her, but the feral had a plan. She used Charge, transformed into a bolt of lightning that shot through the incoming conga line of wasps, blowing through the entire procession in scarcely more than a second. When she rematerialized, yellow sparks dancing across her body as her jacket and hair whipped in the wind, she dove downward with Athame extended in a spectacular [url=https://i.imgur.com/hgNvdAS.png]Feral Edge[/url]. Her dagger’s point punctured the bandaged metal plating on the wasp queen’s midsection, and when Nadia wrenched it upward it left quite the gash. “Just kiddin’,” she quipped as she performed an El Gato axe kick to dent the weakened weak point. “They’re all good sides!” Laughing, she kicked off and rocketed back toward solid ground.

As she landed Nadia got a brief chance to look around, and things looked pretty good. The impostor’s swarms packed a punch, but the Seekers were dishing out way more damage than they were taking. Entire platoons went down to the team’s barrage of elemental and magical attacks, and nothing scattered the swarms quite like Bowser and Ganondorf’s fiery and shadowy explosions, though the Koopa King’s supersonic waves helped ruin the wasps’ cohesion, too. Sectonia could make them easier targets with Slow, then sit back and wait for her endless torrent of random projectiles to work their magic. Rubick and Jesse shot their shots. Everyone seemed to be dealing with the wasps well enough, but no matter how many they killed, more crawled out of the woodwork to join the fight. Nadia realized that targeting the wasps just meant buying oneself safety; only by attacking the queen could the Seekers make real progress. 

Luckily, her teammates had been working on that too. When the feral made her initial attack, Artorias quickly followed in her footsteps. Not the most agile knight around, he risked falling into the pit in order to strike the back of the queen’s abdomen, but thanks to their combined efforts the impostor’s rear-bottom section fell away. Not long after the Koopa Troop plus some antlions demolished the front-bottom section, and a Tonberry inserted into the construct’s undercarriage dealt that part of the machine a whopping blow. When Ganondorf used his blades to climb up the part of the thorax Nadia weakened a moment ago, he paved the way for Rubick to finish the front-middle section off with a well-placed counter-shot. That just left the rear-middle section, but Barnabee was on the case. He could warp-strike from the rail to the queen’s back and saw into the sensitive machinery with his blazing Yato blade, which cut through the yellow-painted scrap metal like butter. Before too long, only a head atop a huge, threadbare metal support skeleton remained dangling on that chain.

Still, it took Jesse and Ganondorf to force the issue. With everyone else more or less blocked now that the swarms were exclusively forming floating shields to protect their queen, the FBC director and the warlock were the only ones already in a good position to attack the head. When they did, the impostor gave up her first cries of pain. Jesse’s hypothesis that this giant machine had a pilot was right on the money.

But it wasn’t just any pilot. 

“Waaaaaaaagh!” After spinning around in comedic fashion from the damage, the metal wasp’s head swelled up and abruptly exploded, revealing the occupant as she burst from the wreckage midair to stretch her legs–and her wings. Hovering in the air was the true form of the impostor, not a wasp at all, but a giant bee with a coppery crown and heavy scepter: [url=https://i.imgur.com/ZubAdnQ.png]Rumor Honeybottoms[/url]. “Urk!” she groaned, glaring down at the Seekers. “You’ve done it now, sugars. This honey is off…” As she raised her scepter, magical pink power surrounded it. “....LIMITS!”

She hurled the scepter down like a giant throwing axe. When it hit the throne room platform, its arcane might sent a heavy shockwave through it, knocking everyone still standing on it off their feet as the interlocked hexes broke apart. Nadia yowled in panic as she fell along with the crumbling platform, plummeting down into the pit. Her eyes widened as the fog parted to reveal a lake of pure honey, glittering gold and as sticky as a tar pit. Before she or anyone else could fall in, however, the shower of Seekers and debris approached a multi-layer stack of [url=https://i.imgur.com/DU3cVGw.png]yellow hex sheets[/url], half a dozen in total. Nadia jumped and landed on top of one, only for the hexagonal plate to begin to dissolve beneath her feet. “Oh, come on!” she griped, her heart pumping like crazy. It looked like she’d need to keep moving in order to not fall, but as if that wasn’t bad enough, the lake of honey appeared to be rising. The chunks of the platform floated on its surface, so she could stand there if all else failed, but the feral quickly realized that she and the others would need every foothold they could get, because Rumor wasn’t done with them just yet.

“Mwahaha, have fun down there!” the usurper called gleefully, descending toward the hex stack for a better view. For once, though, she came along; after realizing that their ‘queen’ had been a bee pretending to be a wasp all along, the rest of the wasps had quickly made themselves scarce. “Oh, but I can’t let you have all the fun, now can I? After all, why settle for just one pain in the bee-hind when I can…bee…fifty-two.”

Pulling out her spellbook, Rumor performed a quick hex, then began to transform. In grotesque fashion her body morphed into the shape of a [url=https://i.imgur.com/SeixhNC.png]striped bomber plane[/url], and she began to fly in circles above the stack of platforms dropping bombs every few seconds to make things as hard as possible for the interlopers who’d dared to intrude on her domain.