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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 17, 2006 7:21:13 GMT
Kadaj was quicker than his opponents, true, and he had a mind full of tactical tricks... but he remembered too well his battle with Cloud Strife, and in terms of training... he was fighting FIVE Clouds at once right now. They weren't even close to defeating him, but he wasn't any closer to beating them, either. This is not well thought out... Come on, genius, you need one of those famous plans... Just because they can't kill you, that doesn't mean they can't BEAT you!
One of the blades came dangerously close to wounding him. Definitely need a new approach!
With a yell of effort, he spun around with the Souba at neck height, taking out one soldier and forcing the others to dodge back. In the moment that gained him, he shot an offensive energy beam at the shuttle's fuel cell, rupturing it slightly but not enough to destroy it.
Perfect.
He sprang from the center of the melee to the ceiling and back to the floor on the other side of the soldiers circling him. As his feet hit the floor, he beat a hasty retreat. I may be able to take out a few more of these b*****ds that follow me into the corridors... but right now, that isn't the objective...
****
Ami and Yazoo wandered the corridors, darkened by a power loss initiated via Rude's car bomb. "You still know where we're going?"
"I'm not going by sight, Ami."
Ami looked at her brother's eyes, glowing dully like a cat's in a headlight as he relied on his extrasenses to guide him. They came to the correct cell.
Yazoo fired two shots into the lock with his free hand, the other one still balancing Squall. "Ami... you go in ahead of me. Take a little time to... explain things to them."
Ami wasn't sure about that. She looked at Squall's bandage, beginning to soak through. "Do we have time..."
"We owe them that much, Ami."
Ami's eyes locked with her brother's, and she nodded agreement, opening the door on her cowering parents and sister.
She stood before them for a moment as they stared at her silently, blankly. Right... my makeover. "Look, you may not know who I am, but..."
Her mother flew to her and threw her arms around her. "Ami!"
Ami was shocked. "You recognized me?"
"I'm your mother... of course I did!"
****
Reno's eyes bugged out as he dropped to the floor. Oh, the pain...
Rude ducked under Tseng's swing and swung a leg out in a sweeper kick, trying to knock Tseng's feet from under him...
Loz was having the time of his life, tossing goons around like juggling pins, smashing through them as a happily as a little girl skipping in a flower field. "We have to come back and do this again sometime," he grinned, in near total butt-kicking euphoria.
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Post by mistervillainman on Oct 17, 2006 7:29:04 GMT
Elena kicked Reno in the stomach as he fell to his knees, knocking him backwards. She then jumped on top of him and pushed the EMR down on his throat, choking him.
Tseng's feet flew out from under him as Rude's leg-sweep connected. He hit the ground hard, dropping his weapons, but that didnt phase him, he tackled Rude's legs, bringing the big man down hard onto the floor and then began pummeling him with punches.
A loud stream of obscenities flew from Rufus' mouth as the shuttle shuddered and the engine died out. He quickly got up from his chair and hobbled over to the power panels, trying to switch over to the emergency supply.
The remaining 4 soldiers rushed after Kadaj, not wanting to give him time to recover. The first went down to a knee, slashing at his legs, the second took a high swipe with his blade at Kadaj's neck.
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 17, 2006 7:37:29 GMT
Too little, too late, boys, Kadaj thought to himself as the soldiers swiped at him. Maybe I can't outfight all of you at once... but I can outrun you without even trying.
He made tracks down the corridor, vanishing into the dark. Got to find Ami...
He slipped around a corner, waiting for at least one unsuspecting soldier to come around... A man has to know his limits-- but I'm too d**n stubborn to just turn tail and run without dealing out a little punishment on the side.
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Post by mistervillainman on Oct 17, 2006 7:39:59 GMT
The soldiers pursued Kadaj down the hall and the first one around the corner realized his mistake just a moment too late, which was more than Kadaj needed. The second however was a bit quicker, he ducked and rolled around the corner, coming right up into a crouch with his blade swining high. The third flipped through the air and prepaired to join his partner with another slash.
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 17, 2006 7:46:12 GMT
Reno felt like he was blacking out. No way am I going to go through this twice... if she beats me this time, nobody will ever let me forget it...
The electric shocks hurt like h**l, but he pushed up on her EMR anyway, shoving her back just hard enough to roll to the side and dump her off him. "You're one kinky girl, but it seems I'm finally taken, yo." He snagged his EMR from where he had dropped it earlier and brought it arcing down towards Elena's head...
Rude, his mouth bleeding and shades cracked, grabbed Tseng's left fist in mid-swing and twisted his arm until he heard something crunch. He followed through with a stiff left hook aimed at Tseng's jaw.
Loz didn't much like this tear gas... it kept him from seeing his "playmates". He punched a fire alarm, and the sprinklers activated, thinning out the gas. "That's better," Loz said, surveying the carnage he had unleashed... bodies lay everywhere, more incapacitated than were still left standing.
He made his way towards those who were left...
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 17, 2006 7:49:20 GMT
Kadaj stabbed the first soldier around the bend dead center in the chest. The others were treated to nothing more than a slight breeze as he sped away down the hall...
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 17, 2006 7:58:09 GMT
Amnesty's family had gathered around her, each one impatient to get past the other and embrace her for the first time in months. She found herself hard pressed to accomodate them all...
"Ami, is it really you?" Lana piped up.
"'Course." She hugged her sister. "What, you didn't think I'd come for you?"
Ami's father was the first to notice another silhouette in the doorway. "I see you didn't come alone."
Ami cleared her throat. "This will be hard to explain... so please listen." She exhaled. "Here goes... the boys, you all know they died. But when I'm in trouble... they come to help me. They won't stay here for much longer, but they will until they know we're safe."
Ami turned to Yazoo. "I'm not sure they believe me."
He entered, still carrying Ami's semiconscious boyfriend. "Believe it." He looked down at his feet before meeting his adopted father for the first time since his death over a year ago. "Hello, Stephen."
Stephen stood there, stock still. "Hello, Yazoo."
Yazoo, always the quiet one, now was at a loss for words. He stuck out a hand for Stephen to shake.
Stephen took that hand... and pulled his son into a fatherly embrace.
Yazoo nearly dropped Squall... Ami had to catch him. Now this is what I call a reunion.
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 17, 2006 8:32:23 GMT
Kadaj made his way through what felt like miles of floorplan, doubling back and forth to confuse the soldiers on his trail. One by one, they got themselves lost in the murky shadows of the building's interior.
Kadaj carefully retraced his steps and began the return route to the rooftop office. Boys, meet me there, he prompted.
One feminine cough sounded in the mental void.
Ahem?
Excuse me-- boys and girl.
****
Ami and Yazoo, their family in tow, began to make the trek back to the office as well. Yazoo had returned Squall to his place on his shoulders, balancing him with one arm, like before... the only difference was, now Lana had his other hand.
Ami watched him staring straight ahead, trying to keep his mind on the goal... but that inkling of ESP she had left inside was enough to show her the tranquil sea that usually was her most silent brother's emotions had been churned up somewhat.
Ami, her mother and father on either side of her as she walked, arms around her shoulders as if afraid she would bolt from them again, finally began to feel like her normal self. I'm back again... this is me. She pulled them closer to her. "I love you, Mom... and you, Daddy." She nestled into their arms. "I missed you all so much."
"Then why did you leave us?" Lana inquired.
Ami smiled. Lana knew the answer... she wanted her parents to hear it. "Because I love you. I didn't want to hurt you by hunting my demons down... but a wise man told me to not be afraid others will fail me, or that I will fail them."
"So are you going to come home?" Lana asked, her face lighting up.
Ami averted her eyes. That was a question she herself had been pondering. "Truth is... I don't know. I've learned a lot of things about... what the other side of my family has done. I can't undo the wounds they left... but I can help heal them." She looked up at Squall. "Besides, I have other promises to keep."
Lana looked from her sister's face, to that of the boy her brother was carrying. She got a sly grin. "Ami... you went and fell in LOVE, didn't you?"
Ami winced as her father stiffened. "Um... yes. Yes, I did."
Lana's smile got bigger. "You mean... have you two ever--"
"No," Ami interrupted, blushing violently. "No, uh, not yet."
"Not sure I like the sound of that 'yet'," Ami's dad pointed out.
Ami sighed. Calamities, Nightmares, corporate tyrants... none of them have anything on my dad when it comes to his opinion of dating. "Daddy, this is Squall... and as soon as he is fully conscious, we can finish the introductions properly."
Yazoo suppressed a snicker. Lana didn't bother... she was laughing out loud.
"Lana, what if the guards hear us?" Ami's blush was beet red by now.
After what felt like an eternity, they reached the rooftop office. Yazoo set Squall down carefully before leaping in through the ceiling hole and checking things out. Despite a thin mist of tear gas and the layer of water all over everything, most of the action seemed to have been confined to the corridor, and that was winding to a close.
"All clear. Let's move."
Ami and her father helped get Squall into the office, where Yazoo propped him against a wall with his gunblade. He then started helping his family up, one by one... and was very surprised to realize another pair of helping hands was speeding up the job. "Kadaj? How'd you get--"
He pulled Lana up. "Did I mention... there's a ladder out under the corridor?"
Ami made a move to get it. He waved her back. "Never mind it. You're the last one who needs up here, anyway."
After he pulled her through, he set her down and met her eyes. "Get the others into the helicopter. Yazoo and I will see to it Reno and Rude conclude their business a bit more quickly."
Ami nodded agreement and set off to follow his instructions. Together, she and her father began helping Squall through the roof access stairway...
"They're the only ones who can fly the copter, anyway," Kadaj added under his breath.
"What happened to Rufus?" Yazoo asked quietly.
"He got away in a shuttle... but I nicked his fuel cells. That ought to leave a chemical trail for us to follow."
"Brilliant as always."
"Thanks. Shall we?"
"We shall."
They charged into the hallway in hopes of bringing resolution to the fray...
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Post by mistervillainman on Oct 17, 2006 18:39:21 GMT
Tseng was knocked right off Rude by the force of his punch and slammed into a wall, cracking the foundation of it. He spit blood onto the floor and struggled back to his feet, glaring at his opponent through the thinning gas in the room and prepared for another attack.
Reno's strike landed right on target, dropping Elena to the floor, clutching her head in pain.
"Your SO gonna pay for that, Reno!" She screamed, kicking up at him from the floor and landing a blow to the side of his knee-cap.
The last of the soldiers were getting desperate, so they all pulled out grenades and began lobbing them across the room at Loz, trying desperately to take him down.
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Post by mistervillainman on Oct 17, 2006 18:41:33 GMT
Rufus looked in the rear display panel at Shinra's brand new headquarters building shrinking into the distance. He sighed sadly as he prepped the remote detonator for the building's self-destruct devices and hoped that Tseng and Elena could at least make it out in time, they knew protocol...
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 17, 2006 18:55:34 GMT
Loz began zipping around the room faster than the eye could follow, resembling a blue streak of light, catching each grenade and dropping them one by one down into the corridor below through the hole in the floor. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Loz bellowed.
Rude head his cell phone buzzing, along with all the other cells in the room. "And how..." he groaned as the grenades below exploded, sending shockwaves through the floor. He stumbled, regained his balance, and launched himself at Tseng fists first towards his gut, not giving him time to recover. He prepared to follow the gut blow with an uppercut to the jaw...
Reno dropped to one knee, his eyes wide. He knew too well what that buzzing meant. Self-destruction warning of one minute. "Nikky..." He swung back at Elena, starting to become even more frantic and unpredictable than before.
Yazoo knew what was on Reno's mind without even trying to sense it. He split off from the melee. I'll find her.
Reno blinked... he'd never been the recipient of a telepathic message before. He hauled his good leg around at Elena's side...
If Nikky gets killed in this caper, I'll never forgive myself.
Kadaj cut down a few more lackeys before sending a lethal blade lunge at Elena's ribcage... Looks like the redhead could use some help. Yazoo, get a move on...
I'm not entirely sure she's even still in the building.
The cells began buzzing more insistently. You don't have long to find out.
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 17, 2006 19:02:40 GMT
Ami felt the shockwaves from below as she helped Squall get settled into the chopper, tilting back one of the seats and strapping him in. She attempted to ignore them and focus on getting ready to escape, strapping herself in next to him.
She placed a hand on his forehead. "How are you feeling, love?" She kissed his cheek gently. We have to get you to a hospital before you lose any more blood...
Lana wheeled Gunmetal into the back of the helicopter. "Forgetting something, Ami?"
She realized Ami was right now dead to the world. She sighed and secured Ami's beloved bike against the wall. Just wait till she finds out somebody hotwired it... Thank goodness I'm a frequent flyer. She gazed at her sister. Can't blame her for being distracted... If I had a man that fine, I would be too!
Her parents strapped themselves in and waited, worry written all over their expressions... "What about the boys?"
"They can take care of themselves," Lana said reassuringly, although she found herself doubting the validity of this statement, after considering certain past events...
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Post by mistervillainman on Oct 17, 2006 19:06:27 GMT
Elena gasped and froze as pain shot through up her back and her body went rigid. Kadaj's blade had passed right through her and she gasped for air as the cold steel collapsed her lung. The world began to swirl around in her eyes and eventually all went dark.
Tseng slammed hard into the ground from Rude's attacks and groaned in pain, struggling to get back to his feet. He knew he was hurt and tired, but Rude was too, so he still had... But that was as far as his thoughts went, because at that moment, he spotted Elena impaled on Kadaj's sword... A million and three thoughts flashed through his mind, but only one became clear. Elena was dead...
"You silver haired b@%*&s!" He shouted, forgetting about the pain entirely and he sprang to his feet, delivering a bone-crunching punch to Rude's jaw, sending him spinning.
Then he launched himself across the room, tackling Kadaj roughly to the floor before he could retrieve his sword and pummeling his face over and over with punches that could shatter bricks. He was vaguely aware that an endless stream of curses was flying from his mouth as he battered his opponent mercilessly, absolutely refusing to give him ANY opportunity to get away. He didnt even register that his cellular phone was ringing anymore and quite honestly wouldnt have cared if he did. He just wanted Kadaj to suffer...
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 17, 2006 19:08:18 GMT
After descending to the ground floor by making record time down an absurdly long flight of steps, Yazoo finally discovered Nikky hiding in a hallway not too far from the lobby. She was shielding her presence, and had altered her appearance slightly, but there is no fooling an empath. Rather talented, this one is... for a minute, I thought she'd left the scene altogether.
He offered her a hand. "Remember me? Ami's brother."
He puleld her onto his back piggyback style. "We have to run... this place is going to blow."
He streaked back upwards as red lights began to flash everywhere...
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Oct 17, 2006 19:16:56 GMT
Reno paled. "Oh, d**n..." This is very, VERY BAD... he just pulled a Gainsborough on us...
Kadaj couldn't register anything but surprise. I have never seen a normal move this fast... He kicked back, but his attacks did next to nothing... Tseng was immobile...
Unstoppable versus unmovable, Kadaj thought as he blacked out.
Reno and Loz came up from opposite directions behind Tseng, Reno aiming the EMR for Tseng's head, and Loz sweeping the Dual Hound around at Tseng's lower body, both trying to punch him right off the ground...
****
Yazoo shot out of the roof maintenance hatch and left Nikky by the copter. "I'm going back for Kidd," he informed the others as he dove back inside...
Ami yanked the copter's door back open. "Nikky, get in!"
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