The Guardians of London: Fourth Echelon (Chapter Two)

[Darth Caelum]

The five round burst from the SA80 to the clone?s upper torso was cruelly effective in it?s job. The rounds embedded themselves into the kevlar armor, scrapping a fair bit of flesh before exploding and ridding his head and lower body from each other, including the incinerated remains of everything in between.

Are you sure you?re going the right way?

?Fairly. This is a Gulag, not a supervillain lair. Mercer?s resources should be deep underground to survive a sudden attack from an enemy force, such as us. Besides, considering the reports that Kin is underground, it would make sense for him to be underground as well, so he could be closer to try to break Kin?s mind.?

Ah. A fair assessment.

Sinclair nodded, but said nothing else. At the moment, he was trying to think on how to get an advantage in these situations while out of his element entirely.

Long range and far away. Maximum damage with minimum risk. Gone now, removing half of his arsenal in the process. He can?t infiltrate the clones due to the fact that he was psychologically incapable of mimicking their mental state, leaving only offensive and defensive abilities. He would have attempted to take the knowledge of where Mercer?s room was, but judging from the blank stares he received when he searched for it, Mercer seemed to have wisely kept the information out of his clones? hands.

Still, as he went down deeper into the Gulag, he was encountering more and more clones, and he believed very much that they were protecting something worthwhile. If nothing else, he was distracting them long enough for the main force to rescue Kin.

Two clones stepped out of the corner some 3 meters away, raising their weapons to his face at the same time. 6 meters back, three clones appeared, holding their machine guns? sights towards him. Sinclair grimaced, their psychic connection would insure that both groups shoot aware of each other?s position, hence removing friendly fire from the equation.

He grimaced as he forced his mind out and ceased both groups? motor functions, causing them to freeze in place. He aimed his rifle at the ceiling on top of the group of three and fired, causing a small cave in on top of the clones as the heavy blocks broke their heads. He dropped the rifle, the strap attached to the SA80 causing it to bounce onto him, and pulled out his brand new Saiga 12. He barely registered the sudden wave of panic and fear that the remaining two as he blowed their heads into bloody confetti, far more disturbed by his Imperiomancy expressing to his head exactly how a shotgun shell to the skull felt. Twice.

Sinclair growled in pain at the sudden migraine, stopping for only a second before he continued to move.

You know, this would be a lot easier for you if you let me out.

He nodded as he panted from his exertions. His response took some time more as he carefully made his way deeper into the Gulag.

?True. But you?re a trap card, to be used when I have nothing left up my sleeves. At this point, they probably think me with the Rhyle. When I unleash you Baltreth, I want them to have sent as many men as they could at me and waste their men on me.?

That?s surprisingly altruistic of you Mr. Sinclair.

He snorted. ?Pride means nothing on the battlefield. My actions continue to move victory in our favor, that?s all that matters.?

Baltreth would have probably responded, when the Illrian took sight on the new sight.

?Well, well. What do we have here?

The new sight was a large vault, faintly eerie to both Baltreth and Sinclair and guarded by four clones who all saw the Thaumaturgist at once. They all sprung to action at once, the speed and coordination marvelous.

The Black Nail cursed as he fired bullets blindly at the clones as he retreated, passing a corner before he slammed his back to the wall, a mere few inches away from the corridor in which the clones were now storming through. He tracked them with his Imperiomancy, and when one of the clones was right next to him, he acted.

He aimed his shotgun at the empty space in front of him, right before a clone appeared in aforementioned space and had his head removed. Sinclair moved quickly, grabbing the body and using the squirting blood from the body as a catalyst for his next move. He pushed the still upright body towards the mass of clones and, activating his bartered gift, caused the body to explode in a shower of bone and gore.

He rushed forward, ignoring the clone screaming in pain on the ground in favor for the nearest still upright clone. He grabbed him from behind, aiming his SA80 over the clone?s shoulder as he shot a 20 round burst towards the last clone, obliterating the body in a shower of infernal fire. Sinclair glanced down at the screaming clone, and was greeted by the sight of a fully grown man impaled with multiple rib and bone fragments. He ended it?s misery with a shower of bullets.

The clone tried to speak, probably a mock or plead for his life, either way Sinclair didn?t care. He took control of the clone?s mind, making him march back to the iron doorway as he pillaged the clone?s minds for secrets.

Ah. Nothing about the vault then?

Sinclair shook his head. ?No.?

So he?s useless then?

The Black Nail smirked as he stood in front of the vault. ?Not exactly.? he whispered.

Sinclair pulled out the ivory knife in his pocket and slashed the clone?s throat, causing the blood to spray all over the door. He then proceeded to stab the man?s spine with his right hand, the left hand awash in the clone?s blood from holding the shattered throat, and squeezed, causing the man to shudder and twitch more and more.

Grinning, he kicked the clone towards the door, unsheathing his knife from the man?s spine in the same action. He slammed into the door with a rough thud, and with only a sudden shudder as a warning, his body exploded in blood, bone and hellfire.

Spoiler: OOC

GM territory now. I?ll need either LA or Hussman to decide on what Sinclair finds, if that?s alright with either of you.

 

[Hussmann54]

The retrieval team rushed to the entrance of the pit. "Alright lets go!" Ana shouted as they emerged from the darkness carry the limp Kin. She and Nathan set hit down on the elevator floor. She then turned around, pulling the machine pistol out of its holster and letting loose a small burst towards a clone who promptly ducked to cover. She continue to give a small spray, not wanting to leave her position, yet providing cover fire. "Somebody hit the damn button!"

 

[Trasch17]

Sam saw them coming.

So this is Kin. He looks ...

Suddenly appearing clones interrupted his thoughts. They began fireing and Samuel needed to take cover. "Somebody hit the damn button!". Ana didn't need to shout it twice. Sam pressed the button and took a bullet in his foot before he managed to set up a barrier.
"That should do it until we're up on the surface again. Is Kin okay?"

 

[Hussmann54]

Nathan set Kin down. "Non-responsive, but he will be fine."
The elevator cranked to life and began its gradual ascent.
He knelt down to inspect the bullet in Sam's leg.
"Alright, its not bleeding too badly. How does it feel to you." He pulled out a small wrap of Guadeloupe from a pocket and began to apply pressure and wrap.

Ana shined a flashlight in Kins eyes looking for dilation. "He is high. Possibly on Sledgehammer. Maybe cocaine as well."
Nathan responded without looking away from Sam's leg. "Experimentation with psychoses rebound. They have probably bred his cells to bounce back by now. Motor response?"
Ana snapped a finger in front of the dirty, scraggy face. For a moment they eyes lit up, in shock from the noise, but they almost immediately were covered again by droopy eyelids and the babbling of some ethereal poetry continued.
"He is responding, but not engaged."
Kin rambled.
"Sun shall reign darkness not light. None will stay bright. The owls will hunt men in the light and their will be sand raining down from the heavens they will try to grow crops but will grow poison"

 

[Trasch17]

Sam heard Kin mumbling.
"You don't need to take care of my leg, I'm a white mage, forgotten?"
To proof his words he dropped the barrier, they were safe now, bent down and healed the wound in a few seconds, which surprised him because normally it takes much longer to heal such a wound. "I'm going to take a look at him." He pointed at Kin.
He kneeled down next to him and started checking his organs.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

Deep within the vault was an apparatus of no other. It was like a chair, or a hospital gurney, but it was attached to so many things that it was difficult to ascertain exactly what it measured. Hundreds of banks of machines whirred and clicked, processing everything and anything in its many test vials from hair to blood and samples of bone.
There was a puddle of blood on and around the chair, and a dead human being whose skeleton had been transformed into a hard stone, petrified to the floor. Whatever had occurred here was horrid and the stink of the vile magic within would turn all but the strongest demonic stomach.

Someone was being tested, their limits pressed beyond even what a normal human being could fathom. There were blood symbols on the wall; thaumaturgic wards that only the foulest of demons knew and kept secret to all but members of the Union itself. It smelled of bile, blood, gore and burned flesh within, the machines still whirring and calculating and tapping out their measurements on rolls of paper pushed across the floor they were so long and incomprehensible.

Laid in piles were neat, even pages which concerned proceadures so heinous it was difficult, even for the Black Nail, to read them without feeling some revulsion at was was done. Attempts to understand the subject being constantly foiled, brushes with death at the hands of ever-violent outbursts of bright white energy culminating in the petrified skeleton. On a desk in the corner, with a small table lamp on it, was a letter still in its envelope. It was addressed to one Mr. Techatt Weinar, a german scientist and though it was written in german it told this doctor that their "subject" would be shipped to them soon for their "final experiment".

The place practically buzzed with evil energy, and everywere the feeling of being watched...except a thaumaturge can see past false veils in the mind. The Silent Ones were watching, drawing their thin, flexible blades and readying their poisonous extracts. They were closing in.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

What?
He's been shot
shit

Ryan looked over at Kishima, saw him struggling with his wound, and ran over to him.
He looks at the wound for a moment and then pulls out a pair of tweezers and a syringe.

"Need help?"

 

[Hussmann54]

The lame figure sat in his dirty, sack cloth clothes and murmered; "hearts find little consolace for another. With destiny's tear drop, little hope to be found, less to be made."
Sam found his wounds to be substantial but not destructively so. A few cracked ribs and many bruises. However, his magic could heal the atrophy of his physical body. Weakened by time and abuse, muscles lost size, hair became thiner, dry cracked lips only could give off inane babble. His skin clearly hadn't been washes in a while and the facial hair was unkempt and thin. Feet were calloused over, some wounds still bleeding lightly. Small scars and sections of tearing skin laced the body.

Soon the elevator reached the top, where the Dalton brothers were having a time of holding the exit.
"Who's up to bat next ya bastards? Here comes a fast ball..."
He swung out from cover for only a moment, lined up his revolver amd fires a round, striking a clone in the shoulder.
One of them turned to the group.
"Alright, lets get- Oh fuck me! Kin? My god......"

The Daltons, and in fact everyone in STG54 knew kin personally, with the exception of Danielle Christian, who wa@s brou.ght in recently.
The Dalton brothers had never seen Kin like this. Defeated, bruised, bloodied and broken.

 

[Darth Caelum]

Sinclair resisted the urge to vomit, and frowned at the sight before him. He did not like this, he did not like this at all. Instruments of torture, plain enough to see, as well as multiple instruments used to record...things. Multiple Thaumaturgy symbols, some for disturbing the mind, others to protect this place from discovery, one to alert the enemy and bring in numerous reinforcements, and another to destroy the room in Hellfire if too many things were disturbed without the proper procedures. There were others though, likely dealing with the minutiae of the room?s experiments, but he couldn?t read them now. The enemy was closing in.

Baltreth snarled within his mind, pure righteous rage burning within it, the first time he?d seen him feel as such.

Sinclair, what is this monstrosity? This is not sane or right.

?I?m not sure.? he thought as he grabbed the envelope and put it into the folds of his uniform. ?But I think I?ll need to have a talk with the Black Rose after this.?

He began to hear the thuds of multiple footsteps, the drawing of blades and the cocking of guns. His Imperiomancy picked up 16 clones, all highly focused and coordinated with 9 holding guns and 7 holding blades. Judging by their movements, they would send those holding blades into the fray, with the nine opening fire from a distance. Their telepathy would negate friendly fire, and they would drown him with blades and bullets. Multiple strategies blossomed and died in his mind as he tried to think of a way to escape.

SA80 for suppressive fire whil-. Invalid. Bladesmen will overwhelm me.

Utilization of Zastava to pierce through rock wall and eliminate. Invalid. Bladesmen will overwhelm me.

Utilization of Thaumaturgic symbol of destruction within the room to destroy enemies. Invalid, unknown blast radius, may kill him and everyone around him.

Charge? Invalid. Cut down by soldiers.

?I seem to be in trouble here Baltreth?

Noticeably. Is it time?

?Yes. I seem to have run out of options.?

Good. We will show them the folly of their crimes.


The Black Nail smirked as he raised his gun to the ceiling and destroyed the light bulbs, leaving him in darkness as his eyes began to glow a crimson red.

__________

By the time the soldiers had closed in on the Vault, the lights to both the inside of the room and the outside chamber had been taken. They didn?t hesitate, the swordsmen charging forward as those armed with guns took to a more tactical position and fanned out.

There was a scream from one of them, identity indistinct in the dark as something with fierce crimson eyes grabbed him and brought him up to the ceiling. The subsequent gunfire brought light to a gray skinned demon, a swordsman limp and bleeding in one hand and a Saiga-12 in the other. Hellfire began to snake around the body as it was thrown to the ground.

A fiery explosion of bone and flesh burst across the room. Bone fragments impaled swordsmen and soldiers alike as Sinclair fell to the ground.

He landed on a soldier, firing his shotgun into his skull in the process. His enhanced strength and power allowed him to grab the body, using it again as a makeshift bomb and throwing it to another group of soldiers. They scattered in pain and panic, something they never did.

A constant attack on all of their minds through Imperiomancy caused them to lower dramatically in terms of combat effectiveness. While Sinclair fought the physical, using weapons and Thaumaturgy in concert, Baltreth fought with the mind, kicking them out of their precision that would have otherwise given the Illrian-possessed Sinclair an even fight and was now a panicky rout.

The attack began to change from rout to bloodbath as Sinclair changed his weapon, the SA-80 firing hellfire bullets into the soldiers that kept their distance. It was at this point that the remaining 3 swordsmen charged Sinclair, while the last soldier kept his distance and began firing blindly into the attack.

The Illrian Knight had to fend off the sudden attack with vicious punches and neck twists as they danced away from Sinclair?s comparatively clumsy fighting style and slashed at his legs and arms. Had he been a human at this point, they would have won, but as it is it barely made a mark as Sinclair blew the last swordsman away with a calculated burst into his chest.

The last soldier was then hit with the combined power of both Sinclair and Baltreth as they invaded his mind. They ripped it apart, destroying it thoroughly to the point that should an Imperiomancer look into it they would only see pain. They made it into a tool, a machine in human form and gave it a decapitated head filled to the brim with Hellfire. Not the quick and dirty method Sinclair had been using throughout the fort, but the kind that he had used in his rifle, bloody sigils and marks criscrossing the head that turned it into a bloody time bomb that they had made while they ripped the soldier?s mind. With a mental nod, the soldier ran off, making a beeline to the largest group of clones it knew.


___________

Sinclair stumbled out of the dark, his Illrian form dissipated as he clenched his wounds and made the trek back to the surface. His arms and legs bore angry red marks and there were several bullets lodged into his shoulder armor, his mind was feverish with pain but still dangerous.

?Ulrich.? he gasped through the communicator. ?I think I found something worthwhile. Have you recovered Kin yet? I?m in some considerable pain, I?ll report back to the Rendezvous zone.?

Sinclair groaned as well, before chuckling into the comm system. ?Also, I have a final explosion on it?s way. Not sure where that?ll go, but I?d suggest you prepare yourselves for a large bang.?

 

[Yokillernick]

Kishima still in pain was still struggling with his wound. The bullet had gone deep into his leg and activated some magic which made his leg go numb and paralyze it. Ryan ran towards him.

"I'd love some help! Quick get this thing out or we're both dead!"

 

[Trasch17]

Sam looked at the brothers, a little angry.
"What the hell are you waiting for?! We have to get Kin out of here!"
He ran outside at put up the largest barrier he could to cover the retreat. He had noticable troubles maintaining it. His nose started bleeding.
"Gottverdammte Scheiße! Beeilt euch!!!"

Spoiler: Translation

Goddamn shit! Hurry up!

Spoiler: OOC

Not sure if I can post during the next 2 days. Gastroscopy and enteroscopy. Blegh...

 

[Hussmann54]

As the group began to make their way out into the open courtyard Nathan looked at Sam. "Just focus on a aura, I can do the heavy lifting from here."
He began to summon up a magnetic field, typically only small enough to cover himself. But when he applied it to Sams work, the effect was naturally amplified and covered the whole group. Bullets whizzed off and a few even reflected back towards the clones.

The Daltons were right on their tails, guns ripping into the clones behind them. Kujo joined them as well, he began to hold the front with Rena as a few soldiers would attempt to breach the barrier with magic, if they succeeded, they were swiftly disposed of.

Suddenly Lee shouted. "Heavy stuff coming in!" He couldnt identify specifically what kind of rocket was being pointed at the group, but it didnt take that much to gather it was bad news. Nathan dropped the electromagnetic shield only for the briefest of moments, and suddenly raised his hands towards the rocket. In midair its fligt path was tilted upward by the slightest of degrees. It flew over their heads and slammed into the wall, making the first hole even bigger. Suddenly Dalton sent a bullet into the clones head responsible right before being re-enveloped by the magnetic barrier again.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

Ryan looked at the wound, jabbed the needle in, and began using a combination of his tweezers and his magic to find and pull the bullet out.

"Can you feel this?" he said as he jabbed another needle in.

 

[Yokillernick]

"Yes, thanks!"

Kishima finally stood back up and looked around him. The extraction team should have gotten away from safety by now.

"Nathan, this is Kishima. Are you and the extraction team safely away? Can we make a tactical retreat before they overwhelm us!" Without warning a clone sneaked up behind Ryan and from instinct he threw a knife that to the clone between the eyes.

"Alright everyone. I guess we still have to hold here until Nathan says otherwise unless any of you have any different ideas?"

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

Ryan placed the bullet in a small vial on his belt as he finished up "Good an-"
He looked behind himself and saw the clone "and thanks."

He grabbed the knife from the corpse and handed it to Kishima.
"The only one I have involves a flamethrower and a pyromancer, unfortunately we have neither."

edit: server ate my post, twice

 

[Kuroneko Aisha]

Rena had been assisting in the defense of Nathan's barrier, as well as keeping Kin safe from any harm whatsoever. It was her job to keep him safe from the enemy and she wasn't going to fail that mission. From the years past, her magic had grown considerably since the time she defeated the Dark Skull, and she was using it well on this part. At one part of the fortress, a tornado was rampaging the area, sending debris and unfortunate troops flying through the air. At the shield, she was working on redirecting as many of the rockets being fired at them as possible through the use of powerful wind currents. She would hold strong no matter what they unleashed!

 

[Hussmann54]

They finally reached the gate and began a mad dash for the woods where they would be easy to loose sight of.
Bullets whizzed by, shattering trees, a few artillery rounds from one of the surviving platforms shot randomly into the trees.
Ana could feel her heart pound, every step taking its toll in over worked limbs. Soldiers were running after them a hundred or so yards back.

Finally they reached a white tarp and pulled it back to reveal a dogsled team harnessed amd ready to move. Ana wasted no time in lashing Kin to the flat bed of the sled. She also tucked him into a thermal blanket.
"Rena, are you ready?" Suddenly a bullet whizzed past, clipping a nearby tree.
She helped the fae onto the sled and knelt down to her eye level, hands on her shoulders.
"Meet back at the tavern, tell the man there that this is the package."
She hugged Rena. "God speed. Now go. And take care of him."

 

[Kuroneko Aisha]

Rena took the reigns of the sled and knew exactly what she had to do. Looking to all of the others, even while the bullets flew by, she said. "I'm ready! I'll see you all at the meeting place. Don't even one of you think about dying in a place like this against such a small fry opponent!" She had developed a bit of arrogance in the years of her training, but this was tempered with caution. Dispelling the tornado to conserve her energy, she cracked the reigns and said. "Go!" At that command, the dogs went forward while Rena made sure to keep the winds on her side in order to reach the best speed possible. From behind, there was a literal whirlwind to cover her and deflect incoming fire, at least until she reached a safe area.

 

[Yokillernick]

Kishima and the rest were still holding the clones back waiting for a word from Nathan.

"Damn it Nathan! Come in! We cannot hold the gate any longer they are swarming us!" Kishima was now frustrated as all that he got back was static. He went up to Ryan and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Fuck it. Everyone fall back. We'll retreat through the woods. The situation is out of control and we will die if we stay here much longer. Ryan see what you can do. Detain them for a little bit so we can retreat."

Kishima charged forward swords held up high trying to clear the hole in the wall which was full of clones. Slashing everywhere Kishima quickly dispatched of the 6 clones that were in the hole. But then out of nowhere, a grenade landed at his feet.

Boom !

Kishima was knocked back against the wall. He did not move.

Spoiler: OOC

He's not dead yet just knocked up pretty badly. He will be in a coma for the next 10 days as I have to go away to Turkey for holiday and I am not sure if there is any Internet there.

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

Spoiler: GM

Seriously guys, you don't even need me right now you're all doing great. But here's some fluff to keep y'all interested. Darth, you may wanna read this.

The Silent Ones were close now, almost on top of Sinclair as he rushed to escape the facility which was now on high alert. The first cold, gray hand clasped his shoulder and with one smooth motion threw him to the ground. Their thin blades drawn three Silent Ones stood around him, poised to strike. One held in hand what seemed to be a tiny watering implement, filled with the crushed berry juice and pulp used to coerce even the strongest Imperiomancers to obey them...or to melt the brains of whoever was unlucky enough to enrage them. Their plans discovered, they moved in for the kill....

Spoiler: GM for Darth

This won't kill you Sinclair, have at 'em