Surge Story: Chapter 3- "Game Of War: A feud of Lightning and Earth" [IC]

[Ragnar]

SId signals his GAO's to halt as soon as Lt.Surge gives out the gesture. Everything was dead silence, the Frog and the Lion halted and hides behind a huge debris nearby and was half way through enemy line. Sid reach down his binoculars and takes a look at it, trying figure out why the hell both of the parties cease fire, "That can't be good, did they surrender or something?" he said suspiciously to his team as he tries to locate something or someone.

[Jory]

Jory looked to his GAO, fearful of what had happened to him. "He looks paralyzed! I've seen this before. Surge's little rodent GAO can do the same thing..." he said to no one in particular, his concern for his companion overriding his attention to the battle. Ultimately he decided to recall the GAO, realizing the gecko's fighting ability had been cut in half since he could no longer take advantage of his blinding speed. Hmm... Sampson won't do too well in the rain. I need another plan, and quick! he thought to himself. He took out Neffi's GAO and couldn't help but smile as his first GAO emerged from her ball. "Alright, boys," he said loudly, his mind beginning to move more agilely. "They like to use electricity, but Surge just neutered it with that damn toad of his. So let's use this moment to move away from this spot, now!" he barked, beginning to lead his fireteam from cover to cover toward the enemy lines.

[K_H]

Kenny nodded, Recalled Eve, and then moved from cover to cover, following Jory.

[Chim]

Logan was still busy treating Crusader. He prioritized getting eyes up in the sky again and risked getting left behind. Ace gave him a questioning look when he saw the others leave but stayed by his trainer’s side. “Don’t worry Ace; we’ll join up with them in no time. I just can’t let Crusader die.” He grabbed a few more potions out of his bag and smeared it over the damaged steel while putting a berry mix in the bird’s beak.

[Jory]

The Corporal looked back, nodding his acknowledgement to Logan. Always putting the wounded first. A true medic, he thought to himself as he continued forward.

[Flux]

Lars turned to Jory as they left.

"I'll stay behind with Logan. We can't just leave him alone, and Sleepy can get us back to the group faster than anything else when he's finished here. That is, if you don't have an objection."

[Jory]

Jory nodded Lars in Logan's direction. "Stay on comms, Lars. Once we get closer we'll need both you and Logan in the thick of it with us. You have five minutes to patch up the bird, then I want you oscar mike. Got it?"

[Chim]

“I finished the treatment,” Logan informed Lars. “Now we just need to wait for Crusader to wake up and see the results.”

[Sutoratosu]

In the 'Burbs...

Chang, Ranked E-6 and commanding officer of the Squadron known as Hot Wasabi lowered his binoculars just as the mud began to rain down from the dark heavens. A disgruntled look was all he answered the tactic with, scowling in Chagrin as he watched himself and his team become completely coated in the stuff. Hot Wasabi couldn't even keep up the meager counter offensive they had attempted because every electric type they had had been neutralized by the wet dirt; They couldn't even muster a spark anymore from the insulation on their skin and bodies.

"That son of a bitch..." He cursed silently under his breath as his Blissey continued to attempt cleaning the mud off of itself nearby. "Fall back to the bridge, everyone... we can't win against the Crazies of Bexly."

The soldiers under his command just looked at him, looking at him like he was crazy, then gradually being taken by realization and when they pieced together what they'd just been through and the words their CO had just said. There were only two Squads in Bexly who people thought of as Crazy, and that Tesla Death beam that had damn near killed them all had to have been the work of none other than Surge and his cohorts... and for what it was worth, most thought that he and his men were the craziest.

"Yes sir," a female corporal with skin the color of dark chocolate and hazel eyes called before repeating his commands. "Hot Wasabi, back to the Bridge!"

"Fuck that order!" an angry hispanic Private shouted in fury. "Those Putas, they killed my Rathalos!" In his arms he cradled the tattered and burned remains of the Staraptor Crusader had slain in the skies above. a few tears were streaming down his face in mourning, which honestly just reinforced the resolve of his team to withdraw; if the toughest guy on the squad was weeping... and Spark Alpha had obviously shown no mercy here... The fire bombardment, the Death Beam, Roddy's 'Rathalos'. These bastards honestly were crazy. They must have fought this was an active conflict zone or something...

"Roddy," Chang said simply, putting a hand on one of the big hispanic's broad shoulder. "Vengeance can come later... Commander Geo will be wanting a piece of Surge and his men anyway to settle things, let's just let the packs of rabid dogs to tear each other apart limb from limb."

((to maximise the comedic value of this scene, please hit play.))

"Roddy stayed on his knees in the muddy street for a moment," a smart mouthed, bespectacled Private Narrated in a melodramatic voice over as Roddy did these things. "then without a word, the soul crushing grief in his eyes gave way to a fiery anger, anger hell bent on avenging his fallen partner. and without a word, that big mexican arose from his place and-"

"You need to shut the fuck up with the constant narration. Right now, soldier." The Black Corporal ordered him.

"Said Ariana," The private continued. "a look of pure annoyance marring her usually exotic, captivating features. Roddy looked over with a stare of utter contempt, still cradling his slain friend's Corpse. The blood dripped upon his bare palms, staining the front of his uniform in a near symbolic smear; that shaped like an eagle in flight."

"Seriously, shut the fuck up," Another soldier concurred with the corporal. "You're being a real dick right now.."

"Adam protested, rising to the defense of his brother from another mother, eyes filled with annoyance similar to Ariana's. Roddy began to stalk closer, the contempt in his beady ojos blazing bright like the sun, wrath like that of a bull beginning to pour o-"

"Annansi," Arianna called, reaching to her belt and sending out a large arachnid like GAO with a red body decorated with various black patterns. "Gag him."

((Stop the above video and then quickly play this...))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ksKETF0f4I

The thing obeyed, pulling back and then launching a bout of strong silk from the back of it's abdomen, spraying the stuff all across the Offending Subordinates face and effectively ending the man's constant story telling.

Chang himself looked over in annoyance. "Andrew, you keep up the damn narration from now on, and I'll make you run blocks until this entire city singing "Yellow Bird" until you drop. As for you, Corporal Good job shutting him up for now." He looked over at the bridge rising in the distance, plotting out how he'd get his men back without suffering another barrage from Surge's Psychos. Finally he came to a plan he could stand behind.

"Corporal Johnson," He said to Ariana, the woman standing at attention. "I am hereby placing command in you until further notice. Lead the squad back to the bridge and report to Commander Geo that Spark Alpha is nearby."

"Yes sir," was all she said, recalling her Ariados and gripping her rifle with both hands, setting off in a run for base camp. "Let's move! Hot Wasabi!"

The moment that his men were gone, Chang recalled his Blissey to her capsule... and took out his heavy hitters. An man sized, blue skinned bipedal turtle with two cannons on it's back that could cause far more damage than a fifty cal. And a another Turtle, this one Green and on all fours, with what was best described as a tree and thorn bush growing out of it's shell. It's armoring looked more formidable than even a tank. Eyes set on the hill and the rock snake that stood out, he thrust out his hand in a powerful gesture of authority, glaring at his Blastoise with ferocity that the turtle mirrored easily.

"Blow it apart! take out the whole hill side!"

Silence. Then a strange sucking sound as the moisture in the air began to condense into water droplets and then into tiny spheres on the end of the things cannons. then the spheres grew larger, and larger, and finally merged into one before the beast. The air was dry and brittle. A ball of bright, shining blue was aimed at Spark Alpha's position, about the size of car tire, so bright it was blinding. and then with a sound similiar to a Tank Cannon being fired, the thing was sent flying towards them...

Meanwhile Chang looked to his Torterra, a raw, intense drive in his eyes. "You, go follow the men Surge sent to flank us! take em out!" The earthen Turtle nodded, stomping off far faster than one might expect for a beast it's size...

Jory's Fireteam

A sudden shaking stopped corporal Robertson in his very shakes. IT had come from behind him, starting off soft, then growing in intensity and speed. A look around at his surroundings would reveal nothing helpful for determining the source, despite it growing ever more powerful. Lars and Logan meanwhile could feel it as well...

The next thing the two knew, the world faded into a blur of broken branches and leaves and foliage. A roar that would've made even a battle hardened Colonel turn his fatigues brown echoed out in ear splitting volume, deep and guttural, raw with fury. The shaking increased, and bursting out of the woods beside the Medic and his backup was a Giant, Armored turtle of rich green color, a tree and thorn bush growing from it's back. The thing came charging at them like a fright train, tree glowing a bright green and sun light being absorbed as it fired off it's attack at the two, a hazy, greenish white beam of condensed Solar power that burned the very air as it arced for them... they were utterly and purely screwed. Until they noticed the tell tale signs of rippling air in front of them; they recognized the effect from Erick's partner... but this was far larger than anything they had seen it produce.

The Beam slammed against the barrier at full force, then the whole psychic construct glowed a dull blue, and like magic, the attack was being reflected right back like a laser hitting a mirror. the thing hit the Turtle dead on, causing an explosion and heat so raw and intense that it damn near deafened Lars and Logan.

"Run!" They heard Clemont's voice order into their minds.

Surge's Fireteam

"Shiiiiiiiiiit!" Surge shouted as he stared at the ball of blue hurtling towards them from down below. He looked back at his fire team, eye's filled with urgency. "Get the fuck down, everyone!" then he followed his own advice and dove to the ground a few meters behind were he had been standing, as did Infantry and the Politoad... but the Attack never came.

IT never came because just as it had closed in, the soldiers had witnessed something strange. The air had rippled like someone had put up a barrier. The sphere had burst into a powerful blast upon contact, shaking the very earth and sending gallons upon gallons of water raining down the hill. But they were all still alive and unharmed.

"This has gone entirely too far!!!!" Clemont's voice roared out in the area. "I knew I should've stepped in earlier..."

[Jory]

Corporal Robertson heard the voice in his head and looked toward his fireteam. "You heard the f***ing fox! GO, GO, GO!" he shouted, waiting for his team to begin running so that he and Neffi could take up the rear. No man left behind, thought Jory as he began to sweat from the intense heat from the blast.

[Flux]

As the deafening noise sounded around them, Clemeont's voice echoed in Lars' mind.

"Run!"

Before he could even react, Sleepy struggled in his arms, panicking from both the noise and the message that he had apparently heard as well.

"Hey, Sleep-" Lars started, but before he could finish, both he and Logan disappeared in a flash of light.

(((I'm thinking I'll let Stratos decide where we end up, since it's a random teleport due to panic and he knows more about the layout of the place.)))

[Sutoratosu]

Lars and Logan...

The next thing the two knew, they were standing somewhere dimly lit deep underground. An brick laid structure stretched out for miles and miles all around them, arc after stone arc and steel reinforcement rods lined the ceiling, making the whole place look like it could withstand even a considerable earthquake with ease. The sound of water rushing by catching their attention immediately as a large, broad stream flowed right beside the pathway they stood on, clear and, from the looks of it, pure enough to even drink. Perhaps this is what Surge had been talking about? Either way, it appeared that they were somewhere in the sewer .. which was honestly a hell of a lot better than being mauled by a giant Turtle with plants growing out of it's back.

The air was cold down here. The place was clean, the walls a slate grey, and the ground surprisingly free of any dust or other debris such as trash. There was but one question, two, actually; where were they in the city, and how were they going to get out of here and back to Surge and Spark Alpha?

On the hillside

Surge got up the moment he heard Clemont's voice, knowing that the fox man had intervened. Unlike usual though, he didn't quite find the anger in the Psychic's voice very amusing at the moment. Namely due to the fact that he and his fire team had nearly bitten the bullet, but also for the fact that a whole host of other issues were probably about to start right now. Nothing came after that, though... much to the Commander's surprise.

"So he just magically saves all of us," he said. "And then runs off? alright, hey, I'll take it over death..." A Blue shape, strongly resembling a giant turtle, hurtled up into the air for a few meters as he spoke. Then the thing was sent rocketing back down at a speed that far exceeded what it's natural acceleration should've been. "Scratch that, Soldiers," Surge corrected himself. "There he is..."

In the 'Burbs

Chang looked on in a bit of surprise as without warning, his Alpha had started levitating into the air. His mouth had dropped even more when he saw the thing float up even higher into the air. But the moment it came slamming down and breaking up the pavement before skidding to a stop at his feet, he knew what was going on.

"General Clemont..." He didn't even have to look up at the Alakazam as he materialized beside him, glaring down at the soldier.

"This is your only warning, Staff Sergeant..." He called mentally, a withering tone in the message. "All combat tactics used during this assignment are forbidden from being explicitly lethal in nature, this was made more than clear several times in the initial debriefing files." He snapped his fingers, and behind him the CO's defeated Torterra came into being with a white flash. "What you just attempted crossed the line. The GWC is not exactly in a position where it can afford to lose soldiers right now, especially from murder during training exercises. Attack or order an attack with the intent to kill a fellow Service member again, and I'll see to it your military career ends that very second and you stand before a Tribunal. Understand?"

"Yes sir..." Chang said reluctantly. If there was anything worse than a reprimand from a superior at his rank, it was a reprimand from a superior who technically wasn't even fucking human anymore...

Clemont held a lingering glance at the man. Then turned his back and teleported away. And Chang and his defeated GAOs found themselves teleported away as well; right back to the base camp on the bridge, well ahead of their team...

On the hill side...

"Try harder to stay out of trouble," Clemont's telepathic voice echoed out finally, though he was nowhere to be seen. "Because it is partially your fault if you do something that makes another Squadron Commander want to kill you during training. Either tone it down now or simply don't become sitting ducks to be wiped out in the future. That is all."

((Yes, Commander Chang did order those attacks with the intent to kill each and every one of you out of frustration and humiliation just now. Especially with the orders he gave his Torterra. Be very weary of the man from now on in the future, whether you are in the company of your fellow squad mates or not. Murder on the Battle field is somewhat of an easy crime to commit.))

[Jory]

Corporal Robertson sighed in relief as the giant tortoise GAO disappeared from in front of him. He turned back to his squadron and immediately noticed that Lars had gone missing. He cleared his throat loudly, hoping to gain his comrades' attention. "Hey! Did any of you see Lars's GAO teleport him away just now? Ah, crap, Surge's gonna have my head on a platter for this one," he said, the latter part to no one in particular.

[Chim]

“Run!”

No kidding. Logan grabbed his stuff and started running when Ace jumped on his shoulder. He heard Lars say something and the next thing the medic knew he was still running in an entire different environment. He stopped to see where he was and saw Lars a few meters behind him. Logan searched around for the rest of the squad, but when he didn’t see anyone else, he came to the conclusion that this probably wasn’t Clemont’s doing. “Hey Lars, what happened? It looks like we’re in some sort of sewer…” he said confused.

Edited December 11, 2014 by Chimchain

[Flux]

Lars laughed nervously.

"Well, um... I think... I think Sleepy must have panicked and warped us out of there..."

The Abra was now still in his arms, its chest moving up and down slowly, asleep once more.

He looked around. They were in sewers of some sort. The water was surprisingly pure down here, bringing to mind what Surge had said earlier.

"Say, do you think these could be the sewer systems Surge was talking about? The ones he said we need to establish a base in?"

[Chim]

Logan looked around once again. “Probably,” he answered, still looking for a way out. Hopefully there was a manhole cover or something nearby. “The biggest problem is finding our way back to the rest of the squad. Who knows how far we teleported in here… Do you know approximately how far Sleepy is able to teleport?”

Edited December 12, 2014 by Chimchain

[Flux]

Lars looked away.

"Honestly... no, I don't. I've only had him teleport me a few times, and this is the farthest he's ever sent me, assuming we're in the city. We could be anywhere from just on the edge to smack in the middle of this place." He sighed. "It's hard to practice with him, since he's asleep for 75% of his life... Anyway, we should get looking for a way out of here and then try to find Surge."

[Chim]

“In that case I guess this way is good as any other,” Logan said taking the lead. He saw an opening to a manhole not far from them and decided to peak through. “Well the good news is that I don’t see any enemies and we’re still in the city. The bad news is that I have no idea where we are…”

[Sutoratosu]

Chimchain

While there were indeed no enemies immediately within sight when he lifted the Cover, Not far off in the distance the thunder of boots on pavement could be both heard and felt by logan shortly after he called down to Lars. A woman's voice called out orders in a particularly urgent and flustered manner, as if some young CO had just had her squadron caught in an ambush. Gunfire and roars pierced the air as the sounds grew closer and closer, bouts of fire visible as several buildings went up before being dosed in gallons upon gallons of water.

In fact... if Logan wasn't mistaken, he thought he caught a glimpse of a blue sea serpent and a female hispanic soldier nearby... and from the sounds of things it looked as though they were pressing whatever attack was going on. The fighting continued as more blasts of water came, this time coating the street itself before being frozen by a hazy beam of blue energy, making the whole avenue a skating ring, which an arachnid like GAO promptly tried to slide across and fell flat on it's underside and then skidded out of sight. It was getting obvious that the intense scene above was drawing far too close for comfort though. Best if the medic just climb back down to Lars and move on...

[Chim]

"Never mind." Logan quickly climbed down again. "There's a heavy battle going on and I prefer not to get caught in the middle. Let's move along," he informed Lars.

((Lars can take the lead. Logan is probably the worst in the squad when it comes down to finding your way back))

[Flux]

((I don't know about that. Lars is pretttty derpy...))

"A battle?" Lars asked as they moved. "I thought the our squad and that other team were the only ones here... Who else could it be?"

[Chim]

“Enyo,” Logan stated. “She and that sea serpent of hers were rampaging through the streets. That thing became really powerful in a short amount of time. I wouldn’t want to face her.”

((In that case we can wander around forever!))

[Sutoratosu]

Surge's team

A strange silence had fallen over the entire fire team after the telepathic reprimand was made, one which had stretched on from several seconds, to nearly a good five minutes or so. The only noise that finally broke it was Surge taking out the walkie talkie unit from his bag and holding the transmission button, sending out a steady stream of static noise as he brought it up to his lips, knowing that Robertson and his men were taking too long since he wasn't back yet and he didn't see anyone down on the streets below.

"Corporal Robertson, come in," He said, voice stone cold and serious as he tried to hail the soldier. "What is your situation and current location, I repeat, what is your situation and current location? respond."

Jory

"Corporal Robertson, come in," Jory suddenly heard his Commander's voice crackle over the Talkie, sounding deadly serious on the frequency. "What is your situation and current location, I repeat, what is your situation and current location? respond."

Meanwhile Lionel could be seen jogging over to the corporal's position from his former cover he'd taken while advancing into the housing areas, weapon drawn and his crow GAO out and flying overhead.

"Sorry I was gone, Corporal," he said as he drew closer, not even the least bit out of breath from his sprint. "I was doing recon in the burbs to try to find where to make the next push for cover, came running as fast as I could though when I saw that giant turtle blitz right past me and Shadow towards your position... it was surprisingly quick despite how monstrously huge it was..." It was only as he finished that noticed the trampled undergrowth and trail of destruction leading from the woods and the fact that Lars and Logan were no where to be seen... but yet there was no blood and no mangled bodies anywhere either, so they probably hadn't been killed by what he was chasing... "Sir, what happened to Lars and Logan?" he asked, kneeling down as examining the disturbed earth and broken tree limbs, all the while a single thought welling up in the back of his mind. "Hope they didn't fall victim to some type of power like I heard Erick's partner used back at the Tarmac..."

Dr.Ray and Prof. Oak

"You're absolutely right, Ray," Oak said, fanning through the piles and piles of paper his impatient young student turned colleague had flung to the ground in his frustration, skimming over all the research and notes as he turned back to face the man. I could easily see where things had gone ary... "You are indeed a Biologist and Genetic Scientist... but that doesn't change the fact that you completely went about this whole research project like you were a physicist."

"Wait, what?" The Doctor asked, a look of genuine perplexion coming over his face as he stood from where he leaned against the over turned desk. "What the hell are you talking about? Everything I did from sqaure one-"

"Was done from the standpoint of a thesis bound primarily in Physics rather than Biological makeup," Oak said, seemingly interrupting the man but in truth simply correcting what he was about to say. "That's where everything went wrong in this project; you went off of the same thesis that the person tasked with it before you used instead of developing one based on your own knowledge and expertise..." He tossed the neatly stacked papers over to his former protegee, watching without sympathy as Ray barely managed to keep them from spilling back onto the ground. "It's not plagiarism because it's stated that it's not your own in the status report, but It's still laziness, Urban. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat disappointing in how you neglected the most basic step of the scientific process; developing a hypothesis." With that said, the older man began to walk towards the door way of the lab, passing right by the Hawaiin Prodigy without even a glance. "If this were class, I'd have failed you on the spot. You're slipping from your standards, my boy, see to it you don't let it continue... because I will put forward a formal request to have you reassigned if you start getting sloppy on me."

"You're kidding me..." Ray said, wanting to face palm himself for such a stupid mistake right off the bat. "It was that, of all things? that's what fucked everything up?"

"Indeed... and I suggest you start over immediately, torch every single physical research note and delete everything off the computer banks." Oak started heading through the door, pausing half way. "And just a suggestion, this time to start off, you may want to conduct a field study of the GAOs and their handlers...luckily for you there's no better time than now." and then he was gone, and the slab of metal slid shut on it's own.

Erick & Genisa

"I'll tell you somethin' kid," Corporal Quantico griped in a thick Chicago accent from where he stood beside Erick up in the Guard Tower, assualt rifle in hand as his palms and face dripped sweat like bullets in the June heat and the humidity. "The climate of this damn base is freaking unpredictable; in the winter it's cold as shit, and in the summer it's so damn hot you actually wish it would go back to being winter, In spring we get storms that could rival Katrina down in New Orleans, and those fucking wind storms that come in every autumn could rival the ones we would get back on my home turf..."

"It's not unpredictable then, sir," Erick said simply as he kept a watch on the perimeter, seeing as his superior here wasn't intent on doing it... "They're simply in extremes with every season."

"Oh, son of a general and you're a certified meteorologists too?" Quantico mocked. "Look, Freeman, I'm telling you, the higher ups have some major project or something going down around here, somethin' deep beneath the base, somethin' that's fucking around like the weather like mother nature herself is it's bitch,"

"Indeed, sir," Erick said plainly, not even listening at this point as he brought the binos up to his eyes and peered through them at a certain dog like GAO which was acting a bit funny... like rabies funny. "Genisa," he said, knowing full well the psychic could hear him. "See if you can get inside that things head, if there's anything left of it's mind."

"Roger..." she replied in his mind.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Quantico asked, turning to face the young MP.

"But of course sir..." Erick lied through his teeth. "Fascinating theory sir, very interesting..."

"Hey don't you Bull Shit me kid!" his superior warned. "I am the king when it comes to bull shiting around here!"

"Indeed you are..." Erick heard Genisa mutter in his mind. "And a loud mouth to go along with it. Anyway, it's not rabid like you think, Erick..."

"What is it then?"

"I don't know, but obviously something's wrong with it. The best chance to figure out what is to capture it and submit it for actual study..."

"Are you talking to your little psychic bitch again?" Quantico sneered, getting in his face, forcing him to pay attention to him. "You know, I think there's something going on between you and her... Zoophili-" He was cut off by suddenly being thrown from the tower like he'd been rammed by a bull, flying over the edge and tumbling to the ground like a rag doll, only to be caught before he could make impact with the hard packed ground. before he even knew what was going on, he was hurtling back up through the air by his feet, coming up to face level with Erick in the air.

"Do you know how much you annoy and disgust me?" Genisa's Telepathy called in the air, audible to both of them. "You talk and you talk on and on about pointless things and leave the work to those around you like some bum, and you never shut your mouth or bother uttering anything that can actually be useful to the task at hand...." she released her psychic grip for a second, allowing him to plumet a few feet; a ride which earned a girlish scream from the soldier before she resumed her invisible grasp.

"This ain't funny, Freeman!" Quantico shouted indignantly. "Call her off, kid! else I'll give ya somethin' to remember my fist by!"

"I can break your body if you're going to go issuing threats to people..."

"Freeman!"

"Stun it, but don't kill."

"Wait, what!?" as an answer for his question all Quantico got was the sight of a small bolt of electricity arcing through the air and hitting some weird looking Dog GAO, making the thing spasm a little before falling over and gazing up hatefully as a Capsule hurldled down from the tower and absorbed it in a blaze of scarlet light. All the while Quantico had been slowly lowered in the air while he'd been panicking, Genisa releasing her hold entirely and letting him drop a good meter or so to the ground. "Gaaaaah! Oh..."

"Get it." Genisa ordered in his mind, using her abilities to forcefully directing his attention to the sphere lying on the ground. "We're not letting you back inside the perimeter unless you do."

"Erick!"

"Don't look at me, sir," was all he had to respond with. "You're the one who offended her, and she honestly has a mind completely of her own... you eventually learn the wrath that Psychics can dish out and what sets them off if you stay around them long enough, sir..."

((Challenge time: Guess in the OCC thread what's wrong with the GAO that's been captured in this scene, and I will randomly promote one of your team members to Alpha Status. first to get it right get's the prize. helpful hint; It's not rabies))

meanwhile in Moscow, Russia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWvSvEbIcyg

"We are glad that you decided to accept Mother Russia's offer, Chairman Cho" Vladamir said in a fluent stream of chinese as he met the foreign dignitary as he exited the Chinese designed jet, fighters bearing the five golden stars on their wings still screeching over head as they veered off the escort path and headed for the pre- arranged refueling stations not far from the capital. "The americans have the upper hand in this fight now, but with the fury of winter and the manpower of the yellow stars working side by side..."

"Stop your flattery, russian." Cho ordered the man in his own native language, russian, shutting the secretary of state right up. "We already said we intended fully to accept your offer and simply needed to see the promised technology for ourselves; so why do you attempt to court us any further than your lavish proposition already did? The Soldiers following behind the Chairman went on full alert, forming a protective line in between Vladimir and his rather curt guest on the tarmac. Like wise within an instant a dozen Soldiers in the uniform of Russian Special Forces were aiming Sniper Rifles down from the control towers at them, discouraging the visitors from drawing any weapons. "So... I see you came prepared."

"We are always prepared in Russia." Vladimir said, not bothering to keep up his self translation from his own language into Cho's native tongue.

"History suggests an incredibly different story," Cho chimed, a mocking expression on his face, ordering his men to clear the way and go at ease with a few barks of chinese before beginning to walk again. Vladimir gave the thumbs to the snipers in the towers and on the roof top, all of them slowly removing their faces from behind the sights of their scopes.

"Yes well, speaking of which," he said, secretly relieved this whole thing hadn't turned into a blood bath as he retreived a Black and Blue colored sphere from his suit's breast poket, about the size of a ping pong ball. he depressed the trigger on it's face, bringing it to the size of a soft ball and releasing a vaguely humanoid creature with a dark purple body that honestly resembled a ball that had grown legs... the most unsettling thing was the evil grin the beast was shining the chinese man and his escorts.

"I believe that history is precisely what our two nations are about to make..."

[Jory]

Jory heard his radio crackling and immediately scrambled to answer it, grabbing it from his tactical vest and depressing the 'Talk' button. "Robertson reporting in. We're up by the treeline. Damn giant turtle almost took us out, but General Clemont stepped in. We're all doing just fine, but, uh... Well, Lars and Logan are gone. Sleepy must've teleported them out of here before the attack came in. We're moving back to your position, over," he said into the radio. After he took his finger off the button, he swore briefly before he saw Lionel. "Glad to see you're still here. Lars and Logan got teleported away by Lars's GAO. We're oscar mike back to Surge's position to regroup. Let's move it on out," he ordered as he and Neffi began the trek back to Surge. The Corporal shook his head. "Just when Oliver needed the medic, as well."

[Sutoratosu]

Surge and Co.

"Well, at least they aren't dead..." Surge muttered under his breath, clipping the device onto his belt. He gestured for Infantry to come to him silently, kneeling and beginning to stroke the K-9 creatures fur as he used the other half of his attention to check his mouse for any obvious injury. "But that in and of itself doesn't change the fact that now we're missing our only medic and another soldier..." he said, just before a sharp jolt rewarded the his search when his fingers brushed against the glands on the things cheek, the Staff Sergeant pulling the limb away on impulse and glaring at the tiny beast as it continued to lay unconscious on Infantry's back...

Logan and Lars

as the two lost squad members wondered their way through the sewers the scenery never changed much, always the same drab colored walls and crystal water flowing in the channel beside the barren cement walkway. A few metal grates here and there occasionally broke up the monotony of the scenery, a stark dark grey against the white of the brick walls and archways stretching above them, like a piece of charred wood sticking out against a snow covered field.

Aside from that there was no way to tell where they had been or where they were going. But it seemed as though this damn place went on forever... which it did, considering the fact that had to cover miles upon square miles. The chances of either of the Spark Alphas finding their way back to Surge was absolutely dismal at best...

Something caught Logan's eye as he and Lars continued walking though the quite literal bowels of the city. A flash of bright blue movement up ahead on the cement path, some strange, roundish animal lying in the Channel's water, struggling to hoist itself up onto the walkway. The helpless creature splashed water in every possible direction as it kept up it's struggle in pure vain, beginning to sink back down and get pulled into the current again, it's puny grip slipping from the slickness of it's paws... but not before Logan caught a good glimpse of it, and the condition of it's body.

The obvious GAO was battered and bruised like it had gotten into a fight with something like McCarthy's Dragon or Enya's Serpent, cuts and scrapes leaking a bright red into it's otherwise sky blue coat, one of it's flippers looking mangled and bent. The seal cast a single look at him and Lars and Sleepy, fear there... fear of what they would do to it. And fear of having what was already done to it in the past repeated... and it was that fear which gave it the strength to bounce itself up out of the water and begining to form itself into a ball on the cement, trying to roll away as fast as it could.

Unfortunately for it, it couldn't get too far... and it's efforts were made moot by the fact that it was leaving a slick trail of water mixed with blood where ever it made contact with the ground...

Meanwhile, in Washington DC

"So you mean to sit here and tell me that there's nothing we have that we can use to go to war against those bastards?" President Shokun demanded from his secretary of Defense as the two walked down the corridor of the whitehouse, heading away from the oval office and making way to the Green room.

"No sir... I am afriad that there is not." the aging man replied, easily keeping pace with the former General turned US president as he increased his stride. It wouldn't do at all to have the dignitaries sent from the other NATO member states waitng... especially when he had been the one to request this meeting. "The only possible peices of evidence of their actions we have so far is the Attack on Fort Bexly three months ago... but as you already know sir, we can't resort to that without revealing our own hand. The other potential peices of evidence are the sinking of the USS Black Nexus yesterday, but-"

"Yes, I know," The President said, cutting off the man. "That's how I convinced them this meeting was nessacary in the first place, afterall... once can be a coincidence, but twice? I know those Russians think they can fuck with American Service Members without impunity, but there's going to be hell to pay for Black Nexus... I don't even need an investigation to know it was all the doing of those Souless bastards..."

"Yes sir," the secretary agreed simply. "But just because you're so certain doesn't mean that they'll be. We need an investigation and we need proof before we unleash Bexly's war potential, sir! otherwise the world will see this as an unprovoked attack from the greedy Americans."

"The world can see this as whatever they damn well please!" Shokun shouted, stopping and doing an about face towards his cabinent member, fixing him with a glare hot enough to melt polar ice. And broguht up his finger, jabbing it roughly into the man's chest, as if to drive home his words. "Not even twenty four whole hours ago, US navymen were ambushed out of the blue and killed on the spot while sailing in waters which were supposed to be friendly! Someone is responsible for those Men and Women's deathes, someone is responsible for the launching of that attack! And I will not stop until I find those motherfuckers, you understand, Jace!? And I know it had to be the russians! they're the only other ones with that kind of power, and they're the only ones who have any reason to do what was done!"

"Um, Mr. President, sir..." Jace asked, looking down at his watch as his boss ranted on vehemently... seems once a soldier always a soldier. "We need to hurry if we're going to make this meeting and maintain schedule."

All Shokun did was glare at him again... then the battle hardened politician stalked off down the hall.