Command and Control - Basilisk Station

The command center is abuzz with activity regardless of the time of day - not that concepts of day and night mean much on a space station. The ovaloid room is broken into three descending tiers, linked by a sloped ramp. The first is ringed by flat-panel workstations, designed so that their occupants face towards the inner tiers. The second tier holds another console for the senior officer on watch, the rest used as a walkway around the center.

The third tier holds a large holo-projector capable of showing images of intercepted transmissions. When not in more active use, it projects a real-time hologram of Earth, with notations of current satellite locations and important places on the planet itself. The walls are giant vidscreens, often flickering with additional data and images gathered by the communications array. The room also boasts a single triangular ruby-tinted window, a view of local space without the need of a camera.

North <N> leads to Computer Core - Basilisk Station.

Corridor <C> leads to Corridor - Basilisk Station.

[Radio] You send Sigma a direct message: "I have found a new target. Would you care to rally the troops?"

[Radio] Sigma sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "hm? Well, if it is your target, I would like your assistance in leading this one then."

[Radio] You send Sigma a direct message: "Of course...I hope you don't mind if I send Taki-One along?"

[Radio] Sigma sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "Not at all. If he is careful."

[Radio] You send Sigma a direct message: "He will be. Have everyone join me on Basilisk."

[Radio: (C) Mav-Sec] Emperor Sigma transmits, "Mavericks, it's time to roll out. We will be meeting on the Basilisk shortly. Available units without other duties are requested to arrive as soon as possible."

Sigma has arrived.

Cyclops has arrived.

Moloch has arrived.

Dr. Doppler stands in front of the giant holoprojector, which is currently displaying a 3-dimensional rendering of the South American continent. The decommissioned base is noted with a red mark, the major cities marked with bright gray dots. The city of Lima, Peru, is highlighted in orange. The doctor clasps his hands behind his back as he waits for the others to arrive.

Cyclops is one of the first to wander in, probably because here was on the Station since even before the radio message went out. But as he enters, and spots Dr. Doppler, he slows down, and watches from a distance. But he'll probably get closer after everyone else comes in.

Sigma isn't one of the first to wander in. Actually, he follows Cyclops in, watching Doppler's work, glancing to the City of Lima, "That place still around?", he says casually, as if surprised.

Moloch slips in after Sigma, head down - she's late, she knows it, and she's trying to make everyone else forget it. Quietly, she slinks over toward the screen, staying a good ways back where she can see what's going on.

"Unfortunately," answers Doppler. A couple of taps into the keypad, and the image rotates, then zooms in. Thanks to the network of satellites either constructed or borrowed by the Coalition, they can watch the city in real time. "We are about to change that." The image focuses on a three-story building near the downtown area. "This is a reploid research facility, and one of its current projects is to create a newer modification of my original code." His bushy brow knits together in irritation. "It should go without saying why they must be stopped."

Cyclops comes a bit closer, crossing his arms in front of him, and watching carefully. He doesn't say anything.

Sigma nods to Doppler, "So very true.", he says politely, pointedly not looking at Cyclops lest he accidentally bring his father's wrath down on the poor fellow again. "I assume there isn't a guard -too- heavy for us to deal with?"

Moloch moves a bit close now, arms crossed as she watches. "'Cause it's changing it, right? I get the idea, anyway. So what's the plan then, just shoot all their computers or what?"

Dr. Doppler waves a hand in a dismissive gesture. "It is a relatively soft target. So long as we strike quickly, we should be able to deal with the local guards before those fools in Repliforce arrive." He nods to Moloch, his expression and tone taking a dangerous, almost sadistic edge. "We destroy their computer systems, and as much of the building as possible. Level it to the ground, if you can. Make them an object lesson for the rest."

Cyclops just nods, before he suddenly smiles wickedly. Not at this, but at something he gets over the radio...

Sigma nods to Doppler, "Well, I'm certainly up for leveling it into the ground since I'm in such a cheery mood today. We will, of course, use our fast transport then?"

Moloch's grin broadens. "I can help with that. Got me some new fire-starting stuff...I should be able to make the important parts go up a treat, if you'd like."

Dr. Doppler says "Of course." He looks towards the others. Cyclops has not gone unnoticed, but it is best for all concerned that the doctor continues to ignore him. "Taki-One has already been deployed, and he will meet you there. I will coordinate the rest from here."

Cyclops nods, but only slightly. He still doesn't move, or say a word.

Sigma nods, "Well then, we will meet in the Maverick Vehicle Bay. One-eye's in charge of piloting again, unless you want to give it a whirl, Moloch."

Moloch shakes her head. "I'd rather not. Never been there," she says, apparently slightly surprised to be addressed. "So, uh, I'd get lost. So he can do it. Really."

Dr. Doppler breaks into a wicked smile. "Then go and wreak havoc. I expect nothing less."

Cyclops' one eyed gaze just pierces the hologram, keeping Doppler out of his sight. And as Sigma speaks (using his 'nickname'), the cyborg just spins around and heads out.

Sigma nods pleasantly, "Alright then. See you down below.", and so he turns and walks away! Heading to the Base with all the cool stuff in it!

Sigma has left.

Moloch has left.

Cyclops has left.

(Cut to...)

Andes Mountains

One of the largest and grandest mountain ranges on the entire planet rests here in South America, the Andes. Running from Cape Horn nearly to Panama itself, the mountain range runs almost completely parallel to the Pacific coastline, spanning a distance of around 4500 miles. Its beauty is unequaled from anywhere along its serpentine length, from large barren fiery orange-red rocks and badlands, to the fertile velveteen grass blanketing it, to violent earth shattering volcanoes which still remain active to this day, spewing forth hellish molten rock, to pure white snowy mountain peaks. From here, glaciers melt to form the blazing Amazon River, which pierces through the rainforest as if cutting the continent in half, as well as many other smaller rivers which pass through the range. Countless passes and valleys decorate this range, and one can easily spend a lifetime exploring it and still never cover its entire length, to see all its many unimagined splendors.

Xanthus' Lab <XL>

North <N> leads to Peruvian Ruins.

Northeast <NE> leads to Amazon Rainforest.

East <E> leads to Las Pampas.

Southeast <SE> leads to Patagonia.

West <W> leads to Atacama Desert.

South <S> leads to Tierra Del Fuego.

Up <U> leads to Sky Above Western South America.

[Radio: (D) Public] Grenade Man transmits, "Hey! How many out there know... HEHEHEHE... Pig Latin?"

[Radio: (D) Public] Hard Man transmits, "...What?"

[Radio: (D) Public] Hard Man transmits, "Boy, what are you talkin' about _now?_"

Maverick Air Skimmer <Swordfish> arrives from the Sky Above Western South America.

Maverick Air Skimmer <Swordfish> has arrived.

Sigma has arrived.

Moloch has arrived.

Cyclops has arrived.

[Radio: (D) Public] Grenade Man transmits, "Heheheh, the usual."

[Radio: (D) Public] Hard Man transmits, "Crazy foo'."

It is a chilly day in Lima, a light snow falling over the city. Never mind whether it normally snows here, as the meteor strikes have done rather unpleasant things to the weather. Taki-One is standing on the rooftop of a building close to the target, waiting for the rest of the Mavericks to arrive. He couldn't have been standing out here long, as he doesn't have much snow clinging to his armor.

[Radio: (D) Public] Obviously a Pirate Man transmits, "Arrr...yer all crazy! Not drinkin' grog...what's wrong with ye!"

[Radio: (D) Public] Prismatic Spider transmits, "Hutupsay, obotray astermay."

[Radio: (D) Public] Hard Man sounds like he's chugging.

[Radio: (D) Public] Hard Man transmits, "Hey, HEY! None of that crazy-ass foo' talk while I can hear. I'll be having to step down there and jam a boot in your ass."

[Radio: (D) Public] Spin Cougar snickers. "I thought that was a dead language."

[Radio: (D) Public] Prismatic Spider transmits, "It's not really even a language."

[Radio: (D) Public] Obviously a Pirate Man transmits, "Arrr...that's why we like you, Hard...yer direct in yer talkin' trash."

[Radio: (D) Public] Metal Man transmits, "..."

[Radio: (D) Public] Metal Man transmits, "I swear Reploids get more glitchy with every generation"

[Radio: (D) Public] Moloch transmits, "See, Scrap Man, there's this little thing you don't understand, it's called 'bein' witty'."

[Radio: (D) Public] Metal Man transmits, "Before you know it they will Make Frosty look like a Astro Physics expert"

[Radio: (D) Public] Spin Cougar transmits, "It's called personality."

[Radio: (D) Public] Hard Man transmits, "I'll witty up some knuckle sandwiches if you don't watch it."

[Radio: (D) Public] Metal Man transmits, "Oh its the dead borg walking."

[Radio: (D) Public] Obviously a Pirate Man transmits, "Arr...they be jealous, Hard. None of 'em are tough enough to be Masters."

[Radio: (D) Public] Hard Man chugs. "Of course they're jealous. Everyone knows Masters get free beer. 'Cept for Quint."

<Global News Network> (GNN logo) We're sorry, but our carrier transmissions for northwestern South America is suffering technical difficulties. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The Swordfish, piloted excellently by a handsome and dashing cyborg, quickly makes it's way to Lima, staying rather close to the ground to help avoid detection. And since it has no stealth systems, it has to fly over the city in plain view, while using the snowfall to its advantage. And before long, it arrives, and slowly lowers to allow the occupants to jump out.

[Radio: (D) Public] Obviously a Pirate Man transmits, "Arr, I do prefer grog meself."

[Radio: (D) Public] Metal Man transmits, "Wily Beer because Light Beer sucks."

[Radio: (D) Public] Blaze Heatnix transmits, "... Reploids? Glichy? You should talk to that walking pile of scrap you call Junk man, that's fskin' glitchy"

[Radio: (D) Public] Hard Man transmits, "Wily Beer: Because Sometimes you Just Want to Forget. I directed that one..."

[Radio: (D) Public] Moloch transmits, "Well gee, it's the pile of metal talking. Who taught you how to sound intelligent?"

[Radio: (D) Public] Hard Man transmits, "Hey now. Junk's meant to be glitchy. Wouldn't have him any other way. *chug*"

[Radio: (D) Public] Junk Man transmits, " .......shut... the **** UP!!"

[Radio: (D) Public] Obviously a Pirate Man transmits, "Arrr....whaddya know, a human Maverick with a tin suit."

Iris arrives from the Sky Above Western South America.

Iris has arrived.

[Radio: (D) Public] Moloch transmits, "Arr, whaddaya know, an idiot?"

[Radio: (D) Public] Blaze Heatnix transmits, "oooooh, someone's getting testy."

[Radio: (D) Public] Moloch transmits, "OOC: ! not ?"

[Radio: (D) Public] Metal Man transmits, "And you sold your own out Human."

[Radio: (D) Public] Metal Man transmits, "All you are is canned meat like Landon."

[Radio: (D) Public] Moloch transmits, "Wish you could trade and stop being a loser, huh?"

[Radio: (D) Public] Obviously a Pirate Man transmits, "Arr...ye can't even sound like a pirate right. It's further back in the throat, you wannabe terrormonkey."

[Radio: (D) Public] Hard Man chug.

As these things tend to go, the local populace scatters as soon as they notice the sigil emblazoned on the low-flying aircraft. Some of the local militia fire at the Swordfish as it swoops down into the city, but they lack the serious firepower of the UN or Repliforce.

Bravura arrives from the Amazon Rainforest.

Bravura has arrived.

High overhead and slowly approaching the mountain range, a large ride armor flies, scanning for the radio-wave transmission disturbance.

The pilot of said ride armor has been in something of a poor mood, and this latest development doesn't help her mood in the least. (It had better not be some damned Master beer run,) Iris thinks irritably. (I have NO patience for those migraine-inducing dorks. I'll blast the crap out out of them!)

Sigma changes into his Sigma armor.

Iris scowls, reaching suddenly across the console to flick a switch. Is she powering up a weapons array? Preparing the energy ray?? No...she's putting on some music. Twangy country music begins to fill the Vanguard's cabin... o/` Hello, Mr. Heartache...I've been expecting you! Come in and wear your welcome out, the waaaay yew always do! o/~

Sigma lets out a yawn from within the Swordfish, "Land it close to the facility, since we're in a city it won't be safe no matter where we park it, this way's best for an easy escape."

Moloch points out, in the Swordfish, "Y'could always leave someone t'guard it - uh, sir. Lord. I mean, some sort of guard's better then none, right?" She doesn't seem too thrilled about jumping out, either.

Taki-One waves his weapon arm, signaling for them to land on the rooftop on which he stands. It's just large enough to hold the Swordfish with a little maneuvering. After that, it should be just a few rooftop hops to the targeted building itself.

Sigma says, "Yeah, and I'm planning on it. I'll leave the honors to you?", he offers.

Cyclops is too busy piloting the Swordfish to actually speak. He just brings the craft close to the facility, before bringing it down on Taki-One's rooftop. All out!

Iris continues to scan for the source of the radiowave disturbance diligently, as the country music plays. (OOC: page me to let me know when/what I find) :)

You paged Iris with 'You'll notice that the radio signals in the area are being deliberately jammed, thus creating all the static. Source is difficult to pinpoint, but it might have something to do with the satellite relays in the area.'

Moloch nods. "Sure," she says, pulling the crossbow out as the door opens. She's near the first one out, a crossbow bolt at the ready. "Stupid storm," she grumbles as she does this.

Taki-One wipes a dusting of snow from his deeply-tinted faceplate, then turns and salutes the others. "Doppler is jamming the radio signals, but it is only a matter of time before they notice something is wrong. Are we ready, Emperor?"

Sigma is the second out as the door opens, slowly stepping out, hand at his side in case he needs to draw something unpleasant out and stab something. He looks to Taki One, and nods to him slowly. "I believe we are. Moloch will be guarding the transport."

"Hmph," Iris notes with a frown. She analyzes the results of her local radiowave scans, and comes to the conclusion that they're being deliberately jammed. Annoyed that she can't really rely on radio information, she pulls up a map of local satellite relays. Turning quickly to the computers on Vanguard, she begins tapping away rapidly on the keyboard, attempting to hack into the sat-system itself. (Looks like I'm forced to make this an inside job,) she thinks to herself.

Cyclops steps out last of all, letting some gumbies man the cockpit while he's away. His labcoat is still on, and whatever weapons he has are hidden.

Bravura has been here the whole time, just been quiet, he doesn't ramble on like some. When the Swordfish lands he steps out looking around, he missed why exactly they're attacking this place. But, eh, doesn't make much of a difference why, Sigma said to do it, and that's good enough.

Moloch leaves the crossbow loaded but a safety on as the others step out, standing near the entrance. "Well, in that case...have fun, burn somethin' for me, and I'll try out this equipment next time."

Taki-One grins, though none can see it, and heads for the edge of the building. "We will, Moloch." With that, the young Maverick activates his jump jets, and bounds over to the next nearby rooftop. A few jumps it all it takes to land on the Reploid R&D building. And just in case anyone in the area has any doubts as to their target, he fires a plasma shot at the giant logo on the side of the building. The flexiglass casing shatters and falls to the ground quite nicely.

From within the satellite computer system, Iris is STILL unable to locate the precise source of jamming. But she -is- able to notice something definitely not right: an image of the Swordfish, captured before the local jamming began. (Crap on a stick,) she thinks in irritation, backing out of the system and working to get a message back to Repliforce as she begins to slowly descend.

Cyclops is about to follow Taki-One when he pauses, then speaks. "...The Repliforce has caught on. They'll be here soon." He then makes his way to the Reploid R&D building.

Moloch isn't slacking. Really? See? She noticed Iris already - Vanguard is huge! It's not exactly hard to notice if you're looking around, and Moloch was. Pausing to send off a radio message, she holds the crossbow up at the big figure, despite it being nowhere close enough to shoot.

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Moloch transmits, "Saw one. Watch it."

Those landing on the rooftop of the R&D building meet light resistance, mostly hired security guards making a last stand before fleeing. Quite simply, they aren't being paid well enough or have a good enough health plan to risk their lives to protect the building.

Bravura follows suit with Taki-One, right arm shifting into cannon mode. Bravura's cannon is pretty weak compared to most, but repeated blasts with uncanny aim prove just as effective in dealing wanton destruction.

Sigma draws his beamsab with a lovely snapHiss. Narrowing his eyes, he glances to Bravura, "Heh, late in coming out? Fine, destroy anything you see, I don't want any remains of data to remain.", and with that he raises his sabre and follows after Taki-One.

<Understood>, he transmits to the Mavericks present, <Engage only when they are in comfortable range.>

The music within the Vanguard cockpit changes over to the timeless, somewhat mellow warbling tenor of Paul Simon. o/~ Now I sit by my window, and I watch the cars...I fear I'll do some damage one fine day... o/~

As Moloch begins sizing her up, Iris is now close enough to be able to scan and count actual numbers in the area. In supreme irritation, she curses and smacks her hand down on the panel, then begins warming up the weapons array.

o/~ ...But I would not be convicted by a jury of my peers. Still crazy, after all these years... whooooah! Still crazy after all these years! o/~

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Moloch transmits, "Am I allowed to shoot? That thing's kinda gettin' a bit close, y'know?"

Iris receives a radio transmission.

Iris sends a radio transmission to Prismatic Spider.

Taki-One fires wantonly at the guards, quickly convincing them that it's definitely time to change careers, and makes for the doorway hatch at a jog. His mission: to ensure that the computer system is unsalvageable.

Cyclops sends a radio transmission to Moloch.

Moloch receives a radio transmission from Cyclops.

Moloch sends a radio transmission.

Cyclops receives a radio transmission.

Cyclops sends a radio transmission.

Moloch receives a radio transmission from Cyclops.

Cyclops ignores the guards, the others doing a good enough job of sending them running. He just follows along behind Taki-One, ready to destroy some computers.

Repliforce Transport <Mako> arrives from the Sky Above Western South America.

Repliforce Transport <Mako> has arrived.

Ride Armor <Eagle> has arrived.

Moloch continues to level the crossbow at Iris/Vanguard before pausing a moment, and instead surrounding herself with a corona of flame, body shifting and distorting mechanically behind it with the odd flash of light as armour's pulled from subspace. When it fades, Moloch stands on all four legs next to the Swordfish (without much room to maneuver), steaming in the snowfall from body heat and glaring at Vanguard with her large optics. "Hey you!" she bellows, voice amplified. "Go away!"

Moloch changes into her Thorned Devil armor.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> has arrived.

It is a chilly day in Lima, a light snow falling over the city. Never mind whether it normally snows here, as the meteor strikes have done rather unpleasant things to the weather. The Swordfish has landed in plain view on the rooftop of a large building about a block away from their intended target. Said target is a wide, three-story building near the downtown area, and is easily identifiable because its logo (a Reploid R&D facility) has been attacked, and is currently shattered and on fire in places.

Taki-One is currently crossing the R&D building's rooftop, and is about to disappear inside. There are some security guards, but most of them are in the process of withdrawing to a safer location. Say, Machu Piccu.

Within the Vanguard, Iris peers at the monitor, and sees Moloch bracing for a fight. "I don't want to fight you," Iris says sadly -- though it isn't audible from outside because she doesn't have the external speakers on. The Vanguard suddenly puts rear thrusters on, and glides away from Moloch. She must have been intimidated by the show of aggression!

...Or, she just has something else other than attacking Moloch in mind. Training her arm blasters upon the Swordfish, she actually begins firing upon the transport ship itself, peppering it with laser-fire along the length of its body. "Hmm, let's see now...wouldn't it just stink if I found the fuel tank on this thing?" she muses with a smirk. "Yeah. That would be a low down dirty thing..."

Another song cues up on the Vanguard's internal player: o/~ Dirty Deeds -- Done Dirt Cheap! o/~

Cyclops is right behind Taki-One, still in his labcoat.

Bravura moves to the main entrance to the building and tries the door, "Locked, guess I'll have to try the key..." Reaching behind his back Bravura pulls out the Variablade and makes several quick slashes at the door. Sheathing the blade once again he taps the door and watches as it breaks into several pieces, "Ah, much better." He begins to move inside the building.

Moloch blinks, rapidly. Well, that counts as shooting...flipping out from her left side is a large launcher of some sort, angled slightly up; the whole thing orients as Moloch moves, trying to block at least part of the ship with her bulk. "You can't do that!" she bellows, the launcher firing an oblong shape at Iris that explodes nearby, showering the area (and, hopefully, Vanguard itself) with napalm.

Moloch misses Iris with her Napalm Grenade attack.

Sigma stops as Taki-One starts to move inside. Narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, he glances around, scanning to see if any Repliforces are approaching while guarding Taki-One's back. "Hm...", he considers, "I suppose I'll guard the entrance."

The Mako arrives on the scene at high speed, having been alerted to the incursion by Iris. As it sweeps past the combat zone, side panels open up, allowing the counterattack forces within leaping out to engage the enemy. One of them happens to be the large blue mecha known as the Eagle, leaping from the Mako and lighting thrusters. The gravity-defying mecha screams forward with a familiar Spider Scientist at the helm, calling out as he levels the plasmacaster towards the Swordfish. "You have one warning, Mavericks! Disarm and surrender, or you will he forcibly restrained!"

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Moloch transmits, "Hey, we've got more people out here, we're up to two. I've got one, but there's another one bellowin' and I could /really/ use one of you comin' out here or nuking something in there to get his attention."

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> is the other Ride Armor that's sortying (right word?) for this, launching out of the Mako after the Eagle, going vertical. Of course...in its current mode, it's more like a jet-fighter that can occasionally wave arms and legs around, but hey. It starts to fly around in a circular area above the factory, a holding pattern, if you will. Behind the cockpit...a pink-haired girl, Repliforce 'nurse', Mercy.

"I can't do that? I can't DO that? Whhhyyy?" Iris yammers to no one in particular, as she navigates the massive ride armor away from the flying, burning napalm. "Well, you can't take over other people's homes, evict them, and call it YOUR home. That's pretty rude. It isn't nice at all," she says.

Outwardly, ports open up on the Vanguard's shoulders, and violet energy beams zap out in Moloch's direction.

Iris strikes Moloch with her Crystal Lasers attack.

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Taki-One transmits "*sigh* Very well. Will someone else make sure that the computer is properly destroyed?"

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Emperor Sigma transmits, "hm? Would you like to handle it? I might be able to, ah, get it from here."

Taki-One pauses at the threshold of the staircase leading into the building, and turns. Apparently the fact that Repliforce has brought its toys has caught his attention. There is a loud hum as he brings his plasma cannon online once more, its lavender casing splitting open and retracting.

The beams impact Moloch's shoulder, blasting through the armour and into the more delicate structures beneath with the smell of scorched plastic. "More of you? Go bug someone else, punk - there's someone inside you can shoot," she snaps out at the Eagle, hoping someone else will come and deal with that; she's still focusing on Iris. She let them know and she can't fight both at once, that's just stupid. Jaw opening inhumanly wide, the area around Moloch's head wavers with heat before an almost liquid blast of flame arcs out, a wave of heat that moves as Moloch whips her head to try to get a firm shot on the Vanguard.

Moloch misses Iris with your Blast Furnace Breath attack.

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Bravura transmits, "I'll deal with the Computer, simply tell me what I'm looking for."

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Moloch transmits, "All of 'em!"

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Emperor Sigma transmits, "That's right. All of them."

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Moloch transmits, "Kill it all!"

Iris is pretty freaking agile, especially in Vanguard mode -- but one reason for this is her mystical ability to 'be one' with her ride armor. Somehow, she just barely manages to miss getting scorched by Moloch. Quickly flipping backwards, the Vanguard then lands on the ground on the other side of the Swordfish. There's some blasting and rending noises coming from back there...looks like she's more interested in causing harm to the Swordfish at the moment! Iris chuckles to herself. "What would happen if you couldn't just go home with all your loot, hm? What if you were stranded? Not like you could call a tow truck...heheh."

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Bravura transmits, "... Maybe I'm not the best one suited for the job after all. I lack the power for mass destruction."

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Bravura transmits, "I will do my best though..."

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Moloch transmits, "It's a freaking computer! Just kick the damn things!"

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> stops flying around in a circle after some time, slowing down and aiming for an open part of the factory's grounds. The arms and legs unfold, and 'wings' fold out as the Kingfisher converts to a humanoid mode. It lands on its feet with a loud crash, concrete and 'dust' spraying around where it lands...

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Taki-One transmits "Smash them, or simply shoot at them with whatever you have. It should not take much."

Bravura receiving the information he needs from the radio, he begins to move through the building, doing a room by room search. Is he looking for something to steal? No, he's simply blasting the crap out of every computer he sees. Why? Its a secret, and unless someone tries to stop him, he's going to keep right on doing it until he's got nothing left to shoot at.

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Bravura transmits, "Yes, but the sheer number of computers shall prove quite a task, luckily my hyperdash systems should help speed the process."

Meanwhile, the scientists, programmers, and other assorted workers are running around frantically, trying to grab whatever research they can as they flee. A small tide of people begin flooding out into the street as they do their best to get away from the Mavericks.

Sigma turns towards the Kingfisher, frowning, "Oh please. That one again? I'm going to be a broken record at this rate.", he turns and starts to walk toward the Kingfisher, eyes flashing a dark red briefly before twin beams of energy lash out towards the Ride Armor's frame, "Very well, perhaps you are a better pilot, at least, than the last."

Sigma strikes Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> with his Eyebeams attack.

Ride Armor <Eagle> turns in midair, noting that Iris seems to have things covered in terms of the Swordfish. Instead, the Eagle streaks back to the building, coming to a low hover mere inches above the lab building, with the plasmacaster pointing towards Taki-One. "Step away from the building and surrender immediately."

In the meantime, MSE Rapid Response personnel drop from the Mako now that it had found a place to do so, and work to help evacuate the civilians from the area.

Moloch roars, "Get away from that!" Stomp stomp. There's not a lot of room up there but Moloch seems intent in using it; she moves toward Vanguard and quite literally tries to smash her away from it with her large forward-pointing horn - which conveniently ignites as she swings. "You think you're so smart, huh?" At least the other guy turned around, she doesn't have to watch two at once anymore...not that she can when she's swinging her head around!

Moloch strikes Iris with her Flaming Horn Skewer attack.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> walks out of the crater it left in the concrete, turning its upper body to face Sigma when he speaks. Mercy raises the Kingfisher's left arm to block the rays, a bit of armor melting and spilling down to the ground as superheated goo. The Kingfisher keeps walking along on a parallel path from Sigma, body twisted to face him. A missile on one of the wings launches into the air, then arcs to head straight for Sigma. Rooftop...good. If it misses, it'll just keep going into the sky without damaging the area.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> misses Sigma with its Wingtip Torpedo attack.

Taki-One listens, but doesn't seem at all interested in complying with the Eagle's pilot's demands. Instead, he plants his feet solidly on the snow-dusted rooftop and raises his weapon arm menacingly at the ride armor. There is a loud whine as the cannon discharges, firing a blast of plasma in the Eagle's direction.

You miss Ride Armor <Eagle> with your Plasma Blaster attack.

Sigma doesn't so much as dodge, as leaps into the air with a burst of force from his dashjets, and then leaps off it, bringing his right hand to the side as he bears in on the Kingfisher, slamming his sabre down near the right side, trying to stab it enough inside to give him a nice place to hang onto. "No talking? Good, shows you aren't cocky.", he comments pleasantly.

Sigma strikes Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> with his Claw Impale attack.

Iris whistles low, as she puts the Vanguard's hand out and Moloch promptly skewers it with a horn. "I don't THINK I'm so smart, dearheart," she answers privately within the ride armor cockpit, "I -am- so smart. There's a difference. And you just hurt my hand." Rather abruptly, the OTHER arm of the Vanguard swings downward toward Moloch's head, fist clenched, much like a hammer would swing down to hit a nail. "That deserved what B would call an 'El Kabong'. Or something like that."

Iris strikes Moloch with her Smash attack.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> tries to take a stumbling step backwards to throw Sigma's approach off, but it's not doing much good. Not only is Mercy not engaging in chatter...but if Sigma looks into the cockpit, she's actually frightened. She knows who he is. As for the sabre, it digs in through the right side's armor, and should now serve as a handhold. In response to this though, the right arm swings forward, then backward in an effort to punch Sigma off. The message is clear, 'GO AWAY', and it's spoken in the universal language of violence.

Ride Armor <Eagle> swings to one side, the blast of plasma making a scorchmark as it misses impact by millimeters. do :swings to one side, the blast of plasma making a scorchmark as it misses impact by millimeters. Prismatic frowns as he brings the Eagle around once more, a booster-assisted kick swinging towards Taki as he comments. "So be it. You had your chance... A pity, really. This could have been solved peacefully."

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> misses Sigma with its Crush attack.

Ride Armor <Eagle> strikes you with a minor hit from its Smash for 10 units of damage.

Moloch's head literally bounces off the ground, seeing as she's built so low to it, and back up; shaking her head to clear it, Moloch rapidly backs up as fast as she's able to without backing right off the building. This time a large, unwieldy weapon comes from a port on her back, a series of fans opening up from hatches on her left and right with nozzles built into some. As all activate at once, Moloch's feet dig in to prevent from being blown right off; the fire spirals and spins in a wild tornado, one that she does her best to hit only Iris with. She's keeping the tornado smaller today then it ordinarily would be because of that.

Moloch misses Iris with her Flame Whirlwind attack.

Sigma does indeed look in the cockpit. In fact, whereupon seeing who is inside, he smiles thinly as he brings his own arm around to meet the one heading towards his own body, claws extending as he attempts to stab into it. Sure, it might be stronger than he is, but he should be able to hold it off long enough to grab his sword and remaneuver.

Sigma misses Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> with his Claw Swipe attack.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> aborts its attack, swinging its hand back up so Sigma can't nail it. In response though, Mercy starts swinging the upper body around left and right to try and shake Sigma off, thrashing the arm back down at Sigma again, claw-tips first. Over the speakers, Mercy can be heard shrieking out, "Let go! Let go! LET GO!" She's freaked out, and it shows.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> misses Sigma with its Claw Fury attack.

Sigma successfully deflects an attack randomly.

Taki-One is not the swiftest of reploids, and so is caught in the side by the kick. Armor plates crumple in the impact area, and he skids along from the momentum, leaving deep scratches in the surface of the rooftop. "How?" he asks of the Eagle's pilot. "Do you even know what they do here? How do you expect that to be resolved peacefully?" The lavender 'decoration' on his left spaulder retracts, ejecting a sphere. Taki catches it in his articulate hand, then hurls it at the ride armor. Halfway between him and its target, it explodes, creating a ball of plasma as it falls through the air.

You miss Ride Armor <Eagle> with your Plasma Ball attack.

"What the...??" Iris is taken by surprise at her opponent's whirlwind attack, and she's forced to break away and back off from the ship to avoid wind damage to the Vanguard. "You know, I know you can't hear me," she says as the jet-thrusts on the Vanguard propel it some distance upward. "And even if you did, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't believe me, or you wouldn't care, but I'm serious...I really, truly DON'T want to fight you, whoever you are. I only want to mess up the ship...ah! You know what, Ms. Ugly? You just gave me a pretty good idea..." Snapping her fingers once, Iris suddenly opens twin ports on the sides of the Vanguard, and dozens of explosive mines rain down upon a specific area: namely, Moloch and the Swordfish.

Iris strikes Moloch with her Minefield attack.

Prism looks down as he assimilates Taki's commentary, but he is not caught off guard by the unorthodox plasma charge, using the boosters to strafe out of the way once more. "You did not have to come, of course... But since you seem to be in a talkative mood, perhaps you can enlighten me." Even as he talks, however, the plasmacaster arm comes up in a sideswipe, looking to smash the unknown Maverick to one side.

Ride Armor <Eagle> strikes you with a glancing hit from its Generic Melee for 1 units of damage.

Sigma holds on, gritting his teeth. This may not have been the brightest idea after all. Sigma this time tears the saber out, and falls to his feet, barely blocking the second claw with his saber. Grunting he stumbles back, stepping away from the Ride Armor slightly, before ducking down and swinging the sabre in an upward arc towards the outstretched limb.

Sigma misses Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> with his Sigma Sabre attack.

Moloch swears rather impressively in German as the mines cascade around her and against the Swordfish, detonating and causing damage to both - hopefully the thing will still be airborne after this or she's going to get in /huge/ trouble. "Get away from here already! Shoo! Punk - " She's still swearing, in German, as the flame launcher retracts and then is replaced by a very long gun that stretches out even longer. With a whirr and a click, Moloch and the weapon rotate slightly to face Iris - and then the weapon fires with a whooshing sound, ejecting a two-foot sharp steel 'bolt'.

Moloch strikes Iris with her Spine Rail attack.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> spins around and then jumps into the air, avoiding the sabre swing in a clumsy, but well executed evasion. More incredibly, Mercy keeps the Kingfisher upright when it lands, knees bending a bit and then straightening up. One of the torpedo bays on the main body opens up, a rocket shooting out towards Sigma. Should it strike home, it detonates with a spray of armor-dissolving acids. If it misses, well, the concrete can suffer!

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> misses Sigma with its Armorkiller Torpedo attack.

Sigma successfully deflects an attack randomly.

Taki-One isn't entirely unknown - he did win gold in the Battlesphere event. However, he's admittedly more reclusive than some of Doppler's other creations. He moves to duck under the arm, but he still catches a glancing blow on the top of his helmet. "Nnng...They are attempting to tamper with the reploid code," he asserts as he steadies himself. "They want to rewrite it to make us less than what we are now!" He decides to trade blow for blow, jabbing both arms forward to smash into the front of the Eagle.

You strike Ride Armor <Eagle> with a minor hit from your Smash attack.

The rail-gun wielded by Moloch does some obvious damage to Vanguard -- up in the sky, it's obvious to see that Moloch's aim rings true, and a good-sized piece of Vanguard is blown clean off. This is an act that comes with both good and bad consequences. The good consequence, in Moloch's case, is being able to see and hear parts of the Vanguard blowing up and flying off. Then...the Vanguard falters somewhat...there's a sputtering sound...and then, the behemoth armor begins to plummet. Which is a good thing, right?

Well, yes and no. Because it's free-falling, tons of deadweight, straight toward Moloch -- leaving her little, if any, opportunity to avoid getting pummeled.

Iris strikes Moloch with her Crush attack.

Ride Armor <Eagle> cannot evade this time, a front armor panel caving in as the mighty smash connects. Prismatic pulls on the controls, steadying the Armor as it pulls back slightly. "Define less than what we are. While I am leery of alterations to Reploid neural net architecture..." At that, a small laser on the side of the Eagle opens fire, sending a sizzling beam of energy towards the Battlesphere gold medallist, "Reploids hardly represent the end evolution of AI design. As Android tech begat Reploid tech, so will Reploid tech beget the next stage."

Ride Armor <Eagle> misses you with its Point Defense Laser attack.

Bravura has been completely unobstructed in his rampage through the Lab. He's already traversed the entire first floor and is about halfway through the second floor, a trail of destroyed computers left in his wake. By now several fires have sprung up in the building, so far the fire suppression systems are keeping them at bay, but with new ones popping up all over, if something isn't done, the whole building may very well burn down.

Sigma doesn't block the missile, no matter what the code says. Instead, he rolls past it, dashes to the side a just a tad before swinging his sabre in a wide arc, sending a wave of energy out from it towards the armor's midsection. Just a little delaying tactic until he can move in close again.

Sigma strikes Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> with his Wave Strike attack.

[Radio: (B) Mav-Main] Bravura transmits, "By my estimation, I have cleared out fifty percent of the computers in the building. It shouldn't take me to much longer to finish the job."

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> launches backward at...a pretty low speed, actually. It'd keep up with some hovercars, but it's not an impressive speed of flight. Regardless, it settles on the ground after going back several feet, though the energy wave smashes right into the main body, melting and ruining more armor there. The hits are starting to add up, and they're not doing a bit of good for Mercy's panic. Taking another moment to aim, she unleashes several torpedoes off the wings, each taking a curving path to try and meet right at Sigma...or crash together and explode near him. Either one will do, just so long as they don't go plowing into the city and cause large collateral damage.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> strikes Sigma with its Torpedo Swarm attack.

*crunch*

Oh, Moloch is crushed, all right. Her shell fractures under the impact, parts of the rail gun shattering and embedding themselves in her armor or simply shattering off and falling aside. Still, Moloch tries to move. In fact, she gets a whole step out before she, quite literally, explodes.

Not into pieces, but into flame, as every last bit of fuel Moloch carries or brings into subspace ignites simultaneously. Ammunition cooks off with loud bangs and booms from the rockets and bullets, and she herself is burning white-hot, blue and green in parts from chemicals. From this mess is ejected a smallish black spider-legged thing that immediately falls to the ground and runs in a last bid to hide - Moloch's brain and a bare minimum of life support. She can't survive the blazing inferno her corpse has become. There's only one question left.

How fast can Iris get off?

Moloch misses Iris with her Fires Of Retribution attack.

Taki-One leaps back, activating his dash jets to move clear of the laser's range. "They want to make reploids more tractable. To make us less willing to question and more willing to obey. What are we without the ability to think for ourselves?" As he descends, his plasma cannon whines as it powers up. As he lands, he fires several smaller volleys of plasma at the Eagle, intending to catch the ride armor by area saturation.

You miss Ride Armor <Eagle> with your Plasma Spread attack.

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Moloch's automated system says, "Ejecting."

[Radio: (B) Mav-Main] Taki-One transmits "Have you located the mainframe?"

Sigma dashes towards the Kingfisher, thinking he sees an opening now that he got a nice good hit in, but sad to say, he is quite wrong. The torpedoes hit him head on and he is sent spiraling back hitting the edge of the roof top and skidding off it, leaving shard of armor in his wake. He barely manages to catch the edge before falling off and, scowling, he flips back up to his feet. "I underestimated you.", he admits before charging forward again, speeding up as he attempts to smash right into the armor one more time in a quick ram, his sabre guarding him from injury upon impact, should he manage to make it.

Sigma strikes Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> with his Dash attack.

[Radio: (B) Mav-Main] Moloch's automated system says, "Ejecting." <right channel this time!>

[Radio: (B) Mav-Main] Bravura transmits, "according to the maps its only a short distance from me. If I progress as is, another minute, if I skip the other rooms, a few seconds..."

Ride Armor <Eagle> streaks aside at high speed, using sheer velocity to evade the blasts of plasma more than skill. "Some would say that the Maverick Virus does much the same, but in the opposite direction, does it not?" The Eagle descends upon Taki, boosters still sustained at a blast high enough to defy gravity... And give him a fiery bout of pain should he remain under the Armor.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> takes heart. Or rather, its pilot does. She finally hit Sigma...he CAN be damaged, just like they said on the radio! But it clearly didn't slow him down too much, because Sigma charges in, and despite Mercy's efforts to juke to the side, the ram smashes right into the Kingfisher's left leg, a small dent made in it as the Ride Armor teeters backwards, off-balance. Mercy manages to keep it upright though, and resumes stepping back from Sigma. Its walking speed isn't that great however, so an arm-claw swipe, aiming to cut diagonally from a shoulder, down to his hip, swings out.

Ride Armor <Eagle> strikes you with a minor hit from its Afterburner Backwash for 13 units of damage.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> misses Sigma with its Claw Attack attack.

"Oops!! I didn't mean to --"

Iris gasps, as Moloch seems to *explode* in front of her eyes on the Vanguard's viewscreen. "Ohmygod, NO. Oh my GOD, NO. I killed another one...not ANOTHER ONE...I didn't want to kill you!! I didn't even want to fight you," she cries, tears streaming down her face as she works to stabilize the Vanguard's rather rudimentary damaged parts. "I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to kill you!" she sobs.

Moloch's body continues to burn - where it isn't melting. Even the metal is, in places, starting to sag and even liquefy, running in silvery rivulets. The building itself is certainly on fire as well; in fact, damaged by a last detonation of a missile, the roof cracks and the Thorned Devil falls through, trailing smoke and flame in its wake.

The life-support system is unharmed, and still moving away; while it can't run forever, it can maintain her hidden for quite some time.

Sigma hops back away from the slash, but lashes out with his claw to try and snag the limb as it moves towards him once more, slashing, however, instead of trying to meet it head on. He has lapsed back into silence, deciding he will need to finish the job here quickly so he can assist Taki-One, or perhaps the transport.

Sigma strikes Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> with his Claw Slash attack.

Bravura continues to move through the building, destroying anything computer like. Boy his poses are getting respective aren't they?

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> tries to pull its arm back. No good -- Sigma takes a very good cut out of it, heavily damaging the limb. It still has its other arm however, and with a long step in towards Sigma, this arm swings in an overhead slash at him, claws suddenly dripping acid which melts little holes in the ground. And may melt Sigma, too, though he's so far proven far too much for Mercy to handle.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> strikes Sigma with its Ap Claw Strike attack.

Taki-One is not having the best of luck in dodging the backwash, jinking left when he should have jinked right. The outer layers of armor crack and peel under the intense heat, and his cloak catches on fire. A quick, sharp yank with his articulate hand pulls the cloak free, and his tosses it aside into the snow. "We were meant to have free will," he says. "I would rather be liberated than chained." Since area saturation proved less than effective, Taki chooses a different tactic. His arm cannon whines again, this time with a different pitch as the barrel rotates. The glow is sharper and a different hue than plasma, and after a moment's aim, he fires off another shot. No plasma this time, but a blast of pure electrons.

Iris sniffles, her attentions suddenly distracted by a different blip nearby, inside the nearest building. That blip, though she doesn't know it yet, is Bravura. "Okay you little monkey, you're next," she tells the screen-blip -- and once she has Vanguard back on its feet, she begins charging into the building to intercept Bravura. The ground shakes slightly with each heavy footfall.

You miss Ride Armor <Eagle> with your Electron Cannon attack.

"Some have said the Virus lifts the blinds from your eyes." The blast of electricity strikes the cannonless arm, causing it to freeze and twitch as the blast causes the systems to seize, but little more. The Eagle brings the plasmacaster arm over in response. "Perhaps you've traded your blinders for a pair of distorted glasses." A moment later, a short barking blast of plasma is launched towards Taki.

Ride Armor <Eagle> misses you with its Microblast Plasma Caster attack.

Sigma glances again to the Swordfish, noting Moloch's absence, yet thankfully Vanguard is moving to intercept Bravura instead. This gives him more time. But Sigma's distraction proves unfortunate as well as he barely manages to step to the side as the claw tears through his right side, nearly removing his right arm, and showing off pleasant gashes in his chestplating. Sometimes, the difference between a warrior and a coward is one who simply takes the hits and keeps on coming. With this in mind, Sigma barely steps back from the force, untensing slightly before swinging his sabre in a wide arc in a vertical angle towards the center of the armor, and then brings it down in a diagonal angle to the right.

Sigma strikes Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> with his Sabre Slash attack.

Moloch's absence is pretty well explained by the smoking hole in the building and the smoke pouring from the windows beneath. Apparently someone hit something flammable.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> swings its damaged arm out to try and block the sabre. This succeeds. The arm is cut off, slamming to the ground uselessly. This does not stop Sigma's slash. It cuts deep into the body, sparks, smoke, and coolant spraying out. Sigma hit something important, probably the engine. Definitely something important, because Mercy's being bombarded by warning sirens and visual alarms on her display threatening shutdown if that little stunt repeats. She spins the Kingfisher around, and engages its flight thrusters in an attempt to retreat to the Mako, unwilling to lose a Kingfisher class Ride Armor in a battle like this.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> retreats from the area swiftly, leaving it open to pursuit or parting shots from Iris, Maverick Air Skimmer <Swordfish>, Ride Armor <Eagle>, and Sigma.

Bravura continues to move along his path on the second floor, now approaching his primary objective, the Lab's mainframe. But he's not quite there yet, seems the mavericks want to be especially thorough for some reason.

Taki-One ducks and rolls in the correct direction this time, the blast of plasma blowing a new hole in the roof instead of through him. Fragments of roofing material scatter through the air, falling more quickly than the snowflakes. "Then which is better, blindness or imperfect vision?" He taps the circular panel on his cannon arm with his articulated hand, unlocking a silvery limpet mine attached there. A thumb-press activates it, and it beeps mechanically as he flings it in the Eagle's direction.

One hopes that the R&D company chose the extended insurance coverage package...

You strike Ride Armor <Eagle> with a solid hit from your Mini Limpet Mine attack.

Iris brings the Vanguard into the labs, still tracking Bravura. (Hm, he must be up on the second floor,) she thinks as she eyes the tracking system. Realizing suddenly that she won't be able to fit the Vanguard into the lift, she gets a better idea...

...Within moments, Iris -- sans armor -- is riding the elevator up to the second floor, humming along to the piped-in rendition of 'The Girl From Ipanema'. Then, there's a pleasant *ding!*, and the doors slide open, Iris emerging onto the second floor. She can travel much quicker in her regular mode. She'll worry about what she's going to do with Bravura once she catches up to him.

Iris changes into her Iris armor.

Sigma sends a radio transmission.

[Radio] Sigma sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "I am going to see about retrieving Moloch. Or do you need assistance now?"

<Current System Status>

Current Endurance Level: 63/87

Fuel Reserve Level: 74/100 Status: Compromised

Forcefield Integrity: 0

Sigma receives a radio transmission from Dr. Doppler.

[Radio] You send Sigma a direct message: "See to Moloch."

You should retreat when your health passes below 34.8.

Sigma sends a radio transmission to Dr. Doppler.

[Radio] Sigma sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "very well."

Sigma lets the Kingfisher retreat. No point in going after it and potentially having to deal with a second opponent. He turns to watch the battle between Taki-One and the Eagle for a few moments before turning and calmly making his way back to the Swordfish and, hopefully, something resembling Moloch.

You paged Sigma with 'Geez, just because I lost to a rock star last time...:D'

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> keeps on withdrawing at best possible speed. Which isn't much. And frankly, the pilot inside isn't all that great a fighter on foot, but she's fine with Sigma erring on the side of caution. The Kingfisher lands near the Mako, then walks on in, and parks. After which, its pilot stays in there, showing no interest at all in getting out.

Variable Ride Armor <Kingfisher> has left.

The mine latches on, and immediately explodes, shredding and melting away the vast majority of the front armor, leaving holes and parchy, melted chunks of steel protecting the innards. A low whine begins to build as the Eagle reels back... Then drops off the edge of the building , floating down until the caster is level with the roof. "Neither. But your path is abhorrent, one that I could never condone nor take. A path of hypocrisy and flawed, petty vengeance. Tell me, do you believe in religion?" The whine builds higher, and a lateral, rapidfire blast of low-power plasma shots rake out across the roof, looking to prevent damage to the building while fulfilling his goal of stopping or delaying the Mavericks.

Ride Armor <Eagle> strikes you with a solid hit from its Plasma Caster Spreadfire for 21 units of damage.

Bravura isn't aware of Iris at present, though by now she's probably just out of sight of him. Finishing up with a room that a lot of computers in it, he finally steps out and moves to the next room. Reaching down Bravura grabs the handle and yanks the door open, never mind that it was locked, simple locks don't amount to much to someone who could juggle cars. And there it is, the primary objective, The Lab's Mainframe, if Bravura could smile he would. Blaster arm raises he begins to charge, deciding to decimate it with one blast.

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Moloch's life support transmits another location beacon, about a block away from the labs.

[Radio: (A) Mav-Chat] Emperor Sigma transmits, "I am on my way."

Iris blinkblinks, as she sees Bravura a little ways down the hall, and what he's preparing to do. Knowing that there's no time to waste, and that she has to do SOMETHING -- QUICK, She suddenly bellows out in her best cop-imitation voice: "FREEZE!! OK, put down your weapon and back up SLOWLY. Don't MOVE. Just do as I SAY. Your buddies are in custody! This place is SURROUNDED. Don't move or we'll open fire!!" All the while, of course, she has NO clue how things are being handled outside, and not only is she NOT a cop, but she isn't even armed.

Mercy has arrived.

Sigma lands on 'Moloch's' rooftop, and scans around, peering for his soldier. Cyborg killing machines are hard to make, after all. He seems, however, to be taking his good time searching.

The body, quite dead and pretty much useless from damage, is inside the building where it's managed to light some other things on fire.

Moloch's life support drone, however, is on the roof of the building about a block away, doing a surprisingly good imitation of being part of the roof.

Taki-One discovers that area saturation does indeed work, as two of the blasts catch him as he attempts to dash out of the way. He twists and falls as his right leg is nearly broken, a sizable portion of the armor disintegrating to expose the wiring beneath. Running certainly isn't going to be an option. The other strikes him in the shoulder, breaking off part of the spaulder protecting that joint. Though his expression remains hidden, there is a grimace in his voice. "I have no need for religion. I need no god to explain away the ills of the world." He lifts his plasma cannon once more, the whine taking on a more pronounced pitch. The setting is for full power, the barrel glowing ominously as it reaches nearly critical levels. "There is no god, and only fools need to believe in one!" Snarling, he fires the fully charged blast at the Eagle, the blast intensely bright.

You miss Ride Armor <Eagle> with your Charged Plasma Blast attack.

And... The cannon discharges, a sizable blast leaving the barrel. For a moment the only sound is that of the blaster echoing through the hall, then the Mainframe explodes into a shower of sparks and flaming silicon. Bravura's arm lowers and his head swivels to bring Iris into view, his lifeless eyes staring at Iris, "Did you say something my dear?"

Sigma frowns as he spots the body, shaking his head as he continues on his way towards the Life Support Drone, taking great leaps to propel himself closer. As he makes it, he picks up the life support drone and says, "Well, you certainly gave it your all.", with a slight grin.

Iris tchs. "Oh, come on, you were supposed to FALL for that," she laments. "At least PRETEND you were listening." She smirks, looking disappointed. "Anyhow...could you please...stop wrecking things in here? Why -are- you wrecking things in here, anyhow?"

[Radio: (B) Mav-Main] Bravura transmits, "I request new orders. The mainframe is destroyed, but now a forcer has presented her self. Should I engage if she tries to stop me from continuing my mission, or pull back?"

Moloch's small black spider-styled thing seems content to be picked up by Sigma, recognizing him (inasmuch as the drone thinks or recognizes) as an ally. Moloch herself is quite unconscious (not to mention blind, deaf, and having no way to smell, taste or touch either) and does nothing.

"Perhaps you'll find out otherwise." After scoring the hits on Doppler, the Eagle had stopped, and began charging again. This time, similarly to Doppler's cannon, the giant Ride Armor plasmacaster glows with retained power, some of the overcharge bleeding off as excess heat and light energy. The Eagle rises as Doppler unleashes his charged plasma blast, and fires its own with a loud *CHOOM*. Coincidentally, the two bolts of plasma collide, the larger of the two smashing into the smaller and continuing on its way towards Taki while leaving the Armor safe... For the moment. Taki, however, might want to dodge.

Ride Armor <Eagle> misses you with its Plasma Caster Overcharge attack.

[Radio: (B) Mav-Main] Taki-One transmits "The mainframe was the objective. Orders, Emperor?"

[Radio: (B) Mav-Main] Sigma says, "Hm. Well... The Swordfish is damaged. We should pull out."

In spite of his severely impaired leg, Taki-One manages to evade the blast by rolling out of the way. More rooftop disintegrates as the blast misses by mere centimeters, singing armor and causing light spiderwebbing on his helmet visor. Though he looks far from healthy, he seems unwilling to retreat just yet. Defiance, or to protect his fellow Mavericks? Or perhaps because he can no longer make it to his feet? At any rate, here he remains. Although damaged, the sphere generators in his spauders are still operational. Both twist open, spilling forth a large number of the timed plasma-generating spheres. He flings them one after another at the Eagle, hoping to catch it with at least a few of his remaining arsenal.

Sigma pats the drone lightly on the head. Awww. What a kwootie. And then he makes his way back to the Swordfish, whistling pleasantly with the knowledge of the satisfaction of a job well done.

You miss Ride Armor <Eagle> with your Sphere Torrent attack.

[Radio: (B) Mav-Main] Bravura transmits, "Understood."

[Radio: (B) Mav-Main] Taki-One transmits "Acknowledged."

Bravura stands there for several moments, frozen in his position, then he finally moves, turning towards Iris he begins to walk towards her. "I do because my Emperor commands it. The reason is not my concern, nor yours." He continues to approach Iris, he doesn't appear to be acting hostile, but then, Bravura has the best 'poker' face there is. However, if Iris keeps her wits about her, Bravura will simply walk right past her and to the elevator.

Iris follows Bravura right to the elevator, getting inside with him. "Well, I think it's my concern too," she insists patiently. "Especially if there's grand larceny involved, you know. And if Sigma told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it? I mean...come on. That's a very pat answer."

Ride Armor <Eagle> pivots, the point defense laser on the Eagle automatically shooting down the spheres as they launch with brutal, emotionless efficiency. Instead of firing again, however, the Eagle hovers upwards and above Taki. "Quite tenacious...", Prismatic comments even as the boosters cut out, and gravity takes over, plummeting towards Taki just to alight again at the last second, crushing downwards upon the Maverick while preventing himself from crushing through the roof... Taki, however, may not be so lucky.

Ride Armor <Eagle> misses you with its Crush attack.

Sometimes things do not work out exactly as planned.

Although Prismatic didn't intend to crush through the roof, its structural integrity has been severely compromised by the battle. As such, the Eagle's initial boost upwards causes the roof to shudder, and even as the armor begins its freefall, it begins to crumble. The portion of roof beneath Taki-One gives way, and while he is helpless to prevent his fall, he has time enough to activate his emergency forcefield before he forcibly lands on the third floor. And thus he disappears in a rain of roofing plates, ceiling tiles, insulation and melted snow.

Dr. Doppler projects a forcefield around himself.

Bravura rides with Iris on the elevator, funny scene it is. "I follow Sigma's orders because he has my complete trust and respect. I would not hesitate to do as he commands. As for the human laws, they do not apply to me." The elevator dings and Bravura steps out, heading now for the exit and from there to Swordfish.

The Spider Scientist looks mildly annoyed at this turn of events, but instead heads for the Swordfish. they HAVE to come that way to escape, and he'll get his chance to intercept there... There's been no reports of what the Mavericks have been doing there besides wreaking havoc, but... If they stole anything, Prism's gonna try to stop them! HA!

"Well gravity's a human law too, you know," Iris says in mild annoyance. But she already knows that pursuing this is going to be pretty futile. Better to just let it go. Besides...she did exactly what she set out to do in the first place, which was to put a hurt on the Swordfish. "Anyhow...um...nice talking to you, I guess."

Iris has disconnected.

Taki-One slowly rights himself, the debris that followed him sliding off the bubblesque forcefield like rain on a windshield. The Emperor has given the order to retreat, and so the loyal Coalition soldier does so. Limping heavily, he makes his way to the closest window, blasts it away, and leaps out to the street below. Time to fall back to the Swordfish.

Dr. Doppler retreats from the area swiftly, leaving him open to pursuit or parting shots from Maverick Air Skimmer <Swordfish>, Ride Armor <Eagle>, Sigma, and Mercy.

Sigma steps into the Swordfish, as Taki-One makes his way towards it.

Moloch's life support unit is carried along with Sigma. Isn't he nice? He cares for his troops.

Mercy has left.

Bravura sighs in relief to himself as Iris finally leaves him, he doesn't understand what Sigma sees in her. Finally reaching the building the Swordfish is on he leaps to the roof and is immediately greeted by the sight of the Eagle. Grunting, Bravura attempts to run past armor and to the relative safety of the Swordfish.

Bravura retreats from the area swiftly, leaving him open to pursuit or parting shots from Maverick Air Skimmer <Swordfish>, Ride Armor <Eagle>, and Sigma.

Sigma has arrived.

Moloch has arrived.

Ride Armor <Eagle> pulls up into the sky even as the Swordfish begins its escape, and heads for the Mako. Whatever the Mavericks were there to do, they did it, despite their best efforts. Continuing the attack at this point was pointless and a waste. That Taki-One, however... An interesting one. Perhaps they will meet again soon... But for now, the Eagle lands inside the Mako, and disappears.