Ternity archived megathread

Media Outlet Street Writer
241

ternity: This Bastard Universe Episode 1 -Gameplay Thread-

: Fall’s greetings. Welcome to ternity: This Bastard Universe. My name is Asagi, and I’ll be the team’s 4th wall operator for the duration of our adventure.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/bpin/park_profile.gif

: I’m Park Kun-wan, overstory character from ternity: Niggapocalypse. I’ll help with today’s proceedings.

Asagi: First, let’s talk about an important change in the Numbers System: mandatory teams. In the beta, it was possible to undergo missions by yourself without a team of two others. Now, in order to complete any mission, you must be on a team with three characters. Feel free to enlist fellow players, or once again, rely on your Public Assists.

Park: Interesting. So anything less than a three man team is out of the question?

Asagi: Correct. It’s not mandatory that you utilize all of your teammates skills on a mission, but choose wisely. You won’t be able to switch out until midpoint.

Park: I also heard rumblings about changes to mission structure. Please explain.

Asagi: There are two important changes in missions as well. First are the inclusion of hazard-free missions. In the beta, all missions had a Hazard Rating of at least 1, corresponding to how many life stocks, with a maximum of 5, that could be knocked out of you on a mission by mission basis.

Park: You have a five block health bar for each mission. Should that bar fully deplete, you will be unable to complete that mission, although your teammates may still be able to complete it should they have the mandatory skills.

Asagi: Another change to mission makeup is the fact that many skills are now eligible for use in certain missions. For example, a technical mission may require the use of Drive, but casting Wrenchery would not penalize you, and would give you about half the BP back from the AP you’ve invested in it.

Park: So now you won’t have as many people dying? Back in the beta, I noticed a lot of people getting knocked out of missions due to haphazard skill applications…

Asagi: Fortunately it’s a little tougher for you to get knocked out, but don’t take this as an invitation to die!

Park: Understood. Let’s move on.

Asagi: To refresh your memories, let’s talk about skill allocation. At the beginning of the game you have 4 slots to fill, and abilities have a value of 1-3 slots. You can fill your skill set with as little as two or as many as four skills. You will have opportunities to increase your slots as the game moves on.

Park: In every round, if you gain a certain amount of BP, you gain a slot. The ratio of BP to slots is as follows -

10 BP earned in a round = 1 slot
85 BP earned in a round = 2 slots
135 BP earned in a round = 3 slots

Asagi: While it is now mandatory to go on missions as a team, BP is still earned on a character-by-character basis. If the leader declares that Teammate A is going to invest 3 AP into a mission and the skill used is successful, that teammate will receive 3 times the BP reward and not the leader.

Park: Remember that the leader changes on a mission-by-mission basis, so Teammate A can be the leader on another mission in the round should he get to initiating it first.

Asagi: Also important is that a few missions have changed since last time. Please review the stickied Numers System thread once more.

Park: Oh, Asagi, by the way…

Asagi: What is it?

Park: What happened to Teta and Alma? They used to do the tutorials.

Asagi: They’re in costume, getting ready for their overstory appearances.

Park: Interesting. So even those two became canon in the end…

Asagi: And we’re the remaining afterthoughts. Maybe we’ll find our own place in a game one day.

Player List
Lady Lionheart - Dante ~ Devil May Cry & Kyo Kusanagi ~The King of Fighters
Midnight Shadow - Jon Talbain ~ DarkStalkers & **Felicia **~ DarkStalkers
Amethyst - Auron ~ Final Fantasy X & Porter ~ Disgaea
Lumintrium - Ash Crimson ~ The King of Fighters
Switchblade - Ambush Bug ~ *DC Universe *& **Cheeks the Toy Wonder ** ~ DC Universe
Mizuki - Neco Arc Chaos ~ Melty Blood: Act Cadenza
Nude Bob Dole - Bright Noa ~ Mobile Suit Gundam
Lucent - Roger Smith ~ The BIG-O & R. Dorothy Wayneright ~ The BIG-O
Krizak - Aya Brea ~ Parasite Eve & Daniel Dollis ~ Parasite Eve
RockBogart - Black Panther ~ *Marvel Universe 616 *& Wolverine ~ Marvel Universe 616
JSG - Duela Dent ~ DCU
NeoSeifer - Mai Tokiha ~ Mai-HIME & GaoGaiGar ~ King of Braves: GaoGaiGar
Cleofis Randolph - Strider Hiryu ~ Marvel vs. Capcom 2 & Doctor Stephen Strange ~ Marvel Universe 616
Chris - Puss in Boots ~ Shrek & Donkey ~ Shrek
monochrome - KOS-MOS ~ Xenosaga & Hikeki Motosuwa ~ Chobits
RIZero - **Samus Aran Fett **~ Metroid & Lucca Ashtear Solo ~ Chrono Trigger
Soulshard01 - **Toshiro Hitsugaya ** ~ BLEACH
Curley W Yangus ~ Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable & **Jessica ~ **Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable

Public Assists

Coffy Mackenzie
-Martial Arts
-Brawl
-Negotiate

Mayhem Mackenzie
-Heal
-Evade
-Delay
-Drive

Judah Solomon
-Magic
-Critical

The Question
-Infiltrate
-Research

Missions

Defeat the Sentinels - /Combat /
Sentinels are large, unmanned mecha with advanced artificial intelligence. Their weapons capabilities vary, whether its lasers, large pulses of electricity, torpedoes and missiles, or even simply bashing you with its limbs. Merely brawling with the Sentinels will be ineffective, although your fists can do damage to their cheaper, mass produced armors if you’re an expert in the martial arts.
*Invest: 1-3 AP | Base BP: 10
Hazard Rating: **

More missions coming.

242

(Crimson Flame~ Annoyances and Aquaintances)

-On the ride to Metropolis-

Kyo propped his elbow against the window, frowning as he closed his eyes. Wonderful. Their guide was the prick from last night…and to top it all off, he was supposed to be the lead singer for the same band that Rock was in. How the kid could stand this ass was beyond his comprehension. From what he had seen of him, Dante was nothing but a cocky, idiotic and overestimating prick that didn give a shit about anyone or anything. Not to mention immoral. How could he supposedly be the on of Sparda that he had heard someone call him at one point? Being the Kusanagi heir, he had heard a lot about old demon legends in reference to looking for a way to get rid of Orochi once and for all, and especially about one that could seal away demons like Sparda…it would be a good thing to have his son on their side.

However, (and he glanced over at the white-haired man, who was conversing with Roger Smith by the time his thought process had drifted) he never expected him to be this much of an idiot. Even Yagami had a hard time trying not to kick his ass…although that wasn saying much, now that he thought about it. His blood rival had an extremely short temper.

Sighing, he shook his head, retreating to staring blankly out the window until Dante had decided to speak up, saying something about keeping their powers hidden. Oh, great. How in the hell was he supposed to fight, then? He was nothing without his flames. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had fought someone that was actually worth fighting without his trademark flames. Irritated, he then decided to speak up. “Really? Then why the hell were you shooting up demons on the street then?”

“Because as far as I know, owning guns and shooting them isn’t a superpower, and I can’t be prosecuted for killing demons in self-defense. We’ll probably have to defend ourselves in some fights, but we’re not trying to be more than human today.”

The brunette snorted as Dante gave him the response, ignoring the fact that the half-devil eyes conveyed the fact that he was dead serious about what he was saying (for once), and just shook his head. Idiotic prick…

Bonjour, Kusanagi Kyo. .…wonderful. Now I have the fruitloop Frenchman to worry about now, too. Kyos eyes were narrowed slightly as he turned to Ash Crimson, who was still wearing that damned condescending smile of his. Oh, now. Dont worry. Im not here to try and steal your flames…yet. He then, without so much as asking the brunette (who wouldve easily said hell no or worse), he sat down next to him, still smiling. Im just curious on how youre going to fight through this without your famous flames…it should be interesting, no?

Fuck off, Ash, Kyo growled, clenching one fist as a threat. If he even tried to do something to them while they were in Metropolis… Wait a second. You cant use your flames either, ass, so whyre you so curious about how Im gonna fight?

Oui, that is true, I cannot use my flames either while we stay with our devil-hunter friend, but that does not mean that I cannot fight, he said, eyeing the brunette and receiving a death glare in return. But I am curious, you have been so dependent on your flames, how would it feel to be practically powerless…?

Before Kyo could answer, however, someone else had come up to the two- Dante himself. …what the hells your problem, Kusanagi?! Im just trying to warn you guys before you end up being carted off to Monster Island or worse. And I’m pretty sure you dont want to know what Im talking about by worse.

Ash, however, was morbidly curious. Hm, and what would that be?

Experimentation. I know for a fact that’s what they want to do with me. The white-haired devil hunters expression was extremely serious at this point, something that either one hadnt seen on him in the short span that they had met Dante. But it was out of place on his face, and somewhat scary at the same time.

Kyo frowned a bit. He knew how it was to be poked and prodded like that…that how the whole NESTS fiasco started. Some ass had knocked him out and taken him there, where he was their damn guinea pig for Kami-knows-how long. …sorry…this whole situation just got me pissed off… He then stood, blowing past the two to go think about the whole situation.

(Devil Hunter~ HEAVEN OR HELL, LET’S ROCK!)
(Fight in the Streets~ Gigapede Battle- Tetsuya Shibata)

Although he felt some sympathy for the devil hunter before, Kyo had no qualms about cussing the man out as they were being chased by the Sentinels. If only he could use his flames, then they have this taken down no problem, but… as Dante yelled while they were running, If we use our powers on these things, they l just send a whole damn army of them on our asses!! He had already pulled out an anti-tank cannon in an effort to blast the mechs into submission, hitting the damned things with everything he could muster without having to Devil Trigger.

What a pain in the ass… He grumbled. At least he didn have to worry about reloading the gun, anyway. But, as he glanced over to the others, he frowned a bit. Most of them wouldn be able to fight outside of using their fists, and he doubted that unless they added their power to it, it would do much to the giant robots that were following them.

The group was forced to take cover for a moment while the missiles came crashing down upon the ground, creating a multitude of craters where the Numbers last stood. Dante grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath before firing Spiral again, making sure the projectile was aimed right in the middle of the mass of Sentinels, taking down at least one and crippling several more.

With a sigh, he tossed Spiral into the air, withdrawing Rebellion from its back sheath. Whoever wants it, GRAB IT, AND DONT LOSE IT!! You cant get enchanted weapons around here, and it was expensive to get customized!! He yelled behind his back, rushing forward.

Kyo rolled his eyes as he ignored the devil hunters words, slamming his fists into the armor before leaping back and axe-kicking it with his foot, unconsciously letting his flames appear while doing so.

A small growl escaped Dantes lips as he pressed on, eyes widening slightly as he noticed a familiar figure shooting the Sentinels with a high-powered rifle. Leon! Whatre you doing here?! I thought you were going to stay in New Gotham and cover for us!! He yelled, sending a wave of high-powered air/energy at an attacking mecha, shredding it to pieces then and there.

I did! They didnt believe me, so I headed back!! The brunette police officer yelled, loading another round into the rifle. What the hell happened, anyway? I thought you had this whole thing covered!

I did, until some punk-ass kids showed up! You have to get out of here, dumbass! If Stark or the others find out youre helping us, were royally fucked!

Leon grinned. Dont worry about that. I think theyve had their suspicions, anyway…even if I was supposedly just your liaison outside my duties as Captain, they figured that I would have some sort of camaraderie with you, especially after you found out about my past.

Dante didnt reply for a second, as another Sentinel tried to grab the half-demon, only to have its arm sliced off. Feh. Like that really makes much of a difference. I’m still a royal dick, and you’re a royal pain in the ass, uptight police officer.

Hey, I know, I know.

Okay! Officially entered battle mode! >D

Both **Kyo and Dante **are fighting off Sentinels, Kyo unwittingly emitting flames and making him a prime target while Dante tosses Spiral off for someone else to grab. (First come, first serve. For those of you that dont know, Spiral is a big-ass anti-tank cannon.)

Leon Kennedy has made his reappearance, and his currently helping Dante out. He equipped with a high-powered rifle, and has no special powers outside his gunmanship.

All are open for interaction.

243

Hinamori. Shiro-chan! Where are you? I cant see where are you Hinamori?! Hitsugaya! Whos there? Who is that- Shitsugayguy get the fuck back up you goddamn pussy!!! Mayhem? Attack. Aizen? Wake up WAKE UP!

02: The End of Ignorance - Part 2 of TBU Side Story "Beast"
Time: Present/High Noon - Place: Metropolis Ghettos, near Idle Park

RAGE! Hitsugaya opens his eyes, watching his fingers dig into the hardwood floor, getting a bearing of his surroundings. He slowly pushes himself back up, seeing flaming debris all around him, where the urban broken down home once stood. GIVE ME YOUR RAGE!

Hitsugaya! His brain keys in Coffys voice, looking forward to where she screamed. He sees the Numbers convoy blocks down, walking down the side of a nearby city park. Some of them used Mayhems ASS for cover from the bullet rain of pro-authority forces on the streets and the guerilla insurgents that are trapping the Numbers in the middle. There was fighting everywhere, at least a dozen Sentinels in Hitsugayas field of vision that are bulldozing their way towards the oversized pokeball. And above, Hitsugaya caught a glimpse of that thing.

It screamed RAGE! before stopping in mid air, flapping its wings from high above the convoy. Whatever that thing is Toshiro tried to sense the beings reiatsu, but it was more machine than man; has to be stopped. The human raven let loose another rocket volley on the convoy, forcing Dante to pop out of cover as he draws his guns to bear. Where am I… wonders a dazed PussnBoots as he sneaks his head out of Hitsugayas backpack, but the Shinigami pushes his head back him telling him to stay in there for a minute as he sprints out of flaming rubble onto the open street.

Suddenly, Toshiro is startled by the cry of a wolf from behind him. He turns his back to look, seeing something black running down the street, catching the attention of insurgents battling in the row houses. The mechanized panther dashed down the street, bouncing left to right, tackling guerillas to the ground and tossing them over roof one by one. An insurgent runs out of his home, firing his M60 gatling at the beast, screaming all his rage. But no bullet could pierce the metallic hide of the beast; as the man realizes this, the panther suddenly makes a single backflip onto the man, sitting him into the sidewalk. Toshiro could see the beast shove its hind leg into the mans skull, until his head became a pancake.

As it howled again, the rest of the insurgents shot frantically at the beast while making their retreat down the street towards Toshiro, some of them trying to make a getaway in nearby cars and pickups. But it knew no mercy, leaping off its prey into a mad dash down the street, its raw strength and speed turning its tackles into bulldozes as the thing split cars in two and overturned fleeing trucks.

Those guerillas that still ran down the street were suddenly split into two in the blink of an eye. Hitsugaya barely caught a glimpse of the raven as it flew up towards the sun, screaming, RAGE! These killing machines were leaving nothing but trails of fire and flesh in their wake.

Coffy moves her eyes off that beast back to Hitsugaya. Still thinking of him as a kid, Coffy runs away from the cover of Mayhems ASS to bring him over. Get the fuck back here! Dante screams at Coffy, as the raven stations itself above the convoy, ready to fire another rocket volley. His voice caught the Shinigamis attention: he turns around to see Coffy dashing towards him, glancing up, then coming to a halt. Toshiro sees one of the rockets falling down towards Coffy.

She makes a last ditch leap into pavement, holding her head down with folded arms. Get back up, Toshiro yells. Alarmed that nothing happened, Coffy jumps back up, looking back at Hitsugaya to find a block of ice between herself and Toshiro. The ice was encasing the warhead. As her eyes fell back on Toshiro, she points and screams, Its coming! The Shinigami looks behind him, seeing the panther dashing right towards him, towards the Numbers convoy.

Without a second thought, Hitsugaya tosses his backpack at Coffy, commanding, get back to the convoy now! The beast then dashed to one side of the street, before making its leap on Hitsugaya. Coffy turns around with the backpack in her arms; but, not wanting to abandon him, she glances back towards Toshiro just as the panther tackles Hitsugaya into the side of a nearby row house.

The Runaway, Nico Minoru, was still kneeling behind Mayhems ASS when Coffy ran over. Alarmed by the feline Numbers popping their heads out of the backpack, Nico asks Coffy, wheres the boy?

Hes dead, as Coffy points to a plume of smoke where the beast made its tackle. Nico takes a hard look, her jaw slowly dropping. Hey, is he holding a sword? Bedazzled by the comment, Coffy quickly turns her head around. Holy shit!

Pinned between the sidewalk and the wall, Hitsugaya clings hard to the handle of his zanpakto, digging the tip of his zanpakto into the panthers neck area, holding it back with the length of his blade. It suddenly started whimpering as it tried to stomp its arms into Hitsugayas tiny form as he was moving left and right.

Then, past the beasts head, Hitsugaya caught a glimpse of that raven creature hovering between his position and the convoys. With Kenshiro holding the Sentinel blitzkrieg at bay and the rest of the Numbers and Runaways trying to fend off both the raven and pro-authority forces behind an oversized bitching pokeball, Toshiro knew that things were looking dire, that someone needed to give the Numbers a good push out of this dilemma. He was hoping it wouldnt have to be him today. But his zanpakto ended up back in his hands.

The raven stretches its wings before the Numbers, ready to strike with another rocket volley, screaming, SHO-

Before it could finish its sentence, Toshiro shoves his zanpakto into the panthers neck once more, chanting aloud, Mourn frost! Hyorinmaru! The panthers internal sensors went wild at his sudden power increase during the chant, forcing her to jump off of Hitsugaya right before the area exploded into spikes of ice.

Suddenly, the head of an icy serpent tackles the raven, sending it into freefall. Hitsugaya continued his spin upwards, the form of his shikai leaving a perfectly coiling frost dragon in his wake, before bearing the fang of his zanpakto towards the raven. With a swing of the blade, Hitsugaya fires off a wave of ice into the raven, sending it into the city parks grassy fields. With frost forming at the tip of his blade, Hitsugaya dives towards his prey for the kill.

Right as Hitsugayas zanpakto was about to dig its length into the ravens belly, a large, armored tentacle swats the Shinigami away, sending him through a tree before he crashed into the ground. HAHAHAHA!, taunted the octopus as it marched itself into Hitsugayas view with its metallic tentacles, in front of the downed raven. As Hitsugaya pushes himself back up , wiping bloody spit off his mouth, the octopus taunts aloud, LAUGH AT ME!

Is this a cousin of Doc. Ock., wondered the Shinigami. A distant Nico screams out, Behind you! Hitsugaya turns his back, seeing the convoy finally about to make it out of the park area, along with the beast that was approaching him, moving from tree to tree. But Hitsugaya could also see more Sentinels around the corner, as well as pro-authority forces moving past the park to try to pin down the convoy.

The raven charges towards Hitsugaya, screaming FEEL MY RAGE! With only seconds to react, the Shinigami uppercuts his zanpakto, creating an icy ramp towards the sky between him and the raven. The shield works to a limit, slowing down the ravens thunderous velocity as it tackles its body into Hitsugaya. He hugs the metallic form of the raven as it continues to fly towards the clouds, before kicking himself off, flying to a position between the raven, its comrades on the ground, and the convoy that is being surrounded.

Hitsugaya-kun! He turns his eyes to the distant female voice in the convoy. He sees Hinamori, in her Shinigami gown, her distraught face in tears. Hitsugaya blinks his eyes madly, only to see Nico in her place, her face of concern, the hair that fell on her forehead a reminder of his failures, and of his chances for redemption.

The clouds in the sky rapidly began to swirl around Hitsugaya. The world was turning dark. Nico kept her eyes on Hitsugaya, watching the man-child raise the zanpakto to his lips, watching the Shinigami chant one word, and then another.

In an instant, the entire park is transformed into an icy prison. Walls of ice seal off pro-authority forces from the convoy, who was finally leaving this area behind. In place of grass, trees, ponds and fountains was a winter wonderland. With only one target available to them, the forces of S.H.I.E.L.D. brought their arms to bear on the Shinigami hovering before them, their trigger fingers shivering at the sight of an icy dragon child in freezing temperatures.

The clouds began to snow rapidly as the raven encircled him, as the beast strolled underneath him, as the octopus stood atop a tree laughing at him. Captain Hitsugaya could see in the distance, against the backdrop of the Metropolis skyline, the form of violet Sentinels heading straight for him.

That goddamn idiot, Coffy cussed as she looks to the stormy skies. Now hes caught S.H.I.E.L.D.s attention, doing that! But the Negotiator interjected, saying, he knew that. Thats why he did it. Look at the skyline all those Sentinels are heading over there, not here.

Son of a bitch, Dante mutters from behind the pokeball, putting fresh bullets into all the clips he had to empty. Son of a bitch.

Summary:

  • The “Beauty and the Beast” Unit has leapt right out of Metal Gear Solid 4 into the paes of the Bastard Universe!
  • The Numbers were being pushed into a corner through the combined forces of the Sentinels, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the “Beauty and the Beast” Unit near Idle Park.
  • Hitsugaya triggers his bankai form, creating a wall of ice around the park and sealing off S.H.I.E.L.D. ground forces and the “Beauty and the Beast” Unit away from the Numbers, who must still fight the Sentinel blitzreig.
  • Hitsugaya’s bankai transformation has triggered a full alert from S.H.I.E.L.D., diverting forces to him.
  • Hitsugaya tosses his backpack to Coffy Mackenzie before engaging enemy forces. The backpack’s contents, aside from our two feline Numbers, are as follows:
      • DELL laptop
      • Sony PSP handheld
      • DVD copy of 300
      • Walkman Earbuds
      • Assorted city maps
      • Power bars and snacks
      • Empty portable water jug
      • Loose change
244

This Bastard Universe: FRONTLINE

“Oh shit,” Duela said as she ran with the group, frequently looking back to see if the monstrocities were still chasing them (they were). “Oh shit,” she repeated as an explosion went off to her right, one of the Sentinals firing an eye beam at one of the Numbers, who quickly dodged. The woman moved left, stumbling and being caught by the faceless man who had saved her from the chimera the day before. “Why are those things after me!?” she shouted to him, grabbing his shoulders. “I don’t even have any kind of powers!”

With one hand around her wrist and another on his fedora, the Question pulled her out of the way of a large fist launched by the purple robot, ramming his own back against the door of a condemned building and knocking it down. “You don’t?” he asked, scratching his chin as he sat up, Duela lying on top of him rubbing the back of her head. She got up on her hands and knees and shook her head no. “Then perhaps you’re the one to help me here.”

She looked him in the eye (as best she could), lifting his hat up before putting it back, inspecting the man up and down. “Why didn’t we get Batman?” she asked him bluntly.

Gently pushing her off of him so he could stand, he offered his hand to help the lady to her feet. As he pulled her up, the man sighed. “Because you don’t want the Dark Knight here,” he responded, wondering why he never got any real respect.

“Yes I do.”

He put his hands in his pants pockets, walking to a dusty window and looking out at the Sentinals pursuing the other Numbers. “I’m better suited here, I have an eye for connecting everything, and a habit of finding the right questions.” He turned back to her, watching as she strolled slowly towards him, “And the Dark Knight wouldn’t let the Numbers operate without trying to micro-manage all of us.”

Duela leaned her back against the glass and it began to crack, scaring her slightly and causing her to jump. “Oh, so they send the guy that gets questions instead of the one that gets answers? What the hell?” She threw her arms up and began to walk out the door.

“Asking questions. You’re learning,” he told her calmly. “You’re asking me questions. Good.” He began to go in the opposite direction, towards another, dust-covered door in the back of the room. “Follow me. I’ve always wanted to find out just why the Registration Act was put into place. It makes no sense.”

“Well sure it does,” Duela told him, turning around to follow the man against her better judgement (inasmuch as she actually has good judgement). “Perfect sense, really.”

Sage turned to her before looking back to the rusty doorknob, grabbing it and pulling, revealing a darkened room illuminated only by stray sunbeams penetrating holes in the walls and ceiling. “Why does it make sense? What’s it’s purpose? Who benifits?”

“Ummm… I don’t know,” she pulled out a weapons-grade bouncing ball and walked into the new room, “What’s the Registration Act, anyway?”

“I have a question,” replied the Question in an irritated tone, following her cautiously into the new room. “Why are you the other non-meta in the Numbers?”

She heard a noise from the corner and quickly threw her orange ball towards it as hard as she could. The wall crumbled a bit from the impact when the rather large rat moved out of the way. The ball bounced back and smacked the Question in the forehead before she caught the rebound. “What is it with you and questions? Answers are better.”

“They aren’t,” he replied, rubbing his forehead. “(That’s gonna leave a mark), find an answer, and your quest ends there. Find more questions, and you go further, you don’t stop short.” He walked to the back exit, away from the Sentinals and the rest of the Numbers. “Your ‘father’ can take care of them well enough,” he assured her, “We’ll go under their radar, find the true reason for all of this.” He kicked the door open, both of them shielding their eyes from the now-direct sunlight. “The Psycho Pirate told me I was an investigative reporter before this universe got me. Time to live up to it, true or not.”

“He told me I don’t have a dad…”

“Yes,” Question answered her, “About that - who is your father? You told me Kratos, and earlier Kenshiro. Do you yourself even know?”

“Of course I do,” she said, folding her arms and sneering at him, like he was the crazy one (and in many ways, he was), “Kyoji Mujo!” She tugged on the collar of her shirt and smiled, “Where do you think I get my dazzling wardrobe and stunning good looks from?”

“Not him,” the coated man muttered under his breath as he placed a hand on the edge of the door. “Now, back to the original purpose, why now? Who enstated the Registration Act? Who benifits the most?” He stroked his chin once more, deep in thought. “What I do know is that Tony Stark has been heavily involved, moreso than anyone. There is also Lex Luthor and Reed Richards to consider…”

“Oh! Oh!” Duela shouted, raising her hand like she was in school before speaking, “What about if someone had some dirt on them, forcing them to do it? Someone who likes… Leverage. All those identities… The entire superhero community would be in the palm of his hand!”

Question nodded twice slowly, thinking over what she said. “Yes, that would make sense. And it seems to be only strong in Metropolis, it hasn’t caught on anywhere else, or at least not in Gotham. Now who do we know like that in Metropolis?”

“Umm… Was that retorical?” she asked him, pacing around with her hands behind her back. “Because I totally have no clue.”

He thought a bit longer on this, asking himself all the questions he needed to ask. “Perhaps the one pulling the strings is none other than Redd White. He certainly fits the profile for your theory. He has the motivations. So why now? And why Stark? What dirt does he have on him? And what do they have to gain? Lex Luthor wouldn’t simply bow down to a man like White simply because of blackmail, he’s far too powerful for that. It runs deeper. How deep?”

Duela and The Question have broken off from the group, hoping to use the fact that they aren’t metahumans to avoid the complications of the Registration Act while trying to find out the deeper mysteries surrounding it.

Next time on This Bastard Universe: FRONTLINE - the Thunderbolts! And the Immortal Iron Fist! And more questions!

245

Duela: (12AP)
-Brawl
-Critical
-Research
-Negotiate

Coffy:
-Martial Arts
-Brawl
-Negotiate

The Question:
-Infiltrate
-Research

Mission: Defeat the Sentinals
Coffy uses Martial Arts [M-ism] (3AP)
Duela uses Critical [M-ism] (3AP)

Duela: 6AP remains

246

(Please don’t kill me for this post. ^^; -shot- )

Autour de 1 - Il commence - avant

The Frenchman smiled, running his fingers through the strands of his platinum-blonde hair that could sometimes–even up close–could be mistaken for the color of silver or a darker shade of blonde depending on the situation. His blue orbs observing the Kusanagi heir with much interest and amusement. He, of course knew that the brunette was almost nothing without his flames, whilst he could go without them–he didn’t really see the big deal.

But sooner or later, the blonde-haired Frenchman decided to stand up–yes, he was done annoying the Kusanagi heir and as much fun as that would be, it was time to go out to take care of some matters. What matters you ask? That would be getting his nails painted–yes, finally, he wouldn’t have to endure the situation long enough. Although, before he left, he couldn’t resist throwing a few jabs right at the brunette,

“Seeya later, Kusanagi Kyo-kun~ Hope you find some way to get through this mess without getting your ass-kicked.”

The brunette glare death daggers straight the platinum-blonde’s back as he was walking away. How dare he…

“Same goes for you.”

Ash turned around and both were flipping each other the bird. Dante chuckled as the platinum blonde eventually disappeared from sight.

“You guys are really funny to watch.”

“Shut up.”

–

Ash Crimson blinked. Who’s this?

He had bumped into some man who he couldn’t remember for a second–and then the platinum blonde realized who this was. *I’m still wondering how the hell he did that…*But even so, Ash bowed, apologizing quite swiftly to the man in front of him who assumed an aura of ridiculously powerful. Kenshiro though just shrugged; a Sentinel came out of the blue, jumping right in front of the two. Ash almost laughed, because he knew what was about to happen.

“Omae wa mo shindeiru.”

And you could guess what already happened from just a simple touch from the martial artist of the Hakuto Shinken style. It just reminded the blonde how strong some people could be–he himself was amazed the first AND second time the man in front of him had demonstrated such raw power. Ash also found–as they headed on–that this man was very quiet and thus, he thought it was a good idea to start up a conversation.

“Where do you come from?”

Was the first question that popped from the platinum-blonde’s mouth, he had a curious look upon his face–smiling all the while–when looking up at the man. A few moments passed in dead silence and the Frenchman sweat-dropped. Sheesh, did he not hear what I just said or is he deaf? Ash waved a hand in the man’s face–but not so much to distract him from moving forward. The platinum blonde nearly was started when Kenshiro abruptly said,

“Stop that.”

Ash quickly moved his hand away from the front of the man’s sweat-dropping a little more. He sighed–then another Sentinel came from out of nowhere. The platinum-blonde arched an eyebrow as he thought that there was absolutely no way these people were going to succeed. Before Kenshiro even moved–he bet he even did, despite thinking that–Ash said, taking initiative,

“I can take care of him.”

Kenshiro arched an eyebrow.

“That is not wise–if you use your powers–”

“–Excusez-moi, but did I say I was even implying that I was going to use my powers, ne?”

The platinum-haired blonde smiled as Kenshiro fell silent. Ash assumed a battle stance as the Sentinel in front of him began to analyze him–although it was not even half-way through its sentence…

“Target identifie–”

…when the blonde had moved in and brought his foot down–an axe-kick to be precise–on the machine’s shoulder, effectively paralyzing it for a few seconds to be punch and kicked unto oblivion. Ash smiled self-satisfactory as he pressed his foot against the mechanism’s remains, crushing it.

“Are you done yet?”

“Yes, yes, mister impatient.”

The platinum-blonde wasn’t surprised to get a look from the muscular man–then the two resumed moving forward, as it seemed their pursuers weren’t stopping any time soon. Even so, Ash couldn’t help trying to strike up another conversation with the deadly silent man.

“It’s nice out, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Where did you learn how to fight like that?”

Sigh. Ash blinked. What’s wrong with him? Jeeze, does he always have to act so damned depressed all the time?

247

Declaring “Team We Hate Each Other’s Guts, But We’re Forced Into Situations Together”

Dante/Kyo Kusanagi (Lady Lionheart)/Ash Crimson (Luminitrium)

Dante
Critical (1 slot)
Negotiate (1 slot)
Martial Arts (2 slots)

Kyo Kusanagi
Super Art (2 slots)

Mission: Defeat the Sentinels
Dante uses Martial Arts (3 AP)
Dante uses Critical (3 AP)

Dante: 6/12 AP

248

Time: Past Place: Soul Society

Im aware of what you did earlier today. Toshiro Hitsugaya, Vice Captain of 10th squad, remains unmoved as he stood amongst the tall grass of his home plantation. His captain knew the boy well enough to know that his calm exterior was but a bed sheet. That is, you watched a father and mother gunned down in cold blood. The captain turns around to look young Toshiro face to face.

I see vengeance in your eyes; the very sort that filled mine when I was alive that is, when I was human. The Vice Captain remained quiet in his silent protest as his captain declared, you did nothing wrong. Your responsibility is to defend the souls of the dead-

And what of the souls of the innocent? The captain smiled, exclaiming as a matter of fact, There are no innocent souls do not mistaken; I can only say this because I can remember. There is only innocence in helplessness. And the only souls we are tasked to help, as Shinigami, are the souls of the dead, who neither have the knowledge nor the means to find the road to Soul Society.

I know my words cannot soothe your anger. Only time can; and with time, knowledge and preparation. Remember that, as a Shinigami, our place is not in the human realm. It is here, in this place, as the captain stomped into the dirt, that we must pledge our defense and service.

You thought about slaying the killer; not because of justice, not because of love, as the captain held Hitsugayas chin up to the sunlight, but because that boy was of the same disposition as you. Am I correct? Toshiro turns his eyes away. Your enemies our enemies will confuse us, as they always have, using the human realm to bait us into falsehood, in order to strike at their true enemy us.

Listen to me. I will I may not be here for much longer. Surprised, Hitsugaya turns his eyes back to his captains. I need you to swear yourself to a life of eternal vigilance, for the sake of all we hold dear in this plane, and this plane only. Every single act must be for your love of this place. Every single act. Not once have I journeyed to the human realm solely for mankind let the world of man defend itself. This society needs us so much more. Promise me, Hitsugaya-kun.

Toshiro nods once, then again. I promise, Pendragon-Taichou.

03: The End of a Life Cycle - Conclusion of the TBU Side Story "Beast"
Time: Present Place: Idle Park

Five. Six. Eight. Hitsugaya-Taichou glances behind his shoulder. Ten. Eleven. He turns his focus back to the raven in front of him, thinking, Eleven Sentinels at least a hundred souls on the ground-

SHOW ME YOUR RAGE! And then there was that thing, Toshiro concluded. All of the pro-authority forces surrounded the Shinigami, from one end of the city park to the other. It was a scene beheld by local Metropolis news stations an entire portion of the Metropolis ghettos was sealed off in walls of ice, under the gloom of snow clouds amidst the backdrop of a sunny summer skyline. Seeing a S.H.I.E.L.D. hover carrier flying from the harbor towards where he now stands afloat, Hitsugaya feels confident enough to conclude that his diversion worked.

And that is all his plan will be. The human forces on the ground, their loss of life, would only serve to feed the Hollow population that has taken hold of this city. No, he cannot escape on foot. Shutting his eyes, raising his icy zanpakto to the sky, Hitsugaya intensifies the weather pattern surrounding him.

The fields of snow were suddenly bombarded by thick hail, forcing troops on the ground to take cover behind trees, jeeps, slides and swing sets. The snow storm transformed into a freak thunderstorm, the intensity of its lightning strikes illuminating the eyes of the eleven Sentinels that were now igniting its flight boosters.

Like an angelic saint of Biblical lore, Hitsugaya began rising higher and higher, into the thick black of the cloud cover. RAGE! screamed the raven as it and the other Sentinels began chasing the winged Shinigami, firing rockets and lasers into the sky as they pierced the thick veil of the clouds.

The Sentinels could not detect where Hitsugaya had gone; they couldnt detect his body heat to begin with. Suddenly, lightning strikes down a Sentinel, sending it crashing back down onto the white fields of the park. And then, another Sentinel was felled. Then another, and another, before finally a manual override was given to send the Sentinels out of the clouds. By the time the metallic giants escaped the perimeter of the freak storm, there were only three left.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the heavens, before the Sentinels saw the raven tackling Hitsugaya out of the cloud cover into open air. Toshiro quickly tosses the raven aside when one of the Sentinels takes aim, locking crosshairs onto its target. A split second later, Hitsugaya shunpos past the giant, the slash of his zanpakto cleaving it in two and freezing the halves in ice blocks. And with an utter of the word, shatter, the ice blocks disintegrate into frozen dust before they could hit the ground.

Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. hover carrier, Rear Admiral Solomon looks away from the devastating sight, ordering his gunnery to lock onto that son of a bitch with everything you got! I will not be made a fool out of by one goddamn mutant!

Sir, hes coming this way! The admiral looks back out the command bridge, ordering aloud, get those fucking Sentinels to shoot him down! NOW! Glancing back at the gunnery station, Solomon orders, Gunnery! Prepare for 180 degree flak cover off the-, suddenly freezing up when his poised gaze turns back to the window.

Admiral, his subordinate screams from across the bridge, that Sentinel is going to hit us! And just as he finished his sentence, Hitsugaya did a sharp 90 degree turn towards the stars, sending a Sentinel giant straight for the hover carrier. The admiral picks up a mic, about to declare an incoming collision when the Sentinel robot flies right into the forward deck of the carrier, clipping the carrier and sending it off balance. Stabilize gyro thrusters now! Were above a fucking major city!

As the S.H.I.E.L.D. carrier was spinning back into balance, Hitsugaya surfs down the side of the airship with a frozen board, jumping off the end of the airship onto the second Sentinel. With finesse, the Shinigami slices into the Sentinel clean, freezing it up before shattering it away. Right as his eyes finally sighted the Metropolis harbor, the pursuing raven let loose another volley of rockets with the last Sentinel in pursuit.

With a daring smile, Hitsugaya flies straight towards the rockets, while the mechanized raven watching his calculated demise from afar. But right as the rockets were above to smack into his clean forehead, the Shinigami shunpos past the rockets, onto the back of the pursuing Sentinel. The rockets backflip immediately, heading straight for the Sentinel as it suddenly comes to a halt above Metropolis streets.

But Hitsugaya would waste no time, defrosting his zanpakto to ignite the rocket boosters on the Sentinels back. The following explosion sent the Sentinel spiraling into freefall towards the clear blue harbor, with the rocket volley following in close pursuit. Hitsugaya continued to cling to the back of the Sentinel for dear life.

The Sentinel dives right into the middle of the harbor, the ravens rockets following right after it into a watery hell. The following explosion was so violent it sent shockwaves across the nearby ports and the shorelines. Hovering above the sunken wreckage, the raven couldnt detect any signs of life. RAGE! it screamed once more, before flying away, back towards its mechanized comrades.

Report! Admiral Solomons subordinate, his hands still shaking, said in a solid voice, weve detected no life signs of the assumed mutant in the harbor. Were sending in search teams now, but-, before the man could finish, the Admiral turns to his navigation crew, demanding, Fly us above the harbor right now! I want our ship to be there before the sixoclock news crews arrive! Engines to full burn!

Hidden in the deep blue of the harbor, Hitsugaya finally uses this moment to take a breather. He was smiling in his tired state, quite happy that everything went according to plan. Knowing that the humans have no way to track him, being a Shinigami full of cold blood, he lets out a sigh of relief and resolution.

Ill have to pick a conspicuous place to swim back to, he thought to himself, but Im okay for now. I just have to find a coat, or maybe just a baseball cap. Yeah Toshiro then began his long swim underwater back to the mainland.

Summary:

  • Hitsugaya summons a thunderstorm above the park.
  • Hitsugaya flies into the thunderstorm, luring the Sentinels to follow him into the storm clouds. Most of them are dispersed with.
  • Hitsugaya leads the rest of the Sentinels and a S.H.I.E.L.D. hover carrier on an aerial chase towards the Metropolis harbor.
  • Hitsugaya crashes with a Sentinel into the harbor. The Sentinel was destroyed in a great explosion that leaves Hitsugaya’s pursuers thinking he’s dead.
  • Hitsugaya has separated from the main group of Numbers, and will reunite with them later in the round after swimming back to shore.
249

This Bastard Universe: FRONTLINE

“So,” Duela said, following behind Vic Sage through a street, looking up at the zeppelins flying overhead, “Redd White. How do we find him? How do we even know it’s him?”

He shook his head. “No, Duela, we don’t know it’s him. That’s what we need to find out. That’s why we need to ask the question.”

“And that question is?” she inquired, looking for the biggest, most lavish building in Metropolis, which was rather hard considering all the buildings around her were multiple stories tall and she couldn’t actually see past the street she was on.

“The question depends on the situation, Duela,” he told her, turning back to face her. “In fact, I have one for you now. Do you know why I’m bringing you along with me?” She shook her head. “It was because of something Psycho Pirate said about you. That you were a blank slate.” He began to check various car doors, checking to see if any of them were unlocked. “I’ve watched you since that concert, and I think he’s right. You really can become whatever you want. Oracle has your history - as Joker’s Daughter you became the Joker, as Scarecrone you became the Scarecrow, as Goblin Girl you became the Green Goblin, as Riddler’s Daughter you became the Riddler.” He turned back to the girl, who was getting a bit confused as he placed a hand on his shoulder, “So riddle me this, Duela - who will you be in the end?”

She thought for a moment, a finger pressed against the tip of her chin as she gazed into the seemingly golden sky above, “I don’t know. Who should I be? And, um, what are you talking about? When did I ever-”

“You’re asking the wrong questions, Duela,” he told her, returning to his quest to steal a vehicle (for a noble cause!), “Now I realize you were in Arkham for a reason - as much as you hate to admit it, or maybe can’t admit it, but you have to.” He reached into the inside pocket of his blue coat, pulling out both a notepad and a pen and handing them to her. “This may be hard on you, but you will do this,” he instructed as she took the objects from him and placed the pad inside her own coat. “Every time you have to explain something in your past, every time you call someone your father or mother, I want you to write it down in there.”

She looked down at her chest, at the pocket she’d just placed the pad in, and then to the Question. “And what’s that supposed to do?” She’d already began chewing on the pen’s cap.

“It’ll lead you to the right questions.”

“Everything is just so cryptic with you, isn’t it?” she asked, reaching into her pocket and taking out the notepad again, drawing a smiley face on the first page. “Can’t you just act normal for a change? Or make a joke? Ever try being funny? It’s fun…”

He gave her a blank stare (…no pun intended) from beneath his mask. “I’m technically a part of Batman. No I don’t try being funny,” he responded dryly as he found an unlocked car door belonging to a silver Chevrolet Malibu. “Hm, this will have to do. But first, let me pose one more question to you.” He knelt down, beginning to hotwire the vehicle, removing his black gloves to allow him more feeling in his hands, “How did you wind up in Arkham?”

Tapping the crown of her head with the back of the pen, the woman began to speak. “The Autobots decided I wasn’t ‘sane’ enough so they sent me there. I was with the Autobots, you know.” He continued to stare at her until, nervously, she began to write in the small notepad exactly what she’d just told him. “Okay, so what was that for?”

“You’ll have to find that one out for yourself,” he told her, a smile crossing his lips as the engine began to hum. “Now, get in.”

She went to the passenger side and reached for the door before the car was sent flying through the air, a loud bang as it slammed into a building. “You know,” Duela thought aloud, “We have really bad luck with cars.” Looking to her right, she saw the source of the suddenly airborne vehicle was a very large man with orange hair, posing.

“My name is Recoome, it rhymes with boo-”

“Shut up, Recoome,” came a female voice as a tall, shapely woman with red hair walked behind him.

A costumed man closely resembling the Dark Knight walked out of an alleyway beside the pair of Numbers, his arms folded. “So, registration,” Catman told them, “Plan on doing that anytime soon? You two are definitely not on the list.”

“Oh, well, I can explain that,” Duela responded, holding up one finger, “You see, I don’t actually have any sort of superpowers and neither does-”

“Masked vigilantes still count,” said a woman in leather, claws fixed to each hand. “So do we do this the easy way or do we have our loveable sniper have his fun with you?”

“I’m not actually wearing a mask either,” the Arkham escapee stated, pointing to her face, “And this isn’t makeup, so…”

And at that moment a thunderous impact sounded, shattering the nearby windows as a heavily muscled man in a green suit and a yellow mask entered the scene, ramming the red-haired man with the back of his shoulder. “Run,” he called out to the Numbers, his mouth and bearded chin visible beneath his yellow mask, and a dragonlike tattoo on his chest. The two shook their heads, pressing their backs against each others, “Or don’t.” Yellow energy began to form around their rescuer’s hands as he started to square off with the larger of the two enemy women. He took a deep breath, “So, are you going to be a worthy opponent?”

“Who’s that?” Duela whispered to the Question as her hand slipped towards her pocket, ready to spring into action.

“Judging by his costume, Iron Fist,” he replied, “A group of martial artists mastering the manipulation of their inner energies in a hidden village in the Himalayas. This one seems to be on our side, we don’t have much choice but to trust him right now.” He took a deep breath, “This is it, Duela. What are you going to do here? Are you ready?”

After being prodded by the Question about what she can become, the duo were attacked by the Thunderbolts, a team of villains serving the government in exchange for their freedom! This version of the Thunderbolts consists of field leader Scandal Savage, her lover Knockout, the oddly not useless and somehow awesome Catman, Ragdoll the crotchless oddball, Recoome (whose name rhymes with boom!), and their own personal sniper Deadshot.

However the heroes aren’t alone, as they were saved by the Immortal Iron Fist, and the three heroes are now surrounded by the Thunderbolts.

Who will save them so they can continue their investigation of the Registration Act!? That’s up to you to decide. This really isn’t a private party.

250

“Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark!” Bob, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. nervously knocked on the office door.

“Just a damn minute!” S.H.I.E.L.D. director Tony Stark called from the other side of the door. “Oh yeah, that’s it. Oh yeah…”

A moment later the door opened and Carol Danvers walked out, wiping off her lips. “I do love the Registration Act,” Tony sighed. The director leaned back in his desk chair, a contented smile on his face.

“Uh, sir?” Bob, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. asked.

“She’s mine,” Tony said. “But ask nicely and I’ll see about introducing you to Elasti-Girl. She’s from the Doom Patrol.” He smiled again and muttered to himself “I’d let her patrol my doom.”

“That’s not really what I’m hear about, sir,” Bob, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. replied. “It’s about the Sentinels. The new ones.”

“The ones from China? Man, we got a great bargain on those.”

A man in a green bodysuit with large antennae walked across the back of the office, dressed in a robe and shower cap, and carrying a back scrubber.

“Yes,” Bob, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. said. “We have a problem.”

Tony Stark sighed. “Okay, so they’re not quite as high tech as the U.S.-made models.” Outside the window a Sentinel crashed into the building across the street, felled by the outlaw vigilante Dogwelder (real comic book character, I swear to god. He was in Hitman).

“That’s not it, sir” Bob, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. said. “It seems that China is having a recall on their Sentinels.”

“What?”

“Apparently the Sentinels were accidentally made out of asbestos, lead paint, and copies of the Garth Brooks Life of Chris Gaines CD. For safety concerns we need to ship them back. Otherwise someone could get hurt.”

One of the Sentinels grabbed Dogwelder, tore him in half, and then teabagged his corpse.

“Damn it,” Tony Stark swore. “Fine, send them back. Then tell my secretary that I want to see Jolt and Stargirl in my office. They’re still underage, right?”

“I… I think so, sir.”

“Excellent.”

Remember, kids, Tony Stark is still a likable heroic character!

251

This Bastard Universe: FRONTLINE

“Well,” Duela said, her back pressed against that of the Question, surrounded by these superhuman “policemen” calling themselves the Thunderbolts, “What can we do? All these weird people are surrounding us and that guy,” she pointed to Iron Fist, fighting off the large man kown as Recoome, “Can only handle one at a time I think, and there are at least two of them way out of our league…” She started to reach into her coat for a weapon, but a bullet whizzed past her hand, a warning to stay put. “Ummm… So what do we do?”

Vic looked around, four people surrounding them, two men, two women. A sniper somewhere on a rooftop, he was unarmed and Duela was scared. Iron Fist and Recoome were off to the side fighting, their powerful blows could be felt by everyone, at least the strongest one of the six was occupied. “That’s a good question,” he told her, his fists tightening. “We can either fight or surrender, and I don’t like that second option. Unless you see some other way out of this…”

“I wish I did,” she told him, “But my magic tricks stop at making doves disappear, not people.”

“Well, looks like there isn’t even a question to be asked, then,” he said. “You go right, I’ll go… Well, to my right. Think you can handle the oddly postured guy?”

“Think you can handle the ninja girl?” The two broke apart after a while, catching the Thunderbolts off-guard with their sudden movements, Duela going straight after the smallest of the bunch. Two shots rang out, hitting the ground near where they stood, meant for their hearts but a second too late. She kicked at the man in the white ceramic mask, going straight for his face, but he dodged tot he side, bending at an impossible angle to avoid the heel of her shoe. “You’re weird,” she told him before he grabbed her leg and throwing her over his shoulder in one swift motion.

“Indeed,” the man, Ragdoll, replied, as he rolled over to her, wrapping his limbs around the white-faced woman and immobilizing her, “But tell me, what good is a mismatched team of freaks without a wonderfully loveable oddball? And you have no idea how hard it is to maintain that position with the characters that go through the Thunderbolts.”

“I guess you’re right, I have an exploding penguin and a guy in a puke-green that talks to a stuffed doll to compete with, myself,” Duela told him, yanking up on her arm, trying to free herself unsuccessfully, “Wow, this is really tight. How about letting me go? Wouldn’t that be fun?” She couldn’t find a way out of his grip, and her faceless ally was busy hitting a tall red-haired woman with a hub cap. It wasn’t doing as much damage to her as one would think. “We can go off and be weird together!”

He stayed silent for a bit, pretending to think on the matter before squeezing her tighter. “No, I’m loathe to admit that I can’t do that.” A clearly faked look of sadness came over his eyes. “You see, it’s my mission to apprehend all unregistered costumes, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to have my feline friend Catman here knock you unconscious.” He pointed towards the muscular man in the orange, catlike costume with one finger, bent almost completely backwards with no trouble at all. “Sorry to be such a bother, but I simply can’t restrain her and knock her out at the same time…”

“Yeah, sure,” the man said, cracking his knuckles as he looked down at her. “Looks like another job well-”

And he was stopped by a pain between his legs as Duela kicked him as hard as she could with the one free limb she had (and even that took quite the struggle to get loose). “You know I really thought that the one time someone other than Ragdoll gets kicked in the crotch, it would be Deadshot,” Catman complained as he hobbled back, both hands on his nuts as his face contorted in pain.

Quickly, Ragdoll reached down to try and grab her leg, but as he shifted his own body, Duela freed her right arm, elbowing him in the side of his face. “Let go!” she shouted at him, but he fought against her attacks, bending his head back, down to his back, out of her reach. “Oh that’s just not fair!” Using the time she bought herself, however, she was able to grab her bouncing ball and hurl it at a nearby building, hoping to bounce it off the wall and into her captor.

“Oh no you don’t, Missy,” said Deadshot from the fourth floor window, holding up his gun and firing, hitting the ball off of it’s course.

Suddenly she found the grip the limber man had on her loosening, and the sound of a crash rang in her ears. A brick lay beside her, thrown by the Question to help her get out, and taking the opportunity, Duela quickly grabbed him and forced his arms and legs from her body, jumping to her feet and backing up. As Vic tried to get to her, he was intercepted by Scandal, jumping in the way and slashing at him with her bladed armbands. The harlequin tried to help him, to attack her, but as she began to move, a bullet hit the concrete at her feet, and slowly, Catman walked between her and the Question. “Alright, now that wasn’t very pleasant, lady…”

Soon he was joined by Ragdoll, both standing between her and the man in the blue coat, and to her right Iron Fist was busy being hit with a truck. She steeled herself, taking a deep breath. “Okay, but I have to warn you, I was taught how to fight by my daddy, so… So I’m about to kick your asses!”

“Oh?” asked the wiry man, crouching down like a beast ready to pounce, “And who might your father be?”

“The Playstation 2!” she shouted, reaching into her purple jacket and pulling out a small notebook and an inkpen. “Now, hold on a second…”

“Ummm… what the hell are you doing?”

“Oh,” she said, scribbling on one of the pages, “Every time I mention my daddy I’m supposed to write it down in here. It’s some kind of therapy or something, but I don’t really understand it…”

Catman looked down at his fellow Thunderbolt blankly. Ragdoll shrugged his shoulders - an exaggerated, almost cartoonish motion that would be impossible for any normal man. “I cannot in good conscience get in the way of the treatment of a mental illness…”

“You’re right,” the larger man replied, rubbing the back of his head with a gloved hand, “I mean, that’s just a really dick move, and it doesn’t look like some kind of weird weapon.”

“Oh, it’s not,” Duela told them with a smile as she tucked the pad back into her pocket, “It was just a notebook, no tricks. Now, this on the other hand…” She threw a handfull of six-sided die at their feet quickly, before they could react. Through each of the black markings on their sides, a dark, thick purple smoke sprayed out into the street quickly, covering the area and rendering the perched Deadshot useless. She ran into the heart of the haze and punched Catman as hard as she could in the jaw. “That was the trick!”

She twirled around on one foot like a ballerine, avoiding a retaliatory blow from Catman’s clawed fists. “Dammit, I’m blind in here, and it’s even messing up my sense of smell. How do you see in this stuff, girl?” He felt the back of her foot slam into the back of his neck, and stumbled forward, tripping over Ragdoll. “Seriously, how?”

“I… uhhh…” Duela threw a hard right hook, hitting absolutely nothing. “Actually… I can’t.”

252

KOS-MOS/Hideki Round 1, post 1

No, Hideki, Stark Industries Tower is this way. KOS-MOS said, gripping his shirtsleeve. Hideki gazed back at the wall of ice behind them, not really fighting the direction she chose for them.

Wow, Howd he do that? I mean, its a giant wall of ice, from nowhere! Hideki stammered. And giant robots? Who makes those? Why are they chasing me?

They are obviously not chasing you, a small, hispanic voice echoed from within the backpack held in one hand, You are nothing special. A small, orange head popped out of the bag, trying clumsily to realign its hat with one paw. It licked the side of the paw and smoothed out the hats long feather.

Who listens to this terrible music, nyaa? another cat-head popped up from the bag, wearing a human-sized set of iPod ear-buds, Does that kid really fight while listening to Linkin Park and Nickleback? Nyaa, someone thinks too much of himself

Hideki! KOS-MOS demanded, spinning him to face a giant metal monstrosity rounding the street corner ahead of them.

Another one? How many of these things are there? This isnt even fair! Hideki complained, shouldering the backpack as the orange cat hopped out and scurried to the ground. Puss-n-Boots walked, Bipedal, Hideki thought, Walking, talking cats, I should have stayed in Tokyo.

Leave this to me, my lovely young flower. Puss said, blowing a kiss to KOS-MOS. He hopped a few yards ahead and stared up at the approaching metal calamity-bot.

En garde, Puss began, slowly unsheathing his tiny rapier while lowering his hat brim dramatically with one claw along the edge. Past this point, you will not cross.

There was a loud rhythmic thumping as KOS-MOS charged forward, blowing past the cat, bending light around both of her hands. Using a car as a springboard, KOS-MOS leapt to the wall of a bank on the side of the road, jumping again toward the sentinel.

It swung at her mid flight; she used its own hand as her next push-off, a metallic scythe forming in her hands as she spun gracefully towards the sentinels face.

But, my love, I was to dispatch the brute for you! Puss called out as KOS-MOS latched her scythe into the robots forehead, slicing easily down through the torso and landing on the ground. The weapon disappeared as the chainguns took its place, rattling off a cacophonous roar as bullets widened the gap in the robot, and a line of explosions sent its bulk to either side of the street.

Hideki rushed forward, steeling himself for the time ahead. He grabbed Puss by the nape of the neck to much hissing. Puss swatted at him with the flat of his rapier, shrieking like a cornered alley cat.

G-good job KOS-MOS, Hideki began, Thank you.

Unhand me!

KOS-MOS pointed further into the city. Stark Tower is this way, we must go there and discover the reason for this attack. We must also make them stop sending these androids into the city.

Uh, yeah, Hideki agreed, That sounds like a good plan. Ow! Fine, go on the ground!

I will teach you a lesson for handling me so. En garde!

Hideki followed KOS-MOS quickly through the city streets, stopping only to pick up and carry a panting and apologetic cat several blocks later. Several times they hid in alleyways, or behind cars as the flashing lights of police cruisers swept past them.

Traveling for several minutes, they saw only two more sentinels, and from a distance, partially obscured behind a building. KOS-MOS simply made her way around them, choosing instantaneously the safest possible route toward their intended destination. Aside from the occasional complaint from the backpack about the poor quality of the chauffeur, their journey was made in silence.

As they rounded a corner to rejoin their original projected path, the noise of combat became much clearer. Hideki could see the blue-coated man with no face exchanging blows with a voluptuous redhead next to a patch of smoke full of angry voices.

Why would you do that? Someone from inside coughed, Whats with the smoke-pellets anyway? I have allergies!

Are you allergic to cats? A familiar voice called from the cloud, Because that would be high-larious considering the cat-woman outfit youre wearing.

Its Cat-MAN! Im a real superhero too!

Omigod I just remembered the funniest joke ever! Duela called amidst the sound of scraping metal. MANHOLE!

Huh? Whu- There was a painful thud and cracking sound, followed a second later by an echoed splash.

Hideki! KOS-MOS shoved Hideki to the side just as he felt air whirl past him, and a sting on his ear. Several blue hairs made a slow decent to the ground in front of him. Hideki felt at his ear, and his hand brought back blood.

I got shot? Hideki asked no one as KOS-MOS annihilated a nearby rooftop with machinegun fire, sending a man in a mask falling through a hole in the roof into the building below him.

KOS-MOS rounded on Hideki, watching as Puss-n-Boots mimicked his action, wincing as he touched the end of his severed hat-feather.

Dios Mio, I am wounded! It is all over for me

Hideki ignored the blood running down the side of his ear from the small nick in the cartilage. Are you alright, KOS-MOS?

I have sustained no damage. We must engage in combat now, my action in disabling the sniper have attracted the attention of the rest of his group. KOS-MOSs face did not alter as she held up her hand, white light disappearing it into the form of a sword.

Ahead, Hideki could see the cloud of smoke slowly vanishing, revealing Duela sending a strangely proportioned man reeling with a broken street sign. The Question looked to be on the winning side against his combatant until another black-haired woman joined her. Behind where the smoke had been, a large man in a yellow suit was back-slamming another giant man through the corner of a building.

We must destroy the enemy combatants to ensure the survival of all other ternity Numbers team-members. Use of lethal force has been approved. KOS-MOS began walking forward at a steady pace toward the war-zone.

Thats good, I guess, Hideki thought, approved by who?

253

(Crimson Flame~ Here I come to save the DAY~!)
[Lets Get Down to Business (Order Sols theme)- Daisuke Ishiwatari] {Guilty Gear XX Accent Core OST}

Kyo turned, slamming a flame-encased foot into the nearest attacking Sentinel, causing it to burst into flames. This was getting annoying. And it didnt help the fact that he was getting followed by more and more of the damned things, as many as he or that idiot took down, more would come after them.

Target acquired. Scanning database for known references

SHIT! The Kusanagi heir dove for cover, narrowly avoiding a blast by the scanning Sentinel. He had to shake this one before it realized who he was. Otherwise

No. Never again.

He shook his head. He wasnt going to let it turn out like that again. So many lives were ruined and destroyed by what those bastards did to him. He didnt want to repeat those events again, not now, not ever.

Target Identified as Kyo Kusanagi, heir to the Kusanagi-style martial arts and known A-class pyrokinetic. Risk assessment-

KURAE YAMATTE!! He yelled, summoning a large bout of flame at the robot before it could retaliate, promptly melting it. This was pure, unadulterated bullshit. He wasnt going to get captured, his power drained, or deported, dammit. It wasnt likely that they would be able to do the second, anywayunless they enlisted the help of someone like Ashbut even then, he wasnt going to let that fruitloop get the sacred katana that rested within his body. He nearly killed Chizuru when he took the mirror out of her and just tossed her aside like she was just a doll. He wasnt going to get away with itthat was something he promised.

Kyo then dodged another assault by the Sentinels and found himself nearing the scene where Duela had let off the smoke bomb in front of the two male members of the Thunderbolts. Eyes narrowing slightly because of the stuff, he stuck to the edges of the smoke that had been created and was nearly shot in the back by Deadshot when he brought a hand around, crimson flames trailing behind it, and promptly melted the bullet before it struck the Kusanagi heir. He turned with narrowed eyes toward where the sniper had fired, sending a stream of flame after him before nearly getting sliced.

Oi! He twisted around, sending one leg into the ribcage of the woman that had attacked him, glancing up to notice that the man known as The Question was in a bit of a jam. But before he was able to counter, another shot was fired, but it didnt hit him, surprisingly. It was aimed straight for the shoulder of Knockout, forcing the woman to howl in pain while clutching her shoulder.

Hey! Thought you could use some help! Leon Kennedy grinned a bit as he came upon the scene, and noting the annoyed look on Kyos face, he smirked slightly. Dont worry, Im not like Dante. I wont be a jackass about this. Hell, I probably wont even tell him.

where is that prick, anyway?

He went to go find the others. That rocket launch caused us all to scatter. So, youre Kyo Kusanagi from those King of Fighters tournaments that people watch? He was never really into the whole thing himself, but the guys at the station talked about it enough.

yeah, thats me. Kyo glanced over at Leons face before noticing his uniform. youre a police officer?

Er Leon looked slightly ashamed as he shot again, this time toward the rooftops, trying to root Deadshot out of the shadows. Well, yeah. Captain of the Homicide Division, to be precise.

Great. Do we have to worry about you turning us in to S.H.I.E.L.D., too?

Nah. Im actually the inside man for Dante outside of my actual duties. They havent even figured out how he and some of the other, more powerful metahumans have been able to escape their grasp. Leon then fired another round from the rifle before slamming his foot into the dazed-and-confused Catman.

Howd you meet the prick? Kyo asked as he slammed his fists into their attackers, growling a bit more. Such an annoyance.

Dante? BANG. Well, demon activity forced us to go to outside sources to eliminate them. Dante came here a few years ago and wowed the brass with his skillalthough, when they heard his price, they nearly cut him off. I was the only one besides him whos actually had experience in situations like that, but I was bogged down with paperwork every day because of those same incidents. I was also the one that convinced them to hire Dante in the first place.

How come, if they could get someone for cheaper?

I dunno, honestly. I guess its because I knew what it was like out there. I was a bounty hunter for a while before I came hereactually, Kyo, do you know about the incident in Raccoon City a few years ago?

Yeahsome virus broke out and mutated most of the population, turning them into zombies. He raised an eyebrow. Whyre you asking? I thought there werent any survivors from that incident.

Well, they wanted to keep it quiet in case someone would found out about what really happened down there, butthere are a small handful of us that survived, myself included. I was a rookie at their PD during the time. He reached out with one hand and swung the gun around again to fire, annoyed. I guess I somewhat feel for Dantes situation, although there are many things about it that I probably will never understand, especially about his own motivations for his job. BANG.

Hey! Dont let them get away! And grab that pyro-kid and the android!

DAMN! Kyo glanced over to Hideki and KOS-MOS, who were also in this screwy-ass situation, as they went forward to engage the enemy. Or, more like KOS-MOS went forward to engage while Hideki tried not to get himself killed.

Glancing upward, the brunette noticed a flash of yellow above them and growled a bit as he aimed for the two, trying to take Hideki out in one shot. Of course. That tactic. Take down the weak and stragglers in the group before taking on the stronger ones. Kyo rushed forward, even though he already knew that KOS-MOS wouldnt let anything happen to the other man, she needed to focus on clearing a path for them so that they could catch up to Dante and the others and continue to Stark Industries. OI! YOU IDIOTS WANT PYRO-BOY?! COME AND GET ME!! He yelled, sending a bout of flame at the Thunderbolts, in the classic style of his Yami Barai attack.

**Kyo Kusanagi **has reached where Duela, The Question, Hideki and KOS-MOS are engaging The Thunderbolts, and decides to come in and kick their asses as well. Leon Kennedy, who has left Dante to go back to the ternity Numbers to get the group ready to face the executives at Stark Industries, joins in the fight, taking a gunner/sniper approach to this situation.

Open for interaction.

254

I hate to be a bearer of bad news, but at this point it’s just formalizing what’s already become apparent and already been stated elsewhere. So as not to be misleading, I will provide direct quotes from main host Bowling Pin:

Apologies to everyone who signed up for TBU, and thank you for your time.

255

Is it too late for me to enter?