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Post by ebonyviper on Sept 11, 2008 23:34:35 GMT -5
"Have the cars gotten there yet?" Delfina asked Veronica.
*****
Ebony watched as the vabors lifted up. She hoped that the spirits had all been released and no longer held down.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 12, 2008 0:11:01 GMT -5
"They're at the fence line." Veronica replied. "Kamui just released the spirits they were holding in the coins. Speaking of which, it's just about time to let you off."
Daniel was securing a line inside the helo's cabin for a descent to the ground.
Kamui held her breath while she looked around, not seeing the SUV guards in sight. Slowly, she began to crawl in, seeking the darkest shadows in which to hide.
Zoe flapped her wings once or twice to indicate her location, which was as close as possible to Stephanie's cell.
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Post by ebonyviper on Sept 12, 2008 0:21:57 GMT -5
"And probably not a moment too soon either," said Delfina as she felt the descent.
*****
Ebony followed as quietly as she could as well, her black paint helping her to blend in with the shadows, making her a shadow herself. She was glad for this natural ability of hers.
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Post by Insane Pirate Dragon on Sept 12, 2008 0:52:02 GMT -5
Phoenix kept quiet, picking her way behind the Viper, her own signature blocked, keeping her powers dormant for the moment.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 12, 2008 0:57:19 GMT -5
<<< Last post >>>
Wu Xian was feeling a little on edge as she proceeded with her next step. She wanted the child to be calm and biddable when she awoke. She summoned one of her two silent forklift servants, handing one a choker-like strap with a silver medallion. "Attach this to the child's neck." The servant went over to the mesh cell and started to open the door...
Veronica, still swathed in her sound-suppressing spell, descended to treetop level and hovered while the humans lowered themselves to the ground on the line.
Kamui lay low as she saw shadows flicker inside the house... "Just about showtime."
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Post by ebonyviper on Sept 12, 2008 11:37:14 GMT -5
The subtle sound of the door opening to her cage awoke Stephanie and she instantly sat up in her makeshift bed, wondering what was going to happen to her this time.
*****
Delfina also used to rope to lower herself to the ground, resisting the urge to use a hovering spell, with the others. That would have to be surpressed until she needed it later. She was glad, though, when her feet lightly hit the ground below.
She waved her hand to the others to follow her to the compound where her daughter was.
*****
Ebony crouched low, her eyes narrowed and readying her spikes. She was like a cat waiting to spring and attack with her claws.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 12, 2008 16:23:33 GMT -5
"Easy, little one." Wu Xian spoke in dulcet tones, "We're just going to put this little trinket on. It won't hurt a bit."
Kamui halted as the outlines of Wu Feng and one of his men came into view. In spite of the tension, she was grinning. "I got your comeuppance right here, buckos." Her blade fan crackled with faint blue energy as she advanced with a high-pitched yell and the SUV's turned. Then, they received a bright, blinding flare of light that hurt their dark-adapted eyes.
From the other side, Aron and Daniel broke the windows and tossed in flash-bangs to add to the surprise. Zoe and Lenore flew in through the opening, careening madly about the room. The latter snatched the choker from the forklift's limbs, clutching the prize in its beak. The former morphed into human shape and crouched in the open doorway of the mesh cell, activating a monofilament blade the length of a Roman sword. Her pale hazel eyes asked the question: Do you want a piece of me?
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Post by ebonyviper on Sept 12, 2008 17:05:40 GMT -5
Stephanie backed up into the corner, curling up to try to protect herself. She was now scared of everything that was now happening.
Delfina threw a fireball with enough power to blow out the wall. Smoke rose from the crumbled debris, giving her cover to enter inside the compound producing another fireball in her palm.
Ebony hissed, baring her teeth at one of the SUVs. Her spikes were also out. She was also willing to fight as well.
Phoenix pulled up next to the Viper, a fireball appearing on her antenna.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 12, 2008 18:38:35 GMT -5
The SUV whirled about, withdrawing a weapon from its well in an attempt to bring it to bear on the Viper. His twin came charging in from the other side, snarling.
Wu Feng, still recovering from the light flare, made a desperate charge at Kamui, who shifted deftly out of the way like a matador just evading the bull. Her blade fan seared at his side, and he howled.
Zoe slashed with the monowire blade as the forklifts attacked with unnatural swiftness, forks razor-sharp and gleaming. What where these creatures? Their fork tines and parts of their frames and casings littered the floor as the blade went through them like butter, but then seemed to dissolve into vapour, leaving only scorched coins in their place.
Wu Xian faced Delfina, Aron and Daniel with diamond-hard eyes. "I really cannot stand people who don't accept the inevitable."
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Post by ebonyviper on Sept 12, 2008 19:02:00 GMT -5
Phoenix snapped her antenna and threw her fireball at the SUV that was charging at Ebony, "I got your back, Ebs."
"Thanks, Ebs," the Viper answered and quickly whirled and catch the weapon that the other SUV drew on her, knocking it out of his grip, "I don't think so, you moron."
"And I really can't stand people who kidnap my daughter and use her for some sick, evil purpose!" snarled Delfina as she charged up her fireball and threw it at Wu Xian. Her eyes glowed red with unnatural anger.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 12, 2008 19:40:12 GMT -5
The SUV, not put off just yet, continued his charge at Ebony, assuming that she was just some ricer punkette and the blades were just for show. He had met such types, and disposed of them handily. His partner swerved as the fireball scorched him, and made the classic SUV mistake of trying to make a tighter turn than his center of gravity would allow, sending him rolling over into the fence, coming to rest against a post where he continued to lie, groaning.
Wu Feng and Kamui continued to whirl and dodge, trading strikes. He was peppering her with small spirit-balls that exploded against her blade fan's field. Finally, she saw an opening and sent a whopper of a charge directly at Feng's rear quarter. He gasped as the strike effectively crippled his left rear wheel and glared at Kamui as she drew nearer.
"Buddy," she intoned soberly, "You're a phony. You enslave the spirits of others to do your dirty work. You're a disgrace to all users. Now the free ride is over." She muttered something and flourished the blade fan again. The remaining spirit-balls in Feng's possession crumbled, and vapors rose skyward. "Who were they, Senor Fancybutt? Political prisoners? People who got in your way? It doesn't matter now. They're free."
Some of the vapors did not continue on to the sky... instead, they doubled back and converged on the screaming SUV, enveloping him in glowing plasma. He screamed as he was reduced to energy and carried away by them.
"My grandson!" Wu Xian screamed. Her split-second distraction proved to be her undoing as Delfina's fireball caught her in the face, burning it along one side. At this point, her survival instincts kicked in and she bolted through the wall opening, through the gaps in the fence and into the pitch-dark forest. The SUV that Phoenix had taken on retreated in her wake. The sound of blades and jet engines in the night sky above indicated that Shayla and Veronica were out to mop up the fugitives.
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Post by ebonyviper on Sept 12, 2008 20:05:13 GMT -5
"These are real, cold steel, Sweetheart," growled Ebony as she thrust her spikes in the way of the charging SUV, watching them jam into his side, "and awful, real pain. Feel it."
Phoenix saw Wu Xian and the other SUV that she had hit with her fireball running away, but knew that they would be taken care of. Instead, she returned to Ebony's side as the Viper was fighting the SUV.
"Want me to finish him, Ebs?" asked the Trans Am.
"No, I'll do it," answered Ebony as she thrust her spikes into the already damaged side of the SUV, adding more pain to his injuries.
Delfina also saw Wu Xian flee into the woods, and, in truth, wanted to go after her, but remembered her main priority was her daughter. She walked toward the mesh cage and went inside, finding Stephanie huddled in the corner.
Kneeling down beside her, she touched the girl's shoulder, "Steph, it's okay. I'm here."
Stephanie glanced up, smiles replacing tears, and hugged her mother tightly, "Mom!"
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 12, 2008 20:30:07 GMT -5
Sydney moved around the perimeter, securing the rolled-over SUV and making sure that there were no other nasty surprises about. "Thank Chrysler. I might not have been on the job that long, but I know how these things go already. The Chinese government will probably disavow and deny any links with all involved and wash their treads of it. We won't get much satisfaction there. But we left a mark on them, and they likely won't trouble you again."
Aron, Daniel and Zoe moved about the perimeter as well, making sure that the enemy were either gone or subdued.
The SUV Ebony had spiked had no more fight in him, and collapsed in a heap.
Zoe picked up her radio as it beeped her. "Seth is coming." She dashed off to set up flares in the adjacent meadow, with Daniel following.
Kamui looked over at Ebony and Phoenix. "One thing about Soul Traders... they can be bad one-on-one, but a sustained attack by several users usually puts the run to them. They take all their power from those captive spirits. They have nothing themselves."
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Post by ebonyviper on Sept 12, 2008 20:43:15 GMT -5
Ebony pulled her spikes out of the fallen SUV with a huff. "Hmph. Stupid foreign governments... I just wanna be done with this..."
Phoenix snuffed out her next fireball, which she was going to use to help out Ebony, and pulled next to the Viper.
Slowly, out of the opening, walked two figures. Delfina, holding Stephanie by the hand, passed through to the outside. "How about we all go home," suggested the woman.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 12, 2008 21:31:22 GMT -5
"Good idea." Sydney sniffed disdainfully at the remains of the compound. "All I want is a nice, long hot wash to get the stink of this place and these people off me." She paused as Lenore alighted on her rear spoiler and re-entered her little roost. "Guess I'm not the only one."
Seth, guided in by the flares, set down carefully in the clearing. The dawn light was starting to come up on the eastern horizon, outlining treetops. Shayla and Veronica returned to the vicinity, having caught up with and subdued Wu Xian and her "henchman". The local branch of the fed would apprehend them in short order, and dismantle what was left of the compound, which by local and federal land use laws was not supposed to be here anyway.
Aron waved to the gyrodyne as the ramp came down. "All aboard."
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