Phase 3: Mission 153

[soul_mods]

Characters: Grand Canyon mission goers, victims, medics
Location: Grand Canyon
Rating: R
Time: Feb 5, 2009, mission starts at dawn
Description: Event links list.


The scouts had done their jobs well and the mirror deposits its travelers just at the end of the area Shibusen has closed off as their mission target. It's still dawn, the sun barely visible over the horizon. The witches hasn't noticed them there yet, the scouts say, so it's still possible to take them by surprise.

This is what the agents are told: In the rock face of the Grand Canyon is a cavern system made up of many small caves and three large ones. The large caves contain a kishin egg pit, the kidnapped agents and civilians, and what appears to be a machine at one end. There are about five dozen zombies crawling the area, and an equal number of ants, spiders, and ravens on top of it.

Worst of all, the scouts report that they had sighted a few of the agents patrolling for the Witches. The scouts hadn't been certain if these ones had soul perception or other abilities, and had given the area as much space as they could in order to avoid an early confrontation. Still, it's bad news and it looks like a fight with some of the kidnappees themselves is inevitable.

Not much time is given to the agents after the briefing before they're being ushered into place. A few scouts are going to be causing a commotion some distance away to distract the familiars and zombies, clearing a path for the agents. After that, it's all up to them.


[ooc: Just put up your own threads with the subject line [Characters][Feeding Cave/MMM Cave/Kishin Egg Pit/Elsewhere][Open/Close]
Kidnappees can go thread in the caves while waiting for the rescuers, too.
For those who want to thread with a witch, please add it in the subject line so we know where to go!
This day change will be one week irl.
The mirror will stay open for anyone who needs to be rushed back to the medics.
For those handwaving, please put your summaries here for the meister points and soul tally record.]

Comments

[dead_black_eyes]

"You're wrong," L said quietly, taking advantage of Mello's sudden confusion to pull himself up to his knees. His ears still rang, his cheek stung something fierce, but it could have been so much worse. He could have lost an eye. He could have lost one, or both, of his successors.

"You're wrong, but that's OK. You're just going to have to try to trust me on that... because for all the times I wasn't there, for all the times I couldn't be there, I'm here now."

He embraced Mello, pressing his chest against the other man's back and very, very strategically holding down Mello's arms with his own. He squeezed tightly, a firm, solid, reassuring hug, even as his arms became chains, wrapping Mello up safely in a makeshift straight jacket. Complete with cuffs at the wrists.

[silicomb]

This was not Sollux's place. This was not Sollux's business, not the time for him to be there and listening in on their own personal dirt. It's shameful. It's embarrassing. It's mortifying that when the attack unleashes, he actually breaths that stupid sigh of relief that it isn't a direct offensive. He came to save Mello and Near, not beat the former senseless with the broad side of the latter.

"Is that it?" His question could be for Near, just as it could be for any one of the assembled; he's not really certain himself.

Yet despite the situation, he's stepping forward, cubic Weapon held out like a ward even if he could do without the unpleasant prickle and scratch of resonation. L had it in control, right? Mello wouldn't pull shit now, right? He could let go of this resonation and its accompanying discomfort like it never happened, couldn't he?

[cardfortress]

He could tell it was working, but they weren't out of danger just yet: they had to restrain Mello in a way that would really work in the long term.

We aren't done yet, Near replied, doing his best to remain focused on his attack while gradually becoming more aware of their surroundings. His confused state will only last while I keep this up. The moment I end it or turn back into my body, he will be back to what he was before we interfered.

He had to keep this up as long as his own strength allowed him to; their lives were at risk but so was Mello's, and Near didn't want to hurt him despite everything that had happened in the past few days.

If he snaps out of his confusion, he will lash out and be just as destructive as before, he kept on explaining, needing Sollux to understand just how important their temporary resonance was. We need to keep him under control for now.

[want_the_world]

Mello was shocked into immobility at the embrace, but the moment he realized what L's true purpose was, he tried to fight, despite the confusion still engulfing him. He tested the strength of the cuffs with a vicious tug that threatened to dislocate his shoulders, to no avail.

Sollux was using Near as his Weapon, and that was wrong, he was Mello's, and no one else's, Mello's to play with, to use, as Near had tried to use him in their world. His to kill, when the time was right, because that meant winning, once and for all, the final end to their rivalry.

"Stop it!" he snarled at Sollux and Near, not sure what he was doing, only that it was clearly their fault that Mello was suddenly unable to hold onto his thoughts, that they ran away from him like the tide going out.

"They'll kill us all anyway, don't you know?" Quieter now, more resigned. He couldn't formulate an argument as to why they should let him go, but he could say why it didn't matter in the long run. The witches, they'd done something-- he reached for the thought and lost it almost immediately. And it didn't matter. If he was dead twice over already, he sure as fuck wasn't going down without a fight. He began to try to stand, to drag L with him, slow and laborious and probably futile.

[dead_black_eyes]

L winced slightly at the sudden jerk; it was always very strange, the way the metal pulled against the place where it became comparatively fragile flesh and bone. But he'd gotten used to his Weapon form enough to know his limits, and he was well within his ability to restrain Mello. His successor wasn't weak, but L's advantages were in height and in leverage. While Mello probably could have lifted him easily, if he'd been willing or even unconscious, L was actively working to keep him from getting to his feet, holding him down, using his legs as well as his arms. The whole process was strenuous and tiring, but Near was aiding by keeping that attack going strong, Sollux was helping by wielding him. He could maintain this for... well, hopefully as long as it needed to be maintained.

Unfortunately, it meant leaving Mello and himself vulnerable to attacks from others in the Kishin Chamber.

A shrill laugh sounded just over L's shoulder. Someone had left the main battle... he couldn't tell whether it was a witch or not, but she certainly wasn't going to do anything nice to them, with that curved blade.

His options were scarce and appalling. If he and Mello died here, Near could still escape. He drew what he fully expected to be his last breath.

*slides on in here*

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura's worry over the fate of his friend had only deepened as he, Vash and Light had gone in circles in the cave system, winding ultimately back at the mirror; a mixed blessing that had allowed them to send Light back to Death City before the partnered duo hurried back into the caves once more.

It was only by chance that Bakura had heard the scraps of yelling and the soft echoes of a familiar voice. But the relief at having found his friend was cut short as they arrived at the same time as the attacking monster.

"Look out!"

Bakura only spared the brief seconds needed to yell the warning before transforming into his die form, Vash aiming as he rolled to send out the wave of white energy that would harmlessly wash through the Guests in the room if they happened to be in its path to slam into the cackling monstrosity.

It let out a pained and indignant shriek as it was knocked back, but not defeated.

"Hurry up and get back to the mirror, we'll cover you!" Vash called to the group as he and Bakura readied for another shot.

[silicomb]

Keep it up or risk all their lives, of course. No pressure whatsoever. A perigree ago, Sollux might have buckled under the weight of possibility alone, but here and now, sightless and desperate, he hasn't felt as alive since his last, blinding fight.

"He needs out of it is what he needs," he says, in between the screeches of the thing and the shouts of someone new, someone strange. Too much going on but he couldn't turn away just yet. Mello needed this. Hell, they all did, this temporary and shitty little resonance, and Sollux holds it as best he can even when his shoulders hunch up, defensive against the rush of energy at his back and the unseen danger lurking in the chamber they were in.

"Mirror, that's right. We need the fucking mirror." But how could he transport three fully fucking grown humans on his own?

This was stupid.

[cardfortress]

No no no, this shouldn't be happening, Mello should be too confused to even be able to speak properly, much less snarl and struggle against L! Near didn't know if it was his resonance with Sollux, his own exhaustion, the fact that he was attacking his own Meister or perhaps something else, but his confusion attack wasn't as effective as it usually was. Mello was still too coherent and thus dangerous, given the current circumstances, when the only guarantee of safety was to have him completely restrained.

And then that shrill laughter echoed inside the cave, and Near felt the all too familiar coldness of fear-- But then someone came along and helped them, told them to make their way back to the mirror, and Near dared to hope that they would make it out of this alive.

We will need another way to restrain him soon, he finally said to Sollux through their resonance, his tone firm. They had to hold their ground, no matter how much they cared about Mello's well-being. The confusion attack isn't enough to hold him back, and I don't know for how long I will manage to keep it working.

[want_the_world]

Someone new was yelling about the mirror, and no, damn it, Mello wasn't going to lose. But time was running out, the opportunity was slipping through his fingers.

Rage scythed cleanly through the confusion, leaving him stunned by the clarity of his thoughts. The white-haired bastard's resonance with the troll was slipping. Reinforcements of some sort had arrived.

Sollux was using Mello's own Weapon against him.

If he didn't act on impulse, right now, they'd realize he'd come back to his senses, and the moment would be lost.

He threw his head back hard, staggered with L at the impact. But L's hold on him was failing, and Mello wrenched himself free, lunged for Sollux and Near. He didn't give a shit how he did it, he was determined to knock the cube out of the troll's hand.

[dead_black_eyes]

Their position was a compromised one, and though L's hold on Mello was firm, he couldn't exercise that same straight jacket-like effect on every part of his successor.

Without warning, the back of Mello's head (thick, hard bone) smashed into L's temple (thin bone, artery near the surface of the skin, weakest part of the skull). Taking a blow to the face would have been preferable. Had L known it was coming, had L not turned his face toward Bakura, the blow would probably have broken his nose. But he didn't even have time to register fully what had happened as sparks shot off behind his eyes, and just like that he'd slipped to the floor as Mello broke free, cheek against the dusty ground and eyes half-closed.

His arms were definitely not chains anymore. One was under him, the other limp at his side. That one, especially, felt alarmingly strengthless. And then there was nothing, just a period of thick darkness that L couldn't stave off.

[shiromadoushi]

There was nothing Bakura could do but focus on his and Vash's own battle. He was already tired and low on energy, he couldn't spare the focus to pay attention to what was going on behind them until the... thing, they were fighting suddenly changed direction, lurching for the freshly KOed Weapon for the easy kill.

Vash lunged, Bakura's attack blasting out again to knock the creature back and hopefully out for good. Thankfully, L was light and Vash was easily able to sling him over his shoulder.

[silicomb]

Something is wrong. Something is wrong wrong wrong. The attack wasn't working. Mello wasn't calming down or stopping his vendetta to kick all their asses into next week and they were still all there in that shitty fucking chamber and nowhere near getting closer to the fucking mirror. Something's wrong and he's about to ask Near about it, encourage him or yell at him or fucking plead with him not to drop the goddamn resonance when he hears it; a crack and the telltale crash of a body hitting the ground at top speed.

Well, shit.

"What's going on?!" Alarm, it isn't a pretty thing when he's on the receiving end of it and when he can feel his resonance cracking the way it is. Too jittery, too dubious. Shit shit shit that noise, was that--

"Fuck--!"