[Game Opening, Part 4 : Mission 2 - Fire the Arrow of War]

[stringmods]

Who: Jun Kuga, Theodore, Yamato, Ludwig, Elizabeth Middleford, Atsuro, Aoba, Urataros, Volstagg
Where: The Saggitarius Research and Development lab, wards C4 & B4.
Summary: Help defend the prototypes and barricade the labs.
Music: Castle of the Four Gods
Warnings: Combat! Action! Science!


The build itself seemed unimpressively gray, four stories tall, lacking in windows, and yet oddly cylindrical. There seemed to be some sort of commotion on the roof, but there wasn't much time to examine the exterior. Once the group had stepped close to the front door, they were almost immediately ushered up the emergency staircase, to the fourth floor. The lights within the R&D department were almost blindingly clinical, with many of them being backed up by black lights. The combination made the area a little jarring to stand around in, but it seemed the COMP glasses came in handy for that, cutting some of the dizzying effects.

The fourth-floor door was opened wide by an odd looking pixie, who seemed to regard the group coldly before gesturing them in. Behind her was a black-haired teen, no older than seventeen at most, frantically standing at a console and typing away. The room was completely white, littered with odd gadgets and glass enclosures straddling other computer terminals. The room seemed to be bustling with energy, even with the presumed lack of people in it. The pixie floated over to the teen, tapping him once on the shoulder to get his attention, before he spun around fast and harsh.

"Oh! Good, just barely in time, thank you..."

He dragged a gloved hand over his tired face, and gave a half-sort of bow. "My name is Ideo Hazama. I'm one of the head researchers..."


The screen behind him beeped, and he immediately turned back to it with a muttered curse. Seems he was going to be explaining the situation with his back turned, then! "The Anoli began their attack from the roof, breaking in to ward C4 first- we didn't expect them to be so daring. Several of our most potent prototypes are housed in B4, as well as here in D4." The labcoated teen gestured to the screen, and a map of the floor came up; it seemed to be in real time, showing blips for enemies and damaged doorwars. "Our first priority is to keep this area secure, while taking back B4. Once that is under control, we can push them out of C4, then pursue them to the roof if needed." As he spoke, Ideo gestured across the map without looking at his audience directly. He was probably not a people person anyway. "We cannot allow them to leave with the prototypes we have here...lives depend on this."

Finally, he turned back around, pointing to the doors labeled A4. C4, for the time being, seemed to be guarded by several imposing demons. Odd. "Reiko is in A4 right now, with the frontal assault force. The rest of our team is guarding the other emergency stairwells that lead downstairs. When you have cleared B4, my forces here will go through to C4 and meet you for a pincer attack. I would like to request that some of you stay here, in case we have trouble- everyone else, make your way to A4."


[OOC: As with every log like this, you are free to start your own sub-thread and have your characters stop swarms of monsters on your own. The place is being invaded by demons as well as Anoli! Don't forget to write your character's Persona awakening as well! Finally, here is a map, for easier comprehension!]

Comments

WARD D4

[putonagoodshow]

[OOC: All people who are standing by with Ideo, post under here! Thread amongst yourselves, or ask him questions- but be ready in case something bursts through...]

[drakenguard]

Well, this mission was a rather fast-paced one, wasn't it? Yamato wasn't in the mood to throw himself onto the front lines for people who he knew barely anything about, especially their agenda, so he decided to hover in the control room. It wasn't out of cowardice, Yamato had no problem in getting his hands dirty, he just preferred having some facts.

And Yamato felt that this would be the best way to fish for 'fact's. He decided to try and pull on one of his more shaky abilities, which was blending into a corner and pretending he didn't exist. He was more used to being the focus of attention and barking orders at people but...

Yamato wasn't in charge here, and he felt that sitting back and observing would be the wisest mood for now. Let one of the others flail in command. Yamato didn't necessarily need to be the leader to succeed in this.

He eyed the head researcher though. Hm, to interrogate him or not to interrogate him...

[putonagoodshow]

Once the teams had been divided up, with the projected majority heading in to A4, Ideo had kept himself busy with the terminal he was at for a while. At least, until he all but crumpled his torso on top of it- there was something sounding like a frustrated noise as he pillowed his head in his arms. The stress and lack of any sort of leadership qualities were all the more apparent at that point.

However, there was something Yamato might have found more pressing- the oddly-dressed pixie had made her way over to him, clipboard under her arm, and a cool expression on her face.

"Can I ask your name and age?" She took down the small pencil behind her ear, tapping the top of the clipboard. "I'd ask for a stress level tolerance, but..."

She glanced behind herself, at Ideo slowly pulling himself back up and going to work. His hair was just a mess, now.

"...you are at the very least more calm than Sir is."

Re: WARD D4

[reelsyouin]

Urataros swept his way right up behind Ideo, adjusting his glasses as he glanced up at the screen. As long as the others had A4 covered, he didn't mind hanging back a little. "Ideo-kun, was it? Mind telling me what these 'prototypes' are? Since we're risking ourselves to help save them."

What a shady-looking building. It needed a more feminine touch.

[putonagoodshow]

Ideo nearly jolted from the console, but turned and nodded to Urataros almost immediately. And then...made sure to back up some for more space. Kid had a personal bubble the size of a volvo.

"Many of our prototypes we test here are related to demons. Gemini, for the most part, is where shadow research occurs." He tapped his earpiece, relaxing a little thanks to having something to discuss. "We're currently working on adapting demon taming technology through COMPs- this could be a disaster if the Anoli got hold of it."

[canteachyoumore]

Theodore is much more a lover than a fighter, so he delegates himself to staying within the bounds of D4 in order to protect what was surely one of the most important people in the building. If this Reiko person was leading an attack, then they could very well handle themselves and he can respect that!

But he feels much better with standing in one room and keeping his guard up in case of an attack. Protector is an appropriate title for him.

... Of course, it was also quite stifling not knowing the details of the entire thing, so he'll be close by Ideo and asking him questions. To pass the time.

"What are the Anoli, exactly?" The resident's genuinely curious they sound like a Crawling Chaos bunch.

[reelsyouin]

Urataros looked Theodore up and down, taking in the face and the blue (!!!) outfit. Then he heaved a sigh.

"Should I blame fate? Or my own luck? There are hardly any ladies in this group at all." Ordinarily, he'd have liked to pass the time with some pleasant conversation, but the mood in here was so serious.

[putonagoodshow]

Ideo didn't look up from his work, save the briefest of glances in Theo's direction.

"The Anoli believe those with Potential are the next step in human evolution- and that those who do not have persona abilities should be wiped out. I suspect they are just simple power-hungry thugs."

This time, he actually looked at Theodore for longer than a second.

"You're a velvet attendant, aren't you?"

[endears]

Unsurprisingly, Aoba had chosen to stay away from the front lines. While he was no stranger to getting stuck in with the rest of the Squares back home, he'd always done his best work away from the action (his undeveloped physique was probably the reason for that, in all honesty). Besides, where's the sense in throwing himself into this when plenty of other people are up for it?

So yeah, he's doing his best 'youthful idiot' impression right now, pacing nervously and so on. He does his best to size everyone up, before eventually moving on to talk to Ideo.

"Um... Could you tell us more about the prototypes, Hazama-san?" There's never a bad time to fish for information!! "I'm not really sure what kind of work is done here."

[putonagoodshow]

Hopefully, you don't mind if he works while he talks. And also doesn't hold eye contact.

"This floor is exclusively used for research and testing involving our DDS-COMPs. Civilian-grade technology that would allow those without personas to defend themselves by allying with demons." He pursed his lips momentarily, tapping his own COMP glasses on to supplement whatever he was doing on the console. "We had just entered the testing phase when politics got involved. As such, our research has been halted, and we haven't made any further headway. The Anoli must have gotten impatient...this technology could be horrible in the wrong hands."

[oathofdevotion]

She's quite honestly out of her league at the moment, even acting as a simple guard like this. In London it was unheard of for a girl like her to be out and about wielding rapiers like a boy, but the people all around her hadn't even so much as batted an eyelash at her about her abilities. If anything they had expected it, and really they had been more surprised she was from the 19th century than the fact that she knew how to sword-fight.

She felt even more out of her time, realizing that.

But Lizzie means to press on, and is trying her best not to let on how uneasy she feels, instead glancing around at all the incredible technology she was surrounded by.

[putonagoodshow]

"Don't worry. Nothing here is dangerous."

A tiny finger tapped the girl on the shoulder, the labcoated pixie fluttering close by with her clipboard.

"Name, age, and...you're not from a modern time period, I assume?" All said with the same, detached and professional tone.

[canteachyoumore]

Theodore watches her for a moment, then scoots closer to talk. He knows what it's like to be out in a world you've never experienced before.

"It may take some getting used to, but I assure you that not every room is so filled with technology such as this. Most are quite bare." Well, Minako's room had been bare. So that's his basis. But he's trying to keep his mind off of the demons basically circling above their heads and perhaps comfort her the best he can. "And we are quite safe here as well."

[endears]

There's a quiet cough behind Lizzie, from a boy that looks about her age. Okay, while he's a little nervous himself, his pride as a man demands that he do his best to cheer up this girl!

Except it's a little hard to figure out how to do this and suddenly he's incredibly nervous. Isn't a bit awkward to try comforting a girl out of the blue like this? He should probably introduce himself first!

So, after that little struggle, Aoba'll smile lightly.

"Ah, hey. Are you doing alright?"

Re: WARD D4

[jundere]

Being a glorified? bodyguard back home meant it was probably best for Jun to stand back and wait with this Ideo guy. She slumped against the wall nearby and balanced her katana's hilt on her palm; trying to keep it standing tall almost like a plate spinner.

After about three seconds the sword falls to the floor and she picks it up quickly - this time neglecting to pull off any more fancy tricks.

She took a look around at the others who stayed behind and sighed. It was pretty tense in this place...

"Hey, don't tell me I'm the only one who feels a bit awkward sending people to a ward named C4."

It wasn't so much a conversation starter so much as an attempt to lift the almost heavy and frantic mood of the mission. She was doing her best to use her own talents, cut her some slack.

[putonagoodshow]

"Actually, the explosive material we have is stored in this room."

Ideo didn't even miss a beat typing to deliver that line.

"I wanted to have the explosives 'B4' 'C4', but...I didn't think anyone would appreciate the wordplay."

......ideo wordplay doesn't work so well when you say it out loud

Re: WARD D4

[reelsyouin]

Urataros pushed up his glasses. "Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine. Most of them looked like they've handled this kind of situation before. Besides, if there's trouble, we can go back them up."

He was actually pretty relaxed. Maybe a little too relaxed, considering they were under attack by people he'd never even heard about before today. "Is you sword all right?"

WARD A4

[notifwhen]

Beyond the doors to A4, things were much more chaotic compared to the clean, white walls of D4. A group of the special defense force and a dark-haired girl in a lab coat were currently facing off against a band of humans in dark suits and angry demons.

The girl could be recognized as the one from the holograph. She turns to the group as they enter, and she's happy to see them; it seems she may be the only one among the current assault force that can use a Persona, as none of the troops in suits have the flame insignia.

"Thank goodness you made it!"



"The Anoli have already occupied B4 and C4. The best we could do was cut them off before they reached D4! We have to stop them here and take back the rest of the sectors, and quickly!"

The explanation is short, as there's simply no time for it amidst the fighting. Reiko quickly turns back around and heads back towards the heat of the battle, accompanied by one demon that doesn't seem to have been agitated.

It seems she'll be unavailable for questions until the Anoli have left this sector, but she and her demons will be ready to assist anyone in trouble.

[OOC: All people who are moving on to A4 with Reiko post here! As always, thread amongst yourselves and feel free to NPC some of the opposition yourself. Once A4 has been secured, the next part of the mission will go up.]

Re: WARD A4

[the_voluminous]

"Ho, tiny science mortal!" Volstagg skids to a stop, a hand on his helm to keep it on straight. The effect is probably akin to a lightish-red avalanche stumbling to a halt. "I, Volstagg, am-" He pauses as one of the dark-suited men takes a swing at him with a sword. He grabs it, slaps the man silly with the back of his hand, and continues on like nothing happened. "-Am here to end your battles! Fear not, the Lion of Asgard is with you!"

...Was anybody even listening? They weren't, were they?

With a long-suffering sigh, Volstagg draws his sword and lets out a bellow as he charges... Well, more wades into the fight. The men, he ignores unless they attack him first, fighting mortals is no challenge. No, Volstagg heads straight for the demons.

[blitzkriegzwei]

The sound of a familiar, booming voice clued Ludwig into the fact that he was on the same team as the man he met in the introductory meeting. "Good to see you're taking point!" he called out as he watched the big man wade his way into the sea of enemies. "I'll back you up!" This man seemed like a reliable warrior, and if he was handling melee, then Ludwig could help with ranged attacks from his gun.

[blitzkriegzwei]

Frontal assault was one of Ludwig's specialties. He could have done a protective mission just as well, but given the technology and other things at stake in this mission, he felt that he ought to work on stopping the terrorists before they made it any further. Immediately, he began to bark out his orders. "If you're not capable of taking point, you shouldn't have come here! If you are not capable of taking point, retreat to D4! If you are, be ready to attack! We're already in the middle of a sea of terrorists and demons!" He began to advance towards a group of baddies, his gun raised and ready to fire.

[otakuro]

He'd chosen frontal assault.

Despite the adrenaline pumping anew through his body, Atsuro was tired. Plucked straight from the final battle against Babel after running the gamut of every demon lord in hell, he wasn't sure he had the energy for another sustained fight. The enthusiasm he had shown back in the hall had been almost as much show as it had been genuine excitement; if there was anything he had learned from his ordeal, it was to smile through even the worst of his nightmares.

But there hadn't been a choice to lie back and rest. Out of the crowd of people gathered in the hall, precious few had any experience with demons, he knew. And from his conversation with Yu, he was pretty sure he would know exactly what type of demon to expect.

He wasn't disappointed.

Atsuro holds his COMP out in the palm of his hand and takes a breath.

"Badb Catha! Get us closer. Laksmi! Watch our backs!"

With two brilliant flashes as intense as lightning strikes, two more demons join the scene. The raven caws and flits around the boy and the goddess; in an instant, Atsuro and his team were beside one of the closer Anoli.

His fist is already flying towards the enemy's masked face even before he reappears.

WARD D4- Under Attack!

[stringmods]

The relative peace in Sector D4 is suddernly interrupted by the noise of an emergency siren and an announcement, sounding throughout the entire building.

"SECURITY ALERT. SECURITY ALERT. UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL DETECTED IN B4. DDS VAULT SECURITY COMPROMISED. SECURITY ALERT..."

The message continues repeating. The group in D4 would have little time to ponder the meaning, however. As the sirens continued, the door to C4-- previously guarded by demons and an odd barrier-- exploded, knocking the demons and anyone unfortunate to stand too close out of he way, as a group of black-suited men swarmed into the room.

Ideo finally peeled himself from the consoles he'd been working at, eyes wide as Anoli began to push through the smoking doorway. He didn't really have much choice, did he...?

He shot forward towards the flood of enemies, raising his arm high and then twisting his wrist, while snapping his gloved fingers. Immediately after, a massive figure hovered overhead, blanketing Ideo completely with it's presence. The figure raised it's clawed hands, and one of the Anoli soldiers was coated in a black mist before collapsing without any more resistance.

"We have to stop them, now!"

It wasn't a nervous or careful chat this time. He was giving an order.

[jundere]

"Ideo!"

Jun barely had time to shout anything else when she saw something above Ideo. That was probably his persona, right? It sure looked creepy to her. She doubted that was the only reason he hadn't wanted to call it out, though.

More importantly; whatever happened to saying she would make sure he didn't have to summon that thing? She'd have to apologise later and leave him to it. For now, she clicked her tongue in irritation before running to engage the nearest enemy.

...Maybe she should have been using both of her swords from back home, instead of the single blade she had been given earlier. No time to change just now, though.

[canteachyoumore]

Theodore was always good at taking orders, and with a snap of his wrist he opened his Compendium to Metatron's page, touching the edge of the picture warily. He didn't want the merciless Persona to kill what it'd surely consider as evil demons, despite their human form and minds, but there was little choice in the matter.

He had to protect (Master) Ideo as well as the newbies, and the technology in the room was on his mind as well. As one of the Anoli made their move towards him, he reached to pull Metatron's card out of his book and was met with a burst of power instead as the Persona was summoned by necessity. Metatron raised a fist and struck near the enemy, causing the Anoli to fly back a little's way and others becoming startled by the attack Theodore recognized as Atom Smasher. Very good.

"If you are new, please stand back and allow me to demonstrate how to control one's Persona." Confident and dangerous, Theodore and Metatron light a burst of flame at the door to ward off reinforcements. Not that it'd hold for long, but it's something. He's taking questions as well.