7 Sins IC

[velvetWing]

Xiren doesn't find herself particularly reassured by Aoba's casual dismissal of the situation - somehow she doubts the Commander has such a laissez-faire attitude toward it. Where is he, anyway...?

Xiren delicately extends a hand toward Ryall. "I'd say you've more than earned it."

As the nominal MC of the evening - though it's clear the proceedings have spiraled rather out of her control by this point - she judges it appropriate for her to begin the next dance, so she gently pulls Ryall to the center of the room and starts a rather uncomplicated two-step, hoping the others will follow her lead. Up until now, Xiren hasn't taken much of an interest in her fellow pilots; less from any aversion to them (well, except Carmen) and more because she's simply been occupied with her duties. But she can't help but feel rather more intrigued by the lot of them after tonight - particularly the odd, stubborn girl that now has her hand around Xiren's waist. "I've been wondering... Why exactly did you step in for me like that? Not that I'm complaining, of course, but I've never had someone act that, er, passionate on my behalf before."

[Elfbird]

Liza leads Envy out to the dancing area after Xiren and Ryall. A two-step is about all she could manage herself, so good on Xiren for setting the bar low.

She faces Envy, raising their right hand in her left, placing her right on their left shoulder blade. She closes her eyes and breathes for a moment, listening for the beat of the music. A memory of dancing with her father, when she was just a little girl...

I guess I have to take the lead this time. Papa, are you watching me now? Or did God make you a prisoner of war up there?

She sighs, chasing the memory away, then reopens her eyes to make contact with her partner. Her warm smile hasn't faded.

"Feel the music. Come with (listen to) my body. Look at my face. Ready? One, two, one, two, one, two..."

She starts by bobbing at the knees in time with the music, to get the beat into her body and give Envy something to follow. She'll then try small, heavily telegraphed steps, using her arms and hips to guide Envy where she wants them to move. From there, it'll just be a matter of Envy picking up the pattern until they can move in sync, even if it takes a few songs to get the hang of...
She'll gradually taper off the counting as they both become less dependent on it... probably.

She's keeping her eyes on Envy's face partly so she doesn't get dizzy, and partly looking for signs of discomfort, in case they get nauseous from their digestive problem or injured themselves with their earlier... dance. They seem more concerned with impressing the audience than taking care of their body, so it'll be up to her to look out for them until they learn their own limits. She'll definitely, absolutely make herself a reliable big sister soon.

[roko10]

Ryall, to her credit, follows the admittedly simpe two-step dance rather well, at the very least not stepping on Xiren's toes. Xiren's words somewhat surprises her, however. Isn't it obvious?

"...You're too good for him. He makes you look bad. And he needed to be taught a lesson." Ryall bluntly stated after a brief period of silence.

[Volthawk]

Watching the others start to pair off and head off to dance, Takeo takes a moment to realise what Liza was suggesting. Him and the Lieutenant dancing together? Was that a thing that was done?

He decides to solve this issue by looking at Aoba and shrugging, an unsure expression on his face. "So, um, should we dance, like Liza suggested? What are we doing?"

[velvetWing]

"...I'm too good for him?" Ryall's words light a glowing ember of something in Xiren's chest. This kind of direct praise is unfamiliar to her. Sure, she's keenly aware she's attractive - she secretly suspects it's the only thing that got her her present position, in fact. But being confronted with her effects on other people so directly, between this and Ryall's fight with Jacob earlier, is undeniably exhilarating. On a different night, in a different state of mind, she might bury the feeling under the weight of Leviticus, but she's caught up in the adrenaline and the anxiety and the million little distractions pulling her in every direction. On the contrary, she feels a wild impulse to feed that ember and stoke it into a flame... and so, unable to suppress a smirk, she leans in to murmur in Ryall's ear, not-so-subtly nudging her body closer to Ryall's as they spin in little concentric circles around the dance floor. "But I'm not too good for you, is that what you're saying?"

[Syless]

Aoba shakes her head at Takeo. "While you may not hold official rank, I'm still your commanding officer, that would be fraternizing." She seems distracted by something. "Besides, I have something to attend to. Step in on the next dance with someone?" She looks over in the direction of the kitchen, then mutters into her mic. "Disturbance in the kitchen. Keep two people at the ready in case of intruders. I'm going to go check it out." Aoba does her best to subtly make her way towards the kitchen- which is not especially subtle- her hand making its way to her service pistol.

[fibericon]

Two S2 agents take position by the kitchen, and not a moment too soon. A small can rolls across the floor through the open door, and a moment later, explodes. The flashbang blinds and deafens those in the immediate vicinity, and it's immediately followed by gunfire. An agent goes down.

Two more agents have taken up middle ground positions, but are unprepared for the flashbang and are left reeling. The remaining agents are focused on getting the pilots out safely. Irina is nowhere to be seen.

Spoiler: Skill success

Show

You're able to shield your eyes in time to avoid the worst of it, but many around you aren't so lucky. Many people have been rendered largely helpless by the blast.

Spoiler: Skill failure

Show

Your vision goes white for a moment, and your ears ring. Though it slowly starts to return, your vision is significantly impaired, and it feels like your head is underwater while you try to listen to sounds above the surface. Take 2 fatigue.

Spoiler: Liza

Show

The fact that you brought food for Irina means she was able to take her medication, thus negating her temporary fatigue.

Spoiler: Liza and Envy

Show

As the chaos unfolds, an S2 agent grabs Envy's shoulder.

"I'll get you out of here. Let's go."

Spoiler: Aoba

Show

The S2 agents you posted by the kitchen are able to get shots off before anyone else is in position. One of them is hit. It's bad, but he'll probably make it.

"Six intruders, entering through the kitchen service entrance, one down. Body armor and assault rifles. Be advised: appearance suggests Vatican soldiers."

Spoiler: Takeo

Show

Akari shouts over the crowd toward you.

"Head down and move quickly to me! I'm outgunned but I can at least get you to safety!"

Spoiler: Xiren and Ryall

Show

You have successfully gotten Jacob Cole to safety before the gala could get attacked. Clearly, that was your intent all along.

All NPCs and PCs can now act. All PCs are currently exposed.

[Elfbird]

Liza has the good fortune to be dancing with her back toward the kitchen when the flashbang goes off. Maybe she blinked at just the right moment. Whatever happened, there's suddenly an even bigger uproar than the one she caused, and a lot of things are very, very wrong.

Starting with the S2 agent who came to get Envy. You know how when you steal from a greengrocer, he yells bloody murder at you, and then when you go back in next week, he treats you like a customer, all civil-like, but there's still murder in his eyes and a hand reaching for the shotgun under the counter? It's like that. S2 never wants to deal with Envy, and now here's one giving them special attention. He doesn't move or look like the rest of the musclebound apes either - good lookalike, sure, but it's aftermarket parts inside.

If this guy isn't S2, and is bothering with one specific pilot while there's a bullet hell going on in the hall, then he's probably a terrorist or Vatican soldier sent to kidnap Envy.
Envy being Envy probably won't catch on in time to do anything about it.

Well, no sense letting a nice slab of meat go to waste.

-------

Outwardly, Liza freezes for a second. She then lets her strained nerves loose all at once, throwing herself into the agent's chest, clinging to his jacket, shaking and sobbing into his lapel like the frightened little civilian she - quite honestly - is. He'll provide good cover from at least one direction, more if his allies are unwilling to shoot him to get to her or Envy.

<"Oh thank fork!> I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go! P-please save me...!"

She's careful to keep her face downturned, and rubs her eyes dry on the suit as quickly as she can manage. It's a nice jacket; she'd like to keep it, but it's not realistic, so she doesn't feel too bad about leaving snot stains. More importantly, while her face and right hand and modest chest are keeping the guy's attention front and center, her left hand slips around and yoinks his sidearm out of its holster, holding it down by her thigh to not draw attention to it, where the dark metal blends in with her dark dress pants. Every action movie ever has taught her that having more guns, and your enemy having fewer guns, is a net gain. She can always pawn it and any leftover bullets when they're done, or keep it private for emergencies.

[Volthawk]

Nodding in response to Aoba and watching her walk towards the kitchen, Takeo ends up looking right at the flashbang as it detonates, and instantly regrets his decision. Recovering to the sound of gunshots and what he could make out of Akari's shouting, he can't quite put together what he's experiencing, but...Akari would protect him.

Using what remained of his senses and strength, Takeo starts to stagger through the crowd in Akari's direction, trying to collect his thoughts as he goes. Enemy troops...the Vatican? It must be. The traitors. Must want to kill them. Can't let them do that. Can't fight, though. What can he do? Survive. Kill them later.

For now, he just tries to keep moving despite everything, picking himself up when he trips over and keeping low, as much because of the grenade's effects as any survival instincts.

[roko10]

Ryall couldn't help but crack a small smile at what Xiren's saying. "Maybe," she responded as she and Xiren continued to dance. That, however, came to an abrupt end when Ryall sees a small can rolling over the floor, and her eyes widend with shock.

Oh, ****.

Instinctually, Ryall lifts her arms to protect her ears and closes her eyes, whilst shouting out "Watch out, there's a-"

-----------------
---- ------
-----------------

As the flashbang goes off, Ryall found herself fortunate enough to be only slightly deafened and vision-impaired by the blast, though she seemed to be the only one in her direct vicinity to be so, with the crowd around her in various stated of disarray. Her dancing partner, in particular, is now more-or-less laying on the floor, face down. Ryall crouches next to her, rolls her over, and shakes her, perhaps a bit rougher than she intended to.

"Xiren! Are you okay?! Xiren!"

[velvetWing]

Xiren, smiling from ear to ear, has just opened her mouth to respond to her dance partner when the world turns white. She doesn't hear the bang so much as feel it, like someone's smacked her around either side of her head. Acting on pure instinct she drops low, her hands clutching her ears, but ends up somehow sprawled out on the ground. She's still very firmly in the grips of her fight-or-flight response, and she thrashes wildly against Ryall's rough shaking for a moment before her vision fades back in and the fuzzy, whited-out form of a concerned Ryall comes into focus. "I'm.... fine." She says, without much conviction, using Ryall's arms as support as she stands up on shaky legs. She can barely hear her own voice, much less Ryall's, but she doesn't seem to be injured, thank the Lord. "We need... We need to find the Commander. Or Lieutenant. We need orders." As she quickly scans the panicked crowd for the fuzzy shapes of her commanding officers, one hand still firmly hooked on Ryall's arm, she kicks off her heels. She has no idea what's going on exactly, but even in her rather shell-shocked state she suspects there's some running in her future.

[Vrock_Summoner]

Envy sees the can roll out onto the floor and raises their eyebrows.

Oooh, an M84! Fascinating! According to field tests conducted in 2007, the photoelectric discharge is capable of-

... Wait.

In the next moment, they're suffering complete sensory overload from the brilliant explosion. Envy furiously shuts down the various alarm systems blaring in their head as they slowly try to reboot their visual cortex. By the time they're aware of their surroundings again, Liza is laying the moves on an S2 agent. She has fascinating timing; the effects of stress on the endocrine system increase the likelihood of developing intimate attachments to others. Envy hopes that works out for her, but takes in the other issues going on around first and foremost.

Everything grinds down to slow motion as Envy processes what they see halfway across the dance floor. There's an S2 agent hiding behind an overturned table, popping out to take shots at an infiltrator, who is trying to advance to get around their cover. In the way are... Two of the humans Envy saw tonight. Plain-face and accessories hog. Envy starts running.

Running into area of higher danger. Alert-

Oh, can it, can-brain. I have to help.

Pilot life priority renders higher than other human-

I said can it! Stupid... What's the point of being a pilot, then? The whole reason for getting in the mecha... The whole reason for going through all this... The reason they didn't scrap me... It's because every single other person who exists is worth more than me!

... That's why I hate them all so much.

Rate of approach too slow. Unlikely to prevent humans from being shot.

Then... I've just gotta go faster.

Envy's feet drive into the floor. Their internal servos grind against the food that's gunked up inside them. Their processors are unresponsive to demands to push any harder.

The TVs always talked about this. "Heroic willpower." If I'm willing to put everything on the line... I should be able to do something heroic, right? Even if it isn't possible, even if I'm useless the rest of the time, I-

Then Envy's feet slip on a puddle of blood, and they go down as bullets spray, slicing through the two students. Envy never even made it close.

They're now out in the open, and just lay there, staring at the floor. Either unable or unwilling to move. Maybe both.

Worthless.

- .... . / .-- .- .-.. .-.. / ..-. .- .-.. .-.. ... --..-- / - .... . / - . -- .--. .-.. . / .-. .. ... . ... .-.-.-

Elsewhere, in a poorly-lit room, a dark-skinned, red-haired woman in her early thirties taps on her pen, looking down at the design calculations she's working on. However, she's interrupted by a security agent barging into the room.

"Ms. Nijima! An attack's been confirmed on the gala! All the pilots are in danger!"

Nijima's lips purse as she looks back at the agent. "Really... Is that right? Well, I can leave that to S2, can't I?"

The guard gulps. "W-well, the prototype is also in attendance..."

Her eyes widen briefly. "Whose idea was it to send it to a party!? Well... Fine. I'll deal with it, then. Get me into a guard car... We'll cut them off as they try to leave, if it's necessary."

[Syless]

Aoba's mind races. Six enemy targets. Vulnerable pilots. Important envoys. Babylon employees. The three tiers. No cover... no solid cover. But maybe... she shouts across the room.

"All Babylon employees! Escort the pilots out, at any cost! Three month's pay to anyone who tries, double S2 death benefits if the worst happens! Civilians, I guarantee you a medal if you get a pilot out of this room alive!"

Now she needs to act herself. She scans the Vatican soldiers- they have more grenades. She draws and levels her service weapon, takes a deep breath... and fires.

[fibericon]

Five commandos come through the door, firing on the crowd. Kids go down in a hail of gunfire. S2, businessmen, whatever. This isn't a targeted strike - this is a crusade.

Perhaps they should have paid more attention and fired on more S2 agents and less civilians. Aoba's bullet hits a flashbang on one soldier's belt, and that's it. They're staggered and gunned down immediately.

The call for evacuation doesn't immediately stop, however. It's unclear if there are additional threats, and it would be irresponsible to simply toast dead soldiers and be done with it. Most pilots are being ushered out. Xiren, Ryall, and Takeo all have escorts. Gabriel and Carmen are bleeding from both ears, and clearly traumatized, but are able to walk and be led out.

Spoiler: Liza

Show

The "agent" you've pretty thoroughly bamboozled shouts to Envy as they run off, then go down near dead students, having failed to reach them in time. He brushes you off and runs toward Envy. He hoists your fellow pilot up on his shoulders in a fireman's carry and makes for the exit.

Spoiler: Aoba

Show

S2 is taking stock of the situation and keeping you informed.

"Ballroom secure, threats neutralized. One agent with survivable injuries. Two Vatican soldiers still breathing - all others dead. Commander Nakamura out of range. What are your orders?"

Spoiler: Takeo

Show

Akari grabs you and pulls you toward an armored transport.

"Looks like someone doesn't have their backs anymore, eh Takeo?! Let's get you home safe!"

Spoiler: Xiren and Ryall

Show

One of the commandos levels an assault rifle at the two of you, but the explosion throws off his aim. He wings one of the S2 agents sent to protect you instead, who responds by putting him down.

"Front and follow! Get these two out of here!"

Sniper fire rains down near you as the agents provide covering fire and shove you into the APC.

Spoiler: Mimi

Show

In the APC, you're provided with a laptop and a satellite connection. Sensors indicate Envy is on the move, but multiple sensory systems are throwing errors.

"Reports indicate threat is Vatican. Gala status unconfirmed."

Xiren, Ryall, and Takeo are safe! Liza, Envy, and Aoba are no longer in immediate danger, but need to get to the transport.

[Elfbird]

Well, that was a quick transition from "damsel in distress" to "worthless lump". Also from "under fire" to "hostiles eliminated". Except not all the hostiles were eliminated, and one is now absconding with one of her people.

Time to be taken seriously. All these adults may be untrustworthy, but they've proven themselves useful. She just has to hope she's playing her cards right.

"Wait wait WAIT!"

She rushes to cut in front of the agent, pointing his own gun at him with both hands.

Shaking hands, and a stance that's likely to make her own feet slip on the ballroom floor. She's too panicked and inexperienced to notice, having never even held a real gun before now. But she's not even intending to waste a bullet, just buy time for the real S2 agents to decide to use theirs.

She shouts in the same shrill, echoing voice she used with the agents who tried to take her food away - any quieter and she couldn't hide the quaking in her throat and chest. Instead it emphasizes, for everyone present, just how bad her Japanese accent and grammar is.

"IT'S NOT S2! FREE ENVY! NOW! WHAT'S THE PASSWORD?!"

First step: startle and confuse the target. If that's not enough, and he tries to maintain his cover, she can waste time negotiating that. She has no idea what the password is either, if there even is one, but he doesn't know that and is going to think really hard about it.
If he plows through her, despite staring down the barrel of his own gun, well... She's pretty much out of ideas here, so she'll figure something out. Maybe she would actually pull the trigger.

--Wait, crud, she was going to keep the gun hidden for later. No way S2 will let her keep it now that they know she has it. Better look for a chance to stash it before things settle down. Ugh, thinking under pressure really sucks.

[fibericon]

Spoiler: Inside

Show

An S2 agent holding Envy in a fireman's carry suddenly stops in his tracks as Liza levels a pistol at him. The other agents still in the room begin a careful approach. He speaks softly in response.

"Easy, Sin. I'm sure this is all very frightening for you, but we're not your enemy. S2 is here to help. Just hand over the weapon and let's get you out of here. It's not safe."

You don't remember seeing her there a minute ago, but Irina pushes her way into the group of agents. "Move, I will handle this. Agent, perhaps if you can be disarmed by a child, you cannot be trusted with a weapon. I will take possession of the weapon, and schedule a performance review. You will hand Envy over to someone who didn't lose track of their weapon during a firefight. Do you have any objections?"

The air is tense from Irina's interjection. There are about three different ways this can go.

Spoiler: Outside

Show

Another pair of agents escorts Gabriel and Carmen, tossing them into the back of the APC. The pilots don't look good - Carmen is staring straight up at the vehicle's ceiling, her ears bleeding. Gabriel is cradling his head, curled up in a fetal position.

"Two more pilots secured! What the hell is going on in there?! We can't hold this position forever!"

[Syless]

Aoba takes stock of the situation. Her plan worked, the immediate threat is gone- but the pilots need to be secured.

...if they all make it out of this alive, Aoba is going to put a proposal in to the commander about hiring body doubles. But for now she has three remaining unsecured pilots, in case there's any more attackers. They need to get to the escort. First. The casualties. She speaks into her earpiece.

"Two S2 agents on the casualties. Restrain the surviving Vatican soldiers, keep the downed agent stable until medics can arrive. If the soldiers fight back, consider them active combatants and respond accordingly, but ideally we'll have someone to interrogate. Pilot escorts, do not let them near windows, force them to hide if you have to. We don't know what firepower these soldiers are packing, the Vatican wouldn't send five unsupported commandos. Comfort is not a luxury they can be accorded right now."

That done, she shouts to the crowd. "Hostiles downed! Civilians, relax and keep away from windows!" She then rushes- she saw five pilots leave, some wounded. But there's two more- back to her earpiece. "What is the status of pilots Petrovnya and Envy? Report immediate location, I'll join their escort personally.

[Elfbird]

Liza is understandably tense. She makes eye contact with the lieutenant commander, but can't bring herself to give up the weapon. Besides the power and safety it offers as a symbol in her hands, both the gun and each bullet in it are worth serious money - maybe up to a few hundred rubles each!

Still, she accomplished what she needed to. There's eyes and guns on the fake agent, who still doesn't have a weapon himself, so Envy will be safe as long as everyone obeys Ms. Kuznestov. And it's harder to imagine that they wouldn't.

She lowers the gun to point at the floor and takes her fingers off the trigger. She's still holding it in both hands, shoulders tense.
She backs away from the fake agent toward Ms. Kuznestov, not turning her back on him. Once she's reached the Lt.Com's side - pressing her shoulder into Irina's arm for comfort if allowed - she'll turn her gaze aside and pout.
She's not willing to hand over the weapon, but she doesn't mind handing her whole body over with it, if it's Ms. Kuznestov...

[fibericon]

Spoiler: Aoba

Show

An agent outside reports first, shouting to be heard over gunfire.

"Lust, Wrath, Pride, Sloth, and Gluttony all in the transport, but we're pinned down by sniper fire! We need to get them out of here!"

An agent inside the gala reports next.

"We have a situation involving Greed that is delaying the evac of both her and Envy. She has disarmed another agent and is accusing him of treason. No evidence is present. Lieutenant Commander Kuz... Irina is attempting to intervene on Greed's behalf, but Greed is refusing to relinquish the firearm."

Finally, a report comes in from the perimeter guard.

"I hope someone's paying attention on this frequency, because the commander isn't! We've got an APC incoming! It's one of ours, and they're saying the science team authorized it, but I don't have it on the itinerary! One of you call for backup?"

Spoiler: Liza and Envy

Show

The disarmed agent carefully puts Envy down, and they're quickly picked up by another agent. But Liza's weapon is the focus of everyone's attention, including Irina.

"<I must insist you hand over the weapon. Without proper training, you're more dangerous to yourself than anyone else in the room right now.>"

Irina nods toward the door, prompting three agents to leave, one carrying Envy. Left in the room are Irina, Liza, one armed agent, and the agent Liza disarmed.

Spoiler: Outside

Show

Three agents come out, one carrying Envy over his shoulders. Envy's clothes are completely soaked in blood. The agent leading the charge takes a bullet to the chest and goes down, but manages to crawl back into cover. The two behind him, with Envy in the middle, duck back to avoid getting shot.

Spoiler: Mimi

Show

You're almost to the Gala, and now that you're on the Gala radio band, you're more aware of the situation.

One S2 agent is being accused of treason, and has been disarmed by Greed. Other agents with you had to confirm that a couple of times, but yes, he was disarmed by someone with no hand to hand combat training.

Envy is currently pinned down by sniper fire, along with the agents attempting to evacuate them - the Sin is no longer able to walk of their own accord. Reports indicate the Sin is covered in blood.

All Sins other than Envy and Greed are in an APC waiting to retreat.

Multiple civilian casualties - reports suggest they were randomly fired upon by Vatican soldiers.

Kazuma is unreachable, presumed back at base. Irina and Aoba are still in the Gala.

[Syless]

...they have infiltrators. Of course they had infiltrators. One nearly got Greed, and now an APC full... she starts with the latter. "Order that APC to stand down! If it advances, treat it as hostile and respond accordingly! Make sure the pilots evac in a different direction, go offroad if you have to to throw them off, we built these things for that for a reason! But do not depart until Gluttony and Envy are loaded, unless you are under fire!"

Second situation- Gluttony. If Liza was right, then she nearly got kidnapped from right out under them... she takes off at a sprint to go find her wayward pilot. If she won't go with S2, maybe she'll go with Aoba.

[Volthawk]

Takeo nods in response to Akari's question, his head starting to put itself back together. He doesn't have any kind of humorous or upbeat response, though, his mind taken up by outrage and indignation.

How dare they attack us. Traitors, the lot of them! They don't just deserve death, but...yes. That would be a fitting response. Justice.

Nodding to himself, Takeo turns to look at Akari again, his emotions probably quite obvious to her. "The Virtues. Are they close? Can they be used here? This scum needs to be destroyed. Teach them a lesson."

While waiting for a response, his gaze drifts over to the building, Envy and their escort still taking cover, an agent taking the sniper's bullet. Good. A pilot can't die today. That would be letting them win.

[Elfbird]

Liza continues looking away from Lt.Com. Kuznestov; she makes no other effort to hide her shame. She slowly unbuttons her dress uniform to access the inside pockets and slips the gun into one, not quite able to let go of it yet.

...Envy needs her more than anyone right now. She's emotionally exhausted and wants to believe that the other three agents are the real deal, but a part of her has to consider that if one agent was fake, any or all of them might be. She doesn't have the energy left to fight her own mind.

"<...Sorry. Sorry!">

Without warning, she breaks into a sprint to follow the three agents who took Envy. If they're taking Envy to safety, then it's just as well for Liza to follow; if they're taking them to danger, there's nowhere Liza would rather be than at her fellow's side.

<You don't need to be alone. You don't need to be like me.>

[fibericon]

Spoiler: Outside

Show

Akari chuckles, "At that scale, hitting infantry? That'd be a little like swinging a hatchet at a trail of ants. Wrong tool for the job. If you just wanna bomb the area, we've gotten pretty good at bombing each other. We got better ways. If you wanna kill something smaller than a house, finish your weapons training. I'll file the paperwork to get you your sidearm myself if you can pass the range test."

Liza runs out, following behind Envy's escort, just in time to get tackled by an S2 agent. He takes a bullet for his trouble, but shoves her back behind cover. He's wounded and exposed - the bullet has penetrated his vest, but not come out the other side. The other three agents get Envy to the APC. Liza is now alone, save for the bleeding agent a few feet away.

Another APC pulls up, and S2 immediately fires on it. They do not open their doors or return fire.

Spoiler: Aoba

Show

You get to where Liza was supposed to be, just in time to see an S2 agent, unarmed, attack Irina. She fires a shot, but is unable to connect with him fighting her in point blank range. With all present S2 agents trying to protect the pilots, you're her only ally in the room.

Spoiler: Mimi

Show

"Ma'am, they're firing on us. Looks like they didn't get the memo. Orders?"

[Syless]

The S2 agents should have the pilots secure, if Gluttony is no longer there. And Irina is too valuable an asset to risk, so... her service weapon is still drawn. She's a decent shot, but firing into a brawl...? She'd be just as likely to hurt her ally. She needs a clear shot. So... "Irina, fall!" If Irina obeys- and removes herself as an obstacle- Aoba will fire off a shot into her attacker.

[Elfbird]

Liza is only half-thinking at this point; she has the cognitive function to speak and plan, but she's guided purely by instinct.

She scuttles to the wounded agent and pulls him the few feet back into cover. She lightly smacks his cheeks for attention.

"Walk? Walk?"

Spoiler: If the agent can still move under his own power,

Show

Liza will support him across her back as best she can and continue making her way to the APC. He's cover. If he gets to safety with her, that's a perk, not an expectation.
"<...If you've done your job, you can die proud.">

Spoiler: If the agent is unresponsive or immobile,

Show

Liza will quickly shed her jacket and hold it open beside her, to billow as she bolts for the APC. It's not a good diversion, but in the darkness it might draw slightly more attention than her black undershirt - any hesitation or mistakes on the part of the shooters will buy her freedom, just like every other time she's escaped an irate homeowner with a gun.

Well, this time she's-- sherpa, she forgot the food!

[fibericon]

Spoiler: Outside

Show

Liza and the agent move as one and make it to the APC. Shots fall around them, and blood soaks into Liza's dress uniform, but they make it. The various wounded S2 agents are loaded in as well.

"Nishiguchi, you're up!"

One more uninjured S2 agent clambers in, taking up the last seat. She shuts the door, and you all hear someone slap the side of the APC.

"Get 'em outta here! We'll worry about the directors!"

Spoiler: Aoba

Show

Irina attempts to follow your orders, but the agent quickly gets her in a choke hold. It's a simple and easily broken hold... for anyone else. Without being able to use her hip to pivot and throw him over, she's effectively stuck here as a human shield.

"You goddamned Russians have been the biggest pain in my ass, you know that?! And you, you're gonna let me walk out of here."

Over the radio, you receive an update.

"All pilots secure! APC is on the move! Scouting party found where the sniper was, but they're on the move. I dunno how much time we have before they start firing on us again. What's the situation in there?"

The enemy agent is considered to be in cover, and firing at them from your angle will impose a -10 penalty. Missing could have other consequences.

[Elfbird]

Once safely inside the APC, Liza flops into a seat next to the agent who got her there and lets out an enormous breath. The pilots' conditions... aren't great, and a lot more bloody than she's frankly comfortable acknowledging, but they're all alive and mostly conscious. The medics can handle it from here; she's more likely to cause infections than actually help, given that her first aid experience ends at treating her own scrapes and splinters.

There's just one thing she still--
facepalm
"<Cripes, I forgot the food!>"
She lets her hand slide down her face and slap against her knee, then makes a frustrated, growling sigh.
There's no going back for it.
She knows, objectively, that their safety is infinitely more valuable than that food which they don't strictly need and Babylon could easily repurchase.
But she fought so hard to keep it, and now it's going to waste - left to rot, or for dirty mongrels to scavenge before they secure the crime scene. Maybe some homeless people can get at it? Tch, more like they'd get shot at.

Another frustrated sigh.
A hollow, burning ache grows in her chest that has nothing to do with acid reflux.
She closes her eyes and gets lost in memories for a while.

Those days when she never had enough, but everything she did have, she earned with her own two hands and quick wits. When she had freedom and power to decide her own future, more than just a pawn for the adults to sling around...

. . .

When she opens her eyes, her breathing is calmer and there's a familiar pang in the pit of her stomach and a dull weight in her heart. It's comforting, in a strange way.

She lightly touches her hand to the uninjured shoulder of the S2 agent next to her, the one who got her safely to the APC.

You took a bullet for me...
"Thanks. Really, thank you. What's your name? Um... You're a friend...?"

She fishes in her jacket pocket for a granola bar or something pocketed from the buffet. She'll unwrap it, break it in half, and offer a piece to the agent while shoving the rest into her own mouth. Her cheeks puff up like a chipmunk's until she chomps a couple times.

[fibericon]

Spoiler: In the APC

Show

Once you're all moving, it quickly becomes clear why Nishiguchi was chosen to go along with you. She begins patching people up, with the aid of medical supplies on board. For those of you hit by the flashbang, it's instant ice packs - two part bags of water and ammonium nitrate that cool when the separator is broken. Most of the pilots should start feeling a bit better, but Carmen was simply too close. There's not much the medic can do for ruptured eardrums in the field. She instead covers the traumatized pilot with a blanket to help counter the shock.

She then moves on to bandaging up wounded agents, and finally, drags Envy off into a corner. While she attempts no first aid on them, she does prop them up in a deliberate position - sitting with legs extended and back straight.

The agent turns away from Liza's offer, grimacing. He puts a hand up between his face and the snack.

"Thanks, but I feel like I'm gonna throw up. The name's Murayama Hikozaemon." He looks at Liza for a moment and adds, "Uh... just call me whatever part of that you can pronounce."

All pilots other than Envy and Carmen remove 1 fatigue.

[Elfbird]

Liza blinks at Murayama for a bit as she chews her snack, eyes attentive but not comprehending.

"...Please don't die. Okay?"

She breaks the remaining half-bar in half again, absently swallows what she had, and pops the next bit in while she turns her attention to the other pilots.

Carmen, Gabriel, Envy... The ones who most need the help are least likely to benefit from food right now, let alone being in any condition to eat.
Ryall, Xiren, and Takeo seem... less bad? Not good, but better than the worse ones.
Takeo has his... aunt, right? taking care of him. For a given value thereof, anyway.
At least the medic seems competent.

Liza breaks in half the last quarter of her granola bar, shrugs, and moves to Xiren's other side (shooing the agent there to her vacated seat if necessary).
She offers the last little bit to Xiren - if she's been watching until now, she can bet it's a limited-time offer.
Ryall is also spared a glance. Xiren just got upjumped on the priority list for offering such earnest help cleaning up the spilled food earlier.
...the wasted, abandoned spilled food...
Liza's never gonna live that one down.

"Tonight, er... how was it?"

[Syless]

Aoba can't get a clear shot... she won't risk hitting Irina. But that's just a chokehold, he'd have to have time to hurt her. So... may as well see how he reacts to this.

Aoba throws her gun behind her, taking it out of the fight, and rushes the remaining soldier. He has no weapon, and he can't hold Irina and avoid being punched into the face. Plus, the adrenaline high feels really good right now.