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Xiao Li Yu	Several weeks ago; Xiao Li Yu was captured and arrested in her bid to retake the completed ADAM AI Program, having used a backdoor to make it go haywire and attack the very press conference it was unveiled at. Sanary Rondel made off with the program while she stayed behind and was arrested by Cirra Constantine and brought back to Galianda, and to Ramuh to be imprisoned until a court hearing can be held.      By this point in time, the news should have spread adequately enough through the expected Multiversal and local channels. After all, the news stations can never resist reporting on the activities of alleged criminals, no? It was common knowledge that the scientist was being held at District D Prison; a fairly sizable prison for holding plenty of Ramuh's ne'er do wells. With blocks for males, females, as well as maximum security holdings for more risky individuals, it was well staffed and well prepared to take in any inmate.      Approaching the front gate from the outside, one can already see Judges posted at key points, ready to take action as is usual for them. Decked out in silver armor with horned helmets that obscured their every feature, they were silent sentinels, focused solely on the job.      The prison is surrounded on all sides by walls that enclose the property, and on the rooftops, should anyone dare to try, more Judges can be seen posted at pretty much every viable corner, keeping watch. Surely they had some kind of Job that would allow them to snipe things at a range.      There did seem to be stairs leading in from the rooftop. Just one. Otherwise, there was the front entrance, as well as various other recreational entrances on the grounds. ...But the Judges were watching.      Where is Xiao within this complex? Who can say.      Now... what will you do?
Black Arachnia	No security is absolutely proof against somebody who's sufficiently cunning and/or determined. Black Arachnia knows this like she knows her own transformation sequence - and she's had occasion to both exercise the principle herself, and (to her great frustration) be a direct witness to other people exercising it against her, if not directly then at least against her interests. So she's been going over the Ramuhian jail with a fairly fine-tooth comb, she's introduced herself to a few of the Judges, presented her Union credentials and had them verified as necessary, and she's been exploring the grounds to figure out how anyone who wanted to get in and isn't supposed to be there COULD get in. Her professional opinion so far is that a dedicated attempt to spring Xiao Li Yu would be all too easy. Sure, the architecture is sturdy and imposing and approximately impenetrable, and there are only two evident ways in or out - but that rooftop entrance is decidedly vulnerable if not for the Judges keeping watch, and there are PLENTY of Confederates who can either fly on their own, or take advantage of equipment (technology, magic, etc.) which allows the user to fly. Of course, anyone who's flying could just as easily drop into the courtyard, for that matter, and set any number of inmates loose along the way. This is one of those rare cases where Black Arachnia is really, really hoping that she's wrong about somebody else's security measures.
Sephiroth	The Confederacy has decided that the imprisonment of one of its own is unacceptable. Even now, she has been held too long. A plan, formulated over the weeks has been plunged into action. Right Now. From afar, the heavy whup-whup-whup of a twin-rotor helicoptor cuts through the air. The Judges will notice it getting louder and louder. Very quickly, a large, twin rotored troop transport rockets downwards out of the clouds, the engines roaring in protest as the pilot pulls some risky things. Likely under orders, and under fire from Judges at this point. The helicopter lands /hard/ before the main gate, and the hatch opens. Shinra Security troops pour out in their face-concealing, three eyed helmets and began laying down cover fire at the guard towers. Cover for what? The Scourge of Wutai. The Invincible. The Undefeated. The Great Sephiroth. He exits the transport, Masamune in hand and walks towards the sealed Gate. He stares at the gate for a moment, bringing his massive weapon to the ready in one hand. He barely seems to move as metal shreiks once and twice as he strikes the front gates. He surely isn't doing this alone, is he? Who else could be on the transport?
Taro	Next time, give more serious consideration to the location before making offers to assist.     The weather is a nuisance yes, but an acceptable one. Rain and wind can aid in avoiding detection. The raw magical energy, however...To the android, it feels like a perpetual static charge, not quite an itch but something akin to that crawling across his synthskin. It's an unsettling sensation, one that he does his best to ignore.     Taro hops lightly out of the transport chopper not long after Sephiroth does, keeping a respectful distance as the man begins to make short work of the gates. He's brought few techological baubles with him (assuming they'll work amidst the interference) tucked safely away in belt puches, along with a rather generic beam sabre on his hip.
Rebecca Chambers	It doesn't matter where you put someone or who you post to look after them or anything else like that, there is no such thing as perfect security. While Rebecca has no doubt that the Ramuhian jail has been made to be as secure as possible, and there are more than likely many security methods in place, there's no telling what anyone will do. Since she was present when Xiao Li Yu was arrested during that presentation, albeit under the cover of being a security guard, she's decided to help out here as well. Like Black Arachnia, Rebecca has taken the time to introduce herself to the judges and explain her role within this whole situation. She's had her credentials verified, she's done some practice patrols of the prison, and she's even tried a few sniper drills on occasion in a simulated environment if things should come to that. Hopefully, though, they won't... Right now, Rebecca is currently on standby in the security room, waiting to move out at a moment's notice. Already she's got her weapon ready to be drawn at a moment's notice. She's got a bad feeling about this whole thing, and she doesn't like to take any chances in situations like this.
Comrade Crush	From inside the transport, there is a distressingly loud POPPOPPOP. It is not, however, the sound of gunfire - though one could easily make that mistake at first listen. But no, there's more of a hollow, dull quality to it, and it clatters off in a set of four. It's the sound of a pair of very large hands with very large knuckles to pop.     About the time the legendary Masamune is carving into the front gates, a wall of Marxist meat is stepping out, wearing nothing from the waist up save for a billowing cloak of rich crimson - perfectly matched to the armored trousers and boots of his usual uniform. "Comrade Sephiroth, if I may? Is terribly rude to try and open door immediately like this! Is much better if we are practicing politeness." Forward the colossal commie strides, until he's just as close as SOLDIER's finest.     And that's when the wide grin splits Comrade Crush's face. "Is always best to knock first."     WHAM.     At exactly the centerpoint of Sephiroth's cuts, Crush drives an immensely powerful blow. Superhuman strength alone would make it a mighty strike indeed, but more than that, he has wrapped his fist in a solid casing of magical stone, lending both weight and magical force to the punch.
Echo	Echo steps out of the transport casually, not seeming to mind the wind and rain, looking up into the sky she makes a few gestures with her hand and what looks like several large winged bats appear, before flying off in all directions. It's going to help to have eyes in the sky, after all. She looks on with a grin as she watches Crush go to town on the front gates. She'll raise her hands to help if it looks like it's needed, but for right now she's just watching--poised elegantly on the red stiletto heels she normally wears. This is going to be fun~
Shadowed Scales	Shadowed Scales Hide Bloody Claws does not know Xiao Li Yu.     Shadowed Scales Hide Bloody Claws could not care about Xiao Li Yu, nor her involvement in anything involving Artificial Intelligence.     And that is why Shadowed Scales Hide Bloody Claws is not here.     She was. Earlier. But her stay was brief... No more than six hours, tops.     Somewhere in the Galianda night sky, a star winks out of existence.     Though there are Judges placed at key defense points outside the gate, from within, a Judge by the name of Biggs Wedge deviates from his patrol.     It's not out of the ordinary for hi mto wander off, slack on the job, no one questions him really, before, and no one questions him now.     It costs many people their lives.     Just beyond the front gates, as Sephiroth and Crush storm the front and the collosal Communists brings his great strength to bear... Just beyond those gates is a blood bath.     Biggs Wedge casually puffs on his cigarette as though nothing were out of the ordinary as he rips his blade from the body of the last inner gate guard, stabbed in the back.     "I hate swords."
Sanary Rondel	It's been a rough two weeks since that last operation that resulted in Xiao getting arrested and leaving Sanary with a weird box thing that... Didn't seem to do much as far as she could tell. Was getting out of that convention with the thing worth laying around in medical to let her back heal while having Xiao go through who knows what sort of torture and other bizarre confinement? Probably not.      At least this mission's got a clearer goal and payoff. <<"Sanary, in position. I'm ready to.. Uh.">> The healer's voice comes through in half-shouts over the radio, primarily because active helicopters are a terrible place to try and talk from inside. Following her companions out of the transport, the healer looks more than ready for a fight today. She's decked out in her largest suit of green spiked armor, hauling a tower shield in one hand, and in her other hand is...      A megaphone? Yep, that is a bright red megaphone with the volume meter cranked all the way up. "Listen up, judges! We've got you outgunned and outmatched, so make this easier on yourselves and stand down before we have to get more violent!" Sanary's stomping around as she watches Sephiroth and Comrade Crush go to town on the entrance, riling herself up each time she starts shouting into the megaphone.      "We have a swordsman that'll cut your arms off before you even know what hit you! We have a bruiser that'll pound you into the driest meat jerky nobody's even going to want to taste! We got a tech that'll keep any of you from even trying to escape! We have a mage that'll make sure you got nowhere to run before your asses explode into your guts!"      That should be everyone on the loud team, right? Everyone that Sanary's aware of, anyway. (Sorry, Shadowed.) "Now we can do this with or without all that, so it's up to you! You want to live, or you want to die?!"
Xiao Li Yu	SEPHIROTH/CRUSH/ECHO/TARO/SCALES: Really, dude? A HELICOPTER!? Immediately, Judges on the rooftops form phantasmal weaponry, ghostly spears, swords, arrows, and various magical spells of the Ra and Ga variety. And then the assault commences. Blades and lances pierce through the sky, aiming at rapidly descending aerial vehicle. The complex's alarms immediately go off, and crap hits the fan almost as soon as things have started.      Well! The distraction part is certainly succeeding! The Judges in the guard towers on the west end take aim and let loose phantom weaponry, and magical spells in return to the Shinra troops. Fire, ice, wind, earth, the elements all come into play.      The front gates are then assaulted by not only the scourge of Wutai, but the Champion of Communism as well, the gates, enhanced as they were, still folded under the combined might of both Sephiroth and Comrade Crush. The ruined gates fly inward, revealing the lobby and waiting area of the prison. Now why in the world had no one from inside come to stop these people? It became clear the moment they set foot inside.      Someone already began to lay waste to the Judges inside. ...But....but it was one of their own? A lone figure in a suit of stood by, pulling his blade out of a fallen ally... Surely they must be seeing things, right?      SANARY: Sanary's loud booming proclamations are definitely heard, but no one appears to be giving her the time of day. Oh, wait, no, there's a single phantom spear hurtling through the air and right for her general position. No words are spoken. But the action speaks for itself. SHUT UP, YOU.      ECHO'S BATS: The Rooftops are clearly seen, and there are Judges posted all along it, several joining the counter offensive by the front gates, as well as the Shinra Security troops. Some are heading down the stairs into the building, others are taking up left posts to reinforce the ranks. These people know what they're doing. Not a single one is panicking. There is rushed movement, but no one is actually screaming bloody murder. How about that?      REBECCA/BLACK ARACHNIA/SECURITY ROOM: The alarms are going off and the computer screens in the security room clearly show the Shinra copter touching down, and then it's occupants spilling out to assault the front entrance. "Off worlders." One Judge, decked out in awfully ornate armor speaks disdainfully. "How did they breach the front gates so easily? I want Companies D, E, F, and G out there immediately! And find out what happened to Companies A, B, and C!"      "Yes, Sir!"      The clattering of greaves on the floor can be heard as armored officers run out in formation. The lead Judge then looks to the Unionite, Rebecca in particular, Though Black Arachnia will hear via radio link as well. "Well. You offered your assistance. Here we are. Do what you think you can do. I'm going out to the front to meet this threat myself." The armored figure turns away and storms off at that, letting the volunteers approach the situation as they wish.      Looking at the various computer screens with security footage, they'll see that the cell blocks are all in an uproar. Now, where is Xiao being kept? Apparently in Cell Block E. The Judges in the cell blocks appear to have everything in order. No one's escaping their cells.      And a combined force of Judges are headed right for the front area. What will you do now?
Sephiroth	What will they do? Sephiroth will meet them head on. Fire explodes around him, while Thunder and Earth magics hurl stone and dirt through the air. Glorious silver hair flutters in the harsh winds, a black coat billows like the wings of some kind of....angel? Sephiroth nods once to the Comrade before striding with an unhurried and confident step into the courtyard. The courtyard that is now a charnel pit. The SOLDIER frowns, catlike green eyes regarding the 'traitor'. Not that he has an issue with killing. He has issue with betrayal. And senseless murder. Killing in combat is one thing. Stabbing your allies in the back is entirely another. He fraises the Masamune, leveling it at the 'traitor'. "What do you here?" He asks calmly, amidst the chaos of magical combat. He even flicks his weapon casually, battering a spear aside without looking.
Sanary Rondel	<<"Oh. Little clarification! The mage'll make you explode /into/ your pants bef-">> By the time Sanary realizes there's a spear coming for her, it's already too late to save the megaphone. Although she's able to stop the spear from stabbing into her face with a jerk and swing of that massive shield, the megaphone lays in pieces by the time she realizes the guards aren't willing to surrender.      "... Well. You had your chance!" She shouts in a distinctly quieter and slightly hoarser tone, drawing her well-used gunaxe from her hip before raising the shield and advancing directly into the raining bullets, phantom spears, and flying magic spells. The one-eyed healer's trying to provide some cover for her allies, wincing and cringing from the combined physical and magical assault hammer against her shield!
Taro	Taro does not question how the guards were slain. He was asked not to, and so he makes that discretion. He will, however, be grateful for that grisly work, because he has absolutely no desire to remain in magical crossfire for one second longer than necessary. Thus, he ducks his head and sprints for the gates as soon as Crush has...well, crushed them.     It's a bit of a skidding stop that takes him past Sephiroth, who for some inexplicable reason has stopped to confront the one guard still standing, banking a right turn that should hopefully take him toward the administrative area. The security office is no doubt well guarded and defended, but if he can find a less secure terminal to hack, perhaps he can get that kind of access to their network.
Echo	When the spells start flying, Echo is quick to get into position and begins summoning down bolts of electricity that strike at the edges of the building--bolts of lightning, really. She doesn't target anyone directly, she wants to instead cause them to break their ranks and be scattered by the firepower she's putting down.      "The rain is good for this kind of magic, the bolts will travel more naturally," she comments to those around her as she casts more bolts toward the roof.
Comrade Crush	While Sephiroth moves without concern, Crush at least takes a vague resemblance of precaution against injury; once the door is down, the stone covering on his arm crumbles, and instead he goes through a brief series of flexes, conjuring forth glowing spell sigils in the air around him. It's a basic 'ward against magic' spell, something to provide a bit of cover while they head in. As he does, though, he grins lightly. Having Sanary back them up with a megaphone is amusing, to say the least. That Sanary's a good kid. Have to do something nice for her later. But for now, the front door is open, and... the welcoming committee has been welcomed in turn.     Well then.     "Much thanks for your assistance, unknown comrade." Having heard the voice speaing over the Confederate tac band, he holds much less suspicion for the mysterious BIGGS WEDGE than Sephiroth seems to. He'd much rather take a few steps forward and pop his knuckles... then slam his fists hard down into the ground. Sanary will feel the floor under her feet ripple.     The oncoming Judges will also feel it ripple. And then they'll feel stone spikes explode up through it. They might also feel the stone spikes go right through them, too. That all depends on their reaction times!
Shadowed Scales	The 'traitor' slowly turns towards the gate when it smashes open, flicking his spent cigarette to the ground and crushing it under boot. The action is so perfectly natural for him, even if wholly unnecessary, when the ash douses itself in the sticky puddle of red at his feet.     But those vivid scarlet eyes are far too cold when he stares down the blade of the Masamune, levelled at him.     Those are not the eyes of a judge. Those are the eyes of a killer- not even hardened, just wholly and unfathomably without remorse nor pity for the dead men.     Biggs Wedge is a family man, a jokester, well loved by his colleagues and peers. Biggs Wedge lays silent, curled up in a barrel in some dark corner, broken and savaged beyond any recognition and quickly growing cold. No one expected it to be his blade rammed into their backs tonight.     Those murderous eyes linger on the SOLDIER a moment longer, before Biggs casually lifts his shoulders in his trademark lazy shrug.     'Biggs Wedge' deserves an academy award.     "Your welcoming party wasn't welcoming at all." He says. "I made them more welcoming. You should thank me."     Comrade Crush thanks him.     He doesn't even respond.
Black Arachnia	"I would be very surprised if the big noisy destructive commotion at the front desk is their only means of getting inside," Black Arachnia remarks by way of reply. "Let me see what I - *SLAG*!!" Black Arachnia was actually on the top floor, just inside that overly inviting stairway, both a terribly vulnerable entrance in its own right and a decent vantage point if she needed to get to ground level outside in a hurry. At least, she had staked that out for the advantages it offered, but the abrupt storm of lightning bolts imposes two very very big problems with that idea. First off is the obvious: even mundane lightning is pretty awful for electronic circuits, and as a Cybertronian, Black Arachnia has a whole lot of those. But there's also the fact that metal conducts electricity so well that it basically *attracts* lightning, which is a problem for Black Arachnia *and* for all of the Judges on sniper duty. So where the Maximal spy and saboteur (and counter-espionage/anti-sabotage specialist, when playing defense like tonight) was JUST ABOUT to take an outdoor shortcut to the front door, in case that was really the only point of access by the Confederates, the sudden onset of Echo's lightning barrage immediately puts paid to that idea, instead sending Black Arachnia back into beast mode and scurrying down towards the main floors of the complex - likely for the entrance to Cell Block E. It'll be a relatively confined space, better for holding off massed adversaries than a rooftop would be anyway. But as she goes, she's burying the biggest 'I told you so' she can personally remember ... namely, the fact that there *MUST* have been an infiltrator. The Judges' armor is very imposing and presumably very good at protecting the Judges themselves from a wide range of hazards and harms, but there is one thing about it which singularly *sucks* for a high-security environment like this one: *you can't see any Judge's face* without making him (or her) take the helmet off, or at least open up the visor, and that's likely a thing which is actively discouraged while on duty and expecting trouble. In other words, it's *PERFECT* for somebody to wear who doesn't belong on duty among the prison guards. "Commander," Black Arachnia transmits, "you need to assume that the whole of Companies A, B, and C are either dead or incapacitated; if there's *one* Judge out of those companies who *isn't* out of commission then you've got your infiltrator right there. How much more secure is 'maximum security' than the box you've got Xiao Li Yu in right now, and do we have time to put her there before the Confederate intruders intercept the move?" Never mind that Xiao Li Yu should have been in maximum security to START with ... but that's an entirely different 'I told you so' that Black Arachnia will have to postpone indulging in.
Rebecca Chambers	When you've got a gut instinct that works well, that really gets your instincts in high gear quickly. Rebecca quickly unstraps her MP5K and holds it with both hands as she proceeds to move out quickly. She calls out to any nearby security guards or other prison officials who might be able to help out as she says, "Let's go! We have to secure the area where their target is being held!" Without waiting for a response, Rebecca takes off running quickly, attempting to reach the cell block as quickly as possible. As Rebecca gets closer, she stops and quickly unstraps her tactical shield from her back, holding it in front of her before she continues to advance. In the event someone's already there who shouldn't be there, Rebecca doesn't want to have her guard down. Of course the inevitability of the Confederacy reaching the Cell Block E is only inevitable. She doesn't slow down until she reaches the cell block in question, positioning herself by the entrance with her tactical shield raised.
Xiao Li Yu	Sephiroth stands being Biggs Wedge, and the two exchange words. Comrade Crush has other things in mind. He punches the floor with force, and the ground quakes, and then spikes shoot up through the south hallway. Several judges are skewered, some are only grazed, and a lion's share of them manage to evade completely, including the lead Judge.      "Fan out, I want long ranged specialists at the back. Healers get to work. The rest with me!" And with a swing of the arm, what follows is a ghostly array of weapons that fan out around their form. Short blades, lances, axes, gunblades, daggers, the whole nine yards. "Now go!" The figure states, pointing forward. At that command, the melee specialists of the combined company all charge forward with blades in hand, all headed right for Comrade Crush(and likely Sanary too).      The lead Judge meanwhile, brings hand to their ear and speaks to Black Arachnia. "I can already see the results. Two heavy hitters in sight, with one lone Judge. Likely the interloper." They grab a short blade from their armory, holding it ready. "Alright, Company G, head to Cell Block E and reinforce Companies H, I, and J. Company J, get Xiao Li Yu out of Cell Block E, and put her into Maximum Security."      All of that said, and /hurls/ it forward, aiming right for Sephiroth.      ---> Armiger      ------> Warp Strike      The Commander shimmers blue as they /vanish/ past Comrade Crush, leaving him for the charging Judges to contend with. And they appear right in front of Sephiroth and Biggs Wedge, grabbing the hurled blade and immediately turning into a wide horizontal slash aimed to cleave into the SOLDIER's chest.      ROOFTOPS: Lightning is fairly effective on machinery, as it turns out. The Judges seem to be protected, and those that arent have BarThunder cast on them in short order, staving off the assault after some time. Echo will eventually find herself eventually being targeted by a renewed magical assault by the lookouts on the rooftops. Looks like this little song and dance wasn't going to end any time soon. But at least they were being kept busy here.      REBBECCA: Rebecca is joined by Company G as ordered by the Commander. And they break off to make their way to Cell Block E unhindered.      TARO: As expected, the Admin offices are guarded, though there are mostly office workers behind desks, they take cover once Taro storms in, and the few Judges posted immediately turn to him, weapons drawn and charging to strike. There are several computers in the vicinity, likely being used by the workers for their duties of course. Just have to not get skewered in order to get to one. Not too hard, right?      CELL BLOCK E:      In one particular cell, a certain scientist smirks at all the ruckus. Did it /really/ go exactly as she predicted? Surely not. She's not THAT perfect, is she? No way. But the riotous chattering of inmates in their cells, and the the scrambling of Judges out on the floor were plain as day. "How is this going to go, I wonder~?"
Echo	With the guards on the roof distracted, Echo raises her arms--her body soon becoming a massive clump of white bats that chitter and flap their wings as they pass through the bars of the gate--if it still stands, and seeks to infiltrate the interior of the building. Echo isn't one for fighting, at least not in a drag-out fight like this--so she's going to try and infiltrate the interior of the prison this way instead, while everyone is busy throwing pain at eachother outside!
Comrade Crush	An array of phantom weapons is leveld at him. Their wielders charge. The leader warps past him with a particularly flashy throw-and-port. Comrade Crush does not turn to attack, however. Comrade Crush does not even move to avoid the charge. Oh no. The enemy behind him will have two of his allies to deal with, and the ones in front? Oh he's got the perfect way to deal with them.     He flexes his arms.     THUD goes the sound of his hands slamming together, the heels of his palms pressing in tight enough to draw taut the muscles of his arms. From his biceps that peculiar lithification spreads like before - but this time, the stoneskin grows, and grows, and grows, covering all of his visible skin below the neck and causing his cloak to billow out behind him. "Oh, you are wanting to play game?" With his skin thoroughly hardened, the commie reaches his left arm up, and /slams/ it into the wall, only to /rip/ it forward - digging out a huge chunk of the wall and creating a shower of debris and, more importantly, dust.     He just needs to block their vision for an instant.     An instant is long enough for Crush himself to lunge forward, arms spread. It's like watching a linebacker move to tackle a horde of children. "I AM ALWAYS WANTING TO TRY RUGBY! WAHAHAHAHA!" Several of those weapons hit his skin - some even pierce it, and the blood promptly starts flowing down his front, dripping off his arms. But with their vision fouled, and his skin hardened, it's nowhere near the fatal attack they were probably hoping for. And now they have a Soviet supersoldier tackling them all at once.
Taro	Taro does not storm in, exactly. While his scowl and cassock may leave a memorable impression on those he lets live, he rather lacks the intimidating presence of some of the others he accompanied. Perhaps if he were a few inches taller or broader...regardless. As he runs to the door, his gloved hands snatch two grenades from his belt - one a flash-bang, the other a tear-gas - and at the last moment he turns so that it's his shoulder that slams against it.     The android inwardly grimaces but outwardly remains stoic as the Judges prove thir good aim, scoring him across the chest as he flings the primed grenades and then hits the floor.     One advantage to being an android is that breathing is strictly optional. Thus he won't be gassed by his own weapons. Not that he expects it to affect the Judges immediately, if they have filters in their helmets, and so he comes up swinging. Or more properly, activating his beam sabre and then swinging at them.
Sanary Rondel	Time to put that axe to good use. After watching Comrade Crush turn his skin to stone and barrel straight into those oncoming attacks, Sanary follows up after the literally mighty wizard with only a bit of awestruck staring. The cleaving slashes of her axe against the judges that are still putting up a fight are relatively precise in comparison, aimed at their arms and legs to try and keep those judges down rather than outright killing them. Even if she's not particularly fond of them at the moment, that doesn't mean she's going to murder them in cold-blood without a good reason to!      "Stay down and nobody else has to die! Er. Probably!" 'Biggs Wedge''s work can't really be undone from her end, but at least that can work to their advantage as far as intimidation goes. Between her Sephiroth giving them so many chances?      If they don't listen now, they never will. Skidding/stumbling to a stop behind Comrade Crush, the healer pours some of her magical energy directly out of her into the Muscle Wizard, linking them together with the power of a stupidly green beam of light. Not only does it augment natural regeneration, but it even lets him draw upon Sanary's own magical reserves for his magic!
Sephiroth	Sephiroth is a creature of war. He was born to be something else. He was raised to be the perfect SOLDIER. He shakes his head at the 'judge', and turns his attention elsewhere, just in time to see the Judges fan out. That and a sword get hurled, and then a teleport. Sephiroth reacts before the Judge reappears, moving the Masamune in the way of the incoming strke, the impact sending sparks flying. Sephiroth does not move. He holds a blade lock with the Judge Commander. "I give you one chance: Release our target, and we walk. Deny my request and I cannot guarantee the safety of your men."
Echo	Having made it ahead of her comrades (including the Crushing kind) Echo heads for Cell Block E. She's walking pretty casually and defintiely looks out of place in the low-necked and wispy black elvira-esque dress and red stiletto heels, plus the fact that well, she's a bat lady, her long black hair drifts behind her lazily as she saunters in.      "Now, lets find our caged friend and quit this place," of course, Echo might not anticipate the judges or REBECCA CHAMBERS of STARS that she will likely run into on the way there!
Shadowed Scales	Sticking around in a chaos-filled lobby in the middle of what is now a warzone was not quite planned and Biggs Wedge has been held up for longer than he would like. It is too late though. More Judges arrive, and this most look super sketchy, a lone Judge amid all these invaders.     There is no warning for warning Sephiroth, as the Judge commander leaps into the fray- Biggs Wedge JOINS him.     The attack is PAINFULLY telegraphed, too. As if screaming to be cut down.
Black Arachnia	Fortunately, getting down to the entry point for Cell Block E is pretty fast for Black Arachnia - although if she even HEARS combat in the corridors, she's going to err on the side of caution and engage her electro-disruptor until either she can be sure the line of fire isn't going to be near her, or she has to be visible to friendlies. So as soon as she reaches Block E, a quick utterance of "Black Arachnia, maximize" accompanies her switch back into robot mode as she's in transit from wall to floor, landing on her feet. "We should probably sedate her while she's being transferred," she suggests to the guard company commanders (and to Rebecca). "I'll handle carrying her, I've got a suitable 'sedative' in mind if we're going to use it." She's hoping none of the Judges on duty have a supernatural ability to tell when a robot isn't being entirely truthful; Black Arachnia DOES have something in mind .... it's just not exactly a typical sedative. But then, any of the Judges who *can* sense lies should have picked up on an infiltrator in their midst by now. Or maybe they were all in the three could-be-dead companies. Well, no point in worrying about that unless somebody actually calls her on it.
Rebecca Chambers	Rebecca's waiting and keeping her guard up. She knows that it's only a matter of time before someone who's part of the Confederacy approaches, and she's not about to let them through that easily. She peers through the small viewing 'slot' on her shield, waiting to see what might come her way. Eventually, she finds out. When that giant bat appears (OK, so it's Echo) Rebecca has a brief flashback to the time she and Billy Coen fought that giant mutant bat in the chapel of Umbrella's old training facility. But this is totally different. She pops out from behind the shield with her MP5K in one hand. "Don't come any closer!" She yells out. "This is your only warning! We will open fire!"
Xiao Li Yu	The Judge Commander has his eyes on Sephiroth as blade meets blade in a clash of sparks and a deadlock. "You break down my front door, kill and injure my men, and then you make demands?" The filtered voice calmly says through the helmet, upholding the deadlock. "We Judges uphold the law before all else. And the demands of criminals are never to be met."      And then Biggs Wedge JOINS THE FRAY with a totally telegraphed attack. What the- THAT MAN WAS TRAINED BETTER THAN THAT! Tch, still, even the most basic attack could provide some distraction. The Commander too the opportunity to strike, /warping/ out of the deadlock and appearing directly above the SOLDIER with an ornate lance in hand, immediately hurtling downwards with a dive thrust aimed right for Sephiroth.      MEANWHILE, the Commander's troops are CRUSHED UNDER THE WEIGHT OF COMMUNISM. Some weapons pierce through the stone, but it's not nearly as effective as it could have been. And the force of that tackle sends several judges flying backwards through the hall in an almost comical manner, hitting the floor and sprawling and sliding like a sack of potatoes. The Judges in their midst who are healers quickly get to work on mending the wounds of the downed, and the remaining front liners meet Sanary head on, shields raised and defending against the cleaving axe blows. Several are taken out, especially those without shields, and the slower ones. But all in all? They're being pushed back. More and more wounded are joining the ranks of the fallen, and the healers in the back have their work cut out for them.      This wing might already be taken, but those remaining seem to have no intention of giving up. The back liners let loose a barage of magic towards the duo of Sanary and Comrade Crush, fireballs, ice spears, wind blades, and stone spikes all coming their way.      TARO: Those few Judges let loose their strikes, and prepare to strike again to take out the android. At least before a flashbang lit up the room and blinded them. Not nearly as much as it could have, but it was enough time needed to let loose with that beam sabre, slashing into those bearing upon him and putting them down temporarily. Armored figures crumple down, searing hot slashes of plasma smoking along their armor. ...They're going to be down a while.      Now, about those computers. Taro will find that hacking one isn't that hard. The power source is magical in nature, but the commands, the way things are set up, it all seems to be similar to off world computer mechanisms. He should be able to search for what he's looking for...      REBECCA/BLACK ARACHNIA/ECHO: The trip to Cell Block E is simple and easy. The suggestion to sedate the prisoner is met with looks between each other from the Judges accompanying them, and then a slow nod from the Company Commander. "Right. We'll let you handle that then. If she resists, then she just may buy time for-" NOPE TOO LATE. HEEEERE'S ECHOOO~      Immediately, the Judges with the two Unionites mobilize and form up into a back line, and a front line. "Go on ahead and get to the prisoner! We'll stop that thing here!" The company leader states firmly, sword and shield held ready.      Oh boy.
Echo	Echo strides right up to where Rebecca tells her to stop, raising an eyebrow and peering at the girl with her yellow, cat-like eyes.      "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, darling--but I think /he/ has some words with you," Echo began to smile, weaving her magical illusion powers without the need for gestures or incantations.      "Uhhnnn... Rebecca, why didn't you get back... in time?"      Short brown hair slicked back, green vest, knife holster on left breast. Chris Redfield--but his skin has gone deathly pale, his eyes milky. Along the right side of his body are the large ragged and bloody teeth marks of that giant snake, each the size of a quarter, nearly--the same kind she'd seen forming a half-ring on Richard's side. Zombie Chris pulls himself toward her on the floor--scrabbling to grip her ankle from behind!      "You're out of time, sweety!" Echo's voice booms through the corridor.
Sephiroth	Sephiroth, at the Commander's denial, shakes his head. "So be it." The SOLDIER is terrifying poetry in motion. The Judge vanishes, Biggs telegraphs. The Masamune flashes like lightning, mercilessly striking at Biggs Wedge. He chose that path, and pays for it. He pivots, shifting enough that the downward thrust merely cuts through the sleeve of his coat, the tip gashing nearly the full length down his right arm. Two important notes: He grunts in pain, but largely seems to no sell the hit, his resistance inhuman. Two: Sephiroth is left handed. The Judge may be able to teleport, but that landing likely left the SOLDIER an opening. The Masamune flashes, swinging /upwards/. (That means he cuts through the stone of the ground and through it like paper). He seeks to end this quickly. He's trying to cut the Judge Commander in half. At least he won't suffer?
Taro	Taro runs a hand across his chest, finding the blackened holes in his cassock, then makes a quick, panning glance around the room to make sure that anyone remaining in the room is down or otherwise incapacitated. So long as the clerical workers stay on the floor, they have nothing to fear from him - they are simply people trying to make a living, not a direct threat to him, and therefore killing them is an inefficient waste of time and energy.     Out of an abundance of caution, he opts to hack the old fashioned way. He does a quick once-over around the workstations, checking under keyboards and top drawers for the inevitable passcode scrawled on the local version of a sticky note, then picks that terminal for his work. (Or if the people here actually practice good network security practices, he'll pick the workstation closest to the door he burst through.) Fingers dance lightly on the keyboard, a bit slower than usual due to the unfamiliar confinguration of the keys, as he starts worming his way into the network. First, bump this account up to administrative access, and then let us see about those security cameras...
Black Arachnia	What in Primus's name do they recruit Judges for, their ability to walk around in full plate without rattling? Fortunately for all concerned, Black Arachnia confines *that* bit of snark to the inside of her cerebro-circuitry. This is what, half a dozen Confederate Elites who all came to get one of their own out? She should probably give the Judges more credit for slowing the Feds down *this* much - but instead of lingering to join in the discussion (or the incipient fray), Black Arachnia hurries into Cell Block E, locating Xiao Li Yu's cell. (Hopefully a Judge is with her to actually open the cell without damaging the lock.) Once the cell door is open, Black Arachnia produces her mandible grapnel from wherever it was stored, checking the mouth-parts. "Hold really still, and this won't hurt at all; resist, and I can't guarantee you won't get a fatal overdose." She pauses, giving Xiao Li Yu a feral sort of smile. "Of course, if you did want to resist, I'd be happy for the excuse. But I assume you'd like to go home alive ... eventually." Once she injects the 'sedative,' Xiao Li Yu should simply go completely limp - and once she does, Black Arachnia switches back into beast mode and sets about wrapping the Confederate up in a bundle of shimmering 'silk,' the same stuff she weaves into occasional webs. Sure, the Judges had cuffs on her, but given their raging success in keeping the prison secure THIS long, the Maximal's skepticism of those cups keeping her restrained (even if she weren't also unconscious) should be self-explanatory.
Shadowed Scales	Masamune flashes. When it hits Biggs, there is a spray of blood, as it cleaves through his armor. But Sephiroth may notice something og... The hard resistance of the flesh beneath, the flare of sparks as the legendary blade connects with the legendary armor BENEATH that armor.     Biggs Wedge falls. Gurgling on his own blood, it's a wonder he's even still alive as he starts trying to drag his bloodied, barely-living self towards the other judges for aid.
Rebecca Chambers	Almost immediately, Rebecca acknowledges the order to get the prisoner secured. "Affirmative, I'll take care of--" Rebecca's reply is cut off abruptly as a familiar face appears before her. Chris Redfield. Only he's got a huge snakebite on his body, and his eyes are milky white. Not to mention he's crawling towards her, almost like one of those zombies. "No! Chris!" Rebecca feels like she's been drawn back in time to the Arklay Mansion incident, where she had to recover the serum for Chris. But she did get the serum in time. Why is Chris- "No, it's not real!" Rebecca says, shaking her head before aiming at the 'undead' version of Chris crawling towards her. "I'm sorry, but this is for your own good!" Rebecca says, almost like she's actually there dealing with a real undead Chris, before firing a three-round burst at the zombie Chris's head, aiming primarily for the brain, in hopes that he stops moving. She needs to help Black Arachnia, but Echo seems intent on keeping her distracted.
Comrade Crush	Perhaps surprisingly to Sanary, she'll feel more or less no tug on her MP pool - the colossal commie caster seems to have a nigh-limitless wellspring of his own to draw from, for the simple fact that his magic is in his muscles! Her healing power does have a remarkable effect, though. With Comrade Crush's already-advanced ability to heal and recover, her rejuvination closes his wounds almost instantly. It allows the big guy to keep swinging his arms from side to side, quite soundly indicating to anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby that it's time to go... to sleep.     "WAAAHAHAHAHA! IS ADORABLE TRY!"     He hasn't missed the back-line shenanigans, however. Especially with his own source of healing to keep him on his feet, he's more apt to spot the same behavior in his enemies - and to recognize it for the problem it is. So it's probably not a surprise that he abruptly SHOVES his way through the crowd, ignoring the new gashes and jabs, gritting his teeth and marching right on through the fire and ice and wind, heedless of the wounds they give him (and probably giving poor Sanary a lot more work to do). He has a goal in mind: those healers.     And once he's just shy of point-blank range, Crush hauls back a fist, and PUNCHES... the air? Well, he's not close enough to punch THEM, that's for su-FWOOMP! FWOOMP! FWOOMP! As Crush throws punches, his fists begin to glow a bright crimson, and each blow unleashes an incredibly fast magical projectile of pure force at the healers. One, two, three punches, and he shows no signs of stopping. It's a chain Magic Missile spell, a rapid series of powerful magical bolts.     And yes, every one of them is shaped like a fist.
Sanary Rondel	Definitely not backing down. Alright, then! Bracing the shield for impact as that next barrage of magic comes for her, Sanary actually seems to be favoring the fireballs over the rest of the attacks. Favoring in the sense that she's actively trying to take those blasts directly while aiming her shield towards the others, anyway, since her armor's actually skewed towards resisting firey assaults a little better!      Not that it really stops her from getting burned inside her armor, anyway, what with the fireballs still being fireballs, but at least it's better than getting impaled by ice and stone or losing limbs to the wind blades. Alas, with her link to Crush putting a strain on her magical reserves already, Sanary can't quite afford to fire off any of those heat lasers yet. Instead...      ... What shell did she have loaded in the gunaxe again? Oh, who cares. Bracing the barrel of the weapon against the side of her tower shield, she starts firing small blasts of lightning towards the judges Comrade Crush is ignoring. It's quantity over quality as she fires off those shots as quickly as possible, being somewhat mindful of the drain each shot and her link to the muscle wizard is taking on her. She'll leave the healers to Comrade Crush, though, since trying to make the opposing healers' jobs tougher might just be more effective than focusing just on who's in front of them!
Echo	"Ohoho, no, don't you worry, honey," Echo shakes her head and looks casually half-interested as the personal nightmare plays out in front of Rebecca's eyes. She does seem amused at her reactions, though!      The Zombie Chris reacts to each of the bullets plunking into it's body as the cataract, soulless eyes begin to turn red from blood flowing down over it's forehead--the pale clammy fingers jutting from Chris's fingerless gloves as they hopelessly slide down the legs of her trousers. He slumps down to the floor, seeming to be dead--but still seeming to be very real.      "I think you forgot another friend of yours, deary," Echo gazes at the girl and snaps her fingers.      From out of one of the cell lopes a massive creature--dark and fast--the sound of wet skin slapping at the floor as the giant, eyeless frog stops just short of Rebecca, and opens it's mouth--disgorging a stream of brackly water, and...      "Why didn't you help me...?" the skin is deathly pale, much like Chris, the hair dark and wet and wild. Along one arm Rebecca can see the dark tribal tattoos of Billy Coen, the upper half of him emerging from the frog's mouth--and then the rest of him, struggling with boots squelching on concrete as he tries to get up.      "What's what I love about this girl, she's such a cut up!" Echo claps her hands together with a laugh.
Xiao Li Yu	SEPHIROTH: That Commander is not a mook. Sephiroth avoids that dive thrust, and the lance embeds into the ground, cracking floor tiles in a spiderweb. But that wasn't his only gambit. From some distance away, one of their weapons, a single dagger, is floating on standby. Right as Masamune cleaves through stone as if it were paper, the armored figure shimmers blue and warps away.      But there's a shunk and a splash of red in that blue. Skidding across the floor, away from the SOLDIER, the Judge Commander stands, half of one arm cleaved off, the other grasping the bleeding stump. Well crap. That certainly hurt like a bitch, but there was no time to scream. With a remarkable amount of self control, the Judge Commander kept calm, after a muffled grunt of pain. But now, they had to consider their options... This man was clearly at or above their level. An extended battle would likely be a loss. ...Screw it. There was no second guessing, they were going to go straight in!      Time for one last blaze of glory! The phantom array of weapons circle around Sephiroth, and then the dagger is thrown right at him. The Commaner then warps to the side and grabs a longsword one handed, slashing at the SOLDIER's side, before warping above and grabbing a Buster Sword, and coming down with a heavy overhead slash, then they warp away to a lance floating behind him, grasping it and sliding across the floor with a full thrust aimed for the back!      SCALES: Biggs Wedge crawls away to the healers for support. Being none the wiser, one of them kneels down to his crawling form and begins to cast a Curaga spell on his wounds...      COMRADE CRUSH/SANARY: Oh my god, who are these people and why was this one tiny scientist so important to them!? The Judges can only watch in abject awe under their helmets, even while letting loose ever last bit of MP they have on holding this walking tank back, and failing. He completely ignores what they're throwing at him, as if it wasn't even hurting him(surely it was, but that healing), and then...the healers in the back line are completely unprepared for FWOOMP! FWOOMP FWOOMP! FWOOMP!      Magic 'punches' sail through the air, impacting with the healers and sending them flying right out. They crumple to the ground some distance away, one after the other, and that's the end of their healing... Well shit. Now what? All that's left are the mages- no wait, here's Sanary sniping back with lightning shots. They're picked off one after the other as they run out of MP, and soon... soon the south hallway is completely under Confederate control.      TARO: The Android will find that most of the computers have mundane access, but one station does seem to have better access than the others. With a bit of finangling, he bumps it up to administrative access, and then is allowed to view a plethora of new information on the server. Chiefly, the security cameras showing Cell Block E...and more importantly, Black Arachnia making her way through with a webbed up, unconscious Xiao Li Yu in her grasp. Well that doesn't look good at all, does it?      BLACK ARACHNIA: Xiao Li Yu looks up at the door to her cell slides open, and standing there is Black Arachnia and several Judges. "Hm? What's this now? I already said everything I had to say during your last round of interrogation." She says, shrugging her shoulders, hands shackled in MP draining cuffs, leaving her with little avenie to resist. She blinks as the spider steps forward with clear intent to inject something. "...What? Hey, what are you doing? You can't possibly be allowed to- HEY!" But it's too late. The injection is given without any ability for her to resist, and the scientist falls limp soon enough. She's then wrapped up and carried off, leaving Cell Block E.      One of the Judges accompanying Black Arachnia offers, "Maximum Security is this way. Let's hurry." And then he runs off to lead the way...
Sephiroth	Sephiroth frowns slightly as he only manages to take an arm. He should have known that there would be teleporting. He can't quite keep up with it at this level. "I gave you a chance. I have taken your arm. Now I will take your life. Well fought." The SOLDIER salutes the Judge with the Masamune. He moves to advance when a knife is thrown. What happens next is a blur. The human eye can barely track the movements of the combatants. The Longsword bites into Sephiroth's side, blood not quite fountaining, causing the SOLDIER to stumble. The Buster Sword from above /is/ caught on the razor's edge of the Masamune, but just barely, the silver haired man reacting on instinct alone. He flicks the Masamune as the man disappears again, spinning in a swirl of silver and black, reaching out with his injured arm to grasp the spear's haft and push it wide, spinning with the momentum, stopping to face the Judge's back. Sephiroth is silent as he regards the man with cold eyes. He grasps the Masamune in two hands.
Sephiroth	Sephiroth is a blur of black and silver as he closes on the weary Judge. Even injured, he is economy of motion, efficiency and raw, inhuman power. The Masamune sings as it carves through the air, barely seeming to meet resistance as he presumably strikes the Judge again and again. Those who could see could count eight strikes of the legendary blade, before he takes it in one hand again and pivots. Sephiroth raises his bloody arm, magical energy swirling about him as he calls on the power inherent in his Materia. Fire wreathes his hand, and he says one world before the Judge's world presumably becomes flames. "Firaga"
Black Arachnia	Black Arachnia runs along behind the Judge who's leading the way, with Xiao Li Yu's bundled form tucked under one arm (and steadied by a couple of what would normally be spider legs). She's kind of sorry she didn't have an excuse to make it more painful ... or more deadly ... and she's still really, *really* tempted to make sure the scientist never wakes up in any kind of useful state. .... then again, this is the Multiverse and magic is totally a thing; somebody might have a way to revive her even from actual death. She'll just have to hope her 'poison pill' actually works as planned - maybe the Confederates won't be as eager to take her away if they know -- Then Black Arachnia steps into the 'foyer' of Cell Block E, wherever Rebecca and the Judges were holding it, and sees Echo messing with Rebecca's head. Not that she sees exactly HOW the Confederate is doing this, or what Rebecca is seeing, but it's clear enough what's happening. She doesn't even say a word before deploying her leg lasers and opening up on Echo, each laser tuned to a SLIGHTLY different frequency, all of them attempting to burn and slice, none of them weak enough to be mistaken for anything so cordial as a 'stun' type of intensity. If Echo doesn't have shields or alarmingly-fast reflexes, she's likely to get hurt. A lot. Black Arachnia is not the sort of Unionite to screw around with such things as 'disable an enemy without killing' ... and honestly, she's had enough of Xiao Li Yu's shenanigans to not *care* if she, or other Confederates, live or die. If she cared, she wouldn't be playing the gambit she's running with.
Rebecca Chambers	That eyeless frog, it was called a Lurker or something. Rebecca remembers encountering it in the facility. And then it disgorges... "Billy?!" She stares in disbelief at the sight of the ex-Marine turned wrongful convict coming towards her. Only this time, though, Rebecca's caught on to the trick. She shakes her head and says, "No more!" She fires a couple of shots at Billy before ejecting the empty clip from her gun and loading a new one. "You're real clever, going into my 'belfry,'" Rebecca says sarcastically. "Unfortunately, you picked the wrong woman to mess with!" She opens fire on Echo with her MP5K, hoping to disrupt the bat-freak and her strange hallucinations or whatever.
Taro	Taro knows Black Arachnia well enough to recognize her on sight, though their paths have generally crossed more within the computer networks than in the physical world. Although that solves the problem of getting Xiao Li Yu out of her cell, he cannot say that she is unguarded. Or able to move on her own most likely. He relays all this to his allies over the radio. The time waiting for a response is not wasted, and while keeping one eye on the camera feed, he starts forcing password resets of the other administrative accounts. All the better to slow down any on-site attempts to stop him.     An improvised plan is decided upon, and he changes tack accordingly. Next, he works toward granting himself access to other parts of the security network. First and foremost, seeking out their security protocols for locking down the facility in case of riot or other internal unpleasantness. Let's see if we can force all of the main security doors to close and lock. He can always go back to unlock Block E's to get their own in and out. Or at least that's what he confidently believes - he -is- one of SHODAN's most gifted hackers, after all...
Shadowed Scales	The gash is terrible. Men of lesser fortitude would be dead already, but Biggs struggles onwards, collapsing in a heap by the time the healers come to his aid.     As they do, he stands up.     The wound is still there. He still bleeds.     He does not CARE that he bleeds as he holds one hand up, claws of pure silvery light forming at his fingertips.     He lashes out like an adder, the strike is like lightning- no, the FIVE strikes are like ligtning, happening in a flurry so fast they seem as though just one happened. Lashing out with one single, terrible, blow, the flurry that follows is at an inhuman speed, almost imperceptible as every strike is aimed somewhere terribly vital, his touch completely ignoring any armor, treating even the strongest of steel like tissue paper as he gives in to the chilling intent to eviscerate the men and women that moved only to come to his aid.
Sanary Rondel	Okay, maybe firing off rapid-fire Lightning shots wasn't the smartest thing to do considering how Sanary was still linked to Comrade Crush. Still, what's done is done, and so are the judges! "Alright... We'll need to move fast. Let's sweep right through 'em!" The healer doesn't quite have that much time to relax as her attention is drawn elsewhere, though, with all the blood and blood going EVERYWHERE.      Namely, to Sephiroth and the Judge Commander making his last stand. Admirable, possibly even worthy of letting it play out properly in any other context. Alas, there's a mission to be done, and Sanary's not about to put anything to chance if she can help it. She sends out a mote of green light towards Sephiroth, fulling intending to give him a bit of a regenerative boost even as the Judge tries to put all those swords in the silver-haired swordsman.      She'll just have to trust that his own swordsmanship and... Was that fire? That was fire. Mental note: Don't piss the fabulous guy off. Or whoever 'Biggs' is, considering all the blood from earlier and the EVEN MORE BLOOD now. She's not about to stick around to find out how all /that/ goes, anyway.      "Come on, people. Let's move, let's move!" And with a clang of axe on shield for emphasis, Sanary breaks into a run. Her target: Cell block E!
Comrade Crush	And the enemy forces are just about dealt with. At the end of it all, Crush stands, grinning ear to ear, his stoneskin gone in several places - spots where he's taken injuries, and Sanary's magic has helped to eliminate it, leaving regular skin underneath. He's still bleeding in other spots, but after a second or two's consideration, Sanary will actually feel the link to Crush severed, from his end rather than hers.     One big hand settles on Sanary's head. Pat pat. "Is much appreciated, comrade. But catch your breath a little. Crush is tough! Can afford to take plenty of hits. These? Are barely paper cut."     But Sanary's quite right. It's time to get moving. "Da, da! Allow me to clear way!" Once again, the Muscle Wizard swings his arm up, and this time the growth of stone becomes a conical shield, almost like the cow-catcher on a train. It's an apt metaphor. Because 'freight train' is a good way to describe Comrade Crush when he's charging through the halls.     Beep beep. Get out the way. Communism coming through.
Xiao Li Yu	SEPHIROTH: There is a blur of blue and black. And Sephiroth proves himself to be the one of greater skill in this duel. Eight slashes cleave into the Commander, and then before they even fall, their world is engulfed in flames. There is a dull thump of a body hitting the floor, on fire. Oops. The Commander was down. The others, who could actually move retreated at this point, clearly no match for these invaders if their illustrious commander was killed.      SCALES: No one expects that a patient will stand back up to their feet, despite their wounds, and then CLEAVE INTO THEM AT LIGHTNING SPEED. There is a gurgle as every healer coming to aid Biggs falls down to the ground, blood pooling. That was the last mistake they'd ever make in their lives.      COMRADE CRUSH/SANARY: With the western forces down or retreated, it was time to haul ass to the east! Any stray Judges on guard are bowled out of the way like rag dolls at the Champion of Communism comes barreling through the hallway to the east, heading right in the direction of Cell Block E, as well as the ongoing struggle between Echo, Rebecca, and Black Arachnia.      TARO: Right then however, there is a loud horn through the facility as all of the heavy security doors creak above at various points, and then start lowering, creating steel barriers that served to box volatile elements in and cut off access to key points. One particular thick, steel wall divides Block F and E from Maximum Security...      Oops.      What now?
Echo	Echo blinks as the bullets hit the Zombie Billy Coen--and now Black Arachnia is opening up on her as well. As the bullets tear into Billy Echo steps behind the zombie's form and uses it to shield herself from both Rebecca's and Black Arachnia's fire. Of course, the zombie is getting torn apart and is looking like a blood sprinkler by this point, but Echo's able to take cover behind it--hopefully.      "But honey, you can't go anywhere dressed like that!" Echo has one hand on Zombie Billy's shoulder as she leans up and around him, blowing a kiss to Rebecca.      The kiss itself takes the shape of a red glowing pair of lips that smack into Rebecca's shape, and she's wreathed in smoke--and when it clears, well. That snazzy tactical outfit of hers was replaced with... a poofy sleeved white flouncy skirted nurse outfit!? Complete with cap, thigh-high stockings and blocky white ankle-high boots?      It definitely doesn't look like stand issue! (Red: http://tinyurl.com/h6ruhnr )      Dropping Billy in a heap, Echo works on Black Arachnia next while Rebecca is hopefully distracted--casting a thunder spell in the spider's direction and trying to make them drop their cargo!
Sephiroth	The Judge Commander falls, the troops routed. Sephiroth moves east, heading for the Cell Block. Security doors may be an issue. Maybe. He moves into the hole that Comrade Crush made, following until he meets a sealed door. The Masamune goes to work again. He can cut through, right?
Rebecca Chambers	One moment, Rebecca's fighting against Echo with Black Arachnia's assistance- The next, she's wearing... a lolita nurse outfit?! That can't be! "No, what's going on here?!" Rebecca covers her eyes and shakes her head. "This isn't really happening!" She looks over herself, wondering if she's going to make it out of this in one piece. "I'm not that type of girl! I don't wear these types of clothes!" She ducks behind a nearby wall, hoping that this is just a temporary thing that will wear off.
Taro	Taro briefly turns full attention back tot he security camera feed to assure that yes, all security doors are in fact closing and locking. Excellent. In the long term that may be be a hinderance, but in the sort term it should keep Arachnia from disappearing with Xiao in either direction.     Next comes fine-tuning the security protocols. He judges that he won't have much time to learn the intracacies - surely that little show of security compromise has attracted attention - and so he concentrates on looking for the controls for the exterior doors. Preferably emergency exits, as those should have far simpler methods of unlocking...     A sudden thought hits him, and he again switches tacks. If the security doors automatically unlock in case of fire, then this would be an excellent time to convince the fire systems that there is one. Than again, considering the controlled mayhem of his associates, this may not need much convincing.
Comrade Crush	Crush is running full tilt, a feat that probably results in the very loud sound of footfalls leading towards Echo, Rebecca and Arachnia. It's unmistakable. Anyone can tell something huge is coming. And as the big something draws closer, they'll hear something alongside the rumble that makes it all too obvious just what's on approach.     "WAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! I'M COMING FOR YOUUUUUUU!"     That's about the time Crush comes stampeding around a corner.     At first it looks like he's just gonna keep charging. But with the security gates all slamming into place behind them, boxing everyone in, Crush lifts up that great big stone wedge, and... slams it down? Yes, slams it down, and hurls himself over it like a soviet cannonball. He hurtles through the air with surprising majesty for an eight-foot brick outhouse, and as his boots come down on the ground again-                                     *CLAP*                                         It's impossibly loud. Deafeningly loud. With his inhuman strength, Crush bringing his hands together full-force for a clap is more like a small bomb going off.
Sanary Rondel	Now THAT's unexpected. Just how powerful is Comrade Crush to be able to do that so seemingly effortlessly? The considerably shorter magic-user grunts lightly at the head pat, trying to hold back a grin as she nods towards Crush gratefully for the reprieve. "Heh... Just doing my job, big guy."      And then it's time to take the Communism Train! Or run along behind it. The healer has to do a bit of a sprint just to keep up after a while, though, especially with the doors starting to slam shut! Luckily for her, it's right where she wants to be.      Xiao, Rebecca, and Black Arachnia on one side. Echo and the Confederates on the other. She's about to start shouting at the Union forces (because of course she would), but several things stop her from doing that.      The first: Just what is Rebecca wearing? That...! "... That's actually kinda cute." Hell, it's even enough to get the healer to stare at the officer blankly for a few moments. The second: A warning from Crush. Instead of going on the offensive, the healer claps her gauntleted hands (even with the shield and axe being held) over her ears just in time for Comrade Crush to slam his hands together for that aural assault!      It's not until after that mighty slam that the healer finally regains her senses, and she breaks into another (somewhat unsteady because OW EARS) run straight for Xiao's (and possibly Black Arachnia's) position.
Black Arachnia	"*What* -" One word is all Black Arachnia has time for when she sees the spell getting cast at her, and she's already reacting to it - namely, by bringing the web-wrapped body of Xiao Li Yu up from under her arm and interposing it in front of her, to take the brunt of Echo's spell. "If you want her back alive, you REALLY shouldn't toss spells willy-nilly at the Maximal who's carrying her!!" she yells. Then she hears footsteps, extra loud ones ... And then the sound barrier gets (Comrade) Crushed by the biggest slagging clap of COMMUNISM around. Black Arachnia's audio receptors just go out under the force of all those decibels - no sparking, no sizzling, just 'nope' and offline. Given the look on the Maximal's face when she moves the Xiaobundle aside to look at the Confederates, the odds for successful negotiation just went *waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay* downhill. She doesn't try to move aside from Sanary's charge, either ... although she *DOES* let Sanary run right into a devastating roundhouse kick, instead of letting herself get flattened.
Echo	Echo is pleased she has instilled terror in her opponent, watching as Rebecca runs and hides in shame. Granted, so would Echo if she were caught dead in that getup! It's almost as horrifying as that reoccuring nightmare she keeps having where she's petting Bambi! A lot of trips were made to the Confed medical wing for therapy sessions over that one. They're no doubt sick of her complaints by now. Who would show movies like that to children, of all things??!      As she gets a call over the radio however, Echo has to duck qucikly and cover her large, batty ears, lest they be blown out by Comrade Crush's supersonic clap! She has to do this, otherwise she'll be hurt, and disoriented.
Xiao Li Yu	BLACK ARACHNIA: Xiao's body is struck by lightning. Though the webbing dispersed /some/ of the lightning, the unconscious girl still got damaged a bunch by the electrifying force. She still doesn't move.      TARO: With some more finangling, and some token attempts to break in and shut out his access, the fire doors in Block E and F slide open. ....Well, all that remains is actually getting out of there, huh?
Rebecca Chambers	Before she can continue to think about what's happening, there's that insane noise. Rebecca cups her hands over her ears and closes her eyes. "Ugh... dammit! Now what?!" She babbles, struggling to keep from fainting from the intensity of the noise. Of course it feels like it's going on, but it really just lasted a moment. Her ears are just ringing rather loudly. When she opens her eyes again, she looks again and sees that the illusion seems to have vanished. It's back to normal and she realizes what happened. "Just another illusion, of course!" She shakes her head, but draws her shield, hoping to survey the situation from behind protection.
Taro	Taro has done his job, which hopefully has made the others' easier. He remains at the terminal, keeping one eye on the cameras to keep track of his allies, and just as importantly any Judges or other guards that amy be trying to force their way past their own security doors. The other eye is on the security network, to put down the attempts from the actual Security Office to wrest control back from him.
Sanary Rondel	"If you want to get out alive, then-" One of these days, Sanary is going to learn that running and talking is rarely a good idea. Multi-tasking can be difficult, especially in the heat of battle when a robotic spider lady's foot is flying straight at your face. The healer only has a moment to augment her face with whatever defensive magic she can before taking that kick right to the jaw, stumbling awkwardly before being forced to prop herself up against that tower shield.      An incoherent mumble later, and she realizes that her jaw is not quite where it should be. Also, PAIN. Pain all over her face on account of HER JAW SHOULD NOT BE IN THAT DIRECTION. Sanary stays hunched over for a few moments as she brings up her gunaxe, then smacks it into the side of her chin with a muffled cry of pain and some more magic directed into it, trying to stabilize the whole thing before getting back up.      "Nrghhg... Big difference between her and you! We can fix her. You, though... THere's a reason they won't let me take my computer in for repairs any more!" Was that some sort of threat? Taro might have a decent idea of what she means, at least, even if it might not be all that clear to anyone else. She raises her gunaxe and starts channeling magic into both it and her eye, glaring straight at the Maximal with significantly more fury (and mouth bleeding) than the healer normally shows.      "So here's how it's gonna go. Either you behave and give her to us, or you don't, and we let you live with us. Your ca-" She spits out a bloody tooth, and she's speaking with a weird lisp from the hasty bone-fixing job. Good thing they've got good dental. "... Call!"
Comrade Crush	Well, the clap had the intended effect. Arachnia seemingly deafened, Chambers possibly as well, the momentum of the fight disrupted entirely. Crush is satisfied.     "Comrade Sanary, is possible she cannot hear you. I am having solution." The big guy takes a few steps to the fore, and begins making hand gestures.     First, he points at Arachnia, then Chambers. Then he holds up two fingers. 'Two of you.'     Then he points to himself, Sanary, Echo, and then down the hallway in Sephiroth's direction, and holds up four fingers. 'Four of us.'     Next, Crush points at Xiao, and then himself, and then jerks a thumb generally that-a-way. 'Give her to us, and we leave.'     Then he pops his knuckles. It sounds like a four-round burst from an automatic rifle. And causes electricity to crackle along his arms. 'Or else.'
Black Arachnia	From Black Arachnia's increasingly snarky perspective, Sanary's lips are moving but nothing is coming out. She slings Xiao back under her right arm for safe keeping, then (without using spider legs to support her this time), brings her left hand up ... just tapping on the side of her head would probably be misinterpreted, so she pokes deliberately at a knob or cup or something which *looks* sort of like it might be covering one of the Maximal's ears. Poke, poke, rub a little for good measure. Then the Maximal points behind Sanary, followed by a 'poof' gesture with that hand, followed by pointing at her 'ear' again. The way that weapon's being pointed at her is still pretty clear in its intent, even if Black Arachnia really CAN'T hear Sanary's demands. Plus, Comrade Crush is going through the motions of 'explaining' with gestures, which pretty much confirms it. And as satisfying as it could be to drag this out, the conclusion is pretty inevitable at this stage - the Judges are pretty much dead or otherwise unable to put up even a semblance of a meaningful fight, the Confederate Elites *far* outnumber the Union Elites, and the part of Echo's thunder spell that Xiao *didn't* eat on her behalf still has her circuits sizzling. So the Maximal just half-tosses the web-bundle of Xiao towards Sanary; if the axe-crazy healer drops her weapon and lunges, she could *probably* catch Xiao Li Yu before the webbed-up body hits the floor. Crush might be fast enough too, but he probably would do some extra damage unless he's surprisingly delicate with catching a tossed ally. But just because Black Arachnia is currently *deaf* doesn't mean she's *mute*, and the Maximal speaks: "She's paralyzed for safe transport. I was going to neutralize it when we had her back in maximum security. If you want her this badly ... *you* figure out how to neutralize the cybervenom before it kills her." With that, she folds her arms, arranges her spider-legs so they won't get in the way, and leans against the wall. She's not going to help. She could probably alleviate their worries a little by giving a rough estimate of how long it'll take, but .... nah.
Echo	Echo is practically overjoyed to see the bundle of Xiao tossed towards Sanary Rondel, and jumps right in next to her!      "Okay Captain, it's gonna be a wild ride!" Echo grins broadly and points at the ceiling, the floor beginning to turn into a inky starry void beneath their feet.      "EVILDOERS--COME INTO THE CIRCLE OF THE MAGIC SCHOOLBUS WITH ME, SHE SHALL WHISK US AWAY!" Echo means it too, as she's opened up a short-distance teleportation field that will take her and a group of others out of the prison and to safety!
Sanary Rondel	"... Oh yeah." That's going to take a bit of the wind out of Sanary's sails. Not too much, though, since dammit she needs to stay angry for all the shit they've gone through tonight! Although she's keeping her glare levelled at the Maximal and the officer, she does steal occasional glances towards Comrade Crush and his physical request for compliance.      Damn, why didn't she think of that? Oh well. She moves almost exactly as expected to keep Xiao from hitting the floor, chucking her gunaxe and shield over towards Echo's spacehole before diving to catch the webbed-up scientist. Depending on who's looking, she might even be surprisingly gentle with how she's handling the girl!      Sanary does look somewhat confused when Black Arachnia starts speaking, though. Didn't she just signal that she was deaf before? It'll come to the healer sooner or later... Maybe. She opens her mouth to say something before stopping and just shakes her head instead, looking between Arachnia and Rebecca while starting to move. "Come on, everyone. We're outta here." And then it's time to fall back into the field to hopefully get out of this place! Also, trying different forms of magic to attempt to nullify the venom on the way.
Comrade Crush	The successful 'negotiation' puts a grin on Crush's face, but there's a peculiar look in his eyes when Arachnia tosses them their companion - something approaching respect.     And Sanary has the package, so it's time to go.     Crush is the last person in the teleportation field if he can help it, making sure everyone else that's coming is in there before he steps in himself. And once they're out the other side, so to speak, he'll use his own method of long-distance teleportation to get them to Confederate medical quickly.     Which is to say, he punches a hole in reality that they can all step through.