(And so we return. If you would like to join up, please do so here: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/70174-kingdom-hearts-vanguard-ii-sign-ups-and-discussion/ )

 

 

{Disney Castle, exterior}

Even, Somebody of Vexen, moved to follow Severa to engage ENCOM Programs, but yelled out in pain as something hit him from behind. He fell forward, a dart sticking out of his back. More programs crowded around, trying to hem Severa in. A red dot appeared on Severa's chest.

"Drop your weapon and surrender." A voice yelled out from the same direction the laser beam. "Or die here and now. Your choice."

More laser beams aimed at Severa.

 

{Disney Castle, interior}

Master Aqua took her old Keyblade from Luna. She took in a deep breath and smiled.

"It is good to have this back, thank you." She said, closing her eyes for a moment.

She reopened her eyes and nodded to Luna.

"We had better arrange a way to get wounded in here for us to heal. Maybe a few of the Guardians could-"

"Dilan to all available forces." The former Xaldin said via a wall mounted radio. "Evacuate! Repeat, evacuate! Four more capital ships warping in!"

Aqua gave the wall radio a shocked look.

"What is this?" She hissed and made for the door.

Before she got to it, it exploded inward with Dilan flying backwards and landing in a heap in the infirmary. From the out of the dust and debries, a man in a suit shot in and wrapped an arm around the stunned Aqua's neck, putting a blade to her neck. Four more people in suits came in and pointed various weapons at the Guardians.

"Don't try anything, Keybladers." The one who had Aqua growled. "We of the Ulthor know how to beat your cursed weapons."

In the ensuing silence, there was a metallic ping. The Ulthor agent in the back flipped a coin and caught it. A tallish man with short cut blond hair, goatee and with a number of ear piercings, he noted what it had landed on and put it away. A playing card appeared in his hand and he threw it at the agent holding Aqua captive. As soon as the card hit, the man holding Aqua turned into a card.

 

{Twilight Town, Old Mansion}

Elenar, formerly Larxene, managed to dodge out of the way of the energy blasts coming in from the digital battle cruise in the sky. Most of the young Keyblade wielders gathered at the old mansion were not so lucky and were thrown by the blast and killed. One lucky Wielder was snatched by Zion and Xion before the duo with their new patient disappeared in a flash of Light. As the smoke cleared, Aeleus (Somebody of Lexaeus) groaned and tried to get up.

Elenar readied herself to added some lightning to Celas's Duel Ragnoraks against the ship, but saw a red dot on the back of Celas's back.

"Look out!" She yelled and jumped in between Celas and where the beam was coming from, erecting a Barrier in the blink of an eye. There was a loud bang and Elenar was thrown back, hitting Celas. The Savage Nymph crumpled to the ground, blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth. For a moment before it faded, there was a neat little hole in Elenar's barrier.

Above, the capital ship rearmed its weapons for kill shots, but was hit by a beam from one of the mansion's 2nd story windows. The ship crackled with energy as its guns started moving erratically.

"Get inside!" Ansem the Wise yelled from the 2nd story window as he tossed out a smoking device he had just coupled together. "It will be back online in seconds!"

Over the the city proper, more capital ships warped in over hand and started landing Program troops, causing panic and confusion from the general populace.

 

{The Castle That Never Was}

Old Master Xehanort looked over his Organization with pride. He was beginning the final stages of his plan. The puny Lights would not be able to rest dancing to his tune.

"Friends" he called out in his cracked voice. "Soon, all our work will come to fruition, and Kingdom Hearts will be-"

The old man's speech was cut short as a massive explosion shook the castle, tossing some of the 13 Darknesses out of their seats.

"What was that?" Master Xehanort demanded as he pulled himself back into his normal sitting position.

Xigbar teleported back to his chair after he left to see what was going on.

"It's ENCOM ships opening fire on the castle." The one eyed sharpshooter reported. "I thought you said they couldn't come into our world."

Master Xehanort's face hardened.

"My Darknesses, prepare to defend the Castle." He ordered.

 

{Traverse Town}

Three figures in dark suits stood on top of the Gizmo Shop in Traverse Town, crowding around a small computer they had set up.

"Are you sure the Doctor said this would work?" A tall blond woman with a beauty spot below her left eye asked.

A man with a stubble and glasses rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Helga." He answered. "I was paying attention when the mad genius gave us this."

The color ran out of the man's face as he caught sight of the glare the blond woman was giving him.

"Um, Commander Sinclair." He corrected himself.

Helga Sinclair snorted her contempt and jerked a thumb at the computer.

"Then fire up our remote control monsters and sweep the city for Keyblade Wielders." She ordered." But make sure they keep civilian casualties to a minimum."

The man with glasses nodded and saluted, a poor think to do together, and typed in commands into the computer. When the last key stroke went through, the Gizmo Shop's front door burst open and Heartless Neoshadows with some sort of control collars on them bounded out, there keen senses looking for the strong hearts that Keyblade Wielders had.

 

{Radiant Garden}

Ienzo, Zexion's true self, finished transferring files and assembling various pieces of equipment he wanted before returning to the Old Mansion in Twilight Town when he heard a loud boom and some commotion outside the castle. Dashing outside, the Cloaked Schemer stopped suddenly when he saw three capital ships hanging over Radiant Garden. To his trained eye, he recognized the pattern of the digital ship.

"How did they get programs out of the computer?" He thought.

Ienzo heard a light laugh from behind him.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" A female voice asked. "Once we found out how to transfer Clu and his troops into our world, we could finally realize your plan. And how beautifully it is working, too."

The Cloaked Schemer turned to face the uniformed woman with glasses, a sly smile on his lips.

"My dear Jihl, did you doubt me?" He asked in a mock hurt tone.

Jihl Nabaat laughed again and stepped forward to place a hand on Ienzo's shoulder.

"The Decolor is grateful for your contribution." She said.

Ienzo's smiled remained, but took on a satisfied look. It was all working like he planned.

 

 

{Enchanted Dominion}

Maleificent stormed through her old castle. She felt degraded having to come back here, but a better hide out had not been available. Plus, the Decolor wouldn't try to bother her here on her own world.

She swiped into an inner room she had given over to one of her new allies and found him tending to his patient. King Candy squirmed under his physician's care.

"Easy, my code is sensitive, ya know." He whined.

"Silence!" Maleficent thundered. "It was your own foolishness that lead to your damage. I told you to avoid the heroes."

King Candy fell silent, too scared of the Witch to say anything. The middle aged doctor chuckled slightly as he straightened up and adjusted his glasses.

"Do not worry, m'lady." Doctor Cidolfus Demen Bunansa said in a calming voice. "This digital monarch will make a full recovery with some improvements."

Candy made to say something, but was glared into silence by the Witch. Maleficent looked back to Dr. Cid.

"And the other project?" She demanded.

Dr Cid's amused smile was replaced by a look of almost religious zeal.

"Ah, yes. I believe I have made the break through we required." He answered.

This time, it was Maleficent's turn to smile.

"Show me."

The Archadian scientist bowed and lead the way out of the room.

"The power requirements were astronomical." He explained as he led the way down a corridor. "I had to practically burn out a star to generate the power necessary and a fool would have let that power to burn out the project's systems before fruition,"

The Doctor paused as he placed a hand on a door's handle.

"But I am no fool." He declared and dramatically opened the door.

Inside was a room full of equipment, but was dominated by a giant transparent tube filled with a liquid. Floating inside was a girl off about 14 years of age and multicolored hair. Tubes extended from the top of the tube and into her veins while a breath mask rested over the girl's mouth. A plaque was placed at the base of the tube bearing the inscription "Project Lacuna."

"Our Void Witch is nearly finished." Maleficent said, dark intentions in her eyes.

 

 

(*Whew* did you see that, cause I will not be doing that again.)

Noctis noticed Leah's reaction."I hope I'm not mistaken...for our own good."Celas listened as Leah and the Silent Hero talked until she heard about the girl being at Castle Oblivion."Wait...so you saw"It was then that another person came out of the portal."Hey, fancy meeting you here." Said Elenar.Celas' eyes got wide in surprise, she slowly made her way to her friend and put her hands on the Nymph's shoulders."You're alright." She said as she gave Elenar a hug. "I'm glad you're alright. I almost thought I was too late to help you back at the mansion."The Prince saw the Savage Nymph and the Dark Warrior with a neutral look on his face."Well, look at that. Her friend shows up and her mood change completely."

{Twilight Town; Beach}Aqua looked at Zion strangely. What had she and Luna been doing? Biting each other? The Keyblade Master pushed these bewildering questions aside and followed the Guardians lead. She felt a little relieved as she made it inside, out of the bright light. That still worried her, but she still hoped it would get better with time.Aqua was about to follow Zion down the secret passage when the house shook with an explosion."Wielders!" A voice over a loud speaker bellowed. "Come out and surrender, or you will face derezzalution.""Blast!" Aqua swore. "Move fast!"{Twilight Town}Izzy's team managed to down a dozen programs before they started making for cover. With civilians panicking all around, it was hard to get clear shots. Shouted commands the sniper team could over hear sounded like the Programs were now starting to close in on them.

 

Zion pressed buttons like a madman. Soon the screen went green."It's rising. Okay, lets go people." She smirked. This would be kinda fun."You always have the craziest plans."Lightning was in the far corner. She detached herself from the wall and made her way to Zion. "You ready to fight?""As always." Zion said. The golden haired master turned to the others. "Alright. Lets go out, hands up, and assess the situation. Once the gate has reached the surface, start breaking stuff. Lightning and I will take out battleships while you guys cover the ground. Got it?"Izzy cursed. "Distraction done, run and gun!" And so they began running.

The house was dead silent as Raven and Hawk stationed themselves within the living room, praying that Zion would finish with her business and then slip back out undetected. Their breathing was deathly quiet as they peeked outside the windows, trying to feel the pulse of the enemy to see if they were suspicious of anything. The two old guards looked at each other and blinked, signifying to each other that their sector was clear. A moment later, they heard a muffled explosion as the house shook, and they both quickly realized that they were discovered and the explosion was a warning shot. 

 

"Wielders! Come out and surrender, or you will face derezzalution."

Hawk's face hardened as Raven quickly reached for his coat lapel. "We've been made" he whispered into the hidden mic, "Gunbunnies, standby."

 

"Roger that," Sparrow's hushed voice cackled through, "Oscar Mike to coast, we'll set up and hunker down. Just tell us when to light the fireworks." Not really happy with being discovered, Raven and Hawk could only silently look at each other with an expression of resolve and fear as they made their way to the bedroom. Descending down the staircase, the calm medic overheard Aqua's remark on the situation.

 

"Blast! Move fast!"

 

Hawk was about  to try calming the panicking warrior, but Raven's soothing and reassuring voice beat his attempts. "Relax, master. I'm sure Zion has an underground escape tunnel somewhere here. Luna, if we need to distract everyone surrounding this place, you're staying with us to help buy time for the others. Ghost, go with Aqua and Zion. Kiwi and Sparrow are entrenching themselves for defense of the portal, so at least we'll be pulling our fair share. Any orders, Zion?"

Edited April 11, 201411 yr by Javelin434

Neena wore a small polite smile that held no warmth. Oh, how much she would give to end this keyblader here and now. But for now, she had to play ball. Neena stepped a little closer to the cell. "Well, we would like some more information regarding the organization you belong to. After all, we wouldn't want to catch you guys in the crossfire when we're going after the real baddies. So, some intel would help us keep diplomatic relations strong, and make sure we didn't say, kill any of your friends. Of course, if you don't want to help, then I suppose if we encounter any of the others of your group we could kill them just the same as any other enemy we find on the battlefield." Neena spoke calmly, and she knew she was lying, but she doubted this one could read her. After all, there were few who could. She really did hope that this man cooperated. Torture was always gruesome.

~~~~~~

Severa glanced to Ienzo, and grinned slightly. "Me? Oh, only about a half-hour. Hour max." Severa said, her words ridiculous, but her tone completely serious. "Locke, y'know the guy in the suit and cane, picked me up off the battlefield, choosing to not kill me. Said something about potential." Severa said, shrugging while continuing to follow Jihl.

Edited April 12, 201411 yr by Yuffie Kisaragi

{Castle Oblivion}Ansem the Wise eyed the portal suspiciously."Who formed that?" He asked.Leah pointed to Renton."That keep popping up around him." She said.Elenar lifted her head as she peered at the portal. Did she hear Celas's voice?"Odd." Ansem commented.Leah scooted up to it and tried to peer through."I wonder where this leads." She said, before grinning to the others and jumping through.Elenar started to laugh, though it quickly turned into a cough."And I thought the kid Sora needed help in the brains department." She said after her coughing fit was over. "Come on, we should probably help her out."Elenar tried to push herself up, but ended up crashing back down, groaning in pain."You aren't going anywhere." Ansem admonished. "You are still too weak to even move someplace safe, much less an unknown location."Elenar glared at the old scientist, but didn't look to have strength for anything much else. Ansem looked at Xion."Xion, I would suggest going. Elenar and myself should be save enough here. If you find someplace safer, send someone back to tell me."The old man's eyes moved to Renton, and studied him for a moment before speaking again."And you, young man....good luck. If you ever want help, I'll do what I can."{Enchanted Dominion; Outside Maleficent's Castle}Aeleus exited the portal at a stumble. The transit had been bumpy, even for a frequent user of the corridors of Darkness. He turned around to study the portal, but was interrupted by Leah who came flying out of the portal and into Aeleus. The Silent Hero stayed perfectly still as the small girl crashed into him, though he quickly put his arms out to catch her."Sorry!" She said, then looked up at him. "Hey, have I met you before?"Aeleus side stepped to make sure he wasn't in the path of the portal."And where did you come from?" The Silent Hero asked, arching an eyebrow."Well, my friend seems to be having these portals popping up around him," Leah explained, "and I figure that if we follow them long enough, they'll lead to answers, right?"Putting Leag down, Aeleus frowned."Considering his portal appears to have intersected with mine, your chances of finding answers are lessening."Celas and Noctis exited the portal near Aeleus and Leah."We may have more new comers incoming." The silent hero warned them dryly.{Twilight Town; Forest}Dilan grinned slightly at Allitt's response."Excellent." He said. "Then let's get going. We have some recon to do before we can pick our targets.""And who knows?" Rolud added. "We might get lucky and stumble on something to smash. We'll follow your lead, my dear."{Twilight Town; Fort Nightingale}Aqua considered a moment, then nodded. Speed was necessary now."Right behind you." She said, steeling herself to go out in the light again.She, Ghost, Raven, and Hawk exited the Fort through the same shop as Sparrow and Kiwi used. They carefully stalked through the back allies, doing there best to avoid patrols starting up. Aqua almost walked into one, but was pulled back just in time by one of the Guardians. After some starts and stops, the group made it within sight of Zion's beach house. More patrols, both by foot and aerial, were seen. The citizens of Twilight Town looked at the black garbed soldiers with fear, but there seemed to be no active conflict between the soldier programs and the civilians."Okay, what now?" Aqua asked, squinting in the light. "Do you think we can try to blind in?"{Disney Castle; Decolor Holding Cell}Locke nodded to Ienzo, Jihl and Severa as they left, then shut e door behind them. He took up a position beside the door, but said nothing. He trusted Neena's abilities as an interrogator, so merely stayed to observe and jump in as aid, if she signaled him.{Disney Castle; Decolor Ship Tour}"Let's start with the control center, shall we?" Jihl suggested smoothly as she lead Ienzo and Severa."Sounds excellent." The Cloaked Schemer responded. "I have often wished to study capital class space vessels, but usual lakes the time and opportunity."Nabaat smiled sweetly to Ienzo, but said nothing. As the sightseeing group past a door, it opened and two guards came out and followed them at a respectful distance."So, Severa, how long have you been in our little group?" Ienzo asked casually.

"Right, let's go." Allitt tried to hide a grin, excited to be leader for once. She led the group out of the forest, and into the marketplace. She was sure to keep to the shadows, and avoided any suspicious looking individuals. "So, what exactly is it that we're looking for, anyway? I'm still not entirely sure if I understand what's going on here..." She admitted, feeling a little stupid.

Neena wore a small polite smile that held no warmth. Oh, how much she would give to end this keyblader here and now. But for now, she had to play ball. Neena stepped a little closer to the cell. "Well, we would like some more information regarding the organization you belong to. After all, we wouldn't want to catch you guys in the crossfire when we're going after the real baddies. So, some intel would help us keep diplomatic relations strong, and make sure we didn't say, kill any of your friends. Of course, if you don't want to help, then I suppose if we encounter any of the others of your group we could kill them just the same as any other enemy we find on the battlefield." Neena spoke calmly, and she knew she was lying, but she doubted this one could read her. After all, there were few who could. She really did hope that this man cooperated. Torture was always gruesome.

[Holding cell, Disney Castle]

 

"Well, we would like some more information regarding the organization you belong to. After all, we wouldn't want to catch you guys in the crossfire when we're going after the real baddies. So, some intel would help us keep diplomatic relations strong, and make sure we didn't say, kill any of your friends. Of course, if you don't want to help, then I suppose if we encounter any of the others of your group we could kill them just the same as any other enemy we find on the battlefield." 

 

Zero-Four could only stare and blink at the girl, shocked at the idea that may possibly be on their side afterall and the fact that she knows about the Corps existence. Unfortunately, several things didn't click with the story as the Guardian's face scrunched up a bit, trying to make sense of the new information. He knew most of his associates were gone; the heartless were just about to overwhelm the castle at the critical moment when he punched through the wall. He remembered a glimpse of Aqua, and some of them standing next to her in a tell-tale fashion that signified their hostile intentions towards everyone in the room. He also remembered sending away Luna before slipping from consciousness. "I had a feeling this would be an interrogation," the consummate protector started, "we're a keyblade organization, but nothing special compared to the warriors." His face was steady as he disclosed the half-truth; years of emotional suppression training to avoid courting their assigned princess actually becoming useful during a crisis like this.

 

His natural instincts of protecting the status quo, mainly the secretive nature of the Guardians, was seriously compromised since she knew he was a part of something, but decided to tell the girl as generic of an answer as he could. "You know I'm a part of an organization, and for a diplomatic proposal, restraining a possible ambassador isn't exactly a great way to make a first impression. So then, who are the real baddies, and who do you work for?"

 

------

[Zion's beach house, Twilight Town]

Kiwi and Sparrow had established themselves on a nearby rooftop. The low walls and a gazebo made it the perfect hiding spot as the two old guards set up and hunkered down the place, peeking over bit by bit at first before realizing that they can watch without being spotted. Not taking the chances however, they stayed in the sanctuary of the shadows. The fabric roof made them invisible to the aerial recon teams that were scurrying about as they threw their arrow-rifles over their shoulders, then lurched it forward as it locked into place above their right shoulder, the faint sound of the rifle cannon charging as they sighted their possible targets. Satisfied with the setup, the leader decided to contact the rest of his team.

 

"Gunbunnies, standing by," Sparrow's hushed voice cackled through Raven and Hawk's earpiece.Kiwi's quiet voice interrupted the commlink. "Be advised, they have your area completely surrounded. Several aerial bogeys hovering and providing fire support. There's no weak spot around the house as far as we can see. Two of the heavy looking bogeys are in our sights, we're waiting for your go. How copy, over?"

 

"Don't do anything yet," Hawk whispered into his own lapel mic, "recon a bit more. When that portal surfaces, light the fireworks."

"Roger that. We'll be waiting." 

Edited April 14, 201411 yr by Javelin434

{Enchanted Dominion}

Elenar whinced slightly at Celas's hug, but still managed a smile and return the hug.

"You and me both." She admitted. "I thought I could hear a choir there for a bit."

Aeleus gave Xion a nod upon her arrival.

"Save reunion greetings for later." He said. "We are in possibly enemy environment, looking for King Candy or Maleficent."

Elenar looked around to see the castle.

"Oh." She said glumly. "That's why we are here."

The Slient Hero nodded.

"Let's go." He said as he started striding towards the front gate.

Leah watched the castle with a worried look before looking at Xion, give her a smile.

"Feeling better?" She asked.

 

{Twilight Town; Beach}

Aqua gave Raven a glare.

"I know that." She said testily as she crouched behind a sturdy wall section. "I thought there was still some of your team out in the open."

She peaked out a window, squinting slightly at the light. She wasn't so such these programs wouldn't just open fire the minute anyone stepped out. Another explosion rocked the house.

"Last warning shot!" Came someone over a loud speaker.

Aqua took in a breath, then stood up and looked over at Zion and Lightning.

"If you hear a scream of pain, don't follow." She said.

With that, Master Aqua made for the door out and opened it. Wincing a little at the light in her eyes, she stepped out with her hands raised. She was rather surprised when she wasn't hit by anything. The programs visible watched her closely, but seemed unsure. It took Aqua a moment to spot the tank positioned on a side street that led to the beach front. Though she was still having problems with too much light, Aqua's time in the Dark Realm had the positive effect of improving her hearing. She managed to hear a snippet of a conversation;

"Sir, we've found one of the renegade lights."

 

{Twilight Town}

With Izzy's sniper team breaking for it, the programs abandoned their cover and were in pursuit, though the snipers had a reasonable lead on them. Identity disks whizzed and pinged off things around Izzy as she ran.

 

{Twilight Town; Marketplace}

"The enemy has studied this city to know it nearly as well as a native." Dilan said as he kept scanning the area for trouble.

There were some patrols around, but something else where must have gotten the Program's attention.

"They will try to use the most defensible locations as communication points, supply depots, even a regional command. Where does that sound like and can you get us their, undetected?"

{Disney Castle; Ship tour}

"I see." Ienzo said, nodding slightly. "You don't seem too surprised that I'm here, though. Expected it?"

Jihl paused as a program came up and handed her a data pad. She studied for a few moments, then turned to Ienzo.

"Word from Clu." She explained. "He reports that he has managed to secure the Organization's Castle and has begun searching for stragglers."

"Excellent." Ienzo said, smiling. "Do we have an exact list of who they have captured?"

"No, Someone from the Council will need to request it, but I couldn't-"

"No, no. Your duties come first. Severa and I will mange."

Jihl gave a slight smile and a nod before trotting down the corridor towards a communication hub, leaving Ienzo, Severa and their one program escort alone in the corridor.

 

{Disney Castle; Holding Cell}

Dr. Cid tsked.

"My dear boy, there is no reason to be coy." He said pleasantly. "You are among friends here."

He smiled at Nocturne, with a look of assurance. Locke privately wished he could wipe that look of the good doctor's face, but remained outwardly impassive.

 

In Nocturne's mind, a voice spoke.

The old windbag of a doctor thinks he owns you. Making him look foolish would be fun.

 

Celas smiled and nodded."We are very lucky indeed."Noctis was looking around, giving her traveling companion and her friend some space."Must keep focused on our surroundings. We don't know when something can pop out."The Dark Warrior sighed and followed the Prince."Are you eager to fight?" She asked. "If not, then why the hurry."The Prince shook his head and glanced at Celas."Do not let me distract you from your reunion Celas. We are only in the middle of enemy territory without any intel."Celas stared at Noctis before a smile slowly made its way into her face."Are you jealous Nocto?" Celas asked. "That's so sweet, but do not fret, I only have eyes for you."Noctis completely ignored Celas' comment, or perhaps he listened and chose not to give any sign of that."In any case. This is my best friend. Elenar.""Noctis Lucis Caelum. A pleasure." The Prince said without looking back.

Severa kept a polite smile on her face until Jihl was completely out of sight, and earshot. Then Severa turned, and swept her legs at the program. As the guard was falling, Severa followed up with a downward strike to it's head. It fell to the floor, and didn't get back up, knocked unconscious. Severa turned back to Ienzo, and smiled. She brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eye, and replied to the Cloaked Schemer. "Sorry, but I figured being able to talk by ourselves wouldn't be so terrible." Severa's tone was light but serious, as if shrugging off the action. "Anyway, no I'm not surprised to see you here. Why would I? I'm a wanderer myself, don't like to stay attached for too long."

~~~~

Neena continued with her interrogation, not allowing Cid's comment to phase her at all. "Real baddies? Why, you know that there are two sides to every story. There is no such thing as straight up good or evil, simply gray areas. And whoever said anything about me working for anybody? I'm my own boss." Neena said, answering Nocturne's questions, but not really. She hated not being able to simply tell him the truth about how the keyblade had affected her life. "And as for chaining you up, I never did that. In act, you were in a rather comfortable room before the good Doctor here decided to chain you up down here." Neena's words weren't completely a lie. She hadn't chained him up, but he had been in a cell the entire time. An extra bonus to her lie was one more enemy toward Cid. The Scarred Assassin continued, while snapping her fingers. Darkness burned where the chains were attached to the ground and ceiling, and the prisoner was set free. "There you go. Now, back to a few more questions. What is your name? What is the exact purpose of your organization? To what degree do you train, and in what fighting disciplines?"

{Twilight Town; Beach}

Aqua gave Raven a glare.

"I know that." She said testily as she crouched behind a sturdy wall section. "I thought there was still some of your team out in the open."

She peaked out a window, squinting slightly at the light. She wasn't so such these programs wouldn't just open fire the minute anyone stepped out. Another explosion rocked the house.

"Last warning shot!" Came someone over a loud speaker.

Aqua took in a breath, then stood up and looked over at Zion and Lightning.

"If you hear a scream of pain, don't follow." She said.

With that, Master Aqua made for the door out and opened it. Wincing a little at the light in her eyes, she stepped out with her hands raised. She was rather surprised when she wasn't hit by anything. The programs visible watched her closely, but seemed unsure. It took Aqua a moment to spot the tank positioned on a side street that led to the beach front. Though she was still having problems with too much light, Aqua's time in the Dark Realm had the positive effect of improving her hearing. She managed to hear a snippet of a conversation;

"Sir, we've found one of the renegade lights."

 

{Twilight Town}

With Izzy's sniper team breaking for it, the programs abandoned their cover and were in pursuit, though the snipers had a reasonable lead on them. Identity disks whizzed and pinged off things around Izzy as she ran.

 

{Twilight Town; Marketplace}

"The enemy has studied this city to know it nearly as well as a native." Dilan said as he kept scanning the area for trouble.

There were some patrols around, but something else where must have gotten the Program's attention.

"They will try to use the most defensible locations as communication points, supply depots, even a regional command. Where does that sound like and can you get us their, undetected?"

 

 

{Disney Castle; Holding Cell}

Dr. Cid tsked.

"My dear boy, there is no reason to be coy." He said pleasantly. "You are among friends here."

He smiled at Nocturne, with a look of assurance. Locke privately wished he could wipe that look of the good doctor's face, but remained outwardly impassive.

 

In Nocturne's mind, a voice spoke.

The old windbag of a doctor thinks he owns you. Making him look foolish would be fun.

 

 

Neena continued with her interrogation, not allowing Cid's comment to phase her at all. "Real baddies? Why, you know that there are two sides to every story. There is no such thing as straight up good or evil, simply gray areas. And whoever said anything about me working for anybody? I'm my own boss." Neena said, answering Nocturne's questions, but not really. She hated not being able to simply tell him the truth about how the keyblade had affected her life. "And as for chaining you up, I never did that. In act, you were in a rather comfortable room before the good Doctor here decided to chain you up down here." Neena's words weren't completely a lie. She hadn't chained him up, but he had been in a cell the entire time. An extra bonus to her lie was one more enemy toward Cid. The Scarred Assassin continued, while snapping her fingers. Darkness burned where the chains were attached to the ground and ceiling, and the prisoner was set free. "There you go. Now, back to a few more questions. What is your name? What is the exact purpose of your organization? To what degree do you train, and in what fighting disciplines?"

[sorry for being so late. I'm really swamped with HW. And yay for Aqua giving Raven a glare! I'm gonna be pushing the violence boundaries sometime in the future... Also, do you know how hard it is not to say 'die' in RPs that imply it? ya know, since this is KH afterall ]

 

 

[Disney Castle, Holding Cell]

Zero-Four's cold, distant glare was unchanged as Dr. Cid addressed his prisoner. "My dear boy, there is no reason to be coy. You are among friends here." He was highly skeptical of the reassurance, but for the most part decided to stay quiet, that is until a voice in his head told him otherwise. The old windbag of a doctor thinks he owns you. Making him look foolish would be fun. Nocturne's head twitched slightly as he felt a sharp chill run down his back, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as a cold sweat quickly enveloped him. Wha-?... What's happening to me?

 

"Friends, don't put others in a holding cell to be interrogated by someone." the captive Guardian snarkily replied back. Shocked at the outburst, Nocturne could only look down to the floor, trying to process what just happened.

 

Neena however, decided not to give the Guardian a break as she continued with the interrogation. "Real baddies? Why, you know that there are two sides to every story. There is no such thing as straight up good or evil, simply gray areas. And whoever said anything about me working for anybody? I'm my own boss." the girl started,  "And as for chaining you up, I never did that. In fact, you were in a rather comfortable room before the good Doctor here decided to chain you up down here." He slowly turned his head to face the doctor, his gaze slightly hardening, but otherwise unchanging as he started to label the doctor as a threat.

 

In a shocking twist, the girl abruptly severed the chains that had bounded the Nocturne as he soon found himself faceplanting the cold, hard floor below him with an unceremonious whump, the act of freeing their captive the last thing he would have expected. "Owwie..." he grumbled, slowly propping himself up on hands and knees as Neena continued her questioning. "There you go. Now, back to a few more questions. What is your name? What is the exact purpose of your organization? To what degree do you train, and in what fighting disciplines?"

 

Nocturne stayed quiet for a moment, trying to calculate the degree of the consequences should he really disclose the existence of the organization, and their capabilities. "I'm..." he slowly started, fighting the urge to tell, and yet feeling indebted to the girl for letting him free, "part of an organization known as The Guardians." He decided to leave out the Nocturnal part of the title, feeling that the mostly true title would be enough to satisfy his interrogator without severely ruining the security of whoever is left. "My name... is Four. Our purpose in the organization is to serve as the last line of defense for the light, should the darkness ever threaten it." His heart pulsed rapidly, shocked at the obvious breach in security protocols as his mouth continued to disclose mostly true statements. "We train for everything that can be useful to combat dark forces, and we aren't given the title of Guardian until we absolutely excel at it. Our fighting disciplines revolve around the-" Nocturne's mind crashed for a bit as a seething rage began to develop, but he couldn't pinpoint why. "Revolves around the... keyblade... We're also trained to specialize in another weapon, should there be enemies that can specifically counter the keyblade. Satisfied?"

 

 

-----------

[Twilight Town, Zion's Beach House]

"I know that. I thought there was still some of your team out in the open."

 

Raven felt a sharp, cold pain slash through his heart as Aqua gave him a glare. The medic froze with fear as the scope of his actions dawned on him. Crap. I just made a keyblade warrior mad. I've heard bad things about the 'disciplinary actions' Guards have to go through after incidents like this... Ghost also gave Raven a cold glare as a new target was set for the Guardian Enforcer. She decided to shake it off for now, focusing on the current goal of supporting Master Aqua. I'm gonna have fun making you my hackey sack. She thought to herself as a grin formed on her face. At the same time she started thinking about the 'disciplinary measures' to be enforced on Raven, a quiet, gentle alarm caught her attention as she reached for one of her utility pouches and reached for her PDA. Curious, she read the golden text that detailed her new assignment over a calm, blue background.

 

 

New Assignment

>>>Rapture Warning<<<

Security breach detected.

Target: Guardian Zero-Four

Parameters: Regulation monitoring mic has detected information leakage regarding the Guardian Organization and their capabilities. Voice imprint matches several alert keywords string. Security may be compromised.

Enforcer, please determine extent of security breach and take all proper corrective steps.

 

You are authorized all corrective measures, including decommissioning if necessary. 

Voice is as followed:  

>>>"I'm... part of an organization known as The Guardians. Our purpose in the organization is to serve as the last line of defense for the light, should the darkness ever threaten it. We train for everything that can be useful to combat dark forces, and we aren't given the title of Guardian until we absolutely excel at it. Our fighting disciplines revolve around the-... Revolves around the... keyblade... We're also trained to specialize in other weapons, should there be enemies that can specifically counter the keyblade. Satisfied?"<<<

 

The purple-haired girl frowned as the recent audio log played, unsure what to make of the voice as she decided to worry about that at a later time, and focused instead on Luna and Aqua.

 

With Raven technically labeled 'decommissioned' until Ghost could execute her duties, Hawk stepped forward as he regrouped close to the blue-haired warrior, kneeling in the shadows next to her as she peeked outside. Another vibration rocked the house as a voice over a loudspeaker communicated the enemy's intentions. "Last warning shot!" The steady rifleman could only blink, surprised that the enemy didn't just blow them up the first time around. Enemies with honor? I declare shenanigans! Contemplating activating their 'gunbunnies', Hawk was shocked as Aqua stood up and addressed Zion and Lightning. "If you hear a scream of pain, don't follow." the woman declared. Hawk could only kneel there with his mouth agape, confused what to do next as their VIP walked out of the house. Raven immediately reacted, propping himself against a nearby wall opposite a window with his rifle propped on his arms, stealthily acquiring a target without being spotted by the enemies outside. 

 

​Sparrow's hushed, frantic voice cackled into their cochlear speakers. "What's going on?!" he silently demanded, "What is she doing?!"

"Standby," Hawk whispered back into the short range communications, "don't fire until they fire at her first."

"Be advised, tank aiming right at Aqua. Kiwi has his cannon trained on it. We have to take it out before it takes her out!"

"Hold short, Sparrow. You too Kiwi."

"but-"

"Hold... Short." Hawk finally growled back, the tense standoff not really helping any of the old guards as they tried to anticipate the warrior's next move. Hawk stood behind the main doorway, ready to charge outside and assist the master. 

 

Meanwhile....

Both Kiwi and Sparrow held their breath as they saw Aqua walking outside with her hands raised towards the enemies. Their aim was rock steady as they targeted the most obvious nearby threat to the warrior: a tank on her flank, and an aerial unit hovering not too far from her. Both men started to carefully pick up the slack in their trigger, both wishing they had upgraded to hair triggers as their sights were dead focused on every single enemy around Aqua. Both men knew that all it would take is an accidental misfire, a slight twitch of a finger muscle, even an abnormal palpitation of their heartbeat to accidentally set off their shoulder cannons, and make all hell break loose for the warrior, and the town...

Edited April 19, 201411 yr by Javelin434

Zion watched Aqua go, then sighed.

"Wait here."

 

She slipped into another room and returned in an orange and gold bikini; the gold was a flame design that covered the right half of the two piece.

"Okay. Just pretend you don't know me, and I'll see if I can't get behind them for a pincer." She paused, then tied her hair back so it was in a ponytail. She looked around, and grabbed some rope from a table in another room.

"Lightning."

The rose-haired Savior tied Zion's wrists. "There."

 

Zion quickly looked at a light. Tearing up, she spread the tears on her face. Adopting a scared persona, she stumbled out.

"Please help me! They - they just barged in!" She started heading for the ENCOM soldiers, putting on a very believable performance. "Please help!" She held back anything else, not wanting them to just start shooting them.

 

Lighting came out, hands up. She just hoped the plan worked. Least she knew that ropes couldn't hold Zion for more then five seconds.

{Enchanted Dominion}

"Charmed." Elenar said somewhat flatly to Noctis.

Behind Noctis's back, Elenar made an odd face, then grinned at Celas.

"Good looker, but kind of frigid." She said in a stage whisper.

There was a sudden crashing sound as Aeleus slammed his foot down and the gates to Maleficent's castle seemed to break themselves apart. He stood still for a few moments, waiting, but nothing came out.

"We may be early." He commented as he headed into the castle.

Elenar made a pouting sound, then followed the Silent Hero into the Castle. Leah looked at the castle, then shivered.

"This isn't a nice place, is it?" She asked.

 

{Disney Castle; Ship Tour}

Ienzo smiled slightly at Severa's attack on the program.

"Not quite what I meant, but it will do." He said.

He looked up and down the halls to make sure no one was coming,

"So, what's your next step? It will be hard to explain the program to the others."

 

{Disney Castle; Ship Holding Cell}

Dr Cid moved to object to Neena removing the bonds, but was stopped by a hand from Locke. The Head of the Ulthor smiled slightly as Nocturne opened up. Dr Cid, likewise, had a pleased look, but with a slightly confused undertone. Locke wondered how much of this was the doctor's doing.

 

{Twilight Town; Beach}

Aqua remained perfectly still as she watched the Programs watch her carefully, waiting for something.

"They wanted me specificly." She thought. "But why?"

Aqua had to fight from whipping around at Zion's ploy. She wasn't sure how well it would work, but it could help.

A man in the suit "uniform" of the Ulthor stepped to the forefront, aiming a SMG at Zion.

"Ma'am, come another few feet, then get on the ground." He ordered, a subtle hint of sympathy in his voice. "Don't panic, we will help you."

The Ulthor agent flanked by two programs started towards Zion as four programs squads headed for Aqua and Lightning, pulling out high tech cuffs. Aqua remained still, hoping the Guardians would be ready for when the right moment.

Lightning kept her hands up. She was relaxed, ready. This would go over perfectly, at this rate.Zion did as instructed, sinking to her knees. "The boys were horrible. They touched me." She whimpered. "Please untie me. I - I just want to go home!" She cried, and inside wondered exactly how stupid these programs were.

 

((I forgot where Xion is...))

Edited April 23, 201411 yr by Oathkeeper136

While Noctis was paying attention to his surroundings, Celas raised an eyebrow and slowly smiled at her friend."I know, right?" she said while looking at the Prince's back. "A little frigid for my taste.""What? Noctis asked without turning back."We are talking about you." Celas said flatly."Really? I didn't noticed." The Prince replied."Is that so? Then explain why Aeleus went inside and you're still here."Noctis grunted and followed the Silent Hero in silence."This isn't a nice place, is it?" Leah asked."Don't worry, you'll get used to this." Celas said before following the Savage Nymph.

Zion watched Aqua go, then sighed.

"Wait here."

 

She slipped into another room and returned in an orange and gold bikini; the gold was a flame design that covered the right half of the two piece.

"Okay. Just pretend you don't know me, and I'll see if I can't get behind them for a pincer." She paused, then tied her hair back so it was in a ponytail. She looked around, and grabbed some rope from a table in another room.

"Lightning."

The rose-haired Savior tied Zion's wrists. "There."

 

Zion quickly looked at a light. Tearing up, she spread the tears on her face. Adopting a scared persona, she stumbled out.

"Please help me! They - they just barged in!" She started heading for the ENCOM soldiers, putting on a very believable performance. "Please help!" She held back anything else, not wanting them to just start shooting them.

 

Lighting came out, hands up. She just hoped the plan worked. Least she knew that ropes couldn't hold Zion for more then five seconds.

 

{Disney Castle; Ship Holding Cell}Dr Cid moved to object to Neena removing the bonds, but was stopped by a hand from Locke. The Head of the Ulthor smiled slightly as Nocturne opened up. Dr Cid, likewise, had a pleased look, but with a slightly confused undertone. Locke wondered how much of this was the doctor's doing.{Twilight Town; Beach}Aqua remained perfectly still as she watched the Programs watch her carefully, waiting for something."They wanted me specificly." She thought. "But why?"Aqua had to fight from whipping around at Zion's ploy. She wasn't sure how well it would work, but it could help.A man in the suit "uniform" of the Ulthor stepped to the forefront, aiming a SMG at Zion."Ma'am, come another few feet, then get on the ground." He ordered, a subtle hint of sympathy in his voice. "Don't panic, we will help you."The Ulthor agent flanked by two programs started towards Zion as four programs squads headed for Aqua and Lightning, pulling out high tech cuffs. Aqua remained still, hoping the Guardians would be ready for when the right moment.

 

Lightning kept her hands up. She was relaxed, ready. This would go over perfectly, at this rate.Zion did as instructed, sinking to her knees. "The boys were horrible. They touched me." She whimpered. "Please untie me. I - I just want to go home!" She cried, and inside wondered exactly how stupid these programs were.

[Holding cell, Disney Castle]

Nocturne's tactical pad that was fastened on his left fore-arm armor piece turned bloody red as the system now declared him a rouge target of the Corps. "No..." he whispered, his entire sense of purpose shattered as his actions dawned on him. Wh-... what have I done? Luna... Kairi... Dad... I'm so sorry...

 

[Twilight Town, Zion's House]

 

Raven and Hawk could only stare in bewilderment as Zion and Lightning walked past them, out the front door, and then started accusing them of actions that would get them all brutally 'decommissioned' faster than they can say 'Let me explain." The two old guards immediately whirled around and faced Ghost. "She's lying," Hawk quickly whispered to the Enforcer, "I mean for crying out loud, you've been with us for the past hour."

 

"I wonder what she's planning?" Ghost quietly whispered to the rest of the Guards that were around her. Luna was visibly saddened; the fake image of Zion looking like she was violated actually touched a nerve on the timid protector as she started twiddling her fingers, unsure what to do. Fortunately for her, Raven brought her back to attention. "Stay close, Luna. We're gonna need a second healer, because two is better than one." She nodded, then stayed close to Hawk as both old guards leveled their rifles at the front door, anticipating a breach maneuver by the surrounding enemies and targeting anyone just over Aqua's shoulders. The old guards, Luna, and Ghost were all waiting for Aqua to make the first move as they mentally rehearsed every possible scenario in their heads, and trying to formulate the best way to deal with any situation that could be thrown at them as they watched Aqua intently...

 

Meanwhile...

 

Kiwi and Sparrow eased their trigger finger slightly as they both slowly exhaled, then inhaled again as their aim remained true. They saw Zion walking out of her own beach house, visibly battered and crying as she claimed abuse and worse from those still holed up in the home. Raven's voice cackled through their earpiece. "Don't believe her. You know we would never do such a thing."

 

"I know," Sparrow whispered back into the lapel mic, "we would relay the news to your wife if you did." Kiwi snickered, surprisingly managing not to accidentally misfire as they tried to factor in Zion and Lightning's possible moves. "Remember, team. Wait for Aqua to make the first move. She's priority number one. Support at all cost."

 

Talk about a field day. Heh, and Kiwi said we should never bother training for 'hypothetical' scenarios like facing-off against impossible odds. Friggin lazy numb-nuts...

Edited April 24, 201411 yr by Javelin434

"Excellent." Neena grinned slightly. "Now, I hope you don't mind being in that horribly uncomfortable cell for a little longer. My colleagues and I need to discuss how this new information will affect our ties with both your organization and the Warriors of Light." Neena continued, her tone proper, though still neutral. Her eyes swimmer with a lot of feelings, but before they could be read, she turned and walked out the door, indicating that she was to be followed by the two other Council members that had been with her in the cell area.

~~~~~

Severa shrugged in reply to Ienzo. "Nothing I suppose. My understanding of this organization so far is that they value strength, and secrecy, both of which I just demonstrated, over loyalty and discipline. If I'm wrong, then," Severa grinned mischievously at this time, "I guess I'll be riding on the wind for a little longer."

((I forgot where Xion is...))

(Forgotten Dominion, with Aeleus, Elenar, Leah, Celas and Noctis.){Twilight Town; Beach}The Ulthor agent, flanked by two programs, made it to Zion. The Programs maintained distance as the agent went around behind Zion and started to undo her bonds."Don't worry." The agent said to her, a hint of anger in his voice. "I'll make sure the people that did this are punished. How many more are there?"Aqua inwardly swore as a program squad closed on her, a specialized set of hand cuffs visible on the belt of one of the programs in the middle. She could see a similar squad almost on Lightning. With how much preparation and knowledge these people seemed to have, Aqua was worried that the cuffs would not be an easy thing to get out of, maybe even for Lightning. "We can't let ourselves get cuffed." She thought. "Sorry, Zion. I hope you had enough time."As soon as the program squad was close enough and the cuffs were brought out, Aqua let lose with a blast of Barrier hexes, knocking down some of the programs around her. She summoned her Keyblade, took a moment to slice the cuffs in two, then charged some of the closer squads."Guardians!" She yelled. "Try to hit the tank gunner!"The Ulthor agent helping Zion suddenly jerked as he saw Aqua's break, and started reaching for a weapon on his belt.{Enchanted Dominion}Aeleus walked carefully in the Castle's courtyard, keeping an eye on the walls."Yawn." Elenar said, coming up behind him.Though she sounded bored, she was also moving carefully, remaining watchful of the surroundings."The Witch will wait until we are deeper to spring any traps." The Silent Hero commented. "Don't get distracted."The Savage Nymph made a face at Aeleus's back, but didn't verbally elaborate. After a few more feet, she stumbled and clutched her chest. She managed to remain up right, but she stopped walking and just stood there, her breathing sounding odd.Leah shivered as she looked at the castle, then turned to Xion."We going in?" She asked.{Disney Castle; Ship Holding Cell}Locke started to follow Neena, but stopped to touch Dr Cid's shoulder. "Come on." He said in a voice of quiet command.The Arcadian Scientist Gave Locke a disapproving look, but then followed Neena out. Locke remained a moment longer, then joined the others."See?" Dr Cid said as soon as the cell door was shut behind Locke, a little smugness in his voice. "My experiment on the boy turned out well."

"Don't worry about your friends think." The voice in Nocturne's head said. "They wouldn't understand. So short sighted and all."

{Disney Castle; Ship Tour}Ienzo chuckled. "Secrecy is one thing." He commented. "Knocking out a guard is another."All look of amusement and pleasantness left The Cloaked Schemer's face for a moment, leaving it blank with an odd intent look in his eyes. The next moment, the look was gone, and Ienzowas smiling slightly again. "Well, at least you have one person in on your secret." He said.

"There's enough." She said.

Then Aqua made her move....just as the waves broke and a massive ring began to rise from the ocean. Zion smirked as the man reached for his weapons, and with a roundhouse kicked knocked him down. She spun as her Keyblades flashed into existance, wings and Keyblades ablaze with the golden fires of dawn. The other two programs, scared, started to raise their guns, but were easily bashed down.

"Psych."

 

She launched herself upwards to a cruiser. Even in a bikini she was a force to be reckonned with. And as Dual Salvation raids blasted through the shields and her Albion strike began eating away at the armor. With an X-slash, she was inside and using her powers to rip apart the cruiser from the inside.

 

Lighting spun into action, spinning around to send the man to the ground. Her gunblade opened up and she emptied ten rounds into another as she blocked another attack.

"Keep them from firing on the gate, Aqua." She said, launching herself and taking down a few more.

 

 

Xion sighed, then took Leah's hand. "Yeah. Don't worry...I'm here."

Noctis was following close to the Silent Hero while looking around."The Witch will wait until we are deeper to spring any traps. Don't get distracted." Aeleus said to Elenar.At that moment Elenar stumbled and clutched her chest. The Prince glanced at the Nymph before reassuming his way."Do not strain yourself. It would be bad for your health." Noctis said flatly.Celas on the other hand stopped next to the Savage Nymph with a worried look on her face."Hey...are you sure you're alright?" She asked. "We can take a break while the others look around the castle."

{Enchanted Dominion}Elenar whinced slightly at Celas's hug, but still managed a smile and return the hug."You and me both." She admitted. "I thought I could hear a choir there for a bit."Aeleus gave Xion a nod upon her arrival."Save reunion greetings for later." He said. "We are in possibly enemy environment, looking for King Candy or Maleficent."Elenar looked around to see the castle."Oh." She said glumly. "That's why we are here."The Slient Hero nodded."Let's go." He said as he started striding towards the front gate.Leah watched the castle with a worried look before looking at Xion, give her a smile."Feeling better?" She asked.{Twilight Town; Beach}Aqua gave Raven a glare."I know that." She said testily as she crouched behind a sturdy wall section. "I thought there was still some of your team out in the open."She peaked out a window, squinting slightly at the light. She wasn't so such these programs wouldn't just open fire the minute anyone stepped out. Another explosion rocked the house."Last warning shot!" Came someone over a loud speaker.Aqua took in a breath, then stood up and looked over at Zion and Lightning."If you hear a scream of pain, don't follow." She said.With that, Master Aqua made for the door out and opened it. Wincing a little at the light in her eyes, she stepped out with her hands raised. She was rather surprised when she wasn't hit by anything. The programs visible watched her closely, but seemed unsure. It took Aqua a moment to spot the tank positioned on a side street that led to the beach front. Though she was still having problems with too much light, Aqua's time in the Dark Realm had the positive effect of improving her hearing. She managed to hear a snippet of a conversation;"Sir, we've found one of the renegade lights."{Twilight Town}With Izzy's sniper team breaking for it, the programs abandoned their cover and were in pursuit, though the snipers had a reasonable lead on them. Identity disks whizzed and pinged off things around Izzy as she ran.{Twilight Town; Marketplace}"The enemy has studied this city to know it nearly as well as a native." Dilan said as he kept scanning the area for trouble.There were some patrols around, but something else where must have gotten the Program's attention."They will try to use the most defensible locations as communication points, supply depots, even a regional command. Where does that sound like and can you get us their, undetected?"

"Hm..." Allitt tried to think of major landmarks in the town. "Well... I'd guess the mansion, but that's obviously not it. So, I guess the next best place would be the clock tower. If that's it, I can get you there, no problem." She grinned, proud of her knowledge of the town. "Follow me, I'll make sure we aren't seen." She sneaked through the streets, trying to keep in shaded areas.

"I like to think that it was my interrogation techniques that got us that information," Neena retorted, her voice still calm but her words slightly hostile. "Anyway, we need to discuss how to use this information. First priority though, is uploading that information to the database so the programs can access it. Then we need to figure out how to use the information against the organization." Neena spoke quickly, outlining the basics of her perspective. This really was an urgent manner.

~~~~

Severa smiled back at Ienzo, but her grin was a little more suspicious now. "Hey, secrets are meant to be shared right?" Severa said, continuing the banter. "In any case, what do you want to do now? We could just treat ourselves to the ship, find out what kind of secrets it hides." Severa said, placing her finger on her chin as if she were thinking. "After all, you're a council member now right? You pretty much have authority to do whatever you want."

(Forgotten Dominion, with Aeleus, Elenar, Leah, Celas and Noctis.){Twilight Town; Beach}The Ulthor agent, flanked by two programs, made it to Zion. The Programs maintained distance as the agent went around behind Zion and started to undo her bonds."Don't worry." The agent said to her, a hint of anger in his voice. "I'll make sure the people that did this are punished. How many more are there?"Aqua inwardly swore as a program squad closed on her, a specialized set of hand cuffs visible on the belt of one of the programs in the middle. She could see a similar squad almost on Lightning. With how much preparation and knowledge these people seemed to have, Aqua was worried that the cuffs would not be an easy thing to get out of, maybe even for Lightning."We can't let ourselves get cuffed." She thought. "Sorry, Zion. I hope you had enough time."As soon as the program squad was close enough and the cuffs were brought out, Aqua let lose with a blast of Barrier hexes, knocking down some of the programs around her. She summoned her Keyblade, took a moment to slice the cuffs in two, then charged some of the closer squads."Guardians!" She yelled. "Try to hit the tank gunner!"The Ulthor agent helping Zion suddenly jerked as he saw Aqua's break, and started reaching for a weapon on his belt.{Disney Castle; Ship Holding Cell}Locke started to follow Neena, but stopped to touch Dr Cid's shoulder."Come on." He said in a voice of quiet command.The Arcadian Scientist Gave Locke a disapproving look, but then followed Neena out. Locke remained a moment longer, then joined the others."See?" Dr Cid said as soon as the cell door was shut behind Locke, a little smugness in his voice. "My experiment on the boy turned out well."

"Don't worry about your friends think." The voice in Nocturne's head said. "They wouldn't understand. So short sighted and all."

 

 

"There's enough." She said.

Then Aqua made her move....just as the waves broke and a massive ring began to rise from the ocean. Zion smirked as the man reached for his weapons, and with a roundhouse kicked knocked him down. She spun as her Keyblades flashed into existance, wings and Keyblades ablaze with the golden fires of dawn. The other two programs, scared, started to raise their guns, but were easily bashed down.

"Psych."

 

She launched herself upwards to a cruiser. Even in a bikini she was a force to be reckonned with. And as Dual Salvation raids blasted through the shields and her Albion strike began eating away at the armor. With an X-slash, she was inside and using her powers to rip apart the cruiser from the inside.

 

Lighting spun into action, spinning around to send the man to the ground. Her gunblade opened up and she emptied ten rounds into another as she blocked another attack.

"Keep them from firing on the gate, Aqua." She said, launching herself and taking down a few more.

 

"I like to think that it was my interrogation techniques that got us that information," Neena retorted, her voice still calm but her words slightly hostile. "Anyway, we need to discuss how to use this information. First priority though, is uploading that information to the database so the programs can access it. Then we need to figure out how to use the information against the organization." Neena spoke quickly, outlining the basics of her perspective. This really was an urgent manner.

[Holding Cell]

Nocturne could only stare and blink at the cold, blank walls of his cell as he contemplated his options. I've been declared a threat to the Corps. Might as well turn the keyblade against myself and go Nova. As he extended his right hand and tried to summon his keyblade, a glaringly obvious risk prevented him from executing the maneuver. But.. what if we're still at Disney Castle? Blowing up the place would be... an unspeakable crime. Can't have that happening. With the feeling of conflicting directives settling into the usually headstrong Guardian, Nocturne was frozen in a mental stalemate on what to do next, until another voice in his head knocked some sense into him.

Don't worry about your friends think. They wouldn't understand. So short sighted and all.

 

A grin formed on his face as the mental reassurance freed up his thought processes. Yeah... Maybe... I can assist them from the other side. Strike this new threat from the core and deal a crippling blow. All I have to worry about now is surviving this, escaping, and dealing with the Enforcers. maybe this was a good thing.

------

 

[Twilight Town: Beachfront]

 

Just as Sparrow anticipated, as soon as Aqua made her first move, everyone else's actions instantaneously followed suit. Unfortunately for the leader, Kiwi fired first as his senses were completely overwhelmed by the blinding and searing hot light beam that was directed towards the tank. Actually thrown off, Sparrow lowered his shoulder-rifle as he coughed; the heavy stench of ionized air was actually burning his eyes and the back of his mouth. 

 

"Guardians! Try to hit the tank gunner!" They both heard Aqua yelled, but the suggestion came a little too late as Kiwi already did the deed.

"Way ahead of you..." The leader heard Kiwi quietly remarked. "We should move, now. I'm pretty sure someone can trace that line back to us."

"Good idea," Sparrow weakly coughed as he tried to breath in again, "Move to a different position for me and distract attention away from this site."

"Sure thing. You gonna command, right?"

"This is a good vantage point, but stay close in case I need help."

Kiwi nodded, then jumped high into the air as he headed for another rooftop, making himself pretty obvious to anyone who managed to trace the laser beam back to their location. Sparrow ducked and remained hidden until the scout had gained some distance from the location, then resumed watching Aqua and the surrounding area very closely.

 

As he watched Zion go after the airborne cruiser just as the portal surfaced from the ocean, Sparrow held short of blasting away at the vehicle as he continued to monitor the scene. Raven and Hawk had charged out of the house and were standing at Aqua's side, firing at anyone remotely threatening the warrior as Luna stayed near the doorway of Zion's house. She was in a defensive stance, ready to heal and help out the others as Ghost stayed near her, guarding the healer as she too tried to assist Aqua. Out of the corner of his eye, the watchful commander noticed some movement from some of the troops that surrounded them. "Be advised," he informed through their commlinks, "Gunbunnies are down for now. Kiwi will provide sniper support. Hawk, Raven, fortify the flanks and do what you can do."

Hawk's voice cackled through the radio, surprisingly calm given their current situation. "Copy that." 

{Twilight Town; Beach}

"Right." Aqua called back to Lightning.

Utilizing a Shotlock command, Meteor Shower, she locked on a squad of Programs and fired energy beams at them, cutting them down. After she was done, she noticed the officer Zion knocked down was trying to get back up. She fired a Blizzard spell to freeze him in place. It would be nice to have someone to question later.

"Good work on the tank!" Aqua called to the Guardians. "We'll have more coming soon."

A program charged Aqua, who she side stepped and slashed him as he passed.

 

{Twilight Town}

Rolud listened to Allitt's idea and nodded.

"A hub to work around." He said. "Safe bet."

Dilan and Rolud followed after Allitt, with the Whirlwind Lancer in the back, making sure they weren't followed.

"So, any chance we can get the people worked up for revolt?" Dilan asked.

 

{Enchanted Dominion}

Leah smiled at Xion.

"Thanks." The girl said. "Sorry about this, I just...I...wanted to get away from stuff like this."

With that, Leah set out to catch up with the others.

Elenar looked up at Celas, looking paler then before, smiled weakly.

"No, I'm good." She said. "Just still getting over from having a bullet in me. I should be fine."

Aeleus stoped and turned to see what the hold up was as Leah and Xion were catching up.

"Finally." Came a voice from above.

The Cybug King Candy started crawling down a wall.

"I was hoping to get a rematch with you all."

 

{Disney Castle; Holding Cell}

Locke nodded.

"I agree." He said. "The sooner we get this info to the troops, the sooner we can end a threat."

The head of the Ulthor turned to Dr Cid.

"Doctor, I would suggest you be the one to up load the data. It will ensure accuracy."

Dr Cid gave a gracious nod, then went off to a computer room. Locke rolled his eyes, then turned back to Neena.

"For using the information, are choices are somewhat limited. It didn't sound like we can insert a spy in these 'Guardians.'"

 

 

"That's the spirit." The voice in Nocturne's head said. "Good to see you can think outside the box."

 

 

{Disney Castle; Ship Tour}

"Power and freedom are two different thing." Ienzo corrected. "No, I'm better off here. Better to try and direct things here."

A moment of consideration.

"I can cover you, if you want to leave."

Celas was quickly to summon her weapon once she heard the voice of King Candy."You again?! Didn't you learned your lesson last time?"Noctis looked between the Dark Warrior and the King."Not a friend of yours I suppose?" He asked."A friend? No. An annoyance? Yes." Celas answered. "One that I will make sure can't bother us anymore once I'm done with it."The Prince stared at the Warrior. It was surprising how that girl could change here mood so fast, but it would have to wait until later for the Prince to try and figure out the Dark Warrior."If not a friend." Noctis said as his eyes turned red and something began to swirl around him, a lot of somethings. "Then a foe."The young man then grabbed what was swirling around him to reveal a sword and other different kinds of weapons before disappearing, leaving only the sword behind.

{Twilight Town; Beach}"Right." Aqua called back to Lightning.Utilizing a Shotlock command, Meteor Shower, she locked on a squad of Programs and fired energy beams at them, cutting them down. After she was done, she noticed the officer Zion knocked down was trying to get back up. She fired a Blizzard spell to freeze him in place. It would be nice to have someone to question later."Good work on the tank!" Aqua called to the Guardians. "We'll have more coming soon."A program charged Aqua, who she side stepped and slashed him as he passed.{Disney Castle; Holding Cell}Locke nodded."I agree." He said. "The sooner we get this info to the troops, the sooner we can end a threat."The head of the Ulthor turned to Dr Cid."Doctor, I would suggest you be the one to up load the data. It will ensure accuracy."Dr Cid gave a gracious nod, then went off to a computer room. Locke rolled his eyes, then turned back to Neena."For using the information, are choices are somewhat limited. It didn't sound like we can insert a spy in these 'Guardians.'"

"That's the spirit." The voice in Nocturne's head said. "Good to see you can think outside the box."

 

[Twilight Town, Beachfront]

 

"Good work on the tank!" the now dispersed Nightwing Squad heard their blue haired VIP shout to them.

 

Sparrow puckered his lips as he glanced around the area below him. Don't praise us just yet, Aqua. We still gotta make sure you're safe after all this. "There will be more coming soon!" As she commenced her shotlock command, several more rays of blinding white light shot out at several of the programs as Raven and Hawk decided to get in on the action. Kiwi was spotted on a nearby rooftop, readying himself as he charged up for another rifle-cannon shot. Satisfied about his own safety, Sparrow busted out his standard-issued binoculars to get a closer look at the battleground below. He saw Luna casting several of her healing and supportive magics while Ghost was busying herself with clearing the immediate area around everyone else.

 

Satisfied with what he saw, Sparrow then shifted his attention to the still rising portal on the coast of the beach. Kiwi was keeping a vigilant lookout on the darn thing, very sure that everyone down below could hold their own as he scanned for any external threat to their main objective. Their leader however, was a little skeptical of the situation as he hailed the scout over the comms. "Hey Kiwi. You heard Aqua. More might be coming soon. Stay alert."

 

"What do you think I'm doing?" Kiwi replied back over the mic, "Sightseeing?"

"Just a reminder. You look a little too relaxed."

"Don't worry about me. Worry about the others and yourself. I'll let you know if something happens, over 'n out."

 

 

 

[Holding Cell]

That's the spirit. Good to see you can think outside the box.

 

Not really questioning the voice in his head, a slight grin formed on Nocturne's face as he slowly walked to the locked cell door. Heh, so that's what people mean by 'that tiny little voice in their head'. Silencing his breathing and remaining deathly quiet, the captive Guardian gently tapped on the solid looking door of the cell with his index finger. He pinged it several times, listening to the acoustics of the door as he tried to determine it's material make up and thickness. Solid metal... Carbon-reinforced steel. He tapped it 4 more times. one-quarter inch. He took a step back, then eyed the size of the door. Distance from midpoint to edges looks prohibitive of conventional breach methods. He took about six steps back before backing into the wall directly behind him. Room size prevents the most fun way of getting rid of a door. He studied the edges of the door where it contacted the walls. Damage... Characteristic of a door already failing. So, this must be a back-up door. I wonder...

 

He pressed himself up against the metal door, then started applying more and more pressure as he slowly applied his entire body weight on it. There was a minute sensation of the door bending under the weight, which made his heart race. If only I have my arrow-rifles with me. I could just cut through this with the energy cone and be done with it. Thinking he has a real chance of escaping, the attentive protector pressed his ears up against the metal door and tried to listen for any voices on the other side. He heard some, and cursed under his breath as a silent escape via the front entrance was an unrealistic option. 

 

 

Edited May 19, 201411 yr by Javelin434