Down Goes the Boss

Imdor got on board a freighter from California to Hawaii, absorbing a sailor made it easy. The trip took a few days and he spent it going over some of the data he had on the Yakuza. Planning to take the boss was one of the more difficult things he had done since being on earth. Killing and absorbing him would be easy, but to get him alone long enough to do it without being seen would take a little finesse. With the primitive internet of Earth he was able to find out important information about the man like,  his name, date of birth, and even his general whereabouts when he is in the states. From there he would have to follow the man and see what he does.

Right now, Imdor was called by the name of, "Ricky". The man was bald, his face had a notable sag Grovoton hated to administer to his own body, but he did have a car and house waiting in Hawaii. Not to mention a wallet with over a hundred dollars in it; he had assumed it was the benefits of killing someone on the second Friday of the month. Ricky did his best to do his job during the voyage. He looked through some of the man's old books he had stashed in his locker about ship mechanics and rope handling, Grovoton was surprised that the man didn't actually know a lot about his own job, he just watched others do it and tried to learn as much as he could on the job. By the time they docked Ricky was practically leading the team at mooring the ship. Afterwards he ignored all the staring eyes and jumped in his car. He headed north towards the middle of the city.

Grovoton pulled up to a large warehouse at the west part of the city. He could smell something potent, like cleaning products in the air, he knew exactly what it really was, Meth. The organization loved to cook it up here and ship it to main land US. They would also use this as a type of port for shipments of weapons to Japan and other countries near by. The boss here would control much of the Bosses located in the US, it's part of the reason he chose it. Control the supply, control the money, control the people. At least, that was what he had hoped. He sat in the vehicle discreetly, his lights off, his chair back, his eyes pealed on the doors. Just waiting for Eiichi Satoh, the boss, to walk out the doors. It took more than three hours, but he eventually did. Three others followed him into a limousine that pulled up only moments before the man stepped out. The body guards looked a little different than what he had expected. Large burly mean in his mind was replaced with shorter, bulky men. Well dressed, replaced with old jackets and shoes.

The limo pealed off towards the inner city and Grovoton followed.

He followed the boss for miles. Down busy roads, alley ways, narrow streets, and finally the main street for what people would call "down town". Eventually they pulled up to a building with a neon sign mangled into a heart shape. Japanese characters where tucked to the sign's right side, on the left read "Wild One's" in English. Once Eiichi stepped out with his group of goons Grovoton ditched his car down the road and headed inside.

Walking into the club was a true assault on the senses. The music was so loud Grovoton thought his head was going to explode for a moment. The place had the smell of drugs and alcohol with a hint of urine. Parts of the floor gripped to his shoes like the back of a sticker. People bounced up and down to the rumbling of noise and a constant thump that came from the stage. Grovoton had lost track of the boss for a moment but quickly recovered his position after noticing him on a balcony in the club, his three goons holding on to his coat tails as the gorgeous waitress took their order.

Grovoton sat at the bar as soon as he could. Facing the group and watching him. Maybe once the boss had to take a leak he could sneak into the bathroom and do what he needed to do. He quickly noted the location of the room and thought of a way to complete the plan.

Getting up from the bar he decided to walk to the bathroom now. He could wait inside for the man to arrive. He couldn't have his own private bathroom would he? He questioned himself, but as soon as it entered his head it bounced like a yoyo, back into the grip of his control. He was learning about this body, relying on his first instinct was important. If it didn't work he would simply adjust later. But for now Grovoton sat inside the bathroom stall waiting...

It felt like hours passed. Maybe they did. He made a mental note to buy a watch next time he had the chance. He found himself day dreaming about what to do next. The urge to just run up to the boss and absorb him was taunting him like a red cape. He took a deep breath and pushed it out.

The door swung open.

Someone stated to pound on the stalls one by one, opening them to see if anyone was inside. There were five in total. It must be one of the goons checking the room to make sure Eiichi had privacy. As soon as his stall door opened up Grovoton kicked it back towards the man. It only stunned him for a second. Imdor pushed forward and pined the man to the wall. Noticing the gun in his hand he quickly grabbed hold of the arm and began the absorbing process, it only took a moment before all feeling and control was lost in the limb. He screamed. Taking his other hand he put it on the man's face and did the same thing. The body went limp.

Around ten minutes later another man walked in.

Speaking Japanese, "Hey, what happened? … Androo?"
"I'm in here. Just had to use the head really quick." Androo said. Grovo let the nautical term slip from his lips.
"I'm sending the boss in." The man answered.

Imdor was just putting on the finishing touches of the man's cloths when the Bosses shoes started to clack in the bathroom. Grovo left the stall and walked towards the sink, cleaning his hands was the customary human thing to do after using the head. He looked down as he passed the boss. Something Androo would do often as a sign of submission. He could tell by the way Eiichi walked that he was drinking pretty heavy. After wiping his hand on the paper towel Grovoton went up to the man who was peeing in the urinal and bashed his head into the wall in front of him, he dropped like a sack of potatoes.

No one would hear the thud of the body hitting the ground. The music was perfect cover. With his goon outside standing watch Grovoton could take his time and absorb the boss without anyone noticing.

Word Count:

Lyra wasn’t sure what had compelled her to randomly take up this job. Part of her just wanted to visit the old family home in Hawaii, especially while the family wasn’t there, and the better, more reasonable part of her wanted to actually do some good in the world. She had been training hard at Vigil Point and was eager to try and prove herself to her favorite hero Rabbit Punch. She wanted to show her and others there what she could. She needed to prove herself as one of the big shot heroes of the world so that she could rightly take her place on the stage with the rest of them. Of course, the only way to do that was to do something really huge.

In other words, her goal was the Yakuza!

Now, she knew as a hero her job wasn’t to kill them, rather just had to bring ‘em in. What better way than to kill their asses though? For that, she had her three best robot companions, Pummel, Blast, and Aegis. Aegis had voiced concern over this plan, but he was easily outvoiced by his much louder and eager companion Pummel. Blast had just shrugged it off and accepted Lyra’s wishes as they were. Blast’s goal wasn’t to meet Lyra’s goal, however, rather it was just to make sure that Lyra didn’t get killed or bite off more than she could true. Going after the head of the Yakuza would be rather…fruitless, honestly. At least in Blast’s opinion.

The Yakuza was a big organization with many branches and many heads. Even taking out the big shot wouldn’t do much as someone else would just come, swoop in, and take over. Like the Mechanized Champions, the Yakuza were like a well-oiled machine. Blast knew this, she was sure Aegis knew this, and she hoped that Pummel, somewhere in that thick head of hers had an understanding of this. Even still, even bringing in a head of the Yakuza would be impressive. It would be notable enough to those at Vigil Point to get her some clout. To some degree at least. Probably. That, or a reprimanding. Maybe a bit off both! Still, there was work to be done and Blast wasn’t one to question it.

The four of them had taken the plane from Rhode Island down into those sunny islands and there they began their search. Lyra, being ever clever as she was, managed to figure out where they would be given a news report she found as well as following one of the Yakuza members on Facebook, tracking their messages and finding their location. It had taken some effort, but they narrowed down to where the town was the group would be staying at. From there, it was just checking sketchy building after sketchy building. Eventually, Blast had been the one to find it and then do the scouting. She was the sniper after all and the only one with good enough vision to do some proper tracking.

Lyra, overexcited was quick to follow who they presumed was the so called boss of the Yakuza. When they arrived at the club Lyra felt her heart beating even harder. It pulsed and danced with the music. This was getting so very exciting and she could barely contain herself. She wasn’t the only one. Aegis had to physically restrain Pummel from charging in and hitting up the dance floor. Lyra and her had both wanted into the party, but were urged by the other two to hold back. They had to come up with a plan to get to the Yakuza and to clear the house of innocents. Though, innocents was probably a loose term as Lyra could smell the thick stench of drugs and booze in the air. She was sure at least a handful of people here were too underaged to be doing either.

They would have to come up with a cunning plan of how to do so, but as always Lyra was quick to the draw. She assigned each member a location. Aegis would stick near her, Pummel would hit the dance floor and keep her eyes peeled for anything strange, and Blast would be support from the outside. Between the three, they’d have this place on lockdown and have the boss in chains before the night was done. It was gonna be a nice clean night.

Lyra even had plan to deal with the patrons which she was going to go set in motion now. Moving quietly to the back of the building where she found what she was looking for. A ladder to the roof. Climbing up with Aegis she began to search and search for the item in question. It wouldn’t take too long, however, as the item had the powerlines connected to it. She gave a nod to Aegis who grabbed them and began to pull with all of his robot might. With a hard snap! The wire came off and the club below was left without lights, music, or any electricity at all. It would be dark in there, the only light coming from the sky above.

Before they were done, Lyra would lean down and press her hands to the power supply box and absorb what little power was left. She then reached up to her ear and pressed the ear piece.

“Pummel, babe, what’s the deal inside? They clearing out yet?” She asked carelessly, smiling confidently to herself. This was plan was sure to go off without a hitch. Nothing, yep, nothing at all was going to go wrong tonight. It was going to be a nice simple job.

Grovoton combed his hair back as he looked into the mirror. His new body wasn’t that bad, nothing he couldn’t fix. His muscles weren’t as strong as before and his form was more frail now. The older bodies surely had their downside, but with Grovoton’s new found ability to harden his bones and create more stronger tissues he was at peak strength for a human, even though it look like he was pushing sixty. His teeth where perfect, his eyes were green, curtesy of Imdor, and his hair was a stark black.

He could hear the power to the building cut off with a loud thud from the AC unit. Before the emergency lights came on Imdor had already increased the number of rods in his retina to allow him to see better in the dark. He calmly tucked the comb in his suit pocket and finished washing his hands. As he turned the water on the goon outside rushed into the room.

“Sir, is everything ok?” Picho said, holding a flashlight to the ground and holding up his gun.

“Everything is fine. Put that thing away Picho, it’s probably just another bold move by the police. No reason to cause alarm.”  Grovoton spoke perfect Japanese. He headed towards the door.

The dance floor was now pretty much vacant as the last people ran to the door like a raging river. Soon, Eiichi’s establishment would be empty save a few workers in the kitchen packing ice into the freezer to preserve the food. Guards on the balcony had their hand guns out and Eiichi knew that in just a few minutes a van full of mercenaries would be parked outside the club, they would be out back waiting for his word; they used to have the habit of rushing in, but it was quickly learned that they tended to over react.

“What is the meaning of this?” Eiichi asked into the darkness. “We have an alcohol license, we have permits for these weapons, if you have a problem with our patrons please take it outside, I have no time for this.” Grovoton would start to walk back to his balcony. He spoke just as if Eiichi would, perfect broken English with Japanese accent

From outside the job, for the most part, seemed like it went well. A mass of people were exiting the club, droves and droves of them heading out into the parking lot and looking towards the once illuminated building. The first part of the plan was going over pretty well, getting out the civilians. Hopefully, all that would remain inside would be the criminals, though there was still a potential for a few stragglers and staff who had nothing to do with the mafia at all.

Still, this was enough to begin acting. Lyra pressed a finger to her ear and spoke into her communicator. “Pummel, we’re looking good in there. You’re free to broadcast. Blast is gonna make sure no one suspicious tries to leave, she’ll blow a hole in their tire. Aegis and I will be in in a moment to lend a hand!”

Inside, and standing at the edge of the dance floor, Pummel got the broadcast from her master. A grin came across her robotic expression and slowly she began to make her way to the center of the room. Of course, this would mean she would be completely visible to the guards and to the mafia boss. Slowly, she rose up a fist and beamed, grinning ear to ear. “Alright you no good, dirty, and, honestly, kind of ugly criminals! The name is Pummel and I’m here with my master to take you all in. Innocents, get on the ground, heroes in action! Mafia put down your guns and hands up unless you wanna get pummeled. If you do wanna get pummeled, then…well, take your shot. You’re not gonna get that many against me.” She lowered her fist and slowly took a defensive stance, though not yet priming her fists. She couldn't spoil all the fun right away.

She hoped this grabbed most of the guards’ attention. If she could even pull the boss out of here then that’d be even better. What kind of boss would just leave their men to die? What kind of boss wouldn’t come inspect a bad ass robot here to do some serious hurting?! What kind of boss indeed!?

From the roof, and listening in, Lyra made her way down the ladder. She wanted to get into the action as soon as she could. She was a hero, after all, and heroes never miss action. She looked to Aegis with a grin, “Make sure you have my back in there, alright? I’m just here to boost you guys up.”

It was obviously a robot, and obviously not alone. Grovoton used the context clues and concluded it wasn't apart of the police force either. He took a moment to analyze the situation. A metahuman with unknown ability, strike that, more than one metahuman with unknown ability trying to play hero in his establishment. He had to fight the urge of Eiichi's instincts, pulling out his .45 and laying out this creature just for the pure disrespect she was showing. Treading on the Yakuza ground, uninvited, threatening and calling them all names. It was childish. Imdor clenched his jaw.

He threw his hand to the side with an outstretched hand, a signal for his men to put their weapons down. "Are you with the police?" He asked. "If not, please leave, you are not welcome on my property any longer. If you dare to continue this charade I will be well within my rights to end your life right here." He looked at his watch. It was a thick gold with an archaic dial in the front, yet, as soon as he lifted his hand and looked at the time the face shifted to a solid black, "I don't have time for this." He let his hand drop and the dial turned back to its mundane look. This was accomplished, hopefully, without anyone really noticing what he had done.  


 

"I don't have time for this." Rang out over a loud speaker in the facility. A helicopter started it's engines and its rotor blades started to spin madly. The co-pilot and a passenger boarded the aircraft as it spun off only a moment after the initial alarm.  

The passenger, a woman, who wore an all purple suit that clung to her figure. She was of clear Japanese descent and a katana hung from her side. Her long black hair was thrown over her shoulder in loose three strand braid that was seemingly untouched by the torrent of wind from the helicopter.

"ETA five mikes!" The pilot said over the radio to the facility.

Pummel's grin widened as the man, obviously the boss, came to address her directly. Or maybe he wasn't the boss? This kind of behavior was...strange. Did he really not get how heroes worked? Surely he must've dealt with some heroes before, at least in his line of work. Threats like that were no good, and neither did she have to worry about gunfire. Something didn't sit right in her processors about this situation, but there was no helping it.

She let out a good, proper laugh, shaking her head. "You really don't get heroes very often. Sure, not with the police, but you're gonna need better threats to deal with folk like us." She kept her defensive stance, but slowly started forward, heading towards the boss and his men. She seemed unafraid of the threats and bulk of the men, as if nothing in the world could hurt her. "Last chance, stand down or I'll beat you down. Just how it'll go."

As she approached, Lyra and Aegis both entered through the main door, but they held back from the dancefloor. The opted to hide behind a bar area, keeping their head low and hoping that they weren't seen. Lyra had her gear, her power gloves with a grappling hook and zapper, and her drop drones, but still...she wasn't a combatant. She was as strong as a normal human and those bullets would be lethal. That was, of course, why Aegis was with her. He was knelt in front of her by the counter, being strong enough to take the bullet fire, and, if things got dicy, he could erect a shield to protect her.

From outside Blast continued to keep an eye on everything. She watched the people from the club slowly start to leave, though a few stragglers remained to see what had happen and what was going to happen. She was sure they'd leave as soon as the gunfire started, because, let's face it, she knew there would be gunfire. With Pummel leading the charge there would be a fight within moments, it was just a matter of time. Pummel always lacked class.

A confused look shot over Eiichi's face as he continued to walk away. "... stand down"? He said with his arms wide. "Look at my men. Their guns are all down." He continued to walk and would soon be through the doors to the kitchen. In the back of his head Grovoton knew how this all would go. It felt inevitable that he would get into a confrontation here, but the urge to ditch the club and head to his next engagement pulled at him like a taunt string. He would try the latter first, he didn't want to risk his men or the establishment on this superhero peasant. Money and people were hard to come by, Eiichi knew that. Eiichi, through the tough looking exterior, actually liked his men, though he ruled them with an iron hand.

The helicopter could now be heard in the distance and a large light attached to it began to beam through the exterior windows. Would the super know its not the police? Would they think it's something else entirely? It was standard for the pilot to broadcast a dummy News signal as it moved through the city, that way the only way to really identify it was by a visual inspection, or notice something wonky with the signal itself.

If the super continued to speak Grovoton's men would just go about what they were doing. One man approached the machine slowly, he was unarmed and tried to persuade her to leave. He was kind about it, no threat in his voice, just kind of motioned with his hands a "come on get outta here" gesture. None knew of the threat looming above, ready to strike when they reached their position. Grovoton hopped his present would occupy his new enemy while he got away in the van parked out back.

It was certainly a strange circumstance, to be talked to politely by a so obviously terrible man. It was an act, of course, at least that's what Pummel believed, an act that she wouldn't so easily fall for. However, the man who did approach her seemed...innocent enough. No guns, no hostility, just polite words to urge her out. A man doing his job and that's all. He wasn't the crime boss and she wasn't about to break his face in for doing his job. She didn't know all the circumstances that went behind his being here. She'd have to handle this carefully and as gracefully as a well played game of chess.

It would take a few moments, maybe Eiichi would get a few steps in, but soon enough, hurtling through, breaking through the doors was one of the large tables that had been placed around the dance area. Pummel had, at least at first, acted like she was backing off, only to make a sudden bee line for a table and to chuck it as hard she could at the door where Eiichi had gone through. It was, of course, an inaccurate shot and chances were it missed. The guards outside the door would've certainly dodged out of the way. Either way, Pummel certainly hoped that this would be enough to get the crime boss's attention back to her and the dancefloor.

Back behind the desk Lyra and Aegis watched with a strange mix of admiration and terror as their companion surely just earned the ire of the guards of the establishment. Honestly, Lyra was a bit proud of Pummel, acting so cool and like a badass hero, but there was some work to be done on negotiation. From the outside, Blast's gaze turned to the encroaching helicopter, zooming in and watching carefully as to what it was doing. Was it the cops? Or was it backup? Something didn't seem right about its approach. Blast put a finger to her ear and spoke through her communicator, informing Lyra of what was going on outside.

The table shattered like a jigsaw puzzle thrown by an angry child as it smashed into the doorway. Splinters jetted across the room Eiichi's men shielded their eyes and drew their weapons. Grovoton wasn't surprised, he expected something would happen, but his men reacted with anger. Each of them pulled up their guns, some .9mm others .45s and Uzis, needless to say a barrage of bullets headed towards the mechanical lady before Grovoton could open his mouth in protest. After he heard the tittering of the Uzi he pushed the thought away and began working on the broken table in front of him. He still wanted to leave, now more than ever, one piece after another he chucked out of his way.

Up above the helicopter reached position. It seemed the fake broadcast had masked their approach and the package had a green light. The women in purple grasped hold of her sword and gracefully dove from the flying vehicle. Her body spun in the air like a wisp of smoke twisted by the wind, slow and elegant, then her body light up like the moon, a dull hue of white light, and soon she was engulfed in the body of a hundred foot Chinese dragon, it grew from the light in an instant. It's claws looked as if it was going to tear the roof off the club bellow but instead as soon as it would have made contact the spirit and the woman passed through the roof as if it wasn't there. Once the dragon reached the dancefloor it's body would swoop around and coil there, it's massive body would make the room look much smaller. Bullets would pass through it and the woman when they are in this form, if they could tell a woman was even in there.

Grovoton would look over his shoulder as he chucked the final piece of the table away and his men's gun fire stopped. He almost wanted to watch and see who would win, but his prior appointment was too important to give up. He would dash through the door and jump in the van waiting for him if he could.

As soon as Eiichi left the room the woman would become tangible again. Her blade pulled from its sheath, she would move expertly across the dance floor, appearing as if out of fog as the spirit dissipated, and strike at the joints of the machine as it moved. Her speed was still that of a human, though each step calculated, each motion chosen for a reason, a ballerina of death entering the stage of bones, spinning, cutting, hacking, with the force of the athlete she was.

Bullets were rarely ever an issue, at least in moderation. Moderation wasn't a policy that Pummel subscribed to, there was way too much to do in the world to take things in small doses. Enough of this stuff though would eventually be able to pierce through. Of course, they were a long way from that. In the meantime, the bullets just clanged off, a few flattening and dropping righto her feet. The most that remand after the first barrage of bullets was a few minor scratches, things that nobody would notice at a distance.

Pummel, after that first barrage of bullets, was just taking her first step towards the enemy, ready to counter-attack. Her smile had quickly faded into a confused frown. Something amazing had just happened behind her, someone had landed there. What pissed her off the most, what was a real disappointment, was that she had completely missed what had happened. She was sure something cool as she saw a flash of light happen but had turned too slowly to see what it was. God! She always missed the coolest stuff. Still, it wasn't all bad. For the moment she felt a temporary lapse in the bulletfire, still leaving time for a counter-attack.

She wasn't sure who this newcomer was, but as she began to move Pummel decided that this person was probably the enemy...yep! The blade came thrusting forward, aiming for her joint. She wouldn't let her take the strike easily though. As each swing of the blade came down upon her, each aiming for a joint, she'd adjust herself, following the motions and blocking with her enlarged fists, taking the force of strikes there. Her fists were built take heavier impacts, making the damage she was receiving minimal. It was good that she was too because otherwise this woman might actually cause some serious damage. She wouldn't let Sprocket down though, it'd be shameful to Sprocket's hero name if a simple swordswoman managed to put her down. She had to continue, to block and resist for as long as she could.

The problem, though, was this woman wasn't the goal. The crime boss, who was progressively getting further and further away, was the goal. She let out a small breath as she blocked. Not that she needed to. She was a machine. Machines don't usually sigh or let out breaths, but it was in programming to when she was annoyed or thinking. Speaking into her communicator she contacted Blast. "Oi! The boss is getting out through the back. I'm pinned down and me and the enemy are between the boss and Aegis and Sprocket! Gotta stop him from exiting, ya hear?!"

There was a few moments where all she could hear was the sound blades getting deflected, then Blast replied. "Got it. I'll make sure he can't get away."

All the while, Sprocket and Aegis continued to watch the ongoing fight, Sprocket peeking over the side of the counter and her eyes narrowing at the newcomer. She was in the way. Moreover, she made the next choice all the harder. Does she help Pummel or does she go after the boss? There didn't seem to be a good choice...what to do?

Confident that his hired gun had the situation under control Grovoton darted towards the van in the back. The door was already open and waiting for him when he got in and it didn't shut before the wheels peeled off towards the center of the city.

"Call the professor, let him know we are on the way." Grovoton said to the driver who immediately hit a button on the vans electronic panel.

The vehicle was a normal black cargo van. Inside there were 5 heavily armed men, each dressed in armor that shaded from gray to midnight and all with covered faces and helmets.

"Can someone give me a goddamn cigarette?" He leaned back and pushed his head against the wall. First day as this Eiichi guy and he already had to deal with problems, he contemplated the crime lords past as they headed deeper north.

Back at the club the angle of death continued her swings. The arches of the sword cutting through the air like a helicopter blade. She couldn't make out what the meta was saying, but she could see it was distracted. Thinking about something else, not focusing on the battle. Her loss, she thought, after pounding at the robots arms, all at different angles, she dropped to her knees, brining her feet to her butt and holding the sword close to her chest, she spun like a top. The blade would hopefully hit the machine's leg joints enough to break through but if it was blocked right away she would pop up, legs wide enough to clear her opponent and bring her sword down from the top.

On the outside Blast had gotten the message, and at good time too. From her position she could rightly see the van that would act as the escape vehicle. It seemed well protected, but against what she was dealing she was sure that she’d be able to stop it. She could probably do more than stop it honestly, but that wouldn’t be very hero-y. She watched with her enhanced vision, her hand extended and the muzzle of her cannon ready to fire. She wanted to wait for the boss to actually enter the vehicle before firing. If he knew he was pinned down there would be less of a chance he’d leave. That would be just what the group needed. A pinned boss. Someone easy to extract from this place.

Then she saw it. The man in the suit enter and before he had even finished getting in she fire off a high powered bolt, and then another, and a third, all of them aimed at a different tire, aiming to disable them completely. They were fast, moving like bullets through the air, though much stronger than a bullet. It’d be more than enough to pierce a reinforced tire. Before the shots had hit their mark, if it their mark, she’d be moving. A good sniper always knew to move spots after shots were fired. She’d fine a good bush a good fifteen feet away from where she was, taking aim once more and watching to see if she had done well.

Back in the club things were…they were advancing to say the least. Pummel, while speaking, did her best to keep up with the woman. Someone like this…she had a gut feeling, which was strange because, well, she didn’t have guts, but she had a gut feeling that she’d aim for another joint again. Pummel certainly needed her joints to properly function, but maybe…soon enough that strike did come and instead of moving back to dodge or block it, she took it, she allowed the blade to pass through her joint. However, before the woman could act further she’d shoot one of her hands down and fiercely grab the blade, not worried in the slightest about being cut because, well…she’s a robot. With her other fist, she’d raise it up and slam it down, aiming to strike the woman right in the chest, all the while smiling smugly down at her. Pummel had hoped this risky play and sacrifice would bare some fruit.

Watching this from the behind the bar still, Sprocket decided she needed to act, she needed to do something. She peaked her head over the bar and stare at the woman engaging Pummel. She’d motion for Aegis to drop the shield, which he promptly would. Leveling her arm on the bar she’d aim at the woman, closing one eye, and then…fire off grappling hook at the woman, aiming to strike one of her legs to try and bind her down or at least trip her slightly.

The van came to a screeching halt as the wheels practically melted to the cement. It had only been a moment after it started off, Eiichi was in an awkward position when his body was flung forward, slamming against some of his men. Each of them armored to the teeth, in fact, the only thing showing was their mouths, everything else was covered in black, armored chests, helmets, knife resistant clothing layered their bodies. All carried an assault rifle. They did in fact cause considerable pain when flung into, like a ball off a wall, Eiichi slammed back onto it's floor.

The driver slammed his heal into the accelerator causing the van's engine to whine and heave.

"No chance boss!" The driver said.
Great. "Alright. Get out set perimeter. We will make it there on foot. Keep your eye out on the roofs." He said. "That's were I would be."

With that his men piled out behind him. He jumped out in a single hop, landing against a brick wall, trash cans in front of him, the other building only about 8 feet away. His other men were in similar positions.


The blade cut into the joint smoothly but came to a stop as a hand grasped it. Without flinching, and as if she had planned it all along, her body turned to mist. Like a cloud she flowed through her opponent, and surprisingly a claw that darted out from the bar area. Before the dragon formed completely around her she solidified again. With a jump and dash move that flowed like a fast moving river she was upon the people near the bar. Her sword slashing at the fleshy one, if she had her way the blade would pass right through her arm.

From her spot, she could tell that her plan had gone well. The van came to a screeching stop and wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. From her position, she could make sure that no evac was going to make it there either, at least, so long as no one came and compromised her position or distracted her. But she wouldn't waste a moment worrying about it. Instead, she took aim again, leveling her arm and focusing on the guards coming out, beginning to take parameter. She expected such a course of action, as it was common, at least in her training she found that such actions would be common. She readjusted her aim, lowering it slightly and them dampening the power of her shots.

She would start two at a time, firing off two weaker blasts towards the armored men standing guard. The shots, if they hit their mark, would strike the men in their knees, though it'd just barely be powerful enough to break skin. In the long term, if it did hit, the worst that would happen to them is having a slight limp later in their life. In short term, however, such a wound would put them out of commission, at least for short time. Blast couldn't let the man get too cozy in his van after, couldn't let him feel too safe.


Back inside, well, Sprocket kind of assumed something like this was going to happen. Not worrying about the incoming assailant, she began to reel in her hook shot. It would be quick and actually beat the assailant to her. The reason no sign of worry showed on her face was because of Aegis by her side. Her robotic guardian was built for just this. He darted in front of her, hand raised, and from it, a green shield-like barrier appeared in front of them. The shield would be plenty strong the negate the attack. Further, in doing so, the shield seemed to hum as the strike landed against it. It was beginning to charge up something, Aegis's only form of counterattack. But for now, he would hold, he would trust Pummel to take care of the rest.

Speaking of Pummel, despite her leg being damage, she was still quite nimble. A bit off-balance, yes, but she was quick enough to dash over to the bar, a fist readying as she charged. With a sudden thrust she would lunge forward and attempt to strike the assailant in her back. Of course, even if it did hit, it wouldn't be as strong as it normally would've been. The strength of a punch comes from the legs and hers were a bit lacking at the moment. Still, if it did connect, the force would be enough to send the dragon lady right into the rack of drinks behind the counter.