Rule 2096. Personnel who choose to taunt Hoppo are to be reminded that she has an extremely large extended family composed mostly of Abyssal fortresses.

A sunny Tuesday morning found Hoppo running around the base, twirling her Reppu through the air and making propeller noises. It was a familiar and extremely adorable sight to the men and women of Yokosuka, most of whom quite liked the little Abyssal.

Most was not all, though. Quite a few people didn't like her. Most of those people hated Abyssals on general principle, and nobody begrudged them that fact. This group tended to stay away, because they weren't idiots and knew their odds of taking on an Installation. Most of the rest were simply assholes of some variety; they too weren't stupid enough to antagonize an young girl who could bench-press the Yamato sisters.

And then there were the idiots. The kind of mouth-breathing imbeciles that made you wonder how they survived to adulthood. Morons like the man who had just plucked Hoppo's Reppu out of her hands.

[Hey, give that back!] the little Abyssal snapped. She tried to reach for the plane, but the taller man simply held it up and out of reach.

"Hmm..." the asshole hummed as he examined the plane. "This would fetch a great price on Ebay..."

[You do that and I'll... and I'll...!]

"You'll what, kick me in the shins?" the asshole sneered.

Face falling creepily blank, Hoppo did just that.

*SNAP!*

Naturally, being kicked by, again, someone who could bench-press the Yamato sisters was not a good time. The asshole fell to the ground, howling in pain and clutching a tibia that had been reduced to the approximate strength and consistency of wheat flour. Not saying a word, Hoppo retrieved her Reppu and skipped off.

~o~

Of course, assholes and idiots tend to stay that way, and so it was that Hoppo, on a trip outside of the base to buy some more ice cream, met asshole again, a cast and crutches enabling him to move and surrounded by a half dozen large, rough-looking men.

"I got friends now!" asshole crowed, sounding inordinately proud of himself. "What now?"

As one, the Allied Abyssals' other Installations, the Armored Carrier Princess, Anchorage Princess, Ayase, and Nii-chan, appeared as if by magic, glaring down the men.

[She's got friends, too, y'know,] Ayase flippantly stated as she made a show of examining her fingernails.

[And a sister!] Nii-chan added.

[And a sister, yes.]

Surprisingly, asshole and his buddies didn't seem worried. "Yeah, figured," Asshole stated, holding up his hand. "Not that it matters, you're surrounded! Forward, everyone!"

Silence. Well, except for the cicadas. Slowly, asshole lowered his hand. "Eh?" At that utterance, Wreck stepped out of an alleyway, unconscious, groaning bodies sitting in a pile on a tarp she was dragging behind her, their weapons scattered and broken around them. Asshole's eyes nearly popping out of their sockets when he saw that was a delightful sight.

[Looking for these guys?] she growled, giving the tarp one last yank. [Sorry, I just thought I was cleaning out some trash.]

Asshole gulped, his buddies suddenly looking a lot more nervous...

*BOOM!*

And that was nothing compared to the pants-browning terror at whatever it was that crashed behind them. Slowly turning around, they beheld Super Nagamon 2 in all her imperious, golden, lightning-wreathed glory.

[Hi momma!] Hoppo waved, right as all the other Abyssals present dove for asshole and his buddies.

The following beatdown is not safe for any human eyes.

~o~

[Alright,] Wreck stated as her makeup artists got her ready for a TV appearance. [Any other curveballs I should be keeping an eye out for?]

"Well, the host is very outspoken in his views against Abyssals," one of her PR interns stated. "He'll likely use those views to try and rile you up."

[Right. Well, now that I know they're coming, I think I can hold my temper.]

Twenty minutes later, live on air:

Wreck stared at the host of the talk show she was on, wondering whether she'd misheard the guy. [Apologies, but could you repeat the question?]

A smarmy smile appeared on the host's face. "Certainly. Do you think traitors with the Abyssals like Nagato deserve a painless execution?"

A small part of Wreck, the extremely tiny part not occupied with mindless rage, noted that even the studio audience was silent. Clearly, this wasn't part of the script. And why would it? It was an insult on multiple levels against multiple people. And that smile, the eminently punchable kind people got when they thought they had a 'gotcha!'.

And you know what? Maybe he had, because at this point all thoughts of tact and subtlety slipped from Wreck's mind. She stood, stepped up to the host - and then suddenly began looming over him, her eyes blank white holes.

[RUDIMENTARY CREATURE OF FLESH AND BONE,] she intoned. [YOU HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO EXIST BECAUSE IT AMUSED ME.] Her usual shark-like grin widened to impossible levels. [YOU HAVE CEASED TO AMUSE ME.]

*WHUMP!*

Wreck blinked, noting the host sprawled out on the floor, foam leaking out of his mouth and his pants stained wet. She glanced out on the audience, which seemed stunned into paralysis, and the studio crew, who were in much the same condition.

[Uh, vote Wreck, why choose the lesser evil?] she said, before bolting for backstage.