Chapter 34: Fight Scene
^^V^^ (^V^) ^^V^^ (^V^) ^^V^^ (^V^) ^^V^^ (^V^)
I launch the gas as I leap. The balls hit the stone. Invisable in the dark. Odorless. Never known. It will still swing the odds.
Dinah follows suite, covering the other side.
We leave the south open. I want them to run.
A gasp. The soldiers see us coming. Not clearly, but a black silhouette against the brightening sky. Even without the cape, the effect is... awesome.
A shout. Pounding feet. Some retreating. More advancing. A clipped order - probably to catch or kill the intruders.
Wings over my head.
Slides. Falls. Random screams.
I risk a glimpse at the stairs. A *very* large spotted cat is now filling the bottom ten feet. And snarling. No claws visible, but the snarl is enough to give the soldiers serious religion. They are running backwards even faster then they ran up. Tawantinsuya be damned. None of those guys are going to interfere with Divine Will.
Eyes up. Twist for landing.
Blue smoke and darkness obscure the figures, but the handle of the Jaguars Tongue is still bright. Use it to target.
Dinah hits half a second before I do. Lower arc.
I get one quick glimpse of her slashing the pillar behind Jones before I'm into my own fight.
Hit the top platform rolling. Lose momentum. I'm flying too fast to safely hit the first spearman, but a near miss brushes him back. Sets him off balance.
Spin over the altar - low enough to make dagger-man duck - and land on the second spearman. Soft hit, but it buys time. The knife in my palm is ready. Two slashes and Dick's legs are free.
"OK chum?"
"Thanks for dropping in."
Dick swings his legs up, rolling on his shoulders and taking care of the other guard. Nice head kick. Not only sets the man down, but sends his spear sliding over the platform edge.
I back-kick to disarm the second.
Dick uses a scissor kick to brush back the Jaguar Priest.
I use the motion to reach under to Dick's wrist bindings. Slower work. I don't want to cut Dick. But I get it done - just in time to feel the soldier I hit jump on my back. Tough bastard.
Dick catches him with a round kick and the fight is on.
The head priest drops the dagger and pulls a sword. Good choice, The Jaguar's Tongue is a hacking blade, not much good on defense. A light broadsword can double the reach of a pro. Lethal thing, in these tight quarters. Fortunately, cat-man isn't a pro. Two hits and he's down and disarmed. I twist his arms back in a few coils of batrope and drop down to the lower platform.
Indy has taken Dinah's knife, and is freeing Quesada. The man looks shaken, but standing. Jones will cope.
Dinah is sparing with the prince. She's better, but he has the longer reach. Not to mention another of those swords. She has... most of a spear. Amhacutec is - not brilliant, but competent. Fighting defense and keeping his back to the wall. Playing for time. Hoping for relief from below. Good tactic. If relief was coming.
I risk a glance at the stairs. Still more screams. The 'Jaguar' has bloody claws. Someone has gotten brave.
Damn.
One of the spearmen is recovering from the first hit. He comes to assist his ruler.
I take him out. We're in a hurry.
Indy handles the other. Good. We won't have long before....
*ping* *ping*
That. Damn. The fire is still random, but someone down there is getting their balls back.
Flip. Spin. Spot. A guy in a shirt. Gomez must have brought his own crew. Reasonable. He wouldn't trust his allies any more then... they would trust him.
*ping*
Way off - but a high powered rifle, going by sound. Probably scoped. When the daylight hits this spot?
"UP!" I shout at Jones.
He scrambles for the stairs , pushing Quesada in front of him.
*pock* *pock* *pock* *pock*
Cover fire. High. Muwan can't be seeing the target, but the sound alone should duck a few heads. Good.
Gomez runs behind them. Running to escape or just running in fear? Whatever. I let him go. If he was headed down? But he's ending exactly where I want him, so?
*ping*
Closer.
*pock* *pock* *pock* *pock*
"Ten seconds!" I shout.
I turn and help Dinah with the prince. She's got his attention, so one side-head punch takes him down. She ties him. I hoist him to my shoulder, and motion for the Bird to cover my back.
*ping* *ping*
*pock* *pock* *pock* *pock*
Muwan is moving closer.
Amhacutec tries to kick me in the spine. Almost sends me off the narrow steps. Fat bastard. Suit absorbs the impact, but it's the thought that counts.
*pinggggg*
That one is close enough to make me drop. I hit the Oracle link. "Get us OUT!"
*whapwhapwhap* *whapwhapwhap*
The soldiers below hear that sound. I don't know how many recognize it and how many are just scared. Doesn't matter - they break.
*growwwwllllll*
And run.
The Gods and been captured by demons in black and this is a bad place to be.
*growwwwllllll* *guuurrrrrowwwwllllll*
J'onn - still snarling and hissing - pounces after the fleeing troops. That brings a slight smile. Those men will think twice before enlisting in another holy war.
I dump Amhacutec on the altar beside his second, then move back. No room to land the chopper, go the plan is to transfer in flight. Tricky. Especially with prisoners. But I *do* trust Savage to have a good pilot.
*whapwhapwhap* *whapwhapwhap*
Moving to the far edge, I signal the chopper to come in.
*whapwhapwhap* *whapwhapwhap*
The pilot makes a pass, checking for us and for the landing surface. There is a bit of dawn wind starting - so he signals that he wants to land on the plaza.
Quick check:
Plaza? Empty.
Walls? Empty. Even Gomez's rifleman has given up.
I give permission to move the transfer down.
*whapwhapwhap* *whapwhapwhap*
Local check.
No soldiers on the pyramid - at least none moving. Good. We can leave them untied and let them 'escape' later. No reason to punish the grunt troops more then circumstances will naturally.
Amhacutec has quit thrashing. Good.
Dick - looking slightly winded but unhurt. Better.
Indy going over to help Dinah, leaving Quesada and Gomez with.....
Shit!
Quesada grabs the dagger.
The Jaguar Priest lunges for Quesada, and lands on the floor. Dick lands on him.
Dinah tackles Amhacutec, just to be safe.
What tha... is everyone here a religious fanatic?
Quesada runs for the stairs.
Gomez jumps for him. Knocks him under my batline and.... grabs the knife.
Quesada kicks Gomez in the... stomach. Hard. But not hard enough. Gomez keeps the knife.
I roll, trying kick the blade as I tackle Quesada .
Indy leaps for Gomez.
Gomez rolls.
The platform edge!
Gomez goes over. It's a sharp slide - but not a drop.
I fire a line, but Gomez is on his feet and running for the jungle. I'd line out, but the chopper is in the way. I signal Dick to take over the transfer and rappel behind the fugitive. Damn. Gomez isn't that fast, but these are narrow passages. He ducks through, trying to lose me in the maze of broken stone. I must keep him in sight. He knows this place. I don't.
He leaps a wall, making a break for the jungle. Not the path with Mayfair and Brooks. Damn. I could call for cross fire, but at this distance it would have to be lethal to be effective.
I launch a line. Air travel will be faster, and the line of sight will be clearer.
Too far for a batarang! He reaches the path just past the sentry post. If I don't catch Gomez soon he will...
*thud*
Fall down at my feet?
*END CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR*
^^V^^ (^V^) ^^V^^ (^V^) ^^V^^ (^V^) ^^V^^ (^V^)
I launch the gas as I leap. The balls hit the stone. Invisable in the dark. Odorless. Never known. It will still swing the odds.
Dinah follows suite, covering the other side.
We leave the south open. I want them to run.
A gasp. The soldiers see us coming. Not clearly, but a black silhouette against the brightening sky. Even without the cape, the effect is... awesome.
A shout. Pounding feet. Some retreating. More advancing. A clipped order - probably to catch or kill the intruders.
Wings over my head.
Slides. Falls. Random screams.
I risk a glimpse at the stairs. A *very* large spotted cat is now filling the bottom ten feet. And snarling. No claws visible, but the snarl is enough to give the soldiers serious religion. They are running backwards even faster then they ran up. Tawantinsuya be damned. None of those guys are going to interfere with Divine Will.
Eyes up. Twist for landing.
Blue smoke and darkness obscure the figures, but the handle of the Jaguars Tongue is still bright. Use it to target.
Dinah hits half a second before I do. Lower arc.
I get one quick glimpse of her slashing the pillar behind Jones before I'm into my own fight.
Hit the top platform rolling. Lose momentum. I'm flying too fast to safely hit the first spearman, but a near miss brushes him back. Sets him off balance.
Spin over the altar - low enough to make dagger-man duck - and land on the second spearman. Soft hit, but it buys time. The knife in my palm is ready. Two slashes and Dick's legs are free.
"OK chum?"
"Thanks for dropping in."
Dick swings his legs up, rolling on his shoulders and taking care of the other guard. Nice head kick. Not only sets the man down, but sends his spear sliding over the platform edge.
I back-kick to disarm the second.
Dick uses a scissor kick to brush back the Jaguar Priest.
I use the motion to reach under to Dick's wrist bindings. Slower work. I don't want to cut Dick. But I get it done - just in time to feel the soldier I hit jump on my back. Tough bastard.
Dick catches him with a round kick and the fight is on.
The head priest drops the dagger and pulls a sword. Good choice, The Jaguar's Tongue is a hacking blade, not much good on defense. A light broadsword can double the reach of a pro. Lethal thing, in these tight quarters. Fortunately, cat-man isn't a pro. Two hits and he's down and disarmed. I twist his arms back in a few coils of batrope and drop down to the lower platform.
Indy has taken Dinah's knife, and is freeing Quesada. The man looks shaken, but standing. Jones will cope.
Dinah is sparing with the prince. She's better, but he has the longer reach. Not to mention another of those swords. She has... most of a spear. Amhacutec is - not brilliant, but competent. Fighting defense and keeping his back to the wall. Playing for time. Hoping for relief from below. Good tactic. If relief was coming.
I risk a glance at the stairs. Still more screams. The 'Jaguar' has bloody claws. Someone has gotten brave.
Damn.
One of the spearmen is recovering from the first hit. He comes to assist his ruler.
I take him out. We're in a hurry.
Indy handles the other. Good. We won't have long before....
*ping* *ping*
That. Damn. The fire is still random, but someone down there is getting their balls back.
Flip. Spin. Spot. A guy in a shirt. Gomez must have brought his own crew. Reasonable. He wouldn't trust his allies any more then... they would trust him.
*ping*
Way off - but a high powered rifle, going by sound. Probably scoped. When the daylight hits this spot?
"UP!" I shout at Jones.
He scrambles for the stairs , pushing Quesada in front of him.
*pock* *pock* *pock* *pock*
Cover fire. High. Muwan can't be seeing the target, but the sound alone should duck a few heads. Good.
Gomez runs behind them. Running to escape or just running in fear? Whatever. I let him go. If he was headed down? But he's ending exactly where I want him, so?
*ping*
Closer.
*pock* *pock* *pock* *pock*
"Ten seconds!" I shout.
I turn and help Dinah with the prince. She's got his attention, so one side-head punch takes him down. She ties him. I hoist him to my shoulder, and motion for the Bird to cover my back.
*ping* *ping*
*pock* *pock* *pock* *pock*
Muwan is moving closer.
Amhacutec tries to kick me in the spine. Almost sends me off the narrow steps. Fat bastard. Suit absorbs the impact, but it's the thought that counts.
*pinggggg*
That one is close enough to make me drop. I hit the Oracle link. "Get us OUT!"
*whapwhapwhap* *whapwhapwhap*
The soldiers below hear that sound. I don't know how many recognize it and how many are just scared. Doesn't matter - they break.
*growwwwllllll*
And run.
The Gods and been captured by demons in black and this is a bad place to be.
*growwwwllllll* *guuurrrrrowwwwllllll*
J'onn - still snarling and hissing - pounces after the fleeing troops. That brings a slight smile. Those men will think twice before enlisting in another holy war.
I dump Amhacutec on the altar beside his second, then move back. No room to land the chopper, go the plan is to transfer in flight. Tricky. Especially with prisoners. But I *do* trust Savage to have a good pilot.
*whapwhapwhap* *whapwhapwhap*
Moving to the far edge, I signal the chopper to come in.
*whapwhapwhap* *whapwhapwhap*
The pilot makes a pass, checking for us and for the landing surface. There is a bit of dawn wind starting - so he signals that he wants to land on the plaza.
Quick check:
Plaza? Empty.
Walls? Empty. Even Gomez's rifleman has given up.
I give permission to move the transfer down.
*whapwhapwhap* *whapwhapwhap*
Local check.
No soldiers on the pyramid - at least none moving. Good. We can leave them untied and let them 'escape' later. No reason to punish the grunt troops more then circumstances will naturally.
Amhacutec has quit thrashing. Good.
Dick - looking slightly winded but unhurt. Better.
Indy going over to help Dinah, leaving Quesada and Gomez with.....
Shit!
Quesada grabs the dagger.
The Jaguar Priest lunges for Quesada, and lands on the floor. Dick lands on him.
Dinah tackles Amhacutec, just to be safe.
What tha... is everyone here a religious fanatic?
Quesada runs for the stairs.
Gomez jumps for him. Knocks him under my batline and.... grabs the knife.
Quesada kicks Gomez in the... stomach. Hard. But not hard enough. Gomez keeps the knife.
I roll, trying kick the blade as I tackle Quesada .
Indy leaps for Gomez.
Gomez rolls.
The platform edge!
Gomez goes over. It's a sharp slide - but not a drop.
I fire a line, but Gomez is on his feet and running for the jungle. I'd line out, but the chopper is in the way. I signal Dick to take over the transfer and rappel behind the fugitive. Damn. Gomez isn't that fast, but these are narrow passages. He ducks through, trying to lose me in the maze of broken stone. I must keep him in sight. He knows this place. I don't.
He leaps a wall, making a break for the jungle. Not the path with Mayfair and Brooks. Damn. I could call for cross fire, but at this distance it would have to be lethal to be effective.
I launch a line. Air travel will be faster, and the line of sight will be clearer.
Too far for a batarang! He reaches the path just past the sentry post. If I don't catch Gomez soon he will...
*thud*
Fall down at my feet?
*END CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR*