Good tidings my dearest and most dedicated viewers. Stuffed into a bottle and let lose into a wild and unforgiving ocean, this week's chapter has traversed the worlds seas. Braved the unforgiving riptides and currents, only to at last be cradled by a gentle swell and be calmly laid upon the shore. Due to water damage, many of the letters and grammatical points may have been bleached out of existence, so once again I offer my sincerest apologies to the English langue for any transgressions, I may have performed against it.

Phew, with that poetic, or attempt at a poetic, description out of the way onto the main update and reviews. As always, the position of beta reader is still very much open and unfulfilled, so if anybody would like anymore detail on that job just shoot me a DM.

Alright review time!

Joecola double 'O' bastion of light: I wouldn't worry to much about the pairing's relationship wise. I've got the end ones, if there are any at all, worked out and accounted for… that being said I'm rooting for Nuts and Dolts too (weather it occurs in this story… well we'll all just have to read and see what happens on that front ;))

Therapist wise, I would like to think at this rate all the people in this story could be the central feature of their own section in a college level psychology textbook. Which, by the end of this and the next chapter, will only grow longer and longer in length.

Blitzkriege37: Uther might just be the embodiment of that Hindu scripture line, and the idea of a true nuclear war is one of my most favorite, while at the same time horrifying things, topics I'm allowed to explore through this fiction. As of the last nearly eighty years, the human race on Earth has possessed a weapon that is more suited to an interplanetary conflict then a war between countries. And since our destructive abilities have out paced our ability to explore, which is depressing on a numerous number of levels, we've all essentially achieved peace through fear of annihilation.

With this fiction however, the problem of distance has, potentially, been solved, meaning the bomb's used is beginning to be explored again. Which brings up a central question revolving around humanity of, weather we're actually maturity as a species in term of our pursuit of peace… or are we just waiting until are other forms of technology match our weapons current state to begin fighting amongst ourselves once more.

As always, please feel free to review as I get us on the road to the next chapter of The Electric Lens!

Text Key

"Speech"

'Quote'

Thought

"Flashback", scene

"Electronic Speech"

Electronic Text's

"Langue that isn't understood by POV Character"

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Chapter 20

Velvet's chocolate irises viewed the sea of black foliage coming towards her at an increasingly fast rate. She should be feeling how still viewing dark green vegetation in shades of gray, but with all the same fine detail as if it was lit by a cloudless summer day, made it all the more unnatural. She should be feeling how the difference in air pressure in her rodent inner ears were undergoing the same level of discomfort as her less sensitive human ones. Most of all she should be feeling terrified, not only at the fact that she was free diving into the outskirts of a town that harbored three highly skilled terrorists, but because the dust in her forever improvised parachute had only just now jump started itself.

No, instead of questioning the bizarreness of the fact her fuel source had failed before her machinery less than one thousand feet from the tree line, the brunette could only think of one thing,

what am I going to say?, with the mission literally accelerating to crash into her, Velvet knew these thoughts were going to be left hanging in the air, waiting for her to return.

However, as the white reaper, about fifty feet beneath her current position unsheathed her halberd, the rabbit faunus was just glad her mind was able to get any coherent words on the subject out at all.

"Deploy now, and land on the upper branches", the static of the Earth earpiece had never shorted out on her descent to the planet. Although the noise coming through it caused her brief moment of reflection to come to an end.

Spinning Anesidora around to her front, the second-year student unveiled the box's. Unbeknownst to her, fulfilling one of this world's oldest tales, as her brows quickly furrowed in embarrassment at the glowing neon light the weapon emitted. The aircraft she had leapt out of was able to blend into the night, Summer's cape defied all laws of the electromagnetic spectrum with how easily her eyes felt the urge to glance over it, but here she was forming the physical incarnation of a landing strategy with all the subtlety of a polished lighthouse.

In truth, the hard-light pixelating as they gained mass in the form of a short-barreled side arm with a forearmed length blade sticking out, was perfectly suited to the stealth approach she and the now recoated veteran were going for. That being said, as her chocolate moated pupils caught sight of coded tether dance behind her like a line of willow whisp, she couldn't help but wish for once she had the firearms natural midnight color scheme.

Not having time to even take pity in her already accounted for oversight, Velvet roped in the material. Being the only one to witness that the act made her look like a seasoned fisherman trying to reel in a star. The poetic picture being replaced by her mind's imagination replaying film of the mecha shift device's intended user, the conjured sight of yellow eyes, that of the weapons true user, made Velvet grip it in her hand as such.

Having the blue light snake its way around her right forearm, the Vale native could now see the individual pieces of dirt. Her hook turning into the one of a grappling nature, the faunus utilize Team RWBY's signature katana in its hidden third form. One that was born for creativity rather than mechanical engineering, as after a short acceleration of her hand, it sang of its brief farewell from her grasp with the gun sword now rotating in the air like a throwing star.

Like a creeper starting from the wrong side, the rope arced out across the night before its base hugged the top of an… average tree. One that wasn't the highest, nor one that was too much of an underachiever to join the rest of the canopy. The top of said forest roof now closer to her then it was to the actual horizon, the artificial rope went slack at just the right time, as Velvet's instincts and Summer's training proved more confident than the person who wielded them.

Another bundle of light being pulled by the palm of her hand from the boxes, the matter field waves wrapped themselves around her knuckles. As Velvet shot off another quick to build weapon now transformed for transportation. Turning horizontal, she didn't fight against physics more so encouraged it into another form. With centripetal force gaining more support than gravity, she spun around the point of her chosen ever green. Exponentially speeding her way inward, as the distance she traveled literally fell away.

Like an ice skater finally reaching their own center mass, Velvet' quickly dematerialized the rope when her hand was orbiting the tree barks atmosphere. The light show now over, not that anybody would even know gaze upon it as such, the rabbit faunus shot her hands inward. Her aura infused grasp eroded away the bark silently, as friction brought her performance to an end.

No snapped branches, no broken leaves, and no shooting stars, Summer's words distracting her, and maybe even Penny, from their personal dilemma for a second time, the inter planetary brunette hopped down to the dirt. Taking the extra second to make sure she only landed on the sturdiest and the healthiest branches, and even treated her descent more like an elderly individual walking carefully down their stair case despite her ability to treat the entire distance top to button like an incline ramp, Just a peaceful night

This was a lie of course, in more ways than she could possibly know. But at the very least she knew enough to acknowledge most of the ways were divorced from her at the moment. Her feet hugging the ground rather than impacting it, Velvet slowly rotated her weapon back. Unraveling her most attuned sense, her ears picked up on the ghost three feet before she passed her side.

Her ominous cape now taking on the presence of a true reaper, the chocolate theme huntress knew the ex… or rather the missing leader of Beacon's prodigal team let her footsteps make just enough noise to be picked up by Velvet. Having already deduced before they landed that such a disturbance in air waves was a better alternative to the amount the accented student could give if suddenly snuck up upon.

Following the levitating reaper as she walked by, Velvet closed her tool boxes. Wanting to at least pretend she could have an element of surprise on the people that already saw what it could do.

Although...attributing to why her letter was the cover to the word 'Stark', all of Velvet's potential worry, anxiety, and even embarrassment about not being able to keep up vanished. Much like Coco...the mother of Ruby and Yang held a different side, one that the rabbit faunus now knew all leaders had and became more pronounced with age. In the car on the way here, Summer's discussion on why the youngest Scarlatina and Polendina needed to address the Gareth issue… that was her wanting to help them on a personal level. Her warning of it getting in the way of the mission, that was just her command to let them know that it wouldn't.

One that was quickly seen, as neither the electronic nor organic student could dwell on the relationship problem in her presence. Not because the Rose, who even now, ducking, and swerving her ways through trees, was an expert of silent and direct commands. Like how Coco would cease her teasing nature when situations truly got intense, Summer removed any empathy she possessed and forcefully brought the reality of missions stakes with her before it even began. Going through exactly what Penny, herself, and even Nimue must accomplish for them to be successful.

At the end of the day, nobody in the airplane had time to have wayward personal thoughts… and the mere fact the chocolate eyed girl had one at all was probably because her cascading through the air at terminal velocity was the one brief break she had from Summer's expectation. But now, as the foliage around them lost its density, Velvet found herself once more entranced by this form of leadership.

"What do you see?", somehow making her abrupt stop feel natural, the halberd wielding warrior brought an arm out to stop Velvet. With Coco… being a tad too cautious, the faunus realized she was being asked to make use of one of her more natural abilities. Being relied upon for such a thing was not uncommon… but in her team's constant attempt to treat her like a porcelain doll, she had only ever been asked to observe a situation with this ability long after Coco and Yatsuhashi had moved close enough that their own eyes were more than sufficient enough to analyze the details of what was going on as well.

The silver eyed warrior's presence allowing her to reminisce as she narrowed her pupils to let in more light, the long-haired brunette found her hidden ability to multitask be utilized by the woman without her even realizing it,

"...it's a bit too far, but I can make out the outer images of houses", her pauses being one of a computer analyzing results, the rodent eared young woman found herself unable to stutter, "The streetlights seem to be on, but all the-"

Even when given the same chance for superiority, Velvet's vision found itself outclassed by her upper set of ear drums. As not only the faint roar of pistons entered her ears, but the subtle screech on rubber sliding instead being turned also snuck its way into her fur covered organ,

"I can hear a car pulling in somewhere… I can't get a visual on it though", already tapping her the piece of technology in her primate auditory organ, the girl was already informing somebody she knew she'd be two afraid to even look at later, "Maybe Penny can pick something up"

Summer didn't nod, just accepted that both students would complete their task. And adhering to that expectation, the pastel huntress didn't even interrupt the woman who had… harmed her through miscommunication, despite probably already picking the vehicles up location as soon as it was mentioned,

"That is correct, there is a two seated navy-blue coated Porsche traversing the community's main intersection", the tone held no resentment, just one that was hyper focused on their task. Made all the easier to complete with success when given access to a view that puts any avian creatures to shame, "License plate indicates they live in a five bedroom estate a mile and a half from the tree line you will emerge from. The address is 159 East Crescent Lane"

"Copy that Penny, keep an eye on it, and let us know if you pick up any movement", Summer's voice came out quieter than a whisper. However, her speed did pick up, as she knew where the next strike would most likely be.

Even with her now military grade camera and sensors, the electronic Atlesian didn't have the means to pick up Tyrian, Emerald, and Mercury when in the midst of their hunt. However, the, unfortunately named, bait was much easier to track. As such, with the dried and decaying leaves given way to properly maintained grass, the two huntresses went off to save the smaller fish.

Hugging the edges of the mansion, Summer and Velvet were closing the distances at a rate that would seem inhuman to an earthly being. However, for all intents and purposes, they were being overly cautious and slow. Although there was a very real chance, they were investigating a false prediction, and they were simply concerned about their presence from predators that were in a different preserve, the element of surprise remained crucial.

For even if this town was spared from the rouge lions, it was one of many the two Vale natives would be coming across this evening. One way or another… an encounter would happen, and the first line was just be set,

"The driver has parked and appears to be intoxicate-", the pause in the Atlesian tone was the nibble as luck had casted the worm into a regrettable feeding frenzy, "...All three targets are closing in on his location"

...Penny's voice...it had no indication that the man had been killed. Worse yet, it held the sudden pain induced by a sight that, even from her pixelated viewpoint, surpassed Summer's natural want for monotonous caused Velvet… no small amount concern. However, as the woman before her moved in, the rabbit faunus followed, using the tailwind the deep shaded red head created to pick up her courage… although, as she would soon witness, even that emotion had to bow before shock,

Their footsteps noiseless, Velvet could only hear tones at first. The distance they now traveled being doubled in order to get the drop on them, the second year student heard the wanted cries of pain behind a muffled hand, one that only Summer's true aura could hold her back from wanting to assist directly.

After that she heard the sadistic mumbles of whispered yells, then the slap of a hand. All this was retorted by an annoyed voice… that slowly revealed itself as a plea,

"I'm not going to fucking do it, so just kill him yourself already", it was harshly whispered in universal by the young man. As even without seeing his silver hair, the sound waves formed had an age to them that Velvet could quickly put a face too,

"...L-listen, I'll just do it-", Summer was slowing down, as the emerald haired girl now entered Velvet's mind with her hesitant, but almost elder sibling like, concern,

"No, you've been worshiping correctly, the heathen here needs to show his work", the scorpion faunus… his face came through the clearest in Velvet's mind, for the sadism in his voice was a personality all to itself, "Come on now Mercury… I know you've done this before, or are you still trying to achieve innocence again?"

The cloaked woman before her paused. The small squeaks of her tightening her grip on the poleaxes being her only indication of emotions. With the conversation now seemingly entering Velvet's ears as if she was close enough to be in it, the faunus knew the conflict was approaching, for only a house now blocked her line of sight for the terrorist,

"...that's adorable… but also pathic", she should be afraid, hell the voice speaking right now should be causing her to piss her pants… but right now, she was just ready, "Everybody's always innocent, and the only way to lose a quality is when you die"

"So just do what I do", the slicked haired man's smile was increased by the words carrying it, and Velvet knew why she was so prepared. Because in the next few seconds she would either be up for the task… or she would no longer have her innocence, "Never try to grow out of your childhood"

Her weapon spun into her hands, and the thoughts of multiple people already entered her mind. The combo forming with each one of Tryian words merely being a count down,

"Because", the ting of his axe unfolding made her view the freshmen year's greatest student's rifle. The mid-range abilities perfect to shoot the man, as Summer and she already knew the former would go in to move out the victim,

"This", once the eldest Rose ensured the unfortunate man's safety, Velvet would jump on the garage's roof. Using its elevated position as her hard-light dust was reforged into her leader's signature weapon to shoot down at the stunned foes. The height ensuring only the pavement got caught in the crossfire

"Is", not realizing static was entering her ear, the brunette was too lost in one possible situation… one for survival, as she switched to her mountain roommate's human sized sword. Using gravity to unleash a blow on the silver haired speedster. Allowing physics to give her speed and sheer power to obtain an edge and knock him out of the fight,

"All", two voices entered for each earpiece, one sounding uncharacteristically panicked which caused Summer to flinch… and causing the other to essentially say judgement day was coming. However, obtaining Fox's gauntlet, Velvet only now pictured two things… a number two on the ticking time bomb, and her future engagement with Emerald in hand to hand.

"A gam-", the wire was snipped, and for a moment the world went silent. Summer had turned, and for the first time since the plane, the night visioned faunus saw the woman's Silver eyed… they were still of a leader, but now one that looked… like they had just lost everything… or more so feared that due to the mere fact they had just realized they had looked over everything.

Her ears now curling, she herself concluded that her mind made her audio receptors selective. With her having ignored a noise that made her upper and lower drums alike want to retreat even further into their caves. However, she could also sense the future momentarily. The sounds of screams coming from the warning of Nimue, Penny, and Summer… as well as her own yelps of surprise being drowned with Mercury, Emerald, and even Tyrian.

… and as the moment of auditory and visionary time travel fixed itself, the wave of English and Universal herald in the apocalypse,

"The unidentified objects touched down, the two warthogs are falling into strafing formation!", Velvet had thought she'd seen a glimpse of Nimue's true personality, or her true emotions. But, despite her trying to act professional in the beginning of sentence, her words began rising in panic… panic emerging from the mere fact the pixie cut woman truly believe her word would be the last things two people heard

"WHAT THE HELL", Mercury's genuine surprise was almost lost like the rest, for he was being hidden by a meteor that apparently snuck its way past the atmosphere to land right next to him.

"I-I don't-", two jet engines cut off the crimson eye girl Velvet still could not see, before her own bullets decided to intervene as well. Arcing ever more upwards, containing the same amount of panic as the shouts she now produced, "LET HIM GO!"

Something grabbed him… I didn't hear something grab him?, even with Summer's hand outreaching for Velvet in true slow motion, the rabbit faunus could only produce these thoughts. Her own readiness, now only able to find peace from its own unraveling by shattering first.

The breaking of the air through two much more archaic jet engines helped with that, as whatever the scorpion sadist said was mutilated, and traversed into her ears as a bleeding scream over taken by the noise that came to silence him forever… although given that Velvet had only ever seen the man behave like an emotionally stunted four year old, there was no telling if he was actually attempting to voice something, or just making that sound,

"VELVET GET DOWN!", the words that were spoken by Summer came to her much clearer then the others and showcased her as being in a state between being a soldier and a human being… carrying an order that she was commanding herself. As the cloak the woman wore picked up wind and became a sail, the rabbit faunus quickly found the woman taking her to the ground. The sheets of white being utilized as the world's worst shield… However, as Summer's height proved to be no greater than Velvet, the star gazing Vale native could still see the sky. As such… she would soon come to know that, in the ground scheme of things, the cloth now wrapping around them both was only barely outclassed by the soul actually meant to shield them.

Being at the mercy of the grim reaper, now turned vanguards, Velvet was at a forty-five-degree angle when she saw four objects darting through the sky. The first was the silver haired mercenary. His hands trying to force his cries and pleads for air, as they collapsed against a moonlit metallic one encased around his throat. The gunshot of his angle shotguns pinging in the void filled sky, but growing ever lower and longer in sound as each second ticked by.

The disappearance of the doppler effect was ushered in by the next object. A metallic looking one that seemed to be infused with its prey. Flying higher and higher, it was supported by two jets of energy that… seemed to have a familiar green hue to them. A color tone, that was made all the more familiar and emphasized as it used the white rocks of Earth's orbiting companions as a blank canvas,

"Oh my gods"

I never knew Penny was religious, as even the speed of the heighten and more abled hunter and huntress bowed to the true equalizer that was relativity, the girl knew her thoughts were horribly out of place… and that she should focus on the sound of horror and almost desperation that came with the fact the tone and the mere fact the pastel huntress felt the need to use the expression the first place,

"Oh my gods, oh mygods, ohmygods", with the electric beings terror morphing her cries together, Velvet adrenaline counsel even kept up… however, it soon gained a second dose as the last two occupants of the sky came into view.

There were two brief flares of lights, only for Velvet's to realize they were actually hundreds of flashes each when the sound of a million bombs going off at once reached her ears. Barely even having time to watch the two vehicles that looked like smaller and more streamlined planes briefly enter then leave the sun reflected light of the lunar body, the rabbit faunus felt the small tissue in her upper ear burst.

However, that pain was held off, as that damage of the attack was merely an overlooked benefit of it being fired. For the metal ushering that noise in… actually came first. Time now oscillating for the brunette second year, she felt an artificial earthquake as a thousand shooting stars came down in formation. Launching splinters of wood, pavement, and metal into the air. Houses could be heard collapsing, and so could two screams and a pop, as the distinct noise of aura giving way was heard rippling across the cold night air… as well as a body joining in the bullets fun, as the material of the house now guarding Summer and Velvet reached the front of the lead encased artilleries line.

Now seeing the destruction she heard, Velvet didn't know she had craned her next up, to find stability in her line of sight, even as Summer was trying to force her to the ground… not that the grass or any other parallel surface would save them.

Briefly seeing a white and black streak shoot through the backyards, and past the two foes the newfound prey didn't even know were in the area, the chocolate eyed girl saw the horrors of this planet's warfare. As the mansion window shattered from sound waves, and the kinetic rounds exploded with physics rather than power, the whole structure was destroyed… an architectural feat that no doubt took years to construct, easily crumbled by two machines.

And just as the steel rain was about to stop, Velvet knew why Penny was scared of Earth, why she was scared of Earth… and why Arthur and Summer were so hellbent on taking her into their own custody,

Were better warriors… But their better butchers, the man-made weather fell on them now… or rather it fell on Summer. In the midst of her tackle, the woman was struck in the back, and her cloak was torn into just as many pieces as her aura. Which, as the now movie going faunus saw burst into silver particles, realized was the true reason for her intervention.

The eldest Rose crashing into her at a newfound velocity, the Vale native found her and the now decloak mother following the sadistic male criminal's lead. As the force of the round shot them back into the front door of the next mansion. Her chocolate aura creaking, but not surrendering, Summer had made herself the shield… something that the rabbit-eared girl could not even thank as the woman's eyelids closed.

Becoming the bullets as the Earth made one's stopped, Velvet felt her arms instinctually wrap around the silver eyed huntress, and even when knocked out, Summer's instinctually did as well. They both crash through the door, then the living room, then back the entrance way of the next estate. Even when slowing down, the built-up inertia embedded them into the back lawn with enough force that they created a mini crater. One that made sure this person… or rather the next person living here would never have to worry about picking up weeds again,

The blood pooling on her ears, and the sudden realization that broken mechanical parts were flowing from her human ones, the stowaway faunus briefly let her breath and heartbeat be the only sounds and movement she observed… she… it wasn't supposed to be like this.

She was going to help Summer, she wasn't going to be a burden, just a person who… made mistakes, and even had some waiting back at her newfound second him on Earth… but now...now she was alone, and people could be dead, and she didn't' even know who att-

The blood flowing through vein picking up speed even and reality didn't as well, the girl felt a tinge of pain in her right cheek… and given the one pulsing in her hand that now traversed across her vision it wasn't hard to deduce what she had just done,

...I have to rely on myself… I have to take control, remembering her time in the woods, remembering how helpless she felt at not only the beginning but at the end when her plans came crashing through, the rabbit-eared girl refused to let herself fall into despair a second time. Nimue and Penny… even if the attack craft weren't targeting them now, her earpiece was destroyed… which meant she was in charge.

Not moving an inch, Velvet allowed her body to work for her. Bringing up an arm around the woman who just most likely saved her life, the rabbit faunus found a pulse forcing away her fingers. It wasn't weak, but as the girl now felt confident enough to turn the mother over, she knew there was damage. Her aura had taken most of the blow, but a large portion of rounds shock wave still traversed through the woman. No bones were broken, but her back was bruised heavily, and given that she landed face first into Velvet's own aura at speed close enough to that of its catalyst that her trip into the land of unconsciousness was led by a concussion.

Okay Sum- the leader is down, the young woman made the correction to keep her mind on track. As she carefully picked up Summer's head, as she fully got out from under the woman's' body, and laid he kratom gently down on the mud… which although aesthetically displeasing did offer some form of cushioning, But she can be moved without risk of further injuries...I think

The doubt still trying to infect her head, Velvet violently shook it away, before she steeled over her gaze and looking about the now rearranged ecosystem,

Before that I need to check for immediate threats, as well as the one that put my teammate out of commission, the black and white detail of the destroyed landscape was off putting, especially since the weapon caused the splintered, broken, and now cratered destruction of this community without the byproduct of fire… just the silent and lightless emissions of a silent night in its wake. A living area now killed twice over, … the planes aren't coming back into sight, but I can't be certain of that

My best course of action would be to treat that as the most highly valued threat, so I should make for the cover of the forest and try to contact-, as her eyes went from the sky to ground level, Velvet was made aware of the vehicle's true target… as well as her first. Standing before her across the ruined base of the mansion that collapsed, the crimson eyes of a shocked brunette knew mere seconds before stared back.

Both eyes behaving like a doe caught in the gaze of a wolf, they soon realized they were both the actual predator. Without even speaking, the scythe-wielding criminal realized her weapons were in hands, and Velvet already knew she was reaching for hers.

This won't be like the Vytal tournament, the rabbit faunus thought, but not out of revenge as her peripheral vision gazed upon Summer as her hands snuck its way into her morphed camera, you're not getting away from me anymore

And with the quick motion of three hands, the destruction gained the noise it so desperately craved. With the atmosphere being filled with other worldly bullets, that were sped up by the necessity of not wanting the old ones to return once more.

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…, the amount of physical and emotional shock Emerald was experiencing was to such a degree that she couldn't even think of vulgar or already self-answered questions to fill her mind. Which was probably good, as after she had found her aura hammered by the debris of merely being in the weather the bullets of those airships had conjured, she now found herself having to dodge hard light ones.

Being one for practically, the rabbit-eared faunus that had gotten herself into this mess was, in this moment, a very very painful roadblock… and one with a minigun. Not being in the right state of mind after watching a… metallic abomination choke hold Mercury before flying him to gods know were. This mental trauma was only further progressed when she was bombarded by a meteor shower immediately afterwards. One that struck the sadistic person, who had moments before been encouraging Mercury to murder the main he had already crippled. Emerald wasn't off to a good start when she and the chocolate theme huntress began their engagement.

Her instinct making up for her mind's turmoil, the crimson eyed girl had been faster on the draw when she first made eye contact with the rodent faunus, but then again, having one's weapon already in hand helps immensely with that. But even as she got a clip of dust infused ammunition traveling the extra eared girl's way, the rabbit girl didn't move an inch. Instead she just opened her boxes… and allowed her hard light to form a multi-barreled gatling gun that she was getting far too familiar with.

Letting the scythe wielding girls' bullets ricochet into the duplicated unfolded briefcase, the giant weapon acted as a shield. One that did its improvised design job perfectly, before it was turned rapidly towards Emerald, to fulfill its original purpose… and as the crimson eyed thief danced between a literal volley of bullets, she found herself thinking she'd end up going 'one' and 'two' against the machine gun,

Why didn't they send her to fight us, it was a stupid thought, and considering Mercury could be dead… and that Tyrian was most certainly out of commission if not outright dead, Emerald knew it was one out of desperation. A need to escape after coming to term she was trapped in a corner… an open-air one that just had all its covers violently erased from existence, and why is she here now… crap is she with those airships!

Now at war with herself, the champion thief made the mistake of looking upward in fear that the two physics- defying ships were going to make another pass. Eyes taken off the actual fight, she felt her aura imminently flare up, as the entire left half of her body was peppered by her chocolate themed opponent.

Spinning around with the force, the crimson iris girl felt her body hit the shattered pavement. Seeing small dots of blood, for a brief moment she felt true fear that the soul that shielded her collapsed. However, as she saw almost microscopic particles of fabric floating around the crimson, she came to realize the blood was either Tyrian's or the eviscerated remains of the man whose only barrier to the bullet had been air.

I've got to get out of here… but there's no were to even go!, using her forearms to push herself up, Emerald jumped out of the way of another volley of bullets. Adrenaline mixing with fear, she felt like an antelope caught in the middle of a field. Velvet, now slowly moving in with the deafening weapon, acting as the approaching lioness, with the vultures ready to pick at her remain hidden behind a night sky.

Sensing her sweat begin to build up, the girl knew she was out matched, and most definitely outgun. Thief's Respite felt lost in her hand, and not in the way it should. Not having been fired since the battle started, as the girl could only focus on dancing around the bullets… a dance that would come to a close if the current rhythm kept up, Besides, she'll just annihilate me if I do anything besides dodge… she's got every advantage, she doesn't even need that old-

As she continued spiraling towards defeat, Emerald's spinning vision gained a brief moment of clarity. The sight of a downed reaper grazing her eyes, as her actual last resort was presented. Emerald couldn't flee and considering her movements at the moment she couldn't fight for that much longer either… but maybe she could do the latter for just long enough. Act as if she's going in for a desperate engagement with Velvet, when actually she would just be utilizing the last of her aura to make a hostage of the shredded cloaked woman whose shield was already down.

There were a lot of variables to this plan, a near infinite number of ways it could go wrong. But no such problems were bigger to her right now than time. As such, Emerald took a ragged deep breath, and ran towards the thunder.

More so to get the faunus to believe in an alternative plan rather than her actual one, the thief fired a couple shots from her twin pistols. The smaller rounds were lost amongst the echo of their older brothers' high caliber, but it fulfilled their purpose. Taking a more defensive stand, the rabbit-eared girl began unleashing a smaller burst of concentrated shots. They were more accurate than the unavailable hail, but even if Emerald couldn't weave past the hardened light, she could not choose how bad the storm hit her.

Zigzagging her way up, she surfed along these ever-rotating thunderclouds neon light. Her aura was depleted slightly, as either her left or right side would be assaulted before the very momentum of their attacker spun her out of the way. The brunt she took from these was exponential, and her target must have thought she was insane, but her actual one was ever closer.

Shifting to a mechanized form, the scythe slinger utilized her weapons bladed form. The bullets dinging off her aura one last time, the hard light once again morphed. Forming a familiar shield and spear, the girl before her was intelligent. Velvet was already predicting that she'd eaten up enough the green haired girl's remaining pool of aura and chose a weapon pair that would ensure her victory in a close combat engagement. One that would maximize a war of endurance Emerald had already lost.

But the crimson eyed girl wasn't treating this like a tournament or a battle… Like all her life, what she was doing now was driven by a will to survive. She knew how to do that better than most, and as such, bringing her arms back with the Scythe she produced her fade. Just as the brunette's copied a fallen Spartan's shield, Emerald moved in to act as if she'd cross her blades in a literal 'X' strike.

However, such a move would be pointless, and her metal would simply ding off the now matter filled lights physical form. What it did do however, was briefly block the faunus' line of sight. An action that Emerald capitalized on.

Bring her blades forwards, neither traveled in a reflective pattern strike. Rather one went across her body, and the other simply went up it to her right. Firing the weapon in its melee form, the thief was thrown sideways in a haphazard way. But even if the six-shooter form would have offered a less turbulent flight, this method offered her much greater surprise.

Struggling to keep her center of balance in the air, the crimson eyed girl heard the surprise yelp when her opponent felt no resistance against her barrier. Not having the precious milliseconds to look back to see her trap spring, Emerald instead focused on the task ahead.

Her right sickle curving even further, it now took on the appearance of an executioner blade. One that looked like it was made just so human necks could naturally slide their way into its orbit. Her left-hand sheaving Thief's Respite twin, it then outstretched her fingers to grasp her target.

… or rather it was preparing to launch itself off the grass then the two feet it would take for her to reach her ticket to freedom. Her trajectory being off, the girl slid off the mud a few feet from the wilting rose, and the slickness of the terrain caused her to slip even further away.

However, as she forced her muscles into place, she readied then launched herself in a biologically infused manual way at the down reaper. The extra second was regrettable, but as the girl could practically feel the heat emitting from the lost mother's skin, she already saw her pathway out.

I'll simply rest the scythe under her blade, then just walk away. I won't even say a word, just press the metal hard enough to draw blood, and let that girl no any move she makes would make her a murder, her hand grasped her wanted reality, and actually finding purchase on the near black red hair of Summer, she already had the scythe in the midst of its one swift movement to the woman's wind pipe.

...Only the move suddenly found itself coming to a momentary stop, as the crimson eyes of its user went wide in confusion. She heard the distinct bursting noise of two shotguns… they were small, almost humorously so when compared to all the other sound waves of the night but they caused her to hesitate.

Mercury?, as she looked, the question was painfully answered. For as the silver clad mercenary had used his devices and could still be using them for all she knew, to return to the earth, the glowing blue form now around Velvet's ankle were causing her to do the reverse.

Still having the circular shield in front of her, the rabbit faunus crashed into the thief full force. The grip she briefly had on Summer's hair surrendered, and then her entire hand was annexed from the vicinity as the two girls barreled once more through the sky.

Crashing into the poor lawn that had taken just as much abuse as the human and faunus fighting to stop this evenings violence, the crimson eyed girl felt mud sting her eyes. But that pain was quickly replaced by her own self-doubt… one that aroused in feeling like she had just been conned by her own trick… one that she had used to defeat the two teammates of the girl now standing above her.

...So that's what it's like, she thought, as she looked past Velvet, the shielding and ankles now dancing along her outfit to two points on her hands, Gods… that's awful

In order to live, Emerald constantly put peoples, friends, lovers, and family in danger. But most of the time it was not through traditional means. Rather, through the use of her illusion and mind game semblance, she'd take on the image of people close to them and make them cower in the mere fact they would inflict harm on a person she knew they held emotional attachment for. And as velvet had replicated the noise of her only real friend's weapon… she fell into her own spider web.

she didn't do it on purpose… but why didn't I, seeing the soft breaths of Summer's still unconscious body, the girl already knew the answer. Out of the few people Emerald saw Velvet with, three were literal light years away… and the other was standing before her… the more important question to ask was if the rodent eared woman would let her imitate the shredded cloaked reaper's current form… or simply let her fertilize the battlefield lawn upon its rebirth.

Seeing a reflection of blue on the fallen warrior's weapon, Emerald bit her lips as the executioner axes was now copied. Hearing a much smaller jet engine start up, the girl wondered if this would be how it end… and why she didn't follow through with all the question she and Mercury asked ever since they go to this god forsaken planet,

"Godnat", the whispered word was... well the pick pocket turned true criminal couldn't even tell it was a vocabulary phrase to begin with. However, as a leg swiftly flipped her over, she realized the tiredness, or the tone only proved for the girl to be emotionally exhausted.

The mud now becoming an extra eyelid, she heard the rotation of the summoned weapon. The creaks of light particles, imitating physical properties, were wielded expertly, as the rabbit's faunus body still proved energetic enough to complete the fight. But the clear loser could only further ponder what type of engagement this was, as all the force her opponent grip came crashing down.

A blunt object sending out a shockwave through her entire back and then body, the green haired young woman felt herself spring into the air. Her vision was already going black, as her last moment before she slipped into the land of sleep was not sight. Rather the sticky, wet, and suddenness of reality as she impacted it once again.

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Mercury had no fucking clue what was going on, so little in fact that after all the shouts, including his own, he couldn't even find the irony the fact he was expiring deja vu. A property that was lost on him as, with the cold metallic grip of death cutting off his blood flow, was once again done with him gaining an aerial view of his surroundings.

Instead… the angle of damnation currently shooting him upwards in the sky was a far better avian then Tyrian could ever hope to be… or maybe hoped would now be a better tense. As his first, or rather second, gargle of air caused him to begin making sense of his environment.

On the ground, a lone arachnid tail was seen embedded into the pavement. In a way it seems like a sword, although the purple liquid and the monetary twitches it gave off didn't make any potential king want to rule over the kingdom it would grant. Encircling it was the remains of… well almost certainly the man's blood that Tyrian wanted Mercury to shed. Whatever projectile had slammed into him turned him to paste at such a rate, that only now could the silver haired aura user process it had even happened. Although… he could only wonder if the sadist blood was mixed in their two… or if the sound breaking metal simply evaporated enough for only a few drops of both men's crimson fuel to remain.

… Speaking of biological energy though… The gray eyed mercenary was currently wondering how much brain damage he'd experience by the end of the trip… or whether his trip was merely ending now. Both hands going up to grasp the arm, that at the bare minimum was humanoid and not an insect skin tail, the criminal refocused his attention on his aggressor.

With the ground beneath him making the leftover house structures look like a literal abandoned campfire, how the person currently choking him out reaching such height was beyond him. However, as the moon revealed the creature's face… Mercury soon had an idea.

The skin was unrobed, and the copper hair follicles had been abandoned. A far more practical metal shell remained, but the doll-like clothing that provided humanness was no longer needed to cover up the being's false claim at life. With only steel being left behind, Mercury did the impossible and blinked at his own reflection in two digital eyes that shined with the emotionless of a machine… one that should be trillions of miles away from him and in a multitude of difference pieces,

...Because why not, his robotic lower half begins firing off his weapon. But as the scattered metal dinged of the… thing now before him he realized he was doomed. The shrapnel like bullet didn't ricochet off the supposedly dead or decommissioned androids aura… no instead it was redirected the old fashion way by surrendering it's velocity to a superior and stronger material, gods… guess this is what I get for taunting your death tin girl.

At the moment, the rebuilt corpse, or parts of the being Mercury once saw as Penny was hardly such a weak metal as tin. But given the dilation of her camera lens as he said that, she was clearly observing him. His legs never stopped firing, and his hands never stopped trying to peel hers away from his throat. But as the air became thinner, his only reassurance was that he wouldn't be able to breathe even if his throat was clear… not that he'd care, for the lack of oxygen traversing through his blood to his central neuron unit was far more concerning.

Moving out of the nights one lamp, soon the exo skeleton face Mercury stared into was only briefly illuminated by the sparks emitting from his weapon clashing against its neon green jets. Making the creature more terrifying, as it held on his neck never dressed or increased, the mercenary's gray eyes began to form a tunnel. Only allowing him to see the face of the being… and as they passed a point, he didn't even give the time or energy to think was impossible to reach, this too went silent.

The strobes of light he produced somehow turned off… as his mechanical legs followed suit. He didn't know about the latter of course, for it wasn't as if there were any sensory nerves to signal him anything went offline. Instead, he just felt his upper section begin to go limp, at the realization his desperate form of a counterattack didn't even make a dent, and may as well have been his dying scream.

Wondering at this point if there was any air to even take them higher, Mercury thought he could reach out and grasp a star. Past the pollutions of this planet's own light, they started emerging as small flashes along his darkening vision...there were so many unanswered question, and the sudden appearance of these ever increasing balls of gas and uncountable amount of lifetime away, he grew angry that he didn't even know how to answer the ones from before… or rather that the sadist didn't heed his predictions.

At the very least Tyrian got his death, and at least mine will prove my dad wrong, he couldn't feel the wind anymore. But with his senses flickering on and off, he wasn't sure if that was due to a lack of touch, a stop in movement, or because they simply left the atmosphere and its tortuous air resistance behind, machine or not, this things got no semblance, and with no aura either its definitely below your precious level playing fiel-... it has no aura

This could have been the last conscious thought the wayward soul could have had, and from his perspective, he thought it well and truly was. However, as his hands moved from one cold piece of metal to another, he let the electronic signal at least move along his arm, and rather than die in his brain it would put up one last fight in his hands.

The metal beneath the girl who never was was impressively tough, so much so that Mercury doubted his bullets had even dented the alloy. Such a thought was cruel when put next to the very real fact that back on Remnant, the silver haired young man saw the doll also have her outward soul as a shield. It almost seemed repetitive that her skeleton was so unbreakable… but the aura did more than just protect a person's strongest points… more importantly it covered their weakest ones.

Thus, as the last lights of a night with only stars focused in on the machine's imitation of eyes, Mercury lashed out. Using his fingers, his bones, and even his very nails in a last effort to strike. His aura pulsing along his finger, seemingly wanting to fade out and diffuse among the spreading air particles, he shoved the organic needles against these lifeless androids' pupils. Hoping its imitation of a cornea also reflected its imitation of weakness.

His muscle straining as his soul began to pitter out, the glass put up a better fight than a retina… but not in a relativistic enough way. Under normal circumstances, Mercury would have simply flicked his pointer finger, and the glass and sensitive material would shatter underneath. However, his exhausted and oxygen deprived state offered no such strength, but as the material began to strain, he felt the vibration of a small crack begin to form.

Should have kicked your torso into the stratosphere back home!, his thought wasn't that of enjoyment. But rather, as he couldn't feel the grip strangling his next increase, he felt hope. One born from the fact that this artificial attempt at destruction always performed at its peak efficiency, and unlike him evidently had no way to struggle, But I'll be sure to make sure nobody is able to piece you back together this time

Unlike Tyrian, Mercury felt no pride or joy in his taunts, and thus didn't voice them. They were simply there to push him further, to push him to survive. He didn't even know if he'd survive the fall he so desperately fought to make real, but that was the next piece of the puzzle… one that this machine didn't need to know… but somehow responded to in agreement.

"This method of containment would have been a lot less painful", the mouth of the being didn't move, and thus the intangible words that it admitted vibrated from its entire body. Confused, Mercury wasn't even sure what it was responding too… but the sigh voiced with disappointed quickly made him recall his forearms, "But I suppose that is my fault for implementing it as an option in the first place… either way the old fashion way is a lot faster, although your most certainly regret the headache you'll wake up with boy"

...he didn't know what it meant, but as his hands were just about to grasp back down on the metallic appendages of his aggressor, he understood the last word. The tone gave it meaning, for it was the same one his father would give… before a lesson was beat into his very existence.

As such, not even sure why he thought being in these bastards' hands was a better fate, he tried to avoid the pain he always fought against. But as his finger proved no match for the speed of gravity, his skin slid across the polish surface. Only feeling weightless for a moment, the hand around his throat releases its grip in an instance.

Drowning on thin air, his lungs were inflated to a dangerous point. But the organ did little to act as an atmospheric light preserver. Soon his body began to sink, but unlike a stone in an ocean, there was no fear in a slow descent.

The robotic figure began to grow smaller as he became an organic meteor during his descent back towards the surface, and Mercury grew fearful. It wasn't that his lower half and therefore propulsion system was still unresponsive, or that even his still surprisingly full aura wasn't strong enough to survive such a distance. No… he was afraid because the machine… and the voice… they took his last chance, his last and first choice he may have ever truly had in his life… and they made it their own.

It was he who wanted to fall, but just as the twin green neon jets merged into one, he saw them grow into his own flickering flame. Redirecting itself upward, the machine made a fundamental law of the universe look like a tortoise racing a hare, as it sped downward to the earth. Passing mercury, he saw the skeleton-like face, not even granting its now pitiful prey the mercy of an emotion as it rocketed passed him.

...not wanting to see what it was about to do; Mercury was met to the sight of vanishing stars as the moon regained supremacy in the night's sole light source. However, even as he heard the jets grow louder in their taunt of gravity, he was just glad to have one moment to himself. And even if only his eyes could view it that way… he'd take it.

For even as a shockwave tore at his ears from below, and a spur of air pressure seemed to slow his fall slightly, he just valued the deafness he now had. To look at a sky that never held any plans for him, nor any bound.

Hope death's as indifferent as yo-, not being his final words to the universe, he was cut off. As a literal airship given life bolted into his back and shattered his aura. The speed of it was so fast, that even with his vision jetted into blackness he wondered if he'd see his soul trail behind his body… or if the being now wrapping him in its arms would collect his own broken pieces for him.

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Tyrian's hands struck the dirt unimpeded, as did his legs. Whatever was left of the wood, stone, metal or whatever the hell these people dubbed material simply moved out of the way of his flailing limbs. Everything but the Earth itself was too beaten to be broken down anymore, let alone surrender. His blood and venom mixing in with the dirt, this fact only caused the sociopath's rage to increase dramatically.

YOU PRIMITIVE LITTLE PRIMATES, having to think this thought, rather than screech it out, Tryian realized these slightly evolved apes had taken far more from the serial killer then the chitin that he could now only move around as a pinkie length stump, I'LL MAKE YOU ALL SUFFER, I'LL GIVE MY MISTRESS REMNANT BUT EACH AND EVERY LAST HUMAN ON THIS PIECE OF SHIT KNOWN AS A PLANET WILL MEET A SLOW EXTINCTION AT MY HANDS… NO… no extinction is too good for you mongrels

Blood now trickling down to his side, the scorpion faunus… or what was left of that title, leaned upward. His words dying down in his mind, he hated the calmness that he was now forced to think… and thus took back some control through whispers,

"Too merciful", his soft-spoken tone contained the venom his body now lost, "and mercy is for gods… it is for my god"

His hands gently caressed his bruised torso, and miraculously found the capsules still intact… perhaps a product of his deity's careful planning, or maybe even his unconscious devotion. For even when lying on the ground like a squashed insect, the predators that had come for him could not pierce the fate embraced around him… and the bitches that came to scavenge were seemingly blinded to his corpse.

He bit his tongue, and before he saw the silver eyes of the warrior he had flown past… he got an answer to her whereabouts by the night sky. Its moon was arching back downwards towards the horizon. Fleeing from him no doubt, as he made a note to hunt it later, but far enough away that time had granted all his future prey an alliance. His blood scream coming out in a hiss, he didn't even know whether he angry that he wouldn't get to gut her right here or right now… or that she hadn't cared enough or viewed his artwork with enough respect to do such an act to him while he was down

… and to make matters all the more unbeatable for the slicked back murder, that word all was for more encompassing then he liked. Destruction being his only companion, there were no signs of that heathen Mercury, the damn machine that took him… and most importantly the ignorance life form he most valued by default known as Emerald,

And they've taken or killed my future toys as well, of course the crimson eye girl could have simply fled, and maybe even Mercury did as well, after all they probably didn't need that good of an excuse to abandon him. Not that Tyrian cared anymore, taking away his ability to laugh at all the death he'd now unleash, he was going to kill everybody. Weather that be because they were two weak and got captured, were simply too weak to avoid their own stupidity, or too weak and betray their grateful goddess vision, he was going to murder, skin, and maul any living thing between him and his goddess. His hysteria deciding in this very moment that the crown was now out of reach, that mean him and the sacrifice he'd use to beg for her forgiveness, Summer… whatever punishment the mistress wishes to inflict upon me for mistreating our playdates will be well deserved… but I've failed her for the last time.

Standing up, Tyrian immediately succumbed to his new center of gravity actually being in his body. Catching himself, he outstretched a pulsing foot and entered a lunged position. Not trusting his body to remain in a straight line without a belt, he disrobed the two artificial ones around his shoulder and torso.

Blood from his hand, that were the product of Mercury's failure to himself and Tyrian, coated the first vial of black Ichor the sadist now grasps. Bringing it up to his face, the gleeful murder, smelled the salt of death as he bit into the cap holding back the true liquid of oblivion.

Wanting to get it as far away from even the product of a dead lifeform's waist, he chucked the object into a razed town. Having silenced any witness that could actually be terrified to the beast now forming from the impact sight, the pitched blacked haired faunus simply unclipped another one, as the first morphed around into a being between life and death. It's tumorous skin bubbling as it was formed.

Shouting a howl into the night, the sound waves pierced through the ichor as the painful tearing of skin choice where a mouth would form… only no such apparatus would. As another vile was launched right into the first.

More skin erupting in a volcanic form, the jaw traversed into a beak cawing out in agony. Dancing around it, lights of all colors formed, as Tyrian, despite wanting to add more to the misery greeting his ears as sympathy, watched his transportation form. Beneath the weaving waves of white, green, gray, and brown lines dancing across the sky, the haphazard and demonic movements of a clueless color reached out to silence their mockery of it.

To ignorant clashing with each other, the one witness to this war of literal ideals frowned and let out a short series 'tisk' as he witnessed the least enthusiastic in between shade shoot off away from the others. Apparently flying into the night to either die, or simply deem itself unworthy of Tyrian's attention until the sadist was ready to make it suffer. Regaining his joy though, the forest green tone mixed with the brown, with it giving into the sweeter color after it made one last desperate attempt to silence the parent one that shined all electronic light at once.

Interestingly, and making Tyrian's scattered and accidental theories and pleasurable hopes more plausible, it was dragged off with the winner of this battle. Moving alongside the snow line that slightly elevated itself into the air, sue west.

Needing no more insects than that, the sadist obtained a second wind… one brought on by the idea that he could actually make it back to experience his mother's punishment now. Jumping to his feet, and almost falling back over when he landed without his balance pole, the detailed faunus began skipping over to the still forming… animation.

His legs desperately crying out for him to limp, he let their screams of anguish join the oozes screeches of sentences… or a mirrored version of it. His smile going past the edges of his face, as each increasing pitch the motioning bird let out in its own creation drove Tyrian onward.

Liquid hardening into feathers, and the lost potential of life into a hardened beak, claws, and armor… what looked to be a Nevermore formed… but even the unfeeling creatures of Grimm would be appalled at being compared to such a thing. Like it's terrain cursed brother before it, the animal that was being insulted had the skeletal structure and design of an avian raptor meant to soar through the sky… only the two claws that were meant to grasp prey and branches… were short and stubbed. More so than that, they contained twenty points instead of eight. With the ankles of the creature sporting two twin sets of human hands. Each foot is merely a pair connected at the base of the palm. The fingers of all cut off from communication with the other, as the outstretched claws in place of nails bent in broken ways, selfishly reaching for their own false pathway to freedom.

… but at the very least, these movements were given voices. As multiple screams left the Grimm's one mouth… a beak that developed to have row upon row of teeth… all built for an herbivore lifestyle, for all of which were the molars of a bipedal ape.

With now separation between his subconscious and conscious mind, Tyrian of course deemed these features the most beautiful. The ones, that through simple existence, were not trapped by the false and energy wasting siren song of order. As such, the arm holding his twin bladed axes refused to falter, even beneath shaky legs, as he jammed it into the crown of the nightmarish creature skull.

Remarkably, its continued cries of anguish weren't for the pain it couldn't feel, and as the tailless man mounted the still forming spinal cord, the decayed and wannabe flesh of the bird's head reformed around his arm. Allowing his and to remain fixated to the monstrosity itself. With feathers pointlessly forming into wings, the cries of anguish dying down into impossible growls. The beast soon spread all its limbs out.

Its demonic eyes trained on the three fleeing bands of aura, as one giant flap took its ape-like hands off the floor. Allowing them to experience the pain of existence rather than their failure to support their own weight efficiently.

With no environment to take out the destruction it was created for, the creature continued to make inhuman noises. As another tug of its immediate muscles shot the now infinity deranged field Tyrian into the sky. For the moment they blend into the night, but Tyrian didn't care that the bones could be clouds, or the skin simply another speck in the void.

He knew what true terror was, the horror he encompassed. There was no more hiding, just simple revenge, that was made all the more fearful by the fact that people could see it coming.

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"...Sir, both A-10's have landed, and I will order them to refuel immediately. They can intercept that-", for the first time in a while, Uther had been transfixed on the screen, and it was only his instinct of slamming his hand down when facing subordination that snapped him out of his thoughts.

Looking down at the metal he struck, he glared at his own arm as if it was an old acquaintance. One he had a falling out with long ago, back in the day when such youthful and rash filled actions were still appealing. Re-drawing in the limb though, the titan given human form, or more so just the human making himself a titan, looked back at the screen. Deciding to focus on the one flying in the night skies in another direction.

… The head director, he had always believed Summer's story. The mere fact he was in this position and as smart and powerful as he was because he was willing to prepare for it. But, with images of what that sadist just conjured permanently engraved into his mind, he was thankful for his own drive. For, while the man now riding in the clouds would always be the reason beings of Remnant could not exist, the abomination he conjured could now be used to usher in these monsters extermination… but regretfully, in order to capitalize on the high risk rewards of a tactical mind, the man that could so easy strike down this affront to nature had to let it exist in order to ensure his ideals and hope for Earth could be reached

"Delay that order, scramble surveillance craft and do not let him out of your sight, but by no means engage the target", his shock was place back into its locks, ushered in by the horror his subordinate felt that forced the lesser man to begin making decision on Uther's behalf… not that the older man could blame him, after all, if this trespasser caused him to pause in disbelief, anybody would.

"Sir-", even now the true horror of what the true sight of these people threat caused panic to linger. But Uther had to save his people from this psychological attack, had to save humanity from it in order to ensure salvation,

"He is heading west soldier", funnily enough, the glazed eyed black ops leader knew the man by name… but using it was only warranted on other occasion, right now Uther addressed him by the title he needed the person to become, "West were Summer and whoever she has a board that plane are heading."

"Isn't that all the more reason too-", the man was now pushing his limit, and even if he could understand the person's very justifiable fear, the danger it posed was something Uther lived to cut out the moment it posed a threat to spread to everybody else.

"We did not shoot Summer down, for the same reason we will not shoot this monster down", the man's tone was salted with the just the right amount of authority, one that showed he had a heart, but that this was the last time he'd be interrupted, "My resources are not vast, and my connection can only explain so many actions… that thing and the sociopath who wields it are our key for more"

His tone went down and felt the echo of his own soundwaves reverberated against the wall that elevated him above the room they now firmly controlled. Tiresomely, he also had to act as if his decision to spare the eldest Rose and that other rabbit eared trespasser was well thought out… in truth he hadn't even suspected them to be there, and though Uther's hated luck as an ally above all other adjectives, he'd only seen them on visual after the Warthogs had accidently registered another hit to a target behind the demolished house.

"Your job is to ensure Pandora gets our guests comfortably suited in its boxes. From there we'll find out how much of a resources this flying insect is", with his finger forcing down the button, the man offered no rebuttal Uther could hear, but he doubted anybody in the room had the will to waste anymore of his time, "In the optimal situation, he becomes a distraction for Arthur and Summer, one that is loud enough for all the people lucky enough to not know we exist realized that we desperately do… anything less than this, and we simply shoot him out of the sky. Although given the engagement those two girls had after receiving a welcome letter to Earth, I highly doubt he is going to meet them for an exchange of words. However, while we cannot for certain control his actions or reasons, we can very well control our own. As such I will not allow my or anybody emotions to underscore this operation, nor give it the satisfaction of itching our trigger finger before we see how many fish, we have in are barrel"

Although this very moment was born out of needed rashness on his part, the suited senior capitalized on all of that emotion that would be put to waste. Sliding the screen of the unconscious visitor heading his way to the side, Uther turned on a camera he rarely used… as the atrium of computers below were greeted to the sight of his resolved face. Unmoving in its inability to be swayed even by himself now.

"At this moment, all we can know for certainty is the bullets we have in the chamber", the faces of his subordinates were now glued to their screen. None moved to work, but made it clear that after they hung onto his every word, they'd glue their nose right back onto the grindstone, "And while the death of these silent invaders will grant us more, we all know we only have one of a high enough Caliburn that matters to end their presence here. So, no matter what. We. Must. Not. Waste. Are. Shot"

In an unnerving moment of sincerity, all heads in the room nodded at once. As the words Uther had slowly let out into the room held multiple interpretations, but all viewpoints returned everybody back to the importance of their mission, and their true goal.

Removing his hand from the speaker, Uther's screen momentary went black, before the camera of the night sky returned from his second best round digital eyes. Watching the hair of its victim jet back against the air, the head shined man narrowed his eyes, and showing more emotions in two minutes than he had in twenty years, he allowed the existence of his one way window to give him the privacy of another.

People will question it. For the rest of human history there debate over if my choice was two rash and if a more morale solution could have been forged, his eyes narrowed, and this time he reestablished his own determination, appalled that he couldn't even risk feeling his secret wish that plane's he sent for the man didn't hit twice all those Remnant bastards twice. Making their marks on Earth nothing more than a red mist, but my gift to all those future generations is the mere fact they'll be alive to debate it. For if they knew the truth, if they saw the truth I've just witnessed, they'd only ever ask one thing regarding my morality. Wonder what sort of sick and twisted man I had to be, in order to grant you demons the mercy of a near instantaneous extinction.