Welcome to Gaia! ::

After being spotted, grabbed, and scolded, B-Rad was set before the radio to keep tabs on the progress. It was at least something to do, and kept him out of the way - though he would have rather gotten a hall pass and gone off to attend to the other Mists. Being surrounded by another fraction made him feel as if he was chickening out, and he was no chicken! However, he knew how to at least to work the radio, and donned on the thick headphones before listening to -


"Whoa!" The radio was crackling with activity. Some cut off sentences leading to dead air - which never seemed good - while others were calling out to other team mates and making some rather last minute romances.

"Aw. Sucker gonna die a virgin. Harsh." He shook his head for a moment before more voices called out. It seemed that everyone was taking a beating, while others called out. Shouts and screams for help and quick updates of failed directions were clashing with weak whispers that never finished.

He took a fist and beating it against chest. "Respect, dudes. Respect." His eyes glanced up at his leaders.

She had heard C's words, quiet as they were among then din.

She smiled weakly, cold exterior fracturing under the pressure.

"I know. You protect Selena and Francesca and Melissa alike, I know." They weren't different people, and they were far from anything beyond a security blanket-- but the girl had stood by her side.

She had been recruited first, lost and dazed and confused with new people and new voices and new personalities on the isle of the hunters.

Stacie had always been the more outgoing of the two of them. It had been true before, and was just as true now.

After the barrage had subsided, Selena tried to repilot the argus to somewhere close by, using it to hover over the three of them.

"I don't like the sound of what's going on," Selena said gravely, stating the obvious. "I -- oh, s**t, Em, oh christ..." Tears slid down her cheeks and past the goggles, though she hoped C wouldn't commentate on the rare expression of emotion.

For once, it looked a lot like Selena's elder companion had her s**t together more than she did.

"I hope he's fi- Mark!" She saw him, waving a bloodied arm with a little bit of desperation. "******** birds," she said, lips just barely quirked upwards. "Right?"

The brunet blocked out the fact that Velda had sounded so very, very grave. Perhaps blocking out was a misnomer-- just...well. Selena was acknowledging it. It was just that it was making her get more and more hysterical.

It was very likely Mark hadn't ever seen her like this, with a quivering lower lip and an uneven voice, wet cheeks and gasping sobs as Selena came to terms with the ...outcome of her many teammates that were less than alive now.

...And C...C wouldn't have seen her so emotional since her very first few weeks in hunter training.

Selena struggled to sit up, repositioning the argus so that it could circle around the roof to look for stray birds. As if a tiny runic disc could protect them.

Em had used hers in a last ditch effort-- and her team still looked worse for wear despite it.

She laughed, and it was an eerie, desperate laugh, barely choked out. "And it hasn't even begun. This s**t hasn't even begun yet. Not really."

That thought alone was enough to fill her with enough dread for a lifetime. Even if that lifetime probably wouldn't see the new year. It was still a fact that was too surreal to even grasp in its entirety.

They'd made it through so much. Why did they have to be cut short now?

((HP: 28/40 -- healed 3 by C))

As her teams died and fought on, Velda listened and watched in silence. It was coming closer, it's path leading straight to her location. Soon. Too soon. The cries of another hunter dying sounded over her headset. Not soon enough. She looked at Henry, who simply nodded, and then toward the handful of hunters still with her on top of the Marriott. "We're done setting up here, the shield should hold." A few may have noticed that the runes were wrong for a shield, but any questions had been met with a frown and the order to continue their work. This was no time to question her authority.

"Go downstairs and begin making triage preparations," she could feel the pressure of it's presence nearby, and it was all she could do not to snap at the lingering Hunters to hurry it up, get out of the way, leave me, get out while you can!

"That won't be necessary." The voice behind her was smooth and concise.

It was the sound of too late, too little. too few.

Mela was a melody in her mind urging focus.

Velda's knees buckled under the weight of his presence, and she was dimly aware of the other Hunters collapsing to the ground.

Mela was a song in her heart willing strength.

Movement to her left. A pained groan and the crunch of gravel followed. Someone was forcing themselves up.

"Sorry, kneeling just doesn't come all that naturally to me."

Henry.

"Oh?" The soft whisper of robes, "And what about flying?"

Movement, a pained shout.

Her head snapped up just in time to see him thrown high into the air and slammed down to the ground with a sickening crunch.

Henry!

Mela was a cry in her soul howling to fight.

"Henry!"

The staff surged with light and the roof was suddenly awash in the painfully bright blue glow of Mela's charge. The Barrier was set.

She straightened and finally stood, and while Velda would feel much better if it was due to own strength, she could tell Conquest had purposely eased his presence. He was walking the perimeter of the glowing dome, studying with a certain curiosity.

"Was this your clever plan? The trap you laid for me?" He turned, and she caught her first real glimpse at his face. He possessed the terrible beauty of his kind, the end of the times has always held a morbid appeal and it's manifestations held true to this fascination. But it was his eyes that held her breath, so coldly clinical. They weighed her worth.

They found it infinitely lacking.

Motion beyond them. Some of her team remained alive.

"No," Velda answered sadly, "...this is."

At an unspoken command, an array of runes lit up across the rooftop. Those of the Life Division would finally recognize it for what it was. The self-destruct. Not just one...but many, layered one on top of the other to create a sequence of concussive force.

The first blast left a gratifyingly startled look on the Horseman's face.

By the third he dissipated.

He reformed quickly, but then it only took one blast to force him apart again.

The idea was simple...hold the Horseman within Mela's barrier, force dissipate, force respawn, force dissipate, force respawn. Over and over until the process of reforming its FEAR was corrupted and it's core destroyed...or until Velda and her barrier were destroyed.

Most of the hunters on the roof died with the first blast. By the fourth, Velda was coughing up blood.

Mela was a dirge. A high, keening apology to all those they had failed.

He reformed again, slower this time.

Her breathing turned to short, pained gasps.

He reformed again, slower still.

Her chest burned. The barrier flickered.

Silence.

Nothing.

Hope.

He reformed again, and she wanted to die.

She was on the ground again, black spots dancing before her eyes.

The next blast proved too much for either weapon or wielder. Even as the barrier shattered around them, the staff broke apart within Velda's hands and huntress's heart seized, stuttering to an abrupt halt.

A wispy figure of a woman formed above her body, singing a lament. A sad, lovely farewell echoed across the rooftops even as she bent down to kiss strange, childish woman who had been her companion, her friend, her everything.

Mela's form shifted and the song grew quiet, until all that remained was a soft, hesitant rhythm.

Thump. Thump.

With time it grew stronger, more assured, and Velda let out a soft, gasping breath. She remained on the ground for several long minutes, just staring bleakly at the shattered remnants of her weapon, her Mela. So even this was lost to her now? Silently, she struggled to sit up, body protesting loudly at each motion, heart denying the sight of all the fallen.

Someone groaned...she wondered if it was her.

Someone began cursing at great length, and she was fairly certain it was not her.

Hope.

She looked up and saw Henry fighting to stand up and walk toward her.

Sobbing laughter filled the air. The pain wracked her body, but she couldn't hold it in check. In the last few minutes her heart had been stripped raw and exposed naked to the world, and she was no longer able to hold any emotion in check. She was relieved and so ashamed and so very sad and she was alone but no longer and she was joyous and she was devastated and she hurt, Henry, oh god she hurt so badly, and was so...so very scared. And Conquest was still...

But there was still Conquest and...

Conquest...

Hope.

Had still not reformed.

How long had it been...

Forever.

Hope.

"H-Henry..." she called out when some semblance of composure returned to her. "Henry, we..."

The stared at her across the rooftop, eyes growing wide.

"We what?" A shadow fell over her, and though it's voice was calm, Conquest's very being held the palpable edge of rage. "Won?" It gestured broadly and the air began to shimmer and twist. "Saved a handful of your people?"

An arrow of black, pulsing power formed. Then several. Then hundreds.

"You made your plans. You tried your best."

The arrows floated for a moment before streaking out toward the remaining teams.

"And then you failed."

Truly, he must be witnessing the end of the world.

Aiden's gray eyes took to the sky toward the building Velda and her team occupied. The explosions had his attention straight away. Just what was happening? He could hear voices over the headsets. Fragments of what was happening.

They were losing.. weren't they..

He'd buried himself in his work. He hadn't wanted to see it all for what it was. But here it laid before him. There it was above him. Glaring down as thousands of strange arrows pointed at himself and his comrades.

The end. It was right there.

"This.. may be it." Aiden said solemnly, his eyes losing what little luster they may have ever had. Hope was dim. "We lost. We lost, but we fought, and fought hard. Never lose sight of that."

The young man stood tall, staring down those arrows as they seemed to be ready to impale him at any moment.

"I will die knowing that I put my all into life. Clint, Ralph, Melynda. Put your all into our final moments. We do not die alone. We go as a team. Hunters."

And then the rain of death descended upon them.

The pain was unimaginable. One. Two. Three. Ten. Each arrow pierced his body, tore his flesh, one even lopped an arm clean off. It hurt, but even as the arrows flew, Aiden batted what he could away from Ralph. After all, that was his duty, futile or not.

But Aiden was only one man.

He dropped to his knees.

His blood spilled heavily all around him.

One last arrow pointed at his head.

The man known only as Aiden just smiled widely.

"Do it. I dare you."

In a flash of blackness, Aiden lost his head, and the fight.

((Aiden is Dead))

The static in her headset, the voice of Velda...Conquest. Aki turned on her heel, and ran backwards as fast as she could. Nico had told her to go ahead, to scout and clear a path, but now she knew that she needed to be back with them. I have a bad feeling... The first arrow landed close to her left foot, it disintegrated the edge of the building. We need to avoid those Aki, careful. Nien said. She ran onwards.

The hail of arrows, the unending storm, she moved forward, needed to reach the Argus, needed to protect Flair, the mission; the Mission. She wondered for a moment where Nico was. But Aki couldn't see him, just saw the flash of sea green that she didn't have time to search for Nico anymore. He was guarding the back, she needed to protect Flair, needed to guard the front. Mercutio's body lay across the front of the Argus, torn apart. Aki bit her tongue to keep the bile down. Still, he had done his duty, and it was her turn now. The Mission. The Mission. She was a hunter, she fought.

An arrow hit her, full blast in the back. She was aware of the stare of Dylan. Why are you looking at me like that? Was aware of the shock on Flair's face, of the feeling of twisting in her back where the arrow had hit her. As the sun hunter fell, she noticed that all that was left of Nico was a sea green scarf, a splatter of blood against the back of the Argus, a crater where he had once been. She must have realized it then, Nien too, that they too would disappear in a similar manner.

[Aki is dead.]

She heard a chilling voice in the main channel. “What’s going on over there?” Flair’s voice was quiet, cautious. She was afraid to disturb the conversation the stranger initiated. She didn’t dare shut down the Argus, not yet. Orders were not made yet. Things were still not elucidated. She quickly piped down afterwards, listening to them talk with attentive ears. She heard something explode and once she parked the disc, tentatively took of her headgear.

The lightshow was beautiful in ways more than one. Flair was a realistic person. She knew most hunters wouldn’t be walking away from Times Square, but the sight flared a bit of hope into her heart. Maybe they could do this. If anybody could pull it off, it would be Velda. She pursed her lips, waiting and waiting.

Conquest’s words rang in her ears, ominously tolling the end for all as Flair bit down on her bottom lip. Her grip on the helmet loosened as she stared up at her death, volley upon volley of pitch black arrows. She remained solemn-looking as she let her helmet clatter to the ground with an empty clang. This was it. This was GAME OVER. There were a million thoughts rushing through her head, racing and screaming to be executed and acted upon. Flair went for her headset. She didn’t know if they still worked or not. She didn’t care.



For the first and last time, she addressed her leader by name. There was something soft about the way the Life hunter called out Velda’s name—admiration, care, and regret all mixed into one bittersweet concoction.



The first set of arrows finally hit and somehow Flair managed to fling her body out of the way. She fell to the ground, her skin scraping against the concrete, but it was the least of her worries. The blond searched for her comrades, but steeled herself when she saw Dylan impaled by the arrows, disappearing into nothingness. An indescribable sound gurgled in her throat. It was like a black hole. Flair scrambled to her feet and began to run. To where she didn’t know, she only knew she had to dodge these damn arrows somehow. Within her frantic vision she spotted the Argus. The glorious Argus could self-destruct. Ye—

She felt splatters sprinkle on her back, and when Flair spun around she was just in time to watch Mercutio be ripped into pieces. Droplets of his blood fell onto her face. She was too stunned to wipe them away. Stupid Mercutio. What were you thinking? We don’t need a pilot anymore. Not now. Her brain was beginning to shut down yet somehow her body raced for the Argus, but it was already gone with another wave of arrows, shortly taking Nico along with it. A string inside her heart snapped as she let a strangled cry fly out while her gloved hands vainly reached out for her younger cousin. No. NO NO NO NO—

There was only a flicker of his green scarf.

Flair struggled to breath. This couldn’t be it. This couldn’t be how the mission was going to end. The world wasn’t going to end like this, dammit! Something forced her to twist around. She briefly looked into Aki’s brown eyes before the young girl fell and disappeared in a flurry. Flair wanted to laugh. Who had set this up? Really. Who had orchestrated for the poor woman to watch her teammates die—two of them giving up their lives for her, no less? Fate was cruel.

Her eyes welled with tears, not just tears over the deaths of her hunters. Everything came tumbling out. Her frustration and confusion at her parents’ disappearance. The endless guilt from slaughtering her fellow candidates during the examinations. The empty pangs of loneliness. Everything she had conveniently placed into her bottle overflowed, melting into one anguished scream. That was enough for the arrows to consume her.

"This is it, Glare," she mumbled hoarsely.

I realize.

"Thank you for everything."

Flair closed her eyes as she recalled the group picture. What an inappropriate time. She was dying for Christ's sake. A serene smile tugged at her lips, amused with her stupid, silly final words.

"Viva la hunters."

She didn’t even feel the pain.

[[ Flair Carter is dead ]]

Give in.

Her ears sung her into darkness, a wailing, thrumming lullaby. Her eyes coaxed her to blindness, chipping away at clarity. Her muscles urged her to sleep, pressing her downward any time she tried to stand.

C could hardly hear Mark's response, a hurried whisper sandwiched in with all of the commotion. She could feel him nearby, and reached her hand out to touch him, fingertips just barely resting against her brother - no. Her closest friend. There was nobody to lie to now.

Though her vision was not much more than a glorified mosaic of vague details, she could make out the misery of Mark's expression. And even if she'd been completely blind, she would have felt it. The wash of unbelievable sorrow that lapped at her heart, causing bile to rise and trap itself in her throat. He always gave her the brighter side when the glitter blew away or the gold tarnished, but neither of them could offer even the slightest glimmer of light.

The pain and degeneration of her senses was quickly driving her mind to delirium. She felt herself standing and pulling Mark into a hug, the two of them pressed together as they made a last effort to shield Selena from a force that found nothing impenetrable. She heard herself laughing and talking with him, letting him comfort her with his capable words. She knew Selena was urging them on, her seemingly endless sarcasm just barely beginning to falter. She believed that they were beginning to pull through - that their enemy was initiating a retreat. And the revelers cheered a countdown, 3! 2! 1! Happy New Year!, which came and went with nothing but celebration.

Reality struck her. She went crashing through the ice into the frigid water.

Sitting up with a jolt, C made out flashes of their plans coming to fruition. The barrier came and went, its captive still standing strong in the end. And then it spoke.

No, her sister spoke. Selena.



After the initial shock, the subzero began to numb her. Her world began to lie to her again.

She was up, wasn't she? Smiling at Selena, her hand clutching the fabric over her heart? Her nails scraped across the roofing tar, her cheek flush against it, scratched by the sandpapery surface as it fought to twitch into an expression.



Selena joined their hug, and C buried her face into her shoulder (a pile of dead pigeons), stroking her hair (the serrated wire of her weapon, splayed carelessly next to her) to comfort her. She spoke directly into her ear (the mouthpiece of her headset, bent and fortuitously positioned just near enough to pick up her shuddering words); nobody else had to hear. She knew that her twin would probably prefer it that way.



Her words fluctuated in strength, occasionally interrupted by a splutter or a pause or the pooling blood in her mouth.

Then there was a darkness that covered her. A distinctly Mark-shaped barrier between her and the horseman, covering her eyes so she wouldn't have to see what her oncoming death really looked like. He had words for her. She had words for him. There were novels of tall tales and high hopes and hearty adventures that they still needed to share with one another, silenced by something as simple as an arrow. Her imaginary twin split open right in front of her. Now she knew the feeling that had begun when Em died, the feeling of her heart not wanting to beat anymore, couldn't be as simple as a panic attack. Her heart had to be breaking. She'd lost the only three people she could say that she loved.

The arrow hit, and she felt her entire being unraveling and turning itself inside-out.

The second arrow hit, and her body wasn't hers anymore.

With squelching pops and the wet, thick rips of tearing tendons, her joints separated and her limbs were extended far past their limit. Her insides twisted and knit themselves into creations that didn't belong in an organic form. White stripes blossomed on her tanned skin and gave way to fireworks of bright red, her skin tearing at the end of its elasticity.

The images went by like a VHS on fastforward.

It was the morning of New Year's Eve, and the crowds were already beginning to gather. There were pigeons huddled together on the building's concrete edging. The sun was setting. They counted down to midnight. Happy New Year! The lights flashed 98, 98, 98, and it all gave way into a series of sunrises and sunsets, over and over and over, until it was the morning of New Year's Eve, and the crowds were already beginning to gather. The sun was setting. There were hunters huddled together on the building's concrete edging. They counted down to nothing. Em, Marsh, Lowe, Julio...

It was the morning of New Year's Day in a new millennium. There were crowds of trash in the place of people. There were mangled bodies of people she might have known. There were pieces that could have only potentially been human. The crows were huddled together, pecking at the best meal they'd have all year.

A terrible splintering, an audible crunching, daggers of white pressing through flesh. The effect of the arrows was nearing completion. Her body curled into the fetal position, birthing her into darkness. And with a haphazard series of pops, C was no bigger than a baseball.

A bit of feather remained, sticking from one of the fissures in the sphere.

It was a present once.

It brought good luck.


((C ded 2.))

Elaine didn't question her orders, but in her mind as she worked at a furious pace she questioned the runes. Still she trusted Velda, trusted that this was what they needed and Arina rested comfortably slung against her back letting her focus. She tried to block out the sounds from her headset, tried not to think about all the hunters dying...and how she might be next. Instead her fingers flew as she tried to occupy herself with her work, as she had always done, research...so much important research left to do. She stroked a last key and turned at the sound of Velda's voice.

Shield? This wasn't right for a shi-then the orders were coming and she moved standing and nodding at Velda. Triage, right, they had to be ready to help all the injured hunters after...when...when they won, because they couldn't fail...they just couldn't.

Before she could turn to move downstairs she felt a strange sensation as if her whole body had been grabbed by something and ripped downward. She felt a gasp escape her lips and then her hands were on the ground, her chest crushed against the roof, her kneecaps felt...broken.

There was a voice, she struggled to lift her aching neck, struggled to see what had come. This was it then? This was their destruction, a beautiful, terrible creature who would crush her like an insect.

Her eyes suddenly burned with the powerful wash of blue glowing power, the power of a charge, and...the barrier. A small smile managed to find it's way onto her lips, this was her end, but it seemed she would die with hope. As the first self-destruct charge went off Elaine was rather pleased that she was able to die with Conquests's startled look imprinted in her mind.