Welcome to Gaia! ::

The moment noise issued from the crystal, Iden's boot fell upon it, crushing it utterly. He wasn't in the mood for the mindgames. If anything, he was just violently angered. That anger grew more malevolent when the soldier was snatched.

Flares. Force his shadows away.

The men responded immediately. The light from the helicopter explosion had thrown some of them to the ground, and another had been snatched...but those remaining lit off their flares, bathing the airstrip in light. The multitude of torches would harbor no shadows, making Cora's favored means of transportation more difficult to get away with.

"Iden, report."

Corbin. His voice entered the young fighter's mind calmly. It prompted a soft curse through his teeth.

:: A little preoccupied, Corbin. Please hold... ::

The response came nigh immediately, and in a less than calm manner. Iden couldn't afford to let his focus slip, with how sneaky this Cora freak was, but he DID understand the need for proper information...

"Damn it, if you've got the bad vibes, you let me know quick"

:: Well, we've got bad people doing bad things to my men, while flaunting a bunch of bullshit arrogance revolving around cowardice and skullduggery, and here I am trying to stab the ******** because he is KILLING MY MEN. Thank you, come again. ::

Like hell you will....

Iden mumbled the reply through gritted teeth as he stretched his senses. The men were picking themselves up and withdrawing to a tight perimeter. Not one was foolish enough to stray outside the illumination they had cast for themselves, nor were they to lower their guard. Those that had been floored in the blast scrambled to their feet, grabbed their weapons, and joined their squadmates. Whoever or whatever this Cora was, every man knew that they had the advantage of numbers and coordination.

That was why Iden raised a brow and took a step back from the man that approached him. He was breaking the cordon, and had moved close enough to speak off the air. There was no reason to believe radio silence was necessary...which was more than a little suspicious. Before he could get closer than ten feet, Iden's glare was on him. Not only was he noting the breach, but so was the man's squad commander.

"Finny! Get your a** back on the line!"

But even as the squad sergeant spoke, Iden was lifting his rifle to his shoulder, and eyeing the man.

Take off your helmet, soldier.

Maybe it was paranoia. But Iden wasn't liking this situation. Cora was not a frontline fighter...not from what he had seen. The man was a sneaky coward, preferring backstabbing terror tactics. That alone warranted more caution than normal.

Once again, the enhanced awareness Infinitas had graced Iden with was his salvation. He'd need to remember to thank Corbin when he arrived...but that would come when it came. For the moment, Iden flung himself into the air. His body corkscrewed backwards, spraying bullets at the deceiver from the Chinese-crafted assault rifle all the way.

The sudden gunfire had the men turn. Not all of them, but some, perhaps every other soldier. The scene was strange, almost Matrix-esque...but that was their boss. With the brilliant shock of white hair visible, they all knew private Finny was dead, and this was an imposter. With their firing arcs overlapping, but never crossing to put their comrades in danger, the soldiers opened fire, lighting the night up with thunder and fire.

The tolerance to bullets had Iden snarling. He landed, and discarded his weapon. Then he ran forward in a quick dash. If Cora would not be harmed by gunfire, then his bare hands would need to suffice. Yet, even then, the deceiver was retreating.

NO! Get back here, ******** pretense of personal safety was thrown aside in the pursuit...but there was nothing for it. He was gone, leaving a screaming man to die horribly.

DAMMIT!

Another failure, this time with worse consequences than before. It had been a bad expedition; the only thing Iden COULD do was plant his boot on the soldier's chest, and halt his piteous moans with the sudden bark of gunfire. Standing there, in the shadows where the poor sod had fallen, Iden felt more than mildly crushed.

Load up; get the men out of here. I'll find my own way home, you need all the room you can get.

It was true; the ride back to Durem would be terribly cramped even without him. But more importantly, Iden wanted the chance to think...to think, to consider, and to weigh his options after the weight in his chest faded.

All would feel it, and if Iden looked up, he would see it. Corbin, crouched on the wing of the rear Hind looking back and down at his brother, a Longinus under both arms, and with his forarms resting over his thighs, Corbin's fingers tapped in succession over the handles, ready to draw, though that wasn't all he was prepared for.

With true eyes open, Corbin was scanning the air strip below with Soul scan still active, and the eyes of the ortus. Meanwhile, Temporis, was primed, and ready to go.

Iden wheeled about, once again keeping his firearms at the ready. Worthless though they were to him...it was a comfort, more than anything else. Corbin's arrival was noticed, but it wasn't the primary concern...the suddenly dying twin choppers were. Iden's eyes went wide as he saw the rotors tear free and throw the choppers into a fatal nosedive. Some of the men managed to jump for it before the crash...but they were mangled, and would likely die without proper aid.

With white knuckles clenched in rage, Iden waited for Corbin to come to him. He was...frozen, for the lack of a better word. Frozen in shock and anger.

That alleviated SOME of the need to rip and tear. Given that the sudden descent wasn't so sudden, it was a simple matter for them all to make it to ground safely.

It did not stop Iden from having every desire to maim something, with a specific focus on the white haired b*****d that had attempted to slaughter his men wholesale. There were forty-one soldiers present, all of which held more value to Iden for their usefulness than could be warranted by the callous discarding of their lives.

:: ....thank you. He's already gone. Said his name was Cora. Imma kill him, I swear... ::

Iden sighed, and tried to relax a bit. It was a difficult thing to manage, given how stressed he was at the time. Deep breaths and counting to ten wasn't gonna cut it...not when the twin Hind's wrecked into the tarmac shortly after the rescue. The cost of those would be coming out of Iden's own pocket, and it wasn't gonna be cheap.

Worse still was word that once again, the mansion was compromised. And that Dae was being ******** with. Iden was growing increasingly protective of the girl since Ice had done his thing to her. It made recovery hard when people of Cora's ilk were making their own moves with impunity.

He's claiming hostages. I think Alyna, but...where's Roan? Is she at the mansion?