The First Stain

[srwu_mods]

[1 - default]
[Something really weird and worrying happened over the town of Shin Tanoura. Almost the whole town, and its surrounding area, is covered by a large, opaque black dome of some kind of energy, which appeared almost instantly overnight. The contact with the several thousand people inside has been completely cut off, and the initial search team sent into the dome didn't return...
This situation reached the news, and it reached Unity Group's ears even earlier. ESUN has established a research camp near the place, to figure out what the hell is going on - the camp is guarded by a bunch of mecha, just in case. The near Saotome Labs sent several researchers to help, but not too many, as Dr Saotome seems to be busy with other matters. What exactly, he doesn't specify.
Are you just reacting to the news about this? Or maybe you're at the camp, evaluating the situation? Just don't get close to the dome! A guard would stop you if you tried, anyway.]

[2 - frontdated to just before the mission, locked to Ryouma and Hayato]
[Some kind of commotion is going on at Saotome Labs. What could it be? Perhaps it has something to do with the reports from a nearby research camp. Regardless, the whole place is more chaotic than usual, and the security laxer... A perfect opportunity for a group of terrorist students to make their move.]

Comments

[twocoolforschool]

[The fight should have been over there. Hayato's likewise surprised Ryouma's still standing. Still, that's easily remedied. When Ryouma lunges, Hayato's suddenly not there any more, and in his evasion he rakes at Ryouma's throat with nails so long and sharp they're more properly called claws. It's a sure-kill strike that's guaranteed to open the other man's neck and kill him quickly and messily. It's inconceivable that anyone could dodge it.]

Heh!

[onewalksintomordor]

[Bet you didn't know he could limbo! He ducks under the jab, razor-sharp fingertips almost taking a chunk out of his face instead, but unlike a sane person he doesn't take a step back out of close quarters. He's in the perfect position for a good gutpunch.]

[twocoolforschool]

[Hayato doesn't exploit any opening Ryouma leaves - he's staring at his hand in shock. No one's ever been able to dodge that before. There's a moment of uncharacteristic hesitation before he turns back toward his enemy, surprise turning to unhinged enjoyment.]

So they've gotten themselves a pretty good watchdog here. Hii!

[He attacks! He's obviously studied martial arts, though he's not sticking to any single one by a long shot. It looks as though he's taken elements from a dozen different styles and blended them together into a wildly improvisational, unpredictable approach that takes full advantage of his abnormal speed and limber body. Attacks come from bizarre directions, and counter-attacks are nimbly avoided. Ryouma's getting a hell of a fight, here.]

[onewalksintomordor]

I'm almost impressed with you, too. But you're wrong about something... I'm not here to keep you out.

[Ryoma's got a passing familiarity with more styles than he can count (which granted isn't the highest number), himself, though he mostly sticks to his father's for his own use. But Hayato's definitely got tricks he hasn't seen before; he actually has to be on his A-game here. There's no reading the opponent's movements to improve his reaction time, no easy openings, no letting himself take a hit, no margin for error. Every move could be lethal.

God, this is good times. He is, of course, keeping up--he doesn't fight like as much of a wild card, but his speed, strength, and strangely graceful sense of ferocity could have made him world famous if not for the slight snag of his personality.]

[twocoolforschool]

[Hayato looks like he's simultaneously enraged that Ryouma won't just hold still and die like any normal human should, and delighted by the unexpected challenge. Enough so that he spares only a little thought for the implications of that last comment - had they not just been ready for him, but set out to trap him from the start? Might some or all of the data he stole be pure fiction, then? But it'd be a strange fiction to construct, needlessly elaborate and bizarre. Getter, Getter... he has no intention of being captured - least of all before he finds out what it is!

The fight's interrupted by a burst of gunfire and a scream of anguish. It's from downhill, around the bend in the road - the direction Sugiyama fled. Hayato springs back to open up some distance from Ryouma, and spares a glance at the source of the sound.

...Sugiyama's back. He's stumbling and shuffling up the road, left arm clutching his injured right. No - he's clutching where his arm used to be, leaving a copious trail of blood behind him from the ragged stump. Whatever happened, it was messy. Hayato's eyes widen - this is no part of what they planned for, here.]

Hayato... Hayatooooo...

My arm... they ate my arm!

[onewalksintomordor]

[Son of a bitch. The old man was expecting this second set of visitors, but not yet. The plan hinged on having more time than this. Now Ryoma can't finish things with Hayato, and also a guy is dying down there, so that sucks.]

Oi! Get your friend and get inside! The real enemy's coming!

[Exposition is not one of Ryoma's talents, but what he means becomes apparent as "the true enemies" follow Sugiyama into view--four crawling, stalking forms that in the dark, from a distance, look almost human-shaped. As they close in on the screaming man, though, it looks more like he's being chased down by a pack of raptors; they're all scale and muscle, and with claws that put Hayato's manicure to shame. Ryoma steps forward.]

Damn reptiloids! We have to help him!

[twocoolforschool]

Hiii!

[Hayato's freaking out. These things were not in the plan! They weren't in any report or briefing he's seen, public or above top secret! And while he's supremely confident in his ability to kill the hell out of pretty much any human opponent, he hasn't made a study of the weak points of - of were-raptors! Even so, though, he doesn't miss that Ryouma's talking about getting inside, which is just what Hayato wanted to hear even before these newcomers crashed the party.

If the watchdog's making Sugiyama a condition of shelter, then he'll have to act quickly. Hayato springs down the mountainside, gibbering as he claws the face off one of the things while kicking another back down the slope. He grabs Sugiyama by the neck and belt and hauls him back up towards the Labs - until another of the creatures leaps towards them, grabbing Sugiyama's leg in an impossibly strong grip! There are more coming, too, as he's wrenched with a scream from Hayato's hands, the terrorist leader scrambling back towards Ryouma via a few more Reptiloid assailants.]

Run.

[He holds something up. They're... pins, the pins from the grenades on Sugiyama's belt, being dragged back with him into the knot of monsters coming towards them.

Indoors would probably be a good place to be in a few seconds' time.]

[onewalksintomordor]

[Ryoma stares at the pins as the doors grind open, taking a second to register what they are. Aaaaaaand... there it is.]

SHIT!

[The barricade slams back into position behind them as soon as they dive in, and even through twelve inches of steel they can hear the blast. Well, that's the first wave down.]

Tch. Talk about throwing a guy to the wolves. You're not gonna be easy to work with, are you?

[Incidentally, the entrance hall to the facility is lined with about twenty armed guards--they were just waiting here while Ryoma fought Hayato and his gang solo. If it seemed like this may have been a trap before, it's pretty obvious now.]