lucetilogs | We're more than carbon and chemicals

[Kennedy has been doing pretty well for someone with no superpowers to speak of. At the moment, he's at the front lines, cutlass drawn, taking enemy after enemy, one at a time, with hardly a glance as to the face or type of enemy as long as it has large wings. This is how he ends up face-to-face with an Elite.

Damn.

Within seconds, he's disarmed, his cutlass lying four yards away. Less than a second later, the Elite's sword slashes him across the ribs, and he's kicked back into the tall grass with the wind knocked out of him. In the split second it takes for the Elite to raise her sword, it occurs to Kennedy, with the same stoic certainty he had nearly two months ago, that he is one heartbeat away from dying and can do exactly nothing about it.]

[Jack was already running low on rounds for the day. He'd have to reload back at the hotel room. He cursed his luck as he stalked the battlefield, having been forced to resort to his pistols. It took three shots to take down a soldier. Damn, he was really rusty. Back when he was Jack Candle, he could have taken one of these bastards down with one shot to the skull.

... and that's when he sees one of the tough ones taking down that shmuck, Archie. With his machine guns depleted, he's honestly tempted to just move on and let someone else handle this armor clad bitch. On the other hand...

He's goddamned Jack Horner. Hero shit is what he does. Time for people to see how awesome he is. He empties the remaining rounds in his pistol in the direction of the elite. They don't quite kill her, oh no. But it sure as hell gets her attention. Before he can reload, she's upon him, piercing a sword through his gut.]

... fuck.

[...And he's not dead. His chest is more or less ON FIRE, but he's not dead, and the wound is fairly shallow. Gritting his teeth, he climbs to his feet and sees that the Elite who was about to cleave him in half is now killing Jack Horner. GOOD. Maybe that'll take the ass down a peg or two. Still, he can't just stand back and enjoy the show, because as much as he despises Horner, Archie's just not that kind of guy. Snapping up his sword, he slices through the winged woman's Achilles' tendon, hoping that will at least buy Jack time.]

[Crack-boom]

[The Elite's sword arm suddenly snaps at the elbow in blast of blood and tissue, before the blade falls and the limb bends to hang awkwardly and by a sliver of flesh.

Sayo stands just a little ways away, the gun offered to her by Archie shivering in her white-knuckled grip, as her own face meets with the same color. Despite the Elite turning himself toward her, obvious pain on her face, she couldn't bring herself to move, let alone try to shoot her again if she'd so wished. Instead she stares wide-eyed at her own actions. You have to do something, Sayo. You have to move, do something...!]

Edited 2011-02-27 21:24 (UTC)

[Archie's face is spattered with blood. He's on his feet now, barely able to breathe, sword in hand.]

...S-SAYO!

[Before she can even think to do anything more, Jack Horner's bullets do a bang-up job at taking the focus away from her. She'll just go ahead and sit back in shock as the two men focus their efforts on the winged woman—she's been off and on scared through this draft, and it shows well enough in the way her legs turn into jelly.]

[Well, one thing is for sure, Jack is impressed by this Elite's healing. He'd been sure one of those shots (he totally claims it as his by the way) had done a nasty number on her arm. Yet that same one is already coming at his face with a knife. Well, sword in his gut or not, Jack isn't about to let some bitch get the best of him. He headbutts her, knocking her off balance. Sword still protruding painfully from his chest, he follows up with a fist to the face. Followed by another one. With her foot wounded, she stumbles back to the ground.

That's all the time Jack needs to pull that sword out of his chest. He coughs up blood and staggers for a moment. Ugh, maybe he should have waited on that. Before he can start heeling, she's already back on her feet, returning the favor by getting a few stabs to his arms, shoulders, and chest with that knife of hers.]

Argh! Damn you! Die you stupid bitch!

[Although still looking like a vampire's breakfast buffet, his insides are healing up nicely enough for him to start putting up more of a resistance. Now that he has the sword and she doesn't, things might be moving a bit in his favor.]

[Archie manages a neat slice at the woman's hamstrings, but he's not much more than a biting fly at this point. He's losing blood quickly, and is having greater and greater trouble breathing. And there's Sayo, in far greater danger than Horner, so he peels off and stumbles toward her, reaching out a bloody hand to take her arm.]

Run! [He rasps.]

[She's pulled up on her own will, but realizes what Ami had taught her—Archie was in considerable danger, bleeding like he was, so she made it a point to return the gun to her kimono and pick up the medical kit she'd dropped helplessly to her side.

And she proceeds to run, consciously trying to lead Archie to the nearest place where she could look at the damage done to him.]

[Shit, you guys can't run while Jack Horner is in the middle of being awesome!

Time to end this quickly. He delivers a powerful blow to her face, sending her to the ground. He immediately pins her to the ground, his hands at first landing on her breasts. There's an awkward moment that passes. Jack smirks devilishly and she just snarls furiously. Before she can react, he seizes her throat with one hand, to strangle her. His other hand proceeds to continue pounding her face in until she's no longer the dirty-but-somewhat pretty warrior she was before. His blows are relentless and without remorse, even when she stops resisting, seemingly dead.

Not that he's going to risk it. Jack figures he would heal from a beating like that, so there's a good chance she will. So he kicks her limp body over, presses a foot against her spine, then grabs both wings and pulls with all his might. The feathery appendages rip away from the flesh with a sickening tear, coating Jack in more blood that this time, isn't his own. He tosses them aside and in a fit of anger, kicks the corpse in the side a half dozen times.]

That's. Why. You. Never. Stab. Jack. Fucking. Horner. BITCH!

[KICK. Satisfied his point has made, he goes to collect the pistols he dropped. Maybe he'll check on Archie after that.]

[Kennedy manages to keep up with Sayo, fueled solely by adrenaline. Once they've reached a spot away from the action, he stops, sinking to the ground, hand pressed to the cut across his ribs. Glancing up at Sayo, he sees she's put away the gun, and gives her a nod.]

You'll want to reload that.

[She looks at him for a moment, thoughtful, and then crouches down next to him with a determined look crossing her countenance while opening the kit. There isn't any enemy's around—she eyes the sky nervously, and then:]

Take off your shirt, Archie-san. We have to treat that before it gets any worse.

[Because you're bleeding all over yourself, and that's not good.]

[Jack will approach the two of them soon enough, his pistols tucked in place and keeping an eye out for any more goons. He's soaked in blood, but his wounds are already closing up. He glances over Sayo at Archie.]

You look like hell, Kennedy.

[Now that he's stopped moving, the sheer amount of PAIN PAIN PAIN is catching up to the lieutenant. But pain is something he bears fairly stoically. He's pale and tense and stiffly attempting to obey Sayo's orders when Jack arrives.]

All things considered, I'll--[his breath catches briefly as he lifts the torn linen shirt over his head]--take that as a good sign. [He tosses the ruined garment to the ground and leans back on his elbows before easing himself to the ground.]

[Sayo just purses her lips and readies herself to help the wound—it's shallow, at least, that's good. She gives him a small 'this will sting' before she pours a bottle swiftly across it. Cleaned the wound. Sewing it up wouldn't be a good idea just yet, because a.) she's not sure her hands with hold still for that and b.) she's not exactly a professional.

She proceeds to tape gauze over the slash, and then forces him up just enough to start wrapping the wound. Tightly, but not too tight as to hurt him further. He looks to Jack.]

Will you help me get him back to the medical center?

[The medical center? Augh, that's so far away in the other direction. On the other hand... well, he is out of ammo. And he isn't spoiling for another match like that one.]

Sure, leave it to your old pal, Jack. [A smirk at Archie as he kneels down beside him, opposite of Sayo.] Looks like you owe me one again, Kennedy.

[But Archie's trying--painfully--to sit up.] I can walk. [He can barely breathe, but he can walk if it means Jack Horner isn't carrying him anywhere.] She got me in the chest, not the legs, damn you.

[Excuse him. He is trying very hard not to flash back to the last time he had a bandage wrapped around his chest. Things did not end well.]

I'll have none of that! You're growing pale and you can barely breathe! [Perhaps a little more sharply than Sayo would normally manage to pull off; Nami-san had been hurt badly with her so close at hand, and there were so many people getting injured.] If you don't like the idea of two people helping you, then I'll carry you myself, Archie-san, but now is not the time to be stubborn.

Your heard the lovely lady, Arch. Pick your poison. Me or her.

[Granted, it would be kind of interesting to see Sayo carry him all that way. But Jack would be kind of obligated to stick around in case of an attack. And hell, that would take twice as long.]

I'll walk, thank you. [Sayo can't carry him, and Jack is not coming near him. After sitting up and getting hit with a wave of lightheadedness that knocks him back on his back, he grinds his teeth.] ...How far is it?

[Sayo grits her teeth at the sound, shoulders squared, and picks up the gun to shakily reload it, uncharacteristically stricken with anger—something she's not very used to, really. It makes her hands tingle with numbness. Why do you have to be this way?

You could die.]

I'm going with you, and if you fall, then I will make sure you return to the medical center.

[Oi, this is going to take forever. He might just grab the idiot and carry him off and get this over with.]

A good few miles to the skiff I came in on. Assuming it's still there, anyway.

[This is not going to work. Archie actually looks pained now, and not just from the physical problem of, you know, a serious wound. One hand touches the bandage gently, and he can hear Lt. Bush's voice.

Kennedy. Please. Don't prod at it. It'll make it worse.

Then Dr. Clive's. He can't make it any worse, Mr. Bush. Let him do as he pleases.

Kennedy closes his eyes and heaves a sigh, giving in at last. But Sayo can't carry him.]

Jack...?

[Her gaze travels from Jack to Archie, anxious—quietly hopeful, as the gun hangs in her hands.]

[To his credit, he's not smirking about this like he could be. Sure, maybe when Archie is safe and better, he'll taunt him about this. But right now? He's keeping serious.]

Yeah?

Day 3, sunset

no subject

no subject

Re: Day 3, sunset edit: A WOMAN, archie you sad man

Want to combine this thread with the one with Horner?

Works for me! How shall we go about it? |D

I'll just jump in! Jack > Archie > Sayo

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject