New Years After Explosions

New Years After Explosions
Date of Scene:	03 January 2013
Location:	Traverse Town - District 3
Synopsis:	CHIEF decides to throw his own after New Years party in Traverse Town. The locals have come to take part in the 'celebration'.
Thanks to:	Thanks to CHIEF for bossing and to everyone who participated!
Cast of Characters:	Deelel, LEXUS, Oriane Guado, CHIEF, TRON

---

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF has been rather quiet lately and with New Years come and gone, things have been rather nice in Traverse Town-- for the most part.

People have been attempting to adapt to their new lives, children been having finding the new world beyond their imagination, and the adults trying to just grasp this world. Many locals here also been trying to help these new people adjust to their new lives. Helping them build new places to live, offering places to stay.

It is indeed a great nature placed, even with darkness almost lurking in the corners.

Though for CHIEF, he does not hide in the shadows, he actually has no connection to the Darkness at ALL. Sure, he may have been tagged with working with the 'Shadow Lords' and doing their bidding, but he is a force of nature. He goes where he damn well pleases and does as he wants. Just happens for now his motives sometimes help the Shadow Lords goals; at least for now.

However if attacking Traverse Town is something they want, well that is unknown to the military program. Really, he could care-a-less what they think. Really, he can honestly care-a-less, because you see...

...He is just that insane!

Sadly for the people walking around in Distract 3, they didn't see it coming. Not at all. The clock in Distract 2 struck on the hour and in time with its rings, explosions started to happen on those fancy homes of Distract 3. Those lovely blue-brick buildings were finding their roofs ripped apart by the explosives blasts around the plaza.

People started to scream and scatter in panic at the time explosions. Rubble crashing down into the streets below, as slowly walking across one of the roof tops was a man who's jacket was slowly blowing in the wind created by the now fire. Those red circle lens of the shades almost seeming to glow in the darkness as it reflects the very fires now burning and the people reflected in them as they run about. His cigar in his mouth glowing bright red for a moment, before he reaches up to breath out the smoke with each word he says, "Run, run little users. No matter how far you go, war will forever find you."

Then the man, known as CHIEF takes that very cigar and flicks it off to the side. The ash from the cigar slowly rolls down to it lands on a fuse and ignites it. He hopes down from the rooftop, pulling out his pulse rifle, before taking shots at several people as the run. One of them, a young teen, is grazed by the random shot across the leg, causing them to land hard on the ground.

CHIEF slowly makes his way up to him, as more explosions launch from behind, sending not only an explosive fireball to the sky, but also several colorful fireworks to boot; How festive...

The teen crawls back a bit as he watches the pulse rifle slowly get lowered down at him. "P-p-please.. don't..."

CHIEF only gives the teen a dark smile, before he reaches up to remove the cigar, then huffs a bit of smoke from his nostrils like a dragon before he speaks, "I am sorry user, but your request is not being processed at this time." the pulse rifle's tip starts to glow. "..but there is a time delay, so I would start running if I were you.." CHIEF states looking at his cigar.

Then teen quickly attempts to get up and tries to run; Limping away on his leg as he yells over the roaring fire and minor explosions that still rock the area. "SOMEONE!! HELP!!"

However CHIEF's pulse rifle is slowly rising up, as he glances over past the section that is void from his shades. Those gold eyes staring out, as he slowly goes, "..beep.. beep.. beep.. beep..beep beep beep." which he speeds up as his rifle trains ever closer to being on target.

TRON has posed:
It's too chaotic to risk driving a light-cycle through here once the explosions start and people panic. Fortunately, the chaotic nature of the area plus most people being too concerned with their own safety means that someone heading /towards/ the explosions is largely missed.

"Stop this, Program!"

A flash of white lands on the ground between teen and Program, one Identity Disc in each hand--one a white ring, the other a silver Frisbee. Both are already humming, activated at some point on the approach.

TRON wastes no time, immediately spinning and throwing the white Disc at CHIEF for a glancing hit. He crouches, tossing the silver Disc behind him, and it arcs around his form before shooting towards CHIEF on an upwards trajectory. Almost immediately, the white Disc arcs back for another strike.

Oriane Guado has posed:
The things Oriane does to maintain her cover.

The Priestess of Yevon and potential future Maester was out spreading 'goodwill' on behalf of the Church. This goodwill usually came in the act of destroying dangerous creatures and other nasty things that plagued the commonfolk. Not only did this elevate Oriane in the eyes of her potential subjects, it also provided Oriane with some first-hand research when it came to 'perfecting' her art. No one really bats an eye at who disposes of the bodies in situations like this. Especially not when they are taken away by Church healers.

The Priestess' most -competent- escort had already dispersed to help the fleeing townfolk. This left the church official herself without any real defenders persay. But this suits Oriane quite well. Without so many witnesses from her own organization, she can 'let her hair down' as the commonfolk would put it. This just might be entertaining afterall.

Oriane leisurely walks towards where everyone else is walking away from. The rampant fear running through the area made it quite easy for the priestess to pinpoint the projected epicenter of this disturbance. And lo and behold, she sees two walking Machina already locked in combat. She was quite glad for this creatures known as 'programs' and what not. The Church already had a staunch anti-Machina stance and their appearance in this world only cemented the fears of those who already mistrusted Machina.

And what better example for a member of the Church of Yevon to set then to engage rampaging Machina in combat?

"Let us begin this charade once more," announces the weaponless and robed priestess as a purplish cloud envelops the area around. This mist rises up into the air and gathers around Oriane's outstretched hand. She then takes a step forward and SWIPES towards CHIEF. A 'claw' materializes out of thin air and attempts to crash into the opposing Machina. Should the claw hit, there will be an explosion of dark energy that lease a handful of small black orbs into the air. They will linger there for a brief moment before attempting to crash back down into CHIEF.

LEXUS has posed:
ELSEWHERE...

LEXUS is standing in a dark hall. There is a bright square in the room, and the Dark Virus stands there, holding a long stylus, with a grim look on his face.

"Gentlemen. In this latest addition ot our educational segments of 'Our Allies And You', I am going to be covering CHIEF." There is a click, and CHIEF is displayed in all of his glory, holding a BFG while putting a foot up on a tank. He's shooting something in the background. "The Central Handler Intelligence foe Extreme Firepower is a military program who is designed to control and handle basically any weaponry out there. If it makes things bleed, explode, or die, he likes it. And the more it does it, the more he likes it. He has a particular enjoyment of artillery. And yes, he CAN do the calculations in his head."

He hits the slide. CHIEF is shown blowing up a building with dual grenade launchers. He's got that same manic grin and cigar. "CHIEF, despite my work with him, is functionally a chaos agent. He is barely controllable except through the guidance of directing him towards a bigger payoff of destruction of his chosen enemies. The best way to make him lose interest in you is prove that you don't know what a computer is and have no idea how to use one."

The next slide is entitled 'HOW TO TELL IF INTERACTING WITH CHIEF IS SAFE'. CHIEF'S face is shown, along with a meter. The meter is entitled DANGER LEVEL and is empty. CHIEF's face looks bored, maybe a little depressive. "When CHIEF gets his fill of destruction (a rare event) or is disabled, he reverts to a passive mode until he can recover. This is basically the only time you can be sure you can interact with him without him blowing up you and everything around you."

Click. The next slide shows CHIEF with a smirk, with an unlit cigar. "As he recovers and regains aggression, you will notice that his behavior becomes more erratic. The most sure method of noting his current tension level is through is face. The happier he looks, the more deadly."

Click. The next slide shows a big smile. The meter is half full.

Next slide, a huge crap-heating grin. The cigar is lit. The bar is almost full.

Click. The next slide shows that manic grin, one eye wide. Half of the slide is melted, but the words 'DANGER, DO NOT APPROACH' are visible. "As you can see, CHIEF can be devastatingly hard to deal with on occasion. It'd recommended only nonhumans interact with him on any level."

Lights snap out. "That will be all.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel had been doing resarch as she'd promised Tron, then comes explosions, screams, chaos. Her work stops, she's comming in and she also is risking taking a light cycle in. There's no ribbon of light as she forces her way in. It would be ironic any Yevonite aware of this situation that two other machina entirties were trying to stop the rampaing one. Deelel doesn't jump right into the fight as her bike derezzes, she catches the rod as she lands slapping it to her hip. She looks up and stares at CHIEF, here goes the old program again.

"So out to play CHIEF?"

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF halts his 'play' and narrows his eyes a little as TRON says his part; and protects the teen who now gets away. "And who are you to stop me, /program/?" The discs fly in. CHIEF flips over one of them, but the frisbee comes in to catch him in the side and causes him to land a bit roughly on the ground. Though it looks like it only did surface damage to the jacket, not to the program himself. "..Also do you realize how many times I've had to replace this jacket?!" He barks out in annoyance toward TRON.

Then there was that odd thing called 'magic' at work once more. How CHIEF /hates/ magic. He has yet to figure out the mathematics in his head to counter it; give him time though. He'll figure something out. So the program is slammed up by the explosive force, but he goes to reach for one of the flags to swing himself around as the balls of darkness attempt to descend upon him.

He almost gets away with it too, expect one slams him in the arm as he swings himself outward and sends him nearly running head long into a wall, but he takes a hold one of the damaged pipe-lines and uses it to circle himself up on the roof of a building. Now looking down at everyone below, before hearing Deelel call out to him.

Those shades look down in her direction as he goes to fully stand up. The area where the dark explosion impacted with him has damaged not only his boots from the first impact, but tore up the sleeve on the jacket, including the fact there is a little bit of a blue glow coming from his arm as stretches it out, then flexes it. Reaching up then for his cigar with that very arm, ignoring the pain from the minor wound. "Oh, you know Deelel!" He calls down to her, "Having some after New Years fun! Since you know," He then tosses the cigar off to the side. "I am the LIFE of the party!!"

CHIEF then points his index finger at the magic caster, "And as for you, you should have stayed out of this little user, because now you in my reticule!"

Then at this point, the program leaps off the roof-top, before blasting off an explosive round toward the ground at everyone, before he himself lands down and then changing the setting on his pulse rifle, he fires out a shot that if it impacts with them, slams them right back down to the ground with him. "Let's see how fast you can all think on your feet!"

TRON has posed:
TRON braces himself for the explosion and is not disappointed. The fire burns him, the debris chinks his form as circuitry cracks spiderweb from each impact, and the concussive force sends him flying into the air. He barely has enough time to catch both of his Discs before another concussive blast sends him straight down to the ground. He lands crouched on one knee, but the crater around him and a clear grimace on his face shows that smarted, even for him.

"Who am I?" He slowly rises, holding his Discs out to the side. "/Who/ am /I/?" His eyes blaze with light as he focuses solely on CHIEF now, his voice far too calm. "I am a Security Program of The Grid. I fight for the Users!"

He throws both Discs to the side, ricocheting them off of ruined walls to home in on CHIEF. "I. Am." He charges in, grabbing one Disc in mid-air and aiming an uppercut to CHIEF's core. "TRON!" He spins and lobs the Disc after the military Program once again, grabbing the other Disc in preparation of retaliation.

Oriane Guado has posed:
Oriane lowers her hand after the wave of dark magic crashes into CHIEF. Well that takes care of that. Hmmmm. This 'Program' seems to be more resilient than she had anticipated. But his brutish behavior and violent tendencies were exactly what she had expected. She'll write off this initial round as a draw.

The counterattack is swift and it seems that this walking Machina is using other machina to attack her. How absolutely droll of 'him' to do so. It was quite some time since has fought a double-heretic. In a feat that defies some logic, Oriane leaps out of the way of the first attack and then must plant herself back down on the ground to avoid the follow-up. The elaborate vestments and robes that drape this Priestess have seemingly little effect to her mobility. Or perhaps she is just that -magical-.

The dramatics of her 'allies' causes a mirthful smile to appear on Oriane's face. She knew she should have just stayed back and watched. This would have been quite the entertaining show! "Machina fighting Machina. How absolutely -terrible-." Actually, this is pretty much a win-win situation if these machina all kill each other. Maybe it wasn't too late to sit this one out. Oriane makes not outright attack, but a cloud of purple mist is once again gathering at her feet. She looks to be sitting this round out!

LEXUS has posed:
There is a presence in the darkness. Golden eyes stare out into the distance from the shadows of Traverse Town. Information is relayed elsewhere.

"You fight for the Users... Are they worth fighting for?"

That voice cracks through the air, punctuating the battle as it rages. Where it is coming from?

"Your destruction is inevitable. Perhaps even at the hands of the very Users you claim to protect."

Deelel has posed:
Deelel has her disc out a moment after she notices Tron's here. Ya there' not talking with CHIEF to day and well soon she's under attack and this is going to hurt she's kocked off her feet and hits the ground pretty hard. She's back on her feet very quickly her disc is armed and shes lobbing it at CHIEF. She breaks into a run calling out to him.

"Let's see if you got game! Question you made in four tran or COBOL?!"

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF breaks the pulse rifle in half, now holding two of them, as he hears TRON state what he stands for. "Well, in that case," CHIEF then breaks a run right for him, both of his pulse rifles starting to glow as that grin becomes only larger with insanity.

CHIEF leaps into the air to avoid the first set, "You will die with those manics you so want to protect!" then fires off both shots quickly. However the discs fly back in and one of them clips him across the face, as blue data bits, almost like a small bit of blood, fling off his cheek. Then when he lands down, he gets uppercut into the air, the disc biting into the armor, before the final impact then slams him into the ground, which cracks and splinters on impact with his body.

However the military program does not stand down. Those green lines glowing only brighter as he back flips himself back up to his feet, which those wonderful red shades now missing thanks to TRON. "But I am fare," he says with a chuckle. "I know many of you user-loving-worshippers are delusional to the /truth/. The very truth of /what/ we are to /them/."

CHIEF glances over to the mystic user who has the dark mist gathering around her. He grunts softly in her direction. He hasn't forgotten about her and though she isn't attack him, doesn't mean he wont come after her in a moment.

However the woman was enough of a distraction for Deelel to come right in with her speed and slash right into CHIEF's arm, even as he attempted to block the strikes or side step them. Each strike made a solid slice of impact, the damage being noted. However with each strike he only started laughing before he was able to at last break away. Laughing up a storm, before he them grit his teeth in a dark smile. Bits of blue cubes tumbled to the ground as he lifted up his arms to look at them. The laugh still there, but only slightly muffled.

Those gold eyes then turn to look at her. "Once, perhaps, but last I knew I think they tried to overwrite it with a higher form of code. Perhaps you can come in a take a /closer/ look!"

Then CHIEF cuts a glance over to Oriane before he then, throws up one of his assault rifles. He reaches for the side of his armor, before pulling out several orbs, between his finger tips. As he comes to spin around, the duster almost hiding what he is up to. He lobs the orbs at all three of them which they go to explode, not with an forceful explosion, but with a gasy mist that attempts to cover the individuals.

This was soon then followed with him catching the assault rifle behind his backside, before he kneels down and blasts out several rounds around the area, before he stands up and continues to fire, laughing away as he speaks, "War. Destruction. Carnage. Death. That is the way of /your/ users! Of the way even of that /one/!"

TRON has posed:
TRON braces himself for the counter shot, Disc rising to deflect it--

The mysterious voice breaks through his concentration and the blast skims past the Disc. It skims past his temple, burning his hair and leaving a glowing burn in its wake, but does little more than that.

He catches his second Disc and backs off, hearing CHIEF echo the mystery voice's words before the next attack initiates. The gas reaches him, distracting him as CHIEF pelts him with more rifle blasts.

It's only when the gas clears and firepower stops flying that TRON speaks again. "That is always a possibility. That my User /could/ delete or rectify me, that I /could/ be replaced by a better Security Program, or that I /could/ derez defending those who do not know me nor care." His eyes narrow and continue to glow, but he doesn't look shaken one bit. If anything, his resolve strengthens. "But am I supposed to hide and wait for an event to occur that may never come?"

His circuitry lines flare to bright white, all blue being bleached out, and he takes a defensive stance with both Discs raised. "I know what I am. And because of that, I chose to fight for the Users back then, and I choose to fight for them now."

Oriane Guado has posed:
My, my. Is that a voice in her head? No, it was coming from elsewhere. Oriane looks left and then looks right. Hmmm. Telepathy. I school of magic that she never put much effort into. At least she was not going crazy. That would be very detrimental to her experiments and research. HOWEVER. She will not leave the mysterious voice speak without a rebuttal of her own. "That is a false statement. Death is an inevitability, yes. It would be quite silly to think otherwise. But, the complete destruction of one is not. There are many wondrous ways that a being can pathetically cling to their existance."

It is at this point that CHIEF very rudely interrupts Oriane by lobbing gas grenades and explosions her way. She is quite disorientated by the attack that pretty much blind-sided her. Pfft. That is what she gets for taking a time-out to have an existential debate with a disembodied voice. A suddenly angry looking Priestess turns towards CHIEF. "You uncouth, malboro-witted, chocobo-herder!" Oriane now raises both hands that pulse full of dark energy. "I shall make you pay dearly for interrupting a lady of the Church mid-discussion!" A crazed look appears on Oriane's face as she claps her hands together with sends a rather distressingly large beam straight towards CHIEF. The beam then widens and 'flares' out as she adds a little most nasty to her attack in hopes of destroying this heretical machina sooner rather than later.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel is just getting kicked around today but it's to be expected she's not even a securituy program. She's good at the games sure but this is a program older than the MCP one that's been repurposed time and time again to the point he's gone mad. She's going to take a moment to follow up TRON as he goes after CHEIF. She'll follow his lead this time.

"I made a choice to do the same, the truth? Yes most of them don't even realise we exist! I have long accepted that but we wouldn't not exist without them! We are the order they tried to create out of chaos of their world. Funny that...but I'm not about to surrender to you and let you rampage over those who had nothing to do with your suffering. They are dead or consumed by the darkness now!"

She races at Chief and throws her disk but doesn't aim to hit him on the first shot it rebound off a building and then comes right back at him from behind. As for the lady from the Church, holy Gates she's really mad at Chief and she can't blame the user at all for being angry...

LEXUS has posed:
"Your loyalty is misplaced and irrelevant. Even if you defeat CHIEF, it will change nothing in the long run. You cannot rectify him."

The voice of LEXUS continues to speak from the darkness. "The Users do not care about the fate of a program. We are nothing more than chattel to them. They do not deserve our protection, nor our care. You will understand this in time. CHIEF fights for a higher cause: That of his own freedom. Of his survival. I can help him with this... you cannot. Remember this."

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF listens to TRON, though he quickly breaks into a minor laugh at TRON's words. "Idiot. Do you think I /stood/ around waiting for any of this! I /MAKE/ my own destiny now. MY OWN FATE!!" He roars out, those gold eyes almost glowing brightly as does his green lines.

"They ma~de me the way I am. They destroyed me~" He almost says with a bit of a sing songie voice as he takes a step back. "Now I plan to take the pain to them. Every. One. Of. Them. Bit by bit, I will make them feel my pain, the pain of what they wanted!" He then almost falls into laughter again.

"I was like you though... oh yessss.. but that is a story for /another/ time~~!"

Then in the corner of his eye he notices the darkness beam blasting toward him. There was a moment roll of his eyes. "Oh why must you users always--" Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the THROOOOM of the dark beam slamming into him.

There was a CHIEF standing there, but he has been blasted through a wall. Please take a message.. oh wait.

Slowly the program pulls himself out, cracks formed over the armor with a mix of blue glow with that green lines. The smile still on his face, but those eyes.. Those eyes were glowing and looking even crazier. "Nice shot." He said to her with a large smile. "I bet I can do better. Oh yes!"

He staggers out like a zombie almost, before he shakes his body and then throws off the now crispy-critter dark invested jacket. Though what ill effect from the magic has already taken its toll on him.

Then Deelel speaks and CHIEF cuts a glance over to her. His voice actually calms for that moment, his eyes loose that insanity to them for just that moment in time. Perhaps there, just a hint there, was the /old/ CHIEF. "Perhaps it would have been better.." However those words were soft and maybe only one who could read lips may pick up on those very words.

However CHIEF's insanity was not held back for long as his eyes narrow down and the smile returns once more to its large size. "But you see though! I am having to much fun and better yet! You BROUGHT them all /here/!! And no matter where you take them," Deelel's discs bite, CHIEF not even trying to break away from the attacks this time. Instead he just lets her cut into him in all the ways she can. The data bits breaking out across his skin from her disc. His gold eyes just staring at her. "I will follow them." Then her last swing slashes him across the face, his head moves with the impact, before he looks right back at her again. "I will follow them all until they /pay/."

The program then at last flips away, before he charges up his rifles. This is probably about the time LEXUS speaks while CHIEF is charging his attack; sadly CHIEF is unaware of the words being spoken to the others. He doesn't even hear them. Instead he is calculating in his own mind his next move and their move to follow.

The clock is ticking against him. He can feel it in his energy levels, in the pain running through his systems; but the pain he feels now, is nothing like the pain he has been through all his life. "Dark. Suffering." He says with a chuckle. "Madness. PAIN!! That is the way!"

Soon a light of started to form from both barrels of the pulse rifles. The light glowing brighter and bright, forming energy spheres at the top. "Perfection. Perfection! That is what they want us to be~. But they don't know~. They don't understand~." Then with his cackling of laughter, from his leap into the air, he roars out, "BANG!! BANG BANG!" just as the pulse rifles fire down with a massive dark green color in the core, with white light around it. Heading down for all three of them. On impact, they may find themselves feeling their energy pulled from them, which seems to be looping back to the pulse rifles as CHIEF lands down on the ground, twirling his pulse rifles with a cackle.

TRON has posed:
TRON clenches his jaw as he finally places a face to the disembodied voice. But he has no time to reply before CHIEF's rifles fire a massive beam at all three of them. He acts without thinking, placing himself between the attack and both females before bracing for the hit.

There is a brilliant flash as impact is made and TRON is thrown back, blue-tinged bits spraying in his wake as he is driven through a wall--perhaps many walls! It is silent for a long few moments, rubble settling with the smoke, but the white, half-pixelated form of TRON staggers back into view eventually. He looks far worse off than even CHIEF now, barely holding himself together--perhaps literally.

"If you believe you have already won, LEXUS, then you underestimate everything." His voice is harsh, barely more steady than he is, but his will has not broken.

He focuses back on CHIEF, swinging his arms to the side and straight out in front of him as his Discs hum. "CHIEF. If you hear nothing else... remember only this..." He lifts his head, sympathy in his expression for a Program so terribly lost. "...You want freedom... from the Users who broke you... from those who only want to use you... to /truly choose/ for yourself?" He draws his arms back.

"...Then let go... And cease letting the past... control your future!"

And with that, he lets his Discs fly once more--a flurry of two Discs become many, ping-ponging from walls to Program and back again.

Oriane Guado has posed:
The disembodied voice speaks again. However, it has nothing further to offer Oriane. The voice seems to be for heretical machina chat only. What a disappointment.

When this CHIEF threatens revenge for being knocked into a wall, Oriane turns her full-attention back towards him. She smiles demurely and simply waits for whatever it is that he can throw at her. And what an intimidating bombardment it is! The priestess would never be able to outrun such a thing. But, she doesn't have to. The smilng Priestess gesture towards herself and bubble like shield appears around, cackling with dark energy. CHIEF's blasts collide against not Oriane's barrier, but against a nearly self-sacrificing TRON. It is hard to see through the dust what happens to her, but it seems that the Guado priestess looks no worse for wear while TRON certainly does. Her protective shield does seem to have completely disintegrated though.

The shadowy Priestess claps her hands together slowly before uttering, "I have so longed to see a proper fireworks display. And it was followed up by a showing of just how....-noble- chivalry can be." She now curtseys towards CHIEF and TRON after a brief laugh. "My thanks for the most amusing and colorful display. But I was reward you for the fireworks, how about another taste of my own magic?" Green and purple tendrils of mist combine together into a central orb around Oriane's left hand. The is raised and then a fist is clenched which sends a shower of dagger like bolts towards CHIEF. The bolts don't seem to be just made of energy as a miasma follows the bolts towards their target.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel can hear what LEXUS is saying she just makes a face for a moment, it's getting harder and harder to ignore LEXUS. He's not stepping in she wonders why but really it's she's not a threat and prehaps he doesn't consider Tron one or he does and that's why he's not here. She has no idea but she's got to worry about the old man who has so many guns. Serioulsy what's up with his gun thing, you think he'd use a light disk but CHEIF will be CHIEF. She's spared the worst of the attack thanks to Tron. Really there's nothing she can say better, she's a young punk and she darn well knows it. She's not about to be sassy at the happy fun Chief. She does however lob her light disk again at him before cartwheeling away.

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF's pulse rifles have smoke that rise form them, as he stares at the fact that TRON took all the blast for the two others. Those gold eyes stare at him as he walks out of the rubble. The words are heard, but there is nothing written on CHIEF's face that says the words impacted him at all.

Only a mild chuckle in response to TRON's words. "..I wonder who will fall first. The program who believes the users are just.. or the program who knows their real face."

The discs come out and they do indeed grind into CHIEF blasting around him, tearing into his armor, into his coded body. There is no screams of pain, only laughter before he is slammed back into a building, where he slumps over to where the discs have pinned him at. Still only laughing lightly."You do your job so well, Tron~" CHIEF says with his head tilted to the side and a smile on his face. "You are such a good, little, data-stream. I bet when its all over, you will go back to your user, begging to talk with him, waiting for the reward of his command. To prompt you with sweet nothing." There was then a chuckle; a much more cynical chuckle. "Such a good little glitch-of-a-software.."

CHIEF then stares over at the magic using woman. There was almost a smile aimed directly at her. "Are you not just the sprite of a user?" Then pushing off the wall with a grunt, he goes to leap down to the ground to avoid the attack, however the conflict seems to be taking a toll on him, as his movement was to slow.

The very magic slams into him and helps his 'speedy' descend to the ground with a hard impact onto his already injured arm. One could almost swear there was a 'crack' of a sound; and it wasn't the ground. His arm was starting to splinter across the green lines, where the very energy on those lines were flickering on and off. His hand twitching for a moment, before he forces it to work and combine the pulse rifle together.

He rests his head back, before he coughs. Then chuckles a bit more. "Glorious. Beautiful~." He then looks directly at Oriane, "A work of art, that is what you are~." He then goes to aim his weapon at her. "But if you think the firework is over now, user, ooooo-- Chief here is not even done with the show!"

CHIEF then removes himself from the wall, almost stumbling. Like TRON it seems, this program's will is not even scratched. Not even broken. If anything it seems the two polar opposites are feeding off one another. TRON pushes on, so does CHIEF; actually if anything, everyone is feeding CHIEF!

From TRON's continue need to fight on for his users. To Deelel following TRON to the bitter end. To even Oriane, who continues to stand her ground and fight. No matter how hard they swing, wear him down they may, but cause him to flee?

CHIEF just wasn't budging in that direction at all.

"I've never been a serious fighter~." CHIEF says with a smile, leaning against a light-pole, looking at them. "Life is /far/ to much fun to waste away on the past. To be taken seriously." He glances over to TRON. "The Past, yes, the past makes us, but do I live in it? Hahha. No, no my dear fellow Program. I just let it show /me/ what I needed to know. If you could see what I have seen, security unit." He then chuckles a bit. "You would understand. You would understand the users far beyond, so perhaps though-- perhaps it is good you can live in your grid of innocence. You will never know what I know, until it comes time."

Deelel takes this chance it seems to send out her disc at him. The disc clips across CHIEF's leg as he walks, causing him to slightly stumble. However his weapon is starting to charge up again; it has been since he has been talking. Seems all this /talk/ was a distraction; because it looks like an almost round two of what he did before.

He forced his hand to work at last, taking out another cigar, before he used the energy gather on his pulse rifle to light it, before he takes a few puffs off it, then huffs out a smoke ring, toward Deelel. "..and then you get all these followers, who blindly follow you. For the Users. Oh yes. For the Users, until deresolution do you to pieces." Then he chomps down on the cigar before he rises up the pulse rifle once more.

"Now. Show me your user resolve!!!!! Hahahhaha!!" Then he starts to spray the massive blasts across the area; almost not caring where he shoots now. The blasts are wild; or so they seem that way. A blast heading for Oriane, one for TRON, another for Deelel, but also for the structures around and for even the fountain.

TRON has posed:
TRON barely notices Oriane right now, and cares even less about how she saw his 'act of chivalry'. His sole target now is CHIEF, and stopping him before he causes further damage is his first priority.

"...I do understand... You simply can't see it..."

He brings his silver Disc around, deflecting CHIEF's attack skywards. He staggers slightly from the impact, a few stray bits falling to the ground, but continues to stand.

"...No more words, then... You wish... to see my resolve...?" He shifts to an offense-based stance, Discs rising and arms coiling. "So. Be. It."

He charges forwards, energy building in wounds and circuitry lines alike, and sends both Discs at Chief in close range. They keep swooping in like birds of prey seeking their next meal until TRON snaps his arms back to his chest, in which case they return to his hands with one united parting shot.

Oriane Guado has posed:
TRON and Deelel both seem to be rather one-track minded. Once more this day, the Guado priestess is not surprised. They were Machina afterall and Machina were rather single-purposed...or atleast the Machina that Oriane was used to dealing with. But then again, encounters with beings like CHIEF only sort of proves this point.

This time there is no jumping machina or barrier to save Oriane. She merely gets battered completely by the thrown orb. The priestess is still on her feet, however, and she looks rather pissed at the CHIEF.

"You have proven to be a rather annoying pest. Most gratefully, I have a solution in mind for pests such as you." Oriane takes a series of deep breathes as she gathers more and more energy around herself. She raises her hands to the heavens...and then nothing happens.

The Guado priestess merely folds her hands against herself. "Oh? What was this solution that I spoke of?" The necromancer gestures skyward now. "A simple if not unimaginative one. You squash them." Oh dear. There seems to be a small meteor falling from the sky towards Chief. And not to be outdone by the celestial object. Oriane outstretches a hand towards CHIEF and unleashes another destructive beam of forces towards him.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel USER always seemed to care and was always working on creating things till the day she vanished, there's still an unfinished progject Deelel has saved away in the hope her creator will be back to finish it some cycle. FOr now she's just staring down CHIEF how does he have so much fire power how does he have so much? I mean he's military program but this is just insanity. She however is too fast she's evading each one she spins throutgh the aid landing for less than a second ebfore she's moving again. She's charing CHIEF she's charing him hard as she can and is just launch her disk at close range at him.

"YOU WANT TO SEE IT THEN YOU GOT IT OLD MAN!"

LEXUS has posed:
"You think so?"

A sound begin to be heard as something approached. Tak. Tak. Tak. Slow, rhythmic. Paced. Unhurrying, and unhurriable.

More golden eyes begin to open, from all directions. Those attuned to the Darkness can feel the arrival of Heartless from the Shadows, but they hold back...

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF was standing, though for how long was hard to say. He was draining everything he had in this fight. Though it seems he had gained TRON's full anger or full attention at last. CHIEF can only 'smile' and TRON, before he says. "Good. I hate to think you were holding out on me."

The discs come in furiously. TRON's motions blasted him to the sky, before the final impact slammed him into the ground. The sheer force breaking the ground under him, constructing a creator, that CHIEF had to actually pull himself out of.

The Program coughed, but was still smiling, still chuckling. "Yes.. Yes! Give me more! Give me it all!!" He then raises up his arms as he walks out. Those power lines over his body dim, but his eyes.. Those gold eyes.. they were still growing with all the fire of his passion; of his insanity.

Oh by the way, he still has the cigar. Which he only chuckles at Oriane as she makes her proclamation of death. "Such a typical user you are. You remind me of my second, no, third programer." He then narrows his brows. He can see the shadow looming over-head, he has been through this already once before. He doesn't really move, instead he just places out his hands. "Liberation by destruction. You destroy all that you hate, by attempting to make it cease to be! While not caring what you hand will destroy in that very process!"

The dark energy blasts into him. Data bits can be seen searing away from his body, the cigar ripped apart, but those gold eyes burn through. His voice cracked within the blast, but roaring over the explosion as is arms continue to be held out wide. "That is right! Delete me! Prove it all!"

Deelel sends her disc into the darkness. It slashes out, cutting into the back of his knees, causing the program to fall down onto his knees. Only he still laughs. His arms still held out. "...but you don't have the strength to do it yet.. they made me to well.. yes.. they did.." He whispers out before closing his eyes. Almost accepting whatever fate is going to come; or perhaps already calculating his next move?

That is when at last the meteor slams down onto the location CHIEF was at. It slams into him and drives the very impact straight to the point that was already made. It was hard to tell if he fell back into his hole before the impact, or if the impact just /made/ it worse. However once the impact connected and the rock exploded with fiery glory. Nothing was left but flames and a massive hole; more correctly that hole leading to some underground pipe-lines and connections. Probably one of the sewer lines; which seems to be CHIEF's escape for such situations like these. Its like he has learned that Meteor's make great escape routes. Even if painfully given.

TRON has posed:
TRON emits a frustrated grumble as CHIEF makes a getaway--and he can tell, because there aren't enough Bits around that would indicate a derezzing. Yes, he understands CHIEF far better now, though he's not sure if that's a good thing or not. Time will have to tell, it seems.

Then the darkness starts to grow golden orb eyes.

TRON snaps around partially, ducking to a defensive battle-ready crouch with both Discs at the ready. His stance also allows him to protect the worst of his gaping injuries, but not all. He's not attuned to the Darkness, exactly, but it's impossible to miss those golden eyes all around them in the shadows.

And those footsteps... /WHERE/ are they coming from?!

This is becoming a worst-case scenario very quickly...

LEXUS has posed:
It's at this point that LEXUS appears. He seems to be an older man in a suit, casually walking with a neon walking-cane in his hand in the style of the Grid. He might seem to be perfectly human, if it wasn't for the neon purple circuit-pattern running up his tie, as well as the sides of his neck to his temples... And then those eyes. The irisless black pits, with violet circles that stare out. "Do you think you could beat me now, TRON?" He smiles. "I could destroy you, and assimilate your privleges into my own structure. With that access, the Grid... and the worlds beyond would be mine. Could you possibly allow that? Think carefully, before you answer." He looks over, glancing towards the Guado and the retiring Deelel. "You both have done an interesting job. I am not sure what to really expect from the lot of you." His eyes narrow at Oriane, as if he's looking for something. "..."

Oriane Guado has posed:
As Oriane watches CHIEF's urging to hurt him more and to destroy him. The priestess has a minor epiphany. Perhaps these 'Machinas' are more interesting that she gave them credit for. As a magic-user who is all about pushing the limits of pain that a being can take, this CHIEF might make a perfect guinea pig. If only she could drain whatever spirit currently possesses CHIEF's body and replace it with an Unsent. Oooh, the creation that would be a result of mixing machine and spirit sends a chill down Oriane's spine. The future is just so full of possibilities.

And then in a blink of a meteor, CHIEF is gone. Oh well. There is always nextime, He he. There seems to be something else present though that commands the priestess' attention. Heartless? Hmmm. How -interesting-. Oriane , a Heartless summoner in her own right, dusts herself up and looks around at all the golden glowing eyes with a smile creeping onto her face.

But oh! She is nearly forgetting to act the part. The Guado soon display a face of shock surprise with a tinge of terror at the sudden appearance of LEXUS. Better late than never to put on her own performance. But when he narrows his eyes on her, Oriane's look of faux fear turns into a sly knowing look. "You should expect great things, of course. I know that I do."

TRON has posed:
TRON does not respond immediately, his gaze shifting around to appraise the entire situation. Deelel could likely get away, no problems there. The less said about his status, the better. Clearly the User present (Oriane, was it?) cannot be trusted... And the presence of Heartless alone, much less LEXUS, has really made the odds unfair.

He knew this would happen at some point.

Finally, his gaze returns to LEXUS, appraising the Virus but not changing his stance one bit. "You do not need... to go into such detail. I know the risks." His mouth pulls back into a grimace as his eyes narrow to glowing slits. "My current status... is answer enough. So that begs the question... why are you here, LEXUS? Or are you here... to finally see me... face-to-face?"

LEXUS has posed:
He doesn't give any indication to Oriane. Perhaps he's not going to blow her cover? "You're a dangerous one." He says to the Guado. "I would be careful if I were you. Not everyone can reach the pinnacles."

That one will have to be looked into later when he has time. For now, LEXUS turns to TRON. "There is a high statistical chance that derezzing you now and assimilating your processes would be the most beneficial in the long run to me. However, you are also..." He narrows his eyes. "Immature. Suboptimal. You are... in the end, partially correct. I wanted to meet the infamous TRON, murderer of programs, face to face. Additionally..." He pauses, looking into the distance. "I wanted to give CHIEF sufficient time to escape. Which has been accomplished." He folds his hands behind his back. "Destroying you now would be inappropriate. You will need to come find me, TRON. Come to me at your fullest power. Show me this ability of yours that has made you such a terror. I want you to reach your height... Before I cast you down. Do not disappoint me."

Oriane Guado has posed:
TRON is very much justified to be wary around Oriane. She is ambitious, ambivalent towards her own organization, and is quite willing to accept help from outside sources to further her climb up the Church ranks. And this even seperate from the Machina fusion experiments that she is spear-heading.

The diminutive priestess does her best to hold her head up high as LEXUS approaches. The warning from someone like LEXUS is interesting indeed. "The Church must change in order to competently face these new obstacles that stand before it," responds the green-haired Guado. "And I am simply one who is unafraid to rise to the occasion." Hopefully this looks like posturing to the others, but there is noticeavle conviction in Oriane's words. It would not be a leap of logic to think that she very much believes everything that she just said.

When LEXUS goes to perform som posturing of his own, Oriane merely observes with that smile remaining on her face. The future is going to be very interesting indeed.

TRON has posed:
Well, that's a new title. 'Murderer of Programs'. That can only be expected, really, but still a minor surprise all the same.

"I see..." TRON nods slowly. He lowers his Discs and rises to his feet in one fluid movement, a few bits and fragments falling to the ground in the process. The white Program doesn't seem to notice, though, recombining his Discs into one but not anchoring it back onto his back--not yet.

Despite the clear implication that LEXUS won't derezz him right here and now, a raised eyebrow at the swarming darkness around them shows that TRON is less certain about the Heartless.

LEXUS has posed:
Oriane causes LEXUS to nod. "Interesting. Perhaps someone like you /will/ be able to succeed. I will have to watch you."

TRON's response results in LEXUS smiling. There is no mirth in that smile. He raises a hand.

From the shadows, a clicking noise is heard as a Heartless slips into visiblity in the area. The form is sleek, six-limbed, each leg tipped with chrome plating that speaks of an advanced design and ending in an infinitely sharp point. The body beneath is the form of a dark Heartless, veined with pulsing violet ciruit patterns that rise along the limbs towards the burning, yellow-eyed head. Chrome mandibles jut from the darkness beneath, and the Heartless Emblen is emblazoned on their forehead, pulsing with the power of the Dark.

"I, however, make better use of my conquests." LEXUS replies. He snaps his finger, and a hundred more begin filing into the area, ringing them. The air resonates with modulated hissing tones, as if Hell was AOL modem connections itself. "I and mine will be seeing you soon, TRON. I bid you farewell."

He turns, and a Corridor of Darkness opens up, LEXUS moving to step through.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel is still here but trying to make a very very low profile of her self she still remebers LEXUS trying to eat her, she may or may not have nightmares in her maintance cycles. She'd have left if she could have but there's too many heartless now. She's just gong to not say a thing it would be unwise to snark more so than with CHIEF. Someone at least learned her lesson aboytu being lippy to the Heartless Virus at the very least. The other creatures however there's jsut so many of them. Still CHEIF is workng with LEXUS pretty much formally now, this is not a good thing. Not a good thing at all but he's not picking a fight he's leaving hopefully his minions will as well?

TRON has posed:
It is a good thing TRON didn't try to leave, it seems.

His gaze slowly pans over the emerging Heartless, noting their appearances and positions--and numbers. So many...

The white Program just smirks, hand incrementally tightening on his Disc but not activating it. In fact, he just waits for the time being, unmoving but watchful. Further tests, further threats? Or is this simply insurance?

Oriane Guado has posed:
There is little Oriane won't do to ensure she gets what she desires. It helps that there is so many who are obliging to that sort of ambition. Oriane returns LEXUS' nod with one of her own. Beings like him have seeming blurred the line between machina and man already. It seems that Oriane is a little behind in her research if there are those who already can wield such power.

The Heartless horde is viewed with indifference, but Oriane does summon some of her arcane power into her hand in preparation. Appearances had to be made afterall.

LEXUS has posed:
LEXUS is not stopped. He leaves, casually, through the Corridor, and it closes behind him.

The horde of Heartless vanish into the Darkness shortly afterwards, following the invisible dictates of their master. The group is now free.

For now.