Still a little heated with the final verdict of that briefing, Rika had been standing against a tree opposite the empire’s factory with her arms crossed, back nestled comfortably. Finding the irony amusing that these would-be industrial tyrants who ran on fear and intimidation would even bother leaving bushes and trees surrounding the factory, her mood had yet to improve in spite of it. The area was thick with tension; Ace had wandered off to ‘improve the odds’ that were stacked against them. That girl, Lin, was tucked away near that pretty-boy which left her with Shizuka alone. Shizuka had begun to converse with her and out of decency she broke her gaze from the night sky to focus on her new ‘partner’. Nervousness was anxiety and anxiety could slow you down, or lift you up. Rika didn’t want to take someone inexperienced in her level of stealth and assassination along because of this; Shizuka was sweet, but didn’t belong in a fight like this no matter how much her heart begged her to take action. The blonde didn’t know these people, and for good reason she honestly didn’t want to, but it was for good reason that she’d try. [b]“Maybe in your head you’re ready, Shizuka. Maybe even in your heart you think you’re prepared. That optimism you and Lin have, it shows me that you’re prepared to do good, even if you don’t understand what that really means for the world sometimes.”[/b] Murmured Rika. [b]“My family goes back a long way, and we’ve killed countless to keep the world we live in running smoothly. I’m no stranger to watching the life leave a targets eyes, but you and Lin? You’re hardly ready for what a life or death battle is, let alone fighting an entire war.”[/b] The glow of her emerald eyes seemed to grow more intense the more she went on. Believing in comrades seemed an impossible task, counting on yourself was often the best bet you ever had in succeeding. Success and failure were ultimately determined by her decision making, her plan of attack, her consciousness. Counting on others wasn’t a concept she was used to; her anxiousness wasn’t about her ability to succeed, it was the odds that somewhere along the line someone on this ‘team’ was going to fail.[b] “I want to be wrong about you people, so …show me you can do this and it’ll be a start for us.” [/b] Ace’s return was uneventful, but at least that secret little ‘visit’ he made would make the job easier for the team itself. Those dark creatures Rika had scarcely encountered before were called ‘Heartless’ and prayed on people like them. They were tools for the Empire’s use and would be capable of detecting them based on something not even Rika knew how to hide, and wielding that mysterious blade earlier meant that her heart was worth something considerable to them. Things had begun to make sense as far as those creatures were concerned but there were obviously things she couldn’t find out from this gang. After this, another visit to her ‘employer’ might be ideal for her given she was carrying something considered ‘legend’. Ace got them inside, and the first thing Rika had noticed was how silent the place was. No real residual noise, at least on this level, which would lead anyone inexperienced to believe it was completely abandoned. The faintest of footsteps and whispers through the walls, the echo of careless weight against the concrete, all of it was reverberating through this place. The steam and gears of the place did well to drown it out, but you didn’t come as far as she did in the field of subtlety and not learn to listen. With Ace giving them the go ahead, Rika’s memory of the layout on that disc would be applied starting now. Shizuka just beside her, Rika had looked to her, eyes narrowed dangerously. [b]“Light as a feather, remember that. And keep up.”[/b] Her tone was deadly serious, implying she might punish Shizuka for even the stupidest of mistakes. Looking towards what composed of the assault team, Rika had noticed Lin giving her a thumbs up in luck, prompting Rika to wink at her in thanks before taking off down the narrow corridors to the west. It would be noted by Lin how silent she moved, and even straining her ears to try and listen for a footstep proved fruitless. Lin’s biggest concern was maintaining her composure; doing well here meant she could do well anywhere, and she was determined not to fail her friends. That cool woman ran off with Shizuka, and with that part of the assignment underway the only job expected of them was to hold the area. Sticking closely to Ace and trying to mimic Rika’s ability to be quiet, he had peered around the corner and relayed to them information of importance. That rude man from before had been inside, accompanied by a woman he didn’t recognize. Lin crept up beside him and peered over to see for herself, and sure enough there they were, just standing there as though this was a safe place to be in. She only knew of one person in her life that could get away with something so reckless: Her big brother. Whatever purpose those two had here, it could either be of some good to the people of this world, or detrimental to it. After that rude man’s introduction in the site of death and destruction, Lin hadn’t believed in him being a good person, but if this was an opportunity to show that he was not a bad person then there wasn’t a better chance than this one. Ace suggested they avoid them and Lin was quick to nod in agreement not out of a grudge, but because they clearly had different objectives in mind. Cerden hadn’t proven himself a friend whatsoever, so playing it safe would be the better option. Lin was about to ask what Coriander’s thoughts were on the stranger until her ears had perked, a new development reaching them. From a stray pipe behind them emitted a noise from just downstairs, a cry of what Lin believed to be intense distress. Someone was here that didn’t want to be here, and even worse was that it sounded like they were going to be tortured. A knot in her gut formed almost immediately; the mission was to stay here and secure the area for Rika and Shizuka, but she couldn’t just stand by knowing someone might need her help. Ace would understand, right? [b]“Someone’s in trouble, we have to go help them!”[/b] She whispered to the two in a hushed tone, hoping they were in agreement. Someone also had to remain behind to cover this floor and help clear it, but with that Cerden guy and the strange haired woman here they might be a big enough obstacle already. [b]“I’ll go, I’ll be back!”[/b] without waiting for approval, Lin turned on her heel and began to quietly maneuver down the corridors to the east opposite Rika and Shizuka, hoping that she’d find a stairway. By some fortunate combination of both luck and instinct, she had managed to find a stairway. Some credit was also due to the man who was crying out so loudly, but she only hoped she wasn’t too late in her efforts. The next floor down was noticeably much damper, the humidity in the air due to the steam was likely to make the place much more unbearable for those who couldn’t handle warm temperatures like herself. The grinding of gears and the steam was also more intense down here, but she’d need to be thankful for the carelessness that went into maintaining this place, because without it she may not have heard the man suffering. Lin broke into a full sprint and listened hard for the source of the disturbance, gathering heat in her hands and concentrating with all her might to bring her staff to her. She had practiced many months to know how to establish a bond with her weapon, but she had never done it from such a distance. Still, its shape could be felt in her hands before it had fully formed. She underestimated the difficulty in both summoning it and looking for someone, and with a few corners taken she had stumbled across the location of the disturbance, but not before a near-collision with two guards stationed at the entryway. Skidding to a halt and gritting her teeth in a panic, Lin was able to come to a stop with her nose mere inches away from one of the guard’s backs, waving her arms backwards in a panic. The back of Ryoko was to her, but the man she was subjecting to pain would be the only one able to see how frantic her situation was. [b]“Hey, would you hit her?”[/b] Soldier A inquired to his buddy, watching Ryoko deal with that strange man they had found outside. [b]“What, Ryoko? I don’t know if you noticed but she’s pretty much the opposite of a stable, willing girl. Got control freak written all over her.”[/b] Soldier B responded, shrugging his shoulders. [b]“So you wouldn’t? I mean ignore the crazy.”[/b] [b]“How the hell do you ignore the crazy? It’s her middle name, and I mean did you see how she woke that idiot up?”[/b] [b]“It’d be worth it.”[/b] Lin had managed to stumble backwards just a little, but ultimately remained undetected due to the factories ambient noise and the distraction that was the conversation about a ‘Ryoko’, who Lin determined was the one doing the torturing. They hadn’t noticed her yet, and now that she wasn’t moving anymore she could summon her staff from China. Quietly she began to focus her energy again, directing all her will into calling her weapon for battle. How did people make it look so easy?[i] ‘Come on, come on…’[/i] [b]“Pfft, worth it? She’d slice you to bits.”[/b] [b]“Worth it.”[/b] [b]“She’d tie you down and blindfold you.”[/b] [b]“Worth it.”[/b] [b]“She’d probably kill you in the end.”[/b] [b]“…”[/b] [b]“…”[/b] [b]“Worth it.”[/b] [b]“Are you serious right now?”[/b] Soldier B couldn’t believe the desperation of A to the point death was a worthy consequence just to screw a crazy, yet strangely attractive girl like Ryoko. Shaking his head in disbelief and managing to continuously be oblivious to the comical hilarity that was Lin still trying to summon her weapon just behind him. Bringing two fingers up to his ear, he attempted to reach out to someone else in another location. [b]“Duncan, upstairs all clear?”[/b] ~-~ Several bodies lie on the floor, weapons discarded and blood pooling beneath at least half. The corridors led up to two places they could have chosen, but Rika had opted for this one. The ‘elite’ of the Empire were no match for someone they couldn’t see or hear, and Rika had tasked Shizuka with staying out of sight until this was over with. In the fastest eight seconds she might ever witness, the small troop assigned to guard this place was dismantled and left bloody on the ground. Some might survive the wounds, incapacitation was the only priority. Shizuka’s presence prompted her to go easy on these punks and let them have a chance at living, but the wounds were deep enough to keep them struggling to survive in the crumpled heaps she left them. Letting out a low whistle to let Shizuka come out, Rika looked back at her. [b]“Destroy their communicators, quickly.”[/b] She ordered, before returning her smooth gaze to the one man remaining, pinned to the wall just outside of the central elevator. [b]“Now, where were we? Oh, that’s right, the core room …will this elevator take us—“[/b] [b]“Duncan-“[/b] the soldier she had pinned with one of her Sai, bloodied from the other quickly executed comrades of his, dangerously close to slicing his throat had received a message. [b]”Upstairs all clear?”[/b] Rika looked from his earpiece to Duncan, eyebrow raised in curiosity. The odds may not have been as poor as she initially expected; not only did she manage to keep the one guy alive that his comrades were reaching out to, but it seemed no one was aware of Ace and the others yet. So far, so good.[b] “Yeah Duncan …is it all clear?”[/b] she mocked, inching her blade a little closer to his throat. The poor bastard was allowed to slowly reach for his earpiece and pathetically mutter a response. [b]“All clear.”[/b] ~-~ [b]“Geez, even the guys up top sound depressed. It’s like someone’s holding a blade to our throats.”[/b] Soldier B muttered, wondering what the hell was taking Ryoko so long with interrogating this guy. [b]“So what do you think she’ll do with that guy?”[/b] [b]“Maybe NOT have him walk around this place all night for an attack that isn’t coming.”[/b] Soldier A replied, before shifting uncomfortably. Something felt off all of a sudden. [b]“Hey, is it getting hot to you?”[/b] [b]“It’s always hot down here, and spoiler alert: It’s not getting any cooler until we’re outside.”[/b] [b]“I know that, but all of a sudden it just seems …really, really hot. Like I’m inches away from an open fire.”[/b] [b]“…Huh, now that you mention it I’m starting to get a little toasty too.”[/b] [b]“Wait …huh …it’s a little cooler now.”[/b] [b]“Weird.”[/b] [b]“Yeah, just a li—“[/b]A swift blow collided with the back of Soldier A’s head, and before Soldier B could respond a staff had collided against his forehead harshly. Both of these men fell from one preemptive strike of Lin’s staff, which she had struggled hard to summon this entire time. She had believed herself in trouble once the summoning brought warmth with it, but the two happened to be so oblivious that she was spared a confrontation that could go wrong. Not missing a beat, she charged forward and leaped, spinning around once and letting the frontal end of her staff collide towards the ground. An arc of flame launched itself from her staff and moved directly towards Ryoko’s back, Lin’s hope was to put an end to this in one strike, but she knew to prepare for the worst case scenario. That strange, strange man would be saved! ~-~ [b]“Good job Dunc. So, save us some trouble, how do we get to the core?”[/b] Rika questioned, prompting Duncan to roll his eyes towards the elevator. Rika had a hard time believing it was really that easy, but she would play along if only because Shizuka could learn a valuable lesson. [b]“That takes us straight down? No access code? No scanning hardware?”[/b] [b]“None, just …just choose the lowest level. That’ll take you there. Or …the stairs.”[/b] [b]“Oh, awesome, thanks.”[/b] Rika grinned. [b]“What the hell are you? No one can just vanish and reappear like that …none of us could even get a shot off in time.”[/b] Duncan managed to mutter, fearing his life would come to an end regardless of his aid. Rika sucked in a bit of air and considered going into a long, prideful rant about who she is, how amazing she is, and telling Death that she sent him there. Then again he did help, and he didn’t struggle. All of that was made better by the fact he was totally checking her out even when his life was at risk, and for Rika that was pretty damn sexy. [b]“No time for that. Night now.”[/b] She drew her blade away and allowed Duncan a little room to move his head, but thrust her elbow against his jaw. That force coupled with the head colliding with the back of the wall had knocked him out quickly and quietly. Letting him slide to the floor uselessly, Rika would draw his communicator and decide to place it in her own. Keeping tabs on the enemy was important, and this way she could speak for Duncan if anyone ever chimed in. Swiftly slicing the air with her Sai and allowing stray blood to scatter on the ground, it vanished in a small glow of light until needed once more. Rika looked to Shizuka. [b]“You know where the stairway is, take it. I’ll be right behind you, literally.”[/b] Rika stepped in the elevator and examined the control console, immediately coming across the proper button. It was a different color than the rest; others were blue, but this one was red, and if that wasn’t some sort of indication of how important the floor was then she didn’t know what is. Whether Shizuka trusted her or not, Rika believed in her own plan. They’d expect the elevator, but who’d expect the stairs. Taking a deep breath, Rika shooed Shizuka away and pressed the button. The doors closed and she had begun to descend into the unknown.