Dane-gerous

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives Ditching the firework revolver and throwing it to the side as it was completely empty of any ammo it would have left, Thom calmly reloaded his revolver in enemy fire, everyone else having sprinted to cover to avoid the onslaught. Miraculously, as he leaned and dodged in slow-time, projectiles and zamors seemed to curve around him, some managing to graze him but none doing much significant damage at all. The Skakdi yanked his weapon to the side, the cylinder closing as the Archives began to rumble around him. He knew something was coming, he was too ignorant to know what but he understood the world's time was coming to a close. Some of the soldiers looked like they were sensing it too, though only a few resisted their fury to try to retreat to a safe space. His moment was interrupted violently, however, with a horrible crack reminding him of his fall a few moments before. Blood poured from his chest (which was beginning to wrench itself open again, having been forced ajar by the Skakdi's sharp movements) as he ended two more lives with his weapon, fatigue and injuries beginning to rack up. An acidic zamor splashed onto his leg, forcing him to his knees with a pained yelp. Flesh melted away, yet he managed to fire again, blasting a slug through a Mantan's chest cavity. The rumbling was getting even more intense, now. Thom only had seconds left. The trouble with being in an occupation such as the Skakdi's was that, like he explained to Nale, he was left with nothing once the dust all settled. At least, in theory. There was plenty Thom was thinking about as Mantax approached him, though. The siren he'd seen on the ship, the horrible monster that he'd vanquished. Pardehi, Rose, the ancient being who'd set him free. Maybe he'd meet him again, in the next life. Maybe not. Vyarik and Waveahk, his fellow assassins. He hoped they were still alive. And Nale. Whoever she was to him, now. He'd done as she'd asked, in his own way, and they were now even. At least, he thought so. It wasn't like Nale could argue debts to a corpse, in any case. All these individuals who he'd insulted, fought with, fought alongside. Not friends, but the experiences he had with them gave his life meaning. Perhaps that was just as important. A shame it had taken a failed suicide attempt and an imminent planetary destruction to figure that out. Thom grinned a reddish-stained grin at Mantax. The titan loomed over him, the brutally finite amount of time they had left having absolutely no effect on the Barraki's demeanor. Was he at terms with the apocalypse that was about to occur? The Skakdi opened his mouth fully to speak, but was cut off by the ensuing oblivion. OOC: And with that, the world ends for Thom Arkkan.

Depending on what follows, this is likely the last post I'll make on Thom. Been fun, even if I'm not sure this is my game anymore.

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives The Skakdi felt something snap, something important as he stood up. Warm liquid leaked through his armour as he fired back with his both his own weapons, blazing yellow projectiles blasting from his snubnose, punctuated by a thundering gunshot from his revolver. "OI! AXEY! GET OUT OF THERE BEFO-"

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives Thom stared at the two guns on the floor, discarded. "Ya mate's gonna be ####ed off at me." He chuckled, before picking up his other revolver. His eyepatch was gone, he looked like a complete and utter mess, but he was still Thom. Still the stupid, big mouthed and skinny Skakdi. "See ya, sweetheart." And, with an uncharacteristically agile jump out of cover, he dived, time grinding to a halt as he unloaded both of his weapons at the Skakdi that Kilo was engaged with, his enhanced reflexes and eyesight guiding his aim in mid air. Fireworks erupted from the barrel of his snubnose, as did a slug flying from his revolver, the projectiles ceasing once he hit solid ground on his shoulder. OOC: @Unreliable Narrator @pokemonlover360 @Tarn @Onaku

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives There was a beat, as Thom listened to the duel, eyes tracing to Nale's own as he silently contemplated his options. What would he do? What could he do? What was his purpose? Blood dripped from his hand as the Skakdi looked around like a lost Hapaka. "...Ah don't know what to do, Nale." He said, finally. "Ah saw 'orrible things, left behind people that coulda been me mates just to try ta 'ave a crack at ya." He looked to Arkius and Mantax. "Ain't about me, though. Had me chance to do somethin' meaningful." OOC: @Tarn

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives The Skakdi grimaced as he finally ripped out the last pieces of the projectile, shaking his hand to try and get some of the blood off. Nale would hear his firework revolver cocking as he aimed at the wound. "Well, ah don't have to tell ya how much this hurts." He murmured, forcing a grin to try and lighten the mood like usual, though not quite to the effect as he could have before. Then, Thom fired out a firework into the wound. OOC: @Tarn

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives Thom was not a doctor, so as he slipped his fingers into the wound the Toa would feel quite a bit of pain. He gritted his Skakdi teeth as he felt around for the large bits of the metal slug, grunting as he finally managed to yank out the largest piece. Hand bloody, he chucked the metal piece of slug out, before digging his hand back into the wound again. "...ya name. Ya never told me yours, either." He asked, glancing up to the Toa for a moment.

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives "Ah. ####." Nale had just saved his life. And...he didn't want her to die. Not like this. Thom hadn't brought any medical supplies along to Onu-Metru from the safehouse. He'd always sort of known it would be a one-way trip, even if he hadn't counted on the events of the day bringing him quite this low. "Oh. Not gonna lie to ya, sweetheart, ah might jus' be a genius." His face brightened, as he realized he had brought something. Reaching to his other holster, he pulled out a snubnose firework revolver that he'd taken from the safehouse, intending it as a backup weapon for the likely scenario that Nale wasn't on her own. Funny, that. Remembering roughly what he'd seen on some of the battlefields in his career, he kneeled down in front of Nale. "Sit still. Ah'm gonna have to go diggin' around in there. It'll hurt like karz, but ah can't be havin' that slug still in there." Thom explained, trying to be as calm as possible.

The Leonn Files: Entry #3 Subject Matter: Sunset. Entry: "Hello, girls. I gave Takadox access to the database, so I am typing from his device right now. Unfortunately, after you read this message, the database is going to be locked. Can't have you peeping around on more of our dirty laundry, can we? In any case, I'd just like to say goodbye. It's been an absolute displeasure dealing with you, but you admittedly made some things happen that I wasn't sure could ever happen between me and my boss. Thank you, for that. Oh, and you still owe me for the shades. " ~L.A. END ENTRY. FILES LOCKED. DATABASE FORMAT IN PROCESS.

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives The weapon clattered to the ground, thankfully not discharging a shot. Thom stared at Nale, wordless. "...What do I do?" He asked, after a few moments. Nale would probably be able to discern that, in all likelyhood, Thom wasn't asking just her.

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives (The End?) "Ah'm...uh...right sorry about ruinin' your little finale here, Toa." Thom laughed quietly, with a nervous tinge mixed in with the sarcasm. He'd never thought before about what he was thinking about now, not even once. "Me...my...my name's Thom, by the by. Thom Arkkan." He looked like a nervous Skaklet, dropping his eyepatch and clutching his weapon with a grip weaker than Nale's stance. It would almost have been humorous, were it not for the circumstances. Thom breathed in, trying to psych up the energy to do what he intended.

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives (The End) "No!" He growled, in anger, not wanting to confront the truth in front of him. "Pick up ya gun, right now, or ah'll....ah'll...." He trailed off, eyes falling away from the Toa. Thom was breaking, that much was clear. He'd nearly died numerous times in the past week and the only thing keeping his blood flowing was the idea that eventually, eventually he'd meet Nale and fight her again. But he'd constructed a rivalry that had never existed. He'd met Nale twice, and both times she was just doing her job. There was nothing personal, but he'd pretended there was, so he'd have something to look forward to. Now there was nothing. No friends, no real family, and now no job. The world was ending and thanks to his delusions, he had nothing to cling onto whilst Metru-Nui burned. "...ah'll..." Thom murmured, almost thoughtlessly. "...why couldn't ya have just played along, sweetheart?" A dark, nihilistic urge began to creep up in the Skakdi's mind as he stared at his own gun, a hand slipping up to his face to remove the eyepatch.

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives "YOU HAD NO ISSUE BEFORE!" Thom raised his voice, now sounding like a different person entirely. None of the tongue-in-cheek intonation, or the grinning. Ever so slightly, the grip on his own gun shook.

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives As Nale expressed her anger at Thom's shallow and undoubtedly spiteful decision to blast her kneecap out, Thom stared at her with his one visible eye. His revolver was in the same position as it was when he fired. He'd barely moved. Where's the catharsis? He'd expected Nale to fight back. Perhaps he'd misjudged the girl. The Skakdi hadn't known her for all that long, truthfully, but there were plenty of times during his last encounter with her where he thought she might kill him. And now she looked at him with...contempt? Something more. His brother, in fairness, always had been the better one at deducing motive. "Pick ya gun up." He said, an unnerving, different tone to his voice. OOC: @Tarn

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives "Just warnin' ya. Ain't like you did before ya blew me leg open." He winked. Within an instant, Thom had drawn his gun and fired at Nale's kneecap.

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives "I want to kill you." Thom said, flatly and in a bizarrely unaccented way. OOC: @Tarn @Onaku @pokemonlover360

IC: Leonn - Po-Metru As he glanced behind him, to see Rose had raised the revolver and stopped aiming at him, his speed quickened, moving towards Takadox at an increased speed. Truthfully, he'd have probably embraced the warlord were it not for the fact the two Toa were still behind him, watching. He settled for taking his hand, and offering up a faux-confident grin that Takadox was probably used to at this point. "Sea food?" He offered, other hand reaching for his shades only to realise that he had none. "We might need to collect some new frames, Tik-Tak." OOC: @Tarn @Snelly @Unreliable Narrator IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives "Ah." She was very much correct. The robot who'd seeked to help had caused more trouble than Thom had initially reckoned. He could attempt to use his Skakdi ability to jump out of cover and aim precisely, but it was likely that it would a one-way trip for the Skakdi if he tried that. Too many soldiers, and just him and Nale to protect himself. He looked over Nale for a moment, realizing their isolation. "Actually...there's somethin' ah wanted to talk to ya about. Ya know, since we can't help ya mate from bein' beaten to a pulp." Something flickered in his eyes. OOC: @pokemonlover360 @Tarn @Onaku

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives He watched as the droid began to engage a fellow Skakdi, before looking back to Nale. "Well, boltsy seems ta 'ave a plan. Not sure wot, but ah'm just gonna shoot Mantax when ah can. Sick of the League already."

IC: Leonn - Po-Metru This skak-in-distress business is getting unbearably old. Leonn stared back at Rose, frustration beginning to pool up. Why couldn't he blink and melt her face to slag? From what he could tell, there was no doubt that she'd do much the same given the proper opportunity. But the skakdi's heart warmed and he calmed a bit as Takadox clumsily admitted what they were openly. He wasn't always certain of Takadox felt, he'd given him an awful scare earlier and the barraki wasn't exactly known for his warm and fuzzy leadership methods. And he was more than alright with that, it just lead to some unspoken truths that always felt better when he could speak them aloud. And then, by some miracle, Rose told him to move. She'd listened. The Toa, the self-righteous and morally hypocritical Toa had let him go. Brightening up immensely, the spy put his hands on his head, slowly beginning to walk around the soldier and toward his...boyfriend. OOC: @Tarn @Snelly @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Leonn - Po-Metru "...Carapar is dead, Toa. Were I in your position, I wouldn't be here right now. Make a tactical retreat, regroup or something. Or join us. You won't be the first Toa to fight for our flavour of freedom." He reasoned. OOC: @Tarn @Unreliable Narrator @Snelly

IC: Thom - Onu-Metru Archives "Look...ah know ya said wait a minute, but ya mate's gonna get his teeth kicked in. Nah, ah personally am not affected by anything that might 'appen to him, but ah know ya care." Thom sounded...uncharacteristically grim, at that point. OOC: @Tarn @Onaku @pokemonlover360 IC: Leonn - Po-Metru His face lit up visibly, as his red eyed warlord lover appeared on the scene in a flash. He almost felt like...crying, oddly. Today has been a rollercoaster, Irnakk tell. "I don't think you're even physically capable of understanding how good it is to see you, boss." Leonn said, in something of an excited gasp. He was lucky Rose was in the way, or Takadox would have been getting a faceful of the relieved Skakdi at that moment. OOC: @Tarn @Snelly @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Leonn - Po-Metru He sighed, exasperated. He'd hoped it was something simple, like a boat off the island. They were right. Takadox respected his requests most of the time but influencing his 'big picture' stuff was way out of line. And, in any case, he didn't want to dissuade his employer from his annex of Ga-Metru, he'd helped it happen after all. So, what could he do? He sighed again, head throbbing as he put his hands up in a very reluctant surrender, looking up at the larger Ta-Toa. "No handcuffs. They chafe the wrists, and I'm fairly sure you don't have any, in any case." He murmured, defeated. OOC: @Tarn @Snelly

IC: Leonn - Po-Metru Leonn facepalmed, hard. "Yes, that's what he does, you dolt! What, were you trying to bargain with him? He doesn't do bargains, Toa, he takes what he wants when he wants it. Including me, it sounds like!" He chuckled, incredulously. His eyes traced Skyra's guns, and Rose's much larger frame and powersuit. He couldn't fight them both, and with Skyra's jetpack he wasn't sure he could run, either. Leonn looked very tired, and irritated. He didn't want to surrender, but... "What is it you wanted from Takadox? If...I sweettalk him I might be able to convince him." Leonn suggested, quietly.

IC: Leonn - Po-Metru "What?!?"

IC: Leonn - Po-Metru The boomerang pinged off the shield, but Leonn just managed to clumsily duck under the punch, growling in utter frustration. "Look, I am not of any use to you. The more time you expend trying to subdue me, the longer my boss and the other warlords in your city have to ransack Metru-Nui completely. And I promise you, you do not have a fraction of the time required to crack me open for whatever information you need." He tried to explain, amber eyes flicking between the two.