Invasion! - West End (IC)

[Cyroa]

The demon struggled and flailed as Blink grappled and squeezed the monster. It was beginning to take it's toll as well. Grimalkin dove in for a clean shot and hit solidly. Of course hitting the armor bony ridge on the monster was not that effective at all. Still, the creature couldn't retaliate just yet. But when it was free, it was going to be feasting on the bones of certain heroes!

[ex3lev3n]

The whole crew was now in the fight, and he was itching to get a piece of the action. First, he had to get Jack back on his feet. Breaking the capsule in his hand and waving the pungent vapors under his fallen friend's nostrils. C'mon, Jack, on your feet.

[Warmonger]

The earth trembled as All-Star drove his foot into the now un-moving demon. Seeing its opportunity, another monstrosity lurched at the young hero. With only brief flicker All-Star hammered a blow to the creature's face. The blow connected with a dry crack, hurling the fiend back.

[Cyroa]

The tide, at least in this little pocket of hell, seemed to have begun to turn for the heroes. There were only 3 demons left after they ripped into the one Blink was holding. They obviously cared little for each other as they destroyed their fellow demon to get at the two ladies. And then on of those took a rocking blow to the face as All-Star strove to cave in it's face. The demon went up and over the Maveric, wailing all the way, even as Razorwing worked to get his down comrade back into the fight. The big leader demon however was not done yet. It lunged forward to slam its multiple large fists into All-Star's back!

[Gizmo]

Jack let out a hacking cough, his eyes springing open. Momentarily disoriented, he managed to choke out, "Ellie!" As his bloodshot eyes focused, the swordsman realized that he was grabbing the front of Razorwing's costume with white knuckles, using the younger man to steady his broken frame. "Kris? Jeez, I had the weirdest..." His muddled brain slowly processed their surroundings, and he winced. "Well, balls."

Ignoring his body's protests, Jack struggled to rise to a better vantage point, clawing up the side of the MAVERIC until he could see the battle. Even in his befuddled state, the swashbuckler could see that his teammates were hard pressed to deal with their demonic foes. It was equally clear that he wasn't going to be much help in his current state either. His left arm was a mangled mess and the rest of his body was in too much general agony to differentiate between the damaged areas. Within the inferno of pain, however, burned an even hotter core of anger and determination. Through sheer willpower, Jack forced himself into a standing position and turned to face the massive creature that had so easily flung him aside.

"Hey! Gruesome!" His voice rang out even in the chaos of battle, reaching allies and foes alike. "My grandmother hits harder than that! I'm thinking maybe I should just let her deal with you; I could go take a nap, do a little gardening maybe." Jack's entire body began to quiver from strain, and blood welled up in the corner of his mouth before trickling down the side of his face, but his voice showed no sign of breaking. His shaking arm shot out, pointing at the largest demon, calling it out. "Interceptors! Show these pathetic cretins the door, huh?"

The swordsman held the pose for a moment longer, then slid painfully down the side of the vehicle to sit heavily on the ground. "And you thought I was gonna tell them to 'go to hell'," he mumbled to no one in particular.

[quotemyname]

"Interceptors! Show these pathetic cretins the door, huh?"

"Reckon y'all don't have ta tell me twice." Colt loaded up another set of bullets into his revolver. "Hey ugly! Stick'em'up!"

He twirled the gun around his finger once, twice, *clack* the grip slapped back into his hand. The bullets roared out of the gun, sailing towards the back of the leader of the demons.

[blink]

Relief flooded through her as she heard Jack's voice calling over the battlefield. After seeing the devastating blow he had taken, she didn't think he'd be moving again. As the creature in front of her lunged, she ported briefly, letting the vicious creature sail through where she had been standing moments before. As it moved past she lashed out with a looping backhanded elbow while spinning to loop her free arm around it's corded neck.

[Warmonger]

All-Star hit the ground hard, getting a mouthful of dirt. He heard Jack shouting and felt a little sick. The guy was half dead and putting up more of a fight than he was. He staggerrd to his feet ready to unleash his anger on the giant monster, only to see it fall on its face as Colt peppered its back with bullets. Still furious All-Star released his pent up rage on the nearest demon. He hit the creature so hard he launched it over the horizon.

[Cyroa]

The demons...well, demon, since all the others had been dispatched in the last few moments, decided that it was time to go. There was no chance it would be able to claim any of their souls, let alone injure one of them, with these odds. It leaped over the Maverick and started loping down the street. It wouldn't take long for other demons to show up in force after all. And there were plenty of other targets in the city. Millions actually. It left the heroes and innocent people behind. And those innocents were still in the 'cage' as well as trying to escape from the ravaging landscape, as well as the various demons here and there (though nothing quite as large or organized as what the heroes just faced).

[quotemyname]

"Bring the MAVERIC around!" Colt called to his friends. "I'll open up this here cage. Let's get them people ta safer ground!" Colt's bike skidded into position in front of the cage doors. He quickly fired enough bullets into the lock on the cage to obliterate it and send the doors swinging.

"Reckon y'all're safe fer the minute. But y'all better come wit' us just in case." He smiled at the citizens of Freedom City. Help had arrived!

[Gizmo]

As the Interceptors regrouped at the MAVERIC, preparing to transport the former prisoners to relative safety, they found Jack still propped up against the vehicle, arms limp at his sides and eyes staring blankly into the distance, his expression frozen in rueful smirk. It took only a moment for Razorwing to determine that the swordsman wasn't breathing. Jack had known he was done for the instant the massive demon's fist connected with his all too human frame. His shouted taunts had taken the very last of his strength and more, raised to his feet by pure stubbornness, his voice steadied through force of will. Ultimately, however, even the boundless determination of the man who's true name his teammates had never known could only accomplish so much.

With Freedom still under siege, the remaining Interceptors had no time to mourn, and perhaps that was as Jack would have wished. For the rest of that horrible day they would fight with every last drop of strength and beyond, spirits buoyed by the thought of the grinning rogue who had remained defiant of the city's invaders to his final breath.