trans_9 | Proving Ground [ Open To All ]

The sensoriums made for a convenient training ground for all the right reasons, but most of all because they allowed Motoko to cheat. It hardly seemed fair for the world around to be controlled by whatever constituted the strongest mind, or the most established, but on these proving grounds, as ever, fairness was not part of the equation.

The world was a sleepy summer day, warm with cicada song and dry, ragged grass, knee-high in places, scorched to the earth in others. An abandoned, decrepit skeleton of a Soviet military base dominated the landscape, dotted here and there with holes like dark hollow eyes among the crumbling walls and roofless, exposed innards. Once, this place had been alive, and now it was as bleached as bones in the grass, as nature retook what man had conquered.

Here and there the rusted-out remains of tanks slumped where they had been abandoned. Red paint, incongruously fresh, marked a series of them as targets at the far end of a carefully 'makeshift' firing range, though most sat aimlessly, unmarked and unattended. The place nearest the door was dominated by one such tank, perhaps in slightly better repair than the others, and perched upon it was the reason for all the fuss and trials. Major Kusanagi folded her arms and leaned her back against the treads, casting a sidelong look at what was left of Section Nine.

It was going to be a long day.

[ OOC: ~~Wait for Subthreads, please.~~ OKAY, GO GO GO GO! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Ignore the Xs and shoot like you're trying to disable," Saito said. He was looking at Briareos, not at the tanks, studying the big cyborg's stance and technique. The report from Stacy and his onboard software would take care of evaluating how well Bri actually hit.

"Got it, boss."

Bri goes prone on the ground, taking up a firing position with his weapon. He sights his target through the scope, taking his time to observe it, to check for any obvious weaknesses.

He adjusts his scope, picking where, judging from the looks of the tank, it seemed most likely for the crew compartment to be. He set his round for a two-stage explosion. Finally, satisfied with his choice of target, he pulls the trigger. The massive rifle's recoil doesn't faze him much, given his mass.

The round easily pierces the tank's armor, exploding inside the crew compartment, blowing the top hatch off its hinges. If it were a live tank, the crew inside would have been mulched.

Saito stood there with his arms folded, expression impossible to read. All he said was "Assume we want the next crew alive."

"Understood."

He loads another round, switching the explosive round for a standard anti-armor round. Once again taking his time, he judges where he thinks the engine is most likely to be. He pulls the trigger, a rather noticeable hole forming instantly in the tank down-range.

If the tank were real, it would've been a sitting duck, its engine just a useless hunk of scrap.

Saito knew he was probably going to get tossed as far or farther than Batou could have thrown him, but while Bri was evaluating his shot, Saito sensoriumed himself up an assault rifle with AP rounds, and leveled it at the back of the cyborg's head.

How's your situational awareness, big guy?

Considering he literally has eyes in the back of his head, pretty damn good.

As soon as he noticed Saito readying the weapon through his rear-facing set of eyes, he subtly repositioned himself, then suddenly twisted around on the ground and kicked the barrel of the rifle upward.

In the same movement, he slipped the pistol at his side out of its holster, leaping to his feet while still twisting around from his earlier kick, and leveled the sidearm straight at Saito's face.

"So," He says wryly, "how was that?"

Rather than get his nose broken with the barrel of his own weapon--too embarrassing for words--Saito let it go, and the rifle went flying over his head to clatter across the pavement.

"Eh, you'll do," he said, but it was with a hint of a grin.

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