Face to Face
Fortress Babel vs “The (Varied) Artists Formerly Known as the Miniskirt Armada”
In an alternate timeline, everyone in this siege was dressed in blue, and they were at the forefront of a heroic army that had succeeded in sweeping the unmade from the island within a few weeks of their arrival at a still-pristine Caer Thannith. In this best timeline, Roy Mustang, a satiated-by-violence-and-victory tandem of Gilgamesh and Azula, and all their allies steamrolled across a fatigue, shellshocked, and utterly underprepared host of unmade villains.
As Dante’s Abyss will teach you, the real story usually unfolds a few shades about the darkest timeline.
In reality, the army that scoured through the twisting corridors of Fortress Babel wore a menagerie of colors—blue, black, yellow, and it was likely that at least one or two probably wore green at one point.
Led by a man who made a living fighting impossible odds and superior adversaries, the attack into the structure progressed about as well as it could have.
Perhaps, too well.
John Connor ducked behind the wall, waited for the spatter of energized bullets to stop, and casually popped up to return fire. Someone who was used to the odds never being in his favor, the resistance leader didn’t particularly enjoy how this battle had progressed. Yes, the Doctor had managed to infiltrate the place prior to the attack, but surely, that should have lionized the unmade, correct? The fighting outside had almost felt halfhearted, and while Connor knew that the monsters were experiencing setbacks in other places on the island, he doubted such creatures were still wired to process apathy or grief.
Reaching for his short-range comm, the general mashed the button. “Hey, I’m not liking what’s going on.”
“Do you require reinforcements?” The metal marine was straight to the point, as always.
“Doesn’t this feel too easy?”
“The creatures are broken. They wilt beneath our steel.”
***
From outside the complex, Dr. Swift stood in a command tent and relayed instructions across to the various units spread out within the labyrinthine complex that was Babel. He had figured that it would be tricky to navigate through the fortress, but he hadn’t expected the place to be a literal madhouse of mobius loops, Penrose stairs, and even an assortment of shifting corridors that connected to different parts of the structure from minute to minute.
In a sense, it was almost as if the unmade were the least of their worries as the forces scoured through the structure.
Dr. Swift continued to have doubts about the operation all the way until the first explosions blossomed within the fortress. The first one took him by shock, and he was certain it was just a cannon detonating after being struck with an errant explosive. Or, perhaps, it was an ammunition store being ignited after a stray bullet found its mark.
And then that one blast was joined by two more, then four more, and then the blast was a writhing, serpentine herald of death and destruction that spread across the entirety of the structure.
“They goaded us in!” Dr. Swift screamed as he started to make a beeline from the tent to the fortress proper.
“Get down, Sir!” Someone shouted as two of his aides tackled him as debris from the imploded structure started to rain down on their encampment.
***
Fortress Babel, smog still dense in the air, was gone. In its place, a literal cairn that still smoldered as those caught beneath and within the collapse of the structure struggled to free themselves.
Stheno, who had dove through a window at one of the last moments before the corridor they were cleaning had been consumed by flames, stumbled through the haze. While spared initially, the ‘descent’ to the ground and attempting to escape the ring of debris had left the warrior with a litany of scrapes and bruises.
Now, with the air still heavy with soot and the screams of the dying, Stheno stalked the debris, looking for something.
Almost ready to turn back, Stheno was startled when a scalded fist erupted out from beneath a pile of charred bricks.
***
Battle Update
Fortress Babel has been destroyed, owing to the besieging forces and the detonation of the structure by the unmade forces. The square goes to the coalition forces led by Dr. Swift.
Casualty Reports
Unmade Carnaval: All unmade forces have been slain or destroyed/buried with the fortress
TAFKA Miniskirt Armada Forces:
All injuries, unless otherwise noted, are from being caught in the explosion (so some combination of burns, cuts, bruises, and/or simply being buried or struck by debris).
300 of Dr. Swift’s soldiers and 100 of his refugee-militia are dead.
Dr. Swift suffers a Story Injury (fucking dude had to watch his boys get blown up – the fuck you think he feels?)
400 of John Connor’s soldiers are dead.
John Connor suffers a Major Injury
Smelly Marine suffers a Major Injury
Sgt Swift suffers a Major Injury
75 of Azula’s soldiers are dead.
Azula suffers a Major Injury
Stheno suffers a Minor Injury
Stheno was pressured into using on application of Focus.