> Do something else.
Lets not approach, for now we shall observe, we should probably get in to a better hiding spot as well.
Before doing anything else, you get to a better hiding spot. Ah--this empty building you were huddled against should do. The windows are gone and their rectangular housing is plenty wide enough to accommodate your entry. You wince as you step on broken glass since you're trying to be hidden, but no one seems to notice your noise. Lucky.
You watch as the citizens line up neatly and walk forward, towards that wheeled fortress . . .
"Hey! You!" One of the black-clad soldiers--MARS you assume--seems to be accosting someone for doing...something. You hazard a peek out the windowframe.
"Yeah, you", he continues. "Line's that way". It appears this person being yelled at, wearing a tattered cloak with hood, was
intentionally going away from the rest of the group.
"Oops", replies the stranger in an almost playful tone. "I just had to take a potty break. Hope you don't mind!" You'd guess this is either a female or a small child. Their tone carries a youthful airiness to it. "Say", they go on. "You got any of those moist towelettes the Outer Cities have?"
The MARS soldier was having none of it. "Wiseguy?, huh?" He begins ominously approaching the stranger, whose face you can't see. But you swear you feel them grinning. He raises his rifle to butt them with the stock, but a sharp "OOF!" escapes his lips before he doubles over and falls to his knees. This, of course, earns attention from other MARS operatives in the area.
"What the--You got a death wish or something?" One of them asks rhetorically. "All you have to do is get in line to be checked and processed. But since you wanna play rough . . ." This is about to get ugly. You can't get a good look at the purple-wearing fellow atop the mobile fortress. In fact, you can't see any of them from this angle. What you can see are several MARS soldiers getting ready to do this cloaked guy in. Which, given their guns and armor, doesn't exactly increase his odds of survival.
"Oh, it's playtime already? Sure, let's rock! I'm gonna make a meal out of you morons!" The cloaked figure whips out a fancy looking device. It's flat, rectangular, and has small coloured lights arranged around it. He holds it close to his face. You're still guessing it's a guy? It IS, right? Well, they press a button before a voice comes from...the device?
IT'S MEALTIME!
. . . So, that must be it. They, like you, are a Tuner. Other worlds have Tuners too?
"I think SOFT SHELL ought to take care of you, don't you think?" The cloaked figure presses a button on his device before it responds again. You're almost leaning out the window at this point before you remember you're HIDING. You didn't expect to find someone with similar abilities to yours in another world!
By now, the MARS operatives are rushing to apprehend this stranger. Why they don't just shoot him is a mystery, though you're sure there's some reason for it.
SOFT SHELL!
The cloaked figure dodges a few punches and rifle butts before jumping on a destroyed car. He then snaps his fingers. In an instant, a bright, yellowish light engulfs his entire body, as the shape of a taco shell appears over the light, covering his body with it, before finishing his transformation off with a sombrero and desert poncho. An arrangement of light beige, red, green, white and a little black are the colours for this form. A pretty sleek, agile-looking one, by the way. Pretty impressive, overall. You haven't seen a form like that one before.
Without wasting any time, he quickly gets to work. His speed and agility are amazing! A nice jump kick from the car put
two MARS operatives down for the count! Of course, they go for the typical punches, which are countered -- one with a broken wrist, the other being flipped and spinning a few times mid-air before landing roughly on his face -- then come the rifle butts. The rifles end up being used against them as well.
Finally, one gets the bright idea to shoot him with his rifle instead! But he just dodges. "That's no fair", he taunts. "If you're gonna use your firepower..." he pauses to press a button as several coloured objects -- looking strangely similar to beans -- appear in a circle, hovering in midair. He touches the red bean. "Then I'm gonna use some too!"
BEAN! RED DEAD HEAT!
His form doesn't change, save for a small flame icon on his sombrero and coiling flames that wrap around his arms in a blazing inferno. "Caution: This stuff's hot!" He returns to making short work of the MARS men. The flames giving his attacks the added spice he . . . really didn't need. But wanted to use anyway. One operative goes flying back several yards into a wall. While the last handful are quickly dispatched. As expected.
"There", he finishes, dusting his palms. "I told ya SOFT SHELL would do the job!" The flames slowly vanish, while this fellow stands there in a triumphant pose.
<< CHOICES >>A) What just happened?
B) "Dude! That was awesome!" Proceed to geek out by making explosion noises.
C) Continue observation.
D) Ask soft shell man some questions (pick 2).
E) Do something else (what)?