The Cannibal could easily handle one bullet wound, maybe two or three, but four was beginning to push it a little. An almost animalistic snarl came from him suddenly. When the fourth shot pierced through him he had flinched and almost took a step back. The only thing keeping him from letting go of the woman was determination. The bullet had punctured his lung and now he was beginning to cough up blood, some of the blood had landed on her shoulder, the very sight of it driving his murderous instincts mad, and he the pain was causing him to breathe heavier. With only one fully functioning lung each breath was painful and he had to take care that he didnâ€™t asphyxiate on his own blood. He could feel his strength beginning to fail him, he was becoming weaker, but even then he refused to let the woman go running off back to her leader. If there was going to be a victor of this fight it was going to be him, she was going to regret coming after him.<br/><br/>When at long last he had succeeded and his unnaturally razor sharp teeth sank into her skin he was quite satisfied. The taste of her blood began to bring out that animalistic side of him more and more as he did whatever it took to make sure he won this fight. He became lost in what he was doing, his jaw clamped tight on her shoulder and teeth working to tear her neck apart, until more waves of pain shot through his body. Snarling again, he glared at her, anything that made him human seemingly fading away from that point. There was an almost feral look in his eyes as he fought away the pain. Instinct was the only thing that was driving him right now and most rational thinking was tossed out the window. As her fingers dug into his wounds he instinctively pulled away from her, a chunk of her shoulder still in his mouth which he swallowed, and he lunged at her again after the pain subsided enough.<br/><br/>------<br/><br/>As much as Zachariah hated to admit it he knew that his plan was probably not good enough. He could be a victim of self criticism at times and it really did show occasionally but the fact that they were up against bio-weapons truly has terrified him to the point of uncertainty, though he was doing well to not show it. Just as everyone in the room was he was more than ready to fight to the death. The Holy Land needed him and there was no way he was going to let everyone down, he was not a failure. He was confident that God was on their side and with His guidance he knew that failure would not be an option. They would succeed, this he knew, however what did worry him was if everyone would be willing to carry out his plan even if he was more than aware that they were more than willing to trust him with their life. He was their saint. Yes, he was their saint but he was still human, humans were not and never will be perfect.<br/><br/>Maverick shifted in his seat and leaned against the table, â€œThat has me curious as well,â€ he said as he finally found his voice. He narrowed his eyes at bit though it was more out of curiosity than doubt, â€œYou made me the leader in all this and even brought out that horrid contraption of a gun, surely you have some brilliant plan in mind.â€ The way he worded it made him seem more skeptical than he was. It was because he couldnâ€™t help but feel that there was something off about their leader today and he couldnâ€™t place a finger on it. He seemed to be going through a bit of an emotional struggle which was a side of him he has never seen before. Whatever it was he knew that must really be hurting Zachariah for him to show it no matter how hard he was trying to hide it. It gave him more of a reason to do the best he could on the battlefield. He wantedâ€¦ noâ€¦ he was well aware that he had to heal Zachariahâ€™s pain by eliminating these Sanctus Unum bastards.<br/><br/>A quick glance to Azrai, studying his facial expression, told him that he had picked up on it as well, same with everyone else in the room. Shizuâ€™s enthusiasm was splendid and he appreciated it greatly but Ivanâ€™s tone had worried him. Not to mention Azrai was sitting there completely silent; rather than ask questions the man would rather listen to what was being said than add something if necessary so it wasnâ€™t really surprising. With him falling into that murderous state of mind the silence was a bit more unnerving, however, and it only put him more on edge as well as uncomfortable. There was no doubt in his mind that the man would not take it easy. He might have been all beat up but those injuries were not going to slow him down should he decided to go on a murder spree. With any luck the man would avoid that, though he was doubtful, but Maverick sure as hell was not going to get caught in his path if it happened.<br/><br/>The pressure was on, and Zachariah knew times was short, he might not have enough time to explain everything properly. From the looks of things on the monitors, all of that destruction, he was going to have to be brief. Still, he was going to try his best.<br/><br/>He straightened himself and was about to speak when suddenly the Earth shook and the electricity was lost. Everything turned pitch black for about three minutes, then the backup generators kicked in casting a dim lighting over the room. A few of the monitors were out but from the one that was still active he could see the explosions. Raziel had made his first move; it seems his old friend was impatient as always, he needed to get himself in gear, he needed to act now. Thankfully the information Elias had sent had not been lost and they could still use it however unfortunately it was too late to give everyone a full briefing. The very thought made him groan, if only he had a little more time, it pissed him off that things were not going smoothly. He was seething but as always he remained composed to the best of his ability. He was sure to save everything before the power cut again. They had lost communications with Elias because of the power going out but he was trusting that he would continue to support his friends even if he was not on the front lines.<br/><br/>â€œIt seems Raziel has decided to make the first move so I will make this brief. Shizu, you are probably our best defense against those bio-weapons and as I have said keep in mind that you are just as much a primary target to them as Azrai. I hate to throw you in the middle of the fighting but it cannot be helped, we are simply too short handed, and again fall back if you feel youâ€™re becoming overwhelmed. I donâ€™t need two people going on a killing spreeâ€¦â€ Zachariah partially glanced to Azrai, who was still silent, the man was ready to spill blood and wouldnâ€™t be satisfied until he had done just that, when he said that. The man really was beginning to get more in the zoneâ€¦ He spoke louder, â€œAll I can say is that I do not want a repeat of five years ago. Should it even begin to look like a repeat to me, it will be unacceptable. We have been chosen by God to defend this world from evil and I intend to have Sanctus Unum brought to its knees by the end of today. Not tomorrow, today.â€<br/><br/>He was interrupted when someone entered the room with a worried expression on her face. â€œWe have to evacuate, sir,â€ He knew that she was right, with everything collapsing above ground the base was not going to last much longer. This place had been built to withstand a lot since violence was unfortunately common in the Holy Land, as well as act as a fallout shelter. Unfortunately that did not make it indestructible. To think that he had been snuffed out so quickly was pretty impressive; Zachariah would expect no less from old Raziel. Perhaps this was a wakeup call for those who did not know what they were up against.<br/><br/>â€œI am well aware,â€ Zachariah snapped before turning his attention back to the group. â€œEveryone, I truly apologize for not being fully prepared for this but the information had been given to me at the last minute whereas Raziel has been preparing for five years; the news of bio-weapons had thrown me off guard. Save whatever doubts you have for another time, we need to move.â€ Ever honest he was and his determination was unwavering. It didnâ€™t matter that he was nervous; he knew God would protect them and guide them through this. He wanted to free the people of the Holy Land, the world, not enslave them and become a God. Deep down he wished there was something he could do to save Raziel, forgive him for heading down the wrong path, everyone deserves forgiveness because God is merciful. No matter how much Raziel has changed he was still one of Godâ€™s children he was still the man who he had grown up in the same orphanage with, he was still his friend, he hoped that there was even a small amount of that left in him. It may be true that the world might not be big enough for the both of them in the end, but if could save himâ€¦<br/><br/>Wasting no more time he knew that they had to get out of here. Everything was starting to come down around them, he didnâ€™t want anyone to be caught in the rubble, and they needed to move quickly, he stayed behind a bit while he encouraged people to keep going. This would not be the first time that a base had been destroyed and certainly would not be the last. It mattered not, though, because he had a few more bases scattered around the Holy Land. Contacting them might be difficult. He knew that they were fully aware of what was going on it was just that he needed to speak with his leaders and form a more solid plan of action. Simply fighting back was not going to accomplish anything. They were going to have to hunt Raziel down and storm in through the front door. Bringing the fight to him was probably something he was expecting but that was a risk he was willing to take.<br/><br/>It was chaotic. After the power had finally gone out everyone had to use their knowledge of the place in order to get out, he would not allow anyone to panic. He had taught them better than that. Once outside a powerful wave of rage crashed into him when he saw the full extent of what awaited him. He could tell everyone was feeling the same way. Now that Raziel had successfully dug him out of his hole he knew that the battle had truly begun. From here on out, it was war.