MISSION: GET TO ZE CHOPPA

[initiatesnpc]

Date & Time: August 23rd, 2753 (OOCly forward-dated to the 1st)
Location: Uruguay National Defense HQ
Characters: All transports!
Summary: All transports are sent back to Uruguay to download a self-aware AI before it gets bombed out of existence by an early incarnation of the UE. Time distortion effects will be set right either on the way there or on the way back, according to player choice.
Warnings: violence, action movie tension, 3 terabytes of foot fetish porn.

The Transporter drops the entire transport population into what will quickly be established as Home Base, a mile from the vast, sprawling facility that is Uruguay's National Defense HQ. The low roar of helidrones moving above is pervasive, but the black ships can only be glimpsed here and there through the thick cover of trees overhead. If you keep calm and quiet, it's likely you won't be spotted. It's the UND HQ their attention is on, after all.

The population is quickly sorted by attending Initiate employees according to who volunteers to fight and who volunteers to protect, along with those with enough skill to access the computers, and those with enough skill to get them there. The fighters move out first, off to intercept the early UE's ships and ground troops, and to draw the automated defense systems of the facility alike. They'll be in a crossfire, and neither side will be happy to see them there.

The techies and their escorts are sent out far more quietly, in groups of three. Their task is to sneak past the front lines and into the facility itself. There might be alarms and automated defense drones, so those escorts may well be called on to earn their keep. The Initiative can't give any information about which building will house the AI's mainframe, that information was long since lost to history. All they can do is send out enough people to hope that one of them manages to find it.

And remember — as soon as the UE troops withdraw, there will only be minutes until the bomb drops. Everyone would do well to work fast.



[[ Mission information is here, and the techie/escort teams, along with their hacking results, are here. Each techie/escort group will have their own established thread, but Team Distraction and Team We'll Stay Here, Thanks are welcome to thread where ever and however they like! The newbie log that goes up on the 1st will also encompass the arrival back in Exsilium, if you'd like to play that out as well. ]]

Comments

home base & open

[gevurah]

a.

[ Recovery time would have been nice, but once Kate is suited up and entering the field she's almost on auto-pilot. Whatever's transpired in the past couple of weeks has to be put on the back burner so she can focus on what needs to be done. Right now, there are many at home base who need her to protect them and her senses haven't been this clearer in weeks.

She's perched somewhere away from most eyes, but she can be spotted every now and then. ]

b.

[ When troops get too close, she springs out and takes anyone who gets too close down with excellent precision, speed-- and force. Noses, ankles, and wrists break and she does her best to allow none to get past her. ]

A

[wilder]

[Most eyes, sure]

[Zelos still catches sight of her as he gets ready, it's hard for him not to notice the occasional streak of red at the corner of his eyes. He looks up, trying to see if he could get a better view of who is up there]

[gevurah]

[ It's never too quiet, with the ships engines roaring above their heads or from a distance. It's always there, reminding her to be ready at any given moment. Without the proper shadows to utilize to her advantage, she has to make do with whatever she has here.

She hears footsteps-- thanks to the mask that enhances audio in her ear-- and inclines her head to see who it is. A taut movement later she sees Zelos. This would be awkward if he knew who it was under the mask.

Thankfully he doesn't. ]

[wilder]

[He catches sight of the woman staring down at him. No, he doesn't recognize who it is, even with his eyes. Some mysterious redhead in a mask. What are you supposed to say to that]

Yo.

[And give a wave. Sure, that works]

[gevurah]

[ She freezes for a moment, canting her head to listen closely for a strange noise she thinks she just heard-- until it's gone. Could have been the trees. It's making her anxious, deep down.

She finally looks back at Zelos, expression obscured by the mask. ]

Eyes ahead. [ "Not on me." ]

[wilder]

Hey- sorry! You were kinda distracting up there!

[But fine he'll turn his head back to look towards the distance. Not nearly time yet]

[gevurah]

[ He's not familiar with the cowl, so she can't fault him. ]

How are the others doing?

b.

[debtor]

[And then Allen jumps out of a nearby tree— and he's a sight, with bladed claws where his left hand should be and a masquerade mask over his eyes, and his huge white cape swept forward in an arc that bowls over a couple of the UE's foot soldiers before they can retaliate.

Kind of an unorthodox method, but it works. He lands heavily, and glances Kate's way briefly— not recognizing her at all— before rushing forward to knock out a man with a blow from the armored glove on his right hand.]

[gevurah]

[ Instincts kick in-- a quick cursory look and she sees a great white figure fighting by her side. He looks familiar to her and though she tears her eyes away to focus on the soldier before her. Elbow to the neck, he's distracted and needing a moment to catch his breath and it's his downfall. Her heels slams into his kneecap and there's a sickening pop and he falls over.

Another foot soldier who gets too close to Allen is quickly dispatched by the blade from her gauntlet she tosses in his direction. It hits the soldier hard enough to confuse him, leaving him vulnerable to a hit from Allen. ]

He's yours.

[debtor]

[With a quick apology muttered under his breath (he has no taste for this, fighting humans on the battlefield, but what other choice is there?), he slams his fist into the side of the man's head with a spatter of blood, sending him sprawling. And he slices the man's gun in half with his claw, just to be sure; at the same time, asking her,]

Are you hurt?

[She doesn't seem injured, but it can be hard to tell.]

holy redundancy batman

[gevurah]

[ She's relentless and unforgiving with each and every foot soldier. One of them splits his lip open as her gauntlet brushes past his face, the blades cutting against the skin. She knees him in the liver-- another one down for the count. ]

I'm fine. [ Definitely Allen. There's a pang of guilt in her chest, but she attempts to ignore it. Apologies can come after. Most of UE's soldiers lay sprawled about them, however, she doesn't allow herself to relax yet.

He may be half her age, but he moves like he's born for the field. ]

You?

[debtor]

[While he doesn't quite have the know-how to land precision strikes on vital pressure points like she can, he's nimble as a gymnast and hits like a ton of bricks.

And he's got godmode powers, which helps a bit. He ties one man up with ribbons shot from his right sleeve like webbing, and swings his captive 'round into the trunk of a tree.]

Fine as well!

[When there's a lull, he stands up straight, listening to the screech and clanking of robotic weaponry in the distance.]

How much time do we have...

also let's pretend there was no guilt there. GDI I PAY ATTENTION REALLY.

[gevurah]

[ She knows each and every pressure point-- it shows. Anything that's exposed, she targets without mercy almost, but she isn't killing them. She's only knocking them out and leaving them with broken arms and ankles. ]

Not sure. Those who've snuck through the front lines haven't returned.

A

[queenoftherock]

[Ollie, too, is perched away, bow on the ready, hood on.. He uses this time to focus on himself, get a bit of target practice when he can. He's not really sure why he's out here, but he knows better than to stand back and do nothing.

Even if he was tempted to stand back.

He spies a flash of black and red. Naturally, Ollie follows. There's no way to know if they're friend or foe.]

[gevurah]

[ She senses someone tailing her not too long after they've started. She's trying to get to the highest vantage point, but stops midway. ]

You should be focused on something else.

[queenoftherock]

[Ollie stops, lowering his bow.]

My mistake. The movement made me curious.

[gevurah]

Don't shoot. [ She raises her arms, disarming. ] I'm on your side.

[ The costume reminds her a bit of Green Arrow. Is it Oliver Queen underneath that hood? Hard to say with alternate universes and the possibility not everyone uses the network. ]

[queenoftherock]

[His eyes fall upon the red bat symbol on her chest. It's hard to miss now.]

Who are you?

[gevurah]

[ To her, the better question is who is he supposed to be? ]

Someone here to help.

[ She tends to be vague sometimes, this time waiting to see if he'll introduce himself first. ]

b.

[skennen]

[Connor is skulking around the edges of home base after having to bring a stray child (an acquaitance affected by the time changes, no less) back from the 'front lines'. He considers returning to the task of acting as a distraction, but frankly he's not sure he wants to: the rush of adrenaline has worn off, his anger at the Initiative has temporarily faded, and he comes out of the fight unusually tired and dazed. His head swims in the memories of the short but explosively violent battle. All those machines, those different weapons... and the strange abilities of the other Transports.

If he did go back, it would be just to see more of those astonishing... powers of theirs.

But ultimately, instead of directly assisting the Initiative further, he chooses to stay near the base and help defend the Transports who cannot fight.

With the blood of too many men drying on his white and blue robes, he retreats to a large tree near the base's perimeter and settles high in its branches. He's reloading his flintlock pistol when he notices a brief flicker of red down through the leaves. His attention is directed to it immediately, all milling thoughts and the uncomfortable awareness of fresh wounds put to the back of his mind. With the readied pistol in hand, he starts a slow descent down the tree, branch by branch.

A woman soon comes into view and he watches as she engages an enemy soldier that's made the mistake of coming too close. Once the man's crumpled to the ground, Connor holsters his pistol and perches on the branch he happened to stop on. He whistles low in the imitation of an eagle's cry.]

[gevurah]

[ The sound of nature prevails in the occasional silence; she's heard birds chirping in the distance before their flapping wings took them elsewhere, safe from harm and away from all the noises. It sounds like one of the larger birds-- hawk? No, eagle. Very close. Her head darts to see where it's coming from and spots a figure in the trees-- a man, blood on his front. Not his, as far as she can tell.

Then it dawns on her: she knows this face. In her hazy memories (aging from twelve to thirty-two so quickly has not been fun), she recalls this one from the network. ]

Going to watch or lend a hand?

[skennen]

[Connor sits up a little straighter in his crouching at the sound of her voice, but he doesn't show any other, more obvious signs of recognizing her as the woman he spoke with on the machine.

He meant to ask how things have been going here but might as well get back to business.]

Lend a hand, of course.

[He reaches up and tugs at the bow that lies across his back.]

Unless you would prefer I lend a hand elsewhere...?

[gevurah]

[ She fixated on the blood on his shirt. ]

As long as you're lending it somewhere. [ They need to keep this up for as long as they can. ] Are you hurt?

[skennen]

I have been lending it often today.

[A simple statement devoid of any emotion that would otherwise make it a protest or a complaint. He glances down at his clothes and frowns.]

I will have a few scratches to attend to once the mission is over, but I am fine to help fight.

[gevurah]

[ Her mask hides her disdain; she doesn't kill on the battlefield, no matter what the stakes are. It's not how she or any of the Bats operate.

But while he's got a vantage point, she'll seize the opportunity to ask: ] Do you see any more soldiers coming? [ She'll have to move into the trees herself soon. ]