OPERATION SEXY MARIO: CONCLUSION

[initiates]

Date & Time: Sept 19th
Location: The UE Holding Compound, and surrounding area.
Characters: Anyone being rescued, doing the rescuing, or doing the distracting.
Summary: There have been some slackers freeloading off the UE for the past couple weeks or so, so let's go drag them home.
Warnings: Likely violence! Let a mod know if we should update this.

Those meant for distraction and those meant for rescue alike are both loaded onto the same stolen highspeed train. It's a great distance to cover, but the train manages in just under two hours, and deposits both groups three miles from the Holding Compound — a desolate and cold area, with rocky, uneven ground, small but jagged hills well-scattered and covered in scraggly trees — and there they part ways.

The diversion is sent away north, to draw United Earth attention and aggression upward, further into the continent, while the rescue team takes a much slower and quieter route to approach the Compound from the south, closest to Exsilium. The rescue team's orders are to wait a full half hour, to be sure that all forces who can be drawn out of the Compound to meet the sudden onslaught from the north will have already left.

The diversion team won't have an easy job of it. The soldiers are heavily armed, and trained to fight to the death before they surrender. They're grouped in organized squadrons, about 20 in each, and seem to outnumber Transports by three to one. Scattered throughout these soldiers are the Masked, the UE's special forces. These soldiers strike with a deadly precision, enhanced speed and strength, and highly advanced weaponry. Also, oddly enough, they seem to have a few smaller members among them, standing about 4 feet tall, and wielding strange powers… Those familiar with the powers of their kidnapped friends may see distinct similarities.

The Compound itself, when the rescue team makes their way in, will be very quiet. All prisoners had been forced into locked rooms (together or separately — whatever was most convenient) before the soldiers had left to face the encroaching threat. There are still personnel left to man the base, of course, and a few of them are armed soldiers — but for the most part it's scientists and researchers. Careful, though. Even scientists and researchers are perfectly capable of sounding the alarm to bring back the armed threats.

Once everyone is out of the Compound, the train will begin running a return trip. It will be kept as long as possible, while the distraction teams sneak back from the battlefield in small groups, but it can't wait forever. Those on the battlefield for the longest, the hardest hitters or the most dedicated fighters, might just have to find another way home. So… any Transports with relocation abilities feel like lending a hand?

Comments

[strategic_guile]

Better than a hospital.

[This was muttered under his breath as his eyes kept scanning the area. There were few signs around for him to make any determinations other than going further in. Scientists and doctors were pretty similar already. They just had different disciplines. Blaine slipped in behind her, crouched low and steady as he did his best to blend in and go unnoticed down the hall and around corners. His gun was half-raised and ready for what he felt was inevitable.]

[ladyspitfire]

[She waits while the guards continue to converse, watching their movements, waiting for the moment to either strike or move. But before she has a chance to, another guard enters and speaks to them. She catches 'intruders' and then all three are moving, leaving the area. Elissa does not relax, though she moves quickly to the end of the hall and turns to watch them go from the safety of the wall.

After a moment, she gives Blaine a look and then moves to one of the doors. It's locked with a keycard pass. With a growl, she shakes her head.]

We'll need to steal one.

[strategic_guile]

[Blaine looked back towards where the guards had gone. Yeah, they'd have to get one, but soldier or lab coat? Lab coat would be easier, but whoever he ended up finding first would be what he picked. They didn't have the luxury of time for him to pick out the perfect person to assault. After looking at the door and giving an educated guess on what kind of pass would make it through he said:]

I'll go find someone.

[And he immediately started to slip away towards where he last heard voices.]

[ladyspitfire]

[She knows he may just as easily find a scientist and end the worker's life. Elissa is about to protest when she simply nods and allows him to go, knowing it's an inevitable consequence of what they're doing. There's little that can be done. Time is of the essence.]

Be careful. If anyone passes by here, I'll take care of them. Hurry back.

[And if she has cause to, she'll follow him, if necessary.]

[strategic_guile]

[Blaine didn't plan on killing anyone, but it was certainly an option. He gave her a nod and was down the hall a short time later. He peaked around the corner and was gone, hunting for the voices. The place echoed a lot less than it should and he was grateful for it, but it was strange. They must have noise dampening in the walls.

Spotting a fluttering of coats he went to the hall and took a quick look around the corner. Just one. Good. He snuck up behind him and his arm was around his neck in a flash. The startled yelp was cut off before it could begin and his grip was tight as the man struggled. Blood cut off from the brain, the guy started to flop and black out in seconds.]

[ladyspitfire]

[Elissa waits where she is, back in the shadows, though none of the other doctors or scientists wander her way. A guard does, though, and she's quick to flatten herself to the wall. But he's on a direct collision course towards her partner and so she follows as fast as she dares behind him, stopping only to grab him and silently slit his throat with a single swipe. The body sags and she grips the man beneath the armpits, dragging him to the side and into an alcove. It's not enough to hide him forever, unfortunately, but it should give them time.

He has a keycard, too, and she swipes it. But when she returns to the door, it doesn't go through, beeping about needing Section A clearance.]

Shit.

[So the lab coats are the ones who can get further into the facility. She still has to wait. Her heart is pounding as she waits for Blaine to return, every second feeling infinitely longer.]

[strategic_guile]

[Blaine knelt with the body and checked the pockets and belt. He found the keycard and used it to open the door next to him. It was marked for storage and he could only hope that was correct. It beeped and slid open. He grabbed the man under the arms and dragged him halfway inside before he saw the tell-tale movement of white as someone walked between the isles. Shit.

Whoever it was called out and Blaine said nothing. He finished dragging the body inside so the door could close. He couldn't leave the conscious alone because he'd find the body and set off the alarm. Mouth thinning with determination, he walked to the isle and stopped at the end, gun drawn and ready. There was surprise and then the light was fading from his eyes as Blaine shot him twice in the chest. Once down he did another to the head and moved to the door. He gave the unconscious man a look, shook his head and shot him, too. Fuck it. No more risks. Just take them out.

He opened the door, took a breath, and peeked out. No one. Good. He made sure the card was still with him and darted out, moving low and as fast as he was able back to Elissa. So far it wasn't so bad, but as he turned the final corner he had a feeling his luck might have run out.]

[ladyspitfire]

[It was only a matter of time before someone heard the commotion somehow and noticed people missing. More guards were filtering down the halls to deal with the intruders in other wings of the compound, but they passed Elissa on their way down the hall and she knew that if Blaine hadn't ducked into one of those rooms, he'd either be spotted or he'd brush right by them. He could take care of himself, she told herself. He'd be fine.

But the inevitable thought of him in danger had her running after them.

They barely reached Blaine - and might not have even seen him yet - when Elissa slit the one man's throat cleanly, sending him to the floor. His comrade heard the noise and shouted, drawing his gun, but she had already embedded both blades in his chest and out his back. The third, well, he was the problem: the gun came out and she snapped her leg into his face, sending him sprawling for the moment.]

[strategic_guile]

[Blaine heard the shout and it made him pull back even though he was halfway around the corner. Then he rocked on his heel because what he had seen made him jump back out again. Elissa was closer to him than he remembered and he figured she had chased these guys down, but why? The two dropped to the ground and the last snapped his head back and flew a couple of feet, sliding along the floor.

The blonde didn't pause and raised his gun to shoot the man twice and finish him off. He popped out his clip to put in a pocket dedicated to empties or nearly so and put in a fresh one. He lifted an eyebrow at her, but his amused exasperation was evident.]

Was I a bit too slow?

[ladyspitfire]

[She withdrew her blades from the man and allowed his body to crumple to the floor. Flicking her swords idly to rid them of the blood dripping, she shrugged loosely.]

I was afraid you would be running straight into them. But the less others have to deal with resistance, the better.

[At least she could carve through swathes of enemies. Some of their comrades couldn't.]

Did you get a passcard?

[strategic_guile]

[He was definitely running into them, but was she worried he might not be able to handle it? He let it pass with just a blink and lifted a card from one of his pockets to hand to her.]

[ladyspitfire]

[She took the offered card and went back to the other door with him, using it on the lock. This one allowed it to open and she slid the door open, allowing her and Blaine to pass inside.

The next section was much more sterile, white and enclosed. It was the testing area just before the holding cells, full of instruments and tables, places for people to be examined. Elissa was not familiar with how these places worked in the future but she knew what a clinic looked like. She knew what they were used for. She remembered the excursion into the Alienage and the false clinics set up that were really holding pens for the elves.

Her stomach turned when she saw the various devices used to keep people there and calm, to ensure their cooperation.]

[strategic_guile]

[Blaine looked around, not touching anything but walking between the tables. Yes, he definitely knew a clinical lab when he saw it. Johnny was here, somewhere, and Collette, Vanadi, and countless others he knew. His stomach did not turn. He didn't feel anything but anger that ran hot and burned under his skin. He clenched a fist but didn't hit anything. There was no other sign but the coldness in his eyes and the slightly stiff way he walked as he went towards the other side to the next door.]

Let's go.

[ladyspitfire]

[Don't dwell on it, she tells herself. She's glad Zevran is not with her as they move on to the next door. She can't linger, she can't think about it. She just has to keep moving. Like always.

Elissa follows him to the door and outside, to the next row of hallways. There's a sign to the side that points to the holding cells...but she can hear commotion. People are being moved. She takes off at a run.]

Come on.

[strategic_guile]

[He hears the loud voices and scrambling from afar, too, and she doesn't have to tell him to follow. His legs are longer, but Elissa is fast and he isn't trying to run head first into whatever is happening without knowing what he's up against.

They run, he just behind her and then they reach the last barrier before the hallway where he thinks the action is happening and he slows. His reflexes are good, but the UE soldiers are sometimes better and he didn't come there to die.]

[ladyspitfire]

[There are soldiers up ahead, some of them trying to drag prisoners into the back holding cells, far from the upper blocks where the intruders are coming in. There's a pack of them at least, armored, and when Blaine and Elissa approach, they take action.

Unlike Blaine, she doesn't slow down; she actually sprints forward and leaps, slamming herself directly into one of the guards. Her blade goes into his heart, slicing cleanly through thick metal as if he is no thicker than paper. The other springs to life in a clean arc of fire and she wastes no time before beheading the soldier that tries to flank her. One of the scientists nearby scream. She doesn't even hear him. Her eyes are on the other pack of guards advancing towards them, their captives forgotten for the moment.]

[strategic_guile]

[He slowed and Elissa sprinted forward. He watched her as she gutted one and then dropped another with the effortless grace of someone who did it hundreds of times before. The second guard goes down and Blaine speeds up. He runs to the flank so that the captives aren't in his line of fire. As soon as the way is clear he fires, body shots, two for every guard now torn between the woman with the blades and the man with the gun.]

Get back.

[He instructs the captives so they'd stay out of the way. Hopefully they would back up but not run. He didn't want to have to round them up again to escort them towards the exit.]

[ladyspitfire]

[Elissa lets him gun down the ones out of her range. But any within reach are hers and she doesn't hesitate to make certain they die. It only leaves two of them close enough to fall to her blades but that's by and large enough. She sends a head rolling and the final guard gets three successive thrusts from her sword to his stomach before she slices him through, letting him drop to the ground.

Stepping with purpose over the corpses, she grabs one of the scientists before they scurry off.]

Free the captives. All of them.

[He stutters, petrified. "They'll kill me if I do."]

So will I.

[It doesn't seem enough to deter him and so she takes his head, turning to the next one. The man goes down on his knees in front of her.]

Last chance.

["It's a code, not just a pass card. You need the code." Elissa doesn't seem fazed by the idea and he quickly stammers out the numbers. With a nod, she moves to the other door to give it a try while the captives scurry out of her way. The door unlocks to the holding cells. She turns back to Blaine to make sure he's all right.]

[strategic_guile]

[Blaine is fine and heading back towards her, gun ready for anything else that might come towards them. Elissa would definitely kill them if they didn't give her what she wanted. He just wasn't sure the code given was the real one or a fail safe you put in that opened the door but also set off an alarm. Better that they got in and out fast before they found out.

He looked down at the man with cold eyes and pointed his gun at him.]

If that set off the alarm, I'll kill you myself.

[Then he was behind Elissa, going towards the door and through it.]

[ladyspitfire]

[Elissa wastes no time following after Blaine down into the holding blocks. There's a few prisoners nearby but she knows Blaine will need to go find his friends, and she will need to look for hers. She pauses at the beginning of the section, turning to him.]

We'll need to make this fast. Get who we can and get out.

[strategic_guile]

[He nodded and started to one side, looking inside and letting out anyone who was in there. His hands worked methodically and quickly. Each time he got to a cell he was hoping it was someone he knew and not just by face, but each time it was a disappointment. He went down the line until he reached the end.]

He's not here...

[He let out a breath and looked towards Elissa to see if she was done.]

[ladyspitfire]

[The prisoners they can free are enough, she hopes, but there are others to get to. But Fenris is not among them and, apparently, Blaine's friends are not here either. She turns back to him with a deep frown.]

My friend isn't here either. We could...split up, cover more ground.

[strategic_guile]

[Blaine looked at her for a second, his own mouth thinning. Neither of them had found who they were looking for, but he didn't necessarily want to split up. They would be safer together, but...]

If you want me to stay with you, I will.

[God knew she didn't need him to stay with her.]

[ladyspitfire]

[Splitting up at this point might be disastrous. Far be it from her to stop him - and she knows he can take care of himself - but the idea of something happening to either of them once they've come this far over a stupid mistake like this...]

Let's look for your friends first. Mine already have some help coming for them. We'll stick together.

[strategic_guile]

Mine does, too. [Gordon was out there and Blaine assumed he was looking for Johnny, too, though maybe not specifically.]

We'll search until we find someone.

[Blaine checked his gun and his ammo as he looked towards where they were going next.]