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]

[Blaine's eyebrows furrowed just a bit and his eyes slid off to the side. There was a moment before he responded with heavy words.]

When they retaliate we'll be dead.

[ladyspitfire]

[Elissa arches a brow and looks down at him.]

How do you know?

[strategic_guile]

[He looks straight at her.]

Because they've got what they want.

[ladyspitfire]

Information.

[And full access to the things they know. She sighs, her hand stilling briefly on his head.]

[strategic_guile]

[He agreed.]

About us.

[He continued to watch her.]

[ladyspitfire]

I know.

[Her frown deepens, eyelids at half mast. She slowly shakes her head.]

There's nothing that can be done. Unless we can go back in time, fix what has been done... There's little we can do now. We just have to make this failure count.

[But she can't deny her anger, the feeling of her privacy being violated.]

[strategic_guile]

We should have been prepared before we went. The Initiative knows there'll be consequences, and I know they're not ready.

[He closed his eyes.]

We got them all back just to die.

[ladyspitfire]

[They couldn't possibly have prepared enough before now. She knows this intimately. If the Initiative had even an inkling... But what if they did? Her mind is abuzz with the information but she tangles two fingers in his hair and tugs so he'll open his eyes and look at her.

When she speaks, her tone is low and firm, almost dangerous.]

We are not going to die. We will find a way out of this, but none of us are going to perish. Not after we've come so far to free them.

[strategic_guile]

[There's a displeased noise at the tugging on his hair and he does indeed open his eyes at the pain. He isn't angry or miffed so much as mildly irritated that she chose that method to get him to look at her. He searches her face but his own expression doesn't gain much hope or levity.]

Is that a promise?

[ladyspitfire]

Yes.

[Because Elissa has lost too much and come too far to let Blaine and his friends - and those she holds dear - perish. She refuses to give up and it shows in her eyes.]

This I swear.

[strategic_guile]

[Blaine reached up to grasp the hand he could reach. It was a firm, brief squeeze, but he didn't hold her to that promise. There were too many things out of their control for him to honestly believe that none of them would die once the UE set its eyes on killing them for good. After they poked and prodded the information out of their captives, what other use did they have? He closed his eyes to hide his doubt and avert his gaze away from her determination.]