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

that's a relief /o/;;

[justgo]

I've got a memory for this kinda thing, especially if you leave a good impression. [He joked about scaring people behind the times of modern civilization with E.T. for crying out loud, he was a keeper.] Sorry to ruin the fun.

[With a small breath in she lifts a hand, gives a little salute with a tilt of the head.] Don't worry, I wouldn't get anything out tellin' anyone anyway.

Your secret's safe.

[khajidont]

Dunno if I'd call it fun... but thanks, [Jaime says, hoping that she'll stick to her word - though it's true that he's not nearly well enough around here for his identity to mean anything to anyone. Old habits die hard.]

I'm Blue Beetle while I'm suited up like this, by the way. There's a few others around here who do the whole mask-and-secret-ID thing too. You'll know them when you see them.

[justgo]

[Little nod for the thanks as she settles back down, takes in the words.] Blue Bettle, got it. I really gotta call you that when you're in uniform?

Figured that was the case. You do little team-ups with them and everything?

[khajidont]

You can call me whatever you want so long as it's not my name. I've gotten lots of nicknames. [He waves a languid hand.] Blue, Beetle, BB, Double B... you little blue bastard, sometimes, if I'm hitting the guy talking to me. [He grins at her.] Let's avoid the last one.

[And as for her question:] I don't usually do team-ups. Either the crime's too small for us to need back-up, or it's a war, so we just work with whoever's around. The others are all from the same city, so I dunno, maybe they do it more than I do.

[justgo]

Last one doesn't roll of the tongue too nice for me, you're safe. [She laughs, shaking her head but matching the grin he throws over.] I'll find something, just you wait.

They might. Guess I'll just learn about this more as I go.

[khajidont]

We're in the same boat there. [He leans back in his chair again, propping one ankle up on his leg as he considers the whole problem of his voice. He looks over at his reflection in the window, and when he next speaks his eyes are a little distance - mostly because he's not actually speaking to her.]

We really gotta do something about this voice thing. Can't you do something?

[The next time he vocalizes his voice comes out sounding as if its gone through the wringer in a scrambler, more distorted tech than actually human.] Aw, no, I sound like a terrorist from a bad movie, dial it back a bit.

[The next time, it's his own voice again, but a little distorted, filtered through something that makes him sound tinny, distant. He looks back over at Tess and spreads his fingers wide and gestures inquiringly in her direction.] Think this works?

[justgo]

[The most Tess does is raise a brow, not sure just what's going on - most of it says the boy's got his head in the clouds but then he speaks again and she pulls a face, watches him a little more until a question's actually headed her way.

She wiggles her fingers, hands moving in an 'eh' manner.] It'll do. Take some gettin' used to, but for a stranger, you'd do fine.

Got a friend in there or something?

[khajidont]

Uh, kind of. The suit runs on an AI, [he says, though there's some hesitance in his voice now that he's aware of some people's distinct displeasure with an AI's mere existence.]

[justgo]

AI - that...[She's making a motion with her hands, trying to word it out herself. It's been a while, and going back to technology's been a ride. She's not against it, she's just been twenty years without hearing that sort of thing.] Artificial... Intelligence?

Christ, that sounds handy.

[khajidont]

You got it. [His expression relaxes into a loose, easy grin at her acceptance of the Scarab, and he settles back into his seat.]

It is handy. Like having a computer in your head.

[justgo]

[Blowing out a breath at that- she's still got it.] That don't get annoying or anything?

[khajidont]

Oh yeah, big time. Think of it as my own personal, seriously neurotic Jiminy Cricket.

[Only without all those pesky morals. He huffs a laugh underneath his breath.]

Totally worth it, though.