LadyAmber

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Chaos Shares Some Toys

Armory

Samantha

Samantha had approached Adam with her ideas. Samantha knew that Raven had more support personnel than her. While she preferred to work on her own gear, she knew she wouldn’t be able to this time. In the end, she did what she needed to do to help the team out. She wanted them in the best they could give them in the short amount of time they had to prepare. It sounded like in a few hours they would be deploying. If Samantha had more time, she could build them something amazing. Right now her body was telling her to recover. As much as she didn’t like to share her toys and trust people she didn’t really know well, she would have too.

Adam surprised her with his response. She had the impression that he would rather lock her in the brig than have her on his team.

"We have plenty. If you think it will work, do it. You have the resources of the free world. Enough to get her back here too apparently...."

Samantha was not sure how to take that comment. She looked puzzled as she looked at her current team leader. Skye was back and would be joining the team but Samantha had missed the who is in charge debate. She had been in the infirmary being treated. Samantha didn’t think it was a secret where Skye had gotten the missing data from. Samantha was unsure what Skye had told Raven. Was she back on Adam’s shit radar again?

Adam continued, "There will likely be some specifics to follow. But, prepare us for what's to come. I am sure we will have one hell of a fight on our hands."

Samantha gave him a serious look and a tired nod. “I will do my best sir.” She had left him to retrieve a tablet and the data and plans she needed before heading to the armory.

Samantha was drop dead tired and she hurt. The drugs Sophie had given her to speed up healing and help with the pain were meant to help her rest. She was pretty sure Sophie had dosed her with medical nanites to speed up the healing. She would need to be at Skye’s side when she called. She needed to be able to function when she did. She couldn’t rest knowing that the team needed to deploy in hours to save the world and many members needed gear. She wanted to make sure all her teammates made it home after they saved the world.

Adam had been surprisingly helpful. Samantha gathered the armor technicians together in the armory and gave them the plans and list of what needed to happen. She left Javi to help them. He would need to help get vehicles ready anyway. She would have to lean on other support members of the team this time. Her body was not going to give her a choice if she was going to be on this mission. She would have to get some sleep.

Chuck’s armor was still in pretty good shape and only needed some minor repairs. They needed to remove the dent in his chest piece and check it for weaknesses after. Duke’s armor was easy to repair but he would not be going on this next operation and would be staying at the base. Chuck saw to his guns himself. The only other thing he needed was to reload his missile launcher. Chuck’s suit was checked for sealing and air tight integrity. His suit had limited use in underwater environments but as long as he didn’t need to be underwater for a long period of time, he would be able to use his suit on the mission.

Samantha’s own armor needed major repairs. Ingwe had compromised the integrity of her armor and split some of the seams. She left her armor to have some of the gel replaced, the seams repaired and her torso armor plates replaced where they had been crushed. The layered design of the suit meant it was easy to repair with the right materials.

Samantha had given the technicians the designs to her armor. They had the materials on hand to create the armor for the team. The hardest part would be fitting the armor to the individual team member. The armor was meant to be customized for each person which might be a challenge without full body scans and measurements. She was confident that the technicians would at least be able to get basic armor to stop bullets for the team that was better than kevlar. Her armor was more flexible and allowed for greater movement and speed than kevlar. The gel layer helped disperse the kinetic energy from bullet strikes and reduce bruising and fractures. There were lightweight heavy armor plates on the surface of the suit to add heavier protection in key areas. The plates rode on top of the flexible under layer allowing for ease of movement and speed. She hoped that they had enough time to get everything done.

Samantha had plans to update Oliver and Freya’s heavy armor but she wouldn’t have time to implement those changes before this battle. Samantha’s sense of duty struggled with her body’s need to rest and recuperate. She knew that she would have to rely on others to fix and make the gear this time. It wasn’t easy for her though.

She passed out assignments and detailed plans and schematics to the team waiting to help pull off this miracle. She answered questions and hung around till everyone had started their projects and had the initial work started. Then she dragged her weary body to bed after a shower. She fell into the bed and was asleep about 5 minutes after her head hit the pillow.

---

0215 Local Time

Skybound :The Setup

Fireteam Icarus

Sam

Samantha struggled her way to consciousness. She frowned as an insistent buzzing echoed through her room pulling her from a deep sleep. Her eyes were still closed and she was not awake yet.

She spoke to the air, “The world had better be on fire or I am going to end you.” She sounded grumpy and probably made a comical sight as she threatened a box on the wall.

A voice came through the intercom and sounded quite amused as they told her, “Mission briefing in 15 minutes in the conference room. The teams are being activated for a mission.”

Samantha heard a chuckle as she responded with a very unlady like “Fuck! The bad guys couldn’t wait another 24 hours to try to end the world?”

Samantha pulled her weary body from bed and made her way to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and ran a washcloth over her face. The cold water helped her wake up. Samantha had dark circles under her eyes. She looked as tired as she felt. She stretched and was pleased to note that while she still had some twinges of pain when she moved, she was able to move more freely. The pain was much better and the bruising was less. She pulled on some clothes and shoes. She would get in her armor after the briefing. She headed towards the briefing room. She grumbled to herself, “There had better be coffee in the conference room. If there is not, someone may die today.”

Samantha entered the briefing room and headed straight for a counter along the back wall. There was coffee and some pastries laid out along the table. It was nothing fancy but she didn’t care. She poured herself a cup of coffee and fixed it the way she liked it. She took a sip as the nectar of the gods helped kick her brain into gear. She took a seat and waited for the others to trickle in and the briefing to start.

Skye started the briefing. Samantha snorted and dissolved into laughter as Skye told them where they had to go. She couldn’t help but wonder what dildo based sport made the town famous. She would have to look that up later. Football played with a Dildo shaped football? Hockey with dildos for pucks? She wondered if the high school mascot for the school was a giant fuzzy dildo. She knew it was ridiculous but hey she had ADHD. This was what her brain did when it was not suitably distracted. She took another sip of her coffee. It might be that she just wasn’t awake yet. She forced her attention back to the briefing.

She frowned as she tried to process the information that Skye was giving them about their mission. Hey eyes lit up with excitement when Skye unveiled the Corvid Wingpacks.

“Ohhh those look like fun. Sign me up Boss!”

She grinned from ear to ear. She had always wanted to try one of those. Now she will get her chance. Samantha noted the oxygen helmet and she wouldn’t need that. She could just attach her regular helmet. It was set up for oxygen attachments for when she was using her armor as a high altitude flight suit.

Samantha listened to the plan and frowned. She wasn’t worried about manually severing the server’s uplink. That was easy peasy. They would have to fight through any resistance they encountered. It was dangerous and tedious but they were all skilled operators. She wasn’t worried about that part either. She waited till Skye had finished the briefing before she asked the question she felt would be the biggest hiccup in the plan.

Skye finished the major part of the briefing, "Any questions? It's a bit more than our usual."

Samantha waited her turn as Skye called on Athena first. She couldn’t help smiling and then laughing out right as Athena shared her thoughts about the blimp and Dildo, Newfoundland. At least her thoughts had good company! She had not been the only one.

Skye let Athena get it out of her system. She could tell Skye was just kind of done over the whole Dildo and Blimp thing. She couldn’t help the smile that still lingering on her lips as she turned the briefing to a more serious topic.

“I am not worried about the fighting or the servers. That is within our skill set. How do we neutralize the Sol Hestia safely? We had to make do with what was on hand in Marrakech. Is there a plan for that?”

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Raven's Rock, Camp Hannula, Pöyrisjärvi National Park, Finland

The Finnish Home Improvements Centre (or the Armoury)

Samantha, Chuck, and Duke

Samantha frowned as she looked over the scene before her. After her experiences with Rose she was not as quick to assume that the woman she was looking at was Skye Lyons. She could understand the tension she saw from some of the team members. Her eyes flicked from person to person assessing their reactions and trying to follow the scene as it unfolded. She left herself some distance from the woman and watched even as she crept closer to the group.

One point in the Skye look alike’s favor was Duke’s reaction to the woman. Chuck didn’t call him off and was smiling which meant that he didn’t think she was a danger to his dog. More reassuring to Samantha was how Skye had greeted Duke. She remembered Rose’s cold and cruel way of interacting with others. She certainly would not have been friendly towards Duke.

Chuck smiled at Skye and looked amused as Duke greeted her with his own personal brand of charm. Skye greeted him and thanked him for the assist while Duke was licking her face and excitedly announcing to the whole base his friend was back.

Chuck shrugged as he grinned at Skye as he responded. “All in a day’s work. I got to blow up more stuff. What’s not to like?”

He waited till Duke seemed satisfied and Skye had returned the greeting before calling the canine back to his side. He patted Duke reassuringly on the head even as his tongue was hanging out of his mouth which gave him a lopsided grin look. Chuck chuckled and listened in with curiosity as he learned more about the current situation as Adam and Skye spoke.

Samantha listened intently as Adam broke into the conversation addressing Skye. Adam seemed to have insider information confirming Skye’s identity. Samantha began to relax as Skye filled Adam in on what had been going on. Samantha laughed outright as Athena asked Adam and Skye which one of them was in charge. The ultimate answer was that Oracle was in charge. Samantha was smiling and relief surged through her as she accepted that this was her Skye Lyons and friend.

She perked up as Skye began introductions. “Hacker?” She looked curiously at Enri. They would have to get together and talk shop. Hackers were always excited to learn from one another. There was always something new to learn.

Chuck paid particular attention to the time factor given for leads on their next operation.
Skye: "We have leads coming close and we expect to deploy within eight hours? And the fact that the central server for Rose is currently looking like it's nonsensical to find? Didn't need sleep anyway. World's going to fucking end, so hey. No pressure."

Chuck was surprised when Tahlia leapt at Skye and was hanging on for all she was worth. The usually stoic warrior woman’s emotions were on full display. Chuck had not noticed Tahlia’s new legs until Skye brought attention to them. Chuck had simply accepted that prosthetics were a part of the female veteran. He had gone out of his way to talk with her and encourage her. He hated that wounded veterans seemed to be discarded due to injuries. They needed to know that they still had much to contribute and could still serve. They were not lesser than they were before, they just needed to accomplish things a little differently. They might need a different set of tools but they were still very capable warriors when given the right tools and support.

Samantha was surprised that Purna seemed to have worked with Skye in the past. She shouldn’t be surprised yet she was.

Chuck looked amused as Skye asked Purna if he and Ebrima had been playing fair with each other. Skye obviously knew that the Gurkha might have an issue with the kukri that Ebrima had taken off a fallen opponent. Chuck respected Skye even more for understanding the diverse culture of the team and identifying things that might be an issue.

Samantha had hung back at the edge of the group as Skye answered and greeted everyone. Samantha found herself suddenly facing Skye as she pulled her into a hug. Samantha felt like a heavy weight had lifted off her shoulders as she received that hug. She had been feeling the pressure of the responsibility that Skye had placed on her. Then that responsibility was taken away here in Poland and given to others. She had still felt the weight of responsibility for the team from Kaitaki. She had not wanted to let her friend down.

Skye’s words were a balm for her shattered confidence and psyche.

Skye: "You did good. Really good. Glad you held your end of the bargain too! And....for what it's worth, not an easy thing at all considering what we're going through. Kameko by the way...I can see where you get it from."

Samantha hugged her back and nodded. “We will catch up later. I am happy to see you in one piece.” She reluctantly released Skye but let her go as she moved to talk to other members of the team.

Chuck gave an approving nod as he watched Skye greet every member of the team, especially the ones from Kaitaki. He had not had much time to get to know Skye as the team leader before he was evacuating from Kaitaki with the team. He was reassured that he was seeing good traits with her leadership even after everything she had personally been through. Chuck had seen action break many wonderful field team leaders. He gave her a nod of respect even as she gave the team direct orders.

Skye: "Alright, team. Get yourselves rested, and our locations should come through in a few hours.”

Skye: "Anyway. Things to upgrade, repair, yourselves to fix, and a job to do. We have a lot of people to save and no time for paperwork."

Chuck nodded respectfully at the orders. He was weary but he needed to make sure his equipment was ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. He would need to go clean his and Duke’s armor and send the armor tech’s a list of things to repair on them. He would need to reload all his ammo and clean his guns. Chuck whistled to Duke and led the way back to their section of the armory. He would let Duke eat and rest while he got the prep work done that was needed. He would then go get what sleep he could. He sent the armor techs the note about the large dent in the chest armor that would need to be repaired if possible. He cleaned up Duke’s armor and noted that there were a few bullet impacts on the sides that would need to be checked over for durability and weakness. He and Duke then took off to his room for sleep. He would find out more when they got their location briefing.

Samantha sighed as she heard the orders. They needed to be ready to deploy as soon as possible. She was going to need some help. She hoped that they had some competent armor technicians around. She was pretty sure they had some after all Blue Sword helped develop and market that kind of technology. She needed to help save the world from an evil clone. She did not give a shit about patents and proprietary knowledge rights on her designs. Some of the team needed all new armor after the damage they had sustained in the last fight. Her own armor had taken significant damage. Samantha knew that this time she simply would have to trust the work of others.

Samantha sighed and moved over to Adam. She nodded respectfully to him as she waited for his acknowledgement before beginning.

“Sir, many of the team need armor repairs or complete overhauls after the fighting in Marrakech. Do you have some armor techs that would be available to assist me? I have designs for my armor which can be made fairly quickly which would protect the group from standard weapons fire. They wouldn’t be able to take armor piercing rounds or high caliber rounds. It would stop a sniper’s bullet, and machine gun fire. My design provides more flexibility and speed while spreading the kinetic energy from a bullet strike over a greater area. This results in fewer broken bones from the impact and weaker bruising. The ballistics gel can also provide environmental control for the suit to help with environments. So cooling or heating as needed. With enough help the armor could be ready to go for the whole team in a few hours. It is pretty easy to assemble and make with the plans. I am willing to give the plans to Raven. I will need the materials and standard equipment that you should have on site for vehicles and armor repair. The suit can also be used as a layered armor by being worn under heavier plate armor. That is how Chuck’s suit was modified when I first got ahold of it. Javi has helped me with some of the materials and repairs on Kaitaki. He could organize the others here and answer questions as well.”

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Camp Hannula, Pöyrisjärvi National Park, Finland

2000 Local Time

Samantha: The gang’s all here!

On the tarmac

Samantha had passed out in the evacuation truck as her body crashed from the Raven Cocktail that her AI injected her with stimulants, painkillers, and adrenaline. Once she had made it to the safety of the vehicle her combination of injuries and the chemical crash knocked her out. She woke up on the plane ride several hours later. Someone had hauled her unconscious self onto the plane and seatbelted her into place. She woke up as the plane was being jostled by air currents as it descended for landing. The plane bumped as it settled onto the tarmac and came to a stop.

Samantha still felt groggy and like her brain was operating at about 15% efficiency. Her hands shook and it took her a few tries before she managed to get the seatbelt undone. She pushed to her feet and held onto the seat for a moment as it felt like the plane was tipping to one side. She knew logically they had landed and come to a complete stop and that the plane was not listing to one side. Her body swayed back and forth for a moment before her sense of equilibrium kicked in. She carefully began to follow the others as they made their way off the plane.

Samantha was focused on putting one foot in front of the other and staying upright. It hurt to breathe as her ribs moved painfully. Her breaths came in short sharp gasps. The painkillers she had taken in the field had worn off. Her nerves still felt raw. Her movements were jerky and she was walking a little hunched over hugging her ribs because it felt better. She walked down the ramp of the plane oblivious to the large group on the tarmac next to the plane. Her mind focused on finding Sophie or the medics.

Samantha blinked at Freya with a confused look as she spoke to her.

Freya: "Hey girl. How you doing? Everything okay?"

Samantha looks puzzled as she looks at Freya.

Samantha: “Freya? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the infirmary?”

She nods her head to herself as if agreeing with herself.

“I need to go visit you in the infirmary.”

Samantha's voice was a little slurred and it was obvious she was struggling. Samantha automatically smiles back at Freya as she smiles at her.

Freya: "I'm glad you're all coming home okay. You especially. Just take care of yourself. And if you need any help with anything you let me know alright?"

Samantha looks puzzled again and then nods as she replies to Freya.

Samantha: “Yes we all came home. I want to take care of myself. I need to go see Sophie. She is here right?”

Samantha looks at Freya hopefully as she waits for her to respond. Freya begins to rub Samantha’s back. She begins to wobble back and forth with the motion of Freya’s hand. Samantha is obviously still impaired from injuries she sustained on the battlefield.

---

Later that day

Samantha had been led from the plane to the infirmary where Sophie had checked over Samantha. Samantha’s ribs were only bruised from Ingwe trying to squeeze her like his favorite plush toy. Sophie had wrapped her ribs to offer some support and minimize the movement in her torso while the bruises healed. That helped her breathe better and deeper. Sophie had given her a cocktail of pain meds and put her to sleep. After spending a few hours sleeping in the infirmary so Sophie could monitor her. The painkillers that Sophie had given her worked on the residual pain she was feeling from the electric shock and her ribs. Her brain felt clearer as well. When she woke up this time, she felt more like herself. She was moving a little stiffly and with some pain but she felt tons better. She began to make her way towards the armory. She wanted to see how bad the damage was to her armor.

Samantha froze as she walked into what felt like a tense situation. Many people had their hands on their weapons. They were gathered around a woman that looked like Skye. There was a Japanese looking woman with some facial scarring standing behind Skye. Sophie was dragging a Japanese looking man away in her medical dictator way. Duke was standing on his hind legs with his front paws on Skye’s shoulders and was licking her chin, his tail wagging. Chuck was smiling. Ebrima’s body language looked tense; she couldn’t read his face, which was a blank mask. Athena, Jamie, Purna, Adam and Tahlia were also present. Samantha only had eyes for Skye. Her eyes narrowed as she moved stiffly towards Skye. Was this really Skye or another Rose clone?

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Camp Hannula, Pöyrisjärvi National Park, Finland

2000 Local Time

Boomer and Duke: Post Mission

On the tarmac

Chuck had come through the fight in Marrakech in one piece. His armor had some dents and could use some TLC from Samantha. He was almost out of ammo and would need to restock before the next mission. He would need to tear apart his guns and clean them. He had a bruise on his chest where he took a high caliber round. His armor had done a good job of displacing the kinetic force to reduce the injury he had taken. His armor had prevented penetration and he had avoided broken bones.The bruise would fade away in a few days. His movement would be stiff for a day or two but he would recover quickly. He was calling that a win.

He had checked over Duke on the way back to base. He made sure to give him some water to rehydrate him after action in such a hot area. Duke needed a good bath and a meal. He gave Duke a few high protein jerky treats that he carried for missions to help him recover the energy he had expended. Otherwise Duke looked fine. He didn’t find any obvious signs of injury on his canine companion. Duke’s armor needed to be cleaned up as well. It was clear that Duke had joined in the fight from the amount of blood around his muzzle and splattered across his armor. He had used some special wet wipes to clean the worst of the gore off to make him more comfortable. He would have to wait till they got to base to get it all off. Duke had curled up near Chuck and slept on the plane ride home.

Chuck was tired and ready for a hot shower and a meal. He climbed wearily to his feet and followed the rest of the team as they left the plane. He smiled as he saw the Battle Goddess greeting her siblings as they left the plane. He didn’t want to intrude on a family moment and simply smiled and nodded at Freya in greeting as their eyes met. He walked on by the group. He needed to take care of his dog. Duke had bounded over to rub along Freya’s leg in greeting, his tail wagging excitedly. Chuck whistled for Duke and he reluctantly returned to Chuck’s side after greeting Freya. Duke whined softly but followed Chuck’s command as the two left the tarmac.

---

Later in the armory

Chuck had gone straight to the armory where he began to pull off his armor. He had pulled his helmet off and set it on the bench. He opened the back and stepped out. He struggled and winced as he worked to pull off the neoprene ballistic gel under suit off. The motion pulled against the bruising along his torso. The suit took a bit of strength to pull off and some bending. The suit fit snugly and stretched a little. His armor hung on a hydraulic lift stand waiting for repairs and cleaning. He had already put his weapons away where they went. He turned his attention to Duke.

Once he was out of the suit he called Duke over to him. He sat down on the bench while he worked to take off Duke’s armor. He would check it over later for damage as he cleaned it. Right now he wanted to be sure Duke was okay. He ran his hands gently along Duke’s side and checked each of his paws. Duke yipped softly as he ran his hands down his sides. Duke had no broken skin but probably had some bruises where his armor had stopped a bullet. He frowned. He would have the vet check him for any fractures. He could tell from previous experience that his upgraded armor had done a better job than what he had been given for Duke in the Marines. He saw a few scratches along Duke’s legs. They were minor and from shrapnel on the battlefield. None of them required more than cleaning.

He whistled and had Duke follow him into the shower. He used the flexible shower head attachment and a special shampoo on Duke to help him get all the blood and gore off his muzzle and chest area. Once Duke was clean he quickly got himself clean. He turned off the shower and quickly toweled off and put on some clean sweatpants, t-shirt, and sneakers. He then carefully cleaned and inspected all the little cuts on Duke. Once he was satisfied Duke was dry and healthy. Chuck put down some food and water for him.

Chuck was puzzled when Duke didn’t immediately move towards the food and water. Duke’s posture went rigid and his head tilted to one side and then the other as he looked towards the door of the armory. Duke gave a happy bark and took off running towards the door. Chuck followed Duke and smiled as he saw what had drawn his attention. Duke slipped around everyone’s legs and rubbed along Skye’s leg barking demanding attention from her. His deep bark booming and echoing in the large space. He then stands on his hind legs and begins trying to lick her face. He is tall enough that way to reach her chin. Skye is being greeted by almost one hundred pounds of excited muscular dog with a rough tongue.

Chuck just laughs and nods at Skye. “Hello Bosslady.” Chuck is more inclined to trust Duke’s instincts over any code phrase to verify Skye’s identity. He knows Duke’s capabilities and trusts his partner.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Skye Rosalind Lyons

Los Angeles, United States of America

1200 Local Time

A Trip to Grandma’s

Collab between Skye Lyons and Kameko Takahashi (Samantha's Adopted Grandmother)

Kameko was in her apartment above the dojo having tea. She still taught classes but had to hire someone to teach the classes that her husband had taught. She was enjoying a nice custom blend of tea that Samantha had sent her. The girl had signed her up for a tea of the month club. Her thoughts drifted to her wayward adopted granddaughter. She missed her but understood the forces that were driving her to investigate her father’s death. Kameko feared where this would take her. She worried about her but knew that her only course of action was to support her. She only prayed that Samantha’s soul would one day make peace with what happened.

She sighed even as the sounds of the kendo class came through her open window. Her ear listened as the young man she had hired to teach the classes put a beginner’s class through their paces. He was more progressive in his methods and less traditional than Ryuji had been but she couldn’t fault that he was popular with the students. His class was made up of professionals in the area that were using the class for exercise. They at least always paid their bills on time.

She missed her husband Ryuji since she he had been killed in a terrorist attack. Her life was comfortable though. She didn’t really need anything. She could have sold the studio but her life and memories were wrapped up in her home. It felt like leaving him behind if she moved on. She wasn’t ready to do that. She wanted Samantha to have something to come back to. She worried that she was so hurt and damaged by life events that she would never know peace. Her mind pondered these things as she sipped her tea looking out over the street.

The address hadn’t been quite what Skye was expecting, and after the flight over from Tokyo, stopping in Kahului Airport, the shining lights of LAX had then followed, and after that, a significant amount of dodging security, other cameras and a bunch of other resources. Ban’s fixers had run out, and now it was just them. A stolen car, her hair slightly regrown, a pair of aviators and a leather jacket did the job to turn Skye Rosalind Lyons into someone slightly different to who she had been.

And outside, the old Buick sat there, as Skye sighed, engine turned off, and then climbing out and heading towards the door, knowing this would be it. She hoped Sam was right, on this one at least. In any ordinary team, Sam would have been disciplined within an inch of her life, but quite ironically, in the way that Skye had ended up with a dysfunctional team, they’d ended up saving the world. Strange, that. But then again, Skye was a little bit of a rebel herself. Perhaps it just came with the territory. Get on board a bunch of rebels, outlaws, strangers and you end up with people who end up fixing the world this way. And they wouldn’t think too much about Sam, they’d go for Skye, considering the events that had recently happened. Which made this even more handy.

With a knock on the door, Skye awaited a response, and hoped for something to come back.

Kameko was surprised to hear a knock on her apartment door. She wondered if a student had taken a wrong turn. It didn’t happen often as the dojo was on the bottom floor of the building. The upper two floors were the apartment that had been her home for over 40 years. The building had a lovely manicured backyard that was a peaceful oasis in the middle of a very large urban city. She set her teacup down and went to the door.

She remembered what Samantha had told her the last time they had talked. It had been a hurried phone call and she had no clue where the girl had been. The connection had been poor. It was also obvious that she had not been able to talk freely. Their conversation had been in code. Kameko was aware of what Samantha did for a living. She knew that the girl had secrets that she was safer not knowing. She had let her know that she might get a visitor but that visitor would know the code to give her. She had also warned her to be careful. Kameko was an older woman but she was still graceful and strong thanks to the martial arts she practiced. She was not an easy target for anyone. Caution made her pause and check through the peephole to see who was standing at her door.

Standing there was an athletic looking red-headed woman. She kept the chain on the door and stepped to the side so that the door couldn’t hit her if it was kicked in. She opened the door to the length of the chain before answering the door.

“Can I help you? The dojo is downstairs.” Her Japanese accent was slight and her English was clear.

Skye picked up the voice, and immediately could catch that tell. Kameko.

“I’m not here for the dojo. Listen, I know Samantha….and she left this.”

Skye added, passing a tiny slit of paper through, a small code with the number on it, handwritten, catching the watching eye on the other side.

“Her, and the team are in a lot of trouble. And I’m just trying to help. I’m a friend.”

Kameko’s eyes narrowed as she accepted the slip of paper from Skye. She looked down and read the message on the paper. The code was correct but she was still suspicious. She wanted to be sure that the woman was from Samantha and not just taken the code from one of her trusted people.

“What is Samantha’s prized possession?”

“The Shelby that’s parked inside. She wouldn’t ever shut up about it.”

Skye replied with a funny reply, chuckling, her Scots accent carrying back again. Skye would have guessed the suspicion came from a good place, and knew Kameko would not have Sam watching over right now, considering the team were likely back out again, or isolated out again.

Kameko gave Skye a soft smile and a nod before removing the chain on the door. She opened the door and gestured inviting Skye inside.

“Welcome to my home. Please join me for some tea and you can tell me why you are here.”

She waited for Skye to enter before closing and locking the door behind her. She led the way through her living room to the window that overlooked the backyard where she had been sitting and having her tea. It was a small conversation area with a small table between two wingback chairs. She gave Skye a half bow as she excused herself and went to the kitchen to fetch another cup. She returned shortly and poured some fragrant tea in a Japanese style cup and handed it to Skye.

“There is sugar and cream if you would like it.”

She indicated the typical serving sides on the tray with what appears to be an antique Japanese tea set.

Skye smiled back, the hospitality that Sam had clearly reflected in her childhood guardian, Skye bowing with a certain respect, a distinct one considering how gracious a host Kameko was being right now. Sunglasses off, the tired, jetlagged face of Skye could be seen, and her jacket was not doing a good job of covering up her wear from losing a lot of blood, and her wound tightly still bandaged in her side beneath it.

“Thank you.” Skye replied, gently sipping down, before putting the cup back, not taking sugar or cream.

“I apologize for visiting, as I’m sure Sam hoped a stranger would never come. I am not sure what Sam told you about her work, but as you can imagine, she is quite extraordinary.”

Skye started, gently taking another wick, before putting it down, smiling back at Kameko.

“That tea is good. Lovely. So, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Skye Lyons, former head of an elite, multi-national taskforce that hunted down extremist terrorist groups considered a threat to global stability. And as of three days ago, we were attacked. If it wasn’t for the actions of Sam, things could have ended a lot worse. Especially for me.”

Skye started, fumbling her words a little towards the end, hinting at what had happened.

“But there is something she did. Something I didn’t even expect. She kept some data here. A small box-like compartment that contains our data. Kameko, this may be critical to saving the world. It contains information on a group that could be undertaking something so deadly, it may spiral. There are a lot of lives that could be saved. Tens, if not hundreds of millions in the balance.”

Skye knew this would be a big deal, perhaps a little strange, so she sipped down a little more, and took the older Japanese lady in again, this time more in an English-speaking context.

“I understand you probably don’t trust me, and I understand you may be hesitant to trust my identity, who I am, or what I’m doing. But believe me, this thing she did was beyond important. I nearly died for it twice. Sam was willing to risk the same. If you have it, I’d really appreciate it. I can return it to the team, and we can find out what this group is doing. And put it to an end, at last. The last thing I did was to leave Sam to direct them to safety. And I know she will..”

Skye replied, knowing this was not an easy thing to do, but well, it had to be asked- as direct as possible.

Kameko gracefully sipped at her tea as she watched and listened to the woman explain who she was. Her face remained serene even as her head tilted slightly to the side in a listening posture. She smiled as she heard Samantha described as extraordinary. That was something that Kameko knew better than most having known Samantha for most of her life.Kameko set her almost empty tea cup back on the tray as Skye began to explain who she was and what she needed.

Kameko could tell that Skye was just as guarded as Samantha. She reached over and took one of Skye’s hands and gave it a gentle squeeze as she shook her head with a soft laugh.

“You remind me of Samantha. I know that what she does is top secret and dangerous. I also know that you would never have been able to answer my question if Samantha did not trust you Skye. Samantha does not share details of her life with many. Where did she tell you that you would find the box?”

Skye had a think, but it came back fast enough, even in spite of the injury that had happened.

“The saddle bag on her motorbike. That was what Sam said.”

Skye simply replied, chuckling, hearing Kameko’s reply.

“She is one hell of a person. Perhaps excitable, but keeps her humanity well.”

Kameko smiled and nodded. She rose gracefully to her feet.

“Follow me. I will take you to it.”

She led the way back to the apartment door. She waited for Skye to exit before keying in the code on the electronic lock and waiting to hear the motor engage the deadbolt. She led the way down the stairs and took a turn through a short hallway that led to a back door. She keyed in another code to open the door to the backyard. She led Skye through a small but beautiful manicured yard over to a free-standing garage to one side of the yard. She once more keyed in a code that let her into the side door of the garage. Inside the garage the lights came on and the private high tech yet homey garage that was Samantha’s personal joyful space was visible. There was a car under a cover in one of the bays of the garage. A deep purple and silver custom street bike was in the other. The bike had some saddlebags on it and had a storage compartment under the seat. Kameko waved a hand towards the bike.

“Please look for yourself. Samantha was always here tinkering on something.”

Kameko stayed by the door as waved Skye into the interior of the garage.

Skye whistled, looking around, impressed by it.

“Quite the life she built here. Must have been working on lots before I called.”

Skye added, looking around and impressed by the sight of it. Walking up to the bike, she pulled on the leather saddlebag, and with it, pulled out the SSD-sized device, bringing it to bear and checking it through, before snuggling it into her coat pocket.

“She had a hell of a life I guess. Always talked about it. Doing stuff with it. I suppose she had a family with us, yet….well, there’s always projects to finish.”

Skye spoke to herself softly, before looking back to Kameko, a smile back on Skye’s face.

“Thank you. I owe it to her to bring her. And the others, too.”

Skye added back to Kameko, the crack of a smile even forming on Skye’s replying face, considering what she’d seen. In spite of all the pain, suffering and agony of the last few days, this was the rare moment that it felt like humanity could be seen. Not someone with a capacity for boundless violence, but someone who was genuinely, truly, innocent. Worth protecting, and as much as Skye hated the idea of going out at all, making this move was important for what she had planned next.

Kameko had a sad wistful smile on her face as she looked around the garage. Memories of Samantha working on a project came to mind. Her chasing the girl out of the garage for a meal or forcing her to rest when she got too wrapped up in a project. She remembered Ryuji trying to learn from Samantha and brought another sad smile to her face. Kameko came back to the present as Skye began to speak. She had obviously found whatever it was that Samantha had sent her to retrieve. She gave Skye a slight bow of acknowledgement.

“You owe me nothing. You are out there fighting alongside my granddaughter. You are welcome in my home anytime Skye Lyons. Is there anything else I can do to help you?”

Kameko’s head was tilted to one side in query. Unsure if Skye would allow her to help her more than she had.

Skye smiled, with a nod, as if to confirm that only this little had been more than a world of enough.

“One day I hope Sam is able to tell you all of what is going on. Believe me, it will make quite a story. This is all I need. Thank you, Kameko.”

Kameko nodded and led Skye back to her car, locking everything back up as she went. She thought about Samantha as she cleaned up the remnants of the tea setting her kitchen back to impeccably clean. Her thoughts on Samantha and the danger she was in. She would say extra prayers to the ancestors to watch over her and bring her home safely once more.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Samantha Dalton AKA Chaos

Souk Semmarine, Marrakesh, Morocco

1412 Local Time

Chaos is Not a Plush Toy!

Samantha had managed to get out away from the crushed stalls. She was grateful her idea for immobilizing the mech had worked. She had begun to try to circle around behind it when Ingwe made his move. She was not in a position where she could see Ingwe or the front of the mech having moved around behind it. That was when she heard a deep and terrifying voice which seemed to reverberate in the air around her.

"And you! You cannot run from me! I'm going to rip you into pieces!"

Samantha didn’t have time to react as a large area effect electrical attack landed right in front of her. The flash would have blinded her if her suit’s visor didn’t compensate. Her body went rigid as an electrical current passed through her. Her suit was insulated to a degree and grounded even with the rubber soled boots she was wearing. The gel layer in her armor dispersed most of the electrical charge but it was very strong and had landed almost on top of her. Her body went rigid as if she had been hit with a high powered taser before collapsing to the ground like a marionette with her strings cut. She was struggling to breathe as pain coursed through her body. She felt like all her nerve endings were on fire. Samantha was disoriented as her HUD was shorting out and blinking as her AI dealt with the overloaded circuits built into her suit.

Samantha was not a heavy. Her armor was designed for mobility, flight capability, and to interface with electronics. She was very squishy compared to her heavy teammates. Samantha could feel the vibrations of Ingwe’s steps through the ground, not that she could focus on it. Samantha felt like her brain was short circuiting along with her suit. Samantha was not capable of protecting herself at that moment as she had been incapacitated by Ingwe’s attack.

Ingwe’s voice was closer as he told her.
"Now, you'll squish like a cockroach you are. No Freya to protect you now...."

Before she had even gotten her breath back, Ingwe picked her up in an electrically charged fist and was squeezing her. Her screams were cut off as she felt his fist tighten around her midsection. Her arms were trapped at her sides. He pushed her back against what was left of the mech’s leg which was still hot from the explosion. Samantha could feel the heat and pressure along her back where he pressed her. She was close to passing out, unable to breathe and in unbelievable pain.

Samantha was somewhat oblivious as she was suddenly wrenched from Ingwe’s fist by Athena and dropped. Samantha was disoriented and gasping for air. About that time Bob’s voice said “Activating field medicine protocols.” Samantha was oblivious as her AI, Bob, saved the day by hitting her with the Raven cocktail of stimulants and pain killers. She was suddenly able to draw a deep breathe even as she felt the kick of adrenaline. She shook her head as if she could clear it as she struggled to understand what had just happened to her. Her brain struggling to process what she was experiencing and hearing.

Samantha was not sure if she heard Athena over comms or if she was close by. She knew she heard Athena tell her to run.

"Yeah, well, she sends her regards, motherfucker! Chaos, run!"

Her brain was still struggling to catch up with what was happening as she heard Wilk order them to regroup.

"Wilk to all callsigns, regroup, BTRs are down and immediate threats are eliminated. Valkyrie, we need to fucking leave, now!"

Samantha finally managed to get up on her hands and knees. She began to crawl away from Ingwe as Athena had him distracted. She managed to pull herself to her feet on the remains of the truck. She swayed back and forth on her feet. She put a hand to her head which was still in her helmet. She felt woozy and weak.

She heard Athena replying over coms once more.

"Affirmative. Fine. Have it your way."

"Take a stim and run. Try not to think about the fact he nearly squished you like a bug, and let's try not to die getting out of here!"

Samantha swayed but began to move under her own power as she made her way towards the trucks in the distance. She was following the waypoint that Bob had put in her hud for her. He had included flashing arrows and was in her ear encouraging her to move. The last jog towards the extraction vehicles was a blur. Samantha ran and dodged on autopilot. Her body still buzzing from the electricity. Adam seemed to sense how bad was she was injured and guided her into a vehicle.

Samantha slid down the wall resting her back against the wall of the MRAP. Samantha said the only thing on her mind, "I am not a plush toy!"

She then promptly passed out. Her suit had a charred spot on her back and was leaking gel that had been squeezed out when Ingwe had tried to use her body as a stress toy. Her armor was shattered around her rib cage and the under layers showed through in places where Ingwe had overwhelmed the tactile strength of her suit. She would be in much worst shape without it.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Chuck Simmons AKA Boomer

Souk Semmarine, Marrakesh, Morocco

1412 Local Time

---

Chuck was a sight to behold as his pain at being hit in the chest turned to rage. He pulled Lucille free after pulverizing the EXO soldier’s head like a melon. He spun on his heel and took a giant step towards the next Exo. He just kept pressing forward to keep his momentum up. Lucille’s solid tungsten core and titanium shell paired with Chuck’s massive strength crushing and disabling the exo suits and pulverizing the soldiers wearing them. He screamed and looked like a war god of retribution as he laid waste to a small group of Exos that had run to engage him. He swung with all his body getting into it as if he was hitting home runs. The power he managed to generate launching the Exo he connected with off his feet sending the man flying back about ten feet, leaving his armor crushed in on the side crushing the man’s chest underneath. Chuck had cleared the small squad of Exos and paused and turned towards the IFV.

His armor was dented and scratched and had small pock marks where it had taken smaller caliber fire. Chuck was out of missiles. He let Lucille dangle by the wrist strap as he attached his grenade launcher to the underside of his carbine. He peppered the area where the unloading soldiers appeared. He aimed at the rear of the vehicle. He fired frag grenades, hitting the rear of the vehicle and disabling its ability to move. He cleared the 10 man team that had come out of the IFV with extreme prejudice. He pointed at the IFV as the guns turned towards him again. “Your next!” He then began to jog towards the IFV.

Chuck ran up the front of the vehicle and hit the gun barrels from underneath. His swing deformed the barrels and almost tore them off the roof of the IFV. Chuck laughed and used his jump jets to get on top of the IFV. He grabbed the weakened section of armor and used the guns as leverage and applied his strength. He peeled back the armor on top of the vehicle like opening a tin can. “Hey buddy you forgot this!” Chuck fired 4 taser grenades into the cockpit. He jumped down and began to look around to see where he was needed next when he heard Wilk over comms.

"Wilk to all callsigns, regroup, BTRs are down and immediate threats are eliminated. Valkyrie, we need to fucking leave, now!"

Chuck responded “Boomer acknowledges.”

Chuck whistled for Duke and he began to make his way towards the trucks. He reloaded his carbine and took potshots at anyone in his way. He covered Tiny as he made his way towards the truck. He moved quickly but with cold calculation as he aimed for head shots. There was a group of soldiers that came at him thinking there was safety in numbers. Chuck laughed and used Lucille on the wrist tether as he swung the heavy weapon out in an arc that knocked over the lightly armored soldiers crushing them. They fell apart like bowling pins. Chuck made it to the trucks they were using for exfil. He kept up his rate of fire covering those of the team still loading up. Duke came loping in from the side his muzzle covered in blood. He jumped easily into the back of the truck and came to a stop next to Chuck.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Samantha Dalton AKA Chaos

Souk Semmarine, Marrakesh, Morocco

1410 Local Time

Chaos Versus Mech

Samantha had been focused on how to execute the order that Adam had given her. She couldn’t hack the mech remotely. The only option left was to try and disable it in person. In order to do that she had to get close enough to touch it. In order to get anywhere she would need to be able to get to sensitive parts. She needed to immobilize it for a bit. If she can just knock it off its feet or disabled a leg she might stand a chance. She planned to use the truck to ram the mech. The heavy old steel body truck might just do the trick. She had clicked the seat belt just in case. She didn’t plan to stay in the damn thing when it hit the mech though. This thing didn’t have airbags and only had a lap belt. She knew better than that. She was waiting for the opportune moment and place. She also had to get the old truck some speed and momentum built up. She had gone past the mech and was turning around to aim for it building up speed.

She was just starting her line up run when she heard Adam call out over the comms. "Oh shit, Chaos, what are you doing!?" Samantha rolled her eyes as she replied to Adam “What did you expect me to take a hardened mech down with? I left my lasers and missiles in the F-38 and shop.” She snarked back at Adam. Samantha’s sassy attitude on full display as she heard Athena as well. "Chaos, you crazy fucking bitch, I like it!" Samantha grinned. “Thanks for getting his attention, Athena. Now keep it for a few minutes while I get this ancient truck in gear, so I can ram it up his ass. Be prepared to disengage on my mark.”

Samantha shifted the truck gear and unbuckled the seatbelt. She grabbed one of her daggers from her bandolier and quickly stabbed it down on the gas pedal jamming it down. She quickly pulled the lap belt around and through the steering wheel. She clicked it back into place. She sat down on top of it and had enough play to steer by. She was getting closer to the mech. She rolled down the window on the driver’s side. She managed to get her feet up on the driver’s seat. She climbed out the window and stood on the side rail steering the truck through the window. She tugged the seat belt tighter as she got closer to the mech. She was coming at him from an angle. She was hoping to hit from the rear side. She was aiming to cripple that hip actuator and joint to disable the leg and get the mech on the ground.

She was focused on finding just the right spot to bail when she heard Adam over comms. "Cover my ass, stay the hell away from me but get ready to rain down some fire! Scion, on your quarter, I'm gonna make a run, Chaos, now!"

Samantha spoke to Athena over comms. “Athena, here I come, disengage now!” She was passing one of the market stands. She cinched the seat belt tight as the truck was lined up as best as she could get it. She leapt from the truck and tucked her body into a roll to spin off the excess force. She landed in a pile of rugs which padded her landing somewhat. She was still going to feel those bruises tomorrow. The gel padding in her suit helped to spread that contact force out some. The heavy 2 ton steel truck had managed to get up to about 45 miles per hour and was right on target when she bailed with only about 15 feet to target. She curled up in a ball and covered her head as she heard the truck hit the mech with a massive boom! The sound of the collision shook the ground as the two heavy objects collided. Samantha could feel metal raining down around her and punching through the canvas and corrugated plastic roofing of the nearby market stalls.

Samantha waited for a minute as she got her breath back. She then uncurled and made her way out of the merchant stall. Everything was blocked by shredded canvas hanging from the ceiling. She made her way carefully outside. There were large and small pieces of shrapnel from the collision all around her. She finally made it outside and oily smoke filled the area. The old truck was on fire and was the source of the oily smoke. The heavy truck was completely destroyed on the front end and had flipped over on its side, which had been shredded as well. The mech had been knocked forward. She could see the operator was trying to right the mech. She did a quick fistpump as she saw the hip area on the mech was crushed in and the leg was barely hanging on and was jammed. The mech operator might be able to sit the mech up but it was not moving anywhere. The collision had cleared the area around the mech as the shrapnel from the collision took out anyone who was not heavily armored. She began to make her way carefully towards the mech. She hoped the operator was too busy to notice her. She tried to slip around behind the mech.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Chuck Simmons AKA Boomer

Souk Semmarine, Marrakesh, Morocco

1410 Local Time

Welcome to the War of Tomorrow

---

Boomer had completed his side task of destroying the toxin so it couldn’t be used by the enemy and helping destroy the equipment on site to prevent them from being able to start production right back up again. He had then hightailed it out of the garden and back into the marketplace out the other side of the garden. He was heading towards the Blue Sword team with Scion. He and Scion had been dumped right into the line of fire immediately taking on enemy hostiles coming towards the garden from the marketplace. Very few locals remained as they started to flee as soon as the gunshots started to fly.

As they broke out into the chaos, Boomer dropped into that bent knee walk that looked awkward but provided a smooth and more stable firing platform from. He pulled his modified carbine up and began to target heads. If they were firing at him, they were fair game in his book. He swapped out a magazine quickly as he continued to nail the stream of enemies targeting them. The gunfire and violence was bloody, loud, and abrupt. The heavies quickly made a pocket of space around them with dead bodies or injured men who had been disabled. The metallic tang of blood permeated the air around them overpowering the typical scent of spices from local merchants. As they were making their presence known at the entrance to the market from the garden area, Athena was tearing up the space around her as she took on large groups of Artemis soldiers at the other side of the market.

The marketplace was a scene of utter chaos and upheaval with firefights, guns, explosions, and collisions happening everywhere at once. Adam came over the team comms with new orders.

Adam's voice was heard. “Scion, you keep the right angle, Boomer, you're on left, Valkyrie, you, Nord and Fireteam Gold have the middle, I'm in pursuit! Boaro, if you're at that AT position, steal what you can and clean up BTRs from up on high, any mortars, hit the mech even, fuck, work out what you can but don't fuck around, we're taking serious fire!"

Boomer calmly called over the comms “Boomer acknowledges, left side is mine.” He gave Duke a hand sign since the noise level made verbal commands awkward to hunt. Duke immediately slunk towards the side of the marketplace and disappeared down an alley. Boomer had to trust his canine partner would be okay until they met back up. Duke had already begun to seek out anyone who smelled of gun oil or gunpowder taking down a man who had been missed in a side alley. Duke lunged for the man and his teeth closed on the man’s throat and his weight knocked him to the ground. Duke had been moving fast enough the man’s shot missed him.

Boomer focused on what was happening on his side of the marketplace. There was an IFV that was bogging down Blue Sword troops on his side of the marketplace. The IFV was firing at Raven forces with high caliber shells. There was also a large number of troops being led by officers in Exos. Boomer had fired his missiles off earlier. He began to run towards the troops firing his carbine as he went to take out as many of the enemy as possible. Boomer was a great shot and almost every shot counted to at least injure or wing an enemy trooper. Boomer shot towards the action, his suit helping his speed. His steps leave marks in the concrete pavement due to his weight. Boomer was focused on getting closer to the exos and the IFV and had missed the large caliber shell sent his way. He was flipped over backwards as the IFV opened fire on him.

Boomer’s armor stood up to the punch but it knocked the wind out of him and left a dent behind. He was wheezing and felt like he had been kicked in the chest by a mule. “Somabich! That hurt!”

Boomer rolled over and pushed himself up onto his knees. He made his way back to his feet. Now it was personal. He had dropped his carbine when he had been knocked for a loop but it was still attached to his combat harness. He began to jog towards the IFV. He pulled Lucille back out from her sheath. He made sure it was connected to the wrist clasp. The first EXO clad enemy moved to intercept him. He growled and spun Lucile overhead. The EXO fired point blank at his chest but his armor held. Boomer was feeling no pain now that his endorphins were kicking in. He let his rage out as he brought Lucile down in an overhead smash using all of his strength. The heavy Japanese style mace slammed into the EXO soldiers head. His helmet held for a split second before the energy generated by his swing cracked the man’s helmet and his skull like a ripe watermelon.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Samantha Dalton - Callsign: Chaos

Sometimes Chaos Comes To You

Souk Semmarine, Marrakesh, Morocco

1410 Local Time

---

Samantha had been tasked with taking down the mech by Wilk. She trusted that Boomer had the destruction of the toxin in hand. She had lost her commandeered drones in supporting actions. She had hacked them and turned them on their own men. They had helped distract and take out guards when Purna was fighting his way out of the residence. Artemis troops had taken them out with extreme prejudice. Samantha still had Bob monitoring her temporary button cameras that she had slapped up around the area on her way in. Samantha had been standing on top of the wall to assess what was going on around Athena and the Blue Fire operatives when she received Boraro’s message about giving him a heads up.

Samantha took a moment to review the footage around where the team was and where they were moving too. She was not surprised to confirm the IFV’s and the mech close to the Blue Fire Team. Samantha gave the update over team coms. “Boraro movement spotted to the south of you. Looks like local allied criminal forces are trying to come up behind you. They are moving through homes and alleyways and avoiding the main streets. They are spreading out in an arc. There is a two person team with an RPG launcher to the East in an alleyway that lets out into the main road of the souk, there is what looks like a sniper and spotter team setting up on the roof terrace of that white three story building that looks like a tower. There is a five man fire team converging on the garden from the west through a merchant home and shop. They are currently in the alleyway next to the restaurant with the yellow sign.” Samantha gasped as Bob interrupted her with an identified high value target of opportunity. “High value target identified leading the fire team. Bomb maker for hire Friedrich Koch.”

Samantha pulled her attention back to her objective. She needed to get to the mech and figure out a way to take it down. Samantha used her parkour skills to get down the wall bouncing from one wall to the other where it met on the outside of the garden. Samantha began to run in a crazy random pattern designed to make her a harder target to hit. She began to move as fast as possible. Her goal was to make it to the mech. She already knew she would have to hack its hardware or sabotage it manually. First she had to get there.

Blue Sword was engaged with the enemy. Samantha was surprised when three men who looked like more of the same criminal elements lunged for her out of an alleyway she was passing. Her reflexes had her flipping out of the enemy’s hands with a kick to their jaw launching them backwards. She used the momentum she had built up to come all the way around to face the three men who had surprised her. She had pulled her pistol as she spun and began to target as her body continued the rotation. The one she had kicked had flown backwards and was on the ground. She quickly shot at the other two men aiming for center mass. She hit one of them with the shot knocking him backward. She heard him grunt but didn’t see any blood. She didn’t wait around to see if he was wearing body armor. The other man she had missed had a wicked looking scar along his chin. He lunged towards her with a wicked serrated blade in his hand. Muscle memory kicked in as she blocked his attack easily. His body telegraphing his move as he overextended himself. She slipped inside the range of his arm and tucked her pistol into his chin and fired at point blank range.

She then pushed away from him and kept running towards the end of the alley where the mech was. She knew the faster she could move the less time the enemy had to break her stride and momentum and react to her. Her speed and agility were two of her greatest assets in close quarters combat. She was smaller and weaker than many of those she fought. She made up for it with skill and dedication to her arts. Her speed and flexibility allows her to escape holds and stay out of bad situations. She knew she would inevitably lose if they could stop her and lock her down with a hold. She only needed to disable them so she could reach her target. There was enough happening that she didn’t believe she was being targeted on purpose. She probably presented what they thought was an easy target of opportunity.

Samantha could see that more local muscle was piling into the area from surrounding back alleys and other paths that were probably only known to locals. She did notice that the local henchmen were heading back towards the garden instead of towards the fight where Athena and Blue Sword where fighting. “Wilk, Purna, Tiny Nord, and Boomer heads up. You have local henchmen from the surrounding area heading towards you from Athena’s side of the souk. They seem to be avoiding the fighting going on by Athena with the Mech and IFV’s.”

Samantha continued to spin, punch, and kick, as she made her way closer to the mech. She noticed that enemy combatants seemed to change to local army troops who were targeting Blue Sword and Athena. Samantha turned her head seeking the best path towards the mech. She saw an old box truck parked to one side of the souk next to a market. The door was open and it had obviously been abandoned when the fighting broke out. Samantha grinned and ran straight for it. If the enemy could have seen her face, they would have seen her eyes light with glee. The old truck was an older model with a heavy steel frame. It was a workhorse truck that was built tough and solid and was still in use because they lasted. She had a plan for the mech now.

Samantha hopped up into the cab of the old truck, closing the door. She carefully buckled the seat belt. She laughed, noting that the keys were in the ignition. She smiled appreciating the sound of a well loved machine as the old truck turned over with a powerful smooth growl. She grinned as she put the old truck in gear and hit the gas. The truck was slow to move at first but she quickly had it speeding up as she went through the gears. She didn’t bother to dodge much once it really had some speed behind it. The old heavy truck had mass and momentum on its side. This was either going to be one of her worst ideas ever or one of her best! She just needed to slow down or stop the mech long enough she could try to disable its weapons system. She hit the gas pedal and turned the truck aiming right for the mech.