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@DJAtomika Does Hazan play video games? Because if he's still sad and mopey Serena will probably invite him to good old fashioned false violence and mutually assured destruction in an attempt to make him feel less like trash.
For that matter, does anyone else? Serena would be totally down for some crew mate bonding through video game trash talking (to each other, to others, to the AI, whatever comes up).
Iosif would probably have been more of an FSX + Crusader Kings 2 type of guy.
Vellios continued to scoop the watery broth then chewed and swallowed it, the food sliding down into his gizzard. It warmed him but only filled him half way causing his figure to rise and move toward the makeshift stove. He scooped another round before he flopped upon the seat to continue eating. His head perked when he heard footsteps coming from the crew’s quarters and headed into his directions his eyes turned to spot Iosif.
Their co-pilot wearily ran a palm along his face, rubbing at his eyes - it didn’t take a genius to tell that the man had taken their shore leave as an opportunity to grab some shut-eye. Unlike the others, Iosif didn’t find any comfort in the notion of sharing sleeping space with the likes of Khosin, however much the others might’ve grown to trust the batarian by this point, so he’d instead found rest in the confines of the cockpit, if only for a few hours.
For a moment, he didn’t take any notice of the turian enjoying his broth, instead turning towards the sink unit and releasing a stream of lukewarm water which he began to splash across his face.
“Rough night?” Vellios asked as he paused on his eating, noting Iosif washing his face to wake up. His figure leaned back in his seat and studied the human.
”No,” Iosif grunted, ”Just needed some rest.”
After another moment of splashing water on his face, he tugged at the collar of his shirt and used it to dry himself off.
”You? Had a chance to visit the Alliance’s defining colony?” The tone he’d used was a dry one, not entirely endearing to his old life.
“Not really. Only colonies I've visited, aside from brief stops, were Turian and for supplies and men,” Vellios shot back easily.
”Guess the military culture does that to you. Don’t take this the wrong way, but eh... don’t you turians have some kind of equivalent of a tourist hotspot, or whatever?”
Vellios gave Iosif a look as he replied, amusement in his tone, “Likely but I've never been there honestly for a long time. I didn't do too well in those types of scenes some times and preferred more hostile ones.”
That earned him an amused snort from the slav. ”You ought to try my hometown. Nothing like a UV sun-tan to lighten up your day.”
Vellios tapped his hard carapace, reminding Iosif the UV rays would not get through it, as he continued, “I don't think I'll be getting a tan with this. However, I am curious about what type of place might've produced a hardened individual like yourself. Mind sharing?”
Yet another amused snort was produced through Iosif’s nostrils as he heard Vellios’ choice of language. ”Does Lowell City ring a bell with you?”
Vellios shook his head.
”Didn’t think so. It’s a population center on Mars. Y’know, the dustbowl planet where my species first discovered Prothean tech - nothing particularly interesting unless you’re a fan of low gravity, endless dust storms and a freezing, red desert which stretches out for hundreds of kilometers in every direction. Unless you’re wearing a suit, you’re gonna be freeze dried in seconds. Not exactly the most hospitable homeworld, I guess, but it wasn’t so much dangerous as it was boring.”
“Better than hopping from ship to ship with no ground under your feet, or plundering for living. It explains why you left, but not why you joined up here,” Vellios pointed out and continued, “I'm sure there's likely something you miss back home? I know I do.”
”Yeah, there are shittier places to start.” Iosif conceded, before continuing to address the turian’s subsequent question, ”Back there? Nothing especially, I’ve made a life out here for myself.”
“You still could've went anywhere and done anything. Now, I got a reason to want violence and thrive in it, but as far as I see… You don't,” Vellios commented and leaned into his table, his arm toyed with his spoon in his stew. His head still studied his crew mate for another answer.
”At the time, I wanted the Alliance. Or, if you’re interested in the specifics, I wanted to be a pilot. Remember, when I left home, aliens were wholly new to our species. I’d never even met a turian in the... flesh, until just after I’d been given my first posting in the Terminus Systems. Enlisting was a means to the end, really...” Iosif gave pause for a moment and shot a glance towards his own prosthetic arm, his fingers gently twitching, ”I suppose the violence came with the territory.”
“It's usually the ground troopers, not the pilot, that often suffers the physical evidence. What happened to cause that if you don't mind me asking?” Vellios asked and pointed to the slav’s cybernetic prosthesis.
”Story I’ve told enough times.” Iosif flexed his wrist for just a moment, [color=steelblue]”Shot down, arm pinned down by the fuselage. From what I was told by the medical staff who treated me, I was lucky to leave just that behind.”[/color=steelblue] Sniffing, he pointed his artificial index finger at the turian. ”Your guardian angel, Serena, would probably have a thing or two to say about misuse, but it turns out having a cybernetic limb is helpful when you need to apply a little extra force.”
“More like that human story, Beauty to the Beast, without the love interest. And you're right about that. She has a passion for machines of any variety so I suggest bring earplugs for that conversation,” Vellios confirmed and smirked at the thought, “I can't disagree that that cybernetics pack a hell of a punch when used by the right people.”
”Speaking of Beauty and the Beast.... how’d you two wind up working together?” Iosif hunched forwards with a quizzical gaze, stretching his neck as he turned a question towards his turian crewmate.
“As I told Khosin earlier before he went off to do an extranet call, we met when we both were assigned to the same job. She had been the only other none female Asari, so being my normal and charming self. I flirted with her. She went redder than that fruit called a tomato and I busted out into a fit of giggles. It was adorable.”
Vellios smiled at the memory, one of his few he cherished, as he scooped up another mouthful and swallowed quickly. His eyes drifted to note the barcode on Iosif’s neck and tightened his brow in his attempt to place it. Between chews, he then asked something he hope he wouldn’t result in a fight, “I didn't realise humans branded their military personnel.”
For a moment, the slav’s face seemed to harden, like stone. ”They don’t.” Then, after yet another pause, Iosif’s expression softened. He reached around to the back of his neck, then gave it a scratch, like some kind of phantom itch. ”I got this when the batarians put me to work in the mines.”
“That explains the tension around Khosin,” Vellios said then downed his glass of brandy, something he hadn't touched yet. Mainly since he wanted to see how long he could go before he needed it and drained it in one swallow, “They made some crude and cruel devices for that shit, but at least a brand could be burned off. However, you didn't.”
”You’re observant,” Iosif remarked, with a grim expression. ”It keeps me on my toes, reminds me of how I wound up in that situation. As for our batarian colleague, it’ll also be a good reminder for him to stay in line.”
“I figured as much, through honestly you're best putting that behind you and moving on. Just my opinion, but I also know it's easier said than done,” Vellios stated and poured himself another drink, his bottle about a fifth empty. He sat there, ignoring his stew and thinking a bit, before he reconsidered his next question, “Part of me wants to ask you how you got away but I think I already know the answer. So I'll just let it rest and change the topic. Your choice on what we talk about.”
Part of that was appreciated on the slav’s part, to which he gave the turian an affirming nod. ”So, you ever visit Earth?” He asked, with genuine curiosity.
“Hell no, according the hierarchy humans are a disorganized, crazy race,” Vellios teased then got serious, “Seriously though, I haven't and for good reason. I served during the 314 incident and I highly doubt my kind are accepted with open arms.”
Iosif couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle. ”Honestly? With the history of war in our species, I think you’d be more a point of fascination than anything.”
“I doubt that. I just sort of focused on the individuals rather than what race they are. If I wanted to be bitter, I would be pretty lonely myself and likely dead,” the dark carapace Turian pointed out as he couldn't name a race he wasn't wronged by in some fashion.
”I guess you’re right, to a point.” Iosif conceded yet again, though his thoughts on their four-eyed crewmate remained the same.
“Besides, I'm fucked up mentally as it is. Why do I want more shit to deal?” Vellios took another sip and stared at his glass for another moment.
”For what it’s worth,” Iosif began, treading cautiously as he ventured onto what could’ve potentially been thin ice, ”Relying on those non-prescription meds of yours won’t help. Trust me there, I know.”
“Armis would agree with you on that but she understood my condition. One of the few females willing to put with up my baggage and still love the shit out of me for all my flaws,” Vellios’ tone had a wishful and loving tone in it. Not one of mourning or regret, but fondness over a memory he held close.
He straightened up, then looked Iosif over with an approach that he knew Serena would've smacked him for later, “You're how old Iosif? Have you ever considered finding a mate or someone to share your time with? I'm pretty sure that cybernetic arm doesn't get the job done or talks back.”
”Thirty-one.” He answered, albeit he’d been caught unprepared for such a question as that, at least from someone like Vellios. ”And... well, I’ve had my share of relationships, I guess. Nothing that would’ve been called serious, guess I never had time for it.”
“I was curious was all. I'm surprised no one tried to snatch you up since. My wife didn't hesitate to tie the knot when I explained things,” Vellios chuckled, swirling the brandy in his glass bottom, “I often wonder what my mother would've thought of and if she would've been proud of me.”
His eyes shifted over to Iosif and added, “I don't suppose you have thoughts like that time to time, do ya?”
”Sometimes, maybe. I’ve had other things on my mind, in truth.”
“It seems like that's something common with everyone on ship. Even Serena,” Vellios said, letting the topic fall flat for the moment. His eyes stared at this stew a bit longer then slid it away, half eaten, and focused on his drink. Part of him wondered what Serena was likely doing and if she was getting into mischief or keeping the other girls out of it.
He chuckled softly, “I hope Serena isn't running herself ragged looking after Dex and Tanya.”
”If she can babysit you, I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Iosif pointed out.
“Doesn't mean I can't worry about her. She does have a knack for getting into trouble or rather, it finds her.”
”Perhaps, perhaps not - this is Elysium, nothing like Omega or Illium - with all due respect, our batarian crewmate is more likely to be found by trouble here.”
“I thought the same thing when we were anchored on a planet with a human colony. All I know, for sure, is one moment I'm sipping brandy and next she comes running up saying she needs my help. It seems one of her bots exploded near their drilling machines and I needed to climb down the vent to haul up individuals from the wreck,” Vellios mentioned as he recalled the incident in his mind, his mandibles wiggled in amusement followed by a low hum in his throat, “Still think I worry too much?”
The slav couldn’t help but crack a thin smile. ”Maybe so, though you’ve given me a better understanding of your perspective.”
Vellios downed the last of his Turian Brandy in his cup and slid it to the side with his bowl. He sat upright then glanced at his quarters door, mentally debating on retreating back to the confines of his room or stretching his legs. The slight pain in his ribs decided it for him. Twisting his legs to the other side and hopping off, he excused himself, “I better get my ribs checked out and make sure I didn't break something when I toppled out of bed. If you'll excuse me Iosif, I need to go to the medical bay. It was nice talking to you and I wouldn't mind doing it again soon.”
Iosif gave his turian crewmate a nod, but seemed content to remain in the mess for a little while longer. ”Agreed, you make good conversation when you’re not trying to commit suicide by proxy.”
Their co-pilot wearily ran a palm along his face, rubbing at his eyes - it didn’t take a genius to tell that the man had taken their shore leave as an opportunity to grab some shut-eye. Unlike the others, Iosif didn’t find any comfort in the notion of sharing sleeping space with the likes of Khosin, however much the others might’ve grown to trust the batarian by this point, so he’d instead found rest in the confines of the cockpit, if only for a few hours.
For a moment, he didn’t take any notice of the turian enjoying his broth, instead turning towards the sink unit and releasing a stream of lukewarm water which he began to splash across his face.
“Rough night?” Vellios asked as he paused on his eating, noting Iosif washing his face to wake up. His figure leaned back in his seat and studied the human.
”No,” Iosif grunted, ”Just needed some rest.”
After another moment of splashing water on his face, he tugged at the collar of his shirt and used it to dry himself off.
”You? Had a chance to visit the Alliance’s defining colony?” The tone he’d used was a dry one, not entirely endearing to his old life.
“Not really. Only colonies I've visited, aside from brief stops, were Turian and for supplies and men,” Vellios shot back easily.
”Guess the military culture does that to you. Don’t take this the wrong way, but eh... don’t you turians have some kind of equivalent of a tourist hotspot, or whatever?”
Vellios gave Iosif a look as he replied, amusement in his tone, “Likely but I've never been there honestly for a long time. I didn't do too well in those types of scenes some times and preferred more hostile ones.”
That earned him an amused snort from the slav. ”You ought to try my hometown. Nothing like a UV sun-tan to lighten up your day.”
Vellios tapped his hard carapace, reminding Iosif the UV rays would not get through it, as he continued, “I don't think I'll be getting a tan with this. However, I am curious about what type of place might've produced a hardened individual like yourself. Mind sharing?”
Yet another amused snort was produced through Iosif’s nostrils as he heard Vellios’ choice of language. ”Does Lowell City ring a bell with you?”
Vellios shook his head.
”Didn’t think so. It’s a population center on Mars. Y’know, the dustbowl planet where my species first discovered Prothean tech - nothing particularly interesting unless you’re a fan of low gravity, endless dust storms and a freezing, red desert which stretches out for hundreds of kilometers in every direction. Unless you’re wearing a suit, you’re gonna be freeze dried in seconds. Not exactly the most hospitable homeworld, I guess, but it wasn’t so much dangerous as it was boring.”
“Better than hopping from ship to ship with no ground under your feet, or plundering for living. It explains why you left, but not why you joined up here,” Vellios pointed out and continued, “I'm sure there's likely something you miss back home? I know I do.”
”Yeah, there are shittier places to start.” Iosif conceded, before continuing to address the turian’s subsequent question, ”Back there? Nothing especially, I’ve made a life out here for myself.”
“You still could've went anywhere and done anything. Now, I got a reason to want violence and thrive in it, but as far as I see… You don't,” Vellios commented and leaned into his table, his arm toyed with his spoon in his stew. His head still studied his crew mate for another answer.
”At the time, I wanted the Alliance. Or, if you’re interested in the specifics, I wanted to be a pilot. Remember, when I left home, aliens were wholly new to our species. I’d never even met a turian in the... flesh, until just after I’d been given my first posting in the Terminus Systems. Enlisting was a means to the end, really...” Iosif gave pause for a moment and shot a glance towards his own prosthetic arm, his fingers gently twitching, ”I suppose the violence came with the territory.”
“It's usually the ground troopers, not the pilot, that often suffers the physical evidence. What happened to cause that if you don't mind me asking?” Vellios asked and pointed to the slav’s cybernetic prosthesis.
”Story I’ve told enough times.” Iosif flexed his wrist for just a moment, [color=steelblue]”Shot down, arm pinned down by the fuselage. From what I was told by the medical staff who treated me, I was lucky to leave just that behind.”[/color=steelblue] Sniffing, he pointed his artificial index finger at the turian. ”Your guardian angel, Serena, would probably have a thing or two to say about misuse, but it turns out having a cybernetic limb is helpful when you need to apply a little extra force.”
“More like that human story, Beauty to the Beast, without the love interest. And you're right about that. She has a passion for machines of any variety so I suggest bring earplugs for that conversation,” Vellios confirmed and smirked at the thought, “I can't disagree that that cybernetics pack a hell of a punch when used by the right people.”
”Speaking of Beauty and the Beast.... how’d you two wind up working together?” Iosif hunched forwards with a quizzical gaze, stretching his neck as he turned a question towards his turian crewmate.
“As I told Khosin earlier before he went off to do an extranet call, we met when we both were assigned to the same job. She had been the only other none female Asari, so being my normal and charming self. I flirted with her. She went redder than that fruit called a tomato and I busted out into a fit of giggles. It was adorable.”
Vellios smiled at the memory, one of his few he cherished, as he scooped up another mouthful and swallowed quickly. His eyes drifted to note the barcode on Iosif’s neck and tightened his brow in his attempt to place it. Between chews, he then asked something he hope he wouldn’t result in a fight, “I didn't realise humans branded their military personnel.”
For a moment, the slav’s face seemed to harden, like stone. ”They don’t.” Then, after yet another pause, Iosif’s expression softened. He reached around to the back of his neck, then gave it a scratch, like some kind of phantom itch. ”I got this when the batarians put me to work in the mines.”
“That explains the tension around Khosin,” Vellios said then downed his glass of brandy, something he hadn't touched yet. Mainly since he wanted to see how long he could go before he needed it and drained it in one swallow, “They made some crude and cruel devices for that shit, but at least a brand could be burned off. However, you didn't.”
”You’re observant,” Iosif remarked, with a grim expression. ”It keeps me on my toes, reminds me of how I wound up in that situation. As for our batarian colleague, it’ll also be a good reminder for him to stay in line.”
“I figured as much, through honestly you're best putting that behind you and moving on. Just my opinion, but I also know it's easier said than done,” Vellios stated and poured himself another drink, his bottle about a fifth empty. He sat there, ignoring his stew and thinking a bit, before he reconsidered his next question, “Part of me wants to ask you how you got away but I think I already know the answer. So I'll just let it rest and change the topic. Your choice on what we talk about.”
Part of that was appreciated on the slav’s part, to which he gave the turian an affirming nod. ”So, you ever visit Earth?” He asked, with genuine curiosity.
“Hell no, according the hierarchy humans are a disorganized, crazy race,” Vellios teased then got serious, “Seriously though, I haven't and for good reason. I served during the 314 incident and I highly doubt my kind are accepted with open arms.”
Iosif couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle. ”Honestly? With the history of war in our species, I think you’d be more a point of fascination than anything.”
“I doubt that. I just sort of focused on the individuals rather than what race they are. If I wanted to be bitter, I would be pretty lonely myself and likely dead,” the dark carapace Turian pointed out as he couldn't name a race he wasn't wronged by in some fashion.
”I guess you’re right, to a point.” Iosif conceded yet again, though his thoughts on their four-eyed crewmate remained the same.
“Besides, I'm fucked up mentally as it is. Why do I want more shit to deal?” Vellios took another sip and stared at his glass for another moment.
”For what it’s worth,” Iosif began, treading cautiously as he ventured onto what could’ve potentially been thin ice, ”Relying on those non-prescription meds of yours won’t help. Trust me there, I know.”
“Armis would agree with you on that but she understood my condition. One of the few females willing to put with up my baggage and still love the shit out of me for all my flaws,” Vellios’ tone had a wishful and loving tone in it. Not one of mourning or regret, but fondness over a memory he held close.
He straightened up, then looked Iosif over with an approach that he knew Serena would've smacked him for later, “You're how old Iosif? Have you ever considered finding a mate or someone to share your time with? I'm pretty sure that cybernetic arm doesn't get the job done or talks back.”
”Thirty-one.” He answered, albeit he’d been caught unprepared for such a question as that, at least from someone like Vellios. ”And... well, I’ve had my share of relationships, I guess. Nothing that would’ve been called serious, guess I never had time for it.”
“I was curious was all. I'm surprised no one tried to snatch you up since. My wife didn't hesitate to tie the knot when I explained things,” Vellios chuckled, swirling the brandy in his glass bottom, “I often wonder what my mother would've thought of and if she would've been proud of me.”
His eyes shifted over to Iosif and added, “I don't suppose you have thoughts like that time to time, do ya?”
”Sometimes, maybe. I’ve had other things on my mind, in truth.”
“It seems like that's something common with everyone on ship. Even Serena,” Vellios said, letting the topic fall flat for the moment. His eyes stared at this stew a bit longer then slid it away, half eaten, and focused on his drink. Part of him wondered what Serena was likely doing and if she was getting into mischief or keeping the other girls out of it.
He chuckled softly, “I hope Serena isn't running herself ragged looking after Dex and Tanya.”
”If she can babysit you, I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Iosif pointed out.
“Doesn't mean I can't worry about her. She does have a knack for getting into trouble or rather, it finds her.”
”Perhaps, perhaps not - this is Elysium, nothing like Omega or Illium - with all due respect, our batarian crewmate is more likely to be found by trouble here.”
“I thought the same thing when we were anchored on a planet with a human colony. All I know, for sure, is one moment I'm sipping brandy and next she comes running up saying she needs my help. It seems one of her bots exploded near their drilling machines and I needed to climb down the vent to haul up individuals from the wreck,” Vellios mentioned as he recalled the incident in his mind, his mandibles wiggled in amusement followed by a low hum in his throat, “Still think I worry too much?”
The slav couldn’t help but crack a thin smile. ”Maybe so, though you’ve given me a better understanding of your perspective.”
Vellios downed the last of his Turian Brandy in his cup and slid it to the side with his bowl. He sat upright then glanced at his quarters door, mentally debating on retreating back to the confines of his room or stretching his legs. The slight pain in his ribs decided it for him. Twisting his legs to the other side and hopping off, he excused himself, “I better get my ribs checked out and make sure I didn't break something when I toppled out of bed. If you'll excuse me Iosif, I need to go to the medical bay. It was nice talking to you and I wouldn't mind doing it again soon.”
Iosif gave his turian crewmate a nod, but seemed content to remain in the mess for a little while longer. ”Agreed, you make good conversation when you’re not trying to commit suicide by proxy.”
-snip-
The Black Hound.
(by @Mr Allen J)Regal Square, Prince Ed-Field_With his talk with Wendy concluded... it was time for the Hound to make RAVEN's job, much, much, easier.
He stepped through a portal, and appeared right outside the gate to the Machine... Rowan was right, he could had stopped this much earlier, but he chose not to. It wasn't a tactical decision, at least that was what the Foundation Woman told him. Either way, he stepped into the bulk of the IU defense force, and they looked at him... with eyes of fear. That was what the Family built him as - a symbol of fear. But, now... it would change today.
"Lay down your weapons." The Hound spoke through comms, and earned himself a look from the rest of the Intimidation Unit. "And pull out of the area."
"S-sir... that'd go against orders-"
"Have you forgotten who really gives out the orders here?" The Hound said, his voice clearly irritated. "It is I... as the Blessed Three are no more."
This earned gasps and other sounds of surprise.
"RAVEN has disposed of Julia and Blake the same way they killed Ezekiel," The Hound said. "Therefore, it is no longer viable to defend this position - instead we will retreat and regroup."
Most of the IU were more than willing to abandon their position, and listen to the Hound. The battle going on upstairs was savage... and the IU members there were quick to jump out at the first opportunity to leave. Not to mention a majority of the IU weren't as loyal as the Blessed Three liked to delude themselves.
"Zenith will transport us somewhere we can regroup and discuss our next course of action-"
"Forget that," A member of the IU said over the comms. "I'm loyal to the Three... I'd rather die defending their masterpiece than run away."
"...Then you'll die." The Hound said, as he stepped through a portal, and a majority of the IU both underground, and above-ground, did the same as they called for Zenith.
Meifeng Zhao, Quentin Taylor.
(collaboration between @Mr Allen J, and @Zombiedude101)Regal Square, Prince Ed-Field_The tremors and electromagnetic disturbance did not go unnoticed by RAVEN... but, Meifeng ultimately decided to ignore it for now. Because they had to push their way through the base.
They were being subtle, but every member of the IU that was in their way was killed. Meifeng's orders, specifically. They didn't have time to get into extended firefights and other foolishness. They beelined straight for the Machine with their weapons and explosives ready. They hadn't encountered the Hound yet... but, as they proceeded it became clear that the IU were... pulling out? Escaping through portals.
"Epsilon. this is Captain Zhao, the Intimidation Unit is pulling out of the area," Meifeng reported. "Do you think it's an ambush strategy?"
"Possibly," Quentin's voice answered, "Stay on your guard, whatever you see."
"Affirmative...." Meifeng said, as she lead the group forward. According to Shizuka, Uncle should be in there... Oh God, she had to explain to him what happened to Lihua. Even though they never had the best relationship, they did care about each other - even if Lihua had shown it in her own special way - and wanted to see the best for each other. Not to mention what would happen to Lijuan, and the Liu Family now that their mansion had been burned to the ground.
Either way, it wasn't long before they reached the vast complex leading up to the Machine by the virtue of the guards all seemingly abandoning their posts. All that was left was a small, but still very threatening force of IU Soldiers. Yet... No Bonecrusher, no Phantasm... no Hound. The place was practically unguarded, and that made Meifeng wonder what was really going on. Still, they had to break through the doors to get to the Machine, and the IU soldiers probably wouldn't be receptive to them.
"Counterpoint," Meifeng spoke over the comms. "The entryway to the Machine is in sight, but it is guarded by a sizable force. Your advice?"
"How many contacts, minimum?" Quentin asked, his team not too far behind hers.
"Around two dozen." Meifeng replied.
"They're expecting an offensive, but we've still got an advantage. Can you hold place until we're in position?" She got another query shot her way by the veteran RAVEN, who wanted to minimise any casualties on their part where he could. Losing Max and Zhao had been enough for one op.
"Of course, will hold position." Meifeng answered.
Quentin was affirmed, for now. "Understood, we're close behind you."
It didn't take long for Epsilon team to find their way to the section of the facility preceding where the Machine was kept. Whilst Meifeng's Delta team were already positioned on lower levels, poised to strike like a coiled snake, Quentin's team had opted for an approach from the maintenance access routes, taking a series of walkways which ran overhead. He assigned a few men to handle overwatch for Delta team below whilst the rest of them would push forward along the catwalks, clearing out any of the paramilitaries that would've ambushed Meifeng from above. "Epsilon's in position, when you're ready."
"Ready." Meifeng answered, before signalling for her own team to strike. Having already scouted out a few lurking around the corner, one of her subordinates primed a flashbang and cast it into the dim confines of which a few lay in waiting. The moment they heard that pop, another two pushed forward to clear the corners, squeezing off a couple of shots at the paramilitary soldiers as they blindly searched for targets. Even with all the equipment and training, morale had been reduced enough that most of them had figured it for some kind of suicide mission - hence why those remaining weren't so much mercenaries as they were loyalists to the Blessed Three, the rest having deserted with the Black Hound or gone their own ways.
Distant shots signaled Quentin's team to push forward, taking advantage of the darkness just as their opponents on the catwalk had done. With the best equipment that Maximilian's influence could've bought, it was a matter of using some cleverly adapted thermal imaging equipment to seek out their targets, mitigating what little advantage the black-clad paramilitaries held. The familiar boom of Quentin's 870 resonated as another slug punched into the body armour of one such man barreling from one end of the catwalks to another, throwing him off balance and giving another one of Epsilon team an opportunity to put a few more rounds inside him. Back below, Meifeng had already realised she had a guardian angel of sorts overhead as one of Quentin's agents on overwatch put a round through a would-be attacker's throat as he peered out from an otherwise excellent ambush point.
While Quentin's men were coming from above, Meifeng was doing what she did best as her team laid down fire on the IU. The only problem was that much of the IU were hidden behind barriers, and shields. Meifeng had a perfect idea...
"Give me your grenades," Meifeng said, as she gathered her water into an orb. RAVEN threw their grenades into the orb as Meifeng manipulated the water to pull the pins off from the grenades. "'Nade out." In an instant, she shot the water forward like a cannon, and the grenades were all launched towards the IU formation. They panicked as their barriers were rendered useless in an instant as they all desperately tried to run away (some trying to throw the grenades). It was all in vain, as the grenades exploded and the tiny IU defensive formation was reduced to pieces. Those that ran out were shot up with bullets from RAVEN, and those that managed to survive were quickly disposed of by the RAVEN ambush.
It was over quickly as it started. Meifeng had her rifle ready in case there was another IU defensive position beyond this door, approaching quickly. The Zhao woman was hoping that everything was okay, and they could just plant the charges and get out of here... though, when she walked over to the door, a RAVEN addressed her.
"Captain Zhao?" A RAVEN by the terminal said. "The door's open."
"Probably a trap... where all the IU went," Meifeng said. "They're waiting for us to open, then they'll light us up."
"What do you suggest, then?" The RAVEN said. "We got the thermic lances... but, wouldn't that make no difference?"
"It won't... so here's what we're going to do," Meifeng said. "We're going to get from out of line of fire of the door, then open it... at least we'll have a better chance of surviving whatever they throw at us. So, get in position."
Meifeng held her assault rifle with both hands.
"Affirmative." The RAVEN said, as he did the same as many other RAVENS got in the hallways in the side, and in the catwalks above them... they were completely out of the line of fire, so they wouldn't get destroyed immediately upon opening the door.
"...So, who's going to open the door?" The RAVEN asked. "Do you want me to get the straws-"
"You, since you brought it up. Just haul ass to the door and back." Meifeng said, and the RAVEN groaned as he moved over to the terminal, and pressed the terminal to open the doors, then quickly ran back.
Upon receiving the signal, the two frightening metal doors opened widely, and RAVEN were prepared for anything... before nothing appeared on the other not. Not a single IU soldier, or trap. Only the frightening Machine in full view, and the few enslaved scientists.
"Huh...?" Meifeng said. "...Move in slowly. Don't take any risks."
That went double for those pushing in from overhead. "You heard the woman," Quentin addressed the others with a hushed tone, "Stay on your guard, we don't know what we're dealing with."
The RAVEN squad slowly entered the massive room... and the first thing they did was clear the left, then clear the right. Once everything was safe, they proceeded in. Meifeng immediately crossed off the possibility of a bomb. Because they wouldn't let a bomb anywhere near their precious Machine... everything felt too easy... Meifeng kept her guard up.
"Clear," Quentin's team confirmed, "Delta, what's the situation downstairs?"
"Clear," Meifeng also added. "... They obviously jumped ship."
She looked down at the bag of explosives her fellow RAVEN was carrying. "Alright, start setting charges...."
"Alright, we'll head down to join you." Quentin couldn't help but pass his gaze across the complex yet again, scanning for anything else that warranted suspicion as he started making a descent. "But we'll keep overwatch whilst your team does their work... what about the scientists?"
"Working on it," Meifeng said as she immediately went for her uncle... she glanced at Dr. Cross, and Ignatius, whom were keeping their distance. With the power suppressant collar around Ignatius' neck, he won't be a problem. "Uncle..." Meifeng spoke to Jiao-Long.
"Oh, Meifeng, you're here," Jiao-Long smiled. "I knew you would come... the Machine is almost finished chargi-"
"We know... just don't worry about it," Meifeng said. "Where is Chunhua?"
"I am not sure... she is being kept with the other prisoners."
"Then a friend of mine should be handling that one," Meifeng said, before she pointed at the other RAVENS. "Hurry up, they'll escort you out of here."
Jiao-Long nodded his head.... He didn't even ask about Lihua - he probably thinks that she sat this out... Oh God, it was going to be hard telling him about what happened to Lihua.
"How's those charges looking?" Meifeng said as she marched towards Dr. Cross.
"Almost set."
"Set them to twenty minutes," Meifeng sternly said, before she looked up at Dr. Cross. The two were silent as they stared each other down. "How was your taste of freedom?"
"... I, for one, enjoyed it." Ignatius snarked, and got a cold glare from Meifeng.
"Well, the two of you are getting sent ass-first into the Vault," Meifeng mentioned the famous RAVEN prison... that made criminals cringe at the thought of it. She pointed at the RAVENS. "Now, turn around-"
"No Mannequin?" Quentin's voice was heard before Meifeng realised he was already at her back.
"Oh? The Mannequin?" Ignatius grinned at the veteran RAVEN, who returned a sharp, disgusted glare. "By the way; hi Quent." He laughed before he got to the point.
"Our little Mannequin-friend jumped ship... he left through one of the maintenance ducts the second the fighting started," Ignatius laughed. "He's probably on the Brave-Water bridge by now. Ha..." Of course, that wasn't the full story, but a very convincing lie.
"Fuuuck..." Meifeng groaned, before she focused on the two. She reached for her handcuffs. "We'll worry about the Mannequin later... for now, turn around with your arms behind your back."
"What not going to kill us like all the others?" Ignatius taunted Meifeng as he did as she said. "Or did the little Hero of Prague grow a heart-" A firm backhand caught Ignatius over the back of the head just as he was finishing that remark, but Quentin's effort did little to keep the man quiet.
"Ah, this is why I miss REAPER so much...." Ignatius said. "... We were the perfect group to put you bastards in your place."
Meifeng kept her lips sealed as she put handcuffs on both the former leaders of The Hands of Science... as disgusting as they were, they were the only leads to the other members of the Hands that went under the radar. The second the cuffs were applied, the RAVEN Captain pointed towards the door... but kept a gun against their backs as she escorted them over to the entrance to the Machine room.
"Charges have been set," A RAVEN spoke into her ear. "Give me the signal when you want to time them."
"Let's ensure all our-" Meifeng said... before her eyes rested on the man standing before them...
... Blake Schmidt.
Blake Schmidt.
(by @Mr Allen J)Regal Square, Prince Ed-Field_It was annoying seeing Wendy and Rowan slip out of his grasp again, but he would hunt them down like dogs at the first opportunity!
For now, he needed to tend to the Machine... and the first thing that Blake wondered was wrong was the fact that his security force was gone. The place should be full of Intimidation Unit soldiers, and where are they? It wasn't possible that RAVEN killed all of them so quickly. He kept running, and running... until he made it to the doors, to see that his Security force was dead, and RAVEN was all over his Machine. Blake couldn't believe his eyes! He grasped both sides of his head, and watched as RAVEN put their hands all over his Machine.
Meifeng immediately aimed her rifle at him, as Jiao-Long hid behind the RAVENS in fear of the man.
"Blake Schmidt..." Meifeng said. "If you were smart... you would get on your knees, and put your hands behind your head."
And disgracemyself? No, I am too esteemed for that.[/i] Blake narrowed his eyes at Meifeng as he thought to himself... then he realized that, after his fight with Wendy and Rowan going sour, he barely had enough strength to take on RAVEN. Perhaps... he should retreat. He turned into stone immediately, and earned a few gunshots from Meifeng from the other RAVENS in the process. His stone form was able to resist the firearms with ease. He merely raised his foot up into his head, and slammed it down hard as he could, as he sent a shockwave through the area that knocked the entire group of RAVENS off balance.
Then he turned around and started hauling ass.
"After him, don't let him get away!" Meifeng said.
Not far away, Quentin could be seen vaulting over one of the nearby apparatus in pursuit. "You heard the woman!"
Blake was running for his life from commoners, it was disgraceful enough that his Machine and hard work went to waste! Blake immediately pressed his earpiece as he shoted, "Zenith!"
Only for no portal to appear.
"Zenith! I said Zenith, God damn it!" Blake loudly shouted.
"Oh, you want Zenith?" The voice of the Foundation Woman appeared in his earpiece. "Sorry, Blakey... but, Zenith had a change of heart... all of them."
"Foundation Woman?!" Blake shouted as he picked up the pace. "What is the meaning of this?!"
"Isn't it obvious, Blakey?" Foundation Woman started off. "It's about time that your actions finally caught up with you... after decades upon decades of crimes against humanity."
"You can't do this to me?! I built the Machine! I built up everything you own from the ground!" Blake shouted.
"What? Things aren't going your way, little Blakey?" The Foundation Woman said, in a very mocking tone. "Are you going to cry...? But, believe me, this was a long time coming, and I do have to thank you for giving me all these resources... For what you ask? I'm going to do something greater than stroke my own ego about how much better I am than everyone else."
Blake didn't respond.
"... But, let me spare you the rhetoric... The Zenith line is on my side now, and all you have to do is be a good little dear... and die." The Foundation Woman laughed. "Alright, bye-bye, Blake. Best of luck to you!."
That's when the line went dead, and Blake pulled his earpiece out, and crushed it in his hands. Damn her, damn all of them. Blake had to run.
Footsteps were pounding hard against the concrete floors behind them, the faint voices of RAVEN's assault force pushing through the darkness.
Blake stopped - pounding his foot against the ground as he pivoted - he erected a wall of stone to give him some distance... but, there wasn't much he could do exhausted from his fight with Wendy. He turned down a side hallway... before he came across the Secretaries that survived.
Then he got an idea.
"Shit!" Meifeng shouted when the wall was erected. She turned her head down a hallway, then whipped her head around to the other hallway. "Quent, you and team Epsilon go down that hall, we'll take this one."
Meifeng said as she took the left hallway.
"We'll try and head him off," Quentin nodded, signalling for his own team to press down the adjacent corridor. One way or another, the veteran RAVEN was determined to ensure that this time there would be no escape. They'd bled enough fighting this monster already. Soon, as Epsilon team pushed down the hall, they could make out the sporadic, desparate footsteps of Blake Schmidt. All it took was a turn down a hall to come face to face with Blake. The man came to a stop, and raised his foot up into the air one more time....
And felt an overwhelming force slamming into his mid-section, a slug fired off from Quentin's 870 that caught him off balance and caused him to stumble backwards until he slumped against a wall.
"Don't move, limbs where I can see them!" The veteran RAVEN barked as he pumped the weapon's action, the words coming out of his mouth as though he were on autopilot, but another threatening gesture from the fallen olympian prompted him to squeeze off another shot, one which punched through that layer of volcanic stone which had formed his skin and left a bleeding rupture in its place, the hard, cracked surface decalcifying around it.
"You... bas..." Blake tried to say... before he fell to the ground, leaving a puddle of blood as his life finally faded. Epsilon team advanced forward just to confirm he was dead and it wasn't long before Meifeng approached, drawn by the gunfire. She looked down at Blake's body, and narrowed her eyes. "... Good riddance."
She pressed her earpiece. "Okay, set the charges, and let's go." She stared at Blake's face and nothing something a little off... but, she shrugged it off as being exhausted.
"... Our work here is done."
Blake Schmidt.
(by @Mr Allen J)Regal Square, Prince Ed-Field_Walking through the halls of Blake's glamorous tunnels was simple, he knew the place like the back of his hand!
He made it to the very place where his machine was located, hidden behind two massive metal doors, and the Family's legion of Intimidation Unit soldiers at the front doors. When Blake approached with his hands behind his back, all it took was one raise of his hand for his security forces to step aside, and for the intimidating doors to part. The doors closed behind him, as he gazed upon all the excellent work he, and his "loyal services," had done! It really brought to a tear to his eyes!
The Machine, the pride and joy of the Family, took the appearance of a nuclear reactor core, but glowed a vibrant green color. Infused with Metahuman energy that was ready to put everyone on equal footing with each other. All he needed to do was make a few check-ups... Blake walked over to the terminal at the base of the Machine, pressed a few keys, and brought up the progress of the Machine.
STORAGE AT 98%...
UNABLE TO FULLY CHARGE...Oh, for the love of... They were just short of their required amount of Metahuman energy. Probably when that brat killed Ezekiel, and freed all those candidates... now, they have to waste even more time, when the Machine could have been long finished by now. Unfortunate, but the situation would have been far more dire if Blake hadn't gathered more candidates than necessary, in case a situation like this arises. He had to make haste, or else his enemies would be on his doorstep before he even had a chance to do anything! Now, all he had to do was send a few people to the conversion chambers - no more than a dozen - and then activate the Machine so it'd fully charge. First offers that came to mind were the many, many, bottom-line cannon fodders.
In the middle of his deep and complex line of thought, one of his Secretaries approached, "Master Blake, sorry to interrupt you," the same shape-shifting Secretary that Blake used to spy on the brats spoke, with an odd and lifeless smile on her face. "But, RAVEN is approaching."
Oh, they were much faster than expected. No matter, there was one ace in the hole that'd buy Blake plenty of time to finish charging the Machine.
The same ace in the hole he employed in Silver Hills, in fact.
"...Activate the shield of light."
Veronica Davis, & Shizuka Takashiro.
(collaboration between @Mr Allen J and @tsukune)Regal Square, Prince Ed-Field_The two managed to follow Blake all the way to the doors of the Machine room - Veronica stopped right before she saw how tight security was, instead choosing to press her back against the wall, and look over her shoulder. She, ultimately, decided to keep her distance. It might seem suspicious if she appeared in a place vital to the Blessed Three's plans without a good reason. When the doors opened, Veronica caught sight of the Machine, and grinned.
"Yeah, that's the place," Veronica whispered, "Now... that's a lot of security... I'm surprised the Hound isn't present, but he's probably going to be leading the charge against RAVEN."
That wasn't relevant right now, Veronica had a question for Shizuka.
"Do you think we should try to get a closer look?" She, again, whispered. "Might be risky... but, it might be worth it in the long run."
Veronica, far as she could tell, was still in the Blessed Three's good graces... or at least they think she's an obedient little doggy until they least expect it.
"Otherwise... we can go find my sisters in the upper floors."
Shizuka thought for a moment. RAVEN would be here anytime soon, but hearing Blake ordering his Secretaries to put up the 'shield of light' would mean that they still had a bit more time before RAVEN stormed in here and wreck this hole, just like what the IU did to the West Coast Headquarters the day before.
"...Wouldn't hurt to sneak a peek at the Machine first, then we go get your sisters," he finally replied in a low tone to Veronica, his eyes watching Blake and his zombie slaves to make sure they wouldn't catch him and the double agent gossiping behind their back. Besides, RAVEN could use more intel on the Machine... which was also one of the objectives he was here for.
Then there wasn't a second to waste as Veronica stepped through the metal doors with Shizuka behind her. She would have to hope that IU doesn't gun her down on sight, but she should be strong enough to save both of them from a barrage of bullets (well, her shields stopped worse in the past). Right when she approached, a burly member of the IU walked up.
"Veronica..." the man said. "What are you doing down here?"
Veronica put her hand on her hip, and loudly scoffed. "We're Blake's security, we got separated from him because God these tunnels are a maze..."
"Hmph, some guards you are..."
"We're doing work miles above your paygrade," Veronica hissed, she poked the man in the chest to make her point quite clear. "So, are you going to get out of our way, or do I have to move you myself?"
Veronica might seem as if she's being... overly aggressive, but that's how she interacted with the rest of the IU. With absolute contempt! It would simply be out of character if Veronica decided to start playing the role of a pup.
The man grumbled as he stepped aside, and the two stepped inside of the massive room. Veronica stepped in, and looked up at the Machine. It was gigantic, and the Machine was quite threatening. The Machine needed to be destroyed, or the already powerful Blessed Three were going to get a lot more powerful (and, thus, an even bigger pain in the ass). While saving her sisters was Veronica's true goal in all of this... she acknowledged that, if RAVEN failed, then there was nothing stopping them from taking Veronica's sisters back, and killing her.
She shook her head.
The urge to kill Blake here and now got far more intense, but she realized that would ruin the mission (and the fact they couldn't take on an entire army). She relented... but, Blakey didn't even realize that they were there. Probably too caught up with his Machine to pay his surroundings any attention.
Beneath the mask, Shizuka narrowed his eyes at the Machine up ahead - even at this distance, it was an intimidating sight. However, seeing how Blake was on the verge of pulling his perfect hair out of his sorry scalp, he couldn't help breaking out a smirk. Everything the Founding Fags had built up was starting to fall apart... Once they got the biggest threat in front of them out of the way, they could finally put the not-so-Blessed Three (Two, now that Ezekiel was confirmed dead as he should be) to where they truly belong.
But before that, they would have to get Veronica's precious sisters... and the scientists out of the way, first. Among the figures in white lab coats working restlessly on the Machine, he spotted Meifeng's uncle, Jiao-Long, and whatever was left of Hands of Science, Dr. Cross and the Mannequin. They all seemed fine, if not for the haunting look on their face, a sign that they hadn't been sleeping well. (Who could, anyway?) A random thought popped into his mind as he wondered how Jiao-Long was going to take the death of his sister once all this was over.
"...Ugh! Where is the Hound?!" Blake loudly exclaimed into the comms as he whipped around, and started walking towards the exit. Veronica and Shizuka dipped behind nearby cover, watching as Blake walked by. "No matter... I need to get to the conversion chambers fast as possible, and get the Machine ready!" He said. "Tell the Hound he's on thin ice! Very thin ice!"
Shizuka had seen enough to bail out of here and leave it to the main RAVEN force to deal with this Machine once they breached the shield. They had other things to do than getting themselves killed by the already mad man brisking nearer towards their hiding place. "Let's go before he really sees us here," he whispered to Veronica, giving her his hand.
Veronica didn't say a word, merely took Shizuka's hand as the two quickly left through the walls. Veronica wasn't going to waste time in fooling around down here anymore. It was RAVEN's job from here on forward, and if those jarheads couldn't do one simple job, then, well...
...It might as well be her that would bring of all this bullshit to a fitting conclusion.
Meifeng Zhao, Quentin & Reed Taylor.
(collaboration between @Mr Allen J and @Zombiedude101)Regal Square, Prince Ed-Field_Unfortunately, RAVEN didn't have a whole lot of time for planning. They had a map of the base, and a lot of RAVENs ready to bring this madness to an end at last.
Meifeng was seated in the back of a RAVEN truck, staring at a photo of Lihua as she waited for them to reach their destination. The lives she'd lost... there were no words to describe it. She sighed as she longingly stared into the photo and asked herself questions. Was there something that Lihua hadn't told her yet? What about Lijuan? How will she push on without her guidance? And truthfully, those were all valid concerns in her mind. Right now... she knew that she had to stop the Family, and bring Biyu, and whoever the hell else was behind this, to justice. And most importantly, save Cindy from their mind control. Guess all I can do is save what I have left.
"Alright, RAVENs, our goal here is simple," Maximilian broke the comm silence. "We are to destroy the Founding Family's Machine, along with the capture of their leadership, and the liberation of any prisoners. This will be a grueling battle, and I am glad to lead you into battle."
"Hmph," Meifeng grunted out loud. She couldn't pay Maximilian any mind right now.
"We're approaching the base now," Maximilian said. "We'll be splitting into three squads once we breach, each with a different task within the building. Team Alpha, lead by me, will be keeping the main IU force busy. While teams Delta and Epsilon, lead by Captains Zhao and Taylor, will be going for the machine. Team Zeta, will be led by our DOVE correspondent Reed Taylor and will be responsible for the recovery of any hostages that the building may contain, and getting them to safety."
Simple enough... Meifeng couldn't help but feel a little bit of bias on Max's part towards her. Didn't matter.
"Wait..." Maximilian said, as the building came into view. Panels on the sides of the building opened up, and glowing blue rods were erected. These rods fired off a beam into the air that formed a transparent bubble shield around the building. The RAVEN vehicles came to a skidding halt in front of the Family's first defensive measure, but Maximilian wasn't deterred. Meifeng got out of her vehicle, and gazed up at the bubble shield that was much larger than the one employed in their Silver Hills base. It reminded her of Verthaven... but, fortunately, they had something that'd render the whole thing obsolete.
"...Want me to get the lances, Maximilian?" Meifeng said. Thankfully, they scrolled on past to where Maxine's (God rest her soul) informant had told them where to pick up the shield disruption technology. In the RAVEN truck were the lances that were explained to be able to cut a hole in the shield.
"Yes," was Maximilian's short and sweet reply.
Meifeng hopped back into the truck, and grabbed the case with five of the shield piercing lances. She hopped out of the truck with the tools, and put it on the ground, and opened it up as Quentin headed over to see what kind of equipment they were dealing with. She reached inside and handed each of the RAVEN's the high-tech tools until eventually all that was left to do was manoevure into position.
"Alright," Maximilian said with his arms crossed. "Once we get started, there's no turning back. So, is everyone ready?"
"Epsilon's ready to push in on your cue, Praetorian." Quentin's firm voice hailed in over the comms, as Meifeng's own team assembled adjacent to his. The two would be responsible for covering each other's backs where needed in addition to their intended destruction of the machine.
"Delta is ready," Meifeng said.
Finally came Reed's assuring voice, "Zeta team, ready on cue."
"Alright," Maximilian called out his mighty Echo, who stood behind him. "...It's time, all RAVENS, push in."
The explosions that were going on in the base were the perfect cover for Meifeng's small team to make it to the elevators. However... it would be fairly stupid to take the elevators themselves. Meifeng had another idea. She had her team pry open the elevator doors with a crowbar, before her team set up rappel lines on the ground. Firmly attaching the tools to their waists, Meifeng nodded her head, and signaled her team to continue down the elevator shaft until she hit the bottom. The doors were promptly pried open, as she stepped inside. Guns were ready, aiming forward, as she proceeded forward with her team.
"Counterpoint, your status?" Meifeng asked.
"Found a maintenance shaft separate from the elevators, we're pushing down as we speak. No contacts as of yet." Quentin replied as his own team prepared to make their own descent. A brief inspection of the shaft had brought up nothing suspicious, no traps, nothing - but to be sure, the veteran RAVEN had them toss a flare downwards. Still, nothing - and so he too had himself and the first few members of the team rappel downwards for a rapid strike, giving the others a chance to make a descent down the ladders without fear of being ambushed.
"Delta squad has already pushed down into the base," Meifeng said. "We won't be proceeding until we get your team down here."
"Don't worry, we're not far behind you," he advised as the first of them made their advance, rappelling down to the lower levels. It was clear, giving the others the opportunity to follow up behind, "Keep moving."
"Roger that, we'll push in." Meifeng said, she figured that they had wasted enough time here.
Besides, her old friend wasn't far behind.
Every RAVEN who'd been armed with the lances punched through the shields, breaching it just as Veronica had told them. With the shields pierced, all of RAVEN merely just rushed through the opening. Meifeng lead team Delta on the charge, with team Epsilon not too far away. Maximilian, however, was leading the bulk of RAVEN into the building, with Team Alpha. He made a note to have the highest profile as his team came in guns blazing. Opening fire on the IU almost immediately. Causing a battle to break out between the two groups that Maximilian was determined to win.
No sight of the Hound, however.
Wendy Emily Lucker, Rowan Campbell, & Kumiko Fujimoto
(collaboration between @Mr Allen J, @Zombiedude101])Regal Square, Prince Ed-Field_A pair of IU guards scrolled by, as Kumiko, peeking around the corner, was essentially the guide for Wendy and Rowan.
Thankfully, most of the guards are concentrated in the lower levels of the base near the Machine. Unfortunately, that'd be where Kumiko and the crew would have to go if they were going to have any chance of finding Blake. Going straight into the mouth of the beast. It was vexing, yes, but they came this far, so they were going to follow through with this. When the guards were clear, Kumiko ran across the hallway to an elevator, and willed the door open with her metal manipulation. She stared down at the dark expanse of the elevator shaft... before she peeked back upwards. The elevator was, fortunately, above them as she could see the metal contraption going back up.
"Hey, Wen," Kumiko said, turning to her daughter, "This shaft should take us to the little underground tunnels underneath the building... only problem is that it's one hell of a drop."
Kumiko chuckled.
"Can you work your magic again?"
"Yes..." Wendy said, then she presented her hand to Rowan and Kumiko. "Grab on tight."
Rowan quickly hooked an arm around one of Wendy's shoulders, then Kumiko followed likewise - then Wendy took in a deep breath as she hopped into the elevator shaft. Any other person would be terrified of these heights, but Wendy couldn't fear such things. They fell as a group. Wendy was going to hold off on using her weightlessness, because it made zero sense to float down the shaft at five miles an hour. Instead, she was going to time it just right...
"Huh?!" Wendy abruptly shouted.
It was there that Wendy realized that her grip of Rowan was slipping. She wasn't quite as ready to hold onto two people, going at terminal velocity, as she thought. "Ro-Rowan!" She desperately tried to grab onto Rowan's wrist, but the scrawny teen's limb slipped apart from hers as the hard brake of concrete and metal loomed in closely below.
Yet contrary to the grim sound of meat slamming hard against the ground came a strange metallic groan and an awkward thud. It was too dark to see, however, until finally Wendy and her remaining passenger descended further down the shaft, following a trail of warped metal and cracked concrete until they could just about make out the bottom, where a scrawny figure awkwardly levitated just a few feet off the ground.
"I'm o-okay!" Rowan called up, albeit a little shakily.
Wendy had already activated her weightlessness, and the force that her form had built up had been negated. The two touched the ground, and Wendy had almost broken out in tears.
"Holy shit..." Wendy said. "Ro-Rowan! You're alive! I'm... I'm so sorry for letting go of you like that! I-I could have killed you."
"Y-yeah, I think I'm okay, don't sweat it but uh..." He trailed off for a moment as he tried to steady himself enough to touch down, only to find himself dry retching as his feet touched solid concrete.
"It's all good," Kumiko said. "But, seriously, keep it down, Wen. Remember? This place is crawling with the IU."
"Oh, yeah, sorry." Wendy said.
"Let's get a move on," Kumiko said. "There probably won't be a lot of people using the elevators... so..." Kumiko explained as she willed the doors open to reveal the small section of the tunnels which had the elevators. There was nobody nearby, so she merely stepped out and gestured for the teens to come along. "Make sure you keep your heads down at all times."
"Mhmm..." Wendy said, following Kumiko. The latter of which was in awe of how tight the security was. Fortunately, a team of three was able to slip through here just fine. Kumiko was glad that Wendy dumped the extra weight (not that she hated them... she would have asked them to stay behind anyhow, there would have been far too many many to make sneaking an option). Either way, they would have to avoid the key areas like the plague if they didn't want to be spotted. At the same time... the key areas were where Blake's mostly likely going to be. God damn it, if only she didn't practically out herself with the defeat of Ezekiel- She looked at Wendy for a moment, before shrugging off that thought.
What she gained in return was far greater, so she'd have to make do.
For now, she would have to keep moving regardless with the teens behind her. She heard some people walking up, and she gestured for the teens to head into a side room (one of the currently vacant lab rooms - though, to Wendy, it looked more like an operating room, which made sense as to why it was desolate). Kumiko peeked out the door frame, before she saw Veronica and an IU member scrolling by... Oh yeah. Ronnie! That was the perfect way to find Blake! Only problem was that Veronica was probably going to be as receptive to Kumiko right now as anyone else in the IU.
"Alright, kids," Kumiko whispered as she kept her eyes on Veronica... switching to her teleportation powers, while grabbing onto her chains that were hanging off her hips. "I'm going to do something risky and stupid, sit tight! Anything goes wrong, I'll buy time for you!"
"Huh-" Wendy didn't have time to question anything before Kumiko teleported over to the two.
She was in perfect position - her chains raised in the air, completely silent - to strike. Even with Veronica's reflexes, there was little she could do when Kumiko merely just brought the chains down around her neck, and kept them nice and tight. Afterwards, she grabbed her pistol (a Glock 17) and pointed it at her IU companion.
"Hey, Ronnie," Kumiko said, as the woman grit her teeth at Kumiko. "Tell your friend not to make a whole lotta noise, please? I just want to ask you a question." Not like she had to, anyway - sure, Shizuka could easily walk over and free Veronica from those chains, but something in their looks at each other told him it was best that he stayed out of their business. He merely stood motionless with his hands raised, watching the two women quietly.
"Ma... Makoto!?" Veronica hissed, realizing that there was no way to telekinetically pull herself free as she couldn't get a good line of sight on the chains. "What are you doing?!"
"Hey, don't give me that, Ronnie," Kumiko replied. "I just betrayed the entire Family, and far as I can tell... you want to kill me... Uh, do you?"
Wait... was she the member of the IU that Shizuka told her about? The one that killed Ezekiel? "...I don't." Veronica said, with serenity.
"I knew you didn't after all the good times we had," Kumiko said... slowly removing the chains around her neck, and letting Veronica off. While the latter would normally kill someone for doing that... she had little to no time to waste on idiocy when there was so much more at stake. She merely massaged her neck. "Sorry for being rough, Ronnie."
"...Yeah, yeah, what is your damn question? We don't have a lot of time here." Veronica asked.
"I need to find our favorite master, Blake," Kumiko said. "It's... urgent."
Veronica pointed backwards. "He's down that way, but I heard him mention."
"...Anything more precise?" Kumiko asked.
"Hell if I know," Veronica said. "This place is a damn maze... but, I'd be careful. That place is locked down tight..."
"Yeah... Thanks, Ronnie." Kumiko said.
"This encounter never happened."
Veronica figured they wasted more than enough time here, and merely powered on past Kumiko, with Shizuka in tow. Kumiko grinned as she just took the challenge. She walked back down the hall to the lab, and threw it open. "Alright kids... that went better than expected."
"Who was that...?" Wendy asked.
"...Ehhh, it's better that you don't know," Kumiko answered with a chipper smile. "But, we got to worry about Blake... I think the only thing that'd be locked down that tightly would be their little magnum opus..."
"And that is?" Wendy asked.
"I'm not sure what it is, but whatever it is, the Family's got the biggest hard on over it."
"Magnum what?" Rowan asked, oblivious to the meaning.
"Masterpiece, Rowan," Wendy answered, looking at him. "It means masterpiece."
"That isn't important right now... you two gotta be ready for a little fightin'." Kumiko said. "It's a lot in asking kids to fight, but if we do this just right RAVEN will hopefully keep the main force occupied, and leave us with the stragglers... but, I know you've came this far." Kumiko said.
"Yeah... let's get a move on." Wendy said as her group moved forward.
Even this deep below the base, Kumiko could hear the explosions. It was no large leap of logic to say that the IU noticed as well. 'Course, that also meant they were going to be ready for the party to get started down here. So, they were on high alert, and were probably going to shoot anything that didn't look like it belonged down here on sight. Kumiko thought about just grabbing some IU gear, but that'd have been too big of a waste of time, especially when Blake was heading to the conversion chamber. Hopefully, Blake wasn't doing what she thought he was. Worst of all, Veronica's "directions" were as shitty as they come, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
Going in the direction Veronica pointed her in was easy. The teens were oddly composed... they were confident in Kumiko, and she could see that. Though, that composure would dissolve away in an instant if they get spotted, and shot full of bullets. Kumiko was hoping that RAVEN would be louder down here.
One hallway they were stepping into was splitting off in two directions, stopping immediately when she saw how fell guarded it was, and Kumiko could only shake her head. Great, just great. This was probably what Veronica was talking about...
The soldiers suddenly held their guns up, as they saluted someone, stepping aside to let Blake Schmidt and his posse through, and Diana came in full view. Wendy moved forward a bit as if she was planning on acting rashly, but was stopped by Kumiko's hand almost immediately.
"Only fools rush in, Wen," Kumiko said. "That said, I have an idea... but, it'll require you two to double back and look for another way into this hall."
"Yeah," Wendy said. "What's your plan?"
"Make em' think RAVEN showed up early... Don't worry about it, just don't get caught!"
At that moment, something that could only be described as a dangerous expression formed across Rowan's face as he furrowed his brow. "Got it."
"Yeah," Wendy said.
"Once you find a spot, throw a paper airplane or something down the hall... I'll sit tight here," Kumiko said. "You'll know when you see it, just make sure you turn into paper and haul ass down the hallway."
Part of Wendy wanted to say something snide, but right now, she couldn't find the nerve to. Instead, she kept all her attention on the halls in front of her, keeping her head down the whole way. It must be awfully important down that way, and Kumiko must have one hell of a plan if she was going to divert all these guards away. Either way, Wendy could turn into paper if spotted. Just disguise herself as paper, maybe they'd pass it off as scientists dropping it in a hurry to leave - wait, no one but a fool would fall for that. Wendy kept moving with Rowan in tow, and praying that they wouldn't get lost or worse, separated. Just to ensure that, close to the ground, she left a dot with ink, before she continued onward.
Before long, they made it to another pathway to that hall. Wendy wasn't sure whether or not it was the only hallway there... but, Kumiko said find another way around for whatever stunt she was doing. Wendy pulled a paper slip out of her hand, and formed it into a piece of paper. Actually, she wished they got walkie-talkies, or something that'd let them actually communicate. Either way, Wendy was overthinking it a bit, and instead focused on sending the paper airplane down the hallway. She used all of her will to push it down the hallway.
It flew over the heads of the IU agents, but it didn't go unnoticed. Several IU let out a "Huh", or a "What's that?" before the paper came into sight of Kumiko. The woman grinned as she got firecrackers that she kept in her armor (for... diversion purposes). Once she got the signal, it was time for Kumiko to give them a signal of her own. While the kids were off doing their thing, she was looking for the wires that go through the house. She, currently, found a power box, and grinned widely. She quickly went back, and saw the paper airplane in the nick of time.
Time for the fun to begin.
She used her metal manipulation to pull the power box off the wall, and the lights in the area went dead... specifically the hallway. Breaking one power supply wasn't going to take out the power in the whole basement... but it definitely was going to knock the lights out here. Once the lights were out, Kumiko was surrounded with a jet black smoke that signalled her teleportation ability. She prepped some firecrackers, and teleported throughout the hall, throwing them around wildly. There was chaos in the hallway as the IU had no idea what was going on. Kumiko was gone before they could get a lead on her. Some even started shooting at each out in sheer paranoia.
By the time the lights went out, Wendy already caught onto the meaning, and grabbed onto Rowan's wrist. "Hold your breath!" Wendy whispered as the two turned into a mass of paper, and flew down the hallway. It went unnoticed among the firecrackers, and friendly fire that was going on.
The two made it to the end of the hall, and Wendy transformed the both of them back into flesh upon seeing the massive doors of the conversion chamber. It was unguarded... and with doors like these, they probably didn't need guards to begin with. They had to be quick, so Wendy turned to Rowan and said, "Rowan, we don't have time, you gotta break it open."
Without addressing her, the scrawny teen clenched his fingers into a fist and drew an arm back, wrenching the doors apart with a great metallic screech until there was just about enough space for them to slip through.
They caught sight of a room similar to the one in Silver Hills - round, white tiled, full of the same pods - and the scene was eerily similar, too. The pods were full, and across from the room was Blake and his posse of Secretaries, who merely grinned.
"Oh, hello, Ms. Lucker, you're here," Blake said as he walked over with his hands in his pockets. His powerful presence could be felt from the other side of the room, but Wendy had to be strong. "...Close the door behind you, we can't have anyone interrupting us."
Rowan gave him a scowl as Wendy shook her head, but Blake merely snapped a finger and a Secretary that was hiding behind the pod quickly pressed a switch on the wall and the door was slammed shut.
"You know, Ms. Lucker, you amaze me," Blake said. "Not only did you survive this long, but you've managed to do the impossible... I was correct when I said there was just something about you, Ms. Lucker."
He tilted his head downwards as he stared at Wendy, whom was silent the entire time. She noticed that Blake's Secretaries were blocking the view of a pod with their bodies.
"But, you've gone too far this time... too far to allow me to continue these little chit-chats, and playing around," Blake said. "...And by that I mean you've slain an associate of mine... Ah, does Ezekiel Anagnos ring a bell?"
"...That man was a monster, and so are you." Wendy replied rather curtly, making it clear where she stood on the matter. "I don't care, I don't care about any of this. If you wanted me out of your hair so badly, you knew exactly what needed to be done."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Ms. Lucker," Blake shook his head. "I did know what needed to be done... but, you turned me down so harshly, and now...? I've had a change of heart."
He put his arm down, and it was surrounded with an orb of molten lava that took the vague shape of a fist, his other hand reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote.
"So, here's how this is going to go; I'm going to kill you, but first, there's something you need to see," Blake stepped aside, and so did the Secretaries... revealing Diana in the pod they were blocking.
"Diana!" Wendy called out, putting her hand out.
"...You brought this on yourself, Ms. Lucker." Blake pressed the button.
"No!" Rowan growled, outstretching a palm towards the pod and clenching his fingers, hoping to pry the hatch off before Blake could do what he thought he was about to do.
But it was far too late, the moment that Blake pressed the button, all the pods in the room were activated. Every single poor soul (many of which were Secretaries that Blake decided to feed to the machine) was converted into pure Metahuman energy. Wendy had to watch in painful detail as Diana fruitlessly pounded against the glass in a desperate attempt to break free... only to give up, saying something to Wendy, before she finally faded away just like all the others.
Wendy immediately dropped to her knees, as she broke out in tears... Diana... everything she fought for here, was all pointless. Diana died just like all the others, and Wendy... was just frozen in shock. She couldn't move.
All while Blake looked at his clock as he did calculations in his head. The Machine should be fully charged... in about ten minutes, then it'd fire in fifteen. Hard work pays off, doesn't it? Blake thought to himself as he thought nothing of Diana's death. It was just means to an end.
For a few seconds Rowan was left speechless. They'd seen friends lost, kidnapped, but never killed, nothing like this. Fresh hatred sparked across his mind as he turned his sights towards Blake yet again as Wendy mourned her sister.
"...You want Ezekiel's killer, asshole?! Come fucking get me!"
"Gladly." Blake said as he charged Rowan with his fist, red hot with magma, and swung it overhead to the ground with such force... No one could walk away from that.
Only, the scrawny teen hadn't walked, so much as dove out of harm's way, thanks to those plates slipped into his shoes and the metal bands he wore underneath that hoodie of his. Lights flickered inside the room as Rowan's magnetic interference began to disrupt the electrical supply, strobing like a disco as the teen continued his verbal tirade, backing up against the doors.
"You know how he died?!" he shouted at Blake in a half jeering, half infuriated tone, "C'mon, guess!"
"Do you want to know how you'll die?!" Blake shouted as he dropped to his knees, and slammed his hands onto the ground. He created a cascading wave of stone that went flying towards Rowan. "Getting crushed to death seems fitting, doesn't it?!"
The lights flickered yet again as stone smashed against stone, yet as the dust cleared in Rowan's place stood a battered slab of metal, the hatch to what had been Diana's pod, finally torn off in the heat of the moment as the boy's one saving grace.
"You ever had a shard of metal stuck in you?!" Rowan defiantly shouted back, voice resonating off the metal, "Ezekiel only got the same as what he did to me, except he was pathetic!" As he spat that last word out, he pushed his improvised shield back towards Blake with all the force he could muster, gesticulating wildly with his arms.
Blake swung his flaming fist at the projectile shield and the earsplitting sound of metal clashing with stone filled the room. He'd punched clean through it... but, there was still more to his intentions. "Enough talk, child! Before I reconsider making this painless!" He bellowed.
More metal debris was pulled into Rowan's reach, surrounding him in a sphere pattern.
"Painless?!" He asked, spitting the words out at Blake, "You assholes don't know what pain is unless you're causing it."
Emphasising that word was a portion of the shield being hurled at Blake. "Ezekiel got it painless, he got off easy!" Another chunk of twisted metal was pushed against the man's Olympian form.
There wasn't anymore for Blake to say to this child... Because it was time for action. The only thing Blake needed was to kill this child, nothing about this sound nonsense. He raised his lava-infused fist up into the air, and slammed it down with such colossal force that the ground shook. A tremor was sent forth from the ground they stood on. Cracks in the ground formed that glowed with a vibrant orange light as the air danced as raw heat filled the room.
The same trick that he'd used to defeat them earlier had yielded similar success, forcing Rowan to move as fast as his already trembling legs could carry. Knowing they couldn't stop, he yanked a distraught Wendy up to her feet and dragged her alongside him, "C'mon!" he yelled, trying to snap her out of it, but another tremor from Blake's blows to the ground made him lose his footing, pulling the both of them to the ground. "Get up, c'mon!"
Wendy just couldn't believe it... her sister.... reduced to ash in an instant. All because of Blake's overwhelming arrogance. Not only did he kill Diana, he had the audacity to gloat about it. It was... it was too much. Wendy was practically shaking, but she didn't realize that she was losing control of not just her emotions, but her powers. As she drug her hands into the ground, she carved deep marks into the concrete. Blake... he went too far this time...
...And he was going to pay dearly.
Wendy loudly screamed as she pounded her fists against the ground - but, her voice seemed to carry a supernatural distance. What followed was the stone in the room wildly being launched in all directions. The Secretaries and pods in the room were obliterated by Wendy's barrage, and it was enough to make Blake stop in his tracks. He leered his head around at Wendy, and bared his teeth. Almost like he was annoyed that Wendy had killed his Secretaries. Well, not for long.
The ground flipped over, and Wendy was launched high up into the air as she loudly screamed. When she hit the ground... a cascading wave of concrete shot upwards and hit Blake, before continuing through the wall. Blake was sent flying because of the sheer, unrelenting force. He went barreling through some confused members of the IU (crushing them) before he finally hit the wall, and stopped. His body leaking lava because of the wounds dealt to his body.
Wendy let out one more scream, body oozing blood, as she jumped up in the air, and kicked both legs onto the ground. Sending another wave of concrete at Blake that sent him barrelling down the hallway.
At either side, another few members from the IU who hadn't been crushed by Wendy's wrath had pushed in, training their sights on the girl, but before any of them could open fire they felt their own weapons acting against them, the triggers remaining firmly in place as some other force seized control of them. One man who realised just what was about to happen frantically reached for his sidearm, but in a matter of a few seconds his own weapon turned over to face him and its trigger squeezed back firmly, painting the wall behind him with blood and brain matter. "Walk away or you'll end up like him!" Rowan demanded, tailing Wendy as she trailed between them. None of them wanted to face the same fate as their colleague and backed off as soon as they saw an opportunity. Soon the two teens were free to focus on Blake.
"Cowards..." Blake painfully said as he picked himself back up. He stood straight up with his chest puffed out as Wendy screamed, sending another wave towards him. "If you..."
Blake could only grin at this girl's sloppy form! Rage could do that to you. Fortunately, it would be her final mistake. He cocked his fist back, and punched the cascading wave with an impact so deep that it could be felt throughout the underground section of the base. The wave was reversed, sent back towards Wendy and Rowan. There were few things that could get in the way in the way of such an attack, and Wendy could only desperately hop out of the way. However, the moment Blake knew he'd got her on the move, he slammed a foot into the ground, which raised spikes where Wendy was about to land. The girl tried her damn near hardest to stop herself from getting impaled... but, she let out a loud hiss of pain when hit the ground.
And suddenly, that rage melted when she saw a stone spike through her hand. The girl's first response was to scream. "Oh, shit!" Rowan exclaimed, turning his focus back towards her.
Yet instead of trying to finish her off, Blake went for the scrawny teen, knowing that he'd try to save his friend. He drove a fist into the ground, and it split beneath their feet and upwards towards Rowan, who's already battered knee knee gave out under him at just the moment the fissure opened beneath his leg, pulling his foot under, a sharp yelp erupting from him as agony shot upward from where it enveloped him.
"Finally!" Blake loudly said as he lunged for Rowan's neck... with his hand covered in lava, it would had been an instant death. Right before he closed those last few meters, chains wrapped around his leg, and utterly destroyed his momentum as he fell forward. Cracking his face on the ground was the most disgraceful part of this fight. He knew exactly who it was, and focused on the ground around Rowan's foot so he could rightfully kill him....
Only for Kumiko to teleport in, and teleport the both of them out, before Blake had a moment to process it. He turned to Wendy, before realising that she had disappeared, as well.
Kumiko had teleported the two far away from Blake... and for good reason. Blake would have killed them, and while Kumiko could understand Wendy's rage, she was being incredibly rash and emotional right now. Now... the three were inside a massive library of some sorts. The whole damn place was gigantic... there had to be centuries of knowledge here. No guards, or anyone tending to this place, either. This place was probably not thought to be a strategic target as the Machine would've been, and any information in there was probably expendable to the Three... but, not to a certain someone in here.
"...Diana!" Wendy loudly cried out as she fell to her knees, crying... ignoring the horrible wound done to her hand. "I... should have been faster!"
Rowan had slumped against one of the index shelves of the library, clutching the leg that Blake had managed to pull beneath the ground. Despite being saved from the worst of Blake's wrath, he winced as he rolled up the torn sleeve of his leg to reveal some nasty bruising, then a sharp gash along the side, where the stone had bitten into it. By all accounts, he was lucky it hadn't taken a major artery. "I'm sorry, Wendy..." He muttered, angry with himself not just for failing to save Diana, but also because he'd let that asshole get the drop on him.
"Wen... as shitty as it sounds, there was nothing you could do," Kumiko said. "Blake... he's a monster to his very bones. All of the Blessed Three, and there ain't no changing that." She said, turning her head away.
"I... I can't believe she's gone! After all these years, just killed just like that!" Wendy said.
"...I understand what loss feels like," Kumiko somberly said. "But, you gotta remember, it isn't the end. Far from it. While most people will just express pity, and turn their heads, you'll have to deal with it forever... you just gotta remember that, long as you keep your loved ones in your heart, their memories will never die."
"I... guess." Wendy said. "I think... I think it's best that we just go now..."
"Yeah... this is RAVEN's fight," Kumiko said, before she smiled warmly. "And you have to get out of here... for Diana."
"Wait... I..." Wendy said, wiping her tears away. She looked around. "...I want some of these books."
Wendy could just feel Rowan groaning, though one couldn't tell if that was because of her interest in such literary treasures or because his leg had taken a couple beatings too many tonight.
Kumiko groaned as she rolled her eyes up into her head. "...Fine, hurry up." Kumiko said. "This place is going to blow any minute."
The first thing that Wendy did was gather up all the paper she could when she raised her hand up into the air, and a swirling mass of books formed above her. She wasn't above cannibalizing these books to heal herself - because, one; bleeding all over the place would make it hard to escape, and two; having a giant wound in her hand was not a good idea to begin with. Fortunately, her paper manipulation allowed her to regenerate. The individual pieces of paper were torn off from the books, and they funneled into her wound - her hand turning into paper as the paper filled her wound. When she shifted back, there was not a trace of the wound aside from some lost blood.
Wendy, despite all of her grief, didn't waste any time here. There were millions of books here, it'd be impossible to sort through all of them. Especially if this place was an archive of sorts. Though, there was a small area which had some chairs, and tables. Which Wendy figured was the place where the Blessed Three reviewed anything in the archive. The furniture was ignored in favor of the pieces of article that were presently there. The books... it looked like someone was reading something, or giving their books one last look before putting it in the library. Wendy marched over, and the first book that caught her eye was the Lord of the Rings book that she saw when she first infiltrated Ezekiel's base in Courtbridge.
It was an eyebrow raiser, but she shifted through it... and it was all of Ezekiel's notes. Hmph, part of her wanted to burn it, but she felt it sufficiently insulting that Ezekiel was so hell-bent on getting it back, that the children that killed him take it instead. She put it underneath her arm, there's not much room for her to carry any books, so she was going to take two. The other book on the table were also notes.
Dr. Rosier's Research Notes.
Well, Wendy just chose to snatch it just to save time looking for a second book. With both books underneath her arm, she ran back to Kumiko.
"Okay, I'm ready." Wendy said, prompting Rowan to suck in his breath, clench his teeth and drive a palm into his good knee to stand. It took him a few moments to steady himself, but after a little bit of testing his weight on it, then clenching his fingers inwards, he braved it as best he could.
"Let's..." Kumiko said as she turned towards the door... and a portal opened right in front of it. The same swirling portal employed by the Hound and co. "No..."
The Hound stepped out, and Kumiko cringed as she realized that none of them were in any state to fight the Hound of all people. The titanic man in black armor stepped through with his M60E4 slung over his shoulder. Everyone appearted to be filled with dread as the red-eyed man stepped through... and reached into his armor...
...Only to throw the phones of Rowan, and Wendy at their feet. The two teens looked up at him, the former casting him a threatening glance nonetheless.
"...I mean you all no harm," The Hound somberly said. "I came here to offer an explanation... and an apology."
"Huh?" Wendy asked, still ready for anything to pop off.
"I never meant for... any of this to happen," The Hound said, shaking his head. "The goal was for you to recover your sister, and liberate any prisoners to slow progress on the Machine... at least that was according to the Foundation Woman's calculations."
"W-what are you talking about?" Wendy hissed. "You kidnapped her in the first place."
"...And you have every right to hate me for it," The Hound said. "But, it was orders... and for my true goal to reach fruition, I would have to appear loyal to my masters..."
"Orders..." Wendy hissed.
"You could've led the cops into it, or DOVE or RAVEN or whatever they're called," Rowan found the words pouring from his mouth, spitting venom with every tone, "Why'd you pull us into this bullshit?!" His fingers clenched and for a moment the Hound could almost feel a certain constriction, ever so slight as it was, from the metal plates of his own armour. At least, until he realised the assassin still had something to say, and his temper abated.
"I could have indeed, but..." The Hound put both hands on the bottom ends of his helmet, releasing a few locks, before slowly pulling it off. He revealed his face to the group... and if it could be called a face. The Hound, underneath all that armor, was vaguely human at best. The man had many tiny eyes covering the left side of his face, while he had a large, freakish, red eye on the other. His mouth was full of sharp teeth, and the skin around his cheeks had eroded to reveal even more of the monstrous man's teeth. Wendy had to winch a little. He pointed at a metal plate on the side of his head, explaining,
"If there was even the slightest sign of rebellion... my masters would have killed me with this bomb implanted in my skull," The Hound said. "I had to appear loyal... or else... but, that doesn't matter anymore, does it?"
Kumiko narrowed her eyes, she didn't buy the sad puppy act one bit.
"And it was the Foundation Woman who truly pulled you into this," The Hound answered.
"Who's this Foundation Woman, then?" Wendy asked.
"My associate, and the general for the Blessed Three, in essence," The Hound's eyes focused on Wendy. "And our goal from the beginning was truly..."
The Hound put his helmet back on slowly.
"... The utter destruction of the Founding Family and all their assets... she believed that you two would play a part in their destruction."
"And how?"
"Her power... but, we do not have much more time," The Hound stepped aside from the three. "RAVEN has already infiltrated the base, and with your distraction of Blake... they most likely couldn't coordinate a proper defense of the Machine."
He pointed at the exit.
"You need to leave, and once you are gone... the Foundation Woman will give you all the answers... Believe me if you want to... if I really wanted to kill you... I would have done so by now."
Wendy was conflicted... but she instead took her phone back, and took his advice to leave the base fast as possible. If she would get to converse with this "Foundation Woman" after all of this, she might as well not have wasted any time. Wendy was the first to go past him, giving the titanic man an off glance... he was still responsible for Diana's death by starting all of this. She couldn't forgive him so easily...
Rowan came limping past next, all the while glaring at the assassin. Part of him wanted to crush him in his armour right now, but... there were more important things to do, maybe there was some degree of truth in his words, even if he didn't trust the creature that stood before them.
Either way, both pushed through the doors, and decided to go for the elevators they came from. It took a bit of backtracking... this base looked absolutely trashed, but once they made it to the elevators that were pried open, Wendy was the first to start climbing up the elevator... she thought on the Hound's words the whole time.
Even though she'd failed to save Diana... did she play a part in the fall of the Family like the Hound said?
Or was it just filling her head with lies?
She'd get her answers later.
Yo, anyone want to throw ideas for russian/ukranian first names at me? Gotta be for a male, by the way. It's relevant to something I'm gonna be writing.
Alice Barrett, & Quentin Taylor
(collaboration between @Nosuchthing and @Zombiedude101)Hailey Boulevard, Silver Hills_Quentin forced himself to draw a hand away from his comms piece, numbed by what he'd just heard. She was gone. Lihua Zhao was gone. The woman who'd been responsible for him joining RAVEN to begin with, perhaps one of the closest things he'd had to a 'mentor' of sorts. But more than that. For better or worse, Zhao had been a friend, one of the few people he'd trusted to know about his past. More than that, she had been a mother. Not just to Mei, but to Lijuan too. Both had lost the woman holding their family together, both rendered 'orphans', for what it counted. No child deserved that.
And he knew just how it felt as a familiar sense of loss crept up on him, reminded of how he'd found his own Mom slumped lifelessly on the couch.
For a few moments, he felt like the Hound was twisting another blade in his gut, those crimson eyes boring into his own. Only then, the assassin's form was replaced with Alice staring back at him, which was enough to drive him onwards. "Let's go. The sooner we plant those charges, the sooner we can deal with that thing."
"Shit..."
Alice had heard the same news. She'd not known Lihua Zhao well, she hadn't even liked her that much, but she'd respected her and her reputation at least. They had to keep going though, if Zhao was down, it meant that their firepower had just dropped drastically.
"I'm sorry man, I know she was a friend..."
They didn't have time to mourn however, and she turned back to the doorway. In theory this was where they needed to be, but she doubted very much whether the IU would have left the shield projector unprotected. It had taken them some time to get up here, Alice wasn't familiar with the base, which limited how far she could jump. That and it wouldn't have been pleasant for Quentin to go through over a dozen jumps in quick succession. They'd faced little opposition on the way up here and all that had done was put her on the edge. She double checked the charge strapped to her back, then raised the compact SMG. She nodded to Quentin, ready to rush through the door the moment he broke it open.
A firm boot against the locking mechanism seemed to do the trick, alerting to their presence a few stragglers from the Intimidation Unit who'd been split from their comrades in the confusion. Quentin quickly leveled his shotgun with the first figure he saw and squeezed back on the trigger, the slug punching straight into the man's midsection. It hadn't penetrated, but the sheer kinetic force of the projectile at this range was enough to knock the man down, leaving Alice open to push through.
Alice flashed into existence above the man, her gun swinging low to spray hard-core bullets through his face plate. Then she vanished again, reappearing with a boot outstretched, planting a kick into the next man's face. He stumbled back, but before he could recover Alice had rushed back into existence behind him. Sheltering from his comrades fire behind his form, she perforated him with a quick burst from the MAC11.
Then came another, near-defeaning crack which resonated across the passage as Quentin fired off another slug at one of the remaining paramilitaries from behind cover. Seconds later, Alice was on the move yet again as the veteran RAVEN provided the others with a distraction, leaving them blind to the rapidly moving silhouette in the dimly lit confines of the facility.
Quentin's distraction was all Alice needed. The IU couldn't possibly deal with him and keep track of the teleporting RAVEN at the same time. It only took her a matter of seconds to put down the rest with extreme prejudice.
"Clear?" Quentin barked at his colleague down the passageway.
There was a sharp scream from around the corner, then Alice appeared with a grimace. "Clear."
Nodding to himself, Quentin pushed up further, loading a couple more slugs into the magazine tube of his 870. They couldn't have been far now, especially with how deep they'd pushed into this wretched place and somehow he couldn't help but shake the feeling of deja vu. It evoked memories of the lab in Verthaven, of when he'd met Meifeng all those seven years ago and started on that path which led him here. He was a different man now, a better man, but none of it had been without loss.
Half a dozen faces he'd known had passed before him Sonya. Cass. Trevor. Max.
And now? Zhao.
"Quent!" A voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Alice called sharply back to him from around the corner, "Looks like we're here."
"You're sure?" He asked, before his colleague affirmed him with a nod. Glancing back over his shoulder, he took a moment to survey the area for any potential chokepoints that he could exploit, then took up cover in a position that gave him a good view of the doorway. "Good. Plant the charges, meanwhile I'll keep you covered."
At that point he was going to shut up and focus, but another few words of encouragement came to mind.
"Don't let anything get in your way."
Wendy Emily Lucker, Rowan Campbell, Haruka Takashiro, & Ellen Nile.
(collaboration between @Mr Allen J, @Zombiedude101, @tsukune and @Nosuchthing)Hailey Boulevard, Silver Hills_It wasn't long before Kumiko lead Rowan, Wendy, and Haruka over to the very same entrance that they had used to get into this base. Wendy was disconcerted by the sounds of fighting in the distance, but she otherwise, paid it little mind as she focused on leaving the base than whatever the hell was going on. Standing at the door were the very people Wendy was looking for in the first place: Jess, Kai, and Ellen.
"Guys!" Wendy announced as she ran up. "Thanks for waiting for us!"
"Well..." Jessica said as she tipped her hat, "Even if we wanted to... we couldn't leave, anyway."
"W-why?"
"The tunnel's busted," Jessica answered, as she pushed the door down to reveal that the tunnel had collapsed. Tons of concrete, dirt, and more, were blocking the way. "Can't slip nothin' past that."
"S-shit..." Wendy said, as she put her hands up. "Maybe I can..."
Kumiko put a hand on her shoulder as she said, "Don't." She affirmed. "You'll only end up killing yourself if you try moving all of that... and you need all the energy you got if you're going to their headquarters."
"Headquarters?!" Wendy said.
"Well, that's the only place for your sister to be," Kumiko said. "If we're lucky, we can get there and back before the Blessed Bastards get back."
"If we can't leave through there, were do we try leavin'?" Jessica asked, raising an eyebrow at the mysterious woman. "Whoever you are."
"Kumiko, and trust me, I'm a friend..." Kumiko answered. "I have an idea... but, trust me, you're not going to like it."
She looked up at the ceiling... which was still shaking due to all the chaos going on above them.
"Are ya' crazy?" Jessica asked. "...It's God damn World War Seven up there!"
"We don't even need to get involved... all we need to do is break a window and leave..." Kumiko rebuked... knowing that if this exit was closed, the other one would most likely be as well There's no point in trying to race to the other end of the base when they could use one of the many secret ladders and stairs in and out of the basement... Only thing was that she was hoping those weren't exploded either.
That would suck.
"Well, let's not haste." Kumiko said.
Ellen nodded, "That machine looked nasty, and I don't want to be even near the next fight if that's what they're like..."
She was swaying now, and clearly fighting to keep her eyes open. "I haven't got much juice left in me, I'll just... slow you guys down, you go... I'll find somewhere to sleep..."
"Hold up, baby girl," Jessica said as she grabbed onto Ellen's arm, propping her up. "If you stay here, you might as be dead."
"Yeah," Rowan agreed, recognising just how exhausted she looked, "This shithole might collapse whilst you're still here."
"Even if you fall asleep, I'll carry ya'," Jessica said with a grin. "Don't worry, I'm strong enough to carry everyone here, run a kilometer, and come back." She bragged.
"You don't have to fight my battles, Ellen," Wendy said, as her hand hovered in front of her chest, clenching tightly into a fist. "But, I'm at least going to get you out of here, and finish this fight myself."
"Ummm... hey?" Jessica said as she put a hand on her hips, whilst Rowan couldn't help but shoot either of the girls a glance.
"...And with friends." Wendy said.
Ellen nodded hesitantly, clearly not convinced, but not having the energy to argue.
"There's a ladder nearby, don't waste time," Kumiko said as she lead the group down the hallway with a mere gesture of her hands. It wasn't too far away, and that was because it was kept close to the secret entrance so goons could discreetly get in and out of the lab. In case they didn't want to be seen walking out of an ISD lab, or somewhere people would start questioning. To be frank... if Julia would blow up her own damn escape tunnels like that, then it wouldn't be that much of a stretch that Julia didn't want this base. Crazy bitch was probably going to blow up the base with everyone in it. That's why Kumiko (and company) needed to get the hell out of here fast as possible.
Quickly, they made it to the end of a hallway that had a metal ladder leading to a metal hatch above the group... it loudly rattled whenever there was an explosion, or crash above them. Before anyone could do anything, Kumiko threw her hand hand - gesturing for them to hold up, and using her metal manipulation to throw the hatch open.
"Alright, ready up, children," Kumiko said as she sauntered over. "I'm going to see if the coast is clear... then you're going to follow me."
"There's no one beyond the hatch," Haruka, who had been silent as he watched Wendy's reunion with her friends, finally spoke up. "Um... Sorry, I didn't get your name."
Kumiko was torn between winking and raising an eyebrow (she would try a weird combination of the two, but she wasn't going to try to visualize how that'd look). Thankfully, whoever this young man was, didn't recognize her Makoto Koda alias... and the less people know that the better. So, Kumiko settled on winking at the boy.
"Kumiko," she said. "It's great to meet you... under such terrible circumstances, but it's still nice." She smiled.
Though, she was wondering how he just knew that. Was he a Metahuman? Probably packing some weird Cerebral ability. Kumiko was going to subtly find out!
"Say, young man, what's your power?"
Haruka nodded in response to the greeting, then introduced himself. "Haruka. Nice to meet you too, Ms. Kumiko." Pleasantries aside, even if the teens seemed comfortable with this lady and she had saved everyone here, he couldn't help being wary around her. "...Clairvoyance," the lie that came out from his lips sounded so natural that he would probably believe in his own words without much thought. Besides, what he could do with his power was pretty limited in such confined areas, so it didn't matter if he told her the truth or not.
"Alright, cool," Kumiko didn't really pay too much mind to the possibility that he could be lying. She's got more important things to deal with. Like escaping this hell-lab, and getting into the Family's Headquarters with a good four hormonal teenagers... Hey, maybe it'd go well. "Don't call me 'Ms. Kumiko'... makes me feel old," she said. "Just Kumiko."
...And she's getting off track here. Jesus, she felt like she had the attention span of a four-year-old. She looked up at the entrance, as she said, "I'm going to trust that you're not pulling my leg, Haruka. Let's go... stick close to me."
Kumiko threw one of her chains to the hatch, and it hooked on the edge. She pulled herself in, and ended up above the hatch, poking her head through the hatch to one again gesture for the kids to climb through the hatch. They all had one way of getting up there: climbing. Wendy was annoyed that she didn't have any paper to use to switch back to paper manipulation ability. Well... maybe she could use the exercise. She walked up to the ladder, grabbing onto the bars and putting her feet up it, quickly climbing to the top of the ladder. Jessica climbed up with ease, since she wasn't even close to tired... while the slower Kiri had a bit more difficulty climbing up the ladder. Haruka, who brought up the rear, was last.
The first thing Wendy saw was... the inside of a janitor's closet. A mop, a shelf with cleaning supplies, and this was probably where the janitor would get high.
"...They're not that creative with their hiding spaces." Wendy muttered... before she immediately realized there were more important things going on. Like the warzone outside the door. Her heart dropped... She wasn't prepared to run head first and get killed by crossfire.
"Okay, I know this might be a little scary, but trust me-" Kumiko tried to reassure them.
"...You keep saying that." Wendy near-hissed.
"Well, when you're dressed like a soldier, you kind of have to," Kumiko was refraining from saying that she was an assassin in front of so many people (because that'd have gone really well so far as trust went). "But, that's not important right now; what we gotta worry about is getting through that. Like I said, it's scary getting shot at, but the last thing we need is one of you spazzing out, and falling behind."
Kumiko first explained. "I know this base like the back of my hand... there's a nice little window I'm going to break that we can all climb through."
With a nod of her head, Kumiko tried to assess everyone's emotions that had to be running wild... but, then remembered they were seven people stuffed into a tiny ass janitors closet, that smelled like spilled chlorine and weed. The only emotion they would be feeling would be vivid discomfort (if that was a thing).
"We're all going to follow behind me. Clear?" Kumiko first said, before repeating, "Clear?"
"Clear." Rowan echoed with a low voice, the first of them to do so.
"Yeah." Wendy followed behind him.
"Yeah, darlin'," Jessica said.
"...Y-Yes," Haruka replied, trying not to gaggle over the mixture of horrid smells in the closet.
Putting a thumbs up, Kumiko turned to Rowan. "Hey, Magneto," Kumiko was coming up with cute nick names with everyone as she spoke (and had even cuter ones in the works)! "Mind stopping any stray shots for us? If it isn't too much trouble for you."
"Huh?" Rowan asked with a somewhat dumbfounded look, before he realised what she'd meant, " Oh, I never, y'know... tried it before, but I'll do it."
"Don't worry, sweetheart," Kumiko said. "What's the worse that can possibly go wrong?"
All the things that could go wrong began to vividly flash within Wendy's mind's eye. Almost as if it was a vision... Wendy just shook her head as she contributed, "I could help... but, I need electricity."
"Good, we're heading out in three... two..." Kumiko said as she slowly opened the door with her metal manipulation. Slowly turning the doorknob as tension built in everyone. "...One."
The door was thrown open, and Kumiko was the first to come rushing out with her hooks in her hand. She stood in the hallway which was laced with dead bodies... She was hoping Wendy and the others wouldn't be too freaked out by it, but they all need to focus on the task at hand. But, it seemed that RAVEN and the IU were fighting elsewhere. "C'mon!" Kumiko shouted, beckoning for them to come out as well. "Don't focus on the bodies - Focus on me!"
Wendy was the first person to come charging out of the cramp-ass supply closet, turning around to make sure everything was alright with Rowan and the others. It was definitely scary hearing all these gunshots. Her scrawny friend was right behind her, eyes darting across the room as the bodies caught his eye. Haruka wasn't freaked out at the sight of corpses that lined the floor as someone of his demeanor would typically be, having experienced an incident just as bad in the past. He did as Kumiko had said, and stepped over the bodies with disgust to follow after the woman.
Like Kumiko said... there was a set of windows not too far away from the entrance. Looked like careful planning in case everything went wrong had paid off! Kumiko came to a skidding stop. For once, everything was going fine. The IU's attention was elsewhere... though, she was personally wondering why Lord Julia didn't send the IU after them. It was a gut feeling that something was cooking in that woman's head... and given that she was one of the most sinister and intelligent women on the planet, Kumiko couldn't take any chances. She pulled out her chain even further as she ripped metal off the dead members of the IU and RAVEN that were littering the floor. The guns and whatnot floated up into the air, until Kumiko compressed them all into an orb. It transformed into a wrecking ball at the end of her chain. Ooooh, Kumiko loved this part.
"Stand back, children!" Kumiko shouted with a look of devious glee on her face that worried Wendy. "This is gonna be messy."
At that point, Wendy had already taken a few steps back, and so did the others. The wrecking ball floated up into the air, and Kumiko spun it in a circle above her head. The chain rattled in an intimidating manner... which made Wendy wonder why she didn't just break the damn window already. Everything came together when Kumiko swung the wrecking ball in an incredibly wide arc, and slammed into the window so damn hard that the glass didn't even have a chance. It was reduced to shards... and Kumiko dropped the makeshift wrecking ball off her chain, which went right back to sitting on her hip.
"After you," Kumiko presented the new entrance to them.
Wendy didn't have any reaction other than nodding her head, and quickly hopping through the window. Followed by Rowan scrambling over, then Jessica barreling through it, and Kai carefully climbing through. Ellen followed, barely avoiding cutting herself on the remaining fragments of glass. Haruka didn't have much trouble clearing the window to the other side thanks to his small stature, ignoring a glass shard that had ripped a hole in his left sleeve. The last through was Kumiko, making sure the flank was clear.
Though, when she looked up... she saw the shield that was over the base that she didn't notice in her haste to make it outside.
"Oooooh?" Kumiko said, as she ran to the shield, followed by Wendy. "Oh, damn it."
Kumiko placed her hand on the shield... it was pretty damn hot, so she pulled her hand back.
"...I guess that explains why the Mistress-" Kumiko said in a very sarcastic and bitter tone. "-didn't send her goons after us..."
"...Because we were already trapped from the beginning." Wendy said as she looked up at the shield.
"Well, that's bullshit." Rowan complained, with an exaggerated grunt.
"Oooookay, this presents a lot of problems," Kumiko said. "We can either hope the Family is nice enough to drop it, or..." Kumiko was about to add "or blow up with the rest of the base," but that wouldn't be helping.
"Know a way to drop it?" Jessica asked. "Wait, hold up, let me try..." Jessica said as she took a few steps back, and put her shoulder in front of her body. Making it pretty obvious what she was going to do next.
"Wait, Jess, no," Wendy tried to plea.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Kumiko also tried to stop her.
But, none of their words even reached the headstrong Jessica Rosefey as she charged the shield hard as she could, slamming into the shield... and doing absolutely nothing, but hurting the hell out of her shoulder. "Oh, lord!" Jessica said as she dropped to the ground. "...I should not have done that."
"...Nope, I think you made it budge a little," Kumiko said, putting her hand on her chin. "Maybe you should try again." She dryly said.
"Can't we head under it?" Rowan suggested, well aware that it was via an underground tunnel that they'd broken into the base. Maybe they could've broken out the same way?
"...That's it!" Wendy excitedly said. It was probably going to fail miserably, but it would work better than standing here with a thumb up their ass. She stuck her hands up in the air, and tore apart a nearby pathway. Breaking it into brick-sized chunks, she willed them to float in the air. Her wounds were already oozing blood, but she'd worry about that later (or possibly when blood loss kicked in). The concrete formed into an improvised drill of sorts... that was hard to keep together, but still pointed at the end. "I'm gonna drill under it!" Wendy said, oddly energetically.
"Oh," Kumiko said, putting a hand on her hip. "Here I was thinking you were going to throw it."
Ignoring the comment, Wendy put the drill into the dirt, and made it turn. Awkwardly at that, but it was the best someone so inexperienced with this ability could do. Slowly, she dug the drill into the ground, making a tunnel large enough for them to get through. It was incredibly hard on Wendy... the shield was breaking apart, only being held together by Wendy's incredible focus and patience.
Slowly making them a path to freedom.
This was the first time Haruka had heard - and seen - Wendy being able to manipulate other elements than those he remembered from the market incident months back. He shrugged off his curiosity about where she had copied them from, and chose to concentrate on getting out of here in one piece instead. "I... will just keep a lookout, since that's pretty much all I can do now."
"Eh, don't worry," Kumiko flagged him off. "The IU are probably off picking fights with more important targets... that's their style, after all."
"Except... didn't one of their bosses try to kill us?"
Ellen had sat down against the wall, her head nodding gently as she fought to keep her eyes open, "I mean..."
"Pfft, that's just Ezekiel," Kumiko said with an idle shrug. "He tries to kill everybody."
"Not anymore," Rowan added, with a grunt.
Speaking of Blessed Three... "That Ezekiel man might be dead, but there's still another one alive and around," Haruka said, which made him thought of Jennifer again. "She knows that you have betrayed them, so what if she's going to come back for you?" He gave Kumiko a sideways glance.
With a sigh, Kumiko turned her head towards Haruka, and then said, "I knew what I was getting into the moment I chose to help Wendy," She started off. "Which means I have no choice but to destroy the Family... or, preferably, help someone more important do it and let them take all the credit." Someone more important being RAVEN.
Above all else, she'd have to kill the rest of the Blessed Three at any cost. Even if the kids got Diana out of there, it wouldn't be a happy ending. Since the Mistress knew the kids killed Ezekiel... well, it'd be no stretch that the Family would go after them. Probably just wipe the whole lot of them out. Kumiko looked at Wendy as the drill's tip appeared on the other side. The girl was already pushed to her very limits. After they get Diana out of there, Kumiko was going to finish the fight on her own.
These kids had bright futures ahead of them, and a future without the Founding Family was a perfect one to her.
At the last moment... the drill crumbled into pieces as Wendy's arms dropped. She panted... but, her labor paid off. There was a nice hole that went completely under the shield, and she smiled. "I... did it." Wendy said, weakly raising a finger at it. "Let's go!"
"That won't crumple down on us, right?" Jessica asked.
"No, just go!"
After a moment of hesitation, Rowan descended through, followed by the rather fearless Jessica, the stumbling Ellen, and Kai (turning into her ice form to grant herself a chance of surviving should Jess' fears come to light) tailing behind her.
Haruka could taste the bitter smell of exhaust fumes in the air from outside that rushed through the hole. He then recalled Shizuka's briefing before the misfit team came here. "...Those should be RAVEN's vehicles," he mused out loud, before he shrugged and followed the teens out of the crude tunnel.
Wendy looked at Kumiko for a moment, before the latter said, "Go on, I'll take point." Wendy nodded her head, before she hopped through.
Kumiko looked over her shoulder for a moment... she was surprised that everything went as smoothly as it did. But, the fight was not over yet. They still had to get to the Family's headquarters in Regal Square, and get Diana out of there.
Then... it'd be up to Kumiko.
Aislin Rose, Malik Jakane, Rhea Harlow, Holly Hope, & Ryu Koizumi.
(collaboration between @Mr Allen J, @Estylwen and @tsukune)Hailey Boulevard, Silver Hills_What better way to get the lay of the land (or in this case, a drowning Fag base) than wearing the sheep’s clothing? When the opportunity presented itself, Aislin and Ryu found two individuals from the Intimidation Unit in similar stature. Two shots from a tranquilizer, and they were dragged into the women’s washroom. Aislin couldn’t help snickering as she donned the IU uniform, knowing there were two naked people hidden in the last stall.
Ryu’s collar wasn’t hidden by the armor and seemed out of place. “I’d say keep the scarf,” Aislin said. “Protocol is the last thing on the Fags mind right now.”
Ryu shook his head at Aislin's suggestion. "The scarf is still mighty suspicious," he reasoned, while trying to get himself more accustomed to the IU suit - which was a little bigger than his actual build, and a trained soldier like him knew very well how an ill-fitting armor might cost one's own life in a gunfight, especially when they were still deep in the lion's den. Still, it felt so much easier to move around in than the coat he had been wearing all this while, and the suit was able to cover most of his skin without the need to put on extra layers of clothing (not to mention, stifling warm after running around for some time). "...I have a better idea."
Tugging at the loose turtleneck of the suit, he pulled it up and tucked the hem into his suppressant collar. Unless someone paused to squint hard at his neck, the slight bulge of the collar should be able to go unnoticed to most passing glances. He flashed the CID agent a satisfied grin. "Ta-da."
Aislin had adapted their comms to act as Pilots — the language barrier wouldn’t stop them. That meant Ryu understood every bit of ogling as they passed the lunch room. A massive bag of cheesies sat unopened on the counter, and Aislin had to wipe a bit of drool from her lips.
“The base is going up in smoke, they wouldn’t care if it went missing... I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” Aislin said, giving the cheesies a last look before moving down the hall.
"I wouldn't eat them if I were you," Ryu commented with a note of amusement. "Who knows if the Family has drugged the food here with similar addictive substances like the one that got the Marcelle person in deep trouble. This is a research facility, after all."
Aislin gasped, “My God, you’re right. Shit, well. I hope they haven’t developed it to be airborne. I left my gas mask at home.”
Ryu was grateful to Aislin for loaning an extra Pilots piece to him - while it obviously wasn't as accurate as actual human translations, but good enough to still be able to understand each other. He couldn't rely on the Takashiro twins all the time, and weigh them down with his inconveniences.
Unfortunately, the brief lighthearted moment amidst the rumbling explosions that shook the whole base from somewhere above them was rudely interrupted by an abrupt neck choke as Ryu was walking around a corner. The Japanese agent instinctively crouched down to use a floating hip throw to shake off his assaulter. It worked - the sudden shift in his center of mass distracted the attacker momentarily, giving Ryu the chance to escape from the arm locked around his neck. He turned to face the person who tried to strangle him...
And he couldn't believe his eyes.
"...Holly-san?"
Aislin lowered her tranquilizer gun, recognizing the assaulter. “Jesus Holly, is that really how you treat the goons around here?”
Holly was as surprised as Ryu was when she recognized their voices, but she continued to stare at the armor warily. "With all the explosions and fighting going on upstairs, I wouldn't be surprised if I start shooting first and leave the talking for later."
Malik and Rhea were behind the RAVEN agent, and they both seemed fine. Holly's suspicious glare prompted the Asian man to remove his mask, before he began to explain, "This is just a disguise. Ai-chan's brilliant idea." He readjusted the turtleneck to make sure his suppressant collar was still nicely hidden before gesturing at Aislin to translate his words to the RAVEN officer, then he gave her a sheepish smile. "We must be doing a great job to have you guys fooled like that."
“I wouldn’t say ‘brilliant’, but with Holly's stunt this get-up must be convincing,” Aislin said, then repeated what Ryu said to Holly before adding, “You wouldn’t believe how hot it gets in one of these things.”
Rhea held an uncertain grin on her lips. It was just like Aislin to think up a tactic like that. Her acting skills were good enough to pose as an IU, though a part of Rhea hated to see anything to do with the Unit. Unwillingly, the image of a blood-soaked festival resurfaced in her mind.
“I’m glad to see you two doing so well for yourselves.” Rhea said, sarcasm in her voice.
Holly let out a tired sigh - with her senses all strung up high after Malik's reckless charge at Julia, she was running low on patience watching out for the lightning duo not to do another crazy stunt and get themselves killed for their stupidity. "I apologize for attacking you just now, but I can't help being cautious, especially after what he did a moment ago." She tilted her head in Malik's direction.
Aislin chuckled at Holly’s dry remark. “You know how it is with storms,” she teased. “They can never sit still.”
Following Holly's instructions, Malik went through the halls of the base. He felt stupid for rushing off after her... but, he got the answers he was looking for. Though, he had a feeling that they wouldn't take "she gave it to me because she was feeling generous." What the real question was: why she gave it to him so easily, and who were "those women" she mentioned? There was something wrong here, and Malik just could smell it. Either way, he was going have to regroup with the others. He kept moving down the hallway until he crossed the group... and raised an eyebrow up into the air as he noticed Ryu, and Aislin, wearing the Intimidation Unit uniform.
"Uh, hello friends." Malik said, waving at them.
Malik’s face had conflicted feelings written all over it. “Well, how did it go?” Aislin asked. “Was your contact right about Marcelle?”
Rhea frowned, speaking up first. “Mr. Morris… was wrong. Marcelle isn’t here. Malik bolted after one of the Blessed Three, surviving the encounter somehow.” She glanced at Malik, unsure. “And…”
He was unsure of how to put this... he wasn't sure if Julia was right. He wasn't sure if she was just locked away in a cage somewhere. Well, if all his answers are in this USB drive, he might as well tell them. He raised the USB drive in the air. "...I have the last of Marcelle's logs... maybe this will tell me where she is." He was glossing over his encounter with the Three for now.
Unfortunately, Holly wasn't going to let Malik's bizarre luck of fortune to walk away unscathed from a member of the Three slide so easily, not at the sight of the USB. She couldn't help frowning at how he was able to get that from the redhead without so much of a struggle. "Before that, isn't there something more you need to tell us about? What exactly happened when you confronted that red-haired woman?" Ryu was also staring at the African man with a quizzical look.
"Well, I..." Malik said, before trying to deflect. "I asked her if she knew where Marcelle was... and she told me nothing useful so I attacked her. She had these weeeeird powers."
Holly obviously didn't buy what Malik was saying - the way he was trying to avoid the topic with a bad excuse only served to make her even more suspicious, that he was clearly trying to hide something. However, instead of outright dissing him for lying to them at this crucial time where any info might affect the outcome of their mission, she simply responded with, "Oh, really." The hint of disbelief in her tone was loud enough to spell that she was not one bit pleased with his antics.
"Look, we need to get a move on," Malik said, before he realized he earned an incredulous look from all of his friends. "Fine... I'll come clean... she made a deal with me."
It was hard saying that he was lying to them, but he might as well remove any and all doubts while he's here. What's the worse that could go wrong? Them turning against him? After everything they'd been through, that wasn't even an option at this point. "She was feeling generous because her ego was stroked, or whatever. Told me to have this if I get out of her hair... but... she also told me that Marcelle was dead..." Malik said, unsure of whether or not she was lying... or he was just in denial.
Holly perked up when Malik mentioned a deal with the Blessed Three woman, but she highly doubted that he meant by selling them out. Not after they had come so far, and she wanted to believe that his emotions for his friend were real. That was confirmed when he went on with his story. As she had thought, something was really fishy about all this. "Sounds like she is a real hurry that she's got not time to deal with anyone in her way," Holly mused out loud. "Or that we're no more than mere flies to her, which works for us."
She had one more thing to add on - the most important one of all. "As for Marcelle's status, we're not going to strike her off until we've checked the other base in Regal Square." She gave Malik a small, but reassuring smile.
Ryu shared the same sentiment with the RAVEN - well, it wasn't hard to tell that the African guy didn't tell them the truth at first, but it was better for him to leave the talking to Holly, who could converse with the rest directly in English, than him troubling Aislin to translate his words to the rest. The conversation turned out well in the end, and he was more than happy to have everyone back on board. Besides, they would need to find a computer to access the log in the USB. Glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, he darted to the door of the nearest lab room. Peeking in and seeing that it was empty, he signaled for the others to follow in, before he locked the door shut behind them.
The room was no different from a standard, professional laboratory - tidy, and obviously well-maintained. Apparatus were cleaned and neatly kept away in the respective trays on the shelves, bottled chemicals were all clearly labeled with their chemical formula and arranged in the order of their pH value, and agar plates were stored in an incubator with a see-through door. A few heavy-duty fridge-like cabinets lined the far end of the lab, some with the hazard symbol pasted on the front. As the group walked through the mess of biotechnological machines, Ryu spotted a laptop next to a centrifudge, and waved at Malik to come over.
Well, time for the moment of truth. The day he would find out whether or not he came to America for nothing. He pressed the USB drive into the port, the files slowly loading with an odd intensity. When the files loaded, Malik looked at it, and noticed that it was no longer an audio file, but a video file. Two clicks from the mouse, and it was opened.
The video began with Marcelle adjusting the camera that was built into the monitor of her laptop, her hand obstructing the view of the room. When her hand moved, a clear view of a destroyed room (that had to be an abandoned building somewhere) she resided in was given to the viewer... along with a look at Marcelle's face. Her sharp and bulky facial features that Malik undoubtedly knew were Southern African... but, she looked... bad. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face was bony, and the woman just looked horrible. Like a ghoul. His childhood friend being in such a sad state was something that made him clench his fist tightly.
"M-Marcelle's final log..." Marcelle started off. "This is... I... the Family is closing in on me as I s-s-speak, so I'll be quick. I have information on both the Family's mind... control, and the m-machine-"
That's when the video was roughly cut to darkness for a few seconds, making it more than obvious that Julia had altered the video.
"Damn it!" Malik said as he pounded his fist against the computer table. To him, she might as well smash-cut to a still image of her middle finger.
"--This information has to reach the governments of the world... I cannot... will not let th... the Family's atrocities go unheard... " Marcelle finished the log with a sigh, her hands reached towards the computer to close it. "Now, I have to get out of here while I sti-still... have time..."
The door was kicked down, and Marcelle whipped around with her pistol in hand - but, wasn't quite quick enough to stop the immediate pistol shot that hit her square in the shoulder. She fell down out of sight of the camera, and a slender woman with a metal mask that Malik almost immediately recognized came into sight in between the door frame.
"V-Veronica?!" Marcelle said in a thick French accent.
The IU assassin didn't even reply, she merely walked over to Marcelle with the revolver in hand, aimed as Marcelle screamed, "No!"
And fired the shot that splattered blood all over the floor.
"Hmph," Veronica groaned, narrowing her eyes... She then muttered something to herself that was impossible to hear. Another group of footsteps came running up.
"Jesus, Vero," Makoto said, with her eyes shot wide open, making it clear what she thought of Veronica's brutality. "You were supposed to flush her out, not kill her."
"It's better this way," Veronica said, putting a hand on her hip. "With what Julia was going to do to her... she's better in a bag."
She offhandedly scoffed as she looked at her nails. "Mistress Julia will be a little pissed... but, such is life. Now grab her, grab her damn laptop, and let's get a move on. The cops are going to be here any minute, and I doubt they'd take too kindly to us." Veronica ordered as she pressed her earpiece and said, "Zenith."
A swirling blue portal opened behind Veronica, and she stuck her hand out, willing her telekinesis into Marcelle's body. The woman's body floated into the portal as Makoto grabbed the laptop, closing it. Thus ending the video.
For a moment... Malik didn't even move. He stood there frozen, with his eyes wide. Tears began running down his cheeks as he loudly began to choke. Even the more experienced agents were at loss for words - Holly cringed at the moment Marcelle was shot dead, then with regret as she watched Malik going emotional once more at the fate of his friend.
Ryu, on the other hand, was more reserved. He just couldn't help thinking that something didn't feel right about the video. The most obvious was the period of blackout right after Marcelle began to talk about the mind control and the Machine, and before she was about the end the recording when her attackers burst in. Knowing that this video was given to them by a Blessed Three member, he wouldn't be surprised if they had altered this to cut out the information disadvantageous to the Family's schemes. The other one, the less obvious clue... He reached out to the laptop and replayed the video from the beginning, then hit the pause button at the scene the figure whom Marcelle called 'Veronica' put her hands on her hips.
"Don't you guys find the reason why this woman killed your friend somewhat... strange?" he asked. "We know that Marcelle is still under the influence of Julia's addictive drug, which makes her a valuable test subject to the Blessed Three. It sounded like those two were sent to bring your friend back to Julia for further experiments, but what they were doing was pretty much defying her orders... to give Marcelle a less painful death. Why would they do that?" He turned to Aislin to help translating his words to the rest of the team.
Malik didn't even respond. He was so caught up on the footage that he just couldn't take it anymore. His quest to save Marcelle was all a waste - a God damn waste. He just couldn't take it... the Founding Bastards took away his best friend. Slamming his fists on the computer table, a thunderous smash filled the room as Malik transformed into his storm form. Which was followed by a mighty burst of wind shooting outwards in all directions - strong enough to knock over the computer tables. Followed by rain... and thunder. Malik let out a loud yell as he fell to his knees.
The abrupt stunt from the African man's storm power to vent his emotions startled Ryu, so much so that he misunderstood Malik's rage and thought it was directed at him. "H-Hey, wait, sorry I didn't mean--" The Japanese agent raised his hand in frantic defense, but Holly shook her head at him (even if she didn't understand a word he was saying without a Pilots device like Aislin, she could make an intelligent guess from his body language).
"I don't think he's angry at you, or has even heard whatever you were asking just now," Holly said, pulling Ryu away from Malik's localized thunderstorm. "But, you've got some good points there... Thanks to your prompt, something just feels wrong about the whole video. Other than the head-shot part, there's also the blackout portion the Family had cut out." She narrowed her eyes. "It's possible that this entire footage has been heavily edited and given to Malik, to turn him against us like this..." Which meant the Blessed Three had been anticipating them coming to this base all along. Though there were a few hiccups here and there, everything was still within their calculations so far.
Once Malik reverted back to human form and was on the ground, she turned to him. "Until we see Marcelle's physical body with our own eyes, it's too early to give up now," she began in a firm tone. "Also, we need to get a move on, in case someone has caught wind of your storm just now. Take the log with you, and let's go."
A sigh escaped Malik's lips, the rage within him dimmed. He turned back into his human form, and realized how foolish he acted. He could have gotten them all killed. "...I'm sorry." Malik said to his group. "But, you're right, this is Julia we're talking about, right?" Malik asked... rather rhetorically, before he walked over to the computer and grabbed Marcelle's 'final' log, putting it in his pocket and leaving the lab with the rest.
Mapping out the place was going surprisingly smooth. They came across more laboratories, conference rooms and whatnot. But their tour went for a spin when a room they passed spilled a yellow glow from the entrance. Aislin offered the rest of the team a shrug, her mask hiding the curious light in her eyes. Together, they entered the strangest laboratory yet, and possibly the most dangerous.
The laboratory was a pristine network of hallways that had clean white tiles. The entire place was silent, save for them. The rooms were labs that were dedicated to Mistress Julia's many projects... many of which have curious looking pods full of liquid and other materials. Though, the place was mostly cleared. Given that the location was meant to be destroyed, everything valuable was removed from the base. Anything that was left were expendable files, and biological materials that Julia could afford to lose. But, at the very end of the hall was a large metal door that lead into the parts of the lab that Julia reserved for her... special projects. Which included the room that had the Beast... and Blake Schmidt putting the finishing touches on it.
The quintet crept through the lab with utter caution and silence. To Holly, there was an odd familiarity about the strange yellowish glow that was getting brighter as the group moved closer to its source, but she couldn't quite understand why... She pushed the thought to the back of her mind to focus on their current situation as a huge metal door loomed before the team. She signaled them to stop and stay where they were, while she crouched towards the door alone. Then she rose to the window slowly... but what she saw almost made her knees gave way to the horrifying scene beyond the glass.
The Family's new Beast... It was finally a twelve-foot tall monster that looked almost identical to the one responsible for destroying Prague and enabling the spread of anti-Meta sentiment across Europe! It was a glowing yellow humanoid that Blake was just about finished with. He prided himself on the design since it was him that set the framework (Ezekiel provided the technology, and Julia made sure the damn thing wouldn't fall apart, again). The body of the Beast was incredible muscular with no eyes... but, a large mouth that curled upwards into a devilish grin. All Blake needed was a few more minutes, and what was left of RAVEN would be wiped out, along with a large chunk of Baybridge, and hopefully... anyone stupid enough to try to help them.
Blake pushed in the last needle, followed by a tube that pumped in the last bit of liquid from their reserves.
Without wasting any more time, Holly crouched down again and returned to the rest of the team. Not giving them a chance to question the grim look on her face, she simply gave them the hand sign to get out of the room as quickly and quietly as possible. Once they were far, far enough from the dangerous laboratory, the RAVEN raised a hand to her comm-piece, "This is Holly here. We have located the Beast, currently with the third member of Blessed Three, Blake, in the largest lab on B1..."
"Okay, stay out of sight," Meifeng added in the comms, as she peeked around a corner to see two guards that were walking past her. She was in the labs with the rest of them. "I'm almost there."
"Charges are planted," Quentin's familiar voice announced to them over the comms, "Confirm when you're ready. And do whatever you can to make sure we put that thing down."
Meifeng's hand lingered on the earpiece once she heard the last of Quentin's words. Since these fuckers killed Lihua, Meifeng was not going to pull any punches.
"...Affirmative."
Back in the lab, Blake was... oddly delighted to see his creation come so close to completion. He put on a gleeful smile, and clapped his hands like a schoolgirl, oddly excited for someone of his status. Now, only thing left to do was wait. Once all the chemicals were pumped into the Beast, the damn thing would finally begin its rampage through the base, then (hopefully) the rest of Baybridge. According to Julia, they had already succeeded in their main objective; buying time for the Machine to finish. At this point, it doesn't matter whether or not they kill the Beast. But, he'd truly hate it if his art was destroyed without making a grand show just like in Prague. Speaking of which... Blake knew that the Blessed Three better get the hell out while there's still time! Being a member of such an illustrious group was already dangerous enough!
"Blake," The Foundation Woman directly contacted the man.
"Oh, Foundation Woman," Blake said, with a wide grin on his face as he leaned up against the nearest table. With his hand on his comm-piece, he replied, "What can I help you with?"
"I'll be brief," The Foundation Woman immediately piqued Blake's interest with one sentence. "Mistress Julia has been heavily injured by Project Lazarus... and we need to extract the remaining members of the Blessed Three."
"Oh, that Julia!" Blake exasperatedly said. "I told her that her little lab project is going to blow up in her face! Playing God tends to end that way..."
"Irrelevant." The Foundation Woman said with a bit of contempt that didn't go over Blake's head as much as he merely ignored it for the time being. "What is the progress on the Beast?"
"Almost finished!" Blake said, "All we need to do is wait..."
"...And we don't have time to wait," the Foundation Woman said. "Zenith can't teleport you out with that shield up, and the technique that lets her punch through the barrier takes so much effort, that I don't see us doing it again."
"Fine, my loyal Foundation Woman! I will leave one Secretary behind to monitor the Beast," Blake said, as he turned over his shoulder and pointed at a blonde-haired male with green eyes. "You, finish my work."
"Yes... Master Blake..." the man said with rather dead eyes.
Well, now that's over with...
Blake merely scrolled out the room with his Secretaries in tow... He wondered how Jennifer was able to wound Julia so badly that it called for an immediate extraction. Then he thought...
I wonder where is Ezekiel, by the way?
Meifeng snuck through the halls of this lab... Part of her wondered just how many people had died here at the Hands of the FF, then another part of her realized that the answer was "far too damn many." She could smell the sterile cleaning solutions, but that was a familar smell that she would rather ignore in favor of getting to the damn Beast fast as possible so they can smash their machine before their "world domination" plan ever inches near fruition.
Her back was pressed up against the wall the very instant that she heard a group of hurried footsteps approach. Shit. At this rate, she was going to get spotted - and given that she didn't have a damn clue about what she's up against... not the best idea. Fortunately, there was a supply closet she could duck into. The RAVEN wasted zero time in opening up the closet, and hopping inside, leaving it slightly ajar to see who was coming by in such a hurry.
Then she saw the muscular frame of Blake Schmidt, surrounded by his legion of Secretaries, as they went somewhere. They were in such an obvious hurry that they completely glossed over the slightly ajar door. That meant two things: the Beast was complete, and Blake was clearing, or the Beast was killed (unlikely, but the world's full of strange things). While Meifeng felt the urge to try to kill Blake... she knew that she didn't have any time to waste picking fights. This was something Meifeng definitely should report. Creeping out of the closet, Meifeng said,
"I have visuals on Blake Schmidt... he's fleeing the scene," Meifeng started off as she hopped out. "How's it look on your end, Holly? I'm almost there with the charges." She asked as she quickly proceeded down the hallways, crouching.
With the shield up to trap everyone in this base with the Beast that would soon be unleashed, Holly knew they couldn't escape from ground level. It didn't help that Julia had some of the underground tunnels blocked, which forced the group to take a longer route (and time) to bail out. If only Shizuka was here... but rather than thinking about such useless things, they would just have to do whatever they could to get out of here as quickly as possible. "We're almost there - to regroup with the RAVENs outside," she breathed into the comms as she led her team towards that one tunnel out of the building that someone else had kindly informed her. Unlike the overprotective silver-head, Holly knew that Haruka could take care of himself.
Meifeng arrived, and just couldn't believe her eyes when she poked her head through the window. It was the splitting image of the same creature that almost destroyed Prague earlier this year. If it wasn't for Meifeng and the others pulling through, then... it would have been way worse. She doesn't want what happened to Prague happen to Baybridge (or anywhere else for that matter). Meifeng had to get started. "I'm here... the room is empty... save for one lone person.
"I'm setting the charges now," Meifeng said in the comms as she attached the C4 device to the wall, and pressed a few buttons to arm it. Long as she did this right... the Beast would be disabled, or dead. Long as he wasn't rampaging through Baybridge, they would have the same result. "What's your status?" Meifeng whispered.
"Still in position," Quentin's voice advised, "Once your charges are set, we'll set the timer."
Meifeng nodded her head. "Affirmative."
It wasn't long before each of the charges that Meifeng brought along were set outside of the room with the Beast. The sheer explosive power would be enough... enough to kill the Beast. Meifeng planted the last charge, and nodded her head. "Charges set," Meifeng said over the comms. "Heading out now, meet all of you topside."
Meifeng quickly turned the other way and headed out the way she came fast as she could while keeping her head down. "Holly, suggest you and your team clears the area now. The charges are set, and in fifteen minutes... Well, I'm not taking responsibility for anything after that point." She coldly said, as she cleared the blast radius.
"Likewise here," Quentin spoke up once again to warn them, "Timer's set. Keep people clear of those positions, topside too."
"Understood," was the curt reply. By then Holly and her little team were sprinting towards the makeshift tunnel that Wendy had drilled moments ago. Haruka was nowhere in sight - he had probably escaped with the group of teens he had encountered and witnessed Ezekiel's dead body. The ruckus going on in the base had dialed down, and the chloropathic agent thought she could hear a distant roar of helicopters. She wasn't sure if they were backups from RAVEN or from the Family, but anything would be better than being trapped in this lab of doom. Without wasting more time to ponder further, she ushered Malik and the rest out of the tunnel.
After that message, Meifeng didn't want to waste any time lingering around here. With all the thick concrete this base is made out of out... the blast radius wouldn't be traveling that far away. All Meifeng has to do was leave the laboratory. Well, with the security and the Blessed Three clearing the base, she didn't have a whole lot of security to worry about. All she had to do was to hope that the blast was able to kill the Beast. In the amount of time that has passed... Meifeng went back to Lihua's body. Kneeling down, Meifeng slipped two hands underneath her body, and used all of her strength to lift up her mother.
On cue... the bombs went off. Meifeng was keeping mental track of all the explosives in her head. The shockwaves rippled through the base. The Beast that was Blake's pride and joy was blown to pieces, it died with an inhuman, almost bestial, roar that echoed through the entirety of the base. Along with the shield generator going down in flames... It fell off the side of the base, and crashed into the ground as the blue shield that was keeping RAVEN contained faded away.
Footsteps pattered behind her, but when she turned she found an old comrade at her back. Quentin paced towards her, shotgun at the ready. "I told Al to head back topside and clear a path, we still need to-" Something caught in the veteran RAVEN's throat as the light reflected on the lifeless body that once belonged to Lihua Zhao. "...I'm sorry. I should've been there to back you up, but we need to get moving. Those bastards could have rigged this place."
"It's... okay," Meifeng said, in response to Quentin. "There's nothing any of us can do now but remember her." She started walking forward, carrying Lihua all the way out of here. The mission was complete, which meant they had to focus their efforts on the F-F's main headquarters. Their machine. The only way they were going to save the world from their insane plan was to head there now.
"...Hello, can anybody read me?" A very familiar voice spoke through the comm-link, and made them both stop.
"Wait, Maximilian?" Meifeng replied through the comms.
"Sorry I'm late," Maximilian said through the comms. "But, I came soon as I could... you're the one that put out the call for reinforcements right?"
Meifeng didn't reply.
A fleet of RAVEN vehicles quickly approached the base in Silver Hills - from the ground, and even a few commandeered helicopters of both RAVEN and other government agencies. All were reinforcements gathered by Maximilian, approaching the base in massive numbers. With Maximilian himself approaching via chopper. Wearing the standard RAVEN body armor, Maximilian opened the door and hopped out of it. He free-fell downwards towards the ground before he changed his momentum and direction upwards so he was flying towards the base.
On top of him... a glowing golden light appeared as an orb, before taking shape. A shape that mimicked Maximilian's form exactly before it expanded twice his size. With a confident grin on his face, Maximilian said,
"...Well, the cavalry's arrived."
So are we gonna act like it's Christmas on Elysium? I can probably get a post up in a few days (with family till New Years') but just wanted to know.
Ayy, Merry Christmas.
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