[center][h1][color=00aeef]CeCe[/color][/h1][/center] [hider=Squad Last Down] [u][b]Defenders[/b][/u] Field Commander - [i][color=f26522]Salem[/color][/i] Excecutive Commander - [i][color=a187be]Aether[/color][/i] Trooper - [i][color=00a651]Behemoth[/color][/i] Sniper - [i][color=0072bc]Calibre[/color][/i] Driver - [i][color=fff79a]Daemon[/color][/i] [u][b]Consultants[/b][/u] Engineer Chief Sato [url=https://image.ibb.co/fFdE87/CC_small.jpg]Security Chief Lapin (Bunny)[/url] Liaison Officer [color=c4df9b]Xavier[/color][/hider] The watchtower sentry held his position, binoculars held to his eyes as he panned the horizon. There was dirt kicking up in the distance. A vehicle perhaps? Not liking the look of it, he raised his comm to his mouth. The heavy calibre bullet exploded the metal and plastic device and blew off half his face and skull. It was Last Down's official knock on the door. Daemon expertly swerved and circled around to get the trailer into receive position. When he hit the brakes, their flatbed was but mere inches from the N.O. tractor trailers flatbed with their precious 'junk' on it. [color=fff79a]“Alright, last stop, babies! Ya gots ya diapers on?!” [/color]chirped out Daemon as he gathered his gun. [color=f26522]“Save it Dae,”[/color] growled out Salem,[color=f26522] “alright, people! Take a breath… [i]Phase one! Ready?[/i]” [/color] She smacked both Daemon and Behemoth on the shoulders then readied her own weapon. A breath she took then a hand went up to the comm device in her ear. [color=f26522]“Aeth, Cal… on my mark, you give me the goddam’d Wrath n’ Rapture...! Ready? Here. We… GOOOOO!!! Gogogogo!!” [/color]The canopy hatch popped open and so did the driver and passenger side doors. The skies opened up and the bullets of the Last Down hailed down upon the N.O. fortress. [color=f26522]“[i]Bunny! [/i]Get your ass movin’!!”[/color] The rear doors swung open and CeCe leapt out. Her heart was racing a million miles an hour as she held her rifle up to her face at eye-level and scanned the local area for unfriendlies. [color=00aeef]“Clear! Sato! You with me now, mister…!” [/color] She hunched over and guided him to the steps leading up the N.O. trailer and motioned for him to crouch down. CeCe hand-signaled to Salem and the pair held position. [color=f26522]“Cover one, then count to two and get on my six, Bee! Got it?”[/color] Behemoth responded by opening up at the N.O. soldiers positioned at the top of the wall. Salem backpedalled slowly, swinging her weapon with her sights as she made her way over to Sato and CeCe.[color=f26522] “[i]Aeth![/i] Status?”[/color] [color=a187be]“Clear, boss-lady, clea— [i]hold up, Saley!”[/i] [/color]said the voice of the second in command into her ear. From her distant vantage point she saw the movement from the cab of the pinched transport truck. [color=a187be]“Bee! Dae! 2 o’clock!! 4 guests!”[/color] The Defenders reacted and opened fire on the N.O. soldiers. When the gunfire ended, Behemoth swore and spoke into comms, [color=00a651]"Dammit, boss!! Two down, but two of them made it. 3 o’clock! I’mma move— goddamit! I’m pinned. Aeth! Cal! Get me out of here! Please.”[/color] The huge Defender slipped back into the cab as the volley of bullets pelted the roof of the transport. In the rear hold, Xavier whimpered a bit and made his knuckles even whiter by clenching his fists even tighter. Several shots fired out from the distance and the volley stopped. In the ensuing silence, Xavier held his breath. [color=a187be]“Only cuz ya said please, big boy…” [/color]said Aether over comms. [color=f26522]“Cut the chatter…! Alright, squad, [i]Phase two is a go![/i] Bunny! Take care of those two then get your ass up here! Bee! I said ‘count to two!’ [i]It’s already 351! [/i]The hell you at, mister…?! Let’s go!!”[/color] Salem reached down and literally pulled Sato up by the collar and hand-signaled for him to cover her. After turning to give two smacks on CeCe’s butt, the commander reached up and pulled herself onto the flatbed steps. Cece moved out and hunkered down near the front bumper of the squished rear-guard vehicle. A piece of metal debris she reached for, grasped tight and paused. Then still behind cover, she tossed it out towards her targets. They fell for it. Gunfire erupted and she slid out from her position and opened fire and took out one of the two. Behemoth was making his way over to their position and opened fire, taking out the other target. CeCe nodded at the immense man. He patted her shoulder as he passed her, [color=00a651]“Dumb Bunny…” [/color]he chuckled as he climbed the steps. The hammering of her heart was still going on inside her chest, but now she started to grow cold. It was going to move to Phase 3 in less than a minute CeCe estimated. That meant it would be time for the redheaded Xavier to do his part. As much as she denied its existence, that sinking feeling consumed her belly. Salem had cut most of the harnesses and straps away as Sato rifled through the wreckage and took stock of the necessary pieces of ‘junk,’ marking them with strips of red duct tape. The Engineer chief stowed smaller sized ones into his portable case. When all was said and done it came down to shifting over 3 large pieces of ‘junk.’ Behemoth would take one, Cece another and Salem and Sato would gang up on the final piece. It was time now. It was Last Down. Salem whispered to CeCe. From behind her mask the blonde woman smiled; the sinking feeling dissapating from her belly. [color=f26522]“X. Mister Xavier. You are up sir, get those straps loosened. It’s just four of them. Four of the most important things in your whole entire life... time to shine, X. [i]Phase three. [/i] Let’s go.”[/color] Green eyes wide and trembling, Xavier stared out at the opening leading out the back of the rear hold. A measly 6 feet. Then another measly 6 feet to the first strap. All he had to do was make that first move and there would be no turning back. Instinct would kick in and he would just react to the situation and do what he was told. He was a yes-man afterall. He could do it. He just needed to make that first move. He had the most important role of them all. He would make that first move and change the course of history for everyone aboard that bird; the Endeavour-6. All lives aboard the [i]Oasis of the Stars[/i] were counting on him. And so he froze. In his ear, the words of the Commander and HQ were just a big garbled mess. In his eyes, all he saw was a bright white blurry glare, nothing was in focus. In his mind, a single word kept repeating at a rapid pace and at an exceedingly high volume… [color=c4df9b]“No.”[/color] But then something broke through to him. It was a chant. In all his wildest dreams he never thought he would ever hear such a thing. His head snapped towards the direction of the chant and sweat flew from his chin and cheeks. [color=fff79a]“Let’s go EEEHH-EX!!!” [/color]clap-clap-clapclapclap! [color=fff79a]“Let’s go EEEEHH-EX!!!” [/color]clap-clap-clapclapclap!! Daemon was chanting his name. Like he was some kind of hero… [color=a187be]“Let’s go EEEEHH-EX!!”[/color] continued over the comms. Tap-tap-taptaptap!![color=00aeef] “Let’s go EEEEHHH-EX!![/color]” continued from outside, aboard the flat bed. Stomp-stomp-stompstompstomp!! They were all chanting his name. Like a hero… [color=c4df9b]“A sports hero…! Last down…? A [i]FOOTBALL[/i] HEROOOO!!! [i]LET’S GO EEEEHHH-EXXXX!!![/i]”[/color] Like a flash of lightning, the semi-overweight redhead donned his helm and mask, tucked an invisible football under his arm and jettisoned out the back door, screeching like a banshee. Still screeching as he went along, he loosened one strap, then two, then three! Each strap induced an even higher pitched screech. And he could still hear them chanting! Oh hell yes, they were chanting his name! And so the final strap was loosened. CeCe tossed both her hands up into the air and cheered as she watched the redhead toss both his own hands up in the air and spike an invisible football. She could not help but laugh wildly as Xavier began to bounce around and toss jabs and hooks out in victory celebration. The rest of the squad was hooting and hollering along with the jubilant Xavier. They had long since secured the cargo and under the watchful eyes of their snipers, they had not a single concern that X was in any danger whilst taking on [i]the most important role of them all. [/i] And the rebels inside the base were creating enough havoc to keep the N.O. preoccupied. 'Scavengers' outside the walls were not the main concern now. And then the round metal thing rolled out towards the triumphant Mr. X, changing all the jubilation into stark terror in a single heart-stopping moment. One of the targets that CeCe was supposed to take care of made one last desperate effort to take out the enemy. [color=f26522][i]“[b]Grenade!![/b]” [/i][/color]screamed out Salem, [color=f26522]“X!! Gren—”[/color] The next moment of which she bore witness would live forever in CeCe’s mind until her very last breath. Mister Reginald Xavier, Liaison Officer of the Endeavour-6 punted the hell out of the grenade and back in the direction of the owner of the grenade it went. It rolled underneath the rearguard transport and out the other side and promptly blew the grenade owner into smithereens. [color=c4df9b][i]“I told you I do important…”[/i][/color] X said with a cocky twang in his voice. The rest of the squad roared into life, cheering loudly. As they moved the ‘junk’ over to their flatbed, the chanting started up once more, yet twice as loud. [color=f26522]“LET’S GOO EEEEH-EEEXXXX!!!” [/color]Tap-clap-stompstompstomp!!! ~ But their arrogance on the battlefield would soon bite them in the ass. Three light transport vehicles rocketed towards them from the opposite side of the fortress. It would be too late once Aether finally spotted them.