[center][h1][color=b0021d]Xander Clarke[/color][/h1][/center]
[hr]

[H2][center]Aral Sea, Kazakhstan[/center][/h2]

Xander clung to the side of a DPV as it ripped across the desert at full speed. Chaos was really doing everything she could to test his grip as she swerved and dodged all around, even going so far as to drive into a ditch and catch some air time on the way out. For anyone else this would have amplified their anxiety. A wild ride on the way to what was surely a suicide mission. Instead, it took all of Xan’s discipline not to take his helmet off to feel the wind against his face as they rolled in. Maybe even scream and holler like they were on a roller coaster. He was having way too much fun for what was about to go down, but hey, this was what he signed up for. Why couldn’t he find enjoyment in it?

Unfortunately, his enjoyment did not last. As they neared the target Xan heard the blast from the communications drone. Great news for Chaos, but the lack of a bigger blast before it was bad news for him.

[color=b0021d]“Hang on. Where’s the kaboom? There was supposed to be a mech shattering kaboom!”[/color] Xander remarked as he attached his gun to his back and pressed the side of his helmet. The built-in camera zoomed in on the mech. Damn. It was still mostly untouched and completely functional. [color=b0021d]“Ah hell. They must have figured out what was going on and deployed a countermeasure to block my commands. Well. Guess we’re doing this the hard way!”[/color]

Only a few hundred yards between them and the mech, Xan decided it was time to act. He removed two of the smoke grenades from his belt and loaded them into his lobber. Each one fired out across the desert and created a thick fog along the sand in front of the soldiers and mech. It wouldn’t last long being outdoors, but it would be enough to give them an opening. His hand released from the roll cage as he leapt off the DPV and sprinted full speed towards the boat. His exoskeleton gave him a tremendous speed boost as he ran behind the DPV. They would be so focused on the car, they wouldn’t notice one of the passengers had gotten off a stop before. 

Taking advantage of that time, Xan removed the dingo from its resting place and hurled it towards the deck of the ship. The contraption bounced and slid across the rusted steel floor, but remained dormant. It would awaken in time, but for now Xan wanted all eyes on him. Queen had the right idea. With her causing mayhem inside the ship, all the personnel in that area would be focused on her while the other operatives slipped away with the goods. He would do the same on the outside giving maximum distraction, especially when he was behind the seat of that mech.

With the dingo on deck, Xan broke through the smoke and continued running at full speed. For the most part things were going how he predicted. The soldiers were focused on the other team who had already gone in loud, and the automatic defenses were basically useless. However, some of the ground troops must have realized the smoke cover wasn’t for the DPV and kept their guns trained on the artificial clouds waiting for something to come out. They opened fire the second Xan showed himself. Too bad Xan was ready for this. Their bullets failed to connect as he pivoted and ran parallel to the ship. He held down the trigger on his F88 and returned fire. While he managed to take down the grunts who had spotted him, others around them had started to take notice, and his mag was now dry. 

The magazine dropped from the back of the F88 as Xan pressed the release with his thumb, while simultaneously grabbing a spare magazine with his other hand and inserting it into the slot. The plan was to get everyone’s attention, but only [i]after[/i] he had the mech, and right now it looked as though he had drawn attention too soon. The soldiers had begun pointing their guns at him. Most of their fire was going wild or pinging off his armor. The real trouble came when the mech turned to face him and pointed the autocannon in his direction.

Raven’s exo-skeletons were top of the line, and Xander was a highly skilled operative who had been trained to use them, but even he didn’t stand a chance against a class 2 mech on his own. If he attempted to attack it now while it had him in its sights, he wouldn’t make it back to tinker with that fridge some more. No, he had to try a different tactic. He had one in mind, but he’d need some cover. 

Pushing the exo-skeleton’s speed, Xander made a beeline for the bow of the ship. The ground behind him exploded into clouds of sand as the autocannon’s bullets missed their mark by inches. Once he had reached the bow, Xander ducked to the other side of the ship and pressed himself up against the hull then pulled his final smoke grenade and dropped it at his feet to give him complete concealment. It would take the mech a moment to get around the ship which gave him enough time to set up. Switching from his rifle to his tablet, Xander worked quickly.

First: He activated the dingo. While the soldiers on the deck were too busy trying to get sight of him or chase Queen down inside the ship, they had forgotten about or missed the device that had been tossed up there. In a split second the sentry unpacked and started searching for prey, and boy did it find a feast. 

Second: Xander got the remote hatch program running. He wanted to handle this part himself, but at the rate this was going he would eventually be too exhausted to keep going while the mech still had plenty of ammo. If they wanted to take it out they would have to do it in one quick blow. Short range communications were still operational, and given the pilot of the mech came at him so quickly, he was willing to bet they still had it active to talk with their teammates. However, once they knew he had the ability to just open the front door, they would likely jam all signals and just stay cut off from everyone until the encounter was over. 

[@PerfectThought]
Xander got on the comms and called for the team’s sharpshooter. [color=b0021d]“Hey Stafford! Think you can pull off another shot like before? I’m going to do a short range open on the hatch. Soon as I do you’ll only have a second or two before the pilot manually closes it and probably jams all signals. I need you to aim directly at the cockpit of the mech and fire on my mark. I’d do it meself but that thing’s got a lock on me. I stick so much as a toe out there and it’ll turn me into red mist.” [/color]

[color=b0021d]“I’m counting on ya, mate. If you can pull this off I’ll owe you one. If you can’t, I will give you shit for the rest of my life, which at that point would more than likely only be a few minutes. Alright. Let me know when you’re in position.”[/color] Xan waited for Stafford’s signal before he mashed go on the hack, activating the hatch release. Sure enough a large mechanical click came from the mech as the hatch unlocked and began to open. 

[color=b0021d]“MARK!”[/color]