[u][h1]Kaitiaki Homestead, Raven HQ[/h1][/u] [h2]Rangitoto ki te Tonga / D'Urville Island South Island, Aotearoa / New Zealand[/h2] [h2][color=lightblue]Skye Rosalind Lyons[/color][/h2] [h2]and everyone in Raven Squad[/h2] [center][h1]HEROES, PART TWO[/h1][/center] [color=lightblue] “Fuck…..that was close. Sam, there’s a lump on her back. Quick, we have to check. That is her, no time to explain, but I promise, if you don’t trust me, that will prove it. It’s an upload node. I’m gonna stay here, I’ll hold it tight, just…shit, thank you, thank you, thank you….” Skye yelled back, cradling the device hard in her hand. Standing, she kicked over Rose, and well, it would be an incredibly subtle thing. Rose hadn’t seen it coming, but it was worth the gamble. Worth the punt. More opportunities would come for Rose, none as good as this, but when risk was death, then any chance was risk free, right? The implant would be a small protrusion- next to a vertebrae, a tiny little lump that would harness itself to the back of Rose’s ribs, and already there. [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha moved quickly and yanked up the woman’s tshirt as she began to examine her back. “There is a lump what I am supposed to do with this Node?” She was trying to understand what was going on. It was a lot to process and she was certain the explanation would take longer than they had. [/color] [color=lightblue] Hyperventilating, Skye came down onto the floor, the neurotoxin slowly beginning to fugue in, Skye’s slurring increasing as her heart played all sorts of panic, and her body, brain and all of her was beginning to recoil. Whatever it was, the slow burn would have worked rather nicely. It would have made Rose look an absolute hero holding it tight, but right now, it was backfiring. “She’s a genetic copy that can jump across to other bodies identical to mine, look…..I don’t have one, check. Sam, there’s a bomb in the kitchen, and she’s stabbed me with….I think that vial there, she said it was a neurotoxin. She has to have something on her, some cure, she said something about it, she was talking about keeping me alive if I changed my mind. Crap….you need to cut the connection to this, stat.” Skye yelped, looking across, on the other side of the floor to Rose,and spasming, tried to push in the trigger. She was struggling though. Skye was definitely feeling it now- the trigger would go as soon as she fell out of consciousness, and that pressure had to be applied. A bomb needed defusing, urgently, and before that pressure went. However it had to be kept on, it had to be done, as Skye only prayed, prayed and prayed, Sam would have her back on this one. She was a clever girl, and right now, she needed everything from her. [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha was never more grateful for her big beautiful brain. She rose to her feet and lunged for the desk. She had helped review the digital security at the base and had helped install additional security into Skye’s office. She had built a faraday cage into the walls that could be activated with a switch. It was the ultimate protection against digital breeches in an emergency. She flicked the switch to activate it. That would shut down all incoming or outgoing signals. “That should shut down any transfer. Now let me get Boomer to take care of the bomb. Where is it?” She said that as she began to search Rose for any vials. She believed Skye because she could tell that she was fading rapidly. Skye was already slurring her speech. [/color] [color=lightblue] “It’s….rec room, sofa. Shit….” Skye slurred more, the usually unstoppable team leader crawling on the floor, and looking back at Sam, watching as she looked through Rose, trying to find something. If Skye had last utterances to make, she’d make it now. Because it was worth it, protecting them, making sure the team had been at least alerted, stopped. “Thank you.” She mumbled, the electromagnetic field allowing her to release the clacker but with it, fading fast from being awake. [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha found a pouch in Rose’s jean pocket. She found a vial there. But could she trust it was the cure? She didn’t know. She needed help. She did her best to tie Rose up. She picked up the phone and used the landline to call the recreation room. “Boomer, there is a bomb on base. It might be in the rec room sofa. It was on a deadman’s switch. I have the switch inside a faraday cage. It needs deactivated pronto! Send me some help to Skye’s office. I need medical.” She hung up the phone since she had a crisis to deal with. She would have to trust Boomer to take care of the bomb. [/color] [color=8dc73f] Chuck had been pacing and waiting as intel came back from the base. Tahlia made a great second in command. She jumped right in and started providing him with what he asked for. He trusted the Kiwi to have his back after the operation in Columbia. Guards had been reporting back that they had begun sweeping. No one had reported back anything of significance yet. He knew the base was mobilizing against the threat but full mobilization took time even with training. That is what made operatives like Samantha so valuable. They were in and out in the chaos with the goods before the target knew what was happening. He hated feeling like the target. Chuck was preoccupied with trying to figure out what was happening and had not noticed Duke pawing at the sofa. Chuck’s attention spun towards the intercom when he heard Sam call his name. Chuck catalog that important information. His attention spun to the sofa in question that Duke was doing his best to tell him had a fucking bomb in it. Chuck looked around the room. “Clear out of here. Tahlia get to Skye’s office to see if you can help with whatever Samantha needs. Get Sophie moving there as well. NO ONE gets back in here till I have cleared the fucking bomb.” He moved to Duke and gave him a well deserved pat. “Thanks buddy. Sorry I wasn’t paying attention to the signs.” Boomer needed his bomb removal kit. But did he have time to retrieve it? He would make do with what was in the room. He moved over to the kitchen and bean to pull open drawers. He pulled a few knives out of the block. He found a screwdriver in a junk drawer which didn’t surprise him at all. This was a base of badasses used to maintaining their own equipment. He bet there was a bottle of gun oil hanging around too. The drawer had a few other items that might be useful. He looked around the room. The one thing he really needed was a mirror. He grinned as spotted a decorative mirror behind the bar. He frowned.it was too big. He sighed. He hoped it was not some irreplaceable antique or sentimental piece. He used the screwdriver to break it on the corner. He just needed a piece small enough to handle. He took the piece about the size of a cell phone. He went to the kitchen and pulled out a metal spatula and the duck tape. He taped the mirror shard to the spatula, leaving the center clear and free to use. He then began to carefully inspect the sofa. Once he was certain that the cushions were not wired in any way. He pulled them off the sofa. He called Duke over to check them. Maybe they made it easy and planted the explosives into the cushions. His luck never went that way. [/color] [color=palegreen] Tahlia moved on call up towards the stairs and onto the office, security starting to sweep, the rain intensifying in the overcast yet evening sun, bounding her way up. Sophie could be seen outside, in the rain between the two bases making her way in. [/color] [color=Goldenrod] Sophie joined in as well, turning a full 180 and headed up to the base again, the team doctor hearing the call. For what was supposed to be another day of moaning at the team, well, this could be getting more serious. She knew how to hold a pistol, but she was no soldier- and with what was going on, she prayed that the team would know how to handle this, and she could do her job too. It sounded like Skye was in dire need of attention, and that never boded well. [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha looked down at the vial. She couldn’t wait. Skye was already struggling. Neurotoxins worked fast. She had to hope this was really the cure. She took the vial and slammed it into Skye’s thigh. “Please be the cure!” She prayed verbally over her friend. She hoped the psycho that had been trying to convince her that Skye was her enemy wasn’t lying about the cure. She hoped she carried the cure on the off chance that someone turned the tables on her and shot her full of the neurotoxin. That made sense considering Skye and the team had already taken out Lynx. [/color] [color=lightblue] Skye yelped, her lungs filling with adrenaline from the needle at first followed by the antidote, forming fully and the saliva and kick of the initial bit of the drug slowly trickling in. It would take time for it to counter, given there were probably mere seconds before Skye would have lost her cognitive ability and just died there and then, right in time for Rose to do her thing. But of course, with that plan foiled, not being dead was rather a perk. Skye felt the light come back in, the toxin neutralizing in a coloured haze, as she spluttered out, coughing and yelling as the light kicked back in fully. “Ah!” She yelled out, looking around, seeing Rose on the floor, still in total shock on what was going on. Clambering onto her feet, she leaned hard against the table, still a little disoriented, feeling blurred, weird and like she’d drunk a lot of beer. “Are we alright? You…..you didn’t shoot me. Cheers. I can’t believe we did that.” Skye mumbled, coming back to herself, albeit very confused, disoriented and unsure of what was going on- drunk almost. Rose had seriously underestimated Skye’s ability in fighting the neurotoxin, hoping it would have pinned her rather than made her fight- most people would have been almost instantly dead from that neurotoxin, but Skye and her particular nature now seemed to make a lot more sense- that resilience was baked in naturally, like it was her entire body pulling in one way to stop it slowly swallowing whole. Putting her hand over her back, she felt nothing there where the lump may have been, relieved and breathing a long, hard sigh. She knew it wasn’t. But it was always safe to check, almost like this wasn’t a dream. [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha looked on anxiously as she hovered over Skye praying that the cure would work quickly and not doom her friend to death. She let out a painful sob as Skye showed sounds of improvement. She hugged her friend tightly, grateful to hear her snarky Scottish accent. “Cheers?! I can’t believe you are still alive.” Samantha closed her eyes for just a moment, overwhelmed by all that was happening. She was almost dizzy with relief. She released Skye as she began talking again. [/color] [color=lightblue] “I owe you so much after this. She said her name was Rose….she said something about blood. It tracks, apparently, so whoever she is, whatever is following her, will know where she went. We need to kill her, quick before she comes back awake, or we have trouble….verify it if you can, but likely she’ll have something to differentiate her, even tiny changes. Sam, this is surreal, but basically, she can jump bodies. She’s got a bank of them like me…and we just gave her everything, because she had all the permissions I did. Fuck, we might be completely, totally compromised…..damn, I can't even start to explain it all.” Skye uttered, looking over at Sam, in a total shock. First time this had happened, it had sapped Skye, but to kill her, in exceptionally warm blood while suffering from poisoning? This was getting beyond ridiculous. And discombobulated. It felt like she was having an out of body experience, like a really, really bad fever dream. Like this was a fantasy, and she wasn’t even real, or in substance. Looking at Sam, she awaited a reply. [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha gave Skye a look. “I do believe that you're Skye but really? Kill her quick?” She shook her head and rose to her feet. “She is sitting in a faraday cage at the moment and can’t send or receive any signals.” She tried to reassure Skye that she couldn’t jump. She still wanted a second opinion before she put a bullet in the brain of someone who looked like her dear friend. [/color] [color=lightblue] Skye nodded, looking across as she headed to the base of her spine, at the very least, taking a knife from across her desk and rather painfully to the unconscious Rose, knowing this could relapse her. She stabbed into the spine, and the node was there and then. With a yank, Skye pulled it completely out, keeping the knife in position against her, ready for Sam. A tiny plastic box, maybe the size of a matchbox followed, as Skye yanked, the composite severing from her spinal column. “This is how we know it’s her. She would have followed us here, from splatter, and she’s just going to know where she went. Like her own personal chain… like crumbs for her to follow. Even with the Faraday Cage, she knows we’re here from entering. Only choice we have is to go before she can follow us up. Or, someone comes here following the signal.” Skye spluttered, knowing she was going to be feeling the effect, her head pounding with a head-splitting migraine, making her physically feel nauseous and sick, knowing Sam was going to get none of this. [/color] [color=8dc73f] Chuck called Duke over and told him search. Duke dutifully sniffed the cushions and sniffed. He went back to the sofa and sniffed all the way around it before sitting next to the side arm closest to the door and barked. Chuck nodded and told Duke “Good boy!” he moved the two cushions out of his way and then motioned to have Duke move. He pulled out his makeshift mirror tool and very carefully slid it under the sofa. Chuck laid down on the floor and pulled out a small pocket flashlight that he had found in the kitchen drawer. He clicked it on and froze. Sweat immediately began to pour from his brow. This was a very special bomb. How the hell had anyone had time to get that in there? How did they even get the parts on base? Chuck began to follow the wires. The set up was pretty simple. The kitchen knives would cause too much tension before breaking the wire. He needed something to snip it. He laughed as he pulled out a pair of fingernail clippers that had been in the junk drawer. He opened them up and then very gently clipped the lead wire. He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the wire off the battery on the device and disconnected the cell phone that was being used as a receiver. He then lifted the corner of the couch carefully and gently pulled the bomb away from the bottom of the sofa. The bomb was some kind of experimental explosive he was not familiar with. He didn’t know its properties. So he treated it cautiously. He set the bomb down gently on one of the sofa’s cushions. He rose to his feet and went over to the base intercom. He spoke into the com. “This is Boomer, Bomb in the recreation room has been disarmed. Be on the lookout for additional devices.” He took a deep sigh of relief. Damn all his support had gone. He needed to find out what was happening. “Duke, come and search.” He began to run towards Skye’s office. Duke at his side. Duke didn’t deviate so he hadn’t found any other devices. [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha was having trouble following Skye. She was still reeling from having to figure out who the real Skye was. She was starting to understand there was a lot more going on though. “Nanites? Those must be some special nanites to be able to transmit from such a small surface area. So we need to be sure none of that blood leaves the room. Shit, but that blood has already leaked the location of the base. We need to evacuate!” Anything that blood had touched had compromised safe houses, locations of where they had been. Artemis could have been tracking their operatives and equipment. That included the lab doing the analysis on the blood. This blood had handed Artemis an inside look and painted a target on their most secure and secret locations. [/color] [color=lightblue] Skye nodded, as Rose yelped out, coming back to, but before she could, Skye did what any person with any left reason could considering Rose had tried to kill her. She pushed on the knife, and through her throat, tore the life out of her own copy. Read that back a second. Yes, this is getting confusing. Skye’s killing Skye? Or Rose? Well, it had to be done. Skye Rosalind Lyons, the version that Rose had called the defect, the version that Sam had probably not a full understanding of, wasn’t dead, but Rose, the version of Skye that was the original, albeit not the one the team had known, now was with a knife sticking out. So Skye nodded to that effect, knowing full well, they could still be under attack. Too much adrenaline was through her from the shot, so she had to keep on it, as best as possible. She used the knife to at least rip the tape off, the clacker now no longer active as a device given the defusal, and the faraday cage activation to cut out any EM signals. “I get what she meant now. This is insanely complicated. But in a nutshell, you’re right. There shouldn’t be any in me, but you may need to run a check on my vitals with Sophie, completely run me through because otherwise, Oracle will treat me the same. She said I was inert, a defect of some kind. Sharing genetics, but beyond that, very little of actual substance. I can’t do what she does like that, switching bodies and all because I lack that. But I suppose that means I’ve actually got some humanity left. Shit Sam, she was talking a lot about some horrific, world ending stuff. Worse than a nuclear bomb. But if we don’t get out of here fast, we’re all going to follow her. Artemis may even be expecting Rose to deliver the goods….oh shit, of course. I didn’t even say. We gave everything to Artemis because of her, the intel, the drug…... All of it! She used us….knowing I’d fit perfect. Now it makes sense. Shit, shit, shit!” Skye yelled, her sadness conflated with how angry, and distraught she was about just how totally screwed they were. [/color] [color=ec008c] A look of horror crossed Samantha’s face as she saw Skye push the knife through the imposter’s throat. The flow of red blood is so utterly bright in this dark situation. It seemed to highlight how ludicrous their situation was. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the blood pouring out of the neck of the woman who looked like her friend. Samantha was trying to keep up but it was hard with so many shocks in so little time. Sam closed her eyes and turned away from the sight. Samantha had taken lives before and spilled blood before. It was the shock of seeking someone who looked like her friend dying in such a way. It was a shock to the system. How does one deal with that and just move on? She had to keep moving. She understood better than anyone else on the team the breadth of information those nanites might have shared with Artemis. She took a deep breath and compartmentalized this trauma like a champ. “Nanites are like little tiny robots in her blood. Hers are evidently revolutionary. The only way I can see them working like she talked about was if they work together to amplify their capabilities, maybe using the iron in blood to boost the signal.” [/color] [color=lightblue] Skye nodded, looking down at the version of her that was dead, the second in only 24 hours. You only lived twice? Well, Skye had no idea how that song played now. “With a signal, they just need to emit anything on any broadcasted trace it can leap onto and transmit geolocated data to. So we may have half a chance they haven’t worked out exactly where we are. But I think they know. If she knows, whoever she might be with in Artemis that she convinced to her side after literally destroying their command structure will too.” [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha looked at Skye. “We need to make sure not one drop of that blood leaves this room. We need to strip and wash clean before leaving. We don’t want Artemis to have any clues as to where we have gone. We can destroy the blood with fire before we shut down the faraday cage. We need to evacuate as soon as possible. The VTOL will need to be abandoned. Anything that had her blood on it needs to be cleaned or abandoned. We need to regroup.” Samantha’s eyes widened in alarm as a thought struck her. “Skye they have already found us. The proof is dead at your feet! They know where we are!” Her voice rose in urgency and fear as the thought that attack was imminent rose to the front of her brain. [/color] [color=lightblue] Skye nodded, looking down at Rose one last time, trying at least, before sitting up. “Agreed...this is messy. Oracle....he wanted me to deactivate my data links. Basically lock me out because he said there could be a breach. Turns out it’s a physical one, with literally her!” Skye swallowed a very deep lump in her throat, thankful Sam had saved her, yet the situation became more, and more frightening by the second. She was realizing what it meant. This wasn’t even some simple situation of data transfer now. It was way, way worse. “Artemis will be already on their way too, if Rose left last notes with someone, before she comes back again. We may need to get ready for a fight. There’s a series of tunnels that leads to an exit point near an old mine and runway for the support team, less so for us so we may need to go overland. There’s an F35, and a stashed patrol boat that can get us off island back to the mainland. Then from there, we can probably make our way through to an NZRAF base overland. I don’t know where after. But from here, you can’t trust anything I would think. Rose will know all my contacts, everything I am because she’d be me, and I have no recourse to respond. We just need to follow protocol now like I’m dead, until we get to safety. I’ll go through it with you now.” Skye’s mind raced, knowing shit was about to get real- the brief interlude the team had coming to an end. “Sam….same way you got me, I trust you. We’’ll be on our own because once I tell Oracle what’s happened, he’ll go dark and I’ll tell him we’re in the Omega Protocol for a team lead. I’m going to give you a code. It’s a response for it, a 2IC code for someone to take over as if I was dead, or worse, compromised. Listen to me close. I’m going to need you to call out that code, and stay on the line to Oracle. Protocol is always to regroup and then, a new team lead outside the team will take over. I think the guy is a bastard if I know him, but he’ll do what’s right. I can’t work it out what I do. Either I need to disappear, or hope Oracle has some answer to this quandary we’re in..” Skye called back, moving along as she got to her desk, readying the comms, and the mic she had in place for the intercom. “I’ll be there with you, I’ll try afterwards. We are a family, and till the end, that carries on.” Skye smiled, knowing that she had to hold back some of the worse news. Even in nearly dying, the reality was slowly fading in. Skye was no longer the team’s strength, she was their achilles heel, and right there with Rose dead, she was absolutely personifying it. [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha was shaking her head no. “Skye you do what you have to do. So we don’t use your playbook. We use mine. You come with me. I will keep you hidden and informed until we figure a way out of this bloody mess. Don’t you think you are going Lone Ranger on me!” She glared at Skye. She had a nagging feeling that she was trying to cut and run leaving them all behind. That made her angry. Even badasses needed their friends every once in a while. She glared at Skye with her hands on her hips. Not that her impassioned plea moved the Scot once she had made up her mind. [/color] [color=lightblue] Skye noted it but in her usual focussed stoicness continued on, stuck in her mode of operating and trying to get the team together, for their ends, not hers. “Team, all stations. I'm alright, no need for medical here right now. There’s a clone of me, verified it’s her, and verified by Sam, neutralised. Everyone, gear on, immediately, prepare for immediate contact. We have a critical situation, repeat, situation is critical. Support teams, head for Kaitiaki Centre, Raven Squad, I need you all ready to move on an emergency, full combat gear for potential attack. There’s a possibility we’ve been found, and that Artemis may be on their way, imminently.” Skye called into the base comms, the last thing to do, and with the bloody mess of Rose on the floor, they had no time to lose. Rose had gambled completely on this, but then again, what gamble wasn’t worth taking. She’d gotten all of Skye’s accessible data, and done absolute carnage with it. Finished what Skye had started. She had used Skye like an absolute fiddle, and now, everyone would pay that price. Not unless they could escape, because Plan B even seemed like an absolute win for Rose. Destroying Raven in the process? Perfect. [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha glared at Skye. She understood time was of the essence but if that damn woman thought she was going to fade to dark and disappear she had another thing coming! “I understand this is situation critical boss. But if you think I am leaving you on your own to deal with this, we are going to have an issue!” Her voice had risen as she made her feelings known. Samantha was breathing hard and her heart was pumping. She took a deep breath. Skye had said she was going to be there. For once the stubborn Scot did not take the expected road and try to say she didn’t need help. Samantha calmed down some but was still running on the edge. [/color] [color=lightblue] Taking her phone, Skye made the call again, the last one she ever wanted to make, but right now, had to. This was it. Last chance saloon. The pickup was instant, Skye aware Sam was angry, fuming even. Skye was trying to play it out in her head, to say something. She would have to come up with it. “Oracle, it’s Skye…..situtaion is FUBAR, Code Omega. Cut any link to me, I’m passing it across to a secondary. She’ll verify and you talk to her. Do the same with the data links with her, anything. I’m going to get the team out. I’m really, really sorry about all of this.” [/color] [b]“Affirmative. You have Artemis inbound, I have multiple radar signatures five minutes out from you, helicopters and air, likely to be a significant force. They are moving on contingency, so it seems like you actually killed the right one, Skye. Still makes things complicated, so agree with your reasoning. We’re getting more data in and we need to understand the situation better. I’m scrambling channel and awaiting a new signal pickup for someone in your team that isn't compromised. And we’ll speak later. Out.”[/b] The link died, as the phone itself bricked, dying out. Pulling a drawer cupboard open, Skye pulled out another device, the spare that she never thought she’d have to give. She also pulled out some hand gel, wiping her hands out after she passed it across, wiping her fingers clean with disinfectant. [color=lightblue] “This is yours. The print on the phone will bind to you, and on it, a quantium-encrypted link to Oracle, not one through me, but through you. For now Sam, you’re the ears of the team, commander of Raven. For everyone’s safety, I hope this works. Oh….and for now, I am coming with you. You’ll need me and I’ll do my best till I do need to do that.” [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha took a deep breath and closed her eyes to cement the code words and memory for easy recall. A trick she had long learned to deal with her eidetic memory and to help with critical recall of details. She opened her eyes and focused on what Skye was telling her. She accepted the phone and told Skye. “I will do as you ask. But know that no one replaces you, my friend.” She looked Skye in the eyes. Her feelings about the Scot on display. If Samantha had to flee the base, then Skye was going with her. [/color] [color=palegreen] Tahlia arrived inside following that, seeing Skye, Sam, and oddly, Skye on the floor, again, dead. “Holy shit!” She yelled, probably in utter bewilderment seeing this for the first time. “I’m going to assume this is way, way too complicated. Sam, Skye, what do you need from me?” She said, looking at Skye, then across to Sam. [/color] [color=lightblue] “We have incoming. Aerial assets, and a shitload of Artemis are coming to us. We need to gear up…now. You too, and get security ready to take out aerial assets, and any contacts. Then we need to all run.” Skye looked blankly, and with a resounding nod. Walking out of the room, Skye led the way, no time to do anything more with the dead body of Rose, and certainly no more time to pack things up. [/color] [color=palegreen] “Fucking hell, Aotearoa is not exactly full of military so they’ll stick out like a sore thumb off the island. Works to our advantage. There’s a tunnel network out of here, but we need to go to the bottom of the base to get support staff out, but we may need to fight them off to keep it open without them realizing we’re running. I’ve got a few tricks up the base’s sleeve, so they’ll be on our pitch.” Tahlia commented, falling in line, following as they made their way out of the office. [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha calmly walked over to the comms on the wall. She spoke into comms “Rafael, this is Chaos. Execute program Safestop.” She waited for Rafeal’s confirmation before turning back to the room. Rafeal had set in motion a program that Samantha had developed with him that would shunt all sensitive data to Samantha’s secure site before wiping all the servers and triggering the program that would have them overheat into slab. There would be no intelligence gained from the base from that area. She had set up this contingency with Rafeal without Raven’s Squad knowledge on the off chance the base was breached. She knew it could get her killed or backfire impressively when it came to light. She was very grateful she had done it though. There had to be more about Artemis that they could use to track them down and stop this madness. [/color] [color=SlateBlue] Javi had been doing his best to honor the order to get to Skye’s office. He had gotten bogged down as guards seeing him with two others began to ask him for orders. It was like no one ever expected a breech and were reeling, forgetting their training. Javi began orders to have them begin the bomb sweep that he had heard Chuck order over the comns. He had sent the two guards to Skye’s office ahead of him. He had ordered them to follow Samantha’s orders. He gave orders to secure the garage and vehicles. He wanted to be sure if they needed them they were available. He finally managed to get free and began to head towards Skye’s office. [/color] Freya for everything done so far had begun to get a little antsy. Skye had left awhile ago, and Sam too. The giant of a woman still in the mind set that she ought to be protecting her girls some. But then it’s like the accelerator had been pushed through the floor. Tahlia and the guards were moving. The big woman had ducked up and out of the way as Chuck jumped to his feet, the news of a bomb being passed around. Freya looked around, analytical mind jumping from place to place in the room, trying to get an idea. But Chuck is already at the sofa she had just been sitting on! Freya swore in no less then six languages. She looked to the door and nodded, “Where’s Sophie? I’m going to need her help.” As she said that she’s pulled the medical robe she’s wearing down off her shoulders, damn modesty, she’ll apologize for flashing a full room later. With a pull and a rip the bandages on her shoulders come clear, revealing red and angry looking skin, covering the fractures in the bones beneath. Shrugging the robe back up over her shoulders she makes for the door, “I’m going to go find the Doc, then head for the Armory. I’m going to suit up. Someone hurt one of my girls. And I’m going to hurt anyone connected to them.” She growls. You don’t mess with a Mama Bears cubs. Not unless you want to try and slow down the raging charge she commits to protect them. And Mama Freya is in that situation. Someone hurt Skye, again, and put Sam in danger. Then the rest of the team on top of that. Freya stormed out of the room, and down the hall, and almost as if providence is with her runs almost into Sophie, bowling her over nearly. The wide smile on her face is…terrifying, “Doctor! Good. Come on. I need you to hit me with your most potent painkillers.” The big woman had dragged Sophie off then almost carrying her by the scruff of her neck. [color=Goldenrod] Sophie was stopped on the stairs, as Freya nearly bowled into the Swiss Doctor, boobs first. For the shock of the situation, Freya had almost dragged her back, and with a wry nod, followed along. “Okay, we can do that for you. There’s a drug I’ve left in your armory, it’s a mix of steroids and painkillers that aren’t exactly sanctioned, I can do that for you but after it will hurt. It’s a modified version of the blue blood I gave to Skye, you can use it to amp yourself up. Mein Leiben Freya, the things you make me do, but if it keeps us alive, it is ok!” Sophie yelled back, following Freya down, knowing that like Skye, Freya was a bit of an animal. A good doctor tried to help a patient, stabilise them and make sure they would do no harm. Freya was going to do a LOT of harm, but to everyone else. That was the mark of a real professional. [/color] —- Maybe 5 minutes later, and herself tearing a empty syringe free from her back, Freya is in the Armory. The spot repairs on the Gjallarhorn will have to do. And even with who knows how many millileters of painkillers running through her system, and the growing adrenaline of wanting…no needing to protect the crew, she’s still slow as she gets her armour on. [color=Goldenrod] "Okay, drugs are in you now, Freya. It’ll take a minute or two to kick in, but you’re going to feel particularly alive. Everything is going to be very focussed, sharp, vivid and you’ll feel more invincible than usual. The long term will mean you’ll hurt a lot more on recovery, but it’s a cocktail of adrenaline, painkillers, and a lot of material that’ll make you feel pretty superhuman. Don’t go running through walls though, because I promise the physical side isn’t going to heal. You’re just gonna feel really good, then you’ll hate me a lot later.” Sophia replied, in the heavy armoury for the rare occasion it was, seeing her get to work on tooling up. [/color] Freya moved shakily at first after that injection. The door finishing it’s trek to open, “Running through walls? Me? Oh come now Sophie dear? I’m no Koolaid Woman.” She chuckled. She could almost feel it burning through her arteries and veins. That cocktail of chemicals and medicines and who the hell knows what else, “Thank you Sophie. I know you don’t like us operators doing even more damage to ourselves like this. But it’s imperative at this point. One of our own got taken right here in the base. Someone, somehow, set a bomb in the Rec room, a room we were all in for a time just recently. Listen, you need to get to the medical offices, tell your staff to lock and barricade the doors in, and only open them for one of the on duty team.” Sophie looked up at the giant of a woman. Then gasped as Freya slapped one of her larger then normal throwing axes into Sophie’s room, “Arm yourself and arm your people. Just in case. Gå min kjære, get moving.” Sophie taking off at a run then to get to relative safety, and to the support team, including Raph, who would need to head for the tunnels. Palming the comm. Line button on her equipment table, “What’s the situation? Hows the bomb looking? I’ll be suited in a few moments here then I’ll head top side. I’ll support the guard contingent and provide first line defense. But how are we doing? I don’t like being in the dark over here.” Her words say she’s worried but her tone hides the fact she’s secretly horrified that this could happen to them. They were supposed to be safe here. The base just like the compound that Blue Sword operates out of, should be a place where the team could be isolated from their enemy. So how did they get in? How and when and where. She tried to keep it from showing in her voice, but the worry, and terror and horror is there. [color=palegreen] Tahlia got on the comms, in contact with the security team, and the others. “No contacts yet, but they’re coming for us, any minute. Skye is fine, but….shit, we’ll regroup in the armory, soon as.” Tahlia commented, looking to Sam and Skye. [/color] [color=SlateBlue] Javi got to the office and felt ridiculously late as everyone appeared to have gathered there and were looking ready to move out. “I won’t ask. Just tell me what you need?” He looked at Samantha for orders as well after flicking an apologetic glance to Skye. [/color] [color=lightblue] “Come with us, stat. We may need the Land Rover, compadre, part of our defence. For now, we just need to kill lots of people. Same thing as we usually do, but they came here to pick a fight.” Skye called back, the aggression back in her system as she felt the haze clear a little, the mindfog give way again and with it, Skye Lyons was back in some sort of semblance, as the whole group moved together. [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha nodded and motioned towards Skye. “She is still the leader as far as I am concerned. We need to get out of here. Artemis is coming to end us. We need to live to fight another day. Gather up. We need to stop by the armory and get everyone’s gear. We need that. We need to protect the base long enough that personnel can evacuate.” She gently nudged Skye. She knew that she was struggling to process everything. Hell she was too! But time to hit the gas. Actions were needed. [/color] [color=8dc73f] Chuck had shown up shortly after everyone else. He was one of the newest members of the squad. He knew the shit was hitting the fan. He would ask questions later. Now he just needed to know his job. He got the gist of it. Their base location was compromised and they had incoming and needed to evacuate the base. He kept a close eye on Duke. He relaxed after Duke sniffed Skye and rubbed his body along her legs as a greeting. That reassured him more than anything that he was looking at Skye. Chuck and everyone else to the armory. [/color] -------------------------------- [h1]Part Four[/h1] [h1]Kakari (Fight)[/h1] Moving downstairs, the team went at a pace- Chuck, Sam, Skye, Tahlia, Javi, Oliver together. The security team was just doing its gig, to hold the line, and monitor, and watch. But in the face of what was coming, there was a chance they wouldn’t last, not until the rest of Raven came out fighting. [color=lightblue] “All yours, Sam. Code’s on the phone, repeat the six digits to Oracle and he’ll set you in.“ Skye called, as they headed down, and into the armoury room itself. Freya was standing tall in her armour. With it, Skye ran across to her section, yanking the MG3 and ammo pod, and began to start gearing up, not even taking fatigues, just the exo, gun, MAAWS and her pistol, taking the critical essentials here and now. She looked across as the others geared up, Skye putting her helmet on, syncing up her PDA to her combat glasses, offline from the team and now just set for diagnostics. The exo felt good, the t-shirt wearing, part-armoured operative ready to get back out there and respond. As bleary as it all felt, she had to find a way. “Freya, you ready to go?” Skye called, watching as Javi grabbed an M4A1, Tahlia a Steyr AUG and her Ballista sniper and the two taking plate carriers, helmets and ammunition, being ready for a fight even despite the fact neither of them weren't exactly soldiers by usual trade. [/color] Freya shrugged her upper suit on and then stepped up and hissed as the leg portion snapped closed, reaching up and palming her helmet on, “Ahhh Skye.” She gulped and as the legs hummed to life then crossed to Skye, their Queen. Screw protocol, she grabbed Skye up into a hug, and maybe made it awkward as her upper armor is not fully closed, and she had taken the robe off, she doesn’t even have her usual body stocking on under that thing, so Skye gets a face full of Freya’s boobs in her face, “I’m glad you’re okay.” She says. The sets Skye down, going over and grabbing Starbreaker, hooking it over her shoulder, attaches the Stars Core, and pulls the AEW down, and finally with careful clicks the new shield module on the front of her armor after she’s sealed up the upper portion, and the new sniper attachment for the AEW. The Battle Goddess Frigga turning, “Ready.” She says with a finality to her words. [color=ec008c] Samantha entered the armory and headed to her locker. She took a moment to do what Skye had asked her to do. She hated every minute of it but she did it. She pulled the phone to her ear and lied her ass off to Oracle in a hard voice. “This is Chaos. Confirmation code…” She rattled off the code that Skye had given her. Oracle wanted to know the status of Skye. They were demanding a status update. With tears in her eyes and a crackled voice loaded with emotion Sam replied “The Queen has fallen.” The words tasted like ash in her mouth. She hung up on Oracle demanding answers. She had a base to protect. She looked over at her friends gearing up for war. She wiped away the tears. She turned her back on the room as she got ready. She needed just a tiny moment to pull herself together. She quickly pulled on her armor and all her gear. She strapped it all on. She made sure her laptop was slotted into its protected spot in her armor. She pulled the helmet on. Her systems integrated and she heard her AI “It is a good day for a fight Chaos. Syncing with a new line from Oracle. Special com line added.” [/color] The radio for Chaos flickered back on. [b] “Chaos, Oracle copies. You’ve got the line in. Skye will tell you what to do, but I can tell you the situation, secure to you now she may be compromised for Raven’s systems. We’ve got at least six V22 tiltrotors with full combat teams and vehicles, a couple of Mi-28 attack helicopters, two F18s and it looks like they’re trying to bring everything more than that to the fight, but they haven’t all made it yet. You may need to hold the bridgehead for the support crew, then move the team out. They have more coming, so resist what’s coming, then use the rest. I’ll leave the rest to you. Get to the boat, get offshore and head for Wellington, and I’ll call in the next part of the plan.“[/b] Oracle called, now coming through to Chaos’s helmet, pinging data, feeds, everything across. She’d feel like she had the insights that Skye had, albeit in a way that would ensure that Skye was now no longer able to be compromised by her literal twin. [color=ec008c] Samantha took a deep breath and stepped into the role that Queen had asked of her. “Oracle, Chaos acknowledges incoming enemy forces.” She sighed and switched com lines. “Raven Squad we have Artemis inbound. We have a shitload incoming, six V22 tiltrotors with full combat teams and vehicles, a couple of Mi-28 attack helicopters, and two F18’s. We need to hold the line until our forces can evacuate the base. Emergency evacuation protocols in place.” She then deferred to their actual leader for Skye to determine where she wanted them. Samantha was gratified when her work on their SAM emplacements proved to work. She had rigged each one with its own targeting computer system separate from the base. She had thought about that after the havoc she had caused in the Aral Sea when she co-opted their own defenses. She didn't want that to happen to Raven Squad. She heard the thump as the SAM launchers began to pelt the intruders with missiles. [/color] [color=lightblue] Skye looked at this situation, and herself taking a deep breath, looked on, watching everyone gear, ready and tool up. She appreciated Freya’s hug, one hell of a lot, all geared and ready, the warmth of Freya’s boobs reminding her that indeed, Rose probably had every right to probably be obsessed about the tech-giant’s bones. Blimey, that was…whimsical. And yet, a moment of comical giddy, as she looked to the others one last moment. The sound of a massive explosion hitting the base above almost sucked the air out of her lungs, but it was expected. First hit, but the armoury was at least safe, the walls shaking with the impact, the SAMs engaging with air and starting to pick a few out of the sky, unexpectedly to the attack team, and the sky lit up with flares, as some dodges, weaved, and some blew up, creating one hell of a scene. But that meant they were here. Bringing jets, VTOLs with combat troops and no doubt more moving vehicles and jeeps, they were on full attack. There was one problem for Artemis, of course. They were fighting a battle on Raven’s home turf. The forested fields and green hilly fields on the lush green soil of D’Urville Island’s rainy evening just got a lot more interesting, and Skye was already ticking through her brain of what to do. She wasn’t done yet. Neurotoxin or not, and her official comms line cut off, she knew she had to give the team direction, or at least, an idea.. “Alright. We need to fend them off. Nord, Frigga, blast anything helicopter or heavy, hold the line. Chaos, Boomer, Javi, I need you in the Land Rover on the vehicle pool level, relocate and find another position to flank them from. We need to make sure we fire on them from an angle they don’t expect, and more firepower from somewhere else, we can at least catch them out as they try to rush the base from a flank. Use your initiative on that one….there’s more assets down the other end which you may be able to use. Taniwha, need to make sure the rest of the support team escapes, including Doctor Keller, Vincent and Raph. Protect them and stay with them in the tunnels, and get to the other side of them. Does that make sense?” Skye called out, giving everyone a specific set of instructions. [/color] [color=lightblue] “Frigga, I’m with you. I’ll take out any armored assets and exos, just focus on the bodies they’re gonna throw….they are going to hurl themselves at us. Let’s fucking show them you can’t kill us that easy!” Skye called coldly, her voice holding firm, despite every cocktail of emotions going through her wanted her to stop, she had to fight, and keep on. [/color] [color=8dc73f] Chuck had gone with the team to the armory. He had quickly opened his locker. He put Duke’s armor on first. He then quickly got into his armor and carried as much gear and ammo as he could. He focused first on getting his canine companion protected. Then he focused on gearing himself up for the action to come. He then attached all his guns and shoved as much ammo as he could into his armor and pouches. He then made sure every weapon he had was on the tactical sling or stored in his armor. He was ready to go by the time the Queen began giving orders. She wanted him to go in the Land Rover? He wouldn’t fit in the Land Rover! He was going to have to do something he didn’t like to do. He went towards the motor pool. Once he got there he realized that the Land Rover had been customized and he would fit. He brightened up. He motioned Duke up inside. He looked over at Javi. “I will take the back.” He climbed up into the back of the vehicle and settled into place. [/color] [color=ec008c] Samantha nodded and took off for the garage. She ran to meet Javi. She hopped into the front seat next to Javi. She had her visor down and her HUD up so she replied on team coms. “I’m ready let’s hit it. Maybe we can find a hill top to rain pain down from. I would be more effective in the sky though.” She didn’t have an armed and ready aircraft at hand that was not being flown by other operatives at the moment. “I will just have to make do.” [/color] [color=SlateBlue] Javi had grabbed what he could of gear leftover in the armory and then made his way to the garage. He hopped into the driver’s seat automatically. Chuck gave him a heart attack when he opened the door and let Duke in. He forgot how tall he was. Then you put that man in heavy armor and it was the god of destruction that had loomed over him. Duke gave what sounded like a happy bark. He hoped the dog didn’t get car sick. He had managed to snag a set of the special coms that Chaos had created for the team. He was grateful since he needed them today! [/color] ------ [color=Crimson] “Who has seen my box of manpads?” a stumbling hulk of an armored suit said coming out of a slowly increasing hole where a door once was. He turned around, and slowly placed the door back into the spot it was meant to be, and turned back around. “I know I had a box of manpads somewhere, and I think they would come in use right about now?” [/color] [color=palegreen] Tahlia looked over as Tiny Nord came out, the titan a hulk as he was barking it out loud, admittedly so considering how mad the situation was. “Right there, shitload of Stingers, all yours, Tiny Nord. All geared for you to go!” Tahlia yelled back to Oliver while pointing out the crate at the far end of the armoury, nodding to the commander, and the other one on the line with Oracle. “Affirm, boss.” She called, and with it leaving Tiny Nord with Frigga, aware that the two giants probably hadn’t fought before together- but well, it was likely that they would shred things up. [/color] [color=Crimson] “Right on then,” the mountain said as he lifted up the box, “wont do shit for the F18s, but that’s what the other box is for.” Tiny Nord, lifted up the second box as he rolled his shoulders a bit, the other much smaller box, well crate just jingled with a bunch of his other things, and on the side was strapped his shield. He rested it against the door, and he smiled a bit. “Well, if you need me call, I’ll be outside having fun.” [/color] Freya then makes for the door, and the outer sections of the base. Time to protect their home. And even then, this place may not survive. She turned to peer back at tiny Nord, “You know, we haven’t maybe officially met yet.” Her helmet still open so he can see the smile, “I’m Freya Kanatarrio, Physics PHD, CEO of Jotunnheim Energy and Defense, and resident Heavy dealing with Energy and Theoretical Physics attacks here on the team. Pleasure to meet you Mr. Black. Though really you can call me Frigga on the field, so I’m looking forward to working with you out there Tiny Nord, I’ve only ever heard good things about your work.” She gives him a wink, “So what do you say? Ready to go and blow some people up?” [color=Crimson] ”It’s what I’m here for.” Tiny Nord said nodding towards the woman, “No where near the titles of you, but I am glad to know you’ve heard of me. Now, I know I had iglas around here also, back when all of these things were made, they made them to fight their own countermeasures, not their opponents. So, hopefully there wont be many Russian attack helicopters about, but hopefully we can get rid of the F18s with something else…” [/color] -------- [color=SlateBlue] Javi waited until Tahlia had made it into the vehicle. She had slid into the backseat with Duke. Chuck was standing in the rear holding onto the cross brace across the roof. He made sure everyone was braced and hit the gas. “YeeHaw! Isn’t that what you yankees say Samantha? I always wanted to be a Cowboy!” The Land Rover flew out of the open door of the garage and bounced like a tiger on the attack as it rocketed away from the base. [/color] As Freya's climbing with Tiny Nord and Queen she radios Jotunnheim, “Freya here, Black Level incident. Get to the test site near Kaitiaki, liquidate everything! Get it to site Tertius, bypass Secundus entirely. Contact my parents in Perth, tell them I may be going dark. And for fuck sakes make sure to tell tell my mom and dad to keep my brother and sister on a short leash for now!” And by then Frigga reaches the surface level, looking around, and calling to Tahlia, “Sit Rep? Contacts? Potentials?” She scanned the horizon, scanned the skies, this is the kind of nightmare scenario every operator has night terrors about. Your home base, your safe place, has just been lit up by the enemy, brighter then the Luxor Pyramids apex light. Now what do you do? [color=palegreen] “Shitloads, helis and a lot of infantry with modern kit and exos inbound!” Tahlia stoically replied, being thrown around in the Land Rover. [/color] And indeed, so many. She can see rotor vehicles in the skies approaching low and purposefully. There could be dozens of men in each of those tilt rotors. And those MIs were going to be interesting to deal with. Frigga takes a few steps over and braces her AEW on a boulder. And never gets a shot off at the start as a pair of jets scream over head. She follows their path, “They have fast movers too? Who the hell are these people? Attack rotors? VTOL tilt rotors? Fast mover jets? Who has the time and money for this?” She growls, “Not in my house!” [color=lightblue] Skye had too many feelings. Everything. The two titans in front of her, gunfire and missiles flying into the sky, the sound of the hillside getting bombed, the base getting attacked, the security team trying to fend off in vein as the VTOLs landed in at the bottom of the island and flew out, firing close air onto anything, the sight of armoured jeeps, infantry, exos, all kinds being thrown up. At the top of the hill, it was like they were in a castle, except all on show. Skye stood valiantly, looking down at the world that she knew crumble. And yet, it felt….sweet. This was Raven Squad. And no thing, person, anyone, was going to rip them apart. Not even Skye herself could. Cue the music. Because from one childhood memory, to another. Skye hummed it, the other song that was on the radio before Heroes had come on. [url=https://youtu.be/iLC-tHvkNvI?t=180]The Chain, by Fleetwood Mac[/url]....and that riff. That sound. It was like a trigger in her head, instead of this time being bad and overwhelming, just pounding out the adrenaline inside of the Scot's mind. A reminiscence that sort of harkened back. Defect or not, real or not, one or many, no, Skye Rosalind Lyons was ready, and for one more roll, ready to do her bit and counterattack. “....keeps us together.....” Skye broke into a smile, tapping both Tiny Nord and Frigga on their gigantic armoured shoulders. “Pride before beauty, come on then, let’s go get the bastards and make them work for it!” [/color]