[h2][color=lightblue]Skye Rosalind Lyons[/color][/h2]

[u][h1]Kaitiaki Homestead, Raven HQ[/h1][/u]
[h2]Rangitoto ki te Tonga / D'Urville Island
South Island, Aotearoa / New Zealand[/h2]

[center][h1]Running in the Shadows[/h1][/center]

The scene unpacked itself, as exos could be seen in the far end of the forest getting sniped by Freya, whilst the Land Rover was on the flank. There was too much going on. Explosions, shit getting blown up, it was utterly bonkers. The house itself had been hit, but in the forest below, from the hill downwards towards the beach, there were soldiers flooding in. Finding a suitably large branch, Skye laid herself down and sprayed with the MG3, blasting a group of enemies on the flank, watching Frigga set herself up by the base's supply point, further down the hill, then breaking after some sniping and going head-first into a whole group of enemies. She was doing her bit. Skye had to do hers. 

"Frigga, I've got your flank, keep the breach going then let's get the fuck out of here!" Skye called out on the comms, knowing that Frigga was going straight into the mess of this- starting a fire and probably then some. With a jolt, the exo sent Skye much further down the hill, and a group of soldiers were quickly flanked, Skye picking them out. An exo lept the treeline, and with her now known ability to fight back in this regard, Skye rolled sideways, using her FNX to clap them with a smooth headshot, before rolling back up. Home had become a warzone, but defending was easier than attacking.

Skye herself could only duck as the house took another direct hit from a JDAM, the whole site blasting apart, sending shrapnel.
"Really!? That took at least a year to build!" Skye yelled, watching as another group came charging up the track, getting a faceful of lead from her MG3. The open field with Freya and blasting shit, clattering enemies, with Tiny Nord likely doing the same. It would hold the breach for now, as Skye had her work to get to. 

The situation was tense. The hillside was swarming now with enemies, fire and rounds being sent up, a hell of a lot, and it was clear, that way was a no-go. The only way would be back- and towards the emergency RV point, where the airstrip and boat would be. They needed to get off this island- there was no way of putting it, support from the New Zealand Defence Forces wasn't going to arrive anywhere near in time, hell, they'd end up in the country capital faster than that. And that scared Skye. If they turned around, all shit would hit the fan. It was a scary prospect, so as many of them they could take now and delay, the better. While somehow making their own way out of the grinder. Skye knew Sam was in bits, but she was leading well- holding it together, and she just hoped, prayed that they would make sense after this. The members of Raven were exceptionally talented and physically conditioned, mentally so too, but most normal people would barely last a few seconds of what was going on. It was intense, and with what had happened with Rose, doubly so. Skye knew the team would have more questions than even could be answered, it was just beyond absurd at this point, and even more so, just wild. But the classic point in hand stood- survive now and worry about it later, or die thinking.

Exo-equipped soldiers were moving through the forest below the ridgeline the base sat on, up the sinewing tracks in the forested ancient woodland, whilst from above, the sound of 20mm rounds was ringing out, pattering the area down. There was no denying. This was Ragnarok, the end of things, but by hell, the team had the war direct to deliver. And they had plenty up their sleeves. Rose had found lots, but not clearly enough. Almost in a way, Skye was surprised- it was like the team had done something to home to make this better, without her knowledge. It wasn't for now to think about. It was their creativity, and she had to applaud that, even if it wasn't right. The good old ask forgiveness later, don't ask permission trick.....but well, who was to complain as the SAM took out one of the two Mi-28s, clattering it down with a massive explosion.

With it, Skye made her move towards the support area, the area made up of a couple of concrete pre-fabs. With Tahlia on the vehicle, Skye knew this one was up to her. The teams would be able to get out, thanks to the cover fire- but Artemis's troops had already made it here. They needed clearing, and with Frigga, Tiny Nord and the others absolutely lacing fire, she could get to work.

Making her way towards the supporting area, hearing enemy chatter, Skye stopped, holding short before moving inside. Leaning down, she took her frag and pinning it off a wall, lobbed it, before moving on the other flank, enemies scattering as she took nobody out with the grenade- but got the others once they split. Bit by bit, the German-made machinegun buzzed, rattling away as Skye clapped them down, the volume over accuracy doing the job as she moved through the supporting compound, aware the computers were frazzled, but likely, there were two members of the team that needed help. They were the only two that she'd know would have been here, in the situation that had been posed.

With the dust clearing, Skye moved inside, and called it out. They'd been pinned down, and so far, couldn't make their move to the.
"It's Queen, Foxhound!" Skye called, as Vincent, Sophie and Raphael made their way out, nodding to her, all armed. The call was good- just to avoid friendly fire considering they weren't on the comms network. 
"Foxhound, we're ok." Vincent took the lead, the only one of the three with active combat training, carrying an H&K UMP.45 as did the other two, the spares for an emergency situation like this. It was always handy to have lead on availability, especially in this sort of place.
"Okay, what's the situation? Where the fuck are the others?" Skye called, barking the order direct, dragging whatever energy she had after the incident earlier.

"All in the tunnel, but we were pinned. Thank you for coming....merde, they are serious. I got one of them, but we're lucky not to be dead." Vincent called back, the body in the room evident of that, probably one of the forward team.
"Okay, entry to the tunnel is there, other block. I'll carve you a route out. Just move quick. Follow me." Skye called back, as Vincent took his hand on her shoulder before she hustled, looking into Skye's eyes, the one that was a little bloodshot considering well, neurotoxin after-effects. The t-shirt wearing Scot was soaked, her eyes resolutely with a distant stare, the emotion now only to save them, help them and get out of here. Vincent had something to add though, beyond just survival. 

"The new VTOL, it needs to be destroyed....they cannot have it, mon dieu. Your Gustav will do the trick. Aim for the right engine, it's got fuel and it'll blow the rest. Merde, what the is going on...." Vincent said, his confusion making it clear, Skye coming back to sense and nodding back, the ginger-haired Scot resting her hand back on his broad shoulder, agreed.
"Got it. Too much to explain right now, just follow my instructions, and you'll live. Vincent, you stay on point, Sophie middle, Raph on the rear. I'll clear the inside, the hatch is underneath the fridge in the welfare room." Skye directly replied, checking her MG3's belt, and her clutch on it, the exo back on a regular setting once more on her arm-mounted PDA.

"Oui, Major. We have this. You go out there and make sure we can run." He replied, as with that, the team then did move.

Skye nodded back, and leaving the computer den and the support amenity, including Sophie's office, supply point and telecoms array, they moved across the courtyard, headed to the other building, Skye up first before waving to them. Stacking up, Skye heard voices inside, enemies. Looking to Vincent, she gave him a wry look, taking a grenade and with it, asking him to pull the door. As he did, she lobbed the grenade in, and well, concrete did the rest. The door blasted outwards as it blew up, Skye charging inside, and well, showing off her prowess in a situation like this. It's hard to explain what her ability was like, but when she was fluid, like a squirrel on crack, just faster and quicker and able to block out the other distractions. Only living in the moment and fighting back.

Spraying the room, Skye took a few rounds herself, knocking her into the floor as she coughed, back up again and moving into the next, kicking someone over and hosing them down, inside the large canteen for the support team. Looking around, she whistled, and the other three ran inside, Skye noticing the horror on Sophie's face- no doubt from all the chaos unfolding and what their team lead was capable of doing. This was not an easy business. Sophie was into saving lives, not ending them, and while she could deal with grizzly wounds, the horror of it being caused by their own people was always unnerving. 
"We're going to be okay. Get to the other side, the others will meet you there. Fire up the boat and have it ready, we may need to go, quickly." Skye called to them, then looking to Sophie, who looked like she was on the verge of crying.
"Sophie....please, please listen to me, you need to pull through. I know this is difficult. Trust me. You're going to be alright. You have to keep going." Skye said, the silent look in Sophie's eyes vacant from the horror, the smell of bodies, the explosions and cordite, as another one boomed, interrupting the moment.
"Shit!" Skye yelled, as she moved through the room, the dust kicking up, Skye shielding her face before then looking back. They had to get them out. And with a kick only described as superpowered, kicked the heavy fridge out of the way, sending dozens of chocolate bars, fruit, milk and dairy everywhere, all over the room, making it even messier. It was almost a comical moment, a levity in the absolute dark.

"What a waste, but alas. See you on the other side, look after yourself, Skye. Do not go dying on us, eh?" Vincent added, giving him a smile, a reassuring one as she put his hand on Sophie's shoulder, Skye giving a wry smile and nod at his never-ending humour in a situation as bad as this. With it, they clambered down into the tunnels, which would lead them to the RV. Skye had done her bit. They were out, and aside from that, they all needed to leave. Things were getting spicier out there as a jeep rolled by, Skye ducking inside and switching to the Gustav, checking her backblast and.....BAM!

The jeep flew past with a large crackling explosion as the AT round detonating, as the one person wrecking crew came around and hosed down two more enemies, before being flanked by another, to which Skye turned and coiled down into the mud. With a hard turn, the exo-equipped soldier tried to go for Skye's head, but she'd had experience of that too. With a weave, Skye wrestled them over and shanked them with a hard hit of the soldier's own knife, standing up once more and reloading her Gustav in the rare opportunity. So much was going on, it was hard to track. That was why she did what she did, but still, a radio message would be good. 

"Chaos, last batch of the support team are going to make a beeline through tunnel. Recommend we get the hell out. Frigga, Tiny Nord, cover each other and retreat, I'm going to try and lay down fire and cover you, just make a move and run. Do not get bogged down in fighting, clear who you have to, they pincer you and you'll be toast. There's a thin forest track we can use to get to the RV. Chaos, take your group and get to the RV with the Land Rover, disengage and get back. I've one last thing to sort." Skye added, drawing the Gustav, and with an adjustment of the optic, spied the VTOL further down the hill, in the clearing it always was in. With a gulp, she sighed, and well, clacked it away. The jet-equipped VTOL was state of the art, prototype for them in fact and an advancement of the V22- but they'd have to live without it now, as the round hit and detonated it. It gave Skye away for that moment, as she ran from where it was, gunfire now towards her, the ginger-haired rabbit now 
"Fuck, there's a lot of you bastards!" Skye yelled, clambering a fence and rolling as gunship fire came in, with it making her way into the woods. She coiled over seeing another group come after Frigga's flank, and with it, laid down fire, clapping them out.
"Well come on then!"