[center][h1][color=fff200]Fireteam Anvil[/color][/h1][/center] [center][h2][color=8dc73f]Chuck "Boomer" Simmons[/color][/h2] [/center] [center][h2][color=ec008c]Samantha "Chaos" Dalton[/color][/h2] [/center] [center][h2] Getting the Band Back Together [/h2][/center] Samantha had pulverized Ingwe’s mech until she was sure he was dead. She had patched up Chuck as best she could. She didn’t get much of a reprieve before Laura’s ranting rage fell on her like her rage had taken out the Zulu. Her situational awareness had dropped as she focused on Chuck. Laura managed to catch Samantha by surprise as her attack knocked the mech she was in backwards. She kept trying to aim the flamethrowers at her. Samantha was able to dodge some. Laura came into grappling range and the two of them struggled for control of the flame thrower nozzles. Control shifted between them as you heard metal groan and pop in the heat and strain between the mechs. Laura’s missiles began to land; knocking the mech around as armor shredded and began to fall down like an iron rain. Samantha kept fighting hoping to distract Laura enough for the others to get the surprise on her. The missiles Laura fired took out the mech’s right leg and the mech fell to its knees. Laura had a better position and leverage over Samantha. Samantha used the arms of the mech to blow Laura’s blows. She was out of ammunition and missiles now. She was doing her best to stay alive even as the warning lights and alarms were blaring all across her HUD. The damage indicators were red all over the mech now. Samantha continued to punch, jab, and block even as the damage Laura was dishing out dismantled the mech around her. Samantha needed to get out the mech. She was doing her best to just survive when Athena pulled Laura’s mech off of her. Athena’s attack pulled the mech away before her attack caused Laura to eject before her mech overloaded and exploded. Flaming molten debris rained down around Samantha where she was trapped inside the crushed cockpit of the mech. Seeing the debris now striking the mech she was glad she hadn’t gotten out sooner. She breathed a sigh of relief as the tinkling sound of debris falling quit. [color=fff200]Athena: "We did alright. Nice work team!"[/color] Athena was smiling and looking around as they were surrounded by fire and burning debris and the remains of three mechs. [color=fff200]Athena: "And it didn't even take Frigga's butt cannon."[/color] Athena was giggling at her own joke as she came over to help Samantha out of the cockpit. Samantha was startled when Athena yanked open the crushed cockpit door casually and pulled on her. She yelped in pain because she was still harnessed in. She managed to hit the quick release button in the center when she tugged a second time and was lifted out of the remains of the cockpit by Athena. Samantha had a hard time focusing on what Athena was saying. Her ears were ringing from the explosion and being so close to Laura’s exploding mech. She was feeling like a cocktail that was shaken and not stirred. She wobbled a bit as she tried to regain her equilibrium as Athena set her down gently. She took stock of her body. She was sore and had some bruising in places but everything appeared to be in working order. Samantha's head was still reeling as Athena offered her a fist bump. Samantha automatically bumped her fist back. Her brain was still slightly out of sync with her body. Awareness seemed to rush back in with sound as Athena’s voice sounded overly loud to Sam. [color=fff200]Athena: "That was fucking badass, Chaos. You might even be mad enough to roll with the craziest girl of them all. Not bigging myself up or anything, but if you didn't have me, you'd be...."[/color] Samantha winced a little, her eyes a little glassy. It was like Skye’s voice kicked her brain back into gear as Skye came over the intercom. [color=00aeef]Skye: "Valkyrie, are you talking shit again?"[/color] [color=fff200]Valkyrie: "What, I went and..." [/color] [color=00aeef]Skye: "Team. Effort. Get the fuck in here, we need a hand."[/color] [hr] Chuck, Freya, Athena, Laura, and Jamie arrived in the command center. The command was covered in dust with loose papers all over the flow. There were bullet holes in the walls. The evidence of a battle was all over the room. The hostages were bent over computer terminals and conferring with one another. Chuck had managed to plunk himself down on the ground. Adam was looking him over. Chuck’s face was pale and his skin was clammy. He met Adam’s eyes as they spoke softly. Chuck had turned his comm off. He didn’t want Freya to hear him. Chuck knew he was in bad shape. He just hoped that the patch from his armor held long enough for him to see this through. Chuck gripped Adam’s arm to make sure he had his attention. [color=8dc73f]Chuck: “It’s bad Wilk. I have probably another hour before I crash from the stimulants and pain killers. I am stable right now. If the pressure dressing from my armor comes loose, I will be bleeding like a stuck pig. I can still shoot but moving sucks. Hand to hand is not gonna happen. Put me somewhere I can shoot. I can be overwatch and not have to move too much. I should be able to help out some. I want to help finish it.” [/color] Chuck’s eyes met Wilk's, expressing he understood the risk he was taking. He was willing to take it to help protect his team and his girl. If they had to go into space, he was going to make sure they got there. It was unspoken but understood as he met Wilk’s eyes and flicked them over to Freya that he didn’t want her to know how bad it was. Wilk seemed to understand even as the combat medic onsite had set up an IV and was pumping him full of fluids and plasma. Chuck chugged the bottle of electrolytes that the medic handed him. He nodded once to Wilk and let him go. Samantha’s head was still ringing a bit and she felt a little jittery as her adrenaline crashed some and endorphins lessened a little. She chugged an energy drink she swiped from the combat medic on the team. She then began to wander from computer system to computer system checking out what was happening on the screens. Samantha understood Skye’s plan. They had already discussed that it might be a possibility when they finally tracked Rose’s mobile carrier. Samantha was already using the computer terminals to check the rocket’s systems and what launch window it was currently set up and the vector. She was running a diagnostic to make sure it was undamaged from all the fighting on the base. She had been focused on her task. Hearing Skye say her name snapped her focus over to Queen. [color=00aeef]Skye: "Sam, the rocket launch will be automated. Keller will be in your ear as you need it. But you might need to recall your manual on launching on Arianne 7, and take a bit of time with how we decouple, then get outside, and then back in safely to come home. This might....might be a bit more than anything you've ever flown. Chat to some of the techs, and get yourself familiar. I'm afraid we haven't got as long as we like." [/color] Samantha gave Skye a confident grin. [color=ec008c]“Already working on it boss.” [/color] [color=00aeef]Skye continued to give orders: “Freya, Athena, get your suits checked with Tahlia. Get set, and be ready to launch." [/color] [color=00aeef]Skye: "We have a world to save. Let's get to it, Raven." [/color] [hr] Samantha worked with the techs to prep the rocket and reroute it to the Arc Angel station that Rose had escaped to and was planning to launch her revenge from. Samantha managed to squeeze in one simulator run before she had to get into her spacesuit. Samantha spent a little bit of time rigging cargo straps to connect to the tie downs in the cargo hold. She also rigged some oversize seats so that Freya and Athena would be comfortable on the trip to the station. She asked Archer to give her a hand with the project so it would go faster. [color=ec008c]Sam: "Archer can you give me a hand here? I could use some help in the cargo bay. I want to rig some support seats for Freya and Athena. It would go faster with another set of hands. I just need you to hand me stuff and hold things in place while I bolt." [/color] She led Archer over to the rocket and into the cargo bay. They each carried the lightweight frame seat one for each of their giants. She gave Archer a wry smile as they worked. [color=ec008c]Sam: "Nervous? Do you have any questions or worries about going into space?"[/color] [hr] Chuck simply stayed out of the way. It hurt to move and the less he did the better. Freya found him sitting against the wall in a corner after the technicians began doing whatever techy stuff they needed to do that would allow them to launch the rocket. Chuck smiled at Freya and drank in her beautiful face. He could only smile at her. His long arm reached up and pulled her down into his lap. He stole a long and meaningful kiss. The pain from the move was replaced by the warmth and joy of Freya’s lips beneath his. He leaned his forehead against hers as he held her close. [color=8dc73f]Chuck: “I wish I could go with you and cover your back. Be safe. Kill that bitch and come home safe, yeah?” [/color] Chuck released her and smiled into her beautiful face. [color=8dc73f]“You have to come back. I still owe you a real date. Maybe the world will leave us alone for a few weeks and we could bask in the sun on an island somewhere.”[/color] He wiggled his eyebrows meaningfully at her. [hr] She hated the spacesuit, it was heavy and clunky. Samantha muttered under her voice as she began to work on getting into the spacesuit. [color=ec008c]Samantha: “I feel like this spacesuit is from the time of Sputnik. What is this, a medieval torture device? They are supposed to be geniuses and couldn’t do better? Are we sure this thing is space worthy?” [/color] She would rather go in her normal armor. It had air connections but it didn’t carry its own air. It was also not rated to protect her from the solar radiation found in space. She peeled out of her armor and pulled off all his weapons. She climbed into the stretchy compression under the armor layer of the space suit. She grumped and bitched as she wiggled it around until it was tolerable. She felt like it was going to give her a permanent wedgie. She strapped her armor behind the pilot’s seat in a mesh net. At least Bob would be with her even if she couldn’t squeeze him into her spacesuit. He could integrate with the spacesuit HUD over a wireless signal. She set up an extra transmitter and receiver with a booster for him so that he would be able to extend his presence into the station from where he was. Samantha looked over at Ebrima and raised an eyebrow. She was surprised that his snark didn't match her own. She continued to struggle into the space suit as she noted Ebrima's progress. [color=ec008c]Samantha: "How are you doing Ebrima? Any questions about what we can expect?" [/color] She climbed into the heavy outer space suit as Jamie held it up. The suit was too big for her petite frame. She felt like she was swimming inside the heavy outer layer. The suit was heavy and awkward to move in. She had to take really big steps and yank each foot from the deck before it clanged back down. She was going to be exhausted just getting inside the rocket. She sighed as she lined up with the rest of the team that would be going up. Samantha was waiting for the others as Skye appeared before her and hugged her tight. Samantha sighed and hugged her friend back. [color=00aeef]Skye: "I might have lied about that whole dying thing. It's a really long story."[/color] Skye chuckled as Samantha sighed as it had been quite a day and while she couldn’t say she wasn’t surprised but somehow she wasn’t. It made sense that they hadn’t gotten all of the clone bodies. Skye continued before she could say anything. [color=00aeef]"But we're not done yet. You've done a hell of a lot today. And this is a lot to take in. But we're made for this." [/color] Skye’s tone while confident somehow had a question in there for her. Samantha tightened her arms once more around Skye and spoke softly in her ear. [color=ec008c]Samantha: “Somehow I am not surprised. You can tell me the full story when we get back. I have your back. I got his. Genius, remember? Uncle Sam needed help with their program. I have had EVA training. Some of their systems are different but they all work off the same principles and needs. You know I didn’t let them get away without teaching me to pilot their birds. The systems are a little bit different but not much. We will be okay.” [/color] [color=00aeef]Skye: "I trust you fully to get us home. You ready?"[/color] Samantha released Skye and gave her a quick smile and nod. She followed Skye as the team climbed into the truck and were headed out to the launch bay. The team climbed into the elevator built into the launching gantry. They stopped at the large cargo bay doors. Samantha had improvised some seats bolted to the cargo bay floor with simple straps that would lock onto their armor points to hold them in place. Freya and Athena would depend on the air in the armor. Samantha had rigged secondary canisters to extend the amount of air they had. She had loaded some extra oxygen tanks in the hold just in case. Space was a hostile environment all its own. She made sure they all had additional air just in case, because shit happens. She connected their suits to the additional oxygen mix. When they got to the station the two tanks would be shut off and they would have the full tank on their armor. The rest of the team took the elevator to the top of the rocket where the cockpit was. The technicians helped them all get into seats and locked them down. They sealed the hatch on the way out. Samantha began pushing buttons and flicking switches on the dash. She looked confident as l flights began to blink and gauges woke up and started to show movement. Samantha started her preflight check. [color=ec008c]Samantha: “This is Chaos to Vulpine Control. Preflight Check has begun. I am not reading any errors or system malfunctions. Does Raven One have permission for takeoff?” [/color] [hr] Chuck ended up laying along the catwalk located near the ceiling. He had his long gun out and was providing sniper coverage from up high.