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Punished GN
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Starring...
Scarlet Rubashka as Punished "Venom Bean"
_______________________________________________
It wasn't often that Scarlet slept in. She usually had the discipline and internal clock necessary to wake up at a decent hour, that being two hours before her first assignment. But recent events created a field of gravity around her bed so strong that even awake she couldn't move. Recent events that served as a reminder of how mortal she really was. That one moment, trapped behind a rock, surrounded by bloodthirsty paramilitaries, with nothing but a plate carrier and a near-empty suppressed AUG to her name. And everything that surrounded it. The ambush, the car chase, the crash, the woods, the second car chase and then the office firefight. Action that she's seen within a week at the very least. But not a whole day, until yesterday. At least the flight here wasn't too long.
The beep of Scarlet's watch brought her mind crashing back to reality. She blinked several times, taking in the room around her. Basic accomodations for travelling agents, located within a seperate wing of the building. Normally the OMR would book a hotel for agents and contractors like herself, but given recent events, it wasn't exactly safe for Amanda's team to go outside yet. There's no telling how many snipers the enemy had on hand. Once Scarlet caught a glance of the time, she blinked.
"Ah, shit."
She groaned and threw herself out of bed. Despite the headrush she got, she immediately got to work on getting dressed and ready. It took a few minutes, but eventually she was already in her standard outfit, consisting of jeans, an olive-drab t-shirt, her tactical bag of holding, her holstered Glock 21 and her black plate carrier. She gave her hair a quick brush, and after ponytailing it up, she pushes it through the gap in her olive-drab ballcap and cleans herself up. Another few minutes, she was already rushing out the door.
- - -
Scarlet almost barged into the office, carton of milk in one hand and a stack of four Pop Tarts in another. She waved to Amanda and Michael with her Pop Tart hand. "Hnney bawsss. Mikney." Scarlet said with her mouth full. "Sorry I'm late." Scarlet coughed, almost breathing in a crumb of strawberry Pop Tart. She leans her head slightly to meet the Pop Tart stack in hand, taking a big bite out of all four of them and chewing. She looked around for a seat, and once she found it, she sat down and continued eating. Once Faye blinked in, Scarlet smirked with her mouth full and waved to her too. Once she sat the carton of milk down on the table, she used her recently liberated hand to invite Faye to the seat next to her.
Scarlet listened and paid attention as the team got down to business. Amanda quickly briefed them on the situation. They were here to find out who the mole was and what they were doing during the time of the ambush. They may have to search some offices and rooms in order to find evidence about the mole's wrongdoings, but they'd have to be discreet on the matter since the whole office is on edge after yesterday's violent firefight. Now it was up to them to figure out what tapes they want to view first, and see if they can narrow the field of suspects down from there. Scarlet nodded at the end of the briefing, and got to thinking.
It wasn't long before Mike brought a brilliant idea to the table. Having a list of staff would the quite helpful, especially with their clearance levels. It would make things rather easier to narrow down. Scarlet nodded to Mike after finishing her Pop Tarts. "Good thinkin'." She nodded along with Faye and pointed at her. "Mhm. What she said." She downed the rest of the milk carton and cleaned herself up.
All of that considered, Scarlet pondered. Anyone who could organize an ambush so quickly and so adeptly would have to have access to information right away. Their trip to Minsk wasn't exactly planned ahead of time, it was kind of done on the spot. To organize an ambush with appropriate vehicles, costumes and quick response forces in such a short amount of time would require information that got to them much quicker. The place to start was obvious.
"Personally, I'd say that we check out whoever's responsible for communications. Where would most of these things be passed through? Is there a dispatch center, radio room or anything of that kind of nature here?" Scarlet sat up. "Whoever has clearance for communications would almost know where we are and what we're doing at all times. Our trip here was kind of last minute, and yesterday's attack would've required a considerable amount of time and resources to set up. The enemy would've had to know first thing where we're headed and how far along we were in the investigation, and that kind of shit normally takes time to get its way up the chain. So, in order to stay a few steps ahead of us, they'd have to get that information from the first place where it can be found, which would be communications."
Starring...
Scarlet Rubashka as Punished "Venom Bean"
_______________________________________________
Scarlet grunted as Amanda continued to patch her up, though if she's gonna be honest with herself, she did like the pat on the head. No one ever gave her headpats, ever. It felt strange, but nice. Scarlet cracked a small smile to Amanda before turning to Faye. "Hey, don't mention it. Contract also has a non-disclosure stipulation." She winked to Faye, indicating her rather terrible joke. "In all seriousness, it's just what I do. I'm just glad we all made it out in one piece." She looked over to her shoulder wound. "Well, erm... most of us, anyway." Logically speaking, the homunculus should easily be able to bounce back from this. With the right applications of spells, bandages and biological cleaning agents, Scarlet would be well on her way to being good as new. It would still take time for everything to fully heal, but like usual, by the next day, she should be back in the action.
Amanda gave the team a half hour break, to which Scarlet immediately used to get everything reorganized. Retrieving her weapons (chiefly the Glock she lent Michael) as well as some of her other things she had laying around. She handed her used ballistic plates over to some of the staff, who were quick to replace them with the similar enchanted ones she used. She did everything that was required of her while she was there. She filled out all of the forms, gave her report to the OMR officers (leaving out the mole bit of course), and filled her Frankfurt contact in on what's going on (as much as she safely could). And just like last time, she shared her honest opinions on the matter, and how all of this is way above her paygrade. Of course, her contact reminded her of the contract's rewards, and Scarlet remained quiet. After exchanging a few more important details, they hung up and Scarlet was able to join the rest of the group.
---
Scarlet was the last to enter the room, like usual. Arriving a minute later than the rest, she gave Michael a tired smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder, quickly taking her place up against the wall. She wore a light gray t-shirt this time around, and had her plate carrier on again. With her tactical bag of holding on her left and her Glock holstered on her right, her demeanor urged an almost paranoid caution. Once Amanda congratulated them on their tenacity and the fact that they were able to make it through that situation by the skin of their teeth, Scarlet released an exhausted sigh. She knew that they weren't out of the woods yet, and with her adrenaline high long gone, she was really in the mood to pass out onto a bed right about now.
Amanda made it pretty clear that they are at a bit of a Morton's Fork with their investigation. The mole presents a clear and present threat to the investigation, and would severely hamper any attempts made to do almost anything. Whoever this was, was clearly working for a group with access to an expensive arsenal of weapons, armor, vehicles, costumes and personnel. Paramilitaries, Scarlet called them. And not the ordinary kind she fought either. They were far better equipped and a bit more skilled than the Serbian death squads she went up against months ago. And those Serbians were tough as nails.
"That would explain a lot about how they were able to find and corner us so easily!" Scarlet turned briefly to Faye and nodded. "Yeah. There was no way anyone could stage a disguised ambush like that and have several kill-squads on standby without having a lot of insider information." Scarlet sighed. "I'd have to agree with Amanda on this one. This mole's a dangerous motherfucker."
However, there was also the lead that Faye tracked, the portal location that brought them here in the first place. Going there could potentially blow the whole operation open, and potentially result in some rather intense firefights. Having already been in some intense firefights, Scarlet could use something a little 'low effort' as Amanda put it. Scarlet thought long and hard about it as the other two responded with their answers.
Scarlet listened to Faye's response, and Faye brought up a rather interesting point. The mole who sent the kill squads after them, as well as the folks behind the weapons smuggling in general, could very well be the same group. And just like that, it all clicked in Scarlet's little head. Spoken Russian languages, as well as teams and intel in Belarus. Soviet-bloc weaponry updated to modern standards, highly skilled paramilitaries that operated with similar tactics to the skilled mercenaries that Scarlet herself has worked with. The funding to gain access to an expensive arsenal of weapons, armor, vehicles, costumes and personnel. They were going up against the conspiracy itself, and they were throwing everything they reasonably could at them. And that could only mean one thing.
They were getting close.
Scarlet took a moment to think all of this out. Faye then brought up a suggestion, and Scarlet took the moment to listen. She also brought up a rather good point. If they were going to go into the portal, in order to have the element of surprise, they would indeed have to go radio silent and maybe even go rogue. Scarlet hummed quietly in thought before nodding to Faye. "That would be a good idea, on paper. I would've suggested the same thing, actually." Scarlet said before taking a deep breath. "But then I remembered what happened literally two hours ago. Not to be rude, but we almost got slaughtered when we acted on our own. Amanda had to bail us out of that situation, and we were lucky enough to make it back here before the enemy brought explosives to the table." Scarlet said. "And that was just us four going up against a small contingent of paramilitaries. If it's just the four of us, just us, without any support, storming the enemy base filled with unknown quantities of personnel and defenses, it's just suicide. Plain and simple."
Scarlet sighed before leaning her head up against the wall. "I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Nowhere in my contract does it say that I have to die. And I don't plan on it." She said softly. "To be honest, I only signed on for this job just to pay off my debts. That's all that this really was. I'm not a sworn agent like you guys. Hell, I'm still technically a civilian." Scarlet groaned, sighing again. "Fuck me, this whole thing's gone out of control..." She bumped her ahead up against the wall a few times. After a few moments of silence, she took a deep breath and sighed again.
"I'm with Mikey on this one. If my vote counts for anything, I say we go after the mole. If we interrogate them, they might point us to a lead that hasn't been cleaned up yet, or at least set us on the right path to where we need to go. They might even unravel their whole information network as well, in the process." Scarlet smirked a little. "Just do me a favor and don't interrogate them without me. Watching that rat bastard squirm would be more entertaining than anything they have on Pay-Per-View." Scarlet stretched. "The bad guys may be able to clean up their locations after this, but if we get more leads and take out the information leak in one fell swoop, we may be able to take on the conspiracy with the full might of the OMR at our backs. Tactical teams, helicopter support, all of that. And with that kind of support, we could accomplish our objectives without having to get slaughtered in the process." She yawned a little. "I'm also with Mikey. Regardless of what we do, contract says I gotta stick with y'all. And... I'd also like some rest too. Today's been a long fuckin' day."
Starring...
Scarlet Rubashka as Punished "Venom Bean"
_______________________________________________
Pain throbbed hard in her chest with every heartbeat. Numbed slightly from the rush of adrenaline that coursed through her veins, the homunculus struggled to stand back up. "Guhh..." She groaned as the pain from her relatively healed gunshot wound bled in from her shoulder. She cursed all kinds of things to herself as she managed to bring herself back up onto her feet, standing at a crouched position to remain in cover behind the commandeered BMW. Scarlet heard Faye shout to her as the fight continued. "Micheal, Scarlet! Are you two okay?" Scarlet looked over to Faye and winced a bit in pain. "Fuck... no!" She replied in between pained breaths. "But for the sake of this conversation, uh... yeah! I'm alive! I think!" She flashed a light smirk to Faye before wincing again. She looked over to Michael, checking in on him. He seemed to be fine, taking cover with his friends. Good. "I'm sorry guys... I can hold on... Just don't worry about me and do what you need to do to drive these guys away!" Scarlet winced again as she brought her rifle back up to shoulder. "You're fine, just- Ow... Fuck." She grunted as she reloaded her empty rifle, slapping down the charging handle to seat another round. "Just stay down! I'll cover both of you!" Scarlet turned and brought her rifle over the hood of the old BMW. POPOPOW! POPOPOW! Anyone that happened to be firing in Faye and Michael's direction got Scarlet's short bursts of automatic rifle fire in return, the firepower enough to suppress the bad guys once again.
The gunfire and spellcasting died down a bit as Scarlet got back up onto feet, and by the time she was able to stand up again, all surviving enemy contacts have been routed, fleeing into the streets and back into the shadows. Several friendly vehicles followed in hot pursuit, they too disappearing into the city beyond. Within moments, medical personnel and other noncombat staff were dispatched from the building to bring in the wounded and dead from both sides of the fight. Thankfully, almost all of the OMR involved in the fight were still kicking. Through all of the intense pain she was experiencing at the moment, Scarlet felt a light glimmer of pride for keeping a few of these agents alive in the fight, even if quite a few of them got wounded pretty bad. A part of her hoped that at least one of them would buy her a drink after all of this is over, but a simple thank you always does the job for her.
She looked over to Faye and Michael, who were immediately tended to by some of the medically trained staff. "Hey Red, how are you doing?" Scarlet sighed. "As well as I can be after taking a rifle round straight to the chest." One of the uniformed OMR guards approached her, patting her down. She winced in pain when her chest and her shoulder were patted, but everything else checked out. "Yeah, just those two over there." She said to the agent, before patting him down. She winced again when she crouched down. "You're good." She said, giving him a final pat on the back. "This motley bunch, I swear, wouldn't want to work with anyone else though." Scarlet smiled weakly, nodding in agreement. As the agent guided her into the building, she gave a pat on Michael's shoulder and followed the others inside.
Normally it be a little odd to see a woman in a ballcap, a plate carrier and a bloodied t-shirt carry an assault rifle into a large office building such as this, but given what had just happened, she was the least interesting sight around the HQ. The agent she just patted down helped her into the building and brought her into the infirmary with the others, all of them following Amanda there. Once they arrived, Scarlet thanked the agent and focused her attention on her commanding officer as the agent took his leave. The two of them appeared to be talking to Alexeya Yagayevich, a woman wearing a dark outfit that stood out in a building full of uniforms and formal dress. Despite her lack of magical sensitivity, Scarlet could tell that there was something to this woman, especially with the way Faye acted around her. “Faye. I’m not leaving you with that woman alone okay? If you feel some discomfort then tell me. I’ll be right by your side.” Amanda said. Scarlet looked into Faye's eyes and gave a single, slow nod. A look of understanding that said "I got your back."
Scarlet looked back to Amanda. "As for you Scarlet. Do you need me to bandage up your wounds?" Scarlet thought for a second. "Uh..." Her response probably prompted Amanda to add "Just so you know I am trained in first aid, kind of a requirement if you're a senior agent." Scarlet replied with a weak smile. "Same here. Comes with the territory of being a combat lifesaver and all." After a moment of silence, Scarlet realized that she had yet to provide an answer. "Oh shit, yes. Please." The homunculus immediately enlisted the help of the android, getting her to help her take off her plate carrier. "Ow, fuck." Scarlet winced as she raised her hands above her head. "Other than your... ow... standard wounding profile from a 5.56 Soviet round on my shoulder, I think I might also have two crushed boobs and a broken rib." She gently sat her AUG down on the table on top of her ballistic vest. With some pain, she pulled up her sleeve to reveal the ugly (but somewhat healed) gunshot wound on her shoulder. It had a small entrance and an exit twice its size, indicating that the bullet went clean through, taking some of Scarlet with it. She pulled down her bloodied t-shirt's neckline, tearing it a little to reveal the massive bruise that's forming on her chest, a wound expected from a hard impact of an enchanted ballistic plate. Nothing a bit of slow healing magic and some bandages won't fix.
However, the whole wound wasn't visible, as pulling down her shirt was revealing enough. Any further, she'd risk voiding her contract. "I might have to get that plate replaced before I go out again." Scarlet said, gesturing to the ballistic vest she just took off. "And probably get that cleaned too." She sighed, wincing again as some of the slightest movements of her chest would put her in pain. "Fuck, can't even breathe without getting it. That fucker hit me hard." She looked back up to Amanda. After some silence, she spoke again. "Not going to lie, that's one of the toughest fights I've been in. If it weren't for you, or anyone else on the team, well... let's just say that my fucked up soul would probably be in a different realm by now." Scarlet's eyes met Amanda's, sincerity in her own. "So, uhm... Thank you, boss. I mean it."
Starring...
Scarlet Rubashka as Punished "Venom Bean"
_______________________________________________
"Five more minutes!" was Amanda's reply to Scarlet's earlier question. "Shit." Was Scarlet's only reaction. Another black SUV approached the BMW from behind, to which Scarlet responded with some more automatic fire. Those ten rounds only wounded the vehicle a bit, but it continued charging forward towards the car. The vehicle got closer, and the moment its window rolled down, gunfire sprayed from it in Scarlet's direction. Scarlet said nothing as she immediately took cover, getting back inside as the bullets flew past them. Holes popped up all around the interior of the car as it was doused in automatic gunfire. In the break, Scarlet popped out and returned fire, getting a glimpse of the orc responsible. A small burst was all it took, the orc slumping over back into his seat after several bloody holes manifested in his neck and chest. The driver of the SUV pulled out his pistol and started firing, but like his passenger, his shots went wide. Scarlet had enough time to take aim, and with one shot, the driver's forehead exploded and the SUV soon left the road to disappear into the brush. "Scratch one Land Rover!" Scarlet called out.
"Red? how are you doing?" She heard Michael ask. "Surprisingly enough, I think I'm fine!" Scarlet replied as another vehicle approached them. "Why are they so persistent?! Who are these people?!" Scarlet heard Faye shout as the enemy vehicle fired at them. "Fuck if I know, but they're well armed and very skilled. Whoever's pulling their strings must have a lot of resources at their disposal." Scarlet replied after the gunfire stopped. Michael threw some runes at the pursuing vehicle, making it swerve to evade, buying Scarlet some time to take aim. In the break, she popped back out and returned fire. She emptied the rest of her magazine into the engine block of the pursuing Land Rover, causing it to fail. The SUV fell behind and pulled over to the side. "Hostile vehicle down!" She turned to Mike, who seemed to suffer some backlash from his runes. "Shit, stay with us, buddy. Don't want you to end up like Faye did." She looked around. She saw a long break in pursuing vehicles, and was about to sieze the opportunity to tend to Michael's wounds, but his god buddies seemed to have him covered. She instead decided to share some info that may or may not be important to the rest of the group. "I managed to get a good look of the gear they got when they approached us in the woods. The shit they have ain't cheap. You'd think they'd go with the NATO stuff if they had that kind of money." She looked at her AUG. Lord knows I did. She reloaded her AUG, pulling back the charging handle and pushing a fresh magazine in. "But the paramilitaries are all carrying heavily modified Soviet stuff instead. I'm talking AK-74s with optics and synthetic furniture. They spoke Russian too. I don't know if any of that matters, but I figured y'all should know." *CHACK!* She slapped the charging handle in classic Hollywood fashion and took aim outside again. Scarlet sighed, seeing more hostile vehicles approach from the distance.
Before the vehicles could get into range, Scarlet heard gunfire coming from in front of them. It only took a split second for Scarlet to notice that they were heading straight into a compound of some sort, where its guards were already firing at them. "Sweet mother of-" Scarlet barely had the chance to curse when she threw herself back into the vehicle to cover herself from friendly fire. She felt the impact of the BMW against the gate as the vehicle slid into the office grounds. Scarlet grunted as she was pressed up against the front seat, her body almost crushed from the force of the crash. She groaned as she sat back up, only getting a glimpse of the uniformed OMR officers that surrounded the vehicle. Amanda was quick to defuse the situation, buying Scarlet time to regain her bearings. "A little bit of a heads up would've been nice, ugh..." Scarlet cradled her head for a bit.
It wasn't long before Amanda's orders came to Scarlet again. "Alright, we've got aggressors down there! Kill them! Scarlett, Mikey. If you can help, then help!" What, they were still pursuing them? How much are these operatives getting paid!? No amount of money would convince Scarlet to assault an OMR office, but now wasn't the time to question the enemy's motives. Now was the time to fight. Scarlet climbed out of the car towards the office, catching a glimpse of Faye as she took cover away from the fight. She looked to Mike. "Mike, I'm gonna need you to get to cover. I gotta go start shooting people again. Can you do that for me, big guy?" Scarlet asked quietly, patting Mike on the shoulder. She heard OMR agents shout things like "Hostile contacts at the gate!", signifying to Scarlet that the enemy has already arrived in force. Scarlet got up and got a read on the situation. The walls, gates, fences and vehicles provided enough ample cover for Scarlet and her OMR allies, while the hostile paramilitaries would have to funnel in through the gate in the front. Even with all of their new gear, the enemy was facing off against an equally skilled and equally equipped foe, who has a much bigger advantage in terms of terrain, cover and numbers. And if Scarlet was going to be honest with herself, it felt good.
Scarlet immediately took cover behind the wrecked BMW, using the engine block to protect her from incoming fire. Scarlet brought her rifle to bear, seeing the enemy arrive in multiple black Land Rover SUVs. More operatives equipped with the latest Soviet-bloc gear, already opening fire upon the officers. The officers returned fire with their handguns and rifles, making the operatives scatter. Scarlet used this opportunity to gun down one of the hostile paramilitaries, a quick burst of five bringing him down onto the asphalt below. Thirty-five rounds left. "Moving!" An OMR guard shouted. "Covering!" Scarlet replied, switching to semi-auto mode and firing in the general direction of the operatives, suppressing them and buying the OMR guard some time to move to cover.
*FFTTCH!!* One of the OMR took a hit straight to the chest, making the half-elf fall to the ground. "Man down!" Scarlet called out. In the cacophony of battle, Scarlet reached into her tactical bag of holding, pulling out a flashbang. "Throwing flashbang!" Scarlet shouted, pulling the pin and throwing it right beyond the gate. She turned around, and after a BANG!, she stood up and fired wildly towards the gate. "Moving!" Scarlet cried out as she sprinted to the wounded OMR officer. "Covering!" She heard a friendly shout as she made her sprint. "C'mon buddy, stay with me." She said to the officer as she grabbed him by his armpits. She dragged him away from the fight as quickly as she could, bringing him back behind a wall. Once she confirmed that the wounded officer was safe, she called out to the friendlies in the back. "Medic!" She stood up and fired towards the gate. Given that most of the enemy was also in cover, she wasn't really hitting anything, but the bullets she was sending should be enough to buy her allies some time to do what they need to do. However, there was one small problem.
*Click.* Son of a shit-eating-
*FFTT!!* After what felt like having a bowling ball getting throwing at her chest by an orc, Scarlet was forced onto the ground behind the BMW. She was aware of this feeling, taking a rifle round straight into one of her ballistic plates. It hurt like hell, but at least nothing got through this time. She had a wound in her shoulder that needed addressing, but the adrenaline rush that she has been experiencing for the last ten minutes had pretty much made her forget about it, despite the blood that was all over it. She groaned as she crawled behind the engine block, laying up against the tire. "Guh... fucker!" She groaned, slowly trying to get herself back into the fight.
Starring...
Scarlet Rubashka as Punished "Venom Bean"
_______________________________________________
Scarlet was used to being pinned down. Several deployments across the world gave her the experience of having her back against a wall surrounded by enemy fire. She was also used to being shot. Taking multiple bullets to her limbs and one to her gut was enough to give her an aversion to experiencing that feeling again. Healing magic has come a long way. Thanks to it, wounds that would've been fatal took only hours to fully recover from. The very next day, she was out in the field with her coworkers, on the clock again as none of it ever happened. Five times out of ten, she'd end up finding the bastard responsible before the next weekend. In all of her last deployments, she was in larger and more combat-capable groups. They had access to armored vehicles and stronger firepower. They were often part of an encrypted communications network that also allowed access to medevacs and air support. The threats she faced were various, but whatever they were, she and her coworkers reasonably dealt with them.
This was different.
Scarlet was hit in the shoulder and pinned down by two assailants, both of them experienced paramilitaries. She was the most combat capable in her team. The 5.56 bullpup in her right hand was the strongest firepower her team had access to. Thanks to the threat of a potential mole tapping the OMR communications network, Scarlet and her team had no access to any form of support, nor could they communicate with their commanding officer. In between the suppressed shots of AKs, she heard and understood the voices that were shouting. They were regrouping, moving and flanking. Despite the four she neutralized, there seemed to be more that were arriving from elsewhere. Scarlet gulped as her heart beat from her chest, her breaths quick, blood oozing out from the hole in her shoulder. It was starting to sink into her mind that she was going to die here. She's had several close calls before in her last deployments, but there was always a chance, and always a way out. Not this time. This was different. She had no chance, and she had no escape. Scarlet swallowed and closed her eyes, her mind tuning out the battle around her. Her mind ran through thousands of thoughts, but she couldn't find real attachment to any of them. No recollection of family or loved ones to anchor her. This is where her story was going to end, to be executed in the woods with nothing but a whimper. A failure.
"Scarlet!" Aside from hearing her name, she also heard the distinct *THUMP* of a standing humanoid body falling to the ground. She looked to the source, and just beyond the rock, the woman who shot Scarlet earlier lay there dead on the ground. Scarlet gulped, her brain processing the rest of the familiar voice that shouted in her direction. "Get going! I've got the car parked near the gas station. Don't you dare leave Faye behind too!" Holy shit, that was Amanda! Scarlet turned back to Amanda, who was busy plugging their foes left and right. Before she could think to stand up, Mike ran straight towards her with Faye over his shoulders. He grabbed her by her healthy shoulder and easily lifted the homunculus to her feet. "Come on Hot Stuff! Get up and get moving!" Holy shit. Color returned to Scarlet's face as she got up on her feet. AUG still clutched in her right hand, energy returned to her legs as she started running. It took a few moments, but her mind came out of that dark place and back into the land of the living. She still had a job to do, a contract to fulfill. Teammates to protect. She continued to run, hopping over a few branches. The part of her that thought clearly and tactically finally booted back up, and Scarlet immediately knew what to do.
Scarlet stopped and turned around. The adrenaline that pumped from her heart numbed the pain in her left shoulder a little bit, allowing her to hold her rifle properly again. She fired a few quiet bursts into the forest beyond in an attempt to suppress some of the shooters out there. A lot of them revealed themselves to Scarlet by shooting at Amanda, making themselves easy targets. However, in the strange cacophony of battle, Scarlet didn't know how many she downed, all she knew was that she made a few of them stop shooting, and it was enough to allow Mike and his friends to safely get to the car. It wasn't long before she fell back to the car herself, getting in from the other side. Once she got in the back, she put her rifle down and held her arms out to help Michael set Faye down in the middle seat. "Over here." Scarlet said softly, and once Faye was seated, she wrapped the seat belt around her and fastened it. "I'm filing a complaint with OMR HQ. Team building needs to be better thought out." As Michael climbed in, Scarlet removed the suppressor from her rifle and put it away. "Yeah, no kidding." She panted and winced in pain, her wound still bleeding. As Amanda climbed in the car and took off, Scarlet turned to Michael, still panting. "What a few days, huh?" Scarlet quipped with a weak smile.
Just seconds later, she hears orders from her commanding officer. "Scarlet, I need you to watch our backsides for a little bit ok. It's very likely these guys have other cars that'll chase after us. Pump lead on their asses alright?" Scarlet smiled a little. "Aye-aye. Give me just a second." With her right hand, she reached into her tactical bag of holding and pulled out a syringe of some kind. After popping off the cap, she stuck it right into her wounded shoulder and groaned. "Motherfuck..." Scarlet groaned in pain as the sting of the needle spread throughout her wound. The bleeding slowed and then stopped, and the sharp pain dulled to a minor soreness. The healing solution she just injected wasn't enough to completely heal her wound in the slightest, but stopping the pain and the bleeding was enough to bring Scarlet back into the game. Scarlet grunted as she pulled the empty syringe out, put the cap back on it and shoved it away. "Alright, should be good to go now. Ow." She moved her blood-soaked shoulder around. "Good thing that bullet went clean through, shit."
After giving herself a rough checkup, Scarlet picked up her AUG and removed the magazine from it. After putting the subsonic ammo away, she took out a full 40-round magazine complete with standard cheap ball ammunition. She figured that if she was going to firing at moving vehicles, she'd be missing most of the shots anyway, so she may as well use the rounds that wouldn't cut too hard into her checkbook. She loaded her rifle and gave the magazine a good tap on the bottom. She checked behind them, and so far the coast was clear. She sighed a little as she searched for hostile vehicles, thinking about what Mike called her earlier. If she heard him right, he called her Hot Stuff. Thinking about it made her blush a little. As flattering as it was, she decided not to bring it up just yet. Moments later, she heard another familiar voice. Scarlet turned to Faye and her eyes lit up. "Holy shit, Faye!" She almost laughed in relief, gently grabbing Faye's shoulder and shaking her a little bit excitedly. "Welcome back-Oooh, oh shit my bad, sorry." Once Faye cried out in pain, Scarlet immediately removed her hand and winced a little. "I... don't think I can move myself that well yet... Let alone use my magic..." Scarlet winced. "Ah, yeah, didn't think about that. My bad. Still, glad to have you back with us."
Scarlet took another look around. Not sign of hostiles yet. "How long was I sleep for? Are we still being hunted? I'm sorry for not being able to help that much..." Scarlet turned to Faye, seeing her forced smile. Scarlet returned with a small, weak smile of her own. "Uh... yeah... it's a bit of a long story, but I think it's been a few hours, maybe more. Sure as shit felt much longer than that, though." Scarlet said. "And we're still on the run. No tails just yet, though, but we barely made it out of the woods with our lives." Scarlet sighed before turning to Amanda. "Speaking of, thanks for saving our asses. A few more seconds and I would've been fucking gone." Scarlet said before turning back to Faye. "And don't sweat it. Things got hairy and you got us out of a really bad situation. That alone is commendable."
Scarlet checked once more. "Oh no." Scarlet blinked, getting a good look at the trio of black SUVs that approached them. "Alright, I'm gonna need you guys to do me a favor. We've got three black SUVs that are about to tailgate us. If you can, try to keep your heads down. And Faye? If you can't use magic right now, that's fine, don't feel the need to do so." Scarlet turned to Mike. "Same goes for you. But any help would be much appreciated." She cranked down the window and unbuckled her seat belt. She leaned out the window to get a good look at the SUVs. No shooters yet, but they were definitely being driven by hostile forces.
"Yep, they're bad guys. Cover your ears, kids!" Scarlet shouted before leaning completely out of the window with her rifle out, taking aim at the SUVs behind them. However, she wasn't aiming for the driver. They didn't start shooting yet, so the best course of action was to prevent them from being able to do so. So she aimed for the tires. POPOPOPOW! A short, loud four round burst was squeezed from the trigger, sending hot lead towards the lead SUV. PPFFT The front driver's side tire exploded and got tossed to the side of the road, and the SUV swerved to the side, cutting off the second one trailing behind it. After evading the two that fell behind, the third SUV quickly caught up. "Step on up, fuckers!" Scarlet shouted before firing another burst at the approaching SUV, taking out the driver's side tire on that one too. However, the swerve that it experienced caused it to run off the road and fall straight into a ditch. That's one down. "How long 'till we're there, boss? Any minute now, they're gonna start getting some ideas!"
Starring...
Scarlet Rubashka as Punished "Venom Bean"
_______________________________________________
Even with the wind rushing through the trees, and the soft chirps and cries of the local wildlife, the quieter noises still made themselves present. Twigs snapping, bushes rustling, the like. The noises she was hearing now didn't alert Scarlet in the slightest, they simply gave her a mental image as to where her companions were at. The quiet footsteps of their commanding officer who went off to find a vehicle, the soft shuffling from Mike as he set Faye down, the subtle rustling and crunching from the steps Mike's friends took, and the uncomfortable swallow Mike made when taking his pill dry. However, Scarlet herself was still and quiet. Her breaths were slow and controlled, and her muscles all relaxed to rest comfortably still. With her rifle braced against the roots, its movements were also deliberate. Slowly moving from side to side, Scarlet had to act as a one-woman sniper/spotter team. Not an easy feat, but these aren't easy times.
Her focus almost required her to ignore what Mike said to her, but seeing as there were no threats, she figured she can lend an ear for a moment. "Hm?" Her eyes remained glued to the scope. Her brain took a minute to dial-up and process the words that were just spoken to her, but in a few moments she comprehended them. Alright. Now to wait for the cavalry. What a few days huh? "Oh, yeah." Scarlet almost whispered, a small smile creeping into her focused expression. "No kidding. Normally it would take a week or two for me to see this much action." She swayed her rifle slowly back in one direction, sweeping the area. "How are you holding-"
Scarlet stopped herself midsentence as her heart skipped a beat. Out from the sides of the gas station appeared to be gunmen of some kind. Scratch that, five gunmen and one gunwoman. Shit. Scarlet held up a hand to silence everyone present, looking through the scope to confirm what she is currently seeing. "Contact twelve o' clock." Scarlet said quietly, looking through the scope. She turned an additional nob on it, turning the assault rifle sight into a long-ranged scope to get a better look at them. As they slowly got closer, she could see more details of them, and get an accurate number of them. The operators dressed in a very similar fashion to how Scarlet did when she was on-duty. Tactical vests, ballcaps, aviators, practical clothing and heavily modified rifles. They also appear to share the same playbook as Scarlet herself, and the people she worked with. Scarlet's heartbeat raised with fear as she got a look at their rifles. Definitely those Soviet weapons the OMR have been talking about, except that they're kitted out with sights, suppressors and synthetic furniture. "Six infantry with AK-74 rifles and plate carriers. Paramilitaries." Scarlet noted quietly, gulping. "They're fanning out in pairs. Two to approaching our ten-o-clock, and two approaching our two-o-clock. They know what they're doing."
They can't know we're actually here right? Just running some kinda search right? Scarlet heard Mike ask, to which Scarlet replied with a slightly shaky breath. "They know that we're here in a general sense, but not our exact location. That's a six-man search-and-destroy pattern." Ignoring the uncanny feeling of looking at her operations method right in the mirror, Scarlet racked her brain for ideas. If she started firing now, even with her enchanted suppressor, the others would eventually figure out where the shots are coming from and return fire. With the two pairs flanking their position, the OMR agents would quickly get caught in a killzone and get lit up. In Bosnia, she managed to evade Serbian death squads with her coworkers and clients in situations like this, but back then, she had the advantage of time and camouflage. With what she was wearing now, they'll spot her in notime and send her packing to the afterlife. The best option she could think of was to toss a few smoke grenades, pick off a few of them, and repeat until all hostiles are down. But even that's too risky, and judging by how the operators carry themselves, they'll probably figure out what she's doing, adapt, and kill her. Scarlet gulped again, feeling her heart pound through her chest. Is this how it will end? With a quiet whimper in the woods, near some nowhere gas station, a failure to her squad?
Then Michael brought something up. Distractions. Scarlet blinked, and listened intently. He said that while he wasn't necessarily combat capable, he was pretty good with illusions and hard ritual forms. Scarlet nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, please. I'll do what I can." She said, before bringing her sights back down upon the operators. "They're still far away. You got time." Scarlet said. She thought of some more ways to take them down, now that illusions and rituals were added to the equation. Looks like Mikey will save the day again. The thought of it brings a small grin to Scarlet's lips. As Michael speaks and performs his rituals, Scarlet keeps an eye on the hostiles. Their movements were still slow and methodical. Aawos, you are not welcome here. She slowly zoomed her scope back out, turning it back into the illusory red-dot the AUG came with. Aawos, or face the fears, that all men feel. Scarlet swallowed, remaining as still as she could.
Even if the sounds came from friendlies, they still brought a tinge of fear into Scarlet's heart. As Michael's companions, shrouded in the terrifying visages of their homeland horrors, approached the operatives, Scarlet did exactly as Michael asked and thought of ways to take down the enemy. With their attention turned away, Scarlet would have a chance to move and fire from a more advantageous angle. Once she thought of a plan, Scarlet spoke quickly and quietly. "Okay..." She gulped as she reached into her bag of holding, pulling out the Glock she was using earlier today. "Whatever you do, don't look at the twelve-o-clocks until after you hear a bang. I'm gonna toss a flash at them to buy me some time to take down the 10-o-clocks." She unloaded the Glock's magazine and pulled back the slide, emptying the chamber. "I'm gonna have to run over to that rock over there before I start firing. It'll provide some decent cover and draw fire away from you guys." After putting the magazine and ejected round away, she produced two new magazines, the bullets themselves having a sharper and meaner appearance. She loaded one of them into her Glock, released the slide, and handed the gun and extra magazine to Mike. "The .45 has a bit of a kick to it, and I'm gonna want it back after this is all over. Gave you the expensive armor-piercing rounds too, so don't use 'em if you don't have to." She whispered. She looked solemnly down her scope and after taking a few deep breaths, she swallows. "If I go down, don't rescue me. Keep yourself and Faye hidden." She pats Mike on the shoulder and nods to him. "Until next time."
Scarlet immediately stood up. She got a good look at the operatives, who were still focused on the horrors. The horrors seemed to be herding them a little closer together, bringing them into an easier killzone. She moved as quietly as she could to the rock she noted earlier. It being to her right, and thus closer to the 2-o-clocks, it should draw the soon-to-be firefight away from her friends. She got behind the rock, and once there, she pulled out a stun grenade from her bag of holding. With a pull of the pin, she threw the grenade right at the feet of the two 12-o-clocks. The homunculus ducked away, and after one of them shouted "Granata!", there was a loud BANG!!! The 10-o-clocks and 2-o-clocks scattered, attempting to retreat from both the horrors and the explosion they heard. CLICK! went the AUG's safety from SAFE to SEMI. From behind the rock, Scarlet stood up, and brought the red dot ahead the two 10-o-clocks, who were trying to run to cover and away from Whitiko. She squeezed the trigger. FWIP-FWIP! One 10-o-clock went down, taking one shot to his armor and one to his head. FWIP-FWIP! Another double-tap brought the second one down, taking a bullet to one of his armor plates and to his right bicep. He fell down and screamed in pain.
Scarlet immediately rotated to face the two 12-o-clocks, who were still dazed and stunned from the flashbang she threw at them. She took aim at the easy prey. One of the 12-o-clocks, an orc, managed to shake off the effects a little easier than his human compatriot. She squeezed the trigger once. FWIP! Mundane suppressors still had a loud sound profile, only making guns hearing safe at best. But thanks to the expensive enchantments on this suppressor and the subsonic ammo she loaded, the suppressor here functioned just like the ones in Hollywood did in making her rifle very quiet. The only sound the other 12-o-clock heard was the sickening noise of his partner's forehead exploding. The large bearded man beside the orc looked between the skinwalker that approached him and the direction the gunshot came from. He shouted to the others, running and taking cover behind a tree to put some distance between himself and the skinwalker. "Blyat!" He shouted before returning fire to Scarlet's position in a vain attempt to suppress her. The shots went wide, hitting nothing but dirt and trees. The suppressors on the AKs were quite good too, but their noise profile was a little louder, allowing Scarlet and her OMR friends to get a decent idea of where they're firing from. Scarlet flipped her safety to AUTO, and took aim at the crouched human. Six rounds of hot lead soared at him, peppering his body and his armor in hollow-point 5.56s. He shouted in pain, falling onto his back with large crimson holes in his legs.
Due to Scarlet's position, as well as the flashbang and gunshots that happened earlier, it didn't take long for the 2-o-clocks to find her. "<I've got visual!>" One of the 2-o-clocks shouted, the only woman of the group bringing her Kalashnikov to shoulder and taking a few shots at Scarlet. As Scarlet turned to return fire, two rounds hit the rock and one went straight through Scarlet's left shoulder. Blood splattered all over the tree behind her as Scarlet fell down onto her back. "Gah! Motherfucker!" Scarlet shouted, clutching the painful, bleeding wound on her shoulder. "<You whore!>" Scarlet shouted back in Russian. Portions of the rock exploded as the two continued firing sporadically at her with precise semi-automatic shots, moving about to stay clear of the scary Wendigo that approached them. Portions of the tree exploded in front of her as Scarlet pressed her back against the rock, holding her rifle with one hand, her left arm limp. "Fuck me..." She groaned in pain, her heart racing again. She looked over to where Michael and Faye were, and seeing that they were still far away from the fight, she smiled weakly and clutched her AUG.
Starring...
Scarlet Rubashka as Punished "Venom Bean"
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Scarlet spoke her mind to Amanda, and then promptly listened to her response. Scarlet's heartrate didn't even have enough time to raise before Amanda quickly replied with "Yeah. Scarlet, let’s go to the gas station." She sighed a little in relief now that her chances of walking straight into a hail of gunfire dropped significantly. However, Amanda's order modified Scarlet's plan a bit. There will be no calls made to the OMR on phone or on radio, and Amanda herself will be searching for a vehicle to commandeer so they can do the evac themselves. The android had a point, the mole could be tipped off to their exact location and the bad guys could probably muster a kill squad faster than the OMR could rescue them. Scarlet took a moment to look at the wooded area behind the gas station once more. Even with a lot of concealment and some cover offered by the trees, they won't be able to withstand a full-scale assault. She turned back to Amanda and nodded solemnly.
"Aye aye." Scarlet said as she brought her gun back to shoulder. "I'll take point."
- - -
It was pretty much a straight shot to the gas station. Crossing the street and getting there wasn't difficult, as there was hardly much traffic in this part of town. Whoever planned this assassination attempt was at least smart enough to keep their witnesses to a minimum by driving through here. The gas station itself was almost entirely unoccupied, save for its outdated equipment and a bored, inattentive cashier that had his eyes glued to a women's fashion magazine. It also had security cameras, but not too many. Scarlet was able to spot them on their approach, and adjusted their path so they wouldn't be in their field of vision. After all, their destination was the forest behind it.
The woods themselves were as dense as it appeared from a distance. The grass, ferns and other plants that separated the gas station from the treeline was waist high, and even higher in some parts. Most of the foliage got smaller past the tree line, as the trees themselves allowed for little sun to reach the ground. There were plenty of ferns and other plants on the ground, but they were knee-high at best. Plenty of birds and other woodland animals made themselves at home here, including a few of the magical variety. The forest itself was pretty generic and unassuming, though a few things that couldn't be spotted from the distance, like fallen trees and large rocks, made for good places to rest.
As Scarlet quietly marched through the woods, she spotted a large uprooted tree, one that wasn't too far away from a large rock. She walked over to both, standing up next to the tree. She examined the tree, pressing against it, and knocking her rifle on it. Scarlet nodded to herself, and kicked some twigs and rocks away to clear some space for her friends, leaving behind a patch of soft dirt and leaves. She pointed over to the space she cleared. "Set Faye down over here." She then gestured to the tree with her rifle. "The tree's solid, and thick enough to act as concealment and cover. Should stop most Soviet rounds. As long as we all stay low, we should be alright." She unzipped her tactical bag of holding, pulled out some repellent and sprayed herself down. Once she was finished, she set the can down next to the uprooted tree. "This stuff should keep most bugs and animals away. The odor itself only lasts about ten minutes, but it's good for three hours."
Once everyone started setting up camp, Scarlet brought over a few large branches with leaves to help make that space more concealable. Most of the camouflage she set up faced in the direction of the gas station and the road passing it. After covering up their tracks, she placed herself prone behind the bottom end of the tree. "We should be fine here. The tree's shadows and the tall grass ahead of us should make us invisible to any passing vehicle." Scarlet said as she unloaded her rifle, pulling the bolt back. From her bag of holding, she pulls out a smaller 30-round magazine and an enchanted suppressor. "Anyone approaching this place on foot would have to look really hard to find us." With a CLICK!, the suppressor was firmly attached at the end of the barrel. The magazine, full of subsonic ammo, was loaded. "I'll make sure that they won't." She slaps the bolt, chambering a round. Scarlet brought her rifle back to shoulder, bringing the barrel of her AUG between the roots. Her scope aimed squarely at the spaces surrounding the gas station ahead. Her finger danced along the trigger guard.
Starring...
Scarlet Rubashka as Punished "Venom Bean"
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"Hey Mikey, you alright?" The homunculus asked. Mike had a hard time standing up, but he was at least able to answer her. His strained voice only confirmed her suspicion that while he had a rough landing, he was still able to make it. Once the shaman asked about Scarlet and the others, Scarlet glanced to the surrounding areas. "I'm a bit sore, but I'm alright otherwise." Scarlet stretched a little, feeling the dull sore pain spread across her right knee and left shoulder, eliciting a strained groan. "Ow, yep. I can definitely feel it." She got in another good look of their surroundings as Amanda tended to Faye. Scarlet glanced over her shoulder to Faye, worry creeping into her focused expression. Please be okay...
Scarlet's worried gaze only lasted for a moment, as her duties required her to be vigilant for additional threats. She could hear some noises behind her, and from that she could only assume that Michael was working his magic. Michael instructed his god friends to keep a lookout for other hostile vehicles, which Scarlet personally thought was a good idea. Michael then asked what the hell was going on and who could these guys be, questions Scarlet still had herself. "I don't know. They sure as shit don't fit the profile of that biker gang we encountered." Scarlet replied. "Any of you are free to call bullshit, but I think someone on the inside must've tipped the bad guys off. I can't think of any other explanation as to how these assholes knew where we'd be going and when." Scarlet aimed her rifle down a quiet alleyway. "A trap like that, complete with convincing uniforms and similar fleet vehicles, must've taken some time and money to set up." She turned to Mike with a serious expression on her face. "I don't think we're dealing with average thugs anymore."
Michael asked another important question, which pertained to Faye's well-being. It seemed that the question was aimed towards Amanda, as Scarlet didn't have enough information to give a good answer. A mass teleport? That's what that felt like. Scarlet kind of had a feeling that was what happened, it made the most sense to her. A quick glance revealed that Amanda was in the process of putting an ice pack on Faye's head. Judging by Amanda's calm attitude, and the fact that Faye was still breathing, it looked like Faye might pull through. Scarlet sighed just a little in relief. Her peripheral vision was occupied by Mike, who slowly approached her and checked in on her. Scarlet looked up to Mike, meeting his eyes. She saw his smile, to which she returned with a soft nervous smirk of her own. "As okay as I can be, really. I survived worse." She rolled her shoulders a little. "Ow, shit. Yeah. Still sore." Once Whiskeyjack returned to Mike with a report, Scarlet kept her attention to where he came from. Scarlet tuned the two out, hoping to hear or at least see any incoming hostiles, but so far, no luck. Think the OMR will pay for our laundry after this? Michael asked, to which Scarlet answered with a chortle. "They better."
"Truth be told, I'm honestly a little scared." Scarlet said softly, her eyes still ahead. "With what just happened and the implications it carries... it makes me wonder what we're really up against, and what my chances really are. I'm just hoping that I won't meet God too soon. I still haven't figured out what I'd say to them yet." Her somber frown cracked a small smile. "Nowhere in my contract did it say that I was supposed to experience a spy-action flick." She chortled. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Don't worry, I'll get over it."
Scarlet immediately turned to Amanda the moment she called out to them. She listened carefully, and Amanda confirmed what she had figured out. It seems that Faye will pull through, it was just that the feat she just pulled was taxing to the point that it knocked her out. Once Amanda called her by name, Scarlet stood up and snapped to attention. Scarlet listened, and her face betrayed the fear that she mentioned. 10 klicks? On foot!? Scarlet thought to herself. A 10 kilometer march west would take about an hour at the very least, which is more than enough time for a hostile response force to find them. The two areas that Amanda proposed, the alleyway and the underpass, would leave them exposed to any number of ambushes. The powerful android might be able to make that kind of journey, and so might Mike's companions, but Scarlet, Mike and Faye would be shredded meat that point.
Scarlet looked to Amanda after she gave her orders to Mike. "Boss, uh, how do I say this... hm... I don't really think that's a good idea." Scarlet cleared her throat. "As of now, we know absolutely nothing about the hostile force we just tangled with, especially what they are capable of. We don't know what areas they would have control over, and what kind of assets they have at their disposal." Scarlet lowered her rifle, using her left hand to point to the areas Amanda mentioned earlier. "Those two areas are practically killzones. The underpass over there would make it easy for a hostile QRF to fire upon us from two vantage points with automatics and snipers, all while making ourselves easy targets on the open road. That alleyway would provide hostiles enough places to set up ambush points behind walls, vehicles and windows. Back in Germany, we came out on top because we had cover and terrain, and the bikers stood out in the open. Now the situation is reversed, and there are seven of us, with me being the only one with capable firepower. We will not survive contact with the enemy like this."
Scarlet sighed and looked around. She takes a few seconds, before spotting a gas station off to the side of the road that's surrounded by a lot of wooded wilderness. The vegetation there was quite thick, and while there weren't many hills or other sources of good cover, there was plenty of concealment to be had. "Over there. I have a radio and a cell phone that we can use to call the OMR for support and an evac, and that gas station over there would make it easier for them to come find us. We can hide in the wooded areas behind it, using the tall vegetation to conceal ourselves. The trees there should provide enough cover in the unlikely event that a firefight breaks out. The bad guys would literally have to step on us in order to find us there." Scarlet said. "Managed to evade Serbian death squads that way in my last deployment." Scarlet gulped and turned to Amanda. "Just a suggestion, boss. I'm not keen on dying just yet, but my contract states that I gotta follow your orders."
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