LadyAmber

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Boomer and Duke

Camp Hannula, Pöyrisjärvi National Park, Finland

0500 Local Time

Chuck had put his armor back on so he could walk it off the plane. He stepped off the plane with the team. He stayed towards the back since he could see over everyone’s heads. Chuck called Duke to his side. Chuck had experience keeping a professional cool demeanor. He knew they would be called to the mat for not delivering Skye. Chuck had accepted that Samantha had made the call. She was the lead at the time and he had accepted his decision. He was new to the team and knew that there were team relationship dynamics and politics that he might not be aware of. Chuck was still not sure what all had happened or the ramifications of it all. He was a military man of action and tactics. He didn’t understand enough about what he had heard about the technology in question to form a definitive opinion.

Chuck watched as the scene unfolded. He had expected a pissed off superior officer who was looking for someone to blame. Chuck braced at attention as he eyes went from speaker to speaker. Chuck listened as Oracle seemed to be focusing on Samantha and her leadership. He found the whole interaction interesting. Coming from a military background as he did, usually if an op went sideways, debriefing happened as quickly as possible. They also tended to interview team members individually before bringing them together to discuss what they could have done differently to change their outcomes. He was a little surprised by the animosity that was being thrown at the entire team. It confused Chuck and he didn’t understand it.

Chuck moved to intercept Athena. He stepped between her and Tahlia as the conversation became heated. Chuck had been in the thick of it with Tahlia and she had his back. He would have hers now. He understood that Athena was Freya’s sister and he could see the family resemblance. She was drop dead gorgeous but he didn’t like her attitude one bit. You would think that her sister would have more respect for the team that Freya was on. That didn’t seem to be the case. He would not allow Athena’s worry over her sister to spill over onto Tahlia. He simply planted himself between them and gently guided Tahlia back behind him and Samantha. He knew that would piss the Kiwi off but she would forgive him later.

The focus shifted back to Samantha as she went off on the leader. Chuck didn’t know the woman well. They had just met after all. He could respect that she was taking ownership of her decision publicly and emphatically. He appreciated that she felt she was protecting her team. As someone who had been under bad officers, who didn’t hesitate to throw their team under the bus, he appreciated the grit that it took. He watched her walk off shaking with rage and once again wondered if his transition to Raven Squad was the right one. He then thought back to the drugs and what they had found at the compound in Columbia. He knew he was ridding the world of a bigger evil. He kept his mouth shut and followed along. He stroked his hand down Duke’s back. He could read the tension in Duke’s body language. He didn’t like the raised voices and the tension between the people.

---

They had entered a building that would house the team on base. He took one of the red painted doors in the hall after they were told to take a room. He smiled seeing a basic set of gray sweat pants, sweatshirt, sneakers, socks, and boxer briefs on the unmade bed. He took his armor off and set it up to charge. He then went to the bathroom and pulled off the inner ballistic suit. He washed it out in the shower with the wand attachment and hung it over the shower door. He then gave himself a nice scrub in hot water. He was feeling the need for a run. He was pretty sure Duke was too. No one had told him that Duke needed to go to a kennel. So he kept his dog with him. He then whistled for Duke and took off for a run. They needed it to finish releasing the tension from the battle and the escape. After being cramped up on the plane, he needed to be outside in the crisp clean air. He needed to feel his body stretching and moving. He didn’t leave base but he did run along the fence line to limber up his body. He figured by the time he was back, maybe they would be ready to debrief him. He let his worries fall away as he took in the natural beauty of the land around him.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Chaos has landed

Camp Hannula, Pöyrisjärvi National Park, Finland

0500 Local Time

Samantha stepped off the plane with the team. It was cold. Her stomach was turning itself inside out with nerves and emotions. She had known this was coming. She wouldn’t let them hold the team responsible for her decisions. She schooled her face to cold indifference, showing no emotion. She stepped off the ramp from the cargo area. She was still in her armor but had her helmet off in her hand. She didn’t have any clothes to change into. Samantha was looking around at their welcoming party when the man began to talk. She recognized the voice, Oracle. She met his eyes and held them with steely determination. Anger was building. Tahlia lashed out verbally saying much of what she was feeling. It just made her like the Kiwi woman even more. She gently put an arm in front of Tahlia and stepped forward in front of her. She let Oracle have his say.

Samantha straightened her spine and glared at him. Her voice started off soft but carried as the emotions she had been holding at bay began to manifest. Her gray eyes flashing with anger and frustration.

“I am Samantha Dalton, callsign Chaos. I was placed in charge of Raven during the attack by Skye Lyons and you. If you don’t trust my judgment, then you should not have put me in charge. If you don’t want my expertise, there are many others who do. I chose Raven Squad.”

She started to answer Oracle when she was interrupted by Athena mouthing off. “You shut the fuck up! You know nothing little girl. Freya is like a sister to me and we have had each other’s back in the field. She has saved my life and I have saved hers. I would never knowingly put her in harm's way. You have no idea what the hell this team has been through. YOU DON’T GET TO JUDGE!”

She turned back to Oracle. “This team has been through back to back dangerous missions where we almost didn’t make it out alive several times over. This team retrieved and completed everything you have asked of it time and time again. This team has been nothing short of exceptional, just like its leader, Skye Lyons. The same woman you are furious that I didn’t let you poke, prod, and lock up. This team works because we are all creative independent professionals not meek lambs who need directions and guidance for every decision. If anyone is to be punished for anything, It will be me. It was my decision to let Skye leave and mine alone. None of the others had the opportunity to stop her. I will answer your questions. I will be a professional because Skye would want me to cooperate with you. If this is how you treat the best of us, I have no respect for you… Sir.”

Samantha was red in the face from anger. Her whole body was shaking. She was taking big gulping breaths. She began to walk forward. She just followed the road headed towards the base. She had to get away from these people before she hurt someone. Samantha allowed the armed men who were acting as guards to guide her where they wanted her. She was fine with it as long as it was away from their welcoming committee. She couldn’t believe that he tried to turn it around and give compliments about their competency after questioning her integrity and that of Skye and the team. She had no more fucks to give these people at the moment.

Well rested her ass. She knew the team was not well rested. She knew they needed to be debriefed. Not that she could sleep at the moment if she wanted too. She was full of angry energy and frustration. She just wanted to run until she dropped.

---

Sam was in no mood to talk to anyone. She walked along with the rest of the team as she was shown to their quarters. She just nodded to Adam and walked into the room that was indicated. She had no clothes. They had literally donned armor and went to fight. The base was blown up with all their stuff as they were escaping. She should be glad she had anything she supposed. She closed the door to her room and pulled off her armor. She found some towels and took a shower. She had nothing to change into and simply crawled into bed, pulling the covers up over her. She curled into a ball and finally allowed all she had been holding in… out. She cried and screamed into her pillow. Fatigue finally sucked her into sleep where nightmares found her.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Airbus on the way to Finland: Troubled Skies

Collaboration between Samantha, Chuck, and Freya

Vincent was flying the plane and had just taken off from Tokyo. He did what Skye requested of him and opened the cargo bay doors. He was watching the light and smiled when he saw that someone had closed them from inside the cargo bay. He had no clue that Skye had jumped out of the plane. He just kept flying following the flight path he had been given. He had no clue as to the drama unfolding in the rear of the plane.

“Oracle ordered us to bring Skye in. I know that was truly Skye. I killed Rose the doppelganger clone in her office. Oracle is facing a unique situation with Rose and Artemis. Operational security would have forced them to remove Skye from operations at the minimum. Skye deserved better than that from me. It was my choice. I am asking you to accept that and support it.”

Samantha watched as the cargo doors closed. She lifted her head and looked out over the team. She told them the truth of the matter. She couldn’t be their leader if they didn’t trust her. They wouldn’t trust her if she hid things from them or didn't tell them the truth. They didn’t need to know all of it, but they deserved honesty from her about her decision. She turned her eyes to look at Freya not knowing how she would take this turn of events.

The big woman, draped over with that scratchy blanket looked up as Skye made her proclamation. Freya smiles abit. Skye speaks of loss and worry and other things. Trust, and loyalty and morale and worry, and potential for trouble. And then…and then.

The woman jumped! Skye fucking Lyons raced out the ramp doors and plunged free into the wild blue and the city below.

And Freya, Freya burst out laughing followed by a moan of pain as it lanced through her shoulder.

She turned to look at Sam, “That fucking little bitch went and did it.” The biggest smile on the giant's face.

Samantha smiled as she met Freya’s eyes with a smile. She felt their bond as teammates and chosen family. Freya understood Skye in ways Samantha never would. She figured Freya might be angry that she had left without a goodbye, but would understand Skye’s need to fix this on her own terms. She smiled at Freya’s response. She could weather everyone else's reaction as long as Freya didn’t blame her for Skye leaving or hate her for what happened.

The giant groans a little, leaning back against the inner wall of the plane, “That woman. Unlike anyone else I know. Not even my mom. Or my dad. Skye is, if anything, she’s unique.” She grits her teeth clearly in a great deal of pain. She turns her head to look at Sam, “Did you know I’m not the first person in my family to work with her?” She shifts so she can look at Sam better, “My brother did a stint with her a year or so back. It’s really unfortunate that Skye won’t be around to see my little brother again. He’s coming you know, and my parents, and likely my uncles. They’re gonna meet us in Finland.”

The big woman sighs, “You know I never thought I’d work with Raven, but it was JamJam’s recollections of his time with Skye that got me wondering.” She looks back towards the ramp as it finally seals shut, “The most profound words that I remember Jamie saying about Skye was, “That woman has a drive. A drive that likely trumps even yours sis.” I may have taken that as abit of a challenge.” She gives Sam a big wink.

Samantha moved closer to Freya and took the empty seat next to her. Sadness crossed her face for a moment as it hit her that was the seat that Skye had been in. She turned in the seat to face Freya. Where Freya took up all the space around her as a giant, Samantha was petite and looked even smaller next to Freya. She gave Freya a sad smile. “I never thought I would work in any kind of mercenary or military outfit. Then I lost my dad and grandfather.”

She looked off in the distance lost in her thoughts. “I joined Raven Squad as a way to track down the people responsible for their deaths. I had already taken the investigation further than the authorities had. I knew there was a hidden group behind the terrorists behind it. I didn’t realize it was Artemis till after my first mission. I still don’t know the why.”

She paused for a moment as she thought that through. She shook her head and focused again on Freya. “Skye helped me to see how much my feelings were holding me back and influencing my decisions.” She sighed and smiled at Freya. “I was worried you would be angry with me over this.”

The giant heaves a big sigh. And looks around the interior, her eyes stopping on everyone. From Chuck and Duke, Olly over in a corner, Boraro. Thalia and the others besides. So many people who are part of this family. She takes another deep breath, “I’ll be honest, at first, I might have been. But, as things stand this just makes sense. There had to be some give and take. I don’t like that the order was given to hold her, but in a sense it’s common sense. Am I happy she decided to make the choice to go? Yes!” She smiles, “Skye knows what she’s doing, just like you knew what you were doing when you made the call.”

The big woman nods, “It was the smart call, by what you had in front of you. Just like Skye made the right and smart call to do what she just did. As insane as it might be.” She chuckled gently.

Javi looked shell shocked as he stared at the closed cargo bay doors. He seemed to still be processing what had happened. His eyes went from the doors to Samantha to Tahlia. He looked at Tahlia and took in what she had said about Samantha being their team lead. He just nodded. He was following orders. He had once been in an impossible situation and it was Skye who had helped him into a new life. He would not begrudge her need to do things her way. He had made his decision and seemed to settle more comfortably into his seat.

Chuck let the confusion he was feeling show. He had been standing and listening to Skye as the cargo doors had opened. He was holding onto one of the cargo hook points welded into the ceiling of the plane. He didn’t move as his eyes followed Skye as she jumped out the back of the plane. His head whipped towards Samantha as the doors started to close. Was he supposed to stop her? What was going on? Why did Skye just jump out of the plane? He knew their leadership had changed due to the attack on the base. He thought Oracle just wanted Skye for questioning to clear up any questions about what had happened. Chuck had just joined the team but he had been in the military a while now. He had worked with troops and mercenaries from all over the world on missions. He trusted his judgment of character and Duke’s. He had trusted Skye Lyons.

He thought about everything he had gone through with a compromised chain of command in the marines. Losing his team to the greed of others Almost losing his life to be pulled out at the last minute. He could understand Skye’s need to do this her way. He knew better than most, that chain of command could be compromised. He respected Samantha for telling them straight why she had let Skye leap from the plane. He nodded to her, accepting her as his current leader. He moved closer to her as she sat next to Freya. He had seen the giantess around the base but had yet to really meet her. He knew she was injured and wanted to check in on her. He moved closer to them. He knelt in front of the two women with Duke at his side.

Sam gave Freya a gentle hug. “I am so glad to hear that. I can handle everything else.” She gave Freya a cheeky grin. “So I am gonna get to meet your siblings then? Finland? That is one country I don’t think I have been too. I guess I will need to learn Finnish now as well.” She winked at Freya.

Freya gives a chortle then again groans as her shoulder twinges, “I gotta stop doing that.” She says with a little giggle. She takes a slow breathe, “Well yes you will get to meet my siblings. Actually you may already have met one and know of the other.” She grins and scrambles abit for her phone. “So remember the Singapore op? And remember how I ended up wrestling with Ingwe on the floor for abit there? Remember the big guy who had come up and watched us? I’m sure you remember that report right?” She grinned at Sam brightly, “That was my lil’ brother. Jamie Cole Kanatariio, callsign Scion. I fire bolts of energy, he just carts around a pair of linked .50 BMG GMGs” She finally gets her phone open and flicks abit.

After a short bit she gets her X working, and opens a page, “And this…” She holds the extra big phone towards Sam, revealing the #AthenaAwesome X page open, “This is my little sister.” She chuckles as the first picture is Athena back on to the camera, and what amounts to a bit of FLOSS between her rear cheeks, “Yes…you will get to meet them both in the flesh soon enough.”

Samantha turned to Freya with a smile as she listened to her tell her about her family. “I think I passed him while you had all that attention on you. I was already sneaking into Pavel’s area towards his office. I didn’t get to stop and enjoy the party much.” She shrugged and looked a the pictures. “He is handsome though.” She watched as she flicked over to a picture of her sister. “I have heard of your sister of course. I am on the computer and we have similar hobbies. She models gear for a lot of the brands I buy. You can’t be into that stuff and not see a picture of her somewhere on social media.” Samantha rolled her eyes a little. Athena was a household name in some circles with a personality and reputation as well.

Chuck reached out and put a comforting hand on Samantha’s shoulder. “You will be okay Samantha. Just own your decisions and don’t doubt them.” He had seen younger officers struggle with hard decisions in the field. He wanted Samantha to know he supported her to help with whatever she was going through. He offered her a hand to shake. “I am Chuck Simmons. I know we have passed each other but I haven’t had time to really introduce myself to much of the team yet.” He shook Samantha’s hand warmly and was careful of his strength. He saw Duke sniffing at her hand. “This is Duke, my canine partner.” Duke wagged his tail and sat next to him, his body thrumming with energy again.

Chuck turned his attention to Freya and took her hand. He lifted it to his lips and kissed the back of it. “A proper greeting for the goddess among us. I am so pleased to meet you Freya. I am Chuck.” He smiled warmly at Freya as he looked into her eyes. “I have never met a woman giant before.”

Samantha was startled as she felt Chuck’s hand settle on her shoulder and give it a slight squeeze. She nodded at him. “Skye had told me about you joining the team as a heavy. I am sorry we are meeting under such circumstances. Thank you for helping get our support team out.” She gladly shook his hand. Samantha didn’t ignore his words of comfort about command. She was still processing and didn’t want to dwell on her decisions at the moment. Her eyes widened a little as he kissed Freya’s hand and introduced himself. She grinned while watching. It seemed Freya had an admirer. She pretended not to notice and greeted Duke with a vigorous scratching behind the ears. “You are such a handsome boy. Yes you are.” She greeted Duke and felt his tongue licking her hand.

The giant woman sighs, “The part I’m dreading is having my entire immediate family close by again after some time away. I can already feel the tongue lashing my uncle Ross is gonna give me for getting hurt. And the fussing my other uncles are going to give.” She sighs, “And I can only imagine the ribbing I’m gonna get from JamJam and Thena…”

She sighs then jumps. Yes jumps. She was not at all prepared for Chuck to suddenly appear. Her eyes wide as he slides close and introduces himself. She blinks then and almost yanks her hand back when Chuck grabs it, lifts it and then kisses her knuckles. She blinks, once…twice…thrice. Then with a chuckle she wraps her fingers around Chuck’s hand and squeezes, “Well wasn’t that gentlemanly of you. Chuck, yes I saw you during the fighting. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Freya Kanatariio of course. And female giants are pretty rare yeah.” She smiles then a quick wind up and a resounding smack on the cheek with her good left arm, “I’m not made of lace by the way.”

Chuck smiles warmly at her his eyes lighting up with mischief. He couldn’t regret the way he greeted her. Seeing her smile even though she was in pain was worth it. Even as he took a light slap to the cheek for his forward greeting. “You are a rare gem indeed, my lady. You deserve to be treated like the goddess you are. My mother would beat me if I dared to treat you otherwise.” He winked at her and let go of her hand. He gave her a more serious look now full of concern. “How bad are your injuries? I heard that you had been injured of course.” He felt a wet nose bumping his hand. He looked down and laughed. “Oh I forgot to introduce you to Duke. This is my canine partner.” Duke gently nudged Freya’s good hand and wagged his tail.

Samantha smiled as she saw the interaction between Freya and Chuck. She giggled as Duke moved his head into her hands and pushed harder for more scratches. He finally let her go as he moved towards Chuck. Samantha’s attention was caught by Raphael and Sophie. She got up and moved towards where they were sitting.

The big woman smiled, “Haha you’re a flowery talker here aren’t you? We haven’t had a good drink yet I wanna hear you roaring drunk now. See if it’s the same.” She chuckled then winced, and heard a soft wruff and a worried whine and felt a warm nose under her good hand. She looked down, “Duke…well hello there handsome boy.” She smiles running her hand through his fur, over his ears, giving him a good hearty chin scratching, “Aww look at you. You keep your partner in check don’t you. Not the other way around. I can tell you’re the boss.” She giggles as Duke gives something that sounds like an affirmative sound, at the same time lifting his chin to get more scratches.

Chuck watched as Duke worked his magic on Freya. He knew Duke understood she was hurt. His partner offered comfort in the way he could. He smiled and ran his hand down Duke’s back. “Duke thinks he is the boss of this relationship. I guess in a way he gets the better end of the deal. I take care of him and he takes care of me.” He looked down at his dog with love and pride. His southern accent is evident in his deep voice. “Well we will have to get a drink and see if it makes a difference once we are on base and you can have alcohol.” He grinned at Freya. “It is a date. You name the time and place.”

With a big grin and leaning down to give Duke a kiss on the nose, she nods, “Alright, when we’re on base, we’re all settled, we can break into the base kitchen and see what they have. After what just happened, the entire team needs a drink. And because of all the new faces, we’re going to need an ice breaker.” She gives a nod, “We’ll get a little drunk, get to know each other properly, no bombs, no attackers. We’ve already been blooded, now we can get sloshed.” The giantess nods, “No better way to meet someone proper.”

Sophie had watched confused as Skye made a speech and then jumped out of the back of the plane. The woman had been through hell in the last day and she had completely lost her mind. She jumped out of a perfectly good aircraft! Just like that, with no hesitation. Sophie looked over at Samantha and then back to the cargo bay doors. “What… .just happened?” Samantha told them what had happened but Sophie was struggling. She had been pushed a great deal out of her comfort zone in the last day. She turned to the others she was close to in the support staff and saw that half of them were struggling too.

Raphael felt as if his head was gonna fall off. He tried to follow everything that was going on. He watched Skye give a speech and then jump out of the back of the plane. Samantha closed the doors and told them what happened. He was confused. Wouldn’t Oracle just want Skye to clear up what had happened? They wouldn't imprison or hurt Skye… would they? Why wouldn’t Skye want to report to Oracle. He tried to think it through. He could see from an operational standpoint, how would they know if it was Skye or had been replaced with a Rose clone? How would they trust her on operations? What if there were other ways they didn’t know about; that comprised security? He could see Oracle would struggle with that. It wasn’t exactly fair to Skye but he couldn’t blame Oracle for wanting to protect Raven either. He sighed, feeling conflicted.

Samantha reached the seats where Sophie, Raphael, and Javi were sitting. “I know today has been alot to absorb and cope with. You are all gonna be okay. There will be no repercussions for you over my decisions. I will make sure of it.” She addressed what she thought might be bothering them. “I owed Skye the opportunity to do this. I don’t regret it. The responsibility is mine and mine alone. Understood?” She looked over them all. She didn’t want them in trouble for her decisions. Once she got a nod from them, she moved to find a seat once more.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Collaboration between:

Skye Rosalind Lyons

Samantha Dalton

Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan

Gate to Gate

Samantha was beyond exhausted. She had used autopilot at some points but she had been up over 24 hours at this point. She had been making it through on adrenaline. She had to stay alert enough to defend her family. She had Bob playing music to keep her awake. She had managed to eat some protein bars and drink some water. Her mind had been turning over what was going to happen to Skye. She knew that she was under orders from Oracle to bring Skye in. She didn’t trust that they had Skye’s best interest at heart. She wasn’t sure they would believe her when she told them how she had managed to decide which one was Rose and which one was Skye. She had not worked so hard to save her friend just to allow Oracle to imprison her or worse. Samantha had no choice but to land. She was running on fumes. Her plane was out of fuel and shouldn’t have been in the air for a while now. Tired pilots made mistakes.

The F35 followed the Airbus A400M in for a landing. She followed the directions from the tower and followed the Airbus to a cargo runway off on a quieter side of the airport. She followed the instructions to park the F35 in the hangar at the end of the runway. The Airbus stopped outside the hangar and was left on the runway. Fuel trucks were already moving in. She parked the F-35 and turned it off, powering down the aircraft. She was exhausted but more awake due to the need for action and getting to move around.

The plane skidded down on the tarmac, on the last drags of fuel and finally at last, down to earth. The flight had taken forever, and in the late afternoon, they were here for fuel and some food supplies. It had been a hell of a journey- and as it coasted along, past civilian traffic, the innocuous looking A400 wasn’t exactly making a scene that was unknown for such an airport. JSDF traffic popped in sometimes, and even USAF crews too on training exercises, right in the heart of Tokyo proper. Still, the large prop-driven aircraft pootled along and into a port in the cargo hub area, came to a dead stop. With that, the rear door opened as Vincent called out on the tannoy.

“Alright everyone, rear door is open. Grab some kerosene-fresh air and be back in twenty minutes. We will be setting off for our next part of the journey. Hawk, out.” Vincent called on the tannoy, as Skye, Tahlia, and everyone else got the first glimpse of Japanese concrete, Skye walking out of the back as the ramp hit floor and taking a deep exhale.

Last bit of freedom. Or was it? She was mulling it, thinking it through. Looking around, there was a lot of security. And she did not want to run….yet knew that something Boaro said was right. They wouldn’t want her dead, but right now, whatever was going on, Rose would bank, gamble that Skye would follow orders. She had to do whatever she WASN’T. And that meant…..well, it meant taking a risk like no other. Throwing total anarchy at the wall to make it clear to Rose that she could play her game, and divide attention. Draw it from the team and bring it to her, and her alone. That felt more noble. Fuck, she kicked and hurt herself over the idea this might happen. But before she could think, a Japanese Self-Defence Air Force crew were over, a number of Toyotas with armed troops aboard. This must have been containment, just in case there was any risk aboard. Nothing to worry about, protocol. Though still, it threw a wrench to that. No running away from them on top of airport security.

Skye looked across to the group, as the Toyota Land Cruisers came to a halt, one of the more senior members of the group headed across to Skye, recognizing the redhead from a mile away now her helm was off.

“You must be Lyons-San. I am Captain Ide Takahashi, we are here to help you on your way. I have not been told much about your situation. But is all well?”

Skye heard him ask, his Japanese-accented English deep, as Skye nodded.

“Just about. We have one hurt aboard, the big girl. Few walking wounded. They need at least stabilization till the next step.” Skye said, as the man then yelled back across at a couple of medics. They would at least put Freya right for the time being, as Skye looked to the F35 behind.

“We will help. Do you need anything yourself?” The Captain asked, Skye shaking her head.

To run like hell, maybe, but actually, no way. She had to keep quiet. And know this was something to think over. Boaro was right. Anything she could do, Rose could. But she wanted to use that. Make it pay. A solid technique was to create dilemmas for your enemies, not decisions. Rose wanted to do what she wanted to do. And likely, she had all of it now, thanks to Raven. So Skye had to find some way, she thought to herself, of putting the balance back in. In a way that even Rose couldn’t see. And it occurred to her. There and then, it hit her right. It would be possible to reverse the flow. Turn the situation back on Rose. If she could break into Raven’s HQ, right through the front door….then in the chaos ensuing, Skye could do the same. She would gamble on the fact Skye had empathy, and would stay to her pack, her loyalty, like from all she read. No, she could defy that. Go against the grain, and perhaps, do something that she knew was ultimately highly risky, but highly rewardin. It had saved her life already. It could save plenty more next.

The Scot reminded herself she had to reply to the polite Japanese Air Force Captain too.

“Some water, and rations would be nice. I know you have some of the best MREs in the world.” Skye smiled, trying to hold it together at least, as the Captain nodded, and with that, headed to the truck once again.

Skye looked about, and taking a seat on the concrete, just took a look at the situation.

She was never more grateful for her re-designed suit. She would have never been able to handle being in the air so long without the supports built into her suit. She popped the canopy on the aircraft. She tried to stand up and fell back into the seat. There was only so much room in a fighter cockpit and she had been sitting for a very long time. She stretched and wiggled her toes and massaged her legs. They felt like jello. She tried again and managed to stand. She sucked in a breath as pins and needles surged up and down her legs. She gritted her teeth and managed to climb out of the cockpit. She was standing and working the kinks out when Japanese airport personnel rolled a ladder over so that she could climb down out of the aircraft.

Samantha made her way shakily down the ladder. She almost fell at one point. She caught herself on the handrail. She could see that they had moved closer intent on helping her but there was really no room. She held up a hand and finished the climb down. As her feet hit the concrete, her knees buckled. She remained standing by holding onto the railing. She sucked in a deep breath. She finally stood straight. It hurt but the longer she stood tall and stretched the better she felt. She gave the personnel that hovered a short bow of respect. “Kon'nichiwa, arigatō.” She then began to take shaky steps towards the plane she had passed on her way to the hanger. The thought of seeing her team and family kept her upright. Her body was tired and sore from being in one position so long. You can only stretch so much in the cockpit of a fighter. The more she moved around the better her muscles felt. By the time she made it to the door of the hanger, she was walking fast. She was soon running full out. She had a desperate need to see Skye and Freya. She needed to know they were okay.

She spotted Skye sitting on the concrete behind the plane talking to a Japanese man. She didn't stop moving. She worked on pulling her helmet off. She carried it in her hand and dropped it next to Skye as she slid onto the ground next to her. Her heart raced, wondering if she was alright. “Skye!” Her voice was laden with pain and panic. “Are you okay?” Her face had haggard lines that told how trying the last few days had been on her. Exhaustion was evident.

Skye crawled over, wrapping her arms around Sam, the exhaustion clear on Sam’s face, hurting and feeling like shit. Skye was glad to see her too, knowing the weight of things must have taken one hell of a toll. Running the team and looking after comms were tricky, and it was the first time she’d seen Sam since back at Kaitiaki in the armoury proper. Skye of course was feeling better after the transfusion, but still, not much more than could be expected after that combat.

“Yeah, not too bad. Come here, Sam.” Skye replied with a certain British understatement, sighing as she held on, feeling Sam almost shaking with trepidation and exhaustion herself, holding her in her arms. Skye was hurting too, and a lot was going on.

Looking into Sam’s eyes, the redhead placed an arm onto her armoured shoulder, the burning look still there, even if it was exhausted and jet lagged, holding her close in, knowing she had to calm her, reassure, and ease her down the ladder.

“I’m really proud of you. You did an amazing job….amazing. That could have been the end of us, all of us, but you got us through.” Skye said, glad and happy in a way, yet wanting Sam to know.

“There’s a lot to take in, but breathe. Just look at me. We’re gonna be alright. They’re gonna get us some amazing MREs, the JSDF do the best. And they’re gonna finish fueling, and you are gonna get that well earned sleep on the plane.” Skye said, holding herself together, knowing she had to. This may be the last time she tells her, and Skye isn’t easily giving anything away. Though it’s fairly obvious outside of the Scot’s head. Sam would almost certainly know.

Samantha hugged Skye tightly as tears streamed down her face. “Are you sure you're okay? You have to be okay!” She was muttering randomly as her hands patted over Skye looking for injuries.Samantha’s panic receded some as her brain caught up to her and slowed her emotions down. Samantha hugged her friend and sister of her heart. She had a long time to think as she flew across the world in a plane by herself with periodic updates from Oracle and Vincent.

“I’m fine. Somehow. Breathe.” Skye replied, looking over at her, nodding, knowing she was worried. She had a right to be, but Skye being stubborn wasn’t letting anything go about the neurotoxin, or anything like that. But she saw the worry in Sam’s look.

Sam needed to speak to Skye without any of the team around. This would be her only chance to do so.

“Skye. We need to talk. We don’t have much time. The others can’t know.”

She sat cross legged and released Skye and just held her hand.

“I don’t think you should come with us. I think you need to take the fight to them outside of Raven. We don’t know how many others might be like Rose or how badly infiltrated Oracle is. The one thing we do know is that Artemis needs to be taken down. I trust you. I trust Freya. I am not sure how to trust another leader at Raven. Or to trust Oracle completely. Let me help you.”

She gave Skye a fierce look which turned to pleading.

“I can’t watch them lock you up or worse.” Her voice cracked.

Skye looked back into her burning eyes, seeing the rest of the crew grab food from the back of the Land Cruiser, bringing in crates, Vincent and Javi helping fuel the plane and the ground-team out, and well, Sam and Skye with a moment there and then from a quick skim around. Sam clearly felt it, and Skye felt similar, albeit pushed the emotion deep inside her which wanted to pour.

“Oracle can be trusted. But he won’t trust a single thing I do given the situation. I don’t blame him. It’s operational. Nothing personal.” Skye sighed, shrugging.”

“And…I suppose we could change things, codes and all, but it complicates things too much. Rose believes that she’ll knock the piece off the table in me if she does what she does, because they’ll be terrified and every version of me is a shoot to kill from then on out. Team would be led by someone else, who while I don’t agree with his method, knows what to do. Well, she’d be dead wrong. There is no easy way out here, Sam. I can’t run, they’re on shoot to detain orders for any leaks of any kind. We are guests, but under the strictest secrecy. But there is nowhere to run.” Skye replied, sighing.

“I need answers first. But that won’t come from the position of waiting. I may have a plan. But you would need to trust me. And I need to know you can deal with what’s going to come next. The questions, how I went missing, and why you let it happen. This is up to you, Sam. I really, really do not want to this to you. But this may be the last you see of me if we do this….if it goes wrong. And it may be for nothing.” Skye replied, swallowing a big lump in her throat, giving a last smile, a last, pulling grin back at Sam.

“I don’t ever let anyone down. I’d rather die before I do…..so this may be one of those where I might. So tell me true. Because I need to know you’ll keep going. I can’t do this to you if you can’t hold on, no matter what…..this is up to you.” Skye cooly replied, her look serious again, knowing she needed Sam to say the words. She was the leader, usually brave and brazen, but right here, she knew Sam was at breaking point. It was two roads from here. Skye would accept whatever she said, because Sam was not just the temporary team lead, but well, she was someone she owed a hell of a debt to after all the hell Skye had put her through. Sam had every right to say it was dumb, and they should not risk it. But same time, Skye knew if she accepted it...

Samantha let her frustration show with the current situation. She knew that Skye was right but she didn’t have to like it. She shouldn’t be punished because of something her sister did. That is exactly what was happening though. She understood the operational issues that the situation presented. She also knew that it made Skye one of the few that could be trusted in this situation. Sam let her anger show as well. She was not angry with Skye but Artemis. They kept taking people away from her. She knew if Skye did what she needed to that she might not see or hear from her again. She refused to let Skye go into this thinking she was alone though.

She looked Skye in the eyes with a frustrated sigh. “I understand that you need to do what you need to do and that I might not be able to be privy to your plans. I don’t have to like it though. I will not however have you go off on your own thinking no one cares and that you have no back up.”

She took a deep breath before continuing.

“At least take into consideration some help I can freely offer. If you need a safe place to stay off the grid, go to my grandma in LA. There are no links to be tracked there. At grandma’s look in the saddle bag of my motorcycle, there will be some resources for you to use. You need to do that.”

She looked over at the team who were getting some fresh air by the cargo plane.

“I will stay with Freya, our sister. I want to see her recover and well. I will do as you ask. But only if you promise to go to LA at one point.”

She looked around to make sure they couldn’t be overheard. She hugged Skye and whispered in her ear to make sure they were not overheard. Even if the place was wired for sound it was a tarmac at an airport with planes landing and taking off. It was doubtful a whisper in her ear would be captured.

“I had a mirror drive to the information we were finding at the base. I was using it for my own investigation into what happened to my father. I have been backing up all that data to my mirror drive. The information on how to access that is my saddle bag. Got it?”

She pulled back to look at Skye. She tried to memorize her face. She was worried she would not see her again.

Skye looked on in shock, wanting to be mad if it was normally her, but on this occasion, it may have made some sense. Shit, it was a risk but at the same time, well, that could be useful. There was some reason to get out and get some information, and that was one of them. The kind that couldn’t be recovered by normal channels. Something like that would be cause enough to fuck over Sam, completely- all that had happened would come back to Skye allowing Sam to do this, and right now, Skye didn’t even have half the heart to ask about the defences, or anything else. That had to come under Skye’s leadership. A good manager took account, and ironically, whilst good, that buck laid at Skye’s feet. All of it did. She was not to blame anyone but her own self, and well, the fucks at Artemis.

She gave Skye a wry grin. “I know it was against operation protocols.” She raised one shoulder in a wry shrug. “I learned to always have an ace up my sleeve. To me that has always meant information. I hope you are not angry with me?” She raised an eyebrow as she looked for her response.

“I know someone who can help too. I have my own tricks. Like yours. The ones you used, that knowledge and authorisation, that was mine. Even if you didn’t ask me. Anyone that suggests anything…..well, you have your fall girl. Okay. You’re with me.” Skye smiled back, nodding, noting Sam’s voice coming in with vigor.

“Understood. I know where to go. And I will. I have a few things to do first. But….there is something I could get some help with. They are watching me.” Skye said, looking at the guards, leaning in and whispering into her ear.

“There’s a parachute rig in the back of that Land Cruiser, next to a crate containing water. Can you get them both aboard?” Skye whispered, before leaning back out from the hug, nodding back, a quick glance back into the plane, in Freya’s direction, before back at Sam, keeping things incognito.

“Look after Freya as much as you can. Maybe a mission missed, perhaps for her, with her brother in replacement. Though a word of warning. Her sister, I told you already, do not ever let her corner you alone, Chuck will make her think twice. They are bonded close, like us. She will want to rip me into three because of it, no matter what logic she has, I’m the one who pulls us into the situations we are in…..right or wrong. She’ll find anyone else who is a replacement and want answers, and she has connections in Blue Sword that will make life difficult. Nor the new commander, if I think who it is…..he’s a disciplinarian and someone who will not mess around. And he will be annoyed enough that you let what happens next, happen. They’ll screw you around, but you hold your ground and know it comes back to me. All of the wrongs, and rights. Understood?” Skye said, hoping Sam would know what to do.

Samantha gave Skye’s hand another squeeze before nodding. “I will go help load supplies. I can do it.” She looked over to the Land Rover and nodded again as if setting her plan into motion mentally. She paid attention as Skye gave her some advice about Freya’s sister. She wrinkled her nose at hearing about the commander. She sighed, “I will endure what I must to protect Freya and you from any further fall out. The new commander sounds delightful.” She rolled her eyes snarkily hoping to see Skye smile. “I can handle Freya’s sister. Don’t worry about me.”

Skye felt affirmed, and with it, stood up, giving her a hand up, then heading back towards the plane. This was it. This was all there was. She had her bit to do.

Samantha watched Skye walk away and allowed the sadness she felt to wash over her. She then sighed and picked up her helmet and put it back on. She would need both hands. She left the visor up so that her face could be seen. She joined the people loading supplies onto the plane. She picked up the box of water bottles and set them on top of the crate with parachutes in it. She casually lifted them and carried them into the plane. She set the two crates down in the cargo area and secured them with the netting tie downs attached to the wall. She smiled as no one pointed or called out any alarms.

She then made her way back outside. She sat down next to Freya and grabbed some hot food that was being served out of the back of the vehicle. She chugged a bottle of water and began to eat. She was starving. Protein bars only did so much.

She turned her attention to Freya. “How are you doing Freya?”

---

With the aircraft loaded, the crew were all back aboard, and well, the JSDF commander had sent them on their way. Skye was munching down ramen, the hot and spicy noodles burning the back of her throat, but making her feel. The crew were all in the A400, and well, taxiing quickly.

“Fuck, this is burning.” Skye replied, as the plane jolted and heading down the runway, barreling, the sky back to a dark orange and nearly black following fuel and their hijinks on the ground, as Skye knew the rest of the team were awake. With it, Skye stood once they were up and off the ground and out of the steepest climb, headed on a full loop. She knew the score. The exo was left behind, the only thing she had on were her t-shirt, jeans and well, a stashed set of goggles down by her bra. She knew the run to go on. Fuck, surviving this might be in itself rather risky, but well, it set as loud a signal as it could be that Skye Rosalind Lyons was going rogue, and out of the way.

This was it. Ultimate risk, ultimate reward. She could die, she could be gone for a while, hell, she may never see them again. But she trusted them totally, completely. She had to. Fucking Boaro had just gotten here and was now seeing her do this. Hell, she could even feel like he wanted her to bond, and he had some very good points. Points she wanted to nod and accept, but she knew if all worked out, she’d be back. With a big bollocking, but Skye had to make a change. Do something. And she knew just the man for the job. He was down there in that city. And she had her way down. An express route. Moving to the front, Skye clambered over, Javi flat asleep, in the cabin.

“Vincent. One quick favor. Mind if I get a view of the city, while we leave? Last time for freedom and all.” Skye asked, the aircraft leveled out above Tokyo, currently heading over the bay. This was going to be the most fucking insane dropzone ever. But, it sent the loudest possible message that Skye was gone. If not through the security, it set every single alarm bell off. It would be so loud Rose could not ignore it. Artemis could not ignore it. It would be a point made. And she just had to not get arrested.

For the first time in a long time, Skye was living completely, totally in the moment. A little fear was inside her, but she was ready for this. There was a strange sadness inside of her, but it was like always, the Lyon was roaring inside of her, screaming. Once her mind was set, it was all in now. And she believed Sam. Like the sun in the sky, she’d do as she needed, like Skye herself would.

“What are you meaning, Madame Lyons?” Vincent suspiciously asked, as Skye merely patted him on the shoulder.

“Something for morale. Please?” Skye asked, Vincent sighing, giving into the sultry tone of the Scottish leader, nodding.

“Fine. Only because you ask nicely. I will miss you being a boss-lady, you know.” Vincent replied, licking a smile to Skye, knowing she was wild, but well, she seemed to be perked up again.

“I love you to bits, Vincent. Thanks!” Skye replied, with it running to the back, and with that, walking through. The rear door began to open, and the music began playing in her head.

Looking back across, she saw Sam in particular, and a giggling grin, as Skye bolted across.

Good Feeling- Bakermat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH6yPS7pikE

“We’re getting one last look at Tokyo before we’re out, now how about that!” Skye yelled, knowing that everyone would be yanked awake as the view came into the cabin, and revealed the absolutely glorious, the noise howling as the aircraft slowed a little, for a last little observation.

The sprawling metropolis of Tokyo beckoned below, lights glowing bright and the dusk chorus on the horizon, settling in the hills beyond and the faraway glow of Mt Fuji beyond that, and well, the density down in the city there and there.

Skye was not looking. Instead, she was yanking the rig off the top of the crate Sam had loaded, knowing she’d obliged, and well, flung it over her shoulders and dunked her legs in.

Skye tightened the straps, and checked the holster on her hip, her FNX, the last remaining bit of her tool, with only a spare magazine to boot, and her trusty scout knife in another holster taken from the exo. She looked to Sam, and nodded, flipping her goggles over her eyes, her red hair blowing in the howling wind. The team would be a little mystified as to what was going on, no doubt, and Tahlia stood up, the howling wind blowing all around the cargo bay, watching as the tall (not tallest) redhead stood in front of Sam, calling back one last time.

“You tried to convince me, remember!” Skye yelled to her, and turned and bolted towards that open door. It was the last word she would tell a Raven member for a while, and Tahlia’s jaw dropped, as did Raph’s, and quite a few others. Without context, this seemed ridiculous. It was without a shadow of a doubt, bonkers.

Tahlia could half guess, but still, this by Skye’s standards, was the dumbest shit she’d ever seen her do. She couldn’t run to stop her, or anything. She knew there was no stopping Skye if she was doing this.

And of fucking course it was happening.

Samantha watched as Skye had donned the parachute covertly. No one had really been paying all that much attention to Skye. They had all been awake since they had just taken off. She saw Chuck grab hold of Duke as the cargo bay doors opened and the wind howled through the area. “Long live the Queen!” Chaos cheekily replied and smiled as she watched her fearless leader sow the chaos this time. She already missed her friend but knew she was in a better position by doing this. Queen would always be her commander. She would do her best to respect the new guy as Skye had asked.

Skye ran out to the back, and with no hesitation at all, lept. From 20,000 feet, Skye put her hands in front and saw the sight of Shibuya itself below, far, far below. She put her hands down and dived, the cold utterly stripping anything from her, in freefall and out of the plane, flying through the burnt orange sky towards the middle of a bustling, hustling city.

No team now. For all they knew, Skye was AWOL. Half wouldn’t be shocked. The other half would be trying to recover this mentally, and well, Oracle, everyone, they would be in absolute hazed disbelief that this had happened. Skye was incredibly loyal, attentive, and well, core to this. The person that followed orders, yet her time with the team had taught her…you had to embrace the fact that sometimes, you had to go against the grain. Head down, the redhead plumed through the sky, and into the most unconventional dropzone. The adrenaline kept her warm, and awake, and most of all…alive. She was going to do this, her way, on her terms. She hated being stubborn, but there was no way Artemis was getting away with this, and neither was Rose Lyons. She was coming for her. And going fast. There’s a feeling inside of her that feels beyond odd, but for the first time ever, she felt like even if she wasn’t invincible, the adrenaline hit and she is in flight. Skye can see it all- the skyscrapers in Tokyo proper, the bay and bridges, the highways, Haneda itself, Fuji, and the glowing, glittering lights below. It’s jaw dropping, and unbelievably pounding in her mind, coming fast and thin.

No altimeter meant she had to guess how high she was, her eyes watering and her jaw ice cold, Skye reaching over and throwing the pilot chute and suddenly yanking out the gray parachute with a solid jerk, Skye yanking hard on the rear risers and toggles as she pulled herself into a steep dive, turning past a skyscraper, deep in the most famous square that existed within Tokyo, gigantic LED billboards and neon visible below as she knew she was low, and on course- to avoid power lines, she had to stay right on for the middle. Oh, the entire, fucking world would know. There was not any ignoring where Skye had started up. But where would she end? Well, that part of the story, that she hoped she’d figure out in the next few minutes. She was a good survivor in urban environments, and knew where to go, who to ask, what to say. And for the first time in forever, Skye felt like she was back to herself. She was HER, that spike of adrenaline, that feeling of being alive, it was like nobody else. Rose couldn’t ever take that from her.

Samantha had watched her friend dive out of the back of the plane. She leaned over and hit the button to close the cargo bay doors. She looked over the team. She met Freya’s eyes and wondered how she would take this. She straightened her spine and stood watching the team waiting for the first questions.

Tahlia looked gobsmacked as she held a crate.

“What the fuck?!”

She yelled at anyone, but mostly in Sam’s direction, the shock sinking in, looking across to Sam, the door shutting, the Kiwi still unable to put two and two together.

“I told her figure this out, not jump out of a plane, what the shit?”

Tahlia exasperated, looking genuinely like the GIF of John Travolta looking around confused from Pulp Fiction, puzzled and beyond words.

Samantha felt her resolve firming as she turned to address the team.

“Oracle ordered us to bring Skye in. I know that was truly Skye. I killed Rose the doppelganger clone in her office. Oracle is facing a unique situation with Rose and Artemis. Operational security would have forced them to remove Skye from operations at the minimum. Skye deserved better than that from me. It was my choice. I am asking you to accept that and support it.”

She looked over at them all to see how they were taking the news.

Tahlia looked on in shock, shivering cold, shaking her head and putting her arm on Sam’s shoulder, at least somewhat amenable to an answer like that.

“Well, we’re with you. If you think that’s what we do, boss. For now.” Tahlia replied, knowing it was going to come with consequences- but privately, she agreed. Without saying it, she felt the rest would, even if the confusion was going to stick a while. It would sound weird, but Tahlia knew Skye was long gone. She’d made her choice, and it was sinking in, even if it was the most dramatic way possible. Right now, Sam was team lead. Until that changed.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

On Board the A400M

Chuck was too tall and big in his suit to take one of the drop down flight chairs in the cargo area. He worked to get out of his suit for now. He wanted to conserve what little charge it had left. He shut it down into sleep mode. The suit had about 25% charge left. He left the suit along the wall of the plane out of the way and strapped down in the cargo area. He sighed knowing the plane didn’t have the right outlets to charge his suit. He kept on the skin tight light weight ballistics suit that was the under armor of his heavy armor. It looked similar to a wetsuit and was black. It stretched over his large frame. He sighed as he realized he would need some clothes. All he had with him was the black boxer briefs he had on under his armor. He settled onto the floor with his long legs stretched out in front of him. Duke came and snuggled into his side and laid his head in his lap. He petted the canine and checked him over well.

They had been in the air for about 30 minutes before his adrenaline finally crashed leaving him feeling exhausted. He had watched as Sophie moved from Skye to Freya working to stabilize and help other members of the squad. Chuck did his best to keep the panic and rage he was feeling under control. He felt like there should have been more he could have done. What was wrong with him? How he had almost lost two teams now? He was comforted by the knowledge that even though they had injured, the team had made it out. Guilt overwhelmed him as he thought about all the support personnel who didn’t make it out. The ones who had given everything so that they could escape. He raised his knees and bowed his head wrapping his arms around his legs. He hid his face in his knees as tried to honor those that had fallen. Was their sacrifice worth it? Was he worth it? He didn’t think he was but he knew they did. All he could do was move forward and honor their sacrifice. It was never easy though.

Duke whined and nudged his face. Duke began to lick his face. Chuck put his arm around his dog and buried his face in his fur. He didn’t want anyone from the team to know he was struggling so much. Men were not supposed to show emotions. They were used as a sign of weakness. He knew from experience though, that if he didn’t deal with what they had just been through it would come out as nightmares. The emotions would cripple his ability to function as a member of the team. He clung to his dog as silent tears were soaked up by his fur. He hugged Duke tight. It was some time later that the tears had stopped. He slowly managed to relax. He curled up on the floor around his dog and fell asleep. He relived events of the past few days in his dreams. He was grateful that when he woke up he felt better. He didn’t remember the dreams. He was grateful when someone handed him some warm bottled water and an MRE. He pulled Duke’s pack out and offered his dog some water and food. Once he was done he took care of the trash and cleaned up after Duke.

He stood and made his way towards the part of the plane with chairs. He sat down across from Boraro. He held his hand out to the man, giving him a firm warm shake. “Hello, I don’t think we have met. I am Chuck Simmons, callsign Boomer. And this is my partner, Duke.” He laid a hand comfortingly on Duke’s head. “Nice to meet you. Thank you for your help in getting everyone out. We couldn’t have done it without you.” He nodded his head in the general direction of where Skye was. He knew that Skye might not have made it out without his help.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Chaos Escort Through Unfriendly Skies

Samantha pulled the F-35 engines slider all the way back as she built up the speed for takeoff. The rumble of the jet engines gave her a feeling of the power of the fighter. It was a powerful feeling. It was one of the things she loved about flying. She smiled as she remembered where she had learned how to fly the jets. She had learned in a simulator when Uncle Sam wanted her help to fix their planes. She had it built into her contract with them that she would only work on the project if the US Military taught her how to fly their jets. They had never intended for her to get into a cockpit. She had explained that she needed to experience what was happening during an actual flight to figure out the issue. She probably could have figured it out without it but she had wanted to learn to fly fighter jets. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. She had done exceptionally well and it had helped her solve the issue they were having with the design. It turned out to be a faulty sensor that was not rated for the g-force that the new craft would pull in some of the dogfighting maneuvers. Once she had tried the upgraded sensor the aircraft worked as intended and Uncle Sam was happy with the results.

Her attention was brought back to the current situation as Oracle reported that the team had inbound aerial assets to cover the team and that they were headed to Tokyo. Samantha had been compartmentalizing like a champ. She frowned as the present situation reasserted itself in her consciousness. Samantha replied to Oracle. “Chaos confirms new orders Oracle. New heading Tokyo Haneda airport where I will rejoin the team on the A400 and leave the F35. The A400 will then be going to Pöyrisjärvi, Finland.” Samantha had Bob switch to the Teams Comms. “Chaos to Raven Squad. New orders from Oracle. We are enroute to Tokyo for refueling before moving onto to Finland. I will be rejoining you in Tokyo.” Samantha made sure the entire team heard the update from her. She wanted them to know she had their back. Samantha looked over the telemetry in her fighter. She saw the incoming support fighters moving to intercept Artemis helicopters that were launching off their boats which had been in pursuit of the team.

She switched to comms just for Vincent. “Chaos to Hawk, thank you for flying the unfriendly skies with Chaos Air. Our friends have moved in to intercept unfriendlies in the area. Skies should be clear all the way to Tokyo.” She smiled at Vincent's reply before her brain couldn’t help going back to the events of the last few hours.

She had Bob switch to a private comms line between her and Skye. “Chaos to Queen.I am in the F35 and doing okay. I am flying cover for the A400. How are you doing? And How is the team? I heard something about Freya being injured.” She bit her lip as she waited for Skye to talk to her. “Talk to me Skye.”

She deliberately shied away from reliving the events of the last few hours. She couldn’t afford the time to break down yet. She still had a plane to fly. She was hyper vigilant about checking the radar for anything in the skies near them. She felt responsible for making sure the team made it to Tokyo.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Raven Squad Escape Boat

Collab with Skye, Chuck, Freya, Tiny Nord, Boraro, and NPCs Sophie, Tahlia, Javi, and Vincent

Chuck breathed a sigh of relief as one of the spotters at the railing caught sight of Queen and those with her. They were quickly helped aboard. Updates were given. Tahlia filled in Chaos and Oracle reporting what had been going on. He grabbed onto the railing as the last lines were untied and Javi backed the boat out and turned it around. The boat jerked under his feet as Javi gunned the boat and headed for open seas. Duke whined at his feet after following Tahlia back up to the main deck. Chuck gave in and knelt to pet Duke. He needed a little reassurance after the bumpy ride and no action. Duke was showing some signs of separation anxiety and Chuck knew why. He knew his canine partner needed some reassurance. “Its going to be okay buddy.” He knelt and kept a hand on Duke’s back.

Boraro made his way over to the boat, covering the distance in three shorter bounds between cover. He hadn’t bothered with the gangplank, instead jumping aboard with his jump pack, skidding on his feet to a stop along the wet deck and putting his kukri to use helping with the lines as they cast off. He stayed on the weather deck, ready to grab the nearest person without a life jacket and throw himself over the side at the first sign of impending doom until the two fighters gunning for them had been reported cleared out.

The danger having passed, at least for now, Ebrima retreated inside and took his helmet off, fishing a clean handkerchief out of a pouch to wipe the sweat off his scalp and brow. ”You’re drawing breath still, no?“ He turned to the other African French speaker when addressed, shaking the offered hand. ”We did not meet as enemies then.” The Cameroonian added with a cheeky grin. That was also the first time he had a chance to look around and take in his squadmates. First off, it looked like they were all alive, small miracle all things considered, though one of the heavies, the mad scientist, was looking rough though and Skye was likewise a prime candidate for a week off.

Vincent nodded to Boaro, a similar chuckle in his response.
“I expect not.” He gave an equally simple reply, looking across to the rest of the team, Skye in particular, who looked passed out, Sophie going from her to Freya’s side, who was quietly whispering.

“So, quick rundown as boss lady I imagine did not tell you. That there is Freya, you may know her mother and father, crazy fucking mercs, mec, I tell you they are wild. Do not even start on her sister, putain, she is so fucking hot it would be worth dying for and many men do. Chuck Simmons, former Marine, he wrecks people too, Tiny Nord is the same. Somehow, we recruited three of giants in heavy armor to our cause, but if you’ve ever fought one, you know it’s a good thing we have them on our side. Sam Dalton is a general purpose hacking wizard and CIA spook that hasn’t got a pilot’s license but knows how an F35 works, I know, Tahlia was our house keeper, now sniper, and well, the others work in support. Sophie, the medic, Raphael, signals intelligence, and Javi, mechanic and engineer. Good people.” It was a quick rundown from Vincent, who had to remind himself that indeed, the cast that made Raven was quite something.

“Skye, she is good. Harsh but fair. As I said, if she liked you, then you have done well.”

“Maybe that’s why everyone is still alive after today. Even without an infiltrator like they had, people of Artemis’ caliber should be able to anticipate what their enemies will do, to a significant degree. But put a group like this together, and it becomes impossible.” Ebrima mused, “It’s hard to anticipate two Onis charging into the middle of you, and absolutely impossible to guess what your enemy will do next if they themselves don’t know it yet.” He added on a more light-hearted note. In its current roster, Raven had everything one needed for a successful raid: The three medium operators were speed, Tahlia and Chaos were surprise and the three giants definitely had violence of action down.

Still, they were miles up shit creek, and although they had a figurative paddle and a literal good boat, Artemis just blew up the proverbial dock. Without facilities, they were just a group of exceptionally well-equipped vagrants that only had whatever fight was left in them, which wasn’t a lot. “I don’t suppose Raven had any safehouses they didn’t tell Queen about?” Given the nature of the infiltrator, they were probably going to be living in a shed in the woods before something else gets set up.

“These things usually work out. Raven is bigger than Skye is, from what I know little. But we’ll have something. Where we are going, the contingency, I believe is the start of that. And yes, it is rather chaotic. I suppose she has a knack for finding people who may not always fit. Makes them feel best doing this. We are so lucky we got out alive.” Vincent replied to Boaro’s query, putting an arm on his shoulder, chuckling.

“A baptism of fire, yes, but there is more to come. Good to meet you, Ebrima.” Vincent smiled back, the Senegalese’s warm charm coming back, even at an operative he knew full well could do some serious damage. The similarity was nice to have in the team, and even in spite of his pasty white skin, Vincent knew behind that was someone with a similar story, a similar heart to the one he had in Dakar. Kin, in a weird way, as he headed off up the deck, heading to check in on Javi.

Tiny Nord: “Alright, now can we go get somewhere before this thing sinks, and I become a submarine in… how deep of water this is?” he asked as he set his stuff back into its spot on the side of the boat. “Also, I know a few places for safe houses, but… they are in the middle of nowhere, a few in nice spots, but urban, and the others are in places like… Detroit, or Columbus.”

In the wheelhouse, Javi was concentrating on driving the boat. He had an uncustomary serious look on his face as he navigated the rocky harbor. He piled on the speed as soon as he could. There was more room in the wheelhouse. Word had come in that the team had made it on board of course and the others had gone up top to check in with Skye. Javi knew that he needed to get them out of there and put as much distance between them and the boats Artemis had waiting to attack the island. Samantha had really bought them some time with all her secret little preparations. He admired that woman’s devious mind.

Sophie had gone topside to check in on Skye and to see if anyone else needed medical attention. Sophie made a beeline to check in on Skye who she knew needed her help. She still felt guilty for her reaction to combat. She knew what she was signing up for but seeing it was still a shock. She had never seen that side of her teammates. Logically she knew they killed people in their line of work. Her natural psychological reaction to it embarrassed her. She wanted to apologize quietly to Skye as she checked her out. She also needed to check on Frigga who was going to crash eventually. She knew Freya was injured and had probably reinjured any healing she had done and made it worse. She would do what she could for the giantess to keep her in the fight a little longer.

Frigga…or well Freya as the battle high was starting to ebb away, had boarded up finally, leading the rear guard with Boomer. Once aboard she could feel the adrenaline almost flushing from her body. And with it gone, the acute feeling of all the pain, and fatigue hit her, seconds before the fact she reinjured her shoulders hit her. And she did her very best not to cry out in pain. But no one is completely immortal. She slumped a bit on the railing, her armor letting out a groan as if trying to voice her pain. And a soft, nearly imperceptible gasp hit the comms as Freya’s hubris hits her hard. At Least she’s out of sight right? She can be mortal for a bit. She finally drops to the deck, luckily still looking back behind them, to watch as the island begins to fall behind them. With a slow motion she reaches up and unseals her upper armor, and reaches back to press a hand to the burning hot skin of her shoulders, yep, those muscles aren’t going to like her soon. Whatever she tore or hurt before, had been retorn and rehurt in this fight. That drug she’d been given was only able to cover up the injury. She’d be paying for it more later. So there she sat, and let herself wallow. Whispering to herself, “Isn’t this a fine shit show we’ve gotten ourselves into.”

Sophie had gone topside to check in on Skye and to see if anyone else needed medical attention. The giantess of the team was wincing, and while she tried to hide, nobody expected the Swiss inquisition. She made her way through the door, and sat by her side, the top of her armour dislodged out and revealing the shoulder blade that was, by usual metrics, pretty bad.

“Freya….okay, sit still. I would prefer you awake.” She called, starting to get to work, putting the diagnostics in and holding herself close.

“You wrecked my work, but you’re not out of it yet. Right. No use of that arm. I’m going to put a splint on it and hold it immobile in that arm until we fix this long term. Chuck will do the hand to hand fighting if we get any more. You use that other arm of yours for now. No hammer work, nothing. Else I will be fitting you with a fucking prosthetic next. And your mother will kill me.” Sophie added, resting up by her side, and getting to work. Tablet by her side, surgical kit adjacent to that, Sophie was a professional, moving from one patient to her next. Anesthetics were limited, but Freya was a big girl, with her disinfected needle in her arm, Sophie looking tiny next to Freya. It was safe to say Freya’s bust was probably the size of Sophie’s entire top half, it was like a mouse tending to a lion.

“You did well though, Frigga. Tell me how your day is going so far.” Sophie nonchalantly called, wanting to let her patient talk, so she would at least not think about how painful this bit would be.

Freya was just out of it enough that she didn’t react to Sophie until she felt the hands rest on her shoulder. And she’d deny it later but she let out a bark of surprise and a jump of shock. But her calm returned quickly and she turned her head enough to be able to see Sophia out of the corner of her eye, “Oh hey Doctor, oh don’t you worry, you’d have time to run, Moms would kill me first, then turn me over to my Dad and sibs before going after you. You’d have about an hour to make yourself scarce!” Her voice went from low to high in the last moment feeling Sophie begin to work, no she wasn’t in pain, you’re in pain. She gulped and nodded infinitesimally, looking at the floor, looking low, looking tired, outwardly probably the most she’s going to show externally for how much they’ve been through.

She took a bit letting Sophie poke and prod and work. Then said “My day…my days. I killed someone who looked like my boss, stomped them almost into a paste. I tore my shoulder up so bad that at first it would have taken weeks. Now it’ll take more weeks. I sat on a bomb, fought some shadowy organization that wants to hurt my friends..oh balls! Easy doc!” She asks plaintively as she feels needles and the surgical implements move around. She took a shaky breath, ignoring that Sophie has her opened up back there, and it’s just by sheer luck that her shoulder hurts more then Sophie having opened her up. The body can do wonderful things somehow. She chuckles, keeping herself from shaking, “I’m good Sophie, I’m good. I could complain, but where’s the fun in that? I’m more worried about Skye, about Sam. That’s my job I guess though. To worry about others. That’s what the Heavies like me do right? We take the heat, so you, and Sam, and Javi and the others don’t have too. I just hope Skye and Sam are okay with the extra heat and work. Is it wrong for me to want to mother the hell out of the both of them?”

“They’ll be okay. They’re tough girls, and so are you. Right, let me finish this up. Deep breath, Freya, this bit really hurts. You’re rather powerful, so please do not hit me with your other arm when I do this.” Sophie added, taking the sharp needle, and taking her almost torso-sized muscular arm, pushed it back up, and, “POP”.

“There. That’s stable, easy now. Strap is tight on it, don’t do anything stupid with it or we’ll have to do that again. Until I can fit another heart inside of you, or prosthetics, this flesh and bone will do.” Sophie reassured her, albeit with a little annoyance on the venom at the end given how badly Freya had hurt it to begin with. Giants were made of something else- their physiology in itself was freakish, and Freya had a heart that was twice the size of even Skye’s to keep her going. She had always wondered if she needed a second one, or perhaps enhanced organs on that inside to make her really live to potential. That would be her next rotation, she pondered internally, but not for now, given keeping the large girl functioning was priority one, turning her into a lunatic would come next.

“Now, I’ll let you rest on. I’m gonna see how Skye is doing. Fucking hell, why does she have to be so difficult. First ribs, now a fucking clone. I have enough problems with one of her.” Sophie mused, annoyed, yet in a way that Freya would probably empathize with- stitching people together may have been what she was good at, but continuously to everyone after every mission was certainly getting exotic.

Freya gave a cough, she had expected every second of it, but wrecking your shoulder, having it covered over by painkillers and drugs, and then wrecking it again, having it opened up and tended too then having it popped back proper and then closed up, all of that finally gets the big girl to let out a sob of pain. It’s quick, it’s brief, it’s small, but it’s pain. She almost melts against the bulkhead wall right beside her. She takes a moment then reaches out and hugs Sophie with her one good arm, “I’m glad you’re on our side Sophie hunny. Thank you, I’ll be good for now. Go tend to our fearless leader, and remind me to get you something good to drink at our next permanent port of call. You do the Gods work Sophie.” She smiled and nods, putting a good face on, and waiting for Sophie to step away. Before she slumps.

It’d be a few minutes later when one of the security team would find her, and cover her with a thermal blanket, the giant out cold, even goddesses need a nap.

Tahlia had gone up on deck to get everyone’s update before heading below decks. She was keeping in contact with Oracle per Chuck’s request. She could have done it from where she was on the deck but now that the boat was moving, she was struggling to move around some. She wanted to sit in one of the chairs in the wheelhouse and get off her legs for a few minutes. They were aching and hot. The wind made it hard to talk as well. She wanted to be sure communications were as clear as she could make them. She collapsed into a padded seat that was bolted to the floor that swiveled. She reported back to Oracle who filled her in on the escape plan. She filled Javi in on the plan and gave him the coordinates. She watched as he plugged the information into the GPS on the ship's console. He turned the boat onto a new heading as they left the mouth of the harbor. Tahlia’s eyes widened as she heard Chaos telling them about the two jets on an intercept course. She turned to Javi with wide eyes. That insufferable man had the gall to look smug.

Javi was aware when Tahlia came back into the wheelhouse. He was always aware of where the Kiwi was. His expression turned from serious back to mischievous as he heard her talking into the comms. He paid attention to driving the boat. He didn’t want to hit an underwater shoal or reef because he was too busy staring at the attractive woman sitting behind him. He heard her gasp as the report came in that two jets were inbound. “Don’t worry so much Tahlia. You do know I upgraded the boat right?” He turned and gave her a lascivious wink as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “You know I had fun hiding what we didn’t want other people to see…. Right?” Javi reached over and lifted a plexiglas cover and pushed the red button underneath it. You could hear motors whirring and a grinding noise came from the upper deck. “There are only two jets. We have a SAM launcher. It should be able to handle two jets if we are lucky.” A good pilot could outfly a single SAM but he was betting surprise would be on their side. They had no way of knowing what this boat was capable of. If Artemis was smart, they should anticipate anything with this team. The SAM launchers were hidden by what looked like cargo crates tied down on the upper deck. What Tahlia heard was the shell moving away and the launcher coming up and activating to defend them.

Skye woke back up, the Scot grogging as the launcher popped back up, and fired off a round, the missile off the rail and soaring into the sky. The boat lurched, as the round flew into the sky, the Scot watching on and a little confused, but just suffering the effects of what was swirling around her.

“Still hanging on? How are you feeling?” Sophie queried, sitting back down next to her, rather than over, a friend yet professional in her demeanor. She did have that look about her, that she wanted to keep Skye talking rather than asleep.

“Yeah, all good here. You look like you have questions. More than the usual. Go on, I can tell.” Skye replied, sitting on up, wiping her face and taking her gloves off, attaching them to her plate carrier.

“So, how is it that a clone of you happened, and well, can go from body to body like yours? I would love to know this. I know it’s the holy grail in medical research, all of this work. Zero records of mine show any trace of it in your genetic trail, it seems completely, utterly normal. Random almost.” Sophie started, knowing that while now was probably a good time, it would at least keep her patient engaged, and maybe, trying to use her logic. That Skye had, even if sometimes it was more just the percussive maintenance she made on things.

“I know you had good genes, Frau Lyons, but nothing shows manipulation and you have nothing that would indicate you are going to drop dead sooner because of it. They must have been exceptionally good at it. I am envious.” Sophie retorted, the Swiss Doctor almost showing a level of impressiveness, and well, making Skye chuckle, a reaction to her dry, yet somewhat caring demeanor. She was a smart girl that Sophie, but not one that would sugar coat anything. If Skye was stoic and so was Tahlia, then Sophie was in a way that was distinctly Germanic, very….efficient, not angry.

Skye shrugged, knowing there was no easy way to answer that.

“I have no idea. Rose said my ... .adoptive, father, he was good at that. To a point where he realized what he’d have to do. Said he took me home after I was some defective product of a splitting process, due to some weird reason. More or less duplicating Rose’s personality in a copy of her body and leaving me a version of her. Or I guess leaving behind one in her and putting her in me. One of those ways around. I think I share the same memory as her prior to that? It hurts. A lot. Maybe that’s why I want to be sick.” Skye seemed a little confused, yet was trying to unravel, if not make some sense.

“Aha. I see. That is mystical indeed. I couldn’t even imagine how you attempt to try such a thing. I would have to imagine, it would take a genius computer scientist, geneticist, neuroscientist and surgeon to even try, and the success would be remarkably low. They did it. And she must be adamant in it every time. It was natural something would perhaps…..go wrong, as you say, but you are here and well. And much more sane, from the sounds of it.” Sophie observed, clinical in her monitoring, yet querying.

Skye looked on, a little perplexed by Sophie’s wonder. It wasn’t helping, but it was just pure and utter curiosity.

“Am I alright, Doctor? Like, how the fuck does that even happen?” Skye simply wondered out loud, saying the words, Sophie putting her hand into Skye’s. This wasn’t a Doctor’s question, more a moral one.

”Nonsense, Frau Lyons. You are fine. If anything, as freak as an accident it was, your humanity seems to persist if you wonder about it. And perhaps you have it the wrong way around. If there was anything wrong, we’d have clocked it. There’s no biomechanical device inside of you, after all.” Sophie replied, sighing as she sat up, knowing Skye wouldn’t like this, but it had to be said.

“For what it’s worth, I did take a look just in case there were any issues. I like to keep on top of my problem patients, and the initial autopsy for Rose came back to me also, an assessment I did not want to make until we had all the details and I had this cleared. Doctor’s confidentiality, but….indeed, she was right, but half right from what you said to me. Identical in genetics to you, bar one key component- cell degradation happens differently. Hers is not correct. It’s typical in animal clones, epigenetically, cell replication is not ever as reliable or sensical. The telomeres on the end strands of her DNA are not sufficient to protect the strand itself on replication, meaning it starts splintering more, and more, and more ... .they start redacting, doing weird things, and well, falling apart. That’s why clones die early. You cannot manufacture a human being to be the same without consequence…it’s the ultimate cruelty and why it’s banned, and why it’s not exactly done publicly. It would kill you before you hit your teenage years from birth, and a problem that cannot be overridden so easily because the human body seems to fight it- of course, Rose being built for it can override that significantly better, but it affects her still the same, meaning if any of her bodies are in a synthetic womb, that is the only reason they don’t disintegrate. That in itself is a medical challenge, growing a full sized adult human female in isolation identical to yours from scratch and perhaps dozens of them, but well, lesser than destroying the very makeup of your genetics, what you literally are, to lose the neural pathway she would require to an identical mind….which I suppose, is rather fascinating. The reason she jumps bodies is because that degradation happens, once active, it will keep happening, and happening, and happening, giving her likely a few years to live at a time. Your DNA itself may have been tampered with, but I’d almost wonder if it was you that was the original, if you think that a version of you were birthed via IVF and only via some genetic tampering. Perhaps Rose is the one that must continue doing this, and she dies over and over….and will never be able to break the cycle unless she finds something to fix it. Her immortality is made of porcelain, and dependent on there always being a body, always being a failsafe. She believes she’s the original because well, how would she know any other way, she after all shares that memory with you, and perhaps the background, no? That to me is science fiction, but….if so, the man that engineered you must have loved you very much to know he would never have to see his daughter die. And it would explain much of why she is perhaps the way she is. Spiteful and angry because she’ll keep dying and never had that love. Based on just that alone, I think you are fine. If I am wrong, then our next problem is giving you palliative care and understanding how lucky you are to be alive for this long. And I’d spend whatever time I could to keep alive, Skye.”

It was a hell of a heavy thing to take, but Sophie seemed clinical, if not willing to explain. Genetics were exceptionally complex- heaped on top of a whole heap of science-fiction level difficulty in doing what Rose did, which straight up may as well have been magic to Sophie, that base level assessment would at least be the start of how this worked.

Skye’s eyebrows rolled. This just got really, really sciency, and really, horribly heavy.

“Did everyone set up their own shit in the background? Not that I’m mad now, but holy crap, it leaves a wide open trail of paperwork…..though I appreciate it somewhat. Comes in handy in a moment like this, eh. That is a lot to take in. And I appreciate the detail. Makes sense, and well….perhaps relieving to know she might be full of shit too. Megalomaniacal fuckers are though, no shock there, but this is a ton.” Skye sighed, somewhat disappointed from a leader's point of view, but still, captivated. From Sam’s SAMs to Freya’s experiments, she allowed a lot- but knew it returned the favor right here and now.

“That is kind. I appreciate you taking the time to explain that. At least, figure this out.” Skye replied, Sophie giving a warm nod, the doctor annoyed with Skye more often than not, but genuinely, under all of it, caring and if anything, fascinated.

“You have a team of renegades, including me. You are just as bad at this. Yet you are rather good at knowing how to find people who do not sometimes follow the trend, will work for themselves yet deliver, if I must say so myself. I follow the letter, but Skye, we are a team, and sometimes, help needs to come from that. So look, rest, and I know you’ll work that bit out later.” Sophie called back, and with that, knew she had to tend to a few other bits.

---

Wellington Airport, New Zealand

Javi was grateful that the tide was coming in which helped him get the boat closer to shore. Javi called out in a loud voice “Brace for impact. We are going in. It is going to be a bumpy ride!” His brow furled as he concentrated on navigating in. Once he was past the reef the sandy beach and ocean floor allowed him to run the fishing vessel up onto the beach. To get the heavy boat up onto the beach he had to come with more speed that he would have preferred. He cut the engine and let the boat coast up onto the shore. The weight and speed of the boat did the rest. The resistance and friction slowed it down some but the whole boat lurched as the boat began to bottom out close to shore. The speed slowed even as the boat plowed up onto the beach. Then it listed slightly to one side as it settled on the keel. The side of the ship a good 10 feet from the sand. “Okay folks time to debark.” Javi turned and spotted Taniwha. She had been thrown from the chair she had been in when they hit the beach.

Tahlia had been concerned and worried they would be swimming when she had heard about the jets. She shouldn’t have been surprised that Javi had added extras when he upgraded the boat. It was what he was hired to do after all. She relaxed after Chaos sent word that the skies were clear and covering them. She got lost in thought and was broken out of it when Javi yelled brace for impact. Taniwha did her best to brace herself. The jolt when the boat hit the sandy bottom threw her from the chair onto the floor. She then found herself sliding to one side of the room as the boat settled on it’s side. Taniwha found herself against the wall of the wheelhouse. She had hit her head when she was thrown from the chair. She blinked up at Javi with a confused look shaking her head as if that would clear it.

Javi immediately went to Tahlia. He didn’t hesitate as he moved towards her. Javi scooped her up and into his arms. He looked down at her with concern. He noticed that she had a small cut on her head and was bleeding a little. She looked a little confused. He got even more worried when she didn’t fight with him about it or argue. She wrapped her arms around his neck to steady her body in his arms. He would never admit to her how much he enjoyed that. He began to carry her out of the wheelhouse which was no easy feat with the boat at an angled slant. He kept sliding on the deck as gravity pulled at him.

Tahlia was confused and her head hurt. She was seeing double. She couldn’t seem to find her center of balance. She was feeling stunned like the breath had been knocked out of her. Then the world seemed to right itself. Warmth surrounded her and she felt weightless. She looked at Javi and blinked seeing two of him. She frowned as she struggled to understand what was happening. She didn’t like feeling out of control or vulnerable. She felt both at that moment. She instinctively put her arms around Javi’s neck to steady herself. It was a natural movement. She closed her eyes as her head began to pound.

Javi made his way onto the deck with Taniwha in his arms. He looked around to see how the rest of the team was doing. He saw that Chuck was already on his feet. Duke looked shook but was right by Chuck’s side.

Chuck had watched as the jets flew over the boat. He had covered Duke and as many of his smaller teammates as he could as the jets strafed the boat. He had caught the dogfight and hoped he was never that close to one ever again. He appreciated Samantha’s skill as kept the two fighters engaged and away from the boat. The strafing had taken chunks out of the deck leaving potholes behind. He had kept a hand on Duke and one curled around the boat rail to steady them both. He had tensed up watching the shore come closer. Duke had yelped at the jolt when the boat hit the shoreline. Chuck held on until the boat settled on its side. He then began to move. He easily jumped over the side of the boat and held up his arms and called Duke. It was an easy drop to the shore for his tall frame. It was less than a 3 foot drop for him. His canine partner jumped without any extra encouragement right into his arms. He caught the heavy muscular dog with ease and set him on the ground. He gave him a quick reassuring pat. “Your okay buddy.” He gave one last pet down the back. “Guard Duke” He had Duke guard his back as he turned to help others off the boat.

Javi watched as Chuck went right over the rail and dropped to the beach. He was impressed when Duke leaped right over the rail into his outstretched arms. They really were an exceptional canine pairing. He went towards Chuck. “Oy mate. I need a hand with Tanwha. I think she has a concussion.” He waited until Chuck was in position and then carefully handed the woman down to Chuck. He almost fell over the railing trying to pass her to him. Chuck seemed to take her weight easily as she reached his outstretched arms. He then followed her over the rail. He would leave Chuck who was much taller and stronger to help get others off the boat. Javi sat Tahlia down and began to check over her injuries. He could feel a huge lump on her head with the cut in the middle of it. When he checked her out one of her pupils was dilated and the other was fine. She definitely had all the telltale signs of a concussion.

He asked Tahlia “How are you doing? How do you feel?”

Tahlia was feeling sick to her stomach and she had the world’s worst headache. She did her best to cooperate with Javi and Chuck but was aware that she was woozy and uncoordinated as hell. She hated feeling this way. She was a strong independent badass woman warrior not a weakling that needed protection. Her stomach dropped as she was handed over the rail to Chuck. She found herself sitting on the beach and looking up into Javi’s rugged face. “My head hurts, I have an upset stomach, and my butt is cold.”

Javi was grateful to see some color return to her face and to hear her snark return. He was really worried about her. He told her to stay put as he went to help Chuck with others coming down off the boat. He wanted Sophie to check out Tahlia before they headed to the airport.

Sophie was one of the first people off the boat. Chuck helped her down to the beach with Javi who told her he thought Tahlia had a concussion. She went quickly to check her out. She definitely had a concussion. She didn’t know how bad though. She could give her some meds to help her out till they were safe. She gave her a shot of pain killers and something for the nausea.

Tahlia found herself at Sophie’s ministering hands. She breathed a sigh of relief as the drugs she gave her helped take away the edge of the pain and she no longer felt like she was going to throw up her toenails. “Thanks Sophie.” Her head cleared a little and she was able to think again. She then found herself being hauled to her feet by Skye. “Hey Boss.”

With a gentle hop, Skye dropped down, offering a hand to Tahlia to help out Chuck, before clambering down from the rocks and up the beach, towards the southern perimeter road of the runway on the isthmus.

"Fuck me." Skye could only exclaim, sarky and cold as ever, Tahlia shaking her head in response.

"I think you really shouldn't say that when you've killed your doppelganger twice in one day." Tahlia's dry, dark and deeply spirited response got a cackle from Skye, that weird bond between the two hitting so hard when she was at the bottom of her barrel, shaking her head as she looked back.

"Yeah....shame to lose home. Fuck, I'll miss it, weirdly. You holding up okay?" Skye enquired, the prosthetics of Tahlia clacking back, with her giving a quiet nod. She was feeling pretty weary with everything, and right now, didn't have a proper reaction for all that had happened. For now, she awaited Skye's response, as the team bundled down and off the boat, the Scot having some idea of what to do, from the memorized contingency plan. Chaos would brief the team on it, but Skye already knew it internally.

Tahlia shook her head “I am fighting a concussion and feel wobbly. I will pull my weight and pull through though.” Tahlia looked at Skye and she could see that Skye was feeling about as bad as she was. “How are you holding up boss?”

Skye shook her head, not feeling great herself, but well, not wanting to admit all of it.
“Well, not great. But I’ll live. Probably.” Skye replied, shrugging her shoulders, the exo active again and able to carry her weight, and her weaponry once more, as she clambered down, and started to round the team up as they came down, the support team, any remaining guards, and with that, directing them towards the airport.

Tahlia nodded as she gained her feet and was feeling better. She was able to move better. “Right let’s get to safety first.” She moved in the direction that Skye indicated. She was feeling not a 100% but functional again thanks to Sophie. She raised her gun and scope to her eye and began to look into the distance at the airport not far from the beach. “I don’t see anything other than the standard security you would expect at an airport.” Her scope moved slowly over the airport a few hundred yards from the beach.

Chuck had helped everyone off the boat. He gathered up the guards and got into a loose formation headed towards the airport. Skye was in the middle with Tahlia and Javi. He moved up to take point. “Boomer has point.” He spoke over the comms and moved to the front to act as recon and to take hits away from the team. As a heavy, his armor could take it and they were not exactly going for stealth. He used hand signals to direct the extra guards. He had the extras on the outside of the team. Frigga and Nord was covering the rear of their formation as they moved out. They moved quickly but were not sprinting. Chuck simply tore through the chain link fence. It was no match for his strength, especially augmented by his suit. The team was quickly moving across the ground inside the airport perimeter headed towards the outbuildings off the tarmac.

The team followed fire and safety protocols as they moved quickly through the airport. They could see airport security guards were nervous about them but following the orders to let them through. They were not happy about it. The team made it to the plane without any further incidents.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Kaitiaki Homestead, Raven HQ

Leaving HQ

Chaos had managed to take out the two MIGs but they had drawn her pretty far from base. She checked how much fuel and ammo she had left. She had turned back towards the base. She had managed to clear the threats that could stop the boat from taking off towards safety. There were still Artemis naval assets in the area but they didn’t have long range missiles. They could get more troops ashore but not before her team got off the island. She prayed that everyone had made it to the boat. She had not gotten any updates from Chuck since he let her know that Frigga and Queen had not made it to the boat yet. Her thoughts going to a dark place where she lost family once again after finding them. The negative dark spiral of thoughts broken by Bob’s voice. “There are two F-18s inbound and while their transponders say they are US military jets, comms intercepted by Oracle make them to be Artemis assets. They are on an intercept course trying to stay below radar. Time to intercept is 15 minutes.” Samantha hit her afterburners as she moved to intercept the F-18s. They were fast enough and had enough firepower to blow that boat and her entire team sky high.

Samantha gritted her teeth. The MIGs had been a diversionary tactic to pull her out of position to support the escape boat. The pilots had been skilled but were nowhere close to her level of skill She breathed a sigh of relief as Tahlia reported that the escape boat was moving out with the remainder of the team on board. Javi was driving the boat. That left Samantha a little confused but whatever works. Oracle gave her an update on the escape plan. “Oracle they will be coming in hot if I can’t intercept these two F-18s.” Chaos focused on flying as Bob monitored sensors, comms traffic, and telemetry to keep her apprised of what was happening. “Chaos to Raven Squad. Be advised we have two inbound F-18s that appear friendly but comm chatter makes them Artemis assets. I am out of position and on my way back. Prepare any sea to air defense you can. Oracle has sent escape plan details. Get to those coordinates and head directly there. Beach the boat and don’t head for a dock. Get to that damn airfield as fast as possible.”

Chaos tried to stay loose and ready as the minutes ticked away. The escape boat was well away from the island and headed towards Wellington. Artemis’s naval assets were pursuing but her team had a great lead. Javi seemed to be making the most of the speed he could coax from the boat. They were about two thirds of the way to Wellington when the two F-18s made a pass at strafing boat and dropping missiles. She saw the missiles exploding before they could reach the boat. The boat had a single SAM unit with four missiles. The fighter pilots used chaf to escape the missiles. She hoped everyone on board was okay. She had finally managed to intercept them. The dog fight was fierce but over quickly. She called down to the boat. “Chaos will escort you in. Skies are clear for now.”

Chaos knew they had another issue. She would need to fly air cover for the cargo plane and she was low on fuel and ammo. She would need to get her bird refueled but she wasn’t sure if they would have any ammo for it. She got on the line to Oracle. “Oracle I will need to refuel at Wellington. I am almost out of ammo. Any chance of getting ammo replaced quickly?” Oracle acknowledged her request and said they would work on it. She could at least get fuel. She looked at her remaining ammo and winced. She only had one missile left and no chaf. She still had ammo for her cannon but if it was her primary weapon she was going to be in a world of hurt if they sent a deluge of assets after them. She covered the team as they made their way to the runway. She landed the jet and taxied over to the waiting fuel truck. The guys on the ground quickly got to work to refuel the jet as fast as possible. By the time the team had made it to the plane. She had been refueled and was taking off in front of the heavy cargo plane. She hoped those friendly assets made all the difference. She had to keep her head in the game. The team wasn’t safe yet.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Hidden Escape Boat Docks

Boomer takes command of the boat

Chuck knew the shit had finally hit the fan. He had just come back from a balls to the walls op in Columbia to disarming a bomb hidden in the sofa in Raven Squad’s lounge room. It had been nonstop action and fighting since. He had no clue what was going on. He knew he would find out the details later. His training had kicked in and the name of the game was to survive to ask questions later. He had thinned out Artemis soldiers at the beach and on the dock before Samantha had taken out the pier with a drone. He had then made it back to the Land Rover and he, Javi, Samantha, Tahlia, and Duke fought their way towards the hidden airfield. They had made it and were piling out of the Land Rover when Samantha began to give them orders. Chuck knew that tone of voice and noticed the focused intent in Samantha’s eyes. For a second he thought she planned to die to get them all out in some kind of stupid hero moment thinking only she could save the day. He relaxed as she explained she was going to take the fighter jet on the runway up to provide air support. That he could get behind. He didn’t question her giving him orders. He shrugged that would have been the role he assigned himself anyway. He called Duke and gave him a quick and reassuring pet and rub taking the time to check in with his canine.

Chuck had Duke take the lead. “Search Duke.” He sent Duke ahead of the group to search out hidden enemies. Duke would find hidden soldiers easier than he could. He followed along behind Duke, his carbine held easily and casually pointed down, his hands relaxed on the gun. He followed after Duke his head swiveling from side to side watching potential ambush points and for enemies. Chuck’s attention was caught by Duke’s body language. Duke went still and tense. His head turned and his ears twitched. Chuck knew Duke well enough to know he heard something. Chuck motioned to Tahlia and Javi to pause with an upheld palm motioning them to stop. He held his finger to his mouth for silence. He moved quickly towards Duke. He had slunk into a lower posture and was moving forward. Chuck moved in a bent knee low crouch that looked awkward but allowed him to move quickly and provide a stable firing position so that he had a better chance to hit his targets. Duke was crawling on his belly now as he approached the side of the hanger opening.

Chuck could hear it now that he was closer. “Squad 421 reporting a hidden dock with a large fishing boat.” There was a pause and a barely audible reply mumbled over a radio. “Orders confirmed by Squad 421 destroy the boat.” Chuck felt that extra dump of adrenaline hit his system as his heart sped up. He turned back to look at Javi and held up a hand flashing 4 fingers. Most fireteams had at least 4 members. Hopefully Javi and Tahlia would interpret that appropriately. He almost laughed when Tahlia grabbed Javi and began pulling him towards to hanger wall and some crates there. Chuck moved quickly to take the lead and dashed around the edge of the wall and began firing his carbine. Duke moved with him and took out the man that had moved at him from the side. Duke leapt and his jaws went for the man’s throat. The man’s gun went off as he hit the ground but Duke’s body had forced it away from him. The shot went wide. Chuck took some hits to his armor but it was lower caliber guns. The bullets pinged off his armor. The men were down in seconds. He moved to back up Duke but the man’s eyes were already glazing over. He looked at Duke and gave him the command to release the man.
“Boomer to Raven Squad. Artemis knows about the boat. We need to leave. They have given orders to take it out.”

He then did a quick recon on both sides of the hanger covering the hidden airstrip. He then jogged back to where he had left Javi and Tahlia. “Its clear. Let’s get to the docks.” He motioned them to move out. He again took point and made a point of guarding them as they moved past him.

Tahlia growled at Javi as he tried to offer her assistance on the rocky path to the docks. “I don’t need help.” She swatted at his hand as he tried to grab her arm.

Javi gave her a saucy wink. “Maybe I wanted to hold your hand.” Javi loved verbally sparring with the proudful Kiwi. He knew he was taking his life into his own hands but he couldn’t seem to help himself when it came to her. He enjoyed riling her up. She turned the most delightful shades of red.

Tahlia just growled at him. “Remember I know how to use a gun and you have to sleep sometime Javi.” She gave him a sweet saccharine smile just before her prosthetic caught on a large rock and caused her to stumble. She went beet red and kept moving, not saying another word.

Chuck shook his head and let the grin take over his face. He was grateful for the faceplate in his helmet that hid his face. Tahlia would kill him if she thought he had witnessed that scene. She was a proud woman. Tahlia was like any proud warrior, they didn’t like to admit their weaknesses. Chuck could appreciate the strength of character and the struggle that her injuries had been to Tahlia. He didn’t know if he would have pulled through as well as the stoic woman. He was grateful to see that their were no more enemies hiding in the dock area.

Tahlia and Javi went up the gangplank onto the boat first. Chuck and Duke followed them up the short ramp. Chuck turned to those milling around on the deck. There were support staff he recognized like Sophie and a lot of miscellaneous guards that he didn’t.

“Tahlia, check in with the Captain of the boat and let them know the situation. Get on the comms and fill leadership in on the situation. Take Duke with you please.” He gave Tahlia a knowing look. He didn’t want Duke up here when the firing started. He couldn’t make much difference in a fire fight. He turned to Duke. “Guard Tahlia Duke.” He motioned him to go with Tahlia. Duke moved to Tahlia’s side. Tahlia gave him a dark unhappy look but nodded. She made her way to the wheelhouse to check in with the Captain.

Tahlia went into the wheelhouse on deck and was surprised to find it empty. No one had been monitoring comms. All the staff on board were support personnel. It appeared the people assigned to the boat were KIA or missing.

Chuck turned his attention to Javi. "Javi, go check in with the engineer and make sure the boat’s engines are on and we are ready to pull out as soon as the others get here.”

Chuck watched as Javi made his way to the ladder below decks before turning his attention to the rest of the people on deck. “If you are not prepared to be part of combat then get below decks and out of the way of bullets. Artemis has been told about the boat. We are expecting incoming. If you have weapons and want to help in the defense, move towards the bow.” He pointed to the relevant direction.

Javi made his way down the ladder below decks. He found the engine room and it was empty. He sighed and began priming and warming the engine. That way they could take off as soon as everyone was onboard. Contrary to popular belief, boat engines were not exactly like a car. There was a longer process to get everything up and running with this type of boat. After he primed the engine, he had to push a button to get rid of the excess fumes so they didn't blow the boat up. Then he could start the engine. It was an old boat but well maintained. He gave a satisfied smile as it roared to life and began to warm up. It settled down into an idling purr.

Chuck managed to get people moving and organized. Noncombatants were moving below decks and would not hinder firing lines now. He turned to the volunteers. “I want you to spread out and keep your eyes open. Call out threats as you see them. Keep your eyes on your arc and trust the person next to you to do the same. We all need to be watching for attacks from the air, sea, and ground.” He waited and watched as people moved into position. They now had people stationed along the edge of the boat, heads moving watching for incoming fire and enemies. It was the best they could do with what they had.

While Tahlia was debating what to do. She had been joined by Sophie and Rafael. They filled her in on what had happened with them. She shared what she knew of the situation with them. Now they were all up to speed. Tahlia did not have enough knowledge about boats to drive this one. She sighed knowing she was going to regret this. "Javi, I need you to come up to the wheelhouse when you are done in the engine room."

Javi cursed a blue streak wondering what was going on now after he received Tahlia's message. "I am on my way." He left the engine warming up and climbed back up to the main deck. He noticed that Chuck had managed to sort everyone and that his helpers were scanning for attack and prepared to repel boarders. He ducked into the wheelhouse to find Tahlia in there with Sophie and Rafael. "What's gone wrong now Tahlia?"

Tahlia looked at him with her hands on her hips. "You need to drive the boat." She pointed to the main console that looked the dash of a jet plane with levers, wheels, buttons, and lights everywhere.

Javi gave her a look filled with disbelief. "What do you mean I need to drive the boat? Don't we have a team dedicated to manning the boat?" Javi's head turned as he looked at Tahlia, then Rafael, and finally Sophie who were all shaking their head at him.

"They either didn't make it or were killed in action. None of us know how to drive the boat. That means your it. Congratulations, Captain. Don't let it go to your head. Now shut up and get over here."

Javi stared at Tahlia as his jaw dropped in surprise. He blinked at her for a moment in shock. He finally closed his mouth and grinned at her as his typical swagger and male machismo attitude reasserted itself."Well Tahlia, I must admit. I never thought you would allow me to give you orders." He began to walk towards the controls and look them over. He knew how to drive the boat. He maintained on it. He had taken it out to ensure it was well maintained and that upgrades worked. He could feel Tahlia's glare as ice running down his back. He was going to pay for that remark later. He just knew it.

Chuck now waited anxiously. He hoped the rest of the team was doing alright. He still had not seen Frigga, Queen, or Tiny Nord. His eyes widened when he heard Samantha’s report that the boat was being targeted by missiles. “Chaos be advised, boat is still docked and waiting for Queen, Frigga, and Tiny Nord.” Chuck began scanning the skies above the boat. He watched as Chaos seemed to magically show up in the nick of time to take out the missiles headed towards him. “I need a beer and a vacation.” He grumbled to himself.

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Chaos In Flight

The F35 jet that Samantha was flying was way faster than the gunship helicopters that had been the primary wave dropping troops off onto the island. Flying a helicopter is a completely different style to flying a jet. A helicopter moves slower and is a more stable platform for guns and dropping down to drop off troops and lift off again. Jets are fast and more maneuverable once in the air. They might need more space to take off and land but once in the air they can do things a helicopter can’t. This disparity had allowed her to dominate the skies as she took out one helicopter after another. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. She could strafe the whole line with her heavy 30MM cannons. She wanted to save her air to air and air to ground missiles for when she really needed them. This modified bird managed to carry more missiles than a standard model but only because someone had miniaturized the missiles making them lighter and smaller but still just as effective. She still only had so many missiles. The number of aircraft she needed to take out was staggering. Artemis had thought to overwhelm them with numbers in a shock and awe campaign. The sad part was it was working. They only had so many assets they could throw at them to stop them. This was a war of attrition. It didn’t matter how good your people were if they ran out of ammo to put in the weapons.

The drones had managed to thin out the initial wave of incoming enemy vehicles. This helped to create the break in the fighting so that the support personnel could reach the small naval cutter masquerading as a fishing boat. They would have been in trouble if she had not prepared her drone cache protocol as a backup to the base’s defenses. She had simply told Tahlia what materials she had wanted. She had not told her what they were for. Skye had trusted her and approved the materials order. She probably thought Sam was building another AI system or trying to improve the one she had. She had developed and built AI systems for the suits she had upgraded such as Chuck’s. Samantha had built hidden caches all over the island that were fiberglass shells that housed the drones and their charging systems. They were camouflaged and designed to blend into the environment. Small solar panels shunted enough power to the drones to keep them charged. When the base alarm triggered it had triggered the protocols to release the drones. The drones were programmed to attack any vehicle or aircraft that was not registering as belonging to Raven Squad. Samantha had worked with Javi to develop a special paint that would designate Raven Squad aircraft and vehicles. The smaller drones were packed with explosives and programmed to magnetically lock to the targeted vehicle and set off their payload. There had been a hundred drones that had taken out boats, armored vehicles, and numerous troop carrying helicopters and gunships. Without that help, Raven Squad would have already been overrun.

Samantha had ensured that the bases SAM’s (surface to air missile launchers) couldn’t be hacked by providing them with individual AI guided tracking and guidance systems separated from the main base. She was grateful for that insight after watching the way Artemis targeted their computer control area of the base. That led to another disgusting and nasty thought that they knew where Raven Squad was and had enough intel to know what was on base. Had Rose infiltrated the base prior to this masquerading as Skye? That thought turned her stomach but made sense.

Samantha pushed those thoughts away and focused on her task which was getting her friends and family off this base. Her eyes narrowed as she slipped into the zone. She pulled the F35 around and started another attack run on a row of incoming gunships. She fired the 30MM autocannons and strafed their V line formation as she screeched by at high speed. She pulled up and around and was satisfied to see explosions and helicopters dropping from the sky. Samantha’s attention was caught by Bob as he told her “Chaos the support ships out at sea are firing missiles. Projected target is the hidden airfield. Your take off revealed it.” Samantha cursed and called out over coms “Raven Squad incoming missiles targeting the airfield. Move your asses!” She flew to intercept the missiles. “Bob target the missiles with autocannon targeting and chaf. Let’s see if we can pull those missiles off course.” Samantha didn’t have long to wait. They managed to take out the two missiles targeting the hidden airfield. She pulled the jet around and started a run on the ship that had fired.

Samantha seemed to merge with the AI and the high speed plane she was flying as she wove the plane around the incoming fire from other support ships as she targeted the ones firing missiles. She targeted them with the air to surface missiles. Her aircraft screamed past the ships their fire failing to be fast enough to catch her. She pulled around as a pair of MIG fighter jets fell in behind her. She was suddenly on the defensive. Dodging right and left. She dove and then pulled up in a hard barrel roll. The MIGs flew by underneath her as she pulled around. The Gs she was pulling would have caused her to black out if she had not hooked into the onboard oxygen system designed to integrate with her suit. She noticed the new gel ballistic padding she had added helped her tolerate the Gs better. She just smiled as her pulled the trigger and watched the guided missiles find their marks. She pulled back around and headed back towards the island. The firefight had taken her away from the island.