Futuristic R E S O N A T O R . Schrödinger's Gambit (IC)

[Lekiel]

01

Our Story

Code by Serobliss / Vanity#8119

Re:SG

In-Character

Discord: Link

 

[Lekiel]

Yurica Aeterna, Galvode Agent

The Schrödinger Barriers glimmered like an ephemeral firmament. Climate regulation had been reduced to the essentials in order to conserve power. Where once there would be an artificial sky, you could now see the iridescent bubble of the forcefield at work. Fragile, as if a mere pin drop would pop it. Beyond, where just a decade ago there would be a limitless sky, now painful reminders of their folly and hubris. Long jagged tears with pulsing nebulous blackened vermillion like that of oxidised blood. It bled and peeled, glitching into the stygian oblivion.

The heavens mocked them.

For even as they fought tooth and nail to hold the petty little ground they claimed as their home, their very world was dying. A thousand pounds each second perhaps, lost into the unfathomable unknown.

They had been so close, the combined forces of humanity spearheaded by the RCL, pushed back against the realm devourers until there were at the point where it all began. The seed of all brokenness. A Fractelum Megalith had been under their control. So close. But it all crumbled before they even crested over the euphoria of their hollow victory. Mayhap they hadn’t been close at all.

It was cruel. So very cruel. If anything, humanity’s resistance seemed more like a death rattle than a rousing roar of defiance against annihilation. Was there ever a point in it all? It might’ve been better to just lie down with arms spread wide and welcome the Shattered Heavens.

one : claNdestine Meetings​

IRA scans indicate that the subject suffered from severe blunt force and penetrative trauma on multiple locations throughout the body. . . both cerebral hemispheres indicate major haemorrhaging. . . loss of grey matter. . .Yurica. . . Further scans indicate a systemic multiple organ failure had occurred for. . . length of time. . . kidney and liver functions currently suboptimal. . . Specialist Yurica. . .identified. . .gradually increasing dissonance. . .under control but by all accounts, the patient shouldn’t even be alive, let alone breathing. . . traces of necrotic tissue has been detected on all major organs. . . nonetheless, a clear sign of stem cell aggregation has been detected..-

“Specialist Yurica.”

She jerked awake, breath ragged and bleary eyes blinking in an effort to make out the shadowed and darkened walls that surrounded her. The whispers of an echoing dream quickly fading into the vestiges of her mind. Through the gaps of the curtained panel windows, shafts of sombre greylight streaked down to partially illuminate the figure lying comatose on the soft bedding before her. The steady beep of various life-support units and machinations the only indication that the figure yet lived.

Tess. . .

Nightingale gently squeezed the cold hands of her sister as she gathered herself to her feet, stretching out her stiff joints from bad sleeping posture. She wasn’t even supposed to fall asleep now, the last mission must’ve worn her out more than anticipated.

“It is time.” The voice that had roused her sounded again. Abrupt but not unkind.

Finally turning to regard the dark-haired Edenis in RCL uniform standing by the open door of the military hospital room, Yurica nodded her gratitude for her comrade’s understanding. Noticing the time, she realised she must’ve stood there to let her rest for quite a bit.

“Thank you- I’ll be right out.” Her alto voice was soft but clear, like a warm breeze at the start of autumn from a time most of the world must’ve forgotten.

The agent gathered her belongings before bidding her sister farewell with a lingering kiss on the forehead.

When Yurica appeared by the doorway ready to head for the briefing, her crimson eyes glistened. Though not a tear was shed, her heart wept. Not in despair, but for the fact that somehow she had a feeling Tersola would one day wake only to find that she was all alone.

◇ ◇ ◇​

It took far too long to find the warehouse, but clearly, it was a necessary measure given the circumstances. The directions on her communicator dropped in one by one, only receiving the next when she’d arrived at the stated location. Fourth alley on the right, third door down, through the kitchen, second store room, lock the door, up the ventilation shaft, left left right left. On and on it went until she stood before a dilapidated door on the mezzanine floor of an old abandoned ammunition warehouse. It was presumably the erstwhile foreman’s office, when the space was still in use. Despite the obvious neglect, the office was closed off pretty well. She’d tried to peek through the windows that overlooked the open space on the way up, but it was well boarded with yellowed paper pasted on the glass in between cracks.

A gloved hand reached up to rap on the door but it immediately opened with a hiss. Yurica paused for a moment before turning her head to the side to regard a dusty security camera at the far end of the hall. She stared straight at it with a bit of a smirk painting her lips before heading in.

“Took you long enough,” a cheery voice chimed in as Yurica rounded around the last corner of boxes and old machinery and finally came face to face with the only part in the whole warehouse that appeared well used; and by well used, it meant that it was currently occupied. A large desk setup with multiple screens showing various cameras and other computer readouts dominated the main space. It was the only source of light in the room other than the flickering blinks of servers in the corner. Seated before the desk and sipping on a flask of brownish smoothie was a lilac-haired woman dressed smartly in RCL office uniform while leaning against the table beside her with arms crossed was a large grizzled grey-haired man in a black leather jacket.

“Commander Edenbliss.” Nightingale saluted, back immediately straight but was quickly waved off by the man who was one of the few reasons FSF ANGELA was still standing. Commander Noan Edenbliss, former VECTOR pilot and the leader of the entire resistance at FSF ANGELA.

“You forgot the light on the cam outside Triella,” Yurica jabbed a thumb back over her shoulder in the rough direction of the door.

“Shit-! I knew I missed something!” The woman fumbled with her drink, quickly turning back to her screens and clicking over her keyboard.

“Four Yurica?” Edenbliss began, it was more of a statement. The agent turned towards the man and shrugged.

“We lost four Resonators—”

“It was an ambush.”

“An echo—”

“He was with the Sons.”

“I’m not blaming you Yurica—” Edenbliss slumped for a moment, index and thumb fingers pinching at his forehead as he let out a sigh, “at least it justifies all these,” he waved at their whole getup, clearly indicating that this clandestine operation was not common knowledge even among the high command.

“Oh you better be grateful, I had to carry most of it by hand, Kai barely even helped—” Triella rose in a high-pitched whine to which Edenbliss retorted. “Someone had to make sure you weren’t caught, besides we know how you get if even a small cable goes missing.”

“Did MARIA respond?” Yurica’s cool impassive reply interjected the petty squabble.

“Yes they did,” Edenbliss’ tone was immediately back to sombre business, “all is well, if a little quiet. . . damn though, we lose four resonators everytime the Node gets attacked. Hope we picked the right guys, with the extensive background checks and all.”

“Speak of the devil, head’s up chums, the party is about to arrive.” All attention turned towards the cam feeds as the first of the incoming Resonators appeared and the door promptly opened after a quick identity check.

◇ ◇ ◇Mentions: donutcry SilverFlight mizton Sharatayn seasonedcat Cresion Breezes Euclid Leaf Wilder28 Xel Juju
Pending: SirDerpingtonIV FabulousTrash

GM Notes: The time is sometime in the evening, though the only way you knew that is by the standardised clocks as power has been diverted from climate control to conserve energy on the S.Barriers, allowing all to see past the forcefield into the perpetual greylight. Regardless of what you were doing in the FSF, you suddenly received a Clearance Five (highest clearance and priority. Such messages can only be sent out by the Commander) message requesting your immediate presence followed by one directional message. The message seems to lead you in roundabout circles and only arrives after the first location is reached. By the end of it, you would’ve arrived in the secluded meeting room.

*Greylight - the state of shifting lighting that perpetually covers the post-apocalyptic land. Without the sun, light pulses in the shattered sky, bathing the land in muted pale greys, deep crimson or near-complete darkness at random timings.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

Surge

Mocking Jay

Codename: Mocking Jay

Abandoned Warehouse

The east shelter looked as cramped as ever. There were bodies just laying all along the floor, in the sheet-metal huts formed in the burrows of the overpopulated FSF ANGELA. The forward base was under quite a bit of strain as of recent times, and the rear echelon divisions were tasked with the brunt of the maintenance and distribution of supplies. Accommodating the numerous people who fled to the safeholds, Jay knew more than most, how little the RCL had left. Even to their own.

Perhaps it was the Greylight looming that night, an uncomfortable truth, that caused people to be so desperate and unruly.

"Please, form an orderly line! We need to know who has, and hasn't gotten their daily ration!" called a peach-haired Edenis.
"No pushing, please...!"

But cry as they might, their soft voice could barely stir a blade of grass.

The tall, meek Edenis headed the distribution table this evening, rabidly handing out packages in between soft greeting, as others worked the boiling ovens and stewing pots. Unlike the other staff, they were dressed in their specialized RCL uniform with plated fiber skirt. The field kitchen unfolded from the back of a RCL supply truck is mostly their handiwork. However, to save on petrol, the vehicle's engine has been converted, and needs to be behand pushed.

Even this late in the evening, the dinner line seemed to have no end. The hungry faces formed a human wave up down the narrow alleyway. People shoved and grumbled as they forced their way to the front. In the middle of the feeding frenzy, Jay noticed a small child struggling against the moving waves of people. They were covered in a small gray cloth bundle and shivered. They couldn't make it to the front as the larger adults pushed them aside.

The Edenis immediately stopped handing out the goods, and a serious look cross their ordinarily gentle face. With a sudden movement, they had already hopped over the counter. The rabbit-eared Edenis soared over and landed in the middle of the crowd near the child. Their metal heels landed one before the other, and their long black, plated dress swirled with a certain graceful elegance. Like the brisk jete performed by a seasoned ballerina.

All around, eyes watched in fear at the reveal of the RESONATER.

"Hello there." Mocking Jay asks with a smile, "Are you hungry?"
"uhuh..." they squeaked, like a little mouse.

Handing the tiny child the packaged ration, included was something special. A little pouch with a colored ribbon.
"Here, and a treat for you. Thank you for being a good child, and staying in line. Please enjoy."
A big smile appeared, and the child wrapped their hands around the tall Edenis in a big hug. "Thanks, Big Sis!"

A soft expression crossed over the gentle face of the peach-haired Edenis. A sense of pride, perhaps?
"Be good now." a hand patted the kid's scraggly head of hair, "I'll be here again. Just wave next time, okay?"

In just a blink, he had hopped back to his place at the counter. His eyes narrowed in delight as the child opened the wrap, a gasp of giggling joy on their expression from afar. Disgruntled as some of the people there were at the clear favoritism shown, they dared not speak in the face of the RESONATOR. They simply held out their hands, dozens of fingers reaching out from below for relief.

"Sorry... Hold on!"

He brushed a displaced lock of pinkish hair out of his face, grabbing another pack to hand out when his personal beeper sounded. With a quick look, a shock filled their eyes. They immediately spun around and shouted back into the rustling kitchen. A squad of field cooks were busy preparing the various meals, and overseeing the operation was an older woman. She didn't appear to be a RCL soldier, but her wrinkled face gazed across the landscape of cooking utensils and sweaty chefs as though it was a battleground.

"Ma'am. I must report a Clearance-Five."

The older woman looked at the Edenis with a narrow-eyed gaze, cocking her head from a huge metal pot of simmering rice and vegetables. She whipped the massive ladle through the thick mass as though it was a harpoon, "Huh? What is that, RCL stuff?"
Jay nodded their head, their puffy lips pursed in restrained worry.
She snapped, "What are you doing? Men shouldn't be pouting like that! Especially a soldier like you. Aren't you supposed to be an example for all of us?"
"Sorry..."
The elderly woman stepped forward and patted him on the belly. Despite being a whole foot in difference in height, the meek Edenis seemed to be the vulnerable one. "Eh, thanks for volunteering all the time... We'll survive here. I'll make sure the kids get your treats."

"Thank you...!"

Bowing, the Edenis gave a smile and gently pecked the elder cook on the cheek. They immediately stripped their service apron, hanging it on a hook by the door-flap. With a wave to the other volunteer staff, he exited the provisional truck from the other side of the alleyway.

...

The directions were given in piecemeal, but the Edenis was used to putting stray parts together. Repairing vehicles, or any type of manufactured machines, was very much a similar process, of step-by-step elimination, a formation of individuals into a whole. The difficult part was trying to find replacements for parts, should factory issued ones not be available.

He was getting a lot of this practice of 'improvising', these days.

Still, it took a while before the Edenis travelled across the base through delimitated structures, forgotten old rooms, and finally arriving somewhere within an abandoned warehouse. He remembered relocating equipment from this place months back. There was no order for it to be reused recently. The Rear Echelon would know of logistical movements within the FSF. They glanced about in confusion, their long black ears flopping as they pondered the curious situation. More importantly, this doesn't seem to be a place where a commander would hold such an important meeting.

"Is this right...?" they said in a soft voice.

But as they wandered towards the door to the taped-off office, a shining light spooked them.
"Ah...!" their hands instinctively, went to the knife at their waist. Whatever dust devil was about to lunge out at them, they would not go down with a fight. But as their eyes settled on the form, they tilted their head, their ears flopping over to the side.

An operational camera?

Then, to add to their confusion, the door slid open.
"Well, if this is an order by the commander..." they muttered, shaking their doubts and stepping in.

They walked down a short hall, calling out now in their airy voice, "H-hello? Is anyone here? I'll tell you now, I'm armed...!"
Despite the seeming threat, their shaky voice wasn't filled with an ounce of confidence.

...

Code by Serobliss

 

[SilverFlight]

Scrim

Gell Watanabe

Codename: INUGAMI

Commander Edenbliss' Office

Laughter. It sounded, grainy and worn though the little portable player Gell held in his hands.
The light from the scene illuminated his face, making it appear ghostly as he watched the scene unfold in the video:

“Is it on?”
“Gell get away from the camera, come on!”
More laughter.

There was a time when Gell hated Hachi’s bossy tone but now, he’d give anything to have it back.
“Okay guys, line up here, Gray, you stand there.”
Argos pulled them into line. They were all fourteen in this one, but Argos already had a few inches on all of them. He was broad where Gray was slight and Gell was Lanky, their hair was different lengths, their clothing in different styles, but there were all unmistakably siblings.

“Ouch! Hachi don’t pull my ear!” He heard his own voice, still squeaking slightly as it hadn’t quite dropped, it made him wince.
“Well get over there then!”
“Okay guys, quiet! Ahem. This is Argos, Gell, Hachi and Gray, the day is Tuesday, at four o clock we will be demonstrating combat routine one four eight—”
“Oh my god Gell stop!”
“You guys, I swear--we have to get this done.”
“He won’t stop making bunny ears over my head! Gell!”

The neat line of youths dissolved into laughter and chaos as Hachi tackled her brother and the feed shook with the impact on the floor. Gell yelped, breathless with mirth as his mission was accomplished: annoy the sister. Gray stood back to laugh harder, taking a video with his phone while Argos waded in to pull his two unruly siblings apart.

A knock on the panel door sounded and Gell snapped the player shut.
“Door open.” He commanded it, and the door obeyed with a soft hiss. He tried to dab the tears form the corners of his eyes as he sat up on the bed, pretending the pain was distant.
“Gell Watanabe,” He recognized the face as one of the doctors that had helped him after they had pulled him off the field. She was in charge of his psychological assessment.
“You’ve been given level 5 clearance. Report to this location as soon as you’re ready.” She handed him a holo-tab with a point emblazoned on it.

“Finally taking me off the bench huh? Well, okay then.” Gell rose. He’d packed a duffle already, not that there was much beyond standard issue. He’d seen it coming, he’d been reading the news feeds.

Out in the corridor there was a second face, the man held a vitals scanner and gave him one final check.
“You’re good to go, Inugami.”
The name felt like a cold needle in his heart. It only served to remind him that he was no longer Sirius 2.
He replied with a broad grin and a roguish salute before he started on his way.


The pair of doctors watched him go. The woman adjusted her glasses with a worried expression.
“We’re not really going to send him back there…are we?”
The man pressed his lips. “Not if we had a choice.”

~~~

The warehouse loomed in front of Gell, illuminated in the bleached, white light from the barrier. It always reminded Gell of staring at a blank screen.
The warehouse looked as grim and inconspicuous as he imagined. Nooobody was going to assume anything important was happening here.
“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” He muttered to himself before going inside.

After a long set of directions down the labyrinthine path, Gell emerged to see a figure, standing at an open door. His ears gave him away as Edenis, and then he spoke:
“H-hello? Is anyone here? I'll tell you now, I'm armed...!”

Gell gave a half smile, he was in the right place then. He answered gently:
“They’re probably armed too.” He said by way of announcing his presence.

“Don’t shoot, no worries, my name’s Gell. I think we’re on the same team.”

Code by Serobliss

Euclid Leaf Lekiel

 

[Juju]

Scrim / Handler

Brigitte Lefèvre

Codename: JUBILEE

Sussy Office

The world was suspended around her in perfect stillness, the streets left bare as everything that had once filled them now drifted weightlessly in the watery void. Trash, people, the meaningless detritus of a dead world. One by one the once countless city lights fizzled out like tiny bubbles. The city had drowned. ​

​

She looked up to where the greylight sky should be, but there was nothing left but darkness. It wasn't the sky. The real sky peeked in from the far off horizon, outlining a great shape that only seemed to grow and grow to impossible size. Then it began to sing. ​

The song ended with an abrupt beep.

Brigitte woke up gracelessly, lifting her head off the desk with bleary eyes and sore shoulders. She rubbed her neck, trying to loosen the pain that had settled there. How long had she been asleep? Brigitte glanced at the clock at the edge of her desk. A few hours... what a waste! She had hoped to run a few more trials before the end of the day.

The lab was quiet, dark and empty of its usual activity. The others must have left long ago.

"Guess I'll make up for lost time later tonight. I can catch up on sleep tomorrow." Brigitte lied to herself while she searched out the source of the beep, leading her deep in her coat pocket. Her personal pager had once again summoned her, and this time it seemed rather urgent. "Clearance Five huh? I guess the trials will have to wait."

Brigitte stood up and stretched, yawning. She had half the mind to make a coffee, but the cold, half-full mug on her desk would have to do for now. It wasn't really coffee, but it was close enough in these times. As long as it got the job done, it didn't matter. She chugged it while putting away the papers on her desk, shoved her arms into her coat, then hurried out the lab door.

It was fun puzzling out the meeting spot, and that combined with the walk did well to wake up Brigitte's sleepy mind. The sky above her was a lovely shade of bloody mauve, which only further put her in a chipper mood. It was much better than the nasty grey they had this morning. She knew a few researchers who tried to figure out a pattern for the greylight, like some end-time meteorologists, but Brigitte didn't remember them finding any conclusions. She wondered if they ever would. Sometimes things didn't have a rhyme or reason to them. Sometimes things simply were.

After the leisurely treasure hunt, Brigitte finally arrived at the location. She was quick to note the various cameras and windows plastered with assorted papers and clicked her tongue.

"Oh, I simply love meetings that begin like this!" Brigitte hummed with a smile.

Now that she was closer, she saw that she was not the first to arrive. Standing in front of her was a very tall lady wearing a dashing skirt and outfit. Very chic! As if she couldn't get cuter, she was armed with fluffy peach hair and a pair of ears. Brigitte probably would have been tempted to touch them if the lady wasn't so tall.

She overheard the conversation about being armed and couldn't help but giggle. "Ah, you seem a little jumpy! Oh, it's the backdrop isn't it? Well, if it makes you feel any better this is actually one of the better "discreet meeting" spots I've been to! Honestly, I find it charmingly quaint. Warehouses are a classic!"

"Dear me, where have my manners gone?" Brigitte laughed lightly and extended a hand for both of them to shake, "My name is Brigitte! Hello! Hmm, considering you're here... I'd guess you're both resonators as well, no? I don't believe we've met. What's your names?"

Euclid Leaf SilverFlight Lekiel

 

[Xel]

Rika SolariCity Sidewalk

The diminutive woman made her way through the crowded streets of the city. An FSF was always a bustling hive of activity but with the crowded nature it was downright stifling. Her hands were tucked away in the pockets of her jacket. Headphones adorned her head as music of a bygone era played through her ears. It had been four months now. Four very long months. And yet the base was as full to bursting as it ever was. The woman kept her eyes forward as she walked, ignoring all the barely organized chaos around her. Soldiers went to and fro, refugees huddled about. A far cry from Himari that was for sure. Just the thought brought a small sigh from her lips. But that sigh was quickly thrown loose by a shake of her head. The one thing keeping her going was keeping those dark thoughts very firmly buried down in the deepest depths of her mind. Only ever to surface when she allowed it and controlled it.

Fortunately to aid her in her endeavors was the familiar beep of a message. Curious she pulled the device from her pocket and looked down in confusion. This was a mistake, right? She quickly looked around sure to see men scrambling. Any alert important enough to come from the Commander would surely go out to the entire FSF, right? Yet nothing was different. A rabbit feeding refugees. Some soldiers marching along. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Looking back down at the device she stared silently at it for a few moments. "This has got to be a trap...." A message supposedly sent by the Commander with only a single instruction?

She let out a slight groan. "Fine, fine, whatever." She spoke to herself as she adjusted her route to the whims of the device. Every time she arrived a new line would appear leading her somewhere else. The further into this little hunt she got the more she was certain this had to be a trap. The Sons won, they weren't defeated, they were still out there. With all these refugees and foreign soldiers flooding into Angela it wouldn't be that hard to slip in some agents to sow chaos. It wasn't until she came upon the abandoned warehouse that her heart began pounding. Yeah. This was a trap. And she didn't have her gear. Rika took a few moments to look up at the dilapidated appearance of the structure. After a few moments her brows furrowed as she glared up at the building with a defiant fire in her eyes. "If they want a fight then I'll give 'em one!" She pepped herself up as she stormed forward. She didn't need her gear to tear them apart, and better to take them out now than risk them going after someone else, or worse.

She couldn't afford to tip her hand, not yet, and so she continued to follow along with the instructions. Through the door, up the stairs, down the hallway. The warehouse didn't have much internal space not allocated to storage so it didn't take her long to near her destination. But as she did, she noticed a pair already standing outside. Guards? Falling back on her expertise in stealth she crept silently forward before plastering herself against the wall and peeking around the corner. So that's how it was. Lure in lone Resonators, take them out, widdle down the Legion a little more. Too bad for them they decided to start their antics with her. Just as she was about to charge out and engage the enemy a third figure approached. But, more importantly, she received another line of instruction ordering her to be nice with the rest of them. Her head quickly swiveled, her eyes darting around in search of where the cameras were. She was obviously already being watched, yet the trio at the door didn't do anything. Maybe this WAS actually just a meeting...? With recent events it would make sense to be discreet....

Well, nothing ventured nothing gained. And so she pressed ever onward. But any hostility she held mere moments ago seemed entirely absent as she leisurely strolled forward. Arriving just in term to give one of the girls an answer she didn't ask for. "Name's Rika. Rika Solari. Nice to meet you." Her voice casually echoed from behind Brigitte. A warm smile on the tiny sniper's face as she announced her presence. Though her eyes were very keenly surveying not only the trio before her, but the room in which they found themselves, and the others still further inside.

Creepy Warehouse
Interactions: Juju SilverFlight Euclid Leaf Lekiel

 

[Lekiel]

Yurica Aeterna, Galvode Agent

A light burst of static interrupted the little reunion party happening just outside the meeting room, followed by a quick talking high pitched voice from an unseen speaker. The voice was barely audible and carried the weight of distance, as if the speaker was not speaking directly into the microphone.

"-cking ridiculous, would you look at that! I'm a hundred percent sure my last instruction was to enter the damned doors. They've formed a little gaggle exchanging makeup tips! These are the kind of people you both painstakingly found? What?? I'm not judging-"

"You're online Triella,"

"wha-" static followed by the sound of an adjusting microphone "*ahem* Mocking Jay, Inugami, Jubilee and Shade. Please enter the room and report for duty immediately."

Crimson eyes watched as the four early arrivals made their presence known before the commander. Whatever thoughts crossed her mind as Yurica regarded each of them lay concealed beneath her austere facade.

They had been pressed for time, but between her and the Commander, they had done their best to shortlist the candidates for the mission. Some were fairly easy picks, Gell Watanabe erstwhile Sirius 2 and Mocking Jay were of that lot. Rika Solari too. Victims of tragedy like most of them, bound in creed by their pain. Faithful in being defenders of the weak, or perhaps in seeking vengeance for the fallen.

Then there was Brigitte. Of all of them, even among those yet to arrive, her profile harboured the most uncertainty. Edenbliss had been doubtful and to be frank, so was she. The fascination the Scrim had for Splinters was too obvious, and on a very cursory glance a potential hallmark for Pythagorasian fanaticism. Nonetheless, further observation evidenced a blank slate of objectivity and genuine scientific curiosity, rather than cultist tendencies. In the end, both agreed that her knowledge would be invaluable, though they'd need to keep an eye on the woman lest she peer too deep into the abyss.

Nightingale acknowledged each of them with a nod of her head before turning to wait for the rest.

◇ ◇ ◇Mentions: SilverFlight Euclid Leaf Xel Juju

GM Notes: Just a filler post.

 

[Sharatayn]

ZeresveilAtunity Edenis

The hiss of a boiling pot, the constant dripping of a liquid into another, the subtle roar of a Bunsen burner. That was her everyday melody, the makeshift lab she managed to sneak into her room allowing her to entertain herself during the dull moments of life at the Fortress. This time, she was trying to figure out just how potable the drinking water they were giving the refugees actually was, documenting every step of the way. If she found even the slightest mistake, and brought it up to the authorities, maybe then they'll finally let her get a proper lab inside-whoops. Almost forgot to put the indicator on the solution. What a blunder!
No worries, though. Simply pour the spoonful and-YOU HAVE RECEIVED A NEW MESSAGE. PLEASE VIEW IT ON YOUR MOBILE.
'Oh, what now?' With a sigh, the Edenis turned off the burner, extinguishing the flame; there was no reason to waste gas if it was so urgent. Lazily, she picked up her phone, reading the incoming message. Hum. Hum hum hum. Clearance level five? Well this was new. She'd been in the Angela for some years now, and short of basic training, she hadn't heard of that level...at all, really. Frankly, she thought it would never be her problem, the kind of thing that she would never have to worry about. She was certainly proven wrong, though...
Well, that's that! No reason to let the o mighty commander wait on her, yes? Thankfully she kept her equipment always charged, just in case. After strapping the heavy tank on her back, making sure all attachments were safely, well, attached, she left her room, locked the door, and looked back at her phone. Now, where did she have to go with such urgency?
...the janitor's closet.
"Man..."

Thankfully, her duty did not lie next to the hover-mop 3000, but through the side door that led onto the emergency staircase (access for the janitor to clean it...maybe.) From there, message after message would come in, having her run through metaphorical (and almost physical) hoops to reach her destination. Reach the roof, take a maintenance ladder down onto the street, walk a couple feet, take the alleyway...gosh, was there a need to go this far? Why bother sending a clearance level FIVE if she had to act like she was being followed by an extremely directionally challenged person? I mean, there's no way all this running around could be actually useful, right? Ahw well...a bit of extra exercise, sure, why not.
By the time she reached the assigned location, a rose was being spun around in her gloved hands, as Vulpes wondered if she would be able to get it back to her room in one piece. She bought it for testing purposes, of course. It's not like she felt bad for the guy selling them. Well, circulating a bit of currency wasn't bad, either. Hum. Right, the very abandoned-looking meeting point. With a pep in her step, and a smile as fake as the leather half her outfit was made of, Vulpes walked into the command room. If...it could be called that. She wasn't the tidiest, for sure, but even her impromptu bedroom lab was a bit better organized than this place. Ah, whatever. Orders were orders. Maybe something fun would finally take place.
"He-llooooo~" Fixing her smile to be more believable, she walked into full view of the rest of her soon-to-be allies, as well as her boss...es. "Atunity Resonance, Vulpes, here for the uh...call? Hum. Yeah, I'm here." That she was.

Mentions | Lekiel SilverFlight Euclid Leaf Xel Juju

 

[Wilder28]

Surge

Damien Harte

Codename: QUIETUS

Mentions: Lekiel Euclid Leaf Juju SilverFlight Xel Sharatayn

The Commander's Office

"... Alright, there we go. Fucking finally."

Damien's mutterings met no ears but his own, punctuated by sounds of mechanical clicking and clattering that faded into the confines of his room. As per usual, it was just him; he didn't like having others around when he was working on his equipment... or in general, really. His space was his and his alone, and with how crowded Angela seemed to be these days, it seemed all the more important that he take advantage of whatever privacy he could get.

In this case, he'd been using it to make some repairs. His last encounter with a Corruptant - a byproduct of a minor operation that he'd been sent on a couple of days ago - had left him down two explosives, a knife, and a few segments of Incendium. The latter he'd managed to replace just yesterday, and after a few hours of working, he was just now finishing up on the bombs as well. Seeing the last few pieces fall into place, he couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction that welled up a little within him. He did take a moment to inspect it, but it wasn't long before he could finally conclude that he was once again ready for business.

And not a second too soon, either, because literally the very next second, the sound of a very familiar beeping caught his attention. In that instant, his eyes went straight from the device in his hand to the pager that sat on the surface of his desk. It was clear to him what was happening: He was getting a message.

"Already? Damn."

While it wasn't unheard of to be summoned twice in quick succession - especially for someone like him, who tended to be pretty active on the field - it was a bit unusual. Not that it was a problem or anything, since it was a pretty well-known fact that Resonators had no trouble recovering from most injuries; but typically when this happened, it indicated something a bit more urgent than normal. Either they wanted him specifically for something, or they were running short on people to call on in general.

Whichever it was, he supposed he didn't really care. He was still in tip-top shape, as far as he could tell, and now that he was completely restocked, he was pretty much set for another mission anyway. It just happened to come sooner than he'd expected.

He took a moment to put his bombs away before picking up his pager. Almost disk-shaped, they were made to stick to walls and over surfaces when deployed; and for storage purposes, they also fit pretty well on his utility belt, which he donned shortly before attaching them. Where there was previously just one of the devices, there was now a full trio, completing the set.

When that was done, he then reached out and grabbed the pager off his table, taking a closer look at the screen so he could see what this was about. His brows shot up when he saw what it read.

"Clearance Five?" He murmured aloud. "Holy shit." He knew what that meant, of course, but he'd never actually thought he'd receive a message like this unless the Fortress itself was coming down. Whatever the hell they needed him for, it must've been urgent indeed.

Knowing this was enough to spur him to action. While he certainly wasn't one to drag his feet, he also wasn't the type to hustle and bustle to every single mission he was called to. In this case, though? Once he'd read through what was sent - a single directional instruction, and nothing more than that - he was on top of it.

With his toolbelt already equipped, he wasted no time at all grabbing his weapons and slipping on Aegis. And then, just for good measure, he activated his Spectral Armor as well, causing millions of blackened nanites to swarm out from a node on his back, coating his whole body in a matter of seconds. It wasn't something he usually wore around the Fortress unless necessary, but with no idea of what was going on, he figured it was better safe than sorry.

Now properly armed and armored, he did one last check to made sure he hadn't missed anything. Then, having confirmed that he was all set, he made his way for the window. The door was right there, of course, but in a situation like this, when the goal was to get where he needed to go as quickly as physically possible, he figured it best not to go the usual way. Why bother trying to navigate the building when he had a perfectly good alternative right here?

Perching himself upon the window sill, he took one more look at his pager, to reconfirm where he was headed. Then, with a thought, he activated the cloaking function of his armor, rendering himself invisible to whoever may have been watching. And he jumped.

​

As it turned out, this particular summons wasn't as straightforward as they usually were. Most of the time it was just a matter of "Report to X location" or "You're needed at Y to help out Z", but this time? It was almost as if he was being led around by the hand. It never gave him the full story; just a series of instructions, one after another, leading him from one spot in the city to the next. He could understand why this was done - wherever he was going, its location was probably meant to be kept under wraps - but he would've been lying if he'd said that it didn't annoy him a little.

Rather than walking the streets, which were largely congested with both soldiers and refugees, he liked to find alternative routes, running about on rooftops and sneaking between alleyways and whatnot. It helped him get around the issue of having to navigate a crowd, while also allowing him a decent vantage point of the surrounding area. In this case, not much really came of that, but when out and about, he always, always made sure to keep his head on a swivel and watch his six. It was a habit he picked up back when he lived on the streets, and after the Betrayal, it had only been reinforced.

Overall, though, the trip turned out to be pretty uneventful, if a bit irritating. A total of about five minutes or so passed before he finally wound up at the final destination: An old, dilapidated warehouse with seemingly no one inside.

If he hadn't known any better, he'd have thought it was a pretty obvious trap.

When he approached, it was from the roof of a neighboring building. From there, he gazed upon the facility for a good few seconds before moving ahead, decided to exercise some caution in his advance. While it was entirely possible that this was a legitimate message, and he was inclined to think so, there also remained a distinct possibility that it wasn't. And in that case, it was best that he kept himself concealed until he knew better.

Still following the directions he was given, he was led to a particular section of the warehouse, which he approached as stealthily as he could manage. At last, when he set his foot down upon the mezzanine, the sound of it muted by his armor, he cast a sweeping glance around. Now that he was there, practically right in front of it, the office was hard to miss, its door all battered up and its windows boarded to the point of opacity. A bit dodgy-looking, but these days, he supposed that was par for the course.

It wasn't until he was standing right in front of the entrance that he decided to deactivate his armor's stealth mode, allowing the camera just outside to get a proper look at him. Seconds later, as the last of his nanites were retreating into their storage, he watched the door slide open, revealing the whole squad of Resonators that stood waiting on the other side. Cold amber eyes seemed to look them over, each and every one, as he stepped inside without so much as a word. Then, ultimately, they settled on the Commander himself, and he gave a terse nod in greeting.

"Hope I didn't miss anything."

Judging by how many people were here already, he was getting the feeling that in spite of his efforts, he'd still turned up a bit late.

Code by Serobliss

 

[FabulousTrash]

Song Kyung-Min - Echo - [CS LINK]
Location - Personal Room / Warehouse
Mentions/Interactions - Euclid Leaf , Lekiel , Juju , SilverFlight , Xel , Sharatayn , Wilder28

The sound of stone on metal rang out as Kyung-Min ran the whetstone against her blade's edge, sharpening it. Off to the side was the sheath for her weapon as well as her mask, revealing the face it covered to no one.

The girl was knelt down in the middle of her room, among others in the living quarters of the RCL zone in FSF ANGELA. The room itself was relatively basic. Unlike others who may have brought in personal mementos or decorated, Kyu barely touched her room. On the provided desk was a bottle of her dissonance suppressant pills, the cap opened.

Her eyes followed her hand as it repeated its back and forth motion, the rest of her body remaining still. While the room was mostly silent, her mind was far from it. It had been a while since her last assignment, but that didn't stop her from hearing faint voices in the back of her head. None of them were recognizable aside from whether they were a man or woman. The words they spoke sounded like muffled gibberish.

Kyu's hand stopped midway up the blade as she noticed a blinking light on the screen of her mask. She set the whetstone back into its compartment in the sheath before stowing away the sword. Picking up the mask, she took a small breath before fixing it back onto her face. With the push of a button, the mask formed a seal around the lower part of her face, securing itself. Using the other buttons on the side of the mask, she navigated through the screens being projected on the glass to pull up what was a new message from commander in charge of ANGELA.

Clearance 5....

It had been a while since her last assignment. But now that was going to change. Kyu grabbed her sword, slinging it across her back. After adjusting the strap so it was snug to her body, Kyu glanced at her desk, eyeing the pills. For a brief moment, she considered leaving them. The next moment after, her hand reached for the bottle, putting the cap back on and pocketing it into her jacket. After doing one final check she had everything she needed, Kyung-Min turned off the lights, stepping out of her room and into the crowd.

[...]

Kyung-Min followed the directions, with some annoyance. It felt like she was going around in circles, only being told where to go next when she arrived at the previous destination. But if the meeting location was this hidden... perhaps this next assignment was crucial to the RCL. The girl continued throughout the narrow alleyways and streets of ANGELA, before she finally found herself before a warehouse in what seemed like the middle of no where. It was certainly far away from any potential prying eyes. Kyu entered the warehouse, following the final directions which led her before the office door. The camera guarding the door came to life, the light it emitted passing over Kyu.

Her head turned slightly, watching the camera. But after one pass, the door didnt open. Perhaps the message wasn't intended for her?

Kyu began to turn back, until the camera came back to life once more. She turned to face it, waiting. This time, the door opened for her. She stepped through, listening as the door closed behind her. Immediately, she noticed the familiar bunny ears amongst the rest of the people in the room. She immediately walked over to stand beside Mocking Jay, before taking another look around the room. Many of the faces present, Kyu wasn't entirely familiar with aside with the commander, who she's seen every once in a while.

Gently nudging Jay with her elbow, Kyu looked over to him, gesturing with her eyes to the rest of the group.

 

[Cresion Breezes]

NIRIQ-THE-NAUTICAL-NORTH-STAR-7680B5 ​

The sky was acting like usual today, at least to Niriq. The climate-controlled day and night cycles were never something Niriq got used to, daylight and darkness shifting between each other constantly were a bit disorientating for someone who grew up in the perpetual days and nights of the former arctics. Niriq was happy that the sun was gone and the Earth no longer rotated in the way that it used to, all of that was very annoying to deal with.

“Hmm…Okay. If I put it a little more to the…”

There were shadows scattered on the ground cast by Kakivak, spread out like a fractal shape due to the multiple dim light sources from around the rather run-down lot, energy conservation mode made the area desaturated and dim, but that only made the patterns cast by shadows more pronounced. The polearm was wedged between two pieces of scrap metal and was forced to stand in a perpendicular direction, the starburst of shadows it cast stretched along the metallic texture of the ground, subtly intersecting with the shadows of the support pillars that stood high in the slight distance. Not a lot of people come here, which means it was a good place to think about things for Niriq. The occasional civilian or cleaner who comes up to tidy up the area never bothered them, unless-

“Hey! No civilians should be out here!”

In the distance there was a voice, probably whoever decided that this desolate area needed to be patrolled in case something has gone wary. A lot of civilians certainly poured in ever since the fall of the other FSFs, Niriq understood that too, but luckily they were keen enough to register their status as a Resonator when first arriving.

“...ᐋᒃᑲ.” (No.)

“...I’m with…the…the…Retavuis…something. I’m registered, Atunity…resonator. That’s all.”

Niriq barely gave the patroller a glance before returning to fiddling with the way their polearm weapon was standing up, sometimes getting onto the ground and looking into the distance from strange perspectives. Then they adjust the polearm again, and return to looking at the ground. The patroller stared at the rather strange resonator, a lot of them are fairly strange, especially those Echos, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask, right?

“What exactly are you doing here then, where are your documentations?”

“Hmm…”

The young resonator stood up, almost hitting their horn on the polearm they had been adjusting, and pulled out their phone.

“...Niriq…Niriq ᐊᖅᓴᕐᓃ (Aqsarniit). Atunity.” On the phone was a series of official registration from FSF KATERINA and Sanctum Aaru, and finally, FSF ANGELA.

“I’m just…I like the pattern.” Niriq kicked at the starburst-patterned shadows created by the shimmering light sources around. “I am trying to…line them up, with that one over there.” Niriq pointed at the pillar that was also casting a pattern in the distance. “Make one myself. That’s all.”

This was when the phone suddenly gave off a strange frequency that sounded like a low rumble and crashing, in this day and age it would instantly trigger one’s fear senses and have them perk up. But the patroller is one who is old enough, and perhaps had enough life experience before the shattering to know that sound. It was the sound of wavings crashing against stone, of glaciers falling into the ocean, it was the sound of the ocean.

“...Ah…I have a message. I have resonator duties. I have to leave now.” Niriq looked at the message, muttering quietly, before pulling the polearm out of what looked like a lot of heavy scrap metal easily, then skipping away and rubbing their eyes as they moved. It was from someone they kind of knew existed, Commander Something. Commander was a weird first name.

----- POORLY-DESIGNED-FINAL-LEVEL -----​

“Hmm…It’s so dark, I can’t see it.”

Niriq looked at their hands held up in front of them, the one that makes an “L” is left, and they have to turn left according to the message, for the fifth time. “...This must be the darkness level…no one likes the darkness levels…”

As they made their way according to the painstakingly detailed instructions, it was like a game guide, and game guides make the game tedious rather than fun, the point of the fork-like polearm lit up, again and again, to illuminate the path ahead, until Niriq emerged from the extremely dimly lit alleyways to see another dimly lit abandoned area with a warehouse. There was a lot of noise and chattering for a warehouse, and their Atunity senses detected the presence of other resonators.

“...ᐅᓐᓄᒃᑯᑦ…” (Good Evening.)

There were a lot of people there. Like a lot of people. Really not something you would expect. Niriq didn’t expect there to be so many people, although they weren’t sure what they expected either as they entered and tried to dive into the group inconspicuously.

“...I…Sorry, my horn…did it stab anyone…”

 

[Euclid Leaf]

Surge

Mocking Jay

Codename: Mocking Jay

Abandoned Warehouse

Gell gave a half smile, he was in the right place then. He answered gently:​

“They’re probably armed too.” He said by way of announcing his presence.​

​

“Don’t shoot, no worries, my name’s Gell. I think we’re on the same team.”​

The frightened rabbit spun their head at the sudden remark. But they seem relieved to see another living being. They pressed their hands to their side and nodded their head, their ears flopping again. A smile of recognition broke out.

"Umm... I see, so I am not the only one..." Jay said, "I was fearing the worst... A trap?"
A giggle, "You're like me, huh? An Edenis." Bobbing their pink head to allow the dark ears to bounce side to side.

Just when they squeezed out those words, a capricious-looking girl appeared. This one seemed all too familiar with suspicious locations and suspicious activity, causing Jay's eyes to narrow in scrutiny. Very suspicious, indeed. But the doubtful gaze evaporated wholly when the name 'Brigitte' was said. Immediately, the rabbit hopped forward and stared at the cute face with wide eyes, their hands pressed against the sides of their own cheeks. They looked like they could burst, like a child gazing up at their favorite superhero.

Arriving just in term to give one of the girls an answer she didn't ask for. "Name's Rika. Rika Solari. Nice to meet you." Her voice casually echoed from behind Brigitte.​

But once more, there was another complication added. Jay let out a gasp as Rika made their cheery debut. A lost child? No, that's not right. As the petite form came forth from the shadows, there were pretty obvious indicators to the contrary. Just for a moment, Jay caught a rather peculiar scent from them. It was familiar saltiness. Found uniquely in crowded, hot locker rooms. But it faded rather quickly. Perhaps it was merely a figment of their imagination. This cute little girl couldn't possibly, at one point, have engaged in a place filled with sweaty, desperate men. A concerning image. Still, adorable nonetheless.
However, there was still a matter that need to be resolved. Jay's light pink eyes returned to Brigitte, still in the pose of admiration.

"You, just now, said B-brigitte? As in Lefèvre? The one I've been hearing all about...! The legendary 'Sleepy-eyed Baker', that's you?!" they said, their excitement unable to be contained.
Evidentially, the only rumors that their rabbit ears picked up, or cared to pick up were ones regarding the baking reputation. And not the more sinister claims of fanaticism with the Corruptors. But then, as if remembering where they were, the tall edenis swung back. Their cheeks now flushing, as they looked in worry at the potential perceived intrusion. They straightened out their plated dress, and let out a small cough, an attempt to salvage any resemblance of professionality.

"Ahem... Sorry, nice to meet you all. I'm Mocking--"

They barely managed to wave a hand and smile, getting halfway through a reply, when the intercom interrupted the casual little exchange. Clearly, whoever had a hand in arranged this meeting did not take kindly to fraternizing. As breif as it may be.

Jay's ears bent down, and their head bowed in shame as they turned and marched down the hallway as ordered.
Was this because of me...? I hope they don't get in trouble...

Fortunately, trouble did not await them inside the make-shift headquarters. Outside of a few cold stares from the operational staff within. From a particularly remarkable source, this has all but confirmed the gravity of the situation. The presence of the Commander caused the skittish rabbit to awkwardly hold out her hand in salute, before moving to a place among the four on the other side of the room. Jay has only laid their eyes on the renown general at distant rallies, or from a screen announcing directives or addressing new FSF policies. To see this daunting figure up so close made their heart race.

Their eyes also landed on Nightingale, or rather, anywhere else. Their piercing red eyes caused Jay to rescind, their ears drooping in fear. But hoping not to offend, they popped their face all around, trying to look natural. This must be their new leader. The squad captain was a veteran of some repute.
The woman is one of the few survivors. In many senses of that word.

Shortly, a few other faces began trickling through the doors. Many they have only seen but not interacted much with. Jay smiled at the newcomers, but tried their best not to step out of line in front of the bigwigs.
That was, until a very familiar face, or rather, mask, appeared through the sliding doors. Jay practically jumped in their spot, clasping both their hands together as a beaming smile broke out on their face. Any tension they had practically melted away. Jay immediately scooted over to one side, making small hops to allow their partner a space.

Gently nudging Jay with her elbow, Kyu looked over to him, gesturing with her eyes to the rest of the group.​

Their pink eyes perked up, and their ears wiggled as they tried to interpret the single gesture. It has been four months since they were assigned together. Kyu was like an estranged sister to Jay. In a lot of ways, they were still a bit awkward, and trying to learn how to cooperate as a single unit. He tried his best to learn about her, what little he could pick up. Though it was a job of a handler to be objective towards their assigned Echo, Jay wanted their relationship to be as pleasant as it can be.

Out of anyone since the disaster, Jay would consider Kyu one of their few, if not only, friend.

The rabbit edenis then came to a conclusion.
The tall figure leaned over and whispered to Kyu, putting a slender finger to their lips. "We got yelled at for talking earlier... hehe... Lucky for us, we don't need to talk." their black ears bounced up and down in a quick rhythm. A sign of excitement.

Just as they did this, a sharp object suddenly lodged itself into their back. "Ow!" the pink rabbit recoiled and stepped back, spinning their body around. Their head darted back and forth for a moment, wondering what had happened. It wouldn't be revealed until they shifted their gaze down. A smaller white-haired figure stood there, similar in size to Rika. If not for the long spiraling horn affixed to their head. That must've been the culprit.

“...I…Sorry, my horn…did it stab anyone…”​

The rabbit quickly glanced at the Commander once more, before smiling and patting the Niriq on the head. "It's okay. Just fall in line now."

...

Code by Serobliss

Mentions: Juju SilverFlight Xel Lekiel FabulousTrash Cresion Breezes

 

[Xel]

Rika SolariCreepy Warehouse

Almost immediately after her arrival the intercom chimed to life with the, rather agitated, voice of someone playing through it. Well it certainly wasn't her fault, she had just gotten there. But being addressed by name to come forth did have her cast a quick glance at the trio before offering them a shrug and heading forward. "Introductions can wait it seems, it's fine, you got the second most important one already~" Seems clear the Brigitte girl was number one in that regard. But as she rounded the corner of the stacked servers to see the command it was like a switch was flipped. Her entire demeanor became rigid as she seemed to lock into place. Her hand snapping up into a crisp salute. "Resonator 'Shade', reporting as ordered." She'd hold that salute until the Commander either returned it or ordered her to drop it. She'd only been there for a few months at this point. But with the way things were going she very much doubted there was even a single soul in the base who didn't recognize the Commander's face.

Rigid and professional as she was, she couldn't help but spare a side-eye to the newcomers who arrived after they did. The bunny, while not a new arrival, definitely seemed to be the fan of a wide array of people given how he was acting in front of the Commander. But then with how the world was, she knew plenty of Resonators who were far less professional than they probably should be. Hell she was one of them.... just not before the big guy. But as more and more people arrived it was clear that this wouldn't be any ordinary mission. She's been fighting for eight years now and never once jumped through these hoops or had a squad this large. Something major was happening, that much was obvious. Was about time. She did well to hide it but she had a burning rage deep in her heart that needed to be aimed at those who brought about Himari's downfall. Seems now she might get her chance.

Creepy Warehouse
Interactions: Juju SilverFlight Euclid Leaf Lekiel

 

[SilverFlight]

Scrim

Gell Watanabe

Codename: INUGAMI

Commander Edenbliss' Office

Gell smiled sympathetically at the rabbit edenis. "You're right to be careful I guess."
He grinned at being pegged as an edenis himself and flicked his ear. "Oh? What gave it away?"
Euclid Leaf

He blinked in surprise as Jay began bouncing up and down as the newest member of their growing team appeared. Gell gave his name a second time, he thought he'd read something about this one, a scrim, like he was.
"Wait, do you cook too? Nice. We should trade tips sometime. Do you do pastry? Because I have been dying for a decent butter crust technique."
Juju

Rika Solari came next, and Gell bit down on a quip about her height, she didn't look like the type to appreciate it.
"Good to fight with you Rika."
Xel

The crackle over the intercom drew one of his ears around to it and he made a face.
"What crawled up her butt?" Gell murmured to the others, but he obeyed without pause.
Lekiel

Still more players in this survival game appeared:

To Vulpes he gave a cheeky, two-fingered salute, to Damien, he returned the nod. His eyes lit up with recognition as he saw Kyu, and he bowed his head in a respectful greeting.
The next to arrive looked like one of the youngest, and they didn't seem to notice anyone until they had bumped into Jay. Gell started to worry about this one, but they were called here so, they must have been able to handle themself.
Sharatayn Wilder28 FabulousTrash

Once in the room, Gell stood at ease next to Jay, the first he had met, but he hoped they wouldn't be thrown onto the front too soon, he wanted a chance to talk to the others. All of them were fighters, warriors, forged by the Hell that was out there past that barrier, he didn't doubt that each one had an incredible potential.
"Is this it?" He asked.

Code by Serobliss

 

[mizton]

Machine Savant

Angel Salvatierra

Codename: WINGS

Warehouse

"And that?"

A laugh. "Aw, it's fine. We'll make it quick."

"It says Clearance Five. I don't think I can keep you in good—"

"'Kay, fine," cut her off. With a huff, his arms—from the crossed pillow he'd made for his head at the analyst's side—straightened themselves out to push off the control panel they sat at. Angel stood with a frown & better perspective on the scene before him: an observation room with vision into a now-vacant, mirror-walled & sterile simulation room that, just moments ago, projected a replay his last session. A midsized Corrupted was suspended in air with a bare-bones rig of his figure pointing a spear towards it, calculations of his potential courses of action over the doll's limbs.
In another context, the scene could've been a display at an art gallery, some decade ago; some commentary on man's plight against technology, personified. It was something out of a movie, all of this; in another life, he'd have gone to its premiere back then. The thought conjured a glower toward the sight, at which the analyst fussed, "I-I'm sorry, I can—"

"Hello?" he bowed closer to her face to give a wave. His voice hushed, though hostile enough, "I said it's fine." From afar, the gesture the might've seemed like one between friends, but that half-lidded glare she'd fussed at now only directed itself dead on at her. She'd shrunk.

His satisfaction presented itself in a lighter tone, a laugh about him. Popping up with a grin, he added, "Give me my stats. I'll look at 'em on the way."

---

And he did, though irritably. Little bothered him more than an interruption to his mornings, Clearance-5s be damned. In truth, a lie: many things bothered him these days & a lack of sleep didn't help that. The events of that morning played themselves out in his mind's eye, as his pager pinged convoluted directions:

While the FSF still slept, Angel had taken to his daily rounds in the odd hours of that morning. If asked, entirely deliberate—the reality being he'd never been able to sleep longer than a couple hours at a time. He didn't mind; no harm in an industrious impression while his Resonator's affliction healed brain damage by reason of sleep deprivation, though not to a degree to cure his general fatigue in the moment. After a morning of relived missions, one could sustain so much. If only barely, he was still human.

The first couple runs through the mission yielded genuine practice. The training bots—polished, but clunky representations of quadruped Splinters—though equipped with means of self-reparation, offered diminishing resistance after so many months of a facility over capacity. At some point, he was just going through the motions to the point of redundancy.

It was at 6 a.m. sharp, when his runs had gotten to a 98% optimization rate, that the morning's first analyst clocked in, when the base tended to wake. An alert rang in his headset's virtual periphery when she did, notifying his session's status as being actively observed & to expect a review afterwards. It was when he'd plunged his spear into the last of simulated enemies that his pager—his suits' backward compatibility with dated tech something he now regretted asking for—blared CLEARANCE:5 the way a video game's victory screen would.

When it did, the simulation faded away & he remembered the whiplash he'd nearly gave himself in avoiding his reflection. Head-down, he'd beeline out the door for his results & the hoodie he'd left for himself outside. His physique could be better, truthfully, but nothing his usual suit couldn't bulk up, if only in appearance. This one, though—on his pager-directed walk, he subconsciously felt at an unarmored shoulder—was the facility's; an insubstantial, feature-focused model, equipped solely to utilize his wings & its propulsion.

---

Just as insecurity set in, the pager's directions came to a halt, even dinging in finality upon reaching his marked location. Like other offices, he waited to be let in & straightened himself out as he did. The reality of having been sent in circles settled in, bringing him out of autopilot. Initially, he thought this warehouse another place to breeze through like the kitchen he'd been sent through. When he realized it wasn't even that far from where he'd begun, he clicked his tongue. He'd been sent in circles.

The door opened for him. From inside, Angel heard: "Is this it?"

"Not yet," came his peeved reply. In having to walk through hell & high water just to get some dingy warehouse, a glare that nearly killed a passerby in his little journey was the first thing that greeted the scene. He tore off the band that'd held his hair back through his little journey with snapped motion. A growl just about escaped in his next words, directed at no one in particular, save for maybe the two women that wore RCL uniform: one lilac-haired, the other pink. He hated them, "I just spent my boosts to reach a vent. A vent."
As he stalked & talked, he swatted at a misarranged fringe, "Send us to the fucking moon, why not?"—he plopped down into one of the desks' accompanying chairs—"Anyone following at that point earns it."

A finale to his little tantrum, his position ended with him over-reclined, held wrists rested on his forehead. A pressure had built at his temples; no help from his mind's hellish soundscape. It just kept getting worse lately & the only power he had over it in that moment was a huff.

Code by Serobliss

 

[seasonedcat]

Machine Savant

Jupiter Syun

Codename: MONARCH

Warehouse

TW delusional episode(Schizophrenia/PTSD hallucinations)

d​

r​

i​

p​

the heavy thud of the thick liquid continued on repeat behind him, each thud splashing the pool onto the back of his ankles. His foot tapped rapidly as he stared down at the crumpled navy blue paper in his hands. With each blink, just before his eyelids fell shut, he swore the blue turned red, coating every inch of him. The desk bounced from his restless leg, the origami in his hands long ruined from the continued death grip he applied. His throat was dry as his eyes held contact with nothing but the red paper in his hands. A crimson color so deep its grooves were darkening to rust.

the breath was hot on his neck, drops of something wet fell from the mouth onto his shoulder, labored breathing millimeters from his ear. Jupiter's breath hitched, his eyes falling closed as he trembled violently. He could feel the liquid soaking into his shirt, body pressed against his own, the liquid sliding down his back onto the floor. He could smell the suffocating iron from it. Burning its way into his lungs, filling them up with the liquid, drowning him. He could no longer breathe through the sludge slowly climbing up his trachea.

"Mₒₙaᵣcₕ..."

the sound of the chair slamming into his bed pierced the air like a gunshot, though Jupiter paid it no mind. Throwing the crimson liquid out of his hands, he grabbed the pill bottle beside him, mechanically dropping the pills into his hands. Pouring them into his throat, he swallowed them with the only liquid being the sludge from his hands dripping along with the medications into his throat. Closing his eyes so tight he could see stars, he pressed his hands against his ears painfully, crouching down as he waited for the dizzying feeling to spread through his body.

with time his breathing became even, the liquid soaking his skin vanished, and the grip on his shoulder disappeared. As his eyes fluttered open, his gaze fell on the discarded navy paper on the floor next to him. Slowly blinking at it, he picked it up gently in his sweaty hands, shakily standing up and placing it in the bin. Then, he moved to his chair, putting it back into its spot as he glanced at his extremely neat and plainer room.

TW end

absentmindedly he glanced at the navy blotchy figure that watched him motionlessly from his desk as he retrieved his clothing, exited his room, and went to the bathroom. Brigitte must still be at the lab as she had not come running at the sound of the bang; this Jupiter was thankful for. He did not wish his handler would see him in such a state. It was his fault for trying to see how long he could make it without his meds.

as he entered their strangely decorated bathroom, his gaze turned to his feet, avoiding the reflective oval above the porcelain as he closed the door. Stripping himself bear, he turned on the shower. Waiting until it reached an almost unbearable heat, he stepped into it, letting it run his skin raw and red before he began to wash the sweat off him. Thankfully when he stepped out of the shower, the oval was too obstructed by mist to threaten him, so he dressed in peace. Finishing by brushing his teeth quickly before the fog began to disappear.

leaving the bathroom, he made his way to the kitchen, glancing at the mint green sticky note that sat against the marble counters. Following its instructions, he opened the fridge to gaze at the breakfast before taking it out. Placing it on the island, he sat himself down, pushing the food around with his chopsticks a few times before emptying a portion of it into a plastic bag so that it would look like he ate something when Brigitte managed to get back. The thought of food in his stomach made his head swim. Grasping his mask on the coat hanger, he strapped in his weapons and other battle gear, including the abundance of the pills he was required to carry.

as he exited the apartment, he locked each lock with his key; the matching key chain he had with Brigitte hung from his pair as he pocketed it. With that, he made his way towards the mission meeting area, making sure to offer the food to a homeless person on the way, who thanked him kindly as they did everyone time.

- _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ -​

Monarch didn't blink at the warehouse before him, following the instructions for his mission without missing a beat. Coming to the sliding door, his head tilted up to show he was looking at the camera until the door slid open for him. He glanced around the room, his gaze instantly falling onto the person he knew and recognized by heart, ignoring the blotchy butterfly figures in the crowd.

before he did anything else, of course, he made his way up to the two in charge of the mission, saluting them in a perfect motion, "Monarch reporting for duty." his dull voice spoke as he waited to be dismissed. As soon as he was, he made his way over to Brigitte, giving her a quick salute, "Ms. Jubilee, I was not expecting you to be out of the lab today." he added to her.

Juju Lekiel

Code by Serobliss

 

[Juju]

Scrim / Handler

Brigitte Lefèvre

Codename: JUBILEE

"Discreet" Meeting

Xel Euclid Leaf SilverFlight Lekiel mizton seasonedcat

"Name's Rika. Rika Solari. Nice to meet you." Her voice casually echoed from behind Brigitte

Brigitte turned her head to smile at the newcomer, as if the question was open to her from the start. She waved lightly at Rika with a quick, "Ah, hello!"

"You, just now, said B-brigitte? As in Lefèvre? The one I've been hearing all about...! The legendary 'Sleepy-eyed Baker', that's you?!" they said, their excitement unable to be contained.

The excitement on Mocking Jay's face only further brightened Brigitte's smile. It was so infectious that she felt the urge to hop with glee as well. What a sport! Brigitte couldn't help but chuckle as she nodded her head in confirmation that she was in fact Brigitte Lefèfre.

"I am indeed, ma chére!" she beamed, "It seems my reputation precedes me! My my!"

Sleepy-Eyed Baker? Now that was exquisite! She had no idea she had garnered such infamy in the shattered culinary world. What's more, for some reason her baking skills had surpassed her research prowess. Such a delightful surprise! Brigitte made a mental note to bring this adorable bunny some baked goods from her next batch of pastries.

To her surprise, even the other resonator seemed to be interested in the culinary arts. Could it be? Not one but two fellow chefs? A bubble of joy rose up in Brigitte's chest. They could exchange recipes, starting with that butter crust. She did in fact have a good technique from an old friend, one that she was just about to discuss before being cut off by a burst of static and swearing.

In all the excitement, she had almost forgotten the reason for her visit.

Brigitte shrugged her shoulders, not even the slightest bit alarmed by the disapproving remarks from her superior. If anything, she only seemed a little disappointed that their conversation was cut short.

"Ahlala, look at me, getting so distracted again!" She waved in mock distress, "We must continue this later! It's been a pleasure, you two! Talk to you soon!"

Brigitte then shuffled into the meeting room, darting this way and that so as not to run into the other resonators that soon flooded in. Quite a crowd they were gathering! It must be something big to attract this many resonators at once, and anytime that happened it was never anything good. A few of them looked familiar, especially the ill-tempered man who burst into the room a little after she had entered. She squinted at him with lips pursed in concentration, trying to place where she had seen him.

The image of a limited-edition soda can sparked in her memory, one with a dashing young resonator on the front. She muttered under her breath in revelation, "The soda can man..."

Come to think of it, he was known for a lot more than that, but Brigitte's strongest memory came from a lab intern's fanatical collection of the cans. It was actually quite impressive in the end, so much that Brigitte took a picture of the can-tower they made. Now, if only she could remember this celebrity's name.

Brigitte shrugged, admitting defeat, then fished in her pocket for a small notepad and pen. She flipped past sketches of splinters, reminders, and a few shopping lists until she found a blank page. To anyone else it would seem she was taking notes, as her face seemed contemplative and pensive. Yet if anyone was close enough to peek, they would be able to read the words "Butter Crust Technique (Sophie's method)".

Despite her concentration with her 'notes', Brigitte's ears quickly picked up a familiar voice. She raised her head to look above the crowd, smiling when she spotted Monarch. When he was dismissed she gave him a little wave and motioned for him to come next to her. As he made his way over to her, she placed her 'notes' back within her pocket.

As soon as he was, he made his way over to Brigitte, giving her a quick salute, "Ms. Jubilee, I was not expecting you to be out of the lab today." he added to her.

"Frankly I didn't expect to be out of the lab either. I had a few trials put on hold because of this so it had better be for good reason!" she muttered to him with a teasing wink.

In truth she was keenly aware that whatever had summoned not only her, but also Monarch meant that something incredibly serious was happening. It went without question that whatever would be asked of them would be highly dangerous. Now she was really starting to regret not making another cup of coffee. Unless it had to do with splinters, she was going to need it.

She poked Monarch accusingly with a finger and whispered, "You better have eaten that breakfast I made..."

Code by Serobliss

 

[Lekiel]

Yurica Aeterna, Galvode Agent

The makeshift briefing space gradually came to life as the chosen Resonators made their presence known. Once Triella had quietened from her tirade against loitering, the three of them settled into an easy silence as the former resumed her work at the controls to direct the remainder of the Resonators as well as monitor surveillance. Of the other two, the crimson haired agent appeared stoically still. Her posture erect, with no evidence of a slouch as her hands lay at her sides, one hand gripping onto a belted pouch. She was far from tense, though anyone who knew better could see the coiled spring of one who’d been trained to kill even before their puberty began. Her gaze was cold, almost aloof with the way she seemed to hold her chin proudly as she wordlessly watched the gathering.

The Commander on the other hand assumed a more relaxed pose, arms crossed while he half sat on the edge of Triella’s desk. His longish hair held greyish streaks and weathered lines creased the corners of his brown eyes but despite that, Noan was far from the greying man past his prime. The stretch of his leather jacket betrayed the taut physique beneath and it was very easy to imagine the man coming out of a VECTOR’s cockpit just an hour ago; if he indeed still piloted one of the few remaining mechs.

“Vulpes,” Commander Noan returned the chirpy Resonator’s greeting with a nod and a chuckle.
Sharatayn

To the others who had acknowledged him, he gave a measured nod in return.
Wilder28

And yet others who saluted him, he returned it in kind (though he did not break his casual posture) and gestured for them to be at ease. Euclid Leaf Xel seasonedcat If he made any indication of being offended by those who did not, it wasn’t apparent as he levelled a deadpan gaze to the rest. FabulousTrash Cresion Breezes SilverFlight mizton Juju

As the last of them entered, Commander Noan let out a huff and pushed his frame off the desk one hand reaching for a black disk off the table and palming it.

“Resonators,” his voice was gruff, with a deep gravelly rumble. In another time, one might’ve wondered if he partook in vocal serenades. “I’ll cut to the chase. You’ve been summoned because there is a specific need which requires not just someone with your capabilities—but also with your allegiances,” Noan paused for a moment to regard all that was gathered, “both Nightingale and I have shortlisted scores of profiles and out of all of them, you have been chosen. . . We hope we made the right choice.” As he said the last part, the Commander’s eyes rested on Niriq for but the briefest of moments.

“What I am about to tell you, had to be carefully pieced together from traces of information which had to be gathered from multiple sources,” the commander was pacing before them, slowly juggling the black disk in his palm, “it goes without saying that whatever we speak about here, remains among us for we do not know how much the enemy knows and if indeed we are ahead, it is best we do not let them catch up.”

“Triella,” the commander called, which apparently was a cue for the lilac-haired woman. She keyed in a few commands and immediately, the holodisk in Noan’s hand lit up, projecting a cobalt green hologram upwards for all to see. The first words on the virtual screen first read, “Operation Schrödinger’s Gambit”, before it immediately changed to display what appeared to be a cylindrical dewar tank. Attribute readouts highlighted various parts of the tank and placed its measurements at roughly 3.5 feet tall with a diameter of 1.5 feet wide. As the schematic slowly rotated, Helena would suddenly recognise a small section of the tank. In particular, it was a portable temperature control device that a colleague had asked the Edenis’ opinion on some weeks back; though at that time she had no idea it was part of a larger function.

“As you all are well aware, approximately four months ago we thought we’d done it. We thought we found a way to repress the threat of the Corruptants, that is, until our own brethren turned against us. Since then, we’ve all been fighting a losing war. Why ANGELA and even MARIA still stand, is a miracle in itself. Sometimes I wonder why they do not just amass and run us over,” he let out a wry chuckle, “but I digress.”

“While it appears we’d lost all progress. . . and hope, it seems the gods - if you believe in them - have other plans. In the short time the RCL spent at the edge of Fractelum Megalith Alpha, we had actually sent in a Resonator expeditionary force into the Megalith itself. As soon as the preliminary reports came back, all hell broke loose and we were not able to establish contact again. In the days and weeks that followed, we were too busy managing the fallout to even begin finding out what had happened to that expeditionary force until about a month later. . . our scouts detected a distress beacon. We’d been receiving beacons on the regular of course, however, this was unique in the sense that it was the furthest one we’d ever gotten. We dispatched a team and after nearly two weeks, they returned with this,” Commander Edenbliss gestured at the floating hologram.

“It was found in the wreckage of a Venator class VECTOR, with no other survivors nearby. Further examination revealed two important details: One, there were traces of blood matching DNA records of the leader of the Resonator expeditionary force found on the device. Two, the device seems to be emitting strong CoL waves—but not just any kind, it was the kind we had before it all went to the gutter. Pure. Unadulterated. Uncorrupted Code Of Life.” Noan paused then, allowing the brevity of what he had said to sink in. “But the equipment we have here is sorely lacking, so naturally, we had to verify this with the one person on this hellhole who would know best. . . the one some believe made the world burn.”

“Dr Friedrich Schrödinger,” the hologram changed into what appeared to be a broadcasted message of a senior man in a laboratory coat. Despite the virtual form and what appeared to be glitchy corrupted data, it was clear to a portion of those who stood there that it was indeed the Director of LEX SANITAS. While it was commonly accepted knowledge who stood at the helm of the largest Sanctum of their post-apocalyptic world, the Director himself was a withdrawn individual. Completely absent from the face of his Megacorp to the point where some would question if indeed he was still alive, yet here he was in an encrypted holographic message form. Off to the side, if one happened to glance in Nightingale’s direction, they would catch a momentary break of her impassive facade as her face darkened into a scowl.

“Do bear in mind that it took months for us to send the message out and get a reply in return,” Commander Edenbliss continued before gesturing for Triella to replay the message. The apparition of Dr Schrödinger began to speak, albeit there was the occasional glitch and synthesised voice as filled in gaps in the communication data. Nonetheless, the message was clear:

”Is. . . Is this what I think it is? I-It can’t be. . . it’s not possible—but no, the readouts are clear. The waves are incorrupt! We’ve. . . We’ve not seen this since the Shattering! C-Could it be? We theorised it was possible when we sent that expeditionary team. . . but never would I have imagined! Commander. . . I believe what we have here is a shard of the Old World. . . a piece from the past reality. . . I r-remember. . . all those years ago, at the lab. . . Commander, you must bring it to me. If it is indeed what I think it is, it may well be our only hope. . . to undo what has been done. . . I-I’m not sure if it’ll work, but. . . it has to. Call it our last gambit if you will. Bring it to me before it is too late. . . oh and remember, under no circumstances must you open—”

As the hologram abruptly ended, the commander looked towards Yurica and nodded. The Agent stepped forward, taking the holodisk from Edenbliss’ hands as the emerald glow reflected off her ruby irises.

“Resonators. As you might have guessed, our mission is to deliver the package - the incubator - to Sanctum Andlang. Time is of the essence, but more importantly secrecy. We cannot say for sure where and who the Sons are. You have been chosen simply because the chances of you being one of them, are as close to nil as we can get. . . We will depart at 0500 hours tomorrow. Make your necessary preparations, it will be a very long journey. If you require any supplies for the mission, speak to Triella,” the Agent waved in the direction of the Lilac-haired woman who waved brightly, “she will see to it that it is delivered to you, if it is within her capabilities. Remember, tell no one outside of those within this room. As of this moment, you have all been assigned to separate missions and will be marked as occupied for a Clearance Five. That should more than suffice to answer any potential questions; if it doesn’t, you are cleared to execute the inquirer if it does not draw immediate attention,” Yurica’s voice was deadpan, eliciting a whispered Whattt??? No way. . . from Triella, who turned to Noan, who in turn, shrugged and whispered back, She’s got a point. . . Clearance Five.

If the Agent heard the exchange, she paid them no heed finishing the rest of her briefing, “You will be provided with the meeting location ten minutes before the appointed time. Before you depart this room, please allow Triella to calibrate your communicator so that we can speak on a more secure channel," Yurica paused for a breath to survey the gathering of Resonators before her until finally, her crimson irises rested on two in particular SilverFlight mizton . "From here on out, Inugami you have been assigned the role of Wings' handler," the Agent studied both the dog-eared Edenis and reclining Echo carefully, noting their reactions. It wasn't the most intuitive of pairings, but both Resonators had a clear sense of duty and she was counting on that for them to work together, and for Gell's heightened emotional perception to be an edge in getting through to Salvatierra. Or mayhap it could backfire and the Savant's harrows might disinter the other's own traumas to the surface. Another gamble, the irony of it. "Inugami, Triella will hand you the Severent. You should have been briefed on how to activate one during your training. . . This is it for now, you are all dismissed and unless you have relevant questions, you may begin your preparations.”
◇ ◇ ◇
GM Notes:
1. Had to get a bunch of information out of the way, sorry if this post is draggy. Feel free to get in your character’s reaction to the briefing or what they would do immediately after. If they are interested in asking a question, I will address it in my next post this coming Friday, which will set the stage for some big action - that will be my last post before the Christmas holiday!) will be away for a week during Christmas, will be back by the new year.
2. Triella named the mission, I know it's cheesy.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

Surge

Mocking Jay

Codename: Mocking Jay

Abandoned Warehouse

Mocking Jay smiled curiously as a few more disruptive voices made themselves known. There seemed to be an impatient air despite only a few minutes having passed. He couldn't really blame them for any impudence, however. The situation grew more tense as the moments dredged along, despite the somewhat lax nature of the participants.

The rabbit fell back into line with a rather somber expression as the general began to speak.

The effeminate face scrunched up a bit at the mention of the 'Betrayal', and the remnants still withstanding. But Jay maintained a neutral posture. They simply consumed the information, and made no attempt to intervene with the mission briefing. They were not surprised at the news of disaster that fell upon the first expedition into the Megalith, so much as they were impressed there was anything to be found at all. From what they could tell, the Corruptors rarely left anything behind. Then there was a mention of the pre-shattering device. Perhaps this was the real reason. Even when the man responsible for the destruction of the world made a appearance at the meeting, a holographic ghost in many senses, the rabbit simply gazed at the distorted afterimage. There was nothing to be said. What was done, is already done. Whatever intentions the man had in the past, and the cataclysmic result, his current goal was to fix those wrongs. Everyone deserved a second chance.

There was nothing to really think about, when the plan was simply laid out. Jay had no expertise in the matter of the Code of Life, and he can't even begin to contemplate the intrinsic nature it had over their place in this shattered universe. If there was ever such a thing as 'fate', surely it was in utter disarray now. A book with every word torn and scattered into the howling void. This so-called gambit, if this was their best bet at saving their people, Jay had no objections at what needed to be done. Deliver the device, and keep it safe. At all costs. Even if it means...

Afterwards, the ghost vanished, and Yurica gave the closing statement. One just as somber and grim as can be expected from their new hard-brow leader.
The tall edenis looked over to their masked-partner, at the mention of executing any intervening agents. The peach rabbit's eyes were wide with disbelief, nudging their colleague slightly as their hands came up to their face. A wordless gesture that meant, something along the lines of;
'Did you hear that? They're not serious are they?'

Decidedly, it was understood the severity of the mission meant maintaining a crucial level of scrutiny and secrecy. But still, it felt like jumping the gun a bit. They then looked about at the gathering of slightly unhinged people around them, and wondered. Perhaps they were the strange one?
Jay breathed a slight sigh as the clandestine meeting came to the end. There was plenty of information to take in, but Jay felt oddly peaceful. Even a smile returned to their soft face, as they gazed out determinedly.

When it was all said, they were given a simple instruction. Be absolutely ready by tomorrow. It was implicit that the current members were all the forces they would have, for the foreseeable future. No one was coming to save them, should things go awry. From this point on, this marked the portent day humanity's fate will take change. Will they be known as deliverers of salvation, or will they end up like the lost expedition? Either way, it didn't matter to them. Heroes didn't need names. Jay wondered for a moment, if this was how their mother felt when charged to face the unknown threat on the early frontline. How she soared into the storm without fear. Their mind then drifted to the orphaned children, of the blight of recoil and desperation spreading in ANGELA.

They were tired of watching. They wished to fly. Wingless, as they may be.
For a final shot at glory, this was why they took the risk to become a RESONATOR.

As instructed, the rabbit edenis went over to the operator named Triella, approaching with a slight sheepishness. Even without fear in their heart against the corruptors, this did not translate the same towards their human compatriots.
A quiet, "Sorry for earlier..." was all they were willing to say, during the short period when she attached an adapter to his personal receiver.

With a bow to them, and a swift salute to the officers in the room, they exited the room and proceeded down the hall. Jay remained awfully quiet, until he was standing outside the sliding metal door with the glimmering camera. Away from the tense space, their smile rapidly brightened and gained ample rejuvenation. The bubbly figure stood there around the corner by the stairway, hands clasped before them, almost like a student waiting for their classmate afterschool. The edenis looked about listlessly as they waiting for their partner, or anyone else of interest to emerge.

Their dark ears began a familiar restless bounce. An idea was forming in their head.
This might be the last time any of them would know peace, for a long time. Who knows what dangers awaited them abroad? Perhaps it is best to spend these calmer moments getting to familiarize with one another? As a team-building exercise, if nothing more. Any special preparations of their own would simply be a matter of doing a quick pick-up from their personal workshop near the barracks. After all, any self-respecting engineer of the Rear Echelon Division always had their tools regularly inspected, tested, and maintained, so they would be ready for action at a moments notice.

Thus, they would be more than happy helping anyone with their own prep work.

They thought-aloud while standing around the corner, their peach-colored head swaying back and forth, "Hm... I wonder if Kyu will need much preparing. They never ask for help, that stubborn girl. Hmph. I don't care anymore. Famed protector, RCL idol, or adorable mute. We are friends. I'm marching right over, and I'm taking a look over all her gear. Every. Single. Piece. Down to the last bullet. Whether she wants me or not...! But of course, I'm going to ask first... Ah, no! Assertive! I need to be more assertive!"

Suddenly, consumed by a self-imposed sense of protectiveness, the rabbit was stomping their heel as if trying to ward off the creeping threat of their own self-doubt. Though whatever fierce determination was lost in the soft huffing, and ineffectual puffy-lipped death glare that would more likely to be mistaken for sullen pouting.

...

Code by Serobliss

Mentions: Lekiel FabulousTrash
Open to interact with anyone.

 

[donutcry]

Agent

Maya Makiling

Codename: ADARNA

Warehouse

Droplets of rain pitter and pattered on the corrugated metal roof of a small wooden shack. Maya and her mother, Estella, lay on the floor. The two were huddled up together. A thin, twin sized mattress served as their only cushion from the splintered floorboards. The mattress was something Maya salvaged on her many treks out scavenging. Like all things taken from Neo-Manila’s dumpsites, it was filthy and battered. But none of that mattered. In the warmth of her mother’s embrace, Maya was in bliss.

A lone and waning candle sat atop a ceramic plate and blazed beside Estella’s sickly figure. The fire lit the dim room, a lone beacon against the cold darkness.

The warm light landed on pages of an open book held between Estella’s thin fingers. She pointed at words printed over an illustration of a warrior clad in armor of gold.

“Why, O Xanthus, do you thus foretell my death?” Estella read aloud. Maya snuggled closer to her chest. “You need not do so, for I well know that I am to fall here, far from my dear father and mother; none the more, however, shall I stay my hand till I have given the Trojans their fill of fighting.”

Estella turned the page anew. Maya listened quietly, but her mind drew a question she could not shake.

“Ma, why would Achilles choose to fight if he knows he would die?” She asked, searching her mother’s eyes for answers.

Estella turned to her daughter and hummed in rumination. A moment later, she came alive with a satisfying thought that would surely quell her daughter’s curiosity.

“Achilles chooses to fight, because it’s the living that give meaning to the lives that die in vain. If he ran away, Patrocles’ death would have meant nothing. But if he wins the war, the lost life of his loved one would mean everything. And so would the lives of all their fallen comrades. That’s what it means to be a hero, to carry the weight of other’s lives and ensure there is a meaning to their sacrifices.”

Maya’s eyes were lost in pure wonder. She was speechless. A faint. “Wow.” Was the only thing she could muster.

Estella gave her daughter a smile. Satisfied with Maya’s reaction, she closed the book, signaling that it was time for bed. Maya immediately began protesting.

“One more chapter? Please Ma.” She pleaded and pulled on Estella’s arm. But soon as the words exited Maya’s mouth, Estella clutched her chest.

Violent bursts of air shot from Estella’s lung and blood forced its way out of her throat. Maya rushed to the kitchen, taking clean water from a dispenser. Estella continued to cough until Maya returned with a plastic cup filled with water.

Estella gulped the water down completely and set the empty cup beside her. Another bout of coughs wheezed from her chest, but eventually her flaring lungs settled. Maya watched her mother with concern.

Dead silence filled their small house. Both knew what the coughing meant.

“Was that the last of the water?” Estella asked, her voice coming out hoarse and whispery.

Maya couldn’t answer, nor could she look at her mother. Her eyes were glued to the floor. She nodded meekly.

A weary sigh escaped Estella’s lips. She began massaging the bridge of her nose. It was a gesture, Maya realized, her mother made whenever she felt overwhelmed.

“I’m sorry.” Estella whispered.

"It's oka-"

"It isn't okay, Maya." Estella interrupted. “I’m your mother.” She added, her voice shaky. “I’m supposed to provide for you. To care for you. Not the other way around.”

“But it is okay, Ma. It really is.” Maya replied. She forced an unconvincing smile on her face. “I want to do this.”

“Maya…” Her mother groaned, but Maya ignored her.

“I’ll work even harder.” She bargained.

“Maya.”

“And then we can get you medicine.”

“Maya!” Estella demanded. “Listen to me.”

Maya felt her mother’s bony and wrinkled hands cupping both of her soft smooth cheeks. Estella gently lifted Maya’s head, forcing Maya to look directly at her mother’s face. Maya saw her mother clearly, forced to face the reality she had been avoiding.

Estella was an amalgamation of flesh and bone. Her once beautiful features were devoid of any nourishment.

“I’m going to die soon, Maya.” She announced plainly.

Maya was incapable of speech. Her eyes were flooded with tears that ran streams down her cheeks. Estella was stoic at first, but seeing her daughter’s tears broke the facade of strength she wished to portray. She broke down too. Estella hugged her daughter as she wept, comforting Maya with her fleeting presence.

“I’m sorry, Maya.” Estella repeated. “When I’m gone, I would have left you nothing but pain. My life will fade into nothing. Everything I lived for… it will all be meaningless.” She muttered.

In the embrace, Maya couldn’t see her mother’s face. Fighting back tears, she gently nudged her mother away. She looked her mother in the eyes, and even though she was bawling; Maya smiled.

“Then I’ll make it mean everything, Ma. I promise. I will be a hero one day. I will be your hero.”

Estella wiped her daughter’s tears away. She smiled too. The weight on her shoulders lifted.

“Oh Maya, you already are… you already are.”

The waning candle’s flame extinguished, clouding the small room in complete darkness.

—

“Maya Makiling.” A stranger called from the darkness. The voice echoed in the endless void where she floated aimlessly.

“Maya.” It repeated. When it was obvious there would be no response, the stranger cleared their throat. “Agent Adarna.”

Adarna’s eyes came alive like a lightning strike beckoned. She came to attention in a heartbeat. Her upper body rose from the white hospital bed and her right hand straightened into a salute beside her eyebrow.

“Do you remember where you are?” The voice asked.

Adarna turned to the voice and recognized the medical officer assigned to care for her squad. She was a tall woman with copper skin and dark hair. Adarna couldn’t recall her name at the moment, but a quick glance at the name tag on her white coat gave her name out as Danielle Caroline. Adarna lowered her salute.

“Adarna?” Caroline prompted, lifting her attention off a clipboard she held. She watched Adarna with concern.

“Forward Sanctum Fortress Angela. It’s been four months since the betrayal. My entire squad was wiped out completely. I’m the only survivor. I woke up a week ago.” Adarna stated robotically, not pausing even once. Her face was devoid of emotion and her tone was cold. “Did I miss anything, doctor?” She asked.

Dr. Caroline shook her head and went to check back on her clipboard. She flipped through pages, humming as she read each section behind a pair of thick, silver framed, eyeglasses.

“Your physical rehabilitation scores are extremely promising. In fact, I’ve been ordered to clear you for combat…” Caroline hesitated; it was clear to Adarna that she didn’t want to say what she was going to say next. “The order comes as a clearance five request, so I’m going to do as I’m told. Information above my rank will be found in your communicator.”

Caroline put the clipboard down and pointed to a gray metal military locker to Adarna’s right side. “Your specified combat gear has been prepared for you there. You are free to change out of your hospital clothes and report directly, however-”

Hearing all that she needed to, Adarna rose out of her bed and walked up to the locker. She thumbed a biometric scanner. The locker door slid open.

“Adarna… after what you went through, I don’t think you should rush to the battlefield so soon. Sure, you passed the Mental Health Assessment but-”

“Doctor, would you please allow me some privacy?” Adarna cut in, looking at Caroline with a sideward glance. Her hospital gown was already lying on the floor beneath her bare feet.

Caroline’s eyes landed on Adarna’s body. Dark metallic slivers of shiverskin consumed her upper back. Below her tailbone was a still regenerating scar that made it clear her lower body had been severed completely.

“Doctor?” Maya prompted.

Caroline realized she had been staring. Warm blood rushed to her cheeks. “Oh, right. T-take care, Maya.” She murmured before rushing out of the room.

—

Adarna arrived at the warehouse clad in her full combat gear. A nanotech suit wrapped around her body, but was opened up to show her face. She looked at the coordinates sent to her communicator then back up to the warehouse.

She walked forward, entering the premises and eventually arriving at a door that slid open for her.

Adarna arrived just in time for the mission briefing to begin. She stood quietly in front of the doorway, legs wide and hands clasped behind her back. Posture perfect. She said nothing nor showed any reaction to the details given.

When the briefing ended, Adarna brought her legs together in one quick motion. Her metal nanotech boots clicked together and she brought her right hand up to a salute.

“Agent Adarna, reporting for duty.” She announced without hesitation. “Requesting permission to present my communicator and remain at this headquarters until 0500.” She held her salute, awaiting orders. Her eyes were locked on the fellow agent before her.

Code by Serobliss

 

[FabulousTrash]

Echo

Song Kyung-Min

Codename: SHRIKE

Warehouse Office

Kyu, unsurprisingly, remained silent during the brief, her eyes fixated on the holograms that were being presented. She was familiar with some of the things being presented, having lived before *that* event. She couldn't deny that the existence of pure CoL was intriguing, but Kyu had her doubts whether or not it would truly help the situation the world was now in. However, she wasn't being asked to think. Just do.

Her eyes looked up as she felt Jay nudge her. The small gesture the edenis was clear to the echo. Kyu responded with a small shrug. For her, this wouldn't be the first time she's had to kill something that wasnt a Corruptant. Though Kyu would be lying if she pretended that she wasn't shaken by the fact they were just given the clearance to kill another member of the RCL, if necessary.

Once the briefing was complete, Kyu glanced over to the lilac-haired woman. She was supposed to let her modify her communicator? Kyu could do that herself.

She followed behind Jay, watching. When it was her turn, Kyu stood still. That was, until Triella reached towards her mask. Kyu quickly stepped back, shaking her head. She opened her hand, in a gesture as if she was asking to be handed the adapter instead. After a few moments of confusion, Triella gave Kyu the adapter. Pocketing it into her jacket, the echo quickly turned and began walking out of the room. Before stepping through the door, she gave one last look to the others that were present. Kyu gave a half-hearted wave before walking out.

[...]

The girl let out a sigh as she walked down the hallway. Kyu reached back into her pocket, taking out the adapter and examined it as she walked. She wasn't sure if that Triella woman was about to remove her mask or not, but Kyu couldn't really chance it given past encounters.

She put the adapter away as her head perked up. It was faint, but she could hear Jay's voice rambling on about something. She couldn't quite make out the words, but maybe they were just thinking to themselves. As Kyu got closer to the door, it slid open and her eyes were greeted to the sight of her handler in the middle of their own thoughts. Perhaps they were going over how they needed to prepare for tomorrow.

Kyu's plan was simple. Go back to her room, Make sure her sword was ready. Then sleep. Though, there was a small voice in her mind that was pushing Kyu to help Jay with his preparations. They were partners after all. They're supposed to work together, right?

The echo paused for a moment, before approaching Jay. Kyu pointed at her handler, her head tilting slightly in curiosity, as if asking if the edenis needed help preparing for tomorrow.

Code by Serobliss

Lekiel Euclid Leaf

 

[mizton]

Machine Savant

Angel Salvatierra

Codename: WINGS

Warehouse

In the first half of the address, Angel had fallen into a couple bouts of microsleeps, the intensity of his morning having caught up to him. The long breaks in the ceiling above floated in & out of the view, his accompanying voices in & out of consciousness. It was around now that he normally would've headed back to his dorm to lie down after such a training session, after all. Of course, it didn't help the man speaking had the voice one just wanted to fall asleep to.

Noah, Eden, something like that; it wasn't often that Angel got dispatched outside his own fortress, so the names of the "new" higher-ups he now reported to here at ANGELA were a bit lost on him. If all went well, he'd have time later on to learn them.

It was when something blue lit up the edge of his periphery that he finally granted the three regard, albeit under cover of his hands.

The mention of uncorrupted COL that made him then sit up, the squeak of his chair not enough to disturb the hush that befell the scene for the moment then. It squeaked again at the flickering image of the director, followed by Angel's sigh as he leaned back in disinterest. In the moment before he was introduced, Angel couldn't have known it was LEX's director—the guy was a media recluse, as mentioned—but he did tend to tune out lab coats, anyway, more so magnates.

Angel got the gist of it, anyway. Get the thing, bring it back, don't Pandora the world again: simple.

&... kill anyone who asked. That part made him shift to an uncomfortable attention at Yurica; outside a state of exception, that was definitely some sort of human rights violation. When dismissed, Angel was more than eager to shake off the discomfort & bounced up to meet his latest assignment. When he had followed Yurica's earlier gaze, he'd landed on a dog-eared Edenis that he now approached.

"Lucky you," was Angel's pleasantry as he planted himself dead center of Gell's view. Now that he'd been able to sit for a while, a newfound easiness floated about him, contrasting his earlier tirade. The sight of the man, in saying this, was one with a half-lidded smirk, bared neck, & a needle motion at his jugular, adding, "Quick tip: I like it here."

Code by Serobliss

 

[SilverFlight]

Scrim

Gell Watanabe

Codename: INUGAMI

Commander Edenbliss' Office

Gell turned to the voice that answered him and the look of surprise on his face was apparent.
"You're Angel." He said with a hint of awe. The ghost of a smile played on his face as he remembered: During the Echo's golden days, his brother Gray worshipped the man. Gell had to admit, he loved watching the news reports whenever "Wings" was fighting close enough to film. It gave them hope, and that was precious nowadays. Even though his face no longer lined the streets, Gell kept the image of him close to heart, a reminder of that hope.
The cantankerous grumbling made Gell look away as he tried to hide his amusement, but he picked up on the Echo's discomfort and suddenly felt a pang of empathy.

A stoic seriousness fell over the resonators as the mission briefing began. As their commander explained, Gell's eyebrows vanished further and further into his hairline.
"It's...been so long since I dared to entertain the thought...would it really be possible?" An end to the fighting? A way out of this Hell?

Gell's mouth became a thin line when Schrodinger's face appeared on the holo projection. He wanted to hate the man, but he couldn't deny that the world's pariah was also their best shot at salvation...

His expression was grim as he listened to their instructions. Their superiors has just told them to kill anyone who asked too many questions and Gell only offered a small nod. The orders made sense, and it wasn't like Gell hadn't been forced to take human lives before. His mind drifted back to the time of the insurrection, when their communications had been cut and it was kill or be killed. Argos had lead them through it...now he was gone, but the ability to kill humans? That had stayed.

Gell heard the rest of the briefing, but when Yurica called his codename, it almost didn't register. Even after a month, it was still alien to him. He turned and met the deep red gaze...and then the words hit him: a handler?

"Wait..what?! Me?"
Gell gave a worried glance back at Angel, running a hand through his own, two-toned hair. He was silent for a few moments, watching the Echo, trying to gauge his reaction.
If I was the best choice...we really are in trouble, he thought to himself. This was a commitment to another human being. The bond with his siblings seemed so natural from birth; there was them, and then there was everybody else. Now he was being asked to connect to one of the people who had always been labelled "outsider" in his mind. It occurred to him then that Angel had probably lost his previous handler...badly. What connection did they have? Did they care about him? Maybe they had been like siblings too...Could Gell really fill that space?

He drew in a breathe suddenly, as if deciding something.
"Well...okay. I accept...that is, if Angel will have me."
The Echo practically bounced up to him then. Gell's sudden shock was written all over his face. Here was a completely different character to the one who had come in, seemingly in pain, and shown his worst side to all present.

"Lucky you."

Gell simply stared as Angel revealed just a little more of himself in what he said and did next.

"Well then." Gell returned the smirk, maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. The mischievous glint in his eye should have given him away. Gell stepped back, taking a knee, as if making a pledge..or a proposal, in plain view of everyone there. "I shall hereby do my best to take care of you, Wings."
The Edenis got up, the smile never once faltering: "As for where I like it, maybe you'll figure that out later."


Lekiel mizton

@ Everyone else still in the office

Code by Serobliss

 

[Cresion Breezes]

NIRIQ-THE-NAUTICAL-NORTH-STAR-7680B5 ​

"That's...ᐊᑲᐅᔪᖅ (Good.)...Or I think that is." Niriq found a corner with a rather lonely desk to lean against and half sit on as they listened to the presentation by the commander and the woman. They really didn't have the patience for this or understand it. A lot of people seem to have some sort of longing for the old world, but Niriq, as an experimental Edenis, grew up in an environment as isolated and desolate as the FSFs and Sanctums of the new one. Perhaps it's because of their perpetual sleepiness, perhaps it's because to Niriq, the world always seemed like this anyways, dark, cold, and absurd.

"Uncorrupted...the old world..."

Niriq didn't notice the commander looking at them, even though they stared back at the commander the entire time with shadowed eyes. It was hard to tell what they were thinking, but the blankness in their expression likely meant they couldn't take a hint. There was some conversation going on, something about Echoes. Niriq use to be mistaken for an Echo in the past because of their demeanor, but Niriq never thought Echos were that different from everyone else, it's just hallucinations, anyone can do it if they imagine hard enough. Lethargic, chaotic, mentally unstable, filled with trauma and hatred, isn't that everyone now? At least that is what most people Niriq met are like, just like in the past.

Blank irises reflected the holographic message that was shown to everyone. Right, getting something to somewhere. Okay. Niriq thought. That was simple enough to understand, it was interesting that somehow Niriq always found people the most coherent when they are panicking, it was like they fed off of fear and panic.

Niriq looked around the room as it seems like whatever job they had was finally explained, clutching their weapon and trying to balance it on the ground upright before catching it again. They'll just follow someone else, just like every other mission they've been on. They were quite useless alone anyways, being the most Atunity-like Atunity.

"My name is...Niqirtsuituq. But everyone calls me 'Niriq'. I...I heal or something. I don't really understand how it works, but it's strong, I'll use it if you need it."

After the short introduction Niriq bounced off of the dusty table they've been leaning on and looked around quietly, then located the lilac-haired woman.

"Tree-ella...can you put more games on my phone?" Niriq looked at the officer and inquired, calmly and naturally as possible. "If we have to go for a long time...I want more...And I don't think any of them will have any, they look boring." The Edenis added, rather obviously pointing at the rest of the crowd that gathered.

"And, umm...what are we not supposed to open? I think I was distracted during that part, that was the last thing I remember hearing...Sorry."

 

[SirDerpingtonIV]

Surge

Natalie Welles

Codename: H A M M E R

On The Way

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Natalie's eye shot open, adrenaline blasting through her veins. There was not a singular second for thought before her left arm was raised and her finger curled. There was a blast, a burst of light, and the scream of metal. Natalie sat, silent and staring, gentle trails of smoke rising from the barrels of the Mauler mounted on her wrist.

Silence.

Natalie could hear her heart's beats, could hear distant footsteps and shouts, and regret washed over her like the waters of a deep, flowing river. She let her arm fall to her side, the heavy metal of the wrist-tied shotgun thumping against her worn, old mattress. She hadn't taken it off last night before getting back home. Whenever that was. With a hiss the mechanisms within the Mauler moved, pulling another slug from the left-side internal drum, lining it up with the barrel, the weapon reloaded. Right hand set on her face, calloused fingers dragging down at cold, clammy flesh. As the adrenaline faded, the battle-ready alert having left her system, it was replaced by the roaring hangover she'd earned from last night's drinking instead. Her head hurt, ached, felt like an angry Splinter was bouncing around inside her skull. The Resonator hissed to herself, muttering a few foul words before she stood up, clad in whatever she'd fallen asleep in still.

She didn't dream. At least, she didn't remember dreaming. A mercy, if a small one. The door swung open, slamming against the metal of the wall with a clang that sent another blast of pain reverberating through her skull. "It is truly one of the Lord's greatest mysteries that you haven't taken your own dumb fucking head off, Welles!" barked the voice of the Barracks Supervising Officer, a Second Lieutenant with a dog's face and a similar temper. He looked mad. "It is beyond me why they ever made a fuck-up why you a Resonator, and the only wonder bigger than that is what great sin I've committed against the Man's army that had you stuck in my goddamn barracks!"

Natalie looked over at him, her head tilted to the side, hair hanging over half her face. She couldn't feel it, least not over the pounding of her headache. She felt thirsty. "Water," she croaked out, the dryness of her throat apparent, that and the residual taste of vomit. The Resonator had thrown up somewhere. Not on her clothes, though. She would've felt that.

"You want a drink, huh, Welles? How about you go walk your ass down to the God's damned ocean, and-" he paused, face screwed up in rage. Natalie could see his nose twitch, and his expression sour. "Good Lord woman, you reek!"

She remembered then that she had the ability to smell, and drank in the scent of it all through her nostrils. He was right, was the first thing she realized. Natalie was rank, the epicenter of a cloud of odor, smelling of booze, puke, and sweat, the faint scent of sulfur still in the air. Maybe it was the gun. Maybe it was memory. The world was burning out there. Always was burning. She missed that sometimes.

"Alright," Vince said, drawing in his breath, raising his hand to his face. Four fingers. Vince. That was his name. He squeezed the flesh of his brow between two fingers, wrinkles and folds appearing as he scrunched up his forehead and drew in a breath of air through his nostrils. The way he always did. "You are going to take a shower. And you are going to get the fuck out of my barracks. I don't care where you go, but whenever the MP's get around to it, you're going to walk your ass down to the station, and they're going to put you in the brig," he said, looking about the room, probably looking at the mess. Empty beer bottles, piles of clothes, food wrappers and more. The floor of the room was barely visible in places. Having her own room wasn't a gift, it was a mercy to everyone else in the building.

For her part, Natalie could barely see Vince, the way her vision swam with blurry shapes and colors. Her head slumped and she cranked a fist against the side of her head. It stung, but things cleared up a little. Bile rose in her throat, but she fought it back. With a shaking, unsteady gait she made her way over to the coffee table, slumped down to grab a bottle of water from where it sat. Didn't know how long it'd been there, and didn't care. It was warm, and the taste of bile in her mouth was all she could sense as it trickled down her throat. She squeezed the bottle in her hand, fingers closing into a fist about the plastic before the thing crumpled, and she dropped it. She belched, gas forcing itself up her esophagus and out from between her lips. A little bit of puke dribbled out with it.

Vince's face was painted with disdain, his lips pressed together, his nose scrunched. He didn't need to say anything for her to feel his judgement. Natalie looked down at the source of the sound that'd woken her. It was still beeping. Natalie reached down, snatched the thing off the table, squinting at it with her one good eye. A familiar dull light greeted her, a notification on a cracked screen. [CLEARANCE FIVE]. She looked at it, prodded the screen with a finger.

"Clearance Five," she said, words tumbling out of her lips, hanging in the air. They hung about her like the stink, and Vince's expression didn't seem to change. He hated her. They all did.

"Get out of my barracks."

--------
The warehouse was a shithole. She'd been in worse. Through the musty old hallways she walked, clad in the shit she'd fallen asleep in. A stained old shirt, logo'd with some old, pre-Shattering company. Couldn't remember where she'd gotten it. Didn't care much. It was a shirt, though it now sported a large, dark stain on its front. Booze, hopefully. Beneath that she had a set of old jeans that she at least recognized. She'd worn these when she got in the fight down at the Leaker, the one that got her kicked out. At the bottom was the old army boots. They weren't tied, and she only had one sock beneath, but they were good boots. Good boots do a soldier well. She'd kill a man for good marching boots. Probably had done it too, back in the Flood.

This is where the communicator brought her. A hallway. Command normally liked its pomp, its lights and its towers. This was different, and she didn't like it. Her footfalls were heavy as she made her way down the hall, old boots thumping. She could hear voices, from behind one of the doors. The communicator pointed there. Natalie took in a breath, kept her left wrist down at her side, Mauler facing the floor. Didn't want to blow someone's head off. Not yet, at least.

The door creaked open, and Natalie stepped inside. She sort of pushed it open with her body, unwilling to raise her hands to move the thing all the way after she'd turned the handle. The soldier stood there, squinting that one eye as she beheld the room's insides, and the Commander himself, sat behind the desk. Old habit brought her right hand to her brow, a salute, though probably a messy one.

"I'm here."

The room was small. Too many of them in it. They were all Resonators, except for the ones that weren't. She'd seen a few of them before. Some of them had faces she'd seen too much of. Posters and holograms and fame. Didn't have the names. Might've known them, but there was nothing in her head right now. Just the ache. Maybe some of them were looking at her. Maybe they could smell her. It was hard to tell, with the blur and the hurt. Then, the briefing.

A delivery. A transport op. A critical piece of equipment, carried by a small team from FSF Angela to Sanctum Andlang. A long trek, high secrecy, high importance. The tech shit was beyond her. Didn't matter. Suits would take care of it once it was delivered. OPSEC was heavy, with permission to kill those who asked too many questions. Serious stuff. Likely Sons interference on the way, beyond the typical Splinter fare. There'd be killing.

A stiff arm held out the communicator to Triella. The woman frowned, probably at the cracked screen. or maybe it was just the smell. Regardless, it was back in Natalie's calloused, scar-covered hands soon enough. Slipped into a pocket, the communicator was forgotten again. Triella held the soldier's attention now. "The route. What's it like? Topography. Geography. Are we walking?" she began, the questions coming readily, her speech a little clearer. She was a mess, but she was a fighting mess. Mission intel was important. "Take us near any Splinter hives?"

[EDITED IN RESPONSE FROM TRIELLA]

Great. Questions answered, Natalie turned about, tripping only slightly as she made her way to the door, out of it, and then down the hallway. There were others about, but she didn't pay much attention. The goal was to find somewhere to sleep the night off, before she'd go to retrieve her things tomorrow. They couldn't lock her out of the Shops. That's where her suit was. The idea was of some little comfort. The armor was a place to sleep. She'd done it before, after wall.

Code by Serobliss