Infinitum

[MiscChaos]

Arriving on the platform, Kendrick prepares himself to be completely and utterly bored until he makes his way to the car where everyone's supposed to meet. After all, this place is dead and he's not sure what conversation he can have with Madame Cruxell and Andrew seeing how silent everyone was at the club. His attention sparks at the notice of the caramel-colored twins though, even to put a light back in his eyes. He literally has to fight with himself internally to prevent him from striking up a conversation with them, a battle he's slowly, terribly losing. He tries to tell himself he's on an assignment, that Madame Silverandros would kill him for being late for such a trivial matter (to her. Women of this caliber are never trivial to him), but he finds himself slowly drawn to the twins. It's almost a relief when the train slides in and his attention is taken elsewhere. It FORCES him to acknowledge that since they're on the same train, there will be a later to get... acquainted with these beauties. With that in mind, he pulls himself into the car he suspects his room to be in, taking his time so he can make a note as to where the twins disappeared off to. He's less than happy he'll have to room with Andrew, but if he plays his cards right, he won't be spending a lot of time in his room. For now though, he turns his mind back to Madame Silverandros, a bit concerned that she hasn't shown yet despite telling them that she'll be at the departure station. He'd hate for anything to befoul the beauty of such an exquisite lady after all. He debates calling her and decides to go for it despite the possibility that she's indisposed at the moment. Closing his eyes to bring her number to memory, he slides his phone out of his pocket and gives her a call.

[jayjaycaps]

Waiting at the train station, Andrew continued to check his watch every now and then. Tapping his feet, he took notes of the people around him. A few students, some drinking. Nothing really interesting there, as Andrew probably shouldn't be drinking at this time. Two guys hanging out by a bench, one looking awfully nervous. Eh, probably should leave them alone too. A bunch of other business men and women, which was good. Andrew was blending in pretty good. Andrew's eyes drifted for a while, until he noticed the twins. Damn, how could he not have noticed them earlier? Andrew would have to make their acquaintances later on. He'd have to do that later though, because right now he had a train to board.

Heading over to the car they would all be staying in, Andrew took a brief moment to look for everyone in their group. He could see Kendrik, but not anyone else. That didn't really bother him. He was sure everyone else would arrive eventually.

[Grape Me]

Leo gritted his teeth. If they were continuing the pursuit in the position they were in, the condition they were in, then something must have been up. He wondered why the heli didn't just close in on the car and take out (or immobilize) the targets. Then he remembered, not only could these enemies have some "secret weapon", but they needed to focus on the safety and security of the citizens. Leo understood his orders, and he would not argue with them. "Alright, Lieutenant, I'll head down to the vehicle and either meet you there or drive it to you." He didn't want to go against his commanding officers orders so he waited for his response before picking which option. However, while he waited for a reply he darted out of the building he was in.

Leo arrived outside the building into the night. The collapsed building came into view with almost a full scene of destruction. Cars edged slowly by to have front row tickets to the show. "Jesus..." This was bad. Leo wasted no time, sprinting to the SGDF vehicle. Upon reaching it, Leo was panting slightly, breaking a sweat. It wasn't so much from the run but the wound made him uncomfortable, exhausting his body. He climbed into the vehicle from the rear doors.

If Edge allow Reaper to drive vehicle to his location:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Leo huddled over to the front seat of the car. He watched his steps, careful not to hit his arm against anything. He slid into the seats and started the truck. This SGDF ground transport had a system called "Smart-Start," which allows the vehicle to only respond and activate in the control of SGDF user, therefore, not needing keys. The ignition switch scanned his fingers and gave a green light, the engines roared to life. Leo pressed his foot on the gas and drived the transport forward, turning on the sirens to tell civilians to steer clear. After driving few hundred yards he turned and drove across the bridge onto the same side of the street as his two squad mates. He parked the car in front of the building and waited for their arrival.

In all honesty, Leo was never the best driver. If anything, he hoped the Lieutenant would relieve him of this duty and put him on the gun. Leo wasn't a wheel man, he was a shooter. However, he knew they needed to chase down these targets as fast as possible so he could still perform this role even if it wasn't his strongest.

If Edge refuses Reaper to drive vehicle to his location:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Leo sat down in the truck for a moment and held his would. The pain didn't stop, and waiting didn't help take him mind off of it. He turned to the gun inside and decided he could set it up while his squad members made their way over. He picked up the gun with his good arm, his robotic limbs straining to lift it into position. "Errraaaagg." He moved his wounded arm and used it to slightly assist the lift. Pain shot through the wounded appendage, so painful Leo nearly cried out. But, he bit his lip... trying to remain strong. After a few moments Leo slowly was able to mount the gun on the top of the vehicle. The time it took to do this would probably be enough time for his team to make it to the vehicle.

[Icaelus]

Ciel glanced up sharply at Andrew as they both received their tickets, the look conveying meaning that hopefully he could understand. They weren't supposed to meet together as a group, according to Auria's message..and if you looked at it through a filter of common sense. Groups tended to attract unwanted attention, be it simple curiosity from a friendly stranger or whatever else. They didn't need that, at all. So in a sense, they were travelling alone, yet together. Ciel smiled at the simplistic yet important setup for travelling. You had to admire the brains behind all of Vespa's operations..
She strode off, putting some distance between her and Andrew at a brisk pace, examining her ticket. Platform 27..Car 3, Room 305. All in order, then. And it looked like they weren't going to be stopping at any other stations on the way, too. Perfect for their needs.
"Tch."
Ciel clicked her tongue in annoyance as the familiar jingle of her ringtone floated up to her ears. Undoubtedly her mother. She didn't like to be kept waiting..so she let it ring for another twenty more seconds before she finally picked up.
"Hey, Mom! Like, what's up?"
Her voice pitched high with false cheer along with the bimbo speak she specially reserved for any kind of conversation with her mother, she answered the call.
"You know "what's up", young lady! Why didn't you call me before you left?"
Ciel winced as her mother's loud voice blared over the phone. Ugh, she really needed to stop talking so loudly..and just how did she insert those quotation marks into speech itself, she would never know how.
"Um, haha? I'm like, so sorry. It just like, happened, you know?"
She gave a most uncharacteristic giggle and sighed internally at what she was doing. Gods, she felt like a moron..and it didn't help that she was naturally blonde, though her hair was currently dyed a flaming red..
Her mother sighed over the phone.
"Whatever. Just stay safe and give me a call when you're back, alright?"
She said, her tone resigned as if she knew Ciel's bimbo speak was an act.
"Oh my gosh! Thanks, Mom! I'll call you later!"
Ciel quickly hung up with a massive sigh, turning to glare over her shoulder at Andrew, who wasn't that far off. The glare spoke for itself. "Tell no one about this.."

Her leather boots made nearly no noise on the tiled floor of the platform as Ciel paced back and forth. She was an active person and didn't particularly like sitting around and waiting for trains to arrive. She had seen Kendrick somewhere in the small crowd of people gathered on the platform, but had then moved off to stand almost out of sight. She wasn't sure if he had seen her yet and the hood of her khaki parka was pulled over her head, anyway. But no matter. They weren't looking to make contact, anyway.
The girl looked off to her sides, examining the various faces of the people that stood on either side. The crowd didn't seem to have anyone that stood out..just businessmen, college students..though there was one particular man that caught the gaze of her aquamarine eyes. He was obviously nervous, looking around continually as if he was looking for someone..or waiting for them to appear.
Ciel looked away from the man as the train finally pulled up into the station. At long last. She made her way towards Car 3, adjusting the hood of her parka and shifting the gray duffel bag into a more comfortable position on her shoulder.
Time to go to Kansas..

[Inferi]

Mission Sterling

“Calm down and keep your attention on the controls. We aren’t landing right now.” Kristina said, her voice as calm as can be but holding enough tension in the backdrop to show how serious she was about what was going on. The retrieval of equipment from the locker was something that Kristina herself had not done, as there was no reason yet to do so. If the weapon that was firing at them had enough power to penetrate the helicopter’s defenses, then any combat vest stored in here would be no help against it. The same thing went for weaponry, since the Captain wouldn’t let her copilot fire out the side of the helicopter at a fleeing target. If they couldn’t fire with the helicopter’s weaponry, then they weren’t going to be firing at all. The equipment in the locker was strictly for situations in which the soldiers in the helicopter had to disembark, and that was not happening yet.

It was apparent to her that Mission wasn’t convinced about being ready, but she chose not to comment on it. Her friend’s minor insecurities in situations like this were something she knew about, but hoped that they were not great enough to impede her performance, especially now that she had finally decided the young woman was competent enough to join her squad.

A few moments of them hovering over the building passed by, long enough for them to begin to see emergency lights in the distance, before Cratus once again spoke.

“I have a lock on them, Patrol 1.” he told them, and on the cockpit display the image of the city magnified, giving them their own position as well as everything for two miles in each direction. A small dot came up on it, flickering on and off the screen as it appeared to head down a road that led out of the area that the apartment building had been part of. According to the map, however, they did not seem to be taking the fastest route out, and were not moving as fast as a group of people fleeing a helicopter would be expected to.

“You’re sure this is them?” Kristina asked, watching the dot move across the cockpit while she kept the helicopter steady. She didn’t sound skeptical, although she knew the city well enough to be able to notice the slightly odd things that the terrorists were doing. It would be an issue if not for the fact that they had planned impeccably up until this point, and it didn’t make sense for them to stop now.

“Yes. Very few things leave a complete blank on radar, so when you know what to look for it is easy to track them.” Cratus replied. “I cannot give you any kind of target lock, however, so you still do not have permission to open fire. You are to follow them, and I will relay the knowledge of their location to the rest of the pursuit squad.”

“Understood.” Kristina replied, raising her altitude slightly and beginning to fly in the direction of the dot. Keeping the helicopter moving at a reasonably slow speed, she kept a distance away from the dot that was enough to keep them out of the range of a weapon but close enough to speed up and find them should any problems arise.

“Be careful.” Cratus told them, sounding even more serious than he had up until this point. “We don’t have any information on what kind of backup they might have, and records from the arrest squad’s helmet recorders, although lacking any images of the individuals, shows that they have equipment and training that is above that of an average insurgent or terrorist.”

With that warning, his voice stopped, although they could be sure that he wasn’t gone. Cratus was always available to the SGDF, and situations like this one were things he kept a constant eye on. Some soldiers didn’t like that, but the fact that he was always there to provide analysis and assistance that they couldn’t give themselves was widely regarded as much more of a blessing than anything else. Casualties were much easier to avoid when an AI was assisting with operations.

The tailing went on for what seemed like eternity. The vehicle kept driving along the roads, somehow managing to stay away from any barricades on the roads that were being set up by SGDF law enforcement personnel. Cratus kept the two updated on what was happening, but as it dragged on it appeared that the AI was both confused and a bit irritated. The three terrorists were staying away from every trap that was being set for them, and it didn’t even seem as though they were putting in a massive amount of effort in doing so. They had been moving through the roads in a very non-direct manner to reach wherever it was they were going, but not once did they slow down in a manner that indicated they did not know where to go. The dot disappeared off of the map several times, but each time Cratus managed to bring it back up after only a few moments. There were no ambushes on the way either, no other insurgents waiting on the roof of a building to blast the helicopter out of the sky. The radar picked up a few abnormalities during the flight, but all of them could be attributed to something natural, and not to anything set up by the terrorists. That was almost more disturbing than actually getting hit by something, though, unless it actually meant that this part of the escape hadn’t been planned by the terrorists. That would be welcome, although unless they were simply acting confident there had to be something more. A vehicle couldn’t outrun a helicopter, and they had to know this if they had planned for this part.

Eventually, the dot came to a halt, and Kristina pulled the helicopter into a circling motion above the houses that they were currently over.

“Cratus, magnify and identify that building.” she said, sounding suspicious. They were stopping right in the middle of a residential area, which didn’t make any sense if they knew they were being tailed.

“The building is the High School for the area.” Cratus replied, the map zooming in on the building and the parking lot outside of it. To the east of the building was a fairly sizable open field with a football stadium to the north of it. The building itself was fairly large, designed to hold nearly two thousand students from the surrounding area, and took the shape of a central square building with four smaller rectangular areas connected to the main one by short hallways coming from the middle.

“Great…” was the only response Kristina gave as she edged the helicopter forwards, heading towards the immobile dot in the middle of the parking lot. If they were getting out, then they would already have done so. It was unfortunate that they did not have a live feed, but they would have to get a UAV deployed from the HQ and that would take too long to wait for. Satellite feeds didn’t have penetrating radar, something that was decided upon after the conclusion of the war to make the average person more comfortable. Few people wanted to feel like they could be seen at every second of the day, and although several of the SGDF commanders had tried to push for it, the President had told them no. It made the job of the SGDF a bit harder, but the unrest that it would have caused if put into policy was something that Syris had not wished to deal with. They could, however, track them when they were outside of the building, and the fact that Cratus had not brought up anything on that could only mean that they had either moved inside the building or could not be picked up on radar.

He clarified it a second later, confirming that, “They have entered the building. The vehicle appears to still be in the parking lot, and they do not appear to be attempting to flee.”

“Damn it.” Kristina growled, bringing the helicopter into a hover above the school. Once above the building, it was immediately noticeable that there were multiple cars in the parking lot, something Kristina inquired about and got the answer, “Ophion tells me that a meeting for teachers is scheduled to be happening there tonight.”

“So they’re bringing more civilians into this.” she said quietly, shaking her head. “We don’t have much of a choice, do we?” Opening a frequency to the vehicle that had been following them, she said, “How far are you from my position?” Asking if they knew where they were going seemed unimportant, as she was assuming Cratus had kept them up to date.

“We’re landing as soon as the squad arrives. Keep an eye on the windows in case those terrorists use them to fire at us.” she told her copilot, beginning to maneuver towards the open field although she didn’t begin the descent yet. Being overhead just in case something happened before the squad got here would be a sound tactical plan, and she added one last bit through the radio to the rest of the SGDF soldiers, saying, “Don’t enter the building until we form up.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Ciel Cruxell, Andrew Jackson, Kendrick Mendoza

The phone rang in Kendrick’s ear four times before the sound of it being picked up, and the greeting that he got was a simple “What?” Apparently she knew who was calling, which would make sense given the fact that she had already contacted them about the train tickets. She sounded the same way that she had when they had met her before: slightly irritated with a mix of cold seriousness. If she hadn’t wanted anyone to call her, she didn’t mention it, something that would surely have occurred at the start of the conversation with someone like her. There was a small amount of ambient noise in the background, but not enough to allow him to be able to tell where she might be.

It seemed that nobody on the train was suspicious in the least of the group, with the exception of the one man that had been looking nervous the entire time. He seemed suspicious of everyone, though, so it likely wasn’t due to anything that they were doing. Just before the train had arrived, he had started pacing, looking even more nervous than he had before. It was enough to draw the attention of most of the people on the platform, one of the twins giving him a curious look while the college students all looked over and began muttering amongst themselves. As expected, most of the businessmen ignored what was going on, since it wasn’t relevant to what they were here for and therefore was unimportant. It eventually ended when the man sitting on the bench looked over and said, “Calm down.” That made the man stop pacing, although he resumed his nervous glances until the train pulled in.

Very few people exited the train when it came to a halt, even less than the group that was getting on. In fact, less than ten got off, half of them college students and half of them businessmen, and nearly all of them came from the sixth and fifth cars. They hurried past the individuals boarding the train, apparently eager to get back into the city or at least to return to their homes, apartments, or wherever they were going.

If the group was watching the other passengers board the train, they would be able to tell the general area that each person would be in. The pair including the nervous man boarded the car that was the closest to the end that had pulled in the station. The twins boarded the fourth car down the train, with a few of the businessmen going in that car as well. The college students appeared to take up the entirety of the sixth and the other half of the first car, and the last of the businessmen ended up in the one that the group was travelling in. The fifth and second cars didn’t appear to have anyone riding in them, and the driving car of the train was located past the seventh car, which appeared to be some kind of storage car given the several crates had begun to be carried down the platform towards it when the train had pulled in. Assuming that each car could hold a fair amount of people, it seemed that the train would be decently empty.

The cars themselves were fairly typical, although perhaps a bit old in design. There was a hallway down the side of the car with doors leading to the rooms opposite a set of windows looking out into the station, although the view would be changed to whatever they were travelling by once the train was moving. There was a total of ten rooms in the car, the average number in a train like this. A restroom was located at each end of the car, each one fairly spacious for one that was located on a train. Of course, that was still small compared to an average one. The doors to the rooms were unlocked, a digital screen holding the names of the individuals that were going to be travelling in that room. The rooms that the Vespa operatives would be staying in were side-by-side, and Ciel’s door also had Auria’s name on it. Whether that was good or bad was up to her to decide. Andrew and Kendrick’s names were both on their door, giving them the knowledge that they were going to be in the same room, since they wouldn’t have known before now. The tickets hadn’t had the names of the other people in the room, only what room it was.

As for the rooms themselves, they were fairly small, although it was clear that they were made for two people to stay in. The floors were carpeted, and appeared to be very clean despite the amount of people that undoubtedly travelled on this train. A small table with two chairs was fastened right below a large window that took up most of the wall across from the door. The curtains were currently drawn on it to give those in the train a sense of privacy before they left the station, but they could be pulled back whenever those in the room wished it. The beds were built into the wall like alcoves, and they had screens that were currently pulled across them that were there to give the sleeping person some privacy should they wish it. If any of them pulled the screens back, they would find a completely made bed that looked both clean and comfortable. The two beds were placed end-to-end in the wall, with perhaps a foot or two of wall between them. On the opposite wall there was a six-foot long couch as well as another alcove that seemed like it was meant to be used to story suitcases, briefcases, and other luggage in.

A map of the train was on the wall above the couch, and it seemed that the reason nobody was in the fifth and second cars was because they were dining cars. Given the length of the trip, it could be expected that the train would be able to provide something for the people riding it. Everything else was a passenger car, presumably designed in a similar manner to the one that they were riding in, with the exception of the storage car right before the engine.

Resting on the table in each car was the key to the room, allowing everyone to lock their rooms when they left should they so desire. The train wasn’t leaving yet, so everyone had time to put their things away and settle in should they choose to do so, or to do whatever they really wanted to if they didn’t.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Leo ‘Reaper’ Parker, Jonathan Edge

With no response from the commanding officer, it fell to Leo to drive. Alicia arrived at the car completely out of breath, having sprinted the entire way, and almost immediately climbed into the back, leaving Jon to be able to get in the passenger seat. His apparent lack of rushing to do so left them a little bit behind schedule, but it wasn’t long enough to really cause a problem. By the time he got in, though, Leo would already have the vehicle started, and they would be able to start immediately.

“You want to get off the highway. They’re taking back roads, and I will alert any SGDF in the area and see if I can block them off.” Cratus told them as soon as the car started. Like Kristina had said, he was monitoring them as well, and was the main way that the team would be able to find those they were pursuing. There was also a radar map that could be brought up on the dashboard of the vehicle, and the dot indicating where the terrorists were as well as a depiction of the network of roads in the area would show up as Cratus gave them the directions.

At the speed they would need to go to catch up with those they were pursuing, there wasn’t really any time to set up the gun on the top of the vehicle. Alicia tried, but ended up not bothering because it was too dangerous to attempt to attach it while the vehicle was moving down the streets. It became apparent soon after they began the pursuit that Leo could go a bit slower than they might have thought, and actually would probably have to, since they would be forced to make a large number of decently sharp turns down streets. The roads were fairly clear at this time of night, and those that were present would move out of the way when the SGDF vehicle came down the street behind them. It allowed the team to make decent time on the roads, although the terrorists had enough of a head start that they were always a decent distance ahead of them. Every so often they would catch a glimpse of the helicopter in the distance, and it grew larger as they continued to pursue.

Cratus continued to give them directions, as well as report the situation of roadblocks and barricades. It seemed that none of these did anything, though, apart from making the terrorists change the route they were taking. It seemed like they had somewhere in mind, their rate of movement hardly ever changing. The dot would vanish off the map from time to time, but Cratus always got it back on there within a few seconds of it disappearing. As they continued to drive, he began to sound a little frustrated, and it was clear that the lack of effect of what he was trying to do was related to this. The AI might not be human, but he had a fair amount of characteristics that a human did. The only difference was that he was always in control of them.

Eventually, the dot stopped, next to a location that was marked on the map as a High School building. It was perhaps a mile from where they were located, but required several more fairly sharp turns and therefore would take a little while to get to. As they continued down the streets, the dot remained where it was, enough to make it clear that the vehicle had completely stopped. The helicopter passed overhead a few seconds after the vehicle had stopped, and the lack of anything combat-related coming from them seemed to indicate that it wasn’t an ambush that was being set up.

As they drove closer, Kristina’s voice came over the radio, tersely asking,” How far are you from my position?” By this point they were around half of a mile away, assuming they hadn’t stopped, and would be able ot make it to the area in a matter of minutes. The way she asked indicated that something wasn’t quite right with the way things were going, and although she didn’t say what that was, Cratus did, chiming in just before they could respond.

“The terrorists have taken refuge inside the school.” he told them. “Normally this would be less of a problem than it is, but at the moment there is a meeting of civilians inside. Since there have been no signs of trouble inside as of yet, we can assume that they have not made contact with the civilians. Typical behavior dictates that they will, but since these are not typical terrorists that we are dealing with I cannot be sure on that point. No traps seem to be present, but you should still proceed with caution.”

As they drove into the parking lot around the school, the first thing that they would notice was the number of cars in the parking lot and the lights on in the school. The second was likely the helicopter that was hovering over the open field, and which began to descend as the vehicle came to a halt. The vehicle used by the terrorists, a green jeep, was parked quite neatly between a blue minivan and a red convertible, almost like they were taunting the SGDF soldiers with the fact that they had time to do such a thing. The front doors of the school were at the far end of the parking lot, and were lit up enough so that they could see an empty main hall inside. There was no trace of the terrorists, and since the order had just come in from Kristina telling them, “Don’t enter the building until we form up.” they were delegated to the parking lot for now. There were plenty of windows that the terrorists could fire at them from, but all of the ones that they could see inside of were currently empty.

[napsii]

"Yeah... OK." chattered Mission, sucking back a deep breath.

She knew Kristina was just as tense as her, but the captain's presence always had a stabilizing effect. Naturally fit to be a leader, Kristina had always been able to cool Mission's fears. The girl clutched the instruments, relieved to have the captain on her side but still concerned that they might fail. Fingers quivering, she directed the helicopter's optics over the fleeing car, on the lookout for any chatter over the communications systems. By now, Cratus had dispatched calls to nearby units for assistance and messages were cascading in over the comm. She leaned in as the AI spoke, eager to know if he had made any progress. The first thing on her mind right now was to see this through to victory. After causing so much destruction, these terrorists could not be allowed to escape, and it set the girl's teeth on edge to even think of them being able to slip from justice. The image of the map exploded to the front of her intention and she kept her eyes wide open for the minuscule colored dot that was flickering across the fingernail-wide reconstruction of the city streets. Having been familiar with these systems, she had known this was their target. Not even the best could thwart these sensors entirely, and to some irony, these terrorists' efforts were more revealing than it would have been to do nothing at all. The wavering blip stuck out in the clearly-defined hologram, traveling a slower path as if begging them to pursue. Mission suddenly itched to slam forward on the controls, wondering if the terrorists weren't familiar with the city streets -- it was a mistake that they'd capitalize on! In her moment of bloodlust, she was disappointed that they had no clearance to fire, but it didn't matter: they had to do something.

"Let's go!" she urged, feeling her heart throb in her temples.

The helicopter pitched forward in almost leisure pursuit, the excruciating slowness making her antsy. The distance between them wasn't closing enough, and in her impatience, Mission thought they might pull ahead, but her sense of reason recognized caution before she said anything foolish. It was upsetting enough the terrorists had a weapon which could thrash their defenses -- even more so that they could hit them with it. Concerned with Cratus' remark, she had her senses peeled for intervening terrorists; the few SGDF aircraft that hadn't gone down from mechanical failure or sabotage had been ambushed, and with any coordinated insurgency, there was always a dozen more that one did not see. As she eyed the comm systems for the law enforcement which were plotting barricades and traps in the roads ahead, she again wondered if these were truly Vespa. Some had military backgrounds in the national armies that had been overturned in the war, and a precious few were ex-SGDF, but the Vespa weren't known for their wealth in equipment. These were something different, she suspected: a third party. Though, not knowing for certain, she could only be confident that they were terrorists. The chase began to wear on, and Mission found a sort of rhythm in the fleeing car's regular turns. Her attention split between the canopy and the instruments, she felt anger flare whenever the terrorists avoided the paths that would have led them into one of the traps that Cratus had planned. They must have had sentries in the streets tipping them off, or perhaps they had hacked the traffic cameras -- Mission had seen that done before. The pursuit vehicle, too, lagged behind even though the helicopter was close.

It was frustrating to be close and yet not be able to act, especially knowing any second could spell a new disaster if the terrorists made another move.

"Where are they going...?" she mumbled as she watched the map, knowing the others were at a loss as well. It was easy to fool herself into thinking the roadblocks were containing the terrorists from their destination, but the three were gaining ground. Their perception for the roadblocks bordered on supernatural, and Mission wondered how long this would drag on for. But eventually, the flickering blip came to a halt. Her heart skipped in anticipation; this would either be where they succeeded or failed. She studied the map with intensity, unsettled by their choice of a residential area -- it was not only that much more dangerous to civilians, but also an unlikely place to bail that made Mission question if they were panicking or had a sinister plan. The high school was one of the worst places they could have found themselves in. Though she knew the students would be long gone, schools were sensitive areas that made for horror stories when attacked. Her heart pounded ever harder. She had hoped the school would be empty, but there were civilians inside, too. Total hell. If the terrorists knew this, then they likely planned to take hostages. If they didn't, then they might catch on to the disadvantage it'd bring their pursuers. Razing a building of innocents wasn't out of their league, so hostage-taking wouldn't be, either. Mission chewed her cheek with anger. There was little choice now but to go after them. A normal operation would have had them remain in the helicopter, but there was no time -- they would disembark and go in on foot. Nodding dreadfully, she leaned back over the seat to grab the rest of her gear. Her first choice was a long, sleek Sterling Adaptive Combat Rifle with a foregrip and collapsible stock which gleamed intimidatingly as she hauled it out. it had already been fastened with a reflex sight and side-mounted flashlight.

She also procured a handful of wrist restraints: stiff, bright orange bands of near-indestructible nanoplastic that when activated by a touch lock bound tightly around a subject's wrists in the blink of an eye. Lighter and more expedient than metal handcuffs, they were a prime choice for assault teams. Clipping them to her waist, she procured several magazines of armor-piercing ammunition for her rifle and placed them in her vest's pockets. As she loaded her weapon and extended the stock, she kept a nervous eye on the windows of the school. She took off her flight helmet and slipped a pair of tactical glasses over her eyes. Tinted blue, the rugged eyewear provided eye protection, but also a constant feed of digital information when connected to a soldier's personal electronics. They were a simplified version of the SGDF battlesuit's visor. Drawing a tiny wire from the glasses, she quickly hooked it into the battery in the upper back of her vest and her vision immediately bloomed to life with a display of numbers and information. The number of rounds left in her weapons were displayed foremost. She handed a pair to Kristina wordlessly before frowning at the sight of her helmet. She never liked wearing helmets. Sighing inaudibly, she pulled it over her head until it fit snugly and quickly fastened the strap under her chin. Her head felt heavier, but also safer.

"Alright..." she said breathily as she hefted her weapon. The rifle clicked as its safety disengaged to semiautomatic fire. Admittedly, she felt inadequate without the usual security of the battlesuit. This lighter gear didn't provide nearly the same resilience or endurance, and the terrorists' strange guns were so powerful.

"Oh, I almost forgot." she then said suddenly. Reaching into the equipment locker once more, she procured a strange device: a small, rugged rectangular gadget with a touchscreen and tiny keyboard attached to loops of straps. Comfortably, Mission slipped it onto her forearm and fastened it in place. This was a tactical wrist computer: a simplistic device that provided excellent technological resources for its small size. It was perhaps Mission's greatest tool, even more useful than a gun, for she had learned how to use its many functions to turn many operations in her favor. The wrist computer lit up as she powered it on, displaying a wide variety of menus and options. Mission quickly leaned and her fingers moved like lightning over the screen, cycling through screens as she worked in obvious pursuit of something.

"I'll interface with the school's security cameras. Hopefully they'll let us keep an eye on things." she remarked as she dialed in for the computer to connect remotely to the camera systems. It was a mere three seconds before a grainy camera feed from one of the cameras inside blazed to life on the computer screen and the corner of everyone's heads-up displays. Now all they had to do was wait for everyone to assemble.

[MiscChaos]

"Oh, nothing of critical importance, Madame. Just wondering where you were." Kendrick says in reply to the Madame's rather clipped tone, knowing enough to avoid naming her in public. That irritated voice seems to be her default tone, so he doesn't necessarily feel put out by it even as he wishes to know if it would sound more beautiful without it. It's a tone that fits her features though, so it works more than it doesn't. When he boards the train, he releases a small sigh at the sight of him and Andrew sharing a room. It was entirely expected, of course, gotta cut costs somewhere, but that didn't mean he had to enjoy rooming with another man. If he's lucky enough though, he won't have to spend much time in there. Picking up his key, he unlocks his room and opens it up so he can put his stuff down. He keeps his taser on him though. It isn't illegal and, frankly, he'd rather have something to defend himself with since hand-to-hand isn't his forte. As trite as it sounds, he's a lover, not a fighter. A negotiator, not a brawler. If he has to hurt someone, he'd much rather shut down their finances and erase all records than to throw a fist at someone.

[Grape Me]

Leo got out of the driver seat and made his way to the back of the vehicle. Grabbing the medkit, he pulled out a stimpack from it and injected it into his wounded arm. This wouldn't heal the injury itself, but it would act as a pain killer and stop the bleeding for sometime. This would also allow the arm to be less limp, being used as it should be. Of coarse, it is still injured, and getting accurate shots could prove difficult at times. Leo, however, is the designated marksman for a reason. He looked at his other squad members for a moment. They all looked pretty shook up from what just happened back there... the lieutenant...
Leo turned and opened the back of the truck, hopping out onto the pavement. It seemed something should be said about the events that just took place. It would have to wait however, they have terrorists to apprehend.

Leo reached inside the vehicle grabbing his M25 sniper. He then would head to the back of a nearby car and scope out the building the terrorists must have entered. It seemed to be a high school, and by the amount of parked cars and lights inside, it hinted there could be civilians in there as well. Leo would continue to scan the windows until the other group arrived. If Leo's further orders are to provide cover from the outside, he would continue with his sniper. However, if ordered to move into the building, he would also take his compact MP7 submachine gun.

[Inferi]

Mission Sterling

The helicopter descent began as soon as the SGDF vehicle pulled in and took almost no time at all. By the time Mission had finished gathering her gear Kristina had brought it to the ground, turned off the rotors, and begun to gather her own gear together. She had almost exactly the same equipment as Mission, the rifle carrying both lethal and non-lethal ammunition. The latter was her preferred choice, as now, more than ever, she wanted these people alive. Maybe they wouldn’t be able to get anything from them, but it needed to be tried. There was something about these people that didn’t make sense, and it was very likely only they could shed any light on it.

When no shots came at them on the way down, it would likely be equal parts relieving and nerve-wracking. There had been enough time for them to get into position, so if they weren’t, that had to mean they were planning something. Well, it didn’t, but that would be the more likely thing to assume given the fact that they seemed to have come here voluntarily. However, although no shots came, Mission would, for just a brief moment, see what looked like someone watching from a window in the rectangular area of the building that was closest to the parking lot and the field. It was impossible to see anything other than that due to the fact that there were no lights on in that area of the school, and a single blink was enough time for whatever it was to vanish. Kristina didn’t notice, her preoccupation with landing the helicopter keeping her from it, and when nothing happened it seemed that Mission might just be seeing things. Even if she pointed it out, the image would be gone by the time Kristina looked, and constant watching of that window would reveal nothing further.

“Good idea. Let me know what you find.” she told Mission when she pulled out the tactical wrist computer. Despite the usefulness of such an object, she did not take out one to use herself. For someone in her position, a gadget like that was much less useful than it was to someone like Mission. All the data she needed could be brought up on the tactical readout on her helmet display, and hacking or piggybacking onto a computer system wasn’t something she knew how to do. That was why people like Mission carried the computers, and why commanding officers listened to them when it came to technical matters that they didn’t fully understand.

“At least I didn’t have to force you to put on a helmet this time.” she commented, a slight grin appearing for a brief moment. It was a very common occurrence for Mission to not want to wear a helmet, at least when Kristina had been around, and it had led to numerous occasions where, just to avoid wasting time, she had simply ordered her friend to put one on. Apparently the talks she had tried to give outside of actual military business about how helmets were vastly important to both survival and good coordination didn’t stick, although she couldn’t really say she was all that surprised.

Not waiting for a response, Kristina pulled on her combat vest, saying, “Cratus, if you haven’t deployed a drone yet, will you? I want something overhead in case they try to run while we are inside.”

“Already done. It should arrive in three minutes at the present speed, and until it does I will take control of the helicopter and position that overhead.” the AI responded. “I would prefer to get that underway immediately, so exit the vehicle as soon as possible.”

“Right.” Kristina said, motioning for Mission to get out before she gathered up the rest of her equipment, checked it briefly, and then climbed out of the helicopter as the rotors started up again. Quickly moving to what was designated as the safe distance for takeoff, she waited for Mission to get there before starting to walk towards the parking lot, putting on the glasses, helmet, and finishing up fastening the vest. The sidearm holster was attached under the shoulder of her vest, and spare ammunition was held in pockets and pouches designated for such a thing. She also carried three grenades, all of them debilitating in nature. Throwing a fragmentation or incendiary grenade inside a school was not a good idea, especially not with civilians inside.

Mission’s attempt to interface with the school’s cameras was actually fairly simple. While on a semi-closed circuit, SGDF codes and her own technical knowledge gave her access to the system by the time they had reached the parking lot. From there, she could see through every camera that was in the school, which, unfortunately, was not a massive amount. For whatever reason, people were paranoid when it came to someone watching their kids all day, so only the hallways and the main areas had them. It was still a sizeable amount, and would take a few minutes to completely sift through, but it wouldn’t give as much of a scope on the situation as she might like to have.

Out of all of the cameras, there were only three areas that really had anything significant. All of the rest were just empty hallways and rooms, and everywhere except the gymnasium was completely dark. There were a few cameras positioned there, and Mission would be able to see a fairly sizeable group of adults sitting in several rows of chairs that were set up in front of a slightly raised area with a podium standing on it. Someone was standing behind the podium and speaking into what looked like a microphone mounted on top, so it was safe to assume that this was the meeting that Cratus had talked about. It seemed as though there was nothing wrong with it, and no camera angle showed anything that seemed to be out of place. Either the terrorists had blended in with the crowd perfectly or they hadn’t gone anywhere near them.

The second place of interest was a hallway on the far side of the school, and what was of interest about it was also a bit curious. There was a man walking down the hall that was wearing what looked like some kind of black combat armor with a hood pulled over his head. His face could not be seen in the darkness, but it didn’t seem like he was carrying anything that might obscure it, nor did he look like he was trying to hide. In fact, it almost looked like he was actually looking for something, but why would anyone be looking for anything in a high school at this time of night? He didn’t seem to be carrying much of anything in the way of weaponry, at least not that Mission could see, and his stride, although having purpose to it, did not seem rushed.

The last one was another hallway on the opposite side of the school, in the wing that was closest to the parking lot. There was a single individual standing there, but his features were obscure in the same way that they had been blocked when the helicopter had tried to see him after the building had collapsed. In a way that almost seemed mocking, he was standing right in front of the camera, holding a sniper rifle casually. He stood there for a few moments, then raised one hand and…waved. By the way he did it, one would be able to imagine that he was grinning as he did it. The wave took a few seconds, and then, as he was lowering his hand, the camera cut to static. No matter what Mission did, she would be unable to restore the feed, leading her to believe that someone was inside and controlling it directly through the security station. Every other camera went out, too, except for the ones in the gymnasium. She could still see the meeting going on, and although it seemed like they wanted her to see it, nothing actually happened there yet.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Kendrick Mendoza

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Auria replied, “I’m getting on the train. There are a few new developments, at least one of which concerns all of us, so I need to talk to you soon.” With that, the other end of the line went dead as she hung up. It didn’t sound like she ever relaxed, although the position she was in within the Vespa and the world in general didn’t really afford her that much free time. That much was obvious, although her attitude wasn’t something that had to correlate to that. Being cold and businesslike was just how she was, it seemed.

Barely a minute later, a message came in from the same number Kendrick had just called, saying, “There’s more that needs to be worked out, apparently. I still would like to see you soon, but it is not imperative that you do so immediately. Just make sure you come talk to me before you go to sleep for the night.”

Since she didn’t give him a specific time, one could assume that she was going to be up for most of the night, or at least long enough that what time he did would be irrelevant. If it actually became relevant, then he was smart enough to know that Auria would say something about it.

About five minutes later, the announcement that they were about to leave came over the speakers. Then, a minute after that, the train shuddered and began moving down the tracks, out of the station. Since it was advised that passengers don’t move around the train before it started moving just because of boarding reasons, the fact that it had started moving meant people could also start moving around if they felt so inclined. Most would likely be going to sleep, since it was past eleven o’clock at night, but there would be those that would stay up for a while.

Without any rigid schedule, Kendrick was free to do what he wanted for the moment. He could go and see Auria and get that over with or could wait and go do something else until he felt like dealing with her. It was his choice.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Leo ‘Reaper’ Parker

Alicia remained silent for the trip, continually checking the shotgun that was sitting in her lap. Any query on how she was doing, should any come, just made her shake her head and respond, “I’m fine.” It seemed like the situation was a lot more than she was used to handling, although it didn’t look like she was going to have a huge problem continuing to do her job. She appeared as determined as the rest of the SGDF team to get these people. When the car came to a halt, she climbed out, bringing the shotgun with her. It seemed that weapon was her preferred one, and it was certainly not a bad thing to have right now. Then again, the submachine gun that Leo had would be just as effective in the hallways of the school, should the situation come to that. When Jon didn’t seem to climb out of the vehicle right away, her gaze turned to Leo, looking like she was waiting for some kind of order. All she said, though, was, “Are you all right, sir?” It seemed that she hadn’t noticed his injury before now.

There wasn’t even a peep from the school as Leo observed it. Every window remained clear, and nobody seemed to be trying to leave. There weren’t any noises of anything going on inside, either, so if the civilians were caught up in what was going on it wasn’t showing. The distinct lack of shots either in their direction or in the direction of the helicopter off in the field next to the parking lot was both comforting and unnerving, since it meant they were safe but begged the question of why. The terrorists had enough time to park their car immaculately, so they should have had time to set up if they wanted to try and pick off the SGDF personnel.

They didn’t have long to wait before Kristina and Mission arrived, the helicopter taking off behind them and hovering in the air over the building. The fact that the two people in it were now walking across the parking lot towards them wouldn’t be as much of a surprise as some people might think. AI-control was relatively new on vehicles, but it was something that had been utilized quite a bit in situation like this when the team was undermanned but a vehicle needed to be active. Many soldiers were reluctant to let it happen, but SGDF command authorized it simply because of how useful it could be, as well as the fact that Cratus, the main AI responsible for it, had never shown any sign of disloyalty or tendency of going rogue.

Before anyone in the ground team was able to say anything, Kristina spoke up. During their approach, Leo would be able to notice that they weren’t fully equipped, at least not in the way that he was. Both of them lacked the SGDF battlesuit, which, although it would make sense due to them being in a helicopter, meant they didn’t have any of the advantages of it. Their weapons, on the other hand, were just as good as any of the ones that the ground team had, so they wouldn’t be behind in that respect. He would also notice Mission working on the tactical wrist computer, presumably on something related to what was going on now. Maybe checking the cameras inside the school? That would seem to be the most likely thing, but unless she said something about it he couldn’t be sure.

“I’m sure you’re all aware of the situation. We’ve got three terrorists inside that school as well as a fair amount of civilians. We don’t know why they’re in there, but we need to go in and get them before they can do any more damage. Because there’s so few of us, we all need to go in. There will be a drone overhead in three minutes to watch the surrounding area in case they try to escape, and the helicopter will remain above us until then.”

She paused for a moment before turning to Leo and asking, “Are you seriously injured, soldier?” Like any decent commanding officer, it seemed like she didn’t want to send him in there if the injury would seriously affect his performance. By pretty much any standards, that would just be stupid. She followed that up with the question, “Is there a problem with him?” By him, she meant Jon, and indicated him when she asked.

[MiscChaos]

Kendrick has to remember who's speaking when Madame Silverandros says she wishes to meet with him before the night's done. Usually, from a lady, that's an invitation he really wouldn't want to refuse. He doesn't want to turn this one down either, but for an entirely different set of reasons than the usual ones. As soon as he was free to travel as he liked, he leaves his room, not wanting to be in a sausage fest anyways, and wanders over to the room all of them were supposed to meet in the first place since that's the best hint he has without Madame Silverandros' room number handy. On the way, he checks the doors of the rooms he passes by, attempting to see if he can find her on one of those, though he's doubtful of that. Someone as security conscious as the Madame would almost definitely book under an assumed name or a nameless room. He wishes he'd have had that option as well, liking to be as hard to track as possible. At least when it came to network security. He's never had to worry about IRL watch your back for people with knives security before. Well, except for maybe a few angered women, but that's almost a trifle to deal with.

In any case, if he's unable to find Madame Silverandros' room or find her in the meeting room, then he'll shoot her a message asking for her location and head there immediately.