Future Age ~IC~

Winter

Queen of cold.
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Posting Speed
  1. Multiple posts per day
  2. 1-3 posts per day
  3. One post per day
Online Availability
I check in pretty much all times of the day, either from my phone or from my home computer. So it's likely I'll see messages shortly after I've received them.
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
  3. Advanced
Preferred Character Gender
  1. No Preferences
Genres
Sci Fi, Fantasy, Fandom, Anime, Sometimes Horror. Survival, Romance, Furry, Magical.
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~Imagine a world where people smile not because the need to, but because they want to~

Tuesday 23rd September 2904 21:34pm

"Closing in on the objective ETA two minutes"

The engines of the R-80 Sparrow flared, propelling the small fast moving aircraft forwards at tremendous speeds towards the insertion point, carrying in it's rear cargo one of Serenity's Stalker Operators. The girl who looked to be only in her mid twenties looked up as the voice echoed over the intercom from the cockpit, prompting her to get ready to insert into the field on what would be just another mission to the many she'd undertaken in the previous months alone. Standing from her seat she made her way over to a rack on the wall, pulling from it an AR-65M and a GSM7 sidearm, slotting the latter into a holster strapped to her leg while throwing the other over her shoulder where it hung nicely and comfortably. "APOLLO, I need an update on unit serial designation, eight four seven slash beta" a small wireless earpiece blinked a light pale blue before a synthetic voice responded, "Unit has suffered thirty four percent losses since deployment, caution, unit engaged with World Government forces, advised immediate retreat from engagement". The girl exhaled a sigh through her nose before making her way towards the back of the sparrow, slamming her fist against a button on the wall which lowered the ramparts slowly causing a torrent of air to flood into the cargo hold, causing her hair to whip around as light rain caught in the draft hit against her.

"Thirty seconds to objective, displaying counter now... and take a chute this time will ya..."

A digital countdown activated above the rampart door and a small smile crossed the girls features at the mention of a chute, once more checking over her gear before stepping closer to the edge of the ramparts. She inched closer before taking hold of a tether to stop her falling out before the digital timer had finished it's countdown since missing her mark could mean creating a distance between her and the objective by a considerable amount of time which she just couldn't afford. There was a sudden deceleration of the Sparrow as the engines tilted and slowed, a low mechanical whirr becoming deeper in tone as the small aerial vehicle descended and slowed it's momentum to a speed that wouldn't cause heri to fall dramatically off course from getting caught up in the momentum. 'Now or never...' she thought to herself as the timer hit zero, letting go of the tether as she took a couple quick steps down the ramp before free falling towards the city below.


The wind rushing past her ears blocked out all sound as the streets below came into view, flashes of gunfire illuminating the large open street where the engagement was taking place. Explosions causing plumes of fire and smoke to lash out into the sky, covering her vision for a moment before she'd ready her descent, aiming her fall trajectory before bringing her legs towards her chest to throw her momentum into a forwards roll. Seconds later she would land on top of a WGA APC causing the main battery to bend and break from the force of her impact and weight, a loud metallic bang followed by smoke from the engine of the APC causing the surrounding WGA officers to cease fire for a moment in confusion. The Stalker stepped forwards out of the engine smoke levelling her assault rifle, squeezing the trigger causing the barrel to spit a few short burst into the visors of the closest two, shattering them as their bodies crumpled to the ground. She was met almost immediately with a hail of gunfire which strafed her body, bullets pinging and bouncing from her skin as she jumped down from the wreckage, firing back.

"Warning!" APOLLO's synthetic voice appeared in her ear, "WGA reinforcement request issued, advise immediate disengage". The girl paid little mind to the AI as she engaged fully, racing forwards as more bullets exhaled from her rifle, crouching behind the wreckage of a car for a moment to press a finger to her ear. "Apollo, connect me to the squad leader for the aforementioned designation" she raised up and fired two more bursts at an officer in cover who quickly slipped back behind a WGA rapid response car to avoid getting hit. "Connecting, link established" the next voice to come through was presumably the squad lead in charge of the unit she'd been sent to assist. "The hell is going on!" he yelled, some voices from his unit coming through in the background as they continued to fire and shoot back in her direction since she'd dropped in behind the WGA's established front line. "I'm the Stalker they sent, withdraw and exfil from the area, I'll handle things here" there was a pause on the line as the fighting continued before he replied. "Alone?" bullets thumped against the car she was taking cover behind shattering the windows and covering her with glass. "I said I'll handle it, now get your team out of here".

There was no further argument and the friendly unit began to withdraw, leaving her alone to clean things up as she slid the rifle around onto her back before withdrawing her sidearm, standing up before she reached forwards and tore the side door of the car from the vehicle, gritting her teeth as the metal whined and twisted before releasing the door. The Stalker raised the car door like a shield and began to close in towards the remaining officers who fired more shots, loud thumps hammering the metal of the car door before she would fire off several shots of her own, a couple of which found purchase in the chest of one unfortunate officer who stepped out of cover at the wrong moment. She charged their front line, slamming the car door into the closest officer before following the momentum into an overhead down swing to crush the other into the ground with such force his body bounced as blood spat across the inside of his visor. More officers engaged, pulling knives and blades to engage in close combat, forcing her to abandon the car door as she spun and slammed her first into the helmet of the first attacker, shattering the glass of the visor back into his eyes causing him to fall the ground screaming.

The second brought his knife towards her ribs but the girl simply redirected his fist and knife into the chest of the next attacker before slamming her foot down against his knee, splitting the kneecap and snapping the leg into two pieces of fragmented bone. As a few more fell to her brutal onslaught they soon learned engaging so closely wasn't working and withdrew back before unloading more gunfire towards her. After more minutes had passed, their numbers had started to thin out before one of the last remaining officers pulled a pin from a grenade that'd been attached to his belt, tossing it in her direction. She caught it in her hand and closed her fingers tightly around it, a dull hollow 'thump' resounding as she suppressed it's explosion before smoke filtered from the small metal ball. At the sight of that the remaining officers dropped their weapons and ran, leaving the Stalker to watch them withdraw before she let the shell of the grenade fall out of her hand into pieces on the ground, placing a finger to her ear. "I'm making my way to extraction, WGA are retreating" and with that she made her way out from the area before the reinforcement turned up or worse, Justice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What the FUCK, were you thinking Naomi?!"

Commander Farro stared down at the Stalker who was sitting behind a table with her arms folded, a frown on her face as the furious commander shouted. "You had one fucking objective, ONE and that was to get the unit to safety" he tossed the mission brief in front of her, turning around to face the wall as he ran a hand through his hair, turning back towards her a moment later. "With all due respect sir, they got back safely... mission accomplished" Naomi replied flatly, causing a vain to bulge in the forehead of the Commander as he looked for a moment like he might just explode at her. "I'm well aware... but it was not your mission to engage the enemy in a god damn blood bath, what if they had gotten the upper hand or Justice had arrived... what if they managed to capture you or kill you?" he placed his hands on the table, "You don't think about the consequences and that is your problem, you run in recklessly and do what you want without any regard for yourself or your comrades" Naomi stood from her seat and pointed a finger towards Farro, "Don't fucking start telling me I don't think about our allies, I specifically went in their to save them... and big fucking shocker, they survived. Now you're in here yelling at me because I got the job done?" Naomi huffed and looked away shaking her head.

"I'm sick of going through this with you, I am tired of telling you to be more cautious, to take your job more seriously and actually think for a moment before getting yourself stuck into the heat of a fight... you leave me with little choice" his voice calmed down a bit as he stood back up straight, Naomi eyeing him with a frown still on her features. "Wait are you about to fire me? are you serious?" she asked, tilting her head forwards as if this was a ludicrous thought. Farro shook his head, "No, I'm not going to fire you. Instead I'm assigning you a team, I think some time away from soloing the field will be good for you and these Operators have been hand selected as individuals who can keep up and maybe with luck slow you down from getting yourself into these situations" he took his seat behind his desk, pulling out a drawer before taking out a stack of dossiers, tossing them down in front of Naomi. "You can't be serious?! Stalkers don't have squads Farro that's a big part of what they're all about" Naomi complained, clearly not happy with the decision. "Well congratulations Naomi, you're the first Stalker to have their own team... now get out, we're done here... I suggest you read up on your new team". Naomi looked pissed off as she scooped up the files and left the office, slamming open the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Thump thump thump'

Three knocks at the door to her bunk room caused her to look up, sitting on the edge of her bed with her sidearm pressed against the side of her head. She placed the gun down on her nightstand before replying, "Coming" she called, approaching the door before opening it to see one of the base officers saluting her. "What's up?" she asked causing the officer to lower his salute. "Your new assigned team have arrived ma'am, Farro requests you rendezvous with them at the conference room immediately" Naomi let out a small sigh before nodding, "Alright, inform the Commander I'll be along shortly" she replied before closing her door and getting herself ready to meet the new guys who would be assigned to her, something she still thought was a stupid idea. Whatever the reasons Farro had for doing it, there was a good number of Stalkers who had better leading skills than she did. Naomi was someone who worked well alone and got the job done, hence why they send her when things get tough. But to assign her a unit? that seemed like a bad idea and she was betting she wasn't the only one who thought it.

The conference room was a large circular room with a large circular table int he middle, a small black cone at the centre of the table which usually produced holographic material for briefings on upcoming missions. Today however it'd be the place she would meet her new team, the dossiers of which she'd spent the night reading over so that she had at least some idea of what she was dealing with. She had to admit some of these people were a little more than peculiar though all seemed to have a unique individuality about them which set them apart from the usual unit grunt and soldier that came through here. Though Farro had mentioned that the team was hand picked specifically to be able to keep up with her so it made sense that they would posses skills and abilities that would set them apart from the initiates and grunts. Naomi entered into the conference room where Farro was waiting along with Major Kelly, one of his direct subordinates and a renown badass in the field, though lately she'd taken to tending to affairs within the base.

"Glad you could make it Lieutenant, your team should be arriving shortly, then you'll be briefed on your first assignment" Naomi pulled out a seat and sat herself back into it without a word, simply shaking her head to convey she still thought this was bullshit. But there was little she could do about it and since Farro was the commander he could do what he wanted... or she could quit but then what else could she do... and it'd just make all her work up to now pointless. With a small exhale she simply waited for the team to arrive, the members of which would be escorted by an officer to the room after a short introduction about Serenity HQ and the various utilities it had to offer them. The tour around it would have to wait for now however, they would be shown it later after the briefing.
 
“Macmhurich’s got it with room to run. Has a block at his own 20 meter and cuts in. They’ve got him hemmed in, no he reverses the field. Gets another block. Midfield, hurdles a defender. The 35, just the punter left to beat, and he just unloads a shoulder into him. Oh my lord he’s going to do it, the 15, the 10, and he walks it in.

I can’t believe it folks with just two minutes left in regulation the undrafted free agent pulled from the practice squad makes it a tie game. I said they were going to need some player to step up and pull some heroics but he is the last one I expected to listen. Rookie you may just have earned yourself a spot on this roster.”


With a roar of compressed strings and flutes Convel was ripped out of his dream and back to reality. His eyes sluggishly opened, taking in the glaringly bright room around him. He let his hand fall on to his face, groaned into it, and began massaging his temples as the vocals kicked in. Propping himself up on his elbow he rolled to slap the blaring alarm clock back into silence.

“I’m up, I get it.”

The clock didn’t stop blaring its assigned sample of culturally irrelevant pop cheese. As was his morning ritual he wished that he had splurged and gotten a VA for his cramped apartment. His feet touched the bare concrete, the cold floor rousing him enough to finally silence the alarm rather than just smack it indiscriminately. His hand found his lighter and pack of Coffin Nails. To his disappointment the pack was empty, the lighter flicked to life pointlessly.

With a sigh he whipped the lighter closed and finally stood up from his camp bed. After a few steps he was in his bathroom, the shower cutting on as the motion activated lights did. This modern luxury was one that he was alway glad to have. He clicked the radio sitting on the back of the toilet into life and stepped under the downpour of steaming hot water. He considered himself in the mirror.

“What do you think Ted? Think terrorists mind a little scruff?”

“Mrow.”

“Yeah, you have a point there.”

Ten minutes later he was stood in his living room watching the news, a cup of coffee in one hand and a handful of orange fur in the other. Gunfights all over the city, rising rents, and a new implant launch, all in all a good night. As the talking head started an interview with a pretty young pop idol that Convel didn’t recognize he looked to his watch. Ten more minutes before he had to leave, but the coffee pot was already off no point in staying as he saw it.

“Morning Darren.” he called, the soft jingle of the bodega’s door-chime announcing him even before he could start his greeting.

“Mornin’ one pack?” the pock faced teenager from behind the counter called, raising his voice as Convel turned the corner to the beer cave.

“Make it two, just to be safe. Gonna be out today, never know how a day out of the routine’s gonna go.”

“Want a lunch then? The slicer’s still on.”

“Nah.” he punctuated his answer by setting a tall boy on the counter and producing a credstick from a jacket with pocket only a little difficulty. “I’ve got bars incase I get hungry before I get back anyway.”

“Alright. Want me to send you the receipt?”

“Nah.”

A few steps and he was outside and fiddling with the foil on his first pack. He luxuriated in the final minute and forty seconds before his comm beeped him back onto schedule. The noise of the street and taste of tobacco were underappreciated miracles in his mind. Once the beeping started he tossed the butt into the storm drain and stepped down into his car. As the engine roared to life he looked at himself in the rearview mirror and smiled.

“Last chance to back out, you gonna take it?” His smile grew wider. “Didn’t think so.”





“Nah, no questions.” He said, walking down a barren hallway with a severe looking man towards what he would call a symbolically deficient door.

“Good deal. Got to admit I expected you to be a little more-”

“Douchey?”

“Well that wasn’t the way I was going to put it.”

“Nah, I was part of the wrecking crew. We were douchey, but unintentionally so.”

The severe man suppressed a smile and paused to open the door. WIth a shared nod he pulled it open revealing a conference room that too lacked symbolism. With a smirk at his own thoughts he surveyed the interior. Dull but at least the person sitting there seemed interesting. A woman around his own age that clearly didn’t want to be there, with eyes that plainly measured anything that they fell upon.

“Howdy.”
 
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A small shadow made its way down the cold, sterile halls of the bunker. A wrinkled cloak swayed from side to side and brushed against the floor as the shadow scuttled forth on stunted legs, the muddled footsteps echoing in the passageway and betraying its crippled gait. The shadow seemed to scrunch up even smaller as it drifted from one side of the hall to the other, the hooded head turning sharply to look down every corner. Green eyes peered out through crystal lenses at every door and hallway they passed, taking in every new sight they beheld and sending it to be processed and cataloged by the tireless machine of a brain that lay behind them. Everything here was new, and everything had to be broken down into useful information. Directions to bedrooms, workshops, garages, and cafeterias had to be memorized. They had said this was going to be his new home, and Grimm was doing his best to adapt to it.

Somewhere down the hallway a door opened and closed. The hooded head looked up in alarm to see a figure strolling towards him. Years of experience sharpened into instinct suddenly overrode the brain's mission of learning. Knotted muscles tensed over their framework of twisted bones as Grimm's eyes glanced from side to side, back and forth, desperately seeking some dark crevice he might slip into. But all that he saw was unyielding metal. Too late to vanish down a hallway, the figure was now mere feet away from him. Grimm stood frozen to the spot as a nameless initiate walked past him and sipped on a cup of coffee. It was only when the initiate turned down a hall that the mutant remembered he was no longer on the streets of Burke. He was a guest here. Dupin had said that he had nothing to fear from his fellow operatives. Air hissed in through the filters of his gas mask as he drew in a deep breath, then rushed out as he sighed. Things were going to be different now.

In a few minutes he arrived at his destination: the conference room. His hunchbacked shape stood in the doorway for a moment as he looked between the two people already inside. A tall man with a cybernetic arm and dressed rather stylishly, and the other, to his surprise, was a very normal looking girl. Grimm slowly started hobbling in, the lenses of his mask appearing vacant as he stared at them.

"Hello..."
 
The faint flickering of Neon lights all around, a smell that could only be rotten bananas slathered in olive oil, the faint hum of broken down electronics accompanied by the occasional spark and one couldn’t forget the taste of despair. That wasn’t a joke either, every time the young man breathed he could physically taste the air, and it tasted like suffering. The slums just had a way of offending every single one of a person’s senses. It was something Sven was reminded of on a daily basis, especially since a man, currently bleeding from his stomach, was gripping his pants leg. Running a hand through his red hair he sighed and looked up at someone running in the distance; clutching a wallet and a now bloody knife, then back down at the dying man.
Normally he’d step over him and go about his day, but he had a bit of free time before his meeting, he could do one good deed for the day.
Turning his head Sven whispered to the spot next to him, a moment later footsteps could be heard leaving the small area they were in. Sven had gone through an alley as a shortcut and stumbled upon this gentleman, who was now staring at him with pleading eyes, it was too pitiful to just ignore. Leaning down Sven made the man turn over before checking the wound.
“…there’s not that many people around to help, and you know you’re not getting treatment. You’re aware of the position you’re in right?”
“Y-yeah but you can help me rig-”
“I’m not a doctor,” Sven said cutting the man off. “Listen very closely to me…you’re chances of survival are slim if anything without medical help…if you have any last words, kin to inform or a will or something of that matter…I’m probably the last person that can help you.”
"I...I don't-"
"Sir this isn't a time for hesitation."

The man was silent for a moment staring at Sven who waited patiently his hand resting on the man’s shoulder. The pain was starting to get worse and the man with a heavy sigh informed Sven that he had a daughter, and that in his will everything went to her, she was only eight years old and there wasn’t anyone to look after her. He informed him where his house was as well which Sven wrote down along with the rest of the information.
After the man shared his knowledge Sven reached over and grabbed a medkit resting nearby and opening it started pulling items out.
“All right let’s take care of those wounds.”
“Eh…wait I’m not going to die.”
“Of course not, I said without medical help. You had at least another half an hour in you.”
“T-then why did you say all that?”
“Because now I know where you live, where your will is and that you have an eight year daughter who only has you…that being said you mind if I ask you a favor?”



The door to the conference room opened and a figure garbed in a black cloak held the door open for Sven who walked in messing with a small tablet, his fingers moving along the screen adjusting the multiple objects on the device as he took a seat. The figure took a seat next to him their hidden gaze moving over to Sven.
“Remove it,” Sven said keeping his eyes on the screen.
With a nod the person complied reaching for the middle of the cloak.
“The hood,” he added glancing over at them.
The person removed the hood from their head their eyes blinking a few times before moving around the room at the other faces within the room. The owner of the cloak was a woman, her face even as it moved around the room was blank and lacked any manner of expression, not even a twinkle of interest as it eventually settled back on the man next to her. She seemed more like a doll than a human being from her almost porcelain features, though after a moment she arched her brows, the first sign and more than likely only sign of expression that was going to come from her.
“We need to greet everyone.”
Hana spoke to her companion, her voice matching her expression empty and monotone, there was no sense of urgency, but compared to the sharp tone of her cohort it was probably more welcome.
“You do it.”
Turning her attention to those in the room she raised her hands up and extending her thumbs out and holding up her fore and middle fingers spoke.
“Wassup homies, where the Cyber women at?”
The device in the Sven’s hands shut off and he gave Hana a small slap on her shoulder.
“Not that kind of greeting you buffon, this is why I monitor what you watch.”
“Don’t be hatin’ on my swag just cause you got the wacks."
“Stop talking that’s an order. Just shut up, sit there and look happy so we can get through this quickly.”
Hana gave a small nod and turned her attention forward again, though her expression didn’t change.
“That’s better,” Sven said resting his cheek on his fist.
 
Jason Dezso’s life could be summed up real simple: Rob the rich to feed the poor. And he did his job faithfully with the Ivory Skulls, hoping one day they would get their opportunity- their moment to strike big and help a larger mass.

And then one day, the call was answered. The call was answered and it was specifically for JD to his surprise. The message from Serenity was kept between JD and the leaders, as to not rouse the whole Ivory Skulls group. Before JD just jumped at the opportunity, he stood in front of the four leaders of the Ivory Skulls- wanting their advice and needing their blessing.

“I know I’m still needed here. There’s still so much I can do to help-”

“But out there with Serenity, you’ll be doing just that on a much bigger scale. Not only will you be helping this community, but the you’ll be helping the masses.”

"This is beyond us Dezso and it's an opportunity you will more than likely only get once. But it still is your decision."

JD nodded, looking down at the message again, reading every detail in order to commit it to memory. He still couldn’t believe it. He was specifically chosen.

“But one thing we need you to take heed of... That power of yours…” The words made JD look down at his hands. “They’ve more than likely studied you. They probably know what you can do. But you don’t know them... That power you have is dangerous in the wrong hands. The first sign of danger… of deceit-”

JD’s hands clenched and a few blue sparks escaped. “Then I leave, I know. But danger and deceit is just part of the job, you know?”

“Just… Keep a low profile Sparks.

“Pfft, where’s the fun in-” The narrowed eyes made him laugh sheepishly. "No Sparks unless needed. Got it."

And just like that, JD’s decision was made. He gave parting words to close friends, promising extravagant gifts that they all knew where impossible for him to get. But they welcomed his cheeriness and bid him a safe mission.

That was hours ago.

JD was following two armed officers down the maze of hallways. He wasn’t sure why he needed two people to escort him, but he didn’t put too much thought into it. Instead, his interest laid on the new world around him. He had a wide eyed and curious expression, stopping constantly to peek into open doors or turn into places the officers weren’t going.

“You’ll get the tour after the briefing! Wouldja cut that out?!” Both officers sighed in mild frustration. When they were told to escort JD they thought it was because he’d be some guy that was itching to fight- or get into trouble of some sort… Not because their escort was a large child that wanted to get into everything... Grant it, there was some solace that JD wasn’t asking a million questions about everything he saw. In fact, the man hadn’t said a word since they picked him up- except for ‘Hi, nice to meetcha.’ He had headphones over his ears the entire time, and even though they couldn’t hear faint music playing despite how quiet it was, the colors were going- so he had to be listening to something. The only reason the two officers knew he wasn’t ignoring them was because he would acknowledge them with a nod or would quickly scurry back to them when he was ‘scolded’ for not keeping up.

“Alright. Through this door and you’re there.”

The colors glowing on the headphones stopped and JD slipped them around his neck. “Thanks for the walk guys, it was fun. Try to lighten up a bit or you’ll scare people away!” With his back against the door, JD pushed it open with a chuckle, before turning on his heel to be met with people already in the rather... bland meeting room.

“Alright, the party’s already started. Hope I’m not too late.” Save for looking like a ‘guy off the street’, the only real significant thing about his look were the two escrima sticks strapped to his back in an ‘X’ shape. Other than that, he had his hands shoved in his pocket only to remove one hand and unceremoniously hop over the couch to sit down.

When he spoke, his voice was light and playful and after he sat down, he gave a wide grin to all of them. “I s’pose it’s nice to meet all of you.” Giving another once over to the group, he gave a mock salute. “The name’s JD.”
 
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The figure made his way to his assigned position, his quiet footsteps of metal on metal heralded his arrival. His metal hands were firmly clasped behind his back as he greeted the people in his path with only a simple nod. Unlike others, he did not need signs or maps to direct him where to go or where he needed to be for the electricity flowing through the walls and spread out throughout the entire facility was the only guide he ever needed. He felt it now, the raw and most holy energy, like a mighty river that was split countless times but each flow maintaining some degree of the power of the original river. Unlike others, who might have sought to conceal or disguise their augments, Zadok proudly flaunted his improvements as cables and wires poked through his clothing.

He was one of the last to arrive. With the door closing behind him, he, typical of priests of the Machine-Cult, he was dressed entirely in a dark, deep, midnight purple habit. His head was hooded with a few locks of dark hair spilling out and the bottom half of his face was obscured entirely by a respirator with tubes that led in and out of his tunic. His eyes, one a natural gold that was set in his wrinkled face, for the man standing before them was very old indeed, and the other a red lens that glowed brightly, scanned the room and the people in it. His hands, almost purring, were clasped together in front of him in greeting as he respectfully bowed his head a little bit.

"<Greetings.>" His voice came out to be heavily modulated, as well as almost musical in it's tone. "<I am Father Zadok, Artisan-Priest of the Cult of the Machine. It is an honor to make all of your acquaintances.>"
 
“Beep beep, coming through!” Sierra shouted, whisking through the throng of people. Exclamations insewed behind her, but she ignored them, instead hopping off her board as she finally came into the Serenity’s hold. Now, where was that conference room? she thought, rubbing her side as she looked around. Sierra huffed and wiped sweat off her brow. “Finally, I made it...hehe...can’t wait to see-- gah!” The girl cut off short as something heavy and metallic whipped from her left blinds spot to hit her in the jaw. The pain vibrated up her face. Sierra staggered to her knees, caught off guard, and cupped the wound in a hand. “Ow! The fuck? Alrigh’ who--”

She jumped up, ready to fight whoever threw the thing, when the thing itself caught her eye. It laid innocently a few feet away; an old socket wrench, dirty from use and now sporting a speckle of blood. Her complaints died in her throat while she watched a hand bend to pick it up. The hand itself was flawless of scratches, calluses, or even lines to suggest flesh and blood of a natural human. The simple action of grasping the wrench was fluid, precise, like a flow of water. Sierra’s own artificial hands flexed; even with synthetic motor functions, her own hands weren’t nearly as graceful. Gulping, Sierra warily followed the length of that beautiful, most likely deadly, arm up its length to the shoulder and then, even more afraid, to the head.

A smile broke out out of pure unadulterated fear. “Uh...haha...hi master.”

***

The conference door burst open in a loud bang. Sierra yelped as she staggered through, toppling right into some spiky haired boy was standing innocently too close. They both went down in a heap of limbs. Sierra seized her ribs where they panged her, but in the next second she was pointing a finger at the man holding the socket wrench in the open doorway. “What the hell was that for!?”

A sharp glare quieted her. The two glowered at each other for a briefly. Sierra huffed, then looked away. “Yeah, yeah.”

The man huffed. He glanced at Naomi, taking a moment to observe the Serenity operative, then simply walked away. Sighing, the girl picked herself up and looked down. “Sorry about that. Y’okay, erm, Spiky?’ she asked as she held out a hand to him. She flinched as she pulled him to his feet, causing them both to stagger.

“Heh, sorry about that. Nursing some broken ribs from a fight I got into. Kinda why I’m late.” Sierra rubbed her head, slightly abashed by that. “Name’s Khunalki. Sierra Khunalki. I’m assuming you’re all here for the new job, eh?”
 
"I sincerely hope so," Hanlon answered Sierra. "That, or possibly also long black cloak collector society. All the options in the world, and _people_," he said, giving the last word intonation that implied he could also mean sheep, undesirables, or bacteria, "still dress the same." Hanlon was sitting by the table. Was he there by the start? Did he join in as the crowd shuffled in, or did he arrive last? Ah well. He shuffled in his seat, fumbling for a paralyzer which he used to light a thin cigar, filing the room for a split second with a sharp buzz and a flicker of blue light.

He puffed out a cloud of aromatic smoke, filling the room with stink of old leather and hint of cinnamon, before the AC sucked all signs of smoke out. "I'm Hanlon. I would say at your service, but I do believe that privilege belongs only to Naomi, at least for now."
 
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Naomi sat with her legs up on the table with her arms folded as each member of her newly assigned team arrived, remaining silent as she sized each of them up with a glance, perking a brow when the mutant entered wondering how on earth he'd be able to keep up with her let alone an entire unit. Each of them seemed to be individually eccentric either in how they presented themselves or how they acted, though having worked mostly with military types it was at least a little refreshing to know she wouldn't be dealing with the usual brand of initiate jar heads that'd sooner shout 'yes ma'am' and 'no ma'am' than think for themselves.

The first to enter was the one called Convel and from what she'd read from his dossier he was ex-WGA which honestly worried her a little for several reasons she decided not to voice for the time being. He had descent experience and from what she'd read his artificial synthetic arm was leagues ahead of the usual run of the mill synthetic replacements. He dressed smartly which made her wonder how that'd effect him in the field where getting roughed up and strafed with bullets was a fairly regular occurrence. Naomi would mentally shrug, he'd either come to terms with it or quit within a week.

Next up to enter was the mutant, said to have been raised by an Omnic which honestly felt like some sort of cheap science fiction novel written by an author with a name you'd find in the morning obituaries. He was short and had his face concealed behind a gas mask, wearing a hooded cloak. Apparently he had exceptional engineering skills which could prove to be invaluable but what concerned her was how he would perform in the field where moving fast was the difference between living and getting turned into paste by the various toys in the WGA arsenal. She would probably have to consider his mobility in the field, or at least have a conversation with him about it.

Shortly after came a certain man Serenity had been interested in for a fairly long time, a man going by the name of Sven. He was supposedly a technological genius with skill that even the WGA would pay good money for. And his companion was, some what of an anomaly and their relationship was honestly rather strange. Naomi had a hard time reading though his particular dossier as it was filled with a lot of information that seemed like it was missing the crucial details. That being said she'd heard that the man, Sven was difficult to deal with and not so easy to work with. Of all the people they could have stuck with her it seemed like he was the worst fit.

Then came JD, a man straight from the Ivory Skulls themselves. Naomi wasn't quite sure why he was here since she'd heard they were doing pretty ok from themselves, though she could suppose they were smaller scale than Serenity which was perhaps why he'd chosen to step up and answer the summons. He was a Devil Fruit user from what she'd read, an asset the WGA would burn districts for should they learn the nature of his abilities. It was surprising that Justice hadn't gotten to him first, offering him a nice position with all of the included perks. He could have been set for life on their likely offers but yet he was here, she could respect that... unless of course he didn't know.

Sierra was next, the only other female of this new unit and one with high recommendation from someone already held in high esteem within Serenity. Upon her arrival Naomi had locked gaze with him till he eventually turned and left the room, leaving the girl alone to introduce herself. She carried two strong synthetic arm augments and apparently was quite feisty, Naomi could probably work with that, although her eagerness to get stuck into a fight was a little worrying even if it was a little hypocritical for her to think such things. But then again she had the luxury of surviving most of her wounds, Sierra did not. Time would tell the kind of Operator she'd make.

The masterclass behind every derivable and pilot-able machine spoke up in response to Sierra and said very little else as he took a seat and lit up a cigar. Apparently the man was extraordinary behind the wheel which was honestly quite impressive in a city where traffic could be disastrous at the best of times. Naomi wondered how well he knew the streets and roads of the city, being as adept as he was behind vehicles. He'd be another one to look out for in the field to see how well he handled his job roles. Though if his dossier was accurate in what it said he could do than he'd prove to be very useful on operations where a speedy getaway or entrance was required.

Lastly, a Mechanite by the name of Zadok. Naomi didn't particularly agree with the Cult specifically about their views on Omnics, but having one on the team was a pretty big perk. They were excellent engineers and from what she knew they could build almost anything and everything so long as it didn't infringe on their laws and beliefs. She wondered what else he had to bring to the table, after all Mechanites weren't known to be lousy combatants. She'd heard of entire Omnic gangs with considerable fire power being steam rolled by them in various districts in the past. It was interesting that he was here and wondered if his duty would conflict with his religion.

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Once everyone had collected in the conference room the door was locked behind them as Farro stepped forwards. "Thank you all for coming" he began as he looked between them, "You all know why you're here and you've all been briefed on what this is all about, what 'we' are all about". He paused for a moment to consider how to proceed before continuing on, "Everyone in this room beside myself and Major Kelly are going to form our newest and first Stalker unit. Each of you have been hand picked for your exceptional skills and abilities that we believe will make you an effective team in the field, from this day on you'll be under the command of Lieutenant Naomi" he motioned towards the dark haired girl in the chair.

]"Ordinarily new additions would be trained and prepped before joining a unit, so this is new territory for us in terms of what we're putting together here and what we're presently asking from you. Because of this, you'll have higher access to site resources such as archives and utilities in order to get yourselves up to speed on how we work and function here within Serenity. But rest assured you'll be well taken care of and should you have any questions or require anything you should report directly to your CO" Farro once again motioned to Naomi who gave a half assed thumbs up with a sarcastic smile. It was clear she wasn't pleased to be here in the slightest but to Farro's credit he seemed to blow over it as if he hadn't even noticed.

"You'll have more opportunities to learn and discover more about the base and how we do things once the briefing is concluded. Now I believe Major Kelly will brief you on your first operation" Farro placed his hands together and nodded before stepping aside to take a seat, leaving the Major to step forwards. She had her hair tied back into a bun, wearing a beret and a neat uniform with her rank displayed on her shoulders. "Let's get started" she announced before pulling out a remote, dimming the lights in the room before a console in the center of the table lit up with a holographic display above it. "Your first mission will be the recovery or an Operator gone rogue named Jaclyn Everette" the image of the woman appeared on the screen.

"Previously one of our best and most experienced Operators went AWOL with her team shortly after recovering data on the whereabouts of our undercover operatives working in the various districts across Eternity. We believe she intends to sell the data either for profit or to broker a deal for her and her team with the WGA. Concrete information on that hasn't been clear as of yet but we do know she is in possession of the information contained on a hard drive stolen from our archive. Two teams were dispatched to her last known location but both teams have since gone dark leading us to believe that were unsuccessful and likely killed" the Major pressed another button causing the display to flick to a short video of a transmission received from the sent units.

It began to play into the room after another press of the button, the sounds of gunshots and explosions distorting through the feedback of the operators mic while the video appeared to be playing through one of the squads helmet cameras. "Command! *'bzzztt'* this is Captain Leonard Twaits, we are under fire and have sustained fifty perc- *'bzzzt'* losses! The enemy has dug in at St Ayler-Warrior-Square and we can't break though, we're... we're pulling out with our wounded! requesting extraction immediate" there was the sound of something heavy firing off before the feed terminated entirely. From the sounds of it they had perished shortly after and it was pretty much confirmed by the Major whom likely would have mentioned the survivors prior to the video.

"Our normal units aren't going to cut it, so we're sending you instead. Jaclyn will be expecting another attempt and Naomi I'm afraid she'll probably be expecting you too... however what she doesn't know and what she won't be expecting is this team and the various strengths in skills you'll bring to the table. Because of her lack of information on those in this newly formed unit you pose the best chances of getting into Ayler-Warrior-Square and dealing with her. Make no mistake this wont be an easy operation, the team of operators under Jaclyn's command each have commendations in the field for extraordinary feats of accomplishments. But nevertheless we're confident you can get the job done, you'll even have the assistance of APOLLO who will assist your mission".

"This mission will take place in two days time, which we understand is short notice but we can not risk Jaclyn slipping away from us unnoticed. Within those two days you'll have time to get to know each other and consider your approach on her location, you'll be flown out via Sparrow as close as we can get you to the location without drawing attention. Good luck, all of you... any questions?" she asked looking around the room at each of the new Serenity members.
 
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Convel stood there for a moment in awkward silence waiting for a response. When it became clear that the only thing he was going to get was an appraising look he shuffled to a seat. From there he took in the magnitude of his miscalculation. When he’d decided if he was in for a penny he was in for a pound and accepted Serenity’s offer, he’d figured that he’d be a replacement in some veteran squad. Instead it looked like he was selected to take part in the first annual Serenity carnival. By the time the severe looking man started speaking his internal monologue had turned to a peanut gallery of self deprecation. The briefing did little to help.

If this group was supposed to be a Stalker team, the very concept of which didn’t mesh with his understanding of Stalkers, Serenity was having a laugh. Either that or every person here was the dictionary definition for ‘still waters have hidden depths’. Adding on top of that his own certainty that he was not ready to be some force of nature killing machine hopping out of the pages of some damn comic book, he was doing his best not to start laughing at how fucked he was. When the severe man added that they only had two days before going on a HVT kill op, and that the HVT was also a Stalker, the laugh died seeing that these people were actually serious.

“I’ve got a few questions, but I reckon the first and most pressing one is why aren’t we training yet? We aren’t exactly burdened with an overabundance of time and squad cohesion.”
 
As the briefing began, the techno-priest reached into his sleeves to pull out a cord with a data-port on the other end. Reaching down, he plugged himself into the holographic table. In an instant, it felt like he had dove straight first into cool water. He could feel the flow of electricity and data all throughout the facility at large, coalescing around lights, machines, and everything else that was needed to keep the complex alive. His blue electoos on his face The cold logic of data was always immensely refreshing and it flowed through him like a river through a dam. Already granted permission, Zadok accessed the holy repository that was the sum of all of Serenity's knowledge. Serenely, he flitted through data, choosing to take his time for the sake of it. There were a few sectors that prohibited even his access but he drifted past those knowing he had no real reason to access something he shouldn't. Precisely a micro-second later, he had what he was looking for and it was already saved in his meme-banks and in the section of his brain that was once his limbic system. Statistical outlays and probabilities ran through his brain as he considered the wealth of data that pertained to the target designated 'Jocelyn' as well as all the information present and available on his new squadmates. After consideration of everyone present, most notably their reluctant commanding officer, Zadok estimated that probability of success ranged from 3% to 83%. The vast and imprecise range was unacceptable, both in the eyes of the Omnissiah and his own, but given the lack of data that was the only conclusion he could come to.

He needed more data.

He always needed more data.
 
Well now, wasn't this an unexpected turn of evens! First job, and already a hit operation on a turncoat. This was going to be fun, if nothing else. With any luck, a group of cops or even a small military unit would stumble into the play, and the world will be rid of another shipment of traitors to human nature. Hanlon smiled and leaned back into the chair.

"I would say, my overcencerned new temporary friend," Han said towards Convel and puffed out a small cloud of cinnamon scented smoke, "that it would be because our dear benefactor messed up and ran out of time, resources or taste for sending their people into prepared slaughter. Then they scoured the black phonebook and bought every WGA-hating misfit they could find, with preference towards those with little qualms about taking lives of their former friends. Why, it might be a significant benefit, my dear Convel! Isn't that correct, Major?" he asked. "We not Jaclyn's friends. We haven't fought together, bled together, and most importantly, haven't read each other's minds. We an upredictable, chaotic element that will go in and just murder that traitorous son of a bitch, and in the best case, get killed too and leave no traces, just pile of silent dead bodies, no traces anywhere. I'm afraid that our survival is a bonus for us, Convel, and not our grim friends on the other side of the table."

"Now, this leaves one additional question, which I consider quite crucial to be answered for my improved cooperation. The Lieutenant's mood quite shares the blue hue Convel is showing. This implies she did not volunteer, in one meaning of the word or other. Why is she here, then, acting in such manner lacking proffessionality of a Serenity soldier, nay, officer?"
 
Before JD could actually sit and greet everyone, he was suddenly knocked over and on the ground. He would have gone straight into defensive mode had he not heard a woman that sounded just as confused as he felt. So, he sat up and examined the scene and the culprit. “Uh,” He started, still confused, but still accepting her offered hand. Though, when she made them both stagger, JD reached out and carefully held her shoulders to keep her on her feet. “Yeah, no worries... Sierra.” He blinked out of whatever daze he was in, and walked past her with his usual beaming smile. “Just watch where you get thrown next time. Or, you know, don’t get tossed around.” He chuckled and hopped over the couch as he planned to do and gave his mock salute. “The name’s JD.”

The group was definitely something of a hodgepodge, based off looks alone, but that was nothing new for him. The Ivory Skulls always had a hodgepodge of people. Grant it, he was a little surprised they didn’t all look like soldiers or something. He didn’t fret too much about it, figuring he’d learn more about them all when the time was right. In the meantime, JD fiddled with his headphones until the sound of a faint ‘click’ could be heard behind them. Soon after, the door closed and they were receiving instructions. He had to remember this wasn’t like what he was used to and that he was supposed to be making a ‘good impression’ on the first day. He didn’t necessarily believe that, considering they chose him, but he decided to give the elders some sort of peace of mind.

So he paid attention, giving Naomi a wave when she was introduced as their boss. The mention of them having a mission coming up so soon made JD perk up in interest, however time wasn’t on their side (or was it?) so they’d be waiting two whole days just to start. He slumped back into his seat, going over the information again. “So it’s just… grab the person and the info and go? Sounds easy enough. Plus two days of getting settled. That’s plenty of time.” For someone who just joined and was soon going to be hopping into possible battle, he seemed fine by it all. When the cleanly dressed one asked a question, JD nodded his way. “See? He’s got the right idea. Let’s get movin-” The smoker interrupted with a much more doom and gloom response making him look over in confusion. “...Who comes here and expects death on the first mission? That’s no fun at all. I doubt they'd hire us if they thought that... Right?”

Though the latter part of his questioning did make him raise a brow. He was definitely right. Naomi didn’t look very charmed to be around a bunch of strangers- despite them being told she was going to be the leader of said strangers. It didn’t look like she was going to give them a pep talk about teamwork any time soon…
 
Grimm had moved to the table and crouched in a chair as the others poured in, his bulbous head tilting from side to side as he took them in. They were all so different. Not like him, he supposed, but different enough from the sort of people he normally saw. Tall, old, young, men and women, and whatever the priest was. The mutant looked at the two who had immediately followed him, a man and a very strange woman who seemed to follow every order he gave her. There was something strange about her, something that made him wonder if she was truly a human or a machine. Perhaps she was even a mutant, like himself, but the lack of certain...differences, made him doubt that.

He gave rapt attention to the presentation given by Farro and Kelly, nodding as they spoke and explained the mission. It seemed one of their own had gone AWOL with critical information, possibly to give to the WGA. The mutant clasped his gloved hands and steepled his fingers as he listened, taking in the information and running it through the odd little cogs of his mind.

They were taking questions now, and Grimm had one. But in order that he could be heard clearly he thought it best to remove his mask, and did so reluctantly. They may as well see him now, they were going to sooner or later. His spidery fingers reached into his hood and undid the clasps. Microscopic jets of air hissed out through open seals as it depressurized. Chalky skin stretched over uneven, malformed bone became visible as the mask was pulled away, discolored to a sickly greenish pallor and creased with jagged furrows. Dark circles ringed a pair of bloodshot eyes that had receded deep into pronounced sockets. They stared out above a distorted beak of a nose, looking watery and sharp as they flicked with thought. Long, gray, crowded teeth protruded from a lantern jaw in a sheepish smile as the mutant set the mask down on the table and looked to Farro and Kelly.

"Excuse me," Grimm said, his voice raspy and low, "But is it possible we're dealing with some kind of trap? You've lost...two teams, you've said? Could it be they're using Jaclyn and the data as bait?" He cleared his throat, "I've no objection to going, but it would help to consider all the possibilities to be better prepared."
 
"Not getting tossed? What's the fun in that?" Sierra teased at Spiky- or JD, she supposed. She'd try to remember that... probably.

Sierra spared a look at everyone so she'd know their faces as they all gathered around the big, fancy table. She plopped in a seat and spun around once, as if testing out the torque, before propping her feet on the sleek and polished wood. A hiss of air whistled through gritted teeth as her ribs told her, oh no, that was a bad idea and you should be ashamed, before she got settled.

Unfortunately, the rest of the group were all men. Except for the really unhappy woman sitting similar to her, whom looked no fun at all. Not that Sierra minded, they all seemed like capable warriors. Spiky seemed chill at least. She couldn't help but ogle at the priest entering behind her, eyes alighting at the immediately obvious upgrades and of course... electroos! Oh man, they look soo cool...

Squirming in her seat, Sierra reluctantly subdued the urge to jump out of her chair and barrage the priest with questions, seeing the two others coming in soon after. She sunk in her chair. Man...they really don't look like fun... a swift observation reminded her of those ultra-crisp, go-by-the-book military pests who used to buzz around her district's volunteer school in hopes of sweeping up eligible kids to join their ranks. Kids without money or futures that didn't involve crime, suddenly offering a golden opportunity of a lifetime, only to next time show up in the latest memorial vids. Blowing strands of dirty hair from her face, Sierra plunged into the deep pockets of her coat and pulled a fine tool. As the Military Wanna-Bes started their big, grand spiel, on why they were there and yadda, yadda, Sierra caught only the bit about a rogue operative and some two day thingy. Training maybe?We'll go with that. During their discussion, she rolled up a sleeve to reveal the extent of her right prosthetic arm and began tinkering. She didn't look up until another hiss of air made her wonder if she twinged her ribs and didn't realize it- she tended not to always realize the sounds coming out of her mouth- and instead noticed the mutant guy removing his mask. Eyebrows raised up as she watched curiously, craning slightly to see his face in full. She clucked her tongue.

"You're one cool looking bird," she said, then went back to her tinkering.
 
The Commander was about to respond to Convel's question when Hanlon spoke, causing both him and the Major to look towards Naomi as if they were expecting something unpleasant, which was a pretty fair assumption. "Lacking professionality? ... you only just met me asshole, you have no idea what I've done and what I'm capable of. How I choose to sit silently in this gathering circus, is no reflection on my ability to do a job" and that would be the first time she'd spoken since everyone's arrival. Farro released a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose and the Major shifted her weight to one side, holding files to her chest looking unsure how to help the situation. However it seemed Naomi was willing to at least dig a way out of the situation as she decided to answer Convel's question herself.

"We've got two days to learn how to fight as a unit, that's not a great amount of time but it's what we've got. After I've given the grand tour of the base I'll take us down to the training room floor to get things started" she replied in a much more calmer tone as she spoke, taking her feet off the table before straightening up in her seat. Farro and the Major looked at each other before the Commander shrugged and proceeded, though neither him, the Major or Naomi reacted when Grimm removed his mask. "It's very unlikely to be a trap. If the WGA were that well informed about Jaclyn and her team they would have sent a full contingent in to remove her and secure the data for themselves already" the Major spoke up before adding, "Even Jaclyn isn't reckless enough to approach the WGA without a good plan in place as a fall back".

They didn't seem to mind as Zadok wired himself into the system to take in the information. APOLLO however intercepted him immediately to check his clearance before letting him in to the files cleared for him to receive. It'd be almost like a momentary pause, like a door had been shut in his face and then politely opened to allow him to pass through. Meanwhile the Major approached towards Naomi before sliding the file she'd been holding in front of her, presumably full of the mission details for her to read over the next couple of days. "Anything more you need to know can be found inside information handed to your CO. Rest assured you've all been hand picked for various reasons critical to the success of this new squad initiative, which is why you above all others within our resources are believed to be the best option for this mission. Good luck out there".

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Naomi placed her hand down on the file and slid it off the table as she pushed herself back from the table once the Commander had finished the briefing. She gave a half arsed salute, placing two fingers to her head before flicking her wrist as she turned and motioned for the other to follow with a nod of her head, "Let's start the tour" she commented, pushing out the door into an empty corridor which lead in two directions. Aside from the escorting officers upon their arrival the place had seemed almost empty, almost as if the complex was operating with a skeleton crew. Naomi lead them away down a series of adjacent corridors towards a heavy set of double doors flanked by two large soldiers wearing full power armour with heavy duty weaponry fit for punching holes through gunships, both of whom turned their visors towards the group as they approached.

They stared for a moment before one of them reached and banged his fist against the door which unlocked from the other side, a third soldier pulling back the doors to allow them access into a large square room which seemed to have nothing in it save for a maintenance elevator platform with a surrounding safety cage. "You wont need to come this way after today, we've got easier ways of entering and leaving the main base areas but since you're new we'll use the front door" Naomi commented, hitting her hand against a big red button which caused the heavy grate to slide up, allowing them access onto the platform. Once everyone was on the grate slid back down before the elevator gave a heavy 'clunk' sound, starting to descend a moment later. "Alright so just in case you don't know, the topside of this complex belongs to the Masuma Tech Corporation and runs itself as one of their many warehouse depots, obviously it doubles as a disguise for us".

"With that in mind if for whatever reason you're on the topside and someone approaches you asking what you do here, you work for them. You should have been given a worker ID in your induction, honestly you probably wont need it but it's still worth remembering". The elevator eventually lowered into a massive underground hangar teeming with personnel going about different business. A large mech could be spotted lifting heavy duty crates from one side of the hangar to the other, armed squads awaiting deployment gathered in groups conversing casually as they waited. A large circular station appeared to be situated at the centre of the hangar as some kind of assistance directory and various staff could be seen assisting people, speaking on phones or writing paperwork. It looked to be very well coordinated to say the least. "Welcome to Underworld, affectionately named because most of us are either considered, dead, demons or criminals in the eyes of the government. This is the main floor and the epicentre of the base".

She motioned towards the large open tunnel like entrances situated on each side to the hangar. "Those tunnels lead to other sectors of the base including crew quarters, engineering, medical, hydroponics and more. Anything you could need or want will be down here, as Stalkers our area is more secluded away from the main base areas, but more on that later" she said as she stepped off the platform before turning towards the group. "Stick close to me, this place can be a real maze and I really don't want to have to come find your ass if you wonder off". The tour took them around each section and to Naomi's credit she explained each destination and what it would do for them if they needed it. She would answer questions and though sometimes it looked like she was losing her patience she would hold it together and explain things properly. Eventually Naomi would lead them on to their final destination, the area designated specifically for Stalkers.

Given they were a scarce number their area was dramatically smaller than the other larger terminals but consequently felt more comfortable as a result. She showed them to their quarters first, thinking they could decide amongst themselves who would be sharing rooms and which bunk they wanted. Each room could house two Stalker Operators with room for personal belongings and other effects, the showers were private cubicle and separated for males and females respectively. A public area space was available with a large table with chairs, couch and even a TV set up and adjacent was a kitchen outfitted with everything and anything they might require to cook. The entire place was one block dedicated to their unit so everything within was theirs and only theirs to use, other blocks sat on the same terminal for other Stalkers and Naomi would explain that it meant they had their privacy from others walking in and out during their stay periods.

Eventually Naomi would sit herself down in a chair in the public living space, running a hand up the side of her hair as she exhaled, allowing them to freely explore the place and get familiar with the areas. "If any of you have any questions for me, fire away... there's a lot to get used to down here" she said to no one in particular, leaving it open for anyone if they had anything they wanted to ask.
 
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He smirked back at Naomi, getting at least some of the information he'd like to have about her. Such striking and instant aggressiveness was a good trait for a urban combat commander. It showed she was not afraid to act quickly and wouldn't hide her head in sand. If it could be exploited and honed, coupled with strength of will and intelligence, she actually might just have what it took to be good at her job. Hopefully sooner than she'd get them all killed by honest tactical mistakes, but that's warfare for you. He said nothing more as they were given the tour.

After the tour, Hanlon sat across from her, a small glass coffee table inbetween them. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small brass gas lighter and a handkerchief. He set both on the table, first the cloth and then the lighter, the latter making a dull "glank" sound as it touched the glass top through the hankerchief. Hanlon started to disassemble the device, placing each part on the cloth to not scratch or dirty the table. "Well, I guess I'll take the honors of being first on the firing line, then. Two days is barely enough to plan an operation. You want to forge us into a unit in that time. Right now, you have a group of individuals quite possibly competent at their job, but if you'll try to do what you want to do, two days from now you'll have a group of confused people barely starting to figure out each other. You might want to consider planning this operation not treating us as a single unit, but several one-man units."
 
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Grimm hobbled his way after Naomi as she led them down the endless maze of the complex, his medieval hunchback shadow loping alongside him even more distorted as it ran over pipes and conduit that lined the walls. His brain chewed over the details from the meeting, from the clinical assessment of their mission to the odd interactions of his fellow team members. For some reason the woman with the mechanical arms had called him 'a cool looking bird'. He wasn't sure what that meant, but it wasn't the worst thing he'd been called.

Grimm's eyes gazed curiously from within the darkness of his hood as they were led deeper into the complex, observing all the sights and sounds his new home had to offer. Men in armor he'd only heard stories of guarded doors, mechs unloaded boxes delivered from unknown points of origin, squadrons of armed soldiers stood awaiting orders to be deployed. There was so much to learn, and he had to hold himself back from jumping forward and fiddling with all the new and interesting equipment. The mutant grinned up at their leader as she told them it was called 'The Underworld', a light chuckle sounding in his throat. He liked the idea immensely.

Naomi led them away from the bustling epicenter to a more compact complex, one with all the trappings of a modern home that he had heard of but never experienced. Grimm shuffled to a chair in the public area and crawled up in it, looking over at the one called Hanlon as he spoke. His eyes flickered to the brass burner for a moment.

"A good idea. Just so long as we're all coordinated." The mutant looked to Naomi, "I also have a question about training. Are we allowed to use our equipment?"
 
Convel was left in a state of silent incredulity after the round of non-answers. This was not helped by only two of his new partners in inglorious self-destruction having anything close to what he would call a rational response. The flavors of condescension and disinterest that hung in the air made him blink until the woman at the end of the table took the bait and bit back. While her response wasn’t unwarranted, he’d grown to prefer quiet confidence over youthful fire. At least she seemed to agree that they didn’t have time to play 20 questions with each other. Objections stowed he followed the procession out the conference room and along the tour.

He quickly came to the conclusion that the purpose was not give them their bearings, but to instead overwhelm and impress them. It was clear that when the dust settled, money wasn’t going to be the Achilles-Heel of this bunch. He made a point of falling to the back of the group to get a better read on them now they were in motion. Letting his eyes lose focus and take in the whole picture as they filed into “Underworld” gathering around their neophyte commander. He didn’t like what he saw.

“Too much anger, too much enthusiasm.” He thought to himself. “Too many egos. No one here has the answers, but all of us think we do. Plenty of motivation. Too soon to tell if there’s any true ‘afficion’ in them. Is she trying to keep a healthy distance or doing it on accident?”