Fandom Arknights Disaster Instinct

[TPBx]

A large expanse of a green, flooded valley filled the landscape that Rhodes Island currently overlooked. In the background gigantic Originium crystals were steadily growing in the wake of a recent catastrophe. Aboard Rhodes Island, several staff members busily made their way around the facility preparing for a rescue operation on the ground, fueling the helicopters, drones, and transport vehicles. The Doctor stood above the hangar upon a catwalk and supervised the ongoing preparations. Also present with them was Silverash, the Karlan Commercial CEO, who had a particular interest in today's operation and was here to discuss business with Rhodes Island's leadership.

"So what's so important about this zone," the Doctor asked.

"Well my company has a couple assets here that needs to be secured."

"Are you going to tell me about it or," the Doctor inquired. The Kjerag man remained silent. "I see. Need to know basis. Well then, I expect compensation for this whole operation."

"I'll make sure of it. In fact here is half the payment," Silverash replied, beckoning to someone standing by in the distance to bring up a briefcase. From the other end of the catwalk, Courier joined the two of them on the cat walk with a briefcase in hand, presenting it to the doctor revealing several stacks of LMD and Memory Chips. The Doctor looked at the contents briefly and then closed the case and took it in his possession. "the other half will come when the job is done." The Doctor nodded in affirmation though noticing that Courier seemed anxious, unlike his normal self. He didn't think too much about it as he needed to focus on the job at hand and began leaving the catwalk.

"Wait, Doctor, is it possible if I could..." Courier stated. The Doctor turned around and looked at Courier. As he was about to say something, Silverash put his hand on the young man's shoulder firmly, giving off an unusually hostile aura, causing Courier to choke up on his words before blurting out, "never mind." The doctor then proceeded to leave the catwalk and head out to the control center. Courier turned around to face Silverash.

"I can't have you running off," Silverash said, "I need you here by my side."

"You know I love her, I can't just sit idly by and..."

"I do too, but you have to understand and trust the Doctor. He'll have his best squad take care of this operation, and I don't need you letting your emotions get in the way of the job getting done right."

======================================================================================================


Erika sat down on a couch in the dormitory and pulled out a book she had been meaning to read for some time now, but never got around to it while on the road due to losing her copy when attacked by bandits. As she began getting comfortable, the speaker came to life and a message stating that the Exploratory Squad would was to be called into the Control Center for mission briefing. Erika sighed and ditched the book on the coffee table, picking up riot shield and backpack that she left at the door. A couple minutes later she made her way into the Control Center and waited for the rest of her squad to show up.

 

[Crow]

"THE GREAT IFRIT HAS ARRIVED!!! AHAHAHA!"

That was a grand entrance as Ifrit slid across the floor, melting it as it quickly cooled, still decorated with embers and soot, and an ugly dent on the floor. A flame sat upon her finger as she blew on it, extinguishing it like a candle. She was now in the Control Center, leading on the table and being right next to Erika.

"If I'm here, then it must mean that this squad must be for the best of the best of the best, ain't that right?"​

 

[Soviet Panda]

Heort was in the training room when the call came out for the Exploratory Team to assemble in the Control Center. He had been practicing on his speed, after sparring against Hellagur he realized just how drastic the gap between the two of them was. A gap he had resolved in shrinking. However, that gap would have to be shrunk at a later date.

Upon his arrival, he noticed the molten trench that lead into it the room and the two devilish squad mates of his. Silently looking between the trench and the more obvious culprit, given her... reputation with fire, before silently taking a seat and waiting for the briefing to begin.

 

[Ineptitude]

The door to the Control Center hissed quietly as it opened once more. Behind it stood a certain control specialist, or rather, a plate of food floating in midair. It hovered in place for a few seconds, as if hesitant, before drifting towards the operators that were already there. Setting itself down at the table, the man behind the trick finally revealed himself.

Ethan contentedly munched on his meal. Chewing on a skewer of grilled meat, his white eyes idly glanced around the spread of operators. Truth be told, the savra wasn't entirely sure why he was part of this squad. Exploration wasn't exactly the kind of operation that merited the use of stealth, after all. At least, not in a way that he could think of. The doctor's line of thought was a mystery he couldn't be bothered to puzzle out.

 

[Mostyma]

​

Sionne was in the training room when the announcement came for the exploratory squad to report in the Control Center. She sighed softly, unhappy that her pull-ups had to stop at an odd number. Nodding to the other people training with her, she grabbed the small towel to wipe off her sweat and slung her jacket around her shoulders before making her way to the said room.

She arrived just in time to hear a rumbustious child's voice—someone that gave her memory a tug from the back of her mind. She entered right after the door opened itself for a plate of food, something that confused her for a moment before having to remind herself that there were capable operators in this organization. "I see we're in the presence of 'The Great Ifrit'," she replied with a smile, humoring the younger one's confident greeting.

She leaned against a wall and crossed her arms, waiting for the rest of the squad and initiators to arrive.

 

[TPBx]

"That's right...ish," the Doctor replied. He tapped his foot on the floor as he waited for the rest of the squad to arrive. "Anyway, I have reassigned all of you to a new squad designated as the Exploratory Team, you guys can figure out what you want to nickname yourselves. You have all been selected to be part of this team due to either your backgrounds and/or resistance to high concentrations of Originium. As for the reason why I've called upon this squad, today we have received a special request from the CEO of Karlan Commercial who you may all know him as Silverash. His sister, Cliffheart, was last seen in the river valley where we've anchored down the Ark, however thanks to a recent Catastrophe and sightings of Reunion Operatives, the area is too hostile for any normal Reserve Op Teams to tackle this operation. Your mission is plain and simple, do whatever you can to locate and rescue Cliffheart. We've recently procured some new all terrain vehicles and supplies from Blacksteel that are ready for each of you to use while out there." He paused to take in a breath, before realizing a slight mistake in his briefing. The Doctor quickly flicked through his notes on his tablet and corrected his mistake, "Except for Ifrit, who will be riding in a sidecar with Team Leader, Erika, as requested by Silence. Any questions?"

Mostyma Ineptitude Soviet Panda Crow

 

[Ineptitude]

In light of their mission briefing, an uncomfortable tension fell over the control center. Ethan's eyes flickered down onto his emptied plate. A suffocating feeling tightened its grasp around his throat. He wasn't all that close with any of his fellow operators—he only joined about a month ago, after all. Cliffheart, though, was one of the first people to make him feel welcomed here, and their shared love of pranks made for many a practical joke.

"Is it just going to be us five?" He asked, effectively breaking the silence. The tips of his hair and tail, which curled slightly in agitation, shifted from a light blue to a dull orange color.

TPBx Mostyma Soviet Panda Crow

 

[TPBx]

"Yep, just you 5 for now. If I feel the need to bring in any additional operators on this mission we'll heli-drop them onto your guys's location when it's most convenient." The Doctor scanned the room and saw that everyone understood their responsibilities. "Alright, wheels up in 0800 hours. You can use that time to review the intelligence provided by Closure and Dr. Kalt'sit and make any preparations you need to for the journey," the Doctor stated before promptly retreating from the control center to the residence hall.

Erika stood up and gave the group a gleeful look before hopping over to stand in front of the rest of the group. "Hey, everyone, my name is Erika, and I guess the Doctor picked me to be the Team Captain. I'll do my best to keep us above ground out there." She gave the rest of the Exploratory Squad an uneasy smile, realizing that the Doctor gave her a pretty big responsibility. Erika took a few deep breaths and stood there awkwardly. She was confident in her own abilities, but leading her own squad felt kind of above her pay grade.

 

[Ineptitude]

"Ah... Yo, the name's Ethan." The chameleon savra waved a gloved hand in greeting. The orange pigment in his hair and tail gradually shifted back into their normal blue as he got his emotions under control. "Sure wish we could've met under better circumstances, but nice to meet you anyway." He managed to muster up a small, if a bit lopsided grin.

TPBx

 

[Mostyma]

​

Cliffheart was missing? It bothered her to say it, but she wasn't exactly sure who Cliffheart was. She hasn't been part of the organization long enough to meet and get to know every operator involved. Sionne found the picture of said girl along with her info upon opening the folder containing the intelligence for the mission. She can't say she'd seen her before, but the Kjerag name was well-known. The woman made sure to make a mental note of this for future references.

She chuckled to herself at the doctor's final remarks about Ifrit. It seemed Silence would be a wonderful person to get to know. Rhine Lab was once a territory she dwelled in during her sister's treatment. Perhaps a meaning conversation would come up from their encounter.

By the looks of it, the doctor was sitting this one out. The usual strategist was not to join their ranks on this rescue mission, but rather an assigned leader whom he named earlier. Noteably someone she hasn't had the pleasure to be a part of her team until today. She was curious to know how Erika was as a squad leader. While everyone talked amongst themselves, she stood there in place and observed. It wasn't until introductions when she finally decided to speak up.

"I'm Sionne, a guard operator assigned with you on this mission. I look forward to working with you.

 

[TPBx]

"Nice to meet you both, wait five. I thought we had six, isn't Jessica our Sniper Operator for this mission," Erika remarked. She gave the doctor a dumbfounded look, thinking he was being kind of more careless than usual. It was out of character, but she guessed that the Doctor was much more stressed about other things or hadn't slept much last night.

"Yes, you're right, she's running late, but she sent me a part of her snack budget as an apology for her lack of discipline," the Doctor stated with a smirk beneath his mask as he tapped a jacket pocket containing a much larger than usual bulge from his wallet. "Alright, enough chit chat. Let's get going." The doctor then made his way to a door at the back of the Control Center where another hooded figure revealed themselves to be Amiya, waiting for the Doctor to finish up. She escorted him out of the room while Project Red came in to take over her shift in the Control Center.

Mostyma Crow Ineptitude Soviet Panda Pilgrim59 ( wanna time skip to launch or explore the Ark a bit more )

 

[TPBx]

Later on...



Erika strapped her shotgun onto the side of her vehicle and slung her Riot Shield across her back, pulling the strap down on her chest so that it would remain secure. She picked up some shotgun shells she had picked up from the armory down on a workshop table in the hangar, and began sliding them one by one into slots on her utility belt, placing the extra in a separate pouch. Then she picked up a combat knife, twirling it around to get a feel for the balance before placing it in its respective slot. Erika finally double checked her supplies to make sure she had enough food, water and fuel to last the week or longer. There was never knowing what kind of adversities they could face out there. One of her biggest worries was running into some hideously mutated creatures like Pompeii or worse. She looked around for the rest of the group to catch up, expecting their missing gunner to show herself.

 

[Soviet Panda]

Heort was not a fan of the patrol trike, it just felt weird. He was more used to riding passenger or simply walking, but there he was, awkwardly sitting on top of it, his Dane Axe on his back and supplies strapped onto the trike. "The sooner we get off these things the better," he mumbled to himself as everyone finished their preparations and rode off ahead. He trailed at the back of the pack, slowing down at even the slightest hint of rough terrain to carefully crawl over it. Unsurprisingly, he was the last to appear to the rest of the group. However, with axe in hand, he was ready to take point and hack at whatever may confront them.

 

[Ineptitude]

Just as everyone else's eyes turned elsewhere, a certain chameleon savra materialized out of thin air. He was laying down flat against his own patrol trike with his head atop the handles. Little did everyone else know that he was the first of the squad to arrive, not that he'll ever admit it to their faces. Being able to turn invisible just made it so easy to mess with people outside his racial clan, and Ethan was gonna milk it for everything its worth.

He's double, triple checked everything already—a tried and true habit from his days of running around. Now all that's left was waiting for everyone else to show up. In his restlessness, he toyed around with his yo-yo. The vibrant blue streaks it left behind painted mesmerizing shapes in the air.

TPBx Soviet Panda (Pfft, I just realized that the headlight is just a flashlight taped onto the hood. Closure, what are you doing—)