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Viper Actual

Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
Supporter
---OPERATION SPIRIT---OS Banner Operators.jpg
Players:
SilverbackActual SilverbackActual - Tessa Strauss
ONI ONI - Mikhailo Oyeyemi
Tjek Tjek - Subin Kim
Physiicz Physiicz - Isaac Hall
FabulousTrash FabulousTrash - Komatsu Riku & Komatsu Kazuya
Paolumu Paolumu - Bo INACTIVE
Snackofthefuture Snackofthefuture - Ricky "Dee" Donovan
GhostofWestphalia GhostofWestphalia - John Hill
DrabberRogue DrabberRogue - Jace Winter Rose
Bard Bard Bard Bard - Abdul-Rasheed Sharif & Alasdair Lockerbie
Mr_DC Mr_DC - Konrad von Köningsberg

Links:

Rules:
1. At least two paragraphs per post. If you struggle with writer's block it's okay- I'm sure most of us can relate and even help you out.

2. Behave. I don't care much for drama and should you have issues with a player take it up privately and work things out.
3. Follow RPN guidelines. I shouldn't have to explain this one in detail.
4. No fourth wall-breaking or overpowered characters. While paranormal in theme this RP is grounded in reality.
5. Most important rule: Have fun! My goal is for us all to enjoy ourselves.
 
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CASE-044
ICSC Designation: CASE-044
Unofficial Designation: "The Demon of Pripyat"
Location: 37Km North of Chernobyl
Operative Disguise: UN Nuclear Inspection and Observation Team

Mission: Identify, Secure and Contain
Threat Assessment: Lethal


TACT/FRT/FST


Fallstrom drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while looking out through the window. His eyes darted back and forth, studying every person and vehicle passing through the area. A voice next to him spoke up.

"Stop."

Glancing to his right he looked at his colleague, Gavrilov, who was busy fiddling with his cellphone and sipping from his coffee. Gavrilov looked up. "You need to relax. He has another hour to get in touch."
Fallstrom grunted and leaned back in his seat. "What if the entity moves?"

Gavrilov chuckled. "If it has stayed in the same place since '87 it sure as hell ain't going anywhere." Looking up from his cellphone Gavrilov did a quick nod. "There he is."
Dressed in a UN-embroided blue jacket was a bearded man casually approaching the white UN jeep the two agents were currently sitting in. The man opened one of the rear doors and seated himself. Upon closing the door he rubbed his hands together for warmth. "Can't wait to get out of this shithole country," said Krinkov.

He nodded towards the dashboard. "Heater?"

"Broken," replied Fallstrom and Gavrilov in unison.

Krinkov cursed in russian. Shaking his head he tapped towards one of his pockets. "Got the last files. Let's head back to the others."
Nodding, Fallstrom twisted the keys in the ignition to start up the car and a few moments later the jeep was heading towards the outskirts of Chernobyl.

Located in one of the more derelict parts of town was a small UN office. Or at least what looked like one. In reality the small office space was a local front for the UN-ICSC personnel currently operating in the area. Someone up top had spoken about it being an ex-KGB safehouse. Would explain the padded rooms and stained blood in the basement.

The jeep pulled up into the walled-off courtyard next to the office and parked next to another jeep and a pair of unmarked vans with local non-UN plates. Standing next to the vans was one of the other agents that had been assigned to the mission. Gavrilov did a quick nod towards her upon exiting the jeep. "Griffith. Good to see you." The woman returned the greeting with a curt nod. "Likewise Gavrilov."

She looked at two other men. "Fallstrom. Krinkov." The men nodded.

Gavrilov nodded towards the building. "Any noise regarding our reinforcements?"

"We have six more agents coming in, possibly more if they can clear up more resources. Intel put two of their officers to babysit us throughout the mission," said Griffith. "Once they others are here we'll start the briefing, gear up and head up. It'll be a short but bumpy ride."

Just then another vehicle, a unmarked civilian truck, pulled up into the lot. Griffith grunted. "Speaking of the devil..."

Once the truck parked another agent, Barazi, hopped out of the driver's seat while six individuals dressed in a mix of civilian attire and UN-printed uniforms hopped out of the flatbed. "I hope you didn't start the party without me," said Barazi. She nodded towards those that had left the truck. "Reinforcements, as ordered."

Griffith approached the six individuals and extended her hand. "Agent Griffith, Paranormal Intelligence Team. You must be Strauss, Oyeyemi, Kim, Kazuya, Donovan and Bo."
"Welcome to Chernobyl," said Gavrilov in the back while nodding.

SilverbackActual SilverbackActual ONI ONI Tjek Tjek FabulousTrash FabulousTrash Paolumu Paolumu Snackofthefuture Snackofthefuture

INTELLIGENCE

It was a quiet evening at the office. In this case the office was in fact PAD 13's intelligence section. Positioned inside the crescent-shaped soundproof room were a serious of large monitors alongside the straight wall with five rows of work stations facing it. On the screens were a mix of helmet camera footage, operational alerts and a list of currently active assignments listed either as pending, resolved or in progress.

Currently that list was short. Special Intelligence Chief Haskell took her fifth sip (or was it sixth?) from her cup of coffee while standing at the center of the room casually. At this hour there wasn't much to do. A couple of pending operations. One in progress and a dozen or so that had been resolved. Most of the work stations were empty as the day shift rested in the barracks.

Looking to her right Haskell glanced over at Kendell, one of the SIOs under her command. "Kendell. Status on the operation in Scotland?" Kendell looked up from her monitor. "Ma'am, they should have it wrapped up shortly. The team hijacked a fishing boat to lure the entity. Should be contained and ready for relocation momentarily."

Haskell nodded. "Good." Another sip. "Let me know when they're done."

"Yes ma'am."

Haskell's eyes darted over to the large digital clock above the central monitors. She looked at the european timezones. They should be getting started.
Looking down at the list of operations her eyes lingered. CASE-044. Ukraine. 18:00. That was in two hours.

After taking yet another sip Haskell walked down to the second row and approached one of the senior officers overlooking four other junior intelligence officers.
"Riku. You got eyes on 044 yet?"

One of the intelligence officers, Stromberg, glanced at Riku and nodded. On his monitors were several graphs and assorted intelligence files related to the operation in Ukraine. He did a quick thumbs up to signal that he was good to go.

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"I never thought I would see a place in worse condition than North Korea. This place is sure cutting it close though", Kim replied as she grabbed her things from the vehicle.

She, unlike some of her other team members, was dressed completely in United Nations peace keeper attire. The Korean army uniform, the plate carrier, and even the bright blue beret that screams "shoot me". Kim slung her duffel bag on her back and walked away the woman who had greeted her straight to the group of quiet men.

"So what are we looking for here anyways? It's not like we get told anything prior to arriving", Kim shuddered at how utterly cold it was outside. Now South Korea gets cold but this was a whole different level of cold. Her face felt like it was being pierced by a million tiny needles everytime the wind hit her. Kim dropped her back to the ground, found her neck gator (A warming face mask), and covered her face. See the last time she was on an operation it was in Hawaii, so this felt like torture to her.
 
Kazuya

"Never imagined I'd end up at this place...."

Kazuya climbed out of the back of the truck, looking around and taking in the surroundings. He had a duffel back slung around his shoulders carrying his personal belongings. It was cold. Even with the UN branded winter jacket he was wearing, he could still feel the cold chill of the air.

He walked around the side of the truck, gathering where everyone else was. Up ahead of him, he saw some new faces, one of which approached them and introduced themselves as Griffith. Kazuya waited his turn before taking her hand and giving it a shake, nodding. Afterwards, he waited patiently as everyone else got themselves situated. He couldnt help but notice that it was a little quiet. As a field operator, Kazuya rarely got to know what was going on the intelligence side of things. Even his own sister couldnt tell him certain information. He didnt mind though. He was never really keen or mentally able to handle intelligence work. He would rather be out and about on the field than stuck in an office anyway.

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Riku

The bright hue of the computer screen shined on Riku's face, lighting it up a little bit. Her eyes darted in different directions between different screens. A lot of people dont realize how stressful intelligence work can be, especially in the ICSC's case.

Reaching to her left, Riku picked up her tea, taking a sip, then set the glass back down. She looked up at the many clocks at the front of the office, looking at the European clock. Riku and another junior officer were assigned to CASE-044, the operation taking place in Ukraine. She also knew that her brother was assigned to this case.

He's probably there by now.

Riku was debating whether or not to give him a call when she had a chance to, but she knew better than to disrupt a field operation for something personal. Before she could think any further, the words of Haskell broke her trance and sent her mind back into reality. Riku glanced over to one of the junior agents, Stromberg, who was the other agent in question. After seeing his acknowledgement, Riku looked up at the woman, nodding and turned to her computer.

"We have all the intel for 044 on hand and ready. Latest update shows the TACT team arrived at the operating base where Agent Griffith is. Briefing is still pending and we dont have any eyes yet. Once they get geared up and their helmet camera feeds go live, I'll put them up on the central monitors."

Riku pressed a few keys on her keyboard. One of the monitors in the central cluster at the front changed to show the live update feed for CASE-044.
 
Bo
Yan


Through the span of the ride, the pathologist in the far back of the vehicle easily occupied himself, faced toward the window, mask leaned against the side of the truck whilst his leg fidgeted every so often with the itch to breathe in that cool muggy air through his filtered system and land his boots upon some of the toxic soil he's heard oh so much about. When the truck finally parked and stopped, it seemed like a miracle. The overly dressed individual impatiently waited for the passengers by his sides to go before exiting boot-first, finding small pleasure in the exaggerated sound the rubber made as it hit pavement. He was glad to have met the outside world again, and especially glad to get rid of those old man cramps that he should've been too young to have. After giving some tlc to his muscles and plucking his backpack from the truck, he managed to ease in to the new tempature pretty quick and gave out a contented sigh. He had to admit, it was nice that he was properly dressed to the weather for once.

It wasn't long before he noticed he was already lagging behind some others while scanning through the parking lot, and he didn't waste time to walk his way beside the three of his ex-fellow passengers, whom he noted were all dressed and looked differently compared to one another. The sight itself made him more relaxed, it was reassuring to know that he still wasn't breaking any rules dressed as he was right now. After the black-haired man beside him returned from his hand shake, Bo took his chance. "Appreciated Ma'am. It's a pleasure to be here." The clothed figure spoke in his faint southern accent like he had a big ol' smile on under that gas mask, seeming rather giddy despite being where they were. His gloves stuck themselves into his fur lined parka and he took a better look at those around him now they were all outside and free. "Weather sure is nice out. Is it like this everyday back 'ere?"
 
Mykhailo Oyeyemi - Paranormal Warfare Operator

Kicked back in a jumper and jeans with a set of headphones clapped over his ears, Oyeyemi bobbed to a beat, tapping a hand against the length of the long since made-safe AK loosely hugged to his covert rig. Truly clad, combat-casual for the time being.

Time lapsed effortlessly for the gentleman as he laid back against his equipment, making himself comfortable, in his own world. A sort of conscious effort made to tear his thoughts away from the fact that they were in Ukraine. It made him uneasy but Myhkailo wasn't quite sure what it was exactly. On one hand it was the home he left behind, hell he wasn't born all too far away from the place and on the other hand? Well it's near fucking Chernobyl. It didn't matter which team you bat for, Ministry of Paranormal Warfare, International Covert Safekeeping Committee, if you were about the life you knew nothing good ever came out of the place.

Once the truck came to a stop he simply hoisted his kit and jumped out unceremoniously, filtering over to group. He tried his best to maintain some distance - audibly at least - limited to the sounds of his own breathing and subtle humming to the songs he infrequently flicked through {x.x}. Even when directly greeted all he offered was a quick chin flick before he fell back to the music. Third wheel-ishly. Eyes flicking between their faces with disinterest as their lips moved.

He didn't stay quiet forever however, as a genuine look at a man donning a respirator thoroughly threw him off. He didn't know whether to be concerned or intrigued. Slowly but surely the cups were raised, letting a harsh cooler air screech by his ears uncontested as an eyebrow hitched. Motioning to their own face as he interjected "You know running with this is... not easy." in an observation directed at Bo. Their voice was heavy with an 'Eastern Bloc' type upbringing, in deep contrast to how he looked outwardly.
 
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TACT/PIT/FRT/FST

Griffith greeted each individual that introduced themselves. As for those that ignored her she didn't mind it; people working in the ICSC's field teams weren't known for their overly-social nature. With everyone gathering at the center of the parking lot she spoke up once more. "Let's head inside. We got coffee and warm meals in the briefing room." Just then Strauss left the group. Griffith raised an eyebrow as the FST agent climbed atop one of the shipping crates lining the surrounding wall.

Looking over at Gavrilov the TACT operative nodded and went after her while the others headed inside.

As the conversations died down and the lot fell silent Gavrilov approached Strauss. He didn't say anything and simply crossed his arms. Strauss would soon feel a force taking shape deep inside her. An immense feeling of grief and defeat would wash over her as the whispers of a million voices cried out in her mind. Then, suddenly, the whispers stopped. Something else was there. Something dark and wicked. A picture would begin to take shape within Strauss's mind. It showed a small cabin. There were people outside. In her mind she tried to call out to them. A sense of darkness could be felt radiating from the structure, a sense which was only amplified as the people opened one of the doors and went inside. After a short while their voices fell silent and the door shut itself.

Strauss was frozen in place. All the while the sky became darker and darker until she could see nothing but the rough silhouette of the cabin itself. Then she sensed it. Someone, no, something was behind her. Just as she turned around a deafening scream caused her to wake up from the trance.

Gavrilov studied her with a neutral expression. "Don't worry. You're not the first one. Let's head inside."

Inside the small office were several rooms including an office space with a UN flag adorning the wall, a kitchen, a TV-room, some bedrooms and a large briefing room. Keen eyes would also note the corridor filled with reinforced metal doors with washed out Cyrillic writing adorning them. Cells.

Griffith guided everyone to the briefing room. There wasn't much inside. Rows of foldable chairs, a table filled with coffee and warm sandwiches, several maps of Ukraine on one of the walls and a projector screen connected to a military laptop. Once Gavrilov and Strauss had joined them the final attendant also arrived. A man carrying a couple of paper documents closed the door and approached Griffith with the documents. Nodding, she gestured towards the man.

"Team this is Special Agent Hall. PIT. Up until today he's been helping Krinkov with the puzzle at our hands but once the briefing is over he'll be joining you in the field as support."

Once Hall was introduced and everyone were either seated or standing Griffith checked her watch and nodded towards Barazi whom started up the briefing. It was a classic PowerPoint briefing, something that wouldn't be too unfamiliar to most of the people inside.

"Welcome to Ukraine. For those that didn't catch it outside: I'm agent Griffith. With me I have agents Barazi and Krinkov. Representing TACT I have operatives Gavrilov, Fallstrom and Roux. The latter is currently not here- she'll join us later on. Tonight's operation regards Case-044. Unofficial nickname for this one is "The Demon of Pripyat." Our cover for the operation is to pose as an UN Nuclear and Observations Team. As these types of team regularly make visits and inspections at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant it's nothing out of the ordinary. Now for the mission..."

On screen the initial UN-banner switched to a series of satellite images taken around the Pripyat area, mostly surrounding areas east of the Pripyat river.

"Case-044 is a anomalous entity residing in the forests east of Pripyat river. Exact location is unconfirmed and may not be static. Our intelligence files place it somewhere between Bile Lake, Zaton Lake and one of the old churches in the area. The entity appears primarily as a vacant two-story cabin. Eye witness reports state that there are no visible roads leading to the entity suggesting that the structure itself is of anomalous origin. Some reports also report the anomaly as being a humanoid wandering the forests. Upon investigation the humanoid will lead lost individuals to the aforementioned cabin. Based on this we cannot confirm whether or not these are two separate entities or if they are one and the same with shape-shifting capabilities."

Griffith paused and Gavrilov stepped up.

"The entity was first reported to Soviet authorities in 1987. Investigated by local police initially after a number of missing people reports the entity appears to be capable of self-defense as one report confirms that a team of covert security forces engaged the entity with conventional firearms and suffered two casualties. Both casualties are stated as deceased due to the overwhelmingly penetrating force used by the entity. ICSC classify 044 as lethal which is why TACT will take point on this one." As Gavrilov finished he made a subtle nod towards Oyeyemi, Kim, Komatsu and Donovan.

Griffith cleared her throat and gestured towards the screen. "After the Soviets failed in handling the entity they drafted plans to observe and contain it although these plans were thrown out of the window four years later when the Soviet Union collapsed. Afterwards locals have a unwritten rule to not approach the area. As far as we can tell the closest they'll go is to the church which is a nearby tourist hotspot. We expect no contact within the area of operations and as such we have been cleared for open operations- once we're on-site there will be no disguises. Our mission is to attempt containment or at the very least to identify a probable position and to capture modern imagery of the entity. As of now all we have are grainy black and white images of a cabin."

Gavrilov nodded and spoke up once more. "Support for this one will be handled by intelligence. They have two of theirs babysitting us throughout the duration of the mission. We also have Roux and a transport team on stand by as reinforcements, should we risk being overrun."

"Finally, if anyone gets lost our rendezvous points are the insertion area where we will park the vehicles as well as the church- it's an easy-to-spot landmark and the priest there is known to help lost hikers and tourists. If you lose contact with the rest of the team and leave the operations area stash your gear and mark it via GPS. Upon making contact with civilians you will fall back to the UN disguise until we can recover you and your gear," said Griffith.

As she finished the briefing concluded. Griffith looked at everyone inside the room. "Questions?"

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INTELLIGENCE

Haskell nodded. "Keep me posted and let me know if there's any critical developments." That said the intelligence chief left to speak with some of the other SIOs. Stromberg looked up at Riku. "Agent Barazi just sent word ma'am. Looks like they're starting their briefing now. Camera feeds should come online soon." He scratched his chin and looked over the information presented to him on-screen once more.

"Operative Roux reports that she and the extraction team will be ready at Boryspil International Airport in thirty minutes. Looks like they'll be cleared for flight right after that. Want me to deploy the helicopters right away or hold them down until they're needed?" Flying from Kiev could take some time though there were always risks of keeping unmarked birds in the air. A civil war was raging in the east and both the government and separatists seemed to be equally paranoid as they were trigger-happy.

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Ricky "Dee" Donovan

Stepping from the truck with a deep sigh, Ricky put his glasses away as he examined his surroundings with a slight scowl. The ride had been long and the stops few and far between, he just really needed to pee to be entirely honest. Standing in the wind he pulled his jacket and scarf tighter with stiff, annoyed motions. He wasn't a fan of the cold unless the words "vacation" or "liquor" were involved.
The other men and women Ricky had traveled with were an interesting assortment of folks from many nations and backgrounds. Judging by the numerous scars and markings adorning his compatriots, the former mercenary guessed some had had it a little rougher than others. All of them wore an assortment of different signs of battle damage, little cuts and burns, and old bruises.

The one named Tessa messed with Ricky's vibes a little but he was pretty sure he was just anxious now that they had finally arrived. "I'll need to do a vibe check later..." he thought to himself as a baseball bat came to mind.
Bo was an anomaly that honestly creeped Donovan out to a concerning degree. Guys in gas masks and black always put Ricky on edge. I mean of course, who wouldn't be on edge? Hopefully, he'd scare any opponents they came across more.
Kazuya looked capable and responsible and for that Ricky was grateful. Japanese special forces was nothing remotely pleasant to hear as your opposition.
Kim was the medic so she already had Ricky's trust, whether he liked it or not. Her also being airborne was a nice addition and the special force's title never hurt.
Hall was confident, too confident? Ricky didn't think so. Confidence had been instrumental in survival enough times to Ricky that he could truly appreciate the trait in coworkers.
Mikhailo looked like a tough bastard, experienced too, and that was enough for Ricky.
Their superior Barazi was probably tough cuz that's how it worked with agents in this line of work, because if you weren't capable you were dead.

He pulled two black duffel bags from the truck and slung them over his shoulders with a grunt. Following this up with an upraised arm as his name was called he acknowledged the officer curtly before turning to sling an AK-12 Russian AR over his shoulder. He'd taken the gun along with several magazines from a TACT armory before the group had set off, his LMG of choice stuffed away in a box he would pull out when the mission really started.
Turning to face the group he noticed they were all headed inside and with a huff he jogged slightly to catch up with them before two things caught his attention.
Tessa had run off from the group for a moment and was currently on a building ledge for... some reason? He couldn't see what she was up to but he doubted it meant good news for any of em.
Definitely strange, that one...
The second thing he noticed was more subtle, standing on a hill behind the complex entrance a black-clad figure appeared to be watching them. As Ricky's eyes found the figure it began to walk down the other side of the hill. Not suspicious at all...

Inside the building, there was a particular warmth and glow found only in buildings where fighters dwelled. Not exclusively of course, but military installations always had that stale white light feeling and temperature. As Griffith began to give details on the anomaly, the former merc found the coffee station in the back of the room and dug in with gusto.
Returning quickly back to the meeting, he nodded along as all of the important info was distributed.

"What can we expect in terms of hostiles from this? Any info on the actual building? And for obtaining visual on this thing, we'll all be given cameras then?"

Ricky asked the question calmly with a pondering expression, stirring a cup of coffee as he did so. This case 44 being seemed like a strange threat of sorts, Ricky really didn't like how little information there was and how it seemed to either be two beings or a singular transformative entity. If it could transform itself they wouldn't have much to trust out in the field other than each other and that singular truth could be ripped away in an instant.

Viper Actual Viper Actual Paolumu Paolumu FabulousTrash FabulousTrash Tjek Tjek SilverbackActual SilverbackActual ONI ONI
 
Kim followed everybody inside, happy to be relieved from the cold. After the briefing had concluded Kim only had one question in mind and it was an important one.

"Where's the next higher echelon of care? My supplies can at most keep somebody stabilized for a day at most. If this thing has a lethal history I need to know that better medical capabilities are within reach. I refuse to let somebody die due to poor planning", Kim spoke loudly to make that the mission handlers heard her clearly. The only thing that leads to death more than the enemy is poor planning.

Kim took off her bright blue painted helmet and let her hair fall free by removing her hair tie that was holding it tightly in a bun. The beauty about the organization was that the regulations on appearance were a lot more rrlaxed compared to the Korean army. Now that she was comfortable, she opened her bag and removed her medical supplies from it. Motrin, morphine, and a bunch more of those high grade battlefield drugs.
 
Kazuya - TACT

Kazuya followed the group into the building. When he entered, he welcomed the sudden warm air and more comfortable setting, unzipping his coat. When the group entered the briefing room, he took one of the seats and focused his attention to the presentation before them.

The Demon of Pripyat, huh? Sounds interesting.

Kazuya continued to listen. In his mind, he was thinking of ways and means of tracking the entity. He stared at the provided images intently, making note of any distinguishing features he could make out. But he had to agree, the image quality was rather poor. As the briefing continued, he took a look into the duffel bag he brought along with him. Before they left for Ukraine, they were instructed to bring all the gear they would need for the operation. Kazuya had brought his weapons and utility gear such as nightvision and a military laptop. He looked back up to Griffith as she continued the briefing. When she opened up the floor for questions, he waited for anyone else to first speak up then asked his own.


"Can we expect any sort of hostile engagement from other unknown forces? Or are we the only ones after this thing?"


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Riku - Intelligence

"You got it."


Riku turned back to face her computer screens, only to have her attention called by Stromberg. She looked back up to the junior agent, listening to what he had to say. Riku pressed a few keys on her keyboard. The live update log on one of the central monitors had a new entry now, signalling that briefing had officially begun. Riku looked back up to Stormberg, nodding as he spoke.

"Do we know of any remote locations nearby the operation site where they can hunker down and hide until they're called in? I think that would be our best case scenario. I doubt we can afford the logistical ability to provide mid-air refueling for hours and it'll take them a while to get to Ukraine from the airport."

Riku took another sip from her tea, which was getting a little cold. She stared at her computer screen, reading over the intelligence regarding the entity they were after. She was curious how the TACT team intended to contain 044. If the information was correct, there were multiple forms of the entity confirmed. Riku sighed softly. It was going to be a long shift.
 
TACT/PIT/FRT/FST

"What can we expect in terms of hostiles from this? Any info on the actual building? And for obtaining visual on this thing, we'll all be given cameras then?"

Griffith looked at Donovan and grimaced. "Previous reports are varying. As far as we can tell the Soviets suffered casualties because they were both aggressive and they didn't really have a plan on how to handle the entity properly. It's possible it will defend itself against containment- we just don't know if it'll carry out such an act through mind-tricks, physical force or both. As for the building it seems to retain the same form: a two-story cottage, similar in architectural design and style to most rural structures found throughout the region. Cameras will be mounted or worn, depending on if you wear helmets or not. They will be streaming directly back to HQ."

"Where's the next higher echelon of care? My supplies can at most keep somebody stabilized for a day at most. If this thing has a lethal history I need to know that better medical capabilities are within reach. I refuse to let somebody die due to poor planning"

Instead of Griffith, Gavrilov chose to answer this question. "The extraction team carry additional supplies on their helicopter and have the means to airlift any casualties back to a United States-operated military hospital in Romania. If the situation is critical we can evacuate casualties directly to the Ukrainians and from there call in more qualified personnel. In either situation casualties would be disguised as unintentional third-party casualties caused by the Ukrainian civil war." That said Gavrilov narrowed his eyes. "We won't lose anyone unless we can help it. That's a promise."

"Can we expect any sort of hostile engagement from other unknown forces? Or are we the only ones after this thing?"

Turning towards Kazuya, Griffith folded her hands. "We don't expect any contact from third-party forces. The civil war is keeping most military units busy in the east and as far as we can tell no one fighting over there is thinking of taking a vacation to Pripyat anytime soon. Either way there should be no other contacts at all once we reach the target area: any contacts are to be considered as hostiles."

She then looked around the room. "Any further questions?"

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INTELLIGENCE

Stromberg scratched his head and spun back around on his chair. A series of maps popped up on his screens followed by a unsure shrug. He looked at Riku over his shoulder. "Got a couple of clearings and some larger structures inside and nearby Pripyat that could fit the helicopter." Looking back at the map Stromberg scratched his head once more. "It'd take them about one or one and a half hour to get there but from there they'd be five minutes away at best from the operation zone."

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EXTRACTION UNIT

It was a calm evening Boryspil International Airport. Ever since the war started the number of flights arriving and departing had dramatically decreased. Most carried reporters, diplomats, military staff and other people that for some reason needed to travel to Kiev in the middle of a brutal civil war. At the very edge of the airfield and the end of a row of hangars stood a lone structure. Originally used by a privatized subsidiary to Aeroflot, one of the world's largest airlines, the hangar had been the home of several helicopters and smaller planes over the years.

Now most aircraft stored inside had either been cannibalized for parts or mothballed until their owners could reclaim them. That of course excluded the unmarked Mi-8 transport helicopter painted in a low-profile grey and black color scheme with nothing but a tail-number visible.

Standing (and sitting) next to the helicopter were a small assortment of individuals, including one TACT Operative Roux. Currently filling up the last of her P90 magazines the agents took a quick glance at the other members of her team. Most of them were quiet. She didn't blame them. Unlike the briefing presented to their colleagues at Chernobyl theirs had been much more honest and gruesome. They expected to go in once all bets were off and with those situations came the risk of seeing a long-term friend or colleague get ripped apart by something the Human mind couldn't even comprehend.

It was a tough job to say the least.

Nonetheless Roux trusted in herself and her peers inside the hangar. Most importantly she trusted their skills.

She looked at three of them, of which two had been tasked with readying the teams APN- an Anomalous Property Neutralizer (in reality a highly unstable high-power experimental weapon that fired radioactive beams)- while the third one was their pilot for tonight's mission. "Hill. Sharif. Is it ready? Rose. How fast can you get us airborne?"

Roux sighed. "I think they might call for us soon."

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Agent Jace W. Rose sat just inside the side door of the helicopter, leaning with one foot perched on the floor of the aircraft while the other dangled over the ground. The other members of the extraction unit had preparations to keep them occupied while they waited. Hill and Sharif had that sci-fi looking weapon to set up while Roux had her magazines to load. Agent Rose, however, had nothing like that. He couldn't get through all of the items on his flight checklist until his chopper was outside and spinning up, so he was stuck without any sort of physical setup to worry about.

So he kept himself occupied by checking the route, and checking it again, and memorizing it, and making sure there wasn't a better one, and triple checking just to be sure. He had a map of the operational area laid out next to him which he had marked up with several different colors of marker, adding visual aids to help him plan out the route in his head and clearly identify reference points he could use to navigate. It was all he could do to make sure his part in the mission went smoothly.

He was looking over his notes from the briefing again when his name was called, Roux's voice pulling him up out of his close scrutiny. An optimistic smile popped up on his face as he opened his mouth to respond, briefly considering the question while he took a breath in. "I can't do all my pre-flight stuff until the chopper's outside and spinning up, but it shouldn't take more than about ten minutes." Agent Rose explained, momentarily glancing up at the chopper in question.
 
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John Hill thought he had seen every weapon ever made in his career with the Special Air Service; from 19th century bolt-action rifles and Chinese knock-off AKs to Javelin rocket launchers and Predator drones. Now he and his squad mate, Sharif, were put in charge of a giant tuning fork that could kill supernatural entities with radioactive energy. John just stared at the thing for nearly a full minute before realizing where he was. Okay this is real. Only moments earlier, he and the rest of the TACT team had finished the briefing, on the 'Demon of Pripyat'. John wasn't a coward, but just that name made his blood run cold, and the briefing only accentuated his fear. His private admission of that fear unnerved him but he felt like this before missions with the Army. But those were humans.

He shifted uneasily and then glanced up at the helicopter, it was a relic from the height of the Cold War. I hope that thing doesn't fall apart in mid-flight. Nevertheless, he was quietly confident in their pilot, Agent Rose, and in the rest of the team. After all, ICSC only accepted the best in its ranks and John had to admit, the operations' set up was every bit as impressive as he had experienced with the SAS, even more so in some respect. Agent Roux's inquiry about the status of the giant tuning fork, or Anomalous Property Neutralizer (John preferred the former designation) snapped him out his train of thought. John looked at the APN and noted that four small crosshairs on the weapon's sights become green. If his experience in the military tought him anything; green equals good. "Affirmative, ma'am. Status is green."
 
Riku - Intelligence

"We'll have to go with that then. If any of the structures are abandoned, that would be more ideal. See if you can gather up any intel that we can use to give them a good cover story when they're over there. I'll go run this by the chief before we send the extraction team out."

Riku got up from her desk, looking around the office. It didnt take long to see that her superior was at the other side of the office, talking with some other senior officers. She walked over to the intelligence chief, coughing lightly to make her presence known.

"Ma'am, a few things to mention. We've received update that the TACT team on the field have begun their briefing. Right now, we're sorting out the extraction team right now and I wanted to run this by you before we executed. I believe the best option is to send them out immediately once their preparations are complete. If we keep them at their current location, it would take over an hour to reach the field team, should they need assistance. Stromberg found some locations nearby the operation zone where they would be 5 minutes out at best. Personally, I dont think we can sustain mid-air refueling for over an hour as well, since they'll be near the civil war zone and having a plane constantly going in and out of their position may attract attention. In addition, Stromberg is gathering up any intel we have that we can give to them to use as a cover story on the chance they're discovered when they arrive. Your thoughts?"

Riku took a moment to catch her breath. She didnt like to leave out any detail or thought, considering that her actions could lead to mistakes or mishaps on the field.
 
TACT/PIT/FRT/FST

Gavrilov chuckled in response to Strauss. "They had some unorthodox plans for it. One included bombarding the area with incendiary munitions. Let's just say that, at the time, they didn't have any concrete ideas on how to handle paranormal entities." As he finished the agent glanced briefly at Oyeyemi.

Griffith checked her watch and promptly clasped her hands together upon doing so. "Unless there's any more questions I say we get this show on the road. Equipment room is down the hall to the left, past the cells. You'll find extra ammo and meds in there in case you forgot to pack some yourself. We meet outside in fifteen minutes so no time for chit-chat."

She pointed towards a table next to the door. "Don't forget to take a camera on your way out."

Once all that was cleared Griffith approached Barazi and nodded towards the laptop. "Let intelligence know that we're going mobile in fifteen." Barazi nodded.

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INTELLIGENCE

"...and make sure to wipe those security cameras as well. We don't want the deputies leaking surveillance footage of a rampaging minotaur to LiveLeak or Facebook," finished Haskell just as Riku coughed. Haskell nodded towards the two intelligence officers beside her before looking up at Riku. She crossed her arms and once Riku finished she nodded. "Sounds good. I'm trusting you with this one though so ultimately it's your call."

Haskell paused and looked at the large monitors on the far wall. Information regarding Case-044 was being updated live with some camera feeds coming online as well. She looked at Riku once more. "Just make sure to get them all home safely. We're working with shit intel on this one and if you feel that the situation is going from bad to worse don't hesitate- pull them out right away. If needed be we'll turn the case over to PAD-10 or PAD-11. Those boys love charging headfirst into the unknown."

Just as she finished Kendell, one of the other SIOs, approached. "Chief. Nessie is secured. Need me on something else? I've got five hours left on my shift."

Nodding Haskell gestured towards Riku. "You're with Komatsu and Stromberg for now. Get yourself up to speed on 044, specialist."

Kendell nodded and excused herself. Haskell sighed and blinked twice. "I need more coffee." She looked at Riku. "Your team is waiting. Go." With nothing more to say Haskell then ejected herself from the conversation and went on a hunt for more caffeine...

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EXTRACTION UNIT

Roux nodded towards Rose. "Copy. Let's get her ready to roll out onto the tarmac then." She placed her magazine in one of her vest pouches before nodding towards some of the other agents. As they set out to prepare one of the small tractor vehicles Roux passed by Hill who reported that the APN was ready to go. "Good. Check your own gear one last time and start loading up our equipment onto the helicopter."

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Mykhailo Oyeyemi - Paranormal Warfare Operator

Aimless pacing, that was the best thing to call the operatives impatience shuffling. Outwardly cool, perplexed internally. In the eyes of Mykhailo nothing good ever came from prodding old Soviet problems.

Whilst others conversed or simply interjected, Oyeyemi had been quiet for the moment, though it was far too soon to really deem it oddity or normality it was easily early enough to be disconcerting to some. Not to say they found more interest in the soft blasting of beats from their headphones but it was far easier to let a good majority of it flow through as he clung to a sudden realisation that one of his first deployments with a PAD team might very well be his last.

Caught off guard by lighter laughter Mykhailo snapped to, tilting his head. He didn't have a reason to feel insulted by his predecessor's lacking in the finesse department and yet couldn't help but, even if they were only in jest, almost defensively knit his brows at Gavrilov's words. Spreading a tamer scowl across his features as their gazes met - lips pursing just as slight, though to his credit it did disappear only a few seconds later.

In a way they were grateful to be dismissed. The quicker they got out, the quicker they got back he always saw it. So after snatching himself up a fresh, new and durable camera, made for the door way with luggage in hand.

Slipping the headphones back on as they broke past the ready room's threshold the operative delved into their element. Surprisingly though, he found time to pluck a lollipop from a back-pocket and pop it in his mouth. Folding the wrapper to set it on a table top - strawberry and cream. It was followed up by a pair of weightier cases, that were soon planted and unlocked to reveal their contents - tactical apparel, military grade firearms with relevant accessory in addition to protective wears, respirators and enclosed air-intakes systems. Clearly taking the operation seriously.

Mykhailo kissed his teeth audibly, looking about for a moment before he made towards the room's centre. "Ey! Do any of you have tape-- Like the fabric tape kind" he asked rather firmly to the room as a whole, head turning to first settle on Donovan and eventually Kim in hopes of finding someone who might hold the solution to his arguably minor problem. A helmet all too low on free mounting points, what better way to make more than by simply taping that new shiny camera to it.
 
Subin Kim - Tactical Team Medic

Kim was relieved that they were finally released from their briefing. Briefings have never been Kim's strong point. Thinking of her days at bootcamp, medic school, and her other various schools she couldn't help but think about she would try to find a way to get out of briefings. Regardless she was here now, In Ukraine, hunting an abominition to all things holy.

"Ey! Do any of you have tape-- Like the fabric tape kind?", Hearing Oyeyemi's question caught Kim's attention. The man hardly talked so hearing him speak was unexpected.

Kim rifled through her medical bag and eventually managed to find some medical tape. Kim removed the roll of white medical tape and tossed it to Oyeyemi. She had plenty of medical tape so losing one roll of tape wasn't much of a bother to her.

"You can keep it if you want, I have a lot more", Kim reassured Oyeyemi as she continued to get ready for the mission ahead.

Kim had no second thoughts about stripping down in front of the guys and checking into her set of black fatigues. The guys, at least in Kim's eyes, were all professionals like her so this shouldn't bother them. After changing into her black FROG fatigues, Kim placed on her flak vest, camelbak, and FAST helmet.

Although she was getting ready to fight she still had to do the one thing she always did. Kim opened up one of her ammo pouches and removed a tube of lipstick. She opened up the thin silver tube and applied the dark red color to her lips. After double checking to make sure it was applied correctly, she placed the tube back into her pouch. The lipstick might seem as though she was acting vain but really it served a different purpose. Having the lipstick on reminded Kim that, despite being a special forces operator, she was still a woman.
 
Agent Rose's only response was to nod in the affirmative, pulling himself back up into the helicopter and folding up his map. He then disappeared into the cockpit of the helicopter for a few moments, tucking both the map and his journal into the pockets of his fatigues, and flipped a few switches for the things he could set up while the chopper was indoors. Most important of which was disengaging the breaks. It just wouldn't do for the other agents on the team to try to tow the helicopter out only to find that its wheels wouldn't move.

Once he was done with that he stepped back outside, hopping down from the side door of the helicopter. Jace was wearing a flight suit as he always did during operations, with no real variation from what was issued normally. Save for the white and off-grey pattern supposedly intended to help break up his silhouette in the snowy terrain of the AO, should he be caught out of his helicopter. Not that he intended to ever be in such a compromising situation, but one could never be too careful. Speaking of over-preparedness, he'd also made extra sure that his fatigues had somewhere to tuck markers into, so there was a small rainbow of marker caps on his left shoulder. It made everything easier. Finally sticking out from his collar was the ace of spades he always carried on him, the 'A' from one end clearly visible amidst the digital winter pattern.

Not having much else to do until the chopper was outside, the pilot pulled his notes out once more, looking through the information they'd been given on the entity. Was that sci-fi looking thing really enough to handle whatever it was they were facing? He didn't feel comfortable with the thought on relying on it if things went wrong for the field team. Jace's icy blue eyes wandered up from notebook, looking over at the APN. For a couple seconds he scrutinized it before quietly sighing, shutting the journal with a quiet thud and returning it to his pocket.

There wasn't much more he could do to prepare, so there was no use worrying. It was already uncomfortable enough flying a helicopter without the added stress. So the agent crossed his arms, took in a deep breath of the crisp air, and tried to stay patient while the aircraft was loaded and towed.
 
Riku - Intelligence

She nodded at Haskell's words, walking back to her station. Riku nodded to Stromberg, gesturing to Kendell

"She'll be joining us with 044 since she's still here for a while. Catch her up to speed. Haskell gave her word and is leaving it up to me, so we'll send the extraction team to one of the isolated locations. I'll let them know, just make sure you have their backup cover story ready if needed."

Riku sat down at her desk, reaching to the side. There was a wireless headset resting on a stand. She slipped the headset on, fitting both earcups comfortably over her ears, adjusting the mic so it wasnt too close to her mouth. Riku pressed a few keys on her keyboard, going down the list of operatives assigned to Case 044. When she found Roux's name, she clicked and Riku was quickly connected to the cell phone Roux had. Part of working with the ICSC was using specialized equipment, including day-to-day tech like phones and computers.

Riku waited for Roux to pick up, then spoke.

"Agent Roux, this is Riku from Intel. We're sending you out early, but we're directing you a different location. Because it's gonna take out an hour and some to get to Ukraine, we're having your team land at an isolated location just a few minutes away from the operation zone. That way, if they need it, air support and extraction wont take long to arrive. You shouldn't run into anyone while you're there, but in case you're discovered, we have a cover story prepared. Details will be sent over, but the gist of it is that you and your team were airlifting supplies to the nuclear observation team, however your chopper suffered a mechanical failure and you had to emergency land to repair it."

"Assuming there are no mishaps on the field, you'll be taking the TACT operators back home once they're done with debrief onsite and cleared."


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Kazuya - TACT

Kazuya hopped up to his feet at the signal of dismissal, picking up his bag. He picked up one of the cameras and left the briefing room, heading down to the equipment room. He dropped the bag on one of the benches and began to unpack.

First up was his uniform and armor. He quickly undressed from his civilian clothing, first putting on a compression shirt and pants, wearing his black combat uniform on top. The uniform was small as well, hugging Kazuya's body with just enough room to breath without restriction. After all that was set, Kazuya fitted his armor vest on him, following it with elbow and knee pads. He moved on to his weapons. With him, he had a Bushmaster ACR Rifle with a vertical grip and ACOG scope with a mini red-dot sight attached at an angle on the side of the scope. His sidearm was a SIG Sauer P226. Kazuya had brought silencers for both of his guns, in case the need for them came up. He took out the magazines for his weapons, beginning to load them with ammunition, putting the filled magazines in his vest pockets.

Once he was done with that, he picked up his FAST helmet, attaching the camera to its side. He also attached his multi-vision goggles onto the front. Once completed, he slipped on his headset, making sure it fit comfortably before placing his helmet on, securing it.
 
TACT/PIT/FRT/FST

One by one the members of the ground team readied themselves. Gear was put on. Magazines were loaded. Weapons checked. Cameras began to stream live feed to the weary eyes back at HQ. Once everyone was good to go the team loaded up into the two inconspicuous vans. Before seating herself Griffith stopped in the doorway leading out from the office. She was confident that they'd pull through. She had a solid team. Still, she couldn't help but worry.

Worry about the possibility of it all going sideways.

Her train of thought was interrupted when Gavrilov grabbed her by the shoulder. "Time to go."

She nodded and spoke into her headset which in turn was linked directly ICSC communication networks. "TACT is on the move."

INTELLIGENCE

Stromberg nodded. "On it, boss." That said Kendell seated herself beside the man and the two started to go over the known intel regarding the case. At the same time Griffith reported that the TACT team was now in transit with their updated status popping up on Riku's screen as a green notification.

At the same time Riku could hear faint static followed by Roux responding. "Understood Intel. We'll be airborne in a few, Extraction out."

EXTRACTION UNIT

Roux placed her headset around her neck and made a circular motion with her hand for Rose to see before looking at the rest of the team. "Showtime boys, time to go."

* * * * *

TACT/PIT/FRT/FST

The front door was shut close with a thud. Fallstrom adjusted his rifle sling and punched his helmet twice for good luck. Gavrilov shook his head and pulled back the charging handle on his rifle. After a few moments the team was ready to venture into the dark woods ahead. Driving up to the entry point hadn't taken too long but doing so they had wasted precious daylight. The sun was setting and quick, with dusk on the rise.

Barazi took a deep breath and adjusted the stock on her MP7 before tapping Kazuya on the shoulder. "Nothing like a evening stroll through the woods, right?"

Standing near one of the vans was Gavrilov and Griffith with the former currently making sure that his encrypted radio was up and running. In the back Krinkov was placing glowsticks around the cars- just in case. Some were even placed ontop of the vehicles for the extraction team to see if needed be.

Finally when Gavrilov had entered the last of the encryption codes he gave Griffith a nod who in turn motioned for everyone to form a line facing the forest. It was time.

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INTELLIGENCE

Stromberg pulled a hand through his face while Kendell was scrolling through tabs on her monitor. A notification alerted the two intelligence officers that the ground team was now moving out. Kendell switched to a satellite feed of the area while Stromberg glanced over his shoulder at Riku. "Ma'am, they've reached the entry point. We have strong and clear signals on all transponders. Sat-feed is looking good."

"Minor radiation static from the surrounding marsh though," said Kendell as she zoomed in on several sectors. By the look of things radiation levels were still high enough in the parts of the surrounding soil, causing disturbances to non-IR satellite feeds.

Another thing worth of note was a large black blob on the thermal feeds. The anomaly. On regular feeds it looked any other forest but on the ICSC's ultra-spectrum orbital cameras it was clear that something in that particular spot was not of the ordinary kind. It remained to be seen whether or not the forest itself was another illusion or if the blob was a biproduct of the anomaly.

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EXTRACTION UNIT

The helicopter engine was still winding down with the aircraft itself resting atop an old vacant apartment building on the outskirts of Chernobyl. Roux wasn't too alarmed about the structure itself- Soviet concrete was tough as nails. What did worry her was the fact that her binoculars showed jack shit when pointed in the direction of the operations zone on the other side of the river.

She glanced over her shoulder and shrugged. "Sharif. Hill. Anything?"

Back at the helicopter one of the other operators, Kramer, sighed loudly and propped up his feet on the instrument board inside the cockpit. He glanced over at Rose with a bored expression. "I don't how you do it, man. I'd be bored to shit sitting in here." He glanced at his wristwatch and rolled his eyes. "Fuck, you'd almost think they're keeping us away from it just to hog all the action and glory."

"Shut the fuck up," said another voice. It was the second operator. Davis. He looked at Rose. "Need help with anything, Ace?"

GhostofWestphalia GhostofWestphalia DrabberRogue DrabberRogue Bard Bard Bard Bard
 
RICKY
Stepping from the van, Ricky put out his cigarette for good on the ground with a good stomp.
Checking his machine gun, the merc patted it down on all sides carefully with an almost loving degree of tenderness.
The gun was important to him, what could he say?
As he looked around, the soldier shivered slightly and thanked his past self for wearing the insulated gloves.
He could feel the cold of his rifle's metal even so.

The forest in front of them was dark and cold, with a tinge of foreignness the former mercenary couldn't describe very easily.
Something about the woods seemed really, really off.
He'd had the feeling before several times, the closest to this one being when his unit had taken up camp in an old Somalian temple.
That had been a very, very bad night.
He'd also encountered the feeling while fighting in the jungles of Indonesia.
He didn't like to think about that time period though.

Speaking to no one in particular but hoping for a reply from any of his teammates, the soldier muttered under his breath,
"Perfect place for a nighttime stroll ayy fellas?"
He then switched on his feed to HQ with a slight chuckle before angling his weapons towards the woods.
Ricky then took up a position next to Gritthith trying to maintain a slight wedge formation with the other members of the TACT unit.
Something about the night seemed off, the moon was out but Ricky could tell it wouldn't be for long with all the clouds drifting through the sky.
Visibility would most certainly be low. Justttttttttttttt great.

Viper Actual Viper Actual
 
Agent Rose let out a heavy sigh as the helicopter began to wind down. The landing had been smooth, so he imagined none of the other operators had thought twice about his performance. For him, however, it had been stressful as all hell. Jace was still a little nervous about actually landing helicopters, especially when there was a restricted amount of space to touch down on. Like when landing on the roof of a building, for example. Add that to the fact that he hadn't come down exactly as intended and suffice to say that the whole ordeal had been very tense for him.

The pilot had never landed on a carrier before, but he'd be willing to bet a few Hamiltons that he'd feel more comfortable doing that.

He didn't have time to dwell on that though. According to his watch the operation was about to begin, and they would need to be able to respond quickly should things go south for the guys on the ground. So he was focused on the instruments, conducting a few checks during the shutdown to make sure the chopper would be ready to spin back up when they were needed.

Any signs of stress in his expression were gone when Kramer and Davis spoke up, replaced by an amused grin at the first operator's complaining. In response he gave Agent Kramer a sidelong glance with that crooked smile of his before looking back at Davis, lightly shaking his head to the negative.

"Nah, I'm all set until we get the call to move." The blonde replied, removing his helmet and tousling his hair a bit. Just to shake it out of its matted down helmet-hair shape after the hour long flight. "Just so long as Kramer doesn't touch anything he shouldn't..." He shot a teasing glare at the agent in question. "...I should be fine."
 
Riku - Intelligence

Riku was now standing up at her desk, her attention focused on the central screens. By now, Case 044 had been given full priority due to the lethality and sensitivity of the anomaly involved. For the most part, she left Kendell and Stromberg to their own devices, but she glanced over when Kendell brought up the radiation in the area. Riku nodded, leaning down to her keyboard. She pressed a few keys and changed communication frequencies, broadcasting to the open channel that the field team were using, speaking to all of them at once.

"Field team, this is Riku Komatsu from Intelligence. We have eyes from both satellite and your body cameras, though the radiation in your area is causing minor static in the feeds. We should be able to manage it. Voice communications shouldnt be affected. Extraction team is on standby and ready. On your signal."

Riku got off mic, pulling it away from her mouth and watched the screens. She had a particular focus to her brother's feed, watching as they made their way into the forest. Riku crossed her arms infront of her, hugging her sides slightly.

They'll be fine.

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Kazuya - TACT

Kazuya did one last check, making sure he had everything he would need for the operation. All his ammo was loaded, his multi-vision goggles were mounted. The camera was mounted, on and broadcasting and his headset was on and working. He double checked the safeties on his weapons before holstering his sidearm on his right thigh, slinging his ACR across his chest. He followed everyone out of the building, climbing into the vehicle and took a seat.

While they drove out to the operation zone, Kazuya stared out of the back of the truck, watching the road under them pass by. His daze was broken when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking over, Kazuya saw Barazi sitting next to him. He gave off a friendly smile and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess. In any normal circumstances this would be a lot nicer. No radiation, no anomaly, nothing."

When the TACT team arrived onsite, Kazuya followed everyone else, disembarking from the truck and formed up with everyone. After the trucks were marked, Kazuya heard a voice in the comms, immediately recognizing who it was. He listened, but didnt reply. He glanced down at his rifle, disarming the safety and held it in a lowered stance infront of him, waiting for further instructions.
 
Sigma Site - Common Room

Konrad von Königsberg was sitting in the mostly empty common room, comfortably resting in the padded leather armchair in front of what looked to be a portable, antique chess set. It was in the evening that he preferred handling most of the delicate affairs. In his lap, on his palm, he had a teacup with the usual - mint tea, one spoon of honey, no sugar. He had a rested expression. A confident one. Some might even call it smug. It might have been because he wiped the floor with one of his assistants in chess or it might be because his plans with the UN-ICSC have so far been successful.
Konrad crossed his legs and took a sip of tea. His suit was in stark contrast to the suit worn by the man sitting opposite to him. The quality of materials was obvious from just a glance and the quality of the craftsmanship was second to none. The assistant's store-bought suit could hardly be compared to the second skin Konrad wore.

Konrad looked at the young man who was getting visibly anxious. Anxious to finish work and get back to sleep, anxious to end the encounter. He would, however, have to endure the silence and let the night hours drag on. If it were someone else, Konrad would do whatever it took to make the situation more comfortable. As it was someone who had a more intimate knowledge of Konrad's efforts with the UN-ICSC, there was no need to be pleasant.
"We could secure more funds through creative relocation." He finally began. His quiet tone of voice would force anyone speaking to him to pay even more attention and focus on his every word. "If we get some of the more... Colorful subjects in our hands, we could ask for an increase in funds and get it." There was no real financial problem in the facility. There was enough money to cover all the standard costs. Having accounting under his control, though, meant that Konrad could take favors for increased funding. Each department always had that special something they wanted and couldn't get with standard funding.

Containment was, at best, indirectly associated with the administration staff but it wasn't the first time Konrad and his team made changes beyond their jurisdiction. His tentacles cautiously tried to worm their way into every corner of PAD-13. While his influence outside his direct authority was minor, he could extend his reach from time to time. "We have someone who could alter a few orders, right?" He asked, knowing the answer already, and took another sip.
The assistant cleared his throat. His eyes were getting late and irritated, the consequences of working overtime so often. "Yes, sir. You have a few favors owed. I'll bring the list to your room." Hesitating for a moment, the man added. "We could also ensure support from other departments, adding validity to the relocations. Should remove any suspicions."

Anyone else would feel comfort or pride in their subordinates learning from them but Konrad wasn't just anyone. He felt threatened. He couldn't allow any such risk. It wouldn't be enough to pin any failed attempt at influence on the man. He knew too much. No, he would either have to be transferred to another facility, far from Konrad, or he would have to suffer an accident. "Another round?" Konrad ignored the suggestion. An unspoken approval of the plan. For now, the assistant will still be around. Next time, Konrad would have to be more cautious.
"No, sir, thank you." The young man quickly excused himself and stood up. "I'm afraid I have to go and make a few calls. And it's late. Next time I'm available. I'll bring you the list as soon as possible." He spoke quickly as he slowly backtracked his way towards the door. Maintaining the satisfied expression, Konrad enjoyed another sip of his tea.
 
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TACT/PIT/FRT/FST

Griffith took a knee and glanced at her watch as Intelligence spoke over comms. The watch was going haywire with the arrows going everywhere and nowhere. Digital timer was also acting up. She glanced at Gavrilov who shrugged. Behind him Fallstrom repeatedly tried to slap some sense into his own wristwatch.

"Understood HQ. We read you, it's a bit patchy but you're coming through."

Looking to her right and left each of the agents either gave a nod, thumbs or look to signal that they were ready. Griffith cleared her throat. "Ground team, moving."

Gavrilov nodded and tapped Fallstrom on the shoulder which made the latter grin as he hoisted his LMG up alongside his hip and stepped forward. On the other side of the flank Barazi held some kind of device with a large screen. Whatever it was supposed to do the device clearly saw something up ahead in the forest. Namely vague figures surrounded by static. She glanced at Kazuya with a somewhat faux smile.

At the same time Krinkov muttered something in Russian. He gripped his tactical AK tight and nodded for Oyeyemi and Kim to take point.

Slowly but surely the line of agents and operatives advanced into the dark forest. It was right about now that everyone noticed something.



The forest around them was dead silent.

INTELLIGENCE

Stromberg and Kendell watched in silence as the team reported back and began their advance. Marking their individual positions were diamond-shaped icons blinking across the monitors at regular intervals. Comms were quiet aside from the few commands issued by Griffith for certain members of the team to take a piece of terrain, scan something or to increase spacing. All else was silent.

Or so they thought.

Stromberg wrinkled his eyebrows and placed a firm hand over his headset while mixing with the volume settings. Kendell glanced between him and Riku. "What is it?"

While still altering the volume controls Stromberg shook his head. "I...I don't know. I think I hear something. Singing?"

"Singing?" Asked Kendell with a worried expression on her face.

"I think it's coming from the forest," muttered Stromberg.

EXTRACTION UNIT

Davis grunted. "Shoot him if he does. I'm not all too hyped about experiencing a helicopter crash again." That said the operator backed out of the cockpit, presumably to prepare his gear. Kramer gestured with his hands. "Hey Davis! Come on! Jakarta was years ago man, you need to let that go."

He chuckled and folded his hands in his lap. "He's just grumpy. Always have been, don't ya worry."

Kramer pointed towards the window and beyond in the direction of the forest. "That though. That I'd worry about. Gonna' be one hell of a landing if they decide to call on us."

Outside the helicopter Roux nodded as Hill pointed out something to her. A portion of the forest looked much more dense than the rest. Taller too. If her binoculars were still working then that would place the anomaly somewhere inside. "This shit is just unnerving," she muttered.


* * * * *
TACT/PIT/FRT/FST

The team had been moving forward in total silence for nearly twenty minutes when Gavrilov suddenly froze and raised a fist into the air. Griffith repeated the command and halted while Fallstrom kneeled and blinked in a agitated fashion.

"What do you see?"

Gavrilov squinted his non-covered eye while the other was looking through some kind of device mounted to his helmet. "Category five radiation. Lots of it."

"We're right on top of it," said Griffith.
Gavrilov nodded and glanced down at his rifle. "That's the issue." He looked at Griffith with a grim expression on his face. "The Russians never made it this far without...making contact."

Griffith was about to reply when a muffled gasp could be heard from Barazi. With one hand raised the scanner in her hand was beeping at a rapid pace. Currently it was pointed to the left of the line rather then in front of it and standing in front of it was something.

Barazi swallowed and glanced at the others without moving as much as muscle. At the back Krinkov raised his AK. A red laser dot slowly began to creep up on the thing standing near Barazi. Fallstrom was also about to join the party with his machinegun when Gavrilov stopped him. "No. You'll hit everyone but that thing."

Griffith cursed. Even if they could take whatever it was down with conventional fire Barazi, Kazuya and Hall were all standing in the line of fire.

The team leader spoke into her microphone with a low and soft tone. "HQ. Are you seeing this? Requesting directive. I repeat, what the fuck do we do?"

"We have anomalous contact. Anomalous contact confirmed," said Gavrilov over the radio while reaching for his rifle.

While all of this was happening Strauss was distracted by something far more interesting. Voices. Songs. They sounded happy, whoever they were. Looking around she could see lights far away in the forest. A house? She could, however, also see the creature. For some reason it reacted to Strauss' reaction and while it remained completely still in front of Barazi its head was slowly turning towards Strauss where it finally tilted.

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INTELLIGENCE

Kendell's face had gone deathly pale while Stromberg cursed under his breath. Both of the intelligence officers looked at Riku. "Ma'am? What do we tell them?"

Before Riku could say anything she was interrupted by Haskell whom had now returned with her seventh cup of coffee. "You'll do nothing. Not until we say so." She gestured to one of the monitors showing the realtime helmet feeds. "See how that things is moving? Studying? Shows signs of intelligence. This is now a Category B situation. Possible sentience means we can't just light the thing up which is a damm shame on its own because things would have been easier if it was just some radioactive fungi inside a cabin."

Haskell shook her head. "No, tell them to hold. We need supervisors."

Stromberg raised his eyebrow and looked at Riku. Kendell shook her head. Meanwhile the ground team had overheard Haskell's commands, causing some of them to curse.

"What do you mean 'hold?' It's right here next to us." Said one of them, presumably Fallstrom.

Haskell was already back at her desk however. She grabbed her microphone and spoke out across the facility. "On-duty Admins and Supervising Researchers please report to Intelligence. Category B situation, Category B situation. Requesting mission directive."

On this faithful evening that meant it was time for Konrad von Köningsberg and Professor Alisdair Lockerbie to work. And fast.

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EXTRACTION UNIT

"Merde."

As the comms started lighting up Roux and her team got back into the helicopter. Kramer quickly hopped back into the rear while Roux took over the seat next to Rose. She held up five fingers. Ready in five minutes, tops.
In the back Kramer strapped on his helmet and took a deep breath while Davis made sure to secure his gear on him one last time. He glanced up at Sharif and Hill.

"If we get out of this the first round is on me, boys." A positive sentiment. Let's just hope he didn't jinx anything.

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