Futuristic Starpath X: Shadow Contingency

[joshuadim]

30 July 2420
Hannibal Barca Orbital Military Base, Terra, Sol System

​

In stationary orbit around Terra, with the view of the planet in the near distance pervading the scene, was a linchpin for Sol's military apparatus. The starport's sheer size served as a mass spaceport for military vessels as well as a powerful communications array across its various territories, it was a vital artery for military and intelligence operations. Supplies and material produced on Terra is sent out in great quantities with military escorts, while tens of thousands of crewmen on their ships enter and leave daily, either on furlough or returning, to create an organized chaos of human bodies that flows like blood in an artery. It also served as a staging point for ODI operations, as it had a section of the station dedicated to the clandestine organization itself. Complete with their own exclusive hangars, amenities, and staging areas, it allowed ODI to prep for any kind of operation before deployment.

Hanger 3 of the ODI Sector was left empty save for one ship that was docked and being maintained by a small crew. Overlooking it was a small gathering room for mission briefings, which is where Jackson Mooles stood at the head of a holographic table along with a few others at its other sides. There also was a visible apprehension on Mooles' face as he stared at the table, as if waiting for a transmission to come through at any moment. He and his crew had been assembled on short notice by the Director of all people, and that was not to mention the 'Ghost' among them, which meant that this was a Priority 1 operation. Given the recent attacks on Alliance depots in the past few months, this meant that whoever was behind it was big business.

He spared a glance over to the ghost among them, Natasha, and grimaced. Having an operative like that among them for an op could only mean lots of black ink would be scrawled and lots of red tape sidestepped. "So why does the Director want you here?" he asked rather directly, bringing the silence in the room to an end as his compatriots all looked over towards the woman who was leaning against the wall nearby.

"I think you know the answer to that question, Commander." Natasha replied in a straightforward, and unemotional, manner, which brought an exasperated scoff from the man.

"Classified. Always fuckin' classified." he muttered to himself before snapping his attention towards the doorway at the far end of the room. It opened to reveal a man whose existence Mooles was already debriefed on, as he walked over. "Glad to have you with us Captain," he said as he shook Vance's hand, "It's not every day we go on an op with a melted popsicle."

"I prefer to be called a fossil, sir. Has a nicer tone to it." Vance replied jokingly as he returned the shake, managing to bring out a rare chuckle from the man.

"Duly noted. Did you see anyone else head your way? We're waiting for another one as well - a merc."

Vance shook his head. "Not that I saw... maybe they're behind me?" Vance then pondered as he looked towards the door, awaiting whomever this newcomer might be.

Breadman

 

[Breadman]

The doors opened to reveal a woman on the other side. She stepped through the doorway and into the hangar. Lana scanned the area and the other people she would be working with. So these were the Sol operatives she would be working with. Seth wasn't able to give her a complete brief due to the nature of this sort of mission. Clandestine operations would usually call for mercenaries as a form of deniable troops, but this one was a bit different.

What she knew extended that she would work with ODI operatives, firstly. Secondly, that the mission would be top secret so details are to be divulged when she meets with the others. Lastly it would serve to strengthen relationship between her clan of mercenaries and a major player on the galactic stage. The last two interested Seth the most and in turn, her as well. Not that this assignment needed more sweetening. A mission for her to use her full skillset and at the same time requires discretion almost none of her siblings can provide. An assignment practically made for her.

Once Lana reached the table, she placed her right hand on her forehead and moved it outwards to say hello to her comrades for this mission. A quick glance through those gathered to make sure she could remember their faces made her guess on who is who. Moore and Natasha were the most likely to have a military career, but Vance looked slightly different. There was something off about him. Was he a new agent or from an entirely different branch of the military?

 

[joshuadim]

"You must be Lana. Good, we're all here then." Mooles spoke as he watched the mercenary's arrival, while Vance offered a wave back to the lady that none of the others reciprocated to her. "Vance, Lana, meet the others that you'll be working with on this op. That over there is Bleach, don't bother asking because I don't know why he's called that. But he's a hell of a rifleman." Mooles then spoke, motioning to the first of his squad who nodded silently to the two newcomers. "The lady with the beret and cape fashion is Sonya. She's good with knives and close quarters." Mooles continued, which prompted a grunt from the woman as she took a drag from her cigarette. "Then we got Powder and Keg, or the Twins, as our demo experts."

The masked twins nodded as well, keeping silent as they watched the two newbies before heading back to tinkering with a few gadgets that had been in their arsenal. "And the other woman is Agent Verovna, a ghost. She's been attached to this detail per the director's orders." Mooles then finished motioning his head to where Natasha stood as she observed Vance in particular in silence, not removing her gaze from the man. Vance was only a little unsettled by the woman's unflinching gaze as he wondered as to what could be her purpose among them.

The holotable then let out a ping, signalling that there was an incoming call from Director DeSaad. Mooles stepped forward and accepted the ping, which in turn brought up a holographic projection of the ODI head on the table itself. "Good afternoon Commander Mooles." DeSaad spoke with a stoic expression, "I gather everyone that I recommended has been gathered?"

"Yes sir. The newcomers included." Mooles replied, which brought a curt nod from the director.

"Excellent. Then I'll waste no time. This mission is designated Alpha Red in its priority." DeSaad then said as a holograph of a masked figure then materialized as a still frame next to him. "This is Kane. A former asset of ODI turned terrorist - responsible for a number of bombings on Alliance and ODI depots - that you will be tasked with hunting down and bringing to justice. He has a network of associates, also former ODI assets, that he utilizes. So we start there: an ODI storehouse on Rygel III just sent out a ping, meaning it was accessed without authorization recently. The planet's proximity to the recent attacks makes this our best lead so far."

Vance watched as footage of the aforementioned attacks played out on the holotable itself, looking over the destruction caused as well as the newsreels. Very few, if any, civilian casualties - which struck to the man as odd - given the blasts. "Do we have a motive?" Vance then asked aloud, which led to DeSaad to shake his head.

"Nothing. No released manifesto or goals. Six months ago he started attacking and has only recently stepped up the pace." DeSaad replied, which made Verovna then speak up.

"Why the delay on the response?" Natasha asked bluntly, which made DeSaad visibly grimace.

"Because his targets went from irrelevant, to important." DeSaad replied in a cold manner, unamused with Natasha's insolence before shrugging. "Any other questions?"

Breadman

 

[Breadman]

As the other team members were introduced, Lana looked to each one to remember them. Bleach had hidden his face, Sonya's on the other hand looked like a map. Instead of locations, it showed stories of battles fought and maybe lost. Powder and Keg were like Bleach. Shame, she's only going to remember one of them. Now the ghost was another deal entirely. ODI operatives are one thing, but a ghost? The mission must be very important.

It didn't take long to see why. Another masked figure, but this one would be easy to remember. An entire group of former ODI operatives piqued her interest the most. What did Sol do to get all of them to revolt? Or was this a power struggle? Another thing was off about this terrorist as well. Were all of his helpers former ODI or did he enlist other maniacs? A number of possible groups went through her head, but the number that can do this could be counted on one hand.

Any other questions?

Lana held up two fingers. What followed were gestures with her hands to get her question across. 'One, who's assisting him? Two, what firepower can they bring to this mission?' She waited a second before she raised three more fingers. She tapped a breastpocket on her gear as it contained valuable contents 'Any smokers?'

 

[joshuadim]

Mooles was ready to translate Lana's sign language for the director, but it seemed that was not necessary as he understood her inquiries as another holograph came up - that of a woman in a piloting suit - as visual aid: "Who we know to be his right-hand is Evie, also a former ODI asset. She piloted some stellar craft before being turned by Kane, though we don't know exactly when. She is not a priority, but if you do come across her - terminate with extreme prejudice." DeSaad spoke, "As for firepower, well, we don't know exactly who or what will be waiting for you at the storehouse so prepare accordingly."

"Understood Director." Mooles then spoke up, "And if Kane is there?"

"It's highly unlikely that he is. But also terminate if he puts up a fight." DeSaad said coldly, before turning attention to the gathered group at large. "Dismissed."

The holograph then disappeared, leaving the holotable back to normal again save for a transferred dossier of information that Natasha quickly picked up to go over. Mooles spared a glance to the ghost operative with concern before looking to everyone else. "Alright, let's gear up and get ourselves ready to head out. Vance, your gear is already on the Modus Operandi so you don't have to worry about that. As for you Lana, you can choose from the armory whatever you please. It's on the Alliance tab after all." Mooles spoke, before waving a hand to signal his squad to move out.

Vance stayed for a bit, giving Mooles a nod towards his equipment being on board already. Though the type of gear he couldn't imagine what they had prepped for him to use. He did however look over to Lana and signed to her in sign language: 'What do you think of all this?'

Breadman

 

[Breadman]

Evie, another name and face to add to the list. Orders are to eliminate both with extreme prejudice, so that would require a trip to the armory. Something her benefactor is ready to supply. They would be going into unknown territory, so it would be good to prepare. Its been a long time since she had the opportunity to pick from high end equipment. Legally that is.

Lana moved her head when she noticed Vance talking with sign language to her. Her initial reaction was to raise an eyebrow. He could talk clearly, why would he need to do the mimicry? Then another thought crossed her mind. He didn't trust them. Why should he? He's clearly from another branch, and these were cloak and dagger types. Perhaps it would be better to be honest with him to build trust with each other on this mission. 'They know more, but aren't up-front. Clients like this usually are.' She motioned with her hands. 'Maybe they're too afraid to tell us what the masked man truly is?' She shrugged 'How about you? You don't resemble them.'

 

[joshuadim]

Vance let out a chuckle as he shook his head. 'I'm what you would call a fossil.' Vance signed back to Lana, but before he could elaborate he noticed that this caught a glance from Natasha as she rolled her eyes. "Do you really need to tell the first person outside of ODI you meet?" she asked with a hint of annoyance as she set aside the datapad she had been reading from. She looked to Lana for a moment before sighing, realizing that she was going to find out one way or another sooner or later. "Vance is from old Terra. A soldier with skills and strength far beyond that of any normal human."

"You seem to know a lot about me." the supersoldier inquired half-jokingly, "Read up on my file?"

"That and also I was there to dig you out of that rocket."

Vance was taken aback by that revelation, which now added some context as to why a ghost like her had been attached to this mission. "So you're here to keep an eye out on me?"

"Yes." Natasha replied, without any hesitation or a hint of doubt. "It would look bad if ODI lost the first super soldier so soon after waking up." She then walked towards the doorway and motioned her head, "Come one. Don't want to keep the others waiting too long."

With the ghost gone, it was just the two newcomers left in the room as Vance sighed: "Alright, let's get to it shall we?"

Lana would collect what was offered and she desired at the ODI armory while Vance boarded the Modus Operandi. The ship itself was large, but at the same time compact enough to include everything a command station would need in the least amount of space possible. Both for smaller sensor profile as well as easier to manoeuvre in events of emergency, it was also one of a kind to be fielded by the Sol Systems Alliance. This operation would be a test of its worthiness all things considered, both for use now and for further production later. The crew for the mission had their own private quarters on board, as well as additional spaces if there had been more operatives assigned, and Vance approached the door that led to his.

He assumed correctly that his gear would be in his quarters, seeing a display case for what appeared to be some sort of suit for him as well as a small case holding a familiar sight. "Holy shit." Vance said as he picked up the ray-gun that had been developed for him by DARPA all those years ago, and it worked like a charm too as it hissed to life in his grasp; superheated gases primed for a reaction to fire against an enemy which in turn gave off a slight glow at the barrel. There was also a call that came in from DeSaad that was quickly brought into the room's speaker system.

"We found that little bit on you. The tech was a bit rudimentary in terms of hardware, but we managed to repair and replace enough that it serves its original function." the Director of ODI explained, "The suit is also suited for combat, it's a titanium-graphene nanoweave composite. In less technical terms, that means you'll be even tougher in close quarters."

"I appreciate it. I'd rather not get turned into swiss cheese." Vance quipped, which only brought out a stifled chuckle from DeSaad.

"You'll be departing for Rygel III shortly, so get ready."

---

Rygel III, Rygel System, Sol Systems Alliance Space
Near the ODI Storage Facility

​

In the half-day that it took to traverse the travel lanes, a few of which known only to the clandestine organization, the Modus Operandi soared through the void as its FTL engine pushed them towards their destination. Rygel III was, by all accounts, a backwater when compared to the much greater urbanized worlds such as Eridia or Minister. But it sported the importance of its location as a crossroads between several disparate regions of the Alliance, making it a hub for trade that brought a variety of crafts for all manner of species into the planet's main urban centre of Garrant.

It was there that the ODI operation found itself overlooking the city from a rooftop, with Natasha fielding optical binoculars that allowed her to identify paths towards their objective. But this also presented an issue as she quickly brought up: "If we come up against whomever in that storage facility, they'll have no end in options on how to escape and blend in with the city." she reported as she set the optics down.

"That's assuming all perimeter defenses are completely disabled, which I doubt. Otherwise we would know. But getting in will be tricky regardless." Mooles then mused before shrugging, "Alright, here's the plan. Bleach will be overwatch with me while Agent Verovna provides intel and comms. Vance, you'll get over the perimeter defenses and sneak inside. Report on any findings you come across. Power, Keg, Lana, and Sonya will be a breaching team in case things go south. Move out. We've burnt enough time as is."

Vance gave a nod as he leaped over the side of the building, using his impressive strength and agility to reach across the street towrads the other side as he landed with a roll before pushing ahead. Sonya meanwhile led Lana and the others as she motioned her head: "Lets go. I got the route thanks to Miss Ghost." the hardened operative spoke as she took a final draft from her cigarette before stomping on it. The fireteam quickly departed the building, making their way down through the use of grapples and into one of the many alleyways that would mark their path towards the storehouse.

This in turn allowed for easy cover to advance towards their planned point as they were out of sight of the civilian populace, kept company only by the radiators and air conditioning units of the outside and the occasional scurrying of rats that had been brought over by accident onto an alien ecosystem. Vance in the meantime traversed the rooftops, making easy work of the gaps with his superhuman status as he bounded between buildings and navigated the urban jungle with ease. Soon enough he was right near the defensive and, supposedly, electrified fences of the storehouse's outer perimeter. "This is Vance, I'm in position next to the fence."

"Good," Mooles spoke up through the comms, "What about you Sonya? Where's your team at?"

"One minute out. Making sure we're staying out of sight." the lady responded as she led her assigned fireteam around a corner and down the final alleyway. At the end, the group halted at the edge of their cover as they saw the storehouse and its perimeter across the street. "In position. Waiting for mark." she then spoke into the comms before turning her attention to Lana. "This your first time on a stealth ops? You don't seem the type to me."

Breadman

 

[Breadman]

So much for secrecy. Figures that the ghost would know how to communicate with sign language. Yet she felt the need to put Lana on the need to know list in regards to Lance's past. The term old Terra meant nothing to the mercenary. She barely knew what new Terra looked like. Vids and images from around the net coupled with stories from the galaxy's worst painted different pictures. Most of them of a shinning orb full of potential. Those were almost always from humans. Others were more mixed. But what was really interesting was Vance being a super soldier of some kind. The pieces started to fall into place when Natasha mentioned a rocket. Could it be that Vance was very old? Lana looked at him again with curiosity when they were left alone. She motioned briefly 'Fossil, huh?'

In the armory, she felt like she was in at home away from home. Racks of guns, cases of different ammo and gadgets for those tight spots. The old reliable shotgun used by Sol forces was of course there, along with the more advanced model not currently in mass circulation. STGX-50, capable of blowing holes through walls if they weren't thick enough. Along with the standard ammo, she picked out several other shells just in case. Dragon's breath was an old merc favorite, perfect if Rigel's native fauna wanted to get nosy. The shock ammo would deal with any mechanical or AI help the terrorists might have. For a sidearm, she got lucky. Her older brother and leader, Seth, had a special magnum at his desk. A custom made hand cannon that could fire explosive rounds. While not as devastating, the model they had would serve her well enough and could be used as a base for her own handheld terror.

Frags, flashbangs and smoke grenades are a must for Lana when heading into a mission like this, but she still took time to look around for any other toys ODI could have. Lots of drones she couldn't use right now, but they could be a nice compensation. But among the robotic support, she noticed a familiar tool. Spider-mines. Typically used for defense, she knew how exactly to turn them into an offensive tool thanks to skirmishes with the Alpha sisters. Finally she picked up one of the knives ODI agents would use in the field. Not the end all when it comes to knives, but they can cut through the carapace of certain people really easily.

Some time later
He was impressive. Lana watched Lance leap over the edge and towards the objective, using only his strength and agility. If he's an old model super-soldier, what the hell would Sol make with the newer ones? A question she couldn't answer, but maybe it would be better not to think about. The fireteam didn't have the luxury of super abilities, so they had to take the longer route. Carefully they maneuvered across the alleyways to avoid any notice from civilians. They should be there soon.

This your first time on a stealth ops? You don't seem the type to me.

Lana stopped and gave Sonya a look of annoyance. She asks this now? A minute out from the target location and now she asks if the mercenary carrying a shotgun and handcannon is good for a stealth operation? 'They don't hire me for stealth, but I've sneaked around before.' She motioned with her hands calmly, despite the annoyance 'If I have to, I can choke and break necks, but we are the insurance.' She raised a finger and then signed two more words 'Extreme prejudice.'

 

[joshuadim]

Sonya rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back towards the building nearby, "Yeah, yeah. That's only if the party gets loud." she muttered as she pulled out a small pair of binoculars to observe the perimeter. That was where the oddities began as she snorted before leaning into her comms device: "Be advised, none of the perimeter security measures are online. At least from what I can see." she said, presenting a rather unusual development given that this was in essence a black site. The comms crackled on the other end as Mooles spoke up: "That makes no sense... why would they leave the place exposed?"

"Then we'll find out the answer inside." Vance replied quickly as he scaled one of the nearby buildings and propelled himself off it to vault over the perimeter fencing. With a roll he hit the ground and looked around, turning on his comm unit again. "None of the sentries seem to be operational either. Cameras too." he spoke as he claimed onto one of the support ladders and quickly scaled his way to the roof.

"Watch yourself in there Astro." Mooles spoke, his concern audibly growing in his words. "None of this smells right."

A ventilation shaft provided the perfect entry point as Vance ripped away its panelling with ease before quietly dropping into the interior of the building. The emergency lights remained on, but power to the facility seemed to have been cut off, leaving the hallways draped in red lighting as Vance looked around for a moment to gather his bearings. He stood up and began to put one foot in front of the other, reducing his noise by rolling his feet with every meter he pushed ahead. The place was deathly quiet, too quiet given that the place had been accessed just recently.

But out of the silence came the familiar pattering of footsteps, causing Vance to duck into a small cubby between the walls as a hiding spot. A figure with a blue visor and heavy combat armor walked past, oblivious of Vance's presence, as it seemed to be on patrol. This provided ample opportunity for Vance to get behind him and, using his sheer strength, bring him to the ground in a chokehold. His muscles bulged as fabric and metal squeezed, leaving the mean gasping for air until he finally lost consciousness on the metal flooring. What caught Vance's attention, however, was the marking of an ODI patch on the man's shoulder. Before he could say anything however, more noises were heard deeper in the facility.

Priming his ray-gun, Vance brought his weapon to life as it let out a gentle hiss before quickly advancing towards a doorway. It slid open with a soft hum, revealing the main storage hall that was at the centre of the building and its shocking contents as Vance felt the air be sucked out of his chest. Not only were there chemical weapons, marked as such with dangerous logos and icons to indicate their value and destructive potential, but also explosive devices wired along the entire circumference of the building. "Oh holy shit." Vance muttered into his comms, "There's chemical weapons in here. And the whole place is rigged to blow."

"What!?" Mooles practically shouted into the comms, "Vance get out of there-"

A sudden spike in feedback caused Vance to wince for a moment before ripping the earpiece off, his attention now gathered by a multitude of blue visors peering straight at him with their sights aimed straight at him.

"Shit! Comms are down in the AO, get in there now!" Mooles shouted to the rest of the ODI taskforce after failing to pick up Vance.

Sonya growled as she rushed ahead, with Powder and Keg following close by and finally joined by Lana as they advanced towards the fencing. The commando made quick work of it as she attached a small device to the wiring, causing it to melt a large gap into its form to allow entry. Sonya motioned a hand towards the nearby door: "Blast it open, now!" she shouted to her compatriots as they quickly took out and assembled a high power breaching charge. Sonya in the meantime took position further away, her weapon aimed at the doorway before looking to Lana. "Guess you'll exercise 'extreme prejudice' after a-"

But the quip was cut short as, in a dire turn of fortune, an explosion consumed the doorway which sent both Lana and Sonya flying back a few meters. The charge had prematurely detonated, and now the thundering of footsteps could be heard from the inside of the building. "FUCK! IT'S A TRAP!" Mooles shouted into their communications before firing into the doorway with Bleach from their position. Two enemies were scratched off, but more came out to attack both Lana and a grievously injured Sonya who had a large piece of metal jutting from her gut now. There was zero chance that either Powder or Keg could have survived that, which left Lana as the sole able-bodied combatant on the ground in front of the storehouse.

Breadman

 

[Breadman]

The explosion rocked Lana and send her flying backwards. It wasn't enough to keep her down however, as the mercenary got on her knees and turned her head to see the gravely injured Sonya. There was no saving her. Not by Lana at least. Mooles' voice was enough to make her snap backwards to the gates. Two hostiles already down, but more were coming. Lana quickly got up on her feet and moved to Sonya's body. Her hunch was right as the metal had torn through her gear, leaving the bandolier hanging by a thread. She yanked it free and counted. Three frag grenades. It would do.

Lana pulled the pin and threw the bandolier towards the incoming enemies. The grenades flew in the air, one of them beeping loudly and more frequently. At the same time Lana jumped behind a container to dodge the hail of bullets coming her way. As soon as the guards realized what was coming their way, the firing stopped and panic set in. The explosion cleared the grounds from hostiles as they scattered behind cover. Most of them at least. One had the grenades fall right behind him and another was flung by the shockwave. Six left.

Lana prepared to move. The had the numbers, but she had the initiative. Mooles and Bleach were keeping them pinned down behind cover allowing her to push. Two of them were behind a container opposite of her. The smoke from the grenades was still in the air giving her a short duration of cover to move through. The heavy steps of her sprint made one of them look behind cover enough to catch a slug from her shotgun. Five. The man behind him screamed in terror as his comrade's skull opened up like a cracked egg. He was too panicked to react to her rounding the corner and punching a hole through his armor with another slug. Four.

Their numbers were reduced, but not neutralized. The other four had recovered from the shock and regrouped. They couldn't reach Mooles and Bleach, but they could reach Lana. The combined fire forced her back behind the first cover she could find. A few rounds made it too close, but her armor would bounce them off. Not enough for the one that grazed her arm. Lana winced as she felt it rip through. She needed some way for her to gain the momentum back and quick.

One of the guards, either from arrogance or from downright idiocy pushed forward towards her and out of cover. By the time his comrades called out to him, Mooles or Bleach had punched his number. Three left. The brief pause was what she needed. The shotgun couldn't do enough at this range, but the magnum could, but she'd have to take a risk. Lana got out of her cover with the gun drawn and fired. The bullet found its home in the guard's neck as blood sprayed through the hole like a fountain. His body fell to its knees as he grasped to his neck. Two.

The first gamble paid off, now she needed to hope for the second. Lana pressed on to keep the pressure on the remaining two. Their shooting became more frantic and their aim faltered. The situation spiraled out of their control a while ago, but it finally set in. Lana fired another shot as she ran, hoping to hit her target. She aimed for his head, but the shoulder would do just fine. She kept sprinting, ignoring the second bullet that grazed her. By the time she was near the hurt guard, she had switched back to the shotgun, but he wasn't her target. The mercenary expelled one slug after the other into the cover the other guard was using. The metal or hard plastic wasn't enough and he let out a death rattle. One.

Lana looked down to the last remaining one, who was barely standing on his knees, his helmet fallen off. She took a step back and started to run. He could barely register her in time as she punted his head. His lifeless body dropped fully prone on the ground. The mercenary gave one stomp for good measure. Lana looked around briefly to observe the carnage. Not how she usually would leave a place, but nothing new either. She breathed slightly in relieve as there didn't seem to be more on the outside, but maybe inside was a different story. She then remembered. Vance!

Lana exited the cover and waved a hand frantically to signal to Mooles and Bleach that she was still alive. She then pointed to her and to the warehouse. She intended to go inside and assist Vance, but needed confirmation that they understood.

 

[joshuadim]

"Get in there and fast!" Mooles shouted into the comms, giving his go-ahead to Lana to advance inside. "We'll call for extraction. Watch yourself in there!"

---

Inside, Vance remained still like a statue as slowly scanned the area with his eyes. A number of well armed, and well trained, operatives had him surrounded and in a killzone. Even with his own expertise, it was doubtful that he would be able to survive an onslaught of such heavy ordinance. He remained silent as a bead of sweat slowly travelled down his brow, making every moment all the more uncomfortable as the wet orb made its slow descent. But suddenly, a shot rang out from the scaffolding above to taking out one of the hostiles as he crumpled to the floor lifelessly with a bullet lodged in his head. Everyone's attention was drawn towards Natasha as she fired a few more shots before disappearing into the shadow with an optical cloaking field.

An opening had been made for Vance as the enemy returned fire for a brief moment, allowing the man to close the gap and begin his work. The closest soldier turned in a frantic manner to try to gun down Vance, but was blocked as he grabbed and yanked his rifle out of his hands before slamming it into the operative's helmet. The force of the impact was hard enough to both shatter his visor as well as flip him head first to the ground below with a heavy thud. Vance then threw it at full force, stunning the next closest operative from the impact, before sweeping at his legs and delivering punch to the head that knocked him out.

Gunfire rang out as the others now returned their attention to the immediate threat, peppering the area around the supersoldier as he scrambled in a dive roll towards a nearby crate. A few of the projectiles had managed to collide with his suit, but the material absorbed the brunt of the killing force. Still, it hurt like hell as stinging pain carried by a vessel of pain travelled up his body. More bullets collided with containers, which for a moment gave Vance concern that the chemical weapons would be ruptured. Fortunately, their containers were made of hardy materials to prevent such accidental discharges.

Vance had little time to rest however, as one of the soldiers threw a flashbang towards him with intent to try to stun him. Picking up a loose piece of floor panelling that had never been installed, Vance launched it like a frisbee towards a third soldier - colliding with a loud thud that sent him careening towards the far end of the room and slamming into one of the chemical weapons containers.

Natasha in the meantime snuck around and dispatched another of the hostiles with a well-placed headshot, further thinning their ranks. But her advantageous position above would be comprimised as the explosives detonated, ripping through the building with both flame and explosive shock that sent her careening to the ground with a thud. "Agh, shit..." she muttered as she recollected herself, realizing just how fucked everything had gotten now. Vance himself had stumbled to the ground from the explosions, but gathered himself again as he saw the sky above be exposed as the warehouse started to collapse in on itself.

Their communications came back online, though peppered with static, as Mooles' voice could be heard through the chaos: "Shit! The place went up in flames! Vance, Natasha, are you alright!?"

"I'm fine..." Vance said as he witnessed the ongoing devestation of the facility.

Natasha coughed before speaking into the comms: "They used incendiary explosives... shit..."

"Incendiaries? ...that doesn't make sense..." Mooles commented briefly.

Vance, unwilling to let this opportunity slip by, charged ahead in the aftermath of the explosions as he tackled one of the figures to the ground. "WHO ARE YOU!?" he shouted, before pulling off their helmet. He was surprised to find Evie's face greet him with a stern, stoic gaze. Kane's right hand woman... here?

Vance didn't have time to entertain the thought as she spoke: "The ones that would save Terra." she replied calmly.

"SHIT! INCOMING HOSTILE VESSEL!" Mooles then shouted into the team's communications, which darted both Vance and Natasha's gaze towards the open hole in the roof that now existed. An unmarked dropship quickly settled atop, bringing ropes down to extract the remaining survivors as they fought a defensive retreat. Evie used the moment of distraction to shove Vance off her with her feet as she scurried back to her feet before pointing her sidearm at Vance. But a figure from above dropped down, landing down without any help from the ropes with a powerful crash onto the ground below. The masked man that they had seen in their briefing.

Kane.

He quickly turned towards Evie and spoke from under his mask: "Go. I'll handle this."

The woman was clearly hesitant as she looked between her and Vance for a moment, but ultimately gave a nod as she quickly darted back towards the ropes. Vance however was undeterred as he stared into the black holes that substituted for eyes for Kane: "I'm taking you in."

"You're welcome to try."

Breadman

 

[Breadman]

The facility had started to burn to the ground. The explosions that were set off earlier weren't the only ones as the entire storage facility was ablaze by the looks of it. Those chemicals were either taken or destroyed by Kane's henchmen. At least that's what Lana figured. There wasn't exactly time to analyze her situation as she darted through the fires, trying to find any way to Vance. She lifted her head upwards when she heard the footsteps on metal as those same henchmen were now running away from their handiwork. Lana snarled as she saw them run on the upper platform. Assholes try to kill her and wont even stay to finish the job? Unprofessional.

The Boome mercenary ran along the platform above her, following the metal as she reached the stairs that would lead her up to the platform and hopefully catch any of the runners. Quick and heavy footsteps clanked on the metal steps as she climbed and just as luck would have it, she managed to catch the tail-end of the retreating group. 'Whatth-' Kane's man let out as she grabbed ahold of his neck and slammed him face-first into the railing. He's out. Now the other three. Element of surprise was on her side this time. The thick smoke had concealed her approach and now the others could only look back as she pointed the shotgun in their direction. Zero.

Climbing over the bodies on the upper platform, Lana continued. The elevated position was what she needed. The smoke wasn't as thick yet and she could still see something ahead now. She still needed to find Vance, if he was still alive. Hopefully he was or no paycheck and possibly pissed off spooks from one of the worst black ops in the galaxy.

 

[joshuadim]

​

Kane lunged at Vance with an astonishing speed, flipping in the air and delivering an airborne kick with a strength that sent the supersoldier flying back and straight into a wall. The metal dented from the impact as Vance slumped down with the wind knocked out of him momentarily. The rogue operative's ferocity had caught him off guard entirely, as he realized he was not dealing with any normal man. Was his outfit enhanced in some capacity? Or was there something more to it? Vance recomposed himself quickly just as Kane struck again, punching the wall where his head had been moments earlier to further dent the metal.

Vance retaliated with a right hook that Kane dodged, striking back with a knee to the stomach before grabbing Vance and elbowing him in the back. Vance cried out in pain before being thrown a few meters. But, again, Vance got back up as he dodged Kane's continued assault from a devastating uppercut before delivering a series of strikes of Kane's torso and belly. But then, as he struck forward with a jab, the man caught his strike in his hand. Vance in turn caught Kane's retaliatory strike, the two of them now locked in a battle of strength in which they found themselves as equal much to one anothers surprise.

Vance looked to where his fist was currently staved, and vice versa for the rogue warrior. But then Kane kicked each other apart, separating themselves with a few meters in between as they sized one another up. A wordless exchange took place as they tried to figure out one another before preparing for another bout of attacks.

Natasha in the meantime had been preoccupied with Evie and the retreating forces, as they pinned her down next to the crates with rapid gunfire. One by one they began to clip themselves to the extraction ropes, being pulled up into the air to safety. Evie was the first to leave as she fired a few more shots before being pulled upwards, followed by a few of her men. But one of them wasn't as lucky as Natasha managed to peek out from cover and blow his brains out with a well placed shot. But by now, the smoke and rubble was getting to her as she coughed violently from the smoke and soot.

Lana in the meantime advanced to try to find the main staging area Vance and Natasha were, finding herself coming across more retreating operatives as a group of three saw her approach and shouted from under their visored helmets. The first fired shots that peppered the area around Lana, forcing her into cover while the other two made a break for it for extraction. The main holding area was just through the doorway, but Lana had to get through the lone operative who continued to spray her area down with lead.

"Lana, get Natasha out of there! Her O2 levels are dropping from the smoke!" Mooles shouted into the comms, "We can't get that extraction bird down, it's shielded. We don't have any weaponry on hand at the moment to take it down.

Breadman

 

[Breadman]

Lana poked her head slightly only to be met with gunfire. She needed to do something and fast. The mercenary picked out a gadget from one of her pouches, a disk and tossed it against the wall between her and the goon. He didn't seem to notice or care. Good. Small metallic legs sprung from the disk and began to crawl along the surface. She shot a few times to keep him focused on her, giving the machine enough time to spring its surprise. When it got near enough, it jumped off the wall and on his back. Several very short beeps began to sound off and increase in frequency. He didn't understand what happened as his upper torso vanished in a red mist.

Now was her chance. Lana ran towards Natasha. The other woman was feeling the effects of the smoke and was barely able to stand. No time to help her along. Lana put her gun away and pulled her over her shoulder to fireman carry her. Heavier than she looked, but no time to complain. She looked frantically for an exit point and ran to the nearest one she could see. Hopefully Vance could take care of Kane.

 

[joshuadim]

Natasha staggered onto her feet and let loose more coughs as she was helped by Lana, the chaos continuing to unfold around them as the facility felt additional detonations rumble through it. The whole place was burning, with all the material ODI had stored going out with it, as Natasha dragged her feet for indication to stop for a moment. "W-wait," she managed to sputter out between coughs, "What about-"

"Forget the damn mission, get your ass out of there now!" Mooles shouted into the comms.

Gritting her teeth, the ODI ghost had no choice but to sink her head in defeat and allowed Lana to continue extracting her out. However, the spreading flames made things considerably more difficult as the doorway she had originally entered from was now engulfed. Debris from the roof also came crashing down nearby, sending embers flying into the air that pattered Lana's face with annoying stings. Some of the scaffolding above crashed down as well, creating a new avenue of escape through the upper levels.

Vance in the meantime lunged forward as Kane took a step back, attempting to gain the initiative advantage against the figure that apparently had matched him in strength. Two jabs he struck out were swatted away by Kane, who returned a left hook that forced Vance to duck underneath before receiving a knee to the face. He stumbled back a few steps before recomposing himself, sidestepping another forward strike by Kane and grabbing his arm before flipping him over his shoulder and to the ground. However, he was not able to take advantage of the positioning as Kane quickly swiped with a sweeping kick that tumbled Vance to the ground. The rogue rolled away and repositioned himself just as quickly as Vance got back up on his feet, with the former lunging ahead for his own initiative.

A flying knee sent Vance stumbling back some more and pain welled in his chest from the blow, before sidestepping a punch that was meant for his face. He retaliated with a gut punch that caused Kane to audibly gasp as he tumbled backwards. He recovered quickly with a backwards roll, leaving the two with distance between one another to size one another up again. Vance was, internally, confused as to what this man was. How could he be on par with him in strength? He could only surmise that DeSaad had left details like this in the dark on purpose, which made him grit his teeth.

Breadman

 

[Breadman]

Lana looked up to where the scaffolding had collapsed. It would be a hard climb with Natasha weighing her down, but she had to. Dodging flames and falling debris, the merc carried the injured woman over her shoulder again. They were fortunate enough for sections of the scaffolding to keep intact enough for them to go over. As they neared the newly opened exit, Lana shifted her stance letting Natasha to lean against the wall as she looked for something to climb on.

They were in luck again as Lana found a ladder left over by the maintenance crew. She hurried back and set up their escape. With a bit of effort, she helped Natasha grab a hold of the ladder and aided her climb to safety. Soon they were on the roof of the facility and could both breathe something other than smoke and cinders. Lana raised her head to see if evac was on the way and then looked back to the hole in the roof they used to escape.

The mercenary stood up and kept looking at it. Should she stay with Natasha to make sure she'd make it to evac or push her luck again to help Vance?

 

[joshuadim]

The building continued to collapse around them as more of its foundations gave way to the extreme heat and the internet damage that had already been inflicted upon it. Vance stumbled back a bit as a support beam crashed in front of him, creating a fiery gap between him and Kane now. The latter now, likewise, retreated as he quickly paced himself towards the last remaining rope from the dropship above and clipped himself onto it for extraction. As the dropship began to reel in the rope's slack, both Kane and Vance shared one last glance as more debris fell down from above. With a sudden jerk, Kane was launched upwards and towards safety with the rest of his comrades.

"Damnit, I'll have our ship sensors scan for residual impulse trials. Get out of there, now!" Mooles then shouted into their comms, "The whole placed is breaking apart!"

Vance looked around as more pieces of the building began to fall down and coughed slightly, the intensity of the smoke and fumes finally start to have an effect on him. "Shit, lets go!" Vance shouted to Lana and Natasha. He ran over to them and, giving help, helped steady both women as they went up the ramp with him. Up on the second level, everything was falling apart as panelling from the roof began to fall down and electronics began to spark wildly. The visibility was also atrocious due to the smoke from the fires, but a literal light at the end of the hallway helped guide their movements.

An emergency exit sign, installed for situations like these, shone brightly over a door that Vance kicked off its hinges with a powerful strike to reveal the immediate outside. In her current condition, Natasha wouldn't be able to get down the ladder. Instead, Vance took Natasha from Lana and carried her into his arms before leaping off the balcony to the ground below. With a thud, he landed down below with Lana joining shortly thereafter. Natasha led out a cough as she regained some coherency now that she wasn't inhaling toxic air and let out a dry chuckle: "My hero." she muttered sarcastically.

"You alright?" Vance asked with concern.

"Ack... I'll be fine... just... damn it..." she managed to sputter out as she was helped back onto her feet. She then turned to Lana with a grim look: "Thanks."

Breadman

 

[Breadman]

Lana followed after Vance. Each step becoming being harder to follow as the entire building shook and fell appart. As soon as he took Natasha off her hamds, the mercenary felt like she can move freely. She stopped and observed her ally jump down from the balcony and landing on his feet. Like some of the old holo-vids. Not wanting to be left behind, she leapt down to the ground bellow, following into a roll when she hit the ground.

Thanks.

Lana nodded as she stood up. Despite the mission going tits up, it seemed like they managed to extract in time before it was a complete wash. Good. She'd hate for her career to end on some spook's after action report. She motioned to Vance. 'Now what?'

 

[joshuadim]

Vance was quiet for a moment, before nodding to Lana: "Now... now we figure out this mess. And get some damn answers." the vintage man said, with a hint of anger given what he had experienced inside. Behind them, the building continued to collapse from under its failing supports; in turn, the trio made their way over towards where Mooles and Bleach were, "Get us the hell out of here." Vance then spoke into his earpiece, "Don't wanna be here any longer."

"Already called for evac. The Modus Operandi is on its way over." Mooles said, with an audible melancholy laced under his words. "Goddamnit..."

Soon after, their vessel came into view to hover just above the rooftop that served as Mooles' overwatch. The survivors of the task force quickly sauntered inside, before too much attention had been drawn from the civilian populace, and were quickly up into the atmosphere to head into orbit. In the main command room of the vessel, everyone gathered in silence that Mooles soon broke as he slammed his fist down onto one of the consoles. "It was a goddamn trap!" he shouted, "They fucking KNEW we were coming! We were played like a goddamn FIDDLE!"

The ODI commander then quickly punched the hotline, bringing up the hologram of DeSaad into view as he picked up. "Status?"

"Status!?" Mooles shouted, "Our status is fucked, that's what! I lost most of my team, and the whole damn place burned down!"

"How did that happen?" DeSaad asked with annoyance.

"They seemed to be expecting us." Vance them spoke up, "When I got in, there was a trap waiting for me. And when the others moved in, there were wired explosives to the main entrance. Took out Mooles' people."

"How DID they know?" Natasha then asked to everyone, "Someone must have been feeding them intel from the inside. Known that this op was going to happen."

"A mole." DeSaad said flatly, before scoffing. "Fuck. I'll have IA sniff through anyone who even so much as glanced at your files."

"There's one other thing you forgot to mention." Vance then spoke up, furrowing his brow. "Kane was there. And he's... he's not your regular Joe."

DeSaad remained silent, staring straight at Vance as a tense moment passed. Natasha and Lana both knew exactly what Vance was talking about, as they were both witness to the spectacle inside the storage facility. An unspoken question was asked and DeSaad chose his words rather carefully: "...no, he's not."

"So?" Vance asked, demanding more.

"And so, that's above your paygrade to know."

"Fuck you." Mooles then said, "I demand to know after losing some of the best damn operatives I've known."

For a moment, DeSaad seemed poised to lash out until ultimately relenting with a sigh and a shake of his head. "Fine. Kane was part of an experimental program a few years back. It was meant to develop a new form of soldier for Sol. He was the only survivor and, clearly, as you can see, it hasn't worked in the way we had hoped."

Natasha jaw dropped somewhat, and blinked twice as she digested the information. "You experimented on people?"

"It's war, Agent Verovna. We're this close to open conflict between the Upyri AND Kosokom." DeSaad said with a scowl, pinching his fingers together to dramatize the situation. "It might come tomorrow. A year from now... ten years. But it is inevitable. And we aren't prepared for it as we should be."

"Guess that also explains the chemical wepaons." Vance then said, crossing his arms. "Storing that in a civilian population centre, what gives?"

"...a contingency. One that no longer exists for Rygel III."

"You mean you would have gassed an entire city of people!?" Vance then shouted, "If an enemy fell at your gates you're supposed to defend, not massacre your own!"

DeSaad visibly gritted his teeth, bracing himself so as to not explode as well: "You have no right to judge me. You have no idea the shit I have to manage every day."

Breadman

 

[Breadman]

In less than five minutes, Lana had learned more dirty secrets Sol has been hiding in their closet than anyone in her extended family knew put together. As the agents were arguing with each other, she did her best to avoid drawing attention her way. She was just a hired hand for a dirty job. Government secrets weren't exactly on the need to know list for someone like her. But there was no way to turn back the clock or unhear anything that was said. She had the knowledge in her head now and it meant she had to carry that around. For better or worse. Who was she kidding? It was never for the better.

You have no right to judge me. You have no idea the shit I have to manage every day.

Surprisingly common turn of phrase. She would comment on how frequently it was used by just about everyone who does wetwork, but she was thankful that her own situation prevented her from having a voice. She glanced at Natasha for a second. How would she react knowing about Lana's origins or her family's? Surely she knew something if she was in this business.

 

[joshuadim]

A tense moment of silence passed when DeSaad spoke, as his brazenly arbitrary valuation of human lives made his position clear to everyone. For Vance it came both as a shock to him that was then followed by disgust; the very notion went against everything he believed in, but for the ODI operatives in the room there was a sense of understanding in some capacity. Particularly Mooles as he shook his head: "So... they took out a depot full of chem-weapons. This their way to get back at Sol?" the ODI commander asked as he leaned onto a nearby console and sighed.

"Likely. But we can't discount the possibility that they're also working for a hostile power. To weaken our own stocks and readiness." DeSaad said flatly, before turning to Natasha. "Are there any leads on your end?"

Natasha turned her attention to one of the nearby panels that was scanning for ionic residues before nodding. "We have a trace, but the tracking ends after a while. Seems their fuel is stealth-graded to decay after exhaust. We've lost track after a few system jumps. I'll analyze further and figure out a course of action from there."

"Good. Report back when you have a plan of action. DeSaad out." the ODI Director then said, with his hologram soon collapsing afterwards. The room was left quiet as everyone digested their encounter with DeSaad - on worse terms than they had started originally - before Bleach stepped foward to Mooles. "Boss, gotta talk with you. Pronto." he whispered, which prompted a nod from Mooles. "Get your R&R in folks. I gotta solve this shit we're in now." the commander said with resignation as he followed bleach out of the main planning room of the Modus Operandi.

This left Natasha, Vance, and Lana inside as the former continued to look over the data she had collected. "Between us three, none of this smells right." Natasha said, her eyes focused on the screen.

"You think?" Vance replied with sarcasm, crossing his arms. "We just learned that ODI has plans to *gas* cities if an invasion occurs."

"Not just that, but..." Natasha said, before turning in her seat to both Lana and Vance. "We went in with way less than we should have. The Director is hiding something even more than what he had given." Natasha then turned her head to Lana and grimaced: "And it especially doesn't make sense that he'd divulge information with a merc in our presence."

Breadman

 

[Breadman]

Lana looked to Natasha and motioned with her hands 'I keep my mouth shut.' A small comfort for those in the intelligence agencies, but it would have to do. Her oldest brother, Seth, was kind enough to instruct her how to deal with just this type of job. Not that she expected to be on a mission like this so early into her career, but then again she had some extra telents that made her work best solo. 'You're right.' Another set of motions from the merc.

Even with her professionalism and ability to divulge information being limited, something wasn't right and she could small it. Different explanations ran through her head as to why she would be allowed into the room in the first place, let alone why she was allowed to hear it. And then there was the bad intel. Something clicked in her head. Lana pointed to herself. 'Should be dead. Lucky instead.' Hopefully Vance and Natasha were getting where she was going with this. Even if she suspected her client wasn't on the up and up, outright accusing a black ops operator of wanting to cut the loose ends like that would be a bad idea.

 

[joshuadim]

Natasha raised an eyebrow towards Lana's suggestion, quickly looking towards Vance for a moment before shaking her head. "If the living popsicle here weren't on this team, then I'd have more reason to believe that possibility." the ODI ghost replied with confidence, "Someone like him would be too much to throw away on a mission like this. And even then, what would be the point of sending some of the best ODI has to offer into a shitshow?" She shook her head again before crossing her arms: "Often times, the simplest explanation is the answer to a mystery. We got bad intel. It happens in this line of work."

"...given that DeSaad is still hiding the whole truth, it's something to keep in mind." Vance replied.

The ghost was quiet for a moment before bringing up another thing on her mind: "You spent quite a bit of time with the Director prior to getting on this detail." Vance, surprised to hear this, was about to respond with his mouth open, but was cut off by Natasha's continuing line of thought. "I've had access to your ODI personnel file. That's how I know. Regardless... did he maybe give you anything? Or say something without saying it?"

Vance could only shrug in response. "Not that I could tell. He was stopping by to check in from time to time. It was mostly about normal things, like food. Or just where I walked."

"The Director of ODI, talking groceries." Natasha said with a scoff.

Vance then turned to Lana with crossed arms: "What about you? Did you get anything when you were brought on board? ...I assume it was DeSaad who reached out."

Breadman

 

[Breadman]

Natasha being in denial was to be expected. Lana's didn't expect her to agree, but Vance was more open to the posibility. He didn't trust ODI and he shouldn't. As for his question.

'Proxy.' She motioned. 'ODI talked to Seth-big brother- through information broker, Laz. Disgusting.' Her face wrinkled at the very though of Laz. 'Met OSI agent on Breakpoint station. Old Sol base. Abandoned. Used by mercenaries to arrainge jobs. Got given coordinates for here. Was paid fist half then, second half is to come after. Standard stuff from government agents.' She glanced to Natasha 'Unles thats changed.'

That was just about as much relevant information Lana could give Vance right now. She didn't even get the agent's name when she met them. She wasn't even sure he was organic.

 

[joshuadim]

"Makes sense when dealing with a third party." Natasha explained to Vance, "Getting a middleman for outside help, helps blur the distance between ODI and contractors on certain ops. It would be incredibly odd to see otherwise. I suppose you're the exception to that since you and DeSaad have a direct rapport." The comment caused Vance to cock an eyebrow, but the ghost quickly added to it: "Not saying he was taking you out for dinner or anything."

"Would've been a nice change of pace from my apartment to be honest." Vance joked.

She then turned to the monitors she had situated herself at and observed the screens. The ion trail was being analyzed by the ship's mainframe in order to dictate the most probable route that Kane and his company had taken, which left the waiting game to be played. Natasha let out a sigh as she stood up: "It'll take a bit. We ought to get some rest in the meantime. I'll check in on Mooles in the meantime."

"Wouldn't mind some R&R for myself." Vance then commented, getting up from his seat. He then signaled to Lana before heading to his quarters on the ship: 'You should rest too.'

---

The ship was noticeably quieter than it had been previously, given how most of the task force assigned to the Modus Operandi was now dead, as the droning of the vessel's internet systems hummed in the air. Natasha's feet pattered on the metal flooring below as she made her way to Mooles' quarters. Though she hesitated once she faced the door to his room, knowing that the man was likely not handling the situation all too well. Her knuckles floated above the surface for a moment as she thought about whether or not to actually knock. Silently, she turned to leave rather than disturb. But the door suddenly slid open with a hiss, revealing a tired face that had subsided past the anger.

Without needing to ask, she could tell that he had taken his anger out on his surroundings - judging by the amount of things that littered the floor of his quarters. It looked as though a rampaging elephant had trashed the area, as Natasha grimaced. "How are you?" she asked, almost rhetorically.

Mooles didn't answer at first as he looked down the hallway. "Bleach is leaving. Said things are fucked enough as is and values his life too much to stick around."

"So it's just us four now."

Mooles gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.

"...not much of a taskforce now, all things considered." Natasha then said with concern, "What's next?"

Mooles turned his gaze to Natasha with an unnatural calm and clarity upon him. He seemed almost content with things as he spoke up agian: "We find the bastard and kill him."

-= END OF PROLOGUE =-​