Realistic or Modern The Program

[DrabberRogue]

"Vampire Bat, you are cleared to land."

Jace was already descending. Landing checks done, gear down, flaps down, air-brakes engaged. His plane slowly glided down out of the sky. The aircraft's nose stayed pointed right down the center of the runway, and its angle of approach left little to be desired. At the last second before contact he flared up, burning off the rest of his speed right before his landing gear touched the ground.

"Touchdown, welcome back bloodsucker."

The Vampire Bat smiled under his helmet, he certainly enjoyed the reputation his codename afforded him. He continued to follow Tower Control's instructions as they directed him into the hanger, bringing his plane to a smooth stop as engineers emerged to service it. Jace pulled off his helmet, giving a sigh as he looked around his cockpit. Short, platinum blonde hair scattered as it was set free. His bright blue eyes ran over every instrument, every switch, triple checking to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Of course he hadn't, he knew that. Bat would never miss anything like that. In reality he was just stalling. The engineers had already rolled a crew ladder up to his cockpit, and the chief engineer was waiting for him to get out. Jace just didn't wanna get out of his plane. Well really he didn't wanna get out of the sky, but he'd already done that. Slowly and reluctantly the vampire reached his scarlet gloved hand to unlock his cockpit canopy. Fresh air flooded into his aircraft as the cockpit lifted up. But he didn't get out, not yet. Just a little bit longer, the engineer could wai-

"Bat!" A gruff voice sounded from his left, apparently the engineer couldn't wait. Bat sighed again as he pulled himself up and out, setting feet down on the crew ladder. He proceeded to descend, his boots setting down on real ground for the first time in several hours. Bat spent the next couple of minutes briefing the chief engineer on his aircraft, going over checklists as protocol demanded. Once that was done he dismissed himself, taking one last longing look at his plane before turning and leaving the hangar. The emblem on its dorsal wing stood out among its surroundings, a mark of his identity that would remain in waiting until he returned. A red and black silhouette of a bat, framed by a crescent blood moon.

Bat aimlessly strolled through the halls, helmet tucked under his arm. His mind wandered as he walked, back to the mission he'd just returned from. Nothing special really, just a simple interception sortie, an unidentified aircraft wandering too close to Program airspace.

On arrival he'd found (much to his disappointment) that it was merely a civilian airliner. According to the pilot (she was a girl, very pretty voice) the airliner's navigational equipment had failed, and she'd managed to lose her bearings. Following protocol, Bat had formed up with the airliner, proceeding to guide and escort it away from the airspace. Heavily diverging from protocol, he'd taken the opportunity to converse with the airliner's pilot. Her voice was pretty after all, and she was the only thing entertaining about this whole mission. Aside from the flying of course. Their conversation didn't amount to much. Idle chit chat, ice breakers, the standard stuff. All in all, it would've been a very boring conversation had he not enjoyed the other pilot's voice.

However, all that focus on the voice did lead Bat to notice something interesting about the way she spoke to him. The airline pilot's voice wavered a bit. Even with them having talked to each other for several minutes, she still sounded noticeably tense. He couldn't really blame the girl. Here she was, lost with her navigational equipment malfunctioning, and suddenly a fighter jet comes screaming out of nowhere to confront her. She was clearly afraid of Bat, despite him being so cordial and friendly through the tense situation. Still he continued to converse with her all the way to the edge of Program airspace. Breaking formation with the airliner, he bid the pretty voice farewell. The rest wasn't really worth reflecting on.

 

[Mr_DC]

Dak HarleyQuip Elowyn
"Hey, you big fuck." Mantis slammed her hand between Bear's shoulder blades. She had a surprising amount of force for someone like her. Short and slender. Under her outfit, though, were pounds of pure muscle. Even though she prioritized speed, Mantis knew how to hit hard and at just the right spots. She brought down men who towered over her in just a few swift moves when she was in the zone.

She sat down by Bear and nodded, grabbing the shot glass. "Any time, kitten." She grinned. It didn't take much to get Mantis drunk but she knew how to handle it. There was little difference between sober Mantis and wasted Mantis. The only difference were her mood swings. She could be taking shots and laughing at one point, staring in silence in the middle distance at another, only to be starting a fight moments later.

"Anyone checked the roster?" She asked after downing her drink and hissing at the bitterness. "Looks like we have a couple new missions up. Anyone interested in some? I'm curious about the transport thing. It just stinks of secrets." She grinned wide, stretching her scars.

As the drink arrived in front of Panda, she paused and questioned the bartender. After a point in Bear's direction, Panda's pale face scowled at him. She quickly relaxed, however, and gave him a thankful nod before returning to her drink, thoughts, and privacy.

 

[Dak]

Bear let out a hearty laugh as she hit him in the back. "You might look small and not very menacing.... But you got some force behind yea'." He said as he took his shot and slammed it down. He looked over at the edge of the bar to see his team, this time all laughing. The rookie went to sit down on a bar stool that wasn't there. The rest of the team was busted out laughing as the rookie picked himself off the ground.

"I swear they give me the brightest rooks...." He said taking another swig from the bottle. He raised his eyebrow when Mantis talked about the missions. "Transport you say?" He asked looking at the bar. "For this transport mission, they wouldn't by chance need a heavy type would they?..." He asked trying to get some information. "You know I might be persuaded to go on said mission if I knew that I got to have some fun...."

He looked back at his squad and let out a sigh. "But that's for when were at work.... Right now were here..... Living life that has been given to us, the victors..... Today we fought bravely...." Every time he paused he got louder and louder till he was at a full shout. He stood up and slowly made his way around the bar. "We at the Program aren't soft.... We won't give up... They want the best... and we give the best.... Rounds on me!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

He made his way back over to Mantis and sat down. "Let us drink..." He said as he poured another shot for both him and Mantis as well as Tora.

Mr_DC HarleyQuip

 

[0stinato]

Ambience is an emotion, rather than a tangible presence. A series of candles lined up for a romantic evening inspires the chemicals in the brain to race to slight sexual arousal, therefore creating the ambience. A bar scene with laughter and friendship, unwinding and messing around is also an ambience. A shared emotion that drifts from one person to the other until a hive-mind is created above everyone's understanding.

That being said, there are fair few who are ignorant to ambience, either for their own reasons or because they are too focused on other things. Unwinding in a soothing hot bath is alright for some, but for others it is a nervous waste of their time. Staring at the clouds in a moment of lucidity works for some, but for others it is simply a reminder of both infinity and inevitability.

A heavily-built, armour-clad figure pushed open the slightly-ajar door of the Green Bottle with his fist. Nothing about his stance or expression suggested he wasn't here because he wanted to be, but because he needed to be. His lips, difficult to see beneath the tattoo of teeth over them, held no joy.

Not a glance was offered to those at the bar for a while, not until he leaned on a table and observed the scene. Did it matter that there were two people getting drunkenly close on that table? Of course not. He stood like he didn't matter for those seconds, not making a move to talk to anyone nor to say anything. Whether he was noticed at the bar, or elsewhere in the building, was questionable, but those at the bar were not who he was here for.

Panda, Bear, Mantis, Tora and Panthera were colleagues. Not underlings. But he was in charge of organising both recruit- and soldier-training. Beast training was usually left up to the Beasts themselves, and, as such, there was no protocol for it. However, there was a protocol for Mantis, Bear and Tora's squads. There were set things for them to do, areas for them to train in again and again, even if they were proficient on the field. The troopers in the squadrons were necessary, and, because of their quantity, possibly had a higher kill count than some of the Beasts. It was simply a shame that their kill:injury or kill:death ratios were not impressive in the least.

As far as he could remember, the kill-count of the average trooper before they were shot down was about 15. Of course, this varied drastically between troopers, so going by the mean amount was probably not the wisest average to take. Either way, it was his duty - or one of his duties - to get that number up.

And so, he made his presence known, "Any and all troopers or squadron members, apart from Agent Tora's, drop what you're doing and come with me. I've moved up your heavy-artillery reinforcement training to about... fifteen minutes from now. As such, if you care at all about your career, come with me. Now. If you don't... no skin off my nose."

He preferred to speak through the air rather than through the helmet-mounted comms, especially in a place like this. A tiny proportion of the squadrons members had their helmets on, after all.

At a little murmur of protest, he straightened, scowling harder than he already was, "Depending on which Agents go on this operation depends on whether some of you will be dragged there with them. Heavy-artillery training will be completely necessary, because this shit can't fail. I'll repeat - if you care at all about your career, get yourself to the artillery training area. Do not make me repeat myself again."

Was that a lie? It was hard to tell - which operation was he referring to? It was quite common for this particular Beast to lie, but it was also certain that he would make it clear he'd not care if you thought he was lying or not. He demonstrated this particular nonchalant attitude by turning to exit the bar without another word. Not even a "Hello" to fellow Beasts. Mentioning Agent Tora's squadron in his words was all the recognition she was going to get. Of course they didn't have to come - they were Tora's squad. The blend of soldiers who operated under one who was proficient with heavy-artillery already. They knew their shit, their time didn't have to be wasted.

If the troops followed him, great. If not, it'd not be his fault Predator Instinct failed.

Mr_DC HarleyQuip Elowyn Dak

 

[Emibow]

Iris Hollowthorn
AKA: "Snow Leopard"

Iris stood outside, her gun strapped over her shoulder. She had no intentions for doing this training for the organization, it was for much more then that. Doing this training would mean Iris would have someone that could accurately watch her back as she goes to closer quarters with a automatic rifle.

As Rat stepped outside, Iris noticed a somewhat stiffness. Usually this sort of thing doesn't really matter in the slightest to her, she chose to ignore it. The beast was talking to her, but most of it sounded like a mesh of words to her. She's heard the usual words of "thank you so much" when it came down to someone learning from her in any way, more times then she could count on the fingers of one of her hands. Most of those times, the person went home disappointed from her lack of teaching.

She walked up to the training range with the other beast,"as long as you shoot with what you are going to use," she replied as she herself started setting up to small targets she had already set up earlier that day. Iris looked over to Rat, and opened up the ammo box full of empty shells,"These will be the targets, I placed twenty around in the trees ahead. If you could find them, i'll show you how to shoot them." Honestly, since she placed the shells in the morning, she forgot where they were, or how many she actually had out there. And due to the shell size, this won't be very easy. On the other hand of things, at least it's more interesting this way.

0stinato
(sorry for the delayed response, I am not a fan of typing on mobile versions of RPN comparing to my computer. I like to think it as I have clumsy fingers)

 

[Elowyn]

CODING BY CYCHOTIC

Again, the door to the room slid open to reveal... Gazelle?

"Hey there," she said.

Nora gave a short, curt nod.

"How are we feeling today? Feeling better?"

"Fine, thank you," she replied.

"They all went to celebrate the mission, huh? I can keep you company if you'd like."

For a moment she was about to decline. Then she shrugged. "Sure if you'd like to."

Nora wasn't sure why this Beast was keeping a lowly trooper like her company. But heck, if she wanted to stay that was her decision. There wasn't anything in particular stopping her. She then wondered if this was Gazelle 'being friendly' which brought her to the question: why? Yes, she was one of the nicer Beasts, but what did she have to do with her, an intel collector?

Status
Location: Observation Room
Mood: Curious
Objective: Figure out Gazelle
Tags: Mr_DC

 

[Elowyn]

Black Jaguar

Mantis came over and sat down next to Bear and mentioned a new mission. Jaguar had merely glanced at the roster as she left the Base. There wasn't much of a point, now was there? Being injured and all. She was still out of commission for another two days. "Perhaps if the mission's not set to take place until, say, three days later I'd join you lot."

Bear began ranting about being the best and declared another round of drinks. Eloise nearly rolled her eyes. He was just gobby sometimes. Him and his crew who appeared to be pulling pranks on each other like a bunch of young lads. She gave him a pointed look. "Your boys seem to be getting into a kerfuffle, Bear."

It was then that she was interrupted by Cow. He was a rather... noticeable character, thus gaining some head turns by the black-and-pink hair and face tatts. He began rattling off about heavy artillery training which seemed to have been arbitrarily moved up.

"Excuse me," Jaguar piped up with a completely straight face. "Does that include injured Beasts, or no?"


tag: 0stinato Mr_DC HarleyQuip Dak (I think that's everyone.)

 

[0stinato]

So this was going to be his exercise, was it? Ducking and diving, weaving in and out of trees, having to look up, down and all around to hunt down twenty empty shells? Rat glanced sideways at Snow Leopard as she explained, thinking the exercise sounded more like a quick-reflex training round than a careful and calculated practice session with a long-range weapon. Still, he'd humour her, and he'd do what he was told.

"Your challenge involves tracking and attention to detail too," he pointed out. "No harm in practicing those things either. Not what I would have expected, but given you set it up for you... I suppose you have other things to practice," he paused and shifted the combat sniper into his hands. He would have to treat the weapon like some sort of assault rifle instead of a sniper. If he needed to shoot the twenty tiny cartridges, he would have to assume they were enemies. And, no matter how noticed he was by the enemy, a quick shot was never a negative thing.

No wasting time making sure he'd get an accurate shot. At least, in combat there would be no time for that. Now he could take his time and check a few times before firing. Simply try to do it a little faster every time he found one.

Rat rubbed his upper lip, smoothing his moustache. Again, he glanced at Leopard.

"I'm not usually one for competition," he said slowly. "But we could make it just that. You said there were twenty in there? Provided you don't know where they are, we could have a bit of fun. I don't doubt I'll lose, though having pressure in an exercise like this is never a bad thing. I'd just rather I could control what the consequence was, rather than have to take some heartache I never wanted. An Agent never gets the choice to not get disciplined if he messes up. Here, at least, the consequence won't be so bad."

He raised his visor and looked at the treeline. Nothing out of the ordinary could he see, so he glanced back at the box of empties. Those were what he was looking for. In the time it would take to blink, he'd mentally cast the outline of the shell into his mind, as if his mind was wet concrete. Their individual size, their girth, even their shininess, all were recorded. Those were what he was looking for.

Still, nothing in the treeline immediately in front of them. Leopard had most likely hidden them well. But Rat had a great attention to detail, a given when his world was sneakery. The issue was hitting the shells.

"We get one shot for each shell. If we miss our shot, we move on, try to find the next one," Rat looked at his colleague. "How does that sound?"

Emibow

 

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip 0stinato Dak Elowyn
As Bear made his speech, Mantis got herself a bottle from the bar and drifted off to a few men quietly chatting at a table in the corner. Leather jackets, tattoos, and the scowls they gave her as she sat herself down with a demand for arm wrestling. The demand which got louder and more insulting with each time they tried to get her to leave but a demand which got accepted in the end. The triumphant cheer from Mantis as her challenge got accepted made Panda turn away from the bar and take note of the situation.

She didn't get to scan much of the bar as the other person walked in. A Beast, of course. The bar always got much attention from the Program, for some reason. Enough to get One to contemplate purchasing it through the corporation.
Panda watched as the trainees headed to the door and her eyes fell on the Beast again. It was impossible to read her expression. Approval. Disapproval. In any case, she sported a silent frown. Not much different from her usual expression.

With unsatisfied grumbles, Mantis' squad headed to the door as well. They gave pleading looks first to Mantis - who hadn't even noticed what was going on as she beat the second out of the three man group - and then to Panda who gave them a nod. She might not be their leader but they knew who to go to when Mantis wasn't in any state to be their mentor.

(Sorry for not replying yesterday.)

 

[0stinato]

Tora had a voice too loud for her size. Like a scream coming out of a twig. But still, it stopped the complaining from being as loud as it could be, to at least she was of use in that regard. He stood. Waited for a few seconds. Normally he'd just leave, but now that Tora's little team was sent to join, against Cow's first command, he thought it best to allow the soldiers a slight bit of time to finish their drinks and get up.

"Excuse me, does that include injured Beasts, or no?"

Cow lazily rolled his head to face Panthera, and his eyes narrowed. She was injured? Cow didn't know if she was or not, or if any of the other Beasts were injured, but why would it include injured Beasts? Every Beast had their speciality, yes, but every beast knew every fighting style. There was no point in being an Agent if you stumbled at the prospect of something away from your speciality.

No point. If a Beast's speciality was heavy weaponry, things like machine guns or rocket launchers, and they were presented with a reason to use explosives, they had to be able to use them proficiently too. If it was not possible, if a Beast flustered, their whole raison d'être was flawed.

"I didn't address you, did I?" Cow said. "I'm sure you already know this shit, just sit and enjoy yourself. I didn't realise I'd turn so many heads..." he glanced at Panda, meeting her eyes for a few seconds. Yes, he'd spoken loudly, but he'd addressed the troops. It was his intention to get in, call them all to the artillery field, and leave immediately. No heads had to be turned.

"Just enjoy yourself," he said, waving Pathera away. "Don't worry yourself. Especially if you're injured. Focus on healing. Don't push yourself into practising. Don't want you slowing the training down."

Cow looked at the throng of people standing up to leave. "All of you who care about your careers and lives, come with me. It's reinforcement training, so how quickly you're all finished depends how much you retained from last time. And let me be clear," he paused, waiting for a moment of quiet so his voice could be truly heard, "none of you are leaving - none of you - until I'm satisfied you all know everything. That being said, if you know there's someone in your squadron who's a complete thick shit, help them out. No point being a team if you're not willing to help each other."

Cow beckoned the squadrons with two of his fingers before leaving the bar. The troops started filtering out after him, following his large frame. Soon, when Mantis' squadron, Bear's squadron and Tora's team had gone, the bar seemed a lot more empty. The Beasts remained, as did a few choice locals who seemed interested about the situation. Not too interested though - being too interested could get you killed, so the stories went.

Mr_DC HarleyQuip Dak Elowyn

 

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip 0stinato Dak Elowyn

A crash. A bottle broken in the deeper corner of the room. Panda knew what had to have happened just from the direction of the sound. It was what she was looking out for the entire evening. It was what she knew had to happen. It always happened. There was little she could do not but minimise the damage.
Panda swayed her head to the table Mantis was sitting at moments ago. Where she was standing now with a broken bottle in her hand, looming over a man.

Mantis leaned in on the surprised man and grinned wide, stretching her scars. "Like my smile now?" She growled as the entire bar descended into silence. The bartender knew what was about to happen as well. He already finished typing in the number for the police. It wasn't the first time Mantis would shed blood in his bar. Definitely wouldn't be the last.

In a swift move, Mantis released a streak of scarlet across the table. His eyes bulging, the man grasped for his throat, staring at the green-haired woman with a face splattered with his blood. A beat passed, the sharp hissing of the blood the only sound in the bar, before all chaos broke loose. People running for the door, some hiding, others starting fights of their own.

Mantis' move wasn't ignored by the man's partners who mimicked her action and turned their bottles into weapons. Panda shook her head at their stupidity. Sure, Mantis behaved like a brawler and was moving on alcohol but she had unmistakable skill in her muscles.
Panda pulled out her sidearm from her coat. A small handgun. Mobville Corporation Armaments. A gun she had a hand in designing like she had with so many weapons and armor they produced. She wasn't interested in using it but it would come in handy if anyone came a bit too close. Nothing better than getting people to back off than a bigger stick.

Keeping one hand on the gun on the bar, she pulled out her phone with the other. "Yeah." She said, the person on the other end immediately picking up. "Send some peacekeepers to the bar. It's happening again." She said quietly to the background of bottles and chairs being smashed behind her.
Panda cast another look at Mantis as she hung up. The second man was lying on the floor. Either dead or soon to be. The third one got a swift kick to the ribs. Definitely broken. Mantis kicked like a horse. The second kick came to the side of his head, knocking him out flat. Mantis might be wasted but she moved with terrifying precision. What Panda could do with a sniper, Mantis could do with her body.

With a sigh, Panda finished her drink, crossed her arms on her chest, and watched the commotion. Gun in hand, of course.

 

[Emibow]

Iris shook her head, she wasn't the type of person that would enjoy competitions. Instead, she sees them more as a pointless distraction, bit it wasn't always like this. Back when Iris joined the beasts, she actually had a sharp personality comparing to the dull one she has now. Back then, she used to compete every chance she got, creating bets on a certain situation or beating people to kills. Things changed when a squad she was watching over and a friend of hers died in a mission. Unfortunately, she doesn't remember the names of the deceased or any memories of them anymore.

"The result would be obvious since the likelihood of you actually hitting a target is as equivalent to someone who is shooting a gun for the first time." She speaks from memory of multiple occasions she had to hit the beast's missed targets. Though when Iris thinks about it, her analogy was pretty harsh, but it was necessary in the perspective of Iris. She does mean well on an educational standpoint. To make up for the harshness, she decided to still give the beast her decision,"if you still want to pointlessly compete, I will take your challenge on the condition of not teaching you anything if you fail to hit a single bullet."

It wasn't like she hid the shells too great since she was going to shoot them with iron sights on an SMG. If one wouldn't be able to actually see them from her shooting spot, she would be greatly disappointed in them. Regardless of their hiding place, the range is still the same with the usage of a sniper, roughly 400 meters. She was really going to push herself with aiming that far of a distance with a SMG since even the best struggle without a proper optic.

0stinato

 

[0stinato]

Rat didn't make much attempt to defend himself against her accusations of his ineptitude. Yes, on occasion people had had to pick up after him since long-range wasn't his forté; perhaps he'd left a few alive when he'd not meant to, perhaps he'd downright missed a few times. But Rat was mediocre with a sniper, not awful. However, she was being distant, something Rat could understand, so he let it go. If that was what she thought of him, it wasn't up to him to change her mind through speech.

But he could try and change her perception through this challenge. Although she'd denied his bet - which he was slightly surprised about - she'd set up something else. Something that promised she'd get away quicker.

Rat looked at the treeline again with a slight frown through his visor. He had to hit everything she wanted him to hit... first time. Or else she'd teach him nothing.

The pressure alone was enough to both throw off and improve Rat's aim, he felt. And this was not even a challenge anymore, it was simply an exercise to Snow Leopard's ego. For her to see how much better she was. For her to perhaps teach Rat nothing at all. And, after he'd suggested he'd teach her something he knew, he felt this cop-out was perhaps... far colder than anything he would have said or done. Rat was distant, but that was out of personality and preference. What was Snow Leopard? Cold out of necessity?

"Very well," he said, conceding. "Excuse me if I take my time, though. I'd rather learn something this afternoon, or else we've both wasted our time."

He swung the combat sniper out in front of him, checking the clip as he approached the low wall he could rest it on. He lowered himself to one knee, settling the sniper carefully, his lips thin as he tested its stability.

Paint of the whitewashed low wall flaked under the sniper and Rat noticed. Why paint the wall at all? Still - that wasn't his concern now. He did what he'd done before, back in the field.

His eye focused on the scope and what he could see through it. Just like before. He'd spent 10 shots on disabling five people. He was certain Leopard could do it in less - five at the minimum - but he wasn't going to think of that. All he had to do was seek out the shells and...

Rat kept looking, sweeping very carefully over the trees. The shells weren't easy to see and, by the time he actually thought he spotted one, he had almost forgotten what he was looking for. But, upon seeing a glint, he decided to take the shot. Holding his breath and steadying the sniper, he fired. Above the sound of the shot, the sniper leaping slightly in his arms making his eyes thankful for the visor, the high tinkling of the shot hitting the shell sounded.

Emibow

 

[Mr_DC]

0stinato HarleyQuip

Wolf crossed her arms on her chest. The myst rolled across the docks, spreading between shipping containers like river around rocks. The moon was high, full, casting light onto her as if the street lights weren't enough. The docks were empty. Probably had something to do with Mobville Corporation. Perhaps a union demanded all employees get a night off for that day. At least, that was how she would do it. Get someone else to achieve your goals while you hide behind the scenes.

Wolf turned her head to look at the truck beside her. A heavy truck. Armored. Might even be able to withstand a hit from a tank in the right spot. Owned by the corporation for delicate cargo transportation. Usually, that meant money. That time, it meant something different. Wolf drew her gaze further back. A cargo container on the back of the truck. Black and bulky. Armored better than the bunker, probably. She could see it by the truck. The wheels were on their limits.

What had to be inside the container couldn't be heavy then. The container itself was heavy. That meant that whatever was inside had to be worth all that protection. But those thoughts weren't why Wolf was there. The lack of those thoughts was the reason she was there. It wasn't her job to ask questions. She did what she was told to do. That was the reason she was there, after all. Because One knew she wouldn't ask questions.

Now what about the other two? The fat fuck and the... Weird one. The special agent. That had to be her company. Insulting to even hint that they are of the same caliber as her. Both had to be completely insane. What great partners she was getting. The only people other than Wolf who were trusted enough to be put on that mission were them. What did that say about Wolf then?

 

[Elowyn]

Black Jaguar

"Sure, sure," she said almost too casually to Cow. It was kind of funny to see him become irked by the obvious question. She wriggled her fingers in a wave. "Ta ta!"

As the fight broke out, Jaguar gave a groan. This happened much too much for her to enjoy her time at the Green Bottle. One of the main reasons why it was better to avoid a scene. Although she didn't particularly hold the pub in high regard, it was still a shame to see her fellow Beast make a scene.

At this point she was about to just head out on her own way, maybe head to the canteen to grab something to munch on, then check in with the physician to see if she could get clearance to go on that mission coming up. Just then some law enforcers burst in through the doorway, fighting against the people who were still getting out. Jaguar sighed, deciding to use her stealth skills to sneak out the back before it was too late.

She made it out in time, the darkness of her armor making it even easier to blend in with the deepening shade of the night. Some might call her cowardly for not staying to see what happened to her colleagues, but it happened one too many times before: she knew Mantis wouldn't get in too much trouble because of her reputation. At least the police could prevent any more bloodshed over minutiae.

Knowing that she would have to wait for the scene to finish, Jaguar followed a small trail probably made by wildlife to a large boulder nearby. It was far enough that the police wouldn't notice her, but close enough so that she would see when they all walked out. The night was still except for a light breeze. Stars were starting to peek out from behind billowing clouds. It was a small reserve of peace in a night of discord.

0stinato Mr_DC Dak HarleyQuip

 

[0stinato]

Perhaps one of the reasons Cow had been so keen to start the squadrons' training up again was because he knew it wouldn't actually be him training them. Round up the sheep, hand them over to the wolves, and leave. That's essentially what he did; he left the Green Bottle, leading the way to the heavy artillery field, abandoned the soldiers there to warm up, and fetched three other trainers who were just beginning to relax themselves.

But Cow had a way of dealing with people who complained - not listening. Deliver the message, certainly, but leave straight after. It almost always worked, and this time, despite the protests, he did hear the three trainers huff around as they left to head to the field. Their complaints weren't heard by his ears, and they knew it was stupid to complain about Cow to anyone higher up than him. For the first part, who would listen anyway? For the second, how could he be disciplined for being extra efficient? If he was, he'd take the punishment with a shrug and a wince, but wouldn't change his ways. He was too old for that, too uncaring for that.

But not the oldest Beast around. As Cow headed out at his slow but striking pace, his height and weight emphasised by his armour making him seem even bigger than he already was, he reminded himself of that fact. As far as he knew, Wolf was one of the eldest Beasts. Experienced in years and service. Knowing he wasn't as old as Wolf didn't bring him comfort nor concern though. It was simply a fact.

His armour lent him perhaps two inches on his height, and possibly the same, if not more, to his width. He's surprise himself with his build sometimes. He might not be the eldest Beast, but he was certain he was probably the only overweight one.

He got to the docks to see Wolf was already there - true to form, of course. Wolf was loyal because she had to be, because she wanted to be. Demonstrated by her eagerness to do as One instructed. The first and fastest, the most loyal and unquestionable Beast, of course she'd be there first. Cow didn't pick up his pace or even try to catch her attention. All he did was unseal the front of his helmet, raising the skull-style visor and lowering the jaw section so he could speak clearly, without the aid of the comms.

Giving his left eye a quick rub, relieving it temporarily of the weariness, he stepped up next to Wolf.

"When're we going?" he said flatly. As he waited for Wolf's answer - if she was kind enough to give him one - he withdrew a cigarette case. It spoke volumes, this case, both from where it was kept - alongside spare ammunition clips and taking up space - and what it looked like. Battered and beaten, it remained sturdy and reliable, despite the bends and scratches on it. This was another reason he'd taken his visor away.

He lit a cigarette, his first one for at least four hours, and blew smoke into the night.

"Needed that," he said quietly, bringing it to his lips again.

HarleyQuip Mr_DC

 

[DrabberRogue]

The apple was sweet. It was the first thing Jace had eaten since breakfast, and he savored the taste. That was one thing he couldn't do in the skies, eat. So he made his way to the mess hall shortly after landing, looking to refuel himself while his plane was doing the same. The place was quiet as he entered, though he could've sworn it was much louder as he walked down the hall. Almost all the eyes in the room were turned on him. Some for just a couple seconds, some until he made eye contact with them as his piercing blue gaze swept around the surroundings. Not really surprising, everyone else in the room was either a trooper or some manner of base staff. Bat's scarlet armor stood out like blood amidst all the light grey, perhaps even more so because he had his helmet off. They could all see what the Vampire looked like. Walking across the room to inspect the food, his eyes were drawn (as they always were) to the fruit. Specifically to the red of the apples. Bat reached out his free hand to grab a couple grapes (which he immediately proceeded to eat) and one of those apples. After which he turned on his heel and headed back out the way he came. Just as he was heading out the door, Bat's ears perked up as he caught a snippet of whispered conversation, "...fruit bat..."

He turned his head just a bit to see who'd said it, an amused smirk on his lips. It was one of the younger troopers, of course. One of the older men at the table was busy admonishing the new guy under his breath, but stopped as Bat's eyes landed on them. Both of their faces turned white. The room was still for a few seconds before Bat broke the silence, looking away and taking an exaggerated bite of his apple. He left the room without saying anything, didn't even give the trooper a glare. There was still silence in his wake for a bit after he left, but soon enough the noise of the mess hall started echoing through the building again.

The apple was sweet. It was the first thing Jace had eaten since breakfast, and he savored the taste. He was still smiling as he chewed on it. Other beasts (not naming any names, Mantis) would've lost their temper were someone to make fun of them like that, but Jace didn't mind. In all honesty he thought it was funny, and he hadn't even heard the whole joke. He'd probably given that trooper a heart attack though, rather amusing in itself. Jace didn't really understand it though. It would make sense if he were someone like Mantis. Not only did she have a terrifying reputation, but she was also a specialist in close-combat. Bat on the other hand, while he had a reputation of his own, wasn't particularly scary on the ground. At least in his mind.

The door to the observation room opened yet again. A scarlet armored beast stood in the doorway, partially chewed apple in his right hand and helmet held under his left arm. He'd stopped in mid bite, teeth already sunk into the apple as his bright blue eyes darted between the women already in the room. In particular, his gaze focused on the one in coffee colored armor. Bat was trying to work out which beast she was. He recognized the armor, but couldn't seem to attach a name to it. One of the inherent problems with being in the sky all the time. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Bat disengaged his teeth from the apple.

"Hey." He finally said, stepping fully into the room. "Am I intruding?" Those piercing blue eyes darted between the two, a friendly smile on his face. Bat hadn't expected anyone to be in the observation room so late in the day. He'd been planning to 'requisition' one of the computers for a bit of 'training' on a flight simulator. It wasn't as if he had anything else to do, and he was already craving the skies again. Flying on a computer wasn't anywhere close to the real thing, but it was better than nothing. His greetings said, Bat re-engaged his teeth to take a bite out of his apple. He'd ended up standing in almost the precise center of the room, eyes focused on his fellow agent as he waited for the women to respond.

Mr_DC Elowyn

 

[Elowyn]

CODING BY CYCHOTIC

"Ah," Nora remarked as another Beast stepped into the room. Since when did a lowly grunt like her receive so much attention? Or perhaps they merely wanted to check on some statistics or something like that. "Vampire Bat, am I right?" She asked, although knowing the answer already.

"No, not particularly," in response to his question. "Do you need anything?"

The hum of the servers and screens droned on, low and constant.

Secretly, Nora wished they would all leave so she could take a shower and get some rest. She had had less than five hours of sleep the night before, prepping things for the mission and upcoming missions that she had gotten lost in the data. The girl was rather perfectionistic, and had wanted to get any information that could have influenced the fight. Humidity, predicted wind speed, the composition of the soil (was it light and fine, or heavy? Surely that would affect how much dust would be kicked up, and she would have to adjust if it decreased visibility on the field...), so on and so forth.

As it was, the two Beasts in the room put her on edge. Rarely did she get social visits from anyone, something that probably stunted her social growth. But then again, they were at war. Machines for hire.

Nora waited patiently for a reply from the scarlet-armored one.

Status
Location: Observation Room
Mood: Alert
Objective: Take a shower and sleep
Tags: DrabberRogue Mr_DC

 

[Mr_DC]

DrabberRogue Elowyn
Gazelle watched the Beast in silence as he entered, an apple in his mouth. The corner of her lips curled into a smile as he removed the apple and spoke. The soldier spoke as well. Knew who the Beast was. There always were those Beasts. The rock stars. Those who ended all conversations as soon as they entered the room. Then there were those like Gazelle. Like Lion. Those who were just there. Irreplaceable and as good as the rest but... Just not as appreciated as much. Not that Gazelle minded. The spotlight shined too bright.

"Of course not." Gazelle nodded at the Beast. Bat. Not a Beast who passed through her hands often. Not much that can happen to pilots that require her help. They either need the help of an engineer or a coffin. But Gazelle was always there for them. Be it surgery of psychological assistance. Few Beasts felt relaxed discussing their personal issues - especially with another Beast - but Gazelle was different. She was different in every way. Rarely fought, focused on helping, didn't swear. And then there was the way One treated her.

"How did your last assignment go? Not much excitement?" She knew and wanted to know little of the tasks her colleagues took but she caught tidbits of information. Such as that Bat was doing something in local air territory. Not much excitement there unless One was starting a war with the US. "Hope you didn't have to shoot anyone down." Gazelle smiled, planting a hand on her hip. Probably the opposite of what the Beast was hoping. Probably. She had yet to carry out a psychological evaluation on him herself.

 

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip 0stinato Dak Elowyn

"Fuck you." Mantis scowled at Tora, pushing aside the chair which was in her way and heading to the door just as the police burst in. Mantis gave an annoyed frown to Panda. Couldn't mind her business. Either of them. Like they understand. Instead of standing by her, one pulls her away and the other calls the police. What friends? She had no friends in the Program. Maybe most of them weren't as bad as Wolf but they weren't much better.

The roar of engines came from outside as the police tried to calm things down. Mantis knew what that sound was. She didn't have to look out the door and through the flashing blue and red lights. She didn't. But she did.
She saw the white cars. Armored jeeps. The city wasn't just the headquarters of the Program and One's company. It was his city. The police do their job but whenever there is anything out of the norm, they call One. Then his peacekeeping forces arrive. Private security assistance. And there they were.

"Silence!" A man in grey armor yelled as he entered the bar with a handful of other Program troops. Not regular Program troops though. Not someone Mantis could toy with. Those were the military police of the Program. Panda, of course, had special treatment.
Mantis watched her pale friend. She watched Panda as she approached the trooper. As they exchanged a few words. As Panda briefed them. Of course she got special treatment. She pushed to hang out with One. To be friends with him. Well, maybe Mantis wanted to be a friend with the boss too?

Mantis scoffed, turning her back on the security and returned to the bar. The bartender was hiding behind the bar as soon as the first bottle broke. Free drinks. Mantis smirked, grabbing a half used bottle of beer and bringing it to her lips.

 

[Mr_DC]

Lux___Wolf
"I don't know what her problem is." Crow placed a hand on the shoulder of a trooper. Not just any trooper. One of the officers in the trooper ranks and the one everyone looks to when it comes to defending the base. Scar. Nicknamed after the first thing that comes to one's mind when he takes off his helmet. A good and loyal soldier. Even got offered a chance to join the Beasts as a defense specialist but turned it down. Never liked extra obligations.

"I just..." Scar sighed. "Can you get her to talk to me?" He clasped his hands together, turning to face Crow. Desperation in his voice. Hands trembling. Torso swaying. Drank a bit too much on their night out again.
"I'll try. Go get some rest." Crow gave Scar a pat on the back and headed to the Beast nearby. The reason why he cut their night short. When One comes calling, you have to drop everything.

"Hey there, buddy." Crow stepped up by Scorpion. "How you doing?" He placed his hands on his hips, keeping up the friendly tone. Sure, the special agents were supposed to be mysterious and distant but Crow never liked the thought of being seen as one of those. He didn't like being seen as a soldier even. He was always a pilot. Used to work for the military before meeting One. "The boss asked for you." Crow motioned his head in the direction of One's office. "Looks like the pair of us is getting a private briefing." He said with a chuckle. Friendliness. The reason why no one argued with him. The reason why no one argued with Gazelle.

 

[Mr_DC]

0stinato HarleyQuip

Wolf scowled at the Beast lighting a cigarette. Removing his protection on a mission. Sure, the mission was meant to be completely safe but that wasn't how they were meant to treat it as. She shook her head, looking at the darkness of the docks. What was One thinking when he had that Cow join her on a mission. Though, he was better than most others. Tolerable. Not a complete idiot.

"We're leaving when that thing shows up. Hopefully, soon." She motioned her head back at the truck. "I don't like that thing just sitting around." The truck was actually there when she arrived. All packed up, parked in the darknes, keys in the ignition. One either had a lot of protection on it or he hired someone careless. Probably the first possibility. Taking the three of them and protecting the package much... One wouldn't take any chances.

"Oh." Wolf stepped back and frowned when the special agent stepped out of the shadows. She was about to compain about not making herself known and that she could have been shot but... It was a special agent. Wolf wasn't a complete idiot. Getting into fights with a Beast focused on melee combat was one kind of stupid. Bitching to a special agent as mad as that one was a whole different kind of stupid.

"Fine, we're all here." Wolf nodded, swallowing her anger. Mostly. She grabbed Cow's cigarette, throwing it on the ground. "You're driving. And be careful. That thing seems heavy. We don't need to fly off the road or pop a tire."
She looked at Helicoprion. "You're going to be on the roof or handing off the side or something. I'm sitting by Cow." She took a step back and took a look at both of them. "This is meant to be a completely safe mission. Don't assume everyone you see is an enemy. No one knows we're on this but..." She paused, raising a finger. "One wants this to get to the base. There is no alternative. I don't want to think about what he'll do to us if we don't drag it over there." She placed her hands on her hips and gave them a confident nod. "Questions? No?" She wanted to end it right there and head to the truck but paused. Again, there was that special agent. She watched Helicoprion. Better to pause. Better to take a question from her if she has one.

 

[Lux___Wolf]

S C O R P I O N

When asked how he was doing, Jesse didn't respond. Didn't feel right with Foxx around, so vulnerable and messed up. But at the mention of a private briefing with One, he brightened and was already up on his feet.

"All right, Crow! Can't keep the boss waiting."

Mr_DC

 

[Mr_DC]

Lux___Wolf
Crow nodded, walking along the corridors. Most troopers were asleep, it being evening. Their footsteps echoed, occasionally joining those of patrollng troopers, shambling through the corridors. There was barely any need for internal security. No one would dare make trouble in a place filled with such capable soldiers. And even then, it was difficult to break into the bunker itself.

"The director is expecting us." Crow smiled at the two guards by the doors to One's office. They wouldn't stop Crow, of course. It wasn't their position to dictate who gets to enter One's office. They were there just for intimidation purposes. And because Wolf insisted on having people by One's office. It was her that kicked up the security in the Program. She was the one making sure everyone refered to everyone by their ranks. She brought in the salute. And she stationed guards in front of One's office.

"Hey boss." Crow opened the door, the scent of wood and leather briefly exiting the room before Crow closed it behind Scorpion. One was there. Inside his well furnished office, much unlike the rest of the bunker. While the rest of the base focused on metal, white tiles, and bright lights, One's office was full of wood furniture, padded leather chair, leather-cover books.

And there was One, of course. Sitting behind his hardwood desk, watching the pair of Beasts. His usual fine suit and his usuall full-body bandages. One passed a finger over where his eyebrow should be and made a motion of blinking with his bandage-covered eyes. "Crow." One greeted him. "Scorpion." He leaned on the desk, putting his weight on his left hand. "Please, sit." He nodded and Crow already sat on the sofa by the bookcase. A small end table in front of him with a crystal bottle full of some brown hard liquor. On the other end of the office was another sofa. A globe on one side and a small, surprisingly green plant on the other end.

 

[0stinato]

The dying ember of the cigarette in the mud was just depressing. Cow wasn't ready for Wolf's physicality, and certainly didn't anticipate her suddenness to act against his own personal addiction in such a fashion. He was aware of Wolf's anti-substance attitude, at least, on the field. But that was her attitude, not his. Who was she to force her agenda onto him? She was more trusted than he was, had a higher clearance level - as far as he could remember - and he was slightly sure that One favoured her over any other Beast. But even then, who was she to force her agenda onto him? Cow looked up at the docks, his eyebrows even lower than they were already, and stared at the horizon for a bit. How unjust.

While it was true that Cow seemed to have no moral code, he had a surprisingly strong sense of justice. Or, perhaps he just knew when he'd been screwed over somehow. That was probably the difference. If he still had his cigarette he'd have taken a drag by now. That statement seemed nicotine-worthy. But no.

He turned his head lazily to Wolf who instructed him that he'd be driving. She also told him to not "fly off the road" with this incredibly heavy truck. Because that's what a heavy truck could do... simply defy the laws of physics entirely and fling itself off the road at a shallow corner.

He let himself sigh, pulling his jawplate up and visor down, hiding his scowl in his own bubble of isolation. Wolf was going to be difficult to deal with, he could tell. She was pissed about something, and was taking it out on him. Typical of women, he knew. She did it, he did it... probably something to do with the chromosomes. At least men would just rant and rave like the primitive bastards they are. Bring it up in conversation, get angry at who deserved it. Women? No. Blame someone else, don't ever talk about it.

He turned, noticing Wolf was looking at a third figure to join them. At first, Cow didn't know who it was. The armour was indistinct and almost invisible, and he was unsure if he'd ever seen the Agent before. Its silhouette cast no spark of recognition or memory in his mind, so it took him a few seconds.

Wolf seemed to change as she addressed not only Cow but the other Agent too. Very minutely, but something in her defended itself. Her back, as Cow looked, wasn't as angled as it could have been. He blinked at the third member of their little loyalty gang, but decided not to dwell on the point.

But then it talked. The voice was almost bland, something that reminded Cow of a text-to-speech programme. He didn't pay the third agent much heed though and merely moved away from Wolf as the shape stuck itself to the side of the vehicle. Impressive but Cow wasn't about to get irritated by his own obvious inability to do that too. He had his own instructions.

He opened the truck door with enough force so Wolf would be aware he wasn't happy, and climbed up. It was a big thing, requiring Cow to move his body almost unnaturally to be able to hoist himself in. His body, heavy in its frame, was at least complimented by strong arms, so he had only the most minor difficulties. He seated himself as comfortably as he could in the seat, despite the seat being too far forward, and waited for Wolf. He could drive. He'd drive like he walked - powerful, at his own pace, and impatient.

Mr_DC HarleyQuip