Realistic or Modern The Program

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip 0stinato
Wolf got in the front by Cow and stretched her neck with a relaxed sigh. It was meant to be an easy mission. No surprises. Just a quick drive back to base with high security just in case. Just in case One didn't predict something. She could relax but... She wouldn't.
Wolf opened her eyes and rested them on the dark road ahead. No surprises. Everything has to go as planned. No surprises.

...Focus on the mission. A voice came over the radio. Yes, there were two kinds of stupid. One picking fights with Beasts. Another was telling Wolf how to do her job. That wasn't something she wanted to hear. It wasn't something she would tolerate. That thing outside might be scary but she was One's pet after all. Just like Wolf. Just like Mantis. And what was the worst another pet could do? One never allowed things to go far. And One was the safety net which allowed Wolf to take leaps of such confidence. Of such stupidity.

"I don't need your input." Wolf growled over the radio. "Radio silence unless you see have something worth hearing." That was close but not quite there yet. Not enough. "At least act like a soldier." That was it. That was the aggression Wolf needed to put in. Enough hostility to lure the other party into joining the argument. Not enough to be the only one to blame. Wolf crossed her arms on her chest with a smirk. A good position she put the Beast into. Speak and act immature. Be quiet and end up Wolf's bitch like so many others. At least, that was how she saw it. How she made others see it.

"You can drive this thing well, right?" Wolf glanced at Cow. She didn't even ask if he knew how to drive. It was just a part of her plan without giving it a second thought. Perhaps a change mid-execution wouldn't look good when she reported back to One but better than having that dumb bastard driving them off the road. A pretty straight road. Just close to the city and then away into the woods.

 

[Mr_DC]

0stinato
"Yeah..." Lion nodded. "Sometimes the best thing you can do is run." He replied, heading to one of the helicopters which dropped off the troopers on the battlefield. There was no judgment in his tone. Just calmness. Just understanding. "Knowing when to run away is important. You may be loyal but..." He looked down at the wounded soldier in his arms. "You are always worth more alive than dead. I did my fair share of running away." He drifted off, looking back at the helicopter.

He remembered his first days in the Program. Before he became a Beast. Hiding behind whatever sturdy cover he could find. Blindly firing around a corner. Being a nervous wreck, asking himself what he was doing there. He was supposed to be a pacifist. A pacifist trying to kill people who were trying to kill him. Death in the air, always near him. Always around him. Bullets cutting through whatever cover he could find. He burst into tears the first time he was in combat. Embracing his knees, rifle at his side, bullets whizzing by. Then an older man ran to his cover. Before all the fancy black armor. Come on, kid. Crow said. We're retreating.

"It's just that sometimes..." He smiled, giving himself a nod. "It's more important to run back into the action." He chuckled, looking down now that they were close to the helicopters. "You'll know when that moment is when it presents itself."

 

[0stinato]

Sitting quietly in front of the wheel, Cow let his hands lose their grip on it ever so slightly. Every ripple of the ground was sent through the truck, every correction he had to make, every imperfection in this one-and-a-half-car-wide-road, he was far better at his job if his hands were looser. He knew this.

Being one of the primary trainers of the recruits, Cow knew how to do most things to a professional standard. Yes, he knew there were perhaps Beasts or even soldiers more capable than he of driving this truck on this road, but they weren't here. At least Cow could use his jack-of-all-trades status well. The only component he might be considered the best in was defense, both physical and mental, but he had his own reasons for that. After all, he doubted his kind of resilience could come through basic or intermediate training. He pushed the accelerator down a centimetre or two, feeling the truck's pace increase. And he dimmed the headlights.

He could hear every word exchanged between Wolf and... by the sounds of it... the Special Agent. Definitely a Special Agent; no other Beast "outranked" her. Cow shifted his eyes to Wolf, not making an effort to defend either party, or tell both of them to just shut the fuck up. At this point, he still felt heavy, still felt tired, and this bickering was only making it worse.

Wolf had a point, after all. Who knew who could hear them? The comms weren't perfect, frequencies could be easily intercepted. Her question into Cow's ability to drive was slightly insulting, but at least it had some point, if vague and ridiculous. The Special Agent, still pinned to the side probably, didn't have any point. Telling Wolf of all Beasts to fall in line? Pointless.

Cow pressed the pedal a little more. Why was reporting Wolf pointless? Because One wouldn't do anything about it. One knew her foibles, and it was the reason she'd not changed over the time Cow had known her. She'd always been this sharp, this aggressive, this domineering, and perhaps, in recent years, she'd got worse. If One wanted to do anything about it, he would have done by now.

So whatever point the robotic Special Agent had was at least lost on Cow's ears. He sat. He drove, he let his hand be loose on the wheel, pushing with his palm and correcting even the smallest of oddities in the vehicle's direction. Never overcompensating for a dent in the road, nor undercompensating, if one was to look at the tracks left behind, they'd be found to be as straight as they could be.

Not wanting to be privy to any more shit from either of them, he calmly made a point, as Wolf requested the comms were for:

"Wolf, keep an eye on your side-view for me. I can't see shit on your side. I don't want trouble coming and I get no warning," he said, nudging the wheel to the right to correct the truck's path, caused by roadkill he hadn't bothered to avoid.

HarleyQuip Mr_DC

 

[0stinato]

If that shooting pain in her thigh wasn't being made worse by Lion's pace, perhaps XYlina would have smiled out of relief from seeing the 'copters. However, because he was holding her close to him, every movement was ricocheting the pain from her femur through her again and again. It was all she could do to keep her voice in her throat so as not to interrupt the Beast.

She looked up at him as he told her "he did his fair share of running away" and was transported in a second. The helmet, the golden headpiece hiding his face, melted into a grey in her mind, the same shade as hers was now. An unreal déjà vu of a memory, something she couldn't believe happened but, at the same time, felt so familiar. Maybe this is what the Beast meant by helping someone else.

Dragging someone out of the line of fire, doing an extra bit of hauling to bring someone's almost-dead body back to base, just in case their life was worth saving. Maybe that was... what Lion meant.

She was still staring at him as he spoke again. "Sometimes it's important to run back into the action." Yes, she knew. And, perhaps, if it was her arm that had been wounded, she would have run back into battle one-handed. But it was her leg, and she wasn't going to be running anywhere for a while.

That thought dominated her for a second - not running anywhere? And how long was a while? Would she be hospitalised and made a burden on the whole organisation? Would she be confined to a wheelchair? Would she develop gangrene and have to have her leg... taken away?

The thoughts almost blocked out the pain and she lay trembling and useless in Lion's arms, unable to say a word or risk sobbing. What the hell was she? A trooper, worthless 'til the very end, in the arms of a respected species of soldier. His sympathy was better suited elsewhere, surely? Surely?

"Oh God..." she said, more to herself than to Lion. But what she wasn't sure of this time is if her statement was a general expletive or a genuine prayer for help.

Mr_DC

 

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip 0stinato
"Oh, report me." Wolf said sarcastically. "You may outrank me but that means nothing to me." Wolf smirked, watching the road. She loved it. The arguing. A chess of words. If Wolf played chess. More like arm wrestling of words. It made her feel alive. Awake. More aware of everything. Sure, it bothered everyone else and drove their productivity down but that wasn't Wolf's problem. It was her efficiency that mattered. Not that of an emo, black-wearing, mama's boy hanging off the side of the truck.

Then he said something. Cow. Gave his own request. No, not request. His plea. Asked for help with his task. Instead of continuing the argument with someone Wolf knew was vastly more powerful than her, she turned her head to the other side of the road. The city was there. In the distance. Other Beasts and troopers were probably there, wasting their time drinking and partying instead of training. Instead of making themselves more useful to the Program. Well, they weren't thinking about the long run. When their current usefulness ended, they would be thrown away. Unlike those who have proven themselves. Unlike Wolf.

"Straight home." Wolf said quietly, pointing at the wide road, cutting through the thick forest which hid the base. Just a couple minutes more and they would be there. Past the fence which marked the halfway mark. Past the minefield. Past the perimeter wall. Just a bit more and they would reach their goal. They would finish another task One set for them. Only for them. For the loyalists.

 

[Dak]

James "Bear" Bearstine​

James watched as everything unraveled at the green bottle. He was now two bottles of whiskey, three bottles of rum, and a bottle of vodka down when he walked over to Mantis and slapped her on the back. He walked next to her and cracked his knuckles. He looked to Panda and Tora. "These lot aren't any fun..." He said before giving her his famous smirk. He either had something ingenious rumbling around in his mind, or something really stupid, maybe both.

He looked at the bartender who was now hiding. He put a couple thousand dollars on the bar. "For all the drinks..." He said before walking outside to all the flashing blue lights and cops. Now one thing about Bear is when he's drunk, once his mind is already made up there's no going back. When the first cop walked up to him, bear slammed him on the ground. The next two, Bear tripped the first one the went up for a round house kick knocking the next one on his ass.

As every cop rushed him Bear held his own. Bear is a very capable fighter. He got his title not by the fact that he loves heavy weaponry but by the fact that when he's in the boxing ring he's like fighting a bear. But there were too many and soon Bear was over his head. He was forced to the ground. Now Bear was a good soldier. He was loyal to the Program, and had never done anything like this in the past. He looked up at the agent that was there.

He gave him a very crude drunken smile as he opened his mouth. His mind went blank for a second.

His mind drifted back to when he first saw beasts in action. Back when he was a trooper, 11 years ago. He was a clean shaven, recruit that stood in awe of the training. He was assigned to Codename Moose's squad. He was drilled daily, but when he walked by everyone said that too be in Moose's squad meant that he was a fighter.

His memory jumped ahead about 5 years, when he became "the Bear". Before every boxing match Bear would let out his horrendous bloodcurdling roar. it was kind of a mind game that was meant to intimidate his enemy's. The same one he still uses to this day.

His mind flashed back. He smirked again at the agent. He opened his mouth up and let out a loud scream. With the rush of everything, his blood began to pump and the adrenaline began to flow through his veins. He began to lift himself up. The cops only had one cuff on him when he let out his scream. He turned, forcing the guy on his back to fall to the side. He tripped the on to his left and right by sweeping their legs before getting up.

Mr_DC

 

[0stinato]

The treeline approached at a steady pace, the truck rumbling on steadily but with a fair bit of speed. However, deciding to cut that speed slightly, Cow eased his foot off the accelerator slightly as trees drew up on either side. His knowledge of this area was uncertain and, even though he didn't know anything about the path they had just been driving on, this place was drearier than the more open area away from the trees. The truck's pace was acceptable in this area, he thought.

"Straight home."

Cow glanced at Wolf slightly, watching her for a few seconds. She was doing what he asked of her, though her tone had altered. So had her bodily pose. With her facing out the window, at her side and at the window, her back wasn't so straight, her body wasn't so alert. Only by a small amount though - a couple of degrees difference in the angle of her neck, perhaps. Cow couldn't be sure. But something in his own mind was responding to whatever differences Wolf was displaying, no matter how minute they were.

He snorted and turned back to focusing on the road. Couldn't teach that kind of bastard technique in basic. Come to think of it, was anything Cow specialised in even able to be taught? He tapped his fingers, each in turn, on the wheel as he considered this. Perhaps not the time, perhaps not the place, but when else would he think about it?

Defense, physical, mental and emotional, that could be taught to a degree, he supposed. But it would have to be taught in a fashion akin to torture... he didn't know if One would ever authorise that. Secondly, that whole noticing deal, that came from elsewhere too. Some people noticed the smallest details, and some didn't. Cow knew why he noticed physical changes in people. It was part of his defense; he sees a change, he knows how to change in response.

"I don't like the feeling I'm getting, keep your eyes peeled... I think things are about to turn into a shit storm."

The Special Agent's monotone interrupted his thoughts, so he corrected the truck's path slightly. He'd slid off to the left a little. So. The Special Agent thought they were in trouble? Cow frowned to himself - he wouldn't be one to disbelieve this.

He tutted before speaking, "Don't be so worried. This truck could take a bomb, probably." In truth, he had no evidence other than suspicion to support this theory. "And if some vehicle comes at us, I'll ram it. If it's a person... well, fuck it, I'll probably ram them too."

With the trees on either side, he doubted any vehicle would come shooting out of the darkness. Even so, he made sure the road in front of him was well-lit, he made sure he could see the distorted and sharp shadows of the road and trees. The Special Agent's worry was probably justified, so precautions might as well be taken.

"Besides," he continued, "if anything does happen, Wolf and I will be fine in the cab at least. Too bad you're out there."

HarleyQuip Mr_DC

 

[DrabberRogue]

Bat tilted his head just slightly as the coffee colored agent spoke, taking a couple seconds to answer as he chewed on his apple. She had a rather distinct voice, French. He recognized that too. At some point he heard everyone's voice buzzing out of his radio. Calling for air support, offering snarky dialogue, tossing thanks to the sky for saving them, or perhaps expletives for an explosion that was way too close. The Vampire knew everyone's voice, even if he didn't know all of their names.

"Nah." He shook his head, answering both women's questions simultaneously. Those bright blue eyes eye sought out the trooper's, just to make it clear he wasn't just responding to the French agent. "Just a lost airliner, straying too close to the sun." Bat said, turning back to the other agent as he spoke. "Kinda boring, but I can't complain. At least I got to fly." He finished with a grin. One thing he failed to mention was his conversation with the airline pilot. It wasn't exactly within regulation to fraternize with civilians during a mission, especially when said civilian was trespassing near Program airspace. Friendly as this French woman was, she didn't need to know he was breaking protocol in the skies.

"How about you? Had any interesting assignments lately?" Bat still couldn't pin a name on the coffee beast, so he couldn't remember whether or not she'd been recently assigned to a mission. He really did have to get that agent's name before his next assignment came in. It would make communication in the future so much easier. Not to mention it would prevent the awkward situation of having to refer to her as 'French Girl' when he needed something. Probably not the best nickname to use, but it's what he'd dubbed her voice since he couldn't attach a name to it. Though to be fair, 'French Girl' was probably much better than 'Coffee Armor'.
Mr_DC @n.y.c.t.o.

 

[Emibow]

Snow Leopard
Iris Hollowthorn

Iris actually surprised the beast actually took her seriously about the no teaching if a shot is missed. She wasn't expecting much, but this guy might actually have enough luck to hit one. Looking over at the beast with her usual emotionless face before the beast shot his first round. She was observing his shooting ability, and right off the bat, she noticed a few pointers.

After a round was shot and actually hit its target, Iris stepped closer to the beast. Teaching mindset activated."Scoot back your forearm, relax your shoulders, and exhale when you shoot," she commanded as she readied her sniper to shoot. She didn't want to sit or lay down for her shot, so she remained standing. Holding her sniper with her forearm acting as a support bridging from her chest to the gun. With fluid movements, she quickly aimed and slowly squeezed the trigger.

Lowering her gun to a resting position, she looked back toward Rat.

0stinato

(sorry for the wait)

 

[Mr_DC]

0stinato HarleyQuip
"Relax." Wolf grunted, leaning in her seat now that there was nothing more to watch on her end except the thick, dark forest. No need to watch. Whatever could happen, it wouldn't kill them. All they would have to do is buy a bit of time until the massive reinforcements from the base arrived. One had a tactic of going for an absolute overkill on his home turf. Just to make sure no one even thought of attacking him. With the cargo they had back there, One would give his everything to crush any threat. And they were close enough for that to be doable.

"We're here." Wolf motioned her head ahead. She could see movement at the end of the road. She was smart about staring at the movement, though. The standard procedure when seeing something approach the gate was what they were about to do. The massive search lights from either side of the gate turned on, shining on them. Wolf had her eyes closed and was waiting for the lights to turn on. Even though they were far enough not to be bothered by the light too much, Wolf kept her eyes closed.

"Slow down." She wanted to nudge Cow but decided against it. Best not be the one who ran them off the road. Not to make a fool of herself in front of the base. "We don't want to ram the gate." She added as the searchlights got lowered to light the road instead of the truck. "Don't shoot at them." Wolf spoke into the comms, looking out the window. "You hear me, senior officer?" She asked. "We're home."

 

[0stinato]

As promised, the Leopard delivered a fairly useful lesson once Rat's shot rang off the shell. He looked up as she told him what to do, taking in her words. Her demonstration was fairly useless to him though, after the words. Rat understood, and attempted to copy what she told him.

Scoot back your forearm... Rat angled his body very slightly, giving the length of the sniper a little more space. As he did this, he kept his eye looking through the sight, searching for another shell. There was no point in him preparing for the shot and not taking it immediately. Everyone learned best by practice rather than theory, and Rat was no different. He saw what he thought was the glint of another shell and pinned his hopes on that it was indeed a shell.

Relax your shoulders... This went against what Rat thought sniping was. In his mind, a sniper had to be as tense as a gargoyle, their body still as a rock while supporting the end of the gun in their hands. After all, even the minute movements in the hands caused by the heartbeat could throw off an aim. Leopard's instruction to relax his shoulders was odd to him. Still, she was a specialist in this field, and was kind enough to give Rat a lesson. So, he tried it. Despite how alien and wrong it felt

Exhale when you shoot... That was another thing Rat wasn't sure about. Holding his breath seemed the correct thing to do. Again, it held his upper body much more stable, much more sturdy. However, of course, Leopard knew best. He did a few practices of what he'd do, breathing in to aim, keeping his breath in, and exhaling naturally at shooting time. Such an odd change of events, things he hadn't been taught before.

Sniping was a different art than other long-range fire. It wasn't the carefree point-and-shoot ordeal, you didn't aim with your eye and a careful hand. With a sniper, precision was absolute key. Of course, pointing and shooting would still be possible, but it was a complete waste. Better to take the time and get your shot correct than wasting it on something and missing.

"I'll try. I'm not so confident at hitting anything now, because you're changing my technique but... if you think this'll help me in future I'll give it a go," he said, looking at her. She wasn't tall, but because he was lower on the ground he felt a little submissive to her. Perhaps this emotion stemmed from her emotionless eyes; Rat couldn't read her.

Though perhaps it didn't matter. So he turned back, finding the glimmer again, almost hidden and only just catching the light from the blazing base overheads.

He set his shoulders back, tried to relax them and held his breath while he found the target. And, perhaps if he'd kept holding his breath his aim would have been sound. However, Rat wasn't used to exhaling, and, as he shot, the bullet found purchase in the tree's trunk.

"Ah," he said, narrowing his eyes at the sniper in his hands. "I'll need to practice."

Emibow

 

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip Dak
A gunshot. Bone chilling in such a situation. In such a closed area. No one armored. Few people armed. And a gunshot. The first reaction of many was chills running up their spine as they froze. Whatever civilians remained ran outside into the arms of the police or scattered before they could be stopped. Mantis lazily looked over her shoulder to watch the comotion, and now, to see who had the smoking gun. And who had a gushing bullet hole.

The roof. The roof of the bar had the bullet hole. The person with the gun, though, did not seem amused. Panda was giving icy cold stares to Bear and Tora. Lowering her gun, now that she got everyone's attention, Panda cleared her throat and spoke to no one in particular. "My job is to make sure you don't make a fool of yourself. That you don't embarras the Program." She spoke, her eyes slowly sweeping across all remaining Beasts.

"If I don't keep you from behaving like children, I won't look bad. It doesn't mean anything to me." She placed her gun in her pocket but still keeping a hand on it, finger off the trigger. "What it does mean is that One will come here himself. If you would rather answer to him than me, go on. Otherwise..." Panda shook her head and turned to the door. "Pack up and go home."
"Fine with me." Mantis hopped off her chair, bottle in hand, and headed to the door.
"You're not driving." Panda added as Mantis approached her.
"No shit." Mantis scoffed with a stone-cold expression on her face, tossing the keys of her bike to Panda. Leaving it overnight shouldn't put the bike at any risk. After all, it was green. Everyone knew who the green bike belonged to.

 

[Dak]

James "Bear" Bearstine​

James heard the gun shot and saw everyone beginning to leave. It was time for him to leave. This would come back to him but he pressed his luck and got out. He rushed after the tank and jumped on top. He looked back as his view of the rage he left behind faded away.

After a while the arrived at the base. James rolled off of the tank and fell to the ground. He made his way into his room and climbed on the bed. He needed to shower and clear his mind, but he couldn't. Not right now. Right now he wanted to lay down and think. His mind was racing from the first time he was hurt, to the first time he went hoe to see his family.

His mind wandered for what had seemed like hours. He looked over at the clock. It read 00:23. After a mission, James always took the next day off, mostly to recover from the night prior. If any one tired to get him to train or work. James would make sure that they were.... Educated with his favorite book. "My foot, and how I am gonna shove it up your ass." James loved reading that book.

He got up and took another shower. This time to get the stench of booze off him.

After he was done with his shower he got out and made his way to his room. He was wearing the same fluffy bathrobe he was wearing earlier. He laid down on his bed again. This time contemplating the next mission he would go on.

That was when his computer lit up. He sighed for a minute before getting up and walked over to it and entered his password. He had gotten a new email. He looked at it for a second. "Unknown user..." He let out a sigh and opened it.

It was actually a video. He pressed play.

The background of the video was very lovely. It had the British flag next to a window. But the person that took up the most room was one of the members of British Parliament. He seemed a little older. His voice was lower in tone.

"Hello Mr.Bearstine, I am Mr.Ramsbottum. As you can tell I am The speaker of the house of Parliament. It has come to my attention that I have come under the target of some extremist For one of the most recent sessions."

He cleared his throat. "Now for my request... I am looking for some extra protection for a international meeting of certain heads of State and other world leaders. I seek assistance from our British member of the Program. I will also be reaching out to the leader of your organization..." The video cut or more like Bear closed the video and got up.

He put on his loafers and made his way out the building and up to One's office. He pushed open the doors. "I take it you saw the Message from the Head of parliament.... as it was dated yesterday.... I wanna know when I'm leaving...." He basically demanded. Probably something he shouldn't do, and normally wouldn't but he was very patriotic. If it meant something with his homeland then he was going to do it even if One didn't approve of him on the team.

He was standing before One in his pure white fluffy and floofy, puffy bathrobe, with presumably nothing on underneath, and his penny loafers. It must have been a very interesting sight to see. This monstrous tall, tough looking bear of a Beast ins a very non-threatening sissy of a bathrobe and penny loafers.

He walked over and sat down at one of the chairs, and crossed his legs. It was a little chilly and he didn't want any air to go up the bathrobe.

There might have been a better time to talk about this matter, but Bear didn't care.

Mr_DC

 

[0stinato]

Heeding Wolf's request to slow down, Cow lay on the brakes a little. It had to be a gradual application of pressure, lest the weight of the truck overpower the brakes. No pressure to do it correctly, he was sure the truck could handle a little bit of force, but, with Wolf next to him, he knew any mistake would cost him. As his favourite, One would hear about anything from Wolf. And, as his lapdog, Wolf would tell him anything.

Or so Cow suspected. He let his weight fall back into the seat a little as the truck drew up to the gates. The soldiers around waited until Cow stopped the truck and began their checks, spending a good chunk of time sweeping across the vehicle. What would they be checking? In case anyone had sabotaged anything? Or in case some minute tracking device had been installed? Cow frowned inside his helmet - maybe the three of them should have checked all that themselves.

Too late now. One hand still remained resting on the wheel, and the engine grumbled to itself as the truck stood in place. Beside him, Wolf seemed vaguely less intense than she had been, which was at least a relief. As for their spider-monkey Special Agent on the outside, it seemed quite tense anyway. After all, it'd been the one to spot movement, to immediately relay danger. Cow looked up at the ceiling of the cab, and thought about the Special Agent.

How would it be to be that highly-strung all the time? Cow himself felt quite tense a lot of the time - even now he wasn't that comfortable - but it seemed the Special Agent was twitchy in a different way. Did it expect danger, anything lurking around a corner. Cow admitted to himself that he'd been a little paranoid about the whole situation, even when the dossier had made it clear that no threat was expected.

If no threat was expected... why chose not only Wolf, but a Special Agent too? Still, with the checks going on and nothing drawing Cow's attention, everything seemed relatively peaceful. He almost wished it was raining, that visibility was reduced and that the windscreen was splattered with two hundred drops a second. That the wipers were on at a steady pace. That the rhythm of the rain on the cab would slowly drum his mind into a quiet state of semi-tranquil melancholia.

However, the night was pretty still, and there was hardly too much sound from outside either. Just the occasional scuffing of a soldier's boot on the path, or a command yelled to the senior out there.

Cow smiled. This was 'home' to Wolf, and what was it? The place where her codename held much more importance than her real first name, whatever it was. This place embodied the Beasts, this place was their job. Told him a lot about Wolf and he looked at her for a few seconds. No way to see her face, all he could see was her position in the seat.

And, if he looked to his left, he could see some shape, still and unmoving on top of the cargo of the truck. What did he know of that? The armour was not as invisible as it was when the Special Agent had stepped out from the shadow of the truck. No, against the navy sky, the form of a crouching person was just visible.

And then, here he was, with his wrist resting on the wheel of the truck and his fingers resting naturally. His back pressed against the seat, his legs apart and off any of the pedals. Relaxed? Not quite. But certainly more... nonchalant than his colleagues.

"See," he said to Wolf looking to her again, "now would be the time for a smoke."

Mr_DC HarleyQuip

 

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip 0stinato

"Bah." Wolf waved off the proposal after they drove the truck into the compound. "Not interested." She shook her head, hopping out of the car and taking a look at their prize. The massive truck they brought over. Sure, the mission wasn't dangerous and it was never meant to be dangerous but it was a mission which required three Beasts. It was a mission One was painfully interested in. As simple as it was, the mission was a huge success for Wolf. Enough to go to One's office and report.

"We should go talk to the boss first, though." She planted her hands on her hips and shrugged. "Or, you know, whatever? I'm going to One, you are free to have your masturbation party." She said sarcastically but paused in case anyone wanted to join her. She didn't want them to drip into One's office after she started talking. If they didn't show up, though, that would make Wolf seem significantly more serious than the other two. Giving herself a short nod, Wolf turned around and started marching towards the entrance to the base.

 

[0stinato]

The Special Agent's voice was on display and, confirming Cow's suspicions, she turned out to be a woman. Cow hadn't really experienced this Agent, because their specialities were so very different. Any time he'd been in her presence over the years, the voice modulator or the armour had hidden any qualities of male- or femalehood. But, from she and Wolf's argument earlier, Cow had suspected she was a woman. It was just as he'd thought before - women never let anything go, they never spoke what they thought, only around the problem. He swivelled in his seat and looked down blankly at the Special Agent through his visor.

She spoke politely, offering for him to join her. For what, he wasn't sure. And, perhaps he would have reluctantly accepted - just to be doing something - but Wolf decided to add her own voice to the party.

With the two conflicting suggestions, Cow took a few seconds to think as he half-climbed and half-dropped down from the cab. His knees weren't happy with him for the drop, but what could they do about it? He straightened, his fist at the small of his armoured back, and leaned back slightly to stretch. His body wasn't too dexterous, and sitting in one place for a while, even a short while, would eventually weigh him down when he finally switched positions.

He heard Wolf's blunt refusal - perhaps not blunt but rude - and had to agree with her, at least in part. Personally, he didn't exactly want to go and see One. A report could be filed without having to come face-to-face with the mastermind of it all, but if Wolf thought it best to go, he probably should. After all, he might as well.

Cow turned around lethargically to face Wolf, "So, it's either our little... masturbation party... or we all get on our knees and please the boss, is that it? God, please..." he stopped to give a long, long sigh. "Well seeing how difficult it is for me to masturbate, I think I'd rather not do that so lead the fucking way."

Did he care that there were soldiers around to hear that little fact about him? No. Did he care what the other two thought of him after he said that? No. If Wolf was happy to bring that topic up to belittle them, he was happy to up the ante a few notches. After all, he had the same genes as Wolf. The genes that provided him with the ability to bitch an whine just to come out on top.

"We might as well," he said to the Special Agent. "If you still want my company after that - not sure why you would but whatever - then I'm sure there'll be time."

He didn't thank her for holding the door open for him, didn't give her any kind of official greeting, just looked sideways at her, said what he wanted to say, and walked after Wolf. Little lapdog, wanting to tell the bandaged master what a good job she did. Cow would let her have her time in the spotlight. Even though it was him who did 99% of the damned work. He didn't care. He did his job and he did it well, he didn't ask questions because none came to mind. He didn't protest because it was futile. If Wolf got the credit, so be it. If he got some credit, that was fine too. Didn't matter.

Mr_DC HarleyQuip

 

[Mr_DC]

Dak HarleyQuip 0stinato
One frowned when Bear walked in, looking as he did, and made demands. Demands to take a mission from Britain, no less. One rested his chin on his open palm as he leaned over the desk and watched Bear sit down. His agents weren't owned by countries they were sent from. Shutting down that mission straight from there would send a good message. Show everyone that One decided who does what for who. The other part which got on his nerves was the fact who it was that wanted to hire him. They still had unpaid debts to One from the Paris war. The US covered their half while Britain kept quiet. Ignoring his demands. Not much he could do about it. Except block their mission. And, perhaps, purposefully fail an important mission they request.

Just as One parted the bandages covering his mouth, about to tell Bear what exactly he felt about the situation, the door to the office opened again. His mood changed instantly when he saw who it was. Seeing Wolf normally wasn't such a great sign, even less when she was followed by someone else, but One was expecting her this time. Anxiously.

He immediately sat up straight in his chair and clasped his hands together, ignoring the barely clothed Beast in his office. Wolf didn't pay much attention to Bear either, other than giving him a short look before focusing on One. "Done and done." She stopped in front of One's desk, crossing her arms on her chest. A smug smile behind her helmet as if they did some impossible mission like the ones which have been sitting on One's list for months now.

"Great!" One stood up. "Get everyone to their rooms." He pointed at Wolf. "The base is on lockdown until morning." There was something in his tone. Excitement. Something Wolf didn't have the opportunity of hearing often. Only when his most complex plans came together perfectly.
"You can go on your thing tomorrow." One waved Bear off. "You can take one more Beast if you want. Just find someone who might feel like it." He raised a finger as a warning. "Most of the payment goes towards covering previous debts owed to us. The mission isn't a priority."

 

[Mr_DC]

"Lost your temper again?" Panda finally asked as they were close to the base. The headlights of her car fighting through the thick for rolling through the forest on either side. She knew where she was going, though. She passed through that road many times. Often with Mantis by her side. In the same state she currently was.
"They..." Mantis sighed, biting on her lower lip and resting her head against the cold window. She could barely keep her eyes open but just thinking about what happened at the bar made her blood boil. "They..." She simply couldn't pick a word to explain. She knew what she wanted to say but saying it was another thing entirely.

"I know." Panda decided to end her search for the right word. Mantis couldn't say anything Panda didn't already know. She knew what Mantis heard that turned her vision red. She knew why she wanted those people dead. And she knew it had nothing to do with drinking. Panda paused, focusing her attention on one particular aspect of Mantis. Her breathing sped up. Her breaths became short. Rapid. As Mantis covered her face, Panda looked at her, quickly returning her attention to the road. "Are you crying?" She frowned. She didn't how to handle a crying Mantis. The only thing she could do in such situations was just silently being there. Exist nearby.

"Does One have to know?" Mantis asked, turning her head to look at the foggy darkness outside.
Panda sucked in a breath. That was what it was about. It was what Mantis always had on her mind. She didn't care about what anyone thought about her... Except One. An obsessed little Beast, craving attention from her boss. Not even Wolf wanted One to be proud of her that much. Well, Wolf wanted a promotion, One was simply someone who could give it to her. But to Mantis, One was something else entirely and she could see how ashamed she was of her behavior. Not because of the people at the bar or other Beasts. It was because of One.

"I already called, Manny." Panda said after a short pause. Mantis nodded, resting her forehead against the window again as the spotlights ahead shined down on the car. They were home again.

 

[Dak]

James "Bear" Bearstine​

Bear stood up in his white fluffy bathrobe and penny loafers and walked out. He pushes past Wolf, even knocking his shoulder in with hers. He still wasn't happy with her about saying that he shot at mantis. "opps.... Sorry I guess I can't see where I'm walking...." He said as he walked past her. He didn't mind going toe to toe with her. He actually wanted to see that.

He still had the smell of alcohol on him. He made his way to his room. He was tired and needed to sleep. Second he still had a good amount of alcohol in his body which he needed to get out of his system. He laid down on his bed and clocked out.

Chastity "Camille" Johnson​

Camille was in the armory the whole night. She was in the process of upgrading her armor. She was handed this armor only a few days ago and she needed to preform all her op checks. She was a certifiable genius, and was one of the better, if not one of the best electronic warfare specialist that The Program had.

Camille's armor had passed all except the helmet. It was the software that allowed her to see what was in front of her. She didn't accompany the beasts on the most recent mission because of her armor. She had actually spent the past couple days trying to get it to work. A few people had been working on guns and other small projects.

She sighed. "I don't understand why you don't want to work. I've updated your software. I installed everything correctly. Even took the right paths to install it.... Why aren't you working..." She asked the helmet. She looked at the software for a second. Nothing seemed like it was wrong. She thought for a second. "Let try this one more time..." She said before she noticed something. "What are you doing here?" She asked the machine.

After twenty more minutes and a quick reboot, she put her helmet on. The screen lit up. It had worked. She ran through every program she had in the helmet. 4.0 out of 4.0 all checks passed.

She took the helmet off and brought it to her room. Since her armor was ready she was finally ready to go on missions. She was going to be going to one of her first mission briefings as a Beast.

On her way back to the room she passed by Bear. "See you tomorrow" She said walking into her room and put her helmet on the table. She laid on the bed and passed out from the stress.

 

[Mr_DC]

0stinato

"I guess you're going to be out of action for a bit now." Lion said as he got into the back of the transporter. Empty. All of the troopers were outside, fighting their own battles. Dying on the field. Lying, waiting for death. Hoping for someone to pick them up and take them away from all the pain. Lion wasn't there, though. He was saving someone else. He wasn't about to allow his mind to go there either. No use in thinking of everyone he couldn't help. Gazelle did the thinking for both of them.

"I'm going to leave you here and get someone to patch you up." Lion explained, lowering the trooper onto a seat. "Just a temporary patch so nothing happens on the way back." He smiled, crouching in front of her. "I'll have a chat with Gazelle and get her to treat you herself." He smiled behind the visor. "Does it hurt a lot?" He asked sympathetically. He was shot plenty of times but almost every time felt like it was the worst. At least when the adrenaline wore off. "I can tell them to knock you out for the flight back." He offered, standing up. "Probably for the best. Not much for you to focus on during the flight except the pain, right?" He planted his hands on his hips. There had to be a medic or two around. There always were a few sticking back for the wounded who had to be carried out of battle.

 

[0stinato]

Cow didn't make much of an impact on One, and he knew it. At least in that room at that time, he didn't - Wolf was taking centre stage. Though how he'd expected One to act to Wolf's conformation of the job done was surprising to the Beast as he stood there with his arms folded across his chest. The excited tone in the bandaged man's voice was not hidden at all, and he was clearly more interested in what had been transported than those who had done the job for him.

However, that last part was nothing new. Cow stared at One carefully, his visor out of the way of his face. Within the armour, his body was hot, and he could almost feel the sweat on his back loosen the material against his skin. It was an awful sensation, and only promised Cow a lot of back-breaking cleaning work later on. As the thought crossed his mind, he decided he'd put it off, find something else to do and leave his armour for a while. Half his mind wandered, while the other half remained in the moment.

Cow's interest was, once again, piqued by One's second reaction. He was putting the base on lockdown all night. Definitely wanted to protect his hoard, or perhaps he would just have soldiers examine it from top to bottom for any signs of tampering of any suspicious activity done to the crate. Cow wondered if One would open the crate as an excited child would at Christmas time. Despite the amusing thought, Cow's tattooed visage remained deadpanned. It was an unlikely event anyway.

Either way, Cow knew it was his time to leave. No credit would explicitly go to him - a cruel, cruel injustice - so there was no point in sticking around. he turned to quietly slip away and decided what he'd do. The Special Agent and Wolf were remaining in the room and they could do what they liked. Cow wouldn't mind. Well... not unless they took the credit. Because he'd done 99% of the work. And he'd not driven them off the road. As Wolf told him not to do.

While thinking of Wolf, he remembered how his nicotine break had been ever so horribly been ripped away from him. So, at his decision, he made up his mind to fulfil that gaping hole in his life. Nicotine first, sugar later. The two things the Beast practically lived off.

However, he'd also made a more occupationally useful decision. It was his word that had seen some of the Beasts' squadrons going off to do heavy artillery training after all. And, as a more senior Trainer, it was practically his duty to check on everything. Not only check on those soldiers he'd put in charge of the squadrons, but check in with the troopers too.

His pace spoke volumes. He headed way from One's office, and towards the heart of the complex, the most likely place he'd find the trainer soldiers. He noticed that he was going to them. No one was seeking him out to report back. That was the difference between titles. Boss, Special Agent, Agent, Soldier, Trooper... the list went down like that, as far as Cow knew.

But he didn't really think about it too much. Authority was a force he didn't understand, and one that didn't really garner his respect. It was all mental, nothing physical separated those in the base. There were those physically stronger and those physically taller, but that was it. The hierarchy was all in the mind, all different letters arranged in a specific order. Nothing to be fearful of.

He changed his direction so he headed outside. Nicotine first. Then soldiers. Then sugar. If they weren't going to come to him, he could at least keep them up a little longer.

 

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip

Wolf waited for everyone to leave. She had to be the last one to leave One's office. She was more than them, after all. They all had to comply with One's orders but Wolf was the one tasked with enforcing them. She was always the last one who had to follow the orders - if she had to follow them in the first place. That was the privilege of being a commander in the program. Of being someone who so fanatically enforces One's will. Even if she wasn't truly a fanatic at heart. At least, that was what she told herself.

"Yes?" One cocked an eyebrow at Wolf who seemed to be sticking around with the special agent. He gave an order for her to spread yet she was still there. In his office. Standing and watching him. She quickly realized what One meant and she glanced at the special agent before giving One a quick nod and rushing out. And there was just one more person left. Just one more person to prevent One from taking a look at the package.

"Do you also need special encouragement or is there something else?" One asked. No sarcasm in his tone. The words themselves were harsh but not to someone who spent years working with him. If anyone else said it, it would be seen as aggressive words but One knew how to talk to people. It wasn't the way he said it. It was what he said before. He was friendly when the mood was friendly. He shared the occasional joke to privileged ears. He listened to gossip, he shared drinks, he patiently explained. And so, when time came to be serious, everyone knew how to take it. Not as aggression but as a sign of what the mood was.

 

[Mr_DC]

DrabberRogue
"Nothing much." Gazelle shrugged. She wasn't about to go complaining about her problems to anyone. Her job was to listen. To listen and to think over how best to help with those problems. Perhaps directly by getting her own hands busy. Maybe indirectly by talking to One. That was the reason everyone liked her. There were those who couldn't wait to speak of their problems and there were those who listened. And Gazelle was just there. A wall for people to talk to. A shoulder to cry on. Not like anyone cared about how she felt. No one asked if she was fine after a patient died. No, they just served her another one.

"Actually..." Her mouth spoke before her mind caught up with it. As she realized what she started to say and paused, something broke in her. She wanted to say what was on her mind. She wanted to say what bothered her. "It was pretty rough. Had a mission." She shrugged and wanted to stop there but something was pushing her. She shrugged again. "People just keep dying." She paused, looking up at the Beast.

"Ever thought you'll reach a violent end here?" She felt like it was a natural question to ask with that line of thought but it was an odd question. Definitely. "I mean... That's what we signed up for, right? That risk?" She planted one hand on her hip and threw her gaze on the ground. "But I guess it's more dangerous for you, right?" She chuckled. "No medic flying right behind you to patch up your plane." She added, trying to pick the mood up after she brought it down. Best not complain too much. That was not why she was there for.

(I'm just ignoring the trooper for now. Seems to be the best way out.)

 

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip

One's bandages twisted into a smirk. Of course she wanted to know. Curiosity. The trait which One believed pushed the world forward but always got into his way. Such conflicting feelings about it. It allowed people to grow but also ended their lives prematurely. Asking the wrong person the wrong question at the wrong time... Enough of a reason for termination. Or, at least, a demotion. One, however, was in a good mood. His package arrived safely. The fact that he misjudged his choice of Beasts for the mission annoyed him, sure, but it wasn't enough to ruin his mood. Not now.

"Yes." One turned his back to the special agent, keeping a smirk on his face as he leaned over his desk. "You want to see the contents." He said, sucking in a breath and relaxing his smile. The point of selecting loyal people was that he hoped they wouldn't be curious. Wolf got the hint. She always did. That was why she was a commander. Perhaps a bit too aggressive but she knew what was expected of her. She knew how to transfer those expectations to those below her.
Cow... Cow didn't care enough to be curious. There was just her. The special agent. Trinity.

"You were a taxi." One said, a smile escaping again as he turned around, resting against the desk with his arms crossed on his chest. "You were bringing in a new employee. You'll know more tomorrow." He forced the smile away and turned serious. "If you get some rest." He motioned his hand at the door. "I'm sure there will be no questions left for me to answer tomorrow. If there are, you may ask, Helicoprion." But I may not answer. It meant a world of difference in their business. Information.

 

[0stinato]

The floodlights lit the ground fairly well, so Rat had no issue seeing after he'd dropped his sniper off at the armoury again. The practice session with Snow Leopard had been terribly short, but it was conducted under her rules. One miss, the lesson is over. However, Rat still knew what he'd been told, albeit only a few tips, would be invaluable in the future. Some cold chill hardened the air and cooled his lungs as he breathed. Regrettable though it was, he knew have to give in.

He was trying to give up smoking. And the events of the day had been a distraction that had worked until now. Still, he knew he'd have to have one before he turned in for the night, just to keep him from waking up with a dry mouth at four in the morning. To keep the craving silenced for a little while longer.

A shadow was cast in a brilliantly sharp outline ahead of Rat, and, from its culprit, a spark of orange came. Coincidental, at least. Rat approached, raising his voice to attract the attention of the Beast lighting their own cigarette.

"Do me a favour," his tone was rather firm, the request sounding like more of an instruction. He raised his own unlit cigarette between his fingers, indicating what he wanted. The shadow's owner soundlessly held the lighter out a little. Rat neared, lit his own and thanked the Beast. It was Cow, his face almost in shadows save for the orange glow that was snuffed out before he tucked it away. Rat took up his place beside Cow and let the smoke calm him from the inside.

"Not often I work with you," Cow said. The silence didn't last as long as Rat wanted it to be, and he looked sideways at Cow. He was a little taller than Cow, but didn't feel like he was. Perhaps Cow's heaviness in comparison to Rat's slim figure made some of the difference, or perhaps Cow just stood on thicker boot soles. Rat wasn't going to assume.

"Well, our specialities don't exactly mesh," Rat said. "You on defense and generally being a shield, it's not something I'd have imagined would be too close to my stealth preference. And I know you do a lot of other things quite generally, but I'd doubt your build would allow you to accompany someone like me into stealth, even if you were good at it," Rat sniffed. "The phrase jack-of-all-trades springs to mind."

"Don't expect me to be insulted at that," Cow dryly replied. "I'd rather be able to do a lot of things fairly well than one thing perfectly. If perfection can never be reached, why try?"

"Perfection can be reached," Rat said, his own tone developing an edge. "But I doubt someone like you would admit that. You don't try."

Cow stood for a second quietly, his cigarette resting carelessly between two fingers in front of him. He didn't take a drag though and instead gave a statement Rat was sort of expecting. "You know a lot, don't you."

"Yeah. I read your Program profile when I began as a Beast. I've got what people like you would call an eidetic memory."

Cow frowned, and Rat's mouth twitched with mirth very slightly, pleased to get a reaction. "People like me?"

"People who are wrong," Rat said, a tone of triumph in his voice. He took another shallow drag on his own cigarette, smoking it slowly. Giving up was hard - it made the very act of smoking more of a chore than anything.

"Jesus. Thrilling to think you care what I think," Cow dropped the end of his cigarette to the dirt, not bothering to crunch out the ashes that remained. He'd practically devoured it. One moment it was a whole thing, the next it was gone. Cow began to leave without another word to Rat, something Rat himself was a bit relieved about, but then he turned back. His grey eyes rested on the slimmer Beast for a few seconds before he spoke.

"By the way. Base is going into lockdown overnight. I'd say you have about a minute before you're locked out."

Rat raised his eyebrows, but Cow had already vanished into the building. Then Rat looked at his half-smoked cigarette. Then he cursed Cow under his tobacco-stained breath.