Realistic or Modern The Program

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip
One nodded along as Trinity realized what the mission was about. That was information he could go without sharing. He didn't need people knowing it but one person couldn't make much of a difference. At least, if he was ignored. He was one person and he made all the difference in the world. Trinity, though... She couldn't make a change in his plans. Not if he covered all possibilities. Not if he predicted everything perfectly.

"Where are we going?" One repeated the question. It wasn't a question he wanted to hear. Not in his current state. There wasn't much he could do. He had enough strings in his hands to do whatever he wanted. Even getting his own country wouldn't be a problem. It was the population which would be problematic. Humans. Always so difficult to control. To point at something like a weapon and get a desired result. So proud of their history, so hateful towards anyone above them. Getting his own country would be easy. Running it with such a population... Impossible.

"I'd rather keep the long term plans to myself. All you need to know is that we need to entrench our position. Make sure nothing can cut us down. We expanded pretty rapidly over the last few years." One explained. A diplomatic reply. Should be satisfying enough.
And then she asked another question. A more difficult question to answer.

"This project is focused on gathering the best soldiers." One slowly started to explain. "Regardless of their history. If their history comes knocking... We'll knock back." One smirked and made something like a wink under his bandages. "Now, go to your room. I'd like to get this lockdown started. The sooner it starts, the sooner it'll end."

 

[0stinato]

As she felt a more reliable surface begin to support her, XYlina's heart stopped beating as fast as it was. She was in settings much more familiar than she thought possible. How many times had she been in a carrier like this? Not many. And she'd been shipped out here on a carrier like this. To be brought back into the safety of metal, a bookend to compliment the start of her part in the mission, it was almost emotional.

Almost. XYlina wouldn't cry about it. No tears of happiness or pleasure welled in her eyes... because she still felt somewhat vulnerable. And not because she was injured, but because she hadn't been of much use. What did she do out there? Fire a few times. Did she hit a target? She had no clue.

Lion moved away from her, and XYlina watched him go, her eyes on his armoured back. He was upright, walking and talking, going to get even more help for her. And then, back at base, she was going to receive treatment. Vulnerable, even more so. She lowered her head, trying her best not to move her injured leg, though looking at it in this position was unavoidable.

She saw where the bullet had entered, where the armour had practically shattered. The layers of fibres and the brittle protection on top had done nothing; the bullet had managed to completely penetrate her body. And there it lay, its lead self embedded in her flesh, probably poisoning her from the inside out.

She glanced up, though Lion was gone by now. In fact, a whole score of people she didn't recognise had come in, and Lion was... nowhere. How long had her head been down for?

"Alright, trooper, sit as still as you can for me, I'm going to put the harness around you so you don't fall and hurt yourself more while you're under, that okay?"

XYlina was wordless as she stared into the slightly translucent visor of a soldier. Was she already going under? Had he put the drugs in her system already? She could do nothing but wait as the soldier fastened her into place, the harness pressing tightly against her armour. Even though her body was fine, she still felt breathless as he pulled the final strap tight.

"Right, here, I'll have to introduce the anaesthesia into your neck. Not risking getting your arm out now. It'll hurt, but it's what Agent Lion requested. I'll take your helmet off for you, okay?"

Again, XYlina was mute. Vulnerable again. The helmet was removed, the padding pushed away fro her neck, and she moved her head to one side as instructed. To try to dull the oncoming pain, she screwed her eyes shut and only tried to remember what Lion had told her. She was more use alive. There was no shame in running, not if it meant you would be more valuable next time.

Mr_DC

 

[DrabberRogue]

"Ever thought you'll reach a violent end here?"

Bat once more stopped midway through a bite of his apple. He'd been idly chewing on it as he listened to the French agent talk, letting his gaze wander the room. She was starting to sound a bit like a trooper. Not that he thought any less of the woman, he just didn't hear other agents speak that way about the dead very often. He tended to assume that one got used to the whole 'witnessing death' thing by the time they became an agent. Of course Bat didn't mean to be rude by letting his eyes wander, he really was listening. Having so many conversations over the radio meant he'd gotten quite good at multitasking whilst listening to someone speak. But that bright blue gaze focused back on the coffee colored agent as she asked her question, teeth engaged halfway in taking another chunk out of his apple. He remained that way until the she'd ceased speaking, his eyes looking directly at the women's visor.

With a decisive chomp, Bat finished biting off his chunk of apple, taking a good bit to finish chewing before he replied. "I signed up to fly." He finally said, examining what was left of his apple before looking up at her again. "I mean... I guess there's a risk, but I think it's more than worth it." Bat smiled. It was a playful smile, perhaps tinted with a bit of arrogance. "Besides, I can always eject if I lose." He continued, "...And if someone clips off my wings, there's always medics on the ground to sow 'em back on."

Bat laughed, his expression carefree even in light of the conversation. "As if anyone could shoot me down in the first place, been a few years since that’s happened." With that, he took another chunk out of the apple, tilting his head a bit as he regarded the other agent.

Mr_DC

 

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip 0stinato Dak

Wolf was among the first to wake up the next morning. Not just because it was her routine but because she was curious. The curiosity burned in her through the night and, as the lockdown ended, she was finally allowed to see what she couldn't. She could be curious without going against One's expectations. She was in her armor and walking around in minutes.

Her squad was more than the designated bullies of the Program. They were Wolf's eyes and ears. She alone would take time to find out where exactly One is. What it was that he was hiding. Her squad, though, already found out, desperate to please their leader as much as some Beasts are to please One. Wolf, though, disagreed with One on that method. She would never let them know that they did a good job. Don't let them relax. Don't let them think they're good enough.

Her destination was the armory. Or, at least, the shooting range as One seemed to be locked in the armory for the last half hour. He would have to leave by the shooting range, though, and Wolf accidentally being there wasn't curiosity. It was a coincidence. Just to make the coincidence even more believable, she spread the news through her squad. By the time Wolf arrived, there was already a dozen soldiers waiting to see what exactly was going on. A few Beasts even gathered. Panda, Mantis, and Crow.

"What do you think this is about?" Wolf asked the Beasts, suppressing a grin.
"How about you fuck off somewhere else?" Mantis turned to Wolf, crossing her arms on her chest.
Wolf grunted. Any other time Wolf would be more than glad to play her game and start throwing insults. She wasn't about to start a fight while waiting for One, though. "Hey, bitch." Wolf spat. "I'm not starting anything, you shouldn't either."
"She has a point, Manny." Crow shrugged. A sign of peace from one of them made his day. Even though they would fight hours later, that delay was enough for Crow to walk around with a smile.

"We developed a new suit of armor." Panda started. She wasn't considered loyal and couldn't match Wolf's rank but the fact that she was that good of a gunsmith that she could rival One meant she knew more. She knew about all the news weapons and armor because she was right by One's side when he designed it. She even designed a few herself. "I think he'll show us the new Beast armor." Panda shrugged. Her whisper-like tone of voice was just enough to make Wolf annoyed but not enough to say something about it. Always speaking so quietly that Wolf had to hold her breath to hear her. It was always just enough.

 

[Dak]

James "The Bear" Bearstine​

James had awoken to the sound of his own email going off. Apparently he was being called into the armory. He groggily got out of his bed and over to the bathroom. He took a shower along with doing a couple of other stuff. He walked out and over to his closet where he put on a 3/4 sleeve shirt with his leather jacket and blue jeans. He threw on his combat boots and walked out the door.

He stopped by the chow hall and grabbed a energy bar along with a glass of milk. He had a slight hangover. He drank his milk and eat his energy bar on his way to the armory. He made his way down the corridor and past the rec room. He stopped when he was at the armor. He walked into the room and instantly noticed that everyone was in their armor.

Bear walked over to Mantis and slapped her on the back. "What's up girl?" He said noticing some tension with Wolf. He sighed. "You know Wolf, I owe you for when we last fought... You know what... Noon be at the gym. You and me in the ring..." He called her out.

He then heard a mousy voice. It was a beast he had never seen before. "Stay out of this pipsqueak..."

Chastity "Camille" Johnson​

Camille woke up earlier then she normally did. She was a beast now, which meant she was going to have to work her butt of to become that legend that beasts hold. She put her armor on and walked down to the chow hall. She grabbed her plate of food and sat down and ate. She ate in the Beast section. She had dreamed about it, but it was something she could only dream of till it came true.

After she went back to her room to grab her helmet. She was gonna try and get some training in with her suit. It was still technically a new concept to her and she needed to do her final test to see if everything worked in it before she was battle ready.

She walked into her room and saw that she had gotten an email. She looked at it for a second. It was called for the beasts to go to the armory. She walked out of her room with pride as she made her way into the armory.

She walked over to the group and stood towards the back. That was when Bear got in Wolf's face. She walked over and tried to be the voice of reason. "We're all beast here, can't we get along.." That was when Bear told her to be quiet. She stepped back. She was tough, but sometimes it's hard being tough when your coworkers are mean.

 

[0stinato]

Standing with his back just shy of touching the wall, Rat was taking up his usual at-ease stance. With his legs slightly apart and his hands clasped behind his back, his chin up, he was reminded both of the professionalism he was promised upon becoming a Beast years ago, and the contrast to that promise that was his co-workers. He'd arrived not too long ago at all, just in enough time to see Wolf and Mantis actually step away from each other.

So, when Bear graced the scene and, indeed, caused a scene, his hopes for a by-the-books appearance were dashed. He watched for as long as he could. Rat could put up with the flirting - that was nothing new, surprisingly enough - even though it wasn't exactly professional. Not tolerable, but not worth making a fuss over. But Rat didn't want his dreams of a respectable morning - promised by Wolf and Mantis' moods at least - ruined.

Rat's eye was caught by the light-green armour of the newly-appointed Agent Chameleon. She entered, and tried to make peace of the situation herself. Admirable but futile. Still, enough for Rat to watch, and he watched carefully. Information about Chameleon was still relatively fresh in his mind, and, while that might be useful, it was also the opposite of that.

Fresh information meant easier recall. However, fresh information meant unreliable information. The Agent profiles only told him so much and, while Rat would be perfectly happy to brush up on the profiles of his colleagues and only know them all through facts, he knew life just didn't work that way. So he watched Chameleon. Carefully. And she was hugely lacking confidence. Unlike anybody else in the room, Chameleon was practically being eroded by the friction Bear had created.

He finally moved, stepping sideways and slotting his arm in between the massive Bear and the smaller Chameleon. Creating a physical barrier with his own body, he hoped to diffuse the situation and save both Chameleon and Bear the embarrassment. He didn't waste any time firmly saying, "Five feet apart, if you can't be civil. One wanted us here, and he wanted us professional."

"If he wanted professional, he'd not have promoted half of us."

Rat glanced around, and saw Cow with his helmet off. The faded fuchsia hair was slightly unruly, and Rat suspected he'd literally only woken up a couple of minutes ago. But his pale eyes didn't linger on Cow too long, and instead he held Chameleon's gaze for a few seconds before removing himself from the separation. Hopefully the unruly Bear had got his message.

Rat stepped back, glancing at Chameleon once more before reclaiming his passive stance, his back just shy of the wall that Cow was now leaning on, nicotine-stained fingertips resting tiredly on the bridge of his aquiline nose.

Dak Mr_DC HarleyQuip

 

[Mr_DC]

Dak HarleyQuip 0stinato
"What's up, big guy?" Mantis asked cheerfully. She was a morning person. Even after a rough night with blood on her hands, Mantis had the gift of waking up refreshed the next day. Her mood reset and her mind energized. Not even Wolf being Wolf could ruin her mood. After all, Mantis knew who was the stronger one. Seeing Wolf back out of a fight with her tail between her legs and throwing a few insults was something which brightened her day. It seemed she would see it now as well as Bear challenged the red armored Beast.

Wolf scoffed, planting her hands on her hips and leaning into Bear. "You know what's the awesome thing about being smart?" Wolf asked. "Of course you don't." She quickly added, shaking her head. "It's that you know what moves to make. So no. Go fuck yourself." She said quickly in one of her more condescending tones. "I can get my guys to beat the shit outta you when you least expect it, though. See how useful of a Beast you are with your legs broken." Doing something like that to a Beast, Wolf knew, was beyond the already long leash One held Wolf at. Everyone knew she wasn't allowed to harm a Beast in such a way but she ran a terror-focused squad. Everyone knew she wasn't allowed to do it... But there would always be that doubt of whether she would do it.

"Children." Panda shook her head, turning around. "Listen to the man." She motioned her hand at Rat. "You wanna have a dick measuring contest, do it in private. We're here for a reason." She quickly said and turned to the door again. While Wolf was slightly surprised - and plenty annoyed - by the quiet Beast's remark, Mantis started laughing.
"Jeez." She grinned behind her visor. "Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the sniper rifle." She placed a hand on Panda's shoulder. "Just chill. I'll take you out for ice cream later."

Wolf clenched her fists, about to say something, but quickly stopped when she heard hushed murmurs from the front of the crowd. The door to the armory was opening. Everyone turned their heads to the door. Everyone waited with held breath.

 

[Mr_DC]

DrabberRogue

"Glad to know there's one person I won't have to patch up then. You're quite an ace pilot, aren't you?" Gazelle smiled, giving his ego a stroke. A scratch under the chin. They all believed they were the best in the world. They were marketed as such. Hearing someone repeat it worked wonders on most Beasts. Made Mantis calm down almost instantly. Made Wolf stop whatever act of aggression she was carrying out. Made Panda return a compliment. Gazelle never underestimated the power of careful words. That is what Swan was best at. That is what One was best at.

"It's a comforting feeling to have someone watching over you from above." She shrugged. "Must be the exact opposite for your enemies, hm?" Gazelle paused as she asked that question. She got a message. A message from one of her assistants. A rumor apparently spread through the base like wildfire. One was supposed to be revealing something in the armory. Something important.

Her eyes narrowed as she thought about the message. One did receive that package the previous evening. She knew what was inside and knew One wouldn't be showing it around just like that. He wouldn't have changed his mind just like that. No, whatever it was that was going on in the Armory, it couldn't have been connected to the package. Could it?

"You got that message too?" Gazelle asked just in case Bat also had someone who kept him informed. "People are gathering in front of the armory." She shrugged with a smile. "You wanna go? See what it's about?" She was curious. Was there something One didn't tell her about? Or did he actually decide to make a show about the new arrival? She could easily find out after the fact but she had to see it with her own eyes. Just in case.

 

[DrabberRogue]

Bat's eyes lit up at all the complements as he continued to devour his apple. The observation room's resident ace certainly enjoyed having his skill recognized, even with how often it happened. Being acknowledged as one of the best never got old for the Bloody Bat. The French Agent's voice sounded sweet to him as she spoke, "It's a comforting feeling to have someone watching over you from above."

He liked sweet things, one of the reasons he ate so much fruit. Bat thought back to that trooper he'd overheard in the mess hall as his teeth cleaved off another chunk of apple. How amusing it would've been were he to have been named 'Fruit Bat' rather than 'Vampire Bat.' Feared master of the skies, with hundreds of confirmed kills, beastly ace of The Program. The legendary Fruit Bat. Just thinking about it made Bat grin to himself.

"You got that message too?"

The French voice broke him out of his thoughts. Bright blue eyes focused in on the coffee colored visor as he tilted his head, Bat hadn't gotten the message. He had a team to keep him up to date while he was on a mission. It was the same team that informed every plane during an operation, Air Warning And Control System: Seraph. Bat wanted them to be called AWACS Blood Moon to fit his vampiric theme, but unfortunately he didn't have much influence over that. Just like how AWACS Seraph no longer had the responsibility (or the means) to keep him informed when he was on the ground.

"In front of the armory?" He took one final bite of the apple, shearing off the last notable piece from its core. The ace's jaws worked on chewing that for a moment as he pretended to think. Bat had already decided on his answer. Smiling as he swallowed his food, he opened his mouth to speak. "Sure, don't see why not. Any idea what it's about?"

Mr_DC

 

[Dak]

James "Bear" Bearstine​

Bear looked at her and let out a chuckle. "And you also know when your gonna have your ass beat so you back out of the fight." He thought. He looked at her for a second. He chuckled when she talked about having her squad break his legs. One thing about Bear is he loved to fight. Nothing pleased him more was a challenge.

He looked to Mantis for a second and motioned at Wolf. Kind of like a "get a look at this bitch" look. He held his hands up. "Bring it..." He said to Wolf. He didn't care that she was the leader of the terror squad. There were only a few things that scared Bear, and Wolf would have no ability to or opportunity to get anywhere close to them. Even if she could, he would kill her. Nothing would stop that.

Bear opened his mouth to say something but was stopped when the door opened. His head snapped to attention when he heard the door. He wanted to see what was so important that he was called to the armory, when everyone knew that he had taken the day off for self pleasure.

Chastity "Camille" Johnson​

Camille watched as agent rat stepped in between herself and Bear. Bear was drastically bigger and far more frightening that she had thought. She admired Rats courage and boldness. She would have to thank him after they gathered. Camille was tough, and strong and bold. But that was only so much.

She had only recently become a beast, which meant she had proven she was good enough to take on the responsibility. She was good with electronics. She could solve almost any problem with electronics, but people were another beast entirely, pun intended.

She stepped back and watched the two argue before the door swung open. She watched as head turned instantly. All looking at the doorway. It would suck if, instead of a fancy new suit of armor, it would be a hit squad looking to take out all the whole program. BUt that wouldn't happen, would it?...

 

[0stinato]

Rat's belief of pacifism was slightly hard to justify in his current occupation. However, as he understood it himself, he worked under a means-to-an-end sort of pacifism. He'd be more than willing to slug someone if it would diffuse something he suspected would turn into a bigger issue.

Bear wasn't backing down, but at least he'd given Chameleon a break. Rat didn't know if Chameleon could take the heat, so it was a relief to see her be given the breathing space back. Instead, Bear had turned his energy onto Wolf, a beast capable of taking more than a few hits. Rat suspected she could step on a land mine and still live to rant about it. Bear was no issue. Or was that just what he was telling himself?

Alongside that means-to-an-end pacifism, Rat also firmly believed in taking care of number one; in his eyes, he was certainly the most vital part of his life. His mind, his experience, his being... he wasn't about to put all that on the line to stop Bear and Wolf going at it. No doubt either of them could concuss him as easily as knocking on a door. So Rat stood quietly by, trying not to listen to Bear's ego-boosting big-talking. It was the way he was. Rat was simply not going to be stupid enough to get in his way again.

"How is everything this morning? Is excited, isn't it...?" Rat glanced to his other side briefly, hearing the low-voiced Jellyfish next to him. Rat assumed he was either talking about the Beasts creating friction between each other or the reason they were all standing there. One or both of those options was "exciting".

"Won't deny," Rat said, opting for a vague answer, "it is. I'll be glad to be out of here when I can though. Sniper training, I need to practice more. I got a bit of advice from Snow Leopard but... only a bit," again, Rat glanced at Jellyfish. The Beast had attempted to make conversation on the carrier the other day, something Rat wasn't in the mood for. So perhaps being friendlier this morning wouldn't go amiss. He didn't attempt a smile, but his gaze lingered on Jellyfish a little longer.

He felt slightly cramped, being sandwiched between Jellyfish and Cow, but it was the way everything had worked out. Cramped, but not claustrophobic... Rat didn't suffer from that. Even within his armour, between the intimidating Jellyfish and the large Cow, he didn't sweat. If anything, Rat suffered from claustrophobia's counterpart. No cover in the wide-open space. Perhaps that was why he was so much more comfortable with stealth. No matter what he was doing, he moved along a surface. The thought lingered with him for a few seconds before everyone hushed a little. Rat, blinking himself back into the moment, saw where everyone else was looking.

Beside him, Cow had now slipped his hand over his eyes entirely. So Rat gave him a sharp nudge before turning to look himself. But Cow didn't seem to be at all curious, because, although he took his hand away, he just angled his head back and rested it on the wall, his eyes locked on the ceiling instead of the door of the armoury. Rat decided to pay him no heed and instead stepped up beside Jellyfish.

Mr_DC HarleyQuip Dak

 

[Jellyon]

THE MESSAGE

monoKITCHEN　VIPER / OCELOT

The sound of a white ceramic mug smacking against the top of a marble counter could be heard coming from the kitchen area. A mechanical arm soon after reaches overhead for a tea packet within it's appropriate box, lined up against the back wall. Swiftly retrieving the packet, a second arm suddenly emerges and proceeds to assist the first arm in ripping the package open and withdraw a small bag filled with an assortment of shredded herbs and leaves. The figure turns slightly away to open the garbage disposal to throw away the trash. One of the arms then picks up the steaming kettle sitting off on the side and pours hot water into the empty cup. As more water continues to pour, a cloud of white steam drifts into the figures face. The figure then takes a step backward while fanning the hot steam, annoyed by the event. Seizing the mug from the counter, the figure holds the tea bag above the cup before slowly dipping it into the water. Seconds after releasing the rope connected to the bag, a mist of colored liquid could be seen converting the transparent water. A grin came over the figure's face as if they were satisfied with what they done. Turning their back on the kitchen to leave, the door began to open with a bright flash of blinding white light entering the poorly lit room. The figure abruptly halted in their progress whilst raising their hand to cover their eyes away from the blindness. It took a few seconds before the figure finally adjusted their eyes, dropping their arm to give a light chuckle.

"Hmhm, you know it's too early in the day before I had my cup of tea. Much appreciated if you didn't bathe me in such intense lighting, Ocelot."

Standing in between the door frame was, of course, Ocelot who stood there in a well postured manner with both hands across her body, grinning happily as her light auburn hair was being blown by the small breeze ventilating into the room. She was wearing a light gray knitted sweater over a white and black plaid shirt, with a set of dark gray leggings.

"If you didn't stay up all night, you would be lively awake like everyone else, Viper." She said as she stepped further into the room.

Viper couldn't help it but shrug at the comment. He was wearing his typical outfit of a combination of a black shirt, jacket, shorts, pants, and even sneakers.

"Well, it's not my fault, to begin with. If I didn't keep getting those late night assignments, I wouldn't complain as much." he said before taking a sip of his warm drink.

Ocelot gave out a small sigh.

"Excuses, excuses. I'm starting to think that your skills in making up lame excuses is the sole reason of how you ended up joining the program." in a more mocking tone.

Viper's suddenly changed into a more annoyed expression, choked aback. He knew that she was purposely to anger him at this point. It was her way of playfully toying with people, including yours truly. Finishing his sip, he gave Ocelot a rather mean stare while bestly trying to hold a friendly smile.

"Tch. And I see they let you join on the accounts of your humor. Anyhow, did you want to see me?"

"Yes actually, apparently there is some sort of meeting going on in the armory and everyone is gathering around there. I came to find you as soon as I could so we could see what's that all about. Interested?"

Viper gave a puzzled look. It took him a few moments to process the unexpected information. An out of the blue meeting as more often than rare. Normally meetings were told well in advance and held in the conference room. But this was neither. Odd may as it be, it could prove to be important he thought. Though he was having an uncanny feeling about it. Shaking his head he would put those doubts to rest.

"Alright well, let's go see what the fuss is about." he said firmly as he swiftly brushed past Ocelot to walk out the door.

Ocelot, stared silently at Viper as he escaped from her sights. Before long she happily followed him closely behind, holding both hands behind her back on their way to the armory.

.

 

[Mr_DC]

0stinato HarleyQuip Dak DrabberRogue Jellyon

One stepped out of the armory, mumbling something over his shoulder, and froze in place. He slowly scanned the silent crowd in front of him, one hand in his pocket. He sighed, shaking his head. "Someone snitched." He grumbled, eyes landing on Trinity for a second longer than on anyone else. What he was doing wasn't meant to be a secret but he didn't plan on revealing it exactly like that.
Seeing no point in delaying it, One stepped away from the door and moments later another figure appeared.

There was a weight to her steps. More weight than the biggest soldier clad in the bulkiest suit of armor. Each step was powerful yet graceful. Her movements were smooth as if she was moving through water.
The Beast in black armor with a gray visor stopped by One's side and planted her hands clasped behind her back. She mimicked his movement of scanning the crowd. Her head flying over the troopers and stopping on each beast for a few moments longer.

"Hai!" Mantis waved above the crowd. "What's your name?" She asked cheerfully, getting a scoff from Wolf. Mantis knew she would soon be relying on that special agent on missions so making friends early was important. Making friends with a special agent in general was important. Just making friends in the Program was important. You never knew who would end up watching your back.

"Go to the briefing room." One mumbled to the new special agent who complied and headed to the nearest door.
"You're all dismissed." He waved off the crowd.
Wolf laughed. It was a standard movie villain laugh but it sounded genuine as Wolf pointed at Mantis. "You got ignored hardcore!" She proceeded to laugh, hands on her stomach as she bent forward.
"Well..." Mantis pursed her lips. "Crap."

"A new special agent." Gazelle said without a hint of surprise. "Did One tell you to gather here or...?" She asked the gathered Beasts.
"You're Bat." Panda said to the pilot, ignoring Gazelle's question. "The pilot Beast." She said matter-of-factly. "You're not a bad pilot."
"Get a room and give each other awkward compliments there." Wolf shrugged, pushing through and whistling before One left the room after the new special agent.

"What's she good at?" Wolf yelled over. One let out a growl. A growl or something more like a purr. He smirked, looking back at Wolf.
"Special agent Shark..." So that was her codename. "Is versatile." One answered and left.
"Hold on!" Wolf raised her voice but paused. "How..." She frowned. "How can she be versatile? One!" She yelled, going after him.
That word got most Beasts interested. Versatile. Great at everything. "That's not how the Program works." Panda spoke through her teeth and went to join Wolf. Mantis glanced at the rest of the Beasts, shrugged, and followed the pair. "Let's see where this leads." She added over her shoulder.

 

[DrabberRogue]

Bat didn't have his apple anymore. He'd disposed of it as he followed that coffee colored agent out of the observation room, tossing it to a trash bin a few feet away. His helmet still off, he hurriedly made a point of returning it to his head as One stepped out of the armory. If there was one person in the world Bat wanted to maintain his image for, it was The Program's Commander. The person who provided him the means to fly. The scarlet armored agent straightened out his composure as he observed the introduction, looking on with silent interest as the Black Armored Beast stepped out. He turned his head a little as the new special agent's gaze stopped on him for a moment, making it so the blood red visor of his helmet directly faced the grey visor of hers.

Bat's curiosity was interrupted by a voice from one of the other agents nearby, a voice he didn't get to hear very often. White armor, quiet voice, those things he recognized. Always in the sky syndrome was striking again, however, as Bat couldn't remember her codename either. Probably the only thing he actually knew about the white armored agent was that she was a sniper, and he'd heard she was involved in development for some of The Program's gear. He also knew that she'd just complemented him, sorta, which prompted a hidden smirk to form under his helmet. Bat turned his head in the agent's direction to reply, but one of the few beasts he actually knew was quicker on the draw. It was Wolf, spitting her signature sass. Her quip prompted a chuckle from the pilot as she pushed past him.

It seemed events would prevent Bat from saying anything to the white armored agent, as The Commander then said something very interesting in response to Wolf's question. "Versatile?" He muttered, crossing his arms. "...Wonder if she can fly..." He mused, watching as the trio of beasts chased after Shark.

"Let's see where this leads."

Mantis, another of the few agents whose names he knew. Giving a questioning glance to the French agent, Bat began following after the others. He didn't normally pursue Program matters out of curiosity, figuring One wouldn't like it, but this occasion was particularly intriguing. "Oh-" The scarlet beast abruptly stopped, turning back to regard the coffee agent. At this point he was pretty sure the woman was a medic, but he still didn't know her name. "This probably sounds weird, but I don't actually know your codename."

Mr_DC

 

[0stinato]

Shark. Killer of the seas. Heathen of the waves. And yet walking amongst the Beasts harmlessly. Or so it seemed. Rat felt the Special Agent's eyes on him for a few seconds as she glanced between everybody, and that was before he even knew her name. Something was different about this one. Something almost practiced, robotic, inhuman and inhumane. He couldn't take his eyes off her, not even to answer Jellyfish's questions.

So Rat looked at One, but only briefly as he dismissed the gathered Beasts, seemingly both surprised and irritated to see them all. He'd not called them here, Rat knew that now. Perhaps he'd not meant for everyone to see Special Agent Shark. But it was changed now - they'd seen her.

Rat considered the dramatic difference between Chameleon and Shark - Chameleon was promoted upwards and Shark was brought in. And that was affecting them it seemed. Chameleon was being pushed around and Shark was getting open-mouthed glances. And later her name would be on everyone's tongues as Beasts engaged in futile gossip with each other over lukewarm beverages. As for what Rat thought of her... he wasn't certain yet. He wanted information about her, he wanted to read about her. Not to have any authority or edge over her, but it was what he was used to with Beasts.

But then again, the Special Agent profiles were kept quite far out of his reach. Access to those on his level were allowed, even if his clearance level was the lowest it could be at Beast level. He was allowed to have the basics about his colleagues. But Special Agents? He doubted he'd find anything, and especially as One's only response to Wolf's question was not only hesitant but vague.

At One's word, Rat decided it would be best to leave. However, he wasn't going to leave without expressing his own opinion on the matter to his acquaintance. Turning his head to Jellyfish, he let his eyebrows fall a little further over his eyes, "Pitiful reactions. Spending your life talking about others is a waste of it. I'm just glad she seems professional," he said dryly. His last remark wasn't aimed at any Beast in particular - most of them had a habit of being unprofessional in some way anyway, just as Cow had said - but it wasn't voiced without its fair share of bitterness.

"I'll be doing research if you need me," Rat nodded at Jellyfish. "Theory is as important as practice."

With that, he left the larger Agent's side, having to say "excuse me" a few times in order to get past other Beasts who were filling the space substantially. One of those space-fillers was Cow and, at Rat's words, only looked at the Stealth Agent and said with a trace of sourness and sadness in his voice:

"I got up for nothing."

He didn't move though. Rat didn't give Cow any reply, instead edging around him and escaping the room. It was relatively early, yes, but was it really so deviant that Rat expected Beasts to rise at 0600? He was unsure if anyone actually did or not, and not even he awoke until 0700 or so, but the expectation was still there. Complaining about something so ridiculous...

Rat tried not to let it get to him. One probably valued some things that Cow was, just as he valued some things Rat was. And Rat respected One for that reason - he had justification for every decision, he had the knowledge and reliable thinking that Rat trusted. It was one reason Rat never outright expressed his dislikes about other Beasts; One had promoted them, or brought them in, or found them, for particular reasons. As such, Rat's personal qualms about other Beasts could remain in his head. But it didn't mean he respected the other Beasts. That decision would be made after a few interactions. And Rat would know who he would go to or not.

Mr_DC HarleyQuip Dak (Tagging those I've interacted with or mentioned.)

(I will not be around from Friday evening until Sunday evening, hence why I've avoided locking anyone. I'll bring Rat and Cow back in when I return, so, in the meantime, assume they're around. Do feel free to interact if you don't mind waiting, though. After all, I'm only gone for a few days! Have fun.)

 

[Dak]

James "Bear" Bearstine​

Bear looked at the new special agent. Bear didn't have his mouth open that much. He loved strong looking people. Mantis was strong which is why Bear was friendly with her. Wolf, who was a bitch, was still strong and had a sliver of respect from Bear. But Shark was something different entirely. The way she moved, and held herself. If bear wasn't already married with two children then he would be flirting with her instantly. But he was married with children, so he had to stay faithful.

Bear followed both Mantis and the group as they moved. The meeting that the speaker of the house had talked about wasn't for a few months. That would give James plenty of time to see this new agent in the field. Bear began thinking of how Agent Shark was going to hold herself in a fight. Was she gonna be an aggressive fighter. trying to take out her opponent as quick as possible, or wait them out and fight defensively. There was only one thing that Bear knew for sure. He had to fight her, no he needed to fight her.

Bear walked into the briefing room and took his normal spot at the table. Whatever mission they were gonna be sitting in, Bear didn't care. he was gonna be on this mission, even if it was meant to be a stealth mission.

Chastity "Camille" Johnson​

Camille watched as the new special agent walked out. The way she held herself, her posture all said one thing. This new agent was very intimidating. She was interested into this new agent, but also terrified. She looked like she could take on both Bear and Wolf no problem. Camille wanted to walk up to her, but out of shear terror stayed where she was.

After the group left, Camille stood there for a few minutes. She was intimidated and wanted to stay where she was. She wished she was invisible. She was better when she knew that no one was around. She looked around for a second at all the tech. She put her hand on her whip's grip and took a deep breath. She walked over to the computer and plugged in her helmet.

After a few more minutes of coding she unplugged it and walked out. She put her helmet on and walked into the briefing room. Her helmet lit up with a lot of new information, but she tried one thing. She stood in the back and started to run a scan on the new agent. She wanted to see if she could see anything that One could have been hiding about this agent.

 

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip 0stinato Dak DrabberRogue

"Oh." Gazelle paused. He spoke to her without knowing who she was. There were still people who didn't know who she was. It shattered the illusion she never knew she had. She always believed, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she was that one soldier everyone knew of but didn't care until she was painfully needed. Perhaps she was simply that one soldier no one knew about.

Gazelle frowned at the thought. She wasn't the insecure type. She knew exactly how valued she was. Just because someone didn't know who she was, wasn't a reason to start questioning her self-image. With a chuckle, Gazelle shook her head. "It's Gazelle. Agent Gazelle. Try to remember it, agent Bat." She added in a teasing tone. "Feel free to share whatever interesting you learn." She raised her hand for a wave. "I've got work."


"Seriously?" One asked through his teeth as Beasts packed into the briefing room. The rest of the troopers were far less brave and gathered in front of the door to stare in. The dark room with massive screens on every wall and a round table in the middle felt more than cramped. Shark stood up from the table and walked around to stand by One's side.

"What do you mean versatile?" Wolf demanded. A tone she rarely used with One and never in front of such an audience. "The Program is meant to gather best people in various fields of combat. We're all good at doing more than just one thing. Why aren't we versatile?"
It was obvious through the deep breath One sucked in that he noticed Wolf's tone as well. And that he won't allow her to get away with it.
"Can you beat any other Beast in their field?" The reply didn't come from One. The hoarse voice, as threatening as a chainsaw, came from special agent Shark.
"I'm dare say every other Beast." One added. "If you're feeling threatened, Wolf, I suggest you pick up the slack and prove you aren't as useless as you appear to be."

Wolf let out an animalistic snarl as One said that. With clenched fist, Wolf watched the pair in black before turning and storming out of the room. How dare he speak to her like that? To HER of all people. The most loyal Beast. The one enforcing his rules. The one making sure the Program remains as dreaded as it is supposed to be. She would show him how special that agent is.

The information available to Camille was surprisingly unprotected. To the untrained eye, all of the special agent's information would appear to be highly secured and hidden but to a person of experience, it would be obvious that it wasn't protected. The information simply wasn't there. No information whatsoever. The silence in her files was deafening. Special agent Shark was only that. Versatile special agent Shark. Complete lack of any other information.

 

[DrabberRogue]

Bat nodded an affirmative as he turned, giving the French agent a cordial wave. "Have fun, agent Gazelle." Now he finally knew that woman's name, as well as her specialty. Next time he heard that distinctive accent over the radio, he wouldn't have to awkwardly try to address her by virtue of her voice.

Unlike the other agents, Bat chose not to actually enter the briefing room. Whatever it was The Commander wanted to brief Shark on, it clearly didn't involve air support. Otherwise he (or at least Special Agent Crow) would've been invited as well. Instead he just leaned on the door frame, just a little bit closer to the inside of the room than all the troopers who'd gathered around. Bat wasn't sure about the other beasts, but he found himself clearly aware that The Commander was irritated with all the attention. Intriguing as the new beast was, he didn't want to be too intrusive into the whole matter, lest he end up on One's bad side.

Bat stepped aside as Wolf stormed out of the room. The last thing he wanted was to catch flak from The Program's resident sass master, especially right outside the room where One was. His scarlet helmet turned a little to watch the similarly colored agent as she passed. He almost felt a little bad for the poor Wolf, having her capabilities insulted like that. Bat didn't much like what little he saw of Wolf and her attitude, but he definitely didn't think she was useless. It was odd hearing The Commander address his most loyal soldier like that. Bat found himself wondering if something had changed, perhaps One had found a new favorite with Shark?

But that didn't matter. The Vampire was here to learn about something in particular, an idea that had sparked his interest in the new special agent. Despite having been met with a rather harsh response, Wolf's brash question had yielded some promising information from the black duo. If Shark was as versatile as the two of them implied, then-

Jace noticed, with some confusion, that his heart rate had picked up a bit. He'd turned his attention back to the occupants of the briefing room. To one occupant in particular, actually. Bright blue eyes, hidden under that blood red visor, had been scrutinizing Shark's armor. In layman's terms, Bat was staring at her. Realizing what he was doing and why, the pilot tilted his head a little to the side. He chuckled to himself, a noise that caused some of the whispering troopers behind him to fall silent. That Shark character really was interesting.

Bat wanted to know more.

Mr_DC
Dak

 

[0stinato]

With Rat gone, Cow had no one to bitch at. Not that Rat was good for bitching at - he wasn't pleasant in general - but at least he had ears turned in Cow's direction for a vague second. Still, now he was gone and Cow was stuck here. He lazily looked over, raising his jawplate and lowering his visor. Wolf was going off on One, for some reason, even though One seemed to be confused at the Beasts' presence.

The new Special Agent was of no particular curiosity to him. Obviously exciting to the others - enough to make one of her unknowing transporters quit the room - but Cow didn't think too much about her. Versatile was the word One was using and it would be the word One would use forever probably. It wasn't Cow's place to ask and he was far too tired. How much sleep did he get last night? Five minutes? Maybe five hours? He wasn't sure.

However, he joined the other Beasts in the briefing room as the crowd of them followed their director. As they would, as they should. Rat wasn't, clearly. At the back of the throng, Cow decided he should perhaps look a little more in the zone. So he straightened his back as best he could, feeling it twinge somewhere he couldn't quite reach, and he shook his head, feeling the headache ricochet off one side of his skull to the other. With a few deep breaths, his body was slightly more awake, his mind more alert than it was before.

With the briefing room graced with the presence of Beasts, it seemed a lot smaller. The height differences - from Bear to Mantis and everyone in between - made the room seem like it was imploding, and the darkness didn't help matters. Cow made his way to the edge of the group and stood there, staring indifferently at the confrontation between Wolf and her director, before Wolf moved aside with a blaze of anger to be replaced with the Special Agent from Cow's last mission.

Her words were meant for One's ears only and, although it was obvious that they were speaking together, Cow didn't hear her voice - her filtered voice - until she was finished speaking with him. Her words were odd to Cow, and he became distressed with an inward dilemma to solve.

"Please calm down, any questions can be answered one at a time. The better alternative is that everyone leave, now. Unless you'd all like to risk getting a demotion today..." she said quietly but authoritatively.

Cow frowned inside his helmet. To stay meant to question and to leave meant to ignore. Thing is, Cow didn't feel like questioning but nor did he felt like leaving. He doubted a middle ground, perhaps standing in the doorway and eavesdropping, would be looked on very favourably by One let alone any Beasts who remained behind. He tilted his head to the side and glanced at the new Special Agent Shark. The versatile one.

He decided he did have a question. He waited for a gap in the noise before raising his hand calmly.

"A new special agent means a new threat. Am I right?" he asked simply. All he wanted was a yes or a no. Just so he could be prepared for training new soldiers up or not.

Mr_DC HarleyQuip Dak DrabberRogue

 

[Dak]

Chastity "Camille" Johnson​

Camille, who was only recently promoted to the rank of beast. She looked at one. If he could see the face on her face it would be a look of surprise. She stopped going through the folder of Shark because that was going to get her no where. She could tell that there was no information that would help her out. She would need more information.

She switched her scanner off and took off her helmet. She looked at One, then to Bear, then Mantis. She looked at everyone in the room. Shark was the only one in the room that still had her helmet on. Camille cleared her throat. "Um... Uham..." She said as she moved her way up to her the table. She pulled out a cord and plugged in her helmet. "I understand she is versatile in a multitude of everything One, could you list us off a few?"

She then shot him a look like she knew. The very shy and timid Beast, was now acting courageous and brave. Something had ignited inside her that made her act so forthcoming. She wanted the information that One was holding back. She began to click away at the screen trying to pull up the file of the new special agent.

 

[Mr_DC]

Dak 0stinato HarleyQuip DrabberRogue

"Jesus, people." Mantis laughed. "What got into everyone? Relax, will you? I mean..." She shrugged. "Patience? Or something. Can we not start a fight with our boss? I think no one would like to find out how that would end." She shook her head, letting out a short chuckle. "You know something is wrong when I'm the voice of reason..."

"Enough." One growled. "It would appear as if everyone forgot how we do things here." He looked over everyone. "If you want information, you ask for it - politely. No demands. If that information is not meant for you, you don't get it." One let his tone sink even deeper as he spoke the following sentence. "End of story." He paused for a few seconds before continuing.

"If you want to know more about special agent Shark, ask her. When she's not busy." One threw a glance at Shark. "And we're busy right now." He took a step back, allowing Shark to stand in front of him. To be his sword. To be his threat. "Get out." One turned to face Trinity. "Everyone." He returned his gaze to the group of soldiers across the table. "Before I turn my attention away from the special agent..." He sucked in a deep breath. "And onto you."

Without a word, Mantis was the first to leave. She was closely followed by Panda who released a scoff at One's final words. The group of soldiers at the door also quickly scattered when Mantis stepped out. Another lesson was learned.

 

[0stinato]

Despite his question, which had indeed been "polite" as One had requested, Cow was ignored. He let his hand fall to his side and shook his head very slightly as he joined the other Beasts in vacating the room. One was obviously not in the mood for questions or for his Beasts to be standing around he and Shark, and Cow could understand that to a degree. If it was true that One hadn't called the Beasts to him, someone else must have. Therefore, seeing everyone there when he'd stepped would have been annoying.

But still, Cow was a little irritated his question had gone ignored by the director when he'd fulfilled the one retrospective request One had put out there. Instead of getting his answer, he'd been sent away. Ah, well. As Cow walked - his gait his usual, heavy and standoffish pace - he knew it wouldn't make any difference to him whether he knew if there was a new threat or not. It wouldn't make him work harder, nor would it inspire him to train. All he knew was, there was an injustice somewhere and he wasn't fond of it.

Rat was probably One's favourite, given he'd left the scene ages ago. At least, that was what Cow suspected. Again, it didn't make much difference, but it was hard to ignore the fact most of the Beasts who had been present had been subject to One's growling tone, a tone that left a lasting impression on the ears and minds of those who heard it. It still rang in Cow's head, certainly.

Ahead of him, other Beasts were walking. So many different armour colours flashed in his peripheral vision, despite them being darkened by the visor. And it made Cow wonder something in the back of his mind. What his subconscious was thinking about though was lost on him. But something was stirred, certainly.

He let out an audible sigh, hearing it echo in his own ears, and took out the reinforced pistol from its holster. He wasn't about to go firing it, but his hands needed to be occupied. He swung it round on his finger, slapping the barrel forcefully into his palm in a rhythmic manner. That was the trouble with being a smoker; it was almost as if his hands had developed ADHD over time. He watched it absently, his conscious mind paying no attention to anything except to where he was going, and his subconscious mind still wondering something, still ticking away. Best to let it and not worry, he decided.

But still - what to do in the meantime? If the briefing room was actually accessible, perhaps he'd have checked to see if he had been put down as an Agent in a future mission. However even that was out of the question. And he wasn't jumping for joy to have this imposed downtime either. Cow knew he was lazy by nature, but being idle was a whole different matter.

"Why call us to the fucking armoury then, if he's just going to tell us to piss off when we get there?" he said, pondering out loud. He let the gun barrel hit his palm again. "Maybe he just likes playing with us."

He sighed again, blinking his tired eyes beneath his visor. He suspected coffee might be the best medicine for that, but he wasn't anywhere near any yet. Best keep walking until he found some. Or keep walking until he died. Whichever happened first.

Mr_DC HarleyQuip DrabberRogue Jellyon (Tagging everyone currently active because reasons.)

 

[Mr_DC]

HarleyQuip 0stinato

"Another wounded?" Gazelle watched her team of medics carry the body out of the transporter. She couldn't get a minute of rest. One was overdue for some attention from her and there were patients to check up on. That was why she trained her assistants so well. They were her hands while her own were busy elsewhere. They were rested when she was tired. And they would pick up where she left off.
They can treat the wounded. Gazelle wanted to visit One. In private.

"At least one." Lion shrugged with a smile. "But I promised her that you'd take a look at her." He chuckled. Lion knew exactly how busy Gazelle was and he knew she would do any favor to those who asked politely enough. It was a favor, though, and one should not toy with medics. He would pay it back, of course. "Could you?" He smiled.
A sigh from the famous surgeon. Then a nod. "Sure. No worries." She nodded again. "I'll talk to you later." She added and rushed after her assistants.

"Hey! Cow!" Lion waved at the large man he caught a sight of in the distance. What an odd thing to be yelling at someone. "Anything interesting going on?"


Moth just deposited his handguns at the armory when he saw a red-armored Beast walk by. "Wolf." He raised his hand. His relationship with Wolf was tense at best but that could be said for Wolf and anyone else. Wolf, though, seemed to have a specific problem with Moth. She definitely read his file. Read that he wasn't exactly trusted by the Program. He was still a Beast. "Did I miss anything?"

"Fuck off." Wolf waved off the purple-armored Beast.
Went about as well as Moth expected it to. Although, she was less... Articulate than usual. Perhaps he could get more information from elsewhere. From there. Moth smirked as he saw a black armored Beast. "Hey." Moth walked up to Trinity. "Saw Wolf was in one of her moods again. Any special reason for that?" Moth wasn't one of those who feared the special agents. After all, they were on the same team. And fear was simply a lack of understanding. Having friends was important. Having friends everyone is afraid of... Was useful.

 

[0stinato]

Feeling like some sort of freight train, Cow let himself draw to a halt as someone called out to him. That's what he got for lurking at the back, picked off like an injured animal. And his punishment? Social interaction. He slotted his pistol back into its holster above his thigh and stared forwards for a second as the rest of the Beasts made their way further away. Some became occupied talking to some other Beast so Cow didn't really think much of it.

Although he knew 'Cow' was his Agent codename, he still got a little bit of a frown on his face when someone said it. After all, it was sort of an insult. To be screeched at, called out by name Cow at the top of someone's lungs, and then turn to face them, he wasn't sure why, but it felt as if he was giving into an insult somehow. However, it wasn't as if he could actually be called anything else. Having been described as 'bovine' before (much to his immense offence), it seemed only natural that a path in his life would lead him to be called Cow later on. And why Cow? Because 'Bull' or anything like that was technically incorrect. Not the right gender. Cow didn't really care most of the time, but now his mind was in Irritated Mode, he was fine to occupy himself thinking that way. If his subconscious mind was taken up with thoughts he couldn't put his finger on, he wanted to at least be thinking of something he could.

So he turned, deciding to take away the visor and lower the jawplate again. Now he wasn't standing before One, he felt as if he could be slightly less formal. Before him, approaching him, was Lion, the Beast who looked like his armour had escaped the 70s. Where'd he been all this time? Cow looked him up and down quickly, noting the dirt scattered around his lower legs. Either training or on a mission. Cow didn't really care to consider past that point.

"Anything interesting going on?" Cow echoed with a slight dry mirthfulness in his voice. "What do you think? One said to ask questions politely, which I did, and then he told us all to get out. Without answering my question," Cow looked away with his eyes narrowed and snorted in derision. Damn his second X chromosome, making him petty like this. "But aside from that... I don't know, what do you want me to tell you? Oh. Actually, probably best you know if you've... not been here... the director's got in a new best friend, hence why everyone's been kicked the fuck out."

Cow paused for a few seconds and scratched his jaw. Had he been so upset about that little injustice that it'd blinded him from the fully new Agent in their midst? The answer to that was a firm yes, and Cow was surprised at himself. However, he got back into his flow of talking relatively easily.

"Agent Shark. Or - christ - Special Agent Shark. Nothing wrong with Special Agents, but Wolf's pissed off because of Shark. So... that's not going to be nice for anyone. One pissing off his own puppy, she's going to go and bite people's ankles the second anyone looks at her wrong. As for Shark... I don't know much about her. And I don't care to know. She talks like she's smoked more in an hour than I have my whole life. That's all I know about her."

Cow shrugged. Gossiping about the new Special Agent - and Wolf to some extent - had really put his mind at ease. Although part of him was worried that Wolf would hear someone talking shit about her and trace it back to him but... well... he was certain his kidneys could take perhaps a few punches before they shut down. It'd give him enough time to regret his life choices at least...

Mr_DC

 

[0stinato]

In his left hand, Rat spun the keycard rhythmically, pretending he only had himself to talk to. As such, when he entered and began running his finger down the list near the door of the sections, sub-sections and sub-sub-sections of information. As he'd said to the Agent who'd decided to follow him before, practice was good but theory was necessary too. Rat had done a small bit of training with his sniper, but he had to improve. Knowing the technique was just as important as practicing it. After all, Snow Leopard had told him what to do and what not to do before he'd done it. Yes, he'd missed his shot, but he wasn't about to disagree that her method was best.

"Tell me if you see the right section, Nik, I'll need a bit of literature to get through this," he mumbled. When he found the sub-sub-section he thought might be relevant, he tapped his nail on the list. "Perfect. That's the one."

With Jellyfish still on his tail, being quite despite his size, Rat made his way purposefully across the floor, weaving in and out of shelves. Everything was quite tightly packed together, but Rat found his required shelf with very little issue. He selected a file which, on the cover, had notes that promised Rat something great. They were handwritten in neat pencil and Rat mouthed the syllables under his breath as he read it.

"Post-combat record, descriptive, detailed, describes the prowess of an Agent after surgery to upper right arm. Performance improved somewhat, impressive recovery. Well Xylem I think that's it, if it'll do you," Rat said a little louder. "Probably."

"What are looking for?" was the first thing Rat heard Jellyfish say. It wasn't that Rat had forgotten Jellyfish was there, but was simply so used to talking to himself that, upon hearing Jellyfish's voice, Rat became slightly self-conscious at his own existence. Still, he quickly shook off that feeling and brushed a few loose hairs back to their appropriate position before stepping away from the shelf and displaying the thin file to his fellow Beast.

"Snow Leopard was kind enough to teach me a little, so I was planning on reading more into the use of various sniper breeds - mostly lightweight models if possible - to learn more... but this seems more interesting," Rat tapped the cover. "Says here the Agent in the file shot better after surgery? After the recovery period as well. What do you make of that?"

In his head, Rat knew what Nik would make of that. Nik wouldn't hesitate to point out the upper-arm discrepancy. Perhaps the surgery to the upper-arm of the Agent had improved the Agent's performance... so, by working backwards, it was only a logical conclusion that, surely, augments had been made somehow. Balance, speed or accuracy had been improved by the surgery. Because no one could be so useful with a sniper as they were before their surgery, if the recovery time was factored in. The muscle memory would grow stale, the mind would lose its edge and the practice would splinter around the edges. No doubt they'd still be able to shoot, but not as well. So, to be more efficient and useful with it was preposterous but intriguing.

"Yes, really interesting..." Rat muttered to himself as he opened the file.

HarleyQuip