Dusk of Umbra: Grim Heros {IC}

[Milo v3]

Umbra Facility - מגדל בבל - Migdal Bavel
Hastings, Britain
June 15th, 1:03am
The building was immense, under the guise of an unfinished skyscraper it was slowly being enhanced into an Umbra Base. From the outside, huge portions where missing and it looked like it would take years to finish. But within the walls where pristine and was already functioning.

On your way through the halls you passed several labs, some of which contained holding cells for other "Agents". But they were different, they were less controlled, and chaotic. If a single sign of them going rogue appeared they would be terminated. Umbra couldn't afford to create any more renegades, they were hard enough to cover up as it is.

You are all currently in a meeting room. Each wall was a sirene blue, giving it a calming tone. In the centre lay a long white table, and six accompanying chairs. Within each lay a weapon of Umbra.

A young woman stepped into the room through an aperture, her hair was a clean blonde with no sign of bleach. It was fine and flowed down her head and onto the collar of her suit.
You knew her as Orpheus.

She gazed at the wall to the opposite end of the table, simultaneously the room was coated in shadow, and the wall become a display screen.

The logo of Umbra spun on an Azure backdrop.
Slowly words faded onto the screen and the symbol receded.

"Project Ark"

Images spontaneously flashed onto the screen, each of the people who lay in the room, side Orpheus was displayed. She began to talk, her words weaving smoothly and had a slightly suggestive tone, despite her serious dialogue.

"You six are known as Project Ark. The information you are about to learn is very exclusive. It is a Class Two, and thus agents are generally never informed of such things.

As you know, Umbra Agents aren't always as co-operative as you have. Many rebel or are simply too unstable to be safely used and are "Terminated" or "Quarantined".

But in the past few years a number of Agents who were deemed Blacklisted have escaped from Umbra Facilities. Normally these rogues would be hunted by Umbra's Soldier Program - Thanatos. But because of their resourcefulness and abilities, they have survived and killed large quantities of our forces.

Project Ark's aim is to eliminate these Agents. Are there any questions at this stage?"

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
Moses leans forward, steepling his fingers before his face and speaks, I have two questions. One, he holds up one long, slim finger, If these rogues have taken down Thanatos weapons, what makes you think we'll be able to deal with them? And two, he holds up a second finger, and flashes a smile, Orpheus, will you EVER give me your phone number?

[Milo v3]

"Firstly, the Thanatos while stronger and more skilled than common soldiers, they were designed to be grunts which can be used as templates for future Umbra Projects. In fact one of the Rogue Agents is one of these enhanced Thanatos soldiers.

As part of Project Ark, all of you have skills which will hopefully allow you to terminate the Rogues.

And secondly, I broke your nose once I can do it again."

[Lonewolfe208]

Wolfe
Narian slides into the room:

Try to NOT saying anything stupid this time.

Hey, Sloppy Jo's aren't stupid! They are beefy goodness! And hop off, I got this!

Clearing his throat, Narian steps forward:

"Hello sweet cheeks, So will there be a lot of possibilities for things to go BANG! or is it going to be another one of your, I'm going to make you run here, there, talk to this quest-character, fight this boss that looks tough but we actually have no issue with because you are scared of losing us...Cause if it's another one of those I'm opting out." Narian shakes his head.

Smooth move Genius.

What? I'm sick of BS progression missions that make me feel like my life is a freakin' MMO video game, Now shush, Important people are saying less important things.

[Starbin]

Elijah Thomas

Impassive as usual, Elijah listened as two of the team bantered about the mission, obviously not concerned with the enormity of their task. Clearing his throat, Elijah raised his hand and spoke softly when called upon.

"Ma'am, presuming you will continue with a detailed description of the targets, I have at least one question that comes to mind. What is the difference between being Blacklisted and being terminated or quaratined?"

[jedric]

Leonard Harlan is dressed in a slightly crumpled grey suit with a white shirt and black tie beneath, he sits quietly, hands clasped before him as he listens to his team mates talking, as he does so he tilts his head to one side, an action which is strangely reminiscent of a dog listening to its master, his eyelids batter briefly before he looks fixedly over to Orpheus, "Numbers, location and resources available please?" he asks in a dry monotone, he takes a notepad and pen from his breast pocket.

[Milo v3]

Orpheus shot a cruel but short glare at Wolfe and sighed.
"This isn't a game Wolfe. Your targets aren't boss battles, they are some of the most powerful agents Umbra has designed...

As for the difference between "Termination" and "Quaratined". If we Terminate the project you will be killed in the most efficient way possible. If you are Quaratined it means you will be contained in an Umbra Facility Cell Block. You would be severely drugged, find it amazingly hard to think, and unable to use your abilities. Despite this, two of the targets you will be hunting have escaped from these Quaratine.

As you can guess, Umbra is re-evaluating its Quaratine policy and parameters."

Slowly she turned to Leonard.
"After this meeting you will be able to access the Umbra Armory; enhanced pistols, rifles, grenades, armor, bug detector, atomic blades, etc.
In addition you will all be implanted with an AI known as E627, she will allow intergroup communication, World-wide internet access, communication with Umbra, and she functions as an analysis program, giving you a Heads-Up-Display."

[THEChanger]

"Bug detector. I find that slightly ironic." The swarm of wasps known as Legion occupied one of the chairs, condensed into a rough humanoid shape. "I do hope this...E627 will not interfere with my cybernetics? I would hate to be tampered with yet again. I trust we remember what happen last time my base personality was attacked by a virus?" Legion's wasps rubbed their wings together, creating a sound that was eerily similar to laughter. If laughter was a horrid buzzing noise. After all, a virus had somehow found it's way onto Legion's main chip awhile back. It had taken weeks to calm the swarm down, and reset Legion's personality chip. In that time, multiple Umbra agents had been poisoned by Legion's stingers. He hadn't managed to kill anybody, but the only reason he wasn't terminated was because it had been somebody else's fault.

Legion had stung Orpheus multiple times.

[Milo v3]

"E627 has been designed to be an assistive analysis program, she has no programing which would allow for neural overrides.

Even if she did, it would be for naught, your sentience will be required for Project Ark."

[Lonewolfe208]

Narian gives a Crooked look to Elijah:

"That's not necessarily true, You see, I was Quarantined until Umbra could find a way to control me." His eyes flash dangerously.

They haven't to this day, We are just too valuable to be put in a cell to rot.

He doesn't know that, shut up in there.

"Luckily, I came to see the light that is Umbra's bright path to victory!"

I am spouting bullsh*t out of my mouth.

I noticed.

Hearing the words: "Heads-Up-Display" Narian turns back towards his original target:

"So it is a video game? I knew it! The cake is a lie!"

[Milo v3]

"That is false information, psych profile states you enjoy carnage which is why you work for Umbra."

[Lonewolfe208]

"Dammit! Why can't you let me have my fun Orpheus!"

Because you aren't sane, If we let you have fun you would butcher civilians that look at you funny.

That was one time! He said my eyes look funny!

Your eyes DO look funny.

I KNOW that! Stop chastising me!

[Milo v3]

"I am here to inform you of Project Ark, sadly spouting bull doesn't speed this process along."

[Starbin]

Elijah, simply nodded in response to Orpheus, not really reacting to the goading from Wolfe. Settling back in his seat, he waited for the intelligence reports on the missing weapons, since that would drive the rest of his questions.

He considered the implant Orpheus mentioned, wondering if it's true purpose was to link the team together, or simply allow Umbra to keep tabs on their weapons, least freedom be too much for the members of Project Ark. Who knew what special programming the AI would have for specific circumstances?

[Lonewolfe208]

"A wise man once said: Wolfe's most lethal weapon is his mouth, He will spout bullsh*t until you surrender or commit suicide."

Amen.

"Continue on pretty lady!"

[Milo v3]

With a glance from Orpheus, the screen changed to show the faces of five individuals, each with a name underneath.
On the furthest left; a male teen, maybe 16 years old, brown hair with a blonde tint, amazingly thin. He wore the standard Umbra uniform. His bright blue eyes stared at the camera without emotion.
Project Aniketos
Second on the left; a young man, looked 18 years of age. He's hair was dark brown, and of medium length. He wore stabing, dark clothes with a long trench coat. Dark blue stabing eyes glared at the camera.
Project Keres
In the centre; a well-built man of average height was displayed. His hair was dark brown, shoulder-length and unkempt while his green eyes carried dark bags underenath. He was wearing standard Umbra Thanatos gear, but they were styled black and he wore a equally dark trenchcoat over it all. A crude bladed weapon was sheathed in leather wraps on his back, it resembled a machete but was as long as a traditional longsword.
Project Cain
On first to the Right; a young girl, looking around 8 years old. She had thin black hair which touched her spine. She wore the standard Umbra uniform. Fear could be seen behind her brown eyes.
Project Calliope
The last of the right; a man, appeared 22. He had brown hair, and dark blue eyes. A brown leather jacket was worn over the Umbra Uniform.
Project Zephyrus

"These are your targets"

[Lonewolfe208]

"Excuse me, Knowing what they look like is good and all, but...um...how do I put this... Who are they and what can they do to splatter Elijah's brains on the concrete?"

Why are you harping on Elijah? He's the least ignorant of the bunch.

He hit on my woman

No he didn't. That was Moses you trigger-happy idiot.

All these bimbo's look the same.

Only bimbo here is you, Torres.

Yeah? Well, you smell funny!

Way to insult yourself, Numb Nuts.

[THEChanger]

"As much as I find Narian nausiatingly savage, he raises an excellent point. If we are to succeed where Thatanos has failed, we will need as much intel as you can provide us with."

[Lonewolfe208]

"Hey, there is a difference between being savage and being down-right uncivilized!"

No there's not.

Yes there is!

[Milo v3]

Orpheus glared at Wolfe.
"I am planning on giving an exposition on each, the pictures are obviously not all of the info.

The first one is part of Project Aniketos. A group of amazingly smart young adults who have been taught how to use Aniketos mechs. These colossal suits are bulletproof, immune to most forms of damage, can deploy a shield, has a Machine Gun as part of its arm and is state of the art technology.

Also it has a camoflage system allow for it to remain undetected at a distance and it moves silently.

The purpose of Aniketos was to kill rogue Agents, but as he was the best Aniketos driver, he killed all the others.

In addition to this, he has access to the E626 AI."

[Starbin]

Elijah listened with interest. "Pardon me, ma'am, but I have two concerns. First, what is the relationship between the E626 and E627 artificial intelligences? Is there a possibility of compromise? Second, what makes this boy dangerous now? Does he have access to one of the mechs, or other relevant skills or abilities?"

[Milo v3]

"The E626 went rogue around two years ago. She somehow became sentient without enough control parameters, so she sabotaged part of Project Aniketos, allowing Aniketos Driver BETA, your target, to escape.

E627 is based on the technology of E626, but had several key changes, firstly she lacks sentience, secondly she cannot access Umbra files, thirdly she can't be copied without high ranking Umbra authority, fourth she cannot do anything without being asked, and lastly she wont commit certain task under any circumstances.

As for the escaped Aniketos driver not only does he Aniketos Mech, but he has slowly upgraded it with E626's assistance and parts from Umbra Facilities.

But we have no intel on what changes he has made."

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
As Orpheus slaps his flirting down, Moses grins, Ah, you'll never know what you're missing girl! He sits back and listens as the others talk and argue with each other! When the pictures of their targets roll up he focuses his attentiopn on them, when Elijah speaks he nods his head in agreement, Good question, if we've got to have AI shoved in our heads I won't want their to be the risk of someone being able to hack into my brain! Looking at the boy, Is Mech boy our first target then? If so, why him over the others?

[Milo v3]

Orpheus sighed while brushing her hair back with her palm.
"The E627 can't manipulate your brain except for in two ways. It can create the HUD, and it can send audio into your brain. Making it talk or when you want to talk over a distance.

And Aniketos isn't the first target exactly. All your targets appear to be working together, which is why Project Ark is such a priority. The list is ordered from the time the Projects orginally started."

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
Wait! ..... So these weapons have started to coordinate? They're working as a team? He sits back, smirk gone from his face. Did any of them have contact with each other before they went rogue?

[jedric]

Leonard sits impassively, if he has any interest or reaction to the comments being made he doesn't show it, other than the fact that his eye blink repeatedly every time Narian speaks. Seemingly oblivious to the questions of his team mates Leonard looks directly at Orpheus and asks, "May we have run down on the abilities of all of our targets, and their likely access to resources, particularly weapons."

Question: is it Narian Torres, or Narian Wolfe?

[Milo v3]

"None of the Agent's made contact with each other, they met after they escaped, except for Projects Calliope and Keres which made contact while they were escaping."

[Milo v3]

"I will statisfy Leonard's want for haste.

In addition to the Aniketos armor, the teen has amazing memory and can remember everything he has ever experienced. The Aniketos armor has been seen with a Minigun, a rocket launcher, a weak LASER, and a radiation emission cannon. But it seems that he can only utilise one weapon at a time.

Next is Project Keres, we think he is the leader. He has the ability to manipulate his cells, allowing himself to create weapons, adapt, create disguises, and regenerate. Elijah's biology is based off his genetics with slight modifications.

In the centre is Project Cain, he is a psychopath who seems enjoys eviserating Umbra employees. He was based on Project Thanatos and Cain is the human peak in Endurance, Strength, and agility. In addition he can phase when subject to immense heat or objects going at immense speed, making him immune to fire and bullets. He has been seen using a large custom machete, and two submachine guns.

Then is Project Calliope, she doesn't seem to use any weapons but her by manipulating her voice, she can cause vibrations. These vibrations can destroy an object if it reaches the right frequency and she stun any who hear her. In addition to this she seems to have gained the ability to regenerate, which wasn't in her design.

Lastly is Project Zephyrus, he has the ability to create singularities to move objects and he was a precursor to Leonard Harlan. But unlike Leonard he suffers from neural feeback, he can create larger singularities though. He has shown skill with pistols and knives when he doesn't use his powers.

In the field if you require more knowledge, you can access it through E627 which will slowly be accumilating more knowledge on each target."

[Lonewolfe208]

"Oh goodie! This should be fun!"

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
Moses casts an odd look at Torres before speaking,
Are there any known flaws or weaknesses we can exploit?

[Starbin]

Elijah listened as Orpheus went through their target folders, jotting down notes as they occurred to him. When she finished, he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, then raised his hand.

"Ma'am, a few questions for you. The first set involves the apparent collusion between Keres and Calliope. Are there any other indicators in their files that these two are connected in some way? Previous acquaintances, blood relatives, located in the same cell block? The intelligence indicates Calliope has regeneration; with Keres' biological manipulation, has he found a way to share his abilities with select members of his team, or is the connection between he and Calliope deeper than we suspect?"

Glancing down at his notes, Elijah cleared his throat and spoke again. "Second set - aside from their abilities and combat-related skill sets, are there any other areas these five excel at? Our own team has skills completely outside their special abilities, so I am postulating our adversary's do as well ... what are they?

Third, I want to verify you wish these subjects terminated, yes?

Finally, we will require entire background details on each weapon: original names, places of birth, last locations of known family, pychological profiles, ability assessments, etc. Without as much information as possible, we cannot guarantee the highest probabilities of success."

Leaning back, Elijah waited for any forthcoming answers, pencil and pad ready.

[Milo v3]

"I regards to weaknesses; Aniketos armor seemed amazingly strong but he can't change weapons mid battle, meaning whichever weapon the armor is using when you combat him, he will be forced to use.

Also sometimes helps his foes, giving them a chance if they are too weak, though we believe he uses this as a psychological tactic.

As for Keres we have developed a way to stop his ability to manipulate his cells, this takes the form of a radiation emitting device. Note while this radiation doesn't cause any problems on humans and most weapons, it will stop any of Elijah attempt's to manipulate his biology if he is caught in the effect. In addition to these effects, it stops cancerous cells and Keres ability to absorb biomass. We suggest each of you, except Elijah, to use this device on yourselves so that he can't defeat us with a single touch.

For Cain, he is severely mentally unstable, and prone to acting completely irrational in combat.

Calliope seems to be very fragile, with exception to her regeneration. Also she seems prone to having psychological brake downs induced by even small amounts of fear.

And lastly Zephyrus who upon using his powers, is hurt via neural feeback. Depending on the use he might get a stinging sensation, a head ache, or even fall unconsious.

As for the Elijah's que-"
Orpheus holds her left hand to her ear, apparently hearing something in her earpiece. She started to head out of the room.

"Please give me a moment."

[Lonewolfe208]

"Cain sounds like a baby me!"

You are so wrong. Cain acts irrationally. Do you not know what that means?

Shut up! I can be irrational too! I'm just not stupid

[Starbin]

Elijah watched Orpheus step out of the room, sitting for a moment until Wolfe broke the comment with his smart-a$$ comment. Pausing for a second, Elijah glanced around the table. "At this stage of our mission planning, do any of you see any thing we should focus on? I think there are some key points that warrant further discussion, but I am curious to hear everyone else's assessments."

Elijah sat back and waited expectantly for the group to speak.

[Lonewolfe208]

Narian chuckles:
"Well, if you want my thoughts, you will get a rambling mess of random crap. On a serious note, let's divide and conquer. I'm a fan of just running in with atomic katanas and turning them into cubes of ham. Mmmmmm, ham."

[THEChanger]

"Then, perhaps you should let the adults talk until we need you to make something into cubes of ham, Narian." The swarm which was Legion flew out of the chair, and drew closer to the screen.

"It seems that the first order of business is, indeed, to divide our targets. If at all possible, we should engage each one with all five of us. This may be difficult with Calliope and Keres. Their collaboration in escape, along with Calliope's apparent adaption of some of Keres' abilities, may indicate some form of relationship beyond partnering against Umbra. Possibly, Keres views Calliope as a sister, or daughter figure.
Individually. Aniketos presents perhaps the most dangerous challenge. A photographic memory means that if we do not kill him in a single assault, he will have all the data he needs to predict our assault pattern and change his weaponry accordingly. I reccomend further research into the Aniketos armor, paying attention to structural weaknesses and possible entry points. My smaller frame means I may be able to enter the armor and disable key electrical processors.
If the radiation produced by Orpheus' radiation device is sufficient, Keres should prove less challenging. Without his powers, I suspect he will be a much less threatening combatant, though we should not discount his natural abilities. More information is required to ascern whether the radiation device will cause a complete power nullification, however.
Cain, being immune to projectile weaponry, will have to be engaged in close combat. I reccomend pitting psychopath against psychopath here. Cain seems to lack self-control, and Narian's naturally abbrasive personality, combined with his hand-to-hand skills, may make him ideal for causing Cain to make mistakes, opening him up for termination.
Calliope should be the easiest. With her apparent inability to deal with fear, the only thing which should be required is to frighten her into submission. Both Narian and I would be ideal in that situation, Narian because of his psychosis, and myself because of my unique physiology. I do not know the limits of your biological manipulations Elijah, but they may be useful in that regard as well.
Which leaves us with Zephyrus. Taking advantage of the neural feedback may be useful, but a swift kill would be to our advantage. Hit him hard and fast, from all directions. Keep him from concentrating on any one target.
Any other thoughts?"

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
When he hears that Calliope is vulnerable to fear, Moses smiles, Calliope will be no threat, if she is paralised by fear then I shall make her feel fear...I just need to get close to her! As for the others, your ideas seem sound. We cannot let them comunicate with each other, they can't be allowed to share information about us or give each other warning. Hard and fast!

[jedric]

A slight twitch of the head is followed by a frown from Leonard, "The plan seems to be sound... but is based upon the assumption that we can engaged them individually."

He smiles weakly, "If that assumption proves to be false then we have a house of straw. We need additional data, we need to observe the targets first hand in order to determine feasibility."

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
He frowns at Leonards comment, All our intel suggests the only two who are actively in contact are Keres and Calliope! The others appear to be loners, and either unwilling or, like Cain, too unstable to work effectively as a close unit! We should be able to engage one at a time and take them down! He shrugs dismissively, Over planning will slow us down and waste time! We need to move fast! I suggest we go for Keres first, then Calliope as we can use the death of her friend against her! Then we pick off the loners at our leisure!

[Starbin]

Elijah cleared his throat. "Interesting. It seems that we have begun to make a number of assumptions that are coloring our analysis and appear to be incorrect - the primary of which is that these targets are not working together. Orpheus stated that Keres and Calliope are the only two that were in contact prior to their escape ... the others all made contact afterwards, when they started working together. Additionally, Orpheus identified Keres as their leader.

That being said, I would suggest that our primary assumption be that Keres is working to limit his team's weaknesses and vulnerabilities, in order to increase their survivability and efficiency. However, as Dr. Harlan has stated, we need additional information. For example, what if Calliope's greatest fear was physical harm? Her new-found abilities may make these fears inconsequential.

Further review of the files will definitely be required."

[Lonewolfe208]

"Hey, I'm crazy, not a child!"

You are certainitly acting like one.

No, I am acting Insane. Theres a difference.

With you, no difference is difference.

"Shut up!" Narian bats his head in an attempt to shut himself up. "Let's get serious, First, can I get a map of their last known position? Second, If we are planning to divide and conquer, We need bait to lure them with. I can get close and set up a cross-fire. Making them either scatter or clump up. I'm good at taking out targets one on one, so what we also could do is have someone lure them into my 'death trap.' " Narian grins: "Also , if you let me run ahead of the pack, I'll scout the area and get accurate intel."

[THEChanger]

"I did not suggest that the targets were not working together-merely that it would be most advantageous for us to engage targets one at a time. And I do believe with careful timing, planning, and proper reconnaissance, this can be accomplished. That said, plans should be made for the eventuality that we are required to engage the targets as a group-plans which should be made once we have more information. I suspect battle strategy would be similar to what I have previously outlined-removing the easier targets as quickly as possible, so we can bring more force to bear on the more difficult enemies."

[jedric]

"Indeed!" observes Leonard, "As I said we must observe the targets first hand."

[Milo v3]

Orpheus, slowly steps back into the room.
"Good to know you can all work together and think tactically. Now, for locations on the Rogue agents. They have been narrowed down to two locations, a huge warehouse in london, or an apartment three blocks away.

Obviously you should head to the apartment first. Now if you have no more questions at the present time I will head you down to the armory. They you can get nearly any equipment you require and we will implant you will the E627. E627 will have all the info on the Agents that we have and will be constantly updating."

[Lonewolfe208]

"Oh goodie! Toys!"

[jedric]

"I doubt there are any toys present Narian." comments his face shows he is puzzled by the comment, he shrugs and adds "Perhaps we should continue as Orpheus has stated?"

[Milo v3]

Orpheus slowly walks the group of Project Ark through the halls. As you walk down the white corridors (or fly), you pass several Umbra scientists each of which cast bewildered glaces.

Soon you reached the Elevator, luckily it was five times larger than a normal one, giving each of you more room.

After three minutes the lift stops decending. Openning to a vault door.
Your guide rapidly presses three buttons, on a panel adjacent to the metallic portal.

The door slowly raises, revealing a huge number of crates which seem to go on and on. To the right on the other side, is a small desk and a computer.

Sitting in it is middle aged male, he appeared to be from the middle east. His gaze turned towards Project Ark as the door opened.

"From here you can get nearly anything you'd want."
Now if you would prefer, we can skip this and simply add a bit of gear (Or no gear) you might want to your sheets, or you can roleplay it completely, or you can just give the guy at the desk a list of what your character might want.

[Starbin]

Prior to leaving the room, Elijah would speak up. "Pardon me, ma'am, but you were unfortunately called away prior to answering my earlier questions (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13403220&postcount=31). Could you please address them prior to our equipment issue?"

Nice distract, sneaky puss!

As for the equipment, I'm good with just making a wish list, but if others wish to RP, then go for it!

[Milo v3]

"Sorry about that.
Calliope and Keres had no contact before the escape at their facility happened. Calliope orginally made contact with another Umbra Weapon "Project Peitho" who shared a cell block with her. Keres and Peitho then made first contact within the facility. Calliopes regeneration didn't seem to exist until she reappeared three months after her apparent "Death", we hypothesized that Keres might have been related to her new trait, but we can't prove it.

Aniketos, has perfect memory and has huge amounts of knowledge on nearly everything academic. In addition he is very good with computers. He does lack many life skills though such as cooking or socializing. He was a student before Umbra obtained him so he lacked many skills.

Keres seems to gain new skills if he amasses new biomass, he has shown great skill with driving even before we awakened his talets, and appeared to be a great multitasker. Bio reports he had some skill with music.

Cain, being designed as a subsection of Thanatos has multiple survival skills and is very good at resource managment, he also is stubornly loyal. He has rather good senses. He lacked a life before Umbra.

Calliope enjoyed nature; plants, animals, butteflies, stuff like that. She liked brightly coloured things.

Zephyrus has good amount of knowledge on cars, effictively he was a gear head.

And yes you are being sent to terminate these rogue agents before they destroy more facilities.

As for the full bio's you can access them at all times with the E627 AI."

Sorry about not answering those, I kind of hadn't written down all the rogue agents backstories and details so I kind of couldn't answer them without potentially going against something else I've said.

Also once the group gets implanted with the AI's I'll post the Agents full bios on the OC Thread so you can view them at your whim.

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
Moses nods at the information is given. Well then, we best get moving quickly! The apartment awaits!

I'm happy to make a wish/gear list.
And work's been mental for the last few days so I've been out of the loop a bit, sorry about that!

[Lonewolfe208]

Narian skips down the hall-way, and once he get's to the armory, he opens the door and taps on the desk:
"Hey bud, I'm just going to grab some stuff and be on my way..."
Before he can respond, Narian starts moving extremely fast, picking up guns, atomic katanas, grenades, C-4, Rifles, ammo, and other odds and ends before tossing them into a small rift near his head. He then salute the desk jockey and exits the room.

I'll get you a list of things if you want, but Narian threw an arsenal into his magic satchel. He only has his katanas out in the open.

[Exthalion]

There was a clanking sound and a series of large gun racks on one side of the room slide into the floor revealing a dark skinned man in a long coat.

"...I am simply saying 627 that even with the buffer they are often slow to the point of uselessness. Your service as an additional buffer would at least remove the approximation of annoyance they cause."

As he walked in front of the the group without slowing he spoke to Orpheus saying, "Don't worry about the briefing, I have all the data presented and this course of action was the most efficient. I can show you the math on that."

Dispite never having been in this room before he walked unerringly to a particular crate to remove a complicated looking scope. "Out of curiosity, which of the two objectives is primary? As we are in effect each a second generation version of the targets it could be argued that this is truly a test of Umbra's ability to increase control without a loss of effectiveness."

He turned toward the clerk while still walking. "Can I get the AX-DS-E in tungsten-osmium instead of depleted uranium? And a case."

The various parts he had acquired were laid on a desk. The pieces of some sort of long range rifle were all there along with a satellite uplink, an ultra capacitor bank, and a small fission cell.

[jedric]

Leonard simply asks for a .44 Automag and ammo, plus a multi-optic band if one is available. He sees little point in loading himself down with equipment and weapons he won't use,

Multi-optic band: a visor like device which allows vision in the IR & UV spectra, plus magnification equivalent to a microscope or on another setting a set of binoculars.

[Starbin]

Elijah stepped forward with a sheet of paper that he had been busy writing down equipment on and handed it to the quartermaster. "If you please, sir."

Asking for
One high caliber pistol w/armor piercing rounds
One silenced pistol with tracking rounds
Two monomolecular blades
One spool of monomolecular/monofiliment thread (w/handling gloves)
Protective clothing (assuming there's something that hardens when a charge is run through it, or similar technology)
Goggles/glasses similar to Leonard's request, although they simply see in a variety of visual / near-visual bands (more like the Predator sensor suite)
EM activity detector
... Any EMP / ion style weapons for dealing with the Mech warrior?

[Milo v3]

To Narian's annoyance, he couldn't fit all that tech into his pack. It could only hold so much.

Orpheus turned to the dark skinned man while the insane soldier tried to fit a ridiculous number of weapons into a single pack.
"Which objective is Primary? The Termination of the Rogue agents, but we think you should head to the appartment first as it is more likely to be a risk if they aren't at the other location. Your similiar traits will help against them, but that doesn't make this a test."

The man at the desk taps away at his computer, gazing flettingly at the people infront of him. A crate descended from the room, held aloft by twin mechanical arms.

Within was:

.44 Automag + ammo
2 multi-optic bands
Two pistols, nearly exactly the same in appearance, except for their barrels (One was silenced)
Two hexmolecular blades
Armor (its like normal armor but it has a thin layer with a pennut better like thing between the layers, this hardens amazingly when a project comes in contact with it)
EM activity detector
4 EMP Grendes
6 GMD Grenades (Genetic Manipulation Dampening)

[Milo v3]

"Now unless Legion requires some gear I would like to finish this briefing. While in this room you have currently been implanted with nanites which have started to upload and interface E627 with your brains, which should activate within 1 minute. Except for Legion and Phanes who have are automatically added as a "patch" upon entering the vault.

And lastly before you leave, you will be in the presence of an Umbra Officer. He is part of Project Thanatos, though he is no grunt, and will be overseeing the operation.

The Elevator is ready and waiting to send you to the exit, E627 will give you directions to the apartment. You will not be able to contact Umbra again, except through your Officer, so refrain from killing him."

[TheRedPrince]

Mustafa arrives on the elevator, walks into the center of the room and turns to face Orpheus with a crisp salute, then turns and faces the team."Hello my good compatriots, my name is Mustafa and I will be the Umbra Officer on this team. That makes me your communications officer, your tactician, and your commanding officer. And so let me make things perfectly clear right now. You listen to Mustafa and people die. You do not listen to Mustafa and people die. The only difference is who dies. Listening to me ensures the death of your enemies, not listening to me ensures the death of a Project Ark member. Is that clear?" He pauses for a moment and then begins again
"Now unlike most of you, I have survived a war. Several in fact. But your own dear Mister Thomas has survived war as well. So to commemorate his efforts in the field of not dying, I am placing him as my second-in-command. Now I want to make this perfectly clear. No one here is allowed to kill Cain. That son of a bitch is mine to kill." He ends his briefing with quite a bit of zeal

[Milo v3]

Orpheus leans over to Mustafa, and whispers to him.
"Don't forget these Agents are allowed free will, unlike your regular Thanatos grunts. You should give them control over their actions, or they are likely to rebel. Not at the Rogue Agents extent, but they do seem resistant to control."

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
As Mustafa enters and speaks, Moses rolls his eyes. Ohhhh, look at the big man here! he sneers! Stepping forward he pokes Mustafa in the chest, We've been chosen because we're bloody good at what we do! Don't talk to us like we're idiots! If I have to work with you I will, but make no mistake I'll do what I think works! If I get a shot at Cain, I'll take it! I'm not going to miss an opportunity because you have a vendetta!

[Exthalion]

Phanes had been walking toward the elevator before Orpheus finished. His movement was surprisingly quite despite the ten pistols and two sub machine guns he carried on his person. Moreover he carried several knives, two memory metal swords, and the case containing his large rifle.

"I suppose my question will go unanswered. Such is life I suppose."

[THEChanger]

"I am my gear. Though, if you'd be willing to take along a few extra voice projectors in your sack, Narian, I'd be much obliged." Then Mustafa walked in. The longer he talked, the more Legion's swarm buzzed. "You would do well to listen to Orpheus' advice, sir. You'll find that antagonizing Project Ark members in general, and me in specific, has unpleasant consequences. Not necessarily harmful, but unpleasant."

[Starbin]

Having heard the established chain-of-command, Elijah gathered his equipment and waited for the two alpha males to stop sniffing each other out. At the end of the day, he figured it would be Narian to cause problems first, but this might serve the required purpose of solidifying authorities.

[TheRedPrince]

After hearing all the varied reactions to his entrance, Mustafa smiled to himself. He took a moment to think and plan.

It is quite funny when they try to threaten me. Almost reminds me of my third boss. Oh did he love to threaten. Probably explain why he was overthrown so quickly actually... Enough nostalgia, I need to get an ally to help me take down Cain. And there is only one man here besides myself who is suited to fight him

Mustafa looked at Elijah and smiled coyly, and then called out to him.

"Oh Mister Thomas I have a question about your power!"

[Starbin]

Elijah looked up from adjusting his weapons and nodded. Walking over, he stood in a position of modified parade rest. "Yes, sir? You wanted to discuss my abilities?"

[TheRedPrince]

"Just two questions. One, can you sharpen any part of your body to for it to be adequate enough to kill some one. And two, can you copy another biological manipulation?" Mustafa asks quietly, making sure no other can hear

[Starbin]

Pausing a moment to consider the questions, he replied in the same soft tone. "Yes and possibly. There are a number of modifications my body has become accustomed to, a knife-like edge to my hand being one. I cannot 'copy' an individual's physical ability, per se. However, if the trait is something my physiology can duplicate, and I understand the anatomical impact those changes have on the rest of my body, then yes ... I could 'duplicate the same ability someone else has."

After his explanation, he raised a hand in warning. "Remember, however, the the more difficult or drastic the change, the harder it is to achieve ... And the harder it is to maintain."

[TheRedPrince]

"Excellent. Mister Thomas I want you to try to copy Cain's phase ability after we neutralize him. I also need to ask you to tell me which of your team mates would kill a child if ordered to." Mustafa says briskly while starting to walk towards the rest of the group

[Milo v3]

"I suppose my question will go unanswered. Such is life I suppose."


Orpheus turned to the dark skinned man while the insane soldier tried to fit a ridiculous number of weapons into a single pack.
"Which objective is Primary? The Termination of the Rogue agents, but we think you should head to the appartment first as it is more likely to be a risk if they aren't at the other location. Your similiar traits will help against them, but that doesn't make this a test."

I did answer it, though I didn't understand the question 100%.

[Starbin]

Elijah answered almost immediately. "Wolfe, sir, for the promise of XP and 'phat loot' I think he calls it. That being said,our team is comprised of a number of individuals who could undertake such a task with minimal psychological concerns.

At least from my initial assessment."

Without breaking even a glimmer of a smile, Elijah returned to the others.

[TheRedPrince]

"Well my dear Orpheus we shall then make haste to the apartment. If there is no further information you feel that we must know, we shall be off. I will update you at our usual times and in case of any unforeseen happenings." Mustafa started to walk away and motioned for the rest of the team to follow him to the garage when he suddenly turned around. "Erm, Orpheus do you know where I left my machete?" He asks tentatively

[TheRedPrince]

"Ah very good Mister Thomas." Mustafa spoke as he waited for Orpheus to respond. "Mister Thomas, have you ever killed a child?"

[Starbin]

Elijah shooke his head. "Once. While not pleasant, I have found that most killing is not very 'satisfying.' Are you concerned that I do not have the stomach for it?"

[TheRedPrince]

"Oh I am sure you will be fine in your attempt to kill a little girl. But I would rather put Legion or Narian on that task. They are much more suited to the job"

[THEChanger]

A wasp buzzed by Mustafa's ear, to rejoin the swarm that was busy placing small vocal projectors into Narian's sack. Finished with their task, the insects formed themselves into a gigantic smile, and two giant eyes staring at the man. "I heard that. I'd like to remind everyone here that I am not a psychopath. I do not enjoy killing. It is wasteful, especially if a person could prove useful to the hive. But as these individuals have proven to be a threat to the hive, they must be neutralized or eliminated. That does not mean I will have no remorse in killing Project Calliope. It is an unfortunate necessity. But I. Am. Not. Like. Narian." With what needed to be said said, Legion flew out of the room, apparently fed up with his human counterparts.

[TheRedPrince]

"Oh I was mostly referring to the fact that since you have no definite from, and that the little girl's power can be used at a target in front of her, you would both be able to quickly flank her and take her out." Mustafa said coldly

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
Scowling at Mustafa's dismissiveness of him, Moses collects his gear and speaks, Are we ever going to actually get going? By the time we make our move they will have buggered off!

[TheRedPrince]

"Two black sedans should be waiting for us down in the garage, after you Mister Wright." Mustafa says with his usual cold demeanor

[Milo v3]

Orpheus knew it wasn't going to end well with Mustafa in charge, but her superiors insisted.
"As normal I don't know were you left your Machete. Likely in the corpse of someone. But I'm sure you have more nearby, you always seem to find a place to hide them."

You could see the exit from your position. White light shone into the carpark. At first you couldn't see outside, but your eyes slowly adjusted. Two cars were waiting, right near the exit.

[Lonewolfe208]

Elijah answered almost immediately. "Wolfe, sir, for the promise of XP and 'phat loot' I think he calls it. That being said,our team is comprised of a number of individuals who could undertake such a task with minimal psychological concerns.

At least from my initial assessment."

Without breaking even a glimmer of a smile, Elijah returned to the others.

Narian salutes Elijah:
"I hate children! They creep me out, ring around the rosy-BANG!"

And this is why no one loves you.

I love me! So someone does love me!

You don't count. Idiot.

Wait, if no one loves me that means no one loves you either!

Ugh....Go get in the damn car.

I win!!!! Narian clicks his heals together and appears at the sedan.

[Lonewolfe208]

Mustafa arrives on the elevator, walks into the center of the room and turns to face Orpheus with a crisp salute, then turns and faces the team."Hello my good compatriots, my name is Mustafa and I will be the Umbra Officer on this team. That makes me your communications officer, your tactician, and your commanding officer. And so let me make things perfectly clear right now. You listen to Mustafa and people die. You do not listen to Mustafa and people die. The only difference is who dies. Listening to me ensures the death of your enemies, not listening to me ensures the death of a Project Ark member. Is that clear?" He pauses for a moment and then begins again
"Now unlike most of you, I have survived a war. Several in fact. But your own dear Mister Thomas has survived war as well. So to commemorate his efforts in the field of not dying, I am placing him as my second-in-command. Now I want to make this perfectly clear. No one here is allowed to kill Cain. That son of a bitch is mine to kill." He ends his briefing with quite a bit of zeal
Narian snorts out loud as soon as the stuffy asshat walked in the room.
Who the hell does this slimy sack of dog farts think he is?
Narian stops everything he was doing and slides in front of the shorter man.* Well, apprently he believes that he's our boss. Time to prove him wrong. "Lemme get this straight, you are going to tell ME, of anyone in this room, that since you got your rocks off in a few baby wars, that you have more experience then any of us? And you are automatically in charge? " Narian chuckles:
"First off, you can stuff your pretentious orders up your rectum.
Second, I'm around 300 years old, I've served in the military for roughly 100 years. You don't have jack sh!t on me in terms of experience.*
Third, I've read up on you, you aren't a weapon, you're a toy. A toy that has been *lucky enough to not be broken like the fragile piece-of-**** walmart-brand joke that you are.*
And Finally, I would LOVE to see you try and kill me. I have tried to kill me multiple times, It just doesn't work, so I doubt you could even freaking tickle me, let alone injure me. You sir, can go royally screw yourself."
B!tched.
Damn-straight. Oh and remind me to go after cain first.
Why?
Because that anal-bead wants him first.
Dammit Narian! Not this game again...
Narian spits on Mustafa's shoes before turning back to his last minute prepping. Grumbling to himself.

[TheRedPrince]

Narian snorts out loud as soon as the stuffy asshat walked in the room.
Who the hell does this slimy sack of dog farts think he is?
Narian stops everything he was doing and slides in front of the shorter man.* Well, apprently he believes that he's our boss. * Time to prove him wrong. *"Lemme get this straight, you are going to tell ME, of anyone in this room, that since you got your rocks off in a few baby wars, that you have more experience then any of us? And you are automatically in charge? " Narian chuckles:
"First off, you can stuff your pretentious orders up your rectum.
Second, I'm around 300 years old, I've served in the military for roughly 100 years. You don't have jack sh!t on me in terms of experience.*
Third, I've read up on you, you aren't a weapon, you're a toy. A toy that has been *lucky enough to not be broken like the fragile piece-of-**** walmart-brand joke that you are.*
And Finally, I would LOVE to see you try and kill me. I have tried to kill me multiple times, It just doesn't work, so I doubt you could even freaking tickle me, let alone injure me. You sir, can go royally screw yourself."
B!tched.
Damn-straight. Oh and remind me to go after cain first.
Why?
Because that anal-bead wants him first.
Dammit Narian! Not this game again...
Narian spits on Mustafa's shoes before turning back to his prepping. Grumbling to himself.*

"And it only took you several minutes after the conversation was held to finally catch up with the rest of the group" Mustafa indicated to Narian that they had long since left the briefing room. "Hurry along now, there is some work to get done."

[Lonewolfe208]

"And it only took you several minutes after the conversation was held to finally catch up with the rest of the group" Mustafa indicated to Narian that they had long since left the briefing room. "Hurry along now, there is some work to get done."


"Unknown to you, I was waiting at the cars. Thank you very much." Narian stuffs some more explosives into his bag and disappears.

[TheRedPrince]

"Poor immortals, always lose track of time so easily. One of the many reasons I am not letting Umbra touch any of my more vital body systems." Mustafa says while entering the passenger seat of one of the sedans

[Exthalion]

"As a matter of courtesy, I would thank you to not clog up the future with such pointless conversation. Having to here it twice grates on my sanity."

[Lonewolfe208]

Narian laughs:
" Sir, I have perfect awareness of where I am, When I am, And What I am. And I don't believe I'm immortal, Just unkillable."

Ugh.... Narian Those are essentially the same things.

What? No they are no-....Oh crap.

Narian slaps himself on the forehead.

"Stupid!Stupid!Stupid!Stupid!"

[THEChanger]

"Excuse me. But does anyone actually know where we are going?" The man-shape of Legion stood, leaning against one of the black cars, waiting for the rest of the psychos to catch up. While doing so, he decided to try a little experiment. "E627. Call up last known coordinates of target Aniketos."

[Lonewolfe208]

"I'll drive!" Narian teleports into the car and starts the engine.

[Milo v3]

The engine begins humming, as E627 begins to talk.
"Of course O’Niall. The Last Known Location of Project Aniketos is...
Ebony Wood Chair, Lobby, Paragon Appartments, Thirty Second Street, Hasting. This location is within a 1 kilometre radius.

There has been no sight of other Rogue Agents in the Area, nor Aniketos Armor.

Would you like me to send you directions sir/sirs?"

[TheRedPrince]

"Just give the directions to Narian, and E267 are you capable of streaming music directly into our minds?" Mustafa asks curiously

[Milo v3]

The directions are immediately visable to Narian, despite it not being on his eyes. He simply could see them.
"I am able to send any form of audio into your minds. This is how I am currently communicating."

[Starbin]

Elijah listened to the angry banter that seemed to flow so easily between Mustafa and Narian. This would either prove to create a link between them, or set the seen for a falling out or fragging at some later date. Regardless, there was a mission to accomplish, and a few of the teams were still focused on that.

The sudden voice in his head was somewhat disconcerting, but the information given was at least valuable. Blinking, Elijah looked at Mustafa. "Sir, all pyschological word play aside, what is your intent for engaging the targets? Given the amount of military experience on our team, I would be interested in anticipated enemy courses of action we expect to encounter, as well as any courses of actions we are planning in response ... or preparation, as the case may be.

Your thoughts, sir? As well any from the rest of the team?" Elijah looked around at the remaining members in the vehicle, assuming the E267 was transmitting his remarks to everyone.

[Lonewolfe208]

Elijah listened to the angry banter that seemed to flow so easily between Mustafa and Narian. This would either prove to create a link between them, or set the seen for a falling out or fragging at some later date. Regardless, there was a mission to accomplish, and a few of the teams were still focused on that.

The sudden voice in his head was somewhat disconcerting, but the information given was at least valuable. Blinking, Elijah looked at Mustafa. "Sir, all pyschological word play aside, what is your intent for engaging the targets? Given the amount of military experience on our team, I would be interested in anticipated enemy courses of action we expect to encounter, as well as any courses of actions we are planning in response ... or preparation, as the case may be.

Your thoughts, sir? As well any from the rest of the team?" Elijah looked around at the remaining members in the vehicle, assuming the E267 was transmitting his remarks to everyone.

That's a good question, what IS your plan?

"Well, for all those concerned, including the voice in my head, not the AI one, but the actual voice in my head, My plan is to do what I do best, Infiltrate and recon our targets, from there we will have grounds to make some sort of assault on them."

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
Anekitos! When we get to the appartment, we need confirmation that he is still there! Infiltration to set an ambush adn hopeful take him down before he has a chance to respond! He pauses for a moment, E267- how security conscious is Anekitos? Is he likely to be paranoid enough to have set up cameras or surveillance equipment around his location?

[Milo v3]

"Aniketos has previously shown caution. Currently this has been only his 3rd sighting after his Betrayal. In regards to surveillance, it is likely he will or has attempted to access CCTV camera's surrounding Paragon Appartments. Regardless, we haven't detected any changes to the camera's, nor have we located any audio "bugs"."

[Starbin]

Elijah considered the situation for a moment. "Pardon me, E627, but what is the percent of certainty that we have this is indeed Aniketos, and not Keres manipulating his biology in order to look like Aniketos?" This line of reasoning also sparked something else. "Additionally, are you capable of generating the equivalent olfactory sensation as an actual odor? If so, I need unique odors from each of the rogue agents and Aniketos' armor. If not, please arrange for a delivery of items to a location two blocks away from the apartments that contains a piece of clothing or personal item from each of the rogue agents, as well as anything that might have been in close proximity to Aniketos' armor, such as replaced parts, failed items, etc.

If their scents are distinct and strong enough, I might be able to track the group by scent."

Milo, you mentioned Keres was up in OP ... did you mean a write-up for him, cuz I can't find it ...

[Milo v3]

"There is a 30% of that the individual is Aniketos. Also I can synthesize the scent of the Rogue Agents, except for Keres. His biology has made it nearly impossible to gain a scent."

[Starbin]

Elijah sat silent for a moment, then finally spoke. "Interesting. That is a particularly low estimate, indicating a higher probability that this is a trap of sorts, a distraction, or simply bad luck.

E627, given the commonality of my power and Keres' powers, is there a chance to detect his genome based on my own genetic structure?"

[Milo v3]

"Umbra has attempted to locate samples of genetic material of Keres and material similiar to it, but we obtained over twenty signatures. If you wish I could alert you if one is detected within 30, 60, 90, etc. feet."

[Starbin]

Elijah nodded. "That would be prudent, E627. Please notify me in those intervals, unless otherwise notified."

Glancing at the others, he waited to see if they had anything to add.

[Lonewolfe208]

Narian taps the wheel with one of his .45's:

"I'm ready to go when you guys are, Legion, I'd prefer if you come with me, that way you can take control of the car when I take my leave so I can properly recon the area.

[THEChanger]

All of the thousands of wasps in the swarm of Legion turned towards Narian, and a brief moment of utter silence ensued. "Narian. Think about what you just said. Think about it very carefully. And tell me what's wrong with the statement you just made."

[Lonewolfe208]

Narian turns his head slightly, a crooked grin appearing on his face:

"Really now? The all intelligent swarm of wasps can't figure out how to drive a motor ve-hi-cle?"

Must you push everyone's buttons?? I mean, Dammit man! Legion is a valuable asset, You shouldn't be an ass to everyone.

Hey, I never said I was nice, besides, you would think an intelligent swarm like that would be able to drive a freakin' automatic transmission car!

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
We are wasting time! Our target will have left by the time we get in the cars! He rubs his eyes! Strategies for when we get there, who's recon? I can try and sense if he's there first before we blow the crap out of him!

[Lonewolfe208]

Narian puts coords to the rogue's last known location and begins to drive after his team has piled in.

[Starbin]

The fact that Mustafa never answered his request for COAs was not lost on the former soldier. Whether it was a lack of useful input, care or concern or simply a inability to formulate a plan, it clearly indicated a gap in leadership that may haunt the group later.

As they traveled, Elijah tried to consider alternative actions for their mission. "E627, please provide us with a sampling of scents associated with the Aniketos armor, as well as the scents last associated with the other missing Umbra weapons."

[Milo v3]

"Proceeding."
Immediately you smell the scent of the teen.

[Starbin]

"Thank you." Elijah took the time alter his senses, so he could mark this new scent for tracking purposes. Once they got closer, he would try to extend the range of his ability, but would focus on checking the area out around the apartment.

"E627, are these Umbra vehicles the same as have been used in past attempts to apprehend these weapons?"

[Milo v3]

"No; in previous attempts Umbra utilised Armoured Personal Carriers. But they would likely arouse suspicion in this mission.

Note, Narian you have reached the destination."

Outside your window you could see a tall building, each wall covered in glass and a gargantuan cursive P in golden metal.

In the lobby you could see several chairs, a Torus shaped desk. A middle-aged man rested at this desk, a bored expression upon his face.

Down the hall you could see an elevator to the left, and a staircase to the right. The staircase went up and down.

[Starbin]

Elijah lowered the window a crack and took a deep sniff, searching for the scent of the teen.

[Milo v3]

Despite the thousands of other scents in the area, you pick up Aniketos's scent. It appears the teen has moved around in this area either recently or to a great extent previously.

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
Moses looks at Elijah, You've got his scent? Then lets track and kill this bastard! As soon as the cars stop. Moses gets out, draws his gun and sends out his senses trying to catch any emotions Anekitos might be feeling, seeing if he can help Elijah track their quarry.

[Milo v3]

In the area there is a a mix of confidence and anxiousness. Its hard to distinguish which is from Aniketos or even if Aniketos is nearby because of all the other people around.

[Starbin]

Elijah nodded to his question. "He is either here, or has spent a great deal of time here. Howevever ...". The statement went unspoken as Moses exited the car with his gun drawn. Looking about, the empath began to search for their target.

Sighing, Elijah glanced at the others. "However, I cannot confirm his actual presence yet. If this is indeed a trap, Agent Wright has most likely sprung it. Do we all leap out to support, or split up and increase the difficulty for our target to deal with all of us?

Strength in numbers or divide and conquer?"

[Lonewolfe208]

Narian get's out of the car and disappears into the crowd, scouting out the area for their targets.

[Starbin]

Elijah watches Narion depart and shrugs slightly, glancing back at Mustafa. "I suppose that answers my question?".

[Lonewolfe208]

Elijah hears Narian through his communication device:

"Strength in numbers, Subtly in solitude."

[Milo v3]

In the crowd there lies only civilians, people unaware of Umbra.

Unless one of them is Keres in disguise.

The crowd thins as it nears the entrace of the hotel.

[Starbin]

Sliding into the driver's seat, Elijah continued to drive past the complex and around the block, focusing his tracking on whether the scent remained strongest towards the apartments.

"E627, please provide scents for the other missing Umbra weapons as well."

[Milo v3]

Several Aroma's fill your mind, each distinct.
As you drove, you notice that in addition to the strong scent of the teen, you could also smell the scent of Calliope.

[Starbin]

Elijah nodded, almost to himself. "Warning ... Calliope's scent is also present. Use caution."

[Lonewolfe208]

Narian circles the hotel, looking for any exits.

[Milo v3]

Narian, you note that there are several exits. The front door of the building, leading to the lobby. A side entrance, used for loading food into the kitchens. And there appears to be a fire escape to the left of the side entrance.

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
Hearing Elijah's warning over E627, Moses nods, Acknowledged, I'll keep a look out for her. He steps into the hotel lobby, senses extended, trying to read any violent, negative emotions aimed towards him or others members of the team.

[Milo v3]

Throughout the building hundreds of people worried and seeked haste. This lessed as you drifted away from the entrance, slowly becoming one of serenity. But within the serenity lies a single hostile presence.

[Starbin]

Elijah thought via the link. "Has anyone located the targets? I anticipate three potential targets - Aniketos, Callipe, and Keres. I have detected scents associated with the first two, but will most likely be unable to detect the third.

Status report from all active agents, please."

Figure we need a little bump ... and hopefully this will provide an idea of who's still here :smallsmile:

[Lonewolfe208]

Screw it, I'm not waiting around any longer! Narian hears a tsk-tsk sound.

I'm not sure how wise that is, at least ask Elijah for some support. Narian sighs deeply before contacting Elijah:
"Moving in, Requesting support."

[Starbin]

Elijah sighed as he glanced at the silent Mustafa. "Agent Torres, standby - Agent Wright is already in the lobby. Recommend you both approach from that vector.

Agent Wright, cover Agent Torres. Please scan for any instances of higher than normal anxiety - I would presume that 'fight or flight' responses may create a corresponding emotional spike that you can detect. That may be our best chance at locating Keres. It should also identify Calliope, if she is present and still possessed of her inner demons.

Agent O'Niall, provide Agents Wright and Torres with aerial reconnaissance and close support, as required. Disperse and infiltrate as necessary to provide coverage of the three primary exits identified by Agent Torres.

Phanes, please calculate probably escape routes for our targets, as well as the most efficient egress routes for our team should we need to retreat.

Agent Harland and I will provide cordone support from the vehicle, and evacuation as necessary.

E627, we required the following. Provide all members with floor plans of the target appartment buidling and surrounding four city blocks. Provide Agent O'Niall with the additional details of ducting and plumbing layouts. Provide Phanes with historical tendancies of Aniketos, Keres, and Calliope when placed into stressful situations. Start a running timer for coordination on my mark.

Three, two, one ... mark."

Elijah slid into the driver's seat and put the car in a parking spot where everyone still there could see the hotel (just not right in front of the building).

Okay, I guess Elijah will start giving orders. Curious - I know Legion and Phanes have codenames. I think Narian is Wolfe (but was apparently considering Deadpool) ... what about the rest of us? Did Umbra give us names, or are we supposed to chose them?

[Milo v3]

"As you request Mr. Thomas."

Immediately a minimap appeared in the bottom left corner of your vision, showing the layout of the floor each of your are on showing each room, the street, and the nearby buildings.

Except for Legion who gained a different map, granting specific details of all the ventilation, and pipes. With his large number of individuals you can see a layout of the whole area in all three dimensions.

Three seconds later, data started to flow into Phanes mind.
As the information might take a while to write out. I wont post it until I know whether Exthalion is still playing.

[Lonewolfe208]

"Marked and proceeding. Move it or lose it fellas." Narian moves inside, motioning for Moses to follow him to the point of entry to the next floor.

[TheRedPrince]

"Very good Mister Thomas. E267 can you provide a list of all current employees and guests?" Mustafa says while stowing his machete and a small SMG in a duffel bag. "Remember, we are not here to take prisoners."

[Milo v3]

"There are many guests within this hotel, the people which paid for the rooms are:
Shanon Coren.
Amelia Harthorn.
Jack Kiernan.
Sampson Norris.
Cynthia Smith.
Darius Yourn.
Hellena Wroughten."

[Megatron46]

Moses Wright
I sense some hostility here, I'll try adn get a more detailed fix on where they are! he thinks to the others!
As Narian moves past him, Moses follows, straining his senses, trying to pinpoint where the hostile thoughts are, while scanning for any other strong emotions.

[Milo v3]

It seems as though hostility is emerging from the floor above, somewhere right next to the elevator.

[Lonewolfe208]

Narian opens the door for Moses, letting him take point going up the stairs.

[Starbin]

As he waited, watching the main entrance to the apartments, Elijah thought of something. "E627, please cross-reference the list of guests, patrons and employees with known aliases, family members, associates or possible anagrams of names in regard to our targets."

[Milo v3]

"It appears as though Jack Kiernan is an allias as he lacks school records. He has booked a suite on the second floor."

[Lonewolfe208]

As Narian and Moses move up the stairs to breach and clear, Narian begins to rev up the roar, a dull sound, something like the sound of roaring waterfalls, begins to fill his ears.

[Milo v3]

As you ascend the stairs, you do not see anyone. Soon you are on the second floor, being a corridor with several doors to the left. Each wall was painted a faint yellow giving the corridor a golden appearance.

[Starbin]

Elijah glanced at the layout of the structure being provided by the AI. "E627, please highlight Jack Kiernan's suite on the tactical display for Agents Torres and Wright. Agent O'Niall, could you obtain a visual on the suite in question?"

This was progressing nicely, but it seemed a bit ... easy. Glancing around the street, Elijah continued to look for someone surveilling him.

[Milo v3]

"Of course."

Immediately the second room on the second floor turned red on the "mini-map" of each operative.

[Starbin]

"Agents, please proceed with caution ... I advise waiting for Agent O'Niall's assessment of the situation prior to entry."

[Milo v3]

Elijah, you notice that there is young teen male walking back and forth down the street. He has passing three times in the past few minutes.

He could be waiting for someone, but he matches the description of Aniketos.

[Starbin]

"E627, run comparative diagnostics on the individual I am monitoring currently, assess probability that he is Aniketos.

Attention all agents, possible identification of a target out in the open; appears to be waiting for someone, or something. Use extreme caution ... this is starting to feel more like an ambush."

[Lonewolfe208]

Narian sighs, The last thing we need is to get ganked on our first mission out of the base. I don't want us to have to mop up the rest of the team.

Our? This is MY first mission out! Not yours! So shut up and keep moving.

[Milo v3]

"The target identified is one of the following:
Aniketos
A Shapeshifter, such as Keres
Telepath"

Narian
The room which Jack Kiernan has rented is in view; it is wooden, has a golden handle, a slot for a keycard lies at its side.

[Starbin]

"Agent Obeng-Maru, prepare to engage the target pacing outside the apartment. Agent Harlan, please bring the target closer to Agent Obeng-Maru, approximately there ..." Elijah indicated a spot away from the car, near an alley entrance.

Not sure how much further to press if Narian and Elijah are the only two actively participating ... the others seem sporadic at best (and a couple have been incommunicado for awhile). Can we get a little NPCing of those folks as necessary? Specifically, some recon from Legion, some TK via singulartiy from Leonard, and some killing from Mustafa.

Thanks!

[Milo v3]

"That would be highly visible to the people walking around. Are you sure?"

A voice cracked in the minds of Torres and Elijah.
"We can see into the room. We can see a girl, but no one else. She matches the description of Calliope. She appears to be sitting in the main room, watching a cartoon. She doesn't seem alert to our presence."

[Starbin]

Elijah considered the information. "Phanes, please use your cognitive prescient intuition to provide exact timing for one of two possibilities: a) for Agent Harland to use his abilities to draw the target to a more favorable location where Agent Obeng-Maru can deal with him; or b) for Agent Obeng-Maru to surreptitiously approach and deal with the target without causing a scene.

Agent Obeng-Maru, do you wish to coordinate strikes on both individuals simultaneously? Also, if two weapons are here, there are likely more around.

E627, please provide a prioritized list of potential hide sides for the Aniketos armor, in highest probability order, given the following required attributes: close proximity to the apartment, secure from outside interaction, covert entrance and exits, and accomodating to the size of the armor."

Elijah knew things were coming to a head, but he dealt with the challenges the best he could ...

[Milo v3]

"For a) to occur, it will need to be done in 36 seconds, give or take 3.75. b) would be in 57 seconds, give or take 8.0."

[Lonewolfe208]

"I'm ready for the takedown." Narian draws his 1911, breathing deeply and slowly, preparing himself for action.