Post by Kossuth on Jul 12, 2016 18:53:53 GMT -5
// LOADING CLASSIFIED DATA FILE - CLEARANCE LEVEL: BINAH-7.
// OPERATION MAJESTIC GOLD.
// LOCATION: KESSIK IV.
// BEGINNING DATA PLAYBACK.
// LOCAL TIME: 2028 HOURS.
"Cerberus to Angel. We are in position, over."
It was New Years Eve on Kessik IV, and everyone was celebrating. Well, mostly everyone. The revelers on the streets and in the bars and recreation halls were dressed in fancy clothes and costumes... music poured from every direction. From time to time, someone would release the Kessik IV version of a Chinese lantern into the night sky, and would watch it drift up and up and up until you could no longer see it amongst the stars.
But if one of the revelers looked closely -- very closely -- they might discern a shimmering shape on one of the rooftops, right by one of the central antennas which controlled the planetary sensor network. A woman in optic camouflage tinkered with the controls of the antenna... after a few minutes she smiled and touched a spot behind her ear, activating a hidden communicator.
She spoke silently -- the device was advanced enough to pick up the subtle movements of her vocal chords and tongue, transmitting what she was saying even though she never had to open her mouth. "Scarlet to Angel, come in."
Down on the street, a well-dressed Human of Arabic descent turned his attention away from the floats which paraded down the alley. He was Commander Gabriel Frame, otherwise known by his codename as Angel. He was, perhaps, the most skilled containment agent that Avalon had. That's why he was the leader of Raven Squad, the most elite team that Admiral Arak had at his disposal.
"Angel here. Report."
"We've gained access to the planetary sensor network, but we can't detect the target. He may be using some type of scrambler."
Another voice chimed in -- it was that of Lieutenant Commander Blake Hughes, whose camouflaged form shimmered on a rooftop. He kept a bead on Angel through the scope of his rifle as he spoke. "Cerberus here. He knows that someone's after him... of course he's using a jammer. You're going to have to find him the old fashioned way, boss."
Angel exhaled in frustration. It was like finding a needle in a haystack.
They were searching for a Romulan named Takaram Ruwon, a man with shady connections to the recent Project Salvation scandal. They weren't looking to kill him, but rather, save him from a likely assassination -- and hopefully bring him in for questioning. It was just a matter of who would get there first... Project Avalon's Raven Squad, or the assassin.
"Maybe we can find him by finding the assassin." Angel spoke over the encrypted comm channel. "Can you get a bead on any anomalies in the region?"
"Working on it now, Commander." Scarlet replied as Lieutenant Clinton Roberts, the team combat medic known as Dynamo, covered her.
Angel's prosthetic eyes rapidly flicked from left to right as he analyzed each face in the crowd, trying to find a match for Takaram. It was futile... even though his artificial eyes could identify a face in a fraction of a second, there were simply too many people, and many of them were wearing masks.
He needed to get an aerial view... he passed by a happy couple who had a little too much to drink on his way to one of the many Kessik IV sky cars. He hopped inside and began a hurried path over the streets, looking down as he desperately attempted to find a match. His hands danced over the dimly lit console; he was clearly experienced with this type of vehicle. The vehicle hummed softly as he cut through the cold night.
"This is pointless," he spoke. "Scarlet, reconfigure the scanner. Instead of searching for Ruwon, give me a bead on any potential ESP discharges."
The silence was deafening until Scarlet spoke matter-of-factly: "We have an ESP reading. Apartment 372-A in the First Quarter."
Angel jerked the control stick to the right, causing his sky car to rapidly change course. "I'm en route. I want you all to use site-to-site to get a vantage point on the location."
The rest of the team signaled their assent as the Radiant used site-to-site transport to take up sniper positions around the luxurious apartment which towered over the city below. It was at the very top of an impressive high-rise, which was perhaps the largest building in the area. Angel accelerated his skycar toward the wall of polarized transparent aluminum, gunning the engine rather than braking...
Lieutenant Voran Meers, known as Duranja, cringed as he watched the spectacle through the scope of his rifle. Angel's skycar crashed through the transparent aluminum as the agent jumped from his seat, landing in a crouch on the floor of the now-destroyed apartment. Sure, he could have transported, but what beats the element of surprise?
He raised his right arm, which whirred loudly. His robotic hand broke into pieces and flattened against his robotic arm, as the concealed plasma cannon within his forearm became evident. He steadied it with his left hand as he scanned the room. A fancy brown couch... a fully-stocked bar... a replicator terminal... a glass table with a half-empty glass of Romulan Ale... a hallway. Bathroom and bedroom at the end of it.
Angel's prosthetic eyes instantly detected Romulan blood on the floor, just at the end of the hall. He rushed over to the bedroom only to find the mangled body of Takaram Ruwon... it was torn into several parts, with the head apparently torn off and partially concealed under the bed. There was a quick burst of movement -- a man dressed in black hopped out the bedroom window just as Angel entered.
"Contact!" He shouted to his team as he reflexively raised the plasma cannon, sending a blast of orange energy careening at the finely-constructed apartment wall. There was a flash of light -- plasticrete and transparent aluminum shards rained down on the street below, and the air filled with an acrid smoke as the Romulan's luxurious Tholian silk bedsheets caught fire. Angel stepped through the debris and looked down... the man had jumped to a rooftop that was over a hundred feet down. Nobody could jump that far and survive.
Well, maybe not everyone. Angel followed, his cybernetic legs taking the brunt of the fall as he shattered the plasticrete rooftop of the apartment building with his landing. The sensors at the edge of his vision blared -- it looked like he would be paying for that stunt later, as the servos in his legs whined.
The chase was on. Angel followed the man in black over rooftop to rooftop, occasionally jumping to higher ones or down to lower ones. The man grumbled -- no, it was more of a growl -- as he did not expect to have such an agile opponent.
"He's heading for a dead-end!" Duranja called out over comms.
And indeed, the man in black found himself facing a wall that was too high for him to scale. He whipped around to face his pursuer, his face covered in a sort of angular black mask. The only thing Angel could see were two silver eyes glowing at him in the night.
Four green laser dots appeared on the man in black's chest and head as Raven Squad took aim... but did not fire. Angel had planned this.
Before the esper could act, Angel tossed a small red glowing disk at the man in black. The esper growled angrily as he looked down at the device, which latched onto his chest and caused a cascade of red forcefields to appear over his body. They appeared and disappeared seemingly at random -- just as the esper avoided one of them, another popped up. Catching an esper was about playing the long game. You had to tire them out.
But this esper was not tired.
"The Stunner is running out of juice!" Scarlet called out over the comms with a hint of desperation in her voice. Angel tossed another... but it was no use.
"Damn it! Get ready to take it out!" Angel shouted.
"Our orders are to take him alive." Cerberus noted flatly.
"Forget the orders. Light him up!" Angel gave the order, and the team complied.
Sniper shots cut through the night air, smashing into the struggling esper. He gave a horribly inhuman scream as the beams cut through his flesh. The smell of burning skin was unmistakable. The shots also tore the man's clothing, leading Angel to observe something strange... his skin seemed human, but with horrible thick black veins covering it.
The esper continued to scream as his body contorted in ways that Angel thought impossible. The team pumped shot after shot into him, but somehow the flesh kept reforming. His bones cracked as they re-formed... the skin made a disgusting stretching noise as it repaired itself.
Angel cranked his plasma cannon up to 100%. It began to glow orange as it charged up... just as the Stunners failed completely. Angel's heart skipped a beat as the esper charged right for him, claws breaking out of black gloved hands. The agent's artificial eyes gave a distance readout as the esper got closer... 50 meters... 40 meters... 30 meters... 20 meters... DANGER CLOSE...
He overrode the "danger close" safety limiter just as the esper was right on top of him...
In a flash of orange light, it all went dark. The last thing he heard, just as he hit the ground, was the sound of Scarlet's voice...
"Agent down!"
// MISSION STATUS: FAILED
// OPERATION MAJESTIC GOLD.
// LOCATION: KESSIK IV.
// BEGINNING DATA PLAYBACK.
// LOCAL TIME: 2028 HOURS.
"Cerberus to Angel. We are in position, over."
It was New Years Eve on Kessik IV, and everyone was celebrating. Well, mostly everyone. The revelers on the streets and in the bars and recreation halls were dressed in fancy clothes and costumes... music poured from every direction. From time to time, someone would release the Kessik IV version of a Chinese lantern into the night sky, and would watch it drift up and up and up until you could no longer see it amongst the stars.
But if one of the revelers looked closely -- very closely -- they might discern a shimmering shape on one of the rooftops, right by one of the central antennas which controlled the planetary sensor network. A woman in optic camouflage tinkered with the controls of the antenna... after a few minutes she smiled and touched a spot behind her ear, activating a hidden communicator.
She spoke silently -- the device was advanced enough to pick up the subtle movements of her vocal chords and tongue, transmitting what she was saying even though she never had to open her mouth. "Scarlet to Angel, come in."
Down on the street, a well-dressed Human of Arabic descent turned his attention away from the floats which paraded down the alley. He was Commander Gabriel Frame, otherwise known by his codename as Angel. He was, perhaps, the most skilled containment agent that Avalon had. That's why he was the leader of Raven Squad, the most elite team that Admiral Arak had at his disposal.
"Angel here. Report."
"We've gained access to the planetary sensor network, but we can't detect the target. He may be using some type of scrambler."
Another voice chimed in -- it was that of Lieutenant Commander Blake Hughes, whose camouflaged form shimmered on a rooftop. He kept a bead on Angel through the scope of his rifle as he spoke. "Cerberus here. He knows that someone's after him... of course he's using a jammer. You're going to have to find him the old fashioned way, boss."
Angel exhaled in frustration. It was like finding a needle in a haystack.
They were searching for a Romulan named Takaram Ruwon, a man with shady connections to the recent Project Salvation scandal. They weren't looking to kill him, but rather, save him from a likely assassination -- and hopefully bring him in for questioning. It was just a matter of who would get there first... Project Avalon's Raven Squad, or the assassin.
"Maybe we can find him by finding the assassin." Angel spoke over the encrypted comm channel. "Can you get a bead on any anomalies in the region?"
"Working on it now, Commander." Scarlet replied as Lieutenant Clinton Roberts, the team combat medic known as Dynamo, covered her.
Angel's prosthetic eyes rapidly flicked from left to right as he analyzed each face in the crowd, trying to find a match for Takaram. It was futile... even though his artificial eyes could identify a face in a fraction of a second, there were simply too many people, and many of them were wearing masks.
He needed to get an aerial view... he passed by a happy couple who had a little too much to drink on his way to one of the many Kessik IV sky cars. He hopped inside and began a hurried path over the streets, looking down as he desperately attempted to find a match. His hands danced over the dimly lit console; he was clearly experienced with this type of vehicle. The vehicle hummed softly as he cut through the cold night.
"This is pointless," he spoke. "Scarlet, reconfigure the scanner. Instead of searching for Ruwon, give me a bead on any potential ESP discharges."
The silence was deafening until Scarlet spoke matter-of-factly: "We have an ESP reading. Apartment 372-A in the First Quarter."
Angel jerked the control stick to the right, causing his sky car to rapidly change course. "I'm en route. I want you all to use site-to-site to get a vantage point on the location."
The rest of the team signaled their assent as the Radiant used site-to-site transport to take up sniper positions around the luxurious apartment which towered over the city below. It was at the very top of an impressive high-rise, which was perhaps the largest building in the area. Angel accelerated his skycar toward the wall of polarized transparent aluminum, gunning the engine rather than braking...
Lieutenant Voran Meers, known as Duranja, cringed as he watched the spectacle through the scope of his rifle. Angel's skycar crashed through the transparent aluminum as the agent jumped from his seat, landing in a crouch on the floor of the now-destroyed apartment. Sure, he could have transported, but what beats the element of surprise?
He raised his right arm, which whirred loudly. His robotic hand broke into pieces and flattened against his robotic arm, as the concealed plasma cannon within his forearm became evident. He steadied it with his left hand as he scanned the room. A fancy brown couch... a fully-stocked bar... a replicator terminal... a glass table with a half-empty glass of Romulan Ale... a hallway. Bathroom and bedroom at the end of it.
Angel's prosthetic eyes instantly detected Romulan blood on the floor, just at the end of the hall. He rushed over to the bedroom only to find the mangled body of Takaram Ruwon... it was torn into several parts, with the head apparently torn off and partially concealed under the bed. There was a quick burst of movement -- a man dressed in black hopped out the bedroom window just as Angel entered.
"Contact!" He shouted to his team as he reflexively raised the plasma cannon, sending a blast of orange energy careening at the finely-constructed apartment wall. There was a flash of light -- plasticrete and transparent aluminum shards rained down on the street below, and the air filled with an acrid smoke as the Romulan's luxurious Tholian silk bedsheets caught fire. Angel stepped through the debris and looked down... the man had jumped to a rooftop that was over a hundred feet down. Nobody could jump that far and survive.
Well, maybe not everyone. Angel followed, his cybernetic legs taking the brunt of the fall as he shattered the plasticrete rooftop of the apartment building with his landing. The sensors at the edge of his vision blared -- it looked like he would be paying for that stunt later, as the servos in his legs whined.
The chase was on. Angel followed the man in black over rooftop to rooftop, occasionally jumping to higher ones or down to lower ones. The man grumbled -- no, it was more of a growl -- as he did not expect to have such an agile opponent.
"He's heading for a dead-end!" Duranja called out over comms.
And indeed, the man in black found himself facing a wall that was too high for him to scale. He whipped around to face his pursuer, his face covered in a sort of angular black mask. The only thing Angel could see were two silver eyes glowing at him in the night.
Four green laser dots appeared on the man in black's chest and head as Raven Squad took aim... but did not fire. Angel had planned this.
Before the esper could act, Angel tossed a small red glowing disk at the man in black. The esper growled angrily as he looked down at the device, which latched onto his chest and caused a cascade of red forcefields to appear over his body. They appeared and disappeared seemingly at random -- just as the esper avoided one of them, another popped up. Catching an esper was about playing the long game. You had to tire them out.
But this esper was not tired.
"The Stunner is running out of juice!" Scarlet called out over the comms with a hint of desperation in her voice. Angel tossed another... but it was no use.
"Damn it! Get ready to take it out!" Angel shouted.
"Our orders are to take him alive." Cerberus noted flatly.
"Forget the orders. Light him up!" Angel gave the order, and the team complied.
Sniper shots cut through the night air, smashing into the struggling esper. He gave a horribly inhuman scream as the beams cut through his flesh. The smell of burning skin was unmistakable. The shots also tore the man's clothing, leading Angel to observe something strange... his skin seemed human, but with horrible thick black veins covering it.
The esper continued to scream as his body contorted in ways that Angel thought impossible. The team pumped shot after shot into him, but somehow the flesh kept reforming. His bones cracked as they re-formed... the skin made a disgusting stretching noise as it repaired itself.
Angel cranked his plasma cannon up to 100%. It began to glow orange as it charged up... just as the Stunners failed completely. Angel's heart skipped a beat as the esper charged right for him, claws breaking out of black gloved hands. The agent's artificial eyes gave a distance readout as the esper got closer... 50 meters... 40 meters... 30 meters... 20 meters... DANGER CLOSE...
He overrode the "danger close" safety limiter just as the esper was right on top of him...
In a flash of orange light, it all went dark. The last thing he heard, just as he hit the ground, was the sound of Scarlet's voice...
"Agent down!"
// MISSION STATUS: FAILED