thisavrou_log | Arc II Final Log B: Mother's Child

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Arc II Final Log B: Mother's Child

Who: Mother (

awar) and the team that signed on to help her.
When: September 24
Where: The Ingress Complex
What: A rescue mission
Warnings: Violence, body horror, and more. Label your headers!

A grudge against your former captors. An obligation to repay a debt. An investment in the well-being of young children, or a desire to see things to the end. Any number of reasons might have brought you here, to the side of the woman who gives no name but her role. Mother's interests are anything but secret, and as calm as her outward demeanor might appear, the bonded can sense the trembling rush of emotion seething out from underneath her skin. Desperation. Loathing. Even the smallest fraction of something that might have once been fear.

It's been too long. It's been much, much too long.

But it's time for all of you to see your promise through.

[The starters below are designed for mix and match! Create your own sub-threads, tag around, or hybridize different elements freely! Mother will be present throughout events, though only NPC'd in the last thread. That thread will be tagged on an approximate 24 hour basis by the NPC journal; as many players as want to may comment in with their own actions in between. If the schedule needs to be switched up, we'll let you know!

For more information on current and upcoming events, check out the OOC post here!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A stolen EN-line shuttle provides conveyance. Your allies in the Mediation Center offer you the means. When the field around the Ingress Complex drops, your team takes off: leaving a war-torn world for the darkness of space—or, at least, the space that should have been darkness. Over the last few weeks, the storm over the Ingress has compounded on itself, and jagged lights crackle in and out as you fly near. They seem to drain ship power more than overload it, and the flickering of lights may necessitate some form of repair—or a pilot very skilled at dodging.

Whatever shape you arrive in, your entry won't go unnoticed. The hatch is sealed against intrusion, and cutting through will bring one face to face with Ingress Security, and several of the intermediaries stationed here. They'll ask you once to lower your weapons. To come peacefully.

But when it's clear how few of you have interest in their words, they won't try to use words again.

[Yondu is still a little frayed from a rough landing (dodging all that had been rough as hell, and one would think at some point he was fueling the ship on swearing alone)]

This thing isn't going to get us back outa here. [He wars over his shoulder, doing one last check of their engines.] Not without a hell of a lotta repair, nohow.

[They'll have to get through that sealed hatch. He'll let someone else take care of that while he's locking down what he can. There's no guarantee they'll find another ship to use to get out later. They might have to kick this one later to get it up off its ass.]

[The rough landing hadn't phased Zer0 at all, he's seen worse. He'd already strapped his gear on and was getting the door open. Party time, kids]

We'll figure it out. / Perhaps we can steal something / While on our way back.

[Those unfamiliar with Wanda's abilities might think she's zoned out - she's staring at nothing in particular, eyes unfocused, for a long minute. But she snaps back to 'reality' without outside intervention.]

They're coming. And there are Intermediaries with them.

[Might want to hurry with that hatch...]

[ The ride had certainly been a bumpy one, some of the death-defying maneuvers enough to make just about anyone lose their lunch. All of them have made it in one piece, though, and there isn't much in the way of time for recovery. They need to move. No doubt the Savrii already know they're here.

According to the one of their ten, they're already on the way. Snake doesn't bother asking her how she knows that. They've got all types here.

He approaches the hatch and goes through the multi-step process to get it open: pulling a couple of levers, and then pressing buttons on a control pad.

Slowly, it begins to open. He looks over his shoulder at the rest of the group. ]

Get ready.

Ah, just like the good ol' days.

[Cayde mutters, perhaps not sure if he's wistful or could rather do without. Maybe half and half.]

I think we're lucky we made it in one piece! There's gotta be another ride somewhere. Ghost, with me.

[The floating AI at his shoulder gives something of a nod before vanishing with a brief sparkle of light into the Exo. He already had enough time being separated from the little guy, not about to lose it again.

He won't ask how the girl knows they've got company on the way, but then again, it may as well be a given for their less than stealthy arrival. As Snake gets the hatch, he nods, bringing up his handcannon, giving it a twirl before he grips it firmly.]

[The Big Sister doesn’t speak to her compatriots—hasn’t spoken at all since they met. The psychic(s) among them may be able to feel her thoughts all the same, a storm of well-practiced rage and… satisfaction. This is familiar, this is right, this is what she's for. The sentiment goes unexpressed to everyone else, though she’s anything but shy now that the door is opening before them. She shoulders to the front of the group, one hand raised at her side, though without a weapon. Even so, those standing near that hand might notice a peculiar heat suddenly swirling in the air…

The first sign of adult life that appears on the other side of the hatch will be met with a hurled fireball before the hatch is even completely open.]

[There's fighting starting, and Yondu doesn't seem particularly alarmed yet. He passes a glance to the hatch but doesn't get involved just yet. He casually continues the lockdown.]

[Once that's done, he pulls back the lapel of his coat and waits to see how the others are doing first. He wants to fully get through and see what's on the other side of that hatch before acting.]

[Zer0 had stepped to the back of the group when the fireball shooting turbo-chick had muscled her way to the front of the line (cool trick by the way, hard to go wrong with fireballs), and had readied his rifle. As soon as the hatch is fully open, he takes aim,]

Opening fire.

[And does just that, firing once he has a clear shot and dropping some poor sucker outside. Don't worry kids, he's a pro at this. Nobody's getting shot in the back. But he might inadvertently be using some of you as meat shields.]

Alright! That's pretty sweet!

[Lup seems awfully pleased at the sight of Zer0's gun. She's seen them before on other worlds but they're still something new and exciting to her. This one doesn't fire as fast as the one she and her brother had played with so there was no point in counting the shells but it was still impressive nonetheless.

In response, she rolls up her sleeves and pulls up her wand before adjusting the wizard hat on her had.]

As I like to say but I've only been able to say it once so I'm glad to say it again: "let's light them the fuck up"!

"Inward," says Mother. Always inward. But if the group at the docking bay was the largest force the Savrii could assemble, they aren't nearly the only obstacles you'll face. The scientists and technicians who make this place their home have set up roadblocks: improvised traps, automated defenses, and series on series of locked off halls.

Hidden among this maze of obstruction are the combatants who remain. Those who split from your team to scout or spy may find themselves ambushed... or, encounter crucial means of bypassing their defenses. Be creative, work together, and guard each others' backs.

Home, sweet home.

[Said flatly as Cayde pauses but briefly to look around. At least he hadn't had much that he kept in his room on the Complex that he doesn't think about making a quick dash to gather them.

Instead he moves after and then past the Mother as they continue down the empty corridors. Optics narrowed, he keeps an eye out externally while his Ghost runs continuous scans for anything that might be worth taking note of- unusual power spikes, head signatures from bodies on the move.]

Unless there are any objections, I'm gonna take a look ahead.

No objections here. / Allow me to assist you, / We'll cover more ground.

[Zer0 has the same idea, moving out ahead of the rest of the group with his sword drawn. His own scans hadn't turned anything up yet, but maybe this robot dude could pick up something he couldn't.]

[Cayde shrugs.]

The more the merrier.

[Well, no. That'd probably just make scouting ahead moot point, but one more isn't going to hurt. Nodding at Zer0, he turns and then starts along at a light trot before vanishing in a brief shimmer. Some ways down he just reappears, peering around a corner.]

[Even two might be more than enough, but with the way things had been going, having someone around to watch your back isn't a terrible idea.

Zer0 has about the same idea Cayde does as far as scouting goes. Activating his stealth cloak, he vanishes from view, reappearing once he's checked the corner opposite to the one Cayde stopped at.]

Clear this way.

[So far so good! Maybe this won't end in horrible tragedy.]

[ At this point they're deep into the belly of the facility. They'd all spread out. A group of ten couldn't accomplish much in the narrow, trap-ridden corridors. The idea is to meet up again once the place is cleared out, and Snake's been working his way through a portion of it meticulously, with Jack at his shoulder.

So far they've found a few trip wires, no doubt linked to explosives somewhere, and Snake's shot out some security cameras. He knows it will probably only get worse from here, but they need to go room by room.

As they approach the next door on their trek, Snake stops outside of it, straining his ears to hear anything. His eyes flick back to Jack. ]

Sounds clear, but let's go in slow. I'll take point.

[ He reaches out for the door handle, waiting for Jack to give him the go ahead before he eases it open. ]

[Inward she said, and inward you've come. Past the docking bay and housing quarters. Past the trading areas and research labs. To the restricted areas of the complex. Those guarding the Ingress. The ones the Savrii sealed first when the "contaminant" was sighted on their worlds.

Ahead stands the maze-like framework of machinery that makes the core of this place. All technicians have been left behind, all guards disposed of. The only sound is your own breathing. Your steps. And the low, living hum of the Ingress.

Mother's eyes glow brilliantly, light pulsing underneath her skin as she stares forward. Her expression is inscrutable, her voice raw and strained.]

This way.

[She moves ahead.]

[Mother's psychic presence is so bright it's distracting, and the physical quiet of this place is really unsettling. Still, stretching her senses seems to reveal...nothing.

But after everything they've been through, it's hard to trust that there are no more traps, nothing else she couldn't sense that's meant to hinder there progress. And she remembers how Strucker was - he would never have left the twins' immediate area unguarded. The Savrii may not be too different.

Wanda follows, but she's tense and wary.]

Be careful. This is too quiet.

[ Too quiet is right. Snake's running low on ammo at this point, but he's got his gun out and is on edge for any possibility. It's hard to believe that it's all over, that they've actually succeeded against the Savrii when they've been under their thumb for so long.

The mind link connecting most of them to Mother seems to speak for itself at this point, but Snake figures there's at least one point that needs to be made, for those among their group who may not have handled this sort of assignment before. ]

Once we find her, we should give them some space.

[ That kid is bound to be terrified, after what the Savrii have put her through. The only person she's really going to want to see is her mother. ]

[Even with the Mother taking point, Cayde follows while his Ghost internally monitors things for any signs of trouble.]

Yeah, gotcha...

[He murmurs somewhat distractedly, but he's more concerned about actually getting there first. Mrs. Creepy can do whatever she likes once they free the kiddo.

I'm not picking up anything so far, his Ghost informs him, unheard by the others.]

...it's the so far that's the problem...

Kids get scared. [Yondu agrees with Snake, stating the obvious, but also with a sort of knowing tone in his voice. A level of experience. That kid's probably scared out of her mind.]

[He also agrees with the guy with the strange floating origami ball and the cute young woman in the leather. It's too quiet.]

Maybe we don't got the right ears to listen.

[Maybe the psychics can hear something they can't.]

[Zer0's keeping an eye on their rear, pistol at the ready in case anyone they may have missed tries to sneak up on them. So far they'd been clear, but you can never be too careful.]

We'll keep our distance. / Though the child is not like / A typical kid.

[She certainly hadn't acted like a kid the last Zer0 had seen her, and he had a feeling that this encounter was going to be even weirder this time around.]

[76 is feeling a little better now that he has his gun back, but there's still far too many uncertainties involved for him to be any sort of confident. He's still waiting for the other shoe to drop--if Mother is going to turn on them once she has what she wants, and then he wonders if she can feel that thought, linked as they are. If it isn't going to screw them all in the end.

He's not sure what they're up against, but he's about as prepared as he can be, having poured over the video footage that Zer0 gave him more times than he count. The strange silence of the Ingress doesn't do anything to put him at ease, and he keeps his gun at the ready.]

Anything in particular we should be looking for?

[Addressed to Mother, of course.]

[The warnings go unheeded. The muttered cautions and concerns, more so. 76's direct address earns only the most fleeting glance, gaze bright and humming with the same strange, seething energy—something 76 will feel, more than see. All those linked to Mother can, though the build is subtle.

If she knows what he's thinking—if she cares—she gives no sign. Only a slow, careful breath as her gaze turns forward again. Through the infrastructure. Past it.]

There's no need. Not here.

[She doesn't hesitate. A faint, silvery light seeps through the passages ahead. It seems familiar.]

[Cayde's the odd one out, but then he might have objections to feeling someone else's building anxiety. Actually he'd had objections to having someone else with access to his head to begin with, and so...here we are.

But it hasn't stopped him from being here and doing what he does best.

He doesn't comment any more regarding the kid. He'll take these guys' words for it, but he'll figure Big Mama will do what she pleases when the time comes. Although he can't help but have similar concerns as 76 might entertain.

Blue optics narrow as he catches the glimpses of light ahead. He looks around at the others and then frontwards again as they continue, his favorite handcannon, the Ace of Spades poised and ready.]

...after all this, where will you go?

[This he finds himself asking the Mother.]

Arrival

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Incursion

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for soldier: 76

Terminus

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