Russia arc

[Asrana]

"Movement would have bee ill-advised until we knew where to go. With many disabled vehicles and dwindling supplies, wasted motion can be the difference of survival."

She slipped the map back into her pack, "Now that we know a successful route, we will use it as soon as possible."

[Rezantis]

Kale looked like he was about to say something, then appeared to change his mind as Relm opened her mouth.  "How soon is possible, then?"

[Asrana]

"Once my officers and I balance how to move all of my troops out of here, pull in the scouts and snipers from every entrance besides the road tot Magada, and have the troops mobilized."

She looked around, "With most of the units already mobilized for reaction forces...I'd give an eta of three hours."

[Rezantis]

"That's fairly quick,"  Relm's eyes flicked towards Kale meaningfully, "Would it worry you if I tagged along?  Some... fresh air... would be nice."

Kale gave a slightly disgusted snort and turned away, walking towards the back of the vehicle.

[Asrana]

"Most of them are already mobilized in case we're attacked. So it's simply turn most of them and prep for movement."

Laika smiled knowingly once Kale had turned, "Sure, Oneesan. Come along if you want." She began the walk back to her tent, grabbing an idle scout and sending him to gather her officers.

[Rezantis]

Relm followed slightly behind Laika as she began walking off.

"Thank you... I've had to put up with him for a touch too long, lately, and the atmosphere was starting to get a touch rancid."

[Bean Bandit]

OOC: St. Petersburg

IC:
Black began examining the contents of the boxes, hoping to run into medical supplies.

A few intial boxes looked promising, with medicine and the like, and by the fourth box...he hit the jackpot. A large tank of nitrogen, and freeze resistant tubing keeping specimen jars cooled below 0 degrees.

Quickly removing the nitrogen tank and the tubing, Black carefully returned to the hallway, and began silently moving toward the basement levels...

[Bean Bandit]

OOC: St. Petersburg

IC:
Black silently made his way to the nearest elevator, keeping watchful for more guards. He found one about thirty feet from the storeroom he'd taken shelter in.

Stopping in front of the door, he looked around for a moment. His roving eyes finally lit on a small, handheld fire extinguisher near the door. He checked the label, noting that it had been recently refilled.

He picked it up, and silently slipped inside the elevator.

He set the nitrogen tank down before hitting the button for the basement, level 3. He adjusted his katana on his belt, then knelt beside the nitrogen tank, and quickly began removing the tubing attatchment.

He then twisted the nozzle on the tank, letting a tiny, but noticeable amount of nitrogen gas leak out. He quickly tucked the tubing away under his cloak.

In the few moments it took to drop down to the lower levels, the elevator was noticably cooler than before.

The elevator chimed once signalling it's arrival, and Black dropped his hand to his katana, holding the small fire extinguisher in the other, waiting cautiously to see what was on the other side of the door...

[Bean Bandit]

OOC: Showdown: Part Two

IC:
Inside the Subconcious Mind of Cardinal Black.

Bean looked up at the silouette, the black of his cloak stark against the crimson sky of the cityscape.

"You... I don't understand this. I am Cardinal Black. So...How can you exist?" he murmured.

The man in black looked down at Bean, the reddish light glinting off his mask. His face was hidden, but the sneer in his voice was plain. "You? You're too weak to be Cardinal Black."

Bean's eyes narrowed as he glared at the man in black. "You know NOTHING about me..."

Suddenly, the familiar image of a slender, blue haired girl appeared, Cardinal Black's hand encircling her neck. "I know enough..." he mocked.

"You....I hate you." Bean spat, a burning knot of anger swelling in his gut. "You've ruined my life...stolen my humanity..."

Black squeezed, suddenly, snapping the girl's neck, and letting her drop lifelessly to the ground. "Emotional...defensive...You're weak." he said coldly.

Bean closed his eyes, horrified. "It's not real....Oh Kami..."

<To be continued>

[Asrana]

As soon as she entered her tent, the cool expression fell into one of concern.

What would she do about the scouts? They had some of their best equipment and soldiers.

She sighed, they couldn't stay here. Too much risk of detection with this many troops in one place and stringing them out would just increase the risk of destruction if ever found.

Her legs folded into a lotus position on instinct as she sat on one of the tatami mats in her tent, removing the map from her pack and laying it out in front of her.

Gesturing to another mat behind and to the side of her own for Relm, she contemplated the map. Since coms were jammed noone knew exactly where the scouts were, and she couldn't risk someone banging around trying to find them.

Emitting a sigh of disappointment with her own inability to find a better solution, she looked over the last possibility, she'd have to leave a few people here to inform the scouts once they got back. Probably some units that simply needed time to be fixed...

Fixing the calm expression back in place, she waited for the arrival of her officers. They couldn't be allowed to see her like this, ever. It would only fuel the flames of their injured egos.

She relaxed her muscles slightly, waiting for her officers to arrive so she could begin telling them her plan.

[Dracos]

The steel door opened revealing a darkness...  the lights of the elevator shutting off as certain ordinances were activated.

Above the computer systems were set on top alert as the guards failed to find the intruder.

Fearless Leader

[Dracos]

OOC: dual postage

IC:

Black's keen eyesight peered into the blackness and saw...

Three shadowy hallways split off from the elevator.  Built of the highest quality metal they hid all manners of sensor arrays beneath them.  The one to the left was marked "Prison Block A", the one  to the right marked "Prison Block B", and the one leading off to the center marked "Prison Block C".  The one spy has mentioned as he was leaving was the most likely place for them to hold Dr. Andonuts.

Just at the edge of Black's sight, red lasers could be seen, briefly flashing across the corridor.

Fearless Leader

[Bean Bandit]

OOC: St. Petersburg

IC:

Black looked into the inky shadows, staring hard at the laser beams. He picked up the nitrogen tank, taking his hand off his katana to grip the fire extinguisher, gratified that none of the robot guards had been there to greet him.

He stepped out of the elevator, squeezing a short burst on the fire extinguisher as he stepped out the door. The misted chemicals revealed a single infrared beam near the elevator door. He stepped out into the corridor, over the beam.

He approached the hallway marked "Prison Block C" and stood in the entrance, eyeing the few visible laserbeams. Finally, he raised the fire extinguisher again, and fired a short burst above the visible lasers, the foaming chemicals exposing more, invisible infrared beams above the others.

Black memorized their location and mentally reviewed the pattern of the beams. After a long moment, he'd decided on the easiest way to travel through them, and matching thought to action, he beganslipping his way through the beams....

[Bean Bandit]

OOC: St Petersburg

IC:
Black picked his way through the infrared beams, the faint sounds of the hissing nitrogen tank and the occaisonal 'fsshhhht' from the fire extinguisher the only sounds in the silence of the prison hall.

He began looking at the cell doors cautiously. Near the end of the hall was a large, prominent cell. Black walked over to investigate it, still weaving his way through the infrared beams...

[Dracos]

Dr. Andonuts rose from his bed.  He might be a fat, out of shape, donut-craving old man in a scruffy formerly white labcoat, but  he had keen ears.  His twin hair peaks alongside his bald head were no longer the finely combed and styled green of triangles of old.  Turning his tired face, he rose from his steel cot.  A few empty donut boxes lay on the floor.  His eyes widened.  Someone was out there.  Out there on the other side of the double layer of interleaving laser bars that kept him in his cell.

"Who's there?" he croaked in a frightened voice.

Fearless Leader