Slavegear - Part 4

"I'll take the jammer. Just don't expect it not to be smashed" Moon said back "I'm gonna have to cut the spell. I can't hold it." She gasped before she dropped the spell. Moon gasped and took a few seconds to focus before standing. She then looked about and headed out to the tower.

(Omega)
Omega unsheathed his own sword from his back. The room lights briefly glinting off the metal surface. "I'll head towards Marek location and secure it, the Vampire Unit may still come back into play if he dies here"

(Tarmikos)
Unable to respond to anyone Tarmikos decided that it would be in his best interest to head towards the communication jammer.

Rain snaps a few pictures of the files before she draws her estoc and it leaves its sheath with a metalic hiss, "im taking the jammer with moon!" she quickly legs it out of the room sprinting, her left hand goes to the stelleto on her right hip, she draws that as well, her wings open and she soars through the bottom deck as she tries to make her way to the top.

(Radiance)

Johan's footsteps were heard about 10 meters ahead. He was blindly running through a corridor, leaving a track of tears.

As you continue your pursuit, you suddenly run into a group of people, that popped out of an adjacent corridor.

The corridor was cramped and the group seemingly unintentionally blocked off your path.
Johans footsteps faded, somewhere ahead. By the sound of it, he took the stairs and descended down.

The group of people in front of you, turned to face you and began to deliberately block you path, one of them raising his hand and pushing you back.

"..target" one of them whispered.
"..you're clear" another one said, looking around.

The next second, you heard a barely audible sound of an unsheathing metal and the man in front of you suddenly thrust his arm towards your neck.











(Omega)

"Okay" Kaylee nodded: "I'm heading towards the Hangar bay"
The pegasi soldier stood up and grabbed a sword: "I'll acompany you ma'am"

They both stood up and quickly left the room.
Harlequin grabbed her laptop and sprinted after Rain.

As you begin to make your way through the building, audible sounds of battle began to echo from several directions.
From above, from somewhere below and further down the corridor. You heard screaming and the sound of steel, clashing with steal.

The prison cellblock should be three floors below. You notice a set of stairs and the elevator doors next to you.

You suddenly hear some sort of battle begin, further down the hallway where you are standing.












(Rain, Moon, Twilight, Tarmikos)

There was a large, tall tower, standing in the middle of the base. Its metal walls were slightly tinted with a dark blue color and a massive structure was built at its top.


A large open platform, stretched below the tower, connecting it to several building around it.

Several seconds pass and Rain could be seen, exiting one of the buildings.
Harlequin was closely following her, a sword in her hand. You notice Harlequin wearing a large backpack.


A few moments later, Tarmikos emerged from the medical wing, a few dozen meters away.

Moon and Twilight could be seen in a third building.

As Moon ran outside to the platform, she passed a sleeping guard, by her buildings exit.
On closer inspection however, Moon noticed that the guard wasn't breathing. He was dead, a small mark of a stab wound on his neck. His body deliberately placed in a way that would not raise suspicion.

Rain, Moon, Tarmikos and Harlequin all stood on the platform now. A blue sky above.

Harlequin waved everyone over and pointed to the tower in the middle:
"There! The jammer's up there!"

She looked at Moon: "Where's Twilight? Is she with you?"


As you look around, you notice a group of five people, mingling by the towers entrance. They wore baggy navy fatigues and sun caps over their heads. Mother Base personnel, by the looks of it.

They stood together, hands in their pockets and casually talked, oblivious to whats going on.

Moon shook her head "I don't know. Let's worry about that later." Moon said as she stared at the tower "When we disable the jammer, we can contact Twilight on the radio."

(Rain, Moon, Twilight, Tarmikos)

Harlequin nodded and looked at the tower with worry:
"..the jammer needs to be disabled asap. If we don't find an obvious 'off' switch, then don't hesitate to just tear that thing apart. Every second we go without radios, more people are dying, completely caught off guard and ambushed"

She adjusted her backpack, securing it more tightly to her back: "I have the laptop with me. All the evidence on Councilor Chambers. She's an even worse monster than we thought."

She looked at the tower entrance and waved you to follow, before breaking into a sprint.

The group of five soldiers that stood by the tower entrance, noticed you and stood closer together, seemingly blocking the entrance:

"Hold on. This is a restricted area" one of them said in a firm voice, raising his hand. He and his comrades had a very grim, stone cold expression in their eyes.

Harlequin scowled, as she ran up to them: "The base is under attack!! Do you understand the situation we're in?!"

"I havent heard anything" the soldier firmly shook his head and continued blocking the entrance. His expression was very cold.
His comrades seemed slightly on edge.

She frowned "We need to get in there, and you are going to let us in there" Moon said, scowling. At the same time, she looked about for alternate routes into the tower.

(Radiance)
As the blade was about to connect Radiance jumped back landing in a defensive stance. He took a moment to get a better idea of his surroundings and how his attackers were.

(Omega)
Omega turned opening the doors to the stairs beside him with a fierce kick. He proceeded to sprint down the flight of stairs ignoring any signs of battle except for those that grew louder as he approached the cell block.


(Tarmikos)
"I doubt it," Tarmikos eyed the guards cracking a smirk "probably just going to follow their orders like the drones they are. I'd be surprised if they asked why there was five of them needed to guard a door"

(Rain, Moon, Twilight, Tarmikos)

"Shut your mouth asshole!!! The guard suddenly barked at Tarmikos. His face twisting into an ugly scowl:
"I'm not a drone! No one talks to me like that!!" He suddenly took hold of the hilt of his sheathed sword. His friends became even more jumpy.


"Peace, friend" Harlequin raised her hand in a calming manner: "We seek only to help the good people of this base. Their life is in danger. Please, let us through! You can come with us if you want"


The guard scowled at Tarmikos, then slowly shifted his gaze toward Harlequin:
"Sister, you should not go to the tower, trust me"


"..sister?.." Harlequin repeated in confusion.

The guards eyes suddenly widended, as if he accidentally said something he shouldn't have.
His comrades slowly took hold of the hilts of their blades, quietly watching you.

As you look around, you don't see any other obvious routs into the tower.











(Radiance)

You seem to be standing in a long, cramped hallway, barely wide enough for two people to stand side by side.

The man who attacked you, didn't stop and continued to rush towards you, dangerously waving his knife and threatening to cut through your arms.

"Radiance?!" you heard Kaylee's alarmed voice behind you: "..what the hell are you?!-.." she cut herself off and gasped.
Then suddenly roared and charged in your direction:

"YOU FUCKING PRICKS!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, raising her blade and running to stand by your side.

By the sound of heavy footsteps, Kaylee was accompanied by the pegasi soldier that sat in the camera room earlier.











(Omega)

As you approach the cellblock, you note a deep silence in that area.
The entrance doors to the prison block were wide open. No sign of guards.

As you look inside you notice several rows of prison cells, separated by walls.
A dozen guards were laying on the floor, unmoving. Their weapons missing.

On closer inspection, you note that the guards were alive, seemingly knocked unconscious.
The entire place was suspiciously quiet.

You recall that Mareks cell was deeper inside, at the very end of the cellblock.
Looking at the area from this angle, it seems that all celldoors are locked.

Moon grabbed the handle of her sword, but didn't draw it yet "Im inclined to think that you lot aren't really working here. And you aren't actual guards."

(Radiance)
Radiance took a step forward and slightly to the side, aiming for the open side of the knife-wielding man. He grabbed the forearm with one hand then placed his hand on the man's chest along the same side. With a quick jerk, Radiance dislocated the man's arm following it up with a knee to the gut.


(Omega)
Omega cautiously stepped into the hallway walking towards Marek's cell. The sign of the unconscious guards made him cautious but not uneasy.


(Tarmikos)
The smirk on Tarmikos' face remained but he stopped talking. He had gotten the result he wanted out of them.

(Rain, Moon, Twilight, Tarmikos)

Without missing a beat, the five men lashed out with uncanny ferocity. Their swords flashed across the air, aimed to kill.

Harlequin barely had time to flinch back, as the sword passed dangerously close to her neck.

The five men charged forward, aiming their swords at your necks.
A sun cap flew off of one of them and you noticed he was a batpony.

Moon drew her own sword and waited, waiting for the right moment before she shifted a little to the side, just so she wouldn't get hit in the neck. She then swung her own sword.

(Omega)

As you walk towards Mareks cell, you suddenly feel a small sting of pain in your back and the next second your body froze up.
Unbearable pain washed over you, as wave after wave of electricity coursed through your body.

A stun gun, it seems.
Your muscles seeze up and stop working. Unable to move, you collapse on the ground, still conscious. The electricity stopped.

You heard several people get up from the floor behind you.
Unable to move your head, you're forced to wait in silence as one of the figures approach you and crouches down next to your face.

It was Marek. Dressed in a guards uniform and holding an electric stun gun.
You note a two more people beside him, also in guards uniform.
They must have pretended to be unconscious, hiding among other bodies, then fired into your back, once you passed them.


Marek looked in your eyes and sighed:
"..coming here alone, you must have a death wish.
Sorry, friend, but I won't be deciding your fate tonight. That honor will fall to somebody else. The fate of your world is no longer in my hands"

He looked around, thinking, then looked at you again:
"If you see your friends, tell them - Councilor Chambers isn't leaving this place alive.
Don't get in our way... or I won't be so merciful next time"

Marek fired the stun gun at you again, and as another paralyzing wave of pain washed over your body, he slowly got up and limped away, accompanied by several unsees people.












(Radiance)

The man shrieked in pain and doubled over.
His friends pulled him back at charged forward, unseathing their swords.

Kaylee and her comrade charged forward as well and a deafening clash of metal echoed across the corridor.

Through the haze, you vaguely hear a sword being thrust towards your neck.

Alone, Twilight looked around a bit.

"Well, fantastic. What now?"

She decides to check the corpses, seeing if there's anything to identify which side they were on. She had a feeling they were union soldiers, but she needed to be sure.

~ Something tells me, this isn't planned. Either Marek's men or Chamer's forces are behind this. With the Raiden unit, Marek could've infiltrated, but at the same time, Chambers had put spies here to watch us. I need to find who did this.~

She digs hr hands in the pockets of the dead, disgusted again at her graverobbing.

(Omega)
Omega grunted then slowly pulled himself back to his feet. The pain searing but not enough to keep him down for long. He leaned on his weapon for support not bothering to follow..yet.

"MAREK!" Omega shouted at him "Think carefully about who you attack, you do not want to make an enemy of the wolves. But if you're smart you'll let me help you kill Chambers."

(Rain, Moon, Tarmikos)


Moons sword went through the attackers side. The man screamed in pain and crumbled to the ground.

Harlequin turned into a blur, suddenly hurling a set of knives from her sleeve, directed at the remaining four. They tried to duck or use their swords for cover, but one of them was too slow and got thrown back into the wall, as the knife hit him dead on.


"TRAITOR!" One of the attackers shrieked at Harlequin and charged at her.

Harlequin unfolded her wings and jumped backwards. The one charging at her continued his pursuit, leaving his back and sides undefended.


The other two that still stood on their feet, raised their swords in a defensive stance and waited, closing ranks and preventing entry into the tower.













(Twilight)


As you look through the pockets of the men in the elevator, you find their identification cards, after a while.
The identification cards had their pictures on them, their full names and claimed they were assigned to the security detail, tasked with guarding the Mother Base.
You also notice the Union insignia, printed on the identification cards.


As you continue to look over the bodies, you notice that one of the soldiers is tightly holding something in his hand. His fist is clenched tight and its hard to identify the object, but it looks like he's holding a small digital device in his hand.













(Omega)


Marek ignored you completely, as he and his two companions slowly walked out of the cell block and vanished from view.

The strength you felt in your muscles turned out to be an illusion. You feel the muscles in your entire body go limp again and you collapse to the floor, unable to move, as your body remained frozen and your muscles slightly contorting from time to time.

Close to five minutes pass, before you feel you are able to move again. The whole body ached and even the slightest movement brought pain.


The cell block remained quiet.
Close to a dozen other guards remained laying on the floor, still unconscious and barely breathing.

Moon approached the two guards, holding her sword in one hand. She walked slowly and stood in front of them, head lowered. And she waited for them to attack.

(Omega)
Ignoring the pain Omega once again stood. He moved slow but started walking in the direction that Marek had left.

(Radiance)
Radiance countered by hitting the underside of the new attacker's arm causing it to move up and lighting to the side. With the opening, he threw a heavy punch into the man's face.

(Tarmikos)
The smirk turned into a grin as a ball of fire began to materialize in Tarmikos' hand.

~Union soldiers. As I feared, there are enemies at work here. Likely spies.~

She then notices the digital device. She tried to open the hand, and with a little effort, succeeded in getting it loose from the stiff body. She then exited the elevator, to get some air and to plug the usb into a computer for research.

"There's gotta be a working computer somewhere around here..."

Rains estoc quickly rises blocking the first attack, she pushes the blade to the side and her stelleto enters her attacker through the bottom of his head upward entering his skull without any bone intrusion. She locks onto her next target and she yanks the stelleto out of the batponys head. She begins her approach and takes a fencing stance, she steps forward readying her stelleto, "you chose the wrong side friend..." she growls and lashes forward at a blinding speed, the long slender blade jabbing out mutiple times at her opponent.

(Tarmikos)
Tarmikos turns his hand, palm facing towards the batpony advancing towards Harlequin. A jet of flame erupting from the flaming sphere melting the fur, flesh, and clothing off the batpony.

(Twilight)

On closer inspection, the device turned out to be a small cellphone. Its screen lit up at your touch and you noticed an audio file, blinking on its main screen. Judging by the time and date, it was recorded about twenty minutes ago.

The file blinked and began playing. A quiet, hoarse whisper began to sound from its speakers:

"...I don't know how much time I have.. they jammed our radio's, set our camera's to loop. I can't contact anyone and its only a matter of time before they find me.

If your hearing this message.. then maybe, there's still hope.

They came in through the ocean. A squad of divers. About 40 of them, maybe more.
They brought something with them. A very large package, about 10 meters long, one meter wide.

They treated it with extreme care, as if it could blow up at any minute. And once they brought it up into Mother Base ,I sneaked a quick peek, while they briefly checked on the package.

Its a missile. A very large missile...


But... why bring a missile here? Mother Base doesn't have any launch platforms.. unless... oh god, they're going to--.. AGH!"

A muffled scream came from the cellphone and the recording stopped.











(Rain, Moon, Tarmikos)

The attacker caught fire and crumbled to the ground, screaming in pain. After a few moments, he stopped moving.

The last one of the hostiles couldn't block fast enough and emitted a muffled shriek, as Rain's blade hit him several times.

An eerie silence settled over the area as he fell to the ground.


Harlequin slightly grimaced and ran inside the tower:
"Come on" she called: "The jammer's up top".

You go through what seemed like an endless number of flights of stairs, before you noticed an open doorway inside the tower.
Through the doorway, you saw a wide room and a very large, complicated device in the middle.
The room looks completely empty and unguarded.

Before you could enter, Harlequin suddenly raised her hand, signaling everyone to stop and slowly pointed at the door frame.

On closer inspection, you noticed a set of miniature electronic devices attached to it.
Harlequin crouched down and breathed on them. A set of lasers became briefly visible and vanished.


Harlequin stood up and whispered: "Some kind of laser based trip mine... I think.
There's horizontal lasers going through the whole doorway. If we touch one of them, I'm guessing a grenade or a small bomb will go off. Or something of the sort.

The lasers are pretty close together. Sqeezing between them is an option but an extremely risky one. I would not recommend it.
Its best to find another solution"













(Radiance)

The man fell to the floor. A heavy battle unleashed.
Kaylee, her team mate and Eva, who joined the battle, all crashed down on the hostiles and the deafening clashing of metal became unbeatable.

The hostiles began to retreat, then broke into a run.

Before they could round the corner and vanish from view, a deafening racked echoed across the corridor.
Someone violently opened an adjacent door and smashed one of the hostiles with it.

The next second, a gray blur jumped out of the opened door and in three swings, completely cut through the hostiles.

Kaylee's eyes slightly widened.
Councilor Mercer was standing in the corridor, holding a massive greatsword over her shoulders.
She was still wearing her formal meetings suit and the sight of her holding a massive blade over hear head, looked pretty jarring.


"Councilor!" Kayler called, running to her.

"THOSE FUCKS TOOK OVER THE HANGAR BAY!" Mercer angrily roared: "...Captain, everyone" she looked at you and everyone in the hallway: "Gather everyone on this floor and prepare for a counter attack!
We're taking the hangar back! Before they find a way to activate the Slavegears!"












(Omega)

As you walk through the hallways, you see no one insight for a while.

Then you heard someone banging on a door and muffled yelling, coming from about 20 meters further down a corridor.

As you move closer, you notice its coming from the medical wing.
The entrance to it was blocked by a massive metal cabinet. Someone was yelling and banging on the door from inside:

"Heeey! Is somebody out there! Help us! We're locked in in here!!'
The muffled voice vaguely sounds like Fluttershy.

Moon shook her head "We haven't got the time. I'll squeeze through, in the thinnest here." She said quietly, tying her hair back and breathing other the doorway again to see them "Anyway, won't the explosion blow the room anyway?"

(Moon, Rain, Tarmikos)

"..it may take half the room.." Harlequin said thinking: "If we're serious about destroying the jammer.. perhaps it would be safer to just hurl something at the lasers and let them go off.
We can take cover behind the stares, however I'm not entirly sure how big the explosion will be.

I guess there's a risk either way...

Please be cautious if you squeeze through. There may be enemies hiding on the other side"