Slavegear - Part 3

(Tarmikos)
Folding his arms casually Tarmikos waited beside Fluttershy. He took a moment to briefly read through any monitors close enough to make out. His mind felt a little clearer from the simple act.

"I'm trying to avoid anger and I walk into a boiling pot of the stuff" Tarmikos muttered to Fluttershy, barely loud enough for her to hear.

(Tarmikos)


"..perhaps this isn't the best time.." Fluttershy quietly said: "She seems pretty busy.."

From what you can tell, the monitors seem to display geographical maps of unfamiliar regions and troop displacement. Others seem to display walls of text, intelligence reports by the looks of it. Most people here were hunched over a private monitor, trying to go through the data and talking to someone through a headset.


Eva visibly took several longs breaths and returned back to her station. She took a seat, put on her headset again and began scrolling through the running text on the screen.
She appears to have calmed down, at least on the surface.

"Right, shall we abandon the plan or not? Is it worth it?" She looked about "Because this sounds kinda bad."

(Everyone)



"We should abandon breaking into the workers office, in my opinion" Elisabeth said, looking at Moon with concern:

"They may not have the tapes anymore. Even if they do, we'll only have the footage of the tunnel entrance. We'll know if the trucks left the tunnel, but we won't know where they went after that.

I'm afraid what we really need are the tapes from the whole region. Security camera's of roads, highways, junctions, city corners and so on. From what I understand, they're being stored in the local police department.

I just radioed Councilor Mercer about this. Hopefully she can persuade Artemis into sharing the footage.."



She looked around: "...starting to feel uneasy being here. We should call back our chopper and leave asap-" she slightly twitched and you heard a muffled beep from her earpiece:

".. one moment," she nodded to you and stepped aside, listening to her radio.

During the walk, she mindlessly follows the group, looking at the pictures she made. The shocked selfie first, followed with some off the door to the closed off area, along with the inside. Some of the cranes and vehicles from above, to indicate where they looked. And a lot of the documents.

~Would it have been the smart thing to take the documents, or would that have been theft? The accusation of theft would work against us.~

Once the sky is visble, she looks up again, listening to the conversation. She begins to ponder a bit.

"I don't think it's wise to risk it. We already have some evidence, enough for a start on where to look. If we get caught, we lose everything. I say we're going back."

(Radiance)
"And since we have some amount of military support, we can actually analyse these clues in safety."

Radiance began to listen to the surrounding area for any sounds of trouble. This would be an opportune time for the enemy to ambush them

"I'm suddenly feeling very uneasy about this place, keeps your guards up. "

(Tarmikos)
Tarmikos' brow furrowed slightly then relaxed, A slight twitch of the arm and a very brief flash in his right eye. "Then I'll just tell you the information." he motioned with a slight tilt of the head that he was ready to leave the room "but somewhere a little less emotional," his voice lowered even more "I can feel the anger in here feeding my own, and I don't like it"

(Everyone)

As you listen to the surrounding area, you don't seem to hear anything except the howling wind.

Elisabeth was quietly talking to someone on her radio. With each passing moment, her face became more grim, until she finally cut the communication and released a long irritated sigh:



"...guys, I'm afraid we have some bad news" she said, closing her eyes and rubbing her face with both hands:

"I just got off the radio with Councilor Mercer... It appears her request to acquire the video tapes, has fallen on deaf ears.
Artemis doesn't trust her, or Equestria. And seeing as Mercer survived the Slavegear attack, they weren't afraid to accuse her of possibly being involved in the incident.

So until further notice, Artemis refused all cooperation, and told Mercer to go to hell, in no uncertain terms.."



"Are they mental?" Kaylee exclaimed: "Do they understand the situation we're in?! Those tapes can point us to Slavegear!"

"I know" Elisabeth sighed: "But as far as Artemis is concerned, we want those tapes to plan our next attack against them. After their city got burned, and Mercer survived, they have no reason to trust us. I can't blame them honestly"



"So.. we have no tapes.." Kaylee slowly looked at the ground: "...we need those tapes Eli... we need them bad..."

"Yeah, well, there's nothing we can do, so" Elisabeth looked at the horizon, pressing her hand into her earpiece: "...I'm gonna call in the chopper, take us out of here"








"...well.." Kaylee rubbed her fingers together: "...there is.. one thing..." she slightly moved in place, seemingly thinking:
"...you said we have an hour until we need to pull out right?... and we know where the tapes are... so.." she slowly looked at Elisabeth, seemingly weary to continue:

"We could... infiltrate the local police department.. copy those tapes aaand.. sneak out really quick.."



Elisabeth twitched. Her face became pale and irritated at the same moment: "...what.."

(Tarmikos)


"..the command room can be a little heated sometimes.." Fluttershy quietly nodded: "..lets head back to the corridor" she turned and made her way back through the double doors. Two guards following close behind.

After walking for a few moments Fluttershy stopped in an empty hallway and nodded to you. It seems to be relatively quiet here. Only the faint hum of an air conditioner can be heard.

(Radiance)
"Kaylee," Radiance spoke up before Elisabeth blew a gasket. "I say this with the utmost respect. But for a military captain, you are being incredibly stupid right now. The Councilor was just refused access to the tapes and Artemis suspects she may be behind the attack. We go there and it's almost going to be a guarantee that we are walking into a trap.

And if we get caught trying to retrieve an item that the Councilor wanted less than an hour after she was refused, it may destroy what small amount of integrity she still has."

(Tarmikos)
Tarmikos took a deep breath, then began speaking

"In Canterlot, there is a lighting store called 'A Light in the Darkness'. My lab is underneath and it contains all of my research in my attempt to cure myself. Now before you ask why I didn't go to a doctor, I couldn't. At the time I was looking to unlock a more advanced form of teleportation, and doing so involved researching into dark magic and other highly dangerous science materials and methods." Tarmikos locked eyes with the mare "to the outside world it would look like I was a mad scientist."

he chuckled slightly "Kind of turned into that. Anyways, I don't want that research to rot in a basement for the rest of time. All of the materials are long gone now, disposed of safely and properly by a friend, but the data and what I learned is still stored in several portable hard drives.

I want to start giving instead of taking again, I want to make at least one good choice if this is to be my last day and this is the best thing I can think of"

(Tarmikos)


"I understand" Fluttershy nodded and released a small smile: "Thank you for sharing this with me. I'll notify our agents in Canterlot, they'll move in to pick up the research"

She looked around the hall. There was a small window there, with the view of the ocean. A lone seagull flew by, emitting a muffled sound.

"...shall we return to the medical wing?" Fluttershy asked after a moment: "The surgery room is probably ready by now"

(Everyone)


Kaylee slowly crossed her arms: "Ok, fair enough. What's your solution?


If Artemis is mobilizing their military, they will likely begin increasing their security in all strategic positions, in and outside of their country. Within the next hour, it will become next to impossible to do anything on the ground here, and we don't know when their security will grow lighter again.

Time is of the essence. Marek already has a two day head start, and if we get deadlocked waiting for Artemis to lighten their security again, we will loose even more time.



Those tapes are our only lead right now. If we find them, we can find Slavegear, perhaps before it goes active again. We have to get those tapes, somehow.

Its not stupid. Its called a calculated risk. Our window of opportunity is closing and we're out of options. Unless you have an alternative solution in mind"

(Tarmikos)
"The code for the lab is 4958 by the way, police showing up because of a break and enter wouldn't look very good for any of us"

He listened to the sound of the gull, nodded at her question, then followed Fluttershy to the lab, ready for what was to come next

Twilight looks at Kaylee with a stern frown. "An admirable plan, but it's completely unrealistic. There are too much tapes to copy in too little time. Especially since we came to this in the spur of the moment."

She shakes her head a few times, dismissiveness clearly aware. "Perhaps a next time, when this plan has been worked out more clearly. But right now, we're going back to base. Calculated risk or not, it's still a risk I'm not willing to take. Do you want to lose the few things we got now?"

Kaylee Brown wrote:(Everyone)


Kaylee slowly crossed her arms: "Ok, fair enough. What's your solution?


If Artemis is mobilizing their military, they will likely begin increasing their security in all strategic positions, in and outside of their country. Within the next hour, it will become next to impossible to do anything on the ground here, and we don't know when their security will grow lighter again.

Time is of the essence. Marek already has a two day head start, and if we get deadlocked waiting for Artemis to lighten their security again, we will loose even more time.



Those tapes are our only lead right now. If we find them, we can find Slavegear, perhaps before it goes active again. We have to get those tapes, somehow.

Its not stupid. Its called a calculated risk. Our window of opportunity is closing and we're out of options. Unless you have an alternative solution in mind"

"Well what medium would the footage be saved as?" Lord Wyvern asks "Because if it's stored digitally, it could be hacked remotely?"

(Everyone)

Kaylee exhaled, helplessly looking at the horizon:
"But don't you see.. Slavegear can become active at any moment, Twilight.. I know my plan is reckless, I know its dangerous and risky and it can go bad in so many ways but..."

She walked off to the side, wrapping herself in her arms:
"... at any moment.. a massive robot can fall from the sky.. in a city somewhere.. and start burning everything to the ground... thousands of innocent people will die.. and who knows how long it will take to bring it under control...

And it can happen.." her voice broke and she nervously inhaled: "..it can happen, five seconds from now, or five minutes from now or five hours from now, I don't know.
But if there's even a fraction of a chance that we can prevent it, no matter how reckless or dangerous, shouldn't we take it? .. risk, our lives, for the sake of thousands.. shouldn't we do it?"


She stayed silent for a long moment, quietly looking at the horizon. You couldn't see her face, but you thought you saw a line of tears on her cheek:

"... I'll support whatever you decide to do.. but if we go back to base.. we need to accept the possibility of Slavegear activating again, before we find it in time.."

(Everyone)

Elisabeth looked at Wyvern and thought for a moment: "I.. don't know to be honest. The cameras look relatively new. They may be storing the data digitally or on old VHS tapes, I.. just don't know.
Ideally, if the footage is stored digitally and its connected to a network, it may be possible to hack in and copy the data. But we don't have any skilled hackers on base. We'll have to find them, it may take time.
Its also possible the digital footage isn't connected to a network, if so, then hacking won't work.

Its also possible that our hacking attempt will be traced. If Artemis realises that someones hacking into their system, they'll break off the connection, and we won't be able to get the footage after that.

There's ups and downs. It can be done. Just will take time, and there's a possibility that our hacker will fail. Overrall there's a lot less risk involved, but also time consuming"


"..we may not have enough time.." Kaylee quietly said, looking at the ground.

Kaylee Brown wrote:(Everyone)

Elisabeth looked at Wyvern and thought for a moment: "I.. don't know to be honest. The cameras look relatively new. They may be storing the data digitally or on old VHS tapes, I.. just don't know.
Ideally, if the footage is stored digitally and its connected to a network, it may be possible to hack in and copy the data. But we don't have any skilled hackers on base. We'll have to find them, it may take time.
Its also possible the digital footage isn't connected to a network, if so, then hacking won't work.

Its also possible that our hacking attempt will be traced. If Artemis realises that someones hacking into their system, they'll break off the connection, and we won't be able to get the footage after that.

There's ups and downs. It can be done. Just will take time, and there's a possibility that our hacker will fail. Overrall there's a lot less risk involved, but also time consuming"


"..we may not have enough time.." Kaylee quietly said, looking at the ground.

"Right..." Lord Wyvern nods.

Twilight merely frowns at Kaylee's back, then turns to the rest of the group.

"How long until the helicopter gets here?"

"I think we should break into the police department. We are pretty certain of getting in and I'm sure that some of us are skilled enough to get in." she said, looking at them all "An ideal break in takes less than half an hour anyway."

(Radiance)
"It just feels like too much of a risk to do something like this on such short notice. Unless.. "Radiance trailed off into his own mind for a brief second "What about Wrecker? What's the probability we could get him to hire a group of professional thieves to pull this off for us?"

(Everyone)

"On an ordinary day," Elisabeth nodded: "we would be able to hire him. It would be astronomically expensive but he'd do it. He knows men who are specifically trained for this.

The problem is, by the time we broker a deal with him, and by the time he's done assembling his men, Artemis would have already mobilized and closed rankes. I don't believe Wrecker can assemble his men and move them to Artemis under an hour. And after Artemis closes ranks, no one will agree to take the job.

We only have about an hour until that happens. Wrecker won't be able to organize much in that timeframe.

I can still try calling him though. Perhaps he has a lone agent in this area, that's willing to accompany us into the police station, someone to help us get in and out smoothly"


Elisabeth looked at Twilight: "If I call in the chopper, it can be here in five, maybe ten minutes"


Kaylee continued to stare somewhere at the horizon. After a moment she quietly said:
"... risk or not... thousands of people have died... and thousands more will die, if we don't find Slavegear in time...
Putting our lives on the line to save them, reckless though it may be, I think it's worth it.

Because I can't watch another Slavegear attack, I won't!!"

Twilight turns her head to Kaylee, her gaze as cold as the night.

"Kaylee, now is neither the time or the place to discuss these things. Every moment we waste means less time to find those tapes. In the very, very limited time. I don't want to see Slavegear drop in either, but if we get caught or worse because we were too greedy with information, then all we've done to fix this mess has been A FUCKING WASTE OF TIME!!!" She pretty much explodes at those last words.

She's breathing heavily through her nostrils, pretty much fuming. "I don't want to hear about getting the tapes right now. Unless you know a way to hide from Artemis military here until their coming invasion is over, we return to base immediately!"

Velvet_horse wrote:Twilight turns her head to Kaylee, her gaze as cold as the night.

"Kaylee, now is neither the time or the place to discuss these things. Every moment we waste means less time to find those tapes. In the very, very limited time. I don't want to see Slavegear drop in either, but if we get caught or worse because we were too greedy with information, then all we've done to fix this mess has been A FUCKING WASTE OF TIME!!!" She pretty much explodes at those last words.

She's breathing heavily through her nostrils, pretty much fuming. "I don't want to hear about getting the tapes right now. Unless you know a way to hide from Artemis military here until their coming invasion is over, we return to base immediately!"

"If we wanted to hide out here until the Artemis forces pass, we could always masquerade as some of the workers that were supposed to be at Station C" Lord Wyvern suggests "They might have some work uniforms and spare badges back at the office."

"It could work" Elisabeth nodded: "We just don't know how long the lockdown will last. It could take weeks for all we know, we can't hide in Artemis for that long.

I'm calling in the chopper, we're moving back to base. We can try hacking the police department from there.." she moved away, pressing a hand to her earpiece and calling someone over her radio.



Kaylee didn't reply. She was quietly standing a few meters away. Arms wrapped around herself. From this angle, you can only see her back, but you get the feeling that she's silently crying.



The wind began to pick up again and soon the first drops of rain began to appear.
It was cold. The entire horizon was covered in a gray layer of clouds and time stretched painfully long, as you wait for the chopper.

Twilight sighs and looks into the sky, feeling as bad as the sky looked.

~Pretty sure they're pissed at me now... Probably a large amount of dislike too. Can't blame them, I shot down an idea for very useful evidence. I want them too... Even if it's unrealistic...~

She sighs again, wondering when the first vocal responses would come.