Aberrant: War Journal - War Journal

[ProfPotts]

"Perhaps later, pal. We have to complete our SAR-mission first."

"Ready when you are, Chief!" Rex sounds a little anxious to be doing... well, anything really...

"X-Ped 4 to me, please!"

"Dino-power present & correct, Sah!" the lizard guy snaps to an overblown mock salute.

[tooho]

Sliding into her pack again, and grabbing her rifle, Emma walks over to Ernold. "Damien's coming along on the mission. Will you be cool, Ernold? I figure the three of us need as much backup as possible in case of the worst." Looking compassionate, Emma stands between Ernold and his view of Damien while he answers.

"He won't be coming onto the enemy base with us. He's just there for distraction in case of emergency." She offers quickly, almost as an afterthought.

[Bahamut810]

Damien takes a moment to process the information. Then he stands up, and his mask retracts revealing a stern, almost angry look from Damien.

"Wait a second. Does Jennings know about this? Has he approved of this? This is his mission after all. Did I even come up in the planning stage or am I your after-thought? "

[Haze]

"Wait a second.  Does Jennings know about this?  Has he approved of this?  This is his mission after all.  Did I even come up in the planning stage or am I your after-thought? "

Jennings walks in, his long coat concealing the weapons secreted about his person. He looks from Damien to Emma and back.

"I'm approving it now. Problem?"

[ezekiel]

"Wait a second. Does Jennings know about this? Has he approved of this? This is his mission after all. Did I even come up in the planning stage or am I your after-thought? "

"I'm approving it now. Problem?"

A slow, wicked smile forms upon Ernold's lips

"Afterthought."

Sliding into her pack again, and grabbing her rifle, Emma walks over to Ernold. "Damien's coming along on the mission. Will you be cool, Ernold? I figure the three of us need as much backup as possible in case of the worst." Looking compassionate, Emma stands between Ernold and his view of Damien while he answers.

"He won't be coming onto the enemy base with us. He's just there for distraction in case of emergency." She offers quickly, almost as an afterthought.

Ernold doesn't seem convinced

"Can he even dorm down? We are warping withing ADE range, aren't we? We won't need backup unless we're found and if we're found because of him, it's kinda stupid to bring him along for backup in case we're found, isn't it? If an emergency occurs, Mike can warp him in..."

[tooho]

"I don't know, Ernold, can you dorm down? I get you don't like him, hell, not many people do I imagine. Get over it. We are soldiers and you aren't a child to be pampered. If an emergency happens, there is no point in wasting valuable time to pull him in when he can be at the site with us. We are purposefully going in camping in a hopeful 'shadow' so they dont' see us.. if they do catch us there it will be then.. not because Damien somehow compromised us. This is a volunteer situation. I asked the Captain if it was okay to offer the suggestion to Damien because I didn't THINK of it till after I had left to pack. If there is an issue" (glaring like there better not be an issue) "we can discuss it." Breathing hard, and clenching her teeth, Emma takes a minute to stare at Ernold.

Catching herself, she turns to Jennings. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't mention it to you first, but I wanted to make sure it was cool with Delacroix first in case Damien was still in hot water. I figured since we are all trying to work as a team, its best if we trust each other sooner than later. After the hijinks earlier, I wanted to know if we were going to be able to work together in peace. If those two can't work together, we need to know." Starting to wonder if I can either. Waving disgustedly at the two 'soldiers,' Emma mock salutes them and walks into the snack bar to grab a munchy. Pointedly keeping her back to the males she rolls her eyes and attempts to down a bag of M&Ms.

[Prince of Boredom]

"Dino-power present & correct, Sah!" the lizard guy snaps to an overblown mock salute.

Lobe picks up his medical supplies and runs over to stand next to Rex, mimicking his mock salute, "FINALLY! some action, I was dieing of boredom..."

[ezekiel]

"I don't know, Ernold, can you dorm down?

Ernold mumbles under his breath as Emma keeps going.

"I am dormed down."

I get you don't like him, hell, not many people do I imagine. Get over it. We are soldiers and you aren't a child to be pampered. If an emergency happens, there is no point in wasting valuable time to pull him in when he can be at the site with us. We are purposefully going in camping in a hopeful 'shadow' so they dont' see us.. if they do catch us there it will be then.. not because Damien somehow compromised us. This is a volunteer situation. I asked the Captain if it was okay to offer the suggestion to Damien because I didn't THINK of it till after I had left to pack. If there is an issue" (glaring like there better not be an issue) "we can discuss it." Breathing hard, and clenching her teeth, Emma takes a minute to stare at Ernold.

"Child? Why stop there? Let's ask our resident paper pusher to come along to smother the enemy in paper like he did to ol' Damien here if anything happens. Let's call Rex and ask him to come with us! Hey, wait, let's warp in a tank just in case!" ::angry

"Sure, my opinion doesn't go far, after all, what does the toon know, right? But last I heard this was a recon mission and he's a Cobra. You're right, I don't like him...but the day we get to hit the base I'll be glad to have him by my side and stick his claws in something other than one of my friends. You don't go duckhunting with a bazooka and you don't go snooping around with a cobra."

Ernold shrugs

"But ahhh, hey, sure." ::lookaround

[Bahamut810]

"No. I dont have a problem with the mission at all. But I'm not going on it. I was not considered at all in the planning stage. And Ernold is right, if we are going to be close to ADE's then ill only compromise the mission. Even if we arent, im not as stealthy as I would need to be just to hide."

"Quite frankly Emma...I dont need your fugging pity. When Im actually needed...call me. One of the Mikes can warp me to wherever you need."

The bulges on his suit converge and then push the gas grenades from a tentacle on his arm onto the table.

"You guys might need these. I was going to use them for cover on the other mission if we needed it...but they will do you guys more good."

He turns back down the hall, and heads back to his room.

[tooho]

Merely rolling her eyes, Emma ignores Ernold.

"Quite frankly Emma...I dont need your fugging pity. When Im actually needed...call me. One of the Mikes can warp me to wherever you need."

"Don't be presumptious, Damien. I'd have to actually care to feel pity."

Sitting in a chair, Emma thunks her head a few times on the back of it, then just sits patiently still for Epstein and Mike.

[Bahamut810]

*Hmph. What was she thinking...screwing up plans, violating trust...inviting people on a mission when they arent invited. This is what was screwed up about all the other militaries in the world.*

Damien closes and locks his door. No more distractions until either Im done, or Im needed at the smoking hole.

He opens the drawer and takes his charcole, then stands back on the chair and finishes up the final angel figure he is going to put on the mural.

*Who next. Hmmm...Yea. I know.*

He starts on another set of figures, just underneath the angels. Posisitioning them to coininside with the angels somewhat...

[Heritage]

Recon is go!

Epstein heads back into the break room, nimbly stepping aside to dodge the fuming Damien. She looks at the others questioningly as she stands in the doorway in her Scout blacks, her beret perched on her head, squeezing the tension out of her gloved hands.

So, are we we ready to head out?

Hades is Where the Heart Is:

The crew of Hole 23, after a thorough once-over by Lobe, help Team X4 get ready to go out into the field. Pvt Budd shows them where to put their stuff in the troop's communal sleeping area, a long room with eight sets of bunk beds and a crude kitchen area, the whole of which smells more like a field hospital than a dormitory. Budd indicates the bunks at the far end of the room with a nod.

Don't use any of those - blood stains.

Pvt Chance pulls some boxes off the industrial shelving in the main corridor.

Here's our NBC gear - should be good to go.

Lt Wiseman moves among the X-Ped team, trying to make himself useful.

Any last-minute stuff you guys need before you head out? We've got some topo maps and rations; not much, but there yours.

[tooho]

"Yes, please, lets be off." Rising quickly, Emma checks her gear quickly and slides back into her pack. "I'm so ready for some action."

[Haze]

"Yes, please, lets be off." Rising quickly, Emma checks her gear quickly and slides back into her pack. "I'm so ready for some action."

Jennings nods tersely.

"All right, people. If we're all ready, then lets move out."

[Grizzly]

„Don't use any of those - blood stains.“

„Ok, folks! We won´t be able to sleep, drink or eat out there, so leave all that stuff here“, poining at some free space in the sleeping room.

„Here's our NBC gear - should be good to go.“

„We discussed that before, so everybody should know what you need.“ Griffin takes a complete standard suit, then turns to Lori. „Do we have one of those improved ones here? If yes, I suggest that Colby takes it. She will need the additional comfort.“

„Colby, time for me to take over that Path. Take one of the ball clips and one of the shot for your Betty.“

Griffin takes the other two clips.Then he adresses the whole team.

„Time to split the rest of the equipment. I´ll take one of those green smoke grenades and one of the Stretchers. Take care about having enough ammo. Lobe, perhaps you should take that second stretcher, Mike: One of the medkits, the second is for Rex. Everybody, including me, take one spare filter with him. Everybody puts fresh batteries into their radios and flashlights, please. Divide the rest as you see fit. And one tip before you suit up: Use the toilets ::wink !“

Doing that himself, too.

„Any last-minute stuff you guys need before you head out? We've got some topo maps and rations; not much, but there yours.“

„Thanks for your offer, Earl. I would like to see those topo maps. Has something changed in these month I had been away? If you think that there is some additional ::wink equipment that will be needed, feel free to contact Sergeant Major Kelso at T&S, asking in my name.“

„Somebody else with some questions?“

Griffin sorts his equipment and starts to suit up and making himself comfortable with the Path. He puts the NBC-Suit on and fits his carrying harness/backpack over it. The mask would be the last piece, later.(OOC: He attunes all that gear. Should be a little bit less than 25kg, if I am right) After readying himself he goes from one to the next, inspecting their suits and equipment, lending a helping hand where it is needed.

[ezekiel]

Recon is go!

Epstein heads back into the break room, nimbly stepping aside to dodge the fuming Damien. She looks at the others questioningly as she stands in the doorway in her Scout blacks, her beret perched on her head, squeezing the tension out of her gloved hands.

So, are we we ready to head out?

Ernold looks sheepishly at the floor as Epstein looks his way. He then grabs the back of his collar and pulls down a ninja hood over his his face. Looking at Epstein he then nods. ::ninja

[Heritage]

X4:

Captain Delacroix pokes his head into the break room

You fools still here? Mr. Roe, please warp all of your asses out of here sometime this century ::wink

Hades:

„Ok, folks! We won’t be able to sleep, drink or eat out there, so leave all that stuff here“, poining at some free space in the sleeping room.

Colby and the Hades crew stow the remaining gear in the sleeping area - she pauses for a few moments and quietly stares at one of the bedspreads stiff with crusted blood before squaring away the last of the non-essentials.

Griffin takes a complete standard suit, then turns to Lori. „Do we have one of those improved ones here? If yes, I suggest that Colby takes it. She will need the additional comfort.“

Lori shakes her head sadly.

We had a few, lieutenant, but they went out with our boys.

She hands one of the standard suits to Colby.

Sorry, sarge. ::sad

The spiky bleach blonde shrugs.

S'alright - I'm a tough gal ::smile

„Colby, time for me to take over that Path. Take one of the ball clips and one of the shot for your Betty.“

Alright then.

Colby gently slides her thumbs under Umberto 6's limbs and lifts him slowly off her back.

Easy there, big fella. Okay, Berto 6, this Lt. Griffin - he'll be carrying you for a while.

She hands the crablike Path to him.

He's been fed and had his waste removed, so he should be good to go for several hours.

"And one tip before you suit up: Use the toilets ::wink!"

Li and Colby both take quick breaks, and Li takes a gas mask to supplement her warper armor.

„Thanks for your offer, Earl. I would like to see those topo maps. Has something changed in these month I had been away? If you think that there is some additional  equipment that will be needed, feel free to contact Sergeant Major Kelso at T&S, asking in my name.“

Earl nods, not getting the joke about Kelso, seeing as he's yet to have the pleasure. ::tongue

Right, here's the maps, with last known locations of the Rangers and our boys right on there. And as far as I know, it's the same old Badlands out there - three hundred square kilometers of death. ::unsure

„Somebody else with some questions?“

Li mumbles through her gas mask.

Ready when you are, sir! I've got my co-ordinates, and I'm ready to rock and roll ::thumbsup

Griffin sorts his equipment and starts to suit up and making himself comfortable with the Path.

When he slips the Path, the two gripping limbs slowly tighten over his shoulders, making a snug fit - at the same time, Griff feels an alien presence slip into his mind.

*Greetings, Lieutenant. I'm Umberto 6.*

There is something of a telepathic 'sniff', if such a things is possible - Griffin remembers Colby's earlier comment that 6 is less sociable than 7... ::wink

[Grizzly]

*Greetings, Lieutenant. I'm Umberto 6.*

*Hello Umberto 6, I am Lieutenant Robert Griffin. We will stay together for some time. If you need something, tell me.

And now, please connect me with Captain Delarcroix at the base*

When he got that conection he gives the Captain a complete report about the Mission so far, including the bad state of Hole 23.

Right, here's the maps, with last known locations of the Rangers and our boys right on there. And as far as I know, it's the same old Badlands out there - three hundred square kilometers of death.

"Ok, Earl. Our return point will be here", pointing on a small but deep valley near the base and showing the map to Jen, too. "I´ll try to tell you when we return. We will wait there for Decon. The last thing I need from you is the radio channel from the boys out there and their password."

Then he turns to the rest of the team.

"We will use channel Bravo 6 for our communications. Set your second channel to their frequency. Because we don´t know what will expect us at the other end of Jen´s Warp, we´ll do it combat style. The Warp will open in a small cleft, a former brook. Rex will go first, about 20 m in front direction. I will follow him for 10 m. Lobe comes next and goes to the right. Colby takes the left. Mike follows then and secures the back. Last one is Jen, who secures the back, too."

Griffin looks from one face to the next while he gives his orders.

"When everything is clear over there we will follow Conrad Creek upwards until we reach the Warp point of our patrol. Then we have to search for some tracks and other clues. March formation is Diamond plus Pointman. Mike makes the point, I will follow with 20m distance. Colby: left wing, Lobe: right wing, Jen is center. Rex will make the rear guard and Pigman. Distance 10m. Don´t loose line of sight with the rest of the team."

Griffin makes a small step sideways to get a little room. Then there is a soft "Thump", like the sound of a closing expensive car door. Around his breast and back are now some kind of armor plates. In a few eyeblinks many more parts of that armor apear out of nowhere, starting at the body and spreading out to Griffins head, hands and feets until he´s completely covered. Even his bacpack and his weapons are now enclosed in that armor, giving them a totally different appearance.

Griffin is now enclosed in a kind of futuristic Powerarmor of nearly black shades of gray. Because of those winglike parts of his „helmet“ he´s now about 7´ high. That helmet has a small V-shaped visor of a orange-red color. His back is covered with two backpacks reaching from lightly above shoulder height down to the hip.

(http://www.doublenuts.com/robotpic/patlabor/patlabor6.html)

(but without the wings)(Griffin has activated his Armor power)

"Everybody ready?" ::smokin

(Edited for typing errors and a missing sentence at the description)

[ProfPotts]

"Everybody ready?"

Rex looks at 'aminé boy' then shrugs - the ridges & scales of his own reptilian body bulk-up & thicken, making the Cobra even more inhuman than usual. [Activating Superheavy Armour ::tongue ]

Taking his place as 'target' at the front of the group, Rex hefts his machinegun & growls,

"Yeah - let's get on with it."

[Alex Green]

X4:

Captain Delacroix pokes his head into the break room  You fools still here? Mr. Roe, please warp all of your asses out of here sometime this century ::wink

Mike-#2 nods and the gate forms. Although the gate is square and the edges straight, it somehow gives the impression of being a circular tunnel.

Hades:

Mike-#1 adjusts his mask for the umpteenth time. Although he has a handgun he doesn't draw it, instead flexing his hands and getting ready to "trigger" his q-bolt. Mike looks a bit more comfortable, and naked, than his suited or armored comrades, but no doubt he will suffer for that later.

Following the plan Mike steps through the gate in his assigned order and then gets ready to take the point.

Without rancor he thinks, *Cannon fodder first.*

[Prince of Boredom]

"Everybody ready?"

Lobe picks up his gear and gets in position, noticeably not wearing a chem suit or gas mask. Noticing Griifin's curious look, he smiles, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Yeah - let's get on with it."

Lobe pats Rex on the back, "Finally, some action..."

[tooho]

Raising her rifle to her shoulder to be prepared for danger, she walks forward into the 'tunnel' watching carefully as she exits it. Surveying the nearby area, she kneels down behind a tree to start searching for possible danger. ::ninja

[Heritage]

Welcome to the Badlands, Baby!

The first thing everyone feels coming through the warp is heat, the dry heat of an oven set too low to cook anything, but hot enough to dehydrate any piece of meat left in it too long. Those who are not wearing gas masks taste ash, and fine grit instantly begins to work its way into the eyes, nose and throat. All unprotected skin feels a slight scouring sensation, like a shower massage set on low as the swirling winds send microscopic particles dancing over flesh.

Without consulting a watch, it's impossible to tell if it is day or night; there's a glowing object in the sky, but through the haze it could be either sun or moon, or some new heavenly body that's not so heavenly, a sagging sack of infection sliding down towards the horizon.

The ghosts of trees haunt these woods, charcoal skeletons thrust out of the cracked soil like broken fingers, vague shadows trailing off them into a tangled maze of light and dark.

There are no sounds but the whisper of the wind, ragged breath and static buzz, and the crunch of the shattered earth beneath your boots.

Colby's voice crackles over the comlink.

Oh my god.....

The Backside of a Goose Egg:

The portal opens into night: cool breeze, stereophonic crickets and the rattle of leaves. The moon throws soft shadows across your path, and if it wasn't for the nature of the mission, you'd want to lie back on a soft bed of pine needles and count the stars that peep from behind the trees.

Epstein draws in a deep breath and stretches like a cat, a lazy smile on her lips.

Mmmmm - these guys are toast ::biggrin

[Grizzly]

After Jen opened her Warp Portal and Rex gone through it, Griffin takes his Betty to the ready position at his shoulder and steps through the portal.

On the other side he quickly moves foreward, 10 meters, as he had spoken of, going down on one knee and takes a careful look around, searching for unexpected "guest" and such.

"Oh my god....."

"Home, sweet home." ::sarcasm

Griffins low voice is full of irony. ::devilangel

[Alex Green]

The Badlands

Once through the gate Mike #1 crouches and looks around, trying to see everywhere and experience all this at once. He takes a deep breath in his mask and can already feel his skin begin to bake. Some of that would be just the heat, but some would be radiation which would be limiting his life span... not that it wasn't limited enough already. He wonders if 'hell' was something like this. Instant death left decay... but despite all the discomfort and the depression of his surroundings there is a lightness to Mike's steps and a shine to his eyes. He's thrilled to be here.

Under his mask Mike grins at, and shares, Colby's surprise. Mike glances at the sunken orb overhead, remembers what time it is, and decides whether that is the sun or (less likely) the moon. From that he gets which direction is north, and where "point" should be.

Then he moves to his position and flexes his fingers yet again in preparation to fire his q-bolt. It doesn't launch until triggered, but he'd found he could use his hands as a triggering object. Considering the forces involved, doing that should cost him his hand, but rule number one was novas are immune to their own powers.

The Backside of a Goose Egg:

Mike-#2 steps through the gate, waits for everyone else to come through, then lets it collapse. The effort of will it takes to keep it open prevents him from immediately checking his surroundings but after the gate is closed he looks around for observers.

[Prince of Boredom]

Lobe walks through the gate, takes in the 'lovely' scenery, and instinctively starts spitting the ash out his mouth, "Wow, some vacation spot, how could I have missed this one in the travel brochures?"

He unslings his rifle and takes his position on the right side of the formation.

[ProfPotts]

Badlands:

Oh my god.....

From his position in front of the rest of the group Rex waves back, his own voice replying over the radio,

"No honey - it's just me. But feel free to worship all ya' like..." ::devil

Rex nods to Xerox-lad as he appoaches the point position, his features obscured by the gas-mask tailored to his less-than-human face, & his heavily armoured form more bulked-up than ever,

"Well I ain't been shot yet, so I guess there's nothing too much to worry about... You know - apart from the rads & all that crap."

Resting his machinegun on one oversized shoulder the reptilian soldier slaps ol' cookie-cutter on the back as he relieves him of the point slot, then heads back towards the rest of the group to take up his own assigned rear-guard spot. As he walks Rex's leathery skin shifts & ripples colours & hues until it settles into the perfect camouflage pattern for the locale. Winking at Colby as he passes her he quips,

"You should see me in paisley, babe." ::wink

Reaching his alloted position at the back of the group, Rex readies his weapon & keeps an eye out for threats from behind... ::lookaround

[Grizzly]

(Got no answer from Heritage, so I go on as if everything is ok so far)

Seeing no evidence of any kind of enemies, Griffin stands up and take his position in the formation.

......and instinctively starts spitting the ash out his mouth....

"You should at least cover your mouth and nose with some cloth or so, unless you like to spit, cough and dribble the whole time." ::tongue

"Wow, some vacation spot, how could I have missed this one in the travel brochures?"

"It´s a secret vacation spot, dude. It shouldn´t get so overcrowded like the area around Yakima or so." ::wink ::devilangel

"You should see me in paisley, babe."

"Now, that would be something new, pal." ::tongue

"For anybody I haven´t heard by now: Make a radio check, please."

After he recieves the answers of all (hopefully), he turns his radio to the frequency of the Hades-Team. Trying to hear something of them on the radio.

*Umberto, please try to find your `cousins`in the vicinity, say in a raduis of about 20 km*

.... or by Path-Radio.

[Heritage]

In dem Bad, Badlands:

"You should see me in paisley, babe." ::wink

Colby turns around so he can see her grin ::biggrin, and then quietly trots through the charred trunks and ash to the left-hand point of the diamond formation.

"For anybody I haven't heard by now: Make a radio check, please."

Once in position, Colby sounds off.

Colby, check.

After he receives the answers of all (hopefully), he turns his radio to the frequency of the Hades-Team. Trying to hear something of them on the radio.

Other than the sounds of his teammates, Griff hears nothing but a wash of static that occasionally rises and falls in pitch.

*Umberto, please try to find your 'cousins' in the vicinity, say in a radius of about 20 km*

.... or by Path-Radio.

*I am not receiving any Path broadcasts in the area, sir, though I admit I am getting some very odd psionic interference, which might be affecting my ability to receive.*

Colby chimes in, apparently wanting to hear the comfort of her own voice.

Whole lotta nothin' over here, Griff, except for the all-pervasive aura of dread.

After a few moments of silence, she crackles over the coms again.

Hey everyone, check your GPS if you've got a helmet on, and let me know if you're seeing the same weird shit I'm seein'.

Anyone who accesses their GPS system sees the coordinates rapidly cycling, never resting on any set of numbers for longer than a few seconds. The internal compass (or any standard magnetic compass, for that matter) cannot seem to find magnetic north, not spinning around wildly, but seemingly unable to pin it down.

One Night in Rimrock:

Epstein slips out her silenced pistol and drops into a crouch, grinning like a Cheshire cat - even dormed down, she moves like a shadow, darting from tree to tree as she leads the way around the back of the mountain.

After a few meters of her dance, she freezes and softly hits the dirt; turning back towards her fellows, she points to her eyes, holds up two fingers, then points towards a crude path about twenty meters to the north-west.

[Grizzly]

*I am not receiving any Path broadcasts in the area, sir, though I admit I am getting some very odd psionic interference, which might be affecting my ability to receive.*

*Ok. Thanks, Umberto. Please stay alert and notice me when that interference gets stronger or changes otherwise. Try to find out more about it. If you are able to give me a direction for it, please notice me, too.*

"Whole lotta nothin' over here, Griff, except for the all-pervasive aura of dread."

"Yeah, a lovely place, isn´t it?" ::sarcasm

"Hey everyone, check your GPS if you've got a helmet on, and let me know if you're seeing the same weird shit I'm seein'."

"That´s the normal effect over here. Unfortunately, the only thing that won´t be affected would be a Gyrocompass, but those are really rare. We have to navigate by map and landmarks. Moon is up, too. With that and a good guess from the compass you know the northern direction. If someone got lost, the safest way is always "downward". At some point there you should find the Conrad Creek. Follow it downstream and you get out of the badlands. But make sure that it isn´t Tieton River. In that case you make a direct stroll into Yakima downtown ::devilangel "

Griffin takes a look around, checking the positions of the team. Changing his radio to "receive-only" and raises his voice so that the team could hear him clearly. (OOC:He doesn´t want to transmit his planned route to someone who shouldn´t know it and I think that there isn´t that much background noise that he has to shout. ::wink )

"Mike, we follow this dried out brook down until we reach the creek. Then we will follow that upstream. Everybody should keep the eyes open. Try to look for tracks, too. There are not many people out here ::wink"

"Remember, that they had been two Ranger squads of ten men, one with rifles, the other one with MGs, and they got pretty messed up by something. Hades had sent a 9 men Team after them. They vanished some 26 hours ago. Only one of them is a Nova. Randy has the ability to turn invisible and can see through walls, so watch out for your underwear, ladies ::tongue ."

"I tried to hear something from them on radio but there is only statics and us. I asked Umberto to find some of his Cousins in the vincinity, but there is nothing. But he says that there is some kind of psionic interference that might affect his abilities. I am not sure about what this could mean, but perhaps did Daddies Boys found some way to affect our communications. Anyway, we will procceed under full EmCon from now on. Switch your radios to receive-only mode. Stay in sight to at least one other member of the team. Remember, this is no fun cruise, folks."

"Everyone ready? Mike, let´s go."

[tooho]

Dropping down for cover, Emma looks to the path to watch for the hoped for enemy scouts. Keeping her rifle close to her side she listens intently for sounds of approaching scouts.

[Alex Green]

The Badlands

Mike #1 checks, again, his radio and wonders if the itch he isn’t scratching is the first sign of his radiation poisoning. With fascination he watches his GPS for a moment and tries to get a range of how distorted it is. He's thrilled to be here.

He wonders, *Is it the signals that are being distorted or is it space itself that is bending?*

He glances around with an eye to seeing any distortions (or anything else of interest), and decides his vision and range of sight aren’t accurate enough to tell.

Mike glances around at the rest of the team, gives a thumbs up signal to Griffin’s instructions, and starts to head out.

One Night in Rimrock:

Mike #2 tries to become one with the ground. Although his gun is out, mostly he is thinking about how fast he could un-dorm and where he could warp everyone.

[ezekiel]

The portal opens into night: cool breeze, stereophonic crickets and the rattle of leaves. The moon throws soft shadows across your path, and if it wasn't for the nature of the mission, you'd want to lie back on a soft bed of pine needles and count the stars that peep from behind the trees.

Epstein draws in a deep breath and stretches like a cat, a lazy smile on her lips.

Mmmmm - these guys are toast 

Ernold breathes in deeply...but it isn't so much the scenery or the cool air as the girl in front of him that made him...feel alive.

Epstein slips out her silenced pistol and drops into a crouch, grinning like a Cheshire cat - even dormed down, she moves like a shadow, darting from tree to tree as she leads the way around the back of the mountain.

After a few meters of her dance, she freezes and softly hits the dirt; turning back towards her fellows, she points to her eyes, holds up two fingers, then points towards a crude path about twenty meters to the north-west.

Ernold, hands on hips, just stood there, smiling and nodding.

Dropping down for cover, Emma looks to the path to watch for the hoped for enemy scouts. Keeping her rifle close to her side she listens intently for sounds of approaching scouts.

Mike #2 tries to become one with the ground. Although his gun is out, mostly he is thinking about how fast he could un-dorm and where he could warp everyone.

Eyes growing to the size of plates (figuratively speaking) as he realizes what's happening, he drops to the ground and and surprisingly skillfully makes his way next to Epstein to look at whatever it is she's spotted.

[Heritage]

The Recon:

Through the dappled moonlight two figures can finally be made out, now about 15 meters away: a pair of US soldiers on patrol with their weapons ready and wearing nightvision gear, their demeanor alert yet casual. However, after the group drops to the ground, one of them can be seen to stop, motion towards his teammate, and they both slip into low, tense crouches, scanning the area with their goggles ::unsure

The Badlands:

The team moves carefully through the eerie landscape, silently passing in and out of patches of shadow. Nearing the point were Griff is fairly certain the Alpha team would have materialized, a strange sight can be seen some 10 meters ahead: the crumpled hulk of a DAD tac-suit, slumped against a shattered tree trunk.

Colby:What the fvck...

[Grizzly]

*SH!T! ::crazy *

"Tac-Suits! Secure the area and take cover! There should be at least one more of them around!"

Griffin takes a careful look around, searching for any kind of danger, his Railgun at the ready. Then he goes down and makes his way to that destroyed Tac-Suit ::ninja ::lookaround . (OOC: When there is nothing that will "disturb" him, he examines it very extensively. How was it destroyed? Was it ambushed>Has it fired his weapons etc? How long ago?)

[Heritage]

*SH!T! ::crazy*

"Tac-Suits! Secure the area and take cover! There should be at least one more of them around!"

Colby: On it, boss!

Li: Roger that!

Colby shoulders her G1 and slides her railgun out of its carrying case in one smooth motion - hugging the ground, she scans the horizon for movement. Li meanwhile does a series of quick, quiet dashes around the area, G1 at ready.

Nothing yet, sir.

I've got nothing, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled, sir.

Griffin takes a careful look around, searching for any kind of danger, his Railgun at the ready. Then he goes down and makes his way to that destroyed Tac-Suit ::ninja ::lookaround. (OOC: When there is nothing that will "disturb" him, he examines it very extensively. How was it destroyed? Was it ambushed>Has it fired his weapons etc? How long ago?)

Upon closer inspection, Griff is able to determine a few things:

1. It appears that most of the suit's ordinance has been fired, and several blast and scorch marks are visible in the ground and on nearby tree trunks, which are also shattered.

2. The outside of the suit has been practically shredded - the force must have been tremendous ::crazy

3. The 'cockpit' has been torn open, and there is a great deal of blood present, but other than a few small pieces of skin caught on the jagged frame of the suit, there are no human remains...

4. If he had to make a spot estimation on the time, Griff would think it's been several hours since this occurred, at least five or six.

[ezekiel]

Ernold tries to keep as still as possible...if Emma happens to look in his direction he indicates his temple and points at the men.

As they edge closer, the expression on Ernold's face becomes more and more pained, desperately trying to keep Plato from rushing to the rescue while his heart beats like a drum.

(a drum played by "Animal" from the muppets... ::tongue )

[Alex Green]

*SH!T! ::crazy*

"Tac-Suits! Secure the area and take cover! There should be at least one more of them around!"

Mike #1 takes cover, glances around, and tries to reach out with his node to sense what can be sensed.

[tooho]

Emma nods a sharp nod at Ernold and squints her eyes in concentration at the men. Trying to be as surriptious as possible she keeps her mind fully focused on invading the nearest one's mind and searching for the needed codes and security data. Whether successful or not, she quickly moves to the other for any possible additional information.

[Grizzly]

"Ok, folks. That happened a few hours ago, maybe five or so. This one was destroyed by a Nova. It seems that it has the same taste for combat rations like Rex. Unfortunatelly, there are no known Novas out here which are capable of this. This leads to two possibilities.

a; One of the Hades Team errupted, or

b; we have the first confirmed proof for the existance of the Badland Ghost. Anyway, as we see, "Daddies Boys" are out to look for the Rangers. too. So stay alert."

Griffin takes a careful look around to see where everybody is and to look out for possible dangers.

"Mike, please come over here. Jen, you too, please."