The Jaws of Life - RPLOG
Participants
Date
16/7/2016
Log
There was a light rain out in this early afternoon as the call came out for a private contract - asset retrieval. Details were sketchy, but the brief mentioned it being a job for a local contact of Zephyr's, and it came with a good reward tag to boot.
The contractor was one Branson Leyton, a former agent of Zephyr's whom had gone private some time ago, but somehow managed to maintain good relations with the oft-territorial megacorporation.
The small otter stood under an awning in the truck stop atop the nearby hillock overlooking their target building - the East Fairhaven Fire Department. One by one, the agents started to arrive...
Astara trots in, the large centauress only slightly armored despite the mission at hand. She approaches the otter wearing a light smile on her face. "Hello, I am Astara; I assume you are organizing the mission?"
Moondog follows shortly behind the centauress, not able to move as quickly as her since he's only got his two human legs! He is on guard after the trek through the potneitally dangerous city, not moving with the disinterest he usually has when in safe zones. Head on a swivel, he doesn't relax in the slightest until he's rejoined with Astara. He leans in to listen, not speaking yet.
Nayru felt uncomfortable as she stealthily made her way through. She was not a big fan of rain. Especially when her clothes weren't made to handle such things. Wet socks were just torture, and made the lop-eared bunny wish she was able to find a pair of proper shoes that fir her bunny feet. Yet that would have to wait. She stopped for a second as she ducked down and hid from a wandering feral, continuing on her path only once she was certain the coast was clear. It didn't take her much longer to reach the meeting spot. Seeing Astara with two others she did not recognize. "Hey." Was all she said while she waited for the rest of their group to arrive.
Shaile might have arrived riding perched atop of Astara, otherwise came loping in on all fours before slowing and coming to a standing stop. Shale didnt really understand all the details of the mission or what was expected... buuut she was happy to help zephyr peoples and is a good finder of things. So she'll be merrily there with thick tail wagging behind her. Craning her head over to look him up and down. "hello person....? Am Shale. Is heard asking for thingssss."
It'd been an uneventful week for one onyx-furred bunny, as neither his research, nor his ventures lead to any groundbreaking successes. No, the past few days were filled with either meetups with research and development of his crafting during the mornings, intense training with his closest companion and mentor in the afternoons, and drinking or socializing during the evenings. A tired look in his eye spoke of the nights as well, some as sleepless as his days, for better or worse, not even he knew exactly.
The light rain gently sprayed over the bunny as he made his way to the meeting point, light footfall impossible as his large bunny feet flopped over the wet terrain. He kept his paws in his pockets and his ears folded gently behind him, keeping his neck dry from the chilling water droplets. Every once in a while, he would look around to make sure he hadn't lost track of Alania, the feral margay which he'd taken a liking to. Sometimes she was far off in the distance, others she was practically pressed up against him, but no doubt a powerful feline like her had no issues what so ever tracking Otto's movements. Indeed, she would not be lost.
Rounding a corner, he spotted a small crowd of agents just before him. He turned to Alania and softly asked her to stay close and try to behave, though he was still uncertain if she understood him. As he approached, he scanned the crowd, spotting more than just one familiar face! While he had his reservations about the mission's being tied with Zephyr, the company of folks he knew was quite reassuring. "Good afternoon!" he greets everyone, shooting Moondog and Astara with a smile and a nod before glancing around the others.
Alania finds herself wandering through the rain, haplessly, the feral walking in on all fours like some dog or in her case a really large cat. The feline appears almost completely animal like in appearance then a woman but still bared afew resemblements of her once human frame. Her body being 7 foot eight with a slim hour glass frame toned in strong muscle her arms were limber then then her thighs or rather her lower body was clearly her strong suit. wielding powerful thighs and legs as if more adapt to running then anything else, she was built for speed and agility. And her body draped with bright tan fur all to warm and welcoming and she only seemed to want to play bouncing up and down among the tall grass teasing at Otto with her bright playful humor. The wet grass soaking down her fur from the legs down but she didn't seem th mind. The seemingly massive feline to busy playing by herself pouncing invisible things or generally jumping around beating up the grass to care about whatever it was Otto was off doing, though she followed him around none the less.
The otter turns to face the centauress, having to tilt his head up to look at her. He nods slightly. All of him screams 'wannabe secret agent', from the long duster hiding most of his form (apart from the tail poking out from underneath) to the well-tucked hat that hides the top of his head down to his eyes. He peers around suspiciously before answering. "Yea, I am. Name's Branson." He flicks his fingers over his comm unit before looking back up at her. "Target's down here. I'll give more details once everyone's here."
He takes a look at Moondog, eyeing the human up and down. "Nice, you came prepared. Last buggers I conracted showed up half-naked for some reason." He snorts derisively. "But it seems we might have a chance here." Nayru, Otto and his 'pet' are met with a curt nod, the otter giving them a smirk.
He turns around and gestures towards the crumbling building to the east, the East Fairhaven Fire Department's fire station. "Inside there is a device from pre P-day that I need retrieved. Chances are it has survived these abominable nanites eating it to bits as it was delivered to the station in sealed containers." He turns back to the group. "Your job is to get in there and get it for me, without opening the box. We need that thing to stay intact for as long as possible... assuming I'm right and the seals haven't been broken."
He turns around to look at Astara again. "The thing is called a Jaws of Life. Apparently some kind of rescue device used before P-day. It should be stored somewhere inside the building and probably still labelled. Check everywhere that makes sense." He nods at them again. "Alright, off you go. Uh.. and yea.. one last thing. Expect company. Every building in here is crawling with ferals. That one isn't going to be an exception." He nods and steps off, hiding underneath the awning and letting the group approach the building at their leisure.
Astara frowns as the otter seemingly makes fun of her under-dressed appearance, but quickly pushes that out of her head as she pays attention to the mission briefing. She turns to face her other members. "Nayru, Otto, Moondog... glad you're all here, always a good thing to do missions with people you know. Not to put you off, Miss Feline; after this, we'll know each other as well! I'm Astara, by the way; yours?"
Moondog allows Astara to introduce him to the people he doesn't know. He gives Otto a little faux-salute as way of greeting, being taciturn as he often can be. He listens carefully, hands held down by his sides as the otter outlines the mission parameters to their merry little band of misfits. He thinks, breifly, before beginning his lines of inquiry. When he speaks, his voice is slightly muffled by his facemask, but he compensates by enunciating and using a minimum of words.
"The motor whcih powers the hydraulic jaws, considered a seperate peice or something to retrieve?" After each question, he'd give the otter time to clarify, of course. He's not silly. "Is this location the place to deliver the cargo?" Oh, and he has a doozy to follow that one up. "Any intelligence on the makeup of the feral populations inside the building?"
He keeps his eyes on teh building, studying approaches, escapes, and layout as best he can as he talks. He doesn;t need to make eye contact with the little ottery agent in order to interrogate him. Besides, nearly dying in a building collapse has him greatly concerned with the structural stability of any structure he's about to run into pell-mell.
The otter perks up, raising an eyebrow at Moondog's clever question. "Motor's optional. We have other ways to power that but.. if you locate that, I guess that's bonus pay." He smirks.
"So grab the container that they are keeping the jaws of life in. Be wary of any roaming mutants inside. Sounds pretty simple." Nayru commented as she carefully examined the outside of the building as best she could. It were times like these she wished she had the buildings blueprints to better know what to expect inside.
Otto listens with rapt attention as the otter speaks to them. This seemed fairly simple, mere grunt work, run in to grab a payload and get out. He kept quiet, pondering his approach to the combat situation they may end up facing. Ferals were no issue to a well organized party, and Otto felt confident that his colleagues would easily handle a few, or even more. He was still new to healing, as most of his time was devoted to his machines, but he hoped that in the end, no one would be in need of that medkit he had packed.
His eyes dart to Astara once the otter was done speaking. "Ahhh, she doesn't, I mean." he clears his throat. "She doesn't speak, at least to the best of my knowledge." he flashes an earnest smile, then glances at his feral feline. Deep down, he felt concerned for her safety, but knew that once this margay set out to do something, there was no stopping her.
Looking back towards the otter, and then glancing towards Moondog, Otto took in the exchanged words, taking a note to keep an eye out for other valuables. His eyes roamed over the building, assessing it silently, not for weaknesses, but exploits. Quick escapes, fire exits and the like... What risks were worth taking? He scanned for just that, hoping there was a reliable alternate exit for them to take if things got... hairy.
Alania quiets up and freezes in place the moment she spots the otter or rather stares at him for a long moment before, she lays her front half down in the grass she was playing in to hide crawling acrossed the ground, her rear sticks out in the air tail waggling freely however giving her away easily. Not to mention her shear size alone didn't help hide her any. The margay seeming intent on crawling up to Branson attempting to get close enough to lick! Sneaking through the grass and prowling up to the otter as far as the grassline before bursting into the air to pounce at him!
Branson was looking out at the group as they began to move out, most of them immediately starting to assess their surroundings, scanning the buildings for points of entry.. exactly as he expected. He did not expect, however, to be pounced on by a feral cat. "Ack!" The otter is quickly tackled to the muddy ground and starts struggling to try and get out from under the cat and dodge the barrage of licks. "Get.. get OFFA ME! Ack!" He covers his face while calling out. "Get this cat off me now!"
The sky was just starting to clear up as the group began to descend the hillock, leaving the otter to his fate. The large fire station sat in a wide open area to the east of Fairhaven. It might have been freshly built just after P-day, but eight years of lack of maintenance and nanite degradation have rendered it into a ruin in record time. Several other buildings dot the area, the majority of which are two-story upscale domiciles that were still being built and are now little more than assorted walls and pillars, or ruined and water-filled foundations.
The fire station itself is by far the most imposing building in the area. From the main road it is easy to see the three large shuttered gateways that lead into the main garage and apparatus bay, the faint outlines of three once-new fire trucks visble through the laminated fiberglass windows at the center of each shutter. Next to the westmost shutter is the employee entrance, a sturdy-looking metal door that no doubt leads to the offices. Despite years of nanite degradation it still looks to be in good condition. Further out near the western edge of the building is the public entrance into reception. Above the reception door is a large sign indicating this to be the East Fairhaven Fire Department
Between those two entry points the building has collapsed into a pile of unrecognizable rubble, naught but concrete and rebar in a haphazard pile that once was the tower that sat above this part of the structure. It is likely that any rooms that once were underneath the tower have completely caved in, their contents reduced to little more than debris.
Astara sighs as one of their teammate pounces on the person who's actually giving them this job. "...Oh c'mon, you, save this for the other ferals out there." She goes up to the otter-feline pile, and wraps her arms around Alania. She tries her damnest to use her somewhat-larger height and much larger weight to pry the kitty off of the poor man. While doing this, she tries to strategize with everyone else. "So, what do we want to do first? I feel I'm not exactly, uh... prone to being stealthy, with my size. Or my hooves."
Moondog is bnot well suited to feral-wrangling, and leaves those duties to other people. He taps one gloved finger against the side of his 'muzzle' thoughtfully, the ballistic kevlar-laced plastic making a soft thump as he examines the building. His shifts his weight slightly to one side. "Logically the Jaws would be in or near the trucks. Unless ferals moved them - but why would they?" He considers the laminated fiberglass windows in the distance thoughtfully.
"Going through the windows will probably be loud, but direct. Otherwise its through the building itself. Either way, inside we could maybe unlock and open a shutter and roll the Jaws right out." He looks at that collasped section, not liking the look of it. "Go through a window, a locked metal door, or reception. I can do the last one easily - what about you all?"
Nayru approached the building as her eyes picked up on some of the details she's became accustomed in searching for. "Looks like we have three options to enter." She told the group as she stepped back. "This building is new. Like state of the art back before P-day occured new. The two front doors here are maglocked. Meaning we'll have to either trick the sys..." She was interrupted by the sound of the struggling otter. Turning around to see the Margay ontop of their client, licking him. With a sigh she turned back towards the building in order to continue her explanation, "Anyways. If any of you know how to trick the maglocks into opening, we can try that. If not then we can attempt trying to bust through one of these doors with brute force. Or we can look to see what type of back entrance this place has. Perhaps we'll get lucky and have an easier time getting through that way." The lop-eared bunny then pivot back around towards her group. "I personally don't see the windows being an option for entrance given our present company. I guess stealth isn't much of an option either. But what do you all think?"
Otto could only watch wih amusement as his feral friend licked the otter mercilessly. Hearty chuckles held back by his paw alone bubbled out of him until Astara intervened. He calmed down and returned his attention to the matter at hand. His colleagues seemed more than competent enough, but he had his say as well. Once they were both done speaking, he interjected.
"I agree that using the windows is begging for trouble. Glass shards just beneath and the tight opening would make for a bad escape option. Nonono, we should use one of the doors." he declares as they moved onwards. "Maglocks are child's play." he adds and rolls up his sleeves. "Give me a minute, and get ready. We don't know if something is gonna jump out." he says confidently, then makes his way to the appropriate magnetically sealed entrance. With a bit of ingenuity, he works with the delicate circuitry and mechanisms before him, pulling out a tool or two from his pocket occasionally to assist his work, before *Kssh* the magnetic seal of the door in question was released, leaving it easily openable. Otto stands back, looking satisfied with his work.
Alania more or less nuzzles up to Branson's neck and cheeks, purring and hugging his body into her rows upon rows of cleavage along the underside of her body, subjecting the otter to the softness and warm damp fur as she simply cuddles and purrs away. Not being one to even pay attention to some silly fire station or what's inside, perhaps even completely oblivious to the reasons why everyone was here to begin with she simply did as she wanted. However the seemingly large playful feline lets go of the otter without a fuss as soon as someone began pulling at her frame. Hugging Branson into the mud no more but giving his face a big parting lick before she bounced and leap back off into the grass to play again, quickly escaping Astara.
In the distance, Branson picks himself up and quickly exits the scene. He'll catch up with these 'agents' later, not to risk being jumped by their pet again.
The metal door is easily dealt with, and opens into a well appointed staff room, and were it not for the obvious nanite degradation of the furnishings it might make for a pleasant place to take a nap. A nonfunctional vending machine sits in the corner, next to a pair of ruined sofas, and across from an old TV set that is well on it's way to being unrecognizable junk. A small kitchenette takes up the southwest corner of the room, with long-junked food prep appliances like a kettle and a toaster, both looking rather eaten through by nanites.
A door to the west leads to the offices, and further down to the ruined remains of the corridor that would have connected back to the reeption area, now just a pile of rubble and rebar.
The only other exit out of the room is the door to the west. The plaque on the door clearly indicates that's the way to the apparatus bay and garage.
Astara peers around the room, trying to parse for anything that looks like it might be what they need... or signs of trouble. "Hrmm... perhaps we should go west after this?"
Moondog moves into the room close by his tauric 'partner' at a rapid clip. He's unslung his laser rifle from his back, keeping it at the ready as she sweeps across the room. He focuses his light on the plaque thats reads 'Garage' so that everyone can see. "That seems to be the first place to check." He stays on his toes, ready for anything.
Nayru smirked as the door opened. Pretty impressed with the other bunny's work. And with no feral jumping at them either. She followed the others as they walked in, taking in the environment as she did. "I agree. Better to go that way then exiting to try door number two." She mentioned, walking over to the door. Keeping a hand close to her weapons and an ear out for trouble.
As Naury approaches the door, a rather unpleasant scent crosses her nose. There's something on the other side of that door that smells.. wrong, unwashed. Like a garbage bag that's been left out a bit too long. Luckily the secure and sealed fire doors seem to be keeping most of it at bay. The door itself is unlocked, and can be opened by turning the handle as normal.
Otto followed the rest, closely and carefully as his bunny ears swiveled from side to side, trying to pick up on the telltale footfall of ferals or other dangerous folks that may be around. He had naught but his bare fists and small claws to defend with, as being a pacifist, weapons were never really his favorite utility.
As he approached the door, his little pink nose twitched in surprise as he picked up on a rather maloderous stench. The smell of decay was present, though Otto was no expert on such things, he could deduce only one thing... "Pseeeew, that's disgusting." he whispered and waved a paw in front of his nose. As he stepped into the room, his blue eyes darted around every nook and cranny, acting on that mental note he'd made, to seek valuables.
The cunning bunny can definitely hear something alright. There's a light sound of dragging, something light on something hard, scratching and nipping. Claws on concrete, perhaps. The room they're in is a trove of terrible and discarded electronics, many of them little more than salvage at this point. The vending machine looks to be in decent condition, but the food inside has been exposed to the elements for years and is no longer really edible. There, in one of the corners, is also a fire extinguisher and a fire axe. The former looks past it's prime, the rubber seals having long since been eaten by nanites, the contents spilled out slowly and denatured. The fire axe, however, is inside a metal-and-glass container, and looks almost pristine.
Astara grimaces at the smell. "Gods, that /is/ awful..." She avoids exploring over there - at least until all other options are exhausted; she can't help but notice the fire axe in the corner, to which she goes up and inspects. "Hmmmm, this thing looks in good shape! But... I don't want to set an alarm off. It seems /too/ perfect; anyone want to help me out?" While she's looking over the case, she thinks she hears something faint in the distance... but she's unsure.
