Syraei and Kesai 4 - RPLOG
Participants
Date
28/3/2013
Log
The QRF operatives had established their own moderated nanite bubble, isolating themselves from nanomagic influence. The very first thing they did was blow the door with a standoff door breacher, sending the steel and reinforced glass separating the outside world from the laboratory tumbling into the lab with a sharp, ear splitting bang. Shortly after, cylindrical grenades skittered across the floor and began spewing smoke and tear gas. A muffled, electronically amplified voice called through the growing smoke. "You are in a biohazardous facility. Surrender immediately! You have 10 seconds to comply!" Through the smoke, there was sounds of activity - They were setting something else up.
The door skitters across the floor, shredding both of Antiman's emplaced mines.
Meniatz calls out to the source of the voice. "I'm kind of keeping your experiment from killing everyone right now! I could stop, it might not end well!" Sie telepathically communicates with hir sister-mates as sie continues to send an electrical current into the microwaves. "Of course, if you /really? want this place to end up like Vegas, I could stop sterilizing the grey goo your scientists have been making here." Though sie felt more comfortable staying there to regulate the current, Meni was confident that the charge would last long enough for hir to fight if sie really needed to. Even so, Sie hoped hir bluff would work.
Antiman had managed to get behind a piece of equipment when the door was breached and hir Mine emplacements were shreaded with them, *If we get through this I'm going to figure out how to rig a door so a breach doesn't remove traps.* Sie takes a bandana when sie realizes that the QRF tossed tear gas and wets it from hir canteen and quickly ties it around hir beak. Sie chuckle purs a little at Meni's message, *You didn't need to tell me once love.* Sie pulls out one of hir improvised granades and holds the fuse close to hir slow match.
As the smoke fills the room, Dio starts to cough and does his best not to rub at his eyes. The lion's days in law enforcement had told him that rubbing usually makes the tear gas worse, but it's awfully hard to resist the natural reflex. With the time he has left, Dio types away on the keyboard and begins the procedures to open Kesai's tank. While he waits for that task to finish, Dio shuffles through his pockets to drop a small stone ball on the floor, making it roll slightly towards the soldiers but not within their personal bubble. Seemed innocent enough.
Tau gets behind cover and prepares hir rifle to aim carefully at the door, trying to catch any sign of one of the men or women so sie could hit a limb. At this point, sie might not even go for non-lethal, if those horrible nanites got out it'd destroy everyone in the city. "Look people, we're trying to keep everyone in the city from dying here, alright? Do you *really* want to risk that? Do you *know* what they're keeping in here?"
The team outside hesitates for just one minute to consult with his radio at the attempted bluff. The smell of the natural gas leak in the sewers completely permeated the drainage systems and now, air was rushing in from the hallway the QRF team was occupying. Syraei pipes up from just inside the breach they'd made to enter. "Mistress, the tunnels are primed with natural gas now. And the QRF breach has provided sufficient air to make all of the tunnel system explosive."
Dio might want to consider himself the best hacker in the world, or at least the luckiest. The small cylinder filled with Vegas nanites dropped out of sight with a hiss before the nanomagic powered microwave incineration system popped online with an audible high energy hum, but the silicon carbide thermal shield did not immediately fall into place, saving Kesai from being cooked alive. Instead, the system doused the entire room in a blast of microwave energy that neutralized all nanites in the room, good and bad. In a torrent of fluids the capsule Kesai occupied burst open and the unconscious vixen tumbled out while the Vegas nanite cylinder reappeared in a triple sealed and armored transportation case right beside where Kesai had collapsed.
The time QRF had set forth expired and the expiration was announced by the deafening clatter of machinegun fire. Bright red tracers ripped through the air, discouraging any return fire as can after can after can was tossed into the room with them. Bright red, marked AN-M14 INCEN TH3. Thermate grenades and their fuses were going.
Meniatz ducks behind the terminal and pulls out a lead-lined case from hir bag. Sie pulls out a vial and pours it over a grenade. Though Meni usually detested biological warfare, sie was left with little choice. Sie sends a telepathic method to Syraei and hir sister-mates. "Syraei says tunnels are filled with natural gas, so we should avoid using fire as much as possible. I'm going to grab Kesai as we start to make my way through the tunnels. When I throw my grenade, we need to get out." Meniatz grabs the fox before lighting hir grenade and tossing it behind hir, leaving the match on the floor. Sie dashes through the tunnels for a moment or two before taking flight within them.
Antiman coses hir nictitating eyelids against the teargas. Sie ducks behind the equipment as the QRF team fires into the room and toss thermite granades, *Shit they be serious.* Sie lights the fuse on hir granade and counts 1..2.. and throws on three into the doorway. Sie backs away from hir cover keeping it between hir and the door as sie backs away towards the tunnel, "You heard the herm! Time to go!" Sie extinguishes hir slow match to prevent from blowing hirself up, "Toss granades and extinguish matches."
It would seem the time for talking things out has turned to running out as indicated by the clear message of a torrent of bullets. Getting Meni's message, Dio nods and starts to concentrate some of his efforts towards the nanites around the stone ball he dropped. Like some sort of massive shotgun, dozens upon dozens of tiny stone shrapnel pieces fly off the ball at lethal speeds down the hallway and towards the soldiers. Just in case, Dio also extinguishes the match Anti gave him and sprints for the tunnel.
Tau did hir best to avoid the teargas, and wished sie still wore clothes so sie could try and sheild hirself. Then the grenades came. Sie couldn't be happier to get out of this hellhole. Sie just had to worry about suffication in the tunnels, or something causing an explosion. Sie put the safety on hir rifle, and destroyed the slow burn match. Sie was nervous of anything on hir bandolier possibly causing a spark or something. It was highly improbable, but the fear was there none the less. Through the hole to the tunnel sie went and prayed sie'd get the hell out of dodge safely.
Syraei nods slowly. "I will ensure your escape." Syraei approached Antiman, reaching for the remote detonator the Gryhon had stashed away as the first thermate grenade flared to life behind them. It was a searing, bright blue light. So much brighter than the sun that it would certainly sear anyone foolish enough to watch it burn. "I will remain behind and cover your escape with the threat of destruction. There is no time for argument. This is the only way to ensure neither troops, armored vehicles nor aircraft follow you."
Winces and all six eyes begins to cry as the grenades detonate in the hall amidst the screams of the dead and dying as she stared deep into Antiman's nictated eyes. "Please... before anyone else dies." She winces again as more screams of pain and death and outrage roar down the halls. Her emotions were warring with the control placed upon her by Meniatz and it was visibly tearing her mind apart.
Meniatz calls back, "Is everyone out of the lab?" Sie looks behind hir and sees that Syraei is missing. "Syraei!? Syraei, where are you?" Sie continue's onward, not daring to go back, lest Kesai become re-captured. "Did anyone see where sie went?" Sie is too far out to use hir telepathy to communicate with the cerberus herm. The grenade Meni had thrown had probably detonated by now, filling the scattering the nanites from over a dozen left-over experiments across the lab. Meniatz coulc only hope that Syraei could make it out safely.
Antiman hands Syraei the detonator for the collapse charges and looks hir in the eyes of hir central head, "I'm sorry about the blood that was shed today and any personal looses that you may have just suffered. You have my condolences. May the Maternal Beast be with you." Even though sie wasn't in any armed services before P-day and the Promeathens were much less formal sie saluted Syraei before turning and sprinting down the tunnel. If there were tears in hir eyes then it was from the teargas of course. As sie emerged from the tunnel and Meni asked about Syraei sie tearfuly told hir, "Sie's staying behind with the detonator to cover our escape. To keep the helecopters from fireing from us. To prevent anyone else from dying for someone elses greed or lust for power today. May the Maternal Beast bless hir and keep hir."
"Indeed, seems like we're in once piece so far as it seems. Dio continues to sprint down the tunnel along with the others. "So shi stayed behind, eh? Well, I hope things turn out for the best." The lion shrugs a little in indifference. Perhaps their group was guilty of greed themselves in a way, especially considering how they took a soldier's free will and forced them to help kill a bunch of their friends including making various scientists suffer. An ethical and moral debate and a half, but Dio seemed to consider that the ends justify the means in this case.
Tau looks vexxed when sie hears this information. This was the last straw. "...what. Okay, hold on. So you're telling me. We took away hir free will, mutated hir into something sie probably detested, had hir sit around and assist us in slaying friends and possibly family, and then sie has to *die* at the end?! All these people dead. So fucking many. For what?! One girl!? I know you love her, and she seems nice and all but *holy shit* are you *kidding me*?! Did you see how terrified those scientists were!? I'd guestimate 50 people's lives were taken or ruined tonight over ONE. GIRL. ONE. ONE. And possibly HUNDREDS more because of that grey goo shit. Don't you try and justify this to me about what they were doing was wrong, I don't care. I've had it. Do you know how many people I've killed already? Not even in war. People who were part of my unit that I failed. Agents of zephyr or whatever the hell that I gunned down in the street for five yearsfrom my hidey holes because I was *bored*. I don't even KNOW how many that I killed like that. Yeah, I didn't know they were feral, but that *doesn't change that I killed innocents*. And now you've all roped me into killing *more* people?!" Sie shook more and more as hir voice raised through all of this. In the end, sie went dead silent and calmed hirself. Then, sie drops hir rifle on the ground. "I'm done. See ya." and then sie begins walking away.
There was dim, unrecognizable shouting voices that echoed down the tunnel. The multiple echoes and distance made it impossible what was said but the words were tinged with anger and excitement and fear. Then the staccato of gunshots echoed down the tunnel before it became silent.
Above, the helicopters raced in towards the escaping party and began to fire upon the building they were in. Huge chunks of wall vanished with each cannon impact and more and more light from their spotlights streamed in until it appeared as if they'd met their demise and... the fire abruptly ceased. The helicopters hovered there, four cannons and 148 rockets menacingly tracking their every movement but holding fire. For several heartbeats, the held their positions and fire as their rotor wash whipped gales of wind through the perforated building before they slowly rose into the night sky and roared away as if angry that they'd been robbed of a kill.
Kesai hung limply in Kesai's arms, ears twitching and softly crying out at each cannon shot as if it induced fearful dreams. She cried out for Natake and Antiman and Meniatz and Tau and Dio. For someone to rescue her.
Kesai hung limply in Meniatz's arms, ears twitching and softly crying out at each cannon shot as if it induced fearful dreams. She cried out for Natake and Antiman and Meniatz and Tau and Dio. For someone to rescue her.
Meniatz is stricken with grief upon hearing that Syraei had stayed behind. Meni couldn't bear to lose another friend and almost drops Kesai as sie hears what had happened. "What!? Sie could have come with us! We could have gotten away together!" Sie begins to shake when Kesai stirs in hir arms and calls out for hir. "Shhh...It's alright, Kesai. You're safe now..." Sie whispers softly. As the Talakai hears Tau drop hir rifle, sie lands and hands Kesai to Anti as sie pads over to the wolf. "Tau, please come back. Kesai is our friend, and we all just wanted to save her. None of us meant for anyone to get killed, and certainly not on this sort of scale." Sie tugs on Tau's hand and tries to keep hir from leaving. "I don't want Syraei to die, either, but sie stayed behind, even though sie knew the risks. The nanites I used to change hir wouldn't make hir do anything that would put hir in danger or get hir killed. It wasn't the nanites that made hir stay behind, it was Syraei's own decision." Sie hugs Tau tightly and nuzzles hir. "Please stay with us. I don't think I can handle losing two people I promised to keep safe in one day."
Antiman had mixed feeling about the whole thing. Sie felt bad about taking life. Sie always did even when sie knew that sie didn't have any choice. Sie also knew that if what those scientist were doing were andy indication that they were hardly innocent. Sie knew that saying any of this to Tau wouldn't make any diffrence to hir. So sie said the one thing that could latter when sie thought about it, "Syraei chose to stay behind, Tau. I didn't order hir to. Nor did anyone else order hir to. Sie did this on hir own to save as meny of the lives of hir friends and family." Sie picks up Tau rifle, "I'll keep this safe for you love when you feel that you can heft this responsibility again." Sie pulls the magazine out and opens the bolt to eject the chambered round. Sie slings it on hir back. Sie won't use it because it's Tau's not hirs. Sie's only keeping it safe for Tau. Sie accepts Kes from Meni, "Shh, Shh you're safe now Kes. We'll be home before you know it." Instead of hir ususal instinctive lulaby sie starts singing, "Hush little baby don't you cry. Moma's going to by you a diamond ring." Sie continues singing to Kesai as sie walks to follow Meni and Tau.
Dio listens to Tau's rant and chuckles to himself. He didn't do it out of spite, but because of something else. Not only was Dio thinking about the same moral dilemma earlier, but there was something about those words. Failure to protect. Killing others in large amounts, Killing various innocents. It was all too familiar to the lion. Perhaps their respective situations were different to a degree, but they weren't too far off in the grand scheme of things. "Personally, I won't try and justify it. There isn't a justification really. You know, we have more in common than I thought, Tau. Perhaps we need to talk about some things in our lives. However, we'll need to be alive in the first place to do that. Stay with us, if you will." Finished, Dio follows after the others.
Tau stops walking when meniatz hugs on hir and sie forcibly squirms out of hir grip. Sie doesn't keep walking however, but doesn't turn to look at hir. "Yeah, I get sie did it on hir own. But today was a completely senseless loss of life. Sie wouldn't have had to do it in the first place if we hadn't shown up. Sie was only in there to stay behind because we made hir come with us with that disgusting mind control shit. You're not *losing* me. I just..." Sie sighs. "I don't know." Sie brings an arm to hir head and runs it over hir eyes. "I just don't know. I don't want to look or talk to any of you right now." Hir voice is breaking up. "God, I feel *sick*." Sie starts walking again.
Kesai gradually calms, curling herself into the warmth of Anti's body.
Meanwhile, armored vehicles roar up to create a gun bristling ring around the building. "All non RSX personnel must evacuate the area immediately. RSX personnel, prepare your credentials for inspection and return to the headquarters immediately."
Meniatz comes out of the tunnel with hir sister-mates and Kesai, making haste as sie 'evacuates' the area like a good little civilian. Once they reach a safe distance from the scene of the tragedy that they had been invovled in, Meni becomes a crested wyvern and picks up Tau and Dio as sie takes off for Fairhaven.
Antiman chirp purs as Kesai calms down. Sie follows hir sister-mate out of the tunnel. Sie appricates the irony of complying with the RSX directive but doesn't laugh because of all the death today for other peoples stupidity and greed. Sie straps Kesai to hirself to prevent her from falling and opens hir armor to free one of hir breasts so Kes could have an in flight meal if sie wanted to and takes off to Fairhaven and evacuates like a good civilian.
Dio hops aboard the wondrous Meni flying airlines back home. They're sure to have a lot to talk about once they get back, but for now, it'd be best if they rested. There's also the matter of the vixen's personal information in the like might need to be discussed in detail later.
Hundreds of soldiers and all of their weapons and surveillance systems watched as the group emerged from the helicopter perforated building. All of them stared at the group in an accusatory manner but none moved to stop them or fire upon them as they took to the air.
