anothercontinuity | Red vs Blue Voicetesting Thread

Vulpes, report!

[ The payloads have been getting bigger and bigger with each target they strike, each new base of Hargrove or his associates they decide to raid. This should have just been the archives, but there's far more here. It seems like a warehouse storage specifically for relics from Project Freelancer.

How has he discovered this?

Hacking into the servers this time has produced a list of what they're keeping here, and some of the names are ringing a few bells.

Of course, there are also the guards to be concerned with. He's taken out the two in this hallway, but there are bound to be coming at any moment. They may have already located Vulpes, and he needs to know now whether to break away and go assist, or continue as planned. ]

T minus fifteen on this layer, all green.

[ They're still ahead of schedule, the trackers for this hall are clear, he's still wrist deep in this lock to some kind of storage but there's no way of knowing when the few guards left will come around the corner. This building is a lot bigger than previously anticipated.

What the hell did they find this time? ]

Scratch that, yellow. [ Fuck. He speeds through the last few shapes, squints at the next layer, the timer pinging along on his lower right HUD, and the two blips heading his way. ] I got this.

Thirty seconds until inventory download completes. Keep me updated.

[ If he needs to break away, he will. But the contents of this list are proving a point of interest. He scans through them quickly before turning his eyes back towards the door, listening for movement beyond.

A larger complex means longer to get to where Vulpes is located, if need be. But there might be time to go into the storage area itself and recover some items of interest.

One item in particular might be of interest to his partner. Isolating the entry and pulling it up, he brings Vulpes up on coms again. ]

Once you're inside, there's an additional item to be secured.

Copy that.

[ Second to last layer, roughly thirty seconds until those shapes ping through and come around the corner. He can back out, disarm and disable them and start over losing, what, five minutes? Or speed run the last of this and be inside before they notice him.

He's back to about where he was during the project before Delta- if not better. Everything in this damn lock just- clicks to place in his head and he's spinning through the last two layers till the door pings and he's in with three seconds to spare. ]

Left my friends outside, I'm in- what am I grabbing?

[ Location...should be here somewhere. ]

Sending item number and storage unit to your display now.

[ Another few quick taps and it's done. Transferred to his suit, and now to Vulpes. Should give him more than enough to go on. Meanwhile the blinking lights cue him in to the completion of his primary objection.

The drive is promptly removed, store, and his rifle drawn. ]

Download complete. Moving to clear route to exit.

[ Starting with the soldiers closing in on his partner's location. Shifting into camo mode, he slips out into the hallway to find them. ]

What, not even a hint? Cryptic, C. Cryptic.

[ Still, they've got the data they wanted and, apparently, a veritable candyland of old modules, weapons, and tools to dig through. If only they had some of those teleporter cubes that fucking functioned- but the schematics will have to do till his Ariel hookup can come through.

Still he wastes no time in completing the original objective first, CT's holographic projector, Maine's strength enhancement. It'll take some keying in to make them work and some recalculating of what they want in each loadout but- bless modular enhancement. Easy to swap out on the fly.

Now what the shit is this thing Cerberus wants him to grab- ]

C? [ What the fuck. What is one of these doing here. ] What are the contents of this item?

[ That data isn't available and like fuck he's putting one of these bastards in blind. ]

[ It's a storage unit. More specifically, a storage unit for an AI.

It could be any AI, really...save the coding for the file name. One part sticks out even as he read through it as briefly as he had. A name, or a designation, but one that was familiar from York's tales of his time in Freelancer.

Apparently, Hargrove had gotten his hands on a lot more than they had initially thought.

Coming around the corner, he sees the guards. One shot downs the first without issue, though the second turns almost immediately to fire back. Missed by inches. Cerberus quickly takes him out with a shot to the chest before turning coms back on. ]

It may not be recoverable in this state. I thought you'd want it out of his hands, all the same.

[ There's a pause as he moves up, preparing to secure the door and then clear the way out. ]

The file mentioned an AI designated Delta.

[ It's a little surreal to suddenly have this in his hands and hear what it's supposed to be. Who's in there.

Who MIGHT be in there. The EMP burned all of them out, the fakeout on his suit left him scarred and he walked away from what he thought was an empty chip. But this- D mentioned backing himself up sometimes. Did it before every firefight. In the middle on occasion, just as a habit. He'd always wondered where they went and now? He knows. ]

Sonovabitch.

[ There's no way of knowing when this D's from. If he'll have to start fresh or if it's from when they left the MOI, from when he got shot- form after. He's not risking putting him in now. Focus on the mission.

The storage module settles into a magclamp on his back as he locks up the unit. ]

Any other goodies that need grabb'n? [ Be cool, be cool, focus on the job FIRST not that scrabbling, yawning thing in the back of his mind screaming DeltaDeltaDeltaDeltaDeltaDELTA. ]

Nothing useful to us. This isn't a high-priority facility. The items in storage here were meant to be archived, not put into use.

[ So there may be nothing. Or Hargrove and his cronies managed to overlook something. Either way, at worst he'll have some kind of closure. At best...

Cerberus starts towards the north exit, keeping an eye out for hostiles as he goes. It's likely they'll have more before too long. ]

Moving to extraction point. ETA?

[ Vulpes gives the area one last good scan, HUd not pinging on anything relevant. All the weaponry here is pretty well outdated, any further armor modules they already have or have something better. Cerberus got the schematics and data they'd need. ]

Copy. Gimme fifteen seconds.

[ The plan was, and no longer is, an EMP wipe in this area of storage-

But if there are other AI here. If Theta might be here, or Epsilon, or even a backup of the Alpha-

He can't do it. The bug in the data archive will have to be enough. Charon won't know what it's got and if they're here? The'll be left alone. It's the best thing he can think of for them.

Vulpes slips through the door, checks his trackers, and heads for extraction. ]

On your six.

[ Slotting in behind Cerberus has never felt so natural, even with the weight of ghosts on his back. ]

All clear?

[ He's poised at a juncture in the hall, holding up a fist to halt their progress, before lifting four fingers, and gesturing around the corner. The rifle is effective when aiming, but slower than he'd like. One shot will take them by surprise, but then there will be three guns aimed in their direction.

He reaches for a stun grenade on his belt, counting off one, then two, before tossing it around the corner, waiting for the detonation before drawing out into view and taking a knee to fire.

That gives Vulpes room to step behind him and fire as well, from some kind of cover. ]

[ Four targets, Cerberus going low. Why the taller one goes low- well it makes sense. He's got both eyes, better aim. Being high gives Vulpes a better shot at hitting center mass. They've practiced this exact movement enough times he brings his rifle to bear and pivots around the corner in perfect sync, picking off two with blasts to the chest.

Squeeze the trigger, aim, squeeze. He doesn't worry about the closer of the two targets- Cerberus has those. ]

[ One gets a shot straight to the head, throwing him back over his collapsed comrades. The last barely gets his gun up to try a blind shot in their direction before the second shot is fired, catching him in the gut. He staggered back, crumples against the wall, and slides down with a groan.

Instantly Cerberus in on his feet again, taking point, moving past the pron bodies and pushing towards the exit. ]

[ Trackers clear, all hostiles down. As best he can tell they're good till they're out. Vulpes doesn't relax, though- he's been wrong before.

They've always come out fine but a healthy paranoia is kind of a requirement in these sorts of jobs. He's tight on Cerberus' back, checking alternate corners as they come through intersections in the hallway, half a mind on the trackers they'd left behind. ]

Our Six is clear.

We need to move.

[ As quickly as they can, before more arrive. They've got what they came for, no reason to be sloppy now.

Their back is clear. Anyone approaching from the front is going to be dealt with, just as they had already done. His mind is working to keep from straying too far ahead, to what will happen once they hit the shuttle. Stay in the moment.

No mistakes now. ]

[ Best he can tell, nothing coming up. He gives Cerberus' shoulder a faint nudge to keep going forward. It's not far now, then 100 yards to the shuttle, then the flight to the ship.

Then he can freak out.

The site isn't entirely clear- but the dots in the security hub are working blind thanks to his lockdown on the cameras and anyone deeper in the facility probably won't catch up till they're out. Perfect fucking timing.

If it weren't for the module on his back? He's be riding an adrenaline high. Right now it's all knotted up anxiety that he swallows down, bringing his rifle to bear to pick off the one poor asshole that swings around a corner between them and the exit. ]

[ Cerberus steps back, swings his leg low for good measure, and that blow sinks the guard to the floor with a heavy thud. The door's just ahead, and Cerberus motions for Vulpes to go first.

He'll cover if anyone else manages to slip in from behind. And he reasons Vulpes might need a moment, once they're clear of this mess.

He remembers the state he was in that night that he'd found him, sleep-deprived, talking to the echo of his AI. He hopes he's done the right thing here, but it's too soon to tell. ]

[ He palms the door open and scans the yard between the door and evac point. All clear. Or camo'd but what the hell. He flicks his own on, give's Cerberus' foot a tap with his heel as he sprints for it.

100 yards, 80, 75 and he's tempted to tap into the speed module just to be done but he hasn't quite mastered stopping on a dime yet. How the fuck did Carolina manage it?

Halfway there and trusting C's right behind him, not looking back till he's got an arm on the ramp hauling himself up, twisting to offer a hand down to his partner. ]

[ It's impossible to trust that they've made until they actually set foot on the settle, and Cerberus takes the offered hand to hoist himself up, quickly moving inward to allow room for the door to close behind them.

They've got it. And apparently much more than they'd bargained for. His gaze immediately falls to Vulpes, watching intently. ]

FLISS, take us out.

[ They got what they came for and more. It takes a stupid amount of self control not to rip his helmet off and jam the chip home but-

Debrief, take inventory. Work first.

Even if he's breathing a little hard as he stores the new modules. The AI storage unit goes on a side table as they take off, York's hands trembling when he reaches up to unfasten his helmet. ]

Good job. [ His current partner comes first. Always. ] We got out ahead of schedule and without tripping any serious alarms.

[ Locus peels his helmet off as well, watching the tremble of his hands, brow furrowed. He'd ask if he's alright, but it's clear enough. He doesn't really need to ask, does he? ]

It's been going well. Though this appeared to be much more than we thought. He must be getting better at hiding his tracks. That, or he didn't expect anything in there to be of any concern to anyone other than him.

[ And why would he? With only two Freelancers left alive, according to most, who else would go digging around in a facility like this? ]

It was a low priority site. I expected data, not modules. Not...this.

[ Breathe. He needs to remember to breathe. ]

Hargrove probably thought the same thing. [ After a moment he steps up to his locker and starts popping off segments of armor. He's not reintroducing Delta or whatever's on that chip while suited up. ] If it's not what we think it is- if something goes wrong? You need to be ready.

[ Sigma is a cautionary tale in every which way. Just because it was labeled Delta doesn't mean it's not one of the others. Best case scenario? Theta, Eta, or Iota. Epsilon would be a fucking mess, Gamma's a rotten liar, Sigma's a creepy motherfucker and Omega-

Christ. ]

[ His eyes narrow as he straightens, watching the armor pieces fall away. ]

...what are you doing?

[ He's gone tense, but he's not moving to stop him. Not yet. Getting that containment unit was one thing, but was York seriously planning on just sticking that thing into his head, without any sort of preliminary precaution?

He knew the system better than Locus did, but that seemed very unwise. ]

Changing.

[ It's something methodical and normal enough for him to calm the fuck down. Gradually his hands steady as more of the armor comes off, slotted neatly into his storage locker. ]

There's no real way to scan the contents and I don't have anything else to plug it into. If it's empty, fuck all happens. If it's D- I'll probably cry a little, not gonna lie. If it's anything else I'll try to react accordingly but knock me out and pull it.

If I can pull it.

[ Locus's jaw works tightly. It's his choice, but there are a number of risks to be taken into account. Risks he doesn't think Taylor's fully considered yet, even if he appears to be bracing for them. ]

We don't know for certain what's on there, if the data's corrupted...how it might affect you.

AU: Make New Friends, But Keep the Old

One is silver, The other Gold (or Green)

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