anothercontinuity | Red vs Blue Voicetesting Thread

What a shame. Also: We were dead on about the prisoners getting dragged into this as test subjects. One of the storage blocks has be refitted as holding cells.

[ Which meant when shit went down later, there's extra variables in the chaos if he feels like fucking up the odds for both sides. Adding confusion. The human element makes things more difficult to predict- better to just not need to do that in the first place. ]

[ Locus doesn't respond, eyes on the scientists as the clock clicks down, the progress bar slowly inching its way along. Bug can't be placed until after the data extraction. Need a clean copy.

Clean. Prisoners. They should do something, but unfortunately there's nothing they can do at the moment. They aren't outfitted to help them escape, there's no way to fit as many as Hargrove would need on their shuttle.

It also means they'll have to be more selective about collateral damage.

Unfortunate. ]

Best I can do is not trip any alarms and be waiting for you outside.

[ Other than that- lockdown that cell block so they can't get caught in the crossfire? It's adjacent to where he's working now but...he can't worry about them. He's got a stupid complicated series of decryption to run and not a lot of time to do them in. ]

Maybe drop an anonymous tip to the UNSC after we get out of here. "hey we know where your missing prisoners are." all that.

[ Slowly. Slowly. God, could it move any slower?

Breathe. Focus. He's only this anxious because he wants to make his way to the other site, as quickly as he can, but rushing could ruin this for both of them. He won't be responsible for that. Keep. Calm.

Finally, the progress bar finishes, and a soft keystroke later clears the screen before download of the bug begins. ]

ETA 30 seconds to objective completion.

Right on schedule.

[ Things are going well. Things are going perfect- he couldn't hope for better timing and yet-

He's got a niggling feeling that they've forgotten something. That there's a detail out of place even with Delta assuring them that they've thought of everything, that they just need to finish two more locks to access the actual modules.

Taylor finishes the current door, slipping through to the second lock. Encrypted, not holographic-

Wait, what? Why is this an easier lock? ]

90 seconds till I'm in. We're doing good.

[ The seconds tick past, and then -- ]

Hey.

[ A passing guard stops at the doorway, scowling at the scientists. ]

Boss isn't paying you overtime to chat. Back to it.

[ Locus stays crouched, motionless, willing the man not to glance in his direction and see the faint shimmer around the outline of his body, or the activity on his screen. The seconds tick past and then...

The scientists glance at one another, thought apparently in no mood to backchat, before filing out after him. Locus doesn't breathe until after they're gone, reaching up to pull the disk. ]

On my way.

Swing up from the south- they're testing some sort of long distance artillery in the northern field. You don't need to get caught up in that shit.

[ It'd make flying back out a bitch if they didn't time things right but he's good, he's golden he's got this lock and the door slides open with a hiss and a pop to- ]

Oh fuck me.

[ All the active camo in the world can't make up for a door opening when it shouldn't- the Guard propped up against the innermost wall half dozing which is lucky- but the scientist logging out the goddamn module? Whirls to stare at the great big nothing in the doorway. ]

Vulpes.

[ That creeping sense of dread finally seemed to be amounting to something. His steps became quicker as he started to make his way out of the facility, quickly as he dared. ]

Report.

I'm not alone.

[ He ducks in anyway, slipping to one side behind shelves like the scientist isn't staring at the space where he'd been wide eye'd and twitchy. ]

One hostile, half awake, one civilian.

[ Fuck fuck fuck fuck- There's enough time for the scientist to shout before Vulpes ducks around the other side, popping him in the back with his pistol. Stun and sedate- but he doesn't go quiet. He crumples, leaning in to the guard, jarring them awake and while there's no alarm he hears the rather damming shunk of this block sealing when the guard's hand goes to or comes off the panic button. ]

[ Out. Out of the facility and moving ever quicker towards the shuttle. He clambered aboard, pulling it out of stealth mode as FLISS starts the engine. ]

Move to second target. Hurry.

[ The chip, meanwhile, is stored away for now. If something happens, they'll have it somewhere secure, not on him when he goes in there to yank Taylor out of...whatever is going on over there.

He's not going to panic. Panic serves no one and nothing. He needs to stay focused. Not think about that sick swoop in his stomach about how he was right, he was right, and what is he going to do if Taylor is captured? Or worse.

Swallow it down. ]

I'm on my way.

Hostiles down.

[ Uninjured, fun. Locked in, now...less fun. The cameras are still dead, the audible alarm still cut but these fucks are trained. Someone's calling for 'Mason' on the guard's radio and Vulpes has no goddamn time to be unsure.

Grab the modules, look for an exit. ]

Ok- Good news is I've got the objective and the EMP's planted. Bad news- I'm pretty sure I'm sealed in.

[ Vents too small, walls not modular, door sealed tight even as he and D scramble to find something to bust the lock. ]

[ Sealed in is better than pinned down. It's better than being overwhelmed by their numbers. But that's not going to take long. They know he's there, they'll be coming for him, and it's charitable to imagine that they'll just shove him in with the other test subjects. More likely, Hargrove will want to see him.

And if they get their hands on a Freelancer...he doesn't want to consider the options. ]

FLISS, how long?

[ He's loading up, in the meanwhile. Facility like this? These people know what they're doing. They'll be shooting to kill. No reason not to do the same. ]

ETA is 5 Minutes, 45 seconds.

[ At least he's to a line to their chatter- Vulpes keys himself into the line to keep track of what's going on while he rigs up a quick and dirty command override. D has to slip into the system to manage it but- hey. One out of three doors, unsealed. ]

Sounds like they're waiting for me to bust out instead of breaking in. Smart.

[ Delta starts up on the second door of this bizarre airlock style system and Vulpes? Changes his loadout. Swaps stun for plasma, disable for lethal. There's gonna be a body count. ]

Stay where you are. If they're only looking for you, they'll leave their back exposed.

[ His fingers curl and uncurl at his sides. There's an odd sense of calm settling through him, something shifting gears in his mind. He's spent a lot of time over the past few months trying to reconnect to that human side of him, in the hopes of filling in the pieces he's so obviously missing.

He needs to sever those ties, for the moment. He has to be cold, if he wants Taylor back in one piece. ]

There's only one way out of this sector. They pin me down? I'm fucked. I need to be mobile or you're walking right into a firing squad.

[ Loadout swapped, Vulpes bends to help speed Delta along, breaking the layers of encryption that keep this fucking door locked. Next chamber has a vent, he'll be able to go UP instead of out. ]

Gonna see if I can't get to the ventilation system and go up a level, buy myself some space.

Keep me informed of your position. I'll find the best position to clear a path for you.

[ There's nothing else he can do but wait. Wait until they're close enough for him to drop, to make his way towards the facility, which is now alert and looking for signs of intruders.

That motion sensor's going to go off no matter what. Better just to keep moving, as quickly as he can. ]

Copy that-

[ Through and up and- oh. Shit. Looking down the business end of plasma rifles. Apparently they knew their own blueprints pretty well. ]

Contact!

[ Tapping into the speed module to get the fuck out and get somewhere he's less likely to be cornered is risky- but he can't make it to the evac point and the quicker he moves? The better. He slams on the mod, pops three shots to center mass and hauls himself out. Delta keeps time as they tear down the hall and skid around the corner, vaulting over a line of assholes, twisting to pitch a grenade as he slams into an empty lab and shuts it off. ]

Jesus fuck that's disorienting. Second level, eastern corner, empty lab.

[ It's not quite chaos, but it's getting there. A stun grenade is lobbed at a group making their way towards the stairs, and he draws back quickly behind a corner before it detonates.

That's five. Exact numbers are running through the HUD as he picks up scans on his tracker, but he's already thinking as to how they're getting free. And it's not going to be the front door.

As soon as the smoke starts to clear, he bolts forward. ]

Hostiles cleared in west stairwell. Advancing.

I got six coming down the north hall and three heavies coming down the east. Someone just put a call in for 'the new suit' so watch your ass.

[ Mid range combat- not his favorite but nothing he can't swing. D's got trackers and markers set up on his blind side- Vulpes picks his cover and swings up to start picking them off. Shoulder, torso, headshot.

Click, click, click, just like in the training sims. Nevermind the blood spatter behind them, never mind how much he'd wanted to not be in this position again. It is what it is and it's them or him and it sure as fuck isn't going to be him. ]

Four on the north, the heavies are still advancing. Looking for alternate route.

Engaging.

[ Heavies in the east, him coming in from the west. It gives him a position to get into from the corner of the stairwell, lining up a long-distance shot while he's still invisible to them. Aim where the armor's weakest. Breathe.

Take the shot.

Without flinching he fires, and a bullet rips through the throat of one of the advancing soldiers. Immediately they draw weapons, but Cerberus pulls back to cover. Reloads. ]

Two in the east. Pulling them past your position, if I can.

Copy.

[ Delta spinning numbers and angles along his HUD, giving him a half a second to pick out his next target as he turns to fire- blows out the knee of the northern soldier readying up a stun grenade. He goes down,grenade goes off, he's got a window to run-

If it were just him? He'd run. Cerberus is here and he's not leaving a single guard standing if it just means they'll swing past to him. Vulpes takes the time to line his shots up neatly, torso, torso, head- the one on the ground getting the last shot before he ducks back down to reload. ]

Northern hall clear. Reloading.

[ Things are calm, now. He can feel his breath, feel the pressure of his finger on the trigger, the weight of the rifle in his hands as he shifts out of cover. Aim for the visor. Smaller on these models, but--

The shot spiderwebs the glass, and the second sinks. But there's no time to reload and take aim again. The last of the heavies has a rifle of his own, opening fire as he quickly advances on his position. Cerberus pulls back into cover, drops the rifle to his side...and his hand falls instead to the hilt of the sword at his hip.

Wait. ]

C-

[ Chatter on the line, spiking, spiraling- something coming up the western stairwell. Reinforcements? ]

New suit's coming up fast, you gotta move.

[ He says, hanging back, knowing better than to get into the line of fire when a sniper's at work. ]

[ The last of the heavies gets one shot off, just over his shoulder, before Cerberus lunges upwards. Inside the reach of his gun, it's useless to him, and a second later the sword activates, and surges through armor, flesh, and bone to break through to the other side in a brilliant spike of light.

Twisting it once for good measure, he hears the pained gurgle beneath the helmet, before reaching up to push him away by the breastplate, letting him topple to the ground before stepping over him. ]

Stairwell. Move to the roof.

[ That wasn't a gunshot.

Vulpes slips out to peer down the hall in time to see- sword. Glowing fuckoff sword. He'd seen it in videos and training sims now and then but god and damn. Ok roof, to the roof. ]

Copy. Taking North stairwell.

[ It's closer to him anyway and the new suit or whatever it is still seems to be coming up the west. Vulpes slips out, flicks on camo (paranoia is his best friend right now) and sprints for the stairwell. ]

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