Archangel Protocols: Revival IC

Kindle watch Mas walk by. ~sigh~ She frowned at the floor, then took the time to type in her requisition order for body armor and the different weapons. It would about a half hour or more for them to fit the armor to her body, as they normally wouldn't have "midget" in stock.

[I]{He probably just feels ****ty, hmm, probably the whole team isn't at their best}[i]

Then, she smiled, her eyes lit up, she felt so stupid for not thinking of this earlier, and she ran...at nearly full speed. Kindle knew her energy would be replenished in time for the mission, and she only had a limited amount of time before Az would probably ask everyone to get back together. {I know he's gotta be out there}

Touching a fixture behind her hear, she connected herself wirelessly to the computer. "Kindle C-Y-2-7-2, Requesting clearance to Section J, Outer wall, 15 minutes. Requesting guest admittance Alexander Thomas McComilley" It took about 5 seconds till she head "Access Granted. Pass Granted, full restrictions".

Kindle was happy. The scientists the angels knew weren't the only scientists around. This would cost her a lot, but anything was worth a shot. Dr. M. was a sensory specialist. AND, he was the best "soul food" chef in the district. Dr. M. cooked food that satisfied all 6 of a beings senses. He had even worked in partnership to make a special meal for androids that were being integrated via emotion chips.

The run was not long for someone with her speed. When she arrived, Dr. M's assistant met her at the gate, startled and speechless. Kindle smiled "I need to see Dr. M, please" she held out an identification badge, to let the woman see her ID and rank. Then she said "He knows me, I'm a regular, if you will".

The entire way in, the assistant kept giving her weird looks, but Kindle was used to that. Cyborgs aren't normal anymore. Her train of thought was cut off right there when the familiar face showed up on a balcony above "Kindle, my girl! I figured that was you who requested a pass for me on base, only you would pre-presume I would accept!"

"Dr. M. I've got a large order today, add it to my tab or come up with some work for me to do when I get back. No details. Though I'd you to go to base and get clearance for a 'Preference File' for my team members, and set it up before we leave. I'm thinking small and light, no one will be into heavy eating at that point, atleast I don't think"

Dr. M looked right at Kindle {!! He thinks I'm crazy !!} "Please, I've never been with a better group than this one, but I've also never been with a group that was so scattered, if we can't appreciate the best food in the world together, are we really gonna be able to accomplish anything? really?" {Kindle thought back to when the SIM was over, no discussion, no suggestions, just everyone sent off to review except one. She thought to the duels, the lack of communication on may peoples thoughts...its a freaking group of loners and a pair of loner lovers} "Make it individualized, and have it say 'Ashes to Ashes'". {Maybe it will remind them that we are together through this entire ARC ordeal}

Dr. M knew Kindle didn't take 'no' or even 'maybe' for an answer. He nodded, "let me get my things"...

They arrived back at the base almost exactly at the 15 minute mark. Kindle gave Dr. M. a hug, and went to check on her weapons and teammates, trying to decide if she'd be able to feign surprise when she sees the food in a couple-ish hours.

Alarms sounded all around Masraik. It was hard for him to understand what the threat was. Azrael had jumped at him ready to take off his head, but that didn't matter. He had swatted the annoyance away. <I know his strength. He's not my threat. There is nothing here? Where is the ...>

Masraik stopped as another ripple of pain shot through him. The serum never hurt when he was berserked. One thought passed through Mas's mind when the fiery pain ended. <Protocol.>

Leaving the rigid Azrael where he sat, Mas turned his back and went for the door. Except, the door wasn't large enough for him anymore was it? Masraik charged the door, full shoulder slam into the frame and the concrete around it. He hadn't held back on his momentum, and slammed into the wall on the other side of the hallway. He slumped down and regathered his bearings. "KEEEEP ERRRR" he growled from deep in his chest.

Dragging concrete and steel behind him, he clawed his way to the nearest lift. The pain hit again and again in spurts at random locations all over his body. Leaving dents and scrapes along the wall as he pulled himself along in torment, Mas fluctuated between stable and unstable, his body inconsistently deciding if he was truly threatened or not.

He was heading to the research facility, the keeper should be there. <Keeper torments. Keeper tortures. Keeper threatens stability. Threatening stability threatens missions.> Mas reached the lift and couldn't perform a voice command to get the lift to move, and smashing the console did nothing but hinder his progression towards removing his sole threat. He jumped off the side.

OOC: This will be mostly catch-up, and kinda vague at that...sorry for the crappy post in advance.

IC: Apollyon was cursing Abaddon the entire time that it took for them to reach their living quarters, the ones used when Abaddon was awake for longer than a day. Abaddon was pretty much ignoring her, though, thinking about the battle.

She had seen the moment that Azra had been hit, and the panic well inside her. Apollyon had tried to take control, but Abaddon wouldn't let her, not once Azra was in trouble. In a moment of inattention, she suddenly felt the sim go dead around her. And that was when Apollyon started cursing. <You ****fool!! How could you miss that Droid behind you!! He **** cut off your **** brainless head!! Why the **** didn't you just **** let me take control, Huh? It's because you don't trust me to take care of the **** missions...> and it went on from there until Azra killed the sim. Abaddon just started to ignore her after the entire thing had repeated itself over 3 times, and she knew that nothing new was going to come out of Apollyon's mental mouth.

She collapsed on the cot, arms under her head. It was then that she realized that she was still in the sim's equipment, which she promptly shed. Abaddon hadn't even broken a sweat during either battle...

She slammed her hand against the nearby wall, leaving an impression. She should have been paying closer attention. She shouldn't let her feelings for another interfere with her work. It was what had cost her the last time that she had been with him on a mission.

She looked against the wall where her real Asterael was propped, not the one that she had used in the Sim. This one was scratched and marred, and the leather strips that covered the grip was worn with age and use. It was sitting the same place where she had put it for her last mission, though it was obvious that it had been cleaned and taken care of. Someone didn't want her to feel that her space had been invaded, which she was thankful for.

She then turned her face up to the ceiling, glaring at its plain whiteness. She wasn't any good for distance fighting, she knew that, but she could be a good defender for the snipers. Her hand-to-hand and reflex time was superhuman, as it ought to be, and she could easily take care of her own. But then her mind would definitely be on Az then, and she wouldn't be focusing on the mission and protecting her quarry.

It took her a moment for her to realize that Apollyon had shut up. She sighed in relief, then said, "I think that I will need more to eat...even though it was just a sim, that battle took a lot out of us, didn't it?"

There was no answer.

"Fine, be pissed off with me. I'm going to eat, then shower and dress in my comfy combat clothing, then be ready to regroup again, just as Azra said. So you had better get over yourself."

And she left to eat a hurried meal, larger than the one that she had before the sim becasue of how much energy she had used, and showered, thinking about how she could fit into the team.

Azrael shook his head, clearing it, nothing felt broken, just a little sore. His body knew what to do when it was knocked around so he had hit as best as possible. He expected blinding pain in any second. Instead he heard the growled "Keeper" from Masraik, and watched as he tore his way from the room. The falling rubble kept him trapped for another moment, and when it was clear he burst from the room, only to see Masraik, jumping down a lift shaft. Lockdown was already in progress, he was about to follow, when a security team rushed out of the hallway carrying what looked like tranq guns, and strange contraptions similar to flamethrowers in appearance.. "SIR, Are you alright?" The lead soldier said, a GELF from Azrael's own pool.

"Masraik went berserk, think he's after one of his techs or somehting. I don't think anything you are carrying is gonna put much of a dent in him." He finished, eyeing the rather light armaments.

The leader, whose name escaped Azrael at the moment nodded but said "Telemetry picked up Masraik in your vicinity, we were equipped with these specifically, the protocols started working on this shortly after Masraik's particular... quirk was discovered. It's a very strong tranquilizer with a nutrient destroying enzyme. They aren't sure if it will stop him, but it should at least slow him down, maybe give him his faculties back." Azrael wondered why it hadn't been introduced yet, but decided that time was more important than answers at least right now.

"Load me up, I'll aid you in take down." With the characteristic deference, almost reverence that usually came from one of his derivatives, the GELF motioned to one of the soldiers who immediately tossed Azrael his tranq gun, and sprayer. The sprayer went on his back, a shoulder strap holding the nozzel in place as he held onto the tranq gun. "Alright let's go."

Rushing to the lift he looked down it, he saw the shaft of light where Masraik had exited some few floors below. The lifts didn't use the archaic mechanical systems involving wires, weights, and motors, but instead relied on electromagnetic propulsion, so there were no easy hand holds, and lockdown had stopped the lifts in place. Prepareing himself Azrael leapt, managing to hit one of the magnetic ridges that renewed the propulsive force in the lift tunnel. bouncing from ridge to ridge he made it down and out of the tunnel in time to see Masraik's retreating back going around a corner. Sprinting as he heard the sound of feet landing behind him, looking back it was his derivative hot on his heels. Turning his attention forward he rounded the corner, skidding slightly in the light slippers he had been relaxing in.

Spotting Masraik he took a shot with the tranq gun, the needle sailing through the air, and pluncking solidly into the neck of the moving mountain. He fired two more needles and saw two other needles bloom besides his three. "How many should it take?" He asked.

"I can't honestly say sir. They never tested for fear of producing an immunity response to future treatments." Azrael nodded <of course.> "What about this?" Azrael asked hefting the nozzell attached to his backpack. "Secondary delivery method, lyophilized and concentrated, should work even quicker... but it has a very limited range."

Azrael considered and then started forward. <This had Deus damned well better work.>
Calling out to Masraik, who surely had processed them by now, Azrael hoped to help the process by reminding Masraik who he was. "Mas. Calm down now, we need you. But you have to be able to control this, remember who you are. Come on, show me I can trust you." He kept approaching slowly, ready to spray the concentrated tranquilizer and Enzyme mix, but not actually brandishing either weapon. His derivative was waiting behind him, tranq gun at the ready, but not immediately threatening.

Quantas jogged through the halls with a weapon that was almost as long as he was tall at a pace that was faster than most noms couldn't keep up with even in their dreams. Not that he was running, but the thing wasn't exactly a paperweight either. The railgun weighed at least a good fifty kilos. Even with his enhancements it started to get heavy. No human, though, would have been able to use it in the field with it's weight and blow back, let alone trying to consistently aim it. People think of a sniper and they think of a fragile little thing. Not me. Let's see them lug this thing around. Shoot an enemy from over 5 km? Sure, give me a gun big enough. This was it.

He got to Azreal's quarters to see a group standing around. Apparently, that was as far as they were able to go. Masraik had blown through an armored wall and then through a lift. There weren't any blood streaks on anything, but there was plenty of damage. Apparently Azreal was following him. "Report," he said to the group.

"Masraik went down the lift. Azreal and our superior went down the shaft to stop him in his tracks," they said. Quantas started to enter the shaft and one of them called out. "Don't you want one of our tranqs? They're made to stop him," he said.

Quantas chuckled and shook the railgun a little. "This was made to stop anything. Though, it probably wouldn't live afterward." At that, Quantas leaped down the shaft and used what the protocols gave him; the ability to tackle nearly any terrain in any shape or form. Landing at a crouch through the open doorway, he could hear and feel them not too far beyond. Walking around a corner, there was Masraik and two GELF. One at the battle-ready and one he knew was fast enough not to worry about stance very much.

"Mas. Calm down now, we need you. But you have to be able to control this! Remember who you are. Come on! Show me I can trust you," Azreal said. The fully armored and armed Longview walked up behind them with weapon ready but unaimed. Resting it against his hip, the gun only had a few millimeters of clearance to the ceiling. Quantas was fast too. If Azreal could talk him out of whatever was going on, he would let him. On the other hand, the fully armored Masraik was known to be a little wacko and Azreal wasn't exactly dressed to impress at the moment. Neither was the other GELF Really, considering the beast they were to face. Tranquilizers... Even if they're designed by the protocols, look what else was designed and screwed up.

"I'd listen to him Mas... Ol' buddy ol' pal," he said calmly. Gimme a reason to make your head a crater. Please.

It didn't take long for Masraik to realize something was wrong. Or, actually something was incredibly right for the first time in a long time. He stood straight and tall, no longer dragging along his maddened body. Turning, he saw Azrael and Quantas and grinned. His mind was clear, he felt relaxed, and no longer the tensed stress his body normally felt was easing quickly.

He looked down at himself. He had already reached his normal size without even realizing it. But, something nagged at his mind. <Gain nutrients, eat! Dig through this concrete to soft soil. Get into that biological waste unit! Get to the cafeteria, doesn't it smell great?!>

He tried to take a step forward, but his legs wouldn't cooperate. Mas remembered the prick of the needles in his neck, and reached up experimentally. He found the needles still sticking out from between the scales and plucked them out one by one. <Was it harder to reach his neck than normal?> Mas tried stepping forward again, and fell to one knee. Now something was wrong.

Looking up at Azrael quizzically, Mas realized that he was still shrinking. Was he the size of a normal man now? Maybe a little shorter than a normal man? His mind began screaming for nutrients to sustain itself. Mas didn't know where he was currently, but that those in front of him had done something to him drastic. It wasn't painful, it was blissful. His mind had never been so clear before. He could remember things he had never known before. He saw glimpses of past berserking. He even thought that his intelligence wasn't muddled with anger or desire for dominance for a change!

He stopped shrinking, although his armor didn't really fit properly and sagged off of his right shoulder as he stood. He felt like a child in pajamas much too large for himself. The armor wasn't necessarily heavy, but it was definitely not as light as he'd remembered it being.

Masraik looked Azrael in the eye and dropped to one knee in front of him. "I apologize for whatever trouble I have been lately. I understand that I was rash in my decision during the sim, it was just a sim. Also, I should be researching with my team to control myself and not creating better, stronger formulas. I'm not sure what happened after the sim... if you could enlighten me, I'd appreciate it. The last thing I remember, although very angry, I was going to get the serums that you asked for. As I said, they are everywhere and I don't know where half of them even are. I do not wish to be excluded because I am a liability to the mission, but if you feel there are other reasons I should be, please feel free to make that decision with my blessings."

Masraik stood up and looked at the rubble around himself and at the lift. "And umm... for whatever I just did..." He looked over at Quantas and at his readied rail gun. He also realized for the first time that the alarm was sounding, and that there was an Azrael GELF standing nearby. Suddenly worried, "I didn't hurt anyone did I?"

His stomach growled. "Oh, and can I go eat? Whatever you hit me with is doing a number on my stomach. I feel like a shriveled old man!"

Ahhh bullocks... Quantas thought while Masraik shrank, but probably for the best. Next, Masraik went into an apologetic fluster on the level of only one person in Quantas' long history, his first lover. Also the reason for his first icey sleep. You're never really sorry unless you regret the things you do. Action matters more than words, he thought. Quantas wasn't foolish enough yet that he would let Azreal know his misgivings about it all, but at least he was at a size that just about any GELF could deal with now.

"The only one you had a chance to hurt was Azreal, but I don't think you were after him. He was apparently after you," Quantas replied, "Lucky that stuff works. I have explosive rounds in this thing that would eat you for lunch." The faceplate on the armor opened and he patted Azreal on the back. "Nice job, Az. Always the hunter. We really should do our old mock-up sims sometimes. Those were the days... Heh... See you in the armory."

With that, Longview turned his back and started his walk back to the armory with a short pleasurable climb up a couple levels of a turbolift shaft. Children... At least he's at a level he can be spanked now. Leave it to Azreal...

Azrael watched stunned as the mountainous form before him shrank to normal size, and then continued on down to a size small for a normal man, let alone a Pure One. He took in the apolgy with quiet dignity, more to cover his shock than anything else. His mind racing. Finally he nodded and said "Of course Masraik... of course. And You are back on the mission, Launch is in a half an hour. Don't be late." If he could control the transformation then he could at least be used with a certain level of safety.

Azrael nodded absently to Quantas as he left. The old hunter sims had been fun, the new sim tech would make them excellent. He might have to open one of those back up sometime. But not now. He turned to his derivative and said "Make sure each member of the team I'm leavign with is equipped with one of the dart guns, and two clips of darts." It was probably overkill, but the GELF nodded and then left. The guns and darts were small, easily stowed, and would not add anything onerous to their armament.

He made his way to the armory, and preapred to arm himself.

ooc: I want everyone gathered in the armory by their next post, we will be leaving tomorrow, and I have some GMLy presents for people, but ONLY people who make it to the armory before I post next.

ooc: Moving this post down to the bottom since Azrael hadn't made it to the armory yet, like I had misread / thought.

"Gah...I feel so useless..." she muttered to herself, getting out of her cot to go to the armory. It was nearly time to go, and she needed to be in full battle attire, not the small amount that she had been wearing for the sim. She had been laying down for several minutes, racking her mind as to what her specific part would be in the group dynamic. She trudged through the nearly empty halls to the lift to get to the armory. Sighing, she went in the lift, and stood quietly while it shifted her to the armory.

((OOC: If you don't like this part, GE, then ignore it.))

When the doors opened, Abaddon jerked her head back with surprise. "Oh...Azra. Hi. Sorry, you just startled me." She rubbed her left arm, and then said, "You wanna walk together? Even though the armory is jsut around the corner..."

OOC EDIT: Uhh...didn't see Mas' post...but...isn't Az just now heading towards the armory, and isn't in there yet??

Just for clarification. If he is already there, then I will edit my post accordingly.

ooc: I can work with that, I hadn't actually said I had arrived, though it did sort of sound like it... but I can work with both posts, Abaddon sees me before I get there, we can then walk to the armory, and Mas can just miss seeing abaddon at first, the armory is rather large after all. SO I'll make this little post now, and promise the gmly gifts later today, so everyone has a LITTLE more time to get to the armory.

IC:
Azrael was caught by Abaddon as he headed to the armory. She asked him to walk with her with uncharacteristic timidity. "Of course. What's on your mind?" He looked at her with slight concern, offering his arm.

ooc:Not much but there, if Mir hasn't responded by say 4 or 5 I'll go ahead and move us on if at all possible, my schedule has gotten a little whacked today.

Abaddon just shrugged after taking Az's arm. "Well, I was thinking...why did they awaken me in the first place for this mission? I mean, they have one of my descendants, so the quick reflexes and speed are taken care of, they have you as the military mind, Mas as the brawn, two snipers and people that can act as guards for each. I feel...I don't know, out of place. I'm not used to feeling like this." She shook her head. "I know that you can't answer that question with any confidence...but still. I'm close-range melee. I feel like i have nothing to do in this group."

Kindle was grinning to herself as she walked towards the armory. {People who live more than 100 years should have to go through people training before combat training hahaha} She kept that thought to herself, as a joke to resurface at a later date.

As if on queue, she saw two of the Pure Ones proceded to waved at Abaddon and Azrael, "Heyas! I've got all the requested armor and weapons."

She looked around for Masraik, she enjoyed being on the mission with him, and she didn't quite feel like the others were about making any kinds of bonds {...weapons}

She looked at Az and Abbie, {She doesn't seem like someone i could ever actually call that}, she tried to read their body language as she approached {Looks like its okay ot approach them at the moment}.

Normally chatty, she had her mind on alot of issues, did she have the right guns, where's mas, is the other sniper gonna be able to work well with her, the gelf matt was nice, does casper know a good joke, will everyone appreciate the good food they get to have as a team, is she gonna make a difference in this mission, she better make a difference in this mission, ... suffice it to say she was wondering in her thoughts, waiting for Az to get the party started.

Mas watched as everyone left him standing there. <Umm guys?> Masraik looked down at himself and did what he could to pull the armor up so that he wouldn't trip over himself.

"Thirty minutes huh?" He said out loud to himself. "I don't think I have even rested or eaten since the sim was over, and I'm already being pressed for time..." He shuffled along, only to find that the lift was currently out of order. So, he found another way up. Thinking to himself, Mas decided that he would have to stick with mission priority for now, and hope to grab something quick along the way. <Maybe Kindle will have one of those energy bars on her!>

Masraik's stomach growled at the thought. <Or maybe twenty of them...> He didn't really have the energy to run, but he jogged with all his might to the nearest food location. It happened to be a freeze dried pod vendor for scientists who didn't have time to run to the cafeteria, or wait through long lines on lunch breaks that weren't quite long enough.

"Masraik Slogger, gene A01. Dispense Random." He waited as the swirling cone opened a door and produced a jerky of some sort. <It'll have to do for now. That's what I get for not making up my mind on what I want to eat.> Masraik tore ravenously at the jerky as he jogged towards the armory. It was not nearly enough to satisfy the beast in his belly.

Masraik reached the armory in quiet a huff. He'd never been this out of breath before! <Last time I was this out of breath, I'd used an android as a battering ram to destroy a few buildings!> He walked in the door and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He saw Azrael and Quintas before him and stood upright shocked. <I've shrunken more since they left me!> Masraik looked down only to realize when he'd stood up, his armor had easily fallen to his ankles.

He inspected himself, looking at every part of him that he could see. Everything looked the same, a bit skinnier than normal, but healthy-ish. He was still riveted with the scars of war. A puncture wound here, a large gash there. The usual scars that showed his experience, but none of the scars from wounds that were detrimental to his performance. Those were always removed.

Suddenly realizing the presence of ladies in the armory, he ran over to a locker in his birthday suit, grabbed hold of the door, and tore. It gave just about as easily as it should have, although a bit heavier than it should have been. <How could I have not noticed those women when I first entered! Get your thoughts in order Mas.>

To his surprise, the locker he had torn open had a smaller pair of green camouflage pants inside that looked like they may fit. He grabbed them and put them on quickly, not currently caring who's they were. Mas ran back around the corner, and looked UP at Azrael. His eye's were level with Azrael's chest now?! "Umm boss, we may have an issue here. Exactly how much of what did you shoot me with?"

ooc: this section will take place after Azrael and Quintas get to the armory. Sorry I guess I made an assumption from reading previous posts that Azrael and Quintas had actually made it already.

OOC: Eheheh...'^_^

IC:
Once the sim ended, Casper recieved the reactivation signal from the sim computer. His systems rebooted in about two minutes. When his optics came online, he was catching the last few phrases of Azreal talking to Masraik. With his memory core still intact, Casper could derive what Azreal might be upset about. Sure, the sim wouldn't let him die, but he certainly felt being thrown a hundred feet. Casper let Azreal tkae his role as commander, and didn't interfere with the scolding. He left the sim room silently, and made his way towards the android service wing.

Their true mission may very well last far longer than his previous engagments. He had to be sure he was 100% before leaving, though he did not detect and abnormalities during the sim. Shortly after interfacing with the diagnostic computer in the andriod center, alarms began sounding; indicating a securty breach in one of the levels above. Disconnecting from the diagnostic, Casper grabbed a side arm from a nearby lockbox while the human techs in the room did similarly. As a combatant, Casper's duty was to engage the threat. The tech were only meant to protect the sensitive information in the andriod bay.

Taking the lift up to the living quarters - the origin of the alarm - Casper cautiously stepped into the hallway. Accessing a secrity terminal, his new clearance level gave him permissions to cameras and weapon signature readings. Using that information, he found a group confronting Masraik in a hallway. Casper raised the pistol as Azreal and a group of GELFs fired some kind of dart weapon into Masraik's neck. Apparantly, it was some kind of tranquilizer, as Masraik began to shrink almost instantly.

Effectively nutralized, Casper put his weapon away and crossed the hallway, stopping next to Longview. Casper didn't have time to complete his diagnostic, so he made for the loadout armory attached to the hangar from where their plane would be departing. Initially, he was behind Quantas, but the curious GELF made the decision to climb the elevator shaft instead of waiting on the thing to arrive. As strange as that seemed, Casper poked the lift summon to an adjacent lift so as not to hit Quantas. Strangely enough, by the time Casper reached the top level (OOC: assuming its ground level since taking off a plane would be best accomplished without having to taxi it upwards first) Quantas was alreay ahead of him.

He entered the armory a few seconds behind Quantas. Being of a similar role, they made thier selections from the same area of the racks of weapons. Casper gazed at the literal cannon Quantas dragged up here with him. Magnetic rail weapons were powerful, but Casper couldn't see the logic of a rifle version of them. As tank and battleship cannons they were excellent choices, but logically, a smaller slug weapon would be ideal for a sniper. Unless, of course, they encountered the same kind of power armor resistance as in that sim.

Casper chose his same loadout as he did for the sim, but this time took an extra anti-personnel plasma cell. After making his selections, he left the armory for the briefing room. They had already been briefed, but it was more roomy than the somewhat cramped armory.