Beneath the Neon Stars - In Character Thread {MATURE CONTENT}

[LivingAngryCheese]

Though what he saw outside horrified him, Dan was slightly relieved it hadn't been any worse. He did have the idea to broadcast some of the atrocities the Partition had committed, but with adrenaline pumping through him, he wasn't sure it was the right decision. Save it for the propaganda later. He climbed into the floatcar.

 

[lenscas]

"So, we just turn the transponder on when we are near Spider and then what? If wolf was an insider then surely he could have revealed Spiders location earlier. I wouldn't put much faith in Wolf being an insider and we should probably prepare for the worst." Wyatt said to the group, not fully convinced by Sy's statement. Sure, it made sense but considering that by the looks of it even a former traitor now got close to Spider it wouldn't be unthinkable that if Wolf was indeed an insider he would have had plenty of times to take Spider down himself if not at the very least make the Institute able to do so.

Despite his doubts Wyatt still followed the group, after all the sooner this was done with the earlier he had a chance to know more of his past, which was right now one of the more important things to him

 

[RJS]

[THE INSTITUTE]
The floatcar roared into the sky, shooting towards the Institute at max speed. From that height, the swarms of people seemed like a dark shadow flowing through the streets towards the Institute, as if an oil spill was running through grooves. A plume of smoke reared into the sky nearby, presumably the result of the earlier explosion that had done so much to embolden the populace. As they neared the main edifice, they could already see squads rushing from the main building to block the main throughfares, hoping to hold back the tide.

The floatcar settled into the hangar, and as soon as they could disembark they were hurried through corridors to the briefing room where Marquese sat with a face like thunder. A tense silence filled the room as more squads hurried in, all in various stages of preparedness for battle. After the last one entered, Marquese rose to his feet and cleared his throat, that simple sound enough to cut the tense muttering down to silence instantaneously.

"I'm sure there's no need to tell you all why we are here. As of this moment we are facing the largest public order incident in the history of Magnopolis. I'm not going to sugarcoat it - we estimate that at least 50% of the Undercity is marching against us, maybe more. Some are probably just after a good shout to vent their anger, some are out to cause trouble...and some will be Partition operatives intending to use the chaos to mask their movements and actions. Because of this, we cannot allow any past the defence lines...on pain of death." There was a collective intake of breath in the room. Marquese somberely nodded. "You have authorisation to use lethal force against those who try to breach the defensive cordons. We will be broadcasting warnings through the loudspeakers, but nevertheless it is likely that some of those who try will be innocent. In spite of this, we must harden our hearts. To allow them through is to allow order to fall and anarchy to reign. It is for the greater good.

Now, squad assignations. Upsilon, to sector 5 with Major Vries. Gamma, sector 2 with Captain Varnom. Yeta, sector 6 with Major Guntram. Iota, to sector 4 - you'll be under the command of Lieutenant Roeder. Alpha, you'll remain in sector 1 as a mobile reserve, with Colonel Wolfram.

Equip yourselves, or replenish any stocks you need if you've just come in. Yeta, head out via the medcenter for nanoshots first. I expect to see all squads on the move in 15 minutes. Dismissed."

Yeta squad, along with the others, returned to the armory to replenish ammunition and charge packs. Unlike the rest, they headed to the medbay afterwards to recieve injections of concentrated nanobot serum, forced to wait as the burning sensation of tiny robots repairing them from the inside. As they sat, Marquese strode in.

"Tuite, Ina, at ease. Tell me honestly. Are you fit for duty, after what happened at the tower?"

[THE UPPER LEVELS]
The squad of four moved swiftly into the sewers to avoid the swarm of the onrushing masses. Following the location ping, they delved deeper and deeper, down to the very bottom of the sewers. Soon, they began to gain the uncomfortable sensation of being watched, shadows that seemed to move on their own as an uncomfortable prickling spread along the back of their necks. Nevertheless they pressed on, even to the point where they stumbled along almost blind through unlit tunnels. As a result, the sudden flare of light as they rounded the last corner was agonising, leaving them with watering eyes and blank vision. Eventually, their eyes acclimatised, revealing Wolff stood before a door, flanked by two hooded figures. His heavy rifle was pointed in their general direction, though not to the extent as to be threatening imminent death.

"Good, seems like you weren't followed. Come with me." He turned and walked through the door, as the two figures took up position on either side. Through the door, the sewer walls gave way to a host of blinking server stacks. More hooded figures stood amongst the stacks, checking wiring and occasionally plugging themselves into it. As they moved deeper into the operations centre, they reached a spiral staircase, which led into an open area surrounded by windows that afforded an incredible vista. "One-way glass" Wolff explained as they gawped. "We've latched on to the very base of the Upper Levels, and they have no clue that we're here." Below, they could see the streets of the Undercity spread out beneath them, far better than any map.

"I'm glad you like it." The voice, instantly familiar, came from behind them. A wizened torso, connected directly to a chrome chassis furnished with a multitude of legs. The torso itself bore a network of surgical scars, as well as some that seemed less...neat. The head was covered with a chrome facemask that hid all the features, though the face bore a benevolent smile. "It's been so long since we first spoke to one another. I am Spider. I hope you don't mind my appearance - Commander Marquese isn't the most gentle of individuals." The voice was the same soft, comforting tones that had spoken to them via the speakers on multiple occasions. "Now, I understand your work, in addition to that of Wolff's Dogs, has been pivotal in allowing us to reach the moment of truth." Metal clattered as he scuttled closer. "Now, we truly have a chance to enact the will of the people and give them the freedom that they crave. All we have to do is march out with them and lead them to victory! You will lead them to victory. What do you say, heroes?" The voice conveyed an honest fervour.

 

[Eruantien]

The extent of the operation was frighteningly impressive. With the Partition this close to the Upper Levels, it seemed that they were in a terribly efficient place to strike from. A moment passed as the rogue squadron stared down their one-time leader.

"... I am unsure." Leo spoke first, in an uncertain tone. He didn't want to display hostility yet. However, neither did he expect Spider to give a truthful answer. But... it was worth a shot. "During the time I spent at the Institute, I learned things that are contrary to what I have always believed. Now that things have been set in motion at last, I wonder if this is really for the best."

"Spider -- what will happen if you destroy the Institute? Will you just rebuild it, stronger and harsher than before? If not, what are your goals?"
With the attention of most in the room directed at Leo, perhaps nobody would notice if one of the three behind him made a slight shift in their position, a small adjustment of gear, a flick of the wrist. Leo could only hope any emitted signals weren't immediately intercepted.

 

[sgbros1]

Jerana was initially unnerved by Spider's appearance. While metallic transplants were not something new to her, it was uncommon where she had lived, and never had she seen a human body pieced together with metal with such a Frankenstein-esque structure.

Yet, as Spider spoke, he appeared to have added more fuel to the fire. Whatever Marquese had said was still raw in her mind, and as the thought of victory against the Institute, vanquishing those who'd downed her parents ruffled in her mind, a sadistic little grin was etched on her face.

They were tantalizingly close to revenge, and Jerana could feel it.

 

[RJS]

Spider's legs clattered as he turned to directly face Leo. "What is it that you learnt at the Institute, Leo? Did they tell you the truth as to why your family and so many others have died? Did they tell you the truth of that incident? Or did they just offer you scaremongering, painting a doomsday picture of what would happen?

The truth is far more obvious. They claim the worst would happen without them because, up until this point, they have been the worst. For they have beaten and oppressed the people to the point that evil is no longer challenged. A world where people can die on the whim of a faceless entity from on high with no explanation or apology is not one I want to see. That is the attitude one has towards insects, not one's own fellow man. I wish to see us progress, to advance, maybe even reach a point where we can expand outside of this city and begin to rebuild our shattered world. We cannot grow with the boot of the Institute on our back. So it must be removed. I sought to do so peacefully, and my body bears the fruits of that attempt. There is no other choice. We must resist evil, for to stand by is to become evil oneself."

 

[the_j485]

The mere sight of Spider sent a chill down Sy's spine. He felt everything he had learnt crashing through his mind, his thoughts a furore, and wondered why it hadn't been sooner that he realised.
The man - if he was even that anymore - made his short, propaganda-infused speech. It served only to solidify Sy's beliefs, that EXODUS and Marquese were both right. Just a fresh perspective let him see through that which once would have captured his revolutionary spirit - it didn't pass him by that Spider didn't even answer the question, but dodged it and inserted his own, like a true dictator.
His thoughts confirmed, Sy barely had to move to make a great leap of faith. His right hand was already in his pocket, it only took the tiniest of pressures to split the device in two. Not a sound, hardly a movement, and it was done.
All the while, he continued to look ahead, neither changing his breathing nor his body language while he waited for Institute forces to arrive. The name that spider assigned to their squad, "heroes", stuck in Sy's mind while he spoke.
"I'm glad that we're finally taking down the true oppressors. What would you have us do, now?"

 

[Lumaceon]

Ina idly watched the carnage and smoke in the distance. Everything about this was just plain wrong: violence everywhere. She hated it, and it gave her a truly sick feeling, or perhaps that was just the lack of nanobots in her system. If violence was this destructive and unhealthy, than why was it so tempting to shove away any opposition to get in your way? Ugh....

Although a few of those in the briefing room had some minor injuries, it was obvious that Yeta was by far in the worst shape. They'd been beaten near to death, revitalized, and beaten down again. Ina's shell itself broke the silence awkwardly with a spark and she tried to ignore the sudden attention as eyes were drawn to her for a few moments. The briefing just confirmed what she'd seen herself: violent humans were being violent, and they'd need to stop them.... with violence. So sick of it all....

At the medbay, Ina was attached to several tubes which began to restore her reserves of nanobots, which in turn repaired various systems. It was then that an unexpected guest showed up to ask a question....

"Sir. In a few minutes I'll be capable of fighting as normal. My mind will just have to adjust, I guess...." she paused for a moment, before continuing. "It may be better if you just replaced it with a computer, honestly. I could probably fight better without the humanity." She spoke the words as an honest, suicidal offer. Having seen nothing but darkness and betrayal in the world, she had finally reached the point where no light could be seen.

 

[LivingAngryCheese]

Dan was shocked by INA's words. "INA, I don't know how the hell your creator did it, but you're as human as any of us. You're all that's left of the people I've fought alongside, trust and respect." Dan said, then lowered his voice so people around couldn't hear. "Sure, you left us once, but I'm sure you've realised the Partition are not the force of good they claim to be. You can't kill yourself. And even if I was a cold-hearted bastard, you're far better than any other program that could run you. After all this time with tiny missions and little fighting, I think this will be the last fight, where we will finally destroy the Partition. Then it'll be over, and we can live our lives again. I don't know if you feel the same as me, but I've made many mistakes before, but giving up will not be one of them. Elin, Tito. They died fighting. Are you gonna give up now, and let them die in vain? I sure as hell won't. Marquese, I'm going to Sector 6, INA, you can stay here if you want, but don't you dare delete yourself."

 

[RJS]

[MEDBAY, THE INSTITUTE]

Marquese sat heavily into a nearby chair, looking at the two of them. "I can't deny it's going to be hard - probably the hardest stretch yet. You've already delivered more than I could possibly hope for. INA...it hurts to hear you say that, but I can't say I don't understand. Here we stand, the last survivors of humanity, locked in a toxic struggle for superiority that only produces loss and pain. All you've seen is violence, cruelty, loss and grief; the necessary evils that accompany unnecessary wars. I won't force you to choose either way, but I will ask just one thing. Hold out until this is done, and give us the chance to show you the good in humanity, the light within our darkness. I want you to see something other than war before you pull the plug on yourself. If you'll listen to an old man's unreasonable request."

Marquese stood up. "Move out when ready. INA, the mind wipe...I'll inform the technicians that you are authorised to request it. I ask that you do not, but you have my permission to do so should you wish to."

[SPIDER'S LAIR, THE UPPER LEVELS]
A screen lit up to Spider's left, drawing his gaze briefly. A disappointed tut escaped his lips. "Well, you aren't going to be glad to hear that at least one of you in the room is a traitor. Somebody just tried to signal Institute Comms with a location ping." Wolff's firearm seemed to jump from its holster to his hand as he circled to stand behind them, gun aimed directly towards them. Spider chuckled, the pleasant tone seeming out of place, as 4 hooded figures moved to stand behind Wolff, one notably taller than the other. "Well, then. Who is truly loyal to the cause of freedom, and who is here to see it fall apart?" His gaze seemed to scrutinise all of them, every slight twitch seemingly betraying their every secret. His gaze came to rest on Sy, whose hand remained firmly secreted in his pocket. "Sy...I truly hoped you had turned your back on them, but it seems you have been biding your time from the very start. The botched missions, the unexplained absences...now it all adds up." Just as Spider was about to move further, all hell broke loose.

An explosion could be heard close by, followed by the harsh shrill of an alarm that was punctuated by ferocious gunshots. Wolff raised his rifle and shot, the bullet cracking off an energy shield that shimmered faintly around Spider. Wolff was sent flying by a fierce blow that knocked him against the wall from the tall hooded figure. Spider merely looked stunned. "Wolff...you...why?" Wolff laughed as the tall figure moved closer. "Go to hell where you belong Spider. I've always been waiting for this moment. I set the obstacles in their path - I arranged for my sister to be taken away and kept safely from you. I activated full combat readiness on the drones. I gave the Institute the insertion locations of all squads. And now I just told them where you were. You're a stain that this city doesn't need!"

Spider turned his gaze to them all. "You wanted orders. Eliminate him, or be considered his accomplice." A pair of vicious bladed arms emerged from his chassis, though the blades had data jacks incorporated into the tips.

 

[Eruantien]

"The accomplice of justice?"

Leo raised his hand, the remnants of a split transponder crushed between his fingers.

"I like the sound of that."

His skin flickered to life with electricity. With the superdermal nodenet engaged, perhaps Leo could withstand a few rounds of gunfire, while preparing to take down Spider's defenses.
Messages sped back and forth between Syderis and himself; if this plan worked, they might still have a chance of success.

If Leo was surprised at Wolff's sudden act of treachery, he didn't have time to show it. Although the odds were stacked against them, Wolff was powerful in his own right.
And... if Leo's ears didn't deceive him, they were all soon to be joined by an unknown invasion force.

Leopold allowed himself a small grin. For better or worse, it looked like this would be one hell of a fight.

 

[sgbros1]

The room descended into a background eerily similar to the scene where Jerana's parents were killed. Wolff and Sy seemingly inched closer towards her, perhaps backing her into a corner, coercing her to join their side. Reminiscent of what those droids did to Jerana all those months ago.

Months ago. Nothing has changed. The Institute is still standing up strong and mighty; hell, some of her colleagues even turned against her in favour of them.

Perhaps it is over then? We'll never win. One head down and two more pop back up. They are just too strong, now aren't they?

Or maybe that's what they want me to think.

The fateful moment was reenacted all over in her mind. As those droids approached her, she recalled, she took to the skies and ran.

Away from redemption. Away from vengeance.

Perhaps she needs a new plan now.

She pulled out her two pistols, locked on to her targets, and fired.

At the heads of Wolff and his accomplices.

 

[the_j485]

As Spider's cold gaze fell on him, it felt almost like a disappointed father figure. Marquese had screwed him one final time, in a strange way.
Wolff's betrayal was simultaneous surprising yet expected. He jumped at the explosion and the gunshot, before realising he'd been right about the man. Not in the way he'd thought, though - he'd been a double agent this whole time. He was almost angry that Wolff's actions were why he'd failed so many times... though there was a little relief mixed in. Perhaps he hadn't been a failure, at least to the Partition.
Leo was an ally he was glad to have. His EMP would weaken Spider for the fight to come, and he was a strong fighter is his own right. Jerana, however, he was shocked to realise, had shot at Wolff, though he missed the result.
"Jerana, what the fuck are you doing? You aren't helping anyone by picking that side! Fuck, this is the guy who mutilated children! You think he was able to research all of his god damn implants without that?"
Sy dropped into stealth, moving out of Spider's line of attack as he sneaked around, looking for a weak spot to hit on Spider with his now-unsheathed rifle.

 

[LivingAngryCheese]

Dan sighed, and made a few quick changes to the access rights for some files and his room, then sent a file to INA. "I had hoped to never use this program again, but I guess there is no harm done in anyone else using it." He said to INA. "The file I just sent you will lead you to my room, just in case you forgot which was mine. You should be able to go in, and the computer there should allow you access to a file which you may download. I used to use it before Gardenia died, when I made the change to recording deaths rather than ignoring them. The program removes the dead from your view, replacing them with the expected background behind them. It also used to keep me from bumping into them, but my legs are very different to yours, it won't work for you. You'd just have to stay airborne. If you want it, the option is there, but please, don't wipe your memories." With that, he turned and set off to Sector 6.

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk

 

[lenscas]

Wyatt looked at the battle that started to unfold itself. He saw Jerana shooting at wolf who turned out to be against Spider while Syderis like usual dropped into stealth and Leo prepared to fight.
His first instinct would have been to deploy a shield around Leo, as Syderis was most likely save for now but the AI prevented him from doing so.

"Stay still. Let them react first and don't waste your chances." The AI spoke to him and Wyatt silently agreed to it knowing that at least now the AI was right. He couldn't be certain that Leo would be the one that gets attacked and if he used it now it would potentially take too long to shield the one that actually needed it the most. Instead Wyatt now decided to stand still and do nothing while the AI silently drained all the power and send it to the capacitors.

 

[Lumaceon]

Ina listened to the various words of encouragement. In her mind, she had to admit they helped, even if they did little to make the world seem any less dismal. She considered everything: the mind wipe, the corpse-masking program. It was all so tempting. Easy ways out of all the hideous realities around them. Perhaps too easy. "Sorry, I guess I'm just.... overwhelmed a little," she eventually answered.

At the very least, if she was going to die, she'd do so out there; trying to protect order as best as she could. Without her mind guiding the shell, it wouldn't be able to adapt strategy as well. Without the ability to see the gruesome truth, she'd be vulnerable to a sneak attack from anyone nearby. But if there was one thing that kept her going, it was the completionist in her. One last mission: she could do that. With that in mind, she followed Dan along towards what would hopefully be her last fight.

 

[RJS]

[SECTOR 6, THE UPPER LEVELS]
As Dan and Ina arrived at the cordon, the earlier efforts of the rioters were clear. A line had been cut into the pavement, with Major Guntram standing behind it - sword in hand. On the Institute side of the line, the decapitated corpses of several rioters lay as a stark warning. On the other side, the mood was of angry uncertainty - all within the crowd ready to storm the position, so long as somebody else went first. Apart from Guntram, the only other Institute forces there were basic droids - the reasons for their deployment was obvious. Guntram was clearly conveying a message to hold back the tide, but without backup even she would eventually fall when the anger of the crowd reached fever pitch. She merely nodded when they arrived, pointing to two locations that afforded plenty of cover. The amount of damage her jaw had sustained in the fight against Apollo was such that even the nanobots couldn't fully repair the damage, and so she had become notably more taciturn. It had only enhanced her reputation of being a grim reaper.

What seemed like an hour, but was in fact only several minutes, passed without incident. The crowd sometimes shifted closer to the line, but none dared venture over it and so it was never long before they fell back. However, a rising commotion could be heard within the crowd, moving ever closer. After several long, agonising minutes, the source was revealed as two masked figures emerged from the crowd and walked up to the very edge of the line. One was instantly recognisable to both Dan and Guntram, the gold sun mask matching that of the figure that had introduced himself as Apollo. The other wore a bird mask, a long beak protruding from his face. Apollo merely nodded to the three of them before he continued walking, Wodan following a pace behind. As they crossed the line, Guntram blurred into life, delivering a vicious slash that struck Apollo head on. "All forces engage!" she roared in a hoarse voice. The ranks of droids behind them jerked into life, before slumping back into a passive state at a single wave of Wodan's hand.

[SPIDER'S LAIR, THE UPPER LEVELS]
The shots fired flew wide, as the attempts to activate implants failed. Spider sat back impassively. "You don't get it, do you? You honestly thought I didn't have this place signal damped? Nothing happens in here without my knowing and allowing it. Your signals, your implants, none of it will work. Whoever's at the door is not your backup. For all I know the rioters think this is an Institute secret bunker. As for your treachery however...that shall not go unpunished." Implants that had previously returned error signals flickered back into life. Meanwhile, behind the group, the cloaked figures revealed themselves. Three were teenagers, each one stamped with a different number; 450, 530 and 640. The third had a polished chrome body, much different to the stained and rusted chassis that the all too familiar robotic face sat in. "Hello little chickens." Raptus growled, "Are you ready for a plucking?"

 

[sgbros1]

[COLOURS WIP]

Raptus, immediately after his comment, thrust a bladed arm down towards Wolff's chest. Blood spurted from a deep wound as Wolff grunted in pain.


Before she could even take down her enemies, Jerana had to take down her own colleagues that had been working with her for months now.

It really was a dog-eat-dog world out here. Immediately a memory flickered back to her, that time when she had killed a man in cold blood. Now, the people she faced were much more familiar to her, almost part of a family she once lost.

She'd hoped it would never come down to this, but alas, it did. Her only wish is that it wouldn't bite her in the ass later on.

Taking out ablunt assault on Leo, she successfully buckled and dented his armour, leaving him more vulnerable to attack.


His eyes blazing, Leo returned with a one-two punch against the traitorous girl, swinging the butt of his weapon at her as a third motion.

"You idiot. What do you think you're fighting for!?" All three blows flew wide as Jerana danced around him, nimbly evading any kind of impact.


"Jerana, what the hell are you doing? Trying to kill us won't accomplish anything for you - Spider is worse than the Institute!" Sy shouted before dropping into stealth, and this time it worked.


Wolff rolled to his feet, trying to put some distance between himself and Raptus. A shield materialised around him as he did so, protecting him from further assault. The remaining masked figures threw off their cloaks, revealing a mangled mess of metal and flesh. Extra limbs, full prostheses, exoskeletons, all jumbled with the natural flesh to create a thoroughly disconcerting image. Each had a number tattooed onto their forehead. 450 moved first, unfolding a mess of bladed arms as it slashed furiously at Wolff. The arms bounced off the shield ineffectually. 530 fell flat on its face, which would have been comical were it not for the gun turret that rose from its back and took aim at Leo. A hail of energy shots flew past Leo, though all of them missed. 640 ran and cowered behind Spider, seeking cover behind the mechanised lower skeleton of the leader of the Partition. Spider himself scuttled over to Wyatt, attacking with the bladed datajacks. Wyatt's vision blurred somewhat as unfamiliar code flooded his system. The implant that controlled the formation of the AI creature was completely swamped and shut down.


Wyatt was forced to take a few steps back after the blades hit him and he was unable to focus on anything for a while. Once he regained his vision he noticed that his shield was deployed around him. Wyatt realized that it was most likely the AI's doing and though Wyatt didn't dislike the fact that he got shielded he was definitely sure that the AI has too much control over his systems right now. Raptus continued to press Wolff, attacking again, though Wolff twisted out of the way.


"Who am I fighting for? My parents," Jerana simply yelled back at Leo before firing a shot at him. The shot flew wide, pinging off the far wall.

"I've made my own peace with tragedy. Time for you to do the same. You're not worth the effort." Leo fired a low-power round at the android horror that had targeted him, releasing a spray of blood and a howl that both seemed painfully human, and utterly unfamiliar.

Sy began to charge his rifle's capacitors past their normal limit. This might be the only way to hurt Spider successfully. Wolff opened fire on Jerana with a hail of bullets, though all the shots flew wide. #450, having failed to harm Wolff, moved to attack Leo instead. It flew past, claws missing every hit. #530 swivelled its turret round and immediately fired on Wyatt. The energy shots bounced off harmlessly. From behind Spider's carapace, the mouth of #640 opened far wider than should have been naturally possible. A dark swarm flew out and converged around #530. When they dissipated, all signs of damage had disappeared. Spider continued to strike at Wyatt with the datajacks. More code flooded into his system.


Wyatt ran towards Jerana, wanting to get away from spider as he didn't saw a way he could do something about him. "Stop this!" he shouted at her before throwing a punch at her. "I doubt that your parents wanted you to fight alongside someone like Spider. Else you would look like those numbers right now. "The punch landed squarely on Jerana's jaw, knocking her head away. Raptus, still laughing maniacally, continued to attack Wolff. As it had before, the shield disrupted the blow.


Jerana winced at her jaw. She tried to land a counterpunch at Wyatt, before running towards Raptus. The blow landed solidly against Wyatt's shield, which absorbed the impact.


Noticing the cloud of... things that had emanated from the being numbered 640, Leo fired a punch round against that android, trying to get a fix on his target behind Spider's biomechanical body. The round struck home, drawing blood, though the abomination continued standing.


Sy had been hoping to use his shot against Spider, but any damage he did might well have been negated by the healer that cowered behind him - Leo seemed to have the right idea. Sy diverted power from his active camouflage, revealing himself after taking careful aim. An enormous crack rang out as the coilgun was nearly pushed to its limit, the round aimed dead at the chest of #640. The shot blasted through its chest, and the creation collapsed, dark swarms leaking out from it as it lay there.


Wolff took another shot at Jerana, bullets hitting home with a series of percussive thuds. #450 spun round and hurled itself straight at Sy, who having uncloaked and shot was apparently a high-priority target. Nevertheless it flew wide, its momentum carrying it past the sniper. #540 spun and aimed a burst of shots at Wolff. The shots hit, but to seemingly no effect. The swarm around the corpse of #640 began to roil and churn. Spider continued to chase Wyatt, lashing left and right with the datajacks. More code flooded his system, and another module went dark.


Wyatt cursed when he got hit by the datajacks and cursed again when he noticed that once again a system went down. Things didn't look well for him and things got even worse now that some other failure in his system made him feel weak. Wyatt knew that right now he couldn't do much against most if any of his opponents. He then noticed Jerana running towards Raptus and decided to go after her to try and work her to the ground hoping that if she becomes unable to shoot at the others they have time to deal with the real problems. He missed, leaving her free to continue her run. Raptus continued his assault against Wolff, successfully managing to force an arm past the shield and cut into Wolff. The shield shattered from the impact.


Jerana appeared before Wolff, grunting from the pain she'd sustained. She noticed Wolff's shield was down, and decided to kick the wounded man by disabling him. The disable was effective, Wolff noticeably struggling to move.

Seeing Wolff held in place by Jerana, Leo targeted her with his next attack, firing a low-power round just to test the waters. The shot bounced off her armour to no effect.


Sy's coilgun followed the trajectory of #450, and as he spun he fired an FMJ round straight at the monstrosity's back as it fell. The shot blasted the monstrosity into pieces, lumps of flesh and metal scattering across the floor. Wolff hammered the butt of his gun into the face of Jerana, though she swayed away from the blow. #530 fired a blast at Wolff, though the shots flew wide. The cloud surrounding the corpse of #640 dispersed, revealing the unblemished body of the abomination, remade as good as new. Spider turned to face Sy, lashing out with the datajacks. Sy managed to dive to the side, avoiding the attack.


Though Wyatt was relieved that Spider stopped going after him he didn't exactly like it that that only was because he was now focusing on Syderis. Another thing that worried him was that #640 seemed to be back.Seeing that Wolf was still in a rough spot, especially now with Jerana so close to him Wyatt decided that it would be best to put the shield around him. As the shield formed, Wyatt felt the malicious code jumping onto the signal, hijacking the connection. With less code in his system, the AI formation module came back online. Wolff seemed to stumble and his movements became more sluggish. Raptus took advantage of the opening, lashing viciously at Wolff. The newly generated shield absorbed the impact, though it shattered in the process.


Jerana pulled out both her knives, and tried to pierce both of them deep into Wolff. Blood spurted from his mouth as he stared blankly at her for a second, before collapsing.


In instant retaliation, Leo fired a punch round against Jerana, almost not even thinking of his actions. The round caught Jerana in the side, blood spurting from the wound.


Shit, Sy thought, Jerana was deadlier than he had realised. He'd have gone after her immediately, but that healer was back up again and needed taking down. He fired a normal, uncharged round his way. The creature collapsed to the ground once more.#530 fired a suppressive burst at Sy, though the shots flew wide. Spider closed in on Leo, lashing out with the datajacks. Code flooded Leo's system as some of his power transfer modules shut down.


After the death of Wolff Wyatt immediately ran towards Jerana and grabbed his knife, realizing that she was a threat that had to be dealt with sooner rather then later. At the same time, the AI put more energy into the capacitors. His attack narrowly missed. Meanwhile, only perceivable to those who were listening really carefully, the sounds of battle from outside the room stopped.


Raptus, now fully caught up in a blood frenzy, whirled on Leo, bladed fingertips inflicting a vicious slash across his face.


Jerana was now fueled on bloodlust. Despite the nagging wounds on her, the fact that she had taken down an Institute sympathizer buzzed through her head, seemingly overwhelming her. Watching Spider attack Leo, she pounced towards him, and took out a blunt assault on him.


Leo jammed his weapon at Raptus' wicked arms, letting electricity crackle down across the connection and surge into his assailant. Maybe that would be enough to disorient him for a bit.


Sy dropped back into stealth, silently moving away from the Partition forces. Leo was the target of another burst from #530, though the bullets burst harmlessly against him. The cloud around #640 gained more momentum buzzing with greater intensity. Spider continued to attack Leo, more code flooding his system as the datajacks continued their merciless assault.


Wyatt wouldn't have mind it if he could have put a shield on Leo. However, as it was still charging up again after the last use, he instead attacked Jerana while more power went to the capacitors. His attack was wide of the mark, the blow whistling through the air. Raptus merely glared at Leo, clearly struggling to draw a target lock.


Jerana gazed at Leo, watching him duking it out with Spider and Raptus. She let out a quick chuckle before lining up a shot at him. Leo felt the shot punch heavily into his gut.


Hissing in pain, Leo fired back again at the girl, ignoring Raptus for the moment. His reticle popped up, and the shot went off. The bullet bounced harmlessly off her armour.


Sy set his coilgun's capacitor to charge from his battery pack. Leo wasn't holding up well, but if he could just get a good shot off on Raptus, he could turn the tide of the battle. He could also get a personal visit from the homicidal robot himself... but, one thing at a time. It could save Leo's life. #530, sensing weakness, fired another burst of electrical shots at Leo, though once again his firewall protected him. Spider turned away from Leo, returning his attention to Wyatt. The datajacks pumped in more code, and Wyatt's shield dissipated as the projection module shut down.

Wyatt cursed when he realized what had happened. He quickly decided to try and restrain Jerana knowing that he probably wasn't strong enough to handle the others and send more power to the capacitors. Hoping that if they can last long enough the AI would be able to turn this battle around. Jerana grazed past the attack, unharmed.


The doors to the room burst open and more of Spider's men staggered in, bleeding heavily. Moving jerkily, they gathered guns raised, a trail of blood in their wake. Spider grinned ever wider. "Excellent! Now, execute these intruders!" The small squad took aim, weapons firing in a sustained burst. "The...fuck...you...doiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-bzzt" Raptus collapsed under the hail of sustained gunshots, his torso literally shredded by the sheer volume of bullets. Off to the side, #530 was also targeted, collapsing in a heap of flesh and scrap. Footsteps rang out from the open door, as Spider scuttled back, stunned at the developments that had occured in the blink of an eye. Two robed figures swept into the room, masked as vampire and operagoer respectively. The trail of blood appeared to emanate from the robes of the vampire-mask and receded even as the Partition squad collapsed lifelessly, disappearing as if sucked back in. "You dense motherfucker Spider...or should I call you Vitali? You honestly thought I would never find out the truth? I know that you ripped me apart, filled me with your damn experiments and set me loose like a fucking rat! I know why all my friends died young! I know why I've been filled with this burning pain all my fucking life! Because you wanted to play God? Well, newsflash for you, you tinpotted twat!" The vampire mask was torn off to reveal Natalya's features, twisted with anger and hatred. "What's a god to someone who's never been a believer? I swear, Spider, that you'll be screaming for hours before I consider letting you die." The figure next to her sighed. "I thought you didn't do the melodramas." The mask was removed to reveal the features of a face that all present had thought to be dead - Ravyn. "Well whatever. Let's get this mission cleaned up shall we?" Natalya spat a single word from between gritted teeth "Let's."


Her cloak was thrown aside to reveal several fresh wounds across her body, whilst Ravyn merely raised a revolver and shot directly at Jerana, though she managed to evade the shot. "Syderis. Don't waste your sniper rounds on anything other than Spider. He'll have us all incapacitated before long if we leave him." Ravyn ordered, whilst swiftly reloading.

Jerana was pissed when more of those fucks showed up. Right when she thought they had the upper hand too. Grunting, she lined up a shot at Ravyn, hoping to deal with the newcomers quick. Her shot flew wide, pinging off the wall.


Though he was set into major confusion by the arrival of the undead warriors, Leo knew they had little time, which was quickly confirmed by Ravyn. He chose to ignore the girl, and instead fired an EM pulse directly toward Spider, trying to cause an overload of his system firewalls.


Sy continued to let his coilgun charge. "Holy shit, Ravyn? You were Revenant this whole time? You guys came just in time - I'll hit Spider as hard as I can." Sy sent a radio message Ravyn's way, his voice full of surprise. Natalya moved over to Leo, slashing her hand open and pressing it against one of the holes in his side. Leo felt warm liquid course into him, strands rapidly sewing torn flesh back together. "This is nothing personal, just business." she muttered, casting a hate-filled glare at Spider. "Whether I like it or not, we need you." The datajacks at the front of Spider's exolegs retracted, to be replaced with a large orb that began to crackle with electricity.


Wyatt was just as surprised as the others to the arrival of the backup. With his shield still not working Wyatt saw little choice left but to once again go after Jerana. Meanwhile, the AI put more power into the capacitors. Much like it had every other time, his attack flew wide as his opponent dodged. A blue gleam shone from Ravyn's cybernetic eye, turning into a focused beam as he turned to face Jerana.


The bloodlust waning, Jerana wanted to land another kill against her foes. She lined up another shot against Ravyn, and fired. Blood spurted from the cloaked figure, though his face betrayed no sign of pain.


Suddenly revitalized, Leo tried to remember his history with this woman. Fuzzy details came to mind, though he couldn't remember whether she'd been friend or foe. Whatever; it didn't matter right now. What did matter was that Spider's defenses were on the fritz, and Leo fired a punching round from his weapon directly at the bio-beast. The shot fizzled out harmlessly, impacting against an energy lattice that faded from sight almost as swiftly as it had appeared.


"Maybe this won't do much," Sy said, "but damn will it feel good to hurt you," Sy said out loud before revealing himself behind Spider. He pulled the trigger and a round was accelerated to ridiculous speeds, causing a crack loud enough to hurt everyone in the room's ears. Blood spurted from Spider's shoulder as the round hit home. Before he even had a chance to respond, Natalya dove in, the blood leaking from her arm fashioned into an immense blade that swung down. The blow bounced off the energy net however, leaving Spider unharmed. Two crackling arcs of energy spat from the orb, flying towards Sy and Leo. Sy managed to evade the spark, but the second caught Leo in the chest, sizzling across his body.


Wyatt was once again trying to hit Jerana when all of the sudden his capacitors released their power, some of his systems went down and the AI took form.

The wolf quickly got bigger then the group had it seen so far and ran towards spider, staying low to bite his legs The bite mangled some of the legs, clearly causing Spider more discomfort. Ravyn raised his revolver so the beam shone through a small crystal on the end of the barrel. Spinning rapidly, the focused beam lingered over Jerana's head and Ravyn fired in an instant, the shot impacting against her shoulder as she threw herself out of the way. Even as he reloaded, Ravyn began to issue orders. "Leo, stay alive and get that pulse recharged. Sy, start charging up again ready for the next pulse. Wyatt, we'll focus on suppressing the other one."


Jerana fired at Ravyn, "What the hell d'ya want? Coming here to ruin the fun? I was just on a roll." Ravyn swayed aside, watching as the shot flew past. "What I want is to save the people of this city, and many others like it. There's something bigger than this petty squabble out there, but the Director wants to bury his head in the sand, and you've seen Spider's response." Ravyn gestured at the debris that had been the abominations. "He'd gladly do that to every man, woman and child in the city in order to defeat what's out there. He doesn't like the thought of anybody above him telling him what to do. SO he'll turn the population of this city into an army, take control and then send his 'upgraded' humans to fight. Do you want to see the people you know become that? Or do you merely no longer care?"


Following Ravyn's directive as best he could, Leo fired a basic round toward Jerana, trying to conserve and charge power for the EMP. The shot flew wide.


Sy set his coilgun to charging again, nervously anticipating Spider's next move. Natalya dashed in close to Jerana, lashing out with tendrils of blood. The one remaining loyal Partition agent dodged the attack by a hair's breath. Spider's orb began to crackle ominously once again, as if to answer Sy's fears.


Wyatt didn't at all like what Spider was doing, especially as he has no idea what he was doing. However, he knew that he couldn't do much against it right now and thus still focused on Jerana. Somewhat predictably, his attack missed.


Meanwhile, the AI also saw Spider as the biggest threat and after having bitten his feet now went after his arms. Its jaws bounced harmlessly off the energy net, now restored to full strength. Ravyn reloaded his revolver with a single bullet and fired at Jerana. The bullet hit home, albeit only causing a shallow wound, and a faint blue light began pulsing from the wound.


Jerana panted hard, somewhat worn out from all the wounds. She took off, hoping to catch a breath. Finding some cover, she was able to apply basic first aid to her injuries.


Leo chased after the girl, popping up his reticle to fire a shot at her. The shot hit, though it bounced harmlessly off Jerana's armour.


Sy continued charging, consciously keeping himself moving around the room so as not to present himself as an easy target. Natalya continued to run distraction against Jerana, bringing two large masses of blood crashing in from either side. Ribs audibly cracked as Jerana was crushed between the two, and every breath became painful. Spider's orb spat electrical arcs once more. Vicious energy crackled across the pair, and Leo collapsed, eyes blank and seeming to see nothing.


Wyatt cursed upon seeing Leo fall and looked at Spider. The AI wasn't strong enough to get him down on its own by the looks of it. He then looked at Jerana, maybe if she is gone they have enough time to make the AI stronger?


The AI also realized that it wouldn't be able to fight against Spider and also had taken note of Jerana. The decision was quickly made: remove her first, then find a way to deal with spider.

And with that both Wyatt and the AI charged at Jerana. Though she managed to evade the blows of Wyatt, she could not escape the jaws of the wolf. They crunched down, once, and Jerana tumbled to the floor, not moving. Ravyn looked down at the corpse, before looking over to where Leo's body lay. "Nat...can you?"


Natalya looked back, blood oozing from heavy wounds across her whole body. "We fucking need him, I have to. You willing to donor? Not sure I'll have enough to stay standing if that twisted technofuck hits me with that shit." Ravyn nodded. "Sy, continue as planned."


"Do it fast. He won't last much longer without help, and we don't have any other way to weaken Spider's shields. Take a little of my blood if no one else can handle it." Sy said, concerning evident within his words. He left the switch charging further to strengthen his coilgun's shot. If Leo wasn't getting up soon he'd need a hell of a powerful shot. He wasn't sure if it wouldn't damage the coils to put that much current through them. Natalya crouched over Leo's body. Cutting into her palm with her blade, she pressed it against the most egregious of Leo's open wounds. Only those right next to the two would hear the faint pumping sound as she siphoned her own blood into Leo, using the machines that infused it to force the blood to flow, force the heart to pump. It was only a matter of a seconds before Leo coughed weakly, coming around. Natalya rose to her feet, staggering slightly. Her skin had taken on an ashen pallor, as if she were made of wax.

Meanwhile Spider's orb began to crackle with power once more. Additionally, the cloud that had remained lingering over the body of #640 howled into life, whirring around the body of Jerana. She too awoke, severely injured, but alive, blinking as the black swarm that blocked her vision thinned.


Wyatt was relieved once he saw that Leo was coming back, less so though after seeing the same happen to Jerana. Seeing her as a treat to Leo he send the AI after her, which quickly followed orders and aimed for her throat. The remnants of the dark swarm formed a solid wall, blocking the jaws of the AI as it lunged in.Sparks flew, and there was a smell of burning electronics, but the AI was repelled. The dark swarm however now lay unmoving on the floor. Ravyn looked up in alarm, the blue beam springing from his eye once more. This time, it automatically tracked to the faint blue pulse emitted from Jerana's earlier wound.


Jerana felt herself closing in on her parents, preparing for a warm embrace with them in the afterlife. But right then, she was snapped back into the grime of the living. Bloodied and gasping for air, she tumbled out of the way of the battle, hoping to gather a firmer grasp onto life.


Wincing and clutching his wound to keep the blood inside, Leo braced himself against the ground with his weapon, standing up almost too quickly. He shifted his weight and shot an arm out, trying to support Natalya as she staggered in place. "Thanks, lady." Propping them both up on his weapon, Leo closed his eyes for a moment, took a breath, and took a shot; an electromagnetic orb of dangerous voltages shot forward against Spider.


Sy lined up another shot for Spider's chest. He hoped this one did more damage than the last, or this battle could get a lot deadlier than he'd have liked. He pulled the trigger and a huge bang cracked through the air as he fired. Blood spurted once more from Spider, and he seemed to be panting more heavily. Ravyn proffered his arm to Natalya, but, sensing a kill, she dove directly at Spider instead, heedless of her own personal health. A mighty spear of blood thrust through Spider's torso, prompting electrical sparks and a copious spurt of blood. Pushing up close, she stared into the dying man's eyes. "You've made my life a living hell, you sick fuck. I hope you know you've got the easy way out." Spider's mouth opened, but all that came out was a strangled scream as the spear sprouted huge curved blades, tearing through what remained of his body and shredding organic and electronic alike. Ravyn winced, turning away. "Well, what do we do about her?" he asked, gesturing to Jerana.


Staring frozenly at the carnage of Spider's remains, Leo could only murmur, "She's not worth the effort." Then, he toppled forward, collapsing onto the floor weakly. Victory?


Sy moved over to Leo, checking he was alright. There was still some bleeding, but nothing dangerous, and he couldn't find anything internal aside from a few bruises either. He stuck him in a recovery position whilst they were all still here.

"Leo's right. She's too stubborn to get on side, and there's no point killing her. She might have betrayed us, but she was still a team mate."


Sy looked around at the carnage, taking it all in for the first time since the battle started. The corpses of Wolff, Spider, and his experiments lay in puddles of their own blood, all but Spider's having stopped spreading. Raptus was a mess of metal and circuitry, though Sy had no idea if his code had escaped again to go to a fresh body.

"What now?" Sy asked. "What's happened to the Institute? Are they still holding the line, or has someone done some damage to the bastards?"


Jerana hid in a corner somewhere away from the chaos, picking up a bottle of alcohol along the way. As she drank, Jerana shuddered while wondering about her current plight. For the second time in her life, all alone. Without anyone to fall back on. Those who she'd loved, all gone or had betrayed her. Jerana continued to down the bottle, wondering what her next plan of action would be.

 

[sgbros1]

[COLOURS WIP]

Ina noted the quick dispatch of the simple droids with concern. Whoever these beings were, they was far beyond any ordinary rioter. The thought came to her mind: EXODUS, the strange masked shadows of Magnopolis. Who else would parade around in strange masks. But what was their goal here? Either way, there was no time to think on it now. Ina selected Apollo as the target for her automated combat system and prepared to divert power just before it fired. Guntram followed up her attack with a follow-up slash, though it caught against a solid object hidden beneath the cloak and failed to connect. A swift counterpunch whistled towards her, but she swayed away from the blow.

Oh great. The motherfucker who sent Guntram flying with one punch and his drone disabling friend. Apollo, wasnt it? Though he couldn't understand it, it was clear to Dan that Apollo had no chip implanted in his head. Dan could only hope the other disguised person was different. Dan formed a rifle and fired at the unnamed person. The hard light bullets dissipated before they impacted against the body, winking out of existance as they reached the area around him. The bird-masked figure stared at him. "Daniel Tuite. I had expected more from you." The air around him shimmered briefly, then returned to normal.

Ina looked on with some astonishment. These two were some of the most skilled and powerful operatives within the entire Institute, save perhaps for Marquese himself. To see these two shrugging off these blows with little concern was almost inconceivable and yet somehow....

"Alright then, I'll give you more," Ina thought to herself, turning her attention to the HUD display responsible for power assignment. With a simple thought, the two bars associated with the laser and targeting assistance shot up, nearly filling the two bars at the cost of the other four. As a result, the barrel inside the extended compartment on her arm began to glow blue and even spark once or twice. Moving on it's own, Ina's program raised this integrated laser up to aim for the sun-masked man and suddenly the room flashed with the blinding energy of the laserfire. The laser blast scorched one of his arms clean off, an advantage that Sayaka immediately pounced on as she dove in, slashing at the other though again her blow bounced off hidden armour. Apollo leapt back, throwing his good arm backwards as his severed arm stretched out in front of it. A new limb had burst from the stump, fingers flexing as he got used to the feel of it.

Though Dan was disappointed with the result of his attack, he was not surprised. However, what was surprising was the man they had met before seemed to have incredible regenerative powers. Though he feared the power of the man with the crow mask, it was, however, evident that the other man could be damaged, and he couldn't be immortal, else he would've attacked the Institute earlier. Due to this reasoning, he pulled out his gun, an unfamiliar feel in his hand - it had been so long since he used it. He pulled it out of his pocket and fired at the man with the ability to regenerate. The bullets ricocheted off armour unseen beneath the cloak. The figure in the bird mask merely spoke. "Why continue a futile struggle, when you could save your energy and your lives by stepping aside? We have business with the Director, and we will see him whether you agree or not. Why not save yourself futile effort?"

Ina kept her arm raised in firing position, but hesitated for a moment, stealing a look at Sayaka. She'd seen regeneration before, but never to the extent this masked figure was using it. Still, Sayaka was the commanding officer, and she'd act on her orders for the sake of the team. Sayaka showed no sign of hesitation, immediately moving in with a heavy two-handed slash that drew blood. In doing so, she blocked Ina's shot - her moment of hesitation had cost her dearly. Apollo exhaled, a green vapour emerging from the slit in his mask. Sayaka began choking and rubbing at her eyes.

Gas? A weapon from before the meteor strikes? Who the hell is this guy? Dan fired another barrage at the man, ignoring the other one with the crow mask. The bullets once again struck home to no effect. Both Ina and Dan felt their vision blur briefly, but whatever the figure in the mask had done, it didn't seem to have affected them.

Although slightly concerned by the gas, all systems seemed in working order. Thus, she fired on Apollo once again. The laser tore a massive hole in his side. Still coughing from the gas, Guntram attempted a swing, but it was easily evaded by Apollo. He turned to stare at Ina, before charging in rapidly and aiming a heavy kick. Ina was sent flying, her outer casing visibly dented by the force as damage reports flickered into life.

Dan ran in front of INA to defend her and drew his knife, slashing at Apollo. The knife bounced off harmlessly, though for a moment Dan could have sworn the blade passed through the armour. Wodan made a simple gesture, and a swarm of crows materialised in Dan's vision, swirling around and obscuring it.

Recovering from the hit as quickly as possible, Ina jumped back up and stepped around Dan, return-firing on Apollo again. The shot burned clean through Apollo's torso, and the hulking figure stood still for a moment, before collapsing. Sayaka immediately rushed Wodan, blinking away the last remnants of the gas. In one smooth move she decapitated him, the masked head rolling along the floor. It came to rest in front of Dan, even as the crows that surrounded him in his vision turned to static and vanished.

"Crows? Crows!" Dan said involuntarily, the connection made in his head. "The last time I saw crows was when I tried to hack Godetzka all that time ago. He must've hacked my vision. Then... they were working with the Partition? I remember them saying they didn't. Wait... if he hacks vision, are they really dead?" Dan scanned the surrounding area for unexpected signs of life and technology. Nothing untoward showed up.

Ina showed a quick sign of surprise as the crow-masked figure fell in one slice. She knew Sayaka was strong, but she hadn't expected such a brutally effective attack. Then again, their leader was known for being able to mess with people's minds, wasn't he? Still, his head was right there on the floor. Unable to shake the nagging feeling this wasn't over, Ina diverted power from her laser to heal all the damage she'd taken. Sayaka strode over to Dan, picking up the head. "Let's see what he had to hide, shall we?" she said, before pulling the mask off in one smooth motion. Crows burst from beneath the mask, blinding them all in a whirling mess of beaks and feathers. When their vision finally cleared, there was no trace of either of the bodies. A severed arm lay on the floor, along with quite a large amount of blood. The drones remained motionless, whilst the front row of the crowd were banging against the air, as if a wall blocked their path. Sayaka rubbed her eyes, still somewhat reddened. "What the fuck is going on?" she muttered, before regaining a little composure. "Yeta! Watch the crowd, be prepared to react if they snap out of whatever has a hold on them." She activated her comms. "Director, we have reason to believe that EXODUS forces may have infiltrated the perimeter at our location. I suspect they're looking to infiltrate...copy that. Any sign of Rowlands? All our drones need a reboot here...damn. Ok, I can handle things here." She spun back round. "You two, back to the central building. I don't know what they did, but we know it must have come at some point after we knocked an arm off. Keep an eye out for that - you're the only people who've experienced it and been aware of it."

 

[RJS]

[THE INSTITUTE, UPPER LEVELS]

Dan and Ina returned to the main building to find Marquese pacing irritably. "There you are!" He strode over, waving away their formalised salutes. "EXODUS has made it in for sure - what happened to the bots shows they have inside knowledge of our code, and it would be stupid to think they don't know their way around the buildings. Question is, what are they after? Is it sabotage, or is it something more? Why did they leave you alive, and why have they not been picked up by security sensors...no. No! WITH ME, NOW!" Marquese took off, charging like a lunatic towards the central hub.

[SPIDER'S LAIR, UPPER LEVELS]

Ravyn merely nodded to Natalya, before donning his mask. "I'll leave you troopers to the care of your new commander." were his only words. Natalya, remained wordless for a minute, staring at the mess that had been Spider. Eventually she turned away, picking up a small microphone as she did so. Slumping into a nearby chair, she raised it to her mouth. "All units, this is Spider." The disconnect for the two of them that could hear the signal was intense, hearing Natalya's normal voice as well as 'Spider's'. Only Leo was spared the confusion. "With the aid of a third party, the Institute is about to fall. All Partition forces are to return to standby and await further instructions. Congratulations and thank you for your hard work! Victory is ours." Natalya sighed heavily, putting down the microphone. "Well, just gotta wait on the other two to finish off their job." She sat, looking oddly downcast. Almost...lost.

[JERANA'S CORNER]

Jerana heard the message, broadcast in the voice of a man only she knew to be dead. The order to stand down, to end the fight against the Institute. Even as she processed it, a blue glow came from the glow nearby. "Do you intend to comply?" She recognised the voice, Ravyn or Revenant or whatever he called himself. If she listened very carefully, she could hear the click of a safety catch being removed.