Gently, but with undeniable will divesting myself of the holds that would hold me. (Pt. 5: Chances)

[cityship]

The plan was...well, it wasn't simple, but it sort of was.

While the CLF attacked multiple Clone Processing centers to distract the government, the group with the CLF would target one particular one in the region that'd once been New Jersey. The group with the government would offer their services in putting down their own people.

In the center, they'd split up into several groups. One would fight a fake fight, create a massive diversion, and blow up the room where the samples their DNA were being kept in the process. Another group would secure a teleporter pad. That team would teleport out other teams to steal a ship, steal some med tech to teleport to said ship, and steal a medical database. Another team would go to the main command center and hack into the government mainframe to down the sensornet around the planet so they could escape. And Nightwing himself would accompany the clones to upload the harvested memories to the Mother Brains, left unguarded because of the diversionary fighting, and make sure that was all they did.

Meanwhile, there'd be a standing order for all teams to avoid killing other crewmates, and avoid killing guards unless absolutely necessary.

It was a complicated plan. If a single part fouled up, they might find themselves dead, trapped, or worse. But if it worked, it'd work pretty spectacularly and leave them with medtech, a medical database, the clones helped, and possibly a grateful Council depending on how the fight went, because of the ones seemingly aiding the government.

In some worlds, things that were a million-to-one-chance (exactly a million-to-one) by their nature had to work. Let's hope this world is one of them, eh, mission crew?

[ooc: Only comment to threads if it says they are open here. All threads: OPEN. Characters may get injuries up to and including 7 on the Injury Scale (scroll to the bottom). Any higher, and they must ask permission of the plot-runners, just to make sure everyone isn't immobilized without enough people to help move them.]

Comments

[theboywhowaits]

"Yes, actually. Both Sakura and I can handle ourselves in combat, and we've worked together in the past and know how to work with each other. Howard has a better knowledge than most what will be useful in medical. He's more than capable of pointing you in the right direction." He nodded politely in Howard's direction, voice serious and calm, giving his reasoning for the objection. "Contrarily, I've never worked with you before. If it comes down to a fight, my preference will be to have someone I know guarding my back rather than someone I've barely exchanged pleasantries with." There was knowledge in his eyes, and a slight shifting in his body language as he stood. He had been a soldier, once. Might be again once his head finished straightening itself out.

He lifted his sword from the bench, adjusting it until it hung at a comfortable and assessable angle, giving himself a moment to think before addressing Zouchi again. He was still facing the locker, not even looking at him as he fussed with the sheath. He had thought at first pass that Zouchi was a soldier, a reasonable assessment considering, but he was starting to think otherwise. The ability to command a unit depended entirely on being able to judge the people under your command, a skill that Zouchi apparently lacked. He kept himself from sighing by pure strength of will, resting the urge to childishly ask if Zouchi had received his military training in games of make believe on the grounds of his primary school.

"The thing is, what you're suggesting, if I understand you correctly is this; we haven't worked together, but your belief is that we can manage a partnership on the fly without any preparation. It doesn't work like that. Even if Sakura or I didn't have the required skills, I would still voice the same objections. Covert operations require the ability to trust your partner. Howard apparently trusts you. He knows you, you've worked together in the past. I don't know how you fight or even what you fight with. I don't know how your skills break down or if you're right or left handed. For us to try to find any sort of rhythm in a potentially hostile situation will only make things worse, if it were necessary, of course we would manage. But it is not. Therefore, beyond the logistics of who has the required skills, we have a natural split. If we're going to split the unit, then split it along those. If not, then it would be more practical for us to stay together." His voice was frank and level as he explained, turning over his shoulder to offer eye contact at times, but mostly focused on settling his gear and adjusting everything to fit properly.

If this was what Zouchi would insist on, he would rather they stay together as a group, rather than allowing two people he had a responsibility to walk out and into a dangerous situation.

His head still hurt, like his brain had been knocked around during the memory transfer, like nothing had quiet finished settling. Everything felt raw and wrong, displaced and haphazard.

Sakura wasn't Amy, would never be Amy, he didn't want her to be. He had a wife and she was beautiful and wonderful and the only woman he would ever want in his life. What Sakura would be, what he liked about her, was the fact that she was his partner, and he could trust her, in combat and in the operating room. She reminded him of a soldier he had met once, a very long time ago. A stubborn, practical guy who had become a medic after being drafted and dreamed of becoming a doctor when he go home. Someone who utterly refused to give up because the odds were against him.

He trusted Sakura more than he did anyone on this planet aside from Conner and the Doctor. He didn't trust Zouchi, or, now, think that he knew what he was talking about. A soldier he might be, but obviously unschooled in the nature of the internal operations of a unit. Every sensible part of him told him how the unit should be split, if it were his century, he'd never consider throwing two people who didn't know each other at all into a potentially dangerous situation without giving them time to acclimate to each other, and certainly not into a covert operation with a time sensitive goal where they would need to have established trust and understanding to work efficiently together.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi raised an eyebrow. He did, actually, trust Rory -- Sakura and Howard's comfort level with him, observable through both body language and their manner of speech, both suggested someone who could be relied upon. And he implicitly trusted most of the crew, who had incentive to work toward the same goal.

Zouichi had worked quite often in impromptu partnerships, and did not particularly value familiarity over utility, so long as instinct told him his partner could be trusted. Familiarity could help someone cover their partner's weaknesses. It could also lead to blind spots and learned carelessness.

However, if Rory trusted Sakura and would refuse any other split, then he had only one question.

"Howard, do you think you can recognize the technology we need to take out of here? If I recall, you weren't one of the people originally touring the facility."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard watches this whole exchange, rolling his fingers on the strap of the new med kit, torn between what his answer should be. On one hand, he would rather be with Zouichi. He's perfectly capable of working with Sakura - they certainly did fine with the crash in the Med Bay - but he and Zouichi have been through enough life-or-death situations that they have a certain amount of understanding.

At the same time, he trusts Zouichi's judgment more than he trusts Rory's. He hasn't seen Rory in a stress-pressure situation, and still instinctively resists whenever Rory gives him an order. He'd trust Zouichi with his life more than he's ever trusted anyone else with it.

As for the medical tech? Who the hell knows if he can figure that out.

"Yeah, I can probably figure it out."

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi nodded, businesslike; he trusted Howard to be able to tell him whether he could do the job or not. Er. More or less. "Then that's how we'll do it." He turned to Rory and Sakura. "Contact us if things start getting hairy -- provided they don't hit us with a comm blackout, that is."

"And one more thing." He paused. "Let's all get out of this safe and sound. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be stuck on this planet when this is all over."

[theboywhowaits]

The look Rory gave Sakura said a thousand things without saying a word, though it was mostly hidden from the other two by the locker door. There was little more frustrating to a soldier than someone ordering them around who didn't seem to have a clue what they were doing, though he didn't really mind Howard confirming what Zouchi said.

"Should we establish an extraction point and time?"

He wasn't leaving without Howard, but it was better to ask if Zouchi wanted to establish a rendezvous point or simply have them exit the building on their own.

"Yeah, same. If anything goes wrong, let us know." He held up his hand, displaying the ring. "Would it be better to establish a check-in time? Or should we be maintaining comm silence?"

In it's own way, it was another test. Zouchi had proven himself incapable of understanding established partnerships, had even misread Howard, by the looks of things. But if he could at least be relied on to establish points of contact, well, it would at least be something.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"The extraction time has been decided for us: three hours from now. Let's try and check in with each other in an hour and a half, and a second time thirty minutes before we have to be out of here. I don't know how feasible that's going to be, especially if they end up realizing we're here and disabling communications, so don't worry about having to rendezvous back here, either -- do what you need to and get out whichever way you can."

[encourage]

"Got it." Locker door closing, she was ready, not so much looking at Rory as motioning past him and toward the door with a nod of her head. Sakura adjusted her pack, then pulled her hair back up into a messy bun. "Check at the midway point, then an hour after. Stick in twos and make a clean exit."

Calm, despite the fact she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. All this technology was unnerving, even after her time on ship. Yet only if she let it get to her.

"We'll start at the top and work down. Good luck." She flashed Zouichi a smile, then a smaller, more thoughtful one to Howard. In the end, she was talking to him. "Remember we're not moving so much as we're picking out stock for transport." Don't take unnecessary risks, she wanted to say, but they all knew that.

"We get away with anything, we're at a net win. And if anyone gives you trouble? Remember you're meant to be here."

It might not save them in the face of any serious opposition, but it'd do a damn sight better than letting inward feelings of being out of place leak through for others to see.

Nodding one last time to Zouichi, she headed out through the door. Mission's on.

Time to get a move on it.

Aaaaand split!

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard doesn't return Sakura's smile, instead checking the lock on his med kit one last time and stepping up closer to Zouichi. There's some palpable tension and he'd rather just get a move on. All the standing around is wasted time, and while three hours means they don't have to sprint, it's also not a long enough window to justify dawdling.

"Closer to the front and top's going to have more of the emergency care materials. If you guys go top, we should go nearer to the entrance." Also, staying on the outer ring will make it easier to escape to the outside if they have to.

He follows Zouichi. Did Zou really have to bring the coil rifle? That thing probably weighs more than Howard does. Not for the first time, Howard wishes he'd brought a gun of his own. Might be something to start seriously training with back home.

Time for some five-finger discounts!