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]

Howard hadn't been included in the check in. It had been enough to have them split up to find the teen.

Howard might not be a good person per say, but he was their paranoid mental case and that was to be respected. Medical wasn't going to leave him behind and Rory definitely wouldn't even dream of leaving him.

Don't move, Howard.

The order was silent, his own gun coming up and tracking for a shot. "Hey! We're supposed to take the terrorists alive."

The guard looked up, startled by the sudden loud noise, still smirking, finger still on the trigger.

Conveniently that also bared his neck. Rory pulled the trigger, face cold as he quickly cleared the gun from the guard's hand and watched him gag, face turning purple from lack of oxygen and body writhing against the floor. If the stun would wear off enough for him to survive or not was an unknown, and Rory didn't really care. He'd been about to shoot Howard in cold blood, and that made his life utterly expendable. It would be very difficult to shoot little boys without the ability to breathe, after all. And if he survived, it would serve as an object lesson for his future.

Rory doubted very much he'd survive, and couldn't for the moment make himself care. He wasn't fond of bullies, and he'd seen far too many of them during his long wait.

The guard was the least important part of this situation, Rory bent, offering Howard a hand up. They were running out of time, he'd need to check on Howard later. Right now he just needed to get him clear of the building. "Let's go, Howard, stay behind me, I'll get you clear."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

After a moment of lying on the floor, letting the full impact of what just happened (and what almost just happened) sink in, Howard finally reaches up and takes Rory's hand. He's shaking, his usual reaction to this sort of stress; somewhere along the line - probably around the point when he got an energy gun pointed at his head - this caper went from terrifying but somewhat exhilarating to just plain terrifying.

He leans against the wall, slightly doubled over with a hand over where he was kicked, trying to catch his breath. No serious damage from getting roughed up, just some bruises. Nothing permanent. No splatters of brain matter on the floor.

Just a guy who seems to be choking to death.

"Thanks," he says, looking at Rory, who doesn't seem particularly bothered by the suffocating man on the floor. Rory, who just shot a man in the neck for him, despite all Howard's attempts to hold him at a distance. Maybe it's just because Howard works in the Med Bay, but Howard suspects Rory's protective nature around him runs deeper than that of coworkers. "Where's Chakra Spice?"

And then, breath regained, he starts to follow Rory.

[theboywhowaits]

Rory reached out, resting a supportive hand on Howard's shoulder while he caught his breath. It wasn't a pretty thing, thinking you were about to die. And Howard was still young enough that the shine hadn't quite worn off the sense of 'it just won't happen, it might happen to other kids, but not to me. I'm better.' that seemed to be the common mentality of the young of any race.

"Ok? Did he break any ribs?"

<Sakura, I found him, we're heading back up. Meet us at the extraction point. Did you locate Zouchi?>

"We'll be meeting her in a moment, we were looking for you." They wouldn't leave him behind, and that was that.

He didn't even glance at the guard as they left, unconscious or dead, it didn't matter to him. His mission and his job here was Howard.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard shrinks back from Rory's hand, even now, after having been rescued. It's instinct, deeply-ingrained. But there's only so far he can recoil while trying to check himself for serious injury and pull air back into his chest.

It's not the first near-death experience he's had. Experience tells him it won't be the last. So he files it away in that part of his head for things he'll deal with later, that he'll let rot him away from the inside until he's ready to untangle them. The brushes with death, the nightmares. He'll tamp it down until the end of the mission, at least.

"Don't think so. Just knocked the wind out of me." His stance is still a little bowed, though. That kick wasn't exactly a love tap.

He may ask Rory to take a closer look later. It seems like a bit much to ask now, not to mention that it'd take too much time. But he knows Rory will do him the favor later. If Rory wants to take care of him, and it seems he still does - he came looking for him, after all - he'll indulge Rory in practical ways. Injury, medical training. Emotionally is another issue entirely.

No longer one he's discounting wholesale, though.

The sound of explosions outside should answer Rory's question to Sakura.

[theboywhowaits]

He turned him lose after only a moment of contact, allowing him his space with as much care as possible with his current concern. "Not exactly a raptor bite, though, is it?" He glanced down at Howard's shoes, using the chance to quickly scan him for anything beyond the slight bow of his body.

"Covert." the word was muttered with a rueful shrug, motioning for Howard to stay behind him as he unsheeted his sword again, hugging the wall with something that resembled a trained soldier's instincts, body coiled in prep for the fight.

"Well, he won't be doing that again. Just stick close, we're getting out of here. Did you get everything tagged?"

General health, and then mission objective. Those were the important things. He needed to make sure Howard was still with him.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"No. That was way scarier." The raptors were a whole new level of terror - it's one thing to fear getting killed by an energy beam to the head. It's another to fear being torn to shreds and eaten alive by wild animals. While Howard's not eager to repeat either experience, he'd take the former.

"We dropped the idea of doing 'covert' an hour ago. He's making as much noise as possible to try and drag the fire away from innocent bystanders and let me take a crack at the security system." He glances back at the guy on the floor, who is no longer moving. Howard hopes he's just unconscious. "Would have worked, too, if the douchebag you Darth Vadered hadn't been listening to his iPod at work or whatever."

He follows Rory closely - Rory knows what he's doing better than Howard does, and clearly is willing to defend him, with violent force if necessary. Rory's gone up several ranks on the 'people to hide behind' list. Besides, Howard's work here is mostly done. "We stole a burn unit. Think we got a regen machine. I have a few stickers left in case of emergency."

[theboywhowaits]

"Lets hope they don't have any clever ideas to reenact American cinema, then. What with the cloning and all."

He shook his head faintly, he and Sakura had remained completely undiscovered the entire time. It was a bit disappointing to find that someone who had been left in charge had so quickly dismissed the plan for something more...exciting.

"Most of the innocent bystanders were evacuated over an hour ago, the long term coma ward just finished. Sakura and I were keeping track while we worked. Playing along with the evacuation routines. Most have been air lifted to a hospital out of the city. They're tightening the net around the hospital in order to trap the terrorists, though their orders are for the moment to keep you alive. That could change, with more explosions. At the moment, the only people here are us and the security personnel responsible for capturing us."

He approved of Howard following so closely, ready to tuck the teen into further cover if they encountered any guards.

He ignored the comparison, keeping track of his partner via the comm rings and keeping track of the residents of the corridor as they moved. "Where were you supposed to meet him?"

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Admittedly, he and Zou would have been totally happy going for covert if it hadn't been for some jackass doubting the veracity of a 5'3 babyfaced intern and a doctor with a fold-up coil gun.

"If I hadn't shut down that system, the call would already be going out for more reinforcements on their side. But we need to get out now," Howard confirms. "I told him we'd meet outside."

Like Rory, Zouichi won't leave Howard. He's proven that on past missions.

"We don't have much time, Rory," Howard says, voice a little panicky again. He's looking for someone to tell him what to do again.

[theboywhowaits]

"I'm not aruging with you, Howard. You did the right thing. We do need to get out, but you need to stay calm. I know what I'm doing." His voice was incredibly level, almost frightfully calm. They might only have eight minutes, but Rory wasn't even close to worrying about it.

"We're meeting Sakura in the locker room, it's less than a floor away and we have more than enough time. Take a deep breath and keep walking."

Were it Conner, he would have reached out, given him a pat or a touch, something to soothe him. But it was Howard, who was more skittish than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs and who was already on edge. Touching him might just make him run.

"We'll be fine, I know the extraction coordinates even if we miss the jump. Trust me. The Doctor won't leave without me, and I'm not leaving you behind."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard swallows and nods, more than willing to have Rory direct him. He still doesn't trust Rory (trust is something that comes painfully slowly), but he's long accepted that Rory's actions should be taken in the good faith they are intended. "We're not leaving Zou behind either. If he's not in the locker rooms I'm heading outside to get him. He'd do the same for me."

It's good to know Rory has a backup in case eight minutes isn't enough to get out of there. They're still a few floors up.

He follows Rory's order and takes a deep breath, walking quickly but not in a panic.