Slow and Steady [Marak!]

[Paladienne]

Dekval eyed the man standing beside him, then turned back to the forming simulation with an expression of trepidation. It wasn’t the first time he’d laid eyes upon Pilot Noble Prox Lutore, who was, like him, a member of the Ryun Ravens, and it wasn’t the first time they had been in close proximity to each other without a buffer of some kind. Prox had made the effort to meet him once before, but that meeting had been awkward as awkward could be and Dekval had come away from that ‘getting to know you’ interaction feeling uncertain. It wasn’t a bad uncertain, he thought, just... was. There was neither like nor dislike. Dekval just... didn’t know.

But he knew, at that first meeting, Prox made him a little uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure if it was because he wasn’t used to the man, or if it was the pale skin, the jet black hair, the black eyes with their red irises that just stared, or if it was the emotionless face that made the staring even more unnerving, but there was just something about Prox that made Dekval think twice.

Which was, honestly, unfair to Prox.

And it wasn’t like Dekval didn’t like Prox. Really, he just felt neutral toward him at the moment, because he didn’t know the man, and he wasn’t totally used to the other man. Really, he wasn’t totally used to his entire squad yet, but those kinds of things took time. And it wasn’t like they hadn’t worked together before - it was a requirement that they complete not just individual simulations, but co-op and squad simulations, as part of their regular training - but this time was different. This time, he and Prox were alone. This was their first co-op training mission, neither of them able to procrastinate any longer or avoid it, and so no matter how Dekval felt about it or his partner, he had no choice but to do it.

Of course, Dekval was pretty certain Prox was having the same thoughts he was, only on a different side of the spectrum. After all, Dekval was the unknown factor for Prox here, too. For all he knew, Prox was wondering the same exact things Dekval was wondering about Prox.

But it didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. They were on the same squad, like or dislike, and they had to work together. So he could just swallow his own feelings and focus on the mission at hand. Personal feelings couldn’t come into play during a mission, anyhow. That was a surefire way of getting someone killed, more than likely yourself.

Right. Dekval told himself. Time to focus.

The mission was, in actuality, pretty simple. Go here, get to the target, eliminate the target, get out. How they accomplished it was entirely up to them. The idea behind the co-op was, of course, to see how well they could blend their abilities and work together, so Dekval was pretty sure there was something set up to test exactly that. It was figuring out what that something was that would be the trick.

The simulation finished loading, immersing them into a living, breathing, dynamic simulation that didn’t seem like it was.

If he were working alone, Dekval would already be looking for high ground or a good vantage point from where he could scope out the layout of the target area. Then he’d work out how he would sneak inside and reach the target, eliminate the target, and escape. But he wasn’t alone, and he couldn’t work in the way he usually would if this were a solo mission.

So, finally, he looked over at Prox and ventured, “So how do you want to go about doing this?”

[Marakai2.0]

Prox could feel the gaze of the other man upon him, and could see it easily enough through peripheral vision. He could sense some of the man's trepidation in that uneasy glance, even more so as he turned to face the cityscape forming before them. A passing thought formed: what was this other afraid of? Him? The simulation they were both about to take part in? Both?

It didn't matter, he supposed. What mattered was how that fear was channeled - it could either be a great hindrance, or a great weapon. The shock of adrenaline pumping through ones system, fueling that flight or fight instinct, could come in handy in any manner of ways. Move faster. Hit harder. Think with more clarity in a situation where otherwise you couldn't.

Fear, like any emotion, could be a great tool. Though, on the other side of the scale, it could be just as bad a handicap. Prox knew this all too well to be true.

As the terrain before them materialized, Prox's gaze locked onto the details of the building in which their target was located. The building was relatively small, compared to the lofty skyscrapers Aedolian cities were known for - it was comprised of no more than three stories, made to look rather squat as the simulation continued to load it outward, making it quite wide. Oddly enough, it was ringed almost entirely with water - Keiko had apparently learned Prox could not swim - before being encircled by a tall, wrought iron fence. The fence was gated, and past the gate was what looked like the single narrow bridge across the fifteen foot or so wide pond. Looking across this, he could see a security checkpoint guarding what seemed to be the only way in or out of the building, unless they fancied scaling the walls to try for an entrance from above.

For a long moment, Prox was silent, his sharp gaze taking everything in. When he spoke, he didn't turn toward his assigned partner, still looking below them. "...If I can get you over that fence, could you cross the water? With security like this, I can only assume that the bridge will retract in the event of an intrusion. You will need to silence whatever guards are at the checkpoint..." he lifted an arm, and extended his index finger to point at the location in question, "....there. And disable the bridge controls, so that none can retract the bridge, and I can cross."



He lowered his arm, and at last turned to face Dekval, his countenance bland though his eyes were sharp and full of meaning. "Plan B involves disabling the lock on the gate, though I then assume that there will be countermeasures against an unauthorized entry. So I recommend Plan A. If we do this right, it should be fairly simple to get inside. And we can figure out our course from there."

From there he was quiet, awaiting his partners response. The words he had just voiced were more perhaps than he had spoken in quite some time, other than his interaction with their PR representative not too long ago, and he wasn't keen on repeating himself if he could avoid it.

[Paladienne]

Dekval studied the terrain ahead of them, along with the individual things Prox pointed out, as the other man talked. His eyes tracked along the bridge, to the gate, and back again. He studied the water, the fence, and the checkpoint guards. If the water wasn’t contaminated, he could definitely swim across. If there wasn’t any motion sensors, he could render himself invisible and get across to the other side without anyone being the wiser. The harder plan was actually the easier of the two, so long as there were no infrared cameras and nothing that would cause him to trip an alarm. He didn’t really know his Commander all that well, but he was certain that she would’ve programmed this session to really make them think and work together in ways that they might not be used to, or even want to do.

Finally, he turned back to Prox and said, “Yeah, I can do that. But it’s getting close to the fence that’s gonna be the first challenge. See those boxes there? Set at exactly three yards from each other? I’m betting they’re cameras. I don’t know if they’re traditional cameras or motion sensors or infrared, and I’m not sure how we can find out, unless we somehow cause a distraction first. I’d have to go over invisible, if they’re traditional cameras, and if they’re not, we’re going to be in for it.”

Dekval tapped his chin for a minute, thinking. Then he looked at the taller man with an uncertain smile. “Maybe we can cause a distraction. Test the cameras by throwing something at them. If the cameras don’t react, then they’re infrared. If they do, they’re motion sensors and traditional cameras. Either way, until we figure out what they are, we’re not getting over that fence.”

Which meant they couldn’t fulfill their mission parameters. And Dekval didn’t want to fail, especially not this mock mission. He wanted to prove himself to the older Raven, that he wasn’t just some brat upstart who thought he knew better than the veteran. He wanted to learn from Prox, to be a true Raven, and not cause problems. Even though Dekval was certain that he was already causing problems, since Prox seemed to be a little irritated with him. Or that could just be the other man’s usual attitude. He wasn’t sure.

“Ah,” Dekval said, “I mean, I can do it. If I bend the light enough, I can render myself invisible, and I could test the fence somewhere else, away from where we’ll actually be entering.”

[Marakai2.0]

For a long moment, Prox was silent. After a few seconds or so, he even turned away from Dekval, studying the fence again. He hadn't noticed the boxes there, and he found himself rather impressed that the younger Raven had. Almost imperceptively, the corner of his mouth twitched upward into a barely-there semblance of a smile.


"Good eyes." Prox brought his arms up, crossing them over his chest as he examined the boxes. "There are no identifying marks on them whatsoever...Keiko's a clever woman if she designed this simulation herself. More often than not, mass-produced cameras like this will have an identifier of one kind or another that we can use to determine what spectrum they operate on. Manufacturer labels are typically the first to look for, as some smaller security companies specialize in one type. But these...they're simple, plain, and black. The mistake would be to assume that they're simple security cameras. But acting as if they are not could also be a mistake."


He turned then to regard the shorter man, his frail attempt at a smile long gone by now. "Very well, then. I'm putting you on point, and I shall follow just behind you. Quickly now, as I would not be at all surprised to learn that this mission has a time constraint that could end in failure or even make it more complicated than it could already be." Prox dropped his arms again and cast his gaze forward toward the ground itself. The earth did not look disturbed in any way, though that did not mean there were no further security measures in place. Pressure switches to act as proximity alarms, or something similar.


"Stay light on your feet, and trust your instincts as you move. Not everything is always as it seems." But of course, Dekval likely knew that. But a reminder could never hurt, and Prox wasn't too keen on taking the chance of failing due to carelessness.

[Paladienne]

Dekval glanced at Prox as the taller man talked, reminding him of things that he already knew. Not that Dekval would say that. He knew when he could refute things being told to him without consequence and now wasn’t one of those times. Not only did he want to show the elder Raven that he could do things just fine without the constant direction, he didn’t want to come off as a know-it-all asshole that wasn’t worth the name of his squad or the time spent on him to get him to where he needed to be. He knew that any advice, whether it was asked for or unlookedfor, was something he could act on and know he was doing the right thing. So he only nodded when Prox told him to stay light on his feet and trust his instincts. Most of Dekval’s life had been doing just that, and he wasn’t about to stop now. Besides, he liked to think that he knew his Commander well and knowing her as he did, Dekval was quite sure that this exercise wasn’t all that it seemed to be.

Dekval took a breath and started forward. He didn’t know what to expect as he crossed the fields toward the fence, but as soon as one of those black boxes started to swivel, Dekval froze for the briefest of seconds, and he bent the light around them both and rendered them invisible to sight, though he ensured that they would still be able to see each other. He stared at the box, watching it swivel until it pointed straight at them, and he held his breath and waited.
 
The box swiveled back the other way.

No alarm was raised. There was no sudden movement from the other side of the fence. The simulation didn’t suddenly end, marking their failure.

Dekval let out his breath and continued forward, stepping carefully and lightly. Since he’d made them both invisible to sight, he decided to keep his invisible bubble intact around them as they moved toward the fence. When they reached the fence, stopping right beneath one of those black boxes, Dekval looked up and studied it for a minute, watching the timing of the camera - for it was a camera - as it shifted from one side to the other, scanning the area before it. He looked to the left and right, watching those cameras as well. It was all about timing at this point.

Timing, because he didn’t know if these cameras saw heat signatures. He assumed no, they couldn’t, but then, Dekval and Prox had both been at a distance where the box might not have picked up any distortion in the ambient temperature before he’d rendered them invisible.

“There,” Dekval whispered, pitching his voice as low as possible. “It’s about a three-second window between them all, when they’re all pointing away from this location. If you can boost me to the top of the fence during that section, I can see if I can manipulate this box here, giving you time to get over, too. I can keep us invisible for as long as needed.”

He looked toward Prox to see what the other Raven wanted to do. Even if Dekval made it over the fence on his own and reached the guardhouse, there was likely a point where he wouldn’t be able to keep Prox invisible any longer. He could keep anyone and anything invisible in a one-hundred yard radius from himself, but he judged the distance between where he stood and the guardhouse far longer than that. Prox had to be inside his range for it to work.

Of course, getting the elder Raven over the fence was their next challenge, because Dekval doubted Prox could climb fast enough without causing some sort of commotion to reach that three second window and be across before it passed. He wasn’t sure if, up close, these cameras were thermal imaging or not, nor was he sure if there was some kind of noise detection device. Either way, so far, no retaliation had come from their presence, and Dekval wanted to capitalize on their luck as much as he could.

“Even if I can’t stop the box from moving,” Dekval said, “I can see if I can’t give us a longer stretch of time for you to get over. And if not...” He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to. If Prox couldn’t get over, he’d have to find another way onto the grounds, and if he couldn’t meet Dekval somewhere, it was a good chance that Prox would end up becoming the distraction, allowing Dekval to finish the mission. So Dekval waited, half watching the cameras and half watching Prox.