Remnants of the Earth

TEINAR => Wastelands => Topic started by: Lion on May 24, 2017, 12:10:57 am

Title: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 24, 2017, 12:10:57 am
The pulses were getting stronger.

The reading on the hud of his helmet indicated this was the direction the signals were coming from. There was no indication as to it's source, what it was, but the signal seemed to be getting somewhat stronger the further they went into these forbidden Wastes. Forbidden to everyone else save Pilots.  Two winged shadows glided over the sands, the dirt, the dust, piercing clouds of toxic air.

“300 clicks to the West. Hmm, Southwest,” Banning thought aloud to his second that flew in beside him. For a mere investigation of an anomaly, Banning figured he could have easily gone in on his own. He had no problem with back up. And after what happened with that other Pilot only a year ago, “No” wasn't exactly an answer that was going to be listened to.

Hyperion swooped and evaded another cloud of gas that permeated the air. Banning's helmet covered the whole of his head, and had a hose protruding from the base of it at the rear and into the filtration system at the back. Everything tucked neatly in that black armored flight suit, he kept his guns with him in holsters on his thighs. No need to use them on a simple reconnaissance mission like this.

“Recalibrating coordinates. The pulses are stronger now. Still intermittent,” Banning breathed heavily, projecting that through telepathy.

It was a given that this could also be a complete waste of time. Fuck, would he be pissed. He had a perfectly decent night of getting plastered ahead of him when he had gotten the call to duty. In fact he was splayed out on his bed, the clock nearly noon when his com went off like crazy. Banning answered it without reservation, and Hyperion was waiting for him the moment they were ready to leave.

It was probably nothing mostly likely, and in fact a sensation in his gut hoped that it was exactly that. There was nothing out here but the skeletons of ages past, a husk of a world that couldn't go on living. Only Aedolis was strong enough to stand, and still it did.  Banning frowned from inside his helmet. Frowned at their newfound setting, frowned at the pity that resonated inside him.

An odd signal that could just likely be some creature stepping on an old radio, accidentally setting it off. 

The hud resounded and Banning blinked and tilted his head to look down at the ground beneath them. “Looks like we're right on top of it,” he projected. Hyperion swooped down and with a thud, made the ground shake and dust clouds coil up. Banning slipped from his back and reached outward, closing his eyes and forcing himself to sense the pulses that clearly were coming from his area. Everything wavered in his mind's eye, like ripples in water, and he could feel the energy as he took a cautious step forward.

Hiss. And between the boulders ahead of him a turret swiveled in his direction. Banning threw himself from the path of the bullets that struck the rocks and dirt around them. He scrambled off to a boulder for cover and when the turret momentarily stopped, Banning rolled out and stuck his hand out. The clips were automatically changing and he accelerated the heat that was already smoking from the turret until the temperature made the rounds explode and the gun flew to pieces, raining down shrapnel and stray bullets.

“Look out for traps, Kiers! This whole place is rigged!”
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: nephero on May 24, 2017, 01:03:07 am
Dust trailed in a conga line of little devils below, the last vestiges of what had once been living, breathing earth. Now, there was nothing, nothing but poison and desolation, a great malevolent death god that beat on the doors of Aedolis and was beaten right back.

There was nothing quite like a trip into the Wastes to make you appreciate the sanctuary of home. Not only was the land itself soured and hateful, but the things that lived on it were even more so, twisted by long periods of exposure to toxic fumes and latent radiation. If Haviah was heaven, then the Wasteland was hell, separated but for the grace of their draconic guardians.

Anhur rumbled beneath him, a rolling growl that was lost to the cutting winds. But Chance felt it all the same, much as he felt the chatter in the base of his skull. Banning was just a little ways ahead of him, seeking out their path through the desolation, and Chance shifted in his saddle to adjust Anhur's trajectory to match.

It hadn't taken much convincing to get him out here; the orders had come down for an escort mission of sorts-- no one flew alone in the Wastes anymore, and so his squadron saw most of their action acting as seconds, flying close and keeping an eye out for any hostiles that might be lurking otherwise unseen. It was good work, and so Chance had been more than eager to volunteer; more to the point, he had been anxious and antsy to get out and about and do something. Anything was better than stewing in his rooms and staring at the ceiling, and there was only so many hours he could spend training at the ATC before someone started asking uncomfortable questions.

"Affirmative," Chance pushed the thought back, tapping into the faint psychic line that was their telepathic connection. His eyes flicked over his own helmet's display, checking readings and clicking through the results. "Horizon still clear. No movement."

Chance circled back in a wide sweep as Banning landed, before he and Anhur followed suit. The black drake huffed, his serpentine neck swivelling back and forth as if daring anything to pop out and challenge him. Which certainly made two of them, as Chance followed suit and slid down out of his saddle--

only to immediately tense at the tell-tale whoosh and click of mechanical movement, followed by the staccato popopop of bullets cracking through the poisonous air. He slung his rifle around, brought it up to aim at the source of the firing, only for the turret to explode in a blaze of fragmented metal by way of Banning's psychic influence.

Turret traps. Shit.

Something flashed just along his periphery, and Chance whirled just as another turret locked into place. He skirted to the side, avoiding the initial stream of fire and supplying the turret with a wave of his own, catching it along a critical point and snapping it clean in half. It clicked, feebly and uselessly, trying to reach the gun that was no longer attached to the rest of it. Anhur moved with him as they retreated to the boulders after their superiors, hissing steam and heat in an open threat as more turrets caught onto their movement and rained lead in their direction. Chance waited for the telltale silence of an automatic reloading procedure, before peeking up and over his boulder and leveling another string of bullets at another and snapping the main chassis in half.

"On your ten!" Chance called out, spotting a spray of rocks and dust as a turret attempted to lock on but was blocked by a nearby outcropping. Blocked for the moment, anyway, and rapidly making short work of the barrier that separated them.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on May 24, 2017, 02:53:42 am
Shit. Shit. Holy. Fuckng. Shit.

This was not fucking happening. There were not two PILOTS with DRAGONS on his property. Why were there two Pilots with DRAGONS on his property?

Goggles had been alerted to trespassers by a silent flashing red light on the main floor of his little shack. He had been messing with some new parts he got in a barter not to long ago, traded for a refurbished car battery, when the alarm was tripped. He immediately stopped what he was doing and high tailed it to the cellar of the small hut, bolting the steel door in the floor from the inside. The cellar housed all the equipment for his system, defensive and surveillance. It was from down there that he saw who was making the fuss outside. He had been expecting raiders- but not this.

Subconsciously he scratched at the scar on his wrist from where his chip had been pulled out a long time ago. His memories were addled but that didn't mean he had forgotten where he came from. Why were there Pilots out here? Coming down on his shit? He winced as they took out another turret. Shit. Well there was always plans B and C right? Though they were more for raider attacks... still. He entered a code, pressed a few buttons and activated the mines he'd buried in the bleak dusty soil.

He pulled his jacket sleeve over his wrist and sat there trying not to panic. Trying to deal with this like any other trespasser. But these were not ordinary trespassers. Shit. Should he open the com line like he would with raiders stupid enough to try this? The difference was most raiders in these parts knew he was in there already; knew who he was. These Pilots... the dragons. That was a different story. Then again they were psychics. How long did he think he could stay unknown? There was one other benefit to trying to talk with them...

The turrets he had left were put on standby, ready to be active again at the press of a button.

"What do you want Pilots?" Came a voice from a speaker mounted near the entrance of the small shack. The sound boomed and echoed off the rocks and nearby cliffs. "This is my property you don't have rights to be here!" He said trying to sound level but not succeeding. Waiting for a response was gut wrenching. Why were they here?!

He adjusted his goggles on his face, staring at the monitors, willing them to leave.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 24, 2017, 12:24:14 pm
With bullets flying everywhere, Banning kept himself low to the ground and crouched behind that rocky outcropping. These dusty badlands were filled with all sorts of nooks and crannies to hide in, red rocks that chipped and withered away by air clouds that could melt the flesh from your bones. Banning had no idea how anyone or anything could survive out here. He’d heard horror stories of the nightmares that wandered these wastes.

And the sooner he and Kiers made it out of here alive, the better. These turrets weren’t a match for either of them, and frankly he didn’t want to give a chance for anything else to rear its ugly head.

He heeded Chance’s warning, ducking his head when he was about to come up and aim his own rifle. The rocks and dirt blown away by the bullets dashed across the visor of his helmet. When the moment was prime, he drew his rifle up and fired just as the turret powered down. One less gun for them to wrangle with if whoever lived here didn’t wise up soon enough. Hyperion gave a low throated growl.

“This place is surrounded by a mine field,” Hyperion warned, he’d heard the hissing of the field activating around them. “Don’t get any closer unless you absolutely have to.”

Noted. Banning clicked his rifle onto standby and he shuffled around the boulders they were covering behind and quietly motioned chance to watch his back. He shifted closer and to the naked eye the ground looked completely flat and empty. Banning could sense the energy of those mines beneath the ground however, in hollowed out spaces. What kind they were didn’t exactly matter. You’d either be missing a leg, an arm, or your whole body would turn to mush.

Banning reached his senses out further and feeling his head begin to pound inside that helmet as he sought to reach out to whoever – whatever – holed up inside that hole in the rock. The cliff’s shook when that voice echoed over that intercom. Oh, so now they wanted to talk. Better late than never, he supposed.

Still, he refused to answer just yet until he could feel that person. They gave off an odd vibe, something psionic but the readings were hazy. No doubt interference from the elements in the rocks surrounding them in that dusty canyon. Far to the horizon rose a towering cliff wall. And the echo still from that com call bounced off and out into the rest of the wastes.

“You wanna talk? Okay. Let’s talk.” Banning called out through the mic on his helmet. “Let’s start with a howdy hello to you!” Banning kept himself pressed to the rocks, only letting the hud on his visor reflect anything that might be around the corner. Still the guns were down. For now.

“If you’re trying to kill us, you’re going to have a bad time.” Clearly this mine field meant business, and he wasn’t going to have to drag Chance back to Aedolis in a meat sack. Or vice versa. But for now, he’d pretend they had the upper hand. “So we’ll stay as long as we like, understand. I kinda like it out here! I might even make myself a little patio to go with that mine field you have set up. Make a porch. Have some whiskey and biscuits. It’ll be fucking grand! Disable that field. Now.”

Banning didn’t want to wait frankly, and he carefully turned to Chase. “What d’ya say Kiers? Shall we ask our host if he has some whiskey and biscuits for us?” Which basically meant for that rat bastard holed up inside to shut down that fucking mine field and let them in. Or this was going to get ugly. “Hey if we can't talk him out, can you disable that mine field?”
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: nephero on May 24, 2017, 02:18:40 pm
So much for a leisurely stroll through hell. Chance cussed under his breath at the report of there being a minefield on top of everything else. Of course there was a minefield. What kind of awful place would this be without a friggin' minefield? This was genuinely just not turning out to be his week. He shifted at Banning's signal, rifle ready as the Pilot Royal moved over the rocks to get a better "look" at things.

At the very least, it seemed like they were thoroughly alone out here. The turret system must have done a good job of keeping any of the other Wasteland nasties at bay; the last thing they needed was some hideous mutated thing getting the drop on them while they were huddled amongst pitted boulders.

Chance snorted a bit as... whoever lived here (who the fuck would ever live here) shouted at them through a speaker. No rights to be there his lily-white ass. Still, the phrasing was certainly interesting. He had expected something a bit more... what was the word? Hostile. Full of bravado. Full of the whole 'I'm gonna tear you apart and string your guts from the cliffs, assholes!' kind of deal.

Not this 'this is my property' crap.

"I'm thinking of building a little bungalow myself, sir!" Chance called back from his position, hud still scanning for further movement and coming up thankfully empty. "The whole works-- porch and a couple of rocking chairs to watch the storms roll on by-- and a big-ass fucking windchime out of any bones that just so happen to be lying around when we're done."

It was one hell of a bluff, all things considered. He switched his mic off, then, instead relying on the far more private telepathic communication line.

"From here? No. I'm thinking our 'friend' here isn't the sort to set ones with any delays either. I'm fast, but I'm not that fast, and then we've got ten meters of fuck-off in our faces." He tongued at his canine in thought, and shuffled to get a better look at the field in question. "Hang on. Got an idea. Cover me."

Chance shimmied his way along a boulder, giving himself a better view while not exposing too much of himself to any further nastiness. He unhooked his pack and dug into the contents a bit before pulling out his canteen and unscrewing the lid. It was a long-shot, but he had a sneaking suspicion these mines weren't set for heavy weights; if it had been him out here in the Wastes, he'd want them to be able to give a mouse a bad day.

The water in his canteen rose, sinuous and curving, condensing into a tight ball before flying off over the field in wide circles. The water pulled up then, paused for half of a moment, before Chance brought it down with all the force he could muster, the tiny bit of water jettisoning down and--

"Fire in the hole," Chance quipped.

Boom. The mine triggered, erupting up and outwards in a hailstorm of dust and dirt and metal shards, those shooting out and over the otherwise unmarked field, a few smaller bits bouncing against the boulders. All that was left was a harmless pit, and Chance switched back to his mic.

"We'll be able to plant an orchard at this rate!"
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 24, 2017, 04:33:05 pm
Of course disabling them from where they were was a long shot at best. So Chance was right in that assessment. Banning too flipped off his mic and nodded to Kiers as he shuffled off to the side. “I’ve got your six,” he thought back to him and threw his rifle up onto his shoulder, aiming it steadily at anything that might suddenly give movement.

Thankfully the only thing that was moving was that clever little water ball that Kiers made. Banning would have opted for wasting a grenade, but this was a much better use of their resources. And without a hitch Banning ducked when the mine exploded and a sliver of shrapnel buried itself in the dirt not but two inches from his right foot.

“Nice one! He seems like a real chicken shit. Hopefully this spooked him enough,” Banning thought to Chance. Because he wasn’t buying that son of a bitch’s act for a second. Banning kept his gun raised and steadily crawled back to his initial position. One mine down, and a dozen more to go. Maybe more. He’d give the little shit  one more chance to comply. If he didn’t it’d be all guns blazing.

A flick of the mic and he hollered, “You hear that, Biscuits?! We can do that again if you don’t disable that field immediately and let us speak face to face! This is your final warning.”
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on May 24, 2017, 09:51:27 pm
Shit. Shit! Goggles was panicking. His whole defense system was designed to intimidate and take out beasts and the hasty brawn with no brains type that the Wastelands was littered with. Think! What could- oh.

Oh that might actually work.

"Ok. I'm disabling the mines." He said as he pulled out some parts he'd been messing with earlier. He didn't need the Pilots taking them all out. If he managed to get through this encounter he would still need those defenses for other things.

Of course now anyone in the area was aware their were Pilots baring down on him which had its upsides and down sides. "I'm not letting you in till you state your purpose here." He could easily reactivate the field if they refused to comply. There was also the matter of stalling for time. He already realized that keeping them out entirely was impossible.

He could do this. He just had to stay calm.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 25, 2017, 01:44:48 am
The speaker bellowed with a fading interference after he replied confirming that they were clear of the threat of that mine field. For the time being anyway. Banning was pretty sure that wasn't going to last. Just as soon as they got up to go in Biscuits could just as easily set him off. It wasn't like the little scamp inside wasn't completely justified in having all these defenses set up. Other than making the mistake of calling the Wastelands home, it was clear he was used to dealing with nasties on a regular basis.

Such preparation could be complimented at any other time.
Banning just didn't want to get blasted to fuck-all any time soon.

Which brought them full circle back to their current issue. Telling this guy why they were here and just how much of it ought to be the truth. Banning glanced up to Hyperion and Anhur, then to Kiers. The guy didn't need any more bullshit. The sooner they got in there the better. "We're here on reconnaissance, Biscuits," he hollered back through the mic. "Strange signal out here in the wastes. And our scanners indicated it coming from here. We didn't come here to fight, but I'm not going to let you kill either of us."

He scooted up to his knees, peering just around to the front of the doorway of that hovel. "That's the truth of it, Biscuits. Whatcha say? Let us in and talk?" Banning glanced back to Chance, and he pulled the rifle from his head, holding it by the strap. Boots scraped against the soil as he got to his feet and held both arms raised. No doubt the cameras out here would spot him.

"Look, as a show of good faith, huh?"

"Banning!" Hyperion growled. What a fucking idiot! Hyperion stepped forward before his Pilot turned on him, shaking his head as if to say 'Don't'.

Hyperion's throat rumbled low and his head lifted lightly to see the horizon. And the dust clouds that seemed to be billowing up from there. It couldn't have been a storm. Could it?
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: nephero on May 25, 2017, 03:22:03 am
What the ever loving fuck was Lockhart doing? Chance tensed as the Pilot Royal stood, his rifle hanging loosely by its strap from raised hands. He opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a pressing weight on his mind, the overwhelming presence of his draconic partner steadying him from doing anything too brash like running out and dragging his officer right on back into the rocks.

"Wait," the voice that was both not his own and yet all his own said, and Chance glanced out of the corner of his eye to look in the direction Anhur's head had turned, spines raised and bristling black against the copper-red rocks. At first, all Chance saw was distant dust storms-- nothing out of the ordinary for this festering pit. But that wasn't quite right, was it? The movement seemed off, his hud readings showing that the present wind conditions should be blowing in another direction entirely. So why did that look like it was getting closer?

Well, fucking shit. Chance flicked the safety and shouldered his own rifle, jerking his head at the jagged outcropping of rocks.

"Ambush formation," Chance thought back to the scaled beast, and Anhur's lips pulled back to expose metallic fangs in an altogether unpleasant imitation of a smile. Anhur pulled his port-pocked wings close to his body, and slithered along the spires of crumbling rock, letting the dust coat his patchwork black and metal scales to better match him to the surrounding environment. Between his spines, the dirt, and the angular shadows the rocky spires created, when Anhur settled in it was near impossible to tell he was even there. Which, of course, was the general idea.

Chance glanced up at Hyperion for the barest moment, before turning back towards Banning, his own hands raised up and clasped against the back of his helmet as he made his way out after his commanding officer. He half expected the earth to explode out from beneath him, but he supposed it was a good sign that it didn't.

Still, that was the exact opposite of how he wanted to go out, and being right on top of it all was making him shrivel right up into his core.

"We really just walking in naked, sir?" he inquired, his thoughts muted as if he wanted to whisper even those. Not that he really had much choice; Pilot Lockhart was in charge, after all, and orders were orders. They were here for a reason, and Chance supposed diplomacy worked as well as anything else. Didn't mean he had to like it one bit, though.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on May 25, 2017, 03:00:27 pm
His scanners were picking up that dust cloud in the distance, it was the sort of movement his system was designed to detect, he usually didn't have to worry about anything flying in on him. Raiders. Couldn't be sure whose people they were but this presented two options.

He could leave the Pilots out there, rearm his system, and let them take care of each other. No doubt the Raiders were coming on account of him calling attention to the fact that it was Pilots attacking him. That was only a few moments ago though. Which meant someone was still watching him if they were rolling out this fast.

It was a good option. He wasn't sure he trusted that this Pilot just wanted to talk, and even if he did there was a lot at stake for a defector. However, the Pilots would likely survive the encounter and one side would be forced to retreat. If the raiders retreated he doubted the Pilots would continue to extend a diplomatic approach to the situation. And if the Pilot's retreated they would no doubt return with back up.. plus he was sure whichever raiders were on the horizon would feel Goggles 'owed' them for their assistance. It was a pretty lose lose situation. But one was definitely worse.

Besides, he had a contingency plan that might work on two Pilots, but probably not more than that.

Fuck. Goggles pressed a button and a large metal box sprung up from the ground and dust. His voice came out of the speaker again as the Pilots stood there. "All yer weapons in the box. You can have em back when we are done."

It was his standard practice for people out here who wanted something from him. No one was coming in to his place hot.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 25, 2017, 11:14:15 pm
Yeah it was definitely a lose-lose situation for just about everyone involved. And as Banning stood out there in the middle of that mine field - thankfully deactivated - even with Kiers right next to him, he too saw the dust clouds rising high and out from the west. A telltale sign that they were going to have some company very soon. Because nobody kicked up a storm like that unless they were mad as hell.

And out here, everything was mad.

Upon Anhur's shuffling up onto the rocky spires, Hyperion followed suit, and huddled underneath his wings to allow himself to climb up onto the boulders, following up and over the spires into a shaded crevice where he could hide more effectively in that abyss. His form was lean enough to shimmy inside and he emitted a low growl as he was forced to watch Banning and Chance just stand there like pigs waiting for the wolves.

"Better walking in than standing here with our dicks in our hands" he chuckled mentally. And then their good host made his decision. Well it was about goddamned time, he grumbled in his gut. It wasn't something he enjoyed either, but it was either that or wait for their new visitors to tangle with them.

Banning only cared to fight one battle at a time.

"Okay," he said, nodding and stepping forward to dump the rifle in the box, along with his side-arms. He was hard-pressed to part with those revovlers. They were the only material possession that truly mattered to him. Of course, like a fool, he had to bring them out here, but he never went anywhere without them. And he'd be damned if someone would take them from him without his say-so.

With the box filled with guns, Banning quickly moved forward toward the door. And found the lock give.  With no resistance, he kicked it open and passed through the threshold.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: nephero on May 25, 2017, 11:58:03 pm
Chance's eyebrows shot up, obscured though they were by his helmet, and he had to give an acquiescing "I GUESS" sort of nod at Banning's comment. Vivid as the mental image had been, better to get moving and out of sight of whatever was in that dust cloud than linger here; with all these automated defenses, it wasn't like their host could be that much more of a threat. At least it seemed like there was only one of him.

Which was a far sight better than whatever the hell was coming at them full speed.

Chance moved forward to drop his own rifle into the box, along with his sidearm. While he didn't have any particular emotional attachments to either, he still didn't like parting with them. Out here, it just made him feel terribly naked; more than standing out in a minefield holding his own dick ever would have done. Oh well. There was more than one way to kill a man, and while bullets were the more expedient option, Chance was sure he'd manage without.

Just give me an excuse, he thought to himself, which earned him an amused little rumble from Anhur in return. He looked over his shoulder at where the dragons were currently hidden, before following up behind his commanding officer and in through the front door, shutting it solidly behind them. Best to cover their bases as best they could; the last thing they wanted was to be caught between... whoever Biscuits was, and whatever was coming to pay him a visit.

"Knock knock," Chance quipped into the dusty dark of the... what was the word? Foyer? ...did bunkers in the Wastes have foyers? Did they even technically count as sound places of residence? Man, he would be sweating this nomenclature all day. "Yavon calling."
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on May 26, 2017, 12:26:43 am
As soon as the Pilots were in Goggles pressed the button for the box with the guns to lower back down, didn't need that temptation for the raiders to see, especially with one of his mines down. He reactivated the field and booted up what turrets he had left. He'd have to hope that would work as a deterrent for now. He climbed up back out of the safe room, and then parted the curtain that separated the back of his shack from the front where he did business. He kept one hand in his pocket, and he knew the Pilots would be able to read his mind and know what he has there, but it wasn't something he was trying to keep secret. It was an EMP bomb. A last resort. If pressed it would hopefully knock out their psionics for maybe a few hours, he hoped, but it would also fuck up his equipment royally. He didn't want to have to use it.

"Let's clear the air here. I'm sure you already know what I've got in my pocket. Its purely insurance. I want you two to leave here in one piece just as much as you do. I just need to make sure I stay in one piece too." He said looking from the one who seemed to be in charge to the other one and back.

"My name isn't 'Biscuits' and you ain't setting up a fucking patio on my property got it? I don't want you here, and I don't trust you... but I'll play host as long as you keep this all amicable and forthright. So cut the lame jokes. I'm not buying cosmetics or the shit you are peddling." He said lifting his large squared goggles off his eyes and letting them rest on his forehead. "What do you want to know?"

Obviously if they were here they traced the signal to him... but his system's frequency was low, the walkie talkies some of the raiders utilized didn't even pick up on it. They had have been actively scanning the area, not just surveying it. But... What did Pilots want out here?
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 26, 2017, 01:31:12 am
Right they were inside now. And out of the prying view of the raiders that were no doubt bearing down on them as they were invited in. The door was shut behind them and they stood there like assholes talking to another asshole that could blow them all away. Banning did read his mind, merely scanned it because this guy's nerves were so wracked it was too hard not to pick up the anxiety that was frothing over that bowl cut of his.

Banning was steady and glanced around, taking in that ramshackle room, little knick-knacks here and there. For a moment he considered crossing that distance as fast as he could and knocking Biscuits out of his misery. The EMP would be painful of course. And a name flashed before his eyes.

"Temple," he thought to Chance.

"Okay then," Banning replied and put a hand up as if to settle him. "The feeling's mutual." Right cosmetics. And who else could this guy be but Aedolian? It was only one of the largest corporate brands. But never found much business in the wastes. Could you imagine trying to sell the right shade of lipgloss to one of the mutated monstrosities that were out here? A laughable thought, and Banning fought hard to keep from bursting out into an array of snickers.

"You've got all the cards,. Our weapons. A bomb in your hand, and your name ain't Biscuits, Biscuits," he said, clearing his throat. "Sorry. To the point. I want to know where that signal is coming from. An anomaly out here in the Wastes is no doubt going to be noticed what with Aedolis next door and all. That's what we're out here for. I don't know who you are, and frankly I don't give a shit. But that pulse is here, and I'm not leaving until our mission is completed, understand?"

Banning didn't wan't him setting off that bomb anymore than he did, and he certainly didn't want to waste any time before their new friends arrived. A cacophonous sound was brimming closer and closer to them. "So are you going to show us or what? Mr. Whatever your goddamn name is."
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: nephero on May 26, 2017, 02:17:55 am
Temple.

The name echoed in Chance's head long after Banning was finished telegraphing it, and no matter what Chance did to shove the lingering thought away, it just bounced right back off the sides of his skull.

Temple. An EMP bomb. Chance was so wrapped up in these two altogether unpleasant revelations that he almost didn't catch the comment about Yavon; he had said it as a joke but now-- there was another piece to this puzzle, and the more Chance fitted the pieces together the more he realized he did not like the provided picture they were forming.

It was a shame, too, because he had this whole bit planned about red lipsticks and winged eyeliner being so very in this season. Oh well, opportunities lost and all that rot. ...Which was yet another train of thought that he really should not have allowed to leave the station.

No, focus. The noise outside was getting louder, flecks of dust carried by winds to rattle against the outer shell of the little shack. He could almost smell the blood the dust brought with it; dried flecks and bits of powdered metal mingling with the natural grit of the landscape-- and not for the first time Chance was distinctly missing his rifle.

He tilted his head as he regarded Not-Named-Biscuits; with his goggles pushed up it was easy to see how young this guy was, all wide eyed suspicion and rattling bones. Chance snorted to himself. If he really wanted to make a windchime out of this dude he probably wouldn't even need to skin him for how scrawny he already was. Just hang him up by the back of his shirt and the job was done.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, careful to keep his movements slow and easy as he returned to watching the front door. Better to just keep his mouth shut here; an EMP bomb would just straight up fuck up their day, and Chance did not envy the thought of facing down whatever else was coming without his psionics-- it'd be like running a marathon through a toxic windstorm in nothing but a speedo. They'd be dead within a fucking minute.

Dead in the Wastelands. How absolutely pissing ironic.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on May 26, 2017, 08:16:15 am
Goggles had to keep steering his thoughts away from certain things. Certain half memories, warnings about Pilots and how they read your mind, and there was nothing he could do to keep them out. Of course his memory from before a few years ago, before the Wastes and the raiders, was fragmented. But they could still pull the one thing he wanted to hide. The fact that he was a techn-

A technology expert- well, as far as the Wastes were concerned, of course that was probably a given since he had made an EMP bomb in what? A few minutes?

He was also scared as fuck. His false bravado, if it could be called that, wasn't fooling anyone. He was staring down two Pilots and had at least half a dozen raiders bearing down on him now- probably closer to ten. Probably Ruckus' people.

He twitched and scratched his neck anxiously at that thought, before looking the one in charge in the eyes, trying not to flinch. "It's my system. I just found a new power source for it and its putting out a stronger signal, but I was keepin the frequency low... didn't think you'd be watchin this corner a the Wastes fer your health." His voice cracked a bit. Even his dialect betrayed him. Sure it had been affected by the Wastes just as much as any part of him had, but here and there it betrayed him with traces of an upper level Havian accent.

"...I don't want any trouble." He muttered as if it was a conditioned response. He slowly back up to the curtain that separated his foyer / shop from his back room / living quarters and pushed it all the way open so they could see there was no traps before motioning for them to follow him as he continued his backward dance to his hatch in the floor. "My set up is down here... you can see the power source for yourself." He said opening it to the cellar.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 26, 2017, 12:17:02 pm
Of course now probably wasn't the best time to bring up Temple Rosales. Every Pilot knew what happened to him. And what didn't.  With that kind of threat so close, it would probably be the best idea to diffuse it as quickly as possible, but fuck-all if that  was even an option right now. He was at least thankful that Kiers was remaining at least a shadow of calm.

Bowl-Cut here, even with his nervous demeanor didn't lend them much confidence that he wouldn't blow them all away anyway. Itchy trigger fingers and all that nonsense. Because that's quickly what this was turning into. Banning only had so much patience and so many fucks to give.

Banning kept silent, listening carefully to their host as he moved about to show them around his humble abode, or part the curtain to show them the backway and that metal hatch in the floor. Banning's alarm bells went off and even if the kid himself didn't pose any threat - y'know discounting that bomb in his hand - he didn't trust him any more than he trusted them. That and because now that he was in the same room with him, he could get a clearer feeling without disruptive elementals surrounding him.

Underground, that explained why his readings were so hazy. Banning could feel the psychic vibe off him, although it's specifics weren't exact yet. The little knack-knacks were partly telling. He had a thing for electronics, and was clearly from Aedolis. He couldn't hide it that well, and frankly he was trying a little bit too hard.

"Banning,' Hyperion thought aloud to the Pilot Royal."We've got company!"

"I'd check it out," Banning said, half jokingly. "But from the sound of it you've got some friends coming to visit. Are we having whiskey and biscuits now, Bowl-Cut?" Banning swiveled around and the sounds of engines were already roaring outside. "Not joking, man, but clearly this is going to be a bigger problem than just two Pilots hanging around. So this power source you were going to show us. After you!"

And Banning crossed that distance and nudged Bowl-Cut forward, perhaps a bit too uncaring as to that EMP detonator in his hand.
_____
Outside the little hovel, it was well more than a dozen Raiders that were stopping just outside of Goggle's shack. And when Rampage saw through his binoculars that Ruckus was already there, he'd revved his engine and commandeered the bike to tear up the ground and wheelied up and over a six foot ravine, hopping it and the rest of his Raiders at his back.

"Fuck all if I'm going to let Ruckus have all the fun to herself!" he growled.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: nephero on May 26, 2017, 01:13:58 pm
"Anhur," Chance reached out, already retreating back behind the open curtain and looking none too enthused about the open hatch in the floor, "what do you see?"

"Two groups, marginally organized. It doesn't look like they're together, but humans have come together over a common enemy before," his dragon supplied, the great beast mentally grumbling at the thought of being the impetus of rival gangs entering a temporary alliance. "Worst case scenario, we can light them up from behind when they come to play. But numbers dictate that is the last resort."

"Copy that," Chance sighed, already looking around the tiny living space. A curtain wasn't going to do much by way of cover, but those rusted shelves on the other hand...

Without a word, Chance crossed the living space, and yanked the metal furnishings away from the wall. Both shelving and floor protested the rough treatment, with several of Biscuits/Not-Biscuits/Apparently-Now-Bowl-Cut's trinkets rattling dangerously as he went. And then Chance upended the entire thing, throwing it onto its side to better create some manner of barrier between the different rooms. He didn't even care where all the electronic bullshit went, piling the bigger pieces into the pitted gaps at the back of the metal bookcase.

"Don't want trouble, but trouble sure as shit wants you. You got any other way out of here, kid, or is the front door the only route?" he asked, even as he continued to drag furniture around to reinforce their position. Not that he could necessarily trust the kid no matter what he said; that Haviah accent was unmistakable, his apparent nerves even more so, and it was painfully obvious that he was trying desperately to keep something hidden from two men who could literally read his mind. It was kind of a gigantic red flag, all things considered.

"I'll hold down the fort while you go crawling in the dungeon," Chance thought in Banning's direction, casting him a long look that spoke volumes more than any telepathic conversation ever might. Stuck between two raider groups and a bomb-- their odds were not looking great, and for all his attempts to do otherwise, Chance's thoughts drifted to home, to green eyes and the sobering realization that this could very well be history repeating itself all over again. "Try not to get wrapped up in a tea party, sir."
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 26, 2017, 02:29:55 pm
"Roger that, Chance. I won't be long. Try not to have all the fun by yourself. Or Anhur without Hyperion for that matter."

"Smart ass," Hyperion thought louder over Banning's projection.

History that Banning was determined not to allow itself to repeat, he knew the story, and he knew Chance had someone to go home to. So when he caught that glance to the Pilot Echo, he nodded solemnly back to him. They were in this together, and they would come out of this together one way or another. He did not leave his comrades behind.

"All right Bowl-Cut, you've got our attention, and the attention of everyone else out there. Like I said, take it easy. We're here for the signal, not whatever bullshit you've done. So down the hatch we go." Banning said with a pinch of irritation.

"And I'm sure a smart guy like you has some kind of back up plan, and not just that bomb you're holding right?" he asked idly, repeating Kiers' statement just in case Not-Biscuits didn't understand it the first time.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on May 26, 2017, 07:19:40 pm
Goggles had been just about to head down the hatch, muttering how his name isn't bowl cut and he doesn't even have a bowl cut when the Pilot Echo (wait how did he know this guy was a Pilot Echo?) started destroying his living quarters to erect a barrier. "Hey what the hell! The mines are back up, and what is that going to do? If they come in here we are already screwed!" Those electronic pieces that the Pilot was recklessly stacking... fuck!

He was bumped a bit as the other nudged him roughly down into the cellar... good thing there was no ACTUAL button to the bomb. The trigger was just his thoughts interacting with it. It was a better fail safe than just anyone being able to use it. As soon as they were down the first thing he did was check their monitors. Shit. More of them... And Ruckus was out there.

A shiver ran down his spine as he looked at her on the screen. More incoming too... probably Rampage... Shit. "They are here to... 'help' me." He said to the Pilot Royal.... oh right the uniforms. That's how he knew. Even the flight suits denoted rank if you knew what you were looking for. "If your friend hadn't created a nice breech in my mine field we would have no problem but here we are."

Maybe it was his fear of the raiders, his fear of Ruckus, that had him more willing to side with the Pilots.

He watched her surveying his terrain, sizing it up and then whistling softly as she nodded towards the patch where the no detonated mine had been. Ignoring Banning for the moment he slammed his hand on the talk button just as she began to ease her bike past the perimeter.

"I'm fine in here Ruckus. I'm just conducting business with these folks, you want a cut you can have it but stand down." He said, trying not to let his voice shake as much as his he was, both hands on the console as he tried to steady himself and figure out options for the breech. The turrets wouldn't do much at this point... what else was there? he couldn't think right now.

He looked back at the Pilot Royal before pulling off an old metal casing, revealing the nucleus of his system. "That's the power source I found. Not sure where it came from." He said pointing out a rather odd looking device amount his circuitry. "Everything down here runs off that... you take it now and we are screwed. There's a tunnel off the back of this room that leads up through the cliffs but... It's still a long shot to get through them... If they haven't suffered a cave in."

______________

Ruckus had heard her little tinker toy soldier's cry for help. Pilots out in the Wastes and baring down on him... how could she refuse such a call to aid him? Especially when it came with the perks of killing some Pilots. It took barely any time at all to rally the troops and high tail it to the scrapper's den. Neutral territory her ass. As far as she was concerned the entire Wasteland belonged to her. Only reason she had yet to take Goggles back by force was because he worked better thinking it was on his terms.

Well that and because it had been Rampage who let the kid escape, which was both amusing and a reminder of her brother's failure. She had been inspecting the changes in Goggles' property and about to proceed through the part where a mine already went off when the speaker crackled to life.

"Goggles there aint no way I'm buyin that love! Those dragon fuckers could be makin you say dat an how'd I know?" She said flashing a feral grin at the camera, which was sadly interrupted by Rampage heading this way.

Well now. This was getting interesting.

Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: nephero on May 26, 2017, 11:31:07 pm
"The entirety of the circulatory system, if laid out end to end, equates to roughly sixty-thousand miles of veins, capillaries and artieries per average adult human," Chance spoke as if reciting from a textbook, even as he continued to stack metal, finalizing his little barricade as best as he could given time and materials, "carrying at any given time roughly five liters of blood, of which the average human can only survive losing four pints. If they make it through the minefield and get in here, I can guarantee they are going to have the single worst day of their lives."

Chance turned to level a stare at the kid, though considering his helmet the effect was rather lost, just presenting the little wasteland scrap collector with a blank glassy surface and the unshakable feeling that whatever expression he was wearing beneath it was an altogether unpleasant one.

"But hey, if they don't, then they don't. What do I know, I only detonated one with a fucking canteen of water. I'm sure they're not nearly so clever, though there is quite a good deal more of them than mines."

Chance settled down to wait, then, just to the side of the main opening that separated the living space from the main "shop", and not for the first nor for the last time, really, really, really missed having his rifle. At least he wasn't blind in all this-- Anhur was whispering little updates as they came along, and making all manner of snide commentary as he did, to which Chance couldn't help but snicker quietly over.

Dragon fuckers. That was a new one.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 27, 2017, 07:34:13 pm
"RUCKUS! THE FUCK YOU DOING HERE?" Rampage called out as he rode his bike across the outer edges of that mine field. He and his raiders kept their distance but stayed close enough to each other to watch their backs. They eyed their rivals from across the landscape with sneers and scowls. "You don't think I'd let you have all the fun, did you!?"

He too had gotten the signal that there were Pilots in the area. Pilots! and although their dragons hadn't readily been seen, no doubt they were nearby. Pilots never went anywhere without the say so from their Dragon puppeteers. Everyone was a slave of some form or another.

He approached Ruckus close enough, and ignored the locked weapons and the growls of her own rallied troops as he rolled in beside her. He scowled at her, but eyes flashing and looking her over, and taking in the beads of sweat the formed in what sections of skin were exposed. Rampage made a noise and looked over to that huge crater at the center of the minefield.

He thought about it for a second. He could bicker with her, which was what they usually did. Other that beat the ever love shit out of each other and vie for what territory there was to be had out here. "We can't go in guns blazing," Although he would have easily offered her first crack at that. So the Pilots inside could rip her to shreds.  Not to mention that word left a foul residue on his tongue. We. Just, ugh.

Rampage spit off into the dirt and he revved his bike. "Goggles didn't hit that panic button for nothing. But Pilots don't fucking mess around. So if you're willing to make a truce for today, I'll be happy to not throw your men on those fucking mines out there," he offered. Well not the smart ones. And not Sheila. She had a nice ass.
___

Those raiders wasted no time in showing up. As much of a rat-like move that had been Banning was really starting to think this guy just was a glutton for punishment. He had considerably less to worry about from Banning and company than these fuckers. "Friends, my ass," Banning had muttered somewhere between the upper level and the lower level.

This wasn't the Pilot Royal's first tango with raiders. They were scum and he could scrape them off his boots. Not to mention the dragons were still hiding out there. So the real question was just how much of a blood bath did Not-Biscuits want this to turn into?

"Banning, they are gathering here in remarkable numbers. But they don't look like they're here together. What's taking so long? Shall we make short work of them?" Hyperion pressed into Banning's head. The Pilot Royal uttered a soft growl, one that might sound menacing to Not-Biscuits.

"Not yet! Kiers is at the door. You keep us updated. And if worse comes to worse, turn them into burgers." Ugh, there were the food references again.

Banning crouched down to look at the revealed wiring and then his lavender eyes fell on the core of the system. He listened briefly to Not-Biscuits explanation. And in that central nervous system was an orange, glowing tetrahedron that was pulsing rapidly much like a heartbeat. "Chance, I found it! I...I don't know what the fuck it is. Some kind of weird pulsing crystal. It looks like one of those chips. Zoritos. You know the cheesy kind."

Back to the present situation. "Nevermind where you got this. Or how you figured out how to work it! But you know I have to take it with me. And you know as well as I do you're better off with us than with those Raiders, Mr. Can't-Make-Up-My-Mind-On-What-My-Name-Is." Banning reached forward to touch the crystal and flinched when smoke puffed up from the thing with the contact of his gloved hand. The thing was hot, and practically boiling. Scanning it with his abilities, and he could see the energy inside it was vibrating like crazy. Whatever it was made of, it was giving off a lot of power. Steady, seamless power, and the orange light of it throbbed like a heartbeat.

"Okay, dude, on a scale of 1-We blow the fuck up, how bad would it be if I ripped this thing right out this jerryrigged central system?" he asked, and looked back up at Goggles through his glossed visor.
___
And just then there was another explosion, as Rampage took one of his own men, as a show of good faith, and hiked him up over his shoulder, and threw him over the boulder he an Ruckus had been perched on. The man screamed briefly as the remaining turrets tore him to shreds and his body made impact on another mine, sending up a cloud of red mush and dirt everywhere.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on May 28, 2017, 02:26:23 pm
Ruckus grinned at her pathetic brother, always chasing her tail lights. "Let me? Baby you could never stop me." She chuckled with a vicious smile as he made his way to her side. "Late as always aintcha Rampage?" Rampage... more like Rollsintwodayslater throwingahissyfit.

He thought he could tell her what to do? Or that she needed his advice? "No reeeally? We can't? Huh. I supposed that wasn't the most obvious shit in teh Wastes if ya felt the need to voice it." Ruckus looked her brother over. He was stupid but he wasn't stupid. Her eyes fell back to the hovel they let Goggles think he was safe in- well ok his defense system wasn't too shitty either. "Ya got a plan or just drop in ta state the obvious?" A truce huh?

Well she sure as shit didn't like the idea of some Pilots killin' Goggles when he was handy as fuck to keep around, even as a 'neutral'. Besides. She always planned on gettin' him back eventually. When his little play at being independent stopped being amusing. "Sure. I suppose we can work together fer once. It'll probably kill you first anyway." She said shrugging though the look in her eyes was still fierce as ever.
________

"I never said they were my friends..." He shot back at the Pilot Royal, trying not to let Ruckus' words affect him. He definitely didn't want those siblings getting in here. "And my name is-!" He paused wincing. What was he going to say...? There was something on the tip of his tongue but the thought of it hurt. "My name is Goggles." He muttered as he went back to work messing with his system. He needed to think his way out of this but- well at this rate ans with their sheer numbers the raiders were getting in here. There were the tunnels... but the last time he checked them was a while ago, there could have been collapses since then and he didn't have much of the way of supplies in them either. Just the panel at the entrance to them so he could block it off in case of pursuit. There were many good reasons he didn't just take that option when the Pilot's were baring down on him but maybe with their help the tunnels would be navigable.

And then what?

Either way if they pulled the power source he couldn't stay here and wait for Ruckus and Rampage to barge in with their gangs. He looked over at the Pilot who was trying to touch the power source and got burned. "Yeah, don't touch that. It doesn't like you." There was a good reason no one else had picked it up before Goggles. Namely, they couldn't pick it up. Whatever the thing was it's original casing had been removed or destroyed but it was definitely tech at it's core because he could interface with him. And whatever sort of protective measures the thing was ensuing by getting hot like that... well Goggles could tell it not to burn him.

Deep inside he had a feeling he knew what it was but.. how that would end up in the Wastes.. it made no sense. If he had allowed himself to really believe in it he never would have used it in his system, because he would have known this would happen.

There wasn't much time to weigh pros and cons here. Goggles pressed a button and the metal box the Pilots had placed their weapons in, which had previously lowered down to the cellar, opened."Alright. I'm going to power down my surveillance equipment and that should lessen the power load enough so that I can remove it without shutting everything off first... but once it's out we have no defense. Tell your subordinate to get down here because we need to make for the tunnels."

Shots and then an explosion. Fuck. Rampage just blew another mine with... was that Steve? Shit. Shit shit! He turned off the surveillance equipment. "We are doing this now."
______

Ruckus laughed as Steve's body was torn asunder by bullets and then fell to the ground with a thud that was deafened by the mine. Pieces of Steve where everywhere, even on her bike and blood splattered across her face in a fine mist. "Good choice." She smirked at Rampage before doing the same with Sheila. She never liked the bitch. And her ass was too fucking nice.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 29, 2017, 12:51:25 am
Ugh. For once, couldn't Ruckus quit it with her stupid little nicknames and just deal with the matter at hand. Rampage wasn't in the mood to bicker when there was an asset at stake. Fucking Pilots were probably ransacking the place as they spoke, taking anything and everything of value. Except the only real thing worth a damn was Goggles. And he'd be his.

That was that.

Wait, what the fuck!? "Sheila!  What are you doing?" And just then Ruckus threw her ass over the boulders and onto another mine. In the explosion, her legs were ripped apart, yet the remaining half-intact ass cheek flew up toward their perch.  And struck him against his face, cheek-to-cheek. Rampage growled and wiped the bloody stain it left behind, kicking the piece of meat to the side.  He was about ready to grab her and throw her ass over the ledge as well.

But instead he pulled the assault rifle from his back and shot toward the front door, bullets piercing parts of the reinforced entrance and some deflecting off. A stray shot ended up in the leg of one of Ruckus' gang, but he seemed to cool off momentarily from his bouts of rage. "Warthog! Man the fucking guns! Give meat to those turrets! Ruckus! You slutbag, we're going in dry."
_______

"Okay Goggles, whatever it is that you did to get that thing in there, you'll need to work your magic to get it out. That's precisely what we came here for and I'll be damned if I'm leaving without it," Banning said, pulling back and letting the little techie take that opportunity to mess with the crystal.

As much as the energy inside it was vibrating, and it's current thrumming made it tempting, Banning would rather not try to focus all his energy in trying to calm the crystal down. The tetrahedron was better handled with someone else who seemed more acclimated to this kind of thing.

"Okay Kiers, we're moving out. Come down to the cellar," Banning telegraphed to him and as he moved toward the box of weapons he took his pistols out and slid them into their holsters and armed his rifle. The soft hum of the weapon in ready was music to his ears, and gave the Pilot Royal an intense sense of calm.  He'd tossed Chance his weapon as soon as his came down the stairs and the sounds of gunfire rang out outside.  "We're ready to follow you, Goggles. Let's move out!"

And the sound of the door being slammed open now that the craters and raider bodies had made a bridge of sanctuary across that minefield, and the turrets were blazing nonstop. The barrier at least would give them a few seconds longer that could make the difference between life and death.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: nephero on May 29, 2017, 01:34:42 am
There went another mine. Chance grimaced beneath his helmet as Anhur mentally confirmed his suspicions. He had been joking, earlier, when he had told the kid that there were more raiders than landmines. But this was not what he had actually expected them to do. It was right about then that Banning called for him to follow suit, something Chance was more than happy to oblige.

"Copy that."

Chance turned to the left out of some useless instinct, catching the telegraph just in time for a stray bullet to tear into the shack, missing his head by mere inches. Sunlight, red and venomous, filtered through the hole, and Chance swallowed hard against the image of what the sunlight might've looked like through his skull. Yeah, it was absolutely time to fucking go. He moved, low and quick, across the floor to the opening down into the cellar, and slid down the sides of the ladder.

"Don't do that, he said, there's no point, he said, if they get in we're dead already, he said," Chance grumbled, turning just in time to catch his rifle as Banning tossed it to him. He flicked the safety, grunting a bit in delight as he readied it, helmeted head turned upwards at the sounds of lead rain hitting the shack above their heads. He turned to face the ladder that had led down into the little shelter.

Cussing wildly under his breath, Chance fired a few short warning bursts up towards the opening in the ceiling, not really expecting to hit anything but rather giving them something to think about before officially pursuing. When no one immediately poked their heads down through the hole, he backed up after the other two, covering their retreat.

"Go, go, go!"

Chance darted back, then, rushing for the waiting tunnel entrance. He moved just past Banning, then, the Pilot Royal and the kid close to the tunnel door, with Chance staring out into the cloying darkness of a subterranean tunnel. It took his helmet a moment to catch up, autolights kicking in and flickering to life in a small beam of white light. Even still, he could hear the absolute mayhem up above; good god, what were they doing, shooting up the furniture?

Fucking raider savages.

It was enough that bits of dirt and dust sprinkled down from the tunnel ceiling, but otherwise it seemed like the passage would remain intact. Assuming they could block it off fast enough to keep their "friends" from joining them down here.

The Pilot Echo stepped forward, cautiously, rifle at the ready as he moved deeper into the tunnels. After all, there was no reason to believe that the kid hadn't set more traps down here, and like hell was he going to bite it to a tripwire or something equally bitchy.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on May 29, 2017, 05:08:59 am
Ruckus grinned widely at Rampage's reaction, laughing hardily as the ass cheek smacked him on the cheek. It was too great! He looked so fucking STUPID!

And then he started ACTING fucking stupid? "Hey asshole! Just cause I killed yer secret whore doezn give you an excuse fer bein' brain dead!" She shouted at him, not really caring that Breakneck's leg got torn into. "You could hit Goggles!" And what did bullets fuckin grow on trees now? Also where the fuck were the trees?

She still fully intended to take the kid back with her. Still she wasn't going to back down. She rode her bike through the field and jumped the crater left from a mine and pulled out her gun, whistling for her people to follow her. "WE'RE TAKIN GOGGLES ALIVE! 200 POINTS FER A DEAD PILOT!" She called out.
_____________

Goggles pressed a button opening the tunnel hatch before quickly moving to his power source. He was nervous and scared- he had never held it when scared, hopefully he could still do this. He carefully pulled it out and the whole system went down. No defenses now. It wasn't burning him at least. He looked at the two Pilots and then headed into the tunnels.

As soon as they were in the tunnels Goggles placed his hand on the panel and tried to interface with it. Shit. The power was out though...

He held the power source tight in his other hand and the trap started up. "Move! Move!" He said running into the tunnel further as the tunnel entrance collapsed. Ok. Ok that was taken care of now. He looked at the Pilots and put on his goggles. "There are bio luminescent plants as we get further in..." He muttered to them, shoving the power source into one pocket and- oh. The EMP bomb was still in his other pocket... No. No he couldn't use it. He would be screwed too.

"I have supplies up ahead." He said heading toward the small cavern just around the curve of the tunnel. Not much but some food, a light source, a gun he didn't really know how to shoot, water... and a few other basics. He wished he had finished his portable scanner... then he would know the best way to get through these tunnels. He had still needed parts for it.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 29, 2017, 06:18:40 pm
Banning held his rifle forward, the butt of it pressed firmly against his shoulder as he followed after Chance into the tunnels. The darkness engulfed the trio and for a few seconds the only light came up from the red pulsation of the tetrahedron being so delicately handled by Goggles. The thrumming was gradually subsiding, waning as it's output was no longer required and Banning removed his focus from staring at it overlong.

At the instruction to move, Banning ran in deeper, and the small light shining forward in his helmet and lighting the way for the small group. With the tunnel collasped behind them, their backs were covered, and now he only had to think about what was going to happen to their fronts. These tunnels were dark and the abyss that stared back at them were no doubt unoccupied. Even as an escape route, nothing was fool proof.

"Banning!" Hyperion forced into his mind. "Are you all right?" From outside of the hovel, the rush of Raiders forcing their way inside had set off his alarm bells, and with no word from his Pilot, the old dragon strained in any hesitation to interfere.He clawed out from part way in the shadows, and growled to Anhur to act if necessary.

"We're underground! Biscuits had a tunnel underneath that hovel that will lead us out of here. But we're going in blind. Or as blind as our guide is. Forget the raiders. They're stupid anyway. Follow our link if you can, and trace the landscape."

"No meat for me, you mean?" Hyperion chuckled, and then projected the same thought back to Anhur. "Let's fly!"

Banning kept his gun up just in case and stood side-by-side with Chance. "You okay, Nayden?" Banning glanced at him through the visor, lavender eyes meeting grays momentarily, followed by a nod. Over all he still seemed in one piece, that was always a good sign. He smirked at the other Pilot as they followed Goggles, and once they were around the bend and arrived at his cache, Banning paused and saw the outlets before them.

Five different ones to be exact. "Well, fuck. I hope you know how to get us out of here," he hissed. A low slow breath, and he listened felt outward with his ability. And the echolocation of the images in his head sent a pulsing screech in his inner ear. Banning braced himself,  his temples throbbing something fucking fierce.  Of the five, one of tthem led lower, and as he stepped closer he could see from his hud there was a faint wind direction coming through it.

"This way. I think," he said. Yeah that tunnel to the farthest left seemed their best bet. Because in the one of the others he sense a heated sentient form. And it was fucking big.  "We've got to move. We're not alone in these tunnels.  Anything else you want to tell us, Goggles? Got any more critters coming out to get you? Now us."
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: nephero on May 29, 2017, 11:55:10 pm
Chance felt Anhur press in, trying to keep a hold of their location even as the black drake took off after Hyperion. Chance pushed right back, their mental connection ebbing and flowing against one another in a mutual assurance that they both were still there.

Chance turned his head just enough to catch Banning's gaze, his own eyes narrowed into silver slits at the usage of his proper given name. Still, two could play at that game, and he tongued one canine before slashing a grin right back in Banning's direction.

"Thinking of how much I love the decor, Bacon Bits, sir," he telegraphed back, "I hear pitch black is so hot right now."

That was about as much as Chance had time for, however, his mood fouling almost immediately at the sight of all those tunnels. Shit. This was exactly what they needed, to get lost in some dank cave system and die horribly either from starvation or lack of oxygen or something even worse. Banning and he had breathing apparati for high altitudes, of course, but even that would run out eventually, and Chance was not really in the mood to test the theory of how long it would take.

Especially since Banning said there was something else already living here. Chance shifted, taking up his position of rear-guard, scanning the dimness for potential movement. Chance's grip on his rifle tightened as he scanned each abyssal opening, his helmet reading nothing but his gut feeling far otherwise. He'd feel much better the further they got from here.

It was slow going, between the poor lighting and the rocky terrain, the tunnel system littered with fallen rocks and pitted with crevices that were just wide enough to get your foot stuck in. Eventually, as Goggles had promised, the light quality grew far better as they passed more and more patches of bioluminescent fungus, sparkling spores taking to the air as they trampled pods, and drifting slightly in the breeze they were steadily following. For a moment, those spores were all that Chance's helmet locked in on, and for a moment Chance allowed himself a soft breath of relief. He flexed his fingers, adjusting his grip as the tunnel widened, broken outwards by some terrestrial shift and scarred with deep crags all along the walls and ceiling.

His helmet flickered, just a moment, the readings picking up more of those spores as they spiralled upwards, wafted along by a breeze that seemed to suck upwards, and Chance watched as a particularly luminescent cloud coiled up and into the deeper shadows of the ceiling crevice. His helmet focused, targeting the cloud, before jumping to the right by several inches, the icon blaring danger-red. At first Chance thought it a malfunction, a false reading from the spore clouds, at least until the spores reached higher up into the crevice and illuminated a wide, drooling maw.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" was all Chance had time to say, before the thing dropped down on him, shrieking high and furious as bursts of gunfire shot upwards, catching it in one hulking shoulder before it could bring the full weight of a clawed swipe down on him. Chance took a gulping breath, urging his bloodflow all the faster, adrenaline and oxygen bullet-training through his system as he brought up his rifle again--

He was too focused on the Thing's arms, all fucking four of them. He didn't even see the tail, not in the dim light, not with sparking spores clouding his vision as he kicked through more pods. All he caught was movement, and he pushed outwards, trying to catch at this thing's circulatory system and push it back before it had a chance to land a blow.

Which was probably lucky. It was also probably lucky that he still had his helmet on. Between the two, they were enough to stop the thick bladed end of the Thing's tail from taking the upper half of his skull clean off. But not nearly enough to keep it from punching right through the glass of his visor, cracking the screen and sinking deep to partially embed in bone.

It seemed to be as startling for the Thing as it was for Chance himself, because instead of just carrying on trying to tear the Pilot Echo limb from limb it thrashed wildly, trying to shake its prey from its tail and slamming him down into the tunnel floor. Over. And. Over.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on May 30, 2017, 01:04:45 am
Goggles gathered some things, throwing it all in one of the packs he had stashed for emergencies. He really wish he knew the tunnel systems better but this had always been a worst case scenario for him. He looked at his gun and then to the Pilots. Should he take it? No. They might take it as a threat and he barely had any aim anyway. He missed his equipment already. He wasn't cut out for traversing the tunnels. He was far from Teinari and the under ground passage ways confused him, but he did know some of the terrain. He sighed a bit as the Pilot Royal made another snide comments. "They aren't 'after me' they are after me because you were after me. Get it?" He didn't need to admit to being an asset out in these parts, or what hells that had brought upon him.

He finished grabbing stuff and slung the pack onto his back, putting on a mask but letting it just hang on his neck for now as the air down here was breathable thanks to the plant life. Some glowing vines and a lot of glowing floating algae that actually purified the air quality but did nothing for the dank. He held his flashlight low, the light from it green like the bio luminescent plants so as to not attract what might be lurking. He followed what the Pilot Royal seemed to think was the best path.

"There are beasts in the subterrain but they sure as shit aint mine." He said softly, keeping his light and his eyes on the path as he walked carefully. "I don't got any friends." It was pretty true. There were other neutral parties out in the Wastes that he considered allies at one point or another but 'friends' were something ill afforded to anyone out here.

He placed one hand on the tetrahedron in his pocket. It had calmed itself to the point of being 'off' but he had seen it switch itself back on as if it were a sentient thing. Though to be fair as far as he was concerned all tech was. They had pulses and spoke to him. His system... his gadgets... they were his real friends. And now they all laid in waste back in the shack. The raiders would tear up anything they thought useful for parts- though history told him they had no idea what was useful or how to utilize anything to its full potential. It's why they kept him alive.

He had been lost in thought and following the Pilot Royal through the spores, fairly unfazed since he had seen them before, when he heard it.

Everything was happening so fast. The Pilot Echo was being attacked by a beast. He had never seen one of these ones himself but he knew about it from stories, knew they were real. Seen what they could do. Goggles backed against one of the tunnel walls and shined his light on the beast, trying to keep it lit so the Pilots could see what to aim for-

The tail slashed right through the Pilot Echo's helmet. Oh fuck! It was swinging him around, flailing and slamming the Pilot into the ground trying to shave free. "Shoot it! And don't touch the tail!" Goggles shouted to the Pilot Royal.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 30, 2017, 03:05:59 pm
That vague draft of air was all Banning had to go on. These caverns were so deep underground, and could likely go on for miles, spreading through the Wastes like the entire vasculatory system that Chance had so eloquently explained in above ground hovel. The pressure in his head made the mapping a taxing effort, but he pressed on. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle. The darkness parted intermittently with the flora, illuminating gaps in their pathing.

Banning had been so focused on what was in front of him that he hadn't even realized something was above them until it was almost too late and the damn thing was on Kiers. Banning whirled around amidst those screams and as Chance tried to wrangle with the thing, he held his rifle up and fired an array of bullets that shredded across its arm just bounced off the ridges along its back.

"Get back!" he called out to Goggles and shifted around the smaller man to shove him against the wall with his back. Banning released another flurry of bullets, hitting the damn thing in the knee and crippling it. The skin tore open with a pop and it screamed as it buckled, all the while still flailing its tail around with Kiers at the end of it. The bullets behind it ricocheted all through out the tunnel. The hud on his helmet couldn't get a straight lock from a spore cloud that puffed just in front of his vision.

The thing's back was riddled with armored plates, and as it twisted around, trying to reposition Kiers to better tear into him. With its shredded knee no longer able to support it, it screeched, the noise making the tunnel quake as it was emitted from its conical head, the rows and rows of teeth made apparent in Goggle's feeble light.  Bones protruded up in ridges along its spine.

Avoid the tail, right. He could do that. Especially if the fucking thing was currently penetrating Chance's face!

He didn't waste any more time and darted ahead, reaching out with vibration and seeing the Thing with a red outline and mad as all hell. Banning jumped up onto its back and fired down against the section of plates that opened up as it curled its back and there the bullets penetrated flesh. The bullets shredded and severed the tendon and skin until the tail loosened and all that was left was a half-attached appendage. He moved upward and clung to the spinal ridges as he emptied out what remained in his clip against the damn thing's head.

The upper arms flailed upward, scrambling for a hold of Banning that the Pilot Royal was determined not to give. Banning fired and in the blazing light that came from the end of his rifle, he refocused the heat central to its head and forced the vibration that passed through it to increase a hundred fold. His nose leaked and blood pooled on the inside of his helmet, staining the glass red. He screamed as he clasped his hands on either sides of the head and only then did he feel the digging claws momentarily breaching his armored flightsuit, along his shoulder.

The heat and pressure intensified inside the Thing's skull until there was no other escape but out. Finally the head burst in a shower of ooze that splattered the entire side-wall of the cavern. Banning panted hard, skull throbbing as if it were on the verge of exploding itself.   Forcing himself, Banning rolled off its back and scambled toward Chance, kneeling beside him, dust kicking up and panic setting in.

"Chance! CHANCE!" Banning fumbled and carefully grasped the unbarbed end of the tail and wriggled it out of the helmet, blood and bits of broken glass clinging to the end of it.  "Chance, talk to me, buddy! Kiers that's an order!" And Banning pulled his head into the crook of his arm.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: nephero on May 30, 2017, 06:02:55 pm
Adrenaline was one hell of a drug. It was enough to keep Chance conscious and clinging to the tail rather than simply being rag-dolled this way and that. Which was probably the only reason his neck hadn't been snapped for how hard the thing thrashed him around.

He hit the ground once more, yelling in renewed agony as he apparently hit a stray rock or something, the nerve endings in his left knee sending white hot signals to a brain already overloaded with enough stimulus thank you very much. He tried to keep that leg steady, but it wasn't responding nearly as well as it should have, his boot sliding against the tail and failing to grip-- if Chance had had any kind of ability to think in any logical terms whatsoever, he might have noted that this was an absolute terrible fucking time to dislocate something.

But, he had far greater problems on his plate. Like the fact that he couldn't see, the fact that his helmet was a hell-storm of spattered blood and spider-webbing cracks, the hud staticing and flickering in an epileptic's worst nightmare. His entire face felt like it was on fire, and he took deep breaths only to spit out the puddles of blood that gushed down into his mouth from where the tail was in him.

Distantly, he registered gunfire, and distantly he realized it couldn't have been his own. His rifle was... somewhere, knocked out of his hands. Banning-- that was Banning-- fuck--

With another roar, he hiked his non-dislocated leg upwards, giving himself a better grip while he reached down for his sidearm-- only for the whole tail to give a rapid shudder and drop him right to the floor again. All the air in his lungs left in a great woosh as he hit the tunnel floor again, though thankfully this time it seemed permanent, the tail going limp against him. There was more shrieking, more yelling, and then a sudden, hot spray of wet gore--

Oh, God, oh God, he couldn't see, he couldn't see, please don't let that have been Lockhart oh fuck-- but there was no more shrieking and--

It was getting hard to focus. His face felt like he'd been skinned alive, and distantly he noted that there was something, something else, something that sank into his meat and slithered its way to his throat, to the juicy arteries and far fresher blood. He choked in protest, trying to keep whatever foreign contaminant was in him from going any further while also trying to keep as much of his own blood inside him where it belonged. All with the knowledge that he was beginning to fail on both fronts.

He didn't even hear Banning yelling his name until the word "order" punched through his consciousness. The bit of tail was gone but the burning remained, and Chance spat out bits of glass and blood with a red-stained grimace, scrabbling to grip onto the Pilot Royal as he was partially lifted and panting wildly for the effort.

"Worst... rodeo... ever... sir."
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on May 30, 2017, 07:00:52 pm
Goggles had stayed back against the wall as the carnage took place before his eyes. It was not the first time he had stood to the side in a fight, cowering on the ground just trying to survive. He thought about running away, but if he did Captain Capillaries would die- regardless of whether or not the Pilot Royal killed the venomous blade tail. Which he did, in a glorious spray that smacked him right in the face. He wiped the gore off his goggles. At least all the venom was contained in the tail and coated the blade.

Antivenin! He put it in his pack when he was grabbing supplies from his cache right? Shit. He knew he had gotten some in a trade. Some antivenon, salves, and medicines raided from a Teinari outpost. Where was it?? Shit. He managed to find the small case that held his medical supplies and put together the antivenin shot as the Pilot Royal removed the tail carefully.

He left his pack against the wall and headed over to the Pilots with the med case and shot in hand. Ok. He could do this. He could do this. Fuck where did the shot even go??? The thigh right? That seemed right. "Hold him still." Goggles instructed as he drove the needle into the thickness of the Pilot's thigh through one of the rips in his flight suit. Shit Veins looked like hell. He injected all of the antivenin into him, praying he was doing this right. Praying he remembered the basics Nathaniel had told him.

Now that that was done then next step was tending to the wound. Goggles turned on the light attached to his own eye wear, a brighter white light- clearly artificial compared to the one he had been using. The helmet's displays were all fucked to hell and Goggles carefully interfaced with it, powering it down before gently removing it so as to not hurt the Pilot further. It looked bad. There was already considerable swelling and bulging marks from the venom but that would hopefully dissipate, or at least not spread further. He took out a cleansing wipe and worked on the whole of the other's face, making sure to gently clear away any bits of glass from the guy's helmet. This Pilot needed serious medical attention- and they couldn't find that out here in the Wastes. He needed to get to Havina. Goggles took out the salve and spread it on the large gash through the Pilot's eye in thick globs before taping some gauze over it. Shit.

He pulled off his goggles and gas mask, gently putting them on the Pilot. He was going to need those when they got outside. Hopefully it wasn't too far to a way out. He was pretty sure this was the shortest tunnel. Goggles looked down at the leg that was hanging at an unnatural angle. "..I don't know how to fix that." He said looking up at the Pilot Royal.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 30, 2017, 11:08:43 pm
Banning's free hand reached up and fiddled with the switches inside his own helmet, the heat and pressure too stifling to keep it on much longer. The blood that smothered his face was nothing in comparison to Chance's, and the hole in his face needed to be tended to right away. The helmet depressurized with a hiss and after he unbuckled a few straps around it, he managed to slip it off his head and gasped the clear fresh air amidst those bioluminescent fungi.

The spores had settled down along side them and with his head free of that helmet, he was able to snort out the blood, and settled his helmet down beside them. He kept hold of Chance as Goggles instructed him to do so. Now wasn't the time to argue over who had a better idea of how to keep him from bleeding out.

He saw the needle and when it sunk deep into the meat of Chance's leg, he wrapped an arm around his chest and held him firm until it was out and then the kid tended to his eye. Fuck did it look bad, but the man was still alive. That was what was most important. "What did you pump into him?" he asked, a brief question, eyes flicking to the needle and seeing the wound.

Once the eye was patched up, Banning carefully shifted around to Kiers' leg.  The knee clearly was dislocated. Every Pilot was required to take basic field training, and that required learning how to dress basic wounds and broken bones. The joint clearly needed to be pushed back in, and if the ligament was still attached, but shredded then that improved Chance's recovery considerably.

"I'll see what I can do," Banning mumbled, although he didn't seem confident in his ability to do so. Still, it was worth a shot. "Sorry, Chance. No painkillers."  And he didn't even warn him further before popping the fibula back into place with a loud crack, and keeping pressure on the knee to keep it straightened.

"Banning! There's a hole in the cliff side a mile north of where I sense your location," Hyperion echoed in his head.

Banning replied affirmatively and gazed back up to Goggles. "A true Gadgetman never goes anywhere without any duct tape. Please, for the love of all gods, tell me you have some," Banning sighed. A few strips of it later and he secured patches over the holes in Kiers' flightsuit, and instructed Goggles to apply a piece to the ripped hole in his back right shoulder. The sting of the wound was ignored for now. Kiers was what was important.

Banning wasn't going to leave anything behind, and after the helmet was jerryrigged into a repair and the remaining glass carefully wiped down, he cleaned his own and slipped it back onto his head. Banning's rifle was slung back over his shoulder but Chance's was wrapped around his leg in a makeshift splint, wrapped around with duct tape, and he shoved the helmet toward Goggles. "I hope you're not afraid of heights."

Chance was promptly hoisted up into his arms, one leg awkwardly straightened via the splint, Banning panting already and they were on the move once again, faster this time knowing that the exit wasn't that far up ahead. "You just rest, Chance. We're almost out of here," he breathed.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: nephero on May 30, 2017, 11:52:43 pm
At least with his helmet removed, Chance had a better time breathing. More to the point, though, was that finally, thankfully, the madness-inducing feedback from his helmet's hud was gone. Any more of that and Chance was pretty sure his growing nausea would turn into something far, far worse. Everything already hurt so bad, he didn't need flashing lights and scattered readouts blaring into the one eye he had left.

His head seared, the lancing waves of pain reaching all the way to the back of his scalp. Even his hair hurt, however the fuck that was possible. So overwhelming was... well... everything, that the PIlot Echo could only moan softly in protest at being stabbed and having his eye messed with. But even that rise in pain was nothing compared to when Banning moved to his leg, and he took in a panicked, hissing breath in preparation--

"MOTHERFUCKING BITCH ASS FUCK GODDAMN YOU--" he only got about halfway through his tirade before his throat gave out in protest, Chance coughing harsh and loud and wracked with even more pain for every spasm. Whatever the kid-- Biscuits, Goggles, High Priestess Cherries Jubilee for all he fucking cared right now-- had given him seemed to be helping mitigate the creeping malevolence in his veins, but only just. With every passing moment he felt more chilled, his breathing came with more effort, and he couldn't even tell his leg had been splinted until he was lifted and found he couldn't bend it at all.

"Anhur," he said, both silently and not, the name coming out rasping as he held onto the Pilot Royal as best he could, "how far... out..."

His breath fogged against the patchwork glass, wet and hot against the clamminess of his own skin. It really didn't matter what the answer was; Chance wasn't going to understand any of it, his uninjured eye unfocused, the Pilot Echo miles and miles away. Whether by shock or by whatever nastiness still remained in his system, it was clear he was deteriorating quickly, a fact that was well known to his dragon, who was trying to keep in contact but having absolutely zero success in that regard.

This wasn't at all how it had been meant to go. None of this was how it was meant to go. Just where had his life taken such a bad turn? Not for the first time, Chance wondered just what ancestor of his did so much wrong that it found him all these years later. And then Chance wondered absolutely nothing, vision swimming and fading into a darkness to rival the tunnels themselves.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on May 31, 2017, 02:17:28 am
"It was antivenin." He said simply answering the question. He wasn't going to harm the Pilot more. He wouldn't do that.

Goggles had been sort of functioning, if the dazed state he ended up in could be called that, on autopilot. His doubts of whether or not he had succeeded in helping Artery Artillery were consuming him. Tech was easy. People. People were hard to fix. Most times you couldn't. This was the first time he actually had the opportunity to. Maybe that's why he didn't run. He had to watch people die out here in the Wastes, forbidden from even trying to help. He did wince though as the other's leg was put back in place.

The things the Pilot Royal asked him he did automatically without thought or comment, knee jerk reactions to situations like this. He had done similar as a raider. Duct tape was ripped for the other when needed. Applied where needed.

Being handed the helmet dragged him from his thoughts though. He clutched the helmet but took a few steps back. "Heights?" Shit. No. What? "I can't... I'm not going with you." He said panicking but he looked up at the now unconscious Pilot Echo. He was going to die if they didn't hurry. He started following the other two. He couldn't go back to Aedolis. What would they do to him? What would happen if he stayed here? He wondered if Rampage and Ruckus had figured out how to continue the pursuit. Following the dragons would be obvious, and going around would take much longer but they had their bikes.

Waiting for them... he couldn't do that. He couldn't go back to being passed between gangs till they stopped finding him useful. Fuck.

They found the exit to the cavern just ahead. Shit... shit... He just didn't want to hurt anymore. He put the helmet on. It was a mess but he closed his eyes and clutched the tetrahedron in his pocket, the half of the hud that wasn't shattered, came back to life with displays that he was sorting through with his mind. That's when he realized he had the EMP bomb in his other pocket.

He could see the Dragons outside. Dragons. Actual Dragons. Magnificent creatures and machines. The pinnacle of scientific achievement- and proof that some things should have been sacred. Was the EMP bomb strong enough to take them out? Did he even want to? No. But he was scared. He stopped in the mouth of the cave and held tight to both the tetrahedron and the EMP bomb. "...I want your word that if I come with you willingly... you won't hurt me." He was addressing the dragons as they were the ones actually in charge.

He was more than prepared to leave the EMP bomb here. He didn't want to use it. He didn't want to hurt the dragons or doom Blood Network Boy. He just... he was so scared that once again he was going from the frying pan to the fire. "Please. I need your word that no harm will come to me. Now or in Aedolis."
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on May 31, 2017, 12:15:52 pm
With Chance passed out in his arms, Banning focused more on the going than his company. Goggles could say whatever he wanted, think whatever he wanted, but the Pilot Royal knew that leaving him behind wasn't really an option. Biscuits was the only one that could handle that power source without setting it off, and although the heat from it likely went out by now, he figured they'd gone this far. If the kid really wanted to escape, he should have ran when the Thing kept both Pilots occupied.

Besides, where else was there for him to go?

Banning kept his annoyance in check so when they finally reached the hole in the cliffside. There the pair of dragons clung to the rocks, a thin ridge marking the end of the vertical crevice that served as the tunnel's exit.  Banning gripped Chance and knelt as Hyperion jumped and clung to the rocks closer to the exit and bared down on Goggles, the little human looking like a damn good snack right about now.

Hyperion looked to Banning. "And who is this little meatbag?"

"Goggles. Sometimes Biscuits. Sometimes Bowl-cut, take your pick. He helped us get out of there. And he has the tetrahedron. And a lovely little EMP bomb," Banning said aloud. "But he wasn't talking to me, Hyperion."

"I have a point of not making promises I cannot keep," Hyperion growled to Goggles, his voice rumbling and making that section of canyon quake. He furrowed his brows and gripped the wall with one claw, moving in closer to the trio, looking at Anhur to fly closer and pick up Chance who was clearly injured.

"You cannot stay here. So you will come with us. As for the here and now, no harm will come to you. Banning is a good man, and I would not have chosen him were he otherwise. Your actions will be noted, and taken into consideration. However, know I speak only for myself."
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on June 01, 2017, 08:51:58 pm
Goggles trembled a bit when the dragon spoke. He (?) was magnificent! Beautiful, powerful and both awe and fear inspiring! And Goggles was scared. He gulped lightly and looked from the dragon to the Pilot Royal, Banning was it?

And then to the Pilot Echo and the dragon holding him. They didn't have much time. Goggles dropped the EMP bomb and stepped on it, breaking it without any effects coming from it, as a show of good faith. "Ok. He needs to get to a hospital immediately." He said looking at Veins and Veins' dragon.

He didn't want to let the Pilot die.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on June 02, 2017, 01:36:46 am
Hyperion honestly didn't know what kind of answer he'd been expecting. The little snack was clearly afraid, and while that had it's perks, Hyperion preferred to reason than to simply take advantage of a display of power. There were dragons back home that were fiercer than he, and even some not quite as intelligent.

"He will be cared for. Come then before those little meatbags show up. Already the ground rumbles with their two-wheeled toys," he grumbled and once Chance was secured in Anhur's grasp, carefully like a little lamb, he maneuvered himself so that Banning could climb onto his back. Hyperion gripped the ledge, reptilian eye flicking to Goggles.

Banning reached out a hand to him. "Let's go, man. We can't wait any longer." The note in his voice was different than the orders he'd been barking through the tunnels, and if he listened carefully, there was even a hint of trust present there. Banning settled Goggles in front of him, clunked his gloved hand against that helmet to make sure it was on properly, and nudged his heels into Hyperion's side.

His dragon pushed off from the cliff's side, leathery wings flapping against the incoming wind, taking it and flying upward, back to the east. Back to Aedolis.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on June 03, 2017, 05:55:21 pm
Goggles was still in awe of the dragon, and hung on Hyperion's every grumbled word. Meatbags? Ruckus and Rampage. He shuddered at the thought of them catching up. If he stopped and paid attention he could feel it too, and he was far less sensitive to such things. That meant they were getting awfully close.

Goggles was pulled from his thoughts by Banning holding out a hand to him. He grabbed a hold and found himself of the back of the dragon. This was... it was amazing! And absolutely terrifying. He clung to the dragon, terrified of falling off and afraid of touching any of its mechanical parts too much. He didn't want to interface with the creature without permission.

As they headed back towards Aedolis, somewhere in the recesses of his mind he wondered if he could have been a Pilot, and what returning to Aedolis would mean. But of course he couldn't think those things. He winced a little as they crossed the surface of his mind. A wholly conditioned response. His name was Goggles, and he belonged to the Wastes.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on June 05, 2017, 10:48:56 pm
At once they took to the skies, and Banning kept close to Goggles to ensure the kid - was he a kid? - wouldn't be slipping out of his seat. The copper clouds that clung to the surface indicated the storm that hunted them, thunder quaking the soil with raging engines.

Rampage knew that there was no way Goggles would allow himself to be backed into a corner. He would make his own escape, that squirrely little shit always did. Rampage had lived long enough in the Wastes to know a cave network wasn't far from the little Crumpet's hovel. He got away once before, he'd be damned if some fucking Pilots were going to escape with that prize.

"Warthog! Launcher!" Rampage cried out when his bike perched on top of a boulder and the raider beside him pulled out an elongated tube from his saddlebag. Warthog extended it and stuffed a missile down the front of it, hoisted it onto his shoulder took aim.  Firing the rocket, a clouded coiled tail trailing in its wake and promptly exploded not even close to the damn targets!

"Warthog! I'll rip your fucking balls off!" Rampage howled, snatching the missile launcher from him. It was immediately reloaded and Rampage took careful aim, holding the barrel steady and following Hyperion's trail. As the missile closed in and Banning turned to the side, Hyperion beat his wings back, rearing up, and his chest heaved with heat and oxygen.

His opened maw revealed rows of metal teeth glistening with white heat. The flare that erupted scorched the air and slammed into the missile with impunity. Hyperion grinned sinisterly at them before twisting off and flying back toward Anhur.

Rampage watched them get smaller and smaller in the distance. And he took a blade from his belt forced Warthog to the ground and made good on his promise of ripping his balls off.
_________
The flight back Aedolis had been hours out of the way, but they were not going back to Haviah now. Chance's well..chances would be considerably better in Havina, and the moment they were in range, Banning activated the com on his helmet.  "Make the call. Pilot Royal Gerard Jensik. Tell him we're coming into DoSaM hot. Pilot Royal Banning Lockhart."

The moment they were on the ground, Banning peeled his helmet from his head and left it with Hyperion, along with their friend Goggles. He'd hoisted Chance up in his arms and ran the rest of the way into the ER section of DoSaM.

"GERARD!  GERARD JENSIK!"
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on June 20, 2017, 12:17:54 pm
There were doctors and gurneys waiting up on DoSaM's landing pads. Gerard had looked up the info on the mission once he got the call that they were coming in hot. A two man operation. Pilot Royal Lockhart and Pilot Echo Kiers. Chance.

The call had come from Banning, which likely meant that Chance was the one who was hurt. He had trauma teams waiting to meet them up on the roof and the second that they landed they moved in to meet the other Pilots. "Lockhart report!" He said as he over saw the doctors get the Pilot Echo onto the gurney and rush him toward the elevators. Chance was in good hands but his best chance was to get as much information as possible so they could best treat him. He took note of the figure wearing a broken flight helmet and standing by Banning's dragon, but now his concern was on his patient.

On Chance.

"What happened Pilot?" He asked Banning again.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on June 20, 2017, 04:29:16 pm
Hyperion stretched his wing closes to Goggles and pulled him in close, almost in a protective embrace. Or perhaps out of possession. Banning had more urgent matters to attend to, and the dragon would ensure that no one bothered their separate companion. And no one would bother Hyperion about it either. He ducked his head down to look at Goggles, slipping his lip up to reveal a grin of gnashing teeth.

Too bad it appeared far more terrifying than kind. "Goggles, correct?" he rumbled lowly. "That is what my Pilot addressed you as. But surely you couldn't have been born with such a ridiculous name."  Another grin. But who could blame a dragon for trying to practice people skills?

Banning dropped Chance onto the gurney by the awaiting trauma team, and they went about strapping him up, and observing the jerryrigged leg splint with a bit of a snort. Banning wanted to smash the paramedic's fucking head in but thankfully Gerard distracted the Pilot Royal long enough to spare them.

"Damage to the face. Some cryptid we encountered in an underground cave network, His leg was broken, or fucking looked like it. I did what I could! Don't you fucking laugh, asshole! Or that fucking gun is going up it!" Banning raged and almost went for his throat just as Chance was being rolled away.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on June 20, 2017, 09:27:43 pm
Gerard shot a glance at the paramedic who snorted. Only a doctor who had never seen combat would be so crass and unfortunately many of his best staff fit that bill. Banning had done right trying to splint it with whatever materials available. "Ignore them Banning I need your focus."

He followed after the gurney and motioned for Banning to walk with them, whoever the third figure was- Well, Banning's dragon was seeing to them. It was the least of Gerard's current worries. One of the medics carefully cut off the crude wasteland mask that had been put on Pilot Echo Kiers, pulling back the gauze and carefully inspecting the damage.

"Face trauma from an unknown cryptid.. you treated the wound?" Gerard ask turning to Banning.



Goggles had survived flying on a dragon of all things. The most amazing creatures to roam the earth. Fearsome and great. He had just taken off the helmet which had served him ok, given that he was used to a certain amount of toxins as it were (the altitude had been more perilous for him), hesitating on if he should follow the Pilot Royal when that wing wrapped around him.

He froze at first. Unsure if he had done something wrong or if the dragon thought he had been trying to escape. He wasn't. He wasn't going to do anything without being told. He didn't want trouble. He just- he just wanted to be safe. "Y-Yes sir." He answered more shakily than he had meant. He had bravely, and stupidly, addressed this dragon before but he was desperate and scared then and- well he still was but the adrenaline had dissipated now. Was the creature mad at him? He was baring teeth...

Or was that... a smile?

"I.." wasn't born with it. A flash of pain registered on his face and he winced a little. No. No, Goggles was his name. That's who he was. Goggles was going to be ok, Goggles didn't have to hurt. "It's the only name I have sir."
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on June 24, 2017, 05:18:45 pm
The effort to focus on more than tearing the paramedic in half was quite trying for one such as Banning. In the desperation to get Chance out of that cave in time and just keep the stupid fuck alive long enough to...to.

Banning buried his face in his hands as he momentarily thought of Izzy. She'd never forgive him if anything happened to her brother. And he didn't know if he could forgive himself. He'd never had anything like this happen to a second on a mission before. His eyes were already burning and wet streamed down his face. The saltiness of it only vaguely touched his tongue, and he wiped away the tears.

"No-no," he breathed out slowly, cleaning his hands against his armor. Only then was he reminded of his own injury. "He did. Back there. But, Hyperion will take care of him for now. He gave him antivenom. Can you please, just save my friend. Please. Do everything you can!"

Hyperion tucked his wing around Goggles and he curled up beside him, encouraging the little scamp to linger closer and even forcibly nudged him into the crook of his arm.  "The only name. Well, it seems quite silly if you ask me. Although you clearly didn't, let my thoughts be known," the dragon grumbled, shrugging and titling his head out to the little critter.

"What were you doing all out there in the wastes? You seem quite frazzled," he observed and tilted his nose up to sniff at small human. Maybe he wasn't ripe snack material after all. Too skittish. The bolder ones had so much more bite to them.
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Nix on June 30, 2017, 03:14:53 pm
Antivenom. So this cryptid was venomous and their guest who was staying with the dragons knew enough to treat the wound and give Chance antivenom. He would need to talk to this person later. Gerard looked at Pilot Royal Lockhart, really looked at him, and realized the man was injured as well.

"Banning. Listen to me. There is no way I am letting Chance Kiers die. You have my word. I will do everything possible for him to make a full recovery from this." He said as they took the elevator down to the emergency room and he signaled for two more doctors to come over to them as Chance was wheeled towards surgery. "Banning... I need you to let these doctors look at your wounds while I see to Chance. Promise me."



Googles steadied himself a bit after being knocked closer to the dragon and practically being forced to snuggle into the crook of the creature's arm. He realized he was touching metal- the dragon's mechanical pieces, and shoved his hands in his pocket so as not to interface with the hardware. His fingers found the tetrahedron that was still in his pocket instead. This little thing had turned his whole life upside down. He had finally gained his own tentative independence and this little thing stole it all away.

And now here he was, back in Aedolis, speaking to a dragon that could easily eat him, kill him... at best he would be thrown in jail. There was no safe place for him on Earth. He wished he had never left Haviah. He never wanted to leave.

He closed his eyes and leaned against the dragon more, who at least for the moment seemed like he didn't want to eat him. "I was surviving." He said softly. "It isn't easy out t'ere."
Title: Re: Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes [Nix, Nephebro!]
Post by: Lion on July 06, 2017, 06:35:34 pm
"Promise you? You want me to promise you???"  The manic incredulity in his voice frankly was overwhelming and Banning had to fight to pummel the doctor right in his stupid fucking face. He was a real right bastard, and maybe the Pilot Royal was just getting delirious from the blood loss.  Because that tape now felt remarkably loose on the back of his flight suit.

"Just do your fucking job, Jensik. I can handle myself. These doctors can do whatever they have to. Just go," he hissed back to Gerard while the other two doctors looked at him, and led him away to be seen to in another room. The flightsuit could be salvaged. Somewhat, and the clawed shoulder was cleaned up and stitched.

No painkillers. Banning was far too strung out. He didn't want to feel numb to anything. Chance had the worst of it. His shoulder was nothing.


He was a precious little thing wasn't he? Hyperion's curiosity was piqued. "You know you'll have to stay here," he said suddenly, voice a little more stern. "You will not be going back to that hell hole. As much as it is your home, little cookie, you'll have a much better one here. I will see it to it. You seem like you deserve that much."

Hyperion sniffed his small head, blowing back the hair of that bowl cut and giving a somewhat 'affectionate' nuzzle. Well at least this time his teeth stayed covered behind his lips.
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