Switch over to my echolocation visual filter and see if it can penetrate the smoke and dust floating around.
Use my dynamic bonus to melt faiths lower spine if i get a clear line of sight to her and shes moving slow enough that i can get a clear shot.
If i cannot see Faith, jump off the roof and through a window into the next building and begin working my way towards the crater through cover.
Echolocation gives a bit better of a picture through the slowly dispersing smoke, but you still can't see Faith; she must be down in the rubble somewhere, hidden.
You jump off the roof and through the window of an adjacent building, working your way slowly toward the crater. Eventually you reach the diner building, jump for the window and smack into it like a pigeon into a glass wall. You fall a few stories into the alleyway below, unhurt, except for your pride.
"That's strange, I didn't think closets are supposed to scream? New model?"
Charge uncon bonus, take out my blade, and prepare to open closet
You pull out the monorazor and slowly walk towards the closet, placing one hand on the handle. It's all very horror movie-esque
Feyri awaited the comms to come in from the rest as she analyzed the area. Three people from memory, easily recalled, yet as if galaxies away, standing right by her side. She knew these people.
It seemed like forever since urban combat became a sight to feel for her, and she wished it would remain a memory. It reminded her of a nightmare that put her in all this, in the first place.
(Radio/Wristpad)
Everyone, keep vigil in mind and sight. Keep with your thoughts and recognize any stray or intrusive ideas. We're dealing with cult and 'magic', but I know there's a system to all this. Order in what we know as chaos, which they operate on, and which our allies have fallen under.
We're on the low ground. Check the higher locations for shooters or any approaching enemies--usually the more dangerous group, the people we must rescue and the cultists.
Cecil, I want you to take point, if we're moving and call out anything you find amiss. Auron, you're our spotter. Switch optics to check the area where our friends are and use any other device capable of sensing them. Priority: Faith. If we're encountering any civilians, armed and against us or any local police--do not shoot unless you're either sure they're hostile or being...magick'd. Use these otherwise but save them for any of our allies if they prove...uncooperative.
Flint is in charge, yet stick to the open places when there's lacking cover. We do not want to be recipients of amps and whatever kinetic forces they can bring, with gravity being against us in this case.
Distribute stun grenades to the rest of my team. 2x to Jack and Auron, 1x to Cecil.
Examine the immediate vicinity. Also give Cecil my Rotary Gauss gun.
Feyri clasped Cecil's shoulder and lit up a using her holodisplay.
Looks like someone went into war without ammunition...or a gun, for that metaphor, anyway.
But you've an amp. Use it well--always be aware of the hand wielding the glove..
...And teach Cecil how to use it .__.
Feyri (Tiri)
Jack (Tavik Toth)
Auron (Unholy_Pariah)
Cecil (Pufferfish)
Grunhil (Renen)
Paris (Flint)
salsacookies (knuser)
darkpaladin109 (Jonathan)
You hand out the stun grenades and look around. You can see a hell of a lot of smoke and some buildings to either side that have seen better days. Everyone is moving off towards something down on the far end of the street, but you can't see what it is through the haze at ground level.
Jack takes out Shotgun before helping person in MK1 get up. Then initiate overwatch on the closet.
"Are you injured?" Jack asks D'usse after helping her/whatever up.
You help get D'usse up on her feet and let her lean against you while you line up a shot on the closet, just in case.
Fight for control of my voice only. If I succeed, scream "Hit void button!".
((Maybe just fighting for control of my voice will make it easier?))
You are growing tired; it's hard to stay aware of whats going on, let alone influence it. You are growing very faint. So, you summon up the last vestiges of mental power and throw them out in one last attempt. You manage to get control, for just an instant. But it's long enough to slap the void button. You're instantly back in control of your body, standing in the void. Your nose and eyes are bleeding...wait..no they're not. You don't even have those parts anymore. But it feels like they are. You'd be weirded out by that if it didn't feel like you were dying.
The void is silent, for the moment.
"That's much better, thanks. Mind if I tag along?"
Try to follow Flint
You do what most people do in these sorts of situations: you find the biggest, toughest guy and you stand behind him. Whether you intend to play backup to his advance or simply use his big metallic ass as cover, it's a good place to be.
Try to fight reality and wake up. Should that fail, do unconscious person things.
I think miya probably wants to keep you unconscious, so even if you woke up you'd just be zapped again. Your Reign of terror is over...for now.
((When I asked pw about those things I requested, he answered with this:
We'll assume that they were packed in a backpack sorta thing on the back of Paris' battlesuit, since there's not a lot of places to stick a crate of materials on a hotdrop.
"Ok then, it seems Faith isn't out of action yet. Pan, I really really need you to rip out Morul's braincase now, that'll take out one enemy at least. Flint, position Pan so he can do that, if you can. If not, let Renen come over and take Pan off of you. Either way, try to make it quick, so pop out of smoke and immediately take him down, then get back in.
Renen, Auron, try to get a bit more concealed, at least until Morul's out of the way.
Flint, drop off the package Steve gave you, it contains the items I requested. Knuser, quickly check what exactly is in the package.
Feyri, keep that Rotary Gauss gun. there should be a spare weapon in the care package. Or maybe give your electro-laser. You can use that thing best, after all, and we might need the firepower.
Rest of you, try to use the cover from the smoke or a building or something, but spread out. And prepare to either dodge or use your weapons if you can *.
Konrad, good work. Now, I'd like you to tell me exactly who was with you in the APC, and their status (dead, wounded, what wounds,...). Oh, and take away all of Lerman's weapons please. Just put them in the APC for now."
Ask Steve to continue telling us what Faith and Morul can see and hear.
((*= aka prepare a dynamic bonus for your weapon of choice or dex, if you can.))
>Morul appears to have dropped off the face of reality moments ago, and faith is still somewhere dark, but moving judging by her implant and the noises. She's underground and scurrying.
Got it, Boss.
Cecil keeps back to the wall, brick in amp-hand, eyes on the field for Faith or Morul. (Charge... A brick would be unconventional, wouldn't it?)
You press scoot into the entryway of a nearby building and cower, waiting for the chance...scratch that, you're waiting for the various mindcontrolled whatever the fucks to give you no choice except to fight. You'd prefer not to have to fight faith with nothing but melee weapons, at least if any of the reports you've heard about her are true.
Pan's split head gurgles some words
"I'm with Flint on this one, just let Renen and his super cool "look at me I'm faster than everyone 'cause the doc likes me" body take care of Morul, if Morul is still alive in that husk. Stopping Faith once was bad enough, and at least then I could see her clearly."
If I can see Faith at any point, force her hands behind her back with mass amp. If Flint attacks anyone else, heat 1 foot sphere in center mass of said target, unless it is Morul or Faith. If I can at no point see Faith or other hostiles, but I can see Morul, attempt to rip out his braincase with mass amp.
If absolutely none of the above happens, charge will bonus.
use flints cameyes if possible. Try and rip out moruls braincase if we can see him. Should Faith attack us, try and force her hands behnd her back with my amp.
if neither of these happen, chrge will bonus
Everything stay quiet for the moment, the dust and smoke slowly settling and dispersing. Morul is gone and faith hasn't left the crater she just dug. You concentrate, looking through flint's cameras, waiting. Tension swells in your chest.
Go to other buildings out of Morul's and possible enemies' vision. Put a hand on the sword's hilt and get ready to attack (dynamic bonus).
Hey Pancaek it's more like it went "Hey you will be my new arbiter prototype test. Try to be better than an Arbiter." And they are a tough type of soldier.
And how was Morul controlled? Was it by touch like Faith? I could try to cut off all his arms and legs. Is he equipped with any amp?
You drop down into a side alley and move along the wall, one hand on your weapon as you scuttle out of sight, moving toward the crater at the end of the road.
"So I'm Faith, you're Anne, I believe? Nice to meet you Anne, sorry about murdering your friends and trashing your house. Lovely weather you have here, and I love what you've done with the impenetrable alien shell."
Continue Speech Rolling Anne.
You try to speak but you can't; it feels like someone is forcibly holding your mouth shut. You try to speak with the pure mechanical voice box, which shouldn't need mouth movements to work, but even that remains silent. Hmm. That makes you uneasy.
Loot Hasala's corpse! Also hop back in the APC if it looks like it's about to take off.
Edited because dead doesn't mean dead.
You sit down on the rear of the APC, ready to roll back into the vehicle proper should it start to move.
((Yeah, I'm also not using knowledge you don't have. I'm using the information provided by Pancaek here:
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=138807.msg5490749#msg5490749
The OOC thing about the mind controller was just... What's the expression? Adding topping to the food? Anyway, it was a small argument that supported my position yet was ultimately unnecessary.
If you want to be totally realistic then, yes, in a real combat situation a man around his 70s probably wouldn't be able to process all that info Pancaek and his eyes are giving him so fast as to make a decision, but I think that's not been a problem in similar situations in the past. Maybe we can say it's the adrenaline?
And Flint did have a rather close and extremely dangerous encounter with a space wizard that ended very traumatically for him, so he has reason to avoid them. And I'm afraid of space wizards myself, so that might be my fear showing.
On the other hand, he was given no information that this might be transferable by touch, so he had no reason to believe using Renen might be bad. You never said not to touch enemies or possession might be transferable via touch. You said do not touch anything. Which I find it reasonable to interpret as "do not touch any strange object", which is a quite reasonable warning to give to HMRC newbies (or even veterans) on any mission. Notice how I never said anything about Faith's or Morul's possession, even in the form of actions, because I have no information of it.
So in Flint's eyes, you're sending him against something that can easily kill him for no good reason. He just wanted to make sure that there was a reason. But really, given Flint's character, you didn't even have to explain yourself. A "Look, just trust me on this, OK?" would have been enough for him, because he trusts Miyamoto.))
Flint stayed silent for a second.
"I... I see. I'm sorry for ever doubting you, sir."
Ask Steve the following: "I assume you've isolated the possessed's comms from ours, right? If not, could you please do so now? Still listen for info, if possible, but don't let them listen back.
Also, pleaser report any changes from their cameras or beacons to Miyamoto and the rest of the team, OK?"
Drop that crate Miyamoto had me carry inside/near the diner's entrance, so that it is concealed from the outside, if possible.
Fly towards the roof Morul is on.
If my cameyes allow me to see him, then put Pancaek behind my head and give him my camera feed so he can take care of him.
Else, punch the edge of the roof as I approach it from below to provide cover. As I rise through the cloud of debris, Pancaek should be able to use my cameyes to take care of Morul.
Regardless of whether or not the attack success, let myself drop down after the attack.
>obviously. You put the crate down behind the counter in the diner, and then turn your attention up toward the roof and Mor...wait... where the hell is he? You scan the roofline but see nothing.
A moment later you get confirmation from Steve that Morul has vanished, not just from the roof top but from all methods of monitoring.
Stand with back against the wall next to the window, holding the goop thrower. Peek out, trying not to be seen. Charge dex bonus. Wonder what's gonna happen next.
You stand next to the window, peeking out every so often as the new team members fan out across the battlefield. You're not sure they remember you're here. And you're honestly not sure if you should remind them; staying out of the way has saved your life thus far, and you see little reason to stick your neck out just yet.
wait for teammates in fight at diner to become wounded / dead, then get APC to drive by pick them up and get them to wounded pile
You put your feet up on the dash board and idly beat box to yourself while you wait. The driver reads a newspaper, seemingly completely unfazed by this entire situation.