Mission Mercia: Portable Portal?

[Leda]

The city was as black and dreary and polluted as any other time she'd soared over it. Rouge's expression was hard and determined, studying the buildings and robots below as she scouted on ahead for the group. Even though she could see a fair amount from her towering height, which was especially high to keep out of range of most of the security sensors, the bat did most of her investigating with her ears. The echoes of the mechanical city below offered a wealth of information.

Rouge banked to the left and pressed her wings tight against her back, dropping into a speedy nose dive. Just when it seemed she would crash into the ground, the bat threw her wings back out to either side, capturing a pocket of air and sending her whizzing along the ground until rejoining her companions.

"Security's focused around the central tower today," she reported, panting gently. "There are a few Swatbot squads patroling the main thoroughfares, but the backroads are pretty well ignored at the moment. I suggest we start there." Skipping her usual step of waiting for a consensus from the group, Rouge instead immediately turned back toward the city limits. "Let's get going!"

[Lans]

Manic was waiting with Silver, his hoverboard tucked into a special sleeve which was strapped onto his back. "You got it, bat's" he said with a grin, treating this as any other mission, despite the...unusual company.


Silver walked along beside them. "What is a SWATbot?" he asked, keeping his volume low as he understood that this was a stealth operation.

[Leda]

"A very powerful type of robot that's programmed to shoot first and question later," Rouge replied softly. The city loomed ahead as they drew near, and the foliage had begun to thin out. The bat clenched her jaw; time for the ugly part.

"We have to get into one of the towers," she whispered as the group crossed the city limits into an alley. "It's the taller buildings that have satellite uplinks. We need to not use the main base this time, though; even though it has a stronger signal, it's got a lot of security today."

Internally, Rouge's stressed leveled up again. I can't not wonder what Itzal's up to that's got so much security crawling around the tower...

[Lans]

"Acknowlaged." Silver said, adding this infor to his visual sweep as they walked, keeping an eye out for anything matching Rouge's description.


"Wonder what Izzy's up to," Manic said, mirroring Rouge's thougts, "Maybe he got a visitor of his own, or even better, maybe he dropped down a hole too!"

[Leda]

Rouge turned and gave Manic a venomous look, but otherwise said nothing. Even if it was within her nature to get aggressive with her peers, which it wasn't, now was certainly not the time for a scuffle.

The group made their way along the back alleys and side streets to the southeastern tower. The building wasn't completely devoid of security, but it was still minimal: two Swatbots stood guard at either side of the main entrance bay, but beyond that, Rouge couldn't see (or hear) so much as a spy orb. Her steely expression failed to reveal her internal fretting. Perhaps Manic was right, and Itzal HAD received a visitor...

Namely, Rob.

Rouge let out a short sigh and shook her head. Worrying wasn't going to accomplish anything, but this mission could. She again eyed the guards. She had said earlier that Swatbots were powerful, but never said anything about them being smart. The bat crouched down to the ground and picked up a piece of scrap -- it looked like something had detached from the undercarriage of a hover unit -- and hurled it as far as she could past the building. The Swatbots, geniuses that they were, quickly scampered after it like a pair of puppies.

"Here's our chance," she muttered, and darted out toward the doorway while it was unguarded.

[Lans]

The door was of course, locked.


"No prob, I'll have this open in two minutes," Manic said, whipping out his tool kit. Exactly 1 minute later, the door slid open, allowing them inside. "Ladies first," He said with a mock bow to Rouge.


Silver commited the appearance of the SWATbots into his memory, being sure to label them as hostile in furture encounters.

[Leda]

Rouge led the group carefully throughout the building, listening carefully for the movements of any robots on the premises, which like the rest of the neighborhood was surprisingly minimal. After only a couple of minimal scuffles, they were already closing in on the main control room.

Or they had seemed to be until they were cut off by another rather imposing door. Rouge's face scrunched, and she turned to Manic expectantly. "Can you get through this one, too?"

[Lans]

Manic walked up to the door and gave it an examination. "Not unless you happened to bring a plasma torch. The controls must be on the other side, and the walls are steel.

Just then they heared the sound of an engine revving up behind them.


"Please stand clear." He told them, then his feet and torso jets ignighted and he ran at the door at full speed, leaping into a spindash just a second before he ran out of room. There was a shriek of metal against metal and then Silver tore a large hole through the door, landing in a crouch on the other side.

[Leda]

Rouge just managed to recoil aside as Silver came charging past, shielding her head with her forearms from any debris that might come rushing up to meet her. As the robot began cutting at the door, the bat could not contain her agonized scream and clamping her hands tightly to her sensitive ears. But it seemed to be no use; the shrill, piercing screech forced its way past her hands. By the time Silver had finished and landed on the other side, Rouge seemed paralyzed with pain, whimpering softly on what breaths she did take in.

[Lans]

Almost immediatly an alarm went off.

Silver glanced back at the two on the other side of the door. "We must be quick, security will have been alerted."


"No duh," Manic said, putting and arm around Rouge to help guide her through the opening.

[Leda]

"Thanks..." the bat grunted as Manic helped her walk, bracing one arm against his shoulder and tenderly rubbing still at her ears with her free hand. She felt a little dizzy, and her ears continued to throb a bit, but those seemed to be the only lasting effects.

Rouge looked on ahead past Silver, and grimaced uncertainly. She could usually navigate the buildings by sound, but between the sirens going off and her compromised hearing, the bat found herself unsure of which way to go. "We're close, at least," she announced as they hurried along, "but... I don't know which room anymore!"

[Lans]

"The room at the end of this cooridor has the largest electronic signature. Probablities are high that it would be the control center." Silver said.


"You mean you can tell stuff like that? Why didn't you say anything before!?" Manic demanded.


"You did not require my assistance at that time." He responded.


"Huh?"


"You did not ask."

[Leda]

"Can't really blame him for that," Rouge mumbled. The bat continued to rub and dig at her ears; they had begun to ring uncomfortably. "Just do what you need to do with that satellite, but do it quick," she advised, glancing uncertainly down the dingy halls. "I doubt we have more than a minute or so before this place is full of Swatbots. The control room will probably be even wor--AUGH!!"

Rouge's eyes widened with alarm as her surroundings seemed to pull away from her. The bat made a grab at Manic's wrist as she felt herself beginning to fall backwards into... she didn't even know what.

[Lans]

Manic gave a yelp of surprise as he was pulled in afterwards, and then another yelp of pain as something siezed holf of one of his forequills.


Silver made a grab for them, but only managed to grasp one of Manic's forequills before the portal faded, leaving him holding 3/4ths of a quill. "...Unforseen complication" he said to himseld. But now that he didn't have to worry about them, he could proceed at full capabilities. His jets powered up again and he shot down the hall towards the control room.