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 Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:13 pm
It was nearly noon when Candace's phone buzzed with a new message. Eight Text from Aria:Room 213, five minutes, now. You're filling in for Lance. Be prepared for anything. Five minutes wasn't a lot of time. Hell, five minutes was barely any time for anything. There had to have been something serious going on to prompt Aria to give such a small window frame of reference, and the answer could be found when Candace arrived. There were two people seated at the table. On one side was Aria, her lips pressed into a thin line as she rested her hands on the table. Her attention was preoccupied by the person sitting across from her. A very familiar, recognizable figure that was the source of the short time frame Candace had to get ready.
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:19 pm
Really, logically, there was only one person in Deus Ex Machina who would a) request your appearance immediately and b) upon failure, take immediate action that usually resulted in death, dying, decapitation, taking up precious hospital room space and resources (which ironically, was counter-intuitive to the entire saving facility resources ), and the list went on and on.
Fortunately for Aria, and to third arrival-yet-to be, his truly was currently on the cell phone, drumming one free hand against the (perfectly round) table in a sort of growing annoyance that very few Deux Ex facility members were actually able to incite upon the Death Division Leader. It probably meant he was attempting to listen to Allan talk. Or maybe Insert your choice of trainee name here.
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:27 pm
Candace had been sleeping. In a bed. She'd cleaned up the rubble of the destroyed wall in her room, thrown away the destroyed possessions with the exception of the remains of Jerr the Bear, and then finally passed out on her bed. It had been two months since she'd been in a real bed. The feeling was amazing. So comfortable.
...Who the hell was texting her and why. Could she ignore it? She should ignore it. It couldn't possibly be that important..
Or maybe it could be. What if it was Aria? What if it was H? Or Molly. Or Gale...sigh. She'd sat up, taken one look at the text and scrambled out of the room with a loud curse. Five minutes?! Seriously?! Was Aria channeling Caelius or something?!
She hadn't bothered with a return text as that would have wasted time, and the moment she stepped through the door she was glad for that. Candace slowed to an immediate stop the moment she caught sight of who was in the room with ******** Caelius.
Candace stood tensely at the door, eyes trained on the a*****e sitting at the table with her leader. "Ma'am..sir." She greeted him tersely, forcing herself to stay polite while looking from one leader to the other. Why Caelius?
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:47 pm
"Sit down. You are going to be taking on the role of a full-fledged hunter to see if you are ready to become one." Aria said briskly, looking away from Caelius to focus on Candace. "Two teams went in to a B-ranked area. Team A was composed of first-response Deaths, Team B was a search-and-rescue squad made up of Mists. Neither team has returned. We have been unable to communicate with either team or receive a signal from them. There is a high chance that this will become a retrieval mission."
A retrieval mission for the Mists, perhaps. Aria wouldn't put it past Caelius to leave them there, or to make her and Candace carry any weapon tablets. "There is a chance that the situation may escalate into a A-rank area. If you have clearance for any runic weapon, I highly suggest you get one on our way."
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:59 pm
"I don't care what happens in ******** episode one-hundred and thirty-five of One Piece, just bring any ******** casualties back in one ******** piece." Click. Of course, the word casualties was usually interchangeable with the more important resource, weapons tablets, but fortunately today, the retrieval of said weapons tablets seemed to be reserved for one Candace and her respective division leader.
Upon seeing the Mist trainee arrive, Caelius gave Aria a sharp look, stood up in very clear, simplified body language that said 'Stop ******** with me right ******** now', and upon his cell phone ringing yet again, sat back down, giving Candace his usual impressed look. "Change of plans. Find me someone competent to replace a certain handicapped personnel."
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:10 pm
At the order to sit Candace nodded and did just that, pulling out a chair and taking a seat while Aria explained what they'd be doing. W..wait...really?! Candace's eyes widened. She was nervous, excited but nervous all the same. This was for her promotion. This was happening. It was real. It was happening. She rubbed her lips together and listened intently, focusing solely on Aria at first. Caelius didn't exist right now. A..a retrieval mission. She nodded. "Yes, ma'am." She answered quietly, unsure of what exactly to say. This was it. It was happening. This was real. She wouldn't have to be a trainee anymore!
"Ah, yes. I have clearance for chains and torches right now." Candace smiled a bit, feeling more comfortable talking to Aria while convincing herself it was just the two of them in the room and no one else. "I think I'd prefer to bring a torch, but is there one you'd rather I bring over the other?"
And then Caelius' voice cut in. She tensed, glancing his way to just watch the man. What...the hell? It took everything Candace had not to roll her eyes and sigh in irritation when Caelius noticed her and began to make motions to leave. Yes, go. Let her do this with just Aria--
Excuse me?! "My apologies for being too inadequate for you, sir." Her eyes narrowed, fists clenching a moment before taking a deep breath to calm herself and turning back to Aria. "Is there anything else I need to know before we leave?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:42 pm
The question brought a dismissive shrug. "Equip the runic weapon you feel most comfortable with. We have no information as to what we are going to expect."
With that answered, Caelius finally addressed them. If Aria was holding a pen or pencil, now would have been an ideal time for a sharp snap! to break the silence. Aria instead stood up at the double insult. The table was too large to flip in Caelius' direction. "At least my assistant is still in one piece and not scattered all over Halloween," Aria said smoothly, gesturing for Candace to follow her.
The division leader didn't glance back to see if either one followed her. Aria stopped at the Life Labs, gathering her set of runic equipment. Bandages? Get. Daggers? Done. Shotgun? Oh yes. As much as she adored her flamethrower Symphony, it was all too likely that she would injure her comrades. The shotgun would have to do.
Equipped and ready to go, Aria headed towards the portal room to wait for everyone.
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:53 pm
The even look Caelius gave Aria in return as he moved past her into the portal, ignoring Candace entirely, proved of how much value he thought the Mist trainee was, compared to, let's say a body scattered all over Halloween.
It was warm at the other side, late summer at the beginning of June. However, despite it being warm, a very familiar scene accompanied the three as they arrived at the destination: thick white fog that practically covered everything in the landscape, revealing bare outlines of buildings in the distance.
If they could even be called buildings: more a small town perhaps, the raised steeple of a church the only thing peering out from the low fog. A Hunter provisions tent had been set up at the portal site, and at first it seemed like the portal and the technology surrounding it - a few fancy Runic laptops - was running itself, that is until half a goggled face popped out from under one of the heavily equipped tables.
"Oh, um, you're here already that was fast." Mark hastily closed a window on the computer not-so-hidden away from sight, revealing just flash of bare flesh and, oh- "So, I finished recalibrating the Fear and Insanity differential scanners, they're over there," The Death Hunter continued, zipping up his pants, and clearing his throat rather hastily, "They'll activate when you're within range of ground zero."
They should probably also wear gloves while handing Mark's equipment too.
Nonetheless, Caelius pretty much gave his assistant the same loving and fond attention he gave Candace (zilch), walking a few more steps towards what was deemed ground zero, the area the dispatched Hunters had last been seen. Hopefully he was equipped with something other than his weapon and a fancy coat.
Speaking of weapon, Circe was quietly perched on the Death Hunter lead's shoulder, though occasionally her single - often disconcerting - eye would gaze evenly at Candace with relative interest. Some weapons just wanted new toys from time to time, it was a reasonable request, really.
"I assume you have all read the information debriefing packet regarding Classified Insanity Mission 23B." Oh good, Caelius was actually addressing Aria and Candace now. "The closest city location is Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Various repeated incidents have occurred all sourcing to this town, barricaded by a natural Insanity buffer, what the scanners can now neutralize." A sneer. "A common theme from these incidents include repeated dismemberment and relocation, considering that these repeated scenarios have also reached public press, I am sure even trainees understand the gravity of the situation." The last part was clearly meant for Candace's benefit, though not without a small jibe. "The scanners will also pick up if any survivors within range zero are infected by Insanity or Fear. This includes the incompetent teams that got lost while carrying out ******** simplified orders."
Though it did not prevent him from being annoyed and belittling, the Death lead provided enough information, as was his job. Usually. And the hugs and support and questions and kittens part was not part of his ******** job.
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 4:57 am
Whatever one she was comfortable with..okay. She nodded. "Alright. Thank you, ma'am." She knew what she'd get. She'd have to make a stop by Dwight's office and pick up her gloves, too. It'd be nice to finally get a chance to try them out. But for now Candace's attention was on Aria and only Aria. It was tempting to laugh at first, to say something stupid like 'b***h just got told!', but Candace was more mature than that. Plus, Hunter death...wasn't something to joke about, especially one that had been assistant rank. "Killed by a one-eyed teenager at that." She tacked on quietly with a sneer, shaking her head until Aria motioned for Candace to follow. She stood obediently, pushing her chair in and straightening out her coat as she followed closely behind Aria.
Once at the Life Labs Candace separated from Aria's side only to get her gloves from Dwight, tucking them in her pocket for now before she returned to the division leaders. She also grabbed a torch, giving Aria's shotgun a curious look. Wouldn't that be difficult to use along with her own weapon? Was she not going to use her flamethrower? Strange..but she had seemed hesitant to use it before when it had just been the two of them, too. Hadn't she told Aria not to worry about her? She'd be fine, really! She was about to let her know she was ready when Caelius simply brushed past them, resisting the urge to sigh and roll her eyes at the man. She did not want to be doing this with him. Not him. Anyone but him. ********, she'd even work with Rep over Caelius. Son of a..
Candace stepped through the portal after Caelius, not wanting to waste time brooding over who she was stuck with when this was serious. Besides, Candace was curious if by filling the role of a full-fledged hunter meant she was really filling the role and not just...a trainee who was accompanying them on their mission to learn. She just hoped this went well so she would no longer just be 'filling the role' and actually be one.
Please, oh please. She wanted it so badly.
She wasn't surprised by the warmth of the air as they exited out of the portal, but she was surprised by the sight. Candace stared wide-eyed at the low hanging fog that covered everything. It was just like back on the island...but why here? She was frowning, almost completely ignoring the tent at first to just look at what little she could see of the town. Were...were there civilians in that town? The sight of the church suggested there had been at some point, just now she wondered if it had been recent or not.
A voice got her attention and she glanced over to Mark, just staring. What..the he--seriously?! Was he that lonely? She rubbed at her temple and just watched him, eyes widening when she heard the distinct sound of a zipper. On the field?! Have some self control! Damn!
Caelius spoke again and Candace looked away from Mark to give the man her attention. She paused, eyes locking with the single eye of Circe's very familiar unsummoned form. She stared, heart pounding anxiously. Wh-why is she looking at me.. Atropos snarled. I don't want her, I promise. She's...no. I..I won't touch her. I don't want her, Atropos. The snarling didn't die away, not while Circe was looking at her Candace.
She forced herself to tear her gaze away from Circe, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Wait, what debriefing packet? She'd never been given a packet! Maybe he only meant Aria in this. For now she just listened, taking note of everything he was saying.
Repeated dismemberment and relocation. Candace tensed. Dismemberment of..what? Oh god was this going to be a repeat of the Sahara missions? Were the Halloween creatures getting more ruthless since the destruction of the four clans islands? "Of course, sir." She said quietly to his little jibe at her, frowning. She was a trainee not an idiot. This wasn't just a mission to retrieve survivors..or weapon tablets. "So are we here just to find survivors or to also find and eliminate the problem here?" Aria had said 'a chance' at a retrieval mission. That meant it didn't have to be.
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 4:56 pm
Aria was unimpressed by both the death division leader and by Mark. She rolled her eyes. She wasn't surprised, given who it was. The fact that he was here, though... Aria gave Mark a sharp look. He couldn't be. Caelius' new assistant? Great. This mission was going to take longer than Aria anticipated. She held back her sigh, channeling her exasperation into a leveled cold glare at Caelius. He had treated her like a trainee, demanding her arrival within a very small time frame. Of course she hadn't read it.
The dig about trainees earned an extra glare from Aria. She ignored him as she fetched a pair of gloves and put them over her existing ones prior to picking up a scanner. "We," Aria began as she replied to Candace, "Are going to look for the source of the problem. While the town is cut off for now, there's no telling who will come by to check on this. The more media and public hype there is about a place like this, the more difficult it becomes to clean it up. The public would spread the world, and sooner or later you get sick humans copy-catting this place and giving Halloween an even greater boost."
"Survivors..." She trailed off, giving a thoughtful look towards the town. "Considering my team went in second and still hasn't responded? There's something serious going down. In the unlikely event, this may be a retrieval mission." And by retrieval, she didn't mean body bags.
The division leader turned to address the Hunter who was hiding previously concealing himself beneath a table as to not give away his position. "Mark, do you have any intel on what we can expect in the town?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 5:11 pm
Said Hunter was currently sanitizing his hands with a small carry-on sanitizer (150 mL). He looked up, for a second. "Wha - me? Oh, um, well I'll be here surveying your investigation through the headset 'n stuff...... Ma'am." It took Mark a second longer to realize that another Division Leader was addressing him as he bowed his head meekly, feebly shoveling some items about in attempts to find the Insanity feedback chart. "Okay, well," he leafed through the first three pages, "Nothing much different, the tracker wards of Insanity exposure for the person wearing it or anyone within a ten-foot vicinity, however if a victim has already been exposed to Insanity, they will need a twenty-four hour quarantine period before the effects begin to wear off. Right now, the problem however, is uh, that Fear stuff, you know, how Fear and Insanity are beginning to mesh together, and considering that Fear is irreversible...."
He trailed off awkwardly, this obviously not a topic that ended well, ever. "Otherwise the town is showing even readings throughout, with very little signs of life. Once inside ground zero, um, your scanner should activate to show heat readings of potential civilians, we think." Mark scooted a little behind the supplies table as if to say please don't hit me. "I'm not sure... maybe? I mean... it still requires investigating so..."
Which is why the dynamic duo plus one were here really.
"Anyway," Mark continued, "Just check to make sure you can hear me through the headset, I'll help you keep an additional eye out on any odd readings. Also tell-" He looked in the general empty space where a certain Death Division leader had been standing - "Um, never mind. Best of luck ma'ams."
A general nod to the two Mist Hunter's directions.
"If you are done sharing your feelings," Came a very familiar, rigid voice over the headset, "I would like to retrieve our teams preferably before the end of the ******** day." OOC - Heading into the fog! - The town itself is circular in shape. However, the fog is thick enough that short of hitting the walls of a building, it is almost impossible to see where one is going. Navigation through the walls to get to the center of the town, where the reading is strongest, is required. - It is pretty much a blind romp in the fog: roll a 100-sided dice. If 80 or higher, you have found the epicenter where the scanner is telling you to go, if not, continue to wander around till you have found the exit! (If you roll more than 3 times, it is assumed you auto find the center )
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Eight rolled 1 100-sided dice:
49
Total: 49 (1-100)
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:08 pm
Candace gave a nod at Aria's explanation about the need to quell the media. She furrowed her brow a moment, looking toward the foggy town again. "Can they see the fog? Regular civilians, I mean. I know they can't see FEAR, or the creatures made from it, but fog and Insanity are a little different." It wasn't terribly important to their mission at the moment but she was curious on a personal level.
She took a headset after Mark informed them he'd be communicating with them, pausing to make sure it was nowhere near where he was sitting with that porn before putting it on. Her kingdom for some hand sanitizer that hadn't been handled by Mark. Sigh. Though Aria's answer to her question did bring another frown to her lips. A possibility of more dead hunters because of this Insanity s**t; Candace had seen so many corpses just clearing out various areas on the island, in their own home. Her heart sank into her stomach at the thought. More hunters who would be replaced by more trainees, who would be replaced by more trainees again and again and again. Would they just replace her one day if she wasn't careful..?
Candace shifted her weight from foot to foot with a bit of discomfort, listening to Mark's findings. Huh, it would seem that despite appearances he was surprisingly 'competent' as Caelius would put it. "..That's happened before." Candace blinked. "The..Fear and Insanity meshing thing." Her eyes darted to Aria a moment, a touchy subject. "It really ******** up the Fear creatures something fierce, especially if they get too much of it in their system. Wait are you saying...people are being infected by Fear the way they can be infected by Insanity?" That..couldn't be it. No way. She had to be hearing him wrong, or assuming things incorrectly. That had to be it.
Annnnnd there was Caelius. Candace rolled her eyes, turning to Aria with a look that clearly asked 'do we have to?' before sighing quietly. "We're coming, sir."
The fog on the island had been thick, sure, but Candace was pretty sure she'd never been in fog this thick. She found herself constantly looking around to make sure Aria and Caelius were by her, not wanting to lose them. This was the first time in a long, long time she found herself not wanting to leave Caelius' side. If only because she could probably die otherwise.
And that was a wall. Candace put a hand against it and pouted, looking in either direction and then down at her scanner. Which way..she stepped left to see if maybe the reading got stronger, and then right. Looked like she was going right. She still couldn't see a ******** thing, so for now she just kept her hand on the wall to follow it. She didn't like this, not being able to see what could be coming at her. Would even a flashlight help? She didn't think it would. Candace just hoped if anything came at her the scanner would pick it up in time for her to react.
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Eight rolled 1 100-sided dice:
32
Total: 32 (1-100)
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 8:21 pm
Another wall. Candace pouted and moved in another direction.
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Eight rolled 1 100-sided dice:
62
Total: 62 (1-100)
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 8:22 pm
Candace walked into a door, a locked door. Welp, she wasn't going in there. No way. You couldn't ******** pay her enough right now. She was nervous enough as it was, she didn't need things jumping out at her from doors.
It was like living in a game of Silent Hill. Jesus Christ.
You have strange ways of coping with anxiety.. Candace shook her head. I did it during my trial too. I justified killing people by convincing myself I was just playing a very realistic video game. Atropos made an amused little sound. And how many people did you kill?
There was a pause. ...Nine.. Atropos chuckled. Only nine? Candace grinned. They had to group up and kill me before I could get my tenth. I think it took like...four of them to bring me down. There was a purr from the weapon. That's my ghoul. You'll be the best Hunter one day, I'm sure of it. Chuckling, Candace shook her head. Maybe one day~. But not right now when I keep walking into walls like an idiot.
Yes, well..you're my idiot. Candace snickered and nodded, feeling her way along the wall again. Come on, scanner...oh! That one was a tiny bit stronger..maybe she was going in the right direction.
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Eight rolled 1 100-sided dice:
65
Total: 65 (1-100)
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 9:17 pm
The scanner signs grew stronger for a moment and Candace gasped with delight...
And then they went away again.
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