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 Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 11:19 pm
Baneful Text from Clarice: Mission, front gates, ASAP. Ravvlet Text from Clarice: Mission, front gates, ASAP. toshihiko two Text from Clarice: Mission, front gates, ASAP. Dress warm!
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 6:41 am
Nurse duty had been pretty busy, the infirmary stocked with what was left of the Alaska base and the rescue party. He helped where he could, following orders and taking mental notes.
There were a lot of injured Hunters. And more than their fair share of dead ones, but those weren't Harrison's job. Rep had taken a few hits of his own, but hadn't overstayed his welcome in the infirmary.
When he was off-duty, Rep stuck to him like they both had velcro taped on their sides, and Harrison returned the favor. Both of them were enjoying the time with Jordan, and looking forward to restocking their supplies, in addition to picking up some items for the room they'd been waiting since July to get.
Both of them had also put in for promotion, with some trepidation on Harrison's part.
But no time like the Apocalypse.
He and Rep's pockets buzzed at the same time, and they hurried back to the room to pick up their jackets. Harrison made sure his bandaid tin was charged, along with a few non-magic med supplies, and pulled on his boots and a sweater. He stuffed his unicorn hat and mittens in his pocket, for good measure.
With all the Joy buzzing around the place, it was kind of hard not to feel excited.
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:08 am
Rep had forgotten about the promotion request with the slew of recent events. It was a good thing, if he thought about it too much his mind would continually return to the last promotion mission he had - with the taste of old woman brains and innards, it wasn't something he wanted to remember. It was only when his phone buzzed and the text was from Clarice for a mission that it was impossible to ignore. At least Harrison would be with him, he reasoned - it couldn't really go all that wrong.
He donned his jacket and brought his usual items, his backpack, his own bandages and even put on a new knitted sweater since his last one had bit the dust in Alaska. He should have been worried, absolutely should have been bricking it given past events and the current situation with the horsemen, but he wasn't. He, like Harrison was just pretty damn excited, his adrenaline buzzing, Tracey impatiently fidgeting in his thoughts.
Walking through snow to get to the front gates was certainly a whole new experience.
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:22 am
Wash had gotten the text and dressed quickly and quietly. Before leaving, he zipped his jacket to the chin and wrapped his scarf around his face and neck. He wasn't really used to the snow or the cold, and he shivered as his worn boots tramped a steady path to the gates. He whistled a carol or two on the way, feeling refreshed and ready for whatever the Life assistant could throw at them.
Or so he thought.
The site of Rep and another hunter he vaguely recognized stopped him in his tracks. He paused briefly, before exhaling and continuing forward, leaving a cloud of breathy steam in his wake. For some reason he just wasn't in the mood for caroling anymore. Maybe they weren't here for the same thing - unlikely, and he dismissed the thought as soon as it occurred to him. Well, at least he would know where Rep was while he was away.
Right up his a-
"Mornin'."
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:39 pm
Clarice gave Wash and Rep a quiet nod and then turned to Harrison, beaming, "You made good time, guy. Which is good because you'll need it," the smile dropped, and she ushered the three of them out the gates. "Six days ago a group was sent on a recon mission to the world of Christmas. They've since dropped off our radar, and it's doubtful their body can withstand JOY for more than another day." The smell of peppermint filled the air as she started a slightly odd looking portal device, "After the horseman lair, we honestly can't afford anymore large scale rescues, so it's down to a small Eclipse team for any extractions." The assistant looked them over grimly, "Unfortunately, we don't have time to be stealthy about this, so just get through as fast as you can. There's another hunter on the other side who'll give you last known coordinates as well as a means to arm yourself against the natives." Clarice then held up a red and white striped bag, "Lunch...to keep your energy up. There's also a small bottle of depressants to temporarily counteract JOY." She paused and then cleared her throat, "This is a rescue, not a suicide run, so if it looks like a lost cause, cut your losses."
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:05 pm
"Morning," Harrison said warily.
Normally, he'd be eager to have another Moon on board. In this case, the Horsemen would do a better job at watching Rep's back. Sasha dating a rat was no surprise to him, tattling and attacking weaponless coworkers was about her entire moveset. He could only guess what nasty surprises Wash had up his sleeve. At least he didn't have to tell Rep twice.
He gave Clarice an uncertain smile.
He just felt a little awkward around her, ever since the making-out-while-pregnant-with-his-imaginary-baby thing. She was still a badass. She was just...a badass who-
s**t stop thinking about it.
Rescue and Recovery, B0nez hissed gleefully, practically rubbing his hands together.
I thought you hated escort Missions, Harrison thought.
Ah. But you underestimate the extreme degree to which I am boooooored. This one sounds like there's some new environments to explore. They've been hinting at this one since last Christmas.
Harrison got a hopeful image of particularly well-rendered candycane mountains, twisted into deadly spires, and a glowing object hidden in the middle of a field of enemies that promised +10000 ATK, DEF, SPD.
Escort mission, Harrison reminded B0nez. Even though he wouldn't have minded the artifact.
Quest rewards, B0nez countered.
Harrison knew the smell, and the look of that portal. There'd been plenty when he and Rep were portal-surfing for Artifacts.
He accepted the lunchbag, tying it dutifully to his sash.
"Who all are we rescuing?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:45 pm
As Wash joined them at the gates, Rep's expression went from one of mild interest and excitement into a very twisted and toothy grin of delight. He couldn't think of anyone else he could have wanted to bring on a mission more, and there was absolutely no Sasha in sight. His tone was absolutely dripping with saccharine pleasantness as he purred. "Morning Wash."
He even went as far as to give the man a jaunty wave.
Clarice's welcome from Rep was much less warm, he hadn't forgotten the horseman hallucination either, nor the kiss fake!Clarice had planted on what he considered his man, and that was without even touching on all the myriad insecurities related to the fact she had been up the duff. He nodded a grudging greeting in response and simply listened, warily noting their instructions while simultaneously over-analysing everything Clarice said and did. The lunch bag got a narrowed and measured glare, he wasn't sure if she was gearing them out or sucking up to Harrison.
Reguardless, the matter at hand was Christmas. The last time he'd so much as glimpsed that particular world was on their adventure for artifacts when he's almost had his eye gouged out by an irate elf through one of the portals. He wasn't sure if that kind of aggression was the exception or the rule, but surely like, it wasn't Halloween, it couldn't be that dangerous?
It was hard to really worry too much when this looked like a mission where you could cut your losses if the need arose. His gaze flicked back to Wash, a negligible loss if it came to it - which he so hoped it would.
He could hardly believe it, they got to go eclipse it up in ******** Christmas. Maybe he could murder a few elves while they were dashing through the snow. It didn't even matter to him who they were rescuing. After all it was, probably life techs - who else would get lost in a ******** world built around something as easy going as Christmas?
With the sweet smell of peppermint already filling the air, his day was looking up.
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:26 pm
Wash gave Rep an uncertain wave back. He sure seemed in a good mood- maybe that talk with Jordan had settled things after all. Besides, he was too busy trying to process what Clarice was saying.
"JOY?" He scratched the back of his head. "Now, ma'am, I ain't tryin' t' sound foolish, but... I never really got this whole joy thing. A little happiness never killed nobody, right?" He could understand how FEAR could be deadly, and he had vague recollections of strange happenings on the island around this time last year, but... It was Christmas. Jinglebells, chestnuts, cakes, presents... peppermint. It was refreshing, he could almost smell it. Halloween made sense. Demons, witches and their cauldrons, haunted houses and the like. But a dangerous world dedicated to such an innocent holiday?
"People like Christmas. 'Supposed to be about, like, giving and what not, spending time with the family; the birth o' Christ."
Her reminder about the horseman lair had him frowning. He hoped it wouldn't be that bad, whatever it was.
It occurred to him then, that it had been some days since he'd seen a certain raven-haired hunter. He knew she'd gone to help Otto with something, and he'd done his best not to worry- after all, these things take time, as he'd told himself many times in the interim. The realization cut through him like a knife. He hadn't asked the details of the mission - he trusted her, he didn't need to know, she would tell him if it was important, right?
He took a deep breath. "Was it S-...Otto's team?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:58 pm
"There's such thing as too much happiness, trainee," the corner of her lips slid up, "...too much JOY and your heart will explode in your chest. People don't always like what's good for them, you know? So don't use your own emotional state to measure the danger presented by the worlds that feed off those emotions. While Christmas isn't a world we're at war with, they did attack the island last year and do some serious damage."
The question about who they were retrieving got a grim look in response and then a nod, "Otto's group: Ami, Hazel, Sasha, Solia, and Otto himself. They left disguised as elves, though that may have changed depending on their circumstances."
Clarice pursed her lips and appeared to want to say more, but in the end simply said, "If you have any other questions, your liaison will be able to answer them on the other side."
Stepping through the portal was like stepping through into the happiest moment of your life. You body tingles and your heart swells, and for a long moment you are totally and completely overwhelmed with feelings of wonder and excitement. You could die happy like this. In fact, you're pretty sure you are, in fact, dying.
And then your equilibrium slowly comes back, and you don't die, but the sense of JOY lingers on as you take a look around you.
A large, poorly shaped snowman stared vacantly as they adjusted. After a moment, it began to shift and shake until a human head and two arms popped out, "Oh thank ********, finally, some deer were like eyeing me earlier and I think they wanted to pee on me." The hands slid a thick pair of goggles, revealing a semi-familiar face that proceeded to stare at the group in disbelief before continuing in a completely different tone, "Wow. No. No you guys go back, tell Clarice to find a group that's competent and doesn't consist of...I don't know, a murderer and the Honey Bear that enables him?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 5:56 pm
B0nez ran the tally impartially. Harrison added it up.
2 Deaths, 2 Lifes, 1 Moon- but still a beginner. He felt like it was more dangerous on account of it being Christmasland, even with silver bells starting to earworm its way through his thoughts. He remembered last year, through the haze of goodwill for mankind and cheer. Peppermint mixed with the smell of blood, the island wrecked, their squad wiped out in a matter of minutes.
All the Joy in the world feeling like it had been sucked right out of him.
And before that, the delirium. He would have kissed a deathorse if somebody had stuck one under mistletoe. Being so sure Santa was going to take him to the North Pole, where he'd never melt. The presents growing rows of jagged cardboard teeth and ripping up anything they got a hold of.
In other words, bad ******** news. And it sounded like they nobody had good intel on it.
"That ninja I told you about," was all Harrison said to Rep, tone steely in spite of the persistant warmth that boosted his heart. Snow on the island where it didn't belong. General Christmas cheer. Capturing a squad. ...Were they starting s**t again?
The three of them weren't dressed like elves, and there was no way in whatever served as Christmas hell that they could handle the forces that had attacked the island. But like Clarice said. They couldn't spare the resources, and they weren't supposed to take too many risks. They were a shot in the dark.
He glanced at Wash. This would be personal for him. But in light of everything, he wasn't optimistic about their chances. He doubted that Wash would understand that either. This wasn't about grudges. This was about coming back alive.
Bringing anybody else back would be a bonus to get put on his service record. Although if Sasha was all they got out of this, Harrison was going to have a serious talk with whoever was rolling his proverbial dice.
"We'll be careful," he told Clarice, before stepping through the portal.
The feelings from earlier cranked up, like somebody was blasting the volume on his heartbeat. All the pettiness and caution was forgotten in an orgasmic surge, and he laughed, because his smile was so big it couldn't contain it-
Pushed out through the other side, he felt like Joker victims looked. He wiped the silly smile off his face, trying to contain the leftover giddyness. B0nez was uneffected. He was mostly disappointed by the piles of snow.
A snowman looked their way. Feeling friendly and cheerful, Harrison took B0nez's shorter blade from his sash.
Then it grew a pair of arms, and a mouth.
Harrison rolled his eyes, putting B0nez back up.
"Sorry. We'll go back and send some well-churched life techs. Maybe they can test the snow for evidence of an actual ******** fight. And after they can feel sad about it."
Normally when it came to anybody with a rank, Harrison got shy. Today, he wasn't feeling deferential. They were on the clock. He thumbed B0nez's hilt. He was made out of Fear. What they were fighting was made out of Joy. Stood to reason they'd need some alternate ammunition.
"Clarice said you had weapons for us."
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 7:12 pm
Rep's jaw dropped just a bit at the horrific mental image of his heart exploding from too much happiness, actually bringing a hand up to rest there as if it might consider doing it on its own just from the thought. Why was everything so ******** dangerous? He'd been hoping for a valiant rescue mission to a world full of pansies he could kick around, but by the sound of it Christmas - like Halloween - could murder them just by being there too long. He found himself longing for a golem, a hundred nightmare scenarios of an exit portal that would close or break down playing over and over in his head.
********, it was a point, if the place ran on something that wasn't fear then there was a chance they could ignore the fear shield entirely. That could really hurt. That sharpened candy cane suddenly wasn't to be sneezed at.
The news only went from bad to worse as the captured hunters turned out to be actual people he knew, some of them at least moderately competent - Sasha was a b***h, but she was a b***h who was normally level headed and capable. Something more than just a spontaneous candy party had to have stalled them, no one would willingly stay till they died. Even Sasha didn't deserve that kind of death.
Well okay, maybe Sasha, but the others didn't.
He followed Harrison into the portal with a growing sense of dread. Dread that was quickly kicked in the balls by a massive influx of joy and sent on its way. It was like being high again, being high but better, an overwhelming influx of adrenaline and happiness that made him feel like he was going to die from it. Heart racing, pulse pounding. Call the doctor. Bad trip. Too much.
Staggering clear of the portal he realised he was laughing again, a laugh not so different from the way he'd laughed when he defeated Sasha, brain somewhere else, everything funny. It took him a minute to reign it in, hugging himself loosely as he calmed the urge to laugh and for some ******** bizzare reason, sing. But the dazed haze didn't pass. Maybe singing was ok. Maybe it was appropriate, he could probably hazard a few carols.
A snowman gave birth. Maybe that was how it happened.
Baby snowmen were frankly more Asian than he'd thought but who was he to judge really?
The face was familiar though, and he couldn't place where he'd seen this guy before. Generic nerd, maybe he was a labtech. But as he spoke he seemed to know him and Rep's hackles went up. Harrison cut in with his own furious retaliation and he found himself drifting over idly to the other hunter, looming behind him affectionately, touching his arm fleetingly. Enabler. Enabled to be strong, enabled to be a shameless badass, what was the problem?
He gave the guy a disdainful curl of his lip and snarled. "Who the ******** you calling a murderer?"
If this guy gave them weapons maybe they could use them on him, teach him a bit of humility.
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 9:08 pm
Wash honestly didn't know what to make of the murderer or honeybear comments, so he kept quiet. It wasn't important. That gut-wrenching, painfully euphoric sensation as they crossed through the portal -the JOY Clarice had been talking about - had been bad. Real bad. Wash didn't really have anything to compare it to, but it was like too much sugar- so sweet that it had an edge of sickness, of something wrong.
And somewhere, Sasha and Otto and Ami and the rest were trapped in it.
Still, he found it hard not to smile, taking in the picturesque winter landscape. A lingering effect of the atmosphere, probably. He winced, twisting the expression into something more akin to a scowl, and let the other two talk, crossing his arms and eyeing the horizon worriedly. Cutting their losses, she'd said. They needed to get moving, and the sooner the better.
"Where were they last...That is, how big is this place?" Six days. They'd had a pretty unbelievable head start.
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:15 am
Flailing a bit, the Life tech pulled himself out of the snowman, just barely managing not to fall as he did so. "I'm calling the murderer a ******** murderer, dipshit." Brushing off the snow he scowled, "Yeah, I guess you have a point, Blondie Bear. Tough call, really, is it better to get killed by the a*****e misogynist that's supposed to be a comrade so he can gloat about it afterward like the big man he is or would you rather just have your chest explode from happiness?" There was a contemplative edge to his tone, as if he was seriously wondering which he should choose, making his answer to Wash a bit offhand, "They disappeared not too far in, from what I've been able to gather, they went straight to an area with, get this, highly trained elf ninjas."
Shrugging, Dwight reaching into the half destroyed snowman and pulled out a large red sack, "They call it Candy Cane Lane. Apparently, the more cheerful the name, the more likely it is to kick your a**."
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 10:41 am
"If you get kidnapped by ninja elves, we'll keep in mind you got preferences."
He liked Dwight better in the speedo.
"Ninjas," he reemphasized grimly, again for Rep's benefit. If just one of them did that much murder on the island, he didn't want to think about a whole squad on their home turf. Magic ninjas. He wondered vaguely if it was because they'd been Naughty this year.
He'd been hoping the whole saving the world thing would counterbalance a lot of the other s**t.
He watched the sack, waiting on the contents.
"Anything else we ought to know?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 10:54 am
Rep didn't like this snowman. He had an attitude problem and the whole murderer bullshit put him in mind of Dwight.
Tracey cleared his throat in Rep's head. Which was telling since he had no throat to need clearing.
You could almost hear the little cogs in his head turning as he looked over the man in front of him, a man who absolutely didn't fit the mental image he'd built up of the guy he considered his nemesis. Christmas ninjas he was okay with, exploding heart he could deal with, Dwight being this scrawny b*****d was unbelievable. He laughed incredulously. "What the ********. Are you ******** Dwight?!"
He should have been paying attention to the mention of deadly elf ninjas and the serious risks posed by Candy Cane Lane, but he was too caught up in the sheer hilarity that he'd been getting so much stick from a guy who was nowhere near the buff behemoth Rep had been imagining all this time.
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