legionmissions | THE SPIES WHO SPROCKED US

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THE SPIES WHO SPROCKED US - modplot

Who| Everyone who signed up
What| The Espionage Mission Against the Council
Where| Brainiac 3's abandoned asteroid base.
When| Set during the same time as "Through the Looking Glass"
Warnings/Notes| Potential gore, due to the plan to fake a betrayal. Also potential mind-borkery, due to the Herald involved. (Think similar to telepathy or empath powers).

The abandoned base of Brainiac 5's grandfather, Brainiac 3, is simultaneously perfect for a secret meeting and perfect for an attack. Built into the asteroid itself, it had labyrinthian tunnels, extensive computer monitoring systems, and countless security measures. And a faked radiation spill means very few would risk going to it.

But all the things the Council-members and the Herald are using to guard the meetup can be used against them as well. The tunnels, ducts, shady rafters, and countless levels provide ample opportunity for hiding, sneaking and bypassing certain areas to avoid getting caught. The security systems -- everything from alarms to wall-mounted stun blasters, to capture droids -- can be hacked and exploited, either by the hackers among them, or by security bypass devices similar to the ones that were used during the heist on Rimbor. Even when these devices fail for whatever reason, such as security code shifts and updates, the hackers can gain new security codes and bypasses and send them to their compatriots.

The most dangerous part of this mission is the use of the Nysheef, Harrubian ninjas that have been lent to the UP Council-members as security from the pissed off Harrubian elite that were arrested by the Legion. Juuust on the off chance that the Legion might come snooping around. But with the right amount of stealth and subterfuge, the Legionnaires can take out the Nysheef without raising the alarm, and there are plenty of places to stuff their unconscious bodies.

Brainiac 5 went all out to make sure that the Legionnaires are well equipped for this mission. Before it started, they had access to a tech armory that let them get their hands on a wide variety useful tech, such as: security bypass devices, mini-computers for the hackers, stun weapons, smoke bombs with stun gas that can knock out most sentients for hours, hard-light holographic projectors that can cast illusions over an area or disguise an individual (which can scan new things to create new disguises), stasis field devices, personal cloaking devices, high-tech anti-grav climbing gear, recording drones, grappling hooks...

Basically, if the Legionnaires needed it for the job, they got it. As usual, they also have their flight rings, omnicoms (which have useful scanners), and transuits.

A sensor sweep indicates that the Herald and the six Council-members are meeting in a particular central chamber -- with an addition two unexpected life signs -- but with the team's plans, powers, and equipment, it's Mission: Highly Probable instead of Mission: Impossible.

And the Council will never see them coming. (Which is kind of the point, really.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The satisfaction that coursed through Widowmaker wasn't the same as when she took a life, but it was close enough for she knew had those been lethal rounds, Nol would be very dead. Across the comms, a pleased hum was heard as she shifted her aim to Tal. One down - one to go.

"Cyber Ninja, she is all yours. Reaper will get the hostages to safety," she said, focusing on Tal. And then she frowned at the machinery surrounding him.

"Guns and Roses, I do not have a clear shot." She could still see the Naltorian's heat signature, but these damn stun rounds simply did not have enough power to punch through all that metal. Using her live rounds would kill...

Ah. An idea.

"But I can create an opening for you," she said as she ejected the cylinder of stun rounds only to grab the one of live from her belt and insert into the rifle. She raised her visor to take a quick look at the machinery itself before clicking it back down to bathe her vision in red.

Her first shot targeted a piece of machinery that looked about ready to fall, to send it crashing to the ground behind Tal as he moved past it. The second shot had the high caliber round going through the metal blocking Tal from her direct line of sight at a downward angle, toward his foot. Neither shot was meant to hit him, but she wanted him to be distracted by the fallen machinery and realize that he wasn't safe from her behind cover.

That should be enough to get Elphelt the opening she needed.

Genji had a choice. One option was to give his foe a chance to surrender. The other was to continue his assault and take her by force. Despite his efforts to push off the aggressive influence, it still had an impact on his decisions, though Genji could argue his enemy would not give up due to the exact same issue.

He does have the strength of mine to know that killing his enemies is considering wrong here. Taking advantage of the distraction caused by her destroyed device, Genji dashed forward in mid-air to cover the last bit of distance. In range, he spun his blade in his hands, presenting the back end as he gave it a swing. It wasn't the effective slicing it could do but hitting someone with the blunt end of a futuristically forged sword would do.

She had to act quickly. The diversion Widowmaker had provided wasn't likely to last long. The pistol was exchanged for her own rifle, Miss Confire. She only had one shot to tale Tal down, otherwise she'd soon succumb to the influences peeling away at her mind's defenses, and she may become a far greater danger to the mission, to her teammates, even the hostages, than either Naltorian.

One shot. One bullet with an arrowed heart carved into the casing. Pulled from her dress, and dropped into the chamber as she readied Miss Confire and took aim. Straight through the heart...

Bang.

She felt she had a clear shot. Her mind was reeling so badly, she couldn't promise she landed it perfectly, but the closer it was to the center of Tal's chest, the better it would work. She'd resisted the urge to simply drop him with violence. Hopefully that "special bullet", had completely robbed his will to fight.

"Do you only have eyes for me, darling?"

With that, Genji knocked Nol out cold. The two hostages, still hooded, were alive, pressed against a bit of machinery they'd been using for cover.

Widowmaker's ruse also set everything up perfectly. Tal jumped when he thought she had a clear shot, trying to move out of the way, and that gave Ephelt her moment of opportunity.

The special bullet hit him and he suddenly felt the will to fight leave him.

"I...why was I doing this?" he asks. "It all seems so...so pointless."

The laser whip drops from his hand, deactivated, and he drops harmlessly to his knees.

With Nol unconscious, Tal completely aimless and compliant, and the hostages safe, it's pretty much over. Mission accomplished. Now they just need to get the hostages to a teammate that can get them clear, like Reaper.

The good thing about fighting alongside two relatively competent Legionnaires is that it frees him up for his original objective. He doesn't waste any time, even after the Daxamite had jostled him arount quite a bit. It wasn't laughably easy to defeat her, but the circumstances surrounding their fight made it much smoother to take them down.

He swoops in dramatically behind the kneeling Tal, and figures the rest of the team that'd been fighting will fall in line with whatever plan they have next.

"Let's move ."

"I have you covered," came Widowmaker's cool voice. She had her eyes on the other fights going on, just in case she needed to intervene.

"Until War is unconscious or depowered, I do not support releasing the hostages from their bindings. We do not know how much rage they harbor that War has stirred."

Genji most certainly does not approve. The most infamous mercenary, Reaper, was here for innocents. It was hard to justify in his head but he sheathed his sword, giving the Reaper a cybernetic glare. No words. He was just watching the man closely, to make sure he wouldn't try to off any hostages.

Regardless, he'd cover his exit. That much was to be expected.

The tension between Genji and Reaper went right over Elphelt's floppy looking hat. But she also was clearly struggling with her own tension, dragging her way over to Genji despite having not even been touched during the brief battle. Miss Confire had disappeared to its hiding space in her dress once more, but her pistol was still in her hand, rattling in a steel grip.

The glow in her eyes was still present, War's influence still pushing at her notion of self. It was taking a good deal of effort on her part, at that time, to even remain aware of what was going on, why she was there.

"I am assuming you know the exit strategy," she spoke to Reaper, the tone of her voice almost robotic. "I can clear a path, if it is needed."

The two hostages stagger to their feet, one of them more unsteadily than the other, as if he's perhaps been drugged.

Both are making noises under their hoods that suggest they've been gagged, but aren't trying to fight and seem...herdable.

He shoots a pointed stare of his mask at the ninja glaring his way, the sharpness of it piercing right through him. The urge to confront him is much stronger with War's influence, naturally, and he knows Genji's penchant for battle... at least, back when he'd been under his command. So it's almost amazing how they don't start something right then and there, but he's pulled back by the cool, robotic tone of the girl.

Putting the guns away, he briefly takes in the state of the hostages and snatches the hoods off their heads to try and free up whatever is getting in the way of their speech. He heeds Widowmaker's advice for the meantime, but it won't do to have escapees that can't see or communicate, after all, especially at the speed he carries himself.

"Affirmative. Widowmaker will provide support via comms, stand by for further assistance."

His tone is clipped and sharp, the raspy quality of his voice shaking a little as he calms his urges. Were he Gabriel Reyes, it probably wouldn't be as terrible.

Edited 2017-04-17 05:52 (UTC)

One of Widowmaker's screens was trained on Shimada just to make sure she could keep tabs on the ninja in case he decided to stop fighting War's influence. She was positive she could shoot him before he did any serious damage to Reaper, but he was very fast. She wouldn't be able to stop him before he engaged.

It better not come to that.

"Guns and Roses, do secure Tal before War's ability rekindles his desire to fight."

Otherwise, Widowmaker was more interested in keeping tabs on the other fights and seeing who these hostages were.

It was a tough battle in his mind but one sorted out by the fact that Genji wasn't a vigilante nor did he have a need to exact justice. His hand did rest on his smaller sword but it was a casual touch, not a grasp on the hilt hinting at future action. If he knew Reaper's actual identity, the response might be a little different but that much, he was still in the dark on.

"I will stay with her, to provide rear guard and..."

Well, he turned his head over to Elphelt. It was clear to people who even had a single talk with her that she was using a lot of willpower to stave off the aggressive influences.

"...to assist." In hopefully instilling the basic emotional centering techniques on the fly if need be, that is.

"Affirmative," Elphelt turned towards Tal once more. Normally, she'd be moved by the lovestruck peace in his eyes, a mark of her spell on him, but in her battle against War's influences, it was obvious she had retreated into another personality entirely, to find some refuge from the rage. She managed to steady her pistol just enough to fire off two shots, aimed at Tal's head.

... They were concussive rounds. He'd live, though have a hell of a headache when he woke up. But there was something still inherently fatal in the way she simply just shot him, as if in an execution. Had that not been one of the VALIS system guns...

The removal of the hood had the young man squinting to shut out some light, even as his eyes darted around to take everything in. Sound had been muffled by the material, but eventually, recognizable sounds of fighting drifted in and dragged him back to consciousness.

He felt sluggish. He hadn't been awake for very long when he heard someone - he didn't recognize who - saying they should leave the hostages bound. That was when he'd started to get up, slowly. It wasn't easy, blind, clumsy with hands bound, and no magnetic field or flight ring with which to cheat.

Now, he could see. Rokk Krinn, the Legionnaire known as Cosmic Boy, was surrounded by unfamiliar combatants, most of them down, and one shaky-looking hostage that he moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with, so that he'd have something to lean on. Of the ones on their feet, most are wearing a familiar insignia, and he lingered on it with a growing sense of relief. He might not know these Legionnaires, but the letter that spelled out entire sentence: not only were they in the right universe, they were going home.

The calm was short-lived. His eyes snap wide at the first shot, and he turned towards the sound. There's an alarmed, wordless exclamation that manages to carry an air of what are you doing, and there's a definite sprock in the middle of it. It's not discernible, but he can't hide the expression and tone behind the gag.

Unfortunately, Cos doesn't know what a VALIS gun was, and he can only go by the look of it. Two shots to the head did not make a good tableau, despite the lack of gore. He's awake now and shaking his hands towards another Legionnaire with a pleading look.

"Get these off," he ordered in a garbled, lockjaw mess of emphatic mumbling. He knew no one would understand, but they might listen. The restraints, the muzzle, the sprocking collar - anything would be helpful.

The other hostage blinks rapidly against the onslaught of light, focusing briefly on Reaper rather than their surroundings. Reaper is, after all, the one who took their hoods off and therefore the closest sentient to hand other than his fellow hostage and therefore deserves a great deal of attention. Especially since the second hostage needs the first hostage so he can stay on his feet. Being known for having (probably) been a spy at some point can be annoying when sentients are trying to hold you against your will, because they get really heavy-handed with the drugs. And Lyle Norg, AKA the lost Invisible Kid of the Legion of Superheroes, is in fact known for being sneaky and having a few years worth of government-redacted work history.

Lyle starts checking out the others around them once he's determined that Reaper doesn't appear to be an immediate threat. Those around them don't appear hostile, but apparently those further out are less so. He doesn't match Cos' wordless exclamation, but he does put himself between Cos and the direction the bullets came from. He is also going to work trying to pick the locks on his cuffs restraining his hands. The bruises on his wrists are a testament that this isn't the first time he's tried to free himself.

The miming is efficient enough to get the message across, and it's not like Reaper intended to leave them gagged and absolutely useless. He still needs information and getting it from these two who are clearly members of the Legion would be the quickest way.

With War in their near vicinity, however, he's careful not to simply start hacking away at all their restraints. He goes for the gags first, starting with Rokk, the much more animated of the two.

"We need to move from War's area of influence," he says, seemingly ignoring Lyle's attempt to lock-pick himself out of the restraints. Judging by the bruises, Reaper can't really blame him, but he's not willing to add more to the the 'people that can turn on him' list without getting a better feel for their state.

"The longer we stay, the likelihood of us turning on each other rises."

Quickly assessing their states, he makes sure they're not going to simply try to strike him or use a weird power he doesn't know about right off the bat. The fidgety one working on the cuffs grabs most of his attention, but given their situation, he doubts they'll attack the people that saved them. As long as the restraints aren't indestructible, he figures they could be easily snapped apart.

With only hearing Reaper over the comms, Widowmaker scanned the area looking for a room that was out of War's sight but easy for her to relocate to without revealing herself.

"Use the room at three o'clock. I will be there momentarily. The other fights appear well in hand; I am not needed here any longer."

Genji left Reaper with one last glance before turning toward Elphelt. He motioned to get her attention, not exactly wanting to surprise her or cause a fatal distraction in whatever form of concentration she was in to hold back the ever present aggression hanging in the area.

"Please assist me in securing the room so the others have time to regain their senses, secure our foes, and fall back."

He doubted there would be a surprise attack and all foes had been handled but ignoring the possibility could result in death.

Genji's face was at least familiar to her, a point to focus on.

Orders she could follow.

"Affirmative," she nodded, stepping away from the now prone, konked out Tal and readying Miss Travalier, a shotgun-like VALIS gun, and held it at the ready. A tactical analysis had her doubting that they'd see any more trouble, at least trouble that wasn't originating from one of them. But securing the room meant more than just protecting from outside threats... and the part of her that was still Elphelt trusted Genji, after seeing him fight, to make sure she wouldn't become a threat herself.

Weird powers weren't going to be used on their rescuers - or on anyone else, until the collars were removed. Rokk wasn't as impatient, now that progress was being made. He forced a yawn to stretch out the muscles in his jaw. They felt stiff, and his mouth was dry.

He shot a mildly irritated look at Lyle. After all this effort getting back, Cos does not want to be the one to explain how they lost Invisible Kid at the last minute because Lyle had to get all heroic. But he can't really focus well enough to put together a comment on anything specific. His eyes keep drifting between Reaper's face mask and Elphelt's shotgun. Lyle's progress with the locks was assumed and didn't need to be tracked.

Settling on Reaper, Rokk spoke carefully, because he can't be sure that they're real, even with everything they saw in the crystal dimension, until he talks to someone he knows and hasn't only seen. "I'm Cosmic Boy, and that's Invisible Kid. I'm sorry we're out of uniform, but they have what's left of our gear. Who's the field leader?"

Lyle spits a couple times to try and get the taste of gag out of his mouth, ignoring the look Cos shoots his way. He is not about to be the one explaining how he let Cosmic Boy get shot. His luck has kept him alive pretty well, it's his actions that keep the sentients he cares about alive.

His fingers are still clumsy from the drugs and fiddling with the cuffs takes most of his concentration, but their primary rescuer doesn't seem to be objecting from behind his horror movie mask, so Lyle spares him a brief, toothy grin.

"If you want me to get anywhere at any kind of speed, I'm gonna need my hands or someone's arm. Not too steady on my feet right now."

While Genji and Elphelt secure the room, Reaper pointedly looks to his 3 o'clock, making note of it before turning to Cosmic Boy and Invisible Kid. The names stand out as something particularly old-school comic book-like which would've made him snort under his breath were he not more concerned with other things.

"Parker is in charge of the espionage squad. She's got her hands full with the Carggites."

He approaches them and reaches for the restraints that they seem to be having issues with. Invisible boy is drugged, from what he can tell, so he goes for his first. Getting a good grip of the plastic-like material, it's really heavy-duty stuff, but it only takes a bit of pressure before he finds a good point to snap it in half.

"Just keep up." He growls, trying to keep the conversation to a minimum. The waves of white hot anger ebbs away slowly, though he can't assume why. Maybe War needs more concentration? Either way, it's a better time than any to try and escape. Then he turns to address the group as a whole. "We'll be rendezvousing with Widowmaker in the room to our 3. Let's get moving."

The anger and rage impotently clawing at her ebbed away. Glad to be rid of that annoyance, Widowmaker scanned the room once more before shutting the recording device and leaving her perch along the ceiling.

"You no longer have my cover; move quickly."

Back through the vent she came in, down a different junction, and Widowmaker would be lowering herself to ground level on her grappling hook about the time the others made it. Widow's Kiss in assault mode, she changed her ammo back to the stun rounds and raised her visor so she could get a look at the hostages, not just their heat signatures.

With the rage he kept buried deep inside him slowing its assault against the defenses he had long built up against he, things came into focus far more clearly. While surveying all the ways into the room minus where the others were going to exit, he kept giving a glance at Elphelt, to make sure he wasn't the only person seeing levels of improvement.

The pressure eased, and Elphelt slowly released herself from the bars she'd put up, the glow in her eyes fading and emotion returning to her features. She felt... safe. Safer, anyways. She also felt a hell of a headache coming on.

She grimaced, rubbing at her temple, but eventually offered Genji a weak smile and a thumbs up.

"Sorry... if I acted a little weird there, for a moment."

THE SPIES WHO SPROCKED US - modplot

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Reaper's player wanted him to spirit the hostages away after they saved them, so I'm setting that up

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Please hold off on tagging until the other NPC joins in later tonight.

Other NPC get!

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lemme know if ya'll wanna wrap this up the next round

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Whenever you want it wrapped is fine with me.

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