Brotherhood of the Machine (IC Thread) [PG/14] {02}

[Rammenstein]

"Affermative. Eraser, ready for action." Ram replied over the comm.

[techmaster-glitch]

   Jexx still loked bad, but not as bad as he was. "Let them come...I'll kill them all...those bastards..." Jexx wasn't shaking anymore. But he still had a strange expression on his face, something along the lines of an expression one would have if they were 'still recovering' from a life-shaking revelation.

[Ryudo Lee]

Once the whole team was outside of the shack, the demolitionist started priming the detonator.
"Man, can you believe they pay me to do this?" The demolitionist said.
He pressed the detonation button.

All four of the charges that he had set went off at the same time, taking out the structural supports of the transmitter.  The shockwave itself pretty much ruined the inner workings of the transmitter.  Without the supports, the transmitter fell.

Above ground, there was the sound of a loud explosion, and the ground started to rumble.  Sewer covers popped off, but they didn't go far.  Some fire came up out of the manholes, but quickly died out.  Then there was a loud THUD, and then it was over.

All the people in the city suddenly stopped what they were doing.  They all felt dazed and confused.  Everyone looked around at each other, feeling as though they'd just woken up from a very strange dream.

Back at the lab, the chips that Sally and the lab boys were examining suddenly shut down completely.

And without any warning, all the televisions and radios in the city suddenly began playing a message.  The voice on the message was that of Jackson Phoenix.

"People of Northon!  My name is Jackson Phoenix, and my people, the Rebellion, have just brought you out of your forced hypnotic state!  The perpetrators of this heinous act against all of you is none other than The Brotherhood of The Machine!  They implanted chips at the base of your brain to control your thoughts, to make you feel complacent and obey their every command!  All of you have this chip.  Men, women, and children.  But the transmitter that controlled you has been destroyed, and the chips are no longer functioning!  You are all free now!  So please, open your eyes now and see the treachery that The Brotherhood has caused!"

The message kept repeating itself.

Over everyone's comms, Jackson's voice came through.
"Good work team, pull out and return here to base.  We'll have a debriefing, and we'll start work on your next mission." He said.

[Rammenstein]

Dorcan was right, that was a pretty big IR signal. Even thought Ram had turned down the sensitivity, he still had to squint a little. Once the flare had died down he, satisfied that he no longer needed to see in IR, switched to normal imaging and re-focused his attention on the streets. He would be very surprised if the Brotherhood didn't send troops after that explosion.

[Tapewolf]

"We're screwed," Dorcan said.  "The Brotherhood are going to mobilise everything after that blast.  It's just the excuse they need to declare martial law, so like the man says, we'd best get out of here before they hunt us down."

How the heck did Jackson do that thing with the broadcast? he wondered to himself.

[lucas marcone]

"I dunno i kinda wanna bash in a few faces. All this sneaking around and I've yet to hand out any violent retrobution." Josh said with a disappointed look.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

"Goddess I know the PR of thing great, But Jackson. I have a patient to get to.... Jexx, Can you still bring out Babs to me?  or I will have to come back for her, some day soon.  I just need a few minutes for me to help her.   Grrrr  There goes the whole plan" storms Dr Sally as she heads back to the Vans and her equipments.  She also heads to the lab with Bill the security guard. 

"Chad, how is Bill?" asks Sally of Dr Westling.  Bill and Chad were wayching Jackson's broadcast.

PBH

[techmaster-glitch]

   The explosion seemed to change something in Jexx. Almost right after it happened, Jexx's demeanor returned to it's original hardness. It's as if the explosion shook him out of the funk he was in and snapped him back to reality. He then saw Jackson's broadcast through a window of a shop. Well, that's certainly left me speechless... He thought to himself. He then remembered that he had taken out his microcomms, and hurridly fumbled to get them back in. He was just in time to hear Doctor Sally talking specifically to him, which caught Jexx off-guard. He listened to her, then replied.
   "Babs? Who the hell is...oh wait, ain't she that chick Josh was supposed to date?" Jexx snorted. "Allright, I'll play delivery boy for Josh's little crush, but the problem is I have no idea where the f**k she is!"
   Oh yeah. Jexx was back to his old self again.
   "But if you tell me, I can go get her. The Brotherhood are going to be swarming in minutes, so everyone needs to get back to the camp, pronto. But if we also need to get Babs, then the less people we risk to get her the better. I do believe I'm rather, ah, how you say...expendable."

[Prof B Hunnydew]

"Sorry Jexx I forget who is in charge of your little troop or trip.  Yes Josh should be the one going to get her, and he knows where she is lives.  But maybe, you guys can check on her on your way back at her work, the Silver Diner on Maple and Forest ave on the south side of town just east of the freeway 125 exit 17. " says Sally " but I will be check on Bill;s chip and the other chip in a few moments and We will see if I need worry about her, right now.  Still, Her magic potential alone would put her on a watch list by both side."

PBH

[lucas marcone]

"Ok guys, we need to be quick! Jexx can you head to the dinner and check if Babs is there? If she is give me a shout and either I can come get her or you can drag her out. I'll be heading for her home. Checking both places at once should cut down the time to find her. The rest of you should high tail it." Josh spat out his hastily put together plan.

[Azlan]

Morgan regarded the transmission and shook his head, Does not miss a beat does he?

Shouldering his gun, Morgan dropped quietly to the street level and met the rest of the team, "You heard the man, time to pull out.  Good job down there everyone, you all adapted well.  Let's move out."

Morgan considered the hastily drawn together plan, "We're considering a teenage girl here, correct?  Hook your cell up to one of the computers and use the GlobalNav to find its location.  Even if in all this confusion she dropped her phone, it is likely she will not be found too far from it... she is a teenage/young adult girl, it is a safe bet."

[lucas marcone]

Josh looked at Morgan like he was crazy. "Do what with the who now?"

[techmaster-glitch]

   Jexx shook his head and walked past Morgan. "I'm goin' with your plan, Josh, it sounds easier. We better go right now, there's no time to waste." Jexx said as he got to Josh. "We'll meet you guys back at the camp. You better hurry too." Jexx said to the others.

[Tapewolf]

"Very well," said Dorcan, unsure if he was still in charge.  "We'll head to the base camp and meet you there.  Give us regular updates and do not let the Brothers follow you to the camp.  Now, let's move out, people."

[techmaster-glitch]

   As Jexx went one way with Josh and the others all went the opposite direction, Jexx turned around for a moment to shout something back to them. "Do I LOOK like someone who lets the Brotherhood follow them?" Then Jexx turned, scaled a building, and started roof-hopping his way towards the diner.

[Tapewolf]

"Yes," said Dorcan, but not over the comms.

[Rammenstein]

"I'll remain in position for a little longer and give you guys cover. I'll follow once you've all safely left the town." Ram replied, remaining where he was. It was a good idea to have a sniper cover the team until they got to safety. He could both warn them of enemy activity in their area and help neutralize it.

[Tapewolf]

"So you can shoot us in the head as we leave?"  Dorcan asked.  "Listen, Eraser, You may have convinced Exo over a comms link, but how do we know you're not an incubus or succubus who's assumed his form?  Can someone scan his..." he trailed off as the others were looking at him strangely.

"OK, forget it," he said.  "I guess you don't have such things here."

[lucas marcone]

Josh put his plasma rifle back in his bag and tossed it to Dorcan. "Stay safe!" He called before he ran for Babs' place. He ran through streets before he caught sight of an enforcer. Before the enforcer could spot him Josh had already popped out of sight and down an alley way. Almost forgot about them. This'll be rough convinceing Babs to follow me back to the camp without alarming the goons. She's bound to be confused as hell. "Jexx I may need back up to get back to the camp if things go sour. Can you follow directions if need be?"

[techmaster-glitch]

   "I'm pretty sure I can." Jexx said. He'd roof-hopped his way following Doctor Sally's instructions, keeping low and moving fast to avoid detection like he always had done. He saw quite a few zealots and even a few enforcers on his way.
   Eventually, he came to the diner that Babs may be in. He hopped his way to the roof, then dropped down the back in the allyway. He circled around to the side until he came to a window. Keeping low, he was about to peek up inside when he realized he hadn't seen Babs before. Whispering into his microcomm to Josh, he said, "Um, Josh? What the hell does this Babs chick look like?"

[lucas marcone]

Josh was panting trying to keep his pace up. "She's a squirrel around 16 years old I'd say. She has a reddish coat and long red-orange hair which lookes good with her light blue uniform.....Gotta admit. I'd go to jail for that." He joked.

[techmaster-glitch]

   "Ok..." Jexx peeked up at the bottom of the window he was under to see if anyone in the diner matched Josh's description.

[Azlan]

Morgan gave a sideways glance to Dorcan, "Scan his what now?"

Not fully understanding his meaning, Morgan utilized a sensor scan and a psychic one as well, "Fox species, no magical or psychic emanations... there doesn't appear to be any shielding.  His eyes... are implants... no life energy at all in them.  Nothing unusual or special.  Let's head back now."

Morgan drew his pistols and moved further ahead, scouting at the corner.

[Tapewolf]

"'Scan his surface thoughts' I was going to say," Dorcan explained.  "But by the looks of things you don't have a problem with shapeshifters here.  In any case, as far as I know, 'Cubi can't replicate implants like that.  So it either means he's a shapeshifter who already had implants, or more likely, he's the real thing.

"Anyway... who's going to lead us back?"

[lucas marcone]

Josh popped out through some bushes to a small front yeard. It had a slightly over grown look about it and the house was a two story that looked, aged, to say the least. At least the shrubs would keep him from being readily spotted by an stray goon. He walked up to the house and knocked on the door.

[techmaster-glitch]

   Jexx looked over the bottom of the window with his eyes, looking surreptitiously around the diner. Jackson's broadcast was playing on a loop on the diner's television, and all the patrons and personnel were just standing or sitting still, various expressions of shock, confusion, or revulsion on their faces.
   As Jexx continued to look around, he spotted a reddish squirrel girl with orange hair, wearing the diner's blue uniform. Jexx ducked down again and whispered into his microcomm. "Josh, I think I've found this Babs chick, she is here at the diner. I'll pick her up and meet you back at the camp." Jexx then peeped back up the window. I have to wait for her to be alone, no one's supposed to see me... Several of the waiters shook their heads, and automatically went about their business, not really paying attention. Probably still pondering what had just happened. Babs stood there, looking shocked and confused, then turned and headed for a back room in the diner. Perfect... Jexx thought. He ducked down and started around the building, peeking in windows to see where she was, until he saw her in what looked like a storage room with the lights off. Her expression looked as if she was struggling with some great inner personal feeling. Jexx stood up, morphing his handcannons to hands, and placed them on the sides of the window. He had learned from his mistake from shattering the window back at the the Brotherhood warehouse. He got a grip, pulled with one hand, and pushed with the other. After straining for a second, the window Popped! right out of it's frame. Jexx put it up against the wall on the ground, grabbed the top of the brick masonry, and flipped himself feetfirst through the window, landing smoothly in full view of Babs.
   "Why, hello there." Jexx said calmly, then started walking towards the startled woman. "I'll make this simple and short. I got a friend who want to see you. He wants to see you safe, unharmed, and alive. However, we are on a bit of a tight schedule, as we are hiding for our lives from the droves of Brotherhood troops now swarming the city. Obviously, this puts a little stress on my job as golden retriever. So, we're going to do this one way; my way. You're coming with me, lady." Jexx reached Babs, and with no further warning, grabbed the stunned Babs with his whole left arm and slung her over his back like a sack of potatoes, done easily thanks to the mechanical strength in his arm. There was no way he could go back out the way he came in with such a load on him, so he went to his old standby: make your own way. He morphed his right hand back into a handcannon, and turned to the wall. In short order, he began shooting at it, up, over, and down. After a moment, he stopped, backed up, then ran at the wall full speed. At the last moment, he jumped, putting his heavy metal feet and legs out first in a jumping kick. He slammed into the wall, which exploded outward, weakened at the arch that he had melted into it. Babs was just freaking out, screaming and kicking, almost getting Jexx in the face. Jexx did a hard, short jump, jolting Babs on his back and stunning her for a second. "Lady, if you don't stop kicking and screaming, you're gonna get us both killed." Jexx looked around for a moment, then set off in a run down the alleyway.

[Tapewolf]

No-one else seemed to come forward so it looked like Dorcan was still in charge.  Perhaps it's better that I go first, he thought - after all he had a far greater chance of surviving a direct hit from a handgun than his organic companions did.
Gesturing for them to remain put, he dissolved into the stark shadows of the alleyway, his presence betrayed only by a dim red glow from his eyes.  Previously he'd have done anything to worm out of this, for fear it would compromise his identity, but if Eraser could have augmented vision, so could he.

At the street intersection he glanced around furtively and stuck his hand back into the light and signaling the others to move with a quick, smooth gesture before plunging it back into the comforting, shadowed night.

All this will be for nothing if they have IR cameras of course, he thought with grim amusement.

[lucas marcone]

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DO YOU WANT THE WHOLE TOWN ON YOU?!" Josh shouted at Jexx. Josh wouldn't hear jexx's reply as a large ball of energy glanced off his head destroing the comm and leaveing him with large patches of exposed flesh. He didn't bleed much as the wound was pretty much cauterized. Josh turned to his aggresor as he covered his wounds with his off hand and welped in pain. He saw a zelot. With all that metal his bullets would be hard pressed to find a target, still he had to try. He fired a few rounds at it. Afew left large dents in parts of his face metal, more missed. It wasn't working well. "contricio terra!" A large piece of building flew off and smashed into the goon.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

"Lords of Light, Can you guys go anywhere without getting shot at? " Says Sally over the comlink.  She was listening on the recon party as they work their way back to the camp as she packed up and striked down the camp.  Leaving only a mobile medical unit setup for any wounded and for Bab's treatment.  "I was hoping to leave our guests some options, so they would not be stuck with come with us like or not."

"Bill, you are good to go, if the Commander says so but I think they will be dropping you off somewhere else.  The Brotherhood knows you are with us, and they could just kill you for that.  Also you chip has been removed and you are in perfect health" Says Sally " Chad, my love, you also have to choose to stay with us or go to another city."

PBH

[techmaster-glitch]

   Jexx ran through the alleyways, and heard Josh yell at him over the microcomm. Jexx was going to answer, but a sudden zap of plasma from Josh's end indicated something bad had happened.
   "Um, I think you probably should know," Jexx said to the 'package' on his shoulder, "You're boyfriend may have just died. Sorry. But we don't have any time to worry about that at the moment...' Jexx stopped at an intersection, glanced down the different paths, and chose one in the direction of the camp. Sally's voice then came over the line. "Well, nothing can be done about that right now..." Jexx remarked dryly.
   Jexx then came to a spot next to a street. He had no choice but to cross it, in full view. He glanced down both sides, didn't see anyone, and made a mad dash across. Almost there...
   "Hey, who's that guy carrying the girl?"
   "Get him!"
   Well, shit.
   Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
   Bzzw! Bzzw! Bzzw!
   Bullets and plasma bolts whizzed by Jexx, popping holes in the buildings in front of him, for just a moment before he made it to the adjacent alley. He easily recognized them both as standard zealot munitions by their unique sound. He continued his mad pace down the alley, before coming to another intersection, turning a corner to the right, and backstopping right up against the wall. He quickly let Babs down, keeping his left mechanical arm firmly around her, and using his left hand to cover her mouth. "Shh shh shh shh, don't make a sound, I won't hesitate to knock you out if it means my life..."
   Jexx then closed his eyes and listened carefully. He heard footfalls that he clearly recognized as Brotherhood. By listening to them, he made out two approaching people one, behind the other, coming down the alley Jexx had just been running through. Jexx tensed up, his right arm and handcannon free and at the ready. He heard them come closer, and Jexx waited for the right moment to strike.
   Then he did. With a loud battle-cry, he swung around, right arm outstretched, just as the first zealot was reaching the intersection. Jexx's handcannon slammed squarely into the zealots head, sending him into a full backflip onto his back. Jexx quickly brought his right foot up, then down onto the zealots head, crushing it into a bloody mess on the ground. Jexx's handcannon was already brought around to the second zealot, the zealot finding the barrel right in his face. Jexx let off several bursts, frying the zealot's faceplate and most of his head as well. The zealot stepped backward, weapon dropped, hands clawing at his nonexistant face, before falling onto his back dead, head still smoking.
   Jexx looked down at his foot. "Ew. Brotherhood filth." Jexx quickly scraped what he could off his metal foot on the ground, the picked up Babs again and placing her on his shoulder. "Time to go." He said, continuing towards the camp.