nexus_crossings | Into a Rising Wind

Entry tags:

event

Into a Rising Wind

Winter holds the Nexus in its jaws, and its teeth sink ever deeper.

A month into the storm, the snow has yet to stop falling. The number of mouths to be fed has stopped dwindling, almost. Occasionally people go missing, and those who notice hope they’ve found a way back through their portals. It’s not enough to change the maths on their food supplies - all their supplies. Nobody is getting a full meal at a time, not any more. Isidor and Lyall have begun to enforce the rationing with iron hands. Both ignore the look that crosses Captain Kirk’s face when they upbraid a volunteer cook for being too generous – the look that lingers on Runa’s face if she’s close enough to hear. They’re doing what they must. They need a tight hold on their supplies if they want to get people through this. They need supplies even to send expeditions after more.

And expeditions are a difficult prospect now. Those who ventured into the storm and returned have brought stories that spread faster than Isidor hoped. The Crossroads Cafe has become a semi-official hub for those travelling outside or keeping watch on the bounds, a safe resting place kept warm by the combined power of Pokemon and Persona. In the long dark nights, people sit around the tables and share what they've seen, what they've heard from this scout or that refugee. Whispered tales of the creatures out there hunting in packs, hounding people from rooftops, even tearing open walls to reach them…

No-one goes out alone, now. Those brave enough to take the risk go in groups and arm themselves with the best weapons they can find. Sometimes they’re a risk to themselves. Not everyone knows how to handle that black market plasma pistol they picked up two days past. Not all of their team-mates keep their nerve when a figure looms out of the snows beside them. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s run afoul of monsters, and who of their own folly. Safer, but little less brave, are the people recruited to keep watch on that shifting line of torches. Just a precaution. The creatures don’t come past it, everyone says. But quietly, everyone doubts.

There've been bright moments, too. A strange alchemist comforting a lost child. An expedition team fighting their way home, back to back. Families brought safely through the snow by soldiers and wizards, by heroes young and old and sometimes surprising. A volunteer cook stepping up to prepare, if not quite a hundred thousand meals, then something that feels close. A young man saving the life of a stranger who'd threatened him. The past weeks have seen people who may never have known one another before come together to offer a blanket, or guiding words, or a helping hand in a search. Small moments, glowing reminders of how much good the people of the Nexus have on their side. But the Winter goes on, and the winds never get less bitter, and the smiles get more strained with every day.

Slowly the line of torches close on the Plaza, a noose no-one can afford to flee. Sheltered space is at a premium. Most of those who remain are settled as close to the centre as they can be. Whether in the big public bunker or the Cafe, people find themselves crammed all together, and tempers regularly fray among residents not too cold and exhausted for fighting. The more responsible Nexus-goers find themselves trying to duck out of (or break up) fights, or spending hours stuffing drafty accommodation with any insulation they can find. There’s snow to be shoveled from doors, pipes to be defrosted, bandages to be changed. Anything’s better than dealing with the problem of working bathrooms.

At one end of the Plaza headquarters, a makeshift screen has been dragged into place to give a semblance of privacy to Isidor’s desk. It’s painfully early in the morning, though the nights are so long and the days so dim beneath the storm clouds there’s little sense of time any more. There’s no-one around yet to wonder about the meeting going on. The only people present are Isidor, Lyall and a handful of senior volunteers – those who remain. Blaze-37 crouches by a makeshift fireplace, stacking the salvaged wood just right before she punches it lightly, setting it alight with the flames that ripple over her fist. The other robot, Ghost, is hovering over the desk playing flashlight for them, shining a pale beam over the maps and reports laid out there. Light, too, is a precious resource, as batteries die and outlets are lost to encroaching Winter. It’s the only reason those here have gotten sleep. They work until they have no light to work by.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Suou?” the Guardian asks when Isidor says they can begin.

“Officer Suou won’t be coming.”

That’s part of why they’re here, Isidor explains. The torches’ march has taken them past the Grand Library. The Crossroads Café is now on the very edge of the safe zone, along with all the people sheltering there. Katsuya’s magic is the only thing that will protect it. He can’t leave. It’s a turning point that only drives home the larger problem: they’re running out of time. They’re running out of everything. Most refugees are in some kind of shelter by now; what they lack is food to keep them alive and fuel to keep them warm. Isidor’s volunteers have counted heads and counted tins and counted everything backwards and forwards and the numbers never get better. Either they do something now, while they have the strength, or the meals will run dry in two weeks. Less, if anything goes wrong.

She lets that sink in. Nobody looks surprised: she’s confirming their worst suspicions and that gets a few flinches, but they understand. They talk, instead. By the time there’s a hint of daylight outside and someone knocks on the door for the first shot at rations, they have a plan. They need an expedition, bigger than any before. They need enough arms to discourage attack, the skills to get them to any buried supplies and the numbers to haul them back in quantity. Each of them walks away from the table with a mission in mind and an air of grim determination.

They have a job to do, and they’re going to need help.

((As before, so below: the main missions/subquests for the expedition prep are listed below. Tag any of them, threadhop, or post with your own character. I suggest putting your character’s name in the subject to help keep things clear. The OOC Post can be found here! If you have any questions, feel free to message me or one of the mods!))

Threads of Note

Scouting the Expedition | A Fistful of Torches | Scrapyard Sweep | The Home Front | Medical Attention | Isidor's Expedition Call | Main Expedition: The Raid

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Furiosa's not sure she appreciates that laugh from Blaze. Her eyebrows go up. She, of course, has no idea the extent of damage Blaze is capable of bouncing back from, but she stands by her opinion that no one is invincible. When you've seen entire places die, it gives you a very strong sense of impermanence and fragility in the world.

That said, she's also not inclined to argue if Blaze wants to draw all the fire she can. If she's convinced she's going to be the last one standing, Furiosa's willing to trust her on it.

"As far as sapience," she says, "I'd say they're capable of verbal communication. They just haven't bothered. Palmer said something to one of them and it very clearly laughed at him. Pissed him off." She shrugs. "But I don't think much of their strategic skills, based on what I've seen so far."

They remind her of the Buzzards, back home, in fact. Wily, brutal, but not exactly military geniuses. But she can only base her opinion on what she's seen, herself, and may find out later she's mistaken.

She watches Azwel's performance with sharp, analytical eyes. It should be shocking and impressive, and it is, but she quickly becomes caught up in wondering how long he can keep that up, and what the energy draw it takes might do to him. Based on how he crackles with narrowly-controlled energy now, she's inclined to think they'll all be better off with him using that ability as a weapon of last resort. She gives him a nod, though, and a gentle hum and smile. "Nice."

By contrast, Natasha's declaration of her abilities is understated, quiet. Furiosa doesn't know her well, but she's seen her injured and gauged a fair bit about what sort of person she is from her behavior back then. Tough. Wary. Perceptive. Exactly the kind of person you need to size up a situation. She gives her a smile, as well, something a bit more knowing in it.

And then it's her turn. "Same. Standard-issue human. But the world I come from has about as many resources on tap as we have available here and now. I'm used to deprivation, bad weather, and fighting tooth and nail for survival. I'm used to everything around me wanting to kill me to one degree or another, and I'm still here."

"I have fourteen years of experience scouting and making supply runs in the desert--under conditions not quite like this, but just as hostile to living things. I've gone alone and I've led crews, and I've fought and won a road war with less than two dozen on my side against well-armed war parties from three different cities. I will never die easy."

"But in the interest of complete honesty, my left arm is a prosthesis, and it depends on hydraulic fluid to function. If it freezes, it's useless and I'll have to dump it. I can function without it; I can shoot and fight without it, but I'll be a lot better off if it stays functional and attached."

Out of everyone here, Natalie feels the least equipped for the upcoming journey. Azwel has clearly displayed powers beyond her knowledge, while Furiosa and Natasha clearly have combat experience. Maybe signing up for this was a bad idea...Her faith wavers for a second, but then Incineroar steps forward, belt burning with passion and fire. Without warning, the Pokemon roars, the nearby air grows warm and the snow falling around them melts.

"I'm just an average human, but I've got Pokemon by my side. We specialize in elemental attacks, mostly fire and water. We can also manipulate rocks and ice. Most of our moves are offensive, but can also be used defensively. I would show more, but it can be draining for Pokemon to use lots of attacks at once." Speaking of that detail..."I'm going to keep two with me right now, while the rest stay safe in their Pokeballs."

She gestures to a strange floating rock and a moth-like creature, who seem to be patiently waiting beside their trainer. "The more Pokemon I have out, the harder it is to be efficient, but these two will be good at scouting ahead."

It’s hard at this stage to tell whether Blaze is cavalier about the odds of her getting killed out there, or cavalier about the concept. Either way, she clearly takes it as read that her survival is nothing to worry about… except insofar as dying would leave her team more vulnerable.

What the rest of the group have to say about themselves is more interesting to her. Blaze’s optics widen a bit when Azwel steps up and begins conjuring blades. There’s a strange energy thrumming through him, a tension she feels but doesn’t understand. It’s fascinating… as much as its swift and lethal effects. When she looks aside at Ghost, her small partner returns a look that says he’s as curious and uncertain as she is. Still, it doesn’t feel like Darkness he’s calling on…

“Impressive,” she declares with a nod to him. She’s only half teasing when she adds, “Though I’m kinda starting to wonder what kind of healer you are.”

She nods to Natasha, aware of how much the spy is understating her work. That’s her style though, and she covers the important details. Blaze knows she can count on Romanov. Already has. She doesn’t know Furiosa the same way, but everything the woman says backs up what Blaze has seen of her: a seasoned warrior, well-used to hostile terrain and unexpected threats. Someone whose exploits the Guardian thinks she’d like to hear more about. But that’s for after they get home from this alive.

And then there’s Natalie’s squad. Blaze finds herself thinking of the younger woman as the rookie of the group, though experience is relative. It’s the sense of nerves she gives off. But the muscular feline Pokemon steps up with a fierce roar, and Blaze could swear she feels the Light within her dance in answer to the flames it wears. Her optics glow a little brighter as she listens, giving a low grunt of approval. If Natalie’s Pokemon get half their fighting spirit from her, they’ll probably be just fine. Light willing, anyway. Speaking of which, it’s her turn to lay out what she’s got.

“I’m glad to have you all at our back,” she says honestly. She may have faith in her own immortality, but they’ll clear their objectives more reliably and efficiently together- and besides, there are few truer pleasures than working and fighting alongside a fine set of comrades.

“As for me, I’ve patrolled the wilds and fought half a dozen kinds of aliens and demons on half the worlds in our system- and whatever the Nexus counts as. Prefer close-quarters combat, but I can generate grenades and these days my powers are strong at range too. I have the Light-” and she draws on it a little as she closes a fist in front of her, channeling flame over her gauntlet for a moment, “and I have my weapons, and I always have my fists.” She chuckles. “Plus, I have Ghost on comms and medical support.” The little bot spins his shell in reply.

She considers them all again. “Now, this group is larger than our usual strike units, so after we hit the first couple of beacons we’ll split into two fireteams. Furiosa, I’ll ask you to lead the other. We’ll cover ground faster, but both teams need to stick close enough to reinforce each other as soon as we encounter trouble. We’ll need tight co-ordination.”

"A versatile one," he says in answer to Blaze's question. "I've studied medicine for years as well as martial arts, tactics, and survival." And history and literature, and at least twelve languages and and and and....

Azwel is suitably impressed by these folks he's never met--he gets a very serious and capable air from all of them, even the Pokemon trainer, despite her trepidation. The Incineroar elicits an appreciative nod.

It becomes obvious, however, that he's from the far past with his question: "In this storm, how will we communicate with one another?"

Out of everyone in this group, it's Furiosa who Natasha feels is the most comparable to herself. Both the Exo and Azwel have magic of some sort to call on, and again the Guardian and Natalie both have tech she can't evne begin to wrap her head around at their disposal. But Furiosa at least Natasha's able to get a bead on and it helps to have another data point to add to her own internal calculations.

It's only thanks to prior circumstances that Natasha knows anything at all concerning Blaze and her make up. Her abilities. Her weaknesses. But they do share that history and that will also be taken into account. Azel and Natalie are unknown factors, but if they're earnest in their representations of themselves then the spy feels like she's got at least a general bead on them for how they'll react in a given situation.

It's not enough to make her comfortable with what they're about to go do but it's enough to stop her from giving any noise of complaint. Fitting too that she won't be the one relegated to command duty. She's capable of it, but it's not her preferred role in a squad.

"The first two beacons must be close by then. On the way to the torch line, I'm assuming. We shouldn't waste any time."

Furiosa is privately fascinated by Natalie's Pokemon. There are so few animals back home, and the ones they have are beyond valuable, but they don't have anything like big cats that can shoot fireballs or whatever that was. Maybe they should. In any case, she's spoken with Natalie a little before now, and despite her obvious greenness, she likes her and she's inclined to trust her determination.

"Are they going to be vulnerable to rifle fire?" She asks Natalie, nodding at the Pokemon. "Pretty sure we don't want them to be shot, any more than the rest of us."

That sort of expands the size of their expedition, at least in Furiosa's mind.

She blinks mildly as Blaze asks her to lead one of the teams, nodding without hesitation. "Can do. Do we need to discuss how we're splitting now, or can it wait until we hit the beacons?"

Now that the formal introductions are done, keeping any idle Pokemon out is the cold is a bad idea. There's a lapse in the conversation, which gives Natalie enough time to recall her other friends back into their Pokeballs, leaving only Volcarona and Carbink out. The moth hovers closely to the group, its bug-like eyes scanning the team over quickly. Carbink, however, has found Ghost fascinating, and seems to be watching the mechanical 'creature'. The question Furiosa offers up is definitely one that Natalie has never had to think about.

"Carbink should be fine, given he's made of gemstones and rock. With Volcarona, I'll need to be mindful of how she dodges those type of attacks." Maybe she can melt the bullets down? Given how fast the moth can be, she's certain that evasive maneuvers can be made on the fly. As for hearing about the team split up, she has no idea what team she'd work best in and is leaving that call to either Blaze or Furiosa.

"I'll go wherever you need me." It feels weird not working alone, but she could get used to this teamwork on a daily basis.

…Ah. The Exo blinks at Azwel for a moment, a quick shuttering of her optics before she grunts to herself. She reaches down and sets a quartet of small hardened radios on the table.

“Radio communication,” she says simply. “All set to a common channel. I’m guessing you aren’t familiar with using one of these. I’ll show you the basics on the way out. Anyway, unless you’re the one co-ordinating with the other team, we’ll stick to emergency comms only. No sense wasting the charge. These things have been unreliable enough as is.”

Blaze trusts Natasha and her judgment implicitly, but she also knows what the agent’s specialty is. Furiosa has the skill and experience to take the lead – and the Guardian didn’t overlook that suggestion that she delegate, after all. She nods to the Furiosa and Natalie both.

“As for who goes where: Romanov, Azwel, you’re with Furiosa on Alpha Team. Natalie and her squad will stick with me on Bravo. Unless anyone’s got an objection?” Flipping the naming conventions a little, but she has a preference and it’s not like it matters. Unless anyone’s got an issue with the arrangement, she’s going to power ahead and briskly point out the route on the map. If everyone understands where they’re going and what’s expected of them, there’s a better chance this will go off without complications.

There’s one more thing, before they go – Blaze hefts up four curved sets of sturdy metal plating. They’re roughly shield-shaped… but if they look like front and back cuirass halves hastily split apart and repurposed with some straps, it’s because they are. Makeshift shields, she explains with a shrug. If anyone on the team doesn’t find them too unwieldy, they’ll offer a degree of protection against most any fire they’re likely to encounter. But whether they take up that option or not, the group is swiftly marching out to the torches.

The first beacon is on the way, as Natasha guessed, and here they get a good look at one of their targets. It’s a sturdy, smooth metal spike rising up to about knee-height, with a reinforced black processor box and stubby antenna attached, capped by a silver cylinder. The tip of it glows with a soft green light, steadily flashing. Blaze shows them how to deactivate the beacon and pull it smoothly out of the ground, like uprooting a plant. Of course, it might be harder where it’s frozen into the ice…

That beacon gets stowed safely out of the weather in a nearby doorway, before the team keeps going. At the edge of the torches the Titan puts down the sled for a minute and settles her helm on her head, the pressure seals snapping together. Her face is hidden behind the blank mirrored plate when she turns to look back at the others, the bright yellow cloth at her hip fluttering in the rising gale. The snow hisses where she steps into it, her weight sinking straight through.

“Eyes up from here. Carbink, Volcarona, watch the rooftops. Romanov, keep an eye on our six. Everyone else watch our flanks. They’ve got plenty of chances for an ambush out there. Let’s go spoil their fun.”

With that, they’re off headfirst into the storm, the sudden wind threatening to blow their steps aside, the air swirling wildly with snow. One way or another, they’ll have to watch their path and make sure they don’t lose track of the people in front of them, as they crunch through the grey light of snowbound streets. Hopefully they’re equally difficult for others to see…

Azwel's not familiar with radios at all, but he catches on very quickly. He clips one of them to his belt with all the other things hanging from it.

The shield, however, he declines. If nothing else, he can't get a gauntleted hand under the straps and he isn't about to remove one of them--that'd break the circuit and render them useless.

The uprooting of the beacon is watched keenly, his mind already figuring its weight and dimensions and the best angle at which to pull the thing from the ground from his own perspective, already figuring that someone six feet should attempt it over someone shorter--the leverage would be easier. That he doesn't voice this, however, is odd. But he's preoccupied by the howling of the wind and how it sounds like a voice, calling out to him.

Then they're moving on. The edge of the torches almost feels like a precipice. But he tightens the wrappings around his head and face and neck and pulls a pair of goggles down over his eyes.

The wind hits him like something solid and he staggers, regaining his feet after a few steps, slogging along through the snow with the others. He squints into the blizzard, but it's nearly a white-out. Around him looms the ice-covered geometry of dead buildings, alien shapes of black and grey and white, the wind screaming its furious grief at their passing.

Or is it screaming in fierce triumph at its victory?

That wind... Azwel wishes he could block it out, but then he wouldn't hear his comrades if they said anything. He grits his teeth, continuing, eyes all over the landscape, as much of it that's visible.

"Natalie, in case one does get hit, will they be safe in their ball until we can get them medical attention?" Furiosa can do a little triage for humans, and apparently Azwel is some kind of medic, but Pokemon physiology is, uh, different. And she's already promised to help look after the Pokemon if something happens to Natalie, in a private conversation earlier, so she needs to know.

Furiosa has never used a radio like these before, so she accepts it with a curious look, turning it over, testing whether she can effectively hold it in her metal hand, and then listening to the explanation of both tech and route attentively. She makes note of any spot where an ambush seems most likely, but given the shifting topography of the Nexus it's hard to make an educated guess. They'll just have to be on high alert all the time.

She accepts a shield with gratitude, and pulls the straps tight against her metal arm. She's going to be very sore at the end of the day with that much weight on her, but better sore than shot dead.

There is something soothing about Blaze's military lingo, and Furiosa gives a little huff of breath and a fleeting smile. If she didn't have the extra weight on her arm, she'd salute, but the protocol isn't important now. The job is.

And even if this is a job she normally does on a vehicle, it's familiar.

Out in the snow, she's very focused on her watch, but she does notice Azwel's brief stagger and how he seems more tense now even than before. It's understandable, and it doesn't strike her as a red flag just yet, but it's there. She'd try to make eye contact with him to reassure, but since they're both wearing goggles now, there's no point. They'll each have to manage their own hell as they're out on this mission.

"Yes. They'll be safe in the Pokeball. If shit gets really serious, I want you all to agree that you'll take my Pokemon to safety as needed." She doesn't think it'll get that far, but it's best to establish the rules before any worst case scenarios arise. The radio isn't a foreign object to Natalie, as she tucks it inside on coat pocket carefully, but the shield is a mystery on its own. She's never wielded a defensive weapon before, however the threats awaiting them might easily figure out that she's commanding Pokemon, making her a prime target.

Taking the shield in her less dominant hand, Natalie is immediately taken back by the weight of the object. It's lighter than she expected. There's no additional time to think about it, as the team is already embarking into the frozen wastes.

She's normally one to give verbal commands, butraising on arm to her left causes Carbink to fly ahead, keeping attune to the buildings and peaks. Natalie figures the rock Pokemon will blend in easier with the snow, as should take to the crowded areas, unlike Volcarona who hovers closer, still watching the skies carefully. It's harder to conceal a giant fire moth, after all.

If they see or sense anything, Natalie is bound to know sooner than later.

Though Natalie's request to safeguard her Pokemon is perhaps directed more at Furiosa, Blaze does give her a nod and the little Ghost beside her speaks up for the first time.

"Don't worry," he says, looking up at the trainer. Though his voice is more obviously synthetic than his big partner's, his sincere determination comes through. "We'll make sure everyone comes back."

Of course, the Ghost has disappeared by the time they pass the torches. Though he hovered alongside while the beacon was deactivated, he's now snug and safe inside his Guardian's metal shell. At the head of the group Blaze plows headlong into wind and snow, rifle in her hand and empty sled slung over her shoulder, happy to bull through the drifts by brute force. Even in this fast-falling snow the trail she makes is incredibly obvious, but perhaps it makes things a little easier for the humans at her back. She says very little at this point. One gets the impression her silence isn’t born of caution, just a single-minded focus on the objective at hand. Her head turns only to sweep over the streets ahead, watching (a little hopefully) for trouble and picking out what landmarks are visible through the haze. She's startled for a moment when Carbink flies past her. Beneath her helm she blinks, but then nods and lifts a hand away from her rifle in brief salute, tells her Ghost to keep an eye on him. If their Pokemon scout stumbles across anything she wants to know about it.

She looks back once to be sure they’re all still with her, but Natasha’s there watching their rear and Natalie’s focused on her Pokemon and Azwel and Furiosa just look determined as hell, so she immediately feels a little foolish for wondering if they could really keep up. How many times has she warned others not to underestimate ‘mere’ humans? Especially those who come to the Nexus.

It's the airborne Pokemon who might notice the dark shapes moving over rooftops a few streets to left and right. Not approaching, yet, and not many, but they seem to be spread out around the area. Still, nothing's shot at them: they don't appear to even have been noticed yet...

The route Blaze is taking them winds a little bit to their left, avoiding a couple of easy ambush spots. Everyone who memorized the route can be grateful for that right now, though once Blaze signals them to stop and frowns up at the abandoned hardware store where there ought to be a side-street. Despite her blank faceplate, one can almost imagine the way her eyes narrow before she strides in and forces the door open. The lock gives way under minimal effort. Ghost reminds her to wave and get Carbink's attention before she leads the team right through to the back of the store, the sled under her arm banging off a couple of doorways en route. While someone clearly gutted much of the stock, they didn’t have time to clean the place out and there are a few hand tools lying scattered underfoot.

“Second beacon should be right on the other side of the alley out here,” she says, her voice loud in the momentary quiet before she forces open the back door and the wind moans past. “It’s up high but there’s a stairway. I’ll go up first, check for snipers.”

So saying, she crosses over, waits for the others a moment by the fire escape attached to the next building over. It’s only a couple of stories, but rather than ask the frail-looking stairway to bear her weight, she takes a running step and bounds upward. With a low whooshing sound the Guardian arcs up- much higher than makes any sense for anything of her weight – and onto the rooftop. A few moments later, she plants a boot on the edge of the building and signals that they’re safe to move up- literally. At the top of the roof is planted a second beacon, differing only from the other in that it’s half-buried in snow and rime has collected over the dimly flashing tip.

This time, Blaze turns to the others and nods encouragingly. “Okay, Alpha Team. You’re up. Show me you’ve got the drill down and we’re set. Natalie’s team and I will cover you.”

Glancing about inside the store, not only for ambush but for anything useful, Azwel is a trifle disappointed that they'd long ago cleared out all ice picks, shovels, and other such things. Too much to hope for, really. The silence is a welcome respite for his ears, though, and he has to brace himself for the wind's onslaught when they reach the door at the other end.

Now, Azwel can do a lot of things, but leaping that high is not one of them. So he opts to take the stairs, his steps light and sure on the ice.

Once at the top he waits to make sure everyone else has gotten up there before stepping up to the beacon. Not knowing how badly it's frozen into place, he gestures the others to join him. "It's probably going to take more than one of us to pull this out," he shouts over the noise.

"....Showoff."

It never fails, on these outings. Someone has to leap entire buildings in a single bound or wrestle helicopters back onto the tarmac, or any other number of extra-ordinary feats of physical prowess that leave the rest of the mere mortals behind feeling rather small by comparison. Natasha's gotten more than used to the feeling, no matter how she rolls her eyes. Since Furiosa's the one leading Alpha the spy deliberately turns to her and pauses until she gets a nod from the woman before following Azwel up the fire escape.

"Ice is slick as hell, be careful." She calls down to anyone following her. Natasha'll have a literal hand ready to offer to anyone needing it and more strength than her petite form looks like it would have to help pull anyone needing it up.

Once they're gathered around the beacon Natasha once again defers to Furiosa's command, keeping herself at the rear of their trio and letting their commander take stock of the situation but she's ready to move and do exactly what she's commanded to once the order's given.

((Feel free to say Natasha did what she was told to in Furi's tag. She can take charge of her team from here on *shakes fist at posting order*))

Furiosa gives Natalie a reassuring nod. They had their serious talk earlier, and she’s still touched that the younger woman is willing to trust her and possibly be her student some day. It’s probably for the best that she go with Blaze, though, since she does have less field experience.

When they set off, she is immensely grateful that Blaze is as physically powerful as she looks. Furiosa is the last person to complain about walking conditions, but wading through deep snow is exhausting. Having a track to follow is helpful. She keeps her eyes on the landscape around them as they go, and makes a point of keeping her ears open, as well. The wind obscures a lot of noise, but not everything.

As they move through the streets, Furiosa has an eye to potential ambushes, and if no one else notices the way Blaze selects her route, she sure does. Good. Very good. There’s only so much they can do if there are beings out here determined to attack them, but every step they can take to keep safe is worth the effort.

The contents of the hardware store are just too tempting, though. They can’t stop and look things over; even slowing her stride is a questionable decision of Furiosa’s part, but there’s a pair of boltcutters right there, and grabbing them to carry with her is psychologically necessary. She snags a hammer, too, which gets tucked into her belt, and then she forces herself to ignore anything else appealing.

Natasha’s murmured commentary wins a fleeting grin from her, but she doesn’t make a verbal response, only nods her permission to let the other woman go ahead. As they climb up, Furiosa lingers on the ground to cover them, nodding to Natalie, as well. Technically she’s not in Furiosa’s team, but she’d feel a lot better if she’s the last one on the ground rather than leaving the younger woman to follow.

Once Natalie’s most of the way up the ladder, Furiosa follows, and it’s suddenly evident how her metallic arm is not always a flawless substitute for flesh and blood. She has to hook her middle claw over the icy rungs, which is not as stable a grip as a closed fist, but she makes it up all right, and at a high speed. It just looks a little precarious, and like the way she shifts her weight on her feet with every hitching step up has as much to do with her ability to ascend as anything going on in her upper body. Her method has a lot in common with how she’d operate on the back of a moving rig.

Once on the roof, she does a quick glance to reconnoiter, then has a look at the beacon, buried in snow. That’s going to be fun.

“Better try to clear out the snow first,” she says. And that’s something her metal claws are ideal for. “Azwel, see what you can do with the ice. Natasha, keep watch until we clear it out a little.”

They have Blaze and Natalie and her Pokemon to watch right now, but when they separate, they won’t. Best to get used to that right now and function as a three-person unit.

When a noticeable amount of the snow is cleared, he can see a little better how much ice there is to deal with. A lot. It covers the lower part of the beacon even worse than it does the light. A few solutions roll about in his head, none of them particularly ideal--chipping away at it would take far too much time. If melted, it would freeze back into place before they could pull the thing free. And simply forcing the beacon out would likely damage it irreparably. The ice needs broken in some way, carefully but quickly.

Ice cracks easily if struck the right way. Or vibrated at the right frequency. But he won't be able to determine that by pitch--he'll have to do it by feel.

All this takes but a heartbeat after he sees the condition of the beacon. He places his hands on it near the centre. This is not something he often uses Palindrome for, but it's similar enough to the resonance experiments he used to run that he can just... change the... frequency....

At least he remembers to shout to Furiosa to stand back before there's a subsonic hum that rattles in the teeth and pulls at the brain, a bright glow from the gauntlets, and then the crunching sound of ice cracking.

He has to pause to breathe before he can start pulling the cracked ice from the beacon.

When Azwel stumbles back to breathe Natasha is there as reliable as his own shadow to reach out and steady the man with a hand at his arm and a planted stance if he needs someone to lean against. The spy hasn't wasted time watching him work though she does kick aside any chunks of ice that might threaten to send the recovering man spilling to the ground if he places his foot incorrectly.

Her gaze is still outward, watching over Azwel's shoulder and scanning the other rooftops for anyone or anything reacting to the noise of shattering ice. Interested in taking an opportunity in a man spent and tired even for a moment.

"All clear." She'll make sure nothing gets a drop on them while Furiosa helps Azwel finish the job. Her guns are ready if they're needed.

Even as Azwel analyzes the ice covering the beacon, Furiosa is taking a moment to do the same, wondering if a blow from the hammer she's picked up will be able to crack the glaze without damaging the instrumentation beneath. She's about to ask Blaze for a quick opinion when Azwel does his thing, and she's not ashamed to say she's thoroughly startled, taking half a step back when he shouts.

...well. Okay. That's efficient. "Chrome," she tells him with a brief thump to the shoulder, and sets about brushing cracked ice away and removing the beacon from the ground. "A couple more seconds' warning next time would be nice, though."

She grins at both him and Natasha, nodding her approval to the latter, as well. Maybe that wasn't stealthy, but speed seems more important right now. Furiosa takes the beacon in hand, mostly for the sake of giving Azwel another moment to catch his breath, and offers it out to Blaze.

Ghost materializes to supervise their removal of the beacon while the Exo keeps a lookout. The little robot drifts closer as Azwel places his hands on the ice, shell folding inward as he listens with fascination to the building vibrations – and jumps, when the ice suddenly cracks apart. Blaze shoots a look over her shoulder, turning back when she hears the device come free.

“Excellent!” Satisfied, she reaches out to take the beacon, and this time shows them how to collapse it into a significantly smaller tube they can stash in a pack. “You know what to do, then. Ghost will be listening for you on the comms. All going to plan, we’ll meet at the rendezvous within the hour.”

“That noise is going to draw attention. You should try to move fast and quiet. All of you.”

“Noted. Light go with you, friends.” With that, it’s time to split up. Blaze salutes the other team before she and Natalie head off on their designated route. The two routes they planned cut an irregular arc around the central Nexus, trying to sweep up as much equipment as possible while staying close enough to support each other if they need to. Blaze chose the set of beacons that she expected to require more climbing and crossing exposed ground, but Alpha Team have their own hazards to navigate. Sudden snowfalls, dark alleys… and now and then the wind carries a bitter, chemical smell…

Their first challenge, however, doesn’t come from behind. They find the beacon planted atop what looks like a snowed-over newsstand. As they advance onto the street to grab it, however, there’s a glimmer of blue light from a roof opposite- and a thunk Furiosa will recognize, as a sniper round from an electric rifle hits the wall behind their rearguard. The sniper is barely visible through the haze- and he may not be alone…

Watched over by Volcarona and Carbink, meanwhile, Bravo Team is making their own way through the icy streets. Blaze is so focused on plowing through the snow ahead that she almost walks past their target. She has to backtrack a few steps, turning to peer upward at what is… definitely some kind of radio tower perched atop a small building. Some kind built by enthusiastic amateurs, by the look of it. It sways and creaks alarmingly up there… but from high above, faint in the icy fog, there’s the steady flash of a green light.

“Huh. I almost forgot about this one.” Blaze rubs the back of her helmet and then shrugs. “Well, this could take a while, but it should be interesting.” She takes a step back, apparently about to try and replicate whatever feat enabled her to plant the beacon up there in the first place- when she stops dead, Ghost’s voice quiet in her speakers.

“Maybe you’re not the best person for this one, Guardian.”

She frowns- but then it clicks. Her mirrored faceplate turns up toward the Pokemon. Then to Natalie. “Can they bring it down?”

"If you're referring to getting the beacon and not crashing the tower, then yes. I don't either of them could grab it, but I could." Natalie's eyes are focused on the green light, before motioning for Volcarona to come closer. Someone will need to grab the beacon and it might as well be her. Carbink still floats around the skies, being observant of any threats that may come their way.

"I'll go and grab it, just cover my back, since I'm going to be left in a open position." Without another word, she climbs onto the fire moth's back, confident and worried all at once. She'll wait for a moment, see if there's anything else that needs to be said, before taking off into the skies.

Blaze's eyes might have widened a bit inside her helm. Riding a Pokemon? Sure, it's big, but she wouldn't have thought of it... well, for obvious reasons, perhaps. She's quick to nod, moving to bound up onto one of the low rooftops nearby. "Copy that. I'll cover you. Watch for the sway."

From her new vantage she can see a bit better over the shrouded landscape around them. She can't watch Natalie too closely, though she hears the tower creak alarmingly and hopes her team-mate is exercising caution. She's tracking the faint hints of shadowy movement in a nearby street- real, or just a trick of the snow? Between Volcarona and the Sunbreaker herself, the pair of them must stand out badly in any kind of thermal sights - if the enemy has such things, if they look this way. But surely no-one has a chance of hearing them in this wind.

Natalie, meanwhile, gets the challenge of trying to drag the beacon out from the tower's metal frame - while her airborne mount fights the gusting wind, and the whole structure veers slowly from one side to another. The bad news is, the beacon's frozen in. The good news is, the heat from Volcarona's beating wings is swiftly beginning to melt it free. It might take some doing - and some nerve - but the trainer will be able to pull it free.

Natalie sighs, taking to the skies on Volcarona's back carefully, the cold being kept at bay by the Pokemon's warmth. However, a chill runs down her spine, a split second moment of fear that she shakes off. Do what needs to be done, the sooner the better. They hover close to the beacon, and upon seeing the ice, Natalie just waits patiently. Volcarona's heat will make it easier to collect the beacon, instead of trying to pry it free from the ice.

After a few tense minutes, she has Volcarona move closer, giving her enough time to pry the beacon free. Grasping it tightly with one hand, the other holding onto Volcarona tightly, she has the Pokemon back away from the tower opposite to whatever direction it's swaying. Just it case it decides to fall, she wants to be in a better position.

No words need to be said, as she makes her way back to the ground and Blaze.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Time to ~split the party~

the split-up

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject