Chronocide: Mission Wounded Pride

Time is a funny thing. Despite all it's quirks and foibles as documented in the studies of Dr. Kovalenko and Justine Merryweather in the field of Chronology, it moves at a pace of it's own. Yes, some of us may fall out of step. Others may turn around and walk backwards. And others seem to become lost in it's ever changing tides. But it is always _moving_ .

And time moved on for Hazel Davidson. Simon, it turned out, was just fine after their adventure. Surprised and a bit alarmed that he'd teleported through time and space when she did, but absolutely fine. And Hazel was offered a position among President Soteria's military personnel, and her mother reinstated as a head of research and development alongside Justine...whom she had a long talk with behind closed doors.

A new position carried with it new duties. Small excursions into clandestine meetings. Search and rescue operations. But above all.....training.

Lots of training.

Training that couldn't help but be reminiscent of a time not too long ago in Hazel's mind, but years and years in the past to the rest of the world.

It was something Hazel tried to push out of her mind. Focus on her missions, and her training. She'd looked up what had happened to him, of course....

And there wasn't much to go on. A lot of the operation was locked under red tape and redactions. But she'd managed to catch a glimpse of just a bit.

That Victor  [Redacted] , or Silver Viper, had demonstrated increasing aggression in the years after the Snowdrift mission and Hazel's disappearance. He'd gone from the elite trainer of the special forces unit responsible for training the next generation of combat and espionage experts...to a rouge unit.

According to the files she'd found, he'd become a terrorist. An extremist bent on total war who'd taken over some [Redacted] and established the 'Viper's Nest Mercenary Company' . The group grew in strength until it became a threat to national security.

Which was when [Redacted] pooled resources to send an elite team of  Iron [Redacted] and Wrought Iron [Redacted] to apprehend Victor [Redacted] and sabotage his [Redacted] . The reports stated that the mission was a success.

Victor was killed in the ensuing fight, his mercenaries dispatched and eliminated, and the peace of the world secured.

He went down as a criminal.

And that was what Hazel had had to live with. It had been almost worse than not knowing. It ate at the back of her mind, and she often found herself having to stop and meditate just to stop herself from thinking about it

There was a photo in the files. A photo of a man so broken he was hardly recognizable. The youthful, pleasant face of the man with the chestnut colored hair and deep blue eyes was scarred with the trails of one to many close calls. Joy was gone from that face. He was hardened, His single eye watching the presumably hidden camera knowingly as he smoked a cigar held between the spindly fingers of a robotic limb.

It was an image that was burned into her mind. It warred with her memory of him. She tried not to think of either.

But it was hard. The training grounds she honed herself in had hardly changed in the span of years between sessions. The scant missions she was sent on...quite familiar to the Snowdrift mission they had undergone together.

Although, there was plenty to distract her. She'd met Justine, officially. And her mother had opened up to her about some of their research together. There was talk of her brother, whom she'd one day meet, off on some assignment far away.

And there was President Soteria. Soteria who treated her like a mix of a confidant and granddaughter.

And then there was the woman with her face. The clone solider Wrought, who stood by Soteria at all times.

She spent a lot of time with her mother, and with the President. She wanted to like her. She did like her, even if she was sad.

Her mother seemed happier here. Back where she belonged. She still spent long , solitary nights locked in her room with the soft voice of Natalie murmuring replies to whispered questions. But when she was with others, among the lab tables and computer banks...she was alive. In her own way. And she shared that with her daughter.

Soteria...soteria was a sad woman. Her voice was weak and quavering, carrying with it a plea for approval. She was warm, kind, giving...but she always seemed to give too much.

And then there were her 'time quakes'. The first of which Hazel saw when she'd gone to drink her coffee one day. The woman had frozen, and her coffee with her. The way she twitched, it was like she was flickering too rapidly to see between two still moments of time. Her coffee sloshing and retracting back into the cup unnaturally as she was frozen in those moments.

It was an image that had quite alarmed Hazel- and always did. She felt like there must be something she could do for her, but there wasn't.

That was the nature of the chrono-radiation's effect on the human body.

It was a roulette wheel of mutation, and President Soteria seemed to draw the short straw.

But that looped it all back to time, which continued its ever present, erratic march onwards....and  backwards and up and down.

Time which soon faded into a dull blur of activity under the sheer normalcy of it all.

And soon Hazel found herself preparing for a run around the training fields once more.

It was early in the morning. Hazel always got up early. Got dressed. Watered her plants. Did her stretching. And then it would be time for her morning run. She popped her earbuds into each  each, her music player clipped to her pocket.

And as she hit play...time seems to slow down.

And far away, in a room decorated with little more than a desk and the flag of the Pax Republic, someone else slips a pair of headphones in their ears.

And they walk forward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oday_Fc-Gc

Joan Baez - Here's to you, Nicola and Bart

We see them walk out the door, a slight figure in a long brown military coat and a beret over tightly wound white hair.  Two soldiers peel off door duty at the signal of the figure, and follow her close behind as she walks down a nondescript military hallway.

One reaches for his radio, and his lips form the words 'Engage'.

The camera pans, following the figure over the shoulder as she walks down the hallway. Down past  a laboratory where one guard suddenly turns on his comrade and guns him down in cold blood before turning his rifle on the scientists there and barking orders.

Men and women  in coats get down on their knees, hands over their heads.

One attempts to run, only to meet the butt of the guard's rifle. In a spurt of blood, they go down.

But the figure marches on, strolling with her hands in her pockets past the violence as more of the same erupts around her. Brother turns on brother, security cameras track her movement only to go still and disengage.... men and women attempt escape only to be killed or captured.

We follow this woman as she walks to a balcony by a control room.  the facility in chaos around her. Grabbing a white haired young man, she lifts him to his feet and looks him dead in the eyes. Words exhange unheard by the camera's silent eye, and she throws the pale man to the ground, moving out and to the railing overlooking a large antechamber.

We see her pale hand reach up, and bring a cigarette to a pair of feminine, sneering lips.

And behind her, a group of six soldiers form  a wall between her and the pale man.

We see her from behind, as if we're one of them.

Her arms spread wide, and we see the assembled crowd of soldiers cheer.

And the camera pans up...up...up to show the facility.

A lonely hunk of steel and glass in the middle of an arctic wasteland. A squadron of black helicopters fly overhead, as the Pax Republic's flag is torn from the pole.

Slowly, a new flag is risen. A serpent snaking it's way around a shattered peace sign, framed in an arc of stars.

CHRONOCIDE: PART 2

WOUNDED PRIDE

The sudden meeting was a surprise.

But not quite as much of a surprise as the dossier Soteria dropped in front of Hazel upon her arrival to the war room, filled with photographs of an albino version of Hazel staring up at her with red tinted eyes.

She stared down at the pictures with a blank look of puzzlement.

"I assume there's an explanation for this?"

Soteria nodded "Steel Heron" She said in a quiet voice "meet your sister. Iron Heron. Leader of the Alloy Unit's second generation."

The worn looking woman had bags under her eyes as she passed to the front of the table "You may remember the Alloy unit from your time in the past...it was....the unit you were meant to head alongside Viper." she scowled a bit at the mention of his name

Hazel felt a pang at the mention, which she hastily pushed down, nodding. "I do remember it."

"Iron Heron, after her success in prior engagements, was assigned to head the unit after a period of inactivity. She was a controversial choice because of her age, but she proved herself worthy." she paused, pacing from side to side.

The meeting room wasn't yet crowded, though Advisor Harry Knight and Wrought Iron flanked Soteria as she spoke.

"She...They were a good unit. For a while. But the need for espionage agents in today's world has gone down. They were relegated to guarding one of our top secret military research facilities up in the polar icecaps"

hazel kept staring at the page, as she took in the information. "That's good information," she said blandly. "_who_ is she?"

Soteria flinched , and her lips parted into a nervous smile "The...secondary product of the cloning project that created Wrought Iron? Iron...she was the first attempt at altering the sequences of your genetics to create a subtly different outcome."

"She looks more like my mother-- the Doctor."

"yes. You carry your mothers DNA inside you" Soteria said "And when we created Iron, the genes that caused Dr. Kovalenko's albinism were some that were inadvertently transferred. She...like your brother...has inherited your mothers condition."

"I'm sure it does wonders for her complexion" Dr. Davidson drawled in a monotone as she entered the room

"So she's a clone of me that you tinkered around with, raised as a soldier, and put in charge of a military squadron. Correct?" somehow Hazel's voice had no trace of sarcasm or disrespect.

Soteria hesitated, but nodded after a moment. "yes. That's correct" She said "though tinkering is a bit of a loaded term"

"As loaded as the gun she was inevitably given for her birthday" Dr. Davidson said, crossing her arms "I really don't understand why you cloned my daughter, Soteria.. I mean, really. It's a bit gouache"

Hazel privately agreed with her mother- the clones were.... weird. She really hoped there weren't any more.

Soteria went quiet for a moment, her hands resting on the table on either side of the dossier "I don't regret it" She said after a moment. "If it meant having one of my greatest agents live on in some way after her death..." she shook her head

"It doesn't matter" Knight said "The clones were made for a reason, and at least one of them is proving a success"he looked at Wrought out of the corner of his eye  "The other, is not"

"What's the situation?" Hazel asked, professionally.

Soteria tapped the dossier "The Alloy Unit has turned traitor" She said with a trace of pain in her voice. "They've preformed a coup against the Icefield R&D facility, and taken the scientists there hostage. A number of soldiers were killed, but even more seem to be a part of their little revolution." She frowned

"Are we certain of all the facts?" Hazel asked.

"The problem is we don't have many facts." She said gravely "They have control of the security system, the outbound communications...the facility has become a dead zone. But what we do know for certain is that the facility holds military technology that cannot fall into the wrong hands"

She slapped down another folder "Iron Heron's little rebellion bears shades of a previous operation. One that I don't want to see repeated."

Dr. Davidson was quiet for a moment "this facility" her voice grew icy cold "wouldn't happen to be the one that Calvin is stationed at, is it?"

"I'm afraid that it is," wrought said, speaking for the first time.

Hazel felt a stab of ice between her ribs.

Her mother's fists tightened on her labcoat "Damn" She said.

"The scientists are mostly being kept alive" Soteria said "as of last report. There's a good chance he's still alive,...and...and we have to cling to that hope" She said with a firm nod "Heron.  We have to liberate the research facility and bring Iron Heron in for her crimes against the Pax Republic. The Alloy unit must be stopped."

Hazel nodded tightly. A family affair, then.

"Yes, madam president."

"Good. Then report to the briefing room and we'll introduce the team you'll be working with. Then.. we'll send you out with them on the mobile command center for deployment"

"Yes ma'am," she nodded, and stood. There wasn't any time to waste.

Soteria gave her a salute, and looked to Wrought with a weak smile "Shall we depart to the briefing room, Wrought?"

Dr. Davidson was already out of the room, having slipped out while they were talking.

Wrought nodded, and offered her arm to the president.

Hazel hoped she'd get to see her mother again before she was deployed.

President Soteria took her arm, and walked out of the room, followed by Knight who gave Hazel a curt nod.

Hazel nodded back to him, hurrying toward the briefing room.

Soon, Hazel was seated in the briefing room, before the large bank of screens and small stage. Upon the massive screen was an overhead view of the research facility alongside a rotating map of it's last known configuration. It was a massive building of grey and white that meshed all too well into the landscape of ice and snow that surrounded it. Large bays and docks dominated one side, which an office block and strange shaped buildings dominated the other.

And before her , on the stage, was Soteria.

"Now...we're going to introduce your team for this mission. Per your request and your performance of duty last time...you will have young Simon Erikson on Comms.

Simon strolled onto the stage and gave Hazel a weak wave "I got pulled out of my lunch date for this" he chuckled.

Hazel waved lazily at Simon. "Sorry about that, Simon."

"i'm fine" he said "i've been on plenty" He said a bit smug "I'm sure he'll wait till I'm back to continue"

The wave turned into a thumbs up, and she smiled. "Everybody waits for you." At least she;d have Simon with her.

Simon grinned, returning the thumbs up "it's because I'm wonderful" he winked. and then he stepped aside.

"This mission is going to involve some scientific developments that you may not understand" Soteria said softly. "For this..." she gestured weakly

"Justine Merryweather. Head of R&D for the Pax Republic, will be on the com team "

Hazel raised her eyebrows and nodded. The scientist who worked with her mother.

Justine came out after Simon and nodded to Hazel. "we're acquainted."

"Good, then we won't have to spend too much time on introductions" Soteria said "Thank you again, Justine, for agreeing to this on such short notice."

Justine nodded to Soteria. "Of course. I'm always happy to help, especially considering..."

"yes...I know" She said with a nod "But Steel Heron stopped Comrade Gagarin from causing Armageddon.. She'll be able to stop Iron before things go too far"

She smiled reassuringly, and turned back to Hazel "We also have an agent in the field who'll be assisting you"

She paused, and an image of a feminine figure in face and body concealing stealth armor flickered onto the screen "The Wendigo has been deployed to assist you"

Hazel looked up at the image and raised an eyebrow. "The wendigo? I haven't heard of them."

"The Wendigo is a special operative" Soteria said with a shake of her head "For Black Ops jobs. Situations of such dire  national security that we have no other choice. She's deadly, efficient, and already on her way to the drop location independent of us"

"I'll be glad to have an ally in the field."

"You'll rendezvous with her on site" Soteria said, before continuing "But back at your command center, you have one more asset. A wilderness survival expert, and one of our old drill sergeants back from his retirement out in the Mordal Desert."

A man walked onto the stage with a limp. He used a pair of crutches, which clicked along the stage as he walked across towards the president.

He was a tall man with corn-blond hair, and a big pair of sunglasses tipped on his nose. He looked younger than the grey streaks in his hair suggested.

"Commander Ismael  Eidenbach . At yer service" he gave a little salute to Hazel.

Hazel nodded. "Pleasure to meet you, Commander Eidenbach."

He nodded back "Don't you worry about a thing, pretty lady" He said with a grin "with my help, you'll get through this just fine"

"I appreicate the help," she nodded. "I could stand to know more about the wilderness."

"Especially with the elements up there in the Polar sea" he nodded "far from the comforts of home. No central air. No cheeseburgers. Nothing but the harsh expanse and men with guns trying to blow your brains out"

"weell, at least no central air will be a blessing."

He laughs "that's right, Heron. A blessing"

Soteria hesitated "Now...I know it's a smaller team than last time. But the mobile command unit does not have a lot of room. And we need the extra space to evac the scientists should things go wrong"

"Understood," Hazel nodded. "we'll get the job done."

Soteria nodded "I believe in you, Heron" She hesitated "But there's some things you should know about the mission."

"I'm listening."

"The Alloy Unit itself is very dangerous. Each one of them is a tried and tested member of the Pax military. And Each is an expert in their related field"

FIles appeared on the screen "We'll go through them one by one."

First, there was the image of a dark haired, handsome man with long scratch marks down the side of his face, and a wild look in his green eyes. He was dressed in military fatigues, and posed with one leg up on a fallen statue's head in some desert location. A gas mask hung under his face, against his chest.

"This is Gunmetal Falcon . An expert in chemical warfare and psychological operations. He was a good agent until he was dosed with an enemy toxin during an operation and taken off active duty."

"what happened with the toxin?"

"There was a leak that caught him unawares. He survived the initial dose, but flew into a hallucigenic rage. The massacre that occurred was....difficult to handle...politically"

"Ah," she nodded, delicately. That kind of incident.

"that being said, he'd passed his psych tests and was reinstated for...well. ...guard duty at the polar research facility."

She frowned, and gestured to the screen. There was a click, and the slide changed.

On the screen was a woman. A kind faced woman with round glasses and a dark complexion. She was dressed head to toe in light combat armor that showed off her body more than a military regulated uniform should. And on her back, a pair of metallic wings tipped in blades. Her feet and hands were coated in metal , and tipped in sharp claws.. She was reading , with those unwieldy talons, perched up on top of a telephone pole in the candid photo.

"Solder Crane. Technician, and living weapon." Soteria said softly "She took lessons from Stilletto in the art of Ballet for a long while, and worked it into her fighting style. The wings don't allow her to fly, but they've man...may other deadly uses."

"They look like they'd put her off balance," hazel observed.

"They would , but she's adapted to equalize that balance" Soteria said "Those gloves and boots are not just armor. She'd lost her limbs. But the weight of the replacements equalizes the weight of the lightweight bladed wings...and she's left in perfect balance.

"I see. I'll keep that in mind," she nodded.

Soteria nodded...and the screen clicked again.

On the screen now was a man with hair almost the color of brass and a wide and jovial smile. He looked, honestly, a bit like a lantern jawed super hero from Earth. Broad, friendly looking, wearing brass colored combat armor with the Pax republic's flag plastered over the front... He almost looked a bit like Captain America.

Except he was positively bristling with weapons, including two repeating rifles affixed to his shoulder plates.

"Brass Eagle. Heavy artillery and demolitions."  Soteria said. "this is him before the accident that put him on guard detail"

Hazel was sensing a pattern. She nodded. "what do I need to know about him?"

"He had fallen for an enemy agent while in the field. The reports of what happened are sketchy, but he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. He failed his mission" She said with a shake of her head "and he came out of the tent on a stretcher. he'd been shot, across the cheek. A superficial injury...but I imagine the events in that tent were far more damaging than the bullet itself"

She frowned, and nodded. "I imagine they must have been. falling for the enemy... that never works out."

"it...certainly doesn't" Soteria said with a trace of pain in her voice "it only leads to inevitable betrayal and misery. Misery that Brass Eagle's psych exams reflected. Hence...of course...the guard duty at the remote and quiet research station"

"Of course," she nodded.

The slide clicked again, and came to another image.

This one was a slim, short person with enormous round glasses. They were in a black longcoat, and had a slim computer under one hand. One of their gloves seemed to have circuitry worked into the palm.

"This is Sterling Owl. He was one of our think tank technicians out on the field...one of the types your mother would have been a part of back in the day.. Quite the talented computer engineer , he helped our forces step into the digital age"

Her lips tightened "But he had to step into active combat, and lost his arm in the ensuing fight. After physical therapy, he was reassigned up to the polar research station for guard detail. He's likely the cause of the technical difficulties cutting us off from the research station"

"wonderful," she sighed. "So there;s a science type up there. Alright. Noted."

"there's always one, isn't there?" She smiled tiredly.

Hazel returned the smile, and nodded.

The slideshow continued, bringing up another picture

This one was a tall, slim woman in a black leather catsuit, with a pair of goggles, and more importantly a pair of black wings.

"this is Talonite Raven. An accomplished scout and infiltration expert. She was deployed during the Kemet Civil War, and sent behind enemy lines where she was unfortunetly stranded. She returned, but not without cost. We were not able to send evac to her location.. and she had to escape on her own. SHe was given a vacation from active duty in the form of...well...the guard detail at the polar research station"

"Right," she nodded. She had guessed what Soteria would say before she said it.

Another click, and the image changed. Now...she saw herself. or rather, Iron Heron, dressed in a long tan military coat, and a beret on her pale white hair. She looked so young, but there was a hardness in her eyes as she surveyed a row of troops. Wrought was in the background, looking on.

"This, is of course Iron Heron. The leader of the Alloy Unit and commander of the guard post at the polar station. She and her sister Wrought once engaged in espionage all over the world.  But ...well..espionage is a waning art at the moment. International sanctions and a slow march towards mechanized warfare has reduced the need ...and she was sent to the guard station as a way to train the new recruits there. She's always had a way with people... but we didn't recognize the bitterness inside her until this...happened..."

"I'm starting to get a sense of what this all might be about," Hazel mumbled.

"What was that, Heron?" Knight asked, finally speaking up

"I feel like I've learned a lot from this report, sir," she said.

"good. Because your'e going to need it." He said with a hard look.

Soteria continued "There's more.... and you may not be pleased to hear it."

"You have my full attention, madam president"

The image of the facility flashed onto the screen, grainy and hard to make out.

But the image zoomed as much as it could to the large flag fluttering overhead.

A serpent coiled around the shattered peace sign of the Pax Republic.

"This flag flying overhead carries distressingly similar iconography to that used by the Vipers Nest Mercenary Company. We would like you to look into this to see if perhaps old ghosts are rearing their heads once more."

Hazel felt an all too familiar stab. She nodded, stiffly. "....right."

"I hope for all our sakes that it's not what's happening here. Iron met the man, and I wouldn't want one of my finer soldiers to have been swayed by that man's dangerous ideology" She bit her lip "We can't let this destroy us....which...is as good a lead in for the bad news as any"

Hazel's heart sank. She had hoped that WAS the bad news.

"this facility really is an important detail. It's remote and unlikely to encounter trouble...but it's the home of our most dangerous experimental military technology" she paused a moment, and looked at Hazel with a worried glance "And we happened to be building a rather dangerous variant of the Metal Wolf...One that's able to zero in on the mental map of an individual and...engage on the nuclear level"

Hazel took the news with apparent stride. Internally, she was working on her breathing excersizes, and trying not to shout at Soteria. Why had all these people been assigned to a base that hosted dangerous experimental technology? why had so many damaged people been stationed _together_ ? No... just.... stop asking questions. Breath Stay calm. Its not your descision to make. Just find out the details, and do your job.

Soteria didn't look very happy about all this, admittedly. Her eyes were darting to the image of the massive metal wolf with the icbm launchers on it's back and other deadly additions. She actually looked about to say something when Knight stepped in

"It's a dangerous assignment. And one of crucial importance. So your core mission is this. Get in there, shut down this little coup. Eliminate the Alloy Unit and Iron Heron, secure the base, and bring back _this item_ " The image of a briefcase marked with a series of geometric hexagons flashed on the screen "All other objectives are secondary, or even tertiary."

She raised her eyebrow. "what's the item?"

Knight smiled thinly "it's records of an important experiment that may prevent this from ever happening again"

She nodded. "very well. Case is priority."

He nodded at her "wonderful.  Then that's the mission. " He turned to Soteria "I believe we are done here?"

"The comm team will give you more information on the trip, Hazel" She said softly "i'm sorry to send you off on a mission like this so soon, but You...and Wrought are the only ones I trust to do this. And I need wrought here with me"

"Of course," she nodded. "I'll get the job done, madam president."

Somehow.

She gave a salute that was much snappier and confident than she currently felt.

Soteria saluted her in return. "Thank you Heron. We're shipping out in three hours. Please make sure you wrap up your affairs by then, as we do not know how long this mission will take"

"Understood." she nodded.

Soteria smiled "And when you return, you'll return to a hero's welcome" She stepped off the stage and put a hand on her shoulder "Please, keep Pax safe.... I don't know why this has happened" She whispered, "But If you can find out the reason why...and tell me...i can prevent it from ever happening again"

She nodded again, seriously. "I'll do my best to find out, Soteria."

She nodded "Thank you. Iron Heron is a good woman, and ....I won't lose faith in that until proven otherwise"

"I have a pretty good reason to agree with you," she said with a small, wry smile.

Soteria laughed softly "I imagine you do.... at some point after this I'd like to speak with you about the clone project...alone"

"I'd be pleased to have that conversation, ma;am. But for now, I'd better get ready for the mission."

"Good...good" She nodded, and squeezed her shoulder "Best of luck out there, Hazel. I believe that you can do this."

She smiled at Soteria and nodded. "I'll make you proud, ma'am."

She smiled back "you already have, Miss Davidson" She said in a warm, grandmotherly way before turning and walking out the room, followed by Wrought and Knight

Hazel, meanwhile, went to go find her mother.

As she exited the briefing room and into the now familiar yellow painted halls of Soteria's capital building, she didn't have to look too far.

The white haired doctor was leaning on the wall by a meeting room's door, and gave her a curt wave.

She waved back, and then came and leaned beside her.

"I see the state's decided to send you on yet another family affair" her mother said in a quiet, level voice. The emotion within was buried under flat affect and her dry accent...but she knew her mother well enough to hear the concern in those words.

"That's what it looks like," she agreed, leaning a little closer to her mother. Her own voice was just as calm, but she was sure her mother could sense her turmoil.

Dr. Davidson put a hand on her shoulder "It seems to be the fate of the Davidson family to partake in such difficulties for the greater good" She shook her head "I feel personally it's too soon since your last world saving mission, but it sounds like this situation could use the touch of someone...familiar..." She shook her head "Given how many specters from before seem to be rearing their heads."

She nodded,  with a small sigh. "I can honestly say if I heard they were sending someone else-- I wouldn't like it.'

"Neither would I. This...despite being the state's doing,..is something that should be handled internally. And..." She tensed slightly "Hazel. I need to ask a personal favor, as I am sure it was't part of the rest of the briefing"

"Of course, mom," she nodded. She was sure she already knew what it was.

Dr. Davidson looked over at her, the red irises of her eyes gazing at her intently "Make sure your brother gets out of that laboratory safely."

She nodded, and offered her mother her hand. "You know I will."

Dr. Davidson took her hand , and gave it a warm squeeze "Good. If you could make that a priority along with the other missions you were given..."

She squeezed it back, and nodded. "Of course. You didn't have to ask."

"But I wanted to" She said with a shake of her head "because it is important to me. I...would like the chance to get to know my son. And have him get to know you"

"I'd like that too, mom. Very much."

"then best of luck on this mission , Hazel.." She paused for a moment, before putting her hand on her head "You know how to make your mother proud."

She smiled at her. "I'm glad."

Dr. Davidson smiled her small, thin little smile "I've convinced Justine to keep me updated on things as they occur"

"I'm glad. I wouldn;t want you out of the loop."

"I gave them, rather loudly,  that very same sentiment" She smirked slightly

"Hazel chuckled. "of course.

"Justine, at the very least, is sympathetic. She's going through much of the same worries" she frowned "She raised Calvin while I was...indisposed. So she'll be a good all on your com team."

"I imagine she's very worried. Please reassure her for me-- I'll be doing everything I can."

"I'll reassure her, Hazel. As I'm sure you will during your conversations along the way."

"Absolutely," she nodded.

"good." She looked back at her "now. about your sister-clone Iron..."

"yes, about heer...." she made a face

"I'm just as surprised as you are that they made more than one."

"I guess Im glad Im not the only one in the dark about it."

"I've been gone just as long as you have...and it was one of the things they inadequately explained upon my return. I...have Natalie looking into some of the documents for me as we speak"

She nodded. "don't get in too much trouble."

Dr. Davidson smirked slightly "Darling. When do I ever get into trouble" she said dryly

"I can't think of a single occasion," she said dryly.

"I'm an angel come to earth" She said with a mild trace of amusement to her tone "just as you are"

"we are utterly faultless.," she nodded.

"The Pax Republic is lucky to have the Davidson family in it's holster"

"Truely blessed."

"And now go and remind them of exactly why that is the case" she nodded curtly.

She nodded. "Oh I will." She opened her arms, for a quick hug.

Dr. Davidson leaned down, and gave her a quick, but firm hug "Come back in one peace, Hazel. Please."

She squeezed her mom, and nodded. "Yes, mom."

Dr. Davidson squeezed her "I don't have much family left to lose"

"Hopefully I'll be bringing back some more."

She chuckled softly "if we come out of this with more family than before. I would call it a net success"

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The mobile command center was a massive aircraft bristling with satellite dishes, stealth  plates, and imaging equipment. And it was an absolute tank of a plane. She, and the com team , had been loaded into the massive thing and told that once she arrived she'd have to parachute in with limited supplies (the less weight, the better for landing in the snowfields) and infiltrate the massive polar research complex.

The command center would circle the area from above, and watch through a camera on her lapel, keeping an eye on things and giving advice as needed.

It was familiar. Thought this time, she was going it alone instead of with a partner.

It sounded very familiar. Well, at least that meant she'd be prepared for it, right? She tried to keep her thoughts on the moment, and not in the past,

She was seated in a metal chair in the bay of the command center, her selection of weaponery before her.

They had an armory on the plane. ANd she had her choice of items, both non-leathal and deadly.

She looked over her choices, taking her trusty tranq pistol and silencers, as well as a regular silenced pistol, stun and flash grenades....

She had room for some other items...but not many.

She could take a small box that was labeled 'radar' ...or she could take an item labeled 'decoy unit' , which appeared to be a disk.

She picked the radar.

ANd that was that. As she clicked it into her belt, she heard a soft beeping in her earpiece. It intensified when she saw someone moving nearby.

Ah.... perfect. That would be useful.

And with that. she was loaded up.

She heard the groan of metal,as the plane banked to the left, and the voice  of simon over the com channel "We're approaching the location, Heron. I hope your'e ready.."

"Ready as I'll be, Simon."

"Good to hear, partner" He said cheerfully "you know...i'm still getting used to all this. It's downright crazy"

"What you don't think me going to stop a clone of myself is normal?"

"Maybe to people in this crazy universe" Simon chirped "sorry. _your_ crazy universe"

she chuckled. "Thats right its all my fault."

"Wow" he said  brightly "i didn't know it was _actually_ all your fault . Let me put in a complaint then...."  he paused 'stop interrupting my dates with world saving military operations"

"I'll see what I can do, but I don't promise anything."

"Thank you" he said with a chuckle "I won't _ever_ get laid if you keep that up"

Knight's voice cut in "This is an official channel you two. Keep it professional."

"Yes sir," hazel replied promptly, thoigh her eyes narrowed.

Simon sighed in the comm...and she heard a click. Then Simon's voice came through a little clearer "good thing the old bastard didn't check to see if I could still access private channels, eh?"

She supressed a little smile. "That's an affirmative," she agreed.

"Great. Then we can talk about some of the stickier parts of this mission in private, got it?"

"Sounds good."

She was _very_ glad she'd be able to talk to simon in private.

"Brace yourself as an aside. We're coming over the facility .....now..." He frowned "shit. Hazel? you're going to have to jump sooner than expected. They have a pair of choppers launching to intercept us"

"Great," she snorted. "Well, I'm ready," she said, double checking her chute.

SHe had two, and they seemed to be in good order

"we're opening the rear doors now. Good luck"

She nodded. "Thanks, simon," she said. And she turned toward the door.

The bay doors hissed open, and she saw the ramp descend. The wind came whipping at her, as cold as ice as it flooded the room. Below, spiraling, she saw the massive polar research facility and the two black helicopters rapidly accelerating upwards.

Hazel looked down, getting ready for the optimal moment to jump. It was coming fast. There was a small smile on her face. This would probably be the most fun part of the whole mission.

It came. She had a clear drop down, that would put her somewhere around the eastern edge of the facility. Away from the likely guarded helicopter pads.

Hazel took a step, and let the air take her.

She felt the sudden sensation of falling, twisted in the jettrail of the command center as it spead away from her. THe ground started rushing towards her.

She savored the rushing sensation, almost feeling as if the air was a cushion holding up her whole body. She smiled, eyes zeroing in on her target, her hand on the pullstring of her chute, waiting for her moment.

After a moment of pulse pounding excitement...she came to the proper altitude. She'd have to pull that chute now or never

She pulled it, bracing for the jerk of the chute slowing her descent.

The chute jerked her back, and she felt the familiar sensation of the chute's opening and the gradual slowdown of touchdown.

She guided herself as best she could toward the landing site.

It would have to be outside the facility..because any obvious entry point was sure to be covered  by the guards...

Definitely best to stay well outside- she certainly didn't want to be shot up while she was landing-- or noticed at all if she could help it.

It seemed like most of the activity was centered around the mobile air command, which was being followed by the helicopters as it roared higher and higher in the sky.

SHe could see a clear patch below.... a safe spot to touch down by a series of heating units connected to the west of the building.

That was perfect. She guided herself gently down by the heating units, ready to get her bearings.

She came to a landing, just between the gap between two of the white, blocky things. It was warm there, but not overly hot.

She detatched the chute as soon as she was down, and went into a crouch, looking around.

It seemed this was a good place to start, because it was simply a bunch of machinery. No guards. It was simply the heating units to funnel heat into the facility. It was loud though, so she couldn't hear very well.

she checked over the heating units just in case-- was there a vent-- and if so, would it be superheated.

There were pipes leading into the facility and.... yes. There was a vent in the center of them all.

She put a hand on the vent. Hot? not?

Hot....but not unbearably so. She'd have to move quick through it, but it was probably doable.

she looked over at the facility, gauging her other options.

She saw a door a little while away, probably to some maitenance department in charge of the heating system.... there were also windows to the left.

She tried to guess at how much empty field she'd have to cross to get to either, and the chance that it would leave her exposed.

The windows she didn't have to cross much, but it'd all be within direct visibility.

BUt the door, she had places to hide...however it was out of this field of heating units. It was a bit far.

She'd try the heating vent. She'd move fast.

It was high enough that she would have to balance on a heating unit to unscrew it enough to get in.

She frowned-- that was a minor flaw in her plan. Someone might see her up there... well, she'd risk it.

THere didn't seem to be anyone watching...though there was a camera a bit closer to the door she'd have to look out for.

She kept her body poised, and checked to see if the camera moved.

It was doing a long sweep...and was currently swinging back her way.

She kept herself down, away from it. She'd wait until just after it passed her on its way away-- and then get to work.

The camera traced the heating units...paused...and then started it's path back towards the door again.

She moved, getting up on the unit nd starting to quickly open the grate.

She made a little noise, but it was drowned out in the loud hum of the units. She was able to quickly get the screws off the grate, and open it enough for her to slip inside.

She pulled it open enough to slip in, and did so, carefully.

She managed to wriggle into the overly warm vent in time to miss the camera's sweep.

She kept up her hustle, not wanting to stay in the hot vent for long.

She squirmed through the standard vent (you've been in one vent, you've been in them all) , and felt the heat increase somewhat as she entered the facility.

She kept a proverbial eye on the temperature as she crawled forward, looking for the nearest place to exit.

She passed an offshoot ending in another grate...and her radar wasn't beeping any...

She peered through the grate carefully.

She saw a small room, consisting of a lab table, some chairs, and a number of cainets containing samples and files. It was a small workroom. And it seemed empty.

It seemed like she wasn't going to get a getter chance. She checked how well the grate was fastened in.

A few quick kicks would probably knock it loose...

She had hoped so. She gave it a swift, hard kick with her boot.

The grate came loose, but not loose enough. It also made a bit of noise.

She wrenched her leg back and tried one more time, with vigor, hoping this would be it.

The vent went falling to the ground...and she was free to exit the too-hot vent.

She slipped down, landing in a crouch, and looking around for potential dangers, cover and points of exit.

It was a small room. And it was mostly unused save for a few vials of what looked like engine oil, and a book of notes. There was  a desk to hide behind, and a outcropping on the wall that contained a centerfuge....but otherwise, that was all the cover the small room had.

She moved quickly behind the desk, looking for the door, or doors.

She saw that there was one door directly in front of the desk. One way out...

And right about at eye level on the desk, she saw a pack of pills.

She snatched the pills, and moved toward the door, pressing herself against the inside of it, where the hinges were.

The pills appeared to be anti-tremor medication. Useful should she ever have to use a sniper rifle.

She heard a soft sound in her ear as she got by the door.

Beep...beep......beepbeepbeep...

She stayed pressed up against the door. It sounded like someone was going to come inside. She put hr hand on her tranq gun's grip.

The door slowly started to open "Of course I'm the one sent to get the materials for that...that egghead's project" A woman's voice muttered.

Hazel let thd door press against her, waiting to react when necessary.

The woman paused, as the door opened as far as it could with Hazel behind it "hold on...that's...weird"

A gun cocked

Hazel moved fast, raising her tranq gun, and darting out from behind the door, shooting as fast as she could see her target.

She saw the shocked....and weirdly familiar.... face of an older blond woman look at her in horror.....before she wobbled, and clutched at the dart.

As the woman went down, she hissed "n...no...not you again...."

Hazel stared at her with immediate recognition and confusion. "Huh." She shook her head and grabbed the woman, pulling her behind the desk.

She was wearing the uniform of the Pax republic now.  She must have switched sides at some point. And it seemed like she was finally off the comm team.

Her tag read 'Private Tanya'

"Sorry, tanya," she muttered. She checked her over for anything useful.

She found a rifle, slung over her back, and some ammo for it. She also found some anxiety medication, a keycard labeled 'general access' and a pack of gum.

She grabbed the access card and the rifleand ammo leaving the poor woman her anxiety meds and gum-- she'd probably need them.

WIth Tanya finally still and hidden...she didn't hear any more beeping on her radar. The hall was probably safe.

She moved stealthily toward the door, and opened it a crack.

She saw a long, grey hallway, branching out at several points. The floors were ceramic tile, and the walls were decorated sparsely in safety posters and announcements. It was...very much a laboratory.

She looked up and down the hall, trying to judge where she was.

There was a sign above the door reading 'Lab 6b: Engine oil refinement.

Other signs continued down the left, and to the right, there was a T-shaped split , with one way going to "lab's 1-4, and the other going to 'mess hall'

She should probably check the labs to see if she could find her brother. she walked toward the closest one.

She found that the oil lab was one of the smaller ones as she crept. The others seemed to have wider doors and multiple entrances.

She peeked into the oil lab, keeping an eye on her radar.

The oil lab was the one she'd knocked Tanya out in. The poor girl was snoozing. She could hear her snore

Right. Onward to one of the larger labs.

One had a sign overhead, the closest one to her, stating 'Lab 6c: Personal/Bipedal Wolf-unit'

That sounded interesting. She pushed her way inside.

She found herself in a long room. The center of the room was a depressed track the length of the whole room  with desks and worktables ringing around it. A computer terminal sat at the far end, with wires connected to a bipedal machine with clawed feet and guns jutting out the side. There seemed to be a strange sort of seat in it as well, where someone could theoretically sit.

SHe also heard the beepig. SHe wasn't alone in this room.

She immediately moved to find nearby cover, keeping low, and looking for the source of the beep.

She hid behind the desk, and saw the movement on the other side. Two guards, watching over a scientist, were at the table. opposite her.

"Hurry up" One of the guards said "iron wants this thing operational asap. Especially now that that Pax sent a dog to sniff us out"

"It's not _ready _ yet" the scientist said in exasperation "it's experimental"

So Iron knew she was here. Well, that was inevitable. She fixed her eyes on the scientist.

The Scientist was a dark haired woman with sharp, frowning lips and keen eyes. SHe wore thick glasses and was typing away at a computer .

Her eyes went to the two guards. Were they near any alarms? Was there a camera in the room?

There was one , sweeping the room in slow arcs. It mostly centered on the robot in the center though.

The guards were equipped with radios, she could see that. but no active alarms were present, save for a fire suppressant alarm by the computer.

She waited until the camera was away from the two guards, aiming her tranq gun.

The scientist sighed, and paused in her typing. The machine wheezed and whirred and took three steps forward. THe guards seemed to be distracted by that enough to turn their heads from where she was hiding.

She smiled slightly, and shot, twice in quick succession at each guard.

The four darts struck home. THe first guard yelped, went for her radio...and fell against the table with a thud, as the second toppled forward and into the pit in the center of the room.

Hazel moved fast, darting out of her hiding place to grab the scientist- gently, but firmly.

The scientist froze in her arms, breath growing heavy "don't kill me" she whispered "I'm not really one of them"

"Good to know," Hazel said smoothly. "What can you tell me?"

"It all happened so suddenly. It was another day at work when suddenly the guards started shooting eachother. Anyone who didn't answer their radio when it went off was shot dead. The terrorists grabbed us scientists, and held us hostage" she shivered "Now, they have us back to work. On a deadline. We have to manufacture weapons of war for their attack on the Pax Republic" She shook her head "Thank the gods the Metal Wolf Mk2 isn't active yet"

"wonderful," she muttered. "What's the deadline?"

"Two days." She said , shaking a bit in her arms "We have two days to get as much as we can done. "

"What happens in two days- do you know?"

"I'm not sure...I believe it's when she expects the Metal Wolf mk2 to be active. or maybe when she's going to wage war on the Pax Republic regardless...."

Actually...two days...Today and one full day....that date rang a bell.

She tried to think of what bell the date rang....

It was in the file on Victor she'd read.

A few years ago on that very date was when the operation to kill him had occurred.

She closed her eyes fro a moment. Just a moment. Wonderful. "Great. where's iron?"

"Iron...she's probably at the main labs, the one that houses the new site of the mk2...."

"Where is that?"

"The other side of the facility. Near the helipads. IT's the large dome-like structure." she yelped

"Thanks," she said. "One last question. Do you know a doctor Calvin Kovolenko?"

"The....head of the Mk2 program?" Her eyes widened "of course I know him. "

"Great," she said without much feeling. "Let me guess, is he in the same place as Iron?"

"Iron's bound to be keeping him close. He's one of the facility's finest scientists"

"Figured as much," she sighed. "Anything else useful for me getting you out of here alive?"

"Watch out for the Alloy Unit" She said warningly "They're practically inhuman.  You'll want to make sure you get yourself prepared before you get into an altercation with one of them.... you...you might want to get to the prison level. Commander Panther is down there, and he used to help run the guard. He might know where to find some good gear that's been stashed away"

"How can I get th--" Hazel stopped short. "Panther?"

She nodded "Y-yeah. An old defector from Uldovia" She bit her lip "who was instrumental in the acquisition of the plans that would become the prototype Metal Wolf"

"A defector huh? he's with the republic?"

"Well yeah?" She said, "or he wouldn't be in one of our most secure facilities"

"I suppose they thought so about iron, too," she sighed. "Alright, how do I get to Panther?"

"he's down in the prison level" She said "I think they have him locked up for the moment until he cooperates...at least that's what I heard "

"Right," she nodded. "Alright, I'm going to put you out so they can't say you cooperated."

She nodded stiffly "if you must"

She put the tranq gun to her neck. "I'll make sure you don't fall."

She took a sharp breath "i've never been put under before"

"Sweet dreams," she said, pulling the trigger.

The woman yelped, and went slack in her arms.

The only sound in the room was the walker attempting to cross the room.

She put the woman down gently, and considered whether she should attempt to turn off the machine.

It was a handsome little thing. And despite the scientist's protests, it seemed mostly operational. However, the way it was now was wasting fuel.

Hazel looked for the way to turn the thing off.

There was the scientist's computer she had been working on. It's screen glowed dimly, showing the controls for a simulated operator.

She moved toward it and checked the controls quickly.

It was complicated, and there were windows upon windows of programming open. But the base controls for the device seemed to control the robotic operator that was latched to where a human would be latched in the device. And it was pretty straight forward. THere was a big button in the center that said 'stop test'

She pushed the button, with a large smirk on her face.

The walking mini-tank slowed, and then ground to a halt.

She carefully timed her movements against the camera to leave-- looks like it was time to get to the prison for a reunion.

She managed to cross the little bridge over the walker's pit, and back out the door, just as the camera swung around towards her.

Hazel looked around as she exited the door, looking for some indication of where the prison would be. Probbaly on a lower level?

Unfortunately it wasn't listed on the wall of the lab area. But ...she did have a comm team with access to the old maps.

She looked for a place in the area to get some cover, and buzzed in over the comm. "hey."

After a brief crackle of mic switching, she heard a voice "Hey there"

It was the survival expert. Ishmael

"Ishmael- I need to get to the prison in here. Do we have a blueprint?"

"Generally people try to get out of jail!" he said jovially. "You should probably get your priorities straight"

"Very funny," she snorted. "They have a prisoner I need to interogate."

"Well, you're in luck. The prison level is in the basement. The only things down there are storage bays and the prison blocks" He paused "though you have to wonder why a research facility needs so many cells"

"Easy, because its a military research facility," she said. "Okay, can you tell where the nearest staircase is from my position?"

"lets see, you're in the labs aren't you?" There was the sound of typing on the computer "You're going to have to cross through the mess hall, and out the second door. There should be a stairwell there. But be warned, there's likely going to be a checkpoint at the landing."

"wonderful," she said. "what can you tell me about the checkpoint- anything?"

"It used to be for checking security clearance before going up to the restricted floors. But I imagine if they've put the base under martial law, they might have broken out the big guns. literally."

"Good to know. I'll make sure to be careful."

"You don't want to be turned to swiss cheese" He said "That's a survival tip"

"I prefer munster anyway."

"Munster's good" Ishmael said "but it's no good in certain recipes. For example, if you had munster on a good, old fashioned Pax Republic burger, you'd find the taste of the cheese overwhelms the delicate balance of flavor!"

"Huh, so what do you put on a pax republic burger then?"

"a mix of cheddar, and Eiruian cheese. Simple, refined. delicious. Top that with some pickles, lettuce, mustard and ketchup. and you have yourself a perfect republic burger."

"Now I'm hungry," she smirked

"Me too" Ishmael said "too bad we're going to have to wait until you get the job done. Tell you what. WHen this is over, I'll make sure each of us gets a traditional burger. On me"

"Sounds good, Ishmael. Alright, Heron out."

"Good luck, Heron" he said, and the line went dead.

Heron looked for the sign she'd seen leading to the mess hall. This would be...interesting.

it was back the way she came, towards that fork in the hallways where she'd decided to search the labs.

She turned and headed back down the way she'd come, carefully picking her way along.

It was quiet. Most of the scientists were probably at work at gunpoint at this point...and the guards didn't seem to be patrolling this part of the area at the moment.

She picked up the pace. Hoepfully no one would be in the mess area either.

As she passed posters of the Pax Republic's president gesturing over a land covered in peace signs and prosperous buisnesses...she saw that maybe that was a little too good to be true. She heard voices from around the corner "We should have waited for the resupply. We're almost out of cigarettes. WHy couldn't the plan have waited just another week, huh?"

She crouched behind a piece of furniture, listening. Which way were they going?

They were headed towards her...coming out of the mess hall's door.

She readied herself, waiting until the mess hall door closed behind them, watching as they came.

The door shut behind two men in military garb. One of them had slicked back brown hair, and the other had a scar over his cheek. They were distracted in talking as they came out of the door...one of them started to look her way.

She raised her gun- not quite into view yet. Would he spot her? she had to judge.

She was crouched behind a (probably empty given the conversation) Cigarette vending machine She was well hidden, but...well...he might be able to see her legs.

She listened for them, not taking the shot yet, waiting to see if they stopped moving, or talking.

One of them held up his hand....scar... and looked at the cigarette machine for a long moment "i could go for a smoke. think i'll take a gamble on the machine..."

She readied herself. She'd grab him as he came close, knock him out, and shoot the other one.

The man leaned down, reached into his pocket.......and instead grabbed his gun with a shit eating grin on his face "hey there girlie" he cooed

She brought her gun up at the same time, and fired, basically right into his face.

The dart stuck out of his cheek, and he went reeeling back with a yelp.

Unfortunately, his gun discharged, and alerted the other guard, who spun and started firing at the cigarette machine.

Hazel cursed, and immediately tucked and rolled away from the machine, across the hall, coming up and firing at the other gaurd repeatedly.

The guard was struck, but not before she felt a sting on her shoulder where the bullet grazed her.

Hazel cursed, biting back the sting of it as she dodged back to the cigarette machine.

The guard wobbled on his feet, and fell to the ground. A nametag and security pass slid down the tile floor.

She grabbed both and tucked them on her person. Was there a door around? She needed some place to hide these two.

It would have to be fast...the unsilenced gunshots drew attention from the mess hall.

Lucky her, there was a closet nearby, marked janitor.

She felt a pleasant ping of satisfaction seeing it, and grabbed both of them, dragging them with her superior strength to the closet as quick as she could.

It was just in time, as the door clicked closed. SHe heard footsteps running out into the hall, and shouts of alarm and surprise.

She pressed herself up against the wall behind the cigarette machine again.

She saw a man with dark hair run past, into the next hall, where he saw the remain of a bullet hole at the far wall. He made for there with a frown, his friends following him.

All of them were too riled up to notice her.

She carefully made a count of how many there were, and waited for them all to pass. Once they had- and she was sure their backs were turned, she'd dart into the mess hall.

There were five...and the last one bolted past her, his gun out.

She waited, and then she bolted, fast, quiet, and low.

She slipped past them, and into the sterile room filled with long tables and chairs. A figure was behind the counter, by the food, their back turned from her as they worked on whatever depressing meal these soldiers had been eating.

But otherwise, it was deserted.

She dropped down, keeping the counter and the tables between her and the figure's vision. She headed straight for the exit on the other side

The figure was  a cook, who was busy mixing and stirring...and the was lucky enough to miss his gaze entirely , using the tables as cover.

She was glad to have, and pushed the exit door open.

She slipped out into the hallway, this time in the center of the hall, where she could see branches along either side. It seemed this area contained more labs, as well as directions to the bunks and rest area, the guard's room, the bathrooms....labs....and...ah hah! at the end of the hall, she saw a sign reading 'basement storage'

Basement storage her ass. The only thing they were storing was prisoners. She made her way carefully down the hall.

Though Ishmael did mention that a lot of the storage facilities were down there too.

Well, prisoners and storage.

So she crept her way down the hall....how many empty halls would she have to sneak through this adventure. It certainly wasn't the wild , daring mountaintop.

At least if it was a storage space there'd be plenty of places to hide. She kept her eye out for more vents, too.

This place was lousy with vents. Just...absolutely lousy with them. It wasn't spy proofed at all.

Perfect. she'd rely on them if she needed to.

It'd probably be a good way to get around. Still..., she inched her way past some more posters of the Pax republic. Posters of soldiers and scientists shaking hands before massive metal wolves, or strange archs of electricity and metal. A unity between the military and scholarly fields. They had a strangely 1950's vibe to the art.

hazel paused and checked her radar, jus in case. Anyone around?

She heard a beeping...but it was faint, and seemed to be coming from a part of the hall that faded into a long window.

Could she crouch under the window? she tried to judge it.

She could probably mostly avoid being seen if she crouched. It was waist high.

She got down, and tried to move past it as quick as possible.

She heard voices on the other side as she crept past it. One voice was currently speaking, strangely like her own, except tinged with an accent not unlike her mothers. British.

"I don't care how much you _say_ needs doing" They barked "I don't bloody well care. If it's not done in two days, Dr. Kovalenko, there won't be enough of you left to bury in the family plot!"

A cool, quiet voice came after hers, tinged with an accent that was somewhat Mediterranean, feminine but even and cold "Lady Iron, I don't think it will serve our purposes to frighten the man to inability. He has two days to complete his task . Let him work"

She paused-- froze really-- as she listened to the voices. Her targets- right there?

Right there....behind a maximum security door. She could see from here the locks were all bio-scanners , with additional keypad restrictions. and the glass looked reinforced.

"Let him work" The british voice snorted, "If I didn't know better, Crane, I'd say you were soft for the pale bloke"

"I just think that if he is to have us nuclear capable in time for the memorial strike on the Pax Republic, we cannot have him paralyzed with fear"

Wonderful. There was no way she was getting in there.

She heard within a soft sputtering voice.

"What's the matter, _little brother_ " Iron spat "Do I frighten you?"

"yes?"

"Well, I'm  _terribly_ sorry" She cooed , and Hazel could hear footsteps "here , give me your hand, dear brother"

"I'd prefer to get it back," he said softly.

There was the sudden sound of a fist hitting meat "There." Iron sneered "You have it _back_ . Get back to bloody work. Everything has to be ready. Because in two days, on the anniversary of that damned mission....I will burn Soteria and her traitorous dogs to cinders in his name. And he'll see just how dedicated I am to his cause."

Wonderful...HHazel got the feeling she should move. maybe to one of the vents.

The vents would probably be a good idea.... or the door to the basement just ahead.

She decided to move. Get to the door. It sounded like her brother would be okay... for now.

Maybe a bit bruised, from the sound of it, but alive....

The basement door only had one keycard reader.

Luckily she had a keycard. She'd just have to hope it worked.

There was only one way to know...and as she waved it over the smooth plastic front of the reader, it beeped, and a green light came on.

She thanked her luck, and slipped through, careully.

She stepped into the concrete stairwell down into the basement.

The air felt more humid down here than the lab hallways.

She looked around, getting her barings as she headed down the stairs.

The stairwell was narrow, and had a landing halfway down with a mark saying 'B1: S4'

She hurried down it- was S4 the one she wanted, or did she need to go deeper?

According to the map that she'd been forwarded, the B number was the floor....(though wasn't there only one basement? why have a numbering system for that) and the S number was the section. S4 was...well. The storage section, along with S3. S1 and S2 were prison quarters.

Perfect, she kept going, moving quickly.

She ran down into the dimly lit cellar. Around her , was the familiar sight of rows of racks filled with boxes and cabinets. Each one was labeled, and each seemed to be grouped by type. It was a massive room, and she even saw a lift and forklift standing by the stairwell for the purposes of getting to the higher shelves and moving supplies from one end to the other.

Around there were vents on the walls...a bit higher up , so she'd have to climb if she was to use them.

She took a cursory glance at the boxes-- anything interesting?

There were a lot of lab supplies, this room seemed to be predominantly linens , lab supplies, and chemicals. Though... there was a door reading 'security sector' ahead, that might store the more combat oriented items.

she shook her head. Not her priority. She tried to get her bearings. Climb up the forklift and into the vents perhaps?

It looked like the forklift was definitely sturdy enough to use to get into the vents.

She moved over toward it, quickly and quietly, starting to climb it.

She didn't make much noise, due in part to her training...but she heard some noise from the security door, someone was coming.

Wonderful-- probably not time to get into the vent. She aimed her tranq pistol at the door, hanging off the back side of the lift.

She hung there for a moment, before the door opened, and a man with a dog came through. He was holding a heavy machine gun, and looking around with narrowed eyes "Someone's down here. I just know it" he said to the dog, who sniffed...and turned it's eyes towards Hazel.

She shot fast- the dog first, then raising her tranq pistol to the man, firing off several rounds in a hurry.

The man whipped around, just in time to catch a dart to the face...and opened fire as he reeled back. The bullets struck up and down the forklift, and ruptured the fueltank, which began spilling onto the floor.

Hazel cursed under her breath, ducking as far behind the heavy machinery as she could get.

It didn't explode, luckilly. It wasn't an action movie....but the gas pooling on the ground meant that a single spark could cause a small inferno.

The guard swayed, and fell into the gasoline puddle with a thud.

That was exactly what she was worried about. Damn.... She looked at the storage boxes again quickly. Kitty litter? sand? powdered dish or laundry detergent?

Actually, she was lucky. Because on one of the shelves she saw a lot of cleaning supplies. If there was powdered detergent that is where it would be.

She hurried over and opened the box.

Inside was....a pack of bottles of disinfectant, some rags , a number of boxes of powdered detergent, and some floor wax.

She grabbed the powdered detergent and rags hurriedly, bringing the powder over and dumping it all over the spilled gasoline.

The powder was fragrant...in that sterile, laboratory kind of way... and soaked up the gasoline that it came in contact with.

She hastily wiped it up, and dumped the rags in the box full of detergent. There, no unexpected fire.

The crisis was averted, and the guard and dog were down. Her radar had gone quiet.

She breathed a little easier, and pushed the dog and the gaurd into a corner behind some boxes.

The vent over the forklift was still there for her.

Now she could climb it without interuption, hopefully.

Her prediction came true, and she got to the vent with little trouble.

Thankfully. She wriggled into the vent, moving quietly.

It was a spacious vent, but it was still a vent. Moving was a bit hard, and as quiet as she went, the aluminum buckeled here and there, making soft sounds.

every time she felt it buckle and thump she made a face, moving slow, in the cramped space.

Ahead there was a fork. Right or left.

She peered down each of them.

THere was a soft beeping on her radar....but it was hard to tell which way had the stronger signal

she picked right, just out of habit if nothing else.

The beeping started to fade as she crawled down the fork in the path. As she crawled, she heard a beeping in her ear. The coms.

"Heron here."

"hey Hazel. It's me. Simon"

"Hey simon. what have you got for me?"

"so I've been digging through the records on your clone sister...." he said in a low voice.

"Oh boy. Give me the news."

"Did they mention that she's been demonstrated as having a bit of a complex about getting the altered genes?"

"...no? i didn't hear that."

"It's in her disciplinary record. She's gone on record as having had a bit of a fit over being 'imperfect' "

"A fit huh? what kind of fit are we talking about?"

"I mean she got put in solitary training for a while because she went off on another trainee and put them in the hospital. That kind of fit. "

"Great. So what I'm hearing is she's unstable."

"Yeah. That's what you're hearing. Be careful, alright? She sounds like a dangerous woman"

"I'll be careful. I already heard from her a bit."

"...crap, you did?"

"Oh yeah, defintely. She was threatening... one of the scientists."

"of course she was...dammit. Did you hear anything else?"

"yeah. we've got two days before this all blows up in our faces."

"two days?? I'll relay, hold on" He said and went dead for a moment "they put the timeer up on a big clock, Hazel. If we didn't feel the pressure before, we're feeling it now"

"Oh great. They really know how to motivate," she said. "anyway, they have the scientists working on finishing something-- I assume the secret project-- before the deadline."

He was silent another moment "That would be the nuclear capable Metal Wolf, right?"

"Yep."

"That's...not great. that's not great at all. Nuclear Armageddon sounds not fantastic, Hazel" he said with a note of panic.

"Yeah tell me about it," she said gruffly. "don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"I believe in you, Hazel....just be careful, alright? whats your next step?'

"Getting down to the cells to find Panther. He has more intel, apparently."

"PANTHER???" SImon yelped "are you kidding me?"

she winced. "Not so loud. I only have one set of eardrums. But yeah, I know."

"What the hell is he doing here?? isn't he like, fake-russian?"

"Apparently he joined Pax at some point."

"Actually, could you get me some intel on that?"

"yes ma'am." he said "i'll get on that right away . I'll have a full report for you in a half hour or so"

"Thanks, Simon."

"not a problem, Hazel. I'm always on your side'

"Heh. I can always count on you."

Simon chuckled "It's what makes us such good friends"

"Damn right. BUt I better get back to this so that our friendship you know, continues."

"Yeah.... yeah , good point. I"ll pull up the files on Panther for you"

"Thanks, Simon. Heron out."

And right on time. She was at the end of the vent.

She peered out of the vent, to whee it came out.

She saw a long row of prison cells along the left side of a hallway, with doors opposite them, and a booth with each wall taken up by long mirrors at the end.

Oh boy.... cameras? security measures?

Cameras. And the booth was a guard post, evidenced by the three men waiting around the consols and watching the screens.

it was a local circuit camera system, from the looks of it, and they were rigged along the walls at intervals, watching each cell.

Wonderful. This was going to be either a very delicate- or a very indelicate operation.

Either way, it seemed she'd have to be careful. Either of the bullets or the cameras.

She's try the stealthy approach, careful, qucik, and timing her movements against the cameras.

The camera's would be hard to sweep her way through...but as she looked, there were small gaps in the spaces they covered. She could serpentine her way through.

She gave the pattern a long, hard look, trying to memorize it- and then she went for it.

!roll d20+5

[26-Jun-18 06:52 PM] RPBot#4161

DoctorCorby rolled **14**. (9,   5)

She managed to make it through the first three camera rigs, finding herself around the middle of the room. She'd just slinked past the last sweeping arc of the camera when a figured stirred in one of the cells.

She whipped around, eyes narrowing at the prisoneer, tranq gun raised.

In the cell was an  man marked by age. Handsome, if a bit distinguished, with slicked back blond hair fading into grey in areas and a matching moustache. Over his cheek, a familiar scar. He was, for some reason, dressed like a cowboy. And he grinned like a panther watching it's next meal at her.

Her quarry. She put a finger to her lips.

He nodded silently, and flashed her a quick thumbs up

She looked for a way to get him out.

He gestured slyly towards the control room. There must be a release switch in there..

She looked over to the control room, inspecting it.

There were the two guards within...who hadn't noticed her yet, as they had their eyes on the cameras.

How far was it? was the shot unimpeded, or would she have to get over there?

There was reinforced glass all around the booth. She'd need something stronger than a pistol to break through. She'd have to get there.

Of course she would. Was there a path that avoided the cameras?

It looked like there was a brief moment when they formed a blind spot. RIght through the center.

That would have to be it. She held her breath, and waited.

She found that sweet spot, and when it came, she worked her way through it on quick feet. The cameras just missed her by microseconds as she rushed the control room. Now she'd just have to duck before one of the guards looked up.

And duck she did, as low as she could, her heart beating thick in her chest.

She was pressed against the cool metal, close enough she could hear the two men talk about 'possible disruptions in the cameras'. But the one who raised the concern was shot down by his partner, who pointed out they hadn't seen a thing.

She scooted, low down, toward the door.

She managed to reach the door, which was locked by a keycard reader.

She reached for her keycard, and swiped it-- hoping.

There was a loud beep and the light turned red. Rejected.

well, that would have to do. She quickly moved low-- aside from the door.

One of the guards made a grunt of alarm, and walked towards the door...

She readied herself to grab him as he came out, her training taking hold, muscles ready.

The door opened slightly, and the barrel of the gun came out first...

Hazel grabbed his gun first, using her combat training to expertly disarm him as he came out.

The gun went flipping from the man's hands, hitting him in the jaw with it's stock as he came out the door. He grunted, disarmed, and reeled back. HIs hand was going for his hip holster.

She grabbed him by the reaching arm, and pulled him out, slamming his head on the nearest surface.

it was the door frame...and the man went limp after the sickening crack of a broken nose.

she dropped him and immediately blind-fired her tranq into the room.

!roll d20+5

[26-Jun-18 08:27 PM] RPBot#4161

DoctorCorby rolled **11**. (6,   5)

The darts unfortunetly pinged off the computer monitors as the guard jumped away from them. HIs machine gun was in his hand as he began blind firing it through the doorway

She got down low again, cursing, and waited until his clip ran out.

The bullets hailed over her head, skimming her once or twice before she heard the telltale plink of a clip running dry

She stood and turned in a swift motion, not bothering with the tranq gun now but rushing in and grabbing the man bodily.

The man grappled with her, and attempted to turn the tide and slam her down into the consoles

Hazel was strong, and tried to turn the grapple around on him.

THe guard got the high ground, however, and Hazel found her head colliding with the monitor's screen.

Hazel felt the glass and the burst of electricity. It was mercifully short, her mind not noticing as her body jerked.

And with that...she was sent back. And she found herself standing outside the door.

She took a moment to catch her breath. That had been.... bad. She wasn't exactly happy to try it again, but, she would.

Her skin tingled slightly for a moment before it faded...and she heard the door start to open again.

She got herself ready for another try-- did she have another keycard? she vaguely remembered having two. she checked her pockets.

She did in fact have a second keycard...from the guard.

She'd try that one this time. She stayed down, and tried sliding the guard's keycard.

The light beeped, and ...lucky for her , the door unlocked.

She took advantage, standing immediately in the open door and firing tranq darts at both gaurds, before quickly  pivoting and pressing herself low against the outside wall before they could return fire.

The sneak attack caught them both unaware, ad they were struck down by the chemical darts before they could even shout.

Hazel slipped into the booth when she heard them both fall. That had gone _much_ better.

It was. One's machine gun was jammed under his sleeping body, which may have been dangerous.

The other was sprawled on the ground.

And the guard station was open to her. There were switches and dials. ANd monitors for the cameras on the cells.

She pushed the gaurds under a table, and grabbed the machine gun, looking over the monitors and cameras for a moment.

She saw that the cells were currently empty, though they showed signs of recent habitation. A few labcoats and military dresswear were piled on beds.

And of course there was Panther, tossing a handmade knife in his hand, and looking bored

she zeroed in on Panther, and looked for a way to disable his cell's lock.

There was a switchboard for unlocking the doors. All were unlocked , save for his.

She didn't unlock it right away, instead, she looked for a way to disable the cameras from recording.

There was another control panel. This one with knobs for volume, focus....and of course, power.

She turned the power to them off, and then flipped the switch for Panther's cell-- immediately leaving the station to go back to the cell.

The guard station was completely shut down, and she was safe to go back to the cell.

Inside, Panther had stood with arms wide open "Steel Heron. You don't look like y'all aged a day" he said with a drawl

"That makes one of us," she said in low amusement, looking him over.