Traffic(Katy)

[somerandomhippie]

Katy was a little surprised when Dakota fielded the question instead of Hugo, but then again, she probably knew the most about it. So, she listened, eyebrows creeping up more and more as Hugo joined in. This sounded almost like a movie- and organized, to boot. They then furrowed as the two finished, and joined them at the map. The way they were pointing, this looked like a bit of a trek. Not one to be taken without a few risks. Then again, that was what they did best, wasn't it?

Walking over to the map, she scrutinized everywhere she could. Not a whit. Then she heard about the robots, and gave an almost disbelieving smile. Robots? Oh dear, this was starting to sound like Will Smith more and more every minute. Not that it was a bad thing. She almost spoke up when Hugo started talking about the front door- crazy talk!- but then mulled it over, and smiled. "I hope you like fireworks," she grinned, starting to think. This was her kind of thing now.

Nodding at Hugo's suggestion, still a smile on her face, she walked over to the closet, pulling it open. She nearly squealed. Ooh, Hugo sure had this place packed. Plopping on the floor cross-legged, she pulled a small box from the back and began rifling through it. Pistol, pistol, broken pistol, hairdryer... She paused, went back to the broken pistol and pulled it open. She stared for a moment blankly, then grinned, popping up and almost dashing to her bag. She rifled through it, found a tea container, popped it open, looked inside, popped it closed again, closed the bag, and ran into the kitchen. She filled the kettle up, and, satisfied that it would boil in proper time, sat on a chair and began to dismantle the pistol with gusto.

When the kettle began to screech, she unplugged it, then turned to Dakota. "Cuppa tea?" she asked amiably. "Just Scottish Breakfast, I'm afraid, but it'll keep us awake." Peering into the next room, she considered waking Hugo up, then decided against. Poor thing would probably need some sleep. She'd gotten plenty back in the hotel, but his clatterings had gone on most of the night. Looking in the kitchen for a teapot, she quickly located one and set the tea steeping. Plopping the remaining water in a mug for later, she put the empty tea canister by her side and continued to tinker.

[hugodouglass]

Dakota had been speaking into her comm for the last thirty minutes, her voice staying relatively quiet throughout the conversation. Snippets of her discussion could be heard, but they were incomprehensible snippets that ranged from "No, don't!" to "Listen James, I don't want the pulse cannon on top of the crate". The girl stopped speaking when she heard Katy's question, a smirk coming across her face as she said:
"No thanks. Got enough adrenaline running through me to keep me up for days. I run off of the self created adrenaline that I..." She stopped mid-sentence, smiling apologetically as she continued:
"Sorry...sounds kind of strange, but it's true. I get jumpy before something big goes down. The edge doesn't come off for..hold on a sec honey..."She spoke into the comm:
"Listen James, I need you to get into position when I give you the signal. Get as many as you can." Dakota gave another apologetic smile as she now addressed Katy:
"Yeah, weird I know. But it does it's job. Without it, I wouldn't have survived this long." The young woman walked over to the closet and grabbed a medium sized pulse rifle, looking over the glowing cartridge chamber with a somewhat mystified look.
"Never could get over how powerful these things were. Could take a life in a heartbeat. And yet the color that emanates is the color of life. Ironic."

Hugo closed the closet door and looked over the gear that he had attached to himself one last time. The detective was wearing a black long sleeved shirt and black pants with a belt around his waist that on the front had what looked like a square. A pulse rifle was strapped across his back and a holster on the belt held a plasma pistol. Completing the array was a holster on his ankle that held a small energy blade.

Yeah. He was ready.

Walking out of his room, he told Katy with a small smile:
"I hope you have your fireworks ready. Cause we're puttin on a show tonight."
Dakota looked over at Hugo with a cocked eyebrow, saying:
"You look like a commando."
"That's the idea."
"You serve as one?"
"If we survive this, I'll tell you."
"Then you'll tell me." Hugo smiled, responding:
"I like your attitude."
"Most do." Hugo then addressed both of them by speaking:
"So here's what we do: Katy sets base camp up near the entrance to the compound and sets her explosives. As she sets them up, Dakota's people set up close by. Now once those explosives go off, we should have their attention. Once attention is grabbed, pull your people out of there and I'll insert myself into the compound. Katy joins me with additional explosives and we take out what we can."
"Sounds great, but ah...you'll be a little easy to see."
"Not with this." He pointed towards the square on his belt.
"What is that?"
"Stealth generator. There's another one in the closet Katy. You'll need it."
"Ok, so lets say you pull all that off...what happens when they find out you're there? Cause I'm sure those scum have scanners on the inside also."
"Won't matter. These models are so old that the updated technology shouldn't read them." Although, Hugo also knew that they were prone to malfunctioning at times.
"How do you get out?"
"I need you to get us a transport. Moment I call you in, I need something that'll get us from here to the opposite end of The Third."
"And what about us? What do we get for all this help?"
"If we survive, I'll tell you. Now lets get moving. We have a big night ahead of us."

[somerandomhippie]

Finally setting down her screwdriver, she was just about to reply to Dakota when she turned back to her comm, giving further orders to someone named James. Nice name. Harry Potter-esque, as old as that was. As she finished, Katy shrugged, "No worries. Hey, if it works, it works. Had a friend who used to eat lollipops before a mission- kept him awake, but he'd crash as soon as he got back to base." Hearing the comparison, she sighed, and hummed a few bars of The Lion King before turning back to her project. Crazy stuff, war.

Carefully, she put the tampered energy cell into the tea canister, then held her breath. Steady... She only let out her breath after she'd finished pouring the hot water in, and quickly put the lid on, setting it back on the counter. Now, that would pack a punch. Tuning in to hear Hugo's comment, she grinned, "It's gonna be like the Fourth of July! Best display this place's ever seen." Nodding to the plan, she got up, wandering over to the closet and picking up the little square from the floor. Pressing it, she watched as her vision switched slightly, like she'd pulled on a pair of shades. Flicking it back, she clipped it on her belt. Nice stuff.

Nodding at Hugo, she said, "Just a minute, I'll pack up." Grabbing a rifle of her own, she slung it over one shoulder, and slung her pack over the other. Dashing after Hugo, she made sure to cradle her homemade explosive container carefully. It didn't take them long to get to the complex. It was rather big; almost looking like a prison. How ironic, prisons holding criminals. Giving Hugo the thumbs up, she pressed the little square on her belt, and headed over to the front door. Taking a few steps back, she looked around for Dakota's men. Once they were in place, she'd have her fun. Flexing her arm a little, she waited.

[hugodouglass]

"Let's head out."

Hugo stood a few meters away from the complex entrance, his stealth generator hiding him from the watchmen that patrolled the front entrance. There were two guards at this entrance and a few more that were in the watchtowers above. Hugo had been surprised at how complex this place really was: watchtowers, scanners, guards armed with high tech plasma weaponry, the works. From what Hugo could see from the outside, the complex was a large one, almost the size of a small university campus. They would have to be careful not to get lost within the walls of that place. Hugo spoke into his comm:
"Are we in position?"
"Ready and waiting for explosions." Dakota was feeling nervous, even with the well-set plan that Hugo had set down. She trusted him(even though they hadn't known each other that long), but she didn't trust fate. It usually stabbed her in the back right when things would start to look up. Her anxiety level doubled when she heard one of her group members whisper:
"You know they might have probes scouting the area. They might know we're here."
"Stow the negative talk, Jack."
"Just saying, Kota." She knew that he could have been right...might have been dead on.
"Hey Hugo, you think Katy could hurry up with her firework show?"
"Give her time, Dakota. You can't rush a master."

[somerandomhippie]

When she heard her comm beep, Katy probably jumped about three feet in the air. Quickly muffling it with a hand, she listened as best she could. They were in position. Good. Now, as for where to plant her little concoction... Looking around, she decided near the main doors would be best- more impact, might even shatter a few things. Also, that'd give them a clear way in, even if it was the main door. Well, you couldn't have everything.

Then she spotted the truck, and changed her mind. It was a rather large thing- at least a ton, maybe two. Two hopped out and quickly went to the back, sliding the door up and hauling stuff out. Katy blanched, even from a distance. They sure looked an awful lot like robots. Still, this was an entire new opportunity. Beaming more in fright than in excitement, she skittered down as quietly as she could. Damn, that gravel was loud stuff. Shaking the container vigorously, she cradled it near the hot ignitor and high-tailed it.

A deep roar blasted her and sent her sailing the last few feet into a bush. Her vision swam, and she laid against the cool ground for a moment before looking up. She cooed- the truck had exploded, with the aid of the fuel tank, taking it's cargo and the receiving door with it. She'd really outdone herself this time. "Explosives discharged, in case you didn't notice. I'll grab my pack and meet you inside." Scrambling over to her stuff, she beamed. Now was when the real fun began.

[hugodouglass]

Hugo heard the explosion(and saw the debris fly) from where he stood, prompting a small smile to come across his face.
"Once you get inside the complex, get to the first building in front of you. I'll be scouting the area out." As Hugo ran through the main gate, he could see a squadron of ten or twelve Sevens(decked out like they had just come back from a casting call for the lead part in a Western) rushing past him, faces grim and determined.
"Dakota, they're coming in hard with a squadron. Be ready to shake them."
"Got it." Hugo got to the building, entering through the metal door. His eyes scanned the corridor he was now in, noting it's narrow construction. There were a few doors scattered on both the left and right, but the main attraction was the door that stood at the end of the corridor, which was wide open. Hugo could see the reflections of holo screens bouncing off the floor. Could he have been so lucky as to stumble onto a security room of some sort? The detective walked forward cautiously, making sure that...

A door to his left opened, nearly knocking Hugo onto his backside due to the force with which it was opened. His eyes locked onto what had just come into the corridor.

Robot.

It was humanoid in form, but was covered in an exo-skeleton of thick metal, a greenish-blue haze coming from where it's "eyes" were. The robot carried a plasma rifle and looked as if it were scanning for something. It couldn't have picked Hugo up...no way it could have. The robot turned to where Hugo was standing, staring at what most humans would perceive as empty space. The stare continued for a few moments...

And it left, going back into the room it had come out of.

Hugo breathed a sigh of relief, now retreating into the room at the end of the hallway. The detective's face broke out into a grin as he saw the holo screens.

Bingo.

[somerandomhippie]

Slinging the rather heavy pack across her back- weapons of mass destruction tended to weigh a little bit- Katy gave Dakota and her team a thumbs-up as she passed. They were tight-faced, looking like this was the last thing they would ever do- and it might be, for some of them. Feeling that weight on her chest, she relieved it somewhat by making faces at a passing cowboy, and headed inside after Hugo. Hopefully he was in by now, so they could get this over with and get out as fast as possible. No need to drag this out.

Slipping past a couple more ranchers, she snuck down the hallway as quiet as was possible in chaos like this. Everyone seemed to be panicking. Probably didn't get enough attacks on their base to be limber, which fit with how everyone else seemed to avoid this place. Shame, shame, for shame. Always had to keep your drills fresh, just in case something like this happened. Heck, they were two cops and some civilians led by a girl named after a state. They could do better than this.

Rounding a corner, she skidded to a stop and wheeled back the way she came. Marching behind her came robots- line after line of robots. They had to have a whole legion of them tucked away in here. Panicking, she threw open a closet and huddled herself inside, hoping no one would notice the seemingly-animate door opened by no one. Watching through the keyhole, it took a while before they finally all passed and rounded her original bend. Goddamn.

Pulling out her comm, she opened up the short-wave they'd agreed on earlier. "Hailing Hugo and strike team," she called quietly, her voice a little rusty from adrenaline. "You were totally right about the robots- there's gotta be at least a hundred of them, maybe more. We're not gonna be able to stand them for very long, if at all." Shuddering a little, she took a deep breath and continued. "Hugo, where are you? Let's get what we need, and get out of here, or we're dead meat. I don't know if they ca--"

One little lone robot, a little shorter than the others had been, traipsed by her little closet, then did a double take. Almost gasping, she stuffed her comm against her shirt to muffle it. It cocked it's head like a puppy, sea-green eyes shining with curiosity, and she drew her pistol. It opened the door, peeking a head in quite cheerily- odd for a robot. Katy leaned back, her heart pounding in her mouth. Eventually, it shook it's head and continued on.

Katy sighed. "Thank gods for perception filters," she muttered to no one in particular. Pulling her comm to her face, she said, "Let's get out of here soon. These robots give me the creeps." Shutting it off, she creeped out, looking around, then skittering back down the hallways. Maybe blowing something up would ease her mind a little. She'd get to do lots of that.

[hugodouglass]

"We won't have to worry about those cybernetic freaks in a few minutes. I'm at the end of a long hallway that I accessed through the front entrance of the building. I guess you took a wrong turn, didn't you?" Under the circumstances, Hugo knew that a bit of humor would lighten her mood(and his).
"You're going to love what I found. Get over here as soon as you can." Hugo then turned to the screens that flashed various pictures from around the complex. Below the screens was a circular pedestal that Hugo perceived was the A.I. that controlled the security funct...

"Password." The A.I.'s projection came to life(it was modeled after a very, very familiar looking person. John Eastwood? Or was it Clint Wayne? John Wayne? Whatever it was, it looked like a cowboy). Hugo clicked his tongue off the roof of his mouth in thought, to which the A.I. responded:
"Incorrect."
"Yeah yeah, hold your horses."
"Incorrect." Hugo knew he had better stop talking or else this thing could put the whole base on alert. The detective walked around the room, looking for some kind of clue, but found nothing(holodiscs that contained questionable pictures, decks of cards, a plasma pistol or two).

And that's when he heard the explosion over the comm.

Hugo walked outside of the room and asked Katy:
"Was that you?"

Dakota rolled out of the way of yet another grenade, her comm unit inadvertently switching itself on as her left ear scraped the ground(that wasn't the smoothest role in the world), firing with her pistol and hitting another Seven, the cowboy crumpling to the ground. Dakota and her people had led the Sevens down a few alleyways and back onto a main area of the Third, where her intention was to lose them in the crowds.

Sadly, the Sevens had already blocked the street off and now her people were hiding in alleyways and trying to fight off an invasion coming from all sides.
"Hugo, you'd better get your butt in gear or else we're toast!!!"
"What happened?"
"We're pinned down by a few Sevens. I can hear foot clomping and that can only mean they've got their robots coming down hard on us. At this point, all I need you to do is get those robots shut down. PLEASE!" Dakota fired off a few more shots, hitting a Seven in the head. A momentary feeling of elation came over her as she saw the remaining Sevens retreating.
"Yeah, run you slave drivers!!!" That elation was squashed quickly by the sight of a row of cybernetic robots, armed with plasma rifles.

Fun