Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Snowy Wastelands - Saranna & Rose Reiver
Saranna called for Vivian when their travel agents arrived. Though she wondered a little if she should have spared the girl. Being shuffled underground and off in a private airline... well, there was nothing to do but wait. They handed her a file and she studied yes, but she could have tried doing that while getting her cello case past the TSA and whatever the Russians called their shoe search squad. They thought of everything. She found herself sighing alot. Thanks, I hate it.
She declined the food provided on the flight, not wanting to spoil her appetite and spent the flight studying, going over the layout of the field (such that they had), humming to herself, and eavesdropping (of course). And changing. Yes, she waited till they were on the move. And she spent a fair bit of the flight time in the bathroom, checking the material. She knew it fit. She wore this plenty, but she sewed it fresh each time, and it had to be fresh.
Saranna wore red, a great deal of it: a red vest and a detached right sleeve. She had a red glove with rose decor on her right hand only, and a choker with a similar rose around her neck. Her withered right hand, she left free. A red train stretched from the vest and faded to violet as it did. She wore leather pants as well, not quite skintight, and in the style of dress pants. She still wore nothing on her feet and would indeed step gingerly off the plane and into the frozen ground that way. Around her waist, a rhinestone belt. Around her left forearm, ribbons of raw, exposed flesh, like the same kinds of raw flesh around her collarbone. Off-color dark blotches dotted her newly exposed skin.
Left behind was the cello case. Saranna openly carried a quite literally medieval looking bec de corbin, and dragged a chain that she'd locked around her other arm.
"I doubt you'll see her, yet," Saranna said upon landing, re-introducing herself and looking at Kellen particularly as he'd asked for her name. "But when you see this vision from your dream, I mean really see me, you may call me Rose or Reiver, or altogether, your Rose Reiver. Thanks for having me, and I wish you a very good time."
Saranna didn't wait for the others to claim space in the truck. She'd also stopped strutting or even really walking. She seemed to stumble to the truck, swerving right or left or left again at random, before reaching it and hauling herself up to sit on the tailgate. She tightly gripped the bar on the outside and settled there, not moving to climb into the actual seating area. Or moving at all after having settled.
Edited by CenturyEye on Jul 17th 2023 at 8:05:22 AM
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Druid Dude
Kellen Espinoza, On the Way
The ride to the airport and the subsequent fight were quite uneventful. Most of Kellen's flight time was spent memorizing the information on the packet as he slept the rest of the time. When he felt the plane land, he opened his eyes and got off the plane with his things slung onto his back. He breathed in the cold air, allowing his breathing to acclimate to the new weather. He turns towards Rose Reiver, her body's... condition and her weapons drawing his attention.
"Good to meet you, but... your skin." he notes. He would grill her, except the trucks drew his attention. "Well. I'll drive one." he sighs. He watches as Rose stumbles around, somewhat concerned for her ability to move, but he sighs and begins to enter the driver's seat.
Edited by Jules-Firenze on Jul 18th 2023 at 5:47:41 PM
You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.
Have an ICE Day!!
Vivian hadn't said much on the flight, only desultorily looking over the information provided while taking swigs from her small flask. The young woman even fell asleep halfway to their destination, with small "Mumumumu" noises escaping her mouth. Once she half-sat up and muttered "No! I don't wanna put the fire out, Mamma!" before slumping back into her seat.
When the plane touched down Viv stumbled out. First, she scooped up some snow and pressed it into her face, before shoveling more into her mouth, then bent down to actually press her face into the snow and begin eating it. After she stood back up and shook the rest from her hands, Viv turned to the rest of the team and shrugged. "I never learned to drive. So I guess I'm cargo." Already slightly weaving, the young woman set off for one of the trucks, shaking her flask as she went.
The Gayest Bowser
Clay - Roviet Sussia
Clay had been in his own little mental world since Cigar's explanation. Other than the big parka / glove combo for the cold, the bag was the usual survival kit-and-kaboodle - first-aid kit, binoculars...a .44 magnum for some reason with two magazines. At-first he wondered why he didn't get a .50 like the other guy but then he figured that a pattern of any kind spat in the face of "Don't Get Caught - For Dummies."
As for him, he was mostly set: Being able to spout (binding) fire was still the ability to spout fire and thus, be warm, whereas as machines were easily smashed. The rest of this sounded like a science fair, which kinda ran parallel to his own specialties. Still a resource was a resource, right?
He spent the majority of the flight asleep, having consumed the flight food in about three minutes. He woke up rather casually, barely reacting to the landing of the plane.
Comrade Zero...The name didn't strike Clay as familiar. His old leader wasn't the collaborating type, but he remembered other villains cropping up at various points during his time. They must not've been that important if he didn't remember 'em.
Or maybe the food-coma was still subsiding.
"Doctor, I did say look for the Spymaster. Or should I say Spy....Master?"
Breath of the Sun
Basil
The flight was rather uneventful. Basil was glad he could play solitaire with his brain. He stepped out into the cold, unbothered despite clearly not being dressed for it, and spun on a heel to test his snow shoes.
Finding them to his satisfaction, he strode towards the trucks, only briefly taking note of Saranna's eccentricities.
"I'll drive the other." He said, nodding to Kellen. He ran a hand through his hair. "If we get stopped, better they see a pretty face."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Bill never had much issue with flying, he just willed himself asleep until the projected time of arrival. He willed his suit to congeal itself around him and walked out into the cold. As it appeared that the matter of who would be driving was already settled, Bill clambered into the back of one of the trucks, sitting down next to the somewhat childish woman from before. What was her name again, something beginning with V; Victor perhaps? She still lacked any form of physical protection from the elements, and yet her physical state had suffered not at all for it. She was clearly a very interesting individual, and Bill intended to discover more.
"Why do you not require protection? Are you some kind of mutant?"
Heading Into The Unknown
Viv had settled in the back of the truck when the odd fellow popped in next to her. "Mutant? Me?" Viv turned her head to look at him slightly. "No. I'm just unique, one-of-a-kind. Never been before, and never will be again. At least..." She frowned for a moment. "I'm just naturally a bit tougher than most. Never have to bundle up, or watch my step." Viv glanced at the other person. Bob? "So, what's your deal? Do you usually order dead pigs before you go on a big trip? Are you a mutant?" She took a drink and glanced around at her teammates. "Actually, maybe we should talk out our powers and such? Surprises aren't a good idea in these situations."
Edited by Booky on Jul 29th 2023 at 9:34:09 AM
Bill shook his head in denial somewhat more vigorously than would be appropriate, giving more the impression of a seizure than a simple gesture. "I'm not any sort of mutant, my genetic information is 100% human." He raised one of his hands, and partially extended his tendrils. "I need to break down material components with these in order to make things. The pigs served that purpose."
He lowered his hand. "Now I get to ask you a question. Are you some sort of alien?"
Viv
"Now I get to ask you a question. Are you some sort of alien?"
Viv paused. She'd never really thought about it that way before now. Am I an alien? Her parents had combined their own genetics with some additional material so I suppose I must be one. I really should ask about where they got it someday, Or maybe I really am an alien? I'm something unlike anything else in the world. A freak.
Suddenly she wished she hadn't been so flippant about calling herself "unique." And that her flask was filled with something much stronger. Tipping it up, she drank thirstily, now eager to avoid any more questions.
AKA Nixer
Ymir Wolff
Ymir crawled into the cabin of one of the trucks, hanging around the back out of flat refusal to suffer out in the open. She managed to squeeze in, contorting herself into a comfortable position (if only for herself) so as not to get in the way of the others. She didn't seem to mind much: at least she'd be warm.
"Powers? Hm," she said upon hearing Viv's suggestion, considering this for a moment. "Okay. I've got sticky barbs on my hands and feet, I can lift a car over my head easy, I can make webbing out of my wrists, I've got poison stingers, I've got heightened senses, and I can't eat solids. Don't think that last one's a power. That should cover everything though, more or less. I'm probably forgetting some stuff. I don't actually know too much about myself so I'm saying what I know. Maybe I can do more; we'll see."
bork
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Rose Reiver- No Spoilers Please
"..." Their Rose liked surprises though. Besides, she would show them the moment they arrived at the place.
Not that she would have answered anyway. She was content to stare and watch the terrain and Bill's shaking that looked just like the panic jerking from pinned prey. Saranna stared. Just for a... long time.
"Your Rose can teach you to drive," She eventually non-answered Viv's invitation, instead answering Viv's earlier comment about having never learned to drive. "If the trucks..." She searched for the words. She'd broken that particular line of thinking. "...still drive. You can bring us back." Though she couldn't imagine why their drivers would miss the chance to ram the front entrance or drive deep into the heart of the base and blow their tanks inside. Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Druid Dude
Kellen Espinoza
Did... that woman just eat snow? Kellen tilts his head but decides to turn the other way, and nods at Basil as he gets in the other truck. He can barely hear the conversation in the other truck, but he got the gist of them discussing their powers. They don't need to know his powers. Best to let people underestimate him, think he's powerless.
You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.
On route to Adventure
Viv likewise stared in horrified fascination at Bill's hand. Tearing her hands away, she listened with interest to Ymir's list of powers. "Your hands are sticky all the time? How do you pick up food, or shake hands? Are you a bug-person?" She paused, then shrugged. "I'm pretty strong and tough myself. And I can jump really far. Though that probably won't be terribly useful where we're going." Viv glanced around at the others. "Hopefully folks with heat powers will be able to keep us cosy. Anyone else want to share?"
Then Saranna's offer sank in. "Teach me to drive? That...would be really fun, actually! Maybe we should try it!" Yes, this won't end badly. But at least I won't have to think about...flying. Climbing out of the back, she jogged quickly to the driver's seat and hopped in, making sure to put on her seatbelt.
Edited by Booky on Aug 4th 2023 at 12:30:29 PM
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Rose - Unique Driver's Ed
"Oh my, don't hurt Basil." Saranna said only after listening to Viv move. "And you know, ask, sweetie." Viv hadn't bothered to wait for the 'on the way back' part. Eh, the girl looked so happy though! For the first time since Saranna had seen Viv.
She dropped, chaining her bec to herself, and moved up front, gripping the ...metal things there and hanging outside the driver's door. She did not know truck anatomy, no.
Saranna sat silent for awhile, before speaking very slowly and deliberately. Twas more for herself as it gave her time to focus. "First, you don't need heat powers, dear," Her bec pulled extra duty as a pointer for a moment. "Just turn on the heat and don't ask for preferences. Hands on 10 and 2..." Had Viv ever seen an analog clock? "Foot on the brake." Oh, a standard transmission. This'll be a treat. She went through that slowly, not really expecting it to stick, but she was up front now if Viv got to drive.
Saranna had seen Viv knock back her flask and had not forgotten that. Also couldn't miss that this was a snow and ice covered back road in hostile territory. And she was currently truck-surfing. No one would have a driver's ed tale like that!
Edited by CenturyEye on Aug 5th 2023 at 5:22:06 AM
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Fwomph
Into the Snow
They could feel the chill in the metal, even under the cloak that kept casual observers from seeing the wings. It wasn't just the cold, it was anticipation; the wings were so close to an opportunity to prove their philosophy and Mari could feel it. The tricky part would, as always, be holding back...
The flight had been uneventful, spent mostly in isolation running down the checklist of equipment preparation and reading through as much intel on the operation as possible. This was an opportunity to show off skills that these wings had not ruined, Mari was going to take it. By the time they were done, there wouldn't be anything of value left behind to blow up...
For now, into the truck and await the transit to the base proper.
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
Bill turned to look at the winged figure. Like all of these other oddities, he had no idea what to make of them. While their shape might suggest an angel, the cruel blades that composed their bizarre adornments looked anything but heavenly.
"Where do your wings come from. You're not an angel are you?"
Edited by bobbitwormhobbitwyrm on Aug 11th 2023 at 12:48:16 PM
Fwomph
In The Back Of A Truck With Bill
"Angel? No. No. I am mortal, these wings are an... Affliction.
The sound of grinding metal that was always just slightly at the back of perception got louder.
"It was given by a god or monster, I know not which. Perhaps it intended me to be a herald... Guess that means I'd be an angel after all."
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
Snowy Wastelands
Some time later the various new initiates would be led out of the room and into an underground rail system that took them directly toward a local airport with a private jet waiting for them, filing them away as they took off into the air. The comforts were passable and food had been provided, but most importantly each of the agents was given a packet of information regarding their current target.
The base they were assaulting was considered an S rank difficulty mission on the hero scale, one that was meant to be undertaken by a large association or a hero whose abilities defied all reason and logic. Other then the Cryomen they could expect any number of traps, defenses, and even just the naturally elements to be against them. While the inside of the base was theorized to be habitable even that was likely to be only just. Thankfully they were also given a large number of codes that should deactivate the security systems, and a master code to activate the self destruct system as the main console. It seemed their first mission would be fairly cut and dry, so long as nothing unexpected happened.
After a long flight the jet would eventually touch down in a airfield covered in a thick sheet of snow, a smaller town that one could enter and exit without having to be asked uncomfortable questions like 'why do you have a sword?' or 'are you here to assault the base of a mass murderer?'
Outside of the town were two large trucks, obviously worn down by age but still suitable for traveling the more desolate areas even in the conditions they would be facing. Now all it came down to was who would take the driver seat and who would be stuck in the back.