It's Like Raid On Your Wedding Day | OPEN

[forgeabettertomorrow]

WHO: Aegis Force, Impact, and anyone who signed up for the raid
WHERE: OTO base outside of Nonah
WHEN: Sometime this weekend!
WHAT: Tony Stark has bequeathed some dangerous tech to OTO and the associated hero groups are looking to take it back!
WARNINGS: Violence, Copious amounts of robot thrashing, Faux Iron Men suits running amok

After two long weeks of careful planning and logistics, the mission to recover the Stark Tech from the OTO has been cleared. A large briefing was held in which everyone has been given their orders: Secure whatever Stark Tech you can find, disable transfers of any pertinent data regarding the tech to other OTO bases and compounds, and see to it that everyone makes it back alive and in good health.

The base in question is located two miles west of Nonah and a synchronized attack order will be given when scouts and preliminary teams have disabled security patrols.

When word is received that security is effectively disabled, the signal to move in and strike is given!

(OOC: Top levels for various phases will be up momentarily. Want to put up your own top level? Feel free! But if you want to work something out, feel free to ping me at bitterbearface)

Comments

Pre-Mission Briefing

[forgeabettertomorrow]

At the briefing everyone will either be assigned teams or will be allowed to work in teams of their choosing. Questions will be answered, watches will be synced, it will all be very surgical. Darin will be giving the briefing along with Allura so if there's any questions or concerns, they will happily answer them. If not, feel free to hype yourselves up before the raid!

[made_up_names]

Peter had gone back and forth on whether he wanted to do this as Peter Parker or Spider-Man. On the one hand, being Spider-Man he can use his full range of powers without issue - and if this is dangerous, he's gonna need that? But on the other hand ... There's one thing he has to bring that he really can't wear while in costume. So civvies it is. He's dressed in his usual hoodie and jeans setup, plus one extra piece: a pair of blue-tinted aviator glasses that don't quite suit the rest of his aesthetic.

Once there's a quiet moment for him to speak up, he does so. "This is Stark's tech, right?" he says. "I - look, I interned for him back home. And I might be able to help us get control back."

Or this could be the world's worst idea. Between Stark not being his Stark and whatever OTO has done to his robots, it's extremely likely that bringing EDITH will do absolutely jack shit. But he has to try. This is his (alternate) mentor's legacy he's talking about.

[drivesadesk]

Huh, another person who worked for Stark?

"I worked for him here, so I have a bit of experience with his technology, too. What did you have in mind? Maybe I could help."

Jonathan had had a similar debate, but decided going with his skin suit on might help him if he needs to use stealth. After all, a green alien is far more eye catching to a human than a regular guy.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Something like that would be a gamechanger and Darin is obviously interested.

"You interned for him? What have you got?"

Recon, Outer Defenses, and Distraction Tactics

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Those on recon and those tasked with either generating a distraction or taking out perimeter guards will find that the OTO have a number of new gadgets. Instead of mounted cameras along the perimeter, there's an almost swarm-like cloud of drones moving through the skies and about the perimeter in tightly synchronized patterns. Perimeter guards are all sporting upgraded armor and guns, and some of the Elite Class guards appear to have hand mounted laser blasters. Stark Tech at its finest already repurposed.

The area around the compound is somewhat wooded, but there's several hundred feet between the treeline and the fence leading into the compound itself.

And don't forget to keep an eye out for infrared perimeter alarms!

Guzma | OTA

[golisolation]

[As Darin should have briefed people on the fact that Guzma will be part of the raid, it shouldn't be too shocking to see the gang leader there with his Pokémon. He seems to be acting alone, and maybe that's for the best, or so he thinks. It's not like he's interested in getting chummy with anyone from Aegis—Archie's enough as it is. As far as he's concerned, he's here for his own reasons, the fact him destroying perimeter guards and causing a huge ass distraction helps Aegis is a necessary evil, and nothing more.

He's not concerned with stealth, not when he's on distraction duty. Look, Guzma's good at being loud and overwhelming, so who better than him for something like this? So, when Scizor shoots off into the air, Bullet Punching his way into one of those drone swarms, the attention it earns him is exactly the goal. Scizor isn't alone, of course, and his partner in aerial crime fires off a couple Energy Balls at the drones as well. The green orbs of grass-type based energy flying forward and exploding with impressive force against the drones. Doing some rough damage to some, while sending others crashing into each other from the wake of it.

Likewise, Ariados and Golisopod are storming some of those perimeter guards. While Golisopod crashes his claws into one with the force of locomotive, using his other arms to tear that gun from his hands as he continues to pummel him—Ariados is far more stealthy. Making his way to one of those mounted laser guns, he first shakes off some conjured shadow insects that scurry off to burrow into the guards manning it. While they're distracted dealing with that horrible affliction, Ariados will be webbing up those laser guns so they're locked in a position that makes hitting anyone with them a bit impossible. Well, not unless they cut through all of that webbing, but good luck there. Ariados is nothing if not thorough in his work.

During all this excitement, Guzma's staying back and out of the way. Not exactly hiding, since he is commanding his Pokémon, but he's certainly not in the fray. Or so he thinks. He's a bit too focused on keeping on top of his team so that they aren't caught off guard by anything, that he's not entirely paying attention to what might be coming his way.

Whether that might be another group of drones, one of the armed guards, or maybe even one of those mounted lasers being pointed his way. It doesn't help that his diamond carapace ability has made him a little more reckless than normal. It also doesn't help how undeniably delighted he is at the destruction his bugs are wreaking on the base. Look, the man is easily distracted by destruction, it's just his thing.]

Jonathan Walsh | OTA

[drivesadesk]

Jonathan is tagging along for this mission. He kind of feels like he has a responsibility to, since he helped build some of this stuff. And, of course, since stealth is absolutely in his wheelhouse, he's sneaking in to do some recon and disable some of the defenses before everyone else stormed the place. Of course, that's not exactly easy. Infrared perimeter alarms are one thing, but the sheer number of drones he had to sneak past was quite another. He'd have to be smart about this.

Still behind the tree line, he walks, circling the perimeter until he picks a guard to be his target. Then, staying out of sight, he reaches up and snaps a large branch off a tree. Then he snaps it in half. The sight of leaves rustling and the sound is enough to get the guard to step forward to investigate.

"That's it..." he whispers quietly, backing up, "Come on back here."

Walking further back, he breaks another branch. Then, as the guard nears the tree line, Jonathan hides behind a thick tree trunk, waiting. The guard draws nearer. Then, when he gets close, in one swift motion Jonathan swings around the tree trunk and pounces on the guard, knocking him to the ground. Two laser shots go off, but they fire futilely into the woods as Jonathan grabs the man's arm so he can wrestle the laser away from him.

Storming the Compound

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Looks like OTO was hard at work making that generous Stark donation work for them. The place is practically crawling with soldiers in some various form of combat armor. Some have jet boots. Some have jet packs. Still others have jet—er rocket fists! The armor is incredibly responsive and incredibly difficult to pierce. Not to mention the base has a top of the line security system. It even talks and makes sarcastic quips as it dishes out punishment from the various laser turrets installed in the ceilings.

The whole base has integrated the new tech to the point where it's almost completely automated. Almost. There's a control center manned by several high ranking OTO members, but to get to it you'll have to get through the Scrap Yard.

What's the Scrap Yard? Well, it's not a junk heap that's for sure. It's the open area in the center of the compound where they've been testing their Exo-Suits. And they're just waiting for imPorts dumb enough to run through and try and get to the Command Tower in the center.

The compound itself is littered with traps, all linked to the newly awoken AI Security System. Stick with your teams, coordinate over the comms and stay optimistic and maybe you won't die!

COMMANDER JACOB TAYLOR | OTA

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Things Jacob does not like: hostile laser turrets.

Things Jacob especially does not like: hostile laser turrets that make little jokes of questionable value ('Where does a laser sit in church? On a pew pew!') as they blast deadly green rays of energy toward him, scorching the floor around his feet as he ducks around a corner.

Jacob is unharmed and unfazed, though. This is maybe the fifth OTO holding he's assaulted or helped assault, and he knows the drill by now: advanced technology, waves of minions, and a lot of traps. Through the fight Jacob can be found dodging laser turrets or soaking up the fire for his allies using his energy barrier and advanced protective armour, talking on the comms to warn other imPorts of the latest booby-trap he's pinpointed, or fighting the enemy soldiers, pitting his own advanced technology like stun rays and armour-piercing ammo against the revamped StarkTech.

Just another day at the office for the Aegis Force Commander.

Luther Hargreeves | OTA

[obediences]

[ taking down soldiers ]
Ah. This is more like it.

It's odd taking someone else's orders for once, rather than barking them himself, but Luther crams himself back into a combat suit and back into the field anyway. He's been quiet, watchful, sticking close to the Aegis members and heroes he already knows, and is businesslike but polite to the ones new to him. Still shy, but falling back on protocol and the practicalities of combat.

And though Luther's powers aren't flashy, he's resilient and shrugs off most blows that the average human shouldn't; and if he manages to get a hold of a soldier's armour, he literally rips some of it off them, the tech smoking and the metal peeling back.

That sassy quipping security system is something else, though, and he winds up having to take refuge from the laser turrets, rubbing at his singed arm.

"Anyone good at range?"


[ the scrapyard ]
The team's approach has been halted at the edge of that wide-open space, with the control tower in the center. Not for the first nor the last time, he wishes he had his brother's teleportation abilities.

"I can teleport anywhere using elevators, but I can't do it if the floors are locked," Luther admits, a little sheepishly, to the person beside him, while eyeing that killzone mistrustfully. "Sure wish the Porter had been a little more generous."

He has no idea how they're going to cross it safely.


[ or feel free to go in a totally different direction! ping me @ quadrille if you wanna confab ]

Instruments of Destruction

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Throughout the raid, you might overhear commands being broadcast. Something about securing 'Project NRG' somewhere in the compound. Keep on fighting and you might just come across a fortified hangar. Looks like you're about to find out what Project NRG actually is.

Inside you'll find a towering, half-finished robot. Although, it distinctly looks to be more than just a robot. In fact, it almost looks Cybertronian inspired. Like a perfect meld between Stark Tech and Cybertronian aesthetic. The head, torso, and arms are all assembled and hanging from an enormous ceiling mounted scaffolding. The legs are partially built but look skeletal in nature. There's no way they'll be able to hold up that body in their current state.

Filtering into the hangar the lights flicker and that quipping AI comes to life. Project NRG is in danger! It's time for the Self-Preservation Protocol to be activated!

What does that mean?

It means heavy turrets that line the ceiling all activate at once, preventing anyone who enters from getting close to that enormous robot. It means that automated drones are flooding the room like a plague of locusts.

It means Project NRG is powering up. And while it can't move from its scaffolding in the center of the massive hangar, it certainly can turn its torso and move its arms. And it can certainly fire off the weapons that are currently installed, including massive blasters in the palms of each of its hands.

Time to take this thing down hard and salvage what's left!

[redcosmedic]

Knock Out wasn't part of Aegis Force, but he'd been asked to come along to help identify what was StarkTech based on his employment for the man.

He had not expected to see the construct in front of them, and MECH's machinations are suddenly too fresh in his processor for him to think entirely clearly as his energon prod comes out. He's smaller than the construct, but it can't move from its position, and he's faster certainly than it is and he can take more damage than one might expect for someone so fussy about his pristine finish.

For those others also entering the fortified hangar at the same time, may want to hang back a few moments and let the mechs rumble.

Darin Altway | OTA

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Man, how long had they been at this? It had to have been a few hours at least, but with adrenaline and tensions soaring, it felt like it had all happened in a flash.]

[Several teams were convening on the Scrap Yard, making progress towards the Command Tower, which just left this large hangar on the far side of the complex to sweep.]

[Darin hits the enormous hangar doors with a kick that explodes like a bomb, blasting the doors off their hinges before making his way in to assess what exactly they were dealing with.]

[It was not what he expected.]

[With the blaring of alarms all around from the raid, there's barely any warning as the heavy turrets spring to life and train their sights on Darin and his team. The construct hasn't moved yet, but the hum of electrical currents can be heard all throughout the room, growing louder towards the center.]

SPREAD OUT, FIND COVER! WE GOTTA CUT THROUGH THE TURRETS BEFORE WE CAN SEIZE THAT MECH!

player 3 has entered the game ( open )

[leatherboots]

Our intrepid heroes are not the only imPorts in the field today. A patch of thin air - no different to any other patch of thin air - peels apart with a gentle tearing noise as a masked man - athletic but not particularly tall, and somehow quite obviously young - steps through. He takes a moment to assess the situation from behind two glittering eyeholes in the depths of his black mask (ah - he nods - carnage.) before springing gracefully into action. He moves around the compound with determination, picking up pieces of miscellaneous Stark tech and shoving them carelessly through a portal of his creating, safely storing them anywhere that isn't here.

Again and again, he neatly unfolds a square of reality and disappears through it, stepping off into another part of the compound to repeat the process. The masked man works quickly and deftly, sidestepping the carnage that unfolds around him with ease as he goes neatly about his mysterious business. The only time he pauses is to cock his head as the AI heralds the awakening of Project NRG before shrugging with theatrical nonchalance - not his problem, not today - and continuing with his work.

--
( this is an open starter for anyone who wants to have a run-in with this strange masked imPort who definitely did not arrive with our heroic heroes. Because Rupert's trying to make sure the OTO's stuff remains firmly OTOs by portalling bits and pieces away from Aegis's clutches. Rude!
Rupert will quickly portal away from any fight he can't win but he'll stick around to trade quips and insults with anyone who spots him. Hit me up on fizzier if you have any specific you'd like to play out! )

[h2no]

Here's the thing: Archie knew Rupert, but he didn't know Rupert, if you get what I mean.

Maybe he notices the mysterious man, maybe he doesn't. Either way, it's pretty clear that despite all the acrobatics and portalling around, he doesn't really give a shit if the stranger comes out near him. He's focused on a small child sized, fat purple ghost that's standing in front of him.

"Go through the wall," he says, pointing at it. "Tell me what's through there. You remember? One for tech, then however many guards are hangin' around."

Gengar nods, with a shitty little cackle.

"Don't eat them. Don't. I'm serious." ... "Okay, fine, you can have one of them. Then you come straight back!"

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Jacob catches on that something is wrong around the third time he breaches a storeroom in the compound only to find it already cleared out of StarkTech, including items that had been identified as high-priority. He picks up the pace, pushing onward to the next objective, and kicks in the metal door just in time to see the masked man with a prototype repulsor blaster in one hand and in the other hand, an open hole in space and time.

So, this obviously suspicious. Jacob points at him, glowing with blue energy as he readies his biotics, and calls out in his most authoritative voice: "Hold it!"

ota

[fauxmarth]

Waiting for clearance
[Lucina is...not the right fit for recon, and she's one of the first to agree. but this means she must wait for the green light from the team that can stealth and hack the security.

she waits with the heavy-hitters and their overseers out of sight of the compound, seated, with Falchion unsheathed, lightly stabbed into the ground while she holds it upright and stares at the distorted reflections off the steel. she looks...more like she's preparing for some sort of march to death on a battlefield than a smash-and-grab, but for those who have known her long enough, she seems to get like this when the OTO is involved.]


Tripping Traps
[after the go-ahead, Lucina's keen on getting there fast: flying over the fence (with others in tow, if requested!), she makes a bee line for the command tower, keen on cleaning that one out first. having full faith in the work done in advance, she's late to see the laser turrets lifting up out of their sod cover and targeting, and the first volley sends her spinning to the ground.

she manages to get up and get her buckler out to brace against the next round, but she's pinned until she can find a way around it.

doesn't help that there's another turret lifting up mere feet away, either.]

Thrashing bots n' goons
[here's where she shines: not stealth, not data mining...just straight-up, knock-down, drag-out brawling with steel and fists.

she's here to help carve a path to this "Project NRG" and whatever else this wicked treasure trove hides, and she'll do so with great gusto and a lack of care for her force: drones and equipment will be sent sailing at and through walls, soldiers most definitely will be subdued in prompt fashion, though she's more willing to suss out their level of determination one-to-one before delivering any fatal blows or letting them surrender.

this, of course, requires a bit of backup: can't have a proper duel when there's turrets and lasers flying around making the fight unfair!]

Let's Thrash Some Bots

[lootsnshoots]

[If you need long-distance support while you're going in for close quarters combat, you need a Gunslinger. On top of that, flying turrets and lasers are old hat to Cayde, who comes in for support, cackling and firing from the hip. Lenses and rotors shatter with the impact of gunfire that is somehow frighteningly precise.]

I got your six, git on in there and do whatcha do!

Tripping traps

[golisolation]

[That second turret is handled rather quickly, particularly when it finds lifting to be one hell of a feat to accomplish when a load of super resilient spider's thread attaches to it. Immobilizing it, Ariados goes to work covering the turret with more of that durable and insanely sticky thread, leaving that turret inoperable.

The one that first fired at Lucina is seeing a similar friendly treatment, in the form of Scizor smashing into it with those heavy steel pincers of his. He absolutely whales on the thing, trashing it completely, before he moves on to the next with a frightening sense of purpose.

While Darin might have told Lucina that Guzma would be there, it's probably something else to actually see him helping. Or to see him smugly approach her with a calm resolve that's not exactly appropriate for the situation they're in. Golisopod is in tow behind him, though Masquerain flies past both of them to join the others in handling those turrets.]

Man, and here I thought I had a bad habit of charging in without looking.

[He shrugs at her.]

Is this gonna become a thing—me saving your ass constantly?

CLEARANCE SALE ON BLUE IDIOTS WOO WOO

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[This is probably a pretty strange sight to see: Darin off to the side of the frontlines poring over holographic maps of the facility, checking in with teams, coordinating equipment, making last minute, small changes.]

[Even he was a bit surprised at how many people unaffiliated with Aegis answered the call to step up for this raid. But the more people volunteered, the more hopeful he was that they could pull this off without a hitch.]

[Finally, he makes his way over to Lucina.]

Don't look so grim. It's too nice a day for all of that stoicism.

archie / ota

[h2no]

press c to call for healing

[as team healer, archie reluctantly takes his place in a position that doesn't mean running head first into trouble, despite what his instincts tell him.

they're... not very good instincts.

anyway, he stays back and as mentioned before it all started, he's available for healing at any time and all anyone has to do is comm him and he'll get there. he has enough movability to do it, with his pokémon.]

what a load of muk

[while he's certainly not one of the heavy hitters, that doesn't mean archie neglects and help he could be with his team and his own training, even if it's not as extensive, power augmented or even as well applied as other imPorts, but he's not a complete bumbling jackass.

anyone finding themselves surrounded by OTO agents or droids might hear a loud MUUUUUUK, then a shout of SLUDGE WAVE! and then... a horrible smell as an ungodly amount of purple sludge fires everywhere. it's good for clearing out rooms in a couple of seconds, non-fatally too. seems like muk's had enough aim practice that he splits the wave when it gets close to any allies.

archie himself doesn't hesitate to deck any OTO agents and finish them off, should they still be standing. he'll also use his new power to shield anyone that might find themselves caught short out in the open, though it can only take one hit! think of him as a healer/dps mix, not a tank.]

recon with gengar

[what do you call recon when the raid has already started? other than pointless.

niko had lent archie his gengar, a toddler-sized, very fat purple ghost with a perpetual grin to help with... whatever. it could probably clear out rooms itself, but archie hasn't wanted to let it out properly. he's worried he won't be able to control it properly, so right now the two are just tracking the movements of the droids and OTO members.

don't worry about it if you see gengar descend on an OTO agent with a horrible grin, pulling something transparent out of them before archie barrels into them to keep them down. it's fine.]

[innerdragon]

[With Archie being the person that he knows the most, Lance decides to follow after him. This is his first mission with Aegis after all, and it's already more than he bargained for.

They don't exactly have tech like this in their world after all. Battling Pokemon is way different from machines firing deadly lasers.

So tracking the OTO members definitely seems like a better option for him at the moment, though his dragons are rather conspicuous, so he keeps them put away for the time being.]

Are all missions like this?

[His voice kept low as he asks what he thinks is a pertinent question.]

fun with gengar

[patchricide]

[Oh, she saw that. She definitely saw that. And forget the warning, she's worrying immensely.]

[At least she has enough sense to tug at Archie's sleeve, and ask him in a hissing whisper:]

What did that spirit creature just do to that man...?! It wasn't what it looked like, was it?!

OTA

[innerdragon]

This whole mission is definitely more than Lance has bargained for. Being the new recruit that he is, this Pokemon trainer definitely feels like he's been thrown into the deep end from the get go.

Patrols are easy. A scuffle here and there is fine. But taking on a compound that's crawling with armored soldiers and lasers being fired at you from the ceiling? Holy Arceus. He's practically found himself in a war zone with tech that he was not experienced in dealing with. This is a far cry from the Pokemon battles back home.

Not to mention his dragons are big targets, and he has to use them carefully so that they don't get hurt as well.

Currently he has his most maneuverable Pokemon out and about. Charizard following alongside him and blasting flame at anything that dares challenge them. However, when some OTO agents with jet packs come their way, Lance suddenly finds himself face down in the dirt. Charizard having shoved him out of the way to take them head on. Standing over his trainer in a protective fashion as he belches hot flames at the armored soldiers.

... This isn't at all embarrassing.

Even as Lance tries to get up, Charizard pushes him back down with his foot and holds him there.

[patchricide]

"Let him up. I'll watch over him," the voice comes reassuringly to Charizard. Will it move? Allura has no idea. She hasn't tried to talk to anyone's Pokémon before.

But whether the foot moves or not, the princess will already be dropping to one knee to check Lance for any injuries.

"So, does this normally happen with your dragons?"