I'm not runnin'

[defensebonds]

WHO: Participants in Operation Archangel
WHERE: Maurtia Falls
WHEN: Mingling posts will be throughout July; Battle posts will be August 5th
WHAT: Archangel is back on its feet, preparing its members, and striking back where it counts.
WARNINGS: Violence, drug mentions and other such unpleasantness.


Open Prompts -- Month of July
Meet n' Greet
Things are a little different in the ranks of Archangel these days, starting with the most noticeable change: cells. Each cell has their own base, and no cell knows the base of another. Certainly makes things seem a little bit smaller, doesn't it? Of course, that means that, like it or not, you've got people in your team you need to get to know and prepare to trust with your life. Do you think you'll all get along like peas in a pod? Or like cats and dogs? Only way to find out is to strike up a conversation and see where it goes. On the upside, you get to try on your new uniform while you're there.

Training
You've come a long way from your beginning days as an operative -- but that doesn't mean your work is finished. Whether you're a seasoned war veteran or a scrub just getting your feet wet, you still have a lot to learn both about the enemies you'll face and working seamlessly with your new team. Your commanding officer will be on hand to help you every step of the way, and ol' Cap will be making the rounds to check on your progress... and maybe go a round in the ring with you, if you're looking for a sparring partner. Want to get to know your fellow cells? Not a problem; after everyone's gotten a good skill set they've put to the test, the cells will have the chance to intermingle and go head to head.

Investigation
Sure, all this punching and fight clubbing might be the cat's pajamas, but there's work to be done, isn't there? If you're the type to like a bit of digging around in the dirt, you'd better believe you'll have some work ready for you. Want to get some slanderous info about the local "hero" cops? Or maybe discover some weaknesses in the defenses of the cartels they've made deals with? If you can think of it, it probably needs to be done. Grab one of your teammates for a romp, or bump into another cell's operative and team up to cover more ground.


Battle Prompts -- August 5th
Party Poopers: Heiji, Sabriel, Clark, Jo, Hawke, Nysrog, Batgirl, and any member of the Knights of the Red Branch
Who doesn't like a good party? You, apparently. Way to harsh everybody's groove, pal. There's a lot to be done here, from sneaking in to securing the exits, straight on through to throwing caution to the wind and setting off an explosive or two before running into the chaos and rounding up the scattering cops like wayward sheep. Of course, these sheep are armed -- and they have sharks. Yes, dear friend, once things get wild and crazy some dastardly member of the police will let slip the proverbial hounds of war, and you'll have a few land sharks nipping at your heels while you make as many casualty-free arrests as you can and try to avoid ending up as a special feature on the Discovery Channel.

Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dick: Kaidan, Glitch, and Kanaya
Getting the drop on a pair of baddies sure seemed like a good idea, didn't it? Too bad that "getting the drop" ended up as less of an easy arrest and more of a boy-they-sure-do-look-ticked-off sort of scenario. Captain Dee and Captain Randall didn't come to check their product without being prepared for potential difficulties, and they're apparently armed to the teeth -- and we're not talking guns. Are you ready to rumble? Because the exit is blocked so you'd best prepare yourself, compadre.

The Big Kahuna: Kasumi, Shepard, and Motoko
So, here you are: Ready to take on the Big Kahuna himself. Chief Tanner sure doesn't look like the worst thing you've ever seen, does he? Of course, it's a little hard to say that when he leads you on a bit of a chase to some heavy duty equipment he'd been having a look at. Great Gatsby, is that a goddamned mech? Seems like you might have your work cut out for you, after all. There's a hell of a lot of guns on that thing, so you'd best be ready to use the 5 D's: dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge.

Wildcard
Alright, so maybe you're doing a little Archangel work that doesn't quite fit the bill you were looking for. That's okay, bub; you do you, in all your majestic glory. Just don't get your ass caught or Captain America will give you such a talking to. Just know, he's not mad -- he's just disappointed.

Comments

Meet n' Greet: Steve's Cell

[knifecollecting]

[Jo is leaning against one of the walls and staring dubiously at one of the punching bags.

The setting doesn't bother her, she's definitely been in worse, but she's a little worried. Do they really expect her to spend time hitting punching bags instead of practicing with real people?]

[cartesianspidertank]

[ A large blue tank rolled up that speaks with the high pitched voice of a little girl. ]

Hi fellow vigilante!!! I don't think we've met before!!

[ She proffers a three-fingers clawed hand out as if to shake. ]

[knifecollecting]

[Whoa, this is new. Jo can't help but stare for a minute, just trying to learn about what she's looking at.

Eventually she holds her hand out to shake that clawed hand.]

Hey. I'm Jo. What's your name?

[cartesianspidertank]

Tachikoma!!! Lookin' forward to working with you, Jo!!!

We're gonna clean up the streets, yeah???

[knifecollecting]

Yeah, we're definitely gonna. [She can't help but laugh quietly.]

What can you do? Do you have weapons in there?

[cartesianspidertank]

Yep!!

[ She brandishes her right arm, which has a barrel embedded in the center, and a large box magazine set underneath. ]

7.62x51 NATO light machine gun! Up to 650 rounds fired per minute!!

[knifecollecting]

[Jo examines the barrel and box again and nods.]

I'd hate to be on the wrong side of that. Promise not to hit me?

[Sure, she heals now, but it still kind of hurts.]

[cartesianspidertank]

Promise!! I have a highly advanced targetting system, and the chances of friendly fire are spectacularly unlikely!!

[ Although not impossible, but then very little in active combat is impossible. She could absolutely guarantee that Jo would be better off with her than with a human with an automatic weapon. ]

[knifecollecting]

Spectacularly unlikely. [Jo shrugs.]

I'll take those odds. Thanks for the info.

[kinesia]

[ Jo isn't the only one who'd prefer practicing with someone real. Grey doesn't have a lot of experience with gyms. He's used to something more like a man made obstacle course, with real people who let him practice on them and learn how to be better than them. He doesn't know most of the people here, except for Steve. He thinks it's about time he changed that.

Seeing Jo with nothing to do, he approaches her and steps into her line of vision. Hello. He is tall and thin, but muscular in spite of that. He's also young, and covered in tattoos. He's naked from the waist up, which means he's ready to go. He waves, and then holds out an arm which he turns to show her a tattooed word: 'fight'. Everything about Grey is visual; there's no sound from his steps and he doesn't speak, but there's plenty of life about his eyes. How about it, Jo? Do you want to train? ]

[knifecollecting]

[Jo watches the young man approach with a passive face, expecting either a pick up line or some other kind of question. When he just waves she straightens up, suddenly intrigued.

The arm held out to her confuses her for a moment until she sees the word. How interesting.]

I'm up for it. Go easy on me?

[kinesia]

[ Grey's answering smile is quick and eager, and he gives her a little nod. It's been a long time since he sparred with anyone, and he's keen for the practice. He's keen to get his skills back up to par.

He steps back into space, readying himself, and then he draws out his knife. He holds it up, letting her see, and then lifts his eyebrows. They can spar with the knife, or without it - he leaves that up to her. ]

[knifecollecting]

[Jo holds up one finger, kneeling for just a moment to pull a silver knife of her own from her boot.]

Okay?

[kinesia]

[ Grey doesn't exactly smile, but he looks pleased. He nods, and flips his own knife in his hands to catch the handle.

Pleasure drains from his face then, replacing itself with focus. Grey settles into an easy and comfortable stance and watches her, waiting for her move. After a moment he feints to one side, trying to discover her style. ]

[knifecollecting]

[Jo doesn't look quite as focused, but she does her best to take this seriously.

When he feints she whirls to the side, dodging the knife but nodding as she does.]

Good moves.

[kinesia]

[ Grey's smile is a tiny and fleeting thing that only lifts one side of his mouth. This is the only thing he's ever been good at. He can fight. It's the only thing that ever mattered.

He's missed it.

But she's good too, and his brows lift in ackonwledgement when she dodges. She's careful and quick, not trying to rush him. The knife flick in his hand and he slides in closer, this time not feinting - though he aims to clash with her blade, and not to strike a blow. He wants to see how well she handles it. ]

[knifecollecting]

[Jo isn't expecting the knife blade hit, but she only lets a flicker of that show in her eyes before she moves back with a nod.

It's only a moment before she jumps forward again, slashing downward when she gets close enough.]

i'm sorry this is obscenely late

[glowsferatu]

[ In addition to the mask she's already been issued, Jo gets a second one. This time it's a respirator being offered to her by an alarmingly tall grey girl with horns. ]

You'll probably want to wear this. Bleach fumes don't tend to be kind to humans.

[ That won't seem out of nowhere, or anything. ]

no worries!

[knifecollecting]

Uh- [Jo glances between the respirator and the horns with a curious expression.]

Bleach fumes? What are you doing?

[glowsferatu]

Cleaning. I have to get the scent out. [ She pauses, black lips pulling down into a frown, her two large fangs still sticking out between them. ] Can you really not smell that?

[ She forgets what it's like, sometimes, to have a nose that isn't particularly attuned to blood, where even the faintest trace will nag at her hunger. ]

[knifecollecting]

[Jo stares a little longer and narrows her eyes. Is this a new kind of vampire?]

I can't smell anything. What are you smelling?

[glowsferatu]

[ Well, yes and no. Definitely a vampire, but that's not why she looks the way she does. ]

Blood. It's practically caked into the floors, or might as well be. Hopefully, by the time I'm finished, it won't be an issue any longer.

[knifecollecting]

Should you do that while we're in here?

[Because really. The respirator seems a little scary. If they need that, maybe they should leave?]

[glowsferatu]

Well, I wouldn't like to interrupt our regular schedule, which is the purpose of giving you that.

[ She points back down to the respirator in Jo's hands, then looks behind her to the punching bags, frowning. ] Though perhaps any excessive exertions would be best avoided. That tends to increase one's need to breathe, and I can't guarantee that won't result in difficulty.

[ Her lips turn upward with a grin. ]

But, if you'd like to assist, I would by all means welcome it.

[knifecollecting]

I'll keep that in mind. [Jo nods and glances over her shoulder at the punching bags again.]

I can't smell it so I don't know that I'd be able to help.