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: Kaidan's Cell

[defensebonds]

[ Welcome to your new base camp, kids! You've all been assigned to what seems to be an old bomb shelter located beneath a laundromat run by an Archangel sympathizer. It's pretty spacious, with room to train, supplies both mundane and violent in nature, a few cots and, most importantly, complete sound-proofing and protection from even the most impressive hardware used to hunt vigilantes down. One wall has a series of lockers: the one with your name will have your new uniform inside, tailored to your previously-acquired measurements. Don't forget your mask before you go out. ]

Meet n' Greet: Kasumi's Cell

[defensebonds]

[ Hope you're settling nicely into your new home base, boys and girls: as far as abandoned factories go, this one's in pretty good shape. Of course, the fact that the inside has seen heavy reinforcement in recent weeks helps quite a bit, and the keypad entry at the hidden door sure ups the confidence levels, doesn't it? The lower area is fully stocked for an extended stay with necessary supplies and a few cots to sleep on, and all those support beams up top offer a fine obstacle course for training, to boot. Lockers near the supply area have your names on them, and contain your new uniforms inside. Don't forget your mask before you go out. ]

Meet n' Greet: Steve's Cell

[defensebonds]

[ Bet you thought you might get the higher class digs being under the leader of Archangel, didn't you? So much for that idea. Your new base is hidden in the depth of an old meat packing warehouse -- namely, where they used to hang the carcasses. While the floor is still a color that's best dubbed questionable, the open area itself is relatively clean and the scent of meat is almost completely gone from the air. Some of the old hooks are now home to punching bags, and there's provisions along one wall in the form of consumables and weaponry, with a line of lockers at the far end; each locker has a name, and contains a uniform. If you're planning on heading out and causing trouble, just don't forget your mask. ]

Training

[defensebonds]

[ There's no provisions here, besides weapons for training and plenty of water -- this is a training site only. The large, open warehouse has ample room for going head-to-head with your fellow operatives, and your commanding officers are on hand for any pointers or assistance you might need. There's a boxing ring, punching bags, an open sparring area, and a fully-stocked medical corner not too far away in case things get a little to heated here and there. Get in there and take your licks; better you get used to it here before the real battles blow up in your face. ]

Investigation

[defensebonds]

[ Maurtia Falls is a place of many twists, turns, and pitfalls; if knocking heads together isn't your cup of tea, there's plenty else you can do to aid the cause. Be it looking into the police department's latest dealings to bring evidence back to your commanders, or simply finding a snitch ready to assist Archangel in furthering their endeavors, the work you do is no less valuable than those trading shiners back at the base. Just don't get yourself caught. ]

Party Poopers

[defensebonds]

[ There's a lot to be done here, and it's up to you to make sure it goes off without a hitch. Those of you making your way through the vents to drop in unawares? Better make sure nobody's going to be seen on the security footage. Sneaking in through the back? Don't let yourself get spotted; this party is invite-only and they won't be happy at crashers. Once you're in and it all hits the fan, get ready for the ride of your life as you hog-tie who you can to be brought in and thrown on the mercy of the court.

And is that skittering you hear? And hissing? Yeah. That would be land sharks, released on the latter half oh the party once you've started making too much headway. Brace for impact. ]

Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dick

[defensebonds]

[ Tagging order: Captain Dee, Captain Randall, Kaidan, Kanaya, Glitch ]

The Big Kahuna

[defensebonds]

[ Tagging order: Chief Tanner, Kasumi, Shepard, Motoko ]

Wildcard

[defensebonds]

[ Place your starters for whatever you've got a hankering for, closed or open; the sky's the limit! This section can also involve non-Archangel characters! ]

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?]

[kanadian]

[ Early on, Kaidan pulls everyone in for an informal meet and greet. Everyone seems to generally know who's who, or at least for some of them. It's easy -- he thinks -- with a good majority of the people being military, active for former, and most of them have kicked his ass at one point or another, so that's even better. Maybe not better, but he preferred it. He always preferred having a team at his back.

But even so, he made sure to meet with everyone individually, and ask them three important questions, hands folded behind his back, he'd always lean forward with the same concern, and an awkward smile on his face. ]

Hey, mind if we have a chat?

[bindsthedead]

[Sabriel's can be found, already suited up- with the addition of a bandolier of seven bells. She's sitting on one of the cots, transcribing something from a notebook.]

[stealwithit]

[ There's a part of the old factory where there's just a literal bunch of crap left over--apparently, someone had seen fit to turn the place into an emporium of sorts after it was abandoned as a factory, and then promptly abandoned that venture as well. Evidently, without taking some of their crap with them.

It's all the same to Kasumi, who might look a little different to the cell members who know her or know of her, who is also looking through some of the aforementioned bunch of crap at present. To see if anything good was left behind, obviously. Should one approach, her keen observational skills means she'll notice them doing so. Without even turning to spare a glance, she speaks as she continues appraising a small painting. ]

What do you think of this? Oh, and welcome. Found your way in alright?

[stealwithit]

[ Don't mind the mysterious hooded woman approaching you quietly, Sabriel. She's apparently heading this bit, and why, she may never know. She's not sure she wants to know.

In any case, it's almost as though she appears out of nowhere, which she very well may have, but now she's tilting her head, looking on as Sabriel does her transcriptions. ]

Huh. I don't recall giving out homework already.

[bindsthedead]

[Sabriel looks up, startled bu not particularly surprised.] I talk to people quite a bit- information gathering is one of the main ways I've been contributing. [It's just that all her sources are dead people.]

Are you our team leader?

[prostheticbody]

[The Major smiled slyly. She didn't know the members of her cell all that well, beyond that both Kaidan and Shepard were comrades of Jacob and Kasumi. And she had encountered Kaidan once before. It had been a... memorable meeting.]

You sure you wouldn't rather have a push-up contest?

[stealwithit]

You... could say that.

[ Seriously. Whose bright idea was it to make her a leader? Cap. It was Cap's. What did she do to deserve this?

Probably flirt with him one too many times.

In any case, there's a small part of Kasumi that's truly up to this challenge; it's not like she's never led a team before, but this holds a much different weight. She just wants to do this right. For once. ]

I'd much rather prefer it if you just think of me like another team member, though. I don't intend on bossing anyone around.

[kanadian]

[ The look on his face -- it was something that could only be described as "constipated". Pinched brow, frown, his eyes crinkled in frustration, and he his lip curled slightly.

It wasn't hostile, just... stuffy. ]

I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be appropriate for this kind of mission. Besides, I think you might kick all of our asses. Even Shepard's, and I know he can go for a while.

[whathawksdo]

Matching outfits?

[ Hawke is only around earlier in the day, time and ability to travel limited by her probation. She has to wonder if she should even be here, but no one's intervened in her wandering since her arrest and subsequent release, especially since she's yet to actually violate the terms of probation. As far as anyone else knows, Hawke is in Maurtia Falls for legitimate work or community service, depending on which was actually true for the day.

But after all of that? She's poking around an empty warehouse, now down in the lower area, rifling through the locker she found with her name on it.

She's not sure if she's amused or offended by the uniform she's pulled out, though. ]

...how did they even get our sizes right...?

[prostheticbody]

[He's the serious type of commander, huh. Fair enough. She could respect that and she knew when to get down to business. Besides, there'd be plenty of time for good-natured ribbing later.

She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. But still smiling slightly.]

So, what is it you wanted to chat about?

[kanadian]

[ Kaidan wasn't so hard that he couldn't slow down, but at least, when it was business... it was business.

But he'd buy the whole group a round of beers (and maybe a shirley temple for the kid) after the whole thing. He shook his head. ]

I want to talk about the operation. Obviously, in the past, we've had problems. Serious ones. So what I'm looking for, is to see where we stand. What's going on in each person's head, so I know how we can operate as a team.

[ He might be taking a page out of Shepard's book, on this. ] So really, let's start with the basics. Why are you here? What do you want to get out of this?

[prostheticbody]

Believe me, I know. [One does not lose a leg with things are going just swell.] And I've always been up front with my reservations. First to Jacob, and now to you and the Captain.

[She paused briefly and thoughtfully after his question.] I've always worked to expose corruption and crime, especially within the government. I clearly can't do that by working through the official channels. This organization is the best chance we have of bringing down those who profit from the state of this city.

[kanadian]

[ He nodded, and moved then, backed up a bit, and held a hand to his head, like he was thinking. ] I think it's a good goal to have. I agree, that sometimes...we need to directly face the problem head on, and not by official channels.

That being said, I'm not a fan of breaking the law. We're... Doing the right thing is important, you know? I'm not talking about... a high-speed hover-car chase, or jaywalking to take someone down. [ Even that was too much for Kaidan "integrity is all that matters" Alenko. ] But we're not going to cut corners, here. That's alright with you, right? How do you normally operate?

[kendo_taisho]

[Heiji may not be military, and he might be young, and honestly he doesn't look at all like he should be in this place (a little twiggy, just out of high school, seriously, has he seen a day of action in his entire life?) and for anyone who'd seen him at the previous archangel base he'd mostly been surrounded by files, but here he is, and not looking to go anywhere. Sure, he still isn't quite used to the vigilante thing, and his tattoo is still firmly Registered, but he honestly believes in what Archangel is trying to do.

He's sick of living in a corrupt city. It's so different from home that it's downright offensive.

Kaiden may feel awkward, but Heiji's smile has been bright and open from the time they were introduced (look at this child), and he has his hands casually shoved in his pockets as he turns to give his cell leader his full attention.]

Not at all. What can I do for ya?

[prostheticbody]

[She had to admit, she was less into integrity than results.]

My team generally did what was necessary to solve a case, and our section chief handled any political fallout or ex post facto approvals for our actions. I've broken laws before, mainly in the course of information gathering. And with all respect, the legality of our actions wasn't Archangel's fatal flaw. [That was allowing the forces arrayed against they to know of the organization's existence.]

I know Jacob had set up lines that we couldn't cross, and I won't. But my work regularly involves hacking systems that would be technically illegal.