[When Jack made the decision to join the military (which seems like lifetimes ago, at this point, given where he is right now), he'd been under no illusions about the glamor of the job--more specifically, the lack thereof. There's nothing glamorous about basic training, or shared barracks, or being pumped full of shady government chemicals and puking for days after each round of gene therapy. So he'd expected it, sure, but maybe not on the robot apocalypse level.
Turns out there's nothing glamorous about saving the world, either.
Certainly not much that's fun about staking out an Omnium with Reyes. No offense to him, of course. He's fine company, but they're dug in deep and the space is small and the weather's bad. Everything is wet and cold and cramped maybe not as bad as basic training, but still kind of terrible. They've been here (away from the team) for a couple days. It will likely be a couple more.]
Hey.
[He's nudging Reyes in the leg with his combat boot. It's Jack's shift, but he's already detecting some unusual activity and he wants a second opinion. His voice is hushed, cautious--the nudging supposed to do most of the work.]
[Nobody expects the robot apocalypse until it was too damned late to do anything but fight, and they were poked and prodded to combat it all the better. Some hadn't made it through the experiments, and not even Gabriel could say those of them who did were fortunate. Genetics, it was all about genetics, damned luck of the DNA draw, and there they were.
He wasn't sure if he'd rather have the heat compared to the cold—]
Morrison.
[His tone was hissed, quiet from being woken up at that nudging. It helped to be a light sleeper, and sometimes it worked against him when he knew they both needed all the rest they could get in this situation. Be bright and aware if...
His head lifted, cutting Morrison a glance once he was more aware, brow furrowed.]
[He doesn't think either of them could sleep for real even if they tried. Not here, and certainly not when this is all over. If it's ever over. That's not important right now, however. He shifts a little, motioning for Gabe to get closer. If he's mad about being woken up, he'll deal with that momentarily.]
Come here and take a look at this.
[Jack has his eyes trained on the complex, but he's extending his hand backwards to offer Gabriel his binoculars.]
[He can be mad later, already switching gears as he patted at Jack's side to at least lean over a little as Gabriel moved up closer, taking those binoculars while he settled, tucked up. Drawing as little attention as possible to his movements no matter how damned bunkered down they were.
These damn things could swarm like ants, or at least seemed to with how many could launch out of a complex at a time.]
Movement or more?
[Already lifting the binoculars to take a look where he'd caught the other looking, shoulders tensed.]
[There's been intermittent movement over the course of their stakeout. Jack had been trying to learn the patterns, chart a potential way in for when they inevitably bring the whole team back and get inside.]
Things've been pretty still since you went to sleep.
[Almost strangely so. He can't decide if this is an opening they should take, or if it's indicative of something else--something they shouldn't even bother with.]
[A growl just under his breath, trying to see if it had just moved somewhere else out of ingrained habit. Trying to spot anything else while he was just looking rather than glaring at that empty area any longer.
This could be bad, or it could have just moved on, but why would it? It was hard to try and guess an enemy's movement when it wasn't even human. Just another problem with fighting these damned things.]
Catch it moving or was it simply gone when you checked?
[Not accusatory of Morrison not keeping aware of his post, these things could move alarmingly fast.
[When it moved. He waits to be chastised, figuring it'll come sooner rather than later. In the meantime, he'll watch Reyes with the binoculars intently for a moment before tearing his gaze away and putting it to better use looking at the omnium. The sentry's still missing, though he wonders if he's just being paranoid--if it won't just wander back after a little while.]
Enough time for it to move while you weren't watching.
[There it came, distracted as he was, those binoculars shoved right back and against Morrison's chest as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Okay, just think.
It could be some shifting of... No, no they didn't work like that. The bucket of bolts could have honestly just be doing some sort of rounds and would be back soon enough. Could they afford to remain where they were if that was the case? They were situated close enough—]
I don't like this. [Well no shit with how that had been growled out.] They don't just wander off, not without reason.
[Jack only grunts in response to that. It was sloppy. He knows, and considers himself lucky that he's spared a quip about how this is why Gabriel's in charge. They can talk about that later, maybe. What's important now is that there's a missing sentry, and they don't know where it's gone.]
No, they don't.
[He's in agreement about that, and Jack takes the binoculars, scanning the complex. It can't have gone far. Maybe it just moved its station, and he missed it.]
[And for hours a written tag sits, and yet post was never pressed. Enter strikes againSloppy, dangerous, in that time they were lucky the damned thing hadn't moved forward— He hoped it hadn't moved forward, then as soon as either of them stuck their damned heads out...]
We don't have much of a choice, Morrison.
[Gabriel was already shifting back, pulling away so he could get up and grab his weapons from where he'd set them aside for his own comfort.]
Damn rookie mistake. [Not without a grumbling before rolling his shoulders, trying to shake off the stiffness] Come on, I expect you to have my back during this.
[He says that with insistence in his voice, like he's insulted by the very implication that he wouldn't have Reyes' back. Jack is quick to gather up his own rifle, slinging it over his back as he gets ready to follow Gabriel out of their little makeshift bunker.]
A quick surveillance of what he could see—] Clear.
Keep an eye out for any movement, you know the drill.
[They were both trained for this, and as irritated as he was over a possible slip up he did trust the other to have his back. Making his way out, cautious with his steps and already moving to the nearest line of cover.
[But Jack knows which fights to pick, and this isn't one of them, not when an omnic sentry is probably stomping around in their general vicinity. He stays close to Reyes, hoisting his rifle and making sure it's at the ready, trying to make himself as low and inconspicuous as possible as they move from one piece of cover to another.]
No comment back at least, unless the sharp yet vaguely amused sound that came from Gabriel counted as a comment. It was better to leave that behind for the time being.
Gabriel only stopped at a sound, pressing back against what had once been a car, catching hold of Morrison to keep him in place. Head tilting, the sound of something heavy moving in that direction, just out of sight. Overly cautious maybe, but this was dangerous, and too heavy sounding to be that sentry that had gotten out of sight.]
[Jack stops short at the signal, suddenly acutely aware of his own breathing. He immediately starts scanning through his eyepiece, but without a heat signature it's hard to pick anything up.
But he trusts Reyes implicitly, and he heard it, too, but bringing up the rear as he is, likely won't have eyes on the thing first. It's too risky to talk, so he mouths--
Head tilted in the direction he'd caught a glimpse of the thing, and it sounded like there was more than one of them. Was it some sort of patrol shift? The idea that they'd somehow been spotted ran through his mind, of course, it could be one reason the tin can they'd had eyes on had left.
Moving might have been the best thing they'd both done if that was the case.
Back pressed against their temporary cover he tried to at least keep track of the sounds, pinpoint their positions. Neither of them could stay where they were for too long. Giving themselves away while not sure on the exact number wouldn't be the best thing to do, either; it was just the two of them.]
[Jack follows the angle of Reyes' head tilt, and nods, even though this is not at all what he wanted to tangle with out here. It's becoming more and more apparent that they aren't getting out of this without a fight. Which is bad, because not only will it mean their stake-out is ruined, but they run the risk of bringing the entire contents of the omnium down on their heads.
Unless they can manage to do it without alerting anything of their location.
He gets close, realizing it's just going to waste time trying to read lips, sidling up to Gabriel, his voice little more than a whisper.]
If we lure them away we might be able to take them out. Keep the rest of them from knowing we're here.
[It sounded like two or three, but even one was a pain to deal with on its own. Daring to reach up and catch hold of the side mirror of the car, tilting his head and trying to get some eye on them. It was better than either of them poking their heads up.
The idea was doable, lure them somewhere without drawing fire until far enough away. Be a trick in and of itself.]
Have to lead them off a ways, else we're going to end up drawing even more to us.
[He moves out in front--carefully, quietly, trying to get a lock on them through his eyepiece. Jack stays completely still for a long moment before holding up three fingers. Not at all ideal, of course, but they have the element of surprise, and are likely more adept at moving through this kind of terrain.
He'll make his way back to Gabriel after that, not wanting to start the distraction without confirming the plan.]
[Damn. It could be worse, it could always be worse, but that was still three of those things and just the two of them. Better at maneuvering through the terrain or not, it was still both of them in over their heads.
His grip flexed, gazed fixed on Morrison for a long moment before tilting his head back.]
Lure them into one of the buildings if you can.
[Lose them inside, or try to. This was a risk, and damned if he wanted to throw Morrison into the fire, but they didn't have time to argue over this did they. He could shadow, be there in case anything went wrong.]
First sign of something wrong, you haul ass out of dodge.
[He nods, figuring that now that they've hashed out the plan, it's best to fall into silence again. Jack adjusts the grip on his rifle and pushes past Gabriel, moving near-silently through the underbrush, targets locked in his eyepiece. He gives them a wide berth, disappearing into the woods in an attempt to move past them undetected.
It is several long, excruciating minutes. Jack has to make sure the bastion units are between him and Gabriel, and that he's in a position to lead them away from the Omnium before he gives himself away.
When he thinks he's given himself enough distance, he raises his rifle in the air and lets off a round--all he really needs is the noise. The units snap to attention, taking off in his direction, and Jack hits the ground running.]
[Of course Gabriel braced himself against cover as soon as he heard the shot, teeth gritted as he listened to the units take off, remaining where he was just to be sure he wasn't about to run into more coming.
Didn't know if it were good or bad that there weren't more coming after that shot.
Next minute he was vaulting his ass over that car and moving into the woods himself, rather than be caught out in the open. More open. Shadowing at a distance to not risk giving himself away, and to see if all the noise of the units going after Morrison didn't attract anything else. Three was already too many, any more and leaving the other man on his own would have been something like a damned death sentence out here.]
[Jack runs and doesn't look back. They're not firing yet, which is a very good thing--just pursuing the source of the noise, so he does his best to duck through underbrush, staying out of their sight. All he has to do is keep them moving, but that's easier said than done when he might be so easily overtaken by them. Luckily, they're only investigating the noise at this point, not signaling the rest of the omincs to launch a full-on sweep.
He's going to have to trust that Gabriel is not far behind. The woods give way to the abandoned town that was razed when the Omnium went rogue, and Jack aims to lead the bastion units into one of the buildings, as discussed. Jack has managed enough of a head start to slip into a decrepit warehouse that's as good a place as any to make a stand.
He fires off a few more rounds to make sure that the units keep looking--follow him inside.]
[He keeps his distance just enough to not draw any attention back towards him, just within sight to be sure he didn't lose either Jack or the damned units that were following. Keeping low, keeping out of sight, and keeping a look out for any other units that could be out on some patrol.
It would be just their luck—
So far so good, the units taking the sound bait and working their way into the warehouse. No hesitation, having to make sure the area was clear or that they were actually following something or not. Hell if Gabriel could be sure of the reasons, he just knew they'd probably follow.
Carefully picking his own way inside, careful of anything left behind that could give away his own position.]
[This would ordinarily be the part where he'd contact Gabriel over their comm--get his position, make sure that the next part of the plan is ready to execute. They don't have that luxury right now. Jack is mostly alone, with three bastion units stomping into the abandoned warehouse after him. He makes it up to the second floor before they enter, giving him a high ground advantage, but there are three of them and only one of him, so he hopes that Gabriel isn't far behind.
The building is in a state of decay, the center of the ceiling fallen through to create a sort of rafter system that crisscrosses the main floor. Jack will use that to his advantage.
He stakes out, steadies his rifle. Waits for his opening.]
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Turns out there's nothing glamorous about saving the world, either.
Certainly not much that's fun about staking out an Omnium with Reyes. No offense to him, of course. He's fine company, but they're dug in deep and the space is small and the weather's bad. Everything is wet and cold and cramped maybe not as bad as basic training, but still kind of terrible. They've been here (away from the team) for a couple days. It will likely be a couple more.]
Hey.
[He's nudging Reyes in the leg with his combat boot. It's Jack's shift, but he's already detecting some unusual activity and he wants a second opinion. His voice is hushed, cautious--the nudging supposed to do most of the work.]
Wake up.
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He wasn't sure if he'd rather have the heat compared to the cold—]
Morrison.
[His tone was hissed, quiet from being woken up at that nudging. It helped to be a light sleeper, and sometimes it worked against him when he knew they both needed all the rest they could get in this situation. Be bright and aware if...
His head lifted, cutting Morrison a glance once he was more aware, brow furrowed.]
What?
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Come here and take a look at this.
[Jack has his eyes trained on the complex, but he's extending his hand backwards to offer Gabriel his binoculars.]
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These damn things could swarm like ants, or at least seemed to with how many could launch out of a complex at a time.]
Movement or more?
[Already lifting the binoculars to take a look where he'd caught the other looking, shoulders tensed.]
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[There's been intermittent movement over the course of their stakeout. Jack had been trying to learn the patterns, chart a potential way in for when they inevitably bring the whole team back and get inside.]
Things've been pretty still since you went to sleep.
[Almost strangely so. He can't decide if this is an opening they should take, or if it's indicative of something else--something they shouldn't even bother with.]
That sentry we were watching is gone.
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[A growl just under his breath, trying to see if it had just moved somewhere else out of ingrained habit. Trying to spot anything else while he was just looking rather than glaring at that empty area any longer.
This could be bad, or it could have just moved on, but why would it? It was hard to try and guess an enemy's movement when it wasn't even human. Just another problem with fighting these damned things.]
Catch it moving or was it simply gone when you checked?
[Not accusatory of Morrison not keeping aware of his post, these things could move alarmingly fast.
Well, some of them.]
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[When it moved. He waits to be chastised, figuring it'll come sooner rather than later. In the meantime, he'll watch Reyes with the binoculars intently for a moment before tearing his gaze away and putting it to better use looking at the omnium. The sentry's still missing, though he wonders if he's just being paranoid--if it won't just wander back after a little while.]
Couldn't have been more than a few minutes.
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[There it came, distracted as he was, those binoculars shoved right back and against Morrison's chest as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Okay, just think.
It could be some shifting of... No, no they didn't work like that. The bucket of bolts could have honestly just be doing some sort of rounds and would be back soon enough. Could they afford to remain where they were if that was the case? They were situated close enough—]
I don't like this. [Well no shit with how that had been growled out.] They don't just wander off, not without reason.
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No, they don't.
[He's in agreement about that, and Jack takes the binoculars, scanning the complex. It can't have gone far. Maybe it just moved its station, and he missed it.]
Think we should go look for it?
[Before it finds them.]
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And for hours a written tag sits, and yet post was never pressed. Enter strikes againSloppy, dangerous, in that time they were lucky the damned thing hadn't moved forward— He hoped it hadn't moved forward, then as soon as either of them stuck their damned heads out...]We don't have much of a choice, Morrison.
[Gabriel was already shifting back, pulling away so he could get up and grab his weapons from where he'd set them aside for his own comfort.]
Damn rookie mistake. [Not without a grumbling before rolling his shoulders, trying to shake off the stiffness] Come on, I expect you to have my back during this.
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[He says that with insistence in his voice, like he's insulted by the very implication that he wouldn't have Reyes' back. Jack is quick to gather up his own rifle, slinging it over his back as he gets ready to follow Gabriel out of their little makeshift bunker.]
Clear?
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A quick surveillance of what he could see—] Clear.
Keep an eye out for any movement, you know the drill.
[They were both trained for this, and as irritated as he was over a possible slip up he did trust the other to have his back. Making his way out, cautious with his steps and already moving to the nearest line of cover.
Feeling far too exposed already this close.]
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I know the drill.
[But Jack knows which fights to pick, and this isn't one of them, not when an omnic sentry is probably stomping around in their general vicinity. He stays close to Reyes, hoisting his rifle and making sure it's at the ready, trying to make himself as low and inconspicuous as possible as they move from one piece of cover to another.]
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No comment back at least, unless the sharp yet vaguely amused sound that came from Gabriel counted as a comment. It was better to leave that behind for the time being.
Gabriel only stopped at a sound, pressing back against what had once been a car, catching hold of Morrison to keep him in place. Head tilting, the sound of something heavy moving in that direction, just out of sight. Overly cautious maybe, but this was dangerous, and too heavy sounding to be that sentry that had gotten out of sight.]
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But he trusts Reyes implicitly, and he heard it, too, but bringing up the rear as he is, likely won't have eyes on the thing first. It's too risky to talk, so he mouths--
See anything?]
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Head tilted in the direction he'd caught a glimpse of the thing, and it sounded like there was more than one of them. Was it some sort of patrol shift? The idea that they'd somehow been spotted ran through his mind, of course, it could be one reason the tin can they'd had eyes on had left.
Moving might have been the best thing they'd both done if that was the case.
Back pressed against their temporary cover he tried to at least keep track of the sounds, pinpoint their positions. Neither of them could stay where they were for too long. Giving themselves away while not sure on the exact number wouldn't be the best thing to do, either; it was just the two of them.]
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Unless they can manage to do it without alerting anything of their location.
He gets close, realizing it's just going to waste time trying to read lips, sidling up to Gabriel, his voice little more than a whisper.]
If we lure them away we might be able to take them out. Keep the rest of them from knowing we're here.
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[It sounded like two or three, but even one was a pain to deal with on its own. Daring to reach up and catch hold of the side mirror of the car, tilting his head and trying to get some eye on them. It was better than either of them poking their heads up.
The idea was doable, lure them somewhere without drawing fire until far enough away. Be a trick in and of itself.]
Have to lead them off a ways, else we're going to end up drawing even more to us.
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He'll make his way back to Gabriel after that, not wanting to start the distraction without confirming the plan.]
I can do it.
[He's faster, naturally.]
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His grip flexed, gazed fixed on Morrison for a long moment before tilting his head back.]
Lure them into one of the buildings if you can.
[Lose them inside, or try to. This was a risk, and damned if he wanted to throw Morrison into the fire, but they didn't have time to argue over this did they. He could shadow, be there in case anything went wrong.]
First sign of something wrong, you haul ass out of dodge.
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It is several long, excruciating minutes. Jack has to make sure the bastion units are between him and Gabriel, and that he's in a position to lead them away from the Omnium before he gives himself away.
When he thinks he's given himself enough distance, he raises his rifle in the air and lets off a round--all he really needs is the noise. The units snap to attention, taking off in his direction, and Jack hits the ground running.]
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Didn't know if it were good or bad that there weren't more coming after that shot.
Next minute he was vaulting his ass over that car and moving into the woods himself, rather than be caught out in the open. More open. Shadowing at a distance to not risk giving himself away, and to see if all the noise of the units going after Morrison didn't attract anything else. Three was already too many, any more and leaving the other man on his own would have been something like a damned death sentence out here.]
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He's going to have to trust that Gabriel is not far behind. The woods give way to the abandoned town that was razed when the Omnium went rogue, and Jack aims to lead the bastion units into one of the buildings, as discussed. Jack has managed enough of a head start to slip into a decrepit warehouse that's as good a place as any to make a stand.
He fires off a few more rounds to make sure that the units keep looking--follow him inside.]
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It would be just their luck—
So far so good, the units taking the sound bait and working their way into the warehouse. No hesitation, having to make sure the area was clear or that they were actually following something or not. Hell if Gabriel could be sure of the reasons, he just knew they'd probably follow.
Carefully picking his own way inside, careful of anything left behind that could give away his own position.]
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The building is in a state of decay, the center of the ceiling fallen through to create a sort of rafter system that crisscrosses the main floor. Jack will use that to his advantage.
He stakes out, steadies his rifle. Waits for his opening.]
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