Mission of Mercy (poetlore and dunruffle)

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Cassandra had heard the first song before and though she couldn't remember the lyrics, the tune was familiar and she'd been humming here and there. This new song though, was completely new to her, so when they requested it be turned up she smiled and listened and watched as each of the men surprised her by singing. Her attention would focus on the one singing while they were and then the group when the chorus came. Her smile was wide and by the last time through the chorus she was singing too.

Unlike the men, Cassandra HAD noticed the foot tapping of Natalya and was very glad to see it. Her friend needed some relief from her constant tension and rigidness.

"Never heard that song before....kind of fits you guys though...kind of.." She looked at the three, "I had no idea you guys could sing...Now I want to hear more..." They were so full of life like that and she loved seeing it, since they were usually pretty serious too.
 
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Dante laughed and high-fived Erik and Xanders. "Sorry Doc, if you want more singing out of me you are gonna need a few stiff drinks." Outside, the bright orange sun began to peek over the horizon, casting warm light over the jungle below. For awhile the men simply chatted amongst themselves or took quick naps as several songs from various genres played over the speakers. Suddenly several warning alarms began to sound as red lights flashed. "What the hell is going on?!" Erik exclaimed as he looked around frantically.

The intercom clicked on and Willis began talking. "Dont worry my dudes, just the locals sayin hello. If you look out the right side you will see." In the jungle below, a man could be seen in a makeshift watchtower aiming a rocket launcher at the dropship. "Oh shit! Everybody brace for impact!" Kirst began to buckle up when Willis' laugh interrupted him. "Yo chill my dudes, just watch and learn."

The guerrilla fired the rocket launcher and the rocket flew towards the dropship. At the last possible second the dropship juked to the side, causing the rocket to miss by several feet. After zooming past the dropship, the rocket detonated in a ball of fire. "Hehe, they never learn. I swear at this point they should recognize my bird and just not waste the ammo." Willis cackled as the guerrilla vanished under the jungle canopy.
 
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Cassandra grinned at Dante, "I will remember that, and provide accordingly." And at some point she would do just that. Get them all ripped and let the music fly, not just for her benefit but theirs as well. Music was therapeutic in many ways, and she knew with the kind of tension they lived under constantly, it would be a very good way for them to release some of it.

She was looking out over the jungle below and noting the absolute beauty of it. The large leaves seemed almost on fire in the early morning sunlight. It was one of the more spectacular sights she had ever seen. She did not have long to enjoy it though.

The sirens went off and she was glad she'd already fastened herself in tightly. She had an odd sense of peace though, and an absurd amount of confidence in their less than conventional pilot. His quick maneuvering seemed to indicate her faith was well placed. She did have a grip on her restraints though in an effort to stay seated, but she did not feel any sense of alarm. "I think I left my stomach over there somewhere.." she noted pointing to where the dropship had been a second ago. There was a sideways grin on her face as she spoke though.
 
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The men chuckled nervously as Natalya simply glared at the hatch to the cockpit. Around thirty minutes later, the dropship descended towards an open spot in the jungle canopy. "Alright my dudes this is your stop. Remember your positive vibes and all will be ay-okay!" Willis expertly guided the dropship down into the landing spot. The ground was actually a stagnant swamp and as the ship hovered over the water the gusts from the engines kicked up small waves.

Everyone jumped out into the thigh deep water and began wading towards the shore. "Aw man! My socks are all wet!" Xanders whined as he reached solid ground. Natalya stayed stoically silent but had a small grimace on her face as she wiped swamp water off of her chainsword. Pulling out a datapad, Kirst pointed to deeper in the jungle. "The compound is about a klick that way, lets get moving. I want to be ready when the diversion starts. Xanders you take point, Erik and I will be behind you. The captain and Brandford will be in the middle with Turk behind them and Dante being rearguard. Let's move." Falling into their positions, the men readied their weapons and set off into the thick jungle with Natalya and Cassandra.
 
Cassandra jumped out of the drop ship and the water was a little deeper on her than some of the others because she was a little shorter than the others. She was holding her pack over her head as she jumped to keep it from getting wet. She pushed through the swampy water and stood with the group. Kirst said one klick. She could easily run that, so she fell in with the group and prepared for a brisk jog. They moved quickly, but she was smaller and had to move faster.

Every step made her more glad for her past experience as a runner, though when she ran she was not usually carrying heavy or bulky equipment. Still it was training and made this something she could actually do, and not cause them to change their time table because of her.
 
As they progressed deeper into the jungle, they slowed to a steady walk. Any communication was either done with hand signals or short whispers. Several times they stopped and had to make detours because Xanders spotted landmines, tripwires, or surveillance devices. Eventually they reached the compound. The squat metal structure was only two stories high and the top was covered by elaborate camouflage tarps and webbing. The area around the compound was cleared of shrubbery and trees giving the guards and cameras unobstructed views. The main entrance was guarded by two machine gun nests and several guards could be seen lazing about or sleeping.

Staying in the dense foliage at the edge of the perimiter, everyone crouched down and looked to Kirst. "Alright people this is the real deal. Brandford, Turk, take your positions on that ridge over to the left." Kirst pointed to a small ridge that overlooked the compound. "There is enough foliage to hide behind but stay low and slow anyways. Once you two are set up, give us the signal and we will move out. Remember doc, you are gonna be our eyes for this so dont get distracted. You need to be watching that pad in case you see something important. Alright move out." The men and Natalya began quietly preparing their weapons as Turk gently tugged Cassandra's sleeve and motioned for her to follow him.

Moving at a slow crouch walk, Turk guided Cassandra through the thick jungle. Obviously well versed in stealth tactics, Turk moved through the dense foliage like a ghost, barely making any noise or disturbing the plants. Occasionally he would point out to Cassandra dry branches or other things that might make noise for her to avoid. Eventually they made arrived at the top of the ridge. Turk silently pointed to a spot behind a thick log for Cassandra to lay down behind as he screwed a suppressor onto the muzzle of his shortened sniper rifle. He then kneeled behind the log and rested his rifle on the top, adjusting the scope until it met his standards. When he was ready, Turk gave Cassandra a thumbs-up to tell her to let the squad know they can proceed.
 
Cassandra nodded to Kirst, and tapped the pad before following Turk into the jungle. She followed his example and even placed her feet in exactly the same spots whenever it was physically possible. She was glad he was crouched down, because it shortened his strides and made them easier for her to emulate. She laid down behind the log and waited for Turk to get situated. Once he gave her the ok, she rolled onto her stomach allowing the shade from the log to shield the pad, so she could see it better. She tapped it and and spoke quietly, "Clear to proceed."

She knew Turk would watch for any danger, so she kept her attention on the pad and what is was projecting from Erik's helmet cam. She dearly hoped he'd see what she needed.
 
The view from Erik's helmet showed him switching the safety off of his rifle and giving a thumbs up to Kirst. Each member of the saints had a helmet cam that could be viewed all at once or highlighted to enlarge on the datapad. Suddenly in the distance there was the rumble of a chain of explosions and the compound guards began frantically running about. "Right on time, squad move out." Kirst made a series of hand signals and the group of soldiers began moving through the brush around to the back of the facility. Several all terrain vehicles filled with soldiers emerged from a garage and sped off into the jungle. "Ok that should leave only a few guards." Kirst whispered as the group spotted a small rear entrance. On the roof above the doorway, a single guard with a high powered rifle kept vigil.

"Turk, take out the sentry so we can move in." Grunting the affirmative, Turk aimed his rifle at the guard. With a soft puffing sound, Turk fired his suppressed rifle. The bullet tore through the back of the guard's neck, instantly killing him. The limp body fell of the roof and landed with a thump next to the doorway. A few moments later, the group sprinted across the open area and stacked up against the compound wall. Erik dragged the dumped the body into a large crate and then nodded to Kirst giving the all clear. Xanders readied his shotgun and opened the door gently, peeking inside. The white hallway was empty so the group crept inside and locked the door behind them. Moving through several empty hallways, the men and Natalya froze when a guard walked around a corner. Looking up in shock, the guard took in a breath to call for help when Dante's mechanical fist slammed into his face. As the large fist impacted against his nose, the built in blade extended swiftly, puncturing the skull and brain. The guard fell limply against the wall as blood gushed from the hole where his nose used to be.
 
Cassandra watched everything on the pad. She had all the windows open and was watching everyone at once, though she had Erik's highlighted and a little larger than the others. She saw the sentry from their perspective and heard the puff of Turk's rifle before the body hit the ground. it was odd hearing something happen before it did, but she kept watching.

She could have done without seeing Dante's fist up close and personal, and she did in face look away when the blade was heard to focus on Erik's cam. She was telling herself she was highlighting his cam because he had medical experience and background and would notice things the others would not because she wasn't at all ready to admit the real reason.

"This is definitely a scientific and medical facility. Sterile white everything..." she said softly, mostly to herself, forgetting they could hear her as well.
 
Padding down the hallway, Erik grunted in agreement. Several more guards were encountered and brutally dispatched. One had his throat slit by Kirst's combat knife, causing blood to spray against the sterile white walls. Another was killed by Natalya with two silent shots to the head, splattering brain matter and blood over the desk he was seated at. The final guard encountered was killed by Xanders, who crushed his windpipe with a fist to his throat. All the deaths were captured in high definition and gave Cassandra a first hand view of the killing.

Eventually the group found the main laboratory. A large room filled with medical and research devices of all kinds was staffed by at least twenty people. They ranged from lab techinicians in biohazard suits, to researchers in lab coats. Entering the decontamination room, Natalya pointed to the access panel. "Lock it behind us, nobody gets in or out." Xanders nodded and ripped the panel off the wall, messing with the wires until the heavy metal door closed and locked.

Opening the inner door, the group stepped inside the lab. At first the occupants did not notice the heavily armed group, but then a young female assistant dropped a glass vial in surprise as she looked up and saw Natalya. Then everybody looked up and stared in shocked silence as the men spread out. "Attention! You are now Alliance prisoners. Your guards have been killed and the only exit out of here is locked. Cooperate, and you will not be harmed. If you try to escape or attack my men you will be killed." Natalya's voice echoed through the silent room as the men rounded up the everyone and grouped them in a clear space in the middle of the room. Kirst tapped Dante's arm and pointed to the terrified prisoners. "Dante, guard the prisoners. The rest of us will look around." Dante silently nodded and stomped over to the prisoners. Several whimpered in fear at the sight of the large man armed with a large machine gun towering over them.

Natalya stayed by the door keeping watch over the entire room as the men spread out and began searching. "Doc, what are we looking for? I dont even know what half of this stuff is" Kirst muttered into his mic as he rifled through drawers while Xanders searched various terminals and Erik looked inside various testing devices.
 
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Cassandra watched, well mostly watched, as they moved through the halls and dispatched the guards. She closed her eyes a few times but then forced herself to open them and stay alert. She saw nothing of interest until they entered the lab. Ignoring the screen which contained Dante's feed she focused on the others.

"You are looking for vials of contaminate. But I would suspect that the actual agent we are looking for will be in a safe, or radiation proof safe. Also..any files you can get off that computer Xander, get them. Kirst....keep checking the table top. There are probably things there you can get, hand written notes, even if they look like scribbling, grab them. I can make sense of them."

She watched Erik's feed though, "Erik...do you see anything loaded into a syringe? As if it had been injected into a test subject?"

Her mind was playing over how biological weapons were created and tested, an she was trying to guide them as best she could from her distant vantage point. All she could hope was that they would come across something even by accident that she would notice.

"WAIT...Kirst.." she said, "That last drawer you opened...go back...pull out that box...open it." Oh please she though, be in there....
 
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Xanders pulled out a small data drive and plugged it into the terminal. "On it doc, gimme a minute and we will have all the digital notes and stuff." Erik looked around and moved over to a station with dozens of small vials. "Umm...I can only take maybe five at most. Any of these stand out?" Erik began going through the vials, holding them up to his face for Cassandra to see. Kirst stopped in the middle of grabbing several pages paper and went back to the drawer. Looking inside, he pulled out a dark blue box and opened the clasps. Opening the lid, he peered inside. "Umm...what am I looking at Doc? I am not exactly well versed in bioweapon research."
 
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Cassandra smiled as they all worked the room in perfect fashion for her. "Perfect Xander." She turned her attention to Erik, "She watched as he grabbed vial after vial. The third one she thought looked different, "That one. keep looking for something that looks like a safe though..."

She moved her eyes to Kirst's feed when he commented and she looked at the box, "Oh yes...take that whole thing. Close it up and make sure it stays shut." Hopefully those little tubes in the nice Styrofoam housing were prototypes. She watched closely as they kept moving, "Erik...to your right...behind that desk...what is that? Can you get closer?" It appeared to be a safe, but she couldn't tell from where he was.
 
Erik put the third vial in a small shock proof case as Kirst closed the box and attached it to his belt. Getting closer to the safe, Erik examined it. "Well whatever is in here is worth something. Its a burn safe, you enter the wrong code or try to crack it and it incinerates anything inside." Erik walked over to Natalya and quietly explained the situation, nodding Natalya walked over to the group of prisoners. "Which one of you is in charge here?"

There was a few moments of silence until an older man in a white lab coat stepped forward. "I am the lead researcher at this facility." Natalya motioned for him to come closer until was out of the group. "What is the code to the burn safe?" The man sneered at Natalya and crossed his arms defiantly. "You will get nothing from me alliance scum. I will not hand over my best work to you, and as stated in the New Geneva convention. Prisoners of war are to be treated humanely and not be harmed."

Natalya paused, "well you are correct. The New Geneva convention does say that." Suddenly her chainsword revved up with a loud buzz and Natalya smiled predatorialy. "Unfortunately for you, we do not follow those rules." Before the scientist could reply, Natalya cut him in half. Using an overhand swing, the chainsword cut from his right collarbone down diagonally and exited above his left hip. The two halves of the body split apart releasing a pile of entrails and gore as the prisoners screamed.
 
Cassandra listened to Erik explain about the burn safe. "Well that's annoying," she said with a click of her tongue. I bet my buns what I need is in there."

She watched Erik speak to Natalya, and then as Natalya spoke tot he researcher. "I know that man," she said in a whispered soft voice. Why was he creating a bioweapon? But then she watched as he adamantly refused to hand over his work and be then killed. She looked at the others through Erik's feed and saw a young girl fidgeting on the right, "Ask the girl...all the way to the right..."

People who knew things usually got antsy, because they always suspected that others knew what they knew, or that one of their colleagues would hand them over to avoid being harmed themselves. Not a bad assumption actually, since that was what happened next.

A man in the front pointed at the young girl, "She knows...don't hurt us. We know nothing."

The girl's eyes were wide as saucers and she was trying to sink into the corner, "Ask her if they have sent any samples out of this facility to....we need to know if this is contained here."
 
Erik nodded as Dante roughly grabbed the girl and pulled her to Natalya. Wiping the blood off her chainsword with a nearby spare labcoat, Natalya stared at the terrified girl. "So, will you help us? Or will you be defiant to the end?" The girl's knees shook as she tried not to look at the mutilated corpse at her feet. "I.I..I will give you the code! Please dont hurt me!" Smiling coldly, Natalya sheathed her weapon. "Good, you are smart." Erik steered the girl over to the safe and she punched in the code.

"Have any of the bioweapon samples left this facility? Like being sent to a different compound?" The girl hiccuped as she held back tears and opened the safe door. "N-no, we were going to send out the samples in three days." Reaching inside, Erik pulled out a small shock-proof case with bright biohazard symbols on it. Opening it up, Erik grinned. "Bingo," inside the case, five small vials of dark purple liquid were nestled between layers of foam. Pushing the girl back into the group of prisoners, Erik showed the case to Natalya. Nodding satisfactorily, Natalya put the case in her pack.

Motioning to the men, Natalya barked out orders. "Primary objective complete, begin secondary objective of destroying all research." Giving their affirmatives, all the men except Dante began clearing out the lab. Erik and Kirst went around throwing all notes, papers, and equipment in a pile then setting it ablaze with an incendiary device. Meanwhile, Xanders unplugged his data drive and uploaded a virus into the compound's mainframe. After a few minutes, their work was done and the men returned to Natalya. "All research destroyed Captain." Kirst reported to Natalya as Erik and Xanders collected their findings. "Good," Natalya nodded to Kirst then addressed the prisoners. "Thank you for cooperating, we are now going to leave. Please turn around face the wall. All security recordings have been erased so you can make up whatever excuse to appease your superiors. When you hear the decontamination door close. Count to ninety then you are free to leave." There were murmurs and sighs of relief as the crowd turned around. Natalya turned to the men and pointed at the group of scientists. "No survivors." With an expressionless face, Kirst nodded as the men readied their weapons. "Roger."

There was a moment of silence, then it was shattered by the cacophony of gunfire. The men stood in a line and emptied their weapons into the helpless scientists. There was a brief moment as the scientists realized what was happening and either screamed or begged for their lives, then silence. Where once had been a group of scientists, was replaced by lifeless corpses. The men moved in and began firing single shots into the skulls of the bodies, ensuring none survived. After they were finished, Natalya checked her watch. "Alright set demolition charges. I want to be out of here in five." Kirst nodded as he and the other men reloaded their guns. "You heard the captain, double time lets move!" They went about placing bulky explosive charges as Natalya tossed the bloody lab coat she had used to clean her sword on top of the lead scientist's body.
 
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Cassandra watched and felt a sting of regret for the innocents, but were they actually innocent? They knew what they were creating, weapons that would kill millions if left without an antidote. She knew the directive, and was a bit shocked when Natalya told them to face the wall allowing them to believe they would live.

She watched the saints carry out her orders and prepare to leave. She was grateful to have the files, research and both the working weapon as well as what she assumed was an antidote, in the box Kirst was carrying. Any smart scientist always had a stash of such a thing in case a virus or poison became airborne or they were somehow contaminated by their own research. She knew Dr. Haan would have had such a thing. She also knew his habits, so that box more than likely contained his safety net. It wasn't much, and she had to conclude he had no intention of using it on his assistants. What had happened to him? How had he become this kind of researcher?

She looked up at Turk, "They should be out in five...."
 
Turk nodded then went back to aiming down the scope. Several minutes later Kirst's hushed voice sounded in their ears. "Successfully exfiltrated the compound, back at primary RV point. Charges will blow in three minutes." Putting his rifle in it's sling on his back, Turk tapped Cassandra's shoulder. "Time to move."

The two quickly retraced their path and met with the rest of the squad back at the edge of the treeline. "Ok people lets move, no need to be quiet. I want us to be as far from the place when it blows." After handing Cassandra the smaller items from the lab, the group broke into a steady run away from the compound. Two minutes later an alarm sounded from Kirst's watch and he dropped behind a log. "Take cover!" Everyone immediately scrambled behind whatever solid object the could find, with Erik pulling Cassandra close and putting their backs against a broad tree trunk.

Moments later there were several muffled thumps followed by a shockwave that sent debris slamming against everyone's cover. Moments after a heatwave passed over the group as a flaming mushroom cloud could be seen through gaps in the canopy. Peeking out from a narrow ditch he had wormed into, Xanders whistled at the impressive mushroom cloud. "Looks like they had a nuclear reactor in there. Good thing we were able to put some distance in before it blew."

He was interrupted as their comms crackled and Willis' distorted voice broke them out of their reviere. "Woah my dudes! I could see that baby a mile away! The rads are messin with the comms so yall better get your asses to the pickup point before we all start glowin."
 
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Cassandra buried her face in Erik's chest and tried to stay as small as possible behind the tree he had chosen. She was winded from running but otherwise was doing well. She heard the soft sounds of the explosions, and was surprised how soft they were. The she felt the debris and was shocked at the force of it, and felt something slice her arm, but she ignored it. The heat was what had her head lifting and flashing concerned eyes at Erik.

She heard Xanders and then Willis speak and she turned to see the mushroom cloud, "Well that is not good.." She said giving Erik's side a tap to let him know she was ok. As soon as she did though she felt the wound on her arm shift and begin to bleed down into her sleeve. It would have to be seen to later. they needed to get out now.

The whole group was once again running for the pick up point at full speed. She was proud of the fact that she was keeping up, and even more glad to see the place they'd been dropped off. "Are we wading again?' she asked, hoping not, but willing to do whatever to get everyone out safely.
 
Realizing he was still holding Cassandra close, Erik quickly let go and coughed awkwardly. When they got back to the swamp, Kirst heard Cassandra's question and spoke into his mic. "Fubar is there another LZ nearby with solid ground? We have preciois cargo that cannot be damaged." There was a pause then Willis replied. "Uhhmm...there is a clearing west of you. Since we aint worried about stealth I can pick you guys up there."

After several more minutes of trekking through the jungle, the group finally boarded the dropship. Slumping into their seats, the men took long drinks from their canteens. "I swear to god if I find leeches in my socks like last time I am gonna be pissed." Xanders grumbled as he made his soaked boots squelch loudly for emphasis. Dante laughed, "aww. Is poor wittle Xanders having a bad day?" Xanders immediately gave a stiff middle finger to the taunting man but laughed a little as well.

The relaxation was interrupted as warning alarms blared and the dropship increased speed. "Umm, looks like you guys did a good job. The confeds are piiiiissed! Two fast movers closin in on us. Cant outrun them so just gonna have to out-fly them." You could almost hear the confident grin in Willis' voice, immediately causing everyone to strap in. Diving towards the canopy below, Willis raced mere feet above the treetops as a hail of lasers chewed up the foliage behind the dropship.

Two sleek and tan starfighters screamed past, shaking the dropship as the attackers looked around for another attack. "Hey! Whoever is closest to the side doors! Grab one of those balloon boxes above you. On my signal, pull the red cord on the balloon and toss it out."
 
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