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DoubtingRunner

Aurelia's SNOWy day

DoubtingRunner
Sep 22nd, 2019
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  1. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] Drip. Drip. Drip. --
  2. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] The sound of dripping water echoes through the tunnel, a puddle formed underneath the runoff of the water - likely it rained above not too long ago. The ground was moist, with puddles here and there. The only sign that there was a real outside down in the depth of this planet. --
  3. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] There were remains of tracks, not of railways but of minecarts - but they were long since broken, rusted, or scattered. The well-worn paths having been walked many times over the years, first by miners and now, it seems, by something else. --
  4. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] The smell was stale. No plant. No machine. No rebreather. It was just stale. Hard to breathe perfectly. But not unbreathable. She was given a gas mask to work with - not a helm like the rest. It held two small oxygen tanks, long enough for an hour of total use, on the side of it. Covering her mouth and nose - because when --
  5. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] the dust and such kicks up, there's no real air without these. --
  6. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] But most importantly... Aurelia had everyone exactly where she wanted them. And there was the sound of the convoy far, far down the tunnel. The faintest whisper of chatter. The growing sound of the footsteps. The crunching of the rock and soil as vehicle that carried a payload revs quietly. --
  7. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] That, she most certainly did. In many ways, despite the almost toxic environment that she and her group had stationed themselves within, laying in ambush as they awaited the perfect moment to strike. The elf herself lay in wait, flat against the ground with her optical camouflage cloak over her back. --
  8. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] To the untrained, unsuspecting eye, she was completely invisible, despite being in such a vunerable and open spot. That said, in such a dark and damp environment, it was a tough enough challenge to pick up any strange outlines or outstanding geographical features. --
  9. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] Not to mention, she was facing away from the approaching units too, and would remain completely still as they edged closer and closer to the killzone. Compared to the others in her little squad however, she very much needed the camouflage to take such a risky position. --
  10. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] The other four were stationed behind various points of cover, littered across the cave in carefully picked positions that deliberately avoided places where the passing soldiers were expected to look. It would take a lot more than a passing glance to root them out, which was perfect enough for what needed to be done. --
  11. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] And waited, they did. They waited as the sound became clearer. They waited as the convoy pulled closer to their positions. As the crunching steps came closer to Aurelia... --
  12. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] But they were not noticed. The Combine soldiers continues walking down the tunnel, optics scanning over their surrounding to make sure they were in the clear. But it was obvious they weren't fully paying attention, having done this several times before. Chatters filled the air with a care-free attitude. Twelve Combine --
  13. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] troops, four on each side of the carts being escorted with two taking the front and rear. --
  14. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] There were two carts, both covered with a tarp each to hide what they were carrying. But Aurelia knows what they are, and who it's for. It was hard to mistake the outline of the Strider being folded up on the second cart, after all. A gift from the surface, to be sure. --
  15. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] The Convoy passes by her, and moved, unknowingly, into the killzone. Everything... was clicking into place. Just as intel suggested. --
  16. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] Of course, intel can only go so far. Despite having a rather comprehensive briefing beforehand, knowing how many units there were, what the payload was, and when it would all arrive is one thing, but it's never quite the same once you're actually in the field. --
  17. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] Still, the way this had all been laid out was remarkably simple from a schematic point of view, and watching piece by piece click into place with every passing second was an incredibly satisfying feeling. The elf couldn't help but grin. Barely peeking out from under her cloak, she eagerly stared on as the convoy moved into place. --
  18. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] Despite being happy with how things were unfolding so far however, she wasn't massively pleased with the preparation phase. For example, if she hadn't kept her jaw clenched for this long, her teeth would be chattering away like crazy. Making sure she wasn't giving off a heat signature too obvious to notice was.. --
  19. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] ..amongst other things, an important step. Regardless. Into her radio, she quietly whispered her countdown to zero, her eyes fixated on a point in the road just barely ahead of the convoy. The seconds to zero hour felt like minutes, but once it arrived.. You could almost hear her grinning. "Detonate." --
  20. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] The Operation has begun. --
  21. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] At her mark, several explosions went off at once in front of the convoy. The front guards being both scattered and incapitated by the explosion. The convoy came to a stop as the combat began - but the chatters was replaced by confusion. They weren't ready for this, they were blind-sided. --
  22. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] Exactly how it should be. As the explosions went off, the two squadmates she positioned at their front let loose. Their rifles letting loose as they picked their targets on either side of the convoy. Aurelia could see firsthand that she was right to put her faith in them with the first soldiers on both side dropping with --
  23. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] the rest scattering for cover. Confusion, shouts of hostiles up ahead. Their focus was on the front of the convoy. --
  24. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] Step 1: Flawless execution. It doesn't matter that the remaining soldiers managed to scramble for cover before they were mowed down, as two other units were hiding on the flanks, waiting to strike. For now though, whilst the front units worked their magic, it was Aurelia's time to act. --
  25. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] On her own mark, she lept to her feet, her optical cloak disappearing in her left hand as she brandished the weapon in her right. Brandishing a Milkor M32 grenade launcher, she took aim at the first cart and let loose a volley of three 40mm grenades, intended to rat out both the troops in cover, but most importantly.. --
  26. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] ..to disable some of the Hunters she knew were stashed in that front cart. She couldn't let the soldiers activate them, otherwise both her and the rest of her squad would be in serious jeopardy. As she fired, she jogged towards the cover of the second cart, using it as a temporary checkpoint as she glanced back at where she lay seconds prior. --
  27. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] For what reason, it became immediately apparent. It seems that, under the cloak she had been wearing, there was enough room for a small recon drone, which she spent a moment staring at, to be sure that whoever it was behind the controls was ready to move. --
  28. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] Solid hits. The grenades arching through the air to impact the cart - and send both the tarp and the remains of the Hunters scattering. A few survived the explosive, but they were only a few in comparison to what *had* survived. --
  29. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] It certainly helps that she scattered a number of soldiers too that was using the cart as cover. As they were blasted out of covers, her marksmen took their opportunity as their chance to blast holes into the exposed soldiers. Five down, and Seven remains. Their confusion only grew as two began to turn toward the back, --
  30. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] with one sprinting for one of the deactivated Hunter. --
  31. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] The recon drone was lifting up off the ground when she freed it, and when she turned she could see it already fixated on her. Her radio occupied with the sound of familiar laughter - though only briefly, the person behind it wanting her to make known his thoughts on this. --
  32. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] Despite half freezing herself to death under that blanket, hearing that familiar laugh over the radio lightened her spirits at least somewhat, and though she couldn't be seen smiling thanks to her gas mask, the slight squint in her eyes indicated that she was at least enjoying herself. She was about to enjoy things a whole lot more, too. --
  33. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] The soldiers were caught in a crossfire, pinned down by the whizzing of tracers. There was little chance they could avoid a second grenade salvo in their startled state, something which the elf capitalised on with all too much glee. --
  34. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] Poking around the other side of the cart, she took aim with her launcher for a second time and pulled the trigger another three times, letting loose a second torrent of hellfire upon any of the remaining hunters. After the trouble they've given her in the past, she'd be hard pressed to find a shred of mercy for the synths. --
  35. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] This salvo was different to the first however, in that the first two grenades were high explosive, whilst the last grenade she fired was a smoke canister, which exploded violently upon impact and abruptly plumed into a large cloud of smoke, reducing the visibility of the soldiers at the front cart to almost zero. --
  36. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] If successful, she would lower her weapon and switch it out for a more conventional assault rifle, watching calmly as she gave her next orders. "Switch to thermal vision. Flankers, move in for the kill." --
  37. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] With that second grenade volley, it was practically over. As she blew apart the remaining hunters, and a couple soldiers with it, she got to revel in the gratifactions of indirect revenge on them. As the smoke enveloped the area, and she gave the order... She could be confident it was done. --
  38. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] Another pair of footsteps. The remaining of her squad finally removing themselves from their covers to move in for the kill. The sound of the Shotgun and SMG joining the calls of the suppressing rifles. She could hear the chatter between her squad as they called their shots and positions - before the drone beeped and --
  39. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] there was silence for her. --
  40. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] silence, until that same voice spoke. "His trust in you was not misplaced. I'm rather happy for it~ And I'm very pleased to see that you were enjoying yourself as well." --
  41. -- CURRENT betrayingTemptations [CBT] "Once you and SNOW finish cleaning up the rabbles, secure the Strider and return to HO." --
  42. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] As the final two units of her squad joined the fray, the elf peeked out of cover again, resting her weapon against the side of the cart as she trained her sights on the wall of smoke down the cave. She had no intention of firing, instead simply waiting for any hapless, disoriented soldiers to stumble out of it, for her to eliminate. --
  43. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] Once the rest of the squad had called in their actions and cleared up the situation as planned however, she lowered her rifle, relaxing her shoulders as she stepped out of cover, still gazing down the length of the cart as she shook her head. Not out of disappointment or exasperation, but to dismiss the comment on her enjoyment. --
  44. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] With a short pause to follow, she gave her reply, calmly talking as normal, now that the operation had ceased. "Understood. We'll clear up the mess and RTB." As she spoke, the others emerged from the smoke, a sight which brought another subtle smirk to her lips. --
  45. -- CURRENT calculatedDeception [CCD] With everyone now together, it was time to tie up the loose ends and haul ass. --
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