Lightning Strikes Twice

[etcircenses]

Who| District 13 Mission-goers
What| Time to rescue what District kids have survived
Where| Near some edge of the arena
When| During Week 4
Warnings/Notes| Please put any necessary warnings in your thread headers.


There were no sign ups involved this time, this was an off-worlder idea which means the off-worlders clearly have every desire to see this through; you signed up with your consent. The mission is to be held in the evening, so the morning is spent preparing, stocking up the hovercraft with medical supplies, arming everyone, donning the now familiar all black attire. When the alert is sent out, it's simply to gather in the hanger and begin loading.

As promised, there's no sign of a 13-issued leader involved, it's on the mission team and it's assigned tactical head to lead themselves; all Webb gives the group is a chipper smile and 'Good Luck.'

The sun is just beginning it's descent when the hovercraft leaves the hanger. The flight isn't nearly as long as the one to District 3, but it's long enough that the sun has dipped below the horizon when the hovercraft stops. Stopping doesn't mean landing, however. The team's resident off-worlder pilot comes on over the speaker with given instructions: time to strap up and get ready to do a little sky-diving.

The plan is simple really. Should the hackers do their job, the storms will do as they're told and strike the dome below the hovercraft all at the same time, breaking the barrier and making a hole big enough for the strike team to carry out the rescue. Hackers strapped in and strike team ready to zipline down, the hovercraft's door opens to the windy outside, allowing a wonderful view of the bright flash and deafening crash a minute later as the weather codes carry out their destruction.

Time to move.

Comments

Pre-Mission

[etcircenses]

The ships is quiet except the usual thrum of the engine. 13's eyes and ears aren't here except for any of the Panem-natives who might have come along, but it's debatable on if they count. Perhaps now is the time to have a conversation you've been holding back on before the action starts, or maybe it's time to find that quiet place and relax before chaos strikes.

Linden Lockhearst- OTA

[dead_black_eyes]

Linden had known that it was optional for him to go on this mission, but after the success of the last one, he hadn't been able to cope with the idea of quietly atrophying in 13 when he knows that he can help here. Already talented when he arrived, he's learned so much more about hacking since, and is more than happy to add his skills to the existing force. It's even better that he doesn't have to shoot or even carry a gun on this mission; the seat he's strapped into is where he'll remain, presumably until it's all over and they head back.

...or get shot down and killed or captured, but it's not productive to dwell on that possibility now that they're off the ground and heading toward the Arena.

He's not the type to break the silence, but the restless way his overlarge eyes wander around the hovercraft's cabin is a form of fidgeting that probably stands out and draws attention. He makes a game of finding individual parts and naming them under his breath; just because he didn't enjoy constructing hovercrafts doesn't mean he doesn't have all those parts drilled into his head and memorized like an overly catchy but much less fun showtune.

Ground Team

[etcircenses]

The doors are open, the order is given from the comm unit in your ear and it's time to zip down into the hole in the Arena's dome. Hopefully help has mustered from within and the kids can be found easily, if not it might take some searching and it's well known how dangerous an arena can be even without the Gamemakers watching.

There's approximately an hour's window of time to gather what kids can be found and make it back on board. Extra time can't be afforded, so it would be wise to work fast.

For Sam

[timetoshine]

The crash had woken her up from the doze she'd been snatching. Sleep hadn't been something she felt like she could afford. IT was true that these off-world tributes were more passive than the classic tributes, but she wasn't stupid enough to let that take her guard down.

The crash had her up, knife in hand and foraged backpack over her shoulder. She should run from it, but curiosity has her running towards it instead, the wreckage of the caved in dome has her pausing and her eyes scan the sky where lights can just be seen outside of the barrier. Then the people come down.

She gasps and stumbles back to find a hiding place. These were rebels, they had to be. They might kill her...but what better way to bring herself and her family glory if she could get one of them first? She had to try...it was probably the only way. The thought she might not win after all had already begun to settle heavily in the back of her head.

She waited until she could hear the ground crunch and shift under one of the traitor's weight before whipping out from her hiding place, knife poised to bury itself into her enemy.

[sizeofyourbaggage]

It probably says something about Sam that despite the danger and the time limit and everything else, he's feeling pretty good right now. And really, he knows exactly what that something is - but the benefit of being mission orientated is that he doesn't have to give a shit about that right now. This is what he does, what he spent two years in training and a decade in service doing, he's in his element.

Once he hits the surface of the arena, he's moving quickly. The fact that he's back in the fucking arena registers, yeah, but only dimly. This is pararescue, and he spent far longer in that mindset than he did in the arenas.

So his guard's up, but he's not on the offense, and when a figure darts out at him, he immediately ducks down. Sam rolls to the side, springing back up on his feet and taking a few steps back, hands held up as he scans her over. Aemila, District 2, one of the ones who's actually trained for this, and he might have a fight on his hands with her.

"Hey, slow it down, all right? We're not here to hurt you, we're here to get you out of here."

OTA

[sizeofyourbaggage]

They've only got an hour, the Capitol's surveillance could come back on at any time, there's no guarantee that any of these kids are going to be willing to just come with them, and there's a whole host of Tributes who may not be on their side - but all of that's in the back of Sam's mind right now.

In and out, avoid discovery, grab the PC and get them back safe, head back out and repeat if he's got time, Sam's got this.

He's got his gear on his back, gun and knife at his hip and within easy reach, as he moves quick and quiet away from the hovercraft and into the arena. They don't have an exact location, so Sam keeps his guard up and his ears and eyes open, scanning for any sign of the kids they're here to pick up - or any sign of the other Tributes or arena obstacles.

[rotor]

Rotor was lucky enough to find an ally in James, someone stronger with more experience who wasn't going to stab a gentle lamb like him in the back to pay him back for his desperate trust. So far, he's survived, into week 4, far longer than he thought he would, and every second he's panicking and close to tears. He almost wants it to be over faster just so he'll not have to feel this terror and panic anymore.

Then something went terribly wrong, and the tightly wound fear set Rotor off sprinting, completely heedless of his protector, aware only that adrenaline is prioritizing getting away. He pays no attention to the direction he's going, blindly running forward, and is that a parachute with a person on it coming into the Arena...?

He knows that if he stops for any amount of time his legs will be shaking too much to support him, and his hyperventilation might even make him pass out. He looks behind him, to the side, then trips and falls on an exposed root. He throws his clasped hands instinctively over the back of his neck and squeezes his eyes closed. Playing dead won't work here, not without a cannon, but he's utterly paralyzed. It's all he can do.

OTA

[the_marshal]

Back into the arena, for real this time, instead of just in his repeating nightmares. Oddly, it wasn't as bad as Wyatt expected it to be. Maybe it was the clear goal, having something to focus on - something to do besides fight and starve and die; maybe it was the voices in his ears, reminding him that he wasn't alone as he pushed into the greenery.

An hour wasn't long. Not with the arena being as big as it was and there being so many kids to try and find, so he moved at a quick clip and fought against his urge to go quietly. He was not a tribute here. The pack bouncing lightly, gun cradled against his chest, he jogged on, eyes roving, finger resting on the guard of his rifle.

For Hemlock

[impaledqueen]

Peggy had been afraid that going back into the arena would make her have flashbacks. She had been afraid she would shut down and become a burden on the team. After all, she's fought for her life twice here.

Instead, she responds in a completely different way. It's like she's back there, her focus narrowing down into a pinpoint until nothing matters but her goal. Before, it had been survival. Now, it's finding the kids.

She has a gun and a knife, but they stay sheathed and holstered. She moves away from the group in her own direction so they can all sweep out and cover as much ground as possible in the short time they have.

She keeps her mouth shut but her eyes sharp, tense and ready for anything.

OTA

[carnagecarnival]

Half the time, he thinks he's forgotten what it is to be alien. The other half, he feels nothing but, a foreigner in a land he doesn't understand, with just enough similarities to throw him off. For all he wanted his people safe, for all he wanted Capitol to come on down, for all he wanted motherfucking war... he'd never thought of an end to the games.

There was something inherently natural about the games. Excluding the returning to life and doing it as when they were all of age or well over, rather than just waking up post-pupation, it really wasn't so much an unknown. Rescue is though. He'd never considered rescue in his trials either. He thinks in some ways the trials negated ever wanting for it. If they'd known not what a rescue was just as waking up to the worst, how could they ever need it when they were grown?

But here they are, saving a bunch of children. He ain't fault his matesprit for the idea. He thinks it good, really. He just ain't so good as she, he supposes.

He lands in the arena and is more faltering for his lack of knowing in what all to do. He ain't sure how much he can help, he only knows it's more than anything he could do with a communicator, what with his lacking preach and all. A few on that line get asking how he's doing, but he can no more answer than ask, so he just goes about his way. Maybe if all someone's needing a partner. If not, he's got a sharp eye and night vision.

bacopa and the steves

[decommission]

The storm has him warier than usual as they pick their way through the ruins of the city. Like every other week, explosions had taken out those sections - they'd seen it from the distance of the forest. Then, that relative safe haven had been taken from them when the dragons began to stir. Like the first day they met, they only just barely made it out by the skin of their teeth.

Water still isn't too much of a problem, he managed to hold onto his extra water and kit - but food's a different story. A different, much more depressing story. He's ignoring the stomach pains when all of the lights go out at once. There's movement in the sky - the blazing forest in the distance highlight dark shapes falling to the ground. He motions to Bacopa to stop, crouching low as he points to the sky.

They should find cover.

For Peggy Carter

[decommission]

Bacopa's just agreed to go with the other him, a man whose photo he's seen dozens of times (whose face he doesn't quite see when he looks in the mirror). The actual Steve Rogers. Meanwhile, he's just barely gripping onto the notion that the encounter wasn't a trick, a Capitol fake-out, a test (a failure) - that he didn't just hand off a child to certain death.

He'd walked away in the end, but now he's stopped again - not far from where he started. Uncertain where to go now (or trying to force himself not to go back). He's gripping his hunting knife in one hand, staring in the direction he came from like there's something over there that might tell him what to do next. This is exactly how he got ambushed the week before, right after he found out that James was dead.

To Shep and Terezi

[piroudeath]

Deni has tried her hardest not to be obviously skittish. It has nothing to do with putting on a good show for the cameras (other than doing her best to help her loved ones stay convinced that there's a chance she could make it out of this, especially after making it this far), and instead has everything to do with not looking weak in front of her competition so that she doesn't come across as an easy target.

Despite that, she can't help but jerk awake at the crashing sound, coming close to hitting her head on the roof of the car she ducked into for shelter for the night. After a moment of trying to decide whether it would be safer for her to stay in the car or escape out into the desert, she opts for the latter, running through the wasteland in the hopes that she's heading in the right direction towards the (relative) safety of the middle.

The moment she comes across another person, her heart is pounding in her ears and she isn't sure if it's because she's been running for however long it's been since she started running or if it's the fear that this is how she's going to die, looking like some sort of small, scared animal. She wants to dart off and keep moving, but her feet feel like lead, keeping her where she is.

Comms

[etcircenses]

Each person on the mission, from those in the cockpit to those on the ground, have a comm link in their ear that connects them together for easy communication. It's a valuable resource, it would be wise to use it when needed.

[Feel free to structure threads here like network threads or in prose based on your needs, this is essentially an open voice thread for anyone to talk to anyone on the mission. It can be activated by being tapped.]

OTA

[silberfuchs]

[The hole's blown and as Albert thought the remaining electric current makes his cybernetic arms and legs feel as if they're thrumming, buzzing with the ambient energy despite their being insulated from it in the hovercraft. It's why he's stayed behind instead of on the ground with the others; he has no idea what sort of malfunctions he might be facing, but it's not going to stop him from helping out.]

I'll be keeping track of everyone's positions. Call for backup if you need it and I'll make sure to call who's nearest. We have a short time, people. Good luck.

Linden Lockhearst- OTA

[dead_black_eyes]

[Though Linden had been given the option to sit this mission out, he's been far too restless since the last one to even consider it. For all that hard work to amount to sitting on his thumbs from a claustrophobic bunker was out of the question, and he'd after nurturing and honing his existing skill and talent even more in the computer labs, he'd joined the hacking team. While he's no slouch at working alone, and might even prefer it, he's got no problem meshing his skills with others when the situation requires it, and as a result, the storms had been successful, along with the breach. Now, it's a matter of scrambling signals and overloading servers so that the Capitol can't do shit about them for as long as it takes to do what they came to.

He's not on the ground this time. Along with all the other hackers, he's strapped into the hovercraft where they continue their efforts and are able to give and receive updates while they wage war on the Capitol's technology with District 13's.]

You should have plenty of time. That last wave should have their O.S. substantially crippled. They're almost certainly panicking.

[He sounds distinctly satisfied at the prospect.]

Post-Mission

[etcircenses]

It's eerily quiet, like a sigh of relief. So many things could have gone wrong. But the power stayed off, the Capitol is none the wiser for now and, hopefully, there's a few new additions to the ship's passengers. Time to check in, rest, tend to any injuries and catch your breath while you can.

OTA

[silberfuchs]

It's more successful than Albert had suspected it would be. Out of the 12 remaining children, at least half have been recovered, though not all seem to be happy about it. Albert climbs out of the cockpit where he's been ensconced for over an hour and moves to help with any medical attention that needs to be given or just to chat with either his off-worlder cohorts or native children. He's not sure what to expect; gratitude, betrayal, or a bit of both...

He approaches the nearest person, a small a guarded smile at the ready but one that can quickly be banished if it's found inappropriate. "How are you?"

OTA

[timetoshine]

Aemila sits in the corner of the ship, back to a wall and her knees pulled to her chest. Even with her arms around her knees and her head down, she glares fiery daggers at anyone who comes too close, practically daring them to approach her so she could tear their faces off. She wanted to, more than once her eyes had darted over to the cockpit with thoughts of trying to take out the pilot or even just the control systems to take out the whole plane.

One last blaze of glory since her chance to shine was stolen from her.

She didn't move.

Her fists were balled tight so her knuckles were white, her whole body practically vibrating like a live-wire for how tense she was. She was in enemy hands and she hadn't been able to stop it. That's what she kept telling herself, hopefully it would drown out the doubt in the back of her head, that little voice that said she might have lost her chance at victory, but she'd also lost the threat of death. Maybe. She couldn't listen to that.

For Sam

[carnagecarnival]

When he's done with the girl, Aemila he thinks it was, for better or for worse, he wipes his blood from the floor with a his sleeve and gets on up. It was interesting at the least. Perhaps he made a difference. Maybe he was just writing to air. He tried, and he supposes that's supposed to motherfucking count or something.

He finds somewhere new to settle down, and wipes the blood from his teeth now that he can't just run a tongue on over and he done with it. It's mostly formality. If he smiles at someone with blood on his teeth that ain't apt to be looking good.

He's going to need a new jumpsuit when he gets back. He might as well use it now to stay the flow, though some small part of him gives cry that it's a waste, no matter the majority what says it makes a mess. There's much going on. He can just shut off his thoughts and fade into the background...

Linden Lockhearst- OTA

[dead_black_eyes]

Linden can't believe that it went as well as it did. The blackout provided seamless cover for everyone to get in and out, and the hovercraft is leaving fuller than it came with a rough half-dozen native children rescued. Sadly, 6's Tribute, Maglev, perished; he knows that thanks to Phillip contacting him through the last hacker post, and he grieves her in that strange, distant way that is unique to to those who share a District and nothing else.

But it's not a time to grieve. Celebration is in order; whether or not it's a perfect victory, they were insanely lucky to get even this much.

He's not tired, so he unstraps himself from where he spent the duration of the mission, standing to stretch his legs and move about. Many of the kids will recognize his as a Victor. If he catches the eye of anyone, native Tribute or mission companion, he'll give them a stiff nod and what looks like it might be a stiff, fledgling smile that doesn't reach his dark eyes. Linden's good at many things, but affecting certain expressions comfortably is not one of them.

OTA

[silencedriot]

Bacopa stays curled up in her seat, hugging her knees to her chest and staring at everyone in the ship, completely unblinking. She's tense, her arm bloody where she insisted on digging out her own tracker, and she refuses to put on a seat belt. A neat bandage is wrapped around her arm, but that's all.

Anyone who tries to touch her runs the risk of being bitten. Anyone who comes near her at all runs the risk of being bitten.

She wants to go home. Barring that, she wants to have Steve with her. She is sick and tired of being carted around and taken places regardless of what she wants.

OTA

[whenirun]

Char feels empty. There's nothing she can do. Her thoughts cycle constantly over what will happen when the Capitol realizes what happened, that she escaped. Will they execute her family? Bomb her District?

Her face is covered in dried tears. Her hands shake. She wants to run. She wishes she could just run, run and run and keep running until she could go home and hold her siblings.

But she can't. She's trapped. Somehow, she feels more trapped here than in the arena, because now she truly has zero control of how her life will go.

"I don't guess you're going to protect our families when the Capitol figures out we're not dead," she says to no one in particular.

OTA, but especially NPC kids!

[pythianjudgment]

With the mission over, Terezi has more reason to relax now. Out of all the places that things could have gone wrong... they've already passed most of them. All that was left was to fly back to District 13 with their new friends in tow.

Mostly friends, anyway. Not all of the children were happy to be aboard, but Terezi was prepared for that, too. They would come around eventually. But for now, she's going to make her way through the hovercraft, checking up on each child in turn--and possibly any friends that she runs into, too.

"Hey. Hanging in there?" she'll asks, taking on the responsibility of welcome committee. It doesn't matter if others have already been by to check on them. This was her idea, so she feels obligated to hear each child out, if possible.

OTA

[ormolu]

These people are dead. She looks around the hovercraft at her rescuers. Each of them, save the Initiate, was supposed to be dead. And he was supposed to be an avox. Not much better. She's not sure what it means when a group of dead people rescue you in turn from certain death. For a few moments, she wonders if she had died without realizing it, if this is the kind of death that you experience when you die in the arena. That a bunch of dead people come and whisk you off to the afterlife.

But she decides that this was probably stupid. The more likely explanation was much more insidious. Much more trouble for her.

Rebels.

Rebels or not, she didn't want to die, so she had been easy to convince to come to the hovercraft. And now she looked around at the rest of the children that had been gathered up. Most of them were upset, hugging themselves, crying or having clearly been crying at some point. She has to be better than them. It's an almost neurotic desire, she has to look better, she has to be better, she has to handle this with grace and poise.

So she relaxes in her seat, legs crossed, looking like this was an everyday event for her. Hovercrafting with a group of districters and dead offworlders? Sure, that's in her schedule for every Tuesday. After some time busying herself with picking dirt out from her sadly broken and chipped nails, she finally voiced her question. "...Are you sure you can't just drop me off in the Capitol? I promise I won't tell anyone what happened to me. My parents know people, if they know you saved me..." And that they wouldn't be stuck with Cassian for an heir, Snow forbid.