Mutant Wars: Stealth 26

[Tarnfire]

The human weapon factory that was the target off Stealth 26 was located in the wastelands a few miles outside New Londons city wall. Most of the building was under ground, and most of the possible entrances was heavily guarded. According to the human spies loyal the the mutants, the only possible way was through this ventilation tunnel. And not even this was unguarded. Weight sensitive sensors was placed in the ground, connected to a computer outside the grill covering the tunnel entrance. The only place free off sensors was the 2x1 meter area just in front of the computer.

Joseph sat togeter with the rest of the group, hidden behind some rocks, watching the problem in front off them through night-goggles. He hated not being able to use his radar, but if he did, he might start some kind off alarm. He concentrated on the problem instead. He could easily fly to the computer, but there was not a chance in hell that he'd be able to shut it down. And even if he would know how to do it, the guards in the "watchtower", the co-ordinating centre of defence, would know at once that the sensors was down and send some guards running. He shook his head and turned towards Mind Leak, who was studying the crude map they had to use. Couldn't the stupid flatscans manage to draw a real map?

- What does thou suggest now, fair lady? It seems like I am the only one with flight here. Do we just rush in and feast on the blood of our enemies?

He showed his white fangs in a wide grin. He was sure that they wouldn't survive a frontal attack, but it would be an interesting way to die, their own blood mixed with the blood of their killers. He licked his lips at the thought. Yes! Interesting indeed!

[Lyssia]

...sticking into my side...got to get it before...home not here...draw a real map...said those things...half his life... said I would ask...runs away...just long enough to teach...disregard my advice...waste of time all this...a lack of a better term...couldn't ask for a...

The thoughts of all those unknowns battered on the doors of her mind, demanding to be let in, wanting her to pay attention to them all. They made no sense unless she concentrated on one single thread, following its course no matter how much the others yelled, screamed and sobbed on the edges of her consciousness. They were a babble in Claire's mind, as though she had a crowd in there with her, each of them shouting at their top of their lungs, all wanting to be heard. And it didn't seem to matter how much she pushed them away, or tried to, they were always there even when she slept. People's dreams and nightmares flooding her own, a tumbled collection of fears and hopes, each of them twisting the others to mesh together in her mind.

That wasn't the worst of it though, indeed if only the other voices would keep their distance from her own she wouldn't be the mess she was today. But the thoughts never kept their distance, they always seemed as though they wanted to invade her, piercing the very core of her spirit. She could try to ignore them at her own peril, because there was always that nagging doubt that one of the thoughts she would ignore was her own. And that would set her on a very slippery slope, descending to depths where she couldn't even begin to guess which voice was her own among the cacophony of the others.

Claire tried to focus on the map that she held in her hands, trying to empty her mind of everything till the map was the only thing left in her perception. That was what Mab had told her to do, the older woman had said that it would help, that it would make things easier. Mind Leak had problems believing that though, how could she not when she could read the doubt in Mab's own mind?

We need to disable that computer before anything else, we're not going anywhere if that isn't sorted out, she mumbled, looking up suddenly from the map to the ventilation tunnel. A flat-out assault isn't feasible, not yet at least, if we do that we can kiss those weapons good-bye because we'll never get them. Binary do you think you could get that computer to which off the alarms and sensors? Or maybe set up some kind of false signals that make them guards think that everything's ok here?

Her eyes darted about till they rested briefly on the other two members of the team, WraithSage and Thrash. We might need to arrange a distraction elsewhere if that doesn't work. Just to take their attention away from this ventilation tunnel for a while, I think that's all we'll need. Unless anyone can think of a better way in, I'd rather not advertise our presence here just yet.

...if I did...not seen since the..I owe it to...and how all the...I guess...will be the first to volunteer...cry out by...though some may not like...I wore the...just because they were...stands down from...of the past five...I do want to say...have been working...offer it as an...

[Talen]

Relaxing in a kneeling position Thrash looked out over the distance to the ventilation tunnel calculating close to the second how fast he could get from where he was to there. He glanced at the Mindreader jadedly, Thrash had gotten used to her but still didn't like her.Shifting his position, because of the leather and steal covering the flesh around his arm horns was sticking into his ribs, Thrash starting letting a song slide through his head, one of the few he knew word for word, breath for breath, though he couldn't even remember where he picked this one up.

"I will hold the candle till it burns up my arm
Oh, I'll keep takin' punches until their will grows tired
Oh, I will stare the sun down until my eyes go blind
Hey, I won't change direction, and I won't change my mind
How much difference does it make. ."


Interrupted Thrash threw his thoughts on the subject at hand, listening carefully.

A distraction wouldn't be a problem but a distraction would better cover escape rather than help gain entrance. If we do a distraction it’ll have to be something else we can make it appear we are trying to take.

[DemonArchangel]

Wraith stared at the telepath and at the oversized bat, who had freed him from The Cage, then leaned heavily against the large rocks and pondered the problem at hand, the weird binary guy could disable the robots and hack into the security terminal easily, then Nightfall would conceal the group as they snuck in. Not that hard actually, but still the old saying goes, easier said than done....

" Binary, can you remotely download yourself into multiple points at once?" Wraith waited for Binary's answer, meanwhile, Wraith let his powers charge up and flow over his body, letting the telekinetic energy tingle at first, then burn, letting his muscles swell to almost twice their size and his eyes, adjusting so that the starlit night was as bright as day, he was ready, but was everyone else?

[Ashwyn]

Nightfall lay belly down among the rocks, his skin drinking in the weak starlight, leaving his skeletal frame shrouded in shadow. He listened to the others as the whispered, but didn't really hear them. If they wanted his opinion, they would ask for it, until then, Jonathon would concentrate on his old training. He was searching for that place in his mind that let him kill, the fuzzy place where nothing was quite real, the place where the humming drowned out the screams. He hated the fuzzy place, but without it he wouldn't be able to pull the trigger. Nightfall knew there would be death tonight, why else would they send an assissin with the raiding group? His right hand crept to the familiar grip of his 9mm. Someone dies tonight.

Nightfall forced his mind away from such thoughts, using the soft whispers of his companions to distract himself. He agreed with Thrash, a distraction would better serve an escape, but if Mind Leak commanded, he would serve. Turning his eyes and thoughts to the mission ahead, Nightfall scanned the target. His powers and his training in infiltration might get him through some of the security systems, but not the weight sensors. Then there were the gaurds. Do they have any of their psi's here? He idly wondered as he waited for orders. If so, they must be killed quickly.

[Kaantaa]

Edward shook his head as Mindleak's query brought him out of his meditative reverie. He turned towards her in rapid fluid movements.

Yeah, I can do it. I can trick the cameras easily enough. Making those do what you want is as easy as shooting a wall from a yard away. I could probably dim the sensors on the weigh pads enough to let four of you over. Any of you got a palm pilot? I can message you the time frame. The mainframe will take me longer to take out. I would probably most useful staying in the security system.

Hearing wraith's question, he took a rapid step over to the man, tiny green 0s and 1s fading from where he had just been.

Sadly, not yet. I need more practice. I can probably bend three simple things to my will at a time. Three cameras, two cameras and a weight pad, two weight pads and a camera, etc. I can also switch between tasks pretty fast.

He turned back to mindleak.

What are my orders, sir?

[Lyssia]

...they must be...noticed that in the...the last one was so...I think some of them...doesn't he see...I think I'll just...get the...had accidentally wiped...think it was obvious...nice to know...own thoughts were...may be the most...something serious...I would think the...enforce its...in my pocket...

The thoughts were crowding in again, she could barely pin-point where they were all coming from. Was that her thoughts there? Or was it someone else's? Was she really thinking any of this at all? Or were these thoughts no more than everybody elses stuck together, a chaotic jumble of voices somehow trying to make sense? Maybe she had lost herself long ago in everyone's thoughts, drowning beneath the waves of them and not really existing anymore at all. It could be that Claire had vanished long ago and all that was left was her body, controlled by a hive of thoughts that everyone else generated.

"I don't exist at all", she thought to herself...or did she? Maybe that was all just someone else doubting that they existed, that thought floating to the surface above all the rest.

She looked at Edward for a moment and yet seemed to look past him, her thoughts (if they were her own) focused elsewhere. Then suddenly she seemed to snap back to the here and now, and she started slightly as if she had forgotten that any of the others were there at all. No, she said, perhaps in answer to a question only she could hear. I mean, yes if you could sort out the cameras and pressure pads, yes we need you to do that. And soon if we're to get our hands on the weapons and get out of here in one piece.

Claire rubbed her temples, frowning to herself as she did so, trying to push back the tides of what she could loosely describe as not-herself. It was getting more difficult to do that, to distinguish between self and not self. Sometimes it seemed that other people's thoughts were too like her own and she worried constantly that she was pushing her own thoughts away, chasing herself away and never realising. She took a deep breath, calming herself and trying to get rid of the doubts that were clouding her mind, she didn't need doubts now. if he let the fears and the worries get too much then she wouldn't be the only one whose life was at risk, she couldn't put the others in danger because her mind was filled with chaos.

If no one's got a palm pilot it doesn't matter, she felt more confident now, more sure of herself. Yes this was better, surely this was her? If you're alright with it, I'll try and focus on your thoughts, get the time frame from you that way. She'd never told them that it didn't require her to focus, that their thoughts invaded her head continually, they didn't need to know that.And anyway she'd met too many people who didn't like the idea of another reading their thoughts, knowing what they were thinking, it made them uncomfortable.

"As if any of them understand dis-comfort, to not know your own mind from anyone else's, now that's uncomfortable".

...how do I tell...because of my...what kind of...I can get help...he doesn't have...really care about...want them to know...agreed to a handful...in the least about...and I hate...trying to comply with...enough to...for the good of its...and everything...when I'm wrong...