[OPEN] mod plot | sacking of olympus: harbinger descends

[unplug]

CHARACTERS ▶ All characters opting in
LOCATION ▶ Olympus
SUMMARY ▶ The Zion Defense Grid with civilian relief corps arrive at 1100 6/18, and Commander Gwisin gives the orders for rescue, assault, and investigation. This log is player-run and includes The REAPER simulation option (1 of 3) in the Matrix, as well as rescue activity in the Real. Kill some zombies, save some abducted babies.
WARNINGS ▶ Violence and reference to human experimentation, possibly R.
NOTES ▶ This is Part II of the Sacking of Olympus plot. Questions/investigation here, for example, what happens when you shoot compartment x of the centipede

▶ Sacking of Olympus Part II

REAL: THE ZIONITE RESCUE OPERATION ◀

Gwisin's orders are terse over the comms, two hours before the fleet makes Olympus. Make contact and communication to the best of your ability, restore comms if possible. Provide emergency care, fire control, and evacuation, before the unidentified bogey arrives at city center.

Pandemonium reigns over the populace of Olympus, civilians trapped by fires, drones, and debris. Olympus’ forces have rallied but remain thin on the ground, and the Zionite reinforcements are direly needed. Electronic communications remain down except for the Matrix pirate signal, darkening the panic and despair that have descended over the city; REAPER drones harry every human or ship that tries the ground or air.

Organizing this wide-scale rescue in the face of explosions and still-unexplained abductions comes down to ingenuity and manpower.

REAL: HARBINGER DESCENDS ◀

Thirteen hours after the Zion rescuers arrive in Olympus, the Harbinger does too. The cavern ceiling, dead center, cracks, crumbles, boulders the size of hovercrafts hammering down on the city center. By now, thankfully, the heart of the city is empty of civilians, but as the Machine breaks through, it's instantly clear that isn't going to be enough.

Harbinger is massive. Digging mandibles up front could eat a squid whole, and have room left over to total a hovercraft; its name emblazoned on red on each segment. Scarlet optics glow against its black chassis, and drones flush out of the gasping ports in its sides the same way insects give birth in dozens. Ponderous but unmistakably powerful, the centipede-shaped robot crawls out into a dangle into empty air. Keeps dropping its head toward the city in neat, clockwork degrees, almost elegantly, to let itself down onto the rubbled cavern floor. Erratic gasps and comments sound off across the disrupted networks: the oldest of the humans, civilian or otherwise, have never seen a Machine like this in the Real.

But maybe you remember dreaming a monster like this, from another lifetime.

Pilots throughout the city gun their engines, preparing for a feat of comms-blind synchronization. The battle truly begins.

MATRIX: REAPER COMBAT FREE-FOR-ALL ◀

When the Harbinger arrives, the Matrix pirate signal augmentation doubles in strength. Triples. The operator reports start to come in, distorted from the REAPER signal jamming, but unmistakable. There's a simulation out there, like a bridge to-- what? The Matrix? The programming language carries unmistakable similarities to the Dowager's feed from Kitty Jones' call to the Atalanta, but there's nothing specifically like that strange, consuming pattern in the girl's neuro-output. At least, not on this level of the sim. Not yet.

Jack in, and the first thing you see is the cold belly of a spaceship. What you hear are the screams, bouncing echoes off catwalks and cold corridors. Next, figures coming in a wave of seemingly unstructured attack. In the vanguard, the Husks, screaming zombies-- sinewy, discolored flesh mingled with useless tech components and bioluminescence. Not far behind, the bulbous Scions with their single energy weapons. Bringing up the rear, the Banshees float in deceptively slow at first, only to accelerate into a dazing flash of teleportation, skeletal-faced, real death waiting in their razor hands.

One thing is certain: they're guarding something, though where in the recesses of this ship, the operator must largely guess.

Comments

open | matrix

[lostsoldier]

[ It feels like falling asleep. This isn’t his first time jacking in, but this time more than most, after a long day’s battle in the Real, as he leans back into the headrest and steps out into unfamiliar territory to face an oncoming horde with no more nuanced objective than get through them, it feels like going under. Meeting action with reaction, letting instinct guide hand and knife and gun without thought to consequence. Easy as breathing.

As the screaming, scuffling mass of reanimated corpses closes in around the Winter Soldier, an arc of submachine gun fire cuts them down like wheat. Shrieks spike and soften to moans under the whrrr-crunch of metal fingers ripping robotics from organics, spinning rotten flesh spatters up to his elbows, dripping brown and bioluminescent blue from leather gloves and shifting steel plates. Freed metal bones slam into bodies, fling dry and scraping to the floor in growing heaps to be crushed under boot-heel as he pushes right on through.

In the distance, though, beyond the Winter Soldier’s discreet circle of carnage, a long groan sounds as a bulbous blue mass lumbers forth from the crowd. An electric glow flares to life.

That can’t be good. ]

[last_ofthe_jedi]

[With his powers returned to him and his green-bladed lightsaber once more in his hands, Luke is a force to be reckoned with.

He can sense presences all around him, mostly of the odd, demi-organic army surging to protect something. They don't feel living but they're not quite inorganic either. They don't even feel like any cyborgs Luke's ever met.

Then there are the presences of other jacked-in people trying to fight through the horde. Luke knows a few of them but their presences are all unfamiliar to him. This is his first time feeling them through the Force.

Not too far away Luke senses a spike of danger and dread, someone about to be in trouble. His legs are already moving and he leaps without looking to see what it is. The Force tells him everything he needs to know. The green blade of his saber swings to cut cleanly through the Scion's body that was descending on Bucky, ready to fire at him.

It meets no resistance and the Scion crumples as Luke lands in a crouch in front of it.

He's breathing hard and he rushes forward to meet up with Bucky, briefly looking him over for injuries.] Hey, you alright?

[lostsoldier]

[ The Winter Soldier whirls to greet Luke's approach the way he had the last husk, with a vice grip and a twist — and then stops short, wary blue eyes catching at the sight of the other man. Those eyes are the same, at least, if nothing else about him is — long, scraggly hair over half a face mask, black leather tac gear, and a prosthesis that's had a few upgrades. But from the look on his face (or, half-face) at the sight of Luke, you'd think he was the one who was almost unrecognizable. Belatedly, his hand drops to his side, recategorizing. Luke. Phoenix. Ally, not enemy. ]

Functional, [ he answers. Injuries are a little hard to gauge beneath all the leather, and there's a certain relentlessness to his bearing that suggests he might not pay much attention if he was hurt, but it's nothing that's slowing him down at any rate. He looks beyond Luke, to the felled Scion, back to the lightsaber. Not bad. ]

Together? [ with a nod ahead, to the next wave of husks. While there's no pattern to their formation, they do at least seem to be coming from a particular direction. ]

[last_ofthe_jedi]

[Truthfully, Luke hadn't recognized him at first. Now that he's looking closer, however, Luke tilts his head and his eyes narrow in realization.] Oh... Soldier? I didn't recognize you.

[It might have been the short, to-the-point answers and tone of voice that did the trick. He really looks different. Luke, on the other hand, looks mostly the same aside from slightly longer hair. Even his prosthetic hand was made to look as realistic as possible.

He takes Bucky's word for it and trusts that he's as injury-free as he says he is.]

Absolutely. Less chance of getting overwhelmed that way. [With the way this horde is moving and with their massive numbers it would be very easy for a single person to get in over their head. If they team up they can keep an eye on each other.

He nods in agreement in the same direction as Bucky. That seems to be what the horde is protecting so that's where they should probably head. Luke starts off that way, lightsaber humming and slashing through husks as he goes.]

[lostsoldier]

[ Together, as it turns out, is a relative term. Teamwork isn't the soldier's forte, as becomes evident enough as they press forward through the husks. He's used to leading strike teams whose capabilities are summarily dwarfed by his own, and once or twice at the start, his rifle sends a husk Luke probably could have handled tumbling over a catwalk rail.

But the next time he— redirects. Reorients his area of attack to minimize overlap. Decides maybe he can trust Luke to keep doing what he's doing, at least.

It means as they close in on whatever it is these things are guarding, though, Bucky isn't maintaining his initial guard-dog closeness. Letting Luke handle a clump of husks in one direction, he steps in the other. Unfortunately, so does another scion. ]

[hacker]

[ She'd been trying to follow them back, figure out what these creatures were guarding that the rest of them needed to get close to. So far, there was nothing, but up ahead—

She slowed, staggered by the sound of ripped flesh as the behemoth of a man before her ripped one of the husks apart. If she thought she'd seen carnage watching Ward and May, this was a new level. Irritated by the now-unfamiliar distraction of her bangs, Skye pushed them out of her eyes and invited bioluminescent goo to smear across her forehead.

Advancing, she at least accepted that he was on their side. ] Hey— [ And then she heard the groan. She knew what that meant. Skye reached out to grab the metal shoulder. ] Company, get down!

[ She pulled him into a crouch just as the energy cannon went off on the scion's shoulder. Looking up at it, Skye pulled a gun from the holster on her hip, then turned her gaze towards the man she'd just met up with. It wasn't until that moment, looking at his face, that she realized— ]

Bucky Barnes.

[lostsoldier]

[ She pulls him down, and he twists to land a grip on her arm in return — but the voice clicks, her face and the name she uses for him a moment later, and he stops short. ]

Quake, [ he returns through his muzzle, since they're saying names. His jaw works under the stiff material, the muscle at his temple betraying the flattening of his mouth. ]

You weren't going to jack in. [ he says as his eyes lift to scan for the scion's position without missing another beat, but he still sounds tense. Worried. Not the happiest, let's say. ]

[hacker]

[ Having someone inside who knew that about her, who knew why, made Skye uneasy. Uneasy enough that she could feel the gun in her hand start to tremble. ]

Desperate times.

[ She tried to sound cavalier, but she fell just short. ]

I like the look. [ Straightening, she gestured to him, primarily the arm and hair, then she started with steady steps backwards, away from the scion. ] You should think about growing your hair out in the Real. It's cute. Very 70s.

[lostsoldier]

[ A look Steve Rogers is probably real familiar with flattens in his eyes at the first part, but he doesn't say anything. She's already here. It's done. As she moves, he swivels to keep the back of a shoulder parallel to her, which might mean team-work if not for the way he keeps a half a step behind, too. Always a little closer to danger.

Why is she talking about his hair. ]

It's tactically unsound.

[ The hair. And yet.

He doesn't sound very sure. He shoots a charging husk in the head instead. He's sure about that. ]

[hacker]

Is everything about tactical with you?

[ Her smirk poked fun at his all-work-and-no-play attitude, even as she turned away from him to square her back against his shoulder. She raised her gun, using the opportunity to focus on something else to bring the tremor down. It leveled her out, though she only showed it in the quick adjustment of her grip on the gun, a steadying movement that doubled down on her intent to fight through this instead of panic.

Her eyes never tracked back to Bucky, instead focusing on the enemies. At the very least, it seemed she believed he wasn't in that column himself. Raising her weapon, she fired off two shots at the scion. The first caught in its armor, barely flagging its movement, but the second landed in the bulbous blue sack of its right shoulder, spraying some of the bioluminescent fluid and drawing a screech from it. ] The tumors are their weak point. You ever seen something like this before?

please excuse my inevitable typos

[blind]

[ in a way, this was extremely simple. it shouldn't be, all things comsidered. there shouldn't be anything simple about taking on creatures like this with just his bare hands and a billy club, and yet here he is.

matt was no use in the real, but once he plugged in, he can rip things apart. that, more than anything else, is all-consuming motivation to do this again and again. matt wants to be needed. how much of that gets tied up in having his senses back ( back is a dangerous word, the wrong word, when according to everyone he never had them to begin with, but back is the word that comes immediately to mind. ) is hard for matt to say, but it feels unimportant as a husk shatters to pieces with a disgusting noise. matt grunts, spinning around to take in the field, find his focus and--

and oh, that sounds bad. ]

Move!

[ is the first thing matt does, shouting furiously right before he tackles bucky. old habits die hard. they hit the ground as the weapon goes off, sizzling unpleasantly through the air. ]

Come on. Before it gets any closer.

[ it sounds like a problem, weapon or no. matt resists the urge to crack his knuckles theatrically as he gets to his feet. ]

only if you'll forgive my slowness .-. ...and also this tag

[lostsoldier]

[ It's a little like tackling a concrete post. The soldier lands heavy, flesh shoulder slamming against corrugated metal floor as the weapon goes off, but his heartbeat doesn't falter. One danger registers as another passes. Leather scrapes swift as he rolls to his feet without missing a beat, and beneath that sound, a crunch of metal, the high-pitched song of electricity ramping up, of motors whirring to life.

The sound of metal hand lifting to catch Matt by the throat.

Not to crush — he may not be listening to a single word coming out of Matt's mouth, but he knows human from robo-zombie. The aim is to catch and lift, to hold while he searches to catch the eye of his recently-near crewmate, for direction.

Ally or enemy? ]

forgives everything obviously.

[blind]

[ the soldier is a mess of conflicting noises, things matt hadn't been aware of when his entire focus had been on the approaching danger. the hand moves too fast for matt to stop, and when he scrabbles for the wrist he finds the metal there. unexpected, but undeniable. ]

Let go.

[ for what that's worth, though matt doesn't strike yet. he's not disabled, but he isn't sure what a crushed windpipe is going to do for him here. ]

I'm not trying to kill you.

[ matt's voice is steady, but not everyone can hear heartbeats, can hear the lies in other people's voices. no one has a reason to trust him. ]

[last_ofthe_jedi]

[As he's mowing down a herd of husks with his lightsaber, Luke becomes vaguely aware of another human presence near him, another one aside from Bucky. He knows there are others plugged in so he doesn't pay it any mind until he hears some commotion.

First it sounds like shouts of warning, bodies hitting the floor, and Luke comes running. He charges straight through a couple more husks on the way, slicing them clean through with a sizzle of flesh and melted metal.

By the time he finds his crewmate amid the calamity, Bucky's already gotten his chokehold on the other man. He's unfamiliar to Luke but all the same, if someone in here is undeniably human, they're friendly. At least as far as Luke can tell. If it turns out he's wrong at least it's two against one.

Bucky seems to glance to him for affirmation and Luke quickly nods and holds out a reassuring hand to him.]

He's alright, let him go.

[lostsoldier]

[ Even with Luke's reassurance, there's a split second of hesitation. He doesn't have much reason to trust this guy. But he does have reason not to waste time debating it — namely, the shambling heard of husks, the heavier lumbering footfalls of the scion.

Or the rattling gasp that prefaces an earsplitting, inhuman wail. That's new.

Like the loosening of wrench jaws, his fingers widen again, letting the other man drop. ]

Keep up, [ he adds, which is as close to a thank you as he's liable to offer. At least he isn't just leaving the guy behind. Another husk squelches under the butt of his rifle as he starts forward again. They're almost there — as long as whatever's making that horrible shriek doesn't catch up to them first. ]