Rise in Revolution (Chapter Twenty-Six)
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Chapter Twenty-Six
Strike One
Tunnel through the mountains, Sector IAL/SOV. March 18, 2272. Time instance 842N.
Emma leaned back in her seat as the others gathered around the makeshift table in the rough stone room. It had been only yesterday that the tunnel had been ‘finished’- that is, dug until they were only a few minutes away from breaking through to the other side. They weren’t willing to open up that floodgate quite yet, and Emma couldn’t say that she blamed them. They had gotten everyone to get their gear together and prepare to move out the next day, and now, as people were coming up the tunnel, they were going over their plan once more to make sure that everyone knew what they were doing.
It was going just fine until Seven mentioned distracting any five thousand units they ran into and everyone magical avoiding them at all costs.
Emma blinked in confusion. “I’m sorry, what? What’s a five thousand unit?”
Kyir immediately whipped around to glare at Seven. “You said you’d explain all the unit types to them!”
“I thought you had!” Seven protested. “Fine. A five thousand unit is an anti-magic unit- they’re designed to protect a position or battalion against magical attacks, remove magic as a factor in a battle in which they're involved, or take out strongholds or groups of magic users. They have long-range anti-magic weaponry and a very high personal defense against magic, as well as ways to stop magic from affecting the battle around them- preventing magic acting-slash-activating in an area, and ways designed to counter common types of magical attack even after they have finished casting, which means that they don’t have to hit the mage themselves to stop magical attacks.
“Their biggest feature is a large apparatus built as an expansion on their backs and around their torsos- it looks somewhat similar to a back-mounted ammo storage and is an easy way to identify them- that powers many of their abilities. Most of it is devoted to anti-magic generation, and allows them to have a massive anti-magic pulse range- it actually functions much more like a continuous aura than a pulse, and though it’s nowhere near as powerful as the regular anti-magic pulses- though it can produce fairly large versions of those as well- it still stops most powerful magic from activating, and is measured in units of hundred meters, though the exact range varies from unit to unit. It also allows them to produce artillery-esque anti-magic pulses, with massive ranges, decent precision, and large areas of effect, though these qualities can be exchanged for each other in different types of blasts. Luckily, however, while they’re built to be durable in order to protect the investment they represent, they aren’t very powerful offensively against non-magic combatants, though this is normally made up for by their standard accompaniment of two three thousand units as guards.”
Nine raised a hand, looking at Seven with a clear expression of let someone else explain you massive fuckhead. “Geek, you especially need to be careful. We have no idea what would happen if the Nethernomicon- or, hell, Vel’kex- got hit by an anti-magic anything but it’s best to be safe. Best case scenario, it’s useless for awhile. Worst case scenario, it dissolves into dust and we’re all royally fucked forever.”
Geek nodded assent.
“Right. Who are we sending in to mess up the five thousand unit again?” Kyir rested his head on his hand, watching Seven intently.
“You, Zahnra, and M,” Seven said immediately. Nine leaned back in his seat. “Your lightning abilities can be disabled by it, but you’re fast enough to stay out of most direct pulses and unlike most elementals you wouldn’t die even if you were hit. Also, the primary way you use your powers- for speed- wouldn’t be disabled by the aura, so not being able to use your powers directly like summoning lightning wouldn’t hurt you as much as a normal elemental. Zahnra’s werewolf form won’t be affected at all and she’s still strong enough to take on the guards, and M because he’s fast and seems immune to the anti-magic pulses- which, by the way, you need to explain to me.”
M shrugged slightly behind his cloak- at least, Emma thought he did. It was hard to tell. “Why do you think I’ve been avoiding you?”
Seven thought about that for a moment, nodding slightly to himself as if he had just solved a mystery, before moving on. “Does everyone know what they have to do?”
Kyir shook his head. “Where is this five thousand unit going to be?”
“I have no idea. Somewhere, as because we’re not attacking an actively fortified position, they could just be somewhere in the sector and we run into them, or sent as reinforcements after we’re noticed.”
“Really helpful. Fantastic. The best response.”
“You’re welcome.” Seven sounded like he wasn’t sure if what Kyir said was sarcastic or not. Kyir grunted in response, but ducked his head to hide the slight smile that tugged at his face at the cyborg’s amusing response.
Tanadin sighed. “You’re not fooling anyone, Kyir.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Just admit that you think the guy’s worthwhile and stop pretending you hate him.”
“I hate everyone.”
“Can we argue about Kyir’s friendship status with Seven later? I’m a little jittery in the face of certain death and sitting around waiting for it isn’t doing me any favors.” Emma giggled in response to Mars’ comment, making the red (when did her hair change colors? Emma realized it had been a different color almost every time she had seen the half-elemental) haired girl smile at her.
“You’re not even going!” Gali protested.
“Right.” Seven got to his feet. “Strike team, let’s go.” Tanadin, Gali, Emma, Nine, Zahnra, Kyir, and M all stood and followed Seven out of the room and down a small, tight section of the tunnel to the exit. Nine nodded to the earth elemental standing guard at the end of the tunnel and he turned, summoning as much power as he could before collapsing the final rock wall and letting daylight stream into the dark cavern.
The exit was narrow and Nine grumbled quietly about the tight fit, but the eight of them quickly found themselves outside. The rocks rumbled and resealed the exit, leaving only a small hole for someone on the inside to peer out of.
They were a little ways outside the main inhabited area in SOV and had to walk the rest of the way, Emma and Gali moving a ways ahead, before they had to worry about stealth. Seven had informed them that SOV was inhabited entirely by Mainframe-controlled cyborgs and regular nonmagical humans and aven that seemed at least somewhat loyal to the Mainframe due to how important the sector was. Emma and Gali, being regular humans, wouldn’t set off any alarms in any passing cyborgs. The others, however, would immediately be out of place and the alarm would be raised.
And the longer it took for them to realize what was going on, the better.
The main group stopped several hundred feet away from the first buildings while Emma and Gali continued ahead. Emma motioned for Gali to go down one street while she took the other, keeping her eyes peeled for cyborg patrols. After awhile of not seeing anything, she looped back around and linked up with Gali again.
“See anything?”
Gali shook her head. “Let’s get the others.” Emma nodded and the two moved back into the line of sight of their friends, waving them forward.
As they approached, Seven reached into a pocket on the interior of his trenchcoat- he had to have hundreds, Emma realized- and pulled out what appeared to be some kind of Mainframe-tech weapon, a pistol of some type.
“What’s that?” Emma asked, voice quiet. Seven opened his mouth to explain but Nine shushed him.
“We’ll explain when we get back. Short version: it’s a cyborg-only weapon that makes things go boom. I lost the game of rock-paper-scissors to get to use it first but it’s my turn next time.”
“Seven can play rock-paper-scissors?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. “Who taught him that?”
“Me,” Tanadin confessed.
“He cheats,” Nine complained.
“Focus,” Zahnra growled. “We have a building to destroy.”
“Right.” Tanadin squared her shoulders and continued to follow Seven into the city. They didn’t go very far before stopping, Seven raising his weapon to point directly at the building that he had apparently targeted, a quiet hum filling the air as he charged it.
“Brace yourselves,” Kyir warned, and then Seven pulled the trigger.
A surprisingly slow projectile- admittedly, it was faster than Emma could run- shot out of the barrel of the pistol. It was a small green orb that rapidly expanded to the size of Emma’s head as it moved. She watched with awe as it closed the distance between them and the building with no apparent drag or drop and her eyes widened as it struck the wall, melting through it as if it wasn’t there and vanishing from sight.
About five seconds later, the orb exploded. The building shook and the walls trembled as fire blasted from every window and door. The roof shuddered and collapsed inward, allowing fire to escape out the top.
“Time to go!” Kyir roared, turning around and bolting for the tunnel. The others raced after him, Emma glancing behind her to watch the smoke billow into the sky as alarms sounded.
We did it. We’ve made the first strike against SOV. And it seems to be none the wiser.
They reached the tunnel with no incidents and waved at the peephole for the elemental to let them in. He did so and quickly shut the entrance behind them, nodding as they passed him.
Gali whooped and high-fived several members of the team. “Good job, everyone! They had no idea it was us!”
“They probably suspect, but they can’t be certain-”
“Oh, hush.” Tanadin interrupted. “Learn how to high-five Gali.”
Seven blinked in confusion. “What?”
“That’s great that we just destroyed a random building and all, but what was the point of that?” Zahnra demanded, a growl biting into her voice. “As far as I can tell, we accomplished nothing other than telling them that we’re here.”
Nine and Seven both looked at her as if she was insane. “We’re splitting their forces,” Nine said slowly. “Ever heard of guerrilla warfare? Yeah. That’s the kind of shit we’re pulling. We’ll be sending out forces to dispatch troops, destroy barracks, blow up other buildings, the works. Once they have no idea what we’re doing, who we are, or where we’ll strike next, so they’re having to defend everywhere, we’ll strike at the tunnel to capture that, then the prison, and then finally the Control Center.”
“So why were most of us along if one of you two could do it with your secret pistol weapon?”
“Backup,” Seven said immediately. “And it’s not secret. You could have asked about it before.”
“What is it?” Emma demanded.
Nine and Seven both started to explain, but Nine spoke up louder, forcing Seven to back off. “It’s a piece of Mainframe technology that only cyborgs can use. We can charge and calibrate it through the ports in our hands- the Mainframe didn’t want any normal people getting their hands on these. They’re dangerous and entirely energy-based- you saw what it did to that building. Imagine an entire squad of seven thousands with these.”
“I don’t really want to,” Tanadin confessed. “That sounds horrifying.”
“But a squad wouldn’t be armed with these- they’re a long range explosive weapon, not really for open combat. They’d be armed with a more focused toward taking out personnel- an auto-smart laser, pulse gun, suppression laser, or a charged launcher, for example,” Seven said, confused.
“It was a hypothetical situation!” Nine protested. “I know that’s not an actual thing that would happen! We do have the same knowledge about the Mainframe.” He stuck his tongue out at Seven, showing that he wasn’t actually annoyed.
Seven stared at him as if he had grown a second head. “What are you doing? Tana, what is he doing?”
Tanadin groaned and buried her face in her hands. “You are so clueless. So, so clueless.”
Emma laughed quietly to herself at Seven’s confused expression and demands for an explanation. Despite how heart-poundingly terrifying their mission had been, she found herself already relaxed enough to laugh at her friends.
Well, at least the revolution had no risk of being boring with these guys around.
“Wait, Seven?”
“Hmm?”
“How did you cheat at rock-paper-scissors?” Emma crossed her arms, looking at him curiously.
“He used a gun!” Nine complained, crossing his arms. “I didn’t know there was a gun that beat everything!”
Gali nudged Emma’s shoulder. “I taught him that,” she said proudly. Emma groaned.
“Of course you did.” Gali grinned and giggled.
Tanadin shook her head. “Don’t teach our cyborgs bad habits. Kyir already taught Nine sarcasm and how to swear.”
“I could swear the second I walked out of that containment tube,” Nine assured. “Seven could, too, if he wanted to.”
Seven noticed M trying to slip past them and sidestepped to stop him. “Wait, M. I was wondering how you’re immune to the anti-magic pulses.”
M considered that for a moment, tilting his head slightly. “I believe I left the oven on,” he said finally.
Gali’s eyes widened. “You have an oven?”
“And a toaster, apparently.” This last sentence was a grumble as M sidestepped around Seven, vanishing into the tunnel.
Emma shook her head at where he had vanished. He was certainly an odd one, and by Seven’s mystified expression, he thought so, too.
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Date: 2016-05-28 03:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 06:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 06:20 pm (UTC)SINCERELY SADIE
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Date: 2016-05-28 07:27 am (UTC)Also, this line: "Kyir already taught Nine sarcasm and how to swear.” Surprise. And Seven cheats at rock, paper, scissors.
-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: 2016-05-28 04:28 pm (UTC)Yes, the next time there's any downtime (if there ever is again) Tana should do a little section "Educating Cyborgs" or mostly "Education Seven" XD
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Date: 2016-05-28 06:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-29 07:53 am (UTC)-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: 2016-05-30 08:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-28 04:21 pm (UTC)“You’re welcome.” Seven sounded like he wasn’t sure if what Kyir said was sarcastic or not. Kyir grunted in response, but ducked his head to hide the slight smile that tugged at his face at the cyborg’s amusing response.
Slightly sarcastic Seven spotted XD
Tanadin sighed. “You’re not fooling anyone, Kyir.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Just admit that you think the guy’s worthwhile and stop pretending you hate him.”
“I hate everyone.”
“Can we argue about Kyir’s friendship status with Seven later? I’m a little jittery in the face of certain death and sitting around waiting for it isn’t doing me any favors.” Emma giggled in response to Mars’ comment, making the red (when did her hair change colors? Emma realized it had been a different color almost every time she had seen the half-elemental) haired girl smile at her.
Kyir hates everyone but secretly likes Seven. Yes Mars Sevenshock can wait til late XD
Also Mars why is your hair so red? XD
Does Mars' hair colour change according to her mood?
Seven reached into a pocket on the interior of his trenchcoat- he had to have hundreds, Emma realized- and pulled out what appeared to be some kind of Mainframe-tech weapon, a pistol of some type.
Doctor to Donna: Guess what I have Donna? POCKETS! XD
“Seven can play rock-paper-scissors?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. “Who taught him that?”
“Me,” Tanadin confessed.
“He cheats,” Nine complained.
Now to teach him Rock, Paper, Scissors, Spock XD
Also Seven is cheaty and probably using his prediction software. Wait Rock, Paper, Scissors, Gun? Gali >.< lol
Nine and Seven both looked at her as if she was insane. “We’re splitting their forces,” Nine said slowly. “Ever heard of guerrilla warfare? Yeah. That’s the kind of shit we’re pulling. We’ll be sending out forces to dispatch troops, destroy barracks, blow up other buildings, the works. Once they have no idea what we’re doing, who we are, or where we’ll strike next, so they’re having to defend everywhere, we’ll strike at the tunnel to capture that, then the prison, and then finally the Control Center.”
And divided they will fall :D
He stuck his tongue out at Seven, showing that he wasn’t actually annoyed.
Seven stared at him as if he had grown a second head. “What are you doing? Tana, what is he doing?”
Tanadin groaned and buried her face in her hands. “You are so clueless. So, so clueless.”
*sits Seven down and pats him on the head* XD
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Date: 2016-05-29 07:54 am (UTC)-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: 2016-05-30 08:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-31 04:13 am (UTC)-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: 2016-05-31 01:43 pm (UTC)