The Last Bastion: Bunker Chicago (Recruiting Area) The Coalition - Mobilization

Nilum

Nilum

The Wanderer Returned
Benefactor
((Read This First.))

The Coalition – Mobilization​

The local military presence of The Coalition has been stepped up, with a heightened and constant state of alert being readily apparent. Yet, the food lines remained in operation—feeding those who had nothing to eat for themselves. The rations were smaller this time, likely a result of TC supply lines being stretched thin to support the militarization effort. Within the food lines, Jenive could be seen helping kitchen staff and keeping an eye on things, ensuring that families got greater shares of rations than other groups.

At the staff entry to the food lines, two guards stood watch. On the door, a recruiting poster urged and encouraged people to ask the guards for entry—as those who worked with The Coalition would be duly rewarded. Both those who had never worked with The Coalition before, and those who had, were equally welcome.
 
The pale man from before, Russell, had approached the guards outside the staff entry, though this time he wasn't in his full SST, only a wrist-mounted hybrid comms device and bacterial scanner and his rebreather were visible. His outfit was rather simple, consisting of boots, jeans, and a long sleeved shirt that hung off of his wiry frame, with a belt containing his immuno-boosters wrapped around his waist. He nods to the guards, asking permission to enter. His mind wandered as he waited for the guards' response, turning to worry for Jenive.
 
Anastasia sat at one of the tables littering the area, eating her food quietly while her younger brother chattered away about something her dad had found odd in one of his recent shipments. He'd gotten some small pieces of metal wing spar that didn't seem to be at all corroded, though they had a layer of powdery something on their surface. She'd been intrigued for a day or two, but from then on, it had failed to keep her interest. After all, business had picked up again recently as more people stuff seemed to break down. From what gossip she'd heard, there were a dozen stories or more going around about what was causing it, but as her family had repaired what they could, they'd found it was mostly just general neglect on the part of the owners. Nothing new.

This hostility between the Coalition and the Old Guard though... That was something she could keep an interest in. After all, having relied on her father's Coalition connections to allow her the modifications to her bird, she owed them something. Not that she particularly disliked the Old Guard, but they seemed almost apathetic about getting things back up and running the way they could be. Didn't sit right with the young pilot at all. And now that she was here eating, she could easily see the poster by the door: reward for helping the Coalition. She'd worked odd jobs with them before, using her helicopter to move heavy loads and such over odd distances or too awkward locations, but she'd never really had a chance to put it in combat, even after all the tweaks she'd made to it over the years. If anything, it probably should've seen combat well before now, but her father had always given her cause to stay home.

"Hey, Eth?" Her brother stopped for a moment, pushing his glasses higher on his nose as he looked at her questioningly. "I need you to head home and tell Pops that I'm gonna talk to these Coalition boys. When he gets fussy about it, tell him I'm not tying myself down, just gonna have a chat. I want to see what I can find out about what's going on in the Bunker." She smiled and waved him off as she stood, turned, and approached the guards at the door. Her eyes fell on the other man there, but she didn't give him more than that first glance. She looked at the guards for a moment, then smirked ever so slightly.

"I saw your poster, and I'm interested. Mind if I come on in?" she asked, slipping her thumbs through her belt and shifting her weight to one leg.
 
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The two guards at the door glance at each other for a moment. One taps his helmet, and mutters for orders, passing along information about the two people in front of him. One was a noted prior associate with The Coalition, the other, a civilian contractor only. A few moments of apparent silent pass as the guard listens to orders through communications in his helmet. The door makes a clicking sound as it's unlocked, and the guard pushes the door open and motions the two inside. "Close the door behind you. That is all I ask."

Inside were the kitchens. Several kitchen staff were working here--all, it seemed, were civilian contractors. Primarily those who were too young to fight, or who couldn't functionally serve as a military combatant. Nonetheless, while sweating and working to the bone, they seemed focused on their tasks. Some were smiling, others were agitated, and most seemed apparently neutral if a bit dour in appearance. Jenive was there as well--the poster child of The Coalition, quite literally, being featured on the recruiting poster on the staff door. She was helping to move some crates of food, and she appeared rather pleasant today. She smiles upon seeing Russel, and bows her head politely to Anastasia. "The man you're looking for is in the room, to your left."

The door to that room hung open, and had a single man inside. A middle aged looking man, hints of gray at the roots of his hair, and with a cold stare that spoke of a man who had made and met many ghosts in his time. He was none other than Adrik, one of The Coalition's finest special operatives. Most simply knew him as an assassin, though. He stood quietly, cigar in his mouth, smoke filtering around the room as a single light bulb hung from the ceiling. There were a half a dozen chairs on each side of the room, making for a dozen in total. A table sat in the middle of the room, illuminated by the single light bulb, and Adrik himself stood by it. Upon the table was an ash tray, and a couple of file folders. He glances outside the room, looking at Jenive, and shouts. "NEWCOMERS?" Jenive shouts back. "ONE'S NEW, ONE'S COME BACK! TOLD YOU TO BE A LITTLE MORE TRUSTING, ADRIK!"
 
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Russell nods to Jenive when his eyes meet hers, though his expression remains neutral. He is here on business, and he hopes she doesn't see his professionalism as rude. He enters the office, looking around the small room before setting his eyes on Adrik. The man offers his hand to shake, speaking to Adrik in a professional tone. "Good to see you again, Sir."
 
Ana gently shut the door behind herself as she entered after Russell. He seemed so dour and grim, but who knew what he'd been through. As she walked into the kitchen, she waved at a few of the women there, people she knew from her small area of the neighborhood where her family lived, before looking at Jenive. She stopped for a moment, mouth slightly open in mild surprise.

"Miss Jenive Rousseau, right? Heroine of the Coalition herself." Anastasia smile and simply nodded her head, as if everything was going to be alright. In her head, Ana was scattered, part of her surprised she'd met and said something to the Coalition's poster-girl, the rest of her trying to figure out if it was a test of some sort to weed out all the fans from the serious recruits. As her smile turned to a smirk of confidence, Ana turned into the room mentioned.

As she stepped into the room, she felt almost like she had stepped back in time. From things her father had talked about, stories he'd had passed down from his father and so on, this struck her as one of those rooms where the world would end. Men came to these places, silent as graveyards, and without a word being spoken they would decide who would live and who would die. Ana stopped and stood, her smirk vanishing, in the doorway, the solitary light casting poor light over Russell and Adrik, only heightening the eerie feeling she had. the image she'd seen in her dreams flashed in her mind's eye, causing her to lift a few fingers to her temple, as if she had a headache, before she took the next step in. When he shouted however, the feelings vanished, blasted away by the sudden sound. She cringed, ever so slightly, before standing upright once more.

Ana came to stand slightly behind and to Russell's right, watching. If his handshake was accepted, she would offer her own hand. "Anastasia Fleizing, Pilot and owner of the Thunderstorm. It's a pleasure to meet you...Sir." She spoke the last word almost questioningly, unsure about whther it would be proper for her to use it or not.
 
Adrik glances down at the hand being offered by Russell. He seems amused by the gesture, but does not return it, instead placing both of his hands behind his back. "Sir would be protocol," he states bluntly as a reply to Ana. He then motions to the chairs lined up on the right and left sides of the room. "There is a new threat to Bunker Chicago. I am certain that all of you are aware of the recent spate of missing persons cases: We are going to resolve that. However, the information I am about to tell you is secretive in nature. Therefore, if you wish to turn back, do so now. Otherwise, sit. I am not ordinarily a man of great speeches, and today is not an exception."
 
Russell's gaze doesn't seem to change at Adrik's response. He had expected the gesture to go ignored, after all. He nods solemnly, before turning to take a seat, acting careful not to put too much of his armoured weight onto the chair. "It seems these days are full of secrets and half-truths. You know my answer." He clasps his hands together, his gaze wandering to the pilot woman who had entered with him. He didn't have much to expect of the person, assuming they would leave at the mention of secrecy.
 
Anastasia nodded at his words, ensuring she knew that her terminology was correct. While she'd never been one to know much about military-style functions, she figured it wasn't too hard to show respect. She gave him a mild, playfully incredulous look as she sat down, however. Her mind toyed with the idea of cracking a snarky comment about there being secrets to share or else leave, but she held her tongue in check. This was a first impression she did not want to get wrong.

"I'm in."
 
Just then, Tristan came into the room, having been screened and waved in by the guards at the door. He gave Adrik a salute and said "Tristan, reporting for duty sir." Once he was acknowledged, he would move to one of the seats in the room and take his place there.
 
"You're late." Adrik states bluntly to Tristan, before shaking his head and walking over to the door. He closes it, and walks back to the center of the room, beside the table. A helicopter passes overhead, low enough that the light hanging from the ceiling shakes momentarily at its passing. "Mouse has gone missing. For those unaware of him, he holds electronic records on The Coalition, The Old Guard, and U-ARM that could be quite damaging if they were allowed out to the public. They will go live in the next thirty six hours unless he is found, and returned. We will be moving in with The Old Guard for this mission, as they've been tracking his position with an electronic beacon of some sort. He is located underground, approximately one kilometer."

Adrik then walks over to the table and opens one of the file folders. They seemed to be of a classified variety. "The classified part of all of this, is that we already know it's not a sewer system. It's too deep to be the old city sewer system. It's an abandoned laboratory, from the days of the old world. We had thought the computer systems dead and the facility collapsed, but if the Children of Eve stole Mouse away to that location, then it can only mean that they found a way to reach the compound, and repair the computers. If so, they contain files about history and technology even beyond our own... The kinds of files that may enable the Children of Eve to finish whatever experiments they are running upon themselves. As tempting as it might be to keep such information for ourselves, it is located too close to their territory. We will move in, and destroy the computers. Rescuing Mouse is a secondary priority. We will begin this operation tonight. Is that understood?"
 
Shlan followed behind Tristan, gaze dragging behind her towards Jenive before snapping forward as she fully entered the room. "Fletcher, also reporting in." She didn't bother with a salute, still inexperienced with proper military procedures, but did give Adrik a respectful nod as she took a seat.
 
Russell offers a brief look towards the latecomers, frowning ever so slightly under his mask. He then looks over to Adrik as the man explains the next mission. "Two questions and one request, sir: Firstly, is it wise that we should be working alongside the Old Guard for this mission? The last time we cooperated with them, we got burned. Secondly, how will we be destroying these files?" He pauses for a few seconds, before rising to his feet. "And my request is: Seeing as this mission will most likely be in tight quarters, I would like to officially requisition a suit of powered armour, sir."

After a brief pause, he leans against the back wall. "Questions aside, I understand. Where will we be meeting for our pickup, sir?"
 
Anastasia listened intently, only looking at the latecomers with a raised eyebrow before returning her attention to Adrik. The thought of going on a mission excited her, but she shared at least one concern with Russell: cooperation with the Old Guard. Beyond that, the idea of being underground, and thus nowhere near the one thing she figured would be her asset in the mission, unnerved her beyond belief.

"I need to know what my role in the mission will be. Reconnaissance? Overwatch? Air support in firefights?" she piped up. "To be honest, I'm not really good with a gun, at least not in my hands, so I'm not sure how much aid I'll be, aside from perhaps being transport to and from." She shrunk in her chair a bit, feeling somewhat down about how little use she expected to be on the mission, though it seemed more than serious. The fact that they were going to be infiltrating territory owned by the Children caught her interest, however. While a half-dozen questions raced through her brain about them, she kept her mouth shut. After all, she didn't want to be too nosy, especially if this was her first real impression with the Coalition.
 
Adrik raises an eyebrow and glances at Russell. He appeared almost surprised that Russell asked him questions about The Old Guard. "We will destroy the files with explosives. Jenive will carry them. With any luck, we can collapse the entire facility. If that happens to include The Old Guard, well... That would be a shame, wouldn't it? As for your suit of power armour, we will think about it. You will have your answer later." His attention is then pulled to Anastasia. His tone hinted at a mix of amusement and oddly placed curiosity. "You will help escort our men into the combat zone. After that, you will land and infiltrate the facility with them. We will have the advantage of having the lab's layout on hand, we'll know where to go. Once we've planed the explosives, you will exit the facility with the rest, reach your helicopter, and use it to cover our escape. This time, if The Old Guard tries to betray us en route to Bunker Chicago, you will be able to tell us that it is coming."

He glance about the room, and sizes up each person in the room with a cold stare. "Is that understood, or do any of you have further questions?"
 
Russel stands straight, wryly raising his eyebrow. "I see... It would indeed be a shame." Hr nods as Adrik puts off his requisition for later, understanding that it would in fact be a hefty order. But it wasn't one he made lightly.

After pondering some things for a few moments, he sharply nods and offers a salute. "Only one, sir. Where will we rendezvous for the mission, sir?"
 
The young Pilot leaned back into her chair a bit, rolling the plan over in her head. It was sound, as far as she could tell, but it didn't leave her feeling the greatest. She knew what Thunderstorm was capable of, but it didn't mean she wanted it risking fire from the Old Guard if they tried to muck things up, let alone from the Children if they actively fought them. It felt like she'd be putting a family member in harm's way for no reason, even if she knew it that it could be fixed. With a slight sigh, she ran a hand through her hand, fingers absently trailing along the feathers the sprouted from her temples. They felt longer than they used to be. She shook her head, ran her fingers through her hair again, and let herself relax.

"I understand, Just need to grab some things from my Pop's shop and I'll meet you at the rendezvous. If you need room for another couple of bodies to get out there, I can carry probably three more in the center bay of my heli, or extra equipment," she said, somewhat dismissively, but without jest. She leaned forward again, took a deep breath, and stood. She was nervous, and to any more used to dealing with people and nerves it would be obvious, but she felt like what she would be doing was right. Not to mention, this would be one of her first major forays outside of the Bunker without any of her family in tow.
 
Restless days these have been… And it would show in Gabriel’s face; dark circles around his eyes, a yawn here and then. Whatever this man was going through seemed to be sucking away his energy. Regardless, he had to show up; he had made his way to that recruitment area where the soup kitchen was. It had been hard telling his family of his choices, and really, it hadn’t gotten better since that day.

He presented himself to the guards, giving away his sidearm to them and was let in. Already, Gabriel knew he was late for whatever this meeting was about. So, he would present himself without saying a word. He quietly walked into the room and said nothing, awaiting for the meeting to either be concluded or for him to be filled up quickly. He’d make sure that Adrik knew he was there though, either by a nod in his direction or something of the sorts.
 
Shlan glanced over as Gabriel entered, more out of instinct than interest. "At least I wasn't last," she muttered, before falling silent for a few seconds. Eyes downcast and unfocused, fingers fidgeting, her mind was clearly elsewhere. Trying and failing to find a reason why actively collapsing the laboratory on the Old Guard in yet another joint mission would be any better than the betrayal that had pushed her towards the Coalition. But when she'd told Ryan where her loyalties lay, she had meant it, and wasn't one to turn on her own.

Eventually, she spoke. "Do we have any old maps of the laboratory? Beyond the obvious advantage of knowing our way around, it would help us know where to place the explosives to do the most damage."
 
"Tonight. 1800 Hours." Adrik replies as he looks at Russel. "You will meet Jenive at the entrance to the bunker. She will lead the mission." Before he replies to anyone else, he adds one last thing, specifically for Russel. "Oh, and do not worry over her. She is capable of great things... And her injury only brought her closer to her true potential, not further."

He then glances at Anastasia and simply nods. He had nothing more to add to what she said, and had already given the rendezvous to Russel, so surely, she must have overheard it.

Adrik then glances at Gabriel and motions to a seat. "I will brief you in a moment."

Finally, his attention is drawn toward Shlan. "We have blueprints. That being said, no human has walked inside for over one hundred years... There is no telling how much of the facility remains intact."

Lastly, he turns his attention back to everyone. "I am finished with briefing some of you. Unless you have further questions, you may go. You know when and where to be."
 
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