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Post by Agai Lazen on Dec 11, 2012 0:17:10 GMT -4
"Agreed..." Jericho said, opening the door for Blair. After she left, he talked to Kazama.
"Kazama, we'll talk when we get back to base."
"Yes, sir..."
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Post by Champ on Dec 11, 2012 0:36:19 GMT -4
((OOC:I did a major edit to the second half of this post because I didn't like how it read and some of it didn't match up with Koith's posts.))
"Well, that was fun," Blair muttered to herself after the group had put significant distance between themselves and the tank.
"I understand where Kazama's coming from," Champ said, "But he's still wrong, peace..."
Colette held up a hand, cutting him off.
"As much as I agree with what I assume you're about to say about peace, and how it has to be forged through taking the moral high road even if that carries a heavy cost,we have other issues right now," She said.
Blair narrowed her eyes, looking at Colette and almost daring her to heap more bad news on her. This day had been an absolute disaster already,and she wasn't in the mood for any more issues.
"Check it out," She said, pressing a button on her wrist and projecting a replay of the newscast into the air.
The group all stopped walking, staring in stunned silence at the scene playing out in front of them.
"Great," Blair said, "We want to talk about Tremorton's prejudice against metas, THIS kind of thing is why it exists. This is why people are afraid of you, it's not just that so many of you take the law into your own hands, it's that events like this make it look like you guys actually believe you have the right to decide who lives and who dies. If your stupid friend there had any brains who would have tried to use non-lethal methods to deal with those robbers, and great shot or not he should have never attempted to shoot a robber with a hostage."
For a while they walked in silence, eventually reaching the scene of the crime. As they walked up to the police tape Colette asked a question that had been weighing heavily on her mind.
"So, what exactly would be our unnamed vigilante's charge for all of this?" She asked.
Blair shrugged.
"In Tremorton's courts? Probably nothing," She admitted, "Vigilantism is basically overlooked here, and he could easily argue that he HAD to kill those men to save everyone. The question you should be asking is how much fuel this is going to feed to the anti-meta fire."
Colette's heart sank at the thought. Beside her, Champ thought back on Blair's earlier warnings about associating with his unnamed ally. He was exactly the kind of vigilante Champ had always tried to avoid being, and part of him was now fearing that this was how the public would see him. It also made him wonder if he could afford to ally with this soldier at all at this point, even if they found themselves up against the same enemies. ***
After a brief explanation of Champ and Colette's presence on the scene the lead investigator led the group into the store, giving them a view of the carnage. Upon seeing the dead laid out on the floor Colette gave an involuntary look of disgust.
"There's not much to tell you that the news didn't already cover," The lead investigator said, leading them away from the battle and towards the main security office of the store, "These guys busted in, our nameless vigilante tore them apart. However, we did find one thing interesting on the tape."
They entered the security room, where one of the cam feeds showed the soldier entering just a few minutes before the robbery began.
"Huh," Blair said, "Well either he got really lucky and happened to be in the right place at the right time, or he knew this was going to happen."
"That's what we thought," The lead investigator said, "What we can't figure out is why he waited to try to stop it until after the robbery had started, or why his partner didn't just alert the authorities in advance."
Blair shrugged.
"I dunno," She said, "But maybe if we can dig up something on the partner we'll be able to get some answers about our man of mystery."
She stared at the footage again, starting to think over the events of the night. Everything about this soldier was contradictory, but whether he was a misguided friend or a foe with a heart of gold, she needed to find some way to catch him. Perhaps if she could find his accomplice she could figure out some way to catch this strange soldier, and figure out just what made him tick.
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Post by Hunter on Dec 11, 2012 3:24:34 GMT -4
This Saturday,...
"Don't go back there, Nick. Let someone else handle it."
...the man from the north is back.
"I can't, Mary. This isn't just my job. It's my life."
And once you're on his list,...
"Nick, please, you have to understand. Agent Frost was a liability! He had to go!"
...there's no coming off it.
"And what about Jack's wife and kids? Were they liabilities too?"
The Claus Ultimatum, Saturday at 8:00. Only on DBN.
--------
Gene Wright shook his head at the commercial. "I swear, Christmas specials get weirder every year," he said to no one in particular. As he sat back to watch the local news, his phone rang, and after seeing the name on the caller ID he was quick to respond. "Hola, Your Majesty.... Because there's been nothing to report. All the people I'd be bothering about it are done for the year.... Yes, all of them. They're on Christmas vacation.... You know, Christmas. The time of year when we celebrate the birth of a man who was later publicly executed for telling people to love one another.... I'm dead serious. Look it up.... Oh, ha, ha, ha. That's not why we celebrate it, Vexus. On the other hand, we do celebrate Good Friday also, which -- never mind. Point is, I'm not getting jack done until the new year. So you can forget about Earth until then and focus on whatever else it is you do. Spend some time with your daughter or something. I don't know.... Yes. I'm sure.... All right. Thanks. Bye." Click.
With the phone call over, Gene focused his attention on the TV while the newscaster reported on the monster destroyed by G-Force. Another one? Gene thought. One of these days I'm gonna have to find out if these things actually happen more often here than in Townsville or if it just feels that way. The next report was on the attempted robbery and the people killed by the mysterious robotic metas. Oh, hey. Speaking of Christmas, JESUS F***ING CHRIST. This is gonna make it so-o-o much easier to negotiate meta equality. Gene sighed. Guess I'll have to go out there and work damage control. He turned off the TV and got off the couch. Some days it seems like Star Force was right all along. If only they hadn't been so genocidal about it. He walked out of his Cluster-provided apartment and headed down to leave the building.
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Post by Agai Lazen on Dec 11, 2012 3:32:29 GMT -4
Jericho waited patiently outside the locker room for Kazama. When the mutant soldier he was looking for exited, he made no hesitation to confront him. Kazama paused and turned to face Jericho with a blank stare. Jericho studied Kazama's face for a few moments before speaking.
"This is for you," Jericho said, handing Kazama an envelope. "I expect great things." Kazama opened the letter and read aloud.
"Starting as of December 12th, Sigma Team is to be transferred to the command of Blair Mars," He paused for a second, "Who's Blair Mars?"
"She's the Skyway officer we met today. Her younger brother is that meta you were talking to."
"At least she's not anti-meta...I hope."
"You were right when you said we'd be dealing with people like that no matter what," Jericho said, "I hope I don't need to tell you this, but you follow her orders as long as you're under her command, is that clear?"
"Sir, yes, sir."
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Post by Agai Lazen on Dec 11, 2012 3:38:01 GMT -4
((OOC: BECAUSE SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK!!!))
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Post by Koith on Dec 11, 2012 4:20:35 GMT -4
Back to the abandoned factory, Kane talks with Koith after turning off his TV:
-Cold, risky and efficient, eh? I'd never thought that you could copy Robocop's aiming skill!
Koith calmly answers:
-Soldier's duty, as I guess?
-Yup!-Kane smirks-Anyway, except the loss of the guards, no civillians harmed! You did it great, though!
Then, he takes something out from the case hidden down to his desk. It's the another device, a sniper rifle and the piece of memory core, then continues:
-Cloaking device and M14EBR with silencer will help you during later missions! Base on your performance, you deserve a more important memory. But, the next missions will be tougher, so get yourself ready!
Take the rewards, the blue soldier asks:
-I have some questions to ask. Could you mind?
-Go on!-Kane answers. But, after seconds of thinking, Koith shooks his head:
-Nevermind!
Then, he returns to his junkyard...
...
Opening the door of the quarter, Koith surprised, then he lowers his voice:
-I told you should stay with Dr. Falcon?
Before his eyes, Marie is here, tidying the room and welcomes her savior with a cheerful voice:
-Welcome home, Koith!
Then, she asks:
-Where did you go recently? I'm so worried about you!
The soldier sighs and replies with somewhat annoying:
-Just back to Dr. Falcon, please!
Seeing something different, the girl says:
-Look, Koith! Your place is enormous, and so, uh...dirty. Don't you think about a hand to clean it up?
-But I'm the wanted man!-Koith answers seriously-Living with me will cause you more trouble!
Takes the broom aside, Marie steps near the soldier, pressing her cheek to Koith's chest and talks:
-We used to get marry in the past! Even you're still not remember me, I'm still your wife. Whatever you did and whoever people called you, I'm still be with you!
Koith'd never feel the warmth from the woman. From the time he awaken, he got no one to stay with him, only Junkerton herself, but she can't neither talk nor sharing his feelings. But now, a robot girl from nowhere just came here and admit that she's his wife.
-Bah...!-Koith sighs, as he steps out of the room. Head into the garage, there are some used cars that the soldier salvaged. Takes a short check, Koith then starts repairing them.
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Post by Champ on Dec 11, 2012 6:58:23 GMT -4
Blair had to borrow a cruiser from one of the officers at the scene of the robbery to do it, but she finally managed to get herself and her witnesses back to Skyway Patrol HQ, ending, she hoped, a rambling night of adventure. As she walked up the front steps into the building she realized just how exhausted she was, and she realized just how glad she was to be nearing the end of her shift. She wasn't going to have any trouble sleeping tonight, of that she was certain.
As she entered the station a receptionist looked up at her calmly, seeming unfazed by the sword-wielding boy and armor-clad girl that were following closely behind her.
"Welcome back Cpl.Mars," She said.
She opened her mouth to continue, but Blair cut her off, not wanting to deal with pleasantries at the moment. Right now the only thing she wanted to do was finish her questioning as quickly as possible.
"I have two witnesses to a fight between the unnamed vigilante from the robbery earlier today and a criminal I detained earlier today," She said, "I need to question them to see if they can provide any information that might assist in the capture of the vigilante."
The receptionist nodded politely.
"Certainly," she said, "We'll have an officer down to question them in a moment. In the meantime, Corporal, General Amedes would like to speak with you."
Blair stared incredulously, wondering what on Earth would lead the general to ask for her. A thrill of fear shot through her, as she began to wonder if she had done something bad enough to warrant a chewing out from the highest command in the base.
"Right," She said, sighing and walking towards the elevators that led to the rest of the base, "Tell him I'm on my way up." ***
When Blair reached the oak door that led to the General's office she hesitated a moment, hoping to figure out one last time what the General would want to see her about. When she came up with nothing she reluctantly knocked on the door.
"Come in," A voice from the other side said flatly.
Blair raised an eyebrow, surprised at this bland reaction. Maybe he wasn't mad at her after all. As she slid open the door she hoped that was the case.
The sight that greeted her on the other side surprised her. The General's office was as spacious as she remembered from her last meeting with him, but it wasn't nearly as sparse. The walls were covered in Christmas decorations, and in one corner the General had even erected a small tree. Even his normally bare desk was now laden with small figures of the key players in the Nativity story. She had to bite her tongue as she sat in front of the General's desk to keep herself for commenting on the drastic change in decor. She'd never seen the General as the festive type.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" She said after a moment, managing to draw her mind from the decor.
"Indeed I did, Corporal," He said, "It's my understanding that you had a run in with G-Force earlier tonight."
Blair nodded, her heart sinking as she remembered her brother's altercation with Kazama. Was she in trouble for the tensions that had broken out in the tank?
"Yes, sir," She said, quietly. She didn't say anymore in the hope that he hadn't heard too much.
"What did you make of them?" He asked.
Blair thought for a moment, wanting to be honest without saying something that would get her in trouble.
"They're very efficient," she said at last, "Their command is very talented, and they have the sort of camaraderie we see in the best Skyway Patrol units. On the other hand the emotions of at least one of the soldiers I saw tonight boiled pretty close to the surface, and it seems like they don't really have much respect for the people they're protecting, or their allies in the Patrol. However, I've only seen one unit in action, so I can't really make a fair assessment based on that."
The General nodded as she spoke, seeming very interested in her analysis. When she was done he leaned back, thinking over her words for a moment.
"Your mention of their lack of respect for the Patrol and Tremorton's civilian population has been brought to my attention by members of both the Patrol and G-Force's command," He said, "And in fact, is part of why I called you to my office."
Blair narrowed her eyebrows, unsure of what to make of this. She had expected to have a rather direct discussion with the General about her actions in the field, but now she was talking about little more than glorified office politics.
"The Commander of G-Force, Jericho, was part of the unit you were with," The General Continued, "And earlier today he approached me with the idea that we begin blending our Patrol Teams with some of his teams to help relieve tensions between our forces. I agreed, and we decided to start by giving a Skyway Officer command of one of G-Force's field teams."
He smiled at Blair, handing her a thin sheet of paper.
"Congratulations, Officer Mars," He said, "You're the Officer we selected. Jericho asked for you himself. You'll find the names of your team printed on that sheet. You'll also find that we've promoted you to Staff Sergeant so that none of their soldiers feel that we're sending them someone who doesn't warrant their respect. It's stupid, but younger soldiers tend to place too much importance on rank, so we wanted to be cautious."
Blair stared at the sheet, unable to believe this. While she had been proud of her work with the Patrol, and especially of her last few years with the Special Response Team, she'd never seen herself as someone who would eventually command a high-ranking unit, especially one as important as this.
"Thank you,sir," She said, turning back to the General and saluting.
"You're welcome, Sergeant," He said with a smile, "Now go home and get some rest, you've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow."
Blair nodded, standing to leave. As she walked out of the office she glanced down at the sheet, reading the names of the soldiers now under her command. Most of them meant nothing, but one in particular made her pause.
'Great,' She thought sarcastically, opening the door to leave, 'I'm sure there won't be any tension over this change at all.'
Today had not been a good day, she decided as she headed back down the elevator. In fact, it had been one of the worst days in recent memory for her. As the elevator doors opened on the ground floor she took solace in the fact that in a few hours it would finally be over.
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Rosie
Resident
Posts: 183
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Post by Rosie on Dec 11, 2012 16:36:54 GMT -4
Dr Falcon introduced himself to Marie then introduced to Rosie, Crystal and Vanilla. He let her stay with them until Crystal realized she wasn't with them after few minutes
"Great....." Crystal was thinking, "If I was her, where could I go to...." She got an idea where she went but before Crystal act, she went to the lab room to say something to Dr Falcon but he appeared to be sleeping again. "Umm...he seems tired so he fall asleep," Rosie was there too with Vanilla
"I see. Anyway, Marie seems not in here"
"What?" Rosie feel suprised
"But where she could be?" asked Vanilla
"I not sure but I think I know where she could be....Rosie, let's go find her together"
"O-ok" Rosie nodded
"How about me?"
"You need to stay here with Dr Falcon. You and him deserved for rest"
"Fine...."
Crystal and Rosie came out to searched for Marie and the nameless robot, "Marie seems to know that soldier more than I thought...then that soldier robot's name will be Koith. I wonder what is actually happen to him and his 'wife'. " Many curious thoughts played in Crystal's mind
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Post by Koith on Dec 11, 2012 22:34:29 GMT -4
As Koith finished repairing those cars, his comm-link starts:
-I got a job for you! Head to my place, now.
-Ja!-And the soldier recognized this voice-I'm on my way!
Then, heading out of the garage, Koith leaves some words for Marie:
-I have to go now! Just finish your work and back to Dr. Falcon's place!
-But where are you going, Koith?-Before Marie could finish her question, the soldier already left the place. Whatever! She answers for herself, then back to her work.
...
At Kane's place, Koith hears the briefing from the cloaked dealer:
-I got intels that an military force called G-Force are now assembling with the Skyway. If they're in joint-ops against us, we'll in the big trouble!
-So,-Koith asks-You want me to deal with them?
-Of couse, nein!-Kane answers-Your mission is to collect intels about them and their operations! Fighting with such an elite force will cause us unpredictable losses!
-So, we're in covert ops, right?-Koith raises his eyebrow.
-Ja!-Kane in the cloak replies-The target is Blair Mars, Skyway officer who recently promoted into Staff Sergeant and the active commander of Sigma Team in G-Force! Your mission is to collect intel about her activities. Be advised, she's the Skyway, meaning that if you got exposed to her, you're done!
-Ja!-Koith replies, then prepares himself for the mission. Kane also advises:
-Cloaking device will help you though this mission. Use it wisely, I don't have much batteries for this!
-On it!-Koith nods as he quickly gets out of the factory.
...
Meanwhile, Marie takes a walk around Tremorton. Suddenly, she saw Crystal and Rosie coming at the opposite.
-Hey girls!-The robot girl waving her hand.
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Post by Agai Lazen on Dec 11, 2012 23:34:52 GMT -4
The next morning, Kazama got into his uniform and reported for duty with the rest of Sigma Team. They were instructed to head to the hangar, where they were to be transported to Skyway HQ.
He walked into the VTOL designated to take him there, meeting the rest of the team with mixed glances.
"So..." Started one of the younger soldiers, "Who is this Blair Mars? Is she related to that Champ Mars guy from yesterday?"
"Apparently she's his older sister," Kazama said "We all got a good look at her yesterday, remember?"
"Cool, she seemed nice."
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Post by Champ on Dec 12, 2012 2:39:55 GMT -4
Blair yawned, stretching as she walked to the hangar where she had been told to meet up with her new team. She had to admit that she was a little bit nervous about this new assignment, she wasn't entirely sure she was up to the task, and she knew that if she didn't make a good impression right off the bat she'd have an uphill battle to fight in the coming weeks. It didn't help that the events of last night might have already ruined her chance to get off on the right foot. Still, she had gone over that conversation a dozen times in her mind already, and it had given her an idea about what she could say to prove to these soldiers that they could trust her, and that Skyway and her soldier weren't as different from them as they thought.
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Post by Agai Lazen on Dec 12, 2012 3:06:26 GMT -4
The VTOL approached Skyway HQ, hovering over the hangar bay until access was granted, and the doors opened to allow it to land.
As it landed, Sigma Team filed out and stood at attention side by side and saluted Blair in unison. The soldier in the center, which Blair recognized as Gondo, stepped forward and spoke for them.
"Sigma Team reporting for duty, sir!"
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Post by Champ on Dec 12, 2012 3:54:13 GMT -4
Blair returned the salute looking the soldiers over for a moment before speaking.
"At ease, gentlemen," She said, starting to pace, "As you all know my name is Blair Mars, and starting today I'll be your commanding officer. This is because the higher ups in both of our organizations believe that if we blend our teams we'll be able to mend some of the hostility between our respective organizations. My hope is that we'll be able to prove that theory sound, and we'll be able to quickly establish a rapport so that you'll be as efficient and comfortable in your jobs as you were before our organizations joined forces."
She smiled a little, looking at each individual soldier's face.
"I also, to be less formal, hope we can all be friends," She said, "I've spent the last few years working in a unit where I knew everyone well enough that they were like family to me, and I hope we'll be able to quickly establish a similar relationship."
She stopped pacing, facing them directly.
"Now," She said, "I know we got off on the wrong foot last night, but I want to make it clear that you have no reason to distrust me, or most of the soldiers in Skyway for that matter. Each of you talked about why you fight last night, so now let me tell you about why I joined the Patrol."
She took a deep breath, a little hesitant to begin. Telling this story always brought back memories, and not all of them were pleasant.
"When I was a little girl my father pulled me aside one night and asked me to make a promise. He made me promise to always do my best to keep my younger siblings safe. He didn't tell me that the reason I'd have to do this was because he was leaving my family behind," She started, constantly working to keep the pain of her memories from showing, "When I was 16 I decided that the best way to keep that promise was to join Skyway Patrol. My brother hated me for the decision, but I knew it was for the best. Not long after signing up I was assigned to Tremorton, leaving my family and my home behind. While I was away my mother and my sister were attacked by some...thing. My mom died. My sister fell into a coma, and my brother went missing, eventually turning up here as a vigilante, having apparently devoted himself to whatever attacked my mother and sister. For a while I thought about quitting the Patrol, after all, I'd failed to do the one thing that had led me to join. But I couldn't, because even if I hadn't been able to protect her, the Patrol let me take care of Rain. We take pretty could care of the family members of the officers in our Patrol,and thanks to the Patrol I've been able to pay my sister's hospital bills and get her some of the best care possible. When my brother turned up here the Patrol also gave me an opportunity I'll always be thankful for. It gave me the chance to keep an eye on him. It gave me the chance to go to the same crimes he's been dealing with as a vigilante and keep him safe. If I wasn't part of the Patrol, and if I didn't have their training and tech I'd be just like the rest of his friends, spending each and every night worrying that he'd get hurt or killed trying to stop one of the countless supercriminals we deal with every day in Tremorton. Because of the Patrol I can actually do something to make sure that doesn't happen."
She sighed, reaching the end of her story.
"So that's why I fight. Because I have a brother and a sister who depend on me,"She said, "Not because I'm some power hungry freak, not because I want to keep anyone down, and not because they gave me a cool gun. If you ask almost any other member of the Patrol they'll give you a similar story. So don't view us as some sort of out of touch pencil-pushers who can't relate to what you do. We're soldiers just like you, and we all have good reasons for being here."
She smiled again, looking over the team with fresh eyes, taking in all of their reactions to her little speech.
"So, now that I've wasted your time with that," She said, "Why don't you tell me a little about yourselves?"
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Post by Hunter on Dec 12, 2012 4:08:44 GMT -4
"First thing tomorrow." That's what the receptionist at Skyway Patrol HQ had promised Gene after he had established his credentials (for what seemed like the millionth time; he always wondered whether people were more baffled that the Lesser Cluster would hire a human or that a human would work for them willingly). First thing tomorrow, he'd be able to meet with Skyway officials to discuss the public response to the night's events. But why, he asked himself as he went to bed, was the meeting scheduled for one of their hangars instead of an office or conference room?
The next day, Gene returned to the HQ, and sure enough one of Skyway's redshirts was ready to escort him to the hangar. When they arrived, Gene saw what looked like a G-Force vehicle parked in the middle, much to his surprise. Just outside the craft were several people most definitely not in Skyway uniforms and, even more to his surprise, Officer Blair Mars standing before them all. "Okay, what's going on here?" Gene asked. "Where's the person I'm supposed to meet?"
"Right over there, sir," the cannon fodder said. "Sergeant Mars is currently busy, but as soon as she's done you'll be free to talk to her. I've been told that you've worked with her in the past, and as it happens her latest assignment may be very relevant to your interests."
Really? Handing me off to one of their low-level NCOs instead of someone who matters? No respect. "Neat," Gene replied through gritted teeth. "What about those other people?"
"G-Force troops. They're being placed under the sergeant's command. They... may also be relevant to your interests."
"Less neat." A brief silence ensued. "So... what do we do while we're waiting for her to stop chatting up the foreign legion?"
"I don't know, sir. Make small talk? You catch the game last night?"
"Yeah. SA State got robbed on that last call. Those friggin' refs wouldn't... wait, which game are you talking about?"
And so forth.
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Post by Koith on Dec 12, 2012 4:30:07 GMT -4
Skyway HQ,
Koith had never thought that he could be in here once again. But with Kane's intel due to the previous escape, the soldier made sure that he got a way to get in this place. Turning on the cloaking device, he dips into the base and head to the database first, this place not guarded so heavily.
Slowly opening the case, Koith read some documents and hid them into his uniform, which will be invisible too. It's the information about Blair Mars, which recently updated. Passing though the cam feeds undetected. The blue soldier looking for any battery that will help for his missions. Heading to the equipment storage, Koith waits the Patrol step in before himself. When inside, he heads to the aisle, waits that guy turns his back and makes a little searching. Huh? Batteries with a charger, that will do the rest, for many missions later.
After "lending" some things from the Skyway, Koith gets into the hangar, where he eavesdropped that G-Force and Blair will have a small meeting over there. Climbing up to the platform, the soldier stays at the dark corner which no one could see him, even with the "Eagle Eye". Turning off the cloaking device, its battery recharging due to Skyway's charger. There's the Skyway officer talking with the Sigma Team of G-Force.
-There she is!-Koith mumbles, then stays silent to overhear the story.
When Blair's story ended, the soldier turns into cloaking mode again and heading out of Skyway HQ. At the alley not so far from the Skyway, Koith reports with Kane over his comm-link:
-Target identified! Blair Mars now having a speech with the Sigma Team of G-Force, all of them are greetings and her pasts.
At the line, Kane replies:
-Gut! Keep your eyes on her team and herself! If they're planning to attack us, we'll have the ways to deal it.
-Roger!-Koith nods, as he leaves the place ASAP before some Patrols spot him.
While on the way back to Junkerton, Koith sees Marie talking with Rosie and Crystal.
-Seems like you girls are finding my "wife", right?-He jokes with a smirk.
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