ArchivedLogs:Vignette - No Good Options

Vignette - No Good Options
I'm awesome...in my dreams
Dramatis Personae Faelan, Hank
In Absentia	2015-03-29 Part of the Future Past TP.
Location Dream - <XS> Danger Room
It takes time to get ones mind into proper place for a mission, but he had been called in for it and he had to go when he was asked. Faelan had been able to take the time to get dressed for it, and he was glad to have what Kisha had built for him. The throat mic fit comfortably at the neck of his protective suit, and the ear buds fit snugly in place without the wires getting in the way. The suit fit over his body comfortably without bunching too much, and the bulletproofing did make him feel somewhat more calm, and the small "X" on his right pectoral made him feel proud. Tugging up his gloves over his sleeves, he runs his fingers over top of the buttons built into the arm, triggering the location beacon and biofeedback controls and rested his hand over the final button to toggle the mic. Sub vocalizing into the mic, he hears his own voice in the ear bud as it goes across the line. “Beast, I’m good to go. It’s three in there right? Over.” His heart beat was starting to heighten, the corresponding audio feedback beeping in his ear, and reminding him to keep calm. He can do this, he took the time to train for this after all. “Three to rescue Lost. Unknown number of hostiles. We’ll have someone to grab the captured when you've got them out. Don’t hit the water this time.” Avoiding growling back into the mic, he decides radio silence is his best answer as he looks towards the building ahead of him. A barbed wire fence wraps around the building, looking like any other office building otherwise, aside from the guards walking around the building with assault rifles and body armor. The night sky was clear of the moon, but with flood lights going around the grounds now and then, it reminded him somewhat of a prison. Oh sure, a walk in the park, exactly what he was training for, and his beating heart echoed in his ear with the stressors of the situation coming through. Now or never he thinks, glad to have his mind to himself at least, and he creeps towards the building as his invisibility wraps around his lithe form. It’s always weird at first when you realize you cannot see your body anymore, so surreal as if you’ve become just an observer to the world around you. That is at least until you hear your own boot falls against the grass when you cannot risk making a sound. Calm, slow, one foot at a time he reminds himself and his steps become more gentle, each down step sure of foot and avoiding stepping on anything crunchy. He had to reserve energy he didn't know if he would need, so rather than climbing the dangerous fence or teleporting to the other side, he did the obvious thing, and went through the front gate. The lack of guard dogs was a blessing he thanks whatever god would hear his silent prayer, and with an ever increasing beep beep in his ear he crouches slowly beneath the gates in their down state. Oh sure, there are guards with guns and walkie talkies, but the testing he’s been through with his invisibility left being seen the least of his worries. Being heard, smelled or touched, way way higher on his list of priorities, and his worrying mind kept him far away from meeting any of those conditions. “Hey Mike,” one of the guards calls across the road way, and Faelan pauses, not wanting to draw any attention by accident. “Hey Jake? What’s up, forgot your headphones again?” Calls back the other, watching across the way rather than down the road. “Yeah, I left em on your nightstand last night. You should tell your wife to remind me next time,” he ribs back sounding as much like an asshole as expect. “Ey, fuck you man. If a mutie comes up to eat your face I may just let em take you before I start firing.” Jake lets out a snort having landed his barb and he goes back to watching the road down the way, allowing the invisible mutant to continue moving. The crunching sound of wheels behind him though causes him to glance backwards, and the two guards stand at better attention as they look towards the black sedan. A badge is held out the window, and the gate swings upward quickly to let it through. Sidestepping out of the way, he watches the vehicle go up the way, curious what the arrival means to his duty. Unfortunately, the beeping vehicle passes him and a choking cloud of exhaust fills the area that he resides in. Dropping to the ground to prevent any chance of being noticed in the dust and exhaust, he covers his face to help out. His gloves help to block out the smell, but holding his breath for what felt like forever until the caustic scent dissipated enough to comfortably breath wasn't helping his calm. Taking a moment he goes through his breathing exercises, seeking to calm his heart. “Lost, time is important” came the voice in his ear piece, and again he resists responding with growling. If he can't put up with this, he can't be on the team. Raising up carefully, he continues onward towards the building entrance, figuring that the sedan must have gone around to some internal parking garage. The large glass doors were fairly wide, but looking through to the other side he can see the guard desk plainly, and the man on duty was watching out the front. Whether the doors were locked or not (which a brief touch showed they were in fact locked), he couldn't open the doors without grabbing attention. Focus, calm, visualize. Going through the exercises Kurt had taught him, he focused on the colored tile pattern on the floor, the center tile of an x in the darker grey against beige tiles. His energy surges and for a brief moment he panics as he looks at the floor beneath him. Beige squares, no! no! Where are the grey ones? and with heart beeping loudly in his ear he notices the x pattern just a few feet to the left. Letting out a breath he didn’t know he held, he glances towards the guard console, and as the man remains clueless of his existence, relaxation starts to come back towards him as his levels slowly lowered. “Floor plan says there is an elevator to your left. You’re looking for the basement, but you’ll need a keycard,” came the calm voice in his ear. He could almost imagine the furry blue scientist was a telepath, and moving towards the guard behind the counter, he figures that the only key card he can easily get would be right here. Groping around at his belt for the small spring loaded “gun” he had been given, he holds it near the back of the guard’s neck and pulls the trigger. A small click sound comes, and a dart appears in the back of the man’s neck. A hand reaches up to swat at it before going limp, and with quick reflexes Faelan grabs him before he can fall out of the chair. Carefully positioning the man to appear still awake and at his post, he unclips the badge, and with careful wiggling he slides the key card into a belt pouch where it can remain hidden within his field. Thinking for a moment, he snags the dart and drops it in as well so he doesn't leave evidence behind. “Got the card, hid the dart. Going down,” he sub vocalizes back to mission lead, again amused by the sound of his voice in the ear piece but not out loud. Heading over towards the elevator, he pushes the button, and the ding causes him to start as he looks around for another guard. When none appears, he slips into the open doors of the brightly lit elevator and sighs leaning against the wall to give his thudding heart time to calm. With the beating back to only slightly panicking, he slips the card into the slot and pushes the Basement level two button and waits. When the elevator starts to move, he plasters himself against the wall opposite from the buttons in case anyone else comes in and waits. Thankfully no one decided to hop on the elevator on the first sub-level, and the elevator door slid open with a ding, a bored looking scientist standing there with a clipboard, his finger pressing the elevator door button. With the man in the way, Faelan stays plastered against the wall, waiting to get around the man. He prayed silently in his mind that the guy wouldn't go for the wrong side, and right before the door swung shut he slid out through the door, a minor heart attack raising up inside him. "Calm down. You'll end up in South America at this rate," came a calming voice in his ear bud, and he leaned against the wall going through his breathing, counting slowly to achieve some measure of calm. "I'm good, I can do this," he replied through the throat mic, though whether that was to reassure the voices on the other end of the line or to himself. The hallway was lit with fluorescent lights, giving the entire thing a medical feel to it. Somewhere down this floor were people he needed to help, and that determination pushed him forward down the hall. At times like this, he really hated the fact he couldn't see his own gear, he could really use a map right now. A klaxon starts to resound, flashing lights on the sides of the walls pulsing red in time to the new noise. "What tripped the alarm?" he grumbles into the mic as he pushes his way down the hall. "You did leave an unconscious guard right in the open. Keep moving," came his reply and rather than continue with the thought that came rudely to mind, he started looking through each of the side doors view slots as he slid the panel open. Conserve energy, pay attention, don't leave anyone behind cycled through his mind as he looked back towards the elevator after each door he checked. Seeing a figured huddled in the corner of the third room, he checked he fumbled at the door handle, realizing it was locked at the touch. With no keycard to be seen, he saw through his unseen hand the keyhole on the door handle itself. Fiddling at his belt as he tried to find the door bumper, he found the grip of it and carefully slotted it into the hole. The jangling of metal against metal set his nerves on end, not wanting the attention it would bring. Still the door did pop unlocked after a few seconds and he swung the door open, to the sound of whimpering. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here to get you out. You can't see me, but neither can they. Just sit tight here, the door is unlocked. Let me find the others okay?" Sticking a tab of goo into the lock mechanism, he pulled the door quietly shut so it wouldn't relock, the ding of the elevator rang out. Throwing himself to the ground, he compressed himself as much as he could against the edge of the floor as he looked towards the figures that came out. Dressed in fatigues and armed to the teeth, the men coming out the elevator could have stepped right out of an army platoon. There were four of them, and they filled the hall, flashlights on the ends of their guns sweeping ceiling and floor around them looking for someone present. It was a waiting game, if they touched him or heard him he was toast. If they got in range, he could remove them. Just... waiting. Ksht "There's no one down here. Over" one of the figures said into the radio attached to the shoulder as the they kept a wary eye looking down the hallway. "Keep looking. We have men sweeping the other floors, the freaks can't get out. Over." There is a pause by the soldier looking fellow before he replies "Fine, we'll keep looking at an empty hallway. Over and Out." He made a gesture of his hand and the men took up positions of watchfulness at the elevator, looking down the hallway. He couldn't do anything as long as they were there, and needing to be on the offensive wasn't something he tended to even think of. Slowly inching his way towards them, not even wanting to think of the possibility of what would happen if his equipment squeaked or scraped against the wall or floor. This would require a lot of focus, and with hand outstretched towards them, he focused on faces, bodies, people...and not what they wore. It wasn't hard for him to let the fear grip hold of himself as he ran through his mind what would happen to him if they caught him, and with a deft twist of his thoughts, four sets of military gear fell to the ground, the people inhabiting them no longer present. Pushing the elevator button, the door dinged open, and taking one of the assault rifles, he positioned it in the door so it couldn't close fully to be able to go back up to another floor. Snagging a key ring from one of the belts, he went along the hallway unlocking every door he came across rather than wasting the time looking into each one first. Opening each door and peeking in, he found a found a boy antenna peaking out from bandages. "Hey, come on, we're getting out of here. I know you can't see me, but you will soon okay? We need to go get another boy, and then find the last person okay?" The boy nodded, and followed him out into the hallway. Moving down to the room with the huddled boy, he opened the door and called in "Hey, I made the bad men go away. We are getting ready to go." It took another few doors into empty rooms, but he found one last one occupied. Unfortunately, it was occupied by a figure hooked up to a heart monitor and a few IV drips. The two boys whimpered slightly seeing it, and Faelan choked up a bit too. "Um, Beast. We've got a problem. Third figure is medical. I don't know how bad they are," he said into the mic, glad that he could do so lower than the two boys with him could hear. He didn't want his worry to spread to them, no matter how worrying it is. "It is your call. If you leave them, they may not survive. If you take them, they may not survive. Do what you think is right, we have your GPS beacon," was what came back and the line went dead. Glad of his invisibility, Faelan did not want the boys to see how his face blanched at the fact that life or death decisions were in his hands. Composing himself, he allowed his invisibility to fade away as he held out his hands to the boys. "Hey guys. We're all going to get out of here okay? I'm going to need your help though. I need you to be brave for me. Can you guys hold onto the little squishy bags for me? You can't let them go, or squeeze them too hard. We need to be brave and rescue them, but we can only do it Together." He nodded, and gave them a reassuring smile he didn't feel as he brought them all around the gurney that held the unconscious figure. "Say goodbye to the bad guys, boys. After all I'm Lost and the bad guys will Never find me," Faelan said as confidently as he could, and with fear in his heart, he focused on the group as he reached for his powers. "END SIMULATION" he heard Hank's voice say over the Danger Room speakers as the boys and the room faded away, showing the geodesic dome of hexagonal ceramic panels. "If we may ask Faelan, what was your justification of deciding to jump with the injured person and the two boys?" Faelan blinked at that, trying to detect in the voice if there was criticism in the tone or not. "Uhm, Well. It was what you told me sir. You said you had my beacon. And well, you guys have always come to help me, you were always able to find me when I was in trouble. I had to trust that you would do the same, that I was part of a team. And I had to trust that I could keep them safe until you got to me." He gulped, listening to his heartbeat ringing in his ear as he waited to find out if he had screwed up majorly or not. "Our best guess based on your biometrics at the time, you would have ended up about three miles away. Safe zone. You did good, they would have all been fine." Came back the good natured sound of a pleased Hank. Good thinking on the elevator door by the way. If you hadn't there would have been more swarming down before you got out." Faelan beamed at the compliment, stripping off the gloves from his hands as he flexed his freed hands. "The alarm going off scared me. Should I have just hid the body of the guard? I didn't want them to be suspicious at a glance that no one was there at all." "No, there were no good options there. If you had stolen the key card without knocking him out and used the elevator, he would have been suspicious. If you had teleported him away, you might not have gotten far enough that he couldn't alert the others. If you had hidden his body, it would have raised the alarm sooner. There were no good options there, only ones that were less bad," came the reply from above. "You'll make a fine X-man soon. You would have made you teachers proud. Speaking of which, you'll be needing to head off for your Environmental Sciences class soon if you want to reach the college in time." Faelan nods at that as he makes his way out of the doors, making a mental note to himself to remember that sometimes there are no good options.