--ooc: Continued from the following topics
Arc 1 - Descent into Darkness
Arc 1 - Feet first into Hell

Post order until we split up - Rico, Nyus, Zoya, Alastor, Amaterasu, Ergo


Location - Star Forge Gateway
Tank jumped out of the transport and walked up to his zone, looking over his shoulder at Nyus. "Bout time we got some real action. Feet first into Hell eh Nyus?" The hulking mechanical man said before chuckling over the humming sound of the gateway. The operators added the destination for the two bolts and configured the settings from behind the holo panels. After a few seconds the overseer gave the go ahead for Nyus and Tank to jump. The bionicon walked through the gateway and locked up his armor as he was teleported to the star forge station gateway before being sling shot back into the atmosphere above Outer Haven.

Location - Outer Haven, war zone.
Rico tore through the sky at maximum velocity before reaching a descent of a few hundred feet or so. The bolt soldier deployed his grav-cloud device to lessen the impact of the fall. A see through, nano material blanket unfolded below him and slowed his fall before absorbing into his body for added protection. Tank hit the ground like a small meteor, creating an impact crater where he fell, sending up a wave of debris. The bionicon came out of armor lock and stood up to his full height before finding the hostile targets. From the looks of things, two men(Sergei and Alastor) were defending a colony of civilians from a group of rogues. Tank identified the armed assailants and rushed in to assist Alastor and Sergei.

Tank fired into a small group of bandits with his plasma rifle, shredding them with the unexpected flank from the side. As the bionicon kept in motion, his arm configured into a cannon which he aimed at a cluster of three enemies. The canon fired a nano net which wrapped around the three bandits and constricted them the more they tried to resist it's hold. "That ought a hold you." Rico said as his arm returned to normal and he stood along side Sergei, blasting into an oncoming horde. "Rico Havoc, top class bolt soldier at your service! Haha!" Tank introduced himself so it didn't cause alarm to his new comrades. He unloaded his clip into a wave of rogues before crouching behind a slab of crumbling wall. Rico looked back and forth watching for where Nyus had dropped, keeping an eye out to cover him for his landing if need be.

Nyus shook his head and grinned beneath his helmet. Piece of cake wasn't quite the words he would have chosen to use. "Pain in the ass was more like it. Nyus didn't mind the courses it was just that Nyus didn't really like having to compete for upgrades. Even if he did want the upgrades.

When the Duo was interrupted by the droid, Nyus turned to Rico. "Guess that means no after party." the jumper Joked. Nyus followed Rico to the transport and laughed as Rico got into the back. "Hey Tank, maybe with your next upgrade,  you could slim down a bit." Nyus said as he sat next to the droid.  He paused for a moment as he looked at the droid and then back to Rico. "You two relates? I see a slight resemblance." Nyus was obviously referring to the mechanical parts.

After Rico was dropped off at his zone, Nyus was dropped of at his zone just next to Rico. He checked his weapons one last time and nodded as Rico mentioned the action and going feet first into hell. "Wouldn't have it any other way." As a green light lit up the area where Nyus was standing, Nyus' armor locked up for the teleport. Nyus always wondered if he could teleport faster than the BOLT teleport. Of course  he isn't have the range it did but if he did the first thing he would do is test it out. Numbers began scrolling across his HUD, the point of their destination.

After reaching the Star Forge gateway Nyus was shot Back towards Elyon. To Outer Haven, where they were meant to meet up with Ryden. Nyus' HUD was now counting down. This was his altitude. The started of in the green becoming yellow then orange as the number fell. Once it became red his nanite cloud activated. Slowing his decent rapidly before he crashed into the ground kicking up a dust cloud and creating a slight crated near Alistor and Sergei . His armor gave of a hissing sound as it unlocked giving Nyus free range of motion. Nyus rolled his shoulders forward and backward as he stood up from the crater, ready to go. "The names Nyus." he said after Rico introduced himself.

Nyus drew his pistols and began to fire at the bandits and making his way towards the other three. 

Somewhere away from the main battle, a trio of rogues had decided to hang back from the rest of the fight, rifles resting at their sides. They didn't seem to care much that a couple of BOLT soldiers had just crashed down from the sky, or that they were now massacring their comrades. Instead, they were just using the ruin of an abandoned building to hide from the onslaught. One of them grinned at the other two.

"I'm telling you, they're never going to see this coming. Just wait for them to think they've won and get ready to leave, and bang, right in the back of the head. I bet with this baby I can get through mecha boy's armor, too. Shades is as good as gone too," he bragged, petting the rifle.

"Jaron you idiot, are you even paying attention? The guys who just dropped in will probably see that coming a light year before it happens," the second said.

"Light years are distance you fuckup," the third retorted. "But you're right, we're not fooling BOLTs with that trick. We're best off just waiting for them to leave and heading back to base. They won't find us if we don't give them any reason to think we're still alive. Live to raid another day, eh?"

"Like three of us are really going to stand a chance when this happens all over again," Jaron said. "We gotta off these bastards now"

"Well...we would attract less attention than a full raiding party, at least. Besides, if one person can shoot civvies up and get out without being gunned down, then three of us definitely can," said the second.

"The hell are you talking about, Jeph?"

Jeph bowed his head to give what he evidently thought was a sinister expression. "You've never heard of the Red Queen?"

"No."

"Nope."

"I have." At the sound of an unfamiliar voice, all three men turned, and a woman in a strange blue dress and red jacket dropped down from a hole in the roof. Without so much as a greeting or explanation for her sudden presence, she turned around and ran Jaron through with one of many knives Jeph was able to glimpse lining the inside of her jacket.

"Heyyy, if it isn't the trader from Azura," the third man said, recognizing her.

The 'trader' turned and scoffed inwardly. She couldn't even remember the man's name, just that she had probably dealt with him and some associates while in the area a couple years ago. Chasing treasure, as usual, but of course the small time bandits weren't any help in that endeavor. This time, however, their group seemed to be slightly less small time, to attract the attention that it had. First thing was first though. "You were mentioning the Red Queen?"

"Oi, oi!" Jaime you idiot, don't just act like she's some old friend after she stabbed Jaron out of nowhere!" Jeph interrupted.

"Yeah, but I think that's just kinda how she greets people, you know? I don't think she means nothing by it."

"Of course not." The 'trader' smiled softly, approaching the two and resting her hands on their shoulders. "It's become as natural as walking or breathing. I certainly don't mean any ill intent by it." She brushed her hands lightly over their shoulders and up their necks, to rest on their chins. "Now. Red Queen? I may even give you a 'reward' if I like what I hear." She winked seductively at them.

Jeph blushed faintly. "Oh...uhh...it's just a rumor I heard, about some crazy killer in Avalon and a few other cities. Starts fights, kills people, then gets out before anybody knows what's happened. That's really all I know, but I thought we might...be able to try that?"

"Of course," the 'trader' said, pulling away from Jaime to focus on the one who had answered her question. Evidently sensing what was coming, he allowed his eyes to close. She pulled herself closer to him, allowing her lips to hover a fraction of an inch away from his...then suddenly drew away. Confused, Jeph opened his eyes and notice a bloodsoaked, wickedly-curved dagger in her hand that most definitely hadn't been there before. Finally the pain hit, and he looked down to notice the wound she left from running him through.

"What in the..." Jaime gasped as his other comrade fell to the floor and the 'trader' advanced on him. He raised his rifle to aim at her. "Stay back!"

"You fire that in here, and everyone outside will know where you are," the 'trader' said. Her soft, comforting smile was gone, replaced by a wicked grin. Jaime hesitated for a second, but that was all she needed to close the gap and draw the blade across his throat.

"Another one who knows nothing. But if they've heard of her I may be on the right track after all," Zoya Spiros said, kneeling before the bodies of the three rogues. She pulled the rifle of the last man to fall's grasp, examining it. "Well, isn't this something," she said. "Even if she was lying I've managed to learn something interesting after all." Holding the stolen gun loosely at her side, she stepped out of the ruined shack to observe the battle. Or what was left of it, at least. The ones who had shown up to deal with yet another raiding party on a border town...they would either be a serious hindrance or exactly who she was hoping to find, depending on how she handled it.

Post order: Rico, Nyus, Zoya, Alastor, Sergei.

The baron warzone became quiet as the rogue's numbers dwindled, and by this time Alastor's senses were heightened from battle which amplified his ability. Ryden's armor receded from his face and retracted to his shoulders so he could get a real view of their surroundings. He felt Sergei take down someone behind him who was evidently attempting to take a hostage, pitiful. Sapphire orbs became focused on an infuriating truth, the weapons being used against them were of Ryden Industries. "They're using my tech against us!" The man shouted with a sustained anger in his voice as his body gave off a dark blue aura. The bolts dropped in moments later to assist, finishing off the rest of the resistance as Alastor noticed a rogue struggling to crawl away from them.

The demigod extended his hand towards the man and "pulled" the rogue towards him. The bandit screamed as he was yanked like a rag doll until his throat was brought forcefully into Ryden's armored hand. "Nice to meet you Nyus, Rico. I'm Alastor, That's Sergei." He said as he nodded at the man just a few feet from him. "Forgive my lack of introduction, I've got some questions I need answered." The genius said remarked as he tightened his grip around the man's throat. "The weapons your using are mine. Where did you get them! Tell me or I start breakin' bones." He fiercely threatened as he pierced a cold stare at the man, releasing his grip enough to let the man speak. "I ain't tellin you shit!" The bandit said before spitting blood at Alastor. The dark blue aura around Ryden intensified and repelled the crimson liquid on the rogue's face.

"Wrong answer!" Was the last reply the man would hear from Alastor. The demigod slammed his other fist hard into the man's ribs, pulling him into the blow as his grip tightened once more around the man's throat. His ribs shattered easily and his mechanized fist drilled into the bandit's organs, forcing him to fall out of consciousness from the pain. Ryden released the man, letting his motionless body hit the ground. He placed his hand on the rogue's forehead and "dove" into his mind, searching for the answers he needed. After a few seconds, he released the marauder's mind and stood back up to his full height. "My weapons were sold by a man named of Julian Tullius. I know where to find him." Before the words slipped from his lips, he began walking in the direction Julian was located. However, he was stopped in his tracks when a small child rose from the debris of what appeared to be a crashed transport.

The ship most likely went down during the battle, caught in the crossfire or possibly civilians attempting an escape. The small human teen limped over to Ryden and fell over, exhausted and unconscious. Al caught the girl before she could hit the ground, and laid her down gently against a slab of stone. Briefly, the demigod entered her mind in order to determine the flow of events with clarity. What he discovered he couldn't have possibly been able to anticipate. A gasp escaped his lips as he stood up suddenly, looking down at the unconscious girl then back at the ruined ship. "She was kidnapped, this girl is an Alpha. This could give us a lead on the recent disappearances.. Sergei, think you could get that transport open? If the data-board is still in tact it might show the destination for the ship." Alastor explained as he walked towards the broken down transport, the glowing outline of his body dispersing as his sapphire hues focused on the smashed in cockpit door.

The sudden impact that quaked the earth below his feet caused Sergei to automatically shift his head to scan the impact area. The BOLTs had dropped in, and suddenly they were introducing themselves in the middle of combat. Sergei supposed that conceit came with power, but that was just the way he wanted to perceive it. Not having enough time to introduce himself, Sergei moved to finish off the last of the Bandits and Alastor did the introductions for the both of them. Sergei remained quiet, he wasn't particularly fond of meeting new people, primarily because he wasn't a very social person. He merely nodded his head as he listened to the short-lived interrogation.

"You could have kept him alive, he may have had more--"

The sound of movement and the sudden blip on his HUD caused Sergei to shift and aim when Alastor stopped in his tracks. However, he lowered his weapon and holstered it before making his way to the crashed transport as Alastor was entering the girl's mind. Pausing in his tracks at Alastor's voice, he nodded quietly and continued to the transport until he was at its side. Placing his right gloved palm on the metal of the door, it was partially warm, Sergei gripped the door and tore the jammed entryway open as he stepped inside. His eyes automatically adjusted the lighting to see better where the light didn't reach.

"My god..."

There were bodies lying about, he stepped over them in respect, making his way towards one of the computers. Ejecting a cable from his visor he pulled it out and entered it into the computer terminal. Letting his fingertips fly across the keyboard, he started extracting what data he could as he began cracking through the security. Several thousand lines of coding appeared as he cracked into the entry logs and planned data courses. Most of the data was corrupted and damaged but he managed to extract bits and pieces, transmitting the data he had over a wireless link to Alastor's suit.

"Check your suit's files, there's not much here, a lot of it was damaged in the crash. Most of it's irrecoverable, I'm recovering what I can."

Sergei spoke over the comm channel, unplugging himself from the computer as he climbed out of the wreckage. Landing with a harsh thud, he began to make his way towards Alastor as he walked with a tall and unwavering step after step.

Ergo sat at his desk within Ryden Tower, flipping a stylus between his fingers nonchalantly. His elbow rested on the edge of the glass desk, his head nestled gently in an open palm. To put it bluntly, Ergo was bored. He'd completed most of the necessary tasks which had deadlines within a few hours, and now he simply sat down in an increasingly uncomfortable chair dilly-dally-ing until news of the oncoming press-conference reached his email.

After a deep sigh, the Humanoid stood up from his seat and stretched his back a moment before walking across his office to a small table in the corner. This table was decorated with a coffee machine, a water dispencer, and a few bottles of expensive liquor. Ergo selected a cup of fresh coffee and after stirring in a few lumps of sugar and a tasteful sum of creamer, sipped on the beverage often. He was both wasting time and killing a portion of his boredom.

Moments passed, and the cups contents dwindled. Finally, Ergo set it down and strolled to the massive window that was an entire wall of his office space. Although the view would have been wonderous already, Ryden Tech was installed so that the Humanoid could pick any view he'd like as a backdrop. Today, he chose the gentle view of a farmers town. From where he was standing, he could see dirty men in overalls hearding cows or carrying large sacks of grain here and there. It was, of course, a completely fabricated image, but that was the spirit of Ryden Industries. Technology in excess.

Another, gentler sigh escaped Ergo's lips as he subconciously adjusted his tie to keep from appearing unprofessional. Today was going to be one of those do-nothing days.

"Mr. Anima, line 1." A shrill voice destroyed the peaceful moment. His secretary had called over the Limitless Transmitter incorperated in his desk. Her sudden announcement had caused the Humanoid businessman to grind his teeth ever so slightly.

"Thank you, Val." Ergo responded, a slight tone of annoyance coating his appreciation.

Sitting back in his chair, Ergo peered over his transparent desk. The screen within the glass was alerting him that there was indeed a connection on the line. With the simple tap of his finger on the glass in the appropriate area, a high definition hologram projected over his desk. It was the worn old face of one of the lab workers he'd been corresponding with about human/Humanoid advancement within the lung-region of the body.

"Good day to you, sir!" Barney stumbled, taking off the large goggles that covered his face. Beneath them, his face was clean of the soot that covered everywhere else on his head.

"Hello, Barney." Ergo replied diplomatically. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, about that project you wanted me to look into..."

"Yes, the expansion and density modification of the human lung. Continue."

"Well, we've had some draw backs, sir. Now, we've been working very-"

"I supplied you with all the specs needed to create a prototype. All I'm asking of you is to build it so that we may advance further in this study."

"I'm aware, Mr. Anima, but there just isn't enough time. We're caught up with creating new weapons and defense. The manager won't allow us to stray from those things very often."

"This is Ryden Industries. We are advance in every type of tech there is. I'll be having a word with your manager shortly. Until then... hang on. Barney, I'll call you back. I'm receiving an urgent message."

"Sir, about that raise-"

Ergo click the conversation off, turning his attention to the red blinking icon on his desktop. This could only mean a few things, and all of those things included Alastor Ryden himself.

Clicking the icon, a voice message transmitted. It was Alastor, calling for BOLTS reinforcements. The alert had arrived late to Ergo's desk. By this time, the team would have assembled on Alastors location.

Ergo opened up several windows at once, typing in a list of codes. Finally, he clicked on a page of data that Alastor was receiving at the very same moment. It had come from a crashed arial vehicle. Delving a little further, Ergo found all of the information that Alastor himself knew at this point about the mission he'd embarked on.

All of this surveylance was simply an act to protect the CEO, for Ergo had sworn his loyalty to his best friend and to Ryden Industries for granting him a chance at rebirth. It had become his job.

"Val, hold all calls and appointments. I'm stepping out."

-Location: Outer Haven; Alastors Coordinates.

A small hover-copter encircled the small group of men gathered near a crashed vehicle. Without a doubt, it was Alastors gang. The copter descended and touched down neatly before the men. The large side door slide ajar, and within stood Ergo, wearing a grey tank top fitted with light armor, and white armored pants. He grinned at Alastor's reaction.
"I believe we will be needing transportation."

"You two related? I see a slight resemblance." Nyus jeered at the two bionicons for their size, although Rico was a good bit larger than him due to all the machinery. He chuckled an amused laughter before holstering his plasma rifle on his back. "Ha.Ha. Very funny Nyus." Tank retorted as he sat down on a heap of rubble, his frame nearly cracking the material below as he stopped for a rest. "They didn't seem so bad. Those weapons were nasty though." The bionicon said as he observed the remains of battle and the aftermath of the confrontation. Silence fell among them for a moment until Alastor's realization came to light.

The weaponry used against them were Ryden grade, and were dealt illegally to the bandits. "Hmm.." Tank pondered the thought as he watched Ryden lay into the crippled rogue. He was on the fence when it came to such brutal interrogations, but he fully understood the man's reason behind it, and his rage. His light blue hues lowered as Alastor extracted the needed information and shared it with the group. His eyes followed the man as he headed off into a new direction with fierce purpose behind his footsteps. When the young girl stumbled out from the wreckage, Rico immediately stood up and rushed over to assist.

Alastor laid her down gently and seemed to harmlessly scan the girl's mind for answers. The terrifying truth revealed was surprising to say the least, to think that a clue to the disappearances around Nexus would be found here of all places. Rico continued on with his "strong silent" routine as the others around him began investigating. The other bionicon cracked open the ship and transmitted the data to Alastor. Tank saw a disturbance in the distance, more of a slight movement than anything else but he kept the safety off his weapon just to be sure. The man stood silent and awaited the data from the crashed transport to be openly discussed with everyone.

Nyus holstered his weapons and remained at the ready just incase. He watched on as the interrogation followed by the execution. This was not how Nyus preferred operations, he preferred a challenge, but who was he to question Alistor. After all It was Alistor's Tech. How would Nyus feel if his contributions to the world were being miss used. 

Nyus watched over the perimeter as Alistor tended to the girl and Sergei retrieved the data. Considering the transport was still in pretty much intact, to Nyus it appeared as though the were transiting pretty low. The transport had to have been taking off or landing some where near by.  It wouldn't make sense for it to be so low otherwise. Outer Haven was not the kind of place a transport would transit through so low, let alone pass through at all. "They had to have had a destination nearby. Either going to or coming from. Who would want to pass through Outer haven anyway ."

Something caught Rico's attention and unturned caught Nyus'. Nyus looked into the distance, scanning for movement. Something was out there but with his natural vision, the distance was enough for him to not be able to make it out. It or they were not advancing so for the time being the group was in the clear. Nyus kept his eye out and watched Rico incase the Bionicon saw something.

As an RI transport arrived Nyus looked towards Alistor and Sergei. He wondered if they, collectively, had enough information to move forward.   The teasing battle he and Rico had been dropped into left Nyus a bit restless. Nyus awaited further information they could have.

Zoya waited until the fighting died down before she made any effort of approaching the combatants who had dropped in to deal with the rogues. She stored both of the knives she had used during her scuffle, or slaughter rather, of the hiding rogues back in her jacket, and carried the RI rifle she had pilfered at her side, loosely, with the muzzle pointed toward the ground behind her. Nice and non-threatening, nothing for them to worry about. She wasn't a bad girl...well, she was, but that was a different matter entirely. She wasn't with these wastes of life, and she certainly wasn't there to attack two BOLTs, a guy in a RI mech, and his sunglasses-wearing friend.

She reached earshot on the tail end of one of the soldiers' words, asking who would want to pass through Outer Haven. "You would be surprised," she said. "Lots of business out this way, for anyone willing to risk it. That's what all the 'tough guys' at Headhunter Station tell me, at any rate."

She shifted her attention toward the man in the mech suit, set the stolen gun on the ground, and slid it his way. "I'm going to assume you're intelligent enough to figure out where these came from," she said. "There's two more in the shack out that way, if you're wanting to collect these lowlifes' weapons. I'm sure you are." She pointed toward the shack where she had met and killed the three hiding rogues, not so far in the distance as a rush observation might have implied and still clearly visible. No mistaking where she was talking about, then.

"Anything else, I'm busy investigating something for a client, so I'm only selling and trading information at the moment. Otherwise, I'll be on my way."

The mechanical components transformed and began piecing over one another until they fully covered over his eyes. Alastor began intercepting the data from Sergei and continued surprise stirred within him as he read the information that was recovered. "This was one of many ships that traffic through here on their way to a facility. This is the lead we needed, looks like we might actually get some answers. But we have two matters that need attending, both of high priority." Ryden announced as the visor over his eyes retracted back against the nap of his neck once more. His attention was redirected to a familiar face as the hover-copter flew low just a few feet above their heads. The demigod grinned at the sight of his comrade and long time friend joining their ranks in outer haven.

"Impeccable timing as always Ergo, good to have you with us! I figured you'd be too busy to tag along, what with your busy schedule and all."

Alastor replied jokingly as he walked up towards the transport. However, he stopped in his tracks as the mysterious stranger approached them. He stood his ground and remained cautious as he listened to her speak. Ryden's hues scanned her for a moment, almost as if to pierce through the haze that seemed to surround her. Although he tried, Alastor was unable to enter or extract any information that would disprove the female's story. "You have my gratitude, I will be sending someone to retrieve it all. And that's just as well, we need to be going anyways." Ryden replied in a rather cold and processed way as he turned back to the team and expressed his plan to them.

"We're going to split up into two teams. Three of us will go after the arms dealer and two of us will investigate the facility. Nyus, your with me and Ergo. Sergei, you and Rico head to the facility, we'll regroup with you when we finish off Julius." Alastor explained as he jumped up onto the rail of the hover-copter next to Ergo. He hung over the side, extending his hand to Nyus to help him up before finishing his explanation. "Our destination is further away so Sergei and Rico will have to go on foot, Luckily the facility is not far from here. And Sergei.. We don't know what to expect over there so if you can, make this recon only until we can provide backup. Don't engage them unless you're sure you can handle it." The demigod warned his mechanical friend before ducking into the transport and entering in the data for their destination, the ship taking off immediately after.

Alastor stood inside the hover-copter, unwilling to take a seat due to the adrenaline. He looked at Nyus and then at Ergo, gripping a rail above for stability. "We're almost there. I think it's best if we land just outside their radar and try to infiltrate rather than rush in guns blazing. Can't be sure of their numbers but we can expect them to be well armed." Ryden stated as the door on the side of the transport opened and they were lowered to ground level in the shroud of the forest. The armored man hopped out, fresh soil against metal as he trudged with the trio through the trees towards Julius' camp. "Doesn't look too bad.." He whispered as they got closer and closer to the outpost. His sapphire hues scanning the area for signs of the enemy, keeping his guard up as they approached.


ooc: For Alastor, Nyus, and Ergo. We'll be starting our replies in Julius' topic in Outer Haven.
Sergei and Rico will continue to reply in this topic.

"A facility" was it. The area was too close for it to be coincidence. Unless Zoya was lost. She could be lost. But she doubted it, and anyway if this kind of force considered it worth their time to investigate the "facility" after coming out with an entirely different purpose in mind, then even if it had nothing to do with her own investigation there was plenty of dirt to be gained on illegally maintained facilities that transports were carrying people to. Even if she didn't find anyone else to sell it to, there was a chance Sublime would want to know about it. It seemed like her sort of thing.

And if it was related to her own investigation, namely if it was the same one that she had been tipped off to in exchange for information of her own, then that was exactly where she needed to be. Safety in numbers was always a good thing. Zoya worked best alone, but she had no problem with using others as decoys or meatshields.

"Actually..." she said after the mech operator finished giving his orders and left in the airship with the one who came in it and one of the soldiers. "If this 'facility' is what I'm thinking in, then we're heading in the same direction." She addressed the two had been left behind, who she decided to nickname Sunglasses and Big Guy in her head. "Recon is something I'm good at, if you'll have me along. Other than that, you'll barely notice I'm here."

Stopping for a moment, he watched as a female approached. He was at the ready, cautious and careful as he watched and listened to her words. Always with the bounty hunters, but Sergei wasn't sure whether or not he was agitated by the thought. The fact of the matter was that this person was willing to help, so was it really that bad? Silence came from him as the hovercraft eventually appeared above them and Sergei shifted his attention upwards for a moment, only to look back at Alastor. Nodding at the orders, he awaited until the man was in the hovercraft and away from earshot before finally speaking.

"Says the man who jumped out of a vehicle and landed on the ground making a grand entrance."

His words weren't out of spite, no, merely out of humor. Shaking his head as he looked back to Rico and a sudden churning feeling was in his gut. He was stuck with this guy, Sergei wasn't one to normally judge people. However, this guy just struck a bad chord with him. Eventually he finally spoke up again towards Rico.

"Let's carry on Rico. I want to be home by dinner time."

Starting to take a walk in the direction of the facility, Sergei looked at a mental image of himself. He was chosen for a recon mission? It's not like he could hide under a cardboard box if he got caught, he was too...big. A sigh escaped his lips, mentally of course, as he trudged through the wasteland alongside Rico.

Rico remained consistently silent throughout all the conversations, staying out of the way of such matters as usual. His only concern was for his fellow BOLT soldier who was parting ways, a decision he wasn't sure was wise but nonetheless accepted. Tank nodded as Nyus gave a sort of good bye solute to him before leaving with the others. The hulking mechanical marvel turned to Sergei, who now took command in this party. "Sounds good to me sir." As they set off toward their close by destination, a thought occurred to him. Could this female newcomer be trusted? She just joined their party but her timing seemed more than coincidental, and her wish to tag along made it all the more curious. "Are you sure we can trust this woman? No offense to you ma'am, I just don't really think compromising the mission for a merc tag along is wise.." He said with respect as he tried to smile, towering over the girl as he walked with them.

It would only take a few minutes of walking after this point for them to reach the outside of the facility. It would be there that the game would be made clear, and the level of difficulty would be determined by the chess master, or in this case the person running the operation.

Zoya took Sunglasses' lack of objection as consent and trundled on behind them, keeping her eyes on the surrounding badlands. Far from expecting agents from the facility they were searching for to ambush them, the Outer Haven was, well, a haven for all sorts of dangerous folk, whether they were associated with grand conspiracies against the whole of civilization or simple thugs who preyed on any group traveling in smaller numbers than twenty. She preferred the busy, chaotic streets of Discordia, where one could always know that at least six people within sight were planning something criminal. Out here, there could be no one in sight for miles and she would still feel unsafe. For once, she wished that her client would have investigated the Outer Haven on her own. Even if she was busy, from how Sublime had not remembered previous meetings and had alibis for what she was doing at those times, despite very clearly being the same person, she was capable of being in multiple places at once.

Big Guy spoke up about, go figure, whether they could trust her. How many times had she heard that one. Most of the time, the people who were asking could absolutely trust her, since they were the ones paying for her services. This time, the client was different, and their meeting was a coincidence. But unless their goals suddenly became different, they would be on the same side. Zoya didn't stab people in the back for no reason. Doing so was bad for business. Rather than answer, however, she chose to point out something else. "Unless you two can use your machine parts to turn invisible or something, you'd do a fine job compromising a recon mission without me tagging along," she said.

"You can never trust a stranger. However, the law of life goes, keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. Besides, some jobs are better suited for women in warfare."

The male spoke calmly, trudging along as he pulled up the map to the facility. They were going to be on it relatively soon, meaning they were going to need to come up with some form of battle plan. At the same time, Sergei was questioning his own judgment of bringing the bounty hunter with them. She was an outside source, someone unrelated to the mission. The threat was high, but only if she was truly a threat. Exhaling softly, the hulking figure stopped for a moment. Adjusting his coat, Sergei shifted his attention over his shoulder as he looked back at them.

"We're going to need a plan if we're going to do this properly. Meaning we're going to have to work together one way or another. I'm not much of a point-man, I don't exactly have common 'warfare' experience. Anyone have any information on this facility that we don't already know?"

Sergei asked, shifting his body to face them now. While he wanted to get there fast, he wanted to get there without worrying about getting his head blown off. Nanomachines can't do you much good without a head now can they?