InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "SNARF!"

logan sullivan → alec mcdowell (x5-494) (ex_fourninef419) wrote in thereincarnates,
@ 2010-09-23 01:14:00

Entry tags:

» previous character: logan sullivan, » previous character: sam victorio

Who: Logan Sullivan and Sam Victorio.
What: Finding Manticore. Repeating history.
When: Late Wednesday night.
Where: Wyoming.
Warnings: Big booms.

Just because they'd been keeping an eye out for Manticore didn't mean that Logan was actually expecting them to find it. As soon as fictional places starting popping up with some regularity, they'd started watching for it. Just in case. A lot of these places came with people. In Manticore's case, 'people' would mean guys with black choppers looking to turn them in to science experiments. It was better to know that was coming before it did. Still, she was holding out some hope that it just...wouldn't. There were plenty of reincarnates who hadn't reported anything weird. Maybe they would fall in to the same category.

No dice. Tuesday afternoon's sweep of the Wyoming area (via satellite), showed it in all it's non-exploded compound-y glory. Naturally, the first thing she did was go to Sam. Alec didn't have any particularly strong feelings about the place, and as long as no one tried to make him go back, he wasn't going to poke the sleeping bear. Max, on the other hand? Loved poking sleeping bears. Logan didn't give a shit either way. Mostly, she wanted to go get another look at the place that she still blamed for making her brother crazy. Other than that, the place could rust for all she cared.

They'd set out for Wyoming together, with a couple of bags full of something that was sure to startle everyone in the greater Gillette area. Sam hadn't been quite as ambivalent about the whole thing. Occupied or not, there was no way they were leaving with that hellhole still standing. It was always a good day when you got to blow something up, so she wasn't complaining. Chances were, people would just pass it off as a random act of terrorism. If they were really creative, they'd say it was a VA hospital. She choked back a laugh at that one, all the while thinking this must be really frustrating for Sam. How many times did you have to blow a place up before it stayed destroyed.

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notanumber
2010-09-23 04:22 pm UTC (link)

Sam had wondered if Manticore would appear. Once other places started appearing, she'd actually worried about it. It wasn't just a dislike of the place, although she really did loath the very thought of that building, those all too solid walls. It was just a place though. A place couldn't hurt you. People could though. There were people on the Island, there were people in Gotham, Sherwood, Middle Earth. Everywhere. Manticore would eventually have them. She couldn't allow that to happen.

Max was on board. She and Sam didn't agree on much lately. Max was increasingly uncomfortable with the things Sam was doing, but destroying Manticore, again, was something they could agree on. It wasn't about CORE or the Resistance. It was just something they had to do. Alone. She and Alec... Logan. Products of that place as much in this life as they were in their last ones.

Hopping the fence outside the compound took a single jump. She smiled at Logan. This was necessary, and dangerous, but that didn't mean it couldn't be fun. "Here we go again. If I keep having to destroy this place, eventually I'm going to get really good at it."

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ex_fourninef419
2010-09-23 08:46 pm UTC (link)

Logan was only a few steps behind Sam as they cleared the fence. It was almost surreal, breaking back in to this place. Alec wasn't concerned, but then, he never was. Yet she couldn't help feeling like one misstep would have her caged for the rest of her life. It made the back of her neck prickle just thinking about it. Every shadow was a guard or another X-series, waiting to take them down for being dumb enough to come here. That wouldn't happen, though. For one, Sam wouldn't let it. Besides, this was not the most risky job they'd done, or even the most attention grabbing. They would be fine.

"You say that like you're not already." Third time was a charm, right? Of course, last time there had been four of them, and they'd still left two people down. Everything was pretty quiet so far. No alarms or spotlights or pacing guards. The paranoid part of her brain that was more Logan than Alec suggested it might be a trap. But that was impossible, right? How could anyone have known they were coming?

She eyed the buildings warily. "I think I'll sleep better knowing this place is toast." Now, on to business. Rolling her shoulders, she started pointing out the strategic locations they'd already talked about on the way here. "We've got enough charges to blow all the major supports. Think that'll do it?"

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notanumber
2010-09-23 09:52 pm UTC (link)

"I could be better," she said flatly. Both times she'd done this before the cost had been too high. Not again. Never again. She and Logan were going to get in and out in one piece, with no complications. She didn't care what it took, she'd make that happen. Sam was as strong as Max and as fast as Max, but she had something going for her that her other half didn't. She'd learned to be ruthless. She could do what she had to do to keep herself and her family safe with no hesitation, no second guessing. She could do it right.

"It had better do it. The sooner this is gone, the happier I'll be." This felt good. She should have been more worried, but she wasn't. She was excited. She'd been waiting a long time to do this. She had a chance in this life to destroy the specter that had been haunting her ever since she woke up with a barcode on the back of her neck.

"If we split up it'll be faster." More dangerous, but faster. It was a decision she had to make though. It would be fine. They could both handle themselves. "Take the north side, I'll plant the ones on the south. Then we'll meet back here before the big boom."

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ex_fourninef419
2010-09-24 05:03 am UTC (link)

"Yeah, me too." She was glad Sam had come up with the idea to burn this place to the ground. That was a much better alternative to leaving it alone until it fell down on it's own. They might be tempting fate, inviting in Ames White and His Familiars to fill the gap where Manticore had been, but it would probably be worth it just to watch all those shitty memories go up in flames. They weren't doing this for only themselves, either. This was for Leon and Ben and any other lives that had gotten ruined along the way.

Logan nodded, giving her friend a quick squeeze on the shoulder before she set off toward the north side of the compound. She jimmied open a side door, slipping in to the dark corridor just in time for the whole place to come to life. Lights came on, and the distinct sound of radio static came from right around the corner. That was sudden. She flattened herself against the wall, waiting for the unsuspecting guard to walk past before she sprang. Once he was out, she stole his radio (because some Manticore training never went away) and continued on her way. A few minutes later, it was one charge down.

The longer she was in there, though, the more guards seemed to be coming out of the fucking walls. At least they seemed to be regular guards, considering how quickly they went down after she hit them. They had a job to do. Tangling with a bunch of other X-series was going to make that job a lot harder. Speaking of making things harder...she planted the second charge and alarms started blaring. That kind of thing tended to happen when you left unconscious and bleeding guards lying around. Someone must have noticed. Grabbing the radio she'd brought in with her, she sighed. "I don't wanna speak to soon, but I think they're on to us."

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notanumber
2010-09-24 05:52 am UTC (link)

Sam went around the other side and snuck in. She was actually surprised to find a guard just inside the door. The place had looked so dead. The guard looked at least as surprised as she was as the lights suddenly came on. She took him out before he could make a sound. Was that CORE training or Manticore telling her to move the senseless guard where he wouldn't be seen then grab his radio and his gun. It didn't matter, she did it.

She placed the first charge and moved on, avoiding the guards and soldiers. The building had definitely come to life around them. She could hear all the familiar sounds of the compound. It was good they hadn't waited to do this. This ended now.

An alarm sounded as she placed yet another charge. So much for stealth. More guards approached and a voice crackled over her radio. "Really? I hadn't noticed," she replied, even as a roundhouse kick to the chest took down another guard. She'd ask if Logan was okay, but if she was being a smartass over the radio, that was a good enough sign. "I've got one more charge. As soon as it's set I'm going to sprint for the gate before they figure out what they're up against and send out the big guns. Meet me there."

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ex_fourninef419
2010-09-25 02:40 am UTC (link)

"Got it." Logan sprinted down the last hallway, barely breaking her stride as she took down a guard trying to block her path. They were so close to being done with this that she could almost taste it. Then, it was back to the Island to celebrate their most recent victory against the evils of secret government operations. It'd been a long time since she'd done something due to an actual personal vendetta. Guards at the prison had been an obstacle between her and Sam. Anyone the Resistance targeted was just that, a target. A job. But this? She was all her.

She balanced herself between a windowsill and a metal filing cabinet for long enough to plant the last charge. Hopping down, she took one last look at the compound. Everything was the same. She was hoping it would burn the same, too. Ditching the empty bag, she hauled ass out of the administrative section. They hadn't locked anything down yet, which was good. The doors and windows here were meant to contain an X5. It wouldn't be cake to get out, though she was sure that she could manage. Eventually.

Logan made it back to the rendezvous point without breaking a sweat. That had been fun. Nice and exhilarating. But she was ready for the grand finale.

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notanumber
2010-09-25 11:15 pm UTC (link)

Sam encountered a few more guards between planting the last charge and getting out, but nothing she couldn't handle. They hadn't been ready for her, for them. X5s broke out, not in. Little did they know.

Back outside the cool night air tasted like freedom. She sprinted towards the gate, exhilarated but ready to be done. She was being pursued, but she wasn't expecting anyone from the compound to catch up to her. She definitely wasn't expecting the person who slammed into her and knocked her to the ground. Her mind processed this new development in rough chunks even as she fought off her attacker. Fast. Strong. Very young. Not a normal guard. "Logan! A little help?" Sam shouted, they were outside and she didn't have a free hand to reach for the radio. It would have to do.

She kicked the young man off of her and sprang to her feet. He was crouched to attack again. Fine. If he wanted a fight, she'd give him one. She wasn't worried about him. She was a little worried about the three other people she could hear approaching her from behind her back though. One of them had better be Logan.

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ex_fourninef419
2010-09-26 05:55 am UTC (link)

She heard Sam's call for help and turned toward it. At the same time, there was the found of running footsteps, fast and quiet. Well, shit. Logan pivoted at the last second, driving a fist in to her attacker's face. Of course, right on the tail of guy number one was guy number two, who also had the bland, determined look of an X-series ready to tear a piece out of somebody. It figured that regular guards wouldn't be the only ones to appear out of thin air. That would just be too fucking easy. Guy number two leaped over guy number one and hit her with enough force to knock her back. She jumped to her feet, assessed the situation, and hauled ass toward Sam.

Skidding to a halt, she kicked out, putting her back to Sam. "Yeah, me too." Logan wasn't quite as in tune with her X5 side as Sam was. She was still mostly a trainee, not even as close to the level that Leon had been. As a result, she took quite a few major hits. Okay, so she was kind of getting walloped. It would matter more tomorrow, when it really started to hurt. God damn it all. It was a damn good thing she wasn't alone. It didn't take long for her and Sam to synch up. There was nothing quite like X5 double teaming, especially when that team was Max and Alec.

Once the three guys were down, she blew the hair out of her face. "Can we just get this over with and go home?"

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notanumber
2010-09-26 06:16 am UTC (link)

Sam nodded, breathing hard after that fight. "Yes. Let's get out of here." She didn't want to encounter any more enemies. If the last three had found either of them alone, it would have been over. Fortunately Max and Alec had some talent for teaming up and kicking ass, which Sam and Logan replicated remarkably well. It was a good thing they had each other.

"Ready?" She took the remote detonator out of her pocket. She flipped the safety and then pressed the button. So much for Manticore's reincarnation. "I'd say we have about thirty seconds."

That was more than enough time to get to the gate and jump over. There was unexpected company on the other side of the fence though. A large black SUV had just rolled up the gravel road to the compound, it's headlights spotlighting the building that was about to go up in flames.

Whoever it was was interfering. She drew the gun that she'd taken off of the first guard inside. The passenger side door opened and Sam fired before the woman inside could get out. She slumped forward on the dash and blood blossomed on the back of a gray suit. Before Sam could think about dealing with the driver she noticed the Agency seal on the side of the vehicle. She should have known.

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ex_fourninef419
2010-09-26 10:50 pm UTC (link)

"That long, huh?" She followed Sam up and over the gate. It never failed to amaze her that she could clear that high of an obstacle without even trying that hard. It was a damn good thing she wasn't afraid of heights, or coming down would be a whole lot more interesting. Watching the ground rush up at you like that took some getting used to as it was. Without her X5 genes, it would have meant a whole lot of splat, instead of a soft landing that made it totally possible to hit the ground running.

On the other side, Sam reacted before Logan even knew what was going on. They didn't just book it past the SUV. Instead, the passenger was dead without even getting out of the car. Sucked to be them. What the hell was anyone doing out here, anyway? "Oh shit." Logan noticed the Agency logo right about the time there was a dull boom from behind her.

Manticore was going up, and the government goons had gotten there just in time to enjoy the show.

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notanumber
2010-09-26 11:08 pm UTC (link)

The world seemed to be running at warp speed. The compound went up in flames as the driver got out of the car, a scared looking man in a dark suit. He had something like a tazer. That wasn't going to be enough. Still, he was aiming at Logan, which wasn't allowed. Sam blinked, giving it just a second's thought, then she shot him too.

The Agency goons were dead, and everything left of Manticore was burning. That left no one to report what happened here. It was better that way. She swallowed hard. She had that feeling she always had after a successful mission. Not guilt. Definitely not guilt. Regret, maybe, that it had to be this way. She wished the world was somehow different, although she couldn't imagine that different world, however hard she tried.

She looked over at Logan. "Let's get out of here."

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