The hospital elevator let out a *ding* as it reached the fifth floor, the doors sliding open in a swift manner. The floor in question was undergoing a major renovation and was therefore empty of patients and staff. It also meant that the floor was without electricity. The elevator's light illuminated the lobby of the floor, casting shadows from the occupants of the said elevator as they pooled out into the darkness, the only other faint illumination coming the floor's outer windows.
The first to step out was a pair of tall, wiry, dark-haired individuals. On the right was a sharply dressed man. Black suit, black shirt, black shoes, red tie, his long dark hair falling on his shoulders. One of the said shoulders was supporting the stock of a police issue semi-automatic shotgun fixed with a suppressor, which he pointed into the darkness as he scanned the environment. His otherwise green eyes had the tiniest yellow tinge to them, caused by his contact lenses. They were linked to his shotgun's smartgun system as well as granting him thermographic vision. He was sporting an eager grin, showing his sharpened, pearly white teeth.
On the left was an elven woman, sporting a more casual look. Jeans, an urban brawl jersey, combat boots, and a long black duster. She was pointing an Ares Predator pistol into the darkness, likewise outfitted with a suppressor. Her hair was cut shorter than her beforementioned companion, as it only reached the lower parts of her ears. Her eyes were mirroring his as well when it came to vision enhancements, though they had a much more distinct yellow glow as they were fully cybernetic augmentations. She also had additional clear cybernetics, as there were faint yellow lines running down her left cheek. That and her left hand had a metallic sheen to it, hinting at a cyberarm. She had a calm and collected look to her, in stark contrast to the excited grin of her companion.
As the two did not notice any immediate threat, they both called out "Clear," in near unison. Two more figures moved out of the elevator as the first two both took a few careful steps forward, making room for the others. The first of the two was a woman, a pair of small tusks jutting from underneath her lips combined with her muscular figure revealing her ork metatype. Her strawberry blonde hair was done in a simple ponytail. She had on a black tank top over a fishnet shirt, stylistically torn denim jeans and comfortable hiking boots. Even though she was wearing the least covering clothing of the whole bunch, the numerous colorful and often provocative tattoos on her skin made it seem much more covered than it actually was. Her eyes darted around the darkened area she was entering, her natural low-light vision losing only slightly to the vision of her comrades. A concerned frown marred her otherwise pretty face as she bit on her lower lip. She had a bright pink shoulder bag on her, covered in pins of a dozen or more punk/rock bands. The bag contained a multitude of different tools, as well as a Ultimax 70 machine pistol (with a suppressor on, naturally) and what appeared to be two small mechanical toy helicopters. Satisfied that there wasn't any immediate danger jumping at her jugular, she pulled the two helicopters out from her bag and did some small adjustments to them in preparation of sending them off.
As she was busy with that, the last passenger stepped out from the elevator. It was easy to identify the man as a dwarf from his height as he was only waist high compared to the rest of the group. He was wearing black-yellow robes of clearly oriental design, and his head was a cleanly shaven, an almost shining dome. He stepped out in a slow, calm manner, his relaxed expression exuding pure calmness. He glanced around the darkened hospital floor, glad his kind were blessed with natural thermographic vision.
"Just like we planned. 'Roo, Sensei, get cracking," the elf said, keeping her eyes peeled for any signs of trouble. The ork, 'Roo, lifted her tiny helicopters up and their rotors buzzed to life, lifting the drones from her hands and in to the air. They darted off into the darkness, small cameras in their cockpits sending footage back to 'Roo.
"This implanted commlink is awesome," she said, her previous frown melting into the smile of a child playing with her favorite toy. "It's not quite the same as jumpin' into a drone, but it's close." A perceptive listener could catch a hint of an Australian accent in her speech
"Just you wait until your ex drunk calls you in the middle of the night," the dwarf, Sensei, said with a chuckle before turning away from the rest of the group, bringing his palms together and closing his eyes. He muttered a lengthy incantation, which at first didn't make anything happen. Then, there was a flash of fire in the air in front of him. The fire turned in to a spiral, and a form of a white fox the size of a pony squeezed out from thin air, landing nimbly on its four paws. Other than it's size and color, what stood out as unusual was that the fox had a kiseru smoking pipe sticking out from its mouth.
"Oh revered spirit," said Sensei, in a very courteous manner, bowing his head deep. "I humbly beseech your services. Will you lend your power to protect my companions and I until our business here is completed?"
The fox inhaled deep, the end of its pipe glowing softly. It then exhaled a puff of smoke through its nose before nodding slowly.
Sensei bowed once more before turning to the others. "I am ready, Aribeth." The elf, Aribeth, nodded ever so slightly.
"We'll get a move on as soon as 'Roos drones are done with the sweep. You ready, BloodHound?" she asked of the tall man. The man, BloodHound, grinned a little wider as he adjusted his grip on the shotgun.
"Oh you know me, I'm as ready for action as a Catholic priest supervising a kiddie pool." This earned him a string of groans from his companions.
The group stood silently in the darkness until 'Roo spoke again.
"I've got somethin' here. Found an empty can of what seems to be ravioli in the southernmost patient room. There's some sauce on the floor that hasn't dried yet."
"So we either just missed him or he's still here and just managed to avoid your drones," mused Aribeth. "Let's go check the room out, at least BloodHound can get the guy's scent if nothing else. 'Roo, bring your drones back and have them keep an eye out in any rooms we're entering."
The tiny helicopters soon returned, then turned right around again and begun to return the same route they had just taken, but this time much slower. Aribeth and BloodHound were right behind them, entering rooms and hallways after the drones had gone in and hadn't reported anything unusual. After them came 'Roo with her machine pistol drawn, dividing her attention between what hey eyes saw and what the drones' camera feed was showing her. Last came Sensei, the spirit walking beside him. The team was in a varying state of nervousness, the most nervous being 'Roo who didn't like being in the thick of things, and the least nervous being Sensei, whose calm demeanor had only increased if anything thanks to the presence of the spirit.
Inching through the darkness, the team eventually reached the patient room. The drones verified that the room was still empty. Having done that they zipped past the two gunslingers, back into the hallway and to the back of the line, keeping an eye on the team's flank. Aribeth and 'Roo had their guns pointing down the hall the other way while BloodHound moved into the room. He picked up the empty can, holding it at an arm's length at first in case any remnants of the contents were going to drip down on his shoes. He then brought the can next to his face, taking several long whiffs of the can. Then he chuckled.
"Thanks to our corporate masters for selling soulless, bland canned food. Had they used any actual spices I might have not been able to catch the smell of our diner." He then proceeded to fling the can further into the room.
Just as he had gotten rid of the can, the drones gave a warning to 'Roo at the same time as the spirit fox turned to face the darkness the team had come from, growling. The thermographic cameras in her drones showed 'Roo the muscular shape of an ork male, charging at them after somehow having managed to slip behind them.
"Contact! Six o'clock!" she cried out, spinning around and pointing her machine pistol at the attacker's direction. As she took aim, and the two other people with guns hurried in position to take a shot, the target flung a steak knife at Sensei's head before the dwarf could react. Thankfully, the spirit was faster. It flicked it's tail, slapping the knife out of the air as it turned towards the target. The targeted ork was as well built as he was poorly dressed. Not only was he barefoot and bald, but he also had on torn jeans that left half of his shins exposed, and a plastic tarp with a hole cut in the middle, worn like a poncho. On his waist, he had at least a dozen knives, tied around him with string, among them a meat cleaver he had just pulled in to his hand.
The next to act was the fox. It spat it's smoking pipe at the ork, hitting him right on the nose. There was a loud whack as the pipe hit him in the face like a baseball going sixty miles an hour. The ork fell on his ass and blood spurted from his nose, but he wasn't down for long. He did a backward shoulder roll back on to his feet and turned to retreat. By now Aribeth had managed to move to the side of 'Roo and Sensei, and she had a clear shot. She and 'Roo both fired with their suppressed firearms, Aribeth twice and 'Roo with a three round burst. The ork took two hits on his upper back before disappearing around a doorway. Aribeth sprinted after him, as did BloodHound, having just gotten out of the patient room as the ladies opened fire.
"'Roo, drones! BloodHound, cover me!" Aribeth yelled as she darted after the ork. BloodHound came behind her and the drones buzzed right past her, turning around the doorway. Both of them managed to get a good look of the ork leaning against the wall not one meter from the doorway.
"He's right there!" 'Roo called as the male ork introduced one of her drones to his cleaver, it's feed going dark. Aribeth stepped through the doorway, her gun pointing right where she now knew the ork to be. But the ork was expecting her and his left hand struck forward fast as lightning, grabbing the slide of her Predator. Showing intimate knowledge of the firearm in question, when he pulled his hand back the slide came with it.
Aribeth's smartgun system informed her of the dismantling maneuver as soon as it happened, and she didn't waste a second to visually confirm it. Which was a good thing, as the ork was bringing the cleaver towards her in an overhand chop. Aribeth dropped down on one knee, lifting her left arm to meet the blade. It struck her on the forearm, cutting through the lightly kevlar lined sleeve of her duster and hitting her cyberarm. The arm was sturdier than the kitchen utensil, causing the cleaver's blade to dent slightly. Her right hand shot up, grabbing the ork's wrist when he tried to pull it back.
Aribeth very nearly earned herself a kick in the face, had it not been for BloodHound. The sharply dressed man had taken a few running steps during Aribeth's scuffle and leaped horizontally over her. Turning towards the ork mid-air, he pulled the trigger. His shotgun, even while suppressed, let out a loud crack as he put a slug right in the middle of the ork's chest. The ork fell on his back, dropping the cleaver as he clutched his chest, gasping for air.
BloodHound landed on his side, then he and Aribeth both stood up. The pair looked at the ork, then at each other, smiling as they lifted their hands for a high five. Aribeth stepped over to collect the slide of her gun and quickly reassembled it. While she was doing that. BloodHound stepped over to the prone ork, his shotgun still aimed at him, while 'Roo, Sensei and the spirit walked in after them. 'Roo picked up the drone which had fallen victim to the other ork's cleaver, but she didn't seem too bothered.
"I guess it's a bonza that in the end you insisted I bring only these ghetto-ass drones for the snatch up. Had he broken one of me better toys I'd crack the shits."
"Sneaking military-grade drones into a hospital would have been an unnecessary hassle. You and subtlety mix like oil and water," Aribeth replied as she pulled the reaffixed slide back to insert another round into the chamber, then letting it go. "How's our friend?"
BloodHound leaned over the prone ork ever so slightly.
"He seems to be getting his breath back already. It's kinda impressive actually, after taking a gel shotgun slug from that distance," he said, with a chuckle and a mean spirited grin.
Gel rounds used a hard, jelly-like substance to spread the kinetic energy over a larger-than-normal area, making them several degrees more non-lethal than regular bullets, if you can imagine that. The whole team, sans Sensei, was packing them for this particular run.
Aribeth walked over to the ork, pointing her gun at him as well. Her and BloodHound were soon joined by Sensei and his spirit protector. The dwarf was his usual calm self, smiling gently as a father would to a son. "Lieutenant Taylor, I presume? We are here to extract you. Your mission is over, it's time to go home." BloodHound, being the only other magically awakened member of the team, could feel a slight tinge of magic in the dwarf's words. Sensei usually had a way with words, but apparently it never hurt to hedge your bets.
"I apologize for the manner in which my teammates employed force to pacify you, but I'm sure you understand that we have to think of our safety as well."
The ork didn't keep his eyes solely on the dwarf, they darted between him and the two others with guns to his face. Sensei continued.
"We ask you to relieve yourself of your weapons, after which we will take you to our vehicle. We will then transport you to your extraction spot, you will be taking an amphibious leave from the city."
The ork, still tense, nodded. He moved his hands slowly under his poncho, and soon there was the sound of steel cutlery dropping on the floor. Everything seemed to be going well until Aribeth saw a sudden wicked gleam in the ork's eyes, as well as the smallest of grins on the corner of his mouth. His hands did a sudden short pulling motion underneath the poncho, accompanied by a quiet metal *ting* sound. Aribeth's eyes grew wide.
"Grenade!" she shouted, grabbing Sensei by the collar and hitting the deck, pulling the dwarf along with him. BloodHound took a couple running steps before jumping on the ground himself, tackling 'Roo down with him. The ork girl let out a distressed yelp at the sudden turn of events The fox spirit jumped on the prone form of Sensei, flicking its tail and creating a barely visible dome of force over them.
The expected explosion never came. As their target began scrambling on his feet, BloodHound and Aribeth did similarly. Lt. Taylor took a few steps backward in the time it took the two to stand up, and he flung his "grenade", a full open can of ravioli, at BloodHound. The can hit him straight on the forehead, causing him to fall down. Blood spurted from his forehead, though it was hard to distinguish it from the red sauce all over him.
Aribeth brought her pistol up to fire, but Lt. Taylor was faster. He took a darting step forward and kicked Aribeth's gun hand with his bare foot, sending the pistol off into the surrounding darkness. Aribeth growled a curse as her right arm reached down to her belt, pulling out a curved karambit knife in a reverse grip. Lt. Taylor pulled out two more knives of his own, but he was forced to back up instead of attacking when the fox attempted to bite his foot. Aribeth closed the distance to the ork, the fox stayed back with Sensei as the dwarf stood up, his earlier smile having turned in to a very light scowl. 'Roo had risen up on to one knee, pointing her machine pistol at the ork's general direction while leaning over to check on BloodHound. Aribeth was too close for 'Roo to get a shot off anyway.
"Aribeth. Stand down," called the dwarf, just as the knife wielding she-elf was about to close the distance with the ork. Her brow wrinkled as she stopped her advance.
"I can take him," she said, but Sensei wasn't having it. He shook his head.
"I don't doubt it, but we're supposed to work smarter, not harder. Understand?"
Aribeth gritted her teeth, almost like she'd been looking forward to a knife fight. But she relented, still standing slightly crouched and ready for action as she stepped to the side, giving Sensei a better line of sight. Lt. Taylor seemed confused at first, then flashed a wicked smile and muttered to himself, barely audible: "Geek the mage first." With that, he broke into a sprint towards Sensei. Or, well, he tried. The dwarf pointed his meaty hand at him and suddenly the ork's feet did not touch the floor anymore. A rather simple levitation spell had taken most of the fight out of the lieutenant.
"Now, Lieutenant Taylor," Sensei said as he walked towards the now floating ork who threw over half a dozen knives at him in a quick succession, which were all struck aside by the fox spirit. "I truly wish that we could have done this the easy way like we tried to do at first. But unfortunately, we will now have to do this the hard way."
While the dwarf spoke Aribeth recovered her gun and walked over to the floating Taylor, where she was soon joined by 'Roo and BloodHound, who had recovered from the improvised missile weapon. His face and jacket were a mess of ravioli sauce and blood, but from what anyone could tell he didn't seem to mind all that much. Or maybe he was smiling because he knew what was coming next.
"My teammates will now show you the hard way. Ladies and gentleman, go ahead." The trio all lifted their guns and unceremoniously emptied their gel round reserves on the ork. For his credit, he didn't scream.
