The sky seemed to be getting a lot worse. Thunder boomed up ahead. Yet still no lightning.
Gabriel got soaked but simply ignored it. "And here we have a storm coming, great." Gabriel sarcastically said. His pet slowly came behind him.
Morgan bit her lip and nodded. "But first...we need information. We need a plan."
"We have no intel on the castle. We will need to use stealth. Go in through a side entrance, locate the database, extract the files, and then leave."
Morgan looked over at the group before glancing at Rook. "Stealth. Right."
Rook returned Morgan's look. He doubted any of them had extensive stealth training and runtimes.
But an android can hope.
Governors Island once used to be a tourist destination before the war. Now it looked unkempt and foreboding. Even though someone lived here, he obviously cared little for the looks of the island. The Ferris wheel in the distance creaked in the wind and the red-white and blue paint of which had been eroded away by time. This attraction stood in the distance across a large area that used to be a football field but now was nothing but a large field of dry grass waving in the strong wind that had been conjured up by the approaching storm. No rain as of yet though.
On their right stood the castle, which was part of the original 18th century fort structure and the original purpose of Governor's. A military base. On top of the castle stood a lonesome antenna, this was probably where the clinic was. The rest of the island 'looked' deserted.
"In the fort..." Morgan said, pointing out the antenna. "The main lot of people are bound to be there. The...information as well, most likely."
"Don't you think they are, stronger than us, faster than us, and smarter than us?" Gabriel asked Rook. He folded his arms after that.
Suddenly, light!
It wasn't completely visible but the stone yard up ahead was lit and two men in dirty white overcoats walked out. luckily, the gang was too deeply hidden into the shadows for them to get noticed.
The two seemed to be out for a cigarette break, apparently smoking was not allowed inside. Clearly this place had strict rules. However, that didn't stop the two doctors of sorts, to have a light-hearted chuckle between their draws. They were sadly too far away for any of their words to be audible enough, even for Gabriel. After that, they stamped out their fags and got back to work. When the lights went out again, it became very clear that the night had arrived.
Morgan slowly and surely crept forwards. She shivered slightly under the night air. Everything about this place gave her the creeps.
Gabriel sighed and ducked down, trying to go with the group.
Garry rolled his eyes, relieved that they hadn't been spotted already as he seriously doubted that he'd be able to shoot his way through.
"Can we be a little more careful, at least make it half way before being spotted!" He hissed.
The closer they got, the more obvious it seemed this place was very well lit, but most of the light was kept inside because of dirty windows. So all it did was emit some vague brown light. It wouldn't be visible from the financial district of Manhattan island.
Question now was if it was deliberate or not.
Rook was crouched low to the ground, not bothering with his firearms for the moment. He led the group, and advanced at quick, silent pace towards the clinic.
Morgan followed Rooks lead as best she could, biting back her tongue.
Gabriel's heart was beating fast but he continued on following Rook quietly. His pet tried to crouch down but couldn't so it stood up.
Heather kept looking over her shoulder, nervous about the fact that she had never done anything like this before. Infiltration wasn't really her thing and she wasn't sure how she was doing...
Mind you, she hadn't been spotted yet, so...
Castle williams was a round, red-brick structure with small windows. The mortar between the brick-work seemed to be well past its heyday but despite that it still looked sturdy.
It had three levels. And didn't appear to be guarded from the outside. There was however a tarmac road surrounding the structure, which was dimly lit and did not provide any long grass for cover.
When he reached where the tarmac started, Rook came to a halt and examined the area, looking for any kind of cover.
We're so screwed...
Morgan sighed quietly to herself, waiting Rooks decision. It was good he was leading...
The door where the scientists had come and gone from and back in was to the left where some sort of prefab rectangular block that looked tacked on to the original historical fort, started. It didn't look like the main entrance though. Which didn't seem to present itself either way for the moment.
"We're going to circle around to the west side of the building, and come at that cover," he pointed to the 'block,' "from there. That's the door we're going to go in through." He pointed to the aforementioned door. "Stay low and stay quiet. Understood?"
"Affirmative." Morgans panicked whisper came in reply.
Garry nodded, looking to Heather to make sure that she did, getting a similar nod of affirmation from her before he gave Rook the thumbs up.
The door in question seemed to be locked by a code.
Morgan nodded, darting over to the keypad and kneeling in front of it. "I just need a few minutes." She whispered, getting to work.
Still no one. No security or anything.
"Understood, I will cover you." He considered for a moment, before speaking a second time. "No rush, you can do it." He praised.
Morgan smiled to herself in quiet thanks to her partner.
I can do this...
About five or so minutes later, the door was rewired and soon slid open for everyone to get through.
Garry stepped to one side, allowing Heather to slip through before him, he hung back, changing his primary weapon to his combat shotgun.
Rook drew his pistol stepped inside, and immediately checked the interior for hostiles.
The interior was quiet and brightly lit. The floor was paved with diagonal black and white tiles, the walls were also decorated with tiles but they were solely white and much smaller and reached up to about waist.
It wasn't completely clean, but the general hospitals on Manhattan were much worse.
Along the corridor there were mint-green coloured push-open doors with small round windows.
Morgan drew her 10mm and followed at the back of the group, still sticking low to the ground.
"Clear." Rook whispered in a hushed voice to his company. He crossed the hallway and pressed his back against the wall, hold his shotgun only halfway to eye level, pointed at the ground.
He then did a military motion with his right hand, signalling for Heather to take up position opposite him.
The Former slave emerged from behind them and made her way over to her appointed position, she pressed against the wall before readying her Shotgun and nodding back to the others.
Voices started to make themselves audible, there were two guys approaching the corridor from around the corner. This corridor ended at a sort of T-junction and from. Sadly, the one they were in had no cover, only doors to different rooms.
"I think I hear something." Gabriel whispered. He looked around to see if somebody was going up behind them.
Rook moved to the corner that the men were about to round, ready to take down both of them. He nodded to Heather and the rest to hide in one of the rooms.
Heather broke away from the group and slipped inside one of the rooms as Garry did the same on the other side of the corridor, keeping himself concealed.
Morgan gave Rook a fearful look that conveyed her desire for him to be silent. She grabbed Gabe and dived into a room, trying to keep her head.
Gabriel hid after Morgan grabbed him. His pet ran with Morgan and Gabriel.
"So it did actually work?"
"Yes, apart from a few... casualties, the device works fine."
"Anyways, don't forget we're on a tight schedule here. We've got a guest, and an important one according to Doctor Governor."
The voices were now joined by footsteps on the tile floor, now just a few meters from the corner.
Rook waited for the men to round the corner, so that he could pop out and smack their heads together, which would render them unconscious.
Only the round windows in the door provided light for the room. Painting two long oval looking streaks of light over the goods in the room.
"Yes, Go-" The scientists abruptly stopped their conversation when they crossed eyes with the android.
They wore white radiation suits that covered their face with a reflective helmet, you couldn't see what they looked like.
"Who're you?" One of them was going to ask, puzzled by the man they had never seen before.
In answer, Rook reached out, placing a hand on the outside of each of their helmets, and then swiftly smashed them together with a dull clunk.
He caught both bodies before they could drop to the ground and began dragging them to the room in which they rest of the group had hidden.
Around the corner, where the two scientists came from was a shorter corridor that led to a set of see-through doors which in turn led to the round courtyard of Castle Williams. The other way led to a dead end and a fire extinguisher.
Heather entered a room where radio equipment of sorts was stashed, it was dark and the doors isolated pretty well, so once they shut after her it became incredibly quiet in the dark room, with no way to tell what was happening in the corridor she just fled from.
She remained still, without her knowing what was going on outside, she decided to wait for the others to come and get her.
Garry, the same story. But instead of radio equipment it was just a load of boxes, with stimpaks.
Garry proceeded to help himself to the stimpaks, figuring that he might need them later. He emerged from the room again, to see Rook stripping two unconscious scientists.
"Wait... What?" Garry then paused, remaining silent, if this is what it took to get back to Heather and others, so be it.
"Y'know what? Whatever rocks your boat man..."
"These will help us blend in if spotted." Rook explained, unzipping the suits and pulling them from the scientists' bodies. "Now, we need to put these two somewhere."
Rook nodded, dragging the men, both dressed in only underclothes, back to the storage locker, opened it, and shoving them inside. He pinned a chair underneath the knob, so that they would be trapped inside, should they awake.
"We'll shut the door behind us on the way out. No one should hear them, should they awaken..." Rook explained, retrieving his scientist suit, and began to pull it on.
"If we kill 'em, they won't awaken..." The Former Slaver pointed out, figuring that it would be easier in the long run.
"Fine, break their necks." Garry suggested, looking back over his shoulder.
"Honestly, would you trade their lives for Morgan's?"
Rook looked conflicted or a moment, before coming to a consensus.
"...No."
He, almost reluctantly, approached the closet, pulled the doors open, and let both the unconscious men fall out.
He killed them both using a sentry take down: resting his knee on their chest and then twisting their neck sharply to a 270* angle, gripping the scalp and chin.
Once both men were dead, he shoved them back into the closet, not bothering with the chair now.
"Let's go." Rook decided, his suit was pulled tight over his frame, but he left the helmet off for now, so their friends could identify them.
Garry stepped out into the hallway, looking over to the door where Heather was hiding. Thankfully, she wasn't in any danger.
"Let's move." Rook said, hurrying to the room the others were in, and knocking on the door to be let in.
Morgan slowly pulled open the door, her eyes nervous until she saw the person knocking was Rook. She threw it open wide after that, exhaling in relief.
Rook stepped in, clad in his suit.
"We're going to advance further down the hall." He said, taking hold of Morgan's hands at her wrists as reassurance. "Let Garry and me take point. Does that sound well?"
Morgan nodded several times. "Y-yeah sounds s-solid." She whispered. "S-stay close to me kid."
He released her at that, and advanced out into the hall. He'd put his shotgun into the back of the utility belt, so that anyone who saw them think they were friendlies... at first.
Garry turned around and knocked on for Heather, he tapped the door gently with his knuckles, prompting her to slowly open it and step out as the two of them returned to Rook's side. As instructed, Garry walked alongside Rook, just hoping that he wouldn't be tested on his science skill.
The courtyard was up ahead. Also, empty, but well-lit by spotlights all-round the circle.
"We'll be spotted if we head out this way. There must be an ulterior exit."
Gabriel sighed and walked forward, waiting for Rook to lead the group. Gabriel turned around to see Whiskers right up in his face. He jumped back and looked forward again.
There appeared no other way into the main facility.
"Me and Garry will head out." Rook said, pulling his helmet up. "You all hold fast here. We'll try to come back with more suits."
"Yeah, you three stick together and keep outta sight." Garry insisted, though it was more towards Heather and Gabriel than to Morgan.
Why am I the one left behind to babysit Gabe and Heather? Morgan thought with an audible sigh.
I'm an actual frigging Doctor!
"Fine, we'll... Say that you have some sorta... Disorder or somethin'" Garry grumbled, sighing heavily as they entered the next area.
Morgan looked around the room they were in, hoping to find a helmet to hide her face, just in case they were discovered.
"Heather, you can be the babysitter." Morgan muttered, leaving the group to go off in search of a helmet. "I'm an actual Doctor, so those two idiots are gonna need me..."
Heather looked over to Gabriel and sighed, just hoping that he didn't have another 'episode.'
Morgan already wore a labcoat from Vault 266, she only needed a helmet to be unrecognisable...
Sadly, in the pre-fab there appeared to be no spare lab-helmets.