Skip the Donuts (Ch. 4: Day 4)

Greens · Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:45 pm

Ace, for lack of a better term, narrowed his eyes at the wobbly ol' jackal, in a mix of concern, and something else. He was worried about the guy, for sure-- he was probably the closest thing to a friend he'd had in this camp aside from Tabby, and things were a little awkward with her by now... Still, he managed to shake it off, only to be mentally interrupted by the appearance of Shadow; seemed like all the cool cats wanted a piece of him. Ace snorted. "I could ask you the same thing. But I won't." He shot a dirty look in the hedgehog's direction. "'S'not like I gotta reason to trust you." He stood himself up, brushing the dirt off his knees before adding in a deliberately hushed mumble, "Or anyone 'round here."

Clearly, it was too early in the morning for such nonsense as this. He puffed out a sigh, and his face turned to neutral stone, but not before adding an appreciative glance to Tabby.

"Look, the threat's over, we're clear for the time being, you gotcher swimming lessons for the day, and seriously doubt that bat has the gumption to come back when he knows we're not screwing around over here. We've got a whole armory's worth of weapons, and enough food to keep ourselves standing. Let's just regroup, and..." He paused, sighed, and swore to himself for some reason. "...And map out our next move, here."

Diluss · Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 8:46 pm

“No,” said Coop, his attention back on focus.

He ascended after the bat like a missile.

Sheff · Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 10:17 pm

Shadow's expression remained chilled as he returned Tabitha's stare down, but without even a blink, he turned away, looking to Ace as he finished with his own accusing comments.

"In a perfect world, you would be able to help anyone you pleased," said the hedgehog, directing his focus back to Tabitha but still seeming to address both of the cats. "This is no utopia. The doctor has made sure of that, which makes me all the more surprised none of you have managed to be captured due to your charity."

He appeared prepared to go on until Coop's abrupt leaving, his gaze snapping towards the eagle in alertness. Shadow watched him fly off for a brief moment as he seemed reminded of what his displeasure was originally directed towards. He didn't react much further than that, though, watching the spectacle unfold.

He crossed his arms (again).

"Where is this Seven?" he questioned tersely over his shoulder as if annoyed by the fact there was still one member yet unknown to him.

NPC · Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 6:59 pm

In the aftermath of the chaos (or perhaps in the midst of it, as Coop was apparently still chasing Juke off into the sky), a single, lonely GUN Beetle descended quietly from on high. Its red optics glowed, and its super-silent turbine whirred. It was one of the unarmed variants, and seemed harmless enough, though there were a couple things about it that were markedly nonstandard:

One, it had a cardboard box duct-taped to its underside. Two, the number 7 was spray-painted crudely in orange on its grey fuselage.

It hovered down somewhere between Tabitha, Ace, and Shadow.

"Are you guys gonna to be able to keep your crap together long enough to even get the plan started?" asked a sass-filled, familiar (at least for Ace and Tabitha) voice through its tinny, low-quality speaker. "I thought it'd be my involvement that caused problems. I didn't think you guys would already have this much infighting. Pretty sad! But that's why you need a leader like me to get stuff done, or else you'd just run around killin' each other in the desert like savages."

Sheff · Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 8:14 pm

Shadow could only look at the robot with a blank stare that seemed to speak for itself.

A mutter suddenly was heard.

"Oh, don't worry. It gets worse."

It came from the other hedgehog in the camp, Geoff stepping forward as he glared lightly at the GUN device. The minor joy of having his face not beaten in with one of the various blunt objects that the thugs had carried was now dimmed in the presence of Seven, even if it was only his voice. Still, it was enough.

He raised his tone back to regular volume, addressing the robot.

"What do you want?"

MuffinUnsane · Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 8:30 pm

Releasing the ferret's hand after seeing he would follow, Ember strolled back into camp just in time to see the little robot descend. Hands in her pockets, she just stayed on the outskirts of the group to see what was going to come down.

She didn't know much about 'Seven' other than he was a brat. Which was most likely all there was too know.

NPC · Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 8:32 pm

The robot plopped down with a thud, resting on its cardboard box. Gun Beetles were pretty light, so it did very little to damage the carton even as all of its weight came to bear on it.

"What do I want?" he echoed with biting sarcasm. "Um, only, you know, that thing we were planning. Stopping Eggman? Ring a bell? If that's still a priority for you, I mean. I would completely understand if you'd rather keep living in caves and beating each other over the head with mammoth bones."

Thankfully, he digressed.

"On the other hand, if someone wants to actually lift a finger around here, that industrious and intrepid soul will find the supplies in the box attached to this Beetle. Three handheld computers. Simple. All three have built-in GPS navigators with destinations set. Get the computers to their destinations and plug them in. That's all you have to do. Plug them in. Do you think you can handle that much? I understand this is all very technical, but I can walk you through it."

Nuzlocke Griff · Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 8:50 pm

Heading down with his (apparently) new teammate, he got down on ground level in time to notice the group circling around a defaced G.U.N machine (save for the giant bird giving chase). Listening in instead of barging on a conversation he knew nothing about, he listened and received insight on their likely objective, defeating Eggman.

"Fine with me" the ferret obviously agreed with their main plan.

As he continued to watch the scene unfold, he realized that the robot was just a speaker to talk through "Why don't you just help out with this mess instead of flapping your gums" He blurted, not giving heed that he was going way over his head.

NPC · Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 8:57 pm

The Beetle raised and pivoted a little, twisting its cardboard box on the ground with a quiet, gritty, gravelly noise so as to focus on the new arrival.

"... And we have now officially reached the bottom of the volunteer-help barrel," remarked Seven, faux-triumphantly. "Really, just go... gel up your hair, or something. You can ask someone less important than me about my role in the plan later."

Nuzlocke Griff · Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:48 pm

The fact of the matter involving his drenched fur (even though it seemed to be an uncreative comeback) lit a spark of realization for the ferret. He had been traversing the hot desert for the past couple of days and had been ignoring the necessity of taking off his sweater. He began to feel a sharp pain in his chest as his heart rate accelerated at dangerous speeds.

Meanwhile on the outside his condition was beginning to show as his body started shaking. "Nice comeback..." he countered "Did it come with that floating piece of trash too?" As the confusion started to run its course, Desmond pulled out a pistol held by a holster attached to his shoulder strap (he came a bit prepared) and aimed at the floating mechanism. Confused and very pissed at the speakers smug attitude he intended on ripping a hole through the blasted machine.

"I'm going to make this nice and..." He let out as everything around him went dark and he hit the ground hard.

Mie · Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:53 pm

Perhaps a certain hedgehog's moodiness was getting to her. Then again, it may have been the relentless desert heat. Or maybe it was just the staggering realization of how much their situation sucked in general. Whatever the precise antecedent, Tabitha was was in an uncharacteristically cross mood that made her very much want to take three giant steps away from most of her present company, and fanatically wave a (possibly neon) sign that read, "NOT WITH THEM." Lacking such apt advertising, she sufficed to confine her distaste to a less conspicuous gesture and expression combo, replete with inaudible sigh.

Silence reigned for several seconds after the newcomer out and out fainted on the way to shooting at their equipment drop. Tabby's reaction was comprised of a purse of her lips, a completely superficial clearing of her throat, and mildly uncomfortable glance exchanged with the serval.

"Ace, help me with this," she mumbled eventually, as she hooked her arms underneath the ferret's, and, with the help of the other feline, lifted and moved moved Desmond away from the Beetle. Aww. There she goes, helping strangers in need again, right? ... Not so much. The sand cat set the oddly garbed mustelidae back on the ground barely four feet away from where he'd initially collapsed, and went right back to the box, unceremoniously ripping it free of its duct tape tethers. Apparently, their new friend had just chosen an inconvenient spot to have a heat stroke.

"Lllllet's see what we've got here," said Tabitha, clapping the dust from her hands.

Greens · Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 4:27 pm

"Hyyeeah, sure..." Ace complied with her request, begrudgingly taking the bottom half of the ferret's body (get your head outta the gutter, he just picked him up). Maybe it was the lingering stress of the fight they just endured, or the unforgiving desert heat, Seven's timely interruption or D: All of the above, but Ace fought the urge to just dive in the nearest oasis and drown himself nearly as much as he fought to lift the stranger up off the ground.

Flop went his head on the sand.

The serval stood there, shifting his bewildered gaze between Tabby and the new guy with his legs under his arms. He... genuinely did not expect that. Eventually, he followed suit, dropped the ferret's shoes as well with a resounding shrug of his shoulders. He did take the time to relieve him of his pistol during his slumber (much as he hated it, they needed Seven's drone to spill more info for the time being, and reckless use of a firearm was frowned upon) for the time being. He also noticed the shine of dog tags around his wrist, knelt down, and examined them between his fingers. Once he was satisfied he'd learned all he could about 'Desmond', he stood himself up, tucked away the gun under his waistband, and made his way back to the drone.

"Anything else you wanna tell us?" he asked.

NPC · Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 4:34 pm

"Wow," said Seven through the machine's speaker, in reaction to Desmond's collapse as he was being dragged away. "Just, wow."

When Tabitha tore the box free, the Beetle hovered up and off of it, politely moving aside so that she could browse the contents. That was the extent of Seven's politeness, though.

"Well, anyway, yes," he finally replied to Ace. "Make your preparations now. If you're going to stay on schedule, you need to be in Eggmanland by 10:00 tonight. It won't be an easy trip with Eggman's security." True enough--Eggmanland was across the channel from Gigalopolis, in what used to be Central City. Getting there undetected would take a little effort.

"And... remember, all three have to be activated at the same time, so try to divvy up your team sensibly for this, would you? You've got some really weak links to account for."

And with that...

"Use one of the computers to contact me if you need me. Seven out."

The machine dropped lifelessly to the dirt.

Mie · Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 4:47 pm

Sure, with an attitude like that, Tabby could see easily why Seven was not the group's unanimously most favoritest person in the world; honestly, even she was starting to feel her eyes roll reflexively whenever he felt the need to reestablish his superiority/everyone else's inferiority, but that was the extent of her sentiments toward the human boy. Both gloved hands plunged into the styrofoam peanut innards of the newly eviscerated box, and emerged with two of the three computers.

She handed one of the two off to whoever would relieve her of it, and turned the other over in her hand evaluatingly, her head at a cant.

"Seems simple enough," she opined clearly, shifting her gaze to the resident two-tailed brains of the outfit, to whom she casually tossed the device."What do you think?"

Kazz · Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:56 pm

"... I think I hate that kid so much," Mako mumbled from where he stood off to the side, having remained remarkably closed-mouthed throughout the entire ordeal. He wasn't really intending for it to be heard, and subsequently it wasn't exactly given much in the way of articulation or projection.

Regardless of whatever he had said moments prior, he just threw up his hands in the air, and said (this time clearly):
"I ain't gonna be on the front lines."

Skip the Donuts (Ch. 4: Day 4)

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