on_her_korhal (
on_her_korhal) wrote2008-03-14 08:56 pm
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Entry tags:
Archives Under Felton Street, London, Friday Evening
Getting to the building had been the easy part. Getting into the building had been slightly harder, but not impossible. Offices. They were all the same, really, after a while.
The true test was coming up just ahead, though, and Kerrigan's pulse was racing in ways she'd be loathe to admit were comfortably familiar. Adrenaline. Anticipation. The whole damn nine yards that had kept her existence going back in the days when she had orders, not friends.
The lock would be a piece of cake with the aid of their guest.
The rest-- well. Her hand hovered over the stealth button on her suit. Her armor pulsed like it had a life of its own. "It's your turn. This once. And then it's on me."
Whether she was referring to the politician or the cowering mess was left, mostly, in the middle.
The true test was coming up just ahead, though, and Kerrigan's pulse was racing in ways she'd be loathe to admit were comfortably familiar. Adrenaline. Anticipation. The whole damn nine yards that had kept her existence going back in the days when she had orders, not friends.
The lock would be a piece of cake with the aid of their guest.
The rest-- well. Her hand hovered over the stealth button on her suit. Her armor pulsed like it had a life of its own. "It's your turn. This once. And then it's on me."
Whether she was referring to the politician or the cowering mess was left, mostly, in the middle.
no subject
Alex glanced at her and nodded, leaning forward to swipe the card. As soon as his fingers touched the key pad, Harriet added, "And not the emergency code, thank you. I used to be Prime Minister. I know what it is."
He wilted, moved his fingers, punched in a seven digit code, then stepped forward into the red laser.
There was a polite click and tiny clunk, and Harriet nodded. "Unlocked. Excellent job," Harriet told him. "And we won't be needing you any longer. Lieutenant, if you'd care to do the honours?"
no subject
Three quick blows, and Alex went sinking down to the ground. She didn't even look at him as she passed through the door. "By the time he's back, we'll be out of here. I go first. You follow on my mark. Clear?"
no subject
no subject
The only thing left, should one have known exactly where she was prior to going invisible, was a slight edge of static, humming in the air.
And then she was on the move, sliding fast through the hallway. T-intersection. Two guards on one side...
no subject
But she wasn't thinking about that. She wasn't thinking about the fact that they were breaking into an organisation for which she used to be responsible. All she was thinking about was that this was where they might find an answer to how to bring them back.
Well, that, and how extremely pleased she was that Kerrigan was on her side, at least for the time being.
no subject
Not an option.
She dodged sideways quietly, fast enough to vanish from sight entirely-- and then one guard smashed against the floor, sending noise skittering through hall.
The second guard tried to react-- the next moment, an image flashed-- of Kerrigan, foot first, kicking the next one so harshly in the neck that he went down without being able to lift his weapon.
She touched on the floor, then faded again. "Mark."
no subject
She hit her mark and stood neatly, hands tucked behind her back.
no subject
And then Kerrigan was on the move again, smoothly pulling the canister rifle from her back like an ancient weapon. More of an empty hallway. But-- doors. She let her mind waft out towards Harriet, keeping a dead lock on any information she may hold about the compound at all--
And that of the guards up ahead.
Pacing, pacing, pacing like a wild animal down, her eyes flicked past grates and walls for anything unusual. Security, dead-ends...
no subject
Trust them to have changed it. More guards, but it looked as if there were less automated security features.
Foolish of them, but it was certainly to her benefit, now.
no subject
She pressed her back against the wall of the next corner, counting the steps required.
Might have to settle for some grate work. Might.
no subject
no subject
Thoughts-- armed door up ahead-- someone close-- And she was around the corner, snapping the lone guard unconscious with the butt of her gun before dropping to her knees.
Grates. It was always grates. A spark of blue telekinesis and it came off the wall-- clear path of view until the next one.
no subject
And she muttered something very impolite about why on earth would they install grates, of all things.
no subject
Hers did. Easily. No guards on the other side. That should get them a clear path to--
Whatever it was that laid at the center of this facility.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
And then she was at the door.
Nothing happened.
Her eyes flicked from side to side.
"Your honours..."
no subject
It was just as she remembered it, the one time she'd been here - six days after she'd become Prime Minister.
She reached out and turned on the light, flooding the room with a golden light. The ceiling high above was natural rock, the lights suspended below.
Two computers, sleek and looking as if the could exceed light speed, rested on an antique table, and shelves wrapped themselves around the walls, filled with books and boxes and secured containers.
"Exactly the same," she said, moving to the computers. They were the key, a high tech Rosetta stone that would solve the puzzle of how to get her people back from the past.
Or so she hoped.
no subject
When she was-- to some degree-- certain that the room was safe, she appeared, almost like the ghost that was her unit type's namesake, over Harriet's shoulder. "Getting what we need?"
no subject
She was typing neatly while she spoke. "Unfortunately, they didn't know how to use it." The screen flashed once, then brought up a search screen, and Harriet kept typing. "Every password and security access code they created, stays. They can't delete them. They really weren't very competent."
no subject
"Very well."
Kerrigan let go of her grip on the rifle, her breathing slowing slightly. "So what are we looking for?" Pause. "You think they've got that?"
no subject
"We have people as far back as 1899. We need some way to bring them safely through to 2008, that doesn't involve them being one hundred and nine years older. And these," another quick tap of keys, and a hidden printer coughed once, and spat out a piece of paper, "are possibilities to check."
She stood and ripped it in half, offering a piece to Kerrigan.
no subject
There went the good part of this mission. Somewhat as a nervous move, Kerrigan pushed her visor further up on her head as she took the list, her eyes skimming over it at some speed.
"Magpie is one way of putting it," she said, and whistled low.
no subject
And she headed off, climbing the stairs to the upper row and beginning her search.
no subject
And then she was after Harriet, climbing the stairs with nimble grace. She got to work.
Grouchingly so.
no subject
"Right," she muttered, "What's next. Item 96-ATX-a1. They couldn't have given it a name?"
It was on the bottom shelf on the lower floor, and she surrendered dignity completely and sat on the floor to struggle with the box. "Hartdegen Dossier, dated 1906. That does not sound promising."
But she opened it and began to read. And kept reading. And finally called out, "Lieutenant?" in a voice that shook only a little.
no subject
A few floors up, Kerrigan was about to put her own head through one of the shelves. She figured it wouldn't just make her feel better, it'd be more effective, to--
But at that, she was down a few flights of stairs and at Harriet's side, the picture of professionalism. "Did you find it?" Whatever 'it' was.
no subject
She looked up and fumbled in the box, drawing out several rolls of thin paper, which resembled parchment more than they did modern paper.
"--Apparently he did so with the intention of turning into something else. Of turning it into...I have no idea. There isn't enough detail here."
no subject
Kerrigan was squatting before Harriet could as much as give a response. "It's crude," she continued. "Very, very crude. Christ. It's a miracle anyone could work with anything in this time period..."
no subject
no subject
She glanced at the plans. "You need something that puts you on pause. A stasis machine. Like that."
no subject
no subject
no subject
But they could spend the rest of their lives, looking for the slightly better option.
This should work. This would work. And she had a lot of practice making the hard decision.
"We're taking these," she said as she got awkwardly to her feet. "The dossier and the plans and we're going back to Fandom. Now."
no subject
And like that, Kerrigan was back in Ghost mode, visor up to her eyes and sliding smoothly back down to the door.
It wouldn't take them long to break out of the facility.
Not long at all.