Private Subject: C-1ND3R

[Cinder]

Location: Undisclosed, Denon
Tag: Impulse

The man in a white coat loomed over her.

Like always, there was a syringe in his gloved hand. He held it up, so the needle glinted in the light, and a small spritz of liquid escaped as he tested it. These injections made her sleep.

They needed her to comply in order to run tests. And she rarely did, so they took away her choice in the matter. Today, however, they were off schedule by less than five minutes. But this precious time was just enough…

Cinder felt anger building up in her veins.

Not again.

As the man approached and reached for her arm, Cinder screamed. And when she screamed, glass beakers and test tubes shattered. The white-clad man stumbled, startled. It didn't take him long to recover – hit a red button –and lunge for her. Alarms sounded. Red lights flashed all around. Cinder reached – with what she could only describe as static – and made the console near him spark. The lights flashed as electricity arced – zapping him. He fell in a crumpled heap.

She tasted something metallic on her lips. Blood.

But the girl did not have a moment to waste. Her free hand released the restraints, finally freeing her arm and legs. She climbed off the table and looked around. This was the room they generally kept her in, it was fairly sparse -- save for the medical instruments. They took her down the hall to run their tests; it was a room that made her heart feel like it would explode... but she knew it was her destination. That's where the answers were. If there were any.

Footsteps in the hall made her pause.

Needless to say, they were not going to make this easy.

------​

As the lab descended into chaos, calls would go out for assistance.

Secure the subject known as C-1ND3R.

 

[Impulse]

​

ASSOCIATES: Binary | Cinder
LOCATION: -redacted-
TIME: -redacted-

“Just when I was thinking that we were going to get to enjoy those noodles too,” Pulse complained to Binary while climbing off his speeder bike. “Tell you I must have done something to mess up my cosmic karma or some bantha crap like that. You saw. I had the perfect bite on those chopsticks and bam the comms go off and we’re moving. Whatever this package is we’ve been sent to pick up had better be wor…...”

An explosion interrupted what Jackie was going to finish with, but it was likely Binary got the idea. Lights rained down from above them as the ringing in his ears gave way to the sound of aircraft approaching. They were close.

“Chit. This doesn’t look good. Got a line on who our new friends are?”

Were they even friends? Likely not. Pulse knew how these ops went, it was their competition. Anyone who was anyone heard about the bounty put out on whoever was going berserker mode inside the laboratory. No one really knew what went on inside. It was one of those places on Denon the smart people avoided, and wise ones did not even talk about. That must have made Pulse and Binary stupid fools, or desperate for credits.

A slug colliding with the duracrete pavement by Jackie’s foot got his attention quickly. Enhanced reflexes saw him pull a pistol out of its holster and return fire with a well placed shot. The shooter’s body fell to the ground with a thud.

“And they are close enough to shoot at us. I’m thinking we have better odds inside. They’ll pick us off from up there.”

He ran to the nearest door, hoping that Binary was already one step ahead of him. She had skills he lacked, especially when it came to working an interface. Sure, he could jack in and likely get the door open without too much difficulty, but Binary had speed and elegance about it. She was the best Pulse had ever laid eyes on in that regard.
​

 

[Binary]

Location: Undisclosed Lab | Denon

Tagging: Cinder | Impulse

There was something distinctive about the sound of a bullet whistling though, unlike any other sound in the galaxy. It was almost mesmerizing, at least until the slugs started hitting the ground around them, little splashes of lead bouncing up like droplet of rain as the woman threw herself behind a vehicle. Her head peered around the corner, dark eyes focusing on the men spread out above them, their guns lighting up as shot after shot poured into the road. The brunette pulled her head back just as a bullet bounced off the hood, ricocheting off into the darkness.

The woman's fingers brushed against the gun strapped to her hip, replaying the distances to cover before she nodded slowly. She hated the idea of cutting and running from a fight, of giving the gonks who had pulled a fast one on them a victory. Even giving them a temporary one stuck in her throat, she knew all too well what it would look like, how they'd crow but…it did get them where they needed to go. Besides, delicate fingers rested on her gun for a moment, unlike her partner she didn't have the range to cover the distance to their shooters without getting torn to pieces. But, then…they each brought different skills to the mix…like a good noodle dish.

Damn it…he was getting to her.

"If I give you a present do you promise to stop talking about those noodles, you're making me hungry all over again. And unlike someone I know, I didn't spend forever chasing the perfect mouthful. Seriously how did they not end up getting cold on you?"

Dark eyes glared at him for a moment before she shook her head, hunkering down as a chip duracrete flicked into the chassis of the speeder she'd taken cover behind.

"Right…inside, yeah. Good idea. Toss me your gun, I'll distract them while you get inside then you can return the favour…I'm pretty sure I can piggyback you onto their comms systems while we're here. Say…"

A mischievous grin spread over the woman's face as she peered up at Jackie, her eyes twinkling.

"Say, you wouldn't want to maybe tell them all about the recipe for a perfect bowl of noodles, or give them a review of your favourite place? Can you imagine their faces?"

 

[Cinder]

Location: Undisclosed, Denon
Tag: Impulse Binary

Cinder's bare feet had taken her down the long hallway.

And she'd left a trail of bodies in her wake.

Screens were cracked, control panels on the wall were blackened, and there were exposed wires still reaching for the dead men -- a mix of security personnel and scientists. For a short time, there'd been quiet. Only Cinder and her static.

Now, she sat at one of the big consoles housed in the research lab. Placing her palms flat on the screen, Cinder began to 'talk' to the machine. It was easy, this is what they'd trained her to do, after all. However, this particular machine had many safeguards in place. Secrets that it didn't want to give up. The display flickered, sifting through the data until it found what Cinder wanted: her file.

ACCESSING...

SUBJECT: C-1ND3R
A 15 Y.O Human Cyborg, female.

IMPLANTS:
CLASSIFIED
CLASSIFIED
CLASSIFIED...

RECORDS:
CLASSIFIED

A spot of blood appeared on the console's keys.

Cinder didn't even register that the flow of red was coming from her own nose. Even though she'd persuaded the console to give up its secrets, the information had been classified -- and she lacked the clearance level. Perhaps she shouldn't have killed everyone... It was too late now. Of course, she might be able to crack in, but that would take time. And time is something she did not have. Accessing the security monitors, Cinder saw that she was no longer alone here at the lab. Reinforcements had arrived.

Whoever these people were, they were armed.

Cinder brought a hand up to wipe her nose. There was certainly going to be more blood today. And not just hers.

 

[Impulse]

​

ASSOCIATES: Binary | Cinder
LOCATION: -redacted-
TIME: -redacted-

“A present, how thoughtful. Tell you what… we finish the mission and we’ll stop at Sakhet’s and I’ll buy.”

Pulse tossed his gun to Binary. She needed something better. Girl needed a gun with better range, but still compact enough to fit her smaller frame. He never understood how these petite women managed to get into mercenary work, but at the sametime the smaller ones usually were the more dangerous. It did not matter. Natsu had assumed they would work well together, and so far he was right.

He chuckled at her suggestion. A playful wink and nod was his only response to her suggestion. All he had to do was wait on her signal and…

“Noodles by Jackie Shaw! Place 3 to 4 oz pork fat in a medium pot with enough water to cover pork. Bring it to boil over medium high then cook pork belly 5 to 7 minutes or until fully cooked. Cut the pork fat into small chunks and place in a blender. Add 2 cups chicken stock and blend at high speed until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the pork fat and chicken stock mixture back to now-empty-pot with add in 2 cups dashi stock and 2 cups unsweetened soy milk. Stir and bring it to simmer over medium heat.”

Jackie held the door open for Binary, shutting it behind her when she got though. Hopefully he did not need to tell the woman to seal the entrances and put the place on lockdown.

“Bring a pot of water to boil for the noodles and toppings. Chop 1 green onion per serving. Slice a few black fungus into long thin strips. Prepare 1 to 2 slices of chashu by searing on a dry pan over high heat, torch or high broil for 3 to 5 minutes. When the water is boiling, blanch a handful of bean sprouts for 1 minute then remove from the water. Drain well and set aside. Next, blanch the black fungus for 1 minutes then remove from the water. Drain well and set aside. Finally, start cooking ramen noodles. Fresh or frozen will take only 2 minutes.”

“While noodles are cooking, add 3 to 4 tbsp tsuyu or chashu tare in a serving bowl. Carefully, pour 1 1/2 cup of broth we made earlier. Mix well. Drain cooked noodles well and add to bowl. Stir noodles to coat evenly with broth and arrange. Arrange toppings on top of noodles – beansprouts, black fungus, green onions, chashu and ramen egg. Lastly, to your taste, grate in a clove of garlic. This sharp spicy garlic will perfectly balance this thick rich broth.”

Once Pulse finished he turned. His eyes fell on the dead corpses, the mess which seemed to be strewn across the entire facility. Everyone was dead except… There was the sound of bare feet padding down the hallway. Jackie moved to the corner and leaned around to get a peek. That’s when he saw her… she could not have been more than 14 or 15 years old.

“Binary we have a problem… our package… isn’t a package.”
​

 

[Cinder]

Location: Undisclosed, Denon
Tag: Impulse , Binary

Cinder attempted to access the communications channel being used.

Her comm system played through various sounds: beeping, static – and a recipe for noodles? The teen tilted her head to the side, unable to comprehend what she was hearing.

However, she did understand the scene playing out on the security footage. A grainy holo-image of a man and woman entering the building. Cinder weighed her options. Wait here and definitely get captured or even killed. Or go to meet them and possibly gain the upper hand.

She traveled the corridors until she reached her destination.

Clad in a hospital gown, it was apparent that she likely belonged here in the lab. There was a stream of dried blood beneath her nose. She quickly took in her surroundings, noting the door panel and security camera above the pair. If needed, she could could at least make them spark of explode... giving her enough time to run. This man and woman, they seemed... an odd couple. The former was large and rough-looking, while the latter was svelte and pretty. And as she honed in on the lady, her eyes narrowed slightly... she's different.

"Who are you?" she asked, her tone wary. Her foot edged backwards slightly. "Are you here to hurt me?"

Needless to say, everything depended on their answer.

​

 

[Binary]

Location: Undisclosed | Denon

Tagging: Impulse | Cinder

A pale hand reached up, fingers closing around the grip of Impulse's blaster as Binary heard the man starting to recite the recipe to one of those confounded recipes he was always talking to Natsu about. The two men could spend hours, heads pressed together talking about different ingredients, different combinations of textures and if one brand of noodles was better than another. It really was enough to drive anyone to distraction and she actually liked the men. The brunette had spent hours listening to the two men talk about food, heads pressed together as they compared notes. She'd tried to be interested, to take part in the conversation but it was a discussion of experts. Watching them talk was…endearing but the brunette often found her attention wandering, drifting like a leaf on the winds of data. She couldn't begin to imagine how annoying it would be for someone who didn't actually like them.

Delicate fingers reached out to pluck the pistol out of the air, hunkering down behind the speeder as a fresh spray of blaster fire painted the ground around her, leaving the duracrete sidewalk pitting and smoking. She could just about make out the sound of laughter, jokes tossed around by the gang arrayed above her as she peeked her head around the corner, the barrel of her borrowed pistol emerging to snap a shot off before Binary was forced back into cover. The gun felt odd, heavier, that first shot whistling away into the darkness. The woman's fist tightened around the gun, trying to adjust for its weight, tracking her next shot, taking her time as one of the crew fell back clutching his face. She could see Jackie making his way to the door, wrestling it open as she slipped his blaster through her belt, taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes. Truth was, she didn't need to breathe, the oxygen in the air useless to her but there were some habits it was hard to get rid of and she desperately needed to psyche herself up. A head peered around from one corner of the speeder before Binary pulled her head back, fingers pressed against the duracrete as she launched herself to the side, legs coiling like springs against the ground, powering her forward into a spin. Long brown hair fluttered around her like a cloak as Binary's legs came up, pulling herself into a ball, rolling across the pavement and through the door to end up sprawled out on the floor.

Dark eyes stared at the ceiling for a moment as she groaned, her eyes glowing as she heard the door slam, reaching out to the systems in the air around her. It was like another sense as if she were holding out an invisible hand to manipulate the data that surrounded her, shaping it to her will. The door clicked, a shutter falling down into place as the building sealed itself moments before Impulse's warning. Binary's head tilted back for a moment to catch the figure staring at them as she froze like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Uhh…"

Very slowly she sat up, hands settling her clothes around her, smoothing down her hair as she slowly raised her hands.

"We're not here to hurt anyone…well apart from our friends outside."

 

[Impulse]

​

ASSOCIATES: Binary | Cinder
LOCATION: -redacted-
TIME: -redacted-

Their package was a girl, and she knew they were in the facility. The problem Impulse had with the situation was that everyone inside was dead save for the girl. Now she was asking if the pair were there to hurt her. Pulse shook his head in a desperate desire to not end up like the bodies strewn about the entire building.

Binary was quick to respond.

“Yeah,” Jackie added. “We would like to hurt them, because I am pretty sure they are here to hurt you.”

It was a straightforward answer, but one Pulse hoped would get the girl on their side. They needed her to trust them, so honest was the only way out of the predicament they were in.

“Also, we are here to get you out of this place. Our boss thinks you will be better off on your own than in the hands of some spy agency or whatever corporate conglomerate is doing this to you.”

Pulse looked to Binary for help. He did not speak teenage girl, and there was a loud thud at the door.

“And they are trying to break in. Got a better way out of here than through the guys that want to kill us?”
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