(no subject)

[tothecore]

Look alive, gentlemen! Clock is ticking.

Comments

[witharubycrown]

She's perched nearby, watching curiously. "I don't hear any clocks."

[tothecore]

"Because actual mechanical clocks give away your position."

He raises a digital stopwatch, something that looks heavy duty enough to be rated for dives and so he's never done a diving operation but you never know; RRTS goes all kinds of crazy places. The numbers count up, segments sliding around the slots.

[barclay]

"Sir!"

If Barclay looks nervous, well... he is. A lot. Not even in the Corps a whole year and here he is in an RRTS squad.

And yeah, this is just practice. Except that it's never just practice in the RRTS. He's heard stories about people getting shot by their own COs for screwing up in training ops.

[tothecore]

The kid must have either done something very right or pissed somebody off a hell of a lot; the turnaround the RRTS gets, they get the ones that are either the best of the best or nobody else wants, the disposables and the super soldiers. The COs take them and mold them, put them through hell then drag them to hell, over and over until they are the best of the best or fall by the wayside.

Sarge has seen a lot of nervous kids in his time with the Hellfighters. Some of them make it, some of them don't, and it's not always easy to tell right away. Sure, he's got a good feeling about this one, he's scrappy enough, at least, but he's been wrong before.

"I like your enthusiasm. New guy's got point. Take us through."

It's an easy mission, by their standards anyway. A small pocket of insurgents, a few civilian hostages holed up in a medical facility. Poorly funded, low-grade weapons. Capture the flag, effectively, just with slightly higher stakes. The insurgents are on their side really, another squad in costume, the hostages friends and family, the weapons essentially high-powered paintball guns; no live fire, at least not this time.

[witharubycrown]

Ruby seems to think that over, eventually nodding in agreement. "Valid point. I suppose you wouldn't often get deaf targets or whatever, right?" She shrugs, dropping down off the wall and landing with ease despite the ridiculously high stiletto heels on her feet.

[tothecore]

"Also useful for avoiding startling whatever wildlife's in range."

Granted, generally it's the squad causing problems, not the clocks, but still. They're getting into details, it's just as valid a concern.

"You do realize this area's off limits to civilians, I trust."

[witharubycrown]

Feigning shock, Ruby points over her shoulder, tilting her head to one side.

"Oh, so that's what that big sign meant by 'authorised personnel only'?" She flashes a grin, deadly glint to her eyes. "I'm not an idiot. I just don't care."