[Halo Gunslip]

The covering on the nacelle manifold gingerly slides open. Despite knowing the security protocols had been taken offline several moments ago, it was his nature to be cautious. Something which annoyed his mate for this jaunt and ended up getting him a metallic jab to the lower thigh; Babel’s way of telling Halo to move faster. ”Ok, ok, I’m moving, alright..!” Her synthesized voice hissed at him; he could feel the chill race down his spine. Babel was not a very patient woman, and he normally expected a certain degree of impetuousness from her in times like these however it was his belief that caution was superior to haste. The automated and internal defense systems might be offline, but there was still a small but very real human presence here.

People weren’t like machines; they couldn’t be turned on and off on a whim.

After Halo, a total of five other emerged, Babel being second after him. They exchanged no words with each other, as all fully understood their role and assigned duties for this undertaking. Halo reaches into a satchel producing several small electronic devices. These were divided among the peers present, himself claiming a total of four. All were instructed to handle them with care and respect…lest they ignite and kill them. They were bombs, and rather potent ones at that. Mishandling them would be a perilous endeavor.

They separated. Each man or woman heading in a prescribed direction, placing those disk-like explosives in precise locations along the way. The reactor was among the Megacity’s vital fixtures; it was designed to be able to withstand a battery of events and natural disasters; should the reactor fall, the entire city would go with it. Crippling the city’s power source called for precision and tact; simply hurling grenades at it haphazardly would accomplish nothing. Left alone with his cybernetic ally, he prepared to head out. ”Those guys got their jobs and we have ours; we’re paying the central power battery a little visit.”

Peeking around the corner first, he gestures to Babel before heading out.

[Babel Gideon]

The metal buckled under her grasp so irate was she at having to hide inside that conduit for so long… which was hardly ten minutes but to her, especially when the only thing you had to stare at was Halo’s backside, it was a lifetime. Her heavy metal feet thud against the steel floor of the room; while others received their armaments and filed out, Babel used her limited technopathic abilities to ensure they were not in danger of being compromised by a wandering maintenance man. By accessing the nearby security cameras she determined the best route for each teammate, as well as for herself and Halo. ”…The workers are mostly concentrated in the West and North sectors; take the Eastern route and you should be able to avoid them.” She instructed Halo who, as always, gave no argument.

He long ago learned debating with her was an endless ordeal.

Later, as they cautiously toured the halls, Babel would inquire of Halo. ”Did you bring the Lasik? We’ll need it to open the central battery’s casing.” But, of course that was a silly question and she knew it; Halo was never the sort to do things halfway. But, in truth the silence was getting to her. Maybe ol’ Halo was just…well….thinking. He did that, a lot; thinking. Seemed there wasn’t a single moment when he wasn’t wrapped in some deep, entwining line of thought. She often wondered if his train of thought ran on uranium. ”Didja hear me? Halo… do you have my Lasik arm? We’re gonna need it when we get to the reactor core… Halo!”

A metal hand swiped across his shoulder, attempting to stir him from his silent musings… or at least give her something to do.