2023-10-09: Shared Resistance
- Cast: Seolla Schweizer, Rain Mikamura
- Where: Kabul
- Date: U.C. 0097 10 09
- Summary: A recovery operation after the conflict in Azadistan goes wrong - forcing Seolla and Rain to make a desperate escape.
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
...It was supposed to be a simple little followup. A retrieval of sensitive Mithril military hardware that was accidentally deposted in Azadistan following the incident of Minister Rachmoudi's abduction. Seolla had even known its location ahead of time, having fought there against Amalgam's mercenaries - she'd thought it'd be as simple as scouting and retrieval with Rain Mikamura's oversight.
...Instead...
From seemingly nowhere, a band of hired guns had swarmed from a seemingly derelict building and surrounded the pair by gunpoint. Their intent was clear - an attempt to extract a ransom from the Shuffle Alliance, and the two were quickly loaded into the back of a spare personnel carrier.
...It's been several quiet, tense hours, trying not to attract attention from the driver, trying desperately to communicate the situation. Glances out the window to the vast inhospitable desert - if they were to make an escape while being taken across the border into Helmajistan, it likely would've ended poorly. So...waiting until they were in a settled area, preferably under cover of nightfall.
They get their chance. On three, Seolla signals with a raise of her eyebrows, once the carrier's on a highway just outside of Kabul. Subtly shifting to get a little more comfortable, but positioning to really give the rear door the strongest kick she can give, right on cue with Rain's timing... One, two...!!
<Pose Tracker> Rain Mikamura has posed.
The benefit of Rain Mikamura being in on this is that she has several gadget-tricks up her sleeve that, generally, are not ones that people expect. Like say, a compact communicator, so that even if theirs is taken (which, this is a hostage situation, of course it was;) they still have a way.
Not that, generally, Rain Mikamura approves of the ~damsel in distress~ situation. Don't ask about the Devil Gundam.
Night time, a good highway... Not one to give away their cue, she does a non-verbal countdown where they both can both see, and on three, a white boot kicks out, and as a kinesthetic fighter in her robot, Rain has some good pressure behind it. The instant the door crashes open, she's gone, regardless of the truck moving or not; that foot comes down, she pivots, and launches herself backwards to land squarely on her back. Will this hurt? Yes. But can she turn it into a roll to scramble to her feet? Also yes.
"Move!" She barely has time to gasp out, before the Shuffle leader (question mark) is bolting towards people and buildings.
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
The back door busts open on cue - the APC's driver jolts awake, perhaps a little un-guarded from the long drive. Seolla doesn't give them the chance to even see them in the mirror - thankful that they appraised these doors as old and rickety enough to pull this off. (It helps that Seolla's stronger than they gave her credit for - even with her hands zip-tied together, she can put a lot of force into this.)
One deep breath. Seolla's done this before, enough times. The span between her rolling along (a strain on her somewhat recent, though decently recovered injury) and being back on her feet is remarkably fast. Normally she'd be up before Rain, but...she's not at 100%, so it's pretty equally timed. The sprinting towards safe cover is breathless- the more distance they can put between themselves and the Amalgam convoy as soon as possible, the better. So the pair run and run and run, weaving through residential blocks, cutting through gardens, not stopping until one or the other can't anymore.
They make it, thankfully, to a denser spot of the old town, full of crowds of late night shoppers - and in a little hook-shaped alley, Seolla finally gives out herself, sinking down the wall breathlessly, head tilted up at Rain between each staggered gasp.
"Haah...haaaaah....it...it'll be...tough for them...to find us here...hoooo...hooo...hoooouuu. ...Did you catch sight of where we might happen to be? It was a real long drive, and I don't recognize the language on any of the signs...gaaaah...fuuu..." Sweat dripping down the side of her face, Seolla starts somewhat messily grinding the zip-ties on a nearby corner of masonry, then on a seemingly rusted away edge of pipe. This also isn't her first time getting out of this sort of jam...
"...Are...Are you okay, Rain? ...I wasn't at my best, so I'm glad I could keep up. Ugh...this went real bad, real fast..."
<Pose Tracker> Rain Mikamura has posed.
Rain, while involved in many things, is not quite as hands on as she has been lately. Indeed, by the time they manage to reach the hook-shapped alley, she's just as blown out as Seolla is, and wincing a bit. Her heels aren't crazy, but they are heels, not running shoes, and rather than anser the other womanshe just stands with her hands on her knees, quietly wheezing as she breathes in and out.
Once recovered, she staggers over, her ziptied hands struggling in her pocket before she manages to get something out. setting up her little compact in a specific way that she can see anyone coming from the blind spot, before flopping down against the wall herself.
"Okay... next time... pack... pair of sneakers." She wheezes out. "Hoo... I'm not... sure but we can't be... too far out from the initial mission point, so... my guess would be likely Helmajistan, since it's been mostly... huu... desert, or more towards north Africa, heading towards the ... Red Sea, but ... I'm fairly sure we're more west than we were."
"Yeah, I'm fine... just... not great wrist strength, so help, please, when you get your own hands free?"
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
*Snap*, sounds Seolla finally working her hands free, with only a little bit of bleeding along her arms, wincing at the hope that it won't get infected just from that. Brusque and straightforwardly, Seolla draws out a knife from a hip pocket and cuts Rain free in quick motion, with a long sigh of relief that they're not in any peril - though there's certainly likely to be some record of two hand-bound strangers sprinting through Kabul's streets.
"Are you good there, Rain? ...I think we...might need to find somewhere to hide for the night. Tch. I was pretty poorly equipped really - only navigation aid I had was back where we landed. You got a GPS of any kind? Maybe we have safehouses in this area, but..."
With an arm sort of 'shielding' Rain instinctively, Seolla cautiously peeks out into the main road, leery and observant, not spotting any immediate suspicious pursuers. "If it's too far from our specific location, a hotel and some sorta disguises will be helpful. Nnn."
"...N...not just yet. I'm really...really exhausted, and I don't see anyone looking for us. ...Rain, I'm...sorry. It was...my job to be on the lookout, and I somehow failed to spot them waiting for us...gh..." A downcast look in Seolla's eyes - she doesn't seem to be able to bring herself to look Rain face to face...
<Pose Tracker> Rain Mikamura has posed.
"Seolla."
Rubbing her wrists with the opposite hand, Rain eventually manages to get herself to her feet, still breathing a bit heavily, however... Rain places a hand on the others arm, her eyes grave and understanding as she looks at her.
"I've been Domon's partner for years, remember?" she says. "... we know, sometimes, something's just going to happen. If it happens, when it happens, that's all on us, yes, but we don't take it out with angry words or anything. Instead, we just make ourselves together, stronger."
"That's what I need you to be with me, right now. Strong... to heed this advice: never let them take away your makeup." Rain picks up her compact, grinning at Seolla slightly as she opens up the special compartment that hides it - and lets her see the communicator. "Cover me for a moment?"
Stepping back into the corner, Rain hunkers down, pulling her jacket off to help muffle her voice. After a few minutes, she stands back up, putting it back on, compact going back into its' pocket. "Okay. I know where we are, roughly, and if my contact's right, we should have a safehouse nearby. We're near Kabul. We should make a quick pace, but not run - no need to drag even more attention to us, since we're going to be quite out of disguise."
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
Well, sternly calling Seolla's name helps.
Stiffening at attention and carefully applying a little antibacterial compound from her first aid kit to her arms, Seolla finally does manage to look Rain in the eyes, listening to her every word carefully. "...You're right. You're right. And. I've been through this too. ...Sorry. ...When things like this happened to me before, I'm used to...being a little culpable...for things going poorly for my partner..." A little grimace crosses Seolla's mouth, before she shakes her head, wiping away the sweat and grime with one sleeve.
A strange look enters Seolla then, when Rain pulls out a compact mirror - but she sees it Doing Communication Stuff and sighs in reassurance. "...What a weird little gadget...does it also do makeup stuff, or is it just a disguise...?" Seolla takes up a position firmly braced next to Rain, hunkered down but ready to leap up at a moment's notice...
And one arm can't help but hold on tight to Rain's shoulder, searching for just a bit of reassurance all the while. "...Kabul, huh. Mm. Not familiar - mm. Have I been here before? I kind of...it's a little familiar, but also like a lot of places..." Lips worrying together, she helps Rain to her feet - and starts navigating the crowded city streets, holding onto her senior's forearm tightly - almost a little painfully so.
"...the adrenaline's wearing off too...huuu, wherever we wind up, I do hope there's something to eat in there..." A loud stomach growl heralds Seolla's concern there...
You are empty-handed.
<Pose Tracker> Rain Mikamura has posed.
"It does, in fact, also do makeup stuff. It's a good mirror."
"... and if I have time to initilize them, my earrings are also flashbangs." Rain drops nonchalantly enough.
"I'm ... No, we're -both- culpable, you could have prepared better, so could I, and we've both probably gone through enough of these situations that we should have known better. So hand in hand, if I may be so blase and bold, are we both... somewhat idiots."
"Should be food, drink, sleep, disguises. Also, I cannot be one hundred percent sure, but I'm fairly sure if, not from this town, someone in the Shuffles -was- born here in this country." It's not unreasonable. There's quite a large group!
"Watch it..." Rain says, carefully edging the two through very hastily memorized and quickly given directions, to a random little house in a random little spot nowhere in particular. Her gaze goes over it, then she nods. "Back door, not front."
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
"...Might be worth getting those ready just in case - if we're gonna be holed up somewhere then I'd want anything in our arsenal to be on hand...Unless they're on a timer?" Seolla flashes a glance to both of Rain's earrings - just how many little tricks does Rain have up her sleeve? She looks down at her more utilitarian-clad self - weapons having been confiscated upon their kidnapping - leaving her with oh so little to her name besides brute martial strength.
She claps her own cheeks - back door, got it. The last hurdle before potential safety, away from prying eyes, and ideally somewhere to rest - the bags are starting to grow under Seolla's eyes after so long of being on high alert. She's been through worse...but.
With one last hasty scurry across the street and around to the rear door, Seolla turns the predictably locked doorknob and stiffens in worry - but, of course, the one little lifeline given to every Shuffle agent is just for moments like these. A key at a hidden little pouch strapped to one leg at all times is compatible with all of these safehouses, and with immense relief, Seolla manages to unlatch the knob, turning to either side to make sure nobody's spotted them - and ushering Rain inside with deep relief.
...It's not much inside - crates and seats and a coupld of cots, without any sort of windows. Really, it's more of a storage shed than anything, and its dusty haggard appearance would imply that it's a long-neglected building someone never bothered cleaning up. The crates don't even appear to have anything inside beyond rusty junk and dingy knick-knacks - but below that layer, there's a bundle of neatly-packed MREs and first aid equipment, and the nearby sink does dispense water - even with a tap to attach a shower head if needed.
"Ohhhhh thank god I had you with me, Rain...I'd have never found this place without you. ...Really just goes to show that...I gotta get my act in order on the kind of intel we rely on..." Worrying her lips together, Seolla unpacks an MRE, not even bothering to heat it up or realy prepare it, slumped onto a cot and chewing ravenously.
<Pose Tracker> Rain Mikamura has posed.
"I'll do so in the safehouse, I have to make sure they're primed." Rain affirms softly. She does note how Seolla braces herself and then paps her own cheeks. She subtly approves of the hype up, and follows her to the door. She also has her own safehouse key, but she allows Seolla to take care of it, and within a few minutes they are comfortably inside a... bit of a uncomfortable room.
The cots are comfortable enough, and she also glances through the box. Rain pulls out two MREs, starting both of them correctly. She's not going to say a word about Seolla digging into one; MREs come with some elements that don't need up heating. She does pull the first aid kit out of the box as stuff is heating up, turning on the tap to start the water back up in case it runs a bit gross at first.
"Injuries?" She asks, briskly. "Scrapes should be clean and anointed, anything major we should wrap. No turned ankles or bad landings from the bail out?" She does ask, in concern of broken bones. "Also here, eat one of these heated ones, we can split your original up as extra. This crate should have..." She digs in the other one and under the junk, unearths inflatable pillows and emergency blankets. "Yes. Restful items. Although I sort of want a shower." She admits. "Last crate should be relevant disguises, or at least outfit adjustments. My suggestion is we settle down for a few hours, eat, rest, change, and then bail. My contact is going to facilitate pick up for us." A pause.
"Oh dear. I've forgotten - did we end up picking up what we came for, did that get taken?"
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
Part of Seolla wants to tough it out, to grit her teeth at the scuffs and scrapes she's gotten, like she's used to when these operations go south, but- even she knows that's irresponsible, and starts self-inspecting, rolling up sleeves and pant legs, fingers examining her own surface for anywhere it hurts. "Nothing's broken - how about you? But I do have some cuts and abrasions here and there...nothing I can't take care of."
A few medicated pads and bandages across her calf, one shoulder, and right around the side of her waist later. "A shower, right - yeah, that'd be good for both of us. Can't imagine the water's that great, but it's better than nothing. Uhm, I'll help you out there-" Seolla rifles around for a tarp big enough to divide the room from the sink, sorta creating a makeshift private divider, along with, blessedly, a few bars of soap. The outfits are thankfully pretty local-appropriate, and, given the locality, very concealing and loose-fitting - though Seolla confirms that one red garment actually will fit on Rain. (Really, it's her own somewhat taller, stronger stature that may be trickier to fit into.)
"Oh, I - yeah I managed to stow that away, thankfully." Amidst the chaos, Seolla almost forgot about the thermos-looking canister she retrieved from the site way back west, strapped to her underarm, but it's still snug and secure, and she unscrews the lid to check on the components. She's lacking the tool it's supposed to plug into, but it seems intact, still...
"You go ahead and wash up first - on the off chance someone comes after us, I can hold them off for a little longer." Though she tries to lay across a cot and catch her breath, it's hard for Seolla to really breathe easier - every indication of passing footsteps from the quiet street beyond puts her on edge. ...It's hardly surprising that she goes back into the caches and gets herself set up with a little pistol pointed at the doorway, just in case. "...Rain, don't be alarmed if I shoot, I'm gonna detain them no matter what. In fact - if it's between the two of us, it's more important you escape. I'm not being fatalistic - you're just the bigger priority, being realistic. I'll leave the device by that sink, even."
<Pose Tracker> Rain Mikamura has posed.
"I'll shower then bandage. Won't hurt to clean." Rain grimaces.
Once the tarp is up and Rain has the water running as hot as she can manage, she steps behind it, giving both of them a bit of privacy. "Seolla..." A pause, then she hisses as the water hits the scrapes. "Okay, good, I'm glad you've kept it. Good thing it was so well hidden, as it were with that type of Thermos thing. Lord knows they probably just through it was a drink. Helps us out. We can just bail and we can consider this mostly successful."
"... however. Seolla, I know you say you're not fatalistic, but it sure as world sounds like it." Her voice goes a bit lower, softer, entering DOCTOR MODE. "I appreciate the kindness, but I'm naked and wet. You'll be out of here more easily, you know."
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
"I was - trying to say I'd give you time to - dry off and es- you know what that's not realistic anyway. Never mind. We're kind of still a bit screwed if we're found no matter what and what happens if someone barges in is kind of up to the moment to moment. Ugh." Bundling a scratchy, thin towel up to her face, Seolla hides her somewhat frustrated failed attempt to be ~tactically practical~ in a muffled little complaint.
"...Sounds like you're wincing a bit in there. Guess you got pretty banged up yourself, but still...you're a champion for running that much in heels, I couldn't ever. I guess you're the kinda girl who's used to getting around in those...the one time I ever wore them, I felt like I was on a tightrope the whole time. You're kinda built different, huh...?"
A long exhale, as Seolla refrains from her instinct to gulp down even more rations - who knows how long these safehouses go between being restocked? After a making a bit of a mess of the crates, and getting a moment to rest up enough to get back up, she starts tidying the place and packing up a few essentials. "...As soon as the pickup's here, I wanna be ready. I know it'll still be a couple of hours, but you never know...d-don't take too long in there, I know it's gotta feel like heaven getting to wash up, but it's kind of a luxury on our part to even do that." Fingers weaving together in anxiety...
<Pose Tracker> Rain Mikamura has posed.
"Not very well. I'm going to have to pad my ankles; they've either got, or are going to get, blisters." Rain admits. "They're fairly comfortable in the long run, but not in this type of situation. I said it earlier, and I say it again; the two of us didn't think this through. It's okay though, we've got it."
As Seolla mentions that they have limited time, she glances around the curtain. "Hey, I wore these all the way through the Gundam Fight. Of course I'm used to my shoes." She points out. "Also, I'm just about done." A pause. The water clicks off, and Rain reappears in a few more minutes, changed into the new red outfit, and with her stuff packed up into a nondescript bag. "Your turn if you'd like. Otherwise..." A glance in her hand, and Rain's communicator goes off. "... Aha. They'll have someone here in two hours. Just relax, okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Seolla Schweizer has posed.
"Easier said than done to relax...but if it's just two hours, I'm not too worried. Just gotta hold on for that long..." Seolla bites her thumb a little bit, preparing her deep blue disguise robe, bundling it up under one arm once Rain's all finished.
She said it was a luxury to wash like this - but she sure doesn't feel it once even the lukewarm water pours down. It clears away more than the dirt and grime - it reminds Seolla that she's not just living for survival, but living for the sake of life. Just because she didn't have to refresh like this, doesn't mean she didn't really, really need it right about now.
"...What got you into doing this kind of life, anyway, Rain? All this globetrotting and covert...stuff. ...I was sorta...pushed into it, you know, I didn't have much of a choice but to get good at it...but you seem like you did. And I wonder why." Seolla cuts the water off mid-sentence - and wiggles around with the distinct tenor of trying to dry off more like a dog, owing to the somewhat thin fabric they're using as towels. Matching with Rain as she steps from the tarp, Seolla diligently folds the divider away, shaking it free as much as she can of the water and dutifully stowing it back in the trunks, grateful to whoever keeps a lookout over this humble little shelter for all they've done.
To that end, Seolla isn't about to just let that go unknown - she writes a simple "Thank you. We needed all this. Please keep up the good work." on a scrap of cloth, tucking it in a cross-beam of a crate, and spends the next hour doing her best to take some semblance of a nap.
"...Alright...it's definitely for the best to...get some kinda rest. ...Wake me up when you get the buzz that they're here, I'm...ready to go as soon as..." Seolla can't even finish it - eyes glazing over and curling up on the cot until it's time to head out.
<Pose Tracker> Rain Mikamura has posed.
"Domon and the Gundam Fight." Rain says, succintly, to her question. "That's how. Just kept up with it."
While Seolla is settling her shower-things, Rain is bandaging up herself, mostly her feet from the looks of it, and adding extra padding to the heels of her boots. She does lay down with everything ready to go, and when Seolla comes out, Rain's tucked the device away somewhere for safety, and her earrings are glowing perhaps a bit brighter than they normally would.
"Rest, that's a doctor's order. I'll wake you up, you wake me up, that's the deal: no one gets left behind." She does give a thumbs up at the cloth writing though as she helps Seolla pack everything up. Rain-approved.
In about two hours, there's a specific knock on the door, along with a card slid under it, and Seolla is awoken as the two are ferried away to safety. Or Seolla can sleep; if Rain can manage, the younger girl is just scooped up entirely and carried to the waiting seat. Someone stays behind though to rekit out the supplies used, and will vanish into the night.