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Post by JDrew25 on Apr 13, 2017 13:11:21 GMT -5
"Blake! Hey, I'm so sorry I didn't have a chance to call earlier. I know I can't tell you a lot, but for the next month I'm going to be out of contact. I have...something special going on, and when I get back I'll be able to tell you a little more. I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't worry. Have you heard from the others? How are they doing?"
Ashley felt like she was talking a mile a minute, but she was a combination of nerves, and in a hurry as she was heading towards the armory. She knew she wasn't far away, and that if she wanted to finish this conversation before she got there, that they was going to have to be in a bit of a rush.
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Post by Dragnoxz on Apr 13, 2017 15:34:00 GMT -5
"Is it that big one ? You know, the month endurance that Collins couldn't make it to ?" The phone paused for a moment. "Holy s*** ! Did you make it to the last phase of SPOND !?" He sounded surprised, worried and happy at the same time. "DON'T f**kING DIE, DAMMIT." He must have heard the rumors by Collins. Something about dying to pass.
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Post by JDrew25 on Apr 14, 2017 7:59:39 GMT -5
"I did, and I won't. I'm at the last phase. I don't know if I will be able to contact you or not, but if I can, I'll at least let you know I'm alive. Just to keep you from worrying. And...you'll tell everyone else right?"
Ashley didn't want to have Pax and the others worrying about her. Sure, she had seen them recently but being gone for a month was going to cause a lot of concern, especially if they started grilling Collins about what happened during his experiences. She got a visual of Stark and Blake tearing apart the countryside, calling her name and trying to find her. She admitted to herself that the idea didn't make her mad. It was kind of a turn on.
She shook the mental image of a shirtless Blake carrying her off into the sunset as she made her way down the hall, the armory looming ahead.
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Post by Dragnoxz on Apr 14, 2017 23:31:55 GMT -5
The armory was the usually weapons hanger setup. There were booths and personnel checking and maintaining weapons, a machine shop, munitions stockpile and racks of various weapons. Her assigned weapons were at a SPOND Training booth. There are mostly bladed weapons, special attachments, including urine bladder side bags, which were explained in training that in combat, there sometimes is no time to wait, especially when hiding or infiltrating. There is a momentum stick, which it says on the label. It looks interesting, but unfamiliar. There are posters of how to properly decend stares at high speed, showing sideways foot positions, rather than normal foot placements. A video is shown of it in action. There are reminder clips on a loop to check blade positions, stances, hand to hand combat, pressure points on human and animals, including bears. Bear warnings are displayed, proper visor usage reminders, etc. Another unfamiliar item shown are proximity detonating bullets. (Videos are on loops).
You are at the armory. It is too loud to hear Blake reply.
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Post by JDrew25 on Apr 19, 2017 8:08:35 GMT -5
"Damn. Sorry Blake. I just got here, it's super loud. Can you text me what you said? I've got to go. I'll check in with you as soon as I can, okay?"
Ashley reluctantly hung up, making her way into the armory and finally realizing this was the first step on the way to her long journey's end. She was ready, as prepared as she was going to be. It was time to make that last dash.
"Alright, I'm here. Let's get equipped and back to the hangar."
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Post by Dragnoxz on Apr 19, 2017 21:00:27 GMT -5
A text chimes from Blake: "B careful collins dnt pass. Almst died." The text is typical of grammar errors in texts.
An alarm sounds. A computer voice speaks. "SPOND, report to designated deployment hanger." Your ear device vibrates as if sound is transmitting, like someone's trying to talk through it. It is not in your ear.
When you put the ear piece to your ear, A woman's voice is speaking. You can tell it's your mentor. "Ashley. Ashley ! Respond."
You get a sense of urgency in her voice. You feel a sense of urgency. Then you realize someone increased your alertness with adrenaline remotely.
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Post by JDrew25 on Apr 26, 2017 15:31:19 GMT -5
Ashley's fingers flew over the keypad on her phone, replying faster than she thought possible as her adrenaline kicked into overdrive.
Alarms. I'll let you know what's going on as soon as I can. I'll be safe, I promise. Check on Tommy for me okay?
"I'm here. I just got to the armoury, what's the emergency?"
She didn't know if this was a drill, or if it was an actual emergency. She supposed it didn't matter, either way she needed to respond as if it was a real threat. She went to the person manning the armory, needing to get her equipment and report in. Whatever was going on, it sounded like it was important.
"I need my equipment."
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Post by Dragnoxz on Apr 26, 2017 22:04:35 GMT -5
"Get your equipment. Get to the runway, get on board the C-130. I'll contact you en-route." You remember that it would be announced that it is not a drill if it was a real situation, but regardless, it should be taken as the real deal. Your personal device is buzzing, alerting you that you have less than seven minutes to get to the craft. The SAM Kill Zone will be off line for only 24 more minutes, as indicated. Once reactivated, all aircraft will be shot down. An instructor explained the airspace is the most heavily defended in the world, with state-of-the-art anti-aircraft automation technology. "Report to me once on board. Out."<br>
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Post by JDrew25 on Apr 27, 2017 8:05:48 GMT -5
Ashley nodded, then realized the person on the other end wouldn't see that. Once the line had been cut, she handed over her SPOND identification and received her equipment. Quickly getting on her armor, weapons and pack, she sprinted back to where she knew the hangar was. Meters flew under her feet as the adrenal boosts made her much faster, her lungs not heaving for air as she sped down the halls to her destination.
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Post by Dragnoxz on Apr 27, 2017 12:33:31 GMT -5
You nearly run down stares, just like how it was explained in training how to do for high speed stare descending, to get to the airfield. There is a C-130 turning to face takeoff position. Your ear piece sounds of soft static before words transmit. "Let's go. I'm leaving." As yo hear the words, the engines of the C-130 intensify, its flaps lower. The back is closed, but there is a door on the back side that is open, and a crew member stands there waving at you, flashing a light. The plane is stopped still, but you know from training videos, when the pilot releases the breaks, there will be no catching up.
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Post by JDrew25 on May 5, 2017 11:52:26 GMT -5
Ashley put her head and down and ran as fast as she could, glad for the boosted speed from her adrenaline rush and her athletic training. She felt her footsteps on the tarmac as she closed the distance, trying to reach the crew member at the door. He was waving his hand, and she had to reach right at the last moment to grasp his arm. The sound of the planes engines drowned out what he had said to her, but she hoisted herself in, and then watched as he closed the door, muffling the sound of the idle engines.
"Oh...Oh wow I didn't think I was going to make it. What did you say?"
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Post by Dragnoxz on May 6, 2017 2:39:37 GMT -5
He pulls at you to follow him. He pulls down a mesh seat that he pats to indicate for you to sit. There is a seat belt. Before you get to the seat, you feel the nose of the plane lift. Your mentor speaks to you. "Ash- you're name is 'Sierra Tango' for this op. Serra Tango, this is 'Sierra Echo.' Testing. Do you read ?" The tail door opens, and you see the rivers and geound to the right side, and the sky to the left side, indicating that the aircraft is turning sharp. Then, your stomach drops and you become much heavier than normal. Sand and debris rolls to the back of the plane, and then all you see out the back is the ground. "Ash ? Do you hear me ?"
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Post by JDrew25 on May 8, 2017 15:33:20 GMT -5
"Copy, Sierra-Tango is reading you clearly. So...what information do we have about the op?"
Ashley felt her stomach lurch as the plane accelerated, the g-forces pulling on her body. This was something she didn't have a lot of experience with, but she wasn't going to get airsick, not on her first time out. She was going to make it through this part. She could make it through her training as well. She just had to remember her training and think on her feet.
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Post by Dragnoxz on May 9, 2017 0:00:57 GMT -5
Sierra Echo (Mentor): "This is all. Making sure connection is strong. Make sure to suit up before you jump. You won't have a parachute on this jump. Just like Out !"
The connection is clear. The ground is spectacular, and the aircraft climbs to about 32,000 feet.
"Sierra Tango. Your jump point is 27 minutes away. Suit up, with the wing-suit, proper masks and uniform. At the JZ, all you do is jump out of the plane. Make sure your helmet visor on before. The HUD will direct you to your LZ. Save, and don't use your parachute on this jump. Just before the landing, dive to gain speed, then pull up. Skip on the lake using your belly. You will be ok, the downward impact won't be hard if you do it right. I will brief you on your mission once you reach shore."
The good thing is, the equipment is waterproof. The suit is insulated with all weather capabilities. The specs are tested in simulated atmospheres similar to mars, according to the books from training. You are trained on the capabilities of the wing-suit, and trained in controlled simulators for the stunt expected to be performed for real.
Load Master: "When the light turns green, run out the back as fast as you can !" He gives you a thumbs up. "Good luck !"
After several minutes, the light turns.
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Post by JDrew25 on May 17, 2017 13:14:50 GMT -5
Ashley didn't need any help with her adrenaline this time. She could feel it running through her body as she waited for the light to turn green. A few years ago, if someone had told her she was going to run out the back of a plane and parachute, waiting until she was about to impact with the ground, she would have told them they were crazy.
When the light turned green, that was exactly what she did. She had a manic grin on her face as she ran, propelling herself out the back with as much force as she could muster, the wind whipping at her hair and face as she plummeted back towards Earth, the plane becoming smaller as it left her behind on its journey back home.
As the ground grew close, she saw she was going to make her landing on what looked to be a lake. Perfect, and as she was instructed, she changed her trajectory and came in on a glide, bouncing off the shimmering surface of the water a few times before finally splashing in the water, her ride coming to a sudden stop. She sputtered and splashed for a few moments, finally getting her bearings and heading for the shore. Her body hurt, but she was surprisingly uninjured with the exception of a few bruises.
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