OT3-nanigans!

[phaselocknroll]

Comments

[stealwithit]

[ Uh-huh. Don't think she didn't see that giggle, Maya. She's onto you.

But, like a good sport, she sighs in defeat. ]

Fine, but only because you asked so nicely, dear.

[ And she joins them, pulling her omni-tool up as they continue on down the hallway, and in a moment she's patched through to their comm channel once more, the panicked responses of the mercs below clearly audible.

Shit, someone's coming through. Which one is it? Star-Prince and the Siren? Or Goto?

Dude, I'm pretty sure it's Lord-Star.

Uh... You guys. It's all three of them.

Fuck.

Well? Stop waffling about and go do your jobs, you idiots! That last voice is familiar, and distinctly salarian. And very clearly terrified.

Meanwhile, Kasumi shoots Peter an apologetic look. Poor Star-Lord. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ This sigh? This is the sigh of twenty years' worth of exasperation. It is a heavy, weighty, exhausted thing, like a cliffside being chipped away by the ocean.

No, just kidding, mostly it's annoyed.

It's why he takes it out on the door at the end of the hall by kicking it down. Unsurprisingly, they encounter no resistance once more. Tables line the walls, and stand in neat rows within the room, all of them holding experiments in various states of completion. Nothing worth stealing, as far as Peter can tell, but then again, his is an untrained eye, despite all the gadgets he typically uses.

There's a lift at the far end of the room, and a door at the far corner that ostensibly leads to an office. ]

We're heading down, right?

[phaselocknroll]

[ Poor Peter. Poor, poor unappreciated Peter. She gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. ]

I think so, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're all going to be waiting to blast us once those elevator doors open.

Kasumi, is there a vantage point I can use from the second floor to pick some people off? I have a sniper rifle in addition to my phaselock.

Then you and Peter can take the lift down and take care of the rest of the goons.

[stealwithit]

[ Kasumi pulls the schematics up again, and zooms in on the area where they are. ]

Good thinking.

[ Luckily, the doctor's office downstairs is large and open, as needed to house more equipment, experiments, and interns and the level where they are at the moment is almost like a loft, overlooking the space below. Kasumi points over to the far corner of the room after glancing at the schematics. ]

Right over there. It's pretty much a blind spot from downstairs, and you'd have plenty of cover just in case.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter frowns a little, glancing over at the space in question. Plenty of cover, like Kasumi noted, and that's a blessing -- but still. Quietly to Maya, ] -- Watch yourself, alright?

[phaselocknroll]

[ That... actually draws a surprisingly gentle smile from the Siren. She puts her hand on Peter's arm (sorry, Kasumi, they're having a moment), and says quietly in return, ] I'll be fine. Give em hell, Star-Lord.

[ She steps away, swapping her SMG for her sniper rifle ] Give me a few to start some chaos and then head down. I'll keep you covered.

[ With that, she makes her way over to the spot that Kasumi mentioned, propping her rifle up to overlook the railing and to the floor below. Looks like she was right, as most of the mercs are gathered around the elevator doors. They're all looking kind of antsy- clearly this was more than they signed up for. She almost feels bad for them.

Almost.

The crack of the sniper rifle is thunderous in the near-quiet, and her first victim drops, liberally splattering his comrades with bone fragment and brain tissue. Almost as one, they whirl around, trying to figure out where the shot came from, and Maya picks one near the middle of the crowd and pops him up in her phaselock.

Maya's phaselock has upgraded significantly since Kasumi last saw it, because the merc in question explodes in a flurry of elements- fire, slag, lightning and acid- and anyone standing too close does not fair well either.

Some one shouts, It's the Siren!, and Maya puts a bullet through his head for his troubles. That done, she gives Peter and Kasumi a little wave, telling them to go ahead. ]

[stealwithit]

[ Are lady boners a thing? Because Kasumi totally has one right now.

Anyway, she turns on her heel to make for the elevator when Maya gives them the signal, but she glances over her shoulder at Peter. ]

You sure you're okay leaving her? It's okay for you to say you'd rather be stuck in an elevator with your girlfriend, you know.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He makes a scoffing noise, then heads to the elevator himself, hitting the call button with the butt of his blaster. ]

And deprive you the chance to watch me work up close? Please, Goto, I might be an asshole but I'm not cruel.

[ The doors open, and he gestures for her to enter first. The elevator has doors on either side, and ostensibly the opposite doors will open once they've reached the lower floor. ]

[stealwithit]

Oh, you wish.

[ She takes his cue and enters, already taking the liberty of leaning against the wall because she knows they're going to be in for a long ride. Why are elevators always so slow? You'd think they'd have figured this crap out by now, but at least it gives her a few minutes to talk. Once the doors close behind him, she hits the key to take them down, and then folds her arms, her pistol tucked beneath one arm. ]

So. You guys are adorable. I have to say--I'm a little jealous? You guys are even having moments and everything.

[ Jealous of Peter or of Maya, who knows.. Either way, she says it with a light, joking tone. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. Peter's not typically the kind to get embarrassed, but he's toeing pretty dangerously close to that line at the moment. ]

Yeah, yeah. Get it out of your system now, Goto.

[stealwithit]

Get what out of my system?

[ She tilts her head. ]

That was it, really. That, and... I'm happy for you two. Seriously.

[ This is probably their odd version of a moment. Which Kasumi is of course going to ruin. ]

I bet she totally owns you in bed, though.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter nearly drops his fucking blaster oh my god Kasumi. ]

What the fuck, Goto?!

[stealwithit]

[ She laughs--that reaction was just too good. ]

Oh my god. She really does, doesn't she?

[nostalgiabomb]

Oh my god.

I am not talking about this with you.

[stealwithit]

Are you seriously embarrassed right now? You? Of all people?

You are in so deep.

[nostalgiabomb]

Dude. I am not embarrassed.

[ He's really not. But thank god he's wearing a helmet so she can't see the way the tips of his ears are reddening. ]

Just-- time and a place, man.

[stealwithit]

[ Totally unconvinced: ]

Uh-huh.

I bet you're totally red under that helmet.

[ #unstoppable ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Calmly, ]

Goto.

I have guns.

I am not afraid to use them.

[stealwithit]

I wouldn't, if I were you.

[ And then, with a smirk. ] Your girlfriend would miss me.

[nostalgiabomb]

I'll tell her they took you up to the countryside, where you could run around on a farm all day, picking locks and getting into mischief.

Then, I'll get her a puppy.

[stealwithit]

I'm a hundred times better than a puppy, but I guess that'll just remain a mystery to you both.

[ And, finally, the elevators come to a grinding halt. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ The nice thing about these stupid elevators is that even while they're slow as shit, they're also slow as hell to come to a stop.

... Wait, no, that sucks too. ]

I'll distract 'em while you do your ninja cloaky thing?

[stealwithit]

[ She grins. ]

Just my style. Assuming, of course, Maya hasn't already killed everyone by the time these doors open.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He nods. ]

Watch my back, then. [ A beat. ] But try not to get distracted.

[ The doors open at an abysmal pace, but once they part widely enough, Peter starts firing to more surprised shouts, blasts of flame and electricity sizzling in the air. ]

[phaselocknroll]

[ Maya has not, in fact, managed to kill them all, but she's thinned the crowd significantly. The whole room is in chaos- some of the mercs have tried to find cover of some kind, and Maya does her best to keep them pinned there, taking shots at anyone who pokes their head out.

If anyone gets too brave, she simply pops them up in her phaselock, watching with an amused grin as the rest of the mercs try to scramble away from the explosion of elements.

Which is just what's happening when the elevator doors open- the mercs flee from their hiding places and right into Peter's blaster fire.

Nice. ]