A Blast in the Past

[corragh]

[12:55] <Brad> The year was 2002. Terrorism was the major global concern, with new wars just starting in the Middle East. Creed's inexplicable popularity had finally started to wane, and a young Ray Romano was teaching the world how to laugh. In Venezuala, almost in the middle of the Bolivar provence, a facility had stood since the mid 1990s. Originally a small research outpost away from prying eyes and regulations of the U.S. government, the intervening decade had seen this particular branch of UniTech swell into an underground complex, tunnels bored into the earth like an ant's nest to accommodate more subjects, more labs, and more personnel. It's a quiet night in the past, stars shining over the small main building and helipad that comprises the surface of the Venezuela facility. Undeground, in the laybrinth of tunnels, holding chambers, and research pods, doctors, researchers, and security staff do their jobs with clockwork efficiency, and no moral boundaries keeping them in check.

[13:12] <Ahriman> Elsewhere in the world, a 9-year-old Hayden has no idea he's a mutant, or that a conspiracy theory the following year would alter him in lasting and terrible ways. It wasn't that Hayden that appeared many yards outside a remote facility somewhere between Bumfuck and 'you got a purdy mouth' in South America. It's an older Hayden, one that looked to be in his mid-40s; from nowhere, he appeared with a teenager clearly going for the delinquent look; a boy who, years later, would come to be known as Blip. "You wait here," Hayden instructed. "Just in case." The information was promising - extremely promising. But that was also the problem with it. The exterior security looked to be overly sparse, which - with the way Hayden figured it - meant that it was all just really well hidden. The facility held mutants, or at least one specifically, so it was probably equipped to handle them. But how many mutants were there, in any timeline, with his abilities? So.. he just strolled right on up.

[13:16] <Brad> A spotlight illuminates Hayden as he approaches the gate, and a voice echoes from a loudspeaker. "Halt. You are entering a restricted area, property of UniTech Pharmaceuticals and Development." Boilerplate security spiel. The voice coming through the loudspeaker almost sounds bored. "No trespassing." A few guards are visible from where Hayden is standing, each equipped with some kind of rifle, though they don't seem to be ballistic weapons of any kind.

[13:21] <Ahriman> Hayden keeps his eyes on those obvious guards, but continues his advance. Somewhere in that facility would be a pivotal key in his schemes. The Cobalt Hill mutants had taken one piece, but there was always another. If not in another place, then in another time. Like now! "I'm here for something specific," he said to the bored guards. "Someone specific. If you could just tell me where in this building they might be, I'll be in and out in a jiffy."

[13:23] <Brad> "Stay where you are." The loudspeaker intones, again, very bored sounding. It's been a slow night here at what some of them affectionately refer to as "The Cauldron". The spotlight follows his movement, and one of the guards unstraps his weapon from his back and brings it into his hands. "We are authorized to open fire if you do not comply." The loudspeaker drones out again, and the second guard prepares his weapon as well. Both of them appear to be some kind of energy weapons, not ballistic rifles. They're bulkier, more rounded, and as they're brought into position, they emit a loud, high-pitched whine as they prep for firing.

[13:32] <Ahriman> With a sigh, Hayden takes one step forward. The next step is placed behind one of those armed guards. One arm is reached around his neck, yanking back to bring him off balance. The other reaches down to the weapon. He turns himself, and the captured guard, to face the second guard. Hayden slips a finger over top the guard's in the trigger guard, and pulls once. There's a "YARG!" and then a thud as the guard hits the ground. He got off easy; the captured guard soon suffered from a broken neck.

[13:34] <Brad> "YARG!" says the guard, as pretty much every pain center in his brain flares to life when the weapon hits him. It's 'non-lethal', but when you get hit by one of those things, death would probably feel like a mercy. Immediately, an alarm goes out throughout the compound, red lights flashing and a klaxon blaring. Oddly though, there's not a flood of guards out from that main building, which looks very small and unobtrusive for the kind of facility this is supposed to be.

[13:55] <Ahriman> Very small and unobstrusive is good. That probably meant it wouldn't take him very long to find what he was after. Searching either guard was as fast as their takedown was; he even kept one of their ZORT guns to help the rest of the evening go smoother. He made for the closest entrance next, and using the guards' credentials, allowed himself inside. Hopefully their clearance would be good enough to get him where he needed to go. Where ever that was.

[13:58] <Brad> Inside that building, past the security gate and through the automated doors, there's a small lobby, with a scared looking receptionist. Judging by some markings on the floor and ceiling, there used to be walls, separate divisions, but it's all been knocked down. Now all that's there, a set of large steel elevators on the other end of the building. The only available button is down. Red lights strobe overhead, and the klaxon sounds seem to come from both outside, and from below. "Please don't hurt me!" Says the receptionist. Why do they even have a receptionist?

[14:58] <Ahriman> There's a moment where Hayden thinks to just ZORT the lady and wander around on his own until he finds the right area, and thus the right person. But maybe the receptionist could help. "Holding cells. Where are they?" He levels the weapon at the woman, his expression impassive as he waits for her answer.

[15:00] <Brad> "C-Containment level!" She squeaks out, shaking for her life. "Sublevel three! Please! Please just let me go! I just work here!" She looks like she's on the verge of tears, literally shaking like a leaf.

[15:03] <Ahriman> Having pressed the button as soon as he arrived at the elevators, the tell-tale 'ding' sounds and the doors pull open. "Many thanks. You've been very helpful." And then ZORT. Because it would just be bothersome to have someone following him, or alerting anyone. At least she wasn't dead, right? He likewise searched her for any possible credentials that might help get him where he needed to be - containment level, sublevel three. Then into the lift, and down he went.

[15:07] <Brad> The woman screams, but of course they're already alerted. Hidden cameras everywhere. A call goes out to the Cauldron security team. "Package is en-route, heading for the Nursery." The elevators go down, down, down, very deep below the surface until it reaches sublevel three. The receptionist hadn't lied. That's the containment level. The doors to the elevator slide open, revealing a long hallway that branches at the end in two directions, slightly curved. The entire complex seems to be circular, with the elevator at the center forming a hub from which the rest of it spokes outward. Oh, and of course there's four ZORT gun wielding guards waiting for him as soon as the doors open. "Gotcha." One of them has the gall to say.

[15:09] <@jimgroceries> oh thank god there's four guards they can handle this
[15:09] <Brad> (Yeah no sweat guys everybody go home, Jeff, Sherman, Hank and Rrrrrrrrrrroberto got this one covered.)

[15:13] <Ahriman> Each of those guards might as well have been wearing red shirts. Hayden gets the first shot off, but then is gone, without a care for who he hit - if he even hit one of them. He's moving down the hall in sections; one room after another checked and passed over. The information was proving useful, as far as finding where he needed to be now that he was in. It was worrying, but hopefully still worth it. But at last - the room he was looking for. He fired the ZORT gun at the door. Then kicked at it. Then tried the passkeys he'd gotten from the guards. Maybe he shoulda tried that first. He felt a little silly when that finally got the door swinging open - to an empty room?

[15:18] <Brad> As more guards scramble through and are dispatched by the seemingly unstoppable.. teleporter? No, sensors are picking up tachyon fluctuations, distortions that shouldn't exist. Something's different. As he works his way through the halls, another figure stalks him, dressed in a sleek black uniform, pale skinned, bald, keen black eyes fixed on their target as he keeps himself out of sight, not so stupid as to confront someone like this head on. That's what Shultz would have done, but Shultz... is no longer combat viable after Tokyo. It's a younger version of Conrad that watches Hayden, unscarred, less world weary, but at the same time much less alive. As the man pauses, and seems momentarily confused, why was he so interested in a cell that was being retrofitted into a maintenance closet? Odd. Conrad makes his move, dashing quickly, and thanks to the padded boots on his feet, very silently at the man's back. He lashes out, and with incredible speed and skill, plants the end of some kind of cattle prod at the base of Hayden's skull. Full voltage. Overkill, but he's taking no chances with the radio chatter he's hearing about this one. Protocol Black. Do not attempt capture. Run or exterminate.

[15:27] <Ahriman> Aaaand down he goes. Not even a "YARGH!" from the massive shock. Just a sudden tensing, and then darkness. The body crumples ungracefully, as a dead thing should. And that's the end of it, right? Hayden's meddling is done there? LOLNOPE! Conrad gets to enjoy the sneak attack for a few seconds, but then the downed body is gone, and Hayden is back. He's facing the buzzard this time, rubbing the back of his head. He's not rubbing at pain, but at the memory of it. "That's a nasty trick you have there," he said through clenched teeth, the man now seething. "But now that you know you're as impotent as the rest of your rent-a-squad. Tell me where Virginia Eddens is."

[15:29] <Brad> Young Conrad blinks, and then his eyes narrow. "Who in the name of hell is Virginia Eddens?" He asks, having no clue who, or what, this man is searching for. "Why did you come all the way here to break into a supply closet?"

[15:34] <Ahriman> Supply clos---that sonofabitch. "You son of a bitch." He accused past-Conrad. "Conrad Metzger. I still haven't forgotten about that dragon's breath round. You're only digging yourself deeper after this." He bent down to pick up the ZORT gun he dropped when he briefly died. "Well. This was a massive fucking waste of time." Double meaning, but Conrad wouldn't know that until 10 years later. Hayden wasn't there after that complaint. He reappeared at the elevators, just long enough to ZORT one of the still-confused guards, then to travel back up to the lobby. But once the doors opened there, he was gone entirely. Blip would be, too, after a second.

[15:37] <Brad> Conrad is too dumbfounded to do anything but to watch the man make his hasty, and seemingly very angry retreat. Shaking off the confusion, he immediately goes to confer with his superiors about what in the name of hell just happened, and review whatever data was collected in case whoever that guy is... why does he know my name?... decides to make another go.
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[15:38] <Brad> MEANWHILE, NOT IN THE YEAR 2002! Conrad is still in his office, waiting to see if... anything happens. Or if he'll even exist. Maybe Hayden didn't take the bait. Possibly he saw through it, had already checked UniTech in the past and knew theAAAAAAAAARGH! His thoughts are interrupted by a splitting headache, and his scream echoes through the security building before he promptly passes out on the floor of his office, totally K'd the F O as new memories forcibly assert themselves in his conscious mind.