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Post by Evangeline on Feb 27, 2009 21:08:56 GMT -5
Cyrus and Rihanna also looked over and shared Jonathan's mirth. "The reputation of Gideon, or certain parts thereof, tends to precede him."
Arataki, having completed her lecture, rolled her eyes but said nothing to them directly other than reminder to put business before pleasure.
"This is the first time I'll have to wear hazmat gear." Ariana looked at the equipment with trepidation. "Radiation doesn't bother us so much, but we still can't inhale particles or risk contaminating others."
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Post by elizar on Feb 27, 2009 21:21:04 GMT -5
Jonathan chuckled. "Well, it seems that I may have been mistaken on going into the library." He leaned back. "We may spot something on the way that will spend our safe time limit completely."
"First time here also." Gideon said. "Last time, I just had to drop off and pick up a hunter. Neither of us were any worse afterwards."
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Post by Evangeline on Feb 27, 2009 21:44:22 GMT -5
Cyrus took the handouts and passed copies to Rihanna and Jonathan. "You wanna keep these with you for sure." The handouts included the exposure badges and sliding exposure table calculators made of sturdy cardboard. Rihanna waved to Gideon. "You just about ready?"
"I'm going to be backup and emergency evac, at least for today." Ariana said to Gideon. "Typical newbie work."
Arataki and Thorne were conferring at the front of the tent, then came down the wide aisle between the chairs for the humans. The CV Humvees and 4WD trucks were also issued eyeguards and filter masks. Thorne came up to Gideon and the humans.
"You'll be going to right to the nearest point to the library." the boss helo said. "I had to twist a dozen arms and call in every favor just to get clearance for THAT. Don't dally around any longer than you have to."
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Post by elizar on Feb 27, 2009 22:08:32 GMT -5
"I'll be the dropoff and pickup for the humans." Gideon said. Humans were more prone to the radiation due to their small size and being carbon-based lifeforms. "Limited exposure, but gotta wear the complete. He said as heading over to the tent where he would be 'dressed up' so to speak.
Miles looked at Thorne as he had said that they would end up close to the library. "So that means that if we don't run into anything major or interesting, we could actually get inside this trip?" He asked. He was young, this year he was twenty-two years old, but he was good at being independent enough. But he hadn't quite grown out of the more child or teenage habits. And being hopeful of actually getting to the objective was one of those. He had been doing this for three years now. His first hot zone. And the first time he would be able to hunt for actual Relics.
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Post by Evangeline on Feb 27, 2009 22:46:18 GMT -5
"That's the idea." The Sikorsky/Bell mix nodded. "I don't want us getting delayed counting every damned bone we come across - leave that up to the Doc's crew. Ariana will be dealing with them when she's not doing standby. I'll be scouting out further towards the Maryland border, as there were some ritzy neighborhoods in that direction. That area was just opened last week after levels were determined to be safe for day-long visits. My better half has already been there, keeping the wildcatters out of the jewels and silverware. Some surviving family have already made claims on certain sites, and we can give them priority for a percentage. But that's for later. Do the initial survey on the library and mark any areas of interest for tomorrow. That's about all you'll have time for."
Ariana waited while Gideon was fitted out with face shield and filter mask. She wasn't looking forward to having to wear the things all day, as they caused so much drag. But she couldn't help a smirk as she saw him all kitted up. "You look like something out of a monster movie."
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Post by elizar on Feb 27, 2009 22:58:40 GMT -5
"You will be glad to know I am not after your brains." Gideon smirked, though it couldn't be seen because of the filtration mask.
"I'm surprised we couldn't get to this sooner." Jonathan said, then shrugged. "I guess they don't want to get anyone killed, but still -" He and the humans went over quickly to don on their hazmat suits. Thorne had made it sound like he was doing them a favor. Jonathan felt that way anyway.
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Post by Evangeline on Feb 27, 2009 23:18:32 GMT -5
"I already knew that." Ariana winked. She paused as one of the company's support crew came up to fit a mask to her, adjust the fit and suction and then put the eyeshield over. "Now we're both ready for the fright flicks."
"We're on a tightrope as it is, with my wife and I so close together. We can't even show the slightest hint of anything that could indicate conflict of interest, for her or me." Thorne sighed. "But her unit was closest and it was either this or a six-month delay while the wildcatters come in and make merry, army be damned." He glanced over to where Gideon was going through final preps. "Good luck."
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Post by elizar on Feb 28, 2009 6:58:04 GMT -5
I hope she's not into roleplaying. Gideon thought as doing some of the pre-flight checks. "Too bad there is no casting agency nearby." He chuckled.
"I'm surprised that they figured it was a good idea to bring you all three here." Jonathan said. "I wonder, are they hoping that Arataki will help tame Gideon? Because it doesn't seem to be working. Heck, the girls are most of the time chasing him than the other way around."
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Post by Evangeline on Feb 28, 2009 15:56:18 GMT -5
"I was wondering that myself." Thorne sighed as Jennifer, the taurcat assistant, came up with a few memory sticks to give to her boss, which he accepted without audible comment. "He's thirty years old now, about time he thought about settling down. He's going to look pretty damned foolish doing this ten years from now."
"Oh, well." Ariana shrugged. "We get paid just the same." She raised her nose as her own crew came over. "Gotta get busy now."
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Post by elizar on Feb 28, 2009 16:57:11 GMT -5
"Maybe not quite foolish if the girls continue to come over to him." Jonathan said. "But he's far beyond a cougar bait now." He had donned on his hazmat suit over the course of the conversation. Someone checked the seals and the safety for him. "Time to go to a library." He said and waved to Thorne as he was heading towards Gideon, who was looking at Ariana as she rolled away to her crew.
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Post by Evangeline on Feb 28, 2009 19:38:51 GMT -5
"The library of last resort." Cyrus snickered as he buckled in beside Rihanna. The two were about as vivid a contrast in human phenotypes as it was possible to have. Rihanna Mullins was a natural redhead, with hair the shade of red gold and almost creamlike skin which had somehow evaded freckles. Cyrus Johnson was a self-described "Smokestack" with family roots branching from New Orleans and Nigeria. But presently, little of either could be seen through their hazmat gear. "I wonder if they have any good smut?"
Ariana was getting ready to lift off with Dr. Keenan and her helpers, and backups for the main crew.
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Post by elizar on Feb 28, 2009 20:02:51 GMT -5
"I doubt it." Jonathan said as he climbed aboard Gideon. "I would be more interested in the old books. The oldest printed hymnbook in the US was stored there. But look at this this way, after we've proven ourselves we can handle books and documents, we can go visit NARA facilities. There's even one in the city."
Gideon lifted off once his crew was inside and secured. "Alright, you know the drill. I'll leave you once you're clear. Emergency, it's Ariana who'll pick you up. Regular stuff, it will be me."
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Post by Evangeline on Feb 28, 2009 21:29:55 GMT -5
"Gotcha." Cyrus nodded. He looked out the cabin window to see that Arataki was also aloft. "Looks like your sis wants to play chaperone."
"NARA would be cool." Rihanna nodded. "Wonder what we could dig up in that place?"
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Post by elizar on Feb 28, 2009 21:38:42 GMT -5
Gideon rolled his eyes. "She's supposed to be scouting the Maryland borders now for any wildcatters. We don't want any to ruin your fun, do we?" He asked teasingly.
It didn't take him long to get to the predetermined drop-off zone. He touched down quickly and shut off his rotor so he wouldn't kick up too much dirt. "It's settled. Go out now." Gideon said as the dust had stopped twirling around.
Jonathan was the first one to open the cabin. He didn't open it fully but enough so that people could get out. No one wanted to get anything radioactive inside Gideon, even though it was just a hollow cabin.
Gideon waited until the team was clear before he started up the engine again. Now it was time for scrub-down and radioactive checks.
"We don't need to pay too much attention to our surroundings now." Jonathan said. "Our objective is to actually manage to do stuff inside the library instead of just poking our heads inside to see if there are still books there."
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Post by Evangeline on Feb 28, 2009 21:50:59 GMT -5
Rihanna and Cyrus wrestled their backpacks out of the cabin door's narrow crack. Their "burglar tools" included everything from lockpicks, compact torches and bolt cutters to axes, crowbars, jacks and even explosive charges and detonators. Rihanna was particularly good at picking locks and cracking old safes, and Cyrus was the expert at creative applications of brute force. They carried the gear over the rubble-strewn ground as Gideon lifted off again, looking up for a second or two as he ascended. Then, they turned their gaze to the big prize that loomed in its magnificent decay before them.
Arataki had gone off to her objective by now, checking to see that the perimeters of the DC area were being adequately secured and that there was no breach.
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