Operation Freon IC [MT/PT/Closed]

[Gonswanza]

SIGN UP HERE!:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=526862

November 10th, 2022.

In the skies over Africa, our team of lucky operators is flying to the zone, chatting things up among each other, or dozing off, waiting for a landing after the long flight. Yet, the moments of peace are cut short by a sudden alarm, as an engine is blown out on their transport. That's followed by the sick sound of metal crunching and breaking away, before it all goes dark in a hellish mix of alarms, fire, and deep red light.

There's silence, of course...

... Until they wake up on a patch of dirt, near a sign posted in what seems like a rather odd place near a strange forest. A patch of dried up dirt, really, akin to the dusty towns of the wild west. When they look up to see the sign, however, it reads...

CLIFFSIDE
POPULATION: 21

A bit odd, really, but looking over at the town, it seems peaceful. Looking back away from the town, however, there's a long expanse of woods, while beyond the town it looks like a dire, barren wasteland. Well, aside from the odd cactus and the distant patches of forest, implying there's a river nearby.

The operators themselves are safe and sound, oddly enough, free of injury, thirst and hunger, alive and well... Just waking up from what felt like a hazy nightmare, only to be stuck in something far, far worse than they could possibly imagine.

Welcome, to Operation Freon.

[Gonswanza]

Miles wakes up with her face in the dirt, groaning as she came to, before rolling over on her back. Sure, she was supposed to be fucking dead, right near the wing when it exploded, but it seems she lived. Oddly enough. Yet her body did not want to wake up, so she was left there to her own devices, shielding her eyes from the midday sun, which was odd. When they were shot down, it was the dead of night. The hell happened?

She'd rise up to look over the place, seeing the others either rising to the occasion or just left there in the dirt, like dolls that were tossed around carelessly. Strange. But their gear was intact, with an empty case nearby that probably was meant to be full of supplies for the mission. Shame. Not like they'd need those useless LAWs, given this wasn't an SAR mission anymore. Or was it? Regardless, Miles rubs her eyes and gets on her feet slowly, coughing, before calling out to the others within earshot.

"Hey! Fuckers! Still alive? God... What the FUCK is this place?! Anyone know? Is this the AO? Or somewhere else?"

[Livonian Social Democratic Republic]

Nowak shakily stood up, clutching his G-36 as he began to check his equipment, quickly glancing at the photo of his son and stuffing it into his vest. He'd stumble for a minute, coughing the entire time as he muttered. His mind was racing, what had just happened? Where were they? Does anyone know we're here? Nowak coughed again, gripping his rifle tighter as he began to scan for the others. Nowak felt uneasy, something just didn't seem right, perhaps if he decided to listen to his gut for once he'd stay where the wreck was, but then again, it was all off. Nowak would end up calling out, "Vai tur ir vēl kāds? Vispār kāds?" He'd turn his head towards the forest, a hair stood up on the back of his neck. "This isn't right, none of this is." He thought to himself, pulling out a map and a marker, attempting to desperately figure out where the hell they were. Spotting Miles he'd ask, "Kur, pie velna, mēs esam?" standing up shakily as he began to hold out the map, pointing at it with the marker. Nowak would cough again, falling to his knees, taking a hot minute to get back on his feet. Again Nowak asked, "Vai jums ir kāda nojausma, kur mēs atrodamies?" shouldering his rifle as he made his way towards Miles.

[Neo-Western East Korea]

Rada awoke to a splitting headache and a rather strange sense that she should have been very, very dead considering the situation that had occurred on their shitty transport.

Checking her pockets for her ever-useful knives (still present), despite the awakening (or otherwise) bodies of those around her, she slowly stood up, frowning as she listened to….Mills? Miles? Whatever the hell her name was just randomly start screaming about wherever they had landed.
(This wasn’t helped by the fucking balt they brought with also starting to speak, but at least he wasn’t screaming.)

Getting her canteen out (everything was still in remarkable condition considering the circumstances), she took a sip of the clear liquid she had stored inside, and finally decided to speak up.

“I’m pretty sure the place we were going had a bigger fucking population than 21, so presumably we’ve landed somewhere else.”

Taking another sip, it was a minute before she continued.

“I say we wake up the rest and start scouting out this…… ‘Cliffside’, see if there are any natives.”

[Trans-Uralia]

Sergej, an Uralian operator with a poor grasp of English, is one of the first few to stand up and take in his surroundings after a nasty crash.

He first looks around and sees what's possibly the darkest forest he's ever seen. God knows what's in that forest or where the hell he is, but his first priority is making sure none of the team is dead or wounded. Sergej then turns back to see a few of the other operators either still blacked out or are just laying on the ground like corpses. He gives the ones still blacked out a few nudges with his boot, and help up the ones who had already awaken.

He doesn't say anything to answer the loud Gonswanzan woman or the Livonian, instead focusing on dusting himself off and sweeping the dirt off his old TOZ-194.

[GreatOceania]

Edward woke up in pain and covered in dirt and slowly getting up to avoid hurting himself he took a look around at the unfamiliar environment and seeing the other either still lying down in the dirt or were just getting up. The last thing he remembered was getting hit in the face with something and that’s about it looking around to see if he dropped anything his webbing and other crap was still on him.

The only thing he was missing was his Enfield rifle which thankfully was nearby he also noticed the familiar white silicone mask that forces a smile to whoever wears it. Getting up he walked on ver to grab his stuff picking up both the rifle android he mask noticing that it was damaged in the form of a crack above the left eye socket either way he put it on and check the rifle for any damage on the outside before pulling the bolt back for any internal damage none so far and push the bolt back into place while chambering a round and putting the safety on.

“ That''s the last' tim' I'm taking saul airlines to any plaiss by air” he said cursing out the plane he rode on.

[Atlantic Isles]

Tim came to with a jolt, spitting out a mouthful of dust and grit before sitting up and executing a hasty function check on his rifle. That done, he stood up and surveyed the area- remarkably, nobody seemed to be terribly injured. He trotted over to Miles, taking a swig from his canteen on the way. "We ought to get a couple groups going... one to pull security, one to start getting some supplies together, one to head over that way" he pointed toward the hamlet (if you could call it that) "and scout things out. We also gotta decide if we sit here and wait for rescue, push on to the objective, or try to pick our way back home. Any way you slice it it's gonna suck, but hey. We signed up for this." He looks over his kit, brushing bits of dirt off here and there, then racks a round into his rife and pistol. "Gonna stay at Condition One while we're out here, boss... ya never know what kinda critters are looking for us."

[Gonswanza]

Well, given they clearly weren't in Africa anymore... With no sign of the wreck nearby... Things were... Weird.

Miles rolls her eyes from the responses, checking herself again for any wounds, a quick pat-down to reveal that, somehow, her soul wasn't liberated from her body by metal. Or fire. Heck, what the hell even shot them down anyways? There's nothing in sight to infer that they were in hostile territory, plus the town nearby looked less like an African slum and more like a western shantytown. There was some stray gunfire that made her flinch and duck, but it was rather distant, coming from the forest which likely harbored things far worse than wandering bandits.

That said, after she collects herself, she responds rather sharply to the Livonian.

"-This shit ain't Africa, I can tell you that. Those trees don't look right, plus last I checked 'CLIFFSIDE' isn't anywhere in Africa."

She seemed to also direct that to the others, but Rada seemed to have the right idea in mind.

"Yea, let's go poke the locals, shall we? I'm certain they're human like us. Peh, probably better than rolling in the dirt here, wondering how the fuck we teleported from a doomed flight on shitfuck-air. Who the hell came up with THAT flight plan anyway?"

With that said, she whistles to the others to follow, before starting a slow walk to the town itself, checking her radio.

"As for rescue? We're out here alone, mate. Best to keep together or die alone. Screw this place, really. If we can figure out what the FUCK just happened and WHERE we are, we'll be safer. Check your GPS, the maps probably aren't right for this joint."

Seems the radio works, though the silence of no hostile comms or any comms at all was staggering. Not even a distress signal.

[Trans-Uralia]

Sergej turns And walks towards Miles, following her towards the Western shanty town.

As he and walks down the unpaved dirt path, his focus is dead set on the tree line to the right of the dusty road. His eyes are darting from tree to tree, as if he sees something. Whatever that something is, it has him freaked out enough.

He pumps his TOZ-194, as if preparing to send a 12 gauge into some poor soul. His stance noticeably changing into a combat ready position.

[GreatOceania]

Edward was busy taking guard as he overlooks the surrounding area taking note of anything that could be used for later before turning his head towards the forest where the distant gunfire was before grouping up with the others and replying to the Gonswanzan operator.

"hold what' do yau mean by that' yau're certain the locals are humans yau saying that' they aren't' ?" Edward said questioning Miles "I don't' know abaut' yau but' when someon' says that' they're "certain" abaut' something it either means we might' sei something we weren't' expecting or something bad might' happen also are yau sur' that' town over ther' is filled with peopl' and not' a ghost' town?"

[Neo-Western East Korea]

While she was admittedly slightly loathe to move further into the town, what with the gunshots seemingly unceasing, she had rather quickly begun following their current leader after putting her drink away and getting her rifle out.

Really, she had been wondering if things would remain relatively stable up until the Uralian had stopped in the middle of the bloody path and got ready for (bloody) violence.

While she didn’t take the safety off (yet), she decided not to ignore it as simple paranoia, and instead moved closer to Miles (better her than herself), before stopping and asking the Uralian a question.

“Did you see something?”

[Trans-Uralia]

Sergej points deep into dark forest, finger on the trigger of his shotgun

In the distance, a large dark figure with bright white eyes is standing behind a tree, seemingly staring at the group. “Я čтo-то там виžу..»” He says to the Korean in a hushed tone, eyes still on the figure.

[Atlantic Isles]

At Miles’ comments, Tim shrugs. “Fair enough.” He heaves his pack over his head and into his shoulders before adjusting his rifle and looking up at the sky, then following the rest of the squad into town. “Maybe we can use the stars to figure out a rough geographic region when they come out.” Peering out into the forest, he rests his hands on his plate carrier as he listens to the intermittent exchange of fire.

[GreatOceania]

"ah yes a bunch of stars will surely help us not' lik' ther''s a lot' mor' that' goes into that' mate" Edward said replying to Tim's suggestion he walked over to the Korean and Uralian operator seeing as they just stopped all of sudden looking at the forest nearby "What' the hell are yau holding up for? something spook yau lads? Let' me tak' a look" He said before opening a pouch on his webbing and pulling out a No.32 scope and mounting it onto the bracket on the rifle and screwing it into place once done he held it up to his eye and scanned the treeline.

"I bet' ther' isn't' anything aut' but' yaur mind playing-" he didn't finish his sentence as he saw what the other 2 operators looking and it spooked him greatly "Oh shit' I think we're in the sauthern Midwest' of America! what the hell is that thing?!" and started to panic to point where he turned off the safety of his rifle almost ready to fire upon that thing.

[Janpia]

After hours of laying unconscious like a sluggish cow on the ground, Yalana finally opens her eyes and brushed the dirt off her face. She was quite lucky given that she survived a plane crash and her hardware are somewhat intact. Feeling the ache in her back, she stands up and picked her SAR-5 rifle and brushed off any dirt sticking on it's charging handle and cover. She checked around her equipment, looking at the intact magazine pouch and first aid kit, before standing up and cleaning herself. Once she's finished, she looked around her surroundings, wondering why does the place looks like some cowboy town. At first, she thought that it is just a mirage or she's in some trance-like dream. But a quick glance and touch on the nearby structures are already enough to convince her of the truth.

"Coms, this is Smug-3. Identify"

She kept repeating those words while checking her radio and navigation device, hoping that the base can hear their SOS call. Though looking at her surroundings, seeing Sergej on a firing position and Rada investigating the entrance of the forest, she clipped her rifle away from safe mode and holds it tightly on her left hand.

[Neo-Western East Korea]

Well.

Fuck.

Considering that thing didn’t move towards them despite their… admittedly foolish act of simply standing and watching, she decided to make a move before IT did.

Immediately taking the safety off and pointing her gun at the thing (whatever the hell it was could be determined later), she made a “suggestion” to her compatriots.

“Considering the thing hasn’t attacked us yet, I suggest we fucking move AWAY from it before it gets over it’s shock(?) and does so.”

Immediately walking away from the spot of the confrontation (with her rifle still trained upon it, of course), she went over to speak with Miles.

“There’s something following us, likely some sort of animal(?), we need to start moving towards the hamlet faster.”

There wasn’t exactly desperation in her tone, but there was urgency.

[Gonswanza]

Of course, even with a gun pointed at it, the shadow creature wasn't going to wait. Instead, it took the eye contact as a challenge, quick to jump at the occasion as it soon splits and started to charge at them.

Now this turned from a simple mission of "let's see the town" to "fuck around and find out" with SEVERAL of the beasties lunging for them, darting over the dry soil from the woods with excited screeches and yips. Oh, did I mention it could split up? Yea. It can. They do look like wendigo, almost, but were far weaker and smaller, not to mention far more ambiguous, as Miles soon barks at the group, kneeling and turning to face the little fiends.

"Contact! On our three! Engage! Screw waiting, at this point, SHOOT THE FUCKERS!"

She's quick to fire off a rather ineffective round of 12 gauge 00 buck, though the pellets still wound one, drawing black blood that was more like a shadow. Shadows that bleed shadow. Isn't that a bit... Off? Regardless, seems like the walk to the town just drew several beasties to them, but grenades were well out of the picture, given the distance and how frail these shits seem.

That, and ammo is precious.

ENGAGE!

[Trans-Uralia]

Sergej was quick to start blowing large holes into the advancing creatures with 12 gauge.

Even as they start splitting into two, he eventually ran out of shells in the tube of his Shotgun. He slings his TOZ-194 while he wasn't being immediately attacked and took an AK-74 Bayonet out of it's sheathe, engaging the beasts in melee combat.
He was doing surprisingly well at first, stabbing them repeatedly and beating some of them to death with his fists. The situation quickly changed as more and more had begin to target him for his very poor choice.

Blood leaked from a few gashes all over his arms and face as he began to wrestle with one of the creatures. He tackles it, taking them both to the ground where he then adjusts his position to hold the beast in a headlock.
He puts the knife to the beast's neck and cuts through it like a piece of butcher meat. He does eventually somehow decapitate the beast he had in a headlock with a knife, the shadowy blood oozing onto the dirty path.

He gets back up and continues to fight the beasts seemingly within an inch of his life.

[Janpia]

"On arms!"

Yalana immediately dropped her NavRadio device and aimed her rifle at the little creatures. Getting a clear line of sight, she pulled the trigger and began unleashing a full automatic hell on the charging abominations, not even caring about ammo conservation as she fought to save herself and the people around her. Though seeing them closing in, she instantly straightened her bayonet lug, directed it at the approaching monsters, and began firing while standing by to stab and kill everything that approached. Her NavRadio device was also damaged throughout the chaos, with pieces being trampled on or moved around by her or the creatures. As she empties the ammunition on her magazine, she presses the mag release, but immediately crouches and points the bayonet up high, as a creature jumps over her and plunges itself into the bayonet. Black blood drips over Yalana's face, but it doesn't matter as she reloads another mag into her gun and pushes the body away

[Gonswanza]

Luckily for them, these creatures were rather frail, but vicious.

Even throwing down in hand to hand was a bit of a struggle, but the blades plunged into them would tear them away like paper, as rounds shredded them like cardboard targets. They didn't even seem to have bones (despite the antlers and solid form), gutting one would feel more like ripping into a water balloon.

Regardless, the slaughter was swift and brutal, as Miles gets another shot off into one, blowing a head wide open with black blood spilling upon the ground, watering it with the visceral fluids of these creatures, before drawing her bayonet to spear another in the eye, taking the chance to rip open it's face.

Pained cries of the creatures did draw attention from the town, with some scant rifle fire from the locals helping to cut down the creatures, even a salvo of pistol rounds to draw them into the town instead, though the group of beasties were being thinned out rather quickly. Modern or not, bullets were bullets. The poor creatures just didn't know when to retreat, instead being egged on by the violence, threatening to prey upon every last member of the group, though luckily nobody was left unconscious and easy prey to them.

[GreatOceania]

"Jesus christ' they wer' mor' of them hiding?!" Edward yelled before targeting one of those shadow creatures and firing a 7.7mm round at the shadow creature using the Mad Minute technique he was able to rebolt the rifle much quicker and was able to get a few more rounds out before fixing his bayonet to his rifle just in time as he swung his rifle towards the one that leaped towards him impaling itself on the bayonet where Edward pushed it to the ground where he pulled the bayonet out and did a few quick thrusts into the creature before slicing its throat before the same to another shadow creature.

"I say we start' running or els' we becom' worm food and ammo is too preciaus to los' yau know!" Edward yelled wiping the black blood off of him "man I hop' I don't' get' Aids from the blood that' wauld be really bad"

[Atlantic Isles]

Tim flipped his rifle to semi and started squeezing off quick bursts. “The fuck is this place?” he wondered aloud as he sent a round into the head of one of the… beings. “Glad they don’t have ranged weapons, at least.” He moved a few feet to a position that gave him a better angle and some cover to his back before moving a hand to switch the magnification of his optic, working now on the creatures further out. Ammo wasn’t a huge concern… yet. Regardless, he slowly became more deliberate with his trigger pulls, a singular focus on the task at hand coming over him. “Boss, I say we pull back to where we started. Gets us to a spot a little more in the open, we get some better angles and we can spread out more. Plus there didn’t seem to be as many back there. It’s either that or we clear this entire town and I don’t think that’s a risk we want to take. Up to you, but personally I’d rather fight in the open.”

[Russia18]

Yalena wakes up to gunfire and see her comrades shooting at what looks like shadow creatures. She feels for her weapons and gear to see that she has everything with her. She pulls out her AK-15 with the suppressor already attached, flips it to single shot and takes aim at the nearest creature she could see through her ACOG scope. She sights one in and fires one shot blowing the creature's head clean off its body. " Что, черт возьми, здесь происходит?" She hears herself speaking in her native tongue and switches to Russian accented English, " What the fuck is going here and what are these creatures attacking us?"

[Gonswanza]

"Seems like one of us set them off. Staring into their eyes, likely? I don't know!"

Miles plunges her blade into another one, ripping it in half from the chest up, before swinging around to knock down one of the last few creatures.

"-Look, we can break for the town now, since it seems like this could be the last of them. Better than dying here, of course!"

Well, she was right about that. The number of the creatures has been cut down to single digits, with only three remaining, rushing for the others after circling around. Out of reach of Miles, she didn't have much choice in the affair, given the creatures were darting far too fast for her to raise a weapon. Not that she could, with friendlies in the way.

Regardless, at least the first battle was over. The first of many, anyways, with the townsfolk slowly retreating back inside save for a few curious heads and kids poking out, even a few claws or two. But hey, they seem friendly! And human!

[Trans-Uralia]

Sergej gives an exhale once the battle was over, wiping the pitch black blood off his AK bayonet and onto his pants.

At this point he is still bleeding from multiple cuts and gashes across his arms and face but is seemingly ignoring it out of pride or complete unawareness.

He looks at the edge of the remarkably small town with a population of twenty one and begins making his way into the town at a light jog to avoid any further confrontation with whatever hell beasts he had just fought in melee combat.
He yells to the group "Идти со мноj!" while making it in the direction of the small town.