LOG-005.
"Gentlemen."
It'd be a lie to say that I didn't have a smug grin hidden beneath my helmet as I walked into the dilapidated motel, exchanging nods with a pair of 'disguised' grunts currently working the counter while the sound of an aero shuttle rapidly fleeing the scene slowly began to fade into the distance.
"Hup hup hup!"
The disguises mostly consisted of just putting on clothes over their uniforms of course, which didn't really work as far as I could tell, but no one besides me would be coming here tonight, and it made them happy so…whatever.
Regardless! My smug grin. My entirely justified smug grin.
Months of preparation, since the days I had been a mere Lieutenant. Resources procured. Intel bartered from other elements of the largely disorganised Gamma Legion. And so, so very many favours owed and called in from my coworkers.
Sure, Lovelace deciding to interject with an unexpected teamup had been…something I hadn't accounted for, and she'd managed to secure a promise out of me to sit beside her during the next leadership meeting (likely a calculated move dictated by our internal politics, perhaps she wanted to project strength to the others by daring to sit so close to me despite our widely known rivalry?) after I'd finally managed to escape both the aero shuttle and her killer grasp…
But the positives were greater than the negatives! Lovelace's insidious power plays could be countered, and my rescuing of the General had been good enough news that Lord Armageddon had been willing to leave me out of the next planned attack on the public, declaring that I'd earned myself a day off.
One that I'd had to request first before the three eyed demon had gotten the hint, of course.
Nonetheless, there'd be no puppy kicking, candy snatching activities for me. Something I couldn't help but chuckle to myself about as I strode deeper into the property I'd painstakingly procured for just this occasion, operating through a series of operatives and false identities in order to convert it into a makeshift headquarters.
With everything prepared, a decent amount of spare time and the latter half of my independent operation having succeeded, I finished my long walk through the motel's main hall, settling to a stop in front of a moldy looking door.
The number seven stared back at me, before I lifted a gauntlet and knocked twice, waiting.
Seconds later, the door was opened, the familiar form of one of my 'loyalists' staring back at me. Not too different from a regular Grunt, of course.
The main difference was that these footsoldiers bore my own personal colours rather than the traditional Gamma green, working hard during their breaks to conduct black operations directed by yours truly. Ones that the wider Legion didn't need to know of.
"Hello Seven, everything is prepared?"
"Hup hup."
"Excellent, tell the others that they can stand down for the moment. Take some time to relax, you've all been working overtime for my sake."
"Hup."
"Your loyalty is appreciated, old friend."
Allowing the Grunt to slip past me, I entered the room, closing the door behind me and locking it with a quiet click.
The sight of a bound and blindfolded old man tied to a chair in the middle of the repurposed motel room drew a quiet breath of bemusement from my lips, particularly at the variety of fancy knots keeping the rope binding him to his seat together.
"W-Who's there!? Let me go you devious rabblerouser!"
Chandelierra's work no doubt.
"Not quite yet, Doctor Korbin. I went to all the effort to get you here, after all…"
The man stiffened as I walked by, settling to a stop in front of a table covered in a variety of implements, from pliers to knives, and even a laser pistol.
"You…the human General."
Nodding to myself in mild surprise at his words, I reached for the implement all of my intel indicated would be sufficient to torture the information out of my captive, eyes narrowing behind my visor.
"Indeed. Curious that you've managed to figure that out where as others have failed, but I suppose they don't call you the Hero Genius for nothing. Does anyone else know yet?"
It was a genuine concern for the future, but judging by the slight tightening of my counterpart's expression...no. Either he'd only found out about my circumstances extremely recently, or he'd held off on telling anyone else yet. Good.
My fingers rubbed against the tool as the distance began to close between us.
"Ah, it's of no matter. Meanwhile, you are the man responsible for the vast majority of the Wardens' technological innovation. The mastermind behind the prison that once held the Legion. The creator of the badges. I have questions, Doctor Korbin. Questions about your technology."
The doctor did his best to lean as far away from me as he could while I slowly strode up to his side, which wasn't very far considering he was tied to a chair and all, but still.
"Y-You'll get nothing out of me, you rebellious ruffian! I'd never betray the Wardens! They'll save me, I know they will!"
My visor gleamed as I brought the diabolical implement close enough to brush against his exposed neck, his pale face and sweat soaked labcoat betraying his fear as the tip of it ran along clammy skin.
"Hehe-oh no-haha anything but that! Wait! WAIT!"
As the man's desperate chortles only began to escalate, I continued to mercilessly use the feather I'd procured against him, voice descending into a steady growl as I leaned forward.
"Your resolve is…or rather was, truly commendable, Doctor. But as you can see, I have ways of making people talk. Now, let's get to some of my questions…"
It was time to work. I needed answers before the Wardens inevitably found and rescued my hostage somehow, after all.
Probably with tons of explosions involved. Bleh.
—
"Fifty skullcoins says Lovelace doesn't manage to bag him this week."
Shellshock was having a good day. The boss' operation had gone exactly according to plan, and he'd done his part perfectly too! That meant rewards, because the boss always rewarded good work!
"Suckers bet normally! But word on the shadow forum says the pink one is planning to take matters into her own hands, supposedly she's got some serious earthling moolah riding on those two getting together! Hundred skullcoins on some Knightlace action in the coming days!"
Glancing up from the stolen poker table as Commander Kriller Shot slapped down several handfuls of the Legion's unofficial betting currency with his arm cannon, Shellshock looked around the betting room warily, locking gazes with a few other Commanders and Lieutenants before hastily pitching his own wager into the pool.
"S-Sixty skullcoins on her trying to seduce him during the next big meeting! I've got good info that they're gonna be sitting together!"
Sure, they were on the Animus, and the boss wasn't anywhere near the airship right now, but that was no reason to get careless about this kind of stuff. Harmless or not, the General would probably be more than a little unamused once he found out just how many folks were gambling on his love life.
"Oh heck yeah! Maybe she'll play footsie with him or something?! I'm gonna be drowning in winnings after this!"
Still, one couldn't really call themselves a true Gamma Legionnaire if they didn't partake in the organisation's top activity at least once, right?!