The Morphics

[Dusty]

~~~~~~~~~~
2336 Hours
Yellow Stone National Park
7/25/11
~~~~~~~~~~

Higgins swung the SUV around on to one of the many gravel service roads that weaved through the national park. His eye's glued on the LCD screen mounted on the dashboard. Displayed on the screen was the thermal sensor view from a orbiting UAV. The thing that he was really interested was the fast moving blob heat that was ten miles out from them and moving fast. His concentration was only broken when he glanced to make sure it he wasn't about to drive the truck in a tree.

Behind him Jackson was sitting with a control unit for the UAV in his lap. The rest of the team sat in waiting as the SUV grew slowly closer to the mark. "Hey he's heading off the screen, try and get the angle back on him!" Higgins yelled as he swung the vehicle around a tight turn at fifty. Noting that the at least for the next few minutes the road of fairly straight he pulled out a GPS unit that was preprogrammed with a map of the park.

"This road leads to a manned fire watch tower. Looks like thats where our mark is headed, I hope that Ranger's awake," he said. The mark in question was a unregistered morphic who so far had kill four people in the park. The official story was a string of wild animal attacks, but alarm bells had gone off back at 2SMD when the autopsy reports came back. The bite and claw marks didn't match any animal in North America. The team had been on its tail for a week and half now, but with the wide wilderness it was ideal territory to evade them, until the UAV showed up.

[Brome Teks]

"Roger that," Jackson says. On his Control unit, he banks the UAV into a new path, bringing it into a holding pattern in the airspace near the fire watch tower. It held a circle about a mile in radius from the tower a couple thousand feet above the ground. Jackson trains it's sensors on the target. "Lock re-established."

He was currently sitting in his human form, the control console having been designed for such fingers. When the car turns, Jackson is caught unawares, and smacks his head into the side of the car while his seatbelt holds the rest of him in place. He takes a moment to rub the side of his head and focuses back on the control unit. "Yeah, Looks like he's headed for the fire tower. Think the watchman has a radio, so we could warn him?"

[Shade Leshyr]

Mitsuo held tight to his seat, "Next time we chase a runner, can we please bring something a little more open than the jeep? I feel like a sardine in a can in a microwave." Taking a deep breath, he tried not to focus on the memory of jagged metal that still came up each time he was in a vehicle like this. He thought for a moment before narrowing his eyes.

Looking up to where Higgins sat, Mitsuo asked, "You don't think he's gonna do something stupid, like take the ranger as a hostage, do you Sarge? I mean, it's a possibility, but would he really be dumb enough to do something like that?" Unsure of what else to say, Mitsuo sat back, centering himself as his adopted father had taught him to do.

[Buzzwolf]

"Shit, I almost feel sorry for the rangers, having to deal with the 'wild animal' reports, and then this shit" Mike glanced out the back window then down at his net gun, he was still in his human form, fitting the whole squad in the jeep in their Morph's would've been total and complete hell. "Any idea what this one is? or we just going on 'It's a feral...something' again?"

[Dusty]

"My guess? It's killed for people already, its not out for hostages its out for blood, and from the looks of those bite marks I'd say some sort of K-9," Russell muttered as glanced back at the monitor to make sure the contact was still there. He watched as the thermal marking slowed before reaching the edge of the clearing around the tower. "Where a mile out. Get ready, remember we got civilians in the area, no shifting unless you absolutely have too." The team sank into silence as the fire tower crept closer. This was their first mission, and first time in a combat situation together, something like this would make or break the team.

With a last glance at the screen Russell spotted the thermal blur leap out across the clearing and charge towards the fire tower. "Shit he's moving, hold on!" He yelled as he stomped the accelerator, trying to squeeze a few more miles per hour out of the engine." On screen the thermal signature reached the tower before it began to climb the steel support girders....

[Samantha Arrow]

Erosworn was up in the tower, doing his usual job. Mainly he was on the lookout for wildfires, he wasn't very close to the higher populated area of the park. But today was a little different, he had gotten a call that said there were reports of wolf attacks. He didn't believe them, wolves don't attack people despite popular opinion. But he didn't have a better explanation himself.

So today he had his rifle close at hand, listening carefully for screams which should be easier to hear than it would be to spot wolves. But as he was listening, he heard noises in an unexpected place. He heard a slight clanking noise on the supports of the watchtower. He would have dismissed it as wind shaking the tower slightly, or perhaps the tower was settling, but it was getting louder - or closer. "What the devil..." He grabbed his rifle and looked out the tower, trying to look down at the supports, but the angle was too sharp to see anything there. But the sound stopped anyway.

"That's strange..." He turned away from the window and found him facing a large anthropomorphic canine. He wasn't sure what to do, or say, could it understand him? "I don't want to hurt you..." He told it.

Apparently it didn't understand, or just didn't care because it charged at him. Erosworn was still a bit stunned just by the sight of it, so it caught him off guard - punching him in the stomach then quickly pushing him down onto the floor.

Now that he had learned the hard way this thing was dangerous he fumbled with his rifle, trying to try off the safety - he was still disoriented. When he got the safety off the creature jumped on top of him, be fore it completely landed on him he gave it a swift, hard gun-butt to the face. It yelped and rolled off of him.

Erosworn struggled to his feet, and readied to aim his rifle at the creature when suddenly extreme pain shot up through his leg. "Arrgh!!" He looked down and saw the creature had it's jaws locked around his leg. Before he could aim down to shot it the canine jerked backward roughly causeing him to fall down and the teeth to tear apart the skin on his leg - damn that thing could bite hard.

[Brome Teks]

Jackson pulls the UAV into a tighter circle around the fire watchtower as he watches helplessly as the creature attacks the ranger. "Aww crap, they're fighting. Step on it!" He sets his control console aside and loads up his gun and places it in it's holster.

"It's going to be a long climb up, And it may come down to attack us as we go up to it. If that happens, I suggest we make our way to the top or the ground, whichever's closer."

[MatthiasRat]

Mattiaz grimaced as he sat next to Jackson in the middle of the back as small as he could make himself, watching him guide the UAV. He tried to study the tower and idly suggested. "We can probably go up the steel girders too if we move fast. He shouldn't see us there."

Dominus tecum

[Shade Leshyr]

Mitsuo sighed as he readied his pistol, "Personally sir, I think it would take less time to subdue this guy if we all morphed, but you're the boss. Permission to go up first sir?" He sat, stupidly excited by the prospect of the first mission, but nervous as hell. Fighting a feral was going to be a pain in the ass without morphing, but Mitsuo wasn't about to disobey orders and hoped it wouldn't get drastic enough to actually morph.

[MatthiasRat]

Mattiaz reached into his fatigues, kissed a small medal and set it back within. He gripped his pistol tightly and grimaced as the tower approached quickly. Like always, the waiting and tension of going into battle never took as long as always dramatized. "Just waiting for your orders, sir. We'll take him out anyway you want." He glanced sympathetically at Mitsuo before fixing his eyes on the tower.

Dominus tecum

[Dusty]

Russell's heart froze as he watch the thermal signature vanish into the top of the tower. "Damn it we're out of time. Belay that last order. Mattiaz, grab the Thumper and those shocker rounds. Then scale that building, you can get up there a lot faster then we can. Rest of you bring your net guns, we'll get him as he's stunned," Russell ordered as he fish tailed the truck to a stop at the base of the tower. Before the SUV finished rocking he opened the door and rolled out with his Air powered net Launcher. He stacked up against the door and waited for the rest of the team to assemble and Mattiaz to start his climb.

((For reference, The Thumper: http://www.militarypictures.info/d/523-2/mgl-140.jpg. Stunner rounds would basically be a very large taser shot out of that xD))

[MatthiasRat]

"I'm on it!" Mattiaz quivered, the edges of his lips twitching as if his whiskers were there, and, slinging the thumper over his shoulder, jumped out of the SUV and onto the steel girders, moving quickly and lithely up along the tower's exterior, finding purchase easy. His eyes ever stayed on the cupola above ready for what lurked within. He'd be there in moments.

Dominus tecum

[Shade Leshyr]

Mitsuo jumped out of the SUV the moment he could do so, net gun in hand as he took a deep breath. He ran to Russell, assembling to the nearest CO like he'd been trained to, and snapped a salute on instinct before following the beginning of Mattiaz's climb, "Get some man, get some!" he said encouragingly before standing at attention to Russell. He was dieing to follow Mattiaz up now, but the strict code of conduct was a hard habit to break.

[Brome Teks]

Jackson sets the UAV on an automatic holding pattern while he steps out of the vehicle. He places the control unit on the roof of the SUV while he grabs his net gun and slings it across his back.

"What now? Take the stairs?"

[MatthiasRat]

Mattiaz kept his eyes on the cupola overhead as he moved hand over hand, scrambling up with the facility of his rodent heritage. He was almost there...

Dominus tecum

[Dusty]

Russell waited for the rest of his team to stack up. "Yeah were taking the stairs," he muttered before spinning in front of the door and delivering a swift hard kick to the lock. The older wooden frame shattered, leaving the deadbolt exposed and useless. Like clock work he entered the room and sweeped it with his weapon before proceeding onwards towards the stairs. The rest of squad following behind him.

The wolf creature stops its attack at the sound of the door shattering, its ears perk up and swivel before it lets out a growl and moves away from the ranger towards the door. About this time Mattiaz is just finishing his climb and gets his first glimpse inside the tower.

[MatthiasRat]

Mattiaz unslings the thumper and gripping the sill, peers into the tower to find the rogue shifter and to see if there's anyone else up there. His finger is lightly touching the trigger.

Dominus tecum

[Shade Leshyr]

Mitsuo was hard on Russell's heels, gun held down, but ready to be snapped up on a moments notice. The first mission jitters were nagging at him, which irritated him and made him have to forcibly center himself. As long as he kept his finger on the trigger, eyes down range, and ears open to Russell's orders, things were bound to go their way. He hoped so anyways.

[Brome Teks]

Jackson sets the UAV on auto pilot and folds the console, putting it in his back pack. He slings the backpack over his shoulders and readies his gun as he follows Russell. He begins to work his way up the stairs.

[Buzzwolf]

Mike ducked through the door after everyone else, covering the rear in case their target decided to sneak out and come around from behind, there was no way it'd missed that door getting knocked in. He checks the chamber on his net gun, and follows the others up the stairs, keeping a careful eye on the shadows around him

[MatthiasRat]

Peering through the window, Mattiaz saw the tall and obviously morphic shape looming in the middle of the room. He grabbed the edge of the window with one hand tob race himself, and with the other aimed the thumper square at the creature's chest. He always hated this part. He'd never fired before on a fellow were. Never. It was just a stun gun he reassured himself. Just a stun gun. It wouldn't kill him. They might be able to help him. They had to.

All this and more he told himself as he pulled the trigger.

Dominus tecum

[Dusty]

The cylindrical tazer round embedded itself in the Morphic chest, its two barbed prong anchoring it tightly. Before the beast could react a large eletric current spread through its body causing uncontrollable muscle spasms. It let out a pained howl as it collapse back on top of the park ranger.

The howl was all the signal Russel needed. With a grunt he climbed the last section of stairs and entered the look out room. He first noted the faint smell of something electric burning and look down to see a still twitching wolf on the floor, a soda can sized object still hanking out of its chest. "Nice work Mattias," he muttered as he used his foot to roll the beast off the park ranger. "Shit get me the first aid kit, we got an injury."

[MatthiasRat]

Mattiaz breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the morphic go down. He climbed in through the window, being careful of the sill, and then nodded to Russell's compliment. He rushed over to the morphic to take a closer look and check its vitals.

He cast a quick glance at the park ranger and muttered an Ave under his breath.

Dominus tecum

[Samantha Arrow]

Erosworn was unconscious, after the beast had bitten his leg real bad it had given him one hard paw to the face - all his weight behind it. Of course, the wound to is leg would probably get more attention then anything else.

[Shade Leshyr]

Mitsuo ran to Russel when he called for the first aid kit. Setting his gun down, he unslung his backpack and dug out the kit. Rummaging through it he spoke, "How bad is the damage sir? Just the bite or is there more?" Laying out several items within Russel's reach, Mitsuo's eyes darted between the ranger and the morphic.

[Dusty]

"Looks like that ankle took a real grinding. This guy was completely feral, we'll be lucky to get him to change back so we can interrogate him," Russell grunted as he looked from the ankle to the collapsed morphic. He then sighed and stood up. "Inform command we have him alive and get a muzzle on him, last thing we need is him to wake up while we're carrying him," he ordered as he pulled out a pack of gum and popped one, he had quit smoking a few weeks ago and the craving for a smoke hit pretty hard after an adrenaline dump. Why would someone flip out so bad that they literally become an animal? This is why we're hidden, this is what the entire world thinks we are, he lamented as he gazed out over the forest, he couldn't place it but something didn't feel right about this situation.

[Brome Teks]

"Roger sir," Jackson says. he goes over and pulls out a muzzle and puts it over the feral ones head. He then proceeds to hogtie the thing and then wrap it back in the net. He then pulls out the UAV control unit and scans the forest around them, looking for any potential witnesses they'd have to avoid.

[Shade Leshyr]

Mitsuo fell back on the short first aid training session he'd been given as he fixed up the ranger's ankle, "This guy's not gonna be a happy camper when he wakes up, but hopefully he won't really remember it, right Sarge?" He looked down at his handiwork, hoping that he'd remembered all the steps to closing a wound this bad.

[MatthiasRat]

Mattiaz pulled out the radio and switching to the predesignated channel transmitted, "Team One to Command, Subject is under control, over."

Dominus tecum

[Dusty]

"Go ahead team one.... Is the runner in custody?"


"Hey take the UAV up a little bit higher, make sure we don't have any aerial bogeys," Russell ordered as the strange feeling about the situation grew. On the floor, despite being unconscious, the park ranger's pulse and breathing rate began to accelerate. The blood around his destroyed ankle also seemed to be coagulating much faster then was normal in a regular person....