Meanwhile, at Guantanamo...

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

Guantánamo is the easternmost province of Cuba. Its capital is also called Guantánamo. Other towns include Baracoa. The province surrounds the important U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

Since the 1970's, the base was used to house Cuban and Haitan refugees. Since 2002, it's been the primary detention camp used on the War on Terror, and a lightning rod for controversy.

Lightning prepares to strike as 7 people...and one chimp...prepare to reach ground.

Comments

[jla-kobra.livejournal.com]

Most of the trip is without incident (to their thoughts, at least.)

As they approach within a mile of the lower edge of the base, however, they get their first sighting - about 6, doing a standard patrol. They are armored, carrying rifles.

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

Sand raises a hand as he spots the patrol. Who wants first? he asks, utilizing the telepathic link for the first time.

[hotshot1280.livejournal.com]

Trevor doesn't bother with a verbal or mental answer, but sends a mental impression of a malicious grin over the link as he looks up at the Kobra soldiers in their nice shiny flight suits.

One of the more interesting things about mechanical flying methods, Trevor's found, is that they all require some sort of fuel. Usually flammable fuel, and for some reason they all feel the need to make the fuel tanks easily accessible. Trevor takes advantage of this as he sends a heat pulse into the flight packs of the two in the lead.

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

Hotshot acts quickly, and Caleb mentally cringes when only the first two go down to explosions, with a third falling from the resulting overpressure wave. If the other three have radios, then they are most likely reporting in that they are under attack.

First thing first, though, Caleb thinks as he telekinetically guides the two burned yet living scouts safely to the ground right in front of Sand.

From the look of them, it’s probable that those flight suits are insulated against electromagnetic pulses, but if they’re utilizing radios, there have to be exposed antennas somewhere. So to short them out, Caleb generates a localized electromagnetic pulse, centered over the three remaining scouts.

Their radios are useless, he thinks over the psychic link.

[kingofbrain.livejournal.com]

As the remaining three train their guns in the general direction of the group. Brainwave thinks.

Within seconds, the remaining soldiers land on the ground, standing in front of Brainwave...clearly under control.

Then Brainwave swears. "Bastards managed to bite poison. That's impressive, that probably means they've gone through psionic resistance training."

He focuses on getting what they can before they die, seconds later. Suicide before capture, the Kobra motto.

He turns to the two on the ground, but they're already dead.

"Damnit."

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

He fights the instinct to glare at Brainwave when the mind-control becomes evident, opting instead to think of it as working with the tools at hand.

And whatever he may think of this particular tool, it is a useful one to have.

If they’re going to commit suicide when found, thinks while looking at Brainwave, then perhaps we should attempt to hide from the next patrol? Allow you some time to rummage through their minds unnoticed, ambush them afterwards…

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that would help, Caleb. Sand replied. I was trying to sense via the link what might happen...had a feeling they'd have a suicide solution, Kobra encourages that...and the poison triggered almost the second Hank made contact - it wasn't anything conscious they did. I think they were tripwired to go off at the presence of psionics.

Sand frowns. This lends credence to the fact that they know we, specifically, are coming. Or at the very least, Magique told them how to counterprogram against us.

[gemma-masters.livejournal.com]

Let me give it a wallop next time, they're used t'you using much more structured spells and magics. I have a feelin' that my brand of down and dirty mystic tricks might be a surprise.

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

Ibn has seen far too much death to feel like quipping at this time. The suicides remind him of watching others die in service to the Demon's Head. Some that even died fanatically for him. Ibn wonders if there is a way to avoid that this time.

"Can you perform a Befuddlement spell? I've found that those trained in such a fashion are prone to be vulnerable to such things..."

[caleb-z.livejournal.com]

I’ve seen them in action, but I’ve never used one before. I think I can duplicate the magic, though. It didn’t appear that complicated.

I can provide us concealment if we want to try. I hide us. You or Gemma cast the confusion spell, Brainwave tries to enter their minds. The worst thing it can do is fail.

[gemma-masters.livejournal.com]

I've got this thing I used t'use when we cheated the shell game blokes. Down and dirty, anyone even a total mundane can do it. Makes em think they're doing what they want but they aren't. she looks over at the both of them.

That the kind of thing you're thinkin'?

[sand-hawkins.livejournal.com]

Work it out as we go. Keep moving towards the field. Stay on foot - last thing we need is another squadron getting a visual before we can get our ducks in a row.

Sand hates not moving when he knows that they're walking into something bigger.

[ibn-al-xuff.livejournal.com]

"The key to remember is that these men are fanatics. Use their belief against them. They are trained not to question things."

Not that he was taught how to brainwash people or anything....