Scene #3791: Droid Stalker

Owner	Pose
Rebecca Chambers	Just another day in New Haven-3586. At least for Rebecca Chambers it is. The young S.T.A.R.S. member is walking out of the train station and looking around, taking in the sights and sounds of this location. Even though she's off-duty, she still wears her uniform, albeit underneath a light jacket that is colored green. Her favorite color, apparently. She seems to be a bit on the carefree side today, so it might seem unlikely that one might realize that she's a member of S.T.A.R.S. right now. The way she takes out her cell phone and starts taking pictures of the area may make one think that she's actually a tourist here. And in a sense, she is. "So, I heard the first hamburger was served in an iteration of this spot. I don't know if the exact same thing is here, but maybe I could take a look. After all, I am a little on the peckish side," Rebecca comments to herself as she consults an app to check the locations around her. She hrms as she peruses the general locations, before shrugging a little and beginning to walk down the street, as if having figured out where she wants to go, but not saying it aloud.
HK-47	After so many Multiversal operations, he had become a bit accustomed to having allies to plan around - nuances to manage, powers to balance. It had been tedious and annoying to say the least, and some days he simply wished to slam his cranial unit against a hard bulkhead until his processor shattered... but now he actually felt somewhat accustomed to directing the workload. Still, it also made the occasion that much more enjoyable in a way - the thrill of the solo-hunt, some meatbags would term it. Something that HK-47 had been absent from for some time. Something that today, he hoped to recapture. Aiming for a disguise that blends into a townscape better, the droid had clad himself in heavy clothes - a thick, battered coat with a sealed collar, a heavy scarf, a wool long-sleeved shirt and cargo-pants with boots, durable work-gloves and a wide-brimmed hat. Some ample grime and dirt across the items and he could, at a distance, be mistaken for a displaced beggar. He sits against a dumpster with a salvaged shopping cart, his weapon hidden amid the paper bags to simulate salvage. An inglorious appearance - the last place he deserved to be, let alone the added insult of actually pretending to be a /meatbag/ in it - but the work of an assassin was not always the glamorous image of exploding fuel tanks and high-octane energy discharges. One sometimes had to suffer for their livelihood. Especially when said livelihood had a pre-disposition to help every miserable, worthless meatbag waste of fluid-filled sacs she spotted. He'd been keeping tabs on many of his targets, or at least those he had located - even if the majority of meandering fleshlings did not recognize the S.T.A.R.S. Agent, the droid certainly did. He never forgot anyone who'd damaged him in any way. And how very fitting that she be the first target he had encountered so far that actually separated from the Union so entirely, completely unaware. As he spots her moving through the city, the droid, pushing off against the dumpster slowly, takes up his shopping cart and slowly slinks off after her, watching her down the alleys as she presumably moved for one of the restaurants. He would let her get comfortable - let her feel safe - and if she stopped to eat, he would even let her have the meatbag courtesy of seeing a last meal. After all... if there was one meatbag proverb HK-47 agreed with, it was that one felt safest right before they died.
Rebecca Chambers	Walking down the street minding her own business, Rebecca seems to be keeping to herself for the most part, taking in the sights of this iteration of New Haven. She seems to be enjoying herself quite a bit as she walks down the street. In fact, she's so engrossed in her own thoughts that she hasn't even really noticed that there's a 'hobo' following her. She's too busy being caught up in her own world to pay any heed to someone who might be following her. It's not until she goes to cross a street that she notices that there seems to be someone who's following her. At first, he seems to be keeping a fairly decent distance from her, so Rebecca just brushes it off for the time being and continues on her way. She occasionally stops to look in the windows of stores, admiring the things they have for sale. It's not until she stops at one store and sees the reflection of the hobo again that she starts to become a little more uneasy. Hoping not to draw too much attention to herself, Rebecca continues walking, albeit a little faster than normal. She makes an abrupt turn down one street in hopes that this hobo isn't really following her. And if he is, he'd best have a good reason for doing so, because Rebecca's in no mood to be messed with today!
HK-47	As before, HK's processors run through a litany of vibrant expletives, musing that the meatbag seemed extraordinarily adept at perceiving possible danger to herself. If the droid didn't know any better, he would akin it to stalking a Jedi. ... but then again, she did not necessarily have their precise danger sense. Though she /did/ have their nauseatingly over-developed sense of empathy and sympathy for other meatbags. When she rounds the corner, HK stops in his tracks, altering to a different voice as he simulates the sound of heavy breaths. He pushes the cart against the wall and mimes that he is leaning against it as though winded. Then, in case Rebecca peeks back around the corner of the wall, HK begins mimicking the sound of a meatbag suffering from pneumonia, coughing loudly. At worst, she might assume him to be sick and just move on. At best... she might come closer to investigate the seemingly-suffering individual - and in doing so... get right within his optimum range. After all... what could be more predictable then a meatbag with a moral code?
Rebecca Chambers	Rebecca, a meatbag? Surely you can't be serious! OK, so maybe she is a meatbag to some. But to herself, Rebecca's more than just that. Nevertheless, Rebecca hears the coughing and at first, she thinks that maybe, in fact, this hobo is sick. But given how he was following her, this could easily be a trap as well. Not one to take chances, Rebecca flattens herself against the wall right by the corner of the street she just turned onto, trying to peer around without making herself visible. She peers around just enough to peer around and see if she's really being tailed or if someone's having a coughing fit for real. At the same time, one hand is going to her firearm, which remains holstered but is ready to be drawn at a moment's notice as well if need be. Her senses are on high alert, and she's not wanting to take any chances here. Whether they're with Umbrella or some other hostile faction is irrelevant. There's a serious situation here and Rebecca has to take care of it.
HK-47	As the droid had expected - predictable. Though the droid doesn't let the metaphorical breath go, knowing there is still a chance she could write him off... though from what he had learned of her, he doubted it. Testing the waters further, he pantomimed being short of breath, shifting his upper-chasis to mimic a meatbag taking deep breaths as she slumped against the brick wall further. He tried to make a point of looking up at the sky as if he wasn't aware of his surroundings anymore. If she took interest... HK would seal the deal, freezing up abruptly and going ridged, trying to mimic a meatbag who's air-sacs had stopped functioning - then go as limp as his metal body would let him and slump to the ground entirely, as though suffering a severe attack. After all, he didn't really breathe, so at a distance he would certainly appear 'dead' as far as meatbags were concerned. All that was left was for her to take the bait, the droid forcing himself to ignore the painful urge to look in her direction to see if she was coming. It was a risk as she could escape before he would be able to get back up, but considering this particular target's skill-set, there was little other way to get close to her... and he just needed her to get to mid-range at least. Then it wouldn't matter how much she ran - because if she survived, she wouldn't be in a state to go far.
Rebecca Chambers	Whoever the hobo truly is, they're pretty clever. Faking an asthma attack like that, and then pretending to collapse. Unfortunately for this 'hobo,' Rebecca's studying a lot of medical stuff in college, and there's something definitely off about the way this hobo collapses after his sudden asthma attack. It's definitely not a true asthma attack based on the pattern of coughing then collapsing. Apparently, whoever this hobo truly is has watched too much television or something like that. Rebecca knows it's fake by now, and she's definitely suspecting that she's been followed all this time. She puts her handgun in one hand and loads a magazine with the other hand. "Whoever you are, you had best identify yourself at once!" Rebecca finally calls out. "I know that you've been following me, and I'm going to give you one chance to explain your motives, or I will have no choice but to place you under arrest!" Strong words from a girl like her. Especially considering she has no idea who she's up against right now.
HK-47	Once again, HK's processor was nearly overloaded by the feedback as he strained to keep the slur of expletives from being expressed through his vocoder. It seemed that there was only so far he could actually emulate a meatbag - something which he'd normally be grateful about. In this instance, it was an annoying setback. ... At the same time... even if she'd discerned that he wasn't an ailing meatbag, he didn't know if she could tell he wasn't a meatbag at all. And unless she knew to aim directly for his eyes or gaps in his armor - neither of which she could presently see - that handgun wasn't going to do much in the way of stopping him. Deciding to try a different kind feint, HK slowly pushed himself up, voice still altered to sound like a sick human - and an angry one at that in order to sell the deception, his frustration at being made helping in that. "Damn you to hell... alright, alright - I hear you. Go ahead - arrest me for all the good it'll do you. You'll never get me to talk" He raised his hands in a gesture of mock surrender, typical of how a criminal would react if he knew he was caught. All she had to do was take the bait - just let her get closer. Just let her come out to aim at him - just polk out from the corner to aim her handgun at him. Just let her expose herself for all of one second. It would be all he'd need.
Rebecca Chambers	Rebecca doesn't like that voice one bit. Something about it seems off. Still, if he wants to surrender, then Rebecca is going to try taking him up on that offer. Foolish she might be, but she doesn't entirely know who she's up against right now. "Keep your hands where I can see them!" Rebecca says as she slowly turns the corner, her gun drawn and at the ready. She keeps her eyes narrowed but trained on the hobo as she steadies her aim. "Stay right where you are!"
HK-47	There she is. She comes out brandishing the pathetic slughthrower firearm, gaze trained on him - and he takes the chance to speak again; "Actually... there is something I'd like to ask you." ... and then his head tilts up just enough for the glint of the vermilion lenses to be visible under the brim of the hat, the voice changing to one the S.T.A.R.S. operative is likely familiar with. "Request - Prepare to die." The next instant, one arm falls down to aim at Rebecca, the sleeve pulled back to reveal red plates that slide open, a white bolt shooting out as the neural-scrambler taser is activated. She is alone. Unarmored and, for all intents and purposes, unarmed. There is nothing to stop him from stunning her instead of killing her instantaneously. Nothing to stop him from interrogating her for information to use in his future hunts. Nothing to stop him from taking his time with her in repayment for shooting out his photoreceptor. Slowly, meticulously, and very, very enjoyably.
Rebecca Chambers	The moment the hobo says he has a question, Rebecca shakes her head without breaking her gaze. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!" She scowls a little, wondering if there's more going on here than meets the eye. That wonder turns to shock when the voice changes to the voice she's heard before. She recognizes it almost instantly, and attempts to dive for cover behind the wall the moment the droid opens fire. Barely making it, Rebecca's leg is skimmed by the phaser fire, and she yelps in pain. "I never expected you to find me so easily!" She calls out, waiting a moment as she breathes through the pain before standing back up, ignoring the pain in her leg, and popping around to open fire on the droid. "But you've picked the wrong time to attack me!"
HK-47	Amazingly, annoyingly nimble for a meatbag - the fact that she dodged the taser-bolt so quickly. Obviously, she was not going to make this an easy venture - why couldn't meatbags simply be agreeable and submit when they couldn't win? ... Then again, the droid supposed that would be nowhere near as entertaining. Raising his arms to shield his photoreceptors from the hail of bullets, there is a series of loud clangs as the shots impact, ricochet or flatten against his dense armor, tearing a few holes in his coat. Selecting his flamethrower, the droid decides to try something a bit more flashy - and possibly panic-inducing if there are any crowds nearby. After all, he didn't really care about collateral damage - she however would. And that would force her to stand her ground. The instant there is a break in the shots, the droid steps forward and engages the weapon, shooting a stream of superheated flame down the alley and potentially into the street as he tries to immolate his prey. After all, she wouldn't die /immediately/ from severe burns - it really was interesting how much a meatbag could live through with such fragile structures - though she would expire quicker... but he would just have to make due with the little time they would have left. You couldn't have everything, after all.
Rebecca Chambers	Fire is bad. Fire is very bad. Especially when it's a S.T.A.R.S. operative who has no flame resistant clothing on, just her uniform. The flames barely miss her, but the heat is hot enough to be felt anyway. Rebecca gasps as she realizes just how close she came to being burned to a crisp! She winces a little, waiting for the flames to die down. "Just give up already! You're not taking me alive!" Rebecca waits until the flames have died down to toss out a fragmentation grenade. The explosion is small, but the resulting explosion should send various pieces of shrapnel at the droid. "Best that you surrender now!"
HK-47	What /was/ this meatbag? Even Jedi were not this hard to injure! It took a special kind of crucible to give a meatbag survival instincts this potent - not since Atton Rand had HK seen any flesh-sac avoid his assaults so quickly. And as a result, he was becoming somewhat frustrated, photoreceptors glowing with a building charge of what could only be fury. "Assessment - It would seem you are correct, meatbag. Though I will point out that you would only have been 'alive' for the remainder of the day - after all, I am nothing if not efficient in-" Anything else is cut off as the meatbag hurls a grenade at him, barely having the time to begrudgingly admire how the S.T.A.R.S. operative had the foresight to carry explosives even when off duty - before it detonates. The result is that the droid is knocked flat on his metallic backside by the subsequent explosion, shrapnel cutting through large swaths of his clothing and leaving multiple scrapes and dings across his plating where the shards impacted him. ... There were two results from this - one was that the grenade succeeded at was angering the homicidal droid further, pushing himself up even as smoke trails off the blackened clothes of his disguise. The second was that his being knocked down would buy Rebecca a few precious moments of time, which she could use to to try and either change positions or make a brake for it. And best she choose soon, as the smoldering droid would be on his feet in moments, raising his other arm and now firing off a volley of six slugthrower darts - small projectiles akin to flechette-bullets.
Rebecca Chambers	Stake darts? What're those? Apparently, Rebecca is about to find out, since they're firing at her, and as she runs back trying to find cover, one of them pierces her arm. She yelps loudly and pulls behind a nearby mailbox to apply some First-Aid Spray to the injury. The healing mist sterilizes the wound and stops the bleeding quickly, while reducing the pain she feels. She reloads her gun and waits for a moment to make sure there's nothing else being fired for the time being. "Why don't you just back off already? You're not taking me that easily!" Quickly, Rebecca pops out again and fires off another round or two at HK-47. "You won't take me alive or dead!"
HK-47	One shot got through out of six. The statistics did not lie - this meatbag had to have endured the organic expletive known as 'Hell' to have such adapted senses. However, the intangible factor known as 'luck' seemed to also be lending itself to the meatbag considering her status. At this point, it was becoming very personal for the droid that he could not kill this lone sack of flesh and liquid - was he really going to need to use all his weapons just to stop her?? ... No. No, he really wouldn't. He just needed to get close to her - no amount of evasive power would help her if he could simply get ahold of her. After all... flesh was so much more /pliable/ then steel. And so very much more fragile. As Rebecca reloads her gun, the droid enacts a more blunt move, crossing one arm over his head to protect his photoreceptors as he takes draws his cortosis vibroblade in the other hand and simply charges for Rebecca head-on, relying on his armor to mitigate the bullets. Granted, because of that same armor, his maximum running speed was somewhat slower then the average unencumbered meatbag, but if she tried to dodge it would mean she'd have to leave cover. Either way, he was determined to flush her out - before she had the chance to call on any more surprises.
Rebecca Chambers	Coming at Rebecca with a knife? Now that's a bit old fashioned. But Rebecca's not in the mood to make such statements right now. Instead, she's grabbing her stun baton and attempting to hit HK-47 with it, in hopes of temporarily disabling him long enough to make a hasty retreat. Because Rebecca has realized that she's in over her head right now and stands no chance against winning a battle with HK-47. She's not going to let him win either, however. Instead, she's taking off running, trying to get away as quickly as she can... Only to come out of the alley in front of a bridge that's over a fairly big river. There are walkways on either side, but Rebecca's in the middle. And to make matters worse, she's lost her sense of direction, meaning that HK-47 will have her cornered in a heartbeat! What will she do?
HK-47	It would seem the meatbag was running out of tricks at last - there truly was no substitute for skill, persistence and proper firepower. Though at this point, HK-47 was well past the point of planning to savor her death gradually and gratuitously - it seemed that even when isolated and alone, trying to apprehend Union elites alive for even short periods of time was simply far more trouble then it was worth. So he would make it disappointingly quick, yet pleasantly excruciating. When the droid gives chase, he finds that his quarry is trying to flee across a bridge - emphasis on 'trying' given that she was effectively cornered. Standing in smoldering clothes with scorched armor, HK regards his prey with a degree of self-satisfaction, tilting his head almost mockingly. "Smug Statement - I normally do not grant requests for most meatbags, let alone my quarry... but if memory serves, you did advise me to abandon taking you /alive/." - and then, reaching into what remains of his coat... the droid pulls off a weapon Rebecca may dimly remember from the first time she ever met the murderous droid; a thermal detonator. Powerful enough to obliterate a twenty-meter radius. "Conclusion - And given how troublesome you are proving... I believe I must agree with your assessment." The next instant, the droid hurls the grenade for Rebecca, the timer already counting down to zero as the beeping whine of it's switch slowly speeds up. End of the line.
Rebecca Chambers	Looking quickly, Rebecca's eyes go wide as she realizes what has been thrown at her. She looks between the river and running, realizing there's no easy way out of this, then looks at HK-47. "You haven't gotten me just yet! I'll never go quietly!" She turns away and then the explosion goes off! The bridge is destroyed! When the smoke clears, it's clear that the bridge is going to need some serious repairs as it's collapsed quite a bit. And Rebecca? What about Rebecca? There's no sign of her anywhere. No blood, no hair, no uniform tatters, nothing at all. It's almost like she's been blown clear out of existence. Perhaps HK-47 has succeeded! Perhaps he has killed Rebecca without realizing it! Unfortunately, it's not that easy. A short distance away, out of sight from where HK-47 would be, the water ripples, and then Rebecca surfaces, gasping for air as she comes out. She wipes her face and adjusts her hair, swimming to a nearby shore before dragging herself out. She looks into the distance to see how far she was able to make it. "Far enough," Rebecca comments, before using her emergency teleport device to escape quickly.
HK-47	When the explosion goes off, the droid attempts to keep track of the meatbag even as the bridge's central pathway is shattered by the blast, the majority of it soon collapsing into the river in a downpour of steel, asphalt and charred debris. When the smoke clears... a large swath of the structure has been destroyed, with much of the remainder collapsing downward into the water. The smoke will likely be seen for miles and police will probably be arriving any second - even now, the droid's audio-receptors may be picking up the sounds of sirens... as well as panicked screams from any bystanders who may have observed the explosion. A messy conclusion - all because he'd allowed the meatbag to irritate and frustrate him. Not even because of anything she said but because of her simple, incalculable ability to seemingly evade severe harm by way of pure chance. Out of any meatbag he had ever faced one-on-one, this one had proven far more annoyingly slippery. It is for this reason that the droid finds it somewhat suspicious that there is no evidence of her death even with the sizable blast... then again, there is not much bridge left to examine. If he was lucky, then some of the debris pulled her under even if she did somehow dodge the detonation... but it never hurt to be sure. Pulling up his communications system, HK begins contacting some of his duplicate units, tasking them with dredging the bay as soon as possible - if they were timely, three of them would be deployed here within twenty minutes with miniature probes... however, they would be the cleanup, and they would be left to evade police forces as they saw fit. But after so much time in the Multiverse, HK refused to be satisfied he had terminated a target until he had seen a body. And until he saw that body, alive or dead, he would treat Rebecca Cambers' status as 'unknown'. Admiring the smoke caused by the destruction for another errant moment - and after tossing another grenade into the bay in the off-chance that Rebecca had survived in the river and was coming up for air - HK proceeded to move away from the remains of the bridge back towards the alleys, musing that he would need a new disguise to get back through the warpgate. Thankfully though, that was one thing he could be glad about the vast number of meatbags in existence - it was ridiculously easy to get a new disguise from them.