Kickstarts [Sasuke]

[Ark Bennet]

Just another day, he supposed, getting up from his cot. The many years he spent on the rig working with the Liberation had brought a certain homeyness to his small section of living space. Around his cot was spray-painted jagged words that linked and mashed together until they were almost unreadable in multitudes of colors. The first thing he did every day when he woke up was grab his Boonie hat from a hook right by the head-end of his cot, and put it on his dome. He would sit there for a moment, and think about the routine he was going to go about doing. Get up, put on a pair of pants, and his boots, and begin cleaning his rifle. From that point on, it was all up for fate to decide what would happen next. That was as much planning as he was going to dwell on, and as such, Ark stood up from his cot, nearly bumping his head on the hammock which hung above his cot with a Liberation member still snoozing in it. It was fairly crowded in the area Ark slept, but he was lucky enough not to be one of those hanging in the hammocks or sharing a bunk bed. He counted his few blessings, walking over to the row of lockers in the sleeping area, and opening one near the middle which had 'ARK' spray painted vertically in drippy white letters. He grabbed a pair of olive drab pants that were folded up on the shelf, and put them on one leg at a time, deciding not to wear the drab shirt that would normally accompany the pants, no he preferred to wear the 'wife-beater' sleeveless undershirt he slept in. It was a bit humid out, and besides, he didn't mind showing off what scrawny muscles he had. A pair of mirror shades hung on a hook on the locker door, Ark took them off the hook and put them on before taking out his heavy steel-toed boots and slipped them on, kneeling down to tie them up. Feeling ready as he would ever be, he reached into the back of his locker and pulled out the receiver and stock of his heavy sniper rifle. He made his way back to his cot and placed the receiver and stock down onto the bedding and sheets of his cot before heading back to his locker, taking out the battered scope and long barrel for the sniper rifle, and shutting his locker tightly. Ark took the scope and barrel back to his cot and sat down on it, placing the barrel and scope down with the receiver and stock. He took a moment to look over the four main components of his rifle, eying them with scrutiny, to see if he had mishandled them at any point. Seeing that they were of acceptable quality, he took the receiver by the pistol grip and began to affix the stock to the back end of the rifle.

Slowly, Ark began to bring his rifle to life, pushing in the stock until it clicked, and checking that it was secure. He then pushed the stock into his shoulder, and picked up the long barrel with a bit of a struggle. Placing it into a well in the front of the weapon, and turning the barrel so that it screwed into the receiver. Afterward, he pointed the rifle upward, looking down the iron sights to make sure he had not messed up and crossed the threads. Seeing everything was typical, he brought the rifle down and began to affix the scope with extreme care. Placing the scope at the edge of a rail mount and sliding it on until it was halfway down the rail, turning a pair of dovetail nuts so that it would be securely attached to the rifle. Ark again lifted the rifle up, pushing the stock into his shoulder and pointing it at the ceiling. He looked through the scope in the dim lighting, eying down the wire reticule and turning a dial on the scope so that it would be calibrated to the rifle's point of aim. He noted the many features the scope had on the reticule, such as range-finding etchings, and bullet drop compensation. Ark nodded to himself, and brought the rifle down, resting it across his lap, pulling back the charging handle of the rifle so that he could look inside the firing chamber. It was clear, and there was no magazine for it to load any ammunition, so when Ark let go of the charging handle, all there would be is a sharp metal on metal sound. The kind of sound he liked, it meant his rifle was nice and clean, nothing was sticking, and it would fire quite a few rounds; if they were well oiled, before making any mishap on him. His rifle was picky, he knew it well, it only accepted greasy and high quality ammunition. Sure it would fire some cheap bullets, but not many before either the rifle decided to jam, or misfire. Something Ark dreaded with a weapon of this caliber. A misfire would be terrible, it meant the firing pin was struck forward, but nothing happened, no bullet leaving the barrel. A scary thought that it could go off at any point after the misfire. Ark shook his head, he was rambling on in his own mind. He just smiled and looked over his rifle, running a hand down the cold barrel. It was serene, just him and his rifle, anything else would just be icing on the cake.

[Sasuke Uchiha]

Sasuke wandered the halls. It was still fairly quite. A lot of the other Liberation members were still sleeping. But there were a good few waking up for varies reasons. Sasuke had just finished his shift of watching the dock. Now he didn't know what to do. He was an android. He didn't sleep, granted he did have a sleep mode, but he only used it to update his data banks or the like.

Sasuke wandered in on the sleeping quarters. Cots and hammocks were strung out through out the large room. Many with people sleeping in them. Pathetic. What good was sleep? It just wasted time. Though humans did need it to function correctly. He continued to walk, being careful not to bump into anyone. There was a man messing with a rifle on what must have been his cot. Interesting to wake up and do that. But whatever. Sasuke started to walk past him.

[Ark Bennet]

The rig was serene, nice and calm. Ears would only pick up the gentle hum of generators many floors below, and maybe some air in the pipes making the odd tinking sound. Ark was busy making a few adjustments, and zeroing in his scope so that it was near perfectly in line with the barrel. He wouldn't miss a shot, and if he did, he would calculate and compromise as fast as a human could think. Working it out in his head, he gave himself a smirk, only slightly, as he thought it over. It was a good feeling, to get a shot, and make it hit, but he felt he was missing something, like he was incomplete. He could only see so much through that little scope, it was like tunnel vision. If he were to get caught off guard on a solo mission; which had never happened just yet, but something he feared. He had to think about the future, and such countermeasures he could take. Ark felt as if fate smiled upon him when someone who was awake made their way past him. Ark looked up from his rifle, it was as if he came almost out of nowhere, though he was kind of sucked into his own world with his rifle. Ark eyed the young man walking by him through his mirror shades, lifting a hand to raise his Boonie hat from covering his eyes too much.

Ark felt if he was going to meet this person, he would have to toss his normal demeanor out the window, and initiate the conversation. He did just that, calling after the young man. "Hey, brother..." he called after him, quietly enough that he wouldn't wake anyone else, but loud enough so as to get his attention. Ark stared at him through his mirror shades, looking the young man up and down. Ark had seen him around, sure, but never really talked to him, he never really talked to anyone. His smirk had yet to fade, as he had made his decision, this guy would have to play the part, and Ark said so. "You look the part..." Ark stated bluntly, as if alluding to something, hoping to entice the young man into further conversation. He wasn't the best when it came to proper introductions, if anything, he would fumble more often than not. Maybe this young man wouldn't take it the wrong way? Only time would tell.

[Sasuke Uchiha]

"Hey, brother..." The man called to him. Sasuke half turned around. What did he want? And what was with the 'brother' statement? The man noticeably looked Sasuke over. He took a look over the man as well only his was more than what could be seen. Black eyes changed red and information appeared in his view. Arkansas Bennet. Age 18. Sniper. What did a sniper want with him? His eyes flicked back to black.

"You look the part..." Ark added. Part? What part was he talking about? Sasuke turned to face him completely and folded his arms. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked in a rather cold voice. He didn't have a clue of what this man was talking about. He wasn't even sure he wanted too.

[Ark Bennet]

Excellent, he had gotten his attention. The young man half turned around when Ark called for him, and while he didn't seem too friendly, Ark didn't mind, he needed someone like him. One mean son of a gun who could cover his back while he was taking pot shots at U.A.S. grunts or officers, or anything of use to the U.A.S. like communication satellite dishes. His rifle had anti-material capabilities, it was of fairly large caliber and high power, enough to cause significant damage to a human target, and to cause extreme damage to sensitive mechanical parts. This guy definitely fit the bill for someone who was no-nonsense, down to the ground and do the job type. The fact that when he looked at Ark and his eyes almost seemed to change color from red to black made him all the more intriguing. He was surprised he caught it, it happened so fast, and with his lifted hand he brought the mirror shades down from the bridge of his nose so his eyes peeked out from underneath them. "Fancy that..." Ark muttered under his breath, thinking about what could have caused it. It wasn't well lit in the sleeping area, not enough to cause some kind of glare that would have made an illusion. It had to be real, and the only explanation was that he wasn't exactly human. Even if he looked human, and acted human, he could be anything in this day and age. Modified person? A cyborg? Maybe even a full on Android? Ark didn't know, but it didn't really matter to him too much. He wasn't a bigot, and wouldn't discriminate him for what he was, because nothing can change what you are, except maybe some neural implants or cybernetic modifications. But other than that you were what you were, and there wasn't much that would change that fact. The young man retorted to Ark's saying that he fit the part.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he questioned of Ark, who kept his eyes locked with his, blinking periodically, but trying not to, he didn't want to miss those red eyes again. That intrigued him the most about this guy. Ark took a moment before he responded, he had to think of something that wouldn't be entirely rude or throw him off. He wanted this guy to work with him, it was strange, usually he enjoyed working alone, but Ark felt that if he was going to continue his work as a sniper, he would have to compromise, and learn to work as part of a team.

"It means..." Ark trailed off, his hand still grasping the frames of his mirror shades, thinking of what to say next. He realized the man didn't even know his name, that could be considered rude to some people, speaking to them without properly introducing themselves. "... I'm Ark..." He said out of nowhere, but continuing in a wispy, trailed off manner. "... And I need some assistance." Ark felt for now this would entice him further into speaking with him, maybe he would learn something in return about this fellow, but for now, that was all that really needed to be said, if he went into more detail, he thought, the man would just blow him off and Ark would be left to continue being a solo operative.

[Sasuke Uchiha]

"Fancy that..." Sasuke heard Ark mutter. What did this guy want? He seemed to just beat around the bush. This annoyed him. Well, everything annoyed him so that wasn't hard to do. He looked at Ark with a slightly confused and irritated face. Was he going to say something or just stare at him all morning? What was he waiting for?

"It means...... I'm Ark...... And I need some assistance." Ark seemed to trail off every sentence he spoke. If he wanted something he should just say it. Sasuke had other things to do then stand there and listen to some guy blah. The Ark part was out of place and unneeded but he must not have known that Sasuke was an Android. It was funny how people knew about only a handful of their cooperatives. But Sasuke was no different really, he only knew what he scanned for most of the time.

His thoughts went back to what Ark said. He need assistance? For what? "What makes you think I can help?" His voice was still rather cold. Sasuke didn't know why this guy was so interested in him. They hadn't worked together before. They maybe saw each other, but nothing more. Why was he talking to him now? It didn't make much sense.

[Ark Bennet]

Lifting his rifle and propping it up so that the stock rested on his cot and the barrel pointed to the ceiling, holding it by the forward grip, Ark eyed the young man. He wasn't revealing much at all, which intrigued Ark even more. Someone who could be so stone-faced; though this changed to an irritated look quickly, must've seen things far worse than Ark could imagine, either that or he wasn't human at all. Even so, the man who stood before Ark showed obvious physical prowess over him, and Ark could tell he was the type who could handle themselves. How else could he have stayed alive this long working with the Liberation Front? Nodding to himself, merely confirming his premonitions that this man was exactly what he needed. The man merely retorted coldly to Arks traily statement, speaking little. He liked that, at least he wouldn't be chatting too much when or if they took a mission together, and give away their position. "What makes you think I can help?" was a fairly blunt retort, but it did not bug Ark.

Ark's smirk had faded, and his face took on a more serious tone, as did his voice. Wanting to get a little more to-the-point with this man. "You're obviously stronger than I am... Am I right?" Ark stated rhetorically, pointing with his free hand at his own arm. He wasn't the most skinny person, but he also was not the strongest either, it was a mix of toned and wiry which allowed him to tote around such a rifle, but other than that Ark was fairly weak. Ark pointed with his free hand from his arm to the young man who stood before him. "also... Those eyes of yours... I haven't seen that before... Not on any human at least... You got some kind of... Mods? Implants? Or are you not a person at all?" Ark hadn't spoke that much in a long time, speaking his mind wasn't his strong point, and he did not want to come off as rude, or judge mental, but he probably would with that statement. He quickly picked the sentence back up afterward "Don't wanna sound rude or nothin'... Just wonderin'... I'm a sniper..." The last bit was a probably obvious, but he didn't know if the man knew or not, he was just trying to get his point across, letting his arm drop from pointing at the man quite a while ago and patting with that same hand the rifle he held propped up. "... And well... You should know this baby isn't very... Well... Good for close quarters engagements." Ark finished, hoping his point would be made, but if not, he would continue to paint the picture for this man that he needed someone to watch his back, and if things got to such a point, would defend him if anyone came for them to counter their efforts.

[Sasuke Uchiha]

"You're obviously stronger than I am... Am I right?" Ark answered. Sasuke's face grew more irritated. Well duh. I was build to be stronger then you humans. He told himself, but continued to listen to what Ark had to say. "Also... Those eyes of yours... I haven't seen that before... Not on any human at least... You got some kind of... Mods? Implants? Or are you not a person at all? Don't wanna sound rude or nothin'... Just wonderin'... I'm a sniper..... And well... You should know this baby isn't very... Well... Good for close quarters engagements." There he went again stating things he didn't need too.

Sasuke closed his eyes and nodded. He understood what this man was finally getting at. He opened his eyes again to speak. "So, what your asking me is. Will I become your partner in case someone gets the jump on you, right?" Sasuke thought about the question. He didn't really want to work with a Human but his programing made him obey that kind of request. "Alright. I'll be your partner, but you better not slow me down. As for the question of my eyes, I'm an Android. That's what happens when I process information. I don't really have any control over it."

He shifted his weight and placed a hand on his hip. Sasuke looked at the ground, a more neutral expression on his face. "I supposed you want my name now. Sasuke. I'm a specialist in combat with an ability over electricity and high hacking skills." He stated. He wasn't one to pull things out. He liked things short and to the point. Sasuke looked back at Ark.

[Ark Bennet]

Ark's face lit up as his questions were answered. His faded smirk slowly returning, as he pushed the mirror shades back up onto the bridge of his nose. This was good, Ark thought, as the young man who Identified himself as Sasuke indeed wanted to join him. Whether or not he showed it. "So, what your asking me is. Will I become your partner in case someone gets the jump on you, right? Alright. I'll be your partner, but you better not slow me down. As for the question of my eyes, I'm an Android. That's what happens when I process information. I don't really have any control over it. I supposed you want my name now. Sasuke. I'm a specialist in combat with an ability over electricity and high hacking skills." Ark's smirk still was present, nodding as Sasuke told him the ropes, and about what he really was. An android, eh? Ark didn't mind the idea of working with someone who wasn't human, in fact, he preferred it. A human would put too many emotions on the idea of picking off a person from a distance, possibly questioning the ethics of the idea. Ark didn't care much about ethics, or what the person on the other end of his scope felt. It was a U.A.S. member that he was targeting and they were, in his opinion, already dead, it was just a matter of time before Ark made it so. He nodded in agreement, he may carry a heavy rifle, but he was quick, and agile, the Rifle and it's single magazine were all he carried, and it made life easy for the sniper. As for Hacking skills, that was something that could come in handy, it could be used to bypass security measures, or even break into locked doors that would be otherwise inaccessible to Ark. Sasuke looked at Ark, as if waiting for a response, and he had one that would be suitable.

"Thats exactly what I need, Sasuke... Don't worry about me slowing you down... My baby is all I carry, and I carry her quick..." Ark trailed off, looking away for a moment at his rifle. "Android... Thats damn interesting..." he spoke in a hushed voice, looking up and down at his rifle slowly before turning back to Sasuke. "I'd hate to trouble you more... But those eyes... They do anything else besides process info?" Ark asked, almost seeming excited, he wanted to know more about how he ticked, how a robotic surrogate for a human functioned. If he had the chance to take him apart at some point he would without a question, but this would but him out of a partner, and that wouldn't be too good, now would it?

[Sasuke Uchiha]

The man seemed very excited, almost like he could burst from it. Ark spoke again. "Thats exactly what I need, Sasuke... Don't worry about me slowing you down... My baby is all I carry, and I carry her quick...Android... That's damn interesting...I'd hate to trouble you more... But those eyes... They do anything else besides process info?" Sasuke scoffed. Again with his eyes? Why did everyone care about them? They were just like an androids the only difference was his changed when going through data. Nothing else.

"Tsk. Info on humans, locations, distance, wind, light, whatever you want. Basically what humans need special equipment for I have access to with these eyes. I can see numbers and names when all you see is an object. Anything else?" His voice was uncaring, and plainly stated. The only thing that he had an advantage over on other androids was his electricity manipulation and his level of hacking. Everything else was basic programming really.

[Ark Bennet]

Ark nodded as he listened to Sasuke list off the things he could do. How amazing it was what he could do just on his own. "Tsk. Info on humans, locations, distance, wind, light, whatever you want. Basically what humans need special equipment for I have access to with these eyes. I can see numbers and names when all you see is an object. Anything else?" Almost like ticking off points on a mental checklist, Ark nodded to each of his list-offs. It was great, he could do all of that in probably split seconds, whereas Ark would need a pen and paper to calculate all of that, and an array of tools or skills to measure windage and distance accurately. All Sasuke needed to do was look, and that information was displayed.

"Perfect." Ark said, simply, standing up beside his rifle, which was still taller than him propped up. "Can you listen in on U.A.S. communications? I'd like to find out the location of a certain... someone." Ark asked, though knowing it probably wasn't possible, but hey, who knew? Androids could be fairly versatile, performing a number of tasks, and hey, Sasuke could do quite a bit, but listening in on the battle-net chatter of the U.A.S. would be like whipped topping on a sundae. So good. Ark had an idea that the first mission they would go on would be one for the history books; he had been thinking it over for a few weeks now, but never really thought he would be working with an Android, so it opened up so many possibilities it could almost make Ark burst. He had previously been trying to tinker with an old radio to try and open up frequencies that the U.A.S. used, to find out locations of VIPs and possibly pick them off in an ambush, or a well placed bullet. His targets were officers, Captains, Lieutenants, Majors, Colonels, Generals, the brains of the operation in his opinion. He didn't know what their insignias would look like, but that wasn't what he was looking for anyway; he was looking for the most guarded individual, someone who was surrounded by grunts, and wasn't armed as well, looking a little more official you could say. "If you can, or even if you can't... We should head out... I'm sure our benevolent leader wouldn't mind us racking up some kills on the oppressors, heh?"

[Sasuke Uchiha]

"Perfect. Can you listen in on U.A.S. communications? I'd like to find out the location of a certain... someone." Ark asked. He kinda seemed like a happy little kid with a new toy. Though Sasuke was not a toy. Granted he was a tool but he hated the thought of being a toy more. Ark seemed to get lost in his own mind before continuing"If you can, or even if you can't... We should head out... I'm sure our benevolent leader wouldn't mind us racking up some kills on the oppressors, heh?" So he was giving orders already?

Sasuke let out a small laugh. "If I could do that, do you think I would be around here? With that ability, I'm sure Kuro would have me listening at all manners of the day, don't you?" He folded his arms across his chest again. Regaining his more serious tone, he continued. "The only way I could listen in on the U.A.S network is to connect directly with a device that could, such as a U.A.S android or radio. As for an assignment, I was looking for something to do. Why not? What did you have in mind?" He was interested now and his face showed it. Maybe this guy wouldn't be as annoying as he thought.

[Ark Bennet]

Ark placed the rifle down, and started to take it apart, piece by piece, starting with unscrewing the dovetail nuts that secured the scope. He listened to Sasuke's reply as he did this, nodding and feeling slightly silly for even asking such a question. "If I could do that, do you think I would be around here? With that ability, I'm sure Kuro would have me listening at all manners of the day, don't you?" Ark nodded in agreement, of course they would have a complete leg-up on the U.A.S. if he could do that, and quite frankly, this was a very protracted war so far. He detached the scope from the rifle and then began to unscrew the barrel from it's well in the receiver. "The only way I could listen in on the U.A.S network is to connect directly with a device that could, such as a U.A.S android or radio. As for an assignment, I was looking for something to do. Why not? What did you have in mind?" an interesting notion, listening in on the U.A.S. via direct connection. It was something he would have to keep in the back of his mind, something that just may come in handy for the plot he was thinking of. "You're right... That was a stupid question." Ark didn't want to annoy his new partner too much, he was talking more than he usually did, and it was honestly pretty awkward for him, but most of his concentration for now was focused on quickly disassembling his rifle into its main components, and then further down. He detached the stock from the receiver, and placed it down, and began to take apart the receiver, pressing in button on the back of the receiver and lifting the top cover off. Pushing the thick recoil spring forward and removing the bolt from its carrier. The rifle was almost completely disassembled, and this was as far as Ark wanted to go with disassembly without going into much smaller parts and possibly losing them. He lined up the parts on his cot as he talked over his shoulder to Sasuke "The mission... I'm hoping... is to go about in one of the major cities as a pair of civilians... I want to locate some high profile targets, and maybe take them out from a vantage point. You still game?" Ark smirked to himself as he turned his attention back to his now disassembled rifle, folding one of his white sheets from his cot around the parts and rolling them up into a neat package. Ark knelt down and reached under his cot and pulled out an olive colored duffel bag about the length of the barrel of his rifle, and stuffed the package inside, zipping the bag shut and tossing it over his shoulder.

"Ready when you are..." Ark stated, still smirking as he stood up and turned around to face Sasuke. He wanted to see some more red mist, and he hoped Sasuke would be up for it.

[Sasuke Uchiha]

"You're right... That was a stupid question. The mission... I'm hoping... is to go about in one of the major cities as a pair of civilians... I want to locate some high profile targets, and maybe take them out from a vantage point. You still game? Ark stated as he disassembled his rifle. How annoying that must be. Sasuke was glad the only weapons he had were a pistol and a pulse knife in a black pouch tied to his right leg. They were pretty light and he didn't use them much, preferring to use his electricity.

"Ready when you are..." Ark smirked looking back at him. A covert mission in the city. Interesting. The only problem would be his eyes. A dead give away he wasn't human and thus not a civilian. He would need to wear sunglasses but that would weaken his scanning skills. "I'm ready. Though, I'll need shades to cover my eyes and that will weaken my scanning skills a little." Sasuke noted. He hated that fact. His eyes gave him away to easily. Why was he designed that way? How did that help on convert assignments? It didn't make any sense. But he wasn't going to let a human mess with his programing. Who knows what they could do while they were in there.

[Ark Bennet]

"I'm ready. Though, I'll need shades to cover my eyes and that will weaken my scanning skills a little." Ark's smirk grew a little wider, this was true, he did need to cover up those eyes. If Ark caught them, surely anyone else who looked him directly in the eyes would as well. At this point, he didn't see any other choice but to offer Sasuke his Mirror shades for now. It was in his nature to be giving, and besides, Ark didn't seem to need his shades too much anyhow, as he would be looking through a scope, and his Boonie hat provided enough shade from the sun or anything that would cause glare. Ark reached up and took off the sunglasses, revealing his dark brown eyes, and offering them to Sasuke. "Here..." Ark said, holding the shades out grasped by the frame in his hand, unfolded so that Sasuke could easily just slip them on and they would be off.

Hitching his duffel bag higher onto his shoulder, he nodded to Sasuke. "... Take them.. I don't need 'em... If thats all, lets head out." The shades weren't something Ark needed entirely, and was easy to part with. Nothing for him to fret about, as it was not imperative to his survival. Ark wanted to make his way out as soon as possible, any time they wasted would allow a VIP of the U.A.S. more minutes to oppress the people of Aeon, and cause more suffering.