New Pit III

Log Title: New Pit III

Characters: Calhoun Burns, Chance, Joe Colton, Duke, Gung-Ho, Psyche-Out

Location: Pit III - Utah

Date: November 10, 2016

Summary: Joe Colton shows off the new version of Pit III.

As logged by Colton - Thursday, November 10, 2016, 8:57 PM

Sublevel 1 - Command Level - Pit III

 * Sublevel 1 is by far the largest area of the Pit. The cavernous area contains the motorpool garage on one side, ship hangar on the other, and the raised command center in the middle. This also functions as a pre-mission staging area. A large ramp leads up to a secret catapult to the surface, and other, smaller tunnels lead to pillbox AA bunkers located around the Pit. Tucked in the back is the Pit medbay. This area is bustling with people at all hours of the day and night, and if you wait long enough, almost every member of G.I. Joe will pass through here eventually.


 * Colton


 * General Joseph Colton is an older man in his 60s who has been hardened by a lifetime of warfare and adventure. Experience is engrained into every line on his face. His salt-and-pepper hair and beard are cut short and trimmed neatly, and a characteristic scar traces down the side of his right cheek. His US Army Service Uniform is pressed and starched and contains the four silver stars of a general but no other markings or identification insignia. He generally wears a dark four-in-hand tie with a white long-sleeved shirt, which is neatly tucked into belted blue trousers with a gold-colored braid running the length of the outside of each pant leg. His trousers end at mirror-shined black combat boots. His head is covered by a green United States Army Special Forces unit beret, and in general he doesn't look like someone to be messed with.

Many members of G.I. Joe from all over the United States and the world are gathered in the main staging area of the new Pit. On a small mobile tracked stage stand distinguished members of Joes' brass -- including "retired" General Joseph Colton himself. Colton raises his hands to quiet the murmurs of the crowd and to focus the Joes' attention on the main stage. Quickly, the vast room quiets, until you can practically hear the ninja breathe in the background.

Chance was by luck (heh) in the front of the crowd now, standing at-ease currently. Rarely recently did he find himself in regular uniform - on duty, it was normally bomb suit, and off duty he was more relaxed. But it was shining and well curated anyways, a red poppy also on his chest - perhaps something the Canadians mostly did more than the Americans in the crowd, but it was permitted. His eyes followed Colton sharply.

When the room quiets, Colton lowers his arms. Raising his voice to address the crowd, he get to the point without preamble. "The incursion into the last Pit has made the Jugglers -- and an even more secret body within the Pentagon -- very nervous," he announces, "about security for our project and the facilities that have operated as our cover for all these years." He looks around. Most of the Joes have been brought here in secret, and many of the newer Joes don't even know where the new Pit is located, although the older Joes have some idea.

Chance listens, but does not speak as he continues to watch. But there was confirmation of such suspicions after all, and even discussion about no longer bothering to hide the Pit at all.

Colton is on stage with other members of Joe brass. He turns to Duke, who stands a bit apart from the others. "First sergeant?" he asks.

Duke nods, and then raises a fist. "Alright, Joes! Listen up! We're the Joes. We do the job, we don't ask why, and we don't expect a parade. Anybody got any complaints? I hope not! Mainframe -- bring up the Pit diagram." Behind Duke, a large image of the Pit's schematics appears. Most of the Pit is colored blue, but some areas are red, with information restricted even to members of G.I. Joe below a certain rank.

Standing, listening and taking in the details of the briefing is one of the newer members of the team. Security's important, he's got no problem with that, being brought here under the old black bag or going through what's going to be a lot of slow going but vitally important information. No matter what you say or do, travelling along the trail takes as long as it takes and nothing's gonna make the journey any shorter. What's important is you get there.

Chance twitches his nose a little bit as he listens, before any itch on that extremeity decides to ease up and he refocuses his attention, looking towards the new map apprehensively. A frown, both of concern and concentration passed over his face.

Duke gestures to the map. "The areas tinted ted have been hidden from you, but are not being connected to the main area of the Pit." He points out different areas in blue. "All Joes will have access to the pillboxes, silos, defensive systems, Y-wing catapult, failsafe bunker, and tunnels into the air strip and helicopter pad. Access to the priority sectors of the secret areas of the base will be adjudicated on a need-to-know basis."

An architect looking at an architectural diagram's harder that it first seems. Cal's the kind to be cool and calm, even in a crisis, but there are times he'd say, if he were the kind to say, something about the something drawn up in front of him. Hmm. Maybe, later, he'll see if he can't have a quiet word to the brass. As, he'd hardly be helpin' if he let things, no matter how small, slip.

Chance shifts a little again, and quickly lifts a hand to wipe at his itchy nose before returning to 'at ease'. That was permitted, after all, even if it was a bit unappropriate, it was better than his explosives-quality-sneezes that could happen. He shifted then, watching the diagram, and looking at the red areas, studying and focusing on trying to memorize as much as he can, preemptively.

While some of the younger Joes stand at strict at-ease stance like Chance, many of the older Joes mill around more casually, paying attention quietly but not showing what some would consider military discipline. Duke doesn't seem to notice. Psyche-Out reaches back to scratch the back of his head, right above his wearable computer. In response to the need-to-know secrecy, Psyche-Out mutters, "There's a rationale to everything if you think long enough."

Gung-Ho nods. "Duke hit it on the head. Nothing to think about here. We just do our jobs, right?"

General Colton clears his throat, and the room gets quiet again. "Duke," he says, "Stalker, Chance, and Burns -- you've been pre-cleared, so come with me..." he gestures to the exit. "...through this newly opened tunnel." He takes off into the tunnel, not looking back to see if the other Joes follow.

Chance breaks from his 'strict' at ease stance to look at Gung-Ho, perhaps in a little bit of surprise. His frown returned, before he heard his name and his head spun about again. He shifts from At Ease, waiting for the other three to go first, before courteously taking up the rear in the line.

He wasn't expecting that. Cal admits to himself. Still, orders are orders, and he's been ordered to follow on. So Cal steps forward, moving through the crowds and ranks as they come into the quieter calm. Once pulling away from the greater body of bodies he makes straight for the indicated tunnels.

Pillboxes

 * Eight large "pillboxes" are hidden around the Pit, ready to pop up and defend the Joe base in the event of an attack. Each pillbox contains an AA missile launcher and is connected to the Pit through underground tubes. When not needed, the pillboxes are retracted into the sand to avoid detection from above. When deployed, however, they are arranged to cover every incoming attack vector against the Pit. If you're flying through this room, chances are you're in range to be targeted by the Pit's pillbox defense.

Joe leads the group into a small round concrete bunker, ringed by monitor screens and stations, each with a comfortable office rolly-chair. The center of the chamber is also ringed with high-mounted screens. Joe moves to the middle area. "This is one of a number of pillbox turrets that ring the periphery of the Pit," he says, gesturing again. "A single control team can operate all of the turrets from one pillbox, or by remote from the Pit."

Chance is in the doorway still as the speech began, and he leaned in to peer around at the confines and the facilities, looking at the monitors. The chairs, for some reason, made him smirk a little in amusement.

Joe steps into a central dais, and gestures at one of the five screens in a circle around it. "They can also control a series of missile silos and anti-aircraft batteries." Joe types in a code, and the entire room starts to slowly rise. The interior screens show the weapons themselves, with data as to its activation level and energy/ammunition. The outer screens activate, showing the desert outside. In the center, some of the older Joes will recognize the familiar Quonset huts of Pit III, the Joes' home once more.

"The pillboxes rise from the desert floor on hydraulics, and are completely invisible when retracted." Joe types in another code, and the pillbox slowly sinks back into the ground. Some of the screens shut down until needed again, while others remain on to monitor the area. "Of course," Joe says about the pillboxes, "they provide intersecting fields of fire within pre-plotted fire zones. Extremely complete area denial." He looks at the small group of Joes and smiles. "Now, if you'll follow me back through the tunnel to the Pit...."

Chance looks suitably impressed. He had questions, many of them, but he would hold them for now. After all, they may get answered later. He backs up out of the doorway to make way for the others.

Colton heads back into the main Pit staging area, and continues the tour for the remaining Joes.