Fragile Things IC, Who hunts the Hunter? Options

[adamu]

Flat took a position to the other side of the first door and reached over to gingerly try the knob. If it gave, he'd swing in, covered by JW. If not, the ork would breach it and the human would burst in.

He would have preferred to clear the floor the way he'd been trained - spray it with lead, toss in a grenade, then follow the blast in to the right and left corners, killing anything that moved. But in theory this was a rescue op, though he was skeptical about how thrilled their targets would be about being extracted from the cult. Or if they were happy to go, it would mean they'd been treated like Jun - or worse...either way it would be a bad deal all around.

He turned the knob slowly, waiting for a click....

[MisterDoormat]

Dark Horse followed the others into the house. He moved close to Toobit to help cover the stairs.

[Ophis]

Flat's hand slips slightly on the door knob, delaying the click just slightly, then it comes, and the door swings slowly open.

From upstairs comes the sound of more sudden movement, feet heading towards the stairs.

"Jun"

[ Spoiler ]

A shape detaches itself from the roof and skitters down the side of the building and then towards your "safe" haven. It's form is one of nightmares, a spider like body but the face. Oh the face, a sickening parody of humanity.

[adamu]

Once the door gave, Flat thrust it open and rushed in, cutting immediately to the right to avoid JW's line of fire. A quick scan showed him the room was clear - whatever its limitations, if there was anything living in the dark space, his astral sight would pick it up immediately and effortlessly.

They quickly moved on to the next room, even as things started heating up with the rest of the team - thudding footsteps on the stairs and an eruption of small arms fire.

Repeating the procedure, Flat and JW cleared the rest of the first floor in less than thirty seconds. The fight on the stairwell tempted them to cut corners, but hey knew the others could handle themselves, and it wouldn't do to advance further without securing their rear.

Finally Flat announced over the network - First floor clear.

[pragma]

Clearing the rooms , like all firefights, was an experience that desperately wanted to be a blur.

Flat threw door after door open and JW followed around the corner to blast anything that showed its face.

He felt like he couldn't possibly be breathing right; his lungs moved so slowly.

Individual blasts of machine gun barrels echoed from the stairs.

His hands smelled like gunpowder.

Flakes of pure white snow blew in from the midnight Boston streets.

Individual splinters peeled off of the door he was kicking in.

Flat's sword gleamed in the glow from the streetlights.

Every stressful second, every bead of sweat and every swift snap of the gun to check his six was stretched into hours as modified synapses spewed unnaturally fast chemicals into his brain, but after an eternity of heightened sensation and stress, it was over. Twenty seconds had passed.

[amra28]

Toobit hears the footsteps before the first of the cultists shows themselves on the stairs. Deciding to conserve his energy, the dwarf sticks to using his predator. In a calm fashion Toobit fires at each target that presents itself and for a spellslinger his aim is not half bad.

[Vegas]

[ Spoiler ]

The half-arachnid, half-human form that was apparently making a bee line for Flat's car instantly stirred a sense of panic in her from out of nowhere. Perhaps she had always had a fear of spiders, she didn't know, however this was hardly a typical pest. She suddenly felt as if little baby spiders were crawling over various parts of her body. She brushed her hands over her arms in a vain attempt to rid herself of that feeling. A cold wave of despair washed over her and she was fairly convinced this wasn't just an irrational fear of some type. Perhaps it was tied back into what had been done to her while she was in that ritual room, or maybe it really was just a fear of spiders.

Either way she didn't want that thing getting anywhere near her. As it kept approaching on a collision course with the car she repeatedly checked that the doors were still locked and the windows rolled up tight. In the background somewhere deep within the building the muffled cracks of multiple gunfire could be heard and only amplified her agitation.

She didn't want to be in the car like a caged animal, but she sure as hell didn't want to be in that building and unarmed.

[Ophis]

"Jun"

[ Spoiler ]

The creature pauses in it's movement seeming to assess the car for a moment. Then it seems to shrug it's shoulders, which turns into flicking motion with both forelimbs, a barrage of icy shards slam into the car's windscreen shattering it.

Flat

[ Spoiler ]

As you reach the end of your sweep on the the first floor your comm springs to life, a signal from your car, it's sustained damage from some sort of impact.

[adamu]

No sooner had Flat sent out the all-clear signal for the first floor, than he got a call about trouble outside.

In his usual monotone he announced over the net, Car under attack. JW with me. Toobit, see if you can keep us in LOS. Hold the stairs and hopefully we'll be right back."

Even as he spoke he was running out the front towards his car, scanning for threats astrally.

[amra28]

"Ok", Toobit says as he moves to a position to keep the stairs in sight while also being able to watch JW and Flat go out to the car.

[Vegas]

[ Spoiler ]

A scream pierced the Boston night as ice, glass and falling snow rained down on the front seats of the car. Jun drew her arms up to her face instinctively to protect her face from the shards. Not wanting to remain in the potential coffin, she fumbled for the door handle but the locks wouldn’t seem to disengage because of some kind of security protocol.

She could hear multiple appendages skitter across the snow ever closer to its prize inside the car. Eventually the being came into full view on the hood of the car. She mumbled a string of curses in Spanish as she tried the door handle again before she stared down the creature, her eyes narrowing as it crept closer.

God had a bigger plan for her than this. If He were to let her survive the previous ordeal there was no way she was going to go out like this before she regained any concept of just who, or what she was. As her defiance and anger towards the though of death grew, the more she refused to give up. For a moment she closed her eyes and asked God for the forgiveness for whatever was to come, to aid her with whatever it was she might have to do to survive.

When she opened her eyes, it was like she couldn’t see and it felt as if someone had grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into the dash repeatedly. The pain was dizzying, and she was acutely aware of heat approaching the passenger compartment of the car.

[Ophis]

[ Spoiler ]

The creature seems sorely wounded by the blast of flame, it's face half melted showed signs of fear, it pauses planning it's next move, suddenly facing a threating wasp not a harmless fly...

Flat races towards the door out, he can see a creature, some sort of horrific parody of a spider, it's entire focus on the car and it's helpless occupant. A sudden jet of flame from inside the car cause it to stop, suddenly becoming cautious.

[adamu]

"Holy..." Terror at the sight of the thing reached an icy hand at Flat's numb heart, and with the fear came the pain. He took the briefest of moments for his mantra, this time recited to himself in Latin - Your heart is yours...and naught shall touch it.

There was only one thing to do - if they lost Jun, then this whole run was just one more meaningless mound of merc bullshit.

Continuing his Latin mutterings, he gripped the haft of his weapon and charged the abomination.

[Ophis]

Flat's charge brings him in close to the creature he breathes deeply of a strange frosty odour around it. To late the monster tries to turn ands a sword slice ruptures it scorched abdomen. It collapses spewing vile smelling puss over the street. Flat hopes backwards, just avoiding the slick, as the creature dissolves into goo, then evaporates into blue gas that dissipates on the chill wind.

Flat

[ Spoiler ]

"This is all her fault you know," says a voice inside Flat's head, "Kill her now and it will all be over. Oh and before you try DO NOT TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS CONVERSATION!" The last words sink into Flat's mind forming a strong almost unbreakable compulsion.

[adamu]

Flat took a step back and leaned against a nearby tree. Your heart is yours and naught shall touch it.

His body was wracked with pain - first the adrenaline of the charge - a moment later the exultation of a one-stroke kill - and then things just went from glorious to creepy. But his companions were in the middle of a firefight - he couldn't leave them alone while he took a damned breather - but it didn't appear Jun was safe out here, either.

Or maybe he should just leave her here?

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer - he didn't know which it was, but the answer was clear. With a flick of his glove, the door came open - "Come on - you're sticking with me."

[pragma]

JW turned and followed Flat toward the door of the tenement. He walked in a fast shuffle, gun raised. The adept rounded the corner toward his compact car with a mix of terror and rage pasted on his face as JW heard the most terrifying sound of the evening: The empty-chambered click of Dark Horse's machine gun.

He wheeled toward the stairs as the belt was ejected from the gun. Two cultists spun around the corner with shotguns as the second belt got looped over the barrel. Wing's and Toobit each took a shot, but hit the same cultist. The lone gunman lined up on Dark Horse as the mercerenary slammed the action shut on his first round. The momentary grin of triumph on the fanatic's face was cut short by JW's shotgun reducing his ribcage to hamburger meat.

Stepping outside to back up Flat he saw an explosion of hissing goo as some shadow faded into the night. Using his voice for the first time since talking to Jun he drawled "What happened he'ah?" in a cautious tone as he approached his teammate.

He was out of his element, he nervously glanced over his shoulder out of habit. It was an old tic, one that had never really paid off, but he felt better knowing that the world behind him wasn't out to get him.

[Vegas]

Jun couldn't help but take her time as she moved to get out of the car, every movement aggravated the sudden pain in her head. She was more than happy to go with Flat at this point, perhaps that would mean that the spider-things wouldn't come back.

As her sock-covered feet hit the cold snow a shiver ran through her, this time more from the cold than the creepy things happening around her. When she rose to her feet she could make out the approach and hear the voice of JW.

She couldn't answer the question even though it wasn't really directed at her in the first place, so all she was left with was a shrug before she wrapped her arms around herself in a vain attempt to keep out the cold. She looked up at Flat from below a fringe of dark lashes that were already collecting the falling snowflakes and softly spoke the first words that came to her lips that didn't relate to the spider-thing or what just happened.

"I'm really sorry about your car."

[adamu]

"Cars are cheap," was all he said, looking at her closely. He'd been itching to take a moment to properly read her since they'd pulled her out of that chamber of horrors at the other location, but they literally hadn't had a spare second since then. And between fanatic cultists and giant spiders, that hadn't changed.

But however much he'd wanted to read her before, that desire had just trebled. But whatever happened, there was sure as hell no way he could...

"What happened he'ah?" came JW's Southern drawl, interrupting the sensitive's dark musings.

Flat turned to his teammate and opened his mouth - and just froze. What the fuck? Was that for real?!? All the goateed human could do was shrug and say - "Big damned freakin' spider, that's what happened. We're gonna have to bring her with us."

[pragma]

JW furrowed his brow.

"All I saw was some blue shit and you waving your killing stick in the ai'ah. We expecting a lot big damned freakin' spidahs tonight?"

The calm in his voice wasn't from any degree of confidence so much as resignation; this was going to be one of those nights. Even though he hadn't seen any giant spiders with his own eyes, JW was well aware Flat saw quite a bit more than he did and he knew that astral trouble never seemed too far away from his stoic teammate.

He cocked his head toward the house and said, "We'd best hurry back in, won't be much house left if Dark Horse keeps up the suppressive fire." Turning to Jun he said "Come on darlin'" and then turned back toward the firefight and resumed the cautious shuffle of an urban gunman.

[Vegas]

She moved tentatively at first, constantly looking around her fully expecting another spider-thing or even the boogie man his self popping out of the wintery darkness and saying "Boo!". Granted the idea of entering a house that was full of gunfire didn't sound really appealing either at the moment.

But it would be dry. And there'd be someone else to watch for spider-things.

Her already snow-soaked feet were getting increasingly colder as she crossed the distance between Flat's car and the building in relative silence outside a soft chattering of teeth.

[adamu]

Leaving his Awakened blade in his right hand, Flat placed a hand lightly on Jun's shoulder from behind, guiding her forward in JW's wake - despite the things he knew about her, he had no reason to think she had any tactical training, and if she was going to be with them through this house clearance, he needed to guide her, keep her out of harm's way - out of the team's way.

And he wanted to stay behind her. Until he had time to figure some things out.

Wing, DarkHorse, Toobit, first floor and grounds finally clear. We'll hold the fort down her while you three sweep the upstairs, he subvocalized over the team net.

[Vegas]

Jun jumped slightly and sucked in a little breath when Flat's hand rested on her shoulder. She shot him a quick glance over her shoulder and started to keep behind JW's lead, her damp feet leaving small footprints on the old wood floors of the hallways.

She wanted to do something to help, but she didn't know what she could do, she didn't have a way to communicate with even Flat and JW, let alone the rest of the group, without speaking and potentially giving away their position if they were looking to gain any surprise on whomever they were chasing.

In the end she just put her faith in God and her rescuers as she kept her mouth shut and her eyes opened inside the building as they moved down the halls.

[amra28]

Toobit gives Flat a thumbs up signal when he gets the message. Then he moves near the stairs and waits for the other two to lead the way up.

[Metatron]

<<@team"On it">>

With that, Wing starts heading up stairs.

[Ophis]

The three of you pound up the stairs. Wing with reactions that seem almost supernatural clears the steps first, throwing her self right, her back against the wall. She swings her shotgun round firing straight through the closest door to the left. Two shots ring out demolishing the barricade and the cultist behind it. Darkhorse just lets his head peep above the top of the stairs and snaps out two shots into the cultist in the first door on the right, who drops bleeding heavily. The two cultists left try to return fire, one manages to place bullets through the space against the wall Wing has just left, The other aiming at Darkhorse screams as his gun explodes in his hands, he stumbles backwards still conscious blood streaming from a ruined hand.

It's looking good for you, but then something appears, another spirit emerging from the astral, this one seems to be a hideous parody of a toad, corpulent and covered in black slime.