Shadows in the Jungle Options

[Tabula Rasa]

It takes her a few moments to recover from the shock of reconnecting to the matrix. After that, B'olay doesn't respond to the Sergeant until she is finished with the recordings. It's been so long since she had last used her commlink, but while she was never any good at it, it was impossible to forget how to use the basic functions.

When the voice recording finishes she pushes the lead box back further under the seat and nods at the Sergeant, "I will do what you need me to do. I must meet with this man in the message."

If he can give me a chance to get back at those Azzie devils this whole thing not be so bad as I'd first thought.

She can't help but smile a bit, baring her teeth, as the helicopter flies towards Metropaul.

[Cthulhudreams]

"ETA to dropsite, 5 minutes"

The chopper pilots voice with added electronic crackle resonates over the radio net. There is a flurry of activity as the team grabs their packs, guns and other illegal equipment of out the chopper, one of the trolls disassembling a huge door mounted minigun and heaving it over his back. The chopper descends further, squeezing into a gully as the titanic ferrocrete and plastisteel expanse of Metropaul sweeps into sight, glowing with electric lighting in the falling dusk, and even from his distance huge traffic jams, patches of gloom from power outages and major fires can be seen. All of this under a delightful haze of pollution and smoke.

The sergant comments over the radio net "I think the barrens and the Chicago containtment zone are actually prettier than that." which draws a few wry laughs from the magician, cut short as he snatches a grab bar, jerked sideways as the chopper abruptly jinks then drops sharply for a landing in a clearing about 6 kms out of Metropaul with a heavy thud

"Okay guys they just fingered me via radar. You've got about one minute to be out of line of sight before the feds turn up. Move!" A timer and AR markings of incoming customs patrol vehicles is offered via the choppers subscription automatically.

The troopers need no second order, jumping out of the chopper and sprinting for the tree line - amazingly quickly in the case of the heavily loaded trolls. The sergeant shouts "If you need me to carry something, give it to me now" jumping down from the chopper and offering his hand back up to you.

[Tabula Rasa]

She shudders as the sight of the manmade behemoth festering in the heart of the jungle pans into her view. B’olay grips tightly onto a grab-bar as the chopper descends steeply and hesitates to make sure the machine is fully settled before struggling to unstrap herself from her seat.

B’olay can’t make much sense of most of the chatter over the net but the warning about having one minute left makes plenty of sense, and it’s properly emphasized by the HUD showing a rapidly approaching group of pulsing red marks converging on a steady green mark and the large countdown timer.

She pulls back instinctively when offered a hand, but she takes his offer to carry her bag and tosses her backpack with the lead box safely tucked inside down to him, and jumps down after it and sprints after the rest of them for the tree line.

The difference between her escorts - dressed in full battle armor and bristling with modern weaponry - and herself - dressed in a leather loin cloth and soft leather shoes, covered with tattoos and tribal jewelery and only carrying a primitive onyx blade - is palpable. The absurdity of the situation would make her laugh if it wasn't for the image of Metropaul so recently burned into her mind.

[Cthulhudreams]

The troops pound across the clearing and spread out into the jungle, the jet turbine engine of the helicopter roaring into full throttle as it takes off moving as far as possible from the clearing towards Metropaul.

The troopers seem relatively unconcerned about federal imposition, the two guys bringing up the rear watch the jungle closely, but this close to Metropaul there is no large wildlife around to clutter up their sensors.

"Looks all clear team"

The trip into Metropaul itself is uneventful, but the jungle itself is surreal. The floor of the jungle starts to give way to giant slabs of plastisteel overgrown with moss and vines, guttered cars have ants nests built into the engine bays, and decaying housing is being gradually being cracked and torn apart by vines growing so unnaturally fast that prolonged observation reveals movement. As some point the houses start to have fringe dwellers living in them, sort of bizarre shanty towns, but the desperately poor locals disappear off the streets at the first sight of the mercenaries. Even the local street gangs are revealed as swaggering bravadoes when they evaporate at first sight of a gun.

Even as the team penetrates further into the city and the jungle fades away into worn plasticrete prefabs, smash street lighting and burnt out cars they continue to carry their rifles openly. They stop at a large - and now completely empty street intersection - in the distance is visible a much cleaner part of the city complete with lone star police manning a barricade is visible.

"Okay guys, this is the extraction point. Little lady, can we offer you a ride into the city? Our barracks are here" A mental impression accompanies the message and automatically engages with the mapsoft, the facility - a corporate off site function resort and golf club - they are staying at is pretty close to the small teahouse you've been asked to meet at in the Bairro da Liberdade - Metropaul's old chinatown.

[ Spoiler ]

Any further engagement with the mapsoft will generate an canned tourist announcement "This is a characteristic oriental-influenced neighborhood and home to Japanese immigrants since the 1940s; here you can find the largest population of Japanese outside of the country itself. The main entrance to this district is the Viaduto Cidade de Osaka (the City of Osaka Viaduct) with its monumental and colorful gateway. Once inside, you will find all the main streets decorated with traditional and original Asian lamps and rattles. Here every kind of Asian produce is available in the local markets. Also here you can find some of the best Japanese, Chinese and Korean restaurants in Mertropaul. Unlike many areas of Metropaul, there is a police present, and while the rate of violent crime is higher than Chicago, your travel insurance policy will cover it"

"Team, this looks like the extracto"

[Tabula Rasa]

B'olay grips at the nearest arm and shakes her head to dispel the annoying voice of the tourist announcement that started playing the moment she concentrated on the map dominating her vision. A few seconds later the voice is gone and the map is somehow a fraction of the size in a discreet corner of her vision, which immediately pops into a more prominant position the moment she thinks about examining it more closely.

She looks back at the wrecked outskirts of the city and the burnt out husks of vehicles laying on the road behind her and towards the clearer, but no less threatening interior of the city guarded by security forces. "I'll have to-" she cuts herself off in hesitation, "yes, you can take me into the city. Past them." She points to the Lonsetar manning the barricades.

[Cthulhudreams]

The seargent grins, then says "Okay, gotta couple of trucks coming in." the squad fans out, leaning up against walls, sitting on the bumpers of rusted out cars and squatting on oil barrels. You can tell their pretty relaxed about being here.

"This your first time in Metropaul?" the seargent says conversationally as the mog trucks arrive. Big, aged ex military vehicle in green paint mottled with age, the seargent gesturing that you're with him as he jumps in a single hop into the truck over the tailgate, the suspension sagging slightly as his boots hit the floor with a clang.

"This is really a beater isn't it."

[ Spoiler ]

He'll walk you through the permiter, and while lone star will sniff about, they don't care enough/don't have the authority to inspect his vehicle.