The Agency: Fear & Loathing IC Options

[dionysus]

You can see the t-bird's pilot scanning around and fiddling with probability cones on the AR display. "Looks like they're headed here: it's an old strip mine or something. Lots of pits and holes, there's a huge parking lot and some buildings to the east; they might head for those. It's not exactly a major landing strip; if they see us landing they'll scramble. Do you want me to fake a malfunction, or do you think your spirit buddy can handle it?"

Ziro's spirit hangs back as far as it can, but can easily keep most of the area in sight, since there are very few obstructions. It warns that the astral space in the area is warping, and that it might have a difficult time getting closer unobserved. It also seems like there are wards set up here and there, but it's hard to be sure through all of the twisted mana around.

[De Badd Ass]

Ziro thinks to himself, We've pretty much decided that this is the target vehicle, and nobody is back at the cabin anymore, so there is no point in patrolling that valley anymore.

Ziro calls his bound Air Spirit to join him, "You did a good job patrolling the valley, and spotting the moving ward. Thank you!

"I've got another task for you now. Conceal, Guard, and Defend yourself, this vehicle and it's occupants, whether they are in the vehicle or not. Coordinate and Cooperate with your brother Air Spirit also assigned to this task. Let only the pilot see the vehicle and it's controls for now. After a minute you can let the other occupants see the vehicle and each other."

Ziro addresses the other runners, "Don't move for a minute. I've assigned a second spirit to conceal and protect us. He is concealing you from each other for a minute, so that you can judge his effectiveness. After that you should be able to see what you are doing. You'll be better able to decide on our next course of action.

"Of course, I have no idea how able our targets are. I am trying not to do anything that will give us away. I'll leave it to youse to decide if I should relax that restriction."

Ziro looks in turn at where each of the others was sitting.

[dionysus]

The t-bird and its other occupants seem to vanish for a moment, and then hazily return. If you really concentrate, you can still almost see through your companions and the vehicle itself, which is a little bit discomfiting.

Warning lights flash on the AR tracking display, with the message "Target lost."
"Shit," says the pilot, "Looks like they can do the same trick. I'm going to fake a malfunction and put down; I'll try and keep out of their sights. Buckle up."

Crash webbing snaps out from the walls and warning lights flash all over the interior as the t-bird seemingly goes out of control. The air and ground change places rapidly out the windows. After a few minutes of this, the t-bird skids gracelessly across the ground for a bit and comes to rest against the side of a slag heap.

The crash webbing retracts and the pilot jacks out. "We're down, with only cosmetic damage, but flight control should be convinced. Whether our friends over there are is yet to be seen. I have to go scrounge up some power cells for my bird, give me a ring if we have to leave in a hurry. Right now we only have enough power to get us to Minneapolis. I'll let you know what I find out."

A tracking arrow appears on your AR feed, "This is my last best guess as to where they set down, but I'm still not picking up their signal. Good hunting."

[ludomastro]

When the "malfunction" starts Grandpa begins to growl. Yes, he thinks to himself, this going to be a lot like Cuba. "Ok, people, I don't know magic but I know paranoid when I see it. We have a quickly closing window if we are going to make this. Who's up for a run?"

[De Badd Ass]

Through the telepathic link the spirits maintain with their summoner, Ziro learns that the two Spirits have been detected by Spirits patrolling the target area. Ziro explains the situation to them.

"We are not here to fight. We are only here to observe. Avoid contact as much as possible. Toy with them if you like. Play keep away. Avoid hostile actions! Meanwhile, continue observing the targets as best you can. That and the other tasks I requested. Thank you."

Ziro reports to the crew, "Welp, my Spirits have been spotted. Most likely we have been spotted, too; or will be, shortly. I'll stay here and maintain Magical Overwatch until youse tell me different. I asked my Spirits to avoid hostile actions. I told them that we are only here to observe. We'll see how that turns out.

"What now?"

[DireRadiant]

Cinzia flashed a grin and extended her leg to display her new shoes, "A run will be good. Just make sure you zig when I zag."

"This flight has been boring."

[dionysus]

Ziro, as you shift your awareness to the astral, you notice that the mana lines in the area are pretty twisted; they've got toxic stamped all over them, and if you go much further north (towards where you think the target is, and where those spirits came from), you'll be headed into serious bad mojo.

You can see your spirits flitting around, pursued by smoky, menacing forms. A telepathic warning flashes into your mind: your spirits are going to have to risk either engagement or loss of LOS with you & the party, should they stay or run?

The rest of the team [with possible exception of Oracle] heads out into the wasted ground and begins slogging northward. It's difficult broken ground, but you're managing it. The last location you got from the pilot says you're headed for a warehouse complex to the northeast.

[BlackHat]

Oracle stumbles from the vehicle holding his head. He pulled his hand away, looking at it, and saw it was red with fresh blood. The landing was not hard enough to have caused it - then the team saw, a small red line coming from his ear. He looked around with glazed over eyes, reading the dark aura of the surrounding area. "They come, and bring violence... blood... and death." His luminescent blue eyes jerk to the east, in the direction of the rising moon of his visions - although the landscape was unrecognizable. "Our future is grim. Bloodshed will be no more certain, if we go that way, instead." He then waited, to see if anyone would change course based on his unverifiable and unreliable means of reconnaissance. Oracle was not sure he would, himself, normally. If their path was this close to its end, it would find them whether they went east, went north, or stayed where they were. However, the lunar images have played prominently since this mission began - and although their meaning was still shrouded in uncertainty, Oracle could sense that it was important, and was a symbol of protection.

[dionysus]

Grandpa & Cinzia: After a few minutes of jogging past slag heaps and trash piles, you come in view of the warehouse - sort of. The warehouse is pretty standard - large, gray & uninteresting, but somehow details are incredibly hard to pin down. Doors hazily appear and melt away, human-shaped figures flicker and dance: sometimes it looks like the warehouse is guarded by as many as 40 people, sometimes it's desolate and empty. You don't see any sign of your target vehicle.

Even the mundanes start to react to the toxic manascape - the sun seems to be too bright and hot, the ground is mushy and yielding beneath your feet. You have a general sense that you'd rather be anywhere but here.

Ziro: Monitoring the astral plane, you see one of the three hostile spirits break off and head back towards the warehouse, just as you receive a mental warning from your spirits. The other two hostile spirits don't seem to be engaging, but they're staying close to yours to keep them from getting too close.

[ludomastro]

"More and more like Cuba. Did I mention that I hate the damn mojo?"

[DireRadiant]

"At least 5 times."

"Which part of Cuba were you in? Cause I don't see any spiced rum cocktails or chromed cabana boys. Though things did get pretty hazy there."

Cinzia peered into the confusing scene ahead.

[ludomastro]

Grandpa takes the time to flash a grin much younger than himself. "Yeah, not a fan of magic that aint on my side. I was in Cuba many years ago ... probably 'fore you were born. Run went south on me. This one is starting to feel the same way."

[BlackHat]

"That would be," began Oracle as he caught up with Grandpa and Cinzia, "because it has."

He did his best to keep his head low, taking cover behind the same pile of trash his teammates were using.

"Could you two switch places?" Oracle stared, curiously, at the dirt where they squatted.

[DireRadiant]

"Did I mention that I hate the damn mojo?", piped Cinzia, then glanced over at Granpa and whispered theatrically, "This is where you talk about the pool boys in Cuba."

[ludomastro]

Grandpa just stares at Cinzia. He then moves to Cinzia's side of the trash heap and looks at Oracle.

[DireRadiant]

Cinzia grins and scuttles out of the way and to other side, "I know I know, you hate kids too."

[BlackHat]

Oracle let Cinzia's joke pass without comment, but when Grandpa moved into his new position, he gestured for her to take the old man's original place.

"Yes, this is more correct." He said, gesturing with one hand, from Cinzia's side of the heap, to Grandpa's. "I got the sense that you were on this side of me when he collapsed." He paused for a second, glancing back and forth between the two with luminescent eyes. "I figure, if we are not going to turn back, we might as well do this right...."

[De Badd Ass]

Figuring it would be best not to be trapped in the cramped quarters of the LAV, Ziro grabs his katana and exits the vehicle.

"I wish I were in Cuba right now!'', Ziro mutters to himself. He looks around for a spot that is smooth and level, with plenty of maneuvering room. Next, he calls one of his reserve spirits to his side, the earth spirit he named Firma.

Ziro communicates with the air spirits watching the warehouse. "Thanks for the head's up, guys! Keep up the good work. Continue to protect my teammates, and keep watch as previously instructed. I hope that Firma and I will be able to handle any trouble that comes this way."

As Ziro considers the nauseating astral scene, he thinks, "Yeah, Cuba is truly a paradise, not at all like that hell hole in New Guinea. Maybe I'll make enough on this job to rate a vacation. I could go for a Lobster dinner in Trinidad - wash it down with several Mohitos, and listen to the rumberos sing El Commandante.

"First, there is this little thing called work."

Ziro holds his katana with a two handed grip as he waits for it.

[DireRadiant]

Cinzia raised an eyebrow as the scene cleared up and flashed a grin as she looked over at the others and tilted her head at the scene ahead and resumed her watch.

[ludomastro]

Grandpa shrugs at the mage. He brings his rifle to back to bear on the facility.

[BlackHat]

Oracle gestures in the direction of the exiting vehicles. His companions certainly did not overlook them, but their unawakened eyes may have missed the two spirits following in their wake. Meanwhile, it drops to one knee, attempting to move around the bushes opposite of the vehicles to prevent himself from being seen. He may be able to see spirits - but he possessed very little ability to deal with them. Even if he could, doing so would alert the drivers of the vehicles, and Oracle was not sure if the team was still in observation mode, or not. His recent premonition made him think that, regardless of their intentions, bloodshed would find them quickly.

[ludomastro]

Grandpa trains his sights on the lead van.