Low-Down in Loveland, IC Thread Options

[Saint Sithney]

"Shit! Unbelievable!"
Cosimo dropped the kid mostly on his feet and, with practiced motion, swung his rifle into place. He again started shouting at the crowd.
"Sni! per! One word! Two syllables! None of you worthless sacks can make your face work to tell me this shit; I gotta find out about it this way?! Anything else slip your collectively-useless minds, like a bomb, a giant robot or dragon!"

A mental command flooded Cosi's brain and body with a full dose of the purest Cram this hood ever sees. At the sensation of it boiling behind his eyes, he couldn't help but feel the smile crack across his usually placid scowl. He gave control over to the drug as it moved through his body. Meanwhile he moved through the crowd, rifle up, trying to get a bead on the sniper's position.

[ Spoiler ]

Hearing test to notice the shot. Int 4 + 1 skill + 3 attn coprocessor + 3 audio enhancement - 3 reduced sense = 8d6.hits(5) → [6,5,1,3,4,4,1,4] = (2) Forgot negative mods for being distracted. Shouldn't matter for less than -6 in total. -2 for distracted shouldn't change anything.
Assuming I can move to get a line on the sniper's position, here's a visual spot check. Int4 +1skill +3attn +3active look= 11d6.hits(5) → [5,6,4,5,5,2,1,4,6,3,3] = (5) Vis mag should help take care of distance penalties.

[Aria]

`What you doin' here, girl?` His voice bears the bravado one might expect from one of the Assassins' street toughs. `Doncha know there's a party out there on the street?`

"Well I'm not much one for a party, how about you, you seem a bit outside your turf Souther?" She let the insult sound in her voice...

all that seemed a little redundant when the call of sniper came in on her comm...oh frag this she thought to herself seeing Alex bundling towards her along the street. Feeling considerably braver she made the knife in her hand visible

"Don't go anywhere, you wouldn't want to get stuck by a little bitty girl would you?"

[Digital Heroin]

Matto

Belly crawling to the stairs gets Matto a few scrapes from debris and a shower of glass from an upper story exploding due to a build-up of pressure. He manages to get to the fallen man otherwise unmolested, and without drawing the eye of the sniper. The fallen man is in his mid twenties, and is currently a ghastly stricken white from loss of blood. As Matto climbs the stairs to the man, he finds himself in a poot of hot blood. The man is muttering, his eyes fluttering weakly as he tries to focus on his rescuer.

Mickey, Grim

As Mickey starts to filter through the crowd he will begin to find huddled clusters of children. Without bidding, one of the older children explains that they had been amongst the first ushered from the top floor, before Jonas - the man who is now slumped on the stairs - had fallen down. The children are remarkably free of harm, save a cough here and there.

Grim's drones encounter several injured people amongst the squatters. Most bear trivial injuries - scrapes, a sprained ankle, mild smoke inhilation - and are able to walk to the RV under their own power once directed to it. The worst off, however, is a Troll who sustained burns to almost half of his body, reportedly by breaking through walls to make exits for people.

Lucky, Cosimo

Cosimo's admonishment of the crowd sends them surging back away from him, which clears his field of vision. Both he and Lucky - who enjoys a thoroughly unfettered view from the balcony - spot a figure half crouched in one of the third story windows of a building across the street. The old brick structure is still mostly intact, save for the far corner, which is caved in. Range indication in Lucky's dead's-up places the closest point of the building from him as one hundred and ten feet, and the shooter's window another twenty-five feet beyond that.

Alex, Scratch

When Scratch calls him on his affiliation, the sentry bristles, and stands taller. With her reveal of a blade, the ganger grins.

`Well, well, girlie's got herself a nail file,` he laughs, anmd shifts enough to open his shirt and reveal a large, curved glade at his hip. `You think you're gonna stick me, do you girlie?`

What the ganger does not see, though Scratch does, is Alex rounding the building's corner, and the front of the SUV, coming up behind the sentry.

[Saint Sithney]

[Cosimo@Dozen Message. Dozen: Engaging the shooter.]

Rifle already on target, Cosimo put the Smartlink dot right on the bastard's chest, braced the weapon to his shoulder and fired a short burst to put him down. Cozi felt his arm muscles twitch as bullets flared from the muzzle of the M23. He was aware that they were his arms, but they felt like they belonged to someone else. He told them what to do, but they weren't his anymore. They belonged to the drug. His grin crept wider.

[ Spoiler ]

Just to refresh, My initiative should be 11. Working with 2 passes.
Free action?: Switch to BF. (don't know if you consider fire selection part of readying the weapon or not.)
Simple action: Short wide burst at the sniper. You said about 135 feet, which is around 40 meters, yeah? So, that's short range for the AR. If you meant 135m, that's medium range, so, just knock off the last die, right? Should have 6pts RC.
Agility 6 + 5 skill + 2 smartlink = 13d6.hits(5) → [6,6,3,5,3,2,6,3,5,2,6,2,6] = (7) Yikes. Looks like the universe doesn't like guys who shoot helpless fathers.
Damage should be 7P +1AP for hollow-points + net hits, with -2 to his dodge pool.
Assuming he's not down, I'll roll up a second shot.
Simple Action: Short narrow burst Same DP since RC holds.
13d6.hits(5) → [4,1,5,5,2,6,6,1,2,4,5,6,1] = (6) Like I said, universe wants to destroy this guy.
Damage should be 7P +1AP for hollow-points + 2P for autofire + net hits, with -1 to his dodge pool for defending against a previous attack.

Yeesh.. this is nasty.

[Aria]

`Well, well, girlie's got herself a nail file,` he laughs, anmd shifts enough to open his shirt and reveal a large, curved glade at his hip. `You think you're gonna stick me, do you girlie?`

"Wouldn't want to dirty my blade on you! He might shoot you though..." Scratch nods in Alex's direction..."So why don't you stay nice and still hmmm?"

[Red-ROM]

Sniper. The word was a game changer. Mickey scanned the area as he moved through the huddled masses. He stopped talking to the crowd and started talking into his sub-vocal microphone.
<<Micky@Dozen: Where are these guys at?>>
Micky makes his way to the closest wall to get his bearings. He stretches his arm discretely to release the dart pistol from the sling in his jacket sleeve.

[Saint Sithney]

The first burst saw the enemy shooter disappear from sight. Cosimo was disappointed. That guy may already be dead. He wanted to shoot the bastard some more.
"Sniper's gone! Move or burn!" He directed the huddled crowd offhandedly as his attention remained on the building across the way.

[ Spoiler ]

Free action: Speak a short phrase
other actions held.

[kanislatrans]

Flinching at the automatic gun fire,Mattoknelt next to the bleeding squatter.
"Don't give up! I believe in you all. A person's a person, no matter how small! And you very small persons will not have to die If you make yourselves heard! So come on, now, and TRY"-Dr.Seuss- "
He rambled as he stripped the backing from the Trauma patch. Wiping away the blood on the man chest, he pressed he fabric circle on to the skin. It would take a few seconds for the dmso to deliver the cocktail of painkillers and stabilizer compounds to hit the mans system, so Matto began assessing the chest wound. pulling the wrapper from the tampon, He slid it into the wound and slid back the applicator, letting the cotton expand and hopefully stop some of the bleeding. sending a quck message to all
<<Matto@dozen: Got a patient..needs some red juice in a bad way.">>

[Digital Heroin]

Cosimo, Lucky, Mickey
As Cosimo takes up aim and fires a controlled burst at the sniper across the street a frenzy breaks out, and the crowd - having grown somewhat used to the fire, but reacting to the new element of danger - surges into a swirling mass of people trying to get clear of the impending gun battle. As for the people on the stairs, there is a surge from them as well, but a better organized one. They all start to file down the stairs, herding the children ahead of them. They are careful to avoid the two fallen men and Matto. Several of the more able bodied stay behind to help evacuate the wounded.

Cosimo's first burst catches the ganger low in the chest, and stitches holes up to his lead shoulder, sending him sprawling backwards and out of sight. Moments after he falls, the shillouette of another figure crosses into the window. Though obscured by the frame, it would seem the sniper had a spotter, and said spotter is checking on his fallen comrade.

Matto, Grim
Down on the stairway the fallen man fights to retain consciousness, but ultimately loses the battle once the chemical cocktail starts to work its magic. The chest wound is dire, and more troubling it seems there is no exit wound. The impromptu bandaging does start to slow the bleeding, however, which is a blessed thing considering how pale the man already looks.

Alex, Scratch
When Scratch tips her head in Alex's direction, the lookout's immediate reaction is to rabbit. He jukes, and dives for the closest hole he can find, which in this case has him scrambling for the the driver's side door of the SUV, and the gun inside.

[Saint Sithney]

With deliberate steps, taken lightly, one over the other, Cozi was moving diagonally, both away from the fire and towards the shooter's position, when he saw the flash of movement in the upper floor. He was unsure of what it was, but sure that it was movement. That was more than enough to illicit another burst. He felt the roiling energy moving throughout his body surge outward like a snake, from his back and shoulder to his arm and trigger finger. As the bullets ripped out from the weapon, blooming flash cut up and away like a knife - like a tiny kin of the blaze just a few meters away.

[ Spoiler ]

(held) Simple Action: Firing a short wide burst. Agility 6 +5 skill +2 smartlink -4 cover = 9d6.hits(5) → [6,6,6,2,1,6,3,6,3] = (5) it just keeps happening!

(held) Simple Action: Another short wide if he doesn't go completely out of sight from the knockdown 9d6.hits(5) → [4,6,3,1,5,4,4,1,2] = (2) and the spell is broken

Again, base damage w/ ammo should be 7P +1AP. Both are wide.

[Aria]

Scratch, seeing that he was going for the gun, flicked her throwing knife in his direction, hopefully enough to make him think agian...

[Digital Heroin]

Cosimo
Even as the Spotter tries to keep out of sight he is keeping an eye toward the motel. He acts on pure instict when the muzzle flashes brutally on Cosimo's gun, and he tries to twist out of the way only to be stitched across the back with a flash of fire, and then no pain at all. Of course now he is slumped on top of the dying sniper, and not feeling much of anything. Seems there is an aweful lot of blood, though.

From Cosimo's vantage point the spotter pirouettes after being hit, and then falls out of sight again. Two bursts, two targets. Fine shooting indeed.

Scratch
The ganger is expecting to be attacked, and he does a fine job in trying to get into cover before it comes, but Scratch's throw stitches across his pecs, cutting a line under one arm and illiciting a howl from the lookout. He continues the momentum of his dive, but instead of cleanly getting into the driver's seat as he had planned he ends up scrambling.

[Propaganda]

Alex spits out a curse in elven before striding towards the now scrambling ganger, drawing his pistol as he does.
"Don't" he says firmly, levelling the gun at the mans head "If not, I have no issue with ending you"

[Fenris]

With another lopsided grin and a quick shake of his head, Lucky turns and twists as soon as he spots the shooter, a short hop and a reach letting him pull himself back up on the roof of the building. He turns, sprinting along the edge of the building, unslinging one end of Sully's Special as he moved, lining up the shot and launching the concealed grappling hook up towards the roof of the building. Why else would you have a retractable grappling hook on a line if you weren't going to shoot it at things and jump across streets?

[ Spoiler ]

So, not sure what rolls you're looking for?

[Digital Heroin]

Alex/Scratch

Having just had his shirt and a fair amount of flesh cut open by a knife thrown by the chica he was not expecting to be a threat, and now having another guy in his face with a gun, you would think the Asssassin would balk, or cower. Instead he seems empowered. He stops going for the gun and stands up, good hand braced on the frame of the driver's side door.

`You just don't get it, do you? We won't be the last you see. Your turf is marked.`

[BlackHat]

As the combat goes on, nearby, Grim maneuvers his drone into position near the burned troll. With a mechanically precise pair of arms, bristling with tiny medical tools, he begins to treat the burns, injecting a cocktail of anesthetics and biomeds, while covering his mouth with an oxygen mask and making sure the patient remains stable. He spends a few more seconds cutting away the worst of the burned flesh, and applying a spray-on synth-skin sealant to help keep infections out while the troll heals. When he is finished, his patent is breathing, and his vital signs have improved. His eyes even flicker open once the worst of the pain has been dulled away. He would still need long-term medical care, and probably some cosmetic biosculpting to replace the lost skin, but Grim was confident that his patient would live. The troll had already saved so many lives, today, that the fact that Grim may have just saved his seemed kind of small, in comparison.

[Propaganda]

Alex glances over at Scratch, keeping his gun trained on the now defiant ganger "Scratch, go find the others, tell them we're going to have serious problems. I'm going to have a little talk with this idiot and see if he's feeling co-operative" as he finishes speaking, he aims the pistol at the mans left knee and fires twice.

[Saint Sithney]

Cosimo paused as he saw Lucky move to the sniper's position. His head start made Cosimo's advance redundant. He quiclky scanned the buildings again, looking at all the sniper's nests he had imagined on the ride down and seeing nothing. He paused for a moment to check the trid feed Scratch was sending out from her comm. Everything looked like it was under control there. He shuffled away from the building and took stock of the situation. The crowd was still in a panic from the gunfire.

[Cosimo@Dozen: Message. Dozen. Follows. The two in the north building are down. Lucky is checking them. Matto could use a medkit. I think I saw him stuffing a sock in a guy's bullet wound. Scratch, good job keeping their wheels from getting away. Alex, make sure to get his comm before he can radio out. There may still be two more out there. The arsonists. Stay sharp while I try and organize this crowd.]

Cosimo reslung his rifle and pulled out his Ingram, setting it to fully automatic fire.
"Alright! Everyone! Stand still! The shooting is over! If you were burned, or are having trouble breathing, make your way over to the left side of the giant-ass RV and sit down! If you, or someone you are carrying, need immediate medical attention because you are bleeding, move to the right-front side of the vehicle. If you saw who set this fire, and you think you could identify them, come see Mickey. Everyone else, I don't know about you, but I could use a drink! Come on and follow me to The Dive!"

[Red-ROM]

After the message from Cossimo, Micky slid his gun quickly back up his sleeve, and at the mention of his name being yelled over the crowd, he cringed for just a moment, waiting for a sniper bullet to put him down. With a second breath he amped up his voice modulator to crowd control level,"For those who don't know, I'm Micky. I can point you in the right direction weather you need a drink or a missing child. If you're just hanging out to watch the commotion, I can assure you that watching it on the trid will be much easier on your lungs than breathing this smoke. There's a lot to sort out here folks, so lets move slow and steady ok? "
With that Micky stepped to the crowd of people and tried to get them sorted.

[Aria]

Scratch nodded to Alex and headed back towards the fire, the crowds and the general mayhem...

[Digital Heroin]

The night's sky dances with light cast from the growing flames of the old motel. With the sniper down, and his support structure mopped up the rescue effort proceeds quickly. Those injured are marshalled by drone and by fellow metahuman to the mobile clinic, and soon a manner of order starts to befall the scene. The crowd does not thin as the fire engulfs the entire building, but people give way when the Dozen tell them to, and everyone moves back to a safe distance. Cosimo and Matto are able to get everyone clear before the balcony itself is overrun by flame, and to get clear with the wounded man as well. Lucky's flight across the street is spectacular, though in the chaos there are few who see him fly above their heads. When he gets to the other building he will find two dead men, a sniper and a spotter. They are clean of anything that could identify them, without so much as a commlink between them. Alex's zeal to interrogate the already wounded lookout is met initially with resistance, and then a howl of pain as the man is shot point blank in the knee. Unfortunately as far as interrogation subjects go a man who is passed out from shock and bleeding out from the arteries running through the knee is a poor case. While Mickey goes about re-uniting the lost, Grim and his drones are able to establish a triage, and soon even the gawkers are starting to pitch in. Scratch arrives on scene to find this unusual scene of co-operation amongst Barrens life.

Everyone stops, however, when the motel gives out a low groan. With a last gasp, the building gives up, and it collapses in upon itself, sending a cloud of dust and smouldering ash out into the street.

---

Hours later, when things have finally settled, people start filtering back into the dive. The place never does seem to close, and it would seem a good time for a quiet drink and some planning.

[Saint Sithney]

"Immediate retaliation," Cosimo, still cracked on drugs, looked around to each of the Dozen assembled. "...isn't just about sending a message, it's about seizing an opportunity. The Southies don't know their men are dead yet. Not for sure at least."
Knuckles on the table, Cozi's tension was visibly apparent as he tried to hold back the tide of the drugs washing over and over his naturally turbulent brain. "If we take their car back to Southside turf, tint cranked all the way, we might catch a gawker or two who recognizes it. Then we know exactly who to kill. Assuming that they didn't just lift the car... Still, we've got to move quickly. The less time between their actions and our response, the clearer the lesson. We can't afford a war where we target their colors, their business, and anyone who pays them for protection. They can take a lot more than we can. Instead, we have to target their leadership."

[Red-ROM]

Micky swung his arm behind his back and flipped a beer bottle over his head, catching it as the cap met with the edge of the bar. A quick smack and the top popped off. He took a good swig before responding to the man with white knuckles on the table,"I'm with you Cosimo. We can't let the SAssies get a foot in the door. Plus I'm not sleeping anytime soon myself. Something doesn't wash, though. What did they get outa this mess? Why didn't they come at us, or at our assets? They coulda burnt down the stuffer shack, or taken pot shots at the dive. I'm not seeing the business sense."
Micky was still pumped on novacoke, and while his nerves weren't quite as tweaked as Cosimo's, his mind was running all over the place. After another dose of cheap synthahol, he added,"What about Grimm, he still busy with triage?"

[Saint Sithney]

"I don't know why they'd burn the place down. Some urban renewal thing? They got delusions of being businessmen these days. How about we go exchange words?"
Cosimo picked his rifle up from the table. "We should split this war party up three ways. A forward team to ride in with the Southie car and lay the ambush, a distraction team to surprise any pursuers and then lead them away, and a final rider to pull the first team out. Minimum of three people, but the more the merrier."

[Saint Sithney]

This even-headed plan may not have been what the others expected of the oft-firey Cosimo, but his temper was not as inflamed as it could have been. The actions of the gangers today was more insult to him than affront. After all, he could care less how many of these squatters got burned out of their homes or shot. People were shot every day in this zone without even motive for profit. The violence was meaningless to him, only the act of presumption mattered.