IC: Post or Die, Lifelines, and deadlines Options

[Seth]

Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:00, Annex in Redmond

Jade Tiger lowers Ferret gently to the floor.

<<We are trying to get coordinated. Jovan is off somewhere, and we hope to get him to lead the ghouls here. There is a nice ambush set up for them outside, so we'll lead them there. The Prof is heading here I think.>>

<<I'm going to check out the bay doors. Cover me.>> she glares as Oz he leers at her <<I mean shoot anything that tries to attack me>>

Jade Tiger moves over to the doors, sniffs, listens then extracts a set of mage goggles from a pouch on her belt and feeds the fibre under the door.

[Saint Sithney]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:59 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

"Well, I have a 3D map of the whole industrial park with the bike's location marked on it, if you think that will help. But before you head off on your fools errand, could you help me lock myself inside this armored security transport? I get the feeling that I'll need some bodily protection while you're away. Sandy, if you want to wait with me until the fighting's done, I don't mind. If you want to bolt for the bike, well, it might be operational."

The old man stood, still keeping an AR eye on his emulated screens, and offered Sandy a hand up before heading into the back of the flipped-over van.

[pbangarth]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 11:59 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

"I'm just getting antsy sitting here doing nothing while my teammates are in danger. I know it's foolish to wander off alone.

"Yes. The map info would help. If nothing else it will give me something to think about. Please share it with me." Professor opens a channel in his commlink for Oswald and marks it with an ARO.

"OK. So it's not a good idea to go for the bike. How can we get our team back together again? Quickly. Any suggestions?"

For the umpteenth time, he scans the surroundings astrally.

[Warlordtheft]

Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:00, Annex in Redmond

Zo covers Jades position. He nudges ferret to cover in the opposite direction. Considering his options, he sets AK-97 to full-auto mode. The AR feed on his sunglasses confirming the fact.

If dese pasties start commin, They'll probably be commin in Mass at least the ferals will. Da intelligent ones iz da wonz we got ta worry about. Good thing dey gots poor eyesight and usually can't shoot worth a damm.

"Ferret, ya wanta watch da rear?"

[Red-ROM]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:00, Annex in Redmond

Jade is silent as she ascends the stairs. Leaning against the cold door, she sniffs the air. Her nose is hit with gunpowder and metal. coagulated blood, and maybe some thats fresh as well. Plenty of car exhaust and a dwarf that hasn't showered in a while make it hard to catch anything more subtle. Theres a beeping sound and grinding gears echoing deep in the belly of the warehouse, and the sound of a very small, high pitched whistle.Sliding the cable under the door, she scans the first room. A desk with heavy glass, and a waiting area with a vending machine. a door with outdated metal detectors to the sides. No signs of life yet.

In the Mall

Sandy tests her legs again to make sure she's sturdy,"I think I've spent enough time in this hell hole to be honest with you. I'd prefer to take my chances with the bike. "

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 11, 2071, 12:00 PM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

"If I had a spare rod, I'd offer, but all I have is my laser pistol. I'm sure the Professor here will be happy to escort you to the bike in exchange for a quick ride to the rest of the crew. Just watch he doesn't get fresh with you."
The sour old man turned to the Professor before before he closed and latched the rear hatch of the transport.
"No time for love, Dr. Jones."

[Notsoevildm]

Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:00, Annex in Redmond

"Ferret, ya wanta watch da rear?"

"On it." grins Ferret, watching Jade Tiger move silently toward the building.

Too tall for me, but she's still got a nice ass.

<<Oz. Can you give me a feed from the blimp, just in case any ghouls try to blindside us."

He settles himself down, pistol at the ready, keeping one eye on Jade and one on his AR.

[Warlordtheft]

Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:00, Annex in Redmond

Seeing ferret watch Jade, Zo scans the opposite area to ensure that they don't get hit from behind. He then moves up the stairs after Jade and takes what cover he can near the entryway.

<@TEAM>Hey prof, could ya just hoof it over here while we wait for you and Jovan to come to us. We might be waiting awhile for Jovan anyway.

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 11, 2071, 12:00 AM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

Professor does a quick double-take towards Oswald. How does the old coot know my name? Later.

"Sure, come on Sandy, let's get the bike and get me to the rest of the crew. I suspect after that you will want to head out."

[Sephiroth]

Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:00 AM, Annex in Redmond

Jovan's astral form Eyed the glowing ball of ether suspiciously. That animal is very fortunate that a watcher is incapable of thorough assensing.

"Duly noted. I cannot discern where I am at the moment, there's too little detail here in these shadows, but it appears to be some sort of large warehouse connected to the Tower via underground roads. And suffice to say that we will not need to search the rest of the compound for the location of the trucks. There was some sort of whistle just now, however, and it's made the ghouls hurried and afraid. I fear someone is using these ghouls as nothing more than their pet guard dogs.

I will not send the sapient ones your way, at least not yet; I wish to attempt a more beneficial approach for us that I have in mind. As far as the feral ghouls go, however, well... 'nothing in their lives / shall become them like the leaving it,' let's put it that way."

Leaving the ball of ether behind, and with the air spirit following beside him, Jovan moved through the doors in pursuit of the ghouls, taking care to stay in the cover of astral shadows when possible.


Phoenix Mall in Redmond

The watcher-eye sidled up alongside Professor silently. "Yes, he seems to have a bit of a knack for discerning personal details we would prefer to keep hidden," it said, in response to the expression of surprise and mild confusion in Professor's aura. "Rather infuriating, actually. But in any case, make haste. I have located the prize. Soon it will be time to move in for the kill."

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 11, 2071, 12:00 AM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

<<@team: Jovan is telling me astrally that he thinks he has located the prize. As soon as I can get a ride to the rest of you, we can work out the approach.>>

Professor thinks to himself, I have to watch my ruminations. I'm getting lazy and careless. Not that it much matters, but two teammates now have more info on my background.

[Notsoevildm]

Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:00, Annex in Redmond

<<Hey guys, remember we are trying to draw them out not go in after them. Oz's blimp can't shoot through the roof. I'll hold here and cover your backs until the Prof arrives.>>

Ferret glances around nervously, hoping the Prof doesn't take too long. He doesn't like being here on his own, but he has no intention of following Jade and Zo into 'Ghoul Central'.

[Warlordtheft]

Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:00:36 AM, Annex in Redmond

<<We iz nat about ta go in guns blazing yet Ferret. I"m just taking advantage of some cover. I'd suggest ya do da same.>>

[Seth]

Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:00, Annex in Redmond

<<OK. I'll back out until Jovan gets a bit closed. If I leave the doors open we will have a bit more warning.>>

Jade Tiger opens the doors, and wedges them open with a bit of debris, then heads back and finds a place to watch and wait.

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:00:36 AM, Inside the Flipped Van

<<Look deep within your text logs, dear Ferret, and you'll see that the blimp's sensor feed has been with you all along. If you want me to start blind-firing through the roof to incite some action, just give me a little indirect fire guidance with your smart guns. That way, it won't give up your position to the stupid things.>>

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 11, 2071, 12:01 AM, Phoenix Mall in Redmond

<<An ambush is set, so flushing the quarry seems like a good idea. Wait till I get there, though, so we have one more on our side.>>

Professor and Sandy set out to for the bike. Amazing. This woman was an opponent not too long ago. Now I'm setting out in the dark in a ghoul-infested wasteland with only her at my side. Fuck.

[Red-ROM]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 12:12 AM, Redmond

Even at what the professor could only imagine was a slow pace for Sandy, She was moving quickly toward the bikes last known location. She would wait for him to catch up, taking cover and scanning the area. He began to feel like one of those reporters in some military unit traipsing through some war torn country.
It wasn't long before they found what they were after. The bike lay on its side, as if to mimic the dead dog lying a few yards away. The two took in the scene for a moment. The beast was pitiful now. A sad portrait of life's cruelty. Sandy's reaction was almost non existent. An assessment of the scene, and then moving to action. She righted the bike and checked the chassis. The damage was mostly cosmetic. She straddled it, and gave it a quick kick start. With a whine of the engine, she circled Proffesor once and waved him onto the back. With a jerk of speed they were off, zipping through empty streets. She rode all the way to the burned out van and dropped off the dwarf with his team. He turned to give some parting words, but was drowned out by the bike roaring away.

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 11, 2071, 12:12 AM, Annex in Redmond

Professor watches Sandy drive off. I wonder, if we ever meet again, whether we will be on opposite sides.

He hunkers down beside Ferret. "The other two have gone in I see. And you're covering their hoops."

<<@team: Zo and Jade. You want me to catch up to you or wait here with Ferret?>>

[Notsoevildm]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 12:12 AM, Annex in Redmond
Ferret reviews his logs and finds the link to the blimp's sensor feed. Accessing the feed, he adds it to his AR overlay and then uses it to scan the area for any signs of life. He spots the bike and watches as Sandy and the Prof ride up.

He relaxes a little now that he has some company. When Sandy has gone he whispers to the Prof.

"Yeah, I'm on overwatch. Oz's blimp is pulling targeting data from my gun, while I got a feed from its sensors in case anything gets behind us. Quite the symbiotic relationship, neh?"

"Jade and Zo have gone to take a look an see if they can draw any ghouls out."

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 11, 2071, 12:12 AM, Annex in Redmond

"Heh. Those two move faster than I do. I don't fancy myself as ghoul bait. I'd rather wait out here and shoot at them as they come out." Professor quickly scans the area astrally. Absentmindedly he gives in to his hankering for a Betel chew, and pops a piece of gum into his mouth.

[Warlordtheft]

Friday, Sept. 11, 2071, 12:12 AM, Annex in Redmond

"Prof, glad ya could make it, me'an Jade I is covering the door. Dere's an old security desk near da entrance. Ferret could ya use that ta get more information from da trix? Prof, watch da bay doors."


Zo continued the monitoring of the proped door waiting for and ghouls to prop their head out.

[Seth]

Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:00, Annex in Redmond

Jade sniffs the air a little as the Prof approaches, and perhaps a little disappointment appears in her eyes as she sees him approach. Still everyone has weaknesses. If the Prof was working for her, there would be a short but violent scene about now.

<<OK Now we are (mostly) all together. Where is Jovan, and is he going to bring the ghouls to us, or should I? >>

[Sephiroth]

Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:01 AM, Inside the Flipped Van

The watcher eyeball had watched silently as Professor and the woman headed off into the night in the direction of the tiger newcomer's motorcycle. Once they were far enough down the street, the eye turned and flew into the overturned van. "So it seems that you are now my only pathway of communication to the others, now that they are all going to be enclosed in the background count," it said as it phased through the side of the van like a ghost. "Well, I am doubtful of how effective this routing attempt on the ghouls will be. It's looking like someone's got them on a psychological leash, ghouls and dogs both. Whoever it is, they may not permit the ghouls to run off by themselves into our ambush. This would also explain why the ghouls were carrying and not eating their food earlier; they're collecting bodies and flesh for whatever person has got them on a leash. I don't yet know why that person wants to collect bodies, but I smell a possible shedim plot. In any case, I am following the ghouls now, and will keep you updated."

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:01 AM, Inside the Flipped Van

"Shedim? Like evil Jewish ghosts? Does that mean you've seen spooks around the joint? That's a new one to add to the worry pile.. But yeah, you make a good point. On their own, all these zombie bastards seem capable of is charging at you and screaming. And those dogs, how the hell do you train something that can make you deuce your drawers with a glance? Is that even possible? Anyway, I think a trap could still cost them a good deal of their number. Even if they're being controlled, there has to be a response to a threat situation. Bait one and bait two go in and toss a few frags in the ghoulie's midst, they're bound to see a response. Those two just find a way to make their deaths part of the controller's ghoul action plan, and I imagine he'll send a force to engage them.

Are we confident that engaging them in this manner is the best option? I mean, violence is usually an expedient option, and I'm all for wasting anything that threatens me or mine, but if there's some evil controller in the mix here, have we tried contacting them or... hey! Where exactly are the trucks? How much dirt to they have on top of them? There's a possibility I might just be able to get a signal down to them if I drop my blimp down low enough."

[Red-ROM]

Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:01 AM, Annex sub level

Jovan kept back, keeping his astral form in the shadows of the mundane shelves. Slipping along, he followed the ghouls past the trucks to the other side of what seemed like a massive warehouse. The shelves stopped, and left the floor open for staging or maneuvering. There was a tunnel beyond leading up at a fairly steep incline for large vehicles. While these big rigs seemed to have had the clearance to get down here, it doesn't seem like the place was built for that purpose originally. There where some side rooms off to the left, but Jovan's focus was currently on the scene ahead. A bus had come down behind the trucks. there are even more ghouls congregated in front of it, and more dogs. The bus Is full of people being lead by gun point into a feeding frenzy. As some fight to escape, A large infected man with a rifle beats them down. The terror and hunger are blindingly vivid. What seems like two dozen ghouls are feasting on the ten or twelve passengers. Surrounding this carnage, is about six massive dogs, half are jet black, and the others ghostly white. Glowing drool froths from their jowls. The biggest stands at the heal of a man, a ghoul himself, He is shouting at the more competent of his group,"Get 'em unloaded, quick. I'm sick of hearin 'em cry. Any sign of Johnathan? "
An orc with a shotgun shouted back,"Nothin. If we go back tomorrow, we'll have to steal gas too."