IC: Post or Die, Lifelines, and deadlines Options

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16:01 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond

Unfazed by the miss, the giant dog bounded off the wall and sped back around the stairs in a blur, charging still at the shaking Ork ganger.
Zo could feel the blood spray as he showered the beast with bullets on its trip back to the front of the steps.
The dog sped on, mouth foaming up with blood from its perforated lungs.

[Notsoevildm]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16:01, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond

"Frag, that dumb orc is going to get his ass eaten by that hound and then my chummer Throgg will take it out on my ass for getting his bro killed. Frag, they're probably cousins or some shit. Frag! Cover me, Prof!"

Ferret moves from the safety of the bar into the street and hustles carefully toward the Annex.

I need a bigger gun. I'm gonna die. Throgg's gonna kill me anyway. Man, this is so fragged up!

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16:01 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond

As the dog came into view, Zo pulled the trigger quicker than he thought possible. As if on reflex.

"EAT THAT YOU FRAGGING DANDELION EATING SLOTTING EXCUSE OF A MUTT!"

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16:01, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond

Professor stares with dismay as Ferret leaves the cover of the bar and heads out into the open. "Not sure why you're doing this, chum, but I have your back covered."

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16:01 AM, Inside the Flipped Van

Oswald scrolled the gunsights over to the window where he might see the dog and fired a half-blind shot. The bullet cracked the concrete on the wall right after the dog blurred past.
<<@team: Miss! Wait! I've got movement comming from the southern position. Some sort of stubby creatures advancing on the garage door! Permission to fire!>>

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16:01, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond

<<@team: Oswald, that stubby creature could be Ferret. Take care.>>

[Notsoevildm]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16:01, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond

Ferret freezes in place, realising just how exposed he is.

<<Oz, I'm moving up on Zo's position to support him. So don't shoot me okay! Here's my location <<location>>. Is that me you're seeing or are there other 'stubby creatures' out here?>>

He stays still, waiting for the rigger's response, while scanning around for other 'stubby creatures'.

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16 AM, Inside the Flipped Van

Oz fired a precautionary shot into each of the dead Barghests and then once into the Tiger corpse that seemed to appear in thier midst.
<<@team: Just fucking with you short-stack! I been watching your thermals for minutes now. You're clear to advance.>>

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16:01 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond

"FRAG OFF AND DIE!!!" ZO grined as the dog bareled closer, spraying more buletts into the soon to be corpse.

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond

The monsterous, bear-like creature caught two more bullets to its face and chest as it lept up to tackle the fear-clenched ganger and, instead of pouncing into him, stumbled in the attempt and burried its bloody maw between the top two metal stairs with a wet smack. Zo could hear it groan and gurgle a little as its legs still twitched, trying to find purchase on the metal grating of the industrial steps. While Zo braced his still shaking form against the railing, he heard three distant cracks and saw the corpses outside twitching from incomming fire. The two dogs and, apparently, an 8-foot-long tiger split like over-ripened fruit on the pavement outside. At the entrance to the garage, Ferret appeared, breathing more heavily than a cautious man might in a place so soaked with toxins. Around him and throughout the garage lay the remains of nine or so ghouls, some still making feeble attempts to move their battered forms. The whole scene was one of slaughter. Zo and Ferret took a silent moment looking it over before they spoke.

[Notsoevildm]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond

The bulky respirator makes Ferret look even more rodent-like and his breathing sound more labored than it is. Although the combination of fear, adrenaline and his general lack of condition may also be contributing factors. Between breaths, he surveys the carnage and finally mutters, "Thought you might need a hand, but you seem to have things pretty much under control."

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16:02 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond

"Yeah, jest jest, fragging vermin, all of it...wherz wherz Jadeez corpse? One of the doggies got her in the jugular? Actually dis one dis one did.." Zo points to the one at the bottom of the stairs. As he does so, he ejects the current clip in puts it in one of his ammo pockets and pulls out a fresh one. Barely doing so cause of the shaking.


"Fra..Fragging dogs"

<@Team>Any word from Jovie??

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16 AM, Inside the Flipped Van

Stillness had returned, to the scene again, so Oswald went back to pinging the radar and circling the blimp south towards his current position.
<<@team: No contact as of yet. Last word was he would bug out if anything popped off. Hopefully he didn't run into an X factor like another Viper spirit.>>

[Sephiroth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16:01 AM, Crosstown Depths

Jovan's astral form flew past the Air Spirit in pursuit of the second terrified dog. That looks like roughly one hectometer from here to the warehouse, he thought, doing a quick mental calculation. That gives me a few precious seconds - all the time in the world at the speed of thought. Let's see if we cannot tinker a bit with this dog's brain.

He Gazed over at his Servant of Air behind him. Would you like to secure the exit up ahead? Or shall we deal with this one before it flees completely? He began working his mental spellslinging and innate abilities on the fleeing dog and communicating with Oswald through his watcher while he waited for the spirit's reply.

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16 AM, Crosstown Depths

"Did my watcher not speak clearly into your mind, old man? Speak up. I have two of Archer's dogs taken care of at the moment. Is everything all right aboveground? No one has been hit by any bodily juices from the ghouls, have they?"

[Notsoevildm]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond

Ferret tiptoes carefully through the carnage, being careful not to touch anything. As he goes, he stops to put a single round into the head of any of the still twitching ghouls, the machine pistol making a soft 'phut' sound with each shot. Then he spots the dead tiger, it's throat ripped out. He doesn't need his logic processors to put two and two together. He points the body out to Zo.

"Oh frag, I think that was Jade."

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:17 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond

"Frag.ag--a shapshifter, grabab my flashpack from her corpse then. Does she have anythin else of v--v-value on on er?"

<@Team>"Anyone got any microdrones or somethin. Da Da room with da tru-trucks probably gots more more vermin ta ta deal deal wit."

[Glyph]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:25 AM, Void's apartment, outskirts of Loveland, Puyallup Barrens.

Near Loveland, on the outskirts of the Puyallup Barrens, is a renovated, but still dingy-looking three story brownstone apartment, with dirty grey bricks, a rickety fire escape, and an elevator that hasn't worked in years.

An apartment on the second floor is not quite as squalid as the others - a fresh layer of beige paint has been unevenly glopped on the walls, and it is relatively neat and clean, if a bit spartan.

Void, an rail-thin but intense ork with unkempt white hair and cyan cybereyes, sits cross-legged, his back cushioned a bit by a beanbag chair. He is trying to meditate, murmuring mantras to himself as classical music plays soothingly in the background. It's not really working.

It wasn't the job. The job was simple enough, just accompany a crew of orks, as they moved some boxes from the tunnels of Carbonado to the smuggling hub of Loveland, to meet with the go-gang taking the contraband the rest of the way. It went well enough, and he got paid, and now he's back home, where he can take off that damn breather and relax.

Or try to, anyways. He feels restless, despite the late hour, as if he is waiting for something. He absently walks to the small kitchenette area of his flat, taking a protein drink out of the mini-fridge (which has a clunky battery pack nearly as big as it is, to power it during the downtimes when the boosted power cuts out). Healthy food, healthy body, healthy mind. A wrapper from a chocobomb bar, from a moment of weakness yesterday, seems to look accusingly at him. He absently tosses it into the trash - he can never abide clutter for very long.

Hmmm, he thinks. Have to admit, it's been a bit lean lately. Small-time work, no challenges. I suppose that's the trouble with working for yourself. Damn it, Mick, when are you going to line up some decent work for me? I need a big job. And some big pay. After all, as Sun Tzu says, "For them to perceive the advantage of defeating the enemy, they must also have their rewards."

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16:01, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond

<<@team: Seems like everyone is moving inside. Should I follow?>>

[Notsoevildm]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:17 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond

Ferret prods the dead shifter with one foot, just to be sure she's dead, before searching carefully for the ork's flashpak and anything else of value.

<<@Team: I don't really want to go in there. Wonder if they'd be willing to negotiate again, now that we thinned out their numbers a bit?>>

He looks down at the shifter's corpse. "Plus they don't know that Jade is dead."

<@Team: Oz, can the blimp still see their commlinks? I was thinking we might arrange a little parley with Mr Archer. I'm not too keen on taking on him and the rest of the ghouls without Jade.>>

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:17 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond

Zo covers the entrance from which the ghouls. I don't think they'd be in a negotiating mood. We can probably delay dem a bit.

"Ferret can you you, maaake sure dat da da ghouls have no coms. I donna want them calling up da 162's and gettin reinforcements."

<@team>Ye-Yeah negotiate with them as theyey gnaw ya arm arm off."

[Notsoevildm]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:17 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond

Ferret smiles at Zo's comment.

"This is a dead zone, Zo. Even I don't have a matrix connection. Only reason we still have basic comms is that Oz's blimp is acting as a local hub. So unless they got a hard line, they aren't calling anyone for backup."

<@team>Zo is probably right. I doubt they are going to negotiate seeing as we just killed a bunch of them. Prof, you better get up here. We might need to go flush them out after all."

I am so getting me some drones if I make it out of here alive.

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16:01, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond

Fuck.

<<@team: Heading to the main doors. Oz, no need to tweak my moustache, so no jokes about stumpy targets.>>

[Saint Sithney]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:16 AM, Inside the Flipped Van

Back in AR now, Oswald responded to the spirit.

"Yeah, I don't hear too good in VR. Sorry about that. We've got about 8 dead bezerkers and 3 dead dogs over here. Also a dead tiger. Did they have a tiger down there? Anyway, the punker girl, Jade, got killed. Can you get sights on Archer or BDLL?"

<<@team: Jove says he handled two of the dogs which leaves us with only the armed Ghouls remaining. I can't find any of their signals now, so they're either shutting off their comms or they've gone deeper underground. I wouldn't touch any of the corpses left by that scrum unless you've got some sort of prophylactic. Skin to skin is a bad idea, and anything else you use to move the bodies ought to be bleached or burned.>>

[Warlordtheft]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:17 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond

Zo ponders Oz's comment about the ghoul contamination. Looking at his flashpack covered in gore, he shakes his head in disapproval.

"not fragging wo-worth it, Ferr-erret"

<@TEAM>Well keep track of da da c-comms in da ar-area Oz. THanks for da-da advice. We-we'd nee-ed a tanker truck full of bleach ta ta clean,clean dis place up. Prof, Oz, based on where da -da wounds are, Jade waz-az da-da tiger.

[pbangarth]

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:17 am, outside the Annex in Redmond

<<@team: Oh yeah, that was her. I saw it go down. Watch those damn dogs, they are very dangerous. I'm outside the building now. Heading in.>>