 Nothing's Free in the Free Zone (IC), Adventure 1: Broken Star |
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 May 5 2014, 06:04 PM
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#1026
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Skillwire Savant  Group: Members Posts: 3,154 Joined: 5-April 13 From: Aurora Warrens, UCAS Sector of the FRFZ Member No.: 88,139  |
The Rusty Bar-rel 1:59 PM, August 1st, 2075
"¡Buenos días! Chapel," Jack said as he sat down at the booth. "Thanks for taking care of the shopping list. I think we're going to need it. Mr J. has us cajones-deep in bad drek, but that's what we get paid the big nuyen for, right?" The ork carefully considered Chapel's offer. On one hand, he didn't think it was all that professional to drink before heading out to do a job. But on the other hand, it might be the last beer he would ever had. Figuring one beer would have little effect on someone of his mass, he decided to take up Chapel's offer. "I'll take a cerveza, por favor." |
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May 5 2014, 06:25 PM
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#1027
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,856 Joined: 25-July 07 Member No.: 12,360 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 1:59 PM, August 1st, 2075
Grease gives Chapel a big smile. "Yes, I'll take a beer as well. I still owe you that lunch next week." Nodding at a few patrons as they make their way to their spots at the bar, he continues. "You haven't heard any chatter from your usual sources about something that's up? I feel like we're drawing extra heat from this assignment, and any information you have would be valuable to us wrapping this thing up." His face gets serious, his smile vanishing. "That is, anything you know off hand. We've already had someone get burned by asking around on this one." |
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May 5 2014, 06:48 PM
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#1028
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,893 Joined: 8-August 13 From: New Jersey , USA Member No.: 140,076 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 2:00 PM, August 1st, 2075
As the drinks arrive and the waitress leaves again, Chapel says "Cheers!" and takes a sip of the latte. "Sorry Grease, I haven't heard anything regarding the job, but that's outside my area of expertise." He looks over to Jack, "Not sure if the Colt is for you, but she is a beauty." |
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May 5 2014, 07:18 PM
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#1029
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Skillwire Savant Group: Members Posts: 3,154 Joined: 5-April 13 From: Aurora Warrens, UCAS Sector of the FRFZ Member No.: 88,139 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 2:00 PM, August 1st, 2075
Jack clinked his beer against the other glasses and took a deep swig. "Got it in one. I'm looking forward to putting a few rounds downrange with it. Unfortunately, we don't really have time to visit the range... I think this is the first weapon I've ever owned that is likely to be blooded on first firing." Contemplating that, Jack grimly smiled. "No problem getting the fireworks?" |
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May 5 2014, 07:29 PM
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#1030
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,893 Joined: 8-August 13 From: New Jersey , USA Member No.: 140,076 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 2:05 PM, August 1st, 2075
Chapel shakes his head, he lowers his voice a little."No problem. UCAS made assault rifles? Easy as pie. You want me to get you a laser, that might be an issue, but I can always get my hands on homegrown slugthrowers." Chapel stands, swipes payment for the bill over to the waitress, and then puts his sunglasses back on. "Shall we check out the merchandise?" The quartet exit the restaurant and move to the parking lot. Outside is Chapel's Shin-Hyung, and he pops the doors open remotely. Each person enters, with Amy in the front seat and Grease and Jack in the back. Grease looks impressed despite himself, as Chapel takes care of his car, and there are a few top of the line after-market upgrades. Flicking a switch, the car windows polarize, and Chapel says, "Jack, reach behind you and hit that switch, that will open the hatch to the trunk." Jack complies, and removes a long gun case and a smaller, thicker suitcase. "Go ahead and check it over, make sure everything is there." |
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May 5 2014, 07:49 PM
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#1031
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Skillwire Savant Group: Members Posts: 3,154 Joined: 5-April 13 From: Aurora Warrens, UCAS Sector of the FRFZ Member No.: 88,139 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 2:05 PM, August 1st, 2075
Jack smoothed his hands across the hard case. Unsnapping the latches of the case, he reached inside and felt the smooth, cold metal and the hard plastic of the hand guards and stock. Peeking inside, he took note of the weapon, shock pad, and spare magazines. Latching the case back, he passed it to Grease and reached for the suitcase. Considering the remainder of the gear, it was relatively light. Unzipping the ballistic cloth top, he took note of several boxes of ammo, the external smartgun system, a gas vent-system, several magazines for an AK-91, and two boxes large enough to each fit a baseball. Pulling the last items out, the ork chuckled as he read the "This One Goes To Eleven!" marketing tagline of the Ares SpinalTap FlashBang grenade on the boxes. Glancing at Chapel in the rear-view mirror, Jack said, "Perfect, hombre..." |
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May 5 2014, 08:36 PM
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#1032
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,893 Joined: 8-August 13 From: New Jersey , USA Member No.: 140,076 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 2:05 PM, August 1st, 2075
"Excellent. Use it in good health." As Jack closes the boxes again, Chapel adjusts the settings on the radio, keeping the volume low, but loud enough to fool spoof anyone outside listening in. The haunting sounds of Eliza Starr's "Magic Eyes" filling the car. At least, they would be haunting if they hadn't been played over and over again over the past few weeks. With so much repetition, the song had long since ceased to be moving, and now had the air of elevator music. "Are we close to getting paid on this one?" |
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May 6 2014, 02:06 PM
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#1033
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,856 Joined: 25-July 07 Member No.: 12,360 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 2:05 PM, August 1st, 2075
"Just a few loose ends to tie up, shouldn't be too much trouble. You'll be the first to know if we hit any serious snags." At least, any that I think you need to worry about. "You have anything else on the horizon you may need us to look into? Always pays to do some research up front before we accept a job, if we get the chance." |
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May 6 2014, 02:21 PM
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#1034
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,893 Joined: 8-August 13 From: New Jersey , USA Member No.: 140,076 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 2:05 PM, August 1st, 2075
Chapel looks a little relieved and says, "Glad to hear it. Its always important to make the jobs for your friends go smoothly." The song on the radio was reaching its crescendo, and Eliza's voice rose to stay on top of the synth accompanying her. "As for other jobs, I've always got some kicking around, you think you'll be available in a couple of days?" |
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May 6 2014, 02:27 PM
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#1035
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Skillwire Savant Group: Members Posts: 3,154 Joined: 5-April 13 From: Aurora Warrens, UCAS Sector of the FRFZ Member No.: 88,139 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 2:05 PM, August 1st, 2075
Jack frowned, but said nothing. Grease had his way of doing things and the ork was pretty confident Chapel was smart enough to know the score. The song was pretty catchy, although that wasn't all that surprising given the amount of research nuyen the big entertainment corps poured into subliminal messaging. If the ork recalled correctly, Starr was performing in Denver soon. Wonder if Honeypot is a fan? Tickets to the show would probably help to take her mind off what she's had to deal with lately... |
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May 6 2014, 02:34 PM
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#1036
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,856 Joined: 25-July 07 Member No.: 12,360 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 2:05 PM, August 1st, 2075
In response to Chapel's inquiry, Grease shrugs. "There's a number of parts in motion; it's difficult to predict when they'll come to a head. I wouldn't want to accept something time sensitive if we end up having another week on this one bird-dogging down some particular lead." Grease rolls his shoulders, adjusting in the seat to become more comfortable. "I'll give you a call when this one is wrapped up; presuming we don't need too much downtime afterwards we can try to get something else lined up." Grease looks back at Jack in the backseat, as if to ask, "So, we're done, right?" |
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May 6 2014, 02:38 PM
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#1037
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Skillwire Savant Group: Members Posts: 3,154 Joined: 5-April 13 From: Aurora Warrens, UCAS Sector of the FRFZ Member No.: 88,139 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 2:06 PM, August 1st, 2075
"I'd be up for it if we can get this one knocked out soon. Speaking of, we need to get going. Thanks for the gear, Chapel. Always appreciated." Jack said, catching the inquiring look from Grease to finish up. |
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May 6 2014, 05:47 PM
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#1038
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,893 Joined: 8-August 13 From: New Jersey , USA Member No.: 140,076 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 2:06 PM, August 1st, 2075
"As always, happy to be of service. Keep in touch." Amy, Grease, and Jack leave the car, and walk over to Grease's taxi, while Chapel roars out of the parking lot. They stash the gear in the trunk, and follow Chapel out of the lot, but making a left onto North Chambers instead of a right. Watching his car fade from view, the trio follow Chambers up to East 56th Street, and make a left. The Arsenal, once fairly open, had been left unattended in the last half-century, and so was much more heavily overgrown. Traveling down E.56th, the 3 meter fence with razor-wire atop it ran alongside them to their right, although there were gaps in the fence where people, or animals (normal or otherwise) had forced their way through. |
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May 6 2014, 05:59 PM
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#1039
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Skillwire Savant Group: Members Posts: 3,154 Joined: 5-April 13 From: Aurora Warrens, UCAS Sector of the FRFZ Member No.: 88,139 |
Outside the Arsenal, 2:15 PM, August 1st, 2075
As the car zoomed down the fence line of the former military compound, Jack said, "Let's find somewhere we can gain access to the base and stash the car. If we send up the Fly-Spy to get a good overhead view of the area, it should make it easier to get to the location." Jack mentally accessed his skilljack and loaded up a few appropriate skillsoft. Checking that his Streetline Special was still secured in his pocket holster, he pulled his SMG from under the set. "Given the stories about this place, I think it's best to be preparado." GEAR [ Spoiler ]
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May 6 2014, 06:09 PM
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#1040
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,696 Joined: 8-August 13 Member No.: 140,284 |
The Rusty Bar-rel 2:15 PM, August 1st, 2075
Amy remembers what she's heard about the Arsenal since a young girl and warns the rest of the team. "Yes be ready for anything. I've heard all sorts of things about this place, and that disgusting ritual we saw might not be the only weird activity going on in these parts. Better stay on paths that were used recently and stay clear of the open areas, I've heard there might still be explosives and land mines!" |
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May 6 2014, 06:22 PM
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#1041
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,856 Joined: 25-July 07 Member No.: 12,360 |
Outside the Arsenal, 2:15 PM, August 1st, 2075
Land mines? Great. Opening the glove box of the cab, Grease produces a rather large firearm, his Ingram X. Slung over his shoulder with a strap, he tucks it under his jacket in an effort to be slightly less conspicuous. It doesn't work that well, but maybe that's the idea. He then reaches his hand behind his back and produces a small pistol; an L36. he puts that in the gloves box, and paws around until he pulls out a smaller, sleeker looking model; an Ares Light Fire 75. Where did he even get that? "Sure, sounds good to me. If we want, I can send the cab (with the stuff in it) to Overkill, and have the beemer come out here and hide someplace inconspicuous to pick us up. Would save us the time of having to go drop off his stuff to him, too." Frowning and scratching an itch, Grease comes up with another idea. "We can have the microskimmer scout out ahead of us, and sniff around. It should be able to tell if there's any old ordnance lying around through it's olfactory sensor. Of course," he grins, "If it's a military mine, no way in hell I'm going to be able to detect it until it's too late. Those things are pretty well hidden, by design." GEAR: [ Spoiler ]
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May 6 2014, 06:31 PM
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#1042
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Skillwire Savant Group: Members Posts: 3,154 Joined: 5-April 13 From: Aurora Warrens, UCAS Sector of the FRFZ Member No.: 88,139 |
Outside the Arsenal, 2:15 PM, August 1st, 2075
Jack nodded. "That would work, but let me grab a few things out of the trunk first." The ork moves to the rear of the taxi and lifts the popped trunk. Unzipping the suitcase, he opens the boxes with the grenades and pulls each of them out. Inspecting the devices, he makes sure their wireless mechanisms were switched off and fully in safe mode. He slips one grenade into a pocket and hands the other to Grease. "Can you hold onto this for now? I'm running out of pockets..." The ork contemplates a military rucksack purchase in the near future. |
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May 6 2014, 06:36 PM
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#1043
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,696 Joined: 8-August 13 Member No.: 140,284 |
Outside the Arsenal, 2:15 PM, August 1st, 2075
"Let me see what your drone sees while you're doing recon. I'll be better able to instruct my spirit to also go take a look afterwards." Amy asks Grease. |
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May 6 2014, 07:21 PM
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#1044
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,893 Joined: 8-August 13 From: New Jersey , USA Member No.: 140,076 |
Outside the Arsenal, 2:15 PM, August 1st, 2075
Grease pulls the cab over to the side of the road, and the trio exits quickly, ducking into the underbrush near the chain-link fencing. A quick mental command sends the taxi following its autopilot back toward the abandoned house where Overkill still worked patiently on the rotodrone. Keeping the fence on their right, the runners moved westward, their eyes open and alert for possible dangers as well as a break in the fence they could exploit. Within a hundred yards, they were able to find a gap large enough for Amy and Grease to squeeze through easily, with Jack having a little more difficulty getting his bulk through. Once on the other side of the fence, Grease released his drones, the Fly Spy rocketing up into the air even as the microskimmer hovered down on the ground around their feet. With a few quick adjustments, Grease fed the video from the Fly Spy to Amy and Jack, and each put the overhead view up in an AR window. The Fly Spy cruised around 100 meters off the ground, and most of what the trio were seeing was a thin canopy of trees and bushes, no buildings or vehicles in sight. Thermographic scans of the forested areas revealed some larger heat forms, but nothing that walked upright. With the microskimmer about 30 yards ahead of them, Jack took the lead, with Grease and Amy following behind. They all tried to follow behind one another, minimizing the chances of stepping on a mine. |
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May 6 2014, 08:02 PM
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#1045
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Skillwire Savant Group: Members Posts: 3,154 Joined: 5-April 13 From: Aurora Warrens, UCAS Sector of the FRFZ Member No.: 88,139 |
Outside the Arsenal, 2:15 PM, August 1st, 2075
With his SMG at the ready, Jack led the team forward. The AR feed from the drone was projected directly into his brain through the magic of the electrode net in his helmet. Indexing their progress against the feed, the ork headed north, scanning the forest for signs of life and other dangers. As the lead, most of his efforts were focused on the ground in front and to the sides of him, given the danger of unexploded ordnance. Fortunately, it also gave him the opportunity to search for the tracks of the predators and prey of the forest. A lot could be learned about an area based on the presence and movement of the creatures that lived there. |
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May 6 2014, 09:28 PM
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#1046
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,696 Joined: 8-August 13 Member No.: 140,284 |
Outside the Arsenal, 2:15 PM, August 1st, 2075
Amy calls out for the spirit to do yet another scouting for her. "Please go ahead and scan this outdoors area for sentient beings. Report their position and nature back to me when you're done and you can go home after that." |
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May 6 2014, 11:30 PM
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#1047
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,893 Joined: 8-August 13 From: New Jersey , USA Member No.: 140,076 |
Arsenal Trail, 2:25 PM, August 1st, 2075
The spirit leaves Amy's side and the group continued down the trail. The forest was alive with sounds, which made all of the nervous, Amy most of all. Having lived her whole life in the Warrens, an area completely devoid of sprawl was unnatural to her. The microskimmer burbled along happily, although Grease was holding his breath each time the skimmer went over a bump, fearing that it would be the last he would see his little friend. Jack stopped the group every five minutes or so, bending down to examine a broken branch, or a flattened pattern of grass. "However these hombres brought the girl here, it wasn't this way. No recent tire tracks, and if they were on foot, someone Truck's size would leave a trail like an elephant through here." Amy's spirit had returned after 10 minutes, having searched the area for sentient life, and reported having found nothing in the immediate area that matched that description, bowed once, and vanished. Relaying this information to the rest of the group, they continued on. Near the Sacrifice Site, 3:00 PM, August 1st, 2075 The mile and half had taken them 45 minutes to cover, moving as slowly as they were. The Fly Spy was now giving them footage of the sacrifice site, and the image was not pretty. As they came into the clearing, they could see the woman still hanging from the cross, but she would be unrecognizable now without a DNA test. Scavengers had gotten to her over night. Large chunks of flesh were missing, and her left leg was torn completely off at the knee. Ravens perched on her shoulder, picking at the scraps of skin on her face, and but they scattered as the group approached. Skyward they went, grisly trophies still in their beaks, their wingbeats and cries echoing across the lake. |
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May 7 2014, 02:08 PM
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#1048
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Skillwire Savant Group: Members Posts: 3,154 Joined: 5-April 13 From: Aurora Warrens, UCAS Sector of the FRFZ Member No.: 88,139 |
Near the Sacrifice Site, 3:00 PM, August 1st, 2075
As they arrived at the gruesome site of the sacrifice, Jack stopped and held up a fist, giving the universal "everyone stop moving" sign. Accessing his messaging software through the direct neural interface provided through his helmet, he sent the group a message. <<@Squad [JustJack] Alright folks, we're here. Let's try to avoid getting too close to the sight. The ground around lakes can be pretty soft and we don't want to leave tracks if we can help it. The body is in bad shape, so if you've got a weak stomach, best not to look at it too closely. We definitely don't want to leave those kinds of tracks. Let's do our recon, Amy: check the astral. Grease: try to find a few concealed spots within 75 meters of the two crosses.>> Jack used his helmet's vision magnification system to get a better look at the body and tried to compare it to the image he had of Renata. He then focused his attention on the ground, around the occupied cross looking for tracks. |
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May 7 2014, 02:30 PM
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#1049
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,856 Joined: 25-July 07 Member No.: 12,360 |
Near the Sacrifice Site, 3:00 PM, August 1st, 2075
Dry heaving a few times, Grease turns away from the scene of the woman still strung up on the post. The area itself is humming with the sound of nature, a spread of noise that makes the place seem even more alien and gruesome to the mechanic who is never more than 10 feet from asphalt. We have to cut her down, we can't leave her like this. This is.. I can't... Steeling himself, Grease forces himself to turn back towards the victim. <<@Team[Grease]: We can't touch the body; they'll know somebody came. We have to.. leave her, until this is finished.>> Making eye contact with the rest of the team, Grease continues. <<@Team[Grease]: We'll make them pay. She deserves better, and we'll make sure they don't get it.>> Calling his skimmer drone over, Grease taps out a few AR commands. <<@Skippy[Grease]: Search the immediate area for any tracks, trails, or foot prints. Gather what DNA evidence that you can. Use your olfactory sensors, but do NOT send the simsense back to me; I will let you know when I'd like that turned back on. I can read the readouts just fine without the full experience.>> |
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May 7 2014, 04:16 PM
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#1050
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,696 Joined: 8-August 13 Member No.: 140,284 |
Near the Sacrifice Site, 3:00 PM, August 1st, 2075
Right from the start, Amy didn't like the Arsenal. She knew that nature was pure in the astral compared to the city, and this place was anything but pure. There were a lot of living auras and that was refreshing, even with the stagnant astral thickness. But there was a stench of something that must have happened a long time ago that loomed over the area. Arriving at the site, Amy expected something pretty disgusting, and yet this was even worse. Bringing a hand to her face she looked away at first, and then forced herself to examine the scene, first physically, and then in the astral. In both cases, the atrocity that had happened was immediately obvious. Inspecting with more detail the aura of the ritual site, she convinced herself that it wasn't an entirely mundane act. <<@Team[Amy's subvocal]: Yes Grease, this is foul, we have to stop these people at all cost. I got some bad news, I'm pretty sure that ritual magic was used here. Whatever they're doing, it's leaving an aura behind and no mundane could do that. I have no idea what they're doing but it's evil.>> |
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