IC: Chasing the Prize, We always get our mark Options

[BishopMcQ]

Edana:
A few moments pass and your p-sec chirps with an incoming message.

>>>>>[How about his last known location? As for what I want, in on the hunt. Don't fret about the nuyen, I don't want any. ]<<<<<

---Christopher Robbin [15:48:46/16-DEC2063]

[Kremlin KOA]

"I can make the call to the air cab if necessary si... Edana." Gonzales shakes his head as if to clear it. "and I don't really need a seat, we'll just get a water skiing rope and a pair of frypans for when the road peters out."

[Bastard]

"I can take my bike, if you'll let Kane ride with you. I will also need you to take my shotgun, but I can carry the rest. That should free up some space. Or you can carry all my gear and someone can ride on the back...if they dont mind the cold too much."

[Johnson]

Tiny smiles at the idea of riding on a motor bike. One day he will have his own Harley Scorpion. A lush apartment. His daffel bag over his shoulder, looking on towards the planners. "So, where I dump this?"

[Bastard]

"Okay, then...lets roll. Any one riding with me? Tiny dont give me that look, we are not both gonna fit on my bike."

"Kane, go with Bishop." JT points to him and Kane obediently trots over to Bishop's side and sits. JT hands his shotgun off to be carried in one of the Brumbies, then throws his pack over his shoulder as he heads outside once again.

The streets are completely empty, and eerily quiet. With the combination of cold and biological attack it is not unexpected, but it still sends a chill up JT's spine. He hasnt seen the city half this dead since he has lived here. Even the suburbs of Sacramento still had activity into the wee hours of the night. The growling engine of his Scorpion shake nearby windows as it comes to life. Tagart watches the door of Edena's building waiting on the rest of the team to join him.

[HMHVV Hunter]

"Alright, I'll go with anyone who can swing a ride back to my place," Helios says.

"Let's get this guy."

[Bastard]

"Hop on Helios, we'll swing by and grab your drek, then meet up with the team at the drop off point."

[HeySparky]

Edana makes a last check of everything, grabbing what snacks she can and ushering everyone out the door. She doublechecks that the trid is set to record her shows and heads out, locking up behind her.

"Gonzales, Tiny, Charlie, Herne - with me. The rest of you in the other brumby. See you when we meet our guide."

"You guys ready to get real cozy again?" She grins and tosses her long hair over her shoulder and trips down the stairs to the garage. She hops in and while everyone is getting situated she slips into the Astral and politely asks Sally to keep an eye on things.

[Ecclesiastes]

Bishop loads up everyone else in his Brumby and follows Edana to the meet point.

[BishopMcQ]

Over the last several hours combined Lonestar and Military efforts have cleared the streets and most people are locked tightly in doors. The mini caravan of SUVs draws no attention as you drive to the meet site. A manhole sits slightly off base as you pile out of the Brumby's and wait for JT and Helios to arrive.

With the whole team together, you begin the slow descent into the grimy, dark sewer. Herne looks to Edana with a look that can only be translated to "what a wonderful smell you've discovered." Kane looks unhappy about having to be passed from one team member to another to get down the ladder but takes it with his own personal sense fo canine shame. Crossing the small room, the team open the only door leading out of the access point and sees a young troll in baggy jeans and torn shirt that molds to every inch of his muscular frame.

"Ready?"

With nods of ascent, the boy shrugs and heads deeper into the sewers. Run off from the snow and salted streets has coated the bottom of the larges pipes with water colder than ice that won't quite freeze. You pass through sections of sewer into the actual Underground where small thriving pockets of life spring up with the hardness and tenacity to make you give pause.

The team pauses when the guide needs a break, sharing water and field rations of jerky and granola amongst yourselves. After several hours, when you've almost lost track of the time, your guide points to a large grate before turning back and you lose him in the track of shadows and darkness. Pushing the grate open, you can see the sun just cresting the eastern horizon. A rope hangs down, looking up you can see it connects to the overpass above.

[Ecclesiastes]

"I'll go first and scout the place out."

Without another word Bishop steps towards the rope and seems to fade from veiw as he turns on his Ruthenium Polymers. The rope begins to wiggle, letting you know he is climbing.

[BishopMcQ]

Bishop:
Climbing the rope is an easy exercise for you. As you reach the overpass, you come over the lip slowly and see a small clock counting down from three minutes. About a mile and a half down the highway, the last sentry stands on duty, making sure no one has gotten past the other layers of guards closer to the city proper.

[Ecclesiastes]

Bishop checks out the clock to see if it is wired to something or has a radio detenator attached to it. Hmmm... looks like a normal clock...

Transduced over the comms, "Everyone up on the double. I found something fishy that I can't make heads or tails of."

[HeySparky]

In the Underground

Edana moves cautiously in the dark passageways, stubbing toes, tripping and barking her shins on more than one occasion. Her mood grows darker as the trip wears on. She slinks down the twisting passages, marveling that people can actually live down here. Such a shame people have to or choose to live in this... During the break she writes a message to Christopher Robbin but can connect to the grid to send it. She mutters darkly and saves the draft to send later.

When the reach the end of the line she puts down her pack and stretches her back for a second. She straightens, turning to the young troll, "Thanks for..." She blinks and stares into the darkness, "Where'd he go?"

---------

At the Rope

Edana eyes the rope dubiously and flexes her thin, scarred arms. When Bishop calls them, she quickly wraps a hand around the rope and tries to shinny up. Slipping and fumbling for purchase she posits, "I'm probably not deft enough to make it up this. She looks at Herne, whose feet are off the ground, gaze fixed on the open sky beyond the grating.

Herne... I apologize for making you trek with us down here. But I couldn't carry all of your gear by myself.

Grab on.

Herne considers his clothes and his gear, debating whether or not to change forms. He shrugs and puts down his big sea-bag. Hunching down he pats his thigh at Edana, grinning.

Come on, girl. His voice in her head is chipper. C'mere. Edana squints at Herne before she hops onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. The spirit hitches her up, grabbing her legs. Good girl! Edana squeezes a little too tight and the spirit laughs as he ascends near the rope.

He stops near the top and lets Edana clamber off of him with Bishop's help.

"Thanks, guys." Edana flushes, red tinging the pale and storm-mottled skin of her cheeks.

Herne dives back down and grabs his bag before flying up and out onto the ground. He eyes the clock suspiciously.

"What is that?" He growls in his thick brogue.

[HMHVV Hunter]

"Hey, what's going on up there?" Helios says over the com. "Is it safe?"

[Ecclesiastes]

"No. Now get your ass up here." Bishop says over the comm, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

[HMHVV Hunter]

"Yes, oh holy one," Helios says, in an even more sarcastic reference to his teammate's street name as he climbs up the rope.

[Bastard]

"Uhh...Herne...Do you think you can give Kane a lift to?" After setting the bulk of his equipment on a small patch of dry concrete JT lifts the large dog into his arms.

[toturi]

The lowlight environment of the underground is not a hindrance to Graves. His natural elven vision enables him to see almost as clearly as day. He is less bothered by the dirty surroundings than his teammates.

Flashback episode during one of the stops:

A vaguely familiar man clad in green camos motions to you, pointing to tracks made in the sewer muck and marks on the walls, he whispers,"Ghouls." You remember yourself nodding agreement, before the man takes point once more.

At the rope he peers carefully at the surrounding and changes the colour scheme on his Rapid Transit coverall into a more suitable camouflage scheme from the urban camo scheme he used in the city.

[BishopMcQ]

With Bishop cloaked in refracted light and polymer, Herne lifts his storm-shrouded mistress over the edge of the highway. The spirit descends to pick up the various sacks fo gear as Charlie begins the slow ascent up the rope.

Helios and Graves share a look at the rope before glancing out over the flood plain that carries runoff from the sewer down natural passages and waterways to the Sound. During the spring this area is drowned in several inches of water, now it is spotted with patches of ice and snow built up around the support pylons for the seven lane freeway overpass between the Seattle Bridge and 5 South.

Once the rope stops wiggling from it's previous climber, the former Ranger starts climbing up the line. The vampire hunter is left looking out over the open area almost swearing that he could make out Harbor Island off to his left. Tiny, Gonzales and JT wait their turn to climb as Herne descends once more to take Kane up to the meet spot.

[Bastard]

After reaching the surface Kane thanks Herne with a friendly lick on the spirit's face. Kane then scouts the surrounding area, searching for any unfamiliar scents.

JT awaits his turn to climb the rope as Bishop makes his way out of the underground. The reflected light of the night sky is welcomed on his face after the dark trek through the belly of the city. The sooner he can get above ground the better. Wilderness experience has taught JT that you need to keep your feet dry when out in the elements, and thats been hard to do, slushing around the icy runoff for the past few hours.

[toturi]

Grave slithers up the rope like a snake, quiet and efficient. For some reason climbing up to the pylon brings to his mind the picture of an ice-encrusted oil rig in a stormy Artic sea. Reaching the surface, he brings his primary weapon to a ready position and moves off in search of more cover.

[HeySparky]

Herne recoils from Kane's sloppy thanks, blinking. He shrugs his shoulders uncomfortably and turns to the others just as Edana is schooling her face from amusement to feigned seriousness.

Don't think that I won't remember this when I next come in from the snow.

Edana isn't sure if Herne is referring to the lick or the laughing. She has a sneaking suspicion it's both.

"Guys, I'm going to take a look around." She sits, duffel cradled in her lap, she leans over it making sure that when her body goes slack she won't fall over.

Closing her physical eyes she opens herself to her second sight. She peers around.

[BishopMcQ]

Dawn approaches as Helios clears the tunnel at a dead run. He leaps several meters into the air, hitting the support pylon for the overpass, feet scrambling to make purchase. Unable to run up the vertical surface of the support column, the hunter throws his body backwards reaching up and out for the rope. With a mid-air twist, he grabs ahold of the rope and muscles his way up the rest of the length before climbing over the guard rail.

The cord waivers in the air for the last two team members to make their ascent.

[HMHVV Hunter]

"Damn it feels good to be a ninja," Helios says confidently as he walks away from the manhole he just exited.