Living in the Shadows: IC, Jan 8th-14th Options

[Vegas]

16:17:36 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Heart of the City Hotel, 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Bellevue, Seattle

Mac shifted her legs and popped her gum forcefully to force the thoughts of Kovacs from her head. Mario's declaration turned her full attention to the doors of the hotel as she verified that the guy leaving was actually one of the two from inside.

"Looks like it's time to put this all in motion"

She felt Mario settle into the seat beside her as she didn't hesitate to push her call through to Frankie who while she answered immediately had a slight breathiness to her voice. Shaking her head she kept her eyes trained on the mass of jet black hair as it wove its way through the parking lot.

"He's moving to his vehicle, keep the line open and get ready to follow him at a slight distance and keep me up to date on his directions."

Mac heard the almost instant rumble of their SUV as Gulfen fired the engine, but she made no move to start the Shadow, knowing she could make up any initial distance quickly if they rolled out just behind the SUV. She waited until he climbed into his vehicle and she knew Frankie and Gulfen had his car in their sights before she eased the Shadow out of its parking spot and quietly cursed herself when she gave it a little more gas than she had wanted to as she headed in the opposite direction and looped around the block to run parallel to the SUV.

[grendel]

17:39:06 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - northeast corner of 140th Ave NE and 40th NE, Renton, Seattle

Staying on the line with Frankie allowed Mac to coordinate their pursuit of the nondescript Ford Americar that pulled out of the parking lot ahead of Gulfen's SUV. Mario kept his eyes out, calling out lane changes and sightings as the Shadow alternately trailed and paralleled the target. Their route took them out of Bellvue via the 202 into Redmond. Mac fretted that they were headed into the barrens, which would almost immediately expose the tail. Instead, the Americar turned south, crossing into Renton but remaining on the surface streets. As the pursuit went on, she couldn't fit the growing sense that the driver and his team were taking pains to fly underneath the radar. Frankie's voice broke into her thoughts.

"He's pulling into a driveway, looks like some kind of commercial property, warehouse with an office. We're passing by now. He's definitely stopping. We'll be at the end of the block."

Mario, listening in to the call, pointed and Mac nodded, seeing the SUV as they crossed the parallel street to make a left. "Got it, we'll be right there. Sit tight."

[Vegas]

17:51:13 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

Mac drove past the parked SUV, deciding to take a tour around the outside of the warehouse from the security of the Shadow trying to spot any security or other bodies watching over the place. Kovacs' voice echoed in her head as she took the car back around the corner and was instantly taken back to his lesson in Redmond about hiding the truck, and she quickly attempted to put theory to practice to stash the Shadow before she and Mario could make it back to the SUV on foot.

Once the Shadow was tucked away within a couple of blocks of the warehouse so she could get back to it in a hurry if necessary, she and Mario walked back to where Frankie and Gulfen waited for them and slid into the backseat bringing a swirl of chill evening air with them to the otherwise warm interior of the SUV. Mac already had her commlink in hand as she slid across the back seat to make room for Mario.

"Did you see him go in? Did anyone else come out yet?"

She asked as her fingers worked dexterously to send an important update knowing if things went sideways, Kovacs was 30 minutes away at best, and to filter quickly through any updated messages via their network to get a better idea of who might be inside and how many other girls they might have to help get out.

Found where they're holding our friends, some warehouse in Renton. We're keeping watch getting a feel for what we're up against, appreciate you on standby. Not sure how this is going to play out.

She made sure to geotag her message with their exact location before she hit send. In the meantime the foursome sat inside the SUV and watched and waited for the man Mac expected to be Kesh to emerge and return to the hotel.

[grendel]

18:02:44 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

The building appears to be a two story light commercial application structure, with a warehouse portion abutting and attached to a series of offices. It's not large, perhaps twenty by forty meters all told, but in this case that's more than enough room to hold trouble for Mac's coterie. She puts her lessons to good use, scanning the rooftop and eaves of the structure, as well as those surrounding it and across the street, her eyes probing for signs of security or surveillance. None are readily apparent. Again, Mac is struck by the feeling that although these appear to be professional operators, they're doing all they can to evade detection and avoid arousing suspicion.

"Haven't seen anyone in or out yet," replied Frankie, turning in her seat to look at Mac as she and Mario climbed into the truck. "We gonna wait for that other guy to leave then kick in the door?"

Mac shook her head, mostly hoping that Frankie was joking, replying even as she felt her commlink shiver. "Maybe something a little quieter."

Copy. Be careful. Let me know what you need.

[Vegas]

18:07:39 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

You.

The simple thought was an instant response the moment she read the message and she had to consciously stop herself from sending a mirroring message back. Truth be told she would have felt better having Kovacs there with her, not only for his level of competence and skill but for the level of confidence he brought to her as well. Mac's lips twisted into something of a grimace over the thought of kicking in the door and going in hard and unprepared as to what might await them inside.

"I don't like the idea of kicking in the front door since we have no idea of what is waiting on the other side or even where they're holding the girls if we make it past the door." She was talking things through as she was sorting the quickly diminishing options in her head.

"We need eyes inside, but even if one of us could get in..." Her train of thought derailed a bit as she was thinking about the lack of visible security, the likely limited numbers inside and if there would be a way to actually get someone into the building without being detected. The guys were out, they were both too big, too obvious. Frankie was about as subtle as a bull in a china shop on a good day, and she was hardly dressed for stealth. Which left her as the only option, with no visible way in besides the front door and a plan started to form in her head.

“Frankie, hand me your Pulsar.” It was more of a statement than an actual request which drew a slightly icy glare from the raven-haired girl in the front seat which softened only when Mac added an impatient “Please.”
She then turned her attention towards Mario.

"Are either of you carrying anything besides your fists?” She cocked a brow, silently hoping that the answer would be ‘yes.’ She watched two pairs of eyes move back and forth between their faces in a form of silent communication that came from working together, much like between Kovacs and Tristan. Satisfied they might be a little more prepared than she originally thought she tossed her idea out to the three of them.

“Here’s what I’m thinking. We wait for the one guy, Kesh to head back to the hotel. Based off what I overheard at the hotel, that leaves the guy we followed plus one more inside watching over the girls. Granted I don’t know if that’s all that’s inside, but I figure if I go to the door I’ve got a 50/50 chance of having the one who hasn’t ever seen me before answer. He answers, I con my way inside, we know they’re holding working girls. If the one we followed answers, I use Frankie’s Pulsar and we get inside. Either way Frankie you stay with the SUV and keep it ready to get out of here in a hurry, the guys can hang back slightly and either come in with me if I can take down the one, or come kick the door down if the drek hits the fan.”

Mac paused to watch them digest the beginnings of her plan before she continued.

“Hopefully if I can get inside without raising suspicions too high, or without causing bodily harm I’ll still have my ‘Link on me and I can find where they’re holding the girls and let you all know if we keep a line open again. Get a better idea of how to get everyone out safe too. If I go silent, or you don’t hear from me for 10 minutes, you’ll all know something is wrong and can come ready to thump skulls. Thoughts? ”

Mac tried to keep the plan simple and hoped the anxiousness she felt hadn’t bled through to her voice. While she waited for their feedback she fired off a message for Frankie’s eyes only.

If I get into trouble inside, I need you to do something for me. Call this number <<k.vcf>>, tell them I’m in trouble and we’re still at the same location. This is my safety net, please use it if things all go to hell.

[grendel]

18:14:53 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

As Mac outlined her ideas, Mario was rummaging through the rear storage compartment of Gulfen's SUV. He turned in response to her question, hefting a pair of Remington shotguns. Mac glanced from the long arms to him and back.

"That'll do," she commented wryly.

"Not sure these guys are going to be cool about answering a knock on the door of their hideout," started Gulfen, an astute observation from an unexpected source. "What if you rang up front while we kick in the back door?"

"Hey, heads up," called Frankie, gesturing towards the building. A figure, indistinctly male in a long coat and hat, was exiting and heading to the car that just pulled up.

"All right, so his exit means two inside plus maybe a hostage or two?" Mario leaned over the center console to watch the action. "I like them odds."

[Vegas]

18:18:07 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

Mac nodded as she silently longed for the familiarity of the Remington in her hands.

"No guarantees that we're down to just two inside, that's just the only ones I'm aware of. And we still don't know where the girls are inside that space."

A slight frown creased her forehead as she chewed on her lip.

"I suppose going at them from both sides makes more sense, I just worry about our friends' safety inside going in hard."

As the four of them turned their attention eagerly towards the front of the building, the man in the long coat and the dark Americar, Mac fired off one more message to Kovacs out of curiosity as much as a need for more information on what they might be going up against.

Don't suppose the names Kresh or Oskar mean anything to you, running in a crew of at least four, possibly more?

[grendel]

18:19:26 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

"Might could use something more surgical then," mused Gulfen, racking the slide on his Remington to chamber a round despite the comment. Mario grunted, turning back to the cargo compartment.

"Look, I know we're not SWAT or anything," started Mac, only to hold up short as the bouncer withdrew a massive revolver from the back. "What the frag is that?"

"Ruger Bloodhawk," Mario grinned proudly. "Came out almost a decade ago, one of their first combat revolvers for bigger hands. Took this one off a troll who thought he was more important than he was."

Mac eyed the hand cannon. "Not sure that qualifies as surgical."

"Oh ye of little faith," chided Mario, checking to make sure the pistol was loaded. Her commlink shivered to an incoming text.

Names don't ring a bell. Want me to source them through Isomer?

[Vegas]

18:23:13 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

I know he's fast, but the guys we're with aren't likely to wait for long by the looks of things. But I suppose it can't hurt, I'm trying to get a handle on what we're walking into.

Mac quietly hoped Isomer would come through with something tangible before they got too far in over their heads, but by the looks of the gun Mario was going to carry in the point might be moot.

She could feel the tension laced through with adrenaline and excitement building in the truck. The guys thrived on it at some level, often looking forward to bouncing some jackass out of the club, coming to the aid of a female patron even and being the hero, but Mac wasn't feeding off it for a change. Usually she would be throwing herself headfirst into the fray, but it was always at her own peril not at the potential cost of her friends and she still worried about Holly Anne inside and just what bigger plan they'd be breaking up. How important it would be to that team to complete their job.

She shook her head and tried to buy a bit more time to hear back from Kovacs.

"How long do you think you'll need to get in place at the back door and how do you want to time it? Want to wait for me to try to bring them to the front?"

[grendel]

18:26:39 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

"Maybe ten minutes," guessed Mario. "We can just drop you a text when we're ready. Then call us when you knock on the door. As soon as we hear 'em answer, we'll go in through the back."

Mac rubbed the back of her neck. She couldn't see anything wrong with that plan although she was pretty sure that Kovacs would have had a better way to go about it. Her commlink shivered with an incoming text, as if the thought had brought about the action.

Request sent. Anticipate a text direct from Isomer. Probably five minutes.

[Vegas]

18:30:51 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

A glance at the incoming message caused her to send a quick response back.

Thanks, I owe you.

As Mac waited for a text from Isomer, she silently agreed to Mario's part of the plan with a nod.

"Let's do this, sooner we get it over with, the sooner we can all go celebrate."

She watched as the guys nodded and looked at one another for an instant before they both slipped from their respective doors of the SUV and Frankie slid over to the driver's seat and cranked up the heat. Mac leaned forward between the front seats but kept quiet as the two girls watched Mario and Gulfen disappear around the corner of the block. She could hear Frankie's breathing slow with a long exhale that she found herself matching. She reached her hand out and rested it on her friend's shoulder with a light squeeze.

"We'll all get out of here ok. Keep your eyes peeled and promise me you'll make that call if anything goes sideways."

Frankie nodded in the front seat but said nothing, her eyes locked on something outside the front window of the SUV. Mac slid across the back seat to the door and opened it, whispering "wish me luck" as she stepped out into the biting cold and she pulled her coat tightly around her. As she pushed the door closed and stepped away from the SUV, Mac steeled her resolve as she slowly made her way towards the front door, thinking back to the other night at the Underworld with Kovacs, pulling on memories that made her feel a rush of excitement to mask the anxiety that was growing as she drew closer to the front door of the warehouse.

[grendel]

18:37:08 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

Mac did her best to slow the rapid thunder of her heartbeat, but it was a vain effort. Not even walking into a Yakuza den with Tristan had been this nerve wracking. But then she knew the caliber of operator that Tristan was. And she'd known, although perhaps not fully appreciated, what Kovacs would have done in the case trouble came calling. But here, now? It was her and two unknowns against a stack of more unknowns, with lives in the balance. Certainly Holly Anne's, and most likely hers, Mario's, and Gulfen's. Mac rubbed her hands together, suddenly finding them damp. Her commlink buzzed as she crossed the parking lot towards the front door of the warehouse, doing her best to move casually.

Ready when you are -M

She scanned the building's facade one more time, searching for any detail that her earlier surveillance might have missed. Seeing nothing that altered the current game plan, Mac took a breath and opened a call to Mario, waiting for the icon to click over to green before knocking on the door. Long seconds ticked past. She knocked again, louder but trying not to be insistent. Still nothing.

"Keep knocking, we're going in," said a low voice over her commlink.

[Vegas]

18:38:49 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

Mac held her breath as Mario’s voice filled her ears with his whisper. This was the point where everything could go well, or go horribly wrong. It wasn’t lost on her that they were about to press forward without any additional info and her hopeful five minute window had passed.

Come on Isomer.

”Hold,” Mac whispered softly trying to buy a few more precious seconds. ”Waiting on updated intel on the inside.”

Confident she could work an angle and prolong a distraction at the front door if she could draw those inside, she raised her fist again and pounded with a bit more force on the metal door.

[grendel]

18:38:50 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

Mac's instruction is either too soft to be heard by ears keyed up with adrenaline, or, more likely, ignored in the rush to action. Her knock is swallowed up by the sharp crash from the rear of the building, although it's loud only to Mac's sensitive ears. She curses, anger and fear and adrenaline mixing poorly in her stomach. She turns to jam her commlink in her pocket, readying the taser. The motion saves her life. A pair of bullet holes appear in the door in front of her at approximately chest level, and something hot flicks at her shoulder. A shotgun booms from inside the building, answered by a stutter of automatic gunfire. Mac reels backwards, sliding against the wall for better cover. More gunfire sounds from inside, a pair of loud cracks followed by another shotgun blast.

[grendel]

18:38:51 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

"Frag this," muttered Mac. The confrontation had turned lethal already, she had no need for the taser. She dropped it into her pocket before reaching back and drawing her Browning. The motion, alien outside two days ago, now felt somehow familiar, her lessons with Kovacs at Locus' range springing into her head unbidden. She crossed the door low and fast, putting her back to the jamb on the opposite side before testing the latch. It was locked. Muted shouting reached her ears, faint due to the shocking loudness of the gunshots from moments before. The voices seem to be getting closer.

[grendel]

18:38:54 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

The door opens. Mac turns, bringing her weapon to bear, only to see the thin disk of a concussion grenade come flipping through the narrow opening. She whips back the other way, launching herself towards the corner of the building. Behind her, the slam of the door is followed immediately by the thunderous detonation of the grenade.

[grendel]

18:38:55 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

The flash and overpressure are stunningly painful, driving Mac to her knees despite the shelter of the wall.

"Frankie, make the call!" she shouted, although her voice sounded distant and tinny to her ears. She thumbed the volume on her commlink up, trying to glean a semblance of information about what was happening inside the building. The front door burst open again, a pair of figures hurtling into the night. The SUV's engine turns over, far too quick for Frankie to be reacting to Mac's shout. The halogens throw spooky beams through the dust and haze of the grenade blast, illuminating both figures. The first fires off a shot at the truck, while the second pivots, something clutched in his hand. Mario's hand cannon booms, loud despite the recent explosion. The second figure collapses in on itself as the round strikes home. The interior of the warehouse detonates, a brilliant flash of angry light that throws Mario out into the yard, the back of his jacket aflame.

[grendel]

18:38:56 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

A glassy calm envelopes Mac, and time slowed to a crawl. Her hands lifted seemingly of their own volition, the sights of the pistol bright in the reflected light of the explosion. Dimly, she can hear the rustle of grass as she settles onto her knee, arms outstretched. The fleeing figure appears almost motionless in her view, its leg poised in mid step. Her pistol recoils into her hand silently, the impulse traveling up her arms and into her shoulders. Something dimples the back of the figure's jacket. The trigger on her pistol clicks against her finger and Mac fires again. Sound and heat rushes back into her as if the bullet had pierced a glass veil around her, the flat snap of her pistol firing seemed like thunder compared to the sudden silence it replaced, and in the distance she can hear the approaching wail of sirens. Mario screams in pain, flailing desperately on the ground in an attempt to extinguish the flames burning him.

[Vegas]

18:39:43 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

Mac looked down at the pistol still held steady in her outstretched hands and blinked twice as the reality of the situation folded in around her. Mario's screams and the encroaching sirens cut through the level of shock that had set in and she pushed off her back foot and rose to her feet making her way as quickly as her body would let her towards the Ork's smoldering frame, her fingers fumbling as she reholstered her Browning and quickly pulled her coat from her shoulders, draping it over Mario's back to try to extinguish the flames.

Her dark eyes flicked between the two bodies that laid crumpled near them as Mario's screams pitched down to low keening moans. She realized how vulnerable she left herself sitting without her longcoat, and moved quickly to kneel near Mario's ear, her voice soft but firm.

"Cops aren't far from here, we need to get you out of here. Can you move?"

She swallowed hard before she said anything else, her eyes moving towards the door.

"Gulfen? The girls?"

Her questions were answered by additional moans and Mac keyed her commlink to get Frankie to pull the truck up to try to get Mario into the truck as she tentatively stepped towards the door while Frankie's panicked babble filled her ears.

[grendel]

18:41:29 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

Mario grunts in pain, rolling to his feet with a gasp as the motion tears open the skin beneath his melted coat.

"I kin make it," he mutters, more to himself than in answer to Mac's question, but it suffices. Mac turns back, looking through the door in a vain hope that someone might have survived the blast inside the warehouse. The utter wreckage of the interior disabuses her of that notion. Smoke still curls through the open doorway, hanging thick in the air inside, but most of the flames are dying down. Nothing is left inside that's larger than her fist, and although the only smell in the air is the clay-like combustion residue of the plastic explosives, Mac can feel the bile rise in her throat.

Turning away, she hurries to help Mario, who's made it halfway to the truck. He shrugs off her attempt to lift his arm over her shoulder, more out of the impracticality of it all than any kind of wounded pride. Instead, she took two full strides and reached the door before him, opening it only to find more bad news. Frankie huddled in the driver's seat, her face drawn and pale with abject fear. Dark red blood bubbles from between the fingers she has clenched over her right shoulder.

[Vegas]

18:46:37 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - 120 Factory Ave N, Renton, Seattle

Mac's world collapsed further in on her as she watched her friend bleeding in the front seat. She silently added the guilt for this onto that which had already piled up for how completely sideways and fragged up this had all gone. Mac closed her eyes and regained some semblance of control by pushing the storm of emotions she was feeling down, trying to detach like she would with clients.

She slammed her hand against the exterior of the truck as she opened her eyes, causing Frankie to flinch with fear, more blood seeping between her fingers with the movement. Mac's face softened slightly with concern, but her eyes remained cold and her voice was firm when she spoke.

"Frankie, did you make the call?"

As her friend took a second before nodding, Mac changed her plans, throwing open the back door so Mario could climb in across the seat in back. Slamming the front passenger side door, she came around to the driver's side and eased Frankie into the back seat beside Mario.

"One of you keep pressure on her shoulder, hard pressure. We're going to see Doc Baker, he still owes me one last favor."

Mac slid into the driver's seat, tossing her coat into the passenger's seat with a wince of pain that cut into the adrenaline spiking through her. As she nosed the truck into the street she opened up the first of two calls, this one to Kovacs, and waited until it connected as she tried to put distance between them and the warehouse without drawing attention as she aimed north.

"Change of plans. Taking two for medical. Shadow's still on site, tucked away." Her voice was clipped and as strained as her nerves.

[grendel]

18:54:13 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - westbound out of Renton, Seattle

Kovacs' voice held the distant, atonal quality of active encryption.

"On the way. We'll recover it."

Mac nodded, jamming down the accelerator to merge through traffic. "Gotta go. We're on the road to the street doc."

"Update when able," instructed Kovacs before ending the call. Mac let her commlink drop, focusing her attention on driving.

"How we doing back there?"

"She's in shock," replied Mario, surprisingly calm given the state of his own injuries. "But the bleeding has slowed. Drive faster."

[Vegas]

19:03:29 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Westbound out of Renton, Seattle

She needed no more encouragement to pick up speed, especially once they had threaded their way across the surface streets of Renton and onto the I-5. Mac's eyes travelled frequently from the highway stretched out before her to the rear view mirror, stealing glances to be certain they weren't being followed as much as to check on Frankie sprawled across the backseat, eyes closed and unmoving.

She drove aggressively through the sparse traffic that littered the highway south of downtown, her attention only slightly distracted as she placd the call to Doc Baker figuring she owed him at least a heads up before she dropped Frankie and Mario on his table. She wasn't surprised to hear a level of detachment to the doctor's voice when he finally picked up her call, aware of just who was calling.

"Baker Primary Care Clinic."

"Hello Doctor. I have one of your dependents with me, emergency situation. She has a bullet wound to her shoulder and an additional friend who needs your assistance."

"I'm sorry but I'm unable to..."

"Cut the drek Doc, we're about 15 minutes out and you will take them because you have a contract on one, and you owe me for the other."

Mac heard him start to say something before stopping himself and then acquiesce with a heavy sigh and she nodded to herself, grateful it wasn't a long-fought battle.

"Have the door to the garage bay open for a white SUV, she's going to need your immediate help."

She ended the call abruptly and tossed her commlink to the seat beside her as she continued their rapid drive north.

19:19:44 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Baker Primary Care Clinic, 500 19th Ave E, Downtown, Seattle

Mac was grateful that as she came down Republican and made the left onto 19th, the garage door was rolled up and the bay empty as she aggressively pulled into the clinic, stopping just short of Doc Baker before killing the engine. She jumped from the driver's seat as the garage door was already rolling back down, concealing the SUV inside. Mario was slow to exit the opposite side of the vehicle as Mac moved to the rear passenger door and beckoned the doctor over urgently.

Doc Baker regarded Mac coolly as he approached and acknowledged her presence.

"Kenzie."

"Jon," she returned his greeting and got just as personal. "It's Frankie, and that's her not-yet-on-the-books muscle."

Looking at Frankie's body, stretched out across the back seat unmoving, he quickly snapped back into doctor mode and made quick work getting her out of the back of the SUV and into the clinic where he immediately went to work to stabilize her. Mario shuffled in slowly after and Mac stopped only long enough to grab her coat and commlink from the front seat before she stepped into the clinic and parked herself on a couch with a hiss of pain that shot through her shoulder where the blood had started to dry and fuse her sweater to her skin.

[grendel]

20:07:28 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Baker Primary Care Clinic, 500 19th Ave E, Downtown, Seattle

"It's a jacketed hollow point, hundred and twenty five grain from the remaining weight, probably one of SK's barrier blind tactical application rounds," explained Doc Baker as Mac turned over the bullet fragment in her hand. Frankie was still sedated on the OR table beside them, her vitals being monitored by a combination of expert systems and Golem, the doc's freakishly patchwork assistant. Mac still looked askance at him, even after coming here half a dozen times. Dude's got five arms, fer crissake! she rationalized to herself. Regardless of his appearance, he was able to complete the stitch work on Frankie while simultaneously debriding Mario's burn wounds. The bouncer had refused any pain meds, responding with only angry hisses of pain as Golem pulled melted nylon from his skin before cleaning the burns and laying down a protective layer of synthetic skin.

"...good thing she was ducked down, even the barrier blind rounds tend to deflect down when they hit the windshield. If she was upright she would have taken this to her abdomen and been in a real world of hurt."

Mac nodded absently, her eyes on the wounded survivors while her mind did its best to shut out the knowledge that five other people lay dead on the streets, three of whom had no business being involved in whatever went down.

[Vegas]

20:13:32 Sunday, 14 January 2063 - Baker Primary Care Clinic, 500 19th Ave E, Downtown, Seattle

Try as she might, Mac couldn't keep the images from the warehouse from playing back in her head with vivid details once the adrenaline wore off. Squeezing her eyes shut did little to ward off the memories and the way her imagination filled in the blanks where there were holes. The clinic swam before her eyes when she opened them again and she swayed on her feet.

"I think I need to sit down." She whispered as she shuffled unsteady on her feet back to the safety of the couch where she leaned forward and tried to regulate her breathing and the bile growing in her stomach. She tried to focus on something else, her eyes landing on her longcoat and the now visible tear that marked the right shoulder near the seam. She fingered the frayed and tattered fabric as the doctor's brows knitted in concern as Mac grew increasingly pale and he focused on the blood on her clothes.

"Kenzie, is any of that blood yours? Are you hurt?" Doc Baker was moving towards her while Golem continued to dutifully work at Mario's wounds.

"It's probably mostly mine... For a change," She laughed bitterly at a joke that made sense only to her given the events of the last week. The laugh dissolved into a sigh as the doctor was quick to take a look where the bullet had slid across her skin. Mac winced and cursed as he tried to move her sweater away from the wound. She tried to wave him off but she just succeeded in a temporary reprieve until he came back with a bottle of saline to rehydrate the wound and free the threads of her clothing.

She pushed him away when he poked and prodded and as he stretched her sweater away for a better look before he leveled a stern gaze at her.

"You can let me look at it and take care of it by cutting it off you or you can take it off." He paused as Mac's face went dark, bringing back memories she'd rather remained buried. "I'll find you some scrubs that should fit."

She finally acquiesced, struggling to pull her sweater up and over her head. She was finally rewarded with a sharp stabbing pain in her shoulder before she wrapped her arms around herself in some strange display of modesty as she felt the doctors eyes roam over her with something other than professional courtesy. Mac turned her back on him slightly, giving him better access to her shoulder as she fished out her commlink, figuring she owed Kovacs an update.

Doc's demanding to take a look at me too. Hope the recovery was successful. Could use a ride out if you're in the neighborhood, Baker Primary Care on 19th.