The last job complete, the sprite smiles. "All done boss, I'll see ya around." The silver surfer smiles and nods watching the small creature fade away from existence, back to wherever realm it came from.

Reg monitors the group's departure, cleaning up her meddling. Only once the team fully exits the house and leaves the proximity sensor does Reg finally release control of the security node, giving herself a couple seconds to log out of the system before it resumes its normal operation. The most someone should see is a routine maintenance run and tests - and maybe a faint echo that she was there for those who can sense them - but even that will fade soon.

The elf opens her eyes as the team approaches the van and smiles. Reg reaches and opens the door when the team comes within distance. The pouring rain looks like a curtain of gray, obscuring most details past a few feet, splattering the lip of the van's mud-runner. Reg finds herself actually appreciating the cover of this dismal weather. Once team is all in, Reg tries to find a comfortable spot, observing her dripping wet team mates - feeling a bit guilty that she's a lot more dry than they are.

Reg is content, but doesn't fully relax for the drive. Until the package is out of their hands, something could still go wrong, and it keeps her on edge.

Clarke pulls the van to a halt in the driveway. The place seems quiet and the entire neighbourhood appears to be sleeping through the rain.

Felice


Reggie


Shifting at the wheel Clarke speaks, "Are we good to go?"

“Drive on and past the house... there's something wrong,� Felice says.

“The front door is open. We should approach carefully and not stop right in front of the house, just in case.�

Clarke nods and gets the van moving again, pulling up at the side of the road just in sight of the house.

“Then let's find out what's going on here...� Felice says, as she puts on her helmet once more and checks her armor and weapons before getting out of the car, immediately looking for a place from where she might be able to get close to the building without being seen easily.

Felice

Over your comm Clark asks, YOu want company or should be be ready to make like the cavalry?

Reg reaches into a her bag and pulls out a large device that - to the untrained eye - looks like some sort of large portable fan. Those who know about robots immediately recognize a modified roto-drone.

"I don't like the fact that the door is open a sliver either... lets investigate to see if our party has some crashers. I'll send a scout, the drone's more expendable than any of us are..." the elf looks down at the drone as if it said something. "Yes I'm calling you expendable, and no I don't want to hear about your opinions about how hard it's raining outside. You're going to do the job or I take you're pilot program offline."
She looks up at the group. "Sorry, my new pilot program has a bit of a 'personality' complex."

She puts the drone on an empty space of the van and the device turns on, the noise inside the vehicle is like that of someone running a vacuum cleaner and the drone hovers in mid-air. Reg reaches for the door. "Any objections?"

"Be my guest," says Shiver, "Eury do you want to go astral or shall I? It seems like your turn to go inside."

Reg waits for the van to come to a stop and opens the van door. The drone hovers for a moment and the elf nods her head towards the door. The drone moves forward stopping momentarily at the door. Reg frowns, and it heads out into the rain.

The drone drifts up a few feet before heading towards the house, keeping at about 2nd floor level. At this height, it would be difficult to spot the robot from the ground with standard eyesight.

Reg closes the van's door and looks a bit distant as she monitor's the drones optics and other sensors. "Ok, approaching the house." her voice sounds dull and factual as the drone drone crosses the street and approaches the front of the building. "Do you want me to go straight in or so a perimeter sweep?"

< [Felice] Some Backup would be good... going closer now to find out what's wrong. >

Felice sends the message back, then slowly sneaks closer to the building, trying to avoid any fields of vision from the windows.

Carefully, oh so carefully Felice and the miniature drone approach the house. Undercover of the rain stealth is easy. They reach the house with no sign of anything happening. Felice moves up to the building and carefully peers through a rear window of the house. the view she gets is through the kitchen and seems to reach to the front of the building. The place seems empty. A couple more windows seem to confirm that at least on the ground floor the place is deserted.

Reg continues to stare off into the distance, as if she can see through the van's walls. Occasionally her hands make movements, much like watching someone play a virtual flight controller. Though the drone is doing most of the work, it's still a challenge to keep Spinny on course in this storm.

The elf's pretty face is marred by a grim frown, and she whispers something that's carried over the comm network.
< [SilverSurfr]: Damn this rain is really messing with my sensors, I can barely get a reading. What do you scan? >
The question - of course - is aimed at Felice and Reg wonders if she should have posted the question more directly...

< [Felice] Not much to see here. I'm going in... > Felice sends the others and slowly moves towards the entrance, staying in place for a moment to listen, before opening the door far enough for her to slip inside.

Felice moves into the house sweeping it room by room. Approach. Wait. Listen. Wait. Enter. Look. Next room. Two floors. Ten rooms. There is no one here, the house is empty.

< [Felice] Nothing... let's move out and call the wyrm. >

On her way out, Felice looks for any clues what might have happened here, since it seems so weird, that the door was left open.

Spiny leapfrogs from room to room with Felice.
<[SilverSurfr]: Say, this is the right place? This is where we drop the package? What do you guys scan on the outside, we could be watched.... >

<[SilverSurfr]: I agree with her, call the wyrm and find out what the hell is going on here. >

In the Van Clarke nods,


Okay I'm on it. Lets see what he's got to say.

Eury slides out of his body comfortably, and flies off through the house, looking for auras.

The house is clean astrally, almost to clean, no astral traces of any sort linger within it. Either nothing happened here, or some has cleaned it up in a hurry.

Alastor watches quietly, completely on guard to back Felice up with the slightest hint of something going on. <Want me to head in and cover you, Felice? This feels like a potential trap to me.> He sends the message to everyone. <I wouldn't be surprised if there's something here like a bug or bomb waiting for us.>
His crimson gaze flicks around their surroundings as best he can from his place in the van, on full alert for any sign of something going on.

Felice


Shiver, glances at Alastor, "Let's move in closer, we're to far away to help here."

Clarke shakes his head still on his commlink to the wyrm. Morgan says he wants a report on the situation, the pick up team should be there. Felice?

Alastor nods, snapping his helmet visor down and into place, his guns already ready to be drawn at a split second's notice. <Right, let's move out.>

Eury leaps back to his body, "Place is empty, no traces of anything. Might have been cleaned up though, no emotional traces at all. Either we are at the wrong place, or something clever hit there."

Felice takes out a piece of cloth (handkerchief or something) and wipes up some of the blood (maybe someone wants to check out who's blood it is *shrug*).

< [Felice] The team was here. They are dead. Someone took the bodies and cleaned up the place rather tidy, but not hundred percent. We should leave quickly and find a new way to deliver the package. Keep an eye on the surrounding area. Moving out in 3... 2... 1... now! >

Felice quickly makes her way back to the car, moving as if she was in a warzone, staying behind cover and out of sight as much as possible.

As Felice heads back to the van Clarke relates the info down his commlink. He pauses to listen to a reply. Morgan says the run has been compromised. We're to keep moving, he expects some sort of trouble. He's going to find us a new pick up point, we're to keep a comm open for him to call us on.

“Hope he's going to make up for it, as it hasn't been compromised on our end...� Felice says as she gets back into the car. “Ok, where to?�

Reg commands Spiny to move out with Felice. Soon as the drone exits the house, it shoots up to 20 meters so it can get a better view of the area.
<[Silversurfr]: It's going to take a bit of concentration, but I'll have Spiny follow behind the van as an 'eye in the sky' and watch our six. Unless we plan on doing any high-speed getaways, it's got the speed to keep up with us.>

As Felice makes a bee-line to the van, Reg focuses on as far a range as possible for anything that might be out of place.

Alastor keeps on full guard until Felice is back in the van, and they are driving off again, only then snapping his visor back up. "I knew that this Run was looking too easy. I wouldn't be suprised if someone else has left it for us to make the raid on the house then has taken out another team after it as well, before planning a hit and run on us."

Elsewhere.

"You ready for this? They've visited the house and are in progress by the way." says one man in street clothes and a hooded jacket to ward off the rain. His voice holds a celtic twang.

"Of course, are you sure they won't see this coming?" his companion is American West Coast all the way. Dressed in heavy duty combat armour flipped into urban camo colours. He hefts a huge rifle checking the sights and action haven't spoiled in the rain.

"Certainly they will walk into our trap."

The Van.
UCAS Sector Denver

You've barely gone one hundred meters Clarke slams the brakes on, "Al old buddy, you may have a point we have hostiles coming in from the front, I count six, and they have something big enough to dent us." He points Six guys Orcs and humans evenly split one hefting a HMG towards the van. Clarke grins throwing the door open and pulling a gun, "Game on fuckers" he chuckles.

Alastor grins wolfishly from beneath his helmet, his crimson gaze burning. His visor snaps back down into place, and he draws his guns the moment Clark speaks. "Looks like it's Show Time!" he says with a touch of insane laughter in his voice as he leaps to his feet, his guns up and pointed forwards, ready to pounce from the van, the leather of his trench moving upwards with him like flowing, inky black liquid.

You pile out of the van shooting. Felice's hail of bullets fells their mage, and Alastor and Clarke drop the big guy and his machine gun. Clarke spins his gun and neatly blows the head off another foe. One of them growls and pulls up his shotgun planting shots into Felice and Alastor. Alastor stumbles backwards heavily wounded from the blast but keeps his guns up. Eury throws a blast of magic wounding the slim unarmed guy closing in on Clarke. Shiver glances at Reggie and pushes the back doors open, as she drops out the back and peeps round to get a view of the fight she hears him mumble a few phrases in latin and sprint away from the fight at incredible speed, the bag containing the orb tucked under one arm. Looks like he's keeping the goods safe.

Then Reggie notices he's unsubscribed from the team network...

Reg swears. "Damned if I let that package get outta sight" She sends the drone after him and starts following suit.
<[SilverSurfr]: Huston, I think we have a problem. >

In front of the van the fire fight continues, another hail of bullets from Felice takes down the burly ork and his shotgun, as Alastor heavily wounds the pistol wielding blonde, who returns fire. Alastor throws himself to one side avoiding one shot and barely being scratched by the second. Camly Clarke fells the blonde and tries to take down your final opponent who rolls underneath the shot and with glowing fists wings Clarke with a punch. Things are looking good, now what was Reggie saying about Shiver?

Felice turns, appraising the Shiver problem, then ending it with a burst of fire into his rapidly fleeing back, he collapses skidding to a halt on a rain ruined lawn in a spray of water, mud and blood. satisfied Felice spins training her gun on the melee standoff between Clarke and his assailant as Alastor draws his sword and shifts position to join the fight.

Above Shiver's bleeding corpse a shadowy figure appears and starts to lean down to examine the body.

This skirmish seems to be going your way, Alastor's intervention on Clark's opponent seems to be turning that little brawl. At the other end the shadowy creature appears to be healing Shiver, as Reggie closes she can see him start to stir. On the astral the spirits nature is clear to Eury as he begins to gather his own minions.

Felice's gunfire strips Shiver of motion, treacherous plans and life as Alastor cuts down the last remaining thug. The spirit turns gesturing towards it's master's killer with a gesture it fills her with deep existential dread then it moves towards Reggie with violence showing in it's deep red eyes.

When the spirits locks on Felice her mind is filled with terrifying thoughts and despite fighting against it as much as she can, she turns around and flees from the scene...

A moment later, the urge goes away and she turns around, heading back to the others.

Seeing that they were victorious, Felice quickly gathers her thoughts and heads to back to where she was before the spirit scared her away.

“It's still there?� she asks, while she approaches the now lifeless form of their former teammate who had turned on them.

"Hopefully I've done enough to stop Spooky from rematerializing on this plane and give us more trouble for the moment at the very least, especially with this Morkhan down for the count." Alastor's eyes gleam with a wicked crimson light from within his dark helmet as he kicks Shiver's lifeless body. "Think it might be worth taking his head off to make sure he can't use it for more plotting in even Hell?" he growls, before looking to Reggie.

Reggie


Making sure she's okay, the main focus of his attention (all the while having been keeping the corner of his eye open for anything else that might pop out at them) returns to Shiver's body and the all important package. He messages the group, his demeanour all business as he ignores his injuries as best possible. <Let's not hang around a moment more. Let's get moving, and get the job finished. Eury, you watch this piece of filth's body to make sure it can't do anything else in the afterlife, and everyone else watch out for anything that moves. I reckon we take the body and incinerate it.>

Clarke strides casually over to Shiver's corpse. He calmly plants a bullet into each eye socket, and grabs the bag.

"Everyone okay with me carrying this? Good now lets fucking move."

With that he heads for the van.

Alastor nods, and follows suit barely a moment behind Clark, his hawklike gaze trained on him and the bag, ready to take it at a split-second's notice. "And I'll keep hold of this while you drive." His guns remain ever at the ready as he growls, his voice like steel.

When the spirit suddenly turned on Reg the elf let out a low "Oh Darn". Stopping wasn't so easy as running on the wet rain-soaked grass, and she nearly falls as she comes to a slippery stop one one knee nearly on top of the now motionless body of their former teammate.
Grabbing her gun - which will probably be useless, Spiny comes zipping between the two forms acting as a shield. As the elf calculates a dodge and snatch of the package, shots come flying over her head and the shadowy figure sort-of explodes and is gone. Stunned Reg stays there wondering what's coming next. Alastor's message breaks her form the spell and she nods.
<[SilverSurfr]:I'm ok now...

The elf rebalances herself on the slippery lawn as Clarke strolls over, shoots Shiver again, and picks up the package. She looks down at Shiver sadly, now they'll never know what he was up to. She gives a disgusted look at the thought of bringing the body with them and gives a deep breath to refocus her thoughts and calm down the furious beating of her heart. He's right, it's probably best not to leave the body here....

She watches Clarke and Alastor walk off, looks down at the body, wordlessly wondering if they are going to bring the body. Reg doesn't really possess the physique to carry the dead body alone, though probably could with some effort, despite the unappealing prospect of it. Looking around for something to do, she glances at Spiny. The elf words the command "Scout", and the drone bobs as in response, moves ahead of the team, scanning the area. Reg hesitates for a moment to see if they are just going to leave Shiver's body there before moving on.

Elsewhere.
Now.

It's like second nature to some people. But never like breathing, more like holding your breath. Much more surprising when you do it on autopilot. Metatron Lines up a shop with the monster rifle he prefers and snaps it off. Followed by a second. That should deal with that problem. Now onto the rest. hopefully his partner in this crime was already dealing.

The van pulls away smoothly from the battle ground you've left behind. Clarke drives through the rain like it isn't there. At first slow and steady then speeding up. Once you're out of the commutorville street the fight was in he turns round breifly.

"I'm giving the worm a call. Keep him appraised, see if he's found a safe house."

He pauses as he holds a conversation with his mind.

"He says to keep moving for now heading west. I'm going to take that as a guideline and only that."

Spiney is having a harder time in the rain than the van but manages to keep ahead looking for trouble. Nothing seems to be coming your way out of the rain yet.

Twenty minutes pass. No contact from Peri, no enemy contact. Then as you pull round a left only corner off a one way street Spiney spots something a six inch wide strip of metal spikes laid across the road, tireshreaders.

Spiney, no Reggie pings out a warning, but before you can react the windshield turns into frosted glass round a neat hole, the van fills will a fine red mist and a bullet punches through the back door on it's way out.

The van accellerates hard, the tires shread and the van begins to skid out of control on it's wheel rims.

“Crap, what happened? Anyone hit?� Felice shouts while holding on to something to lessen the impact, should the van crash.

Centre and focus. The world is as nothing, all is calm.

Eury hunches into a corner, muttering quietly. "Seheiah, send to me one of your chosen servants to shield me from harm. As I say it, so it shall be. Seheiah, send your strongest and best. As I will it, so it shall be. As I will it, so it shall be."

He then looks up to the centre of the van.

Flying through the driving rain was a lot harder in VR than Reg had expected. It took a lot of focus, but the elf was managing pretty well. The camera and audio were nearly useless, so she was depending on MAD sensors to do most of the work. The van was almost on top of the tire-shredders before the sensors picked up the anomaly, almost too late to stop so the elf forced the words through her lips, as she transmits the signal: "Stop the van!" Hoping that Clarke would get either in time to stop the vehicle.

Before she could explain her sudden outburst, Spiny's sensors pick up the incoming projectile, what was that? Reg's word of caution turns to a scream. "No!" - But it's already too late...
From that point, everything seems to move in slow motion. Sensors show the projectile shattering the windshield - on the drivers side! Reg drops out of VR, reaching out to grab on to something, as sensors detect the van's sudden acceleration into the tire-shredder strip. The elf secretly prays the vehicle is equipped with run-flats, but caution and recovering from the sudden dump into the 'real' to grab on to something - just in case it doesn't takes precedent over other matters... The real world is still hazy and coming into focus as the van reels out of control.

Time seems to slow into an almost crawl before all Hell breaks loose as Reggie's warning comes a second too late- right as first the van runs over the tire-shredder just as the bloody mist fills thevan from Clark's position in the driver's seat, the van skidding wildly. As Reggie gave her warning, Alastor quickly braces himself as best possible as Clark is taken out. Whoever's done this must be a Helluva marksman... "Reggie, can you get the van under control?!" he shouts, as he tries to grab the bag containing the artifact, which he'd been watching carefully the whole drive.

Alastor's comments draw everyones eyes towards him. Next to him Clarke sits, missing the top half of his head. Somewhere a part of you brain that you wish would shut the fuck up say that you're breathing him in.

Reggie reaches out metally. Damn vehicle has no rigger mod!!! The vehicle slams to a haltt against a building, somehow in one piece and with out flipping. Maybe something was watching over you.

Reggie

At first grabbing onto a seat to break the sudden jolt, the elf lets go so that her arm doesn't get ripped out of it's socket. Reg slides along the floor of the van curling up in a ball to protect vital places; all the while thinking 'Since when don't cars come with rigger overrides!?', she hits the wall of the van with letting out a sharp, deep-toned. "Ow!"
The drone's alert brings her attention back to the here and now. Head still reeling she scrambles to transmit Spiny's sensor data to the team and moans. "We've got company!"