:: Moving down through the stairs, she slips into her car and throws her duffle on the seat beside her. Suddenly, she loses control over her emotions and breaks down, tears streaming down her face as she stares disbelieving at the grey concrete wall in front of her. ::

"How did that happen? Why the hell does that jerk have such a huge problem with me? It's not like I've done anything to him except for disapprove of the way he treated Onna and myself. How can he call me a liar? When did I ever lie to that bastard? Jesus...I thought he was gonna kill me."

:: Her thoughts are a whirlwind of confusion, anger and anxiety. When Grendel's calm emotionless tone sounds in her ear, she sighs heavily and rests her forehead on her steering wheel. ::

"I'm listening."

Warpath watches as the door slams and Silk vanishes. He turns back to studying Scatch and decides that maybe his father had been right about satyrs being the children of Satan himself. Silently he resolved to watch his back around him.

"I'm in. Sewers'll work as good as anything I've heard so far. We can always plastic wrap electronics to keep 'em dry."

"Agreed. While I only saw one demon rat that was infected, but there's no way to assume it was the only one. So the only thing we need to figure out when doing this is how we're going to take down what could turn out to be a small army of rats without killing any of them, and in a timely enough fashion that we can nail all of them in one fell blow so none of them can escape to alert their master. It's a pretty tall order. We could always try to sneak past them, too, but that would probably be more difficult and more risky."

"You know, on second thought, nevermind. You guys are on your own. Happy hunting." Grabbing up the blueprints and his notepad, Scratch heads out the door.

On his way to his car, he calls Miss Young up on his cellphone and leaves a message at the number she gave us. "Scratch here. I'm out. Sorry for the inconvenience." At that, he flips the phone closed and heads home.

"I was going to speak about disparate responsibilities on the team. But it seems as if the situation has moved towards a resolution. Hold your position for a moment."

Grendel shunts Silk to a back-up channel, switching up to speak to Shadow alone.

"We may be able to keep Four now that Eight has bowed out. I recommend we switch comm frequencies and encryption as soon as possible. How do you want to play this?"

As Scratch heads out the door, Warpath relaxes a little. "What was his problem?" he mumbles, to no one in particular.

:: Her hands wiping the tears from her cheeks, Silk takes a deep breath as she attempts to compose herself. ::

"And what resolution would that be precicely?"

"Your antagonist appears to be bowing out as well."

"I will trust your judgement Grendel, bear in mind though she walked because it got hard. How do we know she wont walk in the middle of combat for the same reason?"

"We have no guarantees, but who does in this kind of business. I would prefer to have her talents with us, though. For the time being, I'll keep her with me."

:: A wide range of emotions flows through her mind at his response. First surprised that after his whole display he just walked, then elation that fate seemed to go her way, then anger at the situation in it's entirity, then regret for the tarnish it would put on her reputation with the remaining team members. ::

"I...I am quite sorry that I was the cause of such a dramatic personality conflict. If you choose to retain my services, I would be happy to stay."

"We would prefer to retain your talents on this mission. If you feel uncomfortable rejoining the team in the safehouse, you're welcome to wait outside with me. I'll patch audio through so you can participate in the discussion."

:: Silk sights softly with a hint of relief. Besides, perhaps she might actually get to know the quietly professional rigger. ::

"Thanks. On my way to your location."

Grendel reconnects Silk to the team's main push, but pauses to speak to Shadow one last time.

"Four wishes to remain, she'll wait out here with me. She's online, so don't be surprised if she pipes up with something. Switching."

Dropping himself back onto the main frequency, he watches as the slim mage makes her way towards the Bison. He unlocks and opens the passenger side sliding door for her, waiting until she is seated before closing it once again.

"Team, Base, one thing I would like to mention about an underground intrusion is that I will be unable to provide support firepower. Also, it is likely that the intrusion team will be unable to communicate with external support elements while underground. Certainly this does not prevent us from using the sewers as an access point, just that there are additional considerations."

:: Settling into the van's passenger seat, she runs a hand through her hair before turning to look at the rigger as listens to the conversation. ::

Over the comm, Warpath's digital "voice" replies. "Noted, Base. Any way around that?"

"Several ways, Two, probably the best of which is for the intrusion team to be equipped with a hardwired transmitter. Fiber cable is easy enough to come by."

"We could also put a repeater at the entrence and in the sewers itself," the night elf says both over the comm. and outloud.

"What do you all think about a rooftop insertion."

:: Silk clears her throat before speaking out over the comms. ::

"I would think that so well guarded an installation would have the obvious avenues of approach covered. Underground may have the lightest security, but from what Grendel says it looks like that's because the nature of the underground passage offers it's own difficulties.

"Perhaps we should concentrate on how well equipt we are in making a land, above ground, or below ground assualt before making an ultimate decision.

"First, would we have drone support underground? If not, perhaps we can do a dual pronged attack. Have drones and possibly some really heavy guns assualt the top deck, not with the intention of actually gaining entry, but definately drawing the bulk of their force up top, then have the more stealthy, techy and close combat oriented members take the underground assualt.

"Ultimately the underground team would be responsible for actually completing the mission, but if the above ground teams are successful enough, we could theoretically wind up meeting on the inside.

"Sort of a Divide and Conquer tactic."

:: She chews on her lip as she waits to hear their response to her first attempt to insert herself back in the group. ::

"I agree with Silk. With a facility this heavily guarded, such a two-pronged assualt may even be necessary. If they are able to concentrate their defenses on an individual point, even the substantial firepower Grendel could bring to bear might not be enough to stop them from delaying or halting our entry."

His voice comes out slightly garbled from the mask, as if he's trying to talk around marbles or something impeding his speech.

"I can provide drone support for an underground intrusion provided that the terrain is passable. Additionally, the drone would require a hardline or repeater setup as discussed earlier in order to maintain communication. The drawback is that I do not have overly stealthy drones. If any of the Awakened among the team can assist with that, I welcome it.

I would caution against any two pronged assault that featured a direct frontal bombardment. Given the nature of their defenses, I suspect that the security forces would not be distracted by any surface action. Rather, they would simply shift the entire facility to an improved defensive posture, call for backup, and wait to be relieved. This would serve to hamper both avenues of attack, rather than enhancing either one.

My recommendation remains a stealthy intrusion backed up by heavy firepower if necessary. If the intrusion team trips any alarms, only then should the surface team bring the facility under fire. At that point, security would focus on the greatest tactical threat, not realizing that we had already breached their perimeter. That lapse in concentration should provide a sufficient window of escape for the intrusion team."

:: Cocking her head slightly to the side as she watches Grendel speak, she smiles. ::

"Very good points. I think that's at least a good basis to start working on the details of plan A. We'll need to decide who will be on which team, what gear is needed and begin planning for any and all of the defenses we know about or suspect they to have."

:: She takes a slightly deep breath before adding a little unrelated speech. ::

"I'd just like to thank you all for accepting me back in the group. I am truly sorry for any part I may have played in that bit of drama. Trust that I am very much invested in seeing the success of this mission, which is the only reason I offered to leave originally. I didn't want that personal conflict to endanger the group's mission."

Father smiles, "It is of no moment, sister" and makes a comment to Silk in Japanese. Switching to English for the benefit of the larger group, "I should probably be a part of the underground insertion. If I can get into the facility and start to control their automated security systems, then things we may get a measure of breathing room. I should be able to provide overwatch as well as grab the data that our employer wanted."

Then, he sighs, "Not that I want to relive an unhappy concept. But, should we be worried that our ... friend ... may endanger our work? It was his idea to come through the sewers in the first place.... I don't think he would intentionally do us harm, but then again, we've only known him for a day."

Onna slides forward into the conversation. "I too am worried he may be a problem. He seemed to have little good feeling for Silk. Do any know him well?" She squirms under the attention of the team.

"Agreed, Seven, Five, we should take measures to protect our operational security. Namely, changing up our comm frequencies. I have never worked with the individual in question, but based on my limited interaction with him, I don't think it likely that he will betray us to the target in question."

"While I have never worked with him he has a good rep. I don't think we should worry about it. I don't like the idea of dividing up the team. We have a limited amount of firepower we can bring to bear," he stops, points at Warpath and Immortal. "I think keeping together to focus it would be best. The facility is pretty big, Base, you sure you need a laser pointer to hit well enough to cause a distraction?"

"No, I am capable of the requisite accuracy without a spotter. If needs must, I can operate alone. I prefer not to, though."

"To help with planning, I will tell you what I can do. I have magic to make things hard to see by other things, even machines. I can make things silent the same way. I can move people or objects through the air or allow them to stick to walls and move. I can change your clothing or just make you look different, that would also fool machines. I have combat spells, both single and area. I can destroy astral wards. I can make it harder to see and shoot at you. I can summon the kami of places to assist us. I am a good sword fighter and have shuriken with poisons. I can fight unarmed and I heal quickly. I can also, if not using magic, make it very hard to cast spells on you." Onna sits promptly after speaking.

"Based on Four and Seven's talents, perhaps we can utilize the rooftop infiltration that you suggested, One. Supposing, of course, that whatever magical defenses in place can be circumvented without alerting the security forces. That way, we would not be required to divide our forces."

"Wait...I thought I was Four...or are you talking about me?"

:: Shakes her head trying to keep the numbers straight in her head. ::

Father looks around for a moment, "If we go for a rooftop infiltration, exactly how would we be getting to the rooftop?"

Warpath considers the options as well. "Rooftop going in is fine, but going in might let us secure a retreat. Something we won't have the luxury of if we go in on wings."

Father nods, "True. That and I have absolutely no flying or parachuting experience. Not that it doesn't sound fun, mind you, just that I'd rather not have my first attempt be into a compound infested with bug-ridden paracritters, not to mention what ever mundane security Ares has around the joint," he finishes with a wry grin.

"I can get everyone to the roof through the air. It may leave me a little dazed but I can do it." Onna pauses to think. "What was the area around the building like, the outside? Were there plants or grass?"

"I can also Levitate, though Im wont be able to move you particularily fast."

"Well with the ward in place levitating would be a problem. I was thinking repelling or gliders to be honest. But that looks out. Underground it is. So the next question, what do we need to make an underground assault work?"

"Well, if we've got to keep the demon rat alive, that'll complicate matters. Normally, I'd say clear it with flamers and small arms for the cleanup, but with the aforementioned "living rat" critera..."

He shrugs. "Anyway, the sewers are likely filled with a swarm of critters of various sorts, so most of what we'll need will revolve around taking care of them. It'd be nice to take wetsuits or the like which we can shed on the other side... I don't fancy reeking like sewer around those Barghasts."

Father chimes in, "I'll need some form of waterproof casing for my deck, a few dataline taps, and cable. I might be to track that down myself, but if anyone has any ideas you can toss them out. Other than that, the only thing I'll probably take is my SuperMach in case I need to blast anything."

Warpath nods at Father's list. "Yeah, waterproofing'll be necessary for lots of stuff. We'll also need some C12, enough to make for a good distration if we need it. If we can get something to throw off scent trackers like those Barghasts, that'd be good, too."

"We stuff our pockets with moldy Stuffer Shack fare. That stuff will scare off even the nastiest barhest! Seriously, though, could we distract them with fresh meat or something above ground while we infiltrate below? Perhaps a drone could plant the meat or some other scent producer to throw them off of our trail. Or," Father continues turning to the magic users, "can you use magic to hide our scent?"

Onna answers promptly. "If it is a small group I can hide them."

Warpath nods. "Will it cost us anything in terms of visual stealth to go with that method? I hear there's some sort of glow associated with spells or something. "

"If the creatures are like me, then that way will not work. I have no knowledge of these creatures so I can not say."

"It would be best to assume they are, and not rely on magic to hide us. We can buy some no scent at any sporting good store. We should be able to get close enough to kill it. Nothing I know about magic leaves me to belive we need to keep it alive."

"So, thus far it sounds like we enter through the sewers as a group and deal with the one demon rat we know of rather than the other beasties that we don't know of. Then, once inside the compound, I'll need to find a jackpoint, which shouldn't be too hard, and someone will need to watch me. As I cover the virtual information on the complex, what do the rest of you all want to do while I deal with that?"

Warpath gives a laugh. "Do? Well... I'd rather just get the drek out of there when you're done with your decking, if you don't mind. So we should all probably stick close at that point."

He thinks a bit more. "How remote is the facility again? A nice big bomb by the fence would be almost ideal for an emergency distration. Several would be even better."

"We need to destroy those spirits though. I still think we should just keep pressing until the facilities staff is either dead or incapacitated. I just say we go in with heavy ordinance, sneak for as long as we can and tactically advance from there on. The sewers will give us an easier attack vector because we can make sure to keep our back relatively clear as we push through. We get to a data terminal, you hack in and get the data, then we keep going until we take out those vile beasts."

Warpath blinks. "Keep going? We're getting the big paycheck for the data, not a bunch of dead bugs. Besides, Knight Errant is doing HTR for these guys... when the alarms start going off, we need to be out of there ASAP. If we can take out a bunch of bugs in the process, I'm all for it... but I'm not going to go wading into the middle of a hive if we've got the paydata in hand."

"What about rigging the building with explosives while in the sewers? Im no demo expert, but if we place bombs in the right places, could we take out the entire facility in one fell swoop?"

Opening the audio file saved just for this contingency, he cuts into the team's push.