Ed scrambles to help people out, and recover what food he can. "Sorry Mo, its because Im an Ork, tough little gutter trash." He smirks and gives her a hand, "Oh, look who decided to show up again, lets think here. Strange bike in the driveway, heavy trucks all ove the lawn, and gun shots? Yeah, infact your lucky, I was aming for the bike. 'cept the curb got in thw way. And as for this thing?"He kicks a bit that is laying on the ground "Beats me, Ill see if I can get our neighbors to push it down the street. Not like anyone will notice anyway. Pity though, I was just getting the hang of it." Ed sighs,and on a whim rips the hood orniment off. " So before things get back to normal, WHERE THE FRAG HAVE YOU BEEN?" Eds visibly annoyed, even with out the shouting.

Karl surveys his injured ankle through gritted teeth and says, "Nice driving Ed."

"Can't fault the assumption Ed, I thought the same, but you sould of known that cars, speed and curbs don't mix."

Mo continues to fiddle with her splints, having difficulty of get the both on the same arm.

"Here, let me give you a hand with that" Ed holds the split in place. "So I over reacted, I didnt expect the entire front of the car to fall off..."

While finishing up Karl's bandages, Jason seems to sort of billow away from Ed with every shout, almost as if each word physically wounded him.

The former-boy-next-door-turned-goth-in-72-hours turns his head and looks the ork up and down as if assensing him. He then reaches up and peels off his designer sunglasses only to reveal a pair of silvered cybereyes with the brand name Zeiss stylistically emblazoned across each solid, metallic orb. He clips the shades to the collar of his t-shirt before turning fully to address Ed after looking him up and down one last time.

"If you must know, I had a job offer that required a bit of secrecy in exchange for a sweet payoff. If I had told any of you where I was going, the deal was off. We needed the cash, so I took it and what's good for the goose," he pauses to gesture back to the interior of the house, "is clearly good for the gander.

"Unlike some -- who decided to leave the kids all alone while they went shopping, only to return home just in time to crash what is obviously a hot vehicle in clear view of any one who might happen by -- I wasn't the one who left the children without any supervision. So do me a favor and spare me your holier-than-thou attitude, all right?"


In case it's needed, here's my Intimidation check (base TN +3 for defaulting to Charisma) to get him to back off a bit: 11 1 3 3 10 2 5 11 4 7 5.

Now its Eds turn to recoil slightly, and go on the defensive. "You could have left a note... we where worried..." Ed says sheepishly. "besides, this is the barrons, like anyone cared about this anyhow."

"Will you two please behave, damage is done" As Mo stands up uneasly, keeping her arm close to her body. "Right since i have only one working arm, who's going to help me cook?"

Jason just continues to brood for a moment before regaining his composure. "I'm sorry, no hard feelings man... I'm just a bit edgy, I guess." With a polite nod, he then turns to Mo.

"Yeah, there's no need for that, luv. I took the liberty of ordering a pile of Thai food from Merciless Ming's about ten minutes before you guys showed up. And if that doesn't suit you, there's a side of beef in the freezer and assorted other foodstuff inside, not to mention some fresh expresso perculating in the cappuccino machine. 'Just thought it would be nice to eat like kings for a few weeks for a change."

The elf unhooks his sunglasses and slides them back on before taking a look up at the sky. "In any case, I'm going to head up to my room and just relax on the 'Trix for a bit. I've had a rough few days. If you need me, just ping me."

With that he turns and starts to make his way inside, apparently still a bit forlorn at the lack of enthusiam the older teens have over his gifts. About half way to the porch he pauses and, without turning his head, states the following as an afterthought. "There's also a gift for each of you on the kitchen table. I hope you like it." He waffles the hair of one of the younger children as he walks by and disappears inside.

For the gift, take your pick of a top-of-the-line portable audio player, an average quality portable trid, or a portable game console. Each includes two miniCDs with the latest in music/videos/games as appropriate.

Squinting his eyes as he looks at the stuff on the table, Rick turns to the others, "Where the hell did he get all of this stuff? I don't mean to sound paranoid, but if this stuff bring heat down on the tribe, I don't want to get burned."

Rick sighs and turns to Mo, "How bad is that?" he asks indicating her arm. "You want me to call that doc that got me the cyberscan?"

As Jason gets up into his room, he glances out the window and spots something fishy. There is a dark figure at the side of the house, it looks to be a man bent over and messing with a device you don't remember being attached the the house. He glances around and then heads to the street and jogs away, not looking back.

You look back to the side of the house and as your low-light kicks in you see what you can only assume to be a pack of explosives set on a timer. You have only 30 seconds left!

When the realization of what he was witnessing sturck him, Jason came blazing down the stairs. "THERE'S A BOMB! EVERYONE OUT NOW... NOW!" he shouts, sheparding as many of the kids out of the house as he can.

Half the children start to scream, the other half starts to cry. They do all manage to get themselves up and run for the door. One of the younger girls trips at the doorway, but in the frenzy, none of the other kids notice as they run over her. She screams for help.

Watching the timer he instinctively set on his Math SPU reading 10 and counting down, Jason fights every instinct and struggles to lift little Alixtiana up and over his shoulder as he barrels out, looking over his shoulder to make sure everyone was out. He just keeps shouting "RUN! RUN!" over and over until everyone starts moving.

Ed hears the commotion and muted voices, and then the thundering of people. Ed drops the fresh espresso he had just made, the mug shattering like a gun shot, throwing ceramic shrapnel and scalding liquid everywhere. He scoops up his satchel from the living room table. He starts to run for the front door, but instead grabs one of the youngest children tucks her against his chest, and dives backwards out the bay window seconds before the bomb detonates.

Taking a second or two to realise what was said Mo starts to move the young'uns out the house Using her Spu to help keep track of the number of kids that are out. As Alixtiana falls over Mo trys to stm the tide to give the girl a chance to get out but the volume and panic makes her efforts futile, untill Jason spots her and helps her up. Once the mjority are out the house Mo moves herself to the outside, still helping get the little'uns out and down the street.

Hearing Jason's cry, Rick looks up with a wild look in his eyes as his hand goes to his pocket. With a brief cry, he runs through the downstairs as fast as his little legs will carry him and heads for the stairs. Fighting the almost overwhelming press of the young'ungs he dashes for his room. Not knowing how long he has, he begins to randomly throw things off of his desk until he finds the item that he seeks -- the pocket secretary. Putting it in his pocket. Heading out of his room he looks down the stairs to see the mob at the front door and realizes that he probably won't make it out that way.

Turning back to his room, his brain franticly works through possibilities before hitting upon a solution -- the shed isn't too far from his bedroom window. Thanking the quicker thinking that he can now perform as a result of the implant, he picks up a small, potted ash tree that sits in his window and throws it through the glass with a small appology to the gods for his blasphemy. Grabbing the hammer-shaped necklace that he wears while jacked in from it's stand next to his bed, I backs out of his room and takes a running leap from his window toward the shed, hoping that the shed will break his fall and, if he can get behind it, maybe he can get some cover from the blast.

Ed tucks and rolls, keeping the girl to his chest waiting for the earth shattering ka-boom.
*edited for linerity?* 4/24

@Everyone
A few moments after an upstairs window crashes out and Rick comes flying out of it towards the shed, the bomb goes off. The explosion is not very large, but it's focused, and damaging. Who ever set the charge knew what he or she was doing. The shape of it focused the blast in towards the house taking out most of the kitchen and the living room, throwing walls and furniture about like leaves in a strong wind. The second floor over the kitchen collapses and drops into the remains below it, but the front of the house seems to be somewhat in tact.

Covered in glass and a little bruised, Ed stands, helping the girl he saved to her feet. Determining that she was none the worse for wear, he moves over towards the group at the front of the house.

Coming from around the shed, Rick is dragging one leg. His face grimaces with every step as he approaches until one of the others comes over to help him support his injury, "Well, at least I go this," he comments holding out the pocket secretary, which, almost as if it's on que, begins to beep with an incoming message.

After the blast, the Brain Eaters from across the street arrive to help out. They and the tribe begin to tend to wounds, mostly cuts and bruises except for Rick's ankle which might be broken and Mo's arm which almost certainly is. After a few minutes, most of the tribe seems to calm down. The gang is already spread out, looking for any evidence of who did this, when one comes back and says he's found something.

Mysteriously, it seems like the authorities are later than you would have expected for an explosion. Neither the tribe nor the gang had notified them, but you would have thought that someone would have. Perhaps there's something even larger going on than you initially thought.

Ed climbs to his feet, and gingerly stands, knowing there are at least a few nice shards of glass lodged in his back, but feeling better that he saved someone.
He stands flabbergasted at the wreck that used to be home, now fully realizing that the only place he had ever called home was now gone.
Ed watches the reminder of the living room collapse into the basement garage, crushing 15 years of old computer equipment but symbolically cleaning the slate for the Misfits. "Someone fragged the wrong person today..."
The tone is quite foreign to almost all of you, very dry, serious, almost stated rather then spoken. For the most part, when Ed gets pissed, he turns into a raging ball of anger, this time its more subtle, more... the term escapes you for the moment...

Making her way Though all the kids that are around Mo checks each one, to make sure the're ok.

When someone mentions that the've found something, she immdaitly starts to ask questions and get them to show her what

@Mo
The Brain Eater that found something motions for you to follow him. He takes you around to the back of the house, next to what used to be the kitchen wall. A group of the kids have followed you, not really sure what to do. He points a tree.

Burned into the bark surrounded by shards of broken glass from the kitchen windows is a symbol. It looks like a bird of some kind clutching a brace of arrows in its claws. It also looks like it's got a wire or a cord in it's beak. The entire symbol is surrounded by a circle.

@Ed
Sliding over to where Ed sits, Rick leans over and says, "You have to read this," and hands him the p-sec:

Misfits. You have been compromised, as has the Exchange. I hope that this reaches you in time, but you may be in danger. Have one of your number visit the following LTG address for more information: 5648-45-3948. A safehouse has been prepared for you and your tribe. I regret any problems that the Exchange may have caused you. If you have problems, please describe them in a datafile and leave said file at the host above.

Karl limps around the back of the house, following Mo. After seeing the symbol he pulls out his own pocket secretary (now his only possession other than the scruffy cloths he's wearing) and uses it to photograph the symbol.

"What d'ya think Mo, ever seen this before?"

Ed follows around back after making sure the rest of the kids are more scared then they are scarred. "What the heck is that? Someone took the time to burn this back here and blow up our home?" He looks around and under his breath "What the hell did we get our selfs into...?"

"Not a Clue, Karl though i don't talk much to the other tribes.."



After Ed turns up
"I don't know Ed but give me a few days and then i'll start to rip who ever did this apart......."

Jason follows a few of the others behind the house. He appeared to be glad that everyone managed to make it out, but he seemed to be a little more concerned about the loss of all his stuff. He never said anything one way or the other about it, however, but he was still trying to brush the dust and smoke off of his clothing as he looked over the symbol with the others.

"All right. What in Heaven's name have you guys been doing to warrant an assassination attempt, and what are we going to do for a house now?"

Turning to Jason as he turns up, Mo motions for him to bend down and she whispers in his ear

"We stole an very advanced SK"

Jason just lifts a brow high into the air.

"Yeah. Right. Sure you did. Seriously, what did you guys do?"

"Ummm seriously. We did. I have a full copy sitting on my BBB, but it was in my room, but it did have a pretty considerable case on it... If we find it Ill make sure you have a look. Thor and I spent 3 days flat tring to crack it open, its worth a look if just for the wicked sick code."
Talking about the SK seems to lighten Eds mood a little, the strato-cumulous thunder clouds that had gathered over him seem to give way, and while its not a sunny day, its not raining at least.

"Yeah, we did it because That asked us to." Pointing to the PSec "It has also said it's got a new house for us as well. Though to be honest the only thing it done that hasn't gone wrong yet is the upgrades it gave us" At the point she goes quite, and idly stratchs the back of her head.

Karl has been looking thoughtful since seeing the symbol, "You know I remember hearing on Shadowland about an Otaku tribe that were redectorating hosts and leaving this symbol behind."

"Heard they were pretty psychotic, some tribes don't think they're listening to the resonance at all. Can't see that myself though, I mean Otaku are Otaku, right?"

"Wait wait... you think that punkass Jester from the room with the painting and the books? Anyone follow?" Ed frowns. "Im going to see what I can salvage, we are at least gonna need what we can carry. Some of the kids dont even have shoes right now." Ed grunts and climbs through a back window, and throwing everything still good to the kids outside.

Jason just furrows his brow a bit.

"Well, what's the address of this place? My bike looks like it made it through this mess, so I'll go check the pad out and see if it looks clean. If it is, I'll give you guys a call and we can figure out where to go from there."

When Karl mentions the the redecorated hosts, the goth punk turns his head in his direction. "You mean those Architect snots?"

"These other Otaku follow a different Voice one they call the Dissonance, only those that are missing something can hear it i think. Not sure, alot of Otaku don't believe in it, but it's becoming more than a rumour...."

Shouting to E'd in the house "Ed if you see a squae black card box from where my room used to be can you grab it plaese!!"

@Ed
Rick pauses in thought for a moment, "You know, that Jester certainly had some wicked firepower, too. Like nothing I'd ever seen before in a utility. Maybe there is something to this "dark" otaku idea."

As you go inside the house, its pretty much in disarray as you climb in through the hole in what used to be the kitchen wall. Rick's bedroom fell down from the second floor into the kitchen when the blast went off and crushed a portion of the living room as well. However, you are able to get back into most of the house. The second floor doesn't look to safe, but you convinced a few of the Brain Eaters to check it out.

After about ten minutes or so you have a pile of assorted clothing books, computer periferals, and ... fortunately enough ... your deck! It seems your luck was with you because you found it on the floor under a desk. The desk was supporting the weight of a wall that was teetering and about to collapse. As you pull the deck from its resting place and back away, the desk collapses. Pausing for a moment, stunned, you shrug and begin to go back outside.

In the mean time you see that Rick has splinted his leg with some branches and with the help of his walking staff, which he tells you was blasted through the grill of your upside down truck in the front lawn, he seems to be able to get around pretty well.

@Mo
One of the Brain Eaters that entered the house with Ed brings you your box and it looks like he didn't even disturb it!

"So... lets load up and get the hell outta here as soon as we can. Whats the adress on that P Sec?" Ed starts lashing a few broken boards with a length of extenstion cord, in a bad attempt at a ricket.

Her face visable brightning as she is handed the box, she takes it saying thankyou. Then tries to find some way of carrying it.

"Yes think it be time to go, Before it gets dark. Not a good place to be when it's dark."

"Someone wanna hit that LTG adress and find out where we gotta move to? And ask that thing for a few extra med kits, or mabey have a paramadic meet us there? We kinda ran out of band-aids a while ago."
Ed picks up one end of his makeshfit sled testing it for how its going to hold up, and starts piling anything that can fit on it.

"I'll check out the LTG."

Karl looks at the wrecked building dubiously, "Is it safe the jack in there?"

@Karl
"As long as the power still gets to our jacks, you should be okay. Well, that and as long as the roof doesn't cave in anymore," Rick responds.

"I always figured I'd die in the matrix, but not from a roof falling on my meat body's head!"

Karl cautiously enters the wrecked building and locates a working jack point, then plugs in....

...Maelstrom materialises in the Matrix, and after adjusting his kung-fu robes and his shades, he heads to the LTG.