Fink's efforts turn out to return only a bizare form of mental static. Up on the barricade, one of the males looks down on the group. "Wrong place for shelter, chummers. Deaders an' junkies are crawlin' around this place like flies." One of the others taps him on the shoulder and a short whispered conversation ensues.

The apparent leader nods and continues talking. "Where are you going and why should we let you through?"

Az thinks for a moment, "My friend here can summon a small amount food using a device, it has a limited life but we would be willing to share. We just need to get under ground and out of the sun."

The second person leans to the leader again and whispers a bit. The leader nods and speaks. "I don't believe you tell the truth about a food creating device. But still, why would you want through? The only thing beyond us is the hospital. And only the dead reside there."

Kyle stepped forwards. "Medical equipment."

The man nods. "Medical equipment is a good reason to go to the hospital... but the place is as black as it gets. No power for the equipment to work, I'm afraid."

"Has anyone tried to get the backup generator working?"

The man laughs out loud and several of his men do as well. "Yeah, that'd be a good idea. The generators were in the basement. The basement was where the bodies were kept. That's what brought the ghouls swarming in."

"Ok, so is there any reason why you don't want us to pass?"

"I ain't got no problem with the "passing" part, chummer. It's the part between us letting you into our block and you leaving that concerns me."

"Dammit, we are running out of time. What do you guys want to let us get to the hospital?"

`Uh, it doesn't seem like they care if we pass... they've got ghoul problems, che... we walk in there now, we might walk out with a craving for flesh, and not the kind you pick up for cred either.`

"'xactly, chummer. That and I can't be sure you lot aren't going to walk in and then turn on us of somethin'."

Skooter smiles. "You can be pretty damn sure we won't try anything on your turf. Even if we were inclined to be nasty, which we aren't, we still wouldn't be stupid. I mean, come on, we're gonna be walkin' right down your line of fire, in your home turf, outnumbered umpteen ta one. All we want is passage."

He shrugs eloquently. "If you have ghoul problems... then why not let us through? Any one of us who got infected would put a bullet through his brainpan before turnin' into one of those thing, but I guaran-damn-tee you there would be lots less of them left before then. So even if all we accomplish is to become ghoul-chow, that won't affect you, and we could wind up taking out quite a few of them before then. It's win-win for you. Not to mention, if we can get the power up, that could benefit your group, too."

Skooter spreads his hands out, indicating the group. "C'mon, you can see we ain't no gang or assault squad. We're a buncha kids an' drifters, and we got a sick kid with us who needs help. Just let us through, and we'll go right through."

The second person leans over to the leader again and whispers. The leader nods and turns to look at the group again. "You'd be amazed at the desperate types we see around here... we'll let you through, but I warn you now that we're not as defenseless as we look."

He motions to one of the men on the barricade and he does something which releases a heavy door. Someone pushes it outward (and upward) and it provides a path through the barricade, though you have to stoop to make it through.

For their part, the people inside scurry for the buildings and more defensable positions.

Az moves cautiously forward and when he is sure the way is clear, signals everyone to follow. He makes a bee line for the hospital eager to get into the protection from sensors the big building provides.

Fink follows behind Az, thanking the City Spirit for its help, then letting it go. Once inside, he calls on the Hearth Spirit of the place to help act as a guide.

As the group is escorted through the small encampent, it becomes obvious that the tension is thick enough to cut with a monowire. The people, who appear to be waiting for any sign of agression, watch and follow as the group is herded through the narrow blockage area.

This group has apparently taken over two blocks of ground and made them into a small city of sorts. Here and there, signs of electricity can be seen, and they appear to be getting water and food from somewhere as well.

At the far end of the camp, the group is escorted through an even larger barricade than the first (with a matching astral barrier, if anyone looks). Beyond that it is a straight shot to the hospital. From here, it can be seen that many of the windows are broken out and the thing looms darkly against the skyline.

There is a conspicuous lack of bodies on this side of the small camp.

Az looks to the man leading them, "I know you think you are herding us to our doom, but you are saving us, thank you." When the rest of the group is ready Az leads the way, hand firmly wrapped around the hilt of his Katana.

At the far gate the man nods to Az. "If you want to repay us, just make sure you don't come back this way with a craving for metahuman flesh."

Daemon grunts, and shakes his head. He doesn't say anything though. Hell, what could he say, that if he becomes a slathering brain craving ghoul he won't want a light snack? Nah, better to just stay quiet.

The hospital looks a lot older than it really is. Apparently the building has been the center of a war of sorts, with the various groups scrambling to obtain what precious supplies they could and the ghouls scrambling to obtain flesh.

As the group enters the hospitol, the Hearth Spirit is called up. and Fink has it wait in the Astral for a moment while the group gets it barring straight.

"Drek, this place is ugly, inside and out. Look, I've got a Hearth Spirit on call, it can lead us where we need to go... hopfully."

"Wee need to go to radiology, the walls are shielded so radio signals can't penatrate them." Az draws his sword, the sound of metal sliding against leather echoes in the hallway. With his free hand he motions everyone behind him.

"Put the spirit in the front, but tell it not to move to fast, everyone else behind me."

Fink nods and asks the spirit to lead them. He takes up a spot somewhere in the middle, pulling out his gun and slapping in a clip of EX EX.

The hearth spirit looks decidely unhealthy to Fink's vision, rather more like a cadaver than the warm humanoids which usually appear. A directory with more than a few bullet holes in it lists radiology as being on the second floor. The power is long out, but the stairways are open and relatively clear. Some debris chokes them, but there are no bodies.

The darkness of the hospital almsot seems to be a living, breathing thing cloaked around you. Outside, the faint chopping of a helicopter's blades carries across the mostly deserted city.

Fink continues along, following the spirit, eyes peeled. From time to time he takes a look on the astral as well.

The astral space inside the hospital is akin to a thick sludge or pea soup. Visibility is poor, at best. The spirit leads the group upstairs and, away from the light of the entrance, the place is even more terrifying. After a few minutes of walking through the eerie halls, the sound of soft shuffling from somewhere below and down the stairs can be heard.

After what seems like an eternity, the group arrives at the room labeled "radiology". The sign is hanging half off the door, which still remains closed unlike many of those in here.

Az moves to the door and opens it slowly, sword behind him ready to stirke. Once he feels it is safe he opens the doors wide and motions everyone in.

Radiology is a complete wreck. The lock on the door appears to have been broken out at some point as gangs scavenged the facility. Inside, the equipment, though not necessarily destroyed, is in a shambles from the ransacking of the room. A lot of stuff appears to be missing, as well, though there is no door or drawer left closed.

The first room is smaller, but the second room is lead lined and the home to most of the equipment remaining. A few blood stains on the wall and bullet holes show that this place hasn't avoided the fighting from outside.

Fink moves into the room, "Everyone in and close the door. This'll keep them off our tails for a while."

Skooter shivers slightly as he follows the others into the room. Hospitals already give him a bad vibe, bringing back memories of his last few sad visits to see Bloodhorn, but this is even worse. And ghouls are bad news. They sniff you out, so his invisibility spell is useless. And his stunbolt will be drek-hard to pull off in this messed-up area; he took one quick glimpse into the astral, and vowed not to do that again unless he had to. And now they're boxing themselves in. Not good.

The trickster is bold and cowardly by turns, and it seems his boldness talking to the strangers has turned to fear. Skooter listens to his fear - usually, it has something to say to him that helps him survive. He speaks up to Fink: "Um, hey, Fink, does your spirit know if there are any other exits out of this particular area? You know, since being trapped in a dead end by ghouls would be kind of... bad and all. A runnin' fight, we could handle. If we get trapped, though, we'd be worse off than we were when the 'coptors were chasing us."

"Ok we can rest here for a few minutes I think. We still need to find a way out, maybe through the sewers," Az says once everyone is safely inside.

"Ok, now for some answers, why are they hunting you?" He asks the little girl.

The girl looks visibly relieved as you enter the shielded room. "I can't hear them anymore... I hope they can't follow us, either."

As she is questioned she shrugs. "Stupid CDC goons have been after us ever since we got out of one of their 'camps'. The place was a death mill. We slipped out and got back into downtown. It seemed the safest place to go at the time. Now not so much."

"What did the camps look like?"

Kyle seemed vaguely uneasy, though for no apparent reason.

"Look like? Dirty. Lots of canvas tents and garbage. They took us in, burned our clothes, and gave us these damn smocks," she says, tugging at her ragged shift. "Whole place was sick after a few days. Me'n my bro got sick, but we got better pretty fast. Most folk stayed sick until the end."

"Were you very hungry and thirsty after you were sick?"

The girl shrugs. "Nah, not too bad... when people went out, they'd give 'em an IV. My mouth tasted like I'd had one too many Krispy Kurls wrapped in aluminum foil, though."

Fink nods, "That makes sense though. We were out for days, its no wonder we woke up the way we did. If they had an IV going, their body didn't use everything up while the change happened."

Fink looks down at the girl, "You've changed since you got sick, haven't you?"

The girl grins. "Yeah. We all change, though. I can hear radio transmissions and stuff. I think I can jam 'em too, but that doesn't seem to be workin' so well."

"What about yer brother?"

She shrugs. "You'd have to ask him..." She guestures to the boy who looks to be coming around.

After a few minutes he gasps loudly as though trying to get his voice. He manages one wavering word, "Water?"

"Um... hold on a sec." Skooter opens his oversized duffel and starts rummaging around. The pickings are slim, as the group has been on the run with little chance to resupply themselves. Both of his canteens are empty. Finally, he comes up with a 2-liter bottle of Peach Faygo, about a third full and definitely flat by now. "Damn. Hate to offer the kid lukewarm Faygo, but I guess beggars can't be choosers. Here ya go, kid. Drink up. At least it ain't Rockin' Rye."

The boy gulps down whatever is offered, the cotton-mouth side effect of whatever drug was in that dart still making him sluggish. After he takes the edge off, he grimaces and stops drinking the less-than-appetizing drink. "What's going on? Who are you people?" he asks in a raspy voice.

The girl puts a hand on his shoulder and that seems to calm him a bit when he realizes that it's her.

"Are they still out there?" He says looking up.

The girl shrugs. "Don't know. Can't hear a thing."

Kyle wandered about the room nervously, inspecting the remaining equipment.

There's actually quite a bit of equipment left, Kyle discovers. Most of it was simply tipped over, and a small number of pieces seem to have been stolen, but there's enough left to do a basic scan if there was electricity in the room.

Taking care of the ghouls was difficult, but was done without too much trouble. Before long, the medical scanners flared to life and Kyle set to work, rapidly finding the traces which had been implanted on the back of each child's arm, just above the elbow. Unfortunately, with the lights on in the hospital again, and darkness falling outside, ragtag gangs of survivors began to congregate on the hospital.

The situation was tense, but a gang of a dozen or so children stepped into the middle of it. Each of them looked a little odd in the glow of lights from the hospital, and they each wore a black armband with a silver slash across it. The leader, a tall boy with chromed arms and legs like those that Az had come to possess, stepped forward.

"There is no need to fight. The Change is sweeping across the city even now, and there is much chaos to come... but when it is finished, we will have to rebuild Seattle, because it is our home." He raised his hand to the sky and the others followed in a similar guesture. The crowd watched and weapons lowered. The boy went on to speak for a while, talking about what was happening.

Though no one knew where the plague had come from, it seemed to be remaking the children into super beings of sorts. Adults had a high mortality rate, but no children perish. Outside in the city, the plague was washing over the rest of the city and, beyond that, the world.

The sun set on the city as his speech continued, as though it were setting on the world that had come before. The rising of the sun in the morning would be on a new day, and, maybe, on a new age.