Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
While Zo deals with the drone, and hopefully attracts attention Jade Tiger waits for the ghouls and or dogs to arrive up the corridor. Sparks of lightning crackle all around her, and both hands are sheathed in what appears to be ball lightning.
Full Version: IC: Post or Die
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Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
Zo's second burst finishes off the drone in a shower of sparks and scrap metal. There's a small pop of a window shattering that goes unheard under the racket inside the tunnel, and Oswald opens up a peep hole for himself. Jade heard a low hum of people yelling, but it's impossible to make out over the sounds coming from behind her.
Zo's second burst finishes off the drone in a shower of sparks and scrap metal. There's a small pop of a window shattering that goes unheard under the racket inside the tunnel, and Oswald opens up a peep hole for himself. Jade heard a low hum of people yelling, but it's impossible to make out over the sounds coming from behind her.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
<<@Zo: Just being polite. You might have had your holiday snaps or collection of horse porn stored on your 'link. Not that I would go snooping around, you understand.>>
Ferret mentally clicks on the icon for Zo's link, opening it up in the main window of his AR overlay. Jezus, AR is slow.
He resists the urge to dig through the orc's data, focusing instead on the link's wireless sub-system. He sends out a ping, looking for active or passive nodes, but nothing comes back. So he drags his scan onto the icon and sets it sniffing for hidden nodes. Almost immediately he gets a hit, then another and another, until he has five in total.
<<@team: Bingo! I have five hidden commlinks in range of Zo's 'link. I'll try and triangulate through the blimp and add them to the map overlay, but first I'm going to try and hack them. Prof watch the store. I need to go hot to do this.>>
He holsters the pistol and lays down in one of the bar's booths, hidden from the entrance. The silver rodent in Zo's commlink takes on a more substantial form as his consciousness fills it, then it launches itself towards the nearest commlink node.
<<@Zo: Just being polite. You might have had your holiday snaps or collection of horse porn stored on your 'link. Not that I would go snooping around, you understand.>>
Ferret mentally clicks on the icon for Zo's link, opening it up in the main window of his AR overlay. Jezus, AR is slow.
He resists the urge to dig through the orc's data, focusing instead on the link's wireless sub-system. He sends out a ping, looking for active or passive nodes, but nothing comes back. So he drags his scan onto the icon and sets it sniffing for hidden nodes. Almost immediately he gets a hit, then another and another, until he has five in total.
<<@team: Bingo! I have five hidden commlinks in range of Zo's 'link. I'll try and triangulate through the blimp and add them to the map overlay, but first I'm going to try and hack them. Prof watch the store. I need to go hot to do this.>>
He holsters the pistol and lays down in one of the bar's booths, hidden from the entrance. The silver rodent in Zo's commlink takes on a more substantial form as his consciousness fills it, then it launches itself towards the nearest commlink node.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
"Nothin close to horses--though there is a vid of me an Shiela slotting off last night if ya like orc on dwarf action..
"
"Nothin close to horses--though there is a vid of me an Shiela slotting off last night if ya like orc on dwarf action..
"
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
<<Got you covered.>>
<<Got you covered.>>
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
Jade Tiger pulled her fingers our of her ears. The curse of having more than mortal senses was that sometimes it was difficult to ignore things. If she could still hear the far away shouts, ignoring the Barghest wasn't going to work. I don't like these dogs She mused Perhaps I can get some ear muffs with white noise or something... ah well stop worrying and get on with the job at hand.
"I hear shouting, far away... Time to go deeper in I think. " saying that Jade Tiger headed deeper down the tunnel, using the power of her thought form to blur her shape, and move quicker.
Jade Tiger pulled her fingers our of her ears. The curse of having more than mortal senses was that sometimes it was difficult to ignore things. If she could still hear the far away shouts, ignoring the Barghest wasn't going to work. I don't like these dogs She mused Perhaps I can get some ear muffs with white noise or something... ah well stop worrying and get on with the job at hand.
"I hear shouting, far away... Time to go deeper in I think. " saying that Jade Tiger headed deeper down the tunnel, using the power of her thought form to blur her shape, and move quicker.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, The Matrix
The chromed ferret barely slows at it tears through the first firewall, pausing mere nanoseconds to start a file transfer before leaping towards the second, which falls just as easily. A lag spike freezes his icon momentarily on the way to the third, but it too is overcome along with the fourth.
The meat Ferret twitches as his cerebral boosters are pushed to the limit. He's never tried to hack this many nodes at once and the strain is showing as he separates his consciousness across the multiple nodes. Not only that, but either Zo's link is a piece of drek or the gigapulses of data flowing through it are killing his bandwidth. With a thought he reroutes the data transfers via the blimp.
The blimp!
<<Oz, I assume the blimp's got a gunnery soft. Triangulate these nodes {Commlink IDs} and update them on the map. You might want firing solutions for them too.>>
He pauses a moment, to kill a few redundant processes on Zo's commlink then launches himself at the last node.
//SPLAT//
He doesn't so much as log on to the node as smack into its firewall. His claws scrabble for purchase on the non-standard code, barely scratching it.
Frag. Different algorithm. Need another approach!
His jaws open unnaturally wide and he sinks his teeth into the smooth wall, flooding it with access requests in attempt to overload it.
Too slow. Too slow. But too late to back out.
The chromed ferret barely slows at it tears through the first firewall, pausing mere nanoseconds to start a file transfer before leaping towards the second, which falls just as easily. A lag spike freezes his icon momentarily on the way to the third, but it too is overcome along with the fourth.
The meat Ferret twitches as his cerebral boosters are pushed to the limit. He's never tried to hack this many nodes at once and the strain is showing as he separates his consciousness across the multiple nodes. Not only that, but either Zo's link is a piece of drek or the gigapulses of data flowing through it are killing his bandwidth. With a thought he reroutes the data transfers via the blimp.
The blimp!
<<Oz, I assume the blimp's got a gunnery soft. Triangulate these nodes {Commlink IDs} and update them on the map. You might want firing solutions for them too.>>
He pauses a moment, to kill a few redundant processes on Zo's commlink then launches himself at the last node.
//SPLAT//
He doesn't so much as log on to the node as smack into its firewall. His claws scrabble for purchase on the non-standard code, barely scratching it.
Frag. Different algorithm. Need another approach!
His jaws open unnaturally wide and he sinks his teeth into the smooth wall, flooding it with access requests in attempt to overload it.
Too slow. Too slow. But too late to back out.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
The twitches and grunts from Ferret were a little disconcerting. Weren't body motions supposed to be cut off by the hardware when someone went virtual?
Not a perfect science yet, I suppose. As if any science could truly lay claim to that epithet.
Professor decided to keep an eye on Ferret, in case he needed to be jacked out in a hurry.
The twitches and grunts from Ferret were a little disconcerting. Weren't body motions supposed to be cut off by the hardware when someone went virtual?
Not a perfect science yet, I suppose. As if any science could truly lay claim to that epithet.
Professor decided to keep an eye on Ferret, in case he needed to be jacked out in a hurry.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
The riniging of gun fire in Zo's ear stopped. His AR display showed him at 28 rounds in the clip, and switched in a fresh clip. Putting the other away in his jackets internal pocket.
<Well if they were seeing anything from the drones, they aren't now>
The riniging of gun fire in Zo's ear stopped. His AR display showed him at 28 rounds in the clip, and switched in a fresh clip. Putting the other away in his jackets internal pocket.
<Well if they were seeing anything from the drones, they aren't now>
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, The Matrix
The tiny ferret icons dig into the cheap comlinks with little problem. No analyze running. They hadn't even disabled the standard user account. The one that had the better firewall gave him a bit of trouble. An alert went off, and he wasn't sure what the response was going to be yet. He started to snoop for data, but what to look for?
The tiny ferret icons dig into the cheap comlinks with little problem. No analyze running. They hadn't even disabled the standard user account. The one that had the better firewall gave him a bit of trouble. An alert went off, and he wasn't sure what the response was going to be yet. He started to snoop for data, but what to look for?
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, The Matrix
And then he was in. He had felt the firewall harden, trying to block out his access requests but one had slipped through and that was enough. He lands on all fours in the commlink's node. An alarm is blaring - one of those headache inducing tones - and he doesn't have the user rights to shut it down. It will have warned it's owner or be in the process of doing so.
He kicks off the data transfer anyway, vomiting a stream of file transfer commands into the node. Then he quickly scans around for any active IC, unlikely he hopes, or system icons. If he's lucky he might spot the system alert and be able to block it before the user notices. At the same time, one of his searchlight eyes scans around the node, looking for any useful data files. Maybe he can scam a copy of the phone's address book or message log before he gets booted.
His voice echoes strangely over the team's commlinks as if several versions of the message are being sent simultaneously <<I am in all the hidden comms. I have a distraction in the works but may need to run it real soon.>>
And then he was in. He had felt the firewall harden, trying to block out his access requests but one had slipped through and that was enough. He lands on all fours in the commlink's node. An alarm is blaring - one of those headache inducing tones - and he doesn't have the user rights to shut it down. It will have warned it's owner or be in the process of doing so.
He kicks off the data transfer anyway, vomiting a stream of file transfer commands into the node. Then he quickly scans around for any active IC, unlikely he hopes, or system icons. If he's lucky he might spot the system alert and be able to block it before the user notices. At the same time, one of his searchlight eyes scans around the node, looking for any useful data files. Maybe he can scam a copy of the phone's address book or message log before he gets booted.
His voice echoes strangely over the team's commlinks as if several versions of the message are being sent simultaneously <<I am in all the hidden comms. I have a distraction in the works but may need to run it real soon.>>
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
Jovan had expected that he would pass unhindered through the ceiling of the underground chamber and safely into the room above, so it came as a rude shock when Jovan's astral form slammed into ceiling roughly. He had failed to notice the aura of the earth shining dully through the astral shadow of the ceiling - a critical mistake. Of course, this did not occur to Jovan, being a person of nearly fanatical self-assurance, and in the milliseconds of time he had before the canines' waves of mana reached him, the more thoughtful part of his mind dismissed it as a hidden trap put rapidly into place by Archer while the two had been talking. Perhaps some sort of disguised ward.
In the meantime, the reflexive part of the nosferatu's slightly fractured mind quickly adjusted to the new development. Jovan willed himself down and backwards, flying swiftly towards the astral shadows of the cargo trucks sitting behind him. The air elemental quickly followed suit.
Jovan had expected that he would pass unhindered through the ceiling of the underground chamber and safely into the room above, so it came as a rude shock when Jovan's astral form slammed into ceiling roughly. He had failed to notice the aura of the earth shining dully through the astral shadow of the ceiling - a critical mistake. Of course, this did not occur to Jovan, being a person of nearly fanatical self-assurance, and in the milliseconds of time he had before the canines' waves of mana reached him, the more thoughtful part of his mind dismissed it as a hidden trap put rapidly into place by Archer while the two had been talking. Perhaps some sort of disguised ward.
In the meantime, the reflexive part of the nosferatu's slightly fractured mind quickly adjusted to the new development. Jovan willed himself down and backwards, flying swiftly towards the astral shadows of the cargo trucks sitting behind him. The air elemental quickly followed suit.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Inside the Flipped Van
The watcher seemed a bit overwhelmed for a moment as Jovan sent it rapid flashes of his thoughts. It took a few seconds for the watcher to sort out what its summoner was saying to it.
"Those fools! He was just now starting to speak civilly! 'Would curses kill, as doth the mandrake's groan,
I would invent as bitter-searching terms,
As curst, as harsh and horrible to hear,
Deliver'd strongly through my fixed teeth,
With full as many signs of deadly hate,
As lean-faced Envy in her loathsome cave!'
Fine, tell them that they have the green light from me to attack the ghouls. Archer is a bulky man with a ponytail; I still wish to talk with him afterwards. Him, not his corpse. Make sure the others are very much aware of that. All I got out of him before we were interrupted was that he has Long Legs down here, I think alive."
The watcher seemed a bit overwhelmed for a moment as Jovan sent it rapid flashes of his thoughts. It took a few seconds for the watcher to sort out what its summoner was saying to it.
"Those fools! He was just now starting to speak civilly! 'Would curses kill, as doth the mandrake's groan,
I would invent as bitter-searching terms,
As curst, as harsh and horrible to hear,
Deliver'd strongly through my fixed teeth,
With full as many signs of deadly hate,
As lean-faced Envy in her loathsome cave!'
Fine, tell them that they have the green light from me to attack the ghouls. Archer is a bulky man with a ponytail; I still wish to talk with him afterwards. Him, not his corpse. Make sure the others are very much aware of that. All I got out of him before we were interrupted was that he has Long Legs down here, I think alive."
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15 AM, Inside the Flipped Van
<<Word from below is that the ghoul with the black ponytail is the leader. If you can avoid killing him, he'd have the most answers.>>
<<Word from below is that the ghoul with the black ponytail is the leader. If you can avoid killing him, he'd have the most answers.>>
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
<<I'll try to remember that as he comes for my entrails.>>
<<I'll try to remember that as he comes for my entrails.>>
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
Hmph, none of dese guys is coming out of this alive.....what info he would have is secondary ta getting da trucks.
"Jade, ya ready to start da body count?"
Hmph, none of dese guys is coming out of this alive.....what info he would have is secondary ta getting da trucks.
"Jade, ya ready to start da body count?"
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
The dogs took off barking, racing toward the spirits that invaded their territory. Archer grabbed his rifle and followed after them. the rest of the horde spread like a foul odor over the nooks and crannies of the warehouse, waiting for the next intruder. Jade could smell them among the dust of the warehouse shelves. as She rounded the last turn in the tunnel she saw the shadows crawling with their auras. She could hear their claws scratching on metal and concrete. Hear them creaking into wooden crates. They hadn't moved yet. She thought, this was her chance, as she heard the clack of a rifle's firing pin. A ghoul laying prone amongst the pile of bones and bodies got off a shot, and she expected another from the Ork in the bus.
the Matrix
The nodes were generic, white walls and open spaces, there were still help Icons floating around. Ferret probably found the user's address book faster than he could, but it was just in time. The default response to the alert was to terminate the connection, and Ferret was spread too thin to stop it in time.
The dogs took off barking, racing toward the spirits that invaded their territory. Archer grabbed his rifle and followed after them. the rest of the horde spread like a foul odor over the nooks and crannies of the warehouse, waiting for the next intruder. Jade could smell them among the dust of the warehouse shelves. as She rounded the last turn in the tunnel she saw the shadows crawling with their auras. She could hear their claws scratching on metal and concrete. Hear them creaking into wooden crates. They hadn't moved yet. She thought, this was her chance, as she heard the clack of a rifle's firing pin. A ghoul laying prone amongst the pile of bones and bodies got off a shot, and she expected another from the Ork in the bus.
the Matrix
The nodes were generic, white walls and open spaces, there were still help Icons floating around. Ferret probably found the user's address book faster than he could, but it was just in time. The default response to the alert was to terminate the connection, and Ferret was spread too thin to stop it in time.
[b]Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, the Matrix
Frag! thinks Ferret as part of himself is unceremoniously booted from the customized link.
At least I managed to grab some data before the connection was terminated.
<<Got kicked from one of the links. Likely the boss mans. Disctraction coming online now before he can warn the rest of them.>>
//Command:Play//
Troll porn accompanied by a 'pounding' thrash metal track begins to stream to the media interfaces of the four other commlinks.
I doubt any of them are running virtual, but still one can hope.
The hint of a smile crosses his meat face as he gracefully logs of the other nodes and opens his eyes.
Frag! thinks Ferret as part of himself is unceremoniously booted from the customized link.
At least I managed to grab some data before the connection was terminated.
<<Got kicked from one of the links. Likely the boss mans. Disctraction coming online now before he can warn the rest of them.>>
//Command:Play//
Troll porn accompanied by a 'pounding' thrash metal track begins to stream to the media interfaces of the four other commlinks.
I doubt any of them are running virtual, but still one can hope.
The hint of a smile crosses his meat face as he gracefully logs of the other nodes and opens his eyes.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
The combined entity that was Jade Tiger grinned as she saw the situation. Almost perfect for the plan. The combination of spells and thought forms, made everything seem in slow motion, and she carefully checked her situation, observed the shooters, observed the ghouls, and watched Jovan hightailing it out of the room. Let's help him out she though
The guns were not too much of a problem just yet. The biggest threat is probably that physical adept over there with his magic weapons. No actually probably the dogs. Unfortunately they were a long way away, and the ghouls were closer. Choices. Choices..
The choice was made: "Eat this" she cried as tossed the grenade into the middle of the a large ghoul cluster. Jade's real forte was melee combat, but getting close to fight this lot hand to hand, entertaining as it would be, wasn't part of the plan.
!BOOM! the grenade exploded.
The shrapnel from the grenade bounced off Jade's magical defenses, although she instinctively turned her head away. Even to her finely tuned senses it was hard to see into that cloud, and evaluate the effect it had had on the ghouls.
Throwing a bolt from her Lightning sheathed fists, Jade ducked back from the entrance so that in order to get to attack her, the ghouls would need to chase her.
The combined entity that was Jade Tiger grinned as she saw the situation. Almost perfect for the plan. The combination of spells and thought forms, made everything seem in slow motion, and she carefully checked her situation, observed the shooters, observed the ghouls, and watched Jovan hightailing it out of the room. Let's help him out she though
The guns were not too much of a problem just yet. The biggest threat is probably that physical adept over there with his magic weapons. No actually probably the dogs. Unfortunately they were a long way away, and the ghouls were closer. Choices. Choices..
The choice was made: "Eat this" she cried as tossed the grenade into the middle of the a large ghoul cluster. Jade's real forte was melee combat, but getting close to fight this lot hand to hand, entertaining as it would be, wasn't part of the plan.
!BOOM! the grenade exploded.
The shrapnel from the grenade bounced off Jade's magical defenses, although she instinctively turned her head away. Even to her finely tuned senses it was hard to see into that cloud, and evaluate the effect it had had on the ghouls.
Throwing a bolt from her Lightning sheathed fists, Jade ducked back from the entrance so that in order to get to attack her, the ghouls would need to chase her.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
"Jade--your welcome! And no, I don't wann it back."
"Jade--your welcome! And no, I don't wann it back."
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
Was that an explosion in the building?
"Hey, Ferret, did you hear tha... Oh. Yeah." Ferret was lost in the Matrix again and likely heard nothing.
Poor bugger. Counting on me to keep his pelt in one piece.
Was that an explosion in the building?
"Hey, Ferret, did you hear tha... Oh. Yeah." Ferret was lost in the Matrix again and likely heard nothing.
Poor bugger. Counting on me to keep his pelt in one piece.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
Ferret blinks his eyes and looks around the abandoned bar as he settles back into his own head. Reality can just be so grubby sometimes.
"Hey Prof, I'm back. Give me a hand up. I got us some paydata and maybe gave Zo and Jade a litte help with a troll porn distraction. Anything happening in there?"
As he listens to the Prof, he takes up his previous position covering the street. At the same time, he pulls up the phone list he snagged in an AR window and starts running a cross-check on the various numbers.
Frag, no matrix connection to the outside world. I'll just have to do it later.
Ferret blinks his eyes and looks around the abandoned bar as he settles back into his own head. Reality can just be so grubby sometimes.
"Hey Prof, I'm back. Give me a hand up. I got us some paydata and maybe gave Zo and Jade a litte help with a troll porn distraction. Anything happening in there?"
As he listens to the Prof, he takes up his previous position covering the street. At the same time, he pulls up the phone list he snagged in an AR window and starts running a cross-check on the various numbers.
Frag, no matrix connection to the outside world. I'll just have to do it later.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
"I'm not sure, but I think I heard an explosion. Hopefully a grenade from our side. If it was, we should be seeing some running out the door shortly.
"Any idea what the paydata is?"
"I'm not sure, but I think I heard an explosion. Hopefully a grenade from our side. If it was, we should be seeing some running out the door shortly.
"Any idea what the paydata is?"
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
Jovan's mind was racing, trying desperately to keep up with the chaos of the moment. There wasn't enough time to sit and formulate a proper plan of action, or create an elaborate strategy on-the-fly. Madness, he thought to himself briefly, this is why I detest uncontrolled combat! If those trigger-happy fools had just waited a little longer...
He and his elemental companion managed to pass through the shadow of one of the trucks mere milliseconds before it was hit with a wave of mana from the dogs. A cold shiver traveled down his spine back at his meat body as he felt the strength of the dog's attack upon the truck. Mind grabbing onto an idea he had had earlier, he continued to fly through the length of the truck all the way to the other side. Flashing a picture of their destination to the spirit, Jovan's astral form rotated in flight and unloaded two quick bursts of mana at some of the dogs using his innate abilities. Then, without wasting another second, he pictured himself at the t-junction far down the tunnel behind him, and he disappeared with a vibrant blur of motion.
Jovan's mind was racing, trying desperately to keep up with the chaos of the moment. There wasn't enough time to sit and formulate a proper plan of action, or create an elaborate strategy on-the-fly. Madness, he thought to himself briefly, this is why I detest uncontrolled combat! If those trigger-happy fools had just waited a little longer...
He and his elemental companion managed to pass through the shadow of one of the trucks mere milliseconds before it was hit with a wave of mana from the dogs. A cold shiver traveled down his spine back at his meat body as he felt the strength of the dog's attack upon the truck. Mind grabbing onto an idea he had had earlier, he continued to fly through the length of the truck all the way to the other side. Flashing a picture of their destination to the spirit, Jovan's astral form rotated in flight and unloaded two quick bursts of mana at some of the dogs using his innate abilities. Then, without wasting another second, he pictured himself at the t-junction far down the tunnel behind him, and he disappeared with a vibrant blur of motion.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
While he might not have access to the outside world, he is at least able to run a cross-check of the data in the contact file against the numbers stored in his own link.
Let's see if the boss-lady is playing for both sides.
QUOTE (pbangarth @ Sep 30 2011, 04:15 PM) 
"Any idea what the paydata is?"
"Not sure. I kinda got kicked from the node as I downloaded it. Looks like his contact file. If our Johnson is playing some sort of game here, we might find her details in here along with Jovan's buddy Jonathon."While he might not have access to the outside world, he is at least able to run a cross-check of the data in the contact file against the numbers stored in his own link.
Let's see if the boss-lady is playing for both sides.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
Zo paused and began scanning the room.
"Jade how many did ya wing? an is they commin in our direction?"
Zo paused and began scanning the room.
"Jade how many did ya wing? an is they commin in our direction?"
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
The Biggest dog let out a whine at the sight of Jovan unleashing his power over her. He sped away as Archer yelled,"You can run wizard, but you can't hide!"
Jade moved so fast that the ghouls ambush was caught off guard. The Spirit threw the grenade toward them as only two ghouls managed to fire upon it. The bullets flew wide and the spirit dodged them gracefully. It had no skill with a grenade, but there wasn't much need. The small hunk of metal bounced and rolled a few meters short of the ghouls and erupted in a "boooom!" that echoed through the warehouse. Ghouls jumped and rolled in pain, Growling and screaming. Shrapnel bounced off the truck sending the Ork ghoul ducking for cover.
At the Bar
Ferret scanned through the virtual Rolodex. A list of random names that meant little to him. He began to notice though, that half the names were in Latin, or followed by a Latin. It was like the file got mixed with some-body's science research.
The Biggest dog let out a whine at the sight of Jovan unleashing his power over her. He sped away as Archer yelled,"You can run wizard, but you can't hide!"
Jade moved so fast that the ghouls ambush was caught off guard. The Spirit threw the grenade toward them as only two ghouls managed to fire upon it. The bullets flew wide and the spirit dodged them gracefully. It had no skill with a grenade, but there wasn't much need. The small hunk of metal bounced and rolled a few meters short of the ghouls and erupted in a "boooom!" that echoed through the warehouse. Ghouls jumped and rolled in pain, Growling and screaming. Shrapnel bounced off the truck sending the Ork ghoul ducking for cover.
At the Bar
Ferret scanned through the virtual Rolodex. A list of random names that meant little to him. He began to notice though, that half the names were in Latin, or followed by a Latin. It was like the file got mixed with some-body's science research.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
"Incoming" Jade grunted through the commlink. The world was moving in slow motion, and it was always hard to talk when immersed with a thought form. Jade backed away so that any ghouls with guns would have to come around the corner and up the tunnel to get her.
Time, Distance and Shielding she remembered from her mothers lessons. When there are a lot of opponents with guns, make sure you minimise the time they can shoot at you, keep a lot of distance between you and them, and impose as much shielding as possible. Make sure you can run away, heal and come back It was good advice. Jade looked around for suitable cover.
"Incoming" Jade grunted through the commlink. The world was moving in slow motion, and it was always hard to talk when immersed with a thought form. Jade backed away so that any ghouls with guns would have to come around the corner and up the tunnel to get her.
Time, Distance and Shielding she remembered from her mothers lessons. When there are a lot of opponents with guns, make sure you minimise the time they can shoot at you, keep a lot of distance between you and them, and impose as much shielding as possible. Make sure you can run away, heal and come back It was good advice. Jade looked around for suitable cover.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
Ferret shuts out the faint sounds of explosions and automatic fire as he scans the list of names.
What the frag? Did the file get corrupted when I got kicked out?
Code swirls around in his vision as he checks the file.
Nope, CRC is good. Some sort of code then? Damn, no access to the net.
"Hey Prof, can you read latin by any chance? Half this address book seems to be encoded in it.
He forwards the file to the Prof, which appears as the familiar bouncing Ferret icon with an envelope clamped in it's jaws.
Ferret shuts out the faint sounds of explosions and automatic fire as he scans the list of names.
What the frag? Did the file get corrupted when I got kicked out?
Code swirls around in his vision as he checks the file.
Nope, CRC is good. Some sort of code then? Damn, no access to the net.
"Hey Prof, can you read latin by any chance? Half this address book seems to be encoded in it.
He forwards the file to the Prof, which appears as the familiar bouncing Ferret icon with an envelope clamped in it's jaws.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
"Yeah, I can take a look. Latin isn't my thing, but I have some exposure to it."
"Yeah, I can take a look. Latin isn't my thing, but I have some exposure to it."
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15 am, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
Professor looked through the file. Some run of the mill names topped the list, Marcus, Terra, Saul. But some names had Latin after them, Soft Foot- Crotalus nex, Sphex Atlantica. They looked like binomial nomenclature for animals. Then some entries were just Latin, metallum oculi , psychotropicum burd , mox indagatrix..
Some of the words were recognizable metal, drugs... It suddenly hit the Professor that Metallum oculi most likely translated to "Metal eye".
Professor looked through the file. Some run of the mill names topped the list, Marcus, Terra, Saul. But some names had Latin after them, Soft Foot- Crotalus nex, Sphex Atlantica. They looked like binomial nomenclature for animals. Then some entries were just Latin, metallum oculi , psychotropicum burd , mox indagatrix..
Some of the words were recognizable metal, drugs... It suddenly hit the Professor that Metallum oculi most likely translated to "Metal eye".
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:36, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
"Hear ya Jade. Holdin fire till I see da whites of der eyes."Wazn't dat a quote from da history trid channel some time back....
Zo firmed up in anticipation, using the door as additional cover and began scanning in Jades direction through his AK's ultrasound scope.
"Hear ya Jade. Holdin fire till I see da whites of der eyes."Wazn't dat a quote from da history trid channel some time back....
Zo firmed up in anticipation, using the door as additional cover and began scanning in Jades direction through his AK's ultrasound scope.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:45, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
Professor scans the info Ferret has sent him. Some of them seemed to be animal nomenclature.
Oh! Crotalus nex -- viper of violent death or slaughter? Or maybe death of a viper? Check that one out!
Mox indagatrix? Current investigation? No, female investigator. OK, check that one out.
Psycotropicum burd? What the drek is burd??
Metallum oculi? Metal of eyes??? Oh. Maybe it should be metal eyes. Definitely check that one out!
Professor scans through those three files first. In case shit hits the fan soon.
Professor scans the info Ferret has sent him. Some of them seemed to be animal nomenclature.
Oh! Crotalus nex -- viper of violent death or slaughter? Or maybe death of a viper? Check that one out!
Mox indagatrix? Current investigation? No, female investigator. OK, check that one out.
Psycotropicum burd? What the drek is burd??
Metallum oculi? Metal of eyes??? Oh. Maybe it should be metal eyes. Definitely check that one out!
Professor scans through those three files first. In case shit hits the fan soon.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond
In the hectic chaos of the moment, Jovan's irritation with his lack of control of the situation coupled with the threat posed by the paranormal dogs was causing some of the stress lines in his psyche to become more apparent in his thought process. He looked behind him to see where Archer and the dogs were. Following me. They're still following me. It will never happen. They're out to get me. All of them. Lead them this way. Will they fall for it? Need to lead them down here, away from the chaos. Need to regain control of the situation. Must regain control. Must create a plan. Tiger did not see me. Thank Ghost the tiger did not see me. I exited the scene right on cue. I wonder how a tiger's blood tastes. If I bit her throat out when she had the form of a human, would it taste different compared to her tiger form? Perhaps that is how I should deal with Archer. Tear his throat out. My teeth are sharper than his anyway. No ghoul's teeth is sharper than a nosferatu's. That would be ludicrous.
He listened closely to the sounds of battle behind him, waiting for the sound of gunfire to drop off. That would mean that the tiger had retreated into cover.
In the hectic chaos of the moment, Jovan's irritation with his lack of control of the situation coupled with the threat posed by the paranormal dogs was causing some of the stress lines in his psyche to become more apparent in his thought process. He looked behind him to see where Archer and the dogs were. Following me. They're still following me. It will never happen. They're out to get me. All of them. Lead them this way. Will they fall for it? Need to lead them down here, away from the chaos. Need to regain control of the situation. Must regain control. Must create a plan. Tiger did not see me. Thank Ghost the tiger did not see me. I exited the scene right on cue. I wonder how a tiger's blood tastes. If I bit her throat out when she had the form of a human, would it taste different compared to her tiger form? Perhaps that is how I should deal with Archer. Tear his throat out. My teeth are sharper than his anyway. No ghoul's teeth is sharper than a nosferatu's. That would be ludicrous.
He listened closely to the sounds of battle behind him, waiting for the sound of gunfire to drop off. That would mean that the tiger had retreated into cover.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:48 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond
It wasn't long before the first wave of ghouls were charging out of the tunnel like a pack of wild animals. Six or seven had rounded the curve and were bounding towards Jade. Jovan was waiting in the opposite direction. It would be a while before the dogs and their master would catch up with him.
It wasn't long before the first wave of ghouls were charging out of the tunnel like a pack of wild animals. Six or seven had rounded the curve and were bounding towards Jade. Jovan was waiting in the opposite direction. It would be a while before the dogs and their master would catch up with him.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:45, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
Shit! I really do need to spend some time in the present, not a thousand years back. These are just commlink addresses. But still...
<<Professor@team[not Johnsons]:From the Latin labels in his contacts list, it looks like our friend Archer may have had contact with our Ms. Johnson and the Vipers. It just gets better and better. There's another one that seems to point to a female investigator. Don't know who, but I suppose we could just call and find out!>>
Shit! I really do need to spend some time in the present, not a thousand years back. These are just commlink addresses. But still...
<<Professor@team[not Johnsons]:From the Latin labels in his contacts list, it looks like our friend Archer may have had contact with our Ms. Johnson and the Vipers. It just gets better and better. There's another one that seems to point to a female investigator. Don't know who, but I suppose we could just call and find out!>>
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
Jade had already shouted the "incoming" warning, but it suddenly didn't seem enough. There were really quite a lot of ghouls coming, and quite likely a load more following.
Hopefully the their movement and Jade's movement would make it hard for them to shoot accurately. Jade wasn't very worried by inaccurate bullets: small wounds would heal quickly even if they got through her magical defenses. The big problem was getting grappled to the ground by a load of them. Fortunately the thought form provided mobility that would allow her (hopefully) to stay ahead.
Jade began making with the "staying ahead". Retreating while blasting bolts back at the oncoming horde.
Jade had already shouted the "incoming" warning, but it suddenly didn't seem enough. There were really quite a lot of ghouls coming, and quite likely a load more following.
Hopefully the their movement and Jade's movement would make it hard for them to shoot accurately. Jade wasn't very worried by inaccurate bullets: small wounds would heal quickly even if they got through her magical defenses. The big problem was getting grappled to the ground by a load of them. Fortunately the thought form provided mobility that would allow her (hopefully) to stay ahead.
Jade began making with the "staying ahead". Retreating while blasting bolts back at the oncoming horde.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:45, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
<<Ferret@team[not Johnsons]:Just how many teams did the lady have looking for these trucks? Are we all being set up against each other in some sort of weird game? Was BDLL just another pawn?>>
Frag, calm down Ferdinand! No need for conspiracy theories, there are ghouls coming. Focus on the job.
With a gulp he closes the contacts file and shuts down all matrix access beyond basic comm' functionality and slaved inputs.
<<Ferret@Jade, Zo: You guys okay? Suggest you pull back to the street where we can cover you.>>
Assuming my hands aren't shaking too much to shoot straight.
<<Ferret@team[not Johnsons]:Just how many teams did the lady have looking for these trucks? Are we all being set up against each other in some sort of weird game? Was BDLL just another pawn?>>
Frag, calm down Ferdinand! No need for conspiracy theories, there are ghouls coming. Focus on the job.
With a gulp he closes the contacts file and shuts down all matrix access beyond basic comm' functionality and slaved inputs.
<<Ferret@Jade, Zo: You guys okay? Suggest you pull back to the street where we can cover you.>>
Assuming my hands aren't shaking too much to shoot straight.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:48 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond
As the first wave came barreling down, Zo paused for less than a nanosecond..his thoughts turned to his sister, and rage filled him. He depressed the trigger on his AK-97, laying down a spray of bullets at the incoming horde. A big grin of satisfaction appeared on his face as the bullets hit.
As the first wave came barreling down, Zo paused for less than a nanosecond..his thoughts turned to his sister, and rage filled him. He depressed the trigger on his AK-97, laying down a spray of bullets at the incoming horde. A big grin of satisfaction appeared on his face as the bullets hit.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:48, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
Professor adjusts his position, draped over the back of a booth's bench. "Sounds like the party is starting in there, Ferret. To be honest, this is one party I'd rather not be invited to."
Hmmm... picking up the vernacular errors in grammar. Interesting. That didn't take long. Mortensen was right. I'll have to pay him that bottle of scotch if I ever see him again.
Professor adjusts his position, draped over the back of a booth's bench. "Sounds like the party is starting in there, Ferret. To be honest, this is one party I'd rather not be invited to."
Hmmm... picking up the vernacular errors in grammar. Interesting. That didn't take long. Mortensen was right. I'll have to pay him that bottle of scotch if I ever see him again.
Friday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15, Deep inside Annex in Redmond
Zap! Crackle!
Jade blasted off bolt after bolt at the incoming horde. Now that she was in range of Zo's guns, she paused to let the pursuers know that they had a chance of getting her. Crackling lightning death spat from her fingers spurring the ghouls on.
"Only first horde. Need to pull rest. Jovan still in main room. Big Bad is an adept ghoul with gun" Jade grunted into the throat mike. She might not be able to benefit from AR at the moment, but at least the sound worked.
Zap! Crackle!
Jade blasted off bolt after bolt at the incoming horde. Now that she was in range of Zo's guns, she paused to let the pursuers know that they had a chance of getting her. Crackling lightning death spat from her fingers spurring the ghouls on.
"Only first horde. Need to pull rest. Jovan still in main room. Big Bad is an adept ghoul with gun" Jade grunted into the throat mike. She might not be able to benefit from AR at the moment, but at least the sound worked.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:48, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
"Starting and heating up, if that thunderclap is any indication!"
"Starting and heating up, if that thunderclap is any indication!"
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:49 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond
"Got a gun too. An I'z iz uzin it!! Die Ya fragging 2 legged buzzards!!!". More bullets flew down range, to strike the ghouls. His bullet tracker went from 45 to 25 rounds. Cool it Zo, that ammo aint cheap..an your probably not going to get some in a while..
"Got a gun too. An I'z iz uzin it!! Die Ya fragging 2 legged buzzards!!!". More bullets flew down range, to strike the ghouls. His bullet tracker went from 45 to 25 rounds. Cool it Zo, that ammo aint cheap..an your probably not going to get some in a while..
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:52 am, the Annex in Redmond
The lead rain poured sideways at the incoming wretches. One was yanked off his feet like a marionette on a string. The others jerked here and there, most of them making their way toward The woman in the street. She let loose a blast of lightning from her glowing fingers, but it sizzled past the ghouls and crackled on the far wall. Three of the gruesome men threw themselves wildly at the she-devil as there companion broke toward the gunman on the stairs.
The lead rain poured sideways at the incoming wretches. One was yanked off his feet like a marionette on a string. The others jerked here and there, most of them making their way toward The woman in the street. She let loose a blast of lightning from her glowing fingers, but it sizzled past the ghouls and crackled on the far wall. Three of the gruesome men threw themselves wildly at the she-devil as there companion broke toward the gunman on the stairs.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:52 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond
Seeing the ghouls burst down the tunnel into melee with Jade and towards him, Zo shot the one ghoul heading for the stairs. Slamming it with a 3 round burst. He engages one of the ghouls in melee with Jade sending more bulets down range. Slecting her to be friendly in his smartlink figuring it might help avoid friendly fire. His bullet count dropped from 25 to 19.
Seeing the ghouls burst down the tunnel into melee with Jade and towards him, Zo shot the one ghoul heading for the stairs. Slamming it with a 3 round burst. He engages one of the ghouls in melee with Jade sending more bulets down range. Slecting her to be friendly in his smartlink figuring it might help avoid friendly fire. His bullet count dropped from 25 to 19.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:52, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
"Explosions, and now automatic fire. Glad I'm out here." Professor checks his weapon, ensuring the magazine is full, and the safety off. For about the twentieth time.
Maintaining the increases to his speed and agility has become almost second nature now. The spell enhancing his insights takes a bit of effort, and is somewhat distracting. While keeping an eye on the likely points of exit for the coming onslaught, he ruminates on an idea that has been in the back of his mind for a while.
I think there should be a way to develop a focus that would allow my ability to sustain a spell cast on me to not drain me constantly. If mages can do it, I should be able to as well.
"Explosions, and now automatic fire. Glad I'm out here." Professor checks his weapon, ensuring the magazine is full, and the safety off. For about the twentieth time.
Maintaining the increases to his speed and agility has become almost second nature now. The spell enhancing his insights takes a bit of effort, and is somewhat distracting. While keeping an eye on the likely points of exit for the coming onslaught, he ruminates on an idea that has been in the back of his mind for a while.
I think there should be a way to develop a focus that would allow my ability to sustain a spell cast on me to not drain me constantly. If mages can do it, I should be able to as well.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:55, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
His ruminations on magical foci abruptly turn to worry as Professor checks the damage on the decaying building. I wonder if it has been destabilized by the newly opened 'access ports'.
His ruminations on magical foci abruptly turn to worry as Professor checks the damage on the decaying building. I wonder if it has been destabilized by the newly opened 'access ports'.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:52 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond
Zo narrowed his attack at the ghoul heading his way. A narrow burst spins the creature around and sent him to the floor. A "snap" off in the distance was the only noise heralding the bullet that lays out another ghoul. a couple of beasts make it to the girl who glowed with electricity. One sank his teeth into her shoulder, but she twists away and smacks him with lightning, sending him to the floor. The first group of ghouls are just about mopped up as the howls begin echoing through the tunnel.
Jovan hovers in the tunnel listening to the faint impression of the howling. It sounded farther away than he expected. The magic of the howl didn't reach him in the Astral, maybe that's why it was quiet, or maybe they were heading the other way.
It was hard to tell what was happening from across the street. The Professor didn't see any structural damage. The Place was built like a giant bunker. He could imagine archaeologists studying the site in ten thousand years, slowly brushing the dirt out of the over sized plastcrete box.
Zo narrowed his attack at the ghoul heading his way. A narrow burst spins the creature around and sent him to the floor. A "snap" off in the distance was the only noise heralding the bullet that lays out another ghoul. a couple of beasts make it to the girl who glowed with electricity. One sank his teeth into her shoulder, but she twists away and smacks him with lightning, sending him to the floor. The first group of ghouls are just about mopped up as the howls begin echoing through the tunnel.
Jovan hovers in the tunnel listening to the faint impression of the howling. It sounded farther away than he expected. The magic of the howl didn't reach him in the Astral, maybe that's why it was quiet, or maybe they were heading the other way.
It was hard to tell what was happening from across the street. The Professor didn't see any structural damage. The Place was built like a giant bunker. He could imagine archaeologists studying the site in ten thousand years, slowly brushing the dirt out of the over sized plastcrete box.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:55, Lusty Wife Bar and Grill, outside Annex in Redmond
Hearing the distant gunfire, Ferret opens a window to the blimp's sensors. He watches as the ghouls rush towards Zo and Jade through a hail of fire. A few reach Jade, but continued automatic fire from the ork and a couple of gentle twitches from the blimp's feed indicate that the team have things well under control.
He is about to pass the message onto Prof, when he hears the howls. The first one is only captured by the blimp's sensors, but perhaps because he is listening for it, the second howl also reaches his real ears. Between the digital and magical noise, the subsequent biofeedback loop not only crashes his headware logic processors but sends him into catatonic shock.
He does manage a faint 'squeek' of terror before his entire body siezes up and topples to the floor.
Hearing the distant gunfire, Ferret opens a window to the blimp's sensors. He watches as the ghouls rush towards Zo and Jade through a hail of fire. A few reach Jade, but continued automatic fire from the ork and a couple of gentle twitches from the blimp's feed indicate that the team have things well under control.
He is about to pass the message onto Prof, when he hears the howls. The first one is only captured by the blimp's sensors, but perhaps because he is listening for it, the second howl also reaches his real ears. Between the digital and magical noise, the subsequent biofeedback loop not only crashes his headware logic processors but sends him into catatonic shock.
He does manage a faint 'squeek' of terror before his entire body siezes up and topples to the floor.
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2071, 12:15:55 am, Deep inside the Annex in Redmond
Zo, hearing the howls in between the spates of gun fire begins to sieze up. His hands begin to shake making his movements somewhat less fluid.
<@TEAM>More howling bitches, ya see see a dog dog shoootsoots its!>
Zo, hearing the howls in between the spates of gun fire begins to sieze up. His hands begin to shake making his movements somewhat less fluid.
<@TEAM>More howling bitches, ya see see a dog dog shoootsoots its!>
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