Somewhere in South America, an eyebrow is raised.

"I can be back in town in 24 hours. What hospital are you taking her to?"

"I'm not sure yet comrade. Wait one." Ivan turns his massve head torward Blitz, "Where do you want him to meet us, tovarich?"

"Have him meet stop by Mazakeen at the Weavers. We'll leave word with her."

"You copy that comrade? Good, we will see you soonest." Ivan hangs up the phone and drops it into one of his large pockets.

"What is next step?" He says with a shrug.

The cellphone flips closed, and then back open again.

"Winter? I need a flight to Seattle, post haste. Mom's in the hospital again."

Blitz's cell phone shakes with an incoming call. Fury smiles from the small screen.

"Your travel arrangements are set, just let the flight crew know your destination. The aircraft is waiting at the Tacoma field. Incidentally, are you still looking for talent? I've just got word in that an operator has become available if you're interested. I can have her meet you at the airport."

Winter smiles.

"Had enough of the sun and fun? You're booked on a flight leaving in two hours. Don't be late."

:: Blitz steps to the side as the call comes in, leaving the output as voice only. ::

"Excellent. Our spanish friend is on his way, but I don't know if your flyboys can wait for his arrival before our departure. Can you arrange his travel seperately?"

"As for the additional personel, what are we talking about? Im still in great need of a decker or a face, but pretty well stocked on muscle."

"I can take care of the arrangements. She's a longrifle."

"Quite honestly, I don't know how helpful that will be at this point. With my condor's armed, they are as good as any longrifle and wont take a share of the profits. Like I said before...what I really need is a decker."

Parvati finds a place to sit and goes into a slight meditation so she can prepare herself for what may come.

"Understood. I'll see what I can find. Based on your departure, though, I may have to send additional talent out on later flights."

"Thank you, Senor Ortega. No, unfortunately, my mother's been sick before, so it's not too much of a surprise. I just want to be there. It's been a wonderful time."

He steps outside, sighing softly as he glances up at the sun.

A few hours later, Mexico was falling away behind him, and he started making plans.

:: Blitz nods at the phone despite the lack of video. ::

"Roger that. We on our way out now then. I'll contact you with the location decided so you can route our spanish friend and any additional talent we decide on."

:: Flipping the phone shut, she secures it just inside the jumpsuit as she picks up her bike helmet. Stepping into the room, she circles her finger over her head as she makes her way to the bike. ::

"Alright folks. Let's roll. Change frequecies to Alpha 743.3 Beta 234.5 Charlie 343.1 and Delta 943.4. We're on Alpha."

:: With that, she connects with the bike and it's highly tuned engine roars to life almost in sync with the motor of the van as it starts itself. The gates roll up and she leads the assembly out into the city proper. ::

"Alright. The location is at Latitude: 47° 37' 13" N Longitude: 122° 19' 45" W. Plug it into your GPS and everyone take a seperate route. We'll meet there in one hour."

Off in the distance, inside the belltower of the Cathedral of St. Jude, the massive clock ticked over to midnight. No bells sounded at such a late hour, though, the city sprawled in the shadow of the church slept. Through the darkness of the urban jungle, though, slipped the predators. Their blood was up and the scent of the prey was fresh. Eager eyes glittered, and the wings of violence beat against the night sky. Soon, they said, soon.

Ivan was mserable. The only place he fit was stuffed in the back of Blitz's van. He sat calmly on the ride to the airport, trying hard not to move or talk. Being in the back reminded him of his Spetsnaz days.

The watcher was upset. He did not want to be here, in this place, watching this woman. He had better things to do. But there was the matter of honor and of a debt owed. The watcher sighed. Hours crawled past, but he was immune to weariness, having long ago shed any notion of linear time. Everything about the world moved in circles. He knew, as well as the one who's order he obeyed, that eventually their target would return here. The low growl of a heavy motorcycle engine pulled the watcher from his musings, and a slow smile spread across his face as he watched the troll pull up. Reaching out across the city, the watcher placed a silent call.

Damascus stared at the ceiling, feeling the warmth of the naked woman nestled against his side. He knew she wasn't sleeping, even though her eyes were closed. He felt himself smile, a small, wicked gesture. She wouldn't sleep for several more hours, not until her appetites were sated. The watcher's call interrupted those pleasant memories, though, and he listened carefully to the report. Silent instructions followed the call, and he repeated them to the watcher to ensure no misunderstanding. Breaking that communication, he switched to the open radio link between him and his subordinate.

"Wrap things up in an hour or so, the target is on the move. I may need you to ride shotgun on this one since I don't want to leave town just yet."

In the hotel room across the hall, Shepard's eyes glittered in the semi-darkness.

"Understood."

As the small sedan wove through the darkened streets Clay's eyes swept their surroundings looking for anything out of place. As usual he found nothing and again tried to dismiss the feeling that something was amiss but it clung to him like damp clothing on a rainy day.

Must be the wires acting up again. I'll have to get a doc to look at them when I get back.

While that thought eased his conscious mind his imagination put monsters in every shadow and hired killers around every new corner. What concerned him the most was that his imagination had a disturbing habit of being all too accurate.

"You don't have that much time. Just put him down." Mazakeen picked through the handfull of Jelly Babys left in her bag before selecting a cheesecake one. The cowl she wore rustled momentarily, revealing a flash of pale skin. Sitting beside her, his leg folded up on the seat to support his MSG90A2 sniper rifle, Benedict frowned.

"I don't like it, though. We don't know which faction he's working for." The Leupold scope mounted on top of the rifle clicked to itself as he adjusted for windage cybernetically.

"Post event analysis will reveal what we need to know. She was adamant about sanitizing the area of any surveillance."

"I know. Are you sure you don't want to play this soft?"

"What, and risk exposure ourselves? We don't know what kind of link-up he has in that blind, or what kind of anti-intrusion devices are set up." Mazakeen downed another candy, her voice still soft and level.

"True. All right, drop your window. I'm taking my shot."

With a flick of her finger, she opened a three centimeter gap in her window in order to equalize pressure inside the car when the weapon fired. Her gaze panned across the buildings and airfield, alert for anyone attempting to interfere in their counter-surveillance operation. She felt Benedict's breathing slow, then pause. The rifle fired. Haze from propellant gases trapped by the silencer drifted back into the vehicle, making her eyes itch.

"Nice shot."

Benedict continued to scan the area through the reticle of his scope. "Thanks."

Parvati rode a nice distance behind... know her reactions to things and how shady every thing seemed... Kali has always protected her... she thought with a humble heart... She placed a call to "C"...
"The group you hooked me up with, is there anything I should know about them that would put more lifes on the line... any more reasons why I should feel more is at stake then the usual?"

listening for a response she looked around to make sure the other and herself where not being followed...

:: Blitz arrives at the airfield first. Slipping into an alleyway about 4 blocks from the location, she mentally directs her van to do the same on the opposite side of the same airstrip. The roof of the van cracks open and a small black and silver balloon slowly rises and takes to the skies. Switching her perception to the drone, it begins a lazy pattern high enough to be difficult to spot from the ground. Her attention to the drones sensors is complete, her consciousness fully engulfed in the drone and the feeling of sublime weightlessness is almost theraputic as she flips through the many different representations of the situation on the ground. ::

Parvati rolls in to airport parking... before stepping out on coms she says
"I am walking to position."

:: Blitz cringes slightly. ::

"Stand by...doing aerial surveillance at the moment."

The Tacoma airfield, abandoned by inner city commuters for the more modern facilities to the north, shivers beneath the cold rain. Portable halogen floodlamps throw harsh shadows across the cracked and broken tarmac, highlighting the ground crew bustling about the Hawker-Siddley Skytruck parked at the end of the runway. The cargo plane's rear ramp is open, and both of its turboprop engines run at idle power, waiting.

:: Blitz concentrates on the landscape, checking each location she would choose had she wanted surveillance on the airstrip. Once satisfied that the area is as secure as she can expect, she directs the van slowly towards the plane and drives it directly up the ramp. Still on her bike, she holds her position as she calls out on comms. ::

"Clear. Proceed to transport."

Fury makes no attempt to conceal herself, her avatar a perfect digital copy. She glances about the virtual meeting room with mild distaste. After a moment, another icon appears, studiously faceless. Fury smiles.

"I'm glad you got my message. I've got work if you're interested. A team I represent needs matrix support and are willing to pay. The run is no joke, but neither is the opportunity for pay. Interested?"

Chiren waves her hand dismissively at the optical pick-up, despite the serious nature of Parvati's question.

"The girl you're working for, the rigger, she's no joke. There's damage there, but nothing that's going to be instantly fatal. Just watch your six, you've got your own demons to worry about."

The aforementioned studiously faceless icon simply nods. "Set it up. You know me. I am always in where there is money to be made. Initiate contact please. I will await further information."

Fury nods, and the studiously faceless icon disappears, back to where it came from.

As the ground crew moves to secure Blitz's van inside the aircraft, the incoming call graphic highlights itself at the corner of her vision. Fury's voice sounds over the line.

"I know you're in the process of departure, but I just got in touch with one of my matrix monkeys. He says he's interested. How do you want to work the meet? I can setup a virtual room for you and if the interview goes well he'll be on the next flight out."

Ivan exited the van once it was loaded on the aircraft. He took a quick look around the bird itself, just to make sure it was safe. Then he proceeded to find a seat and strap himself in.

:: Blitz remains quiet as she mentally curses. Perfect bloody timing, but the matrix support was desperately needed so she'd have to make it work. ::

"Put them on a plane. Negotiate the best pay possible for an out of town meet. Have em meet us at our destination, we'll meet and greet there. If they don't work out, they can just play tourist and have a free vacation."

"Roger. If he agrees, he'll meet you at your destination."

Parvati works herself on the plane and find a place to rest her arse.... and keep an eye on her back and others....

As Clay strapped himself into the plane he took a nervous glance around the craft, he never had liked flying. Ah well, with any luck this one won't involve parachuting at least.

Instead of a face to face meeting, Fury simply drops a trid mail into a dead drop she knows will be checked frequently.

"The job is out of the local area, but I can arrange travel for you. The tasking, if I understand it correctly, consist mostly of information retrieval from several well defended databases. Nothing should require you to go on-site, though. Initial offer is 15K plus bonuses for fast and quiet work. If you're still interested, stop by the Chainstorm to pickup your tickets."

:: After watching her team mount the plane one by one, she watches through her condor as it makes a final sweep over the area before dipping low to enter the plane and be reclaimed by the drone rack of her van. Once secured, she guns her bike forward and speeds towards the plane herself, expertly sliding the bike into position and literally stopping on a dime. After tieing the bike down, she heads towards the cockpit and removes her helmet to speak to the pilot. ::

"Get this bird in the air, you'll have the final destination within the hour."

:: Moving back into the main compartment, she visually checks to make sure everyone is secured before taking the closest seat to the cockpit. Then, she address the group over comms. ::

"Switch to Charlie Frequencies."

:: She gives everyone moment to do so before continuing. ::

"Ok, we need to make a decision about where we will be headed. We have two potential targets. Cavalier Arms, based in Texas and both Central Industrial and Pioneer Cybernetics are in Detroit. Our primary goal is capital generation. These three targets are our best bet to get a bit more playing money. Texas is a bit closer to the Azzies than I'd prefer, but Detroit is a bit too close to Bug Central for my tastes. We'll make this decision as a group."

Benedict watched as the Skytruck's turboprops ran up to max power before the pilot released the brakes. The aircraft trundled two thirds of the way down the runway before staggering into the air. Once clear, the aircraft banked sharply to the left, levelling out on an easterly heading. Replacing his rifle in its hardcase, he slid the weapon beneath the rear seat of the car. Stillness returned to the airport as the groundcrew packed up their gear and disappeared back into the darkness of the city.

"It's time."

Benedict nodded, following Mazakeen's lead and stepping out of the car. Together, they moved across the street and through a narrow alleyway.

"There." He indicated a rusty fire escape halfway up the building. Mazakeen nodded. Briefly, her fingers danced a pattern against her cloak, and the air around them seemed to stiffen. Gripped by an unseen force, the pair rose slowly upwards. The fire escape groaned in complaint as they came to rest, and Benedict was quick to move into the building. His eyes adjusted instantly to the dimness in the hallway, and he motioned to his companion with his empty left hand. Together they ghosted down the trash-strewn passage, bypassing four empty rooms until they came to the only closed door. Mazakeen touched her temple, then pointed to the room. Benedict nodded, taking her weight as her body went limp. A moment later, she stood, flashing a thumbs up. Benedict still opened the door cautiously, his weapon leading the way into the room.

The observer lay slumped on the floor in front of the window, a gaping exit wound in the back of his neck. The round from Benedict's sniper rifle had sliced through the spinal cord between the third and fourth vertebrae, killing the man almost instantly and yet preserving his face for possible visual identification. Clamped to the window sill were a pair of surveillance cameras, trideo and long range still, as well as a shotgun microphone. Fiber optic leads trailed from the equipment to a rack of data storage modules stacked on the floor. Benedict holstered his pistol and began to methodically document the scene utilizing a small video recorder he pulled from his pack. Mazakeen focussed her efforts on the body, checking for credstick, ID, or any identifying marks. Failing that, she took a close-up picture of his face before pulling a thin sheet of plastic laminate from within her cloak. Careful not to smudge the plastic, she pressed the fingertips of both hands against the sheet before folding it gently and slipping it into an envelope. Finished, she glanced over at Benedict, nodding in response to his unspoken question. Backing out, he quietly closed the door behind him.

Ringo took a casual glance around, making sure that no one was paying an undue amount of interest in him. After satisfying himself that there was no one with an unhealthy level of curiosity, he walked into Chainstorm.

With a few well placed, discreet inquiries, he was directed to a tall, thin ork woman. Dropping Fury's name got him an envelope with a plane ticket.

Recalling his conversation with Fury, he shook his head. All I ever wanted was peace and quiet, now look at me. World traveller, running the shadows, still living for tomorrow. What if tomorrow never comes? Shaking his head, he brought himself back to the present. There was another team waiting for him, another job that needed his skills. He'd take care of biz, collect the cash, and keep working, keep waiting, for tomorrow.

Placing a call to Fury, he left a message in the fixer's drop box. "I got the ticket. But where exactly am I supposed to go, and who am I supposed to meet? You got any details for me? I assume you can arrange transport for my deck and gear as well, correct? I will await further instructions."

Cutting the call, he headed back to his doss to grab his gear, and wait. For tomorrow...

Parvati smiles as she realizes what work is slowly going to be done thinking to herself Oh, how I love jobs like this. It's the whole meaning of my being.

she replies softly "I believe Texas would make a better route of attack first. That is my opinion."

as she then leans back in her chair and crosses her legs and leans her chin on her left hand.

:: Blitz levels her gaze at Pravati. ::

"And why is that?"

Parvati looks at her gaze... and response accordingly
"Texas, will be easier to maneuver first to start capital, so then we can knock out the other two accordingly. Again that's just my opinion."

:: Blitz shakes her head. ::

"No, why do you think it will be easier? Have you had experience in Texas?"

Parvati looks at Blitz noticing no one else has seem to voice there ideas...

"Well, one of the problems is that I haven't been able to do any research into any of the three sites, so I don't know if any of them is a softer target than the others. But, in general, here are a couple things to take into thought. Cavalier Arms is a weapons manufacturing plant, which means that anything we steal from there will be readily usable as well as sellable just about anywhere. But because they manufacture weapons and ammunition, the security is going to probably be top notch and difficult to crack, normally. Now, the two Detroit locations produce things a little less volatile, electronics and cyberware, which means their security will be less likely to shoot on sight. But one slight downfall is we'll have more difficulty disposing of the gear since it can be specialized and its easy to flood the market. and in that I have based my judgment."

and sits and waits for a response.

"7.62mm. Single shot from at least a hundred meters. Professional."

The plainclothes man looked up at Warrick from where he knelt next to the body. Behind them, the remaining three members of the fast reaction team covered the hallway, uninterested in the discussion. Warrick nodded absently, tapping his hand against the door jamb.

"That's it then. She's gone. Pack it up, we're moving. Get on the line to Harbor. Tell them to bring the surveillance cells back up. Let's move, people!"

Ivan thumps the hull of the plane a couple of times with his massive hand.

"We talk about this in air ok? Ivan is large and plane is vewy small. We need to get road on show, da?"

:: Blitz levels her gaze at the rest of the group. ::

"Thanks for the strategy advice, but I was hoping more to hear if anyone had contacts that would make either location a better jumping off point. Sans that, I would prefer we hit Detroit first because we have two potential targets which will allow us to have additional options if things get a little dicey."

:: Blitz looks directly at Ivan at the end of her little exposition. ::

"Anybody have any issues with Detroit?"

Parvati responses " No, not at all."

"Mot-or city, sounds good to Ivan."

"Good."

:: With a nod, she unbuckles herself from the seat and rises, using the side of the plane to balance herself, she keeps her knees bent as she makes her way back to the cock pit. Giving the pilot the general area to head to before leaning up against the wall to call Fury. ::

"It's B. I need a secure landing site outside the motor city. Perferably not too far outside. Also, make travel arraingements for our two friends. I'd like them there as soon as possible."

"Heading into the Lion's Den? All right. You'll have ramp space reserved at Monroe County Municipal, it's a local field about fifteen kilometers south of the city proper. Your other teammates will meet you there."

Fury opens up another interface window on her workstation, navigating through menus while waiting to see if Blitz has any further requests. Locating the information she needs, she opens up a second call. It goes directly to tridmail, which isn't surprising since Ayuda was in the air. She knew he'd check as soon as possible, though.

"Transfer in San Antonio to a JetBlue flight. Your tickets will be waiting at the counter."

Once that message is complete, she opens a call to Ringo.

"Your flight leaves in three hours from the Corporate Services terminal at Sea-Tac. Check in at the Eagle Global Logistics counter. Your baggage is limited to 200 kilos and .5 cubic meters. No questions asked."