Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:25 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Perhaps Grease and I should go in the Taxi, I will need to be there to sweep for any bugs. Jack and Amy can stand by over a secured link and be ready to back us up is we run into any complications." Drave suggested, while running a sweep with his bug scanner through his AR.

After checking the results, he adds, "While on the subject of links, I wanted to offer to slave your commlinks to my Blitzdrive when we are together. It will allow me to safeguard us from any attempts to hack in to our hardware. I can add your control rig too Grease, as well as any Smartlinks or other wireless hardware you may want extra protection for."

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:40 PM, July 30th, 2075

The group spends the next 15 minutes or so in tense silence. Each has their own method of dealing with the waiting. Jack keeps his hands and mind occupied with his equipment, checking and rechecking each item to make sure it will work flawlessly when he needs it to work.

Overkill splits his attention between the real world and the Matrix, both he and his agent searching through the static of the Warrens to spot any icons that look out of place, while Amy tries to look calm and collected, but can't help to crack as smile when she hears Sam giggling in the other room. Even the happy sounds of her daughter can't completely erase the worry lines that formed from her recent scare.

Grease feels the worry and tension the hardest. While his face and voice are normal, inwardly he struggles with the need to take a hit to calm his nerves, to make everything okay again, to feel the rush as the Novacoke hits his system. After a few minutes, he sits in a chair and takes refuge in Rhex, feeling the world through the drones sensors, the mechanical interface numbing the desire for the drug. He knew from experience that it would only offer him a brief respite, but a sweet one nonetheless.

He was completing his sweep of the drone's line of sight with in the infrared spectrum, when a tone alerted him to an incoming message.


<<@ChurchFriends[Blocked]Will be available in 2 hours. Where is the meet? Just a reminder from our previous conversation that security is vital.>>

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:40 PM, July 30th, 2075

While they were waiting, Amy got up and went to the bathroom to put on her newly acquired AR contact lenses. She then connects them wirelessly to her commlink and all these devices are in turn put under the supervision of Overkill's deck. Walking back into the room, she informs everyone "Hey I can see what you guys are texting right in my eyes now, and all the other cool AR stuff too. I guess the next time I buy electronics I can get trodes, that'd be cool!" As she says this, she's interrupted by the sound of the burner link used to speak with Ramirez. "Oh! What's he saying? Is the meet on?"

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:40 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Welcome to the 21st century, Meine Liebling," Drave said with a sarcastic grin towards his young friend. "Usually, where I come from, it has been the younger generation that teaches the older generation about new technologies, not the other way around." He followed this with a reassuring pat on the back.

He picked up the commlink and looked at the message. "Its Ramirez alright, and he can meet us in 2 hours. He wants to know where the meet will be, and asked us to remember that security is vital."

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:40 PM, July 30th, 2075

Having had some time to consider their options, Jack offered his own twist. "Alright, so Overkill... you can remotely operate the bug scanner right? What if Grease just hid it under his seat, switched it on as soon as Ramirez gets in the cab, you scan the cab for bugs, then Grease shuts it off? The main concern there is that Ramirez may have some kind of bug he doesn't know about."

"If Grease builds a route before hand, the three of us can follow at a pretty safe distance in a differnt cab, given that the Beemer sticks out and Grease would rather not use it. We could call a cab from Amindola's and just give the cabbie directions for where and when to turn. I imagine any of them would do it for a hefty tip. How does that plan sound? Grease has back-up in case the drek hits the fan, but the Johnson has the least amount of risk of exposure."

The ork still wasn't sure about leaving Grease alone with Ramirez, but the plan hinged around using Grease's taxi, so there wasn't much to be done about it. He who has the gold makes the rules...

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:40 PM, July 30th, 2075

While the details of the plan are being hashed out with the rest of the team, Grease responds to the message via his commlink.

<<@Ramirez [Churchfriends]: East 60th and Newport, 8:50 PM. A cab will pick you up.>>

Turning to address the group again, Grease responds to Jack.

"That could work. I'll just comment that we could have someone sitting up front without a problem; the windows are IR-tinted and darkened, so it's unlikely anyone would notice there was someone else in the cab. I'd honestly prefer it if we had some extra muscle coming along in case things go south quickly. Plus, I'm not exactly on Ramirez's good side after my little experiment to ferret out his true loyalties." Grease forces a smile at this last sentence. You're starting to be able to tell which ones are genuine, and which are part of his overall act. You'd guess at this point the ratio is something along the lines of 80:20, in favor of the fake ones, but there's really no way to be sure.

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:41 PM, July 30th, 2075

In less than a minute, the response comes back:

<<@Churchfriends [Blocked]: Confirmed>>

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:41 PM, July 30th, 2075

Jack nods, "If you'd rather have back-up in the car, I could sit in the front seat with you. Are you planning on selling the taxi bit after you drop Ramirez off? Would it be odd for a cab driver to have someone else in their front seat with them? I'm not really familiar with the biz."

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:41 PM, July 30th, 2075

Grease shrugs. "I'm not particularly worried. The tinted windows will make it hard to see anyone in the front seat. I'd say the benefit outweighs the risk of someone noticing something odd. Ramirez confirmed, by the way; we're on."

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:41 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Good," Jack replied. "As it stands right now, we've got Grease driving the taxi with me riding shotgun and Overkill remotely operating a bug scanner in the vehicle. Following behind at a slight distance, we've got Overkill and Amy for back-up in case the drek hits the fan. You two should also be able to figure out if anyone is following Grease's taxi. We have a quick conversation with Ramirez about Bradshere, Case #5247, and possibly accessing Twoman. Then we drop him off somewhere and pick up another fare or two in case we miss anyone following us to throw them off our trail. Are we missing anything here? Does anyone have any cab contacts? I could try to secure the driver I used to take me to the initial meet with Ramirez, but he didn't seem too terribly reliable."


Jack finished checking the action of his SMG and slings it across his back. "Drek, I wish we had time to investigate the other two murders before meeting with him. I'd hate to have to reach out to Ramirez again if something turns up at either of them. Should we at least try to take a shot at looking at the Thomas murder site before we meet with Ramirez?"

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:41 PM, July 30th, 2075

Grease shakes his head at the second suggestion.

"No, that's a whole can of worms we should wait to investigate on a night we don't have a meet with the Johnson. We don't want to show up covered in dirt, shot, or both."

Turning to Overkill and Amy, Grease asks, "Are you two both Ok with this plan? I think it's solid, but if you have any suggestions I'd be more than willing to hear them."

Facing Jack again, he adds, "I think you can be in the cab when we meet Ramirez. Makes more sense than both of you getting in at the same time. Once we're done with Ramirez, I'll drop you off someplace else, then pick up a few fares."

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:41 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Yeah yeah, the plan's fine with me. We can all sit in the taxi with you, it's always better to all be together when we can help it."

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:41 PM, July 30th, 2075

Jack was puzzled by Amy's comment, wondering if she had gone astral momentarily. Shrugging, he responded to Grease, "That should work. You should probably drop me off somewhere it wouldn't be very easy to see me getting out. It would look a bit weird if someone saw me getting out of the front seat of the cab after we let Ramirez out. A parking garage or something like that should work."

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:41 PM, July 30th, 2075

Greases nods absently. "Wait, the Thomas murder? I was thinking of the stiffs in the park. They're all starting to blend together to me.." He rubs the bridge of his nose between his eyes again. I could use a hit, the little devil on his shoulder mentioned in an offhand, persuasive way.

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:42 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Yeah, the Thomas murder was the one at his apartment here in the Warrens." Jack answered. "But you're probably right, we still need to come up with a route and find another taxi driver willing to work for a little extra nuyen before we can pull this plan off. We've only got two hours, so there isn't much time."

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:43 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Oh just Jack is riding with Grease, right? Sorry about that, I'm getting used to the augmented reality and I wasn't paying attention. So Overkill and me, we need a ride... I could call back the taxi driver from last time, I trust that guy."

Amy starts going through her contacts on the commlink to find Tony.

<<@Tony [Amy] Hey chummer. I might need a ride tonight, but it's not in the Warrens this time. Are you available? I'll pay you extra.>>

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:50 PM, July 30th, 2075

<<@Amy [Turbine] Cool - repeat customers When and where - I'll shake loose of Mile High for a little while>>

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:50 PM, July 30th, 2075

"I got ourselves a ride. Tony's a good driver and he's used to the Warrens, so it takes a lot to spook him. I can tell him where and when to pick us up and he'll do it."

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:50 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Frag, that was quick," Jack said. Checking the chronometer on his image link, he continued, "Looks like we got about an hour and a half to come up with a route. Let's get to it, shall we? Anyone got a map of Commerce City?"

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 6:50 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Indeed I do." Drave said as he opened up his Mapsoft of Denver in AR for everyone to see. "The plan works; lets be sure to have Tony give Grease a wide berth; we don't want to lead them straight to the Johnson."

East Quincy Ave, Aurora Warrens, 8:25 PM, July 30th, 2075

After making Sam and Kevin promise to behave, Amy and the three other runners got into Grease's taxi and drove a couple of blocks away from Nic's. Grease let Amy and Overkill out on Quincy Ave near an old, dilapidated apartment building where they were to be picked up by Turbine. Grease and Jack sped away, the latter with the bug scanner under his seat as they headed toward the rendezvous with Ramirez.

As the sun slowly lowered itself past the horizon, and night fell in the Warrens, Amy concentrated for a moment, and then reached out into the Astral to summon help. It arrived a few moments later in the form of a burly metahuman shape, one that shifted forms, one moment an elf, the next an ork, then a human, and so on, as it represented all of the races of metahumanity. "How may I be of service?"

"Thank you for coming, spirit, I am concerned for my safety and that of my friends, and wish your guardianship this night. Come with me and watch for any Astral form that is following us"


The spirit, now an imposing Troll, nods its head and vanishes into the Astral, lingering in the area around Amy. A few minutes later, Turbine's car screeches to a halt in front of the pair of Elves, and the window comes down, "Hey good lookin'! Come on in - you too, pal, name's Tony, but call me Turbine -nice to meet you, and good to see you again Amy, where to?" He slows his speech down long enough for Amy to get a word in, and she gives him the basic directions.

"Sounds good to me - hold on to your hats!" And with a jolt that snaps their heads back, the car is off.

"Slow down a little, okay Tony? We are just here to follow, not to race."

"S'okay, sorry about that, force of habit. Let me tell you about the time I had to get a fare across Yak territory and..." Amy and Overkill sit back and listen to the story as they move toward where they would follow Grease and Jack.

East 60th and Newport, Commerce City, 8:50 PM, July 30th, 2075

After driving maneuvering through the late night traffic, Grease and Jack turn on to East 60th Street. Both have been watchful to make sure that no one has followed them, except Turbine's car. He was about 10 car lengths back now, and blending in nicely. Jack's eyes spotted Ramirez first, standing on the corner as requested. The old cop was alert, scanning the street for any sign of trouble. As the cab pulled up and Grease popped the back door open, Ramirez looked in for a moment, and then got in. Grease pulled out into traffic again, and started to drive away. Grease sent a message to Overkill, who quickly turned on his bug scanner via remote, and there were a tense couple of seconds until both Jack and Grease received the message on their image link <<@Jack and Grease [Overkill] All clear, no bugs in the car>>.

From the back seat came Ramirez's voice, "Well, you called this meet, what is going on?"

East 60th and Newport, Commerce City, 8:50 PM, July 30th, 2075

While Grease focused on driving, Jack replied without turning his head. "Good evening, Mr. Johnson. We know your time is valuable and don't want to take too much of it. We wanted to update you with the results of our investigation so far. There is a datachip in the seat pocket in front of you containing our case files. We'd like for you to review them before we continue the conversation."

Jack watched as the neighborhood passed by, foot traffic being somewhat light at this point in time.

Quebec Parkway, Commerce City, 8:58 PM, July 30th, 2075

Ramirez nods at Jack, and casts a watchful eye at the back of Grease's head. He picks up the data chip and slots it into his commlink, and begins to read. Grease keeps the car slow and steady, or at least slow and steady by his standards, moving through the traffic with ease.

After about 10 minutes, they have turned left onto the Quebec Parkway, passing the Rocky Mountain Arsenal on the right. The fences border who knows what inside that great expanse, and its eerie blackness in both the physical and virtual world stick like a hole in the surrounding vista.

Ramirez seems impressed, "Well, I can see you boys have been busy these last two days. That's some good investigative work there. The report isn't complete though, so what do you need from me?"

Quebec Parkway, Commerce City, 8:58 PM, July 30th, 2075

Continuing to observe their surroundings, Jack replied, "Just so that we're on the same page, we're currently guessing that the killings have something to do with whatever drug the Los Mags are pushing. We think its called Crimson Fire but haven't confirmed that yet. We're also pretty confident that the Los Mags hired Lynx's crew to do most of the dirty work. We still need to follow-up with a few witnesses to tie things together."

Pausing momentarily, Jack ordered his thoughts. "Where we are running into a wall is the greater conspiracy. In particular, if you look at the Manuel case, you'll notice that he had concerns about a fellow Lone Star officer named LT. Bradshere and a certain case. We need more information on those topics. You advised us not to poke around Lone Star, but we're not sure how much further we can get without doing that, or having someone else do it for us."

"We also are trying to put a plan together to try and get a hold of this Twoman character, either inside or outside prison, depending on if he ever gets bailed out. We looked up how to visit the prison and would at least need his SIN to start."

"We've also still got two murders that we still need to investigate. While we have plenty of information to get started with the Thomas murder, the details on the Taylor case were very sparse. We don't even have a physical location of the crime to start our investigation, unless we could get access to his police cruiser and its camera, if it had one."

"So that's where we stand. Our main reason for meeting was to give you a head's up about LT Bradshere. The evidence is thin, but he's the only lead into a possible Lone Star cover-up that we've been able to find so far. Understanding that you are extremely limited in what you can put your hands on, any help on your end could help us out significantly."

Jack stopped talking and awaited Ramirez's response.

Quebec Parkway, Commerce City, 9:02 PM, July 30th, 2075

Ramirez manipulates the file as he listens to Jack. Rubbing his chin with his hand, he says, "I haven't heard of Bradshere, but that doesn't mean anything - he's only a LT in a different division. I can try and do some quiet digging on him and see what I can pull up."

He takes the data chip out of his commlink and hands it back to Jack. "I'll see what I can do about that file, but that is going to be tricky, especially if someone is keeping an eye on it. Twoman's SIN is the easiest. I can run a report of the prison and get all of the SINs of the inmates in a particular block, that should be a broad enough search to not arouse suspicion, and will include his data."

Grease turned the vehicle onto East 72nd street, only a few more minutes away from their destination. "I don't know what I can do for the Taylor murder. The video feed will already be in the Lone Star host, and it would be suspicious if I start pulling that footage. The rest of it I will try and get back to you by tomorrow night."


"Is that all you need?"

Quebec Parkway, Commerce City, 9:03 PM, July 30th, 2075

"I think that about covers it, Mr. Johnson." Jack replied, pausing briefly before offering one final opportunity. "Although, if you feel that your level of exposure is too high, our decker is quite talented. He managed to pull almost all of the video feeds attached to the report with little trouble. If he could gain access to a device attached to the Lone Star Host, he could pull the files we need without your fingerprints anywhere close to it. We'd just need access..."

Quebec Parkway, Commerce City, 9:03 PM, July 30th, 2075

Well, he already hates me. Speaking over his shoulder, Grease pipes up for the first time during the meet. "It strike you as odd we were able to make this amount of progress in the amount of time we had? We're not police by any stretch, and I think we've got footage of the shooter in what, 3-4 instances already? I know you said that you felt these cases weren't being investigated adequately, but this seems beyond the pale. This screams of inside job to me. We've only got info on Bradshere, but he can't have coordinated a conspiracy across an entire sector like this. Cop-killers tend to get justice handed to them the fastest. I think your initial guess that this went high up was right. Who would be in charge of an overall investigation related to the death of an officer? Not the detectives on the scene, their boss?"

East 72nd, Commerce City, 9:05 PM, July 30th, 2075

Ramirez looks bemused by Jack's request. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I barely know you. So while I appreciate you helping me out here in return for compensation, I am not going to hand you or your friend unrestricted access to the Lone Star host."

Ramirez thinks a moment before answering Grease. "Your success in this area confirms my suspicions that the conspirators have help inside the Star. As you said, if one had been this poorly followed up, I would suspect negligence. This many points to corruption. It is hard to answer your specific question, depending on what level boss you are looking for. The immediate head of Homicide is Major Harvey Brown. Above him are only the various district commanders and then the assistant chief and chief himself. I'm going to hope that this goes no higher than Major Brown."

East 72nd, Commerce City, 9:05 PM, July 30th, 2075

Hearing the answer he fully expected, Jack replied, "I had to ask. Granted, we would have been professionals about it and not snooped around, but your point stands. We'll simply rely on whatever you can turn up while we look into the rest of the murders. In any event, if we can locate and turn-out Lynx and his crew, they may be able to finger someone."

East 72nd, Commerce City, 9:05 PM, July 30th, 2075

Grease adds, "If we manage to bring Lynx in alive, he'll probably clam up. Otherwise, if it is a conspiracy inside the police department he probably won't last long in prison."

East 72nd, Commerce City, 9:07 PM, July 30th, 2075

"If you manage to bring Lynx or any of the other culprits in, you'll need to get them to me. I can arrange to have them brought to the ZDF where they will be held in protective custody until the trial."


The taxi is fast approaching Mccormick's, and Grease and Jack think quickly to see if they've missed anything before they drop off their Johnson.

New McCormicks Seafood House, Commerce City, 9:10 PM, July 30th, 2075

As Grease pulls into the parking lot, Turbine, on the instructions of Amy and Overkill drive on past. Amy receives a mental communication from her spirit, "None in the Astral followed you. You may call on me twice more before sunup." and then the voice fades from her head.

Grease stops the taxi, and Ramirez steps out. "Watch your backs," he says, "and I'll get the info I can to you tomorrow night." He walks inside the restaurant as Overkill activates the bug scanner again. <<@Jack and Grease [Overkill] All clear. At least we can be sure Ramirez wasn't bugged.>>

Parking Garage, Commerce City, 9:30 PM, July 30th, 2075
Grease and Jack are quiet on the ride to the parking garage on East 60th. There, Grease pauses momentarily as Jack exits his vehicle and gets into Turbines' waiting car. The young driver pauses his latest story long enough to say hello to Jack and ask, "Where to now boss?"

Parking Garage, Commerce City, 9:30 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Hoi, amigo," Jack replied to Tony. Hopping into the backseat, Jack looked in the rearview mirror at Amy and Overkill. "Head back to the shop? I can brief you once we get there. We need to grab some shut-eye before our next bit of biz..."

Parking Garage, Commerce City, 9:30 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Yeah we should head back and get some sleep. Maybe we could stop on the way and get Nic' something for his hospitality. What does he like to drink?"

Amy gives instructions to Tony for the way back and where to stop on the way. She pays him 50% more than what would be his normal rate, in return for his availability at a moment's notice tonight, and for keeping their business for private. "With the quality of your driving, expect me to call on you again in the future and to be always well compensated, Turbine."

Parking Garage, Commerce City, 9:30 PM, July 30th, 2075

Turbine winks at Amy as he accepts the payment. "Anytime, pretty lady, anytime." He smiles at her, and continues, "Now sit back and relax while I get you guys some drinks and then drop you on home. Did I ever tell you the story of when I had to get a guy to his bookie to delivery payment on the vig he owed? Would have been a normal ride if it weren't for those cockatrices..." As Turbine launches into his next tale, Jack, Amy, and Overkill sit in the back, planning their next move.

Parking Garage, Commerce City, 9:30 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Nic's not really much of a drinker, but he loves to get his hands on tech... anything he hasn't seen before. We might be able to fit in a bit of antique shopping for him before this is all said and done." Jack said in response to Amy's question.

Parking Garage, Commerce City, 9:30 PM, July 30th, 2075

"Oh I wouldn't know what he'd like then. I'll let you two do the shopping."

Commerce City, 9:30 PM, July 30th, 2075

Tooling around Commerce City for a bit, Grease looks for fares to pick up just in case he was followed. He pens a quick message to the team to get their input.

<<@Team[Grease]: Going to grab a few fares, as discussed. Are we going to the park tonight? Anything else we should do before tomorrow?>>

Somehwere between Commerce City and the Aurora Warrens, UCAS Sector, 9:35 PM, July 30th, 2075

All of the team's commlinks lit up simultaneously, meaning there was a good chance Grease had just sent a message. "I got it," Jack said as he replied to Grease's message.

<<@Grease [JustJack] We're going to bunk down at Nic's. Park is still a go. I think the only thing we're going to do is catch some shut-eye. Meet us at Nic's around 0300?>>

Commerce City, 9:37 PM, July 30th, 2075

Seeing the message light up his display, Grease responds reflexively. Darting in and around traffic, he simultaneously is having a heated discussion with a cousin who has called his commlink. His fare in the back is absolutely terrified.

<<@JustJack [Grease]: Sounds good. See you there.>>

Grease's Apartment, 1:00 AM, July 31st, 2075

After an hour or two of driving people around the city, Grease heads back home, parks the taxi, and heads inside.

He grabs a quick snack from the refrigerator, wolfs it down, and then lies down and tries to get some shuteye before the nights festivities. It feels like he had barely gotten to sleep when his alarm began blaring, waking him up at 1:00 AM.

While still lying in bed, he sends his senses shooting through the Matrix to find their way into the sensor housings in his FlySpy over at the Manuel house.

<<As always, it is a little disconcerting to find his physical senses pushed to the background, and to experience the world through the metallic limbs and electronics of a machine. Still, that soon goes away as he spreads his wings and begins to fly. His sensors pick up no movement around him, and the darts our from underneath the couch and hovers in the living room. His thermal sensors quickly allow him to determine that the ground floor is clear, and so he goes about his business of seeking a way out. Flying to the kitchen, he looks for the obvious, some sort of animal door, but he isn't that lucky. He then makes a circuit of all of the windows, but with the heat wave, they are all shut and the central air is turned on. His wings buzzing faster with frustration, he moves upstairs, the heat signatures showing him that Mrs. Manuel and her child are still in their beds, but the upstairs shows as little promise for escape as the downstairs. Flying back down to the living room, he sits on the couch trying to figure out his next move.>>

Nic's Knacks, 3:00 AM July 31st, 2075

Turbine had dropped the trio off a block or so away from Jack's home, and they had quickly walked the remaining distance with no trouble. As they got home, Kevin was sitting on the floor of the living room, looking off into space as he surfed the Matrix, and Nic was sitting in a chair he had cleared off, with an intimidating shotgun in his hands. Jack had given him the all clear on the way in, so they were met with only a smile instead of buckshot, and each person quickly went about their business.

Amy checked in on Sam, making sure she was asleep, and then lay down next to her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before trying to nod off herself. Overkill rolls his jacket up into a ball, lays down on the floor and uses it as a pillow.

Nic says, "I know you guys have stuff to do later, Jack, get some sleep. I'll keep watch for now, and I'll wake you at 3:00." Jack nods gratefully at the old troll, and lays down on the floor across the room from Overkill, and quickly falls asleep.

Several hours later, Nic shakes Jack awake, and says, "I'm going to turn in now. Stay safe."

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 3:00 AM July 31st, 2075

Jack stretched and tried to work the kinks out of his neck. Patting the troll on the shoulder, he replied, "Thanks Nic. I owe you... well, a lot. I appreciate the help, grab some Zs, amigo." Standing up, he approached Overkill's ersatz bed and nudged him with his foot, making sure the elf wasn't sleeping with his hands on any weapons. "Rise and shine, Overkill. I'm going to go and wake Amy up."

Jack slipped into his bedroom and quietly walked over to the mattress. Amy and Sam were both sleeping deeply. Not surprisingJack figured, this place is probably a step-up from their normal doss. Jack tapped out a quick text message on his commlink and then squatted down next to the two sleeping figures. Softly but insistently, the ork tapped Amy on the shoulder. As he saw her waking, he sent the message to silently alert her that it was time to wake up.

<<@Amy [JustJack] It's 0300, Amy. Time to wake up. Didn't want to wake Sam.>>

With lightning quickness, Amy snatched Jack's wrist, her eyes darting around for threats. The ork pointed to Sam's still sleeping form and whispered something about not waking the child up. As Amy gained awareness of the situation, she relaxed her grip and nodded. Jack stood up and exited the room as quietly as he entered. Returning to the front, he noted Overkill had readied his gear and was set. Jack returned to his temporary bed, put his boots on, and grabbed his SMG.

Grease's Apartment, 1:00 AM, July 31st, 2075

<<After doing another circuit of the house, Grease decides that his only way out is through the duct tape over the bullet hole. Maneuvering his drone into position, he begins using the legs of the FlySpy to try and peel back the tape. After several minutes of failed attempt after failed attempt, he takes a different tack, this time trying to cut a hole in the tape. The tape starts to give way, but it is excruciatingly slow work, and almost half an hour passes before he is able to make a big enough hole in the tape to squeeze the drone through. Even with him jumped into the drone, it is a tight squeeze, and it takes every ounce of skill to try and extricate the drone from the house. Finally, the drone busts free of the house, and zooms off into the night sky, as Grease turns control of the drone back over to the Pilot program. >>

Opening his eyes and looking at the clock, he groans, decides to get one more hour of shuteye, and then a quick shower. By 2:45 he is dressed and on his way out the door, taking his BMW out of the driveway and speeding over to Nic's.

He sent a quick message to Jack as he pulled into the driveway, and waited for the others to come outside.

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 3:02 AM July 31st, 2075

The gunmetal grey BMW, (it's face very similar to a Shark's) idles in a satisfying way in the driveway of Nic's Knacks. Grease is jacked in, feeling the power of the engine, the thirst for more petrol (he can tell his stomach is only 2/3rds full), and the thousands of noises and lights surrounding him, both large and small, each being taken in by a different one of his sensors.

<<@Team [Grease]: I'm outside. Party time.>>

Gear:

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 3:00 AM July 31st, 2075

Amy had fallen asleep quickly and as is her mentor's habit, he visited her in her sleep through dreams.

The shaman finds herself in the middle of a great urban park. Looming skyscrapers can be seen in the distance and the shadows they cast reaches even this haven of grass and trees. In front her lies a paved path that she follows forward towards what seems to be a fortress made of dirt. As she reaches the entrance, she marvels at the flows of magical energy that glisten around the huge mound. As she steps inside, she is swallowed up and feels immediately safe and welcome. The warmth and presence of her mentor spirit near and around her is comforting. Then in front of her appear the faces -- no, rather the auras -- of people she nevertheless recognizes immediately. Sam. Kevin. Hubert. Chomsky. Drave. Jack. Even old Nic and the rigger Grease. Just as this great spirit of protection doesn't take a fixed shape to interact with her apprentice, it is also not one to use words to express ideas, but speaks rather through impressions and emotions. And the message couldn't be more clear. Watch out for these people. Care for them. Protect them. "I swear I will remain vigilant, my dear friend. Belive me, I..."

Amy is startled and reacts vigorously and with alarming speed at Jack's light tap on her shoulder, looking around and assessing whether a threat is present. Jack hasn't expected this and takes a step back, whispering softly "Sshh, don't wake her up" and pointing to the child in her arms. Becoming aware of the situation, Amy calms herself down and nods in agreement, gently going around Sam and out of the room.

In the bathroom, she freshens up by throwing water in her face and then joins the others in the living room. "I'm good to go anytime."

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 3:00 AM July 31st, 2075


Drave groaned as he got up off the floor. He had slept on many floors, and worse, but that didn't make pain it caused any lessened. Seeing that the 3AM had rolled around, he began to gather up his gear, and once he had finished he looked over to Jack, asking "Do you happen to have any coffee around here? I am entirely certain I am going to need it."

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 3:03 AM July 31st, 2075

"Given your taste for beer, I'm not sure you're going to want what we have to offer." Jack chuckled. The ork pointed to a beaten-up decades old Mr. Soykaf 3000 sitting behind the counter. "You're more than welcome to give that a shot."

As Amy entered the room and announced she was ready, Jack headed outside and walked over to the driver's side window of Grease's BMW. "Morning, Grease." Jack began, "I hope you got what little sleep you could. So what's the play here? We pile in, head over to the park, you pop a drone to take a quick look-see to see if anyone is roaming the park at this time, a few of us head in, take position, and Amy whistles up a spirit to dig?"

GEAR

Nic's Knacks, Aurora Warrens, 3:03 AM July 31st, 2075

Drave gave Jack a momentary look of dismay before collecting himself and saying, "Am I accurate that the cream and sugar are likewise in doubt?" He began inspecting the area for filters and grounds, realizing it was going to be a long day.

E. Smoky Run, Aurora Warrens, 3:20 AM July 31st, 2075

Overkill finishes his coffee with a grimace, detesting the taste, but needing the caffeine. Jack sits calmly in the front seat, while Amy fidgets a little next to Overkill in the back. Grease puts the car on autopilot and jumps into the Fly Spy hovering a couple hundred meters over their heads.

<<Winging his way over the buildings, his drones sensors pick out all the holes in the walls, the caved in roofs, and dilapidated remains of this once residential neighborhood. This section of town is rough by the best of standards, and it always makes Grease glad he doesn't have to live in this shithole. Swooping down over the park, the sensors detect multiple heat signatures in the park. Making a quick circuit, and then dropping down to tree level, he investigates further.

On the north side of the park, near the apartment complex, stand three men. Their track suits all match, as do their weapons. At this range it is difficult to tell the make and model, but they appear to be some form of small automatic weapons. They are relaxing around a firepit, which currently remains unlit, and speaking in a language Grease does not understand.

Scattered throughout the park itself are several dozen other metahuman forms. Most are human, but the occasional larger bulk shows an ork or troll. All of these forms are prone, and most are motionless, although a few toss and turn.

They seem to be in three distinct clumps, one near the apartment complex, one on the east side of the park, and the other on the west.>>