The Den Games Network Forum RPG
Page 5
Game Masters:
virtualoctopus, CKW, Wesforce
(BlueThunder)
The plane from Orkstonia had landed on time, Dark Sorrow had gotten though customs without a hitch or argument, as his new employers had promised. Now in Orkstonia, he decided to take a back road to the Jadal/Transys compound, his employers would meet him there and give him his orders.
Dark Sorrow had a strange feeling about this place, ever since he had got off the plane he had heard, what he believed to be, foot steps behind him, as if something was following him. But when he looked around, nothing there, just trees. Anyone else may have put it down to their imagination, but Dark Sorrow knew all about mind tricks and the power of stealth, even though he couldn't see anything, something was watching and he was on his guard.
Suddenly Dark Sorrow heard a faint "twang", he instantly took a step back, letting a bolt from a crossbow fly past him into a tree. He instantly knew who it was.
"Well done Mr. Sakhar, I wondered when you'd show your face again." he yelled "Or not show it as the case may be...*
A man dressed in golden armour leaped down from a tree. He had a loaded crossbow in his hand, ready to take another shot at the Necromancer.
"You will pay for your crimes Sorrow! I will see the suffering you brought onto your kin avenged."
Dark Sorrow didn't reply, instead he removed the remains he had stolen from the museum, he held them at and angle so the armoured warrior could see.
"As you can see..." Dark Sorrow started "I have obtained the very thing you have been trying to protect your whole life, the remains of Magen Ra, or would you like his least known name?"
The armoured warrior was filled with many emotions by this,
"How could he? What did I miss?"
Suddely, rage over took the warrior. He fired his crossbow again, but the Necromancer dodged.
"I have no time for a fool like you, until next time... Good bye Mr. Sakhar"
The Armoured warrior wasn't shocked when the Necromancer disappeared, every time he had been confronted it had happened.
"DAMN HIS SORCERY!" He yelled punching the floor "I will avenge my people... one day... I promise..."
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(virtualoctopus)
Hurricane stepped up.
"I will do it. For a price. Let sister Mary have no part in this - it is obviously somewhat against some code of practice to treat this woman"
Behemoth grinned.
"I suppose you could have a couple of thousand Nuyen for it.
"5,500"
"Done"
That drekbitch, Mary thought, almost out loud. She stole my job, to pay for her ride.
***
Two hours later, Eva having been cured, the runners departed. Behemoth and Eva waiting for a replacement helicopter to pick them up, and take them on to London. The other runners left, for Orkslavia.
The van was now more cramped, Silvia and her dragon wings taking up much of the space. Dorodo was having to sit in between Raven and Badjimmy at the front, the latter nursing his damaged hand. Tank was fuming, unable to relax after the demeaning encounter with the other Ork. No-one was going to last much longer in this atmosphere.
The redhead spoke up slowly, her voice rich and seductive.
"Tank"
The Ork looked up from his fementing anger.
"Wot?", he snapped.
"That Ork back there. He stole your kill, I know it. He's ruined your honour."
Tank stared back.
"He wasn't a warlord, or at least, didn't look like one. He may have said he was, but he wasn't. And I can help you prove it".
The elf smiled wickedly, and went on.
"In the fight, he lost some blood from the Troll attacking him. It's only a little, but I have a trace"
She removed a tiny bottle from her dress, and displayed it. The green glass contained a small amount of a thick red substance.
Greenskin blood. Either an ork or a troll.
Mary, how had been looking on with interest, spoke up.
"You sure that 's from the Ork?"
"Yes. He was the only one who left blood by the van. The troll never got near enough".
Tank grunted. "Wot are vous gonna do 'vec it?"
Sarah grinned again. "There's a biotech facility in Orkistonia. I reckon we could sneak in, hijack one of their machines for a lil while while the doc here checks it out for us. I don't think that guy's a real Ork at all either, brother."
Mary was shocked at the bluntnes. "Hey! Who said you're in charge suddenly? We're going to Orkistonia to return Curim's staff, and that's it. Then we leave. Go find the others"
And let me get my thesis done, she thought.
Tank, Hurricane, Badjimmy, and suprisingly Dorodo stared at her.
They think I'm one of them, , she thought.
Sarah spoke, eloquently. "Mary, surely you understand that that Ork has greatly wronged Tank. We owe it to him as his comrades, his friends to find out the truth for him. They gave up their time for you to escort you to Orkistonia, and you owe it to them to do the same for Tank. I know you have morals, sister. Let them guide you.
Even Silvia had been wooed by the shaman, it seemed, as she pledged her support for Tank, along with The Binman.
Mary didn't know what to say.
Raven cut in - up until now he had been silent.
"C'mon Mary, it won't be hard, just a little sidetrip. It won't add more than a day before we can get back to Britain and" - his face took on a wistful expression - "Crystal".
It didn't look like she had a choice. Again.
---------------------------------------------
(CKW)
Twenty days to reach the top. Blizzard, starvation, coldness. The man continued to climb up the mountain. He needed to see pure and quiet nature, in the end of the world, where the earth reached sky. The mount Everest.
"My past has died along this travel. In this mountain, I shall find my new identity, my new strenght. I can't go back. There's no turn back."
he looked back at the chopper landing zone.
The Blazer pistol emitted a howling sound with the wind.
"A new identity. A new strength."
He poured down the bullets of the pistol, remove one of his gloves, and concentrated for a bit. Soon a flame appeared from his hand and destroyed the bullets.
Roszondas felt a conmottion in the Astral planes,a faint signal of a human using magic. A known human.
The reinforcements came in a whirl.
"Hey there, pals!"
"Good time, chummer, will you pick us up?" repeated Behemoth,
"By the way, your mission is over. Roszondas found Draco and sent me to bring him."
A young punk, appearing 17 years, appeared from the rear part of the cockpit.
"Hell, you look really young!" shouted Behemoth.
The kid only laughed.
And so, two passengers were added to the ship cargo.
The kid spoke.
"Can I do something"
He was only being polite due to the fear he had to Roszondas.
"What, sir?" replied the pilot.
"Follow that van, I sense someone that I know from time ago..."
"Not that van again, kid. We have had a---" Behemoth was cutted.
"You dare to retaliate a dragon?" groaned Draco.
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(Nyerguds)
A Biotech facility? Sounds exciting!
But then Silvia remembered what Kaim had written her. He lived pretty close to the facility... if you can call it close, when everything is sealed off 10 kilometers (6.5 miles) around the place. He wrote that the place was a fortress.
Um... Not good. But if we go there I'll get closer to my destination. I'll just tell them when we get there.
---------------------------------------------
(CKW)
The discussion on the chopper continued.
"Well sir, certainly is on our way... but I have direct orders from the Lord,and fuel is a bit short since I have escorted Roszondas from Japan to Geneva. I was on my way back to the Japan base when Roszondas asked me to pick you."
"That explains why you picked up us so soon" rushed Behemoth
"Fool, Good for nothing! If you can't do it, i can fly for myself."
The proud dragon opened the door and jumped through it. Astonishingly quickly, he shapeshifted and unfolded the wings.
The sun was covered by a big shadow of a dragon. Still not as big as the Greater Dragons used to be, due to his age, Draco's wingspan was magnificent.
Soon the van was covered with a shadow.
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(Sn1P3r)
Zizz continued to smile at Kara as she slowly walked up to his bed. Zizz knew that there was a gun under his bed, and although he wasn't likely to hit her, at least he'd have a chance. If only he could reach it.
"Can you walk?" she whispered,
"I think so, but I might be a little shaky" he replied, forming his plan in his mind.
"Get up, we're leaving". Zizz put his legs on the floor, on the opposite side to Kara, and pulled himself up.
"Now we exit the room, right?" she smiled. Zizz nodded, took a step, and faked a slip, landing him on the floor looking right at his pistol, he slowly reached and grabbed it, pulling it under his body quickly.
"Get up" she growled. Zizz shoved the gun quickly into his pocket before getting up.
"And now we leave" she smiled.
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(Wesforce)
Kara had had to leave any weapons behind when she'd infiltrated the hospital. So far so good - She hadn't needed them.
Brassy as hell, she'd jandered on in there, acting completely as if it was her grud-given right, nodding politely at various nurses and guards.
An armoured guard at the elevator to the floor she knew Zizz was on - She'd had to pay a decker a good ¥8,000 for that info.
Any oppositing the guard may have given her, when she stated clearly and authoritavely her reason for visiting and showing her fake ID credstick, winking and smiling at the DocWagon man. The Credstick - Which identified her as one 'Heidi Loveless - Simsense actress'.
The guard decided not to argue.
And now Kara was facing up to Zizz, who shook unsteadily on his feet, awaiting his fate.
"Actually, no, stay here. Relax, Mr Zizler. Let me Adjust your clothing for you AHA HA HA!"
She pushed him heavily against the wall. Pain shot through his legs, almost parlysing him.
She picked up a syringe and prepared to inject an air bubble into the helpless Zizz' arm.
Damn, dark in here. I'll just adjust the polarization on the window to give myself some light...
---------------------------------------------
(Nyerguds)
It suddenly became a lot darker in the van.
"What the frag?" Raven looked at the big shadow that just passed them. "It's a fragging dragon!"
Silvia looked up.
A Dragon, here? Ah, sleg him.
Mary noticed that Silvia didn't look as happy as she expected her to be. In fact, it seemed like she was jealous because the Dragon could fly while she couldn't.
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(virtualoctopus)
Raven gunned the engine. After their last encounter with a dragon, albeit a bone one, he didn't want to get in the way if this one turned nasty. They had been on the road almost three days now, and everyone else.
Dorodo was peering out at the dragon, and whistling in awe.
"Yeah, it's big, isn't it. Never seen one before?"
Dorodo shook his head.
"Well, I advise you, stay clear. Dragon's don't come out much, but when they do, they're liable to have something important to do. And you know as well as I do, that runners like you and me, pal, have a habit of getting in the middle of 'something important'."
Dorodo agreed.
Hurricane spoke up, pushing long red hair out of her eyes, from the book ('Annotated Essays on the Teachings of Light') she was reading, and spoke to Raven.
"Could we have the news on the van's comm? I feel so cut off in here"
Convinced by her rich, chocolatey voice, Raven agreed.
- vortex now spans approximately 2 kilometres of the city of Geneva. Queen Antoinette has pledged to send a regiment of her Mage Guard to help find a way to constrain it
The situation in Orkslavia worsens - AET forces are consilidating in the north of the country, allied with NDA Dwarf Militias. It remains to be seen what will happen to this small country. Meanwhile, the Jadal/Transys joint venture is still shipping materials into it's new compound - we'll have more for you when our undercover report drones discover more about the nature of this. Here's what an AET spokesperson says about the situation :
"We are not, I repeat, not, attempting to overthrow the current Governement. AET issues concern setting up a new installation in the North of the country, with our business partners, Bulk Nutrition. AET is always dedicated to improving the quality of life of beings around the world, and our move to improve distribution of valuable foodstuffs in this region should be commended, not looked at with suspicion"
"Well, well", said Raven thoughtfully. "Did anyone else recognise that voice?"
There was a general hubbub, as the runners discussed the point.
Raven paused for effect.
"I'm 99% certain that was Ery".
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(BlueThunder)
"Foolish being, why does he hunt me to the ends of the Earth? Why can't I be rid of him!" Dark Sorrow was so busy ranting about the warrior known as Sakhar that he never even noticed he had reached his goal.
The Jadal/Transys compound, a place that towered over it's surroundings. Dark Sorrow stood in awe for a few minutes before entering the compound though a large metal door. He found two Elite Cadre at the entrance waiting for him.
"Dark Sorrow I assume?" said the one.
"Your assumptions are correct" Dark Sorrow replied.
"Follow us..."
The Elite Cadre took Dark Sorrow down a vast corridor, countless rooms on either side.The place stank of Organic matter, it was worse the rotting flesh. It was so bad it made Dark Sorrow choke. He stopped for a brief second to catch his breath, one of the Cadre stopped to tell him to "hurry, time was precious", which he eventually did.
After what seemed like an hours walk, they reached the end of the corridor.
"Master Polt is waiting for you inside of this room. We surgest you do not upset him Necromancer... he is not... erm... not well..."
"I HEARD THAT!" yelled a voice from inside. Crispin Polt walked out of the room, he came up to the Elite Cadre in question.
"So, your saying i'm not normal are ya?" he said in an accusing tone.
"No my master..." started the Cadre.
"Now you mock me!" Polt yelled with a flex of his needle like fingers on the end of his cyber arm.
"No I..."
"You think i'm insane don't you! Something to be feared! Well I'll show you fear! GUARDS! Take him away, he will be dealt with later..." Polt walked back into his room as the other Cadre held the other down and took him away.
"Mr. Polt!" said Dark Sorrow, who wasn't really worried about this madman.
"Ah, you must be the one they send to protect me..." he turned his skeleton like body slowly towards Sorrow "Those fools!They think I am frail, unable to protect myself. They see me as a skinny runt who can't lift a piece of paper without braking his back! Well I'll show them... I'll show them all..."
Sorrow didn't know what to say, one wrong world and this insane maniac would have him melted down.
"Let us go inside good sir..." he said finally
"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you!" He said, flexing his fingers again "You... you... you probably have it wired! Yes, as soon as I step inside BOOM! Your one of them aren't you, out to get me! Yes! YES! You want to destroy me! You want to destroy us all!"
"I have no time for this you old fool! I was sent to protect you, not be your baby sitter..." Dark Sorrow had finally got annoyed with the pathetic fool. He wasn't here to be locked up with a madman! This was insanity, no amount of money or power was worth this...
"Ah I see now, your a friend to the company, come in, come in... friend" Polt said flexing his fingers.
What had just happened? Sorrow had no idea. But he may as well take advantage of it, while he is still in the mans good books.
Polt walked in and sat down at a desk, he was tapping his fingers with his head down. After a few minutes of this Sorrow became restless.
"What do you acquire of me?" he asked.
"Protection" Said the scientist simply, still tapping his fingers on the desk.
"From what?"
"Everything... the trees, the birds, the walls, the Cadre, all out to get me... only you are safe... only you must know! All things... surrounding me... dangerous, bad it's all bad!"
Sorrow sighed, he just stood in the corner, he dared not sit down in case the man bit his head off. All he did was tap, tap his seven or eight needle fingers on his desk... tap tap... tap tap... tap tap... it was enough to drive anyone to madness.
"I have plans..." muttered the scientist "great plans... and I need you... just you... no one else... we're in this together now... you... me... together... here, have a seat. You look awfully grey... lack of blood to the knees they say. Or maybe all the blood is stored in your eyes, red pits... reminds me of the red hat I had as a child. I love that hat..."
Sorrow sat down... listening to the constant ranting and tapping of the scientist, but his mind was really on Sakhar.
"That young one is growing stronger" he thought to himself "I must be more careful in the future..."
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(virtualoctopus)
Nothing.
Moisture.
Darkness.
Life.
Life, flowing all around him. Life-giver, life itself.
Light.
Death.
***
Damocles awoke.
The plex-glass lid of the coffin-like vat constricted him, shut him in, caged him. He wasn't wearing a breath-mask, and would be dead now, if he did not have gills. He could breathe in here, just about.
A paid throbbed in his head.
'Go away', he thought.
It didn't.
It was telling him he was needed.
Damocles flexed his stiff arms, and pushed open the vat lid. The light from outside flooded into his eyes, as he sat up. The watch-eye stared down at him, unblinking.
He didn't notice the smell now - his vat bath had got him used to it again. That was a pity. He rather liked the smell. It told him that he was alive.
He exhaled heavily, beads of thick yellow gloop flying out of his nose as he resumed normal breathing.
He needs me, Damocles thought. The father needs me.
Shambling, the biologically engineered half-ork assassin left the vat-room. He was naked, but that didn't matter to anyone, least of all himself. He was barely human (or metahuman for that matter) anyway.
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(Wesforce)
Chance - despite his lack of cyberware - was no slouch in the reaction stakes. He knew he wasn't state of the art like some of the killing machines out there, but he had one thing most of them lacked - Experience. Experience hard-earned with training and discipline, and not a little blood spilt along the way.
Thus, when he spied the indistinct form of Kara across and up the way, he wasn't caught short. The instant he spotted the green hair. So much like Zizz's, but in a completely different style...
"SHE'S THERE! GO GO GO!" He roared.
He virtually kicked the door off the Land Rover 2046 and rolled out onto the ground, bringing his rifle up. He braced, aimed and fired in one instinctive, fluid motion.
***
At the window, due to her wired reflexes, Kara wasn't slow off the mark, either. She saw the small figure a few hundred metres off, recognised the rifle immediately...
A high-velocty rifle round smacked unerringly through the plexiglass window. With superhuman speed, Kara actually saw it coming and dodged it. And another, and another. Then she dodged back again. She had moved too fast - She had dodged into a bullet that Chance had fired which would have missed her.
The soldier had taken into account her own juiced reactions, and used them against her.
The rifle-round impacted against her sternum. She hadn't been wearing armour - The DocWagon guards would have noticed.
The bullet shattered her breastbone, splintering it, severing flesh, puncturing a lung.
Why do I, with all my power and influence, always insist on doing my own hits? Kara thought.
The next thing, Kara realised she had trouble breathing. Then it had all gone dark.
***
Haven't seen anyone go down like that since... Since the Imperial Japanese advance into Singapore...
Chance stared, assessing his shooting.
No, I could have missed her still. She could have diodged. She's a tricky one. I can't leave it to Chance.
Chance smiled. Then he was up again. The streets were crowded - London's streets were always crowded. He hoped no-one had seen his gun.
He took a quick look around. A few people were staring, but no-one was paying much attention. Several bystanders made a point of walking away quickly, as if unsure if what they'd seen was real but unwilling to find out. The sound-suppressed rifle was a marvellous tool.
"Heh heh, trust the conservatism of the English!"
Chance, with Firearm close behind, concealed their weapons under Longcoats they'd aquired (Firearm, in a move that would have made Badjimmy proud, was wearing one of Mary's fashionable lady's coats). They walked briskly up to the entrance.
Crystal jumped out of her door and sprinted in the direction of the hospital. The two guards on the door saw her coming and shouted a challenge.
"I can't hear you! Put your visors up!" She said, skidding to a halt on the rain-sodden pavement. With her index finger she pulled the pin on the object she had palmed in her hand.
Guard #1 did so.
"I said 'Stop running! This is an ambulance-zone!"
Guard #2 - With his visor down still - Stared at his partner in disbelief.
"Steve, you dick!"
Not really, he made my job easier. Crystal smiled, casually tossing her primed flashbang at the two. Before it detonated, she hit the ground behind a yellow dumpster marked with a biohazard sign.
***
In another waiting car - A Rolls-Royce Phaeton - Bobby Woo waited patiently.
His Tong-offshoot gang was closely allied to Kara the Hun's mob. Although he only saw the green-haired bitch as a stepping stone for his operation, he was happy to humour the 'alliance' they both had. For now.
This even meant running back-up for the psycho-bitch as she infiltrated - of all things - a hospital.
He wasn't sure of her motives, but he knew she was after the famous Wing-Man, Matthew 'Zizz' Zizler.
Keeping a show of solidarity with her, he had also come himself. This was not surprising; He had a reputation for leading from the front, often brutally making examples of his enemies.
His chain of thought was cut-off with the flash and bang of a stun grenade.
Bobby grabbed his gold-plated Shunwang ChongDu, and leaned forward to speak to his men:
"This just got interesting. Lets get stuck in boys!"
"Yes boss!"
His henchmen shouted in affirmation. All five wore smart black suits, with sunglasses and ties. Their neat, short haircuts matched their machinelike cyber-enhanced precision ans they pulled out FN P235 PDW's, which they held one-handed, advancing on the hospital.
Bobby followed them at a more leisurely pace, with his Heavy autopistol drawn.
Bystanders ran screaming in all directions.
A man in black military fatigues carrying a rifle was followed into the hospital by another man with uzis and a blue-haired woman with a bulpup submachinegun and a slung bag.
One woman didn't run - A red-haired woman, cradling ome kind of exotic-weapon in her gloved hands, wearing a jumpsuit. She was playing rearguard.
Whoever she is, she'll make a nice first kill of the day.
He bared his teeth in a savage smile.
***
The guard with his visor up fell to the floor, hands over his face, curing violently. The second guard opened up on Crystal immediately with his OCU Jabber smg7. His rapid torrent of fire punctured the dumpster. Thick red fluid sprayed out of it.
By now Chance and Firearm were sprinting. Chance threw off his longcoat and blindsided guard #2 as he fired, cracking him brutally with his rifle butt. The visor shattered. The DocWagon man span to the ground. Firearm kicked him in the head brutally as he did so.
The two carried on sprinting into the DocWagon building, with Crystal back after them.
If this was one of the government's insanely crowded NHS hospitals, what they were doing would have been impossible. Ironically, they very fact that the hospital was exclusively for DocWagon patents helped them - It was almost deserted.
The weapons detectors went off the instant the 'runners passed through the main doors.
Chance covered the angles with his rifle. Crystal ran up - A concealed side-door was opening electronically. Five DocWagon gaurds were hurrying out of their ready-room - Still pulling their helmets on.
They met Crystal, with another Flash grenade.
"Lights out, boyos!" She hrew the grenade directly at the first man's face, splattering his nose, then she slammed the door before the 'WHOOMP!' of the nausea-inducing explosion and flash.
Screams and howls of pain reverberated agains the door. Music to Crystal's ears.
As Firearm took the lead into the entrance hall, he spotted the receptionist: A young, blonde elven woman sat at a desk, staring in disbelief.
"You can't-" The pretty elven receptionist started.
"Sorry love." Firearm snarled, firing both Uzis into her at full-auto from point-blank rage, chewing her to pieces before she could press the alarm button. "I couldn't find time to make an appointment. HA! HA!"
Chance stared in shock at the carnage. He'd seen worse, of course, but an unarmed woman? In a hospital?
"What?" Firearm said, over his twin smoking guns.
And then Chance had more to worry about:
The alarm triggered. Whether from the weapon detectors, the weapon discharge, explosion or any cameras, they couldn't be sure.
With a massive thump, heavy plas-crete blast doors came crashing down over the entrance, shutting out the outside world completely.
Ash was still outside...
Crystal came sprinting by again.
"C'mon you slugs! The guards are going to recover and chew us to pieces if we don't get a move on!"
And then she said:
"Where'd Ash go?"
***
Zizz stared in disbelief at the prone, bleeding form of his Bitch. He wasn't sure if she was dead or not, but she didn't look good.
He hobbled out of his room, a hand on his gun.
The alarm was going off...
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(LeFire)
Ash instinctively jerked around as the blast doors slammed down on the DocWagon building entrances. That move saved her life... A burst sliced past her nose, death whistling by just inches away.
Oh frag! Time for some cover...
Flicking her flamethrower to wide-spray, she laid down fire in a 180 degree semicircle in front of her as she sprinted away from the entrance. The flames boiled up, instantly catching the tarmac on fire.
Smoke, thick and heavy, formed a screen between her and her oncoming attackers.
Ash thought furiously as she ran along the shrubbery planted outside the hospital. In the tradition of feel-good medical centers for the rich that had sprung up over the years, the foilage was ridiculously thick, offering excellent cover. Beyond the protective screen of plants and fire, she could hear the rattle of gunfire as DocWagon security and gangers mixed it up. Ash's wake was marked by tiny smoulderings in the grass... her emotions getting the better of her again now that Chance was cut off. He was still close by though, and Ash suddenly thought of a plan to enter the hospital.
Like all rich hospitals, this one had beautiful faux stained glass windows on its ground floors. Ash could see plas-crete screens coming down and sealing them off... but the speed of closure was slower than the instant slam-down of the main doors... a compromise to prevent the expensive windows from being shattered from the shock of a sudden slam-down.
She continued sprinting closer as the window closed...
At ten yards, her right hand triggered off a long blast of intense heat, the IWS flamer speaking with its narrow nozzle at the opening. The plas-crete didn't slag, but the guiding rails did... expanding and momentarily slowing down the rate of closure. The stained-glass sagged, liquifying in the tremendous heat.
That was all the time she needed... Ash leapt lengthwise with her flamer leading the way, the wash of flame making it seem her seem like a horizontal meteor racing for the opening.
She exploded through the window with barely inches to spare as the plas-crete block finally overwhelmed the weakening rails and crashed down.
Ash rolled to a halt in the reception room in front of the startled trio of Chance, Crystal and Firearm, the last among them almost opening fire in shock at the sudden entry. Behind her, flames were already consuming the drapes of the hospital. The sprinklers exploded into action, drenching everyone as Ash picked herself up, casually wiping off burning flamer fuel from her hair and face.
Chance heaved a sigh of relief as Ash entered... He somehow guessed that she would be smart enough to find a way in. He knelt over the fallen receptionist, eyeing Firearm with a fierce glare... but the mission took priority.
A luckless DocWagon doctor had the luck to stride in just as Firearm was reloading his Uzi's. Taking the opportunity, Chance strode over to him before Firearm could shoot, swung behind the man, and pressed a pistol to his temple.
"That woman has been hit. You treat her right now or I blow your brains out, you get that, Doctor?"
Chance shoved the man towards the bleeding receptionist as he jogged to her computer... again cursing Firearm. The alarm button was still untouched. With a suitable threat (which he had plenty of experience doing so), Chance could have used the help of the receptionist to get Zizz's location before incapacitating her (duct tape was amazingly useful).
Now he hammered on the keyboard, trying out various combinations of Zizz's name before he finally got the listing and room number, knowing that precious seconds were ticking by as he worked. He called Cylinder at the same time through his wristphone's earpiece.
"Cy, the plan has gone bust. We have gained entry into the buidling and are assaulting Zizz's room in five mikes time. Get airborne and orbit... the main entrance is sealed and we're going out by air."
"Roger that!" Cylinder replied... taking amusement in Chance's tendency to return to military-speech patterns. He struck the play button on his music player and soared off, Crash pulling on airman's goggles in the back and leaning over his gun, pretending to be a World War 2 bomber gunner and wishing that he had a scarf around his neck to heighten the effect.
The modernised ID0 rendition of "Ride of the Valkyries" thundered out its tune as Cy roared towards the DocWagon compound.
Chance gathered the assault team for the move upstairs to Zizz'z room. The cowed doctor continued working on the receptionist... the man seeking to block out his terror by resorting to the reassuring crutch of medical knowledge. In his heart, he swore that if he got out of this alive... he would help the poor, treat the sick for free, dump his mistress, remember his kid's birthday, stop kicking his dog...
Chance hissed to Firearm as they took the stairs...
"Gruddammit Firearm! Next time you pull the trigger on a bystander again, I'm going to shoot you myself!"
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(Wesforce)
The team quickly decided to use the stairs: The elevators would probably automatically turn control over to Security Deckers or A security Rigger (if there was one) who could control the enitre building like he controlled his own body, whereas at least on the stairs they wouldn't be trapped.
The 'Runners advanced rapidly, Chance and Firearm leapfrogging each other, keeping the more lightly-armed Crystal in the middle. Every time Chance had his back to Firearm, he had the urge to turn around, in case Firaerm's aim was going astray, but so far his professional courtesy meant he trusted the trigger-happy guy... For now.
It was as Firearm took the lead out of the stairwell, preparing to move to the next one, when he came across a burse, who'd appeared from around a corner, dropping a tray of small vials.
Firearm levelled his guns:
Come on. Waste her. His mind tod him. Do her, just like the slitch downstairs. You don't care what Chance says do you? Obviously he isn't cut out for the streets...
A single heartbat passed...
No... I don't want to push my 'comrades' in times like this. I'll wait.
"Clear!" He shouted over his shoulder, putting his weapons up.
The nurse had reacted strangely to Firrearms threat. Instead of cowering from the big, nasty Shadowrunner, she'd held her ground.
Now: Moving with chipped-lightning wired speed, she kicked Firearm in the gut, doubling him over.
"Whuf!" He grunted.
Then she whipped a stun rod off the back of her tunic...
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