Official Tensided Cyperpunk RPG Campaign

[Alyrium Denryle]

"Son of a bitch!... This isnt working... I wish these bastards had scitzo..."

He closed his eyes, and concentrated on one of the men with RPGs He attempted to find a back-way into his mind and implant a new little friend(Thought sending)

"*children laughing* Hi, that man beside you is out to kill you, tonight he is going to drive a knife into you eye socket... I know because he told me so... I dont want to see you hurt, so you have to get rid of him...*repeats* "

[Marcao]

Mikal

He disliked running, but there were situations that called for it and this was certainly one of them. As he ran towards the door before him his mind under the effects of adrenalin began to consider their situation. The first wave had been nothing and had been brushed aside easily. This group however was the main attraction, and they had quickly made that fact known. He suddenly realized that he was not irritated at his loss of cover so much at the apparent idiocy of Stacey’s guards. They were all dead now, and he was pleased by that fact. Death was the ultimate sign of failure.

Of course now that Stacey had lost her protectors both himself and Ernesto would be in a far better position to negotiate. Now, all that was left was for them to survive this encounter and get back to…His mind lost the thought, a sudden chill manifesting within the pit of his stomach and spreading outwards like a wildfire. It had been as if…He glanced over his shoulder, time itself seeming to bend and twist, slowing down beneath the adrenalin which swam through his veins. He saw the death that one of Ernesto’s rockets had caused, he saw an enemy falling but not before he could tattoo another of Stacey’s “elite guards” with bullets. Finally, he saw a machinegun being aimed in his direction.

Shit!

He took a suddenly sharp breath, forcing his leg muscles to move faster but it was not enough. The machinegun’s barrel had nearly aligned itself with him. A part of his mind screamed that he was going to die now, but he knew it was not true. A Russian never died with his job incomplete and he knew that he would not die without being paid. As the bullets began to scream towards him he dived forward, twisting the air slightly as bullets and tracers sang around him like children in Christmas. He was not hit, disappearing beneath the safety of the room’s cover as he landed on his feet and glided roughly a meter before he came to a stop.

There was no time for congratulations, his arms releasing the shotgun which he had held in his arms as his right should dropped and his arm twisted. This caused the G36K he had harnessed to his shoulder to tumble downward into his waiting arms. His eyes slid down to the clip, taking notice of the ammo type before he moved back to the entrance of the room still hidden from view. He took a deep breath, inching closer to the edge of the entrance before he leaned outward slightly, using the entrance as cover to its maximum effect before he lined up a shot and squeezed the trigger. He spared no expense, sending a full 13 bullets towards his target. The moment that he finished firing, he sought shelter back within the room.

Come on Ernesto, kill these pendejos already.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Notes: Mikal is leaning out of the doorway, using a full ROF on whatever enemy that he can see although his preference is too shot those without the shield first. If he has to shoot the guy with the shield, he will try and hit him somewhere other than the damned shield. His weapon is smart-linked and packing AP rounds.

[Gerard_Paloma]

After emptying the BAR's clip, Dirk puts his head down and keeps running. Something, call it a sixth sense, a soldier's intuition, or just plain stupid fucking luck, told him to make a diving roll for the doorway at the last second. As he did, the bullets wizzing by his heels were a sure sign he had just been given a second chance at life.

Remind me to find religion after this, or at the very least, a good stiff drink...

Now relatively safe inside the room, Dirk sets down the empty rifle. He looks around for any heavier firepower, i.e. anything that could blast that shield to flinders, or at least penetrate it. Failing that, he pulls out a grenade and starts cooking it off.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

Turn 31

Yuuki starts making his special concoction.

Ernesto starts reloading his launcher.

Mikal instantly lines up his target using his Smartgun system and lets loose.

DF: 20
AT: 17
Final roll: 26

6 shots hit
Locations: 3 body, 2 arms, 1 legs
Specific locations: Right torso, left clavicle, heart, right bicep, right wrist, right knee
Damages: 8, 0, 5, 0, 3, 4
Effects: Dead

Advanced polymers and ceramics are still no match for steel core rifle rounds, as this man discovers. A few of the rounds penetrate, most hitting nothing critical, but Mikal sees his third hit go into the man's heart, and he drops dead.

Unfortunately, he manages to fire his shot first.

DF: 20
AT: 21
Final roll: 31

Ernesto's sixth sense goes haywire and he throws himself bodily before the soldier lines him up with the RPG. His cover is blown to bits, and so would he have been if he had stayed put. He knew without even having to look that a hail of machinegun rounds wouldn't come far behind.

Dirk scans the room in search of something that can get through the shield, and a certain object seems to light up like a christmas tree. Lying on the workbench is a Browning M2, still attached to a special lightweight bipod mount. Full auto on the fastest setting would be too much, but on the slow setting it should be fine. The gun is over 5 feet long and weighs more than one hundred pounds, making it almost more gun than even Dirk can handle, but then again he only has to carry it about 15 feet.

Benjamin switches targets, focusing on the man with the RPG launcher.

DF: 26
AT: 19
Final roll: 23

He starts to have some success, which is cut short by Mikal's shot to the heart.

[Alyrium Denryle]

"This is starting to piss me off. '

He switches to a new target, and tries the same thing again, This time at a machine gunner

[Symmetry]

Yuuki had, of course, seen the machine gun laying there. He had briefly considered grabbing it, but he didn't really how to use those things, and that crazy looking dude was already going for it. Back to his old favorite, the sock grenade.

[CorSec]

A trip down memory lane...

*women's voice singing*
Girl, it's been a long time that we've been apart
Much too long for a man who needs love
I miss you since I've been away

Blaine arrived at the Seattle Club a little worse for the wear. Long story short was that it was an interesting ride on the subway. I hate this city. I hate that it's a life and death struggle just to go to the store. He walked into the club much later than he'd wanted to, but with the way things were that he had arrived at all was enough of a blessing.

Babe, it wasn't easy to leave you alone
It's getting harder each time that I go
If I had the choice, I would stay

He had heard a woman singing from outside. As he made his way to an empty spot at the bar he got to see who was on stage. He didn't know who the band was, but they were mediocre at best. It was her he was intrigued by.

There's no one like you
I can't wait for the nights with you
I imagine the things we'll do
I just wanna be loved by you

He was still getting used to his new ears. He'd heard singers before, of course, but there was something different about her voice. It wasn't perfect! He realized before too long. Indeed, more than 90% of the voices you hear, either live or on the radio, these days have perfect, or at least nearly perfect tonal qualities. But with the singer on stage there were imperfections in tone or pitch. But to say 'imperfection' is to misrepresent her singing ability. She's a natural singer.

No one like you
I can't wait for the nights with you
I imagine the things we'll do
I just wanna be loved by you

As if Blaine wasn't already smitten enough just to find a woman who was simply interested in him, now he knew for sure he'd found someone well beyond what could remotely be considered his league.

Girl, there are really no words strong enough
To describe all my longing for love
I don't want my feelings restrained

He'd had a crush on her from the moment he'd layed eyes on her.

''Can I help you, ma'am?'' Blaine asked the woman wandering the halls of VAST Pharmaceuticals. It was something he'd done a hundred times. Unlike all the other times, this time something happened. It wasn't something that could be seen, not directly. As she flashed a nervous smile not only did he want to know her, it was also as though he'd already known her. Even in this advanced age of technology it was exciting to see that magic could occur.

Ooh, babe, I just need you like never before
Just imagine you'd come through this door
You'd take all my sorrow away

Her raven hair swung free just below her shoulders. She had an exotic beauty that only came with a well mixed heritage. Most identifiable was the Spanish influence. Her light olive skin was flawless. Most striking for Blaine was her eyes. They were large, expressive and dark but not quite colorless.

''Yeah, hi, um...'' she started. She looked down at a datapad before continuing, ''I seem to have lost my group.'' She held up the pad and pointed, indicating where the group was supposed to be. She smiled sheepishly.

There's no one like you
I can't wait for the nights with you
I imagine the things we'll do
I just wanna be loved by you

Blaine stared at the pad for a moment. He took in details that weren't written there. Things like how well her nails were manicured and the scent of her perfume. ''Just a moment.'' He touched his right index finger to his ear and spoke to the air. ''Control, 302. I need confirmation on visitor...'' he looked at her lapel where the visitor's badge was, ''...203 and a twenty on the Microsoft group, please.'' He made eye contact with her at first wanting to confess how hopelessly defenseless he was when he looked at her and that he thought he could love her forever, but thought better of it and whispered that this wouldn't take long. Before he had time to make other small talk, his hand returned to his ear, listening. ''Copy that, Control. I'll escort our guest there. 302, out.''

No one like you
I can't wait for the nights with you
I imagine the things we'll do
I just wanna be loved by you

On top of being a very talented singer she was also a well educated scientist. She was notably short on the details about what she did for Microsoft, but to Blaine that wasn't terribly important. He was lost to his own thoughts after the band had finished their set. She was able to sneak up on him, so she reached around covering his eyes with her hands, asking the $25,000 dollar question ''Guess who!?''

He was only startled for a moment, and quickly went on the offensive ''Ann? Karen? Erin? Sarah? Kimberly? July? Mindy? Laticia? Pearl? Veronica? Tammy?'' He spit out the list of names in less than five seconds. She was giggling by the fourth one, her hands were gone and she was flat out laughing by the eighth.

No one like you

And now back to your regularly scheduled fight to the death...

Blaine skids to a stop before reaching the doorway, falling on his backside in the process. That was fucking close! If he hadn't stopped, he'd have been riddled full of holes, either from the goons or from one of the friendlies who'd just entered the room. Blaine quickly picks himself up and dives bodily into the room hoping not to become swiss cheese in the process.

[Marcao]

Ernesto

He did not believe in a higher power, that was an aspect of his life that had died in the jungles of his homeland. He did not blame any higher power for the way the world worked, and this was perhaps part of the reason why he behaved the way he did. After all, he offered no mercy to those that got in his way. He was in control of his own destiny. As such, the feeling that was born on the back of his neck and spread down his spine. It was a feeling that did not occur often, but he trusted it. The second that he felt it crawling down his back, there was little if no hesitation. He darted forward just as the rocket arrived on his cover.

The explosion was thunderous, capable of rupturing ear drums had his ears not been augmented to begin with. Sound editors cut out the roar of the rocket, but nothing on his body could prevent the heat which spread through the area afterwards. The heat spread over him like a wave, and even as a Cuban he felt discomfort. He finished his forward roll, aware that the rocket launcher was no longer in his hands. He had throw it before him as the rocket arrived, aware that he did not wish to die by a premature explosion of his own weapon. When he came to rest, he realized that he had no time to waste and precious little cover near him. His right hand reached out, clutching for his sniper rifle which had weathered the blast apparently unscathed. He could not reach the PSG-1 without moving however, and thus had to settle for the familiar body of his G36.

The G36 was brought into position and the nanosecond that was done, he darted towards his right. There was a cluster of computer servers here, and he planned on using them to good effect. It took him six hurried steps to reach the edge of the servers, his body coming to rest and immediately kneeling. His G36 oriented with his target, he ignored the shield wielding enemy aware he could not harm him. The other one was not so safe, his weapon lining itself perfectly with his target as his right index finger pulled the trigger on his weapon. He had set the assault rifle for a full burst, 13 steel cored armor piercing rounds spit towards their targets. The sound suppressor on his weapon performing as designed. The moment his burst was away, he rolled behind the server cluster and prepared himself for another salvo. He really wanted this over with…

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

Turn 32

Ernesto sprints toward the servers as the machine gunner opens up on him.

DF: 20
AT: 14 (Moving target, partially obscured target)
Final roll: 18

Ernesto's fast movement and all the dust thrown up by the destroyed barricade cause the machinegunner to fail to properly lead him, and he escapes to the safety of the server..

He lands on his knees, skidding to a stop already aligned with the pendejo with the machinegun and snaps his gun up in a heartbeat, firing as soon as the Smartgun reticle turns green.

DF: 20
AT: 21
Final roll: 29

# of shots hit: 4
Locations: Head, 2 x Body, Arms
Spec. locations: Jaw, Left torso, Heart, L. shoulder

Damages: 7, 3, 4, 4
Effects: Unconscious for 6 rounds, Dead

Unlike his adversary, Ernesto doesn't screw it up. The first shot hits the man, square in the jaw, the concussive impact knocking him out, the 2nd and fourth shots do nothing more than cause pain, but the fourth enters his heart. His body hits the ground with a clatter and a thud.

The shield bearer begins to retreat in panic, but to his credit, doesn't ditch the shield.

Benjamin's attempt is again foiled in the exact same manner as it was last time.

Blaine bugs out into one of the side rooms.

Yuuki continues making his sock grenade, although if he knew what had happened in the last few seconds, he'd know it was unnecessary by now.

Dirk emerges into the hallway toting a ridiculously large machinegun and sets it down, lining the shield-bearer up to be torn to ribbons.

EDIT 1/22/04

Mikal delivers his ultimatum for surrendur to the remaining mercenary.

DF: 12
AT: 11
Final roll: 20
MoS: 8

The soldier doesn't suspect a ruse, and slowly lowers his shield as he puts down his backup pistol.

[CorSec]

Blaine picks himself up, again and surveys the room. Dirk squeezes through the doorway wielding a wicked grin and a gun more menacing than the BAR - if such a thing were even possible. ((I'm going to assume that Mikal will also be exiting the room, albeit with some degree of caution.)) Blaine looks into Mikal's emotionless face. Although he's sure the Russian doesn't need any back up, that's the position Blaine assumes.

First Dirk, then Mikal followed not-too-closely by Blaine egress into the hallway. Blaine surveys the hallway first looking towards the elevator. Well, shit! If I'd have known this was going to happen, I'd have stayed put. Simultaneously taking aim at the sole goon remaining, Blaine cautions a peek with his radar vision, hoping to find out if Ernesto is still back there.

He watches Dirk set up his shot with a determined glee. The .50 cal would most likely crack the shield rendering it useless. When that happened, Blaine would be ready to sling as much lead as Josephine could spit at him. He probably wouldn't get the kill shot, heck he might not even hit the target - but he'd fire for all he's worth anyway.

Edited to add:

Blaine hears the Russian offer the remaining a chance at life. He's first surprised hearing such a thing from Mikal. Maybe there's more to being a killer for hire than, well, killing people. But the thing that will eat at him in the future is that he, himself, hadn't thought to do such a thing. Despite seeing the soldier's wary response, Blaine keeps his weapon trained on him, but his finger is outside the trigger guard.

[Symmetry]

The sounds drifting, no-blaring, through the open door let Yuuki know that his new compatriots outside were still kicking and perhaps even regaining the upper hand. He'd almost certainly be to late to help with this little device, but it would be good to have if there was a second wave.

[Gerard_Paloma]

Last turn:
Dirk spots the M2, and his face lights up like a kid at Christmas. He hurries over to the table and picks it up.

Sweet, sweet nectar. This is gonna be fun.

He squeezes past Blaine and shoots him a rather wicked grin. Dirk then sets the Browning up (on the slower full-auto, of course) and begins to line up the asshole with the shield.

This turn:
"See you in hell, monopoly boy," Dirk whispers through clenched teeth as he starts to squeeze the trigger, but stops as Mikal shouts out his call for surrender. Dirk sees the goon drop his shield and weapon, but doesn't take his eyes from the sights or his finger off the trigger. He'll let the Russian do the talking, and if the goon does or says anything Dirk doesn't like, he can do the bullet dance.

EDIT: Adjusted actions. Note that I am taking this time to aim further.

[Alyrium Denryle]

"Why does this keep happening?" Dr. lennox sighed as he scanned for another target, seeing a man with a machine gun, he tries the same schitzophrenia trick again.

[Hotfoot]

"Poshyol ty!" No sooner had the words left his lips, the man was dead. In the space between seconds, Mikal added a second curse at the dead man's persistance. With renewed venom, he guides the remaining bullets of the burst into the newly formed carcass. Part of him wanted to see what the result of that rocket propelled grenade was, but he could not afford to split his attention now. The sole survivor was fleeing back whence he came, the fool. Ziplines were great for rapid deployments down, but going back up they are somewhat lacking. At this point, he should be giving up, begging for mercy, selling out his employers, or falling on his sword. Running was not an option. There was nothing to regroup, everyone else was dead, unless there were even more fools willing to walk into the slaughter. No...that did not seem likely. Any more and the attacking force would be a small company of soldiers.

Keeping his weapon at the ready, aimed down the hallway, Mikal shouts out to the running man, hoping that anyone left alive behind him was in a mood to listen. "Drop your weapons and put your hands behind your head! This is your only chance to get out of here alive!" Call it professional courtesy, call it curiousity, call it what you would, he wanted information from this last surviving member of the invasion force. Besides, employers usually saw such an act as mercy, regard for human life, or just plain efficiency, and in any case, usually impressed them to the point of giving a nice fat bonus. Hopefully his efforts would not be in vain, and the others would respect this effort to capture one of their foes alive for questioning.

(OOC: Persuasion attempt to try and get the guy to give up, This is my previous action)

[Marcao]

Ernesto

Pleasure blossomed in his stomach like a flower beneath the sun’s rays in a spring morning as his bullets found their mark. His target spun, twisting in the air for a moment as bullet seemed to impact on his lower jaw. As he fell, several bullets entered his body and the impact of his body on the ground was immensely satisfying. It reminded him of the first gringo he had killed, back in the days when he had been little more than an angry revolutionary in the making.

His G36 was casually swung towards the final target, someone that had apparently only now realized the hopelessness of his situation. It was a pity that his heavy armor restricted his movements, the smart-gun reticle turned green and his lips parted as he whispered softly. “adios.” His right index finger moved, the trigger about to be pulled when Mikal’s voice cut in. His finger stopped moving, the offer that his friend had extended noted. It would be rude for him to fire now, and so the enemy before him was saved as if by Michael himself. It was a momentary defense, for if the man refused to follow Mikal’s command he would surely die.

His eyes left his weapon’s scope, his head turning to take a look around. His cover was gone, but his PSG-1 was thankfully intact. He moved carefully towards it, watching his sniper rifle closely before he switched the safety on his rifle on and slung it back upon his back. The PSG-1 was brought to his hands, the rifle examined closely before he walked towards where he had pushed his rocket launcher. He placed the PSG-1 down, reloading his RPG before carrying it and his PSG-1 back behind his cover. Once there, he placed his loaded RPG down, His G36 placed down as well before he slung the PSG-1 over his shoulder. His G36 was picked up once more, his attention returning to the target at hand.

Stacey had no right to complain about what he had done this night. If anything, she had to thank whatever gods she worshipped that he and Mikal had gone along with her fumbling pitch. She had promised him any cybernetic implant he wanted, and he was going to ask for the most expensive one he knew of. Still, the hunting had been good. He had exactly ten bodies to his name since Stacey had hired him, and that came to roughly 200 dollars a head. That was ridiculously cheap, he hoped that Stacey appreciated that. She owed him now, and with the death of her so called “elite” guards. His talents and those of Mikal would be at a premium now.

Still, if this was the level of opposition that they were supposed to expect, he expected to be handsomely rewarded.

[CorSec]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

''We're going to die here, you know,'' Dr. Samuel Jensen whispered. ''These attacks are becoming more frequent and more dangerous. It's only a matter of time before they get to us.''

''What would you have us do, Sam? Give up? Apologize? Tell the mighty Microsoft that 'it was all just a misunderstanding'?'' Ham retorted. ''Do you honestly think they'd let us live knowing what we know? We are so close!''

''Close! Close?'' Sam's voice rose, ''Goddammit, Joseph! Did you even read the last report? On top of that, did you see those so-called mercenaries Stacey brought back? God only knows where she found them,'' he paused a moment to throw Stacey a venomous look,''or what she promised them.''

''You can go fuck yourself,'' Stacey replied hotly. ''I'm tired of your whiny bullshit. If you want to bail, you go right ahead.''

Joseph placed a hand on her arm. ''Calm down, Stacey.'' He looked from her back to Sam, ''Everyone needs to take a step back.''

Dr's. Sam and Joseph had been working together for going on 15 years. They had also graduated together. Neither was top in his class, but their grades belied their intelligence. Once they got their hands into the work they had excelled. So much so that Microsoft had granted them everything they'd ask for, plus the autonomy to do their work. That autonomy is what allowed them to escape, for a lack of a better word, from the schemes of the great super-corporate giant.

The other scientists were quite capable in their own right. As tightly knit as the group was they weren't part of the inner circle that consisted of Joseph, Samuel and Stacey. Now she had an enviable pedigree. She was offered a scholarship to NYU, which she used to gain a bachelor's degree in Chemistry, with minors in both Cybernetics and Biology. Graduating with honors in all fields she was quickly scouted and hired by Microsoft. She started in the CMP division and her work didn't go unrecognized. Through various channels her resumé ended up on Ham's desk. A month later she joined his team.

Samuel returned to his notes. Stacey began filling in Joseph on the details of the new mercenaries. Linking their datapads together, she began. ''Given the timeframe and the budget, I didn't have the greatest selection to begin with.'' Ham nodded sadly. ''I was able to contact one Mikal Antoliovich, he's the Russian. A seasoned veteran and we're lucky to have him. Also owing to our great fortune, I was able to pick up Ernesto Vega. Sources had said that he was in town but had been hired by someone else. He happened to be meeting with Antoliovich, and I think I picked them both up for a song.'' She paused to take a breath. ''They weren't happy with just the upgrades we could give them. They also wanted cash.'' Joseph grimaced. He didn't have to ask how much, it was right there. ''I was also able to pick up Dirk Harrison. Outwardly, he doesn't seem as refined as the other mercenaries, but he does have the skills we need.'' She stopped as if she was finished.

''I thought I saw four men with you when you arrived. Who's the fourth? His name isn't on your list.''

''That's because he's not a mercenary. He's pretty much along for the ride, I suppose. He got mixed up with Dirk at a bar fight. When I recruited Dirk, he came with him.''

''Well, does he have a name or do I call him Dirk's friend?''

Stacey was apprehensive. She had the silly thought that if she spoke his name that it would seal his fate in this revolution. She had never wanted him to be a part of this. She didn't think it was 'true love', but she did care for Blaine. Her cheeks quickly flushed and returned to normal. ''Blaine Richards.'' She was about to continue with ''I'm afraid I don't know much about him...'' but she saw that look in Joseph's eyes that said he was thinking.

''Blaine, Blaine... that name sounds familiar...'' He closed his eyes trying to jog his memory. ''Oh,'' Joseph smiled a wiley smile when he found the right memory. He caught the slightest sadness in Stacey's eyes. ''He's a grown man. He can make up his own mind about these things.''

Stacey nodded. ''I know. I just don't want him dying for me.''

Joseph lightly brushed her cheek. He didn't have anything to say, but he wanted to offer some comfort.

''Hey! Hey! The shooting has stopped!'' One of the researchers standing near the door shouted.

''Wait for Thomas to give us the all clear,'' Dr. Ham stated matter-of-factly, ''we don't want to walk right into their arms if it didn't go well out there.'' He patted Stacey's hand as if to say that everything would be okay, no matter what.

[Hotfoot]

(And now, on Edgerunner...)

So far, none of the others had taken a shot. Good. Keeping his weapon trained on the soldier, he watches the armored corperate goon for any hidden weapons, explosives, or whatnot. He wasn't moving from his position...yet. "Very good. Now take off your armor, slowly, and put it on your shield." In a much quieter voice, he speaks for Blaine's benefit. "Check the others, look for wounded, and have someone check topside to see if there are any more jolly fat men ready to come down our chimney." If Mikal felt that someone had to die, he'd pull the trigger without hesitation. Had the soldier kept running, Mikal would have shot him or let him get shot. By submitting, the soldier showed that he valued his own life over some moral code or agreement. That meant he had something to play with, something to use. He could get information from the man, and perhaps some utility. At the very least, if he removed his armor as ordered, and later proved to be completely worthless himself, it would not be a total loss, as a fully intact suit of armor would likely command quite an impressive price on the black market.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

The merc begins removing his armor as Blaine checks for wounded, knowing without even having to check pulses that the friendly soldiers are all dead. The effect those rifle caliber machineguns had on the men was not pretty. Up on the surface, there is the sound of a diesel engine starting.

As the helmet comes off, everyone can see how nervous an shaken the man is.

[Symmetry]

Hearing the russian's demand for surrender, Yuuki was glad to learn that he wasn't quite as much of a heartless bastard as he appeared, or at least that he wasn't stupidly hearless. Yuuki shrugged, and finished his imporvised weapon with more care than he started it, being sure that they had at least a small bit of breathing room.

When he finished he tucked his new toy into his belt and walked back to the site of the battle. God damn! he had never seen so many dead bodies all in one place before-and it stank with the loosened bowels of the dead and dieing. He went out there, trying to ease the suffering he found but also noting scavengable equipment. They were at war after all.

[Marcao]

Ernesto

His rifle remained fixed upon the final target that he had, the sound of the engine noted by his augmented hearing but relegated as unimportant at the time. It was likely that it was the vehicle that their adversaries had arrived in and now that there was no one to pick up, it would ideally leave the area. The possibility that another strike wave was coming was possible but slim. If they had more to throw at them, they would have done so by now. No, he fully expected that this was all that Microsoft would throw at them for the moment. His mind aware that if he had not changed his mind about the job, if he had not had a bad feeling about the quality of people that he had seen in the meeting he would be dead.

Still, that was the past and he was not someone to give it too much thought. He chose this path and it had taken him to the side of his old friend Mikal. At the moment however, his mind was already working about the future. First, although he had picked up a PSG-1 and a RPG he would not mind picking up a heavy machinegun, if one had survived intact. After the coast was confirmed to be clear, he would begin the process of salvage. Firstly, there was a lot of ammo to be had and weapons that could not be used could be sold. Nothing could be wasted. Furthermore, he had two weapons without smart-chips. He was hoping that some of the dead had carried smart weapons, if so the possibility of salvaging the chips was high. After that, he expected that someone down here would be capable of installing one into his new weapons.

He did not allow himself to grow complacent however, although he was aware that with the PSG-1 and the RPG launcher he had unofficially earned a significant amount of money. Of course, that came with the territory and would not count against that which he was owed by Stacey. He was very interested in seeing how the negotiations would proceed now that he was aware of the level of threat, and she was aware of his capabilities. She certainly had gotten her money’s worth. He looked through the scope on his G36 and noted the nervousness on the man that was for all intensive purposes bargaining for his life. His eyes narrowing slightly as he focused on the face. Had he been one of the men present when he had taken a look around that meeting? If so, Mikal would have to be informed. He disliked loose ends, and he would prefer it if his presence here was kept hidden for as long as possible. Andy would be disappointed, and while he did not particularly give a fuck about what Andy felt, he would prefer not to have to deal with that road if he did not need to.

The truth was that this man had come here with killing on his mind, and he had lost. He had gambled with his life and he had lost. There was no dishonor in losing, and he would kill him simply due to the efficiency of it. The man had seen a bit of their base, he knew how they were armed and was still a potential threat. As far as he was concerned, Mikal was simply trying to get him of his armor before killing him. What other alternative was there?

[CorSec]

Blaine lowered his rifle giving what he hoped to be an intimidating look at the last goon standing. He was chafing a bit having to take orders from Mikal. He simply found the man to be disagreeable. But then again, he reasoned, the Russian has been in far more incidents like this. Instead of bickering or having some kind of pissing contest - at exactly the time when they shouldn't - Blaine followed orders like a good little soldier and turned towards the elevator.

As he got closer the odor of burnt flesh took over. He took in the view of the bodies scattered about. He wasn't quite sure what he should be feeling, but he was certain he didn't like what he was feeling. Before he began the macabre duty of poking bodies he switched to a thermal view. He wasn't sure if the bodies had enough time to cool significantly, but he thought a dead body couldn't produce any new heat even a small difference from normal would be indicative of the eventual assumption of room temperature.

Blaine hadn't seen a freshly minted dead body before. He's been to many funerals, of course, but until tonight he hadn't forced anyone to involuntarily attend a funeral (namely, their own). He'd certainly never seen so many dead bodies in one place. It was disturbing to say the least. While he could easily point a gun at anyone, and probably pull the trigger if forced to do so, he didn't think he had it in him to do this kind of work full time. He didn't want to think about this not only being his first revolution but that it might also be his last.

The sound of a diesel engine starting made him cock his head to one side. He blinked away his thermal vision and concentrated on what he was hearing. First he listened for any Doppler indication of movement. Then he wondered if the sound was covering up something else. He wondered if he could filter out the sound of the engine. He focused on that for the moment when yet another problem drifted into his mind. What if they've booby trapped the elevator?

((OOC: Are there any survivors? By that, I mean those who are going to be alive after a few minutes? Is the hearing augmentation sensative and sophisticated enough to filter environmental variables out?))

[Alyrium Denryle]

Well, after all that happy bit of fun... Ben started to perform a "passive scan" for thoughts in the area. Focusing his attention near where that engine sound came from(He is attempting tp pick up emotions, or complete thoughts from that area)

[Alyrium Denryle]

"So who is that guy in the Hawiian shirt? He doesnt look like a mercenary."

Dr. Ham replied briefly "That is because he isnt. He is actually one of my old students, back before we started working for microsoft. He was... rather talented, a good psychologist. Mainly because he is a stronger telepath than I am and found it very easy to get into the human mind."

Dr. Sam just looked at Joseph with that lightbulb of understanding coming on a few seconds later when he realized how usefull someone like that could be... And life continued.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

Filtering out the sound, Blaine catches the end of a short conversation within the vehicle. "...don't need to verify shit! You can see as well as me all the flatlines."

"They'll be mad as hell at us," worried a second voice.

"Look at it this way. We've got this van and all the equipment inside it, and now there's no one else to tell us it ain't ours."

"I like the way you think."

"Step on it."

Everyone hears the sound of tires on gravel as the vehicle pulls away.

Stacey and the other non-combatants (except for a trench coated man everyone's probably forgotten about in all the excitement) come out of hiding. "That's it? Are we safe?" She calls out with a look of anticipation.

Benjamin would have to say yes, as he senses noone besides present company except two men outside, presumably in the vehicle that's driving away.

[CorSec]

After he was sure the van was away, Blaine took another look around him. He sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging. Dead. They're all dead.

"With All-Dead, well, there's only one thing you can do."

"What's that?"

"Go through his clothes and look for loose change."

Blaine begins the grisly process of collecting what weapons and items look salvagable and then piling the bodies for later disposal. At first he finds the duty too ghastly to describe. Except for the odor, and as long as you don't look into their lifeless eyes, you can forget these were once living breathing people. He segregates the bodies into two piles: Friendly and Not Friendly. He supposes that the others here would want to pay their respects to their protectors. From the rest, he scavenges their armor, no matter the condition, and anything else on their person that could have some value, either now or on the market.

When he doesn't have to calculate an item's value, he distracts himself by dredging up memories of the past.

Memories from the past:

''It's so big,'' Stacey remarked, her eyes widening.

''Just keep a firm grip and everything will be alright,'' Blaine countered casually.

She pointed the Sig down range. She was apprehensive, obviously.

''Now just squeeze the trigger ever so slightly.''

Stacey started turn her head, closing her eyes.

The .45 went off with a loud pop. Stacey jumped at the sound. Blaine looked at the target. ''Well, at least you can sing.''

She held the gun away from her, sticking her tongue out like it was something yucky. ''Bleh! I've never liked guns.'' Blaine took it from her and holstered it. ''Have you ever shot someone?'' She asked pensively.

''No. But I've pointed it at some people. If I can, I prefer less lethal methods. Like this one,'' he said indicating his night stick.

Stacey removed it from it's belt clip ''Oh, Blaine, it's so big,'' she cooed.

''Well, you know what they say...''

''What?''

''I don't know,'' he shrugged ''I was hoping you did.''

Back to your regularly scheduled game.