[Aria]

[Saturday September 14, 2075; Ruins of Graham, Puyallup, Seattle]

For those still around to hear the drone announces in audio and via AR "Hold your fire, one of us is coming out"

A figure darts from the tree line, arms spread wide to show clear hands but making no effort to hide the Ares assault rifle strapped to her back.  Her black suit is caked in grey ash and reveals very little heat signature, presumably why these runners are so hard to spot in cover.  She moves with the fierce grace of a predator, a gillette for certain...

She approaches the beast in the centre of the clearing and says "Our principal said to tell you this is a warning!  Go home to Brittany and stop meddling" and then with a quick whisper lifts off the crown as easy as you please...

She bolts back towards cover like a startled dear...

[gradivus]

[Saturday September 14, 2075; Ruins of Graham, Puyallup, Seattle]

 Ichirō finds what he is looking for; a red carrybag with a white cross on it. He opens it up, turns on the autosoft included with the integrated medical computer, and lets it go to work. It sterilizes and closes the wound.
While still not at a hundred percent,  Ichirō is now confident he will not bleed to death.

Modern medicine is a marvel. Let us not be too confident in it lest we begin to think of ourselves as immortal.

 Ichirō addresses the man in the cockpit: "I shall repay the debt incurred for the use of your medkit as soon as possible."

[gilga]

Dogmeat looks at the figure and moans... I wish I was that agile he thinks, as he puts his rottor drones in defensive formation. scouting the proximity of the seer. His flying eye keeps close contact on the other rottor drones.
Dogmeat transmit the following message on the matrix:


Now lets pretend its a hide seek game...  The dog counts 5 minutes and you disappear. You got your artifact - we got seer so we both can pay our bills for some extra time.  If one of the dogs sees you in the circus afterwards we assume that you picked the second option. That is a shame because too many are killed in the same place already. 


The dog thinks for himself -
who carries an assault rifle on the back - this is so sloopy -  either you hold it in your hands ready to shoot -  or you are just a poser. Besides everyone knows that the best place for an assault rifle is on a rotor drone.

He then transmit a message
<< Hey wounded guy... what are you planning to do now... I hope you feel better.  How do you feel about making some extra money? with all the runners we lost I am sure we can have you hired in no time for some circus protection. You seem to have the ninja moves. >>

A third message << People... anyone is brave enough to restrain the troll ? I do not think he is dead and he will be scary when he wakes up - also he might provide us information about who where these guys we just killed...  You know how it is - you kill someone and then their friends kill one of your friends - and so on -  until you end like the dog old, crazy and lonely. Lets at least know who is going after us. >>

[gradivus]

[Saturday September 14, 2075; Ruins of Graham, Puyallup, Seattle]

"The troll is not unconscious. i merely paralyzed him by exerting Qi to the appropriate pressure point.  He'll be able to start moving in about an hour but will not be fully coordinated for several hours after that. There are some question I too wish to pose to him. As to the offer of employment, it would seem I am out of leads for the moment unless the troll knows anything- so, yes, I would be interested."

The troll was not on the hit team, or if he was, I did not see him. However he was working for the leader of the hit team so perhaps he knows some of their names. And perhaps some of them are out their right now. If I stay with this group, they may strike again and I'll have another opportunity for vengeance.

[All4BigGuns]

Looking back into the main compartment briefly, Cutter calls out with a smirk, "Use what you like. This baby is mine now since I commandeered her, but she once belonged to the enemy, so you're using their supplies."

With that, he transmits to the team <<All right people. Do we let them go or should I light that tree line up with automatic fire?>>

[adamu]

[Saturday September 14, 2075; Ruins of Graham, Puyallup, Seattle]

Al knew he should be watching for any sign of a double-cross, but that was so boring. Instead, one eye was looking around for the amusing prospect of a paralyzed troll, while the other was watching for any sign of the Seer returning to a more manageable size.

He considered Cutter's query, but really there was nothing to think about. <<Temptin' as that there proposition sounds, kemo sabe, we let 'em go. I done told the danged child-killers it was a deal, so we shoot 'em now an' next time we's in a pickle like this, ol' Al's word'll be 'bout as useful as a pogo stick in quicksand.>>

[Aria]

[Saturday September 14, 2075; Outside the Mechanicals Compound, Puyallup, Seattle]

Well, this eventful trip is nearly at an end, thank the gods and civilisation is hoving into view on either side of the now semi-servicable road.  With the crown removed from the seer she had returned to her form of the little girl, allbeit considerably more pensive than before…she’d withdrawn to her quarters and the dulcet tones of ‘Ole Meg can dimly be heard through the door berating her for her stupidity…

Someone had come up with some laes and apprantly the children that had borne the brunt of the clowns’ malice would no longer remember the events of today.  They would know their parents were dead but at least they would be spared the haunting memories…

About an hour after the opposing runners had disappeared with their tails tucked between their legs, either through Torrent’s networking magic or Oblique’s connections, your rescuers had arrived trundling a Big Rig down the 161.  The steampunking motifs were familiar to some, if just by reputation, and the Mechanicals (and one or two hired helpers), had set about fixing the land trains with quiet determination and minimal banter with the circus folks.  When pressed one of them had said there was a party going on back home and they were keen to get back to it.  They’d jacked up the front of the train and with the assistance of the circus mechanics, and anyone foolish enough to be standing around gawping, had replaced the damaged baloon wheels and drive shafts in short order.

You’d all breathed a little easier, figuratively and physically, as you’d passed 128 Street East and out of the Barrens proper.  Ahead, the sprawling Tribal zone of the Mechanicals invited you in with the sounds of live junk yard music and the tantilising smells of real food cooking.  Oblique had done some sort of deal to stay with the Tribe overnight and although he made it clear that he expected you lot to keep an eye on the convoy he also wanted you to have the opportunity to join the party and let your hair down a little…this job is nearly done…

[adamu]

[Saturday September 14, 2075; Mechanicals Compound, Puyallup, Seattle]

Once they'd secured the Seer, Al had sought out Ms. Reeves to meet her in person. Once he'd thanked her for her help, he'd found some beers and sat down with Cutter to congratulate him on the balls-swinging-free-and-proud play with the RV, only to hear that story topped by what had happened with the T-bird.  One bad ass kid. He'd found the new guy, Dogmeat, patching up the oni, who went by Ichiro. They were a couple of odd ones, but he hadn't had time to talk much before his hippie friends showed up. Naturally he went out and helped get things sorted, and once they were wheels up he resumed driving the lead tractor.

Once they reached the commune - an unexpected bonus - he gave an overjoyed Spike a man-hug then headed up to his room. Greeted the snakes - they were less thrilled to see him - and took the opportunity to shed the blood-drenched clothes in favor of his 501s and other yellowed T-shirt. Washed the caked-on gore off his Pa's jacket as best he could, and wasted no time getting back outside. He was still on the job…and there was free beer to be had.

Once he was situated on a low lawn chair next to his Gaz and in easy sight of the gathered throng, he started in on an appropriated six-pack and looked around for any of his teammates that might want to get better acquainted, or maybe just need showing around.

[gilga]

Dogmeat was happy to finally give faces to the people he talked with during the combat.
He felt like he was needed, so... working with other people may not be that bad. After he made his acquiescence

He tried to talk to the Seer girl, he wasn't good with words he didn't say much besides ‘hi’ but he wanted to see her in his own eyes. After some awkward silence he added - I was the one riding that invisible drone. I hope my tortured aura do not offend you. Most awakened dudes do not like me because of my augmentations. Anyway, I feel so bad killing for you I couldn't let them take you... I'll never disturb you again

He then went to blow up some steam, I need a beer he thought as he tried to find a drinking buddy... Cutter here you are - I think you owe me a drink! I am Dogmeat by the way the mage/rigger/hacker crazy person...I am so glad you are alive by the way... a true bad-ass.
***
couple of hours later completely drunk in his cart he started crying talking to an invisible entity - I am so sorry I am killing again. Humans are part of nature I know that I know but there was no choice... they were going to take her... a sudden silence Ahaha Eagle one I know why you are tormenting me - you are jealous! that is - of that silly Seer girl ... A terrible pain followed this remark so painful to be alive.

The rest of the night was terrible, horrible nightmares Dogmeat woke up quite a few times screaming from madness. He felt like he was losing the last shred of sanity.
So much pain, he felt like every single bullet that fired today priced him, any terrified scream was his own - as if the emotions of 100’s people tried to find room inside him and there was no room he screamed his lungs out trying to make room for more pain, lose this emotion it only made the pain bearable.

At the morning Dogmeat felt more powerful- every time I advance in magic I lose a little piece of what's keeping me sane. There is not much left he thought.  More powerful but more insane... this is my destiny.

If being magical is so terrible for me - why can’t mages understand why I stuck chrome in there?
Why I refuse to look into the astral.  I barely qualify as a reasonable person now... I can barely imagine how mad I would have been should my magic be at full potential.

[saithor]

Alicia spent the time after talking to the seer, and making sure she understood something. "I don't care how you think you should handle your problems or how you made those people angry, but if you continue making enemies like this your going to end up dead." After finally meeting with Al, she thanked him for his help, and spent the rest of the day sleeping. It had been a long night, and there was a hell of a chance that soemthing would wake her up again.

[All4BigGuns]

Cutter was with a trio of these 'Mechanicals' discussing the possibility of getting the LAV--which he'd come to call 'Aly'--cleared of ownership marks and reincorporated as his property when Dogmeat showed up. He nodded to the other runner, lifting up his beer bottle, and replied to him with a grin, "Hey, if you're gonna cross thin ice, you might as well do it with a dance."

[gradivus]

[Saturday September 15, 2075; Outside Mechanical Camp, Puyallup, Seattle]

Ichirō had spent the night talking to the troll. He claimed to be nothing more than a hired mercenary and had no knowledge of the assassin team that  Ichirō was looking for. Unfortunately,  Ichirō believed him. Which left him with no clues at the moment, since the man he came out here to challenge was dead at the hands of the LAV pilot, Dogmeat.

 Ichirō went looking for the dwarf, Al, to see about the release of the troll.

[gilga]

Dogmeat spotted Ichirō, as he was going through the camp - having seen him before through the eyes of the drone.

He waved at him and said: Hey Ninja man - really amazing how you subdoed that troll dude. I don't know if you've seen me but I was riding an invisible drone in the scene. Killed a few of them - until they some how figured out what was going on...
surprise is a powerful friend but it does not last for long.

 Are you working with us now? I'd definitely like to work with you. Dogmeat by the way - you might have heard my chatter in the coms also.

[Aria]

[Sunday September 15, 2075; Mechanical's Compound, Puyallup, Seattle]

The sounds of the end of summer party and the pungent mix of spices and wood smoke still fill the air despite the lateness of the hour.  For those of you who have sought rest it is a gentle lull in the background, the sound of people enjoying themselves after the worries of daylight hours.  For those of you in the thick of it you are whirled into the dancing and the drinking as the circus folk mix freely with the tribals… and it is those of you out in the open who see the first signs of something wrong…

Two small lorries projecting circus AR signatures approach the main throng around the central fire pit in the town square.  The crowd react with amusement, presumably expecting more impromptu entertainment as has been dished out this evening, until the sides of the lorries drop down and a nightmare tide poor out into the crowd…

Now you know why the sickly feral ghouls were so disturbed on your journey through their territory… it would seem some sick fragger has rounded up the healthier specimens, crowded them into two small lorries and then deposited the resulting rabid mess into the tribal’s laps…nearly the end of your job and somebody is trying to create their own zombie apocalypse!

[gilga]

After a few hours of horror dogmeat suddenly understand he is not the only one screaming ... while the thought of finally being understood appealed him. He had a feeling this is not the case this time. He reached for his RCC to check the drones feed.
Seeing the horror in the party he sends a message to the team:

Guys - the party seems wild... too wild get your guns and go there it is a massacre... the bloody day is over but the night is also quite bloody. 

He calls all his drones to the action and then in an act of bravery he locks the door of his room, closes all the windows and crawl under the bad. Being in combat position he jumps into one of his rotodrones and sends the rest into the fight.