[gradivus]

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

For Ichirō there was no gain in either decision. So he decided he might as well stay with the dwarf as that is what he had been doing so far. Perhaps this little man would be his good luck charm.

<<@Oblique[Fujikami Hiedeki] I shall remain to help the Mechanicals.>>

[gilga]

Al... ninja arm ichro.  I am going with circus.leave drones with you. I extend marks for you two in case drones Mister behave

[adamu]

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

<<Roger that, Dog-guy. What are they current autopilot orders?>>

Al paused to confirm the marks on the drones and top off his buckshot clip with spare cartridges in the cargo pockets of his fatigues. Then he resumed tracking the ghouls.

[gilga]

Roger that Al... their orders are simple, they shadow you two. One shadow you the other your tall friend. They go where you go - and shot what you shoot. I beleive they'll be less hassle to manage that way - but do take into account a followup shot when you shot.

I also left you a spirit of man named Bad dog whose order is to keep you alive until sunset. I am not in control of that spirit so I hope the bad dog plays well.

The third drone I am keeping with myself for self defense. The RCC is in the car so noise won't be a problem - but the car is instructed to flee in case it is attacked. So you might want to have a look at the car when the circus leaves. You have a mark for the car aswell you can override its predefined orders.

I am not sure I can jump in because of noise - But I will get the drone feeds and will be able to react, or to try a rescue mission should anything bad happen to you. Good luck guys -it seems like you will need it.

[adamu]

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

<<Got it. Much obliged fer the back-up.>> Al replied, even as he heard the whir of the roto-drones come on station over his shoulder.

He gave a sharp whistle, and Spike, who had never been far off, bounded to his side. Al squatted beside the huge black hound, wrapped his left arm around his neck, and rubbed a severed ghoul arm in his nose. The dog whined plaintively in disgust at the reek, but did not try to pull away.

As always, Al spoke to him only in Tamasheq: "Go find 'em, boy. Run 'em down. We'll be rignt behind you." The big, lean animal was off like a shot. Al ran hard behind, half an eye out for the spirit that was supposed to have their six.

[All4BigGuns]

<<Let me know if you guys need a pick up. I'm keeping an eye on things from up here ready to lay waste if those ghoul bastards poke their heads out.>>

[gilga]

<<Cutter - It will be great -  if you can stop to pick up my RCC it is safer in the LAV than it is in the car.
I am going with the Circus. Somebody has to stay with these guys - to keep them out of troubles. I left the drones here  to help - so I'll mange them remotely but the RCC needs to remain here so that there is less noise for autopilot operation. Just attach it to one of the drones when you are done in here. >>

[All4BigGuns]

<<Al, if you could get that device into your hands, I can swoop down by ya so you can get it in here.>>

[adamu]

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

Al was just hitting a dead run behind Spike when he heard Cutter's request.

It was also at that moment he realized there was more than one big meta following in his wake. Turning, he saw that behind the big oni was an even larger figure - a young but huge troll hefting an old AK-97. Dammit.

Confronting the boy, who stood a full meter taller than himself, Al began with what had become, out of necessity, his usual opening with the kid: "Don't speak."

The trollster looked crestfallen - not because of Al's brusqueness, but because he could see in the tiny human's eyes that he was going to be sent home. Nothing for it.

"Listen, they's trouble enough 'round here an' ta spare, no need ta be runnin' about seekin' 'er out. Anyway, I got a job for ya. Gon' send you the marks fer a trashy little 'lectric number come in with the circus. You find that thing lickety split, be sure an' use the marks cuz it more'n likely has a mean sec system, an' you pull out the RCC. I know you know how to do that. Then you wave down that T-bird up there, hand off the tech, an' git yourself ta yore pa. Now go!."

It had taken ten long seconds, and Al turned and went after his dog without waiting for a reply, relaying the marks to Clack and the plan to Cutter as he ran.

[gilga]

<< Look guys you over thinking it - I'll just put it on the LAV myself. Cutter it'll take a few minutes but just keep floating above my car, and the RCC is there with you. Just pull your hands and reach for it.  Sometimes I forget I can do a bit of magic. I am not gone quite yet.

Dogmeat levitates his RCC towards the LAV.

Levitate: 13d6t5 3
drain: 11d6t5 6
no drain 3 meters per combat turn, that's 1 meter/second 60 meters a minute, 10 minutes to get 600 meters.

[gradivus]

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


 Ichirō thought to himself, Again with the "Ninja'. Maybe I should explain it to these gaijin. But they probably wouldn't understand. Why the dwarf is sending this troll on a menial errand is beyond me- perhaps he does not know the proper utilization of that assault weapon. Leave it to the gaijin not to master the tools they carry.

Seeing the dwarf beginning to run,  Ichirō picked up his pace- easily keeping up with Al.

[Aria]

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

With Spike leading you, his growls masking his uncertainty, you plunge into the building on the north west corner of the square.  The outside of the buildings in the Mechanical’s compound are deliberately unassuming, the insides are anything but and another time you might have stopped to admire the steam punk sculpting on every available surface.  There is a sense that this is, or at least was, a much loved place full of busy industry…

Spike pauses at the top of a set of stairs leading down…his whines barely audible over the down draft of the menacing drones behind you.  What is it about blind flesh eating monsters and the desire to hunt in stygian gloom?!

***

Proceeding cautiously now that you are below street level it is quickly apparent that the Mechanicals have extended these basements significantly beyond the outlines of the buildings above, and you strongly suspect that this network, warren even, might rival some parts of the Underground!  It could take days to root out the bloody ghouls from down here…except as you are hunting them you also get the impression that they are hunting you…

[adamu]

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

Just as in Graham several hours earlier, Tehran came flooding back. Of course he'd generally tried to stay above ground on those jobs, but there was that one dig where they'd just had to get into the tunnels under the Old Jame Mosque complex.

Well, he'd warned them.

And here he was again, playing cat and mouse with a bunch of dadblamed CHUDs in the dark. Except with the whir of the drones - welcome as their firepower was - it was all mouse and no cat.

<<Say there, Doggy-Amigo, any chance o' pullin' yer toys back a hunnerd yards or so, give us some manooverin' room?>>

[Aria]

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

Spike has proceeded you into the next room, approximately under the next major building as far as you can tell, and he stops, clearly unsure which trail to follow.  The room itself is dimly lit, and slightly smelly, humid vapours drifting over multiple hydroponics tanks that fill the space.  The low rumbling growl that he makes fills the room but doesn’t mask the grisly munching sounds coming from behind one of the tanks on the far side of the large space…

***
₃₀

[adamu]

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

One thing Al had learned, feral did not equal stupid. And these things could hear better than they could see. He doubted it didn't know they were there. Maybe it was just that stupid, but he'd be damned if he was going to find out the hard way.

Anyway, with no sounds of struggle, they were too late to help whoever the meal was.

First he scanned the ceiling - bad guys always assumed no one looked up. Then he knelt and whispered "Stay," to Spike in Tamasheq. Dog had so much sign he didn't know which way to go - another reason to believe the flesh-muncher off yonder was not alone.

He signalled for the oni to skirt the perimeter of the room, checking out the far sides of the other tanks before reaching the source of the sound, then he set off to do the same on the other side. Both were shadowed by a drone with orders to shoot whatever they attacked.

And floating in the middle of the room was Bad Dog.

But Al didn't generally have truck with spirits, so he figured it'd do what it thought best.