[Poindexter]

For a couple seconds, everything goes quiet. Duck stays tense against the wall and he feels Arc still tight as piano wire next to him. Arachnid seems simply otherworldy though. Something serious is going on with 'Rack tonight. I never seen him freak like this. The silence is worse than the laughter to Duckdown. The laughter means its close, but the silence means its about to strike. With a quick glance to his left, he can tell Arc is thinking the same thing, but Arachnid lets his guard down. The FUCK is wrong with him? Dude NEVER lets his guard down like this. Can't he tell that-

But once again, before Duck can finish his thought, it's interrupted as 'Rack drops to the ground, starts screaming at the top of his lungs, and empties the last of his clip into everywhere. Without missing a beat, Duck shoulder checks Arc hard, pushing them both back behind a dumpster, where they remain, taking cover from the BOOM BOOM BOOM of high calibur pistol fire. As the shooting continues, Duckdown counts down in his head the number of rounds his terrified friend has left in the clip. ...five...four...three... BOOM BOOM Click. And no sooner has the first click hit his eardrums, than Duck has darted back into the alleyway to kick the gun out of his hand and retrieve the collapsed and traumatized ninja sprawled out on the filthy alleyway pavement before him. He points at the pistol first and says to Arc, "Grab that." before lifting Arachnid up with one arm over his shoulder and helping him to his feet. He can tell his partner is still really shook up and he might even be in shock, but he doesn't look hit. He tries to comfort him as they make their way down the alleyway together, Arc watching their backs with her Ingram in both hands and 'Racks colt stuck in the front of her waistline. "Everything's aight homey. We walkin outta here, aight? Three of us together... We walkin up out this alley... We jumpin in a car... You sleepin in your own bed tonight, wiz?"

With a concerned and discernibly "no bullshit" tone of voice, Duckdown turns to Arc and says, "Send for your car. Have it pick us up right now." Before she can respond, he sends a message mentally on his comm.

<<@Zipline [Duckdown] DO NOT COME TO PREVIOUS LOCATION!!! VERY DANGEROUS!!! UNKNOWN HOSTILE/S!!!>>

[Triskavanski]

Masqerade pulled into cover the moment the crazy one began firing off bullets at anything that moved, Listening in, she couldn't  hear them approaching. Her sharp hearing begins searching for different sounds to pick up, eventually settling in on words, listening to the group speak.

There wasn't much of a way she was coming out there. Two of them seemed a little familiar, but she wasn't about to risk her life to confirm.

[SgtBoomCloud]

It wasn't until after it was already happening that Arc really knew what was going on.  The noise had died down, and she was starting to feel relieved that the danger had passed.  Her grip had even started to loosen around her Ingram when all of a sudden she felt a force at her side as the ork shoved her, the reports of the pistol shots ringing painfully against her eardrums.  She cried out in surprise, shaking as she stumbled and sat behind the dumpster, the cold wet steel seeping through her shirt and chilling her to the bone.

When all was over, she slowly stood up, peering around just in time to see Duck disarm the human male ninja and help him to his feet.  Nodding her head at the orders, she picked up the Colt, stuffing it in her front for safekeeping while providing cover, eyes darting to every shadow in the dark alley.  Pulling up an ARO, she started her car and gave their location to it, the car revving up and driving to them.  "R-right, on the way"  She said no more, that feeling of dread ever looming over the situation, and she could feel it.

It wasn't long before the headlights of the Ford greeted them, and she quickly ushered the two of them into her car, their choice of seats open to them.  Stuffing her Ingram in the glove box, she quickly hopped in and zoomed off.  As she drove, a free hand dropped into her pocket, withdrawing a small box, and from that a cigarette.  Placing it to her mouth, she lit it shakily, taking a few puffs before inhaling.  "huu....the hell was that, man, that wasn't normal, man!  PLEASE tell me one of y'all been facing drek like that before."  She frowned, eyes on the road as she bit her lip, her thoughts turned to worry about Duck's little niece, no reports of her being found yet...

[Landmine]

"Wish I did. Best I can do is put the video out there and see if that gives us any leads. Though if it turns out that wasn't something that was supposed to be seen, we're gonna be in the same boat. Can you see if your spirit pal knows what this is before I involve anyone else?"

"She's better with general feelings than actual info. It's not natural and she doesn't like it, but I'm not sure what else I'm going to get. Wait one."

@ Khali  You feel wolf's presence strongly beside you. And you feel a warning growl from him deep in your soul. In a moment you realize that he's been there for several moments now. But the activity to the east distracted you from sensing his presence.

As Khali recognizes Wolf's presence, she tries to relax and be receptive to it. She had never had the type of experiences that mages described as communicating with her Mentor. She always received feelings along the line of instinctual responses. What happened here, Pack Mother?

[Tamesh]

@ Red  Gerald is badly on edge the rest of the night. He was on the other side of the building as far as you could tell, but he heard the laughter. He comes very quickly to you Red and says. "Did you here that? Do you think it came from inside the building." he stops and swallows, trying to regain his composure. "Maybe those fraggin' keebs are just messin with us you know. Seeing if they 'kin spook us ya' know." but he says it as if he's trying to convince himself.

Red has a hand on her Predator, but does her best to try and keep Gerald at ease. Last thing you want in a situation like this is a guard with an itchy trigger finger. But by the same token, it's not exactly the best time to kick up your feet and relax. "It didn't come from here, I was over closer to the east side of the complex when it happened. Nothing to lose sleep over, just means we need to keep our eyes peeled for anything weird. That's what we signed up for," she says, hoping her pheromones can lend a little more weight to her words.

[Csjarrat]

Feathers was shocked, from the little he knew of blood magic, its practictioners preferred the shadows; secret rituals that stayed under the radar and didn't attract attention.
The scene before him was brazen, a statement. Multiple victims, hung upside down in a busy street.
It was a message, a declaration. perhaps both?
Eagle's intervention meant only one thing, he was sickened and he didn't trust the authorities to intervene correctly.
Why Feathers was any better to deal with this was anyones guess, but eagle saw more and was far wiser than Feathers could ever hope to be.
He had intervened greatly and the gravity of the situation was not lost on Feathers.
Returning his gaze to the material plane, he pushed the rising bile down and concentrated on the task in hand.
He'd need a starting point...
He grabbed his commlink out of his pocket and thumbed the camera controls, taking as many pictures as he could get away with.
His old and large hands clumsily tapped a reply to Nbungu whilst he had it in his hands;
//No problems, we need to talk anyway. This shit looks like a multiple murder, stinks of blood magic. Eagle intervened, called me to it. Anyway, catch up tonight//
Images saved and message sent, he did his best to attract the attending officer's attention. Perhaps they'd talk, probably not. Worth a try either way...
Excuse me, officer, OFFICER, Excuse me! have you got a minute?

[ismilealot]

@ Red  He looks at her and swallows. Not at all reassured by her words. "I......", "I.......", he swallows again, "Yeah." and then he stops for a minute. "You should probably walk with someone. Safety in numbers." He turns himself to stand beside you. Straightening up, with his piece in his hand. He looks down at you and asks, "Ummm, you're good with that piece right?"

@ Khali   You feel Wolf howl. It's calling the pack. It's cry echoes in your soul. It's a call for the hunt.

@ Arc The streets are empty right now. Completely empty right now. Not even the homeless are out. The headlights of the Ford hitting only the graffiteed walls or boarded up store. No one is on the street to see the effects of the scare on Arc's driving right now. Or they'd know just how badly she was spooked.

@ Masquerade   A wave of bone numbing cold washes over your soul and suddenly you find yourself upside down. You hear the laughter again. A maniacally inhuman sound, and then, then you feel it. It . .  tastes you, enjoys you, and marks you for his own. It drops you, a careless child playing with it's toys. But you know. The next time it hunts, it will find you again. . . . . And it has no intention of stopping with you.

@ Arachnid    You know. There is no other way to describe it. But better than you know your own name. You KNOW. The next time it hunts. It will find you.

@ Feathers  The officer, a grizzled veteran turns to you with a wide false smile and says in a falsetto, "Well of course I always have time for you honey." The he drops the act and says in a nasty voice, "I'm investigating a homicide involving four bodies executed for show by some sick SOB. And you SINless scum "help" by locking your doors and clamming up anytime anyone with a badge asks if you saw or heard anything. And now four people are dead, including a little girl who's mama was probably to high on dope to even know she was out. And not a damn on of 'em had to die. At least not this way." And his face twists in an expression of pure disgust. "So unless you have something more important to say than, "What happened?" You can get the hell outta my face." The crowds mood shifts at his words. Turns nasty and resentful, and you can hear the deep seated resentment that people in this neighborhood have against the cops.
      The next time you check your comm you see a message from Nbungu waiting for you, >>Blood magic! That's impossible. The bounty on blood mages is to high. No one would risk that. This is some copy-cat. It has to be my friend. Come by the shop tonight. I will tell you of the research job. It will take your mind off this insanity<<

[Landmine]

@ Khali   You feel Wolf howl. It's calling the pack. It's cry echoes in your soul. It's a call for the hunt.

She feels the urge to join the pack. Her mouth salivates and her muscles twitch with nervous energy. No matter how fearsome this mage was, the pack would bring it down.

I can't!

She tears herself away from the contact with Wolf and the effort leaves her breathing heavily. The intensity of the contact left her feeling more animal than elf. She took a quick jog around the warehouse to work out the energy and clear her head.

Khali fires off a quick message to Red, "Wolf is NOT happy, and wants me to go tear that thing's throat out. The contact left me a little weirded out. Don't sneak up on me for a bit. We'll make a game plan when we get relieved in the morning."

She waits out the rest of the shift constantly looking over her shoulder, waiting on the dawn, and avoiding contact with Wolf which might send her out into the city to find that thing.

[Tamesh]

@ Red  He looks at her and swallows. Not at all reassured by her words. "I......", "I.......", he swallows again, "Yeah." and then he stops for a minute. "You should probably walk with someone. Safety in numbers." He turns himself to stand beside you. Straightening up, with his piece in his hand. He looks down at you and asks, "Ummm, you're good with that piece right?"

Red briefly furrows her brow at the man. It's not that she disagrees with him, she just doesn't exactly see this guy as playing the hero. "Sounds good. And I'm a better shot than I look," she says, letting the smartgun system in her Predator boot up. The ARO's indicating the gun's working condition make her feel a little safer, even if she wouldn't wind up needing it.

She sends another message to Khali's comm. A link to a live video feed from her glasses and the text 'Just in case.'

[Triskavanski]

Masquerade was trying to get away when the thing caught her.. yanking her off the the ground and hoisting her into the air. Despite being extremely freaked the drek out, her outer appearance didn't quite show it too much. Bout the only thing that did show outwardly, was the paniced flick of her wrist, and small hold out in her hand, as she began firing blindly at where she thought the thing was, not unlike another not too long ago.

Shooty mcshootpants: 8d6t5 2

[SnowDragon]

It wasn't until the rev of the vehicle engine as it departed from far, far away that he seemed to finally come back to some sort of prevailing sense. That he started to move instead of staring straight forward, looking this way, that way. He didn't have his gun, that was the first question, and his firing hand hurt like hell. He breathed steadily, though rapidly. Arachnid sat bolt upright then in the seat, looking to his two commrades, thoughts all in order with the fresh addition of more oxygen for thinking. In the rear vision mirror, he looked harrowed, like a man on the run for far too long. The colour drained out of his face. Eyes on the move for threats, paranormal or otherwise. Words, slowly spilling from his mouth. "And now, it's after me."

It was a blank sort of emotionless expression, with all the strength of someone reading the weather forcast, but each word buried beneath layers of intense concentration. Like someone reading out a partially long access code for a computer. Able to articulate the language from the safety of a moving vehicle. He held out his hand for his weapon, almost demanding it. He tried again. "Something immensely powerful. And completely evil, is planning me as its next victim." With that blank word, again he motioned with his open hand. Maybe wanting the gun back wasn't so crazy after all. A soft addition as well. "I need my gear. Home."

[Poindexter]

Once the giant Ford pulls up and Arc hops into the drivers seat, Duckdown opens the rear door and lays his convulsing friend in the backseat. He opens up the passenger side door, leans inside the vehicle, and speaks quickly to the mean little human behind the wheel. "Take him to the safest place you know bout, or if that shit is a howler joint, can you take him to your place?" He can tell from the look on her face that she's starting to figure out he's not coming with them and the prospect of it kinda shakes her up a bit. She begins to inhale to protest, but before she can, he interrupts her and says, "Naw, fuggit fuggit fuggit, I'm comin with, but we're linkin up with Zip before we go anywhere else. She need to know it's some bullshit goin on round the way." He closes the passenger door before opening up the rear again and hopping in the back with Arachnid. "Aight, go. But drive cool."

As the three of them roll through the sprawl in the middle of the night silently, Arc fishes a cigarette out of her pack and starts to light it while Duck lifts up Arachnids head and rests it in his lap. With one hand stroking his hair, he talks to him quietly as he messages Zipline for the third time in 5 minutes with no response. That fact was starting to worry him more than a little bit as well.

"You still breathin, homey. We sittin back in Arcs ride now. She's bout to burn a bone. I'm bout to bum one off her. Everything's cool, homey."

<<@Zipline [Duckdown] Yo, ZIP! Where you AT girl?>>

Arc passes him a lit cigarette over her shoulder without looking, like she's done it a million times for a million broke ass trogs like himself. As she does, she speaks for the first time since they got in the car.

"huu....the hell was that, man, that wasn't normal, man!  PLEASE tell me one of y'all been facing drek like that before."  She frowned, eyes on the road as she bit her lip.

With no light in his face and no love in his voice, he responds grimly, "Naw... Naw girl." The tall lanky ork slinks down in the seat as much as he can, just in case they pass a random KE patrol. That's ALL we frakkin need.

For a third time tonight, Duck's thought process in interrupted by a quick movement from his partner, as the man sits up in his seat, looks around for a moment with a hellish expression on his face, holds his hand out demanding his gun, and speaks.

"And now, it's after me. Something immensely powerful. And completely evil, is planning me as its next victim. I need my gear. Home."

"Well, slot me. Aight, that's exactly where Arc's bout to take ya, but first, she's droppin me off with Zip and them. You and me are linkin up tomorrow and we're bout to figure some shit OUT, wiz?"

Least the squish aint dead.

[SnowDragon]

Arachnid shook his head, as if to say 'are you totally mad?' He still held out his hand for his weapon. HIs words were spoken out of fear, something that... he simply didn't show. Not to others, and certainly not to himself. And he did his absolute best to hide the cause of those words. "Splitting our strength is unwise."

[Poindexter]

"Splitting our strength is unwise."

For the first time in about 6 blocks, Duck allows himself a little grin. "Aight, first off, you can stop wavin your hand at me, cause homegirl up front has your gun, wiz? And second? It's a bunch of heads that get to teach me bout wisdom tonight. But chip truth? You aint one of em, homey. I understand you been through some rough shit tonight, but that's my niece out there, wiz? That's blood, wiz? Now, I'm a see you EARLY tomorrow and we're gonna figure. This. Shit. Out. You get a good night sleep and I'm gonna stay up all night handlin some fuckin bidness, word is bond."

The fuck aint Zip gettin back at me?

[SgtBoomCloud]

Arc's purple eyes were fixated on the road, practically unblinking as she followed Duck's suggestion, driving cool.  Once she knew she was dropping off the ork first, she circled back, heading in the relative direction of the Dead Drop until told otherwise.  She passed the cigarette back, fishing out a second one and lighting it for herself, puffing a few times before inhaling.  She glanced once in the rear-view mirror, seeing the harried visage of Arachnid slowly getting up, hearing him speak.

"Something immensely powerful. And completely evil, is planning me as its next victim."

Her heart sunk at those words, shaking her head.  "Nah man, this drek ain't good.  This some mojo drek?  The hell does mojo drek want with you, 'Rack?  You  fraggin' Awakened or summat?"  Another inhale, the tobacco helping to calm her nerves.  Thinking it over, she gave a short, quick nod.  "My place ain't big, but I can fit you guys on the couches good enough.  Strength in numbers and all that, eh?"

The alleys and streets droned on, completely devoid, filling her with more dread, eyes unblinking.  She noticed Aracnid's hand, reaching to her front and pulling out the Colt.  Instinctively, she popped the mag before handing it back to him.  "Here, you can reload at my place.  Duck, we gon' find your blood, don't worry.  There can't be many more places to look for h--JAYSUS HOOPSLOTTING CHRIST!"

Both hands snapped to the wheel as she spun it hard left, feet slamming on the brakes as she came to a sliding stop, facing sideways as she looked out the passenger side, flashlight snapping up to illuminate her sight: a figure, suspended in the air upside down by apparently nothing, shooting a gun!  With a flash, she leaned forward, Predator drawn, smartlink booting up as she pointed it towards the un-sub.  Her movements were cool, but the slight shake would betray her apprehension.  "The frag is THAT?!"