[Duck N. Cover]

Terriffic Tuskaloosa thinks.  And when I left my waldo arms in my other pants, too. 
She will grumble: "if it isn't "little tools", then what are trolls made of?"

[ismilealot]

@ Arc, Subaru & Tuskaloosa  A burst of mad giggles comes from the halfer who is spinning crazily in a mad wobble, looking for all the world like a top almost at the end of it's upright motion. "Horns and tusks and undeniable musk. Tempers that hamper and are party dampers. Large hands and large feet and dying crew on this street." That last painful reminder is followed with a laugh as the halfer jumps up high onto a street lamp. He hangs onto the post as his forward momentum brings him around until once again he's facing Tusk and now looking at her almost at eye level. The crazy glint in his eye becomes almost frenzied. "My crews not dying, my crews not dead. Fifteen hundred cred we keep your car and get you a bed."

@ Yelena & Marco  The body of the octopus is perfect for this mission, even towing the mage Yelena feels herself glide in powerful thrusts through the water. She gets as far as she can up onto the beach, her body only partially submerged with the waves and uses several of her arms to bring the mage up and roll her onto her back. Her vision is not made for sight in this medium so she can't see the mages color. But, she can see that their target isn't moving and is completely unresistant to any of Yelena's actions. There isn't any gasp for breath or cough or struggle to reach the beach as the icy waters continue to wash over her with each roll of the tide.

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena may not be quite able to see as well, but she does know first aid.  She takes one of her tentacles and wraps it around the legs of the mage and another around an arm before using a third to begin to gently compress the woman's chest in an effort to get her to cough up the water and to start breathing.  **Marco.  Is Yelena.  On beach.  Woman not breathing.  Yelena trying first aid.  Hurry to me with clothes and healing mojo.**

[gilga]

The mage was wet blue and unbreathing and Marco hurried to meet Yelena, he run toward her with warm blankets and the bike and immediately deployed the first aid kit and tried to stabilize the mage.  It only took a thought to release Yelena from her octopus body and kill the mind link and the daemon vanished as quickly as Marco allowed him too. Not commenting on their daring escape.

Marco was very happy that the medic kit instructions were clear and understandable, they made taking care of the unconscious mage a reasonable task. Still the sight and touch of a woman at the brink of death and the knowledge that other might have died in that car crush pains Marco and he can almost sense the mage weak aura as she cling in to life. Fortunately, the medic kit seems to be doing a good job and it does not take long before the mage is stabilized.

Medic kit on automatic: 12d6t5 4

12d6t5: 4 [12d6t5=6, 1, 4, 5, 3, 1, 1, 5, 2, 5, 2, 4]


Taking 2 dice because the mage is awakened and two dice because of the conditions (gosh so complex) we still seem to be on the green because we only lose one success.

So the mage should be stabilized.
If it is needed Marco will also use healing:
Heal Spell: 10d6t5 3
Drain heal: 11d6t5 6


“Quick! help me strip her and search for other injuries” say Marco as he removes the wet clothes from the mage and cover her with blankets. If the two discover other injuries, Marco will use the medic kit again and the heal spell to mitigate their effects, but at the meanwhile having the unconscious and naked woman before them seems very appropriate. While the woman is fully encapsulated with clothes Marco uses the shape change in order to make her the cutest soggy cat he could imagine, he embraces the cat/mage and joins Yelena on the bike. He thinks to himself - "I made a lady disappear... just like in magic shows."

Shape Change: 10d6t5 4[/b
Drain shape change: 11d6t5 2
]

Before moving along, Marco tells Yelena “Arc and Firefly had an accident we should see how they are doing... I'll let you do the texting because of that comlink in your head, lets see if they need us. You drive and I will snuggle with the cat."

[SgtBoomCloud]

Arc got confused for a second.  My head must have gotten knocked worse than I thought...coulda sworn that was a girl's voice  Wincing a little, she eyed the halfer as he cavorted about, making his offer in that singsong voice of his.  Gritting her teeth, her right hand still gripped the pistol, but kept it lowered...the threat wasn't gone, but it wasn't in their faces either.

"nnh...wait, so you's wants a K'n'5 and my ride for refuge, that it?  Frag, what you take me for, huh? You gonna ice us if I refuse, that it?"  Arc glanced back at Firefly, who looked to be zoning out...probably for the best...and then to Tuskaloosa, who was about ready to cut their decker loose.  Biting her lip, she hoped that Marco and Yelena were handling things, and that they would get the message she was about to send.

@Team: Hoi, guys.  Car's beat up pretty bad, and I'm pretty sure I look fragged up too.  Firefly needs care, Tuska's finna cut her loose from the door in her chest.  Got a halfer willing to barter a safehole for the night.  What's your status?"

Turning back to the halfer, she narrowed her gaze.  "This ride's worth quite a beat even in this state, oma-e.  Nnh....make it 1K, get some care for my chummer next to me, and refuge for the three others we's gots coming, and we got a deal.  Take it or leave it, I know this ride like the back of my hand and could kip out anytime..."

[Duck N. Cover]

     Tuskaloosa listened to Arc negoitate.  She understood sentimentality to a vehicle, but not to a assembly-line job like an Americar.

     She also couldn't understand what the dwarf and his unseen “crew” would want with the thing anyway...why negotiate for a dented can, when there were perfectly good...
   
    “Boss, boss,”  she soothed as an idea came to her.  “They want your car, right?”  She turns to the dwarf. “What if she had more than one...like a repossessed Jade Dragon chase car?  Would you take that instead?”

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena's octopus eyes see the blurry form of Marco as he runs up to them but she keeps pressing and releasing on the woman's chest until he has the medkit attached and working.  Suddenly, her tentacles retract and her body convulses as she changes back to her Keeb form, falling on her side because her real arms are out of position to support her.  "Frag, Marco.  Warn Yelena next time."  She Moves over to the mage and pushes Marco out of the way.  "Marco all wrong.  Attach like that and fry mage.  Get mage clothes off." 

Yelena makes sure that the kit is working then takes a towel to dry off and get dressed before assisting Marco with the mage.  Besides some bumps and bruises, there does not seem to be any real damage, although she will probably wonder at the sucker marks that dot her exposed skin.  She  unplugs the medkit and watches as Marco changes the woman into a cat.  He puts it against his chest as they make their way to the bike.  She receives the short message from Arc as she kicks the engine on and sends a reply while waiting for Marco to climb on with the cat.  >>Arc.  Is Yelena.  Out of water.  Have mage woman.  She is hurt.  Stable.  We come Arc location?<<

[SgtBoomCloud]

Arc wasn't entirely sure how to respond to Tuska's suggestion, but any experience she has had on working in a team, one lesson struck clear in her mind, even now: never argue with your team when a deal is being made.  At least, not openly.  The idea of swapping a payment of their cred for an ill-gotten gain did seem mutually beneficial, and if it meant their safety, she would readily sacrifice her c as r for it, but there was one issue of that needing resolved.  Luckily for the rigger, there was a Fly Spy over the bridge ready to observe if one of the chase cars was indeed abandoned...

@Tuskaloosa: that's some serious he there omae.   Where we getting this car anyhow?

Thank the wonders of tech for allowing her to mentally communic as text with the troll as she eyed the halfway for his response.  Meanwhile, shortly afterward, Arc received Yelema'so message, relieved to hear they had been successful in the extraction.

@Yelena: bona wiz, Srui.  Sending my coords...I think.  Feel free to approach, but do so steady.  This half knows about three more peeps, but don't wanna spook em, ya feel me?

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena nods to herself then looks over her shoulder to make sure that Marco is ready before moving off.  She drives slowly, using her Keeb vision instead of headlights until the bike is well away from the rocky beach.  >>Srui.  Yelena come.  Marco come.  Mage woman is cat for now.<<

[ismilealot]

@ Marco & Yelena  The moons light is mostly enough for Yelena, and thank the great dragons for grid-guide and auto-pilot or she'd have been in trouble in a few spots. Still, it isn't a long stretch that they need to run silent on and then she can open 'er up and turn on the lights finally silencing that damn dinging from a safety monitor that keeps insisting that the lights be turned on. Emergency response crews zip by them as well as news trucks.

@ Arc, Subaru & Tuskaloosa  The halfer looks at Tuskaloosa and that maniacal giggle rings out. "In for a penny. In for a pound. A car that pricey I'll buy the first round." He jumps and lands in front of Tusks and his hand is in hers in an instant. He pumps her hand with his and says in a hard and serious voice. "Bargain struck." He whistles and suddenly out of seeming nowhere five bodies appear with tools Arc would have to be senile not to recognize, and she'd probably lose her own name before she lost her knowledge of tools. They're the tools of professional choppers. In under five minutes Subaru is gently and easily cut free from the door. The Americar is in parts and the locator is disabled. Another whistle and a Hoyer bed appears, the parts loaded onto it as smoothly as if they were still on a factory assembly line. In the meantime following Arc's command the flyspies zip off to the bridge and are there in a few minutes showing Arc the mayhem that Marco induced. Naked gangers in various positions of ?pleasure??? well, takes all kinds. and precious few others in the gang trying to bring order to the chaos. She spots Marco sneaking off, although given the activities on the bridge he could have strolled past playing a set of conga drums and still been unnoticed.

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena slows for the emergency vehicles, not wishing to be noticed for breaking the law.  She follows the lights and sirens to the bridge, homing in on Arc's GPS signal.  >>Arc.  Is Yelena.  On road.  Many emergency cars headed your way.  Yelena try get to car, but maybe not allowed.  What happening at car?<<

[SgtBoomCloud]

Arc was actually very surprised at the speed and professionalism the team of choppers had in cutting up her car.  She still felt a twinge of loss from seeing her beloved car going to rest, but knows in the back of her head that it is for the best.  If the Dragons did get a lock on her car, then keeping it would endanger all of them and those around her...not good.

The mechanic barely realized that she had been helped out if the car, standing off to the side next to Tuskaloosa opposite Firefly, the troll seeming to take it upon herself to prop up the two crash victims.  She tried to move, wincing a bit and holding her head and sides in frustration from her hurts.  She let the halfers do their work, wondering if she knew their work...mechanics and choppers have a rather diametrically opposed relationship, but still, it's the same field.  Turning to the trolless,  she muttered out.  "Tall price to pay...how we getting that car to them, huh? Check the feeds, they ain't entirely abandoned, word...huh, Yelena'a on the horn..."  gritting her teeth, the human sent a reply quick.

@Yelena: Car's gone.  No trace.  Lock to my comm in case we move.  Choppers giving us refuge, they know you're coming, null sweat.  Tell Marco Firefly will need some mojo  for some trauma.  You'll see when you see us

[gilga]

Marco hugged the cat, with one hand and Yelena with the other. He feared what will happen when the mage wakes up, if she is as good as his daemon claimed then they should be delivering the package asap. Two spells sustained in his mind and watching the road took their toll. Nothing could prepare Marco to the sight Arc seemed beaten up, still a bit bleedy with multiple cuts and bruises and Firefly... she had a door stuck into her chest, freed from the car but completely unresponsive. Firefly was just laying there in the car, slowly bleeding to death. The sight was so  disturbing that Marco completely ignored the halfer mechanics that took the poor Ford apart. "Oh no..." Cried Marco, "We arrived too late." He added and rushed toward Firefly. He asked Tuska "Is she still breathing?... is there still hope? What happened here?"

[ismilealot]

A skinny halfer is rolling a bed up to Firefly within minutes of Marco & Yelena's arrival and looking at Tusks he says, "I'm Alyce. You can put 'er 'ere. Slot fer the R6 right 'ere. We got another bed iffn yer wants it."  he says looking at Arc.

[Duck N. Cover]

It all happened so fast.
One minute, she was giving Arc a suggestion, and the next she had a dwarf shaking her hand.
To say nothing of the minute that followed and the miniature termite brigade...

The good news was that the dwarf and his merry band were as good as his word: they extracted Firefly safely.

Arc reminded her of the bad news.
"Tall price to pay...how we getting that car to them, huh? Check the feeds, they ain't entirely abandoned, word.."

The troll let out a sigh.  Well, this is another fine mess I've gotten myself--no, make that us--into.

She checked the feeds as Arc instructed.  The bridge site was still chaotic, but it would not stay that way for much longer.

Tuskaloosa turned to the chopper's front man. "Would a couple of your crew be willing to give me a hand with the wireless lockouts and tracking locators, or would that cost extra?"
Arc gave her a look.  "you've got a plan?"
"If walk up, forge drive rights, drive away one and order the other to follow me is a plan..."
"Wait, two cars now?  What happened to one?"
"They can't pursue with the other one if they don't have it,  right?  Besides",  she added, quietly serious, "I'm feeling greedy right about now."