[Jack_Spade]

"You bet. Wouldn't still drive for almost an hour if it weren't for those sweet ladies. That and I kinda like knocking perverts, drunks and drunk perverts on their asses. Having those ladies around also is a real perk.
So what did bring you here to crash at our lot? Trouble overseas?"
Thorn rolled his shoulders to lose the tension after the strenuous pulling. It really seemed as if this gig would be really easy money...

[adamu]

Thorn's query elicited an ironic chuckle from Al. "Yeah, I'll allow as Sicily counts fer overseas, an' Arturo Gianelli probably does still have a few drops o' the old blood in 'im after generations o' cousin-lovin'."

The unshaven man's voice pierced the sound of the rain like the death throes of an oil-starved gearbox.

"But the trouble, well, that all went down right here inna Emerald City. Ol' Al seems to have innocently stumbled into a labor dispute onna downtown docks, incurred the undeserved wrath o' certain cosa nostra also-rans, ended up goin' ta ground with these here Mechanicals hippies at they last commune. I paid 'em some, scratched they backs a little, an' they done more'n right by me. So when they decided ta make the move down here, well, I din't have nowhere else in particular ta hang my hat, an' the eye-ties was showin' fresh interest in skinnin' me alive, so movin' down here with 'em seemed like a win-win."

He drained the last of the hot coffee from the polystyrene cup in his hand and tossed it carelessly aside. "So that's my excuse. What about you? If this bordello gig is such a sweet deal, why make the drive down into no-man's-land at all?"

[SgtBoomCloud]

"Remind me next time I work with you people, to never take the cold jobssss." Gunther said as he shivered, although at least he had managed to only have drawn-out S with that sentence. "How cold can thisss dump of a town get anyway. Ssseemsss asss sssoon asss it heatsss up another ssstorm comesss in." He said to Pinion. He was just trying to make small talk as he was forced to watch Al and Thorn enjoy the heat while his more cold-blooed body had to endure the freezing winds. Could be worse, at least he didn't live in London or some other place north.

Pinion could only grin a little at the gripes of the masked figure sitting next to him out in the rain, the two of them in close proximity to preserve what warmth they had, their breath misting the air in front of them before the rain dashed it to the ground.  "Maybe consider a change of locales? I hear Dallas is good on work lately...huu...."  Cupping his hands, he puffed some air into them for quick fleeting warmth before taking a peek at the exchange, using the mule's camera as a visual point.  "...okay, they got what we're after, we should be heading out soon.  Thorn and Al are looking pretty chummy, and...good spirits almighty, they're drinking hot soycaf?!"  Clapping his hands to his head, he gave a sigh.  "If they come back without any of that drek, we get the beers.  Enough said..."  Grumbling, he sent a message off to the other duo.

<<@Team: 'Trix space showing clear skies from you to us.  What's the plan?>>

[Jack_Spade]

He drained the last of the hot coffee from the polystyrene cup in his hand and tossed it carelessly aside. "So that's my excuse. What about you? If this bordello gig is such a sweet deal, why make the drive down into no-man's-land at all?"

"The tribe's family. And you don't just get up and leave them for some gig. Besides all my friends are there and if the meat meets the metal it's always good to have them at your back.
Also I really love to ride my bike."

When the message came he answered: <<Dunno. Trudging back I guess. We can take turns riding on the thing.>>

[adamu]

<<Yeah, I'm thinkin' onna way back we try west-by-northwest fer about four klicks, then shift northwest to slip between a coupla likely trouble spots, hit what's left o' Pioneer Way fer a little easier goin' onna last leg. No guarantees out here, but seems like the best route ta ol' Al.>>

[ScytheKnight]

{Escort}

Ratchet would be lying if she said she wasn't impressed by the huge sub, she'd also be lying if she said she knew much about it. She climbed the ladder easily and settled into the still somewhat cramped confines of the sub. Great size or no, space was still at a premium.

The dwarf gladly removed the respirator but found herself needing to keep the goggles on, with the silent running order everything was done via a bewildering Image Link network. Looking around she seemed at a loss, she was no engineer and so the sub in general didn't really fascinate her much. Instead she found herself wondering why they where being told to stay out of the medical area, frowning a little she digs out her comlink and taps out a message to their guide.

<<I am curious why you want to keep us out of the medbay. Is there some kind of medical problem on board? If so, I am a medic, I may be able to help.>>

[saithor]

Gunther hissed in agreed annoyance as he heard that the others were drinking hot soycaffe. After waiting a while he decided to merely post his assent to Al's suggestion in the comb chat, and stand waiting out in the cold. The sooner they came to a plan, the sooner they could leave.

[adamu]

Once the four trekkers had linked back up, Al produced the hot thermos from under his jacket, sorry to part with the warmth.

"There ya are, gentlemen - don't say ol' Al never gave ya nothin'."

He passed out the polystyrene cups he'd brought.

"Nothin' now but homeward bound. All downhill from here, right?"

[Csjarrat]

{escort}
Cog smiled and looked around, chatting in reply to the warm welcome they received.
Aside from our techie here, we've come along as an escort. Just wondering where you want us deployed and when you want us to start. If you could give us a brief on what you're expecting that'd be great.

[Aria]

@Tech Fetch
[Friday December 13th, 2075; Mayday Field, Hells Kitchen, Puyallup]
 
As you trudge back through the sodden ash the rain peters out and eventually there is a highly unusual break in the clouds to allow the limpid moon to shine upon you.  It transforms the landscape from a monotonous field of grey into a serene and stark beauty.  Steam venting over to your left catches the moonbeams and scatters them in a way no laser light show could match.
 
You’re about two thirds of the way home and the tension of being watched by the smugglers is beginning to fade, not that you are getting complacent, but the imminent risk of someone wanting to take what you have is lessoning…
 
A dull rumble gives you a moment of forewarning and then the mule lurches as the biggest fragging rock wyrm you’ve ever heard of erupts from under its tracks…instead of the normal girth of about thirty centimeters this one a troll would struggle to wrap his arms around, although the chemical stink of its breath would suggest that was unwise…it might even rival one of the fabled sand wyrms from the Mojave…
 
@Escort
[Friday December 13th, 2075; The Sound, somewhere off the Seattle shoreline]
 

<<I am curious why you want to keep us out of the medbay. Is there some kind of medical problem on board? If so, I am a medic, I may be able to help.>>

<<Nothing like that…medical is used by the seekers…by all means stick your head around the door but don’t disturb anyone in there please>>
 

Aside from our techie here, we've come along as an escort. Just wondering where you want us deployed and when you want us to start. If you could give us a brief on what you're expecting that'd be great.

<<As I said, you’ve the run of the boat, take a load off and relax for a while.  Fixing the hydroponics will take as long as it takes and then we can arrange a new rendezvous with your rides.  We’ll hopefully be out of the Sound by then so we’ll run you back in the chopper, hope nobody is afraid of flying?>>

[Jack_Spade]

"HOLY SHIT!" Thorn instinctively jumped back two meters, almost landing flat on is back. Only his MA training kicked in and he managed to turn it into a roll and land in a crouch.
His free hand automatically found one of the tomahawks, ready to let fly at the worm.

[Csjarrat]

escort
sure thing. Where's best to get my kit dry? And grab a warm drink?
He hauled his kit bag down the corridor as directed and hung his wet coveralls on the drying rack before heading to the cafeteria. Punching the request for a hot soy-choc into the dispenser he dictated a message to the escort team;
<<escort team>>yo, you need a hand with those hydroponics?

[adamu]

"David doin' Bathsheba!" Al whispered in shock.

He'd heard these things were - well, vegetarian wouldn't quite be right, would it? Geotarian? Seditarian? He settled on rockatarian. But the way this thing was acting, he wasn't going to bet the farm on it. Besides, they couldn't have it making a meal of their mule drone.

And then he was taking a step back as he unslung his rifle, muttering random names of voodoo gods as he brought the barrel up and squeezed the trigger.

The thing was huge. He was confident his APDS rounds would punch through its hide, but how many high-velocity rounds it might take was another question entirely.

[saithor]

Gunther let loose a hiss of shock, surprise, and fear as the thing emerged from the ground. He dove out of the mule as instinct took over. He turned, hands put together, voive hissing out a calming chant as he collected magic energy. The energy amnifested itself as streamers of fire that shot out, exploding on contact with the Wyrm, ripping into it's flank. He backed off as his pyrotechnics engulfed the beast.

[pistolgrip]

During the boat ride, Bent hugged himself tightly and kept his head down, not caring to speak to anyone on the lurching ride out. Once they reached the sub, the silence hardly made a difference for him as he climbed aboard and went down. He read the AR, but didn't care to respond. He kept his hands firmly tucked under his arms until it seemed everyone was done with their conversations. Then he walked off with a long string of silent and therefore unsatisfying cursing about the cold, the boat, the sub, the water, and the whole world going to hell. He immediately set out to find a radiator or furnace to warm himself up and dry out his frozen clothes. The bright green of his clothes stood in stark contrast to his mood, but also helped remind him of his self-appointed hero persona. He tried to suck it up and look tough. That was about all he could do in this oversized tin can. There probably wouldn't be anything to shoot anyway.