[Jack_Spade]

Isaint waited until the mages where out of sight and checked on the astral for any watchers then he retrieved one of his hard cases and began to fill the pockets and webs of his armor with most of it's contents, the rest wandered into the backpack on his drone. Once done, he carefully picked up the two bio-weapon containers and locked them inside the secure case.
"Ok, that should do it. But I still say we should not take the stuff with us - after all that was the reason it was released in the first place. Not to mention, that we can expect some very hostile reaction if the info gets somehow out that we still have it with us. Considering the efficiency of the spy network of this Old Guy I say, we find a hiding place somewhere in these tunnels and come back for it with the equipment to destroy it.

And yes, it's best we also get rid of this statue sooner than later - although I have a feeling that not knowing what it is and does might bite us in the ass. Just in case I'll add a stealth tag under it's chin. We can decide if we tell the Johnson about it when we meet him."

Isaint looked around:

Intuition+Stealth: 13d6t5 5  [13d6t5=2, 5, 3, 3, 3, 1, 1, 6, 1, 3, 6, 6, 6]


"There, I've found the perfect hiding place for the FABIII." He took the case and proceeded hide it behind some lose bricks. After he was done, there was no obvious trace that anything had been changed.

#326

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn tosses out a suggestion, "We could always give it to the Harlequins to watch over it.  And what about leaving one of our micro drones down the tunnel a bit to keep an eye on it?"

[Jack_Spade]

"To reach the Harlequinade we'd have to carry the stuff into the heart of the market - which I want to avoid for the afore mentioned reasons. Also it would be tough to explain why we wanted to give a troupe of not-quite sane clowns a bio-weapon for safekeeping.
 
Leaving a microdrone is a good idea - provided you can protect it from discovery. We don't want to leave clues to the whereabouts."
Replied Isaint.

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn nods.  "The harlequins were just a suggestion, but I can certainly see the wisdom of saying no to that.  I was planning on setting the drone a bit down the tunnel, so if it was discovered it would not lead to an automatic discovery.  I can not do that if you think the risk is too great.  Making it run silent would also help."

[Jack_Spade]

"I'll trust you'll get that done nicely.
Now let's go before Jackhammer gets smog withdrawal."

Isaint dusted off his hands, slung the rifle on his back and went back towards the front of their little troupe.

[Aria]

[Sunday July 5th, 2076; Somewhere Below, London Below]

As the group move out Robyn received a communication from the Old One which is considerably different in tone from the last mental assault…

<<Great leader? Peace, child. I am sorry, mention of that abomination angered me. I should have known that you would deal competently with it and I am glad you sought my guidance, my apologies again that I did not handle it better. Go with grace>>

With the FAB removed and hidden away the going feels lighter, even if the weight of the tanks was immaterial, but now there is a new issue as the artefact seems to have come alive in some way now that the proximity of the bacteria is no longer influencing it…there is a slowly rising background count as it somehow warps the manafield around it…damned if you do, damned if you don’t seems to be the course of this run…

Background count has increased to 2 around the artefact

You are shortly pinged by two members of the Harlequinade as you head away from the Underplex and towards the nearest known exit, and it isn’t long before two of the lithe murder clowns dance in to view

The one from before, Satire, gives you a mocking bow and makes some obscure hand gestures but it is the other that speaks

“Well met travellers, we are told there is a tale to tell here…”

***

#26

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn is pleased that the Old One has communicated to her.  A brief smile flickers across her face at his words and she nods to herself.  She updates her map of the Market, setting a course for the closest exit.  She has been expecting the appearance of the harlequins ever since she sent that message out to them.  She sends a note to the team, >>They are responding to my call for information about FAB III. It will be common knowledge in the Market about how the mages cleansed us.  May I give that part of the tale to them but leave out what we did with the device?<<

Before an answer could come back, ISaint begins to spout poetry as if he were one of the actors himself, thoroughly impressing Robyn.

[Jack_Spade]

Isaint inclined his head to answer Satire and Co.
"Drawn from the deepest dept below
we bring a tale of curse and woe
Through walls of silence, steel and stone
we cut a way to death's own throne

In darkness dead men's silent cries
surround the place the secret lies
a stone of power well protected
inside a chest with curse infected

But to foes betrayed we are
bringing with us morning star
Waiting for us - borrowed might
we depart not without a fight

Stray bullet found its mark
as we through shattered doors depart
Guardian plague is released
hound of fire is diseased

To men of power we are calling
else from grace we are falling
cleans the place we were fouling
and cures hellhound's haunting howling

Now to light we rush once more
bringing chest with deadly core
with plagues demise unbalanced
curses' power grows unchallenged

So here's our tale of dumb and dare
tell it to others who might care:
No good comes from stopping our run
for we will return when we are done"
 
<<Don't look so shocked. We knew they'd want a report. Hopefully that will be enough for them.>>

#329

[pistolgrip]

Jackhammer finds himself terribly confused at the decision to leave the FAB stuff behind when it was almost certainly there for a reason. Sure enough, soon he begins to feel something, like a sound or pressure, almost like a faint memory of his head being underwater. He felt dulled, like he'd lost something, but he still wasn't sure what. Regardless, that statue had to go. He really didn't need it doing anything permanent to him. Although, with the way the Johnson was supposedly going to pay, some of that probably had to be for potential disability. But he wasn't going to let that happen if he could help it.

Suddenly Isaint is spouting poetry to murder clowns. Jackhammer shrugs and figures this is about as normal as anything else they've done together. He nudges Robyn, accidentally a bit too hard, but puts a hand on her shoulder to steady her as he speaks. "So, uh, good job with those magicians. I haven't felt that clean in months." As he reviews the statement in his head, he immediately regrets it.

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn had moves off to the side to give ISaint plenty of room as he told the story, so she and Jackhammer are pretty much isolated for the moment.  She twists to face him after the man puts his hand on her shoulder, accidentally causing the hand to fall to her left breast, where it sits until he moves it.  If he moves it.  "Thank you, Jackhammer, but all I did was go ask them.  They have not yet told me what I will have to do for them in payment.  I just hope the favor is not too steep.  And, I do want to thank you for keeping me safe at the bakery.  I cannot do much for myself when I am in the matrix."

[Aria]

[Sunday July 5th, 2076; Somewhere Below, London Below]

The mime Satire laughed uproariously, albeit silently, at Isaint’s poem and danced forward to praise him.  Her companion seemed more restrained, but no less amused

“Well, that was unexpected! But thank you, you have brightened an otherwise dull day! Hecate asked us to walk with you through Below, record your deeds, that will certainly make a good beginning!  I would advise you to avoid the Market for now though…someone from the Overworld has been talking to the Iron Company and they have been charged with apprehending a group matching your general descriptions…perhaps a little cosmetic adjustment is in order? Then you may wish to travel in two groups so that your numbers do not also match?”

***

#27

[pistolgrip]

Jackhammer pulls his hand back, looking directly at where it had just been, then realizing what he was going he looked her in the eyes. Or in the glasses. Then he put his hand on his face. It was moments like this that he remembered why he kept to the bar scene.

At the suggestion of splitting the group, Jackhammer nods. "I'd been thinking of that myself. We could each take..." He pauses, remembering that Isaint doesn't like over-sharing, "...some of the stuff. Meet back later. If something did go wrong, the other half of the team could... fix it." Jackhammer scowled as he tried to make sure he didn't give anything away in that suggestion.

[adamu]

From his spot off in the shadows, Al tore his eyes from Alyce and Jackhammer as his ears pricked up at the mention of splitting the party.

Hadn't these people seen any horror sims?

"Hey," he said without moving from the dark alcove he was sitting in, his face eerily lit by the tip of his cigarette, "I got a poem for y'all.

There once was a crew from old London town
Who took crazy advice from a naughty old clown.
They split up the team
But deception was a dream
And in two lonely groups they each one went down."

Then he got up and stepped over to face the mimes.

"No disrespect. Y'all done right by us more'n once. An' redoin' our looks is all well an' good. But as fer splittin' up, you gon' guarantee that gits us past the opposition? Cuz if not, sounds like we'd jist be makin' things easier for 'em. Especially since the package itself, that don't split up. Didn't someone once say somethin' about splittin' yer force when faced with a stronger opponent? Reckon I'm dead against it."

[Jack_Spade]

Isaint thanked the two clowns, but nodded when Jackhammer and Al spoke:

"You are right Al. But so is Satire and Jackhammer.
I don't want to split the party, but I see the need to change our numbers as well.
Luckily, we can have it  both ways.

Rick, can you ask one of your spirits to do that concealing trick again on you, me, Half-Pint and his drone. The two mules we'll have to ditch for the moment. My anthro drone Arthur gets to wear my FBA and will carry the object on it's back. The rest of you will have to change your overall look - I can help you with that.

The concealed group will follow you in a discreet distance, so we'll be able to counter any ambush - especially since it will look to an astral observer as if we are the ones planning an ambush.

Robyn, would you be ok with leaving your hound in the care of the Harlequinade until we return? I fear we would have trouble to disguise him effectively.

Normally, I'd have us all be concealed, but the nature of the object makes that unfeasible."

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn looks at ISaint then the others as she considers her response, her hand absently ruffing the Hell Hound's head.  "In effect, you are asking me to leave my service animal, my Mule, and my cello behind.  I can't say as I am very fond of that idea, no.  With few exceptions, and unless guarded, "ditching" things down here usually means never seeing them again.  Even less fond of the idea.  I would not wish to leave Al with anyone that does not have some sort of animal empathy and skill with animals, especially with Hell Hounds.  Without those advantages they could be at risk.  That would need to be determined before I would even try to have Al stay behind."  She looks to Satire and the other harlequin.  "Do you or others of your troupe have the skills and desire to take on the challenge of watching over my dear companion and our two Mule drones?"