[adamu]

Jackhammer was just kicking the windshield free of its frame when Al saw some idiot pop out of the doubly-immobilized van with a weapon. He released the handbrake and popped the clutch, jolting the car out of the path of a stream of bullets. The guy was a helluva shot, though, and Al's tail lights exploded in starbursts of red and orange plastic even as he forced a window down to thust his arm out and display his middle finger at the offending shooter. More bullets spanged off his trunk and hardtop as he slipped behind some parked cars and out of the man's line of sight.

He heard Isaint say he was hit, which he figured must be pretty bad for the guy even to bother saying anything, but before he could worry he saw him take out the last van with a grenade. That seemed to be the last of the resistance - that he could see anyway, and he darted the car back to as close as he could get to his dismounted coworkers.

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn's avatar shakes her head and grimaces.  >>We will be disappearing into Below soon and there is little about us, but I would suspect that a CID SWAT team is already on the way in reaction to all of the weapons fire here.  They will be swarming the building and vehicles we leave behind and will probably know who we are soon enough.  I will boot out and then go back in to get us a new ride after zeroing my score.  Won't be but a few seconds to get it done.  Dropping from VR................now.<<

She slips safely from VR and commands her deck to reboot as she looks at the foam covering the windows.  Laughing, she says, "All this white reminds me of one time when I was searching for an item in Nepal.  I had to stay in an ice cave for several days to wait out a blizzard.  Of course, I was not being shot at and the company was not as nice.  I have to say, Al, that you sure know how to dhow a girl a good time.  Now, what can I do to help while my deck boots back up?"

[DireRadiant]

[Yukika Karasu - Sunday July 5th, 2076; The Harrowing, Harrow, London]

I enter the field.

No I do not. It would ruin my clothes. The clothes I just cleaned. Of course I will explain to the rest of the team that I am in reserve. They will need me to tend them after we escape. How can I tend them if I am dead?

I guard the Unclean Hound Mistress while the Dirty Old Cheater destroys our means of escaping this madness. I suppose it his own vehicle, but still it would serve to move us quickly from here under some protection.

Whomever launched that disgusting snow foam should be glad they did not hit me. I would hunt their family down. Instead I summon my will and project it forth. I think I strained something, the pain in my feet no longer concern me. I need to sleep. In clean sheets, with pillows and soothing sounds.

The sound rivals the obscene chinese celebrations of endless fireworks. It is much more harmful.

Did the sorceror drop a vehicle on Mr Roboto? I giggle.

The Polite Oni is asking me to have a Kami catch mortar rounds? I will have to re evaluate my opinion of the Oni.

My head bounces against the seat as the Dirty Old Cheater displays his ability to crash into every parked object around us once again. We should just leave. There must be something he has not hit yet elsewhere. Somewhere without so many bullets.

Since I am caring for the Unclean Hound Mistress I do my duty. I reach for the hound with my will. I remember perfectly how to unlock the metal prison they had me in so recently. The stupid beast is still asleep which makes this less challenging. I giggle. There is no room in this wreck. I ponder draping the beast on the hood, but remember this might cause the Unclean Hound Mistress more distress. I will have to carry it along with us.

"Please, I am bringing the hound along. It will not fit in here."

I demand the Kami conceal us. This will cost me extra devotions.

"Should I fetch the others to us as well?"

[adamu]

First the evildoers' van, now the abomidog.

"What'm I even wastin' fuel for? Reckon next up is Chitty Chitty damned Bang Bang," he muttered under his breath.

His windows were cleaning themselves, and the animal was floating beside them. Karasu was acting cool as a damned Japanese cucumber, but he could see strain on her face. "Jist dump it inna trunk," he suggested, indicating the open boot with a jerk of his unshaven chin. "An' hell yeah, you can give the rest o' them lollygaggers a little comealong we'll all be a mite better off."

In his side mirror he could see flames emerging from where Rick had been buried in foam...<<Rick, baby, that fire ol' Al's seein' a good thing or a bad thing?>>

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn is surprised that the Japanese woman is actually helping her.  あなたのご親切は、香良洲ミスありがとうございました。 私の仲間は私には非常に重要です。

Just then she gets the ping that tells her that her deck has rebooted.  >>Robyn is going back to VR to grab us some new wheels.<<  She sends her avatar back into the matrix and searches for appropriate vehicles, finding two vans parked not far away.  It is the work of seconds to place a mark on each of them as neither is protected by anything like a decent firewall.  >>I have two vans.  We can use both or take one and use the other as a decoy.  Ideas?<<

Thank you for your kindness, Miss Karasu.  My companion is very important to me.

[obidancer]

Deckard took a deep breath and held it. Hi body pounded against the rock solid foam and fire aura was quickly burning through the material. Some flames started to burn through when he received the message from Al.

<<Rick, baby, that fire ol' Al's seein' a good thing or a bad thing?>>

At that moment Deckard's form emerged from the prison surrounded by flames and black smoke. An aura of power was emanating from the Magician and so were magical flames from part of his body. His head slowly turned toward Al's car, then around as the elemental in him was looking for a potential enemy.

<<Goood... very goood.>> Was all Al heard. The voice was eerie, otherworldly.

Who? asked the Elemental. Looking for the enemy.
Nevermind. Said Deckard has he retook control of his body. He could feel himself stronger, faster, sharper, and surrounded by a cloud of toxic smoke. No need to stay there. He jumped through the flames and headed towards where the Morgan was encased checking Arthur was ok to move too.   
<<Robyn. Where's the Van? I'm expecting our prisoner very shortly. >>

[Jack_Spade]

Isaint watched fascinated as Rick came around like a blazing phoenix. He also noticed the Valkyrie Module opening and the hound levitating away.

To Robyn's question he replied: << No need for decoys as long as we are peppered with RFID tags. Just get them here. I am literally sick and tired. And the London police will probably have one or two questions about the state of their safe house - including why some paralyzed gangers are buried under a ton of freeze foam.
Also, if there should be another round of foam incoming, we are fucked, so please hurry with the cars.>>

He gave a wistful look to the still intact VM - some tender ministrations of its autodoc would have been great, but there was no time. Likewise he couldn't call the Aeroquip, parked not far away on a roof. Those guys had hackers - not a good time to rely on an autopilot, even if he was slaved to his system.

With stiff movements he walked over to Al's car after helping Arthur out of the Morgan. Another 10.000 Euros down the drain.

#385

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn moves the vans in from the area just beyond the safe house.  >>Green van is moving to our position now.  Ten seconds out unless it is stopped.  Someone will need to take physical control of the it and get me to it.  The second van is white and will parallel our movement and be available in case we need it.  I am hoping that the one is all we need, but the second may escape their notice until we have to call it in..............if we have to call it in, and this way I will not need to go looking for a replacement if Al decides to play at bumper cars with it.  Can someone remind me if we are the good guys or the bad guys here?<<

[adamu]

"Good guys or...woman, I am the forces o' truth an' justice personified, an' the world had best be grateful. As fer the rest of ya, well, ol' Al don't cast no judgments."

He was already out of the car and busy retrieving his rifle and a couple of big shoulder bags. Gear secure, he pulled some rags from the floor of the car and shoved them into the petrol intake on the multifuel sports car. Jackhammer was moving Robyn's inert form.

"Now these other fellers was definitely evildoers, though. They was shootin' at us warn't they?"

His big Zippo appeared in his hand, and a couple of vans were trundling towards them. "Ever'body out?"

[Jack_Spade]

<<Well, technically we are a bunch of terrorists who released a biological weapon during a shootout with some mall cops in a highly frequented public area. But yeah, those guys were sent to capture us by any means necessary. As soon as we are cleaned up and back in fighting shape we need to squeeze our prisoner about who is behind this shit and put a bullet through their brain pan, or this will only have been the first attempt.

So eyes on target - we aren't out of the woods yet>>

#386

[adamu]

<Whatever they wanted, shoulda just asked nicely.>>

He took a look up at the sun. Best thing about flare compensators was that you could look at the sun. He figured they'd be back in the eternal night of London Below soon, so he'd best catch some rays while he could.

Once everyone was loaded - including the hell hound, the captive mini-mage, and the robot ("'Nother blasted menagerie," he muttered) - Al lit the improvised fuse and got behind the wheel of the van, oblivious to the dismayed expressions of the passengers.

He wasted no time leaving the scene, concentrating more on speed than discretion. "Alrighty, then, someone tell me where we's goin'."

His bullet-ridden car erupted in flames as he left it behind in the foam-coated parking lot.

[Aria]

[Sunday July 5th, 2076; Met Safehouse, Harrow, London]

As you begin to beat a hasty retreat your gnomish captive, looking only slightly less childlike up close, drifts over in the arms of Deckard’s spirit…still unconscious…now all you need to do is to find somewhere to hole up and begin to sift through all the damn RFID tags that have settled on you…what you will do about the ones that you will have inevitably inhaled is another matter…

***

#47

[Mercy Merchant]

Robyn keeps the drones deployed as eyes and moves the second van in tandem to the green one, staying at least a street away and to the side.  She instructs her agent to return to identifying and killing the RFID tags.  >>I am glad we are the good guys.  I have the reg for the vans and will reimburse the owners if we destroy them.  Are we heading to the Below rendezvous now or driving about until the tags are gone?  By the way, I think we did pretty well just then.  Good teamwork, and all that.<<

[adamu]

<<Teamwork makes the dream work, baby.>>

[Jack_Spade]

<<That could take a while and this vehicle isn't exactly made for high speed chases. The sooner we can get our treatment the better. Going underground will also make it easier to have the jammers going without being conspicuous. At the moment we have mine and Arthur's jammer to keep us relatively safe, but it will only be a matter of time before our opposition has their own noise reducing gear in position to track us down. The sooner we get underground the sooner we are safe from goons with armored vans.
And incidentally, I could use a minute or two to get some cooling for my ribs.>> replied Isaint.