[Chrome Head]

"Would I kill? Yes. Sadly I've done it many times before." They can see that he is somewhat pained at saying this but he is also in a way detached and cold, and no less determined than before.

"Am I good? Well, I won't bore you with humility, I like to think that I am. You've seen a bit of what I can do yesterday."

"And as to what's a safe place for her. I'm not sure yet. Maybe she could stay here for a while until I figure something out? I believe you'd be doing this anyway, but let me just say that I can help support you with some money that would make things easier. How would that sound?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Spike looks at you for a minute.  “We are going to walk right up and go in the club.  We move fast and go in hard.  Right now the opposition is Aldo in his office, two of his thugs, the bar guy, and several non-combatant dancers that live there.  One thug is in the front in the lobby with the bar guy and the other is at the door to where they are keeping your girl and her son.  DoubleT will take out the lobby guy and bar guy then we move to the second floor.  Drake is already trying to get into their comms to interrupt anything going out of the building.  Might work, might not, so we plan on reinforcements.  That is where Crackers and Moira come in; they will distract anyone trying to return to the club.  We go get your girl and leave.”  She turns to the twins, “No hard stuff on any of the dancers that might be about.  Weapons free on the hard men.”  The girls nod and giggle.  Spike looks back at you and adds, “As a bonus, we can try to deal with Aldo, but that could eat up extra time we might need to get away.  Unless you want to let me and DoubleT go get the girl and you go after Aldo?  We could just leave him to answer to Tony.  Your call, Gaze.”

She looks at the watch again, snaps it closed, and puts it away.  “Let me know on the way.  We just hit the two mikes and are rolling hot.”  Suiting the action to the word, Spike nods at Angel and leaves the room, followed by the twins, who seem to have stopped giggling.  The second one (you are still not sure which is Trish and which is Tina) turns to you just before she goes through the door and smiles.  You are momentarily startled by an odd green glow in her eyes.  Then she turns and disappears after her sister.  Angel is still looking at the screen, but her words catch you as you pass through the door.  “Keep her safe for us.  We need her.  She has waited almost her whole life for you, which means we have, too.  Good luck.”

[Mercy Merchant]

**I'm not sure what's going on with these people, but I don't intend to let them down. This is serious stuff though, really dangerous. Angel's right, I gotta protect them, Spike and the twins. Everyone's putting their faith in me. I'm not sure why yet, but I'll make this worth it for them afterwards. I owe it to them.** "I'll do my best, Angel."

"Okay, Spike, we'll do it like you said. The priority is the woman -- her name is Myotama -- and her child Tommy. Aldo, well, we'll make the call when we're over there, depending on our intel from outside. I'll deal with him only if we have time." **And I sure hope we do.**

[Mercy Merchant]

Spike leads you and the others through the rubble in a round about manner, but never seems to be confused.  She had given you a short response to your statement about Aldo, but nothing since.  Finally, she hunkers down behind a low wall and waits for the rest of you to do the same.  She looks at the kid and says, "OK, Whitey, off you go.  Let Mickey and Rolf know that they can start the distraction."  The small boy nods and races off into the rubble.  Spike looks at you.  "We got some friends about who are risking things to distract some of Aldo's thugs and delay them reinforcing the club."  She takes out her watch and taps her throat and her next words come through the earpiece.  "Rolling to ops phase in one mike.  Updates from base, please.  Drake, Rain, then Angel."  Drake reports that there has been no change to the number of guards in the building, but that Aldo has called one of the dancers to his office and is banging away at her.  Rain confirms that there are no additional gunmen in the area of the club.  Angel asks if Spike really needs to hear what Aldo is saying right now.  There are some chuckles and Spike declines.  He shuts the watch and looks at you before saying over the mic net, Alright.  Rolling on my mark.  Three.......two.......one......mark."

Spike stood up and slipped over the wall, followed by DoubleT.  You are right behind them when you see their hands begin to glow with what looks like a green flame.  There are some people on the street, but they do not appear to be any of Aldo's thugs and they quickly begin to move away from the club, scattering from the expected confrontation.  Spike lopes to the club entrance and races in low to the ground, moving quickly to the left as the twins enter behind him.  Balls of green fire fly from their hands to strike the two men standing near the bar.  The targets writhe and fall to the ground without uttering a sound.  Spike nods and motions for you to take the stairs up next to her.

[Chrome Head]

Gaze nods to Spike and makes his way to the stairs. His senses are on high alert, his adrenaline is cranked all the way up, everything seems to slow down around him. He hurries up the stairs, hoping that the element of surprise is still in their favor. Everything is going well so far, but don't take anything for granted.

[Mercy Merchant]

Coming out of the stairwell, you are in the same hallway as earlier.  Spike motions to the left and you lead the way.  She is moving close to the wall and takes something out of a pocket as you both move quietly, followed by the twins.  You hear a man's voice from around the corner, talking as if into a malfunctioning commlink, swearing at it.  From your angle, you are the first to see the man, who belatedly looks up to see you.  His eyes go wide and he reaches into his jacket to bring out a large pistol.

[Chrome Head]

Gaze springs to action, moving fast to strike his enemy before he draws his weapon. He attempts to kick him high in the chest, hopefully knocking him down. His karate training lets him get into the right position quickly and efficiently for this move, his adept powers further enhance his physical prowess and gracefulness, a professional at work.

Initiative: 11 + 4D6
Movement: base walking speed is Agi x2 = 16m which is more than the 20 ft to cover.
Melee Attack (kick): 8 Agi + 6 Unarmed + 2 kick specialization + 1 reach (from Kick martial arts technique) = 17 dice [limit: 8]
Base Damage Value: 6 Strength + 1 critical strike adept power = 7S (choosing to do Stun damage using Killing Hands)
AP: -4 (from penetrating strike 4 adept power)

[Mercy Merchant]

The thug barely gets his hand on his pistol by the time you get to him.  Your strike slams him against the wall and bounces him to the floor.  He shakes his head and attempts to stand when a green bolt slams into him from behind you and he collapses.  Spike bends over and takes the pistol and commlink as she nods at the door.  "Well done, Gaze.  Go get your girl.  Nice finish, DoubleT."  You open the door to find Myotama and Tommy handcuffed to the bed.  They both look up as you enter the room and the relief on both faces is palpable.  It is readily apparent that they have been hit; several times by the bruising you can see.  Additionally, Myotama's dress has been ripped and she instinctively moves her legs to cover them.  Spike enters the room and tosses you something.  "Might need these, Gaze.  Myotama, my name is Spike and we are taking you somewhere safe for a while.  Can you walk?"

Myotama nods as you bend over to use the keys Spike tossed you to unlock the handcuffs.  Tommy looks between you and Spike, but then back to you and smiles.  "I knew you would come, Sensei-Joe.  I knew it."  Spike goes back out to the hall as you help Myotama stand.  She might be able to walk, but she is in pain and leans on your shoulder.  Spike call over her shoulder, "Not much time, kemo sabe.  Reinforcements are on the way.  Apparently Aldo is still oblivious and boffing that poor dancer of his, but other men are coming."

[Chrome Head]

"Thanks Tommy, now hurry!"

This is it. This is the big moment, the big decision.

"Spike, can you help her get out. If we want to be done with Aldo, there's only one way. I'll be quick."

[Mercy Merchant]

Spike nods as you leave the room.  You think you hear Myotama say "Joe-san.  No."  Your determination sweeps her voice away.  You know that Aldo's office is just down the hall and around the next corner.  No one stands between you and the door, but you can hear a hard slap and a woman sobbing as you reach it.  The bastard is so sure of himself that he does not even lock his office door and you open it to see one of the dancers laid out naked across his large desk, her breasts swaying to the rhythm of his thrusts into her.  He is still wearing his shirt but his pants are down.  He is cursing at the woman to perform better or face his wrath when you walk in.  He stops in mid stroke and stupidly stands there, completely surprised  for a moment.

[Chrome Head]

Time to be rid of him once and for all.

"Aldo, you piece of drek." With no further ceremony, Gaze, who now has his heavy pistol in his hand, shoots at the disgusting waste of a metahuman until he is dead, then rushes out to escape with the others.

[Mercy Merchant]

Aldo's look of surprise turns into a sneer and then to horror as he realizes that he will not get to his gun in time.  Your first shots dot his chest with ragged holes.  He crumples on top of the girl beneath him for a moment before raising himself up on one arm and fumbling for a drawer of his desk and yelling for his men.  You take a step forward and plant three more shots into him, the last creating a third eye in his forehead and snapping his head back.  Without further sound, the gangster collapses to the girl then slides off her to the floor.

You turn to leave and find Spike standing in the door.  She nods to you and steps in, going behind the desk.  "Your call, kemo sabe, the man was dirt and deserved much worse than you gave him.  But it might have been better to let Tony deal with this drek.  Now he will be looking for you................and us."  The girl on the desk has been looking at all of the blood on her body and finally finds her voice, screaming in shock and panic.  Spike rifles the dead man's pockets and then the desk drawers.  She smiles in triumph as she holds up a fistful of credsticks.  Standing, she slaps the screaming woman, "Shut up.  You are not hurt.  Leave this place before Tony and his goons come in to clean house.  Tell the other girls, too."  She opens Aldo's fat wallet and takes a bunch of scrip out, shoving it at the girl and tells her to use the money to get out of the neighborhood.  Looking at you she says, "DoubleT has Myotama and Tommy and they are headed back to HQ.  Are you ready to leave or you got more business to take care of here?"

[Chrome Head]

"This had to be done for everyone's sake. We'll see if Tony makes the same mistake Aldo did. I think he will be more reasonable. Let's hurry out of here."

I have slain Myotama's dragon. I hope she will find closure after this.

[Mercy Merchant]

Spike just shakes her head and shrugs as she leads you back out to the hall and down the stairs.  You pass the dead thugs on the way across the main room and Spike holds out a hand to stop you from passing through the door.  She taps her throat and says, “Talk to me, Moira.”  A woman’s voice comes through the ear bud.  “Clear to leave now.  There are three down outside and the rest have cleared away, probably for an alternate entrance.”  Spike nods and leaves the club, leading you into the sunlight to a near empty plaza.  Three of Aldo’s men are on the ground with large caliber holes in them and you hear soft voices in your ear.  Drake says, “Screens show men coming in the rear door.”  Rain adds, “You are clear to go to route 3.  Request to leave the spy in Aldo’s office.  It would help if we already have something there.”  Spike takes you at a run to an alley and then up the walls to the roof, where she runs across rooftops and down into ruins with an abandon that you have felt many times but could never share because none of your companions wished to just do this drek for fun and so were never as good and could not keep up.  Eventually, Spike slows down then stops against a retaining wall on a rooftop and the two of you pant as she takes a drink from a flask of water before offering it to you.  She sits down on the roof in the shade, putting her back to the wall and pats the space beside her. 

“You are good, Gaze.  Fragging good.”  She takes another swig of water.  “I think that you and your friends should stay with us for a few days.  Tony will flood the area with troops and it will be hard to blink without someone seeing it and reporting it to him.  People know us and someone will talk, no matter how devoted to the cause of getting these thugs out of the neighborhood, someone will talk.  Money, drugs, something else will loosen a tongue.  Tony will find out and then he will look for us.  With luck, he will not find us, but we will have to stay quiet for a few days.  The good news is that we might just have enough money in the credsticks I took to get you, Myotama, and Tommy out of here to someplace safe.  The rest of the scrip I took can get us some food.  Also, the commlinks we got from the dead guys are better than we have, too, so it is a win win all around.  You done good for us, kemo sabe and I am glad that you came and will be sad to see you leave.  You could make a difference here.”

[Chrome Head]

Gaze sighs. "I know, I probably could. I come from a different world though, and the barrens just aren't for me. I don't want to sound like a corp blockhead, but it's just how it is. I care about what happens to you all. You saved my butt, offered me a roof and risked a lot just to help me, without asking for anything in return. I owe you and I promise I'll make it up to you. This won't be the last you see of me, I guarantee it. But really, I have a lot to learn from you about resilience and fighting for a cause. These are values I'm striving for."

"At least I'm glad there was a payout. I'm not leaving you worse off than before I showed up, that's not nothing I guess. Anyway, I really want to go check on Myotama and Tommy now."