[Mercy Merchant]

Cinn nods and points to a large trid screen in a corner.  "Good idea, G.  We can use that as long as she stays here and go to my pad when she goes out for her next practice session in about an hour.  I have an eye cam, but we could ask Marco to have one of his babies follow you around out there if you don't."  She looks over to where Nova is quietly singing into an empty water bottle.  "And, trust me, it would be just as good if you stayed.  In her state of mind, Nova does not really even know that we are in the room.  But why don't you go out first and I can swap out when she goes on stage?"

[PRabel]

"Ok, let's work in shifts. I ask Marco to send one of his drones in, so I have both of my hands free, in case I need them"
He calls him right away, when he answers, he says:
"Hey Marco, can you send in one of your babies. We're surveying the arena and it would be really helpful if she could follow me around.

He waits for the drone - and for Marco if he comes too -, to get there and to get it connected to their devices. As soon as it is done, he starts his round in the building.

[PRabel]

Mercy Merchant:

Marco acknowledges your request and sends out a small Fly-Spy micro drone and soon you have a solid link with Cinn and the trid screen and her pad.  Walking about the backstage area, you are glad that you have Stella’s maps or otherwise you could get lost in all of the corridors and galleries.  Even with the maps, you find that while some of the passages are just listed as such, they are actually used for temporary storage for all kinds of sets and other equipment.  A raucous noise guides you to the main stage where you see a five-man band banging away on instruments and a set of drums in some semblance of playing music.  A young woman dressed in almost nothing is holding a long microphone in her hands and begins wailing into it just as you come onto the rear portion of the stage.  Lighting crews are busy setting things up around the rehearsing band.
Looking around, there are lots of places someone could hide in this area, to include several layers of catwalks up above the stage.

[PRabel]

*This is not an arena, this is a labirinth. I wouldn't be surprised if a minotaur would shows up here all of a sudden.*
While consulting with Cinn, he mark the possible locations for the sensors they already planned with an ARO, wich is only visible to them. As he arrives to the main stage, he asks Cinn over his commlink:
"Do you see the catwalks up there? We should get a sensor on both sides and a drone patroling here. I don't want to get any surprises from above."

He makes a note for himself, marks the area on the map and continues his way around the place.

[Mercy Merchant]

You can almost see Cinn nod as you talk about the catwalks.  >>Good idea.  I am marking all of these places.  Say, what is that spot just to the left of the stage exit.  On the map it sort of looks like a small closet, but it is an odd place for a closet.<<  You walk to the door and find it unlocked.  It opens to a small circular stairway leading up and down.  There are several muted glow-strip lights that give you a partial, if obstructed, view of the stairway in either direction.

[PRabel]

<I check it out...You were right, it's not a closet, it's a staircase, that leads both up and down. There is not too much light in here. Can you switch the drone's sensors, so you can see better? I switch to thermo too. Wich way should I check out first?>
He readies his pistol, loads it with shock rounds and waits for Cinn to say the word.

[Mercy Merchant]

Cinn responds and recommends going down first.  The metal stairs are securely fastened to the structure and were clearly designed for a single person  to use.  The lighting does not get any better as you descend, but you do not pick up any unexpected heat sources, either.  Approximately forty feet down you come to another landing and the stairs continue to go farther down.  You are facing a door not unlike the one you used to enter the stairway.

[PRabel]

*This might be some kind of maintainance tunnel or something.* He checks the maps to see if it shows anything about this part of the arena.
"Cinn, I' going to check out what's behind this door."
He tries to open the door. If it opens, he slowly goes in.

[Mercy Merchant]

The map does show a large open area here under the stage, and you think you might be looking at that.  There are no lights on but you can see piles of stuff in what light spills from the open door.  Perhaps another storage area?

[PRabel]

*Damn it, I should have brought a flashlight. Nevermind, I use the light on my commlink, if I really need.*
He looks for a switch to turn the lights on in the room. He uses the full spectrum of his vision to find it, he even turn on the light in his commlink, if needed. He also asks Cinn, if he can look around in the room with the drone.
*Even if this is only a storage area, it could be a good hiding spot for someone.*

[PRabel]

Mercy Merchant:

You are able to locate a panel of light switches after some looking about and experiment with turning them on.  The light provided is a soft red in color and comes from large lights hanging on chains above the floor.  The room is a large open storage area beneath the main stage.  There seems to be a lot of stuff down here, but it is stacked in an orderly fashion, with wide aisles and even some larger open areas.  You spy two electric forklifts plugged into the wall off to one side and eventually come up to a large space that seems to be an open sided elevator that would take you up to the stage level some forty feet above you.  Your conclusion is that there are many places down here where someone could hide.  You find three smaller elevators of a similar design in other sections of the storage room

[PRabel]

<Do you see this Cinn? This place is huge. We can't keep an eye on every corner here. My suggestion is, to place sensors to the elevetor doors on the stage's level. I go back to the stairway and continue my way downstairs. We have a lot of ground to cover.>

He makes notes to the area and goes back to the door. He switches the lights off, closes the door and makes his way further down. While he is going, he asks Cinn to look at the schedule of the arena. He'd like to know what other bands are rehearsing at the stage this week.

*That band on the main stage played some odd music. Maybe I have a selective taste, but I don't know how they got into a place like this. They must have a really good manager.*

[PRabel]

Mercy Merchant:

Cinn agrees with you that the area is large.  Comparing the map to your estimate, you think this area is actually much larger than the main stage area.  She does laugh at your last comment.  >>According to the list we have, that is Divine Blue and their bio paints them as the hottest new band in a generation.  Come on, don’t you know music when you hear it?<<
As you proceed down the stairs, you think that you hear a noise from below you.

[PRabel]

"Yeah, right, what was I thinking...At least it's good to know, that I too have a chance in the show-biz, if things don't work out for me as a bodyguard."

As he hears some noise, he instinctively raises his gun and asks Cinn to send the drone in to see what made that noise. He also opens an screen for the drone's camera in his image link. If there is no viable light source down there, he turns on his thermo-vision too and carefully advances down the stairs.

[Mercy Merchant]

The drone skims past you and disappears down the stairs past you.  Your image link is picking up the bottom of the stairs and a closed door on the landing.  The noise seems to be coming from beyond the door.  You have no light source so you engage your thermo vision, which shows no real heat difference on the stairs or the landing below you.  As you cautiously go down, you continue to hear noise from beyond the door.