[ismilealot]

Hellfire speaks, "You do not deserve to be bratva boss if do not understand, do not DO, whatever is necessary for your family. Is not game to kill. All actions must be to move family forward. Maybe we need others alive. Maybe we need dead. If can not choose family first. You are not Vory. We go. We hide. We see if you deserve to speak the oaths." Nicolai is still silent, still seething with rage and in his eyes Yelena sees what she has never seen before. The sure knowledge of exactly what tortures he would apply to break her.

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena's heart goes colder at the look in Nicolai's eyes.  She does not want to suffer the tortures he might be able to use on her.  Still, she shakes her head while still holding Arc in her seat then turns to Hellfire first, her voice calm.  "You have no right to say Yelena not Vory.  You have no power to do that.  You have no current influence in ranks.  You have hide for decades.  Yelena respected you, slept with you, killed for you, but Yelena own person now.  Not belong Hellfire to say yes or no.  Yelena take chance with judges.  And Hellfire wrong.  Yelena do anything necessary to save family, but killing innocent people not necessary.  Not needed. "

She next turns to Nicolai.  "Nicolai wrong, too.  Be angry, be violent, kill Yelena if want.  Yelena try stop so maybe not succeed.  But does not matter.  Yelena not do this thing.  Other ways save family.  Other ways family save Nicolai and Hellfire.  So frag you and your death and your torture."  She points to the door.  "If want go own way, there is door.  Nicolai jump from moving van and go.  Take man in wheelchair too.  Be your own family.  If stay, you are part of Yelena family.  Listen Yelena.  Do as Yelena say.  Give advice but obey.  Yelena family in danger because of you and your decisions and Yelena not have time for your drek and your anger.  Stay or go, both of you."

Looking at the others, her family, she adds, "PI man maybe call Mike?  Ask if know anyone here that can help hide us.  Srui continue drive invisible van.  Look for place to hide.  Blackbird keep van invisible.  "

Her gaze flickers back to Nicolai.  "Well, what decide?  Try kill Yelena and family here in van or listen Yelena?"

[gilga]

Seeing Nikolai silent, and angry, he knew what Nikolai was capable off when he was calm - there was no saying how much violence such a person can exercise when angry. Blackbird's body was ready for action and his hand was ready to pull the sub machine gun. With a mental order Marco told Wendy "If Nikolai tries to harm any of us, kill him." He thought "I did not survive rockets to only to die by the hands of Yelena's violent sociopath friend/lover/mentor... "
Then another thought "Oh please do not  give up Yelena, I cannot follow you if you do these terrible things... and I am not ready to leave."

[ismilealot]

"Van is mine. Go." Nicolai says. And Hellfire says, "I renounce you as my daughter."

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena blanches as Hellfire's words hit home.  They hurt much more than she had thought they would and Yelena feels tears flowing down her face as she wordlessly shakes her head, hoping that she has not heard them and wishing that he would take them back.  But the old man does not seem in a mood to take them back and part of Yelena wants to change her decision but her determination is reinforced by an unexpected source as she sees the knowing face of a six year old girl rise in front of her.  A girl that Yelena killed for nothing more than being human, and killed in a horrible way by leaving her to die in the frozen winter of a Siberia known for its harsh weather.  She had sent bullets that had killed the adults of her family and then walked off leaving her to die alone and hungry.  The ghost of this girl has been Yelena's harshest critic and most earnest foe ever since, until Yelena's last brush with death.  Now, the girl seems to have forgiven her and has appointed herself as one of her spirit guides into the shadow.  Now this ghost rises and stares at Yelena and the Keeb assassin nods in understanding. 

She gathers the strength of the shadow to her and shakes her head. "Yelena saw Hellfire as father and lover.  Yelena kill for Hellfire.  Yelena not do this evil and Hellfire get rid of Yelena like dirty socks?  Yelena not your kind of killer so not want?  Then Hellfire not deserve Yelena as daughter or lover.  Yelena lived and killed and died for you.  Yelena mourned for Hellfire." She shrugs her shoulders.  "Very well.  Yelena accept Hellfire renounce.  Hellfire has no further claim on Yelena or Yelena Bratva.  Yelena still not kill innocents to escape.  The shadow not require such evil.  Yelena strong in shadow and not need Hellfire." 

The ghost that only Yelena can see smiles and vanishes.  Yelena had not needed the girl to remind her of her vows, but it was good to see that the ghosts were still mostly on her side now.  Ignoring Nicolai for the moment, she turns to Arc and the others.  "Can Yelena friends carry all with them if leave van?  Can make all invisible to get away?"

[gilga]

Marco laughed - "The van will not be in one piece once I lift the invisibility spell... but perhaps Nikolai has some aces down his sleeve, being so powerful and all.
There is no problem Yelena,  we can take the bare necessities and important gear and travel using my own methods. Leave these two to meet their fate, they seem eager to do so. "

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena looks at Arc and Jedediah for a moment, but sees agreement in their faces.  She turns back to Nicolai and smiles. "Frag you, Nicolai.  You are no longer man Yelena worshiped.  Or maybe Yelena not same girl.  Yelena and Bratva leave you at corner.  The shadow will protect and guide us because we are strong.  You and Hellfire think killing is strength, but wrong.  Killing only killing.  Strength is surviving and succeeding without killing everyone.  The van is yours and we are leaving."

Yelena looks at her friends and nods as she moves to where her weapons case is and picks it up. "We keep clothes.  Bring everything have and want carry away.  Arc let know when can stop so get out."

[SmilinIrish]

Jed turns his gaze away from Nicolai.  Looking at Yelena he says We have options.  Lets go.

[Qwikfix]

Eyes forward through the exchange, there was only one thing Arc had did during the elf's tirade as she held onto her.  A quick squeeze of the arm as encouragement, relaying that the rigger was behind her one hundred percent.  As she prepared for a stopping point, she checked the vehicle's status....and it wasn't nearly the best.  She was sure the alignment was fragged, the shocks were weakened, no less than two engine leaks, and it wouldn't surprise her if the gas tank was cracked to boot.   Cracking a small, wry smirk, Arc came to a slow, listing halt before unceremoniously unplugging herself from the van.

"Aye.  I've had enough of this rat'sh drek.  Leshgo."

As they departed, Arc brought up the rear, pulling her coat about her before taking one last look at Nicolai.  Even through her cybernetic eyes, the look of defiant passion was clear, conveying how she would defend her blood sister...how she was to expect never to see them UCAS side again.  With that, she stepped out onto the snow, pulling her hood over her head to fight off the biting chill before gathering her stuff about her, making sure it was all compact and on her.

Making a circle with her friends, she looked up at each of them with a sigh.  "Aight...now what?"

[Mercy Merchant]

When Arc stops the van, Yelena  takes her weapons case and steps out into the blowing snow without looking back at either of the two men she had once considered icons and now will have nothing to do with them.  Even dressed in her warm winter gear, the shock of the temperature difference between the van and the outside is severe.  She shakes herself and waits for the others to join her, Arc being last.  She points to a building. "There.  Make way around corner out of wind.  Talk after.  Blowing wind conceal tracks."

She looks at Arc.  "Is safe to turn 'links back on yet?"

[Qwikfix]

The younger human wasn't going to argue with the direction, trudging off with the group for the shelter from the wind, hugging herself in an effort to keep warm.  "Tch....frag..thought elves...huu...didn't shink in shnow...huu"  shivering, she couldn't even manage a chuckle as they made their way.

She didn't respond to the question until a few minutes after arriving, the howl of wind muted by the wall.  Arc''s mind was calculating as she glanced to the spot they had parted ways.

"Heh...should be fine...run shilent...minimize traffic n drek...only an idiot would abandon a vehicle in thish weather, so they may not look for us...shtill, we better move..."

Working carefully, and silently, the rigger checked on the status of her rebooted, carried drone decoys...figuring she would only get static by now...

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena reaches out to touch Arc's arm.  "Yelena think we are fine set of idiots.  We get home.  Keep move to stay warm." She looks over at Jed and adds, "Can call Mike?  Yelena used to know people here, but was decades ago.  Maybe Mike knows people here now can help us?"

She also sends a message of her own.  >>Virtual Goddess [Yelena}:  Yelena send pictures of dead.  Tsina Molovna one of them.  Check to see if others have bounties.  Please make funds available as soon as possible.  Yelena might need them.<<

The small group trudges off through the narrow streets, looking for a place out of the weather.

[ismilealot]

Jan 2nd 07:35
Virtual Goddesses reply comes within a few minutes. >>Be at the state park, north entrance at noon. I have a job that will pay promptly. Look for a jogger in bright orange. Job pays 550,000 upon a confirmed kill.<<

The wind bites into the clothing of the small band and threatens every inch of exposed skin as they watch Nicolai turn the van around and head back the way they came.. As they look around them they see the traffic and apartment lights of people heading into work.

[gilga]

"Well that escalated quickly" thought Marco "but the further we are from these people the better. They are certain that we are heading toward death without them and yet they toss us out." Marco watched the invisible van gets away. It was cold and he was angry.

"Anyone knows where the nearest settlement is? I have a disguise kit with me, some cosmetics and wigs it should buy us some time."

It was only few long minutes later when Marco was certain that he was not acting in anger - but doing what he felt was right that he gave a mental command to Wendy.

"Lovely Wendy, it was a process to learn why I came to this world. At first I thought that I came to this hellhole for Yelena - but she was right. I did it for me, because there is truth in life and truth in death. I needed to witness first hand that monsters like Nikolai exist. I accept my role in this world - most people deserve mercy but some people deserve to die.

What good is a pacifist assassin?   Now I understand that I develop exactly as I should have. I am exactly what I was designed to be.   I am the hammer, the left hand used to slay the monsters.  Nikolai deserves no mercy as showing him mercy is showing cruelty to innocents. When confronted by a man like that one, even pacifists must take a stand.  He killed countless of innocents, traded slaves and showed no remorse.  He deserves to die and I was raised to be the person that ends him.

My path is finally clear, I needed to celebrate life to value it. I needed to witness
evil to understand that I am needed, that I came to this world to kill monsters.
I may be a daemon but Agrat taught me that even Daemons have their role in this world.  By killing Nikolai I actually show mercy to many and justice to others. 

My confusion was because, I did not want to kill for the priests that trained me. They were indistinguishable from the monsters they talked about.  They used faith as a mechanism of control but I genuinely believe.  The Lord works in mysterious ways - and my job is that of the left hand. The unpleasant, illegitimate job.

Wendy, your mission is simple. First use your accident power to help them reach the fate they deserve. That vehicle is barely moving as is and the ice and snow can undo even the best of drivers... I am sure that they only need a little push to crush badly. Why do more than we need to ?

If they survive the accident power kill both of them. After that you are free my avenging angel. I am forever indebted to you as it was the interaction with you that taught me who I really am."


For Smiles:
Marco asks Wendy to use accident on Nikolai and Hellfire and then kill them. After that he let Wendy go.

Accident power: 12d6t5 7


Critters with this power can cause seemingly normal
accidents to occur. The exact nature of the accident is
for the gamemaster to determine, based on what the
target is doing and what’s going on around him. This
power isn’t, in and of itself, dangerous, but circumstance
and environment can come into play to make it so. Tripping on your own feet in front of rush-hour traffic could be hazardous to your health, for instance.
When a critter targets someone with this power, make
an Opposed Test, using the critter’s Magic + Willpower
against the target’s Reaction + Intuition. If the critter wins,
treat it as if the target rolled a glitch on a test. If the critter scores 4 or more net hits, the accident is treated as a critical glitch—it’s not just an embarrassing fumble, it’s a
potential catastrophe. A critter can use this power on a
number of targets at once equal to its Magic rating.

[SmilinIrish]

Jed can't catch his breath enough in the cold to ask any questions.  The cold causes his stiff leg to lock up almost completely.  Any concentration he had on spells is gone, which slows him down even further.  The pain of the cold squeezes tears out of his eyes.  Dragging bum leg, with ice crusting around his eyes, Jed struggles to keep up.