[Stuttrboy]

Well it's run or surrender, I think a shootout would be suicide.  If you have a SIN that may not be bad but if you don't you can run and I will distract them by surrendering.  Either way I would say send your drones someplace safe, you don't want them confiscating them.  My cover currently is Charles Dewey so remember that name.  I just realized I don't even know your last name...  Run if you think it's best I'm going to surrender and see if I can talk my way out of this.  We haven't really done anything wrong but there's always a chance we'll get thrown into a deep dark hole.  Are you running or staying?

[Mercy Merchant]

Steve moves close to you and interrupts you with a kiss.  "Stop rambling.  Why would I want to be anywhere but with you.  I will take my chances, but you are right about the drones.  They probably have a rigger of their own who is better and has better equipment.  I will send my babies away.  I would risk staying with you even if I did not have a decent SIN.  You cannot get rid of me that fast, Spokane.  And the last name is Spears.  About time you got around to asking a girl her name."

Your drone feeds take on a confusing view as they race out od the building and then cut off entirely.  You can hear the front door crash open from down in the basement and voices are calling out for anyone to remain where they are and to have their hands over their heads.  Steve shrugs and calls out.  "Hey, down here.  We are not hostile and have our hands on our heads.  Bring an ambulance or a medic.  There is a man dead here and a woman badly injured."

[Stuttrboy]

Spokane smiles at her after the kiss.  Sorry, yeah.  I'm just worried about you and it just started bubbling over.  I'm just so used to...yeah it is about time I asked you your name.  My real name is Iron Crow, just remember Charles Dewey.  that's the only SIN I've got.  He kisses her again before he pulls his warkhawk out and slide it over by the entrance.

He puts his hands on his head, winks at Steve and calls out That's handy.  We were just about to call you folks.

[Mercy Merchant]

A pair of men clad in some excellent body armor appear at the bottom of the steps, assault-style submachineguns trained on the two of you.  A bright light plays across the tableau and ends on your faces, temporarily limiting your vision before any protections kick in.  A man's voice is heard from the stairs as a third person passes between the other men.  "Well, well.  What have we here.  Crane, go get th emedic and tell him to bring the best kit he has and send for an ambulance."  One of the officers at the stairs nods and speaks softly into a com unit at his shoulder.  The Third man notices the large pistol on the floor and nods.  "Please step over here so the medic can do his job when he arrives.  I am sure that we will be having a nice long discussion down at the station, but is there anything you want to tell me beforehand?  Please consider yourselves warned of your rights under the UCAS Constitution..  If possible, you can start somewhere along the line of us getting an anonymous tip about a pair of murders here and lo and behold, we find one person and another almost so.  Oh yeah, and you two on the site.  This is a curious circumstance, I am sure you will agree."

Before you can speak, a lithe form races down the stairs and moves to the bodies on the chairs, a large medkit in hand.

[Stuttrboy]

Spokane complies.

That's my gun there, I figured you'd want that.  As I'm sure you can see we were in the process of helping the young lady.  I'm sure she can verify we had nothing to do with any of this once she regains consciousness.  We weren't quite so lucky with the doctor there he was cold when we got here unfortunately.  Surely there's some sort of surveillance in this lovely neighborhood that can verify we only just arrived a few minutes before you did.

[Mercy Merchant]

The officer nods and motions for you to put your hands down.  "I am sure that we will be looking into that.  But for now, you are the only suspects, no matter how convenient that is for you.  Or me, for that matter.  So, in the meantime, let's just go downtown, where you will be the honored guests of the Knight Errant.  We will chck stories out and see what makes sense then.  You can start by showing me your SINs and letting my officers search you for weapons that you might not have been so forthcoming about.  I will have a female officer do the honors with the young woman here.  Any problems with that?"

[Stuttrboy]

None, my papers and license should be in my inside coat pocket.  It is rather interesting that you should get an anonymous tip about the murders just as we arrived though.  Sounds like someone is trying to play you gentlemen if you don't mind me saying.

I do private security, with the doctor being on the news lately at both washington rec and the hospital I had a feeling he could maybe use my services.  Seems he could have used it much earlier than I thought to offer it..

[Mercy Merchant]

The officer reaches into your pocket and extracts the documents while an officer frisks you down and runs a scanner along your body and a female officer shows up to do the same to Steve.  After looking at your papers and inputting some data into a pad, the man who seems to be in charge gives them back to you.  "Yes, it is quite coincidental, and I have an innate aversion to things that are coincidental.  Including, of course, that you just happened to break into a locked house and conveniently stumble onto this scene just as we are arriving.  I hope that you can see my position.  I saw two bikes in the drive outside; are they yours?  If so, I will give you a receipt for them and have them taken to the garage for a going over.  Perhaps the technicians can get something from them."

He pauses as he looks from one of you to the other and back.  "But for now, I suggest that we leave the good doc to her work.  If anyone can keep the girl alive, she can.  Would you mind terribly if I asked you to leave with these men, who will escort you to one of the cars outside and take you to the KE headquarters?"

[Stuttrboy]

While we did technically break in it was only after we determined that there was someone in need.  I suppose if I'd known that you were so close behind us that I may have simply waited for you but I'd like to think that the 5 or so minutes we were here may have been critical to saving that young woman's life. 

The bikes are ours yes.

Spokane sighs.  I suppose it would have been too much to hope this could be cleared up on site.  We will, of course, comply.  Are we under arrest or are we being held for questioning?

[Mercy Merchant]

The man smiles, but you are not absolutely sure it is a truly friendly smile.  "No, not under arrest.  I think that we can use the time-honored phrase that you are assisting us in our inquiries.  Please."

He motions with his arm for you to proceed to the stairs, nodding to the officers with you.  "Please escort these two citizens back to headquarters and make sure that they are comfortable.  I will be along as soon as I can."  Steve nods at you and begins to walk off with the woman officer.

[Stuttrboy]

Jeremiah nods and follows the officer.

[Mercy Merchant]

The man escorting you stops to pick up your pistol and places it in a small bag, which he carries with him as you go up the stairs and out the door.of the house.  You are taken to a waiting car and put inside, where the escorts motion for you to sit on jump seats that pull down from the car frame that separates the passengers from the drivers.  Your two escorts seem impassive and not much for talking as they settle into their seats and the car moves off down the drive and out into the street.  The heavily tinted windows allow you to look out without being seen, which is probably a good thing given the small crowd of people that have gathered to see what is going on. 

The drive to the Downtown headquarters of the KE in Seattle is uneventful.  And quiet.  Once in the parking garage, the auto-locks pop open and your escorts leave the car, motioning for you to do so as well.

[Stuttrboy]

"Charles" gets out of the car stretches a bit and nods to the officers.  Lead on.  The small hairs are standing straight up on the back of his neck and he can't shake the feeling of unease. 

Am I just nervous because we are in the belly of the beast or is my spider sense tingling again?  He follows the officers on high alert stalking after them like a lion near hyenas.

[Mercy Merchant]

Other officers are waiting at the top of the stairs leading to the large complex.  They fall in with you and take you to a holding room.  Not a cell, strictly speaking, because there are no bars on the door.  But the room is guarded and you would have to pass through a long gauntlet of people to get back to the outside.  The room itself is comfortable enough, with a long couch and several chairs.  A coffee table sits between the couch and two of the chairs, the rest being scattered about the room.  The "window" is an obvious fake, using holo projections to simulate an outside view..  Once left alone, Steve, looks at you and says, "Well, another fine mess you have me all wound up in, Charlie.  I can assume that the room is bugged and we are on camera somewhere?  I can barely resist the urge to flip someone the finger and flash a moon."

[Stuttrboy]

This will all be cleared up soon.  We saved that girls life.  What bothers me is that with all that publicity why wasn't KE there anyway, or someone.  I mean we can't be the only people who thought the guy might want a little extra security after being in two shootouts in as many days  It was a brilliant idea though, the guy clearly needed us...I just wish I'd thought of it sooner.