IC - Bug City Blues

[arcanus]

The Gang scattered, the drone howling through the air, LMGs chattering and chewing up chunks of late 20th century architecture.
Soloman hoisted an exhausted U-Turn, and managed to get both of them behind one of the roof gargoyles, No-Entry returned fire, but his marksmanship was nowhere good enough to down the high speed drone, the familiar thumps of an AK-97 roared, as Winter walked his field of fire up to full automatic.
Red eyes glowing the Samurai seemed to wish for death, a face-down between him and the robotic hunter.

Winter's smartlink fed his targeting information from his rangefinder, tracking the drone he sighted up, and squeezed off his remaining 7.62 rounds into the front of its casing.
Surging forwards he discarded his rifle, drawing his pistols, as the drone dropped attempting to right itself, Winter gained the higher ground of the roofs parapet firing bursts of diamond sheathed flechettes into the drone. The machine losing its vertical propulsion, plummeted into the street below.

Bloodied and wild Winter stood for a long moment, daring the machine to stir. No-Entry regarded the usually quiet Samurai with healthy wariness, a man that eager to dance with death often encouraged others to do the same, whether they intended this or not. When he had been part of the group, Winter had always proved quietly effective, although Granite had often chastised him for recklessness.

Still that self same recklessness had just saved the Signs Gangs lives.

The Egyptian Swallow turned and winged its way into the Ether back to its Anubian master.

[Curren]

Righto, 21 13 10 8 7 7 5 4 and change. Better!

11 Hits

[arcanus]

Curren's senses extend upon the Etheric, straining to the point that his nose threatens to bleed.
Pushing to the very limits of his magical knowledge and power, Curren see's a faint trace, a faint thread of astral current, trail.

Tenuously grasping the thread, he extends his power, drawing upon his expanding Metamagical knowledge he threads a weave of power to the thread.

A long pregnant pause follows, before the trace hits something, makes contact.

Drain 5stun (Threshold of 5) Intuition+Willpower.

[Curren]

As he starts to lead them stealthily up the street Gianeno suddenly hears a grunt of exertion behind him from Curren.
He turns in time to see the portly cockney stagger and fall onto his knees as blood explodes out of his nose and flecks the ash covered pavement.

Moderate Stun

Curren groans audibly, holding his head in his hands as he curls up in a ball still on his knees.

What did I locate?

[arcanus]

What did I locate?

Your not sure, but have left a trace upon a metahuman.

[Curren]

Curren raises an arm weakly to his side. 'Gis us a hand here please' he mumbles sluggishly.

[arcanus]

Gianeno steps forwards and grasps Curren's hand, pulling the englishman to his feet.
"Quickly" he says, "We haven't much time, the gangs will be out hunting and the roaches will be stirring in the a tubes"

Hurridly you make your way through the streets, the sounds of predation beginning to reach the pair, nerves jarred, they arrive at a storm drain cover.
Gianeno pulled the cover aside, entering the underdark the trio, move quickly fearing the scuttling around them.

Finally after a trip plagued by fears of the dark and unknown, the trio arrive at a maintenance bulkhead, Curren's senses detect magical warding, closer scrutiny reveals etchings within the surface of the cast iron door reveal a hermatic circle and a ward of protection.
Spurred on by the scuttling, the trio step through the hatch and close it behind them.

The following passage, leads to a sub-basement, navigating a series of crude but effective alarms and traps, Curren and Quatesh follow the italian upstairs, coming into the cellar of a building, Curren looks around in wonder as he see's the basement section of a once italian resturant, the original wooden chairs, railings still stand intact.
Beyond the eatery, the old offices and store rooms have been converted into a living area, Gianeno imediately calms the two families in this area, reassuring them that Curren and his exotic companions presence are not a threat.

[arcanus]

General Henderson followed the Knight Errant officer through the reinforced corridors of the KE CCF (Cryptozoological Containment Facility), somewhere in the wilds of Dakota.

Henderson mentally replayed his conversation with General Franklin Yates, his former CO, Yates had advised him to tone down his operation and start to play nice with the politicos. Sadly this had set off warning bells in Henderson's head, Yates was planning to run for President so no surprises that he didn't want the CZ CO and former student creating hell.

'Colonel James Fulton' Commander of Ares Knight Errant CZ contingent, stood before a huge glass wall, Henderson saluted him and stepped in beside him.
"Senate still giving you grief" Fulton said
"Nothing that can't be ignored!" replied Henderson "So what have we got?"
"We've ascertained the fates of the missing CIA and Ares field operatives" replied Fulton
"Thats pretty obvious, they got found out and iced" replied Henderson
Fulton ignored Henderson's jibe "More to the point we've found out how"

Henderson turned to look through the glass wall, held suspended in a series of lozenge shaped pods, were a number of fleshform Insect Spirits.
Each was contained in a dense, spongy solution, not unlike childrens jelly with a fungal green tinge, Henderson new that the solution was plant based and dense enough to stop astral intrusion or escape, he also knew the lab/chamber around the subjects was rigged to be flooded with napalm in the event of an escape.

"How?"

"It would seem the bugs have further developed their Hive Mind, recent intel indicated that some fleshforms were exhibiting certain mental abilities not observed before, it seems they may have added mind reading to their armoury" explained Fulton.
"Couldn't it simply be one of their Shaman using spells" replied Henderson
Fulton regarded the General, although occsaionally prone to irrational outbursts he was a deep thinker and appraised to a level worthy of more significant estimation on his part. Fulton logged a mental note in his Headware memory to update the Generals psyche profile.

"Sadly not, our tests have produced proof, some of these good merges have exhibited innate abilities corresponding to the spellcraft formula of mind reading"
"Eckhart also thinks that this latest swarming may lead to some greater agenda" said Fulton
"You've been in contact with Eckhart" gently inquired Henderson
"Of course!" replied Fulton "Good intel is hard to come by, you'd have done the same" replied Fulton

[Curren]

Curren throws himself down on a dining chair and rests his head in his hands on the table as he gets his bearings.
'I located someone, I don't know if it was your mate but I'm going to investigate further' he says breathing heavily to Gian.
'But I need to rest first, is there a sofa or summat I could use here?' Curren looks up from the table, and observes the families.

Who do the families consist of? Adults, Children etc?

[arcanus]

"He's a aright, he a saved me and thinks he may know where Tadir was taken" says the voice of Gianeno

Silence, finally broken by some whispering as Malthalmus Curren slowly rouses himself from a very long sleep, as the bleary room comes into focus the group has been joined by a further three individuals.
All former runners by the look of them, a heavily chromed man, cyberarms, clearly cybernetic eyes (Appearing like glass lenses) and various datajacks, he wears black camo trousers and a sleeveless combat vest.

He has a significant presence and regards Curren with a cold detachment that makes the englishman nervous, accompanying him is an blond elf, white shirt, black trousers and a classic longsword across his back.
The final member of the trio is teenage girl of some 14 or 15, a spiky mop of golden hair, her prettiness marred by deep burn tissue running along the length of the left side of her jawline.

The samurai crouches his face parallel with Curren's, "So what's your story?" his tone cutting enough to send more shivers.