[Jack_Spade]

"I see where you are coming from. Quite American of you to send a squad of man to almost certain death so you can rescue one man. But honestly: What you've seen up here were workers - and quite a lot of those. Hell, they had almost half of this packed club filled with fleshforms. I'm not that proficient with math, but I know that those things are much like an iceberg: What we see is only the tip and what lays below can kill the titanic. That hole operation was a frag up before it began. Bad intel, bad organisation, bad preparation. Proof no.1 being that suddenly people are looking to me for commands.

Yeah, yeah, nothing I say can move your noble heart. I get it. So let's compromise: Al and Vish, you two work on that pipeline and watch each other's back. And we two go in a bit and see if we can't get in contact with the team. Once those two are ready we get out and let the fuel run it's course. Depending on gasoline pressure and dept of this shit hole we'll have between 5 and ten minutes for the fumes to get that nice saturation that guarantees roasted cockroach."

Kynos fidgeted around the cut in his armor from the one attack he hadn't been able to avoid. There was no trace of fear in his speech, only a somewhat bored disregard for human life and an iron clad utilitarianism that didn't distinguish much between objects and people. 

[Mercy Merchant]

Steel nods his head. "Got it.  You want me to lead off?  My armor is still pretty pristine and my bulk might let you shoot around me while not getting too close to them."

[adamu]

"Huh. Last I heard, the Ares kids was all still up top. But with nothin' onna comms...well, I'll allow it'd be good ta be sure. We find a way back topside, I'll try ta confirm a headcount if'n ya don't find 'em first, save ya some tunnel rattin'."

He tapped Vish on the shoulder and pointed down one passage. "Club's flooded with gas, can't go back the way we come in. This way's the direction o' the fuel dump. Let's see if the bugs made an alternate exit. An' since you got that halfer goblin-sight, guess who gits ta go first?"

As he followed the dwarf, he ran a quick diagnostic on his commlink, confirming that the problem was either with the Firewatch team's gear, which he thought highly unlikely, or with their ability to respond, which seemed by far the more plausible scenario.

[Mercy Merchant]

Steel nods and grins.  "So be it.  I got the lead on this one."  He slips the goggles down onto his face and gets used  to the thermographic images as he sends the image link to the others.  Once Kynos indicates he is ready, the small mountain moves out of the cellar room and goes to where the Ares team had been supposed to access the tunnels.  He and Kynos do not meet any opposition other than a few bugs that had retreated here after Kynos' grenade had wounded them and finishing them off was child's play..

[Jack_Spade]

Kynos engaged his commlink, followed by his micro transceiver, trying to reach the Firewatch team.
<<There is something funny going on. Remember that explosion earlier? If I had to bet I'd say that was that shiny satellite relay on the Firewatch troop transport.
Now there is no signal from them although we still have matrix connection which excludes a jammer.
My guess is the Firewatch team is under attack from someone inside their corp that can use the ownership access to sabotage their communications.
Whatever else we do, we should get out of here. This is just a setup - why else would a night club have a trap door installed.

My guess is that the Firewatchers are at this very moment attacked from the main force of the hive - which is why they haven't attacked us in earnest yet. Let's hope whoever set this up didn't have the same idea as us to torch this place and everyone still here.>>

Kynos indicated back towards where they had come as once again an explosion rocked the ground - coming from somewhere outside.

[adamu]

Al listened to Kynos's theories as he and Vish searched the northwest passage for another point of egress. Sadly, the elf's dark musings made a lot of sense, and he was well satisfied the whole thing was a clusterfuck, and he was ninety percent sure there were no Firewatch friendlies below them...but he'd like to be a hundred percent sure before flooding the place with gasoline.

All that was academic, though, if they didn't find another way out. It was unlikely the roaches had left themselves not alternate exit - real roaches never closed themselves in that way. They were just below the street here anyway - too bad he hadn't brought any explosives with him...

But maybe he wouldn't need any - nearly blind down here with no light but the phosphoresence on his knife, he could make out Vish's squat form just enough not to run into him. But it wasn't his eyes he needed - he was focused on air currents - he'd spent enough years as a miner to be able to sense changes in current and air quality..."Hold up, there, amigo," he said, pausing to sniff and listen at a point halfway between the club and the fuel depot...

[Mercy Merchant]

Steel takes in the message and replies.  >>Got it, bossman, but you gave me ten minutes to find these guys.  I was in a unit like this once and the only thing that really kept us going, I mean REALLY kept us going was knowing that we could count on the team and that someone would be coming for us.  I would hate to just give up if there is a chance to get any of them out alive.<<

Steel does not even look back to see if Kynos is still behind him because he feels that he does not want to find out he is not.  The minutes tick down on the chronos and he is about out of time when he hears more reverberations, but this time they are from in front.  >>Hey.  I think I got some action to my front.  Sounds like grenades and maybe gunfire.  I am going on in to take a look.<<

[adamu]

Sure enough, there was some sort of opening in the ceiling here. Al congratulated himself on being right again. The wall was easy to climb - there was a crude ladder leading up. Al wouldn't have expected roaches to require such a measure, but he supposed there were plenty still struggling along in their puny human forms. Going up and clearing away some bug muck, Al found a loose section of sidewalk, which, with great effort, wheezes, and coughing, he managed to push aside enough to get his head through.

His hopes of finding the Firewatch team up here, previously quite high, had been largely dashed by the troll's report of fighting down below. Al would have sworn the corp team was behind them, but now he was glad of the troll's caution, because he wouldn't want immolating any friendlies on his already frayed conscience.

Emerging behind the club, a faint smell of NS was in the air, but not enough left to be much threat here out of doors. The area to the rear of the building was well lit by flames, but visibility was crap due to dense, whitish smoke. Stepping cautiously, Al found fire billowing out of a large, unmarked van. Sure enough, there through the smoke was the wreckage of a comm array on the burning hulk's roof, and the charred husk of what might have been Parker on the asphalt beside the open driver's door, back of his head gone, Predator still in his mouth. Someone was fighting mean - hit the Ares ride with white phosphorous.

Al moved back out of the choking smoke to meet back up with Vish, and spotted a dead elf with graying hair and a human with broken glasses, both in Ares kit - Fraser and Fitz. Dead. Shot. Al wasn't sure if the fleshies used guns, but it seemed unlikely. Bending down, he found shell casings everywhere - a few of the 7.62 that went with the Firewatch team's Alphas, but a hell of a lot more 5.56, which he was pretty sure no Ares makes were chambered for.

<<Heads up y'all. Some sadistic asshole Willie-Petered the Ares ride with Parker in it, shot the shit outta Fitz an' Fraser. Sure as hell don't look like bugs' work. Rest of team unaccounted for up here. Reckon I'll git started on Kynos's plan, but the flow ain't a go till I know they ain't no friendlies below.>>

Turning to Vish, he said, "Head on a swivel, kemo sabe - they's some bad folk lurkin' around out here somewheres...."

[Jack_Spade]

Kynos grudgingly followed the large runner. Not so much because he feared for their safety - fear in all its form didn't play a role in his damaged brain - but the tedium of bringing out what remained of the Firewatch team, followed by discussions about moral right and wrong to torch a neighborhood.
So Kynos decided to ride the adrenaline high as long as he could and worry about what came next when it came. Although he was quite sure that those Ares guys wouldn't appreciate the runner's efforts. At least they had gotten paid half up front.

Turning around a corner the gun fire became more distinct as they entered an area that had organic puss covering wall and ceiling, turning it into difficult terrain - especially with the coinciding incline. "Careful now, or this turns into a slip and slide. Let me secure my microwire first so we can get back out again."
Kynos removed a spool of wire that happened to be about a hundred times thicker than mono wire and correspondingly stronger and secured it around a piece of corrugated iron sticking out from the ground.

It was awkward walking down and trying to keep you balance, but finally they reached the battlefield: The remaining Firewatch team had build up a perimeter, fighting tooth and claw against a mass of different bugs and flesh forms. The bugs had build a kind of pit trap, lightly covered by their organic layer.
The incline made the side towards the exit roughly three meters high, while the other side only reached 2 meters. It was enough to allow them to keep their backs to the wall while fighting the horde, but it prevented them from retreating.

All in all Kynos had to acknowledge that those guys knew what they did: Two squadies kept firing short, controlled bursts to kill bugs, while two others rested their weapons and reloaded. Their leader meanwhile was fumbling with a grappling hook, but had no success with securing it above.

"Auxiliaries Kynos and Steel reports for duty, in case the FIrewatch needs any help, that is."

[Mercy Merchant]

Steel takes in the scene and realizes that the Ares crew below will be running out of ammo before long.  He calls out to leader as he slides his swords into their special sheaths.  "Dern, I think your intel was flawed or just downright a pack of lies.  You got three deaders up top, which would explain why you cannot comm anyone.  Someone capped Parker, Fitz, and Frasier and it isn't bugs.  Are you sure you told us everything?  Or that you were told everything?  Anyway, we can all figure that out later, for now, toss me that grapple and I will get it lodged someplace up here and we will help you make a withdrawal."

He looks at Kynos and hands him his slung auto rifle.  "You can probably use this better than me.  Just give it back when we get out of here."  He turns to catch the business end of the grapple hook and makes his way back up the slope, slipping a couple of times but eventually finding a good spot to wedge the tines in.  The noise of the battle picks up a bit as his companion adds to the death reaching out to the bugs.  He goes back down a bit and rejoins Kynos, grabbing hold of the grapple line and calling out. "OK, Dern, start sending your crew up.  I will hold the rope and give as much leverage as possible."

The Ares captain details Gardner and Rose as the first out and they sling arms after passing out some of their shrinking number of spare clips.  Rose goes first, climbing the rope like a monkey.  She gives Kynos and Steel a soft thanks as she clamors over the Troll holding the rope and disappears up the slope with her rather large gun.  Gardner follows her lead, patting Steel on the shoulder as she squeezes past him.  Dern gives the word and Lowe and Brown take their turns climbing out of the pit and moving back away.  There are some shots fired from up the passage and Steel hears Rose call out.  "Don't take too long back there.  Got some bugs on the six.  Only a few so far, but they might have another entrance to this section of tunnel."

By this time there are only Grace, Coates, and the captain remaining.  The mage does something and it looks like a pack of rabid hounds goes streaking from the pit to maul the bugs, a number of which seem to fall completely for the illusion.  Rapid fire from Kynos helps reduce the numbers of those remaining as Coates climbs the rope, followed by Grace.

[adamu]

Trusting Vish to watch his back, Al concentrated on getting gas underground. The lock on the chain link fence surrounding the adjacent fuel dump was child's play to pick, and as usual there were no guards around. Casual thieves did not walk by and make off with a thousand or so gallons of fuel, which it would take for anyone to notice. And serious thieves knew that the gasoline here belonged to the Vor, and gave the place a wide berth.

Fortunately, Al was not a thief at all, so those rules did not apply to him.

He looked around at the slovenly state of the yard, sighed in disgust, but soon had four valves cracked and good lengths of 150gpm hose attached to each. One by one, he dragged them to the nearby hole in the sidewalk. That was the easy part. He used his commlink to help estimate the vapor inlet and exit rates, and then calculate the proper flow velocity to prevent surge or excess static electricity.

Five minutes after cracking the first padlock, he was back at the pump controls. <<Ready ta rip, but ya gotta git clear afore I let 'er go or one weapon discharge an' yer all toast. An' ya can't set 'er off afore I seal the backflow, neither, less'n we take out ever'thin' in a five block radius along with the hive.>>

[Beta]

Vish was impressed with the raggedy man -- he seemed to know his way around storage tanks.  Not that Vish was an expert, but he'd played with enough equipment to have some clue.  Enough clue in this case to leave it to someone who knew better than he did.

So he focused on his job.  First bring up a Spirit of Beasts, whose sharp senses could hopefully find danger before danger found them.  Except that even as he did the summons, he knew his heart wasn't in it.  Keeping watch was his task, asking another to do it was not right.  And sure enough, the Spirit of Beasts he attempted to call declined the invitation.

This time Vish put some thought into the situation, and realized that dealing with the dangers of fumes and fires, air might be the better choice.  He felt properly centered as he did the summons, and soon a raven of shadow and smoke was perched on his shoulder.

Then an illusion of a tanker truck parked by the tanks -- conveniently placed to screen Al's activities from most watchers.  Of course, if anyone had seen the truck appear out of nothing they might get a bit curious, but hopefully his Uzi could treat that kind of ailment sufficiently.

But nobody came snooping before Al announced that he was ready.  Vish was just beginning to feel grateful to the world, when an actual tanker truck lumbered down the road, slowed, and signaled a turn into the yard.

"If only we were robbing an honest business, they wouldn't have deliveries or pick-ups at this time of night.   But such is not our fate.  We need to get that truck out of here most likely; what's your preference, sweet talk or swift violence?"

[adamu]

"Heh, sounds like a Plan A an' a Plan B ta me, amigo. If they's jist drivers, they'll back off an' call 'er in, no one gits hurt, an' we's gone afore anyone comes ta stop us. If they's Russkies, well..." He shrugged and patted his Remington.

Then he slung his weapon and stepped out into the light and stood in front of the truck, making sure he was blocking it from rolling over his hoses, and waving for it to stop. It screeched to a halt inches from his nose, at which point he cracked his knuckes, lit a cigarette, and clambered up the side of the cab to tap on the driver's side window.

It went down almost immediately. "What the fuck, asshole, what are you doing smoking here?" There were two burly men inside, a human in a Horizon Beer cap and an ork wearing a denim jacket with the sleeves torn off.

"Aw, geez fellas, not ta worry. Reckon I'm bein' real careful," Al replied, the lit tip of the Lucky Strike bouncing erratically about as he spoke. "Now, whom do I have the honor of addressin'?"

[Aria]

[Wednesday March 6th, 2075; Anarchy Nightclub, Tacoma, Seattle]
 
Dern stayed in the rear while the rest of his team bugged out
 
“You got us out of this cluster fuck!  It won’t be forgotten.  Intel wasn’t bad on this one, it was completely fabricated…someone in OpInt set us up and if we get out of this shit storm then I intend to find out who and why!  The job's yours if you want it, I’ve got the discretionary budget..."
 
***
 
#07

[Mercy Merchant]

Steel looks over to Kynos as the group begins making its way out of the tunnel, then he glances at Dern.  Grinning, he shakes his head. "Not sure that is for me.  I am more the kind of guy that resolves problems with a monosword, not with sneaking about.  I can try to resolve issues if someone points me in the right direction."  He looks back down the passageway as they walk.  "I can already hear them following us.  Why don't I just sort of slide back a few feet and bring up the rear?  They won't be getting past me in one piece and my armor is still in the best shape.  Could use a bit of fire support, though.  Oh, and by the way, our exit strategy includes pouring a crapload of gasoline down here and setting it off, so I would not waste any time leaving this place."

Captain Dern turns to his people and points to one. "Grace, you're with Steel.  The rest of you pick up the pace.  We need to be out of here ASAP."

Steel grins at Grace as he draws his swords and flicks them on.  "You and me on the rear guard.  Man, I really like the noise these make."  Grace grins back and checks her weapons.  He sends a message out to Al.  >>Hey, guy.  We are on the way out.  Still in the tunnels but working our way to the club.<<