[Zen Gypsy]

With a conscious effort Bryant eases his finger back on the trigger, the man's approach did not match the corp sec's movements, it was almost erratic, panicked perhaps?  He took the moment to ensure that Rowena was still low and behind cover and out of the extraction team's field of fire, though the Ingram's barrel did not waver from the new comer's center mass.

"Get the hell down or get slotted!!  Who the hell are you, running into my field of fire?!?"

As he spoke, he stayed low and circled the stranger placing himself between him and Rowena, while trying to keep the fire team in his field of vision, in case they used the distraction to make a rush on his position.

>>Raleigh, I could really use that pick up, this whole op's gone to hell.<<

[Mercy Merchant]

It is hard to describe the near sensory overload that you experience all at one moment.  Your look behind you reveals that the bullet the had hit Rowena must have passed through and hit her in the side as you see a growing pool of blood near where she lies, seemingly unconscious.  The fire team has left the area, leaving the two wounded men behind but taking the case.  The man to your front raises his hands and stops.  {color=blue]"Please, I am a doctor.  Let me help the people that are wounded."

>>Hang tough, kid.  Transport is on the way, but so is KE.  Get out of there if you can.  Do you have the package?<<

[Zen Gypsy]

"Start with her!" 

He pointed towards Rowe, he watched as the doctor began to administer to the wounded.  Spun, looked for the two downed gunmen, approached the one whom he had connected with the kidney shot, before center massing a burst from his Ingram.  As he leaned forward, he quickly searched his body looking for something like a commlink, anything that he could use to track down the man's crew. 

He slapped his face, leaned close so the doctor couldn't hear him, "Your coughing up blood, I clipped your lung.  You'll survive," he looked over at the doctor, "if I let him head this way."  He reached a hand down, his thumb pressing against the chest wound, "Your approach was text book, almost disciplined, opening fire on the crowd though, amateur.  Detonating the Courier's offices, that's big, that's loud, you drew alot of heat, K.E.'s on the way, and your employers don't care about rookies, if anything they'll send a time to extract and debrief.  Me, I'll let you go out quick, clean, just tell me what I need to know."

[Mercy Merchant]

Saturday  9 June 2075  1020  Lakeshore Recreational Park  Lake Washington


The man nods and moves to where Rowena is laying on the ground, apparently unconscious.  The gunman is in a lot of pain and coughs again, some blood flecking his lips.  He nods.  "Don't know nothing about blowing up anything.  Hired to create as much confusion here as possible to get a case.  Someone wants it bad.  We were told to kill a few people and grab it."

[Zen Gypsy]

Bryant stared at the wounded man, continued the pressure on his wound, "I am going to need more, details.  I need to know who wanted the case, otherwise I stake you out and wait for your employers to hire someone to slot you, let him do his job and then ask him the same questions.  What was your exit strategy?"

As he spoke his face was impassive, his cold Ziess eyes reflecting the carnage of the scene around him, he surveyed the area keeping an eye out for K.E.'s arrival, while doing so he sub-vocalized into his 'link.

>>Five man team, two down, three in retreat, with the package.  Courier downed, about seven civilian casualties, one may have gotten a verbal code phrase from the courier before he flat-lined.<<

"You've got ten seconds to give me your ops info, before I leave you for the corporate vultures who will inevitably be coming for you.  Nine ..."

[Mercy Merchant]

The man coughs again and grimaces, obviously in great pain.  "You sound like some cheap trideo.  Haven't got anything to tell so cannot tell.  The man was smart about that.  Didn't know anyone.  Even the exit strategy was known only to the team leader, just in case one of us was captured.  Fragging single cell system, he called it.  So I guess you got a choice.  Accept what I said and finish me easy, or don't believe me and turn me over to KE."  He coughs again and more blood comes up.

You hear sirens in the distance and Raleigh comes on to tell you that the traffic is all fragged in your area and there is no way Barb will get to you before the KE arrives.  >>Time to leave, kid.  You did your best.  Good thing I did not spend the advance because it looks like this op is a bust.  Hey, what the frag?  Shots from the outer office, kid,  Gotta run.  Back at you later if I can.<<

[Zen Gypsy]

The hand over his wound made a fist, pressed down to the wound itself, he had hit him center mass, slightly to the left of his center line, he adjusted the angle of his wrist. As the man mentioned cheap trideo Bryant could only agree.

"D'accord," he whispered, his voice covering the small *chink* as a blade created of carbon nanotubes, extended from it's housing in his forearm, the 32cm blade extended through the man's chest cavity, it's laser etched, razor sharp edge travelling through his chest to stop his heart.  Like in the trideo, life was cheap.  He sheathed the cyber weapon, closed the gunman's eyes, and did one last cursory check of his belongings, looking for anything that would help him track down either his associates or his employers. 

Once done, he stood up and walked over to where the Doctor was working on Rowena, "Condition?"  He looked over his shoulder, the approached sirens concerned him, hopefully if detained his Shiawase issued SIN would hold up to K.E.'s scrutiny, but he'd prefer not to test that theory.  Plus he wasn't sure he wanted his handlers to know that he'd been involved in this situation, whatever it was.  He thought back to Raleigh's message, shots in the outer lobby.

>>B., I know you are snarled en route, but I need your current location.  Situation is derezzing.  Quickly.<<

He looked at the growing bloom of blood seeping through cropped shirt she wore.  A rivulet of blood made it's way over her tanned skin to drip onto the cold harsh ferro-concrete she was sprawled across.  "She'll survive, she's strong."  He wasn't sure if he was commenting on her condition, or hoping, either way it was odd to him, to feel something, anything, for this relative stranger.

[Mercy Merchant]

The man working on Rowena just shakes his head.  "Touch and go, friend.  I think she will live, but it was a near thing.  I can't do much more for her here.......she will need to go to a hospital.  Lucky you were here to help stop whatever those thugs were doing.  Could have been even more dead.  How is that guy doing, the one with the bullet in the chest?"

By now there are several other people helping with the injured and dead.  The medic gives instructions to one of them to place pressure on one of Rowena's wounds and goes to another victim.  Your 'link comes alive.  >>Hey, Boss.  Code three.  Five minutes out.  Pick you up at point Charlie.  B out.<<  Code three is bad.  That was the code given by Raleigh that everything was going to drek and go dark.  Point Charlie was the second alternate pick up location, but it makes sense as it is the nearest point to the beach that was off the direct routes and might have less traffic.  Maybe the rookie had made a good decision.  Anyway, it would take almost all of the five minutes to get there if you left now.

[Zen Gypsy]

>>Acknowledged.  En route.<<

He turned and made his way through the scene, think all the while that if the hit team thought that Rowena had heard the courier's verbal datalock she could still be in danger, the Knight-Errant response team would be close.  But he needed to be able to contact her, he walked past the doctor on his wall to the retaining wall where he could recover the briefcase where his Ingram had been hidden.

"She's still in danger if the shooter's team thinks she has information relating to the courier," he slipped a white card into the man's breast pocket, "K.E. will release her after taking an initial statement, they'll secure, and contain.  Not protect.  Ping me, I'll need to know what med facility she's being transported to."

As he crouched over the wall, he dropped his Ingram into the briefcase, closed it, locked it, and proceeded to move towards Charlie.  He hoped he'd been right about the doctor, a man who had the couilles to run into a gun fight to administer aid, well, he had Bryant's respect.  He shrugged, what was done was done, he hoped he'd be able to talk to Rowe when all was said and done, but he needed to get to Charlie now.  And after that to the office, to Raleigh, this whole thing had gone south, fast, and whoever was orchestrating the operation had already demonstrated their willingness to cause collateral damage.

He just hoped that damage didn't include Raleigh.

He vaulted the wall, dropped down over a guard rail and hit the ground running, he stayed low along the barricade as he ran south-east down Rainier, towards Southridge and 80th.  His augmented limbs propelled him forwards at speeds that easily overcame the snarled traffic, he crossed the highway, doing a full blanche over a Leyland-Zil, as he hit the fero-crete his set and the explosive power of his augmented legs and their poly-myomer bundles propelled him over the far barricade, as he moved quickly towards the pick up and Barbara.

>>Incoming on Southridge & 80th now.  News from the office?<<

As he flipped his 'link to B.'s, he began to pull up news feeds from around Cavalier's Auburn office, hoping that would give them some indication of the storm that was heading their way.

[Mercy Merchant]

Saturday  9 June 2075  1035  Lakeshore Recreational Park  Lake Washington


Even as you clear the area you hear sirens heralding the imminent arrival of KE officers.  Your scan of the news feeds yields a breaking story about a gunfight at a small firm called Raleigh Investigations.  According to a KE spokesman, at least four people have been found dead at the scene.  Their identities are being withheld at this time.  Further updates will be given as available.  Your text to Barbara goes unanswered and you wonder for a moment if something has happened to the rookie.  Rounding the last corner you find that you needn't have worried when you see the car at the pick up spot.

[Zen Gypsy]

Four down at the office?!?! 

Bryant did a quick mental tally, the Courier's offices, destroyed at 09:47, initial contact at Washington Rec, 09:55, shots fired at Raleigh's office, 10:23.  Three teams, assume a five man team for each site.  Average contract for a five man freelance unit would be close to 15k, so this package, this entire operation was worth over 50k to someone, and whoever it was, they were willing to draw down major heat to ensure success.

Raleigh was a tough old orc, ex-Lone Star, he'd seen plenty of drek in his time.  Bryant only hoped he was up to a four man team, but the timing was suspicious.  He had heard, over Raleigh's 'link, the shots from the office.  That was at 10:23, the newsfeed was reporting four down at 10:35, that was 12 minutes for K.E. to respond, and for the news feed to go live.  That seemed fast even to him.

He breathed a sigh of relief, one that he hadn't been aware that he'd been holding, as he saw the Americar at the pick up point.  He walked up to the passenger side and opened the door, sliding in he looked towards Barbara, "Bad news, four down at the office, shooting over Raleigh's 'link 15 minutes ago.  Good news, it's Saturday, shouldn't have been any one there except for Raleigh."  He paused, wanted a slim, could feel the Novacoke burning through his nervous system, making him edgy, the pain from the gunshot was a dull throb along his ribs.  He knew if he lit one up in Raleigh's Americar he'd be out of a job, he held himself, for now.

"Office will have too much heat right now, K.E.'s on site, we go there, they'll have questions about Washington Rec.  I don't know all of Raleigh's boltholes, but if we hit his apartment, maybe he has something there that can be of use, maybe we'll get a break and meet up with him.  Saavy?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Barbara is sitting behind the wheel of the car, sobbing.  She shakes her head when you slide into the car.  "No, Boss.  Jacob and I were in the office, too.  Raleigh called us in to help with the legwork while you were making the pick up.  I only just left a bit ago to come get you.  Jacob would have still been there.  And poor Raleigh, too.  Haven't heard anything due to going dark but I have been on the news feeds.  Nothing, Boss.  Just a lot of KE and the ambulances and all.  And going to Raleigh's house might not be a good idea, either.  If they came here, wouldn't they go there, too?"

Barbara wipes at her eyes and sits up straighter.  "So, where to, Boss?  I am still your support, likely the only support you have right now."

[Zen Gypsy]

Bryant started talking out loud trying to figure it out, "Don't know B., it doesn't add up.  Someone hires the Courier to make the drop, different someone hires Raleigh to be the pickup.  Ok, fine.  So the two employers are conducting business, I can follow that, now our someone mentioned that people have died over the package so he knew that it would generate some heat.  Shortly before the scheduled time of the hand off, a team hit's the courier's, screwing over the person, or persons, looking to get rid of the package.  Then, our third party hits the drop off site, to secure the package, while at the same time hitting our offices, the people looking to deliver the package to a potential buyer."

He paused, remembered some of the chatter from his confrontation with the retrieval team, something about a pass code.  "Now it's possible that the courier had info in a data lock that required verbal confirmation, he could have told Rowena in the confusion, she did try to drag him out of there.  I think we need to eliminate that option, which means we have to find out the med center she's being transferred to, and see if we can speak with her.  In the mean time, we need to ditch the Americar, and look for a hotel where we can lay low."

[spoiler]Unfortunately, I am at a loss as to how to proceed on the limited information I have.  Short of trying to actively assist K.E. in their investigation, but I am not sure how well a Rtg 4 False SIN would hold up to scrutiny.  >.<[/spoiler]

[Mercy Merchant]

Barbara nods and gets the car in motion.  "Alright.  Looking for hospital where the victim were taken to.  Ditching car for another.  Keep checking new feeds for information.  Find Cheap hotel that does not ask too many questions.  On it, Boss."  She goes silent and stops sobbing as she goes to work on your tasks, leaving you to do your thinking. 

A text comes in from the doctor who had been working on Rowena.  >>Friend.  Doctor Mayland here.  The KE are all over the scene and are talking to everyone who might have anything to say, including me.  Your description has been passed out to them by several witnesses.  Apparently you are a hero for jumping in and are credited with keeping the body count as low as it is.  The KE very much want to talk to you, but I noticed a reticence on your part and have not given them this code.  Still, you might want to talk with them.  Your friend was taken to Mercy General.  I think that she will be alright, but there is still a bullet in her that could cause problems as it is near her spine and it will be risky removing it without paralyzing her.  Thank you for stepping up when others cowered, including myself.  Send something back if you want.<<

Barbara breaks into your thoughts.  Boss.  Interesting bit on the feed.  Apparently three gunmen broke into the house of some Renraku bigwig and slaughtered him and his family a short while ago.  From some things Raleigh was saying earlier, the guy that hired us to pick up the package was a Renraku suit.  Coincidence?  Oh, and it seems that the KE is sending all the victims of the beach shootings to Mercy General under guard.  No names, but they might have sent your girl there."

[Zen Gypsy]

Bryant knew of a low end cubicle hotel, Ežerinis Luxury Cubicles, about an hour and thirty seven minutes from Washington Rec.  He figured if he and Barbara were able to relocate there, they could get a dual occupant deal, and lay low while they figured out there next step.  "Follow Rainer, then take us through Renton, I-909, you'll see a cubicle stack on the left hand side, by the turnoff.  Pull in there.  They will take a certified credstick, and they don't look to closely at the clientele.  Once there we can monitor the feeds, figure out our next move."

Bryant figured if they could get holed up, he could start to make counter moves, the first would be reaching out to Mayland, and then possibly try to get into Mercy General, speak with Rowe.  Problem was he'd get cornered by K.E., and if they looked to closely at his SIN, it'd be nothing but trouble.  On the other hand, the opposition had taken out the courier, had destroyed the service's offices, opened fire on the crowd at Washington Rec, mounted an assault on Raleigh's office, and eliminated their employer.  The body count was climbing, rapidly, and the expansive reach of their opposition was becoming more and more apparent.

"What the hell was the package B.?  The cost of simultaneous teams operating independently of one another is incredible, I count at least four teams, plus operational costs, support, re-supply, and extraction.  Knowing we were hired by Renraku is a start, once we hit the cubes, see if you can identify the exec from the K.E. report, public records, dealings, anything we can find on him."

Bryant was half way tempted to reach out to Renraku, but even as he contemplated that action, he realised how dangerous that could end up being.  He couldn't be certain that this mystery exec wasn't trying to manipulate insider information retrieving a package that belonged to his employers, it would explain the large bankroll behind the opposition.  He filed that away as he watched the Americar eat up the km's along 909, it was hypnotic, almost calming.  But the crystal fire of the Novacoke still danced along his nerves, his body flooded with adrenaline, he needed to be out there.  Doing something, but first he needed to make sure that nobody else was hurt in the crossfire.

He shook his head, turned towards Barbara, "Listen, B.  Turn the car around, we're going to Mercy General, K.E.'s there with the casualties from Washington Rec, I'm going to talk to the waitress, she's touch and go, but she was the last point of contact with the courier.  Once there, you're turning yourself over to K.E. for protection," he looked straight ahead, he knew the reproachful look she would give him, "B., you've done more than anyone could have asked you but I am not explaining to your fiance why he's looking at a cheap plasteel coffin rather than your smile.  Make inquiries with them, Raleigh Investigations is above board, find out what happened at the office.  I'll take care of the rest."

Unbidden a phrase came to mind, 'I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I conquered yesterday, and I survived today,' had to be something from his GIGR training, but it felt appropriate.