Butterfly Kisses

Auburn nods as Taurus continues the explanation of Chicago. She doesn't have anything in particular to add at the moment, because the exact location of their search was not yet determined. Well, that isn't true, it is likely past the wall, since it was call an "extremely dangerous" extraction. But either way, Taurus had represented appropriately.
When Vanessa made her vote, she kept her eyes on Auburn and Taurus. Auburn had to concentrate hard enough on her words that she didn't quite know whether Vanessa was staring at something, or if there was another reason. But once she finished, Auburn made a mental note in her tally's column.

1 for the lump sum (Vanessa)
1 for the half & half (Auburn)
1 abstain (Taurus)

Once she was done tallying, she had a moment to consider. Taurus, as well as she knew him (which wasn't particularly well) had somewhat abstained from the vote. That is somewhat strange, considering. Auburn had figured that he would choose as she does, for the half & half option. Although, as she had stated, this choice effects the rest of the team more than the two of them, so it could be that he figured the end result would be equally acceptable.

"Chicago.."

The hindi considered that location. And, frankly, would have preferred something less possessed, such as the Karavan or any one of the hundreds of feral cities around the Afrikas. But the money was here in Seattle, and it was leading him towards Chicago. Supra's eyes nictitate once again as he unfolds his fingers from their grip upon the cushion, and lowers his head once again as he considers.

The Johnson had upped the offer as well; Sixteen thousand was simply not enough to entice Supra back into the edge of the Begalooru and the bugs; But a portion of a million might well do the job. The thermal pits along Supra's jaw flare once again in a mixture of curiousity and surprise at the sudden change of heart. He has never known an employer to go so high, so quickly.

. o O (Desperation?) O o .

He speaks once more, chin lowered and reptillian features again cast into shade. "This place is not unknown to me. Supplies are going to be useless, in the long run. As was said.." A brief gesture towards Vanessa "... we will have to carry them. It is better to travel light and quick as opposed to sledding loads in hopes of trade. Nothing remains lighter than numbers in a bank. For my part, I will take a lump sum, and choose what I feel best serves in the event that trade is necessary. As little time spent acquiring the target is better, for it leaves less time for chance to strike."

Eva glances at the others, and gives a wintry smile. "Yes, I do believe that is acceptable. I doubt that we will be able to bring much in the way of vehicles or cargo haulers with us, so I will also vote for the lump sum - one of my disadvantages in this business is my relative inability to carry large quantities of anything, and as has been mentioned, nuyen in my bank account weighs me down not at all. We will still recieve 25% up front, yes?"

Watching Ghost carefully as he introduced himself, she looks around at the other members of the coalescing team. "I suppose if we are to be working together, we should introduce ourselves. I am known as Eva... my skill set is focused around making people do and think as I wish them to, by negotiation, manipulation, or outright subterfuge. I would imagine that it would be useful where we are going to be able to make our way around certain areas without needing to bully or kill all of the current inhabitants, no?" Her smile widens, and a dazzling pair of dimples appears on her cheeks.

Ghost sat in the back saying nothing else, other then what he had already said. Embarrassing himself. he still had not said yes. but that was little the point of his silence.

"Who's the target?" he asked. Figuring he might as well find out up front. They'd figure he was on board either way, and that was true. He did not feel the need to stress a vote. But the info he asked for was crucial for making his choice. Ghost did not risk his life for just money alone. The cause need be just. To date he'd never really kidnapped before or killed. But he was young and in this business that was Likely to change. As he was young he never thought about that kind of thing. Even when Kenji's thugs had cornered Ghost a few years back. killing them was the last thing on his mind. While he was no pacifist. Manny elected to show mercy when he could. Hiding his face for instance was as much to protect those around him. As it was to protect himself.

he looked the Johnson strait in the eye locking his gaze on the man, and waited for answer...

Ironic, it seemed, that the most professional of the team was the one who appeared the youngest. Vanessa regarded the girl and the mysterious man with the strange face; out of the gathered 'runners those two seemed the most competent, and their thoughts lined up with her own - always a bonus. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the idiot with the Japanese accent. The idea of letting him tend her wounds - or rather, that it might be up to him to keep her alive - left a sour taste in her mouth, and she grimaced as she leaned back, speaking softly in his direction. "Perhaps before yoo move on to zee next topic yoo shoult address zee cahrrent van first?" She leveled an intense look at him and asked slowly, "Do yoo vant to be pait in mahney only or half mahney, half medical zahpplies?"

She felt bad for leaving Eva's request for introductions unaddressed... guilty, even. Which was odd, in and of itself, but at the same time she meant what she said about finishing one discussion before moving on to the next. There would be time to get to know each others strengths and abilities later, after they had decided how they would be paid.

"Hunnhhn" Auburn snorted in a most un-ladylike fashion, and didn't even seem to notice. "Sounds like it doesn't much matter what his vote is," her un-cultured voice drawled out without even a hint of oppology for the sound. She hiked her finger in Ghostmoon's direction.
"I s'pose it don't make no difference either way." She turns her raptor gaze on the Johnson, completely ignoring Ghost's question of who the target was as well as Vanessa's comments in return. "I been out-voted. Lump sum it is. Now, sounds like we all accepted the mission, despite the probability of the "headless horseman" look being inflicted on one or more of us during the fun. Let's get some-hat them details done, yeah?" If she had turned her head and spat into a copper can sitting next to her chair, it wouldn't have been the least bit surprising.

As he thought there was always one in the bunch, that he gave to much mental credit too. This one being the funny accented lady with the tude. But the women in the jump suit had almost read his mind. He nodded in her direction and ignored the other and said nothing...

It occurred to ghost that she'd said not a thing to the minotaur who also did not cast a vote. Was it because he was so young or was she scared of the creature He wondered?

To speak was human, to listen divine. And so the hood quietly shifted as Supra listened first to Eva, and then to Vanessa. The figure then shifts back slightly, moving his weight from one leg to another to prevent unruley cramps that might countermand his ability to react. In the even that something did go wrong. . o O (Unusual request, unusual methods of negotiation, and unusual situations. This is a test from divinity, perhaps, to see if I am wise enough to avoid the trap.) O o . However, where as Auburn, Ghost, and Vanessa ignored Eva's invitational to expound abilities, Supra took it with that same quiet, trembling baritone.

"<Namaste>" He states, quietly pressing his hands together towards Eva. "I am Supra." He speaks no more of to what he can do, what he is capable of, and what he has done. To reveal such to those still strangers may disprove his intellect further. And then his attention is back towards the Johnson, as he adds in his own response in addition to Auburn and Ghost's.

"Yes. You have engaged our hands, in one form or fashion; Now, what would you have them to do?"

Taurus considers the others he's with for a few moments, and then considers what all he'd care to let them know. In the end he didn't see what would matter too much so he decided to be fairly candid on the matter. "You can call me Taurus. Infiltration and fire support with both small arms and heavy weaponry." there is a brief pause from him then at that juncture before he adds "Make fun of the name at your own peril." he briefly toyed with the idea of adding in a note about his potential issues with Ares, but in the end decided they didn't need to know. Besides it wasn't the whole company that was after him really, it was just his Ex-Boss, and perhaps the legal department.

"Oh, names. Right. Well, I s'pose I can stop calling you T-Large, huh?" She grinned a genuine grin of amusement at Taurus. "As for me, I am Auburn. I do offensive spells. The more insulting, the better... Err... I meant to mention the other kind of offensive. The more pain, the better. Yeap, got'er right that time." Her amused grin returned to her face, again, clearly genuine.

Pleasantries before business, it would seem. So be it. "My name is Laura Muller, but my olt team calt me Zweite," she announced to no one in particular, crossing her legs as she sat back so she could bounce a booted foot idly. "My schpecific role iz zat aff mowntet infantry, schpecializink in taktical zahppression unt direkt confrahntation aff ahpposink forces wiz zee immediate goal aff ackwirink ahndeniable grount zooperiority." The words came out in a well-practiced flow, concisely enunciated but without hesitation. "To zat ent, I vill be needink diskreet transportation for vun large fehicle to our area aff operation, ahnless zhere is enaff time to drife zhere by roat... I mahst admit I do not know vhere Chicago iz een relation to Zeattle unt it does depent on our time frame."

The Johnson watches the play between the team, keeping quiet while the runners ask their questions. Occasionally he takes a sip from the tumbler in his hand. Finally he speaks up. "It seems that you've all agreed... albeit conditionally. Alright, then. The payment'll be a full mil, twenty-five percent up front. You'll have what medical care we can provide, and we'll be footing the bill on the trip." He says last while looking at Vanessa. "I believe we can come up with something for you to transport any materials you'll need. I was told that you had some firepower at your disposal that would make this mission far more likely to succeed. It's why you were invited to this meet."

He pauses, collecting the team with his eyes. "The same's true for all of you. We've gone through a great deal of trouble to bring together enough talent to get this job done. Medical talent," he raises a hand in Ghost's direction. "Stealth," he moves the hand over to point at Supra. "Less physical subterfuge," as he indicates young girl. "Combat magic," he indicates Auburn. "As well as local knowledge." He drops his hand as he finally comes full circle with Taurus.
Mr. Johnson draws deep on his cigarette. Smoke pouring from his mouth, he says, "So then, I suppose..."

The door to room opens, revealing a man wearing a dark wool coat and black hat, a silver-knobbed cane in one hand. Beneath the coat is a severely cut suit, back on white. His face is heavily creased with wrinkles, his hair a pure white. His eyes are cornflower blue, and bloodshot. His mouth is pulled down into a frown, accentuating the deep lines there. He gestures with the cane, sweeping it around the room. "So these then are to be who we'll send, Hubert?" His voice is old, and quavers slightly. Still, there is steel beneath it, and the man has a certain aura about him that comes only to one who holds great authority. His eyes dart about the room, brazenly appraising the runners gathered there. There is no politesse about this, he weighs each of you as though you were pieces of meat at the butcher.

"S... Sir." The Johnson is obviously dumbfounded. The man's mouth is actually hanging open. With a snap he shuts it and says, "Sir, I thought that we had agree that you would allow me to conduct this affair. It was bad enough when you ordered me to..." Hubert stops before he finishes that sentence, and collects himself. He waves his hand, the cigarette burning between two fingers, about the room. "This is my purview, sir. It is highly irregular for you to be present at such a meeting." The Johnson's attitude and speech patterns have changed. He is standing straighter, and his Seattle accent is no longer so noticeable as before. He starts to take a drag off the cigarette, then grimaces before it reaches his mouth, and lowers it. With a sigh, he puts the but out. Turning back to the runners, he says, "Gentlemen, ladies, may I introduce Mr. Q. He shall be your employer on this run."
Mr. Q doesn't acknowledge the Johnson. He walks over to the bar and pours himself a drink. "You have their commitment, I assume, Hubert?" Mr. Johnson -Hubert, apparently- presses his lips into a thin line, and nods curtly. "Yes, sir. Conditionally, at least. I was just about to give them the details." Mr. Q takes his drink and sits in an unoccupied chair. "Show them, then."

Hubert takes out a remote from his pocket and pushes a button. Within the center of the room a holographic bubble appears. Within is displayed what might have been a street, long ago. Now it is a green sward covered in overgrown weeds, the only indication of its former urban nature being the crumbling concrete facades of large buildings on either side. Trees push up where the sidewalks would once have been, grown large and lush, their branches obscuring the view from the holograph occasionally. The scene is moving slowly, traveling down the overgrown street at a bit more than walking pace. There is a sense of emptiness and desolation to the footage. The view reaches an intersection and turns. As the view rounds the corner, a group of metahumans is revealed. Dressed in street-leathers with bits of armor festooned about them, there are four individuals shown. A troll, dwarf, and two humans comprise the group, each holding a weapon, and are engaging in a fight with a creature. The thing towers over them, it's head even with the twisted remnants of the street lamps which hang crooked and bent along the periphery of the green sward. It vaguely resembles what a moth might look like if it were crossed with a bear. It has only four limbs, but two large bi-segmented wings flair out behind it. It's body is covered in a thick, course layer of hair that covers all of it, save its fore-limbs, stomach, and head, which show naked chitin. The body of the creature is a dark grey-brown, but its wings are vividly colored in red, gold, and black patterns. Bulbous, segmented, red eyes glow above an elongated mouth that possesses both mandibles and teeth.

You watch as the group engages in a running battle, firing at the thing as they backpedal rapidly away from it, heading up the street towards the holo's view. Their bullets gouge holes in it, tiny in comparison to the size of the thing, from which ichor flows in spurts. You notice that although the wounds bleed profusely, the ichor always stops after a few moments, and seems to harden into a chitinous extrusion within moments.The creature doesn't seem to even note the damage done by the group's weapons. It catches the troll first, one arm grabbing the hulking fellow and yanking him up. The creature's mandibles extend and grab his head, pulling it into the its jaws. The troll's face and horns literally dissolve as the insect spirit chews the man's head off. It drops him, dead, and leaps after the remaining three, who have stopped firing and are now running wildly up the street.

With a leap and a flap of its wings, the creature sails into the midst of the group, covering nearly fifteen meters in one leap. With long talons on the end of each arm, it lashes out and the dwarf along with one of the humans go down, blood fountaining from their bodies to paint the scenery around them in crimson. The claws come around from their strike and grip the last person, a human woman, and bring her towards the thing's waiting mouth. However, although the woman writhes and resists fruitlessly in it's grasp, unable to get away, the thing does not eat her as it had the troll. Instead of its mandibles reaching forward to bring the woman into its waiting mouth, its long brush-like antennae fall on the woman's head, caressing her face. It stays this way for a moment, its feelers searching about the woman's head, and then suddenly it leaps into the sky, great wings flapping. The holo turns and follows the monstrosity as it flies through the canyon between the crumbling buildings until it disappears behind one such edifice. The holo stops, and the scene is replaced now with a 3D representation of the woman, displayed in life-like size, along with a blown up shot of her facial features displayed next to her body.

She is young, her pale, smooth features telling of someone who has only seen a couple decades of life. Her hair is a wild jumble of multi-colored spikes which frame a set of wide, pale blue eyes, full lips, and thin cheekbones. Multiple rings line the lobes of her ears, with a chain spanning the distance from the bottom of the right ear to another bit of metal in her nose. She looks rather emaciated, although the heavy leathers and partial armor make it hard to determine if this is due to actual body mass, or if she's simply wearing over-sized clothing.

Hubert speaks up. "This is your target. Her name is Mary. She is 23 years old. The location you see is in the CZ. The creature seems to have carried her off towards the area of Cermak. This recording was made by an Ares research drone two days ago." He pauses, waiting for questions. In the silence immediately following the viewing, you hear the tink of ice in a tumbler as Mr. Q takes a sip of his drink, his eyes laying heavy on you all.

Ghost looks at the hologram picture hard.

perception test visual.

Percept. 3, intuition 3, vis. enhanc. (R2) = 8 dice = 2 hits

Then looks at MR.Q with an interested eye

Biology Test

Logic 4, Biology 3 = 7 dice = 2 hits

(Ooc this i did on a mobile device its daddy daughter day and were bowling lata guys.)

The appearance of Mr. Q. was, by far, the greatest surprise of this meeting so far. The idea that the man behind the curtain would step out into the light of day had not occurred to Vanessa, but she admired the man for it. He was the one who had a job he needed doing, it seemed fitting for him to be the one to interact with the group in person, rather than through this fluky, Hubert. Vanessa watched him carefully as he superseded Mr. Johnson's role in the process and accelerated the briefing. The trid recording was interesting, and troubling at the same time. From the details presented it was obvious that traditional weaponry had some impact on their foe, the only issue seemed to be one of caliber. The problem would be the apparent regenerative qualities of the beast's blood. Vanessa felt confident that she could bring more to the table than the hand-held weaponry of the team on the recording, but it leaves a question of what ammunition to use against this opponent. Explosive ammunition would provide an extra kick, but armor piercing capabilities might be necessary to reach any vital organs that could put the creature down.

Of course, that lead her to a new issue; the alien nature of their enemy was problematic. Vanessa looked at the image of the girl, but her thoughts returned to the projection of the bug hyprid. "Zis... monster. Do yoo haff eny more informashahn on eet? Eny addishahnal rezearch or images aff vun, or vuns like it? I voult most like to see anyzhink zat shows vun beink kilt or injurt. Anyzhink zat can help me do my part in zis more effectifly." Right about now the idea of a drink was starting to appeal to her more and more, and Vanessa eyed the bar for a second before returning her attention to her employer(s). Business first, pleasure second. She made a note to search through the Matrix later, when she had more time, for any leads on how to kill the horrendous beast. Perhaps she would even contact Kontorōru to see if he could come up with something. It all depended what this Mr. Q. had at his disposal and, more importantly, what he was willing to share with them.

Taurus' features hardly shift as the new man arrives and is introduced as 'Mr. Q' he does his best to analyze the whole situation the same as any Ares security briefing he'd had, and honestly sometimes they didn't even have this much to go off of when it came to the zone, though Ares likely had more intel on Chigaco than anyone else did given that many of their pet projects were, and still are located there. As the footage plays, Taurus tries to recognize the streets, as well as study the insect spirit. He'd mostly heard of them, had little real combat experience against them, but still maybe he could some how offer up some tidbit of knowledge in regards to them, after all he'd been living with them as a potential threat and 'neighbors' for several years now.

Area Knowledge = 3 hits
Paranormal Critters = 4 hits

He wasn't quite sure he'd had the exact area down but he was pretty sure he had the bug pinned down. "What that thing is folks, is called an insect spirit. Most of us just call them 'bugs'. There's several things you have to realize about these things. First off, their not normal critters, their more like uhh.. those spirit things a spellslinger whips up but their mostly in physical form. I hear they have some sort of.. uhh.. other form like other spirits do too 'cept these things like to bind themselves to other people, or animals. Not all the bugs look like this though, I've heard rumors that some of the bugs they eh.. look like people. You, me, Mr. Q over there. Now, most of these fraggers have gone dormant since Ares went in and nuked the hell out of the the place and burned a ton of nests, but as you can see there's still some out and about kicking hoop."

He pauses then in thought before piping up again. "There's another factor to consider, if they did go back towards the crater, we are all going to need rad suits or something similar, even if it's just fancy lining in the armour, and some personal geiger counters or radiation badges. That place is still hot enough to fry you and I've heard some scary dreck about the place and what it does to some of the bugs. Aint never been near mind you, I've never been crazy enough to try it, nor had good enough reason."

He glances over to 'Mr.Q' a moment, perhaps anticipating the man's response to that. Not because the hulking Minotaur was good with people, hell he was a pretty bitter anti social sort these days, but it seemed the two of them had something in common. "Course, given what we are after, I reckon that's a good enough reason to go. I've spent years hunting for some one myself out there, so I know what it's like."

Hubert sighs. "I'm afraid that we don't know a great deal more than what Taurus has already made known. All I can add it that insect spirits tend to be communal; where you find one, it's fairly certain that you'll find more." He pauses, tossing his lighter from one hand to another. "Insecticides seem to have an effect, if used in high enough quantities, against certain manifestations. But then again, sometimes they don't." He shrugs. "Other than that, you'd need a specialist magician with the correct background. We're trying to track one down, but they're not as easy to find as you might think."

Ares Macrotechnology Knowledge 3 + Stat 3= 6 = 1 hit

Professional: Security Procedures 3 + Stat 3 = 6 = 2 hits

"Well, that coves pretty much all I know of the bugs, there's one other issue too.." Taurus brings up once Mr.Q is done his end of explaining things. "Ares has considerable interest in the crater and surrounding area, as well as much of Chicago as I've previously mentioned. Now, it's been years since I was part of any of that, but I know they had fire teams that specialized in going in and nuking bug nests, and.. ehh.. I'm not sure what else to be honest though I imagine they were a lot more involved than that. Ares, like every Mega don't do nothing without there being something in it for em and they were making plenty o' cred just sitting on the wall and letting everyone else die off. Then they dropped in a nuke and some sort of magic bio weapon and wiped a good chunk of the baddies out, place got declared 'safe' and the wall came on down a little while later. My sister though was researching something in there four years ago. But I ain't got no clue what that was." he sighs softly and his expression hardens just a little "Either way, their still there and likely to get in our way some." he pauses to try and think of what procedures might still be in line there, or what one's he has seen more recently. "Mostly small strike teams I'd think, maybe doing some cleanup, maybe just out after some info or doing research. Long as we don't tick em off or wind up going after something they want we shouldn't have to deal with anything too heavy unless it's a bug hunt group. Those guys tend to be pretty damn well armed, armoured and fitted up with combat ware. Beyond that I think their just protecting what they own out there, but I could be wrong on that one too."

More bad news piled on top of the old. As if heading into Chicago with a team of questionable skill and experience wasn't enough of a challenge, they would be up against an unusual and poorly researched foe. What could go worse? What else but the involvement of a megacorporation. "Et least zat iz a foe I ken fight- Ares. Armor, schpessul forcez, zees are tinks dat boollets ken solf. But, zees... cockroaches? Hah, inzekt-izite..." Vanessa shook her head, a hint of a sardonic smile cracking her stern visage as she muttered to herself, "Voult it not mek more zense to jest zent in a... a... ernte-staubtuch?"

That's what it amounted to. They had her on glorified extermination duty. Vielleicht... Ich sollte eine Gasmaske kaufen. The image of herself in an over-sized jumpsuit and a gas mask with a canister of bug spray on her back took some of the edge off her annoyance, and helped her concentrate on the matter at hand. Less than ideal or not, it was what she had to deal with. Being sent into the field with an open-ended mission briefing was par for the course in her previous line of work; it was both a danger and a boon at the same time. Vanessa thrived in such an environment, where creative approaches and critical thinking were requisites for survival. But she hated going in unprepared.

Working from that principled, she wondered if she stood to gain anything from this dearth of information. "Vhile on zis mission, vee vill likely ent ahp fightink zees 'inzekt schpirits' aff yoors," she nodded at Taurus, as though they were somehow his fault. "How match voult yoo be villink to pay for detailt footahj aff vun or more beink kilt in compat?" She eyed Mr. Johnson first, only sparing a glance at Mr. Q. to let him know he could step in at any time. "I voult be happy to provite a copy aff eny battle coferahj to yoo efter our mission iz cahmplete, or meybe efen excloosif rights to eny deta collectet een zeh fielt... for zeh right price..."

"There is one last thing that bears mentioning. It's all just rumours from what I've seen or heard, but their damn persistent ones. And that is that Ares has been using bugs to bolster their own security forces. Think of it like the rumours of so called 'biodrones'. Could be real, could be fake but the rumours wont go away. " Taurus adds after a moment "So personally if you ask me, I think stealth is going to be our biggest asset on this job. It's just about impossible to lock down anything in Chicago. I mean even at the height of things when Ares was manning the walls people were still managing to smuggle things in and out. That said sometimes the shortcuts and back passages have something else ready to try and eat you alive. Devil rats that kinda drek."

OOC> Logic + Smuggling = 1 Hit
OOC> Logic + Chicago Area Knowledge = 1 Hit

Curiouser and curiouser. This new 'Mr. Q' is studied with a quiet intensity by the hindi, a slight tilt of the head in a manner not entirely mammalian. This particular proposition was rapidly spinning out of true with anything approaching a 'normal' run. Ah, but then the true nature of their bounty begins, as the Johnson's boss orders a full disclosure. The holographic imagery plays its way across black orbs, reflecting dully on dark red irises as Supra studies the imagery presented. And, with head lowered once again, he considers the quandry presented by the troll of eastern variancy, as well as the other heavily accented people in the room. Before he speaks, somber and soft; He has no need of trying to out-shout the various 'Runners' gathered, however questionable their experience may be.

"This area is not unknown to me, either. There are paths that can take one quietly and with all due subtleness into the heart of the combat zone... if one is wishing to avoid attention of a more official nature.."

He then raises his head slightly, letting light brush along the strangely colored 'scales' that have so horrifically replaced flesh. A hidden gaze turned towards 'Mr. Q', now. "But one may question in what state our lady is to be returned. If she has been taken by the insects, there may not be much left... " A hand lifts, and taps once against the side of his own temple. ".. in here to recover. Is it merely the flesh one is concerned with, or the soul within?"

Ghost did not really hear what the lady with the accent said. He had kind of tuned her out. As he made his study of the women on the vid and man who had taken over the negotiations. Though he was older he did bare just the slightest of similarity to the target. that at least would explain why the man was going to such lengths to recover her.

About then Taurus started his expulsion of info and Ghost felt a little better that some of them knew just a bit more then the average person about the surrounding area.
Ghost was not really concerned with the combat aspect of it. He figured if the medic was there best hope out of a combat situation they were doomed. however when he started talking about radiation Ghost went through the numbers in his head on how to prevent and work with burns of certain degrees he knew he would need somethings and he made a list in his head of what. He frowned when he heard that they might have to bump heads with Ares teams. he read a little and knew what you'd see on trid news. They were capable of making loads of body's with out a thought. no that did not sit well with Ghost at all so by the numbers he started going over working with trauma wounds.

Finally the man with the cloak spoke up. He was wise. Who dose this guy remind me of? Couldn't put a finger on it but his question was valid. Being carried off by a monster did not sound like a happy way to go so what was he looking for?

The Question brought Manny back to his original query. Who was she to him. He thought he might know. So after clearing his throat he pipped in "Who is she too you may i ask? I could not help but notice some similarity's in the face. Of course i may be wrong and if I am i apologize, but is there some relation to this person and you?" He said this with no accent at all. Not from Seattle or Japan just plain well spoken English. He approached this Mr. Q while he spoke his hands out to the sides nonthreatening . Stepping into the light. His white unstained suit flashed a bit but nothing sparkly. he stopped about five or so feet from Mr.Q, and waited for his answer... His eyes speaking concern to the powerful man.

Mr. Q had grown quiet during the presentation. His face had gone stony as the holo played, but his eyes were glued to the display. When Supra asks his question, Mr. Q leaps up from his chair. "What sort of question is that!?" He rounds on Hubert. "This is the kind of person you would send to save Mary!?" Without waiting for a reply, he whips back around, his cane held halfway up, his knuckles white around its grip. "She is still alive! I know it! And she will be brought back to me that way! Alived, and unharmed!" Hubert had come around to the other side of the table, and now laid a hand on the old man's shoulder. At the slight pressure exerted by the Johnson, Mr. Q seems to deflate. He sinks back in to his chair.

Hubert steps up to the man's side, taking up a station just behind the old gentleman's side. Mr. Q makes no sound, but stares intently at the floor. Hubert clears his throat. "As our employer has said, it is vital that the girl is recovered in good health. We've already arranged transport to Chicago. Should you all agree to take on this mission, you'll depart at six AM, this morning." Hubert looks as though he would go on, but Mr. Q begins to speak. His voice is low and quiet, and the steel which laid beneath it before has now gone to rust.

"A man... a man tries to do right by those he loves." He grips his cane with both his hands, clenching and unclenching his grip rhythmicly. "I thought I had done so... I had everything a man could want. Money, power... but above all, my family. Happy. Loving. A beautiful, kind wife. A sweet, innocent daughter. They were what I cherished most. I worked hard to provide for them, to give them their every wish." His words grow hoarse and ragged, and he must pause for a moment as his throat tightens around his words. When he continues, his voice has fallen to barely more than a whisper.

"I was away on business on the day the insect spirits attacked Chicago. My home was in a downtown brownstone. When I heard, I tried to get back, to get to my family, but... But." He clears his throat again. "The quarantine had already gone into effect. My searches amongst the refugees were fruitless." He brings a shaking hand to his brow, the thumb and forefinger pinching the bridge of his nose. "I spent millions hiring men to go into the Zone and bring them out. None returned successful. Many didn't return at all. After a time, I... I had to accept that they were lost to me." His voice finally breaks, and in the dim light of the room his cheeks shine wetly. After several minutes, he takes a pressed kerchief from his breast pocket and wipes at his face.

Hubert breaks in while Mr. Q collects himself. "It was a stroke of luck that led us to where we are now. The Ares researcher who sent us this recording had been in one of the search parties that we hired... one of the lucky ones that got out alive. He remembered the physical description of Mary, and when he saw the girl in the holo you just watched, he ran her features through an aging simulator. The results were eighty-percent positive for a match. When we got this information, I began looking for runners to go and in and get her. And that brings us to you all."

Mr. Q speaks again, his voice ragged and choked with emotion. "You must get her back for me. My little girl... my little Mary..."

"Hey... Before y'all go an' git all gun happy, believe it or not, bein' an Eco-Terrorist gots some benefits when it comes to this stuff. I know a little background about Bug Spirits, not much, but 'nough ta flesh out the do's and don'ts, if ye get me? Here's the basic skinny.
"First, Bugs'r what we call "Inhabitor" spirits. I know this 'cause I gut to fight along side 'em once er twice. This means they can take over a body when they're summoned.
"Next, Magic works wonders on 'em. Better'n what it does to you'all. So this" She holds up her hand, and a small crackling ball of blue humms audibly, floating above her palm. She holds it there for a moment, and then closes her hand around it, dismissing the spell as she brought it to bear, "is summhm that they pay attention to.
"Third, like Taurus sed, there ain't usually just one. Even if y'all can only see the one, chances are therr's gunna be acupple more of em hidin' in what we magicians like to call "The Astral Plane," where I can see 'em, an' you can't.
"What that means is to all o'us is that magic folks cain't be walkin' 'round with spells blarin' all the time. We gotta keep that stuff under wraps, and pop it out when we reelly need it.
"I've taken acuppla Bugs out before, and they can be hard to kill. But they ain't no harder to kill than any other spirit." Auburn finishes up her little speech and looks around the room. She understood the pain of losing someone. She had lost some of her most important team members, some to Bug summonings gone bad, among other things, during her darker days. That said, there was a reason that this Queen spirit snagged this little lady. - And takin' down a Queen ain't gunna be easy... She thought to herself, noting the increasing difficulty level of the run. -Not like I needed much incentive to take out some Bugs... The fraggin things jus plain need to be exterminated! She fought, successfully, to keep the grin off her face at the thought. Bugs are bugs are bugs...
"Ah think that's 'bout all I'c'n tell ya, but if you gots some questions, let 'em fly." She said, letting everyone know she was happy to fill in some blanks for the group. The Johnson, errr: Hubert, was right. Good information, or any for that matter, was hard to find on the Bugs.

Taurus does his best to adopt a caring tone, but perhaps he's just too bitter and jaded from his own fruitless searching for the past few years to pull off his actual intended tone. Instead it comes off as gruff and just a little cold. "Mr. Q. You have to realize as much as you care about Mary, she may well be gone. Obviously since your paying us we'll do what ever we can, but if she's been turned into a bug there ain't no getting her back. At best you'd just get one extremely dangerous shell that just looks like her, one that's bound to try and kill you the moment you let your guard down. You ain't the only one that lost family in Chicago neither. I had a good job one, good pay, lot of fun too. See but one of those research types running round in there happened to be my little sister, she didn't make it out either and I've spent the past four years looking for her. So you n' I'z gots something in common here. Only difference is I ain't got the cred to pay others to do any huntin for meh. I gots ta do it myself. Job like this? Yeah, I'm in. Cause not only could I possibly haul some one else who ain't deserve to be turned into a bug out, but maybe I can find mah sis too and get her out." his features grow grim and his heavy almost furred brow furrows more "Problem is, neither may still be what they were. If my sis got turned into one of them things I dunno what I'd do.. but the only right thing would be to kill the thing that... 'inhabited' her like. Wouldn't be her no more. I still dunno if I could pull the trigger mah self in such case but.. you gotta plan fer the worst and always pray for the best."

Auburn nods soberly as she listens to Taurus. This thing with his Sister definitely explained a lot, and why he was always so quiet about it too. "Thing is, everyone knows someone who got taken..." She says, hanging her head slightly. The truth was that all too many of them never managed to get out. And the few who did, like Taurus mentioned, were not who they used to be.
"But, there's some hope too. I've never seen one of 'em do what this one did, and fly away. It's scary to consider what it might've wanted'er for, but if we'c'n manage to git in therr quick 'nuff, it might just do some good. This time. Maybe." She added, bringing her head up at the end. This was certainly a different situation, that's for sure.