Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - IC

„What have you done...“ He murmured when he entered what only hours ago was his home in this town. The reinforced steel door had been broken down. The smoldering on the frame told him it had been blown open. Quick and professional. The vases in the hallway were all but smashed. Earth smudging the stone floor. There were footprints. Too many to discern. And for certain a lot of Knight Errant boots had trodden here. The bullet holes were mostly above head level. To scare them. Not to hurt them. Anger welled up inside the old shaman. I should never have returned here. But then you had to die, Morrigan. The anger was tempered by grief and guilt. I will find your daughter.

Darkon walked past the door that lead to his shaman lair. He would go there later. They haven't bothered with the reinforced door. They already had their targets in sight. He climbed over the unhinged door to Brighids room. There he sifted through the drawers. Darkon found her hairbrush. It had a few hairs in it. Carefully, the shaman put the hairbrush into a small plastic bag. His eye fell on Mr. Bunny. An old stuffed toy which was, despite her frequent denial and claims to be 'too old for that', her dearest possession. Darkon bagged it too.

Something crunched under his shoe. When the old elf looked down, it was an old fashioned picture frame. Morrigan smiled at him from underneath the broken glass. He knew Brighid had held it for hours while she cried in the hermitage of her room, back in those first weeks when she wouldn't let anone near her, hardly eating or sleeping at all. He took the picture out of the frame and put it into his chest pocket. Then he went to Robyns room. It looked mostly undisturbed. Darkon took the sword from the hook on a wall. A smirk creeped up the corners of his mouth for a moment. She had been determined to 'walk the old paths' as she called it. To his own surprise, Darkon had found out Robyn had a talent for fighting. Especially close combat. The sword had been his birthday present on her fifteenth birthday. He put it in the bag to Mr. Bunny. Robyn had no other stuff she hung to.

In the bathroom, he found Robyns toothbrush and her comb. Both were put in small plastic bags. It was all he had as material link for the little redhead. His little redhead. They will burn. If they have hurt you, they will burn.

Taking the key from his pocket, he unlocked the door to his shaman lair. The room was untouched. At least on first glance. But things had been shuffled around. Knight Errant had been in here. He could practically smell it. With a grunt, Darkon got to the task of putting the trinkets, crystals and incence flacons into a case meant for transporting them. As he took the five amethyst druses from their places, he could feel and see how the astral structure of his lair faltered and collapsed. I will rebuild it somewhere safer.

Suddenly, he heard a voice outside. “This is Emma Thompson from Fast Facts Factory. I'm reporting directly from the crime scene where two innocent young SINless girls had been freed out of the hands of a cruel pervert who had held them for sex slaves. Has the depravity of our society gone that far? You will see after a short break.” There was a pause. “You got that? Good. Let's see if we can find some ID or something.”

The anger and frustration that had built up in Darkon now exploded. And it had a target. With rage in his eyes, he left the room, facing the reporter and a camera jockey. Back, way back in his mind a small part of him was glad the trideo camera was held in the other direction, at Emma, whose expression now turned from investigative eagerness to surprise and then to a look of horror.

Levitation spell to crush that damn camera, force5. Magic7+Sorcery5(group)=12d (12d6. hits(5)=5) (5 hits)

Drain roll for levitation spell, F5/2+1= threshold 3 Charisma7+willpower6=13d (13d6. hits(5)=5) (No drain)

His coat floated around him when his anger searched and found a channel. He thought he could hear the sizzling of sparks from his hair and hands. The trideo camera was pulled out from the startled camera mans hands and jolted upwards against the ceiling, where it was crushed into useless chunks. Then Darkon let go of it, the pieces raining down on the camera man.

Darkon spoke coldly. Almost calmly. Still, there was no doubt about his state of mind.”How dare you to intrude? How dare you to spread such filthy lies? Stop this at once and get out!”


Cast influence force 5 on the news reporter: "Not to pursuit this story any further." Magic7+Sorcery(group)5=12d (12d6. hits(5)=6) (5 hits due to force)

Drain for influence force5 5/2+1 rounded down= Threshold3 Charisma7+Willpower6=13d (13d6. hits(5)=4) (no drain)

The mana swirling around him crashed over the still shocked woman and washed over her mind. It is not sure if she would have needed much persuasion to leave anyway.

They fled the scene, probably glad to still be alive. Inside the house, Darkon let out his frustration. Glass smashed seemingly by itself, Furniture fell over, the plates flew out of the cupboard and scattered when they hit the opposite wall.

But then, Darkon felt something touching his mind. ”Calm down now. This isn't logical behaviour. If you want to save the two girls you need to use your intelligence. It is the only logical way.” Sylph had spoken to him, had calmed his exploding rage. And Darkon instantly felt ashamed about the outburst. “Thank you for your help Sylph.” He said, breathing deeply to calm down more. “And for bringing me down again.” He felt it had taken some energy from her to do so. ”You are welcome. I want them to be safe too. I like them. But for now my time has run out. You are back home. And I have used up all my power to be of service.” With that, she faded, even from astral sight. “Thank you again.” Darkon said and went back to packing up his lair materials.

Ten minutes later, he put it in the back of his car and drove to Sha'hGrims place.

OOC: @Starcraft: I'm going to go ahead and post. If need be, I can edit for discussion with Alexia. I am posting that we're headed to Sha'hGrim's place.

"Ok, so that settles it..." Sha'hGrim said, looking first from Alexia to Sidney. Neither of them looked pleased, but there was nothing much to it. They had to go.
"And yes, I can drive both trucks again..." Sidney finally said, essentially closing the discussion. He was agreeing, yet again, to drive Sha'hGrim's truck and remote his own to follow.
"Thanks Sid." Sha'hGrim said, laying her hand on his arm. That done, she turned back to the open back door of Alexia's truck, letting Chasky hop in first. As soon as Chasky was in, Sha'hGrim gipped the door and stepped up in to the truck. Two steps forward, and she slumped down on the mattress in the back of the truck, looking forward to the nap she was going to have on the drive over.
"Thanks 'Lex." Sha'hGrim said after Alexia climbed in the front and closed the doors.

An hour later
"Mmmmfff... Sha'hGrim mumbled, half-grunting, as Alexia very gently shook Sha'hGrim awake. Sha'hGrim reached up and snagged Alexia's hand, holding on to it for a few moments before sitting up. Alexia had proven to be an uncommonly exceptional friend over time. Meanwhile Chasky had stood, stretching his legs out one at a time and looking around. He did one of his silent Cat yawns, which would be incredibly intimidating if Sha'hGrim and Alexia didn't already know what he was doing. His mouth opened to it's fullest, showing a full set of healthy, razor-sharp teeth. It then snapped shut, cutting off the air, and the image of a hand or something else would easily have sat in someone's mind while watching that happen.
Sha'hGrim rolled over toward the door and Alexia and smiled, finally sitting up. She could see her house through the open door.
"We're here..." Sha'hGrim said, quietly. She swung her feet out of the door slowly, giving time for Alexia to step back and make space.
"I'm here." Sha'hGrim reported to the Spirit. She didn't want it to become disconcerted by the arrival of others.
"I see you. Another of your team arrived earlier. I have invited him in to the house." The Spirit responded. - That must be Darkon... Sha'hGrim thought. She stood up outside the door of the truck, stretching her arms over her head and letting her heart rate spike with a "morning stretch" despite that it was still some time in the middle of the night. - Yup... There's Darkon's car. She thought, noting Darkon's car, and her own Truck also in the driveway.
"Is Sidney's truck here yet?" She asked Alexia, not really worried about the answer. Obviously, if her own Truck was here then Sidney was here, and his truck wouldn't be far behind. Sha'hGrim shrugged, stepping forward and letting Chasky out of the Truck.
"Thank you for accommodating him." Sha'hGrim responded to the Spirit.
"Jenny, the Cat, seemed to recognize him. Since he was not actively casting, I was comfortable allowing him to remain. Once he was closer, I could see traces of your Aura on him; you had been near him recently. I could tell that you were sleeping and chose not to disturb you." The Spirit informed her, once it could tell that she was awake enough to hear it.
"Thank you. You have done well." Sha'hGrim responded, once again thoroughly impressed with the capacity of the Spirit. She loved that she could summon Spirits which have such a high degree of autonomy. It wasn't many years before where she was generally limited to summoning Spirits which were far less capable than she. No longer...
"Let's go inside." Sha'hGrim said, snagging Alexia's arm and walking forward with her. She noticed Sidney climbing out of his truck, and waved at him to join her.

Inside the house.
Sha'hGrim greeted Jenny as soon as she was inside.
"That is still quite disconcerting..." The Spirit stated, though it did not ask her to stop. It sent to her some of the feeling that it was feeling; Jenny's surge of affection for her, mixed in with a swirl of other feelings.
"I apologize." Sha'hGrim said, out loud. She immediately realized that she had done it too, when the Spirit sent her a feeling of amusement while Chasky, Alexia and Darkon all looked at her with a mix of concern and surprise.
"Ahh, oops... That was meant to be silent." She said, straightening up and looking at the group with a sheepish look on her face.
"Would you see to it that the property is undisturbed please?" Sha'hGrim said to Jenny after a moment. She had needed to wait for the embarrassed smile to leave her face. The traitorous thing!
Jenny nodded, a very metahuman reaction, before bolting out the open front door. Sha'hGrim closed the door behind her, reaching down to make sure that the Cat door was swinging freely. The combination of the Spirit and the Cat would be an impressively effective night-watchman for the property.
"Ok. Let's get down to business..." Sha'hGrim said, pulling a chair out from her Kitchen table. She sat at the round table, waving distractedly at the other 3 chairs for the group to join her. Chasky walked over to one of the pillow-beds in the adjoining living room and settled in. He knew he would be there for a while.
"Darkon: let's hear it." She said, looking at him with a mixture of fear and resolve. - This is not going to be fun... She thought to herself as Darkon started in on his recounting of the details.

His stuff was still in his car. Secured and locked. Only his ever present staff was in his hand as he sat down at Sha'hGrims table. With a deadly serious expression he faced Sha'hGrim, Alexia and Sid. “They have taken my girls. A team of runners assaulted my home. Which I had purchased under my new name, without any connection to my old life. Three months ago. And they knew where to find me. And these news report about the freed sex slaves!” He snorted in dissapproval. “Unbelievable story, is it not? I mean, Brighid could just as well have been my daughter. I'm not that much of a pervert. And Knight Errant were no help either. Keeping me from going inside. I could maybe even have followed the runners myself in astral space. Finding them...” Darkon noticed he was starting to ramble and stopped himself. “Anyway, they are hitting me on all fronts. And I assume I am not the only one.” He looked around. “Are you sure there are no hidden explosives here? It would fit.”

At that point, Sha'hGrim told him about the explosion at Spawns place. And Darkon paled. “No... Scheiße...” He closed his eyes, fighting back tears. When he opened them, he looked even more serious than before. A hard look in his eyes. “We need to get under cover. And we need to find my girls. And then we need to get back at whoever did this to us.” The shaman paused. “Although we first need to find out who did it.”

Now it was Sids place to speak up with the information he got from the Exchange.

“Downtown? I see. None the less, Sha'hGrim needs rest.” To Sha'hGrim directly: “You need to recover. But I think we shouldn't stay here any longer than necessary.”

Sha'hGrim nodded, listening carefully as Darkon filled them in on what had happened. She asked, politely, if he had gotten in at all and nodded again approvingly when he said that he had, finally, and that he'd taken some Material Links, as well as his Lodge when he left. His detail confirmed that it was a team of 'Runners; and the news stories, as absurd as they were, confirmed Darkon's theory that they were trying to hit him publicly, as well as privately. It was not surprising that KE was not being helpful. But it would have been convenient...
"Yes, I do need to rest. As for explosives: I've had this place for a while. If they're hunting us down, there's unlikely to be any way they don't know where this is. Likely the reason it's been left alone so far is simply that it's out of the way. And thank heavens that's the case. As for explosives: No, I'm not sure. You all are more than welcome to sweep the place. But the attack patterns don't match. They didn't blow your place up, Darkon." Sha'hGrim pointed out. Maybe they were all moving a little too fast here, and this was a clue which was important.
"And, they don't seem to have attacked me or Alexia. While I agree that this was professional, it doesn't seem to have been planned. At least, on the surface. This could help us, give us some clues.
"But for now, with Jenny on the prowl, we should be safe enough here unless there are explosives. This place is as well fortified with a Possessed Cat guarding us as anything we might find in a hurry. If you want to beef up security, you can hire some Watchers to run Perimeter patterns and have them report to Jenny as First Response." Sha'hGrim said, thinking about how to find hidden explosives.
"As for getting out of here, if you're afraid of explosives, leaving might make sense. But the question is: why haven't they blown this place yet? If needed, we can leave. 'Lex and I can easily sleep on the mattress in her Truck. And my pets can all be packed up in my Truck. I can be ready to leave in under an hour. In the mean time: that's real meat in the fridge." She said, already starting a mental list.

Trideo:
Background: A police barricade around the front of a street clinic with a number of dead bodies still on the ground and covered with sheets while paramedics are in the process of loading them up to take them off to the morgue. Two other bodies are being brought out the smashed in front door and there is broken glass everywhere along with a few splashes of blood and a couple of bullet holes.

News Reporter: "This just in, live from the crime scene; yet more violence rocked Seattle today when gang warfare spilled out of control at this small family medical clinic. Knight Errant was on the scene mere minutes after what witnesses say was a brazen daylight massacre that seems to have targeted a local gang apparently hanging about keeping an eye on two of their top members who were receiving medical treatment inside. Witnesses state that an armed individual using cloaking technology assaulted the gang members standing outside first, killing five before breaking down the door and killing several patients inside, including one Police officer who was responding to reports of gunfire. According to Police the majority of the other patrons and staff of the clinic were left alone however the owner of the clinic, a man named Frank Miller is listed in critical condition but is expected to recover. While details are scarce, several inside sources believe one or more of the individuals involved are linked to several other crimes committed today. Police are still withholding the identities of the other victims pending notice to the affected families, however it's been confirmed that at least one ten year old girl attending a nearby catholic school has been left an orphan after the attack. Now we go to on the street footage recorded of the attack. We apologize for the poor video and sound quality, as this footage was taken by several bystanders during the attack using their comlinks. We warn viewers that this footage is unedited and may not be suitable for all audiences as it contains disturbing scenes of violence and bloodshed."

Several video clips follow showing some one clearly using a ruthenium coated suit and weapons to take down a group of gangers that had been milling around outside the clinic. By the time the video starts several are already down and a few are firing guns though it's hard to tell if even a single shot manages to connect. It's obvious to anyone trained in combat the attacker is using mostly melee attacks and ruthenium coated weapons to take down the group outside which is quite clearly outclassed as the fight lasts only a matter of seconds before the front door is kicked in and several more shots are heard from inside. The sound of gunfire as well as people fleeing out the front door continues for about a minute before the whole place goes silent. Only moments later one young KE cop can be seen rushing in gun drawn in something that seemed more fitting to a movie than real life. There's a brief black out as the view switches to a shot from another comlink that just catches part of a scene of the officer getting decapitated before he even has a chance to open fire.

For possible additional details please make a perception (Visual) test

"That's aweful..." Sha'hGrim said. She shivered. - It would take a hell of a well-trained fighter to take on that guy. Or Chasky, possessed. Sha'hGrim thought to herself. Being invisible, or effectively so, was an incredible advantage. Used rarely, due mostly to the cost, it was one of the things that separated amateurs from professionals. 'Runners from Gangers. Corp guys from Street cops.
"Ok. Has any of you turned on your commlinks at all? For any reason?
"It's important that we know... " Sha'hGrim asked gravely. This was far too tense a situation to place blame, or get upset. But it was also really important to know if there was some obvious way that the other place was compromised; otherwise they followed the group there using less obvious ways. Ways which might still be in affect.
"Sid: thanks for checking the burner 'links; it's a relief that we can at least use those amongst ourselves. And good catch that Alexia's link is compromised. 'Lex, have you turned it on anytime recently? Please tell me at least not since we've left the Clinic?" Sha'hGrim paused then for an answer before going on.
"Hopefully my house is safe; as they don't appear to have hesitated on any of the other leads they've had so far. If they were going to hit this place, my guess is that they'd have already done it.
"And other than rest... There are some things we need to take care of as well. We'll all need new top of the line 'links. We can use these burners for a day or two, but they'll be really easy to hack once they get a bead on us. We need something with a bit more backbone to carry us forward. Besides figuring out where Darkon's girls are, I think that might be a priority for us." Sha'hGrim said, a glimmer of hope appearing at the end of the long dark tunnel ahead of them. It would be quite nice if the group was able to go to ground in her house. It had the necessary comforts of normal life, as well as a safe and secure setting, where they wouldn't have to worry too much about any neighbors getting spooked by their hours or activities. In addition, Sha'hGrim knew these woods better than the streets of Seattle. And finally, this was a veritable home ground for Chasky and Jenny; they would be nearly indomitable as defenders of this place. Especially while possessed.

[EDITED]

Perception roll(visual): int5+Perception2=7d (7d6. hits(5)=2) Two hits.

Darkon stared in disbelief at the trideo screen. "Frankie boy... no... not him too... Andrealphus... Edgar... why? Scheiße warum?" He was pale as a ghost. Did he activated his link? Just my public one, back with Knight Errant. As soon as I left his home I deactivated it again to eliminate all chance to get traced.

"I had to put mine on visible for a while when Knight Errant harrassed me. But I shut it off since then. Maybe someone bugged my car. I don't know." He took Sha'hGrims hand and held it. "This is looking worse and worse. I really hope this place is safe."

Darkon sat in silence for a minute. So much to do. And where to begin? What if that ninja is on the way here? Then he spoke up:

"The burner links are a good start. Messenger watchers are another option. As long as Sid and Alexia are with either Sha'hGrim or me." Again he paused. "That information from the Exchange, how secure is it?" He asked Sid. "I have not dealt with the Exchange before, so I don't know how much they can be trusted?"

Outside, some animal barked. Darkon twitched. An attack? Was it the ninja? Or just normal animal noise? Goddess, I am becoming paranoid.

Almost by instinct, the shaman reached into the mana, sending a call to the forces that be. The need for security, the need for protection. A deeply rooted instinct in any living creature.

Conjuring roll, summoning a guardian spirit force 5. Magic7+Conjuring4=11d (11d6. hits(5)=4)

Guardian Spirit force 5 resistance roll. (5d6. hits(5)=1) = 3 services owed. DV2

Drain roll, for summoning guardian spirit. Threshold 2 Carisma7+Willpower6=13d (13d6. hits(5)=1) one box of drain.

And the call was answered. A spirit, in the form of a female celtic warrior, manifested in front of them. She held a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. Chainmail jingled. "What can I do for you?" She asked.

Darkon smiled sadly. "Thank you for coming. Please guard this house and the surroundings, and if we leave the house, keep guarding us. There might be people intending to attack us. Oh and there is a spirit possessed animal out there, it belongs to us."

The guardian spirit nodded. "I understand. You are safe now." Was there a hint of smugness in her voice? She demanifested, and Darkon turned his attention back at the others.

"I have material links for my girls. But I need to build up my dragon lair. At least the grounding. Or I can not use the material links to find them." And another thing to do. "Speaking about girls, what about Andrealphus daughter? Is she safe? Will they try to use her as leverage too?" He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. To calm himself down. "I know we don't have much time, but no shortage on tasks. And Sha'hGrim needs to recover before we can be really effective again." The shaman looked at each of them for a moment before asking: "What are your opinions?"

"That shouldn't have done it." Sha'hGrim mumbled in response to Darkon's admission that his public link was turned on at his apartment. That was logical, and that place was clearly already known. But since he'd turned it off, there was no reason to suspect that it was the culprit at the clinic. - Besides, he didn't even head back there after... She thought to herself.
Sha'hGrim's head was sagging. And this time it was not from fatigue; though there was no lack of that for her. Her head was sagging with the weight of the thoughts surrounding and flowing through it. Her neck tensed, slightly, when Darkon took her hand. But she relaxed again immediately. It was the tension, and the weight, that caused the jolt of surprise. Nothing more.
"Honestly, Darkon, I don't know. I can't know. But there is some solid anecdotal evidence here: they haven't attacked here yet. As long as we keep the commlinks off, I think we'll be safe here for the short term. If for no other reason than because the house is still standing. In the short term, Darkon, I don't know what else we can do about this. Also, if an attack comes: I have another Spirit I can call. 2 Possessed Cats will be hell for anyone. I keep that as my ace-in-the-hole, though, since Binding can be such a challenge." Sha'hGrim raised his hand to her forehead. She rested her head against his hand for a moment before slowly sitting up straight again. She reached over and put her other hand in his. - My hands are so much smaller than his... She noticed; but the thought fluttered through her head so fast it likely didn't stick. There were far more important thoughts that needed her attention at the time.
Suddenly Sha'hGrim's focus was shattered by the materialization of Darkon's spirit. Sha'hGrim stood up immediately, dropping his hand from hers, and crouching slightly. The movement was purely reflex, and she relaxed out of her defensive stance shortly after. - Since I'm standing... She thought to herself.
"Anyone need a drink?" She asked, walking over to the refrigerator. She turned and grabbed a tall glass from the cupboard across the kitchen from the Fridge, then turned and depressed the button for Grapefuit Juice, holding the glass in place while the Fridge filled it 3/4 full. She took a few moments to enjoy a sip fo the bitter-sweet drink before turning her attention back to the group.
"The Fridge has an autodispenser for Green Tea, SoyCaf, SoyMilk, Grapefruit Juice, or Orange Juice. I also have a small carton of Pomegranite Juice, but it's the real stuff so it's expensive. Also, if anyone needs anything... I have some fresh wild blueberries from my last trip out with the Cats; and they need to be eaten soon." She said, finally arriving at the role of hostess. At least, marginally.

"Phwew!" Sha'hGrim said, letting out a quick sigh. That released at least some of the tension.
"Ok, that's a simple cause. And a relief. That at least supports the theory that this place is safe, for the moment. And a little support for that theory will help us get a good night's sleep. Well, that and Jenny, and Darkon's spirit. They'll help too." Sha'hGrim said, attempting to inject just a bit of humor in at the end. She was feeling slightly less weighed down by the news that Alexia hadn't turned on her 'Link since leaving the Clinic.
"I haven't used my 'link either. That leaves you Sid." She said, looking at the relative newcomer. There was no distrust in her eyes or voice; simply that he was the last to speak up.
"Nope; mine's been off since I identified the potential bugs." Sidney replied. Sha'hGrim nodded. What they needed was security, and Sidney's involvement in the most recent set of events more than supported him being on the team's side. Or, at least, not on the other guys' side. And for now that was good enough.
"As for the exchange: it's trustworthy. It has it's own goals, but at the moment it appears as though those goals are in line with yours. Or, at least, not opposed to yours." He continued. Now that his attention had been redirected from his almost continuous attention to the Commlinks, he was willing to respond to some of the questions that had been asked of him. Strangely, despite that his attention had been elsewhere, he seemed to have "cached" the questions in his mind for later attention. - Neat trick... Sha'hGrim thought, with only the slightest level of envy.
Sha'hGrim took a deep breath. Then she turned her attention back to the juice in her hand, taking another long slow sip. The cold semi-sweet juice was an excellent stimulant for her non-mental pathways. Her throat lit up with the cold, first, and then the flavors of the liquid cascading down. The sour hit first, as was always the case with grapefruit, followed by the tangy sweetness which was one of the main reasons she kept it stocked. She took another breath, and then turned her attention back to the group.
"Ok. Well, with that out of the way, there is still a chance this place is compromised; but the evidence is leading toward "safe". I think it's at least safe enough for the moment. And I'm going to go take a shower, and get in to some comfortable clothes. There's a second bathroom upstairs for anyone else who would like to do the same. And 2 guest bedrooms. Someone will have to sleep on the couch, I suppose, in my room. The Cats generally sleep on this one.
"Alexia: I nominate you." She said.
"Finally..." She mumbled, setting the now-empty glass down in her sink.
"Please. Help yourselves to whatever I have here. Food, drink. Anything.
"And, uh, we can finish planning in the morning?" She said over her shoulder as she walked in to her room. She closed the door behind her, and less than a second went by before the loud thumping of her guns hitting the ground announced her actions. Those were quickly followed by the lighter thumping of her hopping around as she wiggled and wriggled out of her armor and underclothes. It was clear that she was satisfied enough to take her chances with the rest of a good night's sleep.

20 minutes later
The door to Sha'hGrim's room opened and she stuck her head out. She was wearing white cotton PJs. Her hair had been dried and combed, but was not particularly cared for, and she had pulled it back in to a pony tail. Her face had some color in it, likely from the hot water followed by the towelling. Her liquid silver eyes were staring out of obviously exhausted eyes, but she had a clarity of mind about her that she hadn't had when they'd arrived at the clinic.
"Hey 'Lex: you can use my shower. The couch is made up, if you want it. I know your mattress will do you just fine if you'd prefer." She said, holding the door open enough so that the group could see the pile of her armor and weapons right where she had left them. Clearly she would be attending to them in the morning. Perhaps donning them shortly after...

Darkon didn't want to eat. He wanted to save his girls. The, still angry, part of him wanted to do something. Wanted to go out there and search for them. Or punch someone in the face, or, even better, incinerate them with magic. But the reasonal part of him, the one that usually achieved to get things done, knew he had to rest and get some nourishment. So the young looking shaman brought his things up into one of the bedrooms before returning downstairs into the kitchen. He was no gourmet cook, but he did learn a few tricks from his brother, who had been.

Far from being fancy, the meal was balanced and tasteful. Form pressed ham, artificial cheese, but real tomatoes and crunchy soy grains as fillers. The smell must have lured in Sid, because he suddenly stood in the doorway. Darkon was surprised he could bring up a grin, nonetheless he did. “Go on, sit down. I made enough for two.” For three actually. Stupid habits. I cooked with Robyn and Brighid in mind. His grin was replaced by a grimace of worry. Those who knew him would have noticed that showing his grief that openly in front of Sid was a sign of trust.
Darkon shoveled each a portion on two plates and put one in front of Sid, who had already gotten forks and knifes for them.

Sids thinly disguised skepticism about the meal amused Darkon a little. “Yes, I am an elf, although it does not show, yes, I eat meat, even big, tasty, grilled steaks. And no, I don't hug trees,” we winked. “often.” Sids reply was a slightly embarrassed grin. Then they ate in silence, each one hanging after his own thoughts.

I need to sleep. But no. First I have to set up my lair. At least the basics. Which would take all night anyway. I must not let the trail go cold. But what if I find them and then am too tired to save them? I do need at least some sleep. He sighed heavily, on which Sid gave him a questioning look. Darkon shook his head as an answer. Come on Darkon. You have gone through worse. Use what kept you the winner so often. Sleep first, then build the lair and find them. And in the meantime go to that gay bar and find out where the traitorous shovel is hidden. Besides, they will not harm the girls. Not yet. They are too valuable as leverage for whatever they want from you. Quietly, he finished his meal, put the dish in the washer and went for the stairs. “Good night Sid.”

The night progressed rather uneventfully for the most part while everyone started to shower, change and go to bed while Sid and the spirits kept a watchful guard, though in the end the guard was mostly on by the spirits as Sid lost himself to the Matrix as he spent the vast majority of his time lost in VR while working on checking and, where necessary cleaning out everyone's comlinks for any signs of intrusion. Alexia's comlink, as a known affected link was cleaned first and a quick search of Darkkon's soon proved that BOTH his comlinks had been compromised at some point and Sid had set about cleaning those up as well of any malicious software. It had at least given an answer as to how the enemy had known where to look, and how to hit Darkkon where it would hurt most. It was about 2am by the time Sid got around to starting to check the last of the Comlinks, in this case Sha'hgrims when Darkkon awoke quite suddenly from his slumber.

Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
At first it had seemed like simply a nightmare but even as his still slightly hazy mind swam to the surface of wakefulness, he knew.
The Guardian Spirit he had summoned to protect everyone was...
Gone.


One moment it had been dutifully paroling about, the next it simply had ceased to be in an unmistakable if brief flash of surprise and violence. What ever had attacked the spirit, and there was no mistaking that it HAD been an attack of some sort, had caught the spirit entirely off guard, and Darkkon knew almost immediately that it was one thing to sneak up on a mortal man, and another thing entirely to sneak up on a spirit. Still, it was far from impossible, but it was.. difficult at best. To his senses he could still hear the sounds of the two possessed great cats prowling about inside the home along with the occasional sniffle from Sid's meat body in the other room as the presence of so many animals played hell with his allergies even through a heavy dose of allergy medication. Sha'hgrim and Alexia for there part were still out like a light in deep and badly needed sleep and it was clear that, so far, no one else even had a clue anything was amiss....

GM note: At this point Alexia, Sid and Darkkon's comlinks are confirmed as having been cleaned, along with the disposable burner links provided by The Exchange. Sha'hgrims are still being inspected by Sid who is presently in VR and at least seemingly oblivious to the real world. Alexia and Sha'hgrim are presently sleeping soundly and Chasky and Jenny are prowling about inside the house keeping an eye out for intruders. At this time only Darkkon know's something is wrong and he will need to wake up Alexia or Sha'hgrim should he choose to do so before either of you can act (though feel free to dream or what have you)

Sha'hGrim went straight to bed, waiting only long enough for Alexia to finish her shower. She didn't want to waste any time, knowing that she needed the sleep.
"Hey, 'Lex. Just ignore anything I might say or anything tonight. I had a funky dream while I was at the Doctor's office, and I have a feeling that it was partly because of how tired I was. Since I'm still exhausted..." She let the thought trail off. There was no need to finish it, and Alexia would understaind.
OOC: Starcraft - please pardon my taking some liberties with Alexia...
"Hey, it's no problem. I doubt I'll notice anyway. I've heard you whining in your sleep enough times to know when it's no big deal." Alexia responded with a teasing grin. Sha'hGrim snorted, knowing that the jibe was meant to comfort her as much as anything. Though, it was certainly true.
Satisfied, Sha'hGrim rolled over, pulling the covers up to her chin, and was out before her arms had re-settled in front of her. Sha'hGrim usually slept on her back, or on her right side. There was no particular reason, it's just how it usually happened. While she was out with her Cats, it was common enough for one of them to put their back to hers, sharing each other's warmth. Frequently the other would spend the night awake.

The Dream
Sha'hGrim was on another trip with her Cats. This one was longer, more drawn out, and required more of Sha'hGrim than of her Cats. This was their natural habitat. And even as an Elf, Sha'hGrim was still a child of civilization, coming to the wild with the awe and wonder it deserved, but without the experience that so many others of her kind had fostered. Sha'hGrim, of course, was born of two Human parents, and hadn't been given the benefits that an Elven child might have, were they born in to an Elven society. Not one to give up, however, Sha'hGrim had dutifully pursued training in the outdoors, partially from her own Cats, and partially from other Metahuman instructors. She was learning, admittedly slowly, but learning none the less.
This trip was as much training for her as it was for the Cats. She would summon a Spirit, on occasion, to aid in her movement for the kill when she was hungry, but the hunting itself required her full and undivided attention. Tracking was a difficult and challenging skill to her, and she needed to focus in order to be effective. Besides, while a Spirit might aid her vision, or other senses, they were completely useless in assisting her actual Tracking. Well, unless she wanted to cheat, and summon a Task Spirit. That would help. - But that's cheating... She affirmed, completing the thought with an admonishion for even going there. It would certainly be acceptable, even a welcome assistence, in dire circumstances. Otherwise she would go it alone.
The quarry, this time, was a wild Caribou, somehow having gotten separated from the herd, and wandering somewhat aimlessly about the woods. When she had come across it's trail, it had been somewhere in the neighborhood of 1-2 days old. That was fairly fresh, and certainly within chase distance, provided it hadn't been "on the move" when it had left these tracks. Of course, this detail was easy enough to uncover... The depth that the hooves penetrated in the front of the Caribou's stride would indicate how fast it was going when the hoof hit the soil. Also, if there was spray from the rear of the print, that would tell if it was accelerating, or if there was some slipage, that would indicate deceleration; a smooth print would generally indicate a perfectly at-ease gait, no acceleration or deceleration. This one was smooth - the Caribou was cruising.
"Now comes the interesting part... She said, mostly to herself, but out loud. As she was in the wilderness, and accompanied by two Peak Predators, she had little to fear, so speaking out loud was often just an occasional reminder that she was, in fact, descended of Civilization. That she was a social animal, and that contact was an important part of being a Metahuman. Sha'hGrim took off at an easy lope, covering 10-12 paces fairl quickly, then slowed to look for further signs of the Caribou's passing. She came to a full stop, proceeding with care for several steps before finding a few broken branches, high enough that it had to be something at least 1 meter tall at the shoulder to have done it. She walked another step before finding another clear print. - Still smooth; this one is moving easy.
With some semblance of comfort in the direction the Caribou was taking, Sha'hGrim picked it up again, this time holding to her jog for a good 30 seconds before slowing again. Again, it took several strides before finding any clear signs of a large animal passing. And another few before she found a hoof print to confirm the animal. - Still smooth. She thought, returning to her easy jog. Sha'hGrim kept this pattern up for the entire mid-day, and well in to the afternoon before there was any noticeable change in the movement patterns of the animal. - It's slowing. She thought, spending a few extra seconds looking it's tracks over. She stood after a moment, standing entirely still, and engaged her other senses. - Sounds. Stream - to the right. Wind - None. Animals - Birds. She went through her mental checklist looking for an obvious cause of the Caribou's stop. - The stream. She thought, heading slowly in the direction of the stream. She didn't want to miss any chance to catch it, if it was actually closer than she had originally thought.
100 yards or so further on, Sha'hGrim carefully and slowly brushed aside a pine branch, peering through the space to a small shallow stream, likely too small for any brook trout to live in. She stuck her head out, peering from one side to the other before gasping in surprise. The Caribou, despite Sha'hGrim's care in approaching the stream, and the obvious noise to cover her approach, was staring straight at her. It knew she was there.
"What are you doing...?" She asked out loud, surprising herself with the sound.
"I could ask you the same." A voice responded within her head. Sha'hGrim sprang to her feet, letting out a squeal of surprise. The Caribou ignored the display, keeping it's eyes on her.
"That was very strange." The voice stated, implying a question which Sha'hGrim was too shocked to notice.
"You may as well come out. The voice continued. Sha'hGrim had pulled back behind the cover of the pine boughs, attempting to remove herself from view. But it was not helping, clearly. She stepped forward, holding the boughs out of her way carefully, in to the sunlight filtering down from above. The Caribou snorted, but stayed put. Curious, Sha'hGrim activated her Astral Sight, taking an inquisitive look at the Caribou in the Astral. Again, Sha'hGrim gasped in surprise, starting to understand the voice in her head, and the strange behaviour of the Caribou. There was a Spirit, in the shape of a Dryad, seated comfortably on the back of the Caribou. There was clearly some sort of Magic Link at work, but the Spirit was not possessing the Caribou. Sha'hGrim knew this, as she was quite familiar with how that looked.
"How are you doing that?" She asked, having finally found her voice. - I still have some serious work to do on my Tracking... I can't believe I thought it was more than a day out! She admonished herself waiting for the Spirit to reply.
"What do you mean: "How am I doing that?" I'm just doing it. Can't you?" The Spirit responded, finally showing something other than the calm confidence it had been exibiting until now.
"Uh, well, not that I know of. I mean... Maybe you could show me?" Sha'hGrim asked, timidly.

Awake
Rolling over, Sha'hGrim checked the clock on the bedside table. It was an antique she had picked up from a pawnshop some time back. It only showed the time, and nothing else. She had been quite pleased with it, as the idea of a single-function tool like this had been abandoned years before. - Midnight... She thought to herself, returning to her previous position, on her right side. Alexia was breathing deeply, obviously quite comfortable. - I wonder if the Cat's are ready for me to complete the link yet. I wonder if I'm ready... She thought.
"I think I'm ready..." She mumbled quietly to herself, barely completing the thought before she again drifted off to sleep.

The Dream
”Well done. You have completed the Link.” The Spirit said to Sha’hGrim. - It took long enough! She thought to herself, smiling outwardly to the Spirit. She could hide her impatience quite easily behind her Mask, though there was no guarantee that the Spirit could not see right through it. It was clearly a powerful Spirit.
”Thank you for your assistance.” Sha’hGrim said, bowing to the Spirit. She was no longer seeing the Spirit in the Astral, as the Spirit had done her the service of Materializing for the duration of their training. It had taken quite some time, and Sha’hGrim’s skill in hunting and tracking had increased somewhat as well, as a result of the time she had spent with the Spirit. The Spirit, of course, had no need to provide itself with food. Sha’hGrim had been on her own in that endeavor. It had taken her quite some time to realize how precarious a position she had ended up in, having somehow been found by a Wild Spirit, in the woods, with no immediately available backup to assist in defending her. Had the Spirit been hostile or territorial, Sha’hGrim may well have been the loser in a confrontation. This Spirit had chosen a peaceful interaction with Sha’hGrim, for reasons of it’s own. Sha’hGrim, as it turns out, had made the situation worth the Spirit’s time – having trained in the art of Attunement.
”Your only remaining task is to invest them, now, with some of your own essence.” The Spirit had stated, after having spent several days training Sha’hGrim.
”My Essence?” Sha’hGrim asked, somewhat confused. Not being of this world, at least originally, the Spirit would use words slightly different, from time to time, than how Sha’hGrim would have used them.
”Yes. You must empower the link. You must fill it with your Magic, some of your life force. You must send a piece of yourself in to the link, sharing your spirit with the spirit of the Cats. In return, as you can see I have done with the Caribou, the Cat will share too.” The Spirit attempted to explain. Sha’hGrim had come to understand the nature of the link over the past days, but when the Spirit had used the word “Essence”, Sha’hGrim had been understandably reticent. She was more than comfortable sharing herself with the Cats, but the idea that she would share her “Essence” was something that, culturally, would inspire restraint in Magicians. Sha’hGrim now understood what the Spirit meant.
”But you cannot do that yet. You don’t have enough of “You” to share yet. Soon. You can do that soon.” The Spirit had continued, finishing it’s explanation.
”Soon.” Sha’hGrim had agreed. Their parting had been somewhat bittersweet. Sha’hGrim was loath to leave such a valuable ally, even if only a temporary ally. Sha’hGrim was more than willing, as needed, to pay for services. And this had been an equitable trade, in Sha’hGrim’s estimation.

Awake
Sha’hGrim turned her head sideways, peering at the glowing display of the antique clock again. - Only 12:30? She thought to herself. - I need to check on the Cats. She continued the thought, rolling her head back to straight. Her eyes closed almost immediately, though, and she didn’t have any chance to further lament the rude interruption of the real world.

”What is that? The instant question came in to Sha’hGrim’s mind from elsewhere. - I feel like I should know that voice…

The Dream
”What?” Sha’hGrim said, looking about and trying to figure out where she was. And where that voice had come from. She was in a forest. It was late summer, or early fall, by the look of the leaves on the trees. The majority of the trees were deciduous. Leaves scattered the forest floor – last season’s leaves. Sha’hGrim looked down and realized that she was floating. - Of course… I’m dreaming. She thought to herself, knowing that her dreams often started with her floating. Unless they were memories. - And this one clearly is not a memory. She thought, though any further thought was immediately cut off when her vision was co-opted by someone else’s.
She could see trees, and a being ahead of her. But she didn’t focus on that yet. - It’s twilight, but I can see perfectly… She thought, noting that the being had the equivalent of “Low-Light” vision. She was certainly used to it, having it herself, but it was notable that this being did as well. She further noted that whomever was controlling the vision was not focusing on that. Though it was clear enough. - Interesting… She thought as the being finally focused on her. - That’s me. She finished.
Sha’hGrim allowed her eyesight to return to her own head, looking around in an attempt to locate the vantage point that the approaching being would have seen. She finally matched the background of her remembered vision, and turned in the opposite direction to locate the being which was coming toward her.
”Hi Jenny.” She said, seeing Jenny approaching silently from that direction. - Where is it… She asked herself, continuing to search. Finally she switched to Astral, and gasped in surprise. - Jenny has that look about her… She’s… What? What happened? She asked herself, stepping forward. Strangely enough, as often happens in dreams, the world beneath her rose to meet her feet, allowing her to propel herself forward in the manner to which she is typically accustomed.

”Stop it!” They weren’t words, so much as a universally understandable command to stop what she was doing. And while Sha’hGrim perfectly understood, as she had spent much time in her life speaking with Spirits in a similar manner, this was that very same voice, intruding on her thoughts, and in her mind.
”Am I still dreaming?” She asked herself, not really sure if the command had come in to her head in the dream, or in the real world. - I certainly felt real… She thought to herself, trying to figure it out.
”Yes! Stop it!” The voice returned.

Awake
Sha’hGrim sat up with an audible gasp.
”Are you there?” She thought, asking the voice.
”I am here.” The Spirit immediately responded. It was still possessing Jenny’s body.
”Yes!” The voice responded immediately. Strangely, now that Sha’hGrim was awake, she had a distinct feeling that she should know who the voice belonged to. Almost like the voice in her head was her own intention.
”But you have done something. I am not familiar with what you have done, but it does not appear to affect my capacity to interact with Jenny’s body.” The responses flooded in to Sha’hGrim’s mind in quick succession, not leaving her time to process them in her sleep-deprived state.
”Ugh… Hold on…” She said, not realizing she had spoken aloud until it was too late.
”Go back to sleep sweety,” Alexia sleepily mumbled. She didn’t even stir in her bed, other than to give what was likely an entirely rote response.
”I wonder how many times she’s had to say that to me tonight…?” Sha’hGrim thought, not realizing in her fatigue that she was utilizing her "speak to others" mind-voice, and not her internal-thoughts-voice.
”I’m sorry. I don’t understand.” The Spirit responded to her internal voice. - Drats! Wake up girl! You are confused enough, no need to go confusing whomever is intruding on your thoughts until you sort it out! She admonished herself for the mental laziness, allowing herself to “converse” her thoughts, sharing them out with whomever was listening. She shook her head vigorously to attempt to "clear the cobwebs" to some degree, at least enough to sort this out, and then go back to sleep.
”I’m trapped!” The voice stated excitedly. Likely the excitement, based on the statement, was in the form of discomfort, or some similar thing. Sha’hGrim was still unsure how she had known that she should recognize the voice, but that feeling remained. But Sha’hGrim didn’t really recognize the voice yet, nor the particular blend of emotions. Each being communicates in it’s own sort of “language” and it takes some time to sort out how they use their “words” and emotions to communicate.
”Spirit: why is there an uncomfortable complaint in my head that someone is trapped?” Sha’hGrim asked, hoping that the obviously more intelligent Spirit would have some insight in to this problem to share with Sha’hGrim.
”Me!” The voice responded to her question to the Spirit urgently. - Ok, that’s going to take some getting used to… I’ll have to be more careful, and use only the direct telepathic link to the Spirit in the future. This is like dealing with more than one Spirit at a time, only the other one is confused… She realized as the Spirit began to answer.
”I suspect that is because you are now communicating directly with Jenny. And she is trapped, in the strictest sense. While I have control of her body, she is capable of cataloguing events, but incapable of interacting with anything. She is truly trapped. Though my sense of this situation is not the same as yours: she is not uncomfortable, simply feeling disrupted, sort of.” The Spirit responded immediately. - Oh! Goodness!! Sha’hGrim realized that Jenny was speaking to her directly.
”Spirit: I will now communicate with you solely through your direct telepathic link. My internal “dialogue,” until I better learn how to communicate directly with Chasky and Jenny, will be used to communicate with them.” She told the Spirit, over it’s personal link.
”Jenny? Is that you?” She asked in her general internal thought track.
”I understand. Thank you for clarification. I will refrain from response unless I am addressed directly.” The Spirit responded. - What would I do without them? She thought to herself, pushing herself back in the bed a bit and pulling the pillow up against the headboard. She was now in a seated position, relaxing but not sleeping. Sha’hGrim quickly looked at the clock.
”Yes!” The voice responded immediately. Sha’hGrim shook her head slightly. - This is going to give me a headache… She thought still attempting to come to grips with what was going on. - 1:00 am... This night is going to be a long one! She thought to herself, preparing to respond. She still wasn't sure if she could single out one of the links from the other.

Flashback
”Your only remaining task is to invest it, now, with some of your own essence.” The Spirit had stated, after having spent several days training Sha’hGrim.
”My Essence?” Sha’hGrim asked, somewhat confused. Not being of this world, at least originally, the Spirit would use words slightly different, from time to time, than how Sha’hGrim would have used them.
”Yes. You must empower the link. You must fill it with your Magic, some of your life force. You must send a piece of yourself in to the link, sharing your spirit with the spirit of the Cats. In return, as you can see I have done with the Caribou, the Cat will share too.” The Spirit attempted to explain. Sha’hGrim had come to understand the nature of the link over the past days, but when the Spirit had used the word “Essence”, Sha’hGrim had been understandably reticent. She was more than comfortable sharing herself with the Cats, but the idea that she would share her “Essence” was something that, culturally, would inspire restraint in Magicians. Sha’hGrim now understood what the Spirit meant.
”But you cannot do that yet. You don’t have enough of “You” to share yet. Soon. You can do that soon.” The Spirit had continued, finishing it’s explanation.
”Soon.” Sha’hGrim had agreed. Their parting had been somewhat bittersweet. Sha’hGrim was loath to leave such a valuable ally, even if only a temporary ally. Sha’hGrim was more than willing, as needed, to pay for services. And this had been an equitable trade, in Sha’hGrim’s estimation.

Present
- Oh! It happened! Sha’hGrim realized, surprised. - The link… It is finally completed! She finally understood. She understood why that memory had been her dream. She understood the voices, and hopefully would be able to distinguish them. And she understood the surprise.
”Jenny. It’s ok. It’s me: Sha’hGrim. I can hear you now. And you can hear me.” She said, not entirely certain whether they would be able to fully understand the vagaries of the idea she had just sent to them.
”I always could! You were deaf; not me!” Chasky’s response filled her mind. Jenny’s was similar, though slightly different in the connotations. Jenny’s mind-voice was softer in her choice of thoughts and emotions. Chasky was direct and blunt.
”I know. Well, I know now. But we’re whole now, as a team. We can work together as we never before could. And we can speak at a distance, but silently.” She said. Jenny sent back agreement and understanding. Sha’hGrim was beyond excited, having reached a new threshold with her Cat, and a new level of potential teamwork. She could actually see what Jenny saw, or hear what she heard. Jenny could send her specific thoughts, using the Cat's own particular and not terribly intricate language. As they didn’t really think in words, this would mean that their communication would mostly be a form of emotion language. But Sha’hGrim was happy with that.
”Ok. Now it’s time for me to go back to sleep.” She said to Jenny.
”We’ll explore this more in the coming days.” She sent them as she readjusted her pillow and settled back in to her bed for the rest of the night’s sleep. Jenny sent her feelings of approval and agreement. Jenny clearly knew how tired Sha'hGrim was; perhaps better even than Sha'hGrim herself did. Jenny even went so far as to attempt to send her some soothing, directly. Surprisingly, it probably worked!
It took a few minutes for her to calm down enough, but eventually the exhaustion she was still carrying won out. She slept again.

Verdammt. Hab ich's doch gewusst.. Darkon rose from the bed, he had spread his coat on top of the blanket, and still wore his shirt, out of paranoia. Jumping into his shoes, he thought: Oh goddess what do I do now? I need to wake the others. There could be an attack any moment. Hastily, he pulled over the coat, grabbing his pack of lodge materials and strapping it on. At last, grabbing his staff, he went to the door, out, and trying to open Sids door. In one smooth motion. It was locked. “Wake up man.” He said, not too loud, because they could already be under surveillance. Of course, if they use micro drones or thermal imaging, they can see me running through the house just fine. He knocked against the door when it opened. Sid didn't look sleepy at all. The hacker asked: “What happened?”

Darkon replied: “We are under some sort of attack. My spirit is gone.” then hasted on to Sha'hGrims bedroom. Fortunately, her door didn't seem to be locked.

Darkon took the risk of being shot by her or Alexia and walked in hastily. “Wake up!” He said loudly, but not yet yelling. “We're under attack.” When he looked into their sleep filled eyes, he added: “My spirit is gone. Just poof. Somone banished it. Or destroyed it. And that one was powerful. Now get into gear ladies.” The lights were still out when the shaman tiptoed to the window and looked outside:

Perception roll (Visual) Int5+Perception2=7d (7d6. hits(5)=2)

He stood there, ready for anything prepared for nothing.

"We're Wha..?" Sha'hGrim started to ask, trailing off as she lost her thought train in mid-thought. She knew she needed to wake up, but the night had been too short, and too fitful already.

Darkon wrote:

“My spirit is gone. Just poof. Somone banished it. Or destroyed it. And that one was powerful. Now get into gear ladies.”

"Oh Drek!" She said, not even realizing that the language was completely uncalled for.
Sha'hGrim rolled over, pulling the covers back and baring her pajamas. They were fully cotton, white, with a repetitive design. For those of us with low-light, the design is that of house-cats, or perhaps kittens, sitting up with a ball of yarn under a paw. Sha'hGrim walked over to the crumpled pile of her armored gear, the most recently removed on top and started picking it up. Turning her back on Darkon, Sha'hGrim didn't bother with modesty. One quick check over her shoulder showed her that Darkon was looking out the window, and Sha'hGrim stripped down to her underclothes. In a few quick motions, she was tugging the Form Fitting Body Armor up over her waist, attempting to keep the grunts to a minimum. A few short moments later, she had pulled the suit on completely, and was zipping the suit up.
"Ok, I'm ready..." She said, reaching down to pick up her Armored Jacket and pulling it on over the top of the Body Armor. She shrugged her shoulders once, just to make sure that the heavy jacket had settled properly about her, and then cinched it carefully at the waist. She immediately went through the almost thoughtless task of checking each pocket to make sure that everything was where it was supposed to be.
"Spirit, be prepared. We will be attacked shortly. And come to me: I will enhance your meat body." She sent the warning. Darkon's spirit had been a fairly powerful watch-dog, and shouldn't have been so easy to Banish instantly. They were dealing with a highly capable magician.
"Understood." The Spirit responded instantly. - I wonder if they even have a concept for "being ready" or if there is just no sense of rest/alert for them...? She started thinking, but shook her head to clear the thought. - I need to focus. She reminded herself, looking about the room to be certain there was nothing she might need.
"It may not be appropriate for us to wait inside for them to come in. If they're here to kill us, they will. If they're here to compromise us, they can get all they need in the barn. We'll have to go on the offensive here..." Sha'hGrim said quietly. Just as she finished saying that, she realized that all of her pockets didn't have what she expected them to have... She was missing her Commlink. And for good reason; but that would directly hamper the team's capacity at the moment.
"Drek!" She cursed again, quietly.
"And we're radio-silent..." She said, reminding Darkon and Alexia that they would be doing this without Commlinks. Sha'hGrim, of course, didn't know that Sid had finished cleaning the Burner 'Links. A moment later, Jenny's bulk rubbed against Sha'hGrim's leg. Jenny must have been in one of the other rooms patrolling, but now she was here.
"I will be casting "Improved Reflexes" to make you faster, and more effective. You may need to enhance your Meat in other ways: do whatever is required to protect yourself, me, and the team here." Sha'hGrim said to the Spirit. - The timing could not possibly be worse... She thought to herself as she took a deep breath and prepared for the casting.

Alexia was the last to wake, and while Darkkon did his best to keep an eye out, Sid did a quick check over in his AR of the local matrix for any sign of intrusion attempts, though given that he'd been up this whole time, he was certain he'd have noticed something amiss had there been an attack on that side of things. Darkkon for his part did his best to peer out in the darkness through one of the windows but at least from the view at that particular side of the house, the coast at least seemed clear. Still, he knew it couldn't be at all safe out there right now...

And that was when a very loud bang and a shower of debris suddenly made the threat far too real as some one blew a man sized hole in the side of the house that lead directly into the living room. A series of follow up bangs announced the detonation of some sort of grenade or small bomb after the fact, though given that while the walls shook there was no more actual sounds of crashing or the like, the sound likely indicated the use of flash bangs, smoke or chemical grenades. Possibly even both, though it was hard to tell if there was the tell tale follow up sound of hiissing gas after.

Now there was absolutely no doubt the enemy was here, but the location chosen to breach showed two things. One, the enemy expected those inside to be prepared, and two... they clearly didn't know exactly where everyone was, or they would have more than likely breached from some point that could have gotten them into or at least closer to the bedrooms. As it was the team had a few precious moments to prepare, plan, or simply attempt to make an escape.

GM Note: Now would be a good time to roll your initiative scores with your post. Init wont matter quite so much this first round of posts but will be used hence forth!

Alexia after waking jumped out of the bed and quickly donned her armor with barely enough time to spare before the explosions

Initiative 11 + Improved Reflexes 3 (14d6.hits(5)=9) = 23

Sha, if you have anything to assist communication while were running silent. now would be the time to use it. Alexia moved over to the other side of the bed kneeled down and faced the door readying her pistol.

Current Damage Track: 0 Stun | 3 Physical | -1 Modifier

Initiative: 14d6 + 5hits = 19

Sha'hGrim had known this was coming, and was unsurprised by it. - I will mourn the house later... She thought to herself, focusing on the task at hand. - They're coming in through the living room... She thought, noting two things: first that meant that they likely didn't know where the group was, at the moment. Second, it meant that they drove here. Not surprising, but also traceable. - Got ya! She thought to herself, knowing that if the group chose to make their stand here, and survived, they would have a lead on Darkon's girls. And on whomever had been tracking the team, and systematically breaking them down. Sha'hGrim realized that she may actually need to call on her Bound spirit's assistance this time. The group was smaller, by 3, than they had been last time. And without Andre's spirits, they were smaller still.

Casting: Improved Reflexes on Jenny
6 Hits, Force 4 so only 4 Hits count
Drain Resist: 5 hits, Target 4, No Drain
Full Effect: +3 IPs, +3 Reaction.

Jenny's Initiative: Jenny Reaction 4 + Spirit Reaction 9 + Spirit Intuition 7 + Improved Reflexes 3 = 23d6 + 9 Hits = 32 (I think she goes first...)

"I feel it." The Spirit immediately stated to Sha'hGrim, indicating that it knew that it had received her spell successfully.
"Good, now go. Protect us all to the best of your ability." Sha'hGrim responded. Jenny leapt forward, wasting not an instant of time nor energy. Sha'hGrim, even with her natural Low-Light eyesight, and the aid of the Vision Enhancements in her goggles would not have been able to detect Jenny moving forward if not for the fact that she knew where to look, and what to look for. Clearly Jenny had already engaged Shadow Cloak to aid her in her actions. OOC: 7 services remaining.
Sha'hGrim now turned her attention back to the group and their predicament. Jenny would be an extremely effective attacker, but completely unable to deter whatever just blew open the living room wall alone. She would need the entire team's assistance. And they would need hers.

Alexia wrote:

"Sha, if you have anything to assist communication while we're running silent, now would be the time to use it."

- Drek! Drek! Double Drek! She thought to herself knowing that, in fact, she could have helped. But there is nothing she can do now. The Spirit possessing Jenny at the moment is far too valuable to be removed, and Sha'hGrim didn't have a Spirit of Man bound. At least, not yet.
"There is one thing. But I won't be able to fight if I do it..." She said, knowing that using Watchers would do the trick, but that coordinating 3 separate Watchers, and the messages between the teammates, would in fact take all of her concentration. And it was concentration that Jenny needed right now. It was concentration that Sha'hGrim could be using to cast attack spells. It was concentration she could be using to bring in her other Spirit, if it came to that, and have it possess herself.
"I think we'll just have to shout, for now." She said, moving toward the bedroom door in support of Jenny, who was well ahead of her at this point.

Initiative roll Int5+ Reac4=9d (9d6. hits(5)=5) +9= ini 14

When the explosion happened, Darkon went away from the window. He crouched down, to be a smaller target, but he was ready to jump up and out of the way if necessary. Out of the corners of his eyes, he could see his team mates. There was a powerful magician out there. At least a conjurer. If not the others, then especially Sid would be quite helpless against a magical attack. I'll cover you. He thought. A dragons skin is cold, but the fire burns within. Outward, he now showed no sign of emotion, be it fear, agression or excitement. He was utterly calm. Inside, the fire of his anger was burning white hot. You attack me... you took my home... you hurt my friends... you killed my friends... you took my girls... you... will... BURN...

If anything magical came flying, he'd intercept the mana flow and lead it into his own defenses. And if anyone non magical would come through that door, he would let them burn.


((Free action, declare counterspelling for Alexia, Sid and Sha'hGrim. Complex action, delay action until enemies enter line of sight, then cast manaball force 7.))

"Oh! The comlinks, here." Sid said tossing Darkon and Alexia their comlinks "Their clean and ready to go, but yours I'm still working on so use this." he said, regarding Sha'grim a moment before tossing her one of the disposable comlinks that had been provided by The Exchange. "I've slaved them all to my own link so I can keep our network secure." he added after a moment, having had to remind himself that not everyone would just assume that he'd naturally do something like that.


Initative:
Jenny: 32
???: 28
Alexia: 23
Shah'grim: 19
Sid (NPC): 16
Darkon: 14

At this point assume the group is more or less 'together' near the bedrooms. As the life style necessities is set to high in this instance, your combat zone de jour is a 200 square meter home with two car garage. The kitchen is also well stocked with the latest in high end appliances and the home may be one or two stories (Up to Gala on that one)

Jenny surged forward, at once both upset and disturbed as a prisoner in her own body, and excited by the change that the Spirit brought about in her body's capacity. The Spirit was at the steering wheel, with Jenny an unwilling but delighted passenger.
"It's so much more powerful!" She thought, projecting the thought outward to Sha'hGrim. The thought came as a mixture of the excitement she was feeling, combined with a kind of child-like wonder, finally being completed with the surge in strength and speed which came from the Spirit. Obviously, Jenny had been possessed before, though admittedly less often than Chasky, but apparently the feeling was no less wondrous, no less exciting, and no less uncomfortable each time.
"It's amazing!" Sha'hGrim replied, just as excited. She was.more than delighted with the new level of communication she and Jenny had achieved, and was perfectly willing to sacrifice the minimal thought-time needed to encourage Jenny to keep communicating.
"Going!" The Spirit sent to Sha'hGrim in response to her directive. likely her direction had been unnecessary, but it had at least informed the Spirit that she had finished casting, at least, finished casting enhancements. Knowing it would need the extra edge it's Enhanced Senses would bring, the Spirit immediately activated it's powers.

Jenny Perception roll:
7 Hits

As soon as Jenny was through the bedroom door and in the kitchen, she started looking around for the threats.

"Jenny, wait at the top of the stairs, I'm coming to help." Sha'hGrim sent the thought back, knowing that the team's best chance at this point was to work together.

While the entrance had been loud and obvious, there came no rush of boots, no yelling, no sounds of guns cocking or anything more than a brief patter of debris falling down, broken glass tinkling and then...

Silence.

The living room remained empty save for a slight shimmer of dust particles as they drifted towards the ground while the smell of burnt explosives hung in the air. Some one was around, some one had to be to have blown the hole in the wall, yet the typical rush of troops never arrived. There was a slight flicker of flame from where a flash bang had started a small fire, and all the smoke soon set off the smoke detectors. This in turn caused the home's central control unit to dispatch a drone to investigate, and if necessary put out the fire or notify the fire department if it was something more than a 'minor' issue.

None the less Jenny could feel herself getting riled up yet the spirit possessing her detected.. nothing, nor did it even notice her discomfort (or if it did, it didn't seem to care). It was just an inexplicable 'something' that disturbed Jenny. Chasky on the other hand, elsewhere seemed by and large entirely undisturbed, except perhaps by the recent commotion.

Initative (1st Pass):
Jenny: 32
???: 28
Alexia: 23
Shah'grim: 19
Sid (NPC): 16
Darkon: 14
Household Drone