Adventure! RPG: Heroes of Our Time - episode 1: City of Thieves

[Blaine]

Blaine takes a quick look at the kid and sees what he's got in mind, and smiles his crooked grin.

"You got it Kid!" he then opens up on the windshield spraying as many bullets as he can into it, trying to shatter as much glass as possible. The gun roars like a cannon in his steady hand, hardly shaking at all despite the bumping road.

[Alex Craft]

Rhiannon holds the car steady as Janos cracks open the door and swings out onto the running board - trying to present as little of a profile as possible. Cool, dry air whips over him - the rumble of the engines the only sound disrupting the desert night. The sky is perfectly clear, and the moon and stars illuminate the desert with spectral white light.

He levels his pistol, at the car - carefully aiming. The car itself is completely lost in the glare of the headlights, but he should be able to estimate ...

He coolly squeezes off three rounds. Recoil sends the last bullet wide, but the other two hit home, striking metal but seeming to do little real damage. By now, the car is between eight and ten car lengths behind the Chrysler, with the motorcycle hanging a little behind.

Warning Janos, John takes a few flash pellets from his bag of tricks and leans out his window to estimate the distance. Roughly working out the trajectories in his head, he throws the pellets almost straight up - air resistance forcing them backwards. Heedful of John's warning, Janos turns his head as the pellets fall back to earth - the impact triggering a series of popping sounds and bright flashes.

John had miscalculated slightly, and the pellets land a fair ways in front of the pursuing vehicles. Nonetheless, the drivers instinctively swerve, and the motorcycle's headlight goes wide, stuttering off the road. The driver seems to regain control, but is forced to stop to regain his equilibrium. However, the loss of an ally seems to little perturb the driver of the car, and his engine roars as he tries to make up the distance between the cars.

With the light show over, Janos levels his pistol again - then pauses. Despite the glare from the headlights, it looks as if the profile of the car changed for a moment - almost like someone had opened a door. This suspicion is confirmed moments later as four shots ring out, spanging off the Chrysler's exterior. Janos hunkers behind the rear wheel well, barely avoiding a bullet humming through the space he had just vacated.

Inside, Rhiannon and John becomes aware of the problem, too, as a bullet punches through the rear window - flying wasp-like through the car before slamming into the back of the passenger side of the front seat.

[Alex Craft]

Blaine's shout precedes the gunman's shot by only seconds, the first bullet glancing off of the side of the car, and the second punching through the rear window - leaving a spider's web of barely stable glass.

Getting his window down, Blaine leans out, aims, and snaps off two rounds - the second bullet connecting with its target. The man shouts with pain and ducks back into the truck, light glinting on his gun as it falls away from the vehicle.

Grinning at Locky's idea, Blaine takes this window to pump the truck's windshield full of lead - the first shot cracking it, and the next two shattering it almost completely. The driver and his passenger ducked down in time, and now cautiously raise their heads just as Locky chucks a smoke bomb through the gaping hole that their windshield has become.

The car shoots out into an open-air market, and Jameson narrowly dodges a vacant booth as he swings into one of the narrow aisles between stalls. The truck follows - thick, white smoke boiling out of the cab. The smoke is fading already as it is sucked out of the open windshield and the driver and his passenger kick open their doors so that it can escape more readily.

The truck smashes into the booth Jameson dodged, but the light structure is reduced to kindling without really slowing the massive vehicle down. The driver, still distracted by the stinging of the smoke in his eyes, pulls the truck into a broad turn after the car - plowing through more stalls as it does so.

[Andrew Murphy]

Jameson fights with the car as he races through the market weaving between stalls. When he feels he has a long enough stretch of open road in front of him he grabs "The End" and lean partway out the car's window, left arm stretching back along the body of the vehicle. He takes careful aim and gives the drive of the truck something ot think about, a .45 slug to the brain pan.

Jameson doesn't wait to see the effect of his shot instead returning his attention to the road and ducking out of the market as soon as he finds an opening.

"Locky, Blaine!" he yells over the car's engine, "How many more behind us?"

[Count Janos Rakozi]

'Fine. New strategy.'

"John, after my next shot, another dose of flash pellets," Janos yells over the racing wind and roaring engines.

"Rhiannon, keep an eye out for that motorcyclist."

Carefully aiming at the left headlight, Janos squeezes off a shot. He remains hunkered down for cover. His head turns to avoid the effects of the next burst of flash, then he quickly takes aim on the (hopefully) remaining headlight.

[Dr. Mystery]

"Sounds good, Mr. Rakozi. I shall do my best."

After Janos' first shot, John aims for the center of the windshield, and throws another few flash pellets.

After Janos' second shot, he takes aim for the center of the windshield again, readying and throwing another few flash pellets, with a smoke bomb as well.

[Rhiannon Lewis]

Rhiannon swears savagely in a lilting language as she keeps an eye out for the motorcyclist and drives at the same time.

{OCC: PM me if one can understand Welsh Gaelic. )

[Locky McKenzie]

Locky yells to Jameson, "I can only see the truck. Not sure how many people are in the truck though!"

Locky looks around, trying to think of a way to blind the truck for slightly longer.

[Alex Craft]

Still half-crouched behind the wheel well, Janos brings up his pistol. The pursuing driver is rapidly overtaking the Chrysler, and has already halved the distance between the two cars. Janos takes a moment to aim before pulling the trigger and extinguishing the nearest headlight. Successful, he hunkers back down and shields his eyes in expectation of John's next burst.

John takes look, then throws another couple of pellets. The car is much closer, and the pellets burst against the grill and hood. This time the car jinks momentarily, but immediately settles back to its course - loosing perhaps half a car length. It would seem that they've gotten wise to that trick.

Janos rises to take a shot at the pursuit's remaining headlight, but is forced to duck back down as the car's gunman snaps off a couple of rounds in Janos' direction. Waiting a second, Janos makes another attempt - rising, firing, and ducking back behind his limited cover in one smooth motion. The gunman takes another shot, but Janos drops as the bullet flies impotently over his head - and, glancing up, Janos can see that he had knocked out the remaining lamp.

As his eyes adjust, he can make out the car - a long sedan of American make. The passenger side door is being held open by the front passenger, who is hanging out on the running board and using the door as cover. The passenger seems to be the gunman - his pistol spitting another round in Janos' direction. The bullet bounces harmlessly off of the wheel well, and the man drops out of sight behind his door - probably reloading.

Despite the limited success of the last attempt, John lobs another flash behind the car - this time accompanied by a smoke pellet. The later hits the hood and rolls off to little effect, trailing a streamer of smoke behind. The flash, however, strikes the windshield directly in front of the driver - momentarily dazzling him.

The car starts to swerve off the road, but the man on the passenger side lunges back into the car, the car door slamming shut behind him as he sprawls across the seat and seizes the wheel. As he does so, someone leans out of the back passenger-side window and takes up the slack, leveling a gun at the back of the Chrysler.

The pursuing car is almost on top of the Chrysler - about two car lengths behind, now. When it swerved last, it shifted almost a lane to the right side of the car (driver's side). This allows Janos more cover, but also somewhat hinders him getting a clear shot.

[Alex Craft]

In the marketplace, Jameson jockeys for space as the truck gets back on his tail. Finally breaking into a central axis through the market, he snatches the End off the dashboard and waits for the truck to catch up.

Twisting around in his seat with one hand still on the wheel, Jameson half leans out the window and snaps off a shot at the driver of the pursuing truck. Not pausing to check his handiwork, he turns back to the wheel, accelerates down the aisle, and cuts a sharp turn onto an adjoining street.

Behind, results are immediately apparent. The driver jerks back with the impact of the shot, and the truck spins out of control. Tires screech and the wind carries the sound of Arabic curses as the truck skids across the aisle and slams into a row of stalls. The truck's momentum causes it to plow through a few stalls and booths before grinding to a halt - the nose of its cab buried in wreckage.

[Andrew Murphy]

Jameson drives on for a while waiting to see lights shining behind them or to hear the sound of an approaching vehicle.

"Gentlemen," he says after a while, "Is it me or was that far too easy?"

[Count Janos Rakozi]

Janos swings back into the front passanger seat, sits down, and ejects the nearly spent magazine from his automatic pistol. As he slides in a reload,

"Ms. Lewis, would you be so kind as to change lanes," he asks in the same cool voice that is his hallmark in times of stress.

"Frederick, would you be so good as to roll down the window of your passanger side door, open it and jam my valaise in to keep it open. I could use the cover."

With that, Janos swings out the door again, and waits for Rhainnon to bring the cars into a more favorable alignment.

[Blaine]

Blaine turns back in his seat but still takes quick glances out the window.

"Well I wouldn't call that easy, but I see what you're saying. I bet we're gonna get more company soon."

"Nice shooting by the way." he says as an after thought. "And good throwin' too Kid."

[Rhiannon Lewis]

"Of course, Count," Rhiannon replies, turning the wheel and steering the car as requested.

[Locky McKenzie]

Locky turns to Blaine. "No probs. Just too bad it didn't work as well as I'd hoped."

Locky turns to Jameson. "Maybe we've got a bigger problem - maybe they know we were the decoy? I mean, we're burning rubber here, surely they'd put more than just a truck on us if they thought we had the engine?"

"I could be wrong, but at any rate, I think we need to get to the airfield as quickly as possible!"

[Dr. Mystery]

John rolls the passenger side window down, pulls the doorhandle, and opens the door. He then shoves the Count's valaise in, in order to keep the door open.

"As good as done, Count. If you can manage a few holes in the windshield, I can try to get some pellets in there for perhaps a heightened effect."

John tosses a couple more flash pellets at the car's windshield.

[Andrew Murphy]

Without turning his eyes off the road Jameson depresses the gas pedal as far down as it goes and speeds on.

"I'm afraid I agree with you Locky, this just seemed to easy. If I were going to high jack a car I'd use a vehicle to tail it and a second to cut it off."

Jameson peers into the darkness and continues driving at break-neck speed. "As we have nothing of great value in the car here I suggest we don't waste any time with the luggage, we grab what we can and board the plane and take off immediately. With any luck we can catch up to the others quickly."

[Alex Craft]

Rhiannon attempts to line back up with the other car, but the driver (now back at the wheel) has other ideas. Squeezing a last burst of acceleration out of his vehicle, he leaps forward while shifting further towards the right side of two lane road. Finally closing the distance between the two cars, he slips the nose of his vehicle past the tail of the Chrysler - beginning to pace alongside the Chrysler. Gradually, the other car starts edging up alongside the Chrysler.

The gunman in the back of the other car opens fire once within range, putting several bullets through the back window of the Chrysler. John ducks as the window shatters, but the bullets find nothing but the roof and the back of the front seat. One shot, however, does come dangerously close to hitting the radio transmitter on the seat next to John.

[Alex Craft]

Jameson continues speeding through Cairo's winding streets, trying to match the sights he's seeing with features he spotted over the last couple of days in the city. He makes headway, but both him and his passengers grow frustrated with the directionless streets - they aren't moving nearly as fast as they need.

Finally, they escape into the more spread-out outskirts of town and can make top speed toward the nearby air field. The pilot should have just been called by the office, so the plane should be ready to fly. Sure enough, the three men can make out the lights of a small airplane idling on the runway - the only plane ready to fly at this hour.

Unfortunately, that's not all they can see. As Jameson turns onto the street running in front of the air field, he sees the headlights of a large vehicle ahead - to judge by the familiar grumble of the engine, it's the same truck they just left behind. The pursuers must have a better knowledge of the city than Jameson and his passengers.

The air field is surrounded by a relatively flimsy chain link fence, with one opening to the street. The truck now screeches to a halt in front of this gate, and men pile out of the back. Their numbers are uncertain at this distance, but they are armed - a couple of shots are already being fired in the direction of Jameson's car.

[Andrew Murphy]

"Well gents the way I see it we have two options. One, we deal with the reception commitee or two, we drive over the fence and head toward the plane like a bat outta hell."

Jameson slows the car and turns onto a side street to avoid being in the line of fire. "I think our best bet is to avoid those goons, we drive over the fence and hope for the best. If we want to take on the goons I say we try to get that truck's gas tank to blow, that'll thin 'em out."

[Count Janos Rakozi]

"Well, that decides it, then," Janos whispers.

He draws his sword and, with a single swipe, chops away at the ragtop.

He then leaps up, runs across the top of the front seats while firing his pistol down into the car next to them.

With a cry of,

"For King and Country!"

Janos leaps down onto the running board of the other car, slashing at the two thugs closest to him.

{PM to Alex}

[Rhiannon Lewis]

Rhiannon gives a pained sigh as she attempts to keep the car away from the pursuing vehicle. "John, be a smart fellow and radio Jameson to see how far away from the airport he is. Then be so good as to tuck that away in your coat - we don't need it destroyed through carelessness on our part or dumb luck on theirs."

[Blaine]

Blaine nods and reloads his gun.

"Punch it! Go through the fence and head for the plane, they won't be able to do anything when we're airborne. Don't worry about the luggage. Bradford, get on the plane first, make sure it ain't been taken over or sabotaged if you can tell. I'll cover you. When you think it's OK, let us know, Locky you run on I'll hold 'em off, and when you're on I'll make my move, you cover me then Bradford. Ok?" says Blaine as he braces for action.

[Dr. Mystery]

John ducks down to avoid any bullets, waiting to see what becomes of Janos, and attempting to radio Jameson to see if he's reached the plane yet.

"Jameson, are you there? This is John."

John keeps his head down, trying not to get shot.

[Alex Craft]

The cloth top parts easily before Janos' blade. The back half falls away, flapping behind the Chrysler while the front half shreds into several broad ribbons which whip at the air over Rhiannon's head. John, now somewhat more exposed, drops into a crouch as he attempts to radio Jameson.

John gets nothing but static for now - it would seem that the others are still in transit. He and Rhiannon are both briefly startled as Janos runs past their heads, having leapt up onto the backs of the front seats. By this point, the other car has pulled up fully alongside the Chrysler, so Janos fires randomly as he goes - forcing the gunman in the back of the car to duck back under cover.

The man in the front, however, kicks his door back open and hauls himself back out. Despite the distance Rhiannon has managed to put between the two vehicles, Janos leaps across the gap, landing on the other car's running board - just outside the rear door. At the same time, the other man gains his balance on the running board.

For a moment, the two men lock eyes and recognition flashes through Janos' mind. This, finally, is Ayed Al-Luqmani. Then, the moment is broken as both men are suddenly thrown off balance. The driver, startled by Janos' arrival, is attempting to pull away from the Chrysler. As Janos and Luqmani regain their balance, Luqmani shouts something in Arabic at the driver - who once more closes with the Chrysler.

As soon as Janos finds his footing, he lunges forward, slashing at Luqmani. Luqmani swiftly falls backwards, but Janos' sword still grazes him - slicing through his shirt and leaving a shallow cut across his chest. While Luqmani is in retreat, his man in the back of the car raises his gun. Spotting the movement out of the corner of his eye, Janos turns and thrusts into the car at an admittedly awkward angle. He stabs into the meat of the gunman's nearest soldier, but the gunman still snaps off a shot - the bullet clipping Janos' off arm.

[1L damage to Janos]

Luqmani has jumped over the open front door, letting it slam closed in the wind. Now, braced against the front wheel well, he seems to consider his options. Then, he shouts a new order to the driver ... and leaps across the gap towards the Chrysler.

As soon as Luqmani's feet leave the running board, the driver jerks the steering wheel to the right - suddenly peeling off from the Chrysler. The shift in direction almost sends Janos tumbling off the enemy's car, but he grabs the frame of the rear window and manages to regain his footing. However, by the time he attains balance, the car is already in the desert, paralleling the road with a good dozen or so feet of separation.

This close, Janos can see that there are two men in the back of the car, and both are wielding guns. The nearest, however, was wounded badly by Janos - his left arm perhaps permanently rendered useless.

Meanwhile, Luqmani had hit the Chrysler rather inelegantly - sprawling across the hood directly in front of Rhiannon. Luqmani regains his composure a moment before Rhiannon gets over the surprise. Still laying on the hood, he braces himself against the windshield and wheel well and goes for the pistol currently shoved into his waistband.

In the back seat John glances backwards and sees the motorcycle's headlight. It isn't too far down the road, and it's getting closer. Turning to warn Rhiannon, the words die momentarily as he spots Luqmani braced against the windshield.

[Andrew Murphy]

Jameson, now on a side street and out of the line of fire, puts the car through a three point turn and face toward the airfield. He turns in his seat and looks Blaine and locky over.

"OK we do this just like Blaine said, I'll bust through the fence and pull right up to the plane. One there I'll jump out and board the plane and check for any issues. I'll signal you two once it's clear. At that point you run for the plane Locky and Blaine will follow I'll provide cover for the both of you."

"I have one idea left however," Jameson leans back over the seat and grabs a handful of the smoke pellets from Locky, "A little extra cover!" Jameson says as he leans out the driver's door and hurls the pellets into the intersection of the main road and the side street they are on.

Within moments the intersection and the two streets are filling with smoke, "Here we go!" Jameson yells as he floors the gas and pops the clutch out.

The car lurches forward into the street its tires screeching protest before they achieve a solid grip on the road. The massive car streaks forward toward the, now smoke obscured, airfield fence. Jameson keeps the car on the straight path knowing that as soon as the break through the fence and burst into the open airfield the smoke should thin out greatly and allow him to navigate.

As the car blasts into the fence Jameson lets rip with a great, "YEEE HAWW!!"

[Count Janos Rakozi]

With a wolfish grin, Janos will fall upon the two gunmen in the back. He feels both the blood oozing from the wound on his arm, and the living steel of his family's sword.

For the moment, Rhiannon and Dr. Mystery will have to deal with the primary adversary on their own, but he is planning to return.

[Locky McKenzie]

Locky holds onto the seat for dear life as Jameson floors it.

"Here we GOOOOOOO!!!!"

[Rhiannon Lewis]

Rhiannon meets al-Luqmani's eyes with her own, chips of emerald ice blazing with cold fury. She spits in his face, her hand lifting from the wheel to produce a peculiar curling gesture. "Goddess curse you!" she shrieks at him.

[Dr. Mystery]

"Watch out, Rhiannon!"

John stands up and, after pulling his cane from his jacket, attempts to dive over the windshield toward Lugmani. He extends his free arm in hopes of grabbing hold of the top of the windshield, and swinging the cane at Lugmani.

[Alex Craft]

Jameson's engine roars as the car shoots through the drifting smoke. The car jolts hard when it hits the fence but keeps on moving. The nearest pole bows and snaps, and the fence partially flattens in front of the vehicle. On the other side, the pole holds steady for a few more moments, and the wheels on that side of the car briefly leave the ground as Jameson forces the laboring engine to push over the ruined fence. The car skates up over the fence, slamming back onto the pavement and beginning to accelerate once more.

A glance down the line of the fence reveals several of the group of thugs charging towards the car shouting and bringing weapons to bear - mostly handguns, but it looks like one of them has a rifle. The others look to be running back toward their truck.

[Alex Craft]

Janos drops below the window to avoid a couple of rounds from within the car, then jerks open the door to fall upon the men inside. The driver swerves violently, but Janos finds solid footing and thrusts at the nearest of the two gunmen, the tip of his sword plunging into the thug's neck. Drawing the sword away with a quick sideways slash cuts through throat and arteries - insuring the man's death.

The other of the two men momentarily hesitates to shoot in the direction of his (barely alive) associate, but he quickly turns to pragmatism and tries to empty his revolver into Janos and the other gunman. However, his panic inhibits his accuracy - Janos easily uses the closer of the two as a shield to block the few rounds that aren't wildly off target.

The man's gun clicks empty, and Janos pulls himself fully into the car - his blade lightly touching the other man's throat. He could finish this one now, should he choose to.

* * *

On the Chrysler, Luqmani seems briefly taken aback by Rhiannon's vehemence. He looks back at her in surprise, then smiles (almost apologetically) and palms his gun.

Behind Rhiannon, John leaps to his feet, scrambles over the front seat, and vaults the windshield - the strips of the cloth top whipping at him as he goes. He lands squarely on the hood and balances against the top of the windshield - Luqmani laying at his feet. Luqmani twists away from John, but his reaction seems slightly tardy, like he isn't really on top of his game.

[Andrew Murphy]

Jameson slams back into the driver's seat as the car hits the ground on the other side of the fence and jerks back into motion. He looks around to get his bearings.

"We've got company guys," he says to Blaine and Locky as he points the car toward the plane and floors the gas.

Within seconds the car has closed the distance to the plane. Jameson hauls on the wheel and jams the brakes pulling into a bootlegger's turn so that the driver's side ofthe car is facing the plane.

Jameson grabs "The End in his left hand and draws "The Beginning" into his right as he kicks the car's door open and sprints toward the plane.

[Blaine]

Blaine ducks low and crawls across the seat and out the driver side. Once out he throws open the back door and hauls Locky out, keeping him down so the car can give him plenty of cover.

"OK Kid, this is one of those times I was tellin' ya', your feet take care of you if you take care of them. Get ready to run. And when we get back to the states you buy some new shoes!"

He then heads toward the front of the car and kneels to the other side of the wheel, and uses the engine hood as cover. He takes aim and begins firing on the approaching thugs, squeezing off one shot at each one that's closing on them.

[Count Janos Rakozi]

The Count stabs at the lone gunman, but brings up the pommel to smash his face instead of running him through.

Turning to the driver, Janos taps him on the shoulder and points to the other car.

*Now for that motorcycle,* he thinks.

[Rhiannon Lewis]

Rhiannon follows her 'curse' up with drawing her gun from its holster in her belt, pointing it straight at al-Luqmani and firing it.

[Andrew Murphy]

Jameson bolts from the sedan and bounds up the boarding stairs and into the plane guns leading before hime ready to fire. Once into the plane he checks to make sure the pilots are OK and ready to fly before heading out to cover for Locky and Blaine.

[Dr. Mystery]

John gasps as his feet clunk onto the hood of the car. Grinning eerily, he swings his cane at Lugmani, aiming for the torso in hopes of knocking him from the car.

[Alex Craft]

Seeing Rhiannon bring her gun up, Luqmani throws himself to his left, and her shot shatters the windshield - otherwise touching empty air. John's cane lashes out like a whip, slashing across Luqmani's exposed side even as Luqmani continues his roll. Flecks of blood shine briefly in the night, flicked off the end of the cane.

Luqmani rolls off the side of the car, hanging in air before - impossibly - he reaches out in mid-fall, grabbing the handhold on the side of the windshield long enough to jackknife his body up onto the running board. Hunched over to present a smaller target, he scrambles along the sideboard while snapping off a couple of shots toward the front of the car.

The bullets go wide of Rhiannon and John, but that may have been his intention. Instead of striking a human target, they punch into the engine of the car. The engine makes a short grinding sound before coughing violently. Rhiannon feels the car start to fight her as it slows and begins to kick a little to the side.

Behind, Luqmani jerks open the rear door and throws himself into the back seat - out of direct line of sight. The motorcycle's engine is much louder now, and a glance from Rhiannon and John shows that it is only a few car lengths behind, and coming up fast.

* * *

In the other car, the remaining gunman slumps back on the seat, rendered unconscious by Janos' gentle touch. The driver seems to momentarily consider putting up a fight ... but he clearly decides that he's not being paid enough for that. Drawing the car closer to the road, he fearfully asks a question in Arabic.

[Alex Craft]

A few shots stray in Jameson's direction as he sprints for the plane, but the gunmen are all at too distant a range to do more than pepper his general vicinity.

The plane is a small affair - obviously insufficient to transport the group back across the ocean. It will presumably take the group to another air field, where the trans-Atlantic transport will be waiting. This plane is an 6-seater and will be extremely cramped with the contraband in there with the team. Inside, all is clear, and the lone pilot (looking somewhat startled at the manner of Jameson's arrival), is itching to take off - he didn't sign on to be shot at by the competition.

Outside, Blaine takes a couple of measured shots at the approaching gunmen, dropping two and sending most of the rest diving for cover. He attempts to pick off another of the men, but is preempted as they lay down cover fire. Bullets hiss thorough the air around the car as Blaine drops back behind cover. A quick glance reveals that the enemy is advancing by steps - some laying cover fire while their allies advance to new cover, then those allies laying cover fire for the first group to advance under.

They would certainly seem to be professionals. Blaine can try to take more shots, but doing so could be rather dangerous ...

Jameson finishes checking out the plane and returns to the top of the stairs - using the door as partial cover while checking out the scene.