Adventure! RPG: Heroes of Our Time - episode 4: Killer in the Rain (part 2)

[Blaine]

Blaine grimaces as he sees the extra fire power file out. "They never listen." He pops out of his cover and blasts away with his gun, running towards the next cover and advancing on them.

[Count Janos Rakozi]

Seeing Blaine break from cover, Janos blazes away with cover fire until Blaine reaches the next cover then sprints forward himself. He moves so that eventually the two of them can catch the goons in a crossfire.

[Alex Craft]

(Stadler Beef, Inc.)

Jameson hits the catwalk heavily, the rusting steel making an unholy racket as the anchor points twist in their sockets. Dust and grit falls from the ceiling, but the anchors hold ... barely. The catwalk bucks and sways, but Jameson keeps to his feet - drawing his revolvers as his footing settles. Taking his eye off the man he was recently exchanging fire with (who is under almost total cover anyway), Jameson fires more-or-less indiscriminately down at the gunmen a floor below.

The man Jozsef clipped gets a little more to worry about as Jameson snaps off a shot at him, and his hip shatters under the impact of another hit. The man with the revolvers also gets a bit of a lesson on the proper use of a six-shooter - flying back with the impact Jameson's shot, which enters and exits through the meat in his side.

Those two being the most exposed, Jameson takes off-handed shots at two others - one on either side of the room. Both are partially under cover, but Jameson's position above the floor (coupled with his eagle eye) lets him pop off a pair of shots at them, knocking them to the ground with a gut wound and a bullet in the upper chest (respectively).

Janos scrambles to slightly better cover, selected to protect him from one side of the room while he provides cover fire as Blaine charges the other side. Coming half to his feet, his opens fire - spraying bullets across that entire side of the room in an attempt to suppress any response.

One of the men (previously hit by both Joszef and Jameson) is already falling to the ground with a bad arm and broken hip. Catching himself on one knee, he works to rise and cross to cover. Both Blaine and Jozsef try to finish him off - one of them catching him full in the chest and finally dropping him.

Another is on the ground already from Jameson's barrage. As Blaine breaks cover, he raises his Thompson from a prone position, then thinks better of it as Janos lets loose another burst of suppression fire. Rolling over, he clutches his gut as he staggers over to a largish part of the conveyer belt machinery. Blaine takes a shot, hitting the man to uncertain results - the gunman cries out and bonelessly falls behind the cover of the machinery.

A third man, already taking cover in the doorway he entered from, stays well back as Janos sprays the area with cover fire. However, a man behind Janos feels no such worry, and opens fire on Blaine as he runs toward the other side of the room. Blaine ducks and weaves - using the clutter of belts and equipment as cover from the barrage of gunfire.

Bullets bounce off metal and concrete all around him, but Blaine goes untouched and finally slides behind cover. He actually is making use of one of the doors the gunmen spilled out from, crouching around the edge of the doorway. From here, he can see the second man he shot at, who is on the floor and in a bad way - blood bubbling up from his mouth and soaking his entire torso.

With Blaine under cover, Janos drops the empty Tommy gun, crouches, and makes a run for the other side of the room. With everything else going on, he doesn't attract much fire (yet), and makes it to the near corner without much trouble - finding shelter behind a conveyer belt long enough to draw his pistol and sword.

Across the room from Blaine, the two men Jameson hit are returning fire - shots from a revolver mingling with the roar of a Thompson. Another Tommy gun joins the argument as the man previously exchanging fire with Jameson opens up again. The catwalk around Jameson explodes into sparks as two Thompsons and a pair of revolvers catch him in a crossfire.

His reinforced clothing doesn't save him this time, puncturing several times under the focused fire. The boy with the pair of revolvers apparently knows how to use them, clustering a round from each on Jameson's right leg. The armor helps a bit, but both get through - the bullets lodging in Jameson's upper leg.

The Tommy guns throw up a humming swarm of bullets which sting and pluck at Jameson, one penetrating to crack a rib and the other hitting him in the lower back. The later doesn't exit, and shock prevents Jameson from really judging if it hit anywhere really bad.

[5L damage to Jameson]

The barrage does nothing good for the catwalk, and the overtaxed anchor points finally give way when Jameson falls to the catwalk - his leg giving out under him for the moment. An entire section of catwalk tears away from the ceiling and caves downward, taking Jameson along for the ride.

The catwalk hits some equipment jarringly and twists, dumping Jameson off to drop the rest of the way on his own. He crashes through a shakily assembled roller belt and hits the ground, rolling as best as he can with the fall.

Two of the men firing on Jameson can no longer see him in the clutter of the operating floor, and turn their efforts to tracking Janos and Blaine move across the room. One, however (the guard with whom Jameson had been exchanging fire with through the skylight), crouches down and makes his way toward where Jameson fell - clearly intending to make sure of Jamoson's death.

Enough lead is flying around that if anyone has noticed Locky, they aren't sparing him any of their time. Hanging a little ways away from the office, he sees Janos and Blaine finding new cover and exchanging fire with some of the gunmen. He also sees Jameson fall, and marks about where Jameson hit.

[Andrew Murphy]

Jameson hits the ground hard and rolls the best he can considering. Coming to a stop between two aisles of machinery Jameson expends a great deal of effort in propping himself against one of the machines such that he can look down the aisle both ways. He clutches his guns ready to deal with any targets of opportunity.

[Blaine]

"Bradford!" exclaims Blaine as he drops the spent clip from his gun and injects a fresh one in a smooth practiced motion. "Sonuvabitch!" he roars as he pops out of hiding again.

He takes deadly aim on one of the men who had Bradford in the cross fire, and pops two shots at him in rapid succession.

[Rhiannon Lewis]

"Allow me a 'I told you so' then," Rhiannon quips grimly as she rises to her feet, examining the room in one swift glance. "This is really starting to get tiresome, people shooting at us..."

She keeps her gun up just in case the Monk returns.

[Locky McKenzie]

Locky sees Jameson fall from the platform, and realises the Guard'll get there before anyone else.

"Darnit, I warned him!" whispers Locky to himself as he runs towards Jameson.

[Count Janos Rakozi]

Janos shakes his head slightly, smiles then shrugs. With a sudden burst of energy, he spins out of his hiding place and runs full out to the area Jameson fell down. He rolls over, or slides under, the machinery to make it as difficult to be hit as possible.

[Dr. Mystery]

John keeps his cane at the ready, almost snarling in irritation over losing track of the Monk. He regains his faculties as he approaches Mr. King, eyes somewhat downcast.

"Are you alright, sir? We had best be heading out of here. I suggest somewhere open and empty, where it may be harder to lose track of this Monk."

[Alex Craft]

(Stadler Beef, Inc.)

Jameson's new friend drops his emptied Thompson and scoops his pistol up off the floor, dropping into a half-crouch as he makes his way toward Jameson's landing spot. As he does so, the roar of gunfire fills the room once more as his compatriots open fire on Blaine and Janos - mostly Janos.

The three remaining Tommy guns track Janos' run, picking at him with short, frequent bursts from all different angles. He ducks and dives, vaguely recalling old battlefields as he dodges enemy fire - going untouched as he rushes through the swarming lead.

Jameson is still recovering when the gunman finds him. Not too far away, Locky sees the man stand more fully, raising his gun for what could be the killing shot. Thinking fast, he reaches into his pocket to feel for cool metal, extracting a quarter - a relic of yesterday evening's adventures.

Turning the coin over in his hand, Locky focuses, gathers himself, and whips it at the guard as hard as he can. The gunman's fingers spasm reflexively as Locky's quarter cracks into the back of his hand, and - fine motor control momentarily shot - he drops the pistol and it goes skittering across the floor. He follows, trying to recover his weapon.

Across the room, Blaine gets the disarmed gunman in his sights just as the man dives for the fallen pistol and clips the man's shoulder with a hastily adjusted shot. Blaine attempts to snap off another round, but something goes wrong - his pistol jamming on him.

Glancing around, Blaine's eyes light on the nearest gunman. The man is badly wounded, laying on his back and gurgling through the blood pooling in his throat. His Tommy gun lays not far from his side (still on a full clip, if Blaine recalls correctly), and it looks like he has a pistol holstered at his shoulder. The man is about three full meters from Blaine's doorway, and the distance is fairly exposed.

Unfortunately, as Blaine takes stock, the 'cowboy' on the far side of the room lowers one of his revolvers and takes careful aim with the other, intent on flushing Blaine out of his cover. The man squeezes the trigger, and hits - Blaine's reinforced clothing absorbing some of the force, but still puncturing cleanly.

[2L damage to Blaine]

Back in the center of the room, Jameson finally gets himself together, bringing up the End just as his antagonist retrieves his own weapon. The man, crouched on the concrete floor, brings up his pistol ... then falls. The sound of Jameson's shot was lost in the rattle of the Thompsons, but the effects are readily apparent as the man slumps quietly to the side - a perfect hole in his forehead and a decidedly more ragged hole in the back of his skull.

Janos slides into shelter just next to Jameson, unharmed and apparently fairly chipper. Blaine ducks back under cover as two Tommy guns let loose bursts in his general direction, trying to keep him bottled for the moment. Locky is the only one to notice the office lights switch off (and, in fact, the only one capable of seeing anything important), but he has his other things to think about - the man with the revolvers looks like he's noticed Locky and is wanting to take a shot.

[Andrew Murphy]

Jameson lowers the End and lets a sigh puff out of his mouth as Janos slides into the space next to him.

Jameson gives Janos a wry look, "Don't say it, I know ..." he trails off into laughter. He sits chuckling as he snaps his twin revolvers open and, with quick practiced movements, deftly reloads the empty chambers.

Snapping the cylinders shut Jameson hoists himself up and takes a qucik look over the machinery to see what is going on.

"Ok my friend looks like Locky is in a bit of a spot and that cowboy wannabe is giving Blaine hell. I'm going to show him what a real gunman looks like, why don't you give our young friend a hand?"

[Count Janos Rakozi]

Janos smiles at Jameson's cut-off, nods then says,

"Just try not to bleed out before the fights over. Kate will never forgive us."

"Were's Locky? And, for that matter, were is Crayzy-8?"

[Andrew Murphy]

"It's not as bad as it looks ... honest. Well I was a little busy falling from the roof to see well but last I knew Locky was over near the office. Not sure if Carzy 8 has joined the fight yet, but I think it's safe to assume that we'll know when he does ..."

[Locky McKenzie]

Locky sees the gunman getting a bead on Locky's personage. "Oh. Right." Locky briefly looks around, trying to find some decent cover. Seeing a number of possibilities, he makes an attempt to go towards the cover nearest the offices. With the Stealthy approach kinda invalidated, Locky chooses to run in as confusing a way as possible, trying to prevent any stray lead from hitting him.

[Blaine]

"Ah! Sonuvabitch!" grunts Blaine as the bullet slams into his arm. He spins back under cover again and crouches low, staring with frustration at his jammed gun. "When it rains it pours." he mumbles, then looks around spotting the Tommy gun on the floor. He looks at his uselss gun, then to the machine gun, then back to his gun, then at the amount of floor between him and it.

"Hell with it!" he throws the gun in the opposite direction and waits for the clatter and then bursts from cover and races for the Tommy gun. Showing an extraordinary amount of agility for a man his size, he does a forward tumble on top of the gun and comes up with it in his hands as he dives behind cover again.

(Spending an Inspiration on the Dodge roll, and a Willpower on Athletics to pick up the gun, if it's needed)

[Count Janos Rakozi]

The smile fades from Janos' face.

"The Office?"

"You mean the place we think Crazy-8 is? That office?"

He shakes his head in disbelief.

"Cover me."

Janos takes off at a crouch running toward the office and Locky.

[Andrew Murphy]

"Cover me."

"OK on three ... one ..."

Jameson heaves his back against the machinery behind him and yanks his legs up and under him to lever into a crouch.

"... two ..."

He spins and rises slightly bringing his head and shoulders above the machinery and bring his guns to bear, his eyes darting about the room for targets.

"... THREE!"

As Janos dashes out from behind cover and toward the offices where Locky hopefully is ok Jameson's twin revolvers begin to thunder as a series of times shots attempt to keep the enemy pinned.

[Alex Craft]

(Maryland Casualty Auditorium)

Tony replies to Rhiannon with a shrug, saying, "It's something of a lifestyle, my dear."

The handful of people in the lobby are staring in shock - some uncertain of what exactly happened, and some simply not knowing what to do. The bartender is on the telephone, making sidelong glances over at Rhiannon and Tony. He's presumably calling either the police or a superior.

Ignoring the rest of the room, Tony shrugs off his suit jacket, tosses it over the nearby banister, and proceeds to remove his tie. When John reaches the others, he is down to his shirt and vest and is pulling a small pistol from a shoulder holster. As he replies, he checks the clip, replaces the clip, chambers a round, and returns it to its holster.

"That may be harder than it sounds, Mr. Frederickson - too much of the city around here is developed for there to be much open space. I fear that what we could find would have much the same problem as the lobby here does. It is open, but edged with hiding places, so remaining here just makes us targets."

"... The only possibility I can think of is the roof, here. It is high enough that there would be no vantage points surrounding it. However ... I saw the plans once, when contributing to the hall's construction, but I didn't pay much attention. I do not recall if the roof is clear enough to suit your purpose."

Rhiannon (having had the greater experience with Tony) notices that his reaction to the situation is unusually reticent. His normal response to trouble has always tended to be a head-on confrontation, but he is now seeming to take a metaphorical step back - leaving everything to her and John.

The few other patrons in the lobby have more-or-less returned to their business, stealing glances at Tony (a very slowly spreading stain of blood oozing out of his wound). The employees, on the other hand, are awkwardly standing by - either waiting for a superior to show up or just afraid to interrupt one of the opera house's greatest benefactors (particularly after he's just been shot). That might not last long.

[Alex Craft]

(Stadler Beef, Inc.)

All together, Blaine, Locky, and Janos all break for it, running across open ground in the face of enemy fire. Locky and Janos both converge on on a stack of packing crates near the offices - the same crates, in fact, that Locky bounced off of just a couple minutes ago.

Two Tommy guns are trying to pin Blaine down, but he makes a go for it - flinching away for a moment, then steeling himself and sprinting for the gasping body of the nearby gunman. Scooping the weapon up, he takes another couple of steps and hunkers down behind cover. Momentarily out of the line of fire, he checks his ammunition. The Thompson is indeed fully loaded.

Covering Janos and Locky's movements, Jameson puts the other man with a pair of revolvers in the End's sights and brings the Beginning to bear on one of the two gunmen firing on Blaine. He snaps off two shots each, and both men go down quietly - the former while snapping off a (stray) shot at Locky, and the later while pausing to toss another clip into his gun.

However, while he takes his shots, Jameson is hit from behind. Bullets ricochet all around Jameson, a couple rounds glancing off his coat's reinforcing, but one gets through to leave a hot, stinging pain in his side. It feels like it just glanced off of a rib and continued on, but it's addition to his current collection of injuries is far from welcome.

[1L damage to Jameson]

The culprit is the gunman on the same wall as Blaine, who is now ducking back into his doorway to reload his Thompson. On the opposite side of the room, his one remaining compatriot - realizing how sour the situation has turned - follows suit by dropping out of sight below a roller belt. The offices are silent and dark, with no sign of activity or even inhabitation.

[Locky McKenzie]

Locky turns to see Janos next to him.

"Hey Mr. Rakozi, I didn't expect you around here!" Locky jokes. "I think I gummed up the lock on the door, so they couldn't get out from that door. I didn't see any doors on the outside that they could get out from, so I'm betting they're still in there. You?"

[Count Janos Rakozi]

"Count, please, or Janos. I would only be Mister Rakozi if those godless communists had won."

Janos takes a quick look around.

"Okay. Stick close to me. I am going to go over to that man over there."

Janos motions in the general direction of the man by the rolling belt.

"Blaine can finish off the one on his side."

After another moment.

"Let's go."

[Rhiannon Lewis]

"Roof it is then," Rhiannon answers briskly, "May I advise that we leave with all due haste? I don't think we want the bobbies around for this."

[Dr. Mystery]

"I agree completely Ms. Lewis. Let us head up immediately. It seems that in most cases involving our little group, Mr. King, that we do not desire the input of the authorities."

John chuckles a little at this, hoping to lighten the mood.

[Andrew Murphy]

Jameson cries out in a mixture of pain and anger as the bullet pierces his flesh sending a new wave of pain into his body. Hoping to forestall yet another barrage of sub-machine gun fire he allows himself to slump onto the machinery and then slides to the floor in an apparent heap.

Once below the field of vision of his attacker(s) he twists and moves himself into a slumped sitting position. He can already feel sweat beading on his brow and his clothes are getting soaked rather quickly with his blood.

Jameson waits, guns in hand, for another of the gunman to come attempting to "finish him off".

[Alex Craft]

(Maryland Casualty Auditorium)

Tony nods, replying, "I doubt that the authorities will be an issue this time around. Baltimore's police has been conditioned to look the other way when someone drops enough money in their laps ... and I suppose I am one of the people responsible for that. They won't be here until after everything's over, one way or another."

He turns away and crosses to the wall a few paces behind him, examining the hole left there by the Monk's bullet. Digging his thumb and forefinger into the shallow hole, he pulls out the bullet and eyes it for a moment, then turns to one of the house's attendants - standing awkwardly to the side.

Handing the man a business card, he says, "I apologize for the damage. Call my office, and we will compensate you for repairs. And hold my car at the door, once it arrives."

* * *

The door onto the roof opens easily - the access left unlocked in the assumption that nobody with criminal intent would ever find a use for it. The three had to go backstage to find it, relying on King's vague memory of the building plans to track down the correct stairwell.

They came up through the flies, quietly making their way up a metal staircase far, far above the stage, with the long slabs of the backdrops hanging beside the trio. The opera has progressed, and the stage is now given to a single actor, singing of sorrow and pain. As Rhiannon and John step out onto the roof with Tony, the music fades and the audience bursts into applause - it sounds like the first act is over.

Water is still drizzling down in a cold, thin rain, slicking down the asphalt roof and casting a light veil over everything. The flies are behind our heroes - a tall, wide brick wall running the width of the building. It is a couple stories tall, and the only way to the top would appears to be a long ladder bolted into the brick.

The rest of the roof stretches out before them - an asphalt plain, curving gently downward toward the sides of the building and punctured here and there with exhaust pipes. It covers the entire audience hall, as well as the lobby and other areas on the front of the building. Plenty of room to move around in.

The city is laid out around the opera house, quickly disappearing into the fog of rain and low-lying clouds. Constellations of lights gleam wanly through the rain, and the dulled sounds of traffic reach up - climbing several stories through the dampening rain to reach our heroes.

There is nothing around that would provide a vantage point onto the roof, so the Monk will have to come here if he wants King (and isn't willing to wait). It also looks like the only access to the roof is through the door into the flies, and even an invisible man will attract notice if he opens the closed door.

[Blaine]

Blaine is gritting his teeth to bite back the pain of his buller wounds and levers back the action on the Tommy Gun. He steals quick glances around, checking where all of his potential targets are. He needed to get to the office, but if he made a dash for it he'd be an easy target for the gunmen ducking by the rollers.

He takes a few quick breaths and peeks again, waiting for the gunmen to give him a target.

[Rhiannon Lewis]

"Mister King, may I advise that you go onto the flies? I suspect that it's the safest place out here. Doctor Mystery, if you would take the lower roof? I believe you would be most effective there."

Rhiannon stares straight at the door, her gun at the ready.

[Dr. Mystery]

"That sounds fine, Ms. Lewis. Perhaps we'd better look for any alternative methods of reaching the roof as well."

John proceeds to examine the lower roof for any other entrances/exits, pulling his cane from his pocket and holding it at the ready.

[Alex Craft]

(Stadler Beef, Inc.)

Relative silence falls over the operating floor as everyone takes cover. The click snap of the gunmen reloading their Thompsons is the only sound to really break the quiet, though the low rumble of the idling car and the patter of rain on the skylights above create wash of background noise.

Jameson settles heavily against a convenient backrest and watches for trouble, his blood turning pale and watery as it dilutes in the light shower of rain falling through the shattered skylights above. He is by now getting soaked through, and he sits in the middle of a pool of water - tainted by blood and machine oil and running shallowly in rivulets around shards of glass and the metal feet of the operating floor equipment.

Janos and Locky slip across the relatively open perimeter and make their way through the maze of equipment laid out over the center of the room. They pass near Jameson, and Locky catches a little of the rain as he briefly checks up on Jameson, then slips back to Janos - moving across the operating floor toward one of the gunmen.

Perhaps they made more noise than they intended, or perhaps the gunman is smarter than they thought. Either way, when Janos peeks around a corner to mark the man's location, there is no one in sight. It occurs to Janos that this could be an ambush, but only Locky hears a scuff from a shoe behind the machinery off to their left.

Locky backpedals rapidly, grabbing the back of Janos' coat in an attempt to drag him along. A Thompson opens up on full automatic just a few meters to the left, but Locky was partially successful in his scramble to safety. He himself is under cover - lead bouncing off the flank of the roller belt like a light hail. Janos is still partially exposed, but the bad moment passes as those rounds which hit home merely brush off of his armored coat.

The gunman empties his weapon, and both Blaine and Janos respond as he drops the Thompson and reaches for his pistol. Blaine's been waiting, and he fires as soon as the other man stands to open up on Janos and Locky. He hits and the bullet creases the back of the gunman's head, leaving him off balance and somewhat stunned.

Janos moves away from Locky and crosses the few meters between him and the gunman in moments, his blade licking out and drawing deeply across the man's throat. When the metal grates against the man's collarbone, Janos pulls away, and the man falls - feebly attempting to cover his throat until the floor rushes up and even that strength deserts him.

The other gunman hasn't just been sitting on his thumb, though, and he steps into the room to let off a burst at Blaine. On the other hand, Jozsef has been paying attention too, and he fires fires twice at the last gunman, hitting twice, and dropping the man in his tracks - not dead, but stunned and badly wounded.

Blaine notices the last man drop and finishes him off, depositing a three-round burst into the man's prone form before his can recuperate and employ that Thompson. Everything falls into something approximating calm again, as the moment's battle is over and nothing seems to be happening in the still and dark office.

[Count Janos Rakozi]

After the patter of gunfire finishes, Janos motions Locky to remain still and quiet. After straining an ear for a second or two, he calls out. He ticks off the enemy seen so far and his count reaches zero ... assuming the last shots, being from pistols and not Thompsons, were from his team.

"Sound off, Comraden," Janos calls out, his voice resonating with confidence and calm.

[Andrew Murphy]

Jameson coughs, a spray of blood and spittle coming from between his parted lips. He winces as his body informs him of the damage it has suffered due to his passing insanity in the combat just passed. "I'm fine damn it!" he spits as he levers himself up again to a standing position.

"Are all those damn bastards dead?" he asks as he shuffles out from behind the machinery. He holsters the End and begins to methodically re-load the spent shells in the Beginning before switching hands and reloading the End.

"Really, it looks worse than it is."

[Locky McKenzie]

Locky calls out, mostly for everyone else's benefit "Here!"

[Alex Craft]

(Maryland Casualty Auditorium)

An uncomfortable amount of time passes on the roof - the rain drizzling down to gradually saturate our heroes. King is atop the flies, faded to an indistinct blur (between the rain, the gloom, and the approaching night). The second act of the opera eventually begins, and the music rises up through the flies and filters faintly through the thin brick wall and out onto the roof.

The asphalt roof gleams wetly, but the curve of the roof keeps water from pooling. It is still slick underfoot, though, as Rhiannon and John wait for something to happen - pacing, standing, or sitting back against one of the wet exhaust pipes pushing up through the asphalt. The wet, cold rain soakes through them, numbing their fingers and probably making them risk a nasty cold for later on.

It has occurred to both Rhiannon and John over the wait that it might be possible for a sufficiently able person to reach the roof from below, taking advantage of one of the many loft windows a bit below the roof line and climbing to the top. The roof is too large for the two of them to guard the entire perimeter, so they are left to wait ... not exactly wanting the Monk comes looking, but hoping that this rather miserable evening doesn't go entirely to waste.

Figuring that it might be best to not separate too much, Rhiannon and John are waiting together not far from the door onto the roof, picking a place where they can keep a close eye on both the door and the ladder up to King's position. Before too long, John does notice something - a single, wet slapping sound from the far end of the roof, somewhere above the front doors.

The sound may have been accompanied by a dark shape moving over at that end of the roof, but - if so - John loses track of it. Rhiannon notices nothing (even after John mentions), but John naturally has had more experience with this kind of thing.

[Dr. Mystery]

Eyes darting over where the shadow was seen, John shouts out,

"Watch out, I think he's here!"

John rushes over to that end of the roof, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement.

[Rhiannon Lewis]

"Bloody hell," Rhiannon mutters, turning and pointing her gun in the general direction of where John has rushed to.

[Blaine]

Blaine sneaks another glance, and then pulls his head back, and then he hears Locky call out. "Shit." he muttered. "Keep it down kid!" Blaine says in a loud whisper. He limps out from his hiding place, blood dripping out his sleeves and down his pant legs. He heads over to where they're gathered, craning his neck checking the corners for any signs of movement. "We need to hurry, he's either gettin' ready to spring something or he's gonna pull a burn."

[Locky McKenzie]

"Whatever he's doin', he's gonna hafta do it from inside that office, Blaine," Locky calls out. "He's not leaving through the front door, at any rate. I made sure of that!"

[Count Janos Rakozi]

Janos takes a long look at Jameson.

"Get to the car now," he orders quietly, "before I spit on you and you fall over."

Janos motions for Locky to remain quiet the tilts his head. Hearing nothing, he motions Blaine over.

Whispering to Locky and Blaine,

"Is it possible there is a subterranean exit out of here we may have overlooked?"

[Locky McKenzie]

Locky thinks, then whispers "I don't think a place like this would have one usually, not on the inside, anyway. He could have made one, but I think that'd take longer than he's had. Besides, I didn't see any tools around here for that sort of stuff."

[Andrew Murphy]

"Granted, I may be feeling a bit ... run over, but my hands and my guns are steady as ever. Besides I wouldn't want to ruin the unpholstry."

Jameson says the last with a smirk and yet still begins to back away toward the car. His pistols remain at the ready in his hands as he watches the office door.