Still Alive

Late one October evening a broadcast is heard over the Fairhaven airwaves, requesting urgent help with a high-risk operation and promising compensation. A meeting point is specified, but the speaker neglects to identify himself. Nevertheless a few choose to investigate...

Oddly enough, the meeting place for this operation is the parking lot of an abandoned strip mall on the edge of Fairhaven, beside a large transpot truck that would hardly look out of place in a military convoy. A single representitive from RSX Solutions leans against the truck, smoking a cigarette as he awaits a response to his transmission.

Hearing the radio broadcast calling for aid, Richard hurries toward the rendezvous site. The sight there is rather surprising, if understandable: Not many powers left on the coast had access to radio equipment, so that it is a RSX Operative with a transport isn't farfetched. Exposing himself carefully, Richard slowly approaches the Agent so as to not spark any alarm or imply hostile intent.

Rihko makes her way down the street, walking at a brisk pace. The kitsune's tails swish and wave behind her as she moves, and her ears are perked forward, eyes scanning the road. As she gets closer, she nods her head at the agent, and then at Richard. "Hey," she greets. "What's up?"

Enaari very slowly makes her way in to the parking lot after the others, her hands cradling her massive belly. She looks the RSX operative over, careful of falling into another rape scenario, but relaxes a little bit when she spots two others. She smiles and waves, stumbling over to the trio. "Hey, I'm here about some kind of help needed?"

The man from RSX seems ready for trouble, sporting a combat vest and large handgun, but he seems totally unthreatened by the team's appearance. "Trouble," the man answers Rihko before waving the others closer. He eyes Enaari's belly increduously, but with a shake of his head decides not to comment. "The situation's messy, but pretty straightforward," he begins. "Some of our people have gone rogue, and they took some very dangerous tech with them." He pauses to take a drag from the cigarette, letting the smoke out in a sigh before continuing, "We finally found where they're hiding; some coffee shop not far from here. We don't really care what happens to the scumbag scientists, we just want that tech gone before it hurts anyone. Get in, break stuff, get paid. I'll be coming with you to make sure there are no screwups. Any questions?"

On the prowl, Richard's situational awareness is somewhat higher than it was a few days prior in the lobby - he actually notices Rihko before she gets within arm's reach! "Radio call," He replies to her, his voice again distorted through his rebreather. "Calling for aid. Assume you got it too?" There isn't really any time for an answer from her before Enaari joins them and the Agent starts to talk. Being RSX himself, an Operative no less, the story sets off a few warning flags to Richard. Alright, it sets off a whole slew. "Several, about how much time do we have to talk being the most important one at this moment."

Rihko wrinkles her nose, and then slowly nods her head. "Yea, I got it too, came to see what I could help with." The kitsune frowns, but holds her set of questions to listen to Richard's.

Enaari nods a little bit, shifting her wight from one foot to the other before sitting down on the ground. "Wouldn't it just make more sense to just get some firearms and shoot the place up?" She reaches up and scratches at her ear. "Or get someone really big to sit on it." She bursts into a fit of giggles, but her smile vanishes when she sees the RSX operative's face. "It..it was a joke."

The smoking man doesn't seem to be in the mood for jokes, the killjoy. He puts out his cigarette on the side of his truck before flicking the butt into the street. "Not much," he grunts at Richard. "Every minute we waste is another minute they could be packing up and moving. It took us weeks to find them this time, and there's no telling when we'll get a second chance. Surprise will be our best asset." He finally does adress Enaari, saying, "'Shooting the place up' is a great start, but we need to make absolutely sure the stolen weapons are destroyed."

"Alright then. What is it they have in there." Richard asks, getting straight to the point. "You said it's something very dangerous, and are going to send three people in there with no idea of what it is, whether it's operational, or anything like that. All you've told us is that they're weapons. Second, why do you want it destroyed? You said yourself, agents who went rogue and took tech with them. Why didn't you just destroy it before it could be taken, if it isn't meant to be used? And if the concern's them using it, why don't you care about if they live or trying to recover it for returning to HQ?" Get the most obvious concerns out of the way. Slowly, one of his hands would also reach back towards his own rifle, as a precautionary measure towards him or ferals that saw a bunch of "bait" in the open.

Enaari's mouth opens a little bit as she tries to follow the conversation, but fails utterly. She turns back to the angent and quickly raises her hand, lowering it to haul herself up to her feet before raising it again. "Oooh ooh, what do we get if we do this?" she asks, her tail wagging behind her.

Rihko tilts her head to the side, listening to the answer and the return questions from Richard; she nods her head. "Drive by, rocket launcher, go in and stomp on whatever pieces are still moving." She shifts her weight a little, glancing around. "Why do you need us, don't have enough fire power in your van? Should we start heading that way?"

The representative sends a half-grin Richard's way and says, "If you don't wanna come along, don't get in the truck." He turns and reaches up to unlatch and let down the ramp in the back of the vehicle, which hits the asphalt with a clang. "Trust me, if they got it operational, we'd all know about it." He pats the bed of the truck before moving toward the driver's door. "You'll get paid, a lot," he promises Enaari. "We're not happy about that part, but we don't have many resources in this city, and sending our own people against their former friends might not be a good idea anyway."

The man adds, "Name's Tanner by the way. And if you think I'm being an ass, it's because I am. Now let's go, we don't have all night." The last rays of the setting sun on the horizon add weight to his words.

Richard notices that the representative never answered either of his questions before opening the truck, didn't even try to. "You are honestly thinking of sending three strangers, one of which pregnant, to assault an armed facility with unknown defenders, numbers, layout, and equipment purely under the excuse of 'Surprise!', aren't you?" Did Tanner have any idea just what he was proposing? "I'll be blunt: I'm only going to come if they come, and I'm NOT going to destroy the weapons if we find them. I'm waiting until we get word from HQ after securing the area. And there better be something approaching a brief on the way."

Rihko wrinkles her nose, thinks a moment, then shrugs. She pulls her com out of her pocket and taps a few places on the screen. "Sounds reasonable," she adds, after Richard's said his peice. "I'm in if Richard is, and we get the info on the way. And if RSX approves the standard damage waiver; I know they've got my information on file and I don't want them docking a retainer because I took a mission from the wrong guy." She grins.

Enaari smiles and lets out a cute giggle as she shifts into something more suited for destruction. Her hands cradling her belly, she hurries up the ramp into the truck, her body providing a soft warm glow inside. "Dont be a spoil-sport, it will be fun!" she exclaims, leaning up against the side of the truck.

Tanner turns to stare at Richard. "Do I look like I have a lot of options?" He asks. "Unless they're recruiting, there's seven of them, and only three with any kind of combat training. Hell, I'll go in by myself if you can't handle it." He pulls himself up into the cab and growls, "My orders are straight from the top. These guys were working on something nasty. Think self-replicating army of nasty. We told 'em to destroy it, they decided to run off with it instead. That enough for you?" He spares Enaari a glance and jerks a thumb in her direction. "I like her. She's got the right idea."

Richard wasn't buying it, but with Enaari likely going there wasn't much of a choice. "Better be more to that during the ride," he replies, starting to enter the vehicle himself. "I want to know just what sort of weapons we're expecting to face, how it's 'self-replicating army' nasty, and a few more things during the trip."

Rihko waits long enough for her confirmation to clear, then hops up in the truck. She balances lightly on her feet, and gives Tanner a nod. "Let's go, then." She takes a moment to check her pockets, then zips up her jacket. "Is it a packmind? Please tell me they didn't give someone a packmind sample. I *know* they know better than that."

Enaari rocks back and forth, her arms cradling her stomach. "I never got your names..I'm Enaari, its nice to meet you both!" she coos, slumping down to sit on the floor of the truck. "You all seem like nice people."

Tanner wastes no time slamming the door and getting the truck moving, aiming the ragtag team out of the parking lot and onward to the city limits. The rumble of the engine makes conversation difficult, but possible, if only by shouting. "Alright, kid. You want more info, I'll tell you what they told me," Tanner yells back to his passengers. "When the order came down to abandon the project, none of it was operational yet. It's all salvage from out east. Autonomous weapons systems that wiped out a lot of people, if the reports we got are accurate."

"If they did, then they're with our rogue agents or enjoying an early retirement." Rich comments in response to Rihko. "And whatever the case, a lot of people are going to be getting an earful if this is an order from the top but nobody else has heard of it until now." There was a reason he was still extremely cautious about this whole operation. "My name's Richard, and if you don't mind I'd suggest both of you refrain from destroying the 'weapons' until we get word from HQ ourselves. Feel free to secure them, and defend yourself if they're being used against you, but I'd rather not destroy them on a whim." Time for personal talk over, he stays quiet to listen in on Tanner's brief.

Enaari cocks her head a little bit, rubbing her belly. "But he said we should destroy them...d-do we still get paid if we keep them?" she asks, closing her eyes as she focuses on the sensation of her pregnant belly.

The man adds, "The objectives I got were the AI core and the one drone they recovered. Breaking 'em would be easier, but to be honest I don't give a shit. If you all want to sit on them 'til our guys from Woodfield get here for cleanup be my guest, they'll just smash it all themselves."

"I didn't say to call them here to smash them," Richard replies to the pair, "Or to even keep them. I said that when we have them secure, we'll contact RSX HQ proper before disposal. If they say not to destroy 'em, we don't destroy 'em. Considering your odd concern for collateral, and insistence on getting them destroyed without making contact, you have to understand you don't exactly paint a pretty picture Tanner."

Rihko shrugs her shoulders. "Whatever pays." The kitsune remains quiet as they travel, tails slowly flicking as she thinks. Then she looks over at Richard, then Enaari. "Thanks. I'm not nice, but I seem like it. Good way to keep people off guard. Any shenanigans you two want to pull that I should be aware of?"

(At this point Enaari had to leave for the night)

"Whatever you say, kid," Tanner shouts to Richard. "There it is. Showtime, ladies. I'm pulling us right up to-" The gunshot is almost inaudible at this distance, but the bullet's impact isn't. It punches right through the truck's windshield and buries itself in the metal divider in the back of the cabin, missing his head by mere inches. Spiderweb cracks make it impossible for Tanner to see the way forward, and the vehicle swerves dangerously as he instinctively ducks. "Fuck! Hold on!"

In response to Rihko's question, Richard pulls his rifle around to show her. "NATO, underslung grenade. If you see me aiming and shouting 'fire in the hole', don't run into the fire. Other than that-" The rest of his statement's lost when the bullet comes within inches of killing their driver. Immediately Richard hunches in on himself, trying to present as small a profile for anyone who gets the idea to try venting the vehicle.

Rihko crouches, grabbing at the side of the truck to brace herself as the truck swerves; she hunches as well, ready for impact or further action as the situation dictates.

It takes a few moments for Tanner to find the brakes, but at this point it's too late - the screech of the tires turns into a terrible crunching sound as the vehicle comes to a violent stop, throwing everyone forward. A moment of deafening silence follows, but it's soon broken by the driver's gruff voice. "Well, we're here, and they definitely know it. Anyone who isn't dead, we've still got a job to do." The truck has lodged itself fully into what used to be a coffee shop, but is now little more than debris contained within the three remaining walls. Enaari lies on her back in the bed of the truck, motionless but still breathing.

Rihko uncurls from where the impact had thrown her forward against the cab, and she gives herself a shake. She climbs out of the truck, then crouches beside it, on the side away from the potential sniper. "Three of 'em, huh," she murmurs.

Picking himself back up, Richard spends the moments of silence trying to feel himself up for injuries and looking throughout the vehicle towards the others. Fortunately, none of them seem to be seriously hurt... until his eyes settle on the unconscious Enaari. "Stay here with Enaari," he hisses towards Tanner, trying to keep his voice down. "She's unconscious." Best not to let them know they had one down. Crawling out after Rihko, the Operative couldn't have been any happier that they crashed in an area providing a ton of cover. "We doing this the ask first or shoot first way?" He asks to her, leaning toward the former but understanding the latter quite readily.

The cab door opens and Tanner stumbles out, bleeding from a cut across his forehead and a few more on his hands. He sweeps his pistol across the dust-choked storefront, but there doesn't seem to be anyone to challenge them. "Didn't think I'd need this damn thing yet..." he mutters, pulling a helmet out of the cab and strapping it to his head. There's not much in sight to indicate a hostile presence, but plenty of fresh food is spattered across the floor. A single door is visible through the haze, defiantly shut despite the destruction around it.

Rihko thinks about that a moment, her ears perked and listening for other sounds. "Well," she starts. "They did shoot first. I usually give people a chance to do things the nice way, but I really don't feel like being shot." She glances around again, then looks at Tanner. "Did we crash the right building? This it?"

Tanner wipes a bit of sweat and blood from his eyes with his sleeve. "Did my damned best with the windshield out," he mutters, looking around. "There," he says, gesturing at a fallen menu board with the faded words 'Kaleo Coffee' at the top. "Yeah, this's it. I'll watch the girl, go search the place. If they moved already we're in deep shit."

"Fair enough." Couldn't particularly blame her or Tanner after the crash. "Still, check for weapons first, and if they look like they'll surrender give 'em the chance." Richard follows Tanner's gaze to the door, still closed, and tries to get a glance around the room for any areas that might hold gunmen. "Want me to take point, or you good?"

Fortunately, the room lacks any intact hiding places - even the counter behind which the door used to stand lost its battle with the truck's front end. The door itself is sturdy-looking, but merely wooden.

Rihko wrinkles her muzzle, then nods. "I'm good." She pulls her pistol from its holster and crosses the room quickly, stopping next to the door. She leans against the wall for a moment, ear flat against the surface listening for anything out of place.

Following behind Rihko, covering her just in case, Richard presses against the opposite side of the doorway. "Before we go," he whispers over his rebreather's quiet hiss. "How do you operate outside the bubbles? It matters." Would answer just how much an option one of his tricks was. "Ready when you are, keep an eye out front Tanner."

"What the hell do you think I'm doing?" Tanner growls, his disposition as lovely as ever following the crash. "Sniper's probably moved by now, if he's any good. I'll track that fucker down, I swear..."

"Well enough, I suppose," Rihko answers, quietly. "Leaves me a bit more vulnerable, but I can handle it." Her ears flatten for a moment, then she tries the door handle, ready to duck, dive, or dodge.

It wasn't them moving he was worried about. Or, actually, it was EXACTLY that. With the bubble as it was, there was very much that could go wrong if any attackers decided to get the drop from an upper level / the roof via a brief drop. It would be painfully easy to hit them from multiple sides, especially if they had the materials to assemble a false wall beforehand - another reason Richard would have much preferred Tanner being more forthcoming with information.

The door handle rattles. Drats, locked! ...then a several-inch-long curved metal blade slams through the wood, just above the doorknob. It withdraws just as quickly, followed by a series of metallic clicks.

Richard nearly opens fire on the door when the blade passes through. It's only the metallic clicks, barely audible through the door and his gear, that stays his hand. Trapped. "No telling how well it's rigged, or how many there are. Ideas? I can't imagine any other entrances are less defended."

Rihko snorts, moving a few inches away from the wall, just in case. "I think we have to do it the hard way," she says, quietly. She leans forward and slaps the door, then ducks back again quickly, pistol coming up.

Richard readies his own weapon in preparation, taking a few steps back. No doubt any defenders would know the standard procedure as well as him, and NATO wouldn't care too much about any plaster between them and his body.

The door replies with a solid thud, rattling on its hinges from the impact. A split-second after it stops an incredibly loud *crack* sounds from the other side and half the door seems to explode, splintered into tiny, flaming fragments by whatever just slapped back. A split-second later something the size of a large cat springs through the new hole with a metallic shriek, twin blade-arms aimed directly at Rihko's chest.

Richard realizes right away that he won't get his rifle up in time. By the time it'd be ready, Rihko would be in the line of fire as well - not good when aiming at a metal creation that was probably all deflection. Making due with the only option he can think of on such short notice, the armored agent attempts to rush the machine at a safe angle from the side.

Rihko calmly aims her pistol at the drone and fires. She checks herself, though, as Richard begins moving in; the kitsune quickly raises her pistol from a firing position, and ducks sideways, putting more distance between her and where she thinks the two will end up.

The kitsune's aim is true, striking the strange creature's flank and causing a cascade of sparks to fly as she dances out of its path. Richard meets with success as well, slamming into the thing and sending it careening toward the nearby wall where its heavy impact tears away chunks of plaster. The thing hits the floor hard, but springs up almost instantly with a hiss; it's still for but a moment, giving the two a chance to see its four blade-like limbs, sleek armored body and strange 'head' - little more than a flexible stalk topped with an armored sensor - before it springs away, diving under the truck to avoid fire.

The heavy impact's almost as stunning to Rich as the bot, preventing him from shooting it then and there. Drones, great. The number of trained combatants meant rather little with this development. As the thing dives off he tries to shoot it, lead the thing in its flight, but with its target unknown until the last second he has no luck. "Move!" he hisses to Tanner, not particularly eager to see if the nanites could reattach missing feet or its blades could penetrate the vehicle's hull.

Rihko tracks the bot with her pistol, but doesn't get the chance for a clean shot before it scampers out of sight; she glares a moment, and then raises a paw, the fur along her arm shimmering and flickers of pale blue flame come to life and coalesce in her palm. She glances back towards the door, then begins circling the truck, her wisp bobbing in the air along with her. "I think that is the weapon. Want to grenade it? Or should I see if I can melt it?"

Tanner is already in motion, cursing as he moves away from the truck and aims down toward the ground. "None. The girl's still in there." He drops down to a crouch, then stumbles back as the machine squirms its way out through the debris beneath the vehicle and bolts for the missing wall, bounding around the corner and into the night with impressive agility. Tanner fires wildly at it as it goes, shouting the whole time.

"Fuck! This is -exactly- what we wanted to avoid. The nutcases turned the damn things on!" Tanner points toward the door and orders, "Check the rest of the place. If we can find the AI maybe we can still fix this."

Richard attempts to put another burst of fire into the bot as it goes, but isn't particularly confident in the odds of success. "Right, secondary objective," he replies. Approaching the door with some caution, the operative attempts to climb through the hole onto the opposite side.

Rihko has already started to go after the bot, not wanting to let it run wild in Fairhaven's streets; she skids to a stop though at Tanner's shout, then mutters under her breath. "Alright... I hope so. Or that it runs into something tougher than it is..." The kitsune gives her head a shake, then moves towards the door, ready to watch Richard's back. When he's through and clear, she climbs over as well.

With half the door gone the pair don't have any difficulty making it into the next room. It looks like a hastily abandoned lab, with several empty tables and quite a lot of electronic and mechanical salvage left behind by whomever once occupied the space. The walls and floor are heavily scratched, presumably left by the creature that was trying to get out. There is yet another door across the room, and beyond the muffled sound of an engine roaring to life can be heard.

Hoping that Rihko would have the sense to call back to Tanner to be alert, Richard attempts to rush toward the second door. In as much a hurry as he is, there's barely enough time to do more than scan the path ahead for traps and see the most obvious of threats. He does aim a quick burst at the opposite door in an attempt to maul any visible locks, though.

Rihko earflats at the noise. "Watch the street, there's something out there," she calls out over her shoulder, then quickly follows after Richard. Since she's behind him, she pays more attention to the room and what threats might be in it than the door that is being rushed.

The bullets tear apart the puny pre-promethean doorknob, the battle with the barrier won before it even begins. But as he breeches the doorway he gets yet another surprise - brilliant, blinding white light blasts away the darkness, and a cold, calm, but very human voice barks, "Freeze, and we won't shoot." It takes a moment to register that the voice is actually female.

Richard staggers to as top as the brightness of the light focuses in on him. As much as instinct told him to shirk in the light, to try and present as small a target, Richard held his ground and stood tall. If lucky, they wouldn't have noticed Rihko behind him. "I was going to say the same to you," he deadpans.

Rihko had come to a stop already, behind Richard, ready to cover him. Her tails flick and sway back and forth, agitated, but she remains quiet and doesn't make and sudden movements, slowly lowering her pistol. She remains tense and alert, unhappy at how things have gone so far.

Shadowy silhouettes move against the bright lights, coming from three places at once - the high beams of a truck and what might be a floodlight mounted on top, all cutting through the cool air of a parking lot behind the building. The female voice speaks again; "Leave it. It's already served its purpose." Moments later the lighting changes as the vehicle backs away quickly, turning rather sharply before coming to a rest. The team gets a glimpse of a work truck loaded with half a dozen people and a few large crates before it starts speeding off, leaving only a strange metal coffin-shaped device lying on its back near the doorway.

Seeing the lights are part of a truck, the vehicle rapidly taking off, Richard has to wonder if they were in a hurry what with not even demanding the team to drop their weapons. Perhaps they weren't expecting anything other than mutated agents to respond. Thankful for his fortune, Richard takes aim at the back of the truck, shouting "Fire in the hole!" before emptying the underslung grenade launcher.

Rihko starts forward again as soon as the light moves; with a motion and a thought she sends her wisp after the truck, the globe of hungry fire briefly flaring bright. Richard's call causes her to duck back behind the doorway, and then once the grenade goes boom she moves out into the lot to survey the damage and start poking around.

Richard's aim is nearly perfect, smacking squarely into the heavily loaded rear of the fleeing automobile; the explosion that follows is more than enough to disable it, taking out the rear wheels and throwing most of the cargo from the vehicle. The edge of the lot becomes a bloody mess, with the mangled bodies of at least two scientists strewn amongst the wreckage. However, at least a few of the occupants are more fortunate - two heavily armored figures pick themselves up from the asphalt, one covering their retreat with bursts from an assault rifle as the other drags a third dazed survivor toward the street. They quickly approach the corner of a building at the edge of the lot, leaving their comrades for dead.

The steel coffin remaining lifeless, if it was capable of anything at all, Richard ignores it to run after the truck. He saw at least six figures in it, meaning that unless they had reinforcements there was at worst one left to attack Rihko and Tanner, let alone Enaari if she woke up.

Rihko gives chase, following after Richard; she weaves as she crosses the lot, avoiding the bursts of fire, and then shoots back at the guard with her pistol. The wisp, disappointed that Richard got the truck first, clings to the truck frame and begins rolling its way into the vehicle's cab.

Tanner comes rushing out the back door of the coffee shop after hearing the blast, apparently having left Enaari to fend for herself. "Nice," he comments with a glance toward the destroyed truck, spotting the coffin and moving toward it. "That looks like it. Let's get this over with," he says, mostly to himself. Within the cab there's sudden motion as another survivor catches fire, squirming and shouting in pain as Rihko's wisp finds him.

With Rihko dealing with the truck, Richard attempts to pursue the other rogue agents. He would have preferred not to fired, especially after seeing the crimson splash he left, but if they were using automated kill-bots without care for collateral then it was a risk necessary to stop them and bring them in for questioning.

A hail of bullets fly toward Richard as a parting gift from the recovering renegades, joined by laser pistol fire from the pair who lost their rifles in the blast. Another engine can be heard approaching, though its source is out of sight. Meanwhile, Tanner produces a package of explosives and sets it atop the coffin near the coffee shop door, prepping it for detonation.

Rihko slips her pistol into her holster and pushes herself for more speed, closing in on the gunmen and their cover. She grins, and aims her approach past the two guards in front, towards the soft targets in back.

Richard takes cover behind the building's corner, inevitably being forced further and further away as their combined fire mulches the edge. He's completely unaware of Tanner's current position. Waiting until the fire slackens, perhaps one or two of the gunmen reloading, Richard shouts out. "Cease firing! RSX can still give you a trial if you stand down! Your friends in the truck can still be saved if you come peacefully!"

The kitsune picks the perfect time to strike, almost upon her prey before the assault rifle-wielding gunman has time to reload. The two armored figures are protecting a casually dressed woman who manages to fire her laser pistol at her attacker before the distance is closed. One of her protectors launches himself at Rihko, attempting to grapple with her to give the injured woman time to escape.

It takes Richard a second, but he quickly realizes that the current fire is not shredding his cover. He immediately turns around the cover, taking aim at whoever he can evaluate as the most threatening gunman that there's a clear line on ((Most probably any gunmen who are still pointing at him)). "Drop it!" He shouts, ready to pull the trigger in an attempted non-lethal shot if they refuse.

His cohorts busy with Rihko, the man with the assault rifle responds surprisingly readily to Richard's demand, raising both arms in a gesture of peace. Something drops from one of his raised hands, though in the dark of night it's difficult to tell what the object is. His foot flicks up to kick it, and it arcs to land neatly near Richard. Oh. A grenade! How nice.

Rihko doesn't have time to waste screwing around; Rihko only stops a moment to play sticky hands with the guard trying to grab her, and then with a snarl she steps into him and shoves. The kitsune's hands blossom with flame, electricty arcing along her fingers and the fur of her forearms as she channels a massive amount of energy into the blow, overloading some of her own nanites in the process.

Any relief Richard had at the gunman's fake surrender is quickly spoiled when he notices an object come flying towards him. It's almost confuseable as a falling piece of debris from the swiss-building corner, until practically right next to him. Grenade! "Fuck," swears the agent, barely having the time to kick it behind his recently-vacated corner before kicking forward onto the ground. With Richard distracted, the guard would probably have enough time to rearm or turn and attempt to help against Rihko. Considering the pyrotechnics show, most likely the latter.

The unfortunate man who attracted Rihko's attention is thrown bodily through the air, caught off-guard by the Kitsune's ferocity. He lands in a heap several feet away, not moving, but the firefight has lasted long enough for backup to arrive; with a screech of tires another vehicle rounds the corner, bathing the scene in light from its headlamps. An ominous hum builds from its direction as the woman retreats toward it, firing her laser pistol at Rihko as she goes. Meanwhile, another burst from the assault rifle slams into the vulnerable Richard before that guard rushes past Rihko toward his fallen friend.

Three bullets find their mark, one glancing off Richard's helmet with a heavy impact as the other two bury themselves in his armored arm and torso, respectively.

Rihko pays the fallen guard no further mind, seeing her quarry trying to escape; the kitsune draws her knife and pounces after the woman, not in the least concerned at stabbing someone in the back. She ignores the laser shots; someone running and firing behind them is seldom accurate, and the kitsune trusts in her nanite-powered heat resistance and enhanced healing to keep her going.

Richard hisses in pain, only avoiding biting his tongue thanks to his rebreather as a bullet glances his helmet. His arm and upper torso aren't quite as lucky, a puff of red as his arm's hit hard through its kevlar underarmor and a NATO round lodges itself somewhere in his shoulder. He's going to be down for a while as he attempts to ignore the pain and switch his rifle to his opposite arm. These people definitely did not want to come in, if they were willing to add at least two RSX agents to their killcount before considering surrender.

Pain. Crippling, thought-obliterating, unbelievable pain shoots through every nerve in Rihko's body, and her nanites simultaneously desert her as she feels like she's being microwaved alive.

Finally managing to get the gun into his other hand, Richard re-evaluates the situation. Rihko's hit, Tanner's nowhere in sight, he's sporting at least one would-be-lethal injury if not for the nanite's aid, and the secondary targets were getting away. Well beyond the point of salvaging the second objective, he tries - futilely - to aim at several of Rihko's other attackers in a non-lethal fashion with his off arm.

Rihko staggers and collapses, screaming, a howl of pain, suffering, agony... and rage. There was definitely something else in her voice, and it was infuriated. With the kitsune otherwise preoccupied, her control slips, and her claws gouge into the concrete as her body shudders and changes. Fur lengthens, muscles bulk up, bones thicken and her teeth grow longer and sharper, her muzzle becoming more suited to combat. The shaggy beast snarls a defiant challenge, gathering herself for another pounce.

Injured, in a terrible position and using his off-hand, Richard's efforts are in vain - his shots miss their mark completely, though one headlight on the truck does shatter as one impacts it dead-on. The change in lighting is enough for them to see the new weapon being used against Rihko - a strange, hexagonal dish mounted atop the truck, still humming, pumping the kitsune full of pain. The tires are already rolling by the time she recovers, the pistol-armed woman throwing herself into the back and helping her comrades in as well. Another grenade rises over the cab and lands a between them and Rihko, throwing up a shower of asphalt as it explodes, screening their hasty retreat. More gunfire sounds from behind Richard, bullets wizzing past Rihko toward the truck as Tanner belatedly joins in the fun.

His magazine and launcher both empty, Richard's in a very poor position to offer any more help. Shifting about on the ground, Rihko's change obscured by the recent grenade, the Operative attempts to pull free his laser pistol sidearm in an attempt to at least do something to what he assumes will be avenge them.

Rihko growls, a low rumble, and lets her ears go flat. She's smart enough to not charge over a grenade, so she moves forward and to the side, hoping to get away from whatever it was they were shooting at her. The shots do get a glance back over her shoulder, but the truck has most of her attention and she looks ahead at it again as she tries to keep up.

The movement brings momentary relief from the pain, but the dish swivels to follow Rihko, making every step difficult. After putting plenty of distance between himself and the team the driver of the truck swings it around, angling off down a side-street and pushing the engine for all it's worth. "Everyone alive?" Tanner asks flatly, surveying the aftermath.

It takes Richard a second to respond, rolling over onto his back. What with the truck facing the opposite way and having last saw Rihko catch a grenade, her status is as of yet unknown to him. "Not in the least," he groans, propping onto his still-good elbow as lances of pain run through him. At least it didn't hit a lung, he did not want to go through the horror of repeatedly drowning on his own blood until it was either gurgled up or triage fixed him. "Rihko went down, saw an explosion where she did. At least two are burning in the truck, maybe more down after she jumped it and the group. See if there's anything left of R that Zeph can patch together."

Rihko continues to staggar after the truck, taking what cover she can along the way; when it finally turns, she rushes to the corner and peeks around it at the vehicle, tails lashing and ears flat against her skull.

By the time Rihko makes it to the corner the truck is up to speed and fast vanishing. Its occupants seem to have no interest in anything beyond putting as much distance between themselves and the murderous RSX team as they possibly can. Meanwhile, Tanner drops his medkit in front of Richard and says, "Cheer up, kid. Mission accomplished. You want to do the honors?" He offers a simple push-button detonator to the fallen operative.

Rihko growls again, another low rumble, and drags her claws long the side of the building. Then the big not-quite-kitsune shambles her way back to Richard, sniffing at the man and eyeing his bullet wounds, crouching nearby.

Tanner spots Rihko approaching and frowns, raising his pistol. "The fuck..." Her approach doesn't seem terribly threatening though, and when she doesn't attack he makes the connection. "What happened to you?" he demands, still aiming, but not firing.

Rihko just snorts and gives Tanner a flat stare, teeth bared in a wolfish grin as she stares down his pistol.

Richard shakes his head, both unwilling to set off the bombs just yet and not sure an injured arm's the type to use when dealing with copious amounts of explosives. "No, not now. Check Rihko and-" The rest of his comment's lost as Tanner draws his pistol at something behind Rich. Dropping, painfully, onto the ground, he points his own sidearm back at... a rather large furry thing. One that he has absolutely no recollection of in experience or records. "Know 'em?" He asks Tanner as the thing starts sniffing at them.

Tanner grunts, "It's got lots of tails and it's not attacking us. Probably the kitsune. Or a friendly feral, I'm too damn tired to care right now." He turns back toward the building across the parking lot, with the lonely little coffin sitting near it, capped with a tiny package of explosives. "Let's hope this shuts that little bastard down," he says before pressing the button.

Rihko snorts again and sits there, brooding, her ears flat and tails slowly waving back and forth. She looks at Tanner, then Richard, then lets her attention drift over to the coffin-box-thing, waiting to see what happens.

A loud thump follows a bright flash from across the lot, throwing the coffin-like steel case a few feet to slam into the wall and leaving the top half-unhinged and the sides badly twisted and distorted. A new smear of what looks like blood is visible on the wall now, just above where the coffin impacted. "Huh," Tanner says, starting toward the blast site. "Not as many pieces as I'd like. Better make sure it's busted."

"Huh, you don't say." Either was about as likely as the other right now, and Richard wasn't particularly pressed to figure out which. Looking as he is at Rihko, he can't react to Tanner's act until it's too late. "Stop!" He gasps, the button already pressed and the explosives setting off. "You better have good reason for not calling HQ first." He growls, his pistol slowly coming around to point at Tanner. "'It's what we came here for' not being one."

Tanner can't see the pistol, and is quick to dismiss the threatening tone in Richard's voice. "If our intel's right, that thing controls the drones. Gotta make sure it's broken. I don't want that little fucker sneaking up on us again, or on anyone else for that matter."

"And we had the area secure." Richard states, in no mood for games. "At least two were dead, the rest scattered. Any ferals would pick the ready-cooked-meals over attacking a shredded up building. At least one of our group is unconscious, and depending on who our mysterious stranger here is another could be dead. You just blasted what could have been a successful salvage and won't give me a good answer. I'll have you know, I like to think of myself as patient, but between the lump of metal slowly worming its way out of my shoulder and the lack of answers, I'm getting VERY cross."

Rihko quietly echos Richard's growl, but seems to be short on other words at the moment. Or, really, any words. Her ears and her tails go stiff, though, and she stays close to Richard, supportive; one of her arms extends to offer help, if needed.

Tanner pauses to glance over his shoulder at his battered and dissatisfied 'team'. It's pretty clear the operation has been a disaster, but he seems unshaken. "Oh, now you're gonna shoot me, huh?" He throws the detonator aside, then starts back toward the building, aiming this time for the doorway. "Fuck this, my job's done. I'm gonna check on the girl in the truck and wait for the cleanup team from Woodfield. Don't say I didn't warn you if that drone comes back."

Heh, if that drone comes back. "Funny, I thought you said that was what controlled the drones. Why might it come back you blew it up? Also, I'm sure RSX is really going to love your after report for this. 'Agent Tanner, tasked with rogue agent duty. Lost drone sample due to improper briefing, then detonated control device without prompting when secured sans hostiles.' Maybe they'll even give you a medal." Probably not the best idea for Richard to taunt the man, injured as he was, but he wanted it to be clear just how things had gone down to him. "If I were you, I'd worry about how you're going to salvage this, not when the paycheck'll come in."

Tanner is unfazed. "You didn't see the reports from this group before they went rogue. There's more at stake here than a paycheck," he retorts before disappearing into the building, leaving the pair alone with the remains of the coffin, the truck, and the less fortunate half of the science team.

Rihko shakes her head and grunts, then waits to see if Richard wants the hand up. She's still quite clearly agitated, hackles up and tails stiff, but seems in control enough that she won't be biting anything anytime soon. Eventually, with or without Richard, she goes to check out the thing they had bombed.

"And you shared none of that," replies Richard, giving up on any more of it after Tanner slips inside. He could chew the representative out later. Assuming he actually bothered to wait for the cleanup team, anyways. Letting his eyes rest on the burning wreck for a few moments, he accepts Rihko's help onto his feet. "So, I take it you're Rihko?" he asks. While waiting for a reply he re-holsters his pistol and goes to pick up the discarded rifle. Luckily none of the shots managed to hit it. "Want to see just what Tanner ruined?"

Upon closer inspection, it seems the coffin-case held up surprisingly well to the blast. The outside is scorched and blackened, with a small hole burned into the lid, which is no longer quite properly aligned. The edges of the hole are stained red, and a similar color tints the twisted edge beside the red streak on the building wall. Whatever it is, Tanner didn't use quite enough firepower.

Rihko gives her head a nod in response to the question, and another quiet, affirmative grunt. She pokes at the lid a few times, then digs her claws into the crack between the lid and the sides and heaves, wrenching it open.

Richard keeps at least a few paces of space between him and the case at all times. This is especially true when once-Rihko starts to dismantle it. While no demolitions expert, he still knew more than enough to avoid messing around with something that might, possibly, have some bite of its own. As the coffin's being dismantled, Rich returns the safety before awkwardly trying to reload his rifle.

Within the coffin rest an unconscious young woman. A slender, very human-looking young woman, completely nude and hooked up to the device by several cables connected to strange metal projections on either side of her head that disappear behind her short black hair. She seems to be lying upon a bed of equally dark feathers, and while it's hard to see details from this angle a tattoo is clearly visible upon the pale skin of her upper left arm. Bloody wounds from the explosion mar her stomach and one leg, but she looks rather peaceful, as if asleep.

Rihko peers at the woman in the coffin, then sighs. She gives her head a shake and then leans in to sniff at her, curious, before she shuffles a few steps back. She stares down at her paws, then looks up at Richard, then down at her paws again, felxing her fingers; certainly not the right tools for administering aid to anyone in need.

Watching Rihko's little show, Rich doesn't understand her intent. Just a few seconds ago she was tearing at the thing. Then she started sniffing at it, before looking at her paws and him. "I take it something's the matter. Sorry, but sign language isn't exactly my specialty. If you're worried about me, I should be fine until cleanup shows."

Rihko stares at Richard for a long, long moment, then grunts. She turns back to the coffin and, carefully, begins picking cables and cords and things off of the woman in the coffin and then, with a high degree of gentleness, picks her up.

For the first few seconds it looks to Richard like Rihko went back to dismantling the coffin for whatever reason. It's only when he sees the first bit of pale flesh that he reacts, immediately setting down his rifle and moving over in an attempt to help pull them free.

The wires come away easily, slipping from USB ports in the metal projections, which remain stubbornly attached. Rihko meets no resistance at first, but the girl starts to stir as she's lifted, muscles stiffening slightly as she leaves her prison. The tattoo, visible now, is that of a stylized bird with 'S2G-C' written above it, and the bed of feathers is actually attached - a pair of wings. Eyes open slightly, blinking uncertainly, revealing glimpses of bright, ice-blue irises.

Rihko helps hold the girl up, tails slowly waving back and forth as she waits. She is quiet now, ears perked forward, watching with evident concern.

Richard doesn't notice the girl's awakening until her eyes start to open. Thick armor wasn't exactly suited for feeling light muscle twitches, after all. Coming to a stop after she's propped up enough to be sitting upright, he attempts to use his good arm to prevent her from having to rest against the twisted metal. In the back of his mind something was screaming "fill her with lead", but there wasn't any proof yet that she was an accomplice in her captives' crimes. "Are you alright? Do you know where you are?"

The girl looks between Rihko and Richard, studying each closely with strange eyes - she lacks pupils, or rather, they are nearly the same shade of blue as her irises. "Greetings," she says in a soft, quiet voice, looking down at her injured leg and bleeding stomach. "Diagnostics confirm no critical system damage. Current location is unknown. Do you know where we are?"

Rihko quietly growls again, her ears going back flat. She glances off in the direction that the truck drove away in, and then towards the building, wondering if Tanner were coming back; her massive hands grip the edge of the container and she moves back, giving the girl and Richard more room.

Richard's posture stiffens up, the closest match being when he was pointing his gun at Tanner on the ground. If Rihko looks at his good arm, she'll notice that its hand is clenched into a fist, the arm itself shaking as it holds the woman with icy eyes. "Rihko," he says quietly to her. It's obvious he's trying to keep his voice level. "Would you mind supporting the good madam here and holding my weapon? I think. I think I would like to have a talk with Tanner."

The girl seems bewildered by her surroundings, her stare falling to the remains of her former prison. After a long pause, a tear runs down one cheek, but she stays completely silent. At that moment Tanner - thus far unaware of the strange discovery - chooses to return, striding out through the door and as he announces, "I just got the cleanup team on the radio. They're on the way here to dispose of what's left. Are you two-" He spots the woman and freezes, a look of shock crossing his features for a moment before he raises his pistol, taking aim straight at her. "Get away from it! Now!"

Rihko turns her attention on Tanner, and bares her teeth at the man. She places herself firmly between him and the girl, then begins slowly advancing on him, glaring down at him and seeing a convenient place to focus her frustration with the night.

Refusing to do so, Richard purposefully starts to position himself between Tanner and the winged female. Watching Rihko do so as well, snarling at the agent, is almost enough to bring a grin to his face. Almost. "You have made me very cross Tanner. You have made Rihko very, very cross. I am going to give you only one piece of advice, and I'd advise you listen. Put down that weapon."

Tanner loses his nerve and starts taking hasty steps back, trying to keep the distance between himself and Rihko comfortable as he says, "You're making a huge mistake. You don't know what they can do..." Faced with the intimidating once-kitsune and the soldier behind her his confidence is finally wavering, and while he doesn't quite drop his weapon, he does lower it with a sigh. "I know when I'm beat. You guys can take it up with the cleanup team when they get here." Reckless, perhaps, but not quite suicidal.

"Yes, we can." Tanner's expression was one especially choice for Richard, having rapidly grown fed up with the man's purposeful vagueness. "Now, I'm going to ask you some questions, and I'd appreciate the most absolute, lack of vagueness honesty in your answers. Question one, where is your radio equipment?" There was something he was very keen on getting checked.

Rihko stops moving forward, but she continues to loom, staring at Tanner. After a few moments of that, she moves back to the girls side, gently bumping her cheek and then giving her a quick lick.

Tanner shrugs off his backpack and tosses it toward the trio. "Transciever's in there," he growls. "Go nuts." The girl looks surprised by Rihko's concern, and turns her attention toward the hulking kitsune. "Something is wrong," she announces, her voice calm despite her tears. "I believe I have lost something. Can you tell me why I am crying?"

Making sure to wait until Rihko's between Tanner and the woman, Richard approaches the bag before carefully crouching down to open it. At this point he wasn't necessarily willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He checks the settings of the gear first and foremost. The main, most important thing he searches for is just who or what is receiving the broadcasts from Tanner. If RSX, he would have some choice words to share about the agent to those on the other end of the line.

Tanner says, "I'm out of here. Enjoy your time with that thing while it lasts. I have one hell of a report to make." The radio he's given Richard is tuned to an RSX frequency, presumably that of the cleanup team en route.

Rihko slumps against the container and stares at the woman for a long moment, then glances back over her shoulder at Tanner. She gives the girl another bump with her nose, then begins collecting her own things from where they have fallen around the site.

"I would strongly urge you reconsider," Rich responds to him. Standing back up, the operative starts to take a few steps towards Tanner. "There's so much that we need to talk about, need to explain to the clean up team. It would be quite the shame if they only heard one half of the story, wouldn't you agree?"

Tanner is already making his way out of the lot on foot, eager to leave the huge mess he's largely responsible for behind him. "Fuck the cleanup team, they got my 'version' already," he calls back in parting. The girl climbs out of the coffin, unsteadily at first but with growing strength, and with nothing better to do begins silently following Rihko around.

Richard doesn't let Tanner walk off, at least not that easily. Every time Tanner tries to pick up his pace, Richard would increase his own to match. Should the fleeing agent attempt to run, or show signs of drawing his weapon, he would enter a full on sprint. There were many, MANY questions he had to ask the man, and he would be damned if he let them walk off with nary a consequence for his actions besides a busted up vehicle.

Tanner just keeps walking, making no attempt to actually get away from his pursuer, but leaving the lot behind for the desolate street beyond. Every step takes him further and further from the scene, Richard in tow.

Rihko flicks her ears and watches Richard for a moment. She digs in her bag, pulls a business card out, and passes it to the man; only slightly torn from her claws. Then she slings her bag over her shoulder and, while Tanner is distracted by Richard, gives the girl the 'Come on, this way' nod and slips off down the street.

Richard accepts the card whilst following Tanner, letting Rihko and the winged companion go on their own. After his talk with Tanner he'd have to report himself to HQ, both to let them know where he's been and what had happened here.

The winged female continues trailing Rihko, leaving the aftermath of the fierce battle behind. The fires on the truck only begin to die down after the kitsune's departure, leaving the lot as still and silent as the grave once again.