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<Axis> A rooftop, somewhere.

<Axis> "Don't worry, Laz, we'll have help for this. Gotta rendez with the B-team."

• Axis shoots a glance at Zihiri.

<Lazlo> "Rendez, core, got it. Is it too late to unvolunteer?"

• Lazlo flips down his goggles and scans the sky for unwanted guests.
• Axis spits. "Well, there's always an easy way out, Laz. From here, I'd say a good running jump should do it. Make sure to land on your head."
• Lazlo frowns.

<Axis> "So, we got a doorway into this building, or are we just going to stand up here with our coats flapping dramatically in the wind?"

<Lazlo> "Oh, sorry, on the other side of that pylon. Key-pad code entry. Since I'm a fuckup I'll let you handle it."

• Axis rolls vir eyes.
• Lazlo slowly turns a knob on the side of his goggles, still scanning the sky.
• Axis strides over to the keypad, strokes it with a finger... and is sent flying backward in a cloud of sparks. Within the building, an alarm sounds
• Lazlo turns around in surprise, then busts up laughing.

<Lazlo> "Oh, wow, I'm glad I came along after all!"

• Lazlo goes completely still for a moment, then runs over and looks over the side of the building.

<Lazlo> "I think we've got about 45 seconds until we want to be somewhere else."

<Axis> "..fgg..."

• Lazlo flips up his goggles, runs over and drags Axis back behind the pylon.

<Lazlo> "You functional yet?"

<Lazlo> "Zi, shake a leg!"

• Lazlo stays crouched next to Axis and pulls out his scatter gun.
• Lazlo checks the ammo drum and wraps the shoulder strap firmly around his forearm.

<Zihiri> There is a high pitched whine and a snap, and Zihiri's full hacking display emerges from the tiny pad she slips from her pocket. "Jesus do I have to do everything around here? Cover me. Keep them busy."

<Lazlo> "I was hoping you'd be fast enough where that wouldn't be necessary.."

• Lazlo peeks out from behind the pylon.

<Axis> "...errybody stay calm..."

<Lazlo> *A grinding howl can be heard coming from over the side of the building, getting louder.

<Zihiri> "what, and ruin your fun? I know how much you love shooting shit."

• Axis is drooling slightly and has a vacant expression.
• Lazlo wipes sweat from his forehead.

<Lazlo> A large metallic two-pronged claw reaches up grasps the short wall running around the edge of the roof. Concrete crunches under its grip.

<Lazlo> "Shit shit Zi time to go!"

<Zihiri> "I told you to hold them off! Part of the wiring is fried!"

• Lazlo grabs Axis by the chin, checking his/her pupils.

<Lazlo> "Shit shit shit!"

<Axis> There's a faint glow in the pupils, a telltale glint which Lazlo knows too well. Wyrm.

• Bastille kicks open the doorway, proceeding to roll out full acrobatic style, her tall lanky athletic form quite graceful in the contained ball of motion
• Bastille rolls out, lays back down on the concrete, looking at the sky
• Lazlo jumps and swings his gun towards the door/rolling form.

<Axis> "... here come th' cavl'ry...."

<Bastille> "Preliminary security cicumvented."

• Bastille sighs

<Lazlo> With a screeching roar the Hunter pulls itself up over the roof, targeting beams scanning the rooftop.

<Zihiri> Sprawling on her ass, Zihiri panics for a moment as Bastille rolls past her. "Shit! Bast! Thank god, we have to jet."

<Axis> "hahahahahahah"

<Axis> "Hey Laz, Laz."

<Bastille> "What? I thought I tagged that?"

• Bastille is genuinely shocked

<Axis> "Look like you may gotta jump after all, Laz...."

• Bastille adjusts her glasses
• Lazlo looks at Axis with a panicked expression, then grabs one of his/her arms and starts dragging him/her into the doorway

<Zihiri> "Shoot it!"

• Bastille has guns, like lots of guns on her black vinyl tight fitting suit which manages to be less than attractive. She is reluctant to draw though.

<Lazlo> "Shoot it yourself! I'm getting the hell off this roof!"

<Bastille> "We can't beat it with a fire fight!"

• Lazlo disappears with Axis down the stairwell.
• Bastille rolls over to Zihiri, 'Whats plan B?'

<Axis> A targetting beam flags Axis' on the leg as s/he is dragged away.... but the Hunter passes over.

<Zihiri> "Back down the rabbit hole, c'mon." She waits for the beam to slide past again, then races through the doorway too."

<Axis> Down the stairwell and through a doorway, Lazlo find himself in a cubicle hell of an office building. A certain amount of blown about paper and general disruption suggests someone blew through here recently.

<Axis> A few office workers, already distrubed by Bastille's sortie, look suprised at the motley crew now emerging.

<Lazlo> There's a low whir which quickly speeds up to a screaming whine as the turret on the Hungters back starts spraying the rooftop with lead. Chips of concrete fly everywhere.

• Bastille follows Zihiri readily, with well practiced movements
• Axis is leabing heavily into Lazlo, still not able to walk unassisted yet.

<Axis> the sound of whittling gunfire causes some shocked gasps, as many people get out form their cubicles and crane around to see.

• Lazlo starts looking around for a copy machine.

<Axis> The gunfire subsides, and is replaced by an ominous clanking as the Hunter gives pursuit.

<Bastille> "Do we have a leak? How did they know?"

• Bastille spits
• Lazlo spots a biggun and hauls Axis over to it.

<Zihiri> "Probably the same leak that caused the Insertion to miss the target by half a Tess"

<Lazlo> "Give me a second, Axis got hit with wyrm. Gonna try a trick I heard about."

• Axis grips the copy machine gratefully, like an old friend.

<Lazlo> "That's it, look at the pretty glass. Put your face right on it, nice and cool."

<Axis> The door to the floor bulges outwards.

<Axis> CLANG

• Lazlo squishes Axis' face down onto the glass with the lid and hits the copy button.

<Lazlo> There's a bright flash of light directly into Axis' retinas, stunning the wyrm and buying a little time.

• Axis springs back from the light of the machine.

<Axis> "....shit.. fucking neurhax..."

• Axis blinks.

<Bastille> "Maybe its the wyrm. Maybe its time we lost a member."

• Bastille eyes Axis

<Axis> CLANG. The door bulges outward again, and the hignes start to give way. One more blow will do it.

• Lazlo shoves the barrel of his tactical shotgun towards Bastille.

<Lazlo> "Back off! We got bigger problems!"

<Axis> "Through the window, through the fucking window! Right the fuck now!"

• Bastille is not afraid. She is armed to the teeth and tougher than nails! 'Oh?'
• Axis sets off at full sprint for the nearest plate glass window.

<Zihiri> Ever-prepared, Zihiri races to the window. "Break it, I've got this."

• Lazlo flips down his goggles, looks back once toward the stairwell as bullets start ripping into the office, and sprints toward the giant window.

<Axis> "SOME FUCKER SHOOT THIS THING!"

• Lazlo blasts the window with his shotgun on the run.

<Axis> "STOP COMPARING GUNS AND FUCKING USE THEM!"

<Axis> The window, duly weakened, gives way easily under Axis' full dive.

• Lazlo takes a header out the window behind Axis.
• Zihiri pulls a clip from her belt, and shoots through the hole before diving through the window, trusting in the grappling hook to catch onto the nearest roof before she hits thr ground. "Grab on you, idiots!"

<Axis> Axis puts out either hand, and concentrates.... and slows his descent just enough that Zi catches up to hir.

<Axis> The air warps slightly in a wave as Axis grabs Zi round the middle.

• Lazlo looks back as he passes Axis and realizes his mistake.
• Axis looks down for Lazlo, and sees him tumbling down ahead. "SHIT!"

<Axis> "ZI! WE GOTTA FUZZ THE VARS! DOUBLE LOCAL G!"

• Axis pulls one gloved hand right upp to Zi's forehead.

<Axis> "READY?"

<Zihiri> "You sure we don't need one less crew?" she grimaces. "Ready!"

<Axis> Suddenly, Axis and Zi PLUNGE downward.....

<Axis> "FUUUUUUUUCKK YOUUUU ISAAAAAC NEWWWWTON!"

• Lazlo keeps trying to control his descent but is all tangle up in his shotgun strap.

<Zihiri> "OH GOD WHY DID YOU ASSHOLES HAVE TO JUMP BEFORE I SET UP THE DAMN ZIP LINE"

<Axis> Axis and Zi full on smack straight into Lazlo, grapple line trailing after them

<Axis> "LEVEL IT OUT! LAZLO GRAB ON IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!"

• Lazlo wraps every limb he can around the pair.

<Axis> Acceleration due to gravity returns to the expected value.

<Axis> "WINCH IN THE EVERCUNTING LINE!"

• Bastille stops to give the other time to escape, her other emergency plan still at the ready
• Bastille draws her guns on thing in a blur of time-tried motion

<Axis> T He? Hunter regards Bastille with some sort of machine equivalent of surprise, then opens fire...

• Bastille 's other emergency plan involves planted explosives

<Axis> Below, Axis looks up as a large explosion rips through the top floor of the building they hastily exited.

• Bastille dodges but can't quite escape, getting torn up in the process and finally landing behind a few walls and a desk. She is heaving next to a frightened young clerk and bleeding everywhere.

<Axis> "Oh the fuck."

<Axis> The zip line finally catches, and everyone gets horrendous wiplash as they are suddenly jerked upwards toward the roof of the building opposite, no more than ten feet from the ground....

• Bastille wipes the debris from her glasses, 'I really need to code these out of my avatar someday...'

<Axis> The clerk gives Bastille a vacant look, then suddenly convulses...

• Bastille shoots the clerk in the face

<Bastille> "Seriously?"

• Bastille discards her empty guns and draws two more

<Axis> More pained noises are coming from around the floor....

• Bastille looks for duct B, her escape plan. A long chute going down many floors. Alas, its quite a ways away.

<Bastille> "Oh my."

• Bastille takes a deep breath. She runs for it.
• Bastille sets off the planted explosives as she goes

<Axis> Around her, bodies rip and take on strange new forms.... gunfire chatters through the cubicles.... and then the shockwave passes over her as she makes a despairing dive for duct B...

• Bastille is blasted by the wave into the chute, but is knocked out, and slides down limply

<Axis> "Fuck knows if Bast made it out.... gnnnargh! Fucking Wyrm's gonna.... nyarrr..."

<Axis> The three of them are hanging in a sort of group hug, dangling offf the side of the opposite building. Axis' grip starts to lessen.

• Bastille falls into a whirring fan, breaking it and injurying her more... will she survive?