Dark*Matter: Discovery, The Chicago Ripper

[iwatt]

Larry doesn't take to kindly to Cade's bullying of the Doc, but there's no time to waste. "Settle down Cade. We'll get to Z in time, don't worry. Remember, we're the good guys, the ones with the white hats."

Turning to the rest of the team, he starts speaking. "We have two problems right now. One is finding Z before they use ehr for whatevr ritual they want. That's our number one priority. But we also will have to deal with the cops, given me and Diego left our prints all over a bombed out house, and you guys weren't exactly subtle with your wild car chase either. So we'll need to get into the coverup. So when you talk to the boss, see if they'll handle the coverup."

 

[kinem]

"Maybe the Institute knows of some magic way to find her" Diego says, knowing it's not likely they wouldn't have already tried. A Discern Location spell would sure come in handy now. Diego taps his head to try to rid it of such foolish thoughts.

"Or ... it seems to me that the cultists know a lot about us. That bomber knew we would come to that house; it's probably why they picked Ricky. I wonder how they knew.

Or ... we were monitoring their radio, right? Maybe we could figure out where the guy on the other end is. Like, faking a transmission from the cultists' van to get him to respond, then home in on him." Hey, that sounded smart ... or really stupid. I don't know a damn thing about this stuff.

 

[industrygothica]

"If 'Z' dies," Cade says simply enough as checks to see if the Institute was able to triangulate the cultist signal. "Then there's no such place on earth, Nick. No where, no how."

"If you think there's a chance to redeem your friend, to recover him, then you gotta know one thing," Cade as while connecto to OSIRS via his PDA. "It expires if 'Z' does, the moment it happens, if it happens...do you understand?"

Although Cade is not trying to intimidate Nick, his tone being calm, given the circumstances, his implication is obvious - 'Z' dies, Cliff dies, period.

Nick looks at Cade--almost through Cade as he finishes his statement. He starts to walk away, but then turns back and states simply, "Your simplicity is astounding." His face begins to redden as he continues, "After what we've witnessed, just in our few days in the know, you have the gall the make presumptions of something which you obviously know nothing. Tell me, just what makes you think that Cliff, a man to whom I would have once trusted my own daughter's life, is actually in control of what he is doing? Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but it is most definitely worth exploring before you go needlessly wasting brilliant lives because you want to get laid."

Nick turns and walks away without waiting for a response. He knows he may be out of line, but with the revelations as of late, and the new knowledge that he may have been right all along about Cliff, he can feel the walls closing in. He just needs time to think... alone.

 

[Friadoc]

oO He just doesn't get it Oo

"Really, Nick?" Cade says with a casual tone. "You think this has to do with libido?"

"Those sick bastards have a member of our house, our team, and you think it's about sex," shouts Cade as he turns his back on Nick, shaking his head, with a mutter to himself he checks on what resources they have available, with a few choice, vulgar words of disbelief.

oO Hate me all you want, if it's between them or us, I choose us, hands down Oo

"The radio idea might work, Diego," says Cade as he looks to the young man with a smile. With a glance to Meredith, Cade says, "Not from the van though, but from the apartment...did we catch the guy's name?"

Looking to Larry, Cade asks, "Think you can pull it off? You'd have to act really hurt, barely alive, that way you can drag it out if they try to confirm your identity."

OOC

Yeap, that's the plan, which would give people +2s to their rolls in executing it. Circumstance bonus.

On a side note, IG, nicely done. Bravo.

 

[iwatt]

Yeah Cade, you almost convinced me that you don't have the hots for Z. Not. The byplay between the Doc and Cade had the risk of splitting the team when they least needed it. Looking at both of them, the two of them the smartest men he'd met, Larry decided to step in. "For a couple of really smart guys, you two sure are dumb. Until we know exactly what the hell is going on, why don't we hold off on the execution plans. But Doc, if we decide the guy needs putting down, we'll do it. So let's just focus in getting as much info as we can right now."

Looking to Larry, Cade asks, "Think you can pull it off? You'd have to act really hurt, barely alive, that way you can drag it out if they try to confirm your identity."

Larry had seen a friend take a knife wound to the gut once. Juvee had been no walk in the park, so he knew exactly what sounds a seriously wounded man would make. " Me I'm... ough ... so thirsty .... it hurts...I'm so cold..." With a shake of his head, he abandons his act and continues. "Don't worry about it. You give me a good cover story, and I'll sell it."

 

[industrygothica]

Yeah Cade, you almost convinced me that you don't have the hots for Z. Not. The byplay between the Doc and Cade had the risk of splitting the team when they least needed it. Looking at both of them, the two of them the smartest men he'd met, Larry decided to step in. "For a couple of really smart guys, you two sure are dumb. Until we know exactly what the hell is going on, why don't we hold off on the execution plans. But Doc, if we decide the guy needs putting down, we'll do it. So let's just focus in getting as much info as we can right now."

Nick looks at Larry with the same, intent eyes. "Don't think for one second that I won't try to save him if he can be saved. But if it comes to it, if he needs putting down, I'll pull the trigger myself."

 

[Shayuri]

Meredith stares blankly at the spectacle, only half-seeing it. There's a discomfiting sensation in her head...the sound and feel of a car engine revving with no belt. Spinning faster and faster, but not GETTING anywhere. Then she feels something catch.

Returning to the instrument console in the van, she digs through the sheafs of printouts until she finds the map of the crimes so far.

"Hey guys. Do the ritual instructions specify that the sacrifices have to be done in particular place?"

 

[Falkus]

The rituals have yet to arrive in Chicago, it'll be another day before they get to the office.

Only one lead left to investigate. The apartment of Alan Dikaro.

Stanfield calls up almost immediately. He's not pleased at the situation, he's not pleased at all. One of his people is in enemy hand, an enemy with a habit of sacrificing its kidnapped victims you've discovered, and this doesn't make him happy.

"Do whatever it takes," he said, simply. "We'll take care of the clean up. Ryker thinks that whoever the cultists were talking to was outside of Chicago, but he can't pin down a location. I want you to go get Dikaro. Grab him, tear apart his apartment and bring him back here if he won't talk. Oh, and Harland's got some information for you about that plaster cast you brought in."

"It's a fiend," Harland said, coming onto the line. "In specific, the cast you brought me is of the arms of a Lesser Murdergaunt. Very, very nasty. It's arms are spears of bone, and it loves impaling people on them. Whoever your dealing with has access to some fairly potent summoning magic, given that they seem to be using it, rather than it being on a random murdering spree. Be careful. The last Murdergaunt the Institute encountered took out half a team of field agents before it could be killed."

 

[Friadoc]

"No worries, sir, we'll get 'Z', failure ain't an option," says Cade before turning a question to Harlan. "Any known weakness, Harlan?"

OOC Once Harlan shares a weakness, if any, and others inquiry info from them, Cade will move on to the following planning. OOC

"I guess we're breaking out the heavy gear," says Cade after listening to the briefing from the home office. "Load up people, we're taking both rigs, it'd take too long to switch over."

"I'm thinking we take the iron hand in a silk glove approach," says Cade via speakerphone over the cell phones, en route to Dikaro. "Send Larry and either Nick or Meredith to the door, under some casual pretext, and see if we can talk an entry into the apartment." With a pause as he turns, Cade adds, "The rest of us lay in wait, either to storm in if it works, or bust in if it fails."

 

[iwatt]

"Somebody will have to cover any possible escape routes, in case he makes a run for it. I vote for Diego; he's the fastest one of us. I'll take Meredith with me, she'll seem less threatening." All of the sudden he grins and adds, "Hey, we'll get to test your new gadget Cade. Let us know if he's alone or not."