The Tank
Many hours pass uneventfully.
Perhaps two hours before dawn
Diego returns slipping quietly into his cell. Shortly thereafter the vault door is opened again.
A tall man, is standing in the doorway. His large nose, prominent forehead, receding blood hairline and blue eyes give him a hawk-like mien. He has on a tattled duster and big cowboy boots.
Archer,
Biggs and
Cole know the man, their beasts squirm and shudder in his presence.
Diego feels a horrible terror at the sight of him, but manages to
keep a grip on himself. Beth does not, with a whimper she scampers to the back of her cell, plastering herself against the far wall.
LB, the Prince, clomps down the row of cells, looking each and every one of you over. His walk is slow, and his movements a have a gawky quality that bely his confident glare. As he passes you can see what look like bullet holes in the back of his jacket.
[sblock=Archer - Technophile]Small arms fire, from the accompanying burns on the edges some were at very close range. A quick whiff confirms a smell of gunpower.
He doesn't look like a man who got shot 8 times tonight, of course.[/sblock]
Evening sir, he says to
Cole.
Archer is greeted with a "
Gums".
He looks sourly at
Biggs but doesn't stop.
He stops in front of
Diego.
Don't be opening no doors that don't need opening son. You're in enough trouble already.
Finally he comes to rest in front of
Beth's cell. He stands there frowning for a minute as the young woman mindlessly claws against the concrete trying to get a way from him.
Finally, looking away from
Beth with a grunt he bellows
Come on in Giselle.
An attractive
red haired woman in a tight green dress slinks into the doorway.
Archer
succumbs to Rötschreck. He throws himself against the bars of his cell, squeezing an arm through clawing feverishly as if he could force his entire body through the impossibly small opening.
Giselle, favors the group with a bored look and a vague smile at
Cole. After a moment she mimes a yawn, makes a slow turn and strolls out of the tank.
Come on Blackie, haven't got all day!
A tiny woman, already known to most everyone, thuds into the room in her black leather jacket and combat boots. In addition to her scarred cheek, an chuck of ear missing she looks burned, recently at that.
Get 'em out of here and upstairs LB jerks a thumb at
Beth this one too. Then he squeezes down the tight corridor and out of the room.
Blackcoat moves down the room toward
Beth's cell.
Her enhanced senses pick up the sound of LB clomping up the stairs
he's gone she thinks, and her frenzy eases.
The sight of Blackcoat sets her beast off again, but even standing straight up Blackcoat is a head shorter than she, looking at the scars and black clothing make her think, improbably, a dog.
Some dark unpleasant part of her chuckles and
there is no frenzy..
For his part
Archer seems to have recovered himself now that
Giselle has disappeared.
[sblock=Archer - Auspex]You can hear LB upstairs.
You freaked out Gums beautiful. Best take off. It's getting late anyhow.
The knowledge that Giselle is leaving is enough to help you shake off Rötschreck.[/sblock]
Blackcoat silently lets the motley group out of their cells and you're led upstairs to the second floor.