+++++INVALID SIGNALLING CODE

+++++INVALID USER

+++++INVALID SOURCE

+++++WARNING: SYSTEM INTEGRITY COMPRIMISED

>>>>>[Heh. We drew straws ta see who'd get ta make this post. Everyone misses the 'board, it seems. But I won. So fer all you out there who give a frag, sit tight. See what we got in Chi-town.

I'm s'posin' it'd be a good idea ta fill y'all in a bit, seein' as how
we been quiet these past few weeks. Well, 'bout halfway thru the ol'
spook's briefin', Bedlam reconsidered his disagreement 'bout bringin'
along extra muscle. I think it was the bit 'bout magically active
folks lookin' like ten-course meals ta the bugs that really got him
thinkin' maybe we might like some back-up. Anyway, he had me import
Kim. And Kim, bein' the oaf he is, decided he needed ta bring his
buddy. So we added a coupla trolls to our team.

Oh, and afore I forget. This here was done with Kim's new eyes. I'm
only sorry y'all had ta be witness to it's crudeness. He ain't quite
got the hang of keepin' his head still.

+++++INCLUDE: Chicago.05-31-56.video

Smoke fills a city street as the initial images roll past. The
camera's motion is jerky -- almost vertigo-inducing -- but the
cityscape you see is not unfamiliar. It looks like nearly any other
barrens you have had the pleasure of avoiding -- littered with trash
from years long past, scarred with the aftereffects of frequent
gunfights and occassional automobile accidents. The same sense that
eyes peer from behind boarded windows draws your gaze to hunt out
shadows in doorways. Fortunately, the camera seems inclined to do the
same, though the jerking change seems less inclined toward careful
examination.

A rough voice breaks in over the silence. "Nice entrance, huh? The
UCAS boys weren't real partial to the idea of a Banshee loose in the
CZ, so they went and took the thang away from us. Told us they'd drop
a van in for us instead. So we hopped into a box and let 'em drop us.
The box had smoke charges on the outside, and when they went, the
bolts blew. Left us with a clear street. Almost."

It is at this moment that you see the first sign of activity in the
streets. The randomly panning camera freezes on a figure darting from
one burned-out wreck to another, nearly a hundred meters down the
street. The voice continues its narration.

"OK, now, keep yer eyes left. That's Bedlam, already looking for his
first interrogation. And as soon as he breaks, you'll see TopCat if
yer watchin' real close."

A dark figure slides past the outside edge of the camera almost as
soon as the voice quiets, and quickly blends into the shadows. Only an
instant later, you see a blur on the other side of the street. It
hesitates long enough for you to ascertain that it's one monster elf
with whiskers protruding from his face before ducking into an
alleyway.

A gun barrel, which an expert would recognize as the assault-rifle
configuration of a Steyr AUG-CSL, rises up before the camera, and
loadout information and ranges appear on the left and right of the
display. A crosshairs is painted across the vehicle the distant shadow
is presumably now behind.

"What a team, eh?" the voice continues. "Not even a hint of serious
threat, and already they're jostling for position to kill."

At that moment a line of bullets stitches the tarmac in front of the
camera. This is immediately followed by a jouncing motion and rapid
pans searching for the source of the gunfire. A car looms ahead for a
moment, then fills the lower field of view as the cameraman peers
across the hood. The crosshairs again draw in on the car down the
street, range marked 96.25m. The ammo readout does a quick flip as the
weapon system changes, and the crosshairs realign. Trails of exhaust
mark the arc of two grenades flying away in rapid sequence.

"Well, I could say a lot of bad things about that. I mean, our stealth
points dropped dramatically the moment that trigger was pulled. But it
turns out for the better."

Two twin flashes shred the targeted car as bullet holes begin
stitching cars in the immediate vicinity. The camera swings to the
left, where two figures huddle, one troll-sized and wrapped in black,
the other a human, both looking a little nervously back. The camera
dips in a nod, and the troll stands as the camera lurches unsteadily
upwards. The targeting indicators switch again, and muzzle flash
momentarily throws its glare across the screen, whitewashing an image
of multiple forms crouched in firing stance. The rangefinder indicates
a 102.6m distance to the nearest. The camera dips again, lowering to
peer across the hood. The crouching figures almost immediately rise
and fan out, seeking cover behind wrecked vehicles. For the first
time, it becomes clear that the aggressors are wearing some kind of
uniforms, mostly grey in color, with splashes of black insignia. Four
of these uniformed men fall en route, the bodies falling at an angle
that suggests attack from behind.

"Would ya look at that? Surrounded 'em in nothin' flat. Now watch
their response. These boys have been trained, it's clear, but not
well."

The surviving figures, as another drops, quickly head for a car. One
gestures, indicating both parties near the camera and also two alley
mouths, presumably where the other shots came from.

"Now that guy's got us figured out. And he decides ta hunker down. But
bad choice of hidin' spots. Watch this."

While four gunmen provide suppression fire, the small group (now 6)
moves toward a doorway. Upon reaching their objective, they vanish
into the pools of shadow. The camera flicks between the two alleyways
and the door, and soon, TopCat emerges from the one on the same side
of the street as the doorway. Before he even reaches it, however, you
see multiple flashes illuminate the doorway, and a fine spray of
pellets grays the air for a moment. A second later, a troll steps out
and grins, a smoking HK-CAW shotgun in his enormous paw. His
bedraggled clothes are those of a barrens dweller, and his stature
significant.

"So ya see, it don't pay ta frag the locals too often. Our friend here
told us all about these guys. Real drekheads. They swoop in on air
drops like vultures, shootin' the hell outta the local kids, then
bugger off to their little breeder enclave where they eat like kings.
But wait. The best part's still comin'."

The camera rises, and the big troll waves, a grin stretching his face
in unlikely directions. Meanwhile, TopCat visibly relaxes, lowering
his pistol, as another elf emerges from the other alley, eating a
sandwich. This new figure lopes across the street as he finishes his
snack, glancing around warily. As he gets about halfway across the
street, a car zips around a corner about five blocks away. It heads
toward the gathering for a moment, then pulls a quick bootlegger's
turn and begins speeding away. Moments later a van emerges from the
same cross-street, turning to follow the retreating car.

"Yep, you guessed it. There goes our car. And our extra ammo, extra
food, and our radio gear. Made me wanna cry. It really did."

+++++END FILE

Heh. And you all thought you had it rough.

-- Jolly Roger]
        -- JohnnyM (BugKiller/SatteliteHacker)

***** Private: Kor
>>>>>[Jeeze, Kor, just go by my style, I've got a checks so I must
have money.  Oh, whoops, I don't have any checks.  Damn electronic
money....

Condors?  <shudder>  Overpriced targets.  Maybe I can find something
to do with them.... Gated residential or something, won't guarantee
the condition they'll be in when you get 'em back, though....

Waitasec - the Skimmers are fibered?  Honto?  This I gotta see...

But the dobbies, Kabuki Man is already drooling. Says they've got a
bad rap, but any good tech can make them into the best drones money
can buy.

Life _was_ more dangerous?  Um... okay.  I won't ask.]<<<<<
        -- Freddy Frypp (14:07:44 / 06-14-56)
           Presidente
           Frypp Security, Inc. (CFSM Uplink #5150)

*****PRIVATE: Ryuga
>>>>>[Sir, you offered your help in the hunt for Teutone Bleu... And we need
it now! We have surrounded him in the abandoned industrial area at
>>encrypted<< but he has proven powerful beyond our expectations. We have
lost all our magical support, and I am losing my men to his spells.

We need your help!]<<<<<
        -- Col Ernesto Gutierrez (04:23:34/06-15-56)

>>>>>[+++++ BEGIN VIDEO:

Another drone vidfeed. This time the drone is loitering above an
abandoned industrial park.

+++++ COMMENT: Ok, Ryuga, I'm at the coordinates you said... I'm
waiting for ya.... where are ya?  Well, it's your money I'm burning
up here.
+++++ RESUME

Whooooshhh! The drone tumbles and somersaults as a huge form barrels past
it.

Ryuga.

+++++ COMMENT: Ah, there you are.
+++++ RESUME

The drone accelerates to follow the speeding dracoform. Eventually, it
overtakes him and flies over to get a good view of the dragon's objective, a
collumn of smoke in the distance.

Zoom function kicks in, revealing the situation at ground level. Two figures
are standing in the middle of an area of blasted earth and burnt cars.
Dozens of bodies in urban camouflage combat armour are lying about the
area. Several fires are burning.

+++++ COMMENT: Well, whoop de doo...those guys look like the Condors,
or what's left of them...
+++++ RESUME

The image resolves to show clearly that the two figures are Brimstone and
Teutone Bleu. Teutone looks up to the onrushing Dracoform and smiles.

The dragon coils around itself, floating in the air some 100 meters away from
the scene of devastation. You can see now some of the surviving condors,
still shooting at Teutone ineffectually.

+++++ COMMENT: Ryuga seems to be saying something... can't hear dragon
speech with electronics, but ole TT seems quite amused...
+++++ RESUME

Teutone says something, and the Dragon's hackles visibly rise. The Dragon
roars and charges towards the mage and his ally.

Suddenly, as the dragon flies down between two buildings, several things
happen at once.

Explosive charges go off at the side of the buildings, and a two huge metallic
nets intersect Ryuga's flight path precisely. Heavy machine gun fire breaks
out, and you see a cloud of red mist spread along the dragon's path.

A heavy APC bursts out from camouflage at the base of the building and opens
fire. Several of the prone figures roll over, get up, and begin to fire at
the dracoform.

One or two spray towards the drone, trying to keep it back.  The
drone snaps through a couple of acrobatic moves and lines up on them,
minigun fire pushing them back.

The dragon twists and turns in the air desperately trying to avoid the
tracers. Several shimmering figures appear in the air around the dracoform.
Spirits, attempting to break through the dragon's defenses.

Suddenly the dragon seems to roll up into a ball... and get smaller...
the nets fall to the ground and a humanoid figure bursts out from under them
at an amazing speed. The figure is clutching at his side, and a blue light
from his hand covers the spreading redness underneath.

The figure (Ryuga in his elven form) darts towards the protection of one of
the buildings. Several condors attempt to intercept him, at speeds comparable
to his own. The dragon lifts his arm as he runs and a sheet of flame pours
out of his hand.  The nearest condor is washed over by the flames and
shrieks in pain as the fire burns his skin. He falls in a smouldering heap
accross Ryuga's path. The other two, however, are visibly shielded from
the blast, and rush to the attack shouting 'Aztlaaaaaan'.

The drone tries to catch up, firing at the Azzies, tracer caruming
wildly off of them.

As they intersect at an added velocity of nearly 100Km/h, Ryuga lashes out with
one arm, neatly beheading one of the men. The other man slips under Ryuga's
defense and cuts a deep gash in his leg using his glittering dikoted spurs.
The headless body continues running several meters and rolls to a halt.
The survivor stops himself by jumping feet first against a wall and
backflipping to the ground.

A combat drone strafes the ground around Ryuga, forcing him to seek cover
against a wall. The dragon makes a complex gesture, before
Rumormonger's drone can intercept, and it begins to spiral out of
control, smoke puffing out of it's side.

Under heavy fire from the condor footsoldiers, Ryuga retreats into a door
in the abandoned building.

The azzies stop advancing, as if they expected something.  A high
pitched electric whine drowns out any other sound.

+++++ COMMENT:  I knew I should have topped off the ammo bins on one-
oh-two.  The dragon said I wouldn't need it, but I figured, hey,
they're milspec, better drag the firepower with....
+++++ RESUME

Suddenly, the building Ryuga entered trembles, as the sound of several
explosive charges going off spreads out from the building's basement.

The azzies begin to cheer as the building collapses lifting huge clouds of
dust.

As the dust settles, Teutone and Brimstone advance towards the wreckage.
In a loud, resounding voice Teutone says 'Get ready! He's not dead yet!
I can feel his life force beneath the rubble'

As he says this, there is a sudden rumbling sound and the rubble of the
building explodes outwards as Ryuga in his true form surges
out from under the collapsed building.

'NOW!' Shouts Teutone.

As the dragon rises into the air, his belly becomes peppered with dozens of
blue feathered darts the size of a man's fist fired from the APC's coaxial
cannon. The dragon convulses in the air, tries to gain height, and finally
comes crashing down into the ground. Scattering the azzies before him.

The camera zooms into Ryuga's face. The dragon's eyes are moving... He seems
to be conscious. He looks furiously at Teutone and Brimstone as they approach.
Teutone laughs happily. 'Oh what a wonderful day it is, isn't it Ryuga?'

'Oops, but you can't talk, can you? Isn't it remarkable the way the aztlan
goverment stocks so much of a chemical designed specifically to render a
dragon paralized but conscious? Truly fascinating' He says.

'Don't bother attempting any magicks either... The drug also takes care of
that. You'll be helpless as a baby until I decide what to do with you'

'And I have plans, oh yes I do', he says, grinning madly.

The Dragon moves his lips with difficulty...
'RRRRRRR....NTTTTT....TEEEEEUTTNNNNN....' he rumbles.
He seems to be snarling... although if he didn't have so many sharp
teeth, it could concievably be considered a grin...

'Well, it seems he needs another shot or two to keep him really quiet.
Yes, I am not Teutone. That poor fool has been a great aid to my plans,
however. I must remember to thank him sometime' As he says this, his
face melts and fluctuates changing from Teutone Bleu's to another,
completely different visage. The man's new face is that of a dark skinned,
handsome man in his late forties with a small mustache.

The man takes a bow 'Enrique Vargas, at your service. Aztechnology wage
mage par excellance, and amateur dragon hunter' He titters.

A smaller, older man wearing the condor's armour approaches Vargas
'We should be going' He says, with a scowl in his face.

'Yes, quite true, quite true colonel. Load him up, and let us depart from
this place... but first, 'Brimstone'? He says, looking towards the spirit.

'Yes, Vargas?' Says Brimstone.

'Could you please take care of that annoying drone and it's owner?'

+++++ COMMENT: Oh FRAG!
+++++ RESUME

The drone stops loitering and accelerates to flee as Brimstone rises up
into the air in pursuit.

The drone jinks and bobs, darting around buildings.  Fireballs and
lightning seer past, trying to force the drone into a building.  It
drops to just above the cars jammed in Seattle traffic and makes for
Puget Sound.

The cameras spin back and the spirit is still there, his flaming
motorcycle in close pursuit.

The drone passes into the Sound, a rooster tail spraying back, over
the spirit.

The cameras spin back again. The spirit it no longer visible

+++++COMMENT: I don't like the look of this...
+++++RESUME

Suddenly Brimstone's transparent form appears emerging from the waters.
The skeleton extends a fiery hand that clamps around the drones
struts. The engines whine with the strain of trying to break free.
The machine gun whirrs to point at the spirit, but Brimstone is too
close and he easily catches it with his free hand.

The spirit's motorbike drops and dissolves in the air. Brimstone hoists
himself up by his handholds until his fiery skull covers the entire
screen. He begins to speak:

'Rumormonger, you know I do not need to play with this puny toy to
find you, don't you? Remember the gift I gave you?' With this, the
spirit dissapears into thin air.

-END VIDEO-

Ohshitohshitohshit... I gotta getouttahere.... I figured I better post the
vid like _now_ so that I ca

+++++TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED AT SOURCE+++++    ]<<<<<
        -- Rumormonger (Always / Tuned-In)

*****PRIVATE: Vargas
>>>>>[What the hell is the meaning of this Enrique? What has the dragon
ever done to you? This is not why we brought the Condors in...

Wha? Tehuactlipoc? No! Let goa$^$#&#YEY^U^&*^$(OF

+++++TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED AT SOURCE+++++  ]<<<<<
        -- M. Executor (05:25:32/06-15-56)

>>>>>[     +++BEGIN NEWS TAP:

+++IMAGE: You see the face of a non-descript TV Anchor.

"...and in bussiness news tonight, Farrleton Machinery based in Carbondale
has a
new President and Chairmen of the Board. Nickolai Cherlenko, a russian and
represenative of Vathor Technolgies, came into a stock holders meeting
today representing fourty-percent of the Farrleton stock.

+++IMAGE: A tall russian about 6' tall. Red hair, dark eyes, and a very
expensive
London suit.

"Cherlenko also had one-percent of the stock on his side added to the vote by
Micheal Farrleton the union president at Carbondale and grandson of the
founder of Farrleton Machinery. Farrleton stated that his union would not
tolerate the assualt on a young child carried out by CEO John Riglia.

"The young woman in question is one Natasha O'Graide a seven-year-old
elf metatype who owns five-percent of the Farrleton stock. Her interest was
represented by her uncle who declined to be named. O'Gradie's stock combined
with the union stock helped Cherlenko to win a vote 45to 46
herlenko
immediatly replaced Riglia and ordered a man-hunt for the missing CEO.

+++END NEWS TAP:]<<<<<
        -- SIU NEWS SERVICE (07:12:34 / 06-15-56)
.

*****PRIVATE: The Renegade, F. L., Commander Adama
>>>>>[As you have seen from the video posted by one Rumormonger; Ryuga has
been captured by Aztechnology.
Renegade, Adama; your mission is this:  prepare a retaliation for this
outrage, preferably a remote, but important Aztechnology installation.  I
want as few casualities as possible.  Plus, do it in such a way that the
Azzies realize that it is us doing it, but not so obvious that they
immediately go to the Corp. Court, and ask for an Omega Order.

F.L., your mission is this; gather as much evidence as possible against
Aztechnology.  We will need it to show that we have great enough reason to
start a Corp War with Aztechnology.]<<<<<
          -- Edmond Ryaka (07:00:30 PDT/ 06:15:56)
             Acting CEO, and Overall Security Chief
             Ryaka Science and Tech

*****PRIVATE: Edmond Ryaka
>>>>>[Sir, what are YOU going to do?]<<<<<
          --The Renegade (--:--:--/ --:--:--)

*****PRIVATE: F.L., The Renegade, Commander Adama
>>>>>[I am going to prepare our defenses for the possibility of retaliation
from Aztechnology.]<<<<<
          --Edmond Ryaka (07:05:30 PDT/ 06:15:56)
            Acting CEO, and Overall Security Chief
            Ryaka Science and Tech

***** Private: GoD
>>>>>[From the current postings I guess you all ready know what
this is about.  Here is the info you requested, uncle or not I'm
not going back in there.
 +++++ Include Conr.Fil
 +++++ Include Vargaz.Doss
 +++++ Include Assest.fil

I got that one right out of the Vault. It seems that azz is
aware of the teams location and are privy to the actual mission
but not this deal with the dragon, what's this Awakened taco up
to?]<<<<<
        -- Riddler <Riddle me This...>

*****PRIVATE: Eduardo Montes
>>>>>[What is that damn mage think he is doing? Attacking and capturing
the CEO of a corporation, even if he is a Dragon, is something that
we cannot condone. Burning a few orks is no big deal, they are expendable.
But the dragon is another matter altogether. His servants have begun to
bare their teeth almost immediately, threatening all kinds of mayhem...
It is obvious that they are acting with specific instructions, according
to a readily made contingency plan.

Have you been able to raise the condors?]<<<<<
        -- Jose Sanchez (12:23:56/06-15-56)

*****PRIVATE: Jose Sanchez
>>>>>[It was totally unexpected sir! One moment he was looking for Teutone
Bleu, and the next we have this, this... incident.

I have not been able to contact the condors. They seem to have dissapeared
into the barrens. But in any case, do we really have that much to fear
from Ryaka?]<<<<<
        -- Eduardo Montes (12:25:34/06-15-56)

*****PRIVATE: Eduardo Montes
>>>>>[Are you braindead? Of course Aztechnology can defeat Ryaka...But think
of the cost, the resources wasted. And what are the other megacorps going
to do meanwhile? Sit by and clap?

Think about what happens when the smoke clears. The accounts are checked, the
losses totalled, and the blame is apportioned. On who? On us, that's who.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather be a spectator of the games than a
participant. We must make clear to Ryaka that we consider Vargas a
renegade. He has outlived his usefulness anyway. We can use his notes
and experimental data, plus the information from the surveillance he's been
under for the last few years to reproduce his results.]<<<<<
        -- Jose Sanchez (12:34:23/06-15-56)

*****PRIVATE: Jose Sanchez
>>>>>[Very well, I will try to contact the condors once more. It it unlike
Col. Gutierrez to commit himself to such a foolhardy action, surely he
could see the consecuences?

On a related note, Dermody apparently has been abducted from her office.
We got this from the security camera:

+++++INCLUDE VIDEO

You see an office through the fisheye lens of a wall mounted security camera.
The main focus is on an attractive blonde woman sitting in front of a desk. A
fiber optic cable snakes down from her neck to the computer before her,
and her face shows intense concentration. From the way the shadows dance
behind her you guess she is watching a vid.

'Dammit Enrique, why?' She says.

She punches a few buttons on the keyboard and adopts the familiar
expression of someone who is writing through a datajack.

Suddenly a strangely attired figure materializes walking towards her.
From the camera's vantage point, it appears to be wearing some kind
of elaborate Aztec warrior headdress. The woman looks up as the figure
enters, seemingly unafraid. She has obviously seen this entity before.

'Tehuactlipoc..? Wha...?' Suddenly the aztec warrior reaches out and pulls
the fiber optic connection violently, sending the terminal crashing to the
ground. The woman lifts her hand and fires several shots from her
brazelet/gun, then rolls backward and jumps for a wooden cabinet by the
wall. As she is taking out a large shotgun from the cabinet the spirit
'blinks' from place to place, appearing beside her and ramming her head
against a wall.

The woman goes limp.

-end vid-

Wasn't she the one who started it all? I wonder what the hell Vargas is up
to]<<<<<
        -- Eduardo Montes (12:36:34/05-15-56)

*****PRIVATE: Eduardo Montes
>>>>>[Yes, she was an old acquaintance of Vargas's... I think she got more
than she bargained for when she asked for his help in her little vengeance
scheme...

Very well, I will

+++++TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED AT SOURCE       ]<<<<<
        -- Jose Sanchez (12:38:12/06-15-56)

*****PRIVATE: Jose Sanchez
>>>>>[Hello? What's going on? Are you there?]<<<<<
        -- Eduardo Montes (12:40:23/06-15-56)

*****PRIVATE: Eduardo Montes
>>>>>[I am here. It was an automatic cut out - a security feature in case
of fire. I can see it from here. Apparently someone has firebombed our
Genetech R&D lab... It makes sense they would strike here and not in the
piramid... too heavily defended]<<<<<
        -- Jose Sanchez (12:45:12/06-15-56)

*****PRIVATE: Jose Sanchez
>>>>>[Do you figure it was the dragon's minions?]<<<<<
        -- Eduardo Montes (12:46:23/06-15-56)

*****PRIVATE: Eduardo Montes
>>>>>[Who else? We must increase security. Make no retaliation unless there
is an escalation. We must control this while we can.

I will send private messages to the current CEO of Ryaka to try and soften
him up. If we can give 'em Vargas it should be all right... Damn, I hope
that fool isn't going to do something stupid with the dragon...]<<<<<
        -- Jose Sanchez (12:48:46/06-15-56)

>>>>>[This is your Action News Reporter, Steven Stalker.  I am here live in
the area surrounding a satellite Aztechnology complex.  Today, unknown forces
attacked this installation by surprise using F-117 Stealth fighters, Harrier
Jump Jets, Federated-Boeing Eagles, and GMC Banshees.  The attackers
destroyed one building completely, lightly damaged three other buildings, and
disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.
  As of this time total security casualties have not been released, but we do
know that, surprisingly, only THREE non-security personnel were killed.  We
will pass on more information as it comes available.

  In an unrelated story, the CEO of Ryaka Science and Tech is missing.  We do
not know how, why, or who is responsible at this time.  With the public
highly supportive of Ryaka Science and Tech; the person(s) responsible may
have a VERY difficult road ahead of them.  We will report on this as
information comes available.  this has been Steven Stalker for KTAN
News.]<<<<<
        --KTAN News Agency  (05:00:30 GMT/ 16-Jun-56)

>>>>>[Three guesses for the identity of KTAN news agency's backers - and
the first two don't count, ladies and gentlemen.]<<<<<
        -- Nosee Parker (08:23:34:12/06-16-56)

***** Private: Griffyn
>>>>>[So hwat do we do? Apparently he's played his Trump. What now?]<<<<<
        -- GoD < 10:37 / 06/16/56 >

***** PRIVATE: GoD
>>>>>[  I dunno, man.. I'm almost willing to let the fragger rot in whatever
hole the Azzies decided to drop him in.  What do you suggest?  ]<<<<<
        -- Griffyn < 14:03:16/6-16-56 >

>>>>>[Nosee, KTAN's backers happen to be Katana Industrials.]<<<<<
          --Buzz (The one the Only...Human Bee in the Matrix)

*****PRIVATE:  Zactof
>>>>>[ It is, as it has always been, up to her.  We believe that she
is one of us, and should be treated as such -- this unfortunately means
that her current location is not the best for what we can do for her.

When she wakes, give her our greetings. ]<<<<<
        --  OS^2 (22:15:30/6-16-56)

>>>>>[ Spotter Macros, what's his status? ]<<<<<
        --  Xopipo (22:30:00/6-16-56)

>>>>>[ Give us three more days at least.  A week would be best, he hasn't
gotten in any work. ]<<<<<
        --  Spotter Macros (22:35:30/6-16-56)

>>>>>[ But he's recovered? ]<<<<<
        --  Xopipo (22:40:00/6-16-56)

>>>>>[ For the most part.  Psych profile indicates negligible vengance
index, but he _does_ want to do a job soon. ]<<<<<
        --  Spotter Macros (22:45:00/6-16-56)

>>>>>[ Good.  We have one for him. ]<<<<<
        --  Xopipo (22:50:30/6-16-56)

>>>>>[ I thought you might.  Anybody we might have heard of? ]<<<<<
        --  Spotter Macros (22:55:30/6-16-56)

>>>>>[ Renegades.  Tell you later. ]<<<<<
        --  Xopipo (23:00:00/6-16-56)

>>>>>[ Oh, _joy_. ]<<<<<
        --  Macros the Black (23:30:00/6-16-56)

>>>>>[Hey all out there, I cover for a local news station around here and I
came across this scene today.  I thought that you might be interested in
checking this out.  So, for all your viewing enjoyment, here you are . . .

+++++INCLUDE: video-feed.upload

The scene slowly fades from black to a picture of a smoking mass of ruble.
It appears to have been a building once upon a time.  According to the sign
that is still standing about 50 feet away, it was a bar only a few minutes
ago.  Now, however, only one wall is standing and it is a blackened and
burnt mess.  Several emergency vehicles are parked in a half-circle around
what used to be the entrance to the building and firefighters are putting
out what little of the fire is left while Lone Star officers are pulling
large blackened corpses from the rubble.  The surrounding buildings have
large scorch marks going up their walls and most windows in the surrounding
area are shattered inward.  Across the sidewalk, approximately 50 body bags
have been laid out and over half of them are full now and it doesn't
look like there will be any trouble filling the rest.

A female news correspondent break the silence.  "Only 20 minutes ago this
evening, the Red Martinelli, which is known to cater to trolls more than any
other, was stuffed full in the usual evening rush for some beer, wine, and
fun.  However, according to witnesses, approximately 15 minutes ago, this bar
blew apart into a massive fireball.  So far, no survivors have been found.
This is WGNA correspondent Donna Shirfield reporting.  Stay tuned for the
latest news, weather, and sports.  Back to you Tim . . ."

+++++End of video feed

You guys got any ideas what happened, drop me a line.
Until later . . .]<<<<<
        --  Been-there-seen-that <14:30:25/06-17-56>

>>>>>[ Report. ]<<<<<
        --  Xopipo (7:00:00/6-18-56)

>>>>>[ My, aren't we in command mode this morning.  We did some minor work
last night.  Firing accuracy: 100m, 98.9; 250m, 97.2; 500m, 96.8; 1,000m,
95.6We also did one firing at each of 1500, 1750, 2000, and 2500 metres;
except for the 2000 metre firing, shots were fatal withing five minutes.

I intend on having him do some spell work this morning.  I doubt he's up to
full, but we'll see.  He's surprised us in the past, particularly after the
Cayman Islands debacle in '52.  I don't think we've had a more successful
Class XII subject, personal interaction aside. ]<<<<<
        --  Spotter Macros (7:02:15/6-18-56)

>>>>>[ All right.  I'll call you on Wednesday or Thursday.  Have him ready
to head out.  Seattle. ]<<<<<
        --  Xopipo (7:04:50/6-18-56)

>>>>>[ Yes, sir. ]<<<<<
        --  Spotter Macros (7:05:20/6-18-56)

>>>>>[Guess what guys.  It happened again.  Two days in a row now.
Here's the news feed that I got . . .

+++++Include:  video-feed.data

The wail of emergency sirens can be heard in the background as a young
male news correspondant raises his voice to be heard about the
screams, shouts, sirens, and the crackle of the fire in the
background.  "For the second time in less than 48 hours, a bar has
mysteriously exploded while full with the usual evening rush.  This
time, it was the Shorwin Cocktail that was demolished.  Witnesses
around the scene only seconds before it turned into a flaming fire
ball report seeing nothing out of the ordinary.  Despite out prodding,
Lone Star has no comments at this time."

The camera pans the scene displaying the carnage left after a
moderately sized bar that used to sit on the corner of this block
exploded spreading flames and building materials for several dozen
feet.  On the far side of the scene, you can see officials loading
large corpses into a van headed for the police station.

The report continues, "As of so far, no survivors have been found.
For the latest news, tune in to KRHA.  This is Jack Grimaldi reporting."

The camera fades to black . . .

+++++End video-feed.data

I really hope that this isn't some maniac's version of a joke.  Crap,
and that was a joint that I sorta liked.  If you got any hot ideas or
sudden 'inspirations' give me a ring at >>encrypted<<.  Until next
time . . . ]<<<<<
        -- Been-there-seen-that <16:05:21/06-18-56>

>>>>>[Drek!!!  Two bars in two days.  What in the hell is
happening?  My boss is going to have my head for this.  Drek, drek,
drek, drek . . .]<<<<<
        --  Tim Gartin <14:40:19/06-18-56>
            Security Supervisor
            Red Lime, Inc.

>>>>>[Heys guys!  It's me again, bringing you the latest and hottest
news.  Amoung my top stories for the hour, I would like to announce
that our mad bomber has apparently struck again.  Check it out . . .

+++++INCLUDE:  video-feed.data

The camera fades in showing a news anchorwoman sitting at her desk
rearranging her notes.  On the projection screen to her side, a HRRS
Channel 201 logo is fading out.  The woman begins, "For the third time
in three days, a moderate-sized bar has mysteriously exploded during
the evening rush.  Two nights ago, it was the Red Martinelli that blew
up resulting in over 70 deaths from inside the bar as well as almost
25 people injured from flying debris.  Last night, the Shorwin
Cocktail went up in a fireball, killing 47 and injuring 58.  Tonight,
only two hours ago, the Gold Tusk was utterly demolished by a large
explosion.  We had a news correspondent on the scene within minutes
and she kept us up to date with the last minute details.  She is still
at the scene and we will go to her now.  Live . . .

The image changes from the inside of the news studio to the all too
familiar scene of a destroyed bar in the background.  The remains have
cooled enough that teams of investigators are combing through the
wreckage searching for clues to the explosion.  After panning around
the scene and surrounding buildings, showing the large amounts of
damage done to the area, the camera focuses on a young elven news
correspondent who beings to speak.  "Approximately two hours ago, the
Gold Tusk was full of the usual evening crowds.  We have here a small
clip from the security cameras that used to be inside of the, now,
utterly destroyed bar.  Bob, can you roll . . . thanks."

The scene shifts again, this time to a view of a crowded bar.  The
viewpoint is from what you would expect to be seen from an upper-corner
of the room.  Down on the floor, dozens of patrons are drinking, eating,
and talking.  You notice that they are largely trolls with a few humans,
orks, and only a couple elves mixed in.  Just as abruptly as the scene
begin, it ends and the correspondent continues.

Then, at approximately 6:25 p.m. this evening, the bar was completely
destroyed by a large blast that appears to have origionated from
inside the building.  At the present, Lone Star is offering no
comments for the press other than that every possible effort is being
made to find the person or people responsible for these serious crimes
and that if you have any tips, please call them in at >>encrypted<<.
Back to you Janet . . ."

The scene switches back to the studio and the anchorwoman continues.
"This most recent attack has left 75 people dead and 103 wounded, 14
are in critical condition.  Once again, if you have any helpful
information, please call Lone Star at >>encrypted<< or call our
hotline at >>encrypted<<.  Other stories of the day include . . .

+++++INCLUDE:  End video-feed.data

There you have it guys.,  Looks like we've got some maniac blowing
people up again.  What's new . . . well, once again, if you've got any
tips of things for me to look into or possibly to buy from you, I can
be reached at >>encrypted<< 24 hours of the day.  Thanks all and stay
tuned . . .]<<<<<
        --  Been-there-seen-that <17:29:25/06-19-56>

*****Private:  Tim Gartin
>>>>>[What in the drek is going on?  I hired you to be my head of
fragging security for this corp and in three days, we have lost three
different bars to fragging explosions.  Drek!!!  You had better have a
damn good explanation for all this.]<<<<<
        --  Theo Truncher <15:01:53/06-19-56>
            CEO
            Red Lime, Inc.

*****Private:  Theo Truncher
>>>>>[Sorry about the delay in getting back to you sir.  Me and a
couple security workers have been working on tracking down who is
responsible for this.  With the cleaness of the hits and the lack of
clues to the methods of destruction, we are thinking that a
corporation may be behind this and are concentrating on either finding
the link to the corp or eliminating that theory.  Progress has been
slow, but we just received a tip that may help us get moving a little
faster.  We are doing everything possible sir.]<<<<<
        --  Tim Gartin <15:12:02/06-19-56>
            Security Supervisor
            Red Lime, Inc.

*****Private:  Tim Gartin
>>>>>[I don't care what the hell you have to do to get it done, but I
don't want to hear about another bar blowing up on the evening news
tomorrow.  Especially one of mine!!!  Understand?!?]<<<<<
        --  Theo Truncher <15:17:56/06-19-56>
            CEO
            Red Lime, Inc.

*****Private:  Theo Truncher
>>>>>[Understood, sir!  I'll do my best.]<<<<<
        --  Tim Gartin <15:18:35/06-19-95>
            Security Supervisor
            Red Lime, Inc.

*****Private:  Security Dispatch
>>>>>[I want all locations double guarded tonight.  You see something
suspicious, shoot first and talk later.  I'm not going to lose
another bar tonight.  Understood?]<<<<<
        --  Tim Gartin <15:19:01/06-19-56>
            Security Supervisor
            Red Lime, Inc.

*****Private:  Alpha and Beta Teams
>>>>>[Up and at them boys.  You are pulling a double guard shift
tonight.  The boss says to shoot first and talk later.  He doesn't
want to lose another bar tonight.  Report in when in positions.
Dispatch out.]<<<<<
        --  Security Dispatch <15:21:42/06-19-56>
            Dispatch Control
            Red Lime, Inc.

*****Private:  Security Dispatch
>>>>>[Alpha Team in position.]<<<<<
        --  Alpha Team <16:01:12/06-19-56>
            Security Team A
            Red Lime, Inc.

*****Private:  Security Dispatch
>>>>>[Beta Team in position.]<<<<<
        --  Beta Team <16:03:58/06-19-56>
            Security Team B
            Red Lime, Inc.

*****Private: Notorious B.I.G
>>>>>[Bossman, what'cha you think of my work so far??
Looks like we got them guessing!! It gives me the
willies just thinking 'bout tomorrow.]<<<<<
        -- Smokz <21:34:28/06-19-56>

*****Private:  Smokz
>>>>>[Shut up, you now good bum! Last time you got so
happy, we got caught. So calm down, and keep your yap
shut.]<<<<<
        -- Notorious B.I.G <21:39:25/06-19-56>

*****Private:  Notorious B.I.G
>>>>>[Yes sir. But whe' we gonna' hit next?]<<<<<
        -- Smokz <21:40:31/06-19-56>

>>>>>[Looks like Purple and co. missed their target in their
Caribbean.]<<<<<
        --  Vincent (17:53:50/06-19-56)

*****Private:Wet Steel, the Thirteens[GANG]
>>>>>[What is the status on the search for Mr. Purple?]<<<<<
        --  Vincent (17:55:36/06-19-56)