explain the visitor's anger. La Plante probably would have apprised his client of the problem only shortly before the visit, so the fact that they're talking means La Plante must have offered something as a substitute."
"Logical." Stealth gritted his teeth. "Conclusion?"
I shook my head. "Finding out who the client is would probably be good. If La Plante has offered a substitute for Moira, it might be another individual, in which case I can see a rescue as being in order."
Stealth nodded and called one of the Redwings over. "Grimes, you and the boys will go in as planned.
Start at the east end of the complex and work west, but stay away from the docks. Go for lots of pyrotechnics and don't start blasting civilians."
Grimes looked a bit crestfallen at the last parameter of his mission, but he accepted it. Stealth turned back to Zig, Zag, and me as Grimes slunk away. "We'll go in by the docks and recon the area. We'll see what we can see, then, if needed, make our moves when the party begins at our backs."
The Redwings took off and headed away from the ocean. Stealth stalked forward and took on the role of point man for our detachment. We crested the rise leading toward The Rock, giving me my first view of the resort. Even in the dark, the long building with five stepped levels did look interesting. I found it very easy to mentally impose bright banners on the balconies and put bathers around the pool. At the same time I deleted the barbed wire strung around the perimeter and the razor-wire awnings above the balconies.
Off to my right, toward the ocean, I saw the massive clubhouse and marina area. From in between a couple of boathouses I caught a glimpse of the yacht riding the ocean's gentle swells. The ship's design and flying forecastle made me think of a shark cruising through shallow water—it had a real air of menace about it.
The Old One's voice echoed up from deep inside. "There lairs a foe who could challenge even your Raven."
Great! Homicidal maniacs to the east of me and so-ciopathic grunges* straight ahead and now there's another player who could challenge Dr. Raven.I looked over at Stealth. "Anytime you want to tell me this is all a dream and wake me up, go ahead."
Stealth raised an eyebrow. "What?"
I shivered. "Nothing, just let's be careful. Something isn't right about that ship or the person it brought with it."
Zig and Zag both did a quick double-check of their combat systems, but Stealth just took my warning in stride. "Let's find out if you're right." He set off down the slope at a quick pace, and his bobbing gait almost succeeded in making him look funny. I say almost because just as I thought of the phrase
"bunny-hop" to describe how he moved, stray light glinted from the sickle-claws—ruining an accurate analogy.
8So, okay, maybe all the orks working for La Plante weren't sociopathic. Fact was, though, that their Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
employment contracts paid bonuses for antisocial behavior committed upon intruders like me, which colored my perception a bit.
I dashed after him, and the two razorboys followed quickly. Though we could not keep up with his pace, Stealth waited at important junctions until we caught up, then headed off to secure the next point along our path. Twice, we found dead guards with thin stilettos buried in their throats. Neither of them had managed to get off a shot, but with their silenced weapons it would have hardly mattered.
Stealth finally stopped behind the nearest of the two boathouses. The windows of the building were completely blocked with packing crates—telling me that La Plante used them for storage. Between the first building and the second I saw a scattering of other crates, or parts thereof, and got a clear view of the boat Zig had described earlier.
Stealth pulled me down and cupped his hands over my ear. "I mark seven crewmen on the ship.
Cross-correlation of their conversation pegs their
"Logical." Stealth gritted his teeth. "Conclusion?"
I shook my head. "Finding out who the client is would probably be good. If La Plante has offered a substitute for Moira, it might be another individual, in which case I can see a rescue as being in order."
Stealth nodded and called one of the Redwings over. "Grimes, you and the boys will go in as planned.
Start at the east end of the complex and work west, but stay away from the docks. Go for lots of pyrotechnics and don't start blasting civilians."
Grimes looked a bit crestfallen at the last parameter of his mission, but he accepted it. Stealth turned back to Zig, Zag, and me as Grimes slunk away. "We'll go in by the docks and recon the area. We'll see what we can see, then, if needed, make our moves when the party begins at our backs."
The Redwings took off and headed away from the ocean. Stealth stalked forward and took on the role of point man for our detachment. We crested the rise leading toward The Rock, giving me my first view of the resort. Even in the dark, the long building with five stepped levels did look interesting. I found it very easy to mentally impose bright banners on the balconies and put bathers around the pool. At the same time I deleted the barbed wire strung around the perimeter and the razor-wire awnings above the balconies.
Off to my right, toward the ocean, I saw the massive clubhouse and marina area. From in between a couple of boathouses I caught a glimpse of the yacht riding the ocean's gentle swells. The ship's design and flying forecastle made me think of a shark cruising through shallow water—it had a real air of menace about it.
The Old One's voice echoed up from deep inside. "There lairs a foe who could challenge even your Raven."
Great! Homicidal maniacs to the east of me and so-ciopathic grunges* straight ahead and now there's another player who could challenge Dr. Raven.I looked over at Stealth. "Anytime you want to tell me this is all a dream and wake me up, go ahead."
Stealth raised an eyebrow. "What?"
I shivered. "Nothing, just let's be careful. Something isn't right about that ship or the person it brought with it."
Zig and Zag both did a quick double-check of their combat systems, but Stealth just took my warning in stride. "Let's find out if you're right." He set off down the slope at a quick pace, and his bobbing gait almost succeeded in making him look funny. I say almost because just as I thought of the phrase
"bunny-hop" to describe how he moved, stray light glinted from the sickle-claws—ruining an accurate analogy.
8So, okay, maybe all the orks working for La Plante weren't sociopathic. Fact was, though, that their Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
employment contracts paid bonuses for antisocial behavior committed upon intruders like me, which colored my perception a bit.
I dashed after him, and the two razorboys followed quickly. Though we could not keep up with his pace, Stealth waited at important junctions until we caught up, then headed off to secure the next point along our path. Twice, we found dead guards with thin stilettos buried in their throats. Neither of them had managed to get off a shot, but with their silenced weapons it would have hardly mattered.
Stealth finally stopped behind the nearest of the two boathouses. The windows of the building were completely blocked with packing crates—telling me that La Plante used them for storage. Between the first building and the second I saw a scattering of other crates, or parts thereof, and got a clear view of the boat Zig had described earlier.
Stealth pulled me down and cupped his hands over my ear. "I mark seven crewmen on the ship.
Cross-correlation of their conversation pegs their
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