| bookscorpion |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Mount Rainier has been sleeping uneasily and the air carries a taste of sulphur with it, but otherwise the early morning promises a pretty nice day, for those of you already awake to appreciate it. There are a few clouds, turned pink by dawn, and the streets outside are still wet from the rain that fell during the night. The city is still quiet except for the always busy port and the occasional police siren, but that's just the usual background noise for everyone living here for any length of time.
Anyone still sleeping is woken by a commotion on the stairs, people running and shouting. It’s not unusual for people to get into shouting matches in the hallway, but this is a bit much. Someone hammers on Toma’s door and shouts for him to come quickly, there’s been an accident!
| Bruce Reyes |
It's so noisy today, Bruce thinks, glad they weren't interrupting anything but a planned smoke break. He may as well go check things out. Still wearing his coveralls, Bruce shrugs on his jacket and backpack before patting his Evo Proletarian, Gil on its head. Luz could come with him, since she was just a sewer snake drone, but the walker was better served staying at home to work on things. Besides, he didn't think it'd be able to help much with whatever this accident was, especially since whoever it was was calling for Toma. Fixing people wasn't Bruce's thing.
| Dai GM |
Toma is the first to reach the bottom of the stairs and the crowd parts to let him through. It also parts for Carl because you don't stand in the way of a troll and Bruce can follow in his wake.
People stand in a wide circle around a body on the floor, a young ork. Mr Tinda, who runs the commlink shop down the street, is kneeling next to him and is trying desperately to keep pressure on more wounds he has hands. The floor is slippery with blood, people stepped in it and tracked it all over the place.
It looks like someone worked the ork over with a baseball bat and a knife. It might take you a second because of how swollen bloody his face is, but you all recognise Anis. He has a sort of job as courier - self-employed. People will use him to send packages because he's more reliable than the actual postal service and cheaper. He grew up at Apex apartment and still lives here with his dad and a handful of siblings.
| Bruce Reyes |
He's almost glad to have verbal confirmation of who the victim was, but Bruce is thinking he might have preferred being a little more in the dark about it. It's a concerning scene, it really is, but Bruce's expression doesn't change much. It hardly ever does.Carl asking to borrow a car has Bruce clearing his throat, just a bit. It was hard to talk so early. "If no one's got a car I can try with the bike, though that might be a hard ride for 'im." Especially if he weren't patched up well enough.
| Dai GM |
Mr Tinda does his best to help Toma. The medkit gives a series of sad beeps and helpfully suggests a visit to the hospital. Picking Anis up would normally not be the best idea, but the alternative right now is him bleeding out.
When Carl asks for a car, a couple of people edge away and disappear up the stairs, not wanting to get caught up in this. After an awkward pause, an ork steps up and tosses Carl a keyfob. 'Take it, it's the grey van out front. But if you run into trouble, I've never heard of you.' Bruce at least knows that the guy works at a repair shop that is almost certainly a chop shop. It's anyone's guess whether the van is stolen or not.
| Toma Reiko |
"We need to get him stabalized first, hold him as still as you can, and I'll try to Heal them." Toma focuses on Anis, holding his hands a few inches above their body. After a few seconds of waiting, a green light flows from Toma's hands into Anis' body, some of the smaller wounds and stops some of his bleeding. Toma sighs with relief and steps back. "OKay, can one of you bring the car around?"
| Bruce Reyes |
Well, at least someone offered a more reasonable vehicle. Of course, knowing the ork, it might get them in trouble, but he figures it's better to worry about getting Anis to the hospital for right now. Can I drive a van. Bruce almost grins at that, but only almost. He doesn't want to get it wrong and end up smirking at Carl. People tended to take that the wrong way. Nodding to both Carl and Toma, Bruce holds a hand out for the keyfob. "Can do. I'll have it 'round soon as I get the fob."
| Dai GM |
On his way outside, Bruce sees the blood trail. People have stepped in it and tracked blood all over the floor, but it looks like Anis was attacked outside and took shelter in the building. A couple of residents are mumbling something about how it was maybe a drug deal gone wrong? But no, someone else says, Anis is a good kid, he doesn't do stuff like that.
The van is easy to find, the only grey van in the parking lot. The paint looks new, the van does not, but it starts and even has an up to date autopilot and a rigger hookup.
When Carl picks Anis up, he's dead weight, his clothes wet with blood and his skin cold and clammy. His messenger bag is missing, Toma notices. He always carries it, whether he's on a job or not and it's not exactly easy to miss, made from bright orange tarp. Mr Tinda calls out that he will try and contact Anis' father as Carl and Toma walk out, just in time for Bruce to open the van's door for them to get in. The birdsong and gorgeous sunrise overhead seem out of place for a day that starts so grim.
None of you know whether Anis has a SIN and he isn't wearing a Doc Wagon bracelet. Otherwise, Doc Wagon would already have been there. Many official hospitals can and will refuse to treat the SINless and a lot of street clinics have been destroyed lately, with gangs fighting over turfs and the right to sell a new drug called Tempo. The Tacoma Charity General may accept Anis as a patient, but they don't have a very good reputation and there are rumors or organlegging. Toma knows of a street clinic in Snohomish that accepts everyone and they, as far as the word on the street goes, do excellent work, although he hasn't been there yet.
| Dai GM |
Everyone gets into the van that is even big enough for Carl to sit in the back without hitting his head or destroying things from sheer weight. It starts on the second try and while the autopilot doesn't know the clinic, it knows at least the general direction. You make good time through the city, still ahead of the morning rush hour. Anis stays unconscious, but at least the medkit doesn't warn that he's dying all the time any more. He's still losing blood and both Carl's and Toma's clothes and hands are stained with it.
Halfway through Snohomish, in a former industrial zone that is now mainly ruins and maybe one or two factories that are still in operation, there's an overturned pickup halfway into the street. Abandoned vehicles are not an unusual sight here, but most of those are in much worse shape than this one. This looks like someone lost control or maybe was forced off the road. There's movement inside the cabin, someone struggling to get free maybe.
| Carl_Walker |
"Yeah, but here's my thought- we got 3 options:" Carl starts counting off his fingers, and he's frowning in concentration, like he wants the words to come out right.
"We all get out and try to help. Best case-we lose maybe five minutes and save someone. Worst case-we all get in a firefight and Anis dies because it takes us a lot of time." He looks at Anis with too much emotion to have just met him.
"We all pass by. Best case-it was a trap but we never know for sure if we left someone to die. Worst case-we left someone to die." He shakes his head, and this is definitely not an option in his head.
He sighs explosively, and looks like he's preparing himself. "Only I get out. Best case-I save someone and you have an easier time saving Anis because I'm kind of heavy. Worst case-I get in a fight/die/get captured/something else unpleasant. I can take it, and you can still get Anis to safety, and see about saving my dumb ass when you're not carrying wounded" He smiles ruefully, like this has happened before.
"Any further objections? We don't have tons of time, but we should have enough to deliberate a little"
| Bruce Reyes |
Oh, so he's actually weighed his options.
Bruce slows the van down, ready to speed off if need be, but enough to show that he's fine with Carl's plan. He wasn't getting paid to wreck this one, so nothing too fancy's going to happen right now. He glances up at the rear view mirror, the unscarred eyebrow arched in curiosity. "Hell, if you're that up for riskin' it I ain't gonna stop you, but how do you wanna do this? You can tuck an' roll if you don't wanna risk stopping." On his end, having seen the commitment, he's up for seeing how this goes. Might be a cool story someday.
That said, he is just the driver. "Unless," he drawls, his gaze turning to Toma and Anis. "Doc here has some input?"
| Carl_Walker |
Carl gives a strange smile as his eyes set. "Yeah. I can't bring myself to leave someone, but I can't bring myself to risk Anis' life either."
He open the door and looks back, this time with a full grin. "Rolling out a car's just like fixing a bike. You never forget how." And hops off, leaving the van a good bit lighter.
| Dai GM |
It's not the most elegant landing ever achieved and Carl leaves some skin on the road, but he rolls and comes up again not far from the crashed pickup. He can smell gasoline and glass shards crunch under his feet. A shell casing skitters across the street when he kicks it away by accident and he can see a couple more closer to the pickup. There really is someone inside the pickup, an ork struggling to get free from the wreck. She's bleeding from a head wound and doesn't seem to have noticed the van or Carl.
The van makes a little lunge forward when Carl jumps out. After driving down the street a bit further, still within sight of Carl and the pickup, both Toma and Bruce spot a car heading towards them, with SSP decals. They're not exactly police, but they're the next worst thing.
| Bruce Reyes |
The lunge and Carl's wave give Bruce the go-ahead to get back to a regular speed. While Bruce definitely notices the car, he doesn't make any move to slow down to let it catch up. Why should he? He's not speeding, sure, but he remembers what the ork said about this van. That, and he isn't up for taking chances with Anis' life when they should be close to the clinic. Not that he's panicking. He does wish he'd been able to smoke before this, though.
| Dai GM |
It's a good thing that the clinic is only five more minutes away and that the SSP doesn't give the van a second glance. However, they do pull over a short distance from the crashed pickup, but that's the last of what Toma and Bruce see.
The clinic looks like a ruin from outside and people in gang color are hanging around outside, smoking and chatting. Some are wearing crossbows and at a second glance, they're less hanging around than keeping an eye on the place. There are more cars in the parking lot and even a banged up school bus. As soon as Toma starts getting Anis out of the van, things pick up speed: one of the gangers obviously called for a medic because a gurney is brought out and then you have to jog to keep up. A nurse asks a couple of basic questions about what happened and whether someone already used magic to help and then Anis is brought into surgery and another nurse points you in the direction of the waiting room and cafeteria. So far, no-one has asked how Anis' care will be paid for.
Now that you have time to look around, still in what obviously is the emergency room, the clinic turns out to be surprisingly well equipped. Toma has seen official hospitals that looked worse. It’s still clear that the building is old and that none of the renovations are official, but whoever runs this place sunk a lot of money and work into it. The cafeteria, housed in a separate part of the building, is pretty full and people are standing in line to get a bowl of soup or just coffee and some cookies. It looks like this also doubles as a soup kitchen for the neighborhood. The gangers are present here, too, as in the emergency room, but they look fairly relaxed. From the conversations you can overhear, it seems that a lot of the people know each other and come here regularly.
Carl can see already that he won’t be getting the doors open normally. It’s either pulling her out through the smashed window, simply ripping off the door or maybe pushing the pickup upright again, which would make thing easier because he wouldn’t have to crawl on his belly to try and get her out. It might worsen her injuries, but then, so might pulling her out.
While he is trying to decide what to do, the SSP car pulls up and two cops get out. Both human and both already way too nervous, their guns drawn, although not yet pointing at Carl. "Sir, please step away from the vehicle and let us see your hands.' The older of the two cops manages to sound calm, but Carl knows very well that a troll always makes people edgy. Especially when the troll has blood on his clothes and hands.
| Carl_Walker |
He does his most practiced 'I'm just your friendly neighborhood minotaur smile', and takes a few steps away, gets on his knees, with his hands behind his head. "I'm glad you're here officers. Can you help me get this ork out of the car? I've been in a crash or two before, and being stuck there can be dangerous."
| Bruce Reyes |
A drawn out "Mmh" is Bruce's only reply for a few moments, the man seeming more interested in scratching his chin than worrying about either of the people they had to drop off. "Feel like they woulda charged at the beginnin' if they cared that much, but it's nice to be cautious." Voicing it wasn't so nice to him, but everyone dealt with things differently. After another pause, he glances over at Toma, expression still unperturbed. "Think Carl'll be fine?"
| Dai GM |
The line has moved forward and the woman behind the counter gives them a bright smile that shows off her tusks: "What can I get you?" Her name tag introduces her as Chelsea and for anyone with activated AR, there is a menu floating over the counter. For those without, there's a chalkboard. Apart from a vegetable soup that promises to contain real vegetables and has a reasonable price, there are cheap algae and fungus snacks that do their best to imitate various meats and vegetables, candy bars and sugar cookies that smell freshly backed and delicious. Coffee (fake) and tea (real) are also on the menu, along with various sodas.
The older of the cops keeps his weapon trained on Carl until his partner has gotten an assuault rifle out of the car and pointed at Carl. Then he steps behind him and starts to handcuff him, never getting into his partner's line of fire. It's a practised maneuver and they relax a bit once Carl is handcuffed. But he's still looking down the barrel of the rifle. 'Do you have a SIN? Any idea what happened here?' Carl has the feeling that they have already made up their mind and that they are not very interested in the truth. None of them have made any move to help the ork. There are some sirens in the distance that might be an ambulance, though, and a bit closer the sound of motorcycles.
| Bruce Reyes |
"You remember he's like, a troll an' shit, right?" The words are drawled out, deadpan as ever, but Bruce is actually plenty worried. "Should be more worried about those SSP guys keepin' a level head," he adds, exhaling sharply through his nose. Shifting his weight to one side, he scratches at his chin again, but doesn't say much else. There's quite a bit to be worried about, it seems.
Skipping breakfast didn't help this any.
| Carl_Walker |
Carl sighs heavily. "Yes, I have a criminal SIN, and no, I didn't do it, and whether I did it or not really doesn't matter compared to the fact that someone's trapped in a burning car. Can we focus on the immediate thing please?"
He's gonna die. He's 90% sure of it. He's gonna be another 'minotaur suspect killed after assaulting officers.' Why does he keep doing this? Why is he so relentlessly stupid? Why is he stupid enough to speak again anyway?
"Please tell me those are ambulance sirens coming to save the person who is going to die? Don't think I haven't noticed you not saving them."
| Dai GM |
Chelsea hands over the goods and they have time for a quick breakfast before one of the nurses comes to get them and they get to meet the doctor who treated Anis. The man is in his forties, probably of Native American descent and looks like he hasn't slept for ages. He introduces himself as Dr Munroe and tells them that Anis is in stable condition and should be able to leave the clinic in a day or two. 'Do you have any contact details for his family? Or anyone else who needs to know where he is? Or are you his next of kin?' The tiny room they're in is probably his office and holds a desk with a Matrix terminal, some chairs and at least a nice view into the garden out back where someone is growing all kinds of vegetables. The scent of wet earth and flowers comes through the opened window, over the smell of disinfectants and the general hospital smell.
'If you are worried about paying for the treatment: we treat a lot of people who can't afford a normal clinic and we do payment plans. Also, our prices are not that high. So please, don't feel like you need to tell me how you actually don't know him or something. After all, you are still here.' His smile is just as tired as the rest of him, but he seems to mean what he says and to appreciate that they didn't just take off.
----------
The cops exchange a look that doesn't bode well for the painlessness of Carl's immediate future. 'Wanna tell us how to do our job?' He can't see what the older cop is doing behind him, but the sound of a telescoping baton is one he has learned to recognise.
But before the blow can land, the motorcycles have arrived, engines revving, and bullets start to fly. Both cops were too focused on their prisoner and make excellent targets, both get hit and are scrambling for cover. The gangers, on racing machines and with automatic guns, just slow down to take better aim, but seem to have no intention of stopping. The quiet street has suddenly turned into a war zone, the harsh sounds of the guns drowning out everything else. Bullets hit, go clean through or ricochet off the crashed car, the police car and everything else in the line of fire.
Carl feels a sharp, hot pain in his side.
| Bruce Reyes |
Bruce glances out at the garden while Toma explains the situation, though he is still listening. Eye contact wasn't really his thing. He absently thinks that it's a good thing he didn't have Anis' blood on him, if only because he doesn't want that joining with the scarred face to make him look more suspicious. Not that it mattered much.
"So it's alright to assume he'll pull through, or am I wrong?"
| Dai GM |
Dr Munroe nods at Bruce's question. 'He'll be okay, although it was a close call. He's lucky that you brought him here in time.' He very much does not ask what has happened, this is a street clinic after all and not a question any patients care to answer. Instead, he notes down the contact info for Anis' father. 'Anis will probably not be in any shape to have visitors for the next couple of hours, but feel free to stick around if you want to see him later. I'll notify his father. Oh, if you want to wash, there are bathrooms down the hall and a clothes vending machine', Dr Munroe glances at Toma's bloody hands and clothes.
-------------------------
The handcuffs are sturdy and were apparently made with trolls in mind, so they don't budge. They just cut into Carl's skin, drawing blood. At least he doesn't get hit by any more bullets, the gangers seem more interested in aiming for the car and the cops, as far as any aiming is going on here. It's over almost as soon as it started, the bikes racing down the street and turning a corner off the main street.
The silence is deafening or maybe Carl has lost his hearing temporarily after being in the middle of a firefight. He can very faintly hear sirens - probably the ambulance that was on its way before and definitely more police unless the gangers jammed the alarm systems of the police cruiser and the cops' body armor. One of the cops is still moving, trying to reach his car, but he can't even get up on his hands and knees.
| Carl_Walker |
Carl decides to take the safe route and check himself for injuries. If he's got anything that he could use to pass himself as just in the wrong place at the wrong time, he'll stay down and wait for an ambulance. If he's looking mostly all right, he's gonna try to get up and find an alley. Ain't nobody gonna look out for a pair of horns but themselves.
| Bruce Reyes |
Following Toma's example, he thanks the doctor with a short nod, but leaves a bit later than the elf does. He had considered sticking around for a moment, but figures it's better for Anis to be with family later. He's done his part. When Toma addresses him, he arches an eyebrow. "Feels kinda rude to make you walk back, Doc," he says with a shrug. "Go ahead, I'll wait by the van."
| Toma Reiko |
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"Thanks, I'll be right back." Toma heads down the hall towards the vending machine. Looking through the very bland and highly unfashionable garish clothing he selects the outfit he finds least offensive, and a bag to carry all the clothes in. Heading to the nearest bathroom and changing as quickly as he can, he Making his way to Bruce and the van he muttered to himself, "Hopefully I don't look too horrid in this outfit." and waved at the receptionist on the way out.
| Bruce Reyes |
If Bruce thinks it's garish, it sure doesn't show on his face. He's just been leaning against the van, unlit cigarette between his lips as he idly thinks about whether he has time to light it or not. Toma's arrival meant the answer was no. So, after looking Toma over, he opens the door for him and goes around to the driver's side. At least he doesn't have to sit in the back this time?
| Dai GM |
Carl discovers that the pain he felt was just a graze where a bullet clipped him in the side, leaving a hole in his clothes and a long but shallow wound. The bleeding has already almost stopped, there is something to be said for having what amounts to natural body armor.
Considering he's still wearing handcuffs, the alley between two ruined buildings looks very inviting. The cops are either unconscious or too busy trying to call for help to stop him and he reaches it. It leads further into what probably used to be a low-income housing estate meant for workers of one of the factories. If anyone still lives here, they keep out of sight, at least at first. But once Carl is about a hundred yards down the street, a door opens a crack and someone asks in a stagewhisper: 'Hey, you need help?'
Carl would have sworn that the house is abandoned, but apparently the people living there are just very good at hiding their tracks. The only thing that might give them away is a very faint smell of cooking. It's too dark in the house to see much through the door crack, but the person looking out at him seems to be another troll - hard to hide that size.
-------------------------
The gangers outside the clinic nod at Bruce and Toma when they leave and the van is where they left it - not a guaranteed thing here, so close to the vast slum of the Barrens. They drive back the way they came and the place where Carl got out of the van is impossible to miss. There are several police cruisers, an ambulance and people and drones are milling around, scanning what is now obviously a crime scene for evidence, marking bullet casings and skidmarks. Police tape surrounds the area and AR signs flash.
The ork from the upturned car they saw is just getting loaded into the ambulance, so she's still alive. Of Carl there is no trace, but there is quite a lot of blood on the pavement.
| Carl_Walker |
"Whoever up there's listening, I owe you a beer. One of those nice ones, with the actual wheat." Carl whispers, looking up.
He then smiles to the troll in the doorway. "Thanks, man. It's nice to see trolls watching out for each other." He starts moving towards the doorway.
"Don't know how much you saw, but I'm hoping one of the cops remembers the poor bastard trapped in that truck. I don't think I can afford giving them another shot."
| Bruce Reyes |
Oh, there really was someone hurt in the car.
It was probably a terrible first thought to have, but it's what came to mind upon seeing the ork being loaded into the ambulance. Bruce doesn't know how to feel about seeing two hurt orks in one day. So... he just doesn't think about it. Whatever feelings were there were pretty easy to push aside in the face of whatever happened here, namely the Carl situation.
The slight twitch at the corners of his mouth are the only thing resembling a frown, and Bruce is already driving to avoid the area and go around. Carl's fine, it just-- it just isn't good to stick around with whatever's happened. Not that he's worried. After a few moments, he figures the silence probably doesn't help any, so he speaks up. "I don' think things went as smoothly as they could've."