Log:Pawns of the Ice Fox, Scene 2

Pawns of the Ice Fox 2007/01/01 	 Alex Amber and Azure Fist Granite Big Bad Wolf 2

''Bridgend. Alex, Jennifer and Jessica have decided to do a controlled release of the Big Bad Wolf to see what it's after.''

Jennifer and Jessica arrive reeking strongly of cheap perfume. It smells like they have each poured most of a bottle over their heads.

Alex sits in the pilots seat of the Starguard Van, landed nearby to the site where the wolf has been released, sleeping off the rest of the sedative it's been given. He's got on aviator sunglasses and a communications headset. "Radio Check. Big Bird signing on.

Alex checks on the controls of the flying van. "Hmm. Preflight systems - check." He toggles a switch. "The radio beacon on the wolf is aok. I just hope the unstable molecule collar we used holds," he adds, glancing to the twins.

Jennifer says, "You could have implanted the bug under it's hide. But the general idea is to keep visual track on it as well, right?"

Xing-Liu is in her rapidly-becoming-normal garb; a hoodie to make her singular distinctive mark less obvious from a distance. She's wandering, still kind of lost as to a direction but believing that there really isn't time off from being what she is.

Alex nods. "Right, Jenn, visual contact. We might've gone subdermal, but that hide is tough, maybe magically so." His eyes take a far-off look as he listens to a radio message. "CBPD says that they're as ready as they're going to be."

The wolf's tail twitches: first sign it's coming around.

Xing-Liu pauses at the sight of the massive creature, moving to ensure she isn't in sight of it. Movement would not be so much of an issue since it can hear a whole lot of the city's noises.

Jennifer nods, "So remind me. We're tracking the beast to see what it's tracking. Now if it gets to its target we need to be ready to move on the instant. If it turns hostile the target could be badly ripped up if we delay acting. So I suggest leaving the side doors open and putting up with the draft, agreed?"

Alex nods to Jen. "Agreed."

Suddenly the wolf springs to its feet! And staggers, and falls down again. And gets up more cautiously. It looks about, sniffing the wind.

Alex communicates over the radio, which is patched into to Xing-Liu's New Blood communicator as well. "We're going to track this wolf to the target it's looking for. And when it finds it, we're going to need to intervene and keep it from hurting anything or anyone.

The wolf looks decidedly groggy as it looks about, but it's recovering visibly as you watch. After maybe 30 seconds, it lowers its head to the ground and sniffs again.

Jessica grins, "Now we find out how smart that wolf is. Being it may be a magical creature I wouldn't bet against it being smarter than the average. If that was me I'd guess what was happening and lead you all over the city."

The wolf just stands there, smelling the ground. He looks fully recovered, but hardly moves, just sniffing the same spot.

Alex clicks a rows of switches and powers up the SG van's engines. He takes a hold of the control yoke and prepares to take it airborne. "Here we go..."

Or not. He keeps sniffing. And keeps sniffing. And keeps sniffing....

Xing-Liu looks on at the wolf, and decides to try something a little unorthodox. Or orthodox. Depending. She sends a gentle mental pulse, trying to ease her way into the wolf's mind. While it won't let her understand any better without work, it will let the wolf understand better.

The wolfs mind seems to be rather stubborn and single-minded, and doesn't seem inclined to let you in.

And suddenly the wolf is off! After all that sniffing, suddenly he seems to have found - something. And he's following it with confidence! He starts moving at a what would be a good run for a human, nose to the ground.

Jennifer says, "Here we go it seems."

In particular, he's heading in the direction of Wharf Street itself.

Alex pulls back on the control yoke. "Hang tight, guys." He eases the craft into the air. "This is Big Bird, going into the air and we're starting pursuit."

Xing-Liu follows, taking to the rooftops until she notices the van where Alex is probably in. At which point she thinks about boarding it for a few seconds before she continues along as she is. She's always preferred to moving under her own power rather than machinery.

The wolf reaches Wharf Street, which has been closed off north of here, in the knowledge that the wolf went that way the first time. But he doesn't turn up the street! He trots across the road, toward the yacht club.

The yacht club isn't in the evacuated zone, and traffic can still reach it from the south.

Alex follows the wolf from few stories up. Predicting it's path, he advanced in the air stopping the van at a hover over the Yacht Club. He lowers the van a little over the roof, in case the twins need to make a quick jump to protect innocents. "First hurdle, it's heading for the Yacht Club."

Jennifer says, "Alex, if the target's in the yacht club there could be trouble at the doors. They have somes muscle bound numbskull heavies at the door."

Alex looks over at Jenn. "You'll have to go down and let them know what they're in for."

Xing-Liu is already prepared to dive at the wolf to get its attention if it tries to eat anyone. But she has some idea that she should stay back until it does something like that. She is so going to make her displeasure known about this whole plan...

Fortunately the yacht club is relatively disused at this time of year, and it's not dinner time yet so it's hardly peak time for the restaurant. Still, there will be some people about....

Amber nods, "Right." and simply steps out of the hovering van, catching the landing running with her whip to lower herself down to the ground before making a run towards the yacht club building.

The "heavies" look about to challege Amber but then the wolf comes into sight behind her. "What the hell?"

Alex clicks on teh van's loudspeaker. "Attention citizens, this is Starguard. Please evacuate the area in an orderly fashion by entering the restaurant."

Amber says, "Good afternoon gentlemen. The wolf is being tracked to see where it's heading. If it comes this way I'd be grateful if you would premit it to enter. Of course this is private property and it's up to the owner to instruct you. If you decide to try and prevent it I will assist you and the damage shouldn't be a total loss of the building front. Your choice gentlemen."

Xing-Liu doesn't find it at all easy to remain hidden, still following the wolf and not bothering to hide her presence. She just becomes the semi-mysterious blue-haired girl in the hoodie.

No entry for 'goons look at the Wold, then Amber, then the wold, and fling the place open!'.

People begin moving (and screaming) in an orderly(?) fashion in the direction of the restaurant. Indeed, the restaurant looks like a good place for them to take shelter. Until the wolf changes direction slightly and heads straight for Serafino's.

Alex thinks. o O ( Oh no. )

Amber simply cannot help a snigger, "Oh. Well I guess you'll have to think long and hard about the dress code requirement. Which of you is planning on telling the big bad wolf it needs a dress tie to enter here."

Alex radioes, "Xing-Liu, Amber, the wolf is heading for Serafino's. Can you get the people in there to leave via the emergency exit?"

The amount of screaming increases and orderliness decreases. People already in the restaurant start barricading the door with others still outside.

Someone with an especially loud voice yelling, "That monster ate a cop!" probably doesn't help.

Figuring Alex knows the answer to that question, Xing-Liu decides to stay close to the wolf rather than futily trying to pantomime being a pedestrian traffic cop.

"Um... I think we should tell the manager," concludes one goon, after much thought.

Amber tells the doormen, "They're piling tables and chairs against the inside of the doors. You'll not get in. Help me get these people out of here."

He doesn't look like he needs telling twice. "This way!" he instructs the people. Not that he seems to know which way himself, yet.

The wolf turns directly at the restaurant door, yellow eyes staring at the people there.

Alex radios back. "Amber, I'll set down to about twenty yards from the front of the restaurant. Send the people outside over to me and I'll get them out." Even before he's done talking, he starts to land the van." Hopefully he's given the wolf enough of a cushion

The people panic as the wolf's eyes fix on them - but they do 'correctly' run for the van!

Amber keeps an eye open to make sure nobody panics and runs the wrong way.

Amber and the goons between them can keep the people heading in the right direction. The wolf doesn't chase them. It goes right up to the restaurant door, and pushes against it with its nose.

The barricade yields somewhat but doesn't give. Then the wolf pauses, smelling the ground in front of the door.

With the pause, Xing-Liu tries again. Her mind reaching to touch the wolf's.

Alex waits for everyone to get onboard the van. "Everyone alright? Stay calm, we're safe here," he says, trying to encourage the bystanders.

Granite enters from Wharf Street South.

"Drive! Get us out of here!" shouts one not very unpanicked guy.

The wolf stops nosing at the door and looks away, back toward Wharf Street again.

And suddenly he starts loping off that direction again, nose to the ground.

Alex mutters, so that his voice carries over the radio, but no his passengers. "Lovely."

Alex turns back to his passengers. "It looks like the danger here has passed. You're free to disembark -- watch your step on the way out." Once the people are all off, Alex ascend into the air again.

For a moment it looks like the wolf might head north up Wharf Street, but then he stops, sniffing the wall of a building on the west side.

The wolf looks up the wall of the building, then turns back into the cordoned off street, then faces the building again.

Sounds of something like a mortar round coming in then loud KABASH from under the weight of his body. Granite drops from the sky cracking the wood near the yacht club with a slight grin to his face. "I got here as fast as I could."

Amber decides to 'borrow' a bicycle to make sure she can keep up with the wolf.

The wolf look about startled at Granite's arrival, and studies him from a distance, before deciding he's uninteresting and looking back at the building.

The wolf suddenly runs straight at the building and tries to make a jump for it's roof!

The wolf scrambles up onto the the roof and starts sniffing around again.

Granite taps his radio com "Either that or checking the urine trails of other dogs or wolves around."

Amber uses her whip to lift herself up onto a nearby roof so she can keep watching.

And then the wolf is off again - this time leaping rooftop to rooftop! At least he keeps stopping to regain the scent on each new roof.

Alex takes the SG van up into the air and starts following the wolf again.

Granite starts to leap to keep up as much as he can on the ground to make sure.

The wolf heads roughly northwest - about parallel to, but west of, Ming.

<Radio) Amber asks, "Stop the wolf now before it gets there?"

The good news is, while on the roofs the wolf's not a danger to anyone much. THe bad news is, he's on an intercept course with Sea Breeze Blvd.

Granite taps his radio "I can try moving traffic to keep people from running the wolf over but might get ugly with them hitting me."

And then, on one rooftop, already halfway to Sea Breeze, the wolf pauses, sniffing, a good minute.

The wolf pads back to another part of the wolf and launches himself off in a northeasterly direction - straight for Ming! He's only a couple of blocks away from it.

There's a certain increased energy to his movements that suggests he's hot on the trail.

Granite grumbles "Time to play intercept or roadblock. Take your pick Alex."

Granite jumps ahead to land ahead of the wolf if he can then yells out "EVERYBODY HIT YOUR BRAKES PLEASE!!" In his loud voice to make sure he is heard giving everyone a chance to stop.

Amber close in on thew wolf getting within whip grabbing range, hoping the ploy with the bottles of cheap perfume is going to prevent the wolf from smelling her cat-nature this time.

Alex flies ahead of the wolf over the rooftops. He speaks on the loudspeaker. "Attention citizens, this is Starguard. Please evacuate the streets by entering your homes and stores. I repeat, please evacuate the streets. Seek shelter in your homes and stores and otehr nearby buildings."

Alex adds, "A dangerous alien creature is heading this way. Please evacuate the streets."

Granite gets more attention than a policeman would - you don't question someone who looks like he can trash your car! He diverts any more traffic from entering Ming St.

Astoundingly enough, people (on the whole) do what Alex says!

Of course, Ming Street is busy at the best of times, so it may take a while....

The wolf prepares for a jump of the last road between it and Ming.

The wolf springs across the street, and pauses to pick up the scent again, but only for a second. Then it's off again.

The wolf runs across the rooftops faster now....

Amber thinks. o O (Make your mind up.)

Alex sets the SG van on autopilot to hover in place. He tries to leap down to a nearby rooftop, close enough to take a shot at the wolf.

The wolf tries to bite through the energy whip!

The wolf growls and tries to break out of the whip.

Alex quickly raises the tranquilizer gun and attempts a shot

Jessica jumps out of the van and hurries to add her whip towards holding the wolf down

The wolf pulls itslef free of the whips, exerting all its strength!

Alex runs closer before stopping, aiming quickly and firing again.

Amber and Azure attempt to grab the Wolf again.

The wolf fails to break free this time.

Alex takes another shot.

No entry for 'wolf wimpers as it can't get free!'.

The wolf wimpers as it can't get free!

Alex pumps another dose into the wolf.

The wolf hits the roof, out cold.

Alex breathes a sigh of relief. "Good work, Amber, Azure." He radios for a pick up team to come and collect a wolf.

Alex says, "I'll make sure the clean up goes smoothly. Amber, Azure, if you want to check in on Kihzra...""

Amber asks Alex curiously, "Did you get official sanction for this Alex? When Random out of the city I'm surprised Roger approved a mission like this."

Alex says, "Not exactly. Officially this was a Technical Division operation..."

Alex says, "Mr. Creighton wanted me to find out more about the nature of the wolf. I came up with the rest."

Amber chuckles, "Nobody got hurt, despite a couple of close calls. I doubt if anyone will worry about it. The last technical expert was Bilbo and you're infinitely more sensible than him."

Alex nods. "Joking aside, it had to be done. In the best case we've got a an interdimensional stray pet. In the worst it's the vanguard of an invasion. At least, I think we have a handle on /which/ dimension is involved.

Amber says, "Right. Kihzra's. Not that anyone knows which it is as I recall."

Alex says, "I interviewed her for the SCARE a while back. There's a little bit of information on file."