Outside the Sandlake Estates, the bunny-fur timidly peeked around the edge of the building, looking into the alley.  Nobody was there.  Shrugging to herself, she continued jogging away.<br/><br/>The balcony Chiro had landed on was empty, the curtains over its sliding-glass door were drawn.  Up above, the edge of the roof beckoned.<br/><br/>The view from here was already spectacular, for Kazmer.  The rising sun silhouetted the city's skyline across Lake Kassemar, backing the dark skyscrapers with hues of orange and pink.  Plumes of smoke rose in many places farther away, back where they had come from.  The lake was empty of any craft, and in the near distance, on the far shore, stood the ten-story Palace, lights burning in many of its small, shrouded windows.  Atop the trapezoidal building, their armor gleaming in the morning light, two small figures walked back and forth along the edge of the far Palace wall.  The Palace was surrounded by a ten-foot concrete wall on the grounf level as well.<br/><br/>There was something else.  A helicopter pad stood dead-center on the Palace roof, and upon it sat a powerful-looking helicopter bristling with weapons, the crest of House Shenzai emblazoned on its side.  The two armored figures periodically disappeared behind the helicopter as they paced back and forth.<br/><br/>And there, just barely visible in the glare, down right at the water level, were two cement tubes jutting out from the shore bank - the sewer outlets.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>The tentacled thing howled loudly at the explosion.  There was a splash as two of its limbs landed in the sewage.  The howling continued as the thing began writhing, withdrawing into the darkness away from where Feign had been.  It howled for nearly a full minute until it subsided into gurgling, then it was gone.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Halvorson, O'Toole, and the medic had also heard the explosion, and had frozen, looking up and down the sewer shaft.  Halvorson looked up at Baz and Sara in the truck.  "Well, get down here, then!  Jania, close up everything after them."  He caught himself.  "Oh wait!  Baz, make sure to let Jania out of the back so she can watch the truck.  Tell her to find a good hiding spot... for a big burly bear-taur."<br/><br/>He nudged the medic.  "Help them down."  He grabbed O'Toole.  "Check up that way," he pointed down the tube, in the direction going away from the Palace.  "Go fifty paces and hold position."<br/><br/>"Yes sir," said O'Toole, moving off to do so.  Halvorson walked fifty paces in the other direction and crouched down, dousing his light and listening.<br/><br/>O'Toole took her fifty paces and stopped.  She could hear something faintly... a distant, inhuman howl of pain.  Her grip tightened on her assault rifle.  She backtracked to the medic.  "I hear something in my direction," she said to him.<br/><br/>"That's peachy," he said back, holding his hands up to assist the Slayers.<br/><br/>O'Toole frowned and walked further on to Halvorson, informing him.  They both returned to O'Toole's previous position, crouching with their lights off.  Now there was nothing.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Feldana would not let go of Sherra as they got into the station wagon and rolled out the sleeping bag.  She didn't understand what Dreamer and Kitten were going to do - she was too terrified of being found by the bad humans.  The moment the bag was unrolled, she covered herself up under it, clutching Sherra's hand and trying not to move.<br/><br/>The dead parking attendant lay curled up in the bottom of the shattered booth, covered head-to-toe in his own blood.  Holes riddled his body, but despite these it was apparent he had been a fur - an anthro-sheepdog, judging by the canine face and thick fur.  His uniform was soaked through with blood and waste.  The smell coming off him was thick and rank.  Shattered glass and bloody parking stubs covered him.  The booth's door was locked, but easy to open with the window shattered.  Coagulated blood had pooled on the booth's floor in a shallow puddle.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Janus surged to his feet and stood beside Heretic at the window, looking outside for targets.  He lifted the asault rifle he had taken from Lentan's supply to his eye, then hesitated and lowered it, reaching for his belt, where the gun he had taken from the Slayers' stockpile was stuffed.  He took out the Uzi and took it off safety, holding it out to Heretic.  "Here, take it!"<br/><br/>Cultists swarmed through the alley.  Janus slapped the Uzi on the windowsill and opened up, riddling their rows with bullets.  Many fell, but the ones that did not turned to look at the window.  With a unified snarl, weapons were brought in Janus' direction.  His eyes flew wide and he fell away from the window as dozens of blades slashed through the opening.  The Uzi was still on the windowsill.<br/><br/>The Resistance troops were holding their positions well, using bushes, trees, and park benches for cover.  The garrison at the hospital had swung the doors and windows shut, barricading themselves inside.  Colonel Merelli watched the battle from the gazebo, relaying orders to subordinates to plug holes in the line.  His second-in-command, the Major, ordered a message to be radioed to HQ about the attack.  As the radio operator did so, he turned to give more defensive orders.<br/><br/>Merelli watched the cultists.  They seemed to attack with a reckless, bloody abandon, not caring how many of their own fell so long as they killed Resistance troops.  This was an enemy he would not be able to deter or repulse.  He had precious little time to strategize, but this did not keep him from trying.<br/><br/>Inside the hospital, the medics had piled crates and furniture against the doors.  Soldiers stood ready by the windows, but the general idea was to keep a low profile so the attackers wouldn't think to invade the building.  The medics monitoring Iln had departed to help shuffle crates around, leaving her momentarily alone in her curtained-off area.  Surreal howls and the noise of clashing blades surrounded her, filtering in through the windows.<br/><br/>The First Sergeant ran to a window at the front of the stairwell, looking out at the battle.  He clenched his teeth, then screamed up to Emiko, "If any get close, nail 'em!"  He turned to the S.E.M. members.  "Stay low, all of you!"  Then he ordered his men to the ground floor to defend the doors and windows.  He followed them down, taking up station beside Marice at the door.  He looked at her grin, and gave a very slight shake of his head.<br/><br/>Merelli was about to make another order when a hail of arrows flew up from behind the hospital, rising into the air in a dark cloud.  They reached the height of their arc, and turned for the ground with frightening speed.  Merelli could only scream, "TAKE COVER!!"<br/><br/>His troops had seen the arrows, but many of them had no time to react as they defended themselves from the attackers in front of them.  Luckily for them, the arrows were aimed behind the forward positions to hit their reserves.  While the line held, dozens of troops awaiting their turn were felled.  The gazebo's roof reverberated with hundreds of impacts, and when all the arrows had fallen it bristled with the lodged projectiles.  Merelli grabbed his second.  "Take a detachment, flank the enemy, and eliminate their archers," he ordered.<br/><br/>"Yes, sir!" the Major replied.  He ran out of the gazebo, pulling together a motley group of nearby soldiers, and took them southwards, behind the park, then turned west, attempting to slip around behind the cultists unseen.<br/><br/>((OOC:  Minor grammatical edits made.))