Vultana was still switching her sights from the courtyard ---- where all the soldiers had dropped behind cover ---- and the roof when Chiro and Arget emerged.  Her sight slid up to center the crosshairs on Chiro's head.<br/><br/>She almost pulled the trigger at the mere sight of him.  The large, winged silver dragon was evidently a powerful creature, and though he looked somewhat the worse for wear it occurred to her that the Palace Guard might be sending their only flight-capable warrior at her.<br/><br/>However, she saw him dragging a human behind him... or at least, a young<span style="font-style: italic">almost</span>human, with foxlike ears.  Though the young halfbreed was in terrible shape, he wasn't trying to escape the silver beast.  He was trying to walk, but was barely able to help the scaly drag him along.  These two were allies... and no near-human would be part of Alhanda's army.<br/><br/>She hadn't actually seen the invaders arrive... but she'd sen the glider in the corner, and the torched chopper had already been a sign that something had happened on that roof.  If she had to hazard a guess, these two were the invaders in the Palace... and the beartaur was their ally and distraction.  Seeing the last guard on the roof stand up and point his weapon at them confirmed it, even more so when the foxboy tried to shoot im, failed, and hurled his weapon instead.<br/><br/>The last guard's head exploded as he exposed himself.  Vultana wasn't going to let anyone impede their escape... and the way they were hurrying toward that glider, there was someone in pursuit of them.  She aimed the rifle at the open door.<br/><br/>Sounds distracted her.  She looked downward over the edge of the roof... and she saw a platoon of Kazmer Army soldiers grouping down there.<span style="font-style: italic">Shit,</span>she thought, leaning back.<span style="font-style: italic">Shit, shit, shit!  Now what?  Do I just leave?!</span><br/><br/>She considered.  They wouldn't be able to reach her very quickly... the elevators didn't quite reach the roof (though the machinery for it was there), and she'd locked the doors behind her.  Although... come to think of it...<br/><br/>She slipped away from the wall, carrying her rifle with her, trying to ignore the pain and blood of her flesh wound.  She couldn't help the dragon and the foxboy at all if she was dead or just unable to sit still and shoot... they would have to survive without her long enough for her to deal with the invaders in her Mistress' hotel.  Her human-like lips smirked inside her beak as she stepped to the access door of the elevator machinery shed, entered her passcode, and stepped inside.<br/><br/>This was Mistress Shaffa's hotel, and Vultana was her assistant and client-handler.  She had access everywhere... including such seemingly useless spots as this.<br/><br/>The elevator was moving... rising toward the roof.  Since the hotel had been shut down, the elevator could only have one possible kind of occupants right now... the Kazmer soldiers.  She stepped up to the switches nearby and lowered a breaker... and the elevator stopped abruptly, the power to the motors cut.  The elevator's five occupants were trapped between two floors... harmless to her for now.<br/><br/>She found herself staring at the machinery nearby... more specifically, at the cables holding the elevator up.  She smiled, and it was a cruel smile... but these were her enemies... killers, like Berus had always been...<br/><br/>The rifle made a soft sound through the silencer.  The first of several cables snapped from a slug tearing through it, making the elevator and its occupants jerk.  If they were lucky, she thought, the brakes would stop the elevator's fall, but they'd still be in no position to harm her... otherwise, they would<span style="font-style: italic">definitely</span>be in no position to harm her.  Either way, she would have a few minutes to help the escapees now on the Palace roof.<br/><br/>--- --- --- ---<br/><br/>Dreamer waited and rode as Kitten drove.  He stuck his right arm out the window and gripped the top of the car, trying to look bored, like there was nothing that bothered him about all this destruction.  He was watchful for any humans, and wondering how many had really headed toward Kree after his "orders."  His left hand held his handgun on his lap, ready for use, as the station wagon neared the north-going road.