In a different situation, it probably wouldn't have been the best idea, but for now the rooftop that Martini now found herself on looked to be a solid pausing point. She had worked her way north, realizing before long that the high road of the crowded rooftops offered decent cover for her movements. The Maneaters' larger weaponry proved discouraging enough for Sariel to pull back their air support, but at the same time they had no aerial threat of their own unless a wandering avian had joined the besieger's ranks. Coupled with the knowledge that Xylaths' reach and vision spread primarily underground and was someone she'd rather not deal with yet, keeping high had a clear advantage. All was quiet in the area for now and she hazarded a glance over the edge of the roof. Nothing worth seeing at the moment--just a dusty street intersection, a beat-up department store, some apartments that had doubtlessly been cleared of all food and useful tools by now, and a convenience store that she could easily see had suffered the same fate as the apartments. She looked only long enough to get the survey she needed, then pulled back to avoid possible detection. Again she opened her bag, pulling out an earpiece and one more small device. Attaching the earpiece, she flicked a small switch on the handset and held it close to her mouth.<br/><br/>"Wake up, Compton."<br/><br/>It took a moment, but eventually a bit of static sounded in her ear followed shortly by a male voice.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Still alive and kicking, are you?"</span><br/><br/>"Please," she huffed back, "I'm not an amateur. I doubt I'll find a battery around here to work the transceiver if this thing dies, so I'll make this quick. Things are worse than I first thought, I can't move easily. Have you found any leads yet?"<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"No, it's going to be another couple of hours before it's in place to capture fresh images. Unless you can find a shady spot to hide for a while, you might have to do some of your own dirty work this time."</span><br/><br/>""Hmph, some master you are."<br/><br/>The man laughed.<span style="font-style: italic">"Same to you, Martini. You better not die too quickly, this has been a fun challenge for me so far."</span><br/><br/>She rolled her eyes. "Well if the challenge is so rewarding--"<span style="font-style: italic">"No way,"</span>he returned quickly,<span style="font-style: italic">"I still accept payments in cash, not challenge."</span><br/><br/>"Doesn't seem to be much military left," Martini continued, getting back to the meat of their conversation, "or what's left is keeping quiet. There aren't many survivors left, but what's there are all being held in a football field nearer the south end. The Maneaters have the numbers advantage, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the military still has another wild card hiding somewhere. I don't know enough yet to say more."<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"So what does all of that really mean for you and me?"</span><br/><br/>She grinned. "That isn't something you need to know. Client confidentiality, after all. I'll call back once I need something else."<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Sounds like my last girlf--"</span>The voice dropped out as Martini flicked off her transceiver. She put the gear away and lay flat on her back for a moment, gathering her thoughts and planning her next move. Could she make it through without being spotted when the city was already mostly empty? If not, a more direct approach might be needed...