((OOC:  I return!))<br/><br/>As Merelli's world shrunk down to nothing but warm blackness within Iln's healing sac, Janus and Fenson turned to look at one of the men that had carried the colonel from the warehouse.  "What happened in there?" asked Janus.<br/><br/>"I don't know," said the soldier.  "Some big... thing... attacked us.  He was like a wolf-fur, but not... like he could change from being a human to being a wolf.  He'd been holding the colonel captive, then held him hostage, playing some sick game with that bat guy.  But in the end, he didn't kill the colonel before he died.  Strange shit.  I'm just glad we got the colonel out okay."<br/><br/>"A guy that could change into a wolf?" Janus repeated to himself.  He looked at Heretic.  "Does that sound familiar to you?"<br/><br/>Marice would emerge into the noonday sun onto a mostly clean battlefield.  She could probably see Iln, Janus, Fenson, and Heretic from where she stood.<br/><br/>Emiko remained sealed up within Iln, but she could probably feel Merelli's return, if she were awake.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Chiro was making headway to the east, Mag rolling along behind him.  Before them both, the corridors of the city sprawled, hemming them in on either side with tall buildings.  Chiro was following Sundry Avenue, a thoroughfare that branched off from Shenzai Square and followed the curve of the Jawn River.  He was well ahead of Mag and would only encounter civilians for the most part, but the breadth of half the city lay before him.  If he wanted to at all escape without drawing attention to himself, he would have to find someplace to hide.  Currently there were no options.<br/><br/>Arget was sailing over Shenzai Square, the buildings around him spinning lazily as the hang-glider decided the path it wanted to take.  He could see the crater Mag had made beneath him, the pavement heaved up around its edges.  The outer wall of the Palace was littered with dead bodies, guards with heads, limbs, and torsos torn asunder by either Jania's claws or the sniper's slugs.  He could see Chiro and Mag retreating eastward, and Jania running for a tall hotel several blocks away.  But he hadn't heard anything from the team coming in through the sewers... with Chiro getting away fast and Jania too, he was very quickly being left alone.<br/><br/>His radio crackled in his pocket.  It wasn't a promising sound.  Unknown to him, Feign's bolt had just cut him off from Halvorson's team.<br/><br/>He could try to turn and follow Chiro or Jania, but he'd touch down far behind them... and none too gently, either.  Anywhere he turned, there would be hard pavement.  The Palace was behind him, and on the other side of that was the lake.  If he landed there he'd land intact, but who knew exactly where... and in his condition, swimming may not have been the best choice.  But at least he would be out of danger.  He didn't know where the garbage truck was, and the original plan was to wait with Chiro where it had dropped them off before the mission.<br/><br/>The original plan, of course, had long since gone to hell.  He had to make a choice, and quickly.  Anywhere was better than where he'd come from, but nowhere was looking particularly good.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Halvorson found a rage starting to build in his chest, the kind that only can be released through immediate, powerful, and uncompromising violence.  His body surged forward, roughly pressing Karogen to the side of the narrow tunnel as he muscled past him, Mad Adam, and the medic, his free arm reaching over Baz's head to seize Feign by the collar of his dirty but rich-looking shirt.  The young man was light enough to push out the end of the sewer opening and let him dangle over the water as Halvorson's eyes gleamed in the noonday sun.  He glared at Feign over the tops of his flaring nostrils.<br/><br/>"You sneaky little fuck..." his voice came as a tearing whisper.  "Only reason you're telling 'em to fight for us is because we'd rip you in half if you didn't.  But now... now you say they'll just kill anyone who gets in their way?  You son of a whore.  Let the real soldiers kill each other so your people can come in and pick over the carcass?  That's your strategy, ain't it?  Let me tell you something, Feign.  I've got two wounded here.  I'm rescuing some snot-nosed punk with no spine because my Commander wants me to.  I just saw a brave girl blow herself up to save my ass.  And now...  NOW...  some two-timing bastard from fuck-knows-where just shot a little arrow into the sky and told me his whole clan is gonna show up here in a week, and kill anything that moves.  Give me one good reason why I should believe anything you say, you little shit.  One reason.  And quick, 'cause my arm's getting tired and I don't think birds can swim."<br/><br/>His called back into the tunnel.  "Or how about you, Karogen?  Why don't you find me a reason, if this fucker can't?  And I mean NOW.  Grow some spine and give me an order.  Give me a reason why Sara died."<br/><br/>He knew he was making every wrong move he possibly could at that moment, but for some reason he found himself not caring.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>The bloated humans regarded the station wagon with mild interest as it continued to pass by, picking its way through the ruined blockade before it found the open road again.  Dreamer and Kitten could see nothing but flat plains ahead, the fields bristling with crops.  Occasionally a tree or a farmhouse would dot the landscape, but the topography was decidedly monotonous.  The road they were on gently wove to and fro among the crops, with an occasionaly frontage road or equipment path branching off.<br/><br/>Maeve relaxed in her seat as Sherra lowered her weapon, running her fingers through Feldana's hair.  The little calf was starting to doze in her embrace, and she let her, allowing her own eyes to lose focus.<br/><br/>A sedan suddenly pulled across the road up ahead, blocking their path.  Four men climbed hastily out, carrying rifles limply at their sides.  They looked at the oncoming station wagon and waved to Dreamer and Kitten, looking more welcoming than threatening.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>After systematically covering the exposed parts of the roof, the four lupine soldiers came upon the elevator machinery shed and hesitantly approached it, their blades held up at the ready.  Two of them took up station on either side of the door.  A kick and a surge later and they were inside, looking in bewilderment at a woman's red dress hanging from some pipes.<br/><br/>One of them reached for his radio, but it was truly dead, cutting him off from the reinforcements below.  He shrugged at his fellows.<br/><br/>There were two soldiers inside and two outside the machinery shed.  None had even begun to suspect where she was.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Jania was met with at least a dozen fully armed and armored Kazmer Army soldiers, who, upon her noisy arrival, threw up their curved blades and moved to encircle her, keeping their distance.  They knew what she was capable of and were more than willing to stay alive rather than fall for her taunts.  The ones sidestepping to get behind her were all the more wary.  Their body armor flexed and shifted as they moved, sizing her up, keeping calm despite her size and demeanor.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>((Not much happening in the warehouse with Jenten and Raice right now, so you guys can Rp with each other as necessary.))