((OOC:  Guh.  I've got to stop writing when I'm tired.  I actually spelled "road" as R-O-D-E in my last post.  *shudder*  Okay, here goes...))<br/><br/>It was only a matter of moments before the police car was out of sight, not turning back or slowing in its patrol.<br/><br/>Moments later, the main doors to the building slid open automatically, and a young, attractive female rabbit-fur emerged in jogging gear.  Apparently the fact that the city was under seige would not put a crimp in this girl's exercise routine.  However, she was not wearing headphones, and her large rabbit ears were perked, listening for trouble.  She turned and began jogging, her ears alert, along the sidewalk.<br/><br/>She jogged right past the alley which Chiro and Arget were hiding.  It took her a moment to realize she had passed someone - two figures pressed up against her building's wall, looking around back.  She stopped and turned, cautiously padding back to the alley but not looking into it, using her ears instead to listen closely.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Halvorson patted Baz on the shoulder.  "No offense meant, buddy," he said.  Wordlessly, he switched on his flashlight and lowered himself into the manhole. His light danced around as he dropped from the edge into the sewer, a light splash sounding as he landed.  "Aaagh...  shit.  Literally."  From in the truck, they could see his light sweep back and forth, checking around a moment before he called up.  "Okay, next."<br/><br/>O'Toole immediately lowered herself down into the sewer, and was able to find the service walkway above the sewage, keeping herself clean as she lightly dropped onto it.  Her own light came on, searching the passage.  "Doc?" Halvorson called up.<br/><br/>The medic lowered himself down, his feet being caught by O'Toole, who guided him to the walkway also.  "Okay," said Halvorson.  "Who's next?"  He and O'Toole held out their hands to grab whoever was coming down.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Feldana jumped when Dreamer punched out the wagon's window.  She looked in wonder at his arm.  "Whoa..." she breathed.  "Are you okay?"<br/><br/>Many blocks away, Fort Blotar was belching out its human occupiers.  Throngs of slaves-turned-murderers streamed out of the rent doorway across the makeshift bridge and onto the streets of Kree, beginning to capture and put down anyone they met who was not on their side.<br/><br/>Faint but real noises of screams and brutality began to filter into the garage from the street.  Feldana squeezed Sherra's leg in terror.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>In the dim dawn light streaming through a sewer grate overhead, a horrific mass of tentacles and misshapen flesh briefly slithered into Feign's sight off to his left.  The gurgling and shuffling noises it was making seemed to get louder.  It was a sickly dark green color, like the sewage that flowed nearby, and it was covered in globs of disgusting wet waste.  Something that could have been an eye was open, it's yellow iris catching the light from the grate and reflecting it dimly at Feign.<br/><br/>In the next moment, the thing was silhouetted against the light.  It was very close now, and it was big - nearly half as tall as the passage.  The stench it exuded was overwhelming.  The gurgling noise was quite loud now, and a few probing, testing tentacles were sliding along the walkway toward Feign, just within arm's reach.  Nasty, flaring suckers on the end of the tentacles groped about, drawing nearer with every second.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>There was a brief calm at Merelli's HQ.  The noises coming from the alleys and streets were suddenly silent.  Merelli laid a hand on Janus' shoulder.<br/><br/>"If they have come for your friend," he said quietly.  "They will not have him.  Anyone who attacks my men will not go unpunished.  Go.  Be with your friend."<br/><br/>Janus nodded and started running to the building Heretic had holed up in.<br/><br/>And at that moment, their enemy was upon them.  From every alley, every rooftop, and every manhole on the block behind the hospital, hundreds of furs, humans, and halfbreeds were suddenly swarming, screaming, howling, their jagged and twisted weapons gleaming in the sunlight, trailing blood onto the ground.  The bodies of some of Merelli's men were lifted high into the air over the masses, being shaken like trophies on the ends of pikes and spears.<br/><br/>None of the unit called Lockbox had been spared.  The forward scouts immediately screamed the word back.  "HOSTILES IN SIGHT!"<br/><br/>The masses surged forward.<br/><br/>Merelli's eyes widened.  "RESERVES FORWARD!  HOLD YOUR POSITIONS!"<br/><br/>The Resistance troops ran forward to hold their lines.  At the same instant, the Blood Cult descended upon them.  A cacophony of noise heralded the start of the battle.<br/><br/>A block away, the First Sergeant heard.  He called up to Emiko and Jenten.  "What's happening?" he yelled.