STEAM LONDON: Realms of Aether Game Thread

[MWBailey]

"Nadya--?"  Now, where'd she go..." Dreyfuss wondered. NADYA!? he sent frantically. "I really wish people'd let me finish speaking before they go off following orders and all..." He grumbled.

What if she has trouble, or gets lost or something? What if she gets killed? can I handle that? He realized, distressingly, that he wasnt sure if he could. Steady, Dreyf, she can't have gotten in that deep yet." "I wish she'd waited and taken me or Cain or Angel along.

[Nigel Wetherby]

Sigmund watched Nadya dissapeared into the feline city. He wondered if the maternal and watchful entity of Madame Arachne would approve of her going out into the city alone. But then he remembered her personality. Fiery, defiant, and in no way 'proper' he couldn't help but imagine a gin-soaked tavern, the floors made sticky with blood from mouths, noses, and forehead wounds issued by all manner of brutal improvised weaponry. Nadya stood in the doorway of the imaginary bar like a triumphant conquering hero, the remains of a rum bottle clenched in her fist.
The image brought sigmund an odd sort of solace, though his train of thought was interrupted by the sensing of Helena's nervous thoughts. They came in quick, short bursts of apprehensiveness.
"Will you be Alright Helena?"

[T.Taylor the Third]

Trip was pacing on the deck when dreyfuss came along  "trip ponced at the man "Whats Happening!?!?!!!! They wont let me see her whats Wrong??!!!!!"
dreyfuss was a bit startled by the sudden barrage of questions, but he could tell that the boy was genuanly worried, "Now dont get aall worried.."Dreyfuss begain But Trip jumped in "Why? should I be Worried? Why whats wrong!!Why Wont anyone tell me anything !!!!!!!"

[Stella Gaslight]

"I just wish I knew had struck her down.  She has always managed to avoid whatever nasties circulated around the lab I forgot being sick was even an option for Emma. You aren't feeling ill at all are you?  Because with your physiology I imagine a high fever would be devastating."

Lady Ariel applied a cold rag to Emma's forehead and tried to carefully administer a dose of bark tea.  Emma thrashed underneath Lady Ariel and kept yelling about someone trying to eat her, she was having rather nasty hallucinations.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

The entire bar went silent. Nadya had walked into a bar of more...questionable character. Here were many persons who had connection, direct or indirect to the pirating business. Some had even thrown their lot in with the Russians in the war and had lost everything. Some were very widely traveled.

"Why would you be wanting to find Mr. Elisha Kettell?" asked one of them in a low voice. "Would you happen to be knowing him?"


Suddenly, the door of the bar burst open. A small, slight, but defiant looking girl strode in, walking straight up to the man that Nayda had been talking to.

"Dr. Toyish?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Dr. Townsend-Armistead?" he said slowly, with a small grin.

"Right. I'm not playing games. The Whitechapel disease. Hundreds are sick with it. A few have died. And don't think the League has noticed that you have, for whatever reason, the only cure. And happen to be making a significant profit off it. I've done the research and I want to bring you in. This is an outrage on your title."

The man grinned again. "And what thinks I'm going to come with you? The League has no power in here. You could vanish and all their little toymakers couldn't find you, or me."

"Are you threatening me?" she asked. The doctor produced a large knife. A few men seated around the bar inched forwards.

"Of course I am." he said, smiling fully. He grasped her wrist tightly.

"I'm dreadfully sorry then." she said.

Before he could respond, there was a shot and the doctor was falling to the floor, a neat hole branding his forehead. The others spun round. The shot had come through the window. The door flew open as Elisha walked calmly into the room, holding the smoking rifle. The men looked at him, trying to conceal their terror. The gasmask face stared them down without emotion. The breeze from outside ruffled the edges of the long leather duster.

"Touch her and you will die." he said simply, the mask giving an odd echo to his voice. The men rushed forwards with long knives and clubs. They were discovered and were desperate. Elisha calmly watched as they advanced. Then he moved with near unnatural speed. The rifle spun out, the butt catching itself in the stomach of one, knocking him to the ground in the heap. He kicked out, a sickening impact with more force than any human muscles. It was over soon. He slung the rifle over his back and removed the helmet, holding it under one arm. He moved one hand through his hair which was messed slightly from wearing it.

"I'm sorry." he said, moving to Ella. "I should have expected something like this. Damn. Are you allright?" he said with concern. He held her tight to him, with an affection that seemed strange on his serious face.

"I'm sorry for the mess." he said. "Aether League members should be here to clean it up soon. Tell them to send a damages report to Elisha Kettell."

[Nigel Wetherby]

"No, I feel fine." He quickly checked himself for purple splotches. So far he detected none, which caused him to give a sigh of releif. He shuddered at the idea of dying of a terrible fever, the idea of the heat slowly cooking him alive made him feel sick already.
"I hope to god I never get sick." He hoped the series of painful innoculations he had received during his enlistment would keep those terrible viruses at bay.

[Genevieve Ozuna]

Ah, so this wasn’t a friendly sort of place, Nadya noted passively. That was fine. She really wasn’t all that friendly. When the gruff gentleman questioned her motives, she easily slipped back in to old roles, smirking and laying one hand on her hip.

“And if I were to say I did? What’re you going to do, spit at me?” she retorted, knowing an overcompensating buffoon when she saw one.

He didn’t like that much apparently— defiance in a woman. His face fell into a scowl, but before he could act, a slight, slim lass burst in and interrupted him. Nadya stood attentive, scanning the room, and her hackles rose as the weapons started appearing. When the original man grabbed the woman's wrist, she slipped one hand down to her revolver, the other reaching behind her back for a dagger.

Yet again though, her efforts proved unnecessary, as a gentleman in a mask burst through the door and made short work of the situation. She pouted as he finished off most of the group, she’d been rather looking forward to some excersise. But as he announced his name, Nadya’s face lit up. Aha, Elisha. This seemed like the sort of fellow who’d run with the Boheme crew actually. Quick to act and quick to defend. She’d noticed a recurring trend of that sort amongst the crew she’d left behind in that Feline London.

In the tense calm that followed, Nadya felt almost intrusive. Watching the pair’s embrace, she hesitated to interrupt. In that moment of hesitation, she nearly became victim to another drunken man’s attack, as he crept up behind her from the bar and placed the barrel of a gun to her skull. She assumed he meant to make her something of a hostage, though he never got much of a chance to announce his intentions. The moment she felt the cool prod of metal, she spun into action without thought, ducking and turning in one simultaneous instant. Her dagger slit open his abdomen in the same fluid motion, and following the rotation’s motion, she spun and landed a choice kick to his chest.

The body flew back in to the bar, where its head snapped against the counter before his crippled form crumpled to the dirty floor.

The room had grown quite silent by then, as the few men who had not joined the fight sat in shock, staring at the strange cat-like female. They’d known that sort of activity from Kettell, but an unnamed woman coming in and downing one of their rougher comrades with less effort than it would have taken tie her boots? That was new. And vaguely horrifying.

The stares from the pair at the center of the room though, were more of curiousity, though Nadya couldn’t help but cough nervously and tuck behind her ear one of the stray dreads that fallen forward when her knot had slipped out in action.  “‘Ello,” she said, gaining confidence as she smoothed down her skirts and wiped the bloody knife off on a rag from the counter. “I’m Leiutenant Nadya Zarate, here to retrieve Elisha Kettell on orders from Comodoro Dreyfuss of the St. Elmo,” she extended her hand.

[MWBailey]

"TRIP!!" Dreyfuss roared. "Calm yourself, man! You'll do Emma no good at all in that state! No wonder they won't tell you anything, they're probably all afraid you'll take out yer 'favorite' and fry 'em!" Trip calmed somewhat and apologised. "Apology accepted," he sighed, "I know what its like to have someone dear fall ill -- now, DONT START!!" Dreyfuss raised his voice then thought of something he'd seen Granny Laveux do once; he gripped Trip gently on each shoulder, looked into hi eyes, and said, "good Gods of of Atlantis All, Trip, just be callmmm" Dreyfuss sent, doing his best to soothe the poor fellow. apparently it worked, since Trip immediately started breathing easier and no longer looked like he wante dto kill something -- as much as before. "OK. She has a virus, Trip. We don't know what kind. Lysander and Ariel and Madame Arachne are doing all that they can

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Elisha looked carefully at her. "Dreyfuss? What do you mean by retrieve?" He remained calm, but was still warey. The catness of the girl was odd. Didn't mean anything against her character, but was odd. And he'd known from the past that litle oddities could mean big trouble later. He'd realized that both Ella and himself had been out of touch for awhile. He realized that anything could have happened. There whereabouts of the Boheme was unknown at this time, odd considering that he was one of the few that should know where it was at any time. He'd assumed that there was some message left for him.

A few uniformed men entered and began to cart the bodies away and arrest those still breathing. Elisha pulled up a chair, sitting down beside Ella. He motioned to the empty chair.

"So Dreyfuss needs me? Does anyone else? I would appreciate some explaining on the matter."

[Stella Gaslight]

"I hope you don't get sick either my bedside manner leaves much to be desired, or so I have been told." They could hear Emma's muffled shouts from below.  "I wonder what is going on down there."

Angel took up a place by Emma's head and started to sing calmness in to the trembling woman.  Emma's breathing evened and her struggles ceased.  Ariel was able to get the dose of tea in to her and follow it with a full glass of water.  "It should take around fifteen minutes to start working. If it fails we can try another dose but too much and we risk hurting her stomach.  Lady Ariel spoke in very calm precise mind speech.

[Genevieve Ozuna]

Nadya merely nodded as Elisha parroted her message, saying, “Yes, Dreyfuss. I am to bring you back to the ship post haste.”

She sat reluctantly, though gracefully as always, and rapidly launched into the tale of the Boheme and St. Elmo’s trip to the other world in search of shards of George’s soul. Her tone was hushed, but articulate. Soon she had ended the story with a description of Emma’s status, and Dreyfuss request to have their old comrade at the helm of the Boheme. She left out the details about herself, and completely disregarded most of what had occurred prior to entering the feline world— those bits would be filled in later. She had no idea when the crew would leave the feline world, but she wasn’t go to risk it being before she got back.

“I apologize for any inconvenience, but I need to get you there as soon as possible. You may come as well I suppose,” she nodded towards the woman sitting with them, dreading the pain that had come even from dragging Dreyfuss along during displacement, let alone two people. “But I must urge you to pack rapidly.” She looked Elisha straight in the eye, plainly showing that she would not accept no for an answer. He could either pack and come along with relative comfort, or be dragging through the aether back to Dreyfuss and that was that. Nadya was known to lie in her day, but she never went back on a promise to those she wished to gain trust from, and failing to bring the pilot back to her superior would be akin to failing him in her eyes.

[MWBailey]

Dreyfuss began to get nervous. He knew from experience that Nadya could jump instantaneous ly, but she had been gone for more than an hour. Nadya,please be alright, HE seemed to hear some echo of her voice, as if ringing almost inaudibly down the halls of alternate reality. Heartened, he tried to reach Elisha. ELISHA, PLEASE DON'T ARGUE. DON'T TRY TO QUESTION ME NOW, I CANT KEEP THIS U-u-P-p... There was a noise in his head that was almost like someone had popped a carriage whip behind his eyes, and what little rapport had been there disappeared, leaving in its place a blinding headache, driving him to his kness and ripping a low scream from his throat.
"AAAARRRGGGGggghhhh!!! "...and then he passed out...

[T.Taylor the Third]

Trip had been looking off the bow of the ship whendreyfuss pased out behind him
"uh......dreyfuss?" he said not realy comprehinding what had happened......"huh thats odd" he thought as he gut the limp dreyfuss and pulled him toward his room

[Genevieve Ozuna]

Suddenly there was a tugging sensation at the nape of her neck, and her hand instinctively reached up to touch it. In that moment, she heard Dreyfuss as clear as day, "Nadya, please be alright." There was a pause, and then she was filled with an overwhelming feeling of dread. Something was wrong. She didn't know what— or whether it involved the ailing Emma or not— but something was certainly wrong. She was out of time.

"I'm sorry, we have to leave. Now. There's no time to pack, I'll have to bring you back later. And Miss, well, I'm really not sure if I can bring you both at once, and I'm sensing that urgency is needed. We'll have to leave you behind," Nadya spoke rapidly, her hands twitching in that subconscious was they tended to when they were itching for action. It took all her strength not to reach out and grab the man with the gasmask, and drag him along willingly or not. As soon as she got confirmation— or denial, though that would be a bit less helpful— they would be gone.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

"Wait!" blurted Elisha as the strange woman took his hand. He felt a sense of falling away. He assumed the lady was taking him elsewhere. He shivered. Eeriely, the last time he had a feeling like this was the time he had almost died, in his fevered dreams of other worlds. He glanced back at Ella.

"Ella..." He said, looking at her and nodded. He made a silent promise. Then he was gone.

He fell to to his hands and knees on the deck. He had been carrying the gashelm when he went over, not thinking he'd need it. But his lungs burned as he gasped for air. This had taken more out of him than he had thought. He felt his lip. A little bit of blood. Damn. He needed to slow his breathing. He waited, then looked up.

"Trip?" he said. Then he looked again and stood. This would appear to be the problem that had caused such an urgent exit.

"Damnit! Dreyfuss. What the hell's wrong with him?" He moved over to help Trip carry the unconcious man.

[Genevieve Ozuna]

Nadya squeaked as she crash landed them several feet above the floor, though luckily back to the feline world, and more specifically to Dreyfuss. That had not been her best displacement, probably due to her anxious state. Her ankle smarted as she stood and fixed her skirts, but she appeared otherwise unharmed. The same could not be said for her superior. "Señor!" she called out, as she rushed to help the two gentleman carrying him to a more secure resting place. "For heaven's sake what happened?" she demanded of Trip, wondering how in the name of all things sane did this crew manage not to spontaneously combust. First Emma and now Dreyfuss? Who would manage the other ship were he not to regain consciousness for a spell? Frustrated, she gave the passed out man and whack on his shoulder, and nearly jumped a foot when he started and awoke.

"Oops," she muttered, slipping in to a seat beside the bed where they had laid him.

[MWBailey]

WHACK!! "Where's Nadyaaa!" HE was laying in a bed in a largish room that looked like a cabin on a boat. oh, thats right, the forecastle cabin. Wait a minute, who whacked me, he wondered. "Oowww... hurts to think... Who hit me?"he rotated his neck to the right,  then to the left -- and there was Nadya, she looked like there were tears in her eyes...

Oh great, you nitwit, you scared her. Now whats she going to do to you. hell, you deserve the worst... . well, hurry up and speak to her before she walks out! "Miss Nadya, I'm so sorry. I was just worried something had happened. I was afraid you wouldnt know where to find him, and he's a former privateer, so the places you'd be likely to find him...I screwed up the mission didnt I... Wait a second, this isnt a cabin, its a...deck? I hope my brain isnt completely...oowww." Suddenly it looked like a room again. Well, at least she hasn't gotten up and walked out...

[Nigel Wetherby]

"Agel and Cain will help. Of that, I am sure." Sigmund's voice was adamant with an immovable truth. The type that came from utter faith, or an absolute definancy. Helena could not help but feel rather moved by the faith the commodore-boy had in the dual constructs.

Cain did his best to join in the song as He nervously watched the thermometer in Emma's mouth slowly even out, the red alchohol fluid reaching a stable one hundred, which brought mixed emotions of releif and wariness about the medical team. Arachne exhaled, hoping to god or whatever was out there that she had done enough to save Emma.

[Genevieve Ozuna]

“You half-wit,” Nadya muttered as she embarrassedly blinked away tears that had sprouted upon hearing him groan in pain. She looked up to notice Trip and Elisha staring at her oddly and frowned, barking out, “What are you still doing here? Trip, take Mister Kettell to Captain Emma and see what he can do for her, I can handle this ninny.” Having nothing more that they could really do here anyway, they exited— Trip looking as though he had been eager to leave anyway, to get to Emma.

Clearing her throat, she turned her body away from the door where she had watched them exit and half-scowled at Dreyfuss, unable to keep the laughter from her eyes. “Now what’s all this about worry? Don’t you remember what I told you about talents beyond those which brought me here?” She would have attempted to resituate her skirts to make the blood dotting them from the brawl sightly less obvious, but that would only have drawn attention to them at that point. “I’m quite capable of defending myself sir,” she continued, “And you were not that one who left without fully listening to instructions.”

She paused, and could not ignore how crestfallen and confused he appeared. Just moments before he’d been hallucinating that he was on the deck. It would probably be best to keep him conscious for a few hours, on the off-chance that he’d given himself a concussion through his efforts to contact her. So, she sighed, and decided to leave further berating for later. “Come now,” Nadya began as she stood, “Let’s get you sitting up, at least you’re alright after all.” She wrapped her slender arm around his shoulders and used her spare hand to grip one of his own, guiding him from his lying position. Once he was sitting though, she did not move her position.

[Stella Gaslight]

Emma's breathing calmed and she fell asleep as the two constructs serenaded her. Her dreams were peaceful and she looked comfortable.  Lady Ariel smiled and groomed her mussed fur. "I will leave you with more tea and some salve for when the spots cause hair loss but other than that I have done all I can.  The rest is up to her."

[Nigel Wetherby]

Madame Arachne bowed in the style that many of her girls from Abroad had taught her. It really seemed like the only way to respect the healer.
"I am very thankful for your help. I beleive I can take care of things from here." She recognized then that a smile was not only universal, but it was pan-dimensional as well!
She glided across the ground towards Emma's bedside, checking her puse every five minutes or so just to be sure. She had to admit though, the caring sage of a woman bore a terribly familiar personage about her. It was haunting, but she could swear she knew her.

Lady Ariel approached her home, a meager building which held within its walls all manner of females. They all greeted her return with joy and releif. Hours would be spent answering questions and regailing her women in stories. And Ariel would love every second of it.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Elisha watched as a cat walked across the deck. Yes, what definately appeared to be a cat.

"Ms. Emma is fine." said the cat person. "All she needs now is rest." Had he said something or had his mind been read?

He shuffled in place. He automatically felt the need to do something. He headed to the steering room of the Boheme. He hadn't been here in ages, but he still remembered working all the instruments with Hudson. He spent a few minutes tuning everything, getting it back to the way Hudson had kept it smooth. He then looked around. He was back. And he had some questions.

He returned the way he had come. He walked back into the room to see that Dreyfuss was concious. That was good. He saw the strange lady with him as well. As reasonable as he was trying to be, he couldn't help feel a bit angry at her. She'd just snatched him out and away from Ella. Was there something very serious? Was it going to endanger Ella?

He nodded at Dreyfuss. "So." he said. "I'm on the Boheme. How the hell did I get here and what is going on? I haven't had contact for months. More importantly, is there anyway to communicate with back home...wherever that is?"

He paused, realizing how agitated he was. He closed his eyes a moment.

"It is good to see you again, Dreyfuss. All you doing alright? And maybe we better be introduced before any explinations." he said, nodded towards the lady.

[MWBailey]

No, I'm not the one who left too early --but I am the one who was idiotic enough to allow himself to develop an affection for a subordinate -- Lord above, I hate calling you that -- and then admit it to her... I think I'm the one at fault, for getting you all enthused about the mission." HE gritted his teeth in anger directed at himself, "And then I tried a method of communicating I'd never tried before over such a distance, and probably stoked up the power level 'way too high, making you think it was suddenly life-or-death...Yeah, I'm a ninny. I just wish I hadnt made you call me one, or made you risk injury coming back in a hurry."

HE sighed, despairingly, but still tried to grasp at some straw of hope "And now I have a feeling Emma's getting better, making it no longer quite such an emergency...but there's still the four-day turnaround limit, and Emma needs all the rest she can get, So maybe its not a total loss. Maybe from now on I'd better just handle the Military end of the mission and stop trying to get involved in the rest of it.

No, that won't work. I'll just have to see. Nadya, you don't have to humor me. You must be thinking I must have a concussion, and are keeping me upright to make me stay awake. I do appreciate the effort, and  it makes me think that maybe you don't completely hate me... great, now I'm babbling. "

"Also getting sleepy, so maybe you're right to keep me awake, but I've fallen over a thousand feet before; I was famous for it for a while, they called me the Falling Man, that would have been great, but in fact it was part of the whole disaster of my first command getting shot out of the sky; I was on deck tightening a loose cable, because the man I sent out to do it had gotten shot, so I went out and dodged a few bullets, tightened it up... and then the bastard we were duelling shot our suspension cables out and the whole ship part fell, throwing me clear. That's one reason I'm so paranoid about losing people, Nadya. I lost my entire crew -- they were like family. And on top of that...I didnt go down with my ship, having been thrown clear. Survived, in spite of mysel--."

Dreyfuss heard Elisha's words, and laughed a bit." 'alright?' I'm the guy who keeps falling off the ship, you're the one that got yanked here across a dimensional barrier. We ought to be asking if YOU are 'all right.'

Well, anyway... Elisha, meet Miss Nadya Catarina Zarate, Newly recruited Leiutenant, Junior Grade, a walker between worlds and more besides, and more than welcome in mine, since she walked off with my heart, whether she likes it or not. and yes, she's right, I'm a ninny. But you already knew that part."

"Ow,' He said, in response to her hitting him again, albeit a bit playfully that time. Nadya,  Meet Elisha Kettel, One of our companions from teh Boheme and the war against the Cold Ones. Probably the toughest danged man from the North American continent besides me. In London, at any rate. You deserve an explanation, Elisha, so let me start more or less at the beginning...

First off, I don't know how much you know already, so stop me if we hit a part you've heard already. Well, it's like this. George got blasted by the Tsarina at St.Pertersburg, as you know. What you might not have known is that he got blasted into a whole slew of different dimensions, instead of being killed. This is but one of many we have yet to go to, if I am not mistaken. well, when we gothere, we had to separate George form one of the buildings here; they are self-run mechanical minds, apparently, and the place george ended up in here was the mind of one of the towers.

When we got through with that, and were about to head back to the ships, Emma suddenly collapsed and showed signs of a virus that seems to be common around these parts...

Um, something I forgot to tell you is that a fellow named Mahon, apparently he's some kind of angelic "ascended" person-- he's the person whom I was looking for that first day, when you walked across the landing field and saw me looking across back in your direction. He had just appeared to me then, for the first time. well, anyway,there's a whole lot else involved with that, but for now lets just leave it at the fact that he appeared to everyone at Madame Arachne's Last night, just after Miss  Nadya here, arrived for the first time and got hurt on arrival.

We took her there, along with a different and totally opposite version O Brian O'Landry and Shai; Brian had been tortured by the cold ones and was about to be tortured by that otherworldly emma , who by the way was evil, the exact opposite of our Emma. Well, anyway, Mahon said that the most we could afford to delay after each pickup of george was about four days, or two in some cases (I'm not sure how that works, actually). So: emma needs to rest, at least; I as afraid that she would still be sick.

In any case, we need somebody to help Madame Arachne, or whoever, to pilot the Boheme back home. we are hoping that Helena or someone of the Boheme's crew will be able to talk you through the dimensional jump. I have to be on board the St. Elmo for escort duty, although Captain Ishmael (our alternate pilot, so to speak) might be able to manage it; its just that Fleet protocol require sthe higher-ranking officer to be on the bridge for such operations. Thankfully, I'm a lot better at Commanding an airship in combat than I am at cloak-and-dagger operative management...

Of course,now that I've come right out and said that I'm better at that...

[Stella Gaslight]

Angel and Cain came out after being thoroughly scrubbed clean.  Angel smiled at Helena and Sigmund.  "Emma lady is going to get all better but she has a lot of sleeping to do."

"Who is going to pilot the ship?  I can work the d hopper drives but I can't work both at once." Helena realised she was most likely ethe only one other than Emma that could operate it with the current upgrades.

"Elisha is here he could do it."  Angel said looking out at the strange shadow that was growing in the distance.

"Take me to him please." Helena hope he could deal with the roughness that came with traveling on the plains between worlds.  Sigmund looked surprised that one of the heroes of the Boheme showed up out of nowhere.  As they walked inside they missed the shadow becoming less a blur in the distance and more a  huge bird that looked to come dangerously close to the ship.

[MWBailey]

PINNNGGG...PINNNGGG...PINNNGGG...PINNNGGG...PINNNGGG...PINNNGGG...
Both Nadya and Elisha asked at roughly the same moment what "That damned pinging" was. Dreyfuss took out his offensively-ringing watch, presse the "receive" stud, and listened to teh morse code message coming across on the watch...
(begin)(urgent) Large Bird not joking(stop) approaching from southeast, rapidly descending(stop) come to St. Elmo if possible(stop) or authorize defensive escort(end)

HE sent back, (begin)(urgent)authorization defensive escort given(stop)

We have company, he said in a grave and urgent voice. Elisha, they'll be needing you up front. i have to try and get back to teh St. Elmo. HE fell back for a second. Dammit ! Nadya, I'm sorry, but I'm going to need you to help me get there...."

Outside, the deckguns on top of teh sT Elmo began firing in rapid fire, and teh Marines began firing their rifles, as the Gigantic bird swooped toward them