Totem Quest : The Crew Part 4 (All postdates to mid dec.)
The group had found their way to Max's people, the Crew. After a good night's sleep, each of them begins to drift out of their respective tunnels and collect in a communal area. They're afforded a glance at a variety of Crew garou, which come in all shapes and sizes, all moods and personalities. They live close to the surface so they can move freely between topside and below, though their tunnel entrances are expertly hidden to avoid incursion from the enemy. Max has run off to find the Captain, the alpha of this small pocket of Crew. When she returns, it's with a tall, lithe woman with a no nonsense but otherwise perfectly amiable bearing. She sizes up the small group, with especially interested looks for the Prattler and the Bloodtaker. "So. You're the strangers. Max tells me the rumors are true. That you're after Shade."

Kaz, who looks both less pained and more satisfied than she did last night, nods. "Morning. I'm Kaz. I'm a Gnawer Galliard. And yeah. That's us. It's sorta one of those mystical things where we act like morons in order to solve a problem for you, but hey, at least the problem'll be solved."

Salem, who's quiet this morning despite Lara's continued presence, smiles wanly.

Carries-Fire is still in lupus, and looking just a bit groggy yet. She listens intently from where she's curled up on the floor.

Zeke is at the back, quiet and thoughtful, with eyes on both Kaz and the newcomer.

The Captain seems to find Kaz's explanation puzzling at first, then downright amusing. "I see," she says, glancing between the galliard and her companions. Gesturing, she leads them all to a more private room. Inside are waiting several other garou. One of them happens to be Michael Nine-Lives-Takes-Ten, though he's standing behind a taller garou with a nasty scar across his cheek that runs down his neck. There are Prattlers there, too. One or two from the group that fought off the wasps, including one obviously blind garou--her eyes a milky white. The Captain takes a seat behind an old, battered desk and says, "Introductions can wait. Here's the point. Word's spread about your little mission. And garou from all over have come our way thinking maybe we can do this. Personally, I think it's folly, but I really don't have anything better to do, so why not?" she looks out across all of them again, the blind Prattler smiling wryly. The Captain goes on again, "Our friends from Magpie have graciously informed us that the man's plans are ramping up. So it's now, or never."

Kaz nods to Michael, and casts interested glances at the others, meeting some of their eyes briefly, before her attention returns to the Captain. "Ain't that always the way," she says ruefully. "What's goin' on with the dude? I mean, what's with his plans?"

Salem cracks his knuckles absently.

Unrolling some crudely drawn maps and battle plans, the Captain explains, "We've been talking about that very thing. And we're not absolutely sure of the answer. But we do know that he's concentrated a whole hell of a lot of his people here." She points to the map and then gestures to the blind Prattler. "And thanks to Miriam here, we know there's a bane down there, one that could open these tunnels like an axe splitting a skull. Leaving us defenseless, vulnerable, and pretty much dead." Looking up at Kaz, she adds, "Max tells me this is something personal for you." She glances at the young ragabash, who's grinning enigmatically. The Captain simply purses her lips, going on. "What I propose then is to take our main force and hit theirs, here." Again, she points. "But this will mostly be a distraction. Hopefully it will give you time to do...whatever it is you're going to do. Hopefully it includes killing him. Preferably before that Worm is loosed."

Zeke looks to Kaz at this, taking in a deep breath.

"All or nothing," says Salem quietly.

Carries-Fire growls in agreement.

Kaz grunts. "Yeah. It is." And she doesn't specify more. She listens, and then studies the map, and nods. "Way before would be a /plus/." She glances at Miriam. "There's things that're similar and things that're different. But we know the name of the bane in /our/ world. Would that be of any help t'you?"

The Captain looks between them, grunting at Salem's comment. Miriam doesn't face Kaz as she speaks, but her lips curl in a smile, "It would." The Captain adds, "A small group will go with you, as back up, but for the most part you'll need to infiltrate on your own and get to the man. From there on out, I hope you know what you're doing."

Kaz considers, as she looks the charts over. "You guys got any that're of where the dude is hangin' out? I wanna know what we're gettin' into, a little. Ma'am, Miriam," she adds, towards the blind woman, "I'll get with you in a sec."

Zeke leans in to look, eyes going between map and Captain.

The rest of them exchange grim glances, and then the Captain says, "Max can take you in and lead you to where we think he'll be. If it works, you should have little trouble. He's arrogant that way. That's pretty much all I have." But, at Kaz's question, she gestures to Miriam, who steps up, despite only being given a visual cue. "I can tell you what we know about the man's powers. He is not like any garou you've probably known. He's delved into secrets of his Weaver Master, as well as the Wyrm. His gifts are unlike anything you might be used to. You must be careful. He will try and trick you."

Salem folds his arms across his chest and listens intently, brows lowered. "In what way? What kind of gifts?"

Kaz snorts. "Arrogant. Yeah, that's familiar." She breaks off to listen to Miriam.

Miriam points to her temple. "He will mess with the mind," she says. "Electricity. We have seen him control the machines around him. And they will move in unison, as one."

Carries-Fire rumbles quietly, one ear twisting backwards.

Kaz says, wryly, "Joy. He work with spirits or talens much, other than Mr. Bane, or is it all just him an' WyrmWeaver Gifts?"

Salem's mouth twists into a grimace.

Miriam answers, "We think---we /hope/ all of his spirits and other minions will be drawn to us, at the main battle. But there is really no way to be sure."

Kaz nods, looking glumly thoughtful. She glances at her packmates, asking by expression only if they have anything more to ask.

Zeke frowns more and more deeply as the information continues to come out. "Is there, anything that can help defend against his tricks? Any talens or rituals?" The metis Fury looks a little more alarmed now.

The Captain looks to Miriam, but the blind woman just sort of shakes her head. "Not in time," she says with some disappointment.

Salem grunts. "We'll just have to make do." He glances at his would-be packmates.

Carries-Fire rumbles again, though this time she looks almost eager. We will bite him.

Kaz sighs. "I guess so. I fuckin' hate this kinda shit. It ain't Gnawery. But there you go." She drifts towards Miriam, and murmurs a name quietly to her. And then asks the Captain, "Anythin' else we oughta know?"

Miriam bows her head, but the blind woman has no other reaction to the name she's given. The Captain gets to her feet. "I think that's it. Good luck everyone." She leads most of the others out, but Michael is left behind, along with a couple members of his pack. Lara joins them. Dalen's beta and the rest of his pack are there as well. This appears to be the Hidden Walk's back up. Max steps up to Kaz, and there's a brief touch fingers to hand, and then the ragabash leads them out. As they emerge from the underground, the small band catches a glimpse of the great, assembled army of ragtag garou. It's both inspiring and a little sad--because they /do/ look like a ragtag and pathetic group, but their numbers stretch far and wide. The young ragabash takes them in the opposite direction. At the moment, there's no sign of the great cockroach airships, or the ground tanks and their cyber garou minions. The ruined streets are quiet here. She leads them swiftly through as if she knew the place like the back of her hand.

Kaz, as the others move out, grins at Michael, Lara, Dalen, and packs. It's a grim, tight thing, but grin it is. "Ain't this gonna be a party," she says. She glances at Max at the touch, eyes tensing just a bit, and then she heads out. The sight of the army gives her pause-- she in fact stops short for a moment-- but then she kicks herself into movement again, limping after Max at speed.

Zeke steps up beside Kaz as they walk, looking toward her a little uncertainly. "Ya know. I'd rather it were something easier to combat. What do you think he'll do?"

Carries-Fire lopes after Kaz, keeping pace and generally being as unobtrusive as a six legged wolf can manage. Anyone paying attention though, might notice she's both trying NOT to look at Dalen and his pack, and almost glancing at them a lot.

Salem /does/, on the other hand, glance over at Lara from time to time, but most of his attention's on the Garou he came with. The halfmoon is quiet, thoughtful and brow-furrowed.

In and out, she leads them, a few times down alleys that seem hopelessly blocked, only to have the ragabash lead them to a hidden path under or around the block--some of them so small the larger garou have to squeeze and scrape through, leaving a little fur behind maybe even. Eventually, Max gets much more cautious, and there are signs of active enemy patrols. They remain huddled down and out of view until a sudden rather loud commotion gets /everyone's/ attention. It's a weird cacophony of sound, built up and accumulated over time, and released all at once. The Hidden Walk garou no doubt find it familiar. The routine activity of the enemy is disrupted, and all seem to move in that direction. This pleases Max, and with a look, she's off, crossing open ground until she reaches the opening to an underground garage. In she goes, leading the others.

Kaz says, sadly, "The usual boring thing where he tries to fuck with our heads and scare us out of out skins." She scrapes some fur off as she goes around the blocks, until the Rite of Silence and Max taking off, at which point she unhappily goes across the open ground.

Salem looks at some of the blockades as though thinking of maybe going over them rather than around, but he follows the Crew-Garou's lead.

Carries-Fire waits until they've reached the garage, but once inside she bulks up into her birthform, sniffing the air once and wrinkling her nose. She inhales deeply and looks around.

Sounds of the battle beyond them are eerily buffeted from inside the garage, while even the relatively small noises the group makes seem to echo loudly around them. But it doesn't matter, as the garage appears completely deserted. Max leads them to an elevator. "Going up," she says, getting in without a moments hesitation. Pushing the button, the doors close behind them. It's a tight fit, but they're all there. The car begins to move after that friendly little 'ding', and around them, as they travel 'up', Christmas musak can be heard.

Zeke follows Morgan's lead and takes Crinos himself, licking muzzle and flickering ears to listen more intently.

Carries-Fire startles a little at the elevator. Her eyes are a bit wide, and that weird sinking sensation elevators give is, apparently, new. The Fianna finds a hand rail and holds on to it just in case, with her lower arms.

Kaz glares upwards at the Muzak. "Fuckin' hate that fuckin' stalkin' Santa song," she mutters, more for getting nervous energy out than for actual anger.

Salem looks upward at the ceiling. "...Could be worse," he comments. "It could be 'It's A Small World'."

Speaks-Up shuffles from foot to foot as they ride their way up.

Kaz looks alarmed. "Point," she says dryly, "Taken."

Max snickers at Salem's comment. "Be ready," she says, nodding toward the top of the elevator. There, the garou will see Big Brother is watching them, a camera on the small group of garou, the intelligent red light looming over them like this world's equivalent of HAL. "There was no other way up that could get us here fast enough to matter. He'll know we're coming." The ride ends on the 13th floor, of course, and the doors open to a dark office. And true to the ragabash's word, there are things waiting for them. Immediately, the elevator is sprayed by gunfire, only the 'gun' in question is a bizarre mutation of a stapler, the small metal prongs flying at the garou in bunches. Shambling toward them is a Xerox machine, too, its internal light flashing 'angrily'? Beyond it, like snakes, the cords of keyboards, mice, and extension cords slither like snakes toward them.

Kaz, at sight of the camera, shifts to crinos, and, also, eviscerates it. As the door dings open, she takes the scene in, and then picks up the copier bodily and throws it at the 'gun'.

Carries-Fire blinks at this odd, odd sight. ~It's like the Brave Little Toaster,~ she tells Dalen in wonder, before surging forward to bite and claw things. Dalen just blinks at her before following.

Salem gives Morgan a darkly amused look as he hauls himself out of the elevator doors and into Crinos. Lara's right after him, in the war form as well. The pair fan out to the sides, Lara kicking at the snakey cords.

Speaks-Up lets out a snarl and moves with his packmates, eyeing the surroundings for the equipment that looks to pose the most threat. Claws come out at the ready as he prepares to fight.

The Xerox machine gives a surprised whine that R2D2 would be proud of, and before it leaves Kaz's hand it zaps her with a nasty jolt of electricity. It doesn't stop her from hurling the thing, which crashes violently into the gun, stopping the rain of metal. That jolt is enough to stun the metis Gnawer, however. The cords--and suddenly there are a/lot/ of them, whip up, avoiding the Bloodtaker's kick. They snare her foot and yank her off her feet. More machines begin shambling toward them from the far end of the long office room--computers, monitors, an overhead projector. Speaks up takes out a computer, his claws shredding the metal case, bits of internal metal, wire and circuit board spilling like guts. Likewise, Morgan and the group of Prattlers with her take out the overhead projector.

Ears, as she's jolted, falls to the ground with a thud. Max, a bit harder to see, suddenly, guards Kaz's flank as the metis recovers, defending her from stray cords. Some of Dalen's pack move to engage the shambling machines, warily.

Lara's tail-end hits the floor, and the Bloodtaker actually barks out a savage, Crinosy laugh. Scar grabs her by the arm to help her back to her feet while a few of Michael's crew move past to meet up with the approaching machinery.

It's not really that much of a fight. Garou claws make small work of the surreal office nightmare, and quickly the group advances across the room, leaving a wake of modern technological waste. At the far end are four far more powerful enemies waiting. Each is a garou--or rather, there was a time, long ago, when they were. Now they are a horrific amalgamation of beast and machine. Morgan gets a look at what she might have become, had the wasps succeeded. Metal gives way to patchy fur, and then metal again. On one, a natural amber eye gleams on one side, and a malevolent red laser covers the other. This weapon is aimed at Salem, cutting a line across Scar's shoulder as it comes to life. Another of the four throws a hand out toward Morgan and Dalen, Weaver webbing spilling a chrome fitting built into his forearm.

Carries-Fire's ears suddenly perk. ~Oh! Wait!~ she calls to Dalen's pack, and rushes forward to get in front of them and concentrate on the swiftly approaching appliances.

Carries-Fire then /snarls/ and leaps at the one that just fired at Dalen.

Speaks-Up looks to Morgan and given her call to wait, stands by her to act as defense for her while she does whatever it is she's doing. He crouches low, eyes swiveling across the horrific office space to keep track of worrisome targets.

Scar snarls in pain, then focuses his will to block the sensation from his mind. Lara grabs up a broken CRT monitor -- its screen smashed in and its innards showing -- and heaves it with all her strength at the head of the Borg-Garou that injured the Glass Walker, then charges in, going low, with a couple of Michael's crew at her side. Scar, looking alarmed, goes after her.

Ears bursts upwards and towards one of the untaken monstrosities, Max a shadow by her side. Several of Dalen's crew head for the last of the Weaver-Garou, clearly aiming to overwhelm it by numbers, one of them-- a burly young man-- tossing stray machines at it as he goes.

The third of the cyber garou moves out to engage and comes across Speaks Up first. The minion of Shade stops, turns, and instead launches himself at Michael Nine-Lives. Metal claws slinking out not unlike a certain wolverine. He's soon overwhelmed though as Kaz sends re-enforcements to help out. Lara Grey's CRT monitor slams into the laser garou's head, smashing the machine that injured the Walker. The minion stumbles back, snarling as Grey closes and the battle devolves to claws. Dalen is engulfed by the sticky, tough webbing, impairing his movement. Carries-fire's claws rake at the arm that shot the webbing, and the cyber garou slams into her with tremendous strength, sending her sprawling across the floor. The fourth minion meets Kaz head on, his chest and arms and legs protected in almost complete metal skin that deflects her claws while his own rake out in fury against the Gnawer, opening up wounds along her stomach, arm and shoulder.

Speaks-Up lets out a growl as he finds the opponent turned from him. He turns after him claws reaching out to grab hold and tear him away from Michael even as reinforcements come in. He aims for anywhere that looks softest, and there's no hesitation from the Fury.

A gout of flame erupts /inside/ Kaz's opponent, while Max (a silvered knife in hand) darts in to try and find vulnerable spots, while Kaz just barrels into the thing, trying to bowl it over. The burly Prattler busts a printer over the minion attacking Michael, the others of his pack hurling themselves at it as well.

Scar wastes no time in closing with the cyber-Garou tangoing with Lara; he aims a vicious kick at the weaver-wolf's knee as he moves around to its back. One of Michael's crew assists, grabbing for the thing's arm, while others go to help Nine-Lives himself.

Carries-Fire tumbles, but she's immediately trying to get to her feet, charging furiously back at the Garou attacking her and Dalen.

As Carries flies back from the web-cyber-garou, her create element--water splashes into the things machinery, and a little sound of ffzztt is proof enough that some of that great technology suddenly stops working. He has a look of disorientation as Carries regroups and comes back at him. For the moment, he's defenseless against the many armed metis Fianna. Scar and Grey, though each taking deep, bloody wounds, manage to eviscerate their target, a pool of red blood mixing with a strange blue, glowing blood as the dual monster dies. Kaz's cyber-knight lets out a snarled scream, his muzzle opening as flame literally shoots out from the burst inside him. The metal skin containing him heats up to the point the garou can smell his fur cooking. The ragabash's silver knife slips in between plates, ending the scream. Michael is hurt badly, but the re-enforcements quickly put the other cyber garou on his back. It leaves Speaks Up at the center of a double-doored office, his the only claws that are barely bloodied so far.

Ears, as the last falls, pants a little in pain and looks around. ~Anyone got healin' mojo for Nine-Lives there?~

Carries-Fire tears into her enemy with almost gleeful ferocity, not giving him a chance to recover from the shorting out he just got. Even her lower hands get in on it, when one whips that obsidian knife she always wears out to add to the mauling. Once she's finished, she pants and looks toward Kaz. ~I do.~

Scar examines some of the strange blue blood that's gotten on his claws, then shakes it off with a disgusted snarl.

Speaks-Up turns to his packmates with an already flustering scowl. He's unscathed. Untouched in fact. ~Are we close?~

Ears clarifies, ~Anyone got any healin' mojo that don't hurt Carries-Fire in the process?~

One of Michael's own men steps up to help heal Michael, though Nine Lives may have just lost one of his spares. He gives Kaz a nod that he's good enough to go though.

Ears relaxes faintly as Michael's pack does it, and then she glances at Max. ~So... /are/ we close?~

Carries-Fire twitches her ears and settles back. She wipes her claws off on the dead borg-Garou next to her.

Max points to the double-doors in front of Zeke. It's the only other room on the floor. She also kind of looks hesitantly at the Fury.

Speaks-Up frowns, ~What? Why are you looking at me like that?~ The black furred Fury twitches his tail in building anxiety, but he turns to Kaz for instruction.

Ears raises an eyebrow questioningly at Max.

Scar's ears twist backwards. Lara raises non-existent eyebrows herself.

Max looks back and forth between the rest of them. Speaks Up's defensive question is shrugged off. ~He's in there,~ she tells them.

Ears says, as if there's absolutely no question, ~Speaks-Up's ours. He wants in, he gets in.~ She glares at the door, then asks Max, clearly expecting a negative answer, ~No other ways you raggies could sneak in so's to come in the back?~

Max shakes her head. "Only way in."

Carries-Fire looks contemplatively at the doors.

Speaks-Up takes in a nostril-flaring breath and focuses on the door. ~What's our plan then Ears?~

Ears says, as if there's absolutely no question, ~Speaks-Up's ours. He wants in, he gets in.~ She glares at the door, then asks Max, clearly expecting a negative answer, ~No other ways you raggies could sneak in so's to come in the back?~

~And you ain't got much of an idea where he hangs out, yeah? Or how many folks he's got in there?~ Kaz seems to assume this, and is asking just to check. ~OK, someone open the damn door, I fuckin' fling the damn copier in there as a goddamn distraction, and then we goddamn charge, sneaky people sneakin' in in the distraction. I /hate/ having to fuckin' charge. It don't sit right with who I... am... but life ain't workin' out so good that way just now.~

Scar nods, his expression rather grim. Lara does as well; she touches the grizzled Walker on the arm, then fades over toward the side of the door, her outline blurring as she invokes a Gift. Scar rolls his shoulders and moves over to Kaz's side.

~I'll go in first,~ comes Speaks-Up's voice then. He turns to Kaz, seeing if that will be alright.

Carries-Fire moves to the opposite side. She looks over her shoulder as she goes, watching Dalen rather openly, in contrast to how she was before. Then she looks forward and gets ready, clutching the knife in her lower right hand.

At Max's response, Kaz grunts. And then she regards Zeke for a moment, and then nods. ~Yeah,~ she says, voice a little tight. (Notably, she would not, normally, put Zeke in the front rank of /anything/. Which isn't an insult, merely a recognition of particular expertises.) She goes to fetch the copier, lugging it with a grunt, and waiting, poised, until one of Dalen's crew shoves the door open.

The doors open to reveal a room far from some average modern office. The space is large, sparse, and dark. The far wall is one huge panoramic glass window affording a perfect view of the ruined city. They can see the ongoing battle playing out below. The cybernetic minions are everywhere. Garou are everywhere. Dying. Fighting. Sacrificing. Fires burn, things explode. Looming in front of the window is the man himself. He remains in homid, cloaked in black, though like his minions, metal can be seen to gleam on various places all over his body. The copier flies through the air, seemingly right on target to hit him on the back and perhaps send him through the glass and plummeting 13 stories to the ground. But it veers mysteriously to the side, falling with a rattling thunk of plastic and metal stopping harmlessly on the black floor. The garou rush in, spreading out. There's nothing here other than the one man, and that window. Something stops all their feet--inexplicably--and they remain frozen in a spread out line in front of the door. Shade doesn't move as they enter, though it's clear he knows they've arrived. "Beautiful, isn’t it?" he comments casually.

Ears, having tossed the thing, charges in tumultuously. Until, that is, she's stopped. ~Not really!~ she growls, as she glares at him, face briefly slightly distracted.

Carries-Fire rumbles in irritation. She continues trying to move forward, stubbornly.

Scar glances, annoyed, down at his feet, then snaps his jaws together, likewise irritated. ~Not in the slightest.~

Speaks-Up had been moving in with purposeful strides. Ones that were forced full of boldness and confidence. And now he's stopped, and it frustrates him to no end. He stares daggers at the man's back.

The mental attack aimed at Shade by the metis Gnawer is shrugged off as he turns to face them, the older man's face perhaps a mirror of Zeke's some thirty years in the future. Steely eyes regard Kaz, and suddenly the floor beneath the Gnawer turns into a pool of boiling silver, and she falls in. Still unable to move, she's stuck in it as the liquid splashes up around, in. With a tilt of his head, he regards the effect it has on the metis. "It is to me," he says softly, his eyes then drifting to his son. Zeke feels himself freed from whatever force it is that holds them.

Carries-Fire releases a loud, angry snarl, and attempts to surge forward. When this still doesn't work, she resorts to attempting the water trick again, this time on Shade.

Ears goes right from screaming to unable to get enough breath to scream in the space of a second. And then she just writhes in agony.

Scar's body lunges toward Kaz -- or attempts to, unsuccessfully. ~It's a trick!~ he calls over toward the Gnawer, remembering the blind Garou's words earlier. ~It isn't real!~

Speaks-Up stumbles for a half step as he's freed of that hold. He wastes no time then in diving toward Kaz, reaching out toward her to try and pull her out of that unnatural pool of silver. There's a very dangerous growl in his throat as he moves.

Carries' gout of water shoots out, and with a distracted wave of his hand, Shade pushes it aside as if it were a curtain in his way. It falls like rain on the inert copier, and then Morgan, like Kaz, feels the floor beneath her change. For the Fianna it's not silver, but something just as deadly. Black turns to red, and the floor melts into a pool of magma-like fire, and the Fianna begins to burn. Speaks Up, try as he might, can't pull the Gnawer free, and when his hand gets close to that silver it burns him as badly as it does her. "Don't be fool, son. Come here," Shade says.

Somehow, Kaz hears Salem. Something in her pained posture changes, there's some concentration in there that wasn't before.

Carries-Fire doesn't really manage to get out a full yelp as she's submerged, though it goes terribly high pitched before it cuts off.

While Ears and Carries-Fire continue to writhe in their own personal little hells, Scar earns Shade's wrath with his words. The man looks away from Zeke to scowl at the Glass Walker. "We will see what real is." His hand stretches out as if to touch Scar on the forehead, despite the twenty or so feet between them. Pearlescent blue lightning jumps from his fingers to engulf the Walker. Even after his arms drops away, little straggles of blue electricity jump and play all over Scar, who spasms uncontrollably. Again, Shade turns back to Zeke and takes another step toward him. "Come here," he repeats.

Ears, though she can still see, touch, and feel the silver, and cannot help but to react to its burning, hisses, ~Not... real...~ at Zeke. And herself. And possibly Morgan, too, depending on Morgan's ability to focus just now.

Scar writhes, his eyes wide, his jaws clenched so tightly that it's a wonder they don't crack under the pressure.

Carries-Fire's ability to focus appears to be, at the moment, nonexistent. She's drowning in lava, after all.

Speaks-Up hisses out a snarl and pulls his eyes away from his suffering packmates to face the man. ~I don't answer to you,~ comes the Fury's firm reply. His clawed hands flex and ball up and flex again, anger radiating from the young Halfmoon.

Shade's smile is fond, amused. "Of course not. But you should. I gave you life, after all." The smile fades, and his expression becomes much more severe. "You're my son. I know you, Ezekiel. I know everything. I've seen everything. I've heard your thoughts. Your feelings. I've been inside you since the moment you were born." The low alto of his voice contains an almost musical quality. Soothing. And all at once, the Fury Philodox can feel the truth of them. He can see the understanding of the man, in his eyes. "You cannot deny my blood. When you fuck that little kin of yours, and she gives in, and you take that brief taste of power? I know how it drives you. How it makes you hunger. If you could, you would get drunk with that power. I've felt it. You are /exactly/ like me, boy."

Ears spits, as she tries with all her might to creep forward, ~Not... /yours/. /He/ didn't give you anyth--~ (This is where she buckles from the pain.)

Carries-Fire manages, somehow /without/ swallowing lava, ~He's not like you. Because if he was like you, you wouldn't have to tell him.~

Scar would probably say something similar, if he could.

There's a moment when Speaks-Up stutters physically, recoiling from the words that Shade speaks. ~No.~ His eyes close for just a moment, and then he droops, ~I hate being metis!~ he scowls out, taking a step forward.

Shade's gaze actually softens. "You wonder what it would be like to be free of those shackles. That ridiculous inferiority those bitches have beaten into your brain? They've made you their slave. And I can set you free." As with Scar, Shade's arm stretches out toward Zeke. There's no lightning, however. Instead, Zeke appears to blur as if shifting. He moves through the forms winding up in homid. But the tell-tale signs of his birth are missing. He lingers there a moment and then moves through all of his forms, each cleansed and made whole. At the end, he's left in war form again, the perfect picture of a healthy werewolf--strong, and vital. Shade smiles then, expression proud. "I can take away the blemish of your birth and make you virile." In that moment, Zeke knows, too, that this is no trick. The current display might be a trick, but the power lies within the man to make him whole, at least in the physical sense. His appearance? Transformed. His sterility? Gone. He sees himself proud and tall and with a family, and the strength, respect, and following equal or greater to any garou hero he could name. He sees himself and knows it could be real.

~Ain't no /slave/,~ Kaz growls, before almost lurching to her feet and failing.

Scar continues to try to get his spasming limbs back under control.

The electricity eventually diminishes from the Glass Walker, but it leaves him weak, and out of breath. Curls of smoke circle upward out of his fur, the air acrid with the scent of burned flesh and fur.

Kaz gets one knee out of the bubbling pool of silver only to slip back down in it.

At this, Zeke truly hesitates. The trick and its promise brings a halt to him. An ear flickers back to Kaz, and it draws his gaze there too. It strengthens his resolve. ~They are my strength and my family!~ he snarls. And with, perhaps a somewhat regretful or uncertain lunge, he steps forward as fast as he can, claws stretching out as he aims for the chest of his father.

Scar is all but limp, chest heaving as he catches his breath, but the grizzled Walker manages a weak, blood-toothed grin at Zeke's response.

Shade's jaw clenches, his eyes hardening at the boy's response. He erupts into crinos, matching Speaks' form, and with eye-blurring speed, he side-steps the lunge, his claw coming out to cuff the metis on the ear and send him sprawling into the copier as well. The moment he enters a physical confrontation with Zeke, the others can feel that hold on them slipping. They can move, with great effort, they /can/ move.

Ears, having sprawled after falling over before, manages, just barely, to crawl out, and starts inching forward-- but she's clearly not quite fully mobile yet.

The instant Carries-Fire notices something different, she scrambles. She only manages to sploosh about for a few seconds, but then, with a truly epic amount of stubbornness, she attempts to claw her way right out of the lava pool. And then, with that same amount of stubbornness, she attempts to claw forward too, on all fours. ~You /suck/,~ she announces.

Scar rolls over and slowly, slowly, hauls himself to his feet. He stands, weaving back and forth for a bit, and flexes his claws.

Speaks-Up goes down but doesn't stay down. He rights himself and shakes out the stunned bell-towing in his ears and then moves toward Shade again, determined and fierce. A second charge is made for the enemy, lips pulled up in a vicious snarl.

Shade sneers, ~You fool." It's not shouted, but spoken. Softly, and regrettably. He meets Zeke head on, his long arm coming out quickly to snatch the metis up by the throat and bodily lift him off the ground. If the promise of strength were ever doubted, it's not now. He holds him up like a rag doll, Speaks' claws scrabbling and scratching, opening small wounds on the Dancer, but doing little damage. The others continue to in forward, and every movement gains them more freedom, until they simply slip free of the stifling mental grip. All at once the fire and silver are gone, and they are in control of their own movements.

Carries-Fire charges in eagerly, panting and singed. She performs a full bodied leap at Shade.

Ears likewise dives at the Weaverized Spiral Dancer, fire erupting from inside the man; Max slides to the back, clearly trying to catch him utterly unawares once he's fallen.

Lara, her expression savage, circles around to Shade's back as well -- she has the same idea as Max, apparently. Scar prefers a frontal assault, dropping down to all fours and shifting to Hispo to get low at the Weaver Dancer.

Speaks-Up snarls and thrashes, persistent if nothing else (and yes that comes from growing up as a Fury metis thank you dad). When his arms won't reach, he kicks out with his legs where the majority of his strength and dexterity truly abide.

Carries-Fire slams bodily into the Dancer from behind, her claws sinking into flesh. It jolts him, but he maintains his stance, still choking Zeke, though that arm is lowered. He snarls, elbowing the Fianna with his free arm. It cracks her in the head, leaving her momentarily dazed. The Gnawer's metis gift then engulfs him in flame, pulling a pained how from his muzzle that echoes through the large room. Max and Lara get behind him, the hairless metis's claws rending holes and ripping flesh. Scar assaults him at the front, low, his jaws savaging a leg. Overwhelmed, he drops Zeke to use his claws on the Fury's packmates. Roaring defiantly, with spittle flying from his muzzle, he drops to bite Scar on the shoulder.

Carries-Fire holds on doggedly as she's stunned. Once she regains her senses, she bares her teeth and attempts, with all four arms, to simply climb /up/ the Dancer as if he were a particularly mobile tree. If she can attain a high enough reach, she rips into his neck air savagely.

Scar twists his head around to meet Shade muzzle to muzzle, bite to bite, while Lara does some biting of her own.

Speaks-Up is dropped again, and now there's hardly room left for him in amongst the melee. He's frothing with rage and intent though, and he turns to look around nearby for some kind of weapon or contraption that will end this sooner rather than later.

Ears, meanwhile, uses a favored attack of times gone by, and rolls, slashing upwards for his nether regions. Max stabs downwards, similarly.

No amount of speed, or rage, or strength can hold off that many garou. The pack and friends begin to literally savage the Dancer into pieces. His blood flows into rivers on the floor, it gets spattered on the great glass of the window before them. Soon, Shade drops to a knee, knowing the end is near. A shredded claw clutches at something metal in his chest and with a sudden silencing wave, everyone is pushed back away from him--lifted bodily and thrown back to slam into the black conference room walls. While the stunned garou try and regain their senses, the blood-covered Dancer gets to his feet again. ~And now we all die,~ he grates out. A slow whine soon grows to a high pitched scream that hurts the sensitive ears of the garou. It's Michael Nine-Lives-Takes-Ten that acts first. He had been mostly in the back, this whole time, but now he rushes forward, a primal howl emanating to drown out that whine. He slams into Shade, pitching them both forward into the glass. It shatters, exploding outward and sending millions of flashing shards of glass out into the light of day. The two plummet to the ground. There's a moment of pause, as if the world took note, and then an explosion rocks the building's foundation.

For several long moments, Kaz just blinks. Finally, she gets herself to one knee, barely. ~Jesus fuckin' shit,~ she finally says, voice astonished.

Carries-Fire's ears flatten. She doesn't try to get up just yet, because, /ow/.

~You said it, sister,~ says Lara Grey, blinking. Next to her, Scar sits up and gives his head a shake as if there were flies buzzing about his ears.

Ears glances to Zeke.

Speaks-Up stutters at the explosion and looks down, ~We, we need to get out?~ he asks of the rumbling. He turns back to Kaz as she glances to him but quickly drops his gaze.

Below, the minions of the Dancer Lord grow confused. Those giant, sleek cockroach airships slam into each other and the ground, or the tops of the ruined city buildings. Everywhere below, they scramble in chaos while the hordes of rag-tag garou begin to rout them. The Prattlers, Bloodtakers and Crew among the Hidden Walk garou begin to scream and cheer.

Ears finally manages to get to her feet and limps over to Zeke, standing by him as she watches the rout for a few moments. She looks at him, and then away. Wordless, she pumps her fist in recocgnition of the victory; her other arm snakes over to hug Zeke.

Scar shrinks down into human form. Lara touches his shoulder, and the two look at each other for a moment or two. Then, bloodied and burned and battered to hell, he limps over toward Ears and Zeke, reaching out to pat the Fury on the back, brother to brother. "Good man," he rasps.

Carries-Fire eventually drags herself over to the pack grouping, where she chooses to slump and settle again.

Led by the remnants of the three tribes, the Hidden Walk garou are brought back to the tunnels of the Crew, where a great celebration is had. They spend three days with their new friends--eating, drinking, healing. But eventually, it becomes clear that the time to go home has come. And yet, there is still one problem plaguing the pack. The reason they came in the first place. Gathered together in the room that had been given to them, they're visited by Michael's beta, Miriam and the Captain. ~We know why you are here. And we want you to know that any of us would welcome you. The question is. Which would you choose?~ More words are exchanged, but in the end, all three leave to let the pack work things out themselves.

Kaz has, being herself, stuffed some of the food in her coat. She looks quite pleased to see Miriam, and has a little tete-a-tete with her. About nothing much, all things considered. At the question, she looks as if she just bit into a lemon. "Well," she says slowly. "I got opinions. But what about you guys?"

Zeke looks over to Kaz and lifts a shoulder to her, "I'm fine with whatever the rest of you think is best. Really. I mean, none of them refused us, or me."

Salem has gotten his hooded sweatjacket back from Lara. He has, truth be told, spent quite a bit of time with the hairless Bloodtaker the past three days... though not as much time as one might expect. Now, he looks thoughtful. "Rat, Magpie, or Flea." He rubs the side of his neck. "I admit, I favor Rat. I owe him. Or her, however you want to see it. Though Magpie wouldn't be unwelcome, either."

Morgan presses the knuckles of one hand against her mouth, looking uncertain. She glances toward the place where the others exited.

Kaz's gaze drifts once to Max. It lingers there a moment, and then she sighs. After a moment of thought, she looks from Morgan to Salem to Zeke. "Well. Y'ask /me/, much's I love Magpie, I'd go with Rat. 'Cause this Sept of ours needs people who think with their brains /and/ fight. And think some more, did I mention that part?"

Zeke smiles lightly at Kaz, nodding, "Thinking is good. And yeah, Rat feels right."

"It does," says Salem, also nodding.

Morgan nods as well, slowly, and then with just a bit more feeling.

The discussion goes on for a while, even after the decision appears to be made. The group has one last night with their companions, and the next morning, they awake. The room is transformed, however. The comfortable tunnel chamber of the Crew has faded into the number 15 Fallout Shelter beneath East Bridge Street, that the four garou climbed into the first night of their adventure. Popping the hatch and emerging, there awaits for them outside a large, plump sewer rat, squatting on his hand quarters and cleaning his face. Whiskers twitch in welcome. *I'm Nine-Lives. And You're mine.*

Kaz takes one internal sad breath, before the rat appears. And then she starts grinning, slowly. "Yeah. And you're ours. Rock on."

Salem eyes the spirit with a crooked smile, his good eye gleaming.

Zeke grins at the rat and then steps in just a bit closer to Kaz. The Fury seems wholly content where he stands, as evident by that huge, pleased sigh that escapes him.

Morgan spares one last, long glance into the shelter before she turns her attention, with effort, fully to the rat spirit. "Hello," she says cheerfully enough.