Ace of The Duck Pond The Good Doctor.

[Ranger Reid]

Liam had just arrived at the car when he heard shouting about the guns going out.   On instinct he leaned against the hood and pushed energy into the car.  

The effort drained him momentarily like usual.   His vision swam with black spots as the boy dove into the back of the car.  

Liam realized that he had risked exposing his true nature, and he looked around quickly.   Everyone was engaged with the enemy except for Donna who was looking at him with an odd expression.

He didn't know if she had seen his use of power or not, but he feared he would have some explaining to do at some point.

Even as he was thinking this, his keen eyesight returned just in time to witness a bullet seemingly on path for Jace, veer like a richochet, and take on a new bearing.   Unfortunately, the new track was not in Liam's favor.   He just had time to wince as the bullet struck his left shoulder, snapping his collar bone and exiting cleanly.

The young man uttered only "That was unexpected." and then he passed out.

[Stella Gaslight]

Donna's heart raced and she pulled the mechanic inside.  Her hands were shaking as she pulled the first aid kit out from under the drivers seat.  "It is going to be ok."  She dabbed at the blood seeing Paulo's face flash before her eyes.  Seeing him say I love you before closing his eyes forever.  No, this was going to be all right.  Yes he was gone but she was healing.  Donna refused to have the memory of her Paulo become a thing of pain instead of joy. Taking a deep breath she wiped away the tears and bound Liam's wound.  Gently she strapped him in to the gunner's seat beside her and hoped he would wake up soon.

[CPT_J_Percell]

Wilfred had reloaded his revolver and was now firing both guns at the attackers. a flash caught his eye and he turned to see al's knife slash across his attackers throat, but as he watched the skin knitted back together and he knew what she. Every world had a Bram Stoker but only one he had a Bram Stoker that had studied under Van Helsing. Wilfred rummaged through his pockets looking for a small glass vial and cursed remembering that it was still in the plane. looking around he found a splintered piece of wood, he picked it up and through the airto land in the womans chest. she screamed and pulled it out and wilfred cursed as he realised that his aim had been off.
"Al, get away from there!" he shouted and ran for the doors of the beastly car.

[MWBailey]

Meri no longer had need for lungs, as her kind did not breathe, but it was an ancient habit, and hard to break; the air thus whooshed from her lungs when a force like the palms of two giant hands slammed her back, breaking her grip on the doctor, and ramming her into a the side of a flatbed lorry that stood close at hand.

Did she? No, she was too far away! then, what di--! Meri thought, fighting through the sudden and unexpected haze of pain. she looked at the hole that hadripped through her shirt at that impact, and watched her utterly-crushed ribs heal and re-grow, then laughed wickedly and gleefully looked at the mercenaries' leader. "So, this time it's the woman who has the power, and the male who wields the hearty blade? Come, then, little amazon-chan, let us dance together!"

Her elation was short-lived, however, as a splinter of wood stabbed out of seemingly thin air and sank into her chest. Meri was caught off guard for a moment, but then laughed once more as she pulled out the improvised "stake."

"OHO, it's not so easy, hunter-san, your teacher did you a disservice! You must strike the heart, and even then 'tis not enough to destroy! Natron and silver-dust also, or I will rise again!" I will rise again in any case, but you need not know that, little man, she added in her head.

She was suddenly doused with cold liquid that stank of petroleum distillate, and stung the eyes so persistently that for a moment she was blinded. l had upended an jerrycan of petrol on her, and was lighting afire a sweeping brush with is lighter. as the bristles blazed, he rammed the broom into her chest, and rudely shoved her to the edge of the float and over the side as the petrol caught and Meri went up like a screaming torch. Immortal undead she might be, but the flames still HURT.

"Not on my watch, you- cough - minx," he breathed, choking in the fumes of burning gasoline and frying undead flesh. He ducked as schmeisser fire ripped the tarmac around him in a deadly staccato, and dove for the side hatch of the Dragon Wagon. "damn witch caught me on the hand. Thanks, Wil."  he said as he dragged himself inside, sucking on the side of his knife hand and holstering the Colt, and sheathing the khukri with the other. "What's with... he saw Liam, and Donna fussing over him, muttering something about 'Paolo,' or was it Paulo... "Damn, why's it always the new guys get shot? Jace, what in the blue blazes did you do to that frogsticker woman? She flew back a whole five feet, or I'm Will Rogers!"

[Ranger Reid]

Liam stirred and opened his eyes.  When he realized Donna held him he went rigid and blushed deeply.

"Um I'm okay" he said as he tried to disentangle himself.   Stuttering he said "Thank you.  You smell like Jasmine. I mean, I can still shoot.  Let me help.

This all came out in a sudden rush and tangle of words as Liam tried to sit up from Donna's embrace.

[Stella Gaslight]

"Take it easy Liam.  You took a nasty shot to the shoulder.  The blood is stopped but it will sting real good if you get it angry."  Donna couldn't help but smile and help him to his feet.  "You take the gunner seat and make sure we can get home."

"I pushed her, I think."  Jace took a deep breath and let down her hair.  She was confused as to what had happened herself.  "What the hell was she? I mean she bled like a stuck pig but kept right on going."

[CPT_J_Percell]

"Deadite or Vampyre to most!" Wilfred said as he reloaded his revolver and replaced the magazine in the 1911.

[Stella Gaslight]

"I thought they couldn't come out during the day."  Jace was woefully under prepared for vampires.  "I suppose we could drape the doors with garlic if will keep that hell woman away."

[Ranger Reid]

Liam looked thoughtful and started diggin in his messenger pouch.   This was complicated by doing it one handed.  Eventually he pulled out a box of bullets.    These are special.  If someone will load my pistol for me, I believe these would stop her if I can hit her.

[CPT_J_Percell]

"You are right about that. They shouldn't be able to but then we are talking about western Vampyre, Eastern Vampyre are apparently somewhat different." He looked up to Jace and smile. "Garlic doesn't do anything!"

Wilfred held out a hand and accepted the bullets palming one with the skill of a master thief before loading the rest into the boys gun. He had never seen anything like them and the arcotechnoligist side of him wanted to know more. He cocked the rifle to load the first round into the chamber and handed the rifle back.

[Stella Gaslight]

The doctor slumped down away from the window.  There was blood on his shirt but it wasn't his.  "I had no idea they had sent the dragon after me.  I had only heard rumors about her.  I thought she was a boogeyman."

Jace let out a snort. "She is real alright and dangerous as a flaming sack of knives." She was replaying the fight in her mind trying to figure out how she had pushed the vamp.

[MWBailey]

Al was thoughtful for a second, then it was as if a very odd thought occurred to him.

"Damnedest thing, if I remember correctly, she was saying "san" and "chan." that's Japanese. And who the hell is this Dreyfuss character she was on about? Only Dreyfuss I ever heard of was a quartermaster for the 101st fighter wing in Malmady." He pondered a bit longer as the bullets slowed and finally seemed to stop for a minute.  "that's not a sign I like to hear," he said. "as long as the bullets're flyin' I have some idea what the enemy're doing. Does this thing still have a periscope? I don't like not bein' able to see out. Anyhow, what I was drivin' at is, th' japs don't generally go in for th' vampire thing. Uh, I think...

[Stella Gaslight]

"If that seagull isn't in it again the one in the rear should work."  Donna never thought she would have to brake up a fight between a chicken and a seagull and hoped she would never have to do that again. "I think we all better buckle up quick."  a shadow fell over the car and Donna scrambled as the ground exploded behind them.  'Hold on! I am going to go as fast as this thing will let me."

Jace was chewing over what the apparent vampire had said.  How had she pushed the vamp so hard when her hands barely brushed her?  Donna jostled her out of her thoughts.  "Tell me what to fire at."

Gerhard watched her carefully.  He had seen her throw the other woman by barely touching her. Perhaps this was why German eyes had already been on this station.  They were collecting mystics from all around the world after all and if Jace was what he thought she was then they would want her badly enough that if things got realy bad he could work with that.     

[Ranger Reid]

Liam considered asking Jace or Donna about the ricocheting bullet.   His training had touched on a couple of explanations.   She either possessed a charm or relic of power, or was the source of the power.   She had nothing of a mystic smell (Liam thought he could track the vampire,blindolded she reeked of arcane power so badly.  In fact a few here smelled odd.  But not Jace.)
So she was likely a mentalist.   He knew of such things, but still hesitated to mention it.  The captain was either unaware or pretending to be.   Either way be didn't feel it his place to divulge it to the group.   He would talk to Jace alone.   Well, maybe her and Donna.....

[Stella Gaslight]

"They have an autogiro and are throwing bombs at us I think."  Donna was going to have to install a few more upper ports so she could see what the hell was happening up there.  she swerved wildly to avoid another explosion and put an arm out to steady Liam.

"Get us to the hanger and we will see how they like it when we take to the air." Jace said angrily trying to aim the small guns of the dragon wagon up and having a hell of a time at it.

[MWBailey]

Al saw the problem; the alt/azimuth* gun mounts' slide rails were equipped with screwdown stops that kept the guns from rising too far up and falling down back behind and off teh rails, a problem that early models of brit armored cars like teh Dragon wagon had had in the beginning. he reached up and loosened the stops and repositioned then farther back, screwing them down tight again in their new positions, set such that the guns should be able to fire up just past eighty degrees to the vertical.

"try it now, Jace!" he said as he pulled out his pistol cleaning pouch, took out the little bottle of gun oil, and dribbled part of its contents on the rails.

[Stella Gaslight]

Jace pressed her face against the glass trying to aim at something she could hardly see.  "Ha I got them!" She shouted seeing smoke pouring from the shadow.

The dragon wagon rocked violently as an explosion nearly knocking it over.  Donna cursed a lot in Portuguese but kept them upright.  "There is a rode block up ahead.  Hold on I am going to try and brake through."

[MWBailey]

"Damn! I wish I'd saved that grenade!" Al cursed. "I don't suppose you 'ave another one o' yours, Wil?" Just like that, Al, had started shortening the other man's name; such things just came naturally in these kinds of situations.

[CPT_J_Percell]

Wilfred sat with his back against the side of the wagon and his feat pressed against the seat opposite bracing himself. "Nope, only had that one because I forgot it was still in my jacket.

[Stella Gaslight]

Donna forced the last bit of speed out of the tank she could and aimed for the point between the two cars where she hoped the thrown together barricade would the most weak.  "Here we go ."  She winced as the metal met metal with a sharp horrible squeal.  For a moment the cars resisted then parted and gunfire came to little too late.  "Wahooo!" Donna crowed as they came within sight of the hanger.  "Almost home."

[MWBailey]

Al crawled over the gunners' seats and Wilfred, and unlocked the lock that held the hatch closed on the side of the car, but kept the latch closed, holding on to teh handle fro readiness' sake."You wanna get out in our hangar, or dive out at yours, Wil?" He asked, holding his eye to the hatch door's vision block. "Duck could use a rear gunner, but we'd prob'ly do better with you on a joystick*. The more ships in the air, the better."

[Ranger Reid]

Liam squirmed with pain as the car careened through the barricade.   His wincing almost made him miss the figure standing in the shadow of the approaching hanger.   When he saw the man, Liam had a horrible feeling of dread.   This was a more powerful threat than these men behind them.

With careful determination, the young man leveled his pistol and aimed.   The shot was true and seemed destined to end the shadowy foe, but at the last second there was a flash and it seemed like something around the man broke like glass and collapsed.

The man's eyes went wide with shock and he clutched his shoulder where his uniform sported a small hole a scant millimeter from the man's skin.

There was a palpable intake of eldritch energy and a bright flash, and the closest hanger exploded.  Liam didn't know if the team had any gear in that building, but he did recognize it as being the same building where he had been told to pick out a bunkroom.......

The only comfort in seeing the building go up was seeing that the shadowy man had vanished too.

[CPT_J_Percell]

"Oh hell no, if they are blowing up hangers, i'm getting my stuff out first!" Wilfred said watching the splinters of wood and glass rain down, "besides I have a gun on my work bench that may help!"
He suddenly sat up strait, "Dammit I looked the damn hanger to stop people robbing the place!"

[Stella Gaslight]

"Well shit good thing I pulled the ammo stores out of there when the roof sprung a leak last fall.  I knew they were tenacious bastards but blowing up a girl's home is too much for me to forgive.  To the sky aces ! Let's whipe them off the face of the station!"  Jace let out a war cry grinning wildly. "Stick with me like glue doc and we just may make it out by the skin of our teeth."  She yanked him along, lept out of the dragon wagon and ran to Screaming Green.

Donna kept going to the hanger where Dogged Determination was parked. " Liam would you like to come with me on the dog?  I need a co-pilot. Right now I have a chicken and it works most of the time but someone with hands would be nice."

[MWBailey]

Looks like you'll have to shoot th' lock, or come with me," Al said. "Which is it?" he asked as they stopped just inside the Aces hangar. "Lemme know on th' way!" he shouted as he sprinted for the Blue Duck and swarmed up the side and into the cockpit, jamming his finger on the starter button and ramming the fuel and oil feed levers into their proper places; the engine coughed, spluttered, and then roared into life, the prop raising a small hurricane astern as Al prepared to yank the lanyard that was attached to the block that secured the dry land wheels.