08-01-2014, 06:05 PM
He heard Ivan returning before he saw the man come lumbering into the beam of his flashlight, which he kept always just off Ivan so as not to totally blind the man, and of course to help keep an eye on the tunnel to his back. The flashlight was even held out to his side, rather then tucked close to his body. A simple technique; shooters tended to aim for the source of the light, and holding it out meant they would have been aiming off from where Drayson was actually standing.
He cocked an eyebrow, peering closely at what Ivan was carrying, then frowned as it was flung towards him. The thing seemed heavy, arching lazily through the air, and Drayson was forced to side-step to avoid the spray of ichor from what he was then able to identify as a stump. Another head. Another Oni head, apparently.
The thing cracked against the hard ground, and it's wicked horns caused it to fumble and bounce into the mouth of the next tunnel. "No harm done, Mr Sarkozy. I will not fault you on your desire to protect, but in the future, you cannot charge off. Especially down here."
His tone was calm; he was not angry or disappointed. They had run into a situation he had not even fathomed possible.
"These tunnels are a maze. Built over the past two centuries, many under the old Communist regime during the Cold War. Too many project heads, too many departments, too many secret plans, not enough communication. It is a wonder they have not come crashing down yet. But the people who live and work down here, they have a sense for such things. I think she will be fine, Mr Sarkozy."
He waited for Ivan to pass him, giving the tunnel one last inspection before turning away to move back to Mr Mikhailov, but he was stopped in his tracks.
The creature's head arched back into the center of the room, coming to a stop near he and Ivan, and Drayson raised his flashlight towards it's point of origin, only to find an oddly clad figure reveal itself from the shadows. There was a moment's thought given over to wondering how long the person had been hiding back there.
Their voice was oddly lisping, but feminine if he hadn't missed his guess. Although there was certainly something odd to her tone and pitch. Not exactly the most soothing of voices. With the figure emerged from the tunnel, they were revealed in the guttering light of the fire, so he lowered his flashlight to the head and glanced at Ivan with a ghost of a smile. "She has a point, Mr Sarkozy. Littering is a crime, you know."
He turned his light back towards their newest guest, after sharing a glance with Mr Mikhailov to make sure the man and his charge, Gio, were alright. "Mr Sarkozy, we had best find a way to bind that wound till the team arrives. I have enough paper work to do now, I would rather not add your untimely death to the pile."
He hadn't dropped his guard yet; two Oni had been haunting that section of tunnels, and as he understood it, they were not so far underground that such things could have been there for long, unnoticed. Which meant they had to have come from somewhere. Migrating, perhaps? It was bad enough worrying about gangs.
Whoever the newcomer was, she was not surprised by the existence of the creatures. Neither had the swordswoman, but she had likely come searching for the things. He was willing to believe she were not Atharim if only because she had made no qualms with being dismissed from the scene, leaving living witnesses behind. Was that the case with this one?
"I am Chief Inspector Drayson McCullough. This is Mr Sarkozy. Mr Mikhailov, a city worker. I am trying to learn what is happening down here, ma'am. Knowledge is power, and I hope that I can start making a difference for those of you living down here. Off the record, of course."
Anything on the record would lead to deportations, arrests, families being torn apart as children were taken by Child Services. Those were all things he hoped to avoid.
He cocked an eyebrow, peering closely at what Ivan was carrying, then frowned as it was flung towards him. The thing seemed heavy, arching lazily through the air, and Drayson was forced to side-step to avoid the spray of ichor from what he was then able to identify as a stump. Another head. Another Oni head, apparently.
The thing cracked against the hard ground, and it's wicked horns caused it to fumble and bounce into the mouth of the next tunnel. "No harm done, Mr Sarkozy. I will not fault you on your desire to protect, but in the future, you cannot charge off. Especially down here."
His tone was calm; he was not angry or disappointed. They had run into a situation he had not even fathomed possible.
"These tunnels are a maze. Built over the past two centuries, many under the old Communist regime during the Cold War. Too many project heads, too many departments, too many secret plans, not enough communication. It is a wonder they have not come crashing down yet. But the people who live and work down here, they have a sense for such things. I think she will be fine, Mr Sarkozy."
He waited for Ivan to pass him, giving the tunnel one last inspection before turning away to move back to Mr Mikhailov, but he was stopped in his tracks.
The creature's head arched back into the center of the room, coming to a stop near he and Ivan, and Drayson raised his flashlight towards it's point of origin, only to find an oddly clad figure reveal itself from the shadows. There was a moment's thought given over to wondering how long the person had been hiding back there.
Their voice was oddly lisping, but feminine if he hadn't missed his guess. Although there was certainly something odd to her tone and pitch. Not exactly the most soothing of voices. With the figure emerged from the tunnel, they were revealed in the guttering light of the fire, so he lowered his flashlight to the head and glanced at Ivan with a ghost of a smile. "She has a point, Mr Sarkozy. Littering is a crime, you know."
He turned his light back towards their newest guest, after sharing a glance with Mr Mikhailov to make sure the man and his charge, Gio, were alright. "Mr Sarkozy, we had best find a way to bind that wound till the team arrives. I have enough paper work to do now, I would rather not add your untimely death to the pile."
He hadn't dropped his guard yet; two Oni had been haunting that section of tunnels, and as he understood it, they were not so far underground that such things could have been there for long, unnoticed. Which meant they had to have come from somewhere. Migrating, perhaps? It was bad enough worrying about gangs.
Whoever the newcomer was, she was not surprised by the existence of the creatures. Neither had the swordswoman, but she had likely come searching for the things. He was willing to believe she were not Atharim if only because she had made no qualms with being dismissed from the scene, leaving living witnesses behind. Was that the case with this one?
"I am Chief Inspector Drayson McCullough. This is Mr Sarkozy. Mr Mikhailov, a city worker. I am trying to learn what is happening down here, ma'am. Knowledge is power, and I hope that I can start making a difference for those of you living down here. Off the record, of course."
Anything on the record would lead to deportations, arrests, families being torn apart as children were taken by Child Services. Those were all things he hoped to avoid.