Kar's Prelude

[BrokenWire2086]

Crouched down beside the cut open door to the grocery there is little chance of avoiding being found as the two guards continue purposefully down the hall in answer to a silent alarm. It is the one on the outside that see's Karl first and calls out in a gruff voice, 'œHay, you, kid! Get out over here!'

Description of Hall

Without a program to drawl this (cant run it on the gov computer) the description is as follows. The door is set into the 'œWest' side of a narrow hall, about 4m wide, which extends 'œNorth' and 'œSouth.' The two guards are approaching from the 'œSouth' but have not reached a point to cut you off from running 'œNorth' and making your way out of the area (provided an unseen guard team is not approaching from that direction as well.) Additionally the way back into the store is still open, although the options for escaping in that direction are unknown.

[Bitom]

Once again acting as trained, Karl rabbits to the north, ducking and dodging as instinct tells him to. Maybe his flight will draw the two to follow him. He should be able to outpaced armed and armorec coresec... if he can get back to a crowded section before they call in backup. He keeps a deathgrip on his shopping bag, though, without it, he's taking a beating even if he does escape.

[BrokenWire2086]

The guards give an enthusiastic, 'œHay, kid, get back here!' but make no attempt to follow. It is simply not worth the risk to them or public safety to chase after a kid for stealing groceries. Instead they remain behind to secure the shop and insure no other looters are still hanging about.

Karl escapes without pursuit and continues on his way back towards the guild hideout.

Karl Only

I assume you are going back to the guild, if so please add a description of it to your next post.

[Bitom]

The 'hideout' is nothing more than the top floor of an abandoned, and probably condemned apartment building. Assorted vagrants come and go on the bottom two levels, but the top floor has always been Samik's domain. This is where he houses the bunches of children that he picks up from god knows where. This is where they sleep in bunks stacked four high. But that's only one of the six apartments on the floor. The other five house his other activities, all illicit. Two are used for warehousing and storage of goods that are still too hot to sell, just another part of Samik's 'banking' operations. One is a drug lab. The remaining two are for Samik's personal use only, and few of the boys have seen inside them. Being caled inside usually means that you're two old to continue in the barracks and are either going to be made part of the larger organization or let loose on the world with nothing but the clothes on your back... or so the folklore goes among the kids.

As usual, Karl just goes to the kids apartment and starts putting away the groceries,just like he's come home from a normal shopping run.

[BrokenWire2086]

While most would not consider cutting the back door off of a grocery store and looting what's inside, '˜normal shopping,' it is close enough that the other children are grateful for the food. No one cares enough to ask about where Lon or Kad are, and must assume they went looking for additional opportunities. That is, no one cares except Samik.

Always one step ahead of the boys he holds under his wing, '˜Father' knows just enough to make most of the boys question if he doesn't know everything. So it was no surprise when, while standing on a chair and pushing a loaf of vacuum sealed bread into a near sealing level storage bin, Karl heard from behind him, 'œNow I see the rabbit, but I ask you'¦ Where are the dogs?'

[Bitom]

Karl turns and climbs down off of the chair, then graabs a piece of fruit from his findings. "Not sure. I hope they didn't get pinched at the grocery, but chances are good they did. I didn't stick around to find out. There were two Corsec at the back, so there were probably five in the front."

[BrokenWire2086]

Samik takes the answer in stride, 'œNot Nar-Shadar's best, but they could cause me a headache which I do not need.' He then turns and heads back towards his room, 'œI expect you will find out what happened to your friends before you go to bed tonight.'

[Bitom]

"Oh come ON..." says the kid, "I told them what to do and they messed it up. Why do I have to babysit them? they're older than me, even." Still, in spite of the complaints he looks like he's going. He gets his jacket again, but doesn't seem about to leave the kitchen until he's finished his dinner.

[BrokenWire2086]

There is no reaction to the youthful outburst and Samik steps back into his private room. The other kids who had been pretending not to listen go back to whatever it was they had been doing prior to the exchange, many of whom starting to actively divvy up what food Karl has let out of his grasp.

The night is still young and there is plenty of time to deal with the problem of the wayward thief's after a short dinner. As for options, the way things seem it is likely the two were either caught, or escaped. If they escaped then they should be returning before Karl is done eating. With dinner done, it is looking more like they were caught, and if they were, that would put them in, or on their way to, the temporary holding facility near the outskirts of CoreSec Plaza. It's the kind of place no one thinks of committing good old fashioned blue collar crime in, but has to be the safest streets in the city. Good thing Karl isn't a wanted man. Just remember, no one said anything about rescue, just find out what happened to them.

[Bitom]

Armed witht he knowledge of the names that Lon and Kad usually give to authorities and adults, Karl goes for the direct method. He takes the transport to stop nearest the holding area, and if nothing happens on the way, will walk right into the area's front office.